Cathedral News “There’s Lent in Valentine” Fr. Jovita Reflects on Love and Suffering
Inside: 5 Ways to Practice Conversion Celebrating Lent at Holy Family Cathedral School Journeying Through Lent with St. Augustine
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Newsletter, March 2018
THERE’S LENT IN VALENTINE by Very Rev. Chukwudi Jovita Okonkwo, Ph.D.
While vacationing in Nigeria early this year, I met Archbishop Anthony Valentine Obinna (of Owerri Archdiocese) and I joked to him that his annual festival of Valentine falls on the wrong day this year since Lent begins on Ash Wednesday, which happens to be February 14th and Lovers’ Day. The witty Archbishop quipped that it really came on the most appropriate day because there’s Lent in Valentine. I’d never paid attention to this; but yes, there’s Lent in VaLENTine. He went on to explain that even the root of the word ‘valent’ presupposes valor, strength and power which we beg the Lord to bestow on us in order to conquer the ballasts of the flesh and the attacks of the tempter. Valentine is also rooted in a word very common in Chemistry, namely, valency, which refers to the phenomenon of forming chemical bonds, reacting, uniting or interacting as obtainable in chemical changes—to atoms or molecules—or the sharing of electrons in a chemical compound. It was clear that Archbishop Obinna knew something about his name and about Lent. The valence of Lent resides in its call to venture into the terrain of grace, unite and interact with it and become transformed into copious images of Christ. Isn’t that the reason for the season? A SPRINGTIME OF LOVE The way Lent was practiced in the household in which I grew up was a long, dreary 40 days when there’s no music in the house, no meat for dinner (the reason why I started liking fish more than meat), no sweets, and the most biting of it all—no football. In addition, we upped our devotions: from praying five decades of the rosary every morning to praying 15 decades. Night prayer was preceded by the Stations of the Cross, which more than anything called our attention to the 14 Roman numerals written on the east and west walls of my father’s living room. It was from these walls, not from school, that kids in the family learned the Roman numerology. But something else happens during Lent. It is the
time when people who live in tropical climates experience the first rainfalls clearing the dusts of the dry season, the grasses start to experience new life and the fruit trees start budding. In the temperate regions, Lent is springtime. The original meaning of the word “Lent” is spring. In the western hemisphere, Lent usually begins at winter and the early Lenten days are the coldest and darkest. However, by the time Lent is over, the days are growing longer and brighter, the grasses and trees that seemed dead are resurrecting to new life and the forsythias and the lilies have started blooming. It doesn’t take much to notice how brightly things turn at the end of springtime, clearly announcing that love is in the air. Lent, therefore, calls attention to a new springtime of love and life. From whichever angle you look at it, Lent evokes new things: new year, first rains, first fruits, etc. And in the spiritual terrain, you may add that Lent is a new springtime in our spiritual life. Perhaps that’s the reason my father insisted that we prayed the entire [then] 15 decades of the rosary, rather than just five, practice discipline, mortify our senses, and engage in charitable works. There already are contained the three spiritual exercises of Lent: prayer, fasting and almsgiving. But more than spiritual exercises, these acts are embedded in the love of the savior who came into this world as sent by his father to love us incredibly. Lent summarizes God’s love as expressed in the words of that famous scripture passage, John 3:16, known widely to many Protestants and Catholics: “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son so that we might not perish but have everlasting life.” Archbishop Obinna was right to suggest that Lent and Valentine are one and the same thing, and more than an accident in lexicon, “there’s truly Lent in Valentine.” THE FATHER’S VALENTINE GIFT Chocolates and flowers receive a sale boon during the Valentine season. The rose flower is the most popular flower of the Valentine season. The flower shops sell roses of different shades and color, and fake roses made from synthetic plastic fly out of shops. Pastry shops are not left out as they roll out chocolate-laced roses or rose-shaped chocolates for Aphrodite and her appeasers. Amidst all the hullaballoo of Valentine gift-giving, an important part
