March 2013

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Messenger

St. Joseph, Italian Style Elias Mallon, Interfaith Friar Divine Dance of Diabetes

Good Friday Darkness and Light

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CONTENTS

ST. ANTHONY Messenger

❘ MARCH 2013 ❘ VOLUME 120/NUMBER 10

COVER STORY

ON THE COVER

28 Darkness and Light: A Reflection on Good Friday

Those who come close to the crucified Jesus find meaning in their own lives.

Christ died on the cross so we may have help carrying our own.

By Kathy Coffey

F E AT U R E S

Composite by Jeanne Kortekamp, photos from Fotolia: corpus by millaga, thorns by Anyka

14

14 Waiting for Christ in the Eucharist: An Interview with Ron Rolheiser

2 Dear Reader 3 From Our Readers 4 Followers of St. Francis

We start the three days of Easter with a promise of food for our journey.

By John Feister

Robert Jursysta, OFM

6 Reel Time The Impossible

20 ‘Where There Is Hatred . . .

Let Me Sow Your Love’ A few miles from Ground Zero, Franciscan Friar Elias Mallon works to build respect among Muslims and Christians.

By Peter Feuerherd

8 Channel Surfing 1600 Penn

32

Seeking the Sacred in Social Media

42 Living Simply

A parish in St. Louis continues the tradition of the St. Joseph altar.

Photos by Rebecca V. Tower

49 Year of Faith Finding Christ through Suffering

38 The Divine Dance of Diabetes

44 Fiction: Innuendoes Harsh words from a wounded soul

By Marie Anderson

10 Church in the News 36 Editorial

32 Feast of St. Joseph, Italian Style

The disease found me, but God saved me.

By Sarah E. Bourne

D E PA R T M E N T S

38

50 Ask a Franciscan Why No Mention of Peter in Rome?

52 Book Corner Immortal Diamond

54 A Catholic Mom Speaks A Head Start on Earth Day

ST. ANTHONY M

DEAR READER

essenger

Clear Priorities St. Agnes of Bohemia (1205–1282) would certainly affirm Pope Benedict XVI’s statement, “Without the liturgy and the sacraments, the profession of faith would lack efficacy because it would lack the grace which supports Christian witness.”

Checkout-counter tabloids and celebrity-based TV shows could have had a field day with Agnes. The daughter of a king, she declined marriage proposals from King Henry VII of Germany, Henry III of England, and Frederick II, the Holy Roman emperor. She founded a Poor Clare monastery in Prague and became a nun there.

She contacted St. Clare of Assisi for guidance about her new form of monastic life. Over 19 years, Clare wrote Agnes four letters rich in spirituality and good practical advice. Preferring the title “senior sister” over “abbess,” Agnes gladly performed the most humble service in this monastery—without the endowment her brother offered.

Agnes was canonized in 1989. A week later, pilgrims returning from the canonization ceremony in Rome joined the growing protests in Prague. These soon led to the collapse of Czechoslovakia’s Communist government. Her feast is March 2 on the Franciscan calendar.

May all of us draw strength from Christ’s sacraments.

Publisher/CEO

Daniel Kroger, OFM

Chief Operating Officer

Thomas A. Shumate, CPA

Director of Content Creation and Services Jennifer Scroggins

Editor in Chief John Feister

Art Director

Jeanne Kortekamp

Franciscan Editor

Pat McCloskey, OFM

Senior Editor

Jack Wintz, OFM

Managing Editor

Susan Hines-Brigger

Assistant Editors

Christopher Heffron Rachel Zawila

Editorial Assistant Sharon Lape

Director of Marketing, Sales, and Internet Barbara K. Baker

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Kingery Printing Co. - Effingham, IL ST. ANTHONY MESSENGER (ISSN #0036276X) (U.S.P.S. PUBLICATION #007956 CANADA PUBLICATION #PM40036350) Volume 120, Number 10, 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.

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2 ❘ M arch 201 3

St An t h o n yM e s s e n g e r . o rg

FROM OUR READERS

Thank You, Sisters One of the things that resonated with me in James Breig’s excellent January cover article, “The Tom Coughlin Few People Know,” was the coach’s education by the Sisters of St. Joseph.

I am grateful to the Sisters of St. Joseph for the firm foundation of faith they gave me as well as a masterful education in history, science, the arts, and other subjects. Believe it or not, I found my grammar school experience a great deal of fun as well.

I attended Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Brooklyn, New York, from 1956 to 1964, and I continue to be amazed at what great teachers the Sisters of St. Joseph were and the care and devotion they gave to students.

Their efforts continue to come back to me. When I visited Quebec many years ago, the lessons and stories of history resurfaced. And the

What’s on Your Mind?

Letters that are published do not necessarily represent the views of the Franciscan friars or the editors. We do not publish slander or libel. Please include your name and postal address. Letters may be edited for clarity and space.

Mail Letters, St. Anthony Messenger 28 W. Liberty St. Cincinnati, OH 45202-6498 Fax 513-241-0399

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Fr an ci s can M e di a. o rg

guidance and enthusiasm of the sisters in preparation for first Communion, Confirmation, and high school entrance exams combined a foundation in faith and preparation for life.

The sisters also cheered us through America’s first space flights and joined with us in the sad and fearful days of the Berlin Wall, the Cuban Missile Crisis, and the assassination of President John F. Kennedy.

I think the article will bring back many other similar memories for your readers.

Dennis C. McMahon, Esq. Burlington, Vermont

‘I Pray the Lord My Soul to Keep’ Regarding Pat McCloskey, OFM’s, January “Ask a Franciscan” about scary prayers for children, I, too, was taught the very frightening “Now I lay me down to sleep” prayer as a child. Recently I purchased praying dolls for my great-grandchildren. I was so happy that they changed the prayer to: “Now I lay me down to sleep. I pray the Lord my soul to keep. May angels watch me through the night, and keep me in their blessed sight.” Now that is consoling for a child!

I appreciated Judy Esway’s January article, “The Journey through Grief,” particularly the sidebar, “How Can We Help Those Who Mourn?” Years ago I prayed for inspiration about what I should say to a good friend who had recently lost her 20-yearold daughter in a car crash. These words came to me from up above: “We laughed together; now we’ll cry together.” I’ve used this ever since.

Marlene Infanger Elmhurst, Illinois

For Your Consideration I was disappointed in Sister Rose Pacatte’s “Top 5 Political Films” in January’s “Reel Time.” Where was

Advise and Consent? In my opinion, this film was head-and-shoulders above any of the films on her list.

In the same issue, I found James Breig’s article on the New York Giants’ head coach Tom Coughlin very interesting. We could use more people like Tom Coughlin in the coaching ranks.

John Jackson Wheaton, Illinois

Data Is Incomplete I noticed something in the January issue of St. Anthony Messenger that could easily be misunderstood. The sidebar “Church by the Numbers” in “Church in the News” listed clergy and religious. The first bullet point listed clergy in the United States as 40,203 and the third bullet point listed permanent deacons as 17,816.

This is misleading for the reader because permanent deacons are clergy—they have received the Sacrament of Holy Orders and are no longer considered laity.

Deacon Bill Gallagher South Bend, Indiana

Symbols Speak Volumes Mark Moore’s letter, “Peace, Man,” in the January issue missed two important points on symbols: one symbol can have many meanings, and a symbol means just what you want it to mean.

For example, the swastika meant one thing to the Nazis, but is a goodluck symbol in Buddhism, and was a decorative motif in second-century Greek vases. The eye in the triangle—seen in older churches—was a longtime Catholic symbol, but its use was discontinued once the Masons made it their symbol.

I don’t think even witches know that the peace symbol means what Mr. Moore says it means.

Priscilla J. Kucik Milwaukee, Wisconsin M arch 201 3 ❘ 3

F O L L O W E R S O F S T. F R A N C I S

Witness to the Poorest

F

ar from any urban area, in the town of Korsimoro, in Burkina Faso, the West African nation, a group of friars has quietly been following Francis’ inspiration to spread the good news. Brother Robert Jursysta, OFM, speaks for this group of four friars who are in at ground level, growing what has become a booming Catholic community. In the past year, they report, 350 new Catholics have been baptized.

Our group of journalists, visiting the region with Catholic Relief Services, stopped by the parish last October on our way back to the city after visiting development proj-

Brother Robert Jursysta, OFM

(Left to right) Friars Robert, Edmund, Maurice (guardian), and Rafael pose with visiting minister provincial Marcel Bokoma in their parish courtyard.

ects scattered far out in the country. The friars were gracious hosts for our unannounced visit. With typical Franciscan hospitality, they stopped what they were doing and invited us to sit and talk. One went to get glasses and pitchers of cool water—it was a typically hot day—another brought chairs.

We sat in a tight circle in the late afternoon shade outside their friary. As we sipped water, we listened to the story of their work in the area surrounding Korsimoro.

“We strive to keep the Franciscan spirit alive as partners with the local people,” says Brother Robert. “We share the good news and offer hope to the poor and needy.”

Though this season finally has seen rain, the region has suffered drought and hunger in recent years. “Last year this was an area with almost nothing,” he explains. The local Church relief agency, Caritas, provided some assistance, he says, “but not much. There were other, worse-hit areas.” Most government assistance went out to those areas, too.

“There wasn’t enough to go around.”

The friars tried to collect a fund locally, but there wasn’t much to collect. “We did what we could,” Brother Robert explains.

PHOTOS BY JOHN FEISTER

STORIES FROM OUR READERS How I Met St. Anthony

© SEBASTIAN DUDA/FOTOLIA

Learn more about St. Anthony and share your story of how he helped you at AmericanCatholic.org/ Features/Anthony.

4 ❘ Ma rch 2013

While on vacation, my husband, caring for me, a newborn, and two toddlers, was called into work. He reminded them he was on vacation and was needed at home. At the end of the week, he was fired. I told the bread man I could no longer buy bread as my husband had lost his job. With a free loaf, he shared that whenever he needed a job, St. Anthony always helped him. Though a non-Catholic, I had heard of flying novenas, so in desperation, I started an hourly petition to St. Anthony: “Please, grant my husband a job with as much salary as he was making and soon.”

Before I finished, a neighbor offered my husband a position with a salary $100 more a year than he was making! I was truly stunned at the prompt and complete answer to my prayers. My St. Anthony figurine adorns my bed table, and I am still eternally grateful to him for his help.

—Esther Griffin, Binghamton, New York

St A n t h o n y M e s s e n g e r . o rg

Click here for a story and slide show about a sisters’ clinic in western Africa.

ST. FRANCIS OF ASSISI

Brother of All Creation Francis’ world-famous “Canticle of the Creatures,” sometimes called the “Canticle of Brother Sun,” praises God for the sun, moon, wind, water, fire, and earth, all of which glorify their creator. Francis composed this text, one of the first and finest poems in Italian, during a time of great physical suffering.

Responding to a feud between the bishop and mayor of Assisi, Francis added verses to praise those who forgive. His final verses were about “Sister Bodily Death.”

—P.M.

CNS PHOTO BY OCTAVIO DURAN

They decided to appeal to Brother Robert’s home province. “We asked for help from the Polish Franciscans and got 2.5 tons of sorghum,” a local staple food. Then, “through Caritas, we found the poorest of the poor.”

The friars’ strategy was to spread the food widely, rather than to leave some people to starve. “We wanted to show people that we share in their hardship”—they would eat only what the local people ate.

That gets to the friars’ missionary approach: “We can only share their burdens when they know that we can talk with them. We eat the same food they do,” Brother Robert says. Then, when people come, “we listen. And when we listen, they know that we are sharing.” The friars, in fact, eat only one meal each day. “In the US, you evangelize [those] who already have three meals a day. We evangelize people both spiritually and physically.” The people’s hardship does not diminish their faith, he explains. “They have nothing, but everyone is joyous. We know that we have much to learn from their lives.”

—John Feister

tal Digi as Extr

To learn more about Franciscan saints, visit AmericanCatholic.org/Features/Saintofday.

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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.

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REEL TIME

W I T H S I S T E R R O S E PA C AT T E , F S P

The Impossible

© 2012 SUMMIT ENTERTAINMENT/PHOTO BY JOSE HARO

SISTER ROSE’S

DVD

Recommendations 1. Searching for Sugar Man (January 22) 2. Flight (February 5) 3. Robot & Frank (February 12) 4. Argo (February 19) 5. Undefeated (February 19)

6 ❘ March 2013

Naomi Watts stars in The Impossible, a film about a family trying to survive the aftermath of a deadly tsunami.

On Christmas Eve 2004, Maria (Naomi Watts), Henry (Ewan McGregor), and their three children—Lucas (Tom Holland), age 10; Thomas (Samuel Joslin), age 7; and Simon (Oaklee Pendergast), age 5—arrive at an island resort in Thailand for a holiday.

While at the pool, a devastating tsunami overcomes the resort. Maria and Lucas manage to survive together while Henry and the two youngest boys find one another soon after.

Maria is badly injured, but mother and son start walking through the debris. They hear the sound of a child crying and, while Lucas wants to forge ahead, Maria insists that they find the child. He is about 3 years old and says his name is Daniel. They all climb a tree for safety.

Hours pass when two men come looking for survivors. The men take Maria and Lucas to an overwhelmed hospital, and Daniel is left behind. Henry, meanwhile, sends his

two sons to the mountains with other children while he searches for Maria and Lucas.

This fine film is based on the true story of María and Enrique Belón and their sons.

Watts was nominated for an Academy Award for her portrayal, but the real star of the film is Holland. He plays a young man who must grow up quickly in the face of fear and unbelievable odds. He is a son of whom any parent would be proud.

The Impossible is a story about love, miracles, and the power of family. Maria teaches her son, even in her pain, and sends him to help others. This story is imbued with human values and Christian virtues.

Not yet rated, PG-13 ■ Peril.

Quartet Three aging opera singers live in Beecham House, a retirement home for musicians in England. Reg (Tom Courtenay) is softSt A n t h o n y M e s s e n g e r . o r g

© 2012 THE WEINSTEIN COMPANY/PHOTO BY KERRY BROWN

Quartet, Dustin Hoffman’s directorial debut, stars Maggie Smith, Tom Courtenay, Pauline Collins, and Billy Connolly.

Gangster Squad It’s 1949. Mickey Cohen (Sean Penn) is a ruthless gangster in Los Angeles, intent on controlling all mob interests west of Chicago. He pays policemen to look the other way, but Chief Parker (Nick Nolte) is fed up because no one will testify against the gangster. He asks Sgt. John O’Mara (Josh Brolin), a World War II vet, to form a secret squad to destroy Cohen’s casinos and brothels and shut him down.

O’Mara and his wife, Connie (Mireille Enos), are expecting a baby. She wants him Fr anciscanMedia.org

© 2013 WARNER BROS. ENTERTAINMENT/PHOTO BY WILSON WEBB

spoken and teaches music to visiting teens; Wilf (Billy Connolly) is bawdy; and Cissy (Pauline Collins) has memory issues.

They once sang Giuseppe Verdi’s Rigoletto together with Jean (Maggie Smith), the fourth member of their original operatic quartet and Reg’s ex-wife. She moves into the home and upsets the status quo just as they are prepping for a fund-raising concert on Verdi’s birthday.

Quartet is based on the play by Ronald Harwood, who also wrote the script. This is actor Dustin Hoffman’s directorial debut, and he has created a quintessential British comedy in the vein of PBS’ Masterpiece Theater. The story deals with aging with gentle humor, though Connolly keeps things earthy.

The scene where Reg conducts a music workshop with teens is a fine example of a pedagogy that respects the learning and experience of students. Quartet is a rare film that celebrates aging and reminds us that we are never too old to forgive.

