Tour St. Paul Outside-the-Walls…
By Sarah Rozman | June 24, 2009
. . . from the comfort of your desk chair. Monday closes the Year of St. Paul, so you might enjoy making a virtual “pilgrimage” to the Basilica of St. Paul Outside-the-Walls to mark the event. On the basilica’s Web site is a beautifully-photographed virtual tour of the basilica (see the link in the lower right-hand corner):
I just discovered this, so I haven’t had the chance to explore all the sections, but I’m looking forward to doing so. To navigate within the tour, click and drag your mouse in the direction you’d like to go. And don’t forget to look up at the artwork and magnificent ceilings!
Topics: St. Paul | No Comments »
Solemnity of the Immaculate Heart of Mary
By Sarah Rozman | June 20, 2009
As Mary pondered all she had learned from reading and from what she had heard and seen, how greatly did she increase in faith, advance in merit, and become enlightened with wisdom! More and more she was consumed with burning love. Drawing life and inspiration from the heavenly mysteries which were being unlocked in her, she was filled with joy; she became alive with the Spirit, she was guided towards God and was kept humble in herself. The effects of divine grace are such indeed that they raise one from the depths to the heights, and transform one in an ever greater degree of glory. Entirely blessed was the mind of the Virgin which, through the direction of the Spirit dwelling in her, ever obeyed the command of the Word of God in all things. She was governed not by her judgments or opinions, but she outwardly performed through her body whatever wisdom had indicated inwardly to her faith. It was surely fitting that divine Wisdom, which had built the house of the Church for its abode, should use the most holy Mary as its instrument, where the observance of the law, purification of the heart, the doctrine of humility and spiritual offering were concerned.
Imitate her, O faithful soul. Enter into the temple of your heart that you may be purified in spirit and cleansed of the pollution of your sins. In everything we do God considers our disposition rather than our actions. And so, whether we retire mentally to God in earnest contemplation and remain at rest or whether we are intent on being of service to those around us with good works and worthy undertakings, let our object be that we are motivated only by love of Christ. So the really acceptable offering of purification of the spirit is that which is rendered not in a man-made temple but in the temple of the heart, where Christ the Lord is pleased to enter.
–from a sermon of St. Laurence Justinian for the Office of Readings; Feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary
Topics: Quotes, Blessed Virgin Mary | No Comments »
Year for Priests…a few more resources to get started
By Sarah Rozman | June 19, 2009
And a few more resources as we begin this Year for Priests:
- A letter from Pope Benedict XVI proclaiming the Year for Priests
- A special section of the Vatican Web site dedicated to the year
- A special section of the USCCB Web site dedicated to the year
Topics: Year for Priests, Pope Benedict XVI, Priesthood | No Comments »
Pope John XXIII on St. John Mary Vianney
By Sarah Rozman | June 19, 2009
In 1959, for the 100th anniversary of St. John Mary Vianney’s death, Pope John XXIII gave the Church this encyclical, Sacerdotii Nostri Primordia. It is addressed to priests, but it provides all the faithful both insights on St. John Vianney’s life and wisdom for the spiritual life.
Pope John XXIII describes how St. John Vianney was rigorously ascetic, carrying out harsh penances for the sake of souls.
You cannot begin to speak of St. John Mary Vianney without automatically calling to mind the picture of a priest who was outstanding in a unique way in voluntary affliction of his body; his only motives were the love of God and the desire for the salvation of the souls of his neighbors, and this led him to abstain almost completely from food and from sleep, to carry out the harshest kinds of penances, and to deny himself with great strength of soul. Of course, not all of the faithful are expected to adopt this kind of life; and yet divine providence has seen to it that there has never been a time when the Church did not have some pastors of souls of this kind who, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, did not hesitate for a moment to enter on this path, most of all because this way of life is particularly successful in bringing many men who have been drawn away by the allurement of error and vice back to the path of good living. (no. 10)
The saint gave his life to the God and the Church in obedience and love:
It is said that St. John M. Vianney lived in the Church in such a way that he worked for it alone, and burned himself up like a piece of straw being consumed on fiery coals. (no. 33)
Just before this, and in view of St. John Vianney’s own obedience, John XXIII speaks on the importance of priestly obedience.
