Pope St. John Paul the Great

Today is the feast of Pope St. John Paul the Great.  When you read in the "ordo" about the saint of the day, there is often 2 or 3 sentences about the person; if they were more significant or there is more known about them there might be a couple more sentences; it isn't, after all, intended to be a biography: However, when it is a true giant amongst the faithful there can be a lengthier paragraph, such as for Pope St. Gregory the Great, St. Augustine, and Pope St. John Paul the Great.

Many of those over the age of 50 will remember him, and those over the age of 60 probably remember something about him.  He reigned for 26 years, from October 16, 1978 to April 2, 2005.  He passed over into eternal life after first vespers of the feast he confirmed for the universal Church - The Feast of Divine Mercy.

The times in which he served as bishop, Archbishop of Krakow, and then pope were times of great upheaval.  In the wake of the Second Vatican Council, in which he participated and to which he contributed in a significant way, the social upheaval of the 1960's threw everything into chaos, especially in the west.  He came to the Chair of Peter recognizing that the work of the Council had barely begun and set about helping the Church and the world understand the teachings of that Council and what they meant for the the life and mission of the Church in the contemporary world.

A short catalog of the gifts he left the Church includes: the Catechism of the Catholic Church, the new Code of Canon Law for both western and eastern Churches, the third edition of the Roman Missal, 14 Encyclicals, 15 Apostolic Exhortations (9 of those post-synodal, and 5 in preparation for the Great Jubilee Year- 2000), and innumerable other letters speeches and catechesis.  The most memorable, and arguably the most monumental, of these being his catechesis known as the "Theology of the Body".  But nothing beat his love for our Blessed Lady, the ever-virgin Mary.  Finally, he showed us the dignity of old age and how to die well.

I am personally grateful for our Holy Father's ministry; it was a
significant factor in my hearing God's call to priestly ministry; and it significantly shaped my vision of priesthood and my zeal for souls.  May his teaching, example, and prayers for the Church be a sure help for all those seeking to know and serve God and His holy Church, especially our present Holy Father - Pope Francis.

"O God, who are rich in mercy and who willed
that Saint John Paul the Second
should preside as Pope over your universal Church,
grant, we pray, that instructed by his teaching,
we may open our hearts to the saving grace of Christ,
the sole Redeemer of mankind.
Who lives and reigns with You, 

in the unity of the Holy Spirit, 

One God, for ever and ever.  Amen.

Blessed Carl of Austria

 

November 21 is the feast of Blessed Karl of Austria - the last emperor of the Austro-Hungary Empire.  He reigned for two years - 1916-1918, in the final stages of the First World War.  He was brought down in the wave of anti-royalist sentiment that also brought down Kaiser Wilhelm of Germany and Czar Nicholas II of Russia.  What is particularly unique about Bl. Karl, and thus, the reason he IS a blessed, is his great piety and his immense love for his wife, Servant of God Zita, and his family.  He is truly an inspiring, if tragic, figure and one whose example might be profitably followed by all men, especially those of means or power.  There was a very nice interview of his grandson, the Archduke Imre in yesterday's National Catholic Register.  I hope you'll take the time to read it.  Enjoy!

Scripturae Sacrae Affectus (II)

 Last week we began looking at Pope Francis’ apostolic letter on Holy Scripture, released on the 1600^th anniversary of the death of St. Jerome.  This week, we continue seeing how the Word inflames Jerome; making him sound quite prophetic, indeed, he had a reputation for some rather straight-forward, even “rough” language.  His desire to know and then present the fullness of the Truth brought an intense fire from within him.  Our Holy Father points out however that with Jerome’s maturation in the Word of God comes the Wisdom for which that intense fire prepares us.

Pope Francis points out that “The distinctive feature of St. Jerome’s spirituality was undoubtedly his passionate love for the word of God entrusted to the Church in sacred Scripture.  All the Doctors of the Church – particularly those of the early Christian era – drew the content of their teaching explicitly from the Bible.”  This is frequently missed in the writings of the early Doctors of the Church even through to the Middle Ages: one thinks of St. Thomas Aquinas, famous for his great “Summa” and yet his most important writings were his commentaries on Sacred Scripture.  We experience this today when we hear preachers whose words drip seamlessly with Sacred Scripture; not as a “proof text” but rather as an integral dove-tailing of the old with the new.

