November 14, Friday - A busy Prayer

By Friar Casey - Cardinal Differences

New post on Breaking In The Habit

Cardinal Differences by friarcasey While these two men have very different visions for the life of the Church, they are unquestionably Catholic It was quite a remarkable week at the Catholic University of America. In what we were told was "completely coincidental," two different (and I mean different) Cardinals found their way onto campus to give lectures about the Church. On Monday, Gerhard Cardinal Müller, the prefect of the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF), gave a lecture to the public, and on Tuesday prayed evening prayer and gave a lecture before a private audience of seminarians. On Thursday, Walter Cardinal Kasper received a medal for "Excellence in Scholarship and Leadership in Religious Studies" from the Catholic University of America and gave a lecture entitled, "Theological Background of the Ecclesiological Ecumenical Vision of Pope Francis." For those not up on the latest gossip--I mean news--within the Vatican regarding the Synod on the Family, this is quite a coupling of Cardinals to have speak in one week. Both men have been the center of attention of media personnel, and many have caricatured these men against one another as theological and political enemies, one being the progressive in favor of doctrinal change, the other the conservative defending the faith against heresy. While there is some truth to this, as they appear to have taken different stances on a couple of key issues, it seems to me to be a gross oversimplification of the issues and an attempt to create schism where no schism exists. These men hold different points of view regarding the life of the Church, sure, but they are also very Catholic in doing so. Of the two, Müller's was certainly the drier of the lectures. Being the prefect of the CDF, one did not expect him to present anything revolutionary or controversial. Added to that, language was definitely a barrier, meaning that his entire lecture and even much of the question-and-answer session, was read from prewritten statements. As far as presentation goes, I have to admit, I struggled to stay awake. At the same time, though, it was a really worthwhile experience. Attended by and geared toward seminarians alone, the whole evening was a pretty inspiring event. While the Franciscans (OFM) and the Dominicans appeared to be the only religious in attendance (ahem... Carmelites, Capuchins, TORs, Conventuals, Paulists...), there were hundreds of seminarians in attendance, all students at CUA. That was pretty amazing to see. Vocations to religious life and the priesthood are by no means where they need to be, but it's clear that there has been a small resurgence in numbers over the past five to ten years. Müller took notice of this, but seemed to indicate that quality is more important than quantity. Encouraging us to embrace the process of growth and conversion, he told us that seminary and formation were not simply, "I believe ze English term is 'hoops to jump troo.'" We must always ground ourselves in faith, and recognize our journey in the life of the Eucharistic celebration. With the mass as our foundation, seminary and formation is not the step before we get to where we're going, but rather the experience of Christ right now on our journey of faith. As an added "bonus" to the night, Cardinal Müller shook each of our hands, took a group picture, and invited us to tour the Saint John Paul II exhibit recently opened. (More about this experience at the end.) But as worthwhile as our evening with Cardinal Müller was, it pales in comparison to Cardinal Kasper's lecture. Let's just say that the man was candid, casual, and full of joy with the current pope. Francis, he said, is Jesuit to the core (not a Franciscan in disguise.) Unlike his predecessor who exercised faith from the standpoint of his intellect and theory, Francis' faith is rooted in experience and defined by practical measures. Distinctly South American, he exemplifies a method of theology found in the liberation theologians: see, judge, act. Unlike the liberation theologians, however, the Gospel is not primarily a message of liberation, but rather joy, and joy cannot be contained. It is God's mercy that defines the Gospel, not law. As such, social justice is not some far off ideal we seek, but rather "the minimum amount of mercy" required by all. The Gospel requires more than just the minimum, more than just "what is due." It requires mercy. Through this lens, he