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08.26.08
Posted in Production at 10:13 am by Pedro Guevara-Mann
Ok – This may come out sounding a bit complicated, so you’ll have to bear with me –maybe help me sort it out – I apologise for not sorting it out first before bringing you into it, but it is too big to contain. Think of Cat Steven’s song, “I can’t let it in… I gotta let it out…”
I was disappointed about half way during the Eucharistic Congress, because my goal to write a bit about every day was not made possible. By day three, there was just too much. I managed a blog entry on day four, and promised more, but was not able to do it.
The reason why this upset me is because there was so much to share, so many insights, so many “A-ha” moments. We recently taped a Catholic Focus talking about our Eucharistic Congress experience (to be broadcast in September), and it allowed me to “relive” the Congress and be able to remember many of those wonderful moments.
Not surprisingly, for me, many of them had to do, not with the Eucharist specifically, but with marriage. Which makes sense, because what is true for one Sacrament, is true for all of them.
On June 18th, Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, Archbishop of Buenos Aires and Primate of Argentina, spoke on the daily theme of “The Eucharist builds up the Church, the Sacrament of Salvation”, his talk titled: “The Eucharist and the Church, Mystery of the Covenant”.
Read the rest of this entry »
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08.25.08
Posted in Production at 1:26 pm by Matthew Harrison
It’s been a couple weeks since Pope Benedict has returned from his vacation, but Zenit recently published a question and answer session between the Holy Father and the Clergy of Bressanone.
One exchange that caught my eye was a question by a priest who was suffering from multiple sclerosis. Impressed by the struggle that Pope John Paul II experienced in his final years, the 42-year old priest asked Pope Benedict what kind of advice he had for sick and suffering priests.
The Holy Father spoke of JPII’s Pontificate in two stages – a period in which he was a “giant of the faith” and a period in which he experienced his “passion.” The Pope then spoke more generally on suffering. Using the example of a Cardinal’s sister, he acknowledged that sometimes “offering up the suffering” is easier said than done, but emphasized that suffering need not be in vain. He also encouraged the faithful to help alleviate the pain that those experience — to love them, to be Christ to them.
To read the response in its entirety, click HERE. It’s the second question in the transcription.
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08.22.08
Posted in Production at 2:30 am by Matthew Harrison
Published in 1954 during a Marian Year, Ad Caeli Reginam is Pope Pius XII’s encyclical on the Queenship of Mary. In it he details the great Church history and tradition of addressing the Blessed Virgin Mary under the title of Queen. Why Queen? Among the many examples Pius quotes St. Alphonus Ligouri:
“Because the virgin Mary was raised to such a lofty dignity as to be the mother of the King of kings, it is deservedly and by every right that the Church has honored her with the title of ‘Queen’.”
Personally, I’m quite fond of the invocations of Mary as Queen that we find in the Litany of Loreto. I find they flow effortlessly from memory, and each one builds on the other: angels, patriarchs, prophets, apostles, etc. :
Queen of Angels, pray for us.
Queen of Patriarchs, pray for us.
Queen of Prophets, pray for us.
Queen of Apostles, pray for us.
Queen of Martyrs, pray for us.
Queen of Confessors, pray for us.
Queen of Virgins, pray for us.
Queen of all Saints, pray for us.
Queen conceived without original sin, pray for us.
Queen assumed into heaven, pray for us.
Queen of the most holy Rosary, pray for us.
Queen of Peace, pray for us.
The Pope paid special attention to Mary as Queen of Peace in Ad Caeli Reginam. He highlighted Our Blessed Mother as an intercessor for those who are facing religious persecution and with World War II not even ten years passed and the Korean War a fresh memory, he also used it to appeal for peace. Some sixty years later, his comments remain just as relevant to us.
May Mary, Queen of Heaven, always draw us to her son, the King of Kings!
To read Ad Caeli Reginam, click HERE.
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08.21.08
Posted in Production at 5:27 am by Matthew Harrison
Have you seen the beautifully produced Catholics Come Home ads on Salt + Light?
They’re quite impressive and apparently quite effective.
In an interview last month with Zenit news service the founder of Catholics Come Home, Tom Peterson, said more than six thousand people have inquired and come back to the Church via the web site. Others have headed back to their parish directly. As the article states “One priest reported that 16 people came to him for confession after they saw the television ad.”
