Church of the Week

Posted on April 28, 2011 by Deacon Bob

 

Basilica of St. Mary

Minneapolis, Minnesota

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From the Ancient Catechism of Jerusalem

Posted on April 28, 2011 by Deacon Bob

There is an ancient Christian text called the Catechism of Jerusalem, a selection of which was given for today’s Office of Readings.

It has a teaching about baptism that is worth our attention and thought today.

My English translation of the Italian text I use.

“May no one think that baptism only consists of the remission of sins and the grace of adoption, like the baptism of John which conferred solely the remission of sins. We know however that baptism, while it frees us from sin and obtains for us the gift of the Holy Spirit, also is a figure and expression of the Passion of Christ. Because of this Paul proclaims, ‘Do you not know that those who have been baptized in Christ Jesus, have been baptized into his death? By means of baptism therefore we have been buried together with him in death.’ (Romans 6: 3-4a)”

The three-fold effect of baptism: the remission of all our sins; the gift of the Holy Spirit; the participation in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus.

During this Easter season, let us recall this great gift of love from God, and joyfully go forth to witness to its reality in our lives.

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Congratulations, Diocese of St. Augustine!

Posted on April 27, 2011 by Deacon Bob

The Holy Father today has appointed Bishop Felipe de Jesus Estevez as bishop of the diocese of St. Augustine in Florida.

Bishop Estevez was ordained a priest in 1970 for the diocese of Matanzas in Cuba, but was unable to return to his homeland, and thus was a priest in Honduras and later received as a priest in the archdiocese of Miami. He was ordained a bishop in January of 2007 and was an auxiliary bishop in Miami.

Congratulations, diocese of St. Augustine!

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The Resurrection — Who Will Rise? How? Why?

Posted on April 26, 2011 by Deacon Bob

As we continue to rejoice in our Lord’s resurrection during this Octave of Easter, a question no doubt surfaces for all of us, “Who will rise?”

The answer is, “All the dead will rise.”

Yes, all the dead one day will rise again, those who have done good to the resurrection of life and those who have done evil to the resurrection of judgment. — Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) 998.

All will rise “at the end of the world.” (John 6: 39-40)

In Christ, all will rise again with the bodies we now have, but Christ will transform these bodies to be like his glorious body. (CCC 999) The manner in which he will do this is unknown to us. But we are told that we will be like him. The only things we know of our future resurrected bodies come from the Gospel accounts of Jesus’ resurrected body; it was recognizable as Jesus, yet different is some marvelous ways. It was a real body, yet it could walk through walls and ascend into heaven. It could eat and be touched.

We will rise because God loves us and loves life itself. God chooses to restore us to full life in body and soul.

For us Christians, then, the human body is real, good and immortal. God created the body and declared it was “good.” He united the body with the soul to make it one being, one person. Because of this union of body with immortal soul, the body too becomes immortal through the resurrection.

Jesus kept his human body forever. Ever since Christ took his human nature (body and soul) to heaven in the Ascension, God has a body forever. Jesus Christ did not “un-carnate” when he ascended to the Father.

One of the things I love to preach on is the great dignity we have as sons and daughters of God. We are the adopted sons and daughters of God and Jesus is God’s co-eternal Son. Because of our dignity, God chooses to bestow a certain divine-like quality to our very being. We are not only spirit, but also flesh. That very flesh was taken up into life of the Trinity with Jesus’ incarnation and ascension. Where Jesus has gone, we follow.

As we bask in the warmth and joy of the Resurrection of our Lord, let us meditate on the mystery into which we are drawn up…. the mystery of the death and resurrection of the Jesus, the Christ.

Yes, we all will rise. Those who do good and are faithful to the resurrection of life. Those who do evil and are faithless, to the resurrection of judgment.

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Veneration of the Blood of Blessed John Paul II

Posted on April 26, 2011 by Deacon Bob

This morning, the Vatican indicated that for the beatification of John Paul II this Sunday, there will be exposed for veneration of the faithful a small vial of John Paul II’s blood in liquid form.

The Communicato regarding this is translated below, by me, from the Italian. I thought you might be interested.

