Male Only Priesthood

There is a great article over at Catholic Culture on why a male only priesthood is necessary.  Here are a few jems from the article:

The refusal of the Catholic Church to ordain women as priests has left many feeling that the Church considers women to be inferior to men. They have difficulty reconciling the Church's proclamations of sexual equality with the 1994 papal argument of Ordinatio Sacerdotalis. In that document, John Paul II reaffirmed the 1977 teaching of Inter Insigniores and proclaims that the Church lacks the authority to ordain women, since Christ did not appoint women as apostles and since the historical tradition has restricted priestly ordination to men...

These papal arguments have not been very persuasive due to the common conviction that equality requires gender neutrality—even within the ministries of Christ. If this were so, masculinity would be irrelevant for the mission of Christ. But this is not true. The masculinity of Christ is crucial to his mission of remedying the effects of original sin...

The maleness of Christ is required to restore the unity between men and women disrupted by original sin. Genesis 3:16 says, "Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you." This passage indicates three gender consequences of original sin: the excessive desire or obsession of women for their men, male domination over women and sexual inequality. Freeing the human race from these consequences of original sin constitute Christ's gender mission.

These consequences are significant. In his letter On the Dignity and Vocation of Women, John Paul II identifies male domination with chauvinism and blames it for the many ways in which women suffer from the lack of proper appreciation for her equality and dignity. Chauvinism—as a consequence of Original sin—required that the Christ be a man. Due to chauvinism, a female Christ would not have been recognized by men as being their lord, their rabbi, their savior. Christ exemplified sacrificial love, which chauvinism identifies as a weakness and as a peculiarity of women. According to chauvinism, maleness is about power, independence, and control. Not so, taught Christ. Rather, masculinity is for the sake of pouring out one's life for another in love, not for the sake of dominating self-gratification...

Since the refusal of the Catholic Church to ordain women is grounded on the gender mission of Christ, it is a refusal that promotes sexual equality. It is incredibly important that the Church promote sexual equality—for two reasons. First, sexual equality counters the harmful gender inequities of original sin. Secondly, as John Paul II points out, it is only when spouses recognize and appreciate the equality of the other that they are able to appreciate properly the other's spousal gift of self. Without this appreciation, marriages fail to properly image the loving equality of the Trinity. Genesis 1:27 says "God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created him." We are made in the image of God. Thus, we love best when we love as God loves. As John Paul II puts it in On the Dignity and Vocation of Women, n.7:

"The fact that man 'created as man and woman' is the image of God means not only that each of them individually is like God, as a rational and free being. It also means that man and woman, created as a 'unity of the two' in their common humanity, are called to live in a communion of love, and in this way to mirror in the world the communion of love that is in God, through which the Three Persons love each other in the intimate mystery of the one divine life."

Click here to read the whole article.

Pray For Them

Via The Dawn Patrol:

From an emergency notice put on WWL-TV's Web site, which mirrors a bulletin they just had on TV (I'm watching online):

****ALL RESIDENTS ON THE EAST BANK OF ORLEANS AND JEFFERSON REMAINING IN THE METRO AREA ARE BEING TOLD TO EVACUATE AS EFFORTS TO SANDBAG THE LEVEE BREAK HAVE ENDED. THE PUMPS IN THAT AREA ARE EXPECTED TO FAIL SOON AND 9 FEET OF WATER IS EXPECTED IN THE ENTIRE EAST BANK. WITHIN THE NEXT 12-15 HOURS****

As all of us native Louisianians know, the "entire East bank" constitutes all of New Orleans, Metairie, etc.

The question of New Orleans' survival as a city was in some question an hour ago. Now, I think the question may have been answered. New Orleans will not be habitable for a very long time, and then only after the expenditure of unfathomable treasure.

May God have mercy. Lord have mercy. I am out of words for prayer other than that. Lord have mercy.

I think I am going to go cry now.

More Stories Of The Death of Pope John Paul The Great

As he lay dying, Pope John Paul II was aware of the presence of the crowd in St. Peter's Square below his apartment window and calmly viewed death as a "passage from one room to another," his longtime secretary said in an interview broadcast Friday night.

"He heard everything. He heard the square, he heard the prayer, the presence of the young people. The Holy Father heard, because he was conscious right to the end, almost to the end, even the last day," Archbishop Stanislaw Dziwisz told private Italian Canale 5's TG5 news in an interview in Krakow, Poland, where he will be installed as archbishop on Saturday.

"We were at his side in these last moments," Dziwisz said. "For him, death was really a passage from one room to another, from one life to another."

"In the last hours of his life there was a great tranquility and peace. He knew that he was going to his destination, to the Lord," the archbishop said. "He had not one bit of fear" but was in "great peace the last day," Dziwisz said.

Referring to the certified miracle which is required for sainthood, Dziwisz said: "The Holy Father didn't want to hear talk of such things. He would say `If by chance something should happen, God makes miracles, not me. I pray. These are mysteries. Let's not talk of these things.'

"But there were so many miracles which happened during his life," his longtime secretary said, without elaborating.

Dziwisz said he felt he was near a saint while working at John Paul's side.

"I think that everyone knew this," Dziwisz said, interviewed at the Krakow archbishop's office where John Paul worked before his election in 1978 as the first non-Italian pope in 455 years.

Charismatic and often quite informal, John Paul was extremely popular with many Roman Catholic youths, drawing crowds of hundreds of thousands of them to prayer vigils and Masses during World Youth Days held in North and South America, Europe and Asia.

"Why did youth follow him?" Dziwisz asked. "Because they were searching for God through him, they were discovering the Lord in contact with him. Young people searched for the Lord, not John Paul II. They found him in contact through" John Paul.

To read the whole story click here.

"Same Sex Marriage" Is Not Healthy For Children

That's not really news for most of us, but here is an interesting story by a child raised by active homosexuals.  It shows just how dangerous it is for a child to be raised in that environment.

Here are some excerpts:

A Canadian woman who grew up in a homosexual household in Toronto in the 60s and 70s says same-sex marriage does not respect or protect the rights and best interests of children.

Dawn Stefanowicz said as a child she was at high risk of exposure to contagious STDs due to sexual molestation, her father's high-risk sexual behaviors, and multiple partners. She shared her personal story and her position on same-sex marriage in a statement at a pro-family rally in Ottawa on Parliament Hill in April...

Great Quote

Should We Evangelize the Jews?

There is an interesting conversation over at Chuck Currie's blog on whether or not Christians should evangelize the Jews.  He says no because they can be saved as they are - which is to some extent true.  But why not have Jesus?  Is it so wrong to want others, whether Jew, Muslim, or Buddhist to have what we have?

What do you think?  Comment here or on Chuck's blog.

PC

Via Sacred Cow Burgers:

WYD Mass

Mass Homily:

Dear young friends,

Yesterday evening we came together in the presence of the Sacred Host, in which Jesus becomes for us the bread that sustains and feeds us (cf. Jn 6:35), and there we began our inner journey of adoration. In the Eucharist, adoration must become union. At the celebration of the Eucharist, we find ourselves in the “hour” of Jesus, to use the language of John’s Gospel. Through the Eucharist this “hour” of Jesus becomes our own hour, his presence in our midst. Together with the disciples he celebrated the Passover of Israel, the memorial of God’s liberating action that led Israel from slavery to freedom. Jesus follows the rites of Israel. He recites over the bread the prayer of praise and blessing. But then something new happens. He thanks God not only for the great works of the past; he thanks him for his own exaltation, soon to be accomplished through the Cross and Resurrection, and he speaks to the disciples in words that sum up the whole of the Law and the Prophets: “This is my Body, given in sacrifice for you. This cup is the New Covenant in my Blood”. He then distributes the bread and the cup, and instructs them to repeat his words and actions of that moment over and over again in his memory.

What is happening? How can Jesus distribute his Body and his Blood? By making the bread into his Body and the wine into his Blood, he anticipates his death, he accepts it in his heart and he transforms it into an action of love. What on the outside is simply brutal violence, from within becomes an act of total self-giving love. This is the substantial transformation which was accomplished at the Last Supper and was destined to set in motion a series of transformations leading ultimately to the transformation of the world when God will be all in all (cf. 1 Cor 15:28). In their hearts, people always and everywhere have somehow expected a change, a transformation of the world. Here now is the central act of transformation that alone can truly renew the world: violence is transformed into love, and death into life. Since this act transmutes death into love, death as such is already conquered from within, the resurrection is already present in it. Death is, so to speak, mortally wounded, so that it can no longer have the last word. To use an image well known to us today, this is like inducing nuclear fission in the very heart of being – the victory of love over hatred, the victory of love over death. Only this intimate explosion of good conquering evil can then trigger off the series of transformations that little by little will change the world. All other changes remain superficial and cannot save. For this reason we speak of redemption: what had to happen at the most intimate level has indeed happened, and we can enter into its dynamic. Jesus can distribute his Body, because he truly gives himself.

