Paul Zalonski – Page 512

Saint Norbert of Xanten

With the Church we pray:

O God, Who did raise up blessed Norbert, Thy Confessor and Bishop, to be an illustrious preacher of Thy word, and through him did render Thy Church fruitful with a new offspring; grant we beseech Thee, that helped by his merits we may practice by Thy grace what he taught both by word and deed.

2009 is the 875th anniversary of the death of Saint Norbert of Xanten, the founder of the 12th century Order of Premontre (the Norbertines).

The Pope, on behalf of the Church, wishes “to give thanks to the Lord for the many gifts He has bestowed through the extraordinary evangelical witness and exemplary zeal of your Holy Founder, the Holy Father hopes that this happy occasion will inspire a renewed fidelity to the model of the first Christian community gathered around the Eucharist and persevering in prayer with Mary, the mother of Jesus. May each monastery of the Order experience an increase in faithful dedication to the Church, austerity of life, missionary zeal, and the spirit of hospitality so that each monastery will become even more a house of prayer and a school of faith.”

Saint Boniface

With the Church we pray:

O God, Who by the zeal of blessed Boniface, Thy Martyr and Bishop, did vouchsafe to call a multitude of people to the knowledge of Thy Name; mercifully grant that we who celebrate his festival may also enjoy his protection.

From a Letter by Saint Boniface

In her voyage across the ocean of this world, the church is like a great ship being pounded by the waves of life’s different stresses. Our duty is not to abandon ship but to keep her on her course. The ancient Father showed us how we should carry out this duty: Clement, Cornelius and many others in the city of Rome, Cyprian at Carthage, Athanasius at Alexandria. They all lived under emperors who were pagans; they all steered Christ’s ship -or rather his most dear spouse, the church. This they did by teaching and defending her, by their labors and sufferings, even to the shedding of blood.

I am terrified when I think of all this. “Fear and trembling came upon me and the darkness” of my sins “almost covered me.” I would gladly give up the task of guiding the church which I have accepted if I could find such an action warranted by the example of the Father or by Holy Scripture. Since this is the case, and since the truth can be assaulted but never defeated or falsified, with our tired mind let us turn to the words of Solomon: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not rely on your own prudence. Think on him in all your ways, and he will guide your steps.” In another place he says: “The name of the Lord is an impregnable tower. The just man seeks refuge in it and he will be saved.”

Let us stand fast in what is right and prepare our souls for trial. Let us wait upon God’s strengthening aid and say to him: “O Lord, you have been our refuge in all generations.” Let us trust in him who has placed this burden upon us. What we ourselves cannot bear let us bear with the help of Christ. For he is all-powerful and he tells us: “My yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

Let us continue to fight on the day of the Lord. “The days of anguish and of tribulation” have overtaken us; if God so wills, “let us die for the holy laws of our fathers,” so that we may deserve to obtain an eternal inheritance with them.

Let us be neither dogs that do not bark nor silent onlookers nor paid servants who run away before the wolf. Instead let us be careful shepherds watching over Christ’s flock. Let us preach the whole of God’s plan to the powerful and to the humble, to rich and to the poor, to people of every rank and age, as far as God gives us the strength, in season and out of season, as Saint Gregory writes in his Book of Pastoral Instruction.

Franciscans re-elect Friar Jose Rodriguez Carballo as 119th successor to Saint Francis

ASSISI, Italy (CNS) — Spanish Father Jose Rodriguez
Carballo was re-elected to head the Franciscan order during a general chapter
May 24-June 20 in Assisi, Italy, the birthplace of St. Francis. Father
Carballo, 55, was elected to a second six-year term as minister general of the
Order of Friars Minor June 4. Some 152 representatives of the order reconfirmed
the Spanish friar during the Assisi meeting as the leader of the 15,000
Franciscans who live in 113 countries. Father Carballo is the 119th successor of
St. Francis and will lead the Order of the Friars Minor until 2015. The
delegates will celebrate the 800th anniversary of the founding of their order
June 9. Father Carballo told reporters at the end of May that during the
general chapter the delegates were looking at how well the order has met the
priorities set in 2003 for deepening spirituality, improving fraternal life and
living as poor among the poor and in solidarity with all those in need. Second,
he said, they would try to find new ways to meet the challenge of being
missionaries in the modern world.

The Franciscan Life…a lived reality of the heart & Will of God

The General Chapter of the Franciscan Order is meeting right now in Assisi. This is a privileged time of fraternity because it gives the brotherhood to review the past 800 years and sets in motion a vision for living that follows more closely in the footsteps of Saint Francis and Christ crucified and risen. The friars produced a terrific video that’s hopeful and powerful. You can view “I dream of a Franciscan Life” here.

Keep the Franciscans (OFM) in prayer as they review their manner of life and prepare to elected a new minister general. You can follow the important moments of the Chapter at the link above.

First Principle and Foundation: a fundamental spiritual teaching of Loyola

The goal of our life is to live with God forever. God who loves us, gave us life. Our own response of love allows God’s life to flow into us without limit.

All the things in this world are gifts of God, presented to us so that we can know God more easily and make a return of love more readily.

As a result, we appreciate and use all of these gifts of God insofar as they help us develop as loving persons.

But if any of these gifts become the center of our lives, they displace God and so hinder our growth toward our goal.

In everyday life, then, we must hold ourselves in balance before all of these created gifts insofar as we have a choice and are not bound by some obligation.

We should not fix our desires on health or sickness, wealth or poverty, success or failure, a long life or short one.

For everything has the potential of calling forth in us a deeper response to our life in God.

Our only desire and our one choice should be this: I want and I choose what better leads to the deepening of God’s life in me.

Saint Ignatius of Loyola
Spiritual Exercises (a new trans.)

