Pope formally institutes ministry of catechist

Year of Saint Joseph, Month of Mary | May 22 - 23 2021: PENTECOST SUNDAY |
75th Anniversary Year

Pope formally institutes ministry of catechist

Pope Francis has formally instituted the office of catechist as a ministry within the Church.

With an apostolic letter entitled Antiquum Ministerium, released on May 11, the Pope established the lay minis-try, and announced that the Vatican would soon publish a ritual for the commissioning of catechists.

The papal document — issued in the form of a motu proprio — does not clearly define the role of the catechist. Instead the Pope says he will “invite the episcopal conferences to render effective the ministry of catechist, determining the necessary process of formation and devising the most appropriate forms for the service…”

In his apostolic letter the Pope stresses that the role of the catechist should be “carried out in a fully ‘secular’ manner, avoiding any form of clericalization.” He underlines the importance of lay people in bringing the Gospel message into their everyday lives, “interwoven with family and social relationships.” But he calls for recognition of a class of lay people who have a special commitment to evangelize. “It is the task of pastors to support them,” he says.

Describing the ministry that he has recognized, the Pope writes:

“Catechists are called first to be expert in the pastoral service of transmitting the faith as it develops through its different stages from the initial proclamation of the kerygma to the instruction that presents our new life in Christ and prepares for the sacraments of Christian initiation, and then to the ongoing formation that can allow each person to give an accounting of the hope within them (cf. 1 Pet 3:15). At the same time, every catechist must be a witness to the faith, a teacher and mystagogue, a companion and pedagogue, who teaches for the Church.”

“The ministry of Catechist in the Church is an ancient one,” the Pope writes at the opening of his apostolic letter. He emphasizes the crucial role of lay people in passing along the faith, and the variety of gifts within the Church. From the earliest days of Christianity, he says, “we can see that certain baptized persons exercised the ministry of transmitting in a more organic and stable form related to different situations in life the teaching of the apostles and evangelists.”

With the Second Vatican Council, the Pope continues, the Church gained “a renewed appreciation of the importance of lay involvement in the work of evangelization.” He notes that Pope Paul VI encouraged episcopal conferences to recognize the role of catechists.

In some countries, particularly in mission territories, lay people work regularly as catechists, in many cases on a full-time basis. How the newly recognized minis-try functions in other countries will be determined by the nations’ episcopal conferences.

Catholic World News May 11, 2021

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“The Madonna wants us to honour her under this title of Mary Help of Christians. The times are so sad that we definitely need the help of the Most Blessed Virgin to conserve and defend the Christian faith.”

Don Bosco, December 1862.

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Pope recalls 40th anniversary of assassination attempt on JPII

Year of Saint Joseph, Month of Mary | May 15-16 2021: | Ascension of the Lord |75th Anniversary Year 

Pope recalls 40th anniversary of assassination attempt on JPII

The Polish Pontiff was certain Our Lady of Fatima saved his life on her feast day.

\Pope Francis recalled the 40th anniversary on May 13 of the assassination attempt on Pope Saint John Paul II. “He was certain that he owed his life to Our Lady of Fatima,” Francis said, noting that “this makes us aware that our lives and the history of the world are in God’s hands.”

The Argentine pope mentioned the anniversary at the end of the May 12 general audience, in his special greetings to Polish-speaking pilgrims.

Pope John Paul II was shot as he passed through St Peter’s Square during the general audience on Wednesday, May 13, 1981, on the liturgical feast of Our Lady of Fatima.

All to the Immaculate Heart

“Let’s entrust the Church, ourselves and the whole world to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Let’s pray for peace, for the end of the pandemic, for a spirit of penitence and for our conversion,” Pope Francis said.

And recalling tomorrow’s feast day dedicated to Our Lady of Fatima, he said: “Let us place ourselves with trust under Her maternal protection, especially when we find ourselves in difficulty during our prayer life.” The topic of the audience today was the difficulties encountered in prayer.

Rosary relay

The pope also urged praying the Rosary, especially in this month dedicated to Mary.

A Rosary Marathon is underway, which Pope Fran-cis began on May 1 and will conclude May 31. A different shrine each day is leading the Rosary for the general intention of the end of the pandemic, as well as a specific related intention.

Kathleen N. Hattrup – Aleteia, 12/5/21

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"The power of Christ's Cross and Resurrection is greater than any evil which man could or should fear." Pope JP II

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Meditate on God’s presence after Communion

 Year of Saint Joseph | OLR 75th Anniversary Year | May 1-2, 2021: 5th Sunday of Easter

Meditate on God’s presence after Communion

Do you stop to realize that the God of the universe is inside you at communion?

Often the familiarity with attending Mass and receiving holy communion can make us indifferent to what is truly happening.

As Catholics, we believe that Jesus himself is present in the Eucharist in a unique way. His entire body, blood, soul and divinity is there in the consecrated host and when we receive communion, we are receiving the God of the universe into our hearts.

Do we ever stop to meditate on that profound truth?

Mother Mary Loyola in her book, Welcome! Holy Communion, provides a brief meditation on this reality that can help awaken in us an awe at what is happening at Mass. Sometimes we need a little “poke” to see the divine mysteries that occur and to understand who is coming inside us at communion.

