Paul Zalonski: March 2013 Archives

The Urbi et Orbi address, 2013, of the Bishop of Rome and Roman Pontiff, Pope Francis.


Francis UrbiAFP PHOTO : VINCENZO PINTO2.jpg

Dear brothers and sisters in Rome and throughout the world, Happy Easter! 


What a joy it is for me to announce this message: Christ is risen! I would like it to go out to every house and every family, especially where the suffering is greatest, in hospitals, in prisons...


Most of all, I would like it to enter every heart, for it is there that God wants to sow this Good News: Jesus is risen, there is hope for you, you are no longer in the power of sin, of evil! Love has triumphed, mercy has been victorious!


We too, like the women who were Jesus' disciples, who went to the tomb and found it empty, may wonder what this event means (cf. Lk 24:4). What does it mean that Jesus is risen? It means that the love of God is stronger than evil and death itself; it means that the love of God can transform our lives and let those desert places in our hearts bloom.



The Transfiguration Lodovico Carracci 1594
Easter is yet again unfolded anew in our lives right now! Here is Pope Francis homily for the great and holy Vigil of Easter at the Vatican Basilica, 2013. The resurrection of Jesus from the dead as He said is a terrifying event in any person's life. As His Holiness said in his homily, "Newness often makes us fearful, including the newness which God brings us, the newness which God asks of us." This newness, this new humanity given to us by the resurrected Lord, is a beautiful reminder that all is redeemed by the One who created us and Loves us now.


The key to the Christian journey, to the building of the Kingdom, to the witnessing to your hope is the openness to have the liturgical anamnesis, the awareness of grace being operative, of God's activity in life, my life, right now; the phrase Francis uses frequently is, "you won't be disappointed," the same one John Paul and Benedict used before him so many times.


The question is, can we be open enough to accept the surprises, are you willing not to be disappointed when confronted by a life of grace that contradicts an existence full of nihilism, skepticism, and boredom?


There are several wonderful points the Pope made, not least is this one that reminds me of Father Giussani:


They are asked to remember their encounter with Jesus, to remember his words, his actions, his life; and it is precisely this loving remembrance of their experience with the Master that enables the women to master their fear and to bring the message of the Resurrection to the Apostles and all the others (cf. Lk 24:9). To remember what God has done and continues to do for me, for us, to remember the road we have travelled; this is what opens our hearts to hope for the future. May we learn to remember everything that God has done in our lives. 


Why do you seek the living among the dead? He isn't here -- He is risen!



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The homily:


In the Gospel of this radiant night of the Easter Vigil, we first meet the women who go the tomb of Jesus with spices to anoint his body (cf. Lk 24:1-3). They go to perform an act of compassion, a traditional act of affection and love for a dear departed person, just as we would. They had followed Jesus, they had listened to his words, they had felt understood by him in their dignity and they had accompanied him to the very end, to Calvary and to the moment when he was taken down from the cross. We can imagine their feelings as they make their way to the tomb: a certain sadness, sorrow that Jesus had left them, he had died, his life had come to an end. Life would now go on as before. Yet the women continued to feel love, the love for Jesus which now led them to his tomb. But at this point, something completely new and unexpected happens, something which upsets their hearts and their plans, something which will upset their whole life: they see the stone removed from before the tomb, they draw near and they do not find the Lord's body. It is an event which leaves them perplexed, hesitant, full of questions: "What happened?", "What is the meaning of all this?" (cf. Lk 24:4). Doesn't the same thing also happen to us when something completely new occurs in our everyday life? We stop short, we don't understand, we don't know what to do. Newness often makes us fearful, including the newness which God brings us, the newness which God asks of us. We are like the Apostles in the Gospel: often we would prefer to hold on to our own security, to stand in front of a tomb, to think about someone who has died, someone who ultimately lives on only as a memory, like the great historical figures from the past. We are afraid of God's surprises; we are afraid of God's surprises! He always surprises us!

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Blessed Easter!

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Victimae paschali laudes

immolent Christiani.

Agnus redemit oves:

Christus innocens Patri

reconciliavit peccatores.



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Bless, O Lord, this creation that it may be a means of salvation to the human race, and grant that, by the invocation of Thy Holy Name, it may promote health of body, and the salvation of souls in those who partake of it, through Christ our Lord.


[The Blessing of the Easter Food] is a wonderful tradition in Russia and the Slavic countries. On Holy Saturday and Easter itself, the people bring baskets of food to the church to be blessed....The baskets are filled with colored eggs, butter, salo (fatback, like bacon), different kinds of stuffed rolls, candies and cakes. But above all there is pascha, a specially baked cake, rich in eggs, topped with icing, and decorated with candy crosses or Easter figures. It's the first thing the family eats after the Easter services. The Easter basket is an integral part of the tradition, for in order to observe the feast properly, people fast all very strictly during Holy Week and abstain from all meat.


Fr. Walter Ciszek, S.J.

With God in Russia

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The Cross is the word through which God has responded to evil in the world. Sometimes it may seem as though God does not react to evil, as if he is silent. And yet, God has spoken, he has replied, and his answer is the Cross of Christ: a word which is love, mercy, forgiveness. It is also reveals a judgment, namely that God, in judging us, loves us. Remember this: God judges, loving. If I embrace his love then I am saved, if I refuse it, then I am condemned, not by him, but my own self, because God never condemns, he only loves and saves. Dear brothers and sisters, the word of the Cross is also the answer which Christians offer in the face of evil, the evil that continues to work in us and around us. Christians must respond to evil with good, taking the Cross upon themselves as Jesus did.




Pope Francis

Via Crucis 2013

excerpt of a message

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Eric Gill, Crucifixion and host 1915.

Praying for John Shankman

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JShankman.jpghe friends and family are uniting prayer for Kim & Don Shankman's son, John, a high school senior was injured in a car accident last week. John has been on a roller coaster ride regarding his health.

Kim is the Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at Benedictine College, Atchison, KS.

You may read about matter here.

We are praying the Chaplet of Divine Mercy. Join us.

Go to Jesus with the help of Saint Faustina, Saint Richard Pampuri, Blessed John Paul and the Servant of God Father Luigi Giussani.

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Lent ends and the sacred Triduum begins with the Mass of Our Lord's Supper, with the rite of Washing of Feet (known also as the Mandatum). In Rome, the Pope offered Mass at the Casal del Marmo, an inner city detention center. In the chapel dedicated to the title of "Father of Mercies," were 40 young detainees gathered around him for Mass, 12 youth, Catholics and non-Christians, 2 of whom were young women and 2 Muslims, had their feet washed by the Pontiff. Concelebrating the Mass were Cardinal Agostino Vallini (the Pope's Vicar for the Diocese of Rome), Archbishop Giovanni Angelo Becciu ('Substitute for General Affairs of the Secretary of State), Monsignor Alfred Xuereb, (Chaplain to the Casal del Marmo, and papal secretary), 2 deacons, one deacon from the Seminario San Carlo (the Seminary of the Fraternity of St Charles Borromeo) and another, Brother Roi Jenkins Albuen, a Capuchin of the "Addolorata" with Father Gaetano Greco.  Also there were two young seminarians from the Roman Seminary with the assistant chaplain, Colombian Father Pedro Acosta.


Pay attention to what the Pope says!!!!   Also, some photos.


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Here's Vatican Radio transcript and translation of the Holy Father's unscripted homily:


"This is moving, Jesus washes the feet of his disciples. Peter understands nothing. He refuses but Jesus explains to him. Jesus, God did this, and He Himself explains it to the disciples.. 'Do you realize what I have done for you? You call me 'teacher' and 'master,' and rightly so, for indeed I am. If I, therefore, the master and teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash one another's feet. I have given you a model to follow, so that as I have done for you, you should also do'.

Bishops around the world celebrate a Mass at which he blesses new oils used in the diocese for baptisms, pre-baptisms, Anointing of the Sick, ordinations, and other consecrations. Priests who attend renew their priestly commitment to be the Shepherds the Lord has called them to be. The laity present asked by the bishop to pray and fraternally support their priests in their holy mission. As bishop of Rome, Pope Francis does what other bishops have done. 


His homily today Pope Francis has a clear exhortation to all: living one's vocation is not business as usual, that you are made for another, that Christ has you to do His work. Mediocre priests and bishops are plentiful and the Pope wants to change this attitude. Thanks be to God. One gets the sense that deacons, priests and bishops who act like church bureaucrats (bishop's secretaries, curial officials, the pastor-king types, etc.) are not living their God-given vocation with consistency and love. Questions that arrive from pondering the homily: What type of priest does God give to us? What type of priest does the Church expect for the People of God? What type of priest do the People want/need? Can we continue to excuse priests who seem to be negligent of their own need for conversion and the People's? Wearing the sacred robes of the priest have a particular meaning for the pastoral care of souls. The ordained ministry impacts the priest's own conversion as well as the people who stand in front of  the priest.


Dear Brothers and Sisters, This morning I have the joy of celebrating my first Chrism Mass as the Bishop of Rome. I greet all of you with affection, especially you, dear priests, who, like myself, today recall the day of your ordination.


Anointing of Jesus/ From Augustine's "La ...

"Anointing of Jesus," St Augustine's "The City of God," book I-X.

The readings of our Mass speak of God's "anointed ones": the suffering Servant of Isaiah, King David and Jesus our Lord. All three have this in common: the anointing that they receive is meant in turn to anoint God's faithful people, whose servants they are; they are anointed for the poor, for prisoners, for the oppressed... A fine image of this "being for" others can be found in the Psalm: "It is like the precious oil upon the head, running down upon the beard, on the beard of Aaron, running down upon the collar of his robe" (Ps 133:2). The image of spreading oil, flowing down from the beard of Aaron upon the collar of his sacred robe, is an image of the priestly anointing which, through Christ, the Anointed One, reaches the ends of the earth, represented by the robe.
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The contrite heart

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Symeon the New Theologian

The conversion we have entered into this lent, in a full way I hope according to circumstances, likely to be an intense experience this week. Holy Week is a rather unique experience for each of us that works on us, and it is a work in which we have to engage in.

Some years I find myself happy with what has been accomplished, and others, not so. Much of this judgment is based on the awareness of the context in which we find ourselves: health and sickness, wealth and poverty, power and weakness, intellectually sensitive and those living with diseases of the mind. 

Whatever it is that captures our heart, whatever ambit it is that we find ourselves. Dying to self, I have to recognize is not done on my own terms.

"Let us acquire a contrite heart, a soul humbled in mind, and a heart that by means of tears and repentance is pure from every stain and defilement of sin. So shall we too be found worthy in due time quickly to rise to such heights that even hear and now we may see and enjoy the ineffable blessings of the divine light, if not perfectly, at least in part, and to the extent to which we are able. So shall we both unite ourselves to God, and God will be united to us. The to those who come near us we shall become 'light' and 'salt' (cf. Mt. 5:13-14) to their great benefit in Christ Jesus our Lord."

St. Symeon the New Theologian, The Discourses, (Paulist Press, 202-203)

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The Vatican Information Service reported today that a documentary will be published on the new pontificate. The documentary is titled, "Francesco - Elezione di un Papa che viene dalla fine del mondo" (Francis: Election of a Pope from the Ends of the Earth) ... made in collaboration with the Officina della Comunicazione (OC) and the Italian newspaper, Il Corriere della Sera.


The DVD will be distributed as a supplement to the Friday, 2 April edition of the newspaper." On its own the Italian version will cost 10.90 euro; English, Spanish and French editions are planned.


"The documentary registers the events following Pope Benedict XVI's renunciation of the papacy, the days of the Sede Vacante, and the conclave that brought the election of Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio as the new Pope. Through images and previously unpublished interviews with four cardinals--Cardinal Angelo Comastri, archpriest of the Basilica of St. Peter; Cardinal Oscar Rodriguez Maradiaga, archbishop of Tegucigalpa, Honduras; Cardinal Gianfranco Ravasi, president of the Pontifical Council for Culture; and Cardinal Angelo Sodano, dean of the College of Cardinals--it reconstructs the most important stages of this period, culminating in the meeting of the two pontiffs this past Saturday, 23 March, in Castel Gandolfo."

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Spy Wednesday

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Spy Wednesday, Wednesday in Holy Week, is unique as the sacred Liturgy prepares us to pray the sacred Triduum in a more devoted, sincere way. The gospel for today unfolds the drama. Hence, Spy Wednesday a pious way to commemorate and remind ourselves how, why and for what Judas Iscariot's betrayal of Jesus for thirty pieces of silver is a learning experience for each of us. The betrayal of Jesus by Judas --a friend of the Lord's, a member of the 12 Apostles, a man responsibility-- continues until today to make us pause and to ask what happened; Judas' tortured ending grieve us.


The mystery of the dramatic events concerning Judas and Jesus shows us the value God places on the gift of free will. The sinfulness of some of our choices are too often motivated by money, power, and fame, the desire to be right on everything, to point fingers without looking deeply within our selves. Consider the various things Pope Francis has said since his election about the devil and his enticements.  In the Liturgy we pray for the grace to have the power of the enemy  driven from us thus attaining the grace of the resurrection.

The first Wednesday General Audience of Pope Francis was delivered today. Indeed, Pope Francis is moving us away from the narcissism in which we find ourselves, either personally, or as a Church. The Pope's text follows, and Vatican Radio's carrying of the English portion of the address.


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I am pleased to welcome you to my first general audience. With deep gratitude and veneration I am taking up the "witness" from the hands of my beloved predecessor, Benedict XVI. After Easter we will resume the catechesis on the Year of Faith. Today I would like to focus a little on Holy Week. With Palm Sunday we began this week - the center of the whole liturgical year - in which we accompany Jesus in His Passion, Death and Resurrection.


