"Come and See" -John 1:39

The Easter Event

2010-03-31T05:21:00.001-07:00

As we celebrate the great Easter-event, we are reminded that this awesome season of life and hope spills over into a fifty- day celebration. In fact, at every Sunday Mass we celebrate the Easter-event: Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again, we acclaim for 52 weeks a year in every corner of Christendom. The Risen Christ is here among us in a unique way to remind us that our lives our not purposeless, that we do not travel alone, that Someone cares and that one day we too shall shine bright and beautiful with the fullness of the Risen Christ’s love.

A meditative piece that I would like to offer comes from the writer Anne Dillard. This popular author had converted to Catholicism and here is how she looked at that step. She said that at a Catholic Mass surrounded by so many people from different backgrounds with many different colors, shapes and ages, she said, “I am taking a stand with these people. Here I am. One of the people who love God.”

We are part of a whole civilization in danger of forgetting the true God. We are in the fast lane of agnosticism or practical atheism which is established on this point of view: Even if there is a God, God really doesn’t matter to me.

The Easter Event is a gigantic spiritual huddle by which we hope to get inspired, challenged, comforted, forgiven, and loved by the person of Jesus Christ. Integral to Him is the restoration of the true God to pre-eminence in human life. It all begins by remembering God and God’s loving acts in human history.

The followers of Christ were forever changed by the victory of Christ over death and by meeting the Risen Lord in the weeks after Easter. May it happen again this Easter as we gather in prayer and are able to say, “I am taking a stand with these people. Here I am. One of the people who love God.”

What a promising message and astonishing admonition for this season of Easter joy! Allow the Risen Christ to break the chains that bind us, especially those that bind our families, so that we might open our hearts to make room for the One who sets us free-the great liberator, Jesus the Christ.

May we all continue to support and encourage one another as we pray: Stay with us Lord…Live in our hearts forever.

EASTER SUNDAY TABLE PRAYER

Leader: This is the day the Lord has made.Let us rejoice and be glad,let us praise the Lord for his goodness.For behold, Jesus diedand now lives for evermore. Alleluia!

ALL: He has gone before us.Yet he is with us for all time. Alleluia!
Leader: Lord,on this most holy daylet your blessing rest upon usand upon our table.Strengthen us in this time together.We ask this in Jesus' name.

ALL: Amen.

Leader: Blest are you, Lord our God,who gathers us together in Jesus' name.We thank you for sharing your life with us,both in this mealand in all the ways you sustain us,through Christ, our Risen Lord.

ALL: Amen.

SYMBOLS OF THE SEASON

THE EASTER CANDLE…stands tall in the Main Lobby of our school. It is the symbol of Christ, our light. The candle represents Christ, the beginning and end of all times and ages. Five wax nails are inserted into the candle to signify the wounds that Jesus received in his hands, feet and side when he was crucified. The candle will remain burning brightly for the next fifty days. It is the light of Christ’s revealing love.

WATER…is also one of the great symbols of the Season of Easter. It is a symbol of Baptism through which we are initiated into the Christian Community. The baptismal font of the church has sometimes been referred to as the womb of the church. Baptism bridges our human divisions and calls us to the unity of one body, one spirit, one hope, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God. Vessels of water are placed in the main lobby to remind us of our baptismal call to be disciples of Christ Jesus.

The Risen Christ is here among us in a unique way to remind us that we do not travel alone, that Someone cares and that one day we too shall shine bright and beautiful with the fullness of the Risen Christ’s love.

SOME THOUGHTS ON EASTER BY SAINT AUGUSTINE

Let us chant Alleluia. Then the word of scripture will be accomplished,
the word not of combatants any more, but of victors:
Death has been swallowed up in victory!

Let us chant Alleluia here in the midst of dangers and temptations.
O blessed Alleluia of heaven!
No more anguish, no more adversity. No more enemy.
No more love of destruction.
Up above, praise to God, and here below, praise to God.

Praise mingled with fear here, but without disturbance above.
Here we chant in hope, there, in possession;
here it is Alleluia on the way,
there it is on arriving home.

THE HOLIEST OF WEEKS

2010-03-26T07:40:00.001-07:00

The celebration of Holy Week 2010 begins with the liturgies of Palm or Passion Sunday this weekend. It has been the tradition that Palm Sunday initiates us into the holiest of octaves-the eight days of Palm Sunday through Easter Sunday. We begin this holy observance of the Passion, Death and Resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ with the blessing of palm branches that recall his triumphal entry into the holy city of Jerusalem. We are all joyfully implored to an intense, lively and prayerful Holy Week. This week is a week like none other, which commemorates the activities surrounding the Christ-event.

THE EASTER TRIDUUM

HOLY THURSDAY: This is the night when Jesus instituted the Holy Eucharist, our communion with Him. The mandatum, or washing of feet takes place at this liturgy. This action serves as the primary symbol of Christian service. At the conclusion of the liturgy, a procession leads the transfer of the Eucharist to a place of repose for private prayer and adoration until midnight. During this holy evening, we are all invited to prayer with Christ. We do this in remembrance of Jesus praying that first Holy Thursday, after the Passover Supper, in the Garden of Gethsemane. It is a night for prayer and penance.

GOOD FRIDAY: This is the day of Jesus’ death, the most solemn day on our Christian calendar. This is the only day out of the year when Mass is not celebrated. Good Friday is a day of penance for Christians. For Catholics, we are directed to abstain from meat on this day and to fast from eating between meals. We are encouraged to keep the Lenten fast until after the Easter Vigil Services of Holy Saturday Night.

HOLY SATURDAY: The awesome ceremony of the Easter Vigil begins the celebration of Easter. This eventful night includes Baptism and Confirmation of catechumens and candidates who will be received into full communion in the Church. The celebration of Easter spills over into a fifty-day celebration, ending on Pentecost Sunday, the birthday of the Church.

Holy Week, then, is the celebration of the passion, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. It has no meaning apart from the celebration of Jesus Christ. It is upon Him whom we must place our focus this week. It is a living relationship with Him that we must value above all else. It is this loving and living relationship with the Redeemer Christ that must energize us all to live in His spirit of love, with hope and faith.

With war raging still and the international and national order unstable, coupled with the recent headlines surrounding the Catholic church, it would be prudent for us to spend time in prayer for tranquility, peace, reconciliation and goodwill, along with the establishment of justice, eradication of terror and a termination of hatred and hostility. Perhaps Holy week could become a week of intense prayer and fasting for these causes.

May God send upon all of us peace, love, goodness and the faith to believe in the Easter promise of eternal life.

A REFLECTION ON HOLY WEEK
By: Archbishop Oscar Romero

For the church, the many abuses of human life, liberty and dignity are a heartfelt suffering.
The church, entrusted with the earth’s glory, believes that in each person is the Creator’s image and that everyone who tramples it offends God.

As the holy defender of God’s rights and of God’s images, the church must cry out.
It takes as spittle on its face and lashes on its back, as the cross in its passion,
all that human beings suffer, even though they be unbelievers.

They suffer as God’s images. There is no dichotomy between humans and God’s image.
Whoever tortures a human being, whoever abuses a human being, whoever outrages
a human being abuses God’s image, and the church takes as its own
that cross, that martyrdom.

THE HOLIEST OF WEEKS

2010-03-26T07:40:00.000-07:00

Fasting to Feasting

2010-03-15T09:19:00.000-07:00

As we continue our journey of Lent this week, we pray that God may enlighten us to see some of the vanities we hold as necessities. We fast to call to mind the greater hunger and thirst we have for what matters in life; good relationships rather than material possessions. We give alms in order to aid those whose hunger and thirst that they can be can be satisfied with our assistance. May this last stretch of the Lenten Season be one of true repentance and sincere hearts that return to God.

FASTING TO FEASTING

Lent is a time for fasting but also a season for joyous feasting!During Lent, the Church calls on us to fast from certain things and feast on others. For example:

Fast from judging others...feast on Christ dwelling in them.
Fast from emphasis on differences...feast on the unity of life.
Fast from apparent darkness...feast on the reality of light.
Fast from thoughts of illness...feast on God's healing power.
Fast from words that pollute...feast on phrases that purify.
Fast from discontent...feast on gratitude.
Fast from anger...feast on patience.
Fast from pessimism...feast on optimism.
Fast from worry...feast on divine order.
Fast from complaining...feast on appreciation.
Fast from negatives...feast on affirmatives.
Fast from unrelenting pressures...feast on unceasing prayer.
Fast from hostility...feast on nonresistance.
Fast from bitterness...feast on forgiveness.
Fast from self concern...feast on compassion for others.
Fast from personal anxiety...feast on eternal truth.
Fast from discouragement...feast on hope.Fast from facts that depress...feast on truths that up lift.
Fast from lethargy...feast on enthusiasm.
Fast from suspicion...feast on truth.
Fast from thoughts that weaken...feast on promises that inspire.
Fast from shadows of sorrow...feast on sunlight of serenity.
Fast from idle gossip...feast on purposeful silence.

No and Yes For Lent

2010-03-01T06:22:00.000-08:00

On Ash Wednesday, we gathered and were traced in the form of a cross with ashes. These ashes signaled entry into this most holy of seasons; a time of fasting, an opportunity to deprive the body and consequently make room for the spirit.

These days, we seem to harbor an extra motive for fasting. As a whole, America seems to be much too overweight. In fact, the Harper’s Index of Statistics states that, at the current rate of increase, all Americans will be overweight by the year 2059! While fasting from food can be a good practice and a sincere attempt at discipline, perhaps we need to be challenged a bit this Lent to another form of fasting or discipline; fasting from that which comes from our mouths. Consider this:

1) Fasting From Foul Language: The air around us is full of it. The F-word is commonplace, monotonously and boringly so, in movies, in song lyrics, in novels, in magazine articles and in everyday conversation. Crude talk and endless sexual double meaning pollutes commercials, TV shows and daily conversation. This has become so commonplace that we take it all in as part of normal discourse. But when locker room talk becomes the ordinary means of communication it coarsens us, devalues us. Certainly, foul language has no place in the life of a disciple of Jesus. So, the first practice for Lent for all of us is to watch our language. Remember, we are part of Christ’s gang!

2) Keep Judgments From Spilling Out From Our Mouths: This might be hard to do for the whole of Lent. , but maybe you could pick one day to keep your judgments to yourself. Friday is a good choice, in honor of Jesus’ crucifixion. This was also the day when Jesus granted paradise to the repentant thief. So, for each Friday of Lent, make no judgments about other people: about their motives, their goodness or badness, their social standing, their defects, their clothes, their color, their sexuality, their mistakes. We are fellow pilgrims and Christ died for all of us. For one day a week during Lent, avoid letting negative judgments come forth from your mouth.

3) Try to Control the Verbal Negatives That So Readily Come From Our Mouths: not just the hate language, but the put-downs, the jabs that hurt, the insults, the criticisms, the condemnations, the sarcasm, the harmful gossip, the rumor that smears. Again, if it’s too much to do on every day during Lent, make it just one day a week. You may want to choose Wednesday as your no-negative words day, as tradition holds that this was the day Judas let the words which betrayed Jesus fall from his mouth. Words can hurt. Avoid the verbal negatives for the Wednesdays of Lent!

4) Let the Word “No” Fall More Often From Your Mouth: Our “nos” define us every bit as much as our “yeses.” Jesus is our guide. When he cured the man possessed by a demon and that man wanted to follow him, he said no. “Go home to your friends and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and what mercy he has shown you.” When Pilate questioned Jesus, he shook his head no and refused to answer. He said no to the pain-dulling hyssop offered to him on the cross. Be like Jesus for Lent. Say no to drugs. Say no to pre-marital sex. Say no to infidelity. Say no to cheating. Say no to lies. Say no to over-consumption. But say yes to truth. Say yes to words that encourage and heal. Say yes to charitable deeds and sharing. Say yes to prayer. Say yes to your family’s need for your presence and time. Say Yes to Jesus.

HAVE A HAPPY, PRODUCTIVE AND POSITIVE LENT!

Lent 2010

2010-02-16T06:28:00.000-08:00

As we look into our spiritual mirrors, we notice there is something not quite right with ourselves. We want peace, but often there is not peace of mind. We have so much, but we seem to enjoy so little. We have our moments, but happiness or joy seems so fleeting. We seem to focus on the secondary rather than the primary. In our quiet moments, we wonder what our mission is, whether God really is what we believe God to be, whether our decisions make any difference, whether our sacrifices really do pay off, whether we are fooling ourselves, and are we really who we say we are?

Yet, as we look around, the world is full of awe and grandeur. Even the wild white stuff of winter looked gorgeous during the quiet emergence of this past Wednesday morning. People are really good at heart, and love does dwell in the hearts of the overwhelming number of people we know. There is something very right about us and about life, for we have loved and the special people we know have made us feel loved.

Lent is that special time provided by the Church for us to get serious about our interior life and how we express it in our daily actions. Lent makes no sense if everything is right and okay. Lent rests on the assumption that all of us detect the need to correct, change, improve because not all is right or as it should be.

May I suggest that Lent’s premise is that we may be “missing the mark.” That is a definition of sin — “missing the mark.” Therefore, we have to make things right. This will require us to enter into Lent as a process for returning home, as it were, to God, to our roots and to the path of discipleship of Jesus. “Missing the Mark” means I need to “Return to God.”

Returning to God means:
— Coming face to face with the Creator

— Making every effort to live, to love, to serve, to give and to forgive in a manner that is consonant with that image

— Surrendering our false and distorted image of God— Welcoming God’s involvement in every part of our lives

— Going back to our sacred stories, becoming acquainted again with our roots

— Looking at the Gospels with a new sobering study

— Allowing ourselves to be led by the Spirit, as Jesus was

In conclusion, let us look at this statement that offers a synthesis of our Lenten observance:
“Through this holy season of returning to God, to our story, to our roots, to Christ and to the Gospel, we will also have ample opportunity to return to one another. If we have become distant or estranged or if we have simply lost touch with someone whom God has given as gift in our life, now is the time for returning. If we have not said those words or done those things that assure the other that he/she is loved, and valued and appreciated, now is the time. Only God knows whether you or I will have another such opportunity to do so.”

Dividends For Life

2010-02-01T05:43:00.000-08:00

This week, as a nation, as an Archdiocese, and as the School of Saint Patrick, we commemorate the annual celebration of Catholic Schools Week. The theme of this year’s celebration is: “Catholic Schools: Dividends for Life.” As part of this week- long celebration, students will be reflecting during morning prayer on what a difference a Saint Patrick High School Education has made in their lives. Let us continue to pray for all Catholic schools as they strive to persevere in the midst of adverse conditions at times. We at Saint Patrick remain strong in number and in spirit.

Among the treasures of the American church is our Catholic Schools. In the beginning, these schools of ours were vital in communicating the faith to immigrants’ children and in assisting them in a culture alien to them. Then the Catholic schools played a pivotal part in educating children to move up the socio-economic ladder as they assisted Catholic people in being competent and intellectually formidable in all areas of this society. More recently, our Catholic schools have been noted for offering a decided choice in education on the primary and secondary levels, they have been in the forefront of progressive attitudes regarding respect for life and how to shape a life in this global village, and in assisting in the spiritual formation of a new generation of believers in Christ.

Catholic Schools Week is a legitimate and time-honored celebration of this special treasure of our faith community. It is a short time that serves as kind of “pep rally” to mobilize support for our system of schools which truly enrich our community, and still gives us the best opportunity to form young people in faith and spiritual values. It is a time to thank those whose sacrifices on the part of Catholic schooling are remarkable, including those of faculty and staff, parents, benefactors, volunteers, and fellow parishioners.

The Catholic High School of Saint Patrick is a community of educators and learners that communicates truth, offers vision, and teaches skills that are essential in today’s times. It is about competency for the young, and commitment to them from adult mentors, but it is mostly about caring for the total person.

Saint Patrick is for our families. Your sons are most precious. It is a school that can make a world of difference in your son’s future.Finally, I thank in a special way all for your support of our invaluable Saint Patrick High School. And I ask that we all pray for both our local public schools and our Catholic schools that all of our educators will be successful in the development and education of every young person in our community, that all might grow “in wisdom, age and grace before God and humankind”. May the Lord bless all that work we do here and bring success to all our endeavors.

Pray for Haiti

2010-01-15T08:00:00.000-08:00

After a 7.0 magnitude quake struck Haiti's capital, claiming Port-Au-Prince's archbishop, cathedral and largest hospital among a staggering toll reportedly in excess of 100,000 lives and an "unimaginable" number of homes, the Pope has activated the global network of Catholic Charities for the service of relief and rebuilding, while the nuncio reports devastation all around including 100 or so priests and seminarians trapped in the rubble of the city's formation house.For its part, the US church's relief arm -- Baltimore-based Catholic Relief Services, has devoted its website to collecting donations to fund its efforts, which have already begun with deployment of $5 million worth of aid.While Catholic Relief Services has reported that the agency's staff were already on-ground in the Haitian capital and their headquarters survived, at least one close-by building had collapsed.

The poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, some 80 percent of Haiti's ten million residents are Catholic.

Saint Patrick High School donated its weekly Mission Collection for the relief efforts of Haiti. You can also make a direct donation by visiting the following Catholic Relief Services website:
https://secure.crs.org/site/Donation2?df_id=3181&3181.donation=form1

Last evening, I was informed by Brother David Hawke, currently in Rome, that the Brothers at our Lasallian Institutions are safe. There is a school and novitiate in Port Au Prince. The Brothers that serve in Haiti are part of the South Mexico District. We continue to pray for our Haitian brothers and sisters in the face of this incomprehensible and seemingly cruel event.

This morning, the following was posted on the website: lasalle.org. The message comes from one of the Brothers stationed in Port Au Prince.

We were greatly shocked at around 5 pm. Some stones were detached from the walls of the chapel, the tabernacle and the statute of the Blessed Virgin felt down. Some twenty meters of our surrounding wall have collapsed. But here, thanks God, we are all fine. I had Br. Cyprian on the phone. They also felt the earthquake, but from what he told me there has been no damage in Port de Paix. Everyone is fine in the Turtle Island as well. There have been over twenty tremors since the initial earthquake. We have little information except that the epicentre was located not far from Carrefour's, near the capital. What a tragedy for this poor country.International aid has not yet arrived and people need everything. You must see to believe, it's horrifying. In the city the damage is enormous: The Archbishop was killed in his residence. The Presidency, the Ministries, the UN headquarters are all destroyed. The city is in chaos. That’s a true national disaster.Everyone is afraid to return to their house, the majority of them are in ruins or cracked. There is dead people lying everywhere. No electricity. No help.We went to visit the Brothers of Christian Instruction, their provincial house is completely destroyed. A Brother has not yet been found, another is death and a third one is seriously wounded. Last night we lodged nine Sisters at or house. People are sleeping outside and wandering in the streets in search of a safe place. Many have not eaten for 36 hours. I gave what I had. It is just a small help that will allow about a hundred people to have something to eat. Any contribution you send will be used to help these poor people in distress.

Let us continue to pray for our Haitian brothers and sisters in the face of this uncomprehensible and seemgly cruel catastrophe.

All Souls' Day

2009-11-03T08:27:00.000-08:00

Meditation by: Mr. Dan Eberle

All Souls Day Meditation
Good Morning,
In his essay, Is Theology Poetry, C.S. Lewis stated –“I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen. Not only because I see it, but because I see everything by it.” Lewis’ concept of Christianity can help us better understand the first two days of November. Two days that would seem to speak of death and loss, rather for Christians they are an offer of the hope of Resurrection and Eternal Life.
On November 1st we celebrated All Saints Day. Officially it was instituted by Pope Urban IV, to honor all the saints, known and unknown, and, to insure the celebration of all the saints' feasts during the liturgical year. Basically we are remembering all those who have lived before us who are now with God.
Today, we celebrate the Feast of All Souls, a day we remember those whom we knew and loved, and all who have come before us, living good lives but may not yet be with God. The Church has taught that this is a day to offer Mass and prayers for the souls of the faithfully departed in Purgatory.
These are the official reason for these special days, but like Lewis’ sun, my Christian faith allows me to see these days in a light that gives me an insight into life, my life. My life has been a journey and as I grow older the more I realize that it is not a journey I take alone - making the trip more interesting or as St. Teresa of Avila reminds us, “The feeling remains that God is on the journey, too.” All Saints Day and the Feast of All Souls help us to better understand the journey that we find ourselves traveling.
All Saints Day gives us the opportunity to see what we have the capacity to become. The lives of the Saints offer us an example of how life can be lived. Church history has given us a great variety of saints. They come from 1st Century contemporaries of Jesus to 20th Century humanitarians, from countries that cover almost every part of this planet and a background that include both Popes and Kings but also includes farmers and craftsmen. If a saint is a model of excellence, a Christian Saint cannot be restricted to a single mold. Each saint offers a different path to be taken on life’s journey, to experience life in its fullest. Saints such as St. Matthew the patron Saint of accountants, St. Catherine of Siena, the patron Saint of firefighters or our own St. John Baptist de la Salle the patron Saint of teachers whose differences reveal as much about their sainthood as what they have in common. The message is clear – there are many paths to achieving our potential. But in each instance, they show us at our best, a best that we can achieve.
But today we celebrate All Souls Day, a day that enables us to look at our journey in yet another way. No journey can be understood outside the context of community. Yes, we are on our own personal journey, but we are also the product of a journey taken by those who came before us and share our lives today. Generations that created a world we live in and a society that defines us. Today is a day that we can look to our humanity with all its strengths and weaknesses. We are the product of all the good that humankind has to offer as well as the evil that the world experiences on a daily basis. Today is a day we can take the time to see us as a collective for what we really are, from the height of our potential for good to the depth of our depravity. All Souls Day is not just a day that we focus on the short comings of the loved ones who are no longer with us, but a day when we can measure are own inability to live up to the expectation of the Cross.
But what makes All Souls Day unique among all the days of the Church calendar is that it is the most personal holy day that the Church celebrates. During the liturgical year we recall the important times in the life of Jesus and the Church. We recall the lives of the Saints and other significant individuals in the history of the Church. And just in case we forget anyone we have All Saints Day.
All Souls Day is different, we remember the people in our personal history that have impacted our lives. We remember Grandmothers – Grandfathers – Mothers –Fathers – Brothers –Sisters – Friends & Relatives - and others who have made a difference in our lives and who are no longer with us. In a day and age where the pace of our lives seems to move so quickly and we don’t seem to have time to look back for fear of missing what is yet to come. All Souls Day is a day we can slow down a moment and regain what time may have caused us to lose, an appreciation of the people who were so important to us. It is a day we can remember not only those that we knew and loved but also a time to remember people who may have passed quickly through our life, but we still feel the impact of that moment.
When we remember these people, it is not just a matter of thinking back and recalling events. To truly remember is to relive an experience. We again share, times of happiness, times of hurt, times of love, times of frustration, we bring our past to the present. We go back to times that we can no longer physically share because those friends and relatives are no longer with us but we still feel their presence.
When we remember them in this manner, we remember them to our Heavenly Father. All their good is brought before God and our hope that they will find their place with Him in Heaven. When we place their names in the Book of the Dead we are publicly stating that these friends and relatives have made a difference in our lives and in our world and they should be with all the saints in heaven.
By remembering our past, the Feast of All Souls also points to our future. When we recall those who are no longer with us, it confronts us with our own mortality, an inevitable future we all share. For those who are young (or who see themselves as young) this may seem like a distant experience that is not an immediate concern but this will change with time. For others whose age or life experiences have made this a much more pertinent topic, the future is not so distant. No matter what our circumstances, a Native American proverb best states the challenge of our mortality: “When you were born, you cried and the world rejoiced. Live your life in a manner so that when you die the world cries and you rejoice.” All Souls Day, like Ash Wednesday helps to remind us that today may seem like forever - but a lifetime can pass quickly.
All Souls Day is the one day out of the year that we as a community of faith can take the time to slow our lives down long enough to remember those who have helped us to become who we are. We pray for those individuals, who are no longer with us but have left an imprint on us that we continue to feel today. All Souls Day is the day we can honor the personal “saints” in our life, saints whom we pray will find their place with our heavenly Father.

"It is when we notice the dirt that God is most present in us; it is the very sign of His presence." — C.S. Lewis

Paul..A Man For Our Time

2009-06-28T09:35:00.000-07:00

On Monday, June 29, the Church celebrates the Feast of Saints Peter and Paul. On this day, we remember Paul as a companion of Saint Peter, who, converted millions to Christianity, all the while on his way to Rome, the Eternal City where he would eventually die. In fact, Paul's last request was that he be crucified on an inverted cross, because he felt unworthy to die in the same position that Christ did.

Paul converted his life to Christ and literally was thrown off his high horse where he would hit the ground and his Maker. After that event, Paul changed. His life was no longer about him, but rather about Christ. Paul, in his many letters we have come to know as the Epistles, speaks of his struggles. He speaks of how he longs to be with God in heaven but at the same time realizes he has work to be done. He was strongly attracted to both!

Paul was also a man who had demons inside him, as we all do. To paraphrase Paul, he said, there is a battle goin on inside us; a battle between the forces of good and evil. The good that we would do, it is that that we do not do. The evil that we would avoid, it is that which we do. Sound familar?

On this day, may we all come to realize our ongoing need for God. May we come to understand that our life is an ongoing process of conversion. As Independence Day approaches, may we come to know our complete dependence on God. After all, it was the great Augustine who said: "O God, you have made us for yourself and our hearts are restless until they rest in you!"

Happy Summer!

All About God and Mom

2009-05-07T10:01:00.000-07:00

Author, Ronald Rolheiser, in his book, The Holy Longing: The Search for A Christian Spirituality, intimates the following: “When the last syllable of the last word about Jesus the Christ has been spoken, a small, balding man who until now has been silent will say, ‘just a moment I…’ After two thousand years people still journey to Jesus. They bring a vaunting ego and last year’s scar, one unruly hope and several debilitating fears, and unwarranted joy and a hesitant heart-and ask Jesus what to make of it. We have only gradually become aware of the hook in Jesus’ promise, ‘I will be with you all days, even to the end of the world.’ This not only means he will not go away but that we cannot get rid of him. He continues to roll back the stone from the caves we entomb him in”.

On Sunday, May 10h, we celebrate Mother’s Day. We celebrate many “kinds of mothers”. We are grateful for our birth mothers, grandmothers, godmothers, adoptive mothers and for those who fulfill the role of mother in our lives. We also pray for Mother Earth and Mother Church. May we honor them always for the significant roles they play in each of our lives.

HERE ARE SOME QUOTES BY PEOPLE OF FAME ON MOTHERS

“All that I am or ever hope to be, I owe to my angel Mother." -- Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865)

"My mother was the most beautiful woman I ever saw. All I am I owe to my mother. I attribute all my success in life to the moral, intellectual and physical education I received from her." -- George Washington (1732-1799)

A Prayer for Mothers

Father, we give you thanks for the many gifts you have given us; the gift of life, the gift of those who love us. We thank you today for the gift of our mothers and grandmothers. We give thanks for our Mothers and Grandmothers who have died and for the unique way they have revealed for us your love. We ask that you bless them and keep them in your care until the time comes for us to join them in your Kingdom. We ask your Blessing upon the Mothers and Grandmothers who are unable to be with us here today. May they know how much we love and care for them. We pray for birth mothers who have loved their children so much they have shared the gift of their child with those who could better care for them and their needs, and give them a secure home. And we pray for adoptive mothers, that they may always know their special role of being a true mother, a revelation of God's love for their children. We ask your blessing upon Mothers who have lost children through stillbirth, crib death, accident and tragedy, that they may have your continuing strength and courage. We ask your blessing too, upon those who would very much like to be mothers but who are having trouble having a child. We ask your Blessing upon the Mothers and Grandmothers standing before us here. Give them the strength to live the faithful and loving lives you call them to live. AMEN.

In the Vineyard

2009-04-30T07:55:00.000-07:00

For all the “glitzier” stuff out there, it is sometimes easy and all too tempting to forget that at its truest and best, the work of the church and its teachings in action take place a long ways away from the headlines.Along those lines, then, a couple stories that I have come across over the last few days from the trenches....

First, Catholic News Service notes the severe injuries suffered by a local Caritas director who went into the line of fire in a war-torn corner of Sri Lanka "where tens of thousands of civilians have been displaced in recent days":

Father T. R. Vasanthaseelan, director of Caritas Vanni-Hudec, had to have one leg amputated after shells struck St. Anthony Church in Valaignarmadam April 23. Many civilians had sought safety in the church.

