In this photo taken April 26, is a chip containing the entire Hebrew Bible at the Technion University in Haifa. During a May 11 reception at the residence of Israel’s president, Shimon Peres, Benedict XVI will receive this 300,000-word Hebrew text of the Jewish Bible inscribed on a silicon particle the size of a grain of sand, using nanotechnology. The chip is read through a microscope which makes it a tad difficult for lectio and proclamation in a synagogue or a church.
Gram’s anniversary of death
11 years ago today my maternal grandmother, Marian Barrett Leslie Grindell died at the age of 92. Then, as I do now, I thought that she’d be present to me forever. Biologically she died, but spiritually she remains close, true to what the Preface for the Mass of Christian Burial says, “life has changed, not ended.” I prayed for her today, as did my my Mom, recognizing the distance in time and activities that have transpired since that day the Lord called.
May the Good Shepherd and the saints keep her, and may her memory be eternal.
Glendon declines Notre Dame’s Laetare Medal
Mary Ann Glendon has declined the Laetare Medal given by the University of Notre Dame.
I believe this is the type of witness to Jesus Christ we hunger for from the depths of our heart.
Read her letter to Father Jenkins here.
Is Christ missing, or is it our humanity?
If Christ has nothing to do with what you touch and look at it, it’s not true that you are touching, it’s not true that you are looking. It’s not true that he has nothing to do with these things; rather, what’s true is that you’re not looking, touching, loving – your humanity isn’t true. In fact, you’re confused about your destiny and you’re completely skeptical about the possibility of reaching your destiny. What is human is missing: in our doubt, it’s not Christ that is missing, but rather our humanity. Msgr. Luigi Giussani
Baptism is the beginning and the grace of fulfillment
Conversion and baptism immerse us in Christ’s Easter mystery, and involve us in his death and resurrection. Easter calls for the reborn, the resurrected; the rebirth and the resurrection of which baptism is not only the beginning, but also offers the grace for its progressive and complete fulfillment.
As Christians we are never finished being converted, reborn and risen again; the condition of our life on earth is the tension of a continual regeneration in Christ, conforming us more and more to his death and resurrection.
A Christian’s striving is never ended; we ourselves says the Apostle who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait for the redemption (Romans 8:23). We shall have full and complete redemption only in heaven, for only then shall we be assimilated in an enduring way into Christ’s paschal mystery and die to sin, once for all. . .and be alive to God in Christ Jesus (Romans 6:10-11).
Divine Intimacy
Fr. Gabriel of St. Mary Magdalen, OCD
Prayer to Our Lady of Good Counsel
Holy Virgin, moved by the painful uncertainty we experience in seeking and aquiring the true and the good, we cast ourselves at thy feet and invoke thee under the sweet title of Mother of Good Counsel. We beseech thee: come to our aid at this moment in our worldly sojourn when the twin darknesses or error and of evil that plots our ruin by leading minds and hearts astray.
Seat of Wisdom and Star of the Sea, enlighten the victims of doubt and of error so that they may not be seduced by evil masquerading as good; strengthen them against the hostile and corrupting forces of passion and of sin.
Mother of Good Counsel, obtain for us from thy Divine Son the love of virtue and the strength to choose, in doubtful and difficult situations, the course agreeable to our salvation. Supported by thy hand we shall thus journey without harm along the paths taught us by the word and example of Jesus our Savior, following the Sun of Truth and Justice in freedom and safety across the battlefield of life under the guidance of thy maternal Star, until we come at length to the harbor of salvation to enjoy with thee unalloyed and everlasting peace.
Pope Pius XII
23 January 1953
Recently in the School of Community
People who follow the life of Communion & Liberation meet weekly for what is called the School of Community, a catechetical session which works on a particular idea of Msgr. Giussani’s. The catechesis is supposed to make the connection with one’s experience and a lofty theological opinion, as much as theological opinions are helpful from time-to-time. This year we are working on volume 2 of Is It Possible to Live This Way: Hope. (This follows on a book we worked on last year by a similar title though the subject then was faith and it is expected that we’ll work on volume 3 next year dealing with charity.)
