Paul Zalonski – Page 448

Basilica made in Stamford, Connecticut by Pope Benedict

The Catholic faithful with their bishop, the Most Reverend William E. Lori, their pastor, Msgr. Stephen M. DiGiovanni and parochial vicars, gathered at the newly established Basilica of Saint John the Evangelist (Stamford, CT) tonight for Solemn Vespers and Benediction on the occasion of the Church receiving the dignity of a minor basilica by the Supreme Pontiff, Pope Benedict, XVI. It is one of 66 basilicas in the United States at this time. Also in attendance were Bishop Paul, Eparch of the Ukrainian Eparchy of Stamford and Bishop Basil the eparch emeritus with about 40 priests and seminarians.

Providing an honor guard were the Knights of Columbus, the Order of Malta and the Order of the Holy Sepulchre.

Tonight’s ceremonies commemorated the Feast of the Chair of Saint Peter. In the Diocese of Bridgeport the only church which ranks higher than Saint John’s is the Cathedral of Saint Augustine, the seat of the bishop, which holds first place and the greatest dignity. The Basilica enjoys a special relationship with the Pope because it becomes his church, especially should he visit the diocese.

The designation was made last fall and noted here.

In order for Saint John’s to have been recognized as a minor basilica by the Holy Father, upon recommendation by those concerned with such work, certain criteria had to be followed as outlined by the 1989 document, Domus Ecclesiae (the House of God). Namely, that the church be exemplarly noted for her praying the Liturgy, the sacred music performed for prayer, the teaching of the faith, a place of beauty, enjoy a good reputation in the diocese and a place of pilgrimage for the faithful.

There are three ecclesiastical symbols (“decoration”) for the new basilica to display, two originated for papal processions: 1) the liturgical umbrella, also called the papal pavilion (umbraculum) used to shield the pope from harsh weather and to signal the pope’s movement through the streets; the pavilion is constructed in the yellow and white papal colors used since the 9th century which originally were the colors of the Roman Senate; 2) the papal bell (tintinabulum) which announces a pope’s arrival; and 3) the basilica is privileged to use of the papal symbols of the tiara with crossed keys in a design of a coat of arms (seen to the right),

The coat of arms was designed by heraldic artist, the Very Reverend Canon Matthew R. Mauriello, pastor of Saint Roch’s Church, Greenwich, CT. The motto, “Behold your Mother” (John 19:27) was spoken to Saint John by Our Lord entrusting His mother to Saint John’s care. The motto also recalls the traditional title of Saint John’s Parish as the Mother Church of Stamford.

Father Matthew’s design evokes redemption by Christ with the use of the gold cross. With other symbols, connections are made with Benedict XVI, Blessed Pope Pius IX, the dogma of the Immaculate Conception, the Archdiocese of Hartford and the Diocese of Bridgeport and the symbol of Saint John the Evangelist.

The sacred music for the Vespers and Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament was beautifully done by the Basilica schola under the direction of Scott Turkington, who after 11 years, is taking a job as the director of music at the Charleston, SC cathedral. The psalmody was executed well so that all knew their respective parts. The schola sang Palestrina’s Tu es Petrus, Victoria’s Magnificat and Tantum Ergo along with the Vesperal psalmody.

In his homily the bishop made the connection with the Blessed Mother and Saint John the Beloved Disciple and the paradigm the are for the Church and thus for us today. Bishop Lori reminded us of the feast of the Chair of Peter we celebrate today and the closeness we have with the Pope especially now with the basilica dignity. As the Lord entrusted to the Apostles the proclamation of the Gospel and administration of the sacraments, so the Church today is charged with the same work to spread the message of salvation. As the Church’s faith is built on the rock of Saint Peter, the prince of the Apostles, 1st among equals, and the embodiment of the Church office, especially the papacy, our faith is made firm, we are given freedom to profess Christ and to remain vigilant until the Second Coming of the Savior.

We were happy to receive a resolution from Her Excellency, M. Jodi Rell, Governor of Connecticut read by her assistant governor and messages from Stamford’s Board of Alderman and the Mayor.

The Stamford Advocate ran an online slideshow presentation on February 23.