But what does it mean for us to live Holy Week? What does it means to follow Jesus on His way to the Cross on Calvary and the Resurrection? In His earthly mission, Jesus walked the streets of the Holy Land; He called twelve simple people to remain with Him, to share His journey and continue His mission; He chose them among the people full of faith in the promises of God. He spoke to everyone, without distinction, to the great and the lowly; to the rich young man and the poor widow, the powerful and the weak; He brought the mercy and forgiveness of God to all; He healed, comforted, understood, gave hope, He led all to the presence of God, who is interested in every man and woman, like a good father and a good mother is interested in each child. God did not wait for us to go to Him, but He moved towards us, without calculation, without measures. This is how God is: He is always the first, He moves towards us. Jesus lived the daily realities of most ordinary people: He was moved by the crowd that seemed like a flock without a shepherd, and He cried in front of the suffering of Martha and Mary on the death of their brother Lazarus; He called a tax collector to be His disciple and also suffered the betrayal of a friend. In Christ, God has given us the assurance that He is with us, in our midst. "Foxes", Jesus said, "have dens and birds of the sky have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to rest His head" (Mt 8:20). Jesus did not have a home because His house is the people -- that is, us; His mission is to open all God's doors, to be the loving presence of God.


The Blessing of Oils

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The rites for blessing the Oils used in sacraments always fills me with joy and wonder at how the Lord uses creation to communicate Himself. The rich sacramentality given by the Church concretizes the promise of Jesus to be present to us at all times, and in every way. The Holy Oils are symphony of grace. In the picture, Hartford archbishop Henry J. Mansell, STL, mixes balsam before he consecrates the key Holy Oil, Chrism, 26 March 2013, at the Cathedral of Saint Joseph.

Picture courtesy of The Catholic Transcript.
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13 years ago an essay in the Colombia Magazine appeared in 2000. The archbishop who wrote, "Renewing God's House" speaks about our standing with the Lord; the gesture of standing is new way of being present, it is a presence which requires us to intellectually, spiritually and affectively present in the very following of the Lord in light of the various gifts He's given. Jesus Christ asks us to help Him carry the cross, just like he did with Simon, and Benedict, and Francis and Dominic and countless others, to help Him in repairing the house He's built. The strength in what Archbishop Chaput is talking about is a communal work of standing with Christ, in the midst of sinners, and in setting our face on the Lord in the way He's proposed. Grace received in Baptism, Confirmation and the Holy Eucharist will sustain us, together, as true brothers and sisters. "Renewing God's House" is an essay worth reading on Spy Wednesday.

Reading the notes from the pre-conclave meetings of the cardinals meeting in the General Congregation is not usual reading material for most people. One has to admit that it is interesting to know what the cardinals think and what they verbalize with regard to the life of the Church and the proposal for future ministry. Zenit.org published today the notes of Jorge Cardinal Bergoglio (now Pope Francis). Nothing really new except that now we know with better certainty the perspective of the made elected the Supreme Pontiff. The notes follow:


The archbishop of Havana says that a speech given by Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio (now Pope Francis) during the cardinals' pre-conclave meetings was "masterful" and "clear."


Cardinal Jaime Lucas Ortega y Alamino spoke of Cardinal Bergoglio's speech at a Mass on Saturday in Cuba, having returned home from his trip to Rome to bid farewell to Benedict, participate in the conclave, and welcome Francis.

Cardinal Ortega said that Cardinal Bergoglio gave him the handwritten notes of the speech, and the permission to share the contents.


"Allow me to let you know, almost as an absolute first fruit, the thought of the Holy Father Francis on the mission of the Church," Cardinal Ortega said.

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Pope Gregory XVI made gambling on papal electi...

Pope Gregory XVI, a Benedictine monk, made gambling on papal elections punishable by excommunication.

When Jorge Mario Bergoglio was elected the 266th Roman Pontiff he was listed among a rather small and elite group of men who had their intellectual and spiritual formation in religious life. Bergoglio is a member of the Society of Jesus. But who are the others?

The Benedictine monks have 17

Gregory I, Boniface IV, Adeodatus II, Leo IV, John IX, Leo VII, Stephen IX, Gregory VII, Victor, III, Urban II, Paschal II, Gelasius, II, Celestine V, Clement VI, Urban V, Pius VII, Gregory XVI

The Augustine canons and friars have 6

Honorius II, Innocent II, Lucius II, Adrian IV, Gregory VIII, Eugene IV

The Franciscans friars have 4

Nicholas IV, Sixtus IV, Sixtus V, Clement XIV

Secular Franciscans have 2

Pius IX, Leo XIII

The Dominicans friars have 4

Innocent V, Benedict XI, Pius V, Benedict XIII

The Cistercian monks have 2

Eugene III, Benedict XII

The Theatine clerks regular have 

Paul IV

The Jesuit clerks regular have 1

Francis
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Marcel Lefebvre RIP

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Coat of arms of Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre.jpgToday is the anniversary of death in 1991 of the famed Archbishop Marcel François Marie Joseph Lefebvre founder of the Society of St Pius X (SSPX).

Sadly, the Archbishop died ex communicated from the Catholic Church following the 1988 ordination of the 4 bishops.

He was a fascinating, holy and intelligent churchman with a complex history that still needs to be written with better objectivity.

In our charity, let's pray for the SSPX and the ongoing dialogue with the Church. Pope Francis and Bishop Fellay will need to concentrate on doing the right thing inspired by the Holy Spirit.
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English: Passover Seder Table, Jewish holidays...
Tonight, 15th of Nissan, begins the annual days prayer remembering the liberation of the captive Jews in Egypt by God. The theological reality of the Passover is not merely relating to events of 3000 years ago, but an active remembrance (liturgically called anamnesis) that God leads us to freedom today: from slavery of sin to the grace of freedom; from being chained to unfaithfulness to the freedom of love and mercy. Christians will hear echoes in what is believed about Jesus and Holy Week. All leavened foods will be destroyed, needed cleaning done, and time for prayer and fasting. Read the Book of Exodus. The ritual mean of the sedar is a mix of biblical narrative, song and friendship. Passover ends on April 2 (in Israel the observance is 7 days, other places it's 8).


The Holy Father unites himself, and us, with our Jewish brethren:


A few days on from our meeting, and with renewed gratitude for your having desired to honour the celebration of the beginning of my ministry with your presence and that of other distinguished members of the Jewish community, I take great pleasure in extending my warmest best wishes to you and Rome's entire Jewish community on the occasion of the Great Feast of Pesach. May the Almighty, who freed His people from slavery in Egypt to guide them to the Promised Land continue to deliver you from all evil and to accompany you with His blessing. I ask you to pray for me, as I assure you of my prayers for you, confident that we can deepen [our] ties of mutual esteem and friendship.


Francis

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Have you been wondering what the Pope has published? Well, look no further. L'Osservatore Romano is publishing an article in tomorrow's edition on Francis' books. With Pope Francis leading the Church I think there will be a resurgence of Ignatian spirituality --as distinct from "Jesuit spirituality", inhabiting our Christian lives. I am sure these books will be published in various languages before long.


The first two books in Italian by Jorge Mario Bergoglio were presented on Tuesday, 26 March in the offices of Civiltà Cattolica. They are published by Editrice Missionaria Italiana (Emi): Umiltà, la strada verso Dio (Bologna, 2013,  64 pages, € 6.90, with an afterword by Enzo Bianchi) and Guarire dalla corruzione (Bologna 2013, 64 pages, € 6.90, with an afterword by Pietro Grasso) and are collections of  addresses that the Cardinal Archbishop of  Buenos Aires gave in 2005 to the faithful of the archdiocese.


Both books draw on the spirituality of St Ignatius of Loyola to describe  its deep inner workings and offer solutions to extremely pertinent phenomena such as corruption in both society and the Church, as well as the urgent need for an ecclesial life distinguished by brotherly holiness.

Today is the beginning of our salvation,

The revelation of the eternal mystery!

The Son of God becomes the Son of the Virgin.

As Gabriel announces the coming of Grace.

Together with him let us cry to the Theotokos:

Rejoice, O Full of Grace,

The Lord is with You!

(Troparion, Tone 4)


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Indeed, today is the beginning of salvation history. As St Luke's gospel (1:26-38) reveals, and as other languages portray the Incarnation, we've received "good tidings." From the moment the angel's message was received positively by Mary cosmic history has never been the same. March 25 is the solemnity of the Annunciation to the Mary that she's be the Mother of God (the most Holy Theotokos). And it's Holy Week followed by Eastertide, the Church will observe this solemn occasion on April 8. Nevertheless, a word or two need to be said about the Annunciation.


Liturgical history tells us that there exists a 2nd century painting of the Annunciation in the catacomb of Priscilla. And more widely celebrated since the 4th century, the Christian community has observed the Annunciation as  a solemn day of grace.


Ecclesiastical history bears witness to the Council of Toledo in 656 mentioning the Feast in Spain and then at the Council in Trullo in 692 indicating the Church there having a celebration of the Annunciation even though it was Lent. The Fathers of the Second Vatican Council spoke about the Marian principle of the Church as being fundamental to the life of the Church (see the conclusion of Lumen Gentium), even more important that the Petrine principles because what we believe to be true about the Incarnation. 


On the Annunciation, the Knights of Columbus pray for the unborn children and the work of being pro Life.


The feast testifies that God fulfills His promise to send a Redeemer (Genesis 3:15): "I will put enmity between you and the woman, between your seed and her seed; he shall crush your head, and you shall lie in wait for his heel." What the prophets and teachers of the Law believed and taught the people of Israel, was given by Gabriel's announcement; and in the Christian dispensation the Fathers of the Church have taught that what is called "her seed" to refer to Jesus. Here is an unmistakable theological view that Jesus is the new Adam, the new tree of life, the new Law, the new Lawgiver, the new face of God.

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A Public Symposium in Celebration of the 50th Anniversary of Pope John XXIII's Encyclical on Establishing Universal Peace on Earth


Thursday, April 4, 2013, 5:00PM - 7:00PM


5 - 7 p.m. EST

4 - 6 p.m. CST


Max Palevsky Cinema, Ida Noyes Hall

University of Chicago

1212 East 59th Street, Chicago, IL 60637

Keynote
Roland Minnerath, Archbishop of Dijon


Respondents
Mary Ann Glendon, Harvard Law School
Joseph Weiler, New York University Law School
Russell Hittinger, University of Tulsa Thursday, April 4, 2013


Presented by 

The Lumen Christi Institute for Catholic Faith, Thought, and Culture, the Committee on Social Thought at the University of Chicago, and the Center for Civil and Human Rights at the University of Notre Dame Law School


For more information on other presentations, visit this site.

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We hear of a critical experience of the Lord who enters gloriously into Jerusalem changing once again all of history. Salvation history known in Jesus crucified and risen rides into our lives on the back of a donkey. The King of kings, the Messiah of the world, has made an ass of himself. The gospel reveals something unique about Jesus and the way He uses created things to announce the Kingdom of God.

We want to meet Christ this week. Today, Palm Sunday, we see a donkey the sign of derision. But why is a donkey important to our walking in faith, building up the Church and confessing the Divine Presence, why is this animal critical to our own personal conversion?

Bishop Hugh Gilbert, OSB, bishop of Aberdeen, Scotland, tells us about Christ, the donkey and our willingness to become useful for Christ.

Pope Francis' first celebration of the Holy Week liturgies. His homily for Palm Sunday follows:


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1. Jesus enters Jerusalem. The crowd of disciples accompanies him in festive mood, their garments are stretched out before him, there is talk of the miracles he has accomplished, and loud praises are heard: "Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord. Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!" (Lk 19:38). 


Crowds, celebrating, praise, blessing, peace: joy fills the air. Jesus has awakened great hopes, especially in the hearts of the simple, the humble, the poor, the forgotten, those who do not matter in the eyes of the world. He understands human sufferings, he has shown the face of God's mercy, he has bent down to heal body and soul. Now he enters the Holy City! This is Jesus.This is the heart that looks on all of us, watching our illnesses, our sins. The love of Jesus is great. He enters Jerusalem with this love and watches all of us. 


It is a beautiful scene, the light of the love of Jesus, that light of his heart, joy, celebration.



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The Lord will show his justice to the nations of the world.



Archbishop Oscar Romero, assassinated 33 years ago today, offering Mass in San Salvador.


Archbishop Romero is remembered as a Church leader of hope in a country that was ravaged by poverty, injustice and oppression.


In the face of incredible injustice, the Archbishop knew the Church to be a beacon of faith, hope and charity, recognized his responsibility to be a witness to these virtues and to challenge the oppressors, especially those who claimed to be Catholic. Romero's cause for canonization is being studied.

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In the procession the people meet Jesus with palm branches, in the passion they slap him in the face and strike his head with a rod. In the one they extol him with praises, in the other they heap insults upon him. In the one they compete to lay their clothes in his path, in the other he is stripped of his own clothes. In the one he is welcomed to Jerusalem as just king and savior, in the other he is thrown out of the city as a criminal...If, then, we want to follow our leader without stumbling through prosperity and through adversity, let us keep our eyes upon him, honored in the procession, undergoing ignominy and suffering in the passion, yet unshakably steadfast in all such changes of fortune.


Blessed Guerric of Igny

A papal brotherhood

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Only speculation exists at this point as to any of the details on the meeting of the Pope and the Pope emeritus, today at Castel Gandolfo (other than those revealed by the Press Officer for the Holy See, Father Lombardi, SJ, and those others allowed to witness an epic event): dress, the embrace, prayer together, a gift of an icon of Our Lady of Humility, a meal, and a 45 minute private meeting. There is a deep communion between the two of them. And there is no shortage of news making analysis, including Vatican Radio. The beautiful acknowledgement of Pope Francis was, and very emotionally charged, I believe, was his reference, "We are brothers."