The relic that will be exposed for veneration by the faithful for the occasion of the beatification of Pope John Paul II is a small vial of blood, inserted into the precious relic specifically by the Office for the Liturgical Celebrations of the Supreme Pontiff. It is timely to briefly but precisely explain the origin of this relic.

In the last days of the Holy Father’s illness, his assigned personal physician took a blood sample to be placed for storage at the transfusion center of Bambino Gesu hospital in case of the need for a blood transfusion. This center, directed by Prof. Isacchi, was charged with the medical care of the Pope.

In the end, there was no need for a transfusion, and the blood sample remained stored in four small containers. Two of these remained at the disposition of the personal secretary of Pope John Paul II, Cardinal Dziwsz; the other two remained at the hospital Bambino Gesu, in the devoted custody of the sisters of the hospital. For the beatification these two containers have been placed in two reliquaries. The first will be presented for the faithful for the beatification ceremony on May 1st and then will be conserved in the “Sacrario” in care of the Office of the Liturgical Celebrations of the Supreme Pontiff, together with the other important relics. The second will be returned to Bambino Gesu hospital whose sisters have faithfully retained the precious relic in the past years.

The blood is found in the liquid state, which is explained by the presence of an anticoagulant that was present in the tubes used during the sampling of blood.

I think the Vatican wants to make clear here that the liquified blood is not the result of some miraculous intervention, yet is worthy of veneration by the faithful for a short while at the time of beatification.

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Congratulations, Diocese of Evansville!

Posted on April 26, 2011 by Deacon Bob

The Holy Father has appointed Fr. Charles C. Thompson from the archdiocese of Louisville to be bishop of the diocese of Evansville.

Bishop-elect Thompson was born in 1961 in Louisville, attended St. Meinrad School of Theology and was ordained a priest in 1987. Among his many assignments since, he was professor of Canon Law at St. Meinrad’s and vicar general of his home diocese.

Congratulations, diocese of Evansville!

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A Catholic Guide to End-of-Life Decisions

Posted on April 25, 2011 by Deacon Bob

One of the areas that my employer (Gundersen Lutheran Health System) prides itself in – and for which it has gained some national attention – is end of life planning. Gundersen Lutheran and the other health care system in town (Franciscan Skemp- Mayo Health System) have teamed together to make a concerted effort to provide guidance to patients in establishing advanced directives for medical care.

From what I can tell, they do a pretty good job with it, and without evident moral problems in their approach. But the devil is always in the details, especially in the interpretation of the directives at the time for which such direction is called.

If you find yourself faced with making such decisions or planning in advance for them in regard to yourself or a loved one, may I suggest that you take a look at the National Catholic Bioethics Center’s publication entitled A Catholic Guide to End-of-Life Decisions; An Explanation of Church Teaching on Advanced Directives, Euthanasia, and Physician Assisted Suicide.

You may view it at: National Catholic Bioethics Center.

Note that if you want a usable copy of the Advanced Medical Directive and Health Care Proxy document, you need to order it, as indicated at the beginning of the webpage.

The National Catholic Bioethics Center is a reliable resource for application of Catholic moral teaching to the real life situations families face on a daily basis.

One of the most interesting courses we took in diaconal formation was in this area. Bioethics touches the lives of each one of us, and the decisions that we need to make are not always crystal clear (in fact most often they are not), so each of us need access to resources that will faithfully guide us. The National Catholic Bioethics Center is one such resource.

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Quote for the Day

Posted on April 25, 2011 by Deacon Bob

“I am the Christ. Come, therefore, all people oppressed by sin and receive forgiveness. I am indeed your pardon, I am the Passover of redemption, I am the Lamb immolated for you, I am your washing, your light, your salvation, your king. I carry you to the high heavens. I bring you to life, and have you see the Father who is in heaven. I exalt you with my right hand.” — St. Melitus of Sardis

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Msgr. Kevin Irwin

Posted on April 24, 2011 by Deacon Bob

I read by chance this morning that Msgr. Kevin Irwin, Dean of the School of Theology and Religious Studies at Catholic University of America, will be stepping down from his position effective June 30, 2011.

I wish him well. Msgr. Kevin was my spiritual director for a year when I was a student at the North American College in Rome. At that time, he was the director of Liturgy for the College. It was a great time to have been a student there, for Msgr. Kevin was in house, as was Fr. Henri Nouwen, who was the scholar in residence for my first year. As you know from my previous postings, it was also a time when we saw three popes within a span of two months. Cherished memories.

