Sharing the spirit of St. Francis with the world V O L . 1 2 6 / N O . 7 • DECEMBER 2018
ST. FRANCIS AND THE
NATIVITY IN THIS ISSUE:
2018
DECEMBER 2018 • $4.99 StAnthonyMessenger.org
Christmas Gift Guide page 38
REIMAGINING YOUR FAMILY CHRISTMAS HOW ADORATION CHANGES US MEET THE FRANCISCAN FRIARS NEXT DOOR
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Edited by Janet Smith
Pope Paul VI Presents the entire text of Humanae Vitae with in-depth commentary and insights from best-selling authors Mary Eberstadt, James Hitchcock, and Jennifer Fulwiller.
MARRIED LOVE
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IS STILL RIGHT
Sequel to Smith’s classic with essays by numerous experts that give compelling evidence that Pope Paul VI was not just correct, but prophetic. Contributors include George Weigel, Obianuju Ekeocha, Christopher West, Mary Eberstadt, Janet Smith and many more. WHVSRP . . . Sewn Softcover, $19.95
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Christopher Kaczor This book tackles the most controversial positions of the Catholic Church—on contraception, marriage, reproductive technologies, cohabitation, and divorce—arguing for the reasonableness of the Church’s views on these issues.
Revealing how radical feminism is betraying women, this is a rallying cry to feminists to stand with the pro-life movement and build a society in which women are truly equal and all human life is protected.
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◆ THE ABOLITION OF WOMAN - Fiorella Nash
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Powerful new film reveals the devastating effects of 50 years of the sexual revolution, and the counter-cultural movement today rising from its ashes. Features moving stories and inspiring commentary by Christopher West, Jennifer Fulwiler, Janet Smith, Jason Evert, Sue Browder, Patrick Coffin, Jennifer Morse and many others. UNPM . . . 80 minutes, $19.95
With approval of the Vatican Pontifical Council for the Family, this 10-part documentary series shows the beauty of conjugal love and responsible parenthood to achieve marital happiness. Experts from 30 countries explain how natural fertility awareness methods are ethical and effective for achieving or spacing pregnancy, and promote health and marital unity. MLRPM. . . 150 minutes, $19.95
◆ PAUL VI: The Misunderstood Pope
Inspiring documentary on Paul VI, canonized a saint this year, who led the Church during a major moral crisis, guiding it through the chaos of the sexual revolution. His landmark Humanae Vitae reaffirmed the Church teaching against artificial contraception. PAVIM . . .55 minutes, $14.95
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VOL. 126 NO. 7
2018 DECEMBER
COVER STORY
28 St. Francis and the Gift of Greccio By Murray Bodo, OFM
COVER: CHRISTOPHER IWANCIO; ABOVE: ASSOCIATION PRO LOCO GRECCIO/F.M.GIANFELICE
The idea of a live Nativity scene might seem common nowadays. But in St. Francis’ time, it broke new ground and opened up ways to deepen our spirituality during Christmas.
16 Reimagining Your Family Christmas By Dr. Marian Fritzemeier, EdD
We all have family traditions we cherish. This author shares 10 ways to adapt them as our young children become adolescents.
22 Joy to the World By Msgr. Peter J. Vaghi
At Christmas, we celebrate the joy of Jesus’ birth. Here are some ways to retain that joy all year long.
ABOVE: The first live Nativity was introduced by St. Francis in 1223 at Greccio, Italy. The tradition continues to this day. COVER: Sculpture of Madonna with child.
34 The Dynamics of Adoration By Joe McHugh
The practice of authentic adoration deepens our awareness of God’s presence and leaves us transfixed, transformed, and transfigured.
38 2018 Christmas Gift Guide By Susan Hines-Brigger
Find the perfect gift for everyone on your list while supporting various charities at the same time.
42 The Friars Next Door
Story and photography by Toni Cashnelli
Following in the footsteps of St. Francis, three friars have set up shop in the poorest neighborhood in Detroit. StAnthonyMessenger.org | December 2018 • 1
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“Lord, make me an instrument of your peace: Where there is hatred, let me sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope.”
–St. Francis
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SPIRIT OF ST. FRANCIS
VOL. 126 NO. 7
2018 26 DECEMBER
POINTS OF VIEW
10 Ask a Franciscan
5
Hospice or Palliative Care?
Your Voice
Letters from Readers
12 Franciscan World
15 Editorial
12 St. Anthony Stories
26 At Home on Earth
13 Followers of St. Francis
54 Faith & Family
Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Province
Two Prayers, Two Answers
Hope and Hashtags
Nature Does Not Hurry
Sister Rose Lima Frerick, OSF
48
‘I See You’
55
Y
MEDIA MATTERS 48 Reel Time
Instant Family
51 Audio File
Gorillaz | The Now Now
ALSO IN THIS ISSUE 4 Dear Reader
6 Church in the News 51 Pete & Repeat
50 Channel Surfing Man on Fire
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55 In the Kitchen 56 Reflection
52 Bookshelf
Saints vs. Scoundrels
StAnthonyMessenger.org | December 2018 • 3
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dear reader
ST. ANTHONY
MESSENGER
Murray Bodo: The Journey and the Dream
PUBLISHER
Daniel Kroger, OFM PRESIDENT
M
any friars have walked the halls of Franciscan Media in its 126 years. And all of them have reflected, in their unique ways, the charism of their founder, Francis of Assisi. I’d like to feature one in particular: Murray Bodo, OFM. Murray is a formidable friar. Author of perhaps the seminal modern biography of Francis of Assisi, Francis: The Journey and the Dream, Murray has the mind of a scholar and the heart of a poet. For decades, readers who have curled up with his books have been taken on a spiritual journey. In Enter Assisi, he guided us through the gates of the famed medieval city. In Francis and Jesus, Murray plunged into the relationship between the saint and the Savior. And in this month’s cover story, he writes about the grace of Greccio, the village in Italy where St. Francis, recalling his trip to Bethlehem, created the first manger scene. As someone who’s led tours throughout Italy for many years, there is no better guide than Murray Bodo. I encourage you to find a comfortable chair and give his story a read. I hope his words warm your spirit this Christmas season.
Kelly McCracken EXECUTIVE EDITORS
Christopher Heffron Susan Hines-Brigger
FRANCISCAN EDITOR
Pat McCloskey, OFM ART DIRECTOR
Mary Catherine Kozusko MANAGING EDITOR
Daniel Imwalle
CONTRIBUTING EDITOR
Sandy Howison
EDITORIAL ASSISTANT
Sharon Lape
ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE ADVERTISING
Christopher Heffron, Executive Editor
Graham Galloway PRINTING
TONI CASHNELLI writer
The Friars Next Door PAGE 42
CHRISTOPHER IWANCIO, OFM CAP photographer
The Gift of Greccio
JOSEPH MCHUGH writer
Dynamics of Adoration PAGE 34
PAGE 28
Toni Cashnelli worked as a reporter and editor at daily newspapers in Dayton and Cincinnati, Ohio, before joining St. John the Baptist Province as director of communications. She received a first-place award from the Catholic Press Association for her most recent story in St. Anthony Messenger, “Franciscan Respite for Refugees.”
Christopher Iwancio, OFM Cap, earned a BA in theology from Belmont Abbey College in Belmont, North Carolina. He entered the Capuchins in 2008. In 2015, he was ordained a priest and completed his master’s in divinity at the Dominican School of Philosophy & Theology in Berkeley. He is completing his doctorate in education at the University of San Francisco.
Joe McHugh is a spiritual director, writer, and workshop facilitator with a unique blend of experience in religious, educational, and business environments. Based in the Twin Cities, McHugh has written several articles for St. Anthony Messenger. He conducts workshops and retreats across the country.
BROTHER CHRISTOPHER IWANCIO, OFM CAP: PHOTO COURTESY CAPUCHIN FRANCISCANS OF WESTERN AMERICA
Kingery Printing Co. Effingham, IL ST. ANTHONY MESSENGER (ISSN #0036276X) (U.S.P.S. PUBLICATION #007956 CANADA PUBLICATION #PM40036350) Volume 126, Number 7, is published monthly for $39.00 a year by the Franciscan Friars of St. John the Baptist Province, 28 W. Liberty Street, Cincinnati, Ohio 45202-6498. Phone 513-241-5615. Periodicals postage paid at Cincinnati, Ohio, and additional entry offices. US POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: St. Anthony Messenger, PO Box 189, Congers, NY 10920-0189. CANADA RETURN ADDRESS: c/o AIM, 7289 Torbram Rd., Mississauga, ON, Canada L4T 1G8. To subscribe, write to the above address or call 866-543-6870. Yearly subscription price: $39.00 in the United States; $69.00 in Canada and other countries. Single copy price: $4.99. For change of address, four weeks’ notice is necessary. See FranciscanMedia.org/subscriptionservices for information on your digital edition. Writer’s guidelines can be found at FranciscanMedia.org/ writers-guide. The publishers are not responsible for manuscripts or photos lost or damaged in transit. Names in fiction do not refer to living or dead persons. Member of the Catholic Press Association Published with ecclesiastical approval Copyright ©2018. All rights reserved.
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POINTSOFVIEW | YOUR VOICE Editorial Provides Strong Guidelines My thanks to Father Pat McCloskey, OFM, for his editorial in the October issue of St. Anthony Messenger, “It’s Time, Holy Father.” In it, he asks the pope to respond in an appropriate time and way concerning the sexual abuse crisis. He then formulates a procedure of how to do so. Thank you, Father Pat. Nick Macina Cleveland, Ohio
Integrity in Reporting the Truth I have been a subscriber to St. Anthony Messenger for many years, and I have to say what impresses me most about your publication is the forthrightness in reporting about the tragic, painful sexual abuse of children by priests and the subsequent cover-up of the crimes by bishops and cardinals, along with the insensitivity toward victims by the abusers and the hierarchy, including popes. The October issue is a case in point, with Susan Hines-Brigger’s “Church in the News” column, which featured stories such as “Former Nuncio Accuses Pope, Church Officials of Cover-Up” and, on the facing page, “Pennsylvania Grand Jury Report Unveils History of Abuse.” Your reporting speaks volumes about your rock-solid integrity and honesty. Please keep up the good work. I have the uncomfortable feeling that this scandal isn’t going away soon. Louis H. Pumphrey Shaker Heights, Ohio
A Light in the Darkness John Feister’s article in the September issue of St. Anthony Messenger, “Straight Talk about Suicide,” was a ray of hope and comfort for all those tormented by mental illness, as well as their loved ones. Growing up Catholic, we were taught that suicide is the most grievous sin of all, so dreadful that anyone who takes his or her own life is unworthy to be buried in consecrated ground. Father Ronald Rolheiser’s preaching and speaking about suicide in such an understanding and sympathetic way put this devastating and desperate act in a new light. The article made it very clear that mental illness can sometimes be a terminal disease, but God’s infinite mercy and love are gifts offered to everyone. His perfect understanding of
each of his children—and the challenges each one encounters—means God is and should be the ultimate judge. Thank you for printing this thoughtprovoking, insightful, and compassionate article. I enjoy your magazine and find that each issue offers enlightenment and inspiration. Mr. Feister’s article is a perfect example of the best St. Anthony Messenger has to offer. Mary Discenza El Cajon, California
Time to Rebuild Our Church I appreciate Susan Hines-Brigger’s “Faith & Family” column in the September issue, in which she discusses her thoughts on how the continuingly unresolved problems related to sexual abuse by priests have adversely affected her trust in the Catholic clergy. Sexual abuse cannot be tolerated in any setting, especially by anyone who professes to be a person of faith. The result is tragic for the thousands of victims and for those who love them. As mental health professionals will attest, the trauma suffered by those who have been sexually abused is long-lasting and often life-altering. Thus, they are twice victimized. The secrecy protecting the guilty and the lack of effective Church action to end the presence of pedophiles within the Church’s clergy are an ongoing debacle. It is not only fracturing the trust between clergy and laity but also severely compromising the Church’s moral authority. The Church is certainly the primary accountable party in its handling of the sexual abuse scandal. However, could we in the laity have done more to protest the Church’s ineffective response? Centuries ago, a humble man from Assisi was charged by God to rebuild his Church. He did so, stone upon stone, only to realize that his real calling was to rebuild the moral interior of the institution itself. It is time for us to find a way to walk in his footsteps. Barbara A. Brady Burgess, Virginia
CORRECTION: In the November article “The Church and Domestic Violence,” by Susan Hines-Brigger, the wrong website for the Archdiocese of Chicago Domestic Violence Outreach was listed. The correct address is www.DomesticViolenceOutreach.org.
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StAnthonyMessenger.org | December 2018 • 5
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church IN THE NEWS
people | events | trends By Susan Hines-Br ig ger
OSCAR ROMERO, POPE PAUL VI CANONIZED ALONG WITH FIVE OTHERS
Tens of thousands of people gathered in St. Peter’s Square on October 14 to celebrate the canonization of seven saints, the two most notable being Pope Paul VI and Archbishop Oscar Romero. Banners of the new saints hung from St. Peter’s Basilica during the ceremony.
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Relics of new saints are seen before the canonization Mass for seven new saints celebrated by Pope Francis.
ized were Vincenzo Romano, an Italian priest who died in 1831; Nazaria Ignacia March Mesa, a Spanish nun who ministered in Mexico and Bolivia and died in 1943; Catherine Kasper, the 19th-century German founder of a religious order; Francesco Spinelli, a 19th-century priest and founder of a religious order; and Nunzio Sulprizio, a layman who died in Naples in 1836 at the age of 19. Just nine days after the canonization, a judge in El Salvador issued a capture order for a former military captain suspected of killing Archbishop Romero in 1980 as he celebrated Mass. For years, Álvaro Rafael Saravia has been a suspect in the killing. In issuing the arrest order, Judge Rigoberto Chicas said authorities have sufficient evidence to charge Saravia for participation in the crime. This is not the first time such an order has been issued against Saravia. He remains at large and is believed to be in hiding.
