Showing posts with label Charity. Show all posts

The Diaconate Ordination - Beautiful in many ways, but God's love is more beautiful!

Well, I'm still alive and well here in Rome...  My sincere apologies for not getting anything up here for the longest time!  There has been so many things that I've wanted to blog about, and I've always started a post only to get it half-way done and then never getting it completed.  Here's hoping I can get this one done!  (I may end up doing shorter posts, hoping thereby to be able to actually get them done, rather than attempting some comprehensive, uber-detailed, bazillion-word long recounting of the past 5 weeks...)

I'm in there someplace...
So, today, at long last, was the Diaconate Ordination, during which 43 of the 4th-year men here at the NAC were ordained deacons in St. Peter's Basilica at the Altar of the Chair (far end of the Basilica, beyond the main baldicino).  Let's just put it this way; it was stupendous!  I was privileged enough to be in the choir, which meant that I was pretty close, just off to the left, of the altar.  Being a Tenor II (high-middle section of the male vocal range) meant I also had the coveted seats in the choir stalls (rather than lower and off to the side, where the view wasn't as direct).  Of course, being in that section also meant I was constantly stretching to reach the higher notes in some of the pieces, which wasn't always a problem during the many practices we had running up to the ordination (one of the reasons I've been busy), but after three hours of singing, with the only breaks being during the readings, my vocal cords were tired and my abs were sore (vocal cords because I was singing incorrectly, abs because I was constantly tensing them to give as much support as possible and I guess I haven't done enough crunches lately).  The music though, after my mistakes and cracking-voice was drowned out by the other 40-50 guys in the choir, was spectacular.  As I said, we'd been practicing a lot - and for good reason - we sang like 40 different pieces over the last week or so (there have been several different ceremonies leading up to the ordination).  However, the work, and tiredness, were completely worth it!  We got to sing Cantate Domino, the Festival Alleluia, Biebl's Ave Maria, countless chanted pieces, Dicit Mater Ejus, and many, many, other beautiful pieces! 
St. Peter's is splendid!
And, beyond the music, the ceremony itself was just amazing.  There we were, in St. Peter's Basilica, the largest Christian Church in the world, and the entire distance from the front of the main altar/baldicino, all the way around it, filling all the way to the back of the Basilica was packed with family and friends of the to-be-ordained and then, in the sanctuary, with countless priests, deacons, and bishops.  I don't know the exact numbers, but last year there were 500+ priests in attendance, and I think somebody said there were like 1800 others there as well.  Needless to say, just the location was impressive.  

But, even more amazing than that, was all these young men, on fire with God's love and putting everything on the line for Him.  I am proud to live with them!  Even in the very short time that I've gotten to meet them - most of them I don't even remember there name (yet) - I've seen over and over again that willingness to do His will, in everything, in so many instances.  Inviting us into their rooms to say hello, taking us out to breakfast (at the only American breakfast place in town - I had a bagel, with eggs and bacon, as well as a milk-shake and slice of apple pie, it was great), playing sports, leading prayer, doing Benediction, eating meals together, supporting us in Italian, recommending places to go on trips, being patient with our complete lack of knowledge of the place, just saying hello after Mass each day and totally making us feel welcome.  They are great men, and they are men working, and wanting, to be saints!  It's awesome to see!
The men prostrate after making their promises, before being ordained!

The laying on of hands!
But, even more amazing than that - yep, it's about to get even better - is the work that they are allowing God to do in them.  As I've come to realize over the past couple weeks, especially while on retreat last week, while we have to give life our best efforts - we have to grit our teeth and persevere when the going gets tough, we have to throw ourselves out there and try our hardest in sports, or studies, or friendships, or prayer - even more importantly we need to learn humility and rely on God.  Priesthood isn't about me becoming a great preacher, or an inspirational leader, or a kind pastor, or a smart theologian, it's about me becoming Christ.  And that folks, is something that is way, way beyond my capabilities.  There is no way in 4 years, or in 40 years, I can learn to teach, lead, or love like Christ.  He is the true, the ultimate, the Divine, prophet, king, and priest, and while he continues to call men to follow Him radically as priests, it is only through complete reliance, submission, and openness to Him that a man can be transformed and recreated in Christ's image.  And, in these 43 men, I see alive in front of me men who are willing to lay down their lives, not only in taking up their own crosses, their own weaknesses, their own struggles, but also willing to let Christ's cross guide, change, sanctify, and anchor them.  They are men who have learned to not rely on themselves, to not do it themselves, to not carve their own road, but to rely on Christ, to let Him work through Him, and to follow His call.  

