Paul Zalonski – Page 335

Corpus Christi in Rome 2011

The feast of Corpus Domini is inseparable from the Holy
Thursday Mass of in Caena Domini, in which the institution of the Eucharist is
also celebrated. While on the evening of Holy Thursday we relive the mystery of
Christ who offers himself to us in the bread broken and wine poured out, today,
in celebration of Corpus Domini, this same mystery is proposed to the adoration
and meditation of God’s people, and the Blessed Sacrament is carried in
procession through the streets of towns and villages, to show that the risen
Christ walks among us and guides us towards the Kingdom of heaven. Today we
openly manifest what Jesus has given us in the intimacy of the Last Supper,
because the love of Christ is not confined to the few, but is intended for all.
This year during the Mass of Our Lord’s Last Supper on Holy Thursday, I pointed
out that the Eucharist is the transformation of the gifts of this land – the
bread and wine – intended to transform our lives and usher in the
transformation of the world. Tonight I would like to return to this point of
view.

Everything starts, you might say, from the heart of Christ, who at the
Last Supper on the eve of his passion, thanked and praised God and, in doing
so, with the power of his love transformed the meaning of death which he was
about to encounter. The fact that the Sacrament of the altar has taken on the
name “Eucharist” – “thanksgiving” – expresses this: that
the change in the substance of the bread and wine into the Body and Blood of
Christ is the fruit of the gift that Christ made of himself, a gift of a love
stronger than death, love of God which made him rise from the dead. That is why
the Eucharist is the food of eternal life, the Bread of life. From the heart of
Christ, from his “Eucharistic Prayer” on the eve of his passion,
flows the dynamism that transforms reality in its cosmic, human and historical
dimensions. All proceeds from God, from the omnipotence of his love One and
Triune, incarnate in Jesus. In this Love the heart of Christ emerges, so He
knows how to thank and praise God even in the face of betrayal and violence, and
thus changes things, people and the world.

Continue reading Corpus Christi in Rome 2011

Nativity of Saint John the Baptist

When the Prophet Zechariah was officiating as priest within the Temple, offering up the petitions of the people to the most loving Lord, he beheld an angel who cried out to him, “Your supplication and entreaty have been heard, Be of good cheer, O Elder, and do not disbelieve! For you shall have a child, the Forerunner of God, the greatest of those born of women, who in the power of Elijah will go before the Lord!”

Don’t forget to light a fire in honor of Saint John the Baptist. See the Blessing here.

Dorothy Day and the Catholic Worker Movement: an American witness to the Culture of Life

Last night at the Church of Saint Catherine of Siena (NYC) a remarkable event took place. About 120 people from all over the Metropolitan New York area attended an event co-sponsored by the Siena Forum for Faith and Culture and Crossroads Cultural Center whereby we wanted to know more about a pivotal figure of the 20th century who was truly human and in love with Christ through the poor, the Servant of God Dorothy Day. Ms. Mary Lathrop, a longtime friend and spiritual daughter of Day’s, with Monsignor Lorenzo Albacete, spoke about the person of Dorothy Day, the Catholic Worker Movement and Catholic Social teaching. Albacete as you know is the well known priest, physicist and theologian who works with the lay movement Communion and Liberation in the USA. Lathrop is a remarkable woman of faith and conviction who gave us a deeper appreciation for the real person that Day was and not the ideaology that is often passed off for the same.

A video of the event is located here.

The following article by Monsignor Lorenzo Albacete was published today on Il Sussidiario (English edition):

This week I was asked to participate in a discussion about Dorothy Day, founder of the “Catholic Worker Movement.” The story of her life captures like none other the history of the Catholic Church in the United States during the last century, and a judgment on her life pretty much indicates how American Catholics look at the challenges and opportunities of the 21st century.

