Pope Francis Reflects on the Meaning of Christian Service

Posted on July 3, 2013 by Deacon Bob

The Holy Father spoke today on the Feast of St. Thomas the Apostle on encountering the living God through the wounds of Christ. I ran across this in an email from a brother deacon in my diocese who spends enormous amounts of time and energy tending to the physical needs of the poor in southern Minnesota. He has opened a free medical clinic in the western part of the diocese and has enlisted the help of numerous other healthcare providers to assist him. Deacon Dave was delighted to read what I have copied below, and he mailed it to all deacons in the diocese this evening.

I too am gratified, because just a couple of hours ago, I preached a homily reflecting the same thoughts shared by the Holy Father. (Always nice to have confirmed by the Pope what you are preaching from the ambo!)

Here is the article from the Vatican Information Service.

POPE FRANCIS: ENCOUNTER THE LIVING GOD THROUGH CHRIST’S WOUNDS
Vatican City, 3 July 2013 (VIS) – This morning, during Holy Mass at Santa Marta on the feast of St. Thomas Apostle, the Holy Father affirmed that “to encounter the living God it is necessary to tenderly kiss Jesus’ wounds in our hungry, poor, sick and incarcerated brothers and sisters”.
After the Resurrection Jesus appears to the apostles, but Thomas is not there: “He wanted him to wait a week”, said Pope Francis. “The Lord knows why He does such things. And He allows the time He believes best for each of us. He gave Thomas a week. Jesus reveals himself with His wounds: His whole body was clean, beautiful and full of light”, continued the Pope, “but the wounds were and are still there, and when the Lord comes at the end of the world, we will see His wounds. Before he could believe, Thomas wanted to place his fingers in the wounds. He was stubborn. But that was what the Lord wanted – a stubborn person to make us understand something greater. Thomas saw the Lord and was invited to put his finger into the wounds left by the nails; to put his hand in His side. He did not merely say, ‘It’s true: the Lord is risen’. No! He went further. He said: ‘God’. He was the first of the disciples to confess the divinity of Christ after the Resurrection. And he worshipped Him”.
“And so”, continued the Pope, “we understand what the Lord’s intention was when He made him wait: He wanted to take his disbelief and guide him not just to an affirmation of the Resurrection, but an affirmation of His Divinity. The path to our encounter with Jesus-God are his wounds. There is no other. In the history of the Church several mistakes have been made on the path towards God. Some have believed that the Living God, the God of Christians can be found by the path of meditation, and indeed that we can reach higher levels through meditation. That is dangerous! How many are lost on that path, never to return? Yes, perhaps they arrive at a knowledge of God, but not of Jesus Christ, Son of God, the second Person of the Trinity. They do not arrive at that. It is the path of the gnostics, isn’t it? They are good, they work, but they have not found the right path. It is very complicated and does not lead to a safe harbour”.
“Others”, the Pope continued, “have thought that to arrive at God we must mortify ourselves, through austerity and the path of penance – penance and fasting alone. These do not arrive at the Living God, Jesus Christ, either. They are the Pelagians, who believe that they can arrive by their own efforts. But Jesus tells us that the path to encountering Him is to find His wounds. We find Jesus’ wounds in carrying out works of mercy, giving to the body – the body – the soul too, but – I stress – the body of your wounded brother, because he is hungry, because he is thirsty, because he is naked, because he is humiliated, because he is enslaved, because he is incarcerated, because he is in hospital. These are the wounds of Jesus today. And Jesus asks us to take a leap of faith, towards Him, but through these His wounds. ‘Ah, good! Let’s set up a foundation to help these people, to do so many good things to help them’. That is important, but if we remain on this level, we will be merely philanthropists”.
“We need to touch Jesus’ wounds, caress Jesus’ wounds, bind them with tenderness; we must kiss Jesus’ wounds, literally. Just think: what happened to St. Francis, when he embraced the leper? The same thing that happened to Thomas: his life changed. To touch the living God”, Pope Francis concluded, “we do not need to attend a ‘refresher course’ but to enter into the wounds of Jesus, and to do so, all we need to do is go out onto the street. Let us ask of St. Thomas the grace to grant us the courage to enter into the wounds of Jesus with tenderness and thereby we will certainly have the grace to worship the living God
Posted in Deacons, General Interest, Pope Francis | 1 Comment

