April 2012 Archives

Father Julián Carrón will be receiving an honorary degree from the Catholic University of America on Saturday, May 12, 2012.  It is the 123rd commencement for CUA. This is a wonderful sign of esteem both for Fr. Carrón and for lay ecclesial movement Communion and Liberation here in the US. It ought to be noted that a number of US bishops would have had to have voted to grant him such an honor. 

 

For those who would like and are within close enough range, there will be an open assembly with Father Carrón on the School of Community text, At the Origin of the Christian Claim, and on the "Page One" of the recent issue Traces, "Self-Awareness: the Reawakening Point."  It will take place that same day, Saturday, May 12th, 2012 at 3:00pm in a place to be announced in Washington, DC. 

His Eminence, Timothy Michael Cardinal Dolan, PhD will receive the President's Medal and address the graduates.

Also among those receiving honorary degrees from CUA are Giuseppe Mazzotta, Yale University's Sterling Professor of Humanities for Italian literature, the philanthropist Carmen Ana Casal de Unanue and her husband and former head of Goya Foods Joseph A. Unanue.

Today is the transferred feast of the great Dominican saint, Catherine of Siena.

In the days following the Easter celebrations Pope Benedict XVI took time to reflect on through the form of a letter, the liturgical use of the phrase "For you and for many" that is used at Mass. With the third edition of the Roman Missal this phrase has been restored and it is has caused some people to wonder why the change after so many years; the priest had been saying "for all." The Pope's teaching is clear to why our liturgical praxis needs to be coherent with sacred Scripture, coherent with the Lord's own teaching.

The Church gives us an inspired, perhaps even truly brilliant preacher, as a model of grace. Saint Louis-Marie de Montfort was ordained a priest in 1700; proficient in the thinking of the Church Fathers on the Virgin Mary, Montfort's mission was to preach on Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of God, in a period of time of great theological error in France. He's famous for preaching on the Rosary and he created a series of meditations that led to a Consecration to the Blessed Mother. His preaching of Mary was really a work of preaching on the Paschal Mystery. The collect for the Mass tells us that Louis-Marie 'walked the way of salvation and the love of Christ" by "meditating on the mysteries [God's] love" which led to "the building up of [God's] Church."

The world of medical care is always under the gun due to costs. It is has changed so radically in the last 40 years that it would make your head spin. The Church has for 2000+ years been at the center of healthcare around the world. I can think of the hospices at the cathedrals, monasteries, parish churches, roadside stations. Historically, no cathedral church would be without facilities to welcome the stranger, care for the ill person or instruct the ignorant. The Corporal and Spiritual Works of Mercy were always and without reservation kept fresh in our daily activities and living the Gospel. In Connecticut we are blessed to have several hospital centers that were founded by religious sisters following the example of the Lord and then the Apostles in healing the sick and caring for those in need of certain medical attention in body, mind or spirit.

"The first thing we wrestled with was the question of Catholicity, and the sisters were incredibly engaged and courageous and made this decision [to merge with the secular hospital] that it was more important to meet the mission in New Haven than to retain official Catholicity."

Shout for joy! with cries of gladness
Gather those who were dispersed.
Here the blind are given vision;
Here the comfortless find mirth.

In his faith, blind Bartimaeus
Shouted out his need to see---
Jesus, Light from Light, restored him,
Gave him sight, and set him free.

Each of us, in our baptism,
Has received the gift of sight
Through the Christ, our High Priest Jesus: Filled with joy, we seek God's light!

This young man may be elected the abbot general and the Abbot of the Abbey of Monte Oliveto Maggiore of the Olivetan Benedictines at some point. The abbot general is also appointed by the pope as the territorial abbot of this monastery, hence the magenta skull cap.

The figure of Saint George is widely acknowledged across cultures. His cult, as it were, comes from Palestine; he is a heavenly patron among the Greeks and Latins. Since about AD 800 Saint George has been a patron of England and he is known elsewhere as one of the "14 Holy Helpers."

Aside from legendary activity, George adhered to the Lord's words and His person in that he's known to have imitated the Passion as we see below in the opening collect for Holy Mass. No doubt his preaching, protecting and safeguarding the sacred Mysteries led people to Christ.

Let us pray that through Saint George's intercession, and the power of the Lord's Holy Name, the dragon of temptation and sin may be driven away by heavenly powers so as to be united in deeper communion with Christ.

And so we pray with the Church, 

Extolling your might, O Lord, we humbly implore you, that, as Saint George imitated the Passion of the Lord, so he may lend us ready help in our weakness.