How near I am now, nay, how closely united I am now, to the Source of all good. I cross my hands upon my breast and know that, folded there, is all good. And He is here to share with me, like a true lover, all that He has and is. Within my breast is: All His Omnipotence to protect me—”Thou shalt know that the Lord thy God is a strong and faithful God” (Deut. vii.).All His Wisdom to guide me—”Abide thou with Me, tear not” (i Kings xxii.).All His loving-kindness to help me—” I will not leave thee nor forsake thee” (Jos. i.).All His charity to warm me—” Our God is a consuming fire” (Heb. xii.).All His zeal to enkindle mine, for “The charity of Christ presseth us” (2 Cor. v.).All His treasures to enrich me, for “He that spared not even His own Son…how hath He not also with Him given us all things!” (Rom. viii.).All His merits to plead for me—”Ever living to make intercession for us” (Heb. vii.).How near to me is all this in the supremely precious moments after Communion! Not at my door, not within my reach, but absolutely within my breast. Open, then, Thy hand to me, O Lord, and fill Thy needy creature with benediction by filling it with Thyself.

Philip Kosloski, Aleteia - published on 01/23/20

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Pope explains praying to the saints

We never pray alone, says Francis.

Pope Francis continued his catechesis series on prayer, on April 7 taking up the theme of praying to and with the saints. The heart of his reflection focused on how the saints accompany us, such that “we are immersed in a majestic river of invocations that precedes us and proceeds after us. A majestic river.”

There is no grief in the Church that is borne in solitude, there are no tears shed in oblivion, because everyone breathes and participates in one common grace.

The Holy Father noted how we are still connected with the saints in heaven, those recognized by the Church and those known to us personally.

He reflected how the ancient church had burial grounds around sacred buildings, “as if to say that, in some way, the hosts of those who have preceded us participate in every Eucharist.

Our parents and grandparents are there, our godfathers and godmothers are there, our catechists and other teachers are there […] There is a mysterious solidarity in Christ between those who have already passed to the other life and we pilgrims in this one: from Heaven, our beloved deceased continue to take care of us. They pray for us, and we pray for them and we pray with them.”

The pope said that we should call on these older brothers and sisters in heaven, and that this should be the “first way to face a time of anguish.”

And prayer should also be our answer in times of difficulty: “Even in conflictual moments, a way of dissolving the conflict, of softening it, is to pray for the person with whom I am in conflict.”

Kathleen N. Hattrup – Aleteia, 07/04/21

Pope explains praying to the saints

 Year of Saint Joseph | OLR 75th Anniversary Year | April 24 –25, 2021: Good Shepherd Sunday

Pope explains praying to the saints

We never pray alone, says Francis.

Pope Francis continued his catechesis series on prayer, on April 7 taking up the theme of praying to and with the saints. The heart of his reflection focused on how the saints accompany us, such that “we are immersed in a majestic river of invocations that precedes us and proceeds after us. A majestic river.” There is no grief in the Church that is borne in solitude, there are no tears shed in oblivion, because everyone breathes and participates in one common grace.

The Holy Father noted how we are still connected with the saints in heaven, those recognized by the Church and those known to us personally.

He reflected how the ancient church had burial grounds around sacred buildings, “as if to say that, in some way, the hosts of those who have preceded us participate in every Eucharist.

Our parents and grandparents are there, our godfathers and godmothers are there, our catechists and other teachers are there […] There is a mysterious solidarity in Christ between those who have already passed to the other life and we pilgrims in this one: from Heaven, our beloved deceased continue to take care of us. They pray for us, and we pray for them and we pray with them.”

The pope said that we should call on these older brothers and sisters in heaven, and that this should be the “first way to face a time of anguish.”

And prayer should also be our answer in times of difficulty: “Even in conflictual moments, a way of dissolving the conflict, of softening it, is to pray for the person with whom I am in conflict.”

Kathleen N. Hattrup – Aleteia, 07/04/21

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On one’s own vocation, call from God:

• St Francis de Sales:

"A good vocation is simply a firm and constant will in which the called person has to serve God in the way and in the places to which Almighty God has called him."

"It is well to remember that there is no vocation without its trials, bitterness and weariness, and with-out hearty resignation to God's will everyone is tempted to wish he could change his troubles for those of other men."

•  Cardinal Saint John Henry Newman

“God has created me to do Him some definite service, He has committed some work to me which He has not committed to another. I have my mission: I may never know it in this life, but I shall be told it in the next.

I am a link in a chain, a bond of connection between persons. He has not created me for naught, I shall do good. I shall do His work. I shall be an angel of peace, a preacher of truth in my own place... if I do but keep His Commandments.

Therefore I will trust Him. Whatever, wherever I am, I can never be thrown away. If I am in sickness, my sickness may serve Him; in perplexity, my perplexity may serve Him; if I am in sorrow, my sorrow may serve Him. He does nothing in vain. He knows what He is about. He may take away my friends. He may throw me among strangers. He may make me feel desolate, make my spirit sink, hide my future from me - still He knows what He is about.”

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What Padre Pio saw in the Spanish Flu of 1918

 Year of Saint Joseph | OLR 75th Anniversary Year | April 17-18 2021: 3rd Sunday of Easter

What Padre Pio saw in the Spanish Flu of 1918

Many saints have faced the realities of pandemics. What can we learn from them?

Just over 100 years ago, the world was hit by an H1N1 influenza virus commonly referred to as the Spanish influenza.

Lasting from February 1918 to April 1920, it infected some 500 million people worldwide, which was roughly one third of the world’s population at the time.

The death toll is estimated at between 20 million and 50 million, although some experts believe that as many as 100 million died from it. These figures make it one of the deadliest pandemics in human history.