St. John Paul II and St. John XXIII

Posted on July 3, 2013 by Deacon Bob

The reports are many that the last hurdle has been crossed. The Vatican congregation responsible for such things has attested to a second needed-for-canonization miracle, attributable to Pope John Paul II and will be submitting it to Pope Francis for his approval. pope-john-paul-ii-0203

They have likewise concluded in favor of a miracle attributable to Blessed Pope John XXIII. 220px-John-xxiii-2

Thus, it is rumored, Pope Francis may canonize both men on December 8 this year, the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception.

Stay tuned for more!

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Pope Francis’ First Encyclical and the Completion of Luciani’s Catechesis

Posted on July 2, 2013 by Deacon Bob

Pope Francis’ first encyclical, entitled Lumen Fidei, (The Light of Faith) will be released this Friday, 11 o’clock in the morning Rome time. There will be an English translation immediately available, so we excitedly anticipate its contents.

I don’t know much about what is predicted to be in the encyclical, but I have heard that Francis is completing what Benedict began writing on Faith, as Benedict had already issued encyclicals on Love and Hope.

I am so gratified in two ways about these encyclicals. First, this will be Francis’ first one, and he is still a fascinating pontiff in so many surprising ways that I expect to be fascinated and surprised by Lumen Fidei. Second, he will be completing what my favorite pope, Pope John Paul I (Papa Luciani) had begun in 1978. If you have read my posts on Luciani, or his speeches and talks as pope, you know that Luciani began his papacy with a catechesis on faith, hope and love, a catechesis that was abruptly ended by his untimely death. Pope John Paul II briefly took it up at first, but quickly dispatched it. When Benedict decided to return to these virtues as subject of encyclicals, I found myself thinking again, as I have many times before and since, that Luciani’s legacy continues although generally unacknowledged and unknown by almost everyone.

Stay tuned for more in the upcoming weeks.

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A Spiritual Reflection by Blessed John Paul II

Posted on June 30, 2013 by Deacon Bob

John Paul II, Homily, Sunday, 24 June 2001

“The Lord called me from the womb, from the body of my mother he named my name” (Is 49:1). This statement refers in its fullest sense to Christ, but in a derivative way it can also be applied to his Precursor. Both are born as the result of a special intervention by God: the first is born of the Virgin, the second of an elderly and barren woman. Even from his mother’s womb John indicates the One who will reveal to the world the loving plan of God.

“From my mother’s womb you called me” (Responsorial Psalm). Today we can make our own these words of the Psalmist. God knew and loved us even before our eyes could contemplate the marvels of creation. At birth all men and women receive a human name. But even before that, each one has a divine name: the name by which God the Father knows and loves them from eternity and for eternity. This is true for everyone, with the exception of none. No one is nameless in God’s sight! All have equal value in his eyes: all are different, yet all are equal, and all are called to be sons and daughters in the Son.

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A Spiritual Reflection on Vigil of the Solemnity of Sts. Peter and Paul

Posted on June 28, 2013 by Deacon Bob

From a sermon by Saint Augustine, bishop (Sermo 295, 1-2.4.7-8:PL 38, 1348-1352)

Saint Peter, the first of the apostles and a fervent lover of Christ, merited to hear these words: I say to you that you are Peter, for he had said: You are the Christ, the Son of the living God. Then Christ said: And I say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my Church. On this rock I will build the faith that you now confess, and on your words: You are the Christ, the Son of the living God, I will build my Church.

As you are aware, Jesus chose his disciples before his passion and called them apostles; and among these almost everywhere Peter alone deserved to represent the entire Church. And because of that role which he alone had, he merited to hear the words: To you I shall give the keys of the kingdom of heaven. For it was not one man who received the keys, but the entire Church considered as one. Now insofar as he represented the unity and universality of the Church, Peter’s preeminence is clear from the words: To you I give, for what was given was given to all.

