Holy yet sinful - Bl. Pope John Paul II

We have to acknowledge that, the Church also being a community made up of sinners, there has been no lack over the centuries of transgressions against the law of love. I mean the failures of individuals and groups sporting the name of Christian, on the plane of mutual relations, whether of the order of person to person, or of social and international dimensions.
That is the sorry fact, found in the history of men and nations, and in Church history too. Aware of their true vocation to love following Christ's example, Christians humbly and penitently confess those offences against love, yet without ceasing to believe in the love that, according to St Paul, 'endures whatever comes' and 'will never come to an end' (1 Corinthians 13:7-8). But if the history of mankind and of the Church abounds in sins against charity which grieve and sadden us, we must at the same time joyfully and gratefully recognize that throughout the Christian centuries there has never been a lack of marvellous witness on behalf of love, and that many a time - as well we remember - the witness borne has been heroic.

The Church and the State - Bl. Pope John Paul II

The Christian message brings glad tidings for everyone: for the political, economic and legal world too. When the authority of the Church, within the sphere of her own mission, proclaims Christian doctrine or gives rulings of a moral nature on matters in the political order, and when she encourages promotion of the dignity and inalienable rights of man, she is, above all, seeking the integral good of the body politic and, ultimately, the integral good of the individual. The Church, at the same time, recognizes that it is the duty of the Catholic laity, when faced with questions susceptible of various solutions in the vast field of politics, to find such solutions as are compatible with Gospel values. In union with all those people wishing to promote the good of the community, they bear a great responsibility: for seeking and applying truly humane solutions to the challenge posed by modem times and social coexistence. The Church shares in the best of human aspirations and offers mankind what she has herself: 'A global perspective on man and human realities' (Populorum progressio 13).

Both Church and State, each in its own domain and with its own means, are at the service of man's personal and social vocation. Thus ample room opens up for dialogue and for various kinds of co-operation,based always on mutual respect for the identity of each and for the functions proper to each of these two institutions. The Church recognizes, respects and encourages the legitimate autonomy of temporal and specifically political affairs. Her mission is set on a different plane. She is 'the sign and the safeguard of the transcendental dimension of the human person' (Gaudium et Spes 76)

In no way is the Church to be confused with the political community, nor is she tied to any political system (Gaudium et Spes 76). Even less is she to be identified with any party, and it would be deplorable if individuals and institutions, of whatever stamp they may be, were tempted to make use of her for their own particular advantage. Such an attitude would reveal an ignorance of the nature and real mission of the Church and would involve a lack of respect for the aims she has received from her Divine Founder, But, this said, we should not conclude that the message of salvation entrusted to the Church has nothing to say to the body politic in order to enlighten it with the Gospel. To the Church it pertains, as the Council teaches, 'to carry out her task among men without hindrance, and to pass moral judgements even in matters relating to politics, whenever the fundamental rights of man or the salvation of souls requires it' (Gaudium et Spes 76). So it is not a question of undue interference in a field to which she is a stranger, but of a service offered, for love of Jesus Christ, to the whole community, and prompted by a desire to contribute to the common good, encouraged by the Lord's words: 'The truth will make you free' (John 8:32)

The Book Of Confidence - Fr. Thomas de Saint-Laurent - Chapter 2

The Book Of Confidence - Fr. Thomas de Saint-Laurent -
Chapter 2 -
Nature and Characteristics of Confidence

Confidence Is a Firm Hope

With words that bear the mark of his genius, Saint Thomas Aquinas defines confidence with this conciseness that bears the mark of his genius as “a hope fortified by solid conviction.”1 We will devote this chapter to the explanation of these profound words.

Let us attentively consider the terms employed by the Angelic Doctor.

“Confidence,” he writes, “is a hope.” It is not that ordinary hope common to all the faithful; a precise qualifier distinguishes it: it is “a fortified hope.”

However, note well, there is no difference in nature, only in degree. The faint glimmer of the dawn and the dazzling light of the sun at its zenith form part of the same day. So hope and confidence pertain to the same virtue; one is the complete blossoming of the other.

Ordinary hope is lost by despair. It can tolerate, however, a certain amount of anxiety. But, when it reaches that perfection which merits for it the name of Confidence, then it becomes more delicate and more sensitive.

It can no longer bear hesitation, however insignificant it may be; the slightest doubt would lessen it and so reduce it to the level of mere hope.

The Royal Prophet David selects his words most precisely when he calls confidence “a super hope.”2 It is, indeed, a question of a virtue carried to the very highest degree attainable. And Father Saint-Jure, one of the most esteemed spiritual writers of the seventeenth century, justly terms it an “extraordinary and heroic hope.”3

Confidence is not, then, a common flower. It grows on the crests; it does not permit itself to be picked except by magnanimous souls.

Confidence Is Fortified by Faith

Let us take this study further.

What sovereign strength fortifies hope to the point of rendering it unshakable in the face of the assault of adversity? Faith!

The confident soul remains mindful of the promises of her Heavenly Father; she meditates upon them profoundly. She knows that God’s word cannot fail, and from this she draws her certainty. Danger may threaten, surround, and even strike her, but she always preserves her serenity. In spite of the imminent danger, she repeats the words of the Psalmist: “The Lord is my light and my salvation, whom shall I fear? The Lord is the protector of my life: Of whom shall I be afraid?”4

There is the closest affinity between faith and confidence; the two are most intimately related. A contemporary theologian tells us that confidence has its “source and root”5 in faith. Hence the more profound our faith, the stronger and more deeply rooted will be our confidence. In the Scriptures, we find that the sacred writers designated these two virtues by the same word: fides.

Confidence Is Unshakable

The preceding considerations may appear to be excessively abstract. It was necessary for us, however, to establish our foundation upon these considerations. From them we shall deduce the characteristics of true confidence.

“Confidence,” writes Father Saint-Jure, “is firm, stable, and constant to such an eminent degree that it cannot be shaken – I no longer say just overthrown – by anything in the world.”6

Neither the most afflicting temporal misfortunes nor the greatest spiritual difficulties will disturb the peace of the confident soul. Unforeseen calamities may lay her happiness in ruins around her; this soul, more master of herself than the ancient wise man, will remain calm: “Impavidum ferient ruinae.”7

She will simply turn to the Lord. She will lean on Him with a certainty that increases in proportion to the degree that she feels herself deprived of human help. She will pray with greater fervour and, in the darkness of the trial, continue on her path, waiting in silence for the hour of God.

Such confidence, no doubt, is rare. But, unless it attains this minimum of perfection, it does not merit the name of confidence.

We find sublime examples of this degree of confidence in the Scriptures and in the lives of the saints.

Such was the confidence of Job. Stricken with every possible misfortune – the loss of his wealth, the death of his children, the ruin of his health – he was reduced to direst poverty and afflicted with a dreadful disease. As he sat on a dunghill, his friends, even his wife, increased his pain by the cruelty of their words. But he did not allow himself to be discouraged; no murmuring was mixed with his groaning. He kept his mind fixed on thoughts of faith. “Although He [the Lord] should kill me,” he said, “I will trust in Him.”8

This was an admirable confidence that God rewarded magnificently. The trial ceased; Job recovered his health, gained a considerable fortune again, and enjoyed a life more prosperous than the one he had before the trial.

On one of his journeys, Saint Martin fell into the hands of highwaymen.

The bandits stripped him and were going to kill him. Suddenly, however, touched by the grace of repentance or moved by a mysterious fear, they turned him loose and, against all expectations, freed him. Later, the illustrious bishop was asked if, during that pressing danger, he had not felt some fear.

“None,” he responded. “I knew that as human help became more improbable, the divine intervention was all the more certain.”

Unfortunately, most Christians do not imitate such examples.

Never do they approach God so seldom as in the hour of trial. Indeed, many do not even send forth that cry for help which God awaits in order to come to their assistance. What a fatal negligence! “Providence,” Louis of Granada used to say, “wishes to give the solution to the extraordinary difficulties of life directly, while it leaves to secondary causes the resolving of ordinary difficulties.”9 But it is always necessary to cry out for divine help.

That help God gives us with pleasure. “Far from bothering the nurse who suckles him, the baby brings her relief.”10

Other Christians pray rervently, but they do not persevere in prayer. If they are not answered immediately, they quickly fall from exalted hope into a state of unreasonable discouragement. They do not understand the ways of grace. God treats us like children; He plays deaf at times because He likes to hear us invoking Him. Why should we become discouraged so quickly when, on the contrary, it would be convenient for us to cry out with greater insistence?

This is the doctrine taught by Saint Francis de Sales: “Providence only delays in coming to our aid in order to excite us to confidence. If our Heavenly Father does not always grant us what we ask, it is because He desires to keep us at His feet and to provide us with an occasion to insist with loving violence in our petitions to Him. He showed this clearly to the two disciples at Emmaus, with whom He did not consent to remain until the close of the day, and even after they had pressed Him.” 11

Confidence Counts on Nothing but God

Unshakable firmness is, then, the first characteristic of confidence.

