I Got All 10!

Readings for Sunday, April 27/ Divine Mercy Sunday:
Acts 2:42-47

Psalm 118:2-4, 13-15, 22-24
1 Peter 1:3-9
John 20:19-31

It’s the time of year when we start to see all the First Reconciliation and First Holy Communion pictures popping up on social media sites and the events happening in our community. The little girls come in their cute dresses and some even decked in veils, the boys with their best suits on, all looking nice for their big day. As a priest, I particularly love the reconciliation part because it’s like being stoned to death by popcorn – seven year olds aren’t usually horrible sinners. Maybe they’re just holding back, but I doubt it. My experience of First Reconciliation and First Holy Communion were very different. Because my family left when I was little to attend the Methodist Church in our home town, I didn’t have the true Sacraments of the Church, so when we returned I had to start from scratch as an 11 year old. At 12 I celebrate First Reconciliation and remember it rather clearly. You know how the ‘Examination of Conscience’ sheets often break down the 10 Commandments? I walked in, sat down in the chair, looked at the priest and said, “I got all 10!” At age 12 the sins I spoke weren’t popcorn style because I had learned how to sin well and often. The bigger problem was that I didn’t even care because I had no belief in God, no faith, no anything that made me think that maybe I should be worried about the things I’d done in my life to that point. I didn’t get the seriousness of it.

This weekend Mother Church invites us to pause and realize the full implication of the message of Divine Mercy. Did you hear the opening Collect of Mass? We prayed for the grace, “that all may grasp and rightly understand in what font they have been washed, by whose Spirit they have been reborn, by whose Blood they have been redeemed.” We need to understand the message of Mercy and that begins by understanding the reality of sin.

To simply say, “I have sinned” or “I broke one of the Commandments” or even “I hurt God” doesn’t always hit home. It can seem a bit vague or lacking in consequence. But to say bluntly “I deserve to go to Hell”… well, that’s a different story. The truth is that because we are sinners, because we break the Commandments and offend the Lord, we do deserve Hell - or maybe we could put it a bit more nicely since it’s Easter and say we don’t deserve Heaven. Either way that’s the reality and it’s true for all of humanity. Not even the Blessed Mother herself deserved Heaven apart from God! Let that soak in. It was because God preserved her from sin and He cleanses us from it and we are able to enter into the Kingdom prepared for the Righteous. And when we realize that, when we realize that we deserve Hell but are given the gift of Heaven, then we really understand Divine Mercy. I didn’t understand the value of Mercy at my first Confession, but I understand it today more than I ever have and I hope that understanding deepens as the years go along.

So we gather here today to call to mind, to celebrate, and to be immersed in, the infinite Divine Mercy of God. The Mercy that is so great that is k“Let the house of Israel say, “His mercy endures forever.” Let the house of Aaron say, “His mercy endures forever.” Let those who fear the Lord say, “His mercy endures forever.” Psalm 136 in the Scriptures says it even more, after every line, “for His mercy endures forever.” The truth is that God Divine Mercy does indeed endure forever and there is nothing that can separate us from it. There is no sin – past, present, or future – which can separate us from the Love and Mercy of God. God’s Mercy conquers everything, even death itself. God wants us to have that Mercy, to live that Mercy, and to show that Mercy to others. The question is this: do we want that Mercy?

nows no limits, that counts no costs, and that is willing to give more than we can ever ask. The Mercy that led Jesus Christ to climb the Cross and die for me. For you. That is the Mercy we celebrate today. It’s the Mercy we heard spoken in our readings, most beautifully in Psalm 118.

In the Church today there is lots of talk about the day of four popes – Popes Francis and Benedict celebrating the canonization of Pope Saints John XXIII and John Paul II. But there is another pope speaking to us today and that’s the original Pope, Peter himself. In the second reading today we heard an outpouring of rejoicing in the words of Peter. This rejoicing comes because Peter knows Mercy. Just a week or so ago we heard how Peter said at dinner “Lord, I will never deny you!” and yet he had done so thrice before breakfast, in addition to turning his face from the Lord at the scourging and the total abandonment for the crucifixion. Peter knew his sin all too well, but the Mercy of God came to him and changed everything. No more was Peter stuck in sin, but he was alive in Christ Jesus. The words he writes are in the second person tense ‘you’ but only because he knew them before in the first person ‘I’. Let’s listen to that first line again in that mindset.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who in his great mercy gave ME a new birth to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for ME, who by the power of God are safeguarded through faith, to a salvation that is ready to be revealed in the final time.

In the midst of so much celebration in the Church, let us implore our Lord to help us know the reality and consequences of our sinfulness that we might indeed come to understand the true power and value of the gift of Mercy that He shows to us today and, filled with joy, share that with the whole world.

A Mysterious Me

I received this little reflection by Fr. Solanus Maria Benfatti, CFR in an email several years back, before I was even a priest myself. It gave me much to reflect upon then and it strikes me even more now that I can relate to it firsthand. This vocation is a beautiful one and I thank God for it each day that I too have been called to have a 'front row seat' to the powerful hand of God at work in the hearts of His beloved children.

