July 2012 Archives

"Dear friends, it is clear that configuration to Christ is the precondition and the basis for all renewal. But perhaps at times the figure of Jesus Christ seems too lofty and too great for us to dare to measure ourselves by him. The Lord knows this. So he has provided 'translations' on a scale that is more accessible and closer to us. For this same reason, Saint Paul did not hesitate to say to his communities: Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ. For his disciples, he was a 'translation' of Christ's manner of life that they could see and identify with. Ever since Paul's time, history has furnished a constant flow of other such 'translations' of Jesus' way into historical figures."


Pope Benedict XVI

Saint Ignatius of Loyola

| | Comments (0)
St Ignatius Loyola bryan bustard.jpgNothing is more practical than finding God, than falling in Love in a quite absolute, final way.

What you are in love with, what seizes your imagination, will affect everything. It will decide what will get you out of bed in the morning, what you do with your evenings, how you spend your weekends, what you read, whom you know, what breaks your heart, and what amazes you with joy and gratitude.

Fall in Love, stay in love, and it will decide everything."
Father Pedro Arrupe , SJ (1907-91)
28th Superior General of the Society of Jesus
image: Bryan Bustard
bear in woods.JPG
Fr Mathew Mauriello.jpgToday, we celebrated a friend's 25th anniversary of priestly ordination. The Very Reverend Canon Matthew R. Maurielo, priest of the Diocese of Bridgeport, was honored by a host of family and friends. His parents were especially joyous.

Holy Mass was celebrated at Father Matthew's parish, Saint Roch's (Greenwich, CT) by his friend and spiritual father the Most Reverend Arthur J. Serratelli, bishop of Paterson, NJ.

With the Church we pray,

Holy Father, who by no merit of his own, you chose Father Matthew for communion with the eternal priesthood of your Christ and for the ministry of your Church, grant that he may be an ardent yet gentle preacher of the Gospel and a faithful steward of your mysteries.

Father Matthew is the author of Mercies Remembered (2011).

Ad multos annos, Don Mateo!
In the Benedictine Ordo, Saints Martha, Mary and Lazarus are commemorated together and recalled for their gift of friendship and hospitality shown to the Lord. The familiar setting of their Bethany home shows us the priority of welcoming the guest, while remembering the need to be attentive to prayer and work. This portion of the biblical narrative gave rise to Saint Benedict writing in his Holy Rule that guest's ought to be welcomed as Christ. Martha's word of faith to Jesus is key for us too, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." Let us pray through the intercession of Saints Martha, Mary and Lazarus that we be hospitable to the stranger, not only to family and friends.

O, Martha, Mary, Lazarus,
Most joyfully we sing your praise;
You often welcomed Christ as guest,
To hear him, on his face to to gaze.

You, Martha we as Christ once said,
"Solicitous in many things"
Yet it was love for him that caused
The Anxious care that such love brings.

For, while you gladly served the guest,
The others could at ease partake
Of those great words of life and grace
From Jesus, made man for our sake.

Now came a farewell meal for him
Who must for us in death's pains share,
So Mary's nard anoints his feet,
Which she wipes dry with her own hair.

Lord Jesus, give our hearts this grace,
That in your saving word believe,
To welcome guests at any time
And with a heartfelt warmth receive.

To Father, Son and Spirit true
May we eternal glory sing
And may at last your kindly prayer
Bring us to God's great welcoming.

Text trans. Kenneth Tomkins, OSB, 1992, Quarr Abbey, Ryde, Isle of Wight

Douthat, He Good

| | Comments (0)
Ross Douthat, the conservative op-ed columnist of the NY Times ought to be on our radar screen. In the Sunday Review of the NY Times he published "Defining Religious Liberty Down" where he nicely pulls back the politics of religious liberty by the round heads, in all walks of life.

Ross is the author of Bad Religion: How We Became a Nation of Heretics (Free Press, 2012).
Father Cerrato CO.jpgOratorian Father Edoardo Aldo Cerrato, 62, until now Procurator General of the Confederation of the Oratory, has been nominated bishop of Ivrea, Italy. This is a diocese founded sometime in the 5th century and is the Province of Turin. The new bishop will be ordained on September 8 and will be installed on October 7.

As a member of the Biella Oratory (northern Italy), he was ordained on June 28, 1975. He was elected the Provost (religious superior) of the Biella Oratory from 1984-2005. And since 1994 he's been Procurator General. In his time as the Procurator General, the Oratorian life has seen growth of 20 new houses around the world.

Father Cerrato was due to step down from his work as the Procurator General in September at the General Congress.

