Congratulations, Archdiocese of Dubuque!

The Holy Father has accepted the resignation of archbishop Jerome Hanus, OSB of the archdiocese of Dubuque, Iowa and has appointed its new archbishop Bishop Michael Jackels who has been the bishop of Wichita, Kansas.

Arcbishop-elect Jackels was born in Rapid City, South Dakota on April 13, 1954. He studied theology at Mount Saint Mary’s Seminary in Emmitsburg, Maryland and later at the Pontificial University of St. Thomas in Rome, obtaining his doctorate in Spiritual Theology.

He was ordained a priest for the diocese of  Lincoln, Nebraska. He was ordained a bishop for the diocese of Wichita in 2005.

Congratulations, Archdiocese of Dubuque!

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Pope Francis Takes Possession of the Cathedral of Rome

Pope Francis formally took possession of his cathedral today. As you may know, the cathedral for the diocese of Rome is the Archbasilica of St. John Lateran. Once again, I find his homily to be of interest, so I have transcribed it below.

It is with joy that I am celebrating the Eucharist for the first time in this Lateran Basilica, the Cathedral of the Bishop of Rome. I greet all of you with great affection: the very dear Cardinal Vicar, the auxiliary bishops, the diocesan presbyterate, the deacons, the men and women religious, and all the lay faithful. I offer my greetings, too, to the mayor and his wife, and to all the civil authorities. Together let us walk in the light of the risen Lord.

1. Today we are celebrating the Second Sunday of Easter, also known as “Divine Mercy Sunday”. What a beautiful truth of faith this is for our lives: the mercy of God! God’s love for us is so great, so deep; it is an unfailing love, one which always takes us by the hand and supports us, lifts us up and leads us on.

2. In today’s Gospel, the Apostle Thomas personally experiences this mercy of God, which has a concrete face, the face of Jesus, the risen Jesus. Thomas does not believe it when the other Apostles tell him: “We have seen the Lord”. It isn’t enough for him that Jesus had foretold it, promised it: “On the third day I will rise”. He wants to see, he wants to put his hand in the place of the nails and in Jesus’ side. And how does Jesus react? With patience: Jesus does not abandon Thomas in his stubborn unbelief; he gives him a week’s time, he does not close the door, he waits. And Thomas acknowledges his own poverty, his little faith. “My Lord and my God!”: with this simple yet faith-filled invocation, he responds to Jesus’ patience. He lets himself be enveloped by divine mercy; he sees it before his eyes, in the wounds of Christ’s hands and feet and in his open side, and he discovers trust: he is a new man, no longer an unbeliever, but a believer. Let us also remember Peter: three times he denied Jesus, precisely when he should have been closest to him; and when he hits bottom he meets the gaze of Jesus who patiently, wordlessly, says to him: “Peter, don’t be afraid of your weakness, trust in me”. Peter understands, he feels the loving gaze of Jesus, and he weeps. How beautiful is this gaze of Jesus – how much tenderness is there! Brothers and sisters, let us never lose trust in the patience and mercy of God! Let us think too of the two disciples on the way to Emmaus: their sad faces, their barren journey, their despair. But Jesus does not abandon them: he walks beside them, and not only that! Patiently he explains the Scriptures which spoke of him, and he stays to share a meal with them. This is God’s way of doing things: he is not impatient like us, who often want everything all at once, even in our dealings with other people. God is patient with us because he loves us, and those who love are able to understand, to hope, to inspire confidence; they do not give up, they do not burn bridges, they are able to forgive. Let us remember this in our lives as Christians: God always waits for us, even when we have left him behind! He is never far from us, and if we return to him, he is ready to embrace us. I am always struck when I reread the parable of the merciful Father; it impresses me because it always gives me great hope. Think of that younger son who was in the Father’s house, who was loved; and yet he wants his part of the inheritance; he goes off, spends everything, hits rock bottom, where he could not be more distant from the Father, yet when he is at his lowest, he misses the warmth of the Father’s house and he goes back. And the Father? Had he forgotten the son? No, never. He is there, he sees the son from afar, he was waiting for him every hour of every day, the son was always in his father’s heart, even though he had left him, even though he had squandered his whole inheritance, his freedom. The Father, with patience, love, hope and mercy, had never for a second stopped thinking about him, and as soon as he sees him still far off, he runs out to meet him and embraces him with tenderness, the tenderness of God, without a word of reproach: he is back! And that is the joy of the Father. In that embrace of the son there is all of this joy: he is back! God is always waiting for us, he never grows tired. Jesus shows us this merciful patience of God so that we can regain confidence, hope – always! A great German theologian, Romano Guardini, said that God responds to our weakness by his patience, and this is the reason for our confidence, our hope (cf. Glaubenserkenntnis, Würzburg, 1949, p. 28). It is like a dialogue between our weakness and the patience of God, a dialogue that, if we will engage in it, gives us hope.

