Vocations

God P EOPLE of G OD february2020

Reverend John Trambley III, Director of Vocations President, St. Pius X High School, Albuquerque

In Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians, he writes instructions to those who are already baptized and are trying to live as Christians. It is one thing to say we are supposed to love as God loves, but what does that look like? His famous chapter on love helps clarify Christian love in practice. He writes, “Love is patient, love is kind. It is not jealous, it is not pompous, it is not inflated, it is not rude, it does not seek its own interests, it is not quick-tempered, it does not brood over injury, it does not rejoice over wrongdoing but rejoices with the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails.” (1 Cor 13:4-8)

We believe that love never fails because God is love. The first letter of John says, “God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him” (1 Jn 4:16). Love is the core of being a Christian. It is a sharing in the love that God has for each one of us.

Benedict XVI says, “Being Christian is not the result of an ethical choice or a lofty idea, but the encounter with an event, a person, which gives life a new horizon and a decisive direction. St. John’s Gospel describes that event in these words: ‘God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should ... have eternal life’ (3:16). In acknowledging the centrality of love, Christian faith has retained the core of Israel’s faith, while at the same time giving it new depth and breadth.” (Deus Caritas Est, Introduction) Benedict XVI also says, “Since God has first loved us (cf. 1 Jn 4:10), love is now no longer a mere ‘command;’ it is the response to the gift of love with which God draws near to us.” (Deus Caritas Est, Introduction)

We all are called to respond to God’s love in some way. Saints are examples of this. St. Valentine responded to God’s love. In 1969, the Roman Catholic Church removed St. Valentine from the General Roman Calendar, because so little is known about him. However, the church still recognizes him as a saint, listing him in the February 14 spot of Roman Martyrology. The Catechism of the Catholic Church says, “The martyr bears witness to Christ who died and rose, to whom he is united by charity.” (CCC 2473)

Not all of us are called to be martyrs; however, all are called to give and receive love in some way. Some will do this in their vocation of marriage. As Pope Francis says, “The joy of love experienced by families is also the joy of the Church.” (Amoris Laetitia, Paragraph 1) Some will do this as a priest, deacon or religious. There is joy in sharing Christ’s love with others. All can do this in their charity toward others.

Stay open to the way you can best respond to Christ’s love for you. Love is not just something for one day a year, it is meant to be lived every day of our lives! is love

Seminary Burse The following parishes have sent in excess Mass stipends and other contributions collected at the Archdiocesan Finance Office for seminarian education. These receipts are for the month of January 2020. Excess Mass stipends are from multiple Mass intentions celebrated at parishes. The archdiocesan policy is for excess Mass stipends to be used for seminarian education.

Parish Name/City Amount Received Catholic Daughters of the Americas in honor ofReverend Juan Mendez...........1,000.00 Immaculate Conception – Albuquerque.................................................................................430.00 Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary – Albuquerque..........................................................500.00 Our Lady of Sorrows – Bernalillo.............................................................................................1,000.00 Our Lady of the Annunciation – Albuquerque...................................................................1,947.00 Queen of Heaven – Albuquerque............................................................................................2,315.00 St. Augustine – Isleta Pueblo....................................................................................................2,568.50 St. Joseph on the Rio Grande – Albuquerque......................................................................540.00 St. Patrick – St. Joseph – Raton ............................................................................................... 1,116.00 St. Rose of Lima – Santa Rosa.................................................................................................3,000.00 Total $ 14,416.50

Joseph Sandoval, O.Praem. Obl. Director of Communication, Santa Maria de la Vid Abbey

Ash Wednesday is almost upon us, so this is a good time to start planning devotional and spiritual practices for Lent. Praying the Stations of the Cross is a popular way to meditate on the passion and crucifixion of Jesus. This communal prayer is a wonderful way to stay focused on the Passion with an assembly of people. The Norbertine Community of Santa María de la Vid Abbey offers an alternative to this traditional Lenten practice. Our Way of the Cross path invites visitors to reflect individually on Christ’s Passion at one’s own pace. Because the

Last September, Archbishop John

C. Wester called for a seven-month period within which he invites the faithful to undertake a pilgrimage of conversion, hope, and healing among peoples. Archbishop Wester pointed to ways that society is in need of healing, insisting that this healing can be realized. To that end, the Norbertine Community of Santa María de la Vid Abbey invites you to walk the Way of the Cross as part of your pilgrimage. In contemplating Jesus’ journey to the Cross, you may reflect on the grave issues society faces. An additional booklet, also located the path’s entry, connects Archbishop Wester’s thoughts to the events in the Way of the Cross. The booklet will be available soon on both the Archdiocese of Santa Fe website www.archdiosf.org and the Norbertine Community websitehttps://norbertinecommunity.org The Way of the Cross lies just west of the Desert Chapel of John the Baptist, 5825 Coors Blvd. SW 87121, 505.873.4399. All are welcome.

path is outdoors, it also offers the opportunity to encounter the Holy Spirit in the serenity of nature. A guide booklet with scriptural passages and a short meditation on each Station is provided at the entry to the path. Additionally, the Stations of the Norbertine Community’s Way of the Cross differ somewhat from the more conventional Stations of the Cross. The Way of the Cross at Santa María de la Vid uses events that are more closely rooted in scripture. During Holy Week in 1991, Pope John Paul II celebrated the Way of the Cross at the Coliseum in Rome. During this celebration, he omitted some of the traditional stations and added others so that each station is scripturally based; the Norbertine Community opted for this scriptural version as the basis for its Way of the Cross path.