Wednesday, October 27, 2021

The Spirit of Assisi

«THE SPIRIT OF ASSISI» The spirit of Assisi: it was Pope John Paul II who coined the expression. Since October 27th 1986, this "spirit" has been felt a little everywhere, losing none of the power of its first flowering. I have no intention of playing the old gardener, but, having been a fascinated witness of its germination in the Pope's thought and the privileged artisan of its blooming, I feel I can affirm: on that day I heard the world's heart-beat. A brief meeting on a hill, a word or two, a gesture, sufficed for fragmented humanity to joyfully rediscover its original unity. When, at the end of a grey morning, a rainbow appeared in the sky over Assisi, those leaders of religions, called together by the audacious prophet of one of them, Pope John Paul II, saw in it a pressing call to brotherhood: no one could doubt that it was prayer which had won this visible sign of concord between God and the descendants of Noah. At San Rufino Cathedral, when the heads of Christian Churches exchanged a sign of peace, I saw tears on the faces of some, and not of the least important ones. In front of St Francis' Basilica where, perished by the cold, each one seemed to draw closer in that elbow-to-elbow finale (John Paul II was beside the Dalai Lama), when some young Jews leaped up on to the platform to offer olive branches to us, and to Muslims first of all, I found myself wiping the tears from my own face. If I evoke that Day of Assisi with emotion, it is because I had obstinately led its laborious preparation between Charybde and Scylla, with the assistance of the Pontifical Council for the Unity of Christians and the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue. We had behind us no historical reference, before us no beacons. As the exegetes say, the meeting was a sort of "hapax" and it will certainly remain thus, unique, original and exemplary. The longing for peace between men and between peoples urged us " to come together to pray but not to pray together" as it was explained by the Pope, whose initiative, despite his concern to avoid even the appearance of syncretism, was at that time misunderstood by some who feared their Christian specificity might be diluted. Assisi caused the Church make a great leap forward towards non-Christian religions, which until then appeared to us to live on another planet, despite the teachings of Pope Paul VI (his first encyclical Ecclesiam Suam) and the Second Vatican Council (Declaration Nostra Aetate ). The encounter, or better collision of religions, is undoubtedly one of the greatest challenges of our era, even greater than the meeting with atheism. I never return from certain Muslim, Buddhist or Hindu countries without asking myself, keenly: what has God done with Jesus Christ when I see Christianity so reduced or reducing itself even more, proportionally speaking, on a continent in full demographic explosion such as Asia? Such a question is most salutary, since it concerns the fundamental question of salvation; it is the spear-head which purifies and fortifies our reasons for being Christians. Assisi was the symbol, the staging of what the Church must do by virtue of her proper vocation before a world in a state of flagrant religious pluralism: to profess the unity of the mystery of salvation in Jesus Christ. When John Paul II tried to report to the cardinals and members of the Curia what happened in Assisi, he gave an address which appears to me to be the most explanatory for the theology of religions ( 22nd December 1986). Insisting on the mystery of the unity of the human family founded both on creation and on redemption in Jesus Christ, he said: "The differences are a lesser important element in relation to the unity which, on the contrary, is radical, fundamental and determining". So Assisi permitted a number of men and women to bear witness to an authentic experience of God in the heart of their respective religions. "All authentic prayer, the Pope added, is fostered by the Holy Spirit who is mysteriously present in the heart of every human being". Assisi, happened ten years ago. Today, believers of various religions and communities, after the example of Elisha who receives Elijah's cloak, are putting on the "spirit of Assisi". The spirit of Assisi is gliding over the bubbling waters of the religions and is already creating marvels of fraternal dialogue. What will it lead to in the Year 2000? Pope John Paul II in his Letter Tertio Millennio adveniente traces precise milestones for the Great Jubilee; not forgetting followers of non-Christian religions, especially the Jews and the Muslims who, like Christians, claim descent from Abraham. He hopes for "joint meetings in places of significance for the great monotheistic religions" (n. 53). What for? Simply to allow all believers to participate "in the joy shared by all the disciples of Christ" (n. 55). A Jubilee is made for jubilation! The Church rejoices for salvation which she never ceases to welcome and she invites the whole of humanity to join the dance. It is folly - the folly of God - that which the spirit of Assisi may invent as a sequel to the Angels who sang on Christmas night: Glory to God in the highest and peace on earth to mankind whom He loves"! "Spirit of Assisi", come upon us all! Card. Roger Etchegaray top

