Paul Zalonski: May 2011 Archives

The Pope, for the first time since forming the council for promoting the New Evangelization in 2010, addressed the full body of cardinals, bishops, theologians and consultors on May 30. There are two noteworthy Americans who are key advisors for this work, Archbishop Timothy Dolan (Archbishop of NY) and Sister Sara Butler (a theologian at Mundelein Seminary). Plus, I would say that the presence of Father Julián Carrón and Cardinal Scola should be noted, also. The Pope's talk is given below.

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When last June 28, at First Vespers of the Solemnity of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul, I announced that I wished to institute a dicastery for promoting the New Evangelization, I gave an operative beginning to a reflection that I had had for a long time on the need to offer a concrete answer to the moment of crisis in Christian life, which is being verified in so many countries, above all those of ancient Christian tradition. Today, with this meeting, I can see with pleasure that this new pontifical council has become a reality. I thank Archbishop Salvatore Fisichella for the words he addressed to me, introducing me to the work of your first plenary assembly. My warm greetings to all of you with my encouragement for the contribution you will make to the work of the new dicastery, above all in view of the 13th Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops that, in October of 2012, will in fact address the topic "New Evangelization for the Transmission of the Christian Faith."

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The well at Portsmouth Abbey. Beauty expressed simply.
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...and this is the Holy Father's theme for the 45th World Day of Prayer of Peace of January 1, 2012.

This is a theme that Pope Benedict comes back to with some frequency in his addresses to bishops, to the diplomats, gatherings of priests and religious and encyclicals. It all has to hang together: lectio divina, Scripture study, liturgical praxis, the spiritual and moral life and matters of justice. In the '60s and '70s we would often see a separation of faith from justice which led to a radical reduction of the human person, virtue and politics. As it was said, "The theme engages an urgent need in the world today: to listen to and enhance the important role of new generations in the realization of the common good, and in the affirmation of a just and peaceful social order where the fundamental human rights can be fully expressed and realized," (LOR online).

The English edition of the L'Osservatore Romano has a spot on the papal choice here.

And, what is our work going to be in the near future: to listen, to enhance, to work and to pray for peace and justice today.
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Today, Pope Benedict XVI appointed as consultors of the Pontifical Council for Promoting New Evangelization the following:


  • Fr. Francois-Xavier Dumortier, S.J., rector of the Pontifical Gregorian University;
  • Fr. Pierangelo Sequeri, vice rector and professor of Fundamental Theology at the Theological Faculty of Northern Italy and lecturer in Aesthetics of the Holy at the Academy of Fine Arts in  Brera, Milan;
  • Sr. Sara Butler, M.S.B.T., professor of dogmatic theology at Mundelein Seminary;
  • Sr. Mary Lou Wirtz, F.C.J.M., general superior of the Daughters of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary and president of the Union of Superior Generals (UISG);
  • Dr. Chiara Amirante, founder and president of the New Horizons Association of the diocese of Anagni-Alatri, Italy;
  • Mr. Kiko Arguello, a co-initiator of the Neo-Catechumenal Way;
  • Prof. Lucetta Scaraffia, professor of contemporary history in the Faculty of Letters and Philosophy at "La Sapienza" University.
  • The list of cardinals and bishops who will be advisors to Archbishops Rino Fisichella and José Octavio Ruiz Arenas can be seen here (they were announced some time ago).

    Assemblying this new pontifical council has been very slow. The address of the offices and websites have yet to be made known! Communications and members of the consultors should been, in common estimation, ought to have been done more quickly. The presence of two American sisters, one of whom was a professor of mine, is noteworthy. You can't get much better than Sister Sara Butler. Plus, I am elated that Fathers Julián Carrón,  Pascual Chavez Villanueva and Fernando Ocariz are on this list. Perhaps a few more North and South American laity could have been appointed. But that will come in time.

