Jesus Is Indignant When He Sees These Things

Posted on May 25, 2013 by

angry-jesus Those who approach the Church should find the doors open and not find people who want to control the faith. This is what the Pope said this morning (May 25, 2013) during Mass in the Casa Santa Marta.

The day’s Gospel tells us that Jesus rebukes the disciples who seek to remove children that people bring to the Lord to bless. “Jesus embraces them, kisses them, touches them, all of them. It tires Jesus and his disciples “want it to stop”. Jesus is indignant: “Jesus got angry, sometimes.” And he says: “Let them come to me, do not hinder them. For the Kingdom of God belongs to such as these.” “The faith of the People of God – observes the Pope – is a simple faith, a faith that is perhaps without much theology, but it has an inward theology that is not wrong, because the Spirit is behind it.” The Pope mentions Vatican I and Vatican II, where it is said that “the holy people of God … cannot err in matters of belief” (Lumen Gentium). And to explain this theological formulation he adds: “If you want to know who Mary is go to the theologian and he will tell you exactly who Mary is. But if you want to know how to love Mary go to the People of God who teach it better. ” The people of God – continued the Pope – “are always asking for something closer to Jesus, they are sometimes a bit ‘insistent in this. But it is the insistence of those who believe.”

“I remember once, coming out of the city of Salta, on the patronal feast, there was a humble lady who asked for a priest’s blessing. The priest said, ‘All right, but you were at the Mass’ and explained the whole theology of blessing in the church. You did well: ‘Ah, thank you father, yes father,’ said the woman. When the priest had gone, the woman turned to another priest: ‘Give me your blessing!’. All these words did not register with her, because she had another necessity: the need to be touched by the Lord. That is the faith that we always look for , this is the faith that brings the Holy Spirit. We must facilitate it, make it grow, help it grow. “

The Pope also mentioned the story of the blind man of Jericho, who was rebuked by the disciples because he cried to the Lord, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”
“The Gospel says that they didn’t want him to shout, they wanted him not to shout but he wanted to shout more, why? Because he had faith in Jesus! The Holy Spirit had put faith in his heart. And they said, ‘No, you cannot do this! You don’t shout to the Lord. Protocol does not allow it. And ‘the second Person of the Trinity! Look what you do… ‘as if they were saying that, right? “

And think about the attitude of many Christians:
“Think of the good Christians, with good will, we think about the parish secretary, a secretary of the parish … ‘Good evening, good morning, the two of us – boyfriend and girlfriend – we want to get married’. And instead of saying, ‘That’s great!’. They say, ‘Oh, well, have a seat. If you want the Mass, it costs a lot … ‘. This, instead of receiving a good welcome- It is a good thing to get married! ‘- But instead they get this response:’ Do you have the certificate of baptism, all right … ‘. And they find a closed door. When this Christian and that Christian has the ability to open a door, thanking God for this fact of a new marriage … We are many times controllers of faith, instead of becoming facilitators of the faith of the people. “
And ‘there is always a temptation ,said the Pope, “try and take possession of the Lord.” And he tells another story:
“Think about a single mother who goes to church, in the parish and to the secretary she says: ‘I want my child baptized’. And then this Christian, this Christian says: ‘No, you cannot because you’re not married!’. But look, this girl who had the courage to carry her pregnancy and not to return her son to the sender, what is it? A closed door! This is not zeal! It is far from the Lord! It does not open doors! And so when we are on this street, have this attitude, we do not do good to people, the people, the People of God, but Jesus instituted the seven sacraments with this attitude and we are establishing the eighth: the sacrament of pastoral customs! “,

“Jesus is indignant when he sees these things ,”said the Pope, because those who suffer are “his faithful people, the people that he loves so much”

“We think today of Jesus, who always wants us all to be closer to Him, we think of the Holy People of God, a simple people, who want to get closer to Jesus and we think of so many Christians of goodwill who are wrong and that instead of opening a door they close the door of goodwill … So we ask the Lord that all those who come to the Church find the doors open, find the doors open, open to meet this love of Jesus. We ask this grace. “ (Vatican Radio)

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The Credo Commitment for Catholics

The Credo Commitment

This is an icon of Jesus the Good Samaritan. This is what Jesus does. Always. Jesus means Savior. This is what He did (does) for me every single day. It’s not my imagination. It’s not my naive hope in an ‘opium’ that makes me feel better. I know this because I know what my life was before I let Him love me and know what my life has been like since I let Him love me. There’s no comparison.

