Mirror 0415 by Aid to the Church in Need

MIRROR

TEACHING THE WORLD THE ART OF LIVING

MIRROR GIVE JOY, GIVE HOPE

CONTENTS PAGE Teaching the Art of Living. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . J F Declan Quinn.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Our Missionary Zeal .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Fr. Martin Barta. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Integral Human Development .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Development involves Forming Consciences . . . . . . . . . . . Pope St John Paul II.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Learning the Value of Life and Love. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Holidaying with God .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Bringing Joy and Hope to the Poor .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Salvation comes by Way of the Cross – Maria’s Story .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 A Problem like Maria. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . J F Declan Quinn.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 On the way to Becoming a Saint. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Pope Benedict XVI. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Charity is the sole Criterion of Mission . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Pope St John Paul II.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Difficulties are the ‘Loving Caresses’ of Mission.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 The only Great Tragedy in Life. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Pope Francis.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 For the Christians in Iraq. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 Our Foremost Duty. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Thomas Heine-Geldern .. . . . . . . . . . . . 29

‘The Church's Mission consists in offering people an opportunity not to “have more” but to “be more”.’ SAINT JOHN PAUL II Editor: Jürgen Liminski. Publisher: ACN International, Postfach 1209, 61452 Königstein, Germany. De licentia competentis auctoritatis ecclesiasticae. Printed in Ireland - ISSN 0252-2535. www.acninternational.org

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TEACHING THE ART OF LIVING A chairde, ‘How does one learn the Art of Living? Which is the path toward Happiness? To evangelise means: to show this path—to teach the Art of Living. At the beginning of his public life Jesus says: I have come to evangelise the poor (Luke 4:18); this means: I have the response to your fundamental question; I will show you the path of life, the path toward happiness—rather: I am that path. The deepest poverty is the inability of joy, the tediousness of a life considered absurd and contradictory. This poverty is widespread today, in very different forms in the materially rich as well as the poor countries. The inability of joy presupposes and produces the inability to love, produces jealousy, avarice—all defects that devastate the life of individuals and of the world.’1 So spoke Joseph Ratzinger (later Benedict XVI) in December 2000. ‘To evangelise means to teach the Art of Living’ to show to another the path to true happiness. And it is precisely this subject of true happiness which Pope Francis addresses in his March 2018 exhortation ‘On the Call to Holiness in Today’s World’. 2 In this exhortation Pope Francis points out that the word ‘blessed’ (which means ‘happy’) is also a synonym for ‘Holy’ and that those who are faithful to God and His Word, by their selfgiving gain true (and ever-lasting) happiness. To evangelise then is to teach the Art of being truly happy. 3

So it is that when one evangelises therefore one is radiating (and causing to be radiated) Joy to the world as well as giving witness to the Truth that there is Hope in the world. So too, when we evangelise, when we share the good news of Salvation with the world we are tackling what Pope Benedict has termed the deepest of all poverties, the inability of Joy. Therefore… Let us not be afraid to share the Joy of the Gospel with the World. Let us not be afraid to share the Joy of the Gospel within our circle of friends. And most especially Let us not be afraid to share the Joy of the Gospel within our own families. The simple fact is that all of us need of Joy and Hope in our lives. Moreover through Baptism all of us are called to be happy: we are called to be saints. It is for this reason that Christ established His Church to help us all become saints and find true happiness as we struggle to learn and perfect the authentic Art of Living. Beir Beannacht

J F Declan Quinn Director, Aid to the Church in Need (Ire) 1 Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, ‘The New Evangelization: Building the Civilisation of Love’ 12 December 2002. 2 Pope Francis, Apostolic Exhortation Gaudete et Exsultate ‘On the Call to Holiness in Today’s World’ 19 March 2018 3 Cf. para. 64

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TEACHING THE WORLD THE ART OF LIVING

OUR MISSIONARY ZEAL Dear Friends,

n a Brazilian fisherman’s village someone asked the question, ‘Why was it that Jesus chose fishermen as apostles?’ One of the fishermen responded, ‘People who travel on the land build roads, and they continue to use these roads over and over again. But a fisherman goes searching for the fish wherever they are. And so he chooses a different path each day. For it often happens that yesterday’s route doesn’t lead to the fish of today.’ It is people like these, who have left behind comfortable lives to become fishers of men, that our charity is there to support. Mission is neither a matter of enlisting members, nor

a form of customer service, based on cleverly devised plans and strategies. ‘Mission is an issue of faith, an accurate indicator of our faith in Christ and his love for us,’ writes Saint John Paul II in his encyclical letter Redemptoris Missio. The aim of mission is not to make the Church bigger, nor to boost its income, nor even to increase its influence. It is simply and solely about guiding people’s eyes and hearts towards Jesus. For in Him alone God has revealed Himself for all time as what He truly is, namely love.

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Mission means guiding people to become disciples of Jesus. A disciple is a follower of Jesus, someone who lives in friendship with him, believes in him and makes his words the compass of his own life. The fruit of mission is redemption, a new life of dignity and meaning. The number of people who do not know Jesus is growing steadily. Even in our own Christian lands very few people know why and how we believe. So our mission is needed in all times and all places. The greater the missionary need, the greater our need for the courage to trust in the word of the Lord and ‘walk on water’. Marcello Candia (1916-1983), an Italian businessman and entrepreneur, who, at the age of 50, sold everything and went as a lay missionary to Brazil, recalls his missionary experience in building a hospital in Amazonia.

