January 2012 Archives

Harold Burke Sivers Forum.jpegThe Siena Forum for Faith and Culture (NYC) has been running a series on Marriage this year. The Year of Marriage began with Dr. Jim Healy from the Joliet Diocese and Deacon Harold Burke-Sivers of the Archdiocese of Portland was recently at the Siena Forum.

Two more presentations on Marriage will be on March 10 with Frank Hannigan from the Archdiocese of Chicago and on April 21 with Father Jordan Kelly, OP.

Deacon Harold Burke-Sivers, ordained for service in the Archdiocese of Portland in Oregon has a ministry of evangelzation where he roams the USA speaking on faith, culture, Marriage. he was invited by the Siena Forum to speak on the importance of our preparation for Marriage today. The Deacon is a native of Newark, he's an Oblate of Saint Benedict and a married man with 4 children.

NET TV's interview with Deacon Burke-Sivers and participants can be viewed here.
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Photo by Bob Mullen/The Catholic Photographer, copyright © 2012


On pilgrimage to the Holy Land, Archbishop (Cardinal-designate) Timothy Michael Dolan takes a moment to pray at the site of Lord's crucifixion.

The NY Daily News has a story.
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The Pope's man in Ireland, Archbishop Charles J. Brown, arrives to take up his duties. He's greeted by Seán Cardinal  Brady (Archbishop of Armagh) and Archbishop Diarmuid Martin (Archbishop of Dublin). The newly ordained archbishop is a New York native and until recently has been working in the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.

Saint Patrick, pray for Ireland.

Saint John Bosco

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St Don Bosco.jpgO God, who raised up the Priest Saint John Bosco as a father and teacher of the young, grant, we pray, that, aflame with the same fire of love, we may seek out souls and serve you alone.



Saint John Bosco is for me, an important model and patron of ministry. Thanks to my friend Dom Paschal of Portsmouth Abbey, Bosco's values of loving kindness, religion and reason are front-in-center of my own ministry and have become the basis of pastoral care be it mission work, education, the healthcare apostolate or parish life. 

Saint John Bosco's final words were recorded as "Love each other as brothers. Do good to all, evil to none."

Indeed, let's follow Don Bosco.
CL 2012-1.jpgAn annual Mass is celebrated for the repose of the soul of Father Luigi Giussani (+February 22, 2005) and the good of the Fraternity of Communion and Liberation. We are a small but faithful group of friends who help each other to follow Christ and love the Church; we live our Baptism.

The anniversary of the Church's approval of the charism of Communion and Liberation is the feast of Our Lady of Lourdes, 11 February.

Our friend, Bishop Peter Rosazza, an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Hartford celebrated the Sacrifice of the Mass with another friend concelebrating, Father Sal Rosa.

The 2012 Mass was held at Our Lady of Pompeii Church (Route 80, East Haven, CT) was the host thanks to Father John Lavorgna.

The CL movement asks us to live our lives in communion with the Vicar of Christ, the Pope. This communion, this fidelity to the sacred Scripture and sacred Tradition is expressed with concrete expressions of communion with the bishop of the diocese in which we live and therefore marking a gesture of communion with the Pope. Hence, by praying the Mass celebrated by Bishop Peter we demonstrate that we are in communion with him and Archbishop Henry Mansell (successors of the apostles) who are in communion with Pope Benedict XVI.
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"As confessors we are called to show mercy and hope, to be fathers more than judges, to take on the penitent's pain and listen with much patience," Cardinal Raymond Burke told CNS correspondent Carol Glatz.

Cardinal Burke spoke on the role of the priest in confession: be merciful, not judgmental. Amazing. You would not know that this is the teaching of the Church given some of our priests. God's minister is not equal to being God. Thanks to the Cardinal!
The Italian daily Il Avvenire published a story by Giorgio Paolucci, "A Hope that is Stronger than the Recession," an interview with the President of Communion and Liberation, Father Julián Carrón.

Speaking of the Year of Faith called by Benedict, Father Carrón stated: 

"Today, too, a new beginning is therefore necessary to testify to how reason and freedom find their fulfillment in faith, making evident that Christianity is something that is humanly worth our while. In this sense, the Year of Faith is directed first of all to Christians, but, in the degree to which we live a 'new beginning,' it can benefit everyone, according to the method chosen by Jesus: give the grace to some so that through them it can reach everyone who is open to accepting it."

I find that the interview is beautiful and striking. Read it and see why I say so, but don't let skew your impression.

William Edward Lori's essay, "The Jesus mandate vs. Obama's mandate" was published this afternoon in The Washington Post. Lori is the 4th bishop of the Diocese of Bridgeport and the chairman of the US Bishops' Ad Hoc Committee on Religious Liberty.

Two paragraphs of Bishop Lori's essay follow, but the full text is noted here:

Last year alone, Catholic Charities served more than 10 million of the poor, the needy, and the suffering throughout our nation.  Catholic Charities doesn't know how many of those served were not Catholic, because they simply never ask. Our faith compels us to serve, not the faith of those we help.