Originally targeted towards the Diocese of Phoenix, Arizona, Catholics Come Home pulls its inspiration from Pope John Paul II — who called for a new evangelization and suggested the media as a way of going about it. It’s something that all of us at Salt + Light can relate to!
I’m reminded of Washington D.C.’s Archbishop Donald Wuerl talk at the Eucharistic Congress. He mentioned that at one talk he gave, he put invitations on all the seats. The invitations were for attendees to give to family or friends who have fallen away from the Church. The text said “We love you, we miss you, and we want you to come back.”
One can’t help but think about the scripture passage of the shepherd who tracks down the lost sheep… Christ seeking out those who have fallen away. But this idea isn’t just something on a page: Christ works through us, and we too — as imitators of Christ — are called to track down lost sheep as well, to invite people back, in our words in our actions.
Have you called anyone home lately?
You can read the full article on Zenit HERE, or visit Catholics Come Home HERE… and pass it on!
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08.20.08
Posted in Production at 5:55 am by Matthew Harrison
Recently, as I prepared for a Catholic Focus taping, I was working my way through my Eucharistic Congress notes. I came across the above phrase; spoken by the founder of the L’Arche Communities, Jean Vanier. Many of those in secular society would probably agree with the phrase – but they would likely assume that it was romantic love that was being talked about.
But that wasn’t the case.
He explained that the idea to love is not dangerous in ideas – but to really love, person to person, is dangerous because it requires us to be really present. To sit with a person. To be there. I must be committed and involved. On the L’Arche website, one of Jean’s quotes is: “Even though there is a certain respect for difference among neighbours, there is rarely any desire to enter into personal relationships.”
Personal relationships with the poor. One on one.
No longer ideas, but action.
The poor. The forgotten. The outcasts. Accepting and loving a person the way they are. It’s dangerous for us to love someone when they’re different from us. At the Eucharistic Congress, Jean told the story of a mentally challenged little boy. After his First Holy Communion Mass, standing in front of the little boy, his uncle commented to his mother that it was too bad that he wouldn’t fully understand how beautiful and special the Mass was because he was mentally challenged. The little boy understood though, turned to his mother and said “Don’t worry Mommy, Jesus loves me as I am.”
And that’s what we’re called to do. To love people in all their beauty, in all their ugliness, in all their talents, in all their perceived disabilities. We’re called to be present to them. Present as Jesus is for us in the Blessed Sacrament.
“Jesus will know we are disciples only by our love of others,” Jean told the thousands gathered. This is our mission — to go to the poor. To show them that they are loved. The poor need to hear “I love you, I want to be a real presence next to you.”
A certain passage of Sacred Scripture comes to mind: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son…”
It’s dangerous to love.
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08.19.08
Posted in Production at 3:52 am by Matthew Harrison
To mark the 50th anniversary of Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen’s book “Life of Christ,” Doubleday is releasing a new paperback edition. The nearly 700 page book explores the life, crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus.
The popular Archbishop’s autobiography, “Treasure in Clay,” will also be republished. It details his life as the bishop of Rochester, New York; national director of the Society for the Propagation of the Faith; his involvement Vatican II; and his impressive broadcast career. It was completed just before his death in 1979.
Both books will be available today, Tuesday, August 19th.
If you’re not familiar with Archbishop Sheen, check out David Naglieri’s Catholic Focus on Archbishop Sheen HERE. For more details on the program, read David’s original blog entry HERE.
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08.18.08
Posted in Production at 4:29 am by Matthew Harrison
Congratulations to the Nashville Dominicans!
Besides the final profession of 11 sisters, the first profession of 12 sisters, and five women entering the novitiate, the Dominican Sisters of St. Cecilia Congregation will start a mission in Sydney, Australia.
Three Dominican sisters spent the last year in Sydney helping with World Youth Day, and two will return to establish the community’s first permanent mission outside the United States.
Sister Mary Madelaine Todd told Nashville’s Diocesan newspaper the Tennessee Register that Australia’s Cardinal George Pell and Auxiliary Bishop Anthony Fisher, “were eager” to have the sisters working in Sydney, adding, “What we could offer and what they needed were complementary.”
