Paul Zalonski – Page 329

Created good and love by God

Going along in my uncertainties I muddle over questions of life that affect me on the spiritual level. Perhaps others do the same. One of the things that Father Carrón is asking in his 2011 retreat for the Fraternity of Communion and Liberation is: do we recognize that despite our human weakness, or failings, that Christ still loves every part of me? Yes, but not always. Sometimes it is difficult to be aware such an expression of the Other. Why this is so, I am still trying to figure out. Let me know when you get the answer. The Abbot of Christ in the Desert in New Mexico writes a weekly online column which is often insightful. The following is a portion of that column that used for reflection:

Some people are insistent at times, to me, that it is
impossible any longer to lead a truly chaste and celibate life. My general
reply is that it has always been more or less impossible and is only truly
possible when there is a strong faith and a deep commitment to the Lord and a
trust that God will give us the strength that we need. Without a doubt that
have always been failures and there will always be failures, but that is to be
taken for granted in the human condition. Repentance and conversion are a part
of any Christian life and are always values and realities that struggle against
the brokenness that we find within us.

There is no doubt that all of us are
created good and that God always loves us. Our own understanding of ourselves,
though, helps us understand that our goodness has been compromised by others,
by ourselves and by situations outside of our control. The gifts of repentance
and conversion help us in our struggle against all within us that has been
compromised.

This gift of the capacity to struggle against our brokenness is
one of the gifts of salvation given to us in Christ Jesus. Jesus is a model for
us in His humanity because He lived for truth and for the glory of His Father.
Jesus won and wins salvation for us by giving Himself up to death and by rising
from the dead.

Father Philip,

Abbot of Christ in the Desert Monastery

Vox Clara Committee meets in Rome this week

The group of bishops and experts who oversee the translation and promulgation of liturgical texts in English met in Rome this past week. Read the CNS story on the meeting by Cindy Wooden. Here is the press release.

The Vox Clara
Committee met from July 24-26 in Rome. This Committee of senior Bishops from
Episcopal Conferences throughout the English-speaking world was formed by the
Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments on July
19, 2001 in order to provide advice to the Holy See concerning English-language
liturgical books and to strengthen effective cooperation with the Conferences
of Bishops in this regard.

Continue reading Vox Clara Committee meets in Rome this week

Pietro Sambi, 73, Pope’s ambassador to the USA, RIP

His Excellency, Archbishop Pietro Sambi, 73, died tonight complications following a delicate lung surgery.

His family was called to his bedside last week.

The Archbishop’s work in the USA was to be the Pope’s ambassador to government and to be the Pope’s voice to the Church here. He’s been in the USA since 2006.

In ministry, Sambi has been a priest for 47 years and a bishop for 25.

The Church has lost a wonderful brother, priest and witness to Jesus Christ.

May the Good Shepherd guide Archbishop Sambi to full communion with Him.

Bishop Robert Lynch remembers the Nuncio on his blog.

May Pietro Sambi’s memory be eternal.

Saints Ann and Joachim

O Lord, God of
our Fathers, who bestowed on Saints Joachim and Anne this grace, that of them should
be born the Mother of your incarnate Son, grant, through the prayers of both,
that we may attain the salvation you have promised to your people.

Today’s the liturgical memorial of Saints Ann and Joachim, the parents of Mary, the Mother of God and the grandparents of Jesus. In the simplest understanding is that the Church remembers the Lord’s family members. But let’s move beyond this initial thought and look more closely at the collect noted above: the priest prays that through the intercession of Ann and Joachim salvation may be given to us as promised to God’s people.

Historically we know that Ann and Joachim existed; their biographies are unknown to us. What we do learn from sacred Tradition is the approach Ann and Joachim took to the action of the Divine Majesty in their lives. They trusted in God.

The Church brings to our awareness the lines of grace in a historical fashion. The prayer reminds us of Jesus’ humanity and the promise God the Father made to His people: His Presence among us; an offer for salvation. This feast is clearly interpreted for us in the first reading from Sirach and the psalm. There we hear the beautiful words of promise, of remembrance, of relationship.

Quilting ladies of St Benedict’s Abbey, Benet Lake

Benedictine abbeys are places where the culture of prayer, study, charitable work and arts and crafts can breathe with ease. That’s the genius of Saint Benedict and the leadership of monasticism through 1500 years. Few religious orders have such an expansive sense of culture as the Benedictines (or share in across the world). Art aids one in his or seeking God and a better sense of self.