Many may not know of the Oratory of Saint Philip Neri but that's because there are few them in the USA. The most known are the Oratories in Rock Hill, SC, Brooklyn, NY and Pittsburgh, PA. An Oratory-in-formation was established recently in Cincinnati. 

You may read more about this gem of the Church here.

I have met Father Cerrato a few times and always found him a fine man and priest, one who cares for the souls in front of him. The Diocese of Ivrea is blessed to have him. Cerrato is one of three Oratorian bishops in the world (2 of whom live in Mexico).

May Saint Philip Neri and Blessed John Henry Newman, intercede for Bishop-Elect Cerrato, CO.

Let us praise Joachim and Anne, to whom, in their generation, the Lord gave him

who was a blessing for all the nations. (entr. ant.)


St Joachim and Ann.jpg

Since the sixth century the Eastern Church has venerated the memory of Saints Joachim and Anne; it was in the tenth century that the Western Church entered Anne's name into the martyrology and only recently have both been acknowledged together as the grandparents of Jesus.


Let's pray for grandparents, living and deceased through the intercession of Saints Joachim and Anne.


On grandparents, the Pope has said in 2008,


As regards the family, grandparents continue to be witnesses of unity, of solid values of faithfulness and that singular love from which faith and the joy of living flow.... In the face of the crisis of the family could it not be time to draw even more upon the presence and testimony of those -- grandparents -- who have a greater richness of values and experience? We couldn't, in fact, plan the future without recalling a past characterized by significant experiences and spiritual and moral points of reference. Thinking of grandparents, of their witness of love and faith to live, there come to mind the biblical figures of Abraham and Sara, Elizabeth and Zechariah, of Joachim and Anne, just like the elderly Simeon and Anna, or even Nicodemus: in every age, all of these recall for us how the Lord asks each to bring their own talents.

muller and pope.JPGThe new and quickly noted CDF Prefect, German Archbishop Gerhard Ludwig Müller, 64, is talking to the press about various things, particularly of the recent talks the Holy See's been having with the SSPX. With all the interviews and loose translations of the same, it's going to be an interesting time with the new Prefect. 

Archbishop Müller no doubt has good credentials and gives the impression that he supports the Holy Father's work in theology, but one wonders if he can withstand the criticism, severe at times, for his intellectual interests in other fields of theology that appear to be at odds with the magisterium. Having said this, I think it is way too early to render a judgment on the man. The complexities he faces in the Church are many. When in doubt, give the plus-sign.

Here are some of the things people are saying....

Catholic News Agency posted this article on Muller's thoughts...

Today's interview written up by Cindy Wooden of CNS is posted here.

Archbishop Müller's biography is posted here.

Saint James

| | Comments (0)
St james AdiVanni.jpg





As he walked by the Sea of Galilee, Jesus saw James the son of Zebedee and John his brother mending their nets and he called them. (entr. ant.)


Almighty ever-living God, who consecrated the first fruits of your Apostles by the blood of Saint James, grant, we pray, that your Church may be strengthened by his confession of faith and constantly sustained by his protection.


Today, we pray for the Church in Spain as they venerate this great Apostle James (this site has a lot on the saint) who is buried in Compostella.

We pray for those who need deeper conversion in Christ, as James did.

Difficulty with beauty

| | Comments (0)

I met a man this afternoon doing some business with us on marketing and the question of beauty came to the fore. He remarked on how we are among the few clients he has who have concern for beauty, simple sophistication, not foppishness. I recalled for him that beauty is a theological datum; it is such a principled piece of Catholicism that it is shameful of what passes for beauty.


Several years ago I came across a couple of lines of Cardinal Ratzinger's that speaks of beauty as really, really important. He said, "A theologian who does not love art, poetry, music and nature can be dangerous. Blindness and deafness toward the beautiful are not incidental; they necessarily are reflected in his theology." In other words, don't trust a theologian who has no regard for beauty.


Then on FB I noted this quote and image on beauty.


new beauty.jpg

It is one of the notable sadnesses of our time that so many are incapable of fascination with the deeper levels of human beauty, especially those rooted in the spirit, levels that far transcend physical attractiveness.  Before lofty human traits some people are more or less apathetic, listless, unmoved, even hardened. And many seem to die as they live. 


Thomas Dubay. S.M., The Evidential Power of Beauty, p.64-65.