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Br Paul Quenon.jpgBrother Paul Quenon, OCSO, has been a monk for 52 years. That is, he's been trying to live in God and by learning to deepen one's capacity to love in community; that's how he describes life as a Trappist monk. A one-time spiritual son of Father Louis (Thomas Merton), Brother Paul lives a contemplative life --that is, on the margins of society but at the center of the Church. His witness is a life of proclaiming the beauty of Christ from an abbey of the Strict Observance of Cistercians. Religion and Ethics Newsweekly's Judy Valente interviewed Brother Paul recently at his home, the Abbey of Gethsemani.

The interview can be viewed here.

Brother Paul continues his conversation with some extra questions and answers noted here. Here he talks about Father M. Louis -- Thomas Merton: his personality and life, his call, the spirituality he lived and taught, and the mystery of what he sought.


The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith delivered a circular letter to the world's bishops asking for help in working for the common good of the faithful --protecting children from abusive priests. The CDF wants each of the bishops' conferences around the globe to develop the appropriate processes assist the diocesan bishops in helping victim, educating the ecclesial community, forming priests, and being clear agents of charity and justice.

Cardinal Levada's letter to bishops.

The Circular Letter can be read here.

The explanatory letter from the Press Office
Christ the Good Shepherd BE Murrilo.jpgGood Shepherd Sunday, the Fourth Sunday following the great feast of Easter, is celebrated today by the Church. Today is a day in we all focus on the tenderness of the Lord and smoothing quality of his voice gently calling us to deeper and fuller communio with him. The Fourth Sunday of Easter is the day in which the Holy Father draws our attention to vocations in the Church (priest, brother, sister, nun, deacon, perhaps consecrated lay person) for one's salvation but also for the glory of God in the proclamation of the Gospel and in the iconic life of a Catholic in the sacraments. As Blessed John Paul said in Pastor Bonus, "the task of its [the Church's] shepherd of pastors was indeed to be that service 'which is called very expressly in Sacred Scripture a diaconia or ministry'" (1). Benedict's message for the 48th World Day of Prayer for Vocations can be read here.
Mike Aquilina is visiting us at the Siena Forum of Faith and Culture here at the Church of Catherine of Siena. In fact, it is a delight to have him, his brother and nephew here among the people of the Siena Forum. Here's a key point: "With desire I [Christ] have desired to eat this meal with you." We eat the big Passover --the Eucharist-- in order to become partakers of the Divine Nature, it is a Communio: unity of hearts and minds with the Lord. No other form of communio can substitute for the communio we have with Christ in the Eucharist.

Mike explored with us the relevant themes of the Old Testament offering of sacrifice as foreshadowed in the New. That what is seen in the Old Testament is fullfilled in Christ.

"The Eucharist is not offered for faceless of multitudes."


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The Siena Forum for Faith and Culture welcomed Mike Aquilina, an accomplished author, faithful Catholic, a solid husband for 25 years and father of 6. He's the executive VP of the Saint Paul Center for Biblical Theology and a TV host of several programs on EWTN with Scott Hahn.

Aquilina's work this morning was to explore with us the theme of Family and Its Mission, looking at the early Christians because they are instructive because their stories are similar to ours, the story is about people and families; the human heart had been capture by faith in Christ.

The early period of Christianity was made up of a robust group of 33 million Christians in a 60 million person empire. Mike cited one scholar, Rodney Stark, says that the grwoth rate of Christianity at a 40% per decade due to Christ. Mutual affection and openess to fertility; respectful of marriage, popular to pagan women who needed and wanted dignity; the pagan men noticed. It was the single women who prime evangelizers (apostles for the Gospel and virtue). They truly lived grace does not destroy nature, grace perfects it.

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Saint Lucy Filippini

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St Lucy Filippini.jpgThis is the wise virgin who has chosen the better part; she listened to the word of the Lord and treasured it in her heart.

O God, giver of every gift, You kept Saint Lucy Filippini  faithful in proclaiming Christ and witnessing to Him, the one Teacher and light of the world. Grant that, illumined by divine grace, we may persevere in listening to Your word and preach it by good works, and so be living signs of holiness and apostolic zeal.


