Paul Zalonski – Page 355

Saints Perpetua and Felicity

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall
tribulation or distress or persecution, or famine or nakedness or peril or
sword? No, in these things we are more than conquerors through Him that loved
us. I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels, nor height, nor
depth, nor any other creature shall be able to separate us from the love of
God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen.

Planted in the Lord

Today’s first reading and Gospel ask the question (Mar 6, 2011): how, in fact, are we grounded in the Lord? Have I allowed Christ to enter into my life sufficiently and without reservation? Am I aware that Christ takes the initiative in calling me to a deeper conversion and that I have to respond? In your lectio divina today, set out to ground yourself in the Lord.

Pope Benedict’s message for the 2011 World Youth Day participants draws this line of thinking out:

“We … want to be able to see Jesus, to speak with him and to feel his presence even more powerfully. For many people today, it has become difficult to approach Jesus. There are so many images of Jesus in circulation which, while claiming to be scientific, detract from his greatness and the uniqueness of his person. That is why, after many years of study and reflection, I thought of sharing something of my own personal encounter with Jesus by writing a book. It was a way to help others see, hear and touch the Lord in whom God came to us in order to make himself known. Jesus himself, when he appeared again to his disciples a week later, said to Thomas: “Put your finger here and see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it in my side. Do not doubt but believe” (Jn 20:27). We too can have tangible contact with Jesus and put our hand, so to speak, upon the signs of his Passion, the signs of his love. It is in the sacraments that he draws particularly near to us and gives himself to us. Dear young people, learn to “see” and to “meet” Jesus in the Eucharist, where he is present and close to us, and even becomes food for our journey. In the sacrament of Penance the Lord reveals his mercy and always grants us his forgiveness. Recognize and serve Jesus in the poor, the sick, and in our brothers and sisters who are in difficulty and in need of help.”

Lent begins with Ash Wednesday on March 9. What is on your list of Bona Opera, your good works? Chapter 49 of the Rule of Saint Benedict speaks of the monk (here, all people) keeping Lent in front of our eyes all the time. He urges us, therefore, to do good, to keep purity in our hearts and minds by refraining from evil. Saint Benedict exhorts us to restrain ourselves from sinful habits and to devote time to prayer of the heart, fasting, lectio divina, compunction, ascetism, and charitable work.

How are you going to build your spiritual life on solid ground? In what ways are you going to be a spiritual father and mother to another? Will you pray, fast and give alms to the good works of the Church uniting your intentions with the Sacred Heart of Jesus for sake of poor, needy, the Church, the Pope, sinful people and priests, etc? Will you study the Word of God and spend time in prayer before the Blessed Sacrament?

Synod of Bishops 2012 on Evangelization

Earlier today in Rome, the overview –the guidelines– for the 2012 Synod Bishops working with the theme of evangelization was presented. This is the 13th Ordinary Assembly of the Synod of Bishops which will guide pastoral initiatives and papal thinking and programs. The title for the Synod is “The New Evangelization for the Transmission of the Christian Faith.” Archbishop Nicholas Eterovic, the Secretary General of the Synod of Bishops made the presentation of the 65 page document.

This Synod will meet at the Vatican 7-28 October 2012.

The guidelines, called officially the lineamenta, can be read here. The various bishops, religious superiors, Vatican offices and experts are to submit their responses to the lineamenta by November. This is step one. Then, the answers to questions will be collated into what is called the instrumentum laboris, the working document that the Synod and the Pope will work from.

This Synod will have a significant influence in the work of the new agency formed by the Pope this past year for evangelization, the Pontifical Council for Promoting the New Evangelization headed by Archbishop Rino Fisichella.

Of Gods and Men

Xavier Beauvois’ new film “Of Gods and Men” (Des Hommes et des Dieux) is an intense and moving film of 7 Trappist monks in Algeria who had a coexistence with Muslim neighbors until extremists threatened and killed the monks. The Atlas Martyrs gave their lives in the night of 27-28 March 1996.

John Kiser wrote of the monks in his 2002 The Monks of Tibhirine which I recommend to give you a sense of what’s going on here.

“Of Gods and Men” is being shown on the East coast, now in NYC and next week in New Haven. Here’s the trailor.

Know the monks: Atlas Martyrs Biographies.pdf

Love is eternal hope…

Shahbaz Bhatti, Christian, murdered in Pakistan

Yesterday, Pakistani Christians –indeed, the world– lost a voice of reason and hope in the heinous, tragic death of Shahbaz Bhatti. He was the minister for minorities for the Pakistan government.

Let us pray for the peaceful repose of Shahbaz Bhatti, his mother and siblings. We’d do well to pray for the Church in Pakistan!

Read the story.

Peter J. Gomes, minister, dead at 68

The very colorful minister, the Reverend Peter J. Gomes, who served at Harvard for more than 40 years, died last evening. Reverend Gomes oversaw the ministries of Memorial Church and delivered a rousing Easter sermon each year. He was an accomplished and stimulating writer, teacher and preacher.