"May God, Who has begun this work in you,
bring it to fulfilment"
Cardinal Wuerl, who ordained the men this morning, noted that the role of deacon is - as recounted in Acts - to have love and generosity of heart towards Christ and His Church.  But, this generosity isn't superficial, or dainty, it's a love that means they are willing to lay down their lives for their friends, for their greatest friend, Jesus Christ.  It is a love that means realizing that God, Who "before you were born, knew you", also knows the best plan for your life, and to have the courage to say a humble "yes" to that plan, even when you aren't quite sure what that yes means.  Those 43 men had the courage to say "yes" this morning.  They were willing to promise to be obedient, to remain celibate, to pray constantly, to, literally, conform their lives to Christ's - who is the model of obedience, celibacy, and prayerfulness - so as to serve Christ Church and His people.  This conformation (is that a word?) only happens, reminded the Cardinal, through the outpouring of the Holy Spirit.  But, that is exactly what ordination is!  As with all the sacraments, they are God working through human actions and worldly stuff to enter the world, to pour out His grace.  Faith tells us that these men are changed forever, marked indelibly, eternally chosen - by God - to be deacons for Christ.  It's a supernatural calling, it's an amazing calling, it's a humbling calling!  

Yeah, so let's just say that this morning was great!  The music, the liturgy, the stupendous cathedral, the superb young men - they all were great (as were the snacks and socializing afterwards), but above and beyond all that (quite literally) was God's wonderful and powerful love.  Let us too, humbly, trustingly, completely, open ourselves up to God!

Yay, a post is complete!  In other news, tomorrow I'll be leaving on a trip to San Giovanni Rotundo (where St. Padre Pio was a friar, and where he is now buried), with a couple of other guys here from dioceses in Illinois.  It should be quite a lot of fun, and hopefully a prayerful trip as well.  And then - drum-roll please - on Monday classes begin at the Gregorian!  It's been a wild ride these last couple months but I think things will finally start to settle down once that all gets going (it will be a new challenge, but something that I think I will enjoy very much as well).  Please do keep me in your prayers - not only that the classes will start well, but also, and more importantly, that I'll learn to truly place myself in God's hands over these next years - and then, God willing, I'll be laying down on that floor in 3 short years giving myself to Him ever more completely!  God is good!
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We're Called to Love Everybody - The Third Way

Fr. John Hollowell, a priest from the Arch-Diocese of Indianapolis, along with a lot of other people have finished a phenomenal video about the Church's teachings on homosexuality. It is really well done, really orthodox, really awesome. We're required to love everybody, discriminate against no one, but that doesn't mean all actions are allowed.  We must act like Christ, we must love sinners and hate the sin!  Love is the 3rd way - it's not condemnation of a person, it's not condoning actions that are sinful, it's charity.  Really fantastic film folks, watch it!


The Third Way from Blackstone Films on Vimeo.
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Pope Francis - Person of the Year!

As you probably have heard, Pope Francis was just named Time Magazine's Person of the Year.  He receives the title which had also given to Blessed Pope John Paul II and John XXIII, (who will both be canonized in April).  I read the article, Pope Francis, The People's Pope, and I was a bit worried when I saw the opening line: "He took the name of a humble saint and then called for a church of healing. The first non-European pope in 1,200 years is poised to transform a place that measures change by the century".  Great... Another article about how Pope Francis is going to change everything about the Catholic Church and switch its teaching on abortion, gay marriage, etc.  Wonderful, another news piece that doesn't understand that the Church can't change these teaching because they are Divinely, not humanly, mandated.  They quickly realized my fears:

The papacy is mysterious and magical: it turns a septuagenarian into a superstar while revealing almost nothing about the man himself. And it raises hopes in every corner of the world—hopes that can never be fulfilled, for they are irreconcilable. The elderly traditionalist who pines for the old Latin Mass and the devout young woman who wishes she could be a priest both have hopes. The ambitious monsignor in the Vatican Curia and the evangelizing deacon in a remote Filipino village both have hopes. No Pope can make them all happy at once.