The second quality of this virtue is even more perfect. It leads a man not to count on the help of creatures, whether such help be drawn from himself, from his own intelligence, from his judgement, from his knowledge, from his skill, from his riches, from his friends, from his relatives, or from any other thing of his; or whether it be assistance that he might perhaps hope to receive from someone else: kings, princes, or any creature in general, because he senses and knows the weaknesses of all human help. He considers human helps to be what they really are. How right Saint Teresa was in calling them “dry branches that break under the first pressure.”12

But, some will say, does not this theory proceed from false mysticism? Will it not lead to fatalism or, at least, to perilous passivity? Why should we multiply our efforts in trying to overcome difficulties if all human support must crumble in our hands? Let us simply cross our arms and await divine intervention!

No, God does not wish us to sleep; He demands that we imitate Him. His perfect activity has no limits. He is pure act.

We must act, then, but from Him alone must we expect the efficacy of our action. “Help thyself that heaven may help thee.” Behold the economy of the providential plan.

To your posts then! Let us work with our spirit and heart turned on high. “It is vain for you to rise before light,”13 says the Scripture; if the Lord does not aid thee, thou shalt attain nothing.

Indeed, our impotence is radical. “Without Me you can do nothing,” says Our Saviour.14 In the supernatural order, this impotence is absolute. Heed well the teachings of the theologians.

Without grace, man cannot observe the commandments of God for a long time or in their totality. Without grace, he cannot resist all the temptations, sometimes so violent, that assault him.

Without grace, we cannot have a good thought; we cannot even make the shortest prayer; without it, we cannot even invoke with piety the holy name of Jesus.

Everything that we do in the supernatural order comes to us from God alone.15 Even in the natural order, it is still God who gives us victory.

Saint Peter had worked the whole night; he had endured in his labours; he had a profound knowledge of the secrets of his difficult occupation. Nevertheless, his movements over the gentle waves of the lake had been in vain; he had caught nothing. Then he receives the Master into his boat; upon casting his net in the name of the Saviour, he attains an undeniably miraculous catch; the nets break, such is the number of fish.

Following the example of the Apostle, let us cast our nets with untiring patience; but let us hope only in Our Lord for the miraculous catch.

Saint Ignatius of Loyola used to say: “In everything you do, behold the rule of rules to follow: Trust in God, acting, nevertheless, as if success in everything depended entirely on you and not at all on God; but, employing your efforts to attain this good result, do not count on them, but proceed as if everything were done by God alone and nothing by you.”16

Confidence Rejoices Even at Being Deprived of Human Help

Do not be discouraged when the mirage of human assistance fades away. To count on nothing but the help of heaven, is this not already a most high virtue?

Even so, the vigorous wings of true confidence rise to even more sublime regions. It reaches them by a kind of refinement of heroism. Then it attains the highest degree of its perfection. This degree consists in the soul rejoicing when it finds itself stripped of all human support, abandoned by its relatives, its friends, and all the creatures who do not wish to or cannot help it, who cannot give it counsel or assist it with their talents or credits, who have no means left to come to its aid.17

What a profound wisdom this joy denotes in such cruel circumstances!

To intone the Canticle of Alleluia under blows which are, naturally speaking, sufficient to break our courage, one must know the Heart of Our Lord to Its depth; one must believe blindly in His merciful and fatherly love and His omnipotent goodness; one must have absolute certainty that He selects for His intervention the hour of the desperate situations.

After his conversion, Saint Francis of Assisi despised the dreams of glory that had dazzled him previously. He fled from human gatherings, withdrew into the forest in order to surrender himself to a long period of prayer, and gave generous alms. This change displeased his father, who, dragging his son before the diocesan authority, accused him of dissipating his goods. Then, in the presence of the marvelling bishop, Francis renounced his paternal inheritance, removed the clothing that had come to him from his family, and stripped himself of everything! Then, vibrant with supernatural happiness, he exclaimed: “Now, yes, O my God, I can call Thee more truly than ever, ‘Our Father, Who art in heaven’!” Behold how the saints act.

You souls wounded by misfortune, do not murmur over the abandonment in which you find yourselves reduced. God does not ask of you a sensible joy, impossible to your weakness. Just rekindle your faith, have courage, and, according to the expression dear to Saint Francis de Sales, in the “innermost point of your soul,” try to have joy.

Providence will eventually give you the right sign by which you shall recognise Its hour; It deprived you of all support. Now is the moment to Resist the distress of nature. You have reached that hour in the office of the interior of the soul in which you should sing the Magnificat and put incense to burn. “Rejoice in the Lord always; again, I say, rejoice… The Lord is nigh!”18 Follow this counsel, you will feel the benefit of it.

If the Divine Master did not allow Himself to be touched by such confidence, He would not be the same Person shown by the Gospel to be so compassionate, the One who trembled with painful emotion at the sight of our suffering.

Our Lord once said to a saintly religious, who died in the odour of sanctity: “If I am good to all, I am very good to those who confide in Me. Dost thou know which souls take the greatest advantage of my goodness? They are those who hope the most. Confident souls steal my graces!”19

_____

1. “Est enim fiducia spes roborata ex aliqua firma opinione.” Saint Thomas Aquinas, Summa theologica, IIa IIae., quest. 129, art. 6, ad. 3.
2. “In verba tua supersperavi.” Ps. 118:74.
3. Saint-Jure, De la connaissance et de l’armour de Jésus Christ, vol. 3, p. 3.
4. “Dominus illuminatio mea et salus mea; quern timebo? Dominus protector vitae meae; a quo trepidabo?” Ps. 26:1.
5. “Itaque quatenus fides est causa et radix hujus fiduciae, potest accipi fides pro fiducia causaliter, ut quando S. Jacobus ait: Postulet in fide nihil haesitans (I.6). Ibi enim et aliis similibus locis fides aut simpliciter ponitur pro fiducia aut intelligitur quidem fides dogmatica, sed in quantum roborat spem.” Pesch, Praelectiones dogmaticae, vol. 7, p. 51, note 2.
6. Saint-Jure, op. cit., vol. 3, p. 3.
7. Horace, Ode 3 of Book 3.
8. “Etiamsi occiderit me, in ipso sperabo.” Job 13:15.
9. Louis of Granada, First Sermon for the Second Sunday after the Epiphany.
10. Ibid.
11. Petits Bollandistes, vol. 14, p. 542.
12. Saint-Jure, op. cit., vol. 3, p. 3.
13. “Vanum est vobis ante lucem surgere.” Ps. 126:2.
14. “Sine me nihil potestis facere.” John 15:5.
15. “Sufficientia nostra ex Deo est.” 2 Cor. 3:5.
16. Fr. Xavier de Franciosi, L’Esprit de Saint Ignace, p. 5.
17. Saint-Jure, op. cit., vol. 3, p. 4.
18. “Gaudete in Domino semper: iterum dico gaudete… Dominus prope est.” Phil. 4:4-5.
19. Soeur Benigne Consolata Ferrero, Roudil, Lyons, pp. 95-96. This biography appeared in 1920, with the imprimatur of the archbishop and the declarations prescribed by the decrees of Urban VIII.

March for life 2011

The following pictures are from the March for Life 2011

The book of Confidence - Fr. Thomas de Saint-Laurent

Our Lord Exhorts Us to Have Confidence

O Voice of Christ, mysterious voice of grace that resoundeth in the silence of our souls, Thou murmurest in the depths of our hearts words of sweetness and of peace. In response to our miseries, Thou repeatest the counsel so often given by the Divine Master during His mortal life: “Confidence, confidence!”

To the guilty soul, crushed by the weight of sin, Jesus would say: “Confidence, son, thy sins are forgiven thee.”1 Again, to the sick woman, suffering for long years from an incurable malady, who touched the hem of His garments in the firm belief that she would be cured, He said: “Confidence, daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole.”,2 When the Apostles saw Him one night walking on Lake Gennesareth they trembled with fear. He calmed them with these reassuring words: “Have confidence, it is I, fear ye not.”3

And, on the eve of His Passion, at the Last Supper, knowing the infinite fruits of His sacrifice, He comforted the Apostles with these words of triumph: “Have confidence, I have overcome the world.”4

These divine words, so full of tender compassion, as they fell from His adorable lips, effected a marvellous transformation in the souls of those to whom they were addressed. A supernatural dew transformed their aridity; rays of hope dissipated their darkness; a calm serenity put their anguish to flight. “The words that I have spoken to you, are spirit and life”;5 “blessed are they who hear the word of God, and keep it.”6

Our Lord exhorts us now, as He did the Apostles long ago, to have confidence in Him. Why should we refuse to heed His voice?

Many Souls Are Afraid of God

Few Christians, even among the most fervent, possess that confidence which excludes all anxiety and all doubt.

The Gospel tells us that the miraculous draft of fish terrorised Saint Peter. With his habitual impetuosity, he measured at a glance the infinite distance that separated his own littleness from the greatness of Our Lord. He trembled with holy fear and prostrated himself with his face to the ground, crying out: “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.”7

Like the Apostle, some souls have this terror. They feel their sinfulness and their misery so keenly that they scarcely dare approach Him Who is Holiness itself. To them it seems that the all-holy God must experience revulsion upon inclining Himself toward them. This unhappy impression hampers their interior life and at times paralyses it completely.

How Mistaken Are These Souls!

Immediately, Jesus approached the frightened Apostle and said to him, “Fear not,”8 and made him rise.

