Remembering John Paul the Great

Over the next few days, I will be writing about the many ways in which John Paul II changed my life. As the one year anniversary of his death approaches, April 2nd, it seems fitting to recall the may ways in which this Holy Man touched all of our lives.

John Paul the Great was instrumental in my re-conversion to the Faith. He, along with Our Lady, led my to a greater love of our Lord and His Church. I remember back to the year 2000, the Jubillee year, when I happen to be studying Roman history in Rome that winter/spring. The fact that it was the Jubillee year was more or less inconsequential. Yet, over the 4 months I spent in Rome, I slowly began to wander back to the Faith. Sure, the beautiful churches, the history of the Eternal City, the museums, and all those things were important for my return to the faith. However, I can honestly say that it was being in the presence of John Paul II during the Holy Thursday Chrism Mass that was a true catalyst for me. I was blessed, not lucky, to be seated right along the aisle of St. Peter's Basilica as the Holy Father processed to the altar. I can still remember the sight of the Holy Father coming down the main aisle on some sort of transport, since he was unable to walk himself. At first, I thought it was kind of odd, but as he approached, that initial feeling dissipated. All of a sudden, I had an immediate sense of being in the presence of holiness. This was something I had never experienced before. (I knew who the Holy Father was before my trip to Rome and in many ways I admired him, but this experience was something different.) As he approached the area where I was, I made sure to snap a few pictures, but as he got closer I stopped. I can remember him looking directly at me, as if he was looking through my soul. At that moment I just stopped what I was doing and just looked upon the Holy Father as he continued down the aisle. I immediately was filled with great admiration for him, for even though he was old and in many ways feeble, he was strong. His faith was his strength, and I could sense that by just looking at him.

In many ways, I grew up without seeing or sensing that in anyone I had come into contact with. Going to Church was boring for me, and I never felt there was anyone at my local parish who exhibited the same sort of outward faith that the Holy Father had done. John Paul the Great's faith was visible to me! This caused me to slowly reconsider the claims of the Church, which ultimately led to devoting my life to her. Thank you Holy Father!

Praise be to Jesus Christ!

John Paul II Still Serves, Says Cardinal Dziwisz

VATICAN CITY, MARCH 28, 2006 (Zenit.org).- Cardinal Stanislaw Dziwisz, Pope John Paul II's longtime secretary, wished to celebrate one of his first Masses as cardinal at the Polish Pontiff's tomb in the Vatican Grottoes. The cardinal assured the faithful Monday that the deceased Pope "continues to serve the Church." In a brief homily, when concelebrating Mass with several cardinals, archbishops, bishops and priests in the presence of numerous faithful, Cardinal Dziwisz, the archbishop of Krakow, said that "the 'cause' of Jesus of Nazareth, of the Son of God, continues." "One of the great witnesses of this 'cause' of Jesus was the Servant of God John Paul II," the 66-year-old cardinal added. "A year ago we buried his mortal remains in the earth, precisely a few steps from here. "However, we are acutely aware that he continues to guide us with his word, he continues to serve the Church and does not cease to confirm us in the faith." That same day the new cardinal returned to Poland, and publicly gave thanks for "having been included as archbishop of Krakow, unworthy successor of St. Stanislaw, bishop and martyr, in the College of Cardinals."

Pope John Paul the Great....Pray for Us!