Sister Mary Madelaine noted that though Australian society is quite secular there is a great interest in religious life,” and she was hopeful that the Dominicans could provide a witness to that life.
You can catch a Salt + Light documentary on the Nashville Dominicans in the late fall. To read about my experience with the Nashville Dominicans last year, click HERE. You can also read about Glenn McDonald’s (now Father Glenn!) experience by clicking the above photo.
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08.16.08
Posted in Production at 3:18 am by Matthew Harrison
Pope Benedict XVI’s vacation has come to a conclusion and he’s back at Castel Gandolfo, 30 kilometers south of Rome. The Pontiff resumed the Wednesday General Audience and spoke about St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross, St. Maximilian Kolbe and the feast of the Assumption. Before he spoke about that he made some comments that impressed me very much. It was a very Fatherly moment:
I would like to thank, once again, all those who welcomed me and followed my stay in the mountains. It was a time of serenity and relaxation, during which I did not forget to lift to the Lord all those who have entrusted themselves to my prayers. Truly, many, many people write me asking me to pray for them. They share with me their joys and their worries, their dreams, their problems at home and at work, their hopes and the desires they carry in their hearts along with the anxiety caused by uncertainty that all humanity is experiencing at this moment. I can assure you that I pray for all and for each one of them, especially in the daily celebration of Mass and when I say the Rosary. I am well aware that the first service I can give the Church is my prayer, because in praying I put everything in God’s hands with the faith that He Himself gave me.
It seems so obvious that the Holy Father prays for people, but it’s something I never thought about (in the same way a few years ago I never considered saying prayers for the Pope… for whatever reason the thought never crossed my mind!). Through the Holy Father’s comments, we see him as a shepherd to the flock, a man of love, compassion, and hope. I find this public pronouncement of solidarity with all members of the Church not only endearing, but quite comforting.
Thanks for your prayers, Holy Father.
To read the entire August 13th General Audience, translated by Salt + Light’s Alicia Ambrosio, read the rest of this entry.
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Photo Franco Origlia/Getty Images
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08.15.08
Posted in Production at 1:23 am by Father Thomas Rosica
Don’t smile, brothers and sisters,
And don’t shrug your shoulders:
Our God is fascinating and what he does always surpasses the impossible
God looked upon a woman and loved her,
And he who loves even before looking at the face
seeks the beauty that lies in the heart.
God looked upon a woman who was from the race
of the little ones without name,
Those that live far away from palaces-
Those who work in kitchens,
Those who come from the numbers of the humble and the forgotten,
Those that never open their mouths and who are accustomed to poverty.
God looked upon her and found her to be beautiful,
And this woman was joined to him as if she was his beloved- for life and for death.
From now on all generations will call her blessed.
God looked upon a woman. Her name was Mary.
As a woman who gives herself, she believed,
and during the night, in a grotto, she cried out with pain,
and from her womb God himself was born,
bringing with him salvation and peace,
like treasures for all eternity.
As a woman who surrenders herself and never regrets it,
she believed against all the obscurity that enveloped her,
against all the doubts that filled her.
From now on her name will be sung, because God took her
and she gave herself to him, she, Mary, one of us.
And God crowned her with stars and robed her with the sun,
and under her feet God placed the moon.
Her name is Mary, and if you looked upon her Lord,
it is because on our earth filled with women and men,
you found such beauty.
Fr. Thomas Rosica, C.S.B.,
C.E.O., Salt and Light Catholic Media Foundation
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08.14.08
Posted in Production at 8:41 am by Matthew Harrison
[The following is a reflection for the feast of St. Maximilian Kolbe, August 14th, from Michael Knox, a Jesuit scholastic who has appeared in the past on Salt + Light]
As we look back on the events surrounding the Second World War, a time in our history filled with courage, unprecedented human devastation, noble action, and unimaginable suffering, no single event, in my mind, could be considered more blatantly hateful, inhuman and evil than the systematic efforts of the Nazi regime to annihilate the Jewish and the Slavic peoples. It was not long after this annihilation began, that the Nazis extended their efforts to include defiant politicians, educators, and eventually those Christians who, in faith, renounced the new world-order proposed by the Third Reich. Among the over five million Christians sent to die in these camps was Franciscan Friar Maximilian Kolbe. Named a Saint and Martyr by Pope John Paul II on the 10th of October 1982, Kolbe joins the communion of saints as a model of self-sacrifice, as the patron of political prisoners and as a living testimony to the shining light of Jesus Christ amidst the darkest moments of human history.