Here it comes, thought I...  But then they got it right:

And so Francis signals great change while giving the same answers to the uncomfortable questions. On the question of female priests: “We need to work harder to develop a profound theology of the woman.” Which means: no. No to abortion, because an individual life begins at conception. No to gay marriage, because the male-female bond is established by God. “The teaching of the church … is clear,” he has said, “and I am a son of the church, but”—and here he adds his prayer for himself—“it is not necessary to talk about those issues all the time.”

Again, later in the article:
The five words that have come to define both the promise and the limits of Francis’ papacy came in the form of a question: “Who am I to judge?” That was his answer when asked about homo­sexuality by a reporter in July. Many assumed Francis, with those words, was changing church doctrine. Instead, he was merely changing its tone, searching for a pragmatic path to reach the faithful who had been repelled by their church or its emphasis on strict dos and don’ts. Years of working closely with parish priests have taught him that the church seemed more comfortable with narrow issues than human complexity, and it lost congregants and credibility in the bargain. He is urging his army to think more broadly.

I was legitimately surprised!  Of course, the article isn't perfect, I could complain about some points (even in these quotations), but I'm not going to.  I think they did a really good job outlining the man who is now Pope.  The author seems to understand what the Pope is saying, knowing the background that is the 2000 years of Church Tradition.  I am just glad to see something that finally sets the record pretty straight.  Hopefully, this article will allow people to see the true depth behind Pope Francis.  He isn't changing doctrine, and his change in tone isn't because he is liberal.  Church teaching isn't liberal or conservative, it's truth.  Pope Francis, by putting a huge emphasis on love, compassion, charity, solidarity, etc. isn't undermining Church teaching, He is showing the world the beauty, goodness, and truth behind the morality that they all-too-often misunderstand as harsh, bureaucratic, rules. 

Thanks Time magazine for the great article!  Thanks Pope Francis for setting an example for the world!

Wow, I haven't written a blog post like that before.  (Let me know if it didn't make sense or if I said anything crazy - I hate it when that happens...)  I only have the metaphysics final tomorrow and a bit of polishing to do on the senior seminar paper!
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Bishop Paprocki's Homily on Same-Sex Marriage

Today my state of Illinois became the 16th state to legalize same sex marriage.  Below is the homily given by my bishop.  Read it!  He forcefully and charitably (yes, those adjectives can go together) explains the Church's teaching on the matter, and offers prayers for those who support this evil.  Trust me, it is an absolutely phenomenal homily!  Keep prayers going up for all our bishops, standing up for the truth is hard.


Homily for Prayers of Supplication and Exorcism in Reparation for the Sin of Same-Sex Marriage 
November 20, 2013
Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception
Springfield, Illinois
† Most Reverend Thomas John Paprocki
Bishop of Springfield in Illinois




My dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
We are gathered here today in the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception for a special Holy Hour before the Real Presence of Our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament to participate in “Prayers of Supplication and Exorcism in Reparation for the Sin of Same-Sex Marriage.” I wish to preface my reflections by saying that I am conducting this prayer service and am speaking to you now with great reluctance. I did not seek to enter any controversy and I don’t relish being part of one. But I have given this matter a great deal of thought and prayer, which has led me to the conviction that God is calling me to speak out and conduct these prayers.

In our prayers, we must be open to hear where God is leading us and to embrace the path that He offers. That is a much different starting point than beginning with our own wants, desires, and conclusions. That is why we pray every day, “Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.”


Our prayers at this time are prompted by the fact that the Governor of Illinois today is signing into Illinois law the redefinition of civil marriage, introducing not only an unprecedented novelty into our state law, but also institutionalizing an objectively sinful reality.


 It is not hateful to say that an immoral action is sinful. On the contrary, the most compassionate thing we can do is help people to turn away from sin. To ignore another person’s wrongful actions is a sign of apathy or indifference, while fraternal correction is motivated by love for that person’s well-being, as can be seen by the fact that our Lord Jesus himself urged such correction.1 Indeed, the call to repentance is at the heart of the Gospel, as Jesus proclaimed, “The Kingdom of God is at hand. Repent and believe the Good News”(Mark 1:15). 

The Good News is that God’s mercy and forgiveness extend to those who repent. Mercy does not mean approving of something that is sinful, but does absolve the wrongdoer after a change of heart takes place in the sinner through the gift of God’s grace. It is not the Church that must change to conform its teachings to the views of the world, but it is each individual who is called to be configured to Christ.

