Tuewsday Reflection: September 18, 2007

Gospel stories give us the gift of knowing more than history. We encounter the personalities of many biblical characters. Today's Gospel opens the reader's eyes and heart to Jesus' pity, his concern for a mother, also a widow, who son has died and is about to be buried. He confronts the misery of a mother who has now lost the joy and support of her life.

This is Jesus' first bringing back to life someone who had died. Here we see the tender, softer side of the man Jesus. Is this something he learned from Mary and Joseph? Could this event have occurred after Mary had become a widow? Were his mind and heart drawn to the thoughts of his own future and the pain his mother would suffer?

We learn here as well as elsewhere that Jesus was a sensitive person. In the gospels we learn that he cried when Lazarus died. He knew that death was but the doorway to a new, everlasting life. Yet, his heart was easily turned to sympathy with a distraught widow or saddened and hurting sisters.

Perhaps these "raising from the dead" events can teach us that we should always be open to the loving care of Jesus for us. Most of us encounter different kinds of death each day. Some lose a loved one or dear friend. Some suffer other kinds of losses. The reality is that we have to walk by Jesus. We have to bring ourselves and our needs to him even though he knows them.

We have to see beyond the "things" we usually adopt to ease our pains of loss -- those realities our culture wants us to believe will be the pacifiers that satisfy our pains. Let's not be foolish. Let's not be distracted from the true cure to our pains and losses.

Monday Reflection: September 17, 2007

Humility is the key that opens up the door of our hearts to the graces of God!

Genuine humility can open our hearts and minds to those damnable "needs" that seem to keep us from giving God the time that we should each day. Just pause for a moment and consider the many ways that graces come to you each day. The occasions abound ... especially if we include in our daily schedules some time with the Lord.

The centurion's actions are an example of a man with true humility. He surely may know his weaknesses but he also knows that is expected of him ... his good exercise of authority. He seems to be well aware of his rank and what that demands of him.

How does each of us in our own lives strengthen our spiritual life? How do we remove the clutter that distracts us from a simpler, more peaceful life?

For each of us, regardless of our vocation in life, humility is a means of our recognizing that we are means to other people's close relationship to God. Minimizing my time with God ignores that responsibility.

Life without excitment? B O R I N G

Sep. 13, 2007 (CWNews.com) - The Catholic bishops of Canada have announced the excommunication of members of the group known as the Army of Mary.
The September 12 announcement from the Canadian bishops' conference indicated that the excommunications had been declared by the Vatican's Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, with the approval of Pope Benedict XVI (bio - news).
The Army of Mary was founded in 1971 by Marie-Paule Giguere, who had reported a series of mystical visions upon which she guided the group. The Army of Mary was formally recognized by Archbishop Maurice Roy of Quebec City in 1975, but that approval was rescinded by Cardinal Louis-Albert Vachon in 1987 after a series of disputes about doctrinal issues.
In 2000 the Vatican weighed in on those doctrinal issues. Then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, acting as prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, wrote to the Canadian bishops to warn of the "gravely erroneous" material appearing in publications of the Army of God. Among those doctrinal errors was the claim that Marie-Paule Giguere was the reincarnation of the Virgin Mary.
The Army of God provoked a fresh confrontation with Church leaders this year when one of its priests, Father Jean-Pierre Mastropietro, attempted to ordain 6 other men without episcopal approval. That action led Cardinal Marc Ouellet, the current head of the Quebec archdiocese, to declare that the ordinations were invalid and those involved had separated themselves from communion with the Catholic Church.
This week's declaration from Rome confirms Cardinal Ouellet's judgment, announcing the excommunication of Father Mastropietro, the men he claimed to have ordained, and other members of the Army of God who "entered into schism by participating in the ordinations."hurch in Canada has taken the lead in excommunications of a number of priests and laity involved with the Army of Mary. An article from Catholic World News offers something interesting for a beautiful pre-Fall Sunday.

Get Ready: Papal Visit in the Works

A paragraph from "Whispers in the Loggia" with news that has not hit the Post or the Times: Pope Benedict is coming to town. His first Papal American tour: April 15-20, 2008. Can you not hear him saying, "Archbishop Wuerl [or maybe Cardinal by that time] how wonderful to be with you in Washington."l

Touching down in Washington, where the professor-Pope is said to be especially eager to see the campus of the Catholic University of America, Benedict will grant the trip's first hosting honors to another of his highly favored ones -- his most-prominent US appointee yet, Archbishop Donald Wuerl. Beyond the requisite meeting with President Bush at the White House and the other formalities of a head of state paying an official visit to the capital, a Mass on the National Mall is reportedly in the early plans.

To read the full story about the early planning for the Papal trip, you should link on the Whispers. The Pope's schedule seems to include New York City, Boston, Baltimore and Washington. How would you like to visit those cities in six days?