We are offering clerics this total obedience as a model, with full confidence that its force and beauty will lead them to strive for it more ardently. And if there should be someone who dares to cast doubt on the supreme importance of this virtue—as sometimes happens at the present time—let him take to heart these words of Our predecessor of happy memory, Pius XII, which everyone should keep firmly in mind: “The holiness of any life and the effectiveness of any apostolate has constant and faithful obedience to the hierarchy as its solid foundation, basis and support. ”
For, as you well know, Venerable Brethren, Our most recent predecessors have often issued serious warnings to priests about the extent of the dangers that are arising among the clergy from a growing carelessness about obedience with regard to the teaching authority of the Church, to the various ways and means of undertaking the apostolate, and to ecclesiastical discipline. (nos. 30–31)
Pope John XXIII also writes about the importance of prayer and devotion to the Eucharist.
This is how [St. John Vianney] taught his faithful to pray: “You do not need many words when you pray. We believe on faith that the good and gracious God is there in the tabernacle; we open our souls to Him; and feel happy that He allows us to come before Him; this is the best way to pray.” (no. 47)
Topics: Year for Priests, Pope John XXIII, Priesthood, Saints | No Comments »
Starting the Year for Priests Right…
By Sarah Rozman | June 19, 2009
…with a prayer for priests:
Jesus, I pray to You for Your faithful and fervent priests; for the unfaithful and tepid; for those laboring at home or abroad in distant mission fields; for tempted priests; for the lonely and desolate; for young priests; for the aged, sick, and dying; for the souls of Your priests in purgatory.But above all I commend to You the priests dearest to me: the priest who baptized me; those who absolved me from my sins; at whose Masses I assisted and who gave me Your body and blood in Holy Communion; who taught and instructed me or helped me and encouraged me; all the priests to whom I am indebted in any other way, particularly (NAME).
Jesus, keep them all close to Your Heart and bless them abundantly in time and eternity. Amen.
Topics: Year for Priests, Prayer, Priesthood | No Comments »
Baptism Practices…from Fr. Z
By Sarah Rozman | June 16, 2009
Over at WDTPRS?, Fr. Z answers a question about the validity of a baptism. He offers a number of considerations as to why priests might do “wacky” things with the sacraments (including the pressure they sometimes receive from the parishioners requesting the sacrament) and also recognizes the distress that such uncertainty about validity can cause the faithful.
In CUF’s history, we have received all sorts of questions concerning the sacraments and the liturgy, including ones from the faithful who are wondering whether a sacrament–frequently the Eucharist, Baptism, or Confession–was valid. A good portion of the faithful’s questions, concerns, and fears could be allayed quite easily, as Fr. Z says: “I implore you Reverend Fathers… Your Excellencies…. don’t go for gimmicks or cuteness. For the love of God, just do the red and say the black.”
But perhaps the best part was a little extra rant at the end:
Oh yes… since I am ranting now… one last thing.
Lay people: When you name your baby, just pick a saints name, spell it correctly and move on to the next task in your lives. We can discuss “name” issues under a different blog entry.
There… I feel better now.
Questions like this are also a pointed reminder to pray for our priests and to continue to form ourselves and our children in the faith.
Topics: Baptism, Liturgy | No Comments »
“I skate like a 747 taxiing”
By Sarah Rozman | June 10, 2009
Today, Bishop Robert Carlson will be installed as the Archbishop of St. Louis.
A CUF episcopal advisor and former Bishop of Saginaw, he is much loved by Saginaw Diocese CUF members–so much so that the library of the new CUF office will bear his name.
If you’re interested in following the event, the Archdiocese of St. Louis will be livestreaming and live-Twittering. Thomas Peters (aka American Papist), will also be live-Twittering. You can view it live via CatholicTV as well.
Whispers provides a number of articles and other information, including a Q&A with the Bishop Carlson.
A humorous snippet from the Q&A (in which we also get the Archbishop-elect’s take on Catholic politicians and abortion rights, getting a second chance at life, and beer) :
Q. You have a reputation as a sports lover.
A. I’m a lousy golfer, even though I have a reputation of being good. I sunk a 30-foot putt last year and got a trophy, so that helps my reputation. Was a hockey chaplain once, but I skate like a 747 taxiing. The Irish would say about my sports ability — when they gave out the ability, I was hiding behind the door. But I am competitive.
