Newspaper of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis How to pray with Scripture
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Confirmation: Gift of the Holy Spirit
The Catholic Spirit
March 17, 2011
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News with a Catholic heart
Rediscover fasting Whether on your own, as a family or through a program like Food Fast, this discipline can deepen your Lenten experience Catholic News Service That empty stomach rumble, a reminder of fasting during Lent, is beneficial spiritually and physically. It also is a way to draw attention to the work of the church and to help charitable organizations. Catholics are required to fast on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday, which means eating only one full meal during the course of a day, and to abstain from meat on Fridays. “The greater portion of fasting is the honoring of the suffering death of our Lord Jesus Christ,” said Franciscan Father James Goode, president of the National Black Catholic Apostolate for Life. “I tell people when they are in the midst of a crisis in their life, try fasting and prayer, and then pray and fast and have that assurance that God will hear our prayer.” The 70-year-old priest says he would fast before being given a new assignment. “It was the experience of saying, ‘Not my will, but God’s will, be done.’ God was able to help me to understand where he was leading me.” Members of the New York-based apostolate are encouraging others to join in using Tuesdays during Lent as additional
days of fasting and prayer “for the end of abortion and all acts of violence that are destroying our community.” Pax Christi USA also is recommending fasting and abstinence beyond the Friday requirement during Lent. John Zokovitch, director of national field operations for the organization that is moving its headquarters from Erie, Pa., to Washington, says it “goes along with Catholic understanding of fasting being about personal atonement, but also about certain selfpurification, a certain amount of resituating ourselves to the important things in our life. “Within the context of Pax Christi, it’s with the Gospel call to be peacemakers and justice seekers,” said the 42year-old member of Holy Faith Catholic Church in Gainesville, Fla. While there is no specific priority cited for this year’s Lent fast, Zokovitch says in the past year the hallmarks of Pax Christi — prayer, study and action — have emphasized the war in Afghanistan, immigration and nuclear disarmament. Another fasting option is to participate in Food Fast, a 24-hour hunger awareness retreat for Catholic youths focusing on global poverty and PLEASE TURN TO TIME ON PAGE 23
Lenten resources inside ■ Good time for sacrament of reconciliation — page 11 ■ Praying with Scripture — page 13 ■ Operation Rice Bowl — page 14
More at THECATHOLICSPIRIT.COM ■ 21st-century Stations of the Cross meditation ■ Book ideas for spiritual growth ■ ‘Pastor’s Page’ blog: Why no meat on Fridays? ■ Fish fries and Lenten dinners
Open letter to Minnesota governor, legislators State’s Catholic, Lutheran bishops seek budget deficit solutions that protect poor and the common good The following letter, dated March 15, was written by the Minnesota bishops of the Roman Catholic Church and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.
Minnesota Catholic Conference gives session update — page 4
By now, you are immersed in the challenges of providing legislative and executive leadership for all Minnesotans. As citizens, we take seriously the need for change in addressing the Herculean task that lies before us. The responsibilities you face as you lead us and consider the future of our state present opportunities to uphold the dignity and worth of all Minnesotans. You are already deeply into erasing a large budget deficit, an enormous challenge that suggests both dollar savings and increased income to achieve a balanced budget that avoids devastating cuts in services to
vulnerable people. In many of the political campaigns of last fall, we heard politicians speak of “fairness” and “equality” as they spoke of the task ahead. We ask you today to consider “justice” as you engage in your work. Justice means that the common good of all citizens serves as the hallmark of a strong society and a vital economy. We expect that, as you seek to balance the budget, you will engage in civil and respectful dialogue rather than partisanship and posturing. We trust that you will seek to govern the people of the state of Minnesota so that all citizens — particularly those who are poor and live on the margins of our communities — have access to housing, education, health care and other human services. We suggest that the most effective means of eliminating poverty resides in policies that lift people out of a safety net to a level of sustainability. Minnesota has a history of caring for all its citizens, and all of us are heirs of those who shaped that legacy. PLEASE TURN TO OPEN ON PAGE 21