Rembrant: c: 1662 Return of the prodigal son

Recently an adult spoke to me about how challenging it is for him to read the gospels. He has heard them so often that he no longer finds interest in them. They don’t stir him. During the conversation I asked him if he thinks himself to be a sinner. The response without any thought was, “Of course I am a sinner.” Let me ask you this then: When was the last time you received the Sacrament of Reconciliation? Then the pause that I wanted happened. The response came: “Well, I confess my sins to God.” “Well, when did that last happen ... and be specific with me,” was my response. “Ughhhhhh. I really cannot remember.” “Well, could you ever think that the gospels really are not interesting to you because you really don’t find Jesus Christ interesting, because you really don’t think much about your being a sinner? You know it is very easy to say, “Oh, yes, I am a sinner.” That, you know is a boilerplate answer that really has about as much depth and meaning as the veneer on a counter top.”
Quite frankly I was now expecting an explosion because I had backed my friend into a corner. But the opposite did happen. “Well, maybe I should seriously think more about my life.” “You bet,” I said, hoping my rather serious tone would make him realize his needs. “And while you are at it, open your Bible – you have one don’t you? – (another long pause) and read St. Luke’s story of the Prodigal Son.
None of us is free from the temptation to find as tiring or dull that which we hear or do often. I believe as adults, as parents, we are often able to point this out to youngsters. Music lessons, studying, doing school homework, keeping a bedroom simply civilized, forget the neatness.
The story Jesus used to confront the scribes and Pharisees who disliked Jesus’ associating with sinners and tax collectors is always one that can teach us about ourselves as sinners.
Have you ever asked yourself if you resemble the prodigal son? Most likely you did not take your inheritance and become something of a waste. However, have you ever considered your desires to be the most important things in the world? Is it simply not having something that is the separator between myself and true happiness? Looking at our lives, we might come to recognize that sin is like a coin: one side is me the other is God. One side is selfishness, the other is a prodigal Father ... just pouring out forgiveness and love.
And think of that father in the story for a moment. Can you imagine how many times his Dad went out at the end of a tiring day to gaze into the distance, looking and hoping for a son. Many might have given up on a young man but most often, deep in his heart, a father always hopes and longs for a moment of reconciliation.
The third major character, the brother, is a model of what we don’t want to be. Do we harbor a dislike that borders on genuine hatred for those who have more success that we have ourselves or for those who have less than we do but who are given special exemptions or assistance. Like the brother, do we ever find our minds rejection our sisters and brothers, created by the same God who brought us into this world, do we reject them by our unchristian words and actions?
Jesus forgives not just sinners but ALL sinners, even the toughest character we might meet. We must, as Jesus calls us, seek a reconciliation with all those for who we hold a kind of alienation in our hearts. We must celebrate God’s reconciliation with us at the altar where we experience the fullness of God’s freely given love and forgiveness.

Exultation of the Holy Cross

Today first reading for the feast of the Exultation of the Holy Cross is one of the clearest expressions of the way Paul learned to deal with the crosses that were placed upon his shoulders throughout his life ... especially in those later years when he took on the world.

Paul's words indicate that for him suffering is a key that opened his heart to receive the graces of Jesus and to deepened his faith in the Son of God.

"The wisdom of the cross" was Paul's favorite way of teaching that our embracing in faith the crosses that have come our way is how we grow in a knowledge of ourselves and our Savior. For Paul this is true maturity: facing our crosses and embracing them in faith by allow Jesus to strengthen and transform us through them.

This all brings to mind the suffering and pain a family I know well is enduring today. A daughter in her mid-twenties has finally realized that she needs to have professional assistance in overcoming an addiction to alcohol. Later today her parents are driving her to Father Martin's Ashley a wonderful rehab place outside of Baltimore. Please remember "Marie" in your prayers as she faces her cross in the days ahead.

Let us all prayer for one another. We each have our crosses to bear. But, following Paul, we can lift high the cross that is reminder of our salvation.

Right in our nation's Capitol Building

From the days of Paul and Barnabas, men and women have gone forth to preach the Good News. Many saints are remembered on the church's calendar. How Catholic many missionaries are remembered in the nation's Capitol building? In addition to one current Catholic Chaplain there are four priests and one religious sister in the building. Can you name them? Thanks to Deacon Andy Nosacek, assigned to St. Pius X parish, for this information he prepared for the Knights of Columbus.

Jesuit Fr. Eusebio Kino, SJ (Arizona) Scientific explorer, cartographer, astronomer, rancher and missionary. Born in 1645; died in Mexico 1711.

Franciscan Blessed Fr. Junipero Serra, OSF (California) Professor, preacher, explorer, builder and missionary. Built a chain of missions along the Camino Real which formed the basis for cities in California: among them Los Angeles, San Francisco and Santa Clara. Born 1645; Died in Monterey, CA 1784.

Sacred Heart Father, Damien de Veuster, CSH (Hawaii) Priest, healer, missionary. Established Molokai mission in 1873. Born Belgium, 1823; died on Molokai, 1889

Sister of Charity, Mother Joseph (Esther Pariseau) SC, (Washington state) Religious Sister, artist, architect, builder, missionary. Built 11 hospitals, 7 academies, 5 Indian schools, 2 orphanges in an area now Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Montana. Born in Montreal, Canada, in 1823; died 1902.