3. I would like to emphasize one other thing: God’s patience has to call forth in us the courage to return to him, however many mistakes and sins there may be in our life. Jesus tells Thomas to put his hand in the wounds of his hands and his feet, and in his side. We too can enter into the wounds of Jesus, we can actually touch him. This happens every time that we receive the sacraments with faith. Saint Bernard, in a fine homily, says: “Through the wounds of Jesus I can suck honey from the rock and oil from the flinty rock (cf. Deut 32:13), I can taste and see the goodness of the Lord” (On the Song of Songs, 61:4). It is there, in the wounds of Jesus, that we are truly secure; there we encounter the boundless love of his heart. Thomas understood this. Saint Bernard goes on to ask: What can I count on? On my own merits? No, “My merit is God’s mercy. I am by no means lacking merits as long as he is rich in mercy. If the mercies of the Lord are manifold, I too will abound in merits” (ibid., 5). This is important: the courage to trust in Jesus’ mercy, to trust in his patience, to seek refuge always in the wounds of his love. Saint Bernard even states: “So what if my conscience gnaws at me for my many sins? ‘Where sin has abounded, there grace has abounded all the more’ (Rom 5:20)” (ibid.). But some of us may think: my sin is so great, I am as far from God as the younger son in the parable, my unbelief is like that of Thomas; I don’t have the courage to go back, to believe that God can welcome me and that he is waiting for me, of all people. But God is indeed waiting for you; he asks of you only the courage to go to him. How many times in my pastoral ministry have I heard it said: “Father, I have many sins”; and I have always pleaded: “Don’t be afraid, go to him, he is waiting for you, he will take care of everything”. We hear many offers from the world around us; but let us take up God’s offer instead: his is a caress of love. For God, we are not numbers, we are important, indeed we are the most important thing to him; even if we are sinners, we are what is closest to his heart. Adam, after his sin, experiences shame, he feels naked, he senses the weight of what he has done; and yet God does not abandon him: if that moment of sin marks the beginning of his exile from God, there is already a promise of return, a possibility of return. God immediately asks: “Adam, where are you?” He seeks him out. Jesus took on our nakedness, he took upon himself the shame of Adam, the nakedness of his sin, in order to wash away our sin: by his wounds we have been healed. Remember what Saint Paul says: “What shall I boast of, if not my weakness, my poverty? Precisely in feeling my sinfulness, in looking at my sins, I can see and encounter God’s mercy, his love, and go to him to receive forgiveness. In my own life, I have so often seen God’s merciful countenance, his patience; I have also seen so many people find the courage to enter the wounds of Jesus by saying to him: Lord, I am here, accept my poverty, hide my sin in your wounds, wash it away with your blood. And I have always seen that God did just this – he accepted them, consoled them, cleansed them, loved them. Dear brothers and sisters, let us be enveloped by the mercy of God; let us trust in his patience, which always gives us more time. Let us find the courage to return to his house, to dwell in his loving wounds, allowing ourselves be loved by him and to encounter his mercy in the sacraments. We will feel his tenderness, so beautiful, we will feel his embrace, and we too will become more capable of mercy, patience, forgiveness and love.

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A Deacon’s Relationship with the Blood of Christ

I have been asked on more than one occasion why deacons are related to the chalice, i.e., to the Blood of Christ. This is signified at Mass when the deacon elevates the chalice during the doxology, and when he preferentially distributes the Blood of Christ to the people during the communion rite.

Yes, deacons are in a deep relationship with the Blood of Christ.

I am reminded of St. Paul’s second letter to the Corinthians in which he says, “We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed…… so that the life of Jesus may be manifested on our mortal flesh.” (2 Cor 4: 8-11) I dare say that the life and ministry of many deacons are experienced, at least occasionally, in just this way. In other words, the vocation of a deacon is bound to the Cross, to redemptive suffering, even to marytrydom, to the shedding of his blood for others.

That all sounds rather bleak at first glance, doesn’t it? Not exactly a good recruitment tool for the diaconate. Take a second look though at its meaning.

As our Holy Father, Pope Francis has recently reminded us, ministry requires that we get out of ourselves and enter into the world of the poor. This implies diaconal ministry is a proximal ministry, a ministry in which we are close to the people. When Pope Francis was archbishop of Buenos Aires, he sometimes required his priests not only go out to the poor but that they lived with them in their poverty. Francis required proximity. He understood ministry to the poor would result in getting your hands dirty. He even said that to care for the poor would mean we would “smell’ like them.

The deacon’s bind to the Cross is then seen in his attachment to the suffering of the poor. It is then also bound to martyrdom, the shedding of his blood so others may live.

The deacon elevates the chalice, filled with the Blood of Christ, signifying his commitment to lifting up those who because of political, social, economic or religious reasons have been forgotten and marginalized in our world.

Jesus’ love was shown to all mankind when he shed his blood, blood that washed us and took what was deeply stained by sin and cleansed it. The Blood of Christ is the giving of life. Elevated on the Cross, Jesus’ blood pour out so that life may be raised up again. The deacon, when he elevates the chalice and distributes the Blood of Christ, is saying by these actions that he is letting his own blood be shed so others may live, and his shedding of blood is done in service, in assisting at the sacrifice of the Cross. It is sort of like, if you can imagine it this way, a deacon being at the scene of the crucifixion, having collected the spilled Blood of Jesus as he hangs on the cross and lifting up that Blood to God the Father. The Body is elevated by Christ himself; the Blood (which alone dropped off the Cross that day and on to the ground) is collected and lifted up by the deacon. To do this risks the shedding of one’s own blood because it is a statement of purpose, a public acknowledgment of the deacon’s willingness to be united to the death of Jesus.