Catholic ministries for the needy are as blind to race, creed, class, and gender as Jesus Christ, their founder. That any one of them, much less all of them, should be forced to choose between the Gospel mandate and the U.S. government's health care mandate strikes at the very heart of the right to religious liberty on which our country was founded.
Since it was announced on January 20th that Catholic institutions will be expected by law, to comply with Federal mandates to provide services named "healthcare" but really are procedures connected with contraception and abortion, several US bishops have come out against the Obama administration's war on conscience rights of people of faith, and the Connecticut Catholic dioceses (Hartford, Stamford, Norwich and Bridgeport) will be fighting Obama. Why is this important: conscience can't violated, Catholic institutions serve not just the Catholic population, but everybody. Catholics will not comply with Obama, it contradicts Jesus. As Pittsburgh's Bishop Zubik said, to hell with you Mr Obama. 

What follows are a few paragraphs of Archbishop Mansell's February column in the Catholic Transcript (the full text can be read here):

Hartford.gifWe cannot comply with this edict. Our parents and grandparents did not come to these shores to help build America's cities and towns, its infrastructure and institutions, its enterprise and culture, only to have their posterity stripped of their God-given rights. In generations past, the Church has always been able to count on the faithful to stand up and protect her sacred rights and duties. We hope and trust that she can count on this generation of Catholics to do the same. Our children and grandchildren deserve nothing less.

The Dioceses of Bridgeport and Norwich, as well as the Ukrainian Diocese of Stamford, will be joining us in the Archdiocese of Hartford as we mount a campaign against this horrific development.  Prayer and fasting are, of course, supremely important, that wisdom and justice may prevail and religious liberty may be restored. You may also wish to visit www.usccb.org/conscience to learn more about this severe assault on religious liberty, and how to contact our Senators and Representatives to support legislation that would reverse the Administration's decision.

We must act strongly against this edict. It affects the lifeblood of Catholics and millions more who are not Catholic but whom we serve diligently. The future of all of us and our country as well is at stake.

Archbishop Henry J. Mansell
Archbishop of Hartford
The Catholic Transcript, February 2012
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The homilies and brief Angelus talks of the Pope really set the stage for what we ought to pay attention to in our spiritual life. His thinking is clear, and germane. Today is no different. How is it that we recognize and live within the authority of Jesus?

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This Sunday's Gospel (Mk 1.21 to 28) presents us with Jesus, on the Sabbath day, as he preached at the synagogue at Capernaum, the small town where Peter and his brother Andrew lived on the lake of Galilee. In his teaching, which arouses the wonder of the people, following the liberation of "a man with an unclean spirit" (v. 23), who recognizes in Jesus as the "saint of God," that is, the Messiah. In a short time, his fame spread throughout the region, which he travels announcing the Kingdom of God and healing the sick of all kinds: word and deed. St. John Chrysostom observes how the Lord "alternates the speech for the benefit of those who listen, moving on from wonders to words and again passing from the teaching of his doctrine to miracles" (Hom. on Matthew 25, 1: PG 57, 328).
The Washington Post's E.J. Dionne, Jr., is not a completely reliable Catholic intellectual, but I think we ought to pay attention to today's opinion piece, "Obama's breach of faith over contraceptive ruling." I don't agree with all that Dionne posits, but it would be incorrect to dismiss the whole piece because he does have a point for us Catholics to pay close attention to.

One of Barack Obama's great attractions as a presidential candidate was his sensitivity to the feelings and intellectual concerns of religious believers. That is why it is so remarkable that he utterly botched the admittedly difficult question of how contraceptive services should be treated under the new health care law.

His administration mishandled this decision not once but twice. In the process, Obama threw his progressive Catholic allies under the bus and strengthened the hand of those inside the Church who had originally sought to derail the health care law.

This might not be so surprising if Obama had presented himself as a conventional secular liberal. But he has always held himself to a more inclusive standard.

His deservedly celebrated 2006 speech on religion and American public life was a deeply sophisticated and carefully balanced effort to defend the rights of both believers and nonbelievers in a pluralistic republic.

Obama's speech at Notre Dame's graduation in 2009 was another tour de force. His visit to South Bend was highly controversial among right-wing Catholics. Yet his address temporarily silenced many of his critics because it showed an appreciation for the Catholic Church's contributions to American life -- particularly through its vast array of social-service and educational institutions -- and an instinctive feeling for Catholic sensibilities.

The full body of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith met with the Pope on Friday, 27 January, to discuss his conviction that no other work of the Church, particularly this congregation, takes precedence to the work of evangelization. Everyone ought to be committed "to bringing God back into this world and to opening to all men access to the faith."


Benedict see now as the opportune moment "to point out to all the gift of faith in the Risen Christ, the clear teaching of the Second Vatican Council and the invaluable doctrinal synthesis offered by the Catechism of the Catholic Church." Recently, the Pope said that "we are facing a profound crisis of faith, a loss of religious meaning which constitutes the greatest challenge to the Church" (Message for World Mission Day).


Other things that concern us, the Pope noted were:


1. the unity among Christians:  maintaining "coherence in the ecumenical task with the Second Vatican Council and the whole of Tradition";

2. warned of the dangers of "a shallow moralism";

3. to promote "the logic" contained in the conciliar teaching: "the sincere search for the full unity of all Christians is a dynamism animated by the Word of God";

4. a need for a "discernment between Tradition with a capital letter and the traditions": "There exists," he said, "a spiritual wealth in the different Christian confessions, which is an expression of the one faith and gift to share" (reflecting the recent work done for the full communion of Anglicans).