Peter Gomes’ name is clearly connect with the Christian presence at Harvard. Any serious Christian aware of the landscape at Harvard had to negotiate the personality of Peter J. Gomes.

Peter Gomes would not be confused for his orthodox faith but he preached Christ. He appreciated the efforts of others to make Christ known and loved.

May God have mercy on Peter J. Gomes and embrace him with love. Let’s pray for his eternal rest.

Pope Benedict XVI’s monthly prayer intentions for March 2011

The Pope reminds us to broaden our awareness of other Christians in the world. Here we remember those Christians in Latin America and persecuted Christians. The second intention is most poignant given recent acts of violence on the many of the Eastern Churches.

The general intention

That the nations of Latin America may walk in fidelity
to the Gospel and progress in justice and peace.

The missionary intention

That the Holy Spirit may give
light and strength to those in many regions of the world who are persecuted and
discriminated against because of the gospel.

Asma al-Assad on St John the Baptist

Syria should be on your radar screen if you have an interest in the life of the Church. It’s openness to
Christianity today is startling bad. Freedom of religion and human rights lack;
political oppression and basic needs are always in question. The current regime
very likely nervous given the recent wave of political take-back. John Juliet
Buck’s Vogue magazine article on the Syrian First Lady, Asma al-Assad, “A Rose in
the Desert” speaks to many issues in Syria, not least is religion. Thoughts of
St John the Baptist’s tomb hearken back to when in 2001 Pope John Paul II visited Syria
and prayed at the tomb of the Baptist.

At first thought Ms al-Assad’s deference to the importance of the Baptist is impressive but there’s something that strikes me as false given recent history of her husband’s family’s rule of Syria viz. religious freedom. Plus, her interest in Christianity in Syria is not because the gospel is true, good and beautiful; her interest in the Church is cultural. The gospel in this context has been reduced to a system of culture and ethics –exactly what it’s not. Syria is Indeed, many religions have passed through those lands and one seems fairly certain that the current regime wants religions like Christianity to leave Syria and not turn back. Historically, Christianity has been in Syria since St Paul visited the country. It is the place, as we know, where the followers of Jesus were first called “Christians.” Christians in Syria comprise 10% of the population with the largest group being the Greek Orthodox Church.

For me here’s the relevant paragraph in the article:

Back in the car, Buck was answered about
his investigation “what religion the orphans are?” “It’s not relevant,” says
Asma al-Assad. “Let me try to explain it to you. That church is a part of my
heritage because it’s a Syrian church. The Umayyad Mosque is the
third-most-important holy Muslim site, but within the mosque is the tomb of
Saint John the Baptist. We all kneel in the mosque in front of the tomb of
Saint John the Baptist. That’s how religions live together in Syria–a way that
I have never seen anywhere else in the world. We live side by side, and have
historically. All the religions and cultures that have passed through these
lands–the Armenians, Islam, Christianity, the Umayyads, the Ottomans–make up
who I am.”

Saint Gabriel of the Sorrowful Mother

O good St. Gabriel, God inspired you to love the passion of Jesus as it was reflected in the heart of Mary, his mother. By her side, you stood beneath the cross of Jesus, gazing on him as she did, and sharing her compassion. O St. Gabriel, we wish, like you, to grow in love for God and all his people. Remember us in the trials of our life. Remember especially those who are young and in need.

Support us, all our days, by your holy prayers. And when this life is done, may we join you in heaven in the joyful company of Jesus and Mary. Amen.

Francesco Possenti’s love of Jesus Christ was mediated
through Mary. No wonder that his name in religion would be “Gabriel of the
Sorrowful Mother.”

Francesco Possenti was born on 1 March 1838 in Assisi; he
was the 11^th child. On 21 September 1856, Francesco received the religious habit of the Congregation of
the Passion (the Passionists) and was given the name “Gabriel of the Sorrowful
Mother.” His love for the Mother of God under the title of “Sorrowful Mother”
was intimate, intense and beautiful. She taught him what it meant to be at the
foot of the Cross. In few years on earth Gabriel cultivated a profound love for
the Christ Crucified. At a young age Gabriel was diagnosed with tuberculosis,
dying only days before he could be ordained a priest.

On this date in 1862 at 24 and
6 years a Passionist, Brother Gabriel died. Pope Benedict XV canonized him on May 13, 1920 and
declared him a patron of Catholic youth. In 1959, Blessed Pope John XXIII named
him the patron of the Abruzzi region, where he lived prior to death. He’s also
revered by seminarians, novices and those with an abiding desire to be with
Christ.

It was through Gabriel’s intercession that Saint Gemma Galgani was cured.

Patriarch Nasrallah Peter Sfeir, retires as Maronite leader

Today, Pope Benedict XVI accepted the petition of His Beatitude, Patriarch Nasrallah Peter Sfeir, cardinal, to retire from his pastoral leadership as the Father of Maronite Church.

The resignation was speculated a few weeks ago.

Here is the letter of Pope Benedict to His Beatitude (in French until an English translation is given).