This first fundamental transformation of violence into love, of death into life, brings other changes in its wake. Bread and wine become his Body and Blood. But it must not stop there, on the contrary, the process of transformation must now gather momentum. The Body and Blood of Christ are given to us so that we ourselves will be transformed in our turn. We are to become the Body of Christ, his own flesh and blood. We all eat the one bread, and this means that we ourselves become one. In this way, adoration, as we said earlier, becomes union. God no longer simply stands before us, as the one who is totally Other. He is within us, and we are in him. His dynamic enters into us and then seeks to spread outwards to others until it fills the world, so that his love can truly become the dominant measure of the world. I like to illustrate this new step urged upon us by the Last Supper by drawing out the different nuances of the word “adoration” in Greek and in Latin. The Greek word is proskynesis. It refers to the gesture of submission, the recognition of God as our true measure, supplying the norm that we choose to follow. It means that freedom is not simply about enjoying life in total autonomy, but rather about living by the measure of truth and goodness, so that we ourselves can become true and good. This gesture is necessary even if initially our yearning for freedom makes us inclined to resist it. We can only fully accept it when we take the second step that the Last Supper proposes to us. The Latin word for adoration is ad-oratio – mouth to mouth contact, a kiss, an embrace, and hence ultimately love. Submission becomes union, because he to whom we submit is Love. In this way submission acquires a meaning, because it does not impose anything on us from the outside, but liberates us deep within.

Let us return once more to the Last Supper. The new element to emerge here was the deeper meaning given to Israel’s ancient prayer of blessing, which from that point on became the word of transformation, enabling us to participate in the “hour” of Christ. Jesus did not instruct us to repeat the Passover meal, which in any event, given that it is an anniversary, is not repeatable at will. He instructed us to enter into his “hour”. We enter into it through the sacred power of the words of consecration – a transformation brought about through the prayer of praise which places us in continuity with Israel and the whole of salvation history, and at the same time ushers in the new, to which the older prayer at its deepest level was pointing. The new prayer – which the Church calls the “Eucharistic Prayer” – brings the Eucharist into being. It is the word of power which transforms the gifts of the earth in an entirely new way into God’s gift of himself and it draws us into this process of transformation. That is why we call this action “Eucharist”, which is a translation of the Hebrew word beracha – thanksgiving, praise, blessing, and a transformation worked by the Lord: the presence of his “hour”. Jesus’s hour is the hour in which love triumphs. In other words: it is God who has triumphed, because he is Love. Jesus’s hour seeks to become our own hour and will indeed become so if we allow ourselves, through the celebration of the Eucharist, to be drawn into that process of transformation that the Lord intends to bring about. The Eucharist must become the centre of our lives. If the Church tells us that the Eucharist is an essential part of Sunday, this is no mere positivism or thirst for power. On Easter morning, first the women and then the disciples had the grace of seeing the Lord. From that moment on, they knew that the first day of the week, Sunday, would be his day, the day of Christ the Lord. The day when creation began became the day when creation was renewed. Creation and redemption belong together. That is why Sunday is so important. It is good that today, in many cultures, Sunday is a free day, and is often combined with Saturday so as to constitute a “week-end” of free time. Yet this free time is empty if God is not present. Dear friends! Sometimes, our initial impression is that having to include time for Mass on a Sunday is rather inconvenient. But if you make the effort, you will realize that this is what gives a proper focus to your free time. Do not be deterred from taking part in Sunday Mass, and help others to discover it too. This is because the Eucharist releases the joy that we need so much, and we must learn to grasp it ever more deeply, we must learn to love it. Let us pledge ourselves to do this – it is worth the effort! Let us discover the intimate riches of the Church’s liturgy and its true greatness: it is not we who are celebrating for ourselves, but it is the living God himself who is preparing a banquet for us. Through your love for the Eucharist you will also rediscover the sacrament of Reconciliation, in which the merciful goodness of God always allows us to make a fresh start in our lives.

Anyone who has discovered Christ must lead others to him. A great joy cannot be kept to oneself. It has to be passed on. In vast areas of the world today there is a strange forgetfulness of God. It seems as if everything would be just the same even without him. But at the same time there is a feeling of frustration, a sense of dissatisfaction with everyone and everything. People tend to exclaim: “This cannot be what life is about!” Indeed not. And so, together with forgetfulness of God there is a kind of new explosion of religion. I have no wish to discredit all the manifestations of this phenomenon. There may be sincere joy in the discovery. Yet if it is pushed too far, religion becomes almost a consumer product. People choose what they like, and some are even able to make a profit from it. But religion constructed on a “do-it-yourself” basis cannot ultimately help us. It may be comfortable, but at times of crisis we are left to ourselves. Help people to discover the true star which points out the way to us: Jesus Christ! Let us seek to know him better and better, so as to be able to guide others to him with conviction. This is why love for Sacred Scripture is so important, and in consequence, it is important to know the faith of the Church which opens up for us the meaning of Scripture. It is the Holy Spirit who guides the Church as her faith grows, causing her to enter ever more deeply into the truth (cf. Jn 16:13). Pope John Paul II gave us a wonderful work in which the faith of centuries is explained synthetically: the Catechism of the Catholic Church. I myself recently presented the Compendium of the Catechism, prepared at the request of the late Holy Father. These are two fundamental texts which I recommend to all of you.

Obviously books alone are not enough. Form communities based on faith! In recent decades movements and communities have come to birth in which the power of the Gospel is keenly felt. Seek communion in faith, like fellow travellers who continue together to follow the path of the great pilgrimage that the Magi from the East first pointed out to us. The spontaneity of new communities is important, but it is also important to preserve communion with the Pope and with the Bishops. It is they who guarantee that we are not seeking private paths, but are living as God’s great family, founded by the Lord through the twelve Apostles.

Once again, I must return to the Eucharist. “Because there is one bread, we, though many, are one body” says Saint Paul (1 Cor 10:17). By this he meant: since we receive the same Lord and he gathers us together and draws us into himself, we ourselves are one. This must be evident in our lives. It must be seen in our capacity to forgive. It must be seen in our sensitivity to the needs of others. It must be seen in our willingness to share. It must be seen in our commitment to our neighbours, both those close at hand and those physically far away, whom we nevertheless consider to be close. Today there are many forms of voluntary assistance, models of mutual service, of which our society has urgent need. We must not, for example, abandon the elderly to their solitude, we must not pass by when we meet people who are suffering. If we think and live according to our communion with Christ, then our eyes will be opened. Then we will no longer be content to scrape a living just for ourselves, but we will see where and how we are needed. Living and acting thus, we will soon realize that it is much better to be useful and at the disposal of others than to be concerned only with the comforts that are offered to us. I know that you as young people have great aspirations, that you want to pledge yourselves to build a better world. Let others see this, let the world see it, since this is exactly the witness that the world expects from the disciples of Jesus Christ; in this way, and through your love above all, the world will be able to discover the star that we follow as believers.

Let us go forward with Christ and let us live our lives as true worshippers of God! Amen.

Angelus Message

Dear Friends,

We have come to the conclusion of this marvellous celebration and indeed of the Twentieth World Youth Day. In my heart I sense welling up within me a single thought: “Thank you!” I am sure that this thought finds an echo in each one of you. God himself has implanted it in our hearts and he has sealed it with this Eucharist which literally means “thanksgiving”. Yes, dear young people, our gratitude, born from faith, is expressed in our song of praise to Him, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, who has given us yet another sign of his immense love.

Our words of thanks rise up to God through the gift of this unforgettable meeting, and are now extended to all those who have been involved in its preparation and organization. I wish to renew my gratitude particularly to the Pontifical Council for the Laity, under its President Archbishop Stanis_aw Ry_ko, ably assisted by the Secretary, Bishop Josef Clemens, and also to my Confrères from the German Bishops’ Conference, in the first place to the Archbishop of Cologne, Cardinal Joachim Meisner. I am grateful to the political and administrative authorities who have ensured that each event has run smoothly; I thank the many volunteers from German dioceses and from different countries. A cordial word of thanks goes also to the many contemplative communities who have supported us in prayer during this World Youth Day.

And now, as the living presence of the Risen Christ in our midst nourishes our faith and hope, I am pleased to announce that the next World Youth Day will take place in Sydney, Australia, in 2008. We entrust to the maternal guidance of Mary most holy, the future course of the young people of the whole world.

Angelus Domini ...

The Crowd

World Youth Day Vigil

Vigil Homily:

Dear young friends,

In our pilgrimage with the mysterious Magi from the East, we have arrived at the moment which Saint Matthew describes in his Gospel with these words: “Going into the house (over which the star had halted), they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshipped him” (Mt 2:11). Outwardly, their journey was now over. They had reached their goal. But at this point a new journey began for them, an inner pilgrimage which changed their whole lives. Their mental picture of the infant King they were expecting to find must have been very different. They had stopped at Jerusalem specifically in order to ask the King who lived there for news of the promised King who had been born. They knew that the world was in disorder, and for that reason their hearts were troubled. They were sure that God existed and that he was a just and gentle God. And perhaps they also knew of the great prophecies of Israel foretelling a King who would be intimately united with God, a King who would restore order to the world, acting for God and in his name. It was in order to seek this King that they had set off on their journey: deep within themselves they felt prompted to go in search of the true justice that can only come from God, and they wanted to serve this King, to fall prostrate at his feet and so play their part in the renewal of the world. They were among those “who hunger and thirst for justice” (Mt 5:6). This hunger and thirst had spurred them on in their pilgrimage – they had become pilgrims in search of the justice that they expected from God, intending to devote themselves to its service.

