Aid to the Church in Need
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Go... Rebuild my Church
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NET Ministries of Ireland is a Catholic lay missionary organisation which is committed to answering the call of Blessed Pope John Paul II to proclaim the Gospel as part of the New Evangelisation within the Church here in Ireland. Every year, dozens of trained young missionaries spend a year working with youth in both school-based retreat and parish-based local teams. Their goal is to share their own personal experiences of the love of Jesus Christ in their lives with each young person they meet and encourage others to open their hearts to God’s great love for them!
Inspire the youth of your school or parish community to grow closer to Christ and learn more about the richness of the Catholic Faith by booking a retreat team or inviting a local team into your parish. Your youth will experience a fun, safe, relational, and prayerful environment where they can have a retreat away from the stress of everyday life and hear God’s call on their hearts!
NET Ministries of Ireland
Donegal Road, Ballybofey, Co. Donegal PHONE 074 919 0606 EMAIL office@netministries.ie
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Aid to the Church in Need
Contents
Page
Witness of Martyrs - Fr. Martin Barta . . . . . . . . . . . ................................................. 2 The Service of Charity - Johannes Freiherr Heereman ..................................... 3 Offering the Hand of Peace - Pakistan . . . . . . . . . . ................................................ 4 A Life Unendurable, Without Deep Faith . . . . ................................................. 5 Peace in God Alone - Construction Aid in El Salvador ...................................... 6 Face to Face with Martyrdom - Syria . . . . . . . . . . . ................................................. 8 God’s Ways are Wonderful - Belarus. . . . . . . . . . . . . .............................................. 10 A LOOK IN THE
A chairde - The Witness of The Saints . . . . . . . . . . . . ............................................... 12 ‘Go Repair my Church in Ruins’ - Pope Benedict XVI .................................... 13 Christ’s words to St. Francis, ‘Repair my Church,’ Apropos for Today Archbishop Charles Chaput, O.F.M. Cap. . . . . . . . . . . . .............................................. 19 St. Patrick - Eddie Cotter Jr., DTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .............................................. 20 Saint Mary of Egypt, Penitent - Eddie Cotter Jr., DTS .................................... 24 A Witness within the Church - Eliza Jane Phillis, NET Ministries..................... 30
Editor: Jürgen Liminski. Publisher: Kirche in Not / Ostpriesterhilfe, Postfach 1209, 61452 Königstein, Germany. De licentia competentis auctoritatis ecclesiasticae. Printed in Ireland - ISSN 0252-2535. www.acn-intl.org
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Dear Friends,
the very least, a pitying smile. It is part of the general tone of the media to make fun of the Church and the Pope and to disparage the truths of our faith. Those who openly confess their faith are often looked on as foolish and irrational and excluded from public life. It is not easy in our present age to stand up publicly as believers, to pray, to confess, to live a Eucharistic life, to be loyal to the Pope, to defend married faithfulness or bring up a large family.
Father Werenfried used to relate how he invited a Czechoslovakian priest to the West for two months after the ‘Prague Spring’, to get to know the Church in the free world. When this priest said goodbye, he parted with the following sobering words: ‘I was imprisoned for 12 years, because I was determined to stay true to the Church in Rome. I was tortured, because I would not deny the Pope. For the sake of my faith, my health was ruined. But this faith gave me a peace and security that made my years in prison among the happiest of my life. You have lost that serenity in God; you have so undermined the Faith that you have no more security left. In your freedom you are But the more diffi‘The witness of the throwing away what cult the situation, we suffered for in martyrs will help us give, the more precious oppression. The West our faith; and the to all who ask, an account ismore has disappointed me. clearly we can of the hope that is in us.’ see whether we are I would rather spend another 12 years in a willing to suffer for it communist prison than stay any longer or not. The witness of the martyrs will here among you.’ help us not to be cowards, not to shirk the fight or become embittered, but to This grave judgement by a confessor of be ready with courage to give, to all who the persecuted Church should make us ask, an account of the hope that is within think again, even today. In our Western us. This year we are celebrating the Year countries we do not generally face the of Faith, a time in which we can redisrisk of being thrown into prison or killed cover the Faith – for which the martyrs for the sake of our faith. Yet we also risked their freedom and their lives – as experience a daily testing of our faith. a new and precious pearl. Today, to live our faith in sincerity means being prepared to endure sarcasm or, at Dear Friends, let us remain true in this
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Faith and strive during the coming Lenten season for a still more tender love towards everyone, even those who – mostly out of weakness and ignorance – deride our Faith. This is the kind of fast that God loves.
Dear Friends, ‘All the faithful have the right and duty to devote themselves personally to offering our contemporaries not only material assistance, but also refreshment and care for their souls.’ So states the encyclical ‘Deus caritas est’ and similarly the Motu Proprio ‘On the Service of Charity’ by Pope Benedict. For those who are persecuted, the spiritual support and healing is often more important than the material aid. We strive to offer both. In fact, the pastoral aspect is an essential component of every project in the service of ACN. More than this, it is an inner bond between us and the Christians in need. Solidarity consoles and helps, faith strengthens and heals, praying together unites us. Father Werenfried attached great importance to this interior bond. It is the secret of the effectiveness of ACN. An additional bond is our fidelity to the Pope. That our charity should now be
My priestly blessing on you all,
Father Martin M. Barta, Ecclesiastical Assistant
a pontifical foundation s e e m s almost selfevident. What is not self-evident, however, is your generosity. Again and again I am astonished – and grateful. Your faithfulness and generosity, and the prayer of the needy for you, the benefactors, are the foundation for the future of this work.
Johannes Freiherr Heereman, Executive President of ACN International
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Pakistan: Offering the Hand of Peace In Pakistan Christians face daily insults and threats to life and limb. These range from people spitting on pictures of the Pope, to them burning Christians alive. Yet despite this, or rather precisely because of this, the Catholic bishops are striving to promote interreligious dialogue. They have established a programme of education in values and confidence building, based on love, reconciliation and peace. It is aimed above all at the younger generation. There are talks in the Koran schools, joint workshops with young Muslims and discussions with community leaders and mayors to promote peaceful coexistence. For now this is a pilot project in the diocese of Multan. The bishops are pinning considerable hopes on it. We have promised our support. Avery different project is ongoing in the diocese of Lahore. The Christians here are among the poorest of the poor. In the
Symbol of faith, symbol of suffering. What will it mean for this Pakistani boy.
He has run the race, he has kept the faith – a grandfather, in prayer.
city of Kasur, in the parish of Nizam Pura, they live in slums and hutments and 80% of them are illiterate. Their self-esteem is minimal and they are treated like slaves. ‘Almost every day begins with a tragic piece of news’, writes Father Basharat, their parish priest. ‘Somebody murdered, a girl abducted, a young boy beaten to death, a house torched...’. The hopes of the 110 Catholic families are centred on the Church. Here they rediscover their dignity; here they learn the Commandments and the Catechism, and sing God’s praises. But their ageing church is in a poor state now. The rain leaks in, the walls are cracked, the floor is damp and mouldy. Would you care to help us with the amount they need to restore this centre to new dignity? •
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We fly to Thy protection – Our Lady of China. ‘Greetings, in the love of Christ and in the heart of Mary, Mother of tenderness’.