Saint Benedict has a special place in his Rule for eternity. The eternal life is usually a subject that many people run away from because in order to fully enjoy eternity one needs to confront death. Well, that's what many think. The Lord's promise of eternal life and many of benefits can be enjoyed before one dies. In fact, that's what the sacraments give us: a foretaste of eternity. Baptism opens the door, washes away sin, imparts grace, and makes one an adopted child of God; the Eucharist nourishes our spiritual life, and builds communion with the Trinity; Confirmation imparts the Gifts of the Holy Spirit and Beatitude, etc. Sacraments give the faithful a share in Beatitude if lived in a state of grace and according to the Eight Beatitudes. 

The question really is what the Apostle Paul said, and what is adhered to by true Christians, particularly saints, "To me to live is Christ," (Mihi Vivere Christus)" (Phil: 1, 21). Living means being closely united, in communion, with Christ. Catholics live in Christ by living the sacraments and according to Scripture but the teaching of the saints also illumine our path.

A verse in the Prologue to Saint Benedict's Rule refocuses us:

"If we wish to reach eternal life, even as we avoid the torments of hell, then - while there is still time, while we are in this body and have time to accomplish all these things by the light of life - we must run and do now what will profit us for all eternity." (Prologue 42 - 44,RB).

The teaching, some have said, can be interpreted to mean that Saint Benedict is urging his disciples to put into daily practice right now what we will be doing for all eternity: that is, giving glory and praise to God. How we give God glory and praise is done through our daily lives of personal and communal prayer, in faithfulness and obedience to the Divine Majesty. This was the source of someone who knows God: a lifelong fidelity, joyfulness, and an openness to Wonder. The position of wonder speaks to our youthful spirit and joy was keeping our eyes, our mind and our heart fixed on Jesus Christ and the promise of the Hundredfold.

Do you wish to reach your ultimate destiny, eternal life? What will you do to run along the path?

Saint Sharbel Makhūf

| | Comments (0)
Saint Charbel.jpgO God, who called the Priest Saint Sharbel Makhūf to the solitary combat of the desert and imbued him with all manner of devotion, grant us, we pray, that, being made imitators of the Lord's Passion, we may merit to be co-heirs of his Kingdom.


The saint proposed by the Church is a relatively unknown hermit. Saint Sharbel (1828-1898) was a man who fought with the devil in the desert and lived according to tradition given by the Maronite Church. He's known as the wonder-worker of the Middle East. When Church officials opened the grave of Sharbel they found an intact body with sweet aroma.

A hermit may not be a recognized value for the laity but if you look at the Mass prayer above it notes what we all are after: to be imitators of the Lord's Passion. The Christian always orients his or her life to the Paschal Mystery (the Life, Death, Resurrection & Ascension of the Lord).

To a disciple who was forever complaining about others the Master said, "If it is peace you want, seek to change yourself, not other people. It is easier to protect your feet with slippers than to carpet the whole of the earth."

Catholic TV will premiere "The Sea Within" Friday, July 27 at 9:30pm and Saturday, July 28 at 1pm. "The Sea Within" explores the spirituality of surfing as shared by Dr. Peter Kreeft, professor of philosophy at Boston College. 

The project is based on his three books on the subject: I Surf Therefore I Am, If Einstein Had Been a Surfer, and The Sea Within.  It was produced by Kindly Light, the media division of the Dominican Fathers Province of Saint Joseph. Donations to Kindly Light are tax-deductible and your gift is one way to actively participate in our media projects for the new evangelization. 

Send a DVD to someone you know by ordering it here. 

"The main task for us all is that of a new evangelization aimed at helping younger generations to rediscover the true face of God, who is Love." -Pope Benedict XVI.

In the US, the Church liturgically remembers the patron saint of nurses, the sick and hospitals, Saint Camillus de Lellis. We the Church we pray for all those who dedicate their lives to the care of sick.


O God, who adorned the Priest Saint Camillus with a singular grace of charity towards the sick, pour out upon us, by his merits, a spirit of love for you, so that, serving you in our neighbor, we may, at the hour of death, pass safely over to you.


The Church proposes today Saint Camillus de Lellis (1550-1614), a man with a weighty past who gave his life to Christ and served the sick and the dying. He was influenced by the great Saint Philip Neri. The witness of Saint Camillus is one that we ought to pay attention to: Christ is present to us in those are sick.


More of Saint Camillus' life can be read here.