Even if those who had stayed at home may have considered them Utopian dreamers, they were actually people with their feet on the ground, and they knew that in order to change the world it is necessary to have power. Hence they were hardly likely to seek the promised child anywhere but in the King’s palace. Yet now they were bowing down before the child of poor people, and they soon came to realize that Herod, the King they had consulted, intended to use his power to lay a trap for him, forcing the family to flee into exile. The new King, to whom they now paid homage, was quite unlike what they were expecting. In this way they had to learn that God is not as we usually imagine him to be. This was where their inner journey began. It started at the very moment when they knelt down before this child and recognized him as the promised King. But they still had to assimilate these joyful gestures internally.

They had to change their ideas about power, about God and about man, and in so doing, they also had to change themselves. Now they were able to see that God’s power is not like that of the powerful of this world. God’s ways are not as we imagine them or as we might wish to them to be. God does not enter into competition with earthly powers in this world. He does not marshal his divisions alongside other divisions. God did not send twelve legions of angels to assist Jesus in the Garden of Olives (cf. Mt 26:53). He contrasts the noisy and ostentatious power of this world with the defenceless power of love, which succumbs to death on the Cross, and dies ever anew throughout history; yet it is this same love which constitutes the new divine intervention that opposes injustice and ushers in the Kingdom of God. God is different – this is what they now come to realize. And it means that they themselves must now become different, they must learn God’s ways.

They had come to place themselves at the service of this King, to model their own kingship on his. That was the meaning of their act of homage, their adoration. Included in this were their gifts – gold, frankincense and myrrh – gifts offered to a King held to be divine. Adoration has a content and it involves giving. Through this act of adoration, these men from the East wished to recognize the child as their King and to place their own power and potential at his disposal, and in this they were certainly on the right path. By serving and following him, they wanted, together with him, to serve the cause of good and the cause of justice in the world. In this they were right. Now, though, they have to learn that this cannot be achieved simply through issuing commands from a throne on high. Now they have to learn to give themselves – no lesser gift would be sufficient for this King. Now they have to learn that their lives must be conformed to this divine way of exercising power, to God’s own way of being. They must become men of truth, of justice, of goodness, of forgiveness, of mercy. They will no longer ask: how can this serve me? Instead they will have to ask: How can I serve God’s presence in the world? They must learn to lose their life and in this way to find it. Having left Jerusalem behind, they must not deviate from the path marked out by the true King, as they follow Jesus.

Dear friends, what does all this mean for us? What we have just been saying about the nature of God being different, and about the way our lives must be shaped accordingly, sounds very fine, but remains rather vague and unfocussed. That is why God has given us examples. The Magi from the East are just the first in a long procession of men and women who have constantly tried to gaze upon God’s star in their lives, going in search of the God who has drawn close to us and shows us the way. It is the great multitude of the saints – both known and unknown – in whose lives the Lord has opened up the Gospel before us and turned over the pages; he has done this throughout history and he still does so today. In their lives, as if in a great picture-book, the riches of the Gospel are revealed. They are the shining path which God himself has traced throughout history and is still tracing today. My venerable predecessor Pope John Paul II beatified and canonized a great many people from both the distant and the recent past. Through these individuals he wanted to show us how to be Christian; how to live life as it should be lived – according to God’s way. The saints and the blesseds did not doggedly seek their own happiness, but simply wanted to give themselves, because the light of Christ had shone upon them. They show us the way to attain happiness, they show us how to be truly human. Through all the ups and downs of history, they were the true reformers who constantly rescued it from plunging into the valley of darkness; it was they who constantly shed upon it the light that was needed to make sense – even in the midst of suffering – of God’s words spoken at the end of the work of creation: “It is very good”. One need only think of such figures as Saint Benedict, Saint Francis of Assisi, Saint Teresa of Avila, Saint Ignatius of Loyola, Saint Charles Borromeo, the founders of nineteenth-century religious orders who inspired and guided the social movement, or the saints of our own day – Maximilian Kolbe, Edith Stein, Mother Teresa, Padre Pio. In contemplating these figures we learn what it means “to adore” and what it means to live according to the measure of the child of Bethlehem, by the measure of Jesus Christ and of God himself.

The saints, as we said, are the true reformers. Now I want to express this in an even more radical way: only from the saints, only from God does true revolution come, the definitive way to change the world. In the last century we experienced revolutions with a common programme – expecting nothing more from God, they assumed total responsibility for the cause of the world in order to change it. And this, as we saw, meant that a human and partial point of view was always taken as an absolute guiding principle. Absolutizing what is not absolute but relative is called totalitarianism. It does not liberate man, but takes away his dignity and enslaves him. It is not ideologies that save the world, but only a return to the living God, our Creator, the guarantor of our freedom, the guarantor of what is really good and true. True revolution consists in simply turning to God who is the measure of what is right and who at the same time is everlasting love. And what could ever save us apart from love?

Dear friends! Allow me to add just two brief thoughts. There are many who speak of God; some even preach hatred and perpetrate violence in God’s name. So it is important to discover the true face of God. The Magi from the East found it, when they knelt down before the child of Bethlehem. “Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father”, said Jesus to Philip (Jn 14:9). In Jesus Christ, who allowed his heart to be pierced for us, the true face of God is seen. We will follow him together with the great multitude of those who went before us. Then we will be travelling along the right path.

This means that we are not constructing a private God, a private Jesus, but that we believe and worship the Jesus who is manifested to us by the Sacred Scriptures and who reveals himself to be alive in the great procession of the faithful called the Church, always alongside us and always before us. There is much that could be criticized in the Church. We know this and the Lord himself told us so: it is a net with good fish and bad fish, a field with wheat and darnel. Pope John Paul II, as well as revealing the true face of the Church in the many saints that he canonized, also asked pardon for the wrong that was done in the course of history through the words and deeds of members of the Church. In this way he showed us our own true image and urged us to take our place, with all our faults and weaknesses, in the procession of the saints that began with the Magi from the East. It is actually consoling to realize that there is darnel in the Church. In this way, despite all our defects, we can still hope to be counted among the disciples of Jesus, who came to call sinners. The Church is like a human family, but at the same time it is also the great family of God, through which he establishes an overarching communion and unity that embraces every continent, culture and nation. So we are glad to belong to this great family; we are glad to have brothers and friends all over the world. Here in Cologne we discover the joy of belonging to a family as vast as the world, including heaven and earth, the past, the present, the future and every part of the earth. In this great band of pilgrims we walk side by side with Christ, we walk with the star that enlightens our history.

“Going into the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshipped him” (Mt 2:11). Dear friends, this is not a distant story that took place long ago. It is with us now. Here in the sacred Host he is present before us and in our midst. As at that time, so now he is mysteriously veiled in a sacred silence; as at that time, it is here that the true face of God is revealed. For us he became a grain of wheat that falls on the ground and dies and bears fruit until the end of the world (cf. Jn 12:24). He is present now as he was then in Bethlehem. He invites us to that inner pilgrimage which is called adoration. Let us set off on this pilgrimage of the spirit and let us ask him to be our guide. Amen.

For the Speech to Ecumenical leaders click here.

For the Speech to Representatives of the Muslim community click here.

World Youth Day Speeches Continued

Homily to Seminarians:

Dear Seminarians,

I greet all of you with great affection and gratitude for your festive welcome and particularly for the fact that you have come to this gathering from so many countries the world over. In a special way my heartfelt thanks go to the seminarian, the priest and the Bishop who have given us their own personal witness. I am very pleased to have this opportunity to be with you. I had asked that the programme of these days in Cologne should include a special meeting with young seminarians, so that the vocational dimension which is always a part of World Youth Day would be even more clearly and strongly evident. Naturally, you are taking part in this experience in your own particular way, since you are seminarians, that is to say, young people devoting an intense period of your lives to seeking Christ and spending time with him in preparation for your important mission in the Church. This is what a seminary is: more than a place, it is a significant time in the life of a follower of Jesus. I can imagine how you yourselves relate to the theme of this Twentieth World Youth Day - “We Have Come To Worship Him” - and the entire Gospel account of the Magi from which the theme has been drawn. This passage has a special meaning for you, precisely because you are engaged in discerning and confirming your call to the priesthood. Let us pause and reflect on this theme.

