Thursday, March 31, 2011
A Different World by Bucky Covington
So I am in a country music mood... I do live in a Country music free zone in NJ. This is a good one from Bucky! It actually reminds me of growing up... more or less! Keep smiling and enjoy the memories!
Pope urges revival of prayer and confession, in era of "lost conscience"
In our era, marked by “signs of loss of conscience and morality and in which there is an obvious lack of esteem for the sacrament of confession", the shepherd of souls and the confessor must have "fidelity to Catholic moral teaching "and" a charitable understanding, and gentle attitude ", so penitents may "feel guided, supported and encouraged in their journey of faith and Christian life”.
This is the teaching of "Doctor of the Church", Saint Alphonsus Liguori, described by Benedict XVI to 20 thousand faithful gathered in St. Peter's Square for the general audience. During the gathering, the Pope also appealed for reconciliation in Côte d'Ivoire, where he announced the dispatch of Ghanaian Cardinal Peter Kodwo Turkson, ,president of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace "to express my solidarity and that of the universal Church to victims of the conflict and encourage reconciliation and peace. "
Returning to St. Alphonsus, the Pope described him as a "great moralist Monk," to whom we are "highly indebted" for his work especially for simple people, and author of the words and music of one of the best-loved Italian Christmas carols "You come down from the stars".
Benedict XVI stressed the relevance of the Neapolitan saint’s teachings on moral issues and in particular with regard to the tasks of the confessor. In his day, he explained, " a very strict interpretation of the moral life had spread, partly because of the Jansenist mentality that instead of nourishing trust and hope in the mercy of God, fomented fear that depicted a severe and grim God far from the image revealed in Jesus". St. Alphonsus "offers a balanced and convincing synthesis between the needs of God's law and the dynamics of conscience and freedom of man in adherence to truth and goodness allowing maturation and personal fulfilment. He recommended pastors of souls and confessors, to be faithful to Catholic moral teaching, having a charitable, understanding and gentle attitude, so penitents may feel guided, supported and encouraged in their journey of faith and Christian life. "
Alfonso was born in Naples in 1696. A gifted young man, at only 16 years of age he was awarded a degree in civil and canon law and became the most brilliant lawyer of the Court of Naples, winning all his cases for eight years. However, in 1723 "outraged by the corruption and injustice in the forensic sphere" he decided to leave the profession to become a priest despite the opposition of his father. He had "great teachers" and in 1726 was ordained a priest. In the Diocesan Congregation of the missions he began his apostolic mission of evangelization and catechesis among the most humble strata of the population of Naples.
"Quite a few of these people, poor and simple, whom he was addressing, were often in the grips of vices and performed criminal acts. He patiently taught them to pray, encouraging them to improve their way of life. Alfonso obtained excellent results: in the poorest neighbourhoods of the city groups of people multiplied who, in the evening, met in private homes and shops, to pray and meditate on the Word of God under the guidance of some catechists trained by Alfonso and other priests, who regularly visited these groups of believers. When, at the behest of the archbishop of Naples, these meetings were held in the chapels of the city, they took on the name of 'Evening Chapels'. They were a real source of moral education, social rehabilitation, mutual support among the poor: theft, duels, prostitution almost disappeared. "
"Although the social and religious context of the time of St. Alphonsus was very different from ours, the 'Evening Chapels' appear a model of missionary activity that can inspire us today for a new evangelization, especially among the poorest, and to build a more human, just and fraternal solidarity in society. Priests were given the task of spiritual ministry, and well-formed lay Christian leaders can be effective, authentic Gospel leaven in society. "
At 35 St. Alphonsus came into contact with farmers and shepherds of the inner regions of the kingdom, who were spiritually and materially poor. In 1732 he founded the Religious Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer. "These men, led by Alfonso, were true itinerant missionaries, reaching even the most remote villages exhorting to conversion and perseverance in the Christian life, especially through prayer. Even today, the Redemptorists, scattered in many countries around the world with new forms of apostolate continue this mission of evangelization. I think of them with gratitude, urging them to always be faithful to the example of their holy founder. " In 1762 he was appointed bishop of St. Agatha of the Goths, which he left in 1765 due to illness. "He was a saint exclaimed Pope Pius VI at the news of his death in 1787. And he was not wrong. " He was beatified in 1816 and canonized in 1787 and in 1817 Pope Pius IX proclaimed him a Doctor of the Church and Pope Pius XII in 1950, wanted him patron saint of confessors and moralists
Finally, Benedict XVI underlined his insistence "on the need for prayer" and recalled the motto of the saint, "he who prays is saved," and the exhortation of John Paul II: "Our Christian communities must become schools of prayer. It is therefore essential that education in prayer becomes a priority of all pastoral planning”.
This is the teaching of "Doctor of the Church", Saint Alphonsus Liguori, described by Benedict XVI to 20 thousand faithful gathered in St. Peter's Square for the general audience. During the gathering, the Pope also appealed for reconciliation in Côte d'Ivoire, where he announced the dispatch of Ghanaian Cardinal Peter Kodwo Turkson, ,president of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace "to express my solidarity and that of the universal Church to victims of the conflict and encourage reconciliation and peace. "
Returning to St. Alphonsus, the Pope described him as a "great moralist Monk," to whom we are "highly indebted" for his work especially for simple people, and author of the words and music of one of the best-loved Italian Christmas carols "You come down from the stars".
Benedict XVI stressed the relevance of the Neapolitan saint’s teachings on moral issues and in particular with regard to the tasks of the confessor. In his day, he explained, " a very strict interpretation of the moral life had spread, partly because of the Jansenist mentality that instead of nourishing trust and hope in the mercy of God, fomented fear that depicted a severe and grim God far from the image revealed in Jesus". St. Alphonsus "offers a balanced and convincing synthesis between the needs of God's law and the dynamics of conscience and freedom of man in adherence to truth and goodness allowing maturation and personal fulfilment. He recommended pastors of souls and confessors, to be faithful to Catholic moral teaching, having a charitable, understanding and gentle attitude, so penitents may feel guided, supported and encouraged in their journey of faith and Christian life. "
Alfonso was born in Naples in 1696. A gifted young man, at only 16 years of age he was awarded a degree in civil and canon law and became the most brilliant lawyer of the Court of Naples, winning all his cases for eight years. However, in 1723 "outraged by the corruption and injustice in the forensic sphere" he decided to leave the profession to become a priest despite the opposition of his father. He had "great teachers" and in 1726 was ordained a priest. In the Diocesan Congregation of the missions he began his apostolic mission of evangelization and catechesis among the most humble strata of the population of Naples.
"Quite a few of these people, poor and simple, whom he was addressing, were often in the grips of vices and performed criminal acts. He patiently taught them to pray, encouraging them to improve their way of life. Alfonso obtained excellent results: in the poorest neighbourhoods of the city groups of people multiplied who, in the evening, met in private homes and shops, to pray and meditate on the Word of God under the guidance of some catechists trained by Alfonso and other priests, who regularly visited these groups of believers. When, at the behest of the archbishop of Naples, these meetings were held in the chapels of the city, they took on the name of 'Evening Chapels'. They were a real source of moral education, social rehabilitation, mutual support among the poor: theft, duels, prostitution almost disappeared. "
"Although the social and religious context of the time of St. Alphonsus was very different from ours, the 'Evening Chapels' appear a model of missionary activity that can inspire us today for a new evangelization, especially among the poorest, and to build a more human, just and fraternal solidarity in society. Priests were given the task of spiritual ministry, and well-formed lay Christian leaders can be effective, authentic Gospel leaven in society. "
At 35 St. Alphonsus came into contact with farmers and shepherds of the inner regions of the kingdom, who were spiritually and materially poor. In 1732 he founded the Religious Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer. "These men, led by Alfonso, were true itinerant missionaries, reaching even the most remote villages exhorting to conversion and perseverance in the Christian life, especially through prayer. Even today, the Redemptorists, scattered in many countries around the world with new forms of apostolate continue this mission of evangelization. I think of them with gratitude, urging them to always be faithful to the example of their holy founder. " In 1762 he was appointed bishop of St. Agatha of the Goths, which he left in 1765 due to illness. "He was a saint exclaimed Pope Pius VI at the news of his death in 1787. And he was not wrong. " He was beatified in 1816 and canonized in 1787 and in 1817 Pope Pius IX proclaimed him a Doctor of the Church and Pope Pius XII in 1950, wanted him patron saint of confessors and moralists
Finally, Benedict XVI underlined his insistence "on the need for prayer" and recalled the motto of the saint, "he who prays is saved," and the exhortation of John Paul II: "Our Christian communities must become schools of prayer. It is therefore essential that education in prayer becomes a priority of all pastoral planning”.