Along with this greetings from some nuns in China – we cannot say who or where, for the sake of their safety – comes a request for help to train their young novices. Their Superior speaks of the ‘particular circumstances of the Church in China, which make life more difficult’ – shorthand for a life under the Cross, a life of persecution. Yet they live this life, modestly, selflessly and joyfully. One thing is clear – without your help even this life would be impossible for many such sisters. We have promised them our help, for their ‘particular’ lifestyle. •
A Life Unendurable, Without Deep Faith ‘Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do’ (Lk, 23,34). It is the prayer of all the persecuted. Often it exceeds our purely human strength, when a husband or brother is murdered, a daughter or wife raped, or the entire family driven from home and homeland. Yet this is the fate of so many Christians in Iraq. Nor does the trauma end even there. Many flee to northern Iraq, where the danger is less immediate. But even here, in Erbil or Mosul, life would be unendurable without a deep faith. Yet the knowledge of a loving God gives them strength to endure. Soundly trained catechists are a great support to these communities in a hostile environment. And so Archbishop Warda of Erbil is organising a one-year course for 125 cat-
Sadly, their life is not all smiles. Break time for these pupils in Erbil.
echists, aged between 18 and 35. It will help to deepen the faith of his people and be one form of the new evangelisation in this Year of Faith. We have promised Archbishop Warda a contribution – so that the Christians of Iraq can know and understand more deeply what they are doing and why they are forgiving. •
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Peace in God Alone There are places of death that are deeply marked in the memory of a people: Auschwitz, Katyn, Srebrenica, Oradour… They are reminders of evil, still-open wounds. El Mozote, in El Salvador is also such a place. Here on 11 December 1981, over a thousand people were brutally murdered. Over half of them were under 12 years old. One boy managed to escape, and later fled with his mother to the USA, where he managed to make ends meet by working in a restaurant. But the memory of the evil haunted him. He prayed, discovered a vocation, and returned home as a priest. He had managed to wash away the trauma in a sea of prayer and find peace in God. Now he wanted to bring this peace back to the other survivors. Together with the local bishop and the young spiritual community, ‘Communio Sanctorum’, he is now planning to build a retreat house on this spot, dedicated to the murdered Archbishop Oscar Arnulfo Romero and to Saint Nicholas of Flue, a
The memorial cross is already standing. The retreat house will be next.
great reconciler and peacemaker. From now on there will be unceasing prayer in El Mozote. The plan includes a contemplative centre with perpetual adoration, plus a retreat house with psychologists, therapists and priests. For without pardon, persecution cannot cease, or, as Saint Nicholas used to say, ‘Peace is found in
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God alone.’ The essential charism of the ‘Communio Sanctorum’ can be summarised as ‘mission through contemplation’. Its central focus will be the pastoral care of children in hospitals, of drug addicts, the psychologically sick and homeless young people. We have been asked to help this centre of reconciliation in, and with, God, and we have promised a contribution towards the construction of the chapel of perpetual adoration. El Mozote will now become a place of new life. •
‘My peace I give you’: the love of Christ brings peace to all.
For a House of Peace in the Desert A roof is needed – but their hands are empty... ...And they also have no money for timber beams, steel straps and metal plates. For 30 years now these people have been living on a strip of desert, in Bura Tana, northeast Kenya. The government and the World Bank had promised them irrigated farmland, but their promises disappeared like the desert wind and they were left sitting on this arid land. Only the Catholic mission station stood by them, providing the water of the Spirit. In a small chapel, big enough for no more than 100 people, they prayed, and were instructed and baptised. In this region, where Muslims and animists eye each other mistrustfully, the Catholic Church, with her social services and open communities, is a unifying ele-
The work of their own hands. But they need our help to buy the materials.
ment. She is promoting peace, and faith is flourishing. But now a bigger church is needed, and it is being built in stone. Not for 100, but for 600 people this time, and it even includes a sacristy. For now it has no permanent roof. So we are turning to you, for your kind and generous hearts have never yet disappointed us. •
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Face to Face with Martyrdom - Syria For weeks now, nobody has been coming out of Homs. The last remaining Christians, who still live bottled up in Homs, are being ministered to by Father Frans van der Lugt, SJ.
martyrdom in the face. ‘We are not thinking of martyrdom’, says Father Frans when we manage to get through to him on the phone. ‘We are trying to find solutions for the most urgent needs.’
They are taking shelter in an old monastery, and provisions are in short supply. There is a lack of medicines, and the electricity supply keeps being cut off. The heating no longer functions and there is rarely any bread. There are 89 people struggling to survive in this old monastery. Those who were able to escape before winter have already fled the city. Those who are hanging on, like Father Frans, are staring
Last year, many Christians were driven from their homes. A number of them were left stranded in Al Qusair, a small town some 30 kilometres (nearly 20 miles) from Homs. Until a few months ago it was home to disabled Christians, who worked on the land and were lovingly cared for. Until last summer it was a way for these handicapped people to work and eat, but now it is home to the stranded refugees from Homs. Around 200 families are trying to survive here. Even if they were able to, they would not return to their houses now. The fear and horror run too deep.
Refuge in the old monastery of Homs. Praying, hoping and hanging on.
One of the 89: Father Frans (right) cares for them all.
ACN has provided emergency aid, to help these Christian refugee families – and those Christians still remaining in Homs, Aleppo and Damascus – to survive for a few months. Our help is not just food and medicines. Bishop Antoine Audo in Aleppo
‘I am with you always...’ Father Frans celebrates Holy Mass.
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thanks you, because your gifts ‘are helping us Christians in Syria to hold our heads up in dignity and to be aware that we are not alone, that our brothers and sisters understand us and love us with active charity’. They were battered and persecuted, and you have not only given them to drink and to eat but have helped them to feel the love of God. But now their already rationed supplies are running low. Whereas the Muslim refugees are supported by the Arab nations, the Church is the one great hope for the Christian refugees. They do not wish to be counted and registered by the international aid agencies, for fear that their data will be passed on and lead to atrocities. Most of them still want to return at some time. Syria has been their home for centuries, and it is here they wish to live, even if their houses have been burned out or looted. The programme of rebuilding devastated houses has had to be stopped
for the time being, since the situation is still too uncertain, and the priority for now is above all survival. At first many refugees wandered from Damascus to Aleppo and from there to other camps. Without your help they will scarcely even find rest, let alone the chance of a new beginning. • A burned-out home. Most of the Christians were driven out.
No to registration and identification – a young Christian refugee.
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God’s Ways are Wonderful - Belarus ‘In Minsk it is not easy to find God’, says Father Aleh Shenda. ‘People can and want to live their faith, but there are not enough churches.’ This 34-year-old Belarussian is one of 39 Capuchin priests currently living in the country. He was ordained to the priesthood in 2008. Since then Father Aleh has been living and working in the Belarussian capital, Minsk, where he ministers to around 1,500 Catholic faithful, among them many younger people. There is a growing longing to find answers beyond those of everyday life. But for now the Capuchin Fathers only have one small chapel. His Franciscan order would like to build a friary, but so far the authorities have not yet granted a permit. Nonetheless, Father Aleh is still optimistic. ‘Soon we will be able to start building’, he writes.
in the summer camps. But now the work on extending the chapel, which is being converted into a larger church to accommodate the numbers of the faithful, has come to a standstill. New taxes and higher prices have exhausted their remaining resources. But the Capuchin Fathers are not about to give up. ‘The people are counting on us’, they say. Father Aleh explains: ‘Belarus is a beautiful country, but it has serious problems. Many people work in the staterun industries, but apart from that there is not much else.’ The high divorce, abortion and suicide rates are a sign that things are not right in Belarus. In particular,many young people are searching for real meaning in life. ‘They are enquiring about the Catholic Faith and turning to the Church.’ And finding it too, it seems. ‘God is there, but to help them find him we need places of silence, of prayer, of encounter’.
In the town of Molodechno they are doing a little better. Here they have a friary with a chapel and a pastoral centre, and the youth work is flourishing. In the summer some 200 children and 40 young people take part
Father Aleh Shenda himself belongs to this younger generation that is now searching for meaning, following the collapse of the Soviet Union. It was his personal search that ultimately led the young Aleh to the Catholic
On the way to Our Lady’s shrine – Father Aleh (2nd from right) with friends.