A-3, PG-13 ■ Strong language, suggestive humor.

to stop fighting, but helps him select a few cops and a marksman to be on the squad.

The squad starts off in a clumsy way, but through the efforts of Officer Keeler (Giovanni Ribisi), they bug Cohen’s home.

What ensues is a bloodbath where policemen act illegally to take down criminals who are masters at illegal activities.

Gangster Squad was due to be released in June 2012 but was delayed after the shootings at the movie theater in Aurora, Colorado. Even though the director, Ruben Fleischer, refilmed a sequence that featured a shootout in a Hollywood theater, this film is in love with its own brand of vigilante violence. The dialogue is superficial and trite, despite O’Mara’s ruminations on the moral ethos of the squad being the same as Cohen’s gang.

Nothing can save this film, not even the romance between Sgt. Jerry Wooters (Ryan Gosling) and gangster moll Grace (Emma Stone). Warner Bros. should have refused to distribute it—period.

L, R ■ Extreme violence and killing, language.

Gangster Squad, starring Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone, is a violent look into the lives of gangsters and the cops who fight them.

Catholic Cl assifications A-1 A-2 A-3 L O

General patronage Adults and adolescents Adults Limited adult audience Morally offensive

■

The Catholic News Service Media Review Office gives these ratings. See usccb.org/movies.

■

Find reviews by Sister Rose and others at CatholicMovieReviews.org.

March 2013 ❘ 7

CHANNEL SURFING

WITH CHRISTOPHER HEFFRON

UP CLOSE

Thursdays, 9:30 p.m., NBC Comedies that centered on the family used to be a fixture of television. From June and Ward Cleaver to Maggie and Jason Seaver, the family unit was fertile ground for laughs. Then, by the mid-’90s, familycentered sitcoms seemed to fall out of fashion. Thanks, in part, to new shows like 1600 Penn, they’re staging a comeback, but in this case, to mixed results.

In a style reminiscent of The Office, 1600 Penn, with its single-camera approach, is a look into the Gilchrists, the first family of the United States. Led by veteran comedic actors Bill Pullman and Jenna Elfman, as the president and first lady, respectively, the two juggle the day-to-day difficulties of domestic and international affairs with the ups and downs of life with four intelligent, highenergy children.

Some troublesome story lines—such as the president’s pregnant and unmarried eldest daughter—mar this otherwise appealing and, at times, gentle look at what happens when one’s professional and personal lives are center stage for the world to judge.

Still, 1600 Penn has heart. It shows viewers that when life hurts, love heals. And family—imperfect as they might be—is a refuge from a cynical world.

The Bible March 3, History Channel, check local listings Not since Franco Zeffirelli’s 1977 landmark Jesus of Nazareth have television audiences been treated to a biblical adaptation of this scale. Executive producers Mark Burnett and Roma Downey—who also stars as the Virgin Mary—bring us The Bible, a visually arresting and ambitious 10-part miniseries airing on History Channel.

Covering the Book of Genesis to the Book of Revelation, The Bible is beautifully shot and masterfully rendered. Christian audiences are in for a treat.

The Taste

PHOTO BY CHRIS HASTON/NBC

Thursdays, 8 p.m., ABC I’m suspicious of anything that combines gameshow hysteria and food preparation. Then, on a whim, I tuned in to ABC’s The Taste, which features Anthony Bourdain, Nigella Lawson, Ludo Lefebvre, and Brian Malarkey as food experts. Based on a blind taste-test from a field of talented chefs and home cooks, they try to separate the average from the exemplary. Each judge will mentor teams that will compete against one another.

Just as The Voice one-upped (the now stale) American Idol, The Taste is a fresh spin on culinary competition shows. But what makes it so worthwhile is the care it takes to showcase the competitors’ personal stories. Poverty, illness, and other struggles did not deter hopefuls from this moment, and to see their lifelong dreams materialize— especially in front of these formidable judges—is truly inspiring television. Dig in!

Bill Pullman and Jenna Elfman play the president and first lady in 1600 Penn, a new series on NBC. 8 ❘ March 2013

St A n t h o n y M e s s e n g e r . o r g

© LIGHTWORKERS MEDIA/HEARST PRODUCTIONS INC./CASEY CRAFFORD

1600 Penn

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CHURCH IN THE NEWS

❘ BY RACHEL ZAWILA

CNS PHOTO/DANIEL SONE

March for Life Marks 40 Years

Peter Deziak, 15, of Chicago, holds a string of balloons during the March for Life in Washington January 25. Tens of thousands of people demonstrated against abortion, marking the 40th anniversary of the Supreme Court decision that legalized it.

Marking the 40th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, more than 500,000 pilgrims gathered in Washington, DC, January 25 for the annual March for Life.

Since public ceremonies for the presidential inauguration occurred January 21, the event took place three days after the January 22 anniversary of the Supreme Court’s 1973 decision to legalize abortion, Catholic News Service (CNS) reported.

“Forty years ago, people thought opposition to the pro-life movement would eventually disappear, but the march grows stronger every year,” Boston Cardinal Seán P. O’Malley, chairman of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Prolife Activities, told a crowd assembled on the National Mall for a rally.

Jeanne Monahan, the new president of the March for Life Education & Defense Fund, honored founder Nellie Gray, who died last year, and told the cheering crowd, “Being pro1 0 ❘ Ma rch 2013

life is considered the new normal.”

One of several legislators in attendance, US Representative Chris Smith of New Jersey, cochairman of the House Pro-life Caucus, praised those in the pro-life movement, calling them “noble, caring, smart, and selfless people. It is an extraordinarily powerful, nonviolent, faith-filled human rights struggle that is growing in public support, intensity, commitment, and hope.”

People near and far shared in the spirit of the cause. Pope Benedict XVI tweeted that day, “I join all those marching for life from afar and pray that political leaders will protect the unborn and promote a culture of life.” More than 50,000 supporters gathered in San Francisco January 26 to participate in the ninth annual Walk for Life West Coast.

“You are a powerful witness that God’s truth cannot be silenced," said San Francisco Archbishop Salvatore J.

Cordileone, who delivered the invocation to begin the event. “Yes, we are here to stay because life is good and life is holy.”

In related news: ■ New York Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan urged Governor Andrew Cuomo on January 9 to rethink his support of a state measure that would prevent regulations on abortion. The Reproductive Health Act was first introduced in the legislature two years ago. Supporters of the bill say it is needed to update current state law that is “outdated and confusing.”

New York decriminalized abortion in 1970, before Roe v. Wade made the procedure legal across the country.

In his letter to the governor, Cardinal Dolan reminded him that “millions of New Yorkers of all faiths, or none at all, share a deep respect for all human life from conception to natural death.”

■ In Dublin, Ireland, more than 25,000 people gathered January 19 to attend a “Unite for Life” vigil in response to the government’s plans to introduce legislation to allow for restricted abortion when there is a risk to a woman’s life, including a threat of suicide. Following the largest pro-life demonstration ever held in Ireland, Minister for European Affairs Lucinda Creighton revealed that she was working on an alternative abortion bill that would exclude the threat of suicide as a reason to allow the procedure.

Religious Leaders Lend Support for Gun-Control Measures More than 60 Catholic leaders urged members of Congress to “show greater moral leadership and political St A n t h o n y M e s s e n g e r . o rg

Msgr. David P. Talley has been named by Pope Benedict XVI as an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Atlanta. The pope also accepted the resignation of Bishop Joseph A. Galante of Camden, New Jersey, and named Auxiliary Bishop Dennis J. Sullivan of New York to succeed him.

Bishop Ricardo Ramirez of Las Cruces, New Mexico, submitted his resignation to the pope, who named Auxiliary Bishop Oscar Cantú of San Antonio as his replacement.

CNS/OCTAVIO DURAN

More than 80,000 people around the world have pledged to pray the rosary daily during the 2012–13 Year of Faith. The pledges came in response to a program offering free rosaries, administered by the Family Rosary division of Holy Cross Family Ministries in Easton, Massachusetts. All pledges were gathered in a book and presented to Pope Benedict XVI in January.

The Holy Name Province of the Order of Friars Minor in New York launched a “Text a Prayer Intention to a Franciscan Friar” service in January.

Senders can text the word prayer to 306-44 to receive a welcome message inviting them to then send in their intentions. The intentions are received on a website and are included collectively in the friars’ prayers twice a day and at Mass.

The Pontifical Council for Culture is planning to host an international conference on reinstilling values in sports this spring, inviting representatives from top world governing bodies such as the International Federation of Association Football and the International Cycling Union.

Msgr. Melchor Sanchez de Toca Alameda, head of the

courage” in acting to cut gun violence in the United States. In a statement released January 23 by Faith in Public Life, a Washington-based advocacy group, the leaders said they “join our bishops, the Catholic Health Association, and Catholic Charities USA in calling for common-sense reforms to address the epidemic of gun violence in our Fr ancisca n Media .org

council’s “Culture and Sport” section, told Catholic News Service that pro sports “have become a commodity that is subordinate to the free market and, therefore, to profit.” The Vatican said it has invited Christian athletes Tim Tebow and Jeremy Lin to participate in the event.

Msgr. Eamon Martin has been designated by Pope Benedict XVI as successor to Cardinal Sean Brady as the head of the Catholic Church in Ireland. Cardinal Brady will turn 75, the age at which a bishop must submit his resignation to the pope, in August 2014.

CNS/COURTESY IRISH BISHOPS' CONFERENCE

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N E W S B R I E F S N AT I O N A L A N D I N T E R N AT I O N A L

Philippine President Benigno Aquino III signed into law a bill that calls for government-funded contraception and sex-education classes, a first in the heavily Catholic nation. Taking effect in January, the Reproductive Health Bill had been stalled in the legislature for 14 years.

The number of Catholics in Congress reached a historic high following the November 2012 election that brought 163 Catholics into office. The 113th Congress includes 136 Catholics in the House of Representatives, 75 of whom are Democrats and 61 of whom are Republicans. The 27 Catholic senators include 18 Democrats and nine Republicans. Alumni of Jesuit colleges and universities account for nearly 10 percent of all members of Congress.

The US Conference of Catholic Bishops and the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America announced in January their support of the White House’s proposal to allocate $10 million to the Centers for Disease Control to study the relationship among video games, media images, and violence. This spring they plan to release an online Digital Safety Guide for parents and faith communities.

For more news, visit AmericanCatholic.org.

nation. . . . Members of Congress who take pride in their pro-life stance and appeal to family values have no excuse for inaction, and neither do any of us who share a firm commitment to these values.”

According to CNS, among the signatories were former US ambassadors to the Vatican Miguel Díaz and Thomas Melady; Franciscan Sister

Florence Deacon, president of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious; Sister Simone Campbell, director of the Network Catholic social justice lobby; and Patrick Carolan, executive director of the Franciscan Action Network.

Citing a January 18 message from Bishop Stephen E. Blaire of Stockton, California, chairman of the US bishM a rch 2 0 1 3 ❘ 1 1

CNS PHOTO/JONATHAN ERNST, REUTERS

District of Columbia Mayor Vincent Gray, fourth from left, helps lead the March on Washington for Gun Control on the National Mall in Washington January 26. Thousands joined the rally for gun control, marching from the Capitol to the Washington Monument. ops’ Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development, who said last year’s mass shootings “pointed to the moral duty of all people to take steps to defend [life],” the statement called for “measures that control the sale and use of firearms” and “sensible regulations of handguns.”

In related news: ■ Bishop Blaire was among more than four dozen religious leaders who signed a letter in support of gun-control measures that was released to members of Congress January 15 by Vincent DeMarco, national coordinator of Faiths United to Prevent Gun Violence.

Joining Bishop Blaire were leaders of Catholic Charities USA; Pax Christi USA; the Conference of Major Superiors of Men; the Leadership Conference of Women Religious; and Franciscan, Mercy, Dominican, and Good Shepherd religious orders.

Cardinal Apologizes to Abuse Victims Two weeks after the Archdiocese of Los Angeles was ordered to reveal the names included in personnel files related to allegations of child sexual abuse by Catholic Church employees, Cardinal Roger M. Mahony 1 2 ❘ Ma rch 2013

released a statement January 21 in which he apologized again to abuse victims. The cardinal, who retired as archbishop of Los Angeles in 2011, said he prays for the victims daily and that “it remains my fervent prayer that God’s grace will flood the heart and soul of each victim and that their life journey continues forward with ever-greater healing.”

At a hearing requested by media organizations to have the names released, Judge Emilie H. Elias ruled January 7 to reverse a previous decision made by a retired federal judge in 2007 who said the names should be redacted to prevent the documents to be used to “embarrass or ridicule the Church,” CNS reported.

“Don’t you think the public has a right to know . . . what was going on in their own church?” Judge Elias asked an attorney for the archdiocese during the hearing.

According to the Associated Press, the judge said she considered the privacy rights of priests and other personnel mentioned in the documents in balance with the public’s interest in knowing details of the sexual abuse cases.

The names were published by the Los Angeles Times and Associated Press a few weeks after the hearing.

Portions of documents filed in court as part of a lawsuit against the diocese were also published, some of which showed archdiocesan officials worked to conceal child molestation by priests from law enforcement authorities in the 1980s.

Church officials had fought for years to keep the files private. In 2007 they settled for more than $600 million with more than 500 people who claimed they were sexually abused by priests and other Church personnel.

In his statement, Cardinal Mahony noted the steps the archdiocese has made since 1987 to safeguard children. However, he continued, “even as we began to confront the problem, I remained naive myself about the full and lasting impact these horrible acts would have on the lives of those who were abused by men who were supposed to be spiritual guides.”

In related news: ■ Germany’s Catholic Church has ended its inquiry into clergy sexual abuse, citing a lack of trust with researchers. “Trust is essential for such an extensive and sensitive project, as the partners agreed from the outset,” Bishop Stephan Ackermann of Trier, the German Church’s delegate for issues of sexual abuse, said in a statement. The inquiry was part of the Church’s “comprehensive set of measures” enacted in response to hundreds of Germans who claimed molestation by priests and Church staffers since the first case was reported in January 2010.

In July 2011, Bishop Ackermann gave researchers access to personnel files from Germany’s religious orders and 27 dioceses. Research project director Christian Pfeiffer claimed, however, several dioceses destroyed documents relating to abuse and went back on a pledge to cooperate.

He accused bishops of trying to “censor and control” his work, which aimed to analyze victim statements, priest behavior, and the reactions of their superiors. “The direction blatantly contradicts the interests of victims,” he said. A St A n t h o n y M e s s e n g e r . o rg

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Waiting for Christ in the

Eucharist

An Inte rview with Ron Rolheise r We start the three days of Easter with a promise of food for our journey.

BY JOHN FEISTER

T

HE EUCHARIST is perhaps what distinguishes Catholics most from those around us. We believe that Jesus is truly present, flesh and blood, in consecrated bread and

wine. But the presence of Jesus, the reality of Eucharist, goes well beyond the consecrated elements. Jesus is present among us, today and every day, everywhere.

To understand this more deeply, we turn to a priest who is a theological expert with a practical, pastoral touch.

Father Ronald Rolheiser, OMI, is a prolific author on themes of Christian spirituality. A Canadian, he spent much of his career teaching theology and philosophy at Newman College in Edmonton, Alberta. He currently is nio, Texas.

From there he writes a widely syndicated newspaper column, travels for speaking engagements, writes books, helps create videos, teaches courses—you get the idea. We

CNS PHOTO/NANCY WIECHEC

caught up with him at Los Angeles’ Religious Education Congress in 2012, where he talked about his latest book, Our One Great Act of Fidelity: Waiting for Christ in the Eucharist (Doubleday), newly released as an audiobook by Franciscan Media.