You also, Christians, you who have received so many proofs of His love, fear not! Above all, Our Lord is concerned that you might fear Him. Your imperfections, your weaknesses, your most serious faults, your repeated relapses, nothing will discourage Him, so long as you sincerely wish to repent. The more miserable you are, the more He has pity on your misery, the more He desires to fulfil His mission of Saviour in your regard. Was it not above all to call sinners that He came to the earth?9

Others Lack Faith

Other souls lack faith. They, of course, have that common faith, without which they would betray the grace of Baptism. They believe that Our Lord is all-powerful, good, and faithful to His promises. But they find it hard to believe that He is concerned about their individual necessities. They do not have the irresistible conviction that God, mindful of their trials, is watching over them, ever ready to help them.

Our Lord asks of us, however, this special concrete faith. He exacted it of old as the indispensable condition for His miracles; He still expects it of us before granting us His favours.

“If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth,”10 He said to the father of the possessed boy. And, in the convent of Paray-le-Monial, using almost the same words, He said to Saint Margaret Mary: “If thou canst believe, thou shalt see the power of My Heart and the magnificence of My love.”

Can you believe? Can you attain that certainty which is so strong that nothing shakes it, so clear that it amounts to evidence? This is everything. When you reach this degree of confidence, you will see wonders realised in you. Beseech, therefore, the Divine Master to increase your faith. Repeat often the prayer of the Gospel: “I do believe, Lord: help my unbelief.”11

This Lack of Confidence Is Very Harmful to Them

Lack of confidence, whatever be its cause, does us much harm and deprives us of great blessings. When Saint Peter, in his eager desire to meet Our Lord, jumped from his boat into the lake, he walked upon the waters with an assured step. But the wind blew violently. Soon the waves rose angrily, threatening to engulf him. Peter trembled with fear. He hesitated …and began to sink. “O thou of little faith,” Jesus said to him, “why didst thou doubt?”12

And so it is with us. In our moments of fervour, we remain tranquil and recollected at the feet of Our Lord. When the tempest comes, the danger engrosses our attention. We turn our eyes away from Our Lord to fix them anxiously on our trials and our dangers.We hesitate… and then we sink.

Temptation assails us. Our duties seem tiresome and disagreeable. Disturbing thoughts take possession of us. The storm rages in our intellect, in our sensibility, and in our flesh. Passion overcomes us; we fall into sin; we give way to a discouragement more pernicious than the sin itself. Souls without confidence, why do we doubt?

Trials come to us in a thousand forms. Our temporal affairs are in a dangerous state; we worry about the future. People slander us, and our reputation is injured. Death breaks the ties of our deepest, most tender affections. We forget then the fatherly care that Providence has for us. We murmur, we rebel; thus we increase our difficulties and the bitterness of our suffering. Souls without confidence, why do we doubt?

If we had clung to Our Lord with a confidence that grew in proportion to the apparent desperation of our situation, we would have suffered no harm. We would have walked safely and calmly on the waves; we would have reached the tranquil and safe gulf without accident. Soon we would have found ourselves on the sunny shore that is illuminated by the light of heaven.

The saints struggled against the same difficulties; some of them committed the same faults. But at least they never lost confidence. More humble after their fall, they rose without delay, relying henceforth only on God’s assistance. They preserved in their hearts the absolute certainty that, trusting in God, they could do all things. And their hope did not confound them.13 Begin, then, to be confident souls. Our Lord exhorts you to this. Your interests demand it. And, at the same time, your souls will have light and peace.

Goal and Content of This Book

This work has no other end than to incite you to the knowledge and practice of the virtue of confidence. Accordingly, its nature, objects, foundation, and effects will be expounded here very simply. O pious reader, if this modest little book should sometime fall into your hands, do not put it aside. It does not pretend to literary distinction or originality. It merely contains consoling truths that I have collected from the Scriptures and the writings of the saints. And this is its unique merit.

Try to read it slowly, with attention, in a spirit of prayer. I would almost say: Meditate on it! Allow the teachings in its pages to sink deeply into your soul; they contain the quintessence of the Gospel. Could there be a better food for souls than the words of Our Lord?

May you, upon finishing this reading, be able to confide solely in the Divine Master Who has given us everything: the treasures of His Heart, His love, His life, to the very last drop of His Blood!

Footnotes:
1“Confide, fili, remittuntur tibi peccata tua.” Matt. 9:2.
2“Confide, filia, fides tua te salvam fecit.” Matt. 9:22.
3“Confidite, ego sum, nolite timere.” Mark 6:50.
4“Confidite, ego vici mundum.” John 16:33.
5“Verba quae ego locutus sum vobis, spiritus et vita sunt.” John 6:64.
6“Beati qui audiunt verbum Dei et custodiunt illud.” Luke 11:28.
7“Exi a me? quia homo peccator sum, Domine.” Luke 5:18.
8“Noli timere.” Luke 5:10.
9“Non enim veni vocare justos, sed peccatores.” Mark 2:17.
10“Si potes credere, omnia possibilia sunt credenti.” Mark 9:22.
11“Credo, Domine, adjuva incredulitatem meam.” Mark 9:23.
12“Modicae fidei, quare dubitasti?” Matt. 14:31.
“13Spes autem non confundit.” Rom. 5:5.

St. Theresa on Martyrdo

Regarding Rome, the Eternal City, “I will not speak about the places [Saint Thérèse, her father and sister Celine] visited . . . only about the impressions I had.

“One of the sweetest views that really moved me was that of the Coliseum, as I finally contemplated the arena where so many martyrs had shed their blood for Jesus . . . .
“My heart beat very strongly when my lips kissed the dust turned red by the blood of the first Christians. I asked for the grace of being also a martyr for the love of Jesus, and felt deep in my heart that my prayer was heeded! . . . .
“Martyrdom, behold the dream of my youth! The dream that grew up with me in the shadow of the Carmel’s cloisters . . . . Here also I perceive that my dream is folly, for I could not limit myself to desiring only one type of martyrdom . . . . “

allocutions of Pope Pius XII

It is to be found everywhere and among everyone; it can be both violent and astute. In these last centuries, it has attempted to disintegrate the intellectual, moral, and social unity in the mysterious organism of Christ. It has sought nature without grace, reason without faith, freedom without authority, and, at times, authority without freedom. It is an “enemy” that has become more and more apparent with an absence of scruples that still surprises: Christ yes; the Church no! Afterwards: God yes; Christ no! Finally the impious shout: God is dead and, even, God never existed! And behold now the attempt to build the structure of the world on foundations which we do not hesitate to indicate as the main causes of the threat that hangs over humanity: economy without God, law without God, politics without God.

The Chruch and Culture - Bl Pope John Paul II

The Church and culture

Thought about culture has a long history in the life of the Church. Indeed, it has been a constant preoccupation, becoming remarkably accentuated at crucial moments of human history. We are in fact considering a topic which is central to human life and the life of the Church.

Culture is primarily to do with human beings and the meaning of their existence. I said as much in my address to UNESCO some years ago: 'For a culture to be created, man has to be seen - integrally and in its remotest consequences - as an autonomous, particular value, a subject endowed with transcendence of person. We must affirm man for himself, and not for other motives or reasons: for himself alone! Even more, we must love man because he is man, we must insist on love for man because of the particular dignity that is his' (Address to UNESCO, 2 June 1980, n.10).

A culture should be a space and a tool for making human life ever more humane (ef. Redemptor hominis 14; Gaudium et Spes 38), so that people can lead decent lives in accordance with God's plan. A culture which is not at the service of the human person is no true culture.

In attempting to evangelize our culture, then, the Church makes a radical option for humanity. Her option is thus for a true, integral humanism, raising the dignity of humanity to its true and inalienable dimension of the children of God. Christ reveals humanity to itself (ef. Gaudium et Spes 22), and restores people's greatness and dignity to them by letting them rediscover the value of their humanity, though obscured by sin. What immense value human beings must have in God's eyes, to have deserved so great a Redeemer!

Consequently, the Church's activities cannot be associated with those of the types of 'humanism' which limit themselves to a merely economic, biological or psychological view of human nature. The Christian conception of life is always open to God's love. Faithful to her aforesaid vocation, the Church holds herself above the various ideologies, so as to opt uniquely for man on the basis of the liberating Christian message.

This humanistic option from the Christian point of view requires clear awareness of a scale of values, since these are the foundations of every society.Without values there is no chance of building a truly humane society for these determine not only the course of our personal lives, but that of the politics and strategies of public life as well. A culture that ceases to be founded on the supreme values inevitably turns against humanity.

The big problems afflicting contemporary culture originate from this desire to isolate private and public life from a correct scale of values. No economic or political model will fully serve the common good if it is not based on the fundamental values corresponding to the truth about the human person, 'the truth which has been revealed to us by Christ in all its fullness and depth' (Dives in misericordia 1,2). Systems that regard economics as the unique and determining factor of the social fabric are doomed, by their own internal logic, to turn against humanity.

Requirements for Leadership - Dr. Plinio

A Leader’s Intellectual Requisite

The exercise of authority requires certain qualities. In the first place, the leader must have a clear and firm notion of the objective and the common good of the group he directs. Then he needs a lucid knowledge of the means and procedures to attain this good. These intellectual qualities, however, do not suffice.

The leader must also be able to communicate his knowledge and, as much as possible, persuade those who differ. However broad his powers, however drastic the penalties imposed on those who disobey, however honorable and generous the rewards conferred on those who do obey, these factors are not enough for the leader to make himself obeyed.