Pilgrimage with the Capuchins – more and more young people are taking part.
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Faith, even though his parents had no interest in religion. It was not a straightforward process, he recalls, but rather a gradual drawing closer that continued over several years. Without altogether realising it, his older brother Yury was also asking similar questions. Like Aleh, he has now found his way to faith and has likewise discovered a priestly vocation. Today Yury is a Dominican. The example of these two brothers is not untypical. Despite state restrictions, the Catholic Church in Belarus, which currently numbers some 1.5 million people and is organised into four dioceses and 619 parishes, is undergoing a renaissance that continues to this day. Churches are being
Searching for meaning, a new journey begins. A young woman is baptised.
renovated, and it is now possible to publicly express this faith, for example in processions. The state also welcomes the social commitment of the Church, which relieves it of a burden. In recent years ACN has helped the Church in Belarus with a wide range of pastoral initiatives, and today the church in Molodechno is one of them. Of course, given the political climate, it is still necessary to proceed cautiously, but it is at least possible to do so. God’s ways are wonderful indeed. The Shenda brothers are living proof of it. Now they and their brothers are counting on your help. •
Daily reading: Julia and her Child’s Bible.
The parish of Saint Francis in Nongstoin, India. The church will not last much longer, but the Catholic faithful are happy, for soon they will have a new and solid church. Franciscan Capuchin Father Tom, the parish priest, writes enthusiastically: ‘Your help is a real boost to us missionaries. The people are very poor, but they will help in the work of building the new chapel – and they will pray for all our benefactors. May the Lord bless you in fulfill• ing all your noble endeavours.’ Aid to the Church in Need +e213ei_print.indd 15
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A LOOK IN THE
A chairde, In his short letter introducing this Mirror, Fr. Martin Barta refers to the ‘witness of martyrs’ / the witness of the saints, in renewing the life of the Church. In the first reading of this ‘Look in the Mirror’, Pope Benedict XVI takes up this theme as he reflects on the life of St. Francis of Assisi. Continuing along these lines, Archbishop Charles Chaput in our second reading writes the ‘without the saints, nothing we will do (in relation to renewing the Church) will work.’ We need saints, we need witnesses to the truth of God’s love for everyone of us from the moment of our conception to that of our natural death. Two saints are then profiled by Eddie Cotter Jr. of the Dead Theologians Society.
In his profile of St. Patrick, Eddie reminds us of St. Patrick’s great faith, great courage and great humility. Eddie then introduces us to St. Mary of Egypt a great penitential saint. Our final reading was prepared by a young Canadian lady Eliza Jane Phillis, who converted to Catholicism when she was 19 and is at present on mission here in Ireland with NET Ministries spreading the Good News. Without witnesses to the truth, without the witness of the saints, nothing we will do will renew the Church. So it is that during this Year of Faith we are all being invited to become more authentic witnesses to the Hope we have within us. Beanachtaí
J F Declan Quinn
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‘Go Repair my Church in Ruins’1 Pope Benedict XVI
he figure of Francis, an authentic ‘giant’ of holiness, continues to fascinate a great many people of all age groups and every religion. ‘A sun was born into the world’. With these words, in the Divine Comedy (Paradiso, Canto XI), the great Italian poet Dante Alighieri alludes to Francis’ birth, which took place in Assisi either at the end of 1181 or the beginning of 1182. As part of a rich family, his father was a cloth merchant, Francis lived a carefree adolescence and youth, cultivating the chivalrous ideals of the time. At age 20, he took part in a military campaign and was taken prisoner. He became ill and was freed. After his return to Assisi, a slow process of spiritual conversion began within him, which brought him to gradually abandon the worldly lifestyle that he had adopted thus far. The famous episodes of Francis’ meeting with the leper to whom, dismounting from his horse, he gave the kiss of peace and of the message from the Crucifix in the small Church of St Damian, date pack to this period. Three times Christ on the Cross came to life, and told him: ‘Go, Francis, and repair my Church in ruins’. This simple occurrence of the word of God heard in the Church of St Damian contains a profound symbolism. At that moment St Francis A LOOK IN THE +e213ei_print.indd 17
was called to repair the small church, but the ruinous state of the building was a symbol of the dramatic and disquieting situation of the Church herself. At that time the Church had • a superficial faith which did not shape or transform life, • a scarcely zealous clergy, and • a chilling of love. It was an interior destruction of the Church which also brought a decomposition of unity, with the birth of heretical movements. Yet, there at the centre of the Church in ruins was the Crucified Lord, and he spoke: he called for renewal, he called Francis to the manual labour of repairing the small Church of St Damian, the symbol of a much deeper call to renew Christ’s own Church, with her radicality of faith and her loving enthusiasm for Christ. This event, which probably happened in 1205, calls to mind another similar occurrence which took place in 1207: Pope Innocent III’s dream. In it, he saw the Basilica of St John Lateran, the mother of all churches, collapsing and one small and insignificant religious brother supporting the church on his shoulders to prevent it from falling.
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On the one hand, it is interesting to note that it is not the Pope who was helping to prevent the church from collapsing but rather a small and insignificant brother, whom the Pope recognized in Francis when he later came to visit. Innocent III was a powerful Pope who had a great theological formation and great political influence; nevertheless he was not the one to renew the Church but the small, insignificant religious. It was St Francis, called by God.
Let us return to the life of St Francis. When his father Bernardone reproached him for being too generous to the poor, Francis, standing before the Bishop of Assisi, in a symbolic gesture, stripped off his clothes, thus showing he renounced his paternal inheritance. Just as at the moment of creation, Francis had nothing, only the life that God gave him, into whose hands he delivered himself. He then lived as a hermit, until, in 1208, another fundamental step in his journey of conversion took place.
On the other hand, however, it is important to note that St Francis does not renew the Church without or in opposition to the Pope, but only in communion with him.
While listening to a passage from the Gospel of Matthew Jesus’ discourse to the apostles whom he sent out on mission Francis felt called to live in poverty and dedicate himself to preaching. Other companions joined him, and in 1209 he travelled to Rome, to propose to Pope Innocent III the plan for a new form of Christian life. He received a fatherly welcome from that great Pontiff, who, enlightened by the Lord, perceived the divine origin of the movement inspired by Francis.
The two realities go together: the Successor of Peter, the Bishops, the Church founded on the succession of the Apostles and the new charism that the Holy Spirit brought to life at that time for the Church’s renewal. Authentic renewal grew from these together.