For sure, Pope Benedict's recent comment to the priests of Poland registers with me: "The greatness of Christ's priesthood can make us tremble." To feel very small, hugely humbled by the thing is a common experience for me. Very common. And yet, I frequently forget that I am a priest of only four months. Sometimes it almost seems that I've been doing this forever.At times I listen to myself in the confessional and I wonder whom this person is that is speaking, and just how he knows the things he thinks and says. I want to ask him from where he has come, because it seems as if from nowhere, like Melchisedech. I'm glad this man from nowhere has come along, because he sure is good for me. They say the priesthood is for others, but it's hard for one's faith not to be changed by the faith of others. Front row seats are hard to beat. The first time someone thirty years your senior lavishes gratitude on you for lifting a burden they've carried for years the same number; The first telephone call of thanksgiving you get from someone who had been an anonymous penitent in a far away place, now changed forever; The first time someone grabs you on the subway and says, "I realized I would never make it in time for confessions at such-and-such church and so I prayed to find a priest"; right then you know that you were made for this, and that your own salvation somehow depends on it. Fulton Sheen once called a book Those Mysterious Priests. I understand the title now. Because it is indeed a mystery, a very strange thing, the priesthood. That I am a priest is an additional mystery, though. It's at once foreign and familiar. It's everything I thought it would be and nothing I could have ever known. It's something to shrink from, but what I could never do without. And it's me. A mysterious me.

Encounter Him

Readings for December 25/ Christmas

MERRY CHRISTMAS! What joy to be able to say those blessed words after the continued anticipation of the Lord’s arrival throughout the Advent season. It is a special joy to be here on the river for a second year, a privilege not always granted to associate pastors, and to celebrate with so many people whom I have come to know and love. I’ve been reflecting lately on the many good things that have happened in this year and some of the things that were simply notable. For instance, at some point scraggly beards became all the rage this year, which I was happy happy happy to see. Sweet little Hannah Montana shocked the nation, which I was not so happy to see. For the first time in the history of the Catholic Church we elected a Jesuit as Pope and then he confused the whole world by promptly taking the name of the founder of the Franciscans! And, I think most notable, there was that one Sunday this year that my Sunday homily was under 10 minutes. (Don’t get your hopes up today…). These are just a few things that crossed my mind amidst the many things that I have seen God do in my life and in many of yours and I know that you can add many other good memories to that list. But I think one of the most important for all of us was the election of Pope Francis. While he has changed nothing of the teaching of the Church, he has brought to the papacy once more a vibrancy that we haven’t seen in a while  and which is drawing many to him, the Church, and the Lord. That vibrancy isn’t just in his youthfulness; it is in his visible witness of love and joy. Love and joy are attractive and it’s beautiful to see so many people interested in the faith once more, Catholics and non-Catholics alike.

In a similar vein, I am aware of the fact that we who are gathered here today come from different places – sometimes physically, but especially spiritually. Some of you showed up early and claimed your usual Sunday spot, some of you may be here for the first time in some months or even years, some of you may be here because it’s just what you do at Christmas, others because it’s a family obligation and the gumbo is held hostage until everyone attends Mass. Some of you may be here today because there is just something missing that you don’t put a finger on and you’ve looked elsewhere to no avail, so you figured you’ve give the Lord another try. Or maybe you just got caught in traffic and decided to pull over here and rest for a bit. We come with different things on our hearts and from different places, but the invitation to each and every one of us tonight is the same: encounter the Lord.

In his recent exhortation, Pope Francis wrote something that is especially apropos in this Christmas celebration. He said, “I invite all Christians, everywhere, at this very moment, to a renewed personal encounter with Jesus Christ, or at least an openness to letting Him encounter them. No one should think that this invitation is not meant for him or her, since no one is excluded from the joy brought by the Lord.” Each of us is invited to that encounter today, to meet the God who is love and who took on flesh to draw us closer to Him here and in eternity.

How, though, do we encounter this God? How do we open our hearts to Him? A few weeks ago we heard in the Gospel the question put to Jesus by the disciples of John the Baptist, “Are you the one or should we look for another?” and His response was essentially, ‘Open your eyes and ears. Look and listen and tell me what you see and hear.’ We’ve heard the Scriptures proclaimed, so let us pause to reflect on their meaning. If the Lord had not taken on our flesh, we would be damned. If the Lord had not been born to this life, we would not be able to taste eternal life. If the Lord had not ransomed us from sin, we would still be enslaved to it. If the Lord had not come to bring peace, joy and life, we would dwell in a state of constant misery. If the Lord had not given the gift of His grace, we would all be lost, wandering in the desert of this life. If the Lord had not come to us, we would have nothing. The good news, though, is that He has come. He has ransomed us from sin, given us His grace, filled us with His life, made us His brothers and sisters, and opened for us the way to gates of Heaven. He has saved us, is saving us, and we pray at the end will save us once and for all. It is that God, love itself, who comes to us in the crib, who offered His life on the cross, and comes to us day after day on this holy altar. Let us encounter Him here in this place, calling to mind His love for you. Not ‘you’ as a group but ‘you’ as an individual. He created each of us with His own hands and He knows us better than we know ourselves. It is for us to recognize that truth and to respond in love.

That’s the Gospel we rejoice in today, that God is with us - with me, with you - that He loves me and He loves you. Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI in his encyclical letter Spe Salvi, Saved in Hope, said these consoling words: “When no one listens to me anymore, God still listens to me. When I can no longer talk to anyone or call upon anyone, I can always talk to God. When there is no longer anyone to help me deal with a need or expectation that goes beyond the human capacity for hope, He can help me.”

Our God is here. He has humbled Himself to encounter us and to be encountered by us; Emmanuel, God with us. May we also be with Him today, that He might fill us with His grace and draw ever more closely to the glory that is to come. Amen.

HWP: Prayer at Ground Zero

On this Twelfth Anniversary of the September 11 attacks, we continue to pray for peace, for the healing of our nation and our world, for those who died, for those who were affected then and now, and for all who have worked to help and bring healing. With that in mind, we turn to Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI's Prayer at Ground Zero from 2008:

O God of love, compassion, and healing,
look on us, people of many different faiths and traditions,
who gather today at this site,
the scene of incredible violence and pain.