So, since Jesus is real and is in love with me, how can I keep from singing, like the song says? Today this song takes the form of an invitation for all Catholics who believe what the Church teaches to join me in committing to living out that belief in a more intentional way. That’s one of the lovely dimensions of music, we have to intentionally decide to open our mouths and sing. Singing isn’t automatic to our nature. Neither is a lived Faith. It doesn’t happen on autopilot.

In Porta Fidei, the document with which Benedict XVI opened the Year of Faith, our Pope Emeritus quotes St. Augustine regarding the Credo or Apostles’ Creed: “Not without reason, Christians in the early centuries were required to learn the creed from memory. It served them as a daily prayer not to forget the commitment they had undertaken in baptism. With words rich in meaning, Saint Augustine speaks of this in a homily on the redditio symboli, the handing over of the creed: “the symbol of the holy mystery that you have all received together and that today you have recited one by one, are the words on which the faith of Mother Church is firmly built above the stable foundation that is Christ the Lord. You have received it and recited it, but in your minds and hearts you must keep it ever present, you must repeat it in your beds, recall it in the public squares and not forget it during meals: even when your body is asleep, you must watch over it with your hearts.”

The Credo Commitment for Catholics will then involve a promise to more thoroughly live out their Faith in three ways specifically:

  1. Praying the Credo (Creed) everyday in an intentional renewal of our baptismal vows.
  2. Poverty of comfort in some form everyday for the intention of conversion and renewal of our families, especially the person farthest away from God and the Church.
  3. Proclamation of our Faith everyday by the way we live and forgive. Proclamation using words and deeds!

In the days to come, we will discuss the Credo Commitment and its ramifications in more detail. For now, consider carefully joining Jesus in His Commitment to us: To quote St. Augustine again, ” God created us without our help but He won’t save us without our help.” That is, Jesus is here to save our families, our crumbling society and our Church but He uses us to open the door for Him, just as He used St. Paul and St. Luke to open the door of Lydia’s heart in Phillipi (Acts 16:14).  Jesus is going in to rescue those who are dying and we need to step up and help Him.

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On May 13, Feast of Our Lady of Fatima, Pray for Peace!

Posted on May 12, 2013 by

Newspaper account of 70,000 people who viewed the Miracle of the Sun in Fatima, Portugal on October 13, 1917

It has been noted by many people that the Arab Spring has quickly become the Christian Winter. That is, as virulent rulers oust other virulent rulers in predominantly Arab countries, the tiny Christian communities usually suffer. The pendulum between Islam and Christianity has swung back and forth since the eighth century so often that many people in the West lose interest until an incident like the bombing at the Boston Marathon last month reignites the debate.

I know too many astute and kind Muslims to paint every believer as a radical. Most people of good will realize stereotyping  isn’t fair. So, in light of the unrelenting attacks made against innocent people just because of their Christian beliefs, what are we to think? And, more importantly, how are we to pray?

Committed Catholics have some guidance on this last question from heaven itself, from Our Lady of Fatima. Since May 13 is the 96th Anniversary of Blessed Mother’s first appearance in this tiny town in Portugal, it is an appropriate moment to review her messages to the world there and especially her Peace Plan. Those who love her know that we can rest assured that she loves all her children, no matter their religion or ethnicity; that she has no agenda other than she had while she lived on earth, to bring Christ to everyone and everyone to Christ; and that, as she has told us many times, she is dependent on our cooperation in order for this to happen.

Even though I knew bits and pieces of the Fatima/Muslim connection, I wasn’t aware of the full circle. Bishop Fulton Sheen wrote about it in his book, “The World’s First Love, Mary Mother of God”, chapter 17 (Ignatius Press). But for our discernment and prayer, I’d like to post a column written in 2001 for Soul Magazine by the then Director of the Blue Army. I’ve obtained this enlightening article from the EWTN online library.