14 ❘ March 2013

St A n t h o n y M e s s e n g e r . o r g

CNS PHOTO/GREGORY A. SHEMITZ, LONG ISLAND CATHOLIC

president of the Oblate School of Theology in San Anto-

Q: The Eucharist is really important to Catholics—a topic that we could talk about forever. Why did you write this book? Why now?

A: It’s a very personal book to me. For a long time, I’ve wanted very simple language for theology. Mainly it’s to explain to people why the Eucharist is so important. That’s why I call it “our one great act of fidelity.”

Q: What do you mean by that? An act of faithfulness?

A: It isn’t very abstract. It’s simply when Jesus gave us this very clear, very last command at the Last Supper: do this until I come back. He’s been gone for 2,000 years. And we’ve been doing it.

Q: The Eucharist has been central to our whole Christian faith, the “source and summit of Catholic worship,” as the Vatican II fathers said.

A: Yes, but I think the words source and summit oftentimes intimidate people. That’s pretty high terminology.

It’s very accurate; it’s very beautiful.

But if I say to somebody, “This is the source and summit of your life,” I think they think in other categories. They might say, “Well, what about my marriage, my kids, my life?” and so on.

Instead of using language such as “source and summit,” you could say this is the one great place where you’ve been faithful to Jesus. You might have had many shortcomings, but, if you go to Mass on Sunday, you’re faithful.

Q: And as Catholics it’s a real thing.

We believe in the real presence of Jesus in the body and blood as we celebrate the Eucharist. And you call that kind of a radical and shocking thing, don’t you think?

A: Right, I don’t think that most Catholics—most Christians, period— take seriously the radical physicalness, first of the Incarnation, but then of the Eucharist. In my book, I quote Brenda Peterson, who wrote an essay called “In Praise of Skin.”

March 2013 ❘ 15

‘A word is a word, but a touch is something deeper. God becomes a physical embrace.’

She has this story about when she was in her 30s she had these skin rashes. And she tried every doctor, every kind of ointment you could buy.

They gave her cortisone shots. They didn’t help. And her grandmother, who was a midwife, said, “You know what’s wrong with you? The skin has to be touched.” Her grandmother started giving her massages, and it cleared up all the rashes. There’s an expression, “Skin needs to be touched,” and God knows that. So first of all, Christ had skin. That’s God: real, physical flesh.

I also quote Andre Dubus, the novelist, who says, “Without touch, without the Eucharist, God becomes a monologue.” A word is a word, but a touch is something deeper. God becomes a physical embrace. God becomes a kiss. God becomes a physical touch.

Q: So really this is about getting beyond words. It’s about the physical presence of Jesus in the Eucharist, right?

A: Right. And I like your expression “beyond words,” because even in our ordinary conversations and interactions in life, sometimes there are things you can’t say with a word that you can with a touch. As an example, you imagine going to a funeral. What do you say to the loved one whom you see? Oftentimes we stutter words, but you give them an embrace, you give them a hug. That says what your words can’t say. See, words have a power, but they run out of gas at a certain point.

But we still have deeper ways of communicating.

Q: It’s not only for times of sadness and grief, as you say, but those times of touch are to help us celebrate, too, aren’t they?

A: Yes. That’s something that our culture loses. But we understand unconsciously the power of ritual touch. For example, take a married couple. As he 16 ❘ March 2013

goes to the door in the morning, she goes out the door to give each other a peck, you know. A lot of days it’s not like putting out their whole heart and soul, and yet, that’s very, very important. It says something beyond words.

It’s their way of saying, despite tiredness and hurry and the kids, “I love you.” Even though they know how to say it with words, the touch communicates something. It’s ritual—you do it every day. If they stop doing it, they know there’s something wrong in their marriage.

Q: So it’s the habit of just staying connected.

A: Yes, see, that’s exactly the meaning of ritual process. If people would go to Eucharist only when they feel like it— “Today, I feel like praying”—you wouldn’t go very often. You go to get that kiss from God. Whether you feel like it or whatever, it’s there.

Four Words to Remember Q: That’s very practical. But you address in your book things that sound also like a kind of theology of the Eucharist, these categories of receive, give thanks, break, share.

A: I’d call them more a spirituality of the Eucharist. I like to use these four eucharistic words that Jesus gave us in a certain sense: receive, give thanks, break, and share. That is what we do when we go to Eucharist. We receive the Eucharist, we break it, we share it with each other. We express gratitude toward. That’s a ritual we do and God touches us.

In fact, in those four words you can have an entire spirituality, or at least the deepest parts of spirituality. Take the word receive. Receptivity is the opposite of original sin. Adam and Eve’s sin was not so much that they disobeyed. Rather, they took life instead of waiting to receive it.

Q: There’s a lot of that in our culture.

“This is mine; I think I’ll take it.” The

Eucharist is telling us something different.

A: Here’s an example—and I’ll be strong with this because it’s clearer.

Adam’s and Eve’s almost sounds like it’s a sexual sin, but it’s not. But it is a metaphor for rape. See, sex is something that’s life-giving and beautiful and wonderful—if it’s given and received and loved. If it’s taken, then it becomes death-producing. God puts Adam and Eve in the garden and says, “I’m going to give you life. And you can receive life, but you may not take it on your own.” They decide to take it.

That goes against the deepest moral structure of the whole universe.

Love has to work with receptivity.

You can’t take it. You can’t force it.

You have to wait till it’s given to you.

Then it’s life-giving. As soon as you force it or manipulate it, it becomes death-producing.

What follows then is gratitude. If I receive a gift and there isn’t gratitude, I’m not receiving it as a gift. The deepest of all virtues is gratitude, because gratitude has to undergird love. Love is the end, but not alone. If love isn’t St A n t h o n y M e s s e n g e r . o r g

CNS PHOTO/SID HASTINGS

based on gratitude, it’ll be manipulative.

You see, it’s only when I’m grateful that I’m going to love freely without putting some string to it. Quite simply, the holiest person you know is the most grateful person you know.

Q: All of that pulls us out of ourselves, doesn’t it?

A: It does. And I don’t want to get too theological, but it also gets what’s happening inside at the Trinity. The Father is giving to the Son; the Son is receiving gratefully and giving back. That’s the movement of energy inside of God’s life: receptivity and gratitude.

So those are the first three eucharistic words: receive, give, thanks.

Q: And out of that comes some sense of who God is in our lives. Don’t we think of the Holy Spirit as the presence of God in that other person?

A: As Paul says, the Holy Spirit is charity, joy, peace, patience. See, that’s what we feel when we’re inside of gratitude and we’re hooked to the flow of the Trinity in the right way.

Fr anciscanMedia.org

Q: Jesus tells us ritually, at the Last Supper, “Take this and eat.” He’s telling his disciples how to stay in this pattern of giving and receiving, right? But that’s bigger than breaking the actual bread, isn’t it?

A: Breaking refers to our whole thing of sacrifice. In a healthy, moral, human, good, joyful person you know you’re receiving life. You know it’s a gift.

You’re grateful for it. Then you break open your life to share it with others.

If you break it open earlier, you’re going to get resentful.

It’s like the older brother of the prodigal son—“I’m doing the right things, but I’m bitter about it.” But if you’re breaking your life in the sense of “I’m grateful, so I want to share my life. I want to help other people,” then you’re sacrificing life the way Jesus did. It’s for the sake of others, but you’re doing it out of gratitude.

Q: You talk about sacrifice. This has been a topic on and off for as long as I can remember. “The Eucharist is a sacrifice,” we hear. And then someone says, “Well, the Eucharist is

really about thanksgiving.” That’s a positive thing, and some people think of sacrifice as a negative thing.

That’s oversimplified, I admit, but there is a relationship between those approaches, isn’t there?

A: That’s one of the reasons I wrote the book. It’s all of them. You don’t pick.

It’s a sacrifice or it’s a meal, it’s a sharing, it’s God’s touch, and so on. The Eucharist is a very, very rich reality.

Sacrifice tracks into mystery and Christ’s sacrifice—that’s the hardest area I have to explain to people. It’s easier to explain how it’s a meal, it draws people together, how it’s a vigil, or how it’s God’s physical touch.

But we don’t have a similar analogy for how sacrifice works so very concretely. How do we understand that something that happened 2,000 years ago is now present physically, real, and you’re somehow undergoing it? We get it with our gut, but we can’t get it in our head.

Q: So it’s not a head trip. A lot of us experience personal pain, even though there’s no comparison to what Jesus’ suffering was. That’s a connection point, right?

A: Yes, but, you know, it’s really difficult, even for people who most emphasize sacrifice more than meal. They often don’t really get what it means to sacrifice, so it becomes very important

Click to play an audio excerpt from this interview.

tal Digi as Extr

Click here for other resources on the Eucharist. to emphasize the eucharistic words: “This is my body. This is my blood.”

What’s coming to us in the Eucharist is not just that Jesus is to be consumed or Jesus is to be adored (both are true), but it’s the entire Paschal event. It’s March 2013 ❘ 17

CNS PHOTO/GREGORY A. SHEMITZ

‘When we go to Eucharist, unconsciously we’re waiting for Jesus to come back.’

Christ’s passion, his death, his resurrection and ascension, Pentecost.

They’re made present as events, not just Jesus to be adored in the host or Jesus to be consumed as flesh to nurture us. We remember his passion, his death, his resurrection, his ascension into glory in the eucharistic prayer at Mass. Those words are just as important as saying, “This is my body, this is my blood,” because we’re making these events available, not just a person.

Q: So the very presence of God, in its fullness, is what we should be paying attention to at Eucharist, not just to some particular areas?

A: Yes, and the events of Christ’s life.

You are undergoing the passion and death. That’s being made present to you, not just Jesus to be adored. We adore him because he’s there. But that’s not the purpose of the Mass. The purpose of the Mass is to make present that Paschal mystery.

We Wait in Joyful Hope Q: You talk about the Eucharist as the sign of our waiting. We’re all waiting, aren’t we?

A: That’s probably the least understood aspect of the Eucharist, and it’s a very, very important part. Jesus instituted the Eucharist, from the very begin18 ❘ March 2013

ning, as a vigil of waiting. Remember, even the very words said, “Do this until I come back.”

It’s a way we try to wait. And some of that waiting is unconscious. We call that a vigil. Let me give you some examples of vigils. For instance, your son’s been overseas in Afghanistan and you’re waiting with people and you’re waiting at the airport, maybe with a couple of friends. For those few minutes that you’re waiting at the airport, life is kind of suspended. The most important thing is you’re waiting for your son to come home.

But then we have bigger ways of waiting. You might be a woman waiting to give birth to a child, or you’re waiting to graduate, or you’re waiting for something to happen in your life.

While that’s happening, other parts of your life move to the background.

In the book I use an example of what I call an unconscious vigil. Three single women, good friends, late 30s, and every Friday night after work, they go to a bar. They have a couple of drinks, they talk to each other, they laugh about work and share some stories, and so on. They’re actually unconsciously doing vigil. They’re meeting with each other to support themselves.

But they’re waiting for something else to happen in their lives—for them to

get married, to have kids, or something else to happen.

In the meantime, they meet and they’re sharing stuff, and so on. It anchors them, and they share friendship, but they’re actually waiting.

When we go to Eucharist, unconsciously we’re waiting for Jesus to come back. That’s the very, very important part of Eucharist.

“When we eat this bread and drink this cup, we proclaim your death . . . until you come again.” See, we’re doing this as a support system to each other.

So we sustain ourselves and sustain our faith and our waiting until Jesus comes back.

Q: So, Jesus gives us nourishment for the wait?

A: And we give each other nourishment, too. See, the three 30-something women meeting at the bar, they’re giving each other nourishment, and they laugh and talk about their work, and so on. It’s sustaining them in their present life even as they’re waiting for something else to happen.

Q: So there are different aspects of Real Presence, aren’t there?

A: Very much so. And, again, that’s a neglected part. Let me say something that is actually strong, but very important. St. Paul said, “We are the body of Christ.” Notice he doesn’t say we’re like the body; rather, we replace Christ’s body. He said the Christian community is the body of Christ—just as the Eucharist is the body of Christ.

Jesus, of Scripture, is the body of Christ. The Eucharist is the body of Christ as well as the Christian community. They’re all God in the flesh to a point where St. Augustine says, “Receive what you are.” A John Feister is editor in chief of this publication. He holds master’s degrees in humanities and in theology from Xavier University. His new book is Thank You, Sisters: Stories of Women Religious and How They Enrich Our Lives (Franciscan Media).

St A n t h o n y M e s s e n g e r . o r g

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‘Where There Is Hatred...

...Let Me Sow Your A few miles from Ground Zero, Franciscan Friar Elias Mallon works to build respect among Muslims and Christians.

BY PETER FEUERHERD

20 ❘ March 2013

A

TONEMENT FRIAR Elias D. Mallon likes the view from a conference room on the 15th floor of the New York offices of the Catholic Near East Welfare Association (CNEWA). He serves as its external affairs officer, charged with educating Catholics and others about the role of the Church in the Muslim world.

When storms hit, he can see the lightning navigate through the forest of buildings in Midtown, looking

southward 13 blocks to the United Nations and, a few miles away, the site of the former World Trade Center.

In a way, it’s a metaphor for his work with Christians and Muslims. He’s thrust amidst arguably the most turbulent storm in our modern world, the clash of cultures that erupted in the 1979 Iranian revolution and hostage takeover of 1980–81, to 9/11, to the killing of the American ambassador in Libya in September 2012.

“Why do they hate us?” his fellow Christians often ask Father Mallon St A n t h o n y M e s s e n g e r . o r g

PHOTO COURTESY OF CNEWA

His New York upbringing, Franciscan roots, and academic background have prepared Father Elias D. Mallon, SA, well for work with Christians and Muslims, even in the shadow of the World Trade Center.

Love’

Egypt, and a few hundred go crazy.

Eighty million people get attacked with that brand. It’s just not fair,” he says, crying out at the injustice.

There’s plenty of injustice to go around, generated by Christians and Muslims. Father Mallon, 68, is trying to remedy it in small ways, writing and talking to interfaith audiences throughout North America.

CNS PHOTO/REUTERS/NYC OFFICE OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT

(ordained in 1971), trying to understand this long-running and seemingly interminable conflict. The question reared itself once again last September as mobs stormed American diplomatic outposts in Egypt and Libya, and thousands of Muslims blamed the United States for an obscure film attacking the prophet Muhammad.

But he prefers to see beyond the latest headline. Not every news clip or Internet video of violent conflict captures the whole story.

“There are 80 million people in Fr anciscanMedia.org

Right Man, Right Place CNEWA is best known for supporting a Catholic presence in the Middle East, offering aid to what have become small, embattled Christian communities. By supporting this diminishing minority, CNEWA knows that maintaining a dialogue with the Muslim world is not only right, it is the path to survival. It’s no easy task, but Father Mallon, part of a Franciscan community dedicated to interfaith outreach, is unusually well prepared. Not only is he a scholar of Middle Eastern lan-

guages and history, he was seemingly born to do the job.

He grew up about 20 blocks south of CNEWA’s Midtown address. His middle initial stands for Donald, also his father’s name. Elias is a religious name, taken from a Hebrew prophet (even though, at the time he entered the community in 1962, he was told to take a New Testament name and won out in a small act of rebellion).

His dad was a New York City cop.

Young Donald learned early that serious dialogue is not a mushy series of Kumbaya moments. A New York cop’s family learns early that dialogue—while there are few good alternatives—does not always resolve conflicts.

“That was the world I grew up in. My dad was a cop. Not the most ecumenical calling. We knew about bad people.

