LUKE 2:13-14

Think back to a time when you were swept away by the emotion of music. Maybe it was the “Star Spangled Banner” or “America the Beautiful” being performed shortly after 9/11. Maybe it was the theme from Dr. Zhivago, or Julie Andrews bringing the hills alive on the big screen with “The Sound of Music”, or “Jumpin' Jack Flash” from your first row seat at a Rolling Stones Concert in the 1970s. Pretty good stuff, right?

Now imagine the heavens opening up to singing angels, for example, the night Christ was born. As the saying goes, that's what I'm talkin' about!

It's pretty easy to do, really. The toughest part might be finding a place where you can look into the heavens unobstructed by city light. Anyway, look up into the night sky without searching for the big dipper or the planets on the horizon. Without turning your senses toward something familiar, just let the vastness of the universe sink in a little bit.

Now think about Mary, the Mother of God, holding Jesus up in her arms while all who are present marvel. It stops you right in your tracks, doesn’t it? The whole universe is watching, and rejoicing. This is one of the most important moments in eternity--It is, it was, and it always will be. And the heavens are ringing with joy.

No Rogers and Hammerstein, no Jagger and Richards, John Williams, or Ludwig Van Beethoven can stand up to this moment.

The sound of the heavenly hosts singing alleluia is like nothing you have ever heard before. It permeates your being, lifting you up to a moment of inexplicable fulfillment. This sound is heaven itself, an incredible reality, the vastness of eternity, a promise true enough to keep you singing for a lifetime, "Be Not Afraid."

Now, while you're treading through your visit here on earth, go get your Holy Communion each Sunday. Stand in line in the New Jerusalem with a contrite heart, and take the body and blood of Christ along with your brothers and sisters. Sing praises to his name--that's why we are here. Join in the unending hymn of praise. As it turns out, we don't have to wait for a clear night.

"And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, good will toward men."

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Postscript

One of my kids who shall remain unnamed says, "Dad, is there any way we can skip all the what-I'm-thankful-for prayers at Aunt L's this year? They get a little, ahem, redundant, you know." A quick glance around the table tells me everyone is in agreement, and they have discussed this in advance of bringing it up to me.

"As a matter of fact," I reply, "I've been working on a special prayer for this year. It should take about a half an hour..."

"Dad!" comes the cry in unison. It's always fun to suffer a little humorous indignation.

The skip-it movement won out on some level as our hosts gave a brief blessing, but invited us to share our Thanksgiving around the dinner table. After all, the pressure of speaking out around a prayer circle (we like to call it “Protestant Grace”) can be intimidating, forcing some of us to stick to the basics, creating some, ahem, redundant performances. In the end, we had a terrific dinner conversation, with several family members, young and old, sharing their thanks in a relaxed, if not boisterous, atmosphere.

My dinner pitch was this--Thanksgiving can be transforming. Give thanks to God first thing in the morning. Before you get out of bed, give thanks for your spouse, for your children, your parents, your siblings, for your home, your church, for the community you live in, for America…

You've just changed your entire outlook on the day by praising God right off. You have your priorities straight. You are prepared to meet your family and daily business, whatever it may be, with your heart in the right place.

You didn't start with your worries. You didn't start with negativity and stress. You didn't start by putting your heart in the wrong place. You didn't undermine your interactions before you got started.

Do the same thing before you go to sleep at night. Give thanks to God for all the blessings of the day. We often skip over the victories with a sigh of relief. "OK, that worked out--next!" Give it more time than that. Victory deserves celebration.

Turn what could be redundant thanksgiving into a study of God’s works. The profound joy you get from your child’s life, for example, is full of rich detail. There is deep wisdom to be had in contemplating and appreciating what you have.

Have you tried it yet? Transforming, isn't it? Here’s some Thanksgiving with resonance:

Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, for he has come to his people and brought about their redemption. He has raised up the sign of salvation in the house of his servant David,as he promised through the mouth of the holy ones, his prophets through the ages:
to rescue us from our enemies and all who hate us, to take pity on our fathers,to remember his holy covenant and the oath he swore to Abraham our father,that he would give himself to us, that we could serve him without fear – freed from the hands of our enemies –in uprightness and holiness before him, for all of our days.

And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High: for you will go before the face of the Lord to prepare his path,to let his people know their salvation, so that their sins may be forgiven.Through the bottomless mercy of our God, one born on high will visit us to give light to those who walk in darkness, who live in the shadow of death;to lead our feet in the path of peace.

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

Medjugorje Peace Conference October 2008

On October 24 through 26 I attended the 18th Medjugorje Peace Conference in Irvine, CA. I have never been to a religious conference before, and I have to admit I was overwhelmed with wonder and joy. Gathering with 5,000 (or so) Catholics to say the rosary, listen to outstanding speakers, pray, and partake of the Eucharist each day, was an experience I will repeat as soon as I can. I was a believer in the Medjugorje story before I went to the conference, and I came away strengthened in that belief. Seeing, watching, and hearing the visionary Mirjana in person may be as close as I ever come to seeing a saint. She was exactly as you would expect; peaceful, respectful, childlike, and perhaps a little world weary from her personal trials and the weight of her responsibility, yet joyful over simple matters. The other speakers, many of whose stories were grounded in Medjugorje conversions, healings, and miracles were sincere and highly believable. As a group, they cared for each other in a way that demonstrated the scripture:

“By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.”
(John 13:35)

Below is a brief overview of the Medjugorje story.

Since 1981, in a small village in Bosnia-Herzegovina named Medjugorje, the Blessed Virgin Mary has been appearing and giving messages to the world. She tells us that God has sent Her to our world and, these years she is spending with us are a time of Grace granted by God. In Her own words She tells us, "I have come to tell the world that God exists. He is the fullness of life, and to enjoy this fullness and peace, you must return to God".

Our Lady's mission is one of peace and love. She has come to earth to reeducate us and to help us convert and re-center our lives back to God. Our Lady's role has always been one of guiding us to Her Son, Jesus.

Our Lady continues to give messages to six people from the village of Medjugorje: Ivan, Jakov, Marija, Mirjana, Vicka, and Ivanka. These six people (referred to as "visionaries") have had apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary since June 24, 1981. In addition to these messages, Our Lady is to give each of the six visionaries a total of ten "secrets" about events that will occur on earth in the near future.

Our Lady has promised to leave a supernatural, indestructible, and visible sign on the mountain where she first appeared. Our Lady said: "This sign will be given for the atheists. You faithful already have signs and you have become the sign for the atheists. You faithful must not wait for the sign before you convert; convert soon. This time is a time of grace for you. You can never thank God enough for His grace. The time is for deepening your faith and for your conversion. When the sign comes, it will be too late for many."

Once Our Lady stops appearing there will be three warnings given to the world. Mirjana will witness the warnings and they will occur on the earth. Ten days before each of the warnings, she will advise the priest she chose for this task (Father Petar Ljubicic), who will then fast and pray with Mirjana for seven days. Then, three days before the warning is to take place, Fr. Petar will announce to the world what, where, and when the warning is to take place. Fr. Petar has no choice, and must reveal each warning. Mirjana's testimony will be a confirmation of the validity of the apparitions and an incentive for the conversion of the world. After the first warning, the others will follow within a rather brief period of time. So it is that people will have time for conversion. After the three warnings, the permanent visible sign will be left on the mountain where Our Lady first appeared in Medjugorje. This sign will lead to many healings and conversions before the messages become reality.

Since the apparitions began in 1981, millions of people of all faiths, from all over the world, have visited Medjugorje and have left spiritually strengthened and renewed. Many bring back stories of miracles in the form of healings (of mind, body and soul), supernatural visual events, and deep conversions back to God.

Our Lady of Medjugorje asks us to follow the regimen below:

Daily Prayer (Of the Rosary)
Fasting on Wednesdays and Fridays
Daily Reading of the Bible
Monthly Confession
Holy Communion

There is much more to the Medjugorje story than can be copied and pasted here. I highly encourage you to go to http://www.medjugorje.org/ for more information.

By the way, I prayed for and received a personal healing at the conference.

Our Lady's October Message

This is the message Our Lady sent while we gathered in Irvine at the Medjugorje Peace Conference:

“Dear children! In a special way I call you all to pray for my intentions so that, through your prayers, you may stop Satan's plan over this world, which is further from God every day, and which puts itself in the place of God and is destroying everything that is beautiful and good in the souls of each of you. Therefore, little children, arm yourselves with prayer and fasting so that you may be conscious of how much God loves you and may carry out God's will. Thank you for having responded to my call.”

God Bless!Steve and Ana shawl
The Medjugorje Web
http://www.medjugorje.org

WORLDS MOST NOTORIOUS ATHIEST VIDEO

Here is the latest You Tube Ministry video. It appears on http://www.thenewrevival.com/ as well. The idea is to attract the young and curious to a web site that spells out the relationship between faith and reason...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sWa1jjOFBJY

This video was made with a "flip video" camera, filming a powerpoint slideshow--very crude. If anyone wants to donate equipment that will help me make more professional viedos, please let me know!

WATCH THIS NOW! AND VOTE FOR LIFE!

http://www.catholicvote.com/

Half Dome in the Spirit

As we set out in the pre-dawn from Happy Isles, I hear the voices of our young warriors echoing up and down the hillside. Our group of twenty-five charges the first hill together, but the youngest and strongest soon begin to stretch the pack forward. My daughter, son, and nephew will reach the top of Half Dome in under three hours. I’m giving myself six.

I charge the first hill too fast and I’m already at the top of my breath. I remind myself for the first of countless times, that to succeed today, I have to slow down. I’m not competing with the twenty-somethings. This is about the journey as much as the goal. Nevertheless, it is difficult to watch the entire group surge ahead. By the time I reach the first bridge over Vernal Falls, I can’t see or hear anyone else.

I summon the Holy Spirit for companionship, and I am reminded of St. Patrick’s breastplate:

Christ be with me,
Christ within me,
Christ behind me, Christ before me,
Christ beside me, Christ to win me,
Christ to comfort and restore me,
Christ beneath me, Christ above me,
Christ in quiet, Christ in danger,
Christ in hearts of all that love me,
Christ in mouth of friend and stranger.

I am a field of spirit, slowly moving up the mountain.

Dawn is beginning to break when I reach the heart of the famous mist trail. There is enough light to see the river gorge below and the falls above. The overpowering sound of rushing water clears my mind of the endless subterfuge. Someone is waving far above at the rim of the falls. I sense my daughter’s presence in this message of encouragement.

Worries that the Yosemite Falls hike had drained too much energy and strength to complete the Half Dome trip begin to fade into the morning. I think I have the physical strength to make it to the top. Spiritually girded against the mental and emotional challenges ahead, I’m suddenly overcome with the uplifting feeling that victory is in hand, and the journey will be a once in a lifetime experience.

The Spirit lifts me up the steep mountain stairways to Nevada Falls. A few pre-dawn groups catch me from behind. Camaraderie strikes up as we play leapfrog with the lead, sharing the joy of the challenge. Hearts thump in the cool morning.

My good friend Bill is waiting for me at the top of the falls. I suspect Bill has been assigned by the conventional wisdom committee to make sure I don’t perish alone somewhere along the trail. Grateful and humbled, I resist the devil in me to rebel against the good-hearted committee.

We breeze through the flats along the river, and turn uphill again. Bill keeps me on pace, and though I have to stop him once in a while when I need to take a rest, he keeps me from getting too comfortable. Pushing ahead is a good thing on a hike as long as this one.