Pope John Paul II's Methodist Pilot Recalls the "Pope of All People"
The following comes from the Catholic Key:
Pope John Paul II, fresh from a rain-soaked Mass on the Boston Commons, gave the baby-faced pilot of Shepherd I a bear hug. Then held he held him at arm’s length for a good look, and proclaimed, “You are so young!”
The 32-year-old Nelson Krueger, stunned to be unexpectedly face-to-face with the pontiff in the airliner’s cockpit, replied with the first words that came to his mind: “You are so wet!”
The pope let out a big laugh and looked Krueger straight in the eyes.
“The guy was so warm and friendly,” Kreuger told The Catholic Key. “There I was face-to-face with the Holy Father. Our eyes met, and those millions of bits of information that happen in such a moment were exchanged.”
It was the start of a relationship that would last a week, and, to this day nearly 32 years later, one that the pilot would remember in minute detail for the rest of his life.
Krueger was already one of the top international pilots for Trans World Airlines when he was hand-selected by Capt. Sal Fallucco, the airline’s director of flight operations, to sit in the left seat for Pope John Paul’s first pastoral and state visit to the United States from Oct. 1-7, 1979.
Krueger, now retired and living in Lawrence, was on a layover in St. Louis in mid-September when he got the call from TWA’s chief scheduler to get back to headquarters in Kansas City right away.
For the rest of the story please click here!
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Time-Lapse Auroras Over Norway
The Aurora from Terje Sorgjerd on Vimeo.
God is good! Check this out on a bigger screen here.As beatification nears, memories of Pope John Paul II surface
The following comes from the CNA:
With the May 1 beatification of Pope John Paul II fast approaching, those who knew and loved the late pontiff are speaking out about the imprint he left on the Church and the world.
Archbishop Piero Marini remembered the “almost father-son relationship” he enjoyed with the Pope while serving as his master of liturgical ceremonies. In a Vatican Radio broadcast on March 28, he said that the beatification is a way for all people to once again “re-encounter this friend of humanity” by getting to know him, his love for evangelization and his strong witness.
Archbishop Marini remembered that the "greatest gift" the Pope ever gave him was in reminding him of the everyday quality of holiness. "Each of us ... must build sanctity responding to the vocation that the Lord has given us in our life with humility and simplicity as John Paul II did. He spent his entire life announcing the Gospel to create unity."
By going out to meet the people where they were, proclaiming God's Word and celebrating the Eucharist and sacraments, the Pope was able "to create around himself, around the person of the Pope, truly the unity of the Church," said the archbishop.
Cardinal Roberto Tucci, who planned the Pope's lengthy and frequent trips to international destinations, remembered the Pope for his "spontaneity."
He was present at a press conference last week to launch Italian journalist Angela Ambrogetti's new book, "Travel Companions," examining previously unedited comments and conversations the Pope had with reporters on his trips abroad.
Cardinal Tucci called the book a "rare and efficient testimony of the personality and the ideas of Pope Wojtyla which comes across with great freshness – as it was – with his extraordinary spontaneity and freedom of expression, with his kindness and bluntness before others, also to that special kind of humanity that are journalists."
Vatican spokesman Fr. Federico Lombardi, and veteran Vatican analysts Gian Franco Svidercoschi and Paloma Gomez Borrero recounted anecdotes of their personal experiences with the pontiff on the numerous papal flights.
Beautiful accounts of the Pope’s spirituality have come to light.
Cardinal Angelo Comastri said Pope John Paul "restored Mary to her place in the Church alongside Jesus."
In an article written for the Diocese of Rome's website, the archpriest of St. Peter's Basilica and Marian scholar recalled that in the 1960s and 1970s many sought to marginalize the Madonna.
Into this "Marian winter," Pope John Paul led the Church to rediscover Mary, said the cardinal.
"It is beginning from Jesus, in fact, that one discovers Mary, and beginning from Jesus that one notes the presence of the Mother and her interminible mission ... that of leading us to him!"
Cardinal Comastri remembered the great faith of John Paul II and his untiring devotion to the Blessed Mother.
"Every time we touch the crown of the Holy Rosary and recite the Holy Mary, may a spontaneous exclamation come out of our hearts, "Totus tuus, Maria!" (Totally yours, Mary!). It is the Marian inheritance that John Paul II left us."
Initiatives to remember the Pope are also popping up all over the city. On March 31 at the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross, Cardinal Angelo Amato of the Vatican's department for saints' causes and the late-Pope's spokesman, Joaquin Navarro-Valls, will be joined by journalists and experts in examining public opinion and "sensus fidei" (sense of the faithful) ahead of the beatification.
A pub in downtown Rome called the GP2 (Italian abbreviation for JPII) has announced that it will be hosting a series of encounters for the month of April in the countdown to the beatification. The Diocese of Rome-sponsored establishment has scheduled the likes of Fr. Slawomir Oder, the priest in charge of John Paul II's cause for sainthood, and former vicar general of Rome, Cardinal Camillo Ruini, as speakers at the gatherings.
Pontifical universities and religious communties are organizing events, lectures, conferences and prayer memorials for the late Pope ahead of this occasion, which could prove to be the largest since his funeral on April 8, 2005.
Vatican officials are hesitant to make estimates as to possible attendance. Expectations will certainly be become more clear during an April 5 press conference at the Vatican's Press Office. Cardinal Agostino Vallini, current vicar general of Rome, and other Church officials will host the press event.
At a March 29 press conference, Vatican-affiliated pilgrimage and travel agency Opera Romana Pelligrinagi (ORP) set the bar low, saying they are expecting a minimum of 300,000 people to attend.
The pilgrimage agency has set up reliable information hub at www.jpiibeatus.org, offering information on the beatification, lodging and travel for anyone interested in making the trip.
The organization is even offering a multilingual telephone hotline for direct inquiries and a discounted three-day tour pass for the weekend. They emphasize that no ticket is needed for the ceremony.
The agency announced that structures are being built around St. Peter's Square for the huge influx of people. Reception points will serve pilgrims around the Square with bathrooms and refreshment stands, while young adults are encouraged to "spend the night safely" in a village set up outside the city.
They announced that the city of Rome awaits all who come "with open arms."
The Living Scripture Blog
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
China: Don Bosco has come to get to know the young people of China
The following comes from the Salesian News Agency:
On Thursday 17 March, slightly ahead of schedule, the casket with the relic of Don Bosco arrived in the Special Administrative Region of Hong Kong of the Chinese Peoples’ Republic.
“Saint John Bosco has come!” Fr Simon Lam, Superior of the “Mary Help of Christians Province of China” declared during the welcoming ceremony. Among those with the Provincial at the “Ex Skylimo International airport” was Cardinal Joseph Zen Ze-Kiun, SDB, former Bishop of Hong Kong, and over 200 members of the local Salesian Family.
During the ceremony the Provincial recalled Don Bosco’s wish to send his spiritual sons to China and Don Rua eventually sending Fr Luigi Versiglia, who became a martyr saint for God and for China. Cardinal Zen Ze-Kiun spoke about the importance of the visit of the casket: “It is important to treasure these days that we can stay with Don Bosco, to pray for those who are in need especially abandoned young people. For Don Bosco`s confreres this is a chance for us to review our religious vocation and apostolic life.”
Then a Guard of Honour from Salesian Yip Hon Primary School and Salesian Yip Hon Millennium Primary School performed Giu’ Dai Colli to escort the Casket, while Cardinal Zen officiated at the ceremony.