Saint Lucy Filippini, born in Corneto Tarquinia, Viterbo in 1672 was formed in the spiritual life at the Monastery of Saint Clare at the behest of her bishop, Mark Anthony Cardinal Barbarigo. After finishing her spiritual formation the cardinal put Lucy, in collaboration with Rose Venerini, in charge of the Schools of Christian Doctrine that he founded in 1692. By 1707, Lucy went to Rome at the request of Pope Clement XI to direct his schools. Lucy died on March 25, 1732. She was beatified in 1926 and canonized in 1930 by Pope Pius XI. 

Saint Lucy Filippini's legacy as lived with the Filippini Sisters is "the mission of serving the Church with especially dedication to youth, in the manner of Jesus the Teacher and in the radicalness of the following of Christ."

A delegation of B'nai B'rth International met with Pope Benedict today in Rome. They had done the same 5 years ago (here is the Pope 18 December 2006 address). This meeting is a follow-up meeting of a February meeting held in Paris marking the 40th anniversary of official dialogue between the Holy See and the Jews. As in 2006 so today, the Pope has called Chrsitians and Jews to work more closely together on common projects of healing, spiritual and more values grounded in faith and works of charity for the good of the other. A portion of what the Pope said may be of some interest here:

The Paris meeting affirmed the desire of Catholics and Jews to stand together in meeting the immense challenges facing our communities in a rapidly changing world and, significantly, our shared religious duty to combat poverty, injustice, discrimination and the denial of universal human rights. There are many ways in which Jews and Christians can cooperate for the betterment of the world in accordance with the will of the Almighty for the good of mankind. Our thoughts turn immediately to practical works of charity and service to the poor and those in need; yet one of the most important things that we can do together is bear common witness to our deeply-held belief that every man and woman is created in the divine image (cf. Gen 1:26-27) and thus possessed of inviolable dignity. This conviction remains the most secure basis for every effort to defend and promote the inalienable rights of each human being.

In a recent conversation between delegations of the Chief Rabbinate of Israel and the Holy See's Commission for Religious Relations with the Jews, held in Jerusalem at the end of March, stress was laid on the need to promote a sound understanding of the role of religion in the life of our present-day societies as a corrective to a purely horizontal, and consequently truncated, vision of the human person and social coexistence. The life and work of all believers should bear constant witness to the transcendent, point to the invisible realities which lie beyond us, and embody the conviction that a loving, compassionate Providence guides the final outcome of history, no matter how difficult and threatening the journey along the way may sometimes appear. Through the prophet we have this assurance: "For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope" (Jer 29:11).

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Abp Shevchuk.jpgArchbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk was recently interviewed by Philippa Hitchens of Vatican Radio.

The newly elected Major Archbishop talks about his election, the grace of the Holy Spirit for the Church today, ecclesial unity, the Russian Orthodox Church, Pope John Paul and some other things. He's clear and polished.

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In August 1873, to his Superior General:


Divine Providence, having compassion on the unfortunate, has thought fit to look upon your unworthy servant to care for the spiritual needs of a well-known leprosy hospital that our Government had to establish to preserve the whole archipelago from disease. Thus, it is in my role as pastor of an unusual parish of eight hundred lepers, nearly half of whom are now Catholics, that I take the liberty to write to you these lines.


November 9, 1887, to his brother, Father Pamphile:

As you know, it has been already quite a while that Divine Providence chose me to become a victim of this repugnant disease of ours. I hope to remain eternally grateful for this grace. It seems to me that this disease will shorten and narrow the way that will lead me to our dear homeland. In that hope accepted this disease as my particular cross; I try to bear it as did Simon of Cyrene, following in the footsteps of our Divine Master. Please assist me with your good prayers, so as to obtain for me the strength of perseverance, until I reach the summit of Calvary.