We finally reach the bottom of Quarter Dome, and look ahead to the last, overwhelming challenges. We are humbled as we greet the first of our returning young warriors. We scale Quarter Dome together, step by grueling step up the intimidating rock, as the heat of the sun becomes a real factor.

My son, nephew, and Bill’s son greet us at the top—we share a solid moment of pride. I’m told my daughter is waiting for me at the top of Half Dome. (Hurry up!) Suddenly we find ourselves facing the daunting, final 900 vertical feet.

We have reached the steel cable climb at the peak of traffic hour. It is a quagmire of twisted flesh, hiker stench, and human anxiety. The penalty for falling is death, and several hikers turn back. There is no public shame or blame, but the private hell of failure lingers in the thin air.

Bill forges ahead of me--no point in thinking about it too long. I choose my gloves and begin the final agony. The line moves about twenty feet a minute. There are long periods of anxious waiting, stopped, feet wedged against railroad ties, hands clinging to the steel cable. Nothing like being suspended in the sky with a hundred of your stinky new best friends! I say prayers of petition for safety as I wait for the crowd ahead to move.

A few of my daughter’s friends pass by on their way down. They tell me she is on her way to climb with me. Later I hear her voice, and look up to see her shining face and waving arm. She is one incredible human being. I hear murmurs of good-for-you among the hikers around me—now here’s a lucky man with his beautiful daughter come to join him for the final push.

She forges ahead, but looks back patiently when I stop to rest. The last 900 feet are certainly what they are cracked up to be. We reach the summit. My heart is pounding like never before, and it takes a long time to recover my breath. Bill takes our picture.

The view is unforgettable. Here we are, victorious king and princess, humble before the Lord and His creation. We stand atop the monumental peak as our earth soars through the universe. We have been here before; we are here in eternity.

We snack on salty food, brush away the marmots, and check our water supplies. My daughter is soon ready to go. She’s been here over two hours now. My glory is fleeting.

We share our time of victory and glory with light talk as we climb down through the steel cables and Quarter Dome. We are the last of our group to head back, but the surrounding crowd is friendly, an extended family of champions. My daughter finally gives in to the urge to hustle forward. We have shared the critical stage. It’s time.

I re-gather my companions of the Spirit; Christ before me, Christ within me, come along Saints Peter and Paul, Our Blessed Mother is preparing the path ahead. The relief of the goal achieved transforms into peace. The journey back will be entirely different from the uphill hike.
The best way to bring on The Spirit is with prayer. I have about five hours to talk with God about anything and everything. I begin with prayers of thanks for the peace and joy I am enjoying on this journey, and move into my routine of rosary and prayers for a list of family, friends, and those I know with urgent needs.

The Spirit can grow on you in the same way that athletic skill grows with the repetition of practice. Discipline leads to understanding, and understanding leads to revelation and truth. Christ frees us from the tangled web of ego and desire. This freedom is a gift that allows us to live with true purpose. Aware of the physical beauty and reality of the immediate moment, contemplation lifts me into another realm, one that is forever sought and rarely achieved.

My daughter has left a secret trail of orange peels to tell me, “I am with you Dad. Keep moving--you’ll get there.” Spurred on by her message, a focus arises that pushes me through the peace that blankets the afternoon.

I stop at Nevada Falls to purify enough water to sustain hydration to the end of the trail. After a thirty-minute rest I set out on the last leg. Weariness sets in. The switchbacks refuse to end, but I am carried down the mountain on a mission to absorb every last minute of this incredible journey through His creation.

The shuttle bus ride from Happy Isles buys some time to prepare for the return to the group. Twelve and a half hours from home to the summit and home again. The group is gathered on camp chairs in front of our lodge rooms, and happy hour is in full swing. They erupt in cheers when I arrive. My wife rushes forward to greet me.

It doesn’t get any better than this.

Our Lady's message of September 25, 2008

Dear children! May your life, anew, be a decision for peace. Be joyful carriers of peace and do not forget that you live in a time of grace, in which God gives you great graces through my presence. Do not close yourselves, little children, but make good use of this time and seek the gift of peace and love for your life so that you may become witnesses to others. I bless you with my motherly blessing. Thank you for having responded to my call.

God Bless! Steve and Ana Shawl
The Medjugorje Web
http://www.medjugorje.org/

Seize the Hope

Part One

Pope Benedict’s May visit was a triumph of hope for American Catholicism. It is incumbent upon us to seize this momentum of hope, rejuvenate our Church, and usher in the New Springtime announced by John Paul II. Agree with all the documents or not, Vatican II resulted in a Church constitution. As of 2005 our forty years of debating it, adjusting to it, and purifying our ranks are up. John Paul II led us through the desert, and Pope Benedict has opened a new door. We are the successors of the Apostles and we are called to preach so the word of God may be glorified (Ad Gentes).

Benedict XVI was to the point on several issues, including the sexual abuse scandal. He stepped right into a big pair of shoes by showing personal compassion for the victims. He admonished us for bungling the crisis, showed us the correct path out of the dark, and set the example. We witnessed Catholic leadership in its finest hour.

He called us out for our deeply rooted separation of life from faith. As a country we respect the public role of religion, but our beliefs are “subtly reduced to the lowest common denominator.” Our insistence upon keeping our faith private allows us to choose our religion as though from a buffet, facilitating conformity to secularism and popular culture. Have we have rejected accountability?

“The secular order cannot be divorced from God the Creator and His saving plan.” (Gaudium et Spes) How is it that we have so many highly visible pro-choice Catholics? Life itself is the most precious thing. When we read the text of Benedict’s speeches, it is clear that our marching orders begin here—abortion, stem cell research, and euthanasia must be visibly and steadfastly confronted.

We are asked to rise out of our private religious shells and act like the redeemed community we are meant to be. Our society markets formulas for human fulfillment quite successfully. We need to fight back by recapturing the Catholic vision of reality and present it with mind capturing and heart converting experiences, especially for our young, who are natural truth seekers. Utilizing Pope John Paul’s concept of Faith and Reason is a great place to start…

"New Springtime" from the encyclical Redemptoris Missio by John Paul II

God Is Preparing a New Springtime for the Gospel

If we look at today's world, we are struck by many negative factors that can lead to pessimism. But this feeling is unjustified: we have faith in God our Father and Lord, in his goodness and mercy. As the third millennium of the redemption draws near, God is preparing a great springtime for Christianity, and we can already see its first signs. In fact, both in the non-Christian world and in the traditionally Christian world, people are gradually drawing closer to gospel ideals and values, a development which the Church seeks to encourage. Today in fact there is a new consensus among peoples about these values: the rejection of violence and war; respect for the human person and for human rights; the desire for freedom, justice and brotherhood; the surmounting of different forms of racism and nationalism; the affirmation of the dignity and role of women.

Christian hope sustains us in committing ourselves fully to the new evangelization and to the worldwide mission, and leads us to pray as Jesus taught us: "Thy Kingdom come. Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven" (Mt 6:10).

The number of those awaiting Christ is still immense: the human and cultural groups not yet reached by the Gospel, or for whom the Church is scarcely present, are so widespread as to require the uniting of all the Church's resources. As she prepares to celebrate the jubilee of the year 2000, the whole Church is even more committed to a new missionary advent. We must increase our apostolic zeal to pass on to others the light and joy of the faith, and to this high ideal the whole People of God must be educated.

We cannot be content when we consider the millions of our brothers sisters, who like us have been redeemed by the blood of Christ, but who live in ignorance of the love of God. For each believer, as for the entire Church, the missionary task must remain foremost, for it concerns the eternal destiny of humanity and corresponds to God's mysterious and merciful plan.

link to the whole text of Redemptoris Missio: http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/encyclicals/documents/hf_jp-ii_enc_07121990_redemptoris-missio_en.html

A NEW REVIVAL: CHRIST OUR HOPE

The Papal visit to the United States was a grace from God for American Catholicism. Benedict XVI went straight to our core issues and addressed them with the wisdom and love of the Holy Spirit. His speeches were magnificent, and his masses brought tears of joy, hope, and love.

Post-visit events have begun to unfold. Seminary applications have skyrocketed across the country. Is it possible we will see the beginning of the “new springtime” for the Church predicted by John Paul II for the new millennium? Pray on it and ask the Holy Spirit to guide you...Locally, students and leaders at John Paul the Great University in San Diego are initiating a new revival of prayer. You can join them for 8:30 AM mass at The Good Shepherd in Mira Mesa, and prayers on the steps of city hall, on first Saturdays. They have launched a new website dedicated to the new springtime called "Christ our Hope": http://www.christourhope.net/

I encourage everyone to watch the videos of the Pope's U.S. visit speeches, or perhaps better, read them: http://www.uspapalvisit.org/ Anything is possible with “Christ Our Hope.”

"Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age." Matthew 28:19-20

OUR LADY'S 27th ANNIVERSARY MESSAGE

Peace to All! Below please find the official English translation of Our Lady's 27th anniversary message as provided by the Information Center in Medjugorje.

Message of June 25, 2008

"Dear children! Also today, with great joy in my heart, I call you to follow me and to listen to my messages. Be joyful carriers of peace and love in this peaceless world. I am with you and I bless you all with my Son Jesus, the King of Peace. Thank you for having responded to my call."

It is amazing to realize that Our Lady has been appearing every day in Medjugorje since June 25, 1981. Thank you Blessed Mother for your love, for your messages, and for your prayers and intercessions for all of us. Thank you Jesus, for sending your mother to us to help us find and stay on the path that leads to you.Our next mailing will be the commentary by Fr. Danko in the first few days in July.

God Bless! Steve and Ana Shawl
The Medjugorje Web http://www.medjugorje.org/

I CALL YOU TO CONVERSION

Peace to All! Below please find the official English translation of Dr. Danko's commentary on Our Lady's May 25, 2008 message as provided by the Information Center in Medjugorje.

Our next mailing will be Our Lady's 27th Anniversary message to the world on June 25, 2008.

Please remember the 27th Anniversary Novena starts on June 15! There is a link on our home page or the direct link is:
http://www.medjugorje.org/anniversarynovena.htm


God Bless!
Steve and Ana Shawl
The Medjugorje Web
http://www.medjugorje.org
--------------------------------

I CALL YOU TO CONVERSION

"Dear children! In this time of grace, when God has permitted me to be with you, little children, I call you anew to conversion. Work on the salvation of the world in a special way while I am with you. God is merciful and gives special graces, therefore, seek them through prayer. I am with you and do not leave you alone. Thank you for having responded to my call." Message of May 25, 2008


In many of her messages Our Lady has reminded us that the time we live in is the time of grace. For the past 27 years, millions of people from all over the world have been coming to Medjugorje, to this spiritual healing place, so that God may heal their hearts and souls. There are several examples of conversion in the Bible, such as is the conversion of the prodigal son (cf. Luke 15,11-32), or even a more memorable conversion of St. Paul (Acts 9,1-18), together with many others. Each conversion is a result of an event or an encounter, but not any kind of encounter. I am talking about the encounter with God. Saul was a persecutor of Christians in Jerusalem and the whole of Judea (cf. Acts 8-9). Once he went all the way to Damascus to arrest Christians. At the city gates Saul had the encounter with God, which he would remember all his life. That encounter changed him completely and made him convert. Saul, who had been a prosecutor of Christians, then became a disciple of Jesus and changed his name to Paul. Something similar happened to the apostles, too. A decisive moment for them was their first encounter with Jesus, after which they left everything and went to follow Jesus. Something similar happened to the saints, and something similar will happen to us if we search for God's will in our life through prayer.