Why did the Magi set off from afar to go to Bethlehem? The answer has to do with the mystery of the “star” which they saw “in the East” and which they recognized as the star of the “King of the Jews”, that is to say, the sign of the birth of the Messiah (cf. Mt 2:2). So their journey was inspired by a powerful hope, strengthened and guided by the star, which led them towards the King of the Jews, towards the kingship of God himself. The Magi set out because of a deep desire which prompted them to leave everything and begin a journey. It was as though they had always been waiting for that star. It was as if the journey had always been a part of their destiny, and was finally about to begin. Dear friends, this is the mystery of God’s call, the mystery of vocation. It is part of the life of every Christian, but it is particularly evident in those whom Christ asks to leave everything in order to follow him more closely. The seminarian experiences the beauty of that call in a moment of grace which could be defined as “falling in love”. His soul is filled with amazement, which makes him ask in prayer: “Lord, why me?” But love knows no “why”; it is a free gift to which one responds with the gift of self.

The seminary years are devoted to formation and discernment. Formation, as you well know, has different strands which converge in the unity of the person: it includes human, spiritual and cultural dimensions. Its deepest goal is to bring the student to an intimate knowledge of the God who has revealed his face in Jesus Christ. For this, in-depth study of Sacred Scripture is needed, and also of the faith and life of the Church in which the Scripture dwells as the Word of life. This must all be linked with the questions prompted by our reason and with the broader context of modern life. Such study can at times seem arduous, but it is an indispensable part of our encounter with Christ and our vocation to proclaim him. All this is aimed at shaping a steady and balanced personality, one capable of receiving validly and fulfilling responsibly the priestly mission. The role of formators is decisive: the quality of the presbyterate in a particular Church depends greatly on that of the seminary, and consequently on the quality of those responsible for formation. Dear seminarians, for this very reason we pray today with genuine gratitude for your superiors, professors and educators, who are spiritually present at this meeting. Let us ask the Lord to help them carry out as well as possible the important task entrusted to them. The seminary years are a time of journeying, of exploration, but above all of discovering Christ. It is only when a young man has had a personal experience of Christ that he can truly understand the Lord’s will and consequently his own vocation. The better you know Jesus the more his mystery attracts you. The more you discover him, the more you are moved to seek him. This is a movement of the spirit which lasts throughout life, and which makes the seminary a time of immense promise, a true “springtime”.

When the Magi came to Bethlehem, “going into the house they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshipped him” (Mt 2:11). Here at last was the long-awaited moment: their encounter with Jesus. “Going into the house”: this house in some sense represents the Church. In order to find the Saviour, one has to enter the house, which is the Church. During his time in the seminary, a particularly important process of maturation takes place in the consciousness of the young seminarian: he no longer sees the Church “from the outside”, but rather, as it were, “from the inside”, and he comes to sense that she is his “home”, in as much as she is the home of Christ, where “Mary his mother” dwells. It is Mary who shows him Jesus her Son; she introduces him and in a sense enables him to see and touch Jesus, and to take him into his arms. Mary teaches the seminarian to contemplate Jesus with the eyes of the heart and to make Jesus his very life. Each moment of seminary life can be an opportunity for loving experience of the presence of our Lady, who introduces everyone to an encounter with Christ in the silence of meditation, prayer and fraternity. Mary helps us to meet the Lord above all in the celebration of the Eucharist, when, in the Word and in the consecrated Bread, he becomes our daily spiritual nourishment.

“They fell down and worshipped him . . . and offered him gifts: gold, frankincense and myrrh” (Mt 2:11-12). Here is the culmination of the whole journey: encounter becomes adoration; it blossoms into an act of faith and love which acknowledges in Jesus, born of Mary, the Son of God made man. How can we fail to see prefigured in this gesture of the Magi the faith of Simon Peter and of the other Apostles, the faith of Paul and of all the saints, particularly of the many saintly seminarians and priests who have graced the two thousand years of the Church’s history? The secret of holiness is friendship with Christ and faithful obedience to his will. Saint Ambrose said: “Christ is everything for us”; and Saint Benedict warned against putting anything before the love of Christ. May Christ be everything for you. Dear seminarians, be the first to offer him what is most precious to you, as Pope John Paul II suggested in his Message for this World Youth Day: the gold of your freedom, the incense of your ardent prayer, the myrrh of your most profound affection (cf. No. 4).

The seminary years are a time of preparing for mission. The Magi “departed for their own country” and most certainly bore witness to their encounter with the King of the Jews. You too, after your long, necessary programme of seminary formation, will be sent forth as ministers of Christ; indeed, each of you will return as an alter Christus. On their homeward journey, the Magi surely had to deal with dangers, weariness, disorientation, doubts . . . The star was no longer there to guide them! The light was now within them. Their task was to guard and nourish it in the constant memory of Christ, of his Holy Face, of his ineffable Love. Dear seminarians! One day, God willing, by the consecration of the Holy Spirit you too will begin your mission. Remember always the words of Jesus: “Abide in my love” (Jn 15: 9). If you abide in Christ, you will bear much fruit. You have not chosen him, he has chosen you (cf. Jn 15:16). Here is the secret of your vocation and your mission! It is kept in the Immaculate Heart of Mary, who watches over each one of you with a mother’s love. Have recourse to her, often and with confidence. I assure you of my affection and my daily prayers. And I bless all of you from my heart.

Speech to Ecumenical Leaders:

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, our common Lord!

It is a pleasure for me to meet you, the representatives of other Churches and ecclesial Communities, during my visit to Germany. I greet you all most cordially! As a native of this country, I am quite aware of the painful situation which the rupture of unity in the profession of the faith has entailed for so many individuals and families. This was one of the reasons why, immediately following my election as Bishop of Rome, I declared, as the Successor of the Apostle Peter, my firm commitment to making the recovery of full and visible Christian unity a priority of my Pontificate. In doing so, I wished consciously to follow in the footsteps of two of my great Predecessors: Pope Paul VI, who forty years ago signed the conciliar Decree on Ecumenism Unitatis Redintegratio, and Pope John Paul II, who made that document the inspiration for his activity. In ecumenical dialogue Germany has a place of particular importance. Not only is it the place where the Reformation began; it is also one of those countries where the ecumenical movement of the twentieth century originated. With the successive waves of immigration in the last century, Christians from the Orthodox Churches and the ancient Churches of the East also found a new homeland in this country. This certainly favoured greater contact and exchanges. Together we can rejoice in the fact that ecumenical dialogue, with the passage of time, has brought about a renewed sense of fraternity and has created a more open and trusting climate between Christians belonging to the various Churches and ecclesial Communities. My venerable Predecessor, in his Encyclical Ut Unum Sint (1995) saw this as an especially significant fruit of dialogue (cf. Nos. 41ff; 64).

Among Christians, fraternity is not just a vague sentiment, nor is it a sign of indifference to truth. It is grounded in the supernatural reality of the one Baptism which makes us members of the one Body of Christ (cf. 1 Cor 12:13; Gal 3:28; Col 2:12). Together we confess that Jesus Christ is God and Lord; together we acknowledge him as the one mediator between God and man (cf. 1 Tim 2:5) and we emphasize that together we are members of his Body (cf. Unitatis Redintegratio, 22; Ut Unum Sint, 42). On this shared foundation dialogue has borne its fruits. I would like to mention the re-examination of the mutual condemnations, called for by John Paul II during his first visit to Germany in 1980, and above all the “Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification” (1999), which grew out of that re-examination and led to an agreement on basic issues that had been a subject of controversy since the sixteenth century. We should also acknowledge with gratitude the results of our common stand on important matters such as the fundamental questions involving the defence of life and the promotion of justice and peace. I am well aware that many Christians in this country, and not only in this country, expect further concrete steps to bring us closer together. I myself have the same expectation. It is the Lord’s command, but also the imperative of the present hour, to carry on dialogue, with conviction, at all levels of the Church’s life. This must obviously take place with sincerity and realism, with patience and perseverance, in complete fidelity to the dictates of one’s conscience. There can be no dialogue at the expense of truth; the dialogue must advance in charity and in truth.

I do not intend here to outline a programme for the immediate themes of dialogue - this task belongs to theologians working alongside the Bishops. I simply wish to make an observation: ecclesiological issues, and especially the question of the sacred ministry or priesthood, are inseparably linked with that of the relationship between Scripture and Church, that is to say the correct interpretation of the Word of God and its development within the life of the Church.

Another urgent priority in ecumenical dialogue arises from the great ethical questions of our time; in this area, modern research rightly expects a common response on the part of Christians, which, thanks be to God, has often been forthcoming. But not always, alas. Because of contradictory positions in these areas, our witness to the Gospel and the ethical guidance which we owe to the faithful and to society lose their impact and often appear too vague, with the result that we fail in our duty to provide the witness that is needed in our time. Our divisions are contrary to the will of Jesus and they disappoint the expectations of our contemporaries.