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of the rose flower is purposively made to not feature in the love-giving and love-sharing exercise. And that is this: at the stem of every rose bud are sharp thorns that say more about the rose flower than the flourish of its bud. We often forget that the rose bud that we love its color and perfume is not on the plant for more than a week, but the thorns remain as long as the rose bush lasts. Grigoris Deoudis drew an eternal lesson from the rose bud and the thorns on the rose which can help us understand the purpose of our Lenten observances: “Roses are teaching that the beauty of life will bloom, once you have taught yourself the lessons given by living with the thorns.” According to Julie Christenson, roses with its thorns have historically symbolized adversity and sacrifice. Hence, Abraham Lincoln was quoted as saying: “We can complain because rose bushes have thorns, or rejoice because thorns have roses.” Similarly, in the poem The Weather of Love, Suzy Kassem shares an idea that contemporary lovers seem very eager to forget and cast aside: “Love has a way of wilting or blossoming at the strangest, most unpredictable hour[…]Love is an uncontrollable beast in the form of a flower. The sun does not always shine on it. Nor does the rain always pour on it. Nor should it always get beaten by a storm. Love does not always emit the sweetest scents. And sometimes it can sting with its thorns.” In his famous work, The Nightingale and the Rose, Oscar Wilde describes how a nightingale pierces its breast on a rose thorn so the lover may have a red rose for his beloved. The Lenten season leading to the passion, death and resurrection of Christ celebrates the mystery of God’s gift of love to humanity; a love that was accomplished through the sacrificial offering of Himself as expiation for our sins. The dirt of human weakness and sin can be likened to the thorns on the rose which the Lord took upon himself, and conquering sin and death gave us new life, which blossoms as perfumed rose buds. Thus Christ himself taught the disciples on the road to Emmaus that “it was necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory” (Lk 24: 29). THE ROSE AND THE GRAIL Not without cause does the rose and the grail share natural and spiritual resonances. In fact, the Latin word calyx and the Greek κάλυξ (kálux) refer both to chalice, grail or cup as well as the cup-like sepal or whorl that encloses the petal of the flower and forms
Newsletter, March 2018
a protective layer around the flower in bud. The rose and the grail have maintained rich symbolisms in Christian mystery and art, often likened to the soul as a receptive vessel opening itself to receive the inflow of divine life. Scripture refers to Christ as the Rose of Sharon and the Lily of the Valleys—names that have been also used to reference the Virgin Mary (Song of Songs 2:1). Significantly, the rose and the lily are spring flowers that contain resurrection motifs and used to adorn altars for the Easter festivities. Christ made references, on many occasions, to the chalice or the cup which He would drink and made “drinking the cup” a prerequisite for discipleship (Matt 20:22). To the disciples seeking seats at the right and left of Jesus in His glory, He presents the chalice, which He insists they must drink prior to considerations of seating positions. By this He teaches that suffering, like thorns on the rose, is part and parcel of discipleship and must precede glory. Just as the calyx protected the buds of the rose flower and opens up at the appropriate time to reveal the beauty it hides inside, so the cup of suffering which the Christian must drink with Christ not only precedes the glory of a new life in Him but is a prerequisite for this new life. And just as the number and arrangement of the petals of the rose, its velvety texture, the beauty of its form, its intoxicating perfume and the veiled golden heart wrapped within its petals reveal the mystery of the rose bud, so does resurrected life released from the calyx of suffering blossom in eternal effervescence. But far more than the rose petals which blossom today and in a matter of days wither, resurrected life is undying. MYSTICAL ROSE The Litany of Loreto refers to Mary as the Rosa Mystica and Mary has also become an image of the Holy Grail. Other rose-related names given to Mary include, Rose of Sharon, Wreath of Roses and Queen of the Most Holy Rosary. It is worth noting that this reference drew from pagan Rome that idolized the mysterious rose as sacred to the gods and used rose petals in processions honoring the pagan gods, especially Venus, the goddess of love. The embrace of Christianity by formerly pagan Rome allowed the sacred symbols to gain rich Christian undertones. It was only a matter of necessity that the mysterious rose, sacred to Venus would become associated with the Blessed Virgin and on the site of the sacred temple of Juno Lucina was erected the basilica of St.
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Mary Major (Santa Maria Maggiore), just as the temple of Jupiter Capitolinus became St. Peter’s Basilica.