‘My whole way of thinking has changed,’ he wrote, ‘As an industrialist, I first of all made forecasts, plans, projections. I thought about money and banks in relation to the funding of the project. Everything followed according to a mathematical logic, and I was beset with many worries. But slowly I realised that when we are dealing with God, the accounts are settled in an altogether different manner. Only round 10 percent of the population are able to pay for medical services, roughly 40 percent have some form of health insurance, but the rest cannot afford treatment. And so I learned that in order for a hospital for the poor to function properly, it must always be “in deficit”.’ Dear friends, ACN is also always ‘in deficit’, a shortfall that is constantly being replenished by you, our dear benefactors. God wills to cover the world’s enormous deficit of faith, hope and love through our missionary zeal. Thank you for your continued prayers and support. My grateful blessing on you all,

Father Martin M. Barta, ACN Ecclesiastical Assistant

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TEACHING THE WORLD THE ART OF LIVING

INTEGRAL HUMAN DEVELOPMENT ‘Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and enkindle in them the fire of your love. Send forth your spirit, and they shall be created. And you will renew the face of the earth.’

here can be few places on earth where the prayer to the Holy Spirit feels more concretely relevant than in the arid, desertlike region of northern Kenya. The diocese of Malindi is particularly dry, isolated and underdeveloped. There are no paved roads, only dirt tracks, no watercourses, merely boreholes here and there. No one can guarantee your security, as the arm of the law does not reach into this region. And yet, here of all places, the Holy Ghost Fathers, or Spiritans, are striving to renew the face of the earth. For the people here are hungering and thirsting not only for physical food, water and medical help, but they are thirsting for God and yearning for the fire of His love.

To keep ‘spirit and soul and body’ (Thess 5:23) together, the Spiritans need a vehicle. ‘In fighting poverty, we are also sowing the Word of God’, says Father John Mbinda, the provincial Superior in the region. They are doing so by transporting gear for drilling the boreholes and by ferrying sick people and expectant mothers to the nearest clinic. By bringing schooling materials and essential food for schoolchildren, they are laying the groundwork for an enduring programme of ‘eradicating poverty and planting the Word of God in human hearts’. Many people in this region are hearing about the God of Love for the first time. They are also bearing witness to the truth of faith in God. This is a mission to the ends of the earth. Father John is asking us to help with the tools he needs – in this case, a fourwheel-drive truck. It will help the Spiritans in their mission to renew, the face of the earth and the hopes of many people. •

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‘Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel’(Mk 16:15) – like Father Gregory here in Kenya.

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TEACHING THE WORLD THE ART OF LIVING

DEVELOPMENT INVOLVES FORMING CONSCIENCES POPE SAINT JOHN PAUL4

he Church has always been able to generate among the peoples she evangelises a drive toward progress. Today, more than in the past, missionaries are being recognised as promoters of development by governments and international experts who are impressed at the remarkable results achieved with scanty means. In its labours… ‘the Church does not have technical solutions to offer for the problem of underdevelopment as such,’ but ‘offers her first contribution to the solution of the urgent problem of development when she proclaims the truth about Christ, about herself and about man, applying this truth to a concrete situation.’5

The Conference of Latin American Bishops at Puebla stated that ‘the best service we can offer to our brother is evangelisation, which helps him to live and act as a son of God, sets him free from injustices and assists his overall development.’ 6 It is not the Church’s mission to work directly on the economic. technical or political levels, or to contribute materially to development. 4 5 6 7

Rather, her mission consists essentially in offering people an opportunity not to ‘have more’ but to ‘be more.’ by awakening their consciences through the Gospel. ‘Authentic human development must be rooted in an everdeeper evangelisation.’ 7 The Church and her missionaries also promote development through schools, hospitals, printing presses, universities and experimental farms. But a people’s development does not derive primarily from money, material assistance or technological means, but from: the formation of consciences and the gradual maturing of ways of thinking and patterns of behaviour. Man is the principal agent of development, not money or technology. The Church forms consciences by revealing to peoples… the God whom they seek and do not yet know, the grandeur of man created in God’s image and loved by him, the equality of all men and women as God’s sons and daughters, the mastery of man over nature created by God and placed at man’s service, and

Extracted and edited from Pope St John Paul II Redemptionis Missio, Paragraphs 58 and 59 Encyclical Letter Sollicitudo Rei Socialis (December 30, 1987), 41: AAS 80 (1988), 570f. Documents of the Third General Conference of Latin American Bishops, Puebla (1979), 3760 (1145). Address to Clergy and Religious, Jakarta, October 10, 1989, 5: L’Osservatore Romano, October 11, 1989.

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the obligation to work for the development of the whole person and of all mankind. Through the gospel message, the Church offers a force for liberation which promotes development precisely because it leads to conversion of heart and of ways of thinking, fosters the recognition of each person’s dignity, encourages solidarity, commitment and service of one’s neighbour, and gives everyone a place in God’s plan, which is the building of his kingdom of peace and justice, beginning already in this life. This is the biblical perspective of the ‘new heavens and a new earth’ (cf. Is 65:17; 2 Pt 3:13; Rv 21:1), which has been the stimulus and goal for mankind’s advancement in history. Man’s development derives from God, and from the model of Jesus - God and man and must lead back to God.8 That is why there is a close connection between the proclamation of the Gospel and human promotion. The contribution of the Church and of evangelisation to the development of peoples concerns not only the struggle against material poverty and underdevelopment in the South of the world, but also concerns the North, which is prone to a moral and spiritual poverty caused by ‘over development.’ 9

