Salt + Light Blog

On January 21st, Pope Benedict appointed Flaminia Giovanelli as undersecretary of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace.  The 61-year laywoman becomes the first woman to hold that particular position, but not the first one to reach that level.  In this week’s Vatican Report from Catholic News Service, John Thavis and Carol Glatz discuss women working at the Vatican.

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Matthew Harrison

The Wednesday General Audience this week offered a beautiful discourse on the life of St. Francis of Assisi.  In comments after the General Audience, Pope Benedict also acknowledged the 65th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz concentration camp.  He prayed:

May the memory of such events, in particular the tragedy of the Shoah that struck the Jewish people, awaken an ever more convinced respect of the dignity of every person, so that all men will perceive themselves as one great family. Almighty God illumine hearts and minds, so that such tragedies will not be repeated!

It’s a prayer that we should all repeat — that we see ourselves as a family under God, and that we respect each other.  Unfortunately, with just a quick glance at the news we see how far we are from realizing that.  But we can pray, and we can hope, and we can make efforts to change our own hearts to be more aware of this and to be more closely united to God.

The bulk of the Audience was on a beloved Saint who was so close to God, that he even shared the wounds of His Son!  If you didn’t have a chance to see our Salt + Light Television presentation of the General Audience with English translation on Thursday January 28th at 3:30pm or 9:30pm ET, I’d like to share some quotes from Pope Benedict’s excellent talk.

The Holy Father discussed Francis’ experience at the Church of San Damiano, where the Crucified Christ asked him to rebuild the Church — not just the tiny Church of San Damiano, but the entire Church which was enduring a dark period.  Pope Benedict offered this important insight that we must always keep in mind today:

… St. Francis does not renew the Church without or against the Pope, but only in communion with him. The two realities go together: the Successor of Peter, the bishops, the Church founded on the succession of the Apostles and the new charism that the Holy Spirit created at this moment to renew the Church. True renewal grows together.

… [Francis] knew that Christ never is “mine” but always is “ours,” that “I” cannot have Christ and “I” cannot reconstruct against the Church, his will and his teaching — but only in communion with the Church, built on the succession of the Apostles, is obedience to the Word of God also renewed.

The entire section in which the Holy Father discussed the above material is worth a read, especially by people working within the Church — laity, priests, or religious — as the Pontiff goes into more detail than these two quotes.  The Pope also discussed Francis’ love for creation, his reception of the stigmata, his travels to the Holy Land and to Egypt, his dialogue with Muslims, and his deep love for the Eucharist, quoting Francis:

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Matthew Harrison

Today’s Old Testament reading from Jeremiah [1:4-5, 17-19] and Gospel passage from Luke [4:21-30] offer us an opportunity to reflect on the blessings, burdens and risks of authentic prophets in our Judeo-Christian tradition.  Among the Biblical prophets, we probably know Jeremiah best of all.  The son of the priest Hilkiah, he was born in Anathoth, eight miles northeast of Jerusalem and was called very early to carry out his prophetic mission, perhaps in 626, during the reign of Josiah [Jer 22:16].  Jeremiah was so young that he begged the Lord to allow him to lead a normal life and to spare him the task of scourging the people of Israel and from the task of prophesying an invasion of foreigners “from the north,” who would deport the Jews and destroy Solomon’s Temple.

Jeremiah saw the catastrophe of his people as an inevitable consequence of the guilt of an entire people who no longer remembered its history. The Hebrews, blindly counting on the Covenant guaranteed by the Lord, and on the Ark preserved in the Temple, felt that as a result they were safe and could allow themselves any kind of sin, because in any case the Lord was with them! Having pulled out from under the yoke of the Lord, Jeremiah told the chosen people that they would fall under the yoke of strangers.  But the task assigned to him by God was not only destructive: “Look, today I have set you over the nations and kingdoms, to uproot and to knock down, to destroy and to overthrow, to build and to plant” [1:10]. It was also to build and to plant, then. But first it was necessary to uproot so that true growth could occur.

Jeremiah prefigures Christ

Jeremiah has often been seen as a figure foreshadowing Christ.  Not only does he speak in God’s name and predict the future but his very life and ministry have prophetic overtones. Just as Jesus would do after him, Jeremiah foretold the destruction of the Temple, wept over the future ruin of Jerusalem, condemned the conduct of the priests, was misunderstood by his countrymen, and was humiliated and sentenced to death.  Yet the prophet’s condemnation of sin and prophecies of misfortune are always linked to a message of hope and the prospects for rebirth, for return from the Babylonian exile.