We ask you in your goodness
to give eternal light and peace
to all who died here—
the heroic first-responders:
our fire fighters, police officers,
emergency service workers, and Port Authority personnel,
along with all the innocent men and women
who were victims of this tragedy
simply because their work or service
brought them here on September 11, 2001.

We ask you, in your compassion
to bring healing to those
who, because of their presence here that day,
suffer from injuries and illness.
Heal, too, the pain of still-grieving families
and all who lost loved ones in this tragedy.
Give them strength to continue their lives with courage and hope.

We are mindful as well
of those who suffered death, injury, and loss
on the same day at the Pentagon and in Shanksville, Pennsylvania.
Our hearts are one with theirs
as our prayer embraces their pain and suffering.

God of peace, bring your peace to our violent world:
peace in the hearts of all men and women
and peace among the nations of the earth.
Turn to your way of love
those whose hearts and minds
are consumed with hatred.

God of understanding,
overwhelmed by the magnitude of this tragedy,
we seek your light and guidance
as we confront such terrible events.
Grant that those whose lives were spared
may live so that the lives lost here
may not have been lost in vain.
Comfort and console us,
strengthen us in hope,
and give us the wisdom and courage
to work tirelessly for a world
where true peace and love reign
among nations and in the hearts of all.

Amen.

Fear, Trust, and Relationship

Icon of the Transfiguration

Readings for Sunday, February 24/ 2nd Sunday of Lent:
Genesis 15:5-12, 17-18
Psalm 27:1, 7-9, 13-14
Philippians 3:17-4:1
Luke 9:28-36

As I was reflecting on the Gospel passage for this weekend, a question came to my mind: ‘Why are we not all saints?’ After all, we come week after week, some of us even daily, to the altar of God to receive Him in the flesh. We have dozens of opportunities for growth in faith and countless ways for us to encounter God here in our community. So why are we not saints? I think the answer is that same as that feeling Peter, James, and John experienced and they were surrounded by the cloud of God’s Presence: fear.

There is a reason that God tells us not to be afraid over 300 times in the Scriptures. There is reason that Blessed John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI each began their pontificates with that refrain – “Be not afraid!” And there is a reason that in this time of chaos in the world around us a devotion has arisen whose mantra is simple yet profound: Jesus, I trust in You.

What is keeping us from being saints? Fear.

We’re afraid of the unknown. We’re afraid of others rejecting us if we live our faith more visibly. We’re afraid of not living up to our own expectations, so we keep the bar low. Sometimes, because people aren’t perfect, we have been hurt by others and are afraid to trust again. We might be afraid of the possibility of being called give up something we love. And some are simply afraid of the implications of God’s existence might have on their freedom or enjoyment of this life. These and other fears keep us bound up. The devil loves to plant these little seeds of fear into our hearts because they paralyze us and keep us moving forward. The invitation the Lord extends to us is to trust.

The thing about trust is that, unless you are naturally disposed to be extremely trusting, it is something that takes a while to develop and it takes a good relationship to develop it. This is the primary goal of the Christian life: relationship with Jesus Christ, God the Father, and the Holy Spirit.

This is one of the things that I appreciate most about Pope Benedict – if you look at any homily, exhortation, writing, or encyclical, they almost always include at some point the fact that we must have a relationship with Jesus Christ. He says it in a dozen different ways, but the message is always the same. We must know Jesus.

Pope Benedict XVI

As we heard last weekend in the Gospel, the devil knows well the scriptures and he likes to put them into use to try to trip us up but it is by relationship with God that we can see the truth of things. As a Catholic Church we have done a great job sacramentalizing people, a decent job catechizing people, but a poor job of evangelizing people.  We have lots of people who are Catholic – they’ve been baptized, receive Holy Communion, maybe even been confirmed and married in the Church – and yet the number of empty seats in the pews tell us that they haven’t been evangelized. They haven’t heard the gospel in a way that really reached them. They might know their catechism lessons and know what the Church says they should do. But the lack of a living relationship with Christ means that all of that is in vain. When the Father says to Peter, John, and James “Listen to Him,” He doesn’t mean simply hearing the words and being able to spit them back out on command. It’s not with our ears that we are called to listen by with our heart. It’s only by hearing the Gospel with our hearts that we are able to follow Jesus, to know Jesus, to love Jesus, and to live for Jesus.

Too often, as St. Paul points out, we get caught up in all the things of the world around us and forget that we were made for Heaven, that we were built for union with God, and that this life is just the testing ground to see if we’re ready to do it for eternity.

As we come today to receive Holy Communion, let us remember that it was God who took the first step in pursuing a relationship with us and He awaits our step to Him in return. Let us ask for this grace today to take one step closer to Christ today, that we might come to know Him more deeply, and be able to trust Him as He leads us down the path to holiness and Eternal Life.

HWP: Conclaves and Popes and Prayers, oh my!

Well, it's no secret that His Holiness, Pope Benedict XVI will be resigning from the See of Peter at 8pm on Thursday, February 28th. With that in mind, I introduce to you two prayers that I invite (and strongly encourage) you to pray in the coming days...

The Prayer for the Election of a Pope

O God eternal shepherd, who govern your flock with unfailing care, grant in your boundless fatherly love a pastor for your Church who will please you by his holiness and to us show watchful care. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

AND…

Prayer for the Holy Father

℣. Let us pray for Benedict our pope.

℟. The Lord preserve him, and give him life, and make him blessed upon the earth, and deliver him not up to the will of his enemies.

O God, Shepherd and Ruler of all Thy faithful people, look mercifully upon Thy servant Benedict, whom Thou hast chosen as shepherd to preside over Thy Church. Grant him, we beseech Thee, that by his word and example, he may edify those over whom he hath charge, so that together with the flock committed to him, may he attain everlasting life. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

(or in LATIN!!!)