Pope Benedict on Laetare Sunday

The fourth, or middle, Sunday of Lent, so called from the first words of the Introit at Mass, "Laetare Jerusalem" -- "Rejoice, O Jerusalem". During the first six or seven centuries the season of Lent commenced on the Sunday following Quinquagesima, and thus comprised only thirty-six fasting days. To these were afterwards added the four days preceding the first Sunday, in order to make up the forty days' fast, and one of the earliest liturgical notices of these extra days occurs in the special Gospels assigned to them in a Toulon manuscript of 714. Strictly speaking, the Thursday before Laetare Sunday is the middle day of Lent, and it was at one time observed as such, but afterwards the special signs of joy permitted on this day, intended to encourage the faithful in their course through the season of penance, were transferred to the Sunday following. They consist of (like those of Gaudete Sunday in Advent) in the use of flowers on the altar, and of the organ at Mass and Vespers; rose-coloured vestments also allowed instead of purple, and the deacon and subdeacon wear dalmatics, instead of folded chasubles as on the other Sundays of Lent. The contrast between Laetare and the other Sundays is thus emphasized, and is emblematical of the joys of this life, restrained rejoicing mingled with a certain amount of sadness. The station at Rome was on this day made at the church of S. Croce in Gerusalemme, one of the seven chief basilicas; the Golden Rose, sent by the popes to Catholic sovereigns, used to be blessed at this time, and for this reason the day was sometimes called "Dominica de Rosa". Other names applied to it were Refreshment Sunday, or the Sunday of the Five Loaves, from a miracle recorded in the Gospel; Mid-Lent, mi-carême, or mediana; and Mothering Sunday, in allusion to the Epistle, which indicates our right to be called the sons of God as the source of all our joy, and also because formerly the faithful used to make their offerings in the cathedral or mother-church on this day. This latter name is still kept up in some remote parts of England, though the reason for it has ceased to exist. c/0 www.newadvent.org

Four Key Topics for Cardinals' Close-Door Session

Vatican, Mar. 23 (CWNews.com) - At a special March 23 meeting of the College of Cardinals, Pope Benedict XVI (bio - news) asked for the prelates' thoughts on four key questions facing the Church: a bid to heal the breach with Catholic traditionalists, relations between Christianity and Islam, the status of retired bishops, and the preparation and use of liturgical texts.

All four of these topics are important to the Church today. I think that healing the breach with Catholic traditionalists is tied up with the issue of liturgical texts. They both go together. Greater use of Latin is certainly needed, and hopefully this will bring about a more faithful translation of the Mass from the Latin.

Praise be to Jesus Christ!

First Blessed of Bari!

Sister Elias of St. Clement (1901-1927)

BARI, Italy, MARCH 19, 2006 (Zenit.org).- Abandonment to love and total self-giving to God was the path that led Discalced Carmelite Sister Elias of St. Clement to be beatified. Cardinal José Saraiva Martins, prefect of the Vatican Congregation for Sainthood Causes, on Saturday presided over the beatification ceremony in Bari for the nun (1901-1927) on behalf of the Pope. The nun is the first person from this city to be beatified. Archbishop Francesco Cacucci of Bari-Bitonto presided over the Mass. The archbishop quoted the Carmelite in his homily: "I understood that to lead souls to God, it is not necessary to do great deeds; rather, it was the immolation of my whole being that the good Jesus was asking of me." "It is not possible to change the world without the Love offered on the cross," said the prelate. This wisdom was the gift the religious left to the Church, the archbishop said. He described the newly beatified religious as a "small Host, white and pure, consumed by love, dedicated to listening to and contemplating God," nourished "by beauty and poetry." Archbishop Cacucci addressed a prayer to Blessed Elias of St. Clement: "We thank you for your holiness, help us to run to heaven, like the prophet Elias, in a chariot inflamed by true love." Speaking to Vatican Radio, the archbishop said of the blessed: "Lost in God, Sister Elias always lived, also as a lay woman, the primacy of God in her life, in the contemplation of the beautiful, in listening to the Word, in love for the Eucharist. "In the Carmel, she followed the 'little way' of St. Thérèse of the Child Jesus, in hiddenness, 'crucified' with Christ, in the total immolation of herself for the salvation of souls. "The first blessed of the history of our Church in Bari, Sister Elias exhorts us to 'look on high,' but in humility, in sacrifice. Above all, she teaches that holiness is also possible for us, no matter what our state in life. We must 'know how to bloom,' she said, 'where God has planted us.'"

The Universal Call to Holiness is for all of us! Holiness is not reserved solely to the Pope, a priest, or a religious. We all must strive for perfection, as Our Lord calls us to. Even when we sin and feel unworthy of the great gifts that God has bestowed on us, it is essential that we return to God. Confession is always the first step. Secondly, keep our minds and hearts focused on the Lord, as well as those who are His disciples. Any friend of God is a friend of mine! Blessed Elias followed the "little way" of St. Therese, which provides all of us a beautiful guide to advancing spiritually. I recommend St. Therese's "Story of a Soul" to all of you.

