Walking away when the going gets tough

A great reflection for Catholics who have remained in the Church, yet do so with sorrow or anger at the scandals and shame:

What do we do when we're depressed? What's our temptation when a dream is shattered, when we feel betrayed, and when it seems like the trust we've shown someone was childish naiveté?

Generally the temptation is to gather what pride we have left and walk away, away from that person, away from that place of rejection, away from the humiliation, and away from our former dream, all the while saying to ourselves: "I'll never trust in this way again! I've been burned, taken in, I now know the lesson!"

And, as we walk away from the place where we got hurt, what do we invariably walk towards?

We walk towards human consolation, towards compensation, towards something that looks like it will alleviate the hurt, soothe our wounded pride, or at least distract us from the pain. Sometimes, in fact, we're so wounded that what we walk towards is simple bitterness and despair. We unconsciously turn our backs on energy, family, community, happiness, faith, trust, and God. Life isn't worth living, why try!

In Luke's Gospel, we see this in the story of two, dispirited, disciples walking from away from Jerusalem towards Emmaus on Easter Sunday morning, unaware that Jesus had risen from the dead. Luke writes that on the morning of the Resurrection "two disciples were walking away from Jerusalem toward Emmaus, a village some seven miles away, their faces downcast." read more

Spiritual Retreats for Physicians

The Catholic Medical Association has listed their calendar of spiritual retreats for physicians at their website.

Letting Go

While surfing the internet I came across a fantastic article by Dan Conway. Although written in January, it is nonetheless current in the season of letting go--graduations, weddings, ordinations...

“Letting go” may be the most counter-cultural principle of Christian spirituality. Every day, our obsessive media culture tells us in thousands of words, images and music that the only things that matter in life are youth, wealth and at least 15 minutes of fame. The values of the world urge us to consume and acquire constantly – in order to be young, to be rich and to be famous (at least vicariously). But the Gospel of Jesus Christ challenges us to be and do something radically different.

So this 2006, resolve to consider Christ's invitation to those who would be his disciples is: “Go, sell what you have; give it to the poor, and come, follow me.” He does not ask us to accumulate or to hang on to anything. On the contrary, the Lord challenges us to give up our dependence on people, places and things. He wants us to empty ourselves, as he did, and to cling to him alone, “the eternal present who tries in every way to enter the human heart.”

The whole article is a great read.

The Battle Over Marriage

Majority Leader William Frist announced in January that the Senate will take up a constitutional amendment to defind traditiohnal marriage in June. It is the latest sign that the fight over marriage is expanding in the US.

Campaigns to win legal recognition of same-sex unions as marriages and efforts to counter them are now taking place against the background of proposals to legalize polygamy and "polyamory" – relationships that involve three or more persons and any gender mix. Legalization of same-sex marriage is seen as a necessary step to that end.

Our Sunday Visitor reported on March 31st:

Meanwhile, attention has begun to focus on a small but growing movement among legal theorists and gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered groups on behalf of polygamy – marriage of one man to two or more women -- and polyamory – marriage of three or more persons of any gender to one another.

A much-discussed cover story by Stanley Kurtz in a December issue of the Weekly Standard cited the case of a man and two women in the Netherlands who last September entered into a government-approved "cohabitation contract."

Kurtz, a fellow at the public-policy think tank Hudson Institute and a writer on social issues, called this "an unmistakable step down the road to legalized group marriage" and pointed to evidence of support in U.S. legal and media circles.

Writing in the Feb. 3 issue of National Review Online, Kurtz said the ultimate aim is nothing less than the abolition of marriage. "Legalize gay marriage, followed by multi-partner marriage, and pretty soon the whole idea of marriage will be meaningless," he wrote.

As evidence of this trend, he cited a 2001 report by the Law Commission of Canada called "Beyond Conjugality." Canada in 2005 granted legal recognition to same-sex relationships as marriages, joining the Netherlands, Belgium and Spain as one of four countries which have done that to date.

What advocates of this new way of thinking want in the end, Kurtz maintained, is "an infinitely flexible relationship system that validates any conceivable family arrangement, regardless of the number or gender of partners."

Pope Benedict XVI has spoken frequently against the idea of same-sex marriage. Only in monogamous marriage between a man and a woman does human love "fulfill its deepest purpose," he declared in his first encyclical, Deus Caritas Est (God Is Love), published in January.