℣. Oremus pro pontifice nostro Benedicto.

℟. Dominus conservet eum, et vivificet eum, et beatum faciat eum in terra, et non tradat eum in animam inimicorum eius.

Deus, omnium fidelium pastor et rector, famulum tuum Benedictum, quem pastorem Ecclesiae tuae praeesse voluisti, propitius respice: da ei, quaesumus, verbo et exemplo, quibus praeest, proficere: ut ad vitam, una cum grege sibi credito, perveniat sempiternam. Per Christum, Dominum nostrum. Amen.

Being Holy Families

Readings for Sunday, December 30/ Holy Family Sunday:
1 Samuel 1:20-22, 24-28
Psalm 84:2-3, 5-6, 9-10
1 John 3:1-2, 21-24
Luke 2:41-52

As we continue to celebrate the joyous coming among us of the Son of God and contemplate the reality and the meaning for us of His assuming our very flesh, we are today reminded by Holy Mother Church that Christ came among us not as an isolated individual, not as one entirely set apart, but as a member of a family – one who had an earthly mother and father, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins. Just as in taking on our flesh he elevated the nature of humanity itself, so also in coming among us as a child in a family he elevates the meaning and value of family in our world. Blessed John Paul II, of happy memory, spoke often about the reality that the family is the basic unit of society and that is families grow in holiness, the world itself grows in holiness. He, as well as many saints throughout the centuries, also spoke of the family as the ‘domestic church’ in which the faith is first taught. As the ritual for Baptism reminds us, it is the parents – and the family inclusive – who are the first teachers of the faith for their children. It’s not primarily the priest who should be conveying the faith, but the family in which the children live, learn, and develop both materially and spiritually. The family, because it is the foundation of society, is absolutely vital for our world and for ourselves and for that reason Mother Church recalls that reality and places before us the perfect model for us in the Holy Family – Jesus, Mary and Joseph.

Now, I have to admit that I laughed a little bit when I began to pray with the scriptures for this feast day in that we hold up the Holy Family as the model of families and yet the gospel we read is the one where they lose their child in the largest city in their region. At first glance it could seem that they’re not that perfect after all, but even this story of finding the Lord shows us just how wholesome they were.

All of us, when we reflect on things, do so from our own personal lived experience. Our past shapes the way we see the present and future. When I think about going as a family to a certain place – to visit another family member, for instance – it always happened that when you left I got in the car with my parents and whatever other siblings were with us and we went together back home. The Jewish custom was different though. They often travelled in large groups for feasts like this and in those caravans the women would all gather together and start walking first with the young children. Following them would be the men of the group at the back of the caravan with whatever supplies were needed. As Luke also points out, Jesus was 12 years old, which was the age of transition for a boy from being a child to an adult. Thus it would have been easy for Mary to think Jesus being now an adult would travel with Joseph and for Joseph to think that Jesus simply hadn’t remembered his new status in the community and continued to travel up front with His mother. That’s entirely possible, but going even more deeply, our Holy Father, Pope Benedict, points out in his new book ‘The Infancy Narratives’ that this event shows that Jesus was an obedient son who had so earned the trust and freedom from His parents that they knew He wouldn’t do anything wrong intentionally. Even losing their son in Jerusalem, he points out, shows that they were incredibly intimate as a family. But in this intimacy the Lord Jesus now challenges them to a new understanding of their relationship as a family when He points out that He ‘must be in His Father’s house’ – He uses the word ‘must’ to show His awareness of His Divine Sonship and the relationship that it requires of Him in prayer and faith. And just as He challenged His parents, so He wants to challenge us to live as families in a new way.

From the example of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph we can glean much wisdom. The simplicity and poverty that characterized their lives, the love they shared with one another, and the ordinariness of life that is the background of holiness are all helpful in us understanding our own relationship with the Father and our families. But even more, they provide for us a witness that faith is most important of all. The scriptures tell us in other places that each of them was always open to God’s Divine Will. As soon as they heard the Lord or His angel speak, they went to action to fulfill that desire. This shows us that they faith that they lived was not an external faith but one that was deeply ingrained in them. The gospel tells us that they regularly made trips to Jerusalem for the feast and that Mary, who was not obliged to go, also made the trip as a sign that they went together as a family to meet the Lord God in His Temple.

The challenge is for us to become families in imitation of that Holy Family. To do so we must first be families. Too often today parents and children both get so caught up in the latest gadgets, sports event, club meeting, or activity that family time is almost entirely lost. In order to be a holy family then, we must each in our own way make that conscious effort to be a family – to turn off the TV, put away the phones, have dinner together and simply make time to talk with one another. The next step is to come together as a family before the Lord. This can happen in a whole variety of ways – and it should since our families are different and need different things. It could be simply praying before and after meals, spending an evening in the week to pray with the scriptures for the coming Sunday or make a brief visit to the Adoration Chapel. Even simple things like listening to Catholic Radio on AM690 or talking about a neat story of faith we heard can be beautiful ways to join ourselves to the Lord in imitation of the Holy Family.  So let us especially in this Year of Faith and coming New Year work to indeed become Holy Families. Let us turn to Jesus, Mary and Joseph, whose images we have in each of our parishes, and ask them to help us grow as individuals and as families, that in the end the whole world would be set ablaze with love for Christ as He so greatly desires it to be. 

Having Faith

Reading for Sunday, October 14/ 28th Sunday of Ordinary Time:
Wisdom 7:7-11
Psalm 90:12-17
Hebrews 4:12-13
Mark 17:17-30

“At this statement his face fell, and he went away sad, for he had many possessions.”