From Butler's Lives of the Saints 1894:


St. Camillus de Lellis details.jpg

THE early years of Camillus gave no sign of sanctity. At the age of nineteen he took service with his father, an Italian noble, against the Turks, and after four years' hard campaigning found himself, through his violent temper, reckless habits, and inveterate passion for gambling, a discharged soldier, and in such straitened circumstances that he was obliged to work as a laborer on a Capuchin convent which was then building. A few words from a Capuchin friar brought about his conversion, and he resolved to become a religious. Thrice he entered the Capuchin novitiate, but each time an obstinate wound in his leg forced him to leave. He repaired to Rome for medical treatment, and there took St. Philip as his confessor, and entered the hospital of St. Giacomo, of which he became in time the superintendent. The carelessness of the paid chaplains and nurses towards the suffering patients now inspired him with the thought of founding a congregation to minister to their wants. With this end he was ordained priest, and in 1586 his community of the Servants of the Sick was confirmed by the Pope. Its usefulness was soon felt, not only in hospitals, but in private houses. Summoned at every hour of the day and night, the devotion of Camillus never grew cold. With a woman's tenderness he attended to the needs of his patients. He wept with them, consoled them, and prayed with them. He knew miraculously the state of their souls; and St. Philip saw angels whispering to two Servants of the Sick who were consoling a dying person. One day a sick man said to the Saint, "Father, may I beg you to make up my bed? it is very hard." Camillus replied, "God forgive you, brother! You beg me! Don't you know yet that you are to command me, for I am your servant and slave." "Would to God," he would cry, "that in the hour of my death one sigh or one blessing of these poor creatures might fall upon me!" His prayer was heard. He was granted the same consolations in his last hour which he had so often procured for others. 


In the year 1614 he died with the full use of his faculties, after two weeks' saintly preparation, as the priest was reciting the words of the ritual, "May Jesus Christ appear to thee with a mild and joyful countenance!"

How theologians might reflect on communication and information technologies and the new culture that they create formed the basis of a symposium sponsored by the Pontifical Council on Social Communication, held at the Jesuit-sponsored Santa Clara University in California (USA) in late June. The PCCS, along with the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops' Committee on Communications and the University's Communication Department, convened a gathering of 25 theologians to begin a process of sustained theological reflection. The group focused on three general areas: ecclesiology, approaches from historical theology, and a theological understanding of digital culture, in each area considering the challenges that contemporary communication poses to the church's theological understanding.


Communication, whether the mass media or the Internet, has changed the environment in which people live, raising questions about church structure, personal identity, parish life, religious self-understanding, and religious formation and participation. For example, people take their identity from popular culture more than from the Church's catechetics or even from the Gospel. The same mass media also promote a vertical model of the Church in which the local community, the parish, and the diocese disappear, so that only "the Catholic Church" headed by the Pope matters. Each of these poses a serious ecclesiological challenge, as each redefines the nature of the Church.


To read the whole article, see the text here.

The NY Times published a story, "In Graying Priesthood, New York's Grayest Keeps Faith in Bronx," on Monsignor Gerald Ryan, 92, pastor of Saint Luke's Church (in the Mott Haven section of the Bronx, NYC). Monsignor's the oldest serving Catholic priest serving the Church in New York. A terrific story on man who's given his all for Christ and the Church.

Read the story and be sure to view the pictures.

Saint John Vianney, pray for us.

martyrs of compiegne.jpg

Unless you are clued-in on the Carmelite martyrs, Blessed Teresa of St Augustine and Companions -- (d. 1794), also known as the Martyrs of Compiegne, are commemorated today as Virgins and Martyrs. These nuns are the subjects of the opera by François Poulenc, Dialogues of the Carmelites, for which Georges Bernanos provided the libretto.


The 1790 a decree of the new French Republic suppressed all religious communities, except for those engaged in teaching and nursing. You had show the government you were a utilitarian entity that did something for the common good.

Enhanced by Zemanta

The life of the Church is very interesting. Even such obscure things, seemingly that is, like that of the Papal Theologian, piques my wonder and awe at what is expected in our communal pursuit of Truth. And that's what the Papal Theologian helps us to do: seek the face of God. Perhaps in your seeking Truth, Beauty and Goodness you are genuinely curious about how the Church works and the people behind the work being done?


GMMCottier.jpg

The Papal Theologian emeritus of the Papal Household, Georges Cardinal Cottier, OP, gave an interview to Jose Antonio Varela Vidal at Zenit (11 July 2012) about Blessed Pope John Paul II, with whom he worked intimately: "...he was a man of hope. When he said: 'Do not be afraid,' he certainly said it for the countries occupied by Communism, but he also said it because he saw that there was a certain decadence in the West. I would say he awakened the Church everywhere. Then, his love of life, this was fantastic and he witnessed this love of life in a life profoundly marked by illness, and young people understood him."