described, Francis' understanding of the Church is straight out of the Second Vatican Council, even if he never mentions it. "He doesn't mention Vatican II a lot. The reason for this is not that he doesn't agree with it, it's that that he has embodied it so completely in himself." For Francis, the Church should not be like a business in which the CEO dictates the mission and the heads of each department work towards pleasing the boss, guided by strict laws and protocols; the Church is not a top-down institution with the pope as the sole source and authority of truth, dictating doctrine for everyone to follow. The Church is the people of God, the messianic people, the sensus fidei, and he wants full participation from everyone, particularly the laity. Just as the outwardly written "doctrines" are secondary to the inward gifts of the Holy Spirit through the Gospel, the Magisterium is there, not to impose burdens on the people, but to listen to and serve the people of God. When the Church becomes self-centered, failing to move to the peripheries of society and Church out of fear, the joy of the Gospel does not get communicated. (I've intended to write a post about Francis, and maybe I'll get there, but can I just go on record to say that I love this guy?) It's here, I guess, that the reflective piece of this post begins, and the true purpose of writing comes out. Having listened to two Cardinals with very different tones this week, and having spent a lot of time in conversation about the differences between the papacies of John Paul II and Francis, (not to mention the fact that there were two people protesting outside of one of the lectures!) I cannot help but recognize that each of these men is truly Catholic in his theology and understanding of Church, even if I prefer one over another. I think Cardinal Kasper's very candid opening line of his lecture expresses what I want to say: "For some of you, the papacy of Francis is a spring of new life, a great warmth after a winter that has lasted for many years; for others of you, it is an unwelcome cold spell that has caused you to grab your coat and pray for a short winter." This is not a new phenomenon, nor does it indicate that we are headed towards schism. To have a different perspective on Church, and thus, to be disappointed with the Church's leadership at a given time, does not make someone a good or bad Catholic. As I walked around the John Paul II exhibit, I couldn't help but be inspired by the many wonderful things he did and the great man of prayer that he always was; at the same time, I couldn't help but remember that his understanding of Church and style of leadership were far from my own, and that he did a lot to undo the reforms put in place by the Second Vatican Council that really define my own theology. And that's okay. You see, we live in a pluralistic world, and like it or not, worship in a pluralistic Church. Having now taken classes in Church history, history of theology, history of the sacraments, foundations of moral theology, and social ethics, it's clear to me that there has never been time in which everyone in the Church believed and acted the same way, even among the greatest of theologians. (Look at Saint Bonaventure and Saint Thomas Aquinas: contemporaries and doctors of the Church, they represent a Church moving in opposing directions. Look at East and West: truly faithful people that agree on every important dogmatic statement (minus one word that we added later...), both drawing their lineage all the way back to Jesus, and yet are very different in thought and practice.) While the experience of God's revelation in Christ is unchanging, the way we understand that revelation and live it out develops over time. Just because we may have different opinions about theology and Church organization does not mean that one is right and one is wrong, it simply means, as Kasper said, "The totality of God cannot fit into one human perspective." Instead of calling for Schism or name-calling among the people of faith, instead of a theology of arrogance that claims to know all that there is about the infinite, let us treat one another with humility of heart and joy for the Gospel, and do as St. Paul tells us: "Test everything; retain what is good." friarcasey | November 7, 2014 at 11:24 am | Tags: Cardinal Kasper, Cardinal Müller, Catholic Church, church, ecclesiology, ecumenism, Francis, John Paul II, pluralism, pluralistic | Categories: Post-Novitiate, Theology, Workshop | URL: http://wp.me/p1HGZ8-x0 Comment See all comments Like