As we hear this statement about the Rich Young Man in the Gospel going away sad, we should feel a similar sadness in our own hearts. The main point is not that the young man is so caught up in the worldly possessions he own. This is a story of a great lack of faith – he followed all the laws and commandments, yet he did not have faith in the Divine Lawgiver or the promise of heavenly treasure. It is because of his lack of faith that he does not come to know Christ. If that thought doesn’t evoke sorrow for him within our hearts, it’s time to do a little soul-searching because if we have come to know Jesus Christ personally in our own lives and experienced the incredible gift of being friends with the Lord, it should hurt us to see others come so close to Him and not experience the same.

This past Thursday, Pope Benedict XVI began the Year of Faith, lasting from October 11 of this year until November 24, 2013. Thursday was the 50th Anniversary of the opening of the Second Vatican Council and the 20th Anniversary of the publication of the Catechism of the Catholic Church. But that wasn't the primary reason for the Holy Father calling this Year of Faith. Rather, it was because of what he has identified as a 'profound crisis of faith.' Namely, the world around has lost the sense of God, faith, and anything other than what the world around us offers. To combat this, this year is supposed to be one in which each of us focuses on our own “authentic and renewed conversion to Christ” so as to be more compelled and better able to share our Catholic faith with the world around us; and our Gospel passage today gives us a beautiful outline of how to do so.

St. Mark’s description of the young man running up to Jesus seems to imply some urgency on his part; he has something important to ask. “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” How do I get to Heaven? This is an important question and one which all of us should have asked ourselves before and must ask again from time to time. This is the first point in authentic conversion to Christ – we must realize that we have been created for something more than this life. We have been created for Heaven and that inheritance awaits us, but we must first walk the path to get there.

This brings us to our second point in conversion to Christ. Upon hearing the young man’s question, Our Lord recalls the Commandments. In speaking of these laws, Jesus is telling the young man the actions that must be done or avoided. This is necessary because doing what God desires is the path to Heaven. For us today, this path is quite clearly marked out for us by the Church. Guided by the Holy Spirit, the teaching of Jesus Christ has remained the same in its essence for nearly 2000 years. This faith has been beautifully preserved in the Catechism of the Catholic Church, a book published 20 years ago under the guidance of Blessed John Paul II that outlines all the essential elements of our Catholic faith. We Catholics must know our faith so that generations after us can benefit from the beauty and wisdom of the teaching of Christ just as we have.

Upon hearing the Lord’s response about the Commandments, the young man says that he follows all the Commandments. Then something unexpected happens - Our Lord invites the young man to go an extra step and place his trust not in commandments or created things, but in Jesus Himself. He says simply, “follow me.” This personal invitation to relationship with Jesus is the key to personal conversion. Surely we must long for Heaven and we must know the teaching of Christ on how to get there, but most important of all is the relationship with Jesus Christ. Without this there is no conversion, there is no change of heart. The Letter to the Hebrews, written years after the death and resurrection of the Lord reminds us that “the word of God is living and effective” – Jesus Christ is still alive and very much at work in the world and in our lives. In the same way that Jesus looked at the young man and “looking at him, loved him” He does the same with us. In this moment Jesus in all of His glory is looking at each of us, loving us and inviting us to renew our commitment to follow after Him.  The Gospel passage etches into history the reality of the young man’s lack of faith. Let us today begin a new story wherein each of us is etched into the memory of our family, friends, and community around us not as a person who lacked faith but rather as a person who was fully alive with faith in Christ Jesus.

And how do we become those people of renewed and vibrant faith? We can read about our faith, we can put faith into action by acts of charity, and we can come to various classes and meetings to build us up in faith. But most of all, we must simply draw closer to Jesus Christ and know in our heart that He is alive and He loves us. This knowledge can only be found in prayer. So, in the end, while we are called to do many things, we must done only one – pray, pray, and pray.

Papal Intentions for September 2012

Let us join the Holy Father in praying for these intentions especially during this month of September:

General Intention: "That politicians may always act with honesty, integrity, and love for the truth".

Mission Intention: "That Christian communities may have a growing willingness to send missionaries, priests, and lay people, along with concrete resources, to the poorest Churches".

Papal Intentions for August 2012

Let us join our Holy Father in praying especially during the month of August for the following intentions:

General Intention: That prisoners may be treated with justice and respect for their human dignity

Missionary Intention: That young people, called to follow Christ, may be willing to proclaim and bear witness to the Gospel to the ends of the earth.

Papal Intentions for June 2012

Let us join the Holy Father in praying for these intentions during the month of June:

General Intention: That believers may recognize in the Eucharist the living presence of the Risen One who accompanies them in daily life. 

Missionary Intention: That Christians in Europe may rediscover their true identity and participate with greater enthusiasm in the proclamation of the Gospel.

Two New Doctors!

From the Vatican Information Service (VIS):

St. John of Avila and St. Hildegard of Bingen to be Proclaimed Doctors of the Universal Church

Vatican City, 27 May 2012 (VIS) - After celebrating Mass this morning in the Vatican Basilica for the Solemnity of Pentecost, the Holy Father appeared at the window of his study to pray the Regina Coeli with pilgrims gathered in St. Peter's Square.

Before the Marian prayer the Pope announced that on 7 October, at the start of the Ordinary Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, he will proclaim St. John of Avila and St. Hildegard of Bingen as Doctors of the Universal Church. "These two great witnesses of the faith lived in very different historical periods and cultural environments", he said. "Hildegard was a Benedictine nun during the height of the German Middle Ages, a true master of theology and a great scholar of the natural sciences and of music. John was a young diocesan priest of the Spanish Renaissance, who participated in the travails of the cultural and spiritual renewal of the Church and society at the dawn of the Modern Age".