It is also an acknowledgment that the deacon is closely bound to the suffering of the people, to their blood which he raises to the Father along with the Blood of Jesus, just as Jesus lifted high all of us, up out of our distress, to the Father who liberates us from all that truly oppresses us in life.

My friends, these are only my reflections; my meditation. I welcome your comments.

May you find this day, and always, solace in the presence of our Risen Savior!

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Who Francis may be, based on who Bergoglio was

I have put a link up to an article written by John Allen of the National Catholic Reporter who has been in Argentina recently learning about our new pope’s history there, how the people and the Argentinian church have viewed him, and his relationship with the civil government. Allen has some interesting ideas about what Papa Bergoglio may pursue in his papacy. He suggests the Holy Father is a bridge between those who wish to feed the body of the poor and those who want to feed the soul (my words, not Allen’s).

Here is the link: Who Francis may be, based on who Bergoglio was | National Catholic Reporter.

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“It is Right and Just”

In the new translation of the Mass, one of our responses is, “It is right and just.” Many people find it a bit awkward to recite, clumsy, and not readily understood as to its meaning.

What does “right and just” actually mean?

Here is my take on it. I derive it from what Joseph Ratzinger wrote in his book, Jesus of Nazareth in 2007.

Righteousness and justice have synonymous meanings in Scripture. A just man and a righteous man are similar. Many people will think that righteousness and justice have to do with ethics and morals, i.e., doing the moral or ethical thing, meeting the demands of law either religious or civil. This is the temptation of the Pharisee. Pharisees were indeed observant of the Law in its moral and ethical requirements in that they fulfilled those requirements scrupulously. Unfortunately, their understanding seems to have stopped there in many ways, and they began, if we can glean this from Scripture, to take a certain pride in their observance of the dictates of the Law and concurrently became judgmental of those who did not. We can see this in the parable where the Pharisee was praising God for his (the Pharisee’s) righteousness but in the back of the temple was a publican who beat his breast and recognized his moral failings but submitted himself to the will of God and his mercy. The publican went away justified, and the Pharisee did not.

What then does this tell us about righteousness and justice in our own lives and what does it have to say about the response, “It is right and just!” at Mass?

If you read the Scriptures, both Old and New (especially St. Paul’s epistles) we learn that a just and righteous person is a person who takes on the will of God. In many ways, righteousness and justice are not directly connected to sin or innocence, as we saw in the parable example above. Some very sinful people suddenly become righteous and just when they discover the will of God and take it on their shoulders. One completely innocent man, Jesus Christ, in order to fulfill the requirements of justice an righteousnes, submitted to the baptism of John, a baptism meant to bring about conversion remission of sin. Jesus had no need for forgiveness of sin for he was sinless as God. Yet he said to John, “Let it be for now; for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” (Mt 3:15)

In Jesus’ world, righteousness is man’s response to God’s will. It is a bearing of the “yoke of the Kingdom.” Jesus was baptized because in do so, he expressed his complete “yes” to his Father’s will and an obedient acceptance of his yoke.

So, at Mass when the priest says, “Lift up your hearts!” We respond, “It is right and just!” In doing so, we are not affirming our sinfulness or sinlessness, nor our conformity to moral or ethical precepts (as important as that is in itself!) but rather that in lifting our hearts, our lives to God with the Eucharistic sacrifice, we too are saying we are willing to take on the will of God in our lives, that we are willing to fulfill all righteousness as God would have it for us, that we too are willing to enter into and share with Jesus his death and resurrection.

All Christians are called to righteousness and justice in this sense, and it is not discovered in rigid compliance with the law. Rather, righteousness and justice are fulfillments of the law.

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The Holy Father’s Concern for Victims of Abuse

Pope Francis met yesterday with the Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith and told him to move forward in dealing with sexual abuse cases, to protect minors from such violence, to help those who have been abused, and emphasized that episcopal conferences throughout the world form and implement necessary directives to deal with sexual abuse cases. He spoke of his awareness, attention, and prayers for victims of abuse. 

This is good news. Not that previous pope’s haven’t had the same concerns, but rather, that from what I can tell, this is one of the first things to which Pope Francis is bringing his attention. I also heard through the grapevine that he may make significant changes in the Vatican Bank, or even close it entirely. How the Vatican has responded to victims of sexual abuse and how it has responded to financial matters have been issues that have damaged the Church’s credibility and her efforts to witness to the Gospel in today’s world, at least that is the fallout in many people’s minds and experience. Thus, I am encouraged to see the Holy Father taking these issues on so early in his pontificate.

Reminds me of what is understood to have been a concern of Pope John Paul I back in his short 33 day papacy in 1978. He too was reported to have been quite concerned about the Vatican bank and had a desire to reform it. Unfortunately, he died before much if anything happened.