Send Pope Benedict a Birthday eCard

Wish Pope Benedict XVI a happy birthday (his birthday is April 16, Easter Sunday) by sending him an eCard courtesy of William H. Sadlier, Inc., and the National Conference for Catechetical Leadership.

Mary Magdalene--Disciple or Wife?

By John Thavis, Rome Bureau Chief, Catholic News Service

The Da Vinci Code came in for some resounding criticism at a recent round-table discussion at the Marianum Pontifical Theological Faculty in Rome.

It wasn’t a pick-it-apart session by church historians. Instead, four women spoke about Mary Magdalene, and her distorted depiction in Dan Brown’s book.

The moderator of the discussion, Marinella Perroni, a New Testament theologian, said DVC joins a list of books and other media treatments that exploit the figure of Mary Magdalene. She said caution is always needed when dealing with Scriptural figures, but for some reason people feel free to take great liberties with Mary Magdalene.

Maria Luisa Rigato, a retired professor of exegesis at the Pontifical Gregorian University, said she found Brown’s book entertaining fiction -- but it was clear to real scholars that Mary Magdalene was neither the wife nor the lover of Jesus.

The Catholic participants drew a sharp distinction between what we know about Mary Magdalene from the approved Gospels and what has been circulated for centuries in the so-called Gnostic gospels, which were long ago rejected by the church.

But a Waldensian pastor, Rev. Letizia Tomassone, said she thought the non-canonical gospels, although they are clearly later manuscripts, can be valid secondary sources of information. In some of these later gospels, she said, Mary Magdalene appears as the “mediator of the resurrected Christ,” which aligns with what the Gospel of St. John says about her being the first witness of the resurrection.

Mary Magdalene, Rev. Tomassone said, comes across as “one who knows how to heal the heart of a wounded community.”

The experts generally agreed, however, that there is no Scriptural evidence that Jesus and Mary were lovers, which is a key element in the DVC plot. Even the incomplete references in the Gnostic gospels about Jesus special relationship with Mary Magdalene depict a “spiritual intimacy,” not a sexual relationship, Rev. Tomassone said.

The panelists differed about whether it should matter to Christians whether Christ was married or not. Some said they would have no problem with that -- but the Gospels make no mention of it.

That prompted an objection from a young priest in the audience, who said he would not have made a promise of priestly celibacy unless he believed he was imitating Christ.

The moderator, Rigato, downplayed the impact of DVC, saying it was “third rate literature” compared to earlier treatments of similar subjects, like “The Last Temptation of Christ” by Nikos Kazantzakis.

“Dan Brown with his 40 million copies is nothing compared to the billions of copies of the Bible. It’s something you consume and forget, and will not affect the faith in the least,” she said.

But Miriam Diez i Bosch, a Catholic journalist who lectures on communications, said it was disturbing that a book like DVC was succeeding so well. Similar books may follow, she said.

The good thing is that DVC has given Catholics a chance to explain themselves, she said. The bad part is that Catholics clearly need to be better instructed in their faith, she added.

She said the church in particular needs better catechesis and more widely published scholarship on the figure of Mary Magdalene -- something more profound than presenting her as “the icon of the fallen woman.”

Immigration ins and outs

Now is a good time to bone up on immigration policy as the Senate is expected this week to consider legislative proposals to overhaul the nation's immigration laws. Thousands of your fellow Americans are out marching for comprehensive immigration reform and bishops are asking the Senate Judiciary Committee to do more than crackdown on illegal immigrants. The bill approved in December by the House "would literally criminalize not only every nondocumented immigrant in our country but every person who helped, assisted, reached out [or] otherwise responded in a humanitarian way to the needs of immigrants," according to Senator Clinton. The follow links are helpful places to begin to understand the issue:

From Catholic News Service: As hundreds of thousands of people marched in cities across the country in support of comprehensive immigration reform, Catholic bishops in various states joined the chorus of voices calling on Congress to do more than crack down on illegal immigrants. The Senate Judiciary Committee was to take up immigration legislation the last week of March, pressured by Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn., to quickly turn a completed bill over to the full Senate. As committee and floor votes neared, immigrants, church activists, union members and others who are pressing for change led rallies and marches in Washington, Milwaukee, Phoenix, Chicago, Denver and other cities. The Saturday before the Senate returned from a weeklong break to consider the bill, more than half a million people marched in downtown Los Angeles. Bishops from Georgia, Arizona, New York, California, Pennsylvania and Colorado are among those who have issued pastoral letters or public statements in recent months about immigration and what they would like legislation to address.