OUR LADY AND ISLAM: HEAVEN’S PEACE PLAN    
Fr Ladis J. Cizik, Blue Army National Executive Director

Islam

Islam is an Arabic word that can be defined as “to make peace.” Islam is the religion founded by Mohammed, which considers the Koran as its holy book. In addition, Islam accepts the New Testament of the Christians and the Old Testament of the Jews as Divinely inspired works. Followers of Islam are known as Muslims (also: Moors, Turks, and Moslems) and, just as Jews and Christians, believe in only one God. Yet, over the centuries, Muslims have engaged in tremendous wars with Christians and Jews. It would seem that there is little hope for peace. However, Heaven’s Peace Plan, involving Our Lady, is evidenced at Fatima, Portugal as well as other places around the world.FatimaThe Moors once occupied Portugal. The village of Fatima was given the Islamic name of the well-loved Princess of the nearby Castle of Ourem. She died at an early age after marrying the Count of Ourem and converting to Catholicism. Baptized with the Christian name of Oureana, she was named at birth “Fatima,” like many other Moslem girls, in honor of the daughter of Mohammed. Of his daughter, Fatima, the founder of Islam, Mohammed, said: “She has the highest place in heaven after the Virgin Mary.”

It is a fact that Moslems from various nations, especially from the Middle East, make so many pilgrimages to Our Lady of Fatima’s Shrine in Portugal that Portuguese officials have expressed concern. The combination of an Islamic name and Islamic devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary is a great attraction to Moslems. God is writing straight with crooked lines, as we will see. Fatima is a part of Heaven’s Peace Plan. It is hope for the world.

The Koran

In the Koran, the holy name of the Blessed Virgin Mary is mentioned no less than thirty times. No other woman’s name is even mentioned, not even that of Mohammed’s daughter, Fatima. Among men, only Abraham, Moses, and Noah are mentioned more times than Our Lady. In the Koran, Our Blessed Mother is described as “Virgin, ever Virgin.” The Islamic belief in the virginity of Mary puts to shame the heretical beliefs of those who call themselves Christian, while denying the perpetual virginity of Mary. Make no mistake about it, there is a very special relationship between the Blessed Virgin Mary and the Moslems!

The Holy Land

The Holy Land has been a real battleground between the Islamic peoples and Christianity over the centuries. Evidence of this are the numerous churches and basilicas that have been built by the Church, destroyed by, the Moslems, rebuilt by Catholic Crusaders, leveled again by the followers of Islam, and so on over the course of history. However, there is one remarkable exception: the Basilica of Saint Anne in Jerusalem.

The Crusaders built this church and named it in honor of the mother of the Blessed Virgin Mary. In the Crypt of St. Anne’s Basilica, a statue of the Infant Mary is venerated on what is believed to be the exact spot where Our Lady was born. Their great reverence for Our Lady precluded the Moslems from destroying her birthplace. The foundation for Heaven’s Peace Plan at Fatima, Portugal, can be found in the Land of Our Lord Jesus Christ.

Spain

As the Moslems swept through Spain in the 8th century, a great religious treasure was buried for safe-keeping in the earth, high in the Estremadura Mountains. It was a much venerated statue of Our Lady holding the Divine Child Jesus that was a gift of Pope Gregory the Great to Bishop Leander of Seville. After the overthrow of Moorish occupation, the image was uncovered in the year 1326, subsequent to a vision of Our Lady to a humble shepherd by the name of Gil. Our Lady’s very special statue was enshrined in a nearby Franciscan Monastery next to the “Wolf River.”

The Moslems, during their Spanish occupation, had actually named the river. The Islamic term for Wolf River is “Guadalupe” (Guada = River; Lupe = Wolf). Hence, the famous Catholic image in Spain has been known, since the 14th century, by the Islamic name of “Our Lady of Guadalupe.”