Bartholomew takes on critics of dialog, establishes Orthodox concern for Church unity

I’ve provided here excerpts of Bartholomew I’s Patriarchal and Synodal Encyclical, published on the Sunday of Orthodoxy (February 21, 2010). The letter was not only published under the name of Patriarch Bartholomew, but it was signed by 12 other bishops. The Patriarch is obviously trying to calm the irrational fears stirred up by some extreme Orthodox thinkers. No doubt there are significant, well-crafted –though ludicrous–objections to the dialogic process between the churches.

Catholics have their own irrational critics of the ecumenical movement, but I think there is sometimes good reason for the ecumenical leaders to pay attention to thoughtful criticism. I think we have been saddled with misguided “ecumenists” who capitulate to others some substantial matters like the nature of truth, morals, the sacred Liturgy, dogma, ecclesiology, teaching authority, etc.

But with this patriarchal letter, Bartholomew sets the stage for thinking intelligently and faithfully in an effort to work toward unity among Christians, without which the Christian witness to Christ as Lord and Savior and the sacramentality of the Church is weakened. There are matters raised by the critics that need to be dealt with directly, like: To what end do the dialogues aim? Is full, visible unity possible, or are we wasting our time? Can a selective reading of history be set aside and real scholarship emerge to shed light on historical events and gestures and theological reflection? How do we discern the work of the Holy Spirit in the dialogues? Are truth claims made by the Churches (Rome and Constantinople) accurate and faithful to the Lord? Are the bishops obstructionists or men of good will?

Funny, this letter will be read by the Catholic world on the ancient feast of the Chair of Peter on who whose witness we rely on for Christian unity. Would that the irony might be an opportunity for more concrete expressions unity of life in Christ. What Bartholomew says of the Orthodox Church is applicable to the Roman Church. Emphasis is mine.

May Saint Peter and Saint Andrew with Mary, Mother of God, pray for us.

With a sense of duty and responsibility, despite its hurdles and problems, as the First-Throne Church of Orthodoxy, the Ecumenical Patriarchate cares about protecting and establishing the unity of the Orthodox Church, in order that with one voice and in one heart we may confess the Orthodox faith of our Fathers in every age and even in our times. For, Orthodoxy is not a museum treasure that must be preserved; it is a breath of life that must be transmitted and invigorate all people. Orthodoxy is always contemporary, so long as we promote it with humility and interpret it in light of the existential quests and needs of humanity in each historical period and cultural circumstance.

To this purpose, Orthodoxy must be in constant dialogue with the world. The Orthodox Church does not fear dialogue because truth is not afraid of dialogue. On the contrary, if Orthodoxy is enclosed within itself and not in dialogue with those outside, it will both fail in its mission and no longer be the “catholic” and “ecumenical” Church. Instead, it will become an introverted and self-contained group, a “ghetto” on the margins of history. This is why the great Fathers of the Church never feared dialogue with the spiritual culture of their age – indeed even with the pagan idolaters and philosophers of their world – thereby influencing and transforming the civilization of their time and offering us a truly ecumenical Church.

Today, Orthodoxy is called to continue this dialogue with the outside world in order to provide a witness and the life-giving breath of its faith. However, this dialogue cannot reach the outside world unless it first passes through all those that bear the Christian name. Thus, we must first converse as Christians among ourselves in order to resolve our differences, in order that our witness to the outside world may be credible. Our endeavors for the union of all Christians is the will and command of our Lord, who before His Passion prayed to His Father “that all [namely, His disciples] may be one, so that the world may believe that You sent me.” (John 17.21) It is not possible for the Lord to agonize over the unity of His disciples and for us to remain indifferent about the unity of all Christians. This would constitute criminal betrayal and transgression of His divine commandment.

It is precisely for these reasons that, with the mutual agreement and participation of all local Orthodox Churches, the Ecumenical Patriarchate has for many decades conducted official Panorthodox theological dialogues with the larger Christian Churches and Confessions. The aim of these dialogues is, in a spirit of love, to discuss whatever divides Christians both in terms of faith as well as in terms of the organization and life of the Church.