Personal suffering

St. Padre Pio – who had just received the stigmata – was also infected. So were people close to him in San Giovanni Rotondo and Pietrelcina: fellow friars, spiritual sons and daughters, and even his own family members in Pietrelcina.

All of these people – including Padre Pio – experienced a sense of abandonment and suffering.

For his new book, The Pandemic of Padre Pio: Disciple of our Lady of Sorrows, Stefano Campanella researched this period. As director of Tele Radio Padre Pio in San Giovanni Rotondo, Campanella utilized his access to numerous correspondence between Padre Pio and others to reconstruct this little-known period of Padre Pio’s early life.

What becomes immediately clear is how Padre Pio saw the providential work of God throughout the ordeal despite his personal suffering and that of those about him.

In the latter part of 1918, Padre Pio was bedridden between September and December due to the Spanish flu. Though he did not experience the worst effects of the illness, it caused him tremendous suffering as it affected many people close to him.

Many fellow Capuchin friars were either ill or had been drafted into the Italian army and forced to the front lines of World War I.

In fact, Padre Pio’s community of San Giovanni Rotondo was reduced to just three friars as the others were either sick or called to military service.

In a letter to one of his spiritual daughters, Antonietta Vona, dated October 27, Padre Pio wrote:

“I am responding to your letter several days late due to my health which leaves much to be desired. I am out of danger, this is true, but I feel very weak and helpless to be able to react. Fiat voluntas Dei [May the Will of God be done].”

In another correspondence with Fr. Benedetto Nardella, his spiritual director and provincial minister, his superior asked Padre Pio for his perspective. Pio was already known for his spiritual gifts, and Fr. Bene-detto sought him to help interpret the events taking place.

In a letter dated October 19, 1918, Fr. Benedetto asked Padre Pio: “Tell me where we are headed with these scourges? What does the future hold for us? I am afraid in observing how justice is not placated and the sky is becoming increasingly obscure.”

Padre Pio wrote back:

“The current scourge, in the ends of God, is to bring man closer to divinity as its main goal. As a secondary and immediate end, then, it is to exonerate the persecutions against the children of God that would follow on the part of the children of this [world], as a just fruit of the present war. Do not fear then that iniquity will come to crush righteousness; but iniquity itself will crush itself, and justice will triumph.”

In both of these letters, we see Padre Pio’s abiding faith in God in all circumstances. The saint discerned the Hand of God even during the brutal pandemic that was wreaking havoc around the world.

Bringing good out of evil

Even if God was not the acting, or causative, agent behind the Spanish influenza, Padre Pio saw God using it for “primary and secondary ends”; that is, to bring man closer to Him, to enact divine justice and mercy, and to crush iniquity.

Bret Thoman, OFS, Aleteia – 14/4/21

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 Year of Saint Joseph | 75th Anniversary Year | April 10-11 2021: 2nd Sunday of Easter

Divine Mercy Sunday

Chaplet of Divine Mercy As a Novena

In addition to the Novena to The Divine Mercy which Our Lord gave to Saint Faustina for her own personal use, He revealed to her a powerful prayer that He wanted everyone to say (the Chaplet of Mercy). Saint Faustina prayed the Chaplet almost constantly, especially for the dying, and the Lord urged her to encourage others to say it too, promising extraordinary graces to those who would recite this special prayer. The Chaplet can be said any time, but the Lord specifically asked that it be recited as a novena especially on the nine days before the Feast of Mercy, and He promised, "By this Novena (of Chaplets) I will grant every possible grace to souls." (Diary 796)

How to recite the Chaplet of The Divine Mercy
The Chaplet of Mercy is recited using ordinary rosary beads of five decades.
Opening Prayers (optional)

You expired, Jesus, but the source of life gushed forth for souls, and an ocean of mercy opened up for the whole world. O Fount of Life, unfathomable Divine Mercy, envelop the whole world and empty Yourself out upon us. (Diary 1319)

O Blood and Water, which gushed forth from the Heart of Jesus as a fount of mercy for us, I trust in You! (Diary 84)

Begin the Chaplet with the Our Father, the Hail Mary and the Apostle's Creed.

Then on the large bead before each decade: Eternal Father, I offer You the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Your dearly beloved Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ, in atonement for our sins, and those of the whole world.

On the ten small beads of each decade, say: For the sake of His sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world.

Conclude with (repeat 3 times): Holy God, Holy Mighty One, Holy Immortal One, have mercy on us and on the whole world.

Closing Prayer (optional)

Eternal God, in whom mercy is endless and the treasury of compassion - inexhaustible, look kindly upon us and increase Your mercy

in us, that in difficult moments we might not despair nor become despondent, but with great confidence submit ourselves to Your holy will, which is Love and Mercy itself. (Diary 950)

Our Lord said to Saint Faustina:

Encourage souls to say the Chaplet which I have given you (Diary 1541) . . . Whoever will recite it will receive great mercy at the hour of death (Diary 687) . . . When they say this Chaplet in the presence of the dying, I will stand between My Father and the dying person, not as the Judge but as the Merciful Saviour (Diary 1541) . . . Priests will recommend it to sinners as their last hope of salvation. Even if there were a sinner most hardened, if he were to recite this Chaplet only once, he would receive grace from My infinite Mercy (Diary 687) . . . I desire to grant unimaginable graces to those souls who trust in My Mercy (Diary 687) . . . Through the Chaplet you will obtain everything, if what you ask for is compatible with My will.