What does it mean to restore the unity of all Christians? The Catholic Church has as her goal the full visible unity of the disciples of Christ, as defined by the Second Vatican Ecumenical Council in its various documents (cf. Lumen Gentium, 8, 13; Unitatis Redintegratio, 2, 4, etc.). This unity subsists, we are convinced, in the Catholic Church, without the possibility of ever being lost (cf. Unitatis Redintegratio, 4). This does not, however, mean uniformity in all expressions of theology and spirituality, in liturgical forms and in discipline. Unity in multiplicity, and multiplicity in unity: in my Homily for the Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul on 29 June last, I insisted that full unity and full catholicity go together. As a necessary condition for the achievement of this coexistence, the commitment to unity must be constantly purified and renewed; it must constantly grow and mature. To this end, dialogue has its own contribution to make. More than an exchange of thoughts, it is an exchange of gifts (cf. Ut Unum Sint, 28), in which the Churches and the ecclesial Communities can make available their own riches (cf. Lumen Gentium, 8, 15; Unitatis Redintegratio, 3, 14ff; Ut Unum Sint, 10-14). As a result of this commitment, the journey can move forward step by step along the path to full unity, when at last we will all “attain to the unity of faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ” (Eph 4:13). It is obvious that, in the end, this dialogue can develop only in a context of sincere and committed spirituality. We cannot “bring about” unity by our powers alone. We can only obtain unity as a gift of the Holy Spirit. Consequently, spiritual ecumenism – prayer, conversion and the sanctification of life – constitute the heart of the ecumenical movement (cf. Unitatis Redintegratio, 8; Ut Unum Sint, 15ff., 21, etc.). It could be said that the best form of ecumenism consists in living in accordance with the Gospel.

I see good reason for optimism in the fact that today a kind of “network” of spiritual links is developing between Catholics and Christians from the different Churches and ecclesial Communities: each individual commits himself to prayer, to the examination of his own life, to the purification of memory, to the openness of charity. The father of spiritual ecumenism, Paul Couturier, spoke in this regard of an “invisible cloister” which unites within its walls those souls inflamed with love for Christ and his Church. I am convinced that if more and more people unite themselves to the Lord’s prayer “that all may be one” (Jn 17:21), then this prayer, made in the name of Jesus, will not go unheard (cf. Jn 14:13; 15:7, 16, etc.). With the help that comes from on high, we will also find practical solutions to the different questions which remain open, and in the end our desire for unity will come to fulfilment, whenever and however the Lord wills. I invite all of you to join me in following this path.

My Favorite World  Youth Day Picture So Far...

I am sure it will change eventually, but here it is for now...

And here is another version of the same...

The Sick and Disgusting Protesters Have Arrived...

As is usual at such events as World Youth Day the perverted protesters are out in force.  Here are a couple of pictures of them doing what they do best...make idiots of themselves:

Maybe Joe London is there pushing his "pius cartoons" (Warning...some may find his cartoons perverted and disgusting) or his Anti-Catholic propaganda. 

Sorry Joe, but I haven't picked on you in awile...thought today is as good a day as any...

More Papal Words

Visit to the Cathedral in Cologne:

World Youth Day Speeches

Welcome Ceremony:

Mr. President,
Distinguished Political and Civil Authorities,
Your Eminences and Venerable Brothers in the Episcopate,
Dear Citizens of the Federal Republic,
My Dear Young People!

With deep joy I find myself for the first time after my election to the Chair of Peter in my beloved homeland, in Germany. With deep emotion I thank God who has enabled me to begin my Pastoral Visits outside Italy with this visit to the nation of my birth. I have come to Cologne for the Twentieth World Youth Day, which had already been planned by my Predecessor, the unforgettable Pope John Paul II. I am sincerely grateful to all present for the warm welcome given to me. My respectful greeting goes first to the President of the Federal Republic, Mr Horst Köhler, whom I thank for the gracious words of welcome which he addressed to me in the name of all the citizens of the Federal Republic of Germany. I also express my gratitude to the Representatives of the Government, the Members of the Diplomatic Corps and the civil and military Authorities. With fraternal affection I greet the Pastor of the Archdiocese of Cologne, Cardinal Joachim Meisner. My greeting also goes to the other Bishops, the priests, men and women religious, and to all those engaged in various pastoral activities in the German-speaking Dioceses. At this moment I also greet with affection all those living in the different Länder of the Federal Republic of Germany.

In these days of intense preparation for the World Youth Day, the Dioceses of Germany, and the Diocese and City of Cologne in particular, have been enlivened by the presence of very many young people from different parts of the world. I wish to thank all those who have so competently and generously helped to organize this worldwide ecclesial event. I am grateful to the parishes, religious institutes, associations, civil organizations and the many individuals who have offered hospitality and so friendly a welcome to the thousands of pilgrims coming here from different continents. The Church in Germany and the people of the German Federal Republic can be proud of their long tradition of openness to the global community; among other things, this is seen in their many initiatives of solidarity, particularly on behalf of developing countries.

In this spirit of esteem and acceptance towards all those who come from different cultures and traditions, we are about to experience World Youth Day in Cologne. That so many young people have come to meet the Successor of Peter is a sign of the Church’s vitality. I am happy to be with them, to confirm their faith and to enliven their hope. At the same time, I am sure that I will also receive something from them, especially from their enthusiasm, their sensitivity and their readiness to face the challenges of the future. And so I greet the young people themselves, and all those who have welcomed them in these event-filled days. In addition to intense moments of prayer, reflection and celebration with them and with all those taking part in the various scheduled events, I will have an opportunity to meet the Bishops, to whom even now I extend a warm greeting. I will also meet the representatives of the other Churches and ecclesial Communities, make a visit to the Synagogue for a meeting with the Jewish community, and also welcome the representatives of some Islamic communities. These meetings are important steps along the journey of dialogue and cooperation in our shared commitment to building a more just and fraternal future, a future which is truly more human.

During this World Youth Day we will reflect together on the theme: “We Have Come To Worship Him” (Mt 2:2). This is a precious opportunity for thinking more deeply about the meaning of life as a “pilgrimage,” guided by a “star,” in search of the Lord. Together we shall consider the Magi, who, coming from various distant lands, were among the first to recognize the promised Messiah in Jesus of Nazareth, the Son of the Virgin Mary, and to bow down in worship before him (cf. Mt 2:1-12). The ecclesial community and the city of Cologne have a special link with these emblematic figures. Like the Magi, all believers – and young people in particular – have been called to set out on the journey of life in search of truth, justice and love. The ultimate goal of the journey can only be found through an encounter with Christ, an encounter which cannot take place without faith. Along this interior journey we can be guided by the many signs with which a long and rich Christian tradition has indelibly marked this land of Germany: from great historical monuments to countless works of art found throughout the country, from documents preserved in libraries to lively popular traditions, from philosophical inquiry to the theological reflection of her many great thinkers, from the spiritual traditions to the mystical experience of a vast array of Saints. Here we find a rich cultural and spiritual heritage which even today, in the heart of Europe, testifies to the fruitfulness of the Christian faith and tradition. The Diocese and the region of Cologne, in particular, keep the living memory of great witnesses to Christian civilization. Among others, I think of Saint Boniface, Saint Ursula, Saint Albert the Great, and, in more recent times, Saint Teresa Benedicta of the Cross (Edith Stein) and Blessed Adolph Kolping. May these, our illustrious brothers and sisters in the faith, who down the centuries have held high the torch of holiness, be “models” and “patrons” of the World Youth Day which we now celebrate.

To all of you here present I renew my deep gratitude for your gracious welcome, and I pray to the Lord for the future of the Church and of society as a whole in this Federal Republic of Germany, so dear to my heart. May this country’s long history and her great social, economic and cultural attainments be an incentive to renewed commitment in the pursuit of authentic progress, solidarity and development, not only for the German nation, but for the other peoples of the Continent as well. May the Virgin Mary, who presented the Child Jesus to the Magi when they arrived in Bethlehem to worship the Saviour, continue to intercede for us, just as for centuries she has kept watch over the German people from her many shrines throughout the German Länder. May the Lord bless everyone here present, together with all the pilgrims and all who live in this land. May God protect the Federal Republic of Germany!

Speech from the Boat on the River Rhine

Dear Young People,

 I am delighted to meet you here in Cologne on the banks of the Rhine!  You have come from various parts of Germany, Europe and the rest of the world as pilgrims in the footsteps of the Magi.  Following their route, you too want to find Jesus.  Like them, you have begun this journey in order to contemplate, both personally and with others, the face of God revealed by the Child in the manger.  Like yourselves, I too have set out to join you in kneeling before the consecrated white Host in which the eyes of faith recognize the real presence of the Saviour of the world.  Together, we will continue to meditate on the theme of this World Youth Day: “We Have Come To Worship Him” (Mt 2:2).