"Sri Lanka is undergoing the worst scenario. Innocent civilians are paying a huge cost and are the worst hit. Already there are more than 130,000 who have crossed over to the government-controlled side," Father Fernando said."These people are coming out in highly traumatized conditions. Most of them are tired and worn out after months of suffering. Many of them are injured and some of them are very severely wounded. The hospitals have totally exceeded their capacity to receive the wounded," he said.

And in China -- where the genuine difficulties often experienced by Christians are no secret -- the church recently mourned a 93 year-old priest who, after thirty years in a prison camp, returned to the simple ministry of a catechist on his release:

The Catholics of Guangzhou today said their last goodbye to Fr. Francis Tan Tiande, who died last April 23 at the age of 93. He spent almost 30 years of his life in a prison camp in Heilongjiang. But the fame of his witness and his apostolic work is far from dead.
Testimonies are coming from all over the world about the way in which Fr. Tan helped many to discover the beauty of Christianity, and then accompanied them to baptism. For many new faithful in the diocese of Guangzhou, the life of Fr. Tan, and even his imprisonment, are "a blessing for us Catholic Chinese." She considers him a priest of strong faith, who truly loved God and mankind. As he was growing weaker. Every Sunday, he made himself useful by greeting the many people attending Mass, talking with them, encouraging them, blessing the religious objects they had bought.

Shortly before he died, Teresa went to visit Fr. Tan in the hospital. In his room were the bishop, priests, sisters, and many others who had come to say goodbye to the elderly priest. Teresa stopped at the entrance to watch, deeply moved. Fr. Tan held his arm up in the air, constantly blessing everyone. "That gesture," Teresa says, "was his goodbye to us of the Church of Guangzhou. It was a blessing to us Catholic Chinese, so that, like him, we may remain faithful to God until the end."

Amid the storms of a 24-hour news cycle, it's often easy, and all too tempting, to define the days by what's bad as opposed to what's good, to glom on controversies, crusades or buzz at the expense of the stories and people a waiting world that wants to believe should know, and deep down inside, really longs to hear.

This is the Easter Season - that moment of grace when the first witnesses of the Resurrection changed the lives of masses not by spreading around their own interests, causes or tastes, but with one simple, unimpeachable testimony: "We have seen the Lord."

Then as now, we owe our faith to these folks, who realize day in and day out that the church doesn't rise and fall on what everybody else does or doesn't do, but what they what every last one of us, in every place we go and for each person we meet-do or don't.

Even this Easter, even in our midst, these witnesses exist in droves - from the clinic to the classroom, the sanctuary to the minefield, the office and the shelter, all across the globe and even to our own kitchen tables.Sure, they exist far from the headlines and aren't the “glitziest” story going. When it comes to the life of this body, however, they're the most valuable and crucial thing we've got.In each of them, we haven't just seen the Lord ,we see Him anew all the time. Both on and off the printed page, may we always give them the admiration, attention and thanks they deserve.

Easter 2009

2009-04-10T19:24:00.000-07:00

A meditative piece that I would like to offer comes from the writer Anne Dillard. This popular author had converted to Catholicism and here is how she looked at that step. She said that at a Catholic Mass surrounded by so many people from different backgrounds with many different colors, shapes and ages, she said, “I am taking a stand with these people. Here I am. One of the people who love God.”We are part of a whole civilization in danger of forgetting the true God. We are in the fast lane of agnosticism or practical atheism which is established on this point of view: Even if there is a God, God really doesn’t matter to me.

The Easter Event is a gigantic spiritual huddle by which we hope to get inspired, challenged, comforted, forgiven, and loved by the person of Jesus Christ. Integral to Him is the restoration of the true God to pre-eminence in human life. It all begins by remembering God and God’s loving acts in human history.The followers of Christ were forever changed by the victory of Christ over death and by meeting the Risen Lord in the weeks after Easter. May it happen again this Easter as we gather in prayer and are able to say, “I am taking a stand with these people. Here I am. One of the people who love God.”

What a promising message and astonishing admonition for this season of Easter joy! Allow the Risen Christ to break the chains that bind us, especially those that bind our families, so that we might open our hearts to make room for the One who sets us free-the great liberator, Jesus the Christ.

May we all continue to support and encourage one another as we pray: Stay with us Lord…Live in our hearts forever.

EASTER SUNDAY TABLE PRAYER

Leader: This is the day the Lord has made.Let us rejoice and be glad,let us praise the Lord for his goodness.For behold, Jesus diedand now lives for evermore. Alleluia!

ALL: He has gone before us.Yet he is with us for all time. Alleluia!

Leader: Lord,on this most holy daylet your blessing rest upon usand upon our table.Strengthen us in this time together.We ask this in Jesus' name.

ALL: Amen.Leader: Blest are you, Lord our God,who gathers us together in Jesus' name.We thank you for sharing your life with us,both in this mealand in all the ways you sustain us,through Christ, our Risen Lord.

ALL: Amen.

SYMBOLS OF THE SEASON

WATER…is also one of the great symbols of the Season of Easter. It is a symbol of Baptism through which we are initiated into the Christian Community. The baptismal font of the church has sometimes been referred to as the womb of the church. Baptism bridges our human divisions and calls us to the unity of one body, one spirit, one hope, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God. Vessels of water are placed in the main lobby to remind us of our baptismal call to be disciples of Christ Jesus.

The Risen Christ is here among us in a unique way to remind us that we do not travel alone, that Someone cares and that one day we too shall shine bright and beautiful with the fullness of the Risen Christ’s love.

SOME THOUGHTS ON EASTER BY SAINT AUGUSTINE

Let us chant Alleluia. Then the word of scripture will be accomplished,the word not of combatants any more, but of victors:Death has been swallowed up in victory!
Let us chant Alleluia here in the midst of dangers and temptations.O blessed Alleluia of heaven! No more anguish, no more adversity. No more enemy.No more love of destruction.Up above, praise to God, and here below, praise to God.
Praise mingled with fear here, but without disturbance above.Here we chant in hope, there, in possession;here it is Alleluia on the way,there it is on arriving home.

Entering into the Holiest of the Holy 2009

2009-04-05T05:21:00.000-07:00

Hard as it is to believe how Lent's flown...welcome to Holy Week.In these days, the Christian world stops and goes on pilgrimage, recalling, reliving and giving thanks for its very reasons for being -- the Cross, the Eucharist, the Paschal Mystery, the glory of Redemption... a new life born from things below -- betrayal, cruelty, suffering and death... the definitive, eternal proof that things above -- love, hope, sacrifice, God -- are even stronger than these.All other things fade away in these days... at least, they should. Because as things go, nothing can be allowed to overshadow or distract from this, and to think or act otherwise is to betray its power and import before a hungry, hurting world that needs its witnesses more in our own day than, quite possibly, it ever has.

If something's kept you from giving it your all, go for it and good luck. Because, even more than usual, there's no time like the present.Again, to each of you and all those you love and serve, every prayer and good wish for every gift, blessing and grace of this Week Called Holy... still called that for a reason two millenia after the fact... and just as these privileged, emotional days are Holy, so may their strengths be its fruit in each of us.As we prepare to live this Week and soak it up with everything we've got, God love you alot today and forever.

It's worth noting that in much of the global church, today's observance of Palm Sunday coincides with the annual celebration of World Youth Day.

The lead venue for the Palm Sunday WYD, however, is Rome -- where, a delegation from 2011's global site of Madrid will receive the event's traveling cross from last summer's hosts in Sydney.

Here's the Pope's homily from last Palm Sunday, tying together the twin themes of the Passion of Christ with the passion of the young.

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Year after year the Gospel passage for Palm Sunday recounts Jesus' entry into Jerusalem. Together with his disciples and an increasing multitude of pilgrims he went up from the plain of Galilee to the Holy City. The Evangelists have handed down to us three proclamations of Jesus concerning his Passion, like steps on his ascent, thereby mentioning at the same time the inner ascent that he was making on this pilgrimage. Jesus was going toward the temple - toward the place where God, as Deuter-onomy says, had chosen to "make his name dwell" (cf. 12: 11; 14: 23). God who created heaven and earth gave himself a name, made himself invocable; indeed, he made himself almost tangible to human beings. No place can contain him, yet for this very reason he gave himself a place and a name so that he, the true God, might be personally venerated as God in our midst. We know from the account of the 12-year-old Jesus that he loved the temple as his Father's house, as his paternal home. He now visits this temple once again but his journey extends beyond it: the final destination of his climb is the Cross. It is the ascent described in the Letter to the Hebrews as the ascent towards the tent not pitched by human hands but by the Lord, which leads to God's presence. The final climb to the sight of God passes through the Cross. It is the ascent toward "love to the end" (cf. Jn 13: 1), which is God's true mountain, the definitive place of contact between God and man.

During his entry into Jerusalem, the people paid homage to Jesus as the Son of David with the words of the pilgrims of Psalm 118[117]: "Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!" (Mt 21: 9). He then arrived at the temple. There, however, in the place that should have been taken up by the encounter between God and man, he found livestock merchants and money-changers who occupied this place of prayer with their commerce. Certainly, the animals on sale were destined to be burned as sacrifices in the temple, and since in the temple it was impossible to use coins that bore the likeness of the Roman emperors, who were in opposition to the true God, they had to be exchanged for coins that did not show the idolatrous image. All this, however, could have taken place elsewhere: the place where this was now occurring should have been, in accordance with its destined purpose, the atrium of pagans. Indeed, the God of Israel was precisely the one God of all peoples. And although pagans did not enter, so to speak, into the Revelation, they could however, in the atrium of faith, join in the prayer to the one God. The God of Israel, the God of all people, had always been awaiting their prayers too, their seeking, their invocations. Instead, commerce was prevailing - dealings legalized by the competent authority which, in its turn, profited from the merchants' earnings. The merchants acted correctly, complying with the law in force, but the law itself was corrupt. "Covetousness... is idolatry", the Letter to the Colossians says (3: 5). This was the idolatry Jesus came up against in the face of which he cites Isaiah: "My house shall be called a house of prayer" (Mt 21: 13; cf. Is 56: 7), and Jeremiah: "But you make it a den of robbers" (Mt 21: 13; cf. Jer 7: 11). Against the wrongly interpreted order, Jesus with his prophetic gesture defends the true order which is found in the Law and the Prophets.
Today, all this must give us, as Christians, food for thought. Is our faith sufficiently pure and open so that starting from it "pagans", the people today who are seeking and who have their questions, can intuit the light of the one God, associate themselves in the atriums of faith with our prayers and, with their questions, perhaps also become worshippers? Does the awareness that greed is idolatry enter our heart too and the praxis of our life? Do we not perhaps in various ways let idols enter even the world of our faith? Are we disposed to let ourselves be ceaselessly purified by the Lord, letting him expel from us and the Church all that is contrary to him?
In the temple's purification, however, it was a matter of more than fighting abuses. A new time in history was foretold. What Jesus had announced to the Samaritan woman concerning her question about true worship is now beginning: "The hour is coming, and now is, when true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for such the Father seeks to worship him" (Jn 4: 23). The time when animals were sacrificed to God was over. Animal sacrifices were only a substitute, a nostalgic gesture for the true way to worship God. The Letter to the Hebrews on the life and work of Jesus uses a sentence from Psalm 40[39]: "Sacrifices and offerings you have not desired, but a body have you prepared for me" (Heb 10: 5). Christ's body, Christ himself, enters to take the place of bloody sacrifices and food offerings. Only "love to the end", only love for human beings given totally to God is true worship, true sacrifice. Worshipping in spirit and truth means adoring in communion with the One who is Truth; adoring in communion with his Body, in which the Holy Spirit reunites us.
The Evangelists tell us that in Jesus' trial false witnesses were produced who asserted that Jesus had said: "I am able to destroy the temple of God, and to rebuild it in three days" (Mt 26: 61). In front of Christ hanging on the Cross some people, taunting him, referred to these same words: "You who would destroy the temple and build it in three days, save yourself!" (Mt 27: 40). The correct version of these words as Jesus spoke them has been passed on to us by John in his account of the purification of the temple. In response to the request for a sign by which Jesus could justify himself for such an action, the Lord replied: "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up" (Jn 2: 18ff.). John adds that, thinking back to this event of the Resurrection, the disciples realized that Jesus had been referring to the Temple of his Body (cf. 2: 21ff.). It is not Jesus who destroys the temple; it is left to destruction by the attitude of those who transformed it from being a place for the encounter of all peoples with God into a "den of robbers", a haven for their dealings. But as always, beginning with Adam's fall, human failure becomes the opportunity for us to be even more committed to love of God. The time of the temple built of stone, the time of animal sacrifices, is now passed: the fact that the Lord now expels the merchants does not only prevent an abuse but points to God's new way of acting. The new Temple is formed: Jesus Christ himself, in whom God's love descends upon human beings. He, by his life, is the new and living Temple. He who passed through the Cross and was raised is the living space of spirit and life in which the correct form of worship is made. Thus, the purification of the temple, as the culmination of Jesus' solemn entry into Jerusalem, is at the same time the sign of the impending ruin of the edifice and the promise of the new Temple; a promise of the kingdom of reconciliation and love which, in communion with Christ, is established beyond any boundary.

St Matthew, whose Gospel we are hearing this year, mentions at the end of the account of Palm Sunday, after the purification of the temple, two further, small events that once again have a prophetic character and once again make clear to us Jesus' true will. Immediately after Jesus' words on the house of prayer for all the people, the Evangelist continues: "And the blind and the lame came to him in the temple, and he healed them". In addition, Matthew tells us that children cried out in the temple the acclamation of the pilgrims at the city gates: "Hosanna to the Son of David" (Mt 21: 14ff.). Jesus counters the animal trade and fiscal affairs with his healing goodness. This is the temple's true purification. He does not come as a destroyer; he does not come with the revolutionary's sword. He comes with the gift of healing. He dedicates himself to those who, because of their ailments, were driven to the end of their life and to the margins of society. Jesus shows God as the One who loves and his power as the power of love. Thus, he tells us what will always be part of the correct worship of God: healing, serving and the goodness that cures.
And then there are children who pay homage to Jesus as the Son of David and acclaim him the Hosanna. Jesus had said to his disciples that to enter the Kingdom of God it was essential to become once again like children. He himself, who embraces the whole world, made himself little in order to come to our aid, to draw us to God. In order to recognize God, we must give up the pride that dazzles us, that wants to drive us away from God as though God were our rival. To encounter God it is necessary to be able to see with the heart. We must learn to see with a child's heart, with a youthful heart not hampered by prejudices or blinded by interests. Thus, it is in the lowly who have such free and open hearts and recognize Jesus, that the Church sees her own image, the image of believers of all ages.

Dear friends, let us join at this moment the procession of the young people of that time - a procession that winds through the whole of history. Together with young people across the world let us go forth to meet Jesus. Let us allow ourselves to be guided toward God by him, to learn from God himself the right way to be human beings. Let us thank God with him because with Jesus, Son of David, he has given us a space of peace and reconciliation that embraces the world with the Holy Eucharist. Let us pray to him that we too may become, with him and starting from him, messengers of his peace, adorers in spirit and truth, so that his Kingdom may increase in us and around us. Amen.

On the BrinK of the Holy

2009-03-30T07:54:00.000-07:00

As I write this message, we find ourselves in the last full week of the Lenten Season. The celebration of Holy Week 2009 begins with the liturgies of Palm or Passion Sunday this coming weekend. It has been the tradition that Palm Sunday initiates us into the holiest of octaves-the eight days of Palm Sunday through Easter Sunday. We begin this holy observance of the Passion, Death and Resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ with the blessing of palm branches that recall his triumphal entry into the holy city of Jerusalem. We are all joyfully implored to an intense, lively and prayerful Holy Week. This week is a week like none other, which commemorates the activities surrounding the Christ-event.

Some thoughts as Holy Week draws near…

The Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life released a sobering study. Among many items in the study, this was very significant for us here: No religion in America has seen more members lapse than the Catholic Church. While Roman Catholicism remains the largest religious denomination in the USA, roughly 10% of all Americans are ex-Catholics. Perhaps Holy Week might be a time to return to the Church!

Psychiatrist Gerard May writes,“After twenty years of listening to the yearnings of people’s hearts, I’m convinced that all human beings have an inborn desire of God whether they are consciously religious or not, this desire for God is our deepest longing and our most precious treasure. It gives us meaning. Some of them have repressed this desire, burying it beneath so many other interests that we are completely unaware of it. Or we may experience it in different ways—as a longing for wholeness, fulfillment, and completion. Regardless of how we describe it, it is a longing for love. It is a hunger for love, to be loved, and to move closer to the source of love.”

There is a Lenten song which summarizes these thoughts:

Marked by ashes, we have come,We, the world so troublesome,We, the members: Christ, our sum.Now we pray by day and night,Keep the fast to clear our sight,Share our goods to set things right.

Happy last week of Lent! .May you and I arrive at Easter, converted, changed and transformed.

Fasting to Feasting

2009-03-19T10:02:00.000-07:00

Fasting to Feasting
Lent is a time for fasting but also a season for joyous feasting!During Lent, the Church calls on us to fast from certain things and feast on others.For example:

Fast from judging others...feast on Christ dwelling in them.Fast from emphasis on differences...feast on the unity of life.Fast from apparent darkness...feast on the reality of light.Fast from thoughts of illness...feast on God's healing power.Fast from words that pollute...feast on phrases that purify.Fast from discontent...feast on gratitude.Fast from anger...feast on patience.Fast from pessimism...feast on optimism.Fast from worry...feast on divine order.Fast from complaining...feast on appreciation.Fast from negatives...feast on affirmatives.Fast from unrelenting pressures...feast on unceasing prayer.Fast from hostility...feast on nonresistance.Fast from bitterness...feast on forgiveness.Fast from self concern...feast on compassion for others.Fast from personal anxiety...feast on eternal truth.Fast from discouragement...feast on hope.Fast from facts that depress...feast on truths that up lift.Fast from lethargy...feast on enthusiasm.Fast from suspicion...feast on truth.Fast from thoughts that weaken...feast on promises that inspire.Fast from shadows of sorrow...feast on sunlight of serenity.Fast from idle gossip...feast on purposeful silence.

Missing the Mark

2009-03-06T10:31:00.000-08:00

Yet, as we look around, the world is full of awe and grandeur. People are really good at heart, and love does dwell in the hearts of the overwhelming number of people we know. There is something very right about us and about life, for we have loved and the special people we know have made us feel loved.

Returning to God means:
— Coming face to face with the Creator

— Making every effort to live, to love, to serve, to give and to forgive in a manner that is consonant with that image

— Surrendering our false and distorted image of God

— Welcoming God’s involvement in every part of our lives

— Going back to our sacred stories, becoming acquainted again with our roots

— Looking at the Gospels with a new sobering study— Allowing ourselves to be led by the Spirit, as Jesus was

No and Yes for Lent

2009-02-25T02:11:00.000-08:00

NO AND YES FOR LENT…

On Ash Wednesday, we gathered and were traced in the form of a cross with ashes. These ashes signaled entry into this most holy of seasons; a time of fasting, an opportunity to deprive the body and consequently make room for the spirit.

These days, we seem to harbor an extra motive for fasting. As a whole, America seems to be much too overweight. In fact, the Harper’s Index of Statistics states that, at the current rate of increase, all Americans will be overweight by the year 2059! While fasting from food can be a good practice and a sincere attempt at discipline, perhaps we need to be challenged a bit this Lent to another form of fasting or discipline; fasting from that which comes from our mouths.

Consider this:

Fasting From Foul Language: The air around us is full of it. The F-word is commonplace, monotonously and boringly so, in movies, in song lyrics, in novels, in magazine articles and in everyday conversation. Crude talk and endless sexual double meaning pollutes commercials, TV shows and daily conversation. This has become so commonplace that we take it all in as part of normal discourse. But when locker room talk becomes the ordinary means of communication it coarsens us, devalues us. Certainly, foul language has no place in the life of a disciple of Jesus. So, the first practice for Lent for all of us is to watch our language. Remember, we are part of Christ’s gang!

Keep Judgments From Spilling Out From Our Mouths: This might be hard to do for the whole of Lent. , but maybe you could pick one day to keep your judgments to yourself. Friday is a good choice, in honor of Jesus’ crucifixion. This was also the day when Jesus granted paradise to the repentant thief. So, for each Friday of Lent, make no judgments about other people: about their motives, their goodness or badness, their social standing, their defects, their clothes, their color, their sexuality, their mistakes. We are fellow pilgrims and Christ died for all of us. For one day a week during Lent, avoid letting negative judgments come forth from your mouth.

Try to Control the Verbal Negatives That So Readily Come From Our Mouths: not just the hate language, but the put-downs, the jabs that hurt, the insults, the criticisms, the condemnations, the sarcasm, the harmful gossip, the rumor that smears. Again, if it’s too much to do on every day during Lent, make it just one day a week. You may want to choose Wednesday as your no-negative words day, as tradition holds that this was the day Judas let the words which betrayed Jesus fall from his mouth. Words can hurt. Avoid the verbal negatives for the Wednesdays of Lent!

Let the Word “No” Fall More Often From Your Mouth: Our “nos” define us every bit as much as our “yeses.” Jesus is our guide. When he cured the man possessed by a demon and that man wanted to follow him, he said no. “Go home to your friends and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and what mercy he has shown you.” When Pilate questioned Jesus, he shook his head no and refused to answer. He said no to the pain-dulling hyssop offered to him on the cross. Be like Jesus for Lent. Say no to drugs. Say no to pre-marital sex. Say no to infidelity. Say no to cheating. Say no to lies. Say no to over-consumption. But say yes to truth. Say yes to words that encourage and heal. Say yes to charitable deeds and sharing. Say yes to prayer. Say yes to your family’s need for your presence and time. Say Yes to Jesus.

HAVE A HAPPY, PRODUCTIVE AND POSITIVE LENT!

Christmas 2008

2008-12-16T06:25:00.000-08:00

As Christmas is here and the new year fast approaches, we are summoned to pull together to build up the Kingdom of God by minimizing our differences, forgiving each other and allowing Jesus, our Prince of Peace to heal our wounds. We the future of Saint Patrick High School and the universal church depend upon this common resolve.

In a real way, Christmas is the celebration of the birth of the Word of God. The Word of God is the most powerful force in the world, for it is the force of Love. Accepting that, it behooves us to consider the force of our words this season and throughout the new year. Words are powerful. Therefore, our words pack power. The words “I love you” can transform a person for a moment, make a person’s day, create a future. A word can also destroy a person such as in betrayal, slander, malicious speech, with negativity unchecked. Let us give a real gift this Christmas, the gift of words spoken genuinely, graciously and lovingly from the heart and our mouth. May our words build up rather than destroy, may they help us fix our world so that all things may be the restored in Christ.

Christmas beckons us all not just for one day but for a season of celebration which culminates in the celebration of the Baptism of Jesus. May this be for all of us a season of joy and peace: peace in our world; peace in our school community; peace in our families and peace in our hearts.
As we celebrate the drama of Christmas. We remember and celebrate the Christ-event that happened over 2000 years ago; the event that forever changed the face of the earth; the event by which the story of our salvation began: God becoming flesh. Let Christmas embrace you with love.

To those who attend a religious service weekly, continue to do so and allow the Lord to touch your heart in some way. To those who go infrequently to Sunday worship, you are invited and implored to go back again and again. Your presence and participation is needed so that the mission of Christ might be strengthened and realized. Do not deprive yourself of such awesome spiritual benefits.

May the peace of Christ, which is beyond all understanding, live forever with you and those you love, always. May Christmas bring you what your heart needs and your spirit seeks!

JOY TO THE WORLD...um, not so fast.

2008-12-14T17:12:00.000-08:00

Christmas, and its antecedent, Advent, is about happing tidings. These seasons are about a hope that is not disappointing in its promise but awesome in its fulfillment. They are about a faith in the Invisible One who reveals Himself as a child. They are about a love that blazes in the heart of Savior and in His selfless disciples who roamed the planet for over twenty centuries.

While “Joy to the World” represents the best of these holidays, we know that for many, joy is at best on the horizon, always yet to be. We know those whose misery clamors for sedation, for we are the People of God. We know the violated and the violent, the hunted and the predator, the hungry and the hoarder, the sick and the healthy, the addicted and the supplier, the powerless and the power wielding, the wealthy and the destitute.

In the midst of all this that is part and parcel of the human condition, many of us are convinced that our hopes and dreams for humanity will be channeled through the promise that God will be with us always. So many times, however, these dreams and hopes have been dashed on the rocks of faith: an unresponsive person from whom you have sought forgiveness, a statement by a politician or church person that is far removed from the human condition, a co-worker, family member or student who lacks empathy, a person who is all about entitlements, a senior citizen who has become a self-seeker, a youth who has become a user, a middle-ager whose racism bears no resemblance to his religion, a child who has not been treasured enough to be given the gifts of faith by Christian family members.

De LaSalle writes in his meditations the following: “You often receive Jesus Christ into your heart. Is he not lodged there as in a stable? Does he not find this resting place filled with corruption, because you love other things so much better that you love him”? Perhaps this Christmas we might clean out our hearts to make room for Jesus, Emmanuel, God-With-Us.

May we reach out to the Lord this Advent and Christmas and cry out:

Come, Lord Jesus!I open my mind and heart and soulAnd long for you to be born anew in me,And to allow you to touch the earth through me.
Come, Lord Jesus!Come and stay with my family and friendsAnd all who are dear to me. Be nearEspecially those who are burdened bySickness or sadness-set them freeBy your love and care.
We hunger, we thirst, we wait for you!Come, Lord Jesus! And do not delay!

Reflections...as Autumn unfolds

2008-09-24T02:39:00.000-07:00

We should be edified and fortified by the amazing commencement of this school year. It is our hope that the year on the horizon is one of peace, academic success and spiritual enrichment as we all continue to grow in wisdom, age and grace before God and the world.
If one were to place a theme upon this school year, perhaps it might read like this, “TO RESTORE ALL THINGS IN CHRIST, WITH THE FIRE OF LOVE.”

Our restoration in Christ as a school, faculty and students relies on the support and encouragement we receive from one another, even on the difficult days. Christ must be at the center of all that we do. Without love, we are nothing, for God is love and those who abide in love, abide in God and God in them. May this be our goal for the year; one of profound respect and growth as we strive to restore all things in Christ. PLEASE TAKE NOTE OF THE FOLLOWING:

MISSION COLLECTION: Over $12,000 was collected last year for Saint Paul’s School in Marsabit, Kenya. Can we top that this year? The collection is taken up every Wednesday during homeroom period. Over the last three weeks, our school has raised $1500. Thanks to Ms. Lisa Fiorante, a weekly mission tally will be sent electronically. Please print it and place in a prominent location. More information on the missions is forthcoming.

LASALLIAN YOUTH: This experience in faith, service and community is up and running full speed ahead. Encourage students to get involved in this worthwhile endeavor. Plans are already in the making for our Thanksgiving Food Drive and Christmas Toy Drive. Contact Ms. Ann Perez for further information.

FRESHMAN RETREAT: Looking ahead, the Freshman Retreat will take place on Thursday October 9th. More information will be forthcoming to the faculty in the next weeks along with a letter that will be sent home to all parents of freshmen.

JUNIOR RETREATS: The first in a series of six retreats took place last week. The next retreat is this coming Monday and Tuesday. Please pray for our Juniors as they embark on this experience with themselves, others, and ultimately, God.

KAIROS: The major, elective retreat of Senior year is KAIROS. Seniors teachers especially are exhorted to encourage this awesome experience. Sign ups for the first of two retreats will soon begin. Ms. Ann Perez is the Director of KAIROS.

CANDLES FOR LIGHTING: Once again this year, seven-day votive candles will be available for lighting. They are located in the Chapel Corridor on the second floor. Light a candle for your own personal needs. The cost is $3.00 per candle and can be purchased in the Campus Ministry Office.

Finally, college student, Doug Copeland, in his book, Life after God, writes this poignant paragraph. I believe he speaks for all youth:

“Now here is my secret: I tell it to you with an openness of heart that I doubt I shall ever achieve again, so I pray that you are in a quiet room as you read these words. My secret is that I need God-that I am sick and can no longer make it alone. I need to go to help me give, because I no longer seem capable of giving, to help me be kind as I no longer feel capable of kindness; to help me love as I seem beyond being able to love.”

“ I need God.” That is the unrecognized yearning of all youth. We, as Lasallian partners, and colleagues share in the mission to accompany students in their journey of a lifetime and touch their hearts a along the way. May we rise to this noble challenge!