(Diary 1731)

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 Year of Saint Joseph | 75th Anniversary Year | EASTER SUNDAY | April 3 - 4, 2021

HOUSE BLESSING FOR EASTER!

Below is an Easter blessing for your home.

During the Easter Season you are welcome to take some holy water from the Baptismal font home and bless your home with the following prayer. Please bring a small container and take some holy water home.

Gather your family in each room and offer the following prayer of thanksgiving to God for your family and home. Move from room to room sprinkling the holy water in each room.

Easter Home and Family Blessing Prayer

Lord, our God, You whose home is in heaven and on earth, surround this shelter with Your Holy Spirit. Encompass our home with the power of Your protection so that no evil or harm will come near. May Your blessing and protection shield our Home and family from destruction, storm, sickness and all that might bring evil to those who live here. (Members may take turns praying the following and sprinkling water in each room) 

Blessed be this doorway. May all who come to it be treated with respect and kindness. May our comings and goings be under the seal of God’s loving care. 

Blessed be this living room and family room. May we truly live within it as people of peace. May prayer and playfulness never be strangers within its walls. 

Blessed be this dining room. May all our meals be reminders of the presence and love of God in our home, lives and world. 

Blessed be this kitchen. May our meals remind us always of the many blessings of this life, and may anger and bitter-ness never poison the meals prepared here. 

Blessed be this bathroom. May the spirits of health and healing abide here and teach us to honor and love our bodies and minds. 

Blessed be these bedrooms. Here we shall find rest, refreshment and renewal. May the spirits of love and affection together with the spirits of the angels touch all who shall use these rooms. 

Blessed be all the rooms of this home. May each of them be holy and filled with the spirit of happiness. May our door be always open to those in need and may the holy light of God’s presence shine brightly in this home. May it be a blessing for all who live here and for everyone who shall come to our door. May God’s holy blessings rest upon us all; in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. AMEN!

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Order for the Family Blessing of Food for the First Meal of Easter:

The family gathers for the meal, with the food on the table.

Leader: In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

All: Amen

Leader: Christ is Risen, Alleluia.

All: He is Risen indeed, Alleluia.

Leader: Let us pray to our Risen Lord, the Son of God who invites us to the Paschal Feast stands ready to help. Let us call Him in our need.

R: Lord, prepare us for the feast of life.

• That Easter may find us cleansed of sin and ready to live anew our Christian Faith, we pray to the Lord. (R)
• That the bread we share may be a reminder of the Bread of Life we share in the Eucharist, we pray to the Lord (R)
• That we may be ready to give from our table to those who hunger and thirst, we pray to the Lord. (R)
• That we may one day enjoy the banquet of the Lord in the Heavenly kingdom, we pray to the Lord. (R)

Leader: Christ taught us to pray for our daily bread and so we dare to say:

All: Our Father ……

The food may be sprinkled with the Easter water.

Leader: May Christ nourish us and strengthen us in faith and love, now and forever.

All: Amen

 Year of Saint Joseph | March 27-28, 2021: PALM SUNDAY |75th Anniversary Year

True stories: The pandemic brought a huge faith boost for many

God always finds his ways to make a "silver lining."

The pandemic changed my life for the better. Did it do the same for you?

St. Augustine said God “would never allow any evil whatsoever to exist in his works if he were not so all-powerful and good as to cause good to emerge from evil itself,” and from the suffering, death, isolation, and unemployment the pandemic brought, it seems he has outdone himself.

Pew Research reported in January that in America “Nearly 3 in 10 U.S. adults say the outbreak has boosted their faith,” and “about 4 in 10 say it has tightened family bonds.”

This certainly happened to me. I felt gripped by God’s love and compelled to do more with my time and go deeper in my faith after both my own coronavirus infection and witnessing the incredible power of prayer at Benedictine College in Atchison, Kansas.

In my case this led to a rediscovery of Scripture, through Bishop Robert Barron and Father Mike Schmitz. One mom told me the same thing happened to her.

“Bishop Robert Barron has played a huge role for me too,” said Alexa Paul, in the Washington, D.C., area. She also “read a chapter of St. Paul’s letters every day with one of my sisters and we reflected on it together” through video chat.

You know this is from the Holy Spirit because a huge number of people rediscovered Scripture during the pandemic.

“Right now I’m doing Fr. Mike’s Bible in a Year podcast as well,” she said. “All these Old Testament readings are kind of killing me, but I’ve never read the entire Bible. There’s also a different experience to hearing it every day rather than just reading it.”

Tom Hoopes – Aleteia, 22/3/21

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 Year of Saint Joseph | March 20-21, 2021: 5th Sunday of Lent | 75th Anniversary Year

Pope Francis has told us to “Go to St Joseph.”

Now, in this age of pandemic, where unemployment and lockdowns have shattered so many families, closed churches have tested the faith of the faithful, and gender ideology undermines the meaning of male and female, Pope Francis has told us to “Go to St Joseph.” It’s a timely message and an invitation to explore the many facets of Scripture’s most precious diamond in the rough: St. Joseph.

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Elizabeth Lev, AngelusNews, 18/3/’21

 Year of Saint Joseph | March 13-14, 2021: 4th Sunday of Lent | 75th Anniversary Year

Insightful book Whatever Became of Sin

“Karl Menninger in his insightful book Whatever Became of Sin? illustrates the deep value of love in the healing process of mentally ill patients. One day in his famed hospital, the Menninger Institute in Topeka, Kansas, he carried out an experiment. Calling the entire staff from all levels of service (from doctors and nurses to cooks and janitors), he told them of his conviction that the time spent in the mental hospital could be significantly reduced. How? Simply by going about one’s duties with a great deal of genuine love and joyful caring and gentle affirmation. This loving attitude was to be exercised by all, even the employees cleaning the rooms and changing the light bulbs. To the surprise and satisfaction of the entire staff, the time patients were hospitalised was significantly reduced.

