Author: Paul Zalonski
God unites & sustains society
Two weeks ago in the School of Community we were discussing the answer Msgr. Giussani gave to a questioner who asks if it is reasonable for a non-believer to ask Christ for anything: Giussani says that it is completely reasonable to ask Christ to answer our needs because He is the answer to absolutely everything. Wow! Christ is the answer to everything for all time. Period. Christ is the answer is THE to every question, to every concern we have. Now, let’s be serious: we’re not saying Christ is the answer to whether we’ll eat pasta or cereal today. He’s the answer to questions of meaning, faith, vision, fulfillment, etc. What follows here is the Pope is addressing the matter of how and why the Church is engaged in culture. This is the same work that the World Youth Alliance is doing and what Communion & Liberation is about; the pope’s explanation of ecclessial engagement in culture is reasonable. No?
The Church’s engagement with civil society is anchored in
her conviction that authentic human progress — whether as individuals or
communities — is dependent upon the recognition of the spiritual dimension
proper to every person. It is from God that men and women receive their
essential dignity (cf. Gen 1:27) and the capacity to transcend particular
interests in order to seek truth and goodness and so find purpose and meaning
in their lives. This broad perspective provides a framework within which it is
possible to counter any tendency to adopt superficial approaches to social
policy which address only the symptoms of negative trends in family life and
communities, rather than their roots. Indeed, when humanity’s spiritual heart
is brought to light, individuals are drawn beyond themselves to ponder God and
the marvels of human life: being, truth, beauty, moral values, and
relationships that respect the dignity of others. In this way a sure foundation
to unite society and sustain a common vision of hope can be found.
(Pope Benedict XVI’s address to the new Ambassador of New Zealand to the Holy See Robert Carey Moore-Jones, May 29, 2009)
NO such thing as second class grace
I have to admit that I am not a frequent reader of the spiritual theology of Saint Josemaría Escriva but I am more and more interested in what he said because I think there is something that corresponds to my heart. Time will tell how he will affect my my life.
Here the saint briefly speaks to the fact that we are called by the Gospel to conform to Christ –a message I tried to get across to the parish youth group. Of course, speaking of following AND conforming the self to the Will of God is a hard concept to get across to anyone let alone young people. As Christians we follow; we also closely adhere to the cross while looking to the resurrection. Be careful, you don’t get the resurrection without the cross coming first.
Back to the saint’s thought: Saint Josemaria said, for example, about the matter of sanctity and priesthood:
There is no second class
sanctity: there is either a continuous struggle to be in the grace of God and
conformed to Christ our model or we desert these divine battles. Our Lord
invites everyone to sanctify himself in his own state. In Opus Dei this passion
for sanctity–in spite of our individual errors and miseries–is not changed by
the fact that one is a priest or a layperson.
sanctity: there is either a continuous struggle to be in the grace of God and
conformed to Christ our model or we desert these divine battles. Our Lord
invites everyone to sanctify himself in his own state. In Opus Dei this passion
for sanctity–in spite of our individual errors and miseries–is not changed by
the fact that one is a priest or a layperson.
Saint Josemaría, Homily, Priest for Eternity, 13 April 1973
Antonella Cappuccio: Contemporary Italian Paintings
The Knights of Columbus Museum is hosting an exhibit of an artist who has painted popes and scenes relevant to our human reality. Some hail Antonella Cappuccio as reviving a renaissance sense of painting. I like her work because it is evocative. See for yourself: the exhibit runs until October 4th.
KofC Museum is a philanthropic work of the Knights. The museum was founded in 1982. The museum is a contemporary work of the Knights that takes seriously the artistic interests of Father Michael McGivney who brought art and faith together when he served in various parishes in New Haven and Torrington, CT.
Today’s New Haven Register article
Visit the Cappuccio webpage of the exhibit at The Knights of Columbus Museum
Saint Justin martyr
The saints were seized and brought before the prefect of
Rome, whose name was Rusticus. As they stood before the judgment seat, Rusticus
the prefect said to Justin, “Above all, have faith in the gods and obey the
emperors.” Justin said, “We cannot be accused or condemned for obeying the
commands of Our Savior, Jesus Christ.”
Rusticus said, “What system of teaching do you profess?”
Justin said, “I have tried to learn about every system, but I have accepted the
true doctrines of the Christians, though these are not approved by those who
are held fast by error.” The prefect Rusticus said, “are those doctrines
approved by you, wretch that you are?” Justin said, “Yes, for I follow them
with their correct teaching.”
The prefect Rusticus said, “What sort of teaching is that?”
Justin said, “Worship the God of the Christians. We hold him to be from the
beginning the one creator and maker of the whole creation, of things seen and
things and unseen. We worship also the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God. He
was foretold by the prophets as the future herald of salvation for the human
race and the teacher of distinguished disciples. For myself, since I am a human
being, I consider that what I say is insignificant in comparison with his
infinite godhead. I acknowledge the existence of a prophetic power, for the one
I have just spoken of as the Son of God was the subject of prophecy. I know
that the prophets were inspired from above from when they spoke of his coming
among us.”