Wednesday November 12 -And One Leper returned to give thanks. Today's Gospel Reading

Thought for tonight.

Let us pray for all our Veterans, living and deceased. Thank you for your service to us and for us.

Veterans’ service honored with parades, concerts — and prayer by Julie Asher

(CNS photo/Gregory L. Tracy, The Pilot)

Today, on Veterans’ Day, our nation's 19.6 million veterans will be honored with numerous concerts, including one in Washington this evening, as well as many parades and picnics. Archbishop Timothy P. Broglio of the U.S. Archdiocese for the Military Services suggests one more way to honor these men and women for their service: With prayer.

"Veterans Day invites us to pause for a moment and reflect on the lives of men and women who respond and responded to the needs of our nation," he said in a statement. "As it is November, a month dedicated to prayers for the dead, we remember many members of the Armed Forces who made the ultimate sacrifice or who died of natural causes later in life.

“However, we cannot forget those who continue to suffer the effects of their wounds either in mind or in body. They carry the reminders of their commitment and their past with them always. We pray for them, too, and we ask the Lord to give them consolation and healing," he said.

“The occasion is also propitious to remember the families who mourn the loss of a loved one or who support a disabled Veteran. We pray and offer them our support.”

Last Wednesday, the headquarters of the U.S. military archdiocese in Washington was officially named the "Edwin Cardinal O'Brien Pastoral Center."

Cardinal Edwin F. O’Brien, a former archbishop of Baltimore who is grand master of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem, was the U.S. military archbishop from 1997 to 2007. Archbishop Broglio, his successor, and the cardinal led a brief service and the unveiling of a sign bearing his name over the front door of the pastoral center. The brief service was attended by dozens of archdiocesan clergy, staff and supporters.

Then-Archbishop O’Brien headed the military archdiocese in 2005 when it acquired what was a seminary owned and operated by the Society of the Divine Word. He oversaw a major, two-year renovation of the five-story building -- with a loan from the Knights of Columbus. In 2007, with completely refurbished office space, the archdiocese moved in and for the first time could consolidate all of its operations in one location. The chapel has been outfitted with pews, an altar, tabernacle and other elements re-purposed from closed churches in Cleveland. A special room has been set aside to honor Father Vincent Capodanno, known as the "Grunt Padre." He died in Vietnam Sept. 4, 1967.

Father Capodanno, a Maryknoll priest and Navy chaplain, died in Operation Swift in the Thang Binh district of the Que Son Valley. He went among the wounded and dying, giving last rites. Wounded in the face and hand, he went to help a wounded corpsman only yards from an enemy machine gun and was killed. He is considered "one of the great military chaplains.

His canonization cause was officially opened in 2002. In 2004, the initial documentation for the cause was submitted to the Vatican's Congregation for Saints' Causes. In 2006, Father Capodanno, a native of Staten Island, N.Y., was declared a "servant of God."

Cardinal Edwin F. O'Brien blesses headquarters of U.S. military archdiocese in Washington. (CNS photo/Julie Asher)

Cardinal O'Brien, in remarks Nov. 5, said the headquarters of the military archdiocese "gives us a solid and permanent identity as a church of Christ in the Catholic tradition. It’s an announcement to all who would pass by -- the message that I always tried, and I think all our chaplains do -- is to convey, especially to our young people: there’s no contrast between a person of faith and a member of the military. There's no opposition.

"I always use the brief story of the good Samaritan going down the road and came upon a man who was half-dead, and he took care of him, put him on his donkey, brought him to a hotel, and so forth," the cardinal continued. "But two others had passed by before that. And they did nothing. My thought was ‘what if this good Samaritan was coming by and the man was being pelted half to death?’ Did he have a right to step back and say, ‘I’ll become a good Samaritan in about 10 minutes when the fight is over?’ Or did he have a right and an obligation to step in and do what had to be done, and only what had to be done, to put an end to that aggression? "

He concluded: "To be a member of the military is to have the potential of a wonderful vocation. One enters a service. Christ defined himself as one who came to serve, and not to be served.”

Julie Asher | November 11, 2014 at 11:18 am | Categories: CNS, military | URL: http://wp.me/peBMy-8c8

Monday November 10

Sister Claire Andre's Funeral Mass, November 7, 2014

Sister Claire Andre's Funeral Mass was  November 7th, 2014.

Sister Claire died November 4th.

Claire did  all her programs for her Wake Service

And Eucharistic Mass back in April, 2014.

 

At the Wake service Claire had asked Friar Jim Moore  OFM Conventual to share his memories of her and then she asked him to open  it up to the people attending and several did share their memories of her.