 With great joy I welcome you, dear young people.  You have come here from near and far, walking the streets of the world and the pathways of life.  My particular greeting goes to those who, like the Magi, have come from the East.  You are the representatives of so many of our brothers and sisters who are waiting, without realizing it, for the star to rise in their skies and lead them to Christ, Light of the Nations, in whom they will find the fullest response to their hearts’ deepest desires.  I also greet with affection those among you who have not been baptized, and those of you who do not yet know Christ or have not yet found a home in his Church.  Pope John Paul II had invited you in particular to come to this gathering; I thank you for deciding to come to Cologne.  Some of you might perhaps describe your adolescence in the words with which Edith Stein, who later lived in the Carmel in Cologne, described her own: “I consciously and deliberately lost the habit of praying”.  During these days, you can once again have a moving experience of prayer as dialogue with God, the God who we know loves us and whom we in turn wish to love.  To all of you I appeal: Open wide your hearts to God!  Let yourselves be surprised by Christ!  Let him have “the right of free speech” during these days!  Open the doors of your freedom to his merciful love!  Share your joys and pains with Christ, and let him enlighten your minds with his light and touch your hearts with his grace.  In these days blessed with sharing and joy, may you have a liberating experience of the Church as the place where God’s merciful love reaches out to all people.  In the Church and through the Church you will meet Christ, who is waiting for you.

 Today, as I arrived in Cologne to take part with you in the Twentieth World Youth Day, I naturally recall with deep gratitude the Servant of God so greatly loved by us all, Pope John Paul II, who had the inspired idea of calling young people from all over the world to join in celebrating Christ, the one Redeemer of the human race.  Thanks to the profound dialogue which developed over more than twenty years between the Pope and young people, many of them were able to deepen their faith, forge bonds of communion, develop a love for the Good News of salvation in Christ and a desire to proclaim it throughout the world.  That great Pope understood the challenges faced by young people today and, as a sign of his trust in them, he did not hesitate to spur them on to be courageous heralds of the Gospel and intrepid builders of the civilization of truth, love and peace.

 Today it is my turn to take up this extraordinary spiritual legacy bequeathed to us by Pope John Paul II.  He loved you – you realized that and you returned his love with all your youthful enthusiasm.  Now all of us together have to put his teaching into practice.  It is this commitment which has brought us here to Cologne, as pilgrims in the footsteps of the Magi.  According to tradition, the names of the Magi in Greek were Melchior, Gaspar and Balthasar.  Matthew, in his Gospel, tells of the question which burned in the hearts of the Magi: “Where is the infant king of the Jews?” (Mt 2:2).  It was in order to search for him that they set out on the long journey to Jerusalem.  This was why they withstood hardships and sacrifices, and never yielded to discouragement or the temptation to give up and go home.  Now that they were close to their goal, they had no other question than this.  We too have come to Cologne because in our hearts we have the same urgent question that prompted the Magi from the East to set out on their journey, even if it is differently expressed.  It is true that today we are no longer looking for a king, but we are concerned for the state of the world and we are asking: “Where do I find standards to live by, what are the criteria that govern responsible co-operation in building the present and the future of our world?  On whom can I rely?  To whom shall I entrust myself? Where is the One who can offer me the response capable of satisfying my heart’s deepest desires?”  The fact that we ask questions like these means that we realize  our journey is not over until we meet the One who has the power to establish that universal Kingdom of justice and peace to which all people aspire but which they are unable to build by themselves.  Asking such questions also means searching for Someone who can neither deceive nor be deceived, and who therefore can offer a certainty so solid that we can live for it and, if need be, even die for it.

 Dear friends, when questions like these appear on the horizon of life, we must be able to make the necessary choices.  It is like finding ourselves at a crossroads: which direction do we take?  The one prompted by the passions or the one indicated by the star which shines in your conscience?  The Magi heard the answer: “In Bethlehem of Judea; for so it is written by the prophet” (Mt 2:5), and, enlightened by these words, they chose to press forward to the very end.  From Jerusalem they went on to Bethlehem.  In other words, they went from the word which showed them where to find the King of the Jews whom they were seeking, all the way to the end, to an encounter with the King who was at the same time the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.  Those words  are also spoken for us.  We too have a choice to make.  If we think about it, this is precisely our experience when we share in the Eucharist.  For in every Mass the liturgy of the Word introduces us to our participation in the mystery of the Cross and Resurrection of Christ and hence introduces us to the Eucharistic Meal, to union with Christ.  Present on the altar is the One whom the Magi saw lying in the manger: Christ, the living Bread who came down from heaven to give life to the world, the true Lamb who gives his own life for the salvation of humanity.  Enlightened by the Word, it is in Bethlehem – the “House of Bread” – that we can always encounter the inconceivable greatness of a God who humbled himself even to appearing in a manger, to giving himself as food on the altar.

 We can imagine the awe which the Magi experienced before the Child in swaddling clothes.  Only faith enabled them to recognize in the face of that Child the King whom they were seeking, the God to whom the star had guided them.  In him, crossing the abyss between the finite and the infinite, the visible and the invisible, the Eternal entered time, the Mystery became known  by entrusting himself to us in the frail body of a small child.  “The Magi are filled with awe by what they see; heaven on earth and earth in heaven; man in God and God in man; they see enclosed in a tiny body the One whom the entire world cannot contain” (Saint Peter Chrysologus, Serm. 160, No. 2).  In these days, during this “Year of the Eucharist”, we will turn with the same awe to Christ present in the Tabernacle of mercy, in the Sacrament of the Altar.  Dear young people, the happiness you are seeking, the happiness you have a right to enjoy has a name and a face: it is Jesus of Nazareth, hidden in the Eucharist.  Only he gives the fullness of life to humanity!  With Mary, say your own “yes” to God, for he wishes to give himself to you.  I repeat today what I said at the beginning of my Pontificate: “If we let Christ into our lives, we lose nothing, nothing, absolutely nothing of what makes life free, beautiful and great.  No!  Only in this friendship are the doors of life opened wide.  Only in this friendship is the great potential of human existence truly revealed.  Only in this friendship do we experience beauty and liberation” (Homily at the Mass of Inauguration, 24 April 2005).  Be completely convinced of this: Christ takes from you nothing that is beautiful and great, but brings everything to perfection for the glory of God, the happiness of men and women, and the salvation of the world.

 In these days I encourage you to commit yourselves without reserve to serving  Christ, whatever the cost.  The encounter with Jesus Christ will allow you to experience in your hearts the joy of his living and life-giving presence, and enable you to bear witness to it before others.  Let your presence in this city be the first sign and proclamation of the Gospel, thanks to the witness of your actions and your joy.  Let us raise our hearts in a hymn of praise and thanksgiving to the Father for the many blessings he has given us and for the gift of faith which we will celebrate together, making it manifest to the world from this land in the heart of Europe, a Europe which owes so much to the Gospel and its witnesses down the centuries. 

 And now I shall go as a pilgrim to the Cathedral of Cologne, to venerate the relics of the holy Magi who left everything to follow the star which was guiding them to the Saviour of the human race.  You too, dear young people, have already had, or will have, the opportunity to make the same pilgrimage.  These relics are only the poor and frail sign of what those men were and what they experienced so many centuries ago.  The relics direct us towards God himself:  it is he who, by the power of his grace, grants to weak human beings the courage to bear witness to him before the world.  By inviting us to venerate the mortal remains of the martyrs and saints, the Church does not forget that, in the end, these are indeed just human bones, but they are bones that belonged to individuals touched by the transcendent power of God.  The relics of the saints are traces of that invisible but real presence which sheds light upon the shadows of the world and reveals the Kingdom of Heaven in our midst.  They cry out with us and for us: “Maranatha!” – “Come Lord Jesus!”  My dear friends, I make these words my farewell, and I invite you to the Saturday evening Vigil.  I shall see you then!

Whoops!

What I wouldn't give to be the man who cought that zuchetto...

It's Windy in Cologne

I Have Heard Good Things About This

"A Man Who Became Pope"  was warmly received when screened at the Vatican's Paul VI hall on May 19. "The film presents scenes and episodes that, in their severity, awaken in the viewers an instinctive 'turning away' in horror and stimulates them to consider the abyss of iniquity that can be hidden in the human soul," said Pope Benedict XVI. "At the same time, calling to the fore such aberrations revives in every right-minded person the duty to do what he or she can so that such inhuman barbarism never happens again...I...express living gratitude to those who wanted to offer me...the opportunity to view this moving film."

Vatican press spokesman Joaquin Navarro-Valls said Pope John Paul II had seen the film in its entirety in a private viewing before his death and was "very impressed" with the portrayal and "appreciated the many scenes" from that period in his life.
"Before he became pontiff, successor of St. Peter, before he became a historic and spiritual figure, he was simply Karol Wojtyla," said Edward J. Murray, president and chief executive officer of Faith & Values Media. "'A Man Who Became Pope' movingly and beautifully conveys events from his early years which influenced him to become a tireless voice of goodness and an outspoken champion of peace." 

Before he became Pope, Karol Wojtyla's life was a vigorous search for love and freedom. His transformational journey led him to the theatre, to profound experiences of love, friendship and loyalty, to scholarship, to the Catholic priesthood. And finally, it led him to Rome and the Chair of St. Peter. Karol's heroic, true story, based on Gian Franco Svidercoschi's book, Stories of Karol: The Unknown Life of John Paul II , comes to television in "A Man Who Became Pope," a four-hour movie event presented by Faith & Values Media, premiering on Hallmark Channel Monday, August 15 (8/7 c).