As we heard in the Gospel passage that was just read, Jesus tells His disciples, “Go into the whole world and proclaim the Good News to all creation. . . . Signs like these will accompany those who have professed their faith: they will use my name to expel demons” (Mark 16:15-17). Thus it is through the power of Jesus that evil is displaced from our hearts and is replaced by divine love. This change of heart involves a spiritual battle that is not easily won, but in which we receive the assistance of angels, under the leadership of Saint Michael the Archangel (cf. Daniel 12:1-3). We need not fear this battle, for Christ has conquered sin and death, and in Christ rests our hope of final victory.

As such, I do not stand here before you as a self-righteous saint who has achieved spiritual perfection, but as a sinner who has received Jesus into his heart as his Lord and Savior. To acknowledge one’s sinfulness is indeed the starting point of what it means to be a Christian. However, our Christian identity does not end with this admission of sin, but finds its salvation in accepting the saving grace of our Most Holy Redeemer, Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who died on the cross to forgive our sins and rose from the dead to lead us to the reward of eternal life in His Kingdom. Our second reading from Saint Paul’s Letter to the Ephesians affirms this: “It is in Christ and through His blood that we have been redeemed and our sins forgiven, so immeasurably generous is God’s favor to us” (Ephesians 1:7).

Pope Francis expressed this essential message in his recent interview published in various Jesuits publications in these words: “The most important thing is the first proclamation: Jesus Christ has saved you. And the ministers of the church must be ministers of mercy above all. The confessor, for example, is always in danger of being either too much of a rigorist or too lax. Neither is merciful, because neither of them really takes responsibility for the person. The rigorist washes his hands so that he leaves it to the commandment. The loose minister washes his hands by simply saying, ‘This is not a sin’ or something like that. In pastoral ministry we must accompany people, and we must heal their wounds.”2 

This is a key point which the secularists are missing: they think that stressing God’s mercy means that sins are no longer sins. On the contrary, God’s mercy is a great gift of grace precisely because sins are sins and they call for repentance and forgiveness. 

Note from the interview, when he was asked to describe himself, Pope Francis said simply, “I am a sinner.” After a brief pause, he amplifies this self-identity in the understanding of a Christian who has been saved by Christ, saying, “I am a sinner whom the Lord has looked upon.”3 

This is not the first time that I have offered prayers of repentance here in our Cathedral. On December 12, 2011, I offered a service of “Repentance and Prayer for those Harmed in the Church,” at which I said, “I express repentance for the sins of the members of the Church who have harmed others. Sometimes these harms were evil in themselves, such as the sins of racism and the sexual abuse of minors, as well as other forms of unchastity. At other times, the harms may have been done in the context of actions that were in themselves not sinful and may even have been necessary for pastoral or economic reasons, such as the closing of a church or school, but nevertheless were done in a way that was insensitive to the feelings of those who would be affected. Therefore we pray for all those who have been harmed.” This prayer service was modeled along the lines of Pope John Paul II's “Day of Pardon” held on the First Sunday of Lent, March 12, 2000, as part of the observation of the Great Jubilee of the new millennium, in which Pope John Paul II said that the Church “should kneel before God and implore forgiveness for the past and present sins of her sons and daughters.”

While prayers of supplication in reparation for sin may be easily understood as our pleas and entreaties to God for forgiveness of sins and deliverance from temptation, the meaning of the term “exorcism” in the title of this prayer service is not so readily apparent and requires some explanation. Indeed, some have ridiculed our Church’s use of this ancient religious practice.4 We must remember the encouragement of Pope Saint Leo the Great, who said over 1,500 years ago, “The Church is not diminished by persecutions, but rather increased.”5 It should also be noted that the bill that the Governor is signing today is called the “Religious Freedom and Marriage Fairness Act,” which purportedly provides that “the Act does not interfere with any religious beliefs about marriage.”6 

Perhaps a large part of the negative reaction is because most people don’t know what the Church teaches about exorcism, since they get their misleading information and sensational ideas on this mainly from Hollywood. The fact is that a “minor exorcism” takes place in every Baptism and Confirmation ceremony when we renounce Satan and all his works and empty promises. This prayer service will be along those lines. I’m not saying that anyone involved in the redefinition of marriage is possessed by the devil, which, if that were the case, would require the remedy of a “Major Exorcism,” but all of us are certainly subject to the devil’s evil influences and in need of protection and deliverance from evil.  