Bunson Francis.gifPapal biographies are beginning to show in the marketplace. The Italian Vatican watcher Andrea Tornielli has a contract with Ignatius Press to produce, Francis: Pope of a New World.

The latest and US-written book is Matthew E. Bunson's Pope Francis (Our Sunday Visitor, 2013).

Bunson sets for himself a task to think about the horizons of the new papacy. Still, there is a lot of unknowns with regard to Francis leading me to think this will be a pope of surprises.


Pre-order now. Pope Francis is expected to be available for shipping on April 4.

Here is the letter of Pope Francis to the Superior General of the Society of Jesus, Father Adolfo Nicolás in response to Jesuit's letter to His Holiness last week (which you can read here). No mincing of words: thank you for prayers and pledge, an assurance of the Jesuits unconditional service to the Church and the Vicar of Christ. A very debatable position of the Jesuits in the last 50 years. As you can see in the photo, Father General went to visit with the Pope this week.


Dear Father Nicolás,


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I received with great joy the kind letter you sent me, in your name and that of the Society of Jesus, on the occasion of my election to the See of Peter, in which you assure me of your prayers for me and my apostolic ministry as well as your full disposition to continue serving - unconditionally - the Church and the Vicar of Christ according to the teachings of St. Ignatius Loyola. My heartfelt thanks for this sign of affection and closeness, which I am happy to reciprocate, asking the Lord to illuminate and accompany all Jesuits, so that faithful to the charism received and following in the footsteps of the saints of our beloved Order, they may be evangelical leaven in the world in their pastoral action, but above all in the witness of a life totally dedicated to the service of the Church, the Spouse of Christ, seeking unceasingly the glory of God and the good of souls.


With these sentiments, I ask all Jesuits to pray for me and to entrust me to the loving protection of the Virgin Mary, our Mother in heaven, while as a sign of God's abundant graces, I give you the Apostolic Blessing with special affection, which I also extend to all those who cooperate with the Society of Jesus in her activities, those who benefit from her good deeds and participate in her spirituality.


Francis

Vatican, 16 March 2013

hotellerie croix.gifThe Cistercians of the Strict Observance --the Trappists-- are busy reviving monastic life in Norway after an absence since a fire destroyed the ancient monastery. Monks and nuns are taking up with great seriousness the invitation of the Pope Benedict XVI to share the spiritual, intellectual and cultural traditions of the monastic Rule in places where the need is great even new: to bring a light to darkness. Cistercian monks and nuns, hence, are founding separate monasteries bringing with them observances of the traditional vows of stability, conversion of manners, and obedience to a part of the world that's been basically secularized for a long time even though the Norwegian Lutheran Church is the "state church." In 2009, monks of Mukeby Priory are the first foundation of the great Cistercian house of Cîteaux since the 15th century, and in 2000 the American nuns arrived. Cistercians first came to Norway in the 12th century.

This 15 minute video gives a good introduction into the Monkeby and Tautra Cistercians.

The Cistercians join the Dominicans and Poor Clares in establishing new contemplative houses in Norway, the North country. The Benedictines have returned to Denmark and Sweden and the Brigittines and Carmelites in Iceland.
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The L'Osservatore Romano reported today that "When we have a heart of stone it happens that we pick up real stones and stone Jesus Christ in the person of our brothers and sisters, especially the weakest of them. Pope Francis said this, commenting on the day's Readings during the Mass he celebrated on Friday morning in the Chapel of the Domus Sanctae Marthae.


It was a simple celebration to which the Pope invited employees of the garden and cleaning services of the Governorate of Vatican City State. He gave them a brief homily, focused in particular on the Gospel passage of John which recounts the episode of the Jews who wanted to stone Jesus.


[...]

Speaking in French today, Pope Francis gave his talk in Italian outlined to the world's diplomats the mission of his pontificate: building peace AND constructing bridges of dialogue,  combatting spiritual AND material poverty. This is part 2 of his "pontifical program of ministry." The Pontiff met the more than 180 accredited diplomats in Sala Regia of the Apostolic Palace, the Vatican.


English: world map of the Vatican foreign rela...

World map of the Vatican foreign relations; dark green: diplomatic relations, light green: other relations, gray: no official relations (credit: Wikipedia)

Heartfelt thanks to your Dean, Ambassador Jean-Claude Michel, for the kind words that he has addressed to me in the name of everyone present. It gives me joy to welcome you for this exchange of greetings: a simple yet deeply felt ceremony, that somehow seeks to express the Pope's embrace of the world. Through you, indeed, I encounter your peoples, and thus in a sense I can reach out to every one of your fellow citizens, with their joys, their troubles, their expectations, their desires.


Your presence here in such numbers is a sign that the relations between your countries and the Holy See are fruitful, that they are truly a source of benefit to mankind. That, indeed, is what matters to the Holy See: the good of every person upon this earth! And it is with this understanding that the Bishop of Rome embarks upon his ministry, in the knowledge that he can count on the friendship and affection of the countries you represent, and in the certainty that you share this objective. At the same time, I hope that it will also be an opportunity to begin a journey with those few countries that do not yet have diplomatic relations with the Holy See, some of which were present at the Mass for the beginning of my ministry, or sent messages as a sign of their closeness - for which I am truly grateful.



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passing of Benedict.jpgThis day blessed Benedict in the presence of his brethren ascended directly from his cell toward the East into heaven; this day, his hands raised, he breathed forth his soul in prayer; this day he was received by the Angels into glory. (Vespers Mag. Ant.)


Our prayer today is for all who follow the Rule of Saint Benedict and the gifts given to the Church and world by the Benedictines. Most especially our prayer today is with the Fraternity of Communion and Liberation who counts Saint Benedict as one of the co-patrons of the movement. May we who live the path given by the Servant of God Father Luigi Giussani to "incline our heart" unto the Lord's.

Father Giussani once said to the Benedictine monks of Cascinazza (Milan), "Christ is present! The Christ announcement is that God became one of us and is present here, and gathers us together into one body, and through unity, His presence is made perceivable. This is heart of the Benedictine message of the earliest times. Well, this also defines the entire message of our Movement, and this is why feel Benedictine history to be the history to which we are the closest."


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The Holy See Press Office said today that Pope Francis will celebrate the Holy Thursday Mass of the Lord's Supper at the juvenile prison 'Casal del Marmo' in Rome. Known as Maundy Thursday is the first of the Three Sacred Days in Holy Week leading to Easter Sunday; this Liturgy is rooted John 13. The Mass of the Lord's Supper, commemorates the institution of the Holy Eucharist and the priesthood. The Mass on Holy Thursday recalls that Jesus washed the feet of His disciples as an example of love, of service ; the washing of the feet known as the 'mandatum.' 


As Archbishop of Buenos Aires, as you can note in the picture, Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio celebrated Mass in a prison, hospital or hospice for poor and marginalized people. This move from Saint John Lateran to the prison is consistent with Francis' previous pastoral priorities.


On 18 March 2007, Pope Benedict offered Mass in this same prison.

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Francis' official portrait

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The official photo of Pope Francis, with his signature.

The Pope's pectoral cross has the image of Jesus the Good Shepherd (cf John 10:11), carrying the sheep on his shoulders, with the flock following him. The cross has been a part of the pope's person since he was a bishop in Buenas Aires, Argentina.

Prayer to Saint Benedict

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Detail - Glory of the New Born Christ in prese...

Detail - Glory of the New Born Christ in presence of God Father and the Holy Spirit (Annakirche, Vienna). Adam and Eve are represented below Jesus Christ Ceiling painting made by Daniel Gran (1694-1757).

Father, you revealed in Benedict your desire to live and die in grace that transcends all earthly cares; listen to our supplications as we strive toward salvation.

 

Benedict, blessed in name and grace, lived a holy life; may we follow worthily in his footsteps by praying and working to glorify you.

 

Holy father Benedict, pray for us.

 

Benedict, desiring to please you alone, left home and patrimony to found his religious family; may we live in peace in his family to add luster to your monastic way of life.

 

Holy father Benedict, pray for us.

 

Benedict withdrew from the world, knowingly unacquainted with its ways, and wisely unlearned in its wisdom; may we learn your wisdom, and guide our actions by it.

 

Holy father Benedict, pray for us.

 

Benedict, filled with the spirit of all the just, left us a rule of life in Christ; may we remain faithful to his teaching and come to prefer nothing whatsoever to Christ.

 

Holy father Benedict, pray for us.

 

Benedict, the patron of a happy death, showed us how to live in order to die in you; may he obtain this reward from you for each of us.

 

Holy father Benedict, pray for us.

 

Through Christ our Lord.

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The Pope met today with Orthodox leaders, Byzantine and Oriental Orthodox, the Anglicans, other ecclesial communities and leaders of various other religions. Of particular interest is the personal meeting of Francis and Bartholomew; the Pope also met with Metropolitan Hilarion of the Russian Orthodox Church.


Rome Reports has a review of this important ecumenical meeting.


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First of all, heartfelt thanks for what my Brother Andrew told us. Thank you so much! Thank you so much!


It is a source of particular joy to meet you today, delegates of the Orthodox Churches, the Oriental Orthodox Churches and Ecclesial Communities of the West. Thank you for wanting to take part in the celebration that marked the beginning of my ministry as Bishop of Rome and Successor of Peter.


Yesterday morning, during the Mass, through you , I recognized the communities you represent. In this manifestation of faith, I had the feeling of taking part in an even more urgent fashion the prayer for the unity of all believers in Christ, and together to see somehow prefigured the full realization of full unity which depends on God's plan and on our own loyal collaboration.



Português: Cerimônia de canonização do frade b...
The answer to this question will not be in its final form for a long time. The papacy only ended a few weeks ago. Historians will have to look at several things before they will be able to reflect back with greater precision that a video or a blog commentary can provide in 2013. There are several things that Pope Benedict's 8 year reign that give good indicators as to what we engage with in the years ahead. Many more intelligent than I have thought this question through, but Father Robert Barron of the Archdiocese of Chicago has made a good first attempt when he posits that Benedict will be remembered for:

1. being able to give a more authentic interpretative key to the Second Vatican Council; that is, naming the true mission of the Church;

2. being able to present the objective truth of the faith as taught by the Church these 2 thousand years with the clear awareness that the truth is about the Divine Love lived in joy; this is often called affirmative orthodoxy: the big 'yes' vs. the fat 'no';
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The order of prayer

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Let us rejoice in the Lord, celebrating the memory of the holy abbot, Benedict. (antiphon)


Pray Psalm 9


The prayer of petition to Saint Benedict may be found here, and then pray the following prayer.


Let us pray.

Almighty and everlasting God, You freed the man of God, Benedict, from the prison of the flesh and bore him up to heaven to enjoy the vision of Your glory. Grant us, through his merits, the spirit of penance, forgiveness of our sins, so that we may one day share the joys of eternal life with him and all the saints. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Linden-courtyard.jpgSome time ago I mentioned here on Communio the monastery in Linden, Virginia which getting a jim-start on living the monastic life according to the Dominican charism. St Dominic's Monastery is an exceptional place

Why is St Dominic's a place to support? There are many reasons, not the least is the fact the nuns are very serious about the monastic life demonstrated by their observance of communal liturgical and personal prayer, their sacrifice of time and generous giving of self, the witness of the full habit, and commitment to the ideals of Saint Dominic and his successors. The nuns follow the path charted by Christ and the saints.
Pope Francis met with media

Pope Francis met with media

I don't think Pope Francis will be too different from the last several Roman Pontiffs. As bishop of Rome he will preach and teach, govern and sanctify.The Pope's un-programatic homily is in fact programatic if you can read the details. In some ways Francis's homily is an Aesopian creature.

First, style is substance. Second, the liturgical preaching thus far indicates a trajectory. Third, focus on the Pope's connection with people of belief and unbelief because this connection ought to be assessed for the facts and and not cliché. What the Pope said and what he's done matters. Who's present, and who's not. (And this data is not to be reduced to politics.) All this is to say that you can't miss "a trick" if you really want to know what and who Pope Francis is, and why he is doing what he's doing and with whom. 

We are living nothing different from what Blessed John Paul and Pope Benedict did in their pontificates. Three things to pray for daily: conversion, vocation and mission.

A "news" man and priest whom I respect very much is the editor-in-chief for AsiaNews.it, Bernardo Cervellera. Tonight, his article, "Like Benedict, mission is Pope Francis's focus," captures what I am indicating and what I am urging you to attend.

Want to be informed about Christianity, and the global Church of Christ, read AsiaNews.it.
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The order of prayer

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Those who offered him food for his body received from his lips the Word of God, the food of life. (antiphon)


Pray Psalm 19: 1-7


The prayer of petition to Saint Benedict may be found here, and then pray the following prayer.

Let us pray.

Lord God, it is Your will that the whole world look to You for salvation and deliverance from the slavery of sin. Grant us a sense of mission, such as Saint Benedict had, and fill us with an apostolic spirit that we may, by the example of our life, help to draw others to You. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.
It's not been a week into the exercise of the Petrine ministry of Pope Francis and members of the Russian Orthodox Church hierarchy are "expressing hope" about the Bishop of Rome will or will not do with regard to the so-called "expansion" of the Ukrainian Byzantine Catholic Church. Really, they are setting conditions for dialogue and fraternal cooperation.