Mexico

In the fullness of time, we can be sure that Almighty God knew that the Islamic religion would pose a serious threat to Christianity. God also knew that the Spanish missionaries would face grave resistance in the “new world” from the mighty Aztec Indians. The Aztecs worshipped an evil stone “serpent god” that demanded human sacrifice. It was extremely difficult to win souls for Christ from these bloodthirsty savages. However, with God all things are possible. Our Lady appeared to a humble Aztec Indian convert by the name of Juan Diego in 1531. When asked her name by Juan Diego, at the request of the local bishop, Our Lady’s response, in the Aztec language, included the words “te coatlaxopeuh” (pronounced: “te quatlasupe”) and meant “one who crushes the head of the stone serpent.”

To Juan Diego and his fellow Aztecs, this revelation had great meaning, coupled with the miraculous image of Our Lady standing on top of a “crescent,” the symbol of this evil serpent god. A tidal wave of conversions to Catholicism ensued. However, Bishop Zumarraga, who was from Spain, made what was no doubt a “heavenly mistake” that one day may lead to the mass conversion of Moslems. To the Bishop’s Spanish ears, Our Lady’s Aztec name of “Te Quatlasupe” sounded just like the name of the revered Madonna from Spain with the Islamic name, “Guadalupe.” Hence, the bishop named the Mexican Madonna “Our Lady of Guadalupe.” It is interesting that the “crescent” is also the symbol for Islam and that America’s Shrine to Our Lady has an Islamic name.

Battle of Lepanto

On October 7, 1571, a great victory over the mighty Turkish fleet was won by Catholic naval forces primarily from Spain, Venice, and Genoa under the command of Don Juan of Austria. It was the last battle at sea between “oared” ships, which featured the most powerful navy in the world, a Moslem force with between 12,000 to 15,000 Christian slaves as rowers. The patchwork team of Catholic ships was powered by the Holy Rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Knowing that the Christian forces were at a distinct material disadvantage, the holy pontiff, St. Pope Pius V called for all of Europe to pray the Rosary for victory. We know today that the victory was decisive, prevented the Islamic invasion of Europe, and evidenced the Hand of God working through Our Lady. At the hour of victory, St. Pope Pius V, who was hundreds of miles away at the Vatican, is said to have gotten up from a meeting, went over to a window, and exclaimed with supernatural radiance: “The Christian fleet is victorious!” and shed tears of thanksgiving to God.

What you may not know is that one of three admirals commanding the Catholic forces at Lepanto was Andrea Doria. He carried a small copy of Mexico’s Our Lady of Guadalupe into battle. This image is now enshrined in the Church of San Stefano in Aveto, Italy. Not many know that at the Monastery of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Spain, one can view a huge warship lantern that was captured from the Moslems in the Battle of Lepanto. In Rome, look up to the ceiling of S. Maria in Aracoeli and behold decorations in gold taken from the Turkish galleys. In the Doges’ Palace in Venice, Italy, one can witness a giant Islamic flag that is now a trophy from a vanquished Turkish ship from the Victory. At Saint Mary Major Basilica in Rome, close to the tomb of the great St. Pope Pius V, one was once able to view yet another Islamic flag from the Battle, until 1965, when it was returned to Istanbul in an intended friendly token of concord.

The Rosary

At Lepanto, the Victory over the Moslems was won by the faithful praying the Rosary. Even though they had superior numbers, the Turks really were overmatched. Blessed Padre Pio, the Spiritual Father of the Blue Army, said: “The Rosary is the weapon,” and how right he was!

The Battle of Lepanto was at first celebrated liturgically as “Our Lady of Victory.” Later, the feast of October 7th was renamed “Our Lady of the Rosary” and extended throughout the Universal Church by Pope Clement XI in 1716 (who canonized Pope Pius V in 1712).

And with that we are back to Fatima, Portugal where Our Lady, when asked her name, said: “I am the Lady of the Rosary.” At Fatima, Our Lady taught us to pray the Rosary every day. Heaven presented its peace plan at Fatima and truly gave us hope for the world. Conversions were promised at Fatima: the conversion of sinners; the conversion of Russia; and what also appears to be the conversion of Islam. Our Lady of the Rosary, pray for us!
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Mary, Most Simple by Bishop J. Terry Steib, S.V.D.