CNS PHOTO/PAUL HARING (3)
arrying Pope Paul VI’s pastoral staff and wearing the bloodstained belt of Archbishop Oscar Romero, Pope Francis formally pronounced them—as well as five others—saints of the Catholic Church, reported Catholic News Service (CNS). Tens of thousands of people were on hand in St. Peter’s Square for the canonization Mass on October 14, including many from the home countries of the new saints. During his homily, the pope pointed out that each of the new saints lived lives marked by pain and criticism— even from within the Church—but all of them dedicated themselves with passionate love to following Jesus and caring for the weak and the poor. “All these saints, in different contexts,” he said, put the Gospel “into practice in their lives, without lukewarmness, without calculation, with the passion to risk everything and to leave it all behind.” The pope prayed that the new saints would inspire the whole Church to set aside “structures that are no longer adequate for proclaiming the Gospel, those weights that slow down our mission, the strings that tie us to the world.” In addition to Romero and Paul VI, the others canon-
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US BISHOPS TO GATHER FOR SEVEN DAYS OF PRAYER AND REFLECTION
CNS PHOTO/PAUL HARING (3)
POPE ACCEPTS CARDINAL WUERL’S RESIGNATION A A
mid calls for Cardinal Donald W. Wuerl to step down as archbishop of Washington, DC, over his handling of abuse claims, Pope Francis announced on October 12 that he had accepted the cardinal’s resignation, reported CNS. The 77-year-old cardinal, the sixth archbishop of Washington, had submitted Cardinal Donald W. Wuerl his resignation, as is mandatory, to the pope when he turned 75, but it had not been accepted until now. A Pennsylvania grand jury report released in August, detailing sexual abuse claims in six Pennsylvania dioceses, presented a mixed image of how Cardinal Wuerl handled some of the cases when he was bishop in Pittsburgh from 1988 until 2006. Following the announcement, the archdiocese released a letter from Pope Francis to Cardinal Wuerl in which the pope expressed his support for Cardinal Wuerl’s ministry and leadership, and also praised the cardinal for putting the good of the Church first. “You have sufficient elements to ‘justify’ your actions and distinguish between what it means to cover up crimes or not to deal with problems, and to commit some mistakes,” the pope wrote. “However, your nobility has led you not to choose this way of defense. Of this, I am proud and thank you.” Cardinal Wuerl issued a statement saying: “Once again, for any past errors in judgment, I apologize and ask for pardon. My resignation is one way to express my great and abiding love for you, the people of the Church of Washington.” This past August, the cardinal sent a letter to all the priests in the diocese, asking them “for prayers for me, for forgiveness for my errors in judgment, for my inadequacies and also for your acceptance of my contrition for any suffering I have caused, as well as the grace to find, with you, ways of healing, ways of offering fruitful guidance in this darkness. “Would you please,” he asked the priests, “let the faithful you serve know of my love, my commitment to do whatever is necessary to right what is wrong, and my sincere solidarity with you and them?” Cardinal Wuerl will serve as apostolic administrator to oversee the archdiocese until a successor is named.
t the invitation of Pope Francis, the US bishops will gather for a spiritual retreat this upcoming January at Mundelein Seminary in the Archdiocese of Chicago. The bishops will gather in prayer and unity for seven days as brothers in the episcopacy, according to a news release from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. The announcement came shortly after Cardinal Daniel N. DiNardo, archbishop of Galveston-Houston and president of the bishops’ conference, met with the pope in early October as part of a regularly scheduled Curia visit. “The Holy Father has kindly offered the preacher to the papal household, Reverend Raniero Cantalamessa, OFM Cap, to serve as the retreat director as we come together to pray on the intense matters before us. For this, I am grateful,” said Cardinal DiNardo.
FEDERAL INVESTIGATION LAUNCHED INTO PENNSYLVANIA ABUSE CLAIMS
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federal investigation into allegations of child sexual abuse and a cover-up of such claims by Roman Catholic dioceses in Pennsylvania has been launched by the Justice Department, reported CNS. The investigation by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania comes only two months after the Pennsylvania attorney general’s office released a grand jury report charging that bishops and Church leaders had covered up the abuse of more than 1,000 people over a period of more than 70 years. Ken Gavin, spokesman for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, acknowledged that the archdiocese had received a subpoena as part of the investigation. The subpoena, he said, “requires the production of certain documents,” adding that the archdiocese “will cooperate with the United States Department of Justice in this matter.” Other dioceses also acknowledged receiving subpoenas. The Latin-rite Catholic Church in Pennsylvania consists of eight dioceses: the Archdiocese of Philadelphia and the dioceses of Allentown, Altoona-Johnstown, Erie, Greensburg, Harrisburg, Pittsburgh, and Scranton. Almost all the cases in the eight dioceses are time-barred from prosecution and civil action under Pennsylvania’s statute of limitations. Legislation to open a “window” on the statutes, which would allow retroactive civil lawsuits to be brought for up to two years, passed overwhelmingly in the state House of Representatives earlier this year. The state Senate did not, however, bring up the bill for a vote before the last day of the chamber’s session on October 17, leaving the bill effectively dead. StAnthonyMessenger.org | December 2018 • 7
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people | events | trends
MEMPHIS BISHOP REMOVED AS HEAD OF DIOCESE
COMEDIAN JIM GAFFIGAN EMCEES AL SMITH DINNER
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US Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki R. Haley spoke at the 73rd annual Al Smith Dinner in New York, hosted by comedian Jim Gaffigan (left).
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omedian Jim Gaffigan served as master of ceremonies for the 73rd annual Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation dinner on October 18 at the New York Hilton. US ambassador to the United Nations Nikki R. Haley served as the evening’s keynote speaker. Haley had announced on October 9 that she will leave her UN post at the end of the year. Making light of the unexpected news of her departure from the UN, Haley said she asked Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan of New York, the event’s host, if there was anything she could do to boost attendance at the dinner. “He said, ‘Why don’t you resign as US ambassador?’” she said. She also joked that President Donald Trump, who spoke at the 2016 dinner with then-opponent Hillary Clinton, offered her advice. “He said if I get stuck for laughs, just brag about his accomplishments. It really killed at the UN.” Gaffigan told those in attendance, “Unlike many Catholics in America who were raised Catholic, I am still Catholic and I still go to church every Sunday. Mostly, I’m afraid to tell my wife I don’t want to go.” Gaffigan and his wife are the parents of five children. He said the only reason he accepted Cardinal Dolan’s invitation to emcee the dinner was the optimistic hope that the cardinal would “write some recommendations” for his children. And while the evening was full of laughs, in his invocation at the beginning of the dinner, Cardinal Dolan addressed the clergy sex-abuse crisis, asking for God’s mercy “on a Church we have also blushed at” for its response to the crisis. The Al Smith dinner honors the memory of the former governor of New York, who was the first Catholic nominated by a major political party to run for president of the United States. Proceeds from the $3,000-a-plate event help needy children in the greater New York area. After last year’s dinner, the foundation distributed $3.4 million in grants.
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CNS PHOTO/JUNNO AROCHO ESTEVES
ishop Martin D. Holley of Memphis, Tennessee, was removed from the pastoral governance of the diocese by Pope Francis this past October, reported CNS. Archbishop Joseph E. Kurtz of Louisville, Kentucky, has been named apostolic administrator of the diocese. Vatican spokesman Greg Burke told reporters that the decision to remove Holley Bishop Martin D. Holley was “about management of the diocese” and was “not abuse-related.” In the months after his installation in October 2016, Bishop Holley came under heavy criticism from clergy and parishioners for his decision to reassign two-thirds of the diocese’s 60 active priests, except for five who were slated for retirement. He also appointed a Canadian priest, Father Clement Machado, as vicar general, moderator of the curia, and chancellor of the Diocese of Memphis, as opposed to a diocesan priest. Due to the complaints, the Vatican assigned Archbishop Wilton D. Gregory of Atlanta and Archbishop Bernard A. Hebda of St. Paul and Minneapolis to make an apostolic visitation to the diocese. The two visited this past June, but neither the Memphis Diocese nor the prelates’ respective archdioceses have commented on the visitation. Bishop Holley told Catholic News Agency (CNA) that he believes he was removed at the behest of Cardinal Donald Wuerl, former archbishop of Washington. The bishop said that in 2012, Cardinal Wuerl was under consideration to be transferred from Washington to a high-level position as Vatican secretary of state. Pope Benedict XVI asked Bishop Holley, who was then an auxiliary bishop in the archdiocese, to provide input. Bishop Holley says he offered testimony expressing concern about the cardinal’s fitness for the job. Cardinal Wuerl was not appointed to the position, and Bishop Holley said that his removal from the Diocese of Memphis is the cardinal’s “revenge” for impeding the appointment. Bishop Holley said Cardinal Wuerl has had “disdain” for him since that time. “I stood in his way for something he wanted,” said the bishop. Cardinal Wuerl’s spokesman, Ed McFadden, told CNA that “it would appear that an apostolic visitation that took place in the Diocese of Memphis, and the results of that process, may have had some connection to Bishop Holley’s dismissal.”
CNS PHOTOS: LEFT: TYLER ORSBURN; RIGHT: GREGORY A. SHEMITZ
church IN THE NEWS
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Divine Word
BISHOPS SIGN DOCUMENT CALLING FOR ACTION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
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head of the COP24 Summit in Katowice, Poland, in December, six bishops representing episcopal conferences on four continents issued a joint statement calling on the international community to take immediate action against climate change, reported CNS. The bishops urged world leaders to take concrete steps “in order to tackle and overcome the devastating effects of the climate crisis. “We must be prepared to make rapid and radical changes and resist the temptation to look for solutions to our current situation in short-term, technological fixes without addressing the root causes and the long-term consequences,” the bishops said in the statement. The statement was signed at the Vatican October 26 by Cardinal Oswald Gracias of Mumbai, India, president of the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences; Archbishop Jean-Claude Hollerich of Luxembourg, president of the Commission of the Bishops’ Conferences of the European Union; Archbishop Gabriel Mbilingi of Lubango, Angola, president of the Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar; and Cardinal Jose Luis Lacunza Maestrojuan of David, Panama, president of the Latin American bishops’ council’s economic committee. It was also signed by Cardinal Angelo Bagnasco of Genoa, Italy, president of the Council of Bishops’ Conferences of Europe; and Colombian Cardinal Ruben Salazar Gomez of Bogota, president of the Latin American bishops’ council, also known as CELAM.
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Archbishop Gabriel Mbilingi of Lubango (far left), president of the Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar, prepares to sign a joint statement at the Vatican on October 26, calling on the international community to take immediate action against climate change.
JEAN VANIER RECEIVES SPIRITUAL SOLIDARITY AWARD
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ean Vanier, founder of L’Arche, was awarded the Spiritual Solidarity Award from Adyan, a foundation for interreligious studies and spiritual solidarity based in Lebanon. The award, now in its 11th year, aims to encourage and honor people devoted to developing and promoting solidarity and unity among citizens of different faiths, especially in the contexts of tension and violence. L’Arche communities provide homes and workplaces where people with and without intellectual disabilities live and work together as peers. In a letter accompanying the award, Adyan said, “L’Arche has shown the world how human weakness and disability can carry a new meaning for what it is to be human.” In his remarks, Vanier said the award left a great impact in his heart and that he and all L’Arche groups have a great desire to open up to the other, “so we help them and they help us to discover that each one of us is a very beautiful human being.”
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StAnthonyMessenger.org | December 2018 • 9
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SPIRITOFST.FRANCIS | ASK A FRANCISCAN By Pat McCloskey, OFM
Hospice or Palliative Care?
I realize that the Catholic Church teaches that it is permissible to discontinue extraordinary measures when someone is dying. My sister, who was in a nursing home, had heart failure and decided to stop eating. She was cognizant. They were going to start hospice care, but she died before that could happen. What was the right thing to do in this case?
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WE HAVE A DIGITAL archive of “Ask” Q & As, going back to March 2013. Just click: • the Ask link and then • the Archive link. Material is grouped thematically under headings such as forgiveness, Jesus, moral issues, prayer, saints, redemption, sacraments, Scripture—and many more!
Handling Opposition to One’s Catholic Faith How can good Catholics respond to people who question our beliefs or openly reject our Catholic faith? On matters of religion, I try to avoid discussing my faith with those who I know are antagonistic to our traditions, customs, rituals, and beliefs. Some people really get worked up about religion. How can I respond to these people?
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suggest that first you consider whether the real reason for their anger is what they identify as that reason. Perhaps they experienced firsthand abuse by a priest or religious or know someone who was abused. Perhaps there is some other grave injustice involved. Once you have calmly stated the reasons you believe what you do, you can politely decline to escalate the disagreement or to be “hooked” by their vocabulary or preferred style of speaking. The First Letter of Peter urges Christians to be ready to explain the hope that is in them (3:15b) while speaking with “gentleness and reverence” (3:16). Beyond that, there is no guaranteed way to win any disagreement about a religious topic.
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Father Pat welcomes your questions!
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Pat McCloskey, OFM
am sorry for your loss and your uncertainty about whether what your sister decided was the right thing to do. Because something can be done medically does not mean that it must be done at all costs. A patient has a right to discontinue treatment that has become burdensome and shows little potential benefit. Palliative care aims to keep a person comfortable but is realistic about whether, under the present circumstances, this person’s illness can be reversed. It is always advisable for a person to have a living will, an advance medical directive document, and to designate someone else to make medical decisions if the patient is unable to do so. The discontinuance of medical treatment under these conditions is not an indirect form of suicide or murder; it is a decision to allow this illness to run its course. This is even more true if there are several life-threatening illnesses that even the best medicine cannot reverse. Hospice care varies according to relevant state law, is a more technical term than palliative care and is begun after the relevant legal papers have been signed.
Quick Questions and Answers
Where are the souls of our deceased loved ones? Why is the heaven/earth divide so difficult to cross? For example, why can’t our loved ones let us here on earth know that they are in heaven?
Those souls are now in heaven, hell, or purgatory. Seeking assurance about deceased loves ones is understandable, but possessing that information cannot be a key reason for following Jesus or not. In the parable of Lazarus and the rich man (Lk 16:19–31), the rich man says that, if only someone came back from the dead to warn his brothers, they would change their lives. Abraham says that if they have Moses and the prophets but won’t listen to them, they are unlikely to listen to anyone returning from the dead.
What is the difference between the Nicene Creed and the Apostles’ Creed? I learned the Apostles’ Creed first but do not find it in the worship aids in my parish. Where can I find both texts in order to compare them? What is popularly known as the Nicene Creed originally came from the Council of Nicaea (modern-day Turkey) in AD 325. The bishops took a common creed recited by an adult before Baptism and in the middle added the word homoousios (“consubstantial,” or “of the same substance”) to describe the relationship of God the Father and God the Son. Arius had denied that properly described the relationship. That creed was expanded at the Council of Constantinople in AD 381 to give a fuller description of the Holy Spirit. The first text of the Apostles’ Creed as we know it dates to the eighth century and comes from the West. Most worship aids in parishes have both texts; they are also available on the Internet.
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Why is the tabernacle not always on the main altar? Placing it elsewhere seems to show a lack of reverence.
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Many churches have a special chapel where the Blessed Sacrament is reserved. That has been the case at the Vatican basilica (St. Peter’s) for more than 350 years. Having it in a chapel allows people to get closer while they are praying. According to the “General Instruction of the Roman Missal” (third edition), the tabernacle should be in a part of the church “that is truly noble, prominent, conspicuous, worthily decorated, and suitable for prayer” (314). The tabernacle need not be in the sanctuary (274).
• Family resources • Information on the seven sacraments
FranciscanMedia.org StAnthonyMessenger.org | December 2018 • 11
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SPIRITOFST.FRANCIS “Look at the poverty of him who was placed in a manger and wrapped in swaddling clothes.”