Jesuit Fr. Jacques Marquette (Wisconsin) Priest, teacher, explorer, historian, missionary. Explored Mississippi River to the Arkansas River in1673 with Louis Joliet. Devoted life to teaching Indians. Born in France, 1637; died 1675.

We have much to consider in their lives and what these missionaries did for the development of the Church in the USA. Of course there will be a quiz tomorrow!!!!

Thursday Reflection

Luke's gospel selection today very much allies itself with the man the Church has honored for centuries as a saint as well as a doctor of the Church. John Chrysostom was boon around the year 349. After becoming a monk, then a priest, he became known as the Golden Mouth (Chrysostom) because of his extraordinary skill in preaching.

Eventually he was made the bishop of Constantinople who recognized the weaknesses in both the clergy and laity alike. It was the message of the gospel that enabled him to give himself to sinners because he saw in them the very presence of God.

St. Augustine, so I have read, has written that it is by our love rather than by our feet that we come to love God. For him as well as St. John and other scripture writers, the virtue of love is significant on our faith journey.

We daily express our love for God by seeing him in others. It is in seeing God in them that brings us not only to love them but to forgive them when they injure us.

If we boast of our love for God, then we must live our lives just as Jesus spoke his final few words: "Forgive them for they do not know what they do." Do you believe that those who condemned and executed Jesus truly knew that he was God-incarnate? If they did, how could they ever have brought death to the man.

When we cannot forgive one who has offended us, we are failing to love the God that is within them.

New Look in the Vestment Department

During the recent visit to Austria, Archbishop Piero Marini, the Holy Father's Master of Ceremonies, and it would seem, selector of vestments, was having a great time in choosing loud and bright colors for the Pope's celebrations. Seems that the once forbidden blue is now a part of the pontifical vestment closet. Several other sets of vestments were worthy of note.

Photo: Shouts in the Piazza

The Hispanic Growth: Future Determining Factor

Demography is destiny: Hispanic Catholics to impact U.S. society
The following column is adapted from Archbishop Chaput’s comments on Sept. 7 to a special gathering of Hispanic Catholic business leaders at St. Malo Retreat and Conference Center. The meeting was chaired by Archbishop José Gomez of San Antonio, former auxiliary bishop of Denver.
I want to put before you tonight a few basic facts.
First and obviously, Hispanics and other immigrants now play a major role in American population and economic growth. Hispanic business owners are essential to this growth. Hispanic-owned enterprises grew 31 percent between 1997 and 2002 — that’s three times the national average for all businesses. Latina-owned businesses are growing at a rate six times that of the national average. Two million Hispanic businesses generated nearly $222 billion in revenue last year; that’s up 19 percent from 1997. Hispanic unemployment is at historically low levels, and Latino workers continue to fill employment gaps and workforce shortages in important sectors of our national economy.
Second, Hispanic buying power in the United States reached a figure of just under $800 billion in 2006. It will likely exceed that record in 2007. By 2015, Hispanic buying power may reach as high as $1.5 trillion annually. The Hispanic community is also beginning to set the dominant trends in American pop culture, music and food. Very few people could have predicted 15 years ago that salsa would outsell ketchup as America’s No. 1 condiment, but it does. And tortillas now outsell white bread in thousands of mainstream supermarkets across the country.
Third, this pattern of rapid growth has a huge impact on our local and national Catholic Church. More than 70 percent of the 42 million Hispanics in the United States are Catholic. Most of them are young. Likewise, about 70 percent of the U.S. Catholic population growth in the last few decades has been due to higher Hispanic birth rates and immigration.
For many years, the ministry, theological reflection and actual participation of Hispanics in the Church had, in some ways, been shaped by a spirit of confrontation; a theology that reinforced the Hispanic sense of alienation and discrimination. Of course, those bitter feelings were often rooted in real suffering and serious injustices. But in the long run, resentment is never a source of life and never a sign of strength. Today, the American landscape has changed. Demography is destiny. In the future, Hispanic Catholics will have a very serious influence on the direction of American society. And this is why I believe it’s time for Hispanics in general, and Hispanic leadership in particular, to take up the role that they deserve, and which they’ve earned, in the mission of the Church.
Hispanic Catholic leaders have an extraordinary opportunity to lead by their example of faith and generosity. America today is very different from America 50 years ago. The time we live in has unique advantages and also very real dangers to human dignity. For American Catholics of every ethnic and geographic background, our faith needs to be our glue of unity and our common identity in making a more humane and just society. Our common Catholic identity does not diminish the importance of diversity in the Church. On the contrary, it should encourage all of us to be grateful for the talents and experiences of others, as well as our own.
But at the end of the day, life is about the beliefs we all share: the importance of family and good friends; the dignity of hard work, the sanctity of the human person, especially the weak, and the goal of knowing and loving God, and being with him when our lives here are finished. There’s no skin color or foreign accent to any of these deep human yearnings. In these things, the important things, we all speak the same language. My hope for Hispanic business leaders is that God will lead each of you to be the truly Catholic leaders God intended you to be.

Printed in the Denver Register of this week.