The sanctity of their lives and the profundity of their doctrine mean that these two saints "retain all their importance. The grace of the Holy Spirit enabled them to experience profound understanding of divine revelation and intelligent dialogue with the world, two factors which represent the perennial goal of the life and activity of the Church".

St. John and St. Hildegard are particularly significant on the eve of the forthcoming Year of Faith, and in light of the new evangelisation to which the Synod of Bishops will be dedicating its attention. "Also in our own day, and through their teaching, the Spirit of the risen Lord continues to make His voice heard and to illuminate the path which leads to the Truth, which is the only thing that can make us free and give full meaning to our lives", the Pope said.

Papal Intentions for May

Let us join with Pope Benedict XVI in praying for these intention especially during this month of May:

General Intention: That initiatives which defend and uphold the role of the family may be promoted within society.

Missionary Intention: That Mary, Queen of the World and Star of Evangelization, may accompany all missionaries in proclaiming her Son Jesus. 

Let us pray for the Pope!

Today is the Holy Father's 85th birthday! 

Let us pray for the Pope!

V. Let us pray for Benedict XVI, our Pope.

R. May the Lord preserve him, and give him life, 

and make him blessed upon the earth, 

deliver him not up to the will of his enemies. 

Our Father....

Hail Mary....

O God, Shepherd and Ruler of all Thy faithful people, 

look mercifully upon Thy servant Benedict, 

whom Thou hast chosen as shepherd to preside over Thy Church. 

Grant him, we beseech Thee, that by his word and example, 

he may edify those over whom he hath charge, 

so that together with the flock committed to him, 

may he attain everlasting life. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Or in Latin! Oremus pro Pontifice!:

V. Oremus pro Pontifice nostro Benedicto.

R. Dominus conservet eum, et vivificet eum, 

et beatum faciat eum in terra, 

et non tradat eum in animam inimicorum eius.

Pater Noster...

Ave Maria...

Deus, omnium fidelium pastor et rector, famulum tuum Benedicto, 

quem pastorem Ecclesiae tuae praeesse voluisti, propitius respice: 

da ei, quaesumus, verbo et exemplo, quibus praeest, proficere: 

ut ad vitam, una cum grege sibi credito, perveniat sempiternam. 

Per Christum, Dominum nostrum. Amen.

Face-Melting Quote of the Day

From the Holy Father's homily given today at the Chrism Mass in Rome:

We are concerned with the salvation of men and women in body and soul. And as priests of Jesus Christ we carry out our task with enthusiasm. No one should ever have the impression that we work conscientiously when on duty, but before and after hours we belong only to ourselves. A priest never belongs to himself. People must sense our zeal, through which we bear credible witness to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Let us ask the Lord to fill us with joy in his message, so that we may serve his truth and his love with joyful zeal. Amen.

  Complete text found HERE.

Papal Intentions for April 2012

Let us join with our Holy Father in praying for these intentions during the month of April:

General Intention: That many young people may hear the call of Christ and follow him in the priesthood and religious life.

Missionary Intention: That the risen Christ may be a sign of certain hope for the men and women of the African continent.

Papal Intentions for March

His Holiness, Pope Benedict XVI asks us to join him in praying for the following intentions throughout the month of March:

General Intention: That the whole world may recognize the contribution of women to the development of society.

Missionary Intention: That the Holy Spirit may grant perseverance to those who suffer discrimination, persecution, or death for the name of Christ, particularly in Asia.

Pope Benedict - On Temptation

Here is a translation of the Angelus address given by the Holy Father this past Sunday:

Dear brothers and sisters!

On this Sunday of Lent we meet Jesus who, after having received baptism in the Jordan River from John the Baptist (cf. Mark 1:9), undergoes temptation in the desert (cf. Mark 1:12-13). St. Mark's narration is concise, lacking the details that we read in the other two gospels of Matthew and Luke. The desert of which he speaks has different meanings. It can indicate a condition of abandonment and solitude, the "place" of man's weakness where there are no footholds or certainties, where temptation is the strongest. But it can also mean a place of refuge and rest, as it was for the people of Israel, who had escaped from Egyptian slavery, where one can experience God's presence in a special way. Jesus "remained in the desert for 40 days, tempted by Satan" (Mark 1:13). St. Leo the Great comments that "the Lord wished to face the tempter's attack to defend us with his help and to instruct us with his example" (Tractatus XXXIX, 3 De ieiunio quadragesimae: CCL 138/A, Turnholti 1973, 214-215).

What can this episode teach us? As we read in the book "The Imitation of Christ," "as long as he lives man is never entirely free from temptation ... but it is with patience and with true humility that we become stronger than every enemy" (Liber I, c. XIII, Città del Vaticano 1982, 37), the patience and humility of following the Lord every day, learning to build our life not apart from him or as if he did not exist, but in him and with him, because he is the font of true life. The temptation to remove God, to create order in ourselves and the world by ourselves, counting on our own resources, is always present in human history.

Jesus proclaims that "the time is accomplished and the kingdom of God is at hand" (Mark 1:15), announces that in him something new is happening: God addressed man in an unexpected way, with a unique and concrete nearness, full of love; God becomes incarnate and enters into the world of man to take sin upon himself, to conquer evil and bring man and the world back to God. But this announcement is accompanied by the request to correspond to a great gift. Jesus, in fact, adds: "convert and believe in the Gospel" (Mark 1:15); it is the invitation to have faith in God and every day to convert our life to his will, orienting every action and thought of ours to the good. The time of Lent is the propitious moment to renew and strengthen our relationship with God, through daily prayer, gestures of penance, works of fraternal charity.