A profound and stable consensus must exist between a leader and his subordinates regarding his objectives and methods. His subordinates must have earnest confidence in his capacity to employ these methods correctly and achieve these goals, all in view of attaining the common good.

Requisites of the Will and the Sensibility

Moreover, it is not enough for the leader merely to persuade through flawless logical argumentation. Other attributes are also necessary. These lie in the realm of the will and the sensibility. Above all, the leader must be gifted with a penetrating psychological sense. This quality requires the simultaneous exercise of the intelligence, will and sensibility. A very intelligent but weak-willed and unperceptive person ordinarily lacks the psychological sense needed to fathom even elementary aspects of his own mentality. How much less can he fathom that of others, such as his spouse, children, students and employees?

For a leader lacking psychological sense, it is difficult not only to persuade the minds of subordinates but also to unite their wills for a common action. Not even this psychological sense, however, suffices. The leader must also be endowed with a sensibility rich enough to suffuse whatever he says with the flavor of reality, honesty, authenticity, and a touch of interest and inspiration that prompts those who should obey him to follow joyfully.

In brief, these are the qualities without which someone who presides over a private social group will lack the conditions to fulfill his mission in ordinary circumstances. The Leader in Exceptional Circumstances, Whether Favorable or Adverse However, exceptional circumstances, whether favorable or adverse, occasionally alter the normal order in any private group. Unable to rise to the occasion, the average leader risks losing the excellent opportunities that he either fathoms incompletely or misses altogether. In this way, he lets

them slip by, taking either partial advantage of them or no advantage at all. Should he prove incapable of discerning danger when it appears on the horizon, evaluating the threat it poses, and devising means to eliminate it as quickly as possible,he risks seriously harming the group under his direction and even causing its ruin.

When confronted with exceptional occasions, whether favorable or unfavorable, a good leader is stimulated by them and grows in his qualities in proportion to the exceptional nature of the circumstances, thereby proving himself superior to them.

The Church in the service of truth and charity - Bl. John Paul II

The work of building up the Body of Christ has been entrusted to all of us in the Church. Today a vital demand for evangelization certainly exists. This can take a variety of forms. There are many ways of serving the Gospel. Despite scientific and technological progress, which actually reflects a sort of human cooperation in God's creative work, the Faith is challenged and even directly opposed by ideologies and life-styles recognizing neither God nor the moral law.

The fundamental human and Christian values are put in question by criminality, violence and terrorism. Honesty and justice in the work-place and in public life are often violated. All over the world vast sums are being spent on armaments, while millions of poor people struggle for the barest necessities of life. Alcoholism and drug addiction lay a heavy tribute on the individual and on society. The commercial exploitation of sex through pornography is an insult to human dignity and a danger to the future of the young. Family life is being subjected to strong pressures, now that many people mistakenly regard fornication, adultery, divorce and contraception as acceptable. Unborn children are cruelly put to death, and the lives of the aged are gravely endangered by a mentality that would be happy to fling wide the door to euthanasia.

Faced with all this, the Christian faithful should not allow themselves to be discouraged, nor should they conform to the spirit of the world. On the contrary, they are called to recognize the supremacy of God and of his law, to make their voices heard and to unite their efforts on behalf of moral values, to set society an example by their own right conduct and to help the needy. Christians are called to act, in the serene conviction that grace is more powerful than sin, thanks to the victory of the Cross of Christ.

Christ's Cross has bought us freedom from the slavery of sin an,d death. This freedom, this liberation, is so fundamental and all-embracing as to demand a freedom from all the other forms of slavery which are bound up with the introduction of sin into the world.

This liberation insists that we struggle against poverty. And it requires all who belong to Christ to commit themselves to making tenacious efforts to alleviate the sufferings of the poor. Yes, the Church's evangelizing mission includes energetic and sustained action to achieve justice, peace and over-all human development. Not to perform these tasks would be to fail in the work of evangelization; it would be to betray the example set by Christ, who came 'to bring good news to the poor' (Luke 4:18); it would in fact be to reject the results of the Incarnation, in which 'the Word became flesh' (John 2:14).

Like a good mother, the Church loves everyone: children, young people, the aged, workers, the homeless, the starving, the handicapped, those who suffer in spirit, and those who acknowledge their sins and so, through her, experience the healing touch of Christ. To such, but particularly to the poor, the Church offers the Good News of the human and supernatural dignity of the human person. In Christ, we have been raised to the state of children of God.

We are God's children, called to live in dignity in this world and destined to eternal life. The Church is the home of poor and rich alike, 'for there is no favouritism with God' (Galatians 2:61). Yet each community in the Church should make a particular effort to make the poor feel absolutely at home in it.

The Church demonstrates her vitality through the broadness of her charity. There can be no greater disaster for her than for her love to grow weak. The Church should spare no efforts in demonstrating her compassion for the neediest and for all victims of pain, by alleviating their sufferings, by serving them and by helping them to give a salvific meaning to their sufferings.

Pope Begins Series of Catecheses on Christian Prayer

Today, Benedict XVI began a series of catecheses that will focus on the theme of Christian payer.

Addressing the pilgrims gathered in St. Peter's Square, the Pope explained that, beginning this Wednesday, "drawing near to Sacred Scripture, the great tradition of the Church Fathers, the masters of spirituality, and the liturgy, we will seek to learn how to live even more intensely our relationship with the Lord, as if it were a type of "School of Prayer".

"We know", he said, "that prayer should not be overlooked. It is necessary to learn how to pray, almost learning this art ever anew. Even those who are very advanced in their spiritual lives always feel the need to attend the school of Jesus in order to learn how to truly pray".

In this first catechesis, Benedict XVI offered a few examples of prayer that were present in ancient cultures, "to highlight how, almost always and everywhere, we have turned to God. In ancient Egypt, for example, a blind man asking the divinity to return his sight, testifies to something universally human, which is the pure and simple prayer of someone who is suffering".

"In those sublime, all-time masterpieces of literature that are the Greek tragedies, even today, after 25 centuries, prayers expressing the desire to know God and adore His majesty are read, reflected on, and performed".

The Pope emphasized that "every prayer always expresses the truth of human creatures, who on the one hand experience a certain weakness and indigence and who, therefore, ask assistance from heaven and, on the other, who are endowed with an extraordinary dignity because able to prepare themselves to receive divine Revelation, discovering themselves capable of entering into communion with God".

"Persons of every age pray because they cannot stop asking themselves the meaning of their existence, which remains obscure and discouraging if they are unable to enter into relationship with the mystery of God and His plan for the world. Human life is a mixture of good and evil, of unwarranted suffering and of joy and beauty that, spontaneously and irresistibly, move us to ask God for the inner light and strength to sustain us on earth, revealing a hope that goes beyond the limits of death".

Benedict XVI concluded, asking that the Lord, "at the beginning of this journey in the School of Prayer, enlighten our minds and our hearts so that our relationship with Him in prayer be always more intense, affectionate, and constant. One more time let us ask Him: 'Lord, hear our prayer'".

The Parents’ Duty Is to Lead Their Children to God - Reverend Francis Spirago’s, The Catechism Explained

Parents must instruct their children in God’s law as Tobias did. He taught his son from his infancy to fear God and to abstain from sin (Tob. 1:10), and when Tobias thought his death was near, he gave him godly admonitions (Tob. 4:1–23).

Parents should endeavor to stifle evil propensities in their children, and bring them up in the discipline and correction of the Lord (Eph. 6:4). They should teach them to pray, beginning with the Sign of the Cross and the invocation of the Holy Name, and proceeding to the Our Father, Hail Mary and the Creed. The children’s daily prayers should be very short, so as not to become wearisome to them.

Furthermore, parents should set a good example for their children. We all know how much more influential example is than precept, and that what is seen makes a far more lasting impression than what is heard. The father and mother’s actions are the lesson books of their children; how careful should parents therefore be not to let children see them do anything blameworthy, and also to warn the servants not to say or do anything in the children’s presence that they ought not to see or hear. For the imitative faculty is strong in children; they are sure to do what they see their elders do. Let parents remember Our Lord’s words, “[H]e that shall scandalize one of these little ones that believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone should be hanged about his neck, and that he should be drowned in the depth of the sea” (Matt. 18:6). Those who neglect this warning will have reason to tremble, for if the soul of the child is lost through the parents’ fault, they will hear God’s voice saying: “I will require his blood at thy hand” (Ezech. 33:8).

In training their children, parents should combine kindness and firmness. Too great severity is a fault; for rebukes and punishments are a medicine, which if administered too frequently or in too strong doses, does more harm than good. It is not by incessant beating with the hammer that the goldsmith fashions the most elegant ornaments. To be always finding fault is a great mistake, but it is no less a one to let the children’s wrongdoing pass unpunished, to pamper and spoil them through ill-regulated affection and false kindness. He that spareth the rod hateth his son (Prov. 13:24). “Give thy son his way, and he shall make thee afraid” (Ecclus.30:9). To allow a child to have his own will in all things is highly reprehensible; he should be firmly, not sternly, compelled to yield.