Our Lady calls us anew to conversion, which, in other words, means betterment. The majority of today's Christians have not seen the Lord in flesh, whereas this encounter is a prerequisite for a new beginning. After such encounter, everything changes, life becomes different and better. One should bear in mind, though, that after the encounter with God our crosses do not disappear. It just becomes easier to carry them. Those who have had the experience of meeting with God, become the salt, cabbage and the light of the world. They become instruments through which God's love and joy in this world are spread. We are all called to convert and continuously change in our path following Jesus. Conversion is a life-long process. Nobody can say that they have completely converted because there is always something we must improve, primarily on ourselves, not on others. Conversion is following evenly in Jesus’ footsteps every day, without negotiating. Conversion is a permanent task of the whole Church. It is not man-made, it is God's work.

On our path God helps us and gives us special graces, as Our Lady says. These graces, however, need to be sought through prayer. One should show one's good will and love towards God who is merciful and kind, as written in Chapter 34 of the Book of Exodus: «The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands …» (Exodus 34,6-7). What we should discard first when we start saying our prayer is any kind of hypocrisy. Before God we must not pretend, lie or appear better. We have to be who we really are. We may be lying to friends or neighbours or keep up appearances, but before God we must take off our masks, as he knows us better than we know ourselves. The path of prayer is just like the path of conversion – long and hard, but no fruit is born without pain and effort. The bond between God and man that was previously broken is re-established through prayer.

Our Lady encourages us and does not leave us all alone on this path. She stands before us as an example of prayer by means of which she takes part in the Father's intention to embody the Son of God. Together with Our Lady, the Blessed Virgin Mary, we may also say: «I am the Lord's servant. May it be to me as you have said.» (Luke 1,38). In our prayer, let us think of the people in need, especially those who have lost their lives in the earthquake in China .


Fr. Danko Perutina
Medjugorje 26/05/2008

Our Lady's May 2008 message from Medjugorge

Message of May 25, 2008:

“Dear children! In this time of grace, when God has permitted me to be with you, little children, I call you anew to conversion. Work on the salvation of the world in a special way while I am with you. God is merciful and gives special graces, therefore, seek them through prayer. I am with you and do not leave you alone. Thank you for having responded to my call.”

God Bless! Steve and Ana Shawl, The Medjugorje Web

http://www.medjugorje.org

Vengeance is not Mine

In the spirit of the new ecumenism, let's take a look at a page from one of my favorite protestant brothers this morning:

How to Let Go of Past Hurts by Rick Warren

Dear friends, never avenge yourselves. Leave that to God. For it is written, “I will take vengeance; I will repay those who deserve it,” says the Lord. Romans 12:19 (NLT)
*** *** *** ***
Relinquish your right to get even. Leave that up to God; he’ll take care of it (Romans 12:19). I’ve been married for thirty years and I’m ashamed to say, I’ve hurt my wife many times. But after thirty years, we’re still together and more in love than ever before. Why? Because it’s not hurt that destroys relationships, it’s an unwillingness to forgive. We’re human; we’re going to hurt each other. But the question is, will you give up your right to get even? And will you offer forgiveness? When you do, any hurt can be overcome.

Respond to evil with good. How can you tell when you’ve released somebody, when you’ve completely forgiven them? You can actually pray for God to bless the person who hurt you. The Bible says we should overcome evil with good, praying for those who hurt us (Romans 12:21; Matthew 5:44).

for more, go to http://www.purposedrivenlife.com/

WISDOM

Wisdom is facing, accepting, employing, and spreading the truth of the divine revelation of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Imagine yourself standing before God, suddenly realizing that he knows "every hair on your head," all your thoughts and emotions, sins and good deeds...you are stripped of everything before Him, none of your defenses work, your excuses are hallow, and there's no way to spin your story...just the absolute truth about everything you have done and not done. Now imagine His love, how you are forgiven, fed, and strengthened.

You have experienced a pinch of the truth about yourself--the beginning of freedom and the path to wisdom. Go to the Holy Spirit. Get more.

I BELIEVE part three: Secular Humanism and Popular Culture

Do you remember when, as a child, it first struck you that television ads are largely full of lies? Or certainly that the claims made are founded on little more than thin air? Were you as repulsed by this revelation as I was?

As children, we seek knowledge, we looks for facts. We want to know if something is true or not, and we look to our parents for answers. We set sail on the endless stream of information called media. We are engaged by television and confronted with advertising. We are told “its just a commercial.”

Over the years we have become desensitized to The Big Lie to the point where we celebrate good lies, watching re-runs of the “top ten all-time” Super Bowl Ads. The Mean Joe Green coca-cola ad is ranked number one. I remember watching it the first year it ran. The ending disappointed me. It posed a nice sentiment for football fans, but it left me feeling empty.

I believe the empty feeling I got from television ads resulted from my Christian grounding. I was raised in the Christian faith, and as an altar boy in the Episcopal Church for seven years; I absorbed the Liturgy of the Word and came to love our Lord deeply. Somehow I got it in my heart that true satisfaction in life would only be achieved through Him.

Along with most of my generation, my grounding in faith eroded as I ventured away from home, to college, and into adulthood. I watched our world change quickly in a few short decades. “One Nation Under God” transmogrified into a culture of self, celebrity, and self-celebrity. We allowed our discipline and strength of character to resist temptation to fade into the mist. We were successfully seduced by money, pleasure, power, fame, and the gentrification of infantilism, as the lines between advertising, self-promotion, and reality melted away.

Our culture of convenience and instant gratification has twisted our thinking. We are inclined to think of discipline as manipulation, an easy conclusion to reach because it justifies our distaste for moral authority and our lack of spiritual effort. Fallen away Christians cry “Oh, the guilt it gave me” while they drive their children around town on an endless tour of non-stop entertainment. No one has time for peace, reflection, or worship. We are too busy for discipline.

While we were scurrying around, the prevailing culture endorsed the primacy of the individual, authorized minimal contribution to the whole, and blessed the assertion that pleasure is the ultimate good. The individual has won the right to put out minimal effort for maximum pleasure. Freedom has become the right to do whatever you want. The power of the beautiful yet horrible adolescent temper tantrum has overcome patience and wisdom. It happened oh so fast.

The questions “What’s in it for me?” and “What is the least I can do to get to heaven?” snuck onto the spiritual agenda. Religious affiliation choices are filtered through the field of secular perception, resulting in a world where families shop for “user friendly” churches.

To be honest, I wasn’t overly concerned about all this until I discovered that my life had re-invented itself while I was busy being overwhelmed. My long, strange trip ran out of time.

I rediscovered my Christian grounding buried under a heap of confusion. As a consequence, I am getting headaches from The Big Lie again, and the emptiness of a story that doesn’t show me salvation, or at least redemption, leaves me dissatisfied. My conscience no longer allows me to accept “whatever” as a viable reaction to ugly social trends and the perpetuation of false promises.

Popular culture has evolved to where it is in blatant, direct conflict with Christian philosophy, and Secular Humanism has infected spirituality and the practice of religion on a global basis. The ugly truth is that popular western culture has become a carrier of this virus. Though we are still spiritually vital, the media portrays Christians as knee jerks who threaten the triumph of science and social progress. A large public segment views the Church through secular eyes, unwittingly desiring to cut it off from heaven.

Fortunately, I have learned to let worldly pain wash through me without clotting in my veins, and I want the same for my brothers and sisters. I feel compelled to join the battlefield of right and wrong because I want to get it right and finish strong.

I believe we are created by God, for God. We need to give thanks for the Grace we have been given and for the profound Love of the Holy Trinity--thereby regaining our essential purpose. Secular Humanism has been resisted before. Popular Culture can be changed.

"Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you
were called."

1 Timothy 6:12

Our Lady's April 2008 message from Medjugorje

Message of April 25, 2008

"Dear children! Also today, I call all of you to grow in God's love as a flower which feels the warm rays of spring. In this way, also you, little children, grow in God's love and carry it to all those who are far from God. Seek God's will and do good to those whom God has put on your way, and be light and joy. Thank you for having responded to my call."

God Bless!Steve and Ana Shawl
The Medjugorje Web

http://www.medjugorje.org

More on Truth

When the Truth sets us free: we are liberated from the encumbrances of wrong decision making and cya, free from resentment, bias, negative presuppositions, anxiety, weariness, distrust, vainglory, avarice, deceit, the wretchedness of our past sins, excuses, curses, and knowing (someone or yourself) all too well.

I BELIEVE part two: Where Faith and Reason Meet

Introducing the encyclical letter he addressed to the Bishops of the Catholic Church, “Fides Et Ratio,” on the relationship between faith and reason, Pope John Paul II had this to say:

“Faith and reason are like two wings on which the human
spirit rises to the contemplation of truth; and God has placed
in the human heart a desire to know the truth—in a word, to
know himself—so that by knowing and loving God, men and
women may also come to the fullness of truth about themselves
(cf. Ex 33:18; Ps 27:8-9; 63:2-3; Jn 14:8; 1 Jn 3:2).”

While this statement sums it up beautifully, I will attempt to elaborate below, borrowing heavily from the Supreme Pontiff’s encyclical, which relied in good part on St. Thomas Aquinas’ Summa Theologiae.

God loves us and wants to make himself known to us, and He instilled in us a desire to know him. We are free and intelligent, capable of knowing God, good and evil, truth, and fundamental moral norms. In time and history, basic principals, such as causality, finality, and non-contradiction emerged to help in giving us a deeper understanding of faith and the meaning of life. Thus faith and reason became interdependent.

In the “fullness of time” (Gal 4:4) God sent his Son, the eternal Word who enlightens all people, so that he might dwell among them and tell them the innermost realities about God (cf. Jn 1:1-18). To see Jesus is to see his Father (Jn 14:9). Christ perfected Revelation by fulfilling it through his whole work of becoming present, manifesting himself with words, deeds, signs, and wonders, his death and glorious Resurrection, and his sending of the Holy Spirit. Furthermore, he restored the divine life Adam and Eve refused, and offers the truth about the goal of history.

By his divinity and absolute transcendence, God himself is the credibility of what he reveals. Mankind accepts his divine testimony in freedom, by faith, reasoning upon its profound meaning. Freedom is not a result of reasoning made against God, for God is the very reality that allows our self-realization—

“You shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free" (Jn 8:32).

The proclamation of the Good News employed reason upon the coming of the Holy Spirit. “The law and the prophets” did not resonate with the pagans, so philosophy was used to create a link between universal reason and pagan religion. Rising to higher levels, reason provided a basis for the concepts of self-realization, transcendence, and the absolute.

Nature, a main concern of pagan religion, became a contributor to divine Revelation. Faith therefore, sought nature and trusted it. Grace builds on nature and raises it to fulfillment, as faith builds on reason and perfects it.

Wisdom, a gift of the Holy Spirit, presupposes faith and enables judgment according to divine truth. Faith accepts divine truth as it is.

As history progressed, philosophy began to separate from reason, and in some ways, reason itself was abandoned. Modern philosophy has moved well away from Christian Revelation, to a point where philosophy is largely opposed to it, giving way to atheistic humanism and other dialectical structures. Faith has been accused of standing in the way of the development of full rationality. Philosophy has turned away from the contemplation of truth and the meaning of life toward a new form that can be directed by utilitarian ends—pleasure and power.

Scientists, by all rights allies of faith and reason, have taken a path similar to that of philosophy, succumbing to the temptations of assumed quasi-divine power over nature and humanity.

Once divine Revelation was shoved aside, reason swerved off the path to its goal. Faith, without its companion reason, has given way to feeling and experience, losing its status as the saving grace and driving force of human volition. Modern philosophy has become inept in facilitating the communication of the truth of the Gospel.