Friday, October 22, 2021

Feast Day of Saint John Paul II October 22

Previous Calendar: St. Mary Salome (Hist) The Vatican Congregation for Divine Worship has approved the insertion of the Optional Memorial of Pope St. John Paul II in the proper calendar of the dioceses of the United States for today. Karol Jozef Wojtyla was born in 1920 in Wadowice, Poland. After his ordination to the priesthood and theological studies in Rome, he returned to his homeland and resumed various pastoral and academic tasks. He became first auxiliary bishop and, in 1964, Archbishop of Krakow and took part in the Second Vatican Council. On 16 October 1978 he was elected pope and took the name John Paul II. His exceptional apostolic zeal, particularly for families, young people and the sick, led him to numerous pastoral visits throughout the world. Among the many fruits which he has left as a heritage to the Church are above all his rich Magisterium and the promulgation of the Catechism of the Catholic Church as well as the Code of Canon Law for the Latin Church and for the Eastern Churches. In Rome on April 2, 2005, the eve of the Second Sunday of Easter (or of Divine Mercy), he departed peacefully in the Lord. Historically today is the feast of St. Mary Salome, the mother of James the Greater and John the Evangelist, the "sons of Zebedee." She was among the women who stayed by while Jesus was on the cross, according to Gospels she is among the women who discovered the empty tomb. St. John Paul II Karol Jozef Wojtyla, elected Pope on 16 October 1978, was born in Wadowice, Poland, on 18 May 1920. He was the third of three children born to Karol Wojtyla and Emilia Kaczorowska, who died in 1929. His elder brother Edmund, a physician, died in 1932, and his father, Karol, a non-commissioned officer in the army, died in 1941. He was nine years old when he received his First Communion and eighteen when he received the Sacrament of Confirmation. After completing high school in Wadowice, he enrolled in the Jagellonian University of Krakow in 1938. When the occupying Nazi forces closed the University in 1939, Karol worked (1940-1944) in a quarry and then in the Solvay chemical factory to earn a living and to avoid deportation to Germany. Feeling called to the priesthood, he began his studies in 1942 in the clandestine major seminary of Krakow, directed by the Archbishop Adam Stefan Sapieha. During that time, he was one of the organizers of the "Rhapsodic Theatre", which was also clandestine. After the war, Karol continued his studies in the major seminary, newly reopened, and in the school of theology at the Jagellonian University, until his priestly ordination in Krakow on 1 November 1946. Father Wojtyla was then sent by Cardinal Sapieha to Rome, where he attained a doctorate in theology (1948). He wrote his dissertation on faith as understood in the works of Saint John of the Cross. While a student in Rome, he spent his vacations exercising pastoral ministry among Polish emigrants in France, Belgium and Holland. In 1948, Father Wojtyla returned to Poland and was appointed a curate in the parish church of Niegowi?, near Krakow, and later at Saint Florian in the city. He was a university chaplain until 1951, when he again undertook studies in philosophy and theology. In 1953, Father Wojtyla presented a dissertation at the Jagellonian University of Krakow on the possibility of grounding a Christian ethic on the ethical system developed by Max Scheler. Later he became professor of moral theology and ethics in the major seminary of Krakow and in the theology faculty of Lublin. On 4 July 1958, Pope Pius XII appointed Father Wojtyla auxiliary bishop of Krakow, with the titular see of Ombi. Archbishop Eugeniusz Baziak ordained him in Wawel Cathedral (Krakow) on 28 September 1958. On 13 