The famed Watergate figure who turned his soul over to Christ has died at the age of 80. He met the Lord at 3:12 pm earlier today.

Saint Anselm (1033-1109) is famous for saying many things, one that is easily recalled is "I do not seek to understand that I may believe, but I believe in order to understand." We can easily say that the Lord has give us in the person of Saint Anselm one of the most eminent figures of the Middle Ages who harmonized faith and reason. To what might we attribute this harmonization? I and some others would say it was his radical mystical experience, finely attuned sense of communio with the Trinity that oriented his thought and his action. Anselm's contemplation and action were in sync; there was no distraction in him. 

Saint Anselm knew and taught us, according to Pope Benedict,  that  "a true theologian's work is divided into three stages: faith, God's gratuitous gift to be welcomed with humility; experience, which consists in incarnating the Word of God into daily life; and true knowledge, which is never the fruit of sterile reasoning but of contemplative intuition."

photo: Tony Bowden

The April 21, 2012 issue of L'Osservatore Romano ran this editorial on the work of the evangelization in the United States. We are getting noticed for our zeal for the Gospel. Perhaps we colonialists do have something to contribute to the life of the Church universal.

The Incredulity of Thomas is likely one of the most identifiable images for Christians to meditate on. It is for me. Few artists can trigger my Catholic imagination as Caravaggio can. As I run through my day, I keep as a constant refrain in my mind the sentence from St Mark's gospel: Lord, I believe; help my unbelief. Today, following from Divine Mercy Sunday, meditating on John 20:26-29 is a needed mercy.

The medieval abbot, theologian and mystic William of St. Thierry (1085-1148) has the following to say about the topic of mercy:

The group deputed to work with questions and programs on the teachings of the Catholic faith and the sharing of that faith with others, USCCB Committee on Evangelization and Catechesis. published "Disciples Called to Witness: The New Evangelization." There are a lot of great resources herein.

The opening paragraphs are here:

Christ commands us to be his witnesses to the ends of the earth. We are to proclaim his Good News to all people, everywhere and at all times. After Christ promises the disciples that the Holy Spirit will come upon them, he ascends into heaven. The disciples, rather than heeding Christ's command to be his witnesses, stare "intently at the sky." It takes "two men dressed in white garments" asking, "Men of Galilee, why are you . . . looking at the sky?" for the disciples to begin to realize the meaning of Christ's command (Acts 1:10-11). 

Our Catholic bishops in American published "Our First, Most Cherished Liberty," a12-page statement by the Ad Hoc Committee on Religious Liberty that sets out to explain what religious freedom means to a Catholic and it also calls for "a fortnight for freedom" from June 21, the vigil of the feasts of Saint John Fisher and Saint Thomas More, to July 4, US Independence Day. 

The US leadership of the Catholic lay ecclesial movement Communion and Liberation issued a flyer on the recent events concerning the HSS mandate to curb religious freedom. The flyer is written in light of recent US bishops' statement on religious liberty. As you might expect, what's at the center of the controversy is our witness that Christ is the way, the truth and the life.

What is at stake in this moment of our history is not just the possibility for religious groups to continue to give their own original contribution to American society, but also the possibility for any man or woman to gain access to the truth of life. For this reason, we will not give up the right to publicly witness to the world, through our lives and our work, what we hold most dear. With the words of the Russian writer Vladimir Soloviev, we repeat today what Christians have been repeating for 2,000 years.

"In the grieved voice the Emperor addressed them: 'Tell me yourselves, you strange people...you Christians, deserted by the majority of your brothers and leaders: what do you hold most dear in Christianity?' At this Elder John rose up and said in a quiet voice: 'Great sovereign! What we hold the most dear in Christianity is Christ Himself - He in His person. All the rest comes from Him, for we know that in Him dwells bodily the whole fullness of Divinity.'"

Today is the 85th anniversary of the birth and the Baptism of Hi Holiness, Pope Benedict XVI. Let's  pray for the Pope and his intentions today. 