On Friday 25 March the casket was welcomed at the Tang King Po Institute, in a ceremony at which the School Band and Choir performed. Also on this occasion Cardinal Zen Ze-Kiun and the Provincial both spoke. Referring to the relic of Don Bosco’s right hand said that Jesus used human’s hands to do his work and uses our heart to love others. Addressing the young people Fr Lam said that Don Bosco present among them through his relic was interested in them and would like to know about them and what their daily life was like so that he could lead them to Jesus.
Student representatives then expressed their wishes and prayed in front of the relic of Don Bosco with the intentions that temptations might be kept away from them, they might use their time well and spread the Gospel among their companions
The following day Saturday 26, in the church of Mary Help of Christians about 1500 young people gathered around the casket. With traditional dances, musical and theatrical performances they demonstrated the quality and breadth of their Salesian education and at the same time the characteristics of the Salesian Youth Movement: joy, cheerfulness, hard work, serving God enthusiastically, caring and serving others.
Among the young people present were 9 from Mongolia, accompanied by Fr Paul Leung, who with a video showed the Salesian mission in Mongolia.
Pope Benedict: God sent Jesus to quench man’s thirst for eternal life
Before the thousands of faithful gathered in St. Peter’s Square for the Sunday Angelus, Pope Benedict XVI said that God’s all-powerful love respects the freedom of every person and therefore touches man’s heart and “waits patiently for his answer.”
“God the Father sent Christ to satisfy our thirst for eternal life by giving us his love, but Jesus asks of us the gift of our faith,” the Pope stated before the Angelus.
He discussed the gospel reading about Jesus’ encounter with the Samaritan woman at the well, explaining that his fatigue is “a sign of his true humanity” which can be seen as a prelude of his Passion.
His encounter with the woman at the well raises the theme of thirst and foreshadows his cry on the Cross: “I have thirst.”
While this thirst and fatigue had a physical aspect, the Pope explained, Jesus “thirsted” for the woman’s faith and for the faith of all mankind.
The water in the gospel story “clearly” refers to the sacrament of baptism, “the source of new life for the faith in the grace of God.” The water represents the Holy Spirit, the gift “par excellence” that Jesus brings to man from God the Father.
“Each one of us can take the place of the Samaritan woman,” the Pope continued. “Jesus waits for us, especially in this time of Lent, to speak with us. Let us pause for a moment in silence in our room, or in a church or in a secluded place.”
“Listen to his voice that tells us ‘If you knew the gift of God…’,” he said as he finished his remarks.
He closed with the prayer: “May the Virgin Mary help us not to miss this event, on which depends our true happiness.”
After the Angelus, Pope Benedict offered a “warm greeting” to English-speaking visitors.
“In today’s Gospel Jesus speaks to the Samaritan women of the gift of the Holy Spirit, the water which wells up to eternal life in those who believe. Through our Lenten observance may all of us be renewed in the grace of our baptism and prepare with hearts renewed to celebrate the gift of new life at Easter. Upon you and your families I invoke God’s blessings of joy and peace!”
Monday, March 28, 2011
Pope Benedict: Take a moment to listen this Lent
The following comes from Zenit.org:
Benedict XVI is inviting the faithful to pause a moment in silence this Lent to listen to God speaking to their hearts.
The Pope reflected today on the Gospel story of the Samaritan women, whom Jesus spoke to at Jacob's well, before praying the midday Angelus together with those gathered in St. Peter's Square.
"The woman goes every day to get water from an ancient well put there by the patriarch Jacob, and that day Jesus was sitting there, 'tired from the journey,'" the Pontiff explained.
"Jesus' weariness, sign of his true humanity, can be seen as a prelude to the passion, with which he brought the work of our redemption to completion," he said.
The Holy Father that Christ was also thirsty, and that the "theme of 'thirst' emerges in particular in the meeting with the Samaritan woman at the well."
"This thirst, like the weariness, has a physical basis," the Pontiff explained. "But Jesus, as Augustine continues, 'had thirst of the woman's faith,' as he has for the faith of all of us.
"God the Father sent him to quench our thirst for eternal life, giving us his love, but asks our faith for bestowing this gift. Love's omnipotence always respects man's freedom; it knocks at his heart and awaits his answer with patience."
Baptism
Benedict XVI noted in particular the prominence of water in the encounter between Christ and the Samaritan woman: "It clearly alludes to the sacrament of baptism, the source of new life through faith in the grace of God."
"This water represents the Holy Spirit," he explained, "the 'gift' par excellence that Jesus has come to bring us from God the Father. Whoever is reborn by the water of the Holy Spirit, that is, baptism, enters into a real relation with God, a filial relation, and can worship 'in spirit and truth,' as Jesus discloses to the Samaritan woman.
"Thanks to the encounter with Jesus Christ and the gift of the Holy Spirit, man's faith comes to its fulfillment, as an answer to God's revelation."
"Each one of us can identify ourselves with the Samaritan woman," the Holy Father affirmed. "Jesus awaits us, especially during this season of Lent, to speak to our hearts, to my heart.
"Let us pause a moment in silence, in our room, or in a church, or in a place apart. Let us listen to the voice that says: 'If you knew the gift of God.'"
Sunday, March 27, 2011
Saint of the day: John Damascene
Son of Mansur, representative of the Christians to the court of the Muslim caliph. Apparently thrived as a Christian in a Saracen land, becoming the chief financial officer for caliph Abdul Malek. Tutored in his youth by a captured Italian monk named Cosmas. Between the Christian teaching from the monk, and that of the Muslim schools, John became highly educated in the classical fields (geometry, literature, logic, rhetoric, etc.).
He defended the use of icons and images in churches through a series of letters opposing the anti-icon decrees of Germanus, Patriarch of Constantinople. Legend says that Germanus plotted against him, and forged a letter in which John betrayed the caliph; the caliph ordered John’s writing hand chopped off, but the Virgin Mary appeared and re-attached the hand, a miracle which restored the caliph’s faith in him.
After this incident, John became a monk near Jerusalem. Priest. Anathematized by name by the 754 Council of Constantinople over his defense of the use of icons, but was defended by the 787 Seventh Council of Nicea.
Saturday, March 26, 2011
Saint of the day: Margaret Clitherow
The following comes from the Catholic.org site:
St. Margaret Clitherow was born in Middleton, England, in 1555, of protestant parents. Possessed of good looks and full of wit and merriment, she was a charming personality. In 1571, she married John Clitherow, a well-to-do grazier and butcher (to whom she bore two children), and a few years later entered the Catholic Church. Her zeal led her to harbor fugitive priests, for which she was arrested and imprisoned by hostile authorities. Recourse was had to every means in an attempt to make her deny her Faith, but the holy woman stood firm. Finally, she was condemned to be pressed to death on March 25, 1586. She was stretched out on the ground with a sharp rock on her back and crushed under a door over laden with unbearable weights. Her bones were broken and she died within fifteen minutes. The humanity and holiness of this servant of God can be readily glimpsed in her words to a friend when she learned of her condemnation: "The sheriffs have said that I am going to die this coming Friday; and I feel the weakness of my flesh which is troubled at this news, but my spirit rejoices greatly. For the love of God, pray for me and ask all good people to do likewise." Her feast day is March 26th.
POPE BENEDICT: CONFESSIONAL ALSO A PLACE TO LEARN SOMETHING
The following comes from Zenit.org:There is a pedagogical value to the sacrament of confession, according to Benedict XVI.
The Pope affirmed this today when he addressed participants in a five-day course on the internal forum. The seminar, sponsored by the Apostolic Penitentiary, concluded today.
The Holy Father said that the teaching-learning aspect of confession is not sufficiently considered, despite its spiritual and pastoral importance.
"In what way does the sacrament of penance educate?" he asked. "In what sense does its celebration have a pedagogical value, first of all, for the ministers?"
The Holy Father said that the teaching-learning aspect of confession is not sufficiently considered, despite its spiritual and pastoral importance.
"In what way does the sacrament of penance educate?" he asked. "In what sense does its celebration have a pedagogical value, first of all, for the ministers?"