January 1964, Pope Paul VI appointed Bishop Wojtyla as Archbishop of Krakow and subsequently, on 26 June 1967, created him a Cardinal. Bishop Wojtyla took part in the Second Vatican Council (1962- 1965) and made a significant contribution to the drafting of the Constitution Gaudium et Spes. He also took part in the five assemblies of the Synod of Bishops prior to the start of his Pontificate. On 16 October 1978, Cardinal Wojtyla was elected Pope and on 22 October he began his ministry as universal Pastor of the Church. Pope John Paul II made 146 pastoral visits in Italy and, as the Bishop of Rome, he visited 317 of the current 322 Roman parishes. His international apostolic journeys numbered 104 and were expressions of the constant pastoral solicitude of the Successor of Peter for all the Churches. His principal documents include 14 Encyclicals, 15 Apostolic Exhortations, 11 Apostolic Constitutions and 45 Apostolic Letters. He also wrote five books: Crossing the Threshold of Hope (October 1994); Gift and Mystery: On the Fiftieth Anniversary of My Priestly Ordination (November 1996); Roman Triptych, meditations in poetry (March 2003); Rise, Let Us Be on Our Way (May 2004) and Memory and Identity (February 2005). Pope John Paul II celebrated 147 beatifications, during which he proclaimed 1,338 blesseds, and 51 canonizations, for a total of 482 saints. He called 9 consistories, in which he created 231 Cardinals (plus one in pectore). He also presided at 6 plenary meetings of the College of Cardinals. From 1978, Pope John Paul II convoked 15 assemblies of the Synod of Bishops: 6 ordinary general sessions (1980, 1983, 1987, 1990, 1994 and 2001), 1 extraordinary general session (1985) and 8 special sessions (1980, 1991,1994,1995,1997,1998 (2) and 1999). On 13 May 1981, an attempt was made on Pope John Paul II's life in Saint Peter's Square. Saved by the maternal hand of the Mother of God, following a lengthy stay in the hospital, he forgave the attempted assassin and, aware of having received a great gift, intensified his pastoral commitments with heroic generosity. Pope John Paul II also demonstrated his pastoral concern by erecting numerous dioceses and ecclesiastical circumscriptions, and by promulgating Codes of Canon Law for the Latin and the Oriental Churches, as well as the Catechism of the Catholic Church. He proclaimed the Year of Redemption, the Marian Year and the Year of the Eucharist as well as the Great Jubilee Year of 2000, in order to provide the People of God with particularly intense spiritual experiences. He also attracted young people by beginning the celebration of World Youth Day. No other Pope met as many people as Pope John Paul II. More than 17.6 million pilgrims attended his Wednesday General Audiences (which numbered over 1,160). This does not include any of the other special audiences and religious ceremonies (more than 8 million pilgrims in the Great Jubilee Year of 2000 alone). He met millions of the faithful in the course of his pastoral visits in Italy and throughout the world. He also received numerous government officials in audience, including 38 official visits and 738 audiences and meetings with Heads of State, as well as 246 audiences and meetings with Prime Ministers. Pope John Paul II died in the Apostolic Palace at 9:37 p.m. on Saturday, 2 April 2005, the vigil of Sunday in albis or Divine Mercy Sunday, which he had instituted. On 8 April, his solemn funeral was celebrated in Saint Peter's Square and he was buried in the crypt of Saint Peter's Basilica. John Paul II was beatified in Saint Peter's Square on 1 May 2011 by Pope Benedict XVI, his immediate successor and for many years his valued collaborator as Prefect for the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. --Excerpted from the Vatican Website