Our prayer service today and my words are not meant to demonize anyone, but are intended to call attention to the diabolical influences of the devil that have penetrated our culture, both in the state and in the Church. These demonic influences are not readily apparent to the undiscerning eye, which is why they are so deceptive. A helpful resource in this regard is a recent book by Father Louis J. Cameli, a priest of the Archdiocese of Chicago, called The Devil You Don’t Know: Recognizing and Resisting Evil in Everyday Life. While the popular tendency may be to identify the devil only with his extraordinary activity, which is diabolical possession, Father Cameli writes about the ordinary work of the devil: deception, division, diversion and discouragement.7


The deception of the Devil in same-sex marriage may be understood by recalling the words of Pope Francis when he faced a similar situation as Archbishop of Buenos Aires in 2010. Regarding the proposed redefinition of civil marriage in Argentina, then-Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio wrote on June 22, 2010, “The Argentine people must face, in the next few weeks, a situation whose result may gravely harm the family. It is the bill on matrimony of persons of the same sex. The identity of the family, and its survival, are in jeopardy here: father, mother, and children. The life of so many children who will be discriminated beforehand due to the lack of human maturity that God willed them to have with a father and a mother is in jeopardy. A clear rejection of the law of God, engraved in our hearts, is in jeopardy. . . . Let us not be naive: it is not a simple political struggle; it is an intention [which is] destructive of the plan of God. It is not a mere legislative project (this is a mere instrument), but rather a ‘move’ of the father of lies who wishes to confuse and deceive the children of God.”8


The Pope’s reference to the “father of lies” comes from the Gospel of John (8:44), where Jesus refers to the devil as “a liar and the father of lies.” So Pope Francis is saying that same-sex “marriage” comes from the devil and should be condemned as such.


Another major deception or distortion of marriage is the view that it is not ultimately about generating life, but rather is mainly about a romantic relationship designed for individual (not even mutual) fulfillment. That distorted understanding cuts across opposite-sex marriage and same-sex marriage proponents in our culture. We are all summoned to reflect more deeply on the truth of marriage.


It is also a deception to say that there will be no adverse effects on children being brought up in the household of a same-sex couple.9


The division brought about by the Devil due to same-sex marriage may be seen in the way our society, our families and our friendships have become so divided and polarized over this issue.

The diversion of the Devil in same-sex marriage may be seen in the fact that so much of our time, energy and resources are being spent in addressing this issue, when there are more pressing needs facing our state and our Church.

The work of discouragement by the Devil in same-sex marriage is apparent in the message being conveyed to defenders of traditional marriage that the universal redefinition of marriage is unstoppable, so we might as well just stop trying. But the legalization of abortion on demand forty years ago did not silence those who believe that abortion is contrary to God’s law. On the contrary, Roe v. Wade only heightened the need for more concerted efforts to protect all human life from conception to natural death. So, too, the legal redefinition of civil marriage does not put an end to the need for discourse and action to defend natural marriage in accord with God’s plan, but only serves to heighten the need for greater efforts in this regard.

The Prayers for “Supplication and Exorcism Which May Be Used in Particular Circumstances of the Church” are taken from the Appendices to the 2004 Latin edition of the Rite of Exorcism, the introduction to which explains, “The presence of the Devil and other demons appears and exists not only in the tempting or tormenting of persons, but also in the penetration of things and places in a certain manner by their activity, and in various forms of opposition to and persecution of the Church. If the Diocesan Bishop, in particular situations, judges it appropriate to announce gatherings of the faithful for prayer, under the leadership and direction of a Priest, elements for arranging a rite of supplication may be taken from [the texts provided in these appendices].”

Same-sex marriage is contrary to the plan of God, as described in the Bible, when Jesus cites the Book of Genesis in asking the Pharisees, “Have you not read that at the beginning the Creator made them male and female and declared, ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and cling to his wife, and the two shall become as one?’ Thus they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore, let no man separate what God has joined.”10

Since the legal redefinition of marriage is contrary to God’s plan, those who contract civil same-sex marriage are culpable of serious sin. Politicians responsible for enacting civil same-sex marriage legislation are morally complicit as co-operators in facilitating this grave sin. We must pray for forgiveness of these sins and deliverance from this evil which has penetrated our state and our Church. The Church stands ready to extend God’s mercy to those who confess their sins with true repentance and a firm purpose of amendment in the Sacrament of Reconciliation.11

We must also affirm the teaching of the Catholic Church that homosexual persons “must be accepted with respect, compassion, and sensitivity. Every sign of unjust discrimination in their regard should be avoided. These persons are called to fulfill God’s will in their lives and, if they are Christians, to unite to the sacrifice of the Lord’s Cross the difficulties they may encounter from their condition.”12 The Church loves homosexual persons and looks upon them with compassion, offering assistance through support groups such as the Courage Apostolate to live in accord with the virtue of chastity.13 Indeed, all people all called to chastity, which for a man and woman united in matrimony means for the husband and wife to be faithful to each other.