We supplicate Mary Most Holy with fervor that she accompany us on our Lenten path with her protection and help us to impress in our heart and in our life the words of Jesus Christ, to convert ourselves to him. I also entrust to your prayers the week of retreat that I will be begin this evening with my collaborators in the Roman Curia.

Papal Lenten Message 2012

As is the custom each year, the Holy Father has given to the Church his Lenten Message. Enjoy!

“Let us be concerned for each other,
to stir a response in love and good works” (Heb 10:24)

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

The Lenten season offers us once again an opportunity to reflect upon the very heart of Christian life: charity. This is a favourable time to renew our journey of faith, both as individuals and as a community, with the help of the word of God and the sacraments. This journey is one marked by prayer and sharing, silence and fasting, in anticipation of the joy of Easter.

This year I would like to propose a few thoughts in the light of a brief biblical passage drawn from the Letter to the Hebrews:“ Let us be concerned for each other, to stir a response in love and good works”. These words are part of a passage in which the sacred author exhorts us to trust in Jesus Christ as the High Priest who has won us forgiveness and opened up a pathway to God. Embracing Christ bears fruit in a life structured by the three theological virtues: it means approaching the Lord “sincere in heart and filled with faith” (v. 22), keeping firm “in the hope we profess” (v. 23) and ever mindful of living a life of “love and good works” (v. 24) together with our brothers and sisters. The author states that to sustain this life shaped by the Gospel it is important to participate in the liturgy and community prayer, mindful of the eschatological goal of full communion in God (v. 25). Here I would like to reflect on verse 24, which offers a succinct, valuable and ever timely teaching on the three aspects of Christian life: concern for others, reciprocity and personal holiness.

1. “Let us be concerned for each other”: responsibility towards our brothers and sisters.

This first aspect is an invitation to be “concerned”: the Greek verb used here is katanoein, which means to scrutinize, to be attentive, to observe carefully and take stock of something. We come across this word in the Gospel when Jesus invites the disciples to “think of” the ravens that, without striving, are at the centre of the solicitous and caring Divine Providence (cf. Lk 12:24), and to “observe” the plank in our own eye before looking at the splinter in that of our brother (cf. Lk 6:41). In another verse of the Letter to the Hebrews, we find the encouragement to “turn your minds to Jesus” (3:1), the Apostle and High Priest of our faith. So the verb which introduces our exhortation tells us to look at others, first of all at Jesus, to be concerned for one another, and not to remain isolated and indifferent to the fate of our brothers and sisters. All too often, however, our attitude is just the opposite: an indifference and disinterest born of selfishness and masked as a respect for “privacy”. Today too, the Lord’s voice summons all of us to be concerned for one another. Even today God asks us to be “guardians” of our brothers and sisters (Gen 4:9), to establish relationships based on mutual consideration and attentiveness to the well-being, the integral well-being of others. The great commandment of love for one another demands that we acknowledge our responsibility towards those who, like ourselves, are creatures and children of God. Being brothers and sisters in humanity and, in many cases, also in the faith, should help us to recognize in others a true alter ego, infinitely loved by the Lord. If we cultivate this way of seeing others as our brothers and sisters, solidarity, justice, mercy and compassion will naturally well up in our hearts. The Servant of God Pope Paul VI stated that the world today is suffering above all from a lack of brotherhood: “Human society is sorely ill. The cause is not so much the depletion of natural resources, nor their monopolistic control by a privileged few; it is rather the weakening of brotherly ties between individuals and nations” (Populorum Progressio, 66).

Concern for others entails desiring what is good for them from every point of view: physical, moral and spiritual. Contemporary culture seems to have lost the sense of good and evil, yet there is a real need to reaffirm that good does exist and will prevail, because God is “generous and acts generously” (Ps 119:68). The good is whatever gives, protects and promotes life, brotherhood and communion. Responsibility towards others thus means desiring and working for the good of others, in the hope that they too will become receptive to goodness and its demands. Concern for others means being aware of their needs. Sacred Scripture warns us of the danger that our hearts can become hardened by a sort of “spiritual anesthesia” which numbs us to the suffering of others. The Evangelist Luke relates two of Jesus’ parables by way of example. In the parable of the Good Samaritan, the priest and the Levite “pass by”, indifferent to the presence of the man stripped and beaten by the robbers (cf. Lk 10:30-32). In that of Dives and Lazarus, the rich man is heedless of the poverty of Lazarus, who is starving to death at his very door (cf. Lk 16:19). Both parables show examples of the opposite of “being concerned”, of looking upon others with love and compassion. What hinders this humane and loving gaze towards our brothers and sisters? Often it is the possession of material riches and a sense of sufficiency, but it can also be the tendency to put our own interests and problems above all else. We should never be incapable of “showing mercy” towards those who suffer. Our hearts should never be so wrapped up in our affairs and problems that they fail to hear the cry of the poor. Humbleness of heart and the personal experience of suffering can awaken within us a sense of compassion and empathy. “The upright understands the cause of the weak, the wicked has not the wit to understand it” (Prov 29:7). We can then understand the beatitude of “those who mourn” (Mt 5:5), those who in effect are capable of looking beyond themselves and feeling compassion for the suffering of others. Reaching out to others and opening our hearts to their needs can become an opportunity for salvation and blessedness.