A certain way of thinking, uninfluenced by a religious outlook and widespread in some parts of today’s world, is based on the idea that increasing wealth and the promotion of economic and technical growth is enough for people to develop on the human level. But a soulless development cannot suffice for human beings, and an excess of affluence is as harmful as excessive poverty. This is a ‘development model’ which the North has constructed and is now spreading to the South, where a sense of religion as well as human values are in danger of being overwhelmed by a wave of consumerism. ‘Fight hunger by changing your lifestyle’ is a motto which has appeared in Church circles and which shows the people of the rich nations how to become brothers and sisters of the poor. We need to turn to a more austere way of life which will favour a new model of development that gives attention to ethical and religious values. To the poor, missionary activity brings light and an impulse toward true development, while a new evangelisation ought to create among the wealthy a realisation that the time has arrived for them to become true brothers and sisters of the poor through the conversion of all to an ‘integral development’, open to the Absolute.10 •

8 Cf. Paul VI, Encyclical Letter Populorum Progressio, 14-21, 40-42: loc. cit., 264-268, 277f; John Paul II, Encyclical Letter Sollicitudo Rei Socialis, 27-41: loc. cit., 547-572. 9 Cf. Encyclical Letter Sollicitudo Rei Socialis, 28: loc. cit., 548-550. 10 Cf. ibid. , Chapter IV, 27-34: loc. cit., 547-560; Paul VI, Encyclical Letter Populorum Progressio, 19-21, 41-42: loc. cit., 266-268, 277f.

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TEACHING THE WORLD THE ART OF LIVING

LEARNING THE VALUE OF LIFE AND LOVE ‘Marriage is the icon of God’s love for us. Indeed, God is also communion: the three Persons of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit live eternally in perfect unity. And this is precisely the mystery of marriage: God makes of the two spouses one single existence.’

his astonishing depth of the Sacrament of Matrimony requires some explanation. For three years now, the Greek Catholic Diocese of Oradea in Romania has explored the theme of marriage and the family in a programme designed for adults and young people. Intended in the first instance as a guide for their own lives, the programme also enables the participants to go into their parishes and explain the importance of marriage and the family – which is not just ‘the core of every social order’ (as Pope Benedict XVI wrote), but moreover a place of hope, faith and love. Within the family we learn the value of life and love – and learn to act accordingly.

First fruits: new seminarians, thanks not least to family catechesis.

Even after the first few years of family catechesis there has been an increase in the number of births. Vocations in the diocese have increased; more young men are hearing the call to the priesthood. And many people who had been distant from – or even hostile towards – the Church are beginning to become actively involved in parish life. This success has occurred even though the programme contains topics with the potential to provoke resistance – for example ‘Serving in the Church and in the family’, or ‘Forgiveness and fraternal correction’. For many people the course is an opportunity for spiritual renewal and recovery and of encounter with likeminded people and the beginning of new friendships. There is great interest and the number of participants is growing – with over 2,000 people taking part already. There could be many more, but, given the minimum wage of €250 a month in Romania, many people cannot afford it. Bishop Virgil Bercea has therefore turned to us ‘with the humility of a beggar’, asking for an annual subsidy so that more future instructors can follow the training courses and spread the Good News further. We have promised him financial help for the next three years. For as Pope Francis says, ‘Family catechesis is of great assistance as an effective method in training young parents to be aware of their mission as the evangelisers of their own family.’ •

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HOLIDAYING WITH GOD

or the three Redemptorist priests, Father Anthony from Ireland and Fathers Pawel and Andrzej from Poland, the vineyard of the Lord is in the midst of this expanse, in Kemerovo. This is where they work, supported by four religious Sisters, Handmaids of the Holy Spirit, in a parish the size of one of the larger dioceses in Western Europe. In one outlying centre of the parish, LeninskKuznetsky – where once Catholics could only meet secretly to pray and only very occasionally gather for Holy Mass – there is now a centre where people can meet openly and deepen their spiritual lives. In Kolion, another outstation, Father Pawel is working with the

young people, creating a shrine to Our Lady at the church. One high point of the spiritual life is the ‘Holidays with God’; some families – including children and young people – camp out in tents; meanwhile, other, larger families and single adults stay in a complex of small wooden cabins. They go on pilgrimages, rambles and excursions. Throughout it all, they enjoy spiritual refreshment. Of course, all of these activities would be impossible without a vehicle. We are helping with a contribution, to keep the show on the road in this Siberian vineyard of the Lord. • The parents go hiking, the children do handicrafts. Sister Susanna with the girls’ group.

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TEACHING THE WORLD THE ART OF LIVING

BRINGING JOY AND HOPE TO THE POOR ‘The mission of the priest in the Church is irreplaceable. Therefore, even if in some regions there is a scarcity of clergy, it should never be doubted that Christ continues to raise up men who, like the Apostles, leaving behind all other work, dedicate themselves completely to the celebration of the sacred mysteries, to the preaching of the Gospel and to pastoral ministry.’

welve years ago, when Pope Benedict XVI wrote these words for the World Day of Prayer for Spiritual Vocations, Father Dollin Mamonjibavy was still a schoolboy in Madagascar, preparing to enter the minor seminary in the diocese of Tolagnaro, to do his A-levels and then go on to study theology.