‘Start by doing what’s necessary; then do what’s possible; and suddenly you are doing the impossible’ Francis of Assisi
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The Poverello of Assisi understood that every charism as a gift of the Holy Spirit existed to serve the Body of Christ, which is the Church; therefore he always acted in full communion with the ecclesial authorities. In the life of the Saints there is no contradiction between prophetic charism and the charism of governance, and if tension arises, they know to patiently await the times determined by the Holy Spirit. Actually, several 19th-century and also 20th-century historians have sought to construct a so-called historical Francis, behind the traditional depiction of the Saint, just as they sought to create a socalled historical Jesus behind the Jesus of the Gospels. This historical Francis would not have been a man of the Church, but rather a man connected directly and solely to Christ, a man that wanted to bring about a renewal of the People of God, without canonical forms or hierarchy. The truth is that St Francis really did have an extremely intimate relationship with Jesus and with the word of God, that he wanted to pursue sine glossa: just as it is, in all its radicality and truth. It is also true that initially he did not intend to create an Order with the necessary canonical forms. Rather he simply wanted, through the word of God and the presence of the Lord,
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• to renew the People of God, • to call them back to listening to the word and • to literal obedience to Christ. Furthermore, he knew that Christ was never ‘mine’ but is always ‘ours’, that ‘I’ cannot possess Christ, that ‘I’ cannot rebuild in opposition to the Church, her will and her teaching. Instead it is only in communion with the Church built on the Apostolic succession that obedience too, to the word of God can be renewed. It is also true that Francis had no intention of creating a new Order, but solely that of renewing the People of God for the Lord who comes. He understood, however, through suffering and pain that everything must have its own order and that the law of the Church is necessary to give shape to renewal. Thus he placed himself fully, with his heart, in communion with the Church, with the Pope and with the Bishops. He always knew that the centre of the Church is the Eucharist, where the Body of Christ and his Blood are made present through the priesthood, the Eucharist and the communion of the Church. Wherever the priesthood and the Eucharist and the Church come together, it is there alone that the word of God also dwells. The real historical Francis was the Francis of the Church, and precisely in this way he 15 06/02/2013 10:39
continues to speak to non-believers and believers of other confessions and religions as well. Francis and his friars, who were becoming ever more numerous, established themselves at the Portiuncula, or the Church of Santa Maria degli Angeli, the sacred place par excellence of Franciscan spirituality. Even Clare, a young woman of Assisi from a noble family, followed the school of Francis. This became the origin of the Second Franciscan Order, that of the Poor Clares, another experience destined to produce outstanding figures of sainthood in the Church. Innocent III’s Successor, Pope Honorius III, with his Bull Cum Dilecti in 1218 supported the unique development of the first Friars Minor, who started missions in different European countries, and even in Morocco. In 1219 Francis obtained permission to visit and speak to the Muslim sultan Malik al-Klmil, to preach the Gospel of Jesus there too. I would like to highlight this episode in St Francis’ life, which is very timely. In an age when there was a conflict underway between Christianity and Islam, Francis, intentionally armed only with his faith and personal humility, travelled the path of dialogue effectively. The chronicles tell us that he was given a benevolent welcome and a cordial reception by the Muslim Sultan. It provides a model which should inspire today’s relations between Christians and Muslims: to promote a sincere
dialogue, in reciprocal respect and mutual understanding (cf. Nostra Aetate, 3). It appears that later, in 1220, Francis visited the Holy Land, thus sowing a seed that would bear much fruit: his spiritual sons would in fact make of the Sites where Jesus lived a privileged space for their mission. It is with gratitude that I think today of the great merits of the Franciscan Custody of the Holy Land. On his return to Italy, Francis turned over the administration of his Order to his vicar, Br. Pietro Cattani, while the Pope entrusted the rapidly growing Order’s protection to Cardinal Ugolino, the future Supreme Pontiff Gregory IX. For his part, the Founder, dedicated completely to his preaching, which he carried out with great success, compiled his Rule that was then approved by the Pope. In 1224, at the hermitage in La Verna, Francis had a vision of the Crucified Lord in the form of a seraph and from that encounter received the stigmata from the Seraph Crucifix, thus becoming one with the Crucified Christ. It was a gift, therefore, that expressed his intimate identification with the Lord. The death of Francis, his transitus occurred on the evening of 3 October 1226, in the Portiuncula. After having blessed his spiritual children, he died, lying on the bare earthen floor. Two years later Pope Gregory IX entered him in the roll of saints. A short time after, a great basilica
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in his honour was constructed in Assisi, still today an extremely popular pilgrim destination. There pilgrims can venerate the Saint’s tomb and take in the frescoes by Giotto, an artist who has magnificently illustrated Francis’ life. It has been said that Francis represents an alter Christus, that he was truly a living icon of Christ. He has also been called ‘the brother of Jesus’. Indeed, this was his ideal: to be like Jesus, to contemplate Christ in the Gospel, to love him intensely and to imitate his virtues. In particular, he wished to ascribe interior and exterior poverty with a fundamental value, which he also
taught to his spiritual sons. The first Beatitude of the Sermon on the Mount ‘Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven’ (Mt 5: 3) found a luminous fulfilment in the life and words of St Francis. Truly, dear friends, the saints are the best interpreters of the Bible. As they incarnate the word of God in their own lives, they make it more captivating than ever, so that it really speaks to us. The witness of Francis, who loved poverty as a means to follow Christ with dedication and total freedom, continues to be for us too an invitation to cultivate interior poverty in order to grow in our trust of God, also by adopting a sober lifestyle and a detachment from material goods. Francis’ love for Christ expressed itself in a special way in the adoration of the Blessed Sacrament of the Eucharist. In the Fonti Francescane (Writings of St Francis) one reads such moving expressions as: ‘Let everyone be struck with fear, let the whole world tremble, and let the heavens exult, when Christ, the Son of the living God, is present on the altar in the hands of a priest. Oh stupendous dignity! O humble sublimity, that the Lord of the universe, God and the Son of God, so humbles himself that for our salvation he hides himself under an ordinary piece of bread’.2 I would also like to recall a piece of advice that Francis gave to priests: ‘When you wish
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to celebrate Mass, in a pure way, reverently make the true sacrifice of the Most Holy Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ’.3 Francis always showed great deference towards priests, and asserted that they should always be treated with respect, even in cases where they might be somewhat unworthy personally. The reason he gave for this profound respect was that they receive the gift of consacrating the Eucharist. Dear brothers in the priesthood, let us never forget this teaching: the holiness of the Eucharist appeals to us to be pure, to live in a way that is consistent with the Mystery we celebrate. From love for Christ stems love for others and also for all God’s creatures. This is yet another characteristic trait of Francis’
spirituality: the sense of universal brotherhood and love for Creation, which inspired the famous Canticle of Creatures. This too is an extremely timely message. As I recalled in my recent Encyclical Caritas in Veritate, development is sustainable only when it respects Creation and does not damage the environment 4(cf. nn. 48-52), and in the Message for the World Day of Peace this year, I also underscored that even building stable peace is linked to respect for Creation. Francis reminds us that the wisdom and benevolence of the Creator is expressed through Creation. He understood nature as a language in which God speaks to us, in which reality becomes clear, and we can speak of God and with God. Dear friends, Francis was a great Saint and a joyful man. His simplicity, his humility, his faith, his love for Christ, his goodness towards every man and every woman, brought him gladness in every circumstance. Indeed, there subsists an intimate and indissoluble relationship between holiness and joy. A French writer once wrote that there is only one sorrow in the world: not to be saints, that is, not to be near to God. Looking at the testimony of St Francis, we understand that this is the secret of true happiness: to become saints, close to God! • 1 BENEDICT XVI: GENERAL AUDIENCE, Wednesday, 27 Jan 2010. 2 Francis of Assisi, Scritti, Editrici Francescane, Padova 2002, P.401 3 Ibid: P.399 4 cf. Papal Encyclical, Caritas in Veritate, nn. 48-52.