To read Catholic University’s announcement of his retirement, log on to: Catholic University of America.

Good luck, Msgr. Irwin.

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Quote for Easter Day

Posted on April 24, 2011 by Deacon Bob

Here are the final few lines of the pope’s Easter Vigil homily:

“We celebrate the definitive victory of the Creator and of his creation. We celebrate this day as the origin and the goal of our existence. We celebrate it because now, thanks to the risen Lord, it is definitively established that reason is stronger than unreason, truth stronger than lies, love stronger than death. We celebrate …… it because we know that those words from the end of the creation account have now been definitively fulfilled: ‘God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good’ (Gen. 1: 31). Amen.”

Truth is stronger than lies– Let us not forget this. Truth is to found, not created. Truth redeems and sets free. Truth leads us to God who is Love, and love is always stronger than death. That is why even human relationships founded on love never really end, they only change. Death no longer has the last say in anything.

You can read the entire homily at: Pope Benedict’s Easter Homily.

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He Has Risen!

Posted on April 24, 2011 by Deacon Bob

Happy Easter, everyone!

Well, the Exultet is sung without noticeable deficiency. This deacon is glad for that!

The Vigil is complete and Easter has dawned early here.

The body is tired from the waiting in the night, but the light of day and of rest is ahead.

I hope all of you had a blessed Lent and like me are joy-filled as we enter the season of the Resurrection. As you have heard so often, I am sure, we Christians are an Easter people, a people who are to live each day as if caught up in the awe and wonder of the Resurrection, which each of us share now and will share fully in the future, by virtue of our common baptism.

Christ is Risen! Let the Alleluias ring!

 

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“The Open Book of Our Frail Hearts”

Posted on April 23, 2011 by Deacon Bob

Pope Benedict said at the beginning of the Way of the Cross in Rome yesterday that in the “hour of darkness” of the Church and the world, God reads “the open book of our frail hearts.”

What comforting words taken from the opening prayer of the Via Crucis this year!

I would like to share with you this Holy Saturday afternoon that opening prayer written by Sr. Maria Rita Piccione, O.S.A., President of the Our Lady of Good Counsel Federation of Augustinian Contemplatives in Italy.

Lord Jesus, you invite us to follow you in this, your final hour. In you, each one of us is present and we, though many, are one in you. In your final hour is our life’s hour of testing, in all its harshness and brutality; it is the hour of the passion of your Church and all of humanity. It is the hour of darkness, when the “foundations of the earth tremble” and man, “a tiny part of your creation”, groans and suffers with it; an hour when the various masks of falsehood mock the truth and the allure of success stifles the deep call to honesty; when utter lack of meaning and values brings good training to nought and the disordered heart disfigures the innocence of the small and weak; an hour when man strays from the way leading to the Father and no longer recognizes in you the bright face of his own humanity. This hour brings the temptation to flee, the sense of bewilderment and anguish, as the worm of doubt eats away at the mind and the curtain of darkness fall on the heart. And you, Lord, who read the open book of our frail hearts, ask us this evening, as once you asked the Twelve: “Do you also wish to leave me?” No, Lord, we cannot and would not leave you, for you alone “have the words of truth” and your cross alone is the “key that opens to us the secrets of truth and life”. “We will follow you wherever you go!” Following you is itself our act of worship, as from the horizon of the not yet a ray of joy caresses the already of our journey.

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Church of the Week

Posted on April 22, 2011 by Deacon Bob

Divine Mercy Church

Faribault, Minnesota

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Blood and Water

Posted on April 22, 2011 by Deacon Bob

From the side of Jesus on the cross flowed blood and water.

St. John Chrysostom admonishes us to not pass over this aspect of Golgotha without stopping and meditating on it. Blood and water….

Chrysostom said in his Catechesis (my translation of the Italian):

There flowed from his side blood and water (cf. John 19:34). Dear ones, do not pass by this mystery too easily. I have yet another important mystery to explain to you. I said that water and blood are symbols of Baptism and the Eucharist. Now, the Church is born of these two sacraments, from this bath of regeneration and renewal in the Holy Spirit by means of Baptism and the Eucharist. The symbols of  Baptism and the Eucharist flowed out of his side. Thus, from his very side Christ formed the Church, and from the side of Adam was formed Eve….