Pope Francis also points out that “Jerome teaches us that not only should the Gospels and the apostolic Tradition present in the Acts of the Apostles and in the letters be studied and commented on, but that the entire Old Testament is indispensable for understanding the truth and riches of Christ”  This was, of course, on the minds of the Father’s of the Second Vatican Council both in their Constitution on Sacred Scripture and in their Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy where they expressed the desire that more of the Sacred Scriptures be presented in the context of the holy Mass: This is especially made clear in the Sunday cycle of readings where the Old Testament passages clearly prefigure the Gospel for the day.

So, we are brought to our questions for consideration:

1.     Do I seek to know the Sacred Scriptures so that my life, especially my speech, is impregnated with the Word?

2.     Am I attentive to the relationship between the Old Testament (first reading) and the Gospel presented at Sunday Mass?

Challenge:  Begin making a habit of reading the Old Testament reading for Sunday Mass, along with the Psalm which is responding to it; and then skip to the Gospel: How does the OT reading prepare us for the Gospel?  How does the Gospel complete and fulfill the reading from the OT?

Scripturae Sacrae Affectus: Pope Francis' Apostolic Letter on Sacred Scripture

This past September 30, being the 1600^th anniversary of the death of St. Jerome, and his feast, our Holy Father, Pope Francis published an apostolic letter, Scripturae Sacrae Affectus on St. Jerome and Sacred Scripture.  Because a knowledge of Sacred Scripture is knowledge of Christ, and since knowledge of Christ is a precursor to love of Christ (which IS the vocation to holiness), it seemed not only worthwhile, but providential that we should take the opportunity to dive into this letter ourselves as a preparation for diving into Sacred Scripture itself.  And so, for the next five weeks, we shall.

Our Holy Father begins by pointing out that “Devotion to sacred Scripture…is the legacy that St. Jerome bequeathed to the Church by his life and labours.”  He then gives us an introduction to St. Jerome.  Particularly striking was a dream St. Jerome had which revealed to him that as much as he considered himself a Christian, he had much to do before he could be convicted of being such before the heavenly tribunal.

Pope Francis then goes on to relate more details about St. Jerome’s life and travels, and then his establishment of “twin” monasteries near the grotto of the Nativity in Bethlehem.  In this environment. St. “Jerome came to know himself and to find the face of God and of his brothers and sisters.”  Our holy father further points out that “Jerome saw his studies not as a pleasant pastime and an end unto itself, but rather as a spiritual exercise and a means of drawing closer to God.”  Finally, in this portion of the letter, Pope Francis helps us to see that St. Jerome’s study of scripture in the context of his monastic life led him to a deeper love for the world and for his fellow man.  He finishes with a quote from St. Jerome: “they are blessed who bear within them the cross, the resurrection, the places of Christ’s nativity and ascension!  Blessed are they who have Bethlehem in their heart, in whose heart Christ is born each day!”

Questions for Reflection:

1. If I was dragged before the heavenly tribunal (or any!), is there enough evidence to convict me of being a Christian?

2. When is the last time I sat down and read “The Bible”, not the lections for Mass, not an excerpt in a devotional book, but “The Bible”?

3. What exactly do know about the Bible?

Challenge:  Spend five (5) minutes each day getting to know God better in Sacred Scripture.  Start with either the Gospel According to St. Matthew -or- the Acts of the Apostles.

"A Catholic Vote Must Be a Moral Vote": What to do about this election?

 Homiletic and Pastoral Review often has very thoughtful articles which are of help in thinking through difficult pastoral and moral issues.  Here is an article "A Catholic Vote Must Be a Moral Vote" which deals with many of the issues so many of us have been wrestling with over the past several months.

Missive: What's In A Name?

Wednesday evening we were able to confirm our candidates for Confirmation.  It is always a blessed time in the life of our parishes, even when the bishop can’t be there.  But what I want to focus on is not the significance of the bishop’s presence but on the significance of the patron saint each candidate chooses.

One of our candidates chose Carlo Acutis, who is to be beatified this weekend (October 10) in Assisi, Italy.  I was very pleased that this candidate had chosen (now) Blessed Carlo.  Patron saints are supposed to inspire us as well as be someone to whom we turn in prayer.  This is why saints are canonized and also why candidates for Confirmation are encouraged to choose the name of a saint by which they will be confirmed.  Our young confirmand was inspired by Bl. Carlo’s interest in the internet.  I pray that he will come to be as inspired by Bl. Carlo’s inspired use of the internet to bring “Christ to the world”.