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Christ’s words to St. Francis, ‘Repair my Church,’ apropos for today5 by Archbishop Charles Chaput, O.F.M. Cap. efore I became a priest, I was a Capuchin Franciscan. The Capuchins were a reform movement within the Franciscan community. They wanted to get back to the real St. Francis: the radical, simple St. Francis. So it shouldn’t surprise anyone that Francis of Assisi has always had a big place in my life. History calls Francis the vir Catolicus — the embodiment of everything a Catholic believer should be: a person filled with faith, joy, simplicity, courage, charity and zeal for Jesus Christ. Francis had all these qualities, and of course even non-Catholics remember him because of his love for animals and nature, and his witness for peace. But what many people overlook is that Francis lived in an age very much like our own. Francis was not just a loving man. He was also a formidable one, because he had to be. The 13th century was a time of great political unrest and great confusion and corruption in the Church. Francis began his life submerged in that world. • • • •
He was comfortable. He was selfish. He was shallow. But finally, he was also hungry for something more in his life
— and once he found it, he pursued it without compromise. What Franciscans remember about St. Francis is his demand that we live the Gospel sine glossa — without gloss, without excuses, without interpretations A LOOK IN THE +e213ei_print.indd 23
to make discipleship easier or more comfortable. Francis was a revolutionary in the truest sense. He wanted a radical commitment to holiness from his brothers, holiness in the root meaning of the word. Holy doesn’t mean good, and it doesn’t mean nice — although holy people are always good, and they’re also frequently nice. Holy means ‘other than.’ • Francis wanted to be different, as Jesus was different. • Francis wanted to live in the presence of God, as Jesus did. • He wanted to live and act in ways ‘other than’ the ways of this world. What distinguished Francis from all the other reformers of his day was one simple thing. He understood that he could never live out his love for God alone, or even with a group of friends. He needed the larger family of faith Jesus founded. So he never allowed himself or his brothers to separate the Gospel from the Church, or the Church from Jesus Christ. Francis was always a son of the Church. And as a son, he sometimes scandalized his brothers because he always insisted on fidelity and obedience to the Holy Father and reverence for priests and bishops — even the ones whose sins meant they didn’t deserve it. 19 06/02/2013 10:39
What Francis heard from Jesus on the Cross of San Damiano was not ‘replace my Church’ or ‘reinvent my Church,’ but ‘repair my Church.’ And he did that in the only way that lasts — one stone at a time, with the living stones of his own life and the lives he changed through his personal witness. If we want to be disciples and make disciples; if we want to repair the Lord’s Church in the shadow of a terrible sexual misconduct scandal; we need to understand that new policies and programs and reforms in the Church will be important. We certain-
ly need them. But without saints, nothing we do will work. Without holy men and women on fire with Jesus Christ, in love with His Church, and zealous in preaching the Catholic faith through their words and actions, nothing will work. We can’t give what we don’t have. If Jesus Christ and a real Catholic identity don’t burn in the interior cathedral of our hearts, we can never possibly rebuild the external life of the Church in the world. • 5 Archbishop Charles Chaput: Lecture to graduates of the School of Pastoral Leadership, Archdiocese of San Francisco, 22.06.2010.
aint atrick 389-461 A.D. atrick was born in Christianised Roman Britain in 389, which was located on the extreme northwest of the crumbling Roman Empire. Patrick was from a fairly wealthy and influential family. His father was a civil magistrate, tax collector and deacon, and Patrick’s grandfather was a priest. By Patrick’s own admission he claims he lacked learning, was slow in speech, had a hard time explaining his mind to people, and wasn’t as articulate as others. But there’s an explanation for this. A major event drastically interrupted Patrick’s education: When he was about sixteen years old he was kidnapped by Irish pirates and taken to Ireland where he was sold into slavery
St. Patrick’s Causeway, Ballintubber Abbey, Co. Mayo.
as a common herdsman. He remained a slave for six years before running away after a voice in a mysterious dream said,
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‘Come and see, where your ship is waiting for you’ Two hundred miles later, Patrick found a ship in the harbor being put out to water. He was able to board the ship and after continuous hardships, trials and tribulations, eventually made his way to freedom and home again. However, it was during his time of isolation in slavery that this teenager reflected on his young life, and how he had up to that point, turned his back on God, failed to keep God’s commands and basically had ‘blown off’ the teachings of his priests. (And remember he was a deacon’s kid!) But thanks to God, Patrick didn’t stop there. He used his time of slavery to actually turn to God. Check out Patrick’s own word’s from his Confession. ‘But after I had come to Ireland, it was then that I was made to shepherd the flocks day after day, and, as I did so, I would pray all the time, right through the day. More and more the love of God and fear of him grew strong within me, and as my faith grew, so the Spirit became more and more active, so that in a single day I would say as many as a hundred prayers, and at night only slightly less.’ He goes on to say, ‘In snow, in frost, in rain, I would hardly notice any discomfort, and I was never slack but always full of energy. It is clear to me now, that this was due to the fervor of the Spirit within me.’ Commentary: Patrick is a fine example of the old cliché, ‘When the A LOOK IN THE +e213ei_print.indd 25
going gets tough, the tough get going.’ Patrick’s kidnappers couldn’t have known that their act of barbarism would result in the conversion of one teenager, and that this conversion would in turn lead to the conversion of an entire race of people! Following Patrick’s example, may we too turn to God in our most difficult times, and let the Holy Spirit transform our suffering into something powerfully beneficial. In the above passage, Patrick gives us the secret for this transformation: talking with God. The more Patrick prayed, or ‘conversed with God,’ the more his relationship with God grew. And the more he grew in his relationship with God, the less of a ‘slacker’ he became. How many of us are real ‘slackers’ when it comes to prayer? Do we offer our day to God first thing in the morning? Do we say grace before we eat, no matter where we are or who is watching? Do we end our day with prayer before we’re off to sleep? When our prayer life is weak, Patrick is someone who can pray for us to grow, ‘tough’! After Patrick gained his freedom, he made his way home again to Britain where he was reunited with his family. As you might imagine, Patrick’s parents were overcome with emotion and gratitude to God for his return. They had thought they would never see him again. They begged Patrick to stay close and never leave them again, but God had other plans. 21 06/02/2013 10:39
In his dreams, Patrick had a vision of a man named Victoricus who seemed to come from Ireland. Victoricus carried countless letters and he handed a specific one to Patrick which began; ‘The Voice of the Irish’ As Patrick read the letter he could hear the voice of the Irish saying to him, ‘Holy boy, we beg you, come back and walk once more among us.’ Patrick says this pierced his heart to the core and he could read no more. He knew this dream was from the Lord. Once he heard the pleading of their voices, he knew he had to return to the land of his captivity and teach the Irish about the One True God.
Commentary: Do we feel the presence of the Holy Spirit as we go about our daily activities and the struggles that come with life? Do we often feel alone and insecure? We must pray for the Holy Spirit to be our ‘friend of the soul’ to give us the inner peace, the love, the security, and the courage to continuously live the Christian life. Patrick was in his early forties when he was finally able to return to Ireland, this time as the Bishop of Ireland, to shepherd the people of Ireland as an Ambassador of Jesus Christ. He wasn’t the first Bishop sent to Ireland but he was certainly the most effective and successful. This is largely due to the fact that Patrick had a genuine love for the race and culture of his former captors. As a result of his time in slavery, he knew their customs and he knew their Celtic language. Patrick often longed to see his old country and his parents again, but would not leave his new flock for fear of losing a single soul that he had won for Christ.
