Paul Zalonski – Page 268

Be opened!

The gospel for today has the word, “Be opened” –in other words, listen. It is a word that is most known by Christians in the Rite of Baptism where the priest touches the ears of the person to be christened saying, “Be opened.” Later in history, the word is made more famous for being the first word in the Rule of Benedict, Listen.

Today, the Mother Church recalls for us that Jesus uses mud to open the ears of a deaf man in front of Him; the Lord gives the man what he wants –the capacity to physically hear sounds– but Jesus also gives the man to capacity to hear the Good Word, to hear the voice of the Good Shepherd and thus is indicating a more profound manner of listening. It is our belief that the heart is where our desires, our needs, our total being is transformed by the hearing of the words of Eternal Life. Jesus opens our ears 2000 years later not only as an allegory for the inner life which we all need to attend to, but for some, there is a physical healing that also happens. “Be opened” now takes on the keen sense that without the Word of Life, without the Bread of Life, we can’t really understand who we are, and what we are about.

Speaking of the Saint Benedict’s Holy Rule, I was at the Abbey of Regina Laudis taking in the monastic environment of the Benedictine nuns who make it a point to listen. The Abbey is a special place. The nuns’ listening is not only relegated to Scripture, the Rule, and the Fathers of the Church, but to each other. It is in the Rule that we learn more poignantly that there is such a thing as mutual obedience. This is the way of the Church. That is to say, following another who witnesses and therefore teaches us the way of Christ. I wonder if the Benedictine experience of life is possible not only for women in Connecticut, but also for men. Can it be conceived that a monastic presence of men following the Church’s teaching on Baptism and Saint Benedict’s Holy Rule is possible in the Nutmeg State today?

Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Let us celebrate with joy the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, for from her arose the sun of justice, Christ our God. (antiphon)

Impart to your servants, we pray, O Lord, the gift of heavenly grace, that the feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin may bring deeper peace to those for whom the birth of her Son was the dawning of salvation.

Several things to pray for today,

the Most Rev. Edoardo Aldo Cerrrato, CO, on the day of his episcopal ordination in Rome;
the Cistercian Order;
those who professed vows today;
the Benedictines of Saint Mary’s Monastery (Petersham, MA);
Archbishop Charles Chaput, OFM, Cap, on the first anniversary of being the archbishop of Philadelphia;
Michael Maggiore who is healing.

Keeping in mind what Saint Thomas of Villanova reflected upon for today’s feast,

“What joy, what happiness there is in heaven! The shoot for the root of Jesse, sown so long ago in the patriarchs, has today sprung up and began to grow, and will bear a Flower which is destined to heal the world; a Flower whose scent revives the dead, whose taste heals the sick, whose beauty delights the angels; a Flower both white and red, which the angels long to see.”

Father Francis Weiser, S.J., in his The Holyday Book writes about today’s feast thus:

On Our Lady’s birthday the Church celebrates the first dawning of redemption with the appearance in the world of the Saviour’s mother, Mary.

The Blessed Virgin occupies a unique place in the history of salvation, and she has the highest mission ever commended to any creature. We rejoice that the Mother of God is our Mother, too.

Let us often call upon the Blessed Virgin as “Cause of our joy,” one of the most beautiful titles in her litany.

Since September 8 marks the end of summer and beginning of fall, this day has many thanksgiving celebrations and customs attached to it. In the Old Roman Ritual there is a blessing of the summer harvest and fall planting seeds for this day.

The winegrowers in France called this feast “Our Lady of the Grape Harvest”. The best grapes are brought to the local church to be blessed and then some bunches are attached to hands of the statue of Mary. A festive meal which includes the new grapes is part of this day.

In the Alps section of Austria this day is “Drive-Down Day” during which the cattle and sheep are led from their summer pastures in the slopes and brought to their winter quarters in the valleys.

This was usually a large caravan, with all the finery, decorations, and festivity. In some parts of Austria, milk from this day and all the leftover food are given to the poor in honor of Our Lady’s Nativity.

The 2010 post which includes a portion of a homily Saint Andrew of Crete is here.

Entertainment Weekly and the crass cliché of a slutty nun

I am not a subscriber to
Entertainment Weekly but this week when I saw the magazine I had another reason
for not reading this rag. The well-known actress Jessica Lange is on the
cover wearing a religious sister’s habit, a crucifix around her neck, brandishing
a cane and wearing fire-engine red lipstick and painted nails advocating “American Horror Story.” Hmmm, the
artists got the look of many women religious, right? It doesn’t take a
brain surgeon to see the ugliness of this image viz. with conversation the
Church is having with the Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR).