May our Holy Father find success in his efforts to bring forward the changes needed to care for those who have been wounded and in need, to care for the poor and the outcast for whom the Church has a preferential option, and to strengthen the Church’s credibility in spreading the Gospel throughout the world today.

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Pope Francis’ Comments on Womens’ Witness to Jesus

In my efforts to introduce the new Holy Father, a man unknown to most of us until a few days ago, I am again providing a copy of his remarks at today’s general audience. This is the translation provided by Vatican Radio.

Dear Brothers and Sisters,
Today we turn to the Catechism of the Year of Faith. In the Creed we repeat this phrase: “He rose again on the third day, in accordance with the Scriptures”. This is the very event that we are celebrating: the Resurrection of Jesus, the center of the Christian message that has resounded since the beginning and has been handed down so that it may reach us today. Saint Paul writes to the Christians of Corinth: “For I handed on to you …what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures; that he was buried; that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the scriptures; that he appeared to Cephas, then to the Twelve”(1 Cor 15:3-5). This brief confession of faith announces the Paschal Mystery, with the first appearances of the Risen Christ to Peter and the Twelve: the Death and Resurrection of Jesus is the heart of our hope. Without this faith in the Death and Resurrection of Jesus our hope would be weak, but it wouldn’0t even be hope, the Death and Resurrection of Jesus is the heart of our hope. The Apostle says: “If Christ has not been raised, your faith is vain; you are still in your sins” (v. 17).
Unfortunately, there have often been attempts to obscure faith in the Resurrection of Jesus, and doubts have crept in even among believers themselves. A watered down faith, as we would say, not a strong faith. This is because of superficiality, sometimes because of indifference, occupied by a thousand things considered more important than the faith, or because of a purely horizontal vision of life. But it is the Resurrection that gives us the greatest hope, because it opens our lives and the life of the world to the eternal future of God, to full happiness, to the certainty that evil, sin, death can be defeated. And this leads us to live everyday realities with more confidence, to face them with courage and commitment. The Resurrection of Christ shines a new light on these daily realities. The Resurrection of Christ is our strength!
But how was the truth of faith in Christ’s Resurrection transmitted? There are two kinds of witness in the New Testament: some are in the form of the profession of the faith, namely, synthetic formulas that indicate the center of the faith. Instead, others are in the form of an account of the event of the Resurrection and the facts connected to it. The form of the profession of faith, for example, is what we have just heard, or that of the Letter to the Romans where Paul writes: ” for, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved “(10.9). From the earliest days of the Church, faith in the Mystery of Death and Resurrection of Jesus is steadfast and clear.
Today, however, I would like to dwell the second, on testimony in the form of the accounts that we find in the Gospels. First, we note that the first witnesses to this event were the women. At dawn, they go to the tomb to anoint the body of Jesus, and find the first sign: the empty tomb (Mk 16:1). This is followed by an encounter with a Messenger of God who proclaims: Jesus of Nazareth, the Crucified One, he is not here, he is risen (cf. vv. 5-6). The women are driven by love and know how to accept this proclamation with faith: they believe, and immediately transmit it, they do not keep it for themselves. They cannot contain the joy of knowing that Jesus is alive, the hope that fills their heart. This should also be the same in our lives. Let us feel the joy of being Christian! We believe in the Risen One who has conquered evil and death! Let us also have the courage to “go out” to bring this joy and light to all the places of our lives! The Resurrection of Christ is our greatest certainty, it is our most precious treasure! How can we not share this treasure, this beautiful certainty with others! It’s not just for us it’s to be transmitted, shared with others this is our testimony!
Another element. In the professions of faith of the New Testament, only men are remembered as witnesses of the Resurrection, the Apostles, but not the women. This is because, according to the Jewish Law of the time, women and children were not considered reliable, credible witnesses. In the Gospels, however, women have a primary, fundamental role. Here we can see an argument in favor of the historicity of the Resurrection: if it were a invented, in the context of that time it would not have been linked to the testimony of women. Instead, the evangelists simply narrate what happened: the women were the first witnesses. This tells us that God does not choose according to human criteria: the first witnesses of the birth of Jesus are the shepherds, simple and humble people, the first witnesses of the Resurrection are women. This is beautiful, and this is the mission of women, of mothers and women, to give witness to their children and grandchildren that Christ is Risen! Mothers go forward with this witness! What matters to God is our heart, if we are open to Him, if we are like trusting children. But this also leads us to reflect on how in the Church and in the journey of faith, women have had and still have a special role in opening doors to the Lord, in following him and communicating his face, because the eyes of faith always need the simple and profound look of love. The Apostles and disciples find it harder to believe in the Risen Christ, not the women however! Peter runs to the tomb, but stops before the empty tomb; Thomas has to touch the wounds of the body of Jesus with his hands. In our journey of faith it is important to know and feel that God loves us, do not be afraid to love: faith is professed with the mouth and heart, with the word and love.
After the apparitions to women, there were others: Jesus becomes present in a new way: He is the Crucified One, but his body is glorious; He did not return to an earthly life, but a new condition. At first they did not recognize him, and only through his words and deeds were their eyes opened: the encounter with the Risen Lord transforms, it gives new strength to faith, an unshakable foundation. The Risen Christ also reveals Himself to us with many signs: Sacred Scripture, the Eucharist, the other Sacraments, charity, these gestures of love bring a ray of the Risen One.
Let us be enlightened by the Resurrection of Christ, let us be transformed by His power, so that through us the signs of death give way to signs of life in the world! I see that there are many young people in the Square! Young boys and girls, to you I say bring forth this certainty to the world: the Lord is Alive and walks beside us on our life’s journey! Bring forth this hope, be anchored in this hope, the hope that comes from heaven! Be anchored and bring forth the hope! You witnesses of Christ bring forth hope to this world that is aged by wars and sin! Go forward young people!