God Chastises Us in This Life for Our Good, Not for Our Destruction - Saint Alphonsus de Liguori

“For thou art not delighted in our being lost . . . .” (Tobias 3:22)

Let us feel persuaded, my brethren, that there is no one who loves us more than God. Saint Teresa says that God loves us more than we love ourselves. He has loved us from eternity. “Yea I have loved thee with an everlasting love . . . .” (Jer. 31:3.) It is the love He has borne us that has drawn us from nothing, and given us being. “[T]herefore have I drawn thee, taking pity on thee.” ( Jer. 31:3.) Hence, when God chastises us upon the earth, it is not because He wishes to injure us, but because He wishes us well, and loves us. So spoke Sara the wife of Tobias: But this every one is sure of that worshippeth thee, that his life, if it be under trial, shall be crowned: and if it be under tribulation, it shall be delivered: and if it be under correction, it shall be allowed to come to thy mercy. For thou art not delighted in our being lost: because after a storm thou makest a calm, and after tears and weeping thou pourest in joyfulness. (Jer. 3:21–22.)

My brethren, let us convince ourselves of what I have undertaken to show you today, namely, that God does not afflict us in this life for our injury but for our good, in order that we may cease from sin, and by recovering His grace escape eternal punishment.

“[A]nd I will give my fear in their heart, that they may not revolt from me.” (Jer. 32:40.) The Lord says that He infuses His fear into our hearts, in order that He may allow us to triumph over our passion for earthly pleasures, for which, ungrateful that we are, we have left Him. And when sinners have left Him, how does He make them look into themselves, and recover His grace? By putting on the appearance of anger, and chastising them in this life: “[I]n thy anger thou shalt break the people in pieces . . . .” (Ps. 55:8.) Another version, according to Saint Augustine, has: “In thy wrath thou shalt conduct the people.” Saint Augustine inquires, “What is the meaning of His conducting the people in his wrath?” He then replies: “Thou, O Lord, fillest us with tribulations, in order that, being thus afflicted, we may abandon our sins and return to Thee.”

St. Josemaria Escriva - Part 10

A continuation of thoughts from the book "The Way" by St. Josemaria Escriva.

201: What a taste of gall and vinegar, of ash and aloes! What a dry and coated palate! And this physical feeling seems as nothing compared with that other bad taste, the one in your soul.

The fact is that 'more is being asked of you', and you can't bring yourself to give it. Humble yourself Would that bitter taste still remain in your flesh and your spirit if you did all that you could?


202 You are going to punish yourself voluntarily for your weakness and lack of generosity? Very good: but let it be a reasonable penance, imposed as it were, on an enemy who is at the same time your brother?


203 The joy of us poor men, even when it has supernatural motives, always leaves behind some taste of bitterness. What did you expect? Here on earth, suffering is the salt of life.


204 Many who would willingly let themselves be nailed to a Cross before the astonished gaze of a thousand onlookers cannot bear with a christian spirit the pinpricks of each day! Think, then, which is the more heroic.


205 We were reading — you and I — the heroically ordinary life of that man of God. And we saw him fight whole months and years (what 'accounts' he kept in his particular examination!) at breakfast time: today he won, tomorrow he was beaten... He noted: 'Didn't take sugar...; did take sugar!'

May you and I too live our 'sugar tragedy'.


206 The heroic minute. It is the time fixed for getting up. Without hesitation: a supernatural reflection and... up! The heroic minute: here you have a mortification that strengthens your will and does no harm to your body.


207 Give thanks, as for a very special favour, for that holy abhorrence you feel for yourself.

208 Let us bless pain. Love pain. Sanctify pain... Glorify pain!


209 A whole programme for a good course in the 'subject' of suffering is given to us by the Apostle: spe gaudentes — rejoicing in hope, In tribulatione patientes — patient in troubles, orationi instantes — persevering in prayer.


210 Atonement: this is the path that leads to Life.


211 In the deep pit opened by your humility, let penance bury your negligences, offences and sins. Just as the gardener buries rotten fruit, dried twigs and fallen leaves at the foot of the very trees which produced them. And so what was useless, what was even harmful, can make a real contribution to a new fruitfulness.

From the falls learn to draw strength: from death, life.


212 That Christ you see is not Jesus. It is only the pitiful image that your blurred eyes are able to form... — Purify yourself. Clarify your sight with humility and penance. Then... the pure light of Love will not be denied you. And you will have perfect vision. The image you see will be really his: his!


213 Jesus suffers to carry out the will of the Father. And you, who also want to carry out the most holy Will of God, following the steps of the Master, can you complain if you meet suffering on your way?


214 Say to your body: I would rather keep you in slavery than be myself a slave of yours.


215 How afraid people are of atonement! If all that they do for appearance's sake, to please the world, were done with purified intention for God... what saints many would be!


216 You are crying? Don't be ashamed of it. Yes, cry: men also cry like you, when they are alone and before God. Each night, says King David, I soak my bed with tears. With those tears, those burning, manly tears, you can purify your past and supernaturalize your present life.


217 I want you to be happy on earth. And you will not be happy if you don't lose that fear of suffering. For, as long as we are 'wayfarers', it is precisely in suffering that our happiness lies.


218 How beautiful it is to give up this life for that Life!


219 If you realize that those sufferings — of body or soul — mean purification and merit, bless them.


220 'God give you health.' — Doesn't this wish for mere physical well-being, with which some beggars demand or acknowledge alms, leave a bad taste in your mouth?


221 If we are generous in voluntary atonement Jesus will fill us with grace to love the trials he sends us.


222 Let your will exact from your senses, by means of atonement, what your other faculties deny your will in prayer.


223 Of how little value is penance without constant self— denial!


224 You are afraid of penance?... Of penance, which will help you to obtain Life everlasting. And yet, in order to preserve this poor present life, don't you see how men will submit to all the cruel torture of a surgical operation?


225 Your greatest enemy is your own self.


226 Treat your body with charity, but with no more charity than you would show towards a treacherous enemy.


227 If you realize that your body is your enemy, and an enemy of God's glory, since it is an enemy of your sanctification, why do you treat it so softly?


228 'Have a good time to-night', they said, as usual. And the comment of a soul very close to God was, 'What a limited wish!'


229 With you, Jesus, what joy in suffering, what light in darkness!


230 You are suffering! Listen: 'His' Heart is not smaller than ours. — You are suffering? There is good in suffering.


231 A strict fast is a penance most pleasing to God. But, what with one thing and another, we have become a bit too easy-going. There is no objection — on the contrary — if you, with the approval of your Director, fast frequently.


232 Motives for penance? — Atonement, reparation, petition, thanksgiving: means to progress: for you, for me, for others, for your family, for your country, for the Church... And a thousand motives more.


233 Don't do more penance than your Director allows you.


234 How we ennoble suffering, giving it its right place (atonement) in the spiritual order!

Bl. Pope John Paul II - Apostle of Divine Mercy

Benedict XVI's choice of May 1 for the beatification of his predecessor is itself one of the richest symbols in today's celebrations.

This year's feast of Divine Mercy -- coinciding with the end of the Easter Octave -- lands today, since Easter was so late this year. And thus the feast falls on the first day of Mary's month.

On various occasions, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger proposed that the fundamental element of Pope John Paul II's legacy in the Church is his understanding of Divine Mercy as the factor limiting human evil.
Celebrating the Polish Pope's funeral, Cardinal Ratzinger reflected that the Holy Father "interpreted for us the paschal mystery as a mystery of divine mercy. In his last book, he wrote: The limit imposed upon evil 'is ultimately Divine Mercy' (Memory and Identity, pp. 60-61). And reflecting on the assassination attempt, he said: 'In sacrificing himself for us all, Christ gave a new meaning to suffering, opening up a new dimension, a new order: the order of love ... It is this suffering which burns and consumes evil with the flame of love and draws forth even from sin a great flowering of good' (pp. 189-190)."

The cardinal added: "Divine Mercy: the Holy Father found the purest reflection of God’s mercy in the Mother of God. He, who at an early age had lost his own mother, loved his divine mother all the more. He heard the words of the crucified Lord as addressed personally to him: 'Behold your Mother.' And so he did as the beloved disciple did: 'he took her into his own home' (eis ta idia: Jn 19:27) – Totus tuus. And from the mother he learned to conform himself to Christ."

The mystery of evil

Karol Wojtyła suffered the two totalitarian regimes of the 20th century, Communism and Nazism, and asked how God could permit such terrible atrocities.
But while many would point to these evils to deny God's existence or negate his goodness, John Paul II used them to reflect on what God teaches by permitting man's free will to bring about tragedy. And he found an answer in Divine Mercy, as presented in the writings of the Polish mystic, St. Faustina Kowalska (1905-1938).

St. Augustine explains that God never causes evil, but permits it. In creating man with liberty, God accepted the existence of evil. Would it have been better for God not to create man? Or to create him without liberty? No. But then, the Polish youth who would one day take St. Peter's throne asked himself: What can limit evil so that it doesn't have the last word?

John Paul II understood that Divine Mercy is this limit to evil. His mercy does not imply that everyone is saved automatically, thereby negating sin, but rather that God pardons every sinner who allows himself to be pardoned.

And if pardon is the limit to evil (how many lessons could be taken from this truth to overcome war!), then liberty in a sense conditions Divine Mercy. God in some way took a great risk in creating man with freedom. He risked that his love would be rejected and that man would be able to negate the truth of his liberty and kill and abuse his brother. But in answer, God paid the most terrible price: the sacrifice of his only Son. We are the risk of God. But a risk that is overcome with the infinite power of Divine Mercy.