Carmelites in prayer minature.JPGToday's feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel begs us to open the door to more of what it means to follow the life of a Carmelite vocation, in other words. At this point in life I know little of what the Carmelite charism is about and its place in the Schools of Spirituality. However, Veronica Scarisbrick of Vatican Radio speaks with Father Reginald Foster, an American Discalced Carmelite priest now living back in the USA after decades of service to the Church working as a Latinist. Foster was chiefly responsible for the Holy Father's Latin works. At one time, Father Reginald, with a few others, had to make sure papal documentation was published in Latin was correct. Father Reginald was also very famous for his Latin classes in Rome. If you graduated from his classes, then you spoke and read Latin well. 

For me, the interesting points of this interview (on the audio clip) are the one dealing with the Carmelite differences and Elijiah as the spiritual Father of the founder of the Order; Foster explains the concept of "duplex spiritum."
Enhanced by Zemanta

Our Lady of Mount Carmel

| | Comments (0)
Pietro Novelli Our Lady of Mount Carmel.jpg

May the venerable intercession of the glorious Virgin Mary come to our aid, we pray, O Lord, so that, fortified by her protection, we may reach the mountain which is Christ.


Our Lady of Mount Carmel, pray for us.


The Blessed Virgin Mary never fails. She always kept her promise; always go to Mary. Saint Simon Stock the English Carmelite friar received this promise from the Virgin herself and he passed it on to the Church. 


The Virgin Mary gave to Saint Simon the brown scapular, saying "Take this Scapular, it shall be a sign of salvation, protection in danger and a pledge of peace. Whosoever dies wearing this scapular shall not suffer eternal fire." The soul wearing the scapular would be in heaven on the first Saturday of the month following death.


Thus, wearing the brown scapular is not required; it is a helpful sacramental to remind us that we are not alone and that God through Mary's assistance keeps us close to the Mystery. Originally only worn by those of the Carmelite Order, it was soon adopted by the lay faithful. To this day, the brown scapular, is one of the most popular of all Catholic sacramentals.


A brief piece on the Brown Scapular of Mount Carmel was done by Rome Reports can be seen here. I recommend it...

The NY Times op-ed columnist and author Ross Douthat writes about the decline of "liberal Christianity."  I found Douthat's "Can Liberal Christianity Be Saved?" a good article to ponder, even good enough to take to prayer, because Ross asks what within the tradition of modern Christianity is worth saving and what definitely needs to be jettisoned. Douthat, for me, reminds me of days not long ago when a prominent religious order of men adopted a form of liberal Christian thinking on all maters but the truth, even to the point of a several members saying they relished being post-Christian. Gone are the days --at least one hopes the days are gone-- when we are theologically shallow, lacking the biblical narrative and true theology.


Ross Douthat recently published the provocative Bad Religion: How We Became a Nation of Heretics (Free Press, 2012).

Saint Bonaventure

| | Comments (0)
San Bonaventura.jpg

Grant, we pray, almighty God, that, just as we celebrate the heavenly birthday of the bishop Saint Bonaventure, we may benefit from his great learning and constantly imitate the ardor of his charity.



Ask my parents about the number of books I have. They'd say, "Too many." But they also say that I don't easily with them. However, I do weed out some of the books I deem useless to me and donate them to a monastery or a group of Benedictine sisters in outside of Pittsburgh who collect books for new monasteries in the developing world. I do try to act charitably. 


A Capuchin friar friend of mine wrote a piece on his blog about his reluctance to lend books. I can relate. He found this paragraph of Saint Bonaventure's that seems to capture the feelings of anyone who has ever been reluctant to lend a book:


[T]hose who are most importunate in asking for them are the slowest to return them; books return torn and dirty; he to whom they are lent, lends them to another without your permission, and this other sometimes to a third, and this third not knowing by now who owns the book is not in a position to give it back; sometimes again he to whom a book is lent leaves the place and is then too far away to bring it back; and if he manages to find someone to bring it back for him, this someone wants to read it before giving it back, or lends it, and ends up by denying that he ever had it; finally if a book is lent to one man others are angry that it is not lent to them too, so that one is forced to do without it oneself while waiting for it to come back dirty, or be lost altogether.


There's still much to learn in the spiritual life when you take seriously the prayer of the Church (noted above), especially regarding the charity one ought to have. I fail at being charitable, a sin I confess often; but I keep trying to learn from the saints like Friar Bonaventure.


Some prior posts on Saint Bonaventure may be found here, here and here.


(Bonaventure, Determinationes quaestionum, II, 21, as quoted in Etienne Gilson, The Philosophy of St. Bonaventure, trans. Dom Illtyd Trethowan, 61-62.)

Soldiers and Sailors monument.jpg


Sao Paolo has Christ overlooking the city, New Haven-ers have a statue keeping the citizens remembering the service of others in 19th century wars. 