"The Saint of the Gutters"

2008-09-05T05:04:00.000-07:00

Today marks the feast of the woman who's arguably the most-hailed witness of the last century: Blessed Teresa of Calcutta -- Mother Teresa, whose own "little way" continues to fascinate, inspire and draw the masses even 11 years after her death.Appropriately enough, this weekend's second reading perfectly encapsulates the work of the "Saint of the Gutters": "Owe nothing to anyone, except to love one another; for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law."Originally brought to prominence in the writings of an earlier 20th century saint of the same name -- the "Little Flower" Therese of Lisieux (whose parents will be beatified next month) -- thanks to the examples of both, the simple concept of doing "little things with great love" has become a guiding principle of life for countless folks the world over, and it's not hard to see why; as with every other great export of the Catholic tradition, it's a call that's simple, universal, uplifting and accessible to one and all, regardless of background or situation.Born in Albania, she became a daughter of India and a reference-point for the world, a spiritual figure whose voice bore a credibility and influence that transcended religious and political divides, a physically slight figure but a giant on the world stage, the Nobel Peace laureate who lived most of her life in poverty, always close to the earth, and was without fail most at home with the people who were her life -- the poorest of the poor.But even so, for most of us, following her example -- and, by extension, that of the One who sent her -- won't entail leaving everything we have and crossing the globe; then again, it won't have to. As an old song once put it, "there's a world outside your window" (indeed, just inches from our respective monitors) that, maybe now more than ever, longs for a bit more presence, a bit more joy, a bit more hope, a bit more love... and regardless of where we're at or whatever situation life finds us in, the answer, the giving, the change, begins with each one of us.And so, on her feast-day, there's no better time for a brief compilation of Mother Teresims:The dying, the cripple, the mental, the unwanted, the unloved -- they are Jesus in disguise.Little things are indeed little, but to be faithful in little things is a great thing.It is not how much we do, but how much love we put in the doing. It is not how much we give, but how much love we put in the giving.Nakedness is not only for a piece of clothing; nakedness is lack of human dignity, and also that beautiful virtue of purity, and lack of that respect for each other.There is a terrible hunger for love. We all experience that in our lives - the pain, the loneliness. We must have the courage to recognize it. The poor you may have right in your own family. Find them. Love them.There is more hunger in the world for love and appreciation in this world than for bread.Before you speak, it is necessary for you to listen, for God speaks in the silence of the heart.Speak tenderly to them. Let there be kindness in your face, in your eyes, in your smile, in the warmth of your greeting. Always have a cheerful smile. Don't only give your care, but give your heart as well.The more you have, the more you are occupied, the less you give. But the less you have the more free you are. Poverty for us is a freedom. It is not a mortification, a penance. It is joyful freedom. There is no television here, no this, no that. But we are perfectly happy.If you are humble nothing will touch you, neither praise nor disgrace, because you know what you are.Do not allow yourselves to be disheartened by any failure as long as you have done your best.We ourselves feel that what we are doing is just a drop in the ocean. But the ocean would be less because of that missing drop.There is only one God and He is God to all; therefore it is important that everyone is seen as equal before God. I've always said we should help a Hindu become a better Hindu, a Muslim become a better Muslim, a Catholic become a better Catholic.If we really want to love we must learn how to forgive.It is a poverty to decide that an unborn child must die so that you may live as you like.If we pray, we will believe; If we believe, we will love; If we love, we will serve.We can do no great things; only small things with great love.You and I, we are the Church, no? We have to share with our people. Suffering today is because people are hoarding, not giving, not sharing. Jesus made it very clear: "Whatever you do to the least of my brethren, you do it to me. Give a glass of water, you give it to me. Receive a little child, you receive me." Clear.I know God will not give me anything I can't handle. I just wish that He didn't trust me so much.Only in heaven will we see how much we owe to the poor for helping us to love God better because of them.I want you to be concerned about your next door neighbor. Do you know your next door neighbor?Kind words can be short and easy to speak, but their echoes are truly endless.God doesn't require us to succeed; he only requires that you try.Despite giving your best to the world, you may be kicked in the teeth. Give the best you've got anyway.Make us worthy, Lord, to serve those people throughout the world who live and die in poverty and hunger. Give them through our hands, this day, their daily bread, and by our understanding love, give them peace and joy.Let no one ever come to you without leaving better and happier. Be the living expression of God's kindness: kindness in your face, kindness in your eyes, kindness in your smile.Well, let's do something beautiful for God.Easy words, sure, but -- as with everything else in this life -- the easier it sounds, the harder it is to carry out. Then again, as she once put it herself, "Yesterday is gone. Tomorrow has not yet come. We have only today. Let us begin."

Summer Scenes

2008-08-27T20:31:00.000-07:00

The scriptures this Sunday about the cost of discipleship remind me of the Anglican theologian John Stott’s statement that speaks for all of us when he says that if it were not for the cross, he would not believe in God:

In the real world of real pain, how could one worship a God whowas immune to it? Rather than gaze on a serene Buddha, legscrossed, arms folded, detached from the agonies of this world,I have always turned instead to look at that lonely, twisted, tortured figure on the cross. That is the God who laid asideimmunity to pain to enter into our world of flesh and blood,tears and death. When I look upon him, I know and I believeI am loved, healed, forgiven and delivered.

Speaking of forgiveness, I ran into the latest book by William Bausch. In one of his reflections, he speaks of the Ten Commandments of Forgiveness:

1. Forgiveness is not easy.
2. Forgiveness is not forgetting.
3. Forgiveness does not overlook evil.
4. Forgiveness is not indifference.
5. Forgiveness is not the same thing as approval.
6. Forgiveness recognizes that people are always bigger than their faults.
7. Forgiveness allows a person to start all over again.
8. Forgiveness recognizes the humanity of the wrongdoer.
9. Forgiveness surrenders the right to get even.
10. Forgiveness wishes the offender well.Forgiveness is the gift that we actually give to ourselves.

May everyone enjoy the Labor Day weekend. Party sensibly and drive safely!

Our Salvation...in our own hands.

2008-07-26T07:40:00.000-07:00

The word salvation is bantered about by us religious folks as if there was only one definition of it. Jesus brought us salvation which offers us the gift of heaven, and that saves us from eternal death. He saves us from the power of sin. On the other hand, Jesus assists us daily in our other struggles; sometimes he needs to be the source of our salvation from selfishness, bad decisions, self-destructive behaviors, enemies, and distress of every sort. I like to use the expression that Jesus comes to save us from ourselves.

It is clear that the world of which we are a part is in need of salvation as healing, reconciliation, transformation. In that context, please consider the following reading from the late great Rabbi, Abraham Heschel:

There is a divine dream which the prophets and rabbis have cherished and which fills our prayers and permeates the acts of Jewish piety. It is the dream of a world, rid of evil by the efforts of man, by his will to serve what goes beyond his interests. God is waiting for us to redeem the world. We should not spend our life hunting for trivial satisfactions while God is waiting constantly and keenly for our effort and devotion.

The Almighty has not created the universe that we may have opportunities to satisfy our greed, envy, and ambition. Israel has not survived that we may waste our years in vulgar vanities. The martyrdom of millions in this very hour demands that we consecrate ourselves to the fulfillment of God’s dream of salvation.

The mountain of history is over our heads again. Shall we renew the covenant with God?

Pope celebrates private Mass with Australian clergy sex abuse victims

2008-07-21T06:44:00.000-07:00

Before he left Sydney to return to Rome, Pope Benedict XVI celebrated a private Mass with four Australian victims of clerical sexual abuse and their families. "The pope listened to their stories and offered them consolation," said a statement issued by the Vatican. "Assuring them of his spiritual closeness, he promised to continue to pray for them, their families and all victims. Through this paternal gesture, the Holy Father wished to demonstrate again his deep concern for all those who have suffered sexual abuse."The Mass was held in a small chapel inside St. Mary's Cathedral and was celebrated by the pope and Sydney Cardinal George Pell. The victims -- two men and two women -- were accompanied by family members and a priest in charge of pastoral support for victims, the papal spokesman, Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi, said in a written statement. Father Lombardi said the Mass and the private encounter were held "in an atmosphere of respect, spirituality and intense emotion" in which everyone was deeply moved. "The pope wanted to meet with victims, as he did in the United States, as a way to concretely express feelings he has already shown many times in his talks concerning the tragedy of sexual abuse" within the church, the spokesman said in his written statement. Father Lombardi also explained that the pope wanted to meet with victims after World Youth Day celebrations had ended and that the World Youth Day events had been "the specific reason for his trip" to Australia. In a separate statement, the communications director for the Sydney Archdiocese, Jim Hanna, said he was "delighted that the Holy Father was able to spend time with victims of sexual abuse before his departure today." "The pope talked with them for about 30 minutes, offering his consolation for their suffering," said Hanna.He said the private meeting between the pope and the four victims had been organized in the late stages of preparations for World Youth Day. Organizers had consulted with the church's professional standards office -- the body that administers the church's sexual abuse forum, Toward Healing -- which had nominated the four victims."The Holy Father's meeting with victims reflects the continuing commitment of the whole church in Australia to bring healing and justice to those who have been so terribly hurt by sexual abuse," said Hanna.Two days earlier, during a cathedral Mass with bishops, priests and seminarians, Pope Benedict said he was "deeply sorry for the pain and suffering" endured by Australian victims of clerical sexual abuse, which he described as "so grave a betrayal of trust" that deserves "unequivocal condemnation." "I am deeply sorry for the pain and suffering the victims have endured, and I assure them that as their pastor, I, too, share in their suffering," he said.Retired Sydney Auxiliary Bishop Geoffrey Robinson, former head of a church panel for dealing with the crisis, has estimated the number of Australian victims as being more than 1,000.

Off to Madrid '11

2008-07-20T06:13:00.001-07:00

It's official -- B16 has announced that the Spanish capital will host the 26th World Youth Day, with the celebration's 12th international gathering to take place in 2011.

Sydney Wraps it Up

2008-07-20T06:07:00.000-07:00

HOMILY OF POPE BENEDICT XVI
MASS FOR THE XXIII WORLD YOUTH DAY -- CELEBRATION OF CONFIRMATION RANDWICK RACECOURSE SYDNEY 20 JULY 2008

Dear Friends,"You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you" (Acts 1:8). We have seen this promise fulfilled! On the day of Pentecost, as we heard in the first reading, the Risen Lord, seated at the right hand of the Father, sent the Spirit upon the disciples gathered in the Upper Room. In the power of that Spirit, Peter and the Apostles went forth to preach the Gospel to the ends of the earth. In every age, and in every language, the Church throughout the world continues to proclaim the marvels of God and to call all nations and peoples to faith, hope and new life in Christ.In these days I too have come, as the Successor of Saint Peter, to this magnificent land of Australia. I have come to confirm you, my young brothers and sisters, in your faith and to encourage you to open your hearts to the power of Christ's Spirit and the richness of his gifts. I pray that this great assembly, which unites young people "from every nation under heaven" (cf. Acts 2:5), will be a new Upper Room. May the fire of God's love descend to fill your hearts, unite you ever more fully to the Lord and his Church, and send you forth, a new generation of apostles, to bring the world to Christ! "You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you". These words of the Risen Lord have a special meaning for those young people who will be confirmed, sealed with the gift of the Holy Spirit, at today's Mass. But they are also addressed to each of us - to all those who have received the Spirit's gift of reconciliation and new life at Baptism, who have welcomed him into their hearts as their helper and guide at Confirmation, and who daily grow in his gifts of grace through the Holy Eucharist. At each Mass, in fact, the Holy Spirit descends anew, invoked by the solemn prayer of the Church, not only to transform our gifts of bread and wine into the Lord's body and blood, but also to transform our lives, to make us, in his power, "one body, one spirit in Christ".
But what is this "power" of the Holy Spirit? It is the power of God's life! It is the power of the same Spirit who hovered over the waters at the dawn of creation and who, in the fullness of time, raised Jesus from the dead. It is the power which points us, and our world, towards the coming of the Kingdom of God. In today's Gospel, Jesus proclaims that a new age has begun, in which the Holy Spirit will be poured out upon all humanity (cf. Lk 4:21). He himself, conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary, came among us to bring us that Spirit. As the source of our new life in Christ, the Holy Spirit is also, in a very real way, the soul of the Church, the love which binds us to the Lord and one another, and the light which opens our eyes to see all around us the wonders of God's grace.Here in Australia, this "great south land of the Holy Spirit", all of us have had an unforgettable experience of the Spirit's presence and power in the beauty of nature. Our eyes have been opened to see the world around us as it truly is: "charged", as the poet says, "with the grandeur of God", filled with the glory of his creative love. Here too, in this great assembly of young Christians from all over the world, we have had a vivid experience of the Spirit's presence and power in the life of the Church. We have seen the Church for what she truly is: the Body of Christ, a living community of love, embracing people of every race, nation and tongue, of every time and place, in the unity born of our faith in the Risen Lord. The power of the Spirit never ceases to fill the Church with life! Through the grace of the Church's sacraments, that power also flows deep within us, like an underground river which nourishes our spirit and draws us ever nearer to the source of our true life, which is Christ. Saint Ignatius of Antioch, who died a martyr in Rome at the beginning of the second century, has left us a splendid description of the Spirit's power dwelling within us. He spoke of the Spirit as a fountain of living water springing up within his heart and whispering: "Come, come to the Father" (cf. Ad Rom., 6:1-9).
Yet this power, the grace of the Spirit, is not something we can merit or achieve, but only receive as pure gift. God's love can only unleash its power when it is allowed to change us from within. We have to let it break through the hard crust of our indifference, our spiritual weariness, our blind conformity to the spirit of this age. Only then can we let it ignite our imagination and shape our deepest desires. That is why prayer is so important: daily prayer, private prayer in the quiet of our hearts and before the Blessed Sacrament, and liturgical prayer in the heart of the Church. Prayer is pure receptivity to God's grace, love in action, communion with the Spirit who dwells within us, leading us, through Jesus, in the Church, to our heavenly Father. In the power of his Spirit, Jesus is always present in our hearts, quietly waiting for us to be still with him, to hear his voice, to abide in his love, and to receive "power from on high", enabling us to be salt and light for our world.At his Ascension, the Risen Lord told his disciples: "You will be my witnesses ... to the ends of the earth" (Acts 1:8). Here, in Australia, let us thank the Lord for the gift of faith, which has come down to us like a treasure passed on from generation to generation in the communion of the Church. Here, in Oceania, let us give thanks in a special way for all those heroic missionaries, dedicated priests and religious, Christian parents and grandparents, teachers and catechists who built up the Church in these lands - witnesses like Blessed Mary MacKillop, Saint Peter Chanel, Blessed Peter To Rot, and so many others! The power of the Spirit, revealed in their lives, is still at work in the good they left behind, in the society which they shaped and which is being handed on to you.Dear young people, let me now ask you a question. What will you leave to the next generation? Are you building your lives on firm foundations, building something that will endure? Are you living your lives in a way that opens up space for the Spirit in the midst of a world that wants to forget God, or even rejects him in the name of a falsely-conceived freedom? How are you using the gifts you have been given, the "power" which the Holy Spirit is even now prepared to release within you? What legacy will you leave to young people yet to come? What difference will you make? The power of the Holy Spirit does not only enlighten and console us. It also points us to the future, to the coming of God's Kingdom. What a magnificent vision of a humanity redeemed and renewed we see in the new age promised by today's Gospel! Saint Luke tells us that Jesus Christ is the fulfilment of all God's promises, the Messiah who fully possesses the Holy Spirit in order to bestow that gift upon all mankind. The outpouring of Christ's Spirit upon humanity is a pledge of hope and deliverance from everything that impoverishes us. It gives the blind new sight; it sets the downtrodden free, and it creates unity in and through diversity (cf. Lk 4:18-19; Is 61:1-2). This power can create a new world: it can "renew the face of the earth" (cf. Ps 104:30)!
Empowered by the Spirit, and drawing upon faith's rich vision, a new generation of Christians is being called to help build a world in which God's gift of life is welcomed, respected and cherished - not rejected, feared as a threat and destroyed. A new age in which love is not greedy or self-seeking, but pure, faithful and genuinely free, open to others, respectful of their dignity, seeking their good, radiating joy and beauty. A new age in which hope liberates us from the shallowness, apathy and self-absorption which deaden our souls and poison our relationships. Dear young friends, the Lord is asking you to be prophets of this new age, messengers of his love, drawing people to the Father and building a future of hope for all humanity.The world needs this renewal! In so many of our societies, side by side with material prosperity, a spiritual desert is spreading: an interior emptiness, an unnamed fear, a quiet sense of despair. How many of our contemporaries have built broken and empty cisterns (cf. Jer 2:13) in a desperate search for meaning - the ultimate meaning that only love can give? This is the great and liberating gift which the Gospel brings: it reveals our dignity as men and women created in the image and likeness of God. It reveals humanity's sublime calling, which is to find fulfilment in love. It discloses the truth about man and the truth about life.The Church also needs this renewal! She needs your faith, your idealism and your generosity, so that she can always be young in the Spirit (cf. Lumen Gentium, 4)! In today's second reading, the Apostle Paul reminds us that each and every Christian has received a gift meant for building up the Body of Christ. The Church especially needs the gifts of young people, all young people. She needs to grow in the power of the Spirit who even now gives joy to your youth and inspires you to serve the Lord with gladness. Open your hearts to that power! I address this plea in a special way to those of you whom the Lord is calling to the priesthood and the consecrated life. Do not be afraid to say "yes" to Jesus, to find your joy in doing his will, giving yourself completely to the pursuit of holiness, and using all your talents in the service of others!
In a few moments, we will celebrate the sacrament of Confirmation. The Holy Spirit will descend upon the confirmands; they will be "sealed" with the gift of the Spirit and sent forth to be Christ's witnesses. What does it mean to receive the "seal" of the Holy Spirit? It means being indelibly marked, inalterably changed, a new creation. For those who have received this gift, nothing can ever be the same! Being "baptized" in the one Spirit (cf. 1 Cor 12:13) means being set on fire with the love of God. Being "given to drink" of the Spirit means being refreshed by the beauty of the Lord's plan for us and for the world, and becoming in turn a source of spiritual refreshment for others. Being "sealed with the Spirit" means not being afraid to stand up for Christ, letting the truth of the Gospel permeate the way we see, think and act, as we work for the triumph of the civilization of love.As we pray for the confirmands, let us ask that the power of the Holy Spirit will revive the grace of our own Confirmation. May he pour out his gifts in abundance on all present, on this city of Sydney, on this land of Australia and on all its people! May each of us be renewed in the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of right judgement and courage, the spirit of knowledge and reverence, the spirit of wonder and awe in God's presence!Through the loving intercession of Mary, Mother of the Church, may this Twenty-third World Youth Day be experienced as a new Upper Room, from which all of us, burning with the fire and love of the Holy Spirit, go forth to proclaim the Risen Christ and to draw every heart to him! Amen.

Radwick Pics

2008-07-19T11:21:00.000-07:00

Radwick

2008-07-19T11:16:00.000-07:00

HOMILY OF POPE BENEDICT XVI
VIGIL OF THE XXIII WORLD YOUTH DAYRANDWICK RACECOURSESYDNEY19 JULY 2008

Dear Young People,Once again this evening we have heard Christ’s great promise – "you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you". And we have heard his summons – "be my witnesses throughout the world" – (Acts 1:8). These were the very last words which Jesus spoke before his Ascension into heaven. How the Apostles felt upon hearing them, we can only imagine. But we do know that their deep love for Jesus, and their trust in his word, prompted them to gather and to wait; to wait not aimlessly, but together, united in prayer, with the women and Mary in the Upper Room (cf. Acts 1:14). Tonight, we do the same. Gathered before our much-travelled Cross and the icon of Mary, and under the magnificent constellation of the Southern Cross, we pray. Tonight, I am praying for you and for young people throughout the world. Be inspired by the example of your Patrons! Accept into your hearts and minds the sevenfold gift of the Holy Spirit! Recognize and believe in the power of the Spirit in your lives!The other day we talked of the unity and harmony of God’s creation and our place within it. We recalled how in the great gift of baptism we, who are made in God’s image and likeness, have been reborn, we have become God’s adopted children, a new creation. And so it is as children of Christ’s light – symbolized by the lit candles you now hold – that we bear witness in our world to the radiance no darkness can overcome (cf. Jn 1:5).Tonight we focus our attention on how to become witnesses. We need to understand the person of the Holy Spirit and his vivifying presence in our lives. This is not easy to comprehend. Indeed the variety of images found in scripture referring to the Spirit – wind, fire, breath – indicate our struggle to articulate an understanding of him. Yet we do know that it is the Holy Spirit who, though silent and unseen, gives direction and definition to our witness to Jesus Christ.You are already well aware that our Christian witness is offered to a world which in many ways is fragile. The unity of God’s creation is weakened by wounds which run particularly deep when social relations break apart, or when the human spirit is all but crushed through the exploitation and abuse of persons. Indeed, society today is being fragmented by a way of thinking that is inherently short-sighted, because it disregards the full horizon of truth– the truth about God and about us. By its nature, relativism fails to see the whole picture. It ignores the very principles which enable us to live and flourish in unity, order and harmony.What is our response, as Christian witnesses, to a divided and fragmented world? How can we offer the hope of peace, healing and harmony to those "stations" of conflict, suffering, and tension through which you have chosen to march with this World Youth Day Cross? Unity and reconciliation cannot be achieved through our efforts alone. God has made us for one another (cf. Gen 2:24) and only in God and his Church can we find the unity we seek. Yet, in the face of imperfections and disappointments – both individual and institutional – we are sometimes tempted to construct artificially a "perfect" community. That temptation is not new. The history of the Church includes many examples of attempts to bypass or override human weaknesses or failures in order to create a perfect unity, a spiritual utopia.Such attempts to construct unity in fact undermine it! To separate the Holy Spirit from Christ present in the Church’s institutional structure would compromise the unity of the Christian community, which is precisely the Spirit’s gift! It would betray the nature of the Church as the living temple of the Holy Spirit (cf. 1 Cor 3:16). It is the Spirit, in fact, who guides the Church in the way of all truth and unifies her in communion and in the works of ministry (cf. Lumen Gentium, 4). Unfortunately the temptation to "go it alone" persists. Some today portray their local community as somehow separate from the so-called institutional Church, by speaking of the former as flexible and open to the Spirit and the latter as rigid and devoid of the Spirit.Unity is of the essence of the Church (cf. Catechism of the Catholic Church, 813); it is a gift we must recognize and cherish. Tonight, let us pray for the resolve to nurture unity: contribute to it! resist any temptation to walk away! For it is precisely the comprehensiveness, the vast vision, of our faith – solid yet open, consistent yet dynamic, true yet constantly growing in insight – that we can offer our world. Dear young people, is it not because of your faith that friends in difficulty or seeking meaning in their lives have turned to you? Be watchful! Listen! Through the dissonance and division of our world, can you hear the concordant voice of humanity? From the forlorn child in a Darfur camp, or a troubled teenager, or an anxious parent in any suburb, or perhaps even now from the depth of your own heart, there emerges the same human cry for recognition, for belonging, for unity. Who satisfies that essential human yearning to be one, to be immersed in communion, to be built up, to be led to truth? The Holy Spirit! This is the Spirit’s role: to bring Christ’s work to fulfilment. Enriched with the Spirit’s gifts, you will have the power to move beyond the piecemeal, the hollow utopia, the fleeting, to offer the consistency and certainty of Christian witness!Friends, when reciting the Creed we state: "We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life". The "Creator Spirit" is the power of God giving life to all creation and the source of new and abundant life in Christ. The Spirit sustains the Church in union with the Lord and in fidelity to the apostolic Tradition. He inspired the Sacred Scriptures and he guides God’s People into the fullness of truth (cf. Jn 16:13) In all these ways the Spirit is the "giver of life", leading us into the very heart of God. So, the more we allow the Spirit to direct us, the more perfect will be our configuration to Christ and the deeper our immersion in the life of the Triune God.This sharing in God’s nature (cf. 2 Pet 1:4) occurs in the unfolding of the everyday moments of our lives where he is always present (cf. Bar 3:38). There are times, however, when we might be tempted to seek a certain fulfilment apart from God. Jesus himself asked the Twelve: "do you also wish to go away?" Such drifting away perhaps offers the illusion of freedom. But where does it lead? To whom would we go? For in our hearts we know that it is the Lord who has "the words of eternal life" (Jn 6:67-68). To turn away from him is only a futile attempt to escape from ourselves (cf. Saint Augustine, Confessions VIII, 7). God is with us in the reality of life, not the fantasy! It is embrace, not escape, that we seek! So the Holy Spirit gently but surely steers us back to what is real, what is lasting, what is true. It is the Spirit who leads us back into the communion of the Blessed Trinity!The Holy Spirit has been in some ways the neglected person of the Blessed Trinity. A clear understanding of the Spirit almost seems beyond our reach. Yet, when I was a small boy, my parents, like yours, taught me the Sign of the Cross. So, I soon came to realize that there is one God in three Persons, and that the Trinity is the centre of our Christian faith and life. While I grew up to have some understanding of God the Father and the Son – the names already conveyed much – my understanding of the third person of the Trinity remained incomplete. So, as a young priest teaching theology, I decided to study the outstanding witnesses to the Spirit in the Church’s history. It was on this journey that I found myself reading, among others, the great Saint Augustine.Augustine’s understanding of the Holy Spirit evolved gradually; it was a struggle. As a young man he had followed Manichaeism - one of those attempts I mentioned earlier, to create a spiritual utopia by radically separating the things of the spirit from the things of the flesh. Hence he was at first suspicious of the Christian teaching that God had become man. Yet his experience of the love of God present in the Church led him to investigate its source in the life of the Triune God. This led him to three particular insights about the Holy Spirit as the bond of unity within the Blessed Trinity: unity as communion, unity as abiding love, and unity as giving and gift. These three insights are not just theoretical. They help explain how the Spirit works. In a world where both individuals and communities often suffer from an absence of unity or cohesion, these insights help us remain attuned to the Spirit and to extend and clarify the scope of our witness.So, with Augustine’s help, let us illustrate something of the Holy Spirit’s work. He noted that the two words "Holy" and "Spirit" refer to what is divine about God; in other words what is shared by the Father and the Son – their communion. So, if the distinguishing characteristic of the Holy Spirit is to be what is shared by the Father and the Son, Augustine concluded that the Spirit’s particular quality is unity. It is a unity of lived communion: a unity of persons in a relationship of constant giving, the Father and the Son giving themselves to each other. We begin to glimpse, I think, how illuminating is this understanding of the Holy Spirit as unity, as communion. True unity could never be founded upon relationships which deny the equal dignity of other persons. Nor is unity simply the sum total of the groups through which we sometimes attempt to "define" ourselves. In fact, only in the life of communion is unity sustained and human identity fulfilled: we recognize the common need for God, we respond to the unifying presence of the Holy Spirit, and we give ourselves to one another in service.Augustine’s second insight – the Holy Spirit as abiding love – comes from his study of the First Letter of Saint John. John tells us that "God is love" (1 Jn 4:16). Augustine suggests that while these words refer to the Trinity as a whole they express a particular characteristic of the Holy Spirit. Reflecting on the lasting nature of love - "whoever abides in love remains in God and God in him" (ibid.) - he wondered: is it love or the Holy Spirit which grants the abiding? This is the conclusion he reaches: "The Holy Spirit makes us remain in God and God in us; yet it is love that effects this. The Spirit therefore is God as love!" (De Trinitate, 15.17.31). It is a beautiful explanation: God shares himself as love in the Holy Spirit. What further understanding might we gain from this insight? Love is the sign of the presence of the Holy Spirit! Ideas or voices which lack love – even if they seem sophisticated or knowledgeable – cannot be "of the Spirit". Furthermore, love has a particular trait: far from being indulgent or fickle, it has a task or purpose to fulfil: to abide. By its nature love is enduring. Again, dear friends, we catch a further glimpse of how much the Holy Spirit offers our world: love which dispels uncertainty; love which overcomes the fear of betrayal; love which carries eternity within; the true love which draws us into a unity that abides!The third insight – the Holy Spirit as gift – Augustine derived from meditating on a Gospel passage we all know and love: Christ’s conversation with the Samaritan woman at the well. Here Jesus reveals himself as the giver of the living water (cf. Jn 4:10) which later is explained as the Holy Spirit (cf. Jn 7:39; 1 Cor 12:13). The Spirit is "God’s gift" (Jn 4:10) - the internal spring (cf. Jn 4:14), who truly satisfies our deepest thirst and leads us to the Father. From this observation Augustine concludes that God sharing himself with us as gift is the Holy Spirit (cf. De Trinitate, 15, 18, 32). Friends, again we catch a glimpse of the Trinity at work: the Holy Spirit is God eternally giving himself; like a never-ending spring he pours forth nothing less than himself. In view of this ceaseless gift, we come to see the limitations of all that perishes, the folly of the consumerist mindset. We begin to understand why the quest for novelty leaves us unsatisfied and wanting. Are we not looking for an eternal gift? The spring that will never run dry? With the Samaritan woman, let us exclaim: give me this water that I may thirst no more! (cf. Jn 4:15).Dear young people, we have seen that it is the Holy Spirit who brings about the wonderful communion of believers in Jesus Christ. True to his nature as giver and gift alike, he is even now working through you. Inspired by the insights of Saint Augustine: let unifying love be your measure; abiding love your challenge; self-giving love your mission!Tomorrow, that same gift of the Spirit will be solemnly conferred upon our confirmation candidates. I shall pray: "give them the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of right judgement and courage, the spirit of knowledge and reverence … and fill them with the spirit of wonder and awe". These gifts of the Spirit – each of which, as Saint Francis de Sales reminds us, is a way to participate in the one love of God – are neither prizes nor rewards. They are freely given (cf. 1 Cor 12:11). And they require only one response on the part of the receiver: I accept! Here we sense something of the deep mystery of being Christian. What constitutes our faith is not primarily what we do but what we receive. After all, many generous people who are not Christian may well achieve far more than we do. Friends, do you accept being drawn into God’s Trinitarian life? Do you accept being drawn into his communion of love?The Spirit’s gifts working within us give direction and definition to our witness. Directed to unity, the gifts of the Spirit bind us more closely to the whole Body of Christ (cf. Lumen Gentium, 11), equipping us better to build up the Church in order to serve the world (cf. Eph 4:13). They call us to active and joyful participation in the life of the Church: in parishes and ecclesial movements, in religious education classes, in university chaplaincies and other catholic organizations. Yes, the Church must grow in unity, must be strengthened in holiness, must be rejuvenated, must be constantly renewed (cf. Lumen Gentium, 4). But according to whose standard? The Holy Spirit’s! Turn to him, dear young people, and you will find the true meaning of renewal.Tonight, gathered under the beauty of the night sky, our hearts and minds are filled with gratitude to God for the great gift of our Trinitarian faith. We recall our parents and grandparents who walked alongside us when we, as children, were taking our first steps in our pilgrim journey of faith. Now many years later, you have gathered as young adults with the Successor of Peter. I am filled with deep joy to be with you. Let us invoke the Holy Spirit: he is the artisan of God’s works (cf. Catechism of the Catholic Church, 741). Let his gifts shape you! Just as the Church travels the same journey with all humanity, so too you are called to exercise the Spirit’s gifts amidst the ups and downs of your daily life. Let your faith mature through your studies, work, sport, music and art. Let it be sustained by prayer and nurtured by the sacraments, and thus be a source of inspiration and help to those around you. In the end, life is not about accumulation. It is much more than success. To be truly alive is to be transformed from within, open to the energy of God’s love. In accepting the power of the Holy Spirit you too can transform your families, communities and nations. Set free the gifts! Let wisdom, courage, awe and reverence be the marks of greatness!