These dialogues, together with every effort for peaceful and fraternal relations of the Orthodox Church with other Christians, are unfortunately challenged today in an unacceptably fanatical way – at least by the standards of a genuinely Orthodox ethos – by certain circles that exclusively claim for themselves the title of zealot and defender of Orthodoxy. As if all the Patriarchs and Sacred Synods of the Orthodox Churches throughout the world, who unanimously decided on and continue to support these dialogues, were not Orthodox. Yet, these opponents of every effort for the restoration of unity among Christians raise themselves above Episcopal Synods of the Church to the dangerous point of creating schisms within the Church.

In their polemical argumentation, these critics of the restoration of unity among Christians do not even hesitate to distort reality in order to deceive and arouse the faithful. Thus, they are silent about the fact that theological dialogues are conducted by unanimous decision of all Orthodox Churches, instead attacking the Ecumenical Patriarchate alone. They disseminate false rumors that union between the Roman Catholic and Orthodox Churches is imminent, while they know well that the differences discussed in these theological dialogues remain numerous and require lengthy debate; moreover, union is not decided by theological commissions but by Church Synods. They assert that the Pope will supposedly subjugate the Orthodox, because they latter submit to dialogue with the Roman Catholics! They condemn those who conduct these dialogues as allegedly “heretics” and “traitors” of Orthodoxy, purely and simply because they converse with non-Orthodox, with whom they share the treasure and truth of our Orthodox faith. They speak condescendingly of every effort for reconciliation among divided Christians and restoration of their unity as purportedly being “the pan-heresy of ecumenism” without providing the slightest evidence that, in its contacts with non-Orthodox, the Orthodox Church has abandoned or denied the doctrines of the Ecumenical Councils and of the Church Fathers.

Beloved children in the Lord, Orthodoxy has no need of either fanaticism or bigotry to protect itself. Whoever believes that Orthodoxy has the truth does not fear dialogue, because truth has never been endangered by dialogue. By contrast, when in our day all people strive to resolve their differences through dialogue, Orthodoxy cannot proceed with intolerance and extremism. You should have utmost confidence in your Mother Church. For the Mother Church has over the ages preserved and transmitted Orthodoxy even to other nations. And today, the Mother Church is struggling amid difficult circumstances to maintain Orthodoxy vibrant and venerable throughout the world.

Luigi Giussani: the 5th anniversary of death

Five years ago today Monsignor Luigi Giussani died after suffering the effects of Parkinson’s Disease. I continue to miss his voice and witness to faith we profess in Christ.

O God, the Lord of mercies, grant to the soul of Thy servant Luigi Giussani, priest, whose anniversary we are keeping, a place of refreshment, rest and happiness and the glory of Thy Light.

Pope John Paul IIs personal letter on man and work of Luigi Giussani.

Here is Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger’s homily for Monsignor Giussani on February 24, 2005.

Chair of Saint Peter

Whatever you
will bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth
will be loosed in heaven, the Lord said to Simon Peter.

O God, Who having given
Peter, Thy Apostle, the keys of the kingdom of heaven, did bestow on him the
pontifical power of binding and loosing; grant that by the help of intercession
we may be delivered from the bonds of our sins.

On this feast in 2009, Pope Benedict taught the following in an audience:

“This Sunday is also the
feast of the Chair of Peter, an important liturgical feast that highlights the
office of the successor of the Prince of the Apostles. The chair of Peter
symbolizes the authority of the Bishop of Rome, who is called to perform a
special service for the whole People of God. Immediately after the martyrdom of
Saint Peter and Saint Paul, the primacy of the Church of Rome in the Catholic
community was recognized. This role was already attested to in the 2nd century
by Saint Ignatius of Antioch (Letter to the Romans, Pref.: Funk, I, 252) and by
Saint Irenaeus of Lyons (Contra Haereses, III, 3, 2-3). This singular and
specific ministry of the Bishop of Rome was stressed again by the Second
Vatican Council. “Moreover, within the Church,” we read in the
Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, “particular Churches hold a rightful
place; these Churches retain their own traditions, without in any way opposing
the primacy of the Chair of Peter, which presides over the whole assembly of
charity (cf. Saint Ignatius of Antioch, Letter to the Romans, Pref.) and protects
legitimate differences, while at the same time assuring that such differences do
not hinder unity but rather contribute toward it” (Lumen Gentium, 13).