We face reductionisms of the Faith all the time as Catholics: liturgical expedient minimalism is one of the most noteworthy examples, then there's the identifiable dictatorship of relativism and the denial that Scripture is divinely inspired (cf. Benedict's address last week to the PBC). While not formal matters of heresy (technically defined) but they are reductions that are a gradual chipping away of the content and expression. Poor liturgical practice, banal sacred music and unprepared liturgical preaching will erode the content of faith. There are other examples but I think these three give good a sense of a problem.

I believe that Tarcisio Bertone and Joseph Ratzinger are correct: we believe, as Catholics, in revealed truth; that the faith is not debatable and we can't reduce our faith to formally defined dogmas. And while the infallibility of the papal office is restricted to a clearly defined process so as not to allow arbitrariness, the exercise of infallibility has been exercised twice since 1870. BUT there are the secondary object of infallibility that have to be acknowledged and assented to, despite what Fathers Hans Kung, Roger Haight, Randy Sachs, John Coleman and Charles Curran say.

Here's John Allen's article: A long-simmering tension over creeping infallibility by John Allen.pdf
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There's a film worth watching and spending time thinking about. I believe that we need to reflect upon the great themes of humanity: peace, forgiveness, love, selfishness, self-giving, regret, power, sin, and grace. Either we confront and reject nihilism and thrive, or we capitulate to it and die. We have this opportunity in Roland Joffe's newest film, "There Be Dragons."

Comparison's are not always helpful. The old saying is that comparisons are odious. For many reviewers the only to make sense of "There Be Dragons" is to contrast it with "The Da Vinci Code," and I happen to see no point in doing so. The two films are apples and oranges, if you will. Be that as it may, "There Be Dragons" is a movie on the early life of a Spanish saint, Josemaria Escrivá de Balaguer (1902-75) which mixes fact with some fiction. The historical context of the film is the Spanish Civil War with all its bloody violence, incredible strident anti-clericalism and whole scale diminishment of the human person.

William Butler Yeat's "The Second Coming" contains what are, perhaps, the most-quoted lines of twentieth century poetry. "Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold; Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world." Written in 1920, the poem not only summed up the horror of the still young century, it seemed prescient of horrors yet to come.

Postmodernity may be, to some degree, a pretentious academic fad. But its soil is undoubtedly the collapse of an authoritative, life-giving center and the ensuing fragmentation experienced daily in culture, politics, and individual lives.

Benedict, Angelo and Georg May 8 2011.jpgThese last two days Pope Benedict has been visiting the Patriarch of Venice, Angelo Cardinal Scola and the Archdiocese of Aquileia with an estimate crowd of 300K.

This is the first visit of a pope to Venice in 26 years. The Pope prayed at the Basilica of Saint Mark (in front of the saint's relics preserved there for a 1000 years), addressed civil, culture and business leaders, the bishops, priests, religious and students and mingled with the people.
Note the Pope's mode of transportation!

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Among the things the pope noted was that the "patrimony of civil traditions, culture and art, found rich development thanks to Venetians' embrace of the acceptance of Christian faith. Over the centuries the faith transmitted by the first evangelists weaved itself evermore deeply into the social fabric, and eventually became an essential part of it."

The asked the Lord to send the Venetians the grace of a "sincere and fruitful faith, a faith that can nourish both great hope, and the patient search for the common good."
Father Julián Carrón, president of the Fraternity of Communion and Liberation was interviewed by the Vatican newspaper L'Osservatore Romano on the beatification of Pope John Paul II. Father Carrón said that "beatification of John Paul II ... is a 'strong invitation' to conversion."

Keeping in mind what Blessed John Paul did for Communion and Liberation in recognizing the charism proposed by Father Luigi Giussani, Father Carrón recalled the words of John Paul who considered that a Movement "becomes a special instrument for a personal and ever-new adherence to the mystery of Christ." For those who follow the path to Christ offered by Communion and Liberation will know that the vocation of being a part of Communion and Liberation --given by the Holy Spirit-- means bringing "the truth, beauty and peace that are encountered in Christ the Redeemer" to the world.