Though he felt academically inadequate from the time he lost as a slave, Patrick, nonetheless, left home, went to Gaul to pursue his studies for the priesthood, and after many years, was ordained a priest. His heart burned for the time he could return to Ireland, but Patrick remained patient and trusted in the Holy Spirit that he felt so strongly within him. There’s and Irish term called Anam Cara, which means, ‘soul friend.’ When Patrick discovered his Anam Cara, the Holy Spirit, he no longer feared austerities, or anything that could destroy his body. Regardless of how difficult his struggles, Patrick was full of inner peace, for he knew he traveled in great company with the St. Patrick’s Causeway, Ballintubber Abbey, Co. Mayo. Holy Spirit. 22 +e213ei_print.indd 26
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Though his mission was highly successful, it was not without its dangers. In his Confession, Patrick says, ‘But it would be tedious to relate my every labor or even some in part. But I will say briefly how often our most caring God has freed me from slavery, and from some twelve dangers in which my very life was at stake. And there were many other snares besides, things that I would find it hard to describe in detail.’ He also says, ‘…for as every day arrives, I expect either sudden death or deception or being taken back as a slave or some such other misfortune. But I fear none of these, since I look to the promises of heaven and have flung myself into the hands of the all-powerful God, who rules as Lord everywhere.’ Patrick also states, ‘Neither must we fear any such risk in faithfully preaching God’s name boldly in every place.’ Commentary: How do we respond when we’re criticised, made fun of, and persecuted for witnessing to our Christianity? Do we shrink and remain silent? If so, maybe St. Patrick can help us to stand firm and never conceal the blessings the Lord has given us. Patrick spent the next thirty years converting the Irish race, a race that before had worshipped nothing but idols and impure things. The pagan Irish had worshipped the sun in the sky as a supreme deity. Patrick leads them to the truth and in his Confession, writes, ‘For this sun which A LOOK IN THE +e213ei_print.indd 27
we now see rises each new day for us at his command, yet it will never reign, nor will its splendor last forever. On the contrary, all who worship it today will be doomed to dreadful punishment. But we who believe and adore the true sun that is Christ, who will never die, nor will those who have done his will but abide forever, just as Christ himself will abide for all eternity, who reigns with God the Father all powerful, and with the Holy Spirit before time began, and now and through all ages of ages. Amen.’ Yes, the Irish had been in spiritual darkness and Patrick turned the lights on. He beat the druid priests in spiritual showdowns with the strength of truth in Jesus Christ. He tirelessly preached the Gospel throughout Ireland, and baptised thousands. He ordained many for a native Irish clergy. Even sons and daughters of Irish kings became monks and virgins of Christ. Inspired by Jesus and Moses, he climbed to the top of the druid’s highest mountain and for forty days and nights he fasted and prayed, for the conversion of the Irish, withstanding all the torment the Evil One could throw at him. Patrick claimed that mountain for Christianity and today thousands of pilgrims from throughout the world follow in Patrick’s footsteps to the summit of that same mountain, now called Croagh Patrick (which means Patrick’s Mountain) to worship the One True God and receive our Lord in the Holy Eucharist in Mass at the tiny Church on the summit. 23 06/02/2013 10:39
Patrick left a legacy of Christianity that shaped the Irish nation. He brought to the Irish the True Faith and made the Irish a holy Catholic race that for centuries to come would endure every hardship imaginable rather than ‘sell out’ their faith. And through it all Patrick remained humble, giving all the credit to God whom he so dearly and sincerely loved. This love and gratitude of God and his love for Ireland is beautifully expressed as he writes, ‘There would I be glad to pour out my soul even to the point of death, if the Lord would so grant it to me, because I am so much in God’s debt. For He gave me such great grace, that many people through me were reborn to God.’ To the very end Patrick prayed for perseverance to remain a faithful
witness right up until the time of his death on March 17th, in the year 461. Commentary: We too must always remember to remain humble and never allow our Christian witness to become, ‘All about me.’ Remember all our good gifts come from God and we must never stop thanking Him and relying upon Him. Following Patrick’s example we too must pray for perseverance in faith and in witness to that faith. Sure it gets tough, but Christ said we must pick up our cross and follow him daily. Patrick loved God above all and really loved the people God sent him to evangelise. That’s a powerful combination. •
Saint Mary of Egypt, Penitent Eddie Cotter Jr., DTS
In the course of salvation history, God has always called His children to return to Him. We are constantly called to repentance and conversion. This call to repentance and conversion is most intensely felt during the most holy season of Lent. Saint Zosimus was monk from a monastery in Palestine on the outskirts of Caesarea, Philippi, where he had lived since his childhood. At the age of fifty-three, the holy monk began to experience the temptation of presumption, by asking himself:-
• ‘What more is there for me to learn? • ‘Is there a monk anywhere who can show me some form of asceticism that I have not attained? • ‘Is there anyone who has surpassed me in spiritual sobriety and deeds?’ As if in response to these questions an angel appeared to Zosimus and said to him, ‘Zosimus, you have struggled valiantly, as far as this is in the power of man. However, there is no one who is righteous (Rom 3:10). So that you may know how many other ways lead to salvation, leave your native land, like Abraham from the house of his father (Gen 12:1), and go to the
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monastery by the Jordan.’ Abba (Father) Zosimus immediately left the monastery, and following the angel, he went to the Jordan monastery and settled in. Upon his arrival, Zosimus met the Elders of the monastery who were adept in contemplation. Never did anyone speak an idle word. The monks were devoted to prayer through the chanting of the Psalms all night long. Soon, Zosimus began to not only learn from the holiness of these monks, he himself began to grow in holiness. The time of Great Lent had arrived and as was the custom, the monks departed the monastery in order to enter the desert, to pray and fast during the forty days. After receiving the Body and Blood of Christ, at the start of Lent the monastery gate was opened and the monks entered the wilderness in order to do battle with St. Mary of Egypt by Jusepe de Ribera, 1651.
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the world, the flesh and the devil. Each monk took with him as much food as needed, and departed for the desert. When their food ran out, they ate roots and desert plants. The monks crossed the Jordan and scattered in various directions, so that no one would see how another fasted or how they spent their time. Zosimus was painfully aware why God had sent him to this monastery. Zosimus walked in the desert for twenty days and after having chanted the Psalms and prayers of the midday, he suddenly saw over by a hill, not far from him a human form. At first he was fearful that he might have encountered a demonic apparition. After making the sign of the cross, Zosimus put aside his fears and began to approach this person, who tried to run away and hide. As Zosimus got closer he noticed that the person’s body was blackened from the blazing sun and that the hair was short and faded white like a sheep’s fleece. Abba Zosimus rejoiced as it had been many days since he had seen any living thing. He called out to the desertdweller who continued to attempt to flee from him, ‘Why do you flee from me, a sinful old man? Wait for me, for the love of God.’ The stranger said to him, ‘Forgive me, Abba Zosimus, but I cannot turn and show my face to you. I am a woman, and as you see, I am naked. If you would grant the request of a sinful woman, throw me your cloak so I might cover my body, and then I can ask for your blessing.’ Terrified, 25 06/02/2013 10:39
Zosimus realized that she could not have called him by name unless she possessed some sort of spiritual insight. Now covered, the ascetic turned to Zosimus: ‘Why do you want to speak with me, a sinful woman? What did you wish to learn from me, you who have not shrunk from such great labors?’ Zosimus fell down on the ground and asked the woman for her blessing. She also bowed down before him, and for a long time, they remained on the ground each asking the other for their blessing. Finally the woman, more than a little irritated finally said: ‘Abba Zosimus, you must bless and pray, since you are honored with the grace of the priesthood. For many years you have stood before the holy altar, offering the Holy Gifts to the Lord.’ Frightened even more than before, Zosimus cried out to her with tears, ‘O Mother! It is clear that you live with God and are dead to the world. You have called me by name and recognized me as priest, though you have never seen me before. The grace granted you is apparent, therefore bless me, for the Lord’s sake.’ The woman finally relented and blessed Zosimus in this manner; ‘Blessed is God, Who cares for the salvation of men.’ Zosimus replied, ‘Amen.’ The two rose to their feet with the woman asking the monk, ‘Why have you come Father, to me who am a sinner, bereft of any virtue?’