Pope Benedict XVI,

Feast of the Chair of Saint Peter, 22 February 2009

The
Church celebrates today, since the 4th century, the Feast of the Chair of Saint Peter, Apostle. The
Church does not worship church furnishings but the office that was given to the
Apostle Peter by the Lord Himself. This chair, then, is the key to unity among
Christians. Hence, it is not just a chair, but a throne or cathedra, i.e., a
seat of pastoral authority. It is not an authority for temporal affairs or political engagement. It is about preaching, teaching and sanctifying God’s people. These three functions are to lead others to heaven —communio with the Blessed Trinity.

For what purpose does the Church have a feast called the “Chair
of Saint Peter” and how is it connected with unity among Christians? Saint
Cyprian, Carthage’s bishop (d. 258), tells us,

“The Lord says to Peter: ‘I
say to you,’ He says, ‘that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my
Church, and the gates of hell will not overcome it. And to you I will give the
keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatever things you bind on earth shall be
bound also in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth, they shall be loosed
also in heaven.’ And again He says to him after His resurrection: ‘Feed my
sheep.’ On him He builds the Church, and to him He gives the command to feed
the sheep; and although He assigns a like power to all the Apostles, yet He
founded a single chair, and He established by His own authority a source and an
intrinsic reason for that unity. Indeed, the others were that also which Peter
was; but a primacy is given to Peter whereby it is made clear that there is but
one Church and one chair. So too, all are shepherds, and the flock is shown to
be one, fed by all the Apostles in single-minded accord. If someone does not
hold fast to this unity of Peter, can he imagine that he still holds the faith?
If he desert the chair of Peter upon whom the Church was built, can he still be
confident that he is in the Church?“

“There is one God and one
Christ, and one Church, and one Chair founded on Peter by the word of the Lord.
It is not possible to set up another altar or for there to be another
priesthood besides that one altar and that one priesthood. Whoever has gathered
elsewhere is scattering.”

Saint Cyprian is very clear that Christ founded
upon Saint Peter the visible basis of the unity of the Church. Peter does not replace Christ as the
head of the Church. In theological terms this feast notes, observes and
otherwise holds up a primacy given by the Lord to Saint Peter to ensure and preserve
her unity. Saint Cyprian argues:

“With a false bishop appointed for
themselves by heretics, they dare even to set sail and carry letters from
schismatics and blasphemers to the chair of Peter and to the principal Church,
in which sacerdotal unity has its source; nor did they take thought that these
are Romans, whose faith was praised by the preaching Apostle, and among whom it
is not possible for perfidy to have entrance.”

For Saint Cyprian, the unity of the bishops and priests has its source (not only as a
past event but as a living, thriving principle) in the Chair of Saint Peter.

Last year’s blog post may also have some relevant info…

Lent: the verification if Christ really came to save us

Being that today is the first Sunday of Lent, I am drawn to reflecting what it means to “live Lent” and to know better what is supposed to happen to me during Lent with all this prayer, fasting and charity. To begin understanding Lent I’ve turned to Father Alexander Schmemann’s book, Great Lent (Crestwood, NY: St Vladimir’s Seminary Press). Here are some excerpts:

When a man leaves on a journey, he must know where he is going. Thus with Lent. Above all, Lent is a spiritual journey and its destination is Easter, “the Feast of Feasts.” It is the preparation for the “fulfillment of Pascha, the true Revelation.” We must begin, therefore, by trying to understand this connection between Lent and Easter, for it reveals something very essential, very crucial about our Christian faith and life.

Is it necessary to explain that Easter is much more than one of the feasts, more than a yearly commemoration of a past event? Anyone who has, be it only once, taken part in that night which is “brighter than the day,” who has tasted of that unique joy, knows it. […] On Easter we celebrate Christ’s Resurrection as something that happened and still happens to us. For each one of us received the gift of that new life and the power to accept it and live by it. It is a gift which radically alters our attitude toward everything in this world, including death. It makes it possible for us to joyfully affirm: “Death is no more!” Oh, death is still there, to be sure, and we still face it and someday it will come and take us. But it is our whole faith that by His own death Christ changed the very nature of death, made it a passage — a “passover,” a “Pascha” — into the Kingdom of God, transforming the tragedy of tragedies into the ultimate victory. […]