Father Carrón's remarks can be read here: Interview with Fr Carrón on the JP II Beatification.pdf
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"I saw the Lord ever before me, with him at my right hand I shall not be disturbed. Therefore my heart has been glad and my tongue has exulted; my flesh, too, will dwell in hope..."

PIL cinquanta logo.jpgThis week the Pontifical Liturgical Institute centered at the Pontifical Athenaeum of Saint Anselm (AKA Sant'Anselmo) held the Ninth International Congress on the Liturgy in honor of the fiftieth anniversary of Institute's foundation. The theme of the congress was "The Pontifical Liturgical Institute: Between Memory and Prophecy." In the Clementine Hall, the Pope met with Abbot Notker Wolf, Abbot Primate and Chancellor of the Pontifical Athenaeum, Dom Juan Javier Flores, professors and participants in the Congress. The Italian version of the Pope's talk is here; he English translation: Benedict XVI to Pontifical Liturgical Institute May 6 2011.pdf  The Pope said several noteworthy things, among them:

"Blessed John XXIII, recognizing the requests of the liturgical movement that sought to give new impetus and a new spirit to the Church's prayer, shortly before Vatican Council II and during its celebration, asked the faculty of Benedictines on the Aventine Hill to establish a center for study and research to ensure a solid basis for conciliar liturgical reform," said Pope Benedict XVI.

The Pontifical Biblical Commission is a group of theologians and scriptural scholars who help the Pope and the teaching mission of the Church exploring particular questions and concerns about the nature and reality of divine revelation and Christian life. The PBC is meeting this week in Rome led by Cardinal William J. Levada, Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith; the theme is "Inspiration and Truth of the Bible." Interesting. Did we forget that the sacred Scriptures were inspired by the Holy Spirit? One way of figuring out why something is important to the Pope or to sacred Magisterium is to be aware of the work done by these commissions. So, yes, there seems to be skepticism among the faithful that the Scriptures are revealed by God through the agency of human language. Recall, however, this is not the first time in salvation history that the Church has had to deal with this question: think of the various heresies from the early Church, the Renaissance, Reformation, and Enlightenment periods and even with the extreme use of the historical critical method of Scripture study. His Holiness reminds not only the professionally trained scholars but all of us that there can be in no way a reduction in how we interpret the Bible.


Here are the key points of what Benedict said to the PBC:

The regular cycle of the Pope's work is addressing those groups that advise him on a variety of subjects like theology, law, science, politics, life issues, etc. Benedict's address to Professor Mary Ann Glendon, President of the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences, talks about the theme of "Universal Rights in a World of Diversity: the Case of Religious Freedom." He reminds not only the head of this academy about the deep roots of Western culture being Christian, but it was Christianity that gave humanity the awareness of the various freedoms we know and love, that contribute to human flourishing and many time even take for granted. It was the Christian gospel that upheld and promoted the dignity of the human person, protected women and children, that organized labor freedom of worship, and other social systems. Most notably, the Pope reminds us, that the freedoms spoken of in the United Nations' Universal Declaration of Human Rights have their roots in our belief and life in Christ. However, we can't become smug --too satisfied-- with what we've been given, even freedom. The Pope's talk is not long but here are some germaine points for us to consider:

Deeply inscribed in our human nature are a yearning for truth and meaning and an openness to the transcendent; we are prompted by our nature to pursue questions of the greatest importance to our existence. Many centuries ago, Tertullian coined the term libertas religionis (cf. Apologeticum, 24:6). He emphasized that God must be worshipped freely, and that it is in the nature of religion not to admit coercion, "nec religionis est cogere religionem" (Ad Scapulam, 2:2). Since man enjoys the capacity for a free personal choice in truth, and since God expects of man a free response to his call, the right to religious freedom should be viewed as innate to the fundamental dignity of every human person, in keeping with the innate openness of the human heart to God. In fact, authentic freedom of religion will permit the human person to attain fulfilment and will thus contribute to the common good of society.