While I am not a fan of what the LCWR stands for, or perhaps more accurately, what some members
of the LCWR stand for, there is no need perpetuate the crass cliché through
mocking portrayals of ruler-wielding nuns who are seen as backwards and stupid. The vast
majority of religious sisters and nuns are not this way. One ought to ask, “What about the beautiful work of teaching children
Catechism, their work with the poor and the marginalized, all those women of prayer and
learning in hospitals, and schools?

I think EW has stooped way too low in publishing a cover with anti-Catholic stereotyping. One can’t claim
that some members of the media are not anti-Catholic when a prominent magazine puts silly things on the cover. Really, a terrifying nun to advance a fictional
plot?

What does one say when EW describes Sister Jude (Miss Lange’s
character) as a “scarily stern woman of faith…and a fan of corporal
punishment…who has a penchant for red lingerie and vivid fantasies about her
superior, Monsignor Timothy O’Hara.” Further, EW quotes Joseph Fiennes who
says, “Clearly she’s attracted to the monsignor for his grace and
religiousness.” Fiennes plays O’Hara, “the monsignor might play with that,
manipulate that.” Slutty nun. Manipulative priest.

The show’s
co-creator, Ryan Murphy says, “I’m scared of aliens and I’m scared of Nazis and
I’m scared of nuns.”

To posit that there is no anti-Catholicism, I would think you might want to revise your opinion given the presence of fact: anti-Catholicism has a history, it’s alive and well. Some Catholics are not bothered by dysfunctional nuns priests. Art, in this case, is claimed to be in the realm of opinion,
that is, subjective. It is said that what is one person’s
good-natured ribbing is another person’s offensive stereotype. Do we
really think it is appropriate to hold this idea at all, never mind if we apply the whole issue to
those who hold Judiasm or Islam as their faith? Would the media think that
making fun of a rabbi, an iman or a Buddhist monk is a good thing? That doing so is good natured? Why do it
to Catholics?

EW’s incredibly sad portrayal of a Catholic sister as the
centerpiece of fictional show on TV is wrong, disrespectful, especially when
the reality is very different. The concept is ill-conceived.

Blessed Teresa of Calcutta

The most well-known face of 20th century Catholicism and care for the human person after Pope John Paul is Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta. Her life and work is incomparable as well as her relationship with God even if there was distance between the two. Nothing is more beautiful in the spiritual life than an honest relationship, especially with God. Mother Teresa died on this date in 1997. Soon after her death, the Church waived the waiting period before a cause for canonization could be submitted to the Holy See. She was beatified on October 19, 2003.

The Church prays

O God, who
called blessed Teresa, Virgin, to respond to the love of your Son thirsting on
the cross with outstanding charity to the poorest of the poor, grant us, we
beseech you, by her intercession, to minister to Christ in his suffering
brothers.

You may want to listen to Veronica Scarisbrick’s interview with Monsignor Leo Maasburg, a close friend of Mother, posted at Vatican Radio. He recently published a book, Mother Teresa of Calcutta: A Personal Portrait, 50 Inspiring Stories Never before Told (Ignatius, 2011).

A prior post on Blessed Teresa and Divine Mercy

Saint Moses

The Kontakian of the Byzantine Liturgy the Church prays,

With the divine and righteous Moses and Aaron, the Prophets’ choir today rejoices with gladness, seeing their prophecy fulfilled now in our midst; for Your Cross, O Christ our God, whereby You have redeemed us,, shine in the sight of all as the end and fulfillment of that which they foretold in ancient times. By their entreaties, have mercy upon all of us.

The Church honors Old Testament figures liturgically, and today we recall Moses, a Holy Forefather. However, these Old Testament people do not appear on the Roman Calendar but they do in the Eastern Calendar. In the Roman Martyrology (an official liturgical book that catalogues the cult of saints, including the ecclesial acts of beatification and canonization) we find Saint Moses.

It is to Moses, whom we call a holy prophet and lawgiver. He was chosen by God to lead the oppressed people out of Egypt to the Promised Land. To Moses we learn that God has revealed Himself through the burning but unconsumed bush and it is on Mount Sinai through Moses that we learn God’s name, “I Am Who I Am.” It is through Moses that we receive the Law and “at a ripe old age” Moses died before entering the Promised Land and designed by God.