Below we publish the English summary of the Wednesday General Audience catechesis.

Taking up the series of Catechesis on the Creed, we now turn to the passage: “He rose again on the third day, in accordance with the Scriptures”. Our belief in Christ’s Resurrection is the very heart of our faith, the basis of our hope in God’s promises and our trust in his victory over sin and death. The first witnesses of the Resurrection were women: moved by love to go to the tomb, they accept with joy the message of the Resurrection and then tell the good news to the Apostles. So it must be with us; we need to share the joy born of our faith in the Resurrection! In Church’s history, women have had a special role in opening doors to faith in Christ, for faith is always a response to love. With the eyes of faith, we too encounter the risen Lord in the many signs of his presence: the Scriptures, the Eucharist and the other sacraments, and the acts of charity, goodness, forgiveness and mercy which bring a ray of his Resurrection into our world. May our faith in the risen Christ enable us to be living signs in our world of the triumph of life and hope over evil, sin and death.

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Go and Do the Same

f1dm3I can add nothing to this.

 

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Ministry Demands Proximity

Our Holy Father rather eloquently in his homily at the Chrism Mass spoke of the necessity of getting out of yourself and close to the people we serve. He used some wonderful descriptors to make his point. He is speaking to his priests in this homily, but what he says apply equally to deacons and diaconal ministry.

I know I have been posting an awful lot of Papa Francesco’s remarks and homilies, but I continue to be captivated by his words. Here are his words from this morning (bold print is mine).

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

This morning I have the joy of celebrating my first Chrism Mass as the Bishop of Rome. I greet all of you with affection, especially you, dear priests, who, like myself, today recall the day of your ordination.

The readings and the Psalm of our Mass speak of God’s “anointed ones”: the suffering Servant of Isaiah, King David and Jesus our Lord. All three have this in common: the anointing that they receive is meant in turn to anoint God’s faithful people, whose servants they are; they are anointed for the poor, for prisoners, for the oppressed… A fine image of this “being for” others can be found in the Psalm 133: “It is like the precious oil upon the head, running down upon the beard, on the beard of Aaron, running down upon the collar of his robe” (v. 2). The image of spreading oil, flowing down from the beard of Aaron upon the collar of his sacred robe, is an image of the priestly anointing which, through Christ, the Anointed One, reaches the ends of the earth, represented by the robe.

The sacred robes of the High Priest are rich in symbolism. One such symbol is that the names of the children of Israel were engraved on the onyx stones mounted on the shoulder-pieces of the ephod, the ancestor of our present-day chasuble: six on the stone of the right shoulder-piece and six on that of the left (cf. Ex 28:6-14). The names of the twelve tribes of Israel were also engraved on the breastplate (cf. Es 28:21). This means that the priest celebrates by carrying on his shoulders the people entrusted to his care and bearing their names written in his heart. When we put on our simple chasuble, it might well make us feel, upon our shoulders and in our hearts, the burdens and the faces of our faithful people, our saints and martyrs who are numerous in these times.

From the beauty of all these liturgical things, which is not so much about trappings and fine fabrics than about the glory of our God resplendent in his people, alive and strengthened, we turn now to a consideration of activity, action. The precious oil which anoints the head of Aaron does more than simply lend fragrance to his person; it overflows down to “the edges”. The Lord will say this clearly: his anointing is meant for the poor, prisoners and the sick, for those who are sorrowing and alone. My dear brothers, the ointment is not intended just to make us fragrant, much less to be kept in a jar, for then it would become rancid … and the heart bitter.

A good priest can be recognized by the way his people are anointed: this is a clear proof. When our people are anointed with the oil of gladness, it is obvious: for example, when they leave Mass looking as if they have heard good news. Our people like to hear the Gospel preached with “unction”, they like it when the Gospel we preach touches their daily lives, when it runs down like the oil of Aaron to the edges of reality, when it brings light to moments of extreme darkness, to the “outskirts” where people of faith are most exposed to the onslaught of those who want to tear down their faith. People thank us because they feel that we have prayed over the realities of their everyday lives, their troubles, their joys, their burdens and their hopes. And when they feel that the fragrance of the Anointed One, of Christ, has come to them through us, they feel encouraged to entrust to us everything they want to bring before the Lord: “Pray for me, Father, because I have this problem”, “Bless me Father”, “Pray for me” – these words are the sign that the anointing has flowed down to the edges of the robe, for it has turned into a prayer of supplication, the supplication of the People of God. When we have this relationship with God and with his people, and grace passes through us, then we are priests, mediators between God and men. What I want to emphasize is that we need constantly to stir up God’s grace and perceive in every request, even those requests that are inconvenient and at times purely material or downright banal – but only apparently so – the desire of our people to be anointed with fragrant oil, since they know that we have it. To perceive and to sense, even as the Lord sensed the hope-filled anguish of the woman suffering from hemorrhages when she touched the hem of his garment. At that moment, Jesus, surrounded by people on every side, embodies all the beauty of Aaron vested in priestly raiment, with the oil running down upon his robes. It is a hidden beauty, one which shines forth only for those faith-filled eyes of the woman troubled with an issue of blood. But not even the disciples – future priests – see or understand: on the “existential outskirts”, they see only what is on the surface: the crowd pressing in on Jesus from all sides (cf. Lk 8:42). The Lord, on the other hand, feels the power of the divine anointing which runs down to the edge of his cloak.