The last concern of Benedict was that the entire Church speak with one voice with Peter.

Saint Thomas Aquinas

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St Thomas Aquinas with bk detail.jpgO God, who made Saint Thomas Aquinas outstanding in his zeal for holiness and his study of sacred doctrine, grant us, we pray, that we may understand what he taught one imitate what he accomplished.


Saint Thomas Aquinas, patron of Catholic school teacher and researchers, pray for us.


"Man's good and what makes man good in God's sight does not, principally, consist in external acts. But in the external actions we must use discretion and make charity the measure of our use of them"

Pelicanus

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PELICANUS is the word for a certain breed of bird

    Who truly is a crane;

    Egypt is his domain.

    There are two kinds there-of;

    Near to the Nile they live;

    One of them dwells in the flood, the fishes are his food;

    The other lives in the isles on lizards, crocodiles,

    Serpents and stinking creatures, and beasts of evil nature.

In Greek his title was Onocrotalos, which is longum rostrum,

    Said in the Latin tongue instead,

    Or long break in our own.

Of this bird it is known that when he comes to his young,

    They being grown and strong,

    And does them kindly things,

    And covers them with his wings.

The little birds begin fiercely to peck at him;

    They tear at him and try to blind their father's eye.

    He falls upon them then and stays them with great pain,

    Then goes away for a spell, leaving them where they fell.

On the third day he returns, and thereupon he mourns,

    Feeling so strong a woe to see the small birds so

    That he strikes his breast with his beak until the blood shall leak.

And when the coursing blood spatters his lifeless brood,

    Such virtue does it have

    That once again they live.

Know that this pelican signifies Mary's Son:

    The little birds are men restored to life again by that dear blood

    Shed for us by our God.

Now learn one morning more, revealed by holy lore:

    Know why the small birds try to peck thie father's eye,

    Who turns on them in wrath and puts them all to death.

Men who deny the light would blind God's blazing sight,

    But on such people all His punishment will fall.

    This is the meaning I find:

    Now bear it well in mind.

              -- from an Anglo-Norman Bestiary of 1120 by Philippe de Thaun;

                this version from "Things of this World" by Richard Wilbur

Saint Angela Merici

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May the Virgin Saint Angela never fail to commend us to your compassion, O Lord, we pray, that, following the lessons of her charity and prudence, we may hold fast to your teaching and express it in what we do.




We need a full restoration of the congregation of sisters founded by Saint Angela Merici. Notice what the Church holds us as important for us to imitate.












(icon taken from Archbishop Prendergast's blog)
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Fordham Law School's Institute on Religion, Law & Lawyer's Work hosted Archbishop Timothy Michael Dolan, PhD, for an inaugural address in the Law and the Gospel of Life series. 

Sadly, it didn't make the news, well not much was said around the area about it. Fordham University published this brief press release read here. The crowd exceed initial expectations and a change of venue was made. Cardinal-designate Dolan centered his comments on Blessed John Paul II landmark encyclical, the Evangelium Vitae (1995). An excerpt of Dolan's remarks follows, below is the link to his entire text:

The Gospel of Life proposes an alternative vision of law and culture, one that provides an antidote to the pragmatic nihilism that produces a Culture of Death. It seeks to recapture the essential relationship between the civil law and the moral law, and to foster a culture in which all human life is valued and authentic human development is possible.

The Wall Street Journal published an op-ed piece of New York's Archbishop, Timothy Michael Dolan, today. You can read the entire op-ed piece of Archbishop Dolan here:  WSJ-ObamaCare-and-Religious-Freedom.pdf


An excerpt follows:


Coercing religious ministries and citizens to pay directly for actions that violate their teaching is an unprecedented incursion into freedom of conscience. Organizations fear that this unjust rule will force them to take one horn or the other of an unacceptable dilemma: Stop serving people of all faiths in their ministries--so that they will fall under the narrow exemption--or stop providing health-care coverage to their own employees.


The Catholic Church defends religious liberty, including freedom of conscience, for everyone. The Amish do not carry health insurance. The government respects their principles. Christian Scientists want to heal by prayer alone, and the new health-care reform law respects that. Quakers and others object to killing even in wartime, and the government respects that principle for conscientious objectors. By its decision, the Obama administration has failed to show the same respect for the consciences of Catholics and others who object to treating pregnancy as a disease.


Timothy Michael Dolan, PhD

Archbishop of New York

Wall Street Journal

25 January 2012

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Dear brothers and sisters! It is with great joy that I extend my warm greetings to all of you who have gathered in this basilica for the liturgical Feast of the Conversion of St. Paul, concluding the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, in this year when we are celebrating the fiftieth anniversary of the Second Vatican Council, that the Blessed John XXIII announced in this very basilica on January 25, 1959. The theme offered for our meditation in the Week of prayer which we conclude today, is: "All shall be changed by the victory of Jesus Christ our Lord" (cf. 1 Cor 15.51-58).