But we also learned it was about what they did, not where they were coming from,” he recalls.

His late mother, Genevieve Rollins, March 2013 ❘ 21

grew up in Manhattan, watching the Empire State Building go up. Finished in 1931, it symbolized for many people “the American century.” Watching the United Nations headquarters being completed in 1952, Father Mallon remembers being struck by its dream of a world working toward peace.

The family moved to Queens and, later, his parents retired to Maine. Their neighbors and best friends in New England were Hindus. His father’s funeral at the Portland cathedral incorporated a Hindu chant for the dead.

The Franciscan Friars of the Atonement are based in Graymoor, New York, on the Hudson River. They began in 1898 as an Episcopalian community, led by Father Paul Wattson. They followed him into the Catholic Church in 1909, promoting Christian unity when doctrinal and historical disputes cast a pall over ecumenical relations.

But Father Mallon was drawn to healing another religious conflict that, in today’s world, draws more intensity than Martin Luther’s Reformation challenge to the papacy.

As Christians developed warmer relations in light of Vatican II, the Atonement Friars and Father Mallon branched out into the more difficult terrain of interfaith relations. He stud-

tal Digi as Extr

Click here for more information on Christianity and Islam.

ied theology at The Catholic University in Washington, DC, and, because of an intense interest in the Old Testament (interfaith experts prefer the term Hebrew Bible), began a lifelong interest in Middle Eastern languages.

He earned his doctorate at Catholic University, studied in Germany, and began teaching at the University of Washington. Among other things, he taught Akkadian (Babylonian); he jokes it was the only such class between Alaska and Tierra del Fuego, the southernmost tip of South America.

22 ❘ March 2013

Concentrating on Islam World events drew him out of academia. First, there was the Iranian revolution of the late 1970s. At the time, President Jimmy Carter and the American public agonized as Iranians captured the US embassy in Tehran, and the long-simmering conflict between Islam and the West erupted. The intimidating and sullen face of the Ayatollah Khomeini flashed from newsstands, and Walter Cronkite signed off CBS Evening News every night by noting how many days the hostages had been held. The palpable divide between elements of Islam and the West was widening.

Decades before 9/11, Father Mallon recalls, “I realized that Islam was going to be really important.”

So he furthered his language and historical studies and participated in dialogue groups, both formal and informal. His studies reinforced how Islam and the West view history. History is never really relegated to a safe attic. It springs forth, sometimes violently, as fresh as today’s Internet video, nearly impossible to comprehend or digest.

Americans, he says, are part of a young civilization, a place where time generally moves forward. For example, he notes, despite the experience of two massive world wars, today one would be hard-pressed to find enmity between Americans and Germans.

In the Arab world, by contrast, the Crusaders’ attempts to wrest the Holy Land from Muslim rule and the ancient hostilities those wars fostered between Christians and Muslims have never been relegated to dusty library shelves.

Change Everywhere It’s not to say that history never moves.

The famous 2011 Arab Spring, the explosion of change that brought down autocratic regimes in the Middle East, still reverberates with conflicting emotions of hope and fear.

“In a region where history is measured in millennia, it’s now measured in days,” says Father Mallon.

But the Catholic Church and Islam continue to measure time in long increments, beyond today’s political sound bite or riots.

Father Mallon reminds people to look at US history. The promise of democracy embodied in the Constitution truly began only after the Civil War; constitutional amendments started to guarantee basic rights to former slaves. The United Kingdom illustrates the long slog from Magna Carta to universal suffrage and basic freedoms. Other nations show similar developments.

“The idea that all of these democracies were born fully formed is crazy. It won’t happen in the Middle East. It’s a long process,” he says.

It’s too early to judge whether the Arab Spring will be for good, evil, or a mixture of both. “But in the long run, it’s good news,” he says. There are still problems, as the September 2012 killings and violent demonstrations at American diplomatic facilities in Egypt and Libya attest.

Appreciated by Many If dialogue is a skill, Father Mallon has honed it the way Michael Phelps learned to swim. It’s been a lot of practice, practice, practice.

“He is one of the best Islamic scholars I have ever known,” notes Dominican Sister Anne Tahaney, a former missioner to Pakistan and a contributor to Muslim-Catholic dialogue in the Archdiocese of New York. “He presents information in a nonthreatening way that is understood by others and quotes from memory from the Quran.”

His abundant knowledge, particularly language skills, is invaluable, says Michael La Civita, vice president for communications at CNEWA. “He is a respectful and patient listener, one who can hear and sympathize with an alternative point of view without compromising his own principles and beliefs as a Catholic,” says La Civita.

The view is echoed by Dr. John Borelli, an interfaith expert based at Georgetown University. “Father Mallon,” he says, “has been especially helpful in removing stereotypes, correcting false information, and spreading correct information.”

Sarah Sayeed, a Muslim and proSt A n t h o n y M e s s e n g e r . o r g

PHOTO COURTESY OF CNEWA

gram director of a Catholic-Muslim social service partnership in New York, notes that Father Mallon “offers us wisdom and perspective about what is possible and what challenges we will face.” He is, she says, superb at dispelling stereotypes. Many Christians view Muslims as belonging to a violent religion or judge Muslim women who wear traditional dress as uneducated.

For Muslims, it is easy to conflate Christian views with Western culture’s idea of sexual liberation.

Patient Work Required Even with steady dialogue, peaceful religious pluralism doesn’t happen overnight. Their numbers growing rapidly (from 1 million in 2000 to 2.6 million in 2010), today’s US Muslims face suspicions that Catholics did early in our country’s history, explains Father Mallon.

Both were seen as religiously alien to American soil, tied to agents of foreign powers. (Anti-Catholic literature in US publications during the 19th and 20th centuries warned about “papists” subverting the democratic process.)

Islamophobia did not emerge in a vacuum. There are, as the steady drumbeat of talk radio in the United States attests, reasons to fear. Islamic extremFr anciscanMedia.org

ism remains an issue, notes Father Mallon, although the vast majority of victims of religious extremism are Muslims themselves. Because Islam retains no central authority, he notes, radicals have easily hijacked its powerful religious symbols for their own purposes.

In the midst of conflict, the Catholic Church in the Middle East “is caught between a rock and a hard place.” The numbers of Catholics in the birthplace of the three Abrahamic religions (Judaism, Christianity, Islam) keep declining, particularly in strife-torn regions such as Egypt, Iraq, and Palestine.

“You can’t expect married people with kids to live in an intolerable situation,” he says about Christian families who have left that region.

Unfortunately, the Middle East may soon lack a living Christian presence.

Some Christians fear that the Holy Land could become a religious Disneyland, still attractive to tourists but impossible for Christian communities.

Father Elias Mallon (seated second from right) was the only Christian speaker at Imam Hussain Day at the Masjid-e-Ali, a Shi’ite mosque in Somerset, New Jersey, on December 16, 2012.

“Father Mallon has been especially helpful in removing stereotypes, correcting false information, and spreading correct information.”

—Dr. John Borelli, Georgetown University

Welcome Good News While in many respects the glass of goodwill seems empty, there remains reason for hope. A recent New York Times article notes how Muslims have found a home in many Catholic uniMarch 2013 ❘ 23

St. Francis and the Sultan

BY JOHN FEISTER

T

HERE IS A MESSAGE in the encounter between St. Francis and Sultan Malek alKamil that inspired the new video, In the Footprints of Francis and the Sultan: A Model for Peacemaking, produced by Jayasri Hart and Franciscan Sister Kathleen Warren. It’s based on the encounter between the two men in the 13th century, during the Fifth Crusade.

The year was 1219. European troops were massing at Damietta, Egypt, preparing to assail the powerful Muslim forces led by Sultan Malek al-Kamil. The poor man of Assisi, to the derision of the Europeans and the suspicion of the Muslims, crossed enemy lines, requesting to speak to the sultan.

Sultan al-Kamil was an open-minded man. He knew that his forces would easily prevail, and he wanted to prevent a bloodbath. So he invited the simple man to come and talk. Historians don’t know for how long these two men of prayer conversed—it may well have been for several days. Anyone who has been among Muslims knows how important hospitality is in Islam.

Clearly both Francis and al-Kamil were impressed by each other. They saw a common yearning to live in the love of the same God they both followed.

The men impressed each other so much that alKamil sent St. Francis on, safely, with gifts, including an ivory horn that is in Assisi even today. Francis’ letter to all nations, calling for prayer throughout the day, seems sparked at least by his experience of the Muslims’ daily prayer. Scholars speculate that Francis’ “Canticle of the Sun” was inspired by the Quran’s many names of God.

ICON BY ROBERT LENTZ, OFM

The DVD set, designed to help people learn sensitivity for people of other faiths, is available from Franciscan Media. It includes interviews with Muslim and Catholic experts from the United States and overseas. Click here to see an excerpt.

versities, attracted by the religious emphasis and moral values taught there.

US Muslims are more likely to be professionals than their European counterparts. American Muslims are less likely to live in restricted ghettos 24 ❘ March 2013

that breed insularity and anger.

As efforts in dialogue continue, an important lesson is “to see ourselves as others see us,” says Father Mallon, invoking the poetry of Scottish poet Robert Burns.

“What we find normal and non-

threatening, the other side feels as quite threatening,” he says. For example, Catholics call for a “new evangelization” to resist the secular blandishments of modern culture. That would seem to be common ground to stand with Islam. Yet, says Father Mallon, St A n t h o n y M e s s e n g e r . o r g

“Muslims hear colonialism.”

When Muslims speak of jihad (spiritual struggle), Christians frequently don’t see a common cause to overcome temptations of modern life.

Instead, they frequently equate it with terrorism.

So is there a way out of this regular open and covert warfare? Should the modern world resign itself to a neverending clash of two ancient civilizations, Judeo/Christian versus Islam?

Elements of the Arab Spring may prove a way out, says Father Mallon. In those demonstrations, the notions of nationhood and citizenship began to emerge in Muslim societies that had traditionally clung to familial and tribal ties.

“What I am trying to do is to get Christian intellectuals (from predominantly Muslim countries) to start talking about citizenship,” says Father Mallon. The nation-state, committed to religious pluralism, can provide a framework where Christians and Muslims can live together. The American ideal of religious freedom can prove to be a shining light to the world.

“The notion of citizenship comes before the notion of a democracy,” says Father Mallon. In his travels around the Middle East, he reads posters, perhaps the most ancient form of political speech. One, in Egypt, highlighted this concept. It read: “Religion is for God; the nation is for everyone; no to terrorism.”

Open Way Ahead Education for both Christians and Muslims about their own traditions can also solidify peace.

His book What Catholics Need to Know About Islam (National Catholic Educational Association, 2006) explores varied themes such as the comparison frequently made between Ramadan and Lent (while there are similarities—for example, a focus on fasting and almsgiving in both traditions—Ramadan also emphasizes a time for familial and communal feasting).

Catholics and other Christians need to realize, says Father Mallon, that Muslims and Christians want many of the same things for themselves. CathFr anciscanMedia.org

So that his work might continue...

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olics can appreciate how Islam has spiritually nourished and brought meaning to millions for 1,400 years. History can marvel at how some ancient Islamic cultures achieved relative interfaith harmony while Christian Europe was fighting long religious wars.

An increasing number of today’s Muslims have become aware of the need for dialogue and understanding.

For example, a group of Muslim leaders recently issued a letter calling for dialogue between the two great faith traditions. But they could not find a unified Christian response because of divisions among Catholics, mainstream Protestants, and Evangelicals.

Father Mallon points to massive demonstrations in Benghazi, Libya, after a mob attacked the US consulate there. The demonstrators gave thanks to the US role in defending the city from possible genocide at the hands of former dictator Muammar Gaddafi.

Why dialogue? The answer, says Father Mallon, is that there really is no other alternative. The two civilizations, once hermetically sealed, are now entwined. The Muslim who goes to Friday prayers in a mosque in Michigan and the Catholic oil company employee discreetly attending Mass in Saudi Arabia share the feeling of dislocation all religious minorities experience.

“We are sharing a planet with them,” explains Father Mallon. Whenever a crisis erupts, he is reminded that “a world of mass communication can mean mass hysteria,” whereby obscure movies and artwork, barely noticed in Europe and America, can generate outraged demonstrations and even violence.

Father Mallon points out that modern weaponry, an ever-present threat, places Christians, Jews, and Muslims in daily mortal danger. Looking out toward lower Manhattan, where 9/11 still scars the psyches of many New Yorkers, he wonders aloud how anyone can think that dialogue is not needed.

“What happens if we don’t?” he asks. A Peter Feuerherd, a frequent writer in the Catholic press, is director of communications for the Diocese of Camden, New Jersey.

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Darkness A Ref lection on Good

Christ died on the cross so we may have help carrying our own.

B Y K AT H Y C O F F E Y

28 ❘ March 2013

S

HE WAS YOUNG, attractive, athletic, dressed in spiffy, hotpink tennis duds—and crying.

As other members of her tennis team gathered around sympathetically, the woman explained that she was “too enmeshed” with her son, a bright boy who had serious problems with social and motor skills.

He was going off independently to school, and she groaned, “My whole life was taking care of him—because if I didn’t do it, he’d have chaos. I don’t know what I’ll do now!”

She continued that she was also concerned about her mom, an elderly

woman who lived far away and insisted on driving when she shouldn’t.

“What if she has an accident and kills or hurts someone?” the woman asked tearfully. A classic case of the sandwich generation, I thought, trying not to be too obvious about eavesdropping.

The consolation from the others came swiftly: “Well, at least you have tennis!”

“Oh, that’s my therapy,” replied the woman.

I’d never criticize another person’s coping mechanism, especially for one confronting such tough issues. But I secretly longed for this woman to parSt A n t h o n y M e s s e n g e r . o r g

and Light Friday

CRUCIFIX PHOTO BY EUGENE PLAISTED, OSC; CROWN OF THORNS PHOTO © ANYKA/FOTOLIA

ticipate in our parish celebration of Good Friday that evening. It might have soothed some of her pain, or at least put it into the context of Christ’s suffering.

Many wise traditions know the importance of naming one’s loss or sorrow because suppressing it only makes it worse. Buddhist monk and author Thich Nhat Hanh suggests cradling our broken hearts as tenderly as we would a sick and crying child.

In a particularly Catholic way, an abstraction such as “suffering” is translated to tangible, visible word and gesture in the liturgy. Furthermore, it links Fr anciscanMedia.org

our individual stories and struggles concretely, not just verbally, to the overarching story of Christ’s redemptive suffering.

My rule of thumb for Good Friday liturgy is this: when we do something only once a year, pay attention. So I focus on three parts of the service that move me especially.

The Presider’s Prostration Liturgy, at its best, speaks through symbol or gesture, not needing many words to convey meaning. For instance, submersion in the waters of Baptism, lighting the Easter candle, or

offering a cup of consecrated wine all speak eloquently without verbiage.

The Good Friday service begins with a silent procession and the presider prostrating himself before the altar.

We see this action only once a year: What does it say?

Different people probably have different interpretations at different times of their lives. To me, it says starkly, “We killed God.” Not to become morbid, but to some extent we are all guilty.

We have killed that divine spark in one another, through a callous word, a harsh condemnation, a heavy hand.

The presider speaks for all of us as he March 2013 ❘ 29

lies facedown on the floor. “This, my friends, is what we’ve done to the finest human/divine being who ever lived.”

Words can’t touch the tragedy: symbolically, we all lie flat on our faces.

The Readings

Click here for a video on the Way of the Cross and other Good Friday resources.

PHOTO BY TOBY HUDSON/WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

tal Digi as Extr

The first verbal nugget was the taunting line from the reading: “You relied on the LORD—let him deliver you; if he loves you, let him rescue you” (Ps 22:9).