This picture is of a memorial statue overlooking the City of New Haven which is a familiar sight for residents and those who know where to look in the skyline. 

After dinner this evening my parents and I drove up to see the 19th century memorial for those who died serving our country in the armed services.

Let's pray for those lost their lives in war.

St Henry Oblate.jpgThe feast of King Saint Henry (972-1024) always brings with it a keen remembrance of the commitment one makes as an Benedictine Oblate: seeking God unreservedly. The offering of oneself to God as a Benedictine oblate is a singular grace to take the gift of one's humanity seriously as God has given it with the express desire to totally adore Him who makes us.

As this German king and Holy Roman Emperor he knew that holiness was possible in everyday life. You might say he was a monk without the monastic enclosure to God's work in the every day.

A prior post on Saint Henry on Communio is here.

Benedictine Father Mark Kirby speaks well of good King Saint Henry here.

Let's join with Saint Frances of Rome and Saint Henry in prayer for the grace of seeking God in all that we do, and in every place and time.

The Witherspoon Institute published an address, "At the Door of the Temple: Religious Freedom and the New Orthodoxy" by Philip Tartaglia on June 27, 2012. How are the challenges of faith and reason pressing us to think and act more boldly in the face of limitations being placed upon religious liberty?  The Most Reverend Philip Tartaglia is a responsible thinker and provokes all of us to do something that is reasonable.


The new orthodoxy of secularism fails to understand that the virtues generated by religious freedom underpin and encourage a healthy democracy.


When I was consecrated a bishop in 2005, I was not fretting about religious freedom in Scotland or in the United Kingdom. Yet just six and a half years later, I can say with a concerned and fearful realism that the loss of religious freedom is now arguably the most serious threat that the Catholic Church and all people of faith in this country are facing. The way this issue unfolds will determine how the Church will present itself to society for the foreseeable future. Will the Catholic Church--and other religious bodies and groups--have the space to adhere to, express, and teach their beliefs in the public square? Or will these basic elements of religious freedom be denied, driving the Church and other religious bodies to the margins of society, if not actually underground?

Enhanced by Zemanta
Benedict with golden staff.JPG

The Fraternity of Communion and Liberation has its patron Saint Benedict. Let's implore Saint Benedict to look kindly on this charism of the Church and for the Supreme Pontiff on his name day. In our charity we ought to remember before the Throne of Grace Bishop Martino Matronola, abbot of Montecassino, who was CL's first ecclesial superior.


You bestowed on Saint Benedict
rich gifts of the Holy Spirit,
making him the father
of a great multitude of the just,
and an outstanding teacher
of love for you and for our neighbor.
In his holy Rule, with a clear and wise discretion, he taught men and women to walk the path of salvation under the guidance of Christ and the Gospel and now he is revered as the patron of a multitude of nations.


-from the Eucharistic Preface for today's Feast of Saint Benedict in the Ambrosian Church.

The Vocation To Life

| | Comments (0)

My friend Benedictine Father Meinrad Miller told me about this essay, "The Vocation To Life" published in a recent issue of Homiletic and Pastoral Review by Father Charles Klamut. I was "blown away by it" and offer it to you here. It is truly an excellent essay; it captures the heart of what it means to be a Christian --a follower of Christ and His Church-- and to be a true man or woman with a humanity. Recently, I've had this discussion with a dear friend about vocation and he can't seem to get it across his mind (and heart) that there are things we need as a human being before being a monk or a priest. Father Charles gets it; Scola gets it as does Albacete and Benedict XVI and before him Paul VI and John Paul II. Are we listening carefully to the Master. On this feast of Saint Benedict, I offer this essay for us to reflect on.


Like the apostles, I first said "yes" to Christ because of the total answer he provided for my human need, and only within this context did a specific vocation to serve as a priest gradually begin to reveal itself.


A few years ago, during a retreat for priests, Msgr. Lorenzo Albacete shared with us a story of his friend, Cardinal Angelo Scola.  When asked by a journalist about the shortage of vocations to the priesthood in Italy, Scola replied that the problem stemmed from a deeper crisis: the problem, he said, was that life itself is no longer seen as a vocation.


Albacete reflected on this insight for the next few days, calling it very important, explaining to us what he thought Scola was getting at.  The call to life is something given, something prior to our thoughts and schemes.  It's even prior to the particular vocations like marriage and the priesthood.  We did not choose it; it's just there. Within the human heart is a cry for life, real life, eternal life: life properly so-called.  The New Testament, using a more nuanced Greek vocabulary than our modern-day English, used multiple words for "life:" bios to refer to material, physical life; zoe to refer to a more comprehensive, metaphysical, all-encompassing life, such as the kind promised by Jesus. The heart cries for infinite life, not just bios, but zoe.  The heart cries for a freedom and happiness which, alas, we cannot give ourselves.  In short, the heart cries for God.