Rusticus said, “You are a Christian, then?” Justin said,
“Yes, I am a Christian.”
The prefect said to Justin, “You are called a learned man
and think you know what is true teaching. Listen. If you were scourged and
beheaded, are you convinced that you would go up to heaven?” Justin said, “I
hope that I shall enter God’s house if I suffer in that way. For I know that
God’s favor is stored up until the end of the whole world for all who have
lived good lives.”
The prefect Rusticus said, “Do you have an idea that you
will go up to heaven to receive some suitable rewards?” Justin said, “It is not
an idea that I have; it is something I know well and hold to be most certain.”
The prefect Rusticus said, “Now let us come to the point at issue, which is
necessary and urgent. Gather round then and with one accord offer sacrifice to
the gods.” Justin said, “No one who is right-thinking stoops from true worship
to false worship.”
The prefect Rusticus said, “If you do not do as you are
commanded you will be tortured without mercy.” Justin said,, “We hope to suffer
torment for the sake of Our Lord Jesus Christ, and so be saved. For this will
bring us salvation and confidence as we stand before the more terrible and
universal judgment seat of our Lord and Savior.” In the same way the other
martyrs said, “Do what you will. We are Christians; we do not offer sacrifice
to idols.”
The prefect Rusticus pronounced the sentence, saying, “Let those who have refused to sacrifice to the gods and obey the command of the emperor be scourged and led away to suffer away to suffer capital punishment according to the ruling of the laws.” Glorifying God, the holy martyrs went out to the accustomed place. They were beheaded and so fulfilled their witness of martyrdom in confessing their faith in their savior.
Pope Benedict XVI’s prayer intentions, June 2009
The general intention
That international efforts to help poorer nations bring
prompt, concrete results to relieve the crushing burden of foreign debt.
The mission intention
That local Church communities serving areas torn by violence may be supported through the love and help offered by Catholics around the world.
Living in the Spirit with the Blessed Virgin Mary
Have you thought much about the terrific connection between the Blessed Mother and the Holy Spirit? There is an ever stronger interest in my heart that is building in me to experience more fully this intimacy, this desire of the Lord that is known in the heart of Mary. I mentioned it the other day by suggesting using some of the mysteries of the rosary to allow us to consider that intimacy between the Divine and the human. The Pope gave the follow meditation yesterday evening, the Vigil of Pentecost:
I greet all of you with affection at the end of the
traditional Marian vigil that concludes the month of May in the Vatican. This
year it has acquired a very special value since it falls on the eve of
Pentecost. Gathering together, spiritually recollected before the Virgin Mary,
contemplating the mysteries of the Holy Rosary, you have relived the experience
of the first disciples, gathered together in the room of the Last Supper with
“the Mother of Jesus,” “persevering and united in prayer”
awaiting the coming of the Holy Spirit (cf. Acts 1:14). We too, in this
penultimate evening of May, from the Vatican hill, ask for the pouring out of
the Spirit Paraclete upon us, upon the Church that is in Rome and upon the
whole Christian people.
The great Feast of Pentecost invites us to meditate upon the
relationship between the Holy Spirit and Mary, a very close, privileged,
indissoluble relationship. The Virgin of Nazareth was chosen beforehand to
become the Mother of the Redeemer by the working of the Holy Spirit: in her
humility, she found grace in God’s eyes (cf. Luke 1:30). In effect, in the New
Testament we see that Mary’s faith “draws,” so to speak, the Holy
Spirit. First of all in the conception of the Son of God, which the archangel
Gabriel explains in this way: “The Holy Spirit will descend upon you and
the power of the Most High will overshadow you” (Luke 1:35). Immediately
afterward Mary went to help Elizabeth, and when her greeting reached
Elizabeth’s ears, the Holy Spirit made the child jump in the womb of her
elderly cousin (cf. Luke 1:44); and the whole dialogue between the two mothers
is inspired by the Spirit of God, above all the “Magnificat,” the
canticle of praise with which Mary expresses her sentiments. The whole event of
Jesus’ birth and his early childhood is guided in an almost palpable manner by
the Holy Spirit, even if he is not always mentioned. Mary’s heart, in perfect
consonance with the divine Son, is the temple of the Spirit of truth, where
every word and every event are kept in faith, hope and charity (cf. Luke 2:19,
51).
We can thus be certain that the most Sacred Heart of Jesus,
in his whole hidden life in Nazareth, always found a “hearth” that
was always burning with prayer and constant attention to the Holy Spirit in
Mary’s Immaculate Heart. The wedding feast at Cana is a witness to this
singular harmony between Mother and Son in seeking God’s will. In a situation
like the wedding feast, charged with symbols of the covenant, the Virgin Mary
intercedes and, in a certain sense, provokes, a sign of superabundant divine
grace: the “good wine” that points to mystery of the Blood of Christ.
This leads us directly to Calvary, where Mary stands under the cross with the
other women and the Apostle John. Together the Mother and the disciple
spiritually taken in Jesus’ testament: his last words and his last breath, in
which he begins to send out the Spirit; and they take in the silent crying out
of his Blood, poured out completely for us (cf. John 19:25-34). Mary knew where
the blood came from: it was formed in her by the work of the Holy Spirit, and
she knew that this same creative “power” would raise Jesus up, as he
promised.