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The Papal General Audience given in the Paul VI Hall today, Benedict spoke of the desire for unity that our Lord expressed in his priestly prayer at the Last Supper (John 17):


Against the backdrop of the Jewish feast of expiation Yom Kippur, Jesus, priest and victim, prays that the Father will glorify him in this, the hour of his sacrifice of reconciliation. He asks the Father to consecrate his disciples, setting them apart and sending them forth to continue his mission in the world. Christ also implores the gift of unity for all those who will believe in him through the preaching of the apostles.


Sacred Scripture and sacred Tradition and now echoed by Pope Benedict, believes that Christ's priestly prayer is understood as His instituting the Church, the community of faith, the communio found  explicitly in a church that is one, holy, catholic and apostolic. Taking the Pauline manner of thinking, we are disciples of Christ who, through faith in Christ, are one and share in His saving mission:


In meditating upon the Lord's priestly prayer, let us ask the Father for the grace to grow in our baptismal consecration and to open our own prayers to the needs of our neighbors and the whole world. Let us also pray, as we have just done in the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, for the gift of the visible unity of all Christ's followers, so that the world may believe in the Son and in the Father who sent him.

Earlier today, Monsignor Paul Tighe, the Secretary to the Pontifical Council for Social Communications, talked about the Pope's 2012 message for World Communications Day (May 20, 2012). 

To some the combination of silence and word as a path to sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ is a contradiction, mutually exclusive and not an adequate response to making the Name of the Lord known and loved. Not at all. God reveals Himself in words and deeds but He also speaks to us in silence. Indeed, in silence. Wonder and awe before the Divine Mystery is only lived in silence. The Church Fathers knew this; medieval saints and theologians knew this, and so does the contemporary Church. Father Jean-Pierre Ruiz of St John's University (Queens, NY) speaks to the perceived contradiction here.

"Silence and Word: Path of Evangelization" is the 46th message of the pope's speaking in favor of social communications. It is terrific, it is necessary, read it!!!!
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Good books are one thing. Books considered "classic," that is, those books that can withstand the test of time are not only an excellent resource but a true companion for one's journey. No doubt, our human and spiritual needs mature over time, but a classic continues to give insight and guidance. Wisdom collected from a true living experience is hard to underestimate. The Introduction to the Devout Life by Saint Francis de Sales, bishop and Doctor of the Church, is one such book. It is not to be missed by any person wanting to know the Christian life better, and how to live it coherently. The book is about the universal call to holiness.


The Introduction to the Devout Life was an instant success from the moment it rolled off the printing press. In the Saint's own time the book was revised a few times.


If you ask yourself: What do I need to do be better Christian? How do I live my life with all its complexities and remain faith to the Gospel and the Church? Do I have to be a priest, sister or brother to be a good Christian?  How does one live a Christ-centered life? Then this book is for you.


"The writings of Francis de Sales, filled with celestial doctrine are a bright light in the Church, pointing out to souls an easy and safe way to arrive at the perfection of a Christian life" (Breviarium Romanum, 29 January, lect. VI).

Silence and Word: Path of Evangelization 

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As we draw near to World Communications Day 2012, I would like to share with you some reflections concerning an aspect of the human process of communication which, despite its importance, is often overlooked and which, at the present time, it would seem especially necessary to recall. It concerns the relationship between silence and word: two aspects of communication which need to be kept in balance, to alternate and to be integrated with one another if authentic dialogue and deep closeness between people are to be achieved. When word and silence become mutually exclusive, communication breaks down, either because it gives rise to confusion or because, on the contrary, it creates an atmosphere of coldness; when they complement one another, however, communication acquires value and meaning.


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Saint Francis de Sales

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St Francis de Sales in prayer.jpgO God, who for the salvation of souls willed that the Bishop Saint Francis de Sales become all things to all, graciously grant that, following his example, we may always display the gentleness of charity in the service of our neighbor.


Charity and meekness are hallmarks of today's saint who was a terrific bishop and is a Doctor of  the Church. Without charity how can one truly be a disciple of Christ?

Among many things, Saint Francis de Sales was a co-founder of the Order of the Visitation with Saint Jane De Chantal. 

Let us follow his witness and good example.
The intention for today is for those who have died as a result of abortion and for the women and men directly affected by abortion.

Give peace, O Lord, to those who wait for you; hear the prayers of your servants and guide us in the way of justice (antiphon for the Mass For the Preservation of Peace & Justice)

O God, who have revealed that peacemakers are to be called your children, grant, we pray, that we may work without ceasing to establish that justice which alone ensures true and lasting peace.

Day of Penance and Prayer to be observed on January 23rd this year.

In November, 2001, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops approved the adaptation of the General Instruction of the Roman Missal. Following confirmation by the Holy See in February, 2002, the following became particular law for the dioceses of the United States of America:

In all the dioceses of the United States of America, January 22 (or January 23, when the 22nd falls on a Sunday) shall be observed as a particular day of penance for violations to the dignity of the human person committed through acts of abortion, and of prayer for the full restoration of the legal guarantee of the right to life. The Mass "For Peace and Justice" (no. 21 from "Masses for Various Needs") should be celebrated with violet vestments as an appropriate liturgical observance for this day.