It is also reported that Dr Menninger asked his resident students to identify the most important part of the treatment process of mental patients. Some said it was the relationship between the therapist and the patient; others thought it was a list of recommendations; still others spoke of the necessity of contact with the families after a patient was discharged; a group thought it was the prescription of drugs. However, Menninger did not accept any of these suggestions; for him the first and foremost task of any healer or therapist was to listen. “After decades of work as a psychiatrist, Menninger believed that the experience of not being listened to made people unwell, and the experience of being listened to made them well again. The experience of stillness in the presence of another person gave them a sense of their God-given purpose in life... Listening to someone may not seem like much, but its effects are very healing. Everyone yearns to be heard.”

The author himself recalls a personal experience. In the many counselling classes he attended, he frequently heard the expression to listen with the third ear. The professor (a psychiatrist) was emphasizing the importance of attentive listening that can hear what is not being said. The secret to this listening is observation: observation of body language, choice of words, tone of voice, facial expressions. To be able to intuit problems is satisfying both for the therapist and for the client. The same dynamics are in play when an adult is truly present and listening to a troubled youth.”

P. Avallone SDB, Keys to the Hearts of Youth, Salesiana, New Rochelle, ‘99, pp 91-92.

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 Year of Saint Joseph | March 6-7, 2021: 3rd Sunday of Lent | 75th Anniversary Year

Nun and monk put themselves between police and protesters in Myanmar

"Shoot me first," Sr. Ann Nu Thawng challenges armed guards.

A Buddhist monk and a Catholic nun in Myanmar both offered their lives in place of youthful protesters, who marched on Sunday against the military coup that is now a month old.

As police cracked down on marches throughout Myanmar, some 20 protesters were shot dead and scores wounded.

In Myitkyina, in the state of Kachin, Sr. Ann Nu Thawng, a Sister of St. Francis Xavier, knelt down in front of troops, raised her hands into the air and cried out, “Don’t shoot, don’t kill the innocent. If you want, hit me.”

Fides, the information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies, quoted Joseph Kung Za Hmung, editor of the “Gloria News Journal,” the first online Catholic news-paper in Myanmar, as saying, “Sr. Ann Nu Thawng is today a role model for Church leaders: bishops and priests are called to step out of the their comfort zones and follow her courage as an example.”

Fides added that more than 100 demonstrators were able to find shelter in Sr. Ann’s convent, protecting them from beatings and arrests.

Benedict Rogers, East Asia Team Leader for Christian Solidarity Worldwide, writing at UCANews, said he was haunted by a number of scenes from recent protests, including Sr. Ann’s gesture, as well as “the image of a monk courageously sitting in the street between the police and protesters, telling the police in this Buddhist-majority nation to shoot him first.”

UCANews reported that hundreds of Catholic laypeople joined by priests and nuns marched in Mandalay, praying the rosary out loud and calling for a peaceful solution to the crisis.

In a homily on Sunday morning, Cardinal Charles Maung Bo, Archbishop of Yangon, commented the relevance of the day’s Gospel reading, describing the Transfiguration of Christ on Mount Tabor.

“What transfiguration are we looking for in Myanmar today?” Cardinal Bo asked. “If we seek it, all the confusion, all the darkness, all the hatred will go away and our country, the famous Land of Gold, will be transfigured into a land of peace and prosperity.”

The cardinal reminded listeners that over the past month, the Church has implored everyone that “peace is the only way; peace is possible.”

“Pope Francis has called for the resolution of all conflicts through dialogue,” Bo said. “Those who want conflict do not want the good of this nation. Let us all become Elijah who proclaims peace, by lighting a lamp of hope in the midst of darkness.”

He prayed for the nation that “has seen so much suffering, so much war, so many deaths” and said, “Like Abraham, we seek a promised land. The promised land comes when we are ready to sacrifice what we consider very dear.”

Saying weapons are unnecessary, he urged Burmese, “We must rearm ourselves through reconciliation and dialogue. Myanmar’s Mount Tabor must be climbed with patience, tolerance, if we are to witness this transfiguration. Evil must disappear, but it cannot be destroyed by another evil.”

The army took power in Myanmar on February 1, declaring a year-long “state of emergency,” after accusing the National League for Democracy, the party of the civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi, for fraud in the November election.

John Burger, Aleteia, 2/3/21

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Year of Saint Joseph | February 20-21 2021 | 2nd Sunday of Lent | 75th Anniversary Year

How Lenten fasting helps us become more generous with others

Going without can teach us how to better love one another.

While fasting imposed in Judaism is mostly an ascetic discipline destined to mortify the body, Christians quickly attributed it a different significance. It has essentially been transformed into an act of repentance, conversion, and charity — moderating one’s own Eat-ing habits to feed the hungry.

It is something we continue to do today as throughout Lent people give to the needy.