Filmed on location in Krakow, Poland and Vatican City, the film features an international cast including Piotr Adamczyk as Karol Wojtyla; Malgorzata Bela as Hania, the woman Karol cared deeply for; Matt Craven as Nazi General Hans Frank; and Raoul Bova as Father Tomasz Zaleski, Karol's close childhood friend and a martyr to the Nazis. Giacomo Battiato directed the film and was produced by Pietro Valsecchi.

Blessed Karl Leisner

This morning while looking over what saints were celebrated today I came across this blessed.  His story is amazing and inspiring, so I thought I should share it with everyone.  The following was written by Archbishop Daniel Buechlein of Indianapolis:

Karl Frederick Wilhelm Maria Leisner, prisoner 22356, died at age 30 on Aug. 12, 1945, barely three months after the liberation of the Dachau concentration camp. He had been imprisoned for five and a half years.

Born at Rees, Germany, Karl was the eldest of five children. He was bright, adventuresome, athletic and faith-filled—a natural leader. His teenage years were spent leading prayer, pilgrimages and camping trips. He was tapped by his bishop to serve as diocesan youth director.

Sensing a call to the priesthood, he entered the seminary. His seminary formation was interrupted by six months’ compulsory government service in a labor camp, which entailed back-breaking work in murky swamps. Despite Nazi opposition, he arranged trips to Sunday Mass for fellow Catholic workers.

Serious about all he undertook, Leisner went through intense soul-searching before petitioning for ordination to the diaconate. He was particularly troubled about whether he was called to marriage or the priesthood, having become enamored of a young woman whose family he knew well. She ultimately encouraged him to seek ordination as a deacon.

Six months after ordination, Leisner was diagnosed with tuberculosis, most likely contracted in the damp swamps. He was sent to a local sanitarium. After hearing of a failed attempt on Hitler’s life, he made an off-hand comment in a group of patients and was reported to the local police as anti-Hitler. He was taken directly from the sanitarium to jail and thus began five and a half years in the hands of the Nazis.

Youthful but frail, Leisner quickly became a favorite of other prisoners at Dachau. Though sick, he always presented a joyful exterior and offered encouragement to fellow internees. He scrounged bits of food for the hungriest and sickest, and shared his own meager rations.

Leisner lived as a deacon at Dachau, and everything he did was for the sake of Christ. He had been imprisoned just months before his ordination to the priesthood, and prisoners shared the unlikely hope that he could be ordained a priest, even in the camp. The unthinkable became possible when a French bishop was sentenced to Dachau for his collaboration with the Resistance.

The necessary Church documents were smuggled in and out of the camp. At great personal risk, a 20-year-old woman living in a local convent became an underground courier, using the alias “Madi.” In early December 1944, Leisner received a letter from one of his sisters, in the middle of which were these words, written in another’s hand: “I authorize the ceremonies requested provided that they are done validly and that there remain definite proof.” The words were followed by the signature of Leisner’s bishop.

Many prisoners participated surreptitiously in an intricate plot to prepare for the ordination. Vestments were tailored for the bishop and Leisner, a bishop’s ring was crafted by a Russian communist, and a crozier was carved by a Benedictine monk. Inscribed into the curve of the staff were the words, “Triumphant in Chains.”

Still weak with tuberculosis, his face red with fever, Leisner was secretly ordained a priest at Dachau on Dec. 17, 1944. He secretly celebrated his first Mass on Dec. 26, the only Mass he would ever celebrate.

When the Allies liberated Dachau on April 29, 1945, the gravely ill priest was taken to a hospital, where he died on Aug. 12 in the presence of his family. For most of his life, he had kept a diary, and the last entry, dated July 25, echoed the final words of St. Stephen: “Bless my enemies, too, O Lord. ‘Lord lay not this sin to their charge.’ ”

Pope John Paul II beatified Karl Leisner in 1996 in the Olympic stadium in Berlin, built by Hitler for the 1936 games. Holding the crozier used at Blessed Karl’s ordination, the pope said, “Karl Leisner encourages us to remain on the way that is Christ. We must not grow weary, even if sometimes this way seems dark and demands sacrifice. Let us beware of false prophets who want to show us other ways. Christ is the way that leads to life. All other ways are detours or wrong paths.”

Present for the beatification were Blessed Karl’s brother and family, former inmates of Dachau, and an elderly Sister Josefa Imma Mack, once known as “Madi.” Fifty-two years earlier, she had risked her life so that a young man she never met could be ordained a priest in secret.

For more information on Bl. Karl click here, here and here.

Let us ask Bl. Karl Leisner to pray for all priests and seminarians, that they might grow in courage, strength, and fearless love for Christ.

Bl. Karl, pray for us.

I Knew They Could Kill You

A 28-year-old South Korean man died of exhaustion in an Internet cafe after playing computer games non-stop for 49 hours, South Korean police said Wednesday.

Lee, a resident in the southern city of Taegu who was identified only by his last name, collapsed Friday after having eaten minimally and not sleeping, refusing to leave his keyboard while he played the battle simulation game Starcraft.

Lee was quickly moved to a hospital but died after a few hours, due to what doctors are presuming was a heart attack, police said.

Priestly Informal Wear

What do you think?  Should I get one? 

If you want to buy one for your pastor you can click here and order one.

Martin Luther Must Be Rolling In His Grave

Martin Luther may well be turning in his grave yesterday after his modern-day compatriot, Pope Benedict, decided to grant indulgences to Catholics during his trip to his native Germany this month.

The Vatican said the Pope had agreed to allow "special indulgences" in connection with his trip to Cologne from August 18-21 for the Roman Catholic Church's World Day of Youth festivities.

The Church teaches that those people who do not go straight to heaven after death must first do some time in purgatory, a sort of unpleasant waiting room.

Indulgences are remission of temporal punishment - suffering in this life or the next in order to purify a soul of sins which have already been forgiven in confession.

Indulgences, generally granted for doing good works, can reduce time in purgatory, which the late Pope John Paul said in 1999 was not so much a physical place but a state of mind marked by the absence of God.

Indulgences were one of the main controversies that sparked Martin Luther's Reformation in the 16th century, when they were sold instead of earned or prayed for. A decree issued by Cardinal James Francis Stafford yesterday said plenary indulgences would be granted to people who are not in a state of sin and participate "attentively and with devotion" to World Day of Youth events in Germany.

Those who do not go to Cologne for the Pope's first foreign trip could receive "partial indulgences" if they prayed fervently while the Pope is in Germany to ask God to help young people strengthen their faith, the Vatican statement said.

According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, a plenary indulgence can remove "all of the temporal punishment due to sin," while a partial indulgence removes only part of it.

Homily:  19th Sunday in Ordinary Time

I remember as a high school student attending a youth retreat.  It was a wonderful experience including Mass, Confession, prayer, sharing, singing and lots of food and fun.  It was a spiritual high where I recommitted my life to the Lord and resolved to live my life accordingly.  I was absolutely dead set on becoming a saint, and nobody was going to stop me.  I was going to become the holiest high school student the Church has ever seen, and God help the person who got in my way.  I was on fire for Jesus!  Then I went home, went back to school and the ho-hum regimen of daily life began once again.  The more days that went by, the less committed I became, until eventually I was back to my old ways, kind of like St. Peter in today’s gospel.  You see, when St. Peter first caught sight of our Lord walking on the water his faith increased and he became excited about following him wherever he went and was willing to do anything and go anywhere in order to be near him even to the point of jumping out of the boat and walking on water when Jesus called him to do so.  His faith was so strong that he kept his eyes on Jesus, thus allowing him to defy the waves and storm that was raging around him and walk on water.  But shortly thereafter he began to think like he used to, he took his eyes off Jesus, and began to sink.

I think we all in some way or another can identify with that situation because many times our lives can be a lot like that.  We come here to Church every Sunday, we are strengthened in our faith by the readings, the preaching, the music, hopefully every once in a while we are strengthened by the sacrament of Penance, and most importantly, our hearts are set on fire by receiving the Holy Eucharist.  We are encouraged and uplifted by what we hear, experience, and receive here. We hear Jesus calling to us to follow him and we respond whole heartedly and resolve to live holy lives, then we go home and get up on Monday morning and the ho-hum regimen of daily life begins once again, and as we all well know, we, like St. Peter can easily take our eyes off of Jesus and begin to sink into the storms that rage around us in our daily life.  The waves and storms of family life, work, relationships, sickness and suffering can easily distract us from our true priorities and we begin to lose the fervor that we had when we left the Holy Mass on Sunday.  It’s a common problem that many people struggle with – I mean really – how do we as Catholic Christians living in a busy, rushed, and noisy world live a vibrant faith not only on Sunday, but every single day of the year?  How do we keep that spiritual fervor going through the toil and struggles of the work week?  It’s certainly a tough task, especially in a society that would rather have us separate our faith from our life and work, but as people of faith we cannot do that.  We cannot take our eyes off our Lord, or we will sink into the sea and drown spiritually.  But how do we do this on a practical level…good question…and as you might have guessed, I have a few suggestions.