Mary, Most Simple by Bishop J. Terry Steib, S.V.D.

Mary Most Simple – a woman in love with her God and her family!

During the month of May, we honor the Blessed Virgin Mary. We see her as holy. After all, she is the Queen of Heaven and Earth. She is the Mother of God.

Like Mary, we are called God’s beloved daughters and sons, the temples of the Holy Spirit, and the bearers of Christ to the world. But we look at Mary and can sometimes be overwhelmed by how far above us she is.

Yet, Mary saw herself simply as “the handmaid of the Lord.” Her greatness is really in her simplicity as a simple, down-to-earth person. As a young lady, Mary followed the simple custom of engagement so the announcement of the Archangel Gabriel troubled and surprised her. But in trust, she consented to the normal role of being with child, married Joseph and gave birth. She nursed and weaned her child. With Joseph, she taught her child to talk, walk and read, like other parents. Mary cooked, hauled water, and cleaned house. She decorated for celebrations and planned surprises. She loved, pondered and treasured.

Mary initiated the miracle at the wedding in Cana. She hastened to see Jesus when some said that he had gone mad. She walked with Jesus on his Via Dolorosa and stood at his cross. She embraced his dead body and buried her beloved son. She served as a mother to the friends and followers of Jesus. She showed them how to wait upon the Spirit. On Pentecost, she was with them as the Word again became Flesh – their flesh – in the power of the Holy Spirit. She was assumed to heaven, taken body and soul, to our eternal heavenly home. And there, she is present to us always as our Mother, Queen of Peace, Mother of the Church.

This Mary Most Simple simply lived her daily life extraordinarily well. In this Year of Faith, we would do well to imitate the faith of Mary, who trusted in God. “Let it be done unto me according to your word,” she would say. Her faith was a confident assurance concerning what we hope for, and convictions about things we do not see. She trusted God. Her faith was solid.

Like Mary, we can find confident assurance that everything is going to be alright. Faith reminds us that all things are not made easy, but all things are made possible. Faith reminds us that whatever the situation is, God will handle it and God is still in control. Or, as the Letter to the Hebrews says: “Faith is confident assurance concerning what we hope for, and conviction about things we do not see.” (Heb. 11:1).

But, how do we live like Mary in our day? Our world needs love and mercy! St. Paul, in his letter to the Colossians listed virtues that will help us to live like Mary. He says we should possess heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience, and forgiveness. But then he says: “Over all these virtues, put on love.” And why? Because if we have love, we WILL be compassionate; we will be kind and gentle. We will be able to serve God by caring for the people in our lives.
We can be a legion of love in the name of the God of love, a legion of mercy built on the example of Mary, Mother of the Church.

In the Divine Word,
Bishop J. Terry Steib, SVD

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Because We Are In Him By Grace Even Now by St. Augustine

Posted on May 9, 2013 by

Today our Lord Jesus Christ ascended into heaven; let our hearts ascend with him. Listen to the words of the Apostle: If you have risen with Christ, set your hearts on the things that are above where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God; seek the things that are above, not the things that are on earth. For just as he remained with us even after his ascension, so we too are already in heaven with him, even though what is promised us has not yet been fulfilled in our bodies.

  Christ is now exalted above the heavens, but he still suffers on earth all the pain that we, the members of his body, have to bear. He showed this when he cried out from above: Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me? and when he said: I was hungry and you gave me food. 
  Why do we on earth not strive to find rest with him in heaven even now, through the faith, hope and love that unites us to him? While in heaven he is also with us; and we while on earth are with him. He is here with us by his divinity, his power and his love. We cannot be in heaven, as he is on earth, by divinity, but in him, we can be there by love.
  He did not leave heaven when he came down to us; nor did he withdraw from us when he went up again into heaven. The fact that he was in heaven even while he was on earth is borne out by his own statement: No one has ever ascended into heaven except the one who descended from heaven, the Son of Man, who is in heaven.
  These words are explained by our oneness with Christ, for he is our head and we are his body. No one ascended into heaven except Christ because we also are Christ: he is the Son of Man by his union with us, and we by our union with him are the sons of God. So the Apostle says: Just as the human body, which has many members, is a unity, because all the different members make one body, so is it also with Christ. He too has many members, but one body.
  Out of compassion for us he descended from heaven, and although he ascended alone, we also ascend, because we are in him by grace. Thus, no one but Christ descended and no one but Christ ascended; not because there is no distinction between the head and the body, but because the body as a unity cannot be separated from the head.