On January 22, 2003, a "day of penance for violations to the dignity of the human person committed through acts of abortion, and of prayer for the full restoration of the legal guarantee of the right to life" will be mandatory in the dioceses of the U.S. for the first time. As an "Optional Memorial," the Mass celebrated that day may be the Mass "For Peace and Justice" or follow the normal weekday Mass readings and prayers for the day found in the Ordo, with or without optional prayers related to St. Vincent of Saragossa whose Feast Day falls on January 22.

Secretariat for Pro-Life Activities
United States Conference of Catholic Bishops
3211 4th Street, NE
Washington, DC 20017-1194

(202) 541-3070

Jonah and the whale

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Do you know the narrative of Jonah? Is there a connection between Jonah and the 12 Apostles? 

WC Skurla.jpgPope Benedict XVI elected William Charles Skurla, 55, as the 8th bishop (and 5th Archeparch) of the Pittsburgh Ruthenian Church, until now, the Eparch of Passaic (NJ).

The Archeparch-designate has been a priest for nearly 25 years and a bishop for nearly 10. This is third eparchy to have been elected to lead. He succeeds Archbishop Basil who died on June 10, 2010.

The Archeparchy of Pittsburgh is a See of nearly 60,000 souls (2010 stats).

May God grant Archbishop William many years.
At 11:30 am, Rome time, Pope Benedict XVI met with the bishops of region IV (Baltimore, Delaware, Virginia, DC and the Military Services) to give his address during their Ad Limina

Below is a selection of the Pope's text, (emphasis mine):

For her part, the Church in the United States is called, in season and out of season, to proclaim a Gospel which not only proposes unchanging moral truths but proposes them precisely as the key to human happiness and social prospering (cf. Gaudium et Spes, 10). To the extent that some current cultural trends contain elements that would curtail the proclamation of these truths, whether constricting it within the limits of a merely scientific rationality, or suppressing it in the name of political power or majority rule, they represent a threat not just to Christian faith, but also to humanity itself and to the deepest truth about our being and ultimate vocation, our relationship to God. When a culture attempts to suppress the dimension of ultimate mystery, and to close the doors to transcendent truth, it inevitably becomes impoverished and falls prey, as the late Pope John Paul II so clearly saw, to reductionist and totalitarian readings of the human person and the nature of society.
An extraordinary gift has made the good news of the Bible better known for those who are unable to read and write. Reportedly 50 percent of the world is illiterate. An initiative of Jerry Jackson and colleagues, Faith Comes by Hearing, is making it possible for the world to hear the Bible in one's language. It is available in more than 610 languages, reaching 185 countries and 5 billion people to date. AND the Pope now has an iPod with the audio Bible.

Watch the video clip on Faith Comes by Hearing here.

Support Faith Comes by Hearing!
This week, as you know, is a period of time for prayer (and fasting, I hope) for the intention of Christian Unity. The intention in my mind, and I might say, in the mind of the Pope, is a non-negotiable: we need not only to pray but to actively work for unity among Christians. This week, therefore, is an invitation to beg the Lord for the grace of unity for the Church.

Pope Benedict speaks to the matter of our own conversion, a deep change of heart viz. unity. We need a united witness to the Gospel of Jesus Christ today.

It's Christianity. Simple.

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We seem to be asking the same question: What is Christianity? A perplexing question for believers, I suspect. Test everything, Saint Paul tells us. Indeed, probe the question and don't be afraid of doubt and the questions. The certainty of faith is known in the experience and the investigation of the reasonableness of the faith.


Antonio Quaglio in article published today on ilsussidiario.net, "It's Christianity. Simple." reflects on what Father Julián Carrón spoke on at the New Encounter 2012 this past weekend: that Christianity, in its true sense, need to be lived without reservation and without excuses and justifications.

On January 1, we celebrate the Solemnity of the Mother of God, the open the new civil year, and we observe the World Day of Peace. The Pope gives a message on this day that sort of works as a programmatic statement for his work throughout the year. 2012 is a year to work on the virtue of justice. At some point the future I will define the virtue of justice more than "giving another his or her just due." The Pope clarified his thinking on justice which can be read here.

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The secretary of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, the number 2 person at the Council, Bishop Mario Toso, SDB, 61, spoke about the meaning of the Pope's message for the Day, titled "Educate Young People in Justice and Peace." His interview with Mercedes de la Torre from January 10 with Zenit follows:

ZENIT spoke with the Salesian bishop, professor of social philosophy, former rector of the Pontifical Salesian University and Consultor for 20 years of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, about Benedict XVI's message.

ZENIT: Why does Benedict XVI address young people in particular in this 45th Message for the World Day of Peace?

Saint Anthony of the Desert

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The father of monasticism, Saint Anthony reminds us of two things: to deny the self is a freeing gesture in one's relationship with God and with others. Remember: we have communion with God and communion with our friends.

The denial of self is not merely the denial of material things but our preconceived ideas and skepticism. The second prayer highlights for me the vigilance needed to be aware of evil. The powers of darkness are real and need to be confronted.