PDF file on the Catholic Campaign for Immigration Reform put out by the Catholic Bishops.

Though the issues being debated are complex and the
array of advocates on all sides of the debate diverse,
there are essentially two sides, each advocating dramatically
different visions of reform. On the one side are
those who believe the first (and for some the only)
order of business is to dramatically increase enforcement
and getting tough on illegal immigration. Many
arguing this approach believe that sealing our borders
and creating intolerable conditions in the U.S. for someone
here without authorization will stem the flow of
future illegal entries. Generally, those on this side of
the debate view any steps to deal with the millions of
undocumented in the country, other than deporting
them, as an “amnesty.” Equally unacceptable to this
side is the notion of creating more legal avenues for
foreign labor. Simply put, the motto of this side could
be characterized as “seal the border” and “report to
deport.”

The other side of the debate, which has a growing and
diverse following, sees true immigration reform as not
only getting control over a broken immigration system,
but fixing the causes of the current ills. This side acknowledges
that immigrant laborers are an economic
necessity and that the current legal immigration system
is woefully outdated and inadequate to today’s realities,
keeping families separated for years and providing very
few legal options to fill the jobs requiring foreign labor.
Generally, those on this side of the debate also recognize
that all too often the conditions in the migrants’
home countries actually encourage emigration for lack
of viable options there in which to raise a family and
that this reality needs to be addressed, as well. The
voices on this side call for comprehensive reforms that,
if employed in tandem, will stem the flow of illegal entries.
This side calls for the expansion of legal visas,
both permanent and temporary, for foreign workers
to fill jobs that cannot be filled by American workers.
These advocates call for the elimination of unacceptably
long backlogs in the availability of visas so that
families can be together. As for the undocumented
in the country, this side says that they should be
given the opportunity to earn legalization over time if
they are otherwise admissible. The motto of this
side could be “rational reforms will regain control”
and “immigrants are good for the country.”

Legal and Illegal Immigrants is a Fairly Recent Distinction

Here's a little-understood fact about immigration law: Until well into the 20th century, pretty much anyone who showed up at a port of entry or walked across a border got to stay in the United States.

In other words, one reason so many people today can say "my ancestors followed the law when they came here" is because until fairly recently there was no distinction made about whether someone arrived legally or not. With few exceptions, anyone who got here was admitted. read more

China's policy to remain

Contrary to rumors China is not going to relax its policy of allowing families to have only one child. The CNS report documents the number of babies that have been "prevented," an interesting way to put it:

Zhang Weiqing, the minister in charge of Beijing's National Population and Family Planning Commission, this week declared the policy a success, saying in an interview published on a government website that it had prevented the birth of 400 million babies over the past three decades.

"We've taken only 30 years to almost achieve what developed countries have done with population control targets in 100 years," he said. "I have to say our work is commendable."

Since the policy was instituted, the average number of children for each Chinese couple had dropped from nearly six in the early 1970s to 1.8 today.

The policy is controversial because it has involved coercive measures including forced sterilization and abortions, as well as punitive tariffs for those who exceeded the stipulated family size.

The policy restricts most Chinese couples to one child, although in rural areas and for some ethnic minorities, a second child is allowed if the first baby is a girl.

2 days of fasting for peace in Iraq

We have tried using military might to restore peace in Iraq. Zenit reports that the Chaldean Patriarch of Baghdad has called Iraqis and all people of good will to pray and fast for two days to obtain the gift of peace in this region. Mark your calendars for next Monday and Tuesday.

Chaldean Patriarch Emmanuel III Delly of Baghdad has proposed April 3-4 as days of fasting and prayer for peace in Iraq.

Auxiliary Bishop Shlemon Warduni read the patriarch's appeal on Sunday, during a visit to the Italian city of Gallipoli.