A posthumous message

John Paul II prepared a message for Divine Mercy Sunday of 2005, which he never delivered, since on the eve of the feast he was called to the Father's House.

The text was read at the end of the Mass celebrated that day for the repose of his soul.
"As a gift to humanity, which sometimes seems bewildered and overwhelmed by the power of evil, selfishness and fear, the Risen Lord offers his love that pardons, reconciles and reopens hearts to love. It is a love that converts hearts and gives peace. How much the world needs to understand and accept Divine Mercy," John Paul II had written.

Today's beatification ceremony began with a remembrance of the Polish Pontiff's devotion to God's Mercy. Thousands of pilgrims packed into St. Peter's Square and overflowing through the streets of Rome prayed the Chaplet of Divine Mercy, the devotion promoted by St. Faustina.
The image of Divine Mercy was displayed in front of the Basilica until the beatification Mass began.

Pope John Paul II Helped Christians combat fear

Pope John Paul II helped Christians to be unafraid of professing their faith and living the truth, Benedict XVI noted at his predecessor's beatification Mass today.

The Pontiff addressed over a million pilgrims gathered in St. Peter's Square and surrounding areas for the ceremony in honor of the Polish Pope, who often urged Christians, "Do not be afraid!"
Benedict XVI observed, "By his witness of faith, love and apostolic courage, accompanied by great human charisma, this exemplary son of Poland helped believers throughout the world not to be afraid to be called Christian, to belong to the Church, to speak of the Gospel."

The Pope added, "He helped us not to fear the truth, because truth is the guarantee of liberty."
He affirmed that John Paul II "gave us the strength to believe in Christ, because Christ is Redemptor hominis, the Redeemer of man."

Benedict XVI noted that what his predecessor asked of everyone, "he was himself the first to do: Society, culture, political and economic systems he opened up to Christ, turning back with the strength of a titan -- a strength which came to him from God -- a tide which appeared irreversible."
He observed that Karol Wojtyła, now Blessed John Paul II, taught that "man is the way of the Church, and Christ is the way of man."

"With this message," the Pontiff said, "which is the great legacy of the Second Vatican Council and of its helmsman, the Servant of God Pope Paul VI, John Paul II led the people of God across the threshold of the Third Millennium, which thanks to Christ he was able to call 'the threshold of hope.'"
"He restored to Christianity its true face as a religion of hope, to be lived in history in an 'advent' spirit, in a personal and communitarian existence directed to Christ, the fullness of humanity and the fulfillment of all our longings for justice and peace," the Holy Father stated.
Marian devotion

He noted, "All of us rejoice that the beatification of John Paul II takes place on this first day of the month of Mary."

The Pope continued, "All of us, as members of the people of God -- bishops, priests, deacons, laity, men and women religious -- are making our pilgrim way to the heavenly homeland where the Virgin Mary has preceded us, associated as she was in a unique and perfect way to the mystery of Christ and the Church."

Benedict XVI affirmed that his predecessor was "fully aware" that "the Mother of the Redeemer is held up as an image and model of holiness for every Christian and for the entire Church."
Immense grace

He recalled: "Six years ago we gathered in this square to celebrate the funeral of Pope John Paul II.
"Our grief at his loss was deep, but even greater was our sense of an immense grace which embraced Rome and the whole world: a grace which was in some way the fruit of my beloved predecessor's entire life, and especially of his witness in suffering."

On a personal note, the Pope said, "my own service was sustained by his spiritual depth and by the richness of his insights."

The Pontiff continued: "His example of prayer continually impressed and edified me: He remained deeply united to God even amid the many demands of his ministry.
"Then too, there was his witness in suffering: The Lord gradually stripped him of everything, yet he remained ever a 'rock,' as Christ desired.
"His profound humility, grounded in close union with Christ, enabled him to continue to lead the Church and to give to the world a message which became all the more eloquent as his physical strength declined."

Thus, "with all due respect for the Church's canonical norms, I wanted his cause of beatification to move forward with reasonable haste," the Holy Father stated. "And now the longed-for day has come; it came quickly because this is what was pleasing to the Lord: John Paul II is blessed!"

Pope John Paul II Beatification Homily

Pope John Paul II Beatification Homily
Homily, Pope Benedict XVI, Rome 1 May 2011

During the Mass in which Pope Benedict XVI beatified his predecessor, Pope John Paul II, he gave the following homily.

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Six years ago we gathered in this Square to celebrate the funeral of Pope John Paul II. Our grief at his loss was deep, but even greater was our sense of an immense grace which embraced Rome and the whole world: a grace which was in some way the fruit of my beloved predecessor’s entire life, and especially of his witness in suffering. Even then we perceived the fragrance of his sanctity, and in any number of ways God’s People showed their veneration for him. For this reason, with all due respect for the Church’s canonical norms, I wanted his cause of beatification to move forward with reasonable haste. And now the longed-for day has come; it came quickly because this is what was pleasing to the Lord: John Paul II is blessed!

I would like to offer a cordial greeting to all of you who on this happy occasion have come in such great numbers to Rome from all over the world – cardinals, patriarchs of the Eastern Catholic Churches, brother bishops and priests, official delegations, ambassadors and civil authorities, consecrated men and women and lay faithful, and I extend that greeting to all those who join us by radio and television. Today is the Second Sunday of Easter, which Blessed John Paul II entitled Divine Mercy Sunday. The date was chosen for today’s celebration because, in God’s providence, my predecessor died on the vigil of this feast. Today is also the first day of May, Mary’s month, and the liturgical memorial of Saint Joseph the Worker. All these elements serve to enrich our prayer, they help us in our pilgrimage through time and space; but in heaven a very different celebration is taking place among the angels and saints! Even so, God is but one, and one too is Christ the Lord, who like a bridge joins earth to heaven. At this moment we feel closer than ever, sharing as it were in the liturgy of heaven.

"Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe" (Jn 20:29). In today’s Gospel Jesus proclaims this beatitude: the beatitude of faith. For us, it is particularly striking because we are gathered to celebrate a beatification, but even more so because today the one proclaimed blessed is a Pope, a Successor of Peter, one who was called to confirm his brethren in the faith. John Paul II is blessed because of his faith, a strong, generous and apostolic faith. We think at once of another beatitude: "Blessed are you, Simon, son of Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father in heaven" (Mt 16:17). What did our heavenly Father reveal to Simon? That Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God. Because of this faith, Simon becomes Peter, the rock on which Jesus can build his Church. The eternal beatitude of John Paul II, which today the Church rejoices to proclaim, is wholly contained in these sayings of Jesus: "Blessed are you, Simon" and "Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe!" It is the beatitude of faith, which John Paul II also received as a gift from God the Father for the building up of Christ’s Church.

Our thoughts turn to yet another beatitude, one which appears in the Gospel before all others. It is the beatitude of the Virgin Mary, the Mother of the Redeemer. Mary, who had just conceived Jesus, was told by Saint Elizabeth: "Blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfilment of what was spoken to her by the Lord" (Lk 1:45). The beatitude of faith has its model in Mary, and all of us rejoice that the beatification of John Paul II takes place on this first day of the month of Mary, beneath the maternal gaze of the one who by her faith sustained the faith of the Apostles and constantly sustains the faith of their successors, especially those called to occupy the Chair of Peter. Mary does not appear in the accounts of Christ’s resurrection, yet hers is, as it were, a continual, hidden presence: she is the Mother to whom Jesus entrusted each of his disciples and the entire community. In particular we can see how Saint John and Saint Luke record the powerful, maternal presence of Mary in the passages preceding those read in today’s Gospel and first reading. In the account of Jesus’ death, Mary appears at the foot of the cross (Jn 19:25), and at the beginning of the Acts of the Apostles she is seen in the midst of the disciples gathered in prayer in the Upper Room (Acts 1:14). Today’s second reading also speaks to us of faith. Saint Peter himself, filled with spiritual enthusiasm, points out to the newly-baptized the reason for their hope and their joy. I like to think how in this passage, at the beginning of his First Letter, Peter does not use language of exhortation; instead, he states a fact. He writes: "you rejoice", and he adds: "you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and rejoice with an indescribable and glorious joy, for you are receiving the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls" (1 Pet 1:6, 8-9). All these verbs are in the indicative, because a new reality has come about in Christ’s resurrection, a reality to which faith opens the door. "This is the Lord’s doing", says the Psalm (118:23), and "it is marvelous in our eyes", the eyes of faith.