Wednesday, October 20, 2021

New York City, N.Y., Oct 19, 2021 / 17:09 pm In an effort to explain Pope Francis’ vision for the Synod on Synodality for his flock, Cardinal Timothy Dolan's homily Sunday offered seven “non-negotiables” that Jesus intended for the Church. The Synod on Synodality, initiated by Pope Francis earlier this month, is a two-year, worldwide undertaking during which Catholics will be encouraged to submit feedback to their local dioceses. A synod is a meeting of bishops gathered to discuss a topic of theological or pastoral significance, in order to prepare a document of advice or counsel to the pope. “[Pope Francis] wants us to join him in praying, listening, discerning, examining ourselves personally, and the Church communally, to see if we’re truly on the path Jesus has set for His beloved bride, His mystical body, the Church,” Dolan said. “He has reminded us of certain clear essentials intended by Jesus, constant, although, at times, we admit, clouded and dimmed, in the Church’s amazing 2,000-year drama. Here are some of those non-negotiables.” Dolan went on to outline the following points: Dolan said that “the energy and direction driving the Church comes from the Holy Spirit, not ourselves.” "While in the world, we are not of the world, and thus our guiding principles come from the Gospel, revelation, and the patrimony of the Church’s settled teaching," he said. Dolan said “that the principles of the innate dignity of every human person and the inherent sacredness of all human life are the towering moral lighthouses on our path.” Dolan said that "our journey through this life back to our true and eternal home of heaven is most effectively accomplished precisely as a journey as we walk with and accompany each other, with Jesus as our guide, His Mother and the saints, and we sinners at each other’s side.” "On this journey we pay special attention to those at the side of the road, especially those who are sick, weak, poor, or unable to keep up with us,” he said. "Our wealth only comes from faith, trust, prayer, the sacraments, and His grace," he said. Finally, Dolan said that "mercy, love, invitation, humility, joy, selfless generous service, and good example are our only tools, never harshness, condemnation, or pride.” Dolan said he sees these seven “non-negotiables” as “synodality in a nutshell.” He said that throughout its history, the Church has “expanded and developed its style of organization and authority.” After comparing and contrasting the different sufferings and triumphs the Church has experienced throughout its history, Dolan said that “now the successor of Saint Peter as bishop of Rome and pastor of the Church Universal, Pope Francis, has asked us all to commence an examination of conscience on how we as a Church are living up to the model of the Church given us by Jesus.” “We are loyal Catholics,” Dolan added. “The Holy Father has asked us to help him keep the Church always under the direction Jesus, our good shepherd, intends.” The concept of "synodality" has been a topic of frequent discussion by Pope Francis, particularly during the previous ordinary Synod of Bishops on young people, the faith, and vocational discernment in October 2018. Synodality, as defined by the International Theological Commission in 2018, is "the action of the Spirit in the communion of the Body of Christ and in the missionary journey of the People of God." The term is generally understood to represent a process of discernment, with the aid of the Holy Spirit, involving bishops, priests, religious, and lay Catholics, each according to the gifts and charisms of their vocation. Latest Catholic News Pope Francis told the Vatican Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith's theological commission in November 2019 that synodality will be key for the Church in the future. The Vatican announced in May that the Synod on Synodality would open with a diocesan phase lasting from October 2021 to April 2022. A second, continental phase will take place from September 2022 to March 2023. The third, universal phase will begin with the XVI Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, dedicated to the theme “For a Synodal Church: Communion, Participation, and Mission,” at the Vatican in October 2023. Dolan shared his homily on Monday after noting that "many have asked about the “'synod process’ initiated by Pope Francis.” MORE IN US Haiti Christian aid group requests prayers for kidnapped missionaries in Haiti Read article The Cardinal acknowledged in his homily that he himself has questions. “I don’t know if I completely understand [Synodality]," Dolan said, adding that "the Holy Father is honest in admitting that neither does he have the full comprehension, which is precisely why he has summoned us to this endeavor.” Tags: Cardinal Dolan, Archdiocese of New York, 2023 synod on synodality Joe Bukuras Joseph Bukuras is a staff writer at the Catholic News Agency. Joe holds a bachelor’s degree in Political Science from The Catholic University of America. He has interned in the U.S. House of Representatives, on a U.S. Senate campaign, in the Massachusetts State House of Representatives, and at the Susan B. Anthony List. He is based out of the Boston area.