Such is that faith of the Church, affirmed and made evident by her countless Saints. Is it not our daily experience, however, that this faith is very seldom ours, that all the time we lose and betray the “new life” which we received as a gift, and that in fact we live as if Christ did not rise from the dead, as if that unique event had no meaning whatsoever for us? […] We simply forget all this — so busy are we, so immersed in our daily preoccupations — and because we forget, we fail. And through this forgetfulness, failure, and sin, our life becomes “old” again — petty, dark, and ultimately meaningless — a meaningless journey toward a meaningless end. […] We may from time to time acknowledge and confess our various “sins,” yet we cease to refer our life to that new life which Christ revealed and gave to us. Indeed, we live as if He never came. This is the only real sin, the sin of all sins, the bottomless sadness and tragedy of our nominal Christianity.

If we realize this, then we may understand what Easter is and why it needs and presupposes Lent. For we may then understand that the liturgical traditions of the Church, all its cycles and services, exist, first of all, in order to help us recover the vision and the taste of that new life which we so easily lose and betray, so that we may repent and return to it. […] And yet the “old” life, that of sin and pettiness, is not easily overcome and changed. The Gospel expects and requires from man an effort of which, in his present state, he is virtually incapable. […] This is where Great Lent comes in. This is the help extended to us by the Church, the school of repentance which alone will make it possible to receive Easter not as mere permission to eat, to drink, and to relax, but indeed as the end of the “old” in us, as our entrance into the “new.” […] For each year Lent and Easter are, once again, the rediscovery and the recovery by us of what we were made through our own baptismal death and resurrection.

A journey, a pilgrimage! Yet, as we begin it, as we make the first step into the “bright sadness” of Lent, we see — far, far away — the destination. It is the joy of Easter, it is the entrance into the glory of the Kingdom. And it is this vision, the foretaste of Easter, that makes Lent’s sadness bright and our lenten effort a “spiritual spring.” The night may be dark and long, but all along the way a mysterious and radiant dawn seems to shine on the horizon. “Do not deprive us of our expectation, O Lover of man!”

Archbishop Dolan prays for Giussani, thanks Communion & Liberation, gives us the logic of Lent

Tomorrow is the 5th anniversary of death of the great priest and founder of Communion & Liberation, Monsignor Luigi Giussani. More on that later. However, the NY community of Communion & Liberation gathered at Saint Patrick’s Cathedral for the Sacrifice of the Mass celebrated by the Archbishop, Timothy M. Dolan. Among those in the sanctuary were Bishop William McCormack (retired auxiliary bishop of NY celebrating 51 years a priest today) and Bishop Gerald Walsh (NY auxiliary bishop and rector of Saint Joseph’s Seminary), Msgr. Lorenzo Albacete, Carmelite Father Eugene and Father Daniel O’Reilly with the seminarians from Dunwoodie and the collegians from St John Neumann Seminary Residence.

A few times in the course of the Mass and following, Dolan expressed his gratitude for the presence and witness of Communion and Liberation in the Archdiocese of NY. Today’s Mass joins many others around the USA and in others parts of the world praying for Giussani and for the good of the movement. See where Mass is being offered here.

In his homily, Archbishop Dolan reminded us of the deadly sins that cut us off from God, the Church community, others and ourselves. The gospel for today (Lk 4) is a stark reminder is that the Lord was tempted, but didn’t capitulate to the temptations demonstrating a supreme trust in His Father. This he did by speaking of the Logic of Lent: the pilgrimage during the season of Lent is a movement away from sin and sinful tendencies inching toward life with the Trinity, the living God. In order for us to live holiness of life we need to live as those Christ matters, as though the truth the Church teaches does, in fact, set us free. We are made for communion, interpersonal relationships first with God and then with each other; selfishness and pride divides us. Ultimately, we have to take seriously the Scriptural warrants for life with God: purity of heart, humility of personality. The Christian life is not “my will be done,” but it’s the other way around, “Thy will be done, God.’

How do we decapitate sin? How do we live more intently this time of faith in Christ?

The 3 ancient Christian practices:

1. Prayer: the posture is the recollection that without God nothing is possible

2. Penance: self-denial to curb the human drive to disordered pleasures

3. Charity: mercy and self-gift as acts of love to live in a dignified way as God wants us to live.

When we do our part in self-emptying ourselves of sinful tendencies, God does His part in giving us what we need: true and lasting happiness.