Deeply Sorry

2008-07-19T03:43:00.000-07:00

From the Pope's homily at St Mary's Cathedral:

"I would like to pause to acknowledge the shame which we have all felt as a result of the sexual abuse of minors by some clergy and religious in this country."Indeed I am deeply sorry for the pain and suffering the victims have endured and I assure them that, as their pastor, I too share in their suffering."These misdeeds, which constitute so grave a betrayal of trust, deserve unequivocal condemnation. They have caused great pain, they have damaged the church's witness."I ask all of you to support and assist your bishops, and to work together with them in combating this evil. Victims should receive compassion and care, and those responsible for these evils must be brought to justice...."As the church in Australia continues, in the spirit of the gospel, to address effectively this serious pastoral challenge, I join you in praying that this time of purification will bring about healing, reconciliation and ever-greater fidelity to the moral demands of the gospel."

Off to Randwick

2008-07-19T03:41:00.000-07:00

As the Pope celebrated Mass in St Mary's, the pilgrims began heading en masse to Randwick Racecourse, where the expected turnout of a half-million for tonight's Vigil will transform the place into Australia's 10th largest city.With seven hours to go 'til B16's arrival, the pre-Pope performances at the site have already gotten underway.

Sydney Continues

2008-07-19T03:38:00.000-07:00

As the sun rises over Saturday morning in Sydney, the climax of this World Youth Day draws ever nearer... but not before its main attraction offers several flourishes of his own.At the day's first event -- a Mass for bishops, seminarians and novices in St Mary's Cathedral to dedicate its new main altar -- Pope Benedict (shown above watching yesterday's Via Crucis) is expected to make his first intervention on Australian soil on the issue of clergy sex abuse. Having overshadowed the run-up to this week's festivities, it briefly returned to the top line again on Wednesday after the lead WYD organizer, Sydney Auxiliary Bishop Anthony Fisher OP, publicly panned those employing the celebrations for "dwelling crankily on old wounds."Slated to begin at 9.30am local time (2330GMT; 7pm Eastern Friday), the liturgy will showcase the trappings of tradition. The pontiff will enter the historic Gothic cathedral to the strains of the Tu Es Petrus, the Creed and Te Deum will be chanted in Latin, Benedict clad in Mass vestments inspired by a 16th century image of St Martin of Tours. (Speaking of vestments, a more contemporary design -- featuring an Aboriginal depiction of the Holy Spirit -- is said to be on-deck for Sunday's closing Eucharist.)After lunch with the Australian bishops and a notably-long window (four hours) without any public activities planned, B16 & Co. will make their first trip to Randwick Racecourse -- where, earlier in the day, the 200,000 or so pilgrims made their way by foot, crossing Harbour Bridge on their route from the city center. There, the Pope will preside at the traditional WYD Saturday Vigil -- a two-hour event of prayer and witness talks, closing with adoration and Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament. At the evening event (beginning at 7pm local; 0900GMT 5am Eastern), the 24 Confirmation candidates who'll receive the sacrament at the Sunday liturgy are expected to make their first appearance, flanking Papa Ratzi during the adoration rite.Alongside the aforementioned webstreams with video coverage (both live and on-demand), those especially keen to follow along with both the Mass and Vigil might find the Visit Missal -- the Pope's own book of ceremonies for the trip -- of use; the former can be found beginning on p. 55, and the evening rite from p. 109. What's more, the impressions of the pilgrims will provide an even more intimate glimpse into the days ahead; among the many places to find 'em, there's the CNS WYD page, Pope2008.com, pilgrimage journals from Indianapolis, San Antone, the Sisters of Life, two from Toronto and, of course, the "virtual pilgrimage" compiled a horde of youth reporters and others... with texts and everything else to appear here as they drop.A Happy Weekend to one and all and, as always, thanks for reading. Hope everyone's enjoying it.

Sydney...and all is well!!

2008-07-18T04:14:00.001-07:00

Friday noon in Sydney, and it's looking as if all's... exuberant.Not only are the natives amazed at some of the most beautiful winter weather they can remember -- highs'll be near 70F (20C) today, topping out at 74F (22C) for Sunday's closing liturgy -- but even the oft-cynical Aussie press has gone Pope-happy, celebrating B16 for "shining his light" in their midst.Having already said Mass and held courtesy meetings with the Governor and Premier of New South Wales and the city's Lord Mayor, and given addresses to separate gatherings of representatives from the ecumenical and interfaith communities, the pontiff's on his way to the traditional papal lunch with 12 lucky pilgrims.Come 3pm local time (0500GMT; 1am ET Friday), the day's climax will come with the traditional WYD live Stations of the Cross, beginning at the Cathedral before traversing six Harbourside stops. Appearing in front of St Mary's to offer a prayer and look on for the First Station, the Pope'll then return inside to watch the remainder via television. After the Via Crucis, Benedict is to meet with a group of disadvantaged youth, to whom he'll offer his final public words of the day, turning in for the night by 8pm.As always, the papal pilgrimage can be viewed via the livestreams of Salt + Light and EWTN, then caught on-demand shortly thereafter on the WYD vid-page. Also offering coverage -- and, even more importantly, archiving it -- is Boston's Catholic TV, whose goodies are available at the easily-memorable PopeInAustralia.com.

ADDRESS OF POPE BENEDICT XVIMEETING WITH REPRESENTATIVES OF OTHER RELIGIONSCHAPTER HALLST MARY'S CATHEDRAL, SYDNEY18 JULY 2008

Dear Friends,I extend cordial greetings of peace and goodwill to all of you who are here representing various religious traditions in Australia. Grateful for this encounter, I thank Rabbi Jeremy Lawrence and Sheikh Shardy for the words of welcome which they expressed in their own name and on behalf of your respective communities.Australia is renowned for the congeniality of its people towards neighbour and visitor alike. It is a nation that holds freedom of religion in high regard. Your country recognizes that a respect for this fundamental right gives men and women the latitude to worship God according to their conscience, to nurture their spirits, and to act upon the ethical convictions that stem from their beliefs.A harmonious relationship between religion and public life is all the more important at a time when some people have come to consider religion as a cause of division rather than a force for unity. In a world threatened by sinister and indiscriminate forms of violence, the unified voice of religious people urges nations and communities to resolve conflicts through peaceful means and with full regard for human dignity. One of the many ways religion stands at the service of mankind is by offering a vision of the human person that highlights our innate aspiration to live generously, forging bonds of friendship with our neighbours. At their core, human relations cannot be defined in terms of power, domination and self-interest. Rather, they reflect and perfect man's natural inclination to live in communion and accord with others.The religious sense planted within the human heart opens men and women to God and leads them to discover that personal fulfilment does not consist in the selfish gratification of ephemeral desires. Rather, it leads us to meet the needs of others and to search for concrete ways to contribute to the common good. Religions have a special role in this regard, for they teach people that authentic service requires sacrifice and self-discipline, which in turn must be cultivated through self-denial, temperance and a moderate use of the world's goods. In this way, men and women are led to regard the environment as a marvel to be pondered and respected rather than a commodity for mere consumption. It is incumbent upon religious people to demonstrate that it is possible to find joy in living simply and modestly, generously sharing one's surplus with those suffering from want.Friends, these values, I am sure you will agree, are particularly important to the adequate formation of young people, who are so often tempted to view life itself as a commodity. They also have an aptitude for self-mastery: indeed, in sports, the creative arts, and in academic studies, they readily welcome it as a challenge. Is it not true that when presented with high ideals, many young people are attracted to asceticism and the practice of moral virtue through self-respect and a concern for others? They delight in contemplating the gift of creation and are intrigued by the mystery of the transcendent. In this regard, both faith schools and State schools could do even more to nurture the spiritual dimension of every young person. In Australia, as elsewhere, religion has been a motivating factor in the foundation of many educational institutions, and rightly it continues to occupy a place in school curricula today. The theme of education frequently emerges from the deliberations of the Interfaith Cooperation for Peace and Harmony, and I warmly encourage those participating in this initiative to continue the conversation about the values that integrate the intellectual, human and religious dimensions of a sound education.The world's religions draw constant attention to the wonder of human existence. Who can help but marvel at the power of the mind to grasp the secrets of nature through scientific discovery? Who is not stirred by the possibility of forming a vision for the future? Who is not impressed by the power of the human spirit to set goals and to develop ways of achieving them? Men and women are endowed with the ability not only to imagine how things might be better, but to invest their energies to make them better. We are conscious of our unique relationship to the natural realm. If, then, we believe that we are not subject to the laws of the material universe in the same way as the rest of creation, should we not make goodness, compassion, freedom, solidarity, and respect for every individual an essential part of our vision for a more humane future?Yet religion, by reminding us of human finitude and weakness, also enjoins us not to place our ultimate hope in this passing world. Man is "like a breath, his days are like a passing shadow" (Ps 144:4). All of us have experienced the disappointment of falling short of the good we wish to accomplish and the difficulty of making the right choice in complex situations.The Church shares these observations with other religions. Motivated by charity, she approaches dialogue believing that the true source of freedom is found in the person of Jesus of Nazareth. Christians believe it is he who fully discloses the human potential for virtue and goodness, and he who liberates us from sin and darkness. The universality of human experience, which transcends all geographical boundaries and cultural limitations, makes it possible for followers of religions to engage in dialogue so as to grapple with the mystery of life's joys and sufferings. In this regard, the Church eagerly seeks opportunities to listen to the spiritual experience of other religions. We could say that all religions aim to penetrate the profound meaning of human existence by linking it to an origin or principle outside itself. Religions offer an attempt to understand the cosmos as coming from and returning to this origin or principle. Christians believe that God has revealed this origin and principle in Jesus, whom the Bible refers to as the "Alpha and Omega" (cf. Rev 1:8; 22:1).My dear friends, I have come to Australia as an ambassador of peace. For this reason, I feel blessed to meet you who likewise share this yearning and the desire to help the world attain it. Our quest for peace goes hand in hand with our search for meaning, for it is in discovering the truth that we find the sure road to peace (cf. Message for World Day of Peace, 2006). Our effort to bring about reconciliation between peoples springs from, and is directed to, that truth which gives purpose to life. Religion offers peace, but more importantly, it arouses within the human spirit a thirst for truth and a hunger for virtue. May we encourage everyone - especially the young - to marvel at the beauty of life, to seek its ultimate meaning, and to strive to realize its sublime potential!With these sentiments of respect and encouragement, I commend you to the providence of Almighty God, and I assure you of my prayers for you and your loved ones, the members of your communities, and all the citizens of Australia.

2008-07-17T02:26:00.000-07:00

O God, you have called men and women of every landto be a holy nation, a royal priesthood, the Church of your dear Son: unite us in mutual love across the barriers of race and culture, and strengthen us in our common taskof being Christand showing Christ to the world he came to save. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,one God, for ever and ever.

--Benedict XVIOpening PrayerWelcome at Barangaroo, Sydney17 July 2008

2008-07-17T02:23:00.000-07:00

Dear Young People,

What a delight it is to greet you here at Barangaroo, on the shores of the magnificent Sydney harbour, with its famous bridge and Opera House. Many of you are local, from the outback or the dynamic multicultural communities of Australian cities. Others of you have come from the scattered islands of Oceania, and others still from Asia, the Middle East, Africa and the Americas. Some of you, indeed, have come from as far as I have, Europe! Wherever we are from, we are here at last in Sydney. And together we stand in our world as God’s family, disciples of Christ, empowered by his Spirit to be witnesses of his love and truth for everyone!I wish firstly to thank the Aboriginal Elders who welcomed me prior to my boarding the boat at Rose Bay. I am deeply moved to stand on your land, knowing the suffering and injustices it has borne, but aware too of the healing and hope that are now at work, rightly bringing pride to all Australian citizens. To the young indigenous - Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders - and the Tokelauans, I express my thanks for your stirring welcome. Through you, I send heartfelt greetings to your peoples.Cardinal Pell and Archbishop Wilson, I thank you for your warm words of welcome. I know that your sentiments resonate in the hearts of the young gathered here this evening, and so I thank you all. Standing before me I see a vibrant image of the universal Church. The variety of nations and cultures from which you hail shows that indeed Christ’s Good News is for everyone; it has reached the ends of the earth. Yet I know too that a good number of you are still seeking a spiritual homeland. Some of you, most welcome among us, are not Catholic or Christian. Others of you perhaps hover at the edge of parish and Church life. To you I wish to offer encouragement: step forward into Christ’s loving embrace; recognize the Church as your home. No one need remain on the outside, for from the day of Pentecost the Church has been one and universal.This evening I wish also to include those who are not present among us. I am thinking especially of the sick or mentally ill, young people in prison, those struggling on the margins of our societies, and those who for whatever reason feel alienated from the Church. To them I say: Jesus is close to you! Feel his healing embrace, his compassion and mercy!Almost two thousand years ago, the Apostles, gathered in the upper room together with Mary and some faithful women, were filled with the Holy Spirit (cf. Acts 1:14; 2:4). At that extraordinary moment, which gave birth to the Church, the confusion and fear that had gripped Christ’s disciples were transformed into a vigorous conviction and sense of purpose. They felt impelled to speak of their encounter with the risen Jesus whom they had come to call affectionately, the Lord. In many ways, the Apostles were ordinary. None could claim to be the perfect disciple. They failed to recognize Christ (cf. Lk 24:13-32), felt ashamed of their own ambition (cf. Lk 22:24-27), and had even denied him (cf. Lk 22:54-62). Yet, when empowered by the Holy Spirit, they were transfixed by the truth of Christ’s Gospel and inspired to proclaim it fearlessly. Emboldened, they exclaimed: repent, be baptized, receive the Holy Spirit (cf. Acts 2:37-38)! Grounded in the Apostles’ teaching, in fellowship, and in the breaking of the bread and prayer (cf. Acts 2:42), the young Christian community moved forward to oppose the perversity in the culture around them (cf. Acts 2:40), to care for one another (cf. Acts 2:44-47), to defend their belief in Jesus in the face of hostility (cf Acts 4:33), and to heal the sick (cf. Acts 5:12-16). And in obedience to Christ’s own command, they set forth, bearing witness to the greatest story ever: that God has become one of us, that the divine has entered human history in order to transform it, and that we are called to immerse ourselves in Christ’s saving love which triumphs over evil and death. Saint Paul, in his famous speech to the Areopagus, introduced the message in this way: "God gives everything – including life and breath – to everyone … so that all nations might seek God and, by feeling their way towards him, succeed in finding him. In fact he is not far from any of us, since it is in him that we live and move and have our being" (Acts 17: 25-28).And ever since, men and women have set out to tell the same story, witnessing to Christ’s truth and love, and contributing to the Church’s mission. Today, we think of those pioneering Priests, Sisters and Brothers who came to these shores, and to other parts of the Pacific, from Ireland, France, Britain and elsewhere in Europe. The great majority were young - some still in their late teens - and when they bade farewell to their parents, brothers and sisters, and friends, they knew they were unlikely ever to return home. Their whole lives were a selfless Christian witness. They became the humble but tenacious builders of so much of the social and spiritual heritage which still today brings goodness, compassion and purpose to these nations. And they went on to inspire another generation. We think immediately of the faith which sustained Blessed Mary MacKillop in her sheer determination to educate especially the poor, and Blessed Peter To Rot in his steadfast resolution that community leadership must always include the Gospel. Think also of your own grandparents and parents, your first teachers in faith. They too have made countless sacrifices of time and energy, out of love for you. Supported by your parish priests and teachers, they have the task, not always easy but greatly satisfying, of guiding you towards all that is good and true, through their own witness - their teaching and living of our Christian faith.Today, it is my turn. For some of us, it might seem like we have come to the end of the world! For people of your age, however, any flight is an exciting prospect. But for me, this one was somewhat daunting! Yet the views afforded of our planet from the air were truly wondrous. The sparkle of the Mediterranean, the grandeur of the north African desert, the lushness of Asia’s forestation, the vastness of the Pacific Ocean, the horizon upon which the sun rose and set, and the majestic splendour of Australia’s natural beauty which I have been able to enjoy these last couple of days; these all evoke a profound sense of awe. It is as though one catches glimpses of the Genesis creation story - light and darkness, the sun and the moon, the waters, the earth, and living creatures; all of which are "good" in God’s eyes (cf. Gen 1:1 - 2:4). Immersed in such beauty, who could not echo the words of the Psalmist in praise of the Creator: "how majestic is your name in all the earth?" (Ps 8:1).And there is more – something hardly perceivable from the sky – men and women, made in nothing less than God’s own image and likeness (cf. Gen 1:26). At the heart of the marvel of creation are you and I, the human family "crowned with glory and honour" (Ps 8:5). How astounding! With the Psalmist we whisper: "what is man that you are mindful of him?" (Ps 8:4). And drawn into silence, into a spirit of thanksgiving, into the power of holiness, we ponder.What do we discover? Perhaps reluctantly we come to acknowledge that there are also scars which mark the surface of our earth: erosion, deforestation, the squandering of the world’s mineral and ocean resources in order to fuel an insatiable consumption. Some of you come from island nations whose very existence is threatened by rising water levels; others from nations suffering the effects of devastating drought. God’s wondrous creation is sometimes experienced as almost hostile to its stewards, even something dangerous. How can what is "good" appear so threatening?And there is more. What of man, the apex of God’s creation? Every day we encounter the genius of human achievement. From advances in medical sciences and the wise application of technology, to the creativity reflected in the arts, the quality and enjoyment of people’s lives in many ways are steadily rising. Among yourselves there is a readiness to take up the plentiful opportunities offered to you. Some of you excel in studies, sport, music, or dance and drama, others of you have a keen sense of social justice and ethics, and many of you take up service and voluntary work. All of us, young and old, have those moments when the innate goodness of the human person - perhaps glimpsed in the gesture of a little child or an adult’s readiness to forgive - fills us with profound joy and gratitude.Yet such moments do not last. So again, we ponder. And we discover that not only the natural but also the social environment – the habitat we fashion for ourselves – has its scars; wounds indicating that something is amiss. Here too, in our personal lives and in our communities, we can encounter a hostility, something dangerous; a poison which threatens to corrode what is good, reshape who we are, and distort the purpose for which we have been created. Examples abound, as you yourselves know. Among the more prevalent are alcohol and drug abuse, and the exaltation of violence and sexual degradation, often presented through television and the internet as entertainment. I ask myself, could anyone standing face to face with people who actually do suffer violence and sexual exploitation "explain" that these tragedies, portrayed in virtual form, are considered merely "entertainment"?There is also something sinister which stems from the fact that freedom and tolerance are so often separated from truth. This is fuelled by the notion, widely held today, that there are no absolute truths to guide our lives. Relativism, by indiscriminately giving value to practically everything, has made "experience" all-important. Yet, experiences, detached from any consideration of what is good or true, can lead, not to genuine freedom, but to moral or intellectual confusion, to a lowering of standards, to a loss of self-respect, and even to despair.Dear friends, life is not governed by chance; it is not random. Your very existence has been willed by God, blessed and given a purpose (cf. Gen 1:28)! Life is not just a succession of events or experiences, helpful though many of them are. It is a search for the true, the good and the beautiful. It is to this end that we make our choices; it is for this that we exercise our freedom; it is in this – in truth, in goodness, and in beauty – that we find happiness and joy. Do not be fooled by those who see you as just another consumer in a market of undifferentiated possibilities, where choice itself becomes the good, novelty usurps beauty, and subjective experience displaces truth.Christ offers more! Indeed he offers everything! Only he who is the Truth can be the Way and hence also the Life. Thus the "way" which the Apostles brought to the ends of the earth is life in Christ. This is the life of the Church. And the entrance to this life, to the Christian way, is Baptism.This evening I wish therefore to recall briefly something of our understanding of Baptism before tomorrow considering the Holy Spirit. On the day of your Baptism, God drew you into his holiness (cf. 2 Pet 1:4). You were adopted as a son or daughter of the Father. You were incorporated into Christ. You were made a dwelling place of his Spirit (cf. 1 Cor 6:19). Baptism is neither an achievement, nor a reward. It is a grace; it is God’s work. Indeed, towards the conclusion of your Baptism, the priest turned to your parents and those gathered and, calling you by your name said: "you have become a new creation" (Rite of Baptism, 99).Dear friends, in your homes, schools and universities, in your places of work and recreation, remember that you are a new creation! Not only do you stand before the Creator in awe, rejoicing at his works, you also realize that the sure foundation of humanity’s solidarity lies in the common origin of every person, the high-point of God’s creative design for the world. As Christians you stand in this world knowing that God has a human face - Jesus Christ - the "way" who satisfies all human yearning, and the "life" to which we are called to bear witness, walking always in his light (cf. ibid., 100).The task of witness is not easy. There are many today who claim that God should be left on the sidelines, and that religion and faith, while fine for individuals, should either be excluded from the public forum altogether or included only in the pursuit of limited pragmatic goals. This secularist vision seeks to explain human life and shape society with little or no reference to the Creator. It presents itself as neutral, impartial and inclusive of everyone. But in reality, like every ideology, secularism imposes a world-view. If God is irrelevant to public life, then society will be shaped in a godless image, and debate and policy concerning the public good will be driven more by consequences than by principles grounded in truth.Yet experience shows that turning our back on the Creator’s plan provokes a disorder which has inevitable repercussions on the rest of the created order (cf. 1990 World Day of Peace Message, 5). When God is eclipsed, our ability to recognize the natural order, purpose, and the "good" begins to wane. What was ostensibly promoted as human ingenuity soon manifests itself as folly, greed and selfish exploitation. And so we have become more and more aware of our need for humility before the delicate complexity of God’s world.But what of our social environment? Are we equally alert to the signs of turning our back on the moral structure with which God has endowed humanity (cf. 2007 World Day of Peace Message, 8)? Do we recognize that the innate dignity of every individual rests on his or her deepest identity - as image of the Creator - and therefore that human rights are universal, based on the natural law, and not something dependent upon negotiation or patronage, let alone compromise? And so we are led to reflect on what place the poor and the elderly, immigrants and the voiceless, have in our societies. How can it be that domestic violence torments so many mothers and children? How can it be that the most wondrous and sacred human space – the womb – has become a place of unutterable violence?My dear friends, God’s creation is one and it is good. The concerns for non-violence, sustainable development, justice and peace, and care for our environment are of vital importance for humanity. They cannot, however, be understood apart from a profound reflection upon the innate dignity of every human life from conception to natural death: a dignity conferred by God himself and thus inviolable. Our world has grown weary of greed, exploitation and division, of the tedium of false idols and piecemeal responses, and the pain of false promises. Our hearts and minds are yearning for a vision of life where love endures, where gifts are shared, where unity is built, where freedom finds meaning in truth, and where identity is found in respectful communion. This is the work of the Holy Spirit! This is the hope held out by the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It is to bear witness to this reality that you were created anew at Baptism and strengthened through the gifts of the Spirit at Confirmation. Let this be the message that you bring from Sydney to the world!

He's Here

2008-07-17T02:21:00.000-07:00

ADDRESS OF POPE BENEDICT XVIWELCOME CEREMONYGOVERNMENT HOUSE, SYDNEY17 JULY 2008

Your Excellencies,Dear Australian Friends,It is with great joy that I greet you today. I would like to thank the Governor-General, Major-General Michael Jeffery and Prime Minister Rudd for honouring me by their presence at this ceremony and for welcoming me so graciously. As you know, I have been able to enjoy some quiet days since my arrival in Australia last Sunday. I am most grateful for the hospitality that has been extended to me. Now I look forward to this evening's "Welcome to Country" by the indigenous people and to celebrating the great events which form the purpose of my Apostolic Visit: the Twenty-Third World Youth Day.Some might ask what motivates thousands of young people to undertake what is for many a long and demanding journey in order to participate in an event of this kind. Ever since the first World Youth Day in 1986, it has been evident that vast numbers of young people appreciate the opportunity to come together to deepen their faith in Christ and to share with one another a joyful experience of communion in his Church. They long to hear the word of God, and to learn more about their Christian faith. They are eager to take part in an event which brings into focus the high ideals that inspire them, and they return home filled with hope and renewed in their resolve to contribute to the building of a better world. For me it is a joy to be with them, to pray with them and to celebrate the Eucharist with them. World Youth Day fills me with confidence for the future of the Church and the future of our world.

"Super Holy Thursday": The Papal Spectacle Begins

2008-07-17T02:19:00.000-07:00

It's tomorrow morning in Sydney, and the World Youth Day celebrations ramp toward their peak today with Pope Benedict's formal arrival to preside over the gathering's final four days -- a day the Aussie church has apparently dubbed "Super Holy Thursday."At 9am local time (2300GMT; 7pm Wednesday ET), the pontiff -- who, after donning the cap of a retired policeman he met yesterday, was transferred to his temporary digs at St Mary's Cathedral -- will receive the welcome of the Australian state at Sydney's Government House, where he'll give his first address of the eight-day visit. Then it's off to the tomb of Bl Mary MacKillop (1842-1909), foundress of the Sisters of St Joseph of the Sacred Heart, for a prayer.(Those hoping for MacKillop's imminent canonization, however, will seemingly have to wait -- the Holy See's top spokesman said yesterday that while the Pope "knows the process is going on," he probably won't speak about it.)After courtesy meetings with Prime Minister Kevin Rudd and the head of state -- the Governor-General Sir Michael Jeffery -- and the customary riposo at Cathedral House, an Aboriginal group of singers and dancers will welcome the papal party at Rose Bay shortly after 2pm (0400GMT; Midnight ET), from which point the Pope will board a cruise ship to lead the "boat-a-cade" that'll bring him into Sydney Harbour to Barangaroo, site of yesterday's opening Mass. There, Benedict will have his first opportunity to speak to the over 150,000 pilgrims in attendance.By 5pm, the Pope will be transported back to St Mary's, with no further commitments scheduled for the day... no public ones, that is.Per usual, all will be streamed live via the EWTN and Salt + Light feeds, and available shortly thereafter on demand at the official WYD video page.Texts and more as it happens......and away we go.