Newsletter, March 2018
5 WAYS TO PRACTICE CONVERSION by Sam Guzman, excerpt from “The Catholic Gentleman”
Be converted, the LOVE ESCOUNCED IN SORROW kingdom of God is The Mystical Rose depicts love ensconced in sorrow at hand. These are the first and red rose became the symbol of the sorrows of Mary. This imagery echoes Hesiod’s depiction of the world we hear from the lips of Our sorrows of Aphrodite, which in the Christian parlance is Blessed Savior as portrayed as the drops of Christ’s blood spilt upon a thorn bush. Mary was often addressed as the “Rose He initiates His Public ministry. without Thorn” to emphasize her purity as the ancient Conversion in Greek is Metanoia, meaning change of rose which grew in Eden. Her purity restores her and her children to paradise from which the sinful Eve— heart. The core of the teaching of the Precursor of Jesus, St. John the Baptist, was the same, “Be represented as the rose with thorns—had been converted because the Kingdom of God is at hand.” expelled. In the new garden of divine regeneration, Mary becomes prominent as the perfect example of Furthermore, St. Peter and the Apostles also preached the call to conversion. Therefore, if the greatest of all union with God, and the Mystical Rose has become a prophets, the first Pope, and Jesus Himself preached symbol of the union between Christ and the Church whose mother is also called Mater Ecclesiae (Mother of the urgency of conversion then indeed it must be the Church). The rose stained glass windows of the important! The Church, the Mystical Body of Christ, magnificent Gothic cathedrals of many medieval cities reiterates this message in various forms and seasons. and their beautiful circular mandalas depict Mary as At the start of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, after the Notre Dame and Mater Ecclesiae. In many artistic depictions of Mary, she is pictured within a womb-like greeting the people, the priest invites himself and the whole congregation to pause briefly for an walled garden filled with roses, called the hortus conclusus. From her virginal womb as from this walled examination of conscience. On what? Our communal and personal recognition of sin and humble invocation garden of the eternal paradise came the Morning Star that God would have mercy on us and help us to whose brightness illumines our nights and who, as we undergo metanoia—conversion of life. sing in the Easter proclamation, “coming back from death’s domain, has shed his peaceful light on Ways that we can undergo a true conversion of life humanity.” The following are ways that we can delve deep into The Lenten season carries the message that love our souls and strive for a sincere and deep conversion is the only key available for unlocking the door of this of life! However, we must always remember that true conversion of life is more God’s work in our souls than divine garden and for revealing the secret of its our doing. We must collaborate with the grace of the hidden rose. May the Rosa Mystica accompany us in this journey and enfold us in the garland of divine Lord! effervescent. 1. Memory. Our memory is in need of constant purification. St. Paul exhorts us to put on the mind of Christ; then he says that you have the mind of Christ. Past wounds in our early years, addictions that enslaved, abuses either physical, emotional, social or moral—all of these must be brought to the Lord for a deep healing and conversion. One short but powerful suggestion: The Word of God! The Word of God is powerful like a two-edged sword that separates bone from marrow. The daily reading of the Word of God
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in prayerful meditation can result in the conversion of the mind. One more step: memorize Sacred Scripture! If you like this analogy: what chlorine is and does to a swimming pool (cleansing and purifying) the Word of God can do to the human mind. Lord, may your Word be a light for my path and a torch for my steps!
2. Eyes. Our eyes need constant vigilance and control. Unfortunately, the most powerful addiction in the United States is that of pornography. Children are exposed to this ravenous and merciless wolf at a very tender age. Studies show that pornography can be more powerful than the addiction to drugs. A recovering gang member, drug-addict and alcoholic rejoiced that he was able to conquer all the above vices. However, he could not detach himself from the addiction to pornography. Three suggestions to attain this metanoia/conversion. • At the crack of dawn upon waking, to consecrate one’s whole being— especially the eyes—to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. • Second, when tempted invoke the Precious Blood of Jesus as a shield against the fiery darts of the devil. • Lastly, visit the Blessed Sacrament exposed and contemplate the Eucharistic heart of Jesus. In the words of the Psalmist: “Look to the Lord and be radiant with joy.” 3. Tongue. Our tongue has to be controlled constantly! Saint James reminds us poignantly that we should be slow to speak and quick to listen. Jesus reminds us that every word that issues from our mouth will be subject to judgment. Also the Lord tells us that from the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. Three concrete suggestions to attain conversion of our mouth, a transformation of our speech. First, we should get in the habit of speaking more to God and less to people. Second, we should learn to hold back our impulses and think before we speak. Finally, apply the Golden Rule of Jesus to speech. Do to others what you would have them do to you; say to others what you would like them say to you! Following this advice we are on the highway to converting our tongue!