In this way Mary’s faith sustains the faith of the disciples
until the meeting with the risen Lord, and will continue to accompany them even
after his ascension into heaven, as they await the “baptism of the Holy
Spirit” (cf. Acts 1:5). At Pentecost, the Virgin Mary appears again as
Bride of the Spirit, having a universal maternity with respect to those who are
born from God through faith in Christ. This is why Mary is for all generations
the image and model of the Church, who together with the Holy Spirit journeys
through time invoking Christ’s glorious return: “Come, Lord Jesus”
(cf. Revelation 22:17, 20).
Dear friends, in Mary’s school we too learn to recognize the Holy Spirit’s presence in our life, to listen to his inspirations and to follow them with docility. He makes us grown in the fullness of Christ, in those good fruits that the apostle Paul lists in the Letter to the Galatians: “Love, joy, peace, magnanimity, benevolence, goodness, fidelity, meekness, self-control (5:22). I hope that you will be filled with these gifts and will always walk with Mary according to the Spirit and, as I express my praise for your participation in this evening celebration, I impart my Apostolic Benediction to all of you from my heart.
The Special work of the Holy Spirit
Each of the three Divine Persons is holy, and each is a
spirit, and we give the name “Holy Spirit” to the Third Person precisely
because He is all that the Father and the Son have
common -their divinity,
their charity, their blessedness, their delight in each other, their holiness
and their spiritual nature. The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of the Father and the
Son, proceeding from both, and He is the unity and charity of them both. The
Holy Spirit is so completely, so truly, God’s gift that unless someone has the
Holy Spirit, he has none of God’s gift, and whoever has any of them, has them
only in the Holy Spirit. Many things are given to us through the Holy Spirit,
but they are valueless if the chief gift of charity is lacking. And the reason
why the Holy Spirit is called “Gift of God” is because “the charity of God is
poured forth in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who is given to us.”
Nothing is more excellent than this gift, which ultimately
differentiates between the children of the kingdom and the children of
darkness. Even if all the other gifts are lacking, charity will take us to the
kingdom of God. Although faith can exist without charity, only the faith that
works through love can have any value. The Holy Spirit is the charity of the
Father and the Son, by means of which they love each other. He is the unity in
virtue of which they are one. When he is given to us, he enkindles in our
hearts the love of God and of one another. This same love, living in our
hearts, is the love by which God is love.
This is “the Spirit of the Lord which fills the whole world”
with his all-powerful goodness, appointing a perfect harmony among all
creatures, and filling them all with the vast riches of his grace, according to
the capacity of each. It is he who teaches us to pray as we ought, making us
cleave to God, rendering us pleasing to God and not unworthy to have our
prayers answered. He enlightens our minds and forms love in our hearts. All
this is the work of the Holy Spirit. We may even call it his own special work,
if we remember that he is sufficient for this task only because he can never be
separated from the Father and the Son.
William of Saint Thierry
Pantheon Rose
Every year on the Solemnity of Pentecost there’s a shower of red roses during the singing of the Veni Sanctae Spiritus at the Pantheon, the Basilica of Saint Mary of the Martrys.
See the video clip of this famous Roman tradition.
Come, Holy Ghost
Come, Holy Ghost, send down those beams,
which sweetly flow in silent streams
from Thy bright throne above.
O come, Thou Father of the poor;
O come, Thou source of all our store,
come, fill our hearts with love.
O Thou, of comforters the best,
O Thou, the soul’s delightful guest,
the pilgrim’s sweet relief.
Rest art Thou in our toil, most sweet
refreshment in the noonday heat;
and solace in our grief.
O blessed Light of life Thou art;
fill with Thy light the inmost heart
of those who hope in Thee.
Without Thy Godhead nothing can,
have any price or worth in man,
nothing can harmless be.
Lord, wash our sinful stains away,
refresh from heaven our barren clay,
our wounds and bruises heal.
To Thy sweet yoke our stiff necks bow,
warm with Thy fire our hearts of snow,
our wandering feet recall.
Grant to Thy faithful, dearest Lord,
whose only hope is Thy sure word,
the sevenfold gifts of grace.
Grant us in life Thy grace that we,
in peace may die and ever be,
in joy before Thy face. Amen. Alleluia.
This hymn, Veni, Sancte Spiritus, also known as the Golden
Sequence, is the poetic text (a sequence) for the Mass for Pentecost. It is
sung after the Epistle and before the Alleluia antiphon. It is regarded as one
of the greatest masterpieces of sacred Latin poetry. The hymn has been
attributed to three different authors, King Robert II-the Pious of France
(970-1031), Pope Innocent III (1161-1216), and Stephen Langton (d. 1228),
Archbishop of Canterbury. Archbishop Stephen is most likely the author. The
inclusion of this hymn in the sacred Liturgy is noted in the mid-12th century
or so and sung from Pentecost through the Octave. When the renewal of the
Liturgy happened following the Second Vatican Council the Octave of Pentecost
was suspended and the sequence limited to Pentecost Sunday.