Last week, during his Easter vigil homily, Pope Benedict XVI said: ...the Church presents the mystery of light using a unique and very humble symbol: the Paschal candle. This is a light that lives from sacrifice. The candle shines inasmuch as it is burnt up. It gives light, inasmuch as it gives itself. Thus the Church presents most beautifully the paschal mystery of Christ, who gives himself and so bestows the great light. Secondly, we should remember that the light of the candle is a fire. Fire is the power that shapes the world, the force of transformation. And fire gives warmth. Here too the mystery of Christ is made newly visible. Christ, the light, is fire, flame, burning up evil and so reshaping both the world and ourselves." St. Catherine of Siena once said: "If you are what you should be, you will set the whole world on fire." Bishop Roman's last hours were spent in the same way he spent his entire life: evangelizing, preaching the gospel. He was what he should have been: a friend of the poor, the sick, the imprisoned, the exile and the immigrant. He was a friend to us all - because he was first of all and above all a friend of Jesus. He was light; he was fire. His passion for evangelization, for catechesis, was never about making people follow him but rather it was about leading them to Jesus.

Archbishop Thomas Wenski

from the Funeral homily for Bishop Agustín Román

April 14, 2012

Today Eucharist means the Risen Lord is constantly present, Christ who continues to give Himself to us, calling us to participate in the Banquet of His Body and Blood. From the full communion with Him comes every other element of the life of the Church, in the first place the communion among the Faithful, the commitment to proclaim and give witness to the Gospel, the ardor of charity towards all, especially toward the poor and the smallest.

Pope Benedict XVI

The Pope hits on something significant in the life of the Christian: keeping in front of oneself that God has not abandoned humanity AND that He thirsts for us, He desires to be in relationship with us. In our daily living the baptized seek the face of God (as it is spoken of in the Scriptures) and to recognize Christ in the faces of the people around us and in creation.

This week we've heard some beautiful readings of the resurrected Lord thus giving perspective on His previous preaching about the Cross. The resurrection makes things clearer, hopeful. The resurrected Christ laughs in the face of death. Now, He is present to us not merely in one location but now in all places and constantly through the Eucharist. The Incarnation is now a recognizable Divine Fact that walking and talking could not manage. By action of the Holy Spirit Christ is present to all who call on his Name. And we ought to give witness to this fact.

Earlier this evening at the School of Community we were talking about our problem recognizing Christ in daily living. In what ways am I moved by Christ? A (vigorous) prayer life keeps us focussed on the meaning of our life in Christ.

Today, the US bishops issued a call to action to defend religious liberty and urged laity to protect the First Freedom of the Bill of Rights. No doubt there is  considerable consternation surrounding the proposed usurpation of our legal freedom of religion: clearly the US President has forgotten the first clause of the Bill of Rights: "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof...."

The statement, "Our First, Most Cherished Freedom," aims to inform and to encourage the entire Christian Church in North America -and beyond--in understanding what the Church teaches on religious liberty. Moreover, the US bishops want to encourage a rightful role in defending the first of our American liberties. Being Catholic -or a person of faith- does not mean that we give up a sense of reasonableness and citizenship. The bishops published this work in order to reassert their voice in the public square, thus bridging the gap of faith and reason for a coherent national debate on matters of concern. Religion cannot be relegated to the closet. Like most documents of the Church, this one also hopes not only to impart information but also to form Catholics (indeed, all Christians) as faithful citizens. It is our Christian belief that religious liberty is God-given and is not imparted by our elected officials. "Our First, Most Cherished Freedom" is a document of the Bishops' Ad Hoc Committee on Religious Liberty.

The Grand Magistry of the Order of Malta has informed its members that the process to study toward the beatification of the former Grand Master and Prince, Fra' Andrew Willoughby Ninian Bertie.

O God, for whose honor the Bishop Saint Stanislaus fell beneath the swords of his persecutors, grant, we pray, that we may persevere strong in faith even until death.

Addressing all Christians through the mouth of Saint Paul, the Spirit cries out: "If you have risen with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God" (Colossians 3:1).

For all its brevity, that sentence contains the most amazing assertion. In effect, it signifies not only that Christ has risen and that we ourselves shall one day rise with him, but that we have already risen with Christ through our baptism. The whole mystery of what it is to be a Christian subsists in that statement. Apparently, our human condition remains unchanged; yet Christ's resurrection has already accomplished its transforming work in the hidden world of our souls. Christians are now only waiting for the outward manifestation of what has already been achieved in Christ. Saint Paul, in fact, goes on to say: "Your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life is revealed, then you too will be revealed with him in glory" (Colossians 3:3-4).

The resurrection, therefore, means that here and now our humanity is elevated to the inaccessible realm of the divine. The resurrection is the Good News par excellence, the glorious destiny, far above its own nature, to which the Father's love has called the human race in his only Son through the gift of the Spirit.