Dorothy Day was born in Brooklyn, NY, on November 8, 1897 and died on November 29, 1980. I must confess that I knew very little about her during the 60’s and 70’s, except that she was a very controversial Catholic pacifist, feminist, and maybe socialist who made many Church authorities very nervous (and still does here and there). I knew about her opposition to the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, but it was not until recently that I read her stunning editorial excerpted below so you can get a feel for her soul’s style:

Mr. Truman was jubilant. President Truman. True man; what a strange name, come to think of it. We refer to Jesus Christ as true God and true Man. Truman is a true man of his time in that he was jubilant…the newspapers said. Jubilate Deo. We have killed 318,000 Japanese…

Continue reading Dorothy Day and the Catholic Worker Movement: an American witness to the Culture of Life

Saint Aloysius Gongaga

O blessed Aloysius, adorned with angelic virtues, I
thy most unworthy suppliant recommend specially to thee the chastity of my soul and body, praying thee by thy angelic purity to plead for me with Jesus Christ the Immaculate Lamb, and His most Holy Mother, Virgin of virgins, that
they would vouchsafe to keep me from all grievous sin. Never suffer me to be defiled with any stain of impurity; but when thou dost see me in temptation, or in danger of falling, then remove far from my mind all evil thoughts and unclean desires, and awaken in me the memory of eternity to come, and of Jesus crucified; impress deeply in my heart a sense of the holy fear of God; and kindling in me the fire of Divine love, enable me so to follow thy footsteps here on earth, that in heaven I may be made worthy to enjoy with thee the
vision of our God for ever.

Benedict asks us to preserve and appreciate our Christian values, identity

Yesterday Pope Benedict visited San Marino. You remember, San Marino is the oldest republic founded by Saint Marin, a deacon, and Saint Leo who escaped the clutches of the Emperor Diocletian by coming from Dalmatia to Rimini. San Marino is in central Italy with about 24 square miles with a population of about 31K. San Marino was first founded as a monastic community in the early period of the 4th century and today it is governed by a constitution adopted in 1600 and is still in effect. Two interesting facts: Saint Agatha is the patron saint and Abraham Lincoln was an honorary citizen.

Follow the Pope in a historical way (even spiritually) who’ll notice his insistence on Europeans –indeed all nations with Christian roots– preserving and appreciating Christian tradition as the moral ground of society. There’s a tendency today to push aside one’s Christian patrimony in favor of a secularist mentality that rejects Christ and His Gospel. It seems that we are now embarrassed by our belief in Christ; we longer say with confidence that Christ died for me and that He’s now risen from the dead and that the Holy Spirit lives in us; that we are scared by what others are going to say and I dare say we’d rather be superficial and believe in nothing than accept the offer of Love from God. Why is it that Christ, who is the source of our being and our destiny is easily dismissed?

In San Marino, Pope Benedict exhorts us all to hold fast to what has been given to us: freedom, love, and meaning.

My heartfelt
gratitude for your hospitality, in particular I express my gratitude to the
captains regent, also for the courteous words they addressed to me. I greet the
members of the government and of the Congress, as well as the diplomatic corps
and all the other authorities gathered here. In addressing you, I embrace
ideally the whole people of San Marino. From its birth, this republic has had
friendly relations with the Apostolic See, and in recent times they have been
intensified and consolidated; my presence here, in the heart of this ancient
republic, expresses and confirms this friendship

Continue reading Benedict asks us to preserve and appreciate our Christian values, identity

The Feast of the Most Holy Trinity

The Church celebrates her belief in the Most Holy Trinity, a communion of persons of Love. This feast given to us not to celebrate the revelation of an idea and divine works in history, but to meet in a personal way the community of the Trinity.

While in Genoa for Trinity Sunday in 2008, Pope Benedict taught that

From the reality of God which he himself made known to us by revealing his “name” to us comes a certain image of man, that is, the exact concept of the person. If God is a dialogical unity, a being in relation, the highest creature made in his image and likeness reflects this constitution; thus he is called to fulfill himself in dialogue, in conversation, in encounter.