Please remember him in your prayers as he begins his episcopal ministry in St. Louis.
Topics: Bishops | 1 Comment »
Lay Witness Columnist Wins Catholic Press Award
By Sarah Rozman | June 5, 2009
We are delighted to announce that Lay Witness columnist Emily Stimpson won first place in the “Best Magazine Column” category of the Catholic Press Awards for her 2008 column “Permanent Things.”
Stimpson’s distinctive personal voice engages the reader at the same time that she is making important philosophical commentary on such matters as the “theology of the body” and “Eating with the Church” during the holidays. The role of the Church remains at the heart of her thinking. (The Catholic Journalist, June 2009)
Through the awards program, the Catholic Press Association of the United States and Canada “recognizes the extraordinary achievements of its members” (source). Two columns were submitted as a sample of her writing: “Revolution” and “To Feast . . . or Not to Feast.”
Congratulations, Emily!
Topics: Lay Witness | No Comments »
“The Numbers Don’t Lie”–Abortion and Public Opinion
By Sarah Rozman | June 4, 2009
I’ve only heard of this organization in passing–because of its red tape project–but this commercial is cool and encouraging. They get the importance of prayer and fasting, and the impact it can have.
Topics: Abortion, Pro-Life | No Comments »
Evangelization and the Holy Spirit
By Sarah Rozman | May 22, 2009
In the course of working on the July/August issue of Lay Witness, which focuses on missions and evangelization, I turned to Pope Paul VI’s apostolic exhortation Evangelii Nuntiandi (On Evangelization in the Modern World). With Pentecost approaching, this passage seemed particularly appropriate (emphases and [comments] mine):
Evangelization will never be possible without the action of the Holy Spirit. . . .
It is in the “consolation of the Holy Spirit” that the Church increases.[117] The Holy Spirit is the soul of the Church. It is He who explains to the faithful the deep meaning of the teaching of Jesus and of His mystery. It is the Holy Spirit who, today just as at the beginning of the Church, acts in every evangelizer who allows himself to be possessed and led by Him. The Holy Spirit places on his lips the words which he could not find by himself, and at the same time the Holy Spirit predisposes the soul of the hearer to be open and receptive to the Good News and to the kingdom being proclaimed.
Techniques of evangelization are good, but even the most advanced ones could not replace the gentle action of the Spirit. The most perfect preparation of the evangelizer has no effect without the Holy Spirit. Without the Holy Spirit the most convincing dialectic has no power over the heart of man. Without Him the most highly developed schemas resting on a sociological or psychological basis are quickly seen to be quite valueless. [reminds me of 1 Cor. 13]
We live in the Church at a privileged moment of the Spirit. Everywhere people are trying to know Him better, as the Scripture reveals Him. They are happy to place themselves under His inspiration. They are gathering about Him; they want to let themselves be led by Him. Now if the Spirit of God has a preeminent place in the whole life of the Church, it is in her evangelizing mission that He is most active. It is not by chance that the great inauguration of evangelization took place on the morning of Pentecost, under the inspiration of the Spirit.
It must be said that the Holy Spirit is the principal agent of evangelization: it is He who impels each individual to proclaim the Gospel, and it is He who in the depths of consciences causes the word of salvation to be accepted and understood.[118] But it can equally be said that He is the goal of evangelization: He alone stirs up the new creation, the new humanity of which evangelization is to be the result, with that unity in variety which evangelization wishes to achieve within the Christian community. Through the Holy Spirit the Gospel penetrates to the heart of the world, for it is He who causes people to discern the signs of the times- signs willed by God- which evangelization reveals and puts to use within history.
. . . we exhort all evangelizers, whoever they may be, to pray without ceasing to the Holy Spirit with faith and fervor and to let themselves prudently be guided by Him as the decisive inspirer of their plans, their initiatives and their evangelizing activity. (no. 75)
If you have the chance, I recommend reading it in its entirety.
Topics: Pope Paul VI, Evangelization | No Comments »