We need to “go out”, then, in order to experience our own anointing, its power and its redemptive efficacy: to the “outskirts” where there is suffering, bloodshed, blindness that longs for sight, and prisoners in thrall to many evil masters. It is not in soul-searching or constant introspection that we encounter the Lord: self-help courses can be useful in life, but to live our priestly life going from one course to another, from one method to another, leads us to become pelagians and to minimize the power of grace, which comes alive and flourishes to the extent that we, in faith, go out and give ourselves and the Gospel to others, giving what little ointment we have to those who have nothing, nothing at all.

The priest who seldom goes out of himself, who anoints little – I won’t say “not at all” because, thank God, the people take the oil from us anyway – misses out on the best of our people, on what can stir the depths of his priestly heart. Those who do not go out of themselves, instead of being mediators, gradually become intermediaries, managers. We know the difference: the intermediary, the manager, “has already received his reward”, and since he doesn’t put his own skin and his own heart on the line, he never hears a warm, heartfelt word of thanks. This is precisely the reason for the dissatisfaction of some, who end up sad – sad priests – in some sense becoming collectors of antiques or novelties, instead of being shepherds living with “the odour of the sheep”. This I ask you: be shepherds, with the “odour of the sheep”, make it real, as shepherds among your flock, fishers of men. True enough, the so-called crisis of priestly identity threatens us all and adds to the broader cultural crisis; but if we can resist its onslaught, we will be able to put out in the name of the Lord and cast our nets. It is not a bad thing that reality itself forces us to “put out into the deep”, where what we are by grace is clearly seen as pure grace, out into the deep of the contemporary world, where the only thing that counts is “unction” – not function – and the nets which overflow with fish are those cast solely in the name of the One in whom we have put our trust: Jesus.

Dear lay faithful, be close to your priests with affection and with your prayers, that they may always be shepherds according to God’s heart.

Dear priests, may God the Father renew in us the Spirit of holiness with whom we have been anointed. May he renew his Spirit in our hearts, that this anointing may spread to everyone, even to those “outskirts” where our faithful people most look for it and most appreciate it. May our people sense that we are the Lord’s disciples; may they feel that their names are written upon our priestly vestments and that we seek no other identity; and may they receive through our words and deeds the oil of gladness which Jesus, the Anointed One, came to bring us. Amen.

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Pope Francis’ remarks at his first General Audience

Here is the Holy Father’s remarks at his first regular Wednesday audience. He speaks of Holy Week.

Brothers and sisters, good morning!

I am pleased to welcome you to my first general audience. With deep gratitude and veneration I am taking up the “witness” from the hands of my beloved predecessor, Benedict XVI. After Easter we will resume the catechesis on the Year of Faith. Today I would like to focus a little on Holy Week. With Palm Sunday we began this week – the center of the whole liturgical year – in which we accompany Jesus in His Passion, Death and Resurrection.

But what does it mean for us to live Holy Week? What does it means to follow Jesus on His way to the Cross on Calvary and the Resurrection? In His earthly mission, Jesus walked the streets of the Holy Land; He called twelve simple people to remain with Him, to share His journey and continue His mission; He chose them among the people full of faith in the promises of God. He spoke to everyone, without distinction, to the great and the lowly; to the rich young man and the poor widow, the powerful and the weak; He brought the mercy and forgiveness of God to all; He healed, comforted, understood, gave hope, He led all to the presence of God, who is interested in every man and woman, like a good father and a good mother is interested in each child.
God did not wait for us to go to Him, but He moved towards us, without calculation, without measures. This is how God is: He is always the first, He moves towards us. Jesus lived the daily realities of most ordinary people: He was moved by the crowd that seemed like a flock without a shepherd, and He cried in front of the suffering of Martha and Mary on the death of their brother Lazarus; He called a tax collector to be His disciple and also suffered the betrayal of a friend. In Christ, God has given us the assurance that He is with us, in our midst. “Foxes”, Jesus said, “have dens and birds of the sky have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to rest His head” (Mt 8:20). Jesus did not have a home because His house is the people — that is, us; His mission is to open all God’s doors, to be the loving presence of God.