Recognizable is the fact that Russians want to be the dominant Church body in Eastern Europe and they want no "competition" from anyone else. They believe that to be Russian, or Ukrainian, for that matter, is to be Orthodox. They will not accept the possibility of a person's freedom in choosing which Church to belong and that historically the Byzantine and Latin Catholics have been part of the cultural makeup of the Christian East. As a condition for good relations Metropolitan Hilarion and other Orthodox leaders want to pressure the Bishop of Rome not to work with the Byzantine Ukrainian Church in any way. Pope Francis, and the entire Roman Church wants good and fruitful relationships with the Orthodox Church worldwide, and in Russia. It will not be the case that we turn our back on the Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk and Ukrainian Byzantine Catholic Synod. Lingering disagreements are not resolved by pressure and being agenda-driven.

You would never know that Metropolitan Hilarion was educated at Oxford and that he's spent much of his youthful days enjoying certain freedom of education and culture in the West with ignorant comments such as he's made about the Jesuits. His suspicion is greatly exaggerated and offensive. It betrays another level of insecurity of his person and his Church. His comments about the Jesuits, and therefore, Pope Francis, show yet example of that he is not a serious churchman. One only has to recall that it's been the Jesuits in the 20th and 21st centuries who have provided rigorous educational opportunities at the Pontifical Oriental Institute (PIO) in Rome for the service to the Churches. And an education, I might add, to plenty of Orthodox priests, bishops and laity at the expense of the PIO. An anti-Jesuit stance in this case is clichéd and will bear no fruit.

May the great Mother of God bless the Churches.
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O Glorious Patriarch Saint Joseph, protector of the Holy Family and its consoler in adversity, I recommend to your pastoral care the Universal Church, and in a more especial manner the sons and daughters of Saint Benedict.

Obtain for the spiritual family of Saint Benedict
his virtues of obedience, humility and self-denial.
Infuse into their hearts his spirit of prayer and of holy joy, his love of solitude and of labor, his zeal for the salvation of souls, his tender and childlike devotion to the Queen of the Rosary.


Obtain for them O Great Saint Joseph, the gift above all gifts, a true knowledge and love of Jesus Christ, so that like you they may merit the happiness of bearing him in their arms by their labors for his glory. 
Obtain for them the grace to resign in their hearts unreservedly to his keeping, and to strive earnestly and prudently to make him known to the world as its merciful and loving Savior.

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HOMILY OF POPE FRANCIS
INAUGURATION OF THE
PETRINE MINISTRY
ST PETER'S SQUARE
19 March 2013


Dear Brothers and Sisters, I thank the Lord that I can celebrate this Holy Mass for the inauguration of my Petrine ministry on the solemnity of Saint Joseph, the spouse of the Virgin Mary and the patron of the universal Church. It is a significant coincidence, and it is also the name-day of my venerable predecessor: we are close to him with our prayers, full of affection and gratitude.


I offer a warm greeting to my brother cardinals and bishops, the priests, deacons, men and women religious, and all the lay faithful. I thank the representatives of the other Churches and ecclesial Communities, as well as the representatives of the Jewish community and the other religious communities, for their presence. My cordial greetings go to the Heads of State and Government, the members of the official Delegations from many countries throughout the world, and the Diplomatic Corps.


In the Gospel we heard that "Joseph did as the angel of the Lord commanded him and took Mary as his wife" (Mt 1:24). These words already point to the mission which God entrusts to Joseph: he is to be the custos, the protector. The protector of whom? Of Mary and Jesus; but this protection is then extended to the Church, as Blessed John Paul II pointed out: "Just as Saint Joseph took loving care of Mary and gladly dedicated himself to Jesus Christ's upbringing, he likewise watches over and protects Christ's Mystical Body, the Church, of which the Virgin Mary is the exemplar and model" (Redemptoris Custos, 1).

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The Cardinal Dean prays,

Most Holy Father, may Christ, the Son of the living God, the shepherd and guard- ian of our souls, who built his Church upon rock, grant you the ring, the seal of Peter the Fisherman, who put his hope in him on the sea of Galilee, and to whom the Lord Jesus entrusted the keys of the Kingdom of heaven.


Today you succeed the Blessed Apostle Peter as the Bishop of this Church which presides over the unity of charity, as the Blessed Apostle Paul has taught. May the Spirit of charity, poured into our hearts, grant you the gentleness and strength to preserve, through your ministry, all those who believe in Christ in unity and fellowship.

Note on the ring


The ring was designed by the Italian sculptor Enrico Manfrini; he died in 2004. The ring belonged to Archbishop Pasquale Macchi (1923-2003), secretary of the Venerable Servant of God Pope Paul VI. Later in life Macchi was the Prelate of Loreto. It is reported that the use of three rings was a suggestion of Monsignor Guido Marini, the Master of Pontifical Liturgical Ceremonies and Giovanni Cardinal Re, Prefect-emeritus of the Congregation of Bishops. The Pope chose this one.


Imposition of the Pallium

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The Senior Cardinal Deacon prays,


May the God of peace, who brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus Christ, the great shepherd of the sheep, bestow upon you the Pallium taken from the Tomb of the Apostle Peter.

The Good Shepherd charged Peter to feed his lambs and his sheep; today you succeed him as the Bishop of this Church to which he and the Apostle Paul were fathers in faith.


May the Spirit of Truth, who proceeds from the Father, grant you his abundant gifts of wisdom and eloquence in the ministry of confirming your brethren in the unity of faith.


Let us pray.


O God, who do not disappoint those who call upon you with upright and devout hearts, hear the fervent prayer of your Church and pour forth your blessing upon your servant Francis, our Pope, to whom, through our humble service, you have granted primacy in the apostolic office. May he be strengthened by the gift of your Holy Spirit and worthily exercise his high ministry in accordance with the eminent charism he has received. Through Christ our Lord.


Pope's chair, Basilica di San Giovanni in Late...

The chair of the Bishop of Rome, Basilica Saint John Lateran, Rome.

In the first moments of his introduction to the world, Pope Francis has spoken of his ministry as the bishop of Rome, and his exercise of said ministry. Nine times, in fact. I think many were surprised at the theological precision that Pope Francis expressed so quickly. How is this possible? Because Francis is clearly Christocentric, and the Petrine ministry located in service of the other and at the foot of the Cross.

We ought to recall that ministries in the Church have gradually taken on new significance over time as the issues of teaching, preaching and sanctifying and governing (leading) surfaced and challenged the unity of the faithful. We know historically that by the third century the parameters of the bishop of Rome began to develop because of the work of Saints Peter and Paul, and because of the importance of the imperial city of Rome, and by the fourth century the influence of the Roman bishop was well-situated; and by the fifth century "canonical" letters, i.e., decrees, were sent to the world's bishops carrying with them certain authority. One can posit that from almost the beginning bishops from across the Christian world had appealed to the bishop of Rome for assistance in resolving with pastoral problems. 

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Pope Francis' coat of arms

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Pope Francis has decided to stick --more or less, with the heraldic art, that is, his coat of arms that he had when he was called to the Order of Bishop and then as a cardinal. The most identifiable change made is the replacing of the red cardinal's galero and tassels with the papal keys and miter that Pope Benedict XVI chose for his arms in 2005 when he accepted the pontifical dignity but gone is the pallium. The other change is turning the star representing Mary, the Mother of God and the flower of nard representing Saint Joseph, to gold as opposed to silver. Add to the artscape is the image most associated to the Society of Jesus with the IHS sunburst. The Holy Family, hence, is illustrated here.

The keys of Saint Peter refer to the gospel passage of Saint Matthew 16:16 where Jesus says to Peter, "I will give you the keys of the kingdom." The keys represent the pastoral authority of Jesus given to Peter and thus to Peter's successor to forgive sins, and lead us to salvation. The silver key concerns things of earth, and the gold key things of heaven joined together by the red cord symbolizing the common witness of the blood of the Savior shed for humanity. You may want to read the Catechism on the Petrine ministry at paragraphs 880-882, the whole section "I believe in the holy Catholic Church is worth" some study and prayer.

"By having mercy and making decisions" by following Christ
~the way Pope Francis intends to exercise the Petrine ministry he's been called to~

The Holy See's statement in Italian.

Smearing the Pope

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English: Monochrome version of the IHS emblem ...
The honeymoon was very short-lived: as tools of communication fling far and wide information and misinformation, social media gurus are now producing conflicting information about Pope Francis. But if you think I am talking exclusively of those who are Catholic haters think again; the Church has her detractors --enemies?-- and sadly from within. There are some insightful readers that help us to connect the dots of a new papacy. Father Raymond de Souza, John Allen and John Thavis comes to mind as credible.

I am not surprised that smear campaigns are spreading pretty fast with a click of the button, for example of topics being covered: Francis dealing with dictatorships; Francis and liturgical practice; Francis and the moral teachings of the Church; Francis, the poor and the papal ministry; Cardinals turning on Benedic; Francis and the Ignatian (and Jesuit charism); Francis and Communion and Liberation; Francis and Benedict.

Many have fallen in love with Pope Francis --at the moment he's the People's Pope. It won't be long before concerted ugliness is mainstream seeking to discredit, distract and divide, and lead away from the faith in Christ and the Church. Division has appeared and it's the work of the devil, not of the Holy Spirit. Don't believe me, just wait and see...

Stuff to read first...

Mary Anastasia O'Grady, "Behind the Campaign to Smear the Pope" (WSJ, March 17, 2013) --a must-read, a good job done

John Allen, "Path to the papacy: 'Not him, not him, therefore him," (NCR, March 17, 2013) --lots of good details and analysis

Ross Douthat, "What the Church Needs Now," (NYT, March 15, 2013) --key points need heeding

To understand the problem of Ms Manson's thinking see article below, you need to read what Father John Zuhlsdorf writes, "Liberals will soon turn on Pope Francis" -(my thoughts later on what Manson wrote).

A sampling of the detractors:


  • Jesuit Father Thomas Reese, "Francis, the Jesuits and the Dirty War," (NCR, March 17, 2013) --gives very questionable analysis of the political and religious landscape but identifies Francis' "acceptability" within the Society of Jesus; recall that Father Reese was sacked by Pope Benedict
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Pope Francis in Motion

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This is THE funniest thing I've seen on Pope Francis and the cardinals thus far...Brandon Vogt's humor refreshes...in Pope Francis in Motion.

h/t to Father John
The order of prayer

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The holy monk Benedict could not have lived differently from what he taught. (antiphon)

Pray Psalm 34: 11-16

The prayer of petition to Saint Benedict may be found here, and then pray the following prayer.

Let us pray.

God of wisdom and of counsel, raise up in Your Church the Spirit which guided the man of God, Benedict, so that, filled with that same Holy Spirit, we may seek to love what he did, and to practice what he taught. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

An English Translation of Cardinal Bergoglio's Lenten Letter 2013


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And rend your hearts, and not your garments, and turn to the Lord your God: for he is gracious and merciful, patient and rich in mercy, and ready to repent of the evil. (Joel 2:13)


Little by little we become accustomed to hearing and seeing, through the mass media, the dark chronicle of contemporary society, presented with an almost perverse elation, and also we become [desensitized] to touching it and feeling it all around us [even] in our own flesh. Drama plays out on the streets, in our neighborhoods, in our homes and -- why not? -- even in our own hearts. We live alongside a violence that kills, that destroys families, that enlivens wars and conflicts in so many countries of the world. We live with envy, hatred, slander, the mundane in our heart.



The order of prayer
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By the light of contemplation his spirit was lift heavenward. (antiphon)

Pray Luke 1:68-75

The prayer of petition to Saint Benedict may be found here, and then pray the following prayer.

Let us pray.

All-seeing and all-knowing God, grant us the gift of holy contemplation, so that we may see and understand life on this earth as You see it, and as Saint Benedict describes it in his Rule for all who seek God. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.
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At his first praying of the Angelus and address, the Holy Father told the crowd of 300K this experience.


The Pope "told a story, of an elderly widow he encountered during a Mass for the sick celebrated in connection with a visit of the image of Our Lady of Fatima. "I went to confession during the Mass," he said, "and near the end - I had to go to do confirmations afterward, and an elderly lady approached me - humble [she was] so very humble, more than eighty years old. I looked at her, and said, 'Grandmother,' - where I come from, we call elderly people grandmother and grandfather - 'would you like to make your confession?' 'Yes,' she said - and I said, 'but, if you have not sinned...' and she said, 'we all have sinned.' [I replied], 'if perhaps He should not forgive [you]?' and, sure, she replied, 'The Lord forgives everything.' I asked, 'How do you know this for sure, madam?' and she replied, 'If the Lord hadn't forgiven all, then the world wouldn't [still] be here.' And, I wanted to ask her, 'Madam, did you study at the Gregorian (the Pontifical Gregorian University, founded in 1551 by St Ignatius Loyola, the oldest Jesuit university in the world)?' - because that is wisdom, which the Holy Spirit gives - interior wisdom regarding the mercy of God. Let us not forget this word: God never tires of forgiving us," he repeated, "but we sometimes tire of asking Him to forgive us." Pope Francis went on to say, "Let us never tire of asking God's forgiveness."


Source: Vatican Radio

The Pope offered Mass for the Fifth Sunday of Lent today in the parish church of the Vatican, Saint Anne's. In the picture Francis is seen with Pietro Orlandi, the brother of Emanuela who disappeared in 1983; the Orlandi family were parishioners of Saint Anne's and she sang in the choir, the father was an employee of the Vatican bank. Emanuela is presumed dead. The homily was unscripted but Vatican Radio offered this summary.