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This evening --Rome time-- Blessed John Paul II's body was given its final resting place in the Vatican Basilica. He rests near to the famous Pietá of Michelangelo.

The video clip of the John Paul's newest move can viewed here.
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Blessed John Paul II, pray for us.
Continuing for just a moment on the reality of Divine Mercy --given yesterday's feast on the Second Sunday of Easter-- there are few thoughts of Blessed John Paul II's that I think are worth reflecting on when, in the canonization homily he delivered for Padre Pio's canonization (16 June 2002), he stated:

"I am the Lord who acts with mercy" (Jeremiah 9,23)

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Padre Pio was a generous dispenser of divine mercy, making himself available to all by welcoming them, by spiritual direction and, especially, by the administration of the sacrament of Penance. I also had the privilege, during my young years, of benefiting from his availability for penitents. The ministry of the confessional, which is one of the distinctive traits of his apostolate, attracted great crowds of the faithful to the monastery of San Giovanni Rotondo. Even when that unusual confessor treated pilgrims with apparent severity, the latter, becoming conscious of the gravity of sins and sincerely repentant, almost always came back for the peaceful embrace of sacramental forgiveness. May his example encourage priests to carry out with joy and zeal this ministry which is so important today, as I wished to confirm this year in the Letter to Priests on the occasion of Holy Thursday.

Perhaps priests --indeed, all of the faithful-- ought to review the Holy Father's Holy Thursday 2002 letter to priests. I once made a statement: Don't trust a priest who doesn't regularly sit in the confession box. I think it is reasonable advice. 
Lepori 2010.jpgThe newly elected Abbot General of the Order of Cistercians, Abbot Mauro-Giuseppi Lepori, OCist, has been a part of the lay ecclesial Movement, Communion and Liberation for many years.

In the February issue of Traces, Abbot Mauro was interviewed by Davide Perillo in an article titled, "Called to Live for Him." Here Abbot Mauro talks about his election as Abbot General of the Order of Cistercians, his vocation, Jesus Christ, community life, individualism life within the Movement of Communion and Liberation, St Benedict, and more. I recommend the article.


A previous post on Abbot Mauro-Giuseppi can be read here.

The Vatican Press Office Director Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi's responded to journalists' questions on yesterday's killing of Osama bin Laden, the mastermind of the 9/11 attacks. Father Lombardi stated:

Osama bin Laden - as we all know - was gravely responsible for promoting division and hatred between peoples, causing the death of countless innocent lives, and of exploiting religions to this end.

Faced with the death of a man, a Christian never rejoices, but reflects on the serious responsibility of each and every one of us before God and before man, and hopes and commits himself so that no event be an opportunity for further growth of hatred, but for peace.

Let us remember before the Throne of Grace all those who have died on 9/11 and those who continue to suffer from the effects of this attack.
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A great picture is worth a 1000 words, perhaps fewer if you just want to take-in the beauty of the moment.

Today, L'Osservatore Romano published a photo gallery of yesterday's beatification ceremonies of Pope John Paul II by Benedict XVI in Rome. The gallery is really a stunning photographic essay ....

When John Paul beatified Mother Teresa of Calcutta in 2003, he said of her, in part:

Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta.jpg"As you did to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me" (Mt 25: 40). This Gospel passage, so crucial in understanding Mother Teresa's service to the poor, was the basis of her faith-filled conviction that in touching the broken bodies of the poor she was touching the body of Christ. It was to Jesus himself, hidden under the distressing disguise of the poorest of the poor, that her service was directed. Mother Teresa highlights the deepest meaning of service - an act of love done to the hungry, thirsty, strangers, naked, sick, prisoners (cf. Mt 25: 34-36) is done to Jesus himself.