In conclusion, I quote from a homily given in the second century: “Let me say also that when we are given a warning and corrected for doing something wrong, we should not be so foolish as to take offense and be angry. There are times when we are unconscious of the sins we commit because our hearts are fickle, lacking in faith. Futile desires becloud our minds. We need to pull ourselves up, therefore, because our very salvation is at stake. Those who keep God’s commandments will have reason to rejoice. For a short time in this world they may have to suffer, but they will rise again and their reward will endure for ever. No one who holds God in reverence should grieve over the hardships of this present time, for a time of blessedness awaits him. He will live again in heaven in the company of all those who have gone before him; for all eternity he will rejoice, never to know sorrow again.”14 


May God give us this grace. Amen.





NOTES
1            Gospel of St. Matthew 18:15: “If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault.”
2            http://www.americamagazine.org/pope-interview.
3            http://www.thinkingfaith.org/articles/20130919_1.htm.
4        http://voices.suntimes.com/early-and-often/politics/calling-calvin-kleinwhat-to-wear-to-an-exorcism/.
5     From a sermon by Saint Leo the Great, Pope, Liturgy of the Hours, Office of
Readings for the Memorial of the Dedication of the Baslicas of Saints Peter and Paul.
6        http://www.ilga.gov/legislation/BillStatus.asp?DocNum=178&GAID=10&Doc TypeID=HB&LegId=40195&SessionID=76. 
7            Father Louis J. Cameli, The Devil You Don’t Know: Recognizing and Resisting Evil in Everyday Life (Notre Dame, Indiana: Ave Maria Press, 2011.
8            http://rorate-caeli.blogspot.com/2013/03/letter-of-cardinal-bergoglio-to.html.
9            See the New Family Structures Study of the University of Texas, 2011, http://www.familystructurestudies.com/.
10        Matthew 19:4-6, citing Genesis 1:27 and 2:24; cf. Mark 10:6-9.
11        Pope John Paul II, “Confession must be Humble, Complete, and Accompanied by a Firm Purpose of Amendment,” letter to Cardinal William W. Baum, Major Penitentiary, dated March 22, 1996, published in L'Osservatore Romano, Weekly Edition in English, April 10 1996, available online at:  http://www.ewtn.com/library/PAPALDOC/JP960322.HTM. 
12        Catechism of the Catholic Church, #2358.
13        http://www.couragerc.net/. 
14        From a homily written in the second century, Liturgy of the Hours, Office of
Readings, Saturday of the Thirty-Second Week i
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Prayer - the Beginning and Foundation of Discipleship

My last post went on and on about how great and necessary prayer is for you (and the rest of the communion of saints - on earth, and in purgatory and heaven).  But, as Archbishop Tobin (the speaker for our day of recollection that just ended) noted in his talks, the Christian life has another facet - that of missionary. 

Archbishop Tobin, in his first talk last night, started by noting the tension that exists between Christ calling us to Himself and sending us forth to preach.  Mark 3:13: "And he went up into the hills, and called to him those whom he desired; and they came to Him."  Here we find Jesus calling His disciples to follow Him.  So far, other than the call to be "fishers of men" (Mark 1:17) that Jesus mentioned to Simon and Andrew, the apostles don't know what they are getting into.  Jesus has just asked them to listen to Him and watch what He does.  But, look a few chapters later: Mark 6:7  "And he called to him the twelve, and began to send them out two by two, and gave them authority over the unclean spirits.  He charged them to take nothing for their journey except a staff; no bread, no bag, no money in their belts; but to wear sandals and not put on two tunics."  Here, again, Jesus calls the apostles to Himself, but this time, after they have been listening and watching Him for a while, Jesus sends them out in His name with His authority.