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Pope Francis said, "If we are like the Pharisee before the altar, [who said], 'Thank you, Lord, for not making me like all the other men, and especially not like that fellow at the door, like that publican...,' well, then we do not know the heart of the Lord, and we shall not ever have the joy of feeling this mercy." Pope Francis went on to say, "It is not easy trust oneself to the mercy of God, because [His mercy] is an unfathomable abyss - but we must do it!" Pope Francis continued, "He has the ability to forget, [which is] special: He forgets [our sins], He kisses you, He embraces you, and He says to you, 'Neither do I condemn you. Go, and from now, on, sin no more.' Only that counsel does He give you." Pope Francis concluded, saying, "We ask for the grace of never tiring of asking pardon, for He never tires of pardoning."

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On this Fifth Sunday of Lent we approach the Cross of Jesus, the Tree of Life!



Finding Jesus in the temple

Teaching, there the leaders brought

Forth a woman caught in sinning:

Trapping Him was in their thoughts.


Then, instead of giving answers,

Jesus wrote upon the ground.

"Let the sinless start the stoning."

Looking up, no one was found.


"See," the prophet said in gladness,

"God is doing something new!

Cleansing, living waters, flowing

For us all with mercy true."


Each of us has known the wonder

Of forgiveness, full and free

In the mercy we are given

Through the Cross, that wondrous Tree.

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The order of prayer


No one can work these signs, unless God be with him. (antiphon)

Pray Psalm 96:1-16

The prayer of petition to Saint Benedict may be found here, and then pray the following prayer.

Let us pray.

God of power and might, You have shown forth Your goodness by the many miracles which You wrought through Your holy servant Benedict. Grant us the final grace of eternal blessedness. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Pope Francis commenting on Monsignor Giussani: 


"When people say to Fr. Giussani, "How brave one has to be to say 'Yes' to Christ!" or, "This objection comes to my mind: it is evident that Fr. Giussani loves Jesus and I don't love Him in the same way," Giussani answers, "Why do you oppose what you think you don't have to what you think I have? I have this yes, only this, and it would not cost you one iota more than it costs me.... Say "Yes" to Jesus. If I foresaw that tomorrow I would offend Him a thousand times, I would still say it." Thérèse of Lisieux says almost exactly the same thing: "I say it, because if I did not say 'Yes' to Jesus I could not say 'Yes' to the stars in the sky or to your hair, the hairs on your head..." Nothing could be simpler: "I don't know how it is, I don't know how it might be: I know that I have to say 'Yes.' I can't not say it," and reasonably; that is to say, at every moment in his reflections in this book, Giussani has recourse to the reasonableness of experience."

Truly Catholic?

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Are you truly Catholic? No, I make the smoke.
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Available for pre-order:
Francis: Pope of a New World by Andrea Tornielli

"Francis, rebuild my Church!" That is how St. Francis of Assisi heard the call of Christ. It is also how Jorge Mario Bergoglio, at the age of 76, and a Jesuit, seems to have accepted his election to the papacy with the choice of a name that no other pope has ever chosen.

Who is Pope Francis, elected in one of the shortest conclaves in history? Who is the man chosen to be the first pope from the Americas and the first Jesuit pope?
The order of prayer

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A wise man's teaching is a fountain of life (antiphon)


Pray Psalm 19:8-12


The prayer of petition to Saint Benedict may be found here, and then pray the following prayer.


Let us pray.

God our Creator and supreme Legislator, You inspired Saint Benedict to compose a Christ-like rule of life, with the Gospel as his Rule, may we persevere to the end in keeping Your commandments. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Bergoglio with Don Giacomo Tantardini in a photo from 2009 [© Paolo Galosi].jpg
30 Days magazine had a few articles about or written by Pope Francis extracted and put them into one document so it would easier to read them.  I am sharing the document with you in case you want to read the articles.


Catechism Clips

Catechism Clips (Photo credit: thicke)

As the archbishop of Buenos Aires Jorge Mario Bergoglio spoke of the importance of the ministry of catechesis, as a "pillar of the Church." For him, as you would expect, catechesis is the sowing of seed in soil. No what type of soil, as the parable goes, you sow, cultivate, and pray. In a letter addressed to catechists, the cardinal stated, "In our task of evangelization, God asks us to accompany a people that walks in the faith."


Cardinal Bergoglio paid attention to the ecclesial and evangelical nature of the catechetical ministry that is often overlooked, mismanaged, and otherwise dismissed by clergy and laity alike. You get a clearer sense of the the scope --successes and failures-- in catechetical ministry throughout the last hundred plus years if you read George Weigel's recent book, Evangelical Catholicism. And this why catechetical methods such as Catechesis of the Good Shepherd aim at doing what is consistent with the long-view of teaching the faith is about, and the emphases Pope Francis made in 2010.


Bergoglio, like Weigel, and other reasonably attentive pastors of the Church speak of the handing on the faith to others (children and adults alike) is a "splendid mission, ministry of the Word that catechists have been carrying out uninterruptedly for almost two thousand years"; it is "an ecclesial service that is expressed in many ways and in different places."

 


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Surveying what the ecumenical crowd has to say about this papal election is mixed at best. Time will tell about our interfaith friends, namely the Jewish and Muslim communities. It is said that Pope Francis has had very strong friendships with the Jewish community of Argentina.


On Wednesday night when Pope Francis was introduced to the world on the loggia he said, "And now let us begin this journey, the bishop and people, this journey of the Church of Rome which presides in charity over all the churches, a journey of brotherhood in love, of mutual trust. Let us always pray for one another. Let us pray for the whole world that there might be a great sense of brotherhood."

Pope Francis Portrait Painting

Pope Francis Portrait Painting (Photo credit: faithmouse)


His All Holiness the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew (of Constantinople) will attend the enthronement of the newly-elected Pope of Rome on March 19. This is the first time since 1054 that Orthodox bishops will be in attendance. Bartholomew will be accompanied by the Metropolitan of Pergamum, John (Zizoulas), the Metropolitan of Buenos Aires, Tarasios (a native of San Antonio, Texas) and the Metropolitan of Italy, Gennadios.


The Russian Orthodox Church's Department for External Relations, Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, spoke on Thursday that he thought a meeting between the Pope Francis and Patriarch Kirill of Moscow was "possible but the place and timing will depend on how quickly we will overcome the consequences of the conflicts from the turn of 1980s and 1990s." Hilarion notes, "on several occasions, Pope Francis has shown spiritual sympathy towards the Orthodox Church and a desire for closer contacts." The Orthodox still refuse to accept the fact that some Christians in the Byzantine East want, in their own freedom, be in communion with the bishop of Rome. Tensions run high when it comes to thinking about the Ukrainian Byzantine Church using the title of Patriarch for their head and the existence of Latin Catholic dioceses in Russia.

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The Church needs reform, as always, a personal conversion. Turning to Jesus Christ is an act of freedom. What baggage do we have that would prevent change, or hinder me from confessing and living differently as a Christian? Reform starts not with institutional works, but with oneself. Governance is not the only issue that we have to be vigilant of with this new papacy; conversion of life starts locally and spreads. As Francis said yesterday in his first Mass as the Bishop of Rome, we need to walk, to build, to confess with, for and by each and every person so that we see the glory of God. We need to untie the knots that were spoken of by Saint Ireneaus. All this talk of reform includes the Curia, it is not business as usual. The Pope will remind us and lead us by his own life. He now holds office as the Vicar of Christ. He has suffered much close to  To that end, today Pope Francis spoke to the gathered cardinals in the Sala Clementina. His address follows.


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This period of the Conclave has been filled with meaning not just for the College of Cardinals but also for all the faithful. During these days we have felt almost palpably the affection and solidarity of the universal Church, as well as the attention of many people who, even if not sharing our faith, look upon the Church and the Holy See with respect and admiration.


From every corner of the earth a heart-felt chorus of prayer was raised by Christian peoples for the new Pope, and my first encounter with the crowds filling St. Peter's Square was an emotional one. With that eloquent image of a praying and joyful populace still fixed in my mind, I would like to manifest my sincere gratitude to the Bishops, priests, consecrated persons, young people, families, and to the aged for their spiritual closeness which is so touching and sincere.

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In these three readings I see that there is something in common: it is movement. In the first reading, movement is the journey [itself]; in the second reading, movement is in the up-building of the Church. In the third, in the Gospel, the movement is in [the act of] profession: walking, building, professing.


Walking: the House of Jacob. "O house of Jacob, Come, let us walk in the light of the Lord." This is the first thing God said to Abraham: "Walk in my presence and be blameless." Walking: our life is a journey and when we stop, there is something wrong. Walking always, in the presence of the Lord, in the light of the Lord, seeking to live with that blamelessness, which God asks of Abraham, in his promise.

JM Bergoglio.jpgResearch is running on steroids in the hours since Jorge Mario Bergoglio was elected to be our new Roman Pontiff, Francis. This is especially true with members of Communion and Liberation who are eager to see what connection they can make with the new Pope. Who could blame us?

In the first paragraph Bergoglio writes about a lecture he gave on the Religious Sense where he says, "...I was not simply performing  a formal act of protocol ... I was expressing the gratitude that is due to Msgr Giussani. For many years now, his writings have inspired me to reflect and have helped me to pray. They have taught me to be a better Christian, and I spoke at the presentation to bear witness to this."

Pope Francis on the Religious Sense.pdf

(From, Eliza Buzzi, A Generative Thought: An Introduction to the Works Luigi Giussani, McGill-Queen's University Press, 2003).

Yesterday afternoon I posted here on Communio a Traces article, "The Attraction of the Cardinal."

Francis & Giovanni Re.jpgNational Review Online published today George Weigel's "The First American Pope: Catholicism's turn into an evangelical future."

Weigel calls His Holiness, Pope Francis a "True Man of God," "A Pope for the New Evangelization," "A pope in defense of human rights and democracy," "The 2005 runner-up takes the checkered flag in 2013?" and "The first Jesuit pope?"

Father Julián Carrón wrote to members of CL on the election of Pope Francis as the Bishop of Rome.


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Within the irrepressible joy of having a new guide for our community of believers, I am struck by how he managed to communicate to us, from his very first movements, with simple gestures comprehensible to everyone, where his gaze is fixed. With his choice of name, Francis, he shows us that he has no other wealth but Christ. He trusts no modality of communicating this if not plain and simple witness to Christ.


Pope Francis's disarming request expressed the awareness that this witness is pure grace and that we must beg for it: "I ask you to pray to the Lord that He will bless me." In the Pope's prayer, together with the crowd in St. Peter's Square, the miracle of the life that is the Church--whose heart is Christ Himself--took shape before the eyes of the world.

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In the name of the Society of Jesus, I give thanks to God for the election of our new Pope, Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, S.J., which opens for the Church a path full of hope.

 

All of us Jesuits accompany with our prayers our brother and we thank him for his generosity in accepting the responsibility of guiding the Church at this crucial time. The name of "Francis" by which we shall now know him evokes for us the Holy Father's evangelical spirit of closeness to the poor, his identification with simple people, and his commitment to the renewal of the Church. From the very first moment in which he appeared before the people of God, he gave visible witness to his simplicity, his humility, his pastoral experience and his spiritual depth.

 

"The distinguishing mark of our Society is that it is . . . a companionship . . . bound to the Roman Pontiff by a special bond of love and service." (Complementary Norms, No. 2, § 2) Thus, we share the joy of the whole Church, and at the same time, wish to express our renewed availability to be sent into the vineyard of the Lord, according to the spirit of our special vow of obedience, that so distinctively unites us with the Holy Father (General Congregation 35, Decree 1, No. 17).

 

P. Adolfo Nicolás, S.J.

Superior General

Rome, 14 March 2013

Pope Francis at Santa Maria Maggiore.jpgThe most significant Marian Shrine in Rome, and one of the central ones in Christian the world, the Basilica of Saint Mary Major, had a visit by Pope Francis today for a half-hour of prayer before the Blessed Mother. He wanted to "go pray to the Madonna so that she may protect Rome." 

A great beginning showing us that the Christian way is merciful and joyful in honoring the model of mercy and joy, the Mother of the Church, Mary, the Mother of God.

Vatican Radio's report by Veronica Scarisbrick.
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There are several "firsts" already identified with Pope Francis' election as the Supreme Pontiff on 13 March. He is the first pope from the Americas, the first pope formed as a member of the Society of Jesus (the Jesuits).


But Pope Francis is not the first non-European pope. The last pope not born in Europe was the Syrian Saint Gregory III. He was the 90th bishop of Rome who reigned 18 March 731 - 28 November 741. Gregory was elected without having been a bishop first. By acclamation the educated Syrian priest was elected the pope.


Among many things he had deal with was the iconoclast controversy.


Saint Gregory's feast is observed by some 28 November and by others on 10 December.

The order of prayer

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I will make you a great nation, and will bless you; and you shall be blessed. (antiphon)

Pray Psalm 23

The prayer of petition to Saint Benedict may be found here, and then pray the following prayer.

Let us pray.

God, our Father, may Saint Benedict be our special patron in heaven so that what we cannot achieve by our own merit, we may obtain through his merits and prayers and Your loving grace. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Bergoglio washing feet.jpg"Before being someone with a job to do, [the pope] is the one sent to us to hear, see, and touch, whose physical presence is what links us to Christ. He is the custodian of the Incarnation" Msgr. Lorenzo Albacete giving the best description of what it means to be the Vicar of Christ I have ever read.

I am grateful to Deacon Scott Dodge for posting this description. Deacon Dodge is ordained for service in the Diocese of Salt Lake City and follows Communion and Liberation, too.

The Bergoglio Family

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"Habemus Papam" - Cardinal Jorge Mar...


Fr. Lombardi confirmed that the Mass for the inauguration of the Petrine Ministry will be held March 19th, the feast of St. Joseph, at 9:30 Rome time. 