The proffered the hope that Msgr. Luigi Giussani would be made a Doctor of the Church. I hope the Archbishop’s words were heard in heaven!

A 12th century anthem was sung at the Preparation of the Altar at Mass, “Ave Regina Caelorum,” musically arranged by Gregor Aichinger. Typically this hymn is sung after Compline from the feast of the Presentation of the Lord until Holy Thursday. A version of the text in English follows:

Hail, Queen of Heaven!

Hail, Mistress of Angels!

Hail, root, hail portal,

From which the Light for the world has Risen.

Rejoice, glorious Virgin,

Beautiful above all others.

Farewell, most gracious,

And pray for us to Christ.

A fitting reminder of the beauty of Mary, Mother of God and her role as intercessor for us before her son, Jesus. May she also intercede for Msgr. Luigi Giussani and for Communion and Liberation.

Clarifications on Summorum Pontificum

The Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei which oversees various matters pertaining to the praying of the Missal of Blessed John XXIII, sometimes called the Missal of 1962, or simply, THE Mass, issued a few clarifications on what the Pope intends to happen as a result of the publication of the motu proprio Summorum Pontificum which liberated from ideologues the praying of the Missal of Blessed John.

The points made by the Commission have much to do with scheduling Mass in the parish church, interchangeability of calendars and the proclamation of the Scripture readings in one’s own language.

The summary points and a copy of the letter from Ecclesia Dei is posted here.

The matter of allowing the Missal of John XXIII to breathe is something the Holy Father has for in the dioceses around the world but since many dioceses are a bit sclerotic little-to-nothing is done. The resistance (obstructionist tendencies?) is not limited to dioceses, religious orders have put the brakes on following the guided companionship we call the Church, AKA as obedience. Faithful following and listening is not a priority for some, even the clergy.

Clericus Cup 2010: learning to work with athletes, seminarians take to the field

Today begins the 2010 Clericus Cup (soccer tournament) for Catholic seminarians and young priests studying in Rome teaching values of good sportsmanship. 16 international seminaries or religious houses participate in the Cup. The Pontifical North American College Martyrs represent the USA.

The games are co-sponsored by the Vatican’s Council for the Laity and various other organizations. The Vatican has backed the games for the last 4 years. President of the Clericus Cup said: ” The Church is close to those in the sports world, those who work hard, and train, making sacrifices to show that through sports, common rules are shared and new friendships are made.”

Friendship among the seminarians –future priests– is the point of this tournament.

This year there are 373 players representing 65 nationalities. The Mexican seminarians are a favored team over the Italian. May 22 is the final game.

Follow the Clericus Cup on Facebook.

Follow the North American Martyrs on Facebook.

The story can be viewed here.

The Zenit article can be read here.

The CNS article can be read here.

Blesseds Francisco & Jacintha

Unless you change and become like little children you will never enter the Kingdom of Heaven.

God of infinite goodness who loves the innocent and exalts the humble grant that, in imitation of Blesseds Francisco and Jacintha, we may serve You with purity of heart and so be worthy to enter the Kingdom of Heaven.

I would recommend watching the recently released movie, “The 13th Day” on the Fatima apparition of Our Lady. It is a beautiful movie!

Lent lengthens our horizon, it orients us to eternal life, Pope tells us

I present to you most of the Pope’s homily for Ash Wednesday. Emphasis added to draw attention to some excellent ideas or turns of phrase.

With this moving invocation, taken from the Book of
Wisdom (cf 11:23-26), the liturgy introduces the Eucharistic celebration of Ash
Wednesday. They are words that, in some way, open the whole Lenten journey,
placing as their foundation the omnipotence of the love of God, his absolute
lordship over every creature, which is translated in infinite indulgence,
animated by a constant and universal will to live. In fact, to forgive someone
is equivalent to saying: I do not want you to die, but that you live; I always
and only want your good.