In Holy Week we live the highest point of this journey, this loving plan that runs throughout the entire history of the relationship between God and humanity. Jesus enters Jerusalem to take the final step, in which His whole existence is summarized: He gives Himself totally, He keeps nothing for Himself, not even His life. At the Last Supper, with His friends, He shares the bread and distributes the chalice “for us.” The Son of God is offered to us, He consigns His Body and his Blood into our hands to be with us always, to dwell among us. And on the Mount of Olives, as in the trial before Pilate, He puts up no resistance, He gifts Himself: He is the Suffering Servant foretold by Isaiah, who stripped himself unto death (cf. Is 53:12).

Jesus does not live this love that leads to sacrifice passively or as a fatal destiny; certainly He does not hide His deep human commotion in the face of a violent death, but He entrusts Himself with full confidence to the Father. Jesus voluntarily consigned Himself to death to respond to the love of God the Father, in perfect union with His will, to demonstrate His love for us. On the Cross, Jesus “loved me and gave Himself for me” (Gal 2:20). Each of us can say, “He loved me and gave Himself for me.” Everyone can say that “for me”!

What does this mean for us? It means that this is my, your, our path. Living Holy Week following Jesus not only with the emotions of the heart; living Holy Week following Jesus means learning how to go beyond ourselves – as I said on Sunday – to reach out to others, to go to the outskirts of existence, to be the first to move towards our brothers and sisters, especially those who are most distant, those who are forgotten, those who are most in need of understanding, consolation and help. There is so much need to bring the living presence of Jesus, merciful and full of love!

Living Holy Week means increasingly entering into God’s logic, the logic of the Cross, which is not first of all that of pain and death, but of love and of self-giving that brings life. It means entering into the logic of the Gospel. Following, accompanying Christ, remaining with Him requires a “stepping outside,” a stepping beyond. Stepping outside of ourselves, of a tired and routine way of living the faith, of the temptation to withdraw into pre-established patterns that end up closing our horizon to the creative action of God. God stepped outside of Himself to come among us, He pitched His tent among us to bring the mercy of God that saves and gives hope. Even if we want to follow Him and stay with Him, we must not be content to remain in the enclosure of the ninety-nine sheep, we have to “step outside”, to search for the lost sheep together with Him, the one furthest away. Remember well: stepping outside of ourselves, like Jesus, like God has stepped outside of Himself in Jesus and Jesus stepped outside of Himself for all of us.

Some might say to me, “But, Father, I have no time”, “I have so many things to do”, “it is difficult”, “what can I do with my little strength?”, with my sin, with so many things? Often we settle for a few prayers, a distracted and inconsistent presence at Sunday Mass, a random act of charity, but we lack this courage to “step outside” to bring Christ. We are a bit like St. Peter. As soon as Jesus speaks of the Passion, Death and Resurrection, of self-giving, of love for all, the Apostle takes him aside and rebukes him. What Jesus says upsets his plans, seems unacceptable, undermines the sense of security that he had built up, his idea of ​​the Messiah. And Jesus looks at the disciples and addresses Peter with perhaps one of the strongest words of the Gospel: “Get behind me, Satan. You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do”(Mk 8:33).
God always thinks with mercy: do not forget this. God always thinks with mercy: our merciful Father. God thinks like a father who awaits the return of his child and goes to meet him, sees him coming when he is still far away … What does this mean? That each and every day he went out to see if his son was coming home. This is our merciful Father. It is the sign that he was waiting for him from the terrace of his house; God thinks like the Samaritan that does not approach the victim to commiserate with him, or look the other way, but to rescue him without asking for anything in return, without asking if he was Jew, if he was pagan, a Samaritan, rich or poor: he does not ask anything – he does not ask these things, he asks for nothing. He goes to his aid: This is how God thinks. God thinks like the shepherd who gives his life to defend and save his sheep.

Holy Week is a time of grace which the Lord gifts us to open the doors of our hearts, our lives, our parishes – what a pity, so many parishes are closed! – in our parishes, movements, associations, and to “step outside” towards others, to draw close to them so we can bring the light and joy of our faith. Always step outside yourself! And with the love and tenderness of God, with respect and patience, knowing that we put our hands, our feet, our hearts, but then it is God who guides them and makes all our actions fruitful.

May you all live these days well, following the Lord with courage, and carrying within ourselves a ray of His love for all those whom we meet.

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Can You See the Difference?

Vatican has revealed that the pope’s coat of arms has been slightly modified from what had been originally presented. Can you see the differences? The old one is on top, the new follows:

images

stemma-papa-francesco

 

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Pope plans to live in Vatican workers’ residence :: Catholic News Agency (CNA)

We have learned today that the Holy Father has decided to not live in the Apostolic Palace, but rather continue to live in his room at the St. Martha’s residence where he has been since his election.

In case any of you misunderstand, pope’s until 1903 did not live in the Apostolic Palace. Pope Pius X was the first to do so. So Pope Francis is reverting back to an older tradition, although the building he is residing in is relatively new, i.e., being built in 1996.

For an article explaining all this, click on the link below:

Pope plans to live in Vatican workers’ residence :: Catholic News Agency (CNA).