Christ, too, in order to affirm his victory over death, would first have to endure the cross on Calvary.  The prophet Jeremiah’s very life prepares for the acceptance of the bitterness of the cross and the glory of the resurrection.  We should not be surprised then, when Jesus asked his disciples what people were saying about Him, they answered, “Some say You are John the Baptist, others the prophet Elijah, others Jeremiah…”

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Father Thomas Rosica

Being new to Salt + Light there are a lot of aspects in many different areas to learn about. There are of course the areas of production that an operating television channel deals with on a daily basis. But here in addition to that there are the many different issues and focuses surrounding the topic of faith that a Catholic television channel must also address in the process of production. Being a Roman Catholic I’ve spent the duration of my life attending Mass at Roman Catholic parishes, going to Roman Catholic schools and therefore all that I know and understand up to this point about Catholicism has been governed by these environments.

Archbishop Hanna Zora meets Pope John Paul II in Rome

So in an effort to simultaneously write a first blog and further my knowledge of the Catholic Church as a global entity I decided to follow a story that I stumbled upon by chance. While out filming a segment for Zoom at the Pauline Books and Media Store here in Toronto we met Archbishop Hanna Zora, an Archbishop for the Chaldean Church.  He happened to walk into the store while we were interviewing Father Stan Fortuna. (Father Stan, a member of the Franciscan Friars of Renewal, was here in Toronto promoting his new book U Got 2 Love. I could dedicate an entire blog to Father Stan because of his accomplishments on behalf of the Catholic Church and his original approach to preaching the word of God, but I’m going to focus on Archbishop Zora for this one.) Before leaving Father Stan asked Archbishop Zora for a blessing. As we looked on, the Archbishop performed a very moving blessing in the Chaldean Neo-Aramaic language. Now when first hearing this I obviously didn’t know that it was Neo-Aramaic, all I knew was that it was one of the most profoundly moving blessings I’d ever heard in a Church, no less a bookstore.

I was naturally curious about this language and the Church where it is spoken at Mass. Chaldean Neo-Aramaic belongs to the Eastern Aramaic Languages which in turn is derived from Aramaic, a Semitic language that has served as the official language for the administration of empires, the day-to-day language of Israel in the second Temple Period and most importantly, was the first native language of Jesus Christ. I think it was that last key fact that made me feel like this was indeed the word of God, that this was close to the language that Jesus would have preached in.

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Alessia Domanico

Superman, Batman, Nightcrawler, Punisher, Jake Sully (Avatar) – believe it or not, these names come up in conversation on this Thursday’s Catholic Focus.

Yes, that’s because this episode is titled, “It’s a Bird, It’s a Plane… Oh, it’s God: The Exploration of Humanity’s Search for a Saviour through the Superhero Mythology”. Just kidding, that’s not the whole title – just take out everything after the colon. In numerous off-camera conversations with Cale Clarke, Director of FX: The Faith Explained Seminars, I don’t know how many times superhero names came out of his mouth. And how many times he engaged my husband Richard Valenti in conversation about their favourite superheroes, which would leave me and Cale’s wife Trish talking about chick flicks by ourselves. But soon I realized that it’s not only Cale and Richard who love superheroes. Our culture spends millions on them – producing and watching movies about them, creating comic book series and other novelty items, even forming Facebook groups about them.

And so, Cale, Richard, and I wanted to explore the phenomenon of comic book superheroes and how we as Catholics can use them to evangelize in today’s pop culture. In this episode of Catholic Focus, we are joined by people who use superheroes to reach young people, whether it’s through film discussions or homilies peppered with Star Wars analogies. You’ll meet Fr. Michael Mireau, who dressed up for our interview in his Superman sweatshirt. He uses Star Wars in his homilies, and they’re quite popular in Leduc, Alberta and beyond! (Check out fathercatfish.com.) You’ll also meet Valentine De Landro, an illustrator who has done work for Marvel Comics; Christopher Giardino, a freelance screenwriter and producer who loves dropping by Toronto’s Silver Snail comic book store every now and then; and Danielle Jones, who has learned to have more of an emotional attachment to stories because of comics journalism.