All this only possible through the action of God. In Christ, God comes down to us, takes our carnal nature, and raises it above itself in order to carry it into the intimate presence of the Father, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.

Thus the resurrection of Christ constitutes the first-fruits of our own resurrection. With Christ, part of our humanity is already taken up into the abyss of the Godhead. According to the metaphor employed by the writer to the Hebrews, Christ is like an anchor, which instead of being let down in the depths of the sea, is cast up into the heights of heaven (cf. Hebrews 6:19). He is the guarantee of our hope, because that hope has already been fulfilled in him.

Jean Cardinal Danielou, S.J. (1905-1974)

The Congregation for Saints has told Bishop Octavio Cisneros, an auxiliary bishop of Brooklyn that the Servant of God Felix Varela's cause has been accepted by the Pope as a man of heroic and cardinal virtue. He will be given the title "Venerable Servant of God." Cisneros is the vice-postulator of Varela's cause.

After this Joseph of Arimathea, who was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly, for fear of the Jews, asked Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus, and Pilate gave him leave. So he came and took away his body.

Mary sees her son die, the Son of God and her son too. She knows that he is innocent, but took upon himself the burden of our misery. The mother offers her son, the son offers his mother. To John and to us.

Jesus and Mary: here we see a family that on Calvary suffers as it experiences the ultimate separation. Death parts them, or at least it seems to part them: a mother and son united by an unfathomable bond both human and divine. Out of love they surrender it. Both abandon themselves to the will of God.

Into the chasm opened in Mary's heart comes another son, one who represents the whole human race. Mary's love for each of us is the prolongation of her love for Jesus. In Jesus' disciples she will see his face. And she will live for them, to sustain them, to help them, to encourage them and to help them to acknowledge the love of God, so that they may turn in freedom to the Father.

What do they say to me, to us, to our families, this mother and son on Calvary? Each of us can only halt in amazement before this scene. We know instinctively that this mother and this son are giving an utterly unique gift. In them we find the ability to open our hearts and to expand our horizons to embrace the universe.

There, on Calvary,
at your side, Jesus, who died for us,
our families welcome the gift of God:
the gift of a love 
which can open our arms to the infinite.

The 13th Station Meditation of the Way of the Cross, Rome

Danilo and Anna Maria Zanzucchi

Once more in meditation, prayer and song, we have recalled Jesus's journey along the way of the cross: a journey seemingly hopeless, yet one that changed human life and history, and opened the way to "new heavens and a new earth" (cf. Rev 21:1).  Especially today, Good Friday, the Church commemorates with deep spiritual union the death of the Son of God on the cross; in his cross she sees the tree of life, which blossoms in new hope.

The experience of suffering and of the cross touches all mankind; it touches the family too.  How often does the journey become wearisome and difficult!  Misunderstandings, conflicts, worry for the future of our children, sickness and problems of every kind.  These days too, the situation of many families is made worse by the threat of unemployment and other negative effects of the economic crisis.  The Way of the Cross which we have spiritually retraced this evening invites all of us, and families in particular, to contemplate Christ crucified in order to have the force to overcome difficulties.  The cross of Christ is the supreme sign of God's love for every man and woman, the superabundant response to every person's need for love.  At times of trouble, when our families have to face pain and adversity, let us look to Christ's cross.  There we can find the courage and strength to press on; there we can repeat with firm hope the words of Saint Paul: "Who will separate us from the love of Christ?  Will hardship, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? ... No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us" (Rom 8:35, 37).

In times of trial and tribulation, we are not alone; the family is not alone.  Jesus is present with his love, he sustains them by his grace and grants the strength needed to carry on, to make sacrifices and to overcome every obstacle.  And it is to this love of Christ that we must turn when human turmoil and difficulties threaten the unity of our lives and our families.  The mystery of Christ's suffering, death and resurrection inspires us to go on in hope: times of trouble and testing, when endured with Christ, with faith in him, already contain the light of the resurrection, the new life of a world reborn, the passover of all those who believe in his word.

In that crucified Man who is the Son of God, even death itself takes on new meaning and purpose: it is redeemed and overcome, it becomes a passage to new life.  "Unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains just a single grain; but if it dies, it produces much fruit" (Jn 12:24).  Let us entrust ourselves to the Mother of Christ.  May Mary, who accompanied her Son along his way of sorrows, who stood beneath the cross at the hour of his death, and who inspired the Church at its birth to live in God's presence, lead our hearts and the hearts of every family through the vast mysterium passionis towards the mysterium paschale, towards that light which breaks forth from Christ's resurrection and reveals the definitive victory of love, joy and life over evil, suffering and death.  Amen.