"We have estranged ourselves from God by our deeds," wrote the patriarch in the message, which was reported by Italian bishops' SIR news service; "we do not obey his will, and we have moved away from piety and virtue, from forgiveness, and because of this the blood of so many brothers has been shed and so many children have remained orphans."

For this reason, the Christian representative said, "we must return, repentant to God's house to do the will of our sovereign God."

"To achieve this sublime objective," the message said, "we invite all Iraqis, in and outside of Iraq, and all believers and people of good will, to prayer and fasting this coming Monday the 3rd and Tuesday the 4th of April, so that the Lord will restore peace, tranquility and security to Iraq, country of our beloved Abraham."

From the Testament of John Paul II

During a visit to a parish of the Rome diocese, Benedict XVI read from the text prepared by John Paul II for the meeting with the faithful last year on April 3rd, a text which was never delivered. These words seem so prophetic:

"To humanity, which at times seems to be lost and dominated by the power of evil, egoism and fear, the risen Lord offers as a gift his love that forgives, reconciles and reopens the spirit of hope. It is love that converts hearts and gives peace."

"How much need the world has to understand and accept Divine Mercy!"

Meetings with Cardinals to Continue

Benedict XVI announced that he will continue to meet with all the world's cardinals, as he did last week, to address key questions in the life of the Church. This will also allow the Cardinals to meet and know each other, something about which they complained when they were called together to elect a new Pope. They hardly knew each other as they went into the Conclave.

Cardinal Mahoney instructed LA priests to disobey proposed Border Protection Bill

A wonderful piece. Here is just a taste, but be sure to click on the title above and read the whole thing:

Called by God to Help
by Roger Mahony, Archbishop of Los Angeles

Some supporters of the bill have even accused the church of encouraging illegal immigration and meddling in politics. But I stand by my statement. Part of the mission of the Roman Catholic Church is to help people in need. It is our Gospel mandate, in which Christ instructs us to clothe the naked, feed the poor and welcome the stranger. Indeed, the Catholic Church, through Catholic Charities agencies around the country, is one of the largest nonprofit providers of social services in the nation, serving both citizens and immigrants.

Providing humanitarian assistance to those in need should not be made a crime, as the House bill decrees. As written, the proposed law is so broad that it would criminalize even minor acts of mercy like offering a meal or administering first aid.

Explanation for dropping the title "Patriarch of the West" for the Pope

John Allen synthesized a six paragraph statement by the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity regarding the announcement last month by Benedict XVI that he was dropping the title "Patriarch of the West." His move started a rumble of conjecture and speculation which has been largely clarified by the statement:

A month after the fact, the Vatican has issued an official explanation of the recent decision to drop the papal title "Patriarch of the West." Issued on Wednesday, the six-paragraph statement from the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity says that the title never had a clear meaning, and appeared officially in the Annuario Pontificio, the Vatican's yearbook, only in the 19th century.

The statement makes three key points:

* Dropping the title "Patriarch of the West" signifies no new claim to papal authority;
* The move should therefore not be read as anti-ecumenical, and may even have positive ecumenical value;
* The pope has a special relationship to the Latin Church, which involves a more direct form of authority than he has in the East, but the term "West" is not the right way to designate that relationship.

In addition, it seems clear from the March 22 statement that the creation of new patriarchates in the West is not in the cards, since the document says that bishops' conferences and international associations of conferences represent "the canonical order adequate for the necessities of today."

"The title 'Patriarch of the West,' which was not very clear from the beginning, became over the course of history obsolete and practically not usable any more," the statement said.

"Abandoning the title … clearly does not change anything regarding the recognition, solemnly declared by the Second Vatican Council, of the antique patriarchal churches," the statement said. "Even less so does the suppression signify new claims of authority. Renunciation of the aforesaid title is intended to express a historical and theological realism, and, at the same time, the renunciation of a pretense that could be helpful for ecumenical dialogue."

John Allen's report on discussions at the Consistory

John Allen reported briefly in his Word from Rome on the discussions held in the Consistory in Rome these days:

Sources told NCR that on the subject of Islam, several cardinals touched on the need for greater emphasis on reciprocity -- the idea that if Muslim immigrants to the West claim the benefit of religious freedom, the same should be true for Christian minorities in majority Islamic states.

"I think most of us felt that Islam represents a challenge to the church, and we need to reflect on how to respond," one cardinal told NCR.