Atheism, agnosticism, and relativism lead the march toward universal skepticism. Truth has been devalued, and plurality rules the day. Undifferentiated plurality paints an assumption that truth is revealed equally in different philosophies and religions, even when they clearly contradict one another. Truth is reduced to opinion, and humankind waffles, adrift in a sea of “whatever.”

As the bearers of faith, reason, truth, and divine Revelation, it is incumbent upon Christians to protect God’s truth and continue the mission of the church fathers. Pope John Paul II “unstintingly recalled the pressing need for a new evangelization.”

There are many new icebreakers forging ahead through the icebound waters of “whatever.” We need to pull out our thermals and sign on to one of them. Or develop the ways and means to raise a navy, shore up the old ships, pull them out of the dry docks, and set sail. We already have the faith and reason required for victory. Jesus Christ saw to that.

Pre-U.S. Visit Message from Pope Benedict XVI

Vatican City, April 8.-Pope Benedict XVI is just days away from arriving in the U.S. for his first visit. In anticipation of his arrival he released a video message today saying he is coming to share the message of hope in Christ with all those living in the U.S.

As the Pope began his message, he offered his "heartfelt greeting and an invitation to prayer. "As you know", he continues, "I shall only be able to visit two cities: Washington and New York. The intention behind my visit, though, is to reach out spiritually to all Catholics in the United States".

After thanking the people working to organize his trip and those who are praying for its success, Benedict XVI also mentioned his conviction that prayer is the most powerful way to prepare for his visit. "Dear friends, I say this because I am convinced that without the power of prayer, without that intimate union with the Lord, our human endeavors would achieve very little. Indeed this is what our faith teaches us. It is God who saves us, he saves the world, and all of history. He is the Shepherd of his people. I am coming, sent by Jesus Christ, to bring you his word of life."

"Christ our hope", the theme for the Pope's visit was also central to the Pope's address. "Together with your bishops, I have chosen as the theme of my journey three simple but essential words: 'Christ our hope'. ... Jesus Christ is hope for men and women of every language, race, culture and social condition. ... Through him, our lives reach fullness, and together, both as individuals and peoples, we can become a family united by fraternal love, according to the eternal plan of God the Father. I know how deeply rooted this Gospel message is in your country. I am coming to share it with you, in a series of celebrations and gatherings."

"I shall also bring the message of Christian hope to the great Assembly of the United Nations", the Pope continued, "to the representatives of all the peoples of the world. Indeed, the world has greater need of hope than ever: hope for peace, for justice, and for freedom, but this hope can never be fulfilled without obedience to the law of God, which Christ brought to fulfillment in the commandment to love one another. Do to others as you would have them do to you, and avoid doing what you would not want them to do. This 'golden rule' is given in the Bible, but it is valid for all people, including non-believers. It is the law written on the human heart; on this we can all agree, so that when we come to address other matters we can do so in a positive and constructive manner for the entire human community".

Pope Benedict also took care to address Spanish-speaking U.S. Catholics in their own language, invoking the Blessed Mother's protection and the blessing of God upon them.
Benedict XVI concludes his message by saying, "Dear brothers and sisters, dear friends in the United States, I am very much looking forward to being with you. I want you to know that, even if my itinerary is short, with just a few engagements, my heart is close to all of you, especially to the sick, the weak, and the lonely. I thank you once again for your prayerful support of my mission. I reach out to every one of you with affection, and I invoke upon you the maternal protection of the Blessed Virgin Mary."To watch the video message go to:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=me8whJa4p9g

Pope Benedict XVI U.S. Visit Agenda April 2008

WASHINGTON (November 12, 2007)– Pope Benedict XVI will come to the United States with visits to Washington and New York City on a six-day trip which includes an address at the United Nations.The visit is slated for April 15-20. Among venues during the visit will be the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, where Pope Benedict will meet with the Bishops of the United States.“This is a blessed moment for our nation,” said Bishop William Skylstad of Spokane, President of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB). “Pope Benedict is not just the leader of Catholics, he is also a man of inspiration for all those who work for peace.”

Cardinal Edward Egan of New York voiced the delight of the people of New York.“When our Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI, told me last July that he would be visiting New York this coming April, I was delighted with the news and shared it with the People of God of the Archdiocese of New York and the entire community of greater New York. The response of all was both rejoicing and thanksgiving to the Lord for the great grace of the presence of the successor of St. Peter in our midst. I have assured the Holy Father of a warm and prayerful welcome. We all look forward to his visit with pleasure and anticipation.”

Archbishop Donald Wuerl of Washington spoke of “faith-filled joy and enormous enthusiasm” in the Archdiocese of Washington.“Personally, and in the name of all of the clergy, religious and faithful of the archdiocese, I express our warmest welcome while renewing our sentiments of love and loyalty to our Holy Father. We all look forward to his visit as a time of renewal of our faith and pastoral ministry and an opportunity to confirm our solidarity with the Church universal made visible among us by the successor to Peter, Pope Benedict XVI,” Archbishop Wuerl said.“It is an enormous privilege for the Church of Washington to host our Holy Father. We pledge to do all that we can to make his presence among us a moment of true spiritual renewal and a vibrant manifestation of God’s kingdom at work among us.”

Msgr. Walter Rossi, rector of the national Shrine, noted the Shrine’s importance in the nation.“The Shrine was established by the Bishops of the United States as our nation’s tribute to Mary Immaculate and so it is appropriate that the Bishops of our country meet with the successor of Peter in the house they established to honor the Mother of God,” he said.

Apostolic Journey to the United States and the see of the United Nations

April 15 - Arrival in Washington
April 16 - Visit with President Bush at the White House
April 17 - Public Mass at National Stadium
CUA meeting with Catholic University presidents and diocesan heads of education
Interreligious event at John Paul II Cultural Center
April 18 - Address to the United Nations
Ecumenical event at a parish in New York
April 19 - Mass with priests, deacons and members of religious orders at St. Patrick's Cathedral
Youth event at St. Joseph Seminary in Yonkers
April 20 - Ground Zero
Public Mass at Yankee Stadium

I BELIEVE introduction

In the beginning, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit were one God, and always will be.

I believe that we were born of love by God through the Word and the Holy Spirit. Because He loves us, God instilled in us the desire to know Him. He forever seeks to draw us to Him, yet He gave us the free will to love Him or deny Him because Love cannot be coerced. Giving us free choice permitted the possibility of evil. Thus, the knowledge of love and evil are written in the hearts of all mankind.

I believe God exists beyond nature, in eternity, but we seek God within the parameters of nature and time and thereby fail to know Him. We are separated from Him and often choose evil to fill our emptiness. To save us, God sent the Word incarnate to conquer evil and deliver us.

I believe the Word incarnate, Jesus Christ, has saved us from evil by nailing it to the cross of his sacrificial death. Christ was raised from the dead and given dominion over all the heavens and the earth. He has reconciled us and restored us to God. He is our purpose. We are invited to join him in love, and He has instructed us to encourage all mankind to seek him.

I believe that Jesus Christ joined himself to our fallen humanity. In saving us, He reestablished divine life for us. He set us free to join Him in divinity in the new covenant with God. By His grace our human reason is transformed into the supernatural faith necessary to believe in Him and follow Him.

I believe we partake of the true presence of Christ in the Eucharist; we are thereby united in eternity to God the Father, the Apostles, the Saints, our Holy Mother, the clergy, and all our brothers and sisters in Christ through the Holy Spirit. The Eucharist physically and spiritually sustains us, and we should therefore partake as often as possible.

Amen

SINNERS ANONYMOUS

Many modern Christians are put off by the concept of sin. The idea of being called “sinners” seems repulsive for two closely related reasons. First, we don’t want to be caught in the wrong. Second, our egos can’t take it. Our egos want to be massaged by good feelings, self-esteem, and on some level, yes, righteousness. Admission to sin is just too disagreeable. Our self-image doesn’t have room for it, and our egos can’t take it.

Therefore, why admit to being a sinner or allow another to call us “sinner”? We vilify the Church for “making us feel like sinners.” Modern thinkers the lot of us, we brush off the “old fashioned” concept. Many of us think we have evolved too far for that silly stuff.

God created us. Most of us accept this fact. He created us for himself, in his own image, yet he has given us the free will to choose Him or choose otherwise. He would rather we love him of our own accord, otherwise, he would not have given us free will. Choosing to love is a much higher form of love than receiving love.

When we choose other than loving Him, we begin to sin. A big piece of loving Him is obeying Him. Everyone (with exception by His Grace only) has disobeyed, and everyone has sinned. It’s a pretty simple equation.

Right and wrong are written on our hearts. We are aware of our sinning. We try to justify some of our sins, but as time goes by, we can usually look back and see our errors. It’s more palatable that way. Our egos can swallow admission in hindsight. We call it learning, experience, and maturity. As the saying goes: not that there’s anything wrong with that. But wouldn’t we be smarter, more experienced, mature, and wiser, if we didn’t wait so long? What if we just say “Yes, I have sinned against my neighbor and I’m sorry”?

Repentance is easier than we think. Like so many other aspects of our lives, we just need to get started. It’s all down hill from there. Admission and repentance create immediate and permanent healing, a huge savings of time, energy, and life, usually wasted on refining our justifications and medicating ourselves while the wounds stay open. Repentance sets us free. Take the cure, stow the ego, die to self, and get back to real, healthy living--in His love.

As all Christians know, we are forgiven. Jesus Christ paid for our freedom in leaving our sins forever nailed to the cross. Say, “Yes, I am a sinner,” and know that you are free. When our hearts are set right, anything is possible.

A desire to share is created in us when we know Love. We are known for our love for one another, and begin to fish for men. (But that’s for another day.)

Our Lady's March Message via medjugorje.org

Message of March 25, 2008

“Dear children! I call you to work on your personal conversion. You are still far from meeting with God in your heart. Therefore, spend all the more time in prayer and Adoration of Jesus in the Most Blessed Sacrament of the Altar, for Him to change you and to put into your hearts a living faith and a desire for eternal life. Everything is passing, little children, only God is not passing. I am with you and I encourage you with love. Thank you for having responded to my call.”

God Bless! Steve and Ana Shawl
The Medjugorje Web
http://www.medjugorje.org

Apostolicam Actuositatem Introduction and First Chapter

DECREE ON THE APOSTOLATE OF THE LAITY

Apostolicam Actuositatem

Promulgated by His Holiness, Pope Paul VI On November 18, 1965

INTRODUCTION

1. To intensify the apostolic activity of the people of God,[1] the most holy synod earnestly addresses itself to the laity, whose proper and indispensable role in the mission of the Church has already been dealt with in other documents.[2] The apostolate of the laity derives from their Christian vocation and the Church can never be without it. Sacred Scripture clearly shows how spontaneous and fruitful such activity was at the very beginning of the Church (cf. Acts 11:19-21; 18:26; Rom. 16:1-16; Phil. 4:3).

Our own times require of the laity no less zeal: in fact, modern conditions demand that their apostolate be broadened and intensified. With a constantly increasing population, continual progress in science and technology, and closer interpersonal relationships, the areas for the lay apostolate have been immensely widened particularly in fields that have been for the most part open to the laity alone. These factors have also occasioned new problems which demand their expert attention and study. This apostolate becomes more imperative in view of the fact that many areas of human life have become increasingly autonomous. This is as it should be, but it sometimes involves a degree of departure from the ethical and religious order and a serious danger to Christian life. Besides, in many places where priests are very few or, in some instances, deprived of due freedom for priestly work, the Church could scarcely exist and function without the activity of the laity.