This call to life which our heart always hears, even if we don't (affected as we are by reductionist cultural forces), is awakened and answered by the exceptional presence of Christ.  Jesus Christ is the infinite made visible and historical, the answer to the heart's cry for life: "I came that they might have life, and have it more abundantly" (John 10:10).


Enhanced by Zemanta

Saint Benedict

| | Comments (0)
St Benedict healing.jpgThere was a man of venerable life, Benedict, blessed by grace and by name, who, leaving home and patrimony and desiring to please God alone, sought out the habit of holy living. (entr. ant.)

O God, who made the Abbot Saint Benedict an outstanding master in the school of divine service, grant we pray, that putting nothing before love of you, we may hasten with a loving heart in the way of your commands.


May Saint Benedict rich bless and continue to call to deeper conversion all believers, and in particular those monks, nuns, sisters and laity who follow the Holy Rule as a way life.

If you are interested in knowing more about Benedictine culture, theology and living, check out Liturgical Press' recent catalog on Benedictine Resources.

Watching the current affairs of the Catholic Church in China always leaves me a bit perplexed. For me, there is no easy way to understand such a complex situation. The day bishops were ordained by the government sponsored Church without the approval of the Holy Father. This is not a mere stepping on someone's toes. It is the breaking of communion between the head and the body, between the Pope and a bishop. Catholics follow Saint Peter to Christ. Catholics faithful to the Faith thereby faithful to the Pope suffer for such obedience. In fact, Bishop Ma said the gathered people that he would not work with the government Church, his ministry was restricted. He went missing for a time following his ordination. See the Vatican Insider story here.


Our Lady Help of Christians, pray for us.


What follows is the Vatican summary of what's going on:


Bishop Ma Daqin.jpg

Following is the communique released this morning on the episcopal ordination of the Reverend Joseph Yue Fusheng in Harbin and the Reverend Thaddeus Ma Daqin as Auxiliary Bishop of the Diocese of Shanghai.

"With regard to the episcopal ordination of the Reverend Joseph Yue Fusheng, which took place in Harbin (Province of Heilongjiang) on Friday 6 July 2012, the following is stated:


1) The Reverend Joseph Yue Fusheng, ordained without pontifical mandate and hence illicitly, has automatically incurred the sanctions laid down by canon 1382 of the Code of Canon Law. Consequently, the Holy See does not recognize him as Bishop of the Apostolic Administration of Harbin, and he lacks the authority to govern the priests and the Catholic community in the Province of Heilongjiang.



This love affair with Christ, this love story which is the whole of Monsignor Giussani's life was however far from every superficial enthusiasm, from every vague romanticism. Really seeing Christ, he knew that to encounter Christ means to follow Christ. This encounter is a road, a journey, a journey that passes also--as we heard in the psalm--through the "valley of darkness."


Pope Benedict XVI

Ancient mosaic found

| | Comments (0)
an ancient Jewish synagoge.jpgThe finding of an ancient artifact in an area where it would not be likely and from an era when it would seem to be improbable is a wonderful thing. The Huqoq mosaic of Samson fighting the Philistines from the 5th and 6th centuries is indeed remarkable. One of the reasons finding this mosaic is important to the field of biblical archeology is that it unearths, as it were, the preconceptions of what religious life whether it was Byzantine Christianity or Judiasm and reorients previously held theories. Revision of one's thinking can be a good thing when you face the reality in front of you. Yahoo News is carrying the story from July 2, 2012.
The funeral rites of the Catholic Church say it all: 

In him the hope of blessed resurrection has dawned, that those saddened by the certainty of dying might be consoled by the promise of immortality to come. Indeed for your faithful, Lord, life is changed not ended, and, when this earthly dwelling turns to dust, an eternal dwelling is made ready for them in heaven. (Preface I For the Dead)

Earlier today I went to the Mass of Christian Burial of a childhood friend who lost her fight against breast cancer at the age of 40. Maureen Leary Minnick grew up near me, she and her family have been friends of my family for years; her parents are daily communicants at the local Catholic parish and her brother and I were in the Boy Scouts and in high school together. I am saddened by Maureen's death. Much was revealed about Maureen that I didn't know but now cherish. Time has a way of being a great separator. Maureen faced her life and death in the same way: with courage, love, joy, resolution to make life better. In short, her life was not a fairy tale but one that had certainty of faith and joy. She leaves a great husband and two small boys (who have their mother's good looks). Maureen died on July 1.

