Nolite Timere

Pilipivka

God is too wise to be mistaken.
God is too good to be unkind.
So when you don't understand,
When you don't see His plan,
When you can't trace His hand,
Trust His heart.
-- Eddie Carswell and Babbie Mason

Listen to the First Baptist Church, Durham, North Carolina, performing this powerful song.

01:07 PM | Permalink

Medjugorje: Our Lady's Message

Message of October 25, 2005

Little children, believe, pray and love, and God will be near you. He will give you the gift of all the graces you seek from Him. I am a gift to you, because, from day to day, God permits me to be with you and to love each of you with immeasurable love. Therefore, little children, in prayer and humility, open your hearts and be witnesses of my presence. Thank you for having responded to my call.

09:34 AM | Permalink

I'm thinking about this...

Responding to a woman's intention to become ordained in international waters between Canada and the United States, waters not falling under the jurisdiction of any particular Catholic diocese, a Vancouver priest is reported to have said the following:

Father Glenn Dion of Vancouver's Holy Rosary Cathedral says the church has nothing against women. But he supports the Catholic tradition of reserving the holy pulpit for males only, and refuses to recognize the upcoming service.

"They might become women who went through some kind of a ceremony, but in terms of the Catholic teaching, they're incapable of becoming priests," Dion tells CTV Vancouver. "They don't have the intrinsic maleness to accomplish receiving that grace."

Dion says he wants to uphold the Catholic traditions and teachings that have been around for more than 2,000 years.

"The priesthood of Christ is a characterization of the man himself. Jesus was a man. And we are ordained as an imitation of Him, in the person of Christ," he adds.

"There's no ambivalence about that." [Link]

Then there's this (Ephesians 2:3-22):

All of us once lived among them in the desires of our flesh, following the wishes of the flesh and the impulses, and we were by nature children of wrath, like the rest. But God, who is rich in mercy, because of the great love he had for us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, brought us to life with Christ (by grace you have been saved), raised us up with him, and seated us with him in the heavens in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not from you; it is the gift of God; it is not from works, so no one may boast. For we are his handiwork, created in Christ Jesus for the good works that God has prepared in advance, that we should live in them. Therefore, remember that at one time you, Gentiles in the flesh, called the uncircumcision by those called the circumcision, which is done in the flesh by human hands, were at that time without Christ, alienated from the community of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, without hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have become near by the blood of Christ. For he is our peace, he who made both one and broke down the dividing wall of enmity, through his flesh, abolishing the law with its commandments and legal claims, that he might create in himself one new person in place of the two, thus establishing peace, and might reconcile both with God, in one body, through the cross, putting that enmity to death by it. He came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near, for through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father. So then you are no longer strangers and sojourners, but you are fellow citizens with the holy ones and members of the household of God, built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the capstone. Through him the whole structure is held together and grows into a temple sacred in the Lord; in him you also are being built together into a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.

And, of course, this (Galatians 3:15-29):

Brothers, in human terms I say that no one can annul or amend even a human will once ratified. Now the promises were made to Abraham and to his descendant. It does not say, "And to descendants," as referring to many, but as referring to one, "And to your descendant," who is Christ. This is what I mean: the law, which came four hundred and thirty years afterward, does not annul a covenant previously ratified by God, so as to cancel the promise. For if the inheritance comes from the law, it is no longer from a promise; but God bestowed it on Abraham through a promise. Why, then, the law? It was added for transgressions, until the descendant came to whom the promise had been made; it was promulgated by angels at the hand of a mediator. Now there is no mediator when only one party is involved, and God is one. Is the law then opposed to the promises (of God)? Of course not! For if a law had been given that could bring life, then righteousness would in reality come from the law. But scripture confined all things under the power of sin, that through faith in Jesus Christ the promise might be given to those who believe. Before faith came, we were held in custody under law, confined for the faith that was to be revealed. Consequently, the law was our disciplinarian for Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a disciplinarian. For through faith you are all children of God in Christ Jesus. For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free person, there is not male and female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's descendant, heirs according to the promise.

There's a lot here to think about.

04:33 PM | Permalink

Insights from the Movies

I had an interesting experience yesterday. I saw the movie Kingdom of Heaven with Orlando Bloom. I was a little skeptical about seeing it, at first, because I couldn't really imagine anything good out of a film treatment of the Crusades. Surprisingly, I came away from the movie with a sense that the movie was less about religion than about the real meaning of nobility and honor in the context of faith. Good and bad people were portrayed on both the Christian and Muslim sides of the conflict. Those who were good kept to a sense of honor and self-sacrifice for the welfare of others. Those who were bad acted out of self-interest and greed.