Dear brothers and sisters, today our eyes behold, in the full spiritual light of the risen Christ, the beloved and revered figure of John Paul II. Today his name is added to the host of those whom he proclaimed saints and blesseds during the almost twenty-seven years of his pontificate, thereby forcefully emphasizing the universal vocation to the heights of the Christian life, to holiness, taught by the conciliar Constitution on the Church Lumen Gentium. All of us, as members of the people of God – bishops, priests, deacons, laity, men and women religious – are making our pilgrim way to the heavenly homeland where the Virgin Mary has preceded us, associated as she was in a unique and perfect way to the mystery of Christ and the Church. Karol Wojtyła took part in the Second Vatican Council, first as an auxiliary Bishop and then as Archbishop of Kraków. He was fully aware that the Council’s decision to devote the last chapter of its Constitution on the Church to Mary meant that the Mother of the Redeemer is held up as an image and model of holiness for every Christian and for the entire Church. This was the theological vision which Blessed John Paul II discovered as a young man and subsequently maintained and deepened throughout his life. A vision which is expressed in the scriptural image of the crucified Christ with Mary, his Mother, at his side. This icon from the Gospel of John (19:25-27) was taken up in the episcopal and later the papal coat-of-arms of Karol Wojtyła: a golden cross with the letter "M" on the lower right and the motto "Totus tuus", drawn from the well-known words of Saint Louis Marie Grignion de Montfort in which Karol Wojtyła found a guiding light for his life: "Totus tuus ego sum et omnia mea tua sunt. Accipio te in mea omnia. Praebe mihi cor tuum, Maria – I belong entirely to you, and all that I have is yours. I take you for my all. O Mary, give me your heart" (Treatise on True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin, 266).

In his Testament, the new Blessed wrote: "When, on 16 October 1978, the Conclave of Cardinals chose John Paul II, the Primate of Poland, Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński, said to me: ‘The task of the new Pope will be to lead the Church into the Third Millennium’". And the Pope added: "I would like once again to express my gratitude to the Holy Spirit for the great gift of the Second Vatican Council, to which, together with the whole Church – and especially with the whole episcopate – I feel indebted. I am convinced that it will long be granted to the new generations to draw from the treasures that this Council of the twentieth century has lavished upon us. As a Bishop who took part in the Council from the first to the last day, I desire to entrust this great patrimony to all who are and will be called in the future to put it into practice. For my part, I thank the Eternal Shepherd, who has enabled me to serve this very great cause in the course of all the years of my Pontificate". And what is this "cause"? It is the same one that John Paul II presented during his first solemn Mass in Saint Peter’s Square in the unforgettable words: "Do not be afraid! Open, open wide the doors to Christ!" What the newly-elected Pope asked of everyone, he was himself the first to do: society, culture, political and economic systems he opened up to Christ, turning back with the strength of a titan – a strength which came to him from God – a tide which appeared irreversible. By his witness of faith, love and apostolic courage, accompanied by great human charisma, this exemplary son of Poland helped believers throughout the world not to be afraid to be called Christian, to belong to the Church, to speak of the Gospel. In a word: he helped us not to fear the truth, because truth is the guarantee of liberty. To put it even more succinctly: he gave us the strength to believe in Christ, because Christ is Redemptor hominis, the Redeemer of man. This was the theme of his first encyclical, and the thread which runs though all the others.

When Karol Wojtyła ascended to the throne of Peter, he brought with him a deep understanding of the difference between Marxism and Christianity, based on their respective visions of man. This was his message: man is the way of the Church, and Christ is the way of man. With this message, which is the great legacy of the Second Vatican Council and of its "helmsman", the Servant of God Pope Paul VI, John Paul II led the People of God across the threshold of the Third Millennium, which thanks to Christ he was able to call "the threshold of hope". Throughout the long journey of preparation for the great Jubilee he directed Christianity once again to the future, the future of God, which transcends history while nonetheless directly affecting it. He rightly reclaimed for Christianity that impulse of hope which had in some sense faltered before Marxism and the ideology of progress. He restored to Christianity its true face as a religion of hope, to be lived in history in an "Advent" spirit, in a personal and communitarian existence directed to Christ, the fullness of humanity and the fulfillment of all our longings for justice and peace.
Finally, on a more personal note, I would like to thank God for the gift of having worked for many years with Blessed Pope John Paul II. I had known him earlier and had esteemed him, but for twenty-three years, beginning in 1982 after he called me to Rome to be Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, I was at his side and came to revere him all the more. My own service was sustained by his spiritual depth and by the richness of his insights. His example of prayer continually impressed and edified me: he remained deeply united to God even amid the many demands of his ministry. Then too, there was his witness in suffering: the Lord gradually stripped him of everything, yet he remained ever a "rock", as Christ desired. His profound humility, grounded in close union with Christ, enabled him to continue to lead the Church and to give to the world a message which became all the more eloquent as his physical strength declined. In this way he lived out in an extraordinary way the vocation of every priest and bishop to become completely one with Jesus, whom he daily receives and offers in the Eucharist.
Blessed are you, beloved Pope John Paul II, because you believed! Continue, we implore you, to sustain from heaven the faith of God’s people. Amen.

Prayer Vigil reveals unknown facts about Pope John Paul II

The 200,000 participants in tonight's vigil leading up to the beatification of Pope John Paul II discovered a few new things about the Polish Pope, thanks to the testimonies of some of his closest collaborators.
The encounter, held at Rome's Circus Maximus, also featured the testimony of Sister Marie Simon-Pierre, religious of the Congregation of the Little Sisters of Catholic Motherhood, regarding her miraculous cure from Parkinson's that she attributes to the intercession of Pope John Paul II.
"John Paul II is looking upon us from heaven and smiling," the religious said at the vigil.
After detailing her illness and cure, the nun expressed her amazement that not only was she cured, but that she was able to be a part of the beatification of John Paul II, and give her testimony at the prayer vigil.
Navarro-Valls: Weekly confession
Joaquín Navarro-Valls, who was John Paul II's spokesman for 21 years, explained that to understand the soon-to-be beatified Pontiff, one must first understand Divine Mercy.
The former spokesman revealed that John Paul II "confessed every week" because "he knew that we, human beings, cannot make ourselves beautiful and pure on our own. We need the help that comes from God through the sacraments."
"For a Christian, to pray is a duty that is the result of a conviction: for him it was a need, he couldn't live without prayer," Navarro Valls added. "To see him pray was to see a person who was in conversation with God."
Navarro-Valls recalled that he would see John Paul II in his private chapel, kneeling, with little pieces of paper that he would read, and then he would pray a long time. These were texts of the numerous letters from people from all over the world that would write to him, and that he brought with him to the chapel.
Cardinal Dziwisz: The two times he got angry
Cardinal Stanislaw Dziwisz, the archbishop of Krakow, who was John Paul II's personal secretary for more than 40 years, spoke of the two loves of the Polish Pontiff: "God and mankind, and in particular the youth."
He also revealed the two occasions he saw John Paul II "really angry," but with "good reason."
"In Agrigento, [Sicily], he raised his voice against the mafia, and we were all a little scared," he said.
"And the other occasion was during the Angelus, before the Iraq War, when he said with force: no to war, war doesn't resolve anything. I have seen war. I know what war is."
"He sent a cardinal to Washington, [D.C], and another to Baghdad, to say: do not seek to resolve these problems with war. And he was right. The war is still ongoing and it hasn't resolved anything."
At the end, Cardinal Dziwisz revealed that the greatest satisfaction of his life was seeing how people all over the world accepted John Paul II. He said that at the beginning of the pontificate, he was called "the Polish Pope," but toward the end even non-Christians called him "Our Pope."
"And tomorrow," the cardinal added, "we will call him Blessed John Paul II."
World rosary
During the second part of the vigil, the mysteries John Paul II added to the rosary -- the luminous mysteries -- were prayed, with a simultaneous video-connection to five Marian shrines: in Krakow, Tanzania, Lebanon, Mexico, and Fatima.
Each of the mysteries were tied to a prayer intention of importance to John Paul II: at the sanctuary of Lagiewniki in Krakow, Poland, the intention was for the youth; at the sanctuary of Kawekamo, Bugando, Tanzania, the intention was for the family; at the sanctuary of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City, Mexico, the intention was for hope and peace among nations; at the sanctuary of Fatima, the intention was for the Church.
The vigil ended at 10:30 p.m. Rome time with the final prayer and apostolic blessing, which was led by Benedict XVI, who participated in the event through a satellite hook-up.

http://www.zenit.org/article-32438?l=english

Mother Mary Month of May - St. Josemaria Escriva,

“In this month of May which begins tomorrow I would like each of us to begin to offer one little extra sacrifice: a bit more study, finishing off a piece of work better, a smile…; a sacrifice that is an effort of our devotion and a proof of our dedication. Generously let yourself be led by our Lady, my children. We don’t want a day to go by without our loving the Love of Loves more and more! And with Mary we can do just that, because our Mother lived out a sweet and total self-giving.”

How people like to be reminded of their relationship with distinguished figures in literature, in politics, in the army, in the Church!... Sing to the Immaculate Virgin, reminding her: Hail Mary, daughter of God the Father: Hail Mary, Mother of God the Son: Hail Mary, Spouse of God the holy Spirit...Greater than you, none but God!
The Way, 496

Wanting to speak to the Mother of God:
In a very natural way we start wanting to speak to the Mother of God, who is also our mother. We want to treat her as someone who is alive. For death has not triumphed over her; she is body and soul in the presence of God the Father, her Son, and the Holy Spirit.
If we want to understand Mary's role in the Christian's life and to feel attracted to her, to be in her company, we don't need to go into the theological theory, even though it is an inexhaustible mystery that she is the Mother of God.

A sign of God's special love:
The Catholic faith sees Mary as a sign of God's special love. God calls us his friends; his grace acts in us, winning us from sin, enabling us to reflect in some way the features of Christ, even though we are still wretched dirt. We are not stranded people whom God has promised to save. His salvation is already at work in us. In our relationship to God, we are not blind men yearning for light and crying in anguished darkness. We are children who know our Father loves us.