This absolute certainty sustained Jesus during the 40
days transpired in the desert of Judea, after the baptism received from John in
the Jordan. This long time of silence and fasting was for him a complete
abandonment to the Father and to his plan of love; it was a
“baptism,” that is, an “immersion” in his will, and in this
sense, an anticipation of the Passion and the Cross. To go into the desert and
to stay there a long time, alone, meant to be willingly exposed to the assaults
of the enemy, the tempter who made Adam fall and through whose envy death
entered the world (cf Wisdom 2:24); it meant engaging in open battle with him,
defying him with no other weapons than limitless confidence in the omnipotent
love of the Father. Your love suffices me, my food is to do your will (cf John
4:34): This conviction dwelt in the mind and heart of Jesus during that
“Lent” of his. It was not an act of pride, a titanic enterprise, but
a decision of humility, consistent with the Incarnation and the Baptism in the
Jordan, in the same line of obedience to the merciful love of the Father, who
“so loved the world that he gave his only Son” (John 3:16).

The Lord
did all this for us. He did it to save us and, at the same time, to show us the
way to follow him. Salvation, in fact, is a gift, it is God’s grace, but to
have effect in my existence it requires my consent, an acceptance demonstrated
in deeds, that is, in the will to live like Jesus, to walk after him. To follow
Jesus in the Lenten desert is, hence, the condition necessary to participate in
his Easter, in his “exodus.” Adam was expelled from the earthly
Paradise, symbol of communion with God; now, to return to that communion and,
therefore, to true life, it is necessary to traverse the desert, the test of
faith. Not alone, but with Jesus! He — as always — has preceded us and has
already conquered in the battle against the spirit of evil. This is the meaning
of Lent, liturgical time that every year invites us to renew the choice to follow
Christ on the path of humility to participate in his victory over sin and
death.

Understood in this perspective also is the penitential sign of the
ashes, which are imposed on the head of those who begin with good will the
Lenten journey. It is essentially a gesture of humility, which means: I
recognize myself for what I am, a frail creature, made of earth and destined to
the earth, but also made in the image of God and destined to him. Dust, yes,
but loved, molded by love, animated by his vital breath, capable of recognizing
his voice and of responding to him; free and, because of this, also capable of
disobeying him, yielding to the temptation of pride and self-sufficiency. This
is sin, the mortal sickness that soon entered to contaminate the blessed earth
that is the human being. Created in the image of the Holy and Righteous One,
man lost his own innocence and he can now return to be righteous only thanks to
the righteousness of God, the righteousness of love that — as St. Paul writes
— was manifested “through faith in Jesus Christ” (Romans
3:22). From these words of the Apostle I took my inspiration for my Message,
addressed to all the faithful on the occasion of this Lent: a reflection on the
theme of righteousness in the light of the Sacred Scriptures and of its
fulfillment in Christ.

Also very present in the biblical readings of Ash
Wednesday is the theme of righteousness. First of all, the page of the prophet
Joel and the Responsorial Psalm — the Miserere — form a penitential diptych,
which manifests how at the origin of all material and social injustice is what
the Bible calls “iniquity,” that is, sin, which consists essentially
in a disobedience to God, namely, a lack of love. “For I know my
transgressions, / and my sin is ever before me. / Against thee, thee only, have
I sinned, / and done that which is evil in thy sight” (Psalm 51 (50):
3-4). The first act of righteousness, therefore, is to recognize one’s own
iniquity, it is to recognize that it is rooted in the “heart,” in the
very center of the human person. “Fasting,” “weeping”,
“mourning” (cf. Joel 2:12) and every penitential expression has value
in the eyes of God only if it is the sign of truly repentant hearts. Also the
Gospel, taken from the “Sermon on the Mount,” insists on the need to
practice proper “righteousness” — almsgiving, prayer and fasting —
not before men but only in the eyes of God, who “sees in secret” (cf
Matthew 6:1-6.16-18). The true “recompense” is not others’
admiration, but friendship with God and the grace that derives from it, a grace
that gives strength to do good, to love also the one who does not deserve it,
to forgive those who have offended us.

[…]

Dear brothers
and sisters, Lent lengthens our horizon, it orients us to eternal life. On this
earth we are on pilgrimage, “[f]or here we have no lasting city, but we
seek the city which is to come,” says the Letter to the Hebrews (Hebrews
13:14). Lent makes us understand the relativity of the goods of this earth and
thus makes us capable of the necessary self-denials, free to do good. Let us
open the earth to the light of heaven, to the presence of God in our midst.
Amen.