Author: Paul Zalonski

Snow and Ice

bird feeder February 1 2011.jpg“The Snow-Storm” comes to mind today. There’s a certain end-times (should we say a 19th century apocalypticism?) quality to Ralph Waldo Emerson’s poem that life and death are confronted, forward motion is reduced-if-not-halted the boundaries are indistinct. Looking out my window I see the barrenness of the landscape with only the evergreens providing color save for the woodpecker, the bluejay and the cardinals collecting their food at the feeder. The property lines aren’t present and movement is difficult either by foot, car, or train, and forget the airplane. The vivid white of the snow and ice is blinding. 

So, I think it’s time for a change in weather. Don’t you?

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Saint Brigid of Ireland


St Brigid of Ireland.jpg

O holy Brigid, you became sublime through your humility, and flew on the wings of your longing for God. When you arrived in the eternal City and appeared before your Divine Spouse, wearing the crown of virginity, you kept your promise to remember those who have recourse to you. You shower grace upon the world, and multiply miracles. Intercede with Christ our God that He may save our souls. (Troparian, tone 1)


Lord, you
inspired in Saint Brigid such whole-hearted dedication to your work that she is
known as Mary of the Gael; through her intercession bless our country; may we
follow the example of her life and be united with her and the Virgin Mary in
your presence.


More on Saint Brigid here.

Egypt leads the way to political overhaul

Official photograph of Egyptian President Hosn...

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AsiaNews.it published this editorial today where the writer highlights some middle eastern countries. I recommend it. Interesting to note is the comment made by Syria president Bashir al-Assad who spoke with the Wall Street Journal calling the political upending a “kind of disease” due to political and economic stagnation.

The one million people gathered in Cairo’s Tahrir (Liberation) square are forcing the hand of Hosni Mubarak, 82, to leave office by Friday after what some have called a soft dictatorship for the past 30 years. He’s the 4th and current president of the Egyptian Republic. It won’t belong now before the many oppressive regimes around the world are taken down. Who’s next? Cuba, China, Iran?
Saint Menas, pray for Egypt, and for all of us.
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Traditional consecrated life is the Church’s life-blood

Heilengkreutz monks2.jpgFebruary 2, Candlemas, is since 1997, World Day of Consecrated Life was instituted by Pope John Paul II. Candlemas is a feast of encounter. In years past the Pope celebrated the Mass but this year he’s celebrating Vespers. Four years ago I was there with some friends and it was a widely beautiful experience because we were united in prayer and in communion with Pope Benedict with all the various charisms –religious orders, congregations, religious and secular institutes– called by the Lord into existence for the entire Church, not just for a select few. While a man professes the vows of a Capuchin or Benedictine his vocation is for his own salvation and for the witness of the Resurrection. It is not a case of either-or. This is an important point: a day of prayer like the one for consecrated life is not exclusively for those in vows, but for all of the faithful who are called to live a life of holiness, a life of conversion rooted in Baptism. Pope Benedict notes three aspects of the day of prayer for consecrated life: to thank and praise God for the gift of the consecrated life, to promote and appreciation with all the faithful of this vocation and to invite all the vowed people to recognize what the Lord has done in them through the Gospel.

Continue reading Traditional consecrated life is the Church’s life-blood

Father Samir Khalil Samir speaks on Egyptian reform today

Egyptian Jesuit Father Samir Khalil Samir is a Professor
at Rome’s Pontifical Oriental Institute and scholar on Islam spoke to Emer
McCarthy, an interviewer at Vatican Radio who asked by if a Western concept of political
democracy is adequate to Egypt and other Arab nations. Father Samir saidit is
“applicable but not yet practicable.”


He further said, “What we need first of
all is justice, equality, social reform because the gap between rich and poor
is far too wide and this is the real cause of the Islamic fundamentalist
movement. We need change, the Arab world must change. We need alternate parties
but in our countries there is nothing”. 

Plus, it was advanced that “If you have
authoritarian regimes they systematically destroy all the leaderships so only
people who are in agreement with the current system are in power”. In the case
of Egypt “Mubarack nominated his second in command, Omar Suleiman who is a good
diplomat a military officer. But the question is this good for the country?”.

For more on the story, read it here…

Legion of Christ forms commission on Maciel, expands Council

Legion of Christ logo.jpgThe ongoing reforms for the Legion of Christ to make it more user- friendly continue to be rolled out. The efforts of the Legion’s leadership which is overseen and directed by the papal delegate Cardinal Velasio De Paolis, CS, established a more transparent set of procedures by forming a commission to give objective results on legitimate concerns (see this link for detailed contact info) in dealing with Marciel Maciel’s sordid past in a honest and charitable manner. The Cardinal also expanded the superior general’s council (a set of advisors) from 4 to 6.

Pope encourages confidence that full communion with the Oriental Orthodox is possible

Pope with Oriental Orthodox bishops Jan 28 2011.jpgLast week members of the  International Commission for Theological Dialogue between the Catholic Church and the Oriental Orthodox Churches, Pope Benedict gave a very brief letter encouraging courage and determination to work with the Holy Spirit in the work of full, visible communion between the churches. He said, “We can only be grateful that after almost fifteen
hundred years of separation we still find agreement about the sacramental
nature of the Church, about apostolic succession in priestly service and about
the impelling need to bear witness to the Gospel of our Lord and Saviour Jesus
Christ in the world.” Watch a video clip of the presentation of the icon to His Holiness.

Continue reading Pope encourages confidence that full communion with the Oriental Orthodox is possible

Communion & Liberation welcomes the beatification of John Paul

Don Julián Carrón.jpgFather Julián Carrón, President of the ecclesial
movement Communion and Liberation indicated the Movement’s plans to participate
in the beatification of Pope John Paul II on May 1. Father Carrón’s remarks showed gratitude for the Pontiff’s
legacy.


According to Father Carrón the Movement plans to “make the pilgrimage to Rome to join the Pope and
the Church in thanking God who has given us such an authentic witness of
Christ.” Father Carrón says that “We want to gather closely around
Benedict XVI, who in his farsightedness has decided to indicate Blessed John
Paul II to the whole world as an example of what Christ can make of a man who
allows himself to be grasped by him.”

Speaking for the heart and soul of
Communion and Liberation Father Carrón said, “If someone has an enormous debt
of gratitude towards John Paul II, we are the ones.”

I invite you to read the full text of Father Julián Carrón’s letter to the Fraternity of Communion and Liberation: Fr Carron on the beatification of Pope John Paul II.pdf

The way of sanctity lies open to you

St Justin de Jacobis.jpgToday the Pontifical Ethiopian College enjoyed time
with Pope Benedict XVI on the occasion to mark the 150th anniversary of the
death of Saint Justin de Jacobis (1800-1860), patron of the College. The
Ethiopian College prepares men for priestly service in their home country. Part
of the Pope’s address was devoted to holiness. On holiness the Pope said:


“Sanctity lies at the very heart
of the ecclesial mystery; it is the vocation to which we are all called. Saints
are not some exterior ornamentation of the Church; rather, they are like the
flowers of a tree which testify to the endless vitality of the lymph flowing
through it. It is good to see the Church like this, in ascension towards the
fullness of the ‘Vir perfectus’; in continual, demanding, progressive
maturation; dynamically driven towards complete fulfilment in Christ.”

Here is a minute’s worth of a video clip on the event. These are the same points the Pope has made to the rest of the Church since he ascended to the papacy and it is the very theme that Father Julián Carrón has called those of us who follow Communion and Liberation to heed.