in the desert would not be useless and to pray for the whole world. The woman agreed. She turned in the direction of the East (the direction of prayer as the rising Sun is symbolic of the resurrection of Christ) and raising her eyes to heaven and stretching out her hands, she began to pray. She prayed very softly so that Zosimus could not even understand what she was saying. After a long time of prayer, Zosimus looked up and saw the woman standing in the air more than a foot above the ground. Once again, Zosimus was terrified by what he was seeing. He threw himself down on the ground and wept, repeating over and over again, ‘Lord, have mercy!’ Zosimus began to experience temptations as to whether he was really seeing a spirit and if her prayer could be somehow insincere. At that moment she turned around, lifted him from the ground and said, ‘Why do your thoughts confuse you, Abba Zosimus? I am not an apparition. I am sinful and unworthy woman, though I am guarded by
Zosimus explained why he had come to the desert, to fast and pray and to learn what God had to teach him. He begged the woman to pray for him, that his wanderings 26 +e213ei_print.indd 30
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holy Baptism.’ Zosimus begged the woman to tell him all about herself. Although reluctant to tell the monk her story, for fear that it would shock him to the point that he would want to flee, she did indeed begin to tell him about her ‘shameless life.’ ‘I was born in Egypt and when I was twelve years old, I left my parents and went to Alexandria, where I lost my chastity (virginity) and gave myself to unrestrained and insatiable sensuality. For more than seventeen years I lived as a prostitute and did it all for free. I was not wealthy rather I lived in poverty and worked at spinning flax. To me, life consisted in the satisfaction of my fleshly lust.’ The woman began to tell her story of her conversion. ‘One summer, I saw a crowd of people from Libya and Egypt heading toward the sea. They were on their way to Jerusalem for the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. I also wanted to sail with them. Since I had no food or money, I offered my body in payment for my passage. And so I embarked on the ship.’ The penitent went on to tell the monk how amazed she was that God had not allowed her to perish on the ship, even though she was engaging in prostitution. She was convinced that because she had ensnared so many souls, that she was doomed to hell. Later she came to realize that God did not desire her death, but was seeking her repentance. ‘When the day of the holy Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross arrived, I went about as before, looking for young men. At daybreak, I saw that everyone was heading to the church, A LOOK IN THE +e213ei_print.indd 31
so I went along with the rest. When the hour of the Holy Elevation arrived, I tried to enter into the church with all the people. With great effort I came almost to the doors and attempted to squeeze inside. Although I stepped up to the threshold, it was as though some force held me back, preventing me from entering. I was brushed aside from the crowd, and found myself standing alone on the porch. I thought that perhaps this happened because of my womanly weakness. I worked my way into the crowd, and again I attempted to enter into the church. However hard I tried, I was not able to enter. Just as I came to the door of the church, I was stopped. Those around me seemed to enter without any difficulty, while I alone was not allowed in. This happened three or four times. Finally my strength was exhausted. I went off and stood in corner of the church portico.’ The woman realized what was keeping her from entering the church. ‘Then I realized that it was my sins that kept me from seeing the Life-Creating Wood (The Holy Cross of our Lord). Then I felt that the grace of the Lord touched my heart. I wept and lamented, and I began to beat my breast. Sighing from the depths of my heart, I saw above me an icon of the Most Holy Theotokos (Greek for God-bearer), the Blessed Mother.’ I prayed: ‘O Lady Virgin, who gave birth in the flesh to God the Word! I know that I am unworthy to look upon your icon. I rightly inspire hatred and disgust before your purity, but I know also that God became Man in order to 27 06/02/2013 10:39
call sinners to repentance. Help me, dear Blessed Mother. Let me enter the church and allow me to behold the Wood upon which the Lord was crucified, shedding His Blood for the redemption of sinners, especially for me. Be my witness before Your Son that I will never defile my body again with the impurity of fornication. As soon as I have seen the Cross of your Son, I will renounce the world, and go wherever you lead me.’ The woman went on to say that she heard the voice of the Blessed Virgin Mary and this is what she claims to have heard: ‘If you cross the Jordan, you will find glorious rest.’ After hearing the voice of the Virgin Mary, the woman set out on a journey to the Jordan. She departed with three loaves of bread and arrived that evening at the church of Saint John the Baptist on the banks of the Jordan. After praying in the church, she went down to the Jordan and washed her face and hands in its water. By the next morning, after having slept on the ground and eaten some of her bread, she found a small boat and crossed the river to the opposite shore. She begged the Mother of God to lead her and then found herself in the desert. When asked by Abba Zosimus how many years she had been in the desert, she replied that by her estimations, it had been forty seven years. After the bread had been eaten, she lived on various desert plants and herbs. The woman went on to explain that for the first seventeen years in the desert, she lived in torment, after having lived
seventeen years in immorality. She had to fight off wild beasts and mad desires and passions. ‘When I began to eat bread, I thought of the meat and fish which I had in abundance in Egypt. I also missed the wine that I loved so much when I was in the world, while here I did not even have water. I suffered from thirst and hunger. I also had a mad desire for lewd songs. I seemed to hear them, disturbing my heart and my hearing. Weeping and striking myself on the breast, I remembered the vow I had made. At last I beheld a radiant Light shining on me from everywhere. After a violent tempest, a lasting calm ensued. Abba Zosimus, how shall I tell you of the thoughts that urged me on to fornication? A fire seemed to burn within me, awakening in me the desire for embraces. Then I would throw myself to the ground and water it with my tears.’ The woman continued to tell Abbot Zosimus about her life and struggles. Zosimus became painfully aware the lessons God had to teach through the humble life of this desert penitent. When he asked her name, she told him that it was ‘Mary.’ Mary, the penitent went on to describe the life that Zosimus was living and encouraged him to return to his monastery, as the time of his journey and fast was coming to an end. Mary begged the monk not to tell anyone anything that she had told him, until she had left this earth. She also begged him to return next year with Holy Communion, that she may partake of the Eucharistic mystery. However, she did not want him to cross the
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St. Mary of Egypt Icon.