Both apostles share the same feast day, for these two were one; and even though they suffered on different days, they were as one. Peter went first, and Paul followed. And so we celebrate this day made holy for us by the apostles’ blood. Let us embrace what they believed, their life, their labors, their sufferings, their preaching and their confession of faith.

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The Supreme Court Speaks, Errantly

Posted on June 26, 2013 by Deacon Bob

As you no doubt know by now, the United States Supreme Court today issued its ruling on the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), striking it down and essentially equating same-sex relationships with marriage between a man and a woman.

A sad day, to say the least, for our nation and our society.

Those of you who read this weblog know my thoughts about marriage. They  have not changed. What is evident to me is we are living in an increasingly pagan society, that is in real need of evangelization and education in the true nature of the human person. We have steep slope to climb.

The following is from the USCCB:

“Today is a tragic day for marriage and our nation. The Supreme Court has dealt a profound injustice to the American people by striking down in part the federal Defense of Marriage Act. The Court got it wrong. The federal government ought to respect the truth that marriage is the union of one man and one woman, even where states fail to do so. The preservation of liberty and justice requires that all laws, federal and state, respect the truth, including the truth about marriage. It is also unfortunate that the Court did not take the opportunity to uphold California’s Proposition 8 but instead decided not to rule on the matter. The common good of all, especially our children, depends upon a society that strives to uphold the truth of marriage. Now is the time to redouble our efforts in witness to this truth. These decisions are part of a public debate of great consequence. The future of marriage and the well-being of our society hang in the balance.

“Marriage is the only institution that brings together a man and a woman for life, providing any child who comes from their union with the secure foundation of a mother and a father.

“Our culture has taken for granted for far too long what human nature, experience, common sense, and God’s wise design all confirm: the difference between a man and a woman matters, and the difference between a mom and a dad matters. While the culture has failed in many ways to be marriage-strengthening, this is no reason to give up. Now is the time to strengthen marriage, not redefine it.

“When Jesus taught about the meaning of marriage – the lifelong, exclusive union of husband and wife – he pointed back to “the beginning” of God’s creation of the human person as male and female (see Matthew 19). In the face of the customs and laws of his time, Jesus taught an unpopular truth that everyone could understand. The truth of marriage endures, and we will continue to boldly proclaim it with confidence and charity.

“Now that the Supreme Court has issued its decisions, with renewed purpose we call upon all of our leaders and the people of this good nation to stand steadfastly together in promoting and defending the unique meaning of marriage: one man, one woman, for life. We also ask for prayers as the Court’s decisions are reviewed and their implications further clarified.”

 

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Quote for the Day

Posted on June 26, 2013 by Deacon Bob

“Even when confronting sin and evil, our goal must be transformation through bringing and witnessing God’s love.” — Dan & Sarah Mulholland, SFO

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Quote for the Week: Pope Francis

Posted on June 24, 2013 by Deacon Bob

“All too often, people do not choose life, they do not accept the ‘Gospel of Life’ but let themselves be led by ideologies and ways of thinking that block life, that do not respect life, because they are dictated by selfishness, self-interest, profit, power and pleasure, and not by love, by concern for the good of others.

“It is the idea that rejecting God, the message of Christ, the Gospel of Life, will somehow lead to freedom, to complete human fulfillment. As a result, the living God is replaced by fleeting human idols which offer the intoxication of a flash of freedom, but in the end bring new forms of slavery and death.”

“Let us say ‘yes’ to love and not selfishness. Let us say ‘yes’ to life and not death. Let us say ‘yes’ to freedom and not enslavement.”

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Congratulations, Diocese of Fargo; Welcome Bishop Folda!

Posted on June 24, 2013 by Deacon Bob

Bishop John Folda was recently ordained the eighth bishop of the Diocese of Fargo, succeeding Bishop Samuel Aquila. The principle ordaining prelate was Archbishop John Nienstedt from the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis. Below is a photo of Bishop Folda receiving his miter.

By the way, Bishop Folda is only 51 years old, and he hails from the Diocese of Lincoln, Nebraska.