“Being concerned for each other” also entails being concerned for their spiritual well-being. Here I would like to mention an aspect of the Christian life, which I believe has been quite forgotten: fraternal correction in view of eternal salvation. Today, in general, we are very sensitive to the idea of charity and caring about the physical and material well-being of others, but almost completely silent about our spiritual responsibility towards our brothers and sisters. This was not the case in the early Church or in those communities that are truly mature in faith, those which are concerned not only for the physical health of their brothers and sisters, but also for their spiritual health and ultimate destiny. The Scriptures tell us: “Rebuke the wise and he will love you for it. Be open with the wise, he grows wiser still, teach the upright, he will gain yet more” (Prov 9:8ff). Christ himself commands us to admonish a brother who is committing a sin (cf. Mt 18:15). The verb used to express fraternal correction - elenchein – is the same used to indicate the prophetic mission of Christians to speak out against a generation indulging in evil (cf. Eph 5:11). The Church’s tradition has included “admonishing sinners” among the spiritual works of mercy. It is important to recover this dimension of Christian charity. We must not remain silent before evil. I am thinking of all those Christians who, out of human regard or purely personal convenience, adapt to the prevailing mentality, rather than warning their brothers and sisters against ways of thinking and acting that are contrary to the truth and that do not follow the path of goodness. Christian admonishment, for its part, is never motivated by a spirit of accusation or recrimination. It is always moved by love and mercy, and springs from genuine concern for the good of the other. As the Apostle Paul says: “If one of you is caught doing something wrong, those of you who are spiritual should set that person right in a spirit of gentleness; and watch yourselves that you are not put to the test in the same way” (Gal 6:1). In a world pervaded by individualism, it is essential to rediscover the importance of fraternal correction, so that together we may journey towards holiness. Scripture tells us that even “the upright falls seven times” (Prov 24:16); all of us are weak and imperfect (cf. 1 Jn 1:8). It is a great service, then, to help others and allow them to help us, so that we can be open to the whole truth about ourselves, improve our lives and walk more uprightly in the Lord’s ways. There will always be a need for a gaze which loves and admonishes, which knows and understands, which discerns and forgives (cf. Lk 22:61), as God has done and continues to do with each of us.

2. “Being concerned for each other”: the gift of reciprocity.

This “custody” of others is in contrast to a mentality that, by reducing life exclusively to its earthly dimension, fails to see it in an eschatological perspective and accepts any moral choice in the name of personal freedom. A society like ours can become blind to physical sufferings and to the spiritual and moral demands of life. This must not be the case in the Christian community! The Apostle Paul encourages us to seek “the ways which lead to peace and the ways in which we can support one another” (Rom 14:19) for our neighbour’s good, “so that we support one another” (15:2), seeking not personal gain but rather “the advantage of everybody else, so that they may be saved” (1 Cor 10:33). This mutual correction and encouragement in a spirit of humility and charity must be part of the life of the Christian community.

The Lord’s disciples, united with him through the Eucharist, live in a fellowship that binds them one to another as members of a single body. This means that the other is part of me, and that his or her life, his or her salvation, concern my own life and salvation. Here we touch upon a profound aspect of communion: our existence is related to that of others, for better or for worse. Both our sins and our acts of love have a social dimension. This reciprocity is seen in the Church, the mystical body of Christ: the community constantly does penance and asks for the forgiveness of the sins of its members, but also unfailingly rejoices in the examples of virtue and charity present in her midst. As Saint Paul says: “Each part should be equally concerned for all the others” (1 Cor 12:25), for we all form one body. Acts of charity towards our brothers and sisters – as expressed by almsgiving, a practice which, together with prayer and fasting, is typical of Lent – is rooted in this common belonging. Christians can also express their membership in the one body which is the Church through concrete concern for the poorest of the poor. Concern for one another likewise means acknowledging the good that the Lord is doing in others and giving thanks for the wonders of grace that Almighty God in his goodness continuously accomplishes in his children. When Christians perceive the Holy Spirit at work in others, they cannot but rejoice and give glory to the heavenly Father (cf. Mt 5:16).

3. “To stir a response in love and good works”: walking together in holiness.

These words of the Letter to the Hebrews (10:24) urge us to reflect on the universal call to holiness, the continuing journey of the spiritual life as we aspire to the greater spiritual gifts and to an ever more sublime and fruitful charity (cf. 1 Cor 12:31-13:13). Being concerned for one another should spur us to an increasingly effective love which, “like the light of dawn, its brightness growing to the fullness of day” (Prov 4:18), makes us live each day as an anticipation of the eternal day awaiting us in God. The time granted us in this life is precious for discerning and performing good works in the love of God. In this way the Church herself continuously grows towards the full maturity of Christ (cf. Eph 4:13). Our exhortation to encourage one another to attain the fullness of love and good works is situated in this dynamic prospect of growth.

Sadly, there is always the temptation to become lukewarm, to quench the Spirit, to refuse to invest the talents we have received, for our own good and for the good of others (cf. Mt 25:25ff.). All of us have received spiritual or material riches meant to be used for the fulfilment of God’s plan, for the good of the Church and for our personal salvation (cf. Lk 12:21b; 1 Tim 6:18). The spiritual masters remind us that in the life of faith those who do not advance inevitably regress. Dear brothers and sisters, let us accept the invitation, today as timely as ever, to aim for the “high standard of ordinary Christian living” (Novo Millennio Ineunte, 31). The wisdom of the Church in recognizing and proclaiming certain outstanding Christians as Blessed and as Saints is also meant to inspire others to imitate their virtues. Saint Paul exhorts us to “anticipate one another in showing honour” (Rom 12:10).

In a world which demands of Christians a renewed witness of love and fidelity to the Lord, may all of us feel the urgent need to anticipate one another in charity, service and good works (cf. Heb 6:10). This appeal is particularly pressing in this holy season of preparation for Easter. As I offer my prayerful good wishes for a blessed and fruitful Lenten period, I entrust all of you to the intercession of the Mary Ever Virgin and cordially impart my Apostolic Blessing.