An indication of this manifold and pressing need is the unmistakable work being done today by the Holy Spirit in making the laity ever more conscious of their own responsibility and encouraging them to serve Christ and the Church in all circumstances.[3]

In this decree the Council seeks to describe the nature, character, and diversity of the lay apostolate, to state its basic principles, and to give pastoral directives for its more effective exercise. All these should be regarded as norms when the canon law, as it pertains to the lay apostolate, is revised.

CHAPTER I THE VOCATION OF THE LAITY TO THE APOSTOLATE

2. The Church was founded for the purpose of spreading the kingdom of Christ throughout the earth for the glory of God the Father, to enable all men to share in His saving redemption,[1] and that through them the whole world might enter into a relationship with Christ. All activity of the Mystical Body directed to the attainment of this goal is called the apostolate, which the Church carries on in various ways through all her members. For the Christian vocation by its very nature is also a vocation to the apostolate. No part of the structure of a living body is merely passive but has a share in the functions as well as life of the body: so, too, in the body of Christ, which is the Church, "the whole body . . . in keeping with the proper activity of each part, derives its increase from its own internal development"(Eph. 4 :16).

Indeed, the organic union in this body and the structure of the members are so compact that the member who fails to make his proper contribution to the development of the Church must be said to be useful neither to the Church nor to himself.

In the Church there is a diversity of ministry but a oneness of mission. Christ conferred on the Apostles and their successors the duty of teaching, sanctifying, and ruling in His name and power. But the laity likewise share in the priestly, prophetic, and royal office of Christ and therefore have their own share in the mission of the whole people of God in the Church and in the world.[2]

They exercise the apostolate in fact by their activity directed to the evangelization and sanctification of men and to the penetrating and perfecting of the temporal order through the spirit of the Gospel. In this way, their temporal activity openly bears witness to Christ and promotes the salvation of men. Since the laity, in accordance with their state of life, live in the midst of the world and its concerns, they are called by God to exercise their apostolate in the world like leaven, with the ardor of the spirit of Christ.

3. The laity derive the right and duty to the apostolate from their union with Christ the head; incorporated into Christ's Mystical Body through Baptism and strengthened by the power of the Holy Spirit through Confirmation, they are assigned to the apostolate by the Lord Himself. They are consecrated for the royal priesthood and the holy people (cf. 1 Peter 2:4-10) not only that they may offer spiritual sacrifices in everything they do but also that they may witness to Christ throughout the world. The sacraments, however, especially the most holy Eucharist, communicate and nourish that charity which is the soul of the entire apostolate.[3]

One engages in the apostolate through the faith, hope, and charity which the Holy Spirit diffuses in the hearts of all members of the Church. Indeed, by the precept of charity, which is the Lord's greatest commandment, all the faithful are impelled to promote the glory of God through the coming of His kingdom and to obtain eternal life for all men--that they may know the only true God and Him whom He sent, Jesus Christ (cf. John 17:3). On all Christians therefore is laid the preeminent responsibility of working to make the divine message of salvation known and accepted by all men throughout the world.

For the exercise of this apostolate, the Holy Spirit Who sanctifies the people of God through ministry and the sacraments gives the faithful special gifts also (cf. 1 Cor. 12:7), "allotting them to everyone according as He wills" (1 Cor. 12:11) in order that individuals, administering grace to others just as they have received it, may also be "good stewards of the manifold grace of God" (1 Peter 4:10), to build up the whole body in charity (cf. Eph. 4:16). From the acceptance of these charisms, including those which are more elementary, there arise for each believer the right and duty to use them in the Church and in the world for the good of men and the building up of the Church, in the freedom of the Holy Spirit who "breathes where He wills" (John 3:8). This should be done by the laity in communion with their brothers in Christ, especially with their pastors who must make a judgment about the true nature and proper use of these gifts not to extinguish the Spirit but to test all things and hold for what is good (cf. 1 Thess. 5:12, 19, 21).[4]

4. Since Christ, sent by the Father, is the source and origin of the whole apostolate of the Church, the success of the lay apostolate depends upon the laity's living union with Christ, in keeping with the Lord's words, "He who abides in me, and I in him, bears much fruit, for without me you can do nothing" (John 15:5). This life of intimate union with Christ in the Church is nourished by spiritual aids which are common to all the faithful, especially active participation in the sacred liturgy.[5] These are to be used by the laity in such a way that while correctly fulfilling their secular duties in the ordinary conditions of life, they do not separate union with Christ from their life but rather performing their work according to God's will they grow in that union. In this way the laity must make progress in holiness in a happy and ready spirit, trying prudently and patiently to overcome difficulties.[6] Neither family concerns nor other secular affairs should be irrelevant to their spiritual life, in keeping with the words of the Apostle, "Whatever you do in word or work, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, giving thanks to God the Father through Him" (Col. 3:17).

Such a life requires a continual exercise of faith, hope, and charity. Only by the light of faith and by meditation on the word of God can one always and everywhere recognize God in Whom "we live, and move, and have our being" (Acts 17:28), seek His will in every event, see Christ in everyone whether he be a relative or a stranger, and make correct judgments about the true meaning and value of temporal things both in themselves and in their relation to man's final goal.
They who have this faith live in the hope of the revelation of the sons of God and keep in mind the cross and resurrection of the Lord. In the pilgrimage of this life, hidden with Christ in God and free from enslavement to wealth, they aspire to those riches which remain forever and generously dedicate themselves wholly to the advancement of the kingdom of God and to the reform and improvement of the temporal order in a Christian spirit. Among the trials of this life they find strength in hope, convinced that "the sufferings of the present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory to come that will be revealed in us" (Rom. 8:18).

Impelled by divine charity, they do good to all men especially to those of the household of the faith (cf. Gal. 6:10), laying aside "all malice and all deceit and pretense, and envy, and all slander" (1 Peter 2:1), and thereby they draw men to Christ. This charity of God, "which is poured forth in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who has been given to us" (Rom. 5:5), enables the laity really to express the spirit of the beatitudes in their lives. Following Jesus in His poverty, they are neither depressed by the lack of temporal goods nor inflated by their abundance; imitating Christ in His humility, they have no obsession for empty honors (cf. Gal. 5:26) but seek to please God rather than men, ever ready to leave all things for Christ's sake (cf. Luke 14:26) and to suffer persecution for justice sake (cf. Matt. 5:10), as they remember the words of the Lord, "If anyone wishes to come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me" ( Matt. 16:24). Promoting Christian friendship among themselves, they help one another in every need whatsoever.

This plan for the spiritual life of the laity should take its particular character from their married or family state or their single or widowed state, from their state of health, and from their professional and social activity. They should not cease to develop earnestly the qualities and talents bestowed on them in accord with these conditions of life, and they should make use of the gifts which they have received from the Holy Spirit.

Furthermore, the laity who have followed their vocation and have become members of one of the associations or institutes approved by the Church try faithfully to adopt the special characteristics of the spiritual life which are proper to them as well. They should also hold in high esteem professional skill, family and civic spirit, and the virtues relating to social customs, namely, honesty, justice, sincerity, kindness, and courage, without which no true Christian life can exist.

The perfect example of this type of spiritual and apostolic life is the most Blessed Virgin Mary, Queen of Apostles, who while leading the life common to all here on earth, one filled with family concerns and labors, was always intimately united with her Son and in an entirely unique way cooperated in the work of the Savior. Having now been assumed into heaven, with her maternal charity she cares for these brothers of her Son who are still on their earthly pilgrimage and remain involved in dangers and difficulties until they are led into the happy fatherland.[7] All should devoutly venerate her and commend their life and apostolate to her maternal care.

Blessed Triduum

The 2008 Triduum has begun. Blessings upon you, your families and your friends. Pray for each other and pray for The Church. It 's a short way to the cross now, and the resurrection is right around the corner.

Please check out the Medjugorje video interviews and the Scott Hahn clips as well. Have a joyful Easter everyone!

IRISH BLESSING

In the name of dear Saint Patrick
This brings a loving prayer
May you forever be within
God's tender love and care--
May your heart be filled with happiness--
Your home be filled with laughter
And may the Holy Trinity
Bless your life forever after.

Happy Saint Patrick's Day!

THE LEGEND OF THE SHAMROCK

Long ago, when Ireland was the land of the Druids, there was a Bishop, Patrick by name, who came to teach the word of God throughout the country...This saint, for he was indeed a saint, was well loved everywhere he went. One day, however, a group of his followers came to him and admitted that it was difficult for them to believe the doctrine of the Holy Trinity.

Saint Patrick reflected a moment and then, stooping down, he plucked a leaf from the shamrock and held it before them, bidding them to behold the living example of the "Three-in-One." The simple beauty of this explanation convinced these skeptics, and from that day the shamrock has been revered throughout Ireland!

The Way # 701

Have you not heard the parable of the vine and the branches from the lips of the master?
Console yourself: He demands much of you, for you are the branch that bears fruit. And he must prune you, ut fructum plus afferas--"so that you'll yield more fruit."

Of course that cutting--that pruning--hurts. But, afterward, how luxuriant the growth, how fruitful your works!"

--Josemaria Escriva

Our Lady's February Message via medjugorje.org

Peace to All! Below please find the official English translation of Our Lady's February 25, 2008 message to the world as provided by the Information Center in Medjugorje.

Our next mailing will be Fr. Danko Perutina's commentary at the end of the month.
God Bless!Steve and Ana Shawl @the medjugorje web:

http://www.medjugorje.org/

-----Message of February 25, 2008 “Dear children! In this time of grace, I call you anew to prayer and renunciation. May your day be interwoven with little ardent prayers for all those who have not come to know God´s love. Thank you for having responded to my call.”

Midlife Crisis (on Vatican II from U.S. Catholic magazine)

With the reforms of the council passing the four-decade mark, it’s a good time to take a look back at some of the highlights.

WE CALLED THEM THE CONEHEADS, after the family of space aliens featured in a popular skit on Saturday Night Live in the ’70s. A wall-sized black-and-white photo mural hung in the common room of my seminary, a family portrait of 2,000 bishops, each wearing identical white cone-shaped miters, jammed cheek-to-jowl into the vast cavern of St. Peter’s Basilica. They were participating in the Second Vatican Council, the event that changed the unchangeable Catholic Church. This month we mark the 40th anniversary of its conclusion on Dec. 8, 1965.
A lot has changed in 40 years. In 1965 you could buy a quart of milk for a quarter, a pack of cigarettes for a dollar, and a gallon of gas for 35 cents. You could mail a letter with a five-cent stamp. For $2,368 you could buy a new Ford Mustang, and for a little more you could get one with a 271-horsepower V8 engine. On TV, Bonanza knocked The Beverly Hillbillies from the top spot, but Bewitched and Gomer Pyle were coming on strong. Sonny and Cher recorded “I Got You, Babe” and The Beatles sang “Yesterday.” The Oscar went to The Sound of Music, the Dow hit 969, and Lyndon Johnson was president. About the only players back then still in the game today were Fidel Castro and Mick Jagger.

I am a pre-boomer, born and raised Catholic in the ’40s and ’50s. The church I grew up in was a whole different ball game from what it is now. Back then the Mass was in Latin and happening up there beyond the rail, shrouded somewhat by a priest who stood with his back to the people facing an altar up against the wall.

I could either follow along in the missal, pray the rosary, or stare at Mary Ellen Gallagher sitting two pews ahead with her parents. Most of the time I chose option number three, since she was a lot nicer to look at than the back of Father McRooney’s head.