So join us on Thursday, January 28th at 7 and 11 pm ET for It’s a Bird, it’s a Plane… Oh, it’s God! Till then, I’m up, up and away…

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Mary Rose Bacani

Like many other Canadians, I spent my Friday night watching a star studded fundraising telethon for the people of Haiti. I found myself moved by the stories being sent back from correspondents on the ground and from aid workers who have been in the country since just after the quake hit. One thing struck me watching the telethon: the people gathered together at the CBC came from all walks of a life; many journalists, actors, musicians, military personnel, aid workers, and even a carpenter. Each of these people on their own perhaps might not be able to do much to help the people of Haiti, but together the possibilities could be endless. The musician can perform to encourage others to donate, the military personnel can help get the necessary supplies to Haiti and the aid organizations on the ground, the carpenter can help plan the rebuilding of homes and hospitals, the journalist can follow that trail and through their diligent reporting essentially ensure everything gets where it needs to go. It is a reminder to me that although an individual donation can seem like one drop in the ocean, that ocean is actually made up of many, many individual drops of water united.

I was moved by the reporter who shared with the nation that just before he left for Haiti his father handed him 100 dollars in bills, and gave him instructions to find an orphanage, find the director of that orphanage, and give that money to the director of the orphanage. Perhaps not all of us can have our donations hand delivered to the recipient of our choice, but it reminded me that there is always some way to make our contribution to the relief effort double or triple in its power. Now is the time to turn more diligently than ever to prayer. As Catholics we believe in the power of our prayer, in the healing power of our God, in His mercy and His love for the smallest, the weakest, and the poorest of the poor. Now is the moment not only to be generous but also to turn wholeheartedly to prayer, just as the people of Haiti now gather in the streets to pray in thanks for their lives, and in hope for the future.

Rediscover the strength of praying like a child. No formulas, no methods, just a heart turning to God. Light a candle, say a prayer for the intention of your choice for the people of Haiti and let that candle burn as the physical symbol of constant prayer, as a symbol of solidarity in hope.

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Visit our Prayer and Appeal for Haiti page.

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Alicia Ambrosio

Pope Benedict is encouraging priests to embrace new media and thus “give a soul” to the internet. The priest’s place in the digital world was the focus of his message for the 44th World Day of Communications, which was released this morning on the eve of the feast of St. Francis de Sales, patron saint of journalists. It will be officially presented on May 16th, which the Church recognizes as World Communications Day.

“Priests can rightly be expected to be present in the world of digital communications as faithful witnesses to the Gospel,” declared the Holy Father, noting that the pastor’s leadership extends even to his community’s “digital marketplace”. The pontiff insisted that priests, “from the time of their formation”, learn how to use technology like websites, blogs, and online video “in a competent and appropriate way”.

The pontiff cautions clerics that they should be “less notable for their media savvy than for their priestly heart”. The theme of the 2010 message, “The priest and pastoral ministry in a digital world: New media at the service of the Word”, appropriately coincides with the Year of the Priest, which the global church continues to celebrate through June.

This is effectively the second chapter of Pope Benedict’s thought on new media, as it follows last year’s World Communications Day message titled, “New technologies, new relationships: Promoting a culture of respect, dialogue and friendship”.

44th World Day of Communications
“The priest and pastoral ministry in a digital world: New media at the service of the Word.”
May 16, 2010

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

The theme of this year’s World Communications Day – The Priest and Pastoral Ministry in a Digital World: New Media at the Service of the Word – is meant to coincide with the Church’s celebration of the Year for Priests. It focuses attention on the important and sensitive pastoral area of digital communications, in which priests can discover new possibilities for carrying out their ministry to and for the Word of God. Church communities have always used the modern media for fostering communication, engagement with society, and, increasingly, for encouraging dialogue at a wider level. Yet the recent, explosive growth and greater social impact of these media make them all the more important for a fruitful priestly ministry.

All priests have as their primary duty the proclamation of Jesus Christ, the incarnate Word of God, and the communication of his saving grace in the sacraments. Gathered and called by the Word, the Church is the sign and instrument of the communion that God creates with all people, and every priest is called to build up this communion, in Christ and with Christ. Such is the lofty dignity and beauty of the mission of the priest, which responds in a special way to the challenge raised by the Apostle Paul: “The Scripture says, ‘No one who believes in him will be put to shame … everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’ But how can they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how can they believe in him of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone to preach? And how can people preach unless they are sent? (Rom 10:11, 13-15).