The paradox of the Christian life is such that in order to live fully we have to give it away. In Maureen's case, she had to offer her life to the Lord earlier that most. 

This week, too, a friend at the parish had succumbed also to breast cancer after a long and bitter fight with that disease. Monika Forndran fought long and hard and with dignity; she clearly knew that her Calvary was like that of the Lord's, and that His triumph over sin and death was also hers by adoption that happened in the resurrection. Monika's death happened on June 30.

May the Blessed Virgin Mary, mother of us all, Saint Agatha, patron saint of those who (and die) of diseases of the breast, guide Maureen and Monika to Paradise. May we recall the grace that in death life is changed not ended as rest on the heart of the Lord.
FFF.jpg

Fourteen days of prayer, fasting and study have now concluded with the Sacrifice of the Mass offered by His Excellency, Charles J. Chaput, OFM Cap., Archbishop of Philadelphia, at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception (Washington, DC). Below is the Archbishop's homily.


The homily given by His Eminence, Donald Wuerl, Archbishop of Washington, can be read here.


My dear faithful people of God and people of Good will,


Philadelphia is the place where both the Declaration of Independence and the United States Constitution were written. For more than two centuries, these documents have inspired people around the globe. So as we begin our reflection on today's readings, I have the privilege of greeting everyone here today -- and every person watching or listening from a distance -- in the name of the Church of my home, the Church of Philadelphia, the cradle of our country's liberty and the city of our nation's founding, so greetings to all of you from the people of Philadelphia. May God bless and guide all of us as we settle our hearts and minds on the Word of God.



Paul Claudel, the French poet and diplomat of the last century, once described the Christian as "a man who knows what he is doing and where he is going in a world [that] no longer [knows] the difference between good and evil, between yes and no. He is like a god standing out in a crowd of invalids . . . He alone has liberty in a world of slaves."



Happy Independence Day!

| | Comments (0)
independenceday.jpg

With the Church we pray, 


God of justice, Father of truth, who guide creation in wisdom and goodness 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.


And for the intention of religious liberty which we've been praying for the last 14 days, 


Prayer for the Protection of Religious Liberty


O God our Creator, through the power and working of your Holy Spirit, you call us to live out our faith in the midst of the world, bringing the light and the saving truth of the Gospel to every corner of society. We ask you to bless us in our vigilance for the gift of religious liberty. Give us the strength of mind and heart to readily defend our freedoms when they are threatened; give us courage in making our voices heard on behalf of the rights of your Church and the freedom of conscience of all people of faith. Grant, we pray, O heavenly Father, a clear and united voice to all your sons and daughters gathered in your Church in this decisive hour in the history of our nation, so that, with every trial withstood and every danger overcome -- for the sake of our children, our grandchildren, and all who come after us -- this great land will always be "one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all." We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

We're called upon to witness, that is, be protagonists, in work for Religious Liberty. You can be a part of a virtual vigil for religious liberty and please ask the saints and the Blessed Virgin Mother to intercede on our behalf.

virtual vigil.jpg

Stuart Meyer Deacon Ordination.jpgA friend in England, Stuart Meyer, was ordained to the Order of Deacon for service in the Archdiocese of Southwark (in the UK) this past Saturday Archbishop Peter David Smith. Southwark is an archdiocese just outside  of London where, according to statistics in 2010 the population is 86% Catholic.

Deacon Stuart was an ordained member of the Church of England for many years until he entered into full communion with the Church of Rome. He desired to serve the Lord and the Church as a Catholic priest and did the studies required. The new deacon does not belong to the Anglican Ordinariate, but to the Archdiocese of Southwark.

We offer our congratulations to Deacon Stuart Meyer and pray that the Blessed Virgin Mary, Saints Lawrence and Stephen continue to guide. Pray for Deacon Stuart as he prepares for priestly ordination and for vocations to the Catholic Church in England.
B16 blessing at Sunday Ang.jpg

As Blessed Ildefonso Schuster reminds, "Prayer is indeed the atmosphere in which holiness develops and flourishes."  So, let's work on our prayer with His Holiness for the month of July with the hope of a flourishing life of prayer in our daily life.


For the month July let's pray for the following:


The Pope's general intention


That everyone may have work in safe and secure conditions. 


The Pope's missionary intention


That Christian volunteers in mission territories may witness to the love of Christ.

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.

Categories

Archives

Humanities Blog Directory

About this Archive

This page is an archive of entries from July 2012 listed from newest to oldest.

June 2012 is the previous archive.

August 2012 is the next archive.

Find recent content on the main index or look in the archives to find all content.