Tonight on Perspectives: Living the consecrated life means living your life entirely for God and others, not yourself. The pope explains this during his General Audience. Also, today is the feast of the conversion of St. Paul and the Pontifical Council for Social Communication comments on the importance of silence to get one’s message across.
Speaking the Word of God with authority
January 25, 2012 By Leave a Comment
Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time – January 29, 2012
Readings: Deuteronomy 18:15-20; 1 Corinthians 7:32-35; Mark 1:21-28
At the beginning of Mark’s story of the Son of God, we read of the calling of the first disciples (1:16-20) and the confrontation with evil (1:21-28). The calling, influenced by the compelling calls of the prophets (e.g., Isaiah 6:1-13; Jeremiah 1:14-19), is a model of discipleship. Jesus is not a solitary prophet but one who calls companions “to be with him” (Mark 3:14); he enters the lives of four people engaged in their ordinary occupations, simply says, “Follow me” (Mark 1:17), and they immediately leave everything to follow him.
The story of Jesus in the Capernaum synagogue inaugurates the first day of his ministry which consists of exorcisms and healings. The story reflects contemporary Jewish thought that the coming of God’s kingdom would mark the defeat of evil, which is personified in an array of demons and unclean spirits. Jesus’ word is so powerful that people abandon their occupations and follow him, and even demonic powers are powerless before it. Jesus summons people to a change of heart, to take a new look at their lives and put their trust in the good news. This is not simply a story from the past, but one that continues to speak powerfully and prophetically to people today.
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Pope: ‘Prayer for Christian unity is part of God’s plan’
January 25, 2012 By Leave a Comment
Benedict XVI celebrated Vespers on January 25 to mark both the Feast of the Conversion of St. Paul and the end of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. The liturgy, which was attended by representatives of various Christian denominations, took place at the Basilica of St. Paul Outside-the-Walls. The video of his homily is above, while, past the break, you can listen to the introduction to the liturgy by Cardinal Kurt Koch, the President of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity.
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Marching for all life
January 25, 2012 By Leave a Comment
Last Monday, hundreds of thousands of pro-lifers marched in Washington for the 39th March for Life. Despite the January weather, this is consistently one of the largest annual protests in Washington.
Even though the title of the protest is “for life” it is very clear that this event is specifically an anti-abortion event. The March has been held every year since 1974, a year after the Roe v. Wade decision that legalized abortion in the United States.
But if we are to be called a people of life, we need to have a consistent ethic of life. Don’t get me wrong, we must protest abortion, but if we are going to march for life, we need to do so also for those on death row, the elderly and the disabled.
This is why I think it was significant that for the Cardinal O’Connor Conference, one of the March for Life events, which took place at Georgetown University on Sunday, the keynote address focused on the dignity of the disabled.
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Perspectives Daily – Tuesday, Jan. 24
January 24, 2012 By Leave a Comment
Tonight on Perspectives I talk to Archbishop Richard Smith of Edmonton about two recent trips he made: one to Haiti and one to the Holy Land as president of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops.
Celebrating Christian unity with St. Paul
January 24, 2012 By Leave a Comment
The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity concludes Wednesday on the feast of the Conversion of St. Paul the Apostle. Tomorrow we get to hear the Pope’s reflections on Christian unity as he presides over Vespers at the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls in Rome. He will be joined by representatives of other Churches and ecclesial communities. Our live presentation begins at 11:30am ET / 8:30am PT and will repeat in French at 5:30pm ET / 2:30pm PT.
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Credit: CNS photo/Gregory A. Shemitz, Long Island Catholic
An encouraging trend
January 24, 2012 By Leave a Comment
On a recent episode of Perspectives Weekly, I participated in our year-in-review panel with my colleagues Alicia Ambrosio and Cheridan Eygelaar. One of the trends mentioned was the upturn in seminary enrollment.
The news that some seminaries are full contradicts the conventional narrative: that vocations to the priesthood are on the decline and will keep decreasing until the Church allows married priests. On the contrary, Catholic News Service reports that some American seminaries are operating at capacity, while others have experienced remarkable growth. Last year, the number of post-baccalaureate seminarians in the U.S. increased by 4% to a total of 3,608.
Positive signs can be found north of the border, as well. This past spring, I had the privilege of visiting the newly-rebuilt St. Joseph Seminary in Edmonton, Alberta. S+L filmed the blessing of the campus for our documentary Put Out Into the Deep.
The B.C. Catholic reports that registrations at St. Joseph’s are at an all-time high. In 2010, 28 in-house seminarians were enrolled there from dioceses in Western Canada. A year later, those numbers jumped by 50% to 42 in-house seminarians (plus five more on internships).
When I spoke with Archbishop Richard Smith last year about the increase, he didn’t seem as satisfied as I expected. The head of the Edmonton Archdiocese reminded me that there’s still room for more! The seminary can house 60, and the city has a sizable Catholic community to draw from. Evidently, he’s confident that this trend will continue.
The rector of the seminary, Fr. Shayne Craig, attributes the rise to efforts in faith formation and vocations promotion. Deacon Miguel Irizar, one of the seminarians profiled in Put Out Into the Deep, adds a spiritual explanation.
“I know that many parishes and many people in many dioceses have been praying a lot for vocations,” he told the B.C. Catholic. “The Lord said, ‘Pray, and I will give you people to work in the harvest.’ Prayer is the first reason why we have more vocations recently, in this diocese particularly.”
Silence and Word: Path of Evangelization
January 24, 2012 By Leave a Comment
Below is Pope Benedict’s official message for this year’s World Day of Communications, which will be celebrated on May 20.
The release of this message coincides with the feast day of St. Francis de Sales, who is the patron Saint for journalists and those who work in mass media and communications. This year, the theme of his message is “Silence and Word: Path of Evangelization.”
Christian Unity: Starting out under the Catholic umbrella
January 23, 2012 By Leave a Comment
Last week I blogged about the importance of the Second Vatican Council in the life of the Church, and the responsibility of all Catholics to be proactive with the graces entrusted to them. The fruits of that Council, namely the documents themselves and the broader shift in ecclesial mentality, are perhaps the greatest and most notable graces bestowed on the Church in modern history. However, the lesson to be taken from the parable of the talents is certainly not exhausted in this one event of the twentieth century.
There is a more fundamental point to be made here, and it reflects an interesting phenomenon in the life of the Catholic Church and its members. It is difficult to explain the reasons for it, which in turn sheds light on why it remains unnoticed by many. Getting past this difficulty requires that we see Catholicism objectively, not in a detached sense, but rather in sincere and faithful consideration, as a thing that is whole and comprehensive – something more than church buildings or the individual lives of Christians today. It must be seen, we might say, in a catholic sense. And when we see Catholicism in this way, we see that the graces bestowed on it are not limited to a particular council or moral teaching. We see that the Church, with its history and traditions, with its saints and sinners, and with its profound understanding of and message for humanity, is itself an enormous grace for the world.
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Perspectives Daily – Monday, Jan. 23
January 23, 2012 By Leave a Comment
Tonight on Perspectives: Pope Benedict XVI sent out greetings for the Lunar New Year and the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. The Neocatechumenal Way’s rite is approved by the Vatican, and two Nigerian Bishops speak out about the Jan. 20 attacks in the north.