There have always been those who wonder whether this demonstration of brotherly generosity is not more important than fasting recommended by the Church during Lent. After all, isn’t it what the Lord commands us to do? “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples if you love one another.” (John 13:15)

The benefits fasting offers to the body and the soul

Fasting, along with prayer and almsgiving, is one of the three endeavours that Jesus insistently recommends us to accomplish “in discretion” (Mtt. 6:1-18). This is why in the beginning of every Lenten period the Church always invites us to follow a resolution along those three lines. If you need encouragement to fast, think of its benefits.

Fasting unburdens the body and the mind: it allows us to get rid of bad fats, so you fall asleep faster and contributes to the clarity of mind, so you can read, and pray more easily. The hunger you feel will make you think of the millions around the world who never have enough on their plate. This may compel you to do something for them and consume responsibly. Instead of stuffing yourself with junk food, you can replace it with good sustenance, like the Word of God. When you fast to show love to the Lord, you may (like St Paul (2Co 5:5) come into possession of multiple virtues, for example, the conversion of sinners. “Now I rejoice in what I am suffering for you, and I fill up in my flesh what is still lacking in regard to Christ’s afflictions, for the sake of his body, which is the church.” (Col. 1:24).

Although you should abstain from boasting about your “feats” in this domain, it’s worthwhile to work together to become more altruistic: for example as a family during Lent you may keep a similar fast or abstain from something together. (Keep in mind that children under 14, pregnant and breastfeeding mothers, and people with health concerns are exempt from fasting.) You can lend your support to the kids so they have an easier time to go without dessert.

But you must also show more tolerance for all those who don’t see the importance of fasting or making sacrifices. It would be lamentable if a Christian observing a strict fast mocked or criticized his or her neighbour who is not doing the same.

Father Pierre Descouvemont
Edifa - published on 24/2/21

Year of Saint Joseph

February 13-14 2021 | 6h Sunday of Ordinary Time | 75th Anniversary Year

This Lent, take a 40-day virtual pilgrimage through the Holy Land

The "Pilgrimage in Faith" will take attendees through 40 Holy Land sites in 40 days.

A trio of Catholic groups has organized an extensive 40-day virtual Lenten pilgrimage through the Holy Land. The program, called “Pilgrimage in Faith,” begins on Ash Wednesday (February 17) and will culminate in an Easter Sunday reflection on the journey. The whole pilgrimage is free to attend, but virtual pilgrims must register for the event on the Magdala website.

CNA reports that this virtual pilgrimage comes thanks to the Pontifical Notre Dame of Jerusalem Center, Terra Sancta Mexico, and Magdala. This is the second year that the three organizations have come together to hold a virtual pilgrimage. The previous incarnation was held in October 2020.

The 2021 “Pilgrimage in Faith” will draw together three aspects of the faith: The Creed, Lent, and the Holy Land. The Creed, referring to the Apostle’s Creed, is a meditation on what makes us Catholic.

From Magdala:

The Creed is who I am, my true essence, capturing the total dynamic of my life, divinely loved from creation, to death, to everlasting life in the communion of redeemed humanity, sharing in the everlasting infinite joy of the Trinity; this is a ‘Pilgrimage in Faith.’

Reflections and holy sites

With regard to Lent, the pilgrimage offers meditations on liturgical texts to guide pilgrims through a renewed “turning toward God” in trust. This, Magdala writes, is reflective of the same way God turns towards each of us with an outstretched hand. The “Pilgrimage in Faith” will offer meditations on the scriptures each day of Lent, to keep the faithful engaged throughout the solemn season.

Last but certainly not least is the Holy Land, the prime attraction of the “Pilgrimage in Faith.” The program will take attendees to various sites that “capture the revelation Abraham experienced” during his own travels in the promised land. Each day the virtual event will bring pilgrims to a different site of biblical relevance. The sites, they note, are chosen to illuminate the meditations on the Creed.

The “Pilgrimage in Faith” is set to be a fun, educational, and faith-entrenching journey that will last for the entirety of Lent. Those who take part in the journey will be treated to a soundtrack composed by the Consecrated Women of Regnum Christi and the RC Music Collective. In addition, participants will all be entered into a raffle to be held on Easter Sunday, which will send several gifts to some participants.

The whole affair is set to kick off with two days of introductory videos on February 15, before the pilgrimage formally begins on Ash Wednesday.

To register: https://email.magdala.org/t/y-A8FB705AFC30D5E02540EF23F30FEDED 

J-P Mauro – Aleteia, 11/2/21

Year of Saint Joseph | February 6-7 2021 | 5th Sunday of Ordinary Time | 75th Anniversary Year

How St. John Bosco’s life was saved by a mysterious dog

As the saint walked home a dog would show up and frequently chase away criminals.

The work of St. John Bosco reforming young boys wasn’t highly regarded by many and in fact, Bosco’s life was openly threatened on multiple occasions.

To protect Bosco, God sent to him a dog to keep him company on his lonely walks home.

This is narrated in the 19th-century book Life of Don Bosco.

One night returning home later than usual and feeling vague apprehension [Bosco] saw a dog approach and felt alarmed, but the animal gently wagged his tail and turning, walked beside Don Bosco, who caressed him. All fear vanished. The dog escorted Don Bosco to the Oratory but refused to enter. Whenever he was late in coming home, on one side “il Grigio,” the grey [dog], appeared.

The dog not only accompanied Bosco, but also chased away criminals who tried to kill Bosco.