Today he is in the first year of his priesthood, entirely devoted to the celebration of the sacred mysteries and to the pastoral ministry. His vocation is confirmation of that dedication to which Pope Benedict XVI was referring. For him this is expressed in particular through the Sacrament of the Sick – ‘I want to save souls’ – and through visiting the elderly, whom he urges to pray for the sick and for the community. But of course in order to do this he needs to be mobile. Otherwise, he will be unable to reach the homes of the many Catholic faithful. On the same day that he was ordained, five seminarians were also ordained to the diaconate. One of them was Bruno Sambo. He was profoundly impressed by the way in which ‘the foreign missionaries worked so tirelessly for

In the villages: the bishop and the missionary lead the children’s procession. 10

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the people, to encourage them to live worthily as creatures of God’. Like the apostles, they were there entirely for others, though almost invariably they had to speak to them through interpreters. So he prayed to God: ‘Make me a priest, so that I can guide this country and my people on the path to You.’ He wanted to teach people love.

Good News into every corner of Madagascar. They know the people and they know the roads – which are almost nonexistent, in fact they are little more than paths and dirt tracks. They need motorbikes, without which they will never reach all the huts and all the villages where the multitude is waiting.

Deacon Jean Nicolas Valesoa comes from a family where no one can read or write; his entire tribe, he says, lives ‘in the darkness that does not know our Lord’. Jean Nicolas used to follow the missionaries through the bush; he was baptised at 14 and then received Holy Communion for the first time. He hopes to be able to return very soon to his people as a priest and bring them the light of the Gospel – in their own language.

Like the crowds in Saint Matthew’s Gospel, when Jesus saw them, ‘he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd’ (Mt 9:36). And then, turning to his disciples, Jesus adds: ‘The harvest is plentiful, but the labourers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out labourers into his harvest’ (9:37f). The same is true of our time and of the harvest in Madagascar. We have promised financial help for six motorbikes.

Much the same is true of their fellow deacons, Sacro Ratolojanaharindray, Brichard Ratiandrazana and Berthin Tsirahamba. They too want to bring the new dawn of the

So now these shepherds can go out and bring Health and Healing, Joy and Hope to all the villages and towns in the diocese of Tolagnaro. •

Newly ordained deacons: labourers for the harvest in Madagascar.

‘Children praying the Rosary’: delighting in the booklet by ACN. GIVE JOY, GIVE HOPE

TEACHING THE WORLD THE ART OF LIVING

SALVATION COMES BY WAY OF THE CROSS – MARIA’S STORY11

aria, a Brazilian woman had a troubled childhood. Her mother was an alcoholic and her father worked in another city. At the age of 12 Maria was already using drugs. She became involved with a drug dealer and together they had a child but soon enough her companion was killed. One night, another drug dealer broke into the house where Maria was alone with her son. Taking the house by storm, the man went down to the bedroom and violently raped her. After reporting to the police and then realising that they would do nothing for her as she was a drug addict and had a partner who was a trafficker, she returned home in fear. That same night the man came back and raped her again, in front of her 7-year-old son. When he threatened to harm the boy, she reacted impulsively and stabbed him in the back with a fatal blow. Maria was arrested. Now, behind the bars, she discovered that she was expecting a child from the man who had raped her. And later she would find out that he had also infected her with AIDS. With feelings of hatred toward the child, fearing that she might look like her father, Maria wanted to end this life that was in her womb.

ter’s heart beating, it was a girl, she could not kill her. Soon after, her cell mate died, using the same pills she gave to Maria. After nine years, when Maria left the jail, still a drug user, her son, who was now a man, raised by her sister and father, learned of the Farms of Hope (Fazenda da Esperança) and decided to refer her mother for treatment. Mary recovered. However, her daughter, who was also HIV positive, ended up being drug addict, and it was Maria’s turn to convince her to recover on the farm of hope. In the chapel where Maria told her story, there were the Stations of the Cross from which she did not look away and said, ‘I have passed through each of these stations, but today I am in that one,’ and pointed out the tabernacle, saying that today she was resurrected. Salvation comes to us all by Way of the Cross. •

A cell mate, also pregnant, shared some abortion pills with her. But Maria hesitated to take them, went to the doctor and heard her daugh11 This witness testimony was collected and validated by ACN Brasil.

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‘Jesus loves you’ favela Cantinho do Céu, Sao Paulo, Brazil.

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A PROBLEM LIKE MARIA

recisely because Maria’s life story (see opposite page) was such a nightmare, drug addiction, violence, prison, her witness is so compelling. Clearly the Grace of God can penetrate into the deepest and darkest places of the human condition but we must be prepared for and willing to receive it. Almost completely overshadowed inside this account of the horrors of Maria’s life was the presence of God and His Grace. Maria’s son was raised by his aunt and grandfather – they could have abandoned him. They raised him well, he took care of his drug-addicted mother when she was released from prison – he could have abandoned her. There was a place, the Fazenda de Esperança, the Farms of Hope, a drug addict rehabilitation apostolate founded by a Franciscan Priest, which was willing and able to help Maria re-discover her God-given identity and re-make her life. God did not abandon Maria. He was always there waiting willingly.

A young woman in rehabilitation for drug abuse in the Women’s Fazenda de la Esperança in Guaratinguetá, Brazil.