Praise be to Jesus Christ!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!!

This picture I took in Dublin back in the summer of 1998. Kind of a typical view of life in an Irish city.

West's New Creed: Belief Without Belonging

ROME, MARCH 16, 2006 (Zenit.org).-

Despite the growth of sects and new religions in Western countries, the most widespread religious phenomenon is of believers who do not belong to or practice a specific faith. So says sociologist Massimo Introvigne, director of Turin's Center of Studies on New Religions (CESNUR). Introvigne referred to this phenomenon when addressing a congress in Rome on "The Nature of Religion in Theological Context," which took place March 9-10 in the School of Theology of the University of the Holy Cross. "One often hears talk of an 'invasion of sects' or an 'explosion' of new religions," said Introvigne. "Certainly, religious movements that in some way are alternatives, are very many. J. Gordon Melton -- who, however, rejects drawing a line of clear demarcation between 'old' and 'new' religions -- records over 1,500 groups of a certain consistency in the United States." "In a country in which religious pluralism is more recent, such as Italy, CESNUR knows of more than 300 denominations," he revealed. "In Africa," Introvigne continued, "specialists list several thousand new religions, and the number grows every day. But in no country of the West do new movements seem to exceed 2% of the population. … In Italy it is more likely that they are about 1%." Something higher "The largest 'new' religion, therefore, especially in the West, is that of those who 'believe without belonging,' according to the formula of English sociologist Grace Davie," explained the Italian sociologist. In Italy, for example, according to the data of the European Survey on Values of 2000, Catholics who practice, at least occasionally, are almost one-third of the population. "What remains is a population made up of more than half of all Italians who say that they 'believe' in something higher or transcendent, but that in fact they do not 'belong' to a religious community in the full sense of the term," Introvigne indicated. He continued: "It ranges from those who believe in a higher power but do not know how to identify it, to that of 'believers in their own way,' 'to Christians in their own way' and 'Catholics in their own way' -- 'I am Catholic, but I don't practice'; 'I am Catholic, but I don't agree with the Church'; and even -- a position that is not infrequent in Italy -- 'I am Catholic but I am against priests.'"

To "believe without belonging" is really in the end a cop-out. It is the same concept of being "spiritual, but not religious." "Spiritual, but not religious" and "believing without belonging" are ways in which someone can be associated with a group, without having the responsibility of actually following what they believe or demand. It is really easy in these days to be nominally this or that, but to actually follow and believe in something is completely different. Due to thirty years of poor catechesis and a culture that is very anti-religious, particularly Catholic, we have a large number of young people who are ill-equipped to investigate or even defend the faith. It is way too easy for them, and I know this from personal experience, to just accept the "truths" of religious pluralism/relativism and to just consider him/herself "spiritual." Ultimately, to be "spiritual" is just a way of saying that I recognize that a God exists, but I am not willing to accept the responsibilies of being a disciple. Discipleship is needed!

Praise be to Jesus Christ!

Seminaries are Overcrowded in Vietnam

HO CHI MINH CITY, Vietnam, MARCH 12, 2006 (Zenit.org).-

The Church in Vietnam needs new facilities and better-trained teachers to accommodate the increasing number of candidates to the priesthood, according to the archbishop of Thanh-Pho Ho Chi Minh. Cardinal Jean-Baptiste Pham Minh Mân, 72, told AsiaNews that in the archdiocese there are 230 seminarians living in a small facility. "This means a shortage of living and teaching space," he said. Also, the cardinal said, "there are not enough well-trained teachers." He said two reasons for the overcrowding is that the archdiocese (formerly known as Saigon) receives candidates from six southern dioceses, and that the government has stipulated that they allow all applicants to be admitted. In Hanoi, St. Joseph's Major Seminary supplies priests to eight northern dioceses. Currently, it has 235 students but not enough space for all of them to live. The Holy See and Vietnam do not have diplomatic relations, but for some time have been following a path of rapprochement. About 6 million of Vietnam's 83 million inhabitants are Catholic.