Born on January 8th, 1894, as the second son of Julius Kolbe and Marianne Darowska, he was baptised Raymond, and dedicated by his parents to the Virgin Mary. Being poor, and living in Poland at a time when the country was occupied by the Russian Empire, both parents worked very hard to provide for their family. Hoping for the better life that political freedom would provide, Kolbe’s father enlisted to fight for Polish independence in 1914, and it was then that he first witnessed the brutality of war, as his father was hung as a sign of Russian dominance.
It was around that time that Kolbe had his first mystical encounter with Mary. In his private journal he wrote that, as a child
“. . . I asked the Mother of God what was to become of me. She then came to me holding two crowns, one that was white, the other red. She asked if I was willing to accept either of these two crowns. The white one meant that I should persevere in purity, and the red that I should become a martyr. I said that I would accept them both.”
At the age of sixteen, he entered the novitiate of the Conventual Franciscan Order and at his first vows one year later, took the name Maximilian. After years of study at both the Gregorian University and the Franciscan Collegio Serafico in Rome, Kolbe was ordained and granted a doctorate in theology for his ground-breaking work on the Blessed Virgin Mary – a study that would later influence the Second Vatican Council.
He then returned to Poland in 1919, to teach history at the seminary in Crakow, where he remained until 1927. During these years the Friar suffered regularly from bouts of tuberculosis and poor health. This did not stop him, however, from teaching and from founding a popular magazine entitled Knights of the Immaculata. By 1927 the magazine, created to confront religious apathy, had a press run of some 70,000 issues, and their friary could no longer house its publishing works. With the help of a Polish prince, Kolbe acquired a large piece of land and founded a new monastery and large printing centre. From there, the Knights of the Immaculata continued to grow, finding its way to over 750,000 homes each week.
Not content with his work in Poland, Kolbe left with four friars for Japan in 1930. Penniless and unable to speak Japanese, within one month the Franciscans were printing a Japanese version of the Knights, and by 1936, the weekly circulation grew to some 65,000 copies. While in Japan, Kolbe also founded a monastery and travelled throughout India. By 1936, however, poor health forced him to curtail his missionary work, and to return to his monastery in Poland.
Ironically, the Friar returned only to face the greatest challenge of his life with the Nazi invasion of Poland. Soon after their arrival, he was arrested by Nazi forces – simply for being a religious leader – and held for several months, while many of his community members were exiled. Upon his release, Kolbe continued to publish the Knights, but now, rather than religious apathy, the Franciscan challenged the new Nazi regime. The German governor responded by shutting down the press, suppressing the congregation, dispersing the brothers, and imprisoning Kolbe.
On May 28th, 1941, he was transferred to Auschwitz and branded as prisoner 16670. Kolbe was assigned to a special work group staffed by priests and supervised by particularly brutal guards. His calm dedication to the faith only brought him the worst jobs available, and harsh beatings. At one point Kolbe is said to have been beaten, lashed, and left for dead if some prisoners had not managed to smuggle him into the camp hospital where he spent his recovery time hearing confessions.
In July, 1941, there was a botched escape from the camp. In retaliation, the guards ordered that ten men be shot for each prisoner that escaped. Among the chosen was a young man named Francis. Kolbe, knowing that Francis was married and that he had a young child, volunteered to take his place. Escorted to a lab and injected with a form of poison, the Friar suffered a painful death, so that another might live.
As a saint, Maximilian Kolbe not only stands among the blessed in heaven praying for our world, but his life story also remains here, with us, as a powerful witness of service. Despite, the loss of his father, his own poor health, the forces of religious apathy around him, and the Nazi regime, Kolbe spent his life focussed on serving others out of love for Jesus Christ and Mary, his mother. A theologian, a great communicator, a generous labourer, a prisoner, Kolbe died at Auschwitz as he had always lived, serving others and giving all that he had for love of God and neighbour.
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