If God loves you?

Jesus, who began praying this psalm from the cross, must have suffered the ultimate abandonment: doubt that his Father—who had always been a source of joy and strength—loved him. Fully human, not just playacting, he descended to the depths of human exile.

Yet the psalms have a remarkable way of pirouetting from one emotion to another, often from depth to peak.

Scripture scholar Kathy McGovern presents a positive interpretation in her blog, “The Story and You.” After Jesus, in agony, calls out the beginning verse: “My God, my God, why have

you abandoned me?” some women “standing at a distance” respond “in synagogue style to his introduction by reciting the rest of it, all 31 verses, 30 ❘ March 2013

including the triumphant end, when the suffering one proclaims that ‘all will proclaim the Lord to generations still to come, his righteousness to a people yet unborn.’

“Jesus relies on ‘those standing at a distance’—and that’s us, too, isn’t it?— to finish the psalm for him,” writes McGovern, “including lines that in the context of the crucifixion are a tribute to prayer under the worst conditions: ‘you who fear the Lord, praise him.’”

At some unspoken depth, Jesus knows that, ultimately, it all ends well, as God had planned.

The Passion The reading from the Passion according to John follows Jesus from his questioning by Annas, the high priest, to the praetorium where he is tried by Pontius Pilate. The time frame for most of chapter 18 occurs at night.

After the Last Supper, Jesus goes to the garden in darkness. Judas comes with soldiers bearing lanterns and torches. They then bring him to the court of Annas. There, Peter’s denials occur by the charcoal fire; it is still night. But John 18:28 records, “it was morning.” That raises the question: Where did Jesus spend the night?

McGovern gives a fascinating talk about Holy Week, with slides taken in the Holy Land. One of her most vivid descriptions is of a dark, spidery, terrifying pit. Prisoners who’d been taken into custody were lowered into it by pulleys and kept chained there so they wouldn’t kill themselves before their trials. It is most likely, she concluded, that Jesus would have spent the night before his trial by Pilate in this dank dungeon.

The light of the world was plunged into terrible darkness and chained there. What were Jesus’ thoughts?

Clearly, he wouldn’t have been able to sleep much. Did he pray? Did he console other prisoners? Did he remember his friends at their last meal together or think of his mother? It’s an unrecorded part of the narrative. We can only imagine what happened.

But it might bring tremendous consolation for people trapped in various St A n t h o n y M e s s e n g e r . o r g

addictions, imprisoned, or victimized in the countless ways humans torture one another to know that Jesus endured what they do. He, who was beauty, grace, freedom, and compassion, was chained to a filthy wall. He, who had never hurt anyone, felt the raw bite of metal into his skin. He, who had such clarity about his mission, did not know what horror the morning might bring. He entered deeply into the worst of being human.

dent; the vulnerable elderly who could barely bend to touch it; a man battling cancer; the wife of an Iraq veteran addicted to painkillers; an obese woman whose childhood hungers still drove her to eat, jeopardizing her health.

The children were especially touching, quietly extending their thin arms,

Veneration of the Cross

Fr anciscanMedia.org

CNS PHOTO/MICHAEL MCARDLE, NORTHWEST INDIANA CATHOLIC

People seemed drawn to the crucifix: to touch it lightly, cling to a hand, or kiss the feet. What is the compelling power of this instrument of death, used by Romans over 2,000 years ago?

As our pastor pointed out, it’s not the cross; it’s the corpus.

To simply revere the cross would be like honoring Martin Luther King Jr. by hanging up an assault rifle.

Father Richard Rohr, OFM, describes the corpus in Wondrous Encounters: Scripture for Lent: “Jesus’ body is a standing icon of what humanity is doing and what God suffers ‘with,’ ‘in,’ and ‘through’ us. It is an icon of utter divine solidarity with our pain and our problems” (Franciscan Media).

Each person who approached it that Good Friday evening bore some kind of sorrow. And they were only a few, representing millions more outside our church. Scratch the surface of any group and you’ll find the tragedies.

In a family, a staff, or a work site, the stories of suffering run deep. Add in the veterans of Iraq or Afghanistan, the physical and mental aftermaths of war, and the ripple effect on their families—an immense tide of suffering crashed at the foot of the crucifix.

Those who venerated the cross came close to the crucified Jesus to find meaning in their own burdens. Connecting their pain to his meant that they didn’t suffer alone. Wave after wave of people in vast variety approached: the lovely couple whose daughter died last year in a freak acci-

and perhaps whispering, “I’m sorry, Jesus, that you had to die like this.”

Knowing his magnificent courtesy, Jesus would somehow touch those who touched his cross.

I wondered about the tennis player I’d seen that morning. Would it help her to be part of this movement toward a God who suffered? Would she feel an affinity to the Christ whose first words to Mary Magdalene did not trumpet his resurrection, but probed her sorrow: “Woman, why are you weeping?” (Jn 20:15).

Participating in the liturgy wouldn’t end the lady’s suffering. But it would give her the support of a suffering God, and companions who endure and seek to transform their pain. A

“Jesus’ body is a standing icon of what humanity is doing and what God suffers ‘with,’ ‘in,’ and ‘through’ us. It is an icon of utter divine solidarity with our pain and our problems.”

—Father Richard Rohr, OFM Wondrous Encounters: Scripture for Lent

Kathy Coffey, the author of many books including The Best of Being Catholic (Orbis), gives workshops and retreats nationally. To learn more, go to kathy jcoffey.wordpress.com.

March 2013 ❘ 31

Feast of St. Joseph, Italian

A parish in St. Louis continues the tradition of the St. Joseph Altar.

PHOTOS BY R E B E C C A V. T O W E R

S

T. PATRICK MAY GET all the press with the parades, Irish food, and all things green surrounding his March 17 feast day, but for many Italian American Catholics, the real celebration takes place two days later, on the feast of St. Joseph, spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Following an ancient Sicilian custom, Italian parishes across the country will construct tiered altars dedicated to St. Joseph, covering them with elaborate displays of flowers, candles, and a variety of Italian delicacies.

The tradition began in the Middle Ages in Sicily during a severe drought. The famished people prayed to St. Joseph to bring rain, promising to prepare a large feast if the drought ended. The rain did come, and, keeping their word, the Sicilians built altars to the saint and adorned them with food prepared from the harvest.

St. Ambrose Parish, located in the Italian neighborhood known as the Hill, in St. Louis, Missouri, is one Catholic community continuing the tradition of the St. Joseph Altar, turning the saint’s feast day into an annual celebration of food, faith, and fellowship. A Rebecca V. Tower is a freelance photographer living in the Hill neighborhood of St. Louis, Missouri. Her work has appeared in the St. Louis Review archdiocesan paper. Text for this story was written by Assistant Editor Rachel Zawila.

St A n t h o n y M e s s e n g e r . o r g

Style Preparations begin early for the St. Joseph Altar at St. Ambrose. More than a week before the celebration, parishioner Sandra Nicolazzi (right) bakes cucidati, fig-filled cookies with candy sprinkles, while other volunteers gather at Vitale’s Bakery, where they join owner Grace Vitale (below) in rolling, cutting, and baking seed cookies.

The St. Joseph Altar tradition at St. Ambrose began in the early 1970s, under the direction of thenassociate pastor Msgr. Salvatore Polizzi (above left). Returning for the annual event, he and Chris Gambaro, co-owner of Missouri Baking Company, help with frying the pignolati, a fried pastry coated with honey and pecans.

(Left) Two days to go, and volunteers add finishing touches to the tables and altar. By the end of the evening, the St. Ambrose School cafeteria is transformed into a shrine and banquet hall.

Fr anciscanMedia.org

March 2013 â?˜ 33

(Right) Celebration day has arrived. Local restaurant owners Dominic Galati and Tony Favazza discuss serving strategies. Many owners of the area’s fine Italian eateries are parishioners, who happily donate their savory fare.

(Below) With a crowd ready to dig in to all the delicacies, Msgr.

Vincent Bommarito, pastor of St. Ambrose Parish, blesses the main altar.

(Right) Each year, 12 people are honored for their service to the parish and community and are given seats at the head table, where they are served by local chefs. A buffet line is open to the public. No price is set for the meal, but donations are accepted, which help provide tuition assistance for St. Ambrose School students.

tal Digi as Extr

Click here for recipes and additional information on St. Joseph.

34 â?˜ March 2013

St A n t h o n y M e s s e n g e r . o r g

(Above) Following the meal, parishioners gather for Mass, said in Italian by main celebrant Msgr.

Polizzi.

(Left) St. Ambrose School students then perform the Tupa-Tupa, or Knock Knock skit, which tells the story of the flight of the Holy Family into Egypt. St. Joseph knocks on the door three times before the Holy Family is let into the celebration.

Fr anciscanMedia.org

March 2013 â?˜ 35

EDITORIAL

Seeking the Sacred in Social Media I asked a family friend—a 19-year-old in his first year at a university away from home—how often he attends Mass now that he’s far from his parents’ watchful eyes.

“Not very often,” my friend said.

When asked how often he’s on social media sites such as Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, or Instagram, he responded without missing a beat: “I’m never off of them.”

Statistics tell an interesting story: according to a 2012 study by the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate, only 24 percent of US adult Catholics say they attend Mass weekly. On the contrary, according to the Pew Research Center, 69 percent of US adults who are online use social networking sites.

These might seem to be discouraging statistics, but only for the naysayers. Forward thinkers have begun looking at social media as not only a way to connect with family, friends, and the world at large, but also as an opportunity to evangelize in a new way.

Not-So-Strange Bedfellows Social media and evangelization may seem like the odd couple, but those who seek to spread the good news have in their hands a powerful tool.

Doubters dismiss this medium as nothing more than a virtual distraction—which isn’t entirely untrue— but it’s still unmatched in reach and influence. What makes this titan so formidable?

■ It doesn’t judge. Regardless of the user’s proficiency, sites like Facebook, Pinterest, and YouTube are designed to be easy.

■ It’s portable. Smartphones and tablets bring the online world to the palm of your hand.

■ It’s free marketing. Nothing is 3 6 ❘ Ma rch 2013

more cost-efficient in bridging the gap between content provider and consumer.

■ It provides community. Like a giant town hall meeting, social media offers a forum where fans can share ideas and commiserate.

And social media now has a new champion. Our own Pope Benedict XVI—holy, yes, but never one to be labeled hip—shocked his flock by joining the Twitter revolution on December 19, 2012. Tweeting from his @Pontifex handle in nine languages, the pope now has 2.5 million followers who subscribe to his tweets in search of guidance and inspiration. He provides both.

In fact, Benedict has become vocal about the potential of social networking. In his message for the 47th World Communications Day, the pope said, “The digital environment is not a parallel or purely virtual world, but is part of the daily experience of many people, especially the young.”

But he didn’t stop with Twitter.

Under his direction, the Holy See has widened its online presence with a papal app, a news portal, and a channel on YouTube.

#GoodNews In reaching Catholics, taking the business approach might not be the wrong answer. If corporations like Nabisco or General Electric are continuing to use Facebook and Twitter to push their products and their services, why can’t the Catholic Church use these sites to push the good news?

Much like rock ’n’ roll in the early 1950s, social media is not a passing fad, nor will its power wither over time. It’s rooted now in our culture and our daily lives—and it’s a useful

tool to engage fallen-away Catholics.

But time is not on our side.

According to the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life, 20 percent of Americans no longer consider themselves religiously affiliated—a third of that number includes people under the age of 30. But they are online: I challenge you to find five people in their 20s who aren’t using social media every day.

People of faith who use it are following the example set by Jesus, who, incidentally, was a master at social networking.

It was he, after all, who said to his ragtag band of faith-hungry disciples, “Go into the whole world and proclaim the gospel to every creature” (Mk 16:15). If Jesus had been equipped with an Android and a Twitter account, he surely would have used it to spread his message of hope, understanding its value, its influence, and its power.

To be sure, Facebook and Twitter can be used for immeasurable good, but it’s our job to create that kind of rich content and spread it to the masses.

We can—and should—use social media to generate inspiration. The world is hungry for it. But first we need to jump in. It’s easy: simply look upward, look inward, and log on. —CH

Find Us on the Web! StAnthonyMessenger.org Facebook.com/ StAnthonyMessenger Magazine Twitter.com/ StAnthonyMag

St A n t h o n y M e s s e n g e r . o rg

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A

The

Divine Dance of

Diabetes The disease found me, but God saved me.

BY SARAH E. BOURNE

N 2005, at the age of 15, I was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes.

I recall the month before my initial hospitalization as a haze of events. As a member of the weightlifting team at my high school, I was accustomed to working out hard and eating healthy—counting calories while building strength.

I was lean and strong, yet I had been feeling strangely fatigued, and I started falling asleep during and in between classes. I sometimes felt nauseous and light-headed. Lifters sometimes feel that way when they’re cutting weight, so I thought maybe I was just feeling it more than the others.

During the Easter weekend, my symptoms blew sky-high. I ate as if I were starving, starting with Easter candy, abundant fruit, and then all the rich dishes and desserts. Yet, no

I

38 ❘ March 2013

matter how hard I tried to keep food down, it kept coming back up. I hid my condition from others because I was embarrassed to be throwing up during our extended family’s Easter weekend festivities.

By Sunday, I became increasingly thirsty, which meant I was going to the bathroom at least 10 times a day.

I felt drained, tired, hungry, and dehydrated, and the face in the mirror wasn’t my own: it was haggard, with a blank stare, heavy bags underneath my eyes, and cheeks so thin I could see my cheekbones.

Still, I dragged myself to school for the next three days.

Waking to a Nightmare Wednesday night—the night before I was hospitalized—felt like a nightmare.

I woke up trembling and shaking; my

limbs felt frozen to the core. My stomach felt as empty as if it were clawing me from the inside. I stumbled to the kitchen to find something to eat, but I couldn’t grasp anything, much less chew it. It was the middle of the night, and I didn’t know what to do, so I walked to my brother Ryan’s room and knocked on the door.

Ryan woke up and started asking me questions. To this day I can’t remember what I told him or what he asked, but he knew something was St A n t h o n y M e s s e n g e r . o r g

Author Sarah E. Bourne, pictured with her husband and daughter, had a difficult transition when she was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes in high school. Faith and family saw her through it.

PHOTO BY CINDY SHAVER/LIFE’S CAPTURED MOMENTS

wrong. Unfortunately, with the knocking, I also woke up my mom. She wasn’t happy that I was up, that I woke up Ryan, or that I didn’t want to go to school. Who could blame her? Tired teenagers will try anything to get more sleep. My brother helped me to my bedroom, and I closed my eyes and attempted to rest.

I always take a deep breath when trying to recall the events of the next few days. I have huge gaps in my memory. What seemed to me like minutes Fr anciscanMedia.org

might have been hours or days. Thursday morning, after the midnight assistance from my brother, I remember lying on the couch, talking to my older sister, Mary, as she tried to keep me awake. Mom had decided that Mary, who was in college at the time, should take me to the doctor to see if I was actually sick. Someone helped me into the car because I couldn’t do it myself.

Then I vaguely remember being transported into a vehicle and taking off into the air. After that, silence.

I wasn’t sure where I was or who I was looking at. I seemed to be seeing what was happening from a different angle, as if looking down at myself, wondering if my body had already died.

I was later told that I had collapsed in the doctor’s office and was rushed across the street to the emergency room. My mom was called at work and rushed to the hospital to find me unconscious, surrounded by hospital staff.

March 2013 ❘ 39

“Has your daughter ever been diagnosed with diabetes?” one of the staff asked her. She shook her head.

“She has now.”

She was told that I had gone into a coma with a blood sugar level of 934.