J F DECLAN QUINN

Maria’s story testifies to another Truth, a truth frequently mentioned by Pope Francis when he refers to the culture of waste: how wasteful humanity has become with regard to the Earth’s resources and in particular with regard to human life. All over the world people are being mistreated as objects to be used and abused. Those who are considered worthy are befriended and even idolised those who fail to ‘meet the grade’ are alienated, over-looked or attacked. They are social problems to be fixed and to be fixed out of sight and out of mind. The central tenet of Catholic Social Doctrine is founded upon the inalienable and inviolable dignity of every human being who has been made in the image and likeness of God and has been called forth by Him to undertake a ‘definite’ service for Him and for the good of all humanity. If we saw Maria in the years prior to her conversion and healing Would we have seen a ‘basket case’ problem or a child of God? Would we have been able to sense the presence of God buried deep within her? Maria’s witness to the presence of God being written on our very souls re-assures and challenges us in equal measure. Saints see the saint in others. Sinners see the sinner. Maria’s testimony reminds us not only that we are called to become saints but God’s Grace is always there to help us become so, we only have to be willing to receive it. •

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ON THE WAY TO BECOMING A SAINT POPE BENEDICT XVI 12

hat God wants most of all for each one of you is that you should become Holy. He loves you much more than you could ever begin to imagine, and He wants the very best for you. And by far the best thing for you is to grow in Holiness.

It could be someone we meet in our daily lives that we hold in great esteem. Or it could be someone famous. We live in a celebrity culture, and young people are often encouraged to model themselves on figures from the world of sport or entertainment.

Perhaps some of you have never thought about this before. Perhaps some of you think being a saint is not for you. Let me explain what I mean.

My question for you is this:

When we are young, we can usually think of people that we look up to, people we admire, people we want to be like.

What are the qualities you see in others that you would most like to have yourselves? What kind of person would you really like to be?

12 Adapted and edited from Pope Benedict XVI Address to pupils, St Mary’s University College Twickenham, 17 September 2010.

Saint Francis of Assisi.

Saint Thérèse of Lisieux.

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When I invite you to become saints, I am asking you not to be content with second best. I am asking you not to pursue one limited goal and ignore all the others. Having money makes it possible to be generous and to do good in the world, but on its own, it is not enough to make us happy. Being highly skilled in some activity or profession is good, but it will not satisfy us unless we aim for something greater still. It might make us famous, but it will not make us happy. Happiness is something we all want, but one of the great tragedies in this world is that so many people never find it, because they look for it in the wrong places. The key to it is very simple – true happiness is to be found in God. We need to have the courage to place our deepest hopes in God alone, not in money, in a career, in worldly success, or in our relationships with others, but in God. Only He can satisfy the deepest needs of our hearts.

As you come to know him better, you find you want to reflect something of His infinite goodness in your own life. You are attracted to the practice of virtue. You begin to see greed and selfishness and all the other sins for what they really are, destructive and dangerous tendencies that cause deep suffering and do great damage, and you want to avoid falling into that trap yourselves. You begin to feel compassion for people in difficulties and you are eager to do something to help them. You want to come to the aid of the poor and the hungry, You want to comfort the sorrowful, You want to be kind and generous. And once these things begin to matter to you, you are well on the way to becoming saints. •

Not only does God love us with a depth and an intensity that we can scarcely begin to comprehend, but He invites us to respond to that love. You all know what it is like when you meet someone interesting and attractive, and you want to be that person’s friend. You always hope they will find you interesting and attractive, and want to be your friend. God wants your friendship. And once you enter into friendship with God, everything in your life begins to change. GIVE JOY, GIVE HOPE

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CHARITY IS THE SOLE CRITERION OF MISSION POPE SAINT JOHN PAUL13

‘The Church all over the world wishes to be the Church of the poor...she wishes to draw out all the truth contained in the Beatitudes of Christ, and especially in the first one: “Blessed are the poor in spirit.” ...She wishes to teach this truth and she wishes to put it into practice, just as Jesus came to do and to teach.’14

he young churches, which for the most part are to be found among peoples suffering from widespread poverty, often give voice to this concern as an integral part of their mission. The Conference of Latin American Bishops at Puebla, after recalling the example of Jesus, wrote that

‘the poor deserve preferential attention, whatever their moral or personal situation. They have been made in the image and likeness of God to be his children, but this image has been obscured and even violated. For this reason, God has become their defender and loves them. It follows that the poor are those to whom the mission is first addressed, and their evangelization is par excellence the sign and proof of the mission of Jesus.’15

13 Extracted and edited from Pope St John Paul II Redemptionis Missio, Paragraph 60 14 Address to the residents of “Favela Vidigal” in Rio de Janeiro, July 2, 1980, 4: AAS 72 (1980), 854. 15 Documents of the Third General Conference of Latin American Bishops, Puebla, (1979), 3757 (1142).

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In fidelity to the spirit of the Beatitudes, the Church is called to be on the side of those who are poor and oppressed in any way. I therefore exhort the disciples of Christ and all Christian communities - from families to dioceses, from parishes to religious institutes - to carry out a sincere review of their lives regarding their solidarity with the poor. At the same time, I express gratitude to the missionaries who, by their loving presence and humble service to people, are working for the integral development of individuals and of society through schools, health-care centres, leprosaria, homes for the handicapped and the elderly, projects for the promotion of women and other similar apostolates. I thank the priests, religious brothers and sisters, and members of the laity for their dedication, and I also encourage the volunteers from non-governmental organizations who in ever increasing numbers are devoting themselves to works of charity and human promotion. It is in fact these ‘works of charity’ that reveal the soul of all missionary activity: love, which has been and remains the driving force of mission, and is also ‘the sole criterion for judging what is to be done or not done, changed or not changed. It is the principle which must direct every action, and end to which that action must be directed. When we act with a view to charity, or are inspired by charity, nothing is unseemly and everything is good.’ 16 • 16 Isaac of Stella, Sermon 31, PL 194, 1793.t