—St. Clare of Assisi
FRANCISCAN WORLD
Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Province
Although St. Clare of Assisi spent Christmas Eve in 1252 at San Damiano Monastery outside Assisi, she was later able to give a detailed account of the midnight Mass at St. Francis Basilica. She had witnessed it in a vision. Because of this, Pope Pius XII, in 1958, declared her the patroness of radio and television broadcasting. In a related vein, many Poor Clare monasteries have websites, through which they share monastery news and invite visitors to submit prayer requests. —Pat McCloskey, OFM
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fter the Franciscan friary in Smolensk, Poland, was destroyed by the Russians in 1872, Friar Augustin Zeytz came to the United States to serve Polish-speaking immigrants, hoping to attract other friars from what was once Poland. When that did not happen, Friar Augustin returned to his home country in 1881. In 1886, with the general minister’s permission, Friar Augustin returned to the United First building of Blessed Virgin Mary Province in Wisconsin. States and accepted John J. Hoff ’s donation of 100 acres of land in Pulaski, Wisconsin. Two years later, three more Polish friars arrived. A novitiate began the following year. For a short time, the Pulaski foundation was under Sacred Heart Province but became an independent commissariate in 1910 and a province in 1939. The friars published Miesiecznik Franciskanski, a monthly magazine in Polish, and set up a Franciscan press for other materials. The Pulaski friars accepted parishes and chaplaincies around the Midwest and in the East, originally serving Polish-speaking Catholics. Several friars also served in the Philippines. A custody of Byzantine Franciscans joined the Pulaski friars in the late 1990s. The province’s nearly 90 friars, headquartered in Franklin, Wisconsin, serve in that state, Indiana, Illinois, Mississippi, Pennsylvania, and Texas.
ST. ANTHONY STORIES
Two Prayers, Two Answers
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t a grade school basketball game on the night before Christmas, my grandson stopped by the cafeteria to get some popcorn. He took his retainer out so that he could eat, and, after getting home, couldn’t find it anywhere. The school was closed for the next two weeks for Christmas vacation. I immediately prayed to St. Anthony, asking him that, if it was God’s will, to lead us to the retainer. After two weeks, we had almost given up hope. But when the children returned to school after Christmas break, my grandson found his retainer on a table in the cafeteria. During the same Christmas break, another grandson of mine lost his wallet the day after receiving his driver’s license. I prayed to St. Anthony again, and the next day he found his wallet in a doctor’s office where he’d had an appointment. I am convinced that, through St. Anthony’s intercession, God answers my prayers. I try to pray to him every day, and I encourage my children and grandchildren to turn to him as an intercessor in times of trouble. He doesn’t fail us. —May, Peoria, Illinois
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Clare seems an unlikely patron for television and radio broadcasting, but she is.
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ST. CLARE OF ASSISI
By Pat McCloskey, OFM
FOLLOWERS OF ST. FRANCIS
Gratitude Given Graciously
Behind the scenes of fund-raising efforts at Franciscan Media, this Franciscan sister reaches out to donors every day with heartfelt, handwritten notes of thanks.
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I always knew I wanted to be a high school English teacher.” Not many people know what they want to do at an early age, let alone go on to pursue it with such dedication, but Sister Rose Lima Frerick, OSF, did exactly that. Her dream to teach high school English became a reality due in no small part to her answering the call to the vocation of religious life. Now an integral member of the fund-raising efforts of Franciscan Media, Sister Rose has enjoyed many opportunities to put her Godgiven talents to use and is a constant source of positivity for all of those fortunate enough to work with her. Sister Rose, the oldest child in a large Catholic family, grew up in Cincinnati, Ohio. After graduating from high school, she entered the Franciscan Sisters of Oldenburg, a congregation of women religious in Indiana. Having been taught in grade school and high school by some of the Oldenburg sisters, she was already familiar with their lifestyle and Franciscan charism. But it was important to Sister Rose to have her family’s support, which, thankfully, she did. Sister Rose Lima Frerick, OSF “The sisters were, of course, a big influence on my decision, and so were my parents, who, at that time, were expecting an eighth child to be born,” she recalls. “Since I was the oldest, I felt the pull to help my mother with the family, but they were so encouraging of my choice that I felt I could enter at that time.” Her mother and grandmother both had the name of Rose, and, already having a devotion to St. Rose of Lima, her decision on a religious name wasn’t a difficult one. After entering religious life, Sister Rose went on to teach English and journalism in high schools in Indianapolis and Cincinnati, and also became director of communications for her order on two different occasions. Her work at Franciscan Media started in the late ’90s, when she served as an assistant to Bert Heise, OFM, who was in charge of St. Anthony
Messenger subscriptions. This experience would be cut short, though, by a devastating head-on car crash that left Sister Rose bedridden for two months, followed by a lengthy recuperation where she had to learn how to walk again. With her usual good humor, Sister Rose remarks, “Needless to say, there was a replacement for my job at Franciscan Media.” Following several different assignments from her order, “God brought me back to Franciscan Media in 2014, working as a copyeditor for books and as an assistant to Father Dan Kroger, OFM, [publisher of St. Anthony Messenger] in fund-raising,” Sister Rose says. “I’m so happy to be back to my Franciscan roots!” In this day and age, when thank-you cards are becoming a rarity— not to mention handwritten notes—Sister Rose puts pen to paper, churning out gratitude to generous donors at an impressive rate. She’s humble about it, though: “I call my job ‘the four S’s—I sign, stuff, seal, and stamp!” But it’s truly a holy, important, and Franciscan endeavor that lets donors know how much their contributions are valued. In any given week, Sister Rose handwrites—with beautiful penmanship—anywhere between 50 and 150 thank-you cards to donors, and sometimes even more. Despite all the work with fund-raising, Sister Rose is ever willing to take on more. Along with her thank-you cards, she makes calls to regular donors to express gratitude for their generosity, to ask if they have any special prayer intentions, and to find out what inspires them to give. With much of her work dedicated to thanking others, Sister Rose is deeply grateful herself, especially about making direct contact with donors. “I really love this part of the job and feel blessed to be able to share prayer with others,” she says. “God has been so generous to me, and, in my own small way, I love sharing the Gospel in the spirit of St. Francis!” —Daniel Imwalle StAnthonyMessenger.org | December 2018 • 13
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POINTSOFVIEW | EDITORIAL
Hope and Hashtags Social media can unite just as easily as it can divide. The trick is to seek higher ground.
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quick sweep of my Facebook account unearthed the following: newly pedicured feet, faux-inspirational memes, and cats—lots of cats. Social media can be a breeding ground for the ridiculous, the innocuous, and the purely entertaining. And its power hasn’t waned. According to a 2018 Pew Research study, seven in 10 Americans use social media to engage with friends, absorb news, and share information. Social media is more than just a way to fill an idle hour. It has become an engine of connectivity—for good and for ill. Never was this more evident than in late 2010, when Egyptian and Tunisian youth used Facebook and Twitter to fuel an uprising that would become the Arab Spring. Oppressive regimes toppled, in part because of the revolution organized through social media. But it can also be used dangerously—even criminally— as evidenced by Russian interference in the 2016 election. Regardless of your political leanings, social media was a pollutant in our democratic process. Those of us entrenched in social media have a responsibility to ourselves and each other. Consider these before you log on: #KNOWYOURPOWER
The #MeToo movement is a textbook example of social change rising from social media. What started as a whisper grew into a howl as women from almost every industry outed themselves as victims and armed themselves with truth. Marches were organized, legislatures were pressured to create laws preventing sexual harassment, and men in power were finally put on alert. Cultural behaviors are changing— and all of it started with a hashtag. #STOPHIDING
We can very easily hide behind a hashtag—especially when righting a wrong. One unfortunate social media moment from 2018 involved “BBQ Becky,” an Oakland, California, woman who called the police on two black men grilling in a park, allegedly without a permit. Peel back the layers of this incident and what we have is not a violation of park rules, but “white fright” run amok. Calling out that kind of behavior on Twitter, though, is too safe. We are complacent if our lone contribution to injustice ends with a retweet. Education is key. The United Nations’ StandUp4HumanRights.org is a place to start. #BETHECHANGE
Social media is one of the few arenas where young and old
can cohabitate in relative ease. It’s up to us to model better behavior. According to StopBullying.gov, nearly 15 percent of high school students claim abuse via social media. LGBTQ students fare worse, with 55 percent reporting bullying on digital platforms. Sadly, that societal ill isn’t relegated to tech-savvy teenagers harming others with their smartphones. Adults often behave no better. Abuse along social channels can happen anywhere to people of any age. Recognizing and addressing our actions is our first responsibility. #PUTDOWNYOURPHONE
We’ve all been guilty of armchair activism. Think, for a moment, of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School students, post-massacre, who politely declined the prayers and well-wishes of politicians and took matters into their own hands. In the darkening shadow of our nation’s gun crisis, the young activists took to social media to build an army. The result was the March for Our Lives rally in Washington, DC, earlier this year. Let this be a lesson to the lethargic: Words are fine, but action is required to bring about change. #INSTRUMENTSOFPEACE
How would St. Francis of Assisi engage with the modern world? Would he have a robust social platform? Or would he eschew it completely? Social media can unite just as easily as it can divide, and Francis would understand that contrast. Considering that he journeyed to the Middle East to spread Christ’s message, he’d likely use his platform to build bridges, not walls—especially during the holy season of Advent. That should be an example for all of us: We should stop, think, and reconsider what we’re posting. Let us be instruments of peace, not aggression. #DOTHERIGHTTHING
Pope Francis, the target of both ire and idolization on social media, had a thoughtful message in 2017 to young people about their virtual lives, but his message is for all of us: “Don’t let yourselves be led astray by this false image of reality! Be the protagonists of your history. Decide your own future.” Wise words, but how many of us could log off permanently? That’s a little too lofty. A more achievable goal is to do what is right. Combat ugliness with grace. Correct an injustice, even if it means allowing ourselves to be vulnerable. Christ can be our model. His message wasn’t always embraced, but it was always right—and it lives on today. And he did it without hashtags. —Christopher Heffron StAnthonyMessenger.org | December 2018 • 15
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REIMAGINING YOUR FAMILY
CHRISTMAS By Dr. Marian Fritzemeier, EdD
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recall the painful mall conversation. A few short years ago, my 14-year-old daughter begged me to change Christmas traditions. “Mom, it’s not that we don’t like traditions. We’re almost adults.” “We loved the traditions when we were younger,” my 12-year-old daughter added. “We just want to change them so we’re not embarrassed. And we want to include our friends.” Change was difficult because I loved all our traditions. So why did I agree? I recounted Luke 2:11: “For today in the city of David a savior has been born for you who is Messiah and Lord.” The new, age-appropriate traditions helped our adolescents express the deeper meaning of Christmas, serve others, and demonstrate the importance of the Church and Christ. Here are 10 child-friendly Christmas traditions my husband and I celebrated with our children when they were younger and how we adapted them to adolescent-friendly traditions after the “mall talk.” Which of these traditions can you enjoy with your family this Christmas season?
We all have family traditions we cherish. This author shares 10 ways to adapt them as our young children become adolescents.
ADVENT DEVOTIONS AND WREATH
Our children are bombarded with a myriad of “Christmas” messages about Santa, elves, and getting gifts. It’s critical that parents keep the meaning of Christmas alive. Young children can learn that Advent means Jesus’ birthday is coming. An Advent devotional for children, such as Light for the World: A Catholic Kid’s Guide to Advent and Christmas, along with an Advent wreath, celebrates the foundation of Christmas— Jesus’ birth. As your kids enter adolescence, choose Advent readings or an Advent devotional that’s age-appropriate. Developmentally, they can understand and apply the Christmas message. Let them light the candles. Ask them to read the Advent devotional or find one they’d like to share. The real message of Christmas can be countercultural. So don’t give up training your teens in religious traditions.
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CHRISTMAS ORNAMENTS
Beginning at baby’s first Christmas, purchase an ornament that is representative of the year. As ornaments are added annually, store each child’s separately; list the year and who it’s from. As children decorate the tree with their ornaments, you’ll hear them recall, “That’s the year I made my first Communion.” These ornaments become family heirlooms when your kids move away, so buy yourself an ornament so your tree won’t be empty along with your empty nest. Let early adolescents select their own ornaments. Help them recall the past year’s highlights, like camp, babysitting, Confirmation, awards, or sports. With increasing prices, designate a budget. Our daughters spent months hunting for their ornaments. StAnthonyMessenger.org | December 2018 • 17
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CHRISTMAS CARDS AND LETTERS
For families with young children, send a religious Christmas card, photo card, or family letter that recounts God’s blessings. Children can draw Christmas pictures to send with cards. Christmas is especially busy, so turn the family cards over to your adolescents. Have them design an original Christmas card, write their own section for the family letter, or create your family’s Christmas photo card. This will ensure they like every photo.
THE ‘PERFECT’ CHRISTMAS TREE
Decide what’s more important: the perfect tree or time together. Some parents let their children decorate the tree, but later rearrange ornaments and hope the kids don’t notice. If you treasure a “perfect” tree, provide miniature trees for children to decorate. Let older kids invite a friend to traipse along with the family to choose a tree, followed by a decorating party. Whether they’re decorating a fresh or artificial tree, serve hot chocolate and treats. SANTA PHOTOS AND A GIFT FOR A NEEDY CHILD
When you take your kids’ pictures with Santa, plan enough time to purchase a gift for a needy child. Many service organizations sponsor a community Christmas tree with names of children and gift ideas. Save money from recycling cans throughout the year for the gift. Let children scour the mall for the best present. When adolescents outgrow Santa, they can demonstrate the Christmas message by donating a Christmas tree or bringing gifts to a needy family. If the recycling money comes up short, plan how they can earn the money. They may choose to give or volunteer at an organization like the Society of St. Vincent de Paul. Blessing others helps teens celebrate the true meaning of Christmas.
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Create “Happy Birthday, Jesus” invitations with your children that are handmade or computer-generated. Ask neighborhood children to bring canned food gifts to donate to the homeless or families in need. During the party, read the Christmas story, sing “Happy Birthday” to Jesus, serve birthday cake, and play fun Christmas games. Early adolescents enjoy going door-to-door (with supervision) to collect canned food from neighbors for the needy at Christmas. Ensure teens articulate whom the food is for, such as Catholic Charities. Bring along several double-bagged grocery bags. Then deliver groceries to the organization you choose.
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‘HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JESUS’ PARTY
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CHRISTMAS MASS
Young children learn best through experiences. The story of Jesus’ birth is no exception. Purchase a child-friendly Nativity set that children can play with. Find a local church that performs an outdoor live Nativity. Bundle up and bring hot chocolate to make this treasured memory a valuable way to emphasize the Christmas story. For adolescents, find a more indepth experience, such as “Journey to Bethlehem,” an outdoor, walk-through drama portraying the birth of Christ. Encourage adolescents to help or volunteer to care for manger animals, become an actor, and invite friends.
SHARING WITH OTHERS
In anticipation of new clothes and toys, help children select items they no longer use or that don’t fit. Give them to someone they know or donate them. Our daughters blessed a family with four girls with their outgrown clothes. Let teens choose recipients for their outgrown clothes, video games, DVDs, and old toys. Help a family who’s recently experienced a disaster, like a fire or flood. Many religious education classes organize community service projects. Teens select projects and work on them together. Some collect blankets, socks and underwear, or coats, while others help with food baskets.
CHRISTMAS MORNING PICTURES
Parents treasure photos of little ones dressed in pajamas sitting before the Christmas tree. Such sweet recollections as these make this tradition harder to give up. But don’t try this with your adolescents. Take Christmas photos when
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NATIVITIES AND THE JOURNEY TO BETHLEHEM
Many Catholic churches offer an early Christmas Eve Mass with a Christmas play or homily designed for children. Some tell the Christmas story during the youth Mass. As children get older, consider an evening Mass. Adolescents may prefer midnight Mass. They may become weary of the same old Christmas Mass. Maybe this year they can hand out bulletins, become altar servers, or help with the youth Mass.