The normal level for blood sugar is 80–140. I was in critical condition.

My mom struggled to take it all in.

She told me later that my stepfather and other family members arrived and were praying for me. My pastor, Father Tom Connery, came and administered the Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick.

Before he left, my mom mentioned to him sadly, “Sarah was going to be confirmed this Monday.”

“She will be there,” Father Tom replied.

Moving Forward As soon as possible, I was airlifted by helicopter to a hospital in Orlando for specialized diabetic care.

It was the strangest feeling when I awoke in the hospital bed the next day. I could have sworn that I died, but there I was in a gown with a dozen wires around me and tubes stuck in the veins of my arms and hands. I remember thanking God that I wasn’t awake or responding when they stuck all of them in.

My mother was sitting next to my bed when I opened my eyes fully, and she looked as if she had spent a restless night, crying off and on.

She took my cold hand in hers and said, “I’m sorry, baby. I’m so sorry. I didn’t know.”

All I could say to her was, “It’s OK, Mom. I didn’t know, either.”

tal Digi as Extr

Click here for more information on diabetes and other related articles.

Over the next few days in the hospital, I received prayers, cards, phone calls, and presents from so many people. I was amazed how many people— friends, family, and even strangers— offered their help, advice, and support.

40 ❘ March 2013

For Sarah, life isn’t always a day at the park, but she knows she’s not alone. “God has truly blessed me,” she writes, “but he has not removed the thorn.”

My diabetes seemed like such a small disease in such a big world. How astounding that, no matter the distance, something so insignificant could bring us together.

The speed of my recovery was nothing short of miraculous. As I gained strength, my family and I were educated by the hospital staff on the symptoms and treatment of diabetes, how to count carbohydrates as I ate, and how to administer insulin shots. To the utter amazement of everyone, I was released from the hospital that weekend. As Father Tom had predicted, I walked in straight and tall to attend my Confirmation with the bishop on Monday—just four days after cheating death.

I had picked “Joan,” for St. Joan of Arc, as my Confirmation name. I remember my mom saying to me that God was willing me there. I was just happy that I made it. What a celebration that was for my family, my youth group, and for the entire parish who prayed for me.

But my story didn’t end there.

with diabetes. Indeed, diabetes has been both a blessing and a curse, causing a confusing conversation between me and God. I ask Jesus why he chose me for this burden. I ask him why I continue to struggle to manage my blood sugar, even though I now have six years of experience. I plead with him not to let diabetes pass on to my daughter.

I beg God to be allowed to remain whole and healthy to an old age. Yet, on the other hand, I thank God for making me more health-conscious than most young people my age and for motivating me to take care of my body. I thank God for blessing me with this burden, which made me grow up faster than most teenagers, giving me a maturity without which my husband and I might never have ended up together.

I am now 21 years old, married, with a darling 2-year-old daughter. God has truly blessed me abundantly amid the affliction, but he has not removed the thorn.

Never Alone A Mixed Blessing Confirmation was only the beginning of my life’s mission and my struggle

I am not alone. According to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF), as many as three million AmerSt A n t h o n y M e s s e n g e r . o r g

Coping with Diabetes With Type 1 diabetes, it’s scary to know what might be around the corner for me if I don’t take care of myself. Over time, high sugar levels in the blood might damage my nerves and the small blood vessels of my eyes, kidneys, and heart. Nerve and blood vessel damage would predispose me to hardening of the large arteries (atherosclerosis), which can cause heart attacks and strokes, as well as foot complications, hearing loss, hypertension, and skin diseases.

In addition to blood glucose control and insulin management, I fight for the quality of my life on three other fronts.

EXERCISE Exercise is a must. I love being in shape. I’m happy to say that, for my build, I am still the perfect weight. Along with all of the other benefits of being active, exercise helps balance my blood glucose levels. My pediatrician said that I had probably been diabetic for months, but that my exercise regimen and healthy eating had helped control the condition.

NUTRITION Nutrition is one of the most important pieces of the diabetic puzzle. Understanding how different foods affect my blood glucose and planning appropriate meals are crucial parts of my daily routine. The best solution for me has been to learn to love foods with fewer carbohydrates. It also helps to keep unhealthy food out of the house so I don’t feel so tempted to cheat.

SUPPORT Emotional support is key. Connecting with other people to share the highs and lows of diabetic life makes all the difference. It doesn’t have to be with a fellow diabetic or the doctor, just someone who cares about me and can relate to situations I’m experiencing. Talking to people who understand makes me feel more peaceful and happy.

The most important aspect is supporting myself through prayer. When I balance my life with good nutrition, exercise, and proper blood glucose management techniques, and I put the rest in God’s hands, anything is possible.

PHOTOS BY CINDY SHAVER/LIFE’S CAPTURED MOMENTS

icans may have Type 1 diabetes, and every day approximately 80 people are added to that number.

Normally, the body’s immune system fights off foreign invaders, such as viruses or bacteria. Type 1 diabetes, however, occurs when the body’s own immune system destroys the insulinproducing cells of the pancreas, called beta cells, as if they were foreign invaders. No one knows why.

Warning signs of Type 1 diabetes may occur suddenly and include extreme thirst, frequent urination, drowsiness or lethargy, increased appetite, sudden weight loss, sudden vision changes, sugar in the urine, fruity odor on the breath, heavy or labored breathing, or unconsciousness.

Because people with Type 1 don’t produce insulin, we can’t survive without injecting insulin before each meal and in between meals, as needed, in order to metabolize the carbohydrates (sugars) we eat. We have to check our blood sugar (glucose) levels several times a day. It’s not the kind of condition where you just take a pill and shrug it off for the rest of the day.

My “kit” (blood glucose meter) is my best friend. I take it everywhere with me. I couldn’t survive without it.

My kit is another blessing God has given me. God saves my life every single day.

In fact, one of God’s greatest gifts to me is that when I am at my lowest— when I feel as if nothing will ever be right—he reveals to me that the world, at its center, is good and loving. God shows me that I am loved by others and that I am cherished by him with a love that is more than human love.

I can’t tell you that every day I am filled with happiness and joy because on some days I’m not. When I’m at my weakest point, God carries me. I don’t know why this condition was given to me, but I do know that my experience has touched and inspired many people. Diabetes makes every day a new beginning and gives me a special way of playing beautiful music as an instrument in God’s hands. A Sarah E. Bourne is a wife and stay-at-home mom who lives in Arab, Alabama.

Fr anciscanMedia.org

March 2013 ❘ 41

LIVING SIMPLY

❘ BY JENNIFER SCROGGINS

No-Recipe Recipes

S

ome of my most creative cooking has been done with

an eye toward using up

remnants and leftovers to clear out cabinet and refrigerator space. I don’t worry about exact measurements or ingredients; I just go by eyeball, taste, and a desire to get the most of something before the expiration date.

Here are some “no-recipe recipes” that make it easy to prepare tasty (and resourceful) dishes. © ANDERSEN ROSS/PHOTOXPRESS

Chili Soup My husband is a huge salsa lover, so this is a go-to, one-pot meal when I need to declutter the fridge of halfempty jars and extra veggies. Use any kind of salsa (or multiple types); we especially enjoy green tomatillo varieties. © TOMAS HAJEK/PHOTOXPRESS

Brown 1 pound ground turkey or beef in a large soup pot. Drain the meat and return it to the pot.

Add 4-6 cups of water and/or chicken stock and bring to a boil.

Reduce heat to medium-low and add chopped vegetables such as carrots, celery, bell peppers, or tomatoes. Add corn. (If using fresh, cut two ears from the cob. If using canned, use one can, drained.)

4 2 ❘ Ma rch 2013

Add salsa.

Optional: add canned black, kidney, or cannellini beans (drained); canned green chiles; or one small bag of frozen lima beans.

Stir soup and season with all or any of the following: black pepper, sea salt, cumin, coriander, garlic, paprika, onion powder, chili powder, or a dash of cayenne pepper.

Cover pot and reduce heat to simmer until veggies reached desired tenderness, about 45-60 minutes. (If you prefer a thicker soup, simmer with lid partially ajar, stirring occasionally.)

Serve with shredded cheddar cheese, diced onions, and fresh cilantro.

St A n t h o n y M e s s e n g e r . o rg

Dressing/Marinade

© LISA F. YOUNG/PHOTOXPRESS; GARLIC: © GRZEGORZ SZLOWIENIEC/PHOTOXPRESS

This combination of flavors gives you salty, sweet, and tangy all at once. Pour it as a dressing over salad or roasted vegetables or use it to marinate chicken or pork. Simply adjust quantities to the flavor and consistency you prefer.

Whisk together: Minced garlic Soy or Worcestershire sauce Orange juice Honey, molasses, or balsamic vinegar Red wine vinegar Ground black pepper Ground cumin

Fiesta Lasagna We love to have tacos and quesadillas for weekend dinners, and the leftovers can be nicely repurposed into a lasagna-style meal for two people. Just bake the following and pair with a basic green salad made from any shredded lettuce or diced tomatoes remaining from taco night.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Place uncooked lasagna noodles in bottom of a small rectangular baking dish.

Spoon in a layer of salsa to generously cover noodles.

Optional: add layer of vegetables such as diced onions and peppers or green chiles or add layer of refried beans or jarred bean dip.

Add layer of shredded cheese such as cheddar or Monterey jack.

Repeat layering process. (If you run out of leftover salsa, substitute a can of diced stewed tomatoes.)

Sprinkle top layer with red-pepper flakes or dried cilantro if desired.

Bake for 30-35 minutes or until cheese is golden brown.

© KALIM/PHOTOXPRESS

Add layer of meat: cooked ground beef or turkey or chopped grilled chicken.

Fr ancisca n Media .org

M a rch 2 0 1 3 ❘ 4 3

Innuendos Harsh words from a wounded soul FICTION BY MARIE ANDERSON

M

ILLUSTRATION BY MARY KURNICK MAASS

ISS GRIMM PAID Evita Navarro $1 a day to walk Lady once in the morning before school and once in the afternoon after school. Evi lived with her mother and little brother, Freddy, in the apartment building next to Miss Grimm’s house.

This was Evi’s first job, and though in the beginning she wanted to like her boss, she found that she couldn’t. Evi would’ve hated Miss Grimm if hating hadn’t been a sin. But she no longer felt guilty about disliking the old woman, not since Evi’s mother had explained that most people didn’t much like their bosses. It was just how it was.

“Neighborhood’s too dangerous for someone like me now,” Miss Grimm had said to Evi during the job interview, “even accompanied by a big, strong dog like Lady.”

Evi felt her cheeks grow hot and, if Lady hadn’t been watching, she might have declined the job, despite her need for money to pay for a cell phone. Everyone in Evi’s sixth-grade class had cell phones. Everyone but Evi. “Why doesn’t she move if she thinks the neighborhood is so dangerous?” Evi asked her mother later.

“The neighborhood is not so dangerous,” her mother replied. “That old woman is just making an innuendo. Dangerous is her code for the neighborhood being more Hispanic these days than the German and Irish it used to be.”

“Innuendo,” Evi repeated. She liked how the word felt bouncy and musical, like her father’s Spanish words when he sang.

Her mother hated when he sang. He sang only when he drank. But Evi liked her father best when he sang.

Fr ancisca n Media .org

Evi’s mother had been born in Puerto Rico but had lived in Chicago since she was 2. Evi’s father had illegally come from Mexico. He’d washed dishes at the club where Evi’s mother was a hostess. They’d never legally married. Evi’s father thought it too risky to appear before any officials.

So when Freddy, Evi’s little brother, got sick, it was easy for her father to leave.

O

utside Miss Grimm’s back door, Evi removed a towel from a box and wiped Lady’s paws. They entered Miss Grimm’s dark kitchen. It smelled of cigarettes and the blue cheese Miss Grimm squeezed into her martini olives.

Miss Grimm sat at the table, sipping a martini.

Stuff cluttered the table: a large-print edition of Reader’s Digest, a bowl filled with rosaries, a plate of anchovies, a 2-foot-high statue of St. Jude, his nose chipped and his sandaled feet on the verge of stepping into a full ashtray.

“Did she do all her business?” Miss Grimm asked.

Evi nodded and unhooked the leash from Lady’s collar. Lady stretched herself over Evi’s feet.

“How’s my baby?” Miss Grimm leaned forward and rubbed Lady’s cropped boxer ears. “How’s my good girl?”

Miss Grimm sat back, groaned, and rubbed her back. “Oh, my aching back.” She squinted at Evi and waved her hand under her nose as though Evi had brought in a bad smell.

She did that every afternoon while Evi waited for the crumpled dollar bill Miss Grimm plucked from the pocket of the flower-patterned housedress she always wore.

The first time Evi had worried that she’d brought M a rch 2 0 13 ❘ 4 5

Franciscan Media presents

a bad smell into the house. But her mother explained: “She’s trying to make you think you smell bad, honey.

It’s another innuendo. What smells bad, Evi, is that old lady’s manner, not you.”

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Y

ou keep her on leash?” Miss Grimm asked.

Evi nodded, her fingers crossed behind her back so she wouldn’t have to add this lie to her Confession list. Lady liked to chase squirrels, so Evi always unleashed Lady as soon as they crossed the busy street.

“How’s your father?”

“He’s fine.” Evi crossed her fingers tighter. She’d seen Miss Grimm peering out the window three months earlier, watching Evi’s father load all his belongings into the back of a pickup truck and drive away.

“My parents raised five kids on a baker’s wages. Never needed food stamps or Section 8 housing like that apartment building you’re in.”

Lady grunted and pushed her wet nose into Evi’s hand. Her heart started to beat faster. Her cheeks felt hot.

“I pray for your family every day.”

Miss Grimm pointed to the St. Jude statue. “Patron saint of lost causes.”

Another innuendo, Evi thought.

“Thank you,” she murmured.

At last, Miss Grimm placed a dollar on the table.

L

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Catalog.FranciscanMedia.org 4 6 ❘ Ma rch 2013

ady strained at the leash as they waited to cross the busy street.

Traffic was worse since the new county hospital had opened a mile east. Lady pulled Evi off the curb into the street. A speeding car honked and swerved, just missing them.

“Lady! Bad girl!” Evi yanked the boxer back to the curb. And before she could stop herself, she punched Lady’s back, hard, three times.

Lady whimpered. Evi fell to her knees and hugged the dog. “I’m sorry, girl.” A memory put goose bumps on her arms: her father hugging her mother after his slaps, kissing her mother’s tears.

Lady licked Evi’s face. Evi bit her tongue. The pain made her father and other confusing memories go away.

Hitting Lady, she knew, was another sin to add to her Confession list.

“I’ll make it up to you, Lady,” Evi whispered.

As soon as they turned into the alley, Evi removed Lady’s leash.

Lady squatted next to Evi and looked up at her. “Go, girl,” Evi said.

“Go. Have fun.”

Lady leaped away, bouncing after birds and drifting litter, and then, barking, she charged a squirrel.

Evi’s stomach hurt. She shouldn’t have hit Lady. Maybe her father, when he’d slapped her mother, felt bad, too.

So why did people hit those they loved?

“I won’t ever hit again,” Evi whispered. “I promise you, God.” The squirrel shot down the alley, Lady in close pursuit, and when the squirrel neared the busy street, Evi screamed. “Lady! Heel!”

But Lady raced after the squirrel and into the busy street.

A red convertible screeched and slammed to a stop. Horns blared, and cars swerved around the convertible.

The useless leash slapped against her legs as she ran.

B

y the time she reached Lady, the driver had parked his convertible at the curb and carried Lady off the street. He laid her on the grassy parkway.

“I’m so sorry,” the driver said. He crouched next to Lady.