Sydney 2008

2008-07-16T11:37:00.000-07:00

Days after the Pope repeated his pledge "to do all possible to heal and to reconcile" with clergy sex abuse victims -- and with a papal apology Down Under still to come -- it'd seem the lead organizer of Sydney's World Youth Day still needs to get up to speed.Asked at a press conference earlier today about a family's much-publicized advocacy on behalf of its daughter -- a victim who committed suicide earlier this year -- Sydney Auxiliary Bishop Anthony Fisher OP characterized outspoken survivors and their supporters as "dwelling crankily... on old wounds."Though the auxiliary (above) subsequently took pains to emphasize that the Australian church was "happy to hear any constructive advice" on how it could improve its victim outreach and would "do all we can to prevent this happening again and to bring healing and justice to the victims of these terrible cases," the damage had already been done. And amid the quiet atmosphere of this second day -- mostly comprised of breakout catechesis sessions and outdoor concerts in the run-up to the papal "boat-a-cade" into the city's Harbour tomorrow -- the comment came at the worst possible moment, easily eclipsing the celebrations in the national press as stories on the bishop's "blunder" and yet another firestorm of reaction currently lead the coverage on Oz's top broadcast and print outlets.Viewed as something of a "Boy Wonder" among the Catholic right both on his home turf and beyond, the Oxford-trained barrister and bioethicist -- a native Sydneysider -- was made a bishop in 2003 at age 43. Arguably the chief protege of Cardinal George Pell, Fisher followed his boss back from Melbourne, where the former led the church from 1996-2001 and the latter headed up a think-tank on marriage and the family dedicated to Pope John Paul II. Now 48, the Dominican prelate was entrusted with overseeing the WYD effort from its beginnings in 2005.The backstory involves a Melbourne family, the Fosters, whose two daughters were both repeatedly abused by a single cleric, who was convicted and jailed on other child sex crimes in 1995 before dying two years later. Though the family had settled with the Melbourne archdiocese for an undisclosed sum after eight years of legal proceedings, the suicide of their eldest daughter earlier this year and pre-WYD reports of the cardinal's alleged mismanagement of an allegation from at least one other victim (to whom he apologized last week), the girls' parents flew back from a vacation in Britain over the weekend "to face" Pell and urge him to seek forgiveness. The family's surviving daughter was hit by a car in the years after her abuse and has since required 24-hour care.In response to Fisher's critique, Anthony Foster -- whose interview on national television last night inspired the quote's context -- told the state broadcaster ABC that "It's unbelievable almost to hear a bishop of the church make comments like that."It's astounding and if I hadn't heard his voice say it, I think I wouldn't have believed it."After the auxiliary's session with reporters, Pell was forced to make his first public comment on the Foster case, in which he reiterated a 1998 apology to the family, yet with a reminder that he was not named as a defendant in their lawsuit against the Melbourne church."My apology still stands," the cardinal said. "I repeat it. It has never been withdrawn. It has been a tragic case in every sense of the word and I repeat my apologies."Pell declined to answer when asked about Fisher's remarks.In comments aboard the papal plane during his Saturday flight, Benedict XVI said that "the problem" of the abuse crisis "is essentially the same [in Australia] as in the United States."While the exact content of how he'll tackle it over the coming days has become cause for dispute -- the "papal spokesman" Fr Federico Lombardi saidearlier today that he "[didn't] think [Benedict] said he would apologize" -- the pontiff added in-flight that "it is essential for the church to reconcile, to prevent, to help and also to see guilt in these problems" and that he intended to address "what was insufficient in our behavior, what we must do in this moment."

In other developments, the Pope has ended his three-day respite at the Kenthurst Study Centre outside the city and was transported earlier today (tonight Oz time) to the cardinal's residence adjacent to St Mary's Cathedral, where he'll stay for the remainder of his visit.
Yet just before leaving the Opus Dei-run retreat, a "traveling menangerie" of animals was brought to him from a nearby zoo. Led by a koala, the group included a snake called Sebastian -- whose name got a laugh from Papa Ratzi as he petted the giant cobra.

The Year of Paul

2008-07-10T18:47:00.000-07:00

Dear Friends:

One year ago, Pope Benedict XV1 announced that a “Year of Saint Paul” would be celebrated by the Church beginning June 28, 2008. Here is an excerpt from the Holy Father:

Paul knew he was “called to be an apostle”; that is, that he had not presented himself as a candidate, nor was his a human appointment, but solely by a divine call and election.

The Apostle to the Gentiles repeats several times in his Letters that his whole life is a fruit of God’s freely given and merciful grace.

From his Letters, we know that Paul was far from being a good speaker; on the contrary, he shared with Moses and Jeremiah a lack of oratory skill. “His bodily presence is weak, and his speech of no account” (II Cor 10:10), his adversaries said of him.

The extraordinary apostolic results that he was able to achieve cannot, therefore, be attributed to brilliant rhetoric or refined apologetic and missionary strategies.

The success of his apostolate depended above all on his personal involvement in proclaiming the Gospel with total dedication to Christ; a dedication that feared neither risk, difficulty nor persecution.

From this we can draw a particularly important lesson for every Christian. The Church’s action is credible and effective only to the extent to which those who belong to her are prepared to pay in person for their fidelity to Christ in every circumstance. When this readiness is lacking, the crucial argument of truth on which the Church herself depends is also absent.

Today, too, Christ needs apostles ready to sacrifice themselves. He needs witnesses and martyrs like St. Paul.

And for this very reason I am pleased to announce officially that we shall be dedicating a special Jubilee Year to the Apostle Paul from 28 June 2008 to 29 June 2009, on the occasion of the bimillennium of his birth, which historians have placed between the years 7 and 10AD.

Lastly, there is one particular aspect to which special attention must be paid during the celebration of the various moments of the 2000th Pauline anniversary: I am referring to the ecumenical dimension. The Apostle to the Gentiles, who was especially committed to taking the Good News to all peoples, left no stones unturned for unity and harmony among all Christians.

May he deign to guide and protect us in this bimillenial celebration, helping us to progress in the humble and sincere search for the full unity of all the members of Christ’s Mystical Body. Amen.

Other Pastoral Comments:

In these days that are economically/financially troubling to many, beware of the stressful situation that can be created in the home. Relationships often suffer at the hands of anxiety, worry, and fear. It is reported that at times such as these, there is even a higher degree of child abuse. Sometimes awareness itself can help us avoid destructive or self-destructive patterns. At other times we may need outside help such as that provided by a counselor. For those with problems between husbands and wives, programs such as Retrouville could be of great assistance. Finally, do not let God out of the equation. Father Patrick Peyton’s famous quip is quite reliable in many cases: “The family that prays together, stays together.”

Summer Solstice Time

2008-06-25T18:53:00.000-07:00

I hope that this message finds you well and enjoying these days of the summer solstice.

Today, I will embark on seven days of much needed rest and relaxation. In the scriptures, Christ implores us all through his message to his disciples, "Come away to a place by yourselves." Further, we are reminded ever so gently by Christ our Hope: "Come to me, all who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest, for my yoke is easy and my burden light." We are all beckoned, especially during this summertime to spend ample time re-fueling ourselves for the tasks of life. We are to refresh ourselves physically, emotionally, intellectually and perhaps, most importantly, spiritually. "For what would a man gain if he were to win over the whole world and destroy himself in the process?"As I prepare to minister to the spiritual and ministerial needs of Saint Patrick High School, I am keenly aware of the reality of my own limitations. Begiining my sixth year in your midst this coming August, I want to be able to pledge myself to do all that I can in order to make the Spirit of God come alive in this corner of God's vineyard, that is; Austin and Belmont. I leave you with the words which became a song. They are written by Saint Richard of Chichester, England:"Dearest Lord Jesus, Savior and Friend; three things I pray: To love you more dearly, to see you more clearly, to follow you more nearly, day by day."Please pray for me, as will for you and your familes!

The Pressure of Economics

2008-06-13T16:43:00.000-07:00

The cost of living rises steadily. The stark reminder is ever before us as we stop to fill up our tank, drop by our friendly grocer, or open the mail and check out our monthly utility bills for the house. The pressures on one’s budget can lead to stresses in the areas of our lives that seem unrelated. These can create tensions in relationships, making many of us susceptible to temper outbursts, moments of misunderstanding, irritable lives. What can be done? While few of us are economists, all of us are people in need of peace of mind. A remedy or two is to realize that we need to call on our strengths in times of turbulence. In his remarkable book Forgotten among the Lilies, Ronald Rolheiser writes that we sometimes fail to realize the depth of our strengths. We do not have to be “reeds shaken by the wind” but more often than not are capable of being rocks of courage and determination. In the face of challenge, we can not allow to lay dormant the rich potential of our courage. We must will to overcome that which are the obstacles to our legitimate goals. Consider Jesus stating to his disciples, “Courage, brothers and sisters!” However, we must also realize that when our strength is spent, when we seem to be overwhelmed by life’s twists and turns, that there is Someone who beckons us to Him for consolation, refreshment and renewed strength. Prayer helps channel the powerful force of God’s love to worthy and necessary needs. “Come to me all ye who labor and are burdened, and I will refresh you” and “Ask and you shall receive”, says Jesus. A further thought is that many of us have become used to living with excess. We have set a fairly high bar for our wants. Perhaps the present state of affairs is a wakeup call for us to decipher what are our wants from what our real needs might be. Consider Jesus’ constant reminder to establish our priorities, and the need to live unencumbered by possessions that subtly begin to possess us.

That Time of Year...again

2008-06-06T05:46:00.000-07:00

At this time of year, we honor those who are graduating from our schools, colleges and universities. An illustration of this was seen this past Tuesday at the awesome ceremony of graduation at Old Saint Patrick's Church dowtown. Please pray for the class of 2008 as they accept the diploma of graduation which not only advances them beyond high school but ushers them into a new world of even higher expectations and greater responsibilities. The challenges for them will be great, but the opportunities will be exciting and rewarding if they open their futures to the Truth of Jesus Christ and take their place as full members of the Body of Christ, the Church. If every day for the rest of their lives they would begin their day with praise and gratitude to God along with this simple prayer, “Lord, what do you want me to do?” then life will surely have meaning, direction and purpose — that is, a life well lived.

To the graduates and to others, I offer some of my favorite scripture passages which I have adopted as my favorite prayers:

+ “Lord, what do you want me to do?”

+ “Lord, I do believe. Help my unbelief.”+ “Speak, Lord, your servant is listening.”

+ “Lord, help me, I am drowning.”

+ “Depart from me, O Lord, for I am a sinful man.”

+ “Lord, to whom shall we go. You have the words of everlasting life.”

+ “I would like to see Jesus.”

+ “Lord, that I might see.”

+ “Lord, you know everything. You know that I love you.”

+ “Lord, wash not only my feet, but my hands and heart.”

+ “Lord, you are the Christ, the Son of the Living God.”

Celebrating Moms and the Holy Spirit

2008-05-06T09:49:00.000-07:00

This Sunday, May 11th, we celebrate Mother’s Day. We celebrate many “kinds of mothers”. We are grateful for our birth mothers, grandmothers, godmothers, adoptive mothers and for those who fulfill the role of mother in our lives. We also pray for Mother Earth and Mother Church. May we honor them always for the significant roles they play in each of our lives.

SOME QUOTES BY PEOPLE OF FAME ON MOTHERS

“All that I am or ever hope to be, I owe to my angel Mother." -- Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865)

Pentecost, the birthday of the Church, is this Sunday. Thursday is Founder’s Day, a day to reflect on and celebrate the life of an awesome man of holiness, Saint John Baptist De LaSalle, founder of the Brothers of the Christian Schools and patron saint of all teachers. As we prepare for these two days, reflect on the following words from St. LaSalle himself. May God’s Spirit fill this place as we are reminded by our founder, “Wherever I go I will find you my God; there is no place that is not honored by your presence.” As we celebrate the awesome Feast of Pentecost, let us pray for one another, for each pilgrim’s needs, that our days will be blessed with graces to be shared and burdens made lighter by caring and loving in ways. Let us build up the Church and our School, that is, one another, instead of tearing one another apart. If anything, we should be tearing down the walls that divide us from becoming one.

A Prayer for Mothers
Father, we give you thanks for the many gifts you have given us; the gift of life, the gift of those who love us. We thank you today for the gift of our mothers and grandmothers. We give thanks for our Mothers and Grandmothers who have died and for the unique way they have revealed for us your love. We ask that you bless them and keep them in your care until the time comes for us to join them in your Kingdom. We ask your Blessing upon the Mothers and Grandmothers who are unable to be with us here today. May they know how much we love and care for them. We pray for birth mothers who have loved their children so much they have shared the gift of their child with those who could better care for them and their needs, and give them a secure home. And we pray for adoptive mothers, that they may always know their special role of being a true mother, a revelation of God's love for their children. We ask your blessing upon Mothers who have lost children through stillbirth, crib death, accident and tragedy, that they may have your continuing strength and courage. We ask your blessing too, upon those who would very much like to be mothers but who are having trouble having a child. We ask your Blessing upon the Mothers and Grandmothers standing before us here. Give them the strength to live the faithful and loving lives you call them to live. AMEN.

Afterthoughts of a Pope's Trip

2008-05-01T13:59:00.000-07:00

The visitation by Pope Benedict XVI to the United States two weeks ago was designed to assist us all in our awareness of the Divine in ordinary human life. Let us pray that through the Papal visit people will come to an acute recognition of Divine Providence, that all will be encouraged to zealously fight evil with good, and that we might all be transfixed by the notion that it is in service to others that God is pleased and praised. Let us also hope that for us Catholics, we might see the inactive be seized by the Spirit of God, the minimalists driven to want to be and do more for God, the weary be enlivened with the divine energy, the scandalized receive the spirit of the forgiving Jesus, the bitter experience the sweetness of the Lord, and the harvest be full of new laborers as ordained priestly priests and as professed religious men and women. May Pope Benedict be the Voice of God to America to be both good and great, remembering the words of another European visitor to America many decades ago:

America is great because she is good.

She will stop being great when she stops being good.

One of the chief missions of our church is the Catholic School. Saint Patrick High School is continually progressing even as it stands true to its foundational principles. The School is based on Christ and His teachings.

Another mission of the Church is the Liturgy; the source and summit of the Christian life. Through the Liturgy, we come in constant contact with our Divine Lord. His Voice can be heard to guide us, His Body and Blood can be received to nourish us, His living example can inspire us on how to live out our lives with significance, meaning and purpose. Over the next month, we hope to recruit additional liturgical ministers, including ushers, servers, musicians, etc. With 10 Masses per school year, the potential for the Lord to touch us at liturgy is astounding. Please consider using your gifts to worship the Lord well and to be a channel of grace to the faithful by joining the Liturgy Team of our School. We know that for many students, Saint Patrick High School has become their “parish”.

Heros and Heroines

2008-05-01T13:36:00.000-07:00

In his compelling and critical book Mysteries of the Middle Ages, author Thomas Cahill concludes by underscoring te need in our times for Christian heroes. He writes:

Like tenants on an eighteenth-century estate, we live amid romantic ruins,
a chancel arch here, a crumbling lancet window there, awaiting revenant
figures of reformation-the return of energizing, enveloping forces like
Hildegard and Francis, Giotto and Dante. We might even find ourselves
mumbling a prayer like the one whispered by the anonymous bard who
once stood looking at the ruins of Kilcash Castle on the southern slope of
Slievenamon in County Tipperary:

I beseech of Mary and Jesus
That the great ones come home again
With long dances danced in the garden,
Fiddle music and mirth among men,
That Kilcash the home of our fathers
Be lifted on high again,
And from that to the deluge of waters
In bounty and peace remain.

The gigantic heroes like those mentioned above have become celebrities. We know that there are heroes who never advance to that stage of awe and wonderment. These are the heroes of everyday life, who conduct themselves heroically in the everyday lives of ordinary men and women. I think of the teenager who stands up to peer pressure and says “no” to the temptations of instant gratification, the grandparents who have raised their family and cheerfully and lovingly commit to assist in raising their children’s children, the Catholic Christian who invites an un-churched or non-practicing person to a faith event knowing that the possibility of rejection is acutely probable, or the economically-challenged family that still shares their “bread” with the needy. I have met many heroes, both in religious or priestly garb and those without, who have inspired me. And they are not in short supply.

Good-Bye, Good Shepherd

2008-04-21T03:38:00.001-07:00

FAREWELL ADDRESS OF POPE BENEDICT XVI
JFK AIRPORT, NEW YORK20 APRIL 2008

Mr. Vice-President,Distinguished CivilAuthorities,My Brother Bishops,Dear Brothers and Sisters,The time has come for me to bid farewell to your country. These days that I have spent in the United States have been blessed with many memorable experiences of American hospitality, and I wish to express my deep appreciation to all of you for your kind welcome. It has been a joy for me to witness the faith and devotion of the Catholic community here. It was heart-warming to spend time with leaders and representatives of other Christian communities and other religions, and I renew my assurances of respect and esteem to all of you. I am grateful to President Bush for kindly coming to greet me at the start of my visit, and I thank Vice-President Cheney for his presence here as I depart. The civic authorities, workers and volunteers in Washington and New York have given generously of their time and resources in order to ensure the smooth progress of my visit at every stage, and for this I express my profound thanks and appreciation to Mayor Adrian Fenty of Washington and Mayor Michael Bloomberg of New York.Once again I offer prayerful good wishes to the representatives of the see of Baltimore, the first Archdiocese, and those of New York, Boston, Philadelphia and Louisville, in this jubilee year. May the Lord continue to bless you in the years ahead. To all my Brother Bishops, to Bishop DiMarzio of this Diocese of Brooklyn, and to the officers and staff of the Episcopal Conference who have contributed in so many ways to the preparation of this visit, I extend my renewed gratitude for their hard work and dedication. With great affection I greet once more the priests and religious, the deacons, the seminarians and young people, and all the faithful in the United States, and I encourage you to continue bearing joyful witness to Christ our Hope, our Risen Lord and Savior, who makes all things new and gives us life in abundance.One of the high-points of my visit was the opportunity to address the General Assembly of the United Nations, and I thank Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon for his kind invitation and welcome. Looking back over the sixty years that have passed since the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, I give thanks for all that the Organization has been able to achieve in defending and promoting the fundamental rights of every man, woman and child throughout the world, and I encourage people of good will everywhere to continue working tirelessly to promote justice and peaceful co-existence between peoples and nations.My visit this morning to Ground Zero will remain firmly etched in my memory, as I continue to pray for those who died and for all who suffer in consequence of the tragedy that occurred there in 2001. For all the people of America, and indeed throughout the world, I pray that the future will bring increased fraternity and solidarity, a growth in mutual respect, and a renewed trust and confidence in God, our heavenly Father.With these words, I take my leave, I ask you to remember me in your prayers, and I assure you of my affection and friendship in the Lord. May God bless America!

Papal Mass at Yankee Stadium

2008-04-20T16:03:00.000-07:00

HOMILY OF POPE BENEDICT XVI
MASS OF THE FIFTH SUNDAY OF EASTER YANKEE STADIUM, NEW YORK 20 APRIL 2008

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

In the Gospel we have just heard, Jesus tells his Apostles to put their faith in him, for he is "the way, and the truth and the life" (Jn 14:6). Christ is the way that leads to the Father, the truth which gives meaning to human existence, and the source of that life which is eternal joy with all the saints in his heavenly Kingdom. Let us take the Lord at his word! Let us renew our faith in him and put all our hope in his promises!With this encouragement to persevere in the faith of Peter (cf. Lk 22:32; Mt 16:17), I greet all of you with great affection. I thank Cardinal Egan for his cordial words of welcome in your name. At this Mass, the Church in the United States celebrates the two hundredth anniversary of the creation of the Sees of New York, Boston, Philadelphia and Louisville from the mother See of Baltimore. The presence around this altar of the Successor of Peter, his brother bishops and priests, and deacons, men and women religious, and lay faithful from throughout the fifty states of the Union, eloquently manifests our communion in the Catholic faith which comes to us from the Apostles.Our celebration today is also a sign of the impressive growth which God has given to the Church in your country in the past two hundred years. From a small flock like that described in the first reading, the Church in America has been built up in fidelity to the twin commandment of love of God and love of neighbor. In this land of freedom and opportunity, the Church has united a widely diverse flock in the profession of the faith and, through her many educational, charitable and social works, has also contributed significantly to the growth of American society as a whole.This great accomplishment was not without its challenges. Today's first reading, taken from the Acts of the Apostles, speaks of linguistic and cultural tensions already present within the earliest Church community. At the same time, it shows the power of the word of God, authoritatively proclaimed by the Apostles and received in faith, to create a unity which transcends the divisions arising from human limitations and weakness. Here we are reminded of a fundamental truth: that the Church's unity has no other basis than the Word of God, made flesh in Christ Jesus our Lord. All external signs of identity, all structures, associations and programs, valuable or even essential as they may be, ultimately exist only to support and foster the deeper unity which, in Christ, is God's indefectible gift to his Church.The first reading also makes clear, as we see from the imposition of hands on the first deacons, that the Church's unity is "apostolic". It is a visible unity, grounded in the Apostles whom Christ chose and appointed as witnesses to his resurrection, and it is born of what the Scriptures call "the obedience of faith" (Rom 1:5; cf. Acts 6:7)."Authority" … "obedience". To be frank, these are not easy words to speak nowadays. Words like these represent a "stumbling stone" for many of our contemporaries, especially in a society which rightly places a high value on personal freedom. Yet, in the light of our faith in Jesus Christ - "the way and the truth and the life" - we come to see the fullest meaning, value, and indeed beauty, of those words. The Gospel teaches us that true freedom, the freedom of the children of God, is found only in the self-surrender which is part of the mystery of love. Only by losing ourselves, the Lord tells us, do we truly find ourselves (cf. Lk 17:33). True freedom blossoms when we turn away from the burden of sin, which clouds our perceptions and weakens our resolve, and find the source of our ultimate happiness in him who is infinite love, infinite freedom, infinite life. "In his will is our peace".Real freedom, then, is God's gracious gift, the fruit of conversion to his truth, the truth which makes us free (cf. Jn 8:32). And this freedom in truth brings in its wake a new and liberating way of seeing reality. When we put on "the mind of Christ" (cf. Phil 2:5), new horizons open before us! In the light of faith, within the communion of the Church, we also find the inspiration and strength to become a leaven of the Gospel in the world. We become the light of the world, the salt of the earth (cf. Mt 5:13-14), entrusted with the "apostolate" of making our own lives, and the world in which we live, conform ever more fully to God's saving plan.This magnificent vision of a world being transformed by the liberating truth of the Gospel is reflected in the description of the Church found in today's second reading. The Apostle tells us that Christ, risen from the dead, is the keystone of a great temple which is even now rising in the Spirit. And we, the members of his body, through Baptism have become "living stones" in that temple, sharing in the life of God by grace, blessed with the freedom of the sons of God, and empowered to offer spiritual sacrifices pleasing to him (cf. 1 Pet 2:5). And what is this offering which we are called to make, if not to direct our every thought, word and action to the truth of the Gospel and to harness all our energies in the service of God's Kingdom? Only in this way can we build with God, on the one foundation which is Christ (cf. 1 Cor 3:11). Only in this way can we build something that will truly endure. Only in this way can our lives find ultimate meaning and bear lasting fruit.Today we recall the bicentennial of a watershed in the history of the Church in the United States: its first great chapter of growth. In these two hundred years, the face of the Catholic community in your country has changed greatly. We think of the successive waves of immigrants whose traditions have so enriched the Church in America. We think of the strong faith which built up the network of churches, educational, healthcare and social institutions which have long been the hallmark of the Church in this land. We think also of those countless fathers and mothers who passed on the faith to their children, the steady ministry of the many priests who devoted their lives to the care of souls, and the incalculable contribution made by so many men and women religious, who not only taught generations of children how to read and write, but also inspired in them a lifelong desire to know God, to love him and to serve him. How many "spiritual sacrifices pleasing to God" have been offered up in these two centuries! In this land of religious liberty, Catholics found freedom not only to practice their faith, but also to participate fully in civic life, bringing their deepest moral convictions to the public square and cooperating with their neighbors in shaping a vibrant, democratic society. Today's celebration is more than an occasion of gratitude for graces received. It is also a summons to move forward with firm resolve to use wisely the blessings of freedom, in order to build a future of hope for coming generations."You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people he claims for his own, to proclaim his glorious works" (1 Pet 2:9). These words of the Apostle Peter do not simply remind us of the dignity which is ours by God's grace; they also challenge us to an ever greater fidelity to the glorious inheritance which we have received in Christ (cf. Eph 1:18). They challenge us to examine our consciences, to purify our hearts, to renew our baptismal commitment to reject Satan and all his empty promises. They challenge us to be a people of joy, heralds of the unfailing hope (cf. Rom 5:5) born of faith in God's word, and trust in his promises.Each day, throughout this land, you and so many of your neighbors pray to the Father in the Lord's own words: "Thy Kingdom come". This prayer needs to shape the mind and heart of every Christian in this nation. It needs to bear fruit in the way you lead your lives and in the way you build up your families and your communities. It needs to create new "settings of hope" (cf. Spe Salvi, 32ff.) where God's Kingdom becomes present in all its saving power.Praying fervently for the coming of the Kingdom also means being constantly alert for the signs of its presence, and working for its growth in every sector of society. It means facing the challenges of present and future with confidence in Christ's victory and a commitment to extending his reign. It means not losing heart in the face of resistance, adversity and scandal. It means overcoming every separation between faith and life, and countering false gospels of freedom and happiness. It also means rejecting a false dichotomy between faith and political life, since, as the Second Vatican Council put it, "there is no human activity - even in secular affairs - which can be withdrawn from God's dominion" (Lumen Gentium, 36). It means working to enrich American society and culture with the beauty and truth of the Gospel, and never losing sight of that great hope which gives meaning and value to all the other hopes which inspire our lives.And this, dear friends, is the particular challenge which the Successor of Saint Peter sets before you today. As "a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation", follow faithfully in the footsteps of those who have gone before you! Hasten the coming of God's Kingdom in this land! Past generations have left you an impressive legacy. In our day too, the Catholic community in this nation has been outstanding in its prophetic witness in the defense of life, in the education of the young, in care for the poor, the sick and the stranger in your midst. On these solid foundations, the future of the Church in America must even now begin to rise!Yesterday, not far from here, I was moved by the joy, the hope and the generous love of Christ which I saw on the faces of the many young people assembled in Dunwoodie. They are the Church's future, and they deserve all the prayer and support that you can give them. And so I wish to close by adding a special word of encouragement to them. My dear young friends, like the seven men, "filled with the Spirit and wisdom" whom the Apostles charged with care for the young Church, may you step forward and take up the responsibility which your faith in Christ sets before you! May you find the courage to proclaim Christ, "the same, yesterday, and today and for ever" and the unchanging truths which have their foundation in him (cf. Gaudium et Spes, 10; Heb 13:8). These are the truths that set us free! They are the truths which alone can guarantee respect for the inalienable dignity and rights of each man, woman and child in our world - including the most defenseless of all human beings, the unborn child in the mother's womb. In a world where, as Pope John Paul II, speaking in this very place, reminded us, Lazarus continues to stand at our door (Homily at Yankee Stadium, October 2, 1979, No. 7), let your faith and love bear rich fruit in outreach to the poor, the needy and those without a voice. Young men and women of America, I urge you: open your hearts to the Lord's call to follow him in the priesthood and the religious life. Can there be any greater mark of love than this: to follow in the footsteps of Christ, who was willing to lay down his life for his friends (cf. Jn 15:13)?In today's Gospel, the Lord promises his disciples that they will perform works even greater than his (cf. Jn 14:12). Dear friends, only God in his providence knows what works his grace has yet to bring forth in your lives and in the life of the Church in the United States. Yet Christ's promise fills us with sure hope. Let us now join our prayers to his, as living stones in that spiritual temple which is his one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church. Let us lift our eyes to him, for even now he is preparing for us a place in his Father's house. And empowered by his Holy Spirit, let us work with renewed zeal for the spread of his Kingdom."Happy are you who believe!" (cf. 1 Pet 2:7). Let us turn to Jesus! He alone is the way that leads to eternal happiness, the truth who satisfies the deepest longings of every heart, and the life who brings ever new joy and hope, to us and to our world. Amen.