In that regard, sources told NCR that the emerging line of Benedict XVI's papacy on Islam, featuring more explicit challenges to Islamic leaders on terrorism and religious freedom, enjoys strong support in the College of Cardinals.

With regard to the Lefebvrite movement, sources said that a variety of opinions were expressed. Some cardinals were in favor of rapid movement towards reconciliation, including wider use of the pre-Vatican II Latin Mass, while others were concerned with the terms upon which reconciliation might occur. These cardinals stressed the importance that traditionalists accept the teaching of the Second Vatican Council (1962-65).

"There wasn't any strong consensus," one cardinal said. "We'll continue to study and review the situation, but I'm quite sure the pope is not going to issue a decree tomorrow."

As for retired bishops, various proposals were floated for ensuring that their material needs are met, and that they continue to have opportunities to make contributions to the church. One cardinal suggested the idea of raising the retirement age above 75.

Despite expectations to the contrary, one cardinal told NCR that there was basically no discussion of reform of the Roman Curia.

A number of cardinals left the Synod Hall expressing the hope that such encounters can be held on a regular basis. Many cardinals complained during last April's conclave that they do not have adequate time to get to know one another, or to reflect together on issues. Some cardinals suggested trying to hold similar "study days" once a year.

Benedict's Message to the 15 new Cardinals

"May the scarlet that you now wear always express the 'caritas Christi,' inspiring you to a passionate love for Christ, for His Church and for all humanity. You now have an additional motive to seek to rekindle in yourselves those same sentiments that led the incarnate Son of God to pour out His blood in atonement for the sins of the whole world.

"I am counting on you, venerable brothers, I am counting on the entire College into which you are being incorporated, to proclaim to the world that 'Deus caritas est,' and to do so above all through the witness of sincere communion among Christians."

"I am counting on you to ensure that the principle of love will spread far and wide, and will give new life to the Church at every level of her hierarchy, in every group of the faithful, in every religious institute, in every spiritual, apostolic or humanitarian initiative."

Benedict concluded: "I am counting on you to see to it that our common endeavor to fix our gaze on Christ's open Heart will hasten and secure our path towards the full unity of Christians. I am counting on you to see to it that the Church's solicitude for the poor and needy challenges the world with a powerful statement on the civilization of love. All this I see symbolized in the scarlet with which you are now invested. May it truly be a symbol of ardent Christian love shining forth in your lives."

15 new Cardinals

Friday, the 24th of March, 15 bishops are receiving the red hat of the cardinal from Benedict XVI. The red hat manifests their willingness to shed their blood for the Church.

The text of the oath taken by the new Cardinals, translated from the Latin original, states:

"I [name and surname], Cardinal of the Holy Roman Church, promise and swear to be faithful henceforth and forever, while I live, to Christ and his Gospel, being constantly obedient to the Holy Roman Apostolic Church, to Blessed Peter in the person of the Supreme Pontiff Benedict XVI, and of his canonically elected Successors; to maintain communion with the Catholic Church always, in word and deed; not to reveal to any one what is confided to me in secret, nor to divulge what may bring harm or dishonor to Holy Church; to carry out with great diligence and faithfulness those tasks to which I am called by my service to the Church, in accord with the norms of the law. So help me Almighty God."

Then each new cardinal will approach the Pope and kneel before him to receive the red hat and be assigned a title or deaconry. The Pope will say, in part:

"It is red as a sign of the dignity of the office of a cardinal, signifying that you are ready to act with fortitude, even to the point of spilling your blood for the increase of the Christian faith, for peace and harmony among the people of God, for freedom and the spread of the Holy Roman Catholic Church."

As we pray for these new cardinals and their important work for the whole Church, I also ponder my own willingness to shed my blood for the Church. I recall there are many Catholics around the world in the past 100 years who have shed their blood as martyrs. It this martyrdom, this fidelity, this self-sacrifice that is the seed of the faith.

Deaths related to RU-486

I was the assistant editor of a Catholic magazine when RU-486 was first made available in the US. I remember the medical concerns that were raised at that time, although the desire to have a ready abortion pill available won the day. Now there is concern by the FDA regarding the safety of women who use this pill:

A U.S. bishops' aide lamented the deaths of two more women linked to the RU-486 abortion pill, bringing the total of known maternal fatalities to 10.