I came away from the moving with a surprising sense of melancholy, and it took me a while to figure out what that was about. Then I realized that I was feeling a sense of melancholy because I couldn't see much characterological nobility or honor in the the world. I felt convinced that it just didn't exist any more and that those people who actually try to act out of love for neighbor, out of a sense of fellowship and care, well, those people were doomed to fail.

Later that evening, I watched another movie, this one at home. The second movie was Dead Man Walking with Susan Sarandon. I hadn't seen it before, although I had seen the Sister involved in that story interviewed during the last days of Pope John Paul II's life. After watching Dead Man Walking, I realized that virtue, nobility, and honor do exist in the world, but we don't always see them. The most noble, virtuous, and honorable don't do what they do for recognition, and we frequently fail to notice their work or efforts. Nevertheless, they exist, but it took a movie to remind me of that.

11:41 PM | Permalink

Love is not Resentful

Although the following text comes originally from a Lenten message of Pope John Paul II, the content of it reflects themes that are important to me at this time. Perhaps you will find something of value in the following excerpts too:

"Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem" (Mk 10:33). With these words, the Lord invites the disciples to journey with him on the path that leads from Galilee to the place where he will complete his redemptive mission. This journey to Jerusalem, which the Evangelists present as the crowning moment of the earthly journey of Jesus, is the model for the Christian who is committed to following the Master on the way of the Cross. Christ also invites the men and women of today to "go up to Jerusalem"....

In today’s world, there is much generous witness to the Gospel, but there are also baptized people who, when faced with the demanding call to "go up to Jerusalem", remain deaf and resistant, even at times openly rebellious. There are situations where people’s experience of prayer is rather superficial, so that the word of God does not enter deeply into their lives....

How should we respond to the invitation to conversion that Jesus addresses to us in this time of Lent? How can there be a serious change in our life? First of all, we must open our hearts to the penetrating call that comes to us from the Liturgy. The time of preparation for Easter is a providential gift from the Lord and a precious opportunity to draw closer to him, turning inward to listen to his promptings deep within....

There are Christians who think they can dispense with this unceasing spiritual effort, because they do not see the urgency of standing before the truth of the Gospel. Lest their way of life be upset, they seek to take words like "Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you" (Lk 6:27) and render them empty and innocuous. For these people, it is extremely difficult to accept such words and to translate them into consistent patterns of behaviour. They are in fact words which, if taken seriously, demand a radical conversion. On the other hand, when we are offended or hurt, we are tempted to succumb to the psychological impulses of self-pity and revenge, ignoring Jesus’ call to love our enemy. Yet the daily experiences of human life show very clearly how much forgiveness and reconciliation are indispensable if there is to be genuine renewal, both personal and social. This applies not only to interpersonal relationships, but also to relationships between communities and nations....

Christians cannot remain indifferent....

The only path to peace is forgiveness. Forgiveness given and received enables a new kind of relationship among people, breaking the spiral of hatred and revenge and shattering the chains of evil which bind the hearts of those in conflict with one another. For nations in search of reconciliation and for those who hope for peaceful co-existence between individuals and peoples, there is no other way than this: forgiveness given and received. How full of salutary lessons are the words of the Lord: "Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be children of your Father who is in heaven; for he makes his sun rise on the evil and the good and sends rain on the just and the unjust" (Mt 5:44-45)! To love those who have offended us is to disarm them and to turn even a battle-field into an arena of mutual support and cooperation....

It is not easy to be converted to forgiveness and reconciliation. To choose reconciliation can seem problematic enough when we ourselves are at fault. But if the fault is someone else’s, reconciliation may even seem a senseless humiliation. An inner conversion is required if this step is to be taken; the courage to be humbly obedient to Jesus’ command is needed. His word leaves no doubt: not only those who provoke hostility but also those who are its victim must seek reconciliation (cf. Mt 5:23-24). Christians must make peace even when they feel that they are victims of those who have struck and hurt them unjustly. This was how the Lord himself acted. He expects his disciple to follow him, and in this way cooperate in redeeming his brothers and sisters....

"Love is not resentful" (1 Cor 13:5). With these words from the First Letter to the Corinthians, the Apostle Paul recalls that forgiveness is one of the highest forms of the practice of charity. The season of Lent is a favourable time to explore still more deeply the meaning of this truth. Through the Sacrament of Reconciliation, the Father gives us in Christ his pardon, and this impels us to live in love, seeing others not as an enemies but as brothers and sisters.

May this time of penance and reconciliation encourage believers to think and act according to true charity, open to every human circumstance. This inner disposition will ensure that believers will bear the fruits of the Spirit (cf. Gal 5:22) and that with a heart renewed they will offer material help to those in need.