 

Sister Claire had asked Friar Justin Biase OFM Conventual

to be main celebrant,
Friar Andre Cirino OFM, homilist,

1st Reading , Friar David Moczulski OFM,
2nd Reading Claire's niece, Loren Rossi,
Gospel ,Friar Russell Governale OFM Conventual
and Sister Frances Vass to read the Communion Meditation.
John Gagliardi , Claire's youngest brother, gave the eulogy.

 

May God alone be given glory and praise.



Thursday November 6, 2014

Funeral Hours for Sister Claire Andre Gagliardi OSC

 Friday November 7th
Calling Hours for viewing is

• 8:30 AM to 10:30 AM
• 10:30   Wake Service
• 11:15 AM Eucharistic Liturgy for Sister Claire

With Great Sadness the Sisters Announce that our Sister Claire Andre OSC died November 4 at 7:30 AM-

Tuesday November 4

November 2 Prayer for Our Beloved Dead

All Souls Day - To pray for our beloved Dead November 2

TWO OUTPOURINGS OF GRACE AT ONCE

(A biblical reflection on the COMMEMORATION OF ALL SOULS – Sunday, 2 November 2014

Gospel Reading: John 6:37-40

First Reading: 2Maccabees 12:43-46; Psalms: Psalm 130:1-8; Second Reading: 1Corinthians 15:12-34

The Scripture Text
All that the Father gives Me will come to Me; and him who comes to Me I will not cast out. For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me; and this is the will of Him who sent Me, that I should lose nothing of all that He has given Me, but raise it up at the last day. For this is the will of My Father, that every one who sees the Son and believes in Him should have eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day. For this is the will of My Father, that every one who sees the Son and believes in Him should have eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day” (John 6:37-40 RSV)

This is one of those special days where we get two outpourings of grace at once. Traditionally, All Souls Day is set aside to pray for those in Purgatory. Drawing from Scripture and Sacred Tradition, the Church has taught that everyone who dies in God’s grace but is not yet perfectly purified undergoes a final purification. These are the ones who “will be saved, but only as through fire” (1Corinthians 3:15; see also the Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1030-1032). Similarly, various figures in the Old Testament “made atonement for the dead that they might be delivered from their sin” (2Maccabees 12:42). So this is the first outpouring. Today is a day to recall and intercede for those who are on the threshold of heaven.

What’s the second outpouring? Today is also a day to celebrate the firmness of our salvation. In baptism our old life was buried with Christ, and we have risen with Him into a whole new life. God does not want Jesus to lose anyone (John 6:39). Does this mean that now that we’re baptized we can sin all we want? Of course not! God hasn’t withdrawn His commandments. Common sense should tell us, as the Scriptures do (Mark 1:4,15; 16:16), that baptism must be accompanied by belief and repentance.

Today, God wants His love to so pierce our hearts that we would never want to offend Him or hurt anyone else. As we come to understand that we were lost in sin and that Jesus offered Himself up for us, we will want to imitate Him. Jesus’ love for us will move us to purify ourselves of every vestige of sin, every attitude that resists His words and His ways. Our outlook on ourselves and on the world will change, and we will become more and more like Jesus.

Why would we even want to wait for Purgatory? God is calling us to maturity – here and now – to receive all the gifts He wants to give us. He wants to empower us to build His Kingdom and spread His Gospel. By His grace we can change the world. Let’s do it!

Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are the bread of life that came down from heaven to bring us life. Nourish and strengthen us so that we might love as You love and in the end be welcomed into the beauty and wonder of Your Kingdom. Amen.

Jakarta, 1 November 2014 [ALL SAINTS DAY]

A Christian Pilgrim

achristianpilgrim | November 2, 2014 at 12:46 am | Tags: ALL SOULS DAY, PURGATORY | Categories: BIBLICAL REFLECTIONS 2014 | URL: http://wp.me/p1055h-2A0

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