Recognizing him, she ministered to him with wholehearted devotion, expressing the delicacy of her spousal love. Thus, in total gift of herself to God and neighbor, Mother Teresa found her greatest fulfillment and lived the noblest qualities of her femininity. She wanted to be a sign of "God's love, God's presence and God's compassion," and so remind all of the value and dignity of each of God's children, "created to love and be loved." Thus was Mother Teresa "bringing souls to God and God to souls" and satiating Christ's thirst, especially for those most in need, those whose vision of God had been dimmed by suffering and pain.
Divine Mercy is a not a mere theological datum. It is another way of calling God, of meeting and loving God and living in relation to others. But is Divine Mercy? Blessed  John Paul II spoke of Divine Mercy in his canonization homily for Sister Maria Faustina Kowalska. She became a modern mirror for God's tremendous love for all humanity. Saint Faustina reminds us that Mercy is crucial for everyone, just ask for the grace of Mercy. An excerpt:

St Faustina Kowalska.jpgWhat will the years ahead bring us? What will man's future on earth be like? We are not given to know. However, it is certain that in addition to new progress there will unfortunately be no lack of painful experiences. But the light of divine mercy, which the Lord in a way wished to return to the world through Sr Faustina's charism, will illumine the way for the men and women of the third millennium.

However, as the Apostles once did, today too humanity must welcome into the upper room of history the risen Christ, who shows the wounds of his Crucifixion and repeats:  Peace be with you! Humanity must let itself be touched and pervaded by the Spirit given to it by the risen Christ. It is the Spirit who heals the wounds of the heart, pulls down the barriers that separate us from God and divide us from one another, and at the same time, restores the joy of the Father's love and of fraternal unity.
faithful at the Lourdes grotto.jpgHail Mary, poor and humble Woman,
Blessed by the Most High!
Virgin of hope, dawn of a new era,
We join in your song of praise,
to celebrate the Lord's mercy,
to proclaim the coming of the Kingdom
and the full liberation of humanity.
 
Hail Mary, lowly handmaid of the Lord,
Glorious Mother of Christ!
Faithful Virgin, holy dwelling-place of the Word,
Teach us to persevere in listening to the Word,
and to be docile to the voice of the Spirit,
attentive to his promptings in the depths of our conscience
and to his manifestations in the events of history.
 
Hail Mary, Woman of sorrows,
Mother of the living!
Virgin spouse beneath the Cross, the new Eve,
Be our guide along the paths of the world.
Teach us to experience and to spread the love of Christ,
to stand with you before the innumerable crosses
on which your Son is still crucified.
 
Hail Mary, woman of faith,
First of the disciples!
Virgin Mother of the Church, help us always
to account for the hope that is in us,
with trust in human goodness and the Father's love.
Teach us to build up the world beginning from within:
in the depths of silence and prayer,
in the joy of fraternal love,
in the unique fruitfulness of the Cross.

Holy Mary, Mother of believers, pray for us. Amen.

a prayer written to Mary, the Mother of God by Blessed John Paul II, Lourdes, 2004

Here's Pope Benedict's homily at the Mass in which he beatified Pope John Paul II today:


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Six years ago we gathered in this Square to celebrate the funeral of Pope John Paul II. Our grief at his loss was deep, but even greater was our sense of an immense grace which embraced Rome and the whole world: a grace which was in some way the fruit of my beloved predecessor's entire life, and especially of his witness in suffering. Even then we perceived the fragrance of his sanctity, and in any number of ways God's People showed their veneration for him. For this reason, with all due respect for the Church's canonical norms, I wanted his cause of beatification to move forward with reasonable haste. And now the longed-for day has come; it came quickly because this is what was pleasing to the Lord: John Paul II is blessed!

May is now here. Also known as the month of Mary, and to her we commend the Pope's prayer intentions.

The general intention

That those working in communication media may respect the truth, solidarity, and dignity of all people.

The mission intention

That the Lord may help the Church in China persevere in fidelity to the Gospel and grow in unity.

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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