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Evangelization 101 by Fr. Ben Bradshaw

Evangelization 101 by Fr. Ben Bradshaw

So what does one do if their child, spouse, or sibling has left the faith? In proper form let us first say what one should not do (As a disclaimer, I would say that the following are drawn entirely from personal opinion based upon pastoral experiences and my own acquaintances who have left the faith): We should not call them repeatedly asking if they went to Mass on Sunday. As a general rule, this tends to be counter-productive for most. We should not come to Mass with our children on Sunday, gossiping about others all the way there and all the way home. We should not “talk” the Catholic faith, all the while “walking” the walk of pornography which we naively think our children are unaware of. We should not send our children to PRE or Catholic schools to learn the faith, without actually taking the time to know it and live it ourselves.

Vis-à-vis these elements of what should be avoided, there are some things we should do: Show healthy affection and deep respect for one’s spouse and allow your children see it from time to time (this is a tremendous catechesis on marriage and faith). We should allow our children to see us standing in line at least a few times a year for confession (as a priest I do the same thing). They won’t forget it.

Finally, we should actually learn our faith. Ask yourself the following questions: What are the four marks of the faith? What are the mysteries of the rosary? How did we get the rosary? Why is it important that Mary was virginal? What is the difference between the Assumption and Ascension? What do the individual liturgical colors mean? What are the four cardinal virtues? What are the two liturgies that compose the Catholic mass? What are the gifts of the Holy Spirit? Why are priests celibate? What is the difference between an occupation and a vocation? What is the difference between the Catholic bible and the Protestant bible? What are the four parts of the Catechism of the Catholic Church? Does hell really exist? While most Catholics believe these basic facets of the faith, few can actually articulate them. As the apostle Peter noted, learning our faith, explaining our faith, and living our faith are prerequisites to helping those considering leaving our faith: “Always be ready to give an explanation to anyone who asks you for a reason for your hope” (1Pt 3:15).

Moral truth and personal holiness are inextricably linked. As the Christian adage asserts, “Integrity is the best catechesis,” so too is the personal witness of love, prayer, and obedience to the faith pivotal in helping to secure our fellow Catholics and children in the faith as well. In his typically frank and non-assuming manner, Pope Francis has consistently reiterated this point during his brief tenure as Pontiff. If we genuinely believe then that “all reform begins with reform of self,” then the first step in bringing back a “fallen away” Catholic is to take a long hard look in the mirror.

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God Sees

Posted on May 6, 2013 by

new and oldIn the book, “On Heaven and Earth”, the then-Cardinal Bergoglio explained how the elderly are often forgotten in a society fixated on self. “There are many who abandon those who fed them, who educated them, who wiped their bottoms,” the future pope said. “It hurts me to see this; it makes me weep inside.”

The now Pope Francis described the value of old age and the importance of preserving the memories that are transmitted through the elders of a community. He goes on to observe that, “God must be very fond of the old because those who are pious with their parents are promised many blessings.”

Since God placed the treatment of parents immediately after the first three Commandments which deal with how human beings should treat God, it is hard to over-emphasize the importance He places on this injunction. As with other violations of human dignity in our self-centered culture, there are a variety of euphemisms which have been devised to conceal the truth of the action of ignoring or locking away an elderly person from the family or those who are responsible: “It’s for mother’s own good” or “We are putting you here for rehab, Dad” or, what a friend told me once not long ago, “We travel a lot and just had to put mom someplace so we can come and go” are all examples of the duplicity that this decision often involves.

The Pope is trying to remind us that, whatever fig leaves we use, God sees.

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