The Collect

O God, who brought the Abbot Saint Anthony to serve you by a wondrous way of life in the desert, grant, through his intercession, that, denying ourselves, we may always love you above all things.


Prayer After Communion

Nourished for our healing by your Sacraments, O Lord, may we escape every snare of the enemy unharmed, just as by your grace Saint Anthony won glorious victories over the powers of darkness.
New Year greetings are exchanged between the Holy Father and the authorities of the City of Rome, the Region of Lazio, and the Province of Rome. On one level this meeting is a formality, because it is. But there is a deeper issue at hand: collaborate with others to build up the Kingdom even when your partner is perhaps secular. As Saint John Bosco did, as well as countless other good educators, if you want to influence others, then get to know the other person. Rome's ecclesial leaders aren't always on the same page as the civil leaders, but absenting oneself from the other is no way to advance the good life. And the Pope realizes this fact. 

He said on January 12, 

"The challenges we are currently facing are numerous and complex, and can be overcome only if we reinforce our awareness that the destiny of each of us is linked to that of everyone else. For this reason ... acceptance, solidarity and legality are fundamental values. The present crisis can, then, be an opportunity for the entire community to verify whether the values upon which social life is founded have generated a society that is just, fair and united, or whether it is necessary to undertake a profound rethink in order to rediscover values which ... not only favor economic recovery, but which are also attentive to promoting the integral good of human beings."
The other day the Pope's Secretary of State Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone SDB celebrated Mass for the Vatican's jurists where he noted "with the beginning of a new judicial year ... we are again invited to reflect upon the relationship between divine and human justice, so that our consciences may be illuminated and our actions may, as far as possible, correspond to the divine will and its plan of love for each individual and for the community of man." Moreover, Bertone picked up a current theme of Benedict's these days, that is, that of justice, in which he called attention to the specific vocation of the Church to be "a sign and instrument of God's love [charity], and of His justice which is always an expression of His merciful love."
Week of prayer Christian unity 2012 logo.jpgThe theme of the '12 Week of Prayer for Christian Unity (18-25 Jan) is taken from Paul's first letter to the Corinthians "We will all be changed by the victory of our Lord Jesus Christ" (15:51-58).

The Church prays for Unity among Christians

Make known in us, O Lord, the abundance of your mercy and, in the power of your Spirit, remove the divisions between Christians, that your Church may appear more clearly as a sign raised high among the nations and the world, enlightened by your Spirit, may believe in the Christ whom you have sent.

On the 25th, Pope Benedict will pray Vespers on the feast of the Conversion of St Paul at the Papal Basilica of Saint Paul outside the Walls with ecumenical partners. He's been committed to this work of ecumenism and has worked to give the work a better and authentic focus. He's called the "Pope of Christian Unity." Let's be united in prayer for the the intention of full, visible unity among Christians.
Cardinal George OMI.jpgToday is Cardinal Francis Eugene George's 75th birthday. Congrats and continued blessings!!!

His Eminence is this nation's highest profiled cardinal and bishop who is a superb public thinker as well as a pastor of souls. Since 1997 he's been the archbishop of Chicago and since 1998 he's been a member of the College of Cardinals. Both positions were given to him by Blessed  Pope John Paul II.

The 1983 Code of Canon Law says of a bishop who reaches his 75th birthday:

A diocesan bishop who has completed the seventy-fifth year of age is requested to present from office to the Supreme Pontiff, who will make provision after he has examined all the circumstances (401).

The Chicago Tribune ran this article today.

Pray for Cardinal George and for the Archdiocese of Chicago.
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Jesus Christ is our light

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Baptism of Christ AVerrocchio.jpgThe days following the feasts of the Epiphany (Theophany) and the Baptism of the Lord, the Church focuses her attention on a relationship with the Lord as the Way, the Light and the Truth. The biblical narratives at Mass this week have us praying with the scenes of Christ the healer. With His baptism, Jesus' ministry inaugurated and his light now shines more brightly for us to see the path to salvation.

Jesuit Father Steven Bonian tells us that "In ... Syriac Spirituality we find St. Ephrem speaking in mystical poetry of the light of Christ residing in every Christian: the same light that Moses saw on the mountain at the burning bush; that gleamed through Mary at his incarnation, and the river Jordan at his baptism. Ephrem envisions that we too will shine forth with Christ's light at our resurrection - for all eternity!

It is very important for us to come to know Jesus Christ, our Lord, in his true light: as he really lives in the light of the Trinity. It is the ultimate grace from God the Father to have Jesus revealed to us in his true Light. This grace can only be given to those who are willing to seek it: 'ask and it will be given to you,' the Lord says."
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This picture of Tim Tebow paired with a priest praying before the Tabernacle is making the rounds. I have to say, even though I am fascinated by the controversy surrounding Mr. Tebow's Christian display of trust in Christ, that the Catholics have it over him.

Let us pray for the courage to daily give good witness to Christ.