To respond to these questions, he suggested starting with the recognition "that the priestly ministry constitutes a unique and privileged observation post, from which, daily, we are enabled to contemplate the splendor of divine mercy."
"Fundamentally," the Holy Father said, "to confess means to assist in as many 'professiones fidei' as there are penitents, and to contemplate the action of the merciful God in history, to touch the salvific effects of the cross and resurrection of Christ, at all times and for every man."
The Pontiff reflected how in the confessional, the priest in a sense visits the "abyss of the human heart, also in the dark aspects." And this, he said, also tests the "humanity and the faith of the priest himself."
"On the other hand," he continued, "it nourishes in him the certainty that the last word on the evil of man and of history is God's, it is his mercy, able to make all things new."
The Pontiff reflected how in the confessional, the priest in a sense visits the "abyss of the human heart, also in the dark aspects." And this, he said, also tests the "humanity and the faith of the priest himself."
"On the other hand," he continued, "it nourishes in him the certainty that the last word on the evil of man and of history is God's, it is his mercy, able to make all things new."
From confession, in fact, the priest can learn much, the Pope said, above all "from exemplary penitents by their spiritual life, by the seriousness with which they conduct their examinations of conscience, by the transparency in recognizing their sin and by their docility to the teaching of the Church and the indications of the confessor."
"From the administration of the sacrament of penance we can receive profound lessons of humility and faith," he assured. Confession is "a very strong call for each priest to the awareness of his own identity."
"Never, in the strength of our humanity alone, would we be able to hear the confessions of brothers," continued the Pope. "If they approach us, it is only because we are priests, configured to Christ, High and Eternal Priest, and made capable of acting in his name and in his person, of rendering really present God who forgives, renews and transforms."
Penitents, too
In regard to the pedagogical value for penitents, the Holy Father said that it depends "first of all, on the action of grace and on the objective effects of the sacrament in the soul of the faithful."
"Sacramental reconciliation is one of the moments in which personal liberty and self-awareness are called to express themselves in a particularly evident way," the Pontiff observed. "It is perhaps also because of this that, in an age of relativism and of consequent attenuated awareness of one's being, the sacramental practice is also weakened."
In this context, the examination of conscience has "an important pedagogical value" as it "educates to look with sincerity at one's own existence, to confront it with the truth of the Gospel, and to evaluate it not just with human parameters, but changed by divine revelation," he said. "The comparison with the Commandments, with the Beatitudes and, above all, with the precept of love, constitutes the first great 'penitential school.'"
Furthermore, Benedict XVI proposed, an integral confession of sins "educates the penitent in humility, in recognition of his own fragility and, at the same time, in awareness of the need for God's forgiveness and trust that divine grace can transform life."
Furthermore, Benedict XVI proposed, an integral confession of sins "educates the penitent in humility, in recognition of his own fragility and, at the same time, in awareness of the need for God's forgiveness and trust that divine grace can transform life."
In an age characterized "by noise, distraction and loneliness," said the Pope, "the penitent's conversation with the confessor can be one of the few, if not the only occasion to be truly heard and in profundity."
For this reason, the Bishop of Rome asked priests to "give appropriate space to the exercise of the ministry of penance in the confessional."
"To be received and heard is also a human sign of the acceptance and goodness of God to his children," he said.
Health of souls
In his greeting to the Pope, Cardinal Fortunato Baldelli, major penitentiary, reminded that "every confessor, to carry out his ministry well and faithfully, must have the necessary learning and prudence for this purpose."
"To be received and heard is also a human sign of the acceptance and goodness of God to his children," he said.
Health of souls
In his greeting to the Pope, Cardinal Fortunato Baldelli, major penitentiary, reminded that "every confessor, to carry out his ministry well and faithfully, must have the necessary learning and prudence for this purpose."
The cardinal introduced to the Pope the priests of 242 dioceses of 68 nations who are participating in the annual course on the internal forum, and he confirmed that "the doctrinal preparation of the confessor is absolutely indispensable."
Following in the footsteps of Pope Pius V -- who said, give me good confessors and I will renew the whole Church from her foundations -- the penitentiary promotes every year these days of study on the sacrament, the cardinal noted.
"With intense satisfaction," he said, "we note that the fruits of these annual meetings have a concrete confirmation in the daily activity of our dicastery, which is approached with increasing interest and known for its essential mission in the Church, which is the 'salus animarum.'"
Friday, March 25, 2011
Do Beautiful Churches Produce Vocations?
This is a very good question and Fr. Dwight Longenecker offers an insightful answer:
I know a young priest who was brought up as a Baptist. He went into a beautiful old Catholic Church during the liturgy. This was a classic neo-Gothic church with stained glass windows and a beautiful liturgy. He fell to his knees and said that he knew then and there that he not only needed to be a Catholic, but that he was called to be a Catholic priest. He's not the only one. I know two other guys who eventually made the same decision for the same reason, and numerous other converts who were drawn by the beauty and reverence of worship including the reverence evoked by the beautiful church.
The unknown architect of Glastonbury Abbey in England wrote, "I want to create a church so beautiful that it will move even the hardest heart to prayer." Can a beautiful church produce vocations to the priesthood? Perhaps we should reverse the question and say, "Does an ugly church discourage priestly vocations?" To answer the question we must think through, and come up with a theory of aesthetics and think through the reasons for both ugly churches and beautiful churches. Once we understand the mentality behind both we will be able to answer the question of whether a beautiful church can help produce new vocations to the priesthood.
The modern churches we deem 'ugly' are usually designed from a utilitarian point of view. Modern architecture has taken as it's creed Frank Lloyd Wright's dictum, "Form follows function." Therefore most modern architechts, when considering the building of a church will ask, "Where will everyone sit. What kind of an artificial sound system should we install? Where will the heating, air conditioning and toilets go? Where will the Sunday School rooms go? What about disabled access? Do we need elevators?" All these practical and utilitarian questions must, of course, be answered, but if they are the only considerations you will end up with a practical, inexpensive and ugly building. You'll end up with a building that is simply an auditorium.
Then, of course, Catholics will want their church to be 'pretty' so they'll spend lots of money adding a layer of gloss. They'll throw in some marble. They'll buy some second hand stained glass windows from an old church in Ohio or somewhere. They'll add a nice tabernacle or some statues. That's all well and good, but the building itself is still probably an ugly, utilitarian, cheaply built structure.
We then have to ask what these churches say about the faith, for the church building is a sacramental. It states what we believe. A building, whether we like it or not, is a statement of our values, our faith and our world view. A cheap building with no inner integrity of beauty--a cheap building that is 'dressed up' to look Catholic or 'pretty' with decorations is superficial and shallow and only skin deep....just like our faith too often I'm afraid! In our superficial, face lift world we build churches that are superficial where the 'beauty' is really on 'pretty' and skin deep.
What about the liturgy that goes on in such buildings? Too often it also is superficial, sweet and comfortable and skin deep. Does such liturgy and do such buildings inspire vocations? Do they say to our young people, "Look what sacrifices we have made to worship God?" Do they say, "We have given all to build something beautiful for God"? or do they actually say, "It's okay to give God second best. It's okay to give him what's left over."? Do they come out of the building yawning and wondering what next for Sunday or do they come out full of awe and thankfulness for the beautiful worship of God?
A beautiful church, that required great sacrifice to build, on the other hand--combined with beautiful liturgy and an awesome and reverent worship of God is more likely to inspire the reverence and awe and sacrifice required of our young people who are thinking about a vocation.
This is my theory: sacrifice much to build a beautiful church and you will find that your children will sacrifice much to become the priests, brothers and sisters to fill that church for a next generation.
The unknown architect of Glastonbury Abbey in England wrote, "I want to create a church so beautiful that it will move even the hardest heart to prayer." Can a beautiful church produce vocations to the priesthood? Perhaps we should reverse the question and say, "Does an ugly church discourage priestly vocations?" To answer the question we must think through, and come up with a theory of aesthetics and think through the reasons for both ugly churches and beautiful churches. Once we understand the mentality behind both we will be able to answer the question of whether a beautiful church can help produce new vocations to the priesthood.