According to Catholic theology, Moses is an Old Testament type of Jesus, who in the Gospel of Matthew, is known as the “new Moses” and and is said to be Elias on Tabor at the Lord’s Transfiguration.

Moses is a particular appropriate saint for Benedictines to know, follow, and imitate. His life and vocation to be a prophet –that is, a witness, to the encounter with God, ought to motivate us to a deeper call to seek the face of God. The Benedictine vocation to be present to the Divine Mystery in front of us.

So, yes, Catholics call Moses “saint.”

Saint Gregory the Great

Blessed Gregory, raised upon the throne of Peter, sought always the beauty of the Lord and lived in celebration of that love.

O God, who care for the your people with gentleness and rule them in love, though the intercession of Pope Saint Gregory, endow, we pray, with a spirit of wisdom those to whom you have given authority to govern, that the flourishing of a holy flock may become the eternal joy of the shepherds.

Let us pray for the Pope, Benedict XVI and his ministry as pastor. Likewise, I would like to remember in prayer the monks of Portsmouth Abbey who live under the patronage of Saint Gregory the Great.

Pope Benedict’s prayer intentions for September 2012

“… it is the community prayer of the Word of God that stands out for … [St Benedict] as the most vital prayer for everyone because everyone is involved in it, because the whole Church and all mankind are included in it…”

Saint Benedict’s Rule
Abbot Patrick Barry, OSB

Ampleforth Abbey

For September, let’s offer a rosary and other good works for the intentions of the Pope. As Abbot Patrick said above, the community’s prayer includes all people.

The general
intention

That politicians may always act with honesty, integrity, and love for
the truth.

The missionary intention

That Christian communities may have a
growing willingness to send missionaries, priests, and lay people, along with
concrete resources, to the poorest Churches.

Dad’s 72

My Dad is 72 today. Happy Birthday!

Here’s a picture of both my Mom and Dad after lunch today.

May God grant many years!

Pope Benedict sends note on death of Cardinal Martini

The typical protocol is for the Pope, often through the Secretary of State, to send a telegram on the death of a churchman, or on the occasion of another significant event. In the case of cardinals, a pope sends a more personal message. Pope Benedict knew Cardinal Martini well, and even saw him in June when he was in Milan. The pope writes…

Having heard with sadness the news of the death of Cardinal Carlo Maria Martini after a long illness, which he lived with a tranquil soul and with confident abandonment to the will of the Lord, I wish to express to you and to the entire diocesan community, as well as to the family of the late Cardinal, my profound share in their sorrow, recalling with affection this dear brother who served the Gospel and the Church so generously. I recall with gratitude the intense and profuse Apostolic work of this zealous, spiritual child of St. Ignatius, an expert teacher, an authoritative biblical scholar, and a beloved Rector of the Pontifical Gregorian University and of the Pontifical Biblical Institute, and a wise and diligent Archbishop of the Ambrosian Archdiocese. I think also of the competent and fervent service he gave to the Word of God, always opening to the ecclesial community the treasures of the Sacred Scriptures, especially through the promotion of Lectio Divina. I raise fervent prayers to the Lord that, through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, He will receive His faithful servant and worthy shepherd into the heavenly Jerusalem; and upon all those who mourn his death, I warmly impart the comfort of the Apostolic Blessing.

Cardinal Carlo Maria Martini dies

The famed Jesuit Cardinal Carlo Maria Martini, 85, died today following a long battle with Parkinson’s disease. He had been living at a Jesuit retirement home near Milan.

Born in Turin, Carlo Maria Martini entered the Society of Jesus in 1944, was ordained a priest in 1952, being solemnly professed of four vows as a Jesuit in 1962, a bishop in 1980 and created a cardinal in 1983. He retired in 2002 and participated in the conclave that elected Benedict.

By training Martini earned two doctorates and he is known as a Scripture scholar (working on the Gospel of Luke) having been the head of the Biblicum at the time of his appointment to the archbishopric of Milan. A man of great sensitivity for the spiritual life and sacred Scripture, Martini, in his healthy years, was sought after as a retreat master. His insight in Ignatian spirituality has aided many people.

With Cardinal Martini’s death the College of Cardinals numbers 206 members, 118 of whom are able to enter a conclave to elect a new pope.

Saint Ambrose and Blessed Ildefonso, pray Cardinal Carlo Maria, and for us.