Jordan, as was his custom. Mary wanted Zosimus to meet him at the edge of the Jordan River on Holy Thursday with a holy vessel containing the Holy Eucharist. For an entire year, Zosimus said nothing to the other monks at the monastery about his encounter with the saintly desert penitent, just as she had asked him. He prayed that the Lord would grant him the grace to see the holy woman once more. At the start of Great Lent, Zosimus had to stay in his monastery because of sickness. This was predicted by Saint Mary. Upon being healed, Zosimus set out on Holy Thursday with a sacred vessel containing the Holy Eucharist to meet with Mary, once again. Upon his arrival to the Jordan River, Zosimus saw Mary standing on the far side of the river. As there was no boat, Zosimus wondered how Mary could cross the river. To his amazement, Zosimus saw Mary make the Sign of the Cross A LOOK IN THE +e213ei_print.indd 33
over the water and then proceeded to walk upon it in order to cross the river. Mary forbade Zosimus to make a prostration before her. She actually scolded him by saying; ‘What are you doing Abba? You are a priest and you carry the Holy Mysteries of God.’ They prayed together for a while and then Zosimus gave Mary Holy Communion. After a time of spiritual discussion, Mary made Zosimus promise him to return a year from now with the Holy Eucharist. He agreed and watched as she made the Sign of the Cross and walk back over the river, once again. Zosimus returned to the monastery with joy and kept silent once again for an entire year. A year passed once again and Zosimus went into the desert with the Eucharist, just as Mary had asked. He reached the place where he had first met the holy penitent and found her laying dead. Abba Zosimus washed her feet with his tears and kissed them, as he wept and then sang the customary Psalms and said the funeral prayers. Abba Zosimus buried the penitent where he found her and returned to the monastery and told all of the monks what had taken place and the many lessons he had learned from Mary, the penitent. The monks at the monastery praised God and with His help corrected the things that were wrong with the monastery. Abba Zosimus, for his part lived a God-pleasing life at the monastery, reaching nearly a hundred years of age. There he finished his temporal life, and passed into life eternal. • 29 06/02/2013 10:39
A Witness within the Church Eliza Jane Phillis, NET Ministries At the age of 19, at the Easter Vigil of 2008, I chose to become a Catholic. That night I also heard the first whispers of a call from God to a mission which I continue to pursue 5 years later. In entering into the Sacramental life of the Church, I had received the greatest gift available on Earth. I, a sinful and flawed human being, had been invited to consume the very body, blood, soul, and divinity of my God, Jesus Christ, in the Eucharist. I was overwhelmed with thanksgiving and bursting with joy. However, that night it seemed like many people walking up to receive the very source of my joy as if it meant nothing. I saw a sense of routine and disconnect on their faces as the priest placed the Host in their hands and they popped it into their mouths. The Creator of the Universe was there willing to give them everything, and they were barely
Eliza Jane Phillis
present. I resolved two things that night: first- I would never take the Sacrament of Holy Communion for granted and secondI would strive in my life to evangelise within the Church and encourage those suffering from apathy within the Church to be grateful for and active in their faith. Two years later, I found myself in Ireland fulfilling this call as a full-time missionary with NET Ministries of Ireland. NET ministries is a lay Catholic missionary organisation which trains volunteer missionaries between the ages of 18 and 30 to spread the Gospel message and share their own faith journeys with youth in schools and parishes across the country. The most commonly asked question leading up to my departure from my home in Canada was ‘Why Ireland?!? Aren’t they all Catholic anyway?’ I really had no answer for them beyond a sense of God’s call. When I arrived, I was placed on the NET Road Team which travels throughout Ireland running fun, interactive, and Christ-centred retreats for youth. I soon learned ‘why Ireland?’ Almost every youth I encountered had been baptised a Catholic and received all of their Sacraments in school; yet, many of them seemed to have little connection with their Catholic faith. For many the concept of a personal relationship with Jesus was
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an entirely foreign concept. Yet, I often sensed a desire in their hearts to know more. They were intrigued by the novelty of a convert to Catholicism. They wanted to know why anyone would want to become Catholic and I was delighted to share with them the great joy that my Catholic faith and relationship with Jesus bring to every facet of my life. Through sharing my story, I have seen Jesus work in the lives and hearts of apathetic teenagers. I will never forget one particular young man, Sean, whom I encountered at an all-boys school in Dublin. Coming into the day, he obviously had very little regard for the Catholic Church. He believed the DaVinci Code to be Gospel Truth over the True Gospels, and his endless questions felt designed to slip me up. Nevertheless, I was determined to joyfully share my story and patiently answer his barrage of questions. Each of our retreats culminates in a guided time of prayer and reflection. At
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this time, the retreat leaders offer to say a quick prayer for the individual students they have worked with that day. When I approached Sean, I was surprised but delighted that he wanted me to pray with him. Afterwards, I stood up to leave, but felt a small tug on my sleeve. Quietly, Sean asked me ‘Can I say a prayer for you?’ I was shocked. That day, a young man who began the day with an attitude screaming ‘this is a waste of time,’ prayed in thanksgiving to God for the NET Team coming to his school that day and asked God to please bless their work ‘which is so important.’ God had used me and my story to speak to his heart. We are all called to be evangelists within the Church. It requires nothing more from us than a willingness to openly practice our Catholic faith with joy and to share the reason for our hope to anyone who might ask! •
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Paidir do Naomh Pádraig A Naomh Phàdraig dhìl, Go h-umhal is go h-ìseal thug tù peacach ort fein ach fuarthas aithne ort mar misinèir an-rathùil agus spreag tù pagànaigh dochuimsithe àr Slanaitheoir a leanùint. Ina dhiaidh sin scaip a làn da shliocht an Soiscèal I dtìortha iasachta iomadùla. Trì d’idirghuì cumhachtach le Dia faigh dùinn na misinèirì atà ag teastàil chun an obair a thosaigh tù a leanùint.
Amen
Prayer to St. Patrick Dear St. Patrick, in your humility you called yourself a sinner, but you became a most successful missionary and prompted countless pagans to follow the Saviour. Many of their descendents in turn spread the Good News in numerous foreign lands. Through your powerful intercession with God, obtain the missionaries we need to continue the work you began.
Amen
Need, Love and Thanks – Your Letters Nine churches, with ACN In Father Werenfried’s day I was greatly helped by ACN, so now I will try to give, as best I can, for your current projects. For twelve years I was able to evangelise in Nicaragua, thanks to you, and with your help to build nine churches. A missionary from Canada No words I thank you so much for the noble mission you are fulfilling, and which God alone can reward you for. There are no words – or at least I can find none – to thank you for all you are doing for the most needy, all over the world. I promised to give this sum in thanksgiving for a grace that was granted me, and I do so now with all my love. A benefactor from Portugal Privileged to assist Thank you for sending a copy of the Mirror regularly. It affords an opportunity to be part of the pastoral mission of the Church to those of us who are no longer fit and able! What a privilege it is to assist a priest in a small way, in his ministry to fellow Christians. I have always felt that the ministry of ACN was to help the souls of people – and therefore God provides materially, as Jesus said He would. We are blessed to be channels of assistance. Thank you for such an opportunity. Sincerely in Jesus and Mary. A benefactress from Australia Thrilled and grateful for your help Your generous support is a miracle that comes from God through your organization and your benefactors. We cannot express enough our gratitude to you; with your support, our Sisters are able to have an opportunity to know more about God and transfer their knowledge to their ministry. Be assured that your organization and your benefactors’ intentions are in our daily prayers. From the sisters of the congregation of the Lovers of the Holy Cross, Vietnam
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Thank you from Aid to the Church in Need Each year thanks to the • Donations • Legacies and • Mass offerings of its benefactors in Ireland and around the world, ACN is able to: • Provide sustenance and the means of survival for approx. 20,000 priests • Support approx. 18,000 seminarians and religious and • Distribute approx. 1.5 million catechetical books for children in over 170 languages.
For more on Aid to the Church in Need Please visit our website
www.acnireland.org
Heartfelt thanks for all your prayers and support provided to Christ’s Suffering and Persecuted Church. May the Good Lord continue to bless you and your family, past and present, now and always.
J F Declan Quinn Director Aid to the Church in Need (Ireland) Where to send your contribution for the Church in Need: Please use the Freepost envelope. Aid to the Church in Need, 151 St. Mobhi Road, Glasnevin, Dublin 9. Tel. (01) 837 7516. Email: info@acnireland.org Web: www.acnireland.org
(Registered Charity Numbers: (RoI) 9492 (NI) XR96620).
If you give by standing order, or have sent a donation recently, please accept our sincere thanks. This Mirror is for your interest and information.
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Please visit www.godspeakstohischildren.org to view an online version of ‘The Four Gospels’ and ‘God Speaks Through His Saints and Our Suffering’.
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Stand firm in the faith, be strong. (1 Cor. 16:13)
‘The witness of the martyrs will help us give, to all who ask, an account of the hope that is in us’. Father Martin M. Barta, ACN Ecclesiastical Assistant.
‘By faith, the martyrs gave their lives, bearing witness to the truth of the Gospel that had transformed them and made them capable of attaining to the greatest gift of love: the forgiveness of their persecutors.’ Benedict XVI, Porta Fidei, Motu Proprio for the Year of Faith.
‘Out of the depths I cry to Thee, O Lord!’ The face of prayer, Lahore, Pakistan.
helping the Church heal the world. 151 St. Mobhi Road, Dublin 9. TEL 01 837 7516 EMAIL info@acnireland.org +e213ei_print.indd 1
www.acnireland.org www.allthingscatholic.org www.wheregodweeps.org www.godspeakstohischildren.org
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Aid to the Church in Need
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