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your teens are dressed up for school events. Snap group photos around the Christmas tree when their friends come over. Hopefully some of these traditions will inspire your family and generate ideas for adapting your celebrations. Change can be difficult, especially when connected to emotionally laden traditions. Begin to make changes gradually as your children enter early adolescence. And, by the way, it’s OK to keep traditions that are special to you. Dr. Marian Fritzemeier, EdD, is an author, speaker, educator, and child development specialist. A married mother of two and grandmother of three, she speaks and writes for parents and educators. Dr. Fritzemeier resides in Modesto, California, and enjoys an active life of kayaking, snowshoeing, and photography. StAnthonyMessenger.org | December 2018 • 21
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At Christmas, we celebrate the joy of Jesus’ birth. Here are some ways to retain that joy all year long.
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By Msgr. Peter J. Vaghi
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n 1975, St. Paul VI wrote in his encyclical “On Christian Joy” that “technological society has succeeded in multiplying the opportunities for pleasure, but it has great difficulty in generating joy.” Not much has changed since then. Almost 40 years later, Pope Francis took up the same topic. In his first apostolic exhortation, “The Joy of the Gospel,” issued in 2013, he writes: “The joy of the Gospel fills the hearts and lives of all who encounter Jesus. Those who accept his offer of salvation are set free from sin, sorrow, inner emptiness, and loneliness. With Christ, joy is constantly born anew” (1). Jesus is the gift of joy incarnate. That is what we celebrate every Christmas and every day, but it is especially at the heart of our expectant joy in the Advent season. Jesus is near to us in a special fashion at this time of the year. He gives lasting joy to our hearts.
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WHAT IS JOY?
When we speak of joy, we are not speaking of some fleeting emotion or merely a good or gushy feeling. It is, for sure, much deeper. Joy, properly understood, is the source of true happiness, reflected so often by a genuine smile. Chara, the word in Greek for “joy,” is similar to the Greek word for “grace” (charis). So when we read about joy in Scripture, we should think of the related concept of grace. There is a deeper reality to the meaning of joy. Most of us cannot adequately describe joy, but we know it when we see or experience it. In his apostolic letter “Misericordia et Misera,” Pope Francis writes: “Mercy gives rise to joy, because our hearts are opened to the hope of a new life. . . . How meaningful in this regard are the words of encouragement found in an early Christian text: ‘Clothe yourselves in joy, which always is agreeable and acceptable to God, and rejoice in it. . . .’ The experience of mercy brings joy. May we never allow this joy to be robbed from us by our troubles and concerns. May it remain rooted in our hearts and enable us to approach with serenity the events of our daily lives” (3). This joy gives deeper meaning to the good news. It is that which Jesus announced in the Gospel, that he lived in his very person, all that was prophesied especially from our Advent prophet Isaiah: “The blind regain their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have the good news proclaimed to them” (Mt 11:5). JOY IN JESUS’ TIME
In Jesus’ humanity, he routinely experienced our earthly joys. St. Paul VI wrote that “he willingly extols the joy of the sower and the harvester, the joy of the man who finds a hidden treasure, the joy of the shepherd who recovers his sheep or of
the woman who finds her lost coin, the joy of those invited to the feast, the joy of a marriage celebration, the joy of the father who embraces his son returning from a prodigal life, and the joy of the woman who has just brought her child into the world. For Jesus, these joys are real because for him they are the signs of the spiritual joys of the kingdom of God: the joy of people who enter this kingdom, return there or work there, the joy of the Father who welcomes them” (“Gaudete In Domino,” 3). Joy was integral to Jesus’ life. On the night before he suffered and died, he reminded his apostles to remain in his love. “I have told you this so that my joy might be in you and your joy might be complete. This is my commandment: love one another as I love you” (Jn 15:11–12). Jesus told them that they would be sorrowful over his departure, but that “your grief will become joy,” and that “your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy away from you. . . . Until now, you have not asked anything in my name; ask and you will receive, so that your joy may be complete” (Jn 16:20–24). Despite his terrible suffering out of love for you and me, Jesus understood it as a joy to redeem us and be our savior. But how do we come to the joy of Jesus in our day? FINDING JOY THIS ADVENT
C.S. Lewis used the phrase surprised by joy to describe the overwhelming realization that we are extraordinarily happy. It is perhaps the most vivid experience most of us have of the reality of the resurrection of Jesus. This is not unlike the Risen One appearing to the disciples and showing them his hands and feet; Luke tells us they were “incredulous for joy” (Lk 24:41). We have instinctively experienced in our own lives the joy that only Jesus can give. We need to pray for that “incredulous” gift every day. Here are five ways we can experience the joy of Christ in our lives. Live like Jesus. Joy is a product of being like Christ. To experience the joy of Christ, we are called to live like Jesus: to follow his example, to encounter him daily, and to listen actively for his voice. We must come to know him more deeply through the Gospels and in our prayer lives. Jesus’ whole life was one of sharing and of giving and manifesting a deep joy in life. We live like Jesus when we donate our coats and food, when we share our livelihood with those in need, when we give of ourselves to our families and friends, and when we serve others as volunteers. Listen for Jesus’ voice in others. The voice of Jesus’ followers can change our lives and make us joyful. Two good examples are Mary and our other Advent witness, John the Baptist. As Mary greeted Elizabeth, who was with child, Elizabeth StAnthonyMessenger.org | December 2018 • 23
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It might mean taking the initiative to invite our friends and family members to come home for Christmas this year. Pope Francis, in “The Joy of the Gospel,” tells us: “The Gospel, radiant with the glory of Christ’s cross, constantly invites us to rejoice. . . . ‘Rejoice!’ is the angel’s greeting to Mary (Lk 1:28). . . . In her song of praise, Mary proclaims: ‘My spirit rejoices in God my savior’ (Lk 1:47). . . . [Jesus’] message brings us joy: ‘I have said these things to you, so that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be complete’ (Jn 15:11)” (5). Each of us should enter this “great stream of joy”—the joy in spreading the joyful news about Jesus and encountering his joy in the process. JESUS, THE SOURCE OF OUR JOY
From the very beginning, Jesus gave what was most valuable—his precious time—often from early morning till late at night. He forgave sins. He healed the sick and raised the dead to life. He ultimately gave his own life out of love. Jesus, the Joy who died, became Life forever—our Life, the source of our joy. It is what each of us is challenged to do. It is our access to the joy of Jesus. To live like Jesus brings us “home for Christmas.” It brings us into the source of his life, the deep joy that is Jesus, the cause of our joy and the peace that our world desperately seeks. It should not be our greatest secret. G.K. Chesterton wrote in his book Orthodoxy: “Joy, which was the small publicity of the pagan, is the gigantic secret of the Christian.” So often it seems to be the best-kept secret in this world of ours. Yet it is a gift that the world—especially our world in these very challenging times—needs desperately to receive and hear, especially from those of us who call ourselves Christians. Rejoice always! In so doing we meet Jesus. Allow him to stir the joy embedded in each of us, the expectant joy of this special season of Advent love. Msgr. Peter J. Vaghi is pastor of the Church of the Little Flower in Bethesda, Maryland, and a priest of the Archdiocese of Washington. The author of Meeting God in the Upper Room: Three Moments to Change Your Life (Servant), Msgr. Vaghi has previously written articles for America, Priest, and Our Sunday Visitor.
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would say that “at the moment the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the infant in my womb leaped for joy” (Lk 1:44). Fast-forward to the final witness of John the Baptist—no longer the baby in the womb: “You yourselves can testify that I said [that] I am not the Messiah, but that I was sent before him. The one who has the bride is the bridegroom; the best man, who stands and listens for him, rejoices greatly at the bridegroom’s voice. So this joy of mine has been made complete” (Jn 3:28–29). In our own prayer, does the voice of Jesus, or of Mary, who cried out that “my spirit rejoices in God my savior” (Lk 1:47), ever cause us to rejoice or leap for joy? Reconcile your heart. I invite you to celebrate the Sacrament of Reconciliation during this Advent season. As Pope Francis writes, “How good it feels to come back to him whenever we are lost!” (“Joy of the Gospel,” 3). The pope in a homily reminds us that we should take on the character of the good thief in this sacrament. He says: “This person, simply looking at Jesus, believed in his kingdom. He was not closed in on himself, but rather—with his errors, his sins, and his troubles—he turned to Jesus. He asked to be remembered, and he experienced God’s mercy: ‘Today you will be with me in paradise’” (Homily, Christ the King, November 20, 2016). In the parable of the lost coin, Jesus spoke of the joy of forgiveness: “There will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over 99 righteous people who have no need of repentance” (Lk 15:7). For us, the Sacrament of Reconciliation is the sacrament of merciful joy. Ask for consolation. In Pope Francis’ October 24, 2016, discourse to members of the Society of Jesus, he called on his brother Jesuits to “ask insistently for God’s consolation.” This approach should also apply to our own efforts to walk with each other spiritually, to discern the grace of joy in our hearts, and to help others to make that discernment as well. One cannot give a good piece of news with a sad face. Joy is not only decorative; it is also a clear indicator of grace. It shows that love is active, working, and present. For this reason, in an age of instant gratification and unabated consumption, the search for joy should not be confused with the search for “a spiritual effect,” when our existential identity is more concerned with long-lasting effects. Prayerful discernment should be for us a way to live in the joy of Christ and help others enjoy this spiritual consolation as well. Share the joy of Jesus. A joy shared is a joy ever new. And that happens every time we have a new encounter with Jesus himself in the power of the Holy Spirit, as he shares his joy with us. Sometimes we need our joy restored. We meet the Lord Jesus in the joy of spreading his name and his love, of being missionary disciples. That must be our daily approach—a joyful invitation of his joy to others. 24 • December 2018 | StAnthonyMessenger.org
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Live like Jesus. Listen for Jesus’ voice in others. Reconcile your heart. FOTOSEARCH IMAGES: WOOD LETTERS: NEBARI; PAPER BACKGROUND: LABE
Ask for consolation. Share the joy of Jesus.
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POINTSOFVIEW | AT HOME ON EARTH By Kyle Kramer
Nature Does Not Hurry
Kyle is the executive director of the Passionist Earth & Spirit Center, which offers interfaith educational programming in meditation, ecology, and social compassion. He serves as a Catholic climate ambassador for the US Conference of Catholic Bishopssponsored Catholic Climate Covenant and is the author of A Time to Plant: Life Lessons in Work, Prayer, and Dirt (Ave Maria Press, 2010). He speaks across the country on issues of ecology and spirituality. He and his family spent 15 years as organic farmers and homesteaders in Spencer County, Indiana. EarthandSpiritCenter.org
THE POWER OF WAITING
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This saying comes out of the Taoist idea of wu-wei, variously translated as “nonstriving,” “non-forcing,” and “right action.” Like Advent, the wu-wei philosophy counsels us to wait actively but without forcing our vision on the world. Farmers can’t make the seed grow, but they don’t sit by and do nothing in the meantime: They tend the soil,
guard against pests and predators, and ensure the seed has everything it needs to thrive. Like all pregnant women, Mary would need to wait nine full months for the baby Jesus to be knit together in her womb. But that entire time, along with her fellow miracle-bearer, Elizabeth, she readied herself for his coming. Waiting in this way helps you pay careful, patient attention to your surroundings— especially to the rhythms and cycles of the natural world—so that when you do take action, you generally need less effort and no coercion, like trimming a boat’s sails properly to catch the wind. You work with the grain of reality, not against it, since going against the grain of things almost always requires violence of some kind or another—or at the very least, a lot more work. This may sound easy, but in practice, it’s a fine art to discern what is the right action at the right time. There is no easy, hard-and-fast rule book or recipe for this, and yet it is essential for being a good parent, spouse, friend, coworker, or citizen. In fact, I would say that this patient, non-grasping attentiveness is both a fruit and a form of prayer. Like prayer, I believe wu-wei and the Advent season both come down to a fundamental question of trust. Are we just fooling ourselves into thinking a better world is possible, or does this vision come from a source that we can rely upon? If we believe that we are alone in a cold, indifferent, or threatening universe, then it’s tempting to think that we have to chisel out our future on the strength
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t matters what vision of the world you have; it matters where you place your hope. The Advent season gives us a bright and beautiful North Star: an angel-announced promise of God’s love to be made incarnate in Jesus. His birth heralds a Magnificat world where power dynamics will be turned upside down and where love and justice come to their full flowering. Advent doesn’t only offer the promise of Jesus’ coming and of a world renewed. This season also gives us several weeks to practice how we might live toward that vision. Throughout history, we have always been tempted to bring about the world we want on our own terms and our own timetable— but that is the way of bloody revolution and repression. On the other end of the spectrum, it’s foolish to think that we don’t have to put forth any effort, that God will do everything for us. God made us to be active cocreators, not lazy bystanders. Advent invites us into active, attentive preparation rather than forceful, impatient goal-seeking or passive, wishful thinking. The wonderful adventure of running an interfaith spirituality center, as I do, is that I often encounter insights from other traditions that help me understand my own Catholic tradition better. I recently encountered a wise saying from the Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu, which I think captures perfectly the wisdom of Advent waiting: “Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished.”
LEFT: COURTESY OF KYLE KRAMER; RIGHT: VOJTECHVLK/FOTOSEARCH
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of our own willpower or else just collapse into despair because, after all, aren’t we just deluding ourselves? If, on the other hand, you believe that divine love is actively at work in the world, you’ll feel the wind at your back. Trusting in the goodness of Providence is hard for us mere mortals. I imagine that’s why creation is hard-wired with such an amazing drive toward healing and thriving; it’s hard to spend any significant time in nature and not have some sort of profound spiritual experience. And just to make sure we got the message, God sent a baby, born in Bethlehem so many years ago, to show us the way. Those who hoped Jesus might force large-scale social change were bitterly disappointed. His way was radically different: more mustard seeds and patient, trusting wu-wei than violent revolution. That message isn’t any easier for us to hear now than it was 2,000 years ago. But given the alternatives, I still think a little Advent wu-wei would do wonders for our world.
HELPFUL
TIPS Go with the Flow 1
Think of all the essential pivot points of your life: meeting your beloved, choosing a career path, or taking a road less traveled. To what extent did you plan and calculate these events? To what extent did Providence put them in front of you?
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Like Lent, Advent is a perfect season for the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Were there any times when you harmed a relationship by pushing too hard to get your way? With what sorts of things are you struggling right now? What if you decided, in the words of Baron Baptiste, to stop trying so hard, but rather to “try easy”?
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It is in giving that we receive.
The Franciscan Friars, Province of St. John the Baptist 1615 Vine St., Cincinnati, OH 45202 StAnthonyMessenger.org | December 2018 • 27
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CHRISTOPHER IWANCIO
e Gift of Greccio By Murray Bodo, OFM
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When St. Francis of Assisi introduced a live Nativity at the shrine in Greccio in 1223, the story of Christ’s birth was brought out of the past and into the present for the townspeople celebrating Christmas that year.