The Collect of the Mass for today is (trans. by Fr Z):

Almighty everlasting God, who granted to Your servants, in the profession of the true Faith, to recognize the glory of the eternal Trinity and to adore Its Unity in the might of majesty: we beseech You; that, in the steadfastness of that same Faith, we may always be defended from all adversities.

Perhaps you’d consider reading Joseph Ratzinger’s book, The God of Jesus Christ: Meditations on the Triune God.

John Corapi takes a break from priesthood

In the past days the story of Father John Corapi’s taking a break from the Catholic priesthood has been circulating. In the meantime, read the current news of Father Corapi, 64, on his blog, The Black Sheep Dog.

Distressing indeed and a situation that requires guidance from the Holy Spirit. So, pray to Saints Padre Pio and John Neumann and John Mary Vianney for their intercession.

Corapi’s account of the situation and the process of investigation for innocence (or guilt) is too problematic. The problem with the case is not with Father Corapi –yet there are questions that persist– but in the process of coming to truth. Or so it seems.

May the Most Trinity, shower grace on us.

UPDATE: read “Father Corapi’s Bombshell” by Joan Frawley Desmond

St John Neumann celebrated in native land

The 200th anniversary of birth of Saint John Nepomucene Neumann is being celebrated in his homeland, today called the Czech Republic. Here’s the story in Czech. Cardinal Justin Francis Rigali, Archbishop of Philadelphia, is the Pope’s special envoy. His special connection with the Saint is that John Neumann was the bishop of Philadelphia and is buried in Philadelphia.

Pope Benedict’s letter of credence for Cardinal Rigali’s mission as a papal representative may be read here.

Benedict notes Saint John’s work included spiritual and social progress of the faithful, assistance with counsel and charity and he provided for Christian education. He’s known as the first US bishop to organize Catholic education.

You should also know that Saint John Neumann is the first bishop of the United States to be canonized. He’s not the first American saint and nor was he native born, but he is one of us. As a grammar school student my dad and I visited the shrine of Saint John Neumann which sticks with all these years later.

Saint John Neumann, pray for us.

Together in Christ

Image via Wikipedia

The Pope’s “Together in Christ” two day visit of Croatia was significant for several reasons. For him, and I think for all of us who were either physically in Zagreb or tuned via the media, time spent with the Croatians was monumental because it clearly exhibited the “dynamism of communion.” (What visit of a pope is insignificant, the wag asks?) In his own words, the Benedict reviews the events he and the world lived with him in this way:

“the experience of finding ourselves together united in the name of Christ,
the experience of being Church, which is manifested … around the Successor of Peter.
‘Together in Christ’ referred in a particular way to the family (… the occasion of my visit was the First National Day of Croatian Catholic Families…

It was very important for me to confirm in the faith especially these families that the Second Vatican Council called “domestic churches” (cf. Lumen Gentium, 11).

In today’s Europe [and one can extend this to the globe], nations with a strong Christian tradition have a special responsibility to defend and promote the value of the family founded on marriage, which remains decisive both within the field of education as well as in the social sphere.”

Continue reading Together in Christ

Catholics understanding the Book of Revelation and the Rapture

The rapture came and went…and this guy got caught up in it. Good for him. The rest of us will meander along…but in case you want to join the others in the rapture, the actual date is now October 21. So I am told. But what time should people be ready? Harold Camping, founder of Family Radio and rapture prophet. Camping might be ready for the rapture as he’s now recovering from a stroke. The 89 year old prophet of doom-and-gloom-Christian-style alters his guaranteed prediction of Judgement Day every so often.

In case you’re interested, we’re having a 3 presentations on the Book of Revelation, the Catholic teaching on the belief of the Second Coming Christ and what the rapture means. Brother Leo Checkai, OP, is going to lead us through the theology and visions as found in the Revelation and giving a strategy to read and understand this famous and mysterious final book of the Bible. Come for the class at Saint Catherine of Siena Church at 6:30 on June 29, July 6 and 13. The church is located at 411 East 68th Street, NYC.

photo taken from In Caritate Non Ficta by Philip Gerard Johnson: this pic is a hoot….