Pontiff Prays at Ground Zero

2008-04-20T16:01:00.000-07:00

Today's Texts of B16

2008-04-19T16:41:00.000-07:00

Homily at St Patrick's Cathedral -- Mass for US Priests and Religious

Message to Young People and Seminarians -- Youth Rally, St Joseph's Seminary, Dunwoodie

Message to Young People Having Disabilities -- Chapel of St Joseph's Seminary, Dunwoodie

Pope's Big Apple Anniversary

2008-04-19T03:56:00.000-07:00

Three years ago today, Joseph Ratzinger was elected to the papacy, taking the name Benedict XVI. And on this anniversary, with his encounters with the world's representatives of politics and faith squared away, the pontiff's focus returns to the church both across the US and, in a particular way, in this place the Vatican sees as the "capital of the world."At 9am, cheered on by a ticket-only gallery stretching down blocks of Fifth Avenue, the Popemobile will be received on the steps of St Patrick's Cathedral, as Cardinal Edward Egan and the rector, Msgr Robert Ritchie, are joined by New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

The pontiff will hold a prayer service for disabled children in the seminary chapel, before moving outside for one of this visit's three main public events: the youth rally before a crowd now estimated at 26,000. As has been well noted, the first American Idol Kelly Clarkson is among the artists slated to perform for Benedict. The Pope is scheduled to head back to the city by 6.30.

On to the Big RED APPLE

2008-04-18T03:40:00.000-07:00

To Catholic Educators

2008-04-17T19:38:00.000-07:00

ADDRESS OF POPE BENEDICT XVITO THE COMMUNITY OF CATHOLIC EDUCATIONCATHOLIC UNIVERSITY OF AMERICA, PRSBYLA AUDITORIUM 17 APRIL 2008

Your Eminences,Dear Brother Bishops,Distinguished Professors, Teachers and Educators,

"How beautiful are the footsteps of those who bring good news" (Rom 10:15-17). With these words of Isaiah quoted by Saint Paul, I warmly greet each of you - bearers of wisdom - and through you the staff, students and families of the many and varied institutions of learning that you represent. It is my great pleasure to meet you and to share with you some thoughts regarding the nature and identity of Catholic education today. I especially wish to thank Father David O'Connell, President and Rector of the Catholic University of America. Your kind words of welcome are much appreciated. Please extend my heartfelt gratitude to the entire community - faculty, staff and students - of this University.Education is integral to the mission of the Church to proclaim the Good News. First and foremost every Catholic educational institution is a place to encounter the living God who in Jesus Christ reveals his transforming love and truth (cf. Spe Salvi, 4). This relationship elicits a desire to grow in the knowledge and understanding of Christ and his teaching. In this way those who meet him are drawn by the very power of the Gospel to lead a new life characterized by all that is beautiful, good, and true; a life of Christian witness nurtured and strengthened within the community of our Lord's disciples, the Church.The dynamic between personal encounter, knowledge and Christian witness is integral to the diakonia of truth which the Church exercises in the midst of humanity. God's revelation offers every generation the opportunity to discover the ultimate truth about its own life and the goal of history. This task is never easy; it involves the entire Christian community and motivates each generation of Christian educators to ensure that the power of God's truth permeates every dimension of the institutions they serve. In this way, Christ's Good News is set to work, guiding both teacher and student towards the objective truth which, in transcending the particular and the subjective, points to the universal and absolute that enables us to proclaim with confidence the hope which does not disappoint (cf. Rom 5:5). Set against personal struggles, moral confusion and fragmentation of knowledge, the noble goals of scholarship and education, founded on the unity of truth and in service of the person and the community, become an especially powerful instrument of hope.Dear friends, the history of this nation includes many examples of the Church's commitment in this regard. The Catholic community here has in fact made education one of its highest priorities. This undertaking has not come without great sacrifice. Towering figures, like Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton and other founders and foundresses, with great tenacity and foresight, laid the foundations of what is today a remarkable network of parochial schools contributing to the spiritual well-being of the Church and the nation. Some, like Saint Katharine Drexel, devoted their lives to educating those whom others had neglected - in her case, African Americans and Native Americans. Countless dedicated Religious Sisters, Brothers, and Priests together with selfless parents have, through Catholic schools, helped generations of immigrants to rise from poverty and take their place in mainstream society.This sacrifice continues today. It is an outstanding apostolate of hope, seeking to address the material, intellectual and spiritual needs of over three million children and students. It also provides a highly commendable opportunity for the entire Catholic community to contribute generously to the financial needs of our institutions. Their long-term sustainability must be assured. Indeed, everything possible must be done, in cooperation with the wider community, to ensure that they are accessible to people of all social and economic strata. No child should be denied his or her right to an education in faith, which in turn nurtures the soul of a nation.Some today question the Church's involvement in education, wondering whether her resources might be better placed elsewhere. Certainly in a nation such as this, the State provides ample opportunities for education and attracts committed and generous men and women to this honorable profession. It is timely, then, to reflect on what is particular to our Catholic institutions. How do they contribute to the good of society through the Church's primary mission of evangelization?All the Church's activities stem from her awareness that she is the bearer of a message which has its origin in God himself: in his goodness and wisdom, God chose to reveal himself and to make known the hidden purpose of his will (cf. Eph 1:9; Dei Verbum, 2). God's desire to make himself known, and the innate desire of all human beings to know the truth, provide the context for human inquiry into the meaning of life. This unique encounter is sustained within our Christian community: the one who seeks the truth becomes the one who lives by faith (cf. Fides et Ratio, 31). It can be described as a move from "I" to "we", leading the individual to be numbered among God's people.This same dynamic of communal identity - to whom do I belong? - vivifies the ethos of our Catholic institutions. A university or school's Catholic identity is not simply a question of the number of Catholic students. It is a question of conviction - do we really believe that only in the mystery of the Word made flesh does the mystery of man truly become clear (cf. Gaudium et Spes, 22)? Are we ready to commit our entire self - intellect and will, mind and heart - to God? Do we accept the truth Christ reveals? Is the faith tangible in our universities and schools? Is it given fervent expression liturgically, sacramentally, through prayer, acts of charity, a concern for justice, and respect for God's creation? Only in this way do we really bear witness to the meaning of who we are and what we uphold.From this perspective one can recognize that the contemporary "crisis of truth" is rooted in a "crisis of faith". Only through faith can we freely give our assent to God's testimony and acknowledge him as the transcendent guarantor of the truth he reveals. Again, we see why fostering personal intimacy with Jesus Christ and communal witness to his loving truth is indispensable in Catholic institutions of learning. Yet we all know, and observe with concern, the difficulty or reluctance many people have today in entrusting themselves to God. It is a complex phenomenon and one which I ponder continually. While we have sought diligently to engage the intellect of our young, perhaps we have neglected the will. Subsequently we observe, with distress, the notion of freedom being distorted. Freedom is not an opting out. It is an opting in - a participation in Being itself. Hence authentic freedom can never be attained by turning away from God. Such a choice would ultimately disregard the very truth we need in order to understand ourselves. A particular responsibility therefore for each of you, and your colleagues, is to evoke among the young the desire for the act of faith, encouraging them to commit themselves to the ecclesial life that follows from this belief. It is here that freedom reaches the certainty of truth. In choosing to live by that truth, we embrace the fullness of the life of faith which is given to us in the Church.Clearly, then, Catholic identity is not dependent upon statistics. Neither can it be equated simply with orthodoxy of course content. It demands and inspires much more: namely that each and every aspect of your learning communities reverberates within the ecclesial life of faith. Only in faith can truth become incarnate and reason truly human, capable of directing the will along the path of freedom (cf. Spe Salvi, 23). In this way our institutions make a vital contribution to the mission of the Church and truly serve society. They become places in which God's active presence in human affairs is recognized and in which every young person discovers the joy of entering into Christ's "being for others" (cf. ibid., 28).The Church's primary mission of evangelization, in which educational institutions play a crucial role, is consonant with a nation's fundamental aspiration to develop a society truly worthy of the human person's dignity. At times, however, the value of the Church's contribution to the public forum is questioned. It is important therefore to recall that the truths of faith and of reason never contradict one another (cf. First Vatican Ecumenical Council, Dogmatic Constitution on the Catholic Faith Dei Filius, IV: DS 3017; St. Augustine, Contra Academicos, III, 20, 43). The Church's mission, in fact, involves her in humanity's struggle to arrive at truth. In articulating revealed truth she serves all members of society by purifying reason, ensuring that it remains open to the consideration of ultimate truths. Drawing upon divine wisdom, she sheds light on the foundation of human morality and ethics, and reminds all groups in society that it is not praxis that creates truth but truth that should serve as the basis of praxis. Far from undermining the tolerance of legitimate diversity, such a contribution illuminates the very truth which makes consensus attainable, and helps to keep public debate rational, honest and accountable. Similarly the Church never tires of upholding the essential moral categories of right and wrong, without which hope could only wither, giving way to cold pragmatic calculations of utility which render the person little more than a pawn on some ideological chess-board.With regard to the educational forum, the diakonia of truth takes on a heightened significance in societies where secularist ideology drives a wedge between truth and faith. This division has led to a tendency to equate truth with knowledge and to adopt a positivistic mentality which, in rejecting metaphysics, denies the foundations of faith and rejects the need for a moral vision. Truth means more than knowledge: knowing the truth leads us to discover the good. Truth speaks to the individual in his or her the entirety, inviting us to respond with our whole being. This optimistic vision is found in our Christian faith because such faith has been granted the vision of the Logos, God's creative Reason, which in the Incarnation, is revealed as Goodness itself. Far from being just a communication of factual data - "informative" - the loving truth of the Gospel is creative and life-changing - "performative" (cf. Spe Salvi, 2). With confidence, Christian educators can liberate the young from the limits of positivism and awaken receptivity to the truth, to God and his goodness. In this way you will also help to form their conscience which, enriched by faith, opens a sure path to inner peace and to respect for others.It comes as no surprise, then, that not just our own ecclesial communities but society in general has high expectations of Catholic educators. This places upon you a responsibility and offers an opportunity. More and more people - parents in particular - recognize the need for excellence in the human formation of their children. As Mater et Magistra, the Church shares their concern. When nothing beyond the individual is recognized as definitive, the ultimate criterion of judgment becomes the self and the satisfaction of the individual's immediate wishes. The objectivity and perspective, which can only come through a recognition of the essential transcendent dimension of the human person, can be lost. Within such a relativistic horizon the goals of education are inevitably curtailed. Slowly, a lowering of standards occurs. We observe today a timidity in the face of the category of the good and an aimless pursuit of novelty parading as the realization of freedom. We witness an assumption that every experience is of equal worth and a reluctance to admit imperfection and mistakes. And particularly disturbing, is the reduction of the precious and delicate area of education in sexuality to management of 'risk', bereft of any reference to the beauty of conjugal love.How might Christian educators respond? These harmful developments point to the particular urgency of what we might call "intellectual charity". This aspect of charity calls the educator to recognize that the profound responsibility to lead the young to truth is nothing less than an act of love. Indeed, the dignity of education lies in fostering the true perfection and happiness of those to be educated. In practice "intellectual charity" upholds the essential unity of knowledge against the fragmentation which ensues when reason is detached from the pursuit of truth. It guides the young towards the deep satisfaction of exercising freedom in relation to truth, and it strives to articulate the relationship between faith and all aspects of family and civic life. Once their passion for the fullness and unity of truth has been awakened, young people will surely relish the discovery that the question of what they can know opens up the vast adventure of what they ought to do. Here they will experience "in what" and "in whom" it is possible to hope, and be inspired to contribute to society in a way that engenders hope in others.Dear friends, I wish to conclude by focusing our attention specifically on the paramount importance of your own professionalism and witness within our Catholic universities and schools. First, let me thank you for your dedication and generosity. I know from my own days as a professor, and I have heard from your Bishops and officials of the Congregation for Catholic Education, that the reputation of Catholic institutes of learning in this country is largely due to yourselves and your predecessors. Your selfless contributions - from outstanding research to the dedication of those working in inner-city schools - serve both your country and the Church. For this I express my profound gratitude.In regard to faculty members at Catholic colleges universities, I wish to reaffirm the great value of academic freedom. In virtue of this freedom you are called to search for the truth wherever careful analysis of evidence leads you. Yet it is also the case that any appeal to the principle of academic freedom in order to justify positions that contradict the faith and the teaching of the Church would obstruct or even betray the university's identity and mission; a mission at the heart of the Church's munus docendi and not somehow autonomous or independent of it.Teachers and administrators, whether in universities or schools, have the duty and privilege to ensure that students receive instruction in Catholic doctrine and practice. This requires that public witness to the way of Christ, as found in the Gospel and upheld by the Church's Magisterium, shapes all aspects of an institution's life, both inside and outside the classroom. Divergence from this vision weakens Catholic identity and, far from advancing freedom, inevitably leads to confusion, whether moral, intellectual or spiritual.I wish also to express a particular word of encouragement to both lay and Religious teachers of catechesis who strive to ensure that young people become daily more appreciative of the gift of faith. Religious education is a challenging apostolate, yet there are many signs of a desire among young people to learn about the faith and practice it with vigor. If this awakening is to grow, teachers require a clear and precise understanding of the specific nature and role of Catholic education. They must also be ready to lead the commitment made by the entire school community to assist our young people, and their families, to experience the harmony between faith, life and culture.Here I wish to make a special appeal to Religious Brothers, Sisters and Priests: do not abandon the school apostolate; indeed, renew your commitment to schools especially those in poorer areas. In places where there are many hollow promises which lure young people away from the path of truth and genuine freedom, the consecrated person's witness to the evangelical counsels is an irreplaceable gift. I encourage the Religious present to bring renewed enthusiasm to the promotion of vocations. Know that your witness to the ideal of consecration and mission among the young is a source of great inspiration in faith for them and their families.To all of you I say: bear witness to hope. Nourish your witness with prayer. Account for the hope that characterizes your lives (cf. 1 Pet 3:15) by living the truth which you propose to your students. Help them to know and love the One you have encountered, whose truth and goodness you have experienced with joy. With Saint Augustine, let us say: "we who speak and you who listen acknowledge ourselves as fellow disciples of a single teacher" (Sermons, 23:2). With these sentiments of communion, I gladly impart to you, your colleagues and students, and to your families, my Apostolic Blessing.

A Necessary Beginning

2008-04-17T19:22:00.000-07:00

In a brief comment on a stairwell following the Pope's meeting with Catholic educators, Cardinal Sean O'Malley merely said "It was prayerful. It was emotional. I'm still trying to process it."

STATEMENT OF THE HOLY SEE PRESS OFFICEToday at 4:15 p.m. the Holy Father met in the chapel at the Apostolic Nunciature in Washington D.C. with a small group of persons who were sexually abused by members of the clergy.The Archbishop of Boston, Cardinal Sean O’Malley, accompanied the group. They prayed with the Holy Father, who afterwards listened to their personal accounts and offered them words of encouragement and hope.His Holiness assured them of his prayers for their intentions, for their families and for all victims of sexual abuse....more from CNS:

Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi, Vatican press spokesman, told journalists the meeting involved five or six victims, men and women from the Archdiocese of Boston, and lasted about 25 minutes. During the encounter, each of the victims had a chance to speak personally to the pope, who spoke some "very affectionate words," he said.Father Lombardi said it was a very emotional meeting; some were in tears.At the end of the meeting, Cardinal O'Malley gave the pope a book listing the first names of the approximately 1,000 victims of sexual abuse in the archdiocese within the last several decades, Father Lombardi said, so the pope could remember them in his prayers.The pope has spoken three times about clerical sexual abuse since he left Rome April 15 for his six-day visit to the United States, expressing the sense of shame he and other church leaders feel about what he called a "tragic situation."On each occasion, he made a point to encourage church leaders and all Catholics to help those harmed by the abuse.Some groups criticized the pope for not visiting Boston on this trip and for not scheduling an encounter with victims. Vatican officials had not ruled out such a meeting, but indicated that if it occurred it would be very private.Barbara Blaine, president of the Survivors' Network of those Abused by Priests, praised the victims for having "the courage to come forward and speak up" but said she did not think the meeting "will change anything.""Kids need actions," such as punishment for those "supervisors and bishops who have enabled and covered up for predators," she told Catholic News Service.

Pope at National's Park

2008-04-17T14:49:00.001-07:00

HOMILY OF POPE BENEDICT XVI
NATIONAL'S PARK

WASHINGTON 17 APRIL 2008

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

"Peace be with you!" (Jn 20:19). With these, the first words of the Risen Lord to his disciples, I greet all of you in the joy of this Easter season. Before all else, I thank God for the blessing of being in your midst. I am particularly grateful to Archbishop Wuerl for his kind words of welcome.

Our Mass today brings the Church in the United States back to its roots in nearby Maryland, and commemorates the bicentennial of the first chapter of its remarkable growth - the division by my predecessor, Pope Pius VII, of the original Diocese of Baltimore and the establishment of the Dioceses of Boston, Bardstown (now Louisville), New York and Philadelphia. Two hundred years later, the Church in America can rightfully praise the accomplishment of past generations in bringing together widely differing immigrant groups within the unity of the Catholic faith and in a common commitment to the spread of the Gospel. At the same time, conscious of its rich diversity, the Catholic community in this country has come to appreciate ever more fully the importance of each individual and group offering its own particular gifts to the whole. The Church in the United States is now called to look to the future, firmly grounded in the faith passed on by previous generations, and ready to meet new challenges - challenges no less demanding than those faced by your forebears - with the hope born of God's love, poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit (cf. Rom 5:5).

In the exercise of my ministry as the Successor of Peter, I have come to America to confirm you, my brothers and sisters, in the faith of the Apostles (cf. Lk 22:32). I have come to proclaim anew, as Peter proclaimed on the day of Pentecost, that Jesus Christ is Lord and Messiah, risen from the dead, seated in glory at the right hand of the Father, and established as judge of the living and the dead (cf. Acts 2:14ff.). I have come to repeat the Apostle's urgent call to conversion and the forgiveness of sins, and to implore from the Lord a new outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon the Church in this country. As we have heard throughout this Easter season, the Church was born of the Spirit's gift of repentance and faith in the risen Lord. In every age she is impelled by the same Spirit to bring to men and women of every race, language and people (cf. Rev 5:9) the good news of our reconciliation with God in Christ.

The readings of today's Mass invite us to consider the growth of the Church in America as one chapter in the greater story of the Church's expansion following the descent of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. In those readings we see the inseparable link between the risen Lord, the gift of the Spirit for the forgiveness of sins, and the mystery of the Church. Christ established his Church on the foundation of the Apostles (cf. Rev 21:14) as a visible, structured community which is at the same time a spiritual communion, a mystical body enlivened by the Spirit's manifold gifts, and the sacrament of salvation for all humanity (cf. Lumen Gentium, 8). In every time and place, the Church is called to grow in unity through constant conversion to Christ, whose saving work is proclaimed by the Successors of the Apostles and celebrated in the sacraments. This unity, in turn, gives rise to an unceasing missionary outreach, as the Spirit spurs believers to proclaim "the great works of God" and to invite all people to enter the community of those saved by the blood of Christ and granted new life in his Spirit.
I pray, then, that this significant anniversary in the life of the Church in the United States, and the presence of the Successor of Peter in your midst, will be an occasion for all Catholics to reaffirm their unity in the apostolic faith, to offer their contemporaries a convincing account of the hope which inspires them (cf. 1 Pet 3:15), and to be renewed in missionary zeal for the extension of God's Kingdom.

The world needs this witness! Who can deny that the present moment is a crossroads, not only for the Church in America but also for society as a whole? It is a time of great promise, as we see the human family in many ways drawing closer together and becoming ever more interdependent. Yet at the same time we see clear signs of a disturbing breakdown in the very foundations of society: signs of alienation, anger and polarization on the part of many of our contemporaries; increased violence; a weakening of the moral sense; a coarsening of social relations; and a growing forgetfulness of Christ and God. The Church, too, sees signs of immense promise in her many strong parishes and vital movements, in the enthusiasm for the faith shown by so many young people, and also in the number of those who each year embrace the Catholic faith, and in a greater interest in prayer and catechesis. At the same time she senses, often painfully, the presence of division and polarization in her midst, as well as the troubling realization that many of the baptized, rather than acting as a spiritual leaven in the world, are inclined to embrace attitudes contrary to the truth of the Gospel.
"Lord, send out your Spirit, and renew the face of the earth!" (cf. Ps 104:30). The words of today's Responsorial Psalm are a prayer which rises up from the heart of the Church in every time and place. They remind us that the Holy Spirit has been poured out as the first fruits of a new creation, "new heavens and a new earth" (cf. 2 Pet 3:13; Rev 21:1), in which God's peace will reign and the human family will be reconciled in justice and love. We have heard Saint Paul tell us that all creation is even now "groaning" in expectation of that true freedom which is God's gift to his children (Rom 8:21-22), a freedom which enables us to live in conformity to his will. Today let us pray fervently that the Church in America will be renewed in that same Spirit, and sustained in her mission of proclaiming the Gospel to a world that longs for genuine freedom (cf. Jn 8:32), authentic happiness, and the fulfillment of its deepest aspirations!
Here I wish to offer a special word of gratitude and encouragement to all those who have taken up the challenge of the Second Vatican Council, so often reiterated by Pope John Paul II, and committed their lives to the new evangelization. I thank my brother Bishops, priests and deacons, men and women religious, parents, teachers and catechists. The fidelity and courage with which the Church in this country will respond to the challenges raised by an increasingly secular and materialistic culture will depend in large part upon your own fidelity in handing on the treasure of our Catholic faith. Young people need to be helped to discern the path that leads to true freedom: the path of a sincere and generous imitation of Christ, the path of commitment to justice and peace. Much progress has been made in developing solid programs of catechesis, yet so much more remains to be done in forming the hearts and minds of the young in knowledge and love of the Lord. The challenges confronting us require a comprehensive and sound instruction in the truths of the faith. But they also call for cultivating a mindset, an intellectual "culture", which is genuinely Catholic, confident in the profound harmony of faith and reason, and prepared to bring the richness of faith's vision to bear on the urgent issues which affect the future of American society.

Dear friends, my visit to the United States is meant to be a witness to "Christ our Hope". Americans have always been a people of hope: your ancestors came to this country with the expectation of finding new freedom and opportunity, while the vastness of the unexplored wilderness inspired in them the hope of being able to start completely anew, building a new nation on new foundations. To be sure, this promise was not experienced by all the inhabitants of this land; one thinks of the injustices endured by the native American peoples and by those brought here forcibly from Africa as slaves. Yet hope, hope for the future, is very much a part of the American character. And the Christian virtue of hope - the hope poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, the hope which supernaturally purifies and corrects our aspirations by focusing them on the Lord and his saving plan - that hope has also marked, and continues to mark, the life of the Catholic community in this country.

It is in the context of this hope born of God's love and fidelity that I acknowledge the pain which the Church in America has experienced as a result of the sexual abuse of minors. No words of mine could describe the pain and harm inflicted by such abuse. It is important that those who have suffered be given loving pastoral attention. Nor can I adequately describe the damage that has occurred within the community of the Church. Great efforts have already been made to deal honestly and fairly with this tragic situation, and to ensure that children - whom our Lord loves so deeply (cf. Mk 10:14), and who are our greatest treasure - can grow up in a safe environment. These efforts to protect children must continue. Yesterday I spoke with your Bishops about this. Today I encourage each of you to do what you can to foster healing and reconciliation, and to assist those who have been hurt. Also, I ask you to love your priests, and to affirm them in the excellent work that they do. And above all, pray that the Holy Spirit will pour out his gifts upon the Church, the gifts that lead to conversion, forgiveness and growth in holiness.
Saint Paul speaks, as we heard in the second reading, of a kind of prayer which arises from the depths of our hearts in sighs too deep for words, in "groanings" (Rom 8:26) inspired by the Spirit. This is a prayer which yearns, in the midst of chastisement, for the fulfillment of God's promises. It is a prayer of unfailing hope, but also one of patient endurance and, often, accompanied by suffering for the truth. Through this prayer, we share in the mystery of Christ's own weakness and suffering, while trusting firmly in the victory of his Cross. With this prayer, may the Church in America embrace ever more fully the way of conversion and fidelity to the demands of the Gospel. And may all Catholics experience the consolation of hope, and the Spirit's gifts of joy and strength.

In today's Gospel, the risen Lord bestows the gift of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles and grants them the authority to forgive sins. Through the surpassing power of Christ's grace, entrusted to frail human ministers, the Church is constantly reborn and each of us is given the hope of a new beginning. Let us trust in the Spirit's power to inspire conversion, to heal every wound, to overcome every division, and to inspire new life and freedom. How much we need these gifts! And how close at hand they are, particularly in the sacrament of Penance! The liberating power of this sacrament, in which our honest confession of sin is met by God's merciful word of pardon and peace, needs to be rediscovered and reappropriated by every Catholic. To a great extent, the renewal of the Church in America depends on the renewal of the practice of Penance and the growth in holiness which that sacrament both inspires and accomplishes.
"In hope we were saved!" (Rom 8:24)." As the Church in the United States gives thanks for the blessings of the past two hundred years, I invite you, your families, and every parish and religious community, to trust in the power of grace to create a future of promise for God's people in this country. I ask you, in the Lord Jesus, to set aside all division and to work with joy to prepare a way for him, in fidelity to his word and in constant conversion to his will. Above all, I urge you to continue to be a leaven of evangelical hope in American society, striving to bring the light and truth of the Gospel to the task of building an ever more just and free world for generations yet to come.

Those who have hope must live different lives! (cf. Spe Salvi, 2). By your prayers, by the witness of your faith, by the fruitfulness of your charity, may you point the way towards that vast horizon of hope which God is even now opening up to his Church, and indeed to all humanity: the vision of a world reconciled and renewed in Christ Jesus, our Savior. To him be all honor and glory, now and forever. Amen.

President and Pope

2008-04-17T05:25:00.000-07:00

Mr. President,Thank you for your gracious words of welcome on behalf of the people of the United States of America. I deeply appreciate your invitation to visit this great country. My visit coincides with an important moment in the life of the Catholic community in America: the celebration of the two-hundredth anniversary of the elevation of the country’s first Diocese – Baltimore – to a metropolitan Archdiocese, and the establishment of the Sees of New York, Boston, Philadelphia and Louisville. Yet I am happy to be here as a guest of all Americans. I come as a friend, a preacher of the Gospel and one with great respect for this vast pluralistic society. America’s Catholics have made, and continue to make, an excellent contribution to the life of their country. As I begin my visit, I trust that my presence will be a source of renewal and hope for the Church in the United States, and strengthen the resolve of Catholics to contribute ever more responsibly to the life of this nation, of which they are proud to be citizens.From the dawn of the Republic, America’s quest for freedom has been guided by the conviction that the principles governing political and social life are intimately linked to a moral order based on the dominion of God the Creator. The framers of this nation’s founding documents drew upon this conviction when they proclaimed the “self-evident truth” that all men are created equal and endowed with inalienable rights grounded in the laws of nature and of nature’s God. The course of American history demonstrates the difficulties, the struggles, and the great intellectual and moral resolve which were demanded to shape a society which faithfully embodied these noble principles. In that process, which forged the soul of the nation, religious beliefs were a constant inspiration and driving force, as for example in the struggle against slavery and in the civil rights movement. In our time too, particularly in moments of crisis, Americans continue to find their strength in a commitment to this patrimony of shared ideals and aspirations.