"We are deeply saddened by yet another advisory from the Food and Drug Administration that two more women have died from RU-486 abortions," said Deirdre McQuade, a spokeswoman for the bishops' Pro-Life Secretariat.

Media reports published Friday said that federal health regulators were warning doctors to watch for a rare but deadly infection implicated in earlier deaths.

"According to the New England Journal of Medicine," McQuade said in a statement, "RU-486 abortions are 10 times more likely to kill a woman, from infection alone, than are surgical abortions in early pregnancy. This estimate does not even include RU-486 related deaths from other causes, such as ruptured ectopic pregnancy."

"After five years of trauma and death associated with RU-486, the FDA's response has been limited to health advisories and amended drug labeling," the bishops' aide continued. "How many more healthy women must die before the agency takes a close second look at RU-486?" (ZENIT)

Putting work in perspective

For those who have been wondering why the blog has been silent these past three days, I have been away giving presentations on Depression and Faith--these are connected with my book, Surviving Depression: A Catholic Approach.

One of the first things I noted when I came back and started plowing through over 100 e-mails was the Pope's comment about Sunday and work:

The biblical teaching on work finds its coronation in the commandment to rest. The Sabbath rest is a holy day consecrated to God, in which man understands better the meaning of his existence and also of his work activity.

A good reminder to me that a better celebration of the Sunday feast of worship and Sabbath rest will put my workload into perspective.

New monthly documenting John Paul II's cause for beatification

Announced by CNA today:

The Vicariate of Rome has announced that they will launch a new monthly magazine that will provide ongoing information about the process for the beatification and canonization of Pope John Paul II.

The publication, which will be called “Totus Tuus” in honor of Karol Wojtyla’s papal motto, aims “to become a valid instrument of unity between all those who await the conclusion of the process and support spiritually and materially.”

Some 25,000 requests have already been received for the first edition, which will be distributed free of charge. Requests can be made through the Vicariate’s website www.vicariatusurbis.org/beatificazione.


One of the major features which the Vicarate of Rome announced is the inclusion of outstanding testimonials about the holiness of life of John Paul II within the magazine.

Many little Gethsemane's

Father Cantalamessa, preacher to the Papal Household, said in his latest Lenten homily:

"Many little nights of Gethsemane" happen in human life for very different reasons, Father Cantalamessa said. Among the most profound are "the loss of the meaning of God, the overwhelming awareness of one's sin and unworthiness, the impression of having lost the faith," in short, what the saints have called "the dark night of the soul," he continued. "Jesus teaches the first thing to be done in these cases: to turn to God in prayer"; he himself began his prayer in Gethsemane acknowledging: "Abba, Father, all things are possible to thee."

"And if one has already prayed without success, one must pray again, with greater earnestness," exhorted Father Cantalamessa.

Acting selflessly

From Oberlin Times:

Jeff McGarry, a 39-year-old Roman Catholic who has been a quadriplegic since a teenage diving accident, said it would be wrong to accept stem cells from an embryo.

"I would be acting very selfishly in doing that," he said, "because it's taking a life of an individual in order to better my existing life."

quoted in the blog: http://www.marymeetsdolly.com/blog/

The Gaze of Christ

In the face of the terrible challenge of poverty
afflicting so much of the world's population,
indifference and self-centered isolation
stand in stark contrast
to the "gaze" of Christ.
Benedict XVI, Message for Lent 2006

A Communal Lent

I wanted to share with you a thought from our Mother General's letter to us during Lent--it casts Lent into a more social or communal perspective which we don't often encounter in Lenten meditations:

On Ash Wednesday, we began a pilgrimage toward Easter--a journey in which te Master blazes the way for us, bearing his cross in solidarity with the many people of all ages throughout the world who are suffering the effects of hunger, abandonment, poverty, injustice, illness and war. The Lord Jesus also walks alongside the many women and men who are striving to sow hope, dry tears, promote peace and build communion wherever they go.

Sr. Antoinetta Bruscata, FSP

What is a Christian movie?

One opinion from Barbara Nicolosi, founder and director of Act One, an organization whose mission is to train committed Christian writers to work in the Hollywood film industry.

So what would be some of the themes that would define a Christian movie?