The idea of a live Nativity scene might seem common nowadays. But in St. Francis’ time, it broke new ground and opened up ways to deepen our spirituality during Christmas. he first time I saw the Franciscan shrine of Greccio, Italy, was in 1972. I was living in Assisi with the Franciscan Sisters of the Atonement at St. Anthony Guest House and working on my first book, Francis: The Journey and the Dream. It was my first sojourn in Italy, and I knew very little about the geography of the country outside of Assisi itself. And though I was writing about the places of importance in the life of St. Francis, I’d not actually been to any place beyond the environs of Assisi. So, whenever any of the guests would say they were taking a day trip to Perugia where Francis was in prison, or Mount La Verna in Tuscany where St. Francis received the sacred stigmata, or Gubbio where he tamed a ravenous wolf, I would muster the courage to ask if they had room for one more. Little by little, I began to understand the geography of St. Francis’ world.
‘THE BELLY BUTTON OF ITALY’
Then one day someone said, “Let’s go to the Rieti Valley; it’s not that far, and Greccio is there, the place where St. Francis began the custom of the Christmas crèche.” I was all ears and eager to go, and later that morning we were climbing up the winding mountain road to the friary of Greccio, a short distance from the town of Rieti, which is the geographical center of Italy, the umbilicus, as the Italians call it, the belly button of Italy. As we continued the steep climb, I began to see glimpses of the friary, which looked to me like a huge wasp nest clinging to the side of a cliff. It seemed that the smallest tremor might loosen its precarious perch and bring it crashing into the valley below. The actual town of Greccio was about a mile away from the solitude and mountain setting of the place where the friars lived, as always seemed to be the case of towns that were near the friars’ places of solitude. Francis himself made
it so, in order that the friars could live in silence and solitude, away from the hustle and bustle of the world of commerce and frenetic activity. A NEW KIND OF CHRISTMAS CELEBRATION
But what makes Greccio unique in the life of St. Francis is what happened there at Christmastime in 1223, three years before he died. He came there wanting to celebrate Christmas in a new way, a midnight Mass with a real ox and donkey and with townspeople gathered around witnessing this live Christmas crèche. Christmas was the dearest of feasts because it revealed the profound humility of God in choosing to become a little baby, helpless and in need of us, just as we were when we were newborn babies. For St. Francis, Christmas was linked inseparably to the Passion as well, because to become a human being means suffering and death. And there is already suffering in the Incarnation in God’s becoming human, leaving behind the trappings of divinity, emptying himself, as St. Paul says in his Letter to the Philippians, “becoming obedient to death, even death on a cross” (2:8). And all of this sprang from profound love. St. Francis’ first biographer, Brother Thomas of Celano, said of Francis, “Indeed, so thoroughly did the humility of the Incarnation and the charity of the Passion occupy his memory that he scarcely wanted to think of anything else.” Jesus embraced both “the humility of the Incarnation and the charity of the Passion” because he came to love us by becoming one of us. Love was the reason for the Incarnation. And love is what Francis wanted to celebrate at Greccio by telling the people of the village and the surrounding countryside that he was going to celebrate Christmas by reenacting the first Christmas at midnight Mass at the friary. In doing so, St. Francis hoped that people would see themselves in the Christmas scene. It would not only
BROTHER OCTAVIO DURAN, OFM (4)
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BROTHER OCTAVIO DURAN, OFM (4)
be about something that happened 1,200 years ago in Bethlehem, but it would be something that was happening then and there to them. Their ox and donkey would be in the crèche, their children would see Christmas happening in Greccio, and everyone would see that the Christ Child comes to us in our
own place and time at Christmas. And, in fact, a knight of Greccio by the name of John of Velita said that at one point in the Mass the baby Jesus appeared in the crib and seemed asleep. Francis then went to the crib and took the baby in his arms and seemed to wake him up.
TOP: Nestled in a rustic, mountainous setting, the shrine at Greccio overlooks the Rieti Valley, also known as the Sacred Valley. INSET LEFT: A simple cross made of two sticks is the only adornment in St. Francis’ prayer cell at the shrine. INSET RIGHT: Behind the altar in the chapel at Greccio is a fresco that depicts two Christmas scenes: St. Francis adoring the baby Jesus (on the left) and the Virgin Mary breastfeeding her son in a manger in Bethlehem. StAnthonyMessenger.org | December 2018 • 31
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BECOMING CHRISTLIKE AND CHILDLIKE
The Mass was being celebrated by one of the Franciscan priests because Francis himself was not a priest but a deacon. He could therefore not preside at the Mass though he could proclaim the Gospel and preach, which he did at Greccio with charming words about the Poor King and the little town of Bethlehem. St. Bonaventure says that he called Jesus “the Child of Bethlehem, aglow with overflowing love for him; and in speaking the word Bethlehem, his voice was more like the bleating of a sheep. His mouth was filled more with sweet affection than with words.” And Brother Thomas of Celano, in his Second Life of St. Francis, wrote: “Francis used to observe with inexpressible eagerness, and above all other solemnities, the birth of the Child Jesus, calling it the feast of feasts on which God, having become a little baby, hung upon human breasts. He would avidly kiss pictures of those infant limbs, and his compassion for the child overflowed his heart, making him stammer sweet words, even like a child. The name Baby Jesus was for him honeycomb-sweet in the mouth.” At that first Christmas crèche at Greccio, St. Francis wanted to show everyone there how close God was to them, how humble God is, how like a child is God who loves us unconditionally. God is not removed in some faraway, mystical place; God is with us, and we can love him with affection and overflowing love, as God has first loved us and continues to love us. For St. Francis, a personal love of Jesus is the heart of Christian spirituality. And he himself was in constant conversation with Jesus. Brother Thomas of Celano says, “Jesus he bore in his heart, Jesus in his mouth, Jesus in his ears, Jesus in his eyes, Jesus in his hands, Jesus in the rest of his members. . . .” And gradually St. Francis became transformed into the Jesus he loved and adored. He was Christlike in his words and in his actions. Two years before he died, he became a living image of the crucified Christ, bearing in his own body the wounds of Christ. The humility of the Incarnation became the charity of the Passion.
CONNECTING WITH THE CRÈCHE
What, then, does Greccio say to us today? What is its effect on our lives, this new Christmas that became, in the end, a new Passion? The most obvious effect of what St. Francis did at Greccio is the custom of the live Christmas crèche, which has spread throughout the world. But there is more, and it has to do with prayer and theology. One of the gifts of St. Francis’ celebration of Christmas at Greccio is that it reveals how Francis and the early brothers meditated. They would take some scene from the Bible, like the birth of Jesus, and imagine it prayerfully and as visually as possible. Then they would place themselves in the biblical scene. For example, they would be a shepherd, one of the Wise Men, Mary, or Joseph. They would then try to feel what the character was feeling. In so doing, they would be flooded with emotions that would move them to thank God, to praise God, to love the baby, this little Word of God reaching out to them for their care with welcoming arms. This imagined scene would be filled with the grace of the original event, and the friar meditating would be moved to act, to change or improve his life, to love God more fully. The early friars would then show others how to meditate this way, and Francis himself would be the model of how to do so. He loved staging little dramas that would enact what he was feeling. He would begin to sing or dance, sometimes taking two sticks and pretending they were a violin and bow he was playing to celebrate the God he loved. So intense was St. Francis’ love of God that, two years before he died, while praying at Mount La Verna, he was transformed into the living image of the crucified Christ, no longer playacting but bearing the real wounds of Christ in his own flesh, as did the modern Franciscan St. Padre Pio. Both of these stigmatics bore the graces of the passion of Christ in their own bodies, so that they performed miracles of grace in the lives of others whose lives they touched— miracles of healing, miracles of changed hearts.
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If I ever have the opportunity to talk with the emperor, I’ll beg him, for the love of God and me, to enact a special law: No one is to capture or kill our sisters the larks or do them any harm. Furthermore, all mayors and lords of castles and towns are to be required each year on Christmas Day to order their subjects to scatter wheat and other grain on the roads outside the walls so that our sisters the larks and other birds might have something to eat on so festive a day. And on Christmas Eve, out of reverence for the Son of God, whom on that night the Virgin Mary placed in a manger between the ox and the ass, anyone having an ox or an ass is to feed it a generous portion of choice fodder. And on Christmas Day, the rich are to give the poor the finest food in abundance.
MC KOZUSKO/SAM
A Very Franciscan Christmas
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ST. ANTHONY
FRANK JASPER, OFM
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Giovannelli Federico (above) portrays St. Francis—as he does every year—as part of a re-creation of the first live Nativity at Greccio. Volunteers from the area portray the shepherds, the Magi, Mary, and Joseph. A PLACE OF GRACE
Greccio has its own grace: the grace of the truth of the Incarnation, that God did indeed become human and was born from the womb of Mary, a poor young woman of Nazareth. She became the womb of God and brought God into the world as a human baby who grew and matured as does any human being. Greccio shows how precious is our humanity, a humanity that through grace is the very image of God. And we in turn can rejoice in knowing that God delights in us enough to become one of us. And finally, St. Francis, like the great medieval artist Giotto, did in his own life what Giotto did in his art. Francis made the Nativity of Christ take place in Greccio, a 13th-century Italian town. The scenery, the people, the animals, the clothing, were all of the time and place. Giotto did the same thing in his fresco of the Nativity on the ceiling of the lower Basilica of St. Francis. People could look up and see Bethlehem as Assisi: The scenery, the costumes, the characters were all Italians like them. And the people, most of whom were illiterate, understood what the artist had done. He had brought the story of Christ’s birth to them in their own visual language: the place where they lived, the time in which they lived. Christ had now come to them as an Assisian. And that is the gift of Greccio as well. Through the live Christmas crèche, St. Francis makes Christ present to us in our own place and time, wherever we are when we, too, enact an image of the miracle of the Incarnation of God.
The National Shrine of St. Anthony is located in Cincinnati, Ohio. Consecrated in 1889, it includes a first-class relic of St. Anthony and serves as a center for daily prayer and contemplation. The Franciscan friars minister from the shrine. To help them in their work among the poor, you may send a monetary offering called St. Anthony Bread. Make checks or money orders payable to “Franciscans” and mail to the address below. Every Tuesday, a Mass is offered for benefactors and petitioners at the shrine. To seek St. Anthony’s intercession, mail your petition to the address below. Petitions are taken to the shrine each week. viSit our webSite to:
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Murray Bodo, OFM, is a poet and award-winning author of many books, including Francis: The Journey and the Dream. His latest book is Surrounded by Love: Seven Teachings from Saint Francis (Franciscan Media).
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The Dynamics
Adoration
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The practice of authentic adoration deepens our awareness of God’s presence and leaves us transfixed, transformed, and transfigured. By Joe McHugh
Whom, then, may we adore?” French paleontologistturned-mystic Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, SJ, posed this question in his small book of great impact, The Divine Milieu. His question engages us today just as it has captured the imagination of the spiritually serious and religiously observant for generations. It’s perhaps the deepest question of meaning a person can ask. Before asking whom we may adore, we need to know what the word adore means. A compound of the Latin words ad and orare, it literally means “to pray,” but its connotation is more urgent: a deeply felt impetus to pray, a compelling instinct to fall to one’s knees in humble, silent surrender before something or someone that commands deep devotion and fidelity. Adoration happens when we suddenly or even quite accidentally experience the ever-expanding height and depth of human experience, a gift that is as alluring as it is startling, inviting yet oddly frightening. Adoration is a response to being caught up, grasped, seized, and rendered momentarily
motionless and speechless by something we see or, perhaps better, by what we behold. We can also be tempted to adore what leads us away from God rather than following grace’s path toward God. The temptation to fall to one’s knees before idols of our own creation in greed, selfishness, or fear is a refusal of the authentic transcendence offered us in faith, hope, and love, ways of being that move us beyond ourselves and into the sheltering presence of God. Let me offer three brief examples of the dynamics of adoration as being transfixed, transformed, or transfigured by what we see, with the suggestion that we slowly become what we behold over time. TRANSFIXED
We often experience temptation when we become fixated on an idol, and in that moment, we’re actually transfixed by it, rendered motionless with desire in its compelling presence. I’ve noticed recently how life comes to a standstill and time
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comes to a virtual stop for many when The Price Is Right comes on TV. It masquerades as a fun game show (which it is), but it’s also a deadly serious secular liturgy, a ritualized way of adoring what’s peddled by shallow consumerism and glitzy superficiality. I first noticed its hypnotic power when I visited someone in an assisted-living residence. As I walked down the hall to her apartment, most of the other apartment doors were open and all eyes were glued to the screen as the familiar call to worship, “Come on down!” was intoned. Those watching were transfixed as they waited for magic to happen before their eyes. The same thing also happens in the health club I frequent. That’s when the TV lounge feels like a church as worshippers of the material sit in reverent silence, falling to their metaphorical knees with mouths open in wonder and anticipation, waiting for fantasies to be fulfilled, for money and gifts to come their way—at least vicariously—from on high. Rooting for a contestant turns into a prayer that we’ll all
be delivered from the confining ordinariness of our lives. Prayer then becomes wish fulfillment: waiting, only to be disappointed, for cheap salvation. Think of the call to “come on down” as the voice of temptation, the vapid urge to hunt for quick relief in what’s lowly, what’s beneath us, what smacks of looking to the material rather than the personal for transcendence. In Matthew 4:8–10, Jesus was similarly tempted: “All these I shall give to you, if you will prostrate yourself and worship me,” is what Satan tells him, but the spirit-filled higher self in Jesus answered his tempter, “The Lord, your God, shall you worship and him alone shall you serve.” Don’t we also share that place of relentless discernment and decision with Jesus? To what do we look for discounted salvation born of escapism and wish fulfillment? To what secular hucksters, crass enemies of the soul, have we given tacit permission to hijack our instinct for adoration in favor of what is low-down and materialistic? How often are we transfixed and rendered inert, spiritually dull, and deprived StAnthonyMessenger.org | December 2018 • 35
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Think of the Eucharist as an activity rather than as a thing. . . . Eucharistic adoration is our reminder to imitate the activity of God we see happening in the Eucharist.
Medieval philosophers considered truth, goodness, and beauty “transcendentals” because they point beyond themselves and offer glimpses of the final spiritual meaning of creation. Unfortunately, much of our inherited Christian thinking has been disproportionately focused on truth (theology) and goodness (ethics), with far less attention given to beauty’s capacity to lead us to an epiphany of the holy lurking in the sublime. Beauty can also transform—that is, cause a dramatic change in form, appearance, or character—by bringing us face-to-face with the grandeur of creation. Encountering it can also bring us to our knees in an act similar to adoration and transform us in the utter gracefulness of creation and creation’s God. Part of the reason Christians may have backed away from beauty is that it’s always earthy and sensible, occasionally sexual, and always passionate. Our tame intellects and wellregulated wills are often uncomfortable with sight, touch, taste, and hearing as trustworthy paths to the holy. Beauty’s epiphany opens us to wonder and awe, and we’re never the same after we meet it: We move beyond ourselves into beauty and beyond it to its mysterious source. “Archaic Torso of Apollo” is one of Rainer Maria Rilke’s best-known poems. The poem’s inspiration came when Rilke, quite by accident, looked up and saw—beheld—a damaged statue of the Greek god Apollo in the Louvre. The poem describes being seized, grasped, and taken aback by the beauty of the torso that was “still suffused with brilliance from inside like a lamp.” Despite its age and brokenness, it retained its mythic power to transform and inspire. It’s then that the speaker of the poem comes to an astonishing moral conversion of sorts: “You must change your life.”