A heart reconciled with God and neighbour is a generous heart. In the holy season of Lent the "collection" assumes a special meaning, because it is not a matter of giving from one’s surplus in order to soothe one’s conscience, but of taking upon oneself in a spirit of fraternal concern the misery present in the world. To look upon the sorrowing face and the suffering of so many brothers and sisters cannot fail to prompt us to share at least some part of our own possessions with those who are in difficulty....

Pope John Paul II, Lenten Message - January 7, 2001

01:46 AM | Permalink

Novemdiales: 9

Popejpii
Photo: Claudio Luffoli, AP

"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!

Lord, who reveal the Father's love by your death and Resurrection, we believe in you and confidently repeat to you today: Jesus, I trust in you, have mercy upon us and upon the whole world."
- excerpted from the final Regina Coeli, Pope John Paul II, Feast of Divine Mercy, Second Sunday of Easter, April 3, 2005

Pray for Me
By Michael W. Smith
(Listen to a sound clip of this song.)

Here is where the road divides
Here is where we realize
The sculpting of the father’s great design
Through time you’ve been a friend to me
But time is now the enemy
I wish we didn’t have to say goodbye
But I know the road he chose for me
Is not the road he chose for you
So as we chase the dreams we’re after

Pray for me and I’ll pray for you
Pray that we will keep the common ground
Won’t you pray for me and I’ll pray for you
And one day love will bring us back around again

Painted on our tapestry
We see the way it has to be
Weaving through the laughter and the tears
But love will be the tie that binds us
To the time we leave behind us
Memories will be our souvenirs
And I know that through it all
The hardest part of love is letting go
But there’s a greater love that holds us

Pray for me and I’ll pray for you
Pray that we will keep the common ground
Won’t you pray for me and I’ll pray for you
And one day love will bring us back around again

09:49 PM | Permalink

Novemdiales: 8

"Jesus invited us to turn to God with insistence and the confidence that we will be heard: “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you” (Mt 7:7). The basis for this power of prayer is the goodness of the Father, but also the mediation of Christ himself (cf. 1Jn 2:1) and the working of the Holy Spirit who “intercedes for us” according to the will of God (cf. Rom 8:26-27). For “we do not know how to pray as we ought” (Rom 8:26), and at times we are not heard “because we ask wrongly” (cf. Jas 4:2-3). In support of the prayer which Christ and the Spirit cause to rise in our hearts, Mary intervenes with her maternal intercession."
- excerpted from Pope John Paul II, Apostolic Letter Rosarium Virginis Mariae, October 16, 2002

Mother Mary, please pray for the repose of the soul of Pope John Paul II.

12:34 AM | Permalink

Novemdiales: 7

""Adoro Te devote, latens Deitas!". Let us raise our eyes to Jesus in the Eucharist; let us contemplate him and repeat to him together these words written by St Thomas Aquinas that express all our faith and love: "Devoutly I adore you, hidden Deity, under these appearances concealed".

In an epoch marked by hatred, selfishness, the desire for false happiness, by the decadence of customs, the absence of father and mother figures, instability in numerous young families and by widespread frailty and hardship to which many young people fall prey, we look to you, Jesus in the Eucharist, with renewed hope. In spite of our sins we trust in your divine Mercy. We repeat to you, together with the disciples of Emmaus, "Mane nobiscum Domine!", "Stay with us, Lord!". In the Eucharist you restore to the Father all that comes from him and thus bring about a profound mystery of the justice due to the Creator on behalf of the creature. The heavenly Father has created us in his image and likeness; from him we received the gift of life, whose preciousness from conception until death we become particularly aware of when it is threatened and manipulated.

We adore you, Jesus, and we thank you, for you make truly present in the Eucharist the mystery of that unique gift you offered to the Father 2,000 years ago with your sacrifice on the Cross, a sacrifice that redeemed the whole of humanity and all creation."
- excerpted from Message of John Paul II to the Young People of Rome and Lazio Gathered for Eucharist Adoration in the Basilica of St. John Lateran, March 15, 2005

Hail Mary full of grace, the Lord is with you.
Blessed are you amongst women, and
Blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus.
Holy Mary Mother of God, pray for us sinners,
Now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

Hail Mary full of grace, the Lord is with you.
Blessed are you amongst women, and
Blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus,
For you have borne Christ, the Saviour and
Deliverer of our souls. Amen.

12:26 AM | Permalink

Novemdiales: 6

"Let us open our hearts to the inner promptings of grace. May selfishness give way to love, so that we may experience the joy of forgiveness and intimate reconciliation with God and with our brothers and sisters."
- excerpted from Pope John Paul's II, Audience, Febraury 23, 2005

I Am the Bread of Life
By Suzanne Toolan, 1971
(Listen to an excerpt of this hymn here.)

I am the bread of life
He who comes to me shall not hunger
He who believes in me shall not thirst
No one can come to me, unless the Father draw him