The monks of Saint Benedict’s Abbey, a monastery of monks in the Swiss-American tradition just outside Milwaukee and an hour’s drive from O’Hare Airport, have a retreat house where individuals and groups come to pray, study and rest in the Lord.

The arts have had a significant, yet humble place in Benedictine life. Making art is one way to bring together a deeper level of fraternity, balance and healing in the distracted world. Some Benedictines are musicians, others are scholars, weavers, quilters, calligraphers gardeners, beer makers, vestment makers, organists and horn players, others are apiarists and the so on. In his Rule for Monasteries, Saint Benedict’s 57th chapter “On the Artisans of the Monastery” fosters a spirit of human expression that has limits based on virtue as yet another but crucial way to glorify God. Benedict says,

Continue reading Quilting ladies of St Benedict’s Abbey, Benet Lake

Visiting a friend

Abbot Leo, retired abbot of St Benedict’s Abbey, Benet Lake, WI.

Abbot Leo is the director of the Benet Lake retreat house.

Saint James the the Greater

Saint James, the son of Zebedee, and brother of Saint
John the Apostle, was a Galilean. He was one of the first to be called to the
Apostolate, together with his brother, and, leaving his father and his nets, he
followed the Lord. Jesus called them both Boanerges, that is to say, sons of
thunder. He was one of the three Apostles whom our Savior loved the most, and
whom He chose as witnesses of His Transfiguration, and of the miracle by which
He raised to life the daughter of the ruler of the synagogue, and whom he
wished to be present when He retired to the Mount of Olives to pray to His
Father, before being taken captive by the Jews.

Continue reading Saint James the the Greater

Vatican Nuncio to Ireland recalled

In an extraordinary act, the Holy See has recalled the papal nuncio, Archbishop Giuseppe Leanza, 68, to Rome to understand the implications of the July 13, 2011 Cloyne Report (421 pages worth) that indicated yet more of the clerical sex abuse.

This is a most dramatic and essential step in getting to the bottom of the problem of abuse and the response of the Church. The recall, initiated by the Holy See, is being interpreted by the same as the degree of seriousness it wants for an effective response to the failure to protect children and for greater collaboration with the Irish government. This recall is not a permanent close to diplomatic relations between the Irish Republic and the Holy See; it is a measure for greater clarity on how to respond to the crisis.

Hopefully Archbishop Leanza has the grace and competency to be effective in Ireland. His own experience hints that he can be helpful. He is the former papal nunico to Haiti, Malawi, Zambia, Bosnia, Slovenia, Macedonia, Bulgaria before going to Ireland in 2008.

The Cloyne Report July 13, 2011.pdf

Saint Patrick and Saint Brigid of Ireland, pray for us.

Monastic Worship Forum launched

Periodically the Benedictine monks, nuns and sisters meet to discuss issues pertaining the sacred Liturgy and sacred music as done in their monasteries. They met two weeks ago at the Archabbey of Saint Meinrad for the meeting and decided to formally merge the liturgical and musicians’ groups into one: The Monastic Worship Forum. This work has been in process since 2009. The purpose of the Forum is to provide support, education, and formation in the sacred Liturgy for monastic contexts in order that God maybe glorified.

Benedictine monk Father Godfrey Mullen chairs the committee that will lead the Forum. Father Godfrey earned his doctorate in Liturgy from the Catholic University of America and serves as the VP for Saint Meinrad Seminary and the Archabbey’s director of Liturgy.

The new website can be found here.

Blessed Ildefonso Schuster, and all Benedictine saints and blesseds, pray for us.

Virgilio Cardinal Noè, RIP, former Archpriest of St Peter’s Basilica

One the well-known faces in the Vatican curia died earlier today. Virgilio Cardinal Noè, 89, died in Rome.

Noè has been a cardinal since 1991. He was the Pope’s vicar general for Vatican City State, the President of the Fabric of St Peter’s Basilica and the Archpriest of St Peter’s Basilica.

Cardinal Noè’s face was recognizable due to his work as the pontifical Master of Ceremonies, a ministry he held since Pope Paul and one that he had under the Pope John Paul II until 1982.

Cadinal Noè is remembered for his faithful service as a priest and adherence to the Gospel.