TRANSFIGURED
Just as beholding the sublime can transform, the Gospels teach us that catching a glimpse of God can transfigure us. God has a habit of catching up with us in deserts and on mountaintops, raw places of divine encounter, transformation, and transfiguration. The Gospels tell how Peter, James, John, and perhaps even Jesus were startled or terrified when, after trudging to the top of Mt. Tabor, Jesus was transfigured by God’s glory and everything looked, if only for a second, as bright as the sun. Matthew’s Transfiguration story (17:1–8) has the feel of adoration. Jesus leads his disciples “up a high mountain,” away from the mundane and the busy, a call, perhaps, to sidestep the temptation to “look down.” He then describes how Jesus was “transfigured before them.” The life-changing inner power of the divine life hidden in him “shone like the sun and his clothes became white as light” (17:2). When the disciples were overwhelmed by what they saw, they were filled with awe and reverence, fear and trembling,
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Beauty has the power to illumine and challenge what is misshapen and malformed in things and selves, demanding transformation, redirection, and, in religious terms, conversion. Experiences such as these also teach us how beauty has the power to interpret the narrative of our lives. We can never be the same after beauty cleans up and reshapes the accrued ugliness in us and in our world. This kind of transformation allows harmony, unity, and integrity a chance to be seen again. Take some time to remember moments when you’ve been touched and changed by beauty—in art, music, or another person. Enter into the transformative power these experiences had to deepen and expand your humanity. Spend enough time with them and see if they don’t lead you beyond themselves into their mysterious personalizing source: the Holy Mystery that sustains and changes us. Find and cherish your own transformations by beauty and experiences that still feel always new, always amazing, always transformational to you. With this experience comes an impulse to transform yourself, to clear away the clutter that keeps you from loving purely, simply, elegantly. And this is only possible because beauty has a haunting capacity to look back, not at us, but into us.
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by our adoration of things rather than following grace’s lead to look for whom we can adore among the living and the personal? Catching ourselves in between the two is what’s called the examination of conscience. Repentance follows recognition: the active work of replacing our chronic instinct to look down toward what is base and, instead, learning to look up toward what moves us beyond ourselves and toward God.
and their nonsensical babbling finally saw silence as its only authentic refuge. Only then could they hear the voice of someone telling them who Jesus really was, and only then were they enveloped in the saving light that shines forth from the sacred heart of God. In the end, Jesus calms his disciples by touching them gently and urging them to put fear behind them. We, too, experience fear only before we meet Jesus, before we are transfigured with him in God’s ineffable, luminous presence. Step inside the story and let it slowly reveal the saving moments in which we’ve also been brought to our knees, rendered speechless, and transformed as we beheld in the tiny glimpses we could bear the mysterious power of God. The transfiguration is a story about adoration, prayer, and conversion, a story about how we can also be transformed by God so that the light of divine life can transfigure us just as it did Jesus. The “whom” we adore finally turns out to be the Holy Mystery, which Jesus called his “Abba.” The heart of prayer is that as we, too, spend time with Jesus and the disciples on the mountain, we hear the “voice from the cloud” say, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; listen to him.” And as we listen to those words spoken from the heavens, we are transfigured as we also hear the same voice tell us that we are also God’s beloved, the one in whom God takes utter delight. This is what it means to be touched by Jesus; it shows how conversion happens not out of fear, but out of love alone. BEHOLD THE LAMB OF GOD
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For a variety of reasons, I wrote this article in bits and pieces over the course of 12 months. If you had told me early on that I’d end with a reflection on eucharistic adoration, I
would have stared at you in utter disbelief. But the idea kept coming back to me, and I knew I had to honor its movement in my heart. Moments of transformation and transfiguration have a startling, random quality to them; we typically stumble onto them, often quite by accident. Eucharistic adoration, however, is intentional: We place ourselves in what we believe to be the real presence of God, and, in doing so, we turn our eyes away from ourselves and shallowness and open them to the holy and miraculous. We simply behold bread that is no ordinary bread, but, as St. John tells us, is “living” bread that nourishes and strengthens us for the one true journey within all our journeys. Think of the Eucharist as an activity rather than as a thing. What we behold in eucharistic adoration and remember in the celebration of the Eucharist is that we are all called to imitate Jesus in becoming bread that is taken, blessed, broken, and given to others in self-forgetting love and service. Eucharistic adoration is our reminder to imitate the activity of God we see happening in the Eucharist. Just as the Sacrament of the Eucharist is given and eaten, so we remember how our lives are completed only in the love in which we give ourselves to others too—a love that finds its source and summit in Jesus. We do finally, gradually become what we behold in adoration. And, as Christians, we pray that we may take on the heart and hands of the Holy One who has beheld us in love all along. Joe McHugh is a spiritual director who lives in St. Paul, Minnesota. He has written multiple articles for this magazine and has also worked as a public radio producer, educational consultant, and museum director.
Adoration is a response to being caught up, grasped, seized, and rendered momentarily motionless and speechless by something we see or, perhaps better, by what we behold. StAnthonyMessenger.org | December 2018 • 37
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By Susan Hines-Brigger
2018
CHRISTMAS
GIFT
This Christmas, why not give a gift that gives back?
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Homeboy Foods
inding the right present for everyone on our Christmas list is not always easy. Finding one that’s meaningful can be even harder. So why not buy gifts that help others, courtesy of your shopping? That’s why St. Anthony Messenger’s editorial team decided to make it easier for you by reaching out to and featuring a few of these organizations and the products that help them achieve their goals. Each of the organizations featured in our Christmas Gift Guide gives back in some way either to those in need through various programs or by helping care for the environment with their products and practices. Either way, St. Francis would approve. We’re sure, though, that there are a lot more out there that we haven’t been able to feature. So if you have any gift ideas from companies you like that work to make a difference and help others, let us know. You can send your ideas to: GiftGuide@FranciscanMedia.org.
ALL PRODUCT PHOTOS COURTESY OF RESPECTIVE COMPANY
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Catholic T-Shirt Club The Sarah Center
ALL PRODUCT PHOTOS COURTESY OF RESPECTIVE COMPANY
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Resources by Number
1. HOMEBOY FOODS: Each purchase from Homeboy Industries directly impacts the lives of previously incarcerated and former gang members seeking to make a positive change. The LOVE Package features treats made with fresh ingredients and handpacked to order by dedicated staff members. prices vary: $74.95 (shown) | 888-341-1422 HomeboyFoods.com 2. THE SARAH CENTER offers support and skills-training in jewelry making, sewing, quilting, and other forms of art so that women can build their self-esteem and earn supplemental income for themselves and their families. $45 | 513-549-0542 SFSMinistries.org/our-ministries/sarah-center 3. CATHOLIC T-SHIRT CLUB: Each month you will receive a surprise Catholic T-shirt, reflections to help you learn more about your faith, and four shareable gifts matching the theme of your shirt. Each month, Catholic T-Shirt Club gives 10 percent of the proceeds of its sales to various charities and ministries. monthly subscription: $19–$29 no contracts or commitments | CatholicTShirtClub.com 4. PUNJAMMIES: This supersoft robe is made by Sudara, an apparel company. Their loungewear, pajamas, and robes for women are ethically made and support living-wage job creation and skills-training programs for women in India who are at a high risk or survivors of sex trafficking. $79 | Sudara.org 5. BISHOP SHEEN ROSARIES was started by Brian Kearney to provide support to a school he worked with in Uganda. These durable rosaries have a lifetime warranty, and every rosary sold donates 21 meals to the school. $35 | SheenRosaries.com 6. SOCK RELIGIOUS aims to bring faith to the workplace and to spice up your Sunday best. Their socks are a perfect gift for Confirmation candidates, your pastor, your favorite Catholic, or even yourself. The organization helps local nonprofits in need of support. $14–$15 | SockReligious.com 7. TINY SAINTS: The best stocking stuffers ever! Tiny Saints offers more than 100 saints to clip on to your backpack, purse, keychain, you name it! $5 each | 407-222-7912 | TinySaints.com 8. GIFTS FOR THE JOURNEY: Women who are survivors of sexual exploitation create handmade candles, soaps, and other bath and body products that are also good for the earth. Gifts for the Journey directly benefits the women of Clare Community (Franciscan Peacemakers’ two-year residential healing home) by providing resident work experience and financial support through product sales. $6–$25 | GiftsForTheJourney.com 9. DOLLS FROM HEAVEN: Based on the company’s mission to “inspire children to become saints,” these dolls come with outfits and books based on a particular saint. The company’s movement, “The Gift of Hope,” gives bags of goodies and religious items to poor and homeless people in different cities and countries. $98–$99 | DollsfromHeaven.com
ENJOY THE
NEW BOOK OF HOMILIES BY FR. KEVIN MACKIN, OFM
This collection of homilies features Drama Wisdom and Humor The collection also illuminates Advent Christmas Lent Easter and “ordinary time”
Order Fr. Kevin’s books today at Amazon.com BarnesandNoble.com WestBowPress.com
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The Friars Next Door Following in the footsteps of St. Francis, three friars have set up shop in the poorest neighborhood in Detroit. Story and photography by Toni Cashnelli 42 • December 2018 | StAnthonyMessenger.org
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here are four signs on the building announcing the presence of friars. “One thing I learned working in evangelization,” says Alex Kratz, OFM, “is to let people know where you are.” So every few yards, there’s a sign marking the site of the newest Franciscan friary in Detroit: St. Moses the Black. The last time anyone lived in this former rectory on Oakman Boulevard was 20 years ago. Since October 2017, it’s been home to Friar Alex and fellow St. John the Baptist Friars Louie Zant and Maynard Tetreault. In a city rebounding from its past, the friars are part of a neighborhood that’s been left behind. Next door is a food pantry that sees brisk traffic. On the street in back, eight houses are boarded up or so structurally unsound they’re caving inward. With windows broken or shuttered, nearby factories are lifeless and desolate. A few blocks away is another sign, this one marking the boundary of Highland Park. It not only has the highest crime rate in Detroit—46 crimes per 1,000 residents—but one of the highest in America. Here, your chance of becoming a victim of either violent or property crime is one in 22. If poverty has a ground zero, this is the place. For Friars Maynard, Alex, and Louie, the natural question is, “Why here?” And just as important, “Why now?”
ABANDONMENT
LEFT TO RIGHT: Standing on the front porch of their new friary are St. John the Baptist Friars Alex, Maynard, and Louie. Friar Alex says the Holy Spirit guided him to the site.
The “now” part seems like divine providence. “Last year was the 50th anniversary of the riots in Detroit,” says Friar Maynard, referring to a tsunami of violence that swept the city in 1967, leaving 43 people dead and 2,000 buildings destroyed. For Friar Alex, race and inequity converged in recent, deadly confrontations between African Americans and police officers. “All of this came crashing into my prayers,” he says. In March, Friar Alex suggested an expansion of their Detroit-area presence into an underserved neighborhood that was predominantly black. Although he has been in Detroit since 1999, serving as director of evangelization for the archdiocese for eight of those years, he admits he circumvented these poorer areas. “Whenever I drive, I take the highway. I bypass miles and miles of this,” he says, waving an inclusive hand. “I felt a bit conflicted that I kind of avoided this whole area,” including the adjacent city of Highland Park, “which is even poorer than Detroit.” A quote from a class at St. Bonaventure University— “Faith must have social consequences”—nudged Friar Alex forward. “My studies kept echoing in my head,” he says. “Social location is part of our Franciscan charism. When we’re in a location where the poor are, it changes our witness.” Father Mark Soehner, former pastor of St. Aloysius in Detroit, knew the area well. During his time as director of postulants, he worked in the cluster of four parishes that served some of these neighborhoods and taught the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA), Friar Alex says. The StAnthonyMessenger.org | December 2018 • 43
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two talked a lot in general about problems and discussed the possibility of refurbishing a room for worship in the former rectory at St. Moses the Black, which was eventually formed by the merger of three of those parishes. “We say Detroit has suffered ‘demolition by neglect,’” Friar Alex adds. “We only have a few Catholic parishes in the city. There’s a feeling of abandonment among Catholics in Detroit. Institutionally, the Church has pulled out.” SPIRIT AT WORK
A pastoral letter called “Unleash the Gospel,” released in June 2017 by Archbishop Allen Vigneron, was a call to evangelization. “His plan is to have the religious evangelize the city,” Friar Alex says. “I’d say we’re on the cutting edge of evangelization. It’s right down our alley.” After the provincial council endorsed his plan, it took some looking and searching to find the right place, Friar Alex notes. “If I was going to invite friars in, I didn’t want to be in a structurally dangerous building with a slumlord,” which eliminated a number of prospects. Finally, he says, “the Holy Spirit guided me to [St. Moses the Black].” The pastor of the church, Father J.J. Mech, also serves as rector of the nearby Cathedral of the Most Blessed Sacrament and pastor of Our Lady of the Rosary. His associate in all three locations, Father Patrick Gonyeau, is also central regional coordinator of evangelization for the Archdiocese of Detroit. The very busy Father Patrick speaks for the community when he says, “There’s such an excitement about the Franciscans being here.” Indeed, “People have been very welcoming,” says Friar Louie, a regular at morning Mass. “The parish is older, but there are kids in catechism class,” according to Friar Maynard. “There’s always hospitality after Mass. They have a lively liturgy and a great choir. All they need is people.” For Detroit-born Friar Maynard, this was a homecoming. “Our parish [Visitation] was a mile from here. These were my old haunts.” He remembers Oakman Boulevard as a nice, middle-class neighborhood, more upscale than his own. This summer, his ministry in Galveston, Texas, ended when the province returned Holy Family Parish to the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston. “This [Detroit proposal] didn’t really come about until April. I heard about the potential of this place. I think our presence among [marginalized] people is important. I think it is a tiny gesture of hope,” he says. CLEANING UP
St. Moses the Black spans most of a block on the boulevard. It’s a fortress of a building, with arched doorways and a vaulted Friars Louie and Alex walk in the dilapidated neighborhood surrounding their friary. With such pervasive poverty and neglect throughout Detroit, parishes closed, leaving many Catholics feeling abandoned by the Church. The friars bring hope.
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Taking up almost a block, St. Moses the Black Church is the merger of three parishes. Combining the old with the new, the atrium provides a light-filled meeting space.
In the vestibule, a vibrant painting of the church’s patron saint, Moses the Black, graces the wall.
While the parish has many older parishioners, new growth is evidenced in children attending catechism classes.