On [one] occasion Grigio defended Don Bosco from a formidable band of paid assassins. When at midnight passing through the Place Milan…he observed a man follow, armed with a large cudgel and hastened with the hope of reaching the Oratory safely. He was already at the top of the declivity when lower down he saw a group of men, then he waited for the one behind, whom he threw down. His comrades surrounded Don Bosco with raised sticks, the faithful Grigio appeared, beside his protégé, snarling and springing about in such fury that the wretches terrified besought Don Bosco to quiet the dog and vanished in the darkness. Don Bosco’s faithful four-footed guardian escorted him to the door of the Oratory.

This happened on multiple occasions, but the mysterious dog never stayed long at the Oratory, only appearing when Bosco needed him.

Where the dog came from remains a mystery, and some believe it may have been Bosco’s guardian angel in disguise.

Philip Kosloski, Aleteia, 31/1/21

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Pope establishes World Day of Grandparent and Elderly

After praying the midday Angelus on January 31, Pope Francis announced that he is establishing a World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly.

This day will be celebrated throughout the Church every year on the fourth Sunday in July, he said This date places it close to the July 26 feast of Sts. Joachim and Ann, the parents of Mary, and thus the grandparents of Jesus.

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 Year of Saint Joseph | January 30-31 2021 | Feast of Saint John Bosco | 75th Anniversary Year

A Short Biography of St. John Bosco

Born in Castlenuovo d’Asti on August 16, 1815, John was educated in the faith and in living according to the Gospel message by his mother. He was just nine years old when he had a dream, which called him to dedicate himself to the education of young people. While still a boy, he began to entertain his peers with games alternated with work, prayer and religious education.

On becoming a priest (1841), he chose as his life’s programme: “Da mihi animas cetera tolle” (“Give me souls, take all the rest” Gen. 14: 21). He began his apostolate among poor young people with the founding of the Oratory, which he placed under the patronage of St. Francis de Sales.

He led young people to meet Christ by means of his educational style and pastoral practice, based on reason, religion and loving-kindness (the Preventive System). He led young people to reflect, to meet Christ and their brothers and sisters, to the study of the faith and to apostolic, civil and professional commitment. St. Dominic Savio stands out among the most outstanding fruits of his work.

The source of his indefatigable activity and of the effectiveness of his work was his “constant union with God” and his unlimited confidence in Mary Our Help.

who he considered to be the inspiration and support of his whole work.

He left, as an inheritance for his Salesian sons and daughters, a form of religious life that was simple but founded on solid Christian virtue and on contemplation in action, which may be summed up in the words “work and temperance.”

He sought his best collaborators among his young people, thus establishing the Society of St. Francis de Sales (Salesians). Together with St. Maria Domenica Mazzarello, he founded the Institute of the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians (Salesian Sisters).

Finally, together with good and hard-working lay men and women, he created the Salesian Cooperators to work alongside him and sustain the education of young people, thus anticipating new forms of apostolate in the Church. In the centenary of his death, which took place on January 31, 1888, Pope John Paul II proclaimed him The Father and Teacher of Youth.

“No one did more in the last century for so many people than Don Bosco, not only by his personal influence but also by the apostolate of his marvelous Sons.” – Cardinal Spellman

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“The figure of St John Bosco, the friend of youth, continues to exert a fascinating attraction for young people of the most widely differing cultures under heaven. It is true that his educational message needs to be studied at still greater depth, to be adapted and renewed with intelligence and courage, precisely because of changed social, cultural, ecclesial and pastoral contexts. It will be well to keep in mind the new lines of thought and the developments that have taken place in many fields, the signs of the times and the indications of Vatican II. Nevertheless the substance of his teaching remains intact; the unique nature of his spirit, his intuitions, his style, his charisma are unchanged, because they draw their inspiration from the transcendent pedagogy of God.”

Pope John Paul II, Iuvenum Patris, 27. 1988

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“Don Bosco’s example has created a tradition which is one of the most admired and characteristic features of our Society: the Salesian who plays games. On how many occasions have relatives of the boys and other visitors stood in amazement, enraptured and spellbound at the sight of Masters and Assistants running about in the playground, nimble and breathless, making them-selves boys with boys and uniting their pupils and themselves in the enjoyment of one common pleasure, in a happy family spirit, which could not fail to impress everyone by its simplicity, charm and eminently educational influence. This is the same spirit that our Holy Founder himself created and wished to be perpetuated in our traditions. Under those conditions, especially, the Salesian’s power over the boys in his charge is supreme; following in Don Bosco’s footsteps, he is not slow to seize an opportunity of giving a word of advice which, precisely because it is unexpected and above suspicion, goes home, breaks down barriers, and obtains unexpected results.”

Fr Peter Ricaldone, “Fidelity to Don Bosco”.

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 Parish Bulletin | Year of Saint Joseph | January 9-10 2021: Baptism of the Lord | 75th Anniversary Year

January 16: Feast of St Joseph Vaz, Apostle of Sri Lanka:

Father Joseph Vaz was born on April 21, 1651, in India. He was a Goan, born in Benau-lim, and was raised in the villages of Benaulim and Sancoale. When he grew up, his father sent him to a school at Benaulim to learn Latin as a preparation for his priestly studies. Joseph Vaz made such rapid progress in his studies that his father decided to send him to the city of Goa, to the Jesuit College of Saint Paul. After completing his studies with the Jesuits, Joseph Vaz entered the Academy of Saint Thomas Aquinas for his philosophical and theological studies. In 1676 he was ordained a priest.