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DIFFICULTIES ARE THE ‘LOVING CARESSES’ OF MISSION ‘Loving God requires an interior freedom from all possessions and all material goods: the love of God is revealed in responsibility for others.’

hese words of Pope Benedict (from his encyclical letter Spe Salvi, 28) are the daily bread of missionaries. Father Charitable Derisseau of the Congregation of the Immaculate Heart of Mary expands on them from his own experience: ‘A missionary makes himself small in order to embrace a new culture. In this way, he is constantly being born anew.’ After 14 years in Mexico the priest, who is originally from Haiti, went to the parish of Mount Calvary, in the diocese of Verapaz, Guatemala, where he has been for five years. Most of the 17,000 or so Catholics in the parish are indigenous Indians of the Qeqchi-Maya people. Their

‘I see the face of God in them’: Father Charitable celebrating Holy Mass.

culture needs the leaven of the Christian spirit. Father Charitable has little in the way of money or material possessions; he is inwardly free. And he feels a sense of responsibility for the Qeqchi-Maya people. Together with two of his confreres he travels through the 2,000 square-kilometre parish, visiting its 132 outstations in strict rotation, celebrating the Eucharist, administering the Sacraments and teaching the people catechism, mathematics, reading and writing. It is a permanent challenge for them. In many cases they can only travel on foot, given the mud filled tracks and footpaths, since the old pickup can no longer cope with the rough dirt track roads.

Going out to the margins of society: Father Charitable with a local catechist.

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‘I fall over and get up again, I learn to eat like the people, I learn to be patient, to endure cold and heat; I suffer and laugh with them, I rejoice at their successes and share their sorrows. I go from village to village and don’t ask where I am going to eat during the day or sleep at night. Sometimes I am simply overwhelmed by tiredness, at other times I am enraged at all the injustices done to our brothers and sisters – they have no schools, no electricity, no clean drinking water, no medical services. But it is all worthwhile, for I see in them the face of God.’ For Father Charitable all these difficulties are the ‘loving caresses’ of his mission. He loves his flock, and they love him. Through him they can feel the all-embracing love of Mother Church.

Three quarters of them live below the poverty threshold, and violence in the region is increasing. Drug trafficking and organised crime have followed the long civil war that lasted into the late 1990s and which brought particular suffering to the Qeqchi-Maya. For them Father Charitable is a herald of love. ‘Wherever we arrive, there is a festive atmosphere.’ It pains the missionary that he cannot get to the villages more often. With a new pickup truck he could cover the ground more quickly, train up more catechists and celebrate Holy Mass more frequently. We have promised to help. It will be money well spent. The Immaculate Heart Missionaries have been in Guatemala for 63 years now. Many of them were abducted, tortured, murdered. Now the seeds of their love are beginning to germinate. •

Let the children come to me: Father Charitable and a confrere visiting the Qeqchi-Maya. GIVE JOY, GIVE HOPE

TEACHING THE WORLD THE ART OF LIVING

THE ONLY GREAT TRAGEDY IN LIFE POPE FRANCIS 17

he Lord offers us true life, the happiness for which we were created. He wants us to be saints and not to settle for a bland and mediocre existence. The Lord has chosen each one of us ‘to be Holy and blameless before Him in love’ (Eph 1:4). 18

The Letter to the Hebrews invites us to realise that ‘a great cloud of witnesses’ (12:1) impels us to advance constantly towards the goal. 19 These witnesses may include our own mothers, grandmothers or other loved ones (cf. 2 Tim 1:5). Their lives may not always have been perfect, yet even amid their faults and failings they kept moving forward and proved pleasing to the Lord.20

The saints now in God’s presence preserve their bonds of love and communion with us. Each of us can say: ‘Surrounded, led and guided by the friends of God… I do not have to carry alone what, in truth, I could never carry alone. All the saints of God are there to protect me, to sustain me and to carry me.’ 21 The Holy Spirit bestows Holiness in abundance among God’s Holy and faithful people. In Salvation History, the Lord saved one people. We are never completely ourselves unless we belong to a people. That is why no one is saved alone, as an isolated individual. 22

17 Extracted from the first 34 paragraphs of Pope Francis’ Apostolic Exhortation Gaudete et Exsultate. A full text re-formatted version of the Holy Father’s Exhortation is available to be read at www.acnireland.org. 18 Cf. para. 1 19 Cf. para. 3 20 Cf. para. 3 21 Cf. para. 4 22 Cf. para. 6

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I like to contemplate the Holiness present in the patience of God’s people: in those parents who raise their children with immense love, in those men and women who work hard to support their families, in the sick, in elderly religious who never lose their smile. In their daily perseverance I see the Holiness of the Church Militant. Very often it is a Holiness found in our nextdoor neighbours, those who, living in our midst, reflect God’s presence. Let us be spurred on by the signs of Holiness that the Lord shows us through the humblest members of that people. Real History is made by so many of them. 23

Holiness is the most attractive face of the Church.25 The Second Vatican Council stated: ‘Strengthened by so many and such great means of salvation, all the faithful, whatever their condition or state, are called by the Lord – each in His or her own way – to that perfect Holiness by which the Father Himself is perfect.’ 26 The important thing is that each believer discern his or her own path, that they bring out the very best of themselves, the most personal gifts that God has placed in their hearts (cf. 1 Cor 12:7), rather than hopelessly trying to imitate something not meant for them. We are all called to be witnesses, but there are many actual ways of bearing witness.27 23 Cf. para. 7 24 Cf. para.8