Friar Louie volunteers at the well-used food pantry adjacent to the friary. Living among the poor, the friars say, changes their witness.
atrium that serves as a vestibule and meeting space. Near the main door is an imposing painting of the church’s patron saint, the fourth-century slave who gave up a life of banditry to become a desert monk and an apostle for nonviolence. Up the steps and off to the right is the friary, which until recently served as the hub and storage facility for St. Moses the Black Food Pantry. Now the pantry is housed in the former school next door, where Friar Louie is a volunteer. He visited the future friary after returning from missionary service in Jamaica, eager to continue his service work. “I was just interested in going someplace where I could be useful,” he says, such as Pittsburgh or Cincinnati. “[Friar] Alex asked me if I might be interested in coming to Detroit,
interacting with people in neighborhood projects.” When he first arrived, he recalls that “we came through a rolling metal door” that blocked homeless people from sleeping on the steps, turning the rectory into a bunker. Inside, there were boxes all around and the first floor was used as storage for the parish food pantry. “It needed some cleaning up,” he adds, but despite the clutter, they saw the possibilities in the 92-year-old rectory. “This place hadn’t been lived in in 20 years,” says Friar Maynard, whose eagle eye as provincial building coordinator does not miss much. “When we did the walk-through and saw plaster coming down, we knew it needed some care.” The parish fixed the plumbing and replaced the roof.
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Electrical work is an ongoing project. Most of the 17 doors needed sanding and lock repairs, and most would not close, which is a typical issue as old buildings settle. LOOKING, LISTENING
By the time he moved here in October 2017, Friar Louie says, “Things were very livable.” The furnishings, mostly donated, have the plain but serviceable look of bygone friaries. The addition of Internet was a must, but TV screens are absent by design. Slowly but surely, Friars Maynard and Louie have whittled the to-do list to a manageable size and are changing focus. Now they’re assessing the needs of their neighbors and quietly making their presence known. “People carry a lot of burdens,” Friar Alex says of the locals. “Some of them live on their own. One of the things I’ve been thinking of doing is asking people waiting at the food pantry if they’d like to be prayed with.” One day he was praying the rosary on the sidewalk at 6 a.m. while wearing his habit. “I think being visible and being in the neighborhood is important,” he explains. “A young guy was catching a bus for his job at a potato chip factory. He did a double take and said, ‘You’re medieval.’ I explained to him what friars are about.” As for Friar Maynard, he says, “I’m not putting out my shingle” for sacramental ministry just yet. His goal for this first year is to listen and learn what people need the most and follow what the bishop wants. He is encouraged by what he’s seen. “I was happy to hear about us going into the city. A lot of people are working on a comeback for Detroit,” he says, including Mayor Mike Duggan, “who has promised to do more for neighborhoods. There are many hopeful signs.” In the middle of Highland Park, four of those signs, lettered in brown, are attached to this building. Toni Cashnelli is the communications director for the Franciscan Friars of the Province of St. John the Baptist in Cincinnati, Ohio.
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STATEMENT OF OWNERSHIP, MANAGEMENT AND CIRCULATION St. Anthony Messenger (ISSN0036-276X), 28 W. Liberty Street, Cincinnati, OH 45202-6498 is published monthly (12 issues annually) for $39.00. Frequency: Monthly. Number of issues published annually: 12. Annual Subscription Rate: $39.00. It is owned by Franciscan Media, 28 W. Liberty Street, Cincinnati, OH 45202-6498. Daniel Kroger, OFM, Publisher; Christopher Heffron and Susan Hines-Brigger, Executive Editors; 28 W. Liberty Street, Cincinnati, OH 45202-6498. There are no other owners, bondholders, or mortgagees. The purpose, function and nonprofit status of this organization and the exempt status for federal income tax purposes have not changed during the preceding 12 months, ending September 2018. 15. Extent and Nature of Circulation
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Actual No. Copies of Single Issue Published Nearest to Filing Date 15. a. Total Number of Copies (Net press run) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64,596 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63,356 b. Paid Circulation (By Mail and Outside the Mail) 1. Mailed Outside-County Paid Subscriptions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55,777 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55,162 2. Mailed In-County Paid Subscriptions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0 3. Paid Distribution Outside the Mails including Sales Through Dealers and Carriers, Street Vendors, Counter Sales, and Other Paid Distribution Outside USPS® . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 464 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 204 4. Paid Distribution by Other Classes of Mail Through the USPS (e.g. First-Class Mail®) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3,404 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2,537 c. Total Paid Distribution (Sum of 15b (1), (2), (3), and (4)) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59,645 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57,903 d. 1. Free or Nominal Rate Outside-County Copies included on PS Form 3541 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2,654 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2,513 4. Free or Nominal Rate Distribution Outside the Mail (Carriers or other means) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 795 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 570 e. Total Free or Nominal Rate Distribution (Sum of 15d (1), (2), (3) and (4)) . . . 3,449 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3,083 f. Total Distribution (Sum of 15c and 15e) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63,094 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60,986 g. Copies not Distributed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,499 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2,370 h. Total (Sum of 15f and g) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64,593. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63,356 i. Percent Paid (15c divided by 15f times 100) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95 I certify that all information on this form is true and complete. _______________________________________________ Daniel Kroger, Chief Executive Officer/Publisher | 9/27/18
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By Sister Rose Pacatte, FSP
Sister Rose’s
FAVORITE
FILMS
ADOPTION Baby Boom (1987) Bella (2006) Juno (2007) October Baby (2011) Lion (2016)
INSTANT FAMILY
F
orty-somethings Pete (Mark Wahlberg) and his wife, Ellie (Rose Byrne), flip houses for a living. Friends wonder what they will do with a five-bedroom house since they’ll probably never have children. Pete jokingly tells Ellie that they should adopt a child to jump-start their family. Ellie takes him seriously and goes online, where she discovers foster care and adoption possibilities. They meet with two social workers, wonderfully played by Octavia Spencer and Tig Notaro, who invite them to attend pre-foster placement classes. While there, Pete and Ellie meet others who are thinking about fostering or adopting. At orientation day, Pete and Ellie meet available children, including Lizzie (Isabela Moner), a teen with a chip on her shoulder. Later, the social workers show Pete and Ellie pictures of a cute brother and sister, Juan (Gustavo Quiroz) and Lita (Julianna Gamiz), and then discover that Lizzie is their older sister. Lizzie scares them, but they move forward and bring the children into their home where the adventures begin. Things get complicated because the younger children are used to Lizzie taking
care of them, and a power struggle ensues. Pete sees photos on Lizzie’s phone that show she is involved with a young man at school. The revelation of who he is puts everyone’s plans in jeopardy. When the children’s mom reenters the picture, Pete and Ellie’s hopes for an instant family are threatened. This film may sound like a serious one, but it is actually quite funny and sweet with a dose of real-life problems. Wahlberg and Byrne have great chemistry and excellent comedic timing. Moner is thoroughly believable as the smart, vulnerable, and conflicted older sister who accuses Ellie of being a fake mom and Pete of being a white savior. Writer/ director Sean Anders based the film on the experiences he and his wife had when they first fostered and adopted siblings. Spencer and Notaro add their own brand of humor and play overworked social workers who are seldom recognized for their good work. Not yet rated, PG-13 • Strong language.
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GOSNELL: HAT TIP FILMS, LLC.; CREED II: METRO-GOLDWYN-MAYER STUDIOS AND ANNAPURNA PICTURES
Sister Rose is a Daughter of St. Paul and the founding director of the Pauline Center for Media Studies. She has been the award-winning film columnist for St. Anthony Messenger since 2003 and is the author of several books on Scripture and film, as well as media literacy education.
LEFT: SISTER NANCY USSELMANN; INSTANT FAMILY: PARAMOUNT PICTURES/HOPPER STONE/SMPSP
D
reel time | channel surfing | audio file | bookshelf
Sister Rose Pacatte, FSP
about
n
media MATTERS
CREED II
I
GOSNELL: THE TRIAL OF AMERICA’S BIGGEST SERIAL KILLER
GOSNELL: HAT TIP FILMS, LLC.; CREED II: METRO-GOLDWYN-MAYER STUDIOS AND ANNAPURNA PICTURES
LEFT: SISTER NANCY USSELMANN; INSTANT FAMILY: PARAMOUNT PICTURES/HOPPER STONE/SMPSP
I
n 2010, the DEA, FBI, and Philadelphia police search the abortion clinic of Dr. Kermit Gosnell (Earl Billings). They find evidence of an Asian immigrant mother who died while having an abortion, as well as drug prescriptions issued illegally. They also find horrifying scenes of filth, the smell of urine everywhere, underage and untrained clinical staff, and countless aborted fetuses stored in refrigerators and freezers. When Dr. Gosnell appears, he is oblivious to the shock of law enforcement officers who discover babies aborted after the 24-week gestation limit, and some who were born alive and then killed by the doctor. Gosnell quickly loses his medical license. Detectives Wood (Dean Cain) and Stark (Alfonzo Rachel) seek a warrant to search Gosnell’s home, but the judge warns them to focus on Gosnell’s illegal activities and to not make the case about abortion. District Attorney Dan Molinari (Michael Beach) brings the case to the grand jury in 2011. It indicts Gosnell on the murder of the
mother and seven babies who were born alive and killed when Gosnell cut their spinal cords. Molinari tells Assistant District Attorney Alexis McGuire (Sarah Jane Morris), a prochoice mother of five, to make this case about illegal activities. Gosnell’s defense lawyer, played by the film’s director, Nick Searcy, is meant to preach the evils of abortion to the audience, and he surely does this when he demonstrates to the audience exactly how abortions are carried out. The film does not show actual procedures, but the audience can easily fill in the blanks by seeing the evidence. This investigative crime story is a chillingly true tale of unimaginable horrors. Cain’s performance as a Catholic cop is believable. The film may be preaching to the people who already believe that abortion is the taking of the most innocent of human lives, but perhaps it will inform and change some hearts. A-3, PG-13 • Graphic images throughout.
Not yet rated, PG-13 • Extensive violence throughout.
Catholic News Service Media Review Office gives these ratings. A-1 General patronage
A-2 Adults and adolescents
n this sequel to 2015’s Creed, heavyweight boxing champion Adonis “Donnie” Creed (Michael B. Jordan), becomes engaged to his singer-girlfriend, Bianca (Tessa Thompson). Soon they discover they are expecting a baby. They live in Philadelphia where Donnie trains with his mentor, Rocky (Sylvester Stallone). Life has become intense as the young man prepares to take on Viktor Drago (Florian Munteanu) in a prizefight. He is the son of Ivan (Dolph Lungren), a steroid-infused champion who killed Donnie’s father, Apollo, in the ring years before. Rocky refuses to coach Creed because the risks are too great. The fight is called in Donnie’s favor and he retains his title, but this only raises the stakes for Viktor and Donnie to fight again. Creed II is the eighth installment of the Rocky franchise. It is cowritten by Stallone and Juel Taylor, and directed by Steven Caple Jr. Themes of personal growth and reconciliation abound. But the boxing sequences are brutal, no matter how much people want to turn boxing into a metaphor for inner growth and building character. The message is that family matters above all.
A-3 Adults
L Limited adult audience
O Morally offensive
?
WANT MORE? Visit our website: StAnthonyMessenger.org
Source: USCCB.org/movies
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ABOVE: Wayne Sloan and Wiley Garland, natives of Grand Saline, Texas. INSET: Charles Moore’s son, Guy Moore, holds a photo of his father.
Man on Fire
Independent Lens on PBS, December 17, 10 p.m.
O
n the morning of June 23, 2014, a 79-year-old man parked his car in an empty lot in Grand Saline, Texas. Kneeling on a sofa cushion he brought from home, he doused himself with gasoline and self-immolated. He was airlifted to Parkland Hospital in Dallas where he succumbed to his injuries later that day. His name was the Rev. Charles Moore. In the following weeks, friends and relatives of the deceased—as well as his hometown—would learn the motives behind his final act. Independent Lens’ quietly rousing documentary Man on Fire takes an even closer look. Until that day in 2014, Grand Saline, a dusty town of about 3,100, was known for its sodium. The salt on every pretzel made in the United States, one resident proudly asserts, comes from the close-knit town. Moore’s suicide changed that— some might say sullied it. A Methodist minister born in Grand Saline, Moore took his life to protest how gays, lesbians, and people of color were treated throughout the town’s history. Viewers might be appalled at such a drastic act, but as we learn in the documentary, Moore was a man deeply, spiritually wounded by injustice. What gives the documentary its true punch is how residents of the town react to his death. Older whites dismiss him as a liberal nut. Younger whites are far more forgiving. And black residents of any age recount, with pain lingering in their voices, the racism they’ve endured in the town. Was Moore a martyr or a lunatic? Director Joel Fendelman, a bold voice in documentary filmmaking, doesn’t take a position here, allowing viewers to draw their own conclusions. Survivors of loved ones who take their lives are often left with more questions than answers. But one interview subject in the documentary makes a powerful parallel. “There were so many people who thought Jesus was crazy,” the Rev. Dr. Jeff Hood says. “Just like people think Charles was crazy. But there was a fire in Jesus. And I think part of that fire was in Charles Moore.”
stream UP CLOSE
Forever Amazon Prime
I
n this channel surfer’s opinion, Maya Rudolph doesn’t have the career she deserves. The Saturday Night Live alum outshone many of her costars on the late-night variety show—and a film career never really took root, despite an impactful turn in 2011’s Bridesmaids. God bless streaming: Amazon Prime’s Forever might be just the vehicle to match her considerable gifts. The series stars Rudolph and Fred Armisen as June and Oscar, a middle-aged married couple whose lives border on the monotonous. When they die a year apart, the couple is reunited in the hereafter, which looks like a prefab neighborhood in Orange County. How the couple navigate their new afterlives together is the heartbeat of the show—and it’s handled with humor and heart. Rudolph and Armisen have a breezy, lived-in ease with one another; while Kym Whitley, as June’s best friend in life, turns in strong supporting work. The language is often raw, so parents should take note. But for a fresh look at this life and the next, Forever is time well spent.
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BLUR: EMI MUSIC JAPAN; GORILLAZ: PARLOPHONE; PETE & REPEAT: TOM GREENE
By Christopher Heffron
MAN ON FIRE: COURTESY OF MAN ON FIRE/JOEL FENDELMAN, INSET: COURTESY OF THE MOORE FAMILY; FOREVER: EPK.TV/COLLEEN HAYES
media MATTERS
reel time | channel surfing | audio file | bookshelf
Editor’s Pick Retro-spective BLUR | 13
efore Gorillaz (see “Editor’s Pick”), Damon Albarn’s full-time music gig was as the lead singer of Blur, part of the ’90s British invasion that included Pulp and onetime nemesis, Oasis. Earlier albums saw the band producing more accessible Britpop in the vein of the Kinks. 13, released in 1999, shows the band stretching out to incorporate influences from gospel, electronica, and punk. Some of guitarist Graham Coxon’s finest work is on this album, particularly in “Coffee and TV.” In that song, Albarn’s lyrics are far more personal than in much of his previous work, and he seems to be working through the pain of a devastating breakup through songwriting. There’s a real sense of catharsis in the music. Then there’s “Tender,” a nearly eight-minute song that opens up the album that features backing vocals from the London Community Gospel Choir and the deft production work of William Orbit. Despite Albarn’s despair over lost love, he still manages to deliver this message: “Love’s the greatest thing/That we have.” Amen to that.