How the call to mission came to him, we do not know exactly. He knew about the misery of the Catholics of Ceylon (Sri Lanka) and their complete abandonment. Ceylon was a Buddhist Country. But there were, at that time, a large number of Catholics living on the island without a priest or a church. In 1658, the Dutch, being adherents of the Dutch Reformed Church and fearing that Catholics would support the Portuguese, began to persecute the Catholics, forbidding the practice of the Catholic faith within their territory. Joseph Vaz’s heart was afire to go and save the Church in Ceylon at any cost. In April, 1687, he disembarked in Ceylon as a poor beggar.

In 1658, 120 Catholic missionaries had left Ceylon, and the churches were closed or destroyed. From 1658 to 1687 Catholics were isolated: no priest, no sacraments, and no church. Joseph Vaz arrived in Jaffna. He started his life in Ceylon without any logistic support. With a rosary on his neck he begged from door to door for his survival. That was how he made contact with Catholics. Joseph Vaz was the first non-European missionary to came to Ceylon. He came, not sent by civil, royal or ecclesiastical authorities. And he came in simplicity and poverty, without the support or protection of an institutional Church.

The Dutch commander of Jaffna noticed the revival of Catholic life in his district. On Christmas night, 1689, two years after Joseph Vaz had started his apostolate, the com-mander detected the presence of the priest. Three hundred Christians were imprisoned. But Joseph Vaz was not among the prisoners. No one knows how he escaped.

With the help of some Catholics, he went to Puttalam since this was part of the Kandy Kingdom outside of Dutch authority. Joseph Vaz had chosen Kandy the center of his apostolate to avoid the vigilance of the Dutch. But, as soon as the King, Vimaladharma Surya II, was informed, Joseph Vaz was bound in chains and conducted to a prison in Kandy, as he was seen as a foreign spy. Joseph Vaz had studied Tamil and now, in Jaffna, in the prison, he started to study the local language, Sinhala. In 1693 the king set the priest free. As soon as he obtained the freedom to minister to the Catholics of the city, Joseph Vaz had the people build a simple church and dedicated it to Our Lady.

(to be concluded next week)

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 Parish Bulletin | Year of Saint Joseph | January 2-3 2021: Epiphany of the Lord | 75th Anniversary Year

Feast of the Holy Family Pope Francis’ ANGELUS Message

Dear brothers and sisters, good afternoon!

A few days after Christmas, the liturgy invites us to turn our eyes to the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph. It is good to reflect on the fact that the Son of God wanted to be in need of the warmth of a family, like all children.

Precisely for this reason, because it is Jesus’ family, the family of Nazareth is the model family, in which all families of the world can find their sure point of reference and sure inspiration. In Nazareth, the springtime of the human life of the Son of God began to blossom at the moment he was conceived by the work of the Holy Spirit in the virginal womb of Mary. Within the welcoming walls of the House of Nazareth, Jesus’ childhood unfolded in joy, surrounded by the maternal attention of Mary and the care of Joseph, in whom Jesus was able to see God’s tenderness (cf. Apostolic Letter Patris Corde, 2).

In imitation of the Holy Family, we are called to rediscover the educational value of the family unit: it must be founded on the love that always regenerates relationships, opening up horizons of hope. Within the family one can experience sincere communion when it is a house of prayer, when the affections are serious, profound, pure, when forgiveness prevails over discord, when the daily harshness of life is softened by mutual tenderness and serene adherence to God's will. In this way, the family opens itself to the joy that God gives to all those who know how to give joyfully. At the same time, it finds the spiritual energy to be open to the outside world, to others, to the service of brothers and sisters, to collaboration in building an ever new and better world; capable, therefore, of becoming a bearer of positive stimuli; the family evangelises by the example of life. It is true, in every family there are problems, and at times arguments. “And, Father, I argued…” but we are human, we are weak, and we all quarrel within the family at times. I would like to say something to you: if you quarrel within the family, do not end the day without making peace. “Yes, I quarrelled”, but before the end of the day, make peace. And do you know why? Because cold war, day after day, is extremely dangerous. It does not help. And then, in the family there are three words, three phrases that must always be held dear: “Please”, “Thank you”, and “I am sorry”. “Please”, so as not to be intrusive in the life of others. Please: may I do something? Is it alright with you if I do this? Please. Always, so as not to be intrusive. Please, the first word. “Thank you”: so much help, so much service is granted to us in the family: always say thank you. Gratitude is the lifeblood of the noble soul. “Thank you”. And then, the hardest to say: “I am sorry”. Because we always do bad things and very often someone is offended by this: “I am sorry”, “I am sorry”. Do not forget the three worlds: “please”, “thank you”, and “I am sorry”. If in a family, in the family environment there are these three words, the family is fine.

Today's feast reminds us of the example of evangelising with the family, proposing to us once again the ideal of conjugal and family love, as underlined in the Apostolic Exhortation Amoris laetitia, promulgated five years ago this coming 19 March. And it will be a year of reflection on Amoris laetitia and it will be an opportunity to focus more closely on the contents of the document. These reflections will be made available to ecclesial communities and families, to accompany them on their journey. As of now, I invite everyone to take part in the initiatives that will be promoted during the Year and that will be coordinated by the Dicastery for the Laity, the Family and Life. Let us entrust this journey, with families all over the world, to the Holy Family of Nazareth, in particular to Saint Joseph, the devoted spouse and father.

May the Virgin Mary, to whom we now address the Angelus prayer, grant that families throughout the world be increasingly fascinated by the evangelical ideal of the Holy Family, so as to become a leaven of new humanity and of a genuine and universal solidarity.

POPE FRANCIS

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