At the new year the Hungarians passed a new constitution with some real changes that will affect the Church and other ecclesial communities, including non-Christian groups. The New York Times ran the article that outlines the changes giving the impression that even the Hungarians are unable to name all the changes. What caught my eye thanks to Brother Richard of OSB.org, when he first posted a note on his FB page that some venerable religious orders like the Benedictines and the Carmelites and a group like the Opus Dei are now downgraded in terms of the law. But why? What does the Hungarian government gain by doing such and what are the long-term implications for the Benedictines and Carmelites? Why weren't the states of the Dominicans and Jesuits changed? Some of what happened is noted here:

"With the new year, as the new constitution goes into effect, all petitions to the [Constitutional] Court lapse and it becomes much harder for anyone to challenge this law -- or any other.

"But it is worth lingering on the newly re-enacted law on the status of churches because it is one of the places where we can clearly see the effects of the new constitutional order on the protection of constitutional rights. What does the law on churches do? It creates 14 state-recognized religions, and decertifies the rest. On January 1, over 300 denominations lose their official status in Hungary -- including their tax exemptions and their abilities to run state-funded schools. While most of the denominations are tiny, many are not. Among the religions that will no longer be able to operate with state approval are all versions of Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism and Baha'i, as well as many smaller Catholic orders including the Benedictines, Marists, Carmelites, and Opus Dei, and a number of major Protestant denominations including Episcopalians, Jehovah's Witnesses, Seventh Day Adventists, Mormons, Methodists, and all but one of the evangelical churches. One each of the orthodox, conservative, and liberal Jewish synagogues are recognized; but all other Jewish congregations are not" (The Unconstitutional Constitution).

A Benedictine from Hungary writes that "religious orders are still part of the Catholic Church in my country and being as such they will maintain their legal status -- all other problematic constitutional points nothwithstanding." (see OSB.org)

cardinal birettas.jpgSome segments of the Catholic world are very excited about the Pope's 12th Day of Christmas gift to 22 bishops and priests: being created a cardinal of the Holy Roman Church. The US gets two new cardinals with Archbishops O'Brien and Dolan receiving the papal nod. 


B16 baptizes 2012.jpgToday the Church in the US celebrates the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord, in 2012, the day after the Solemnity of the Epiphany. In other places, like Rome, the Church observed the Baptism of the Lord yesterday as the Epiphany was celebrated on the traditional 12th day of Christmas, January 6. Today's feast reminds us that being a Christian is the joy of being "children of God." During his noontime Angelus Address Pope Benedict said that "God is the origin of the existence of every creature and the Father in a unique way of every human being: He has a unique, personal relationship with him or her." At Mass in Rome earlier in the morning the Pope had baptized 16 newborn infants, children of Vatican employees in the Sistine Chapel.

The Church prays

Almighty ever-living God, who, when Christ had been baptized in the River Jordan and as the Holy Spirit descended upon him, solemnly declare him your beloved Son, grant that your children by adoption, reborn of water and the Holy Spirit, may always be well pleasing to you.

This magnificent prayer tells us that what Jesus was by nature, we become by grace through the sacraments.

The temptation of Christmas

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Nativity of the Lord JFlanders.jpg

Have we finished the Christmas season in good order? Have we exceeded our expectation to live the season of Christmas differently from what secular culture has given us? Or, have we given up and just given ourselves over to the mediocrity of the the world around us with regard to Christian Faith?  What follows is a very interesting commentary on our Christian observance of the Birth of Jesus, the Nativity of God-Man by Father Julián Carrón. While the today brings to a close the Church's yearly observance of Christmastide, we have work to do before we put to rest the nagging questions: what difference does this Child make in my life? AND Do we really believe that God is in our midst?


In order to describe our humanity and to see ourselves properly at this moment in the world's history, it is hard for us to find more appropriate words than those contained in this passage by the Prophet Zephaniah. "Sing aloud, O daughter of Zion; shout, O Israel!". Why? What reason is there to rejoice, with all that is happening in the world? Because "the Lord has taken away the judgments against you".


The first repercussion that these words produced in me was surprise at how the Lord looks at us: with a gaze that succeeds in seeing things that we shall not be able to recognize unless we participate in his same gaze at reality. "The Lord has taken away the judgments against you": in other words, your evil does not have the last word over your life; the usual way you look at yourself is not the right one; the look with which you constantly reproach yourself is not true. The one true look is the Lord's look. And it is precisely by this look that you will be able to understand that he is with you: if he has taken away the judgment against you, what can you fear? "You shall fear evil no more". An inexorable positiveness prevails over life. For this reason, the biblical passage continues, "do not fear, O Zion, do not let your hands grow weak" Why? Because "The Lord your God is in your midst, a warrior who gives victory". There is no other source of joy than this: "he will rejoice over you with gladness. He will renew you with his love, he will exult over you with loud singing" (3:14-17).


Epiphany

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Magi Adoration Angelico.jpg

We celebrate a holy day adorned with three mysteries: this day the star led the Magi to the manger; this day wine was made from water at the wedding; this day Christ willed to be baptized in the Jordan by John in order to save us, alleluia. (Antiphon for the Magnificat, Second Vespers)

The Church prays

O God, who on this day revealed your Only Begotten Son to the nations by the guidance of a star, grant in your mercy that we who know you already by faith, may be brought to behold the beauty of your sublime glory.