Being Catholic then was a matter of going to church on Sundays, not eating meat on Fridays, getting your sacraments, not marrying a non-Catholic or—heaven forbid—getting a divorce, having lots of kids, and making sure they practiced their religion, too, just like you did. Then you died and went to heaven.

But in my teen years I didn’t appreciate the subtle beauty of my religion, so I left. Besides, based on what I could figure, I wasn’t going to heaven anyway. I mean, if a hot dog on a Friday could put you in a handbasket to hell, my frequently committed mortal sins were certainly good for a one-way ticket on the Stygian Ferry.

Sure, I went to Confession before Communion like everybody else, but the state of grace in which I emerged from the booth was like a popsicle on a hot sidewalk. It hardly lasted till Sunday afternoon when a brawl with my brother or a lingering mental image of Mary Ellen Gallagher once again stained my immortal soul beyond deliverance.

So my window of salvation was pretty narrow and unless I got run over by a bus on a Saturday night between St. Lawrence O’Toole’s Church and home, I was destined for the everlasting flames. I was damned if I did and damned if I didn’t, so I figured it would be a lot easier and less time-consuming if I just didn’t.

Years later when I returned to the flock, boy was I surprised. Things were different. It wasn’t my uncle’s church anymore. The Second Vatican Council put a new face on Catholicism, reworked the worship, dusted off the Bible, and lifted up its members to the astonishing awareness that you, I, and the little kid gobbling Cheerios in the cry room are the People of God.
Vatican II was the latest of 21 ecumenical councils that refined and defined the nature, scope, and mission of the Catholic Church throughout history, a kind of periodic ecclesiastical reboot. Begun on Oct. 11, 1962 by Pope John XXIII, the jovial, rotund Italian who is now up for sainthood, Vatican II gathered bishops, advisors, and consultants from around the world—2,450 strong—and hammered out 16 documents sometimes described as the greatest expressions of Catholic teaching the world has ever known.

The council’s driving force was best expressed in Unitatis Redintegratio (Decree on Ecumenism): “Christ summons the church to continual reformation as she sojourns here on earth. The church is always in need of this, insofar as she is an institution of [people]. Thus, if, in various times and circumstances, there have been deficiencies in moral conduct or in church discipline, or even in the way that church teaching has been formulated—to be carefully distinguished from the deposit of faith itself—these can and should be set right at the opportune moment.” Full, conscious, activeChanging language is really tough; just ask an immigrant trying to learn the lingo of a new land. My second week in Mexico I knew my limited Spanish—¿Dónde están los baños? and Dos más cervezas, por favor—wasn’t getting the job done. The early church struggled when the original language of the liturgy, Greek, was dumped for the common tongue of the people, Latin. A vestige remained, the Kyrie (Lord, have mercy), but for the people of the Roman world to understand and participate, the vernacular was needed.

The same was true for the 20th-century church. Sacrosanctum Concilium (Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy) observed that “the use of the mother tongue, whether in the Mass, the administration of the sacraments, or other parts of the liturgy, frequently may be of great advantage to the people.” The vernacular Mass, which emerged from the inspiration of the council, recognized the dignity of every language, whether it was Spanish, Swedish, or Swahili, and made our native tongues holy.

Bringing home the language of the liturgy drew people closer to the source and summit of their faith, but more was needed.

The original disciples gathered—sprawled is a better word—around the table of the Lord’s Supper, and that became the model of the early church’s assembly. But when Christianity went legit in 313 A.D., when Emperor Constantine legalized Christianity, they moved the whole shebang into civic assembly buildings to accommodate greater numbers—and maybe boost the collection. These royal courtrooms, or basilicas, were built long and narrow because the architectural technology of the day limited the span of an arch. On one end was the entryway, and on the other was usually a raised platform for legal proceedings, speeches and ceremonies, and a rail that separated the dignitaries from the hoi polloi, much like in a modern courtroom.
That rail remained in our churches for nearly 17 centuries, drawing a line between the people and the action of the liturgy. It was a boundary you did not cross until Vatican II declared that “Mother Church earnestly desires that all the faithful should be led to that fully conscious and active participation in liturgical celebrations.” It was determined that nothing should stand between the people and the table at which they were invited to dine. Large and in chargeOur bishop back then was Henry J. O’Brien, God rest his soul. Now, my dad had a friend who drove a car called a Henry J, and for most of my youth I couldn’t figure out whether the bishop was named for the car or the car for the bishop. At any rate, Bishop Henry J. ruled the roost. He drove around—or I should say he was driven around—in a long, black Cadillac, and when he showed up, all the priests scrambled to kiss his ring and show him deference. He didn’t seem like a bad guy; in fact he was rather nice. I remember at our Confirmation, when I was about 11, he stood at the door of the church after Mass and greeted the confirmands. “The hope of the church!” he announced to each of us as we filed out, but the kid in front of me was upset because he thought the bishop called him the dope of the church. Hey, the kid didn’t even know the answer to question #6, “Why did God make you?”

But make no mistake, the chain of command was simple: God, the pope, and Henry J. O’Brien.
Vatican II reaffirmed that the pope is the boss. Lumen Gentium (Dogmatic Constitution on the Church) declared that “the Roman pontiff has full, supreme, and universal power over the church,” professed certainty in “the sacred primacy of the Roman pontiff and of his infallible magisterium,” and pointed out that the bishops, together with the pope, “govern the house of the living God.” Well, there you have it.

But don’t get the wrong idea. The pope does not decree on a whim. The infallibility of the pope when teaching on faith and morals is seldom exercised. Pope Benedict XVI, speaking to priests back in July of this year, told them that the pope isn’t an “oracle” and “is infallible only in rare situations.”

To safeguard the pontiff’s thoughts while shaving from making their way into the church’s infallible doctrine, Lumen Gentium also shored up the power of the bishops’ conferences to act in “collegiality” with the Holy See. The two must always be one so that the office of teaching and of governing the church “can be exercised only in hierarchical communion with the head and the members of the college [of bishops].” Girl powerLumen Gentium goes on to state that the rest of us, the faithful, “are by Baptism made one body with Christ and are constituted among the People of God” and “sharers in the priestly, prophetical, and kingly functions of Christ.” Wow! Nobody ever told us that we were the People of God. The entire second chapter of Lumen Gentium, named “The People of God,” is dedicated to just us folks.

The council gave us an extraordinary role to play in the ongoing practice and leadership of the church, teaching that the People of God “should openly reveal to [the bishops] their needs and desires with that freedom and confidence which is fitting for children of God and brothers in Christ. They are . . . permitted and sometimes even obliged to express their opinion on those things which concern the good of the church.”

Yikes! That means you and I have a share in and a responsibility for leadership in the church. The establishment of Catholic practice moves not only from the top down, but from the grassroots to the papal apartments. Here’s how it works.

There was more to being a Catholic back in the day than pay, pray, and obey. We also played. Altar boys took the occasional hit from the altar wine and used their cassocks for Halloween costumes. But no one ever thought that girls could become altar boys. I mean, really.
The Code of Canon Law states that, while lay “persons” could assist in various liturgical functions, only lay “men” were allowed to be instituted as acolytes, serving the priest at the altar. So forget about it, right?

Well, not exactly. After Vatican II, girls and women started showing up on the altar wearing liturgical robes and hauling the water and wine. Some folks were shocked, others delighted. Bishops for their part generally looked the other way. Altar girls were a “don’t ask, don’t tell” practice that became widespread in our parishes. The reasoning was that the girls weren’t “instituted” as acolytes anymore than the boys were. Still, it was pushing the limits.
This went on for years. Then in 1994, Pope John Paul II decreed that altar girls were OK in his book and it was a done deal. The system worked. The desire of the People of God was made known through the bishops to the Holy See and it became the practice of the church.

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Vatican II today: two schools of thought

Imagine a television commercial for Vatican II: Hundreds of bishops are gathered in a local beer joint. One prelate lifts his frothy stein in a toast. “Vatican II,” he intones solemnly. The episcopal assemblage is divided into two groups, one on the right and the other on the left. But instead of responding with shouts of “Less filling!” from one side and “Tastes great!” from the other, they raise their glasses to cries of “Aggiornamento!” and “Ressourcement!”

Just as Miller Lite had two drinking experiences to recommend it, the spirit of Vatican II came in two flavors.

Aggiornamento, an Italian word that means “updating or modernizing,” describes the energy of those who took the lead in expressing Vatican II’s drift. Championed by such notables as Swiss theologian Hans Küng, French ecclesiologist Yves Congar, and German theologian Karl Rahner, and with Gaudium et Spes as their manifesto, they sought to humanize Catholicism and formulate new theology that expressed what they perceived to be an evolution of Christianity. The house organ of aggiornamento was the international theological journal Concilium, founded in 1965.

Concerned with what sometimes appeared to be revisionist theology and the dreaded “modernism” condemned a century earlier, a second camp emerged from the smoke of Vatican II. The French word ressourcement, meaning “a return to the sources” or getting back to basics, best describes the impulse that compelled the movement. Swiss theologian Hans Urs von Balthasar and French theologian Henri de Lubac led the starting line-up for that team; Lumen Gentium was their mandate and Communio their journal. To the ressourcement people, the reforms of the council needed a tighter rein grounded in the earlier stages of the tradition and the patristic writings. “Grassroots” might best describe the aggiornamento church while “authoritarian” could express the ressourcement model.

The most interesting player was German prelate Joseph Ratzinger, now Pope Benedict XVI. Ratzinger appeared early in the game joining Congar and Belgian theologian Edward Schillebeeckx in the very first issue of Concilium, writing some very aggiornamento-ish stuff. But by 1974 he was batting for the ressourcement team and would be published in Communio some 35 times thereafter.

A synthesis of the two camps would be nice, kind of like two, two, two mints in one. But that’s another commercial. Perhaps in the Vatican II commercial Benedict XVI will be a kind of papal John Madden stepping from the brawling barroom crowd in white cassock and zucchetto. Extolling the virtues of the council, he will explain how you don’t have to sacrifice ressourcement to get aggiornamento, how Vatican II can be less filling and still taste great.—Paul Boudreau

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OK, so women still can’t achieve the “Big O” of Catholicism: ordination. Or, as one fifth-grade wag answered when asked how many sacraments there were: “Seven for boys and six for girls.” But the roles of women in the liturgy and in the community expanded.

Hundreds of parishes in the U.S. are run by women in the ministry of parish life director or pastoral coordinator. Thousands more are run by women delegated to the task by smart pastors who want to save their sanity. “It is fitting that [women] are able to assume their proper role in accordance with their own nature,” it says in Gaudium et Spes (The Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World). And “it will belong to all to acknowledge and favor the proper and necessary participation of women in the cultural life.” Dust off the old BibleWhen I was a kid growing up Catholic, I loved the Bible. Ours sat on a shelf in the living room next to the television. I never actually read anything in it, but the pictures were spectacular.

We weren’t encouraged to read the scriptures. I mean, look what happened when Martin Luther read it. We couldn’t have that again. Besides, the 1899 Douay-Rheims American Edition, the only Catholic Bible available, was written in old-fashioned English with all the thees, the thous, the hasts, and the wasts. So who needs that, right? Plus, we had been taught everything anyone ever needed to know about the Bible: “Thou art Peter,” and “This is my Body.” Every self-respecting Catholic had those two verses in his pocket, and that covered about everything.
Well, that all changed with Vatican II. Dei Verbum (Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation) urged Catholics “to learn by frequent reading of the divine scriptures the excellent knowledge of Jesus Christ . . . for ignorance of the scriptures is ignorance of Christ.”