Our group is faithful to coming together for the shared experience of learning the faith and sharing friendship. A great grace indeed.
Last evening we had the distinct privilege of welcoming the Master of the Order of Preachers, Father Carlos Azpiroz-Costa for 15 minutes to our meeting. Father Carlos is the successor of Saint Dominic de Guzman. He took a personal interest in all of us. He’s here in the US doing the work of the Order. Without prompting he mentioned that he’s speaking with the Dominicans (and others) about the intimate connection between faith and reason as particularly being Catholic and very needed today. Hence, he’s fleshing out the work of Pope John Paul II and now Pope Benedict. Father Carlos was incredibly encouraging of our friendship and work with the local priory of Dominicans in New Haven. May God grant him many blessings!
Cardinal Newman is set for beatification
The London Telegraph ran a story about the theologians’ acceptance/approval of the miracle put forward by Cardina John Henry Newman’s postulator. It’s an American helping a Brit. Now the information is on the Pope’s desk. “People” are hoping for a beatification ceremony in the autumn. Deo volente. Read the story here.
Saint Mark
O ye holy and just ones, rejoice in the Lord, alleluia. God hath chosen you unto Himself for an inheritance, alleluia.
O God, Who didst exalt blessed Mark, Thine Evangelist, by the grace of teaching Thy Gospel; grant we beseech Thee, that we may ever profit by his teachings and be defended by his prayers.
The real agenda of Pope Benedict
Often we hear assertions by the media (and others) that they know what a person is thinking, or better, what he’ll do next and why. This is certainly true when talking about the pope: Vatican watchers (speculators?) think they have the pope pinpointed. Much of what is said in the media is a string of partial understandings: one would hope that we could just say we are making a prediction so when it doesn’t materialize we don’t run away with our heads hung low. Of course human nature seems to want to be right all the time to garner power, fame and even money. Intrigue is rather boring 99% of the time. That said, there are a few people who modestly have an understanding of Benedict XVI which we ought to note.
The longtime friend and collaborator of Msgr. Luigi Giussani, Msgr. Massimo Camisasca, also the founder of the Priestly Fraternity Missionaries of Saint Charles Borromeo, wrote an OP-Ed piece, “The Method Of Benedict XVI
” for the online daily Il Sussidiario.net where he outlines a few important things in understanding Pope Benedict. Msgr. Camisasca is providing neither a comprehensive nor exhaustive look into Benedict’s life and work but is noting the evident things that many seem to miss. Consider the following themes:
1. there’s preference for a person’s interior change; the Pope relies on theological premise of conversatio morum (conversion of life/attitude) wrought by the Holy Spirit: nothing is impossible with God;
2. Catholic life necessarily entails a focus on the Church’s Liturgy which is rich in tradition because it is our first theology, that is, all else is derivative from the Liturgy: “…manifestation of God’s absolute prior initiative in human life, his grace, his mercy, and at the same time his ability to intervene in history, to give shape to existence, to accompany, visibly and invisibly, the paths of the cosmos toward their recapitulation” (above cited article); among other things read the Pope’s homilies because there’s an theological/spiritual itinerary that we need to be aware of but it’s found in this medium;
3. consider the initiatives found in the Years of Saint Paul and Saint John Vianney; what is more is more important than evangelization and priesthood? I would also add the work of the Synods of Bishops on the Word of God and the forthcoming one on Africa;
4. go east: think of Christian life in China which by all accounts has not been a raging success.
Aside from the normal cliches of recognizing that some call Pope Benedict the “new Leo the Great” or the “new Augustine” Msgr. Camisasca rightly focuses our attention on some rather important areas of concern for Benedict which also should concern us if we want to follow his lead to Christ. Instead of focusing on Benedict perhaps we focus on Christ through the lens of Benedict.