Similarly, just as God formed the woman from the side of the Adam, so too Christ has given us water and blood from his side to form the Church. And just as the side of Adam was touched by God during Adam’s slumber, so too Christ has given us blood and water during his sleep of death.

Look at the way Christ united himself to his Spouse; look at the food with which he nourishes us. By his blood we are born, with his blood we nourish our lives. Just as a woman feeds her child with her own milk, so too Christ constantly feeds all those he has renewed with his own blood.

Okay, men and women, think of that imagery. The image of Christ and the image of a mother feeding her infant with her own milk.

Here, so many centuries ago, we have a doctor of the Church suggesting a feminine characteristic of God. He is attributing it of course to the Church, the Spouse of Jesus, but there is a closeness between the two images that makes the comparison almost one of two aspects of Jesus himself. Our beloved Pope John Paul I raised many eyes in 1978 when he, in one of his Angelus addresses, suggested God was like a mother in his love for us. Why were we so surprised by Luciani’s  imagery? We have always seen the Church as the earthly Body of Christ, intimately united to him, as a wife to a husband. The two becoming one flesh, inseparable yet distinct. The Church cannot be separated from Jesus her Head anymore than a husband can be separated from his wife or vice versa.

Today is the day our Lord gave his life for our sins. He redeemed us and all of creation from corruption and death. Satan has been definitively defeated. And the Church is given birth, and eternal life.

God loves us with both a paternal and maternal affection. His son Jesus the Christ became a man and continues to be united with us in our humanity even as he has already risen and has taken that redeemed humanity into the arms of God in heaven, where he now sits, with the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever.

It is this Resurrection and Ascension that we are about  the celebrate with great joy.

It is all because of the death of our brother and Lord, Jesus, from whom flowed blood and water. Blood that nourishes us; water that gives us life.

Amen!

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An Ancient Homily on Easter

Posted on April 21, 2011 by Deacon Bob

The Office of Readings gives us opportunity today to reflect upon Jesus as the Lamb that is slain for our salvation, and the fulfillment of the Old Testament promises.

St. Melito of Sardis, bishop, is the author. I provide here my English translation of the Italian text I used.

Many things were predicted by the prophets about the Paschal Mystery, who is Christ ” to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.” (Gal. 1, 5 ff). He descended from heaven to the earth for the sake of suffering humanity; he took upon himself our humanity in the womb of the Virgin and was born a man. He took upon himself the sufferings of man through his flesh subjected to suffering, and he destroyed the passions of the body. He destroyed murderous death with his immortal Spirit.

In fact, he was led to his executioners and killed, like a lamb; he freed us from our worldly way of life as he did in Egypt, and he saved us from the slavery of the devil as he did from the hand of Pharoah. He signed our souls with this own Spirit and the members of our body with his blood.

He is the one who confused death and threw into mourning the devil, as Moses did to Pharoah. He is the one who struck at iniquity and injustice, as Moses condemned Egypt to sterility.

He is the one who drew us from slavery to freedom, from the darkness to the light, from death to life, from tyranny to the eternal kingdom. He made of us a new priesthood and a chosen people forever. He is the paschal lamb of our salvation.

He is the one who took upon himself the suffering of all. He is the one who was killed in Abel, and bound at the feet in Isaac. In Jacob he wandered and in Joseph was sold. He was revealed in the water by Moses, and in the lamb was slain.

He was persecuted in David and in the prophets was dishonored.

He is the one incarnated in the womb of the Virgin, was hanged on a cross, was buried in the earth and, rising from the dead rose to the highest of heavens. He is the lamb that opened not his mouth; he is the lamb that was slain; he is the one born of Mary, herself a lamb without stain. He was taken from the flock, led to execution, sacrificed toward evening, and buried in the night. On the cross none of his bones were broken and in the earth he was not subject to bodily corruption.

He rose from the dead and by him all of humanity rises from the depths of the tomb.

Let us use this reading as a source of meditation from now until the Easter vigil, which we will celebrate in only a short while.

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