Evi could see that Lady was gone— her beautiful head crushed. She collapsed to her knees. “Oh, Lady, Lady, Lady,” she moaned.

“I hit your dog, miss. She came out of nowhere. I couldn’t stop. Another car rolled over her. But it was my fault.

I’m the one who hit her first.”

The driver stood. Evi looked up at him. He was short with a round belly and bubbly brown hair fringing a bald head. Blood splotched his white shirt.

He handed her a card. “Give this to your parents. They can call me, and I’ll be happy to pay for a new dog. But I have to go now. I’ve got a patient in labor. That’s where I was heading— the hospital.”

But as he moved to his car, Miss St A n t h o n y M e s s e n g e r . o rg

Grimm came flying from her house, shrieking, her long, gray hair and flower-patterned housedress billowing behind her.

“My baby! My baby!” she screamed.

She yanked Evi’s hair. “What did you do? The leash! Why isn’t my Lady on leash?”

The driver placed his hand on Miss Grimm’s shoulder. “Ma’am, it’s my fault.”

She released Evi’s hair and faced him.

“I’m Dr. Abraham. I hit your granddaughter’s dog. It’s my fault. I’ll pay for a new dog for you.”

“Granddaughter? Does she look like she could be my granddaughter? I paid this girl good money to walk my dog.

And I told her to always, always keep Lady on leash.”

Miss Grimm yanked Evi’s hair again.

“Didn’t I? And didn’t you always tell me you were keeping her on leash?

Look what happened!”

Evi could hardly see through her tears. She stroked Lady’s still warm body. The fur was sticky with blood.

“I’m so sorry,” Evi sobbed.

“Ma’am, what’s your name?” Dr. Abraham pulled a checkbook and pen from an inside pocket of his suit jacket.

“I’ll write a check right now.”

Miss Grimm squinted at him.

“Grimm,” she said. “G-R-I-M-M. Agnes Grimm.”

“Suits you,” he murmured.

“What?”

“What do you need to buy another dog?”

Miss Grimm clicked her teeth. “$5,000—shots, dog tags. I have to pay for all that again, plus taxi fare to take a new dog for vet appointments. I don’t drive anymore. Not safe, not with all these uninsured illegals behind the wheel these days. All these pork chops, tacos, beans ruining what used to be a perfectly good neighborhood.”

Dr. Abraham shook his head and began writing a check. “I’ll pay you $500,” he said.

He tore off the check, held it out.

After a moment, Miss Grimm grabbed it, studied it, then pushed it into the pocket of her housedress.

“You know,” he said. “I actually like pork chops, tacos, and beans. In fact, the only thing I absolutely despise is sauerkraut.”

Despite her sorrow, Evi smiled. An innuendo. Dr. Abraham had made an innuendo.

“Well, doctor,” Miss Grimm said, “you best be taking care of my Lady’s body, too. This sour kraut is too old to be digging a grave.”

M

iss Grimm’s shoulders sagged.

Evi watched her shuffle away. She could hear her crying, and suddenly, for the first time, Evi felt sorry for the old woman.

“It’s my fault,” Evi said.

“What’s your name?” Dr. Abraham asked.

“Evita. Evi.” “Evi, I’ll take Lady with me. Don’t worry about it. It wasn’t your fault.”

“No! Please! Do you think, maybe, you could bring her to my yard? I could bury her under the crabapple tree.”

Dr. Abraham sighed. He looked at

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the time on his watch.

He lifted Lady and cradled her against his chest. He followed Evi to the square of weedy grass behind her apartment building.

“I’ll come back after I deliver my patient’s baby,” he promised. “I’ll dig the grave—tomorrow. OK, Evi?”

T

hat evening, Evi and her mother knelt before Lady’s body under the tree. They tugged a large black trash bag over the dog. Evi tied

ANSWERS TO PETE AND REPEAT 1. Mom has gotten taller.

2. The push button is missing from the can.

3. There is now a knocker on the door.

4. Pete now has a part in his hair.

5. There is a cuff on Mom’s sleeve.

6. Pete’s collar has disappeared.

7. Pete is wearing a watch.

8. The cuff is gone on Pete’s sleeve.

Did You Know...?

There are single women in our midst committed to living the Gospel in service of the Church— yet living at home, pursuing their careers?

They are members of

Caritas Christi Secular Institute (Approved by the Church) If you are interested and aged 21-50, write or call: Mary Jane McCarthy 351 Red Wing Ct. Cridersville, Ohio 45806 (419) 645-4048 National Caritas Christi P.O. Box 9604 Cincinnati, Ohio 45209 www.ccinfo.org

4 8 ❘ Ma rch 2013

the bag with red ribbon. Walking back to the apartment building, Evi glanced up. Miss Grimm stood in her kitchen window, staring at her.

The next morning, when Evi peered out her bedroom window into the yard, Lady’s body still formed a lump under the tree. But now it was covered with a flowered housedress.

D

r. Abraham arrived late in the afternoon. He carried two shovels. He kept looking at Evi’s mother.

“Tell your husband I’m sorry for all this trouble I’ve caused,” he said.

“There’s no husband to tell,” she replied.

Color flooded his cheeks.

“I’m Jay. Jay Abraham.”

“Maria Navarro,” Evi’s mother replied.

Evi and her mother helped Dr. Abraham dig the grave. Evi’s brother, Freddy, watched from his wheelchair.

Evi kept glancing at Miss Grimm’s house, but the windows remained empty. She grabbed the dress covering Lady and flung it off.

Dr. Abraham pulled the trash bag containing Lady’s body to the edge of the grave. Together, they knelt and pushed the dog into the grave.

“What about the dress?” he asked.

“It’s Miss Grimm’s,” Evi said.

“Yuck,” Freddy said. He rolled his wheelchair away from the dress.

“Throw it away.”

Evi looked at Miss Grimm’s house.

The old lady was standing behind her kitchen window, looking at them.

Evi lifted the dress. She stood over the grave, released it, and watched it float down over Lady. She looked back at the window. Miss Grimm was gone.

I

t didn’t take long for them to fill the grave.

“Could I take the three of you to dinner sometime?” Dr. Abraham asked.

“I’ll bet you know all the good Mexican restaurants around here.”

His face reddened. “What I mean is, I love Mexican food.”

Evi’s mother smiled. “I’m Puerto Rican. But I love Mexican food, too.

Sure. That would be great.”

“How about now?” he asked.

“Yeah, Mama, I’m starving!” Freddy shouted. Evi rolled her eyes at her little brother.

“OK,” Evi’s mother said. “Just give us a bit of time to make ourselves presentable.”

E

vi skipped to her bedroom. As she searched for a better shirt in her dresser drawer, she glanced out the window and gasped.

Miss Grimm was placing her St. Jude statue on Lady’s grave.

A tornado whirled inside Evi’s stomach. She flew from the apartment, down the back stairs, and out into the yard toward the grave. Her heart pounded.

“Take that statue off!” she screamed.

“Lady’s not a lost cause!”

Miss Grimm placed her hand on Evi’s arm. Evi flung it off.

Miss Grimm’s eyes were swollen and wet. “St. Jude is also the patron saint of lost souls,” she said.

Evi clenched her fists. “I’m sick of your mean innuendoes,” she shouted at Miss Grimm. “I said I was sorry about Lady! I’m not a lost soul! You’re the lost soul!”

Evi ran to her building. Just as she reached the back door, Miss Grimm called out. “Evita! I didn’t mean you.

I meant Lady. I want St. Jude to guide my girl’s soul into heaven. She’ll be in heaven waiting for me, don’t you think?”

Evi hesitated, her hand on the doorknob. I’ll tell her now, Evi decided. I’ll tell her I think prejudiced people don’t get into heaven. I’ll tell her I hate her and never want to talk to her again. I don’t care if hating’s a sin.

Evi turned around.

Miss Grimm stood by the grave. Her shoulders drooped. Her watery eyes locked on Evi. “Dogs need to run,” Miss Grimm said. “Lady was always so peaceful after her outings with you.”

Evi felt something thick fill her throat. She couldn’t speak. A Marie Anderson is a freelance writer from La Grange, Illinois, where she lives with her husband, Bob, and three children.

St A n t h o n y M e s s e n g e r . o rg

YEAR OF FAITH

❘ BY KEVIN WELLS

Finding Christ through Suffering

M

Fr ancisca n Media .org

S T. M A X I M I L I A N K O L B E “No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends” (Jn 15:13). Never was this passage brought to life more than through the self-sacrificing actions of St. Maximilian Kolbe. Amidst the overwhelming suffering of the Holocaust, Kolbe offered his life so that another man—with a family—could live. By enduring his own suffering, Kolbe followed in the footsteps of Christ by exemplifying the greatest of all suffering and sacrifice on behalf of his fellow man.

land—always in piecemeal fashion— like some sort of reward for remembering his words: “Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest” (Mt 11:28).

Failed brain surgery; infertility; scams; the murder of my uncle, one of America’s happiest priests—Christ has gathered these whale-sized wounds up into his calloused, carpenter hands and plied and burnished and occasionally torn to begin to make things well.

He has the tools—all of them. He wants me to use just one: surrender.

My greatest anxiety, my greatest wound, that awful thing I drag around every day—well, I’ve come to see that as the holiest place in my life because it’s there I meet him. In my powerlessness, that place is the sweet place of surrender.

That’s where he lives. That’s where his graces flow. So that’s where I go. A

ILLUSTRATION BY JULIE LONNEMAN

y wife, Krista, and I wanted 10 kids. We discovered we couldn’t have any.

So, of course, we went to God. Day after day, we went to him. Then, little by little, God mended us. But first, he took us into deeper pain.

Put your index finger close to your thumb without touching. Three years ago, that’s how close I was to dying. One minute, I’m chewing on movie popcorn with my family at home. The next, I’m on a gurney with sirens screaming to a downtown Baltimore hospital. A line of vessels in my brain had exploded.

Mini tidal waves of blood were drowning my brain. Doctors tried everything short of surgery to stop the waves. But nothing could stop them. They opened my head and went in—and failed again.

The following day, a healing priest figured he’d give it a shot. He tiptoed into my neuro-ICU room and began to pray over me. A few minutes later, lights were popping everywhere—a miracle. Not one of those “It’s a miracle! I found my car keys in the couch cushion” type of miracles. But a miracle miracle. The priest and his assistant still tear up when recounting what they saw that night.

The next day the trapped blood and arteriovenous malformation had vanished. Stinkin’ vanished.

Always, it’s been in my deepest wound that Christ has clocked the most hours. He knows sometimes he must use violence and deep coredrilling to reach the wound’s source.

And that can hurt.

Christ wants me to enter into my pain with an unbending trust that he’ll tend to it. And if I do decide to fully surrender the darkness, somehow, I’ll be delivered. I’m delivered because his healing graces seem to

Peace in Suffering Lord, remind us to turn to you in our suffering.

Help us to remember that you are there with us during times of trouble.

In our darkest moments, you are our light.

Let us be open to receiving it and your love.

Hold us close to you and comfort us from our fears of uncertainty.

For it is through you that we find peace.

Kevin Wells lives with his wife and three children in Crofton, Maryland, where he is a freelance writer and active in prison ministry. He is the author of Burst: A Story of God’s Grace When Life Falls Apart (Servant Books).

M a rch 2 0 1 3 ❘ 4 9

ASK A FRANCISCAN

❘ BY FATHER PAT McCLOSKEY, OFM

Why No Mention of Peter in Rome?

Why doesn’t Acts of the Apostles say anything about St. Peter’s time in Rome? It covers a period of time up to the time he is said to have died.

If Acts of the Apostles were intended as a history textbook, you could rightfully expect it to mention St. Peter’s time in Rome. Acts, however, is written to explain the gift of the Holy Spirit to the Church at Pentecost and then the Spirit-led expansion of the Church, first to Jewish people and then to the gentiles.

Peter figures prominently in chapters 1 through 5 and in chapters 10 through 12, with short references in chapters 9 and 15.

After Paul’s conversion is described in chapter 8, his ministry is described in the first part of chapter 9 and then in chapters 13 through 28.

Acts of the Apostles and the Gospel of Luke are addressed to a certain Theophilus, presumably a gentile.

The Gospel describes Jesus’ life and ministry, emphasizing the role of the Holy Spirit. Acts describes the Spirit’s role in the spread of Jesus’ message until St. Paul arrives in Rome, the capital of the empire. From there it spread to the rest of the known world. At this point the author’s purpose had been accomplished. In fact, Peter and Paul are still alive when Acts ends; its account is not primar-

Becoming a Catholic

© IRINA TISCHENKO/PHOTOXPRESS

My daughter-in-law belongs to an Orthodox Church. When she informed the priest at the parish where she and my son worship that she wanted to become a Roman Catholic, he said that this was not necessary. Because she is already recognized as part of the Church, he said that she could not participate in the RCIA—but neither should she receive Communion at Mass. What is going on here?

I, too, am puzzled by this report. Perhaps that priest knew that her Orthodox Church objected to its members receiving Communion in a Catholic Mass. According to the US bishops’ 1996 “Guidelines for the Reception of Communion” (printed in all US-produced worship aids), members of Orthodox Churches “are urged to respect the discipline of their own Churches. According to Roman Catholic discipline, the Code of Canon Law does not object to the reception of communion by Christians of these Churches (canon 844:3).”

After an appropriate period of instruction, she could make a Profession of Faith and be received into full communion with the Catholic Church.

Then she would be welcome to receive the Eucharist at Mass whenever she is properly disposed.

5 0 ❘ Ma rch 2013

ily about them but about Jesus and the spread of his message.

Peter’s presence in Rome is attested to in second-century Christian writings and in a crude cemetery marker (now under the Vatican basilica). More evidence is summarized in an excellent book, Antioch and Rome: New Testament Cradles of Catholic Christianity, by Fathers Raymond Brown, SS, and John Meier.

Bothered by Biblical Contradictions I have been trying to read a chapter of the Bible every day, and I find many confusing statements there. I am bothered by all the contradictions. It often refers to fearing God. Good people are described as Godfearing. Yet elsewhere I read that God is love and that we should love God, which I try to do.

Yes, the Bible uses this expression often. The Book of Judith praises her as “God-fearing” (8:31 and 11:17), and the Book of Sirach also uses this expression very positively (19:17).

Cornelius, a Roman centurion baptized by the apostle Peter, is also described in this way (Acts 10:22).

The 53 references to “fear of the Lord” in the Book of Psalms alone are mostly positive; evildoers are described as not fearing God (36:1 and 55:19). The Old Testament and New Testament often praise “fear of God” or “fear of the Lord.” Yet the first words of many angelic messengers are “Fear not” or “Do not be afraid” (Gn 21:17; Jgs 6:23; Lk 1:13, 30, and 2:10).

Citing Isaiah 11:2, the Catechism of the Catholic Church describes “fear of the Lord” as one of the gifts of the Holy Spirit (1831). A reverential fear St A n t h o n y M e s s e n g e r . o rg

acknowledges God’s majesty and otherness without rendering the person addressed by God psychologically paralyzed, incapable of carrying out God’s directions.

God is indeed love, as the Gospel of John affirms many times in chapters 13 through 17 and as the John 3:16 signs remind us in football stadiums and elsewhere; 1 John 4:16b tells us, “God is love, and those who abide in love abide in God, and God abides in them” (NRSV).

We need to read the Scriptures within the faith community for which they were intended. Jews and Christians have long understood the biblical “fear of the Lord” as not a paralyzing fear but one that liberates a person to live as someone made in God’s image and intended to share divine life.

I encourage you to continue reading a chapter of the Bible each day.

Keep loving God and God’s creation.