BLUR: EMI MUSIC JAPAN; GORILLAZ: PARLOPHONE; PETE & REPEAT: TOM GREENE
PETE&REPEAT
GORILLAZ | THE NOW NOW
T
he brainchild of singer-songwriter Damon Albarn and comic-book artist Jamie Hewlett, Gorillaz have been toying with the vaguely labeled genre of art pop for nearly 20 years. Like Andy Warhol’s silkscreens of a Campbell’s Soup can or Marilyn Monroe, Gorillaz take something familiar—in this case, pop music—and filter it through surprising experimentation. The fact that the band is visually represented by four cartoon characters, complete with their own backstories and mythology, only turns the pop formula even more on its head. In their latest offering, The Now Now, Gorillaz are at their most introspective, with the focus less on featuring famous collaborators and more on crafting memorable melodies. The first song, “Humility,” is also one of the few to feature a guest musician. Here it’s legendary jazz/funk guitarist George Benson, who provides his buoyant sound to an upbeat production by Albarn and company. Juxtaposed with the sunny funk of the music are Albarn’s lyrics, which deal with loneliness and longing. In the chorus, Albarn refers to himself as “the lonely twin, the left hand.” How many of us have felt the same way, especially in a world where faster communication has taken precedence over meaningful conversation? Jesus himself grappled with loneliness in the Garden of Gethsemane, while the disciples weren’t able to stay awake to keep him company during that dark night. Like the Gorillaz’ 2010 album The Fall, this collection of songs explores the particular sense of detachment and isolation that comes from being away from home with songs such as “Kansas” and “Idaho.” The latter is one of the album’s highlights—a wistful, almost folksy song that seems to capture the essence of the whole record. In both the music and the lyrics, forces of light and dark collide. In the chorus, Albarn sings: “Idaho, Idaho/There’s a beauty on the road/Every day, I look out at the bus/At silver linings getting lost.” While the lyrics deal with melancholy and feeling isolated, The Now Now is by no means a “sad” album or an exercise in self-indulgent navel-gazing. Rather, it’s meaningful pop music—something in short supply these days.
These scenes may seem alike to you, But there are changes in the two. So look and see if you can name Eight ways in which they’re not the same. (Answers below)
GET THE BOOK
Great fun for puzzlers of all ages!
Go online to order: Shop.FranciscanMedia.org For ONLY $3.99 Use Code: SAMPETE ANSWERS to PETE & REPEAT: 1) Pete is wearing a scarf. 2) One of the ornaments is larger. 3) There is another loop on the gold bow. 4) The curtain has another fold. 5) The tree has another branch. 6) One side of the white ribbon is wider. 7) A piece of the window is missing. 8) The curtain tieback now has a solid center.
MAN ON FIRE: COURTESY OF MAN ON FIRE/JOEL FENDELMAN, INSET: COURTESY OF THE MOORE FAMILY; FOREVER: EPK.TV/COLLEEN HAYES
B
By Daniel Imwalle
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media MATTERS
reel time | channel surfing | audio file | bookshelf
By Julie Traubert
What We Think and Do Matters
“How we answer the great questions determines how we live and what we consider good or evil, just or unjust.”
SAINTS VS. SCOUNDRELS BY BENJAMIN WIKER EWTN Publishing
D
r. Benjamin Wiker creates an imaginary salon where he hosts conversations between historical figures whose ideas have shaped Western civilization. A prolific writer and host of EWTN’s Saints vs. Scoundrels series, he uses his show’s premise to author an entertaining and thought-provoking book on Catholic apologetics.
The introduction of this book seems somewhat contrived as he prepares the reader for the imaginary conversations to come, but once the conversations are underway they draw you into the dynamic tension of the ideas. The conversations are between political philosophers and saints—Rousseau vs. St. Augustine, Machiavelli vs. St. Francis of Assisi, and Henry VIII vs. St. Thomas More; two writers—Ayn Rand and Flannery O’Connor; and two philosophers—Nietzsche and Edith Stein. Dr. Wiker asks the reader to pretend this book is a work of enlightening fiction, or a clever way to talk about the great questions, debates, and answers. Dr. Wiker comes highly qualified for such a literary adventure. His academic background includes degrees in political philosophy and religion, and a doctorate in theological ethics. But this
book is not hard to read. Even those unfamiliar with these individuals and ideas will benefit, but those familiar with them will gain the most. Enough is presented about the individuals and their ideas that those new to them will learn something about political philosophy and theological ethics. For readers more advanced in these topics, the face-off between the ideas presented in the conversations and the “Reflections” section provides more food for thought. Those who will most enjoy this book are readers looking for an opportunity to engage with Catholic thought, something that is scarcely available in contemporary secular culture. Reviewed by Elizabeth Pilgrim, a Catholic book reviewer with a longtime interest in both political philosophy and theological ethics.
Astronomy and Faith for the Rest of Us
S
adly, in the realm of science, I am the equivalent of tone-deaf. I couldn’t tell an asteroid from an asterisk. So I was surprised at how much I loved this book. Two of the pope’s chief astronomers, Jesuits Guy Consolmagno and Paul Mueller, team up to address questions that nonscientists like myself have always been curious about: Why did poor Pluto get demoted? Can I believe in both the Big Bang and Genesis? How, cosmically speaking, will the universe come to an end? And, most curious of all, would the Church baptize an extraterrestrial? The book is a perfect blend of science, theology, storytelling, and good humor. The authors help ordinary folks understand difficult concepts
in astronomy without being patronizing or speaking over our heads. More important, the book helps us reflect on the moral and theological implications of our scientific explorations. One of my favorite things about the book is the authors’ use of humor and analogy to help explain their points. For example, they compare science’s “chasing after faith” with Looney Tunes’ Wile E. Coyote chasing after Road Runner—using technology and ingenuity to answer science’s biggest questions without ever actually “catching” faith’s biggest answers. Through these whimsical observations we get to see science and faith not only dialoguing with one another, but actually having a little fun together.
WOULD YOU BAPTIZE AN EXTRATERRESTRIAL? BY GUY CONSOLMAGNO, SJ, AND PAUL MUELLER, SJ Image Books
Reviewed by Mark E. Thibodeaux, SJ, author of Armchair Mystic: Easing into Contemplation and God, I Have Issues: 50 Ways to Pray No Matter How You Feel.
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COKIE ROBERTS’ PHOTO: COURTESY OF ABC/RANDY SAGER
“This book is about what it’s like when science encounters faith on friendly, mutually respectful terms.”
A POPE FRANCIS LEXICON
POPE FRANCIS: THE COURAGE TO BE HAPPY
EDITED BY JOSHUA J. McELWEE AND CINDY WOODEN
Loyola Press
EDITED BY ROBERT ELLSBERG
Liturgical Press
Orbis Books
“The Holy Father has given us a vocabulary of care, concern, inclusion, and service.”
“Dear Young People, . . . Happy above all are the ones who can see the good in other people.”
“Life is often a desert; it is difficult to walk in life, but if we trust in God it can become beautiful.”
E
I
T
mbrace, grandparents, immigrant, sourpuss, throwaway culture: These are some of the words that pepper the speeches and writings of Pope Francis, reflecting their importance in his ministry. Seeking to define and explore the primary ideas of his papacy, Joshua McElwee and Cindy Wooden, two highly esteemed Vatican journalists, asked contributors from around the world to each write a short essay about one of the significant terms used by the pope. The result: a volume of 54 essays written by priests and nuns, Church leaders and laypeople, theologians and journalists. The writers provide insight and deeper understanding of the pope’s priorities and impact on the Church and our lives.
t is well known that Pope Francis has a deep love for the youth of the world. Editor Robert Ellsberg has gathered the messages and reflections the pope has delivered to various youth audiences during the past five years of his papacy, creating an inspiring read for any young or not-so-young person. The pope’s words are garnered from across the globe, from an address to students in Cuba, to a meeting with children and immigrant families in Harlem, New York, to Asian Youth Day in the Republic of Korea. Connecting easily with young people, Pope Francis encourages them to find true happiness in Christ.
What I’m Reading
SPOT M
The Hello Girls, by Elizabeth Cobbs A Gentleman from Moscow, by Amor Towles Be Frank with Me, by Julia Claiborne Johnson
his compact, 97-page book is brimming with lessons from Pope Francis on how to live life with hope leading the way. Acknowledging the violent world we live in and the daily struggles all of us face, the pope encourages us to not fall into hopelessness but rather to remember that God always walks with us through his love. On Hope is compiled from 14 general audiences the pope presented in Rome. Sharing personal experiences and analyzing Scripture, he illuminates Christian hope, which leads us to living in expectation and finding life. He reminds us that hope can be a helmet in our most difficult times.
KIDS’ BEFORE I WAS ME
Jailed for Freedom, by Doris Stevens
COKIE ROBERTS’ PHOTO: COURTESY OF ABC/RANDY SAGER
ON HOPE BY POPE FRANCIS
WRITTEN AND ILLUSTRATED BY FRANK FRASER
any young children inquire, “Where was I before I was born?” This book answers that question beautifully and lovingly through a conversation between God and a child soon to be born. The child learns she is important simply because God will always love her.
Books featured in this section can be ordered from:
St. Mary’s Bookstore & Church Supply Cokie Roberts is an Emmy Award-winning political commentator for ABC News and NPR. Roberts has also written six New York Times best sellers, most dealing with the roles of women in US history.
1909 West End Avenue • Nashville, TN 37203 • 800-233-3604
web: www.stmarysbookstore.com e-mail: stmarysbookstore@gmail.com
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POINTSOFVIEW | FAITH & FAMILY By Susan Hines-Brigger
‘I See You’
Susan has worked at St. Anthony Messenger for 24 years and is an executive editor. She and her husband, Mark, are the proud parents of four kids—Maddie, Alex, Riley, and Kacey. Aside from her family, her loves are Disney, traveling, and sports.
LOOK AND LISTEN
Susan welcomes your comments and suggestions! E-MAIL: CatholicFamily@ FranciscanMedia.org MAIL: Faith & Family 28 W. Liberty St. Cincinnati, OH 45202
?
WANT MORE? Visit our website: StAnthonyMessenger.org
Have you ever gotten a gift that strikes you in the heart, one that tells you that person really knows you and put thought and energy into the gift? Wouldn’t you like to have that feeling every time you receive something—a gift that says: “I see you. I know you. I pay attention to you”? Well, that’s what I’m going for whenever I give a gift. We all like to feel as if those we care about truly see us for who we are, don’t we? Recently, I was reminded of this when I was watching a Hallmark movie. (Don’t laugh. It’s my guilty pleasure.) At one point during the movie, someone asked the soon-to-be groom if he knew his fiancee’s favorite color, flower, flavor of ice cream, or a number of other things. Not surprisingly, he did not. The underlying message—that we don’t really know each other as much as we think we do—hit home for me once again. That is why each year, beginning in January, I start a running list of all the people
whom I would like to get something for at Christmas. Many of them are people who wouldn’t expect anything, which makes it even better. Throughout the year I watch, I listen, I ask questions. I snap pictures. I take notes. In fact, it’s amazing what you can learn about people just by being present and observant. Even if everything I see or hear doesn’t result in an actual gift, what a gift in itself it is to learn more about that person. As for the actual gifts, they don’t have to be big or pricey—just something that lets the person know that you’re paying attention to him or her. NOW MORE THAN EVER
These days, in fact, I feel that my mission is even more important—and difficult— because of the disconnect that seems to be so pervasive thanks to a wide range of things both literal and ideological. Sure, sending a text or e-mail is quick and easy. I get it; we’re all really busy. But a digital connection is just not the same as a face-to-face one. That is why I want to find a way to reconnect. For me, searching out the perfect gift is one small way I can do that. And Christmas—when we all receive the greatest gift of all—seems like the perfect time for it. So while I respect your right to give whatever types of gifts you choose, whatever you do, just make sure it’s something that says, “I know you. I see you. I care.”
LEFT: MC KOZUSKO/SAM; RIGHT: PHOTOCREO/FOTOSEARCH
Susan Hines-Brigger
nyone who knows me knows that when it comes to gift-giving I have two rules, the most important of which is this: no gift cards. My second rule has to do with what I see as the redundancy of getting a greeting card and a gift, but that’s not what I want to talk about here. That first rule is especially important to me at Christmastime. Now, before I get gift-card lovers up in arms, let me explain. I know that gift cards definitely serve a purpose. They are a great option for busy people who want to give something but don’t have the time to shop. Or they are a great gift as a prize or recognition of a job well done. I also know that some people prefer to receive gift cards or cash because then they are assured of getting something they want or need. I know I’m swimming upstream. I get it. But they just don’t work for me. Here’s why.
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FOTOSEARCH IMAGES: TOP (COMPOSITE): NCHUPRIN/ALKIONA25/RTSUBIN; RIGHT: TOP: YVDAVYD; MIDDLE: MAGONE; BOTTOM: AJAFOTO
A
in the kitchen Homemade Gifts in a Jar
with Rita Heikenfeld
Almonds were one of the gifts that Jacob sent to Joseph (Gn 43:11) and a common food in biblical times.
FIRE & ICE PICKLES
HONEY ROASTED ALMONDS
Addictive!
Better than store-bought!
Ingredients:
Ingredients:
2 cups sugar
¼ cup
sugar
¼ tsp.
hot red pepper flakes
½ tsp.
salt
1
garlic clove, smashed
2 tbls.
each: honey and water
½ tsp.
canola oil
Prep time: 10 minutes, excludes brining time Yield: 3–4 cups
FOTOSEARCH IMAGES: TOP (COMPOSITE): NCHUPRIN/ALKIONA25/RTSUBIN; RIGHT: TOP: YVDAVYD; MIDDLE: MAGONE; BOTTOM: AJAFOTO
LEFT: MC KOZUSKO/SAM; RIGHT: PHOTOCREO/FOTOSEARCH
1 qt.
wavy or thin-sliced plain dill pickles
Instructions: Drain pickles in colander. Discard juice. Place pickles in bowl and add rest of ingredients. Stir to mix. Let sit at room temperature until sugar dissolves—this can take several hours. Give it a stir every now and then. Remove garlic clove. Pour into jars with syrup that has formed and store in refrigerator. FIND THIS AND OTHER RECIPES AT: FranciscanMedia.org/source/recipes
Prep time: 30 minutes Yield: 2 cups
2 cups whole raw almonds with skin on
Instructions: Roast nuts: Preheat oven to 350. Pour nuts in single layer on cookie sheet. Roast until fragrant, 8–10 minutes. Stir from the outside edge into the center a couple of times. Can be done ahead.
In Exodus 33:3, the Lord told Moses to go to “a land flowing with milk and honey.” Honey was a natural sweetener in biblical days.
Mix sugar and salt and set aside. Stir together honey, water, and oil in large nonstick skillet and bring to a boil over medium heat. Immediately stir in nuts and continue to cook and stir until liquid is absorbed, about 5 minutes. Sprinkle sugar mixture over and toss until evenly coated. Pour out onto sprayed cookie sheet. When cool, break up and store airtight at room temperature up to two weeks.
Butter has an ancient biblical history. Proverbs 30:33 tells how butter was made by churning milk.
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reflection
“Jesus came to us as a child so that we might come to understand not only that nothing we do is insignificant, but that every small thing we do has within it the power to change the world.”
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