The modern churches we deem 'ugly' are usually designed from a utilitarian point of view. Modern architecture has taken as it's creed Frank Lloyd Wright's dictum, "Form follows function." Therefore most modern architechts, when considering the building of a church will ask, "Where will everyone sit. What kind of an artificial sound system should we install? Where will the heating, air conditioning and toilets go? Where will the Sunday School rooms go? What about disabled access? Do we need elevators?" All these practical and utilitarian questions must, of course, be answered, but if they are the only considerations you will end up with a practical, inexpensive and ugly building. You'll end up with a building that is simply an auditorium.
Then, of course, Catholics will want their church to be 'pretty' so they'll spend lots of money adding a layer of gloss. They'll throw in some marble. They'll buy some second hand stained glass windows from an old church in Ohio or somewhere. They'll add a nice tabernacle or some statues. That's all well and good, but the building itself is still probably an ugly, utilitarian, cheaply built structure.
We then have to ask what these churches say about the faith, for the church building is a sacramental. It states what we believe. A building, whether we like it or not, is a statement of our values, our faith and our world view. A cheap building with no inner integrity of beauty--a cheap building that is 'dressed up' to look Catholic or 'pretty' with decorations is superficial and shallow and only skin deep....just like our faith too often I'm afraid! In our superficial, face lift world we build churches that are superficial where the 'beauty' is really on 'pretty' and skin deep.
What about the liturgy that goes on in such buildings? Too often it also is superficial, sweet and comfortable and skin deep. Does such liturgy and do such buildings inspire vocations? Do they say to our young people, "Look what sacrifices we have made to worship God?" Do they say, "We have given all to build something beautiful for God"? or do they actually say, "It's okay to give God second best. It's okay to give him what's left over."? Do they come out of the building yawning and wondering what next for Sunday or do they come out full of awe and thankfulness for the beautiful worship of God?
A beautiful church, that required great sacrifice to build, on the other hand--combined with beautiful liturgy and an awesome and reverent worship of God is more likely to inspire the reverence and awe and sacrifice required of our young people who are thinking about a vocation.
This is my theory: sacrifice much to build a beautiful church and you will find that your children will sacrifice much to become the priests, brothers and sisters to fill that church for a next generation.
Feast of the Annunciation of the Lord
The following comes from the Women for Faith and Family site:
The Feast of the Annunciation, March 25, is one of the most important in the Church calendar. It celebrates the actual Incarnation of Our Savior the Word made flesh in the womb of His mother, Mary.
The biblical account of the Annunciation is in the first chapter of the Gospel of Saint Luke, 26-56. Saint Luke describes the annunciation given by the angel Gabriel to Mary that she was to become the mother of the Incarnation of God.
Here is recorded the "angelic salutation" of Gabriel to Mary, 'Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with thee" (Ave, gratia plena, Dominus tecum - Lk 1:28), and Mary's response to God's will, "Let it be done to me according to thy word" (fiat mihi secundum verbum tuum) (v. 38)
This "angelic salutation" is the origin of the "Hail Mary" prayer of the Rosary and the Angelus (the second part of the prayer comes from the words of salutation of Elizabeth to Mary at the Visitation).
The Angelus, a devotion that daily commemmorates the Annunciation, consists of three Hail Marys separated by short versicles. It is said three times a day -- morning, noon and evening -- traditionally at the sound of a bell. The Angelus derives its name from the first word of the versicles, Angelus Domini nuntiavit Mariae (The Angel of the Lord declared unto Mary).
Mary's exultant hymn, the Magnificat, found in Luke 1:46-55, has been part of the Church's Liturgy of the Hours, at Vespers (evening prayer), and has been repeated nightly in churches, convents and monasteries for more than a thousand years.
The Church's celebration of the Annunciation is believed to date to the early 5th century, possibly originating at about the time of the Council of Ephesus (c 431). Earlier names for the Feast were Festum Incarnationis, and Conceptio Christi, and in the Eastern Churches, the Annunciation is a feast of Christ, but in the Latin Church it is a feast of Mary. The Annunciation has always been celebrated on March 25, exactly nine months before Christmas Day.
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Pope Benedict: The Church needs courageous apostles to fight religious indifference
The following comes from the CNA:Pope Benedict said at his Wednesday general audience that the modern world needs “zealous” disciples of Christ, who will fight religious indifference with the “light and beauty” of the Gospel.
The Pope dedicated his teaching at the Vatican on March 23 to St. Lawrence of Brindisi, who was born in Italy in 1559 and was named one of the Doctors of the Church for his expertise in preaching Catholic doctrine and Sacred Scripture.
St. Lawrence is known for his “clear and tranquil” explanations of the Christian faith to his surrounding culture, the pontiff noted, particularly to those who had left the Church in the wake of the Reformation.
“Even today, the new evangelization needs well-trained, zealous and courageous apostles, so that the light and beauty of the Gospel may prevail over the cultural trends of ethical relativism and religious indifference,” he said. This effort will help transform the various ways people think about life and help them act with an “authentic Christian humanism.”
St. Lawrence, who lost his father at the age of seven, was entrusted by his mother to the care of the Franciscan Friars Minor Conventuals. He later entered the Order of Capuchins and was ordained a priest in 1582.
The saint acquired a deep knowledge of ancient and modern languages, which enabled him to “undertake an intense apostolate among various categories of people,” the Pope explained.
He was also an effective preacher, who was so well versed in the Bible and rabbinic literature “that rabbis themselves were amazed and showed him esteem and respect.”
“The success enjoyed by St. Lawrence helps us to understand that even today, as the hope-filled journey of ecumenical dialogue continues, the reference to Sacred Scripture, read in the Tradition of the Church, is an indispensable element of fundamental importance,” Pope Benedict said.
He added that even “the lowliest members of the faithful” benefited “from the convincing words of St. Lawrence, who addressed the humble in order to call everyone to live a life coherent with the faith they professed.”
The Pope then noted another prominent aspect of St. Lawrence's life, which was his tireless work to promote political and religious peace.
Popes and Catholic princes “repeatedly entrusted him with important diplomatic missions to placate controversies and favor harmony between European States, which at the time were threatened by the Ottoman Empire,” he said.
“Today, as in St. Lawrence's time, the world has great need of peace, it needs peace-loving and peace-building men and women,” Pope Benedict said. “Everyone who believes in God must always be a source of peace and work for peace.”
St. Lawrence was canonized in 1881 and declared a Doctor of the Church in 1959 by Blessed John XXIII, who recognized not only the saint's personal sanctity, but his numerous contributions to biblical scholarship.
“St. Lawrence of Brindisi,” Pope Benedict said, “teaches us to love Sacred Scripture, to become increasingly familiar with it, daily to cultivate our relationship with the Lord in prayer, so that our every action, our every activity, finds its beginning and its fulfillment in Him.”
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Archbishop Dolan on Confession
The following comes from the Catholic Exchange:
It usually happens on Saturday…
I try to take that morning off when I can. So, I sleep in a bit, get up, say my prayers and offer Mass in my chapel, and then go for a long walk.
Saturday mornings, the traffic is light, the air fresher, and not even that many pedestrians are out and about. I can get a brisk hike in.
My destination is one of our many city churches that offers the sacrament of penance. I sneak in, rarely recognized since I’m in walking clothes, and stand in line with the others outside the confessional. In I go, contrite I am, forgiven I leave, gratefully I pray, renewed I walk back home.
Because I’m dressed in street garb, and, since I prefer to confess behind the screen, the confessor does not know who I am. Fine with me.
Once, though, as I was leaving the church, another priest of the parish did recognize me, welcomed me, and we chatted for awhile. When he discovered that I had just gone to confession, he blushed.
“But, archbishop,” he remarked, “I’ll send a confessor to your house! You shouldn’t have to come down here, stand in line, and wait like everybody else!”
Well, as a matter of fact, yes I should. While I thanked him for his thoughtfulness, I explained that I really wanted to make the trip to the church, I preferred to stand in line, I wanted to be “just like everybody else!”