Pope speaks with the young

On May 30^th, the Vigil of Pentecost, Pope
Benedict answered three questions of young people with extraordinary simplicity. The tenderness of the Pope’s answers is breadth-taking. This it the second time he’s
taken questions from the youth. The following is Alessandro’s question and you can read the rest of questions here. Plus, visit the Holy Childhood Association website AND get involved with their mission as the Pope encourages.

Dear Pope Benedict, you are the first missionary. How can we
young people help you to proclaim the Gospel?

Answer: I would say that one initial way is this: work with the
Pontifical Society of Missionary Childhood. In this way you are part of a great
family that brings the Gospel to the world. In this way you belong to a great
network. We see here how the family of the different peoples is reflected. You
are in this great family: each one does his part, and together you are
missionaries, bearers of the missionary work of the Church. You have an
excellent program: to listen, pray, learn, share, support. These are essential
elements that really are a way of being missionary, of advancing the growth of
the Church and the presence of the Gospel in the world. I would like to
highlight some of these points.

First of all, prayer. Prayer is a reality: God listens to
us, and when we pray, God enters into our lives, he becomes present among us,
active. Prayer is a very important thing, which can change the world, because
it makes the power of God present. And it is important to help each other to
pray: we pray together in the liturgy, we pray together in the family. And here
I would say that it is important to begin the day with a little prayer, and
also to end the day with a little prayer: remembering our parents in prayer.
Pray before lunch, before dinner, and on the occasion of the common celebration
on Sunday. A Sunday without the Mass, the great common prayer of the Church, is
not a real Sunday: the heart of Sunday is missing, and with it the light of the
week. And you can also help others – especially when there are no prayers at
home, when prayer is unknown – you can teach others to pray: pray with others
and introduce them to communion with God.

Next, listening, which means really learning what Jesus
tells us. Moreover, knowing the Sacred Scripture, the Bible. In the story of
Jesus, we come to know the face of God, we learn what God is like. It is
important to know Jesus deeply, personally. This is how he enters into our
lives, and, through our lives, enters into the world.

And also sharing, not wanting things for ourselves alone,
but for all; sharing with others. And if we see another who may be in need, who
is less fortunate, we must help him and in this way make the love of God
present without big words, in our little personal world, which is part of the
big world. And in this way we become a family together, where each respects the
other: bearing with the other in his uniqueness, even accepting those we don’t
like, not letting anyone be marginalized, but helping him to be part of the
community. All of this simply means living in this big family of the Church, in
this big missionary family.

Living the essential points like sharing, knowing Jesus, prayer, listening to each other, and solidarity is a missionary activity, because it helps the Gospel to become a reality in our world.

Julius J. Zalonski: RIP on the 22nd

Today is the 22nd anniversary of death of my paternal grandfather, Julius Zalonski. He died after nearly four months of serious health issues. In 1987, Grampi was the first of my grandparents to go to the Lord. His death, like all deaths in a family leave a hole the heart, even 22 years later.

I find the fact that I had four grandparents as a part of life for my first 18 years is in fact a singular grace. He was a strong, quiet, serious, faithful man. The countless times I spent with my grandfather are still very present to me. My grandfather was a steel worker and a farmer, a brother, a husband and father of 4, and a grandfather of 6.

Lord God, almighty Father, You have made the cross for us a sign of strength and marked us as Yours in the sacrament of the resurrection. Now that you have freed our brother Julius from this mortal life make him one with Your saints in heaven.

Avery Cardinal Dulles finally laid to rest

Our friend is finally resting in peace.

Avery Cardinal
Dulles, S.J., was buried on June 1 at the Shrine of the
North American Martyrs in Auriesville, NY. He died on December 12^th.
A Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated December 18^th at the
Cathedral of Saint Patrick by Cardinal Edward Egan.

Cardinal Dulles was the Laurence J. McGinley Professor of
Religion and Society at Fordham University since 1988. He was the first
American to become a cardinal without first becoming a bishop.

The Sacrifice of Mass celebrated by Bishop Howard Hubbard
for the soul of Cardinal Dulles at the Coliseum Church on the grounds of the shine. The
Cardinal received an escort by a pair of Naval officers, in recognition of
Cardinal Dulles’ military service during Second World War.

The Shrine of the North American Martyrs is the only one of its kind in the USA. There rests the Jesuit martyrs Saints Rene Goupil (1642), Isaac Jogues (1646), John Laland (1646) and others. New York Province Jesuits are buried in the cemetery at the Shrine.

Newman’s biographer resists the revisionists

The recent article in the UK’s Catholic Herald of John Henry Newman’s biographer who takes on the gay revisionists who try to rewrite the life of the late convert-cardinal-now-saint-hopeful. Father Ian Kerr defends Newman by trying to understand the meaning of the man’s life and words. I think the 19th century priest Father St. John is correct: we’ve lost a concept of affectionate friendship that’s not sexual.

Father Ragheed Ganni: a martyr’s 2nd anniversary of death

Today, it seems, is a day of remembering because it is an anniversary of two important witnesses of Jesus Christ: one is Blessed Pope John XXIII and the other is the 35 year old Iraqi priest, Father Ragheed Ganni. A Chaldean Catholic priest, Ganni was killed with three of his deacons after celebrating the Holy Mysteries. Forced from their car they were told to renounce faith in Christ and make their submission to Islam. They refused to renounce Christ and were gunned down.

Lord, you gave Ragheed Ganni Your servant and priest the privilege of a holy mystery in this world. May he rejoice for ever in the glory of Your kingdom.

Sandro Magister’s essay on Father Ganni’s last Mass…

Here is the story of Father Ganni published on the first anniversary of his death.

On 27 January 2009, Pope Benedict received the priestly vestments of Father Ganni and those of another witness to Jesus Christ, Archbishop Paul Rahho.