25 Cf. para. 9 26 Cf. para. 10

27 Cf. para. 11

‘The greatest figures of prophecy and sanctity step forth out of the darkest night. But for the most part, the formative stream of the mystical life remains invisible. Certainly the most decisive turning points in world History are substantially co-determined by souls whom no History book ever mentions. And we will only find out about those souls to whom we owe the decisive turning points in our personal lives on the day when all that is hidden is revealed.’ 24

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TEACHING THE WORLD THE ART OF LIVING

This should excite and encourage us to give our all and to embrace that unique plan that God willed for each of us from eternity.28 We are all called to be Holy by living our lives with love and by bearing witness in everything we do, wherever we find ourselves. Are you called to the consecrated life? Be Holy by living out your commitment with joy. Are you married? Be Holy by loving and caring for your husband or wife, as Christ does for the Church. Do you work for a living? Be Holy by labouring with integrity and skill in the service of your brothers and sisters. Are you a parent or grandparent? Be Holy by patiently teaching the little ones how to follow Jesus. Are you in a position of authority? Be Holy by working for the common good and renouncing personal gain.29 Let the grace of your baptism bear fruit in a path of Holiness. Let everything be open to God; turn to Him in every situation. When you feel the temptation to dwell on your own weakness, raise your eyes to Christ crucified and say: ‘Lord, I am a poor sinner, but you can work the miracle of making me a little bit better’. 30

28 Cf. para. 13 29 Cf. para. 14 30 Cf. para. 15

31 Cf. para. 15 32 Cf. para. 16 33 Cf. para. 18

In the Church, Holy yet made up of sinners, you will find everything you need to grow towards Holiness. The Lord has bestowed on the Church the gifts of scripture, the sacraments, Holy places, living communities, the witness of the saints and a multifaceted beauty that proceeds from God’s love, ‘like a bride bedecked with jewels’ (Is 61:10). 31 This Holiness to which the Lord calls you will grow through small gestures. When Cardinal François-Xavier Nguyên van Thuân was imprisoned, he refused to waste time waiting for the day he would be set free. Instead, he chose ‘to live the present moment, filling it to the brim with love’. He decided: ‘I will seize the occasions that present themselves every day; I will accomplish ordinary actions in an extraordinary way’. 32 In this way, led by God’s Grace, we shape by many small gestures the Holiness God has willed for us, not as men and women sufficient unto ourselves but rather ‘as good stewards of the manifold grace of God’ (1 Pet 4:10). 33 A Christian cannot think of his or her mission on earth without seeing it as a path of Holiness, for ‘this is the will of God, your sanctification’ (1 Thess 4:3). 34

34 Cf. para. 19

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Each saint is a mission, planned by the Father to reflect and embody, at a specific moment in History, a certain aspect of the Gospel. 35 That mission has its fullest meaning in Christ, and can only be understood through Him. At its core, Holiness is experiencing, in union with Christ, the mysteries of His life. 36 The Father’s plan is Christ, and ourselves in Him. In the end, it is Christ who loves in us, for ‘Holiness is nothing other than charity lived to the full’. 37

or she does is authentic or perfect. What we need to contemplate is the totality of their life, their entire journey of growth in Holiness, the reflection of Jesus Christ that emerges when we grasp their overall meaning as a person. 39 This is a powerful summons to all of us. You too need to see the entirety of your life as a mission. 40 Try to do so by listening to God in prayer and recognising the signs that He gives you. 41

Every saint is a message which the Holy Spirit takes from the riches of Jesus Christ and gives to His people.38

Always ask the Spirit what Jesus expects from you at every moment of your life and in every decision you must make, so as to discern its place in the mission you have received. 42

Not everything a saint says is completely faithful to the Gospel; not everything he

35 Cf. para. 19 36 Cf. para. 20 37 Cf. para. 21

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38 Cf. para. 21 39 Cf. para. 22 40 Cf. para. 23

41 Cf. para. 23 42 Cf. para. 23

TEACHING THE WORLD THE ART OF LIVING

Allow the Spirit to forge in you the personal mystery that can reflect Jesus Christ in today’s world. 43 May you come to realize what that word is, the message of Jesus that God wants to speak to the world by your life. Let yourself be transformed. Let yourself be renewed by the Spirit, so that this can happen, lest you fail in your precious mission. 44 The Lord will bring it to fulfilment despite your mistakes and missteps, provided that you do not abandon the path of love but remain ever open to His supernatural grace, which purifies and enlightens. 45

Just as you cannot understand Christ apart from the kingdom He came to bring, so too your personal mission is inseparable from the building of that kingdom: ‘Strive first for the kingdom of God and His righteousness’ (Mt 6:33). 46 Your identification with Christ and His will involves a commitment to build with Him that kingdom of love, justice and universal peace. Christ Himself wants to experience this with you, in all the efforts and sacrifices that it entails, but also in all the joy and enrichment it brings. 47 You cannot grow in Holiness without committing yourself, body and soul, to giving your best to this endeavour. 48 Everything can be accepted and integrated into our life in this world, and become a part of our path to Holiness. We are called to be contemplatives even in the midst of action, and to grow in Holiness by responsibly and generously carrying out our proper mission. 49 We need a spirit of Holiness capable of filling both our solitude and our service, our personal life and our evangelising efforts, so that every moment can be an expression of self-sacrificing love in the Lord’s eyes. In this way, every minute of our lives can be a step along the path to growth in Holiness. 50 To depend on God sets us free from every form of enslavement and leads us to recognize 43 Cf. para. 23 44 Cf. para. 24 45 Cf. para. 24