Because, as a sinner, I am! And one of the places I most sense being an intimate part of the Church, a member of this community of faith, is when I’m in company with others, head down, waiting in line for God’s mercy in this beautiful and potent sacrament of reconciliation.
‘Look not on our sins, but on the faith of the Church!” That’s the prayer I borrow from the words of the Mass as I stand in line with other sinners and prepare for the sacrament of penance.
I mention this because it’s Lent. These are the 40 days when the invitation of Jesus to conversion of heart and repentance for sin is most dramatic.
Our Catholic tradition holds that nowhere is that invitation more RSVP’d, or His mercy more evident, than in a good confession.
Do it now: resolve that, sometime before Easter, you, too, will stand in line and beg God to “look not on my sins but on the faith of the Church.”
Get back to confession.
People often approach me, as they do any other priest or spiritual guide, and lament, “My relationship with the Lord is limp and listless. I’m in a valley. I want some love, warmth, and grace.”
“How long since your last confession?” I’ll ask, only to see the cheeks turn red.
Last week I had the honor of offering the Funeral Mass for Bernard Nathanson. You know his odyssey. An acclaimed obstetrician, he was an aggressive abortionist, co-founder of NARAL, bragging about the thousands of abortions he performed. Until…
…Dr. Nathanson viewed a sonogram. This is not a blob, a mass of cells, a “tumor,” nor even just an embryo or a fetus, he concluded. This is a baby. What did he do then?
Repentance…renewal of heart…and a fresh start as one of the most eloquent pro-life prophets this country has ever known. The power of the Truth!
And in 1996, this man, who had called himself an atheist, was baptized, confirmed, and given his First Holy Communion by Cardinal John O’Connor in Our Lady’s Chapel at St. Patrick’s Cathedral.
His most towering trepidation, he told the cardinal, came from the weight of his past sins as an abortionist. But in Jesus he found an invitation to repentance, and in the Church he discovered an assurance of a mercy that trumps any pile of sins.
The sacrament of penance…no better season than Lent.
See you in line some Saturday morning! I’ll appreciate your company!
A blessed Lent!
Saint of the day: Turibius
Catholics in Latin America and throughout the world will celebrate the life and ministry of St. Turibius of Mogrovejo on March 23. The 16th century bishop upheld the rights of Peru's indigenous peoples, and became one of the first canonized saints of the Americas.
Turibius was born in Spain during 1538, to a noble family in the kingdom of Leon. He frequently prayed, fasted, and gave to the poor even as a child, and eventually developed the daily habit of praying the Rosary along with the Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
He went on to study the law at the University of Salamanca, and was eventually served as a judge for five years in the territory of Granada. His judicial wisdom and diligence drew the attention of King Philip II, who wanted Turibius – who was still a layman – to be consecrated as a missionary archbishop for the Spanish colony of Peru.
Turibius became greatly dismayed, protesting to the king and Church authorities that he was not even a priest and could not possibly accept the charge. In a series of letters, he pled that he was not personally capable of serving as the Archbishop of Lima – nor, he reminded them, did canon law permit a layman to become an archbishop.
Eventually, however, he had little choice but to comply. He was consecrated as a bishop in 1581, at the age of 43, and immediately left for Lima, Peru.
The new archbishop undertook to travel throughout the rugged and mountainous diocese, where he observed many of the worst effects of colonialism – both upon the enslaved and oppressed natives, and on many of the colonists who seemed to have lost their souls in the pursuit of wealth.
He responded with constant prayer and penance, as he traveled throughout his territory administering the sacraments, teaching the Catholic faith, and establishing schools, seminaries and hospitals.
To the indigenous Peruvians, the archbishop was a herald of the Gospel who held their lives as more precious than their country's supplies of gold and silver. But to the many colonists whose behavior showed no sign of their Catholic origins, he was a prophetic scourge – whose efforts to awaken the public conscience earned him rebukes and opposition.
Turibius ultimately managed to make three visitations of his diocese, under rugged and dangerous conditions, which occupied about half of his 25 years as Archbishop of Lima. He united the Peruvian Church at an administrative level by holding several local councils of its clergy, but was also known to spend days traveling to reach a single individual with the message of Christ.
The archbishop became seriously ill in 1606. He sensed that his death was imminent, and decreed that his possessions should be distributed to the poor. St. Turibius died on March 23, and his body was found to be incorrupt the next year. He was declared a saint in 1726, and is now regarded as the patron of native peoples' rights and the Latin American bishops.
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Litany of Humility
O Jesus! meek and humble of heart, Hear me.
From the desire of being esteemed, Deliver me, Jesus.
From the desire of being loved, Deliver me, Jesus.
From the desire of being extolled, Deliver me, Jesus.
From the desire of being honored, Deliver me, Jesus.
From the desire of being praised, Deliver me, Jesus.
From the desire of being preferred to others, Deliver me, Jesus.
From the desire of being consulted, Deliver me, Jesus.
From the desire of being approved, Deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear of being humiliated, Deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear of being despised, Deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear of suffering rebukes, Deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear of being calumniated, Deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear of being forgotten, Deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear of being ridiculed, Deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear of being wronged, Deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear of being suspected, Deliver me, Jesus.
That others may be loved more than I, Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
That others may be esteemed more than I, Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
That, in the opinion of the world, others may increase and I may decrease, Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
That others may be chosen and I set aside, Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
That others may be praised and I unnoticed, Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
That others may be preferred to me in everything, Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
That others may become holier than I, provided that I may become as holy as I should, Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
A prayer composed by Rafael Cardinal Merry del Val.
Monday, March 21, 2011
'Jesus of Nazareth' by Pope Benedict is instant bestseller
The following comes from the Spero News site:Pope Benedict XVI’s second volume on Christ’s life debuts on the March 27 New York Times Bestseller List. Released March 10 worldwide, the new volume covers the last week of Jesus’ earthly life – from his entrance into Jerusalem to his resurrection and appearances to his apostles and other followers. “We’re delighted that Jesus of Nazareth: Holy Week is an instant New York Times bestseller. It means that many people across the country are discovering Pope Benedict’s insights into the life of Jesus Christ,” said Mark Brumley, President of Ignatius Press reacting to the announcement. “In this way, more and more people will encounter the real Jesus, which was the Holy Father’s goal in writing the book. It would be great if Jesus of Nazareth: Holy Week became the number one book in America!”
Global reaction to the book makes it clear that Benedict XVI has contributed a work on Jesus that is as important and historically significant as it is well-written and thorough.
“It’s a remarkable achievement,” said Protestant scholar Dr. Craig A. Evans of Acadia Divinity College, Acadia University, in Wolfville, N.S., Canada. “It’s the best book I’ve read on Jesus in years. This is a book that I think all Christians should read, be they Protestant or Catholic.”
“(The Pope) asked for the union of theology and critical history, a response to the failure of critical historical scholarship during the last century,” said Dr. Jacob Neusner, Rabbi and Distinguished Research Professor of Religion and Theology at Bard College in Annandale-on-Hudson, N.Y. “And he’s accomplished something that no one else has achieved in the modern study of Scripture.”
“This book fulfills Pope Benedict’s ardent desire – that it would ‘be helpful to all readers who seek to encounter Jesus and to believe in him,’” said Capuchin Fr. Thomas G. Weinandy (O.F.M., Cap.), Executive director of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops Secretariat for Doctrine.
Sunday, March 20, 2011
Good Stuff about Salesians!
The young men of my community made a great video on the works of our Salesian Province! I hope you enjoy it!
Saint of the day: Cuthbert of Lindisfarne
The following comes from All Saints Parish:
It is not certain whether St. Cuthbert was born in England, Scotland or Ireland; all three countries claim him. Most accounts give his birth year as 634 or 635. One legend states he was born an Irishman named Mulloche, and that he was the great-grandson of the High King Muircertagh of Ireland. Another long-standing tradition says his mother was the Irish princess Saba, who left Cuthbert in the care of a poor widow named Kenswith while she went on pilgrimage to Rome, but she died during the journey and never saw him again. The Venerable Bede wrote two vitae of the saint and presumes his English birth, speculating that Cuthbert was born of lowly parentage in the neighborhood of Mailros (Melrose), because he used to tend sheep on the mountainside near that monastery.