He also confirmed that the Mass for the closure of Conclave will be at 17:00 (5:00pm) Thursday in the Sistine Chapel. On Friday, at 11 a.m., there will be an audience with the College of Cardinals in the Clementine Hall. That on Saturday 11 a.m. Pope Francis I will have audience with all journalists and media covering conclave- an announcement greeted with a round of applause in the briefing hall. And finally on Sunday Pope Francis will recite Angelus at noon.


Thursday, Pope Francis will make a private visit to a sanctuary of Our Lady on Thursday March 14th, but details will be released only when this visit is over.


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Brothers and sisters, good evening!


You know that it was the duty of the Conclave to give Rome a Bishop.  It seems that my brother Cardinals have gone to the ends of the earth to get one... but here we are... I thank you for your welcome.  The diocesan community of Rome now has its Bishop.  Thank you!  And first of all, I would like to offer a prayer for our Bishop Emeritus, Benedict XVI.  Let us pray together for him, that the Lord may bless him and that Our Lady may keep him. 


Our Father...

Hail Mary...

Glory Be...

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The episcopal motto of the new Pope's coat of arms, Miserando atque Eligendo ("By having mercy and by making decisions [in following Christ]"; it could also read, "by showing compassion [the Lord called] and by choosing [to follow Him]). The motto is extracted from a homily of Saint Bede the Venerable (Homily 21) on a passage from the Gospel of Saint Matthew read in the breviary on the saint's feast on 25 May: "Vidit ergo Iesus publicanum, et quia miserando atque eligendo vidit, ait illi, Sequere me." (Jesus looked at the publican, and because he looked with mercy and choosing, said to him, 'Follow me.') Bergoglio knew who gazed on him and decided to follow.

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The following article on Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio, SJ, today elected Pope Francis, is taken from Traces, (June 2001) the monthly magazine of Communion and Liberation.


At the Buenos Aires International Book Fair, the largest in South America, the Argentinian Primate presented the Spanish edition of L'attrattiva Gesù [The Attraction that is Jesus]. "The locus of the encounter is the caress of the mercy of Jesus Christ on my sin"


By Silvina Premat


The Archbishop of Buenos Aires, recently named Cardinal, Jorge Mario Bergoglio, presented El atractivo de Jesucristo, published by Encuentro, at the International Book Fair in Buenos Aires which was entitled, "The Book, from the Author to the Reader." The book exhibition is the largest in Latin America. For twenty days, a million people visit the 25,000 square meters of stands set up by more than 1,300 exhibitors (publishing houses, bookstores, foundations, embassies, and regions). They seek to know an internationally famous writer, hear a lecture on a topical theme, or find an interesting offer.



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America Magazine wrote on 18 April 2005,

English: Cardinal Jorge M. Bergoglio SJ, Archb...

Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, a 68-year-old Jesuit who has a growing reputation as a very spiritual man with a talent for pastoral leadership. An author of books on spirituality and meditation, since 1998 he has been archbishop of Buenos Aires, where his style is low-key and close to the people. He rides the bus, visits the poor and a few years ago made a point of washing the feet of 12 AIDS sufferers on Holy Thursday. He also has created 17 new parishes, restructured the administrative offices, led pro-life initiatives and started new pastoral programs, such as a commission for divorced people. He co-presided over the 2001 Synod of Bishops and was elected to the synod council, so he is well known to the world's bishops.

John Thavis' piece, "First Thoughts about Pope Francis."

Plus, John Allen has a profile of Pope Francis written for the NCR.

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Annuntio vobis gaudium magnum:
Habemus Papam!
Eminentissimum ac reverendissimum Dominum,
Dominum Jorge Sanctæ Romanæ Ecclesiæ Cardinalem Bergoglio,
Qui sibi nomen imposuit Franciscum.

In English

I announce to you a great joy:
We have a Pope!
The most eminent and most reverend Lord,
Lord Jorge Mario Cardinal of the Holy Roman Church Bergoglio,
Who takes for himself the name of Francis.

We have a Pope!

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John Allen quoted Pope Benedict about the role of the Holy Spirit's work in the conclave:


Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger was asked on Bavarian television in 1997 if the Holy Spirit is responsible for who gets elected. This was his response:


I would not say so, in the sense that the Holy Spirit picks out the Pope. ... I would say that the Spirit does not exactly take control of the affair, but rather like a good educator, as it were, leaves us much space, much freedom, without entirely abandoning us. Thus the Spirit's role should be understood in a much more elastic sense, not that he dictates the candidate for whom one must vote. Probably the only assurance he offers is that the thing cannot be totally ruined.


Further:

There are too many contrary instances of popes the Holy Spirit obviously would not have picked!

Saint Leander of Seville

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Leander of Seville
The Church honors a Spanish saint that many I am sure have not heard about, or know very little of today, Saint Leander of Seville (c. 534-c.600). His parents were known to be pious, his brothers were the famous Saint Isidore of Seville and Saint Fulgentius of Ecija and his sister was Saint Florentina of Cartegena. Leander was both a Benedictine monk and bishop in Seville. 

Holy people encourage others to be holy. Leander was a friend Saint Gregory the Great whom he met when Gregory was a papal legate. Apparently, Leander encouraged to Gregory to write his famous treatise on Job known as the Moralia.

Saint Leander's central pastoral and intellectual work was to work against the Arian heresy and in 589 called and presided over the Third Council of Toledo. His theological acumen and the priority he gave to worship inspired Leander to teach with clarity which resulted in keeping the Christian faith, at least in Spain, orthodox. The Creed aided in the catechetical work of contradicting the Arian belief that Jesus was not the Son of God; the Creed also clarified the teaching on the Holy Spirit. Saint Leander was defended by Saint Maximus the Confessor for his insertion of the filioque clause into the Creed (a theological datum that was catechetical and later politicized, even today). For historical purposes, the filioque clause was not the straw that caused the Church to split in two (East and West). 

All this catechetical work led the Visigothic kings, therefore, the rest of kingdom, to owe their salvation to Saint Leander.

Liturgical historians credit him with bring together various elements of liturgical practice into a unified whole. It was Leander who added the recitation of the Nicene Creed in the sacred Liturgy.

Spain honors Saint Leander as a Doctor of the Faith. 
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St Benedict icon.jpgThe order of prayer

The man of God, Benedict, forsook the glory of the world, for the Spirit of God was in him. (antiphon)

Pray Psalm 15

The prayer of petition to Saint Benedict may be found here, and then pray the following prayer.

Let us pray.

Mighty God, the source of all perfection, by the gift of Your grace, the blessed Benedict left all things that he might dedicate himself more fully to Your service for the salvation of the world. May all those, who strive to walk the path of perfection, not go astray, but run without stumbling and be rewarded by You with the gift eternal life. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.
ombrellino-keys.pngIf you are looking for a quick run-through of the papal inter-regnum, almost over at this writing, you may be interested in the booklet by The Catholic Truth Society, a handy Step by Step Through the Papal Interregnum (2013) by Monsignor Charles Burns, OBE.

Step by Step does what it proposes to do: the booklet takes the reader through terms, legislation and processes of the period in the Church known as the interregnum and the subsequent papal election. Burns attempts to be exact in what is expected of the cardinals fulfilling their key work as a cardinal of the Holy Roman Church. Historians will like this brief booklet for its mentioning of key historical facts of the conclave.

Monsignor Burns, a priest of the Diocese of Paisely, has worked for the Holy See in the Vatican Secret Archives for more than 35 years; he taught for 25 years at the Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy. Since 2012, Burns has been a Canon of Saint Peter's Basilica.

Here is an audio introduction with Monsignor Burns produced by Vatican Radio.
St Benedict detail.jpgToday begins nine days of prayer to Saint Benedict, ending at First Vespers of Saint Benedict's Transitus (March 20). On March 21, many Benedictine monasteries around the world will observe the death of Benedict (+547) with solemnity, if you follow another liturgical calendar other than the Roman one, while other monasteries will celebrate July 11 as a feast, the translation of Benedict's bones.


The order of prayer

There was a man of venerable Life, Benedict, blessed by God both in grace and in name. (antiphon)

Pray Psalm 1

The prayer of petition to Saint Benedict may be found here, and then pray the following prayer.

Let us pray.

Almighty and eternal God, may the example of blessed Benedict urge us to strive for holiness of life and, by celebrating his memory, may we be inspired to follow him in the spirit of his Rule. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.
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"Christoph would not be up to the bitchiness in the Vatican. The intrigues in Vienna are enough for him."


What right-minded person wouldn't get annoyed at dishonesty?


"The whole family is afraid that Christoph will be elected pope," Eleonore Schoenborn, 92, told the Kleine Zeitung newspaper

The Litany Run

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Jenn Garza training for the OC Marathon_in_preparation of her litany run.jpgThose recent college graduates with educational debt need to pay off their debts prior to following their vocation as a priest, brother, nun or sister. No one is allowed to carry debt into religious life. Morally and economically religious orders can't assume the educational debt of new recruits. They can help, but it is unfair for them shoulder the entire financial burden given finances today. Some orders, depending on the size of the loan will pay the student loans off over time as the new recruit progresses in the order. But there are ways to work through the financial burden without getting despondent.

Here is Jenn Garza's story. Jenn wants to be a Norbertine nun of the Bethlehem Priory of Saint Joseph but needs help in paying off $53,000.

Read this website about the Litany Run: 26.2 to the Monastery, and how to help as part of your lenten almsgiving.

Living in debt to a bank, government or a family member is not a good thing at all, even if you are not entering religious life or priesthood. But it is unavoidable today. Modest income people can't afford huge tuition bills but at the same time our students deserve the best education. So the tensions for Christians is that they ought not to carry large amounts debt, educational or personal for very long. If anything, Christians ought to save a percentage of money for a "rainy day" (like unemployment) and make a sensible donations to worthy causes.
Black smoke March 12 2013.jpegAt 2:40 DST black smoke emerged from the smoke stack today. Tomorrow morning at 4:30 DST the voting begins again. 2 votes in the morning, 2 votes in the afternoon.

Extra omnes

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At certain point the Papal Master of Ceremonies, Monsignor Guido Marini, a priest of the Archdiocese of Genova, announces "Extra omnes," a polite way of saying that all those not belonging in the conclave with the cardinals are to leave now. Monsignor Marini then walks through the center of the Sistine Chapel to the doors and closes them.

Cardinals take oath

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After a brief introduction and prayer in the Pauline Chapel, the cardinals walking in order of seniority beginning from the junior cardinal deacon to the cardinal bishops, walked to the Sistine Chapel. Once in their assigned places in the Sistine Chapel, the senior Cardinal, Giovanni Battista Re, read aloud the following formula of the oath prescribed by the apostolic constitution Universi Dominici Gregis:


"In conformity with the provisions of No. 52 of the Apostolic constitution Univesi Dominici Gregis, We, the Cardinal electors present in this election of the Supreme Pontiff promise, pledge and swear, as individuals and as a group, to observe faithfully and scrupulously the prescriptions contained in the Apostolic Constitution of the Supreme Pontiff John Paul II, Universi Dominici Gregis, published on 22 February 1996. We likewise promise, pledge and swear that whichever of us by divine disposition is elected Roman Pontiff will commit himself faithfully to carrying out the munus Petrinum of Pastor of the Universal Church and will not fail to affirm and defend strenuously the spiritual and temporal rights and the liberty of the Holy See. In a particular way, we promise and swear to observe with the greatest fidelity and with all persons, clerical or lay, secrecy regarding everything that in any way relates to the election of the Roman Pontiff and regarding what occurs in the place of the election, directly or indirectly related to the results of the voting; we promise and swear not to break this secret in any way, either during or after the election of the new Pontiff, unless explicit authorization is granted by the same Pontiff; and never to lend support or favor to any interference, opposition or any other form of intervention, whereby secular authorities of whatever order and degree or any group of people or individuals might wish to intervene in the election of the Roman Pontiff."


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Then, one-by-one, each of the Cardinal electors, according to seniority, then personally took the oath according to the following formula:


"And I, N. Cardinal N., do so promise, pledge and swear. So help me God and these Holy Gospels which I touch with my hand."


After all not required to be in the Conclave are asked to depart, Prospero Cardinal Grech, OSA, (a non-electing cardinal) will give a meditation.

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The Dominican Friars of the Province of St Joseph have a new initiative on preaching using as their model the Venerable Servant of God Fulton J. Sheen, the famed preacher on TV and in Church. Kindly Light media will produce "Fulton Sheen: The Art of Preaching." It is a worthy project to support.


"Fulton J. Sheen: The Art of Preaching" Examines effective preaching via the words of Fulton J. Sheen, with commentary from experts, including Cardinal Christoph Schönborn, Fr. Peter John Cameron, OP.


Be sure to watch the trailer and read up on the project.

The Sistine Chapel ready

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Going my way???

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cardinal waiting for a car Dan Kitwood : Getty Images.jpg

Laetare Sunday

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Rejoice, Jerusalem, and all who love her. Be joyful, all who were in mourning; exult and be satisfied at her consoling breast.


Laetare Jerusalem: et conventum facite omnes qui diligitis eam: gaudete cum laetitia, qui in tristitia fuistis: ut exsultetis,et satiemini ab uberibus consolationis vestrae.


With the Church we pray


O God, who through your Word reconcile the human race to yourself in a wonderful way, grant, we pray, that with prompt devotion and eager faith the Christian people may hasten toward the solemn celebrations to come.


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In the Mass of Paul VI today's gospel, if you don't have catechumens at Mass, is the parable of the Prodigal Son. We know both sons have no clue of who they are persons without the father indicating their moral and human reality. The sons clearly miss the point of their familial sonship. This biblical narrative is heard in the Church as one of the many examples of nature of the Church, especially considering the role of the father. Here we understand the father not only be to biological father of children who need teaching but he stands for the Church who teaches but also reconciles, corrects error but rejoices in a return.