Newsletter, March 2018
4. Intentions. Being honest with ourselves we must humble admit that our intentions are often mixed. Even in the best of actions are hidden some self-seeking, self-love and vanity. Sincere examination of conscience will highlight this truth! In the Diary of Saint Faustina, time and time again Jesus manifests His desire that she always have purity of intention, that her actions be done to please Him and for the honor and glory of God. The Bible points out that man sees the appearance but God reads the heart. In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus strictly warns us not to do our actions to be seen and praised by man. Remember! Do your actions such that your right hand does not even know what your left hand is doing. Your father who sees in secret will recompense you. The motto of St. Ignatius, the founder of the Company of Jesus (the Jesuits) is four letters: A.M.D.G. —Ad Maiorem Dei Gloriam—meaning, for the greater glory of God. That indeed should be the motivating principle that drives all of our actions in life! One concrete suggestion to obtain the conversion/metanoia of our intentions— Give all to Jesus through the hands of Mary. In the classic of St. Louis de Montfort, True Devotion to Mary, St. Louis presents a scene in which a pauper desires to present the King with an apple. The apple is not of the best, nor is the pauper the most worthy of admiration. However there is a secret to access to the heart of the King—the love the King has for his Queen. If the pauper can reach the Queen and give her the apple, then her Highness will take the apple, polish it, place it on a golden platter next to a beautiful flower and present it to the King. Then the King will accept it. Why? Not because of the pauper but because of the powerful and irresistible persuasion of the Queen. If we place our intentions in the Immaculate Heart of Mary then she purifies, embellishes and corrects our distorted motives!
5. Heart. Last but not least we all must go through a daily conversion of the very center of our being— our heart. Jesus says that from the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. The human heart can contain within it the most noble of intentions, but the human heart can also embrace the most despicable of desires! Constant
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conversion/metanoia of heart is necessary on a daily basis! What might be the most efficacious means to undergo a true conversion of heart? Simple and to the point: Fervent and passionate daily communion! In Holy Communion we receive the totality of Jesus: His Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity. Therefore, if we receive His Body, that means we also receive His Sacred Heart. In the most Sacred Heart of Jesus can be found all of the most sublime virtues and to the highest degree of holiness and perfection. Faith, hope, charity, patience, purity, meekness, obedience, mortification, fortitude— just to mention a few, are some of the virtues present in the Sacred Heart of Jesus. These virtues are present in every Consecrated Host that we can receive in Holy Communion on a daily basis. In a real sense, we can undergo a daily spiritual heart transplant every time we receive Holy Communion with faith, devotion and love. Beyond a shadow of doubt, Holy Communion received with the proper dispositions is by far the most efficacious channel to arrive at a true conversion of heart. Our Lord’s loving Heart burns and consumes all that is ugly and ignoble in our hearts so that we can truly say with the Apostle Saint Paul: “It is no longer I who live but Christ who lives in me!” (If you enjoyed this article, join us for Wednesdays at the Cathedral on March 21st, as we host Sam Guzman, the author, as he speaks about the story of the Prodigal Son).
Newsletter, March 2018
HOLY FAMILY CATHEDRAL SCHOOL 2017-2018 Dear Holy Family Cathedral Parishioners, Lent is underway and our faculty and students are engaged in a variety of activities seeking to bring about the conversion of heart we are all called to during this season of preparation. As a school community, we are focused on prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. Our emphasis this year for almsgiving is through collaboration with Cross Catholic Outreach. Throughout Lent, we are working together to provide funding for the Baraka Catholic Kindergarten in Kenya. This Kindergarten, in a remote area of Kenya, needs our help to add additional classrooms and improve its sanitation system. Through helping our less fortunate peers, we are able to more clearly recognize the blessings and benefits God has provided to us. In addition to the personal sacrifices middle students have taken on, as a group they are abstaining from conversation during lunch two days per week. During this time, in order to provide spiritual nourishment, the middle school is engaged in an exploration of the theological aspects of C. S. Lewis’s novel, The Silver Chair. This novel provides an engaging exploration of the difficulty we encounter recognizing truth and maintaining our focus on truth. Through this group study, students will gain the skills needed to support them in their own sacrificial fasting and gain a deeper understanding of the meaning of conversion. Though prayer is always central to our school day, during the Lenten season both our faculty and our student community increase our participation in prayer. As a school community, we attend Stations of the Cross each Friday afternoon, and on Wednesday mornings we gather in the main hallway before school to pray the Rosary. In addition to daily prayer, our faculty began Lent with a mini-retreat to discover the gifts God has given us as individuals, and to recognize those gifts in others. As we move into Holy Week, our community will once again celebrate our annual school -wide retreat day. Again this year our students will participate in Living Stations of the Cross, recreate a Seder meal, and engage in activities designed to deepen and illuminate their faith.