First, some very simple, small things that I lifted from Our Sunday Visitor:  How about turning off the radio on your way to and from work so that you can pray a rosary, listen to a spiritual book on tape, or just talk to the Lord.  Or maybe, if you have a hard time keeping focused on Our Lord maybe you could put a holy card or picture in places where you often look – for instance on your computer screen, on your desk, in your car, in the medicine cabinet, or in your kitchen cupboard.

Second, maybe you could attend daily Mass, and if you can’t come every day maybe you could come just one or two days during the week.  Certainly going to Mass more often will keep us more focused on loving and serving Our Lord.

Third, maybe you could attend RCIA or an Adult Education class when they begin later this fall, or even getting together with another Catholic couple or family to talk about the faith would be an excellent way to keep the fire of faith going and our eyes on Jesus throughout the week.

St. Peter teaches us that we need to keep our eyes on Jesus, for when we take them off of Him, we will sink, but he also teaches us that if we do begin to sink, all we have to do is call out to the Lord and He will stretch out His had and lift us up.  We all know that it is hard to keep our eyes on Jesus, and there will be times where we will fail, but thanks be to God that we are able to be raised up and forgiven for our infidelity in the Sacrament of Penance.  If we have not had our eyes on Jesus as much as we should have in the past, then maybe now is the time to cry out to Jesus to lift us out of the waves, and just like St. Peter, he will lift us up and remind us to stay focused and keep our eyes intently fixed on him, even thought the waters and storms may rage around us.

I Thought They Were Supposed To Be Tolerant?

From the pages of Matthew 12:37:

This is sick. Sick enough that I had to sit and think about it for a few minutes after I first read the story on The Dawn Patrol. I thought the video Dawn Eden pointed out was bad. Then, after watching it, I found it to be worse than I could've imagined.

In this video on the Planned Parenthood group's website, a 'suspicious-looking' 'abstinence-only' man is drowned in a trash can full of water by the 'Superhero for Choice' because he's trying to 'misguide' some teens into thinking that abstinence is the best way to avoid pregnancy, STDs, or other problems. The 'Superhero' then shoots condoms at frankenstein-like 'anti-choicers' (pro-life people protesting outside an abortion clinic), which then blow up the 'anti-choicers'. Then she goes to Washington and dips a senator who is against Roe v. Wade (and other anti-life legal issues) in a vat of boiling stew.

The teens who were being 'manipulated' by the 'abstinence-only' man spout off some rubbish (in unison, like some sort of zombies) about Planned Parenthood being great, and 'safe sex' and other things. The senator comes out of the vat of boiling stew naked with an apple in his mouth, and he starts speaking about how he wants to allow for women to 'respect their bodies.'

During the end credits, condoms open and close to reveal names of those who worked on this video, and one of the condoms cuts off the head of one of the 'anti-choice' protesters.

This is completely insulting to human dignity. I can't believe any public organization (especially one that you and I help fund) would ever allow something like this on their website. As Dawn Eden states, "if the American Life League's Web site featured a cartoon depicting an ALL superhero blowing up nonviolent Planned Parenthood activists, would Planned Parenthood just shrug it off?"

The answer: No; Planned Parenthood would be up in arms over it.

This video is not all bad, though; anyone with half a wit will easily find the inconsistent logic, misinformation and hypocrasy throughout the video. It saddens me, though, that Planned Parenthood thinks the teens they preach their message to are so shallow.

Homily:  18th Sunday In Ordinary Time

I gave this homily at my home parish in Milbank, SD.

In today’s first reading from the Prophet Isaiah God invites us to come and quench our thirst and fill our bellies with what is truly good.  He invites us to come to Him in order to receive the only food that will truly satisfy our hunger.  It is no coincidence that in today’s Gospel reading we also hear the same theme of being fed by God until we are totally and completely satisfied.   In the gospel, we hear about the miracle of the multiplication of the loaves and the feeding of the five thousand, where “all ate and were satisfied.”

My brothers and sisters in Christ, there are many people in our world who just cannot find the satisfaction that they desire.  They all seem to be crying out with Mick Jagger “I can’t get no satisfaction.”  People seem to be turning to all sort of things to try to satisfy their hunger and thirst.  More and more people are turning to the abuse of alcohol, sex, drugs, pornography, and many other things that do not truly satisfy their desires, but only give them a quick fix. All of us, in one way or another, are searching for something or someone to satisfy us, but many just  cannot seem to find it.  It’s probably because we are looking in all the wrong places.  We are looking for total satisfaction in places that just cannot give it.  So this beggs the question, where can we find total satisfaction and the fulfillment of all our desires?  The gospel gives us a clue.

If we look closely we will see that when Jesus fed the five thousand until “all ate and were satisfied” he first gave thanks, then broke the bread, and gave the bread to his disciples who in turn gave it to the crowds.  This is the same movement that we will later see at the last supper when Jesus instituted the Holy Eucharist – he took bread, gave thanks, broke the bread, gave it to his disciples, and they in turn give it to us each and every time that we come to the Holy Mass.  This connection between the crowds being satisfied and the Holy Eucharist is no coincidence because Jesus wants to teach us that it is only the Eucharist - who is Jesus Himself - that can truly satisfy us.  It is only the union with Him that can be achieved in receiving his body and blood in the Eucharist that will truly fulfill all of our desires.

A priest I know of was once speaking to a Baptist minister about the Church’s belief about the Holy Eucharist, and the Baptist minister said to the priest “I wish that I believed what you believe about The Eucharist.  I wish I believed that the Eucharist was the body and blood of Jesus, because if I believed it, I would never leave your churches, because if Jesus is here, where else would I want to be."

My brothers and sisters, Jesus is here every time the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass is offered, as well as in our tabernacles every day, so my question to all of us is this: “where are we?”  If Jesus is here, where are we?  Do we make it Mass every Sunday so that we can receive Him who can satisfy all our desires, or are we looking for satisfaction in other places?  If we really understood and believed that in the Holy Mass Jesus Christ descends upon our altars to satisfy our deepest longings then this Church would be packed to overflowing each and every Sunday…it would be packed to overflowing each and every day!  If we really believed that Jesus dwelt in our tabernacles to be our constant companion then there would never be a time when this Church is empty.

I know that most of us gathered here this evening believes that Jesus is here, otherwise you wouldn’t be here, but we can always grow in our faith and devotion to Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament.  So I offer a few suggestions on how we can grow.

First, if we frequently miss Mass on Sunday we can make it a point to go to confession and there resolve to make it to Mass every Sunday without fail.  There is nothing better that we could be doing than be at Mass.   Second, if we do make it to Mass every Sunday then maybe we could come to Mass once or twice during the week.  The more we come to know Jesus through the Mass, the stronger our love for Him will grow, and the stronger our love for Him, the happier we will become.  Third, if we cannot make it to Mass during the week maybe we can at least come and visit Him in our tabernacles.  Jesus is waiting for us there, he is waiting for us to come and pour out our hearts and souls before him so that he can comfort us in our afflictions and strengthen us in our weakness.   As the Baptist minister said, “If Jesus is here, where else would we want to be.”

Today  Jesus invites us to come and eat of the banquet he lays before us, and drink deeply of the living water that flows from His Sacred Heart.  Let us not fail to take advantage of this great gift, this great source of strength.

Pro-Lifers Not Pleased; Liberals Rejoice

Senator Bill Frist, announcement the other day that he will support federally funded stem cell research that requires destroying human embryos.  Obviously this displeased many americans who know that embryonic stem cell research is evil, not to mention that there is no proof that any medical advancement could come from it.  They only area where progress has been made is in research using adult stem cells.

Here is what Cardinal William H. Keeler, chairman of the US Bishops' Committee for Pro-Life Activities, has to say about it:

"Today Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist announced he will support using federal funds to encourage the destruction of living human embryos for their stem cells. Despite the Senator's disclaimers to the contrary, this position is not 'pro-life.'

"Especially disturbing is the Senator's insistence that human embryos unwanted by their own parents are owed 'the same dignity and respect' as children and adults, but may nevertheless be killed for research material.

"Such destruction of innocent human life, even out of a desire to help others, rests on a utilitarian view that undermines human dignity and human respect, as Senator Sam Brownback ably pointed out today in his response.

"Senator Frist's effort to make an analogy with organ transplants also fails, because it would be gravely immoral as well as illegal to harvest any patient's vital organs when he or she is still alive.

"Despite his warning against offering 'false hope' to patients, Senator Frist also repeated claims that are untrue or misleading about the unique 'promise' of embryonic stem cells. No one has identified any disease that can be treated only with these cells; no one even knows whether they will ever provide a safe and reliable treatment for the conditions already being successfully treated using adult stem cells.

"These factual issues will no doubt be explored by others. My own central concern is that neither sound ethics nor good government can rest on the principle that 'the end justifies the means.' I commend President Bush for his laudable pledge to veto such legislation."

The Pope Has A Blog

Doesn't the Pope look happy?  I wonder what he is so smiley about?  I guess it must be his new blog which you can read here (in case you don't know, it's a parody...its not really him.)