 Saint John Chrysostom teaches, 


There were two brothers (Luke 15:1-3, 11-32): they divided their father's goods between them and one stayed at home, while the other went away to a foreign country, wasted all he'd been given, and then could not bear the shame of his poverty...The reason the father let him go and did not prevent his departure for a foreign land was that he might learn well by experience what good things are enjoyed by the one who stays at home. For when words would not convince us God often leaves us to learn from the things that happen to us. When the profligate returned...,the father did not remember past injuries but welcomed him with open arms...Are you asking: 'Is this what he gets for his wickedness?' Not for his wickedness, but for his return home; not for sin, but for repentance; not for evil, but for being converted.

Saint Frances of Rome

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O God, Who in Saint Frances of Rome, has given us a model of holiness in married life and of monastic conversion, make us serve You perseveringly, so that in all circumstances we may set our gaze upon You and follow You.


This painting given here for today's lectio is attributed to Antonio del Massaro da Viterbo, depicts Saint Frances of Rome (1384-1440) being clothed by the Mary in the white veil of her Benedictine movement that, even today, characterizes the Olivetan Benedictine Oblates of Mary she founded in 1425.


Mary, Mother of God wears a mantle of gold, which Saint Paul at the left wraps around Frances Romana. The presence of certain saints is instructive: the great evangelizer, Saint Paul, Saint Mary Magdalene (the Apostle to the Apostles and dressed in red) and Saint Benedict,  the Father of Western Monastic Life, with the various ranks of angels, including Francesca's Guardian Angel.  Magdalene and Benedict wrap/invest the mantle on the gathered Oblates.


The angel below the Gothic windows is busy carding golden threads with a warp and loom. Nearby are two frisky dogs and two cats, a frequent sight in Rome. The Oblate Congregation, commonly thought to be woven together by heavenly graces and harassed by evil spirits. The evil one is given flesh in the form of cats and dogs. As a testimony of grace the Oblates flourish today at Tor de'Specchi. Several years ago I had the privilege with many others to pray in this monastery opened to the public only Saint Frances' feast day.


I have longed hoped that the Oblates of Saint Frances of Rome would found a house in the USA. We are ready for this witness.

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Since 1996, Communion and Liberation, an ecclesial movement in the Catholic Church, has organized the Way of the Cross over the Brooklyn Bridge. With God's grace, year after year the event has grown -- thirty people became a hundred, two hundred, three hundred, four hundred, a thousand, until, at last year's Good Friday thousands New Yorkers followed the Cross all the way to Ground Zero.

 

It thus gives me great joy to invite you to participate in this year's Way of the Cross over the Brooklyn Bridge to Ground Zero.  The event begins at 10am on Good Friday - March 29, 2013 - at St. James Cathedral-Basilica, 250 Cathedral Place (corner of Jay and Tillary Streets) and it will conclude at 1:30pm so the participants can attend the Good Friday service in their parish.  The cathedral can be reached by taking the A, C, or F train to the Borough Hall Stop in downtown Brooklyn. 

 

After a station on the Brooklyn Bridge, the procession will follow the cross to a third station at City Hall Park in Manhattan, and a fourth station near Ground Zero. The final station will be at St. Peter's Church on Barclay Street, concluding at 1:30 pm.

 

At each station, there will be readings from the Passion, a meditation, a reflection and hymns.  All are invited to participate.

 

For more information, please call Communion and Liberation at (212) 337-3580 or visit the website.

George Alencherry.jpgThe Cardinals have determined that the Conclave will begin on 12 March 2013. The Votive Mass Pro Eligendo Pontifice (For the Election of the Pontiff) will be offered in the morning at Saint Peter's Basilica by the Cardinal Dean and later that afternoon the cardinals will process from the Pauline Chapel to the Sistine praying the Litany of Saints.

The cardinals will follow rules set down in John Paul IIs 1996 Universi Dominicu Gregis with the amendments of Benedict XVI in his motu proprio, Normas Nonnullas; moreover, they will adhere to the norms of the Ordo Rituum Conclavis.

There are 115 cardinals voting, 77 of them need to agree on a single man. Mostly an European group of men with an average age of 72; Cardinal Kasper is the oldest at 80 (his birthday was March 5, after the sede vacnate) and the Cardinal Thottunka, the Syro-Malabar, the youngest at 53.

There are 67 created by the Pope-emeritus and 48 by Blessed John Paul; 19 were professed as religious; the majority are Italian trailed by the USA.

Saint Joseph, universal patron of the Church, pray for us, and the cardinals.

On the Roman liturgical calendar of Blessed John XXIII, March 12 is the feast of Saint Gregory the Great (+604).
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One of the things I did this week was to available myself to the sacrament of Confession. As a spiritual disciple I try to get to the sacrament every month; regrettably it was more than a month since the last time I received the sacrament. Let me also recognize that Father Luigi Giussani encouraged the Memores Domini and other followers in Communion and Liberation to go to confession every 15 days. It was great to go to confession: a refreshed sense of life in Christ, especially in my relations with others, in the reception of Holy Communion, but I had the distinct feeling of having a "new humanity." Going to confession is a recognition of Someone greater in my life, that the living of my is not merely about me and my selfish interests, and that sin is corrosive, but the sacrament of confession (aka penance, or reconciliation), helps me recognize the truth about me: that I am truly loved by God, whose other name is Mercy.

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John Henry Cardinal Newman (1801-1890)
I am visiting the Benedictine Abbey of St Anselm (Washington, DC) to get away from "stuff" where I normally live. Life there is particularly tense these days. A topic for another time. Time in quiet, time in prayer, time to think, to ponder bigger questions, time to read and to enjoy life in a different key for a short time. Life is fine. It won't last long, don't worry. I have friends here. Yesterday I was trying to understand happiness. Newman gave perspective. Today, I am trying to understand my place is a world of utter chaos, not exclusively my own chaos but more importantly the world's.

At breakfast another guest at the abbey said he thought the US was heading to another civil war. I received an email and later texts that the two year old son of a friend is in the hospital with a serious ear infection, an acute illness that has made itself a longtime, and unwelcomed guest in this person's life; there is also the fact that we are working toward the conclave but problems that need discussion, and the list goes on. This afternoon I sat for an hour with my friend Aidan, the abbot-emeritus of this abbey, who is just a delight to speak converse with, and who is living with the grace of Parkinson's. (Blessed John Paul II, pray for Aidan!) Aidan can track a conversation for the most part; he loses words and can be side-tracked; but he's capacity for friendship is great.

BUT what am I supposed to do? How do I approach the reality of life? Where is God leading me, why, and for what reason? Do I have a part to play in life? Newman has a helpful answer...


1. God was all-complete, all-blessed in Himself; but it was His will to create a world for His glory. He is Almighty, and might have done all things Himself, but it has been His will to bring about His purposes by the beings He has created. We are all created to His glory--we are created to do His will. I am created to do something or to be something for which no one else is created; I have a place in God's counsels, in God's world, which no one else has; whether I be rich or poor, despised or esteemed by man, God knows me and calls me by my name.


2. God has created me to do Him some definite service; He has committed some work to me which He has not committed to another. I have my mission--I never may know it in this life, but I shall be told it in the next. Somehow I am necessary for His purposes, as necessary in my place as an Archangel in his--if, indeed, I fail, He can raise another, as He could make the stones children of Abraham. Yet I have a part in this great work; I am a link in a chain, a bond of connexion between persons. He has not created me for naught. I shall do good, I shall do His work; I shall be an angel of peace, a preacher of truth in my own place, while not intending it, if I do but keep His commandments and serve Him in my calling.

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The Chicken Church

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I would hate to have been the architect or pastor of a church that made me think of chicken's face each time I glanced at it. But that's what happened to a Tampa Bay, Florida church: people see a chicken's face in it's building --Holy Cluck.

No doubt the architectural elements were innocently conceived and it wasn't until recently that someone even pointed out the funny iteration of the building. By-and-large the exterior of the church building is fine a looking building. We've seen worse, haven't we on these shores...

Perhaps someone is praying there as well.
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Father Augustine Thompson, OP, delivered the 23rd annual Aquinas Lecture "Baptismal Theology and Practice in the Age of St. Thomas Aquinas


I highly recommend watching the video presentation.


On Wednesday, February 27, 2013, Fr. Augustine examined and presented research on his discoveries of the liturgical and social significance of baptism in Northern Italian cities of the thirteenth-century. He also discussed developments in the Catholic theology of baptism from the twelfth century to Aquinas in the late thirteenth, including Aquinas' disagreements with other theologians. I found his presentation compelling because he speaks of how Northern Italy preserved the unity of the sacraments of initiation, the role of the bishop in being the prime minister of Christian initiation, the role of city government, the faith community, and many other things like the fast of infants.


A New York native, Fr. Augustine is Professor of History at the Dominican School of Philosophy and Theology, Berkeley, CA. He earned a PhD from UC Berkeley and in 2007 was given the STM from the Order of Friars Preachers. He is the author of the recently published Francis of Assisi: A New Biography, Cities of God: The Religion of the Italian Communes, 1125-1325 and Revival Preachers and Politics: The Great Devotion of 1233; Ad Completorium Liturgiae Horarum secundum Usum Ordinis Fratrum Praedicatorum. Oakland, CA: Provincia Ss. Nominis Jesu Ordinis Praedicatorum, 2010 (Liturgical Music); Cities of God: The Religion of the Italian Communes, 1125-1325. 2005; and edited John Williamson Nevin. The Mystical Presence: A Vindication of the Reformed or Calvinist Theology of the Holy Eucharist, 2000.

English: Portrait painting of John Henry Newman
Discernment of God's will difficult, and living with the gift of happiness God hasgiven each of one us is a challenging thing. We can get in the way and obscure what is real and what is fantasy. I was speaking with a friend yesterday and our conversation at one point turned to John Henry Newman. Newman knows all! (So does Balthasar, Ratzinger Giussani, to name a few people). My friend and I are trying to locate happiness: what it is, what it is not, how do I experience it, and where, etc. Happiness is not easy to categorize, accept, give, reverence, promote, etc. What is clear is that true happiness involves God and life in God; what is less clear are the contours of that happiness and even lesser is knowing how my participation in happiness is supposed to be as God wants. If you find theway to happiness that is coherent, let us know. In the meantime, Newman makes sense especially in pointing to the fact that we have to have a level of abandonment to the will of God. 


On this day in 1848 Newman wrote the following:


1. GOD has created all things for good; all things for their greatest good; everything for its own good. What is the good of one is not the good of another; what makes one man happy would make another unhappy. God has determined, unless I interfere with His plan, that I should reach that which will be my greatest happiness. He looks on me individually, He calls me by my name, He knows what I can do, what I can best be, what is my greatest happiness, and He means to give it me.


2. God knows what is my greatest happiness, but I do not. There is no rule about what is happy and good; what suits one would not suit another. And the ways by which perfection is reached vary very much; the medicines necessary for our souls are very different from each other. Thus God leads us by  strange ways; we know He wills our happiness, but we neither know what our happiness is, nor the way. We are blind; left to ourselves we should take the wrong way; we must leave it to Him.

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TODAY, let's join with the cardinals when they dedicate Wednesday afternoon to prayer and adoration in St. Peter's Basilica for the upcoming papal election.


The Holy Hour begins at 5pm Rome time (11a.m. EST). 


Edward Pentin's NCRegister article, "Entire Church Invited to Pray for Conclave."


The worship program.


Please, do your part!

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You be interested in this video presentation, "Cultivating Peace in One's Own Life and in Society" by Abbot James Wiseman of St Anselm's Abbey (Washington, DC).


PAX!

Was just at the Newman Bookstore in DC today. Sadly, it is closing on 31 May. 35% discount available now, more discounts in April. Sad another bookstore is closing its doors. Newman has been a true asset to the Catholic intellect community.


St Paul College, Hecker Center

3025 4th Street NE

Washington DC 20017


-next the US Conference of Catholic Bishops

Yesterday in Rome some of the seminarians from the USA received the minor ministry of Acolyte from Archbishop J. Augustine DiNoia, OP, 68, native of the Bronx, NY, and vice-president of the Pontifical Ecclesia Dei commission. Don't miss the gardner ... he's important in Jesus' narrative. Part of DiNoia's homily is here.


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Our Lord's examples in today's Gospel are like this--instances of catastrophes everyone has heard about. He anticipates what his hearers might be thinking: do these events have some religious or moral significance?  Were the Galileans whose blood Pilate mixed with their sacrifices greater sinners than all other Galileans, or were the eighteen people upon whom the tower in Siloam collapsed greater sinners than all the inhabitants of Jerusalem?


His response to the questions he poses is brief and deceptively simple. The lesson to be drawn from these events is most surely not that those who perished were greater sinners than those who survived or were entirely unaffected. Rather it is this: if we do not repent, all of us will perish. In fuller terms the point is that since all of us are sinners, and the end of life can be so unexpected, then there can be no reason to postpone repentance. Nothing is to be gained by procrastination. If we knew that our lives were going to come to an end on such and such a day in the future--say, ten years from now--then we could delay repentance until a safe interval before that date. But we don't know this. Death will be as unexpected for us as for those who perished in these catastrophes.


Our Lord underscores precisely this point by means of the parable of the fig tree. Though the fig tree has been barren for three years, the owner of the orchard agrees to give it a reprieve: one more year. Likewise, God is patient with our procrastination, with our failure to bear the fruit of true repentance, but not indefinitely so. "With fear and trembling," says St. Gregory the Great, "should we hear the words...., 'cut it down'.... He who will not by correction grow rich unto fruitfulness, falls to that place from whence he is no longer able to rise by repentance."(Homily 31 on the Gospel of Luke).