Pope Addresses Bishops

2008-04-17T05:22:00.000-07:00

Dear Brother Bishops,It gives me great joy to greet you today, at the start of my visit to this country, and I thank Cardinal George for the gracious words he has addressed to me on your behalf. I want to thank all of you, especially the Officers of the Episcopal Conference, for the hard work that has gone into the preparation of this visit. My grateful appreciation goes also to the staff and volunteers of the National Shrine, who have welcomed us here this evening. American Catholics are noted for their loyal devotion to the see of Peter. My pastoral visit here is an opportunity to strengthen further the bonds of communion that unite us. We began by celebrating Evening Prayer in this Basilica dedicated to the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, a shrine of special significance to American Catholics, right in the heart of your capital city. Gathered in prayer with Mary, Mother of Jesus, we lovingly commend to our heavenly Father the people of God in every part of the United States.For the Catholic communities of Boston, New York, Philadelphia and Louisville, this is a year of particular celebration, as it marks the bicentenary of the establishment of these local Churches as Dioceses. I join you in giving thanks for the many graces granted to the Church there during these two centuries. As this year also marks the bicentenary of the elevation of the founding see of Baltimore to an Archdiocese, it gives me an opportunity to recall with admiration and gratitude the life and ministry of John Carroll, the first Bishop of Baltimore - a worthy leader of the Catholic community in your newly independent nation. His tireless efforts to spread the Gospel in the vast territory under his care laid the foundations for the ecclesial life of your country and enabled the Church in America to grow to maturity. Today the Catholic community you serve is one of the largest in the world, and one of the most influential. How important it is, then, to let your light so shine before your fellow citizens and before the world, "that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven" (Mt 5:16).Many of the people to whom John Carroll and his fellow Bishops were ministering two centuries ago had travelled from distant lands. The diversity of their origins is reflected in the rich variety of ecclesial life in present-day America. Brother Bishops, I want to encourage you and your communities to continue to welcome the immigrants who join your ranks today, to share their joys and hopes, to support them in their sorrows and trials, and to help them flourish in their new home. This, indeed, is what your fellow countrymen have done for generations. From the beginning, they have opened their doors to the tired, the poor, the "huddled masses yearning to breathe free" (cf. Sonnet inscribed on the Statue of Liberty). These are the people whom America has made her own.Of those who came to build a new life here, many were able to make good use of the resources and opportunities that they found, and to attain a high level of prosperity. Indeed, the people of this country are known for their great vitality and creativity. They are also known for their generosity. After the attack on the Twin Towers in September 2001, and again after Hurricane Katrina in 2005, Americans displayed their readiness to come to the aid of their brothers and sisters in need. On the international level, the contribution made by the people of America to relief and rescue operations after the tsunami of December 2004 is a further illustration of this compassion. Let me express my particular appreciation for the many forms of humanitarian assistance provided by American Catholics through Catholic Charities and other agencies. Their generosity has borne fruit in the care shown to the poor and needy, and in the energy that has gone into building the nationwide network of Catholic parishes, hospitals, schools and universities. All of this gives great cause for thanksgiving.America is also a land of great faith. Your people are remarkable for their religious fervor and they take pride in belonging to a worshipping community. They have confidence in God, and they do not hesitate to bring moral arguments rooted in biblical faith into their public discourse. Respect for freedom of religion is deeply ingrained in the American consciousness - a fact which has contributed to this country's attraction for generations of immigrants, seeking a home where they can worship freely in accordance with their beliefs.In this connection, I happily acknowledge the presence among you of Bishops from all the venerable Eastern Churches in communion with the Successor of Peter, whom I greet with special joy. Dear Brothers, I ask you to assure your communities of my deep affection and my continued prayers, both for them and for the many brothers and sisters who remain in their land of origin. Your presence here is a reminder of the courageous witness to Christ of so many members of your communities, often amid suffering, in their respective homelands. It is also a great enrichment of the ecclesial life of America, giving vivid expression to the Church's catholicity and the variety of her liturgical and spiritual traditions.It is in this fertile soil, nourished from so many different sources, that all of you, Brother Bishops, are called to sow the seeds of the Gospel today. This leads me to ask how, in the twenty-first century, a bishop can best fulfill the call to "make all things new in Christ, our hope"? How can he lead his people to "an encounter with the living God", the source of that life-transforming hope of which the Gospel speaks (cf. Spe Salvi, 4)? Perhaps he needs to begin by clearing away some of the barriers to such an encounter. While it is true that this country is marked by a genuinely religious spirit, the subtle influence of secularism can nevertheless color the way people allow their faith to influence their behavior. Is it consistent to profess our beliefs in church on Sunday, and then during the week to promote business practices or medical procedures contrary to those beliefs? Is it consistent for practicing Catholics to ignore or exploit the poor and the marginalized, to promote sexual behavior contrary to Catholic moral teaching, or to adopt positions that contradict the right to life of every human being from conception to natural death? Any tendency to treat religion as a private matter must be resisted. Only when their faith permeates every aspect of their lives do Christians become truly open to the transforming power of the Gospel.For an affluent society, a further obstacle to an encounter with the living God lies in the subtle influence of materialism, which can all too easily focus the attention on the hundredfold, which God promises now in this time, at the expense of the eternal life which he promises in the age to come (cf. Mk 10:30). People today need to be reminded of the ultimate purpose of their lives. They need to recognize that implanted within them is a deep thirst for God. They need to be given opportunities to drink from the wells of his infinite love. It is easy to be entranced by the almost unlimited possibilities that science and technology place before us; it is easy to make the mistake of thinking we can obtain by our own efforts the fulfillment of our deepest needs. This is an illusion. Without God, who alone bestows upon us what we by ourselves cannot attain (cf. Spe Salvi, 31), our lives are ultimately empty. People need to be constantly reminded to cultivate a relationship with him who came that we might have life in abundance (cf. Jn 10:10). The goal of all our pastoral and catechetical work, the object of our preaching, and the focus of our sacramental ministry should be to help people establish and nurture that living relationship with "Christ Jesus, our hope" (1 Tim 1:1).In a society which values personal freedom and autonomy, it is easy to lose sight of our dependence on others as well as the responsibilities that we bear towards them. This emphasis on individualism has even affected the Church (cf. Spe Salvi, 13-15), giving rise to a form of piety which sometimes emphasizes our private relationship with God at the expense of our calling to be members of a redeemed community. Yet from the beginning, God saw that "it is not good for man to be alone" (Gen 2:18). We were created as social beings who find fulfillment only in love - for God and for our neighbor. If we are truly to gaze upon him who is the source of our joy, we need to do so as members of the people of God (cf. Spe Salvi, 14). If this seems counter-cultural, that is simply further evidence of the urgent need for a renewed evangelization of culture.Here in America, you are blessed with a Catholic laity of considerable cultural diversity, who place their wide-ranging gifts at the service of the Church and of society at large. They look to you to offer them encouragement, leadership and direction. In an age that is saturated with information, the importance of providing sound formation in the faith cannot be overstated. American Catholics have traditionally placed a high value on religious education, both in schools and in the context of adult formation programs. These need to be maintained and expanded. The many generous men and women who devote themselves to charitable activity need to be helped to renew their dedication through a "formation of the heart": an "encounter with God in Christ which awakens their love and opens their spirits to others" (Deus Caritas Est, 31). At a time when advances in medical science bring new hope to many, they also give rise to previously unimagined ethical challenges. This makes it more important than ever to offer thorough formation in the Church's moral teaching to Catholics engaged in health care. Wise guidance is needed in all these apostolates, so that they may bear abundant fruit; if they are truly to promote the integral good of the human person, they too need to be made new in Christ our hope.As preachers of the Gospel and leaders of the Catholic community, you are also called to participate in the exchange of ideas in the public square, helping to shape cultural attitudes. In a context where free speech is valued, and where vigorous and honest debate is encouraged, yours is a respected voice that has much to offer to the discussion of the pressing social and moral questions of the day. By ensuring that the Gospel is clearly heard, you not only form the people of your own community, but in view of the global reach of mass communication, you help to spread the message of Christian hope throughout the world.Clearly, the Church's influence on public debate takes place on many different levels. In the United States, as elsewhere, there is much current and proposed legislation that gives cause for concern from the point of view of morality, and the Catholic community, under your guidance, needs to offer a clear and united witness on such matters. Even more important, though, is the gradual opening of the minds and hearts of the wider community to moral truth. Here much remains to be done. Crucial in this regard is the role of the lay faithful to act as a "leaven" in society. Yet it cannot be assumed that all Catholic citizens think in harmony with the Church's teaching on today's key ethical questions. Once again, it falls to you to ensure that the moral formation provided at every level of ecclesial life reflects the authentic teaching of the Gospel of life.In this regard, a matter of deep concern to us all is the state of the family within society. Indeed, Cardinal George mentioned earlier that you have included the strengthening of marriage and family life among the priorities for your attention over the next few years. In this year's World Day of Peace Message I spoke of the essential contribution that healthy family life makes to peace within and between nations. In the family home we experience "some of the fundamental elements of peace: justice and love between brothers and sisters, the role of authority expressed by parents, loving concern for the members who are weaker because of youth, sickness or old age, mutual help in the necessities of life, readiness to accept others and, if necessary, to forgive them" (no. 3). The family is also the primary place for evangelization, for passing on the faith, for helping young people to appreciate the importance of religious practice and Sunday observance. How can we not be dismayed as we observe the sharp decline of the family as a basic element of Church and society? Divorce and infidelity have increased, and many young men and women are choosing to postpone marriage or to forego it altogether. To some young Catholics, the sacramental bond of marriage seems scarcely distinguishable from a civil bond, or even a purely informal and open-ended arrangement to live with another person. Hence we have an alarming decrease in the number of Catholic marriages in the United States together with an increase in cohabitation, in which the Christ-like mutual self-giving of spouses, sealed by a public promise to live out the demands of an indissoluble lifelong commitment, is simply absent. In such circumstances, children are denied the secure environment that they need in order truly to flourish as human beings, and society is denied the stable building blocks which it requires if the cohesion and moral focus of the community are to be maintained.As my predecessor, Pope John Paul II taught, "The person principally responsible in the Diocese for the pastoral care of the family is the Bishop ... he must devote to it personal interest, care, time, personnel and resources, but above all personal support for the families and for all those who … assist him in the pastoral care of the family" (Familiaris Consortio, 73). It is your task to proclaim boldly the arguments from faith and reason in favor of the institution of marriage, understood as a lifelong commitment between a man and a woman, open to the transmission of life. This message should resonate with people today, because it is essentially an unconditional and unreserved "yes" to life, a "yes" to love, and a "yes" to the aspirations at the heart of our common humanity, as we strive to fulfill our deep yearning for intimacy with others and with the Lord.Among the countersigns to the Gospel of life found in America and elsewhere is one that causes deep shame: the sexual abuse of minors. Many of you have spoken to me of the enormous pain that your communities have suffered when clerics have betrayed their priestly obligations and duties by such gravely immoral behavior. As you strive to eliminate this evil wherever it occurs, you may be assured of the prayerful support of God's people throughout the world. Rightly, you attach priority to showing compassion and care to the victims. It is your God-given responsibility as pastors to bind up the wounds caused by every breach of trust, to foster healing, to promote reconciliation and to reach out with loving concern to those so seriously wronged.Responding to this situation has not been easy and, as the President of your Episcopal Conference has indicated, it was "sometimes very badly handled". Now that the scale and gravity of the problem is more clearly understood, you have been able to adopt more focused remedial and disciplinary measures and to promote a safe environment that gives greater protection to young people. While it must be remembered that the overwhelming majority of clergy and religious in America do outstanding work in bringing the liberating message of the Gospel to the people entrusted to their care, it is vitally important that the vulnerable always be shielded from those who would cause harm. In this regard, your efforts to heal and protect are bearing great fruit not only for those directly under your pastoral care, but for all of society.If they are to achieve their full purpose, however, the policies and programs you have adopted need to be placed in a wider context. Children deserve to grow up with a healthy understanding of sexuality and its proper place in human relationships. They should be spared the degrading manifestations and the crude manipulation of sexuality so prevalent today. They have a right to be educated in authentic moral values rooted in the dignity of the human person. This brings us back to our consideration of the centrality of the family and the need to promote the Gospel of life. What does it mean to speak of child protection when pornography and violence can be viewed in so many homes through media widely available today? We need to reassess urgently the values underpinning society, so that a sound moral formation can be offered to young people and adults alike. All have a part to play in this task - not only parents, religious leaders, teachers and catechists, but the media and entertainment industries as well. Indeed, every member of society can contribute to this moral renewal and benefit from it. Truly caring about young people and the future of our civilization means recognizing our responsibility to promote and live by the authentic moral values which alone enable the human person to flourish. It falls to you, as pastors modelled upon Christ, the Good Shepherd, to proclaim this message loud and clear, and thus to address the sin of abuse within the wider context of sexual mores. Moreover, by acknowledging and confronting the problem when it occurs in an ecclesial setting, you can give a lead to others, since this scourge is found not only within your Dioceses, but in every sector of society. It calls for a determined, collective response.Priests, too, need your guidance and closeness during this difficult time. They have experienced shame over what has occurred, and there are those who feel they have lost some of the trust and esteem they once enjoyed. Not a few are experiencing a closeness to Christ in his Passion as they struggle to come to terms with the consequences of the crisis. The Bishop, as father, brother and friend of his priests, can help them to draw spiritual fruit from this union with Christ by making them aware of the Lord's consoling presence in the midst of their suffering, and by encouraging them to walk with the Lord along the path of hope (cf. Spe Salvi, 39). As Pope John Paul II observed six years ago, "we must be confident that this time of trial will bring a purification of the entire Catholic community", leading to "a holier priesthood, a holier episcopate and a holier Church" (Address to the Cardinals of the United States, 23 April 2002, 4). There are many signs that, during the intervening period, such purification has indeed been taking place. Christ's abiding presence in the midst of our suffering is gradually transforming our darkness into light: all things are indeed being made new in Christ Jesus our hope.At this stage a vital part of your task is to strengthen relationships with your clergy, especially in those cases where tension has arisen between priests and their bishops in the wake of the crisis. It is important that you continue to show them your concern, to support them, and to lead by example. In this way you will surely help them to encounter the living God, and point them towards the life-transforming hope of which the Gospel speaks. If you yourselves live in a manner closely configured to Christ, the Good Shepherd, who laid down his life for his sheep, you will inspire your brother priests to rededicate themselves to the service of their flocks with Christ-like generosity. Indeed a clearer focus upon the imitation of Christ in holiness of life is exactly what is needed in order for us to move forward. We need to rediscover the joy of living a Christ-centered life, cultivating the virtues, and immersing ourselves in prayer. When the faithful know that their pastor is a man who prays and who dedicates his life to serving them, they respond with warmth and affection which nourishes and sustains the life of the whole community.Time spent in prayer is never wasted, however urgent the duties that press upon us from every side. Adoration of Christ our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament prolongs and intensifies the union with him that is established through the Eucharistic celebration (cf. Sacramentum Caritatis, 66). Contemplation of the mysteries of the Rosary releases all their saving power and it conforms, unites and consecrates us to Jesus Christ (cf. Rosarium Virginis Mariae, 11, 15). Fidelity to the Liturgy of the Hours ensures that the whole of our day is sanctified and it continually reminds us of the need to remain focused on doing God's work, however many pressures and distractions may arise from the task at hand. Thus our devotion helps us to speak and act in persona Christi, to teach, govern and sanctify the faithful in the name of Jesus, to bring his reconciliation, his healing and his love to all his beloved brothers and sisters. This radical configuration to Christ, the Good Shepherd, lies at the heart of our pastoral ministry, and if we open ourselves through prayer to the power of the Spirit, he will give us the gifts we need to carry out our daunting task, so that we need never "be anxious how to speak or what to say" (Mt 10:19).As I conclude my words to you this evening, I commend the Church in your country most particularly to the maternal care and intercession of Mary Immaculate, Patroness of the United States. May she who carried within her womb the hope of all the nations intercede for the people of this country, so that all may be made new in Jesus Christ her Son. My dear Brother Bishops, I assure each of you here present of my deep friendship and my participation in your pastoral concerns. To all of you, and to your clergy, religious and lay faithful, I cordially impart my Apostolic Blessing as a pledge of joy and peace in the Risen Lord. Thank you!

Shepherd One Has Landed

2008-04-15T15:33:00.000-07:00

PAPAL POINTS

2008-04-15T05:32:00.000-07:00

His Holiness Pope Benedict the 16th will make his first Apostolic Voyage to the United States this Tuesday through Sunday. Although we will not be present at any formal Papal events, we, as Shamrocks, can participate from this corner of God’s vineyard. Please take note of the following items:

On Thursday, April 17th, fifteen Shamrocks will take part in a Prayer Service and Youth Rally in honor of the Pope. The event will take place at Portage Park from 9:30-1:00PM.
We are proud of the following students who will take part in this historically significant event. They, together, form the alumni of eight Catholic Grammar Schools in our region:

Freshmen: David Rivera, David Delapena and Andrew Morun

Sophomores: Matt Garcia and Tim Houston

Juniors: Andrew Florczyk, Kyle McKelvey, Pat Downey, Jim Rachmaciej, Scott Thiel, Christian Ketter and Brendan Powers

Seniors: Andy Urdiales, Brett Wojciechowski, Ferdinand Velez

These students will be gone after Period A through the remainder of the day.

Birthday Gift of Service to the Pope
During this visit, Pope Benedict XVI will celebrate his 81st birthday on April 16th.
To recognize this special event – and the U.S. visit in general – the National Catholic Educational Association (NCEA) is launching a campaign seeking service hours to be pledged in honor of the Holy Father’s birthday.
Students in schools, parish religious education programs, colleges and seminaries are asked to complete or pledge community service time in the name of the pope.
We are happy to announce that Saint Patrick High School has pledged 4,000 hours of the service performed by our students as part of the birthday gift to the Pope.

Following Benedict

2008-04-11T19:27:00.000-07:00

The Official Papal Schedule can be found at the following link:

http://www.uspapalvisit.org/

B16's Waiting Room

2008-04-10T14:59:00.000-07:00

The Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life released a sobering study about two months ago. Among many items in the study, this was very significant for us here: No religion in America has seen more members lapse than the Catholic Church. While Roman Catholicism remains the largest religious denomination in the USA, roughly 10% of all Americans are ex-Catholics. The analysts have been busy at work conjecturing as to the causes of these alarming but hardly shocking numbers. Predictably, those on the left are blaming the Church’s reluctance to institute great change, while those on the right are citing the Church’s progressive changes as the rationale behind the disappointing figures.

We at Saint Patrick High School are not an island unto ourselves, but are part of the “continent.” We cannot afford to deny the reality that there is a probability of an erosion of faith in our towns, our families, even in many of our hearts. Our school has a responsibility to address these issues, for we esteem “the faith once delivered to the saints.” Our vision seems to be that we need to return or connect to Christ more profoundly. As Pope Benedict XVI visits the United States, one of the hottest tickets is for his public liturgies in Washington and New York. Even as the press reported fewer Catholics staying in the pews, it noted an explosion of interest among them in attending one of these Papal Masses. Perhaps as he visits, we can remember that the Holy Father comes to America as a successor to Saint Peter, Vicar for Christ on earth. Pray that his visit will help rekindle the faith of American Catholics, revitalize our Christian spirit of love, and offer a springtime of hope that offers ailing American Catholics “a shot in the arm in this modern time dominated by a spiritual malaise.”

Easter is Sharing your Joy!

2008-03-30T04:59:00.000-07:00

EASTER IS…..NEWNESS. It’s a new dress, a new suit, a new baptismal garment. It’s a new dawn, a new day, a new person. It’s a new creation. …..A SPECTACLE OF LIGHT. It’s the sparks of the Easter fire and the dance of new flames. It is the Easter Candle and the flames shared hand to hand. …..A PARADE OF SOUNDS. It is the laughter of children, the sounds of delight and surprise. It’s the ringing of bells and the sounds of music. …..NEW LIFE AND DEATH. It is the springtime after winter, sprouting seeds and new shoots. It is the colorful array of spring flowers, warm sunlight and chirping birds. It is the stone rolled away and the tomb found empty. It is faith strengthened and hope springing eternal. It is the death of the old self, the reign of sin, and Satan. …..VICTORY AND TRIUMPH. It is the victory of light over darkness, good over evil, joy over sorrow, optimism over pessimism, hope over despair, love over hate, life over death, Christ over Satan. …..YOU. It is sharing yourself with me. It is kind words and laughter, hugs and caring. It is your friendship. It is being lifted when you are down. It is allowing yourself to be open and growing. It is coming to a deeper relationship with Jesus. It is seeing Him in each other. …..OPEN DOORS. It is feeling free from our hidden self. It is walking out of the tomb. It is allowing others in. It is walking through doors to new life. It is stepping out of the graves we may have dug for ourselves and living in the light. It is opening wide when someone is knocking. It is not barring the door or slamming it in someone’s face. It is opening the door of your heart to receive others with acceptance and welcome. Share your joy!

Symbols of the Season...and a Thought

2008-03-30T04:57:00.000-07:00

THE EASTER CANDLE…stands tall in the Main Lobby of our school. It is the symbol of Christ, our light. The candle represents Christ, the beginning and end of all times and ages. Five wax nails are inserted into the candle to signify the wounds that Jesus received in his hands, feet and side when he was crucified. The candle will remain burning brightly for the next fifty days. It is the light of Christ’s revealing love.

WATER…is also one of the great symbols of the Season of Easter. It is a symbol of Baptism through which we are initiated into the Christian Community. The baptismal font of the church has sometimes been referred to as the womb of the church. Baptism bridges our human divisions and calls us to the unity of one body, one spirit, one hope, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God. Vessels of water are placed in the main lobby to remind us of our baptismal call to be disciples of Christ Jesus.
The Risen Christ is here among us in a unique way to remind us that we do not travel alone, that Someone cares and that one day we too shall shine bright and beautiful with the fullness of the Risen Christ’s love.

SOME THOUGHTS ON EASTER BY SAINT AUGUSTINE
Let us chant Alleluia. Then the word of scripture will be accomplished,the word not of combatants any more, but of victors:Death has been swallowed up in victory!
Let us chant Alleluia here in the midst of dangers and temptations.O blessed Alleluia of heaven! No more anguish, no more adversity. No more enemy.No more love of destruction.Up above, praise to God, and here below, praise to God.
Praise mingled with fear here, but without disturbance above.Here we chant in hope, there, in possession;here it is Alleluia on the way,there it is on arriving home.

Easter 2008

2008-03-30T04:55:00.000-07:00

As we celebrate the great Easter-event, we are reminded that this awesome season of life and hope spills over into a fifty- day celebration. In fact, at every Sunday Mass we celebrate the Easter-event: Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again, we acclaim for 52 weeks a year in every corner of Christendom. The Risen Christ is here among us in a unique way to remind us that our lives our not purposeless, that we do not travel alone, that Someone cares and that one day we too shall shine bright and beautiful with the fullness of the Risen Christ’s love.
A meditative piece that I would like to offer comes from the writer Anne Dillard. This popular author had converted to Catholicism and here is how she looked at that step. She said that at a Catholic Mass surrounded by so many people from different backgrounds with many different colors, shapes and ages, she said, “I am taking a stand with these people. Here I am. One of the people who love God.”We are part of a whole civilization in danger of forgetting the true God. We are in the fast lane of agnosticism or practical atheism which is established on this point of view: Even if there is a God, God really doesn’t matter to me. The Easter Event is a gigantic spiritual huddle by which we hope to get inspired, challenged, comforted, forgiven, and loved by the person of Jesus Christ. Integral to Him is the restoration of the true God to pre-eminence in human life. It all begins by remembering God and God’s loving acts in human history.The followers of Christ were forever changed by the victory of Christ over death and by meeting the Risen Lord in the weeks after Easter. May it happen again this Easter as we gather in prayer and are able to say, “I am taking a stand with these people. Here I am. One of the people who love God.”
What a promising message and astonishing admonition for this season of Easter joy! Allow the Risen Christ to break the chains that bind us, especially those that bind our families, so that we might open our hearts to make room for the One who sets us free-the great liberator, Jesus the Christ.
May we all continue to support and encourage one another as we pray: Stay with us Lord…Live in our hearts forever.

The Holiest of All Things Holy

2008-03-13T18:35:00.000-07:00

Holy Week 2008 will arrive with the liturgy of the Passion (Palm) Sunday. We are invited by the Church to join in celebrating throughout this holiest of weeks as we commemorate and celebrate the Christ event. Your presence and participation in your place of worship will place you in the proximity of God’s reach, touch and embrace. You will be within earshot of God’s voice which is attempting to speak to us. In these times of testing, transition and temptation, don’t we all need the reassurance and reaffirmation that only Christ can give us?

This annual observance called Holy Week begins on a high note as we recall the jubilant Jerusalem folk who waved palm branches to welcome Christ into His own city. The Reading of the Passion quickly gives us the sober twist of events. Largely due to political intrigue and fickleness that are interwoven by the conspiracy of Evil, Jesus meets his horrific “Hour of Darkness.” Join your faith community for the climax of events of Holy Thursday, Good Friday and Holy Saturday — Easter Sunday. Perhaps the Spirit will inspire us all in the Way of the Lord that we have so easily abandoned or so willingly compromised.Now is the acceptable time. Now is the day of salvation.

A final meditative piece that I would like to offer comes from the writer Anne Dillard. This popular author had converted to Catholicism and here is how she looked at that step. She said that at a Catholic Mass surrounded by so many people from different backgrounds with many different colors, shapes and ages, she said, “I am taking a stand with these people. Here I am. One of the people who love God.”

We are part of a whole civilization in danger of forgetting the true God. We are in the fast lane of agnosticism or practical atheism which is established on this point of view: Even if there is a God, God really doesn’t matter to me.

Holy Week is a gigantic spiritual huddle by which we hope to get inspired, challenged, comforted, forgiven, and loved by the person of Jesus Christ. Integral to Him is the restoration of the true God to pre-eminence in human life. It all begins by remembering God and God’s loving acts in human history.

The followers of Christ were forever changed by the victory of Christ over death and by meeting the Risen Lord in the weeks after Easter. May it happen again this Easter as we gather in prayer and are able to say, “I am taking a stand with these people. Here I am. One of the people who love God.”

HOLY WEEK 2008

2008-03-10T18:13:00.000-07:00

The celebration of Holy Week 2008 begins with the liturgies of Palm or Passion Sunday this coming weekend. It has been the tradition that Palm Sunday initiates us into the holiest of octaves-the eight days of Palm Sunday through Easter Sunday. We begin this holy observance of the Passion, Death and Resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ with the blessing of palm branches that recall his triumphal entry into the holy city of Jerusalem. We are all joyfully implored to an intense, lively and prayerful Holy Week. This week is a week like none other, which commemorates the activities surrounding the Christ-event.

THE EASTER TRIDUUM

HOLY THURSDAY: This is the night when Jesus instituted the Holy Eucharist, our communion with Him. The mandatum, or washing of feet takes place at this liturgy. This action serves as the primary symbol of Christian service. At the conclusion of the liturgy, a procession leads the transfer of the Eucharist to a place of repose for private prayer and adoration until midnight. During this holy evening, we are all invited to prayer with Christ. We do this in remembrance of Jesus praying that first Holy Thursday, after the Passover Supper, in the Garden of Gethsemane. It is a night for prayer and penance.

GOOD FRIDAY: This is the day of Jesus’ death, the most solemn day on our Christian calendar. This is the only day out of the year when Mass is not celebrated. Good Friday is a day of penance for Christians. For Catholics, we are directed to abstain from meat on this day and to fast from eating between meals. We are encouraged to keep the Lenten fast until after the Easter Vigil Services of Holy Saturday Night.

HOLY SATURDAY: The awesome ceremony of the Easter Vigil begins the celebration of Easter. This eventful night includes Baptism and Confirmation of catechumens and candidates who will be received into full communion in the Church. The celebration of Easter spills over into a fifty-day celebration, ending on Pentecost Sunday, the birthday of the Church.

Holy Week, then, is the celebration of the passion, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. It has no meaning apart from the celebration of Jesus Christ. It is upon Him whom we must place our focus this week. It is a living relationship with Him that we must value above all else. It is this loving and living relationship with the Redeemer Christ that must energize us all to live in His spirit of love, with hope and faith.

With war raging still and the international order unstable, it would be prudent for us to spend time in prayer for tranquility, peace, reconciliation and goodwill, along with the establishment of justice, eradication of terror and a termination of hatred and hostility. Perhaps Holy week could become a week of intense prayer and fasting for these causes.

May God send upon all of us peace, love, goodness and the faith to believe in the Easter promise of eternal life.

NOT TOO LATE...YET!

2008-03-03T11:52:00.000-08:00

The days of late Lent are upon us, with just two weeksuntil Holy Week begins and three weeks until the celebration of Easter Sunday. Some of us have beenamazing in our commitment to spend the season of Lent in union with Christ Jesus. Others of us have faltered in our sincere commitment to return to theLord; we need a new burst of energy to restart ourLenten journey. Still others of us have never begun our Lenten practice of prayer, fasting and almsgiving;procrastination never works. For all of us, "now is the acceptable time, now is the time of salvation."

Finally, A Lenten Prayer by Isaac Watts:

When I survey the wondrous Cross. on which the Prince of Glory died. My richest gain I count but loss,and pour contempt on all my pride.