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As we all seek a deeper communion with Jesus Christ during this season of Lent, please pray that the faculty and staff of Holy Family Cathedral School will continue to be blessed in our mission to cultivate the love of God in the hearts of the students entrusted to our care, and for the well-being and success of our students and their families. Yours in Christ, Mrs. Southerland A SPIRITUAL JOURNEY THROUGH LENT WITH ST. AUGUSTINE by Monica Conro (Director of Family Evangelization)
As we approach Lent there’s always talk of what to ‘give up’ in addition to meat on Fridays. Perhaps you will give up desserts or the usual morning selection from Quick Trip on the way to work. Maybe you are fasting from television or Facebook, a fairly common practice. Many of us plan to volunteer at local charities and make donations to food distribution centers. Fasting, works of charity and almsgiving are staples of the Lenten season. Lent lived well must also include prayer. Prayer and contemplation require our time, which is likely the most sacrificial gift we can ‘give to’ our Lord. It is not a singular sacrifice in itself for we must first choose not to spend time in other activities. We often think of giving up unnecessary things during Lent, such as that favorite weekly program, but in reality if we are to find time in our busy lives to give our Lord, which is ultimately a gift to ourselves, we may need to give up something otherwise beneficial such as sleep or an hour at the gym in order to make time for the interior life without compromising our obligations to work or family. How will you bolster your prayer life and feed your soul these 40 days? Consider reading a great spiritual work and reflecting on the passages. If you have a regular adoration hour, bring it with you and ask our Lord to open your heart and your mind. I
Newsletter, March 2018
can’t think of a better season in the Church’s liturgy to delve into the classic spiritual work, The Confessions of Saint Augustine of Hippo. With approximately six weeks, there’s ample time to read, reflect and pray with this great book. Ignatius Press has a wonderful, very readable annotated edition that will help the reader understand context, language and historical background contained within. You might notice the editor is Fr. David V. Meconi, S. J., who recently spoke at Holy Family Cathedral.
Augustine tells the story of his life and family, including his beloved mother St. Monica. He moved away from his childhood faith, spiritually and physically, eventually indulging in every sensual pleasure, even illegal activity. Yet, happiness and satisfaction eluded him. As is still common in our modern day, he confused wisdom with knowledge and sought answers to spiritual questions in secular places. He became involved with heretical teachings of the day, only to find he still had not the answers he sought and the emptiness within remained. But this book is not merely a biography for he seeks to relate his thinking and desires that compelled him onward both spiritually and geographically, searching and questioning. Generally, we know how the story ends. He went on to become a bishop and prolific writer. His works are still published and read 1700 years after his earthly life. Because of this he is well known in both secular and religious circles. Perhaps you will find a part of your own story written in the pages of this book. I did. Although he lived in the 4th century, his story transcends his physical place in time. He sought Truth and he found it in the Catholic church. It is a wonderful story of conversion and a great reminder of God’s grace. God patiently waits for us, no matter how long our journey or how many wrong turns we take before coming to the altar. Reading such works can inform, inspire and encourage us. We too are called to become saints. St. Augustine, pray for us. Feast day: August 28
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Weekend Mass Schedule: 5:00 p.m. Saturday 8:00 a.m., 10:00 a.m., 12:00 Noon, and 5:00 p.m. Sunday Weekday Mass Schedule: 12:05 p.m. Monday 7:00 a.m. & 12:05 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday 7:00 a.m., 12:05 & 5:05 p.m. Friday 8:00 a.m. Saturday Tuesday-Saturday daily Masses are usually in the Chapel of Peace. Confessions: Ten minutes before all Masses, and 3:30 - 4:45 p.m. Saturday Friday Evening Holy Hour: 5:05 p.m. Mass, followed by Adoration and Benediction until 6:30 p.m.