Nothing could be more appropriate during this Year of Faith.

Obsessed with the State of Grace My wife and I are in our 80s.

Recently, she has become obsessed with whether she has been making good confessions. Our pastor has met with her several times; unfortunately, this just hasn’t filled the void. Do you have any suggestions?

Living in the state of grace (sharing divine life) means living in truth and in freedom. At the moment, it sounds as though your wife is not experiencing either state as much as God desires for her.

God is both just and merciful. For whatever reason, your wife accepts that first attribute and is not fully convinced of the second one. In the Catholic Update archive section at AmericanCatholic.org, you will find an article, “Are Our Images of God Growing?” It may help.

When asked if she was in the state of grace, St. Joan of Arc said: “If I am, God, keep me there. If not, God, put me there.” Ultimately, all of us need Fr ancisca n Media .org

to depend on God’s mercy—a great sign of love.

People who feel terrorized by some scriptural mental images of God need to read more of the Bible because it presents other equally true mental images. You cannot argue a person out of scrupulosity; you may succeed in inviting that person to live in the truth and freedom that God wants for everyone created in the divine image.

Imprisoning Debtors In Matthew 18:21–35, after a master canceled one servant’s huge debt, that same servant threatened to imprison another servant over a much smaller debt. How could someone in prison pay off a debt, large or small?

the city of Padua abolished its law that permitted imprisoning debtors.

Regarding “Why Go Barefoot?” in the October issue: According to the 2011 Official Catholic Directory, there were almost 700 Discalced Carmelite nuns in 62 US monasteries, as compared to 437 Carmelite sisters in six societies of apostolic life. Likewise, there are more Discalced Carmelite friars than Carmelite friars who wear shoes. Secular Carmelites may wear shoes. I mistakenly indicated that Discalced Carmelites were in the minority. Best wishes to the entire Carmelite family! A

Father Pat welcomes your questions!

Send them to: Ask a Franciscan, 28 W. Liberty Street, Cincinnati, OH 45202-6498, or Ask@FranciscanMedia.org. All questions sent by mail need to include a selfaddressed stamped envelope. This column’s answers can be searched back to April 1996 at StAnthonyMessenger.org.

That custom lasted into the 19th century in the West. The presumption was that relatives or friends would come forward to pay the money owed. Because of St. Anthony’s Lenten sermons in 1231,

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M a rch 2 0 13 ❘ 5 1

BOOK CORNER

❘ BY CAROL ANN MORROW

Immortal Diamond The Search for Our True Self

By Richard Rohr Jossey-Bass 288 pages • $19.95 Hardcover Reviewed by ALICE CAMILLE, MDiv, writer, religious educator, and author of Isaiah and the Kingdom of Peace, a four-color illustrated book from ACTA Publications.

WHAT I’M READING Jesus of Nazareth: The Infancy Narratives is a short read, but you’ll want to go through it slowly to savor each morsel of wisdom from our Holy Father Pope Benedict, who has consistently offered stories of hope to the faithful since he began his pontificate.

Pope Benedict tells us in his foreword that he “has taken pains to enter into dialogue with the texts” he used from the Gospels. He says he hopes his book will “help many people on their path toward and alongside Jesus.” Pope Benedict’s “great pains” to write this masterpiece have certainly paid off, for he has succeeded in bringing this reader “toward and alongside Jesus” through his thoughtful text. If you desire to gain knowledge about the roots of your faith from an exceedingly trusted source, I highly recommend that you read this book.

Donna-Marie Cooper O’Boyle is an award-winning author and journalist, speaker, reviewer, and the EWTN television host of Everyday Blessings for Catholic Moms, which she created.

5 2 ❘ Ma rch 2013

IF WE LEARN ANYTHING from the Easter Gospels, it’s that we all run away from resurrection—at first. The idea that new life comes after death—and necessarily out of death—is too frightening and costly to consider. It requires a change in our thinking that will be its own form of death. And none of us is all that crazy about dying.

Listening to Richard Rohr since the days of audiocassettes, I’m used to taking the plunge off the ledge of what-suits-me-justfine into a brisk pool of oh-no-what-if-he’sright? Readers of Immortal Diamond, anticipating another nosedive into terrifying and exhilarating grace, will not be disappointed. If you hang on long enough, you’ll find the parachute opens before you need it, with seconds to spare. Bring smelling salts to your faith-sharing group, just in case.

I say faith-sharing group deliberately: no Rohr book should be read without a companion to talk through the ramifications.

You’ll want to buy two copies: one for yourself and the other for that person you know who’s presently having a theological breakdown or spiritual breakthrough.

Ask yourself this: Do you want to be threatened with resurrection? Do you believe that “grace is found at the depths and in the death of everything,” as Rohr proposes? Are you tired of “the dualistic food fight between Catholic tradition and Protestant sola Scriptura? Are you ready to take off your costume and be your true self, to find the immortal diamond at the center of your soul? Do you believe it’s the job of religion to remind us, early and often, who we are and could be? Or are you happy with churchianity?”

Rohr scatters a generous amount of bread crumbs along the path he invites us to follow: Scripture and tradition, psychology and mythology, Church fathers and saints and mystics, innovative ideas blended convincingly with the best of ancient wisdom.

Rohr is reading everybody I’d be reading if I had another lifetime to be reading them. I feel as if he’s done my homework. But he still leaves the really critical task in our laps: Are we going to let the truth set us free already, or not?

St A n t h o n y M e s s e n g e r . o rg

BOOK BRIEFS

The Eucharist His Mass and Ours Meditations on Living Eucharistically

By Brendan Leahy New City Press 72 pages • $7.95 Paperback

Three Irish Saints A Guide to Finding Your Spiritual Style

By Kevin Vost TAN Books 220 pages • $14.95 Paperback Reviewed by KATHLEEN FINLEY, a spiritual director and counselor who also teaches Christian spirituality. Find out more at mitchandkathy finley.com.

I WAS EXCITED to read this profile of three important Irish figures since I have an Irish heritage and a strong love for Celtic spirituality. I found, however, that I was quickly disappointed. When I read a book about the saints, I want to learn historically accurate information about their lives and be inspired by their example.

Instead, what promised to be a self-help book to help me discover my spirituality type didn’t really do that. It didn’t give me a clear idea of who saints Kevin of Glendalough, Patrick of Ireland, and Brigid of Kildare were, beyond quoting from the ancient legends. This only served to distance the saints from what I could hope to emulate, and it even occasionally showed them with a temper that seemed vengeful.

Rather than emphasizing the connection with all of nature that is an important hallmark of Celtic spirituality, the author’s Thomistic intellectual background continued to emphasize a distinction between the animal realm and that of humans. When he talked about the qualities and virtues of each saint, he also discussed those qualities in a rather abstract way.

Three Irish Saints, in short, wasn’t all that it could have been.

Fr ancisca n Media .org

Brendan Leahy examines the dual dimensions of the Mass—Christ’s gift and our participation in it—in his book, which offers daily readings for four weeks. Excerpts from the Roman Missal along with quotes from theologians and popes and stories of “regular Catholics” draw out the meaning of what Christ says and does for his people and what we say and do in response.

Bread of Life Exploring the Presence of Eucharist in Our Lives

By Louis J. Cameli Liturgy Training Publications 122 pages • $12.95 Paperback In his “eucharistic autobiography,” Father Louis J. Cameli reflects on the role the Eucharist has played in his life. He explores how the Eucharist transforms all of us and examines the meaning of the Eucharist in modern life.

Amazing Nearness Meditations on the Eucharist

By Father Tadeusz Dajczer Paraclete Press 110 pages • $17.99 Hardcover Father Tadeusz Dajczer reflects on the challenges and joys he’s experienced in developing his relationship with the Eucharist. Through his commentary on Pope Benedict XVI’s encyclical “God Is Love,” readers are led to discover a “real, infinite, constant, ever-present, allembracing Eucharistic love.” —R.Z. Books featured in this column can be ordered from

St. Mary’s Bookstore & Church Supply 1909 West End Avenue • Nashville, TN 37203 800-233-3604 www.stmarysbookstore.com • stmarysbookstore@gmail.com M a rch 2 0 1 3 ❘ 5 3

A CATHOLIC MOM SPEAKS

❘ BY SUSAN HINES-BRIGGER

A Head Start on Earth Day the environment and our impact on it. I even had my most inquisitive kid, Alex, look up what “carbon footprint” means.

Suddenly, they were more willing to help me with the recycling in the house, with picking up their own garbage, even with little things such as not letting the water run while they were brushing their teeth.

Wrong Month? No! You may be wondering why I’m writing about the environment in March. Everyone knows that Earth Day is in April, right? Well, I beg to differ. I think Earth Day is every month, every day. Relegating our care for creation to one specific month is not going to work. Plus, debates over the actual day have been going on for some time.

So I’m writing about the environment a month earlier than expected.

After ruminating on the topic for a month, feel free to jump into action come April. But I hope you then continue it into May and beyond.

T

he other morning I was walking our dog, Tigger, when I started to notice the amount of garbage on the ground. I mostly was noticing it because Tigger is a puppy, and she wanted to eat all of it. I was amazed by the number of wrappers, cigarette boxes, aluminum cans, and various other bits of garbage I saw. This isn’t the first time I walked this route, so how was it that I had missed it before?

The next time I took Tigger on a walk, I brought along a paper lunch bag to collect the various bits of garbage I found on the ground. This time I was more deliberate in my search.

5 4 ❘ Ma rch 2013

When I got home, I threw the bag away and was washing my hands when my kids asked what I had been doing. I explained it to them, and lo and behold, they asked if next time they could come along. Seriously?

Who had replaced my children?

The ones who take half-hour-long showers and refuse to drink tap water because “it doesn’t taste as good as bottled.”

OK, maybe they started bickering over who got to go first, who got to hold the bag, and who got to walk the dog, but you get the picture.

Before long, my kids started to become more aware of the amount of litter and garbage surrounding us.

We started talking as a family about

Walk the Talk Sometimes protecting the environment can seem overwhelming. What can I do about global warming? How can I stop the melting polar ice caps?

In order to take care of our own little corner of the environment, here are five easy practices: Take a walk around your neighborhood with a bag. Pick up any garbage you find that is safe to handle. If you don’t have time to walk your whole neighborhood, start small and walk your own yard.

Bring your own reusable bags to the grocery store. Of course, if you’re anything like me, you’ll probably forget them time and again. So I started keeping the bags in my car.

St A n t h o n y M e s s e n g e r . o rg

A MORAL ISSUE

If you’re not ready to make this leap, or simply can’t remember to bring the other ones, then return the plastic bags to the store. Most stores have a box you can put them in for recycling.

Open the windows. If you’re in a cooler climate, now that the temperatures are beginning to warm up, give the furnace a rest and let in some fresh air.

Recycle your aluminum cans.

This is one the kids can do—and reap rewards. Many places offer cash rewards for recycled aluminum. But if you don’t have the time or energy

personal and shared engagement by the Catholic community to respond to the impacts of climate change.

At some time during the day, have your family recite the pledge and brainstorm concrete ways to implement it.

to take on recycling in a big way, then start small.

At your next get-together, put out a paper bag or some type of receptacle for people to throw their cans in.

Or collect the tabs for organizations such as Ronald McDonald House, which recycle the tabs for money.

Plant some flowers. Flowers help purify the air. If you don’t have a yard, get a houseplant. You’ll get the same effects, just within your own home.

I’m not asking you to completely overhaul your lifestyle. We’re all

St. Francis Pledge I/We pledge to: PRAY and reflect on the duty to care for God’s creation and protect the poor and vulnerable.

LEARN about and educate others on the causes and moral dimensions of climate change.

ASSESS how we—as individuals and in our families, parishes, and other affiliations—contribute to climate change by our own energy use, consumption, waste, etc.

ACT to change our choices and behaviors to reduce the ways we contribute to climate change.

ADVOCATE for Catholic principles and priorities in climate change discussions and decisions, especially as they impact those who are poor and vulnerable.

ILLUSTRATIONS BY MARY KURNICK MAASS

The environment is an issue of great importance to Pope Benedict XVI. Throughout his papacy, he has taken steps at the Vatican to become more earth-friendly, such as solar panels and a hybrid popemobile.

In that spirit, the Catholic Coalition on Climate Change, whose participants include a dozen national Catholic organizations including the US Conference of Catholic Bishops, launched The Catholic Climate Covenant.

The initiative offers Catholics a concrete way to live out their faith by caring for God’s creation and the “least of these” in response to the challenges of global climate change.

As part of that covenant, the St. Francis Pledge to Care for Creation and the Poor encourages greater

busy. I’m just asking you to do something, anything, to help out future generations. Our kids deserve it.

If you have some other tips or ideas, e-mail them to me at the address below or post them on our Facebook page. A

Do you have comments or suggestions for topics you’d like to see addressed in this column? Send them to me at “A Catholic Mom Speaks,” 28 W. Liberty St., Cincinnati, OH 45202-6498, or e-mail them to CatholicMom@FranciscanMedia.org.

PETE AND REPEAT Now that winter’s disappeared Pete is kicking into gear.

He’ll help his mom erase the grime That built up over wintertime.

ILLUSTRATION BY TOM GREENE

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 on page 48)

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M a rch 2 0 1 3 ❘ 5 5

New from Servant Books Salt and Light

Winning the Discipline Debate

The Commandments, the Beatitudes, and a Joyful Life

Dr. Ray Coaches Parents to Make Discipline Less Frequent, Less Frustrating, and More Consistent

Mark P. Shea Salt and Light offers a fresh perspective on the Ten Commandments and the Beatitudes, showing how these two pillars of Christian moral teaching complement each other. The Ten Commandments are the “ground floor,” providing the bare minimum contours of the moral life. The Beatitudes, by contrast, point us to a way we can live our lives as creatures intended to share in the life of God. Salt and Light reveals the commandments as showing us our brokenness and pushing us toward the Savior—and then points the reader to the way to ultimate happiness: our beatitude.

From preschool to the late teen years, Dr. Ray coaches parents on how to make discipline less wordy, less frequent, less frustrating— and more definite. With Dr. Ray as your coach, everyone wins!

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Dr. Ray Guarendi Winning the Discipline Debates covers a series of the most common (and most frustrating) discipline scenarios between parents and kids. Written in a script format, dialogue between the characters is interspersed with Dr. Ray’s comments and observations, and each scene ends with a summary and discipline ideas from Dr. Ray.

A 40-Day Spiritual Workout for Catholics

Tweet Inspiration

Bob Rice

Mark Hart

Are you ready to get your faith in shape? A 40-Day Spiritual Workout for Catholics is designed to bring about deeper transformation and conversion in your life. Rice challenges his readers to spend forty days developing a habit that will last a lifetime.

There are lots of ways to spread joy to others, and social media is a creative way to do it. Tweet Inspiration is a compact treasury of inspiration, with a good dose of humor, gathered from Mark Hart’s extensive collection of tweets on faith and life in general. Scattered throughout the book are call-out boxes with Mark’s expanded thoughts and insights on various topics.

Faith in 140 Characters (or Less)

Each of the forty days includes a Scripture quote, a quote from a saint or the Catechism of the Catholic Church, a short reflection, thought-provoking questions, and a prayer. Just think of Bob Rice as your personal trainer for the next forty days as you grow closer to Christ and strengthen your spiritual muscles.

Get ready to be surprised, inspired, and challenged—in 140 characters or less!

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REFLECTION

PHOTO © CGISSEMANN/VEER

F

or I remember it is Easter morn, And life and love and peace are all new born.

—Alice Freeman Palmer

ST. ANTHONY M 28 W. Liberty Street Cincinnati, OH 45202-6498

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