Bl. Carlo had a great devotion to the Rosary (his “attributes” are a laptop and a rosary), as well as to Saints Francis of Assisi (his favorite pilgrimage destination), Francisco & Jacinta (Fatima), Tarcisius (featured this week on our catechesis page), Dominic Savio, and Bernadette Soubirous (Lourdes).  He also had a great devotion to the Blessed Sacrament of the Eucharist, to which his devotion to all these saints and the rosary should lead because it is Christ Himself.

Blessed Carlo had a desire, when he was diagnosed with Leukemia, to visit the site of every Eucharistic miracle in the world.  His condition made this impossible, so he developed a website cataloging each of the many places where Eucharistic miracles have occurred.

He died on 12 October 2006 at the age of 15, and is now recognized by the Church as a “blessed”; one more miracle and we’ll know him as “saint” Carlo.  He is the patron of young people, students, the internet, and computer programmers.

I pray that all of our confimandi will take to heart their patron saint(s) and continue to be inspired by them to achieve the holiness to which they have been called in Baptism / Confirmation.  I also pray fervently their parents, sponsors, and all of us will encourage their devotion to their chosen patron and will also encourage their devotion to attaining the holiness of life to which they have been called.  They ARE capable of this level of holiness!  They are also called to this level of holiness in Baptism.  Check out my essay on Bl. Carlo and the holiness of teens on my blog.

“May Christ our Lord help us all with His bountiful grace, so that we may know His holy will and perfectly fulfill it.” (St. Ignatius of Loyola)

Blessed Carlo Acutis

Blessed Carlo Acutis was beatified today in Assisi, Italy.  He was a remarkable young man and a true example for all teens.  There is no point in my regurgitating the various articles that have already been written about Bl. Carlo.  What follows are links to some of the more useful resources I have found.  First off, for a general overview, I find "Google" to be a generally good first resource.  So, here is their article on Bl. Carlo.  Next, because we live in a video age, there are two Youtube videos which are each, in their own way, enlightening here and here.  Of course, you don't get beatified or canonized without miracles, so here is a good article from Our Sunday Visitor.  Next is an article found on Aleteia regarding Bl. Carlo being found "incorrupt".  And finally, a link to the Eucharistic Miracles web page Bl. Carlo created which is still up and running.

These many articles and resources which I am linking here are valuable and good, but I want to speak for a bit about how important Patron Saints are for our young people and how important it is for the adults in their lives to propose a life of holiness to them.

Too often adults think of the life of holiness as either impossible, or too "radical".  As a result, they bring their children to be baptized, communicated, and confirmed, but do little to nothing to activate those graces received; all the while proclaiming that "I'm may not be the best Christian in the world, but I do as well as the next person".  I have a friend, Mary-Louise Kurey, who spent her year of service as Miss Wisconsin (1999) speaking to young people about a life of chastity.  She told me more than once about how sad it was that she could get a gymnasium full of kids excited about the possibility of living a life of chastity while their teachers, coaches, and parents would stand in the back, arms crossed, shaking their head "no".

 

Sometimes parents even actively dissuade their children from growing in holiness.  I remember Jeff Cavins, a popular Catholic media figure, telling the story of how his evangelical girlfriend and her family got him excited about knowing the Bible.  His parent's response to his excitement was "Why would you want to do that?  Just go to Mass."  As a result he left the Church and eventually became a Protestant minister.  Happily, his serious study of scripture eventually brought him back to the fullness of the faith - reverting back to the practice of the Catholic faith of his youth, but now with an intentionality that has inspired many to deepen their own practice of the faith.

Parents and other adults find the wherewithal to encourage young people to such amazing feats in athletics, music, academics, and even preparing to be future business leaders; but when it come to a life of faith and virtue, we too often settle for a bar no higher than that we'd set for a second grader.

Brothers & sisters, our young people are capable of so much more!  Look through the articles about Bl. Carlo, also Bl. Chiara "Luce" Badano, Bl. Pier-Giorgio Frassati, and so many others.  These are all examples who should be presented to our young people, whose lives of holiness should be proposed as completely doable for our own young people.

Generally, we see saints coming from saints; however, Bl. Carlo is evidence that saints can come through the ordinary means of grace which flows to us through the sacraments, and through us to those around us - like Bl. Carlo's parents, friends, and the poor he sought out on the street to assist in their need.