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Kris Dmytrenko

This past Sunday, Pope Benedict visited Rome’s Great Synagogue. Pundits were predicting a less then cordial meeting, but the Pontiff was warmly received, and the meeting was considered a success by both Catholics and Jews. In this week’s Vatican Report from Catholic News Service, John Thavis and Cindy Wooden provide insight into the Holy Father’s visit to the Great Synagogue of Rome.

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Matthew Harrison

This month on Lectio Divina, Archbishop Thomas Collins reflects on the servants and the wedding feast as found in Matthew 22:1-14.

This is the dramatic parable where the king prepares a marriage feast, and invites his servants, but they refuse to come.  The Archbishop also includes the portion from Matthew 24:45-5: the passage that speaks of the wicked servant who, when his master is gone, beats his fellow servants and hangs out with drunkards… but his master comes at a time when he does not expect it!

The January edition also marks a return to Vespers.  For the first four episodes this season, to help set a prayerful tone for the evening’s Lectio Divina, the Archbishop presided over Compline — the Church’s night prayer.  This month, Archbishop Collins invited the seminarians at St. Augustine’s Seminary in Toronto, to assist at Vespers before the actual Lectio Divina meditation.  The seminarians will continue to be part of Vespers for the rest of the year.  St. Augustine’s has seminarians from a number of different dioceses, so it’s nice to see our future priests!

Pray our Lord’s parables, and join us for the broadcast edition of Lectio Divina with Archbishop Thomas Collins: The Parables of Jesus, Sunday, January 24th at 8:30pm ET with an encore presentation Wednesday, January 27th at 8pm ET, only on Salt + Light Television!

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Matthew Harrison

Ezra and Nehemiah revive the faith

Today’s first reading is taken from the Book of Nehemiah, 8:2-4a, 5-6, 8-10, a book that tells of the reconstitution of the Jewish community after the Exile, the dispersion and the destruction of Jerusalem. It tells the story of the new beginnings of a community and is full of hope, even through great difficulties still loomed ahead.  The priest, Ezra, and a layman, Nehemiah, lived in the time when the people of Israel had been returned to their land after the years of the Babylonian Captivity and it was clearly a time of rebuilding. The people had lost the connections to their faith.  Ezra and Nehemiah were commissioned by the Lord to teach what had been lost, to rebuild the communal structures, to inspire the people once again to the high ideals of their Jewish faith so that they could begin to live a healthy social and religious life.

The moving scene depicted in today’s first reading was the moment of the public re-proclamation of the law on which this community’s life was based.  The gathered assembly listened to this proclamation in a deeply spiritual atmosphere. Some began to weep for joy at being able once again to listen freely to the Word of God after the tragedy of the destruction of Jerusalem and to begin salvation history once again.  Nehemiah cautioned them, saying that it was a feast day and that in order to have strength from the Lord, it was necessary to rejoice, expressing gratitude for God’s gifts. Ultimately the Word of God is strength and joy.

What is our own reaction to this powerful scene?  This reading is an invitation to each person, and especially to pastoral ministers, to thank God for his fidelity and his gifts and to thank all who have served as co-workers in rebuilding the foundations of our faith and our Church each day.

Luke’s pastoral strategy

The Gospel according to Luke is the only one of the synoptic gospels to begin with a literary prologue [1:1-4].  Luke acknowledges his debt to earlier eyewitnesses and ministers of the word, but claims that his contribution is a complete and accurate account, told in an orderly manner, and intended to provide Theophilus (”friend of God,”) and other readers with certainty about earlier teachings they have received.  Luke is not telling people that what they previously learned was wrong.  Rather, he confirms them in their faith, affirms them in their desire to know more about Jesus, and also puts things in order for them so that faith will be strengthened.  Such a pastoral strategy is still very effective in transmitting the faith today.

Home town boy returns

Luke is not the only evangelist who records Jesus’ visit to Nazareth “where he had been brought up” [4:16].  Mark and Matthew also refer to this episode, although without mentioning the name of the town, referred to simply as “his home town” [Mk 6:1; Mt 13:54].  There are however several differences between the story told by Luke and those of Mark and Matthew.  In Mark, Jesus’ visit to his home town is found not at the beginning of his ministry, but after a long period of preaching the Gospel and healing, even after the discourse in parables [4:1-34] and the resurrection of Jairus’ daughter [5:21-43].  In Matthew, Jesus has also already pronounced his address on mission to the “Twelve Apostles” [10:2-42].

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Father Thomas Rosica