Six years after the close of the council, the New American Bible was published and widely acknowledged as a primo English translation. The post-Vatican II lectionary, the Bible readings for Mass, provides a much wider selection of passages than the old one to promote a greater familiarity with scripture. And what parish doesn’t have a Bible study group or two? So now there are at least some Catholics who can thump the Bible chapter and verse with the best of the Baptists. Protestants rescuedBut what about the Protestants? Heck, they were all going to hell back in my day. It was kind of sad, really. I mean, all my friends who were Protestant, some of them who didn’t use swear words like I did, or smoke cigarettes behind the school, or siphon off vodka from their father’s stash and replace it with water. No matter. They didn’t stand a chance because only Catholics went to heaven.

I remember one day coming home from catechism, where I had once again been taught the unhappy destiny of the denominationalists, and asking my devout Irish mother, “Is it true that all the Protestants are going to hell?” “Well,” she said, “that’s what the church teaches.” Then she added, “but I don’t believe it.”

They didn’t invite Mom to Vatican II, but she would’ve made a good addition. Lumen Gentium declared that Protestants “are joined with us in the Holy Spirit, for to them, too, he gives his gifts and graces whereby he is operative among them with his sanctifying power.” The ink wasn’t dry on the document before you could hear the hammering and sawing of expansion work coming from above the clouds. Make room, Catholics. We’ve got one big busload of Protestants on the way.

Unitatis Redintegratio speaks of the “one and only church of God” but acknowledges that “serious dissensions” caused large groups to abandon the communion, disagreements “for which, often enough, men of both sides were to blame.” Now, generations later, all baptized believers, no matter what their affiliation, are to be embraced as brothers and sisters “in communion with the Catholic Church, even though this communion is imperfect.”

Inspired by Vatican II, Catholics from the pope on down dove head first into the ecumenical movement and began working for the restoration of Christian unity. Does this mean that all the Protestants are going to line up to kiss the pope’s ring wearing Mother of God T-shirts? I doubt it. Ecumenism, a word that means “to inhabit one house,” is not about changing the other guy but growing together in mutual charity, respect, and understanding. That’s a far cry from sending them all to hell.

Oh, and don’t forget the Jews and the Muslims. The council holds them in esteem in several places because they are “Abraham’s seed” and “along with us adore the one and merciful God” (Lumen Gentium).

That’s a big load off Jewish shoulders. Let’s face it: We’ve been dumping on them for centuries. They were fair game, even for my devout mother. She’d always start out with the disclaimer, “I’m not prejudiced,” then she’d add, “but you know those Jews . . . ” and then she’d start stacking up the stereotypes. But Nostra Aetate (The Declaration on the Relation of the Church to Non-Christian Religions) “decries hatred, persecutions, [and] displays of anti-Semitism directed against Jews at any time and by anyone.” Excuse me. I need to call my mother.

That leaves the Hindus, the Buddhists, Baha’ís, Unitarians, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Mennonites, Christian Scientists, Amish, Seventh-Day Adventists, the Moonies, Scientologists, and the Church of What’s Hap’nin’ Now. Evidently there’s room for everybody. “The Catholic Church rejects nothing that is true and holy in these religions,” it says in Nostra Aetate, and that often the teachings found in them “reflect a ray of that Truth which enlightens all.” Rights and freedoms“What a piece of work is man! How noble in reason! How infinite in faculty! In form and moving how express and admirable!” Vatican II? Nope. Shakespeare’s Hamlet, Act II, Scene II. But Gaudium et Spes could give the bard a run for his money. “Man has been created by God,” it says, “for a blissful purpose.” The council celebrated the sacred dignity of humanity beyond anything ever before. It placed humanity at the center and apex of creation, hallowing the human conscience as “the most secret core and sanctuary of a man where he is alone with God, Whose voice echoes in his depths.”

And all these dignified people now have the freedom to choose any religious path they wanted. Dignitatis Humanae (Declaration on Religious Freedom) taught that all human persons have a natural and inalienable right to be free in seeking religious truth, in living and worshiping according to their own religious convictions, and in bearing witness to their beliefs without human interference. Tell that to Mrs. O’Houlihan next time she complains about her kids who don’t go to church and haven’t had their children baptized yet.

When I was growing up, being Catholic meant that you went to church on Sunday, ate fish on Friday, didn’t swear, and really tried to steer clear of sinful sex stuff. Your mission in life was to get all your sacraments and die in the state of grace. Other than that, what you did was your own business. Not so, said Vatican II. The council taught in Gaudium et Spes that Catholics are gravely mistaken “who think that religion consists in acts of worship alone and in the discharge of certain moral obligations.” The sacred dignity of human life defines the duty of every Catholic to work diligently “for fundamental decisions to be taken in economic and political affairs . . . which will everywhere recognize and satisfy the right of all to a human and social culture” in conformity with that dignity.

What came from that was Catholic stewardship, the understanding that the things we have are given to us by God to be used for the welfare and benefit of all. The poor, the needy, the vulnerable, the lowly, all have a legitimate claim to our time, our energy, our money, our resources, our presence, and our attention. And we’re talking about a serious obligation here. “The Christian who neglects his temporal duties, neglects his duties toward his neighbor and even God, and jeopardizes his eternal salvation.” Catholics were called upon to make the shift from the more internal focus of the pre-Vatican church to the outward mission and responsibilities expressed in Gaudium et Spes.

So Good Pope John convened the council 40 years ago because he wanted to open the windows of the church to let in some fresh air. Vatican II did more than that. Mass in English, taking down the rail, sharing power with the people, cracking open the Bible, saving the Protestants, and affirming the sacred dignity of all human life opened up a whole world of participation and shared responsibility for the People of God.

The church was no longer the exclusive realm of the priests and the sisters; it belonged to us all. Sunday mornings at church became a happening that involved everybody. People got to know each other. Home-grown ministries sprouted in parishes like dandelions on a spring lawn. Oh, it hasn’t been perfect. There is still much to be done. But the legacy of Vatican II is that it can be done, and God knows just the people to do it.

Author of this article: Paul Boudreau is a priest of the Diocese of Norwich, Connecticut.

APOSTOLIC LETTER of John Paul II on the SACROSANCTUM CONCILIUM

SPIRITUS ET SPONSA OF THE SUPREME PONTIFF JOHN PAUL II
ON THE 40TH ANNIVERSARYOF THE CONSTITUTION ON THE SACRED LITURGY

1. "The Spirit and the Bride say "Come'. And let him who hears say, "Come'. And let him who is thirsty come, let him who desires take the water of life without price" (Apoc 22: 17). These words from the Apocalypse echo in my heart as I remember that 40 years ago today, exactly on 4 December 1963, my venerable Predecessor, Pope Paul VI, promulgated the Constitution Sacrosanctum Concilium on the Sacred Liturgy. What, indeed, is the Liturgy other than the voice of the Holy Spirit and of the Bride, holy Church, crying in unison to the Lord Jesus: "Come"? What is the Liturgy other than that pure, inexhaustible source of "living water" from which all who thirst can freely draw the gift of God (cf. Jn 4: 10)?

Indeed, in the Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, the first fruit of the Second Vatican Council, that "great grace bestowed on the Church in the 20th century"1, the Holy Spirit spoke to the Church, ceaselessly guiding the disciples of the Lord "into all the truth" (Jn 16: 13). The commemoration of the 40th anniversary of this event is a good opportunity to rediscover the basic themes of the liturgical renewal that the Council Fathers desired, to seek to evaluate their reception, as it were, and to cast a glance at the future.

2. With the passing of time and in the light of its fruits, the importance of Sacrosanctum Concilium has become increasingly clear. The Council brilliantly outlined in it the principles on which are based the liturgical practices of the Church and which inspire its healthy renewal in the course of time2. The Council Fathers set the Liturgy within the horizon of the history of salvation, whose purpose is the redemption of humanity and the perfect glorification of God. The wonders wrought by God in the Old Testament were but a prelude to the redemption brought to completion by Christ the Lord, especially through the Paschal Mystery of his blessed Passion, his Resurrection from the dead and his glorious Ascension3. However, it needs not only to be proclaimed but also to be accomplished; this "is set in train through the sacrifice and sacraments, around which the entire liturgical life revolves"4. Christ makes himself present in a special way in the liturgical gestures associating the Church with himself. Every liturgical celebration, therefore, is the work of Christ the Priest and of his Mystical Body, "full public worship"5 in which the faithful take part, with a foretaste in it of the Liturgy of the heavenly Jerusalem6. This is why the "Liturgy is the summit toward which the activity of the Church is directed" and at the same time, "the fount from which all her power flows"7.

3. The liturgical outlook of the Council did not keep to interchurch relations, but was open to the horizons of all humanity. Indeed, in his praise to the Father, Christ attaches to himself the whole community of men and women. He does so specifically through the mission of a praying Church which, "by celebrating the Eucharist and by other means, especially the celebration of the Divine Office, is ceaselessly engaged in praising the Lord and interceding for the salvation of the entire world"8.

In the perspective of Sacrosanctum Concilium, the liturgical life of the Church acquires a cosmic and universal scope that makes a deep mark on human time and space. It is also possible to understand in this perspective the renewed attention that the Constitution pays to the liturgical year through which the Church journeys, commemorating and reliving the Paschal Mystery of Christ9.

If the Liturgy consists in all of this, the Council rightly affirms that every liturgical action "is a sacred action surpassing all others. No other action of the Church can equal its efficacy by the same title and to the same degree"10. At the same time, the Council recognizes that "the Sacred Liturgy does not exhaust the entire activity of the Church"11. Indeed, on the one hand the Liturgy presupposes the proclamation of the Gospel, and on the other, it demands a Christian witness in history. The mystery proposed in preaching and catechesis, listened to with faith and celebrated in the Liturgy, must shape the entire life of believers who are called to be its heralds in the world12.

4. Then with regard to the different elements involved in liturgical celebration, the Constitution pays special attention to the importance of sacred music. The Council praises it, pointing out as its objective: "the glory of God and the sanctification of the faithful"13. In fact, sacred music is a privileged means to facilitate the active participation of the faithful in sacred celebration, as my venerable Predecessor St Pius X desired to highlight in his Motu Proprio On the Restoration of Sacred Music Tra le Sollecitudini, whose centenary occurs this year. It was this very anniversary that recently gave me an opportunity to reassert the need to preserve and to emphasize the role of music at liturgical celebrations, in accordance with the directives of Sacrosanctum Concilium14 and mindful of the Liturgy's real character as well as the sensibility of our time and the musical traditions of the world's different regions.

5. Sacred art was another fruitful topic addressed by the conciliar Constitution. It gave rise to many developments. The Council gives clear instructions to continue to leave considerable room for it in our day too, so that the splendour of worship will shine out through the fittingness and beauty of liturgical art. To this end it will be appropriate to make provision for projects to train the various craftsmen and artists who are commissioned to build and decorate places destined for liturgical use15. At the root of these guidelines is a vision of art, and sacred art in particular, that relates it to "the infinite beauty of God in works made by human hands"16.
From renewal to deepening.

6. Forty years later, it is appropriate to review the ground covered. I have already suggested on former occasions a sort of examination of conscience concerning the reception given to the Second Vatican Council17. Such an examination must also concern the liturgical and sacramental life. "Is the Liturgy lived as the "origin and summit' of ecclesial life, in accordance with the teaching of Sacrosanctum Concilium?"18. Has the rediscovery of the value of the Word of God brought about by liturgical reform met with a positive confirmation in our celebrations? To what extent does the Liturgy affect the practice of the faithful and does it mark the rhythm of the individual communities? Is it seen as a path of holiness, an inner force of apostolic dynamism and of the Church's missionary outreach?