Archbishop Tobin named these two halves of the Christian life that of disciple and missionary.  The disciple follows and listens to Jesus, and the missionary goes out with the Gospel message to proclaim it to the world.  In other words, the discipleship portion, according to the Archbishop, has to do with prayer, and the missionary portion, has to do with evangelization.  Now, I don't think he meant the terms to be terribly strict with these terms, as he pointed out, you really can't separate these tasks.  Prayer and work, faith and evangelization, listening and acting, have to go together - they both are parts of the same whole.  But, as +Tobin said, just because these two things go together, doesn't mean that they always are easy to balance.  It's hard sometimes to pray and work, to find when one must leave the chapel and "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to the whole creation." - Mark 16:15 

There is a tension here, some people find it better or more fulfilling to do one half and not the other.  However, both halves are absolutely necessary to each other.  If one doesn't pray (and study, I suppose) about Jesus, how are you supposed to know what Gospel to preach, what actions to do?  On this point, Archbishop said that following Jesus isn't so much copying His actions (teaching, healing, praying, forgiving), but going deeper and copying His motivation. 

What is that motivation? - Love.  Radical, unconditional, non-sensical love.  Think of Jesus on the cross - God came down to earth, became man, and then let us kill him, in the worst way possible, to show us His love and to make us sons and daughters of Him.  Think about that!  Think of Jesus in the Eucharist - Here Jesus Christ, God almighty, allows the human priest to have the power/authority to say "this is my body" and have that host transubstantiate into Jesus Christ - body, blood, soul, and divinity.  Wow!  When we say God is love, and we should be loving too, this isn't the soft, fluffy, sort of love that so often our world has.  (The love of another because of something you can get, or something you gain)  God doesn't gain something by loving us - He is God, He doesn't need anything else.  God created the human race, knowing the whole "time" (of course God isn't in time, but that's a topic for another day) that He would come down to redeem us, out of total, life giving, absolutely generous love.  Jesus' motivation, that we should imitate, and that should transform us to then do what Jesus did, is radical love.  "[L]ove your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High; for he is kind to the ungrateful and the selfish.  Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful." - Luke 6:35-36

Crazy right!  OK, so this love, that we receive so awesomely in the Eucharist, must then go beyond us, and from us, to the rest of the world.  This is the missionary "side" of following Christ, and this was the topic of Archbishop Tobin's second talk - and another post.

I just would like to make a brief connection between this topic - the first "half" of following Christ, found in contemplation, prayer, discernment, learning, et cetera (hopefully leading to radical, Christ-like love) - to the readings that we had today for Mass.  Bishop Coyne had Mass for us this morning and in His homily he connected the parables we hear in the Gospel (shepherd finding lost sheep, woman finding lost coin, and the prodigal son) to the joy and mercy that are fundamental to the Gospel life.  Each of these parables ends with joy; when the person finds what had been lost.  In the story of the prodigal son great mercy is shown by the father to the son that had disowned him.  Of course, I could go on more about this need for joy and mercy (as +Coyne did), but this post has gone on enough, and I'll have to save the other topics for another time...

Super recap: Archbishop Tobin, in his talks, looked at both halves of living the Christian life - disciple and missionary, listener and preacher, pray-er and evangelizer.  The first half means following Christ through forming ourselves interiorly around Him.  This means coming to appreciate Christ's motivation, loving without counting the cost, and emulating it.  Obviously, this love, found so beautifully on Calvary and in the Eucharist (the same sacrifice), must "infect" us and transform us to show the joy and mercy of God to others.  That exterior transformation and action, the topic of his second talk, will (hopefully) be the topic of a subsequent post.

Have a wonderful Sunday!
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Pope Francis vs Pope Benedict?

Fr. John Hollowell has a very good post on how there isn't some sort of feud between the way that Benedict XVI put an emphasis on beautiful, solemn, liturgies and Pope Francis's deciding to have the Holy Thursday Mass of the Lord's Supper at a prison.  

Read the article on his blog: On this Rock

Some excerpts: 

"What the world needs is BOTH big solemn Papal Masses in St. Peter's Basilica AND Papal Masses in prisons!"
"Our Popes have always been what we've needed.  The people who always miss the party are the people who, like the crowds on Palm Sunday, had already decided ahead of time what kind of Messiah they wanted.

Have you decided, ahead of time, what type of Pope we need, or do you listen to the Pope's teaching, read his writings, and pray for him?"
I found the article quite enlightening to me, and maybe some of you will find the same.  All popes in recent memory have led the church as best they could.  Pope Francis will certainly continue this.  I think the media is trying to find some sort of disconnect between these two popes - don't help them.  Have a wonderful Holy Week folks - stay positive!
These guys aren't enemies
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