Cuthbert's youth was spent in the Scottish lowlands with the widow Kenswith. He tended her sheep on the hills above Leader Water or the valley of the Tweed. He had difficulty walking because of an abscess on the knee (made worse by an attempted cure), but despite this he was high-spirited, and physically strong. When Cuthbert was 15, he had a vision of angels conducting the soul of St. Aidan to heaven. The next morning, he found that St. Aidan - founder of the Priory of Lindisfarne and a man of great holiness - had died at the very moment of his vision. Cuthbert was so moved by this that he decided to become a monk at the Mailros Abbey. But Cuthbert had some training as a soldier, and most of the available men in Northumbria were pressed into military service because of constant threats from its southern neighbor, King Penda of Mercia. Not until peace was restored to the land four years later was Cuthbert free to pursue the monastic life he had so long desired, studying at Mailros under St. Eata as abbot and St. Boisil (Basil) as prior.
Cuthbert was known for his piety and devotion to learning, and his life was marked by supernatural occurrences and miracles. Some say Cuthbert was asked to help found the monastery at Ripon, others say he was invited there as guest-master. Either way, Cuthbert left or was expelled from Ripon and returned to Mailros in 661 after Ripon adopted Roman practices for tonsure and calculating the date of Easter. Shortly after Cuthbert's return, St. Boisil was struck by the plague. (Cuthbert fell ill during the same epidemic; his life was preserved but he never fully recovered his health thereafter. ) Boisil died of the disease and Cuthbert was made prior of Mailros in his place. When the Synod of Whitby decided in favor of the Roman monastic traditions, Cuthbert accepted that decision despite his opposition at Ripon. Due to his stellar reputation, he was asked to teach the Roman customs to the great monastery at Lindisfarne. It was a difficult matter and needed all his gentle tact and patience, but the fact that one so renowned for sanctity, who had himself been brought up in the Celtic tradition, was loyally conforming to the Roman use, did much to persuade the monks at Lindisfarne to accept the change themselves. Cuthbert served as Prior of Lindisfarne for twelve years.
In 676, Cuthbert followed his solitary nature by removing himself from the island of Lindisfarne to an even more isolated part of the Farne Islands called the Inner Farne. He spent all of his time in prayer and contemplation with only the seals and sea birds for company. Cuthbert grew to love the wild rocks and sea. Birds and beasts came at his call. He built an oratory and a cell with only a single small window for outside communication. But the king of Northumberland repeatedly implored him to accept election as bishop of Hexham. After many prayers and tears, Cuthbert reluctantly agreed to serve as bishop, but let it be known that he would prefer Lindisfarne, so it was arranged for him to exchange his see with St. Eata. Eata became Bishop of Hexham, and Cuthbert was consecrated Bishop of Lindisfarne by the archbishop of Canterbury with six bishops in attendance at York. Cuthbert served as Bishop of Lindisfarne for two years.
The ample sources for Cuthbert's life and character show a man of extraordinary charm and practical ability, who attracted people deeply by the beauty of holiness. He was a disciplined administrator, cared for many who had been felled by the plague, and distributed alms liberally even while he maintained frugal personal habits. His days were filled with incessant activity in an attempt to keep the spirit of Christianity alive, and each night he kept vigil with God. Cuthbert is said to have had supernatural gifts of healing and insight, and people thronged to consult him. He performed so many miracles of healing that he was known in his lifetime as the "Wonder-Worker of Britain." Cuthbert was also called the "Apostle of the Lowlands." He visited the loneliest and most dangerous outposts from cottage to cottage from Berwick to Solway Firth to bring the Good News of Christ. On horseback and on foot, he ventured into the remotest territories between Berwick and Galloway. His task was not easy, for he covered a vast area, with widely scattered huts and hovels inhabited by a wild and heathen peasantry full of fear and superstition, haunted by terror of pagan gods. But the people accepted him -- he spoke their language and knew their ways, for he had lived like them in a peasant's home. Bede wrote of his preaching that "Cuthbert had such a light in his angelic face, and such a love for proclaiming his Good News, that none hid their innermost secrets from him." His devotion to the Mass was such that he could not celebrate without tears. He built the first oratory at Dull, Scotland, with a large stone cross before it and a little cell for himself. The monastery that arose there later became the site of Saint Andrews University.
At Christmas in the year 686, in failing health and knowing that his end was near, he retired as Bishop and returned to his Inner Farne hermitage. At first he was tended by his brethren from Lindisfarne, but as he became more seriously ill he refused all aid, suffering intensely but allowing none to nurse him. For two months he lay in his little cell, murmuring words of love and counsel to the monks who gathered round him. When they saw that death was very nigh, these monks arranged with the monks at Lindisfarne that they would light a torch for them when he died. At midnight they gave him the last Sacrament, and, as they were beginning the midnight psalm, Cuthbert raised up his hands and died. A brother took two torches to the seashore, and the monks at Lindisfarne saw the tiny gleam across the dark waters just as they had reached the verse--"Thou hast shewed thy people heavy things: thou hast given us a drink of deadly wine." Thus the sixtieth psalm is called the Dirge of St. Cuthbert.
Cuthbert's body was carried back to Lindisfarne and buried there, in accordance with his wishes. Many legends have arisen about the incorruptibility of his body. To day the fishermen in the islands say that the saint still sits at night on a rock and makes beads of little shells which are found only in those coasts, and which are are called St. Cuthbert's beads.
In art, Cuthbert may be shown in episcopal vestments, with pillars of light above him; with swans tending him; as a hermit being fed by an eagle; or praying by the sea. Cuthbert is the patron of shepherds and sailors, and he is said to have appeared in the midst of violent ocean storms, sometimes using his crozier as an oar to save struggling seamen from shipwreck. Because he fearlessly entered the houses of those stricken by the plague, he is also invoked against plague and pestilence. Traces of the once universal devotion to Cuthbert still survive in numerous churches, monuments, crosses, and place names in his honor. He is one of the few Celtic saints included on the modern Episcopal calendar of feast days. More than 135 churches are dedicated to Cuthbert in England, and an additional 17 can be found in Scotland. St. Cuthbert died on March 20, 687.
Saturday, March 19, 2011
The Spirituality of St. Joseph
The following comes from Fides Service:"Humility, generosity, unconditional devotion, enlivened by a genuine spirit of service, living in poverty, absolute obedience and chastity, all these virtues that distinguish St. Joseph, which the Church celebrates on March 19, are so relevant for men today." This is how a Beijing priest encouraged his flock during the Lenten retreat that started today, on the eve of the Solemnity of the Patron Saint of the Universal Church and Patron of the Mission in China.
According to information received by Fides, across China, especially in parishes dedicated to the Saint, the faithful are living the month of March intensely, focusing on St. Joseph, in the spirit of Lent. These include, for example, the Parish of St. Joseph in downtown Beijing, dating back to the church built by the two Jesuit missionaries, successors of Fr. Matteo Ricci: Fr. Louis Buglio and Fr. Gabriel de Magallanes. To mark the 400th anniversary of the death of Fr. Ricci, the parish has tried to unite the many spiritual aspects of the circumstance with the figure of St. Joseph. The diocesan religious congregation in Beijing that is dedicated to St. Joseph is preparing the final vows of the sisters to be held tomorrow, the day of the festival.
Since St. Joseph is also patron of workers, the priests also wanted to highlight the reality of Chinese immigrant workers, inviting them to celebrate it tomorrow with the Chinese community with this invitation: "Dear brothers and sisters, workers, the Church is your home, where you are received and where you breathe spiritual oxygen not only in the days of the Feast of St. Joseph, but all year."
In the Chinese Catholic world, fervent devotion to the Spouse of Mary and the guardian of the Child Jesus has a long tradition and history. Each year, the Solemnity of St. Joseph is a moment of great celebration, with prayers, novenas, Eucharistic Adoration, give great honor to the most humble Saint. For this reason, the Chinese faithful harbor a special affection for him, as evidenced by the many churches and ecclesial structures (seminaries and national and diocesan congregations), charitable institutions (orphanages, homes for the elderly), and Catholic schools that are dedicated to him and bear his name. Also, St. Joseph is also patron of a "good death", and this is resonant with the great Chinese tradition, which is very attentive to the spiritual aspects that affect life and death.