Awesome! Perhaps we will see this in China too!

Reflection on this Sunday's Readings

Bonds Loosed

Readings
Genesis 22:1-2, 9-13, 15-18
Psalm 116:10, 15-19
Romans 8:31-34
Mark 9:2-10

The Lenten season continues with another story of testing. Last Sunday, we heard the trial of Jesus in the desert. In this week's First Reading, we hear of how Abraham was put to the test. The Church has always read this story as a sign of God's love for the world in giving His only begotten son. In today's Epistle, Paul uses exact words drawn from this story to describe how God, like Abraham, did not withhold His only Son, but handed Him over for us on the cross (see Romans 8:32; Genesis 22:12,16).

In the Gospel today, too, we hear another echo. Jesus is called God's "beloved Son" - as Isaac is described as Abraham's beloved firstborn son. These readings are given to us in Lent to reveal Christ's identity and to strengthen us in the face of our afflictions.Jesus is shown to be the true son that Abraham rejoiced to see (see Matthew 1:1; John 8:56). In His transfiguration, He is revealed to be the "prophet like Moses" foretold by God - raised from among their own kinsmen, speaking with God's own authority (see Deuteronomy 18:15,19). Like Moses, He climbs the mountain with three named friends and beholds God's glory in a cloud (see Exodus 24:1,9,15). He is the one prophesied to come after Elijah's return (see Sirach 48:9-10; Malachi 3:1,23-24).And, as He discloses to the apostles, He is the Son of Man sent to suffer and die for our sins (see Isaiah 53:3).

As we sing in today's Psalm, Jesus believed in the face of His afflictions, and God loosed Him from the bonds of death (see Psalm 116:3). His rising should give us the courage to face our trials, to offer ourselves totally to the Father - as He did, as Abraham and Isaac did. Freed from death by His death, we come to this Mass to offer the sacrifice of thanksgiving, and to renew our vows - as His servants and faithful ones.

@ St. Paul Center for Biblical Theology (www.salvationhistory.com)

Anti-Da Vinci Code Site is Up!

Our American Bishops (USCCB) have now opened a website for those who have questions about the upcoming film or the book "The Da Vinci Code." The address is: http://www.jesusdecoded.com/.

So far it looks pretty darn good. If you have any questions about what is claimed by Dan Brown in his book, the site seems to have a number of resources for you.

It is good to see that the Bishops are taking this potential threat seriously. It must be recognized that today so many people get their information about history, politics, and particularly religion from movies and TV. Therefore, we cannot allow certain nefarious statements about Our Lord and His Church to go unanswered. It is our job as Baptized Catholics to be prepared to defend our faith and Holy Mother Church.

Praise be to Jesus Christ!

Why don't we reserve the Precious Blood?

Well, here is the answer:

ROME, MARCH 7, 2006 (Zenit.org).- Answered by Father Edward McNamara, professor of liturgy at the Regina Apostolorum university.

Q: Is it ever permissible to reserve the Precious Blood, for example, on Holy Thursday for distribution of Communion on Good Friday? If so, under what circumstances; if not, why not? I am unable to find any documentation in either canonical or liturgical law which would prohibit reservation of the Precious Blood.