Pope Benedict XVI

Address following the Via Crucis

Good Friday

6 April 2012

The laity are stepping up to the plate to evangelize because it is part of the baptismal call to make disciples of all nations. We are now seeing more and more talented young people coming forward to share with the world the Truth of the faith proposed by Christ for our salvation. Two men from Saint Mary's Church (Greenville, SC) pastored by Father Jay Scott Newman, have formed The Momentum Studios as a Catholic company that aims to ignite our enthusiasm, adherence and love for Christ and His Church.

The Portsmouth Institute is set to begin its third year of work from June 22-24, 2012, with the theme of "Modern Science, Ancient Faith." 

The world's Catholics -not merely the Franciscans--are celebrating "Clarian Year," to observe the eighth centenary of the conversion and consecration of Saint Clare of Assisi (1193-1253) which tradition tells us took place on Palm Sunday 1211 or 1212. Pope Benedict XVI wrote to Bishop Domenico Sorrentino of Assisi - Nocera Umbra - Gualdo Tadino to express his own affection for the continued witness of Saint Clare.

Saint Clare's history "also speaks to our generation, and has a particular fascination for the young. All Christian life, and thus also consecrated life is the fruit of the Paschal Mystery and of our participation in the death and resurrection of Christ. In the Palm Sunday liturgy pain and glory come together, a theme which will be developed over the following days through the dark night of the Passion up to the ultimate light of Easter. With her choice Clare relived this mystery.

At its most profound level, Clare's 'conversion' is a conversion of love. No longer would she have the refined dress of the Assisan aristocracy, but an elegance of soul expressed in praise of God and giving of self. Day by day a fraternity came into being within the confines of the monastery of San Damiano, at the school of the Eucharistic Christ, ... a fraternity regulated by love of God and prayer, by concern for others and service. It was in this context of profound faith and great humanity that Clare came to interpret the Franciscan ideal, imploring the 'privilege' of poverty and renouncing even the shared possession of material goods, something which left even the Supreme Pontiff perplexed, until in the end he too surrendered to the heroism of her sanctity.

The Holy See Press Office Director Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi said this morning in Rome that "The fact that the Cuban authorities have immediately accepted the request made by the Holy Father to President Raul Castro, declaring next Good Friday a holiday, is certainly a very positive sign. The Holy See hopes that this will facilitate participation in religious celebrations and favor a happy Easter holiday. It also hopes that the Holy Father's visit may continue to produce fruits for the good of the Church and of all Cubans."

Those of you who attended the Palm Sunday Mass today heard the Passion according to Saint Mark. It is the briefest of the synoptic passions; even in the economy of the gospel it is incredibly rich for lectio divina. Saint Mark, for me, is a true delight to listen to and to meditate on but not because of its brevity but because of compact unity; it's stress on evangelization. Do you remember Alec McCowen's one-man performance in the black box of the Gospel of Mark? You should see if you have not.

From today's proclamation of Mark's gospel you heard mention of the donkey; an uncommon beast, or at least a beast that doesn't garner too much respect. Seemingly it is more tolerated than truly appreciated. But you may recall, that the donkey even protects the infant Divine Babe, Jesus. Later in the Passion the donkey bears the Lord into Jerusalem that leads to the Cross, to glory.

We know from others that donkeys are used to protect cattle, but they also are recognized as being docile and friendly and they don't eat like horses; but donkeys are instinctively hostile to wolves and coyotes. Archbishop Chaput told his evening congregation that Christians ought to be like donkeys in the daily living of the Christian life: we are to be docile (being humble, and open enough to learn from others), friendly to other Christians and to the good things of the world and yet instinctively hostile, that is, protective of those who are vulnerable toward the weak of heart, mind or body, and to protect the Truth and dignity of man and woman from being trampled. Moreover, we are to bear the Lord in every aspect of our lives.

I don't know about you, I like donkeys; they are quite likable creatures.

GK Chesterton's poem, The Donkey, is a fine reminder of what we celebrate today: 

This afternoon, Palm Sunday 2012, His Eminence, Edward Cardinal Egan, JCD, preached Solemn Vespers and Benediction. He was the final preacher for our Sunday Vespers highlighting Great Preachers.

General intention

That many young people may hear the call of Christ and follow him in the priesthood and religious life.