The Magi give us an example to follow: to walk diligently, to walk by faith guided by the indications of God --that is, the star-- in order to arrive at what God wants to give. Himself. As Pope Benedict said on Friday, the Magi are the best example of "humanity's pilgrimage to Jesus." The giving of the gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh is merely the beginning of our gift to the Lord. Our gift is none other than ourselves, as freely as it is possible to give... 

Our first point on the pilgrimage is what is sung in the "The First Nowell," Then entered in there Wise Men three, Full reverently on bended knee....

By walking this pilgrimage to Jesus, the Magi arrive at Truth itself. Do we have the courage to do the same or do we succumb to human opinion?

Ordination of bishops

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Today the Pope ordained, or consecrated, if you will, two priests as bishops of the Holy Roman Church. Noteworthy is the New York native, now Apostolic Nuncio to Ireland, Charles John Brown, 52, until now an official in the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. May I note that among other things Archbishop Brown is a graduate of the University of Notre Dame and Rome's Benedictine school, Sant'Anselmo (places close to my heart)! A snippet of the Benedict's homily follows:

Charles Brown.jpg... how can we fail to recognize in all this certain essential elements of episcopal ministry? The bishop too must be a man of restless heart, not satisfied with the ordinary things of this world, but inwardly driven by his heart's unrest to draw ever closer to God, to seek his face, to recognize him more and more, to be able to love him more and more. The bishop too must be a man of watchful heart, who recognizes the gentle language of God and understands how to distinguish truth from mere appearance. The bishop too must be filled with the courage of humility, not asking what prevailing opinion says about him, but following the criterion of God's truth and taking his stand accordingly - "opportune - importune". He must be able to go ahead and mark out the path. He must go ahead, in the footsteps of him who went ahead of us all because he is the true shepherd, the true star of the promise: Jesus Christ. And he must have the humility to bend down before the God who made himself so tangible and so simple that he contradicts our foolish pride in its reluctance to see God so close and so small. He must devote his life to adoration of the incarnate Son of God, which constantly points him towards the path.
The monastic life is capable to breathe new life into lungs of an ailing body, the Church. A recent interview with the Prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, Archbishop Fernando Filoni, gives his observations and direction. While he speaks of The Order of Saint Bridget that was refounded by Blessed Mother Maria Hesslblad, his comments are worth paying attention to and applied to all orders. These nuns, by the way, have one US house in Darien, Connecticut. The interview is here.
"Christianity is a new life, it's a new way of living, which is to say of perceiving, of judging, of feeling, of reacting and of manipulating things. It is a new way of life, a new way of living, not individually but essentially as a community. So, that the Church is present in an environment means that in that environment the Christian community is present as life, that the Christians live the life of that environment in everything, honestly, in every detail, lives the interests that make up that environment, but from another point of view."

Father Luigi Giussani, to GS students, 1964. Printed in the July/August 2005 Traces

Saint John Neumann

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St John Neumann of Phil.jpgThe famed American bishop, John Neumann (1811-60), is recalled by the Church today in her Liturgy. Known for his zeal and charity, John Neumann was an immigrant from Bohemia to North America and where he worked diligently to proclaim the Good News of Jesus Christ. Neumann was famous for his work with the poor, Catholic education and the Eucharistic adoration. The readings from Scripture and the Collects from the Mass all conspire to remind us of the urgent and real concern we ought to have for our brothers and sisters. The Collect even as a reference to the city where the saint was bishop, Philadelphia. 

The Church prays,

O God, who called the Bishop Saint John Neumann, renowned for his charity and pastoral service, to shepherd your people in America, grant by his intercession that, as we foster the Christian education of youth and are strengthened by the witness of brotherly love, we may constantly increase the family of your Church.

Watch two videos on the great Redemptorist Saint John Neumann's life and here.

Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton

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Behold a wise woman who has built her house. She feared the Lord and walked the right path. (the Entrance verse at Mass)

Elizabeth Ann Seton tomb.jpgThe first United States native to be canonized by the Catholic Church is Elizabeth Ann Seton (August 28, 1774 - January 4, 1821). She is the famous American convert, wife, mother and founder of a religious congregation of women (The Sisters of Charity) revolutionized the work of the Church in the US. Seton's motto, "Hazard yet forward" is a indication of her deep conviction that Christ indeed is our Savior and everything we do ought to be done for Him. Our "hazard" is being bold in proclaiming the Good News of Salvation, in proposing to live this Good News so that our lives are truly different and all people may see the face of Christ in our own.

Let us call upon Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton for her intercession with the Lord to help us hazard yet go forward in doing all things for Christ and His sacrament, the Church for our own salvation and the salvation of others.

The Church prays

O God, who crowned with the gift of true faith Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton's burning zeal to find you, grant by her intercession and example that we may always seek you with diligent love and find you in daily service with sincere faith.
Pope Benedictus XVI

Image via Wikipedia

One of the ministries of this blog is to pray with the Pope for the Church. Benedict XVI's prayer intentions that are published through the Apostles of Prayer focus our attention. In 2012, pray with me for ...


The general intention

That the victims of natural disasters may receive the spiritual and material comfort they need to rebuild their lives.

The missionary intention

That the dedication of Christians to peace may bear witness to the name of Christ before all men and women of good will.
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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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