Straight to our heart:
Mary tells us about this warmth and security. That's why her name goes straight to our heart. Our relationship with our own mother may show us how to treat Mary, the Lady of the Sweet Name. We have to love God with the same heart with which we love our parents, our brothers and sisters, the other members of our family, our friends. And we must love Mary with that same heart, too.

How does a normal son or daughter treat his mother?
In different ways, of course, but always affectionately and confidently, never coldly. In an intimate way, through small, commonplace customs. And a mother feels hurt if we omit them: a kiss or an embrace when leaving or coming home, a little extra attention, a few warm words.

In our relationship with our mother in heaven, we should act in very much the same way. Many Christians have the custom of wearing the scapular; or they have acquired the habit of greeting those pictures — a glance is enough — which are found in every Christian home and in many public places; or they recall the central events in Christ's life by saying the rosary, never getting tired of repeating its words, just like people in love; or they mark out a day of the week for her — Saturday, which is today — doing some special little thing for her and thinking particularly about her motherhood.
Christ is Passing By, 142

Mary, the most holy Mother of God, passes unnoticed, as just one more among the women of her town.
Learn from her how to live with 'naturalness'.
The Way, 499

From the Opus Dei web site

What Is Tolerance? - Dr. Plinio Correa

When it comes to tolerance, confusion reigns supreme. Everyone talks about it, but few seem to know exactly what it is.

What Then is Tolerance?
Imagine a man with two sons, one with sound principles and a strong will, and the other with undecided principles and a vacillating will. One day a professor passes by the town and wants to teach a summer school course that would be of extraordinary use to both of them. The father wants his sons to take the course, but sees that this will mean depriving them of various outings that both enjoy.
Weighing the pros and cons, he decides that it would be better for his sons to forego their diversions, however legitimate, rather than miss this rare opportunity for intellectual betterment. The youths react to this decision in different ways.
The first son, after a moment of reluctance, accepts his father’s wish. The other complains and implores his father to change his mind, showing such irritation that his father fears a serious act of rebellion. In face of this, the man upholds his decision with his good son. On the other hand, considering the difficulty his mediocre son would have in following the academic routine and foreseeing many occasions of dissension that would arise in their daily relationships, he decides, for long-term safeguarding of immutable moral principles, that it is better not to insist. He relents, and this son does is not required to take the course.
Acting thus with his mediocre son, the father reluctantly gave his permission, but it was not in any way an approval. It was a blackmailed permission. To avoid an evil (friction with his son) he granted him a lesser good (the holiday trips) and relinquished the greater good (the summer course). It is this kind of consent, given without approval and even with censure, that we call tolerance.
True, tolerance sometimes means not so much accepting a lesser good to avoid an evil, but a lesser evil to avoid a greater one. Such would be the case of a father who, having a son who has acquired several serious vices that would be impossible to overcome all at once, plans to combat them successively. Thus , while trying to thwart one vice, he closes his eyes to the others, reluctantly acceding to them as a way to avoid a greater evil, which would be to make the moral correction of his son impossible. This is characteristically seen as an attitude of tolerance. As we have just seen, tolerance can only be practiced in abnormal situations. In fact, if there were no bad children there would be no need for tolerance on the part of parents.
The more that family members are forced to practice tolerance among themselves, the more abnormal their situation would be.
This reality becomes even starker when one considers the case of a religious order or an army whose superiors must habitually practice unlimited tolerance with their subordinates. Such an army would be unlikely to win battles, and such an order would not be aspiring to the rugged summits of Christian perfection. In other words, tolerance can be a virtue. But it is a virtue characteristic of abnormal, difficult and dangerous situations. We can say, then, that it is the daily cross of the fervent Catholic in times of desolation, spiritual decadence and the ruin of Christian Civilization.
For this reason, one understands how necessary it is in a catastrophic century like ours. At every moment, the Catholic of our time encounters the prospect of tolerating something. On the train or bus, on the streets, in the workplace, within the homes he visits, in hotels where he stays, he encounters abuses at every instant that provoke an interior cry of indignation. It is a cry that he is sometimes forced to restrain in order to avoid a greater evil. It is a cry that in normal circumstances would be a duty of honor and coherence.
It is a curious thing to note the contradictions which the fans of this century incur. On one hand they can’t praise its qualities enough while down playing its defects. On the other hand, they are quick to denounce Catholics as intolerant while clamoring and demanding tolerance in favor of this century.
They do not tire of affirming that this tolerance should be constant, all-encompassing and unlimited. It is hard to understand how they cannot perceive their inconsistency. For, if there is tolerance only in abnormality, then proclaiming the necessity for more tolerance affirms the existence of abnormality.
Given these conditions, it is easy to perceive how erroneous is the current usage regarding tolerance.
In fact, the word is commonly used eulogistically. When someone says that another is tolerant, the affirmation is accompanied by a series of implicit or explicit compliments. And, logically, qualifying someone as intolerant brings with it a series of implicit or explicit reproaches.
In reality, nothing is further from the truth. If there are cases in which tolerance is a good, there are cases in which it is not. Therefore, no one merits praise for being tolerant or intolerant systematically, but rather for being one or the other as circumstances demand.
The question, then, is somewhat different: It is not the case to decide whether someone should be tolerant or intolerant systematically. What matters is to decide when one ought to be one or the other. Before all else, it is appropriate to point out that there is a situation in which the Catholic must always be intolerant, that is, toward sin, to which there are no exceptions. One cannot tolerate committing some sin in order to please others or to avoid a greater evil. Since all sin is an offense against God, it is absurd to imagine that in a certain situation God can be virtuously offended. This is so obvious that it may seem superfluous to state it, but, in practice, this is very necessary to remember this principle.
For example, no one has the right, in order to be tolerant with friends and gain their sympathy, to dress immorally or to adopt the licentious or frivolous manners of those who lead disordered lives. Nor does anyone have the right to exhibit rash, questionable or even erroneous ideas, nor to boast of vices that in reality —thanks be to God—they do not have.
To give another example, a Catholic who is conscious of the duties of fidelity entrusted to him by Scholasticism but who professes another philosophy solely to win sympathy in certain circles, practices an unacceptable form of tolerance. He sins against the truth by professing a theory that he knows contains errors, even if they are not against the faith.
The obligation of intolerance, in cases such as these, goes even further. It is not enough that we abstain from practicing evil; it is necessary that we never approve of it by action or omission. The Catholic who takes a sympathetic attitude in face of sin or error sins against the virtue of intolerance. This is what happens when he overhears an immoral conversation, or when in a discussion he admits a right of others to embrace their own opinion about the Catholic Faith. This is not respect for the adversary but rather for the adversary’s errors
or sins. This is to approve of evil, a point to which no Catholic can go.
At times, however, one reaches that point thinking he has not sinned against intolerance. Such is the case when silence, in face of error or evil, gives an idea of tacit approval. In all of these cases, tolerance is a sin, and virtue is found only in intolerance.
* * *
It is understandable that certain readers will be irritated on reading these affirmations. The instinct of sociability is natural in man, and it is this instinct that allows us to socialize with others in an agreeable and harmonious way.
Within the logic of our argumentation, the Catholic is obliged in an ever-increasing number of circumstances to repeat before the world the heroic “non possumus” of Pius IX: We cannot imitate, we cannot agree, we cannot remain silent. Consequently, an ambience of conflict soon forms around us, and the supporters of the errors and fashions of our epoch persecute with implacable intolerance, in the name of tolerance, all those who dare to disagree with them. A curtain surrounds and isolates us—ostracism puts us at the fringe of modem ambiances.
Men fear this almost as much as, or even more, than death itself. We are not exaggerating. In order to have the right of citizenship in such ambiences, there are men who work themselves to death from heart attacks and women who fast to the point of seriously jeopardizing their health. Now, to forfeit a “citizenship” of such “value” merely out of love of principles, one must dearly love those principles. And besides, there is laziness. In order to study a subject in depth, to have the arguments entirely in hand for any opportunity, to justify a position, requires much effort, and laziness is so appealing.
Laziness in regard to speaking out, or discussing, is evident. Yet, even greater is the laziness in regard to study, and, above all, the supreme laziness regarding thinking with seriousness about something, mastering something, identifying oneself with an idea, or a principle! How far removed from the subtle, imperceptible,
manifold laziness regarding being serious, thinking seriously, and living seriously is the inflexible, heroic, and imperturbable intolerance that on certain occasions and in certain matters—perhaps it would be better to say on so many occasions and in so many matters—is the duty of the true Catholic, today as always.
Laziness is the sister of indifference. Many will ask, why so much effort, so much combat, so much sacrifice if our attitude isolates us and the others do not improve? Strange objection! As if we should practice the commandments only so others will also practice them and are dispensed from doing so if the others do
not imitate us.
We witness before men our love of good and hatred of evil in order to give glory to God. Even if the entire world disapproves, we must continue doing so.
The fact that the others do not accompany us does not diminish the right that God has to our complete obedience.
However, these are not the only reasons for disdaining intolerance. There is also opportunism. To be in concert with the dominant tendencies is something that opens all the doors and facilitates all careers. Prestige, comfort, money, everything, but everything becomes easier and more obtainable if one accepts the prevailing influence.
From this perspective, one sees how costly is the duty of intolerance.