A: You are quite correct in assuming that the Precious Blood may not be reserved. There are several documents that show this. First of all, Pope John Paul II's 1980 letter "Inestimabile Donum" makes this prohibition clear in No. 14: "On the other hand, the consecrated wine is to be consumed immediately after Communion and may not be kept. Care must be taken to consecrate only the amount of wine needed for Communion." There are also many other documents that state this point indirectly when they remind the priest to consume the Precious Blood after Communion. For example, "Redemptionis Sacramentum," No. 107, says: "Furthermore all will remember that once the distribution of Holy Communion during the celebration of Mass has been completed, the prescriptions of the Roman Missal are to be observed [See GIRM 163, 249, 279, 284, 285a], and in particular, whatever may remain of the Blood of Christ must be entirely and immediately consumed by the Priest or by another minister, according to the norms, while the consecrated hosts that are left are to be consumed by the Priest at the altar or carried to the place for the reservation of the Eucharist." A brief exception to this norm is, as indicated in Canon 925 and the Rites of Anointing and Viaticum, when Communion must be brought to the sick who are medically unable to consume under the form of bread. In the 1960s the Holy Office even granted permission to take the Precious Blood through a stomach tube. In such cases it is preferable that the priest celebrate the Eucharist in the home or hospital of the sick person and bring the Precious Blood immediately. But if this is not possible he may bring it in a sealed vessel and pour it into a chalice for administration. The reasons why the Church has never reserved the Precious Blood probably stem from a sense of respect for the Eucharistic Species and from practical consideration. Since the species of wine can easily become corrupt, especially in hot climates, it would be disrespectful to risk having this happen. It is also more difficult to conserve in sufficient quantities, to transport and to administer. It could be argued that custom plays a role and since, until recently, only the priest would receive under both kinds when he celebrated it was never necessary to reserve the Precious Blood. However, even those Eastern rites that have never abandoned the custom of Communion under both kinds do not generally reserve the Precious Blood. Also, some of these rites do not celebrate daily Mass during Lent, and on Lenten Wednesdays and Fridays they celebrate a Communion rite with the "pre-sanctified" hosts from the previous Sunday. Although some of the prayers from this rite suggest that the chalice was once reserved along with the hosts, this has not been the case for many centuries. There are still some traces of this practice of a-liturgical days in the West. The venerable Ambrosian rite of Milan in Italy neither celebrates Mass nor distributes Communion on Fridays of Lent. Likewise we can easily forget that it was not until Pope Pius XII reformed the rites of Holy Week that Communion was distributed on Good Friday in the Roman rite.

Thus, from a canonical, historical and practical perspective, it is not correct to reserve the Precious Blood.

South Dakota Bans Most Abortions!

South Dakota Abortion Ban Signed Into Law

PIERRE, South Dakota, MARCH 6, 2006 (Zenit.org).

The governor of South Dakota signed legislation banning nearly all abortions in the state. Governor Mike Rounds issued a written statement today saying he expects the law will be tied up in court for years and will not take effect unless the U.S. Supreme Court upholds it. The measure would make it a crime for doctors to perform an abortion unless the procedure was necessary to save the mother's life. Abortion opponents already are offering money to help the state pay legal bills for the anticipated court challenge, Rounds has said. Under the new law, designed to go into effect July 1, doctors could get up to five years in prison for performing an illegal abortion. Father Thomas Euteneuer, president of Virginia-based Human Life International, in a statement after the signing said: "Governor Rounds is a hero. … As a Catholic priest I am delighted to see a Roman Catholic play such an important role in the creation of a culture of life in the United States."

Prayer to End Abortion

Lord God, I thank you today for the gift of my life, And for the lives of all my brothers and sisters. I know there is nothing that destroys more life than abortion, Yet I rejoice that you have conquered death by the Resurrection of Your Son. I am ready to do my part in ending abortion. Today I commit myself Never to be silent, Never to be passive, Never to be forgetful of the unborn. I commit myself to be active in the pro-life movement, And never to stop defending life Until all my brothers and sisters are protected, And our nation once again becomes A nation with liberty and justice Not just for some, but for all, Through Christ our Lord. Amen!

No More the Patriarch of the West?

Vatican, Mar. 01 (CWNews.com) -

Pope Benedict XVI (bio - news) has dropped one of the traditional titles of the Roman Pontiff.

Evidently hoping to eliminate one possible obstacle to ecumenical progress with the Orthodox world, the Holy Father has renounced the title "Patriarch of the West."

But not to worry, he is still the Bishop of Rome, Vicar of Jesus Christ, Successor of the Prince of Apostles, Supreme Pontiff of the Universal Church, Primate of Italy, Metropolitan Archbishop of the Roman Province, Sovereign of Vatican City and Servant of the Servants of God.