But there is a bright side to today's sobering Lenten message--as it happens something wonderfully apt on this occasion of the Institution of Acolytes. It is to be found in the humble figure of the gardener in the parable of the fig tree. For it is at his suggestion--we might well say his intercession--that the owner of the orchard gives the barren fig tree yet another year. "Let us not then strike suddenly," says St. Gregory Nazianzen, "but overcome by gentleness, lest we cut down the fig tree still able to bear fruit, which the care perhaps of a skillful dresser will restore" (Oration 32).  Not only does the gardener put in a good word for the fig tree, but he has a plan for improving its chances of bearing fruit in the coming year: to dig around the tree and fertilize it, to give it special care.


The figure of the gardener is easy to miss, but in the rich tradition of patristic commentary on this parable he gets a lot of attention. A particularly significant reading of the parable sees him as representing Christ who implores the Father to allow him to water the tree with his teaching and his sufferings so that it will yield the fruit of repentance and good works.


Archbishop J. Augustine Di Noia, O.P. 

Third Sunday of Lent: Institution of Acolytes

3 March 2013

Pontifical North American College, Rome

The Room of Tears

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The Cardinal Dean of the College will ask  the cardinal who has received the votes, Acceptasne electionem de te canonice factam in Summum Pontificem? (Do you accept your canonical election as Supreme Pontiff?) Then, the new pope will be asked by what name he wants to be known. In this case, the Dean is too old to be in the Conclave and therefore the senior cardinal will ask the questions.


After the election is accepted, the new pope is brought to the "Room of Tears," near to the Sistine Chapel to gather his thoughts; the room is the Room of Tears insofar because at this point changing the clothing the one elected concretely he's now in-charge, his life life --and ours-- is irrevocably changed. Teaching, sanctifying and governing are the mark of the office of any priest, bishop and pope; they are marks of service, duty and responsibility. Emotions run high. 

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By the time of the Conclave new robes will be brought to the Sistine Chapel. The papal white cassocks are tailored in three basic sizes, plus there's the golden ceremonial cord for the cross and rochet, five pairs of the red shoes  and a choice of stoles are prepared ahead of time and made available by Gammarelli's. The CBS Morning Show has a story.


In this first picture you see a room displaying the new papal clothes. Recent updating the paint was removed revealing frescoes.


The Room of Tears is covered in a rich red damask.


Come, Holy Spirit, Come!


St Meinrad Abbey  Church.jpegYou can get a quick visit to Saint Meinrad's Archabbey in 2 minutes via YouTube. David Yonke put together a very nice video with good images and music. Brother Francis de Sales Wagner posted the video on his delightful blog, The Path of Life.

 I think a lovely experience in video format.

The Archabbey of Saint Meinrad has a great Oblate program, Seminary and Monastery.
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If you want to read a beautiful letter from the Orthodox Patriarch of Moscow, Kyril I, to Pope Benedict XVI, read the following. 


On 1 March 2013, His Holiness, Patriarch Kyril I of Moscow sent a message to His Holiness, Benedict XVI, pope-emeritus.


Your Holiness!In these exceptional days for you, I would like to express the feelings of brotherly love in Christ and respect.


The decision to leave the position of Bishop of Rome, which you, with humility and simplicity, announced on February 11 this year, has found a ready response in the hearts of millions of Catholics.


We have always been close to your consistent ministry, marked by uncompromisingness in matters of faith and unswerving adherence to the living Tradition of the Church. At a time when the ideology of permissiveness and moral relativism tries to dislodge the moral values of life, you boldly raised your voice in defence of the ideals of the Gospel, the high dignity of man and his vocation to freedom from sin. 

Saint Katharine Drexel

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God of love, you called Saint Katharine Drexel to teach the message of the Gospel and to bring the life of the Eucharist to the Native American and African American peoples; by her prayers and example, enable us to work for justice among the poor and the oppressed, and keep us undivided in love in the eucharistic community of your Church.


His Eminence, Francis Cardinal George, OMI, said in his book, The Difference God Makes, "It is is precisely as a disciple of Christ that Katharine taught Americans how to be true to themselves as Americans." Look at pages 55-58.


George is right, she is one of the greatest women of the Church in the United States, Saint Katharine Drexel. May God raise up more like her! May Saint Katharine beg the Holy Spirit for His grace.

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Moses encountered the living God. What was once hidden is now made known. Light and Love is experienced. Biblical revelation teaches that he flame Moses saw was in fact God's uncreated energies/glory. This glory of God was manifested as light, thus a reasonable theological explanation as to why the bush was not consumed. The Church doesn't typically speak of the burning bush as a miracle inasmuch as it speaks of it as an event, a theophany, an epiphany, which lasts but a short time. What is taught by the Church Fathers is that Moses was permitted to see God's uncreated energies/glory. That is, he had encountered the Infinite, a promise of eternal things to come. Moses is for us the note that we are made for the Infinite, that our heart is made for love, that we are to be in communion with the Divine Majesty.


This same light is linked to the experience of the children at Fatima


Catholic theology speaks of the burning bush as an Old Testament type for Mary, the Theotokos. She, as the Spouse of the Holy Spirit "is the burning bush of the definitive theophany" (CCC 724). The burning bush which Moses experienced is spoken of by the Church Fathers as the type of Jesus, an experience that is "pre-incarnation." That is to say, the bush is the encounter with the presence of the Son in the form of an Angel. Mary, therefore, is the Theotokos, the bearer of the Incarnate Son by the action of the Holy Spirit.


We welcome this Light into our lives through the sacraments of initiation, the frequent reception of the sacraments of Confession and Communion; we welcome this Light in our begging the Holy Spirit to guide our way to God the Father as a new Pentecost in our Christian experience. Our response is nothing other than adoration of God.


As a way to know more about the Holy Spirit and the Divine action in history I would recommend studying the Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraphs 717-730.

On Tuesday, 26 February 2013,  João Cardinal Bráz de Aviz, Prefect of the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life, received in audience the Abbots of Subiaco, Montecassino, Noci, and Cava dei Tirreni, along with the Procurator General of the Subiaco Congregation and gave them the Decree of the Incorporation of the Cassinese Congregation into the Subiaco Congregation. 

The decree is dated 7 February 2013, the Memorial of Blessed Pius IX, proponent of the Subiaco Congregation. The new official name of the Congregation is the Subiaco Cassinese Benedictine Congregation.

This is a re-integrtion of a group of monasteries that were once in the same fold and broke away. Necessity has reunited them.

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emblem of the Papacy: Triple tiara and keys Fr...
O Lord, with suppliant humility, we entreat You, that in Your boundless mercy You would grant the most Holy Roman Church a pontiff, who by his zeal for us, may be pleasing to You, and by his good government may be ever honored by Your people for the glory of Your  name. Through Our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son who with You lives and reigns world without end. Amen.


V. Most Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart of Mary.

R.  Pray for us who have recourse to you!



Saint Peter, pray for us.

Saint Linus, pray for us.

Saint Anacletus, pray for us.

Saint Clement, pray for us.

Saint Evaristus, pray for us.

Saint Celestine V, pray for us.

Saint Pius V, pray for us.

Saint Pius X, pray for us.

Blessed Pius IX, pray for us.

Blessed John XXIII, pray for us.

Blessed John Paul II, pray for us.


Collect for the Election of the Supreme Pontiff (Votive Mass Pro Eligendo Summo Pontifice)

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This is the letter the cardinals received from the Dean of the College of Cardinals, Angelo Cardinal Sodano, calling them to the General Congregation. The meetings begin on Monday, March 4, at 9:30am.

Pope Benedictus XVI
On Monday, 18 March, Christopher Candela will be a speaker at Saint Thomas More Church (NYC) at 7pm on "Teaching Beauty: A Reflection on the Legacy of Benedict XVI's Pontificate." This lecture is part of the MORE Hot Topics series.

Pope Benedict XVI, who finished his pontificate yesterday (28 February 2013), is considered to be one of the most brilliant minds in a century.

From its humble beginning to its historic conclusion, Benedict's pontificate will be remembered for its prolific teaching. Benedict reminds us that logos precedes ethos, and that discerning beauty is essential in the pursuit of truth. Through the Holy Father's teachings, Mr. Candela will explore the practical reforms that gave voice to Catholic musicians and artists who in previous decades had been relegated to "the rearguard of culture."

Support my friend in this very worthy endeavor.

The flyer: Teaching Beauty.pdf

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Benedict's abdication has opened the door for lots of interesting thinking these days. Some are taking the opportunity to complain about how bad they think the Church is, some taking the time to pause, evaluate, and to pray for the Pilgrim People of God. The Catholic Church is the Church of Christ, warts and all, it is beautiful, but it can be ugly at times due to the immature Christian faith of some people. Paul Elie's article in the Times causes to me think many things; I neither disagree with him completely, nor do I agree. He raises interesting things to consider but there are parts of the article that annoy me. But that's not to be discussed here. But I have to ask: To whom do we belong, Jesus Christ or an ideology? Is the Church leading you to salvation in ChristDo we assess the needs, pray and work for change where needed and where possible with prudence? Or, do we whine and walk away like teenagers? How mature is our Christian following?


The Provost of the Brooklyn Oratory, The Very Reverend Father Dennis Corrado, CO, writes in response to Elie's article in the Times. The Oratorians are good shepherds to their people.


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I read Paul Elie's NY Times piece "Give up your Pew for Lent" in Friday's Op. Ed. page early this morning. To say it is thought provoking is an understatement .

I am hopeful most people reading his words can appreciate how we priests serving this wounded Church feel while reading it.

I am grateful that the Brooklyn Oratory [Church of Saint Boniface] is described so positively.

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One head of Church leaves his ministry, another picks up a new call to serve God's people on the same day. Abune Mathias, 71, was elected to lead Ethiopia's 50 million Orthodox Christians, majority of the population. He is the sixth patriarch having received 500 of the 806 possible votes. His predecessor, Abune Paulos, was the head of the church since 1992 and died six months ago.


The Ethiopian Orthodox Church has had its own patriarch since 1959 when Pope Cyril VI allowed for the Ethiopian Church to move from the Coptic Orthodox Church and be self-ruling. The Ethiopian Church has apostolic origins.


The new patriarch was ordained to the Order of Deacon in 1948, and a priest-monk in 1955. Since 1971 a bishop. Abune Mathias has been serving as archbishop of the Church in Jerusalem and has lived outside of Ethiopia for more than 30 years.


Abune Mathias will be enthroned in Holy Trinity Cathedral, Addis Ababa, on Sunday, 3 March.


Ethiopia has some of the word's oldest churches, sometimes called "cave churches," rock-hewn, which are a World Heritage Site, in Lalibella in northern Ethiopia. They'd remind of Raiders of the Lost Ark.

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Camerlengo sealing apt.jpgAt 8pm Rome time on 28 February 2013, the Chair of Saint Peter went empty. The period of time is called sede vacante, the empty see; that is, the Holy Roman Church has no visible head on earth. There is no pope.

Until the time the cardinal electors gather for the Conclave to elect the next bishop of Rome, the head of the Apostolic Chamber, the Carmerllengo (chamberlain), Tarcisio Cardinal Bertone, SDB, will lead a small group of people in closing the papal apartments, and the private elevator. 

Prayers were prayed, and tasks identified. Doors were locked and a ribbon with wax seal secured the papal area.

The Camerlengo is the acting head of state and is the Church's administrator of the material holdings of the Church. This office is in distinction to the Dean of the College of Cardinals, Angelo Cardinal Sodano, who cares for the spiritual well-being of the cardinals and chairs the meetings prior to the conclave.

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The Vatican embassies also received communication  at 8pm saying that any diplomatic necessity ought to be addressed to Archbishop Giovanni Becciu and to the Dean of the College of Cardinals.

Today, at 12:30pm Rome time, Archbishop PierLuigi Celate, the vice-Camerlengo, sealed off the Basilica of Saint John Lateran. The basilica is the cathedral for the bishop of Rome.

Rome Reports has a good visual on the sealing of the papal apartments.
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vB Post Critical Bib Inter.pngI can't verify this information personally but Salt and Light TV heard the news bite, and it sounds right, that one of the books Benedict XVI will be reading in his retirement is W.T. Dickens' Hans Urs von Balthasar's Theological Aesthetics: A Model for Post-Critical Biblical Interpretation (UND Press, 2003).

Dr. Dickens also published a journal article in The Heythrop Journal, "The Liturgical Shaping of Biblical Interpretation" (March 2012; Vol. 53, Is 2;  pp. 191-203).

W.T. Dickens earned his doctorate at Yale, was a visiting professor at Cornell University and is now the Chair of Religious Studies at Siena College.
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Even though the Chair of Saint Peter is temporary empty, the ministry of the bishop of Rome, the Roman Pontiff, is not abolished. The work of the Church of Christ continues: the proclamation of the Gospel, the administration of the sacraments and interceding on behalf of other before the Throne of Grace continues. As the Roman Pontiff emeritus said, 


"I would like to invite everyone to renew firm trust in the Lord. I would like that we all, entrust ourselves as children to the arms of God, and rest assured that those arms support us and us to walk every day, even in times of struggle. I would like everyone to feel loved by the God who gave His Son for us and showed us His boundless love."


The general intention


That respect for nature may grow with the awareness that all creation is God's work entrusted to human responsibility.


The missionary intention


That bishops, priests, and deacons may be tireless messengers of the Gospel to the ends of the earth.

About the author

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

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