Hat tip to Spirit Daily on this one!
Friday, March 18, 2011
Thursday, March 17, 2011
St. Patrick's Breastplate
I bind unto myself today
The strong Name of the Trinity,
By invocation of the same,
The Three in One and One in Three.
I bind this day to me for ever.
By power of faith, Christ's incarnation;
His baptism in the Jordan river;
His death on Cross for my salvation;
His bursting from the spicèd tomb;
His riding up the heavenly way;
His coming at the day of doom;*
I bind unto myself today.
I bind unto myself the power
Of the great love of the cherubim;
The sweet 'well done' in judgment hour,
The service of the seraphim,
Confessors' faith, Apostles' word,
The Patriarchs' prayers, the Prophets' scrolls,
All good deeds done unto the Lord,
And purity of virgin souls.
I bind unto myself today
The virtues of the starlit heaven,
The glorious sun's life-giving ray,
The whiteness of the moon at even,
The flashing of the lightning free,
The whirling wind's tempestuous shocks,
The stable earth, the deep salt sea,
Around the old eternal rocks.
I bind unto myself today
The power of God to hold and lead,
His eye to watch, His might to stay,
His ear to hearken to my need.
The wisdom of my God to teach,
His hand to guide, His shield to ward,
The word of God to give me speech,
His heavenly host to be my guard.
Against the demon snares of sin,
The vice that gives temptation force,
The natural lusts that war within,
The hostile men that mar my course;
Or few or many, far or nigh,
In every place and in all hours,
Against their fierce hostility,
I bind to me these holy powers.
Against all Satan's spells and wiles,
Against false words of heresy,
Against the knowledge that defiles,
Against the heart's idolatry,
Against the wizard's evil craft,
Against the death wound and the burning,
The choking wave and the poisoned shaft,
Protect me, Christ, till Thy returning.
Christ be with me, Christ within me,
Christ behind me, Christ before me,
Christ beside me, Christ to win me,
Christ to comfort and restore me.
Christ beneath me, Christ above me,
Christ in quiet, Christ in danger,
Christ in hearts of all that love me,
Christ in mouth of friend and stranger.
I bind unto myself the Name,
The strong Name of the Trinity;
By invocation of the same.
The Three in One, and One in Three,
Of Whom all nature hath creation,
Eternal Father, Spirit, Word:
Praise to the Lord of my salvation,
Salvation is of Christ the Lord.
The strong Name of the Trinity,
By invocation of the same,
The Three in One and One in Three.
I bind this day to me for ever.
By power of faith, Christ's incarnation;
His baptism in the Jordan river;
His death on Cross for my salvation;
His bursting from the spicèd tomb;
His riding up the heavenly way;
His coming at the day of doom;*
I bind unto myself today.
I bind unto myself the power
Of the great love of the cherubim;
The sweet 'well done' in judgment hour,
The service of the seraphim,
Confessors' faith, Apostles' word,
The Patriarchs' prayers, the Prophets' scrolls,
All good deeds done unto the Lord,
And purity of virgin souls.
I bind unto myself today
The virtues of the starlit heaven,
The glorious sun's life-giving ray,
The whiteness of the moon at even,
The flashing of the lightning free,
The whirling wind's tempestuous shocks,
The stable earth, the deep salt sea,
Around the old eternal rocks.
I bind unto myself today
The power of God to hold and lead,
His eye to watch, His might to stay,
His ear to hearken to my need.
The wisdom of my God to teach,
His hand to guide, His shield to ward,
The word of God to give me speech,
His heavenly host to be my guard.
Against the demon snares of sin,
The vice that gives temptation force,
The natural lusts that war within,
The hostile men that mar my course;
Or few or many, far or nigh,
In every place and in all hours,
Against their fierce hostility,
I bind to me these holy powers.
Against all Satan's spells and wiles,
Against false words of heresy,
Against the knowledge that defiles,
Against the heart's idolatry,
Against the wizard's evil craft,
Against the death wound and the burning,
The choking wave and the poisoned shaft,
Protect me, Christ, till Thy returning.
Christ be with me, Christ within me,
Christ behind me, Christ before me,
Christ beside me, Christ to win me,
Christ to comfort and restore me.
Christ beneath me, Christ above me,
Christ in quiet, Christ in danger,
Christ in hearts of all that love me,
Christ in mouth of friend and stranger.
I bind unto myself the Name,
The strong Name of the Trinity;
By invocation of the same.
The Three in One, and One in Three,
Of Whom all nature hath creation,
Eternal Father, Spirit, Word:
Praise to the Lord of my salvation,
Salvation is of Christ the Lord.
Feast of Saint Patrick
Happy Saint Patrick's Day! Everyone can be Irish today and celebrate! Maybe we can all imitate the holiness and zeal of St. Patrick as well! The following comes from the catholic.org site:St. Patrick of Ireland is one of the world's most popular saints. Apostle of Ireland, born at Kilpatrick, near Dumbarton, in Scotland, in the year 387; died at Saul, Downpatrick, Ireland, 17 March, 461.
Along with St. Nicholas and St. Valentine, the secular world shares our love of these saints. This is also a day when everyone's Irish.
There are many legends and stories of St. Patrick, but this is his story. Patrick was born around 385 in Scotland, probably Kilpatrick. His parents were Calpurnius and Conchessa, who were Romans living in Britian in charge of the colonies.
As a boy of fourteen or so, he was captured during a raiding party and taken to Ireland as a slave to herd and tend sheep. Ireland at this time was a land of Druids and pagans. He learned the language and practices of the people who held him.
During his captivity, he turned to God in prayer. He wrote "The love of God and his fear grew in me more and more, as did the faith, and my soul was rosed, so that, in a single day, I have said as many as a hundred prayers and in the night, nearly the same." "I prayed in the woods and on the mountain, even before dawn. I felt no hurt from the snow or ice or rain."
Patrick's captivity lasted until he was twenty, when he escaped after having a dream from God in which he was told to leave Ireland by going to the coast. There he found some sailors who took him back to Britian, where he reunited with his family. He had another dream in which the people of Ireland were calling out to him "We beg you, holy youth, to come and walk among us once more."
He began his studies for the priesthood. He was ordained by St. Germanus, the Bishop of Auxerre, whom he had studied under for years. Later, Patrick was ordained a bishop, and was sent to take the Gospel to Ireland. He arrived in Ireland March 25, 433, at Slane. One legend says that he met a chieftain of one of the tribes, who tried to kill Patrick. Patrick converted Dichu (the chieftain) after he was unable to move his arm until he became friendly to Patrick.
Patrick began preaching the Gospel throughout Ireland, converting many. He and his disciples preached and converted thousands and began building churches all over the country. Kings, their families, and entire kingdoms converted to Christianity when hearing Patrick's message.
Patrick by now had many disciples, among them Beningnus, Auxilius, Iserninus, and Fiaac, (all later canonized as well).
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
VATICAN TAPS TECHNOLOGY TO PROMOTE JPII BEATIFICATION
The following comes from Zenit.org:
The Vatican is giving Pope John Paul II's beatification this May a high profile, tapping technology and vast archives to give as "great an exposure and as wide a coverage as possible."
A note today from the Vatican press office announced official YouTube and Facebook pages -- coming from Vatican Radio and the Vatican Television Center with the agreement of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications.
The pages present video clips on the pontificate year by year, as well as video clips with the Pope's voice in various languages and situations, on trips and in the Vatican.
"The general objective is to accompany the course of the beatification using the instruments technology makes available, making full use of the resources at our disposal and, at least in part, of the vast documentary archives held by Vatican Radio and the Vatican Television Center," the statement affirmed.
The new sites are in addition to the Vatican's already existing YouTube channel. The John Paul II channel will also be supplied with video clips of current events and information concerning the days of the beatification, the Vatican reported.
The same video clips are available at the Facebook page, where the number of fans is in the thousands and literally growing by the second.
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