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46 Cf. para. 25 47 Cf. para. 25 48 Cf. para. 25

49 Cf. para. 26 50 Cf. para. 31

AND YOU SHALL BE MY WITNESS

our great dignity. We see this in Saint Josephine Bakhita: ‘Abducted and sold into slavery at the tender age of seven, she suffered much at the hands of cruel masters. But she came to understand the profound truth that God, and not man, is the true Master of every human being, of every human life’. 51 To the extent that each Christian grows in Holiness, he or she will bear greater fruit for our world. 52

Do not be afraid to set your sights higher, to allow yourself to be loved and liberated by God. 53 Do not be afraid to let yourself be guided by the Holy Spirit. Holiness does not make you less human, since it is an encounter between your weakness and the power of God’s grace. For in the words of León Bloy, when all is said and done, ‘the only great tragedy in life, is not to become a saint’. 54 • 51 Cf. para. 32 52 Cf. para. 33

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53 Cf. para. 34 54 Cf. para. 34

TEACHING THE WORLD THE ART OF LIVING

FOR THE CHRISTIANS IN IRAQ

hat does a Pope do with a top-of-therange sports car? Pope Francis had no hesitation in auctioning the Lamborghini Hurricane he was given and sending part of the proceeds to ACN so that we could help the Christians of northern Iraq to return to their homes. The Iraqi Christians were moved and grateful. Chaldean Patriarch Raphael Louis I. Sako of Babylon commented: ‘This gesture is the embodiment of Christian charity with concrete deeds.’ The Pope, he added, had not yet ‘been

able to come to us, but sometimes the human and spiritual presence is more important than the physical’. The gesture is an encouragement for these Christians to return to their homes and churches in the Nineveh plains, now repaired with the help of ACN and ‘bear witness there to the Christian faith’, said the patriarch. ‘Our presence here is vital for the believers of all religions. For Christianity brings an element of openness, which promotes tolerance and opposes violence.’ •

Orthodox Mor Afrem Church in Mosul, Iraq damaged by ISIS.

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Lord Show Me How

f I can do some good today, If I can serve along lifeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s way, If I can something helpful say, Lord, show me how. If I can right a human wrong, If I can help to make one strong, If I can cheer with smile or song, Lord, show me how. If I can aid one in distress, If I can make a burden less, If I can spread more happiness, Lord, show me how. Grenville Kleiser (1868-1953)

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THE BEAUTY OF BEING CATHOLIC... UNITED BY THE CROSS Thank you to ACN for all the help that you are bringing to suffering Christians. You have indeed understood the words of Saint Paul that ‘If one member suffers, all suffer together’. This is precisely what ACN is asking of us Christians who are still living in freedom – to share what we have with those who hang on the cross on account of their faith. As it is their faith and their cross which carry us. And so, through you, we are intimately united with these Christians. A benefactor in France

WHAT THE SAINTS SAY...

CHILD’S BIBLES FOR NIGERIA Speaking to a member of ACN, I discovered that the Child’s Bible you produce has been published in over 185 different languages, including Igbo.

I told my friends in Nigeria about this, and just before Christmas I received information that the 5,000 Child’s Bibles have now arrived in Nigeria. I am overjoyed to hear it! A benefactor in Switzerland AN OFFER OF FREE AIRTIME Thanks to ACN, I have now found a way of fulfilling my duty and striving to help many people in many different places with their problems, people to whom I otherwise have no personal access. I have known about ACN for some years now and I would like to offer you a free slot on the radio channel ‘Romántica 1380 de AM’ in Mexico City, on which I have a weekly programme entitled ‘The beauty of being Catholic’. And I am also sending you a regular financial contribution, which I hope to increase if my circumstances permit. A benefactor in Mexico

‘Tribulation is a gift from God. One that He especially gives His special friends’ SAINT THOMAS MOORE Quote selected by Eddie Cotter, founder

ead heologians ociety www.DeadTheologiansSociety.com Aid to the Church in Need

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...OUR FOREMOST DUTY Dear Friends,

ver since my youth I have known about the Bacon Priest and his charity, ACN. In fact, for some years I have also been able to help ACN in Austria. Now I will be using my energies in support of this Pontifical Foundation worldwide. I ask your prayers in this endeavour, as without prayer nothing can succeed. It is and remains our foremost duty to help the Church wherever she is unable, materially speaking, to fulfil her pastoral vocation and wherever she is embattled, oppressed, persecuted or silenced.

Thanks to your generous support, dear friends, it is possible for us to be signs of the Love of God for His world for our threatened sisters and brothers, and so bring light into the darkness. My heartfelt thanks to you all for this! However, the darkness of this world is all around us in our own environment too. If we are to credibly live up to our responsibility for the Church in need, then each of us must be ready to pass on the light of our faith as a small beacon for Christ. And so my heartfelt plea to you all is this: let us not be reluctant or embarrassed followers of Christ, but let us rather give courageous witness to him!

Thomas Heine-Geldern, Executive President of ACN International

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WE ARE CALLED TO BE MISSIONARIES OF

‘God wills to cover the enormous deficit of faith through our missionary zeal.’ ACN Ecclesiastical Assistant

‘Whenever we make the effort to return to the source and to recover the original freshness of the Gospel, new avenues arise, new paths of creativity open up, more eloquent signs and words with new meaning for today’s world.’ God will provide… Mission boat in Brazil. Each boat has its own motto.

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Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Gaudium