7. The Council's renewal of the Liturgy is expressed most clearly in the publication of liturgical books. After a preliminary period in which the renewed texts were little by little incorporated into the liturgical celebrations, a deeper knowledge of their riches and potential has become essential.

The mainspring of this deepening must be a principle of total fidelity to the Sacred Scriptures and to Tradition, authoritatively interpreted in particular by the Second Vatican Council, whose teachings have been reasserted and developed in the ensuing Magisterium. This fidelity engages in the first place the Bishop "to whom is committed the office of offering the worship of Christian religion to the divine Majesty and of administering it in accordance with the Lord's commandments and with the Church's laws"19; at the same time, it involves the entire ecclesial community "in different ways, depending on their orders, their role in the liturgical services and their actual participation in them"20.

In this perspective, it is more necessary than ever to intensify liturgical life within our communities by means of an appropriate formation of the pastors and of all the faithful with a view to the active, conscious and full participation in liturgical celebrations desired by the Council21.

8. Consequently, what is needed is a pastoral care of the Liturgy that is totally faithful to the new ordines. Through these, renewed interest in the Word of God has gradually developed as the Council desired, hoping for a return to a "more ample, more varied and more suitable reading from Sacred Scripture"22. The new lectionaries, for example, offer a broad choice of passages from Scripture which constitute an inexhaustible source from which the People of God can and must draw. Indeed, we cannot forget that "in listening to the Word of God the Church grows and is built, and the wonderful works God once wrought in many different ways in the history of salvation are represented in their mystical truth through the signs of the liturgical celebration"23. In this celebration, the Word of God expresses the fullness of their meaning, inciting Christian life to continuous renewal, so that "what is heard at the liturgical celebration may also be put into practice in life"24.

9. Sunday, the Lord's Day, on which the Resurrection of Christ is especially commemorated, is at the heart of liturgical life as the "foundation and nucleus of the whole liturgical year"25. There is no doubt that considerable pastoral effort has been expended to bring people to rediscover the value of Sunday. Yet it is essential to make a point of this, for "the spiritual and pastoral riches of Sunday, as it has been handed on to us by tradition, are truly great. When its significance and implications are understood in their entirety, Sunday in a way becomes a synthesis of the Christian life and a condition for living it well"26.

10. Liturgical celebration nourishes the spiritual life of the faithful. The principle I formulated in my Apostolic Letter Novo Millennio Ineunte: "calling for a Christian life distinguished above all in the art of prayer"27, stems from the Liturgy. Sacrosanctum Concilium interprets this urgency prophetically, spurring the Christian community to intensify its prayer life, not only through the Liturgy but also in "popular devotions", for as long as these are in harmony with the Liturgy, they are in some way derived from it and lead to it28. The pastoral experience in recent decades has reinforced this insight. In this regard, the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments has made a valuable contribution with its Directory on Popular Piety, Liturgy, Principles, Guidelines29. Then, with the Apostolic Letter Rosarium Virginis Mariae30 and the announcement of the Year of the Rosary, I myself wanted to make explicit the contemplative treasure of this traditional prayer that has spread far and wide among the People of God. I therefore recommended its rediscovery as a privileged path to contemplation of the Face of Christ at the school of Mary.

Future prospects

11. Looking to the future we see various challenges that the Liturgy is called to confront. During the past 40 years, in fact, society has undergone profound changes, some of which have put ecclesial commitment severely to the test. We have before us a world in which the signs of the Gospel are dying out, even in regions with an ancient Christian tradition. Now is the time for new evangelization. This challenge calls the Liturgy directly into question.

At first sight, spirituality seems to have been put aside by a broadly secularized society; but it is certain that despite secularization, a renewed need for it is re-emerging in different ways in our day.

How can we not see this as proof that the thirst for God cannot be uprooted from the human heart? Some questions find an answer only in personal contact with Christ. Only in intimacy with him does every existence acquire meaning and succeed in experiencing the joy that prompted Peter to exclaim on the mountain of the Transfiguration: "Master, it is well that we are here" (Lk 9: 33).

12. The Liturgy offers the deepest and most effective answer to this yearning for the encounter with God. It does so especially in the Eucharist, in which we are given to share in the sacrifice of Christ and to nourish ourselves with his Body and his Blood. However, Pastors must ensure that the sense of mystery penetrates consciences, making them rediscover the art of "mystagogic catechesis", so dear to the Fathers of the Church31. It is their duty, in particular, to promote dignified celebrations, paying the proper attention to the different categories of persons: children, young people, adults, the elderly, the disabled. They must all feel welcome at our gatherings, so that they may breathe the atmosphere of the first community of believers who "devoted themselves to the Apostles' teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers" (Acts 2: 42).

13. One aspect that we must foster in our communities with greater commitment is the experience of silence. We need silence "if we are to accept in our hearts the full resonance of the voice of the Holy Spirit and to unite our personal prayer more closely to the Word of God and the public voice of the Church"32. In a society that lives at an increasingly frenetic pace, often deafened by noise and confused by the ephemeral, it is vital to rediscover the value of silence. The spread, also outside Christian worship, of practices of meditation that give priority to recollection is not accidental. Why not start with pedagogical daring a specific education in silence within the coordinates of personal Christian experience? Let us keep before our eyes the example of Jesus, who "rose and went out to a lonely place, and there he prayed" (Mk 1: 35). The Liturgy, with its different moments and symbols, cannot ignore silence.

14. Pastoral attention to the Liturgy through the introduction to the various celebrations must instil a taste for prayer. To do so, it will of course take into account the ability of individual believers and their different conditions of age and culture; but in doing so it will not be content with the "minimum".

The Church's teaching must be able to "dare". It is important to introduce the faithful to the celebration of the Liturgy of the Hours "which, as the public prayer of the Church, is a source of piety and nourishment for personal prayer"33. It is an action that is neither individual nor "private, but is proper to the entire Body of the Church.... Thus, if the faithful are summoned for the Liturgy of the Hours and gather together, joining heart and voice, they make manifest the Church, which celebrates the mystery of Christ"34. Priority attention to liturgical prayer does not vie with personal prayer but indeed implies and demands it35, and harmonizes well with other forms of community prayer, especially when it is recognized and recommended by the ecclesiastic Authority36.

15. Pastors have the indispensable task of educating in prayer and more especially of promoting liturgical life, entailing a duty of discernment and guidance. This should not be seen as an uncompromising attitude that is incompatible with the need of Christian souls to abandon themselves to the action of God's Spirit who intercedes in us and "for us with sighs too deep for words" (Rom 8: 26). Rather, the guidance of Pastors constitutes a principle of "guarantee", inherent in God's plan for his Church that is governed by the assistance of the Holy Spirit. The liturgical renewal that has taken place in recent decades has shown that it is possible to combine a body of norms that assure the identity and decorum of the Liturgy and leave room for the creativity and adaptation that enable it to correspond closely with the need to give expression to their respective situation and culture of the various regions. Lack of respect for the liturgical norms can sometimes even lead to grave forms of abuse that obscure the truth of the mystery and give rise to dismay and stress in the People of God37. This abuse has nothing to do with the authentic spirit of the Council and should be prudently and firmly corrected by Pastors.

Conclusion

16. The promulgation of the Constitution on the Liturgy marked a stage of fundamental importance in the life of the Church for the promotion and development of the Liturgy. It is in the Liturgy that the Church, enlivened by the breath of the Spirit, lives her mission as "sacrament - a sign and instrument, that is, of communion with God and of unity among all men"38, and finds the most exalted expression of her mystical reality.

In the Lord Jesus and in his Spirit the whole of Christian existence becomes "a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God", genuine "spiritual worship" (Rom 12: 1). The mystery brought about in the Liturgy is truly great. It opens a glimpse of Heaven on earth, and the perennial hymn of praise rises from the community of believers in unison with the hymn of heavenly Jerusalem: "Sanctus, Sanctus, Sanctus, Dominus Deus Sabaoth. Pleni sunt caeli et terra gloria tua. Hosanna in excelsis!".

At the beginning of this millennium, may a "liturgical spirituality" be developed that makes people conscious that Christ is the first "liturgist" who never ceases to act in the Church and in the world through the Paschal Mystery continuously celebrated, and who associates the Church with himself, in praise of the Father, in the unity of the Holy Spirit.

Together with this wish, I impart my Blessing to everyone from the depths of my heart.
From the Vatican, 4 December 2003, 26th Year of the Pontificate of John Paul PP. II.

JOHN PAUL II

Notes
1) John Paul II, Apostolic Letter Novo Millennio Ineunte (6 January 2001), n. 57: AAS 93 (2001), 308; cf. Apostolic Letter Vicesimus Quintus Annus (4 December 1988), n. 1 [ORE, 22 May 1989, p. 7]; AAS 81 (1989), 897. 2) Cf. ibid., n. 3. 3) Cf. ibid., n. 5. 4) Second Vatican Council, Sacrosanctum Concilium [SC], n. 6. 5) Ibid., n. 7. 6) Cf. ibid., n. 8. 7) Ibid., n. 10. 8) Ibid., n. 83. 9) Cf. ibid., n. 5. 10) Ibid., n. 7. 11) Ibid., n. 9. 12) Cf. ibid., n. 10. 13) Ibid., n. 112. 14) Cf. ibid., n. 6. 15) Cf. ibid., n. 127. 16) Ibid., n. 122. 17) Cf. Apostolic Letter Tertio Millennio Adveniente (10 November 1994), n. 36; AAS 87 (1995), 28. 18) Ibid. 19) Second Vatican Council, Dogmatic Constitution on the Church Lumen Gentium, n. 26. 20) Second Vatican Council, Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy Sacrosanctum Concilium, n. 26. 21) Cf. n. 14; John Paul II, Apostolic Letter Vicesimus Quintus Annus (4 December 1988), n. 15; AAS 81 (1989), 911-912. 22) SC, n. 35 (1). 23) Ordo Lectionum Missae, n. 7. 24) Ibid., n. 6. 25) Second Vatican Council, Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy Sacrosanctum Concilium, n. 106; cf. John Paul II, Apostolic Letter Vicesimus Quintus Annus (4 December 1988), n. 22: AAS 81 (1989), 917. 26) John Paul II, Apostolic Letter Dies Domini (31 May 1998), n. 81: AAS 90 (1998), 763. 27) Ibid., n. 32; AAS 93 (2001), 288. 28) Cf. SC, n. 13. 29) Vatican City, 2002. 30) Cf. AAS 95 (2003), 5-36. 31) John Paul II, Apostolic Letter Vicesimus Quintus Annus (4 December 1988), 21: AAS (1989), 917. 32) Institutio Generalis Liturgiae Horarum, 202. 33) Second Vatican Council, Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy Sacrosanctum Concilium, n. 90. 34) Institutio Generalis Liturgiae Horarum, 20, 22. 35) Cf. Second Vatican Council, Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy Sacrosanctum Concilium, n. 12. 36) Cf. ibid., n. 13. 37) John Paul II, Encyclical Letter Ecclesia de Eucharistia (17 April 2003), n. 52: AAS 95 (2003), 468; Apostolic Letter Vicesimus Quintus Annus, n. 16 (4 December 1988), AAS 81 (1989), 910-911. 38) Second Vatican Council, Dogmatic Constitution on the Church Lumen Gentium, n. 1.

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