Congratulations, Bishop Folda and the Diocese of Fargo!

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Quote for the Day

Posted on June 24, 2013 by Deacon Bob

“Come sing, O ye who have strayed, now you are called to penitence, which cancels error and grants trust to those who humbly seek it.” — Jacopone de Todi, OFM

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Immigration Reform

Posted on June 22, 2013 by Deacon Bob

I can only offer an opinion, perhaps I should say a conjecture, as to the root of immigration reform opposition. I believe it is purely party politics. Blind allegiance to a particular party’s positions. A desire to divide the body politic, and to divide the church community. We must be careful not to let our political agendas divide our ecclesial community. It has happened too often in history and we cannot let it happen now even though it would seem we are ripe for it. Take a look at today’s feast day, Sts. Thomas More and John Fischer. Their martyrdom was partially the result of political division between England and Rome.

As a Church let us not put politics ahead of communio e obbedienza. We are sent to serve the needs of the people, to speak the truth to all regardless of political affiliations, to confront injustice in all its forms, to remain true to the Gospel of Jesus which is a Gospel of life, and if necessary to suffer martyrdom however that may present itself. We Christians have a difficult vocation because we must be with the people in their need while remaining close to the altar of sacrifice.

As Fr. Henri Nouwen (who lived with us in Rome throughout 1978) would often say, “We must grasp and live out fully this central reality: We all are the ‘Beloved of God’.”

I weary of anyone who shows more allegiance to political party than common sense rooted in the Gospel.

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St. John Paul II? And John Paul I??

Posted on June 20, 2013 by Deacon Bob

I have read various reports recently that the Vatican is being flooded with reports of miracles attributable to the intercession of Blessed Pope John Paul II and that Office responsible for examining these claims has given its stamp of approval to one of them and will forward this to Pope Francis soon.

If all of that is true, then the second miracle needed for Blessed John Paul II to be canonized a saint is present, and his canonization maybe in in the relatively near future.

Wouldn’t it be wonderful, in so many ways?

I am left not only with great admiration for John Paul II — whom I saw in person more than once in 1978, although regrettably from a distance of a few feet — but also with a greater wonder for his predecessor, John Paul I.

Pope Francis in so many ways reminds me of John Paul the First (Papa Luciani). Luciani was a theologically conservative, pastorally focused pontiff.  Luciani began the process of simplification and reformation of the papacy and the Vatican’s offices. He always seemed to challenge his listeners to live out the Gospel in concrete ways with the people who were on the margins. His preaching was marked by a catechetical style. The people of 1978 loved him just like so many do Francis in 2013.

No one shouted santo subito! at John Paul I’s funeral. I know, because I was there in the rain. We all were too dumbfounded and stunned at the loss of such a great and holy man. Our hearts were torn, and in a state of grief. We had had no time to mourn, as we had with John Paul II and his lengthy illness which afforded us grieving time. But I know that I wasn’t the only one thinking that day that Luciani was already one of God’s holy elect.

Let us pray for Luciani’s cause of canonization.

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Quote for the Day

Posted on June 20, 2013 by Deacon Bob

“Prayer is the cup for drinking the grace of the Holy Spirit from the abundant fountain of delight, the Blessed Trinity.” — St. Bonaventure, OFM

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Thank You! Thank You!

Posted on June 15, 2013 by Deacon Bob

Thank you to everyone who happens to log on to this weblog! Since I began Catholic Faith and Reflections in October 2008, I have placed over 1800 posts. Nearly 750,000 of you have spent some time here, and I am honored you found it worth your while to do so.

Catholic Faith and Reflections is meant to be a place where you can comment on whatever I post, although I have set it up so that if you wish to comment, you need to do so fairly quickly because I close comments to a particular post after a few days. Nearly all of you who have commented, have done so respectfully. I have edited, I believe, only one.

May God continue to shine brightly in your lives!

Deacon Yerhot

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Quote for the Day

Posted on June 15, 2013 by Deacon Bob

“Perhaps, in a dramatic way, the deacon is called to the charism of tenderness in the life of the Church.” — Cardinal Timothy Dolan

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