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Deacon Bob’s Homily for 2nd Saturday of Lent, Cycle C

I offered this homily at a  Day of Reflection given to all deacons and wives of the Diocese of Winona. The Gospel was on the Prodigal Son. I have only the text to share.

Saturday, 2nd Week of Lent, Cycle C

March 2, 2013

To the Assembly of Deacons of the Diocese of Winona and their wives gathered.

“He welcomes sinners and eats with them.”

I can only hope that a similar complaint is registered against us, my brothers. I can only hope that someone has good reason to charge with this.

Not that we would welcome the sin or partake in it. Not that we would fail to speak the truth when confronted by ignorance or evil. Not that we would lose the purity of our consciences or of our hearts.

Only that we would welcome the sinner and minister to them, that we would know them in their sin so as to lead them back to the Church which offers them reconciliation and peace.

“He welcomes sinners and eats with them.” 

It is quite a responsibility, actually, to welcome the sinner and eat with them. To eat with them is synonymous with knowing them, with being present to them. Is this not one of the ministries given to us by our bishop at ordination? Does the Church not invite sinners over and over again to be reconciled with God and the Church, and then come and share in the Eucharist, and aren’t we deacons sent to those places where those in need of reconciliation dwell?  Is it not our role as deacons to be present to those who live on the margins of the Church and to carry them in their need back to the Body of Jesus Christ, to the Church? To bring them back by bringing their needs, their sins to the attention of our bishops and his priests?

Brothers, how well do we know our people? How well do we eat with them? How well do we engage them?  How well do we bear their needs, their lives back to the Church which we both love and are ordained to serve?

Think of what we will hear on Palm Sunday. Jesus rides a colt on his way to Jerusalem, surrounded by the people. As long as he remained outside the city walls, the walls of power, the he is acclaimed Messiah and King. The people on the margins of ecclesial and civic life, those on the fringes, people without power or voice, people who no doubt were considered steeped in sin, surrounded him. He was knew them. He bore their sin, their needs, their lives and he took all of that to the altar of sacrifice, the altar of reconciliation. He took it all to the Father of reconciliation.

Of course, as soon as he entered those walls of political and religious influence, it cost him his life, which he willingly gave so that the prodigal sons and daughters of his time and ours might be reconciled.

What did Jesus do? He welcomed sinners and he ate with them. He knew them. He gave himself to them. He died for them.

May God help us in our effort to be the Icon of Jesus the Servant in today’s world.

 

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Quote for the Day

“I began to understand that the basis of living the gospel is to love, to love others without finding excuses for withholding my love from anyone, and I was convinced of my need to forgive and to ask for forgiveness.” — Josephine Rush, OSF

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Deacon Bob’s Homily for Palm Sunday, 2013

Here is my homily for this weekend. God bless us all as we enter Holy Week!

Audio: Palm Sunday – Cycle C, 2013

Text:

Palm Sunday – Cycle C

March 18/19, 2013

Isaiah 50: 4-7; Phil 2: 6-11; Lk 22: 14 – 23: 56 

Jesus enters the city of Jerusalem riding on the back of a colt. He rides through the people of his time, on their road and byways, trying to inch his way forward toward the gates of the city. It isn’t smooth going for him in some sense because there are so many people, so many men and women who lived out there; there were so many people who lived on the roads and in the country because they didn’t have the means to live inside the city. They didn’t have the money or the prestige.

Yes, the Old Testament told them that the Messiah would ride on a donkey; not a horse, or a prancing stallion, just a donkey. Even though the Scriptures were clear about this, many people inside the city walls didn’t understand or maybe they thought God was just teasing them a bit because they thought that the Messiah would come with great worldly power, in a chariot or on a splendid white horse.

The people outside the walls could see though that the Messiah was riding a donkey.

The Pharisees scolded Jesus telling him to quiet the people down. “The very stones will cry out if the people do not.” He said. Yes, even the stones were ready to cry out, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”

Then Jesus entered the city walls, the walls of influence and power in society and Church. Everything changed within a week. Now Jesus was in the presence of people who counted, the rich and the powerful. These people do not cheer and acclaim him, but they complain about him. They accuse him of blasphemy and sedition. The rich and the powerful saw him as a threat and they sought to kill him.  And they did.

Where will you find our Lord today? Look for him in the lives of the mentally ill, the addicted and the homeless. Look for him in the victims of injustice. Do you want to see Jesus? Look for him not in the halls of power and influence but in the backstreets and in the neighborhoods where the powerless live. Look for him with the people who do not count, who are ignored and looked down upon. When you find him, follow him.

Meditate on the cross and the crucifixion. Jesus is in the presence of criminals, foreigners, women, and soldiers. The rich and the powerful have left him to die. Follow him to Golgotha. Follow him to the cross.

Yes, the cross received him. The repentant thief received him. The centurion received him. His mother Messiah and King.received him. God the Father received him.

The place for Jesus is out on the streets of our world, in the byways of the people. This is where we are to be also, on the streets sharing his Word with a hungry world, a world that yearns for him. We are not to keep his Word lock up inside the walls of our lives.

Let us walk with Jesus this Holy Week to his glorious Resurrection. Let us welcome him and acclaim him our Messiah and King!

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