See, from his head, his hands, his feet, sorrow and love flow mingled down;did e'er such love and sorrow meet,or thorns compose so rich a crown.

Forbid it, Lord, that I should boast, save in the death of Christ my God; all the vain things that charm me most,I sacrifice them to his blood.

Were the whole realm of nature mine,that were an offering far too small;love so amazing, so divine,demands my soul, my life, my all.

Please offer a prayer for vocations to the priesthoodand religious life, especially in the Archdiocese ofChicago. If you know a young man at Saint Pat's whose name you would like to nominate for consideration to the priesthood, please drop a line to me. Please encourage vocations!

btw: I will be in Rome for Easter...blogging all the time!

Running the race...GRASPING THE PRIZE!

2008-02-23T08:23:00.000-08:00

Every year in May, Pittsburgh, has a marathon. The route takes runners through and around the city, and stationed in every neighborhood are volunteers who offer them little cups of water. Runners who don’t care about their finishing time will take a short break to drink the water. Those who want to clock a winning time or even a personal best may grab the water and drink it while still running. Some just pour it on their heads to cool themselves off. The water refreshes them for their arduous journey.

Many of the runners in various levels of the competition train with pacers, a person who rides or runs in front of them to encourage them to keep running at a consistent pace, mile after mile. If the runner is tempted to slow down or quit, the pacer goads him on, not allowing him to slack off.

In today’s gospel when Jesus meets the Samaritan woman at the well, He asks her for a drink of water. Then He tells her that He can give her “living water,” “a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” The Baptismal waters that initiated us into communion with God and our Christian community removed the stain of original sin. These waters, then, start us on our arduous journey as Christians in following the Way of the Cross and living our faith. We should exude joy as children of God; still, this is our time of trial and testing.

Each time we enter a Catholic church, we dip our fingers into the holy water and make the sign of the cross. This symbolizes our Baptism, which resulted in our incorporation into the Church. Now, in the church where we worship, we join with other baptized Catholic Christians, who can help us through our trials, who can be our “pacers.” These pacers are especially true during the season of Lent, a unique time which passes all too quickly. While no one is perfect, we each may have received certain virtues that others might find edifying or inspiring. For a period of time, someone might try to imitate the patience that someone else in the congregation always exhibits, or someone’s charity or prayerfulness. The saints are also pacers for us, goading us on to stay the course on our challenging journey and celebrate with them at the ultimate, glorious finish line.

We are now about half way through Lent. This is a good time to recall our Lenten resolutions. Have we been faithful to them? If we found that one or two have dropped off, could we reinstate them or substitute others? Let’s arrive at Easter having united our sufferings with Christ’s passion, and with gratitude for His giving us living waters which can bring us to eternal life.

Saint Paddy's Day...not so fast!

2008-02-22T08:09:00.000-08:00

The long-held tradition of St. Patrick's Day parades has experienced a bump in the road this year with the saint's feast day occurring during an unusually early Holy Week.In cities across the country most of the parades, some more than a 200-year-old tradition, are going on as planned, even though March 17 is the Monday of Holy Week. But the idea of marching bands, Irish dancing and vast displays of green parading during the solemn week before Easter has stirred some comments from U.S. bishops.The question of how to celebrate the Irish saint is not usually such a dilemma, since the last time his feast day fell during Holy Week was in 1940.Because St. Patrick's Day falls just days before Easter this year the feast will not be celebrated liturgically in most U.S. dioceses, because of a decision by the Vatican's Congregation for Divine Worship and the Sacraments.A newsletter from the U.S. bishops' liturgy secretariat last April announced that the feast day of St. Patrick may be moved to Friday, March 14, in dioceses "where St. Patrick is the principal patron of a particular church" and where "it is customarily commemorated as a solemnity."Bishop J. Kevin Boland of Savannah, Ga., the city with a huge St. Patrick's Day celebration, made an early note of the feast day's date change. In December 2006, he wrote dozens of letters to all involved in the city's St. Patrick's festivities, including the parade committee, city agencies, the Board of Education and the Chamber of Commerce, informing them the diocese would be celebrating the feast day March 14.The Irish-born bishop never suggested the city change its festivities, according to Barbara King, spokeswoman for the Diocese of Savannah. A Spokeswoman for the Diocese of Savannah said Feb. 21 that the bishop was simply "letting everyone know what he would be doing."Parade organizers decided that December to change the date of the 2008 parade to coincide with diocesan St. Patrick celebrations. Except for this year, Savannah's parade, unlike those in some other cities, is always held March 17; in many cities the parade is often on the Saturday before the feast day.John Forbes, the Savannah parade committee chairman, told the Savannah Morning News daily newspaper that the date change was fine with him. "We do have something special in St. Patrick's in Savannah," he said. "We're going to stay in line with the Catholic Church. When they celebrate the Mass, we're going to hold St. Patrick's Day (festivities) the same time."In Ohio, Columbus Bishop Frederick F. Campbell's request to city officials that the parade's date be moved was not heeded.Since the date was not changed, the Columbus chapter of the Ancient Order of Hibernians, a 200-member group that always participates in the parade, will not do so this year. The Ancient Order of Hibernians describes itself as the oldest lay Catholic organization in the United States."We're obliged to follow the bishop's decision," Jim Wade, the group's president, told The Columbus Dispatch daily newspaper.In other cities, the bishops have chosen not to get involved in suggesting a date change for the parades or other celebrations. New York's traditional parade will take place March 17 on Fifth Avenue. Boston's parade will be March 16, which is Palm Sunday and also the first day of Holy Week. Dublin, Ireland, will host its St. Patrick's parade as usual March 17.Philadelphia and Milwaukee changed their parade dates to avoid conflicts.The Web site for the St. Patrick's Day parade in Philadelphia notes that the parade is annually held the Sunday prior to St. Patrick's Day unless March 17 falls on Sunday, in which case the parade would be that day.Since the traditional parade date this year would have been on Palm Sunday, the parade organizers, way back in September 2006, made the decision to move the 2008 parade to March 9. The organizers noted that Philadelphia's Cardinal Justin Rigali had "urged all parish priests to be with their own parishes and congregations" on Palm Sunday.The city's parade organizers also unanimously approved moving any future parades that would fall on Palm Sunday to take place the prior Sunday.Milwaukee, seemingly without much fanfare or news coverage, changed its parade date to March 8 this year and one of the special guests will be Milwaukee Archbishop Timothy M. Dolan.Cleveland was still planning its March 17 parade but the tradition of fife and drum bands marching into the city's historic Irish-American parishes will not take place this year.The parade conundrum for the patron saint of Ireland will not be faced again for some time. The next time St. Patrick's Day is expected to fall during Holy Week will be in 2160.

MIRROR ON THE WALL!?

2008-02-21T08:58:00.000-08:00

As we look around the world, we know that there is something not quite right. There seems to be an anger that grows deeper between and among nations, cultures, races, religions and individuals. There seems to be an increasing amount of violence and inhumane actions — the “Old West” as a synonym for violent acts still describes all too much of America and every nation on earth. With weapons of mass destruction widely available, man’s inhumanity to man is overwhelming in its evil possibilities.
As we look into our spiritual mirrors, we notice there is something not quite right with ourselves. We want peace, but often there is not peace of mind. We have so much, but we seem to enjoy so little. We have our moments, but happiness or joy seems so fleeting. We seem to focus on the secondary rather than the primary. In our quiet moments, we wonder what our mission is, whether God really is what we believe God to be, whether our decisions make any difference, whether our sacrifices really do pay off, whether we are fooling ourselves, and are we really who we say we are?
Yet, as we look around, the world is full of awe and grandeur. Even the wild white stuff of winter looked gorgeous during the quiet emergence of this past Wednesday morning. People are really good at heart, and love does dwell in the hearts of the overwhelming number of people we know. There is something very right about us and about life, for we have loved and the special people we know have made us feel loved.
Lent is that special time provided by the Church for us to get serious about our interior life and how we express it in our daily actions. Lent makes no sense if everything is right and okay. Lent rests on the assumption that all of us detect the need to correct, change, improve because not all is right or as it should be.
May I suggest that Lent’s premise is that we may be “missing the mark.” That is a definition of sin — “missing the mark.” Therefore, we have to make things right. This will require us to enter into Lent as a process for returning home, as it were, to God, to our roots and to the path of discipleship of Jesus. “Missing the Mark” means I need to “Return to God.”
Returning to God means:
— Coming face to face with the Creator— Making every effort to live, to love, to serve, to give and to forgive in a manner that is consonant with that image— Surrendering our false and distorted image of God— Welcoming God’s involvement in every part of our lives— Going back to our sacred stories, becoming acquainted again with our roots— Looking at the Gospels with a new sobering study— Allowing ourselves to be led by the Spirit, as Jesus was
In conclusion, let us look at this statement that offers a synthesis of our Lenten observance: “Through this holy season of returning to God, to our story, to our roots, to Christ and to the Gospel, we will also have ample opportunity to return to one another. If we have become distant or estranged or if we have simply lost touch with someone whom God has given as gift in our life, now is the time for returning. If we have not said those words or done those things that assure the other that he/she is loved, and valued and appreciated, now is the time. Only God knows whether you or I will have another such opportunity to do so.”

ADDICTION...taking away your voice?

2008-02-19T08:46:00.000-08:00

Perhaps this spiritual insight from a well-known psychiatrist named Gerard May, who wrote a book called ADDICTION AND GRACE some years ago, is worth considering during these early days of Lent. He writes:
After twenty years of listening to the yearnings of people’s hearts, I’m convinced that all human beings have an inborn desire of God whether they are consciously religious or not, this desire for God is our deepest longing and our most precious treasure. It gives us meaning. Some of them have repressed this desire, burying it beneath so many other interests that we are completely unaware of it. Or we may experience it in different ways—as a longing for wholeness, fulfillment, and completion. Regardless of how we describe it, it is a longing for love. It is a hunger for love, to be loved, and to move closer to the source of love.
But something gets in the way of our inborn desire of God. The longing at the center of our hearts repeatedly disappears from our awareness and its energy is usurped by forces that are not at all loving. Our desires are captured, and we give ourselves over to things, that in our deepest honesty, we really do not want.
When Catholics and other Christians like you and me live our faith “as Jesus taught,” then we can become a potential lifesaver to those whom Gerard May states have let other things get in the way of our deepest longing and desire—God. The one caveat is this: if we reflect a false image of Christ, if we come across as judgmental, arrogant or narrow, if we are not living the life of authentic love of Christ and one another, then we can negatively affect the faith life of the very persons we are attempting to reach out to.
The call of Christ is this: to repent or to see transformation of ourselves. Second, it is the call to mission, to reach out to others. And beyond all things, Christ calls us to live the life of love: Love is patient, love is kind, love is not self-seeking, it is never rude. It is not snobbish, it does not put on heirs. . .
Let us reflect with Christ as our model, examine our consciences under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, and let us resolve to live as brothers and sisters who share one common source, “Our Father, Who art in Heaven.”
May your Lenten journey continue to be a holy and blessed one!

Stormy Relations During the Reign...

2008-02-19T08:38:00.001-08:00

During nearly 50 years of rule, Fidel Castro had an often-stormy relationship with the Cuban Catholic Church.The Jesuit-educated Castro was equally comfortable defusing the Cuban church as an institutional force during the early years of his revolution in the 1960s as he was bantering casually with Pope John Paul II during the papal visit to Cuba in 1998.The 81-year-old Cuban leader announced Feb. 19 that he was retiring as head of the island nation. He had temporarily ceded power to his younger brother, Raul Castro, in July 2006, after undergoing surgery because of intestinal bleeding -- but he never returned to office, ending more than 49 years of continuous rule.He came to power on the Caribbean island Jan. 1, 1959, at 32 years of age after leading a successful guerrilla rebellion against unpopular dictator Fulgencio Batista.After Batista came to power in 1952, Castro, a young lawyer, started organizing a rebel force.Initially, his successful rebellion had ample support among Catholics. He cultivated the support by saying his revolution was motivated by Christian principles. In a press interview with a Catholic priest shortly after taking power, Castro noted that six priests were chaplains to his rebel forces.But things quickly changed. In 1961, he declared himself a Marxist-Leninist and made Cuba the first communist state in the Western Hemisphere, moving it into the Cold War camp of the Soviet Union.His government began institutionally dismantling the church, nationalizing 350 Catholic schools and expelling 136 priests. Church activity was restricted to religious services on church property. Social action projects were prohibited. Church programs were monitored, and Cubans were discouraged from attending worship services with churchgoers discriminated against when seeking state and university employment.Castro's view of the church further soured in the mid-1960s during Operation Pedro Pan, in which U.S. church officials helped resettle 14,000 unaccompanied Cuban children sent to the U.S. by parents wanting them to escape Castro's rule.Despite the crackdown on the church, Castro never broke diplomatic relations with the Vatican and continued for decades to get from Vatican, Cuban and U.S. church officials statements criticizing the crippling U.S. economic boycott of Cuba, which he constantly cited as the reason for Cuba's economic woes.Because of this church support there also were some positive notes in church-state relations.During a 2006 U.S. visit, Cuban Cardinal Jaime Ortega Alamino of Havana said that starting in the 1980s "there was an evolution on the part of the government," increasing church-state communication, and "the tension began to diminish."The result was that limits on the church no longer involved the ability to worship but involved the continued inability to have Catholic schools or teach religion in public schools, said the cardinal.But Castro also knew how to play foreign church factions against the Cuban hierarchy to make it look as if only local Catholics opposed his rule.In the 1970s Castro tapped into Latin American theologians' interest in Marxism and their political interest in socialism as an alternative to the capitalism practiced in the region. He cultivated support among non-Cuban Catholic intellectuals and priests dissatisfied with the region's growing gap between the rich and the poor, inviting them to visit his island as a counterpoint to criticisms by Cuban and Vatican church officials.In 2003 he sidestepped the Cuban bishops and directly negotiated with the Vatican to allow a group of Brigittine Sisters entry into Havana at a time when the Cuban bishops had a long list of foreign priests and nuns wanting entry visas.In the early 1990s, serious talks began about the possibilities of a papal visit to Cuba in the wake of the collapse of the Soviet bloc.After a 1996 Castro visit with Pope John Paul at the Vatican, plans finally developed for the Jan. 21-25, 1998, papal trip, interpreted as a sign of improved church-state relations based on a willingness by the government to give the church more breathing space in the post-Cold War era.Castro met the pope several times during the Cuban visit, allowed church officials to mobilize Catholics to attend papal events and permitted papal activities to be televised and reported in the state-controlled media.

He's A Comin...

2008-02-11T17:08:00.000-08:00

The Vatican has officially announced Pope Benedict XVI's April 15-20 trip to the United States.In a written statement distributed Feb. 8, the Vatican said the pope would visit Washington and New York City, with a visit to the United Nations in New York. It will be Pope Benedict's eighth apostolic journey outside Italy.Archbishop Pietro Sambi, apostolic nuncio to the United States, first announced the details of the papal visit during his remarks to U.S. bishops Nov. 12. The Feb. 8 statement was the Vatican's first official announcement of the trip.The pope's six-day trip will include an April 16 meeting with President George W. Bush at the White House, a prayer service that same day with U.S. bishops at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception and an April 17 Mass at the new Nationals' stadium in Washington.Also in the nation's capital, the pope will meet April 17 with the heads of Catholic colleges and universities from across the United States at The Catholic University of America and later with representatives of major religions at the Pope John Paul II Cultural Center.In New York, the pope will address the United Nations April 18, celebrate an April 19 Mass in St. Patrick's Cathedral, visit ground zero April 20 and say Mass later that day in Yankee Stadium.

A HEART THAT IS FILLED WITH LOVE...

2008-02-11T09:05:00.000-08:00

-Some Reflections on Valentines day 2008…

Nothing is more practical than finding God, that is, than falling in love in a quite absolute, final way.
What you are in love with, what seizes your imagination, will affect everything. It will decide what will get you out of bed in the morning, what you will do with your evenings, how you will spend your weekends, what you read, who you know, what breaks your heart, and what amazes you with joy and gratitude.
Fall in love, stay in love and it will decide everything. (Attributed to Pedro Arrupe, S.J. (1907-1991) Superior General of the Society of Jesus 1961-1984)

________________________________________________________________________

John Baptist de La Salle knew that the perception of the teachers by their students would dictate how they would behave and act and relate with them. De La Salle urges the teachers to “take much more care of the young entrusted to you than if they were the children of a king.” Such a stance and conviction is all the more remarkable, given the perspective of 18th Century French society.

“Act with goodness and wisdom
in the care of those who are entrusted to you.”

They “are under your guidance
And are your disciples.
They are the living images of Jesus Christ.”

The teachers are urged to grow in awareness of living in God’s presence,
Knowing that the more an individual does “live in God’s presence,” the more likely that person will reflect the attitude and words and actions of Jesus.
“In his presence, we are bound to love.”

(from the Writings of the Founder)

A university class of sociology students were assigned to do a survey of 200 young boys in a Baltimore slum and to project their likely future: in every case the students reported, “he hasn’t got a chance.” Twenty-five years later, another class decided to do a follow-up study of the 180 men who still lived locally; they found, to their amazement, that 176 of them had achieved significant success as lawyers, doctors, businessmen, and in other careers.

When asked to account for their success, so many of them said, “There was this teacher…” and all talked about the same one. Since she was still alive, the researchers sought her out to ask what magic formula she used to give hope to these young men slotted for failure. He response was, “It was really very simple. I loved those boys. (Unknown)

Lord, our God,
Enlighten us so that we may “really see”.
Inspire us to bless others
With understanding, appreciation and love.
Lead us to confirm for your people
The dignity that arises
From being made in Your image and likeness,
And from being called to follow Jesus, Your son.
Pour out on us Your Spirit
That we may be enabled to share Your vision
In our world which You love so much. Amen. (Ronald Rolheiser, OMI)

LENT...UGH

2008-02-08T03:30:00.001-08:00

For centuries, Christians have observed the season of Lent by fasting from food and observing other self-denying acts.
These acts help us become more aware of our true needs. When we deny ourselves the comforts we are used to—whether a full plate of food, or some other part of our daily routine (TV, coffee, alcohol, Internet, etc.)— we are more mindful of our great need for God. Also, when we deny our sinful desires, we become more acutely aware of them, for when they are not fed, they tend to surface in more noticeable ways. Most importantly, these practices make us mindful of our need for salvation by Jesus' death on the cross.
Removing Distractions
What follows is some suggestions for ways to fast. None of these are compulsory. Remember that the important thing is to take away distractions, to focus instead on the mercy, salvation, and comforting provision of God. Make time and space for God, and God will meet you.
What can I give up?
[First, some important considerations: if you have any concerns about whether dietary fasting (fasting from food) is safe for you, ask your physician, especially if you have a health concern (heart, diabetes). ... Don't fast from food if your are pregnant or nursing; make sure you always get plenty of fluids; and finally, don't make decisions for others (for example, don't modify a child's diet except to help them decide to cut nonessentials like sodas or desserts, etc.).]
You know yourself best: which of the following might you do without? Try adding to your list each week (see the individual pages of the Calendar to read more specific suggestions). If you fast from all the food items listed in the Calendar pages, you may find that at the end of several weeks, you are eating very simply: vegetables, beans, rice, fruit, grains, etc. Take the suggestions one step at a time and make sure you do what is necessary to have energy for your work, community, or family.
SUGGESTED FAST ITEMS:
Food: Meats, poultry (eggs too), fats and oils, soft drinks, 2nd helpings, Alcohol, Coffee (try tea or some other low-caffeine drink if you get headaches), dairy (milk and cheese), solid foods (only drink water or juices), Junk foods (chips, snacks, salty food), candy (plus refined sugar in general), and dessert (great for kids—very meaningful!).
Media: TV, movies, computer, email (set an autoresponder), Internet, magazines, radio, the phone (leave your cell phone off when appropriate), handhelds, video games, and other technology ....
Other Things: You may want to fast from certain relationships, or people in general, choosing instead to walk only with God for a period. You may also fast from social events, parties, or clubs, if you regularly go out of your way for that kind of gathering.
Days: Leave it all behind: leave junk food, TV, cars, noise, and all the media and messages of the culture. Pack the very minimum (water, warm clothes, etc.) and find a trail, a mountain, or a beach, and feast on God.
Imitate Jesus, who took whole days to walk alone in the wilderness fasting and praying .... Give God the time and the room that he wants. God wants to fill you up, wants to bless you. If we are constantly pouring other stuff into our heads or stomachs, there will be little room for God.
On what days should I fast?
Fast on any day but Sunday--the day of the resurrection--which is a feast day even in Lent. On Friday (the day of the crucifixion), many world Christians will fast, and it can be meaningful to join them. Try fasting from something on each day, Monday-Saturday. You may choose one day to fast from all foods or other comforts for as much of the day that you can (remembering to drink plenty of fluids). End your weekly fast on Sunday: on this day, enjoy your food and your freedom!
Fasting Etiquette
When you fast, you will occasionally be faced with a dilemma: someone offers you food that you have eliminated from your diet. Not everyone knows that you are fasting (nor should they--see below). You have probably just begun to feel good about going without your daily dose of chocolate—or whatever—when there is a friend offering it to you with all good intentions. What is the proper response?
Let humility be your guide. Resist the temptation to explain that you are fasting and so refuse. If you can politely refuse without hurting the person's feelings, then do so. But if someone has prepared something for you to bless you (a special desert at the end of a meal, cookies for a visit, or a big steak dinner right after you gave up meat), then perhaps the more humble response is to accept gratefully. After all, the point of Lent is not the elimination of a specific food, it is sacrifice. Sometimes the greater sacrifice is to give up the idea of a perfect day of fasting for the sake of another.

Paradoxical Commandments

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1. People are illogical, unreasonable and self-centered. . .Love them anyway.

2. If you do good, people will accuse you of selfish ulterior motives. . .Do good anyway.

3. If you are successful, you will win false friends and true enemies. . .Succeed anyway.

4. The good you do today will be forgotten tomorrow. . .Do good anyway.

5. Honesty and frankness make you vulnerable. . .Be honest and frank anyway.

6. The biggest men and women with the biggest ideas can be shot down by the smallest men and women with the smallest minds. . .Think big anyway.

7. People favor underdogs, but follow only top dogs. . .Fight for a few underdogs anyway.

8. What you spend years building may be destroyed overnight. . .Build anyway.

9. People really need help, but may attack you if you do help them. . .Help people anyway.

10. Give the world the best you have and you’ll get kicked in the teeth. . .Give the world the best you have anyway.
Kent Keith, author Mother Teresa, publicist

RE-LENT

2008-02-07T08:31:00.000-08:00

We enter once again into this most holy season of Lent. This season lasts 40 days beginning on Ash Wednesday and ending on Holy Thursday evening, which is the beginning of the Sacred Triduum leading us into Easter. Through the solemn forty days of Lent, the Church unites herself to the mystery of Jesus in the desert.

Here, at Saint Patrick, we observe this holy season in a variety of ways. On Ash Wednesday, we gathered for a Eucharistic Liturgy and received ashes, the mark of our own mortality. Fridays during Lent will be special days of prayer for our community and will devote itself to the three pillars the Lenten season: prayer, fasting and almsgiving. Mass will be celebrated at 7:10AM every Friday of Lent.

Saint John Baptist de La Salle writes the following about the beginning of Lent: “The purpose of the Church in putting ashes on your head is to make you realize that you should be filled with a true spirit of penance. This sacred ceremony is a remnant of the Church’s ancient discipline that obliged public penitents at the start of their penance to receive ashes on their heads by the ministers of the holy altars in full view of the faithful. You should resolve to unite yourself by a suitable disposition of heart. This is how we should begin and end this holy season of forty days.”

He continues: “We will die and we will die only once. We will die well and with God only insofar as we have lived in the practice of penance. Do we wish to die a holy death? Let us live as true penitents.”

The season of Lent beckons all of us, not only in the Lasallian Community, but also in the universal Church, to come back to the Lord with all our hearts. May this season of grace be one of promising spiritual opportunity. May it allow us to look into our own lives and return to God.

A Happy, Holy Lent to all our students and families.

An Offering of Ashes

2008-02-06T09:42:00.000-08:00

As many of you know, few (if any) days of the calendar get larger Mass attendance than this... even though it isn't obligatory.And unusually early though it might be, it's almost too easy to simply go through the motions of another Ash Wednesday, another Lent, thinking in the process that, having done it for years before, we've "got it down."If anything, a key message of this season remains a heightened awareness of how much ahead there is to do, how great our potential is to do better, to be better, to do more... and not just 'til Easter, and not just in the same way we did last Lent.The story of this day is one of the more counter-cultural ones out there. The crux of Ash Wednesday is one that fascinates, and rightfully so: in a world -- and, indeed, in a church -- too often obsessed with appearances, with shirking blame and maintaining an image of perfection (sometimes at any cost), all that gets turned inside out: I'm far from perfect. I don't have all the answers. I can't go it alone. What I do matters beyond myself. I can be a better person than who I am right now.Think of yourself as a construction site. You're a bit dusted up today, or you likely will be in a couple hours. No building rises or stands on its own, and the dust of putting one up didn't just magically appear -- like life, building is invariably a messy process if you're doing it right.Along these lines, a work-site without dust is no accomplishment; no meaningful work would be getting done there, whether it's the foundations not being adequately driven in, the ground not being sufficiently cleared, maybe both.A work-site isn't something to behold at mid-project... but the further along it gets, the more specific its work becomes, and the more the dust clears. And then, seemingly all of a sudden, what'd been a mess at the outset is transformed into something beautiful, useful, solid and lasting.These days can easily become nothing more than a longing for whatever we've given up. But they're meant to be more than that -- and the more dust we kick up in the process, the better the finished product will be.Bottom line: for yourself and those around you, let God build a better you this Lent.

The Blessing of Saint Blase

2008-02-03T03:34:00.000-08:00

Though its observance is superseded by the last Sunday of Ordinary Time we'll be seeing for a good while, today's the feast of the bishop St Blase, the fourth-century Armenian martyr and patron of throat troubles.Why he hasn't been adopted by cough-drop makers the world over is anyone's guess.Known as "San Blas" en español and "San Biaggio" in italiano, St Blase was killed amidst persecution after refusing to supplicate to a pagan god. But most Catholics know him for the annual throat-blessing, which stems from a child who choked on a fishbone and was brought to the bishop, whose prayer released it. (The image of "Blase with Fish" above being one of many reflecting his claim to fame.)One of the Catholic imagination's more enchanting showpieces, the blessing involves the crossing of two (unlit) candles over the recipient's neck with the prayer
"Through the intercession of St. Blase, bishop and martyr, may God deliver you from every disease of the throat and from every other illness, in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit." Regardless of what day the feast falls on, most of the throat-blessings invariably take place on the closest Sunday -- given the usual turnouts for daily Mass, popular demand and customary practice have extended the blessing to weekend liturgies. It may also be given by nonordained ministers, albeit without the customary sign of the cross that a priest or deacon would make over the recipient.

2008-01-31T04:25:00.000-08:00

Catholic Schools' Week

This week celebrates that Catholic Education in America is alive and well. At SPHS, we celebrated a Mass on Monday. What an awesome experience! Not only did we celebrate Catholic Schools, but in a symbolic yet somber moment, Mr. Schueller spoke about the recent death of his son and our "Shamrock for Life:" HANK! Tears welled up in many eyes, myself included. Hank was a kid that some knew well. Others had yet to meet him. Yet, the reality of his death seemed to speak to our students, faculty and staff. May he always rest in the loving and tender mercy of God's hands.

Father Larry Sullivan, pastor of Saint Celestine in Elmwood Park and one of our major feeder schools, celebrated the Mass. His message as one of trust and faith as he hung a pendulum in gym center. Mr. Miller explained the law of physics. Father hooked up a 15 pound weight to the end of the pendulum and asked for student volunteers. After a few tries, Senior T.J. Nicol stepped to the plate. The goal was to see whether of not T.J would flinch once the object headed toward his head. He stood there without a move. Brave guy! I would never have trusted it. I always learn the value of trust and faith from our Shamrocks!!

And so it begins...

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With the words "come and see," Jesus responds to the question of his disciples, "Master, where do you stay"? One might readily assume that the place where Christ dwells is a place made of stone and bricks and mortar. What Jesus probably intended to say was: come and see me, because it is I who live in you and you who live in me. Come and See are words of invitation that suggest to the reader to delve more deeply into the heart and beyond just the surface; that which we can see. It is God who searches hearts...so, let us together, "Come and See!"