Affirmation of spiritual realities. The twentieth-century Christian apologist Frank Sheed distinguished Christian storytellers from pagan ones by the fact that Christian writers live in a world that is as much driven by spiritual realities as by material ones. He noted, "The secular novelist sees what is visible; the Christian novelist sees what is there." Created with a Christian sensibility, a movie should be haunted by the invisible world. For believers, everything that we see is a sign of a reality that we cannot see. As Flannery O'Connor expressed it, "The real novelist, the one with an instinct for what he is about, knows that he cannot approach the infinite directly. He must penetrate the natural human world as it is. The more sacramental his theology, the more encouragement he will get from it to do just that."

Connectedness. A Christian film should be imbued with the certainty that we are not alone. We were conceived of, worked out, prepared for, and assigned a place in the plan. We are connected to one another and to the One who yearns for us as the apple of his eye. Humans are meant to be merciful to one another. Talents are given to us to speed us corporately on our way home to God. We should treat human beings the way we would treat any unique and precious treasure that belongs to someone else.

Good and evil are not equal. Despite how it seems to a merely human perspective, good and evil are not locked in an equal struggle. The good is much greater, because it can incorporate every evil and turn it into a good. A Christian dramatist needs to portray sin with the same intensity as does a purely secular dramatist because, as Flannery O'Connor noted, "Redemption is meaningless unless there is a cause for it in the actual life we live." But a Christian movie would ultimately lead viewers away from cynicism and toward hope.

The culture of life. Coined by Pope John Paul II, the term "the culture of life" encapsulates the attitude toward human persons that defines Christians. Pope John Paul II distinguishes the reverence with which believers approach the human person from what he calls secularism's "culture of death." A Christian project will emanate the certainty that men and women are the summit of everything created. If rareness makes something valuable, then human beings are precious in their uniqueness. Human beings are not valuable because of what they can do but because of what they are: vessels of love. Love called forth to be poured in. Love seeping out on those around. And so a Christian movie will reflect a reverence in its bearing toward the human person.

Juxtaposition of joy and suffering. The weirdest thing about Christians is the way we can hold both terrible suffering and joy in our hands at the same time without any sense of contradiction. Good Friday is at once the worst thing that ever happened and the best thing that ever happened. In every death, we see the seeds of resurrections, and so our grief can never be complete, as in despair. Because of this, our stories are always going to emit an aroma of hope. Comfortable with this mystery, as the human creature's lot in life, we do not have to resolve every conflict in our stories. But our unresolved conflicts will always reflect our conviction that, as screenwriter and novelist Karen Hall has said, "I may not understand the reason why, but I know Someone does."

But will it sell? The capacity for a product to sell: this is a primary paradox for Christian writers and producers in Hollywood. On the one hand, we have vital stories and themes that we want to see produced. We stress with our community of Act One writers that the first thing they need to have in starting to write is passion for the subject matter. On the other hand, professionalism demands that we offer a product that will be saleable. Too often writers who pitch me movie ideas will be stymied when I ask them the necessary question, "What will drive millions of people to the movie theaters to see this story?" This doesn't have to be a paralyzing problem for Christians in Hollywood. The answer to the problem of commerciality is to find the intersection of our themes with the current cries of the world. What is it that the people of our world are worried about today? What are the most urgent fears of this generation? These are the "signs of the times" for the church in this age, and particularly for those of us who are storytellers.

Jesus Yes, Church... no?

Benedict XVI has begun a new cycle of meditations at his Wednesday general audiences. His topic? One that couldn't be more essential for today: the relationship between Christ and the Church. As the Catholic World News reported, Benedict

said that there is "a deep, inseparable, and mysterious connection" between Jesus and the Church founded on his apostles. Warning against "individualistic" approaches to faith, and the temptation to separate individual piety from "organized religion," the Pope said: "There is no conflict between Christ and his Church."

In commissioning the apostles, the Pope explained, Jesus left a clear sign that he wanted a constant presence in the world, to bear witness to Him and spread the Gospel. The Pontiff said that "the entire mission of the incarnate Son has a community goal."

Despite the inevitable weaknesses of human agents, the Pope continued, the Church reflects the face of Jesus Christ. Today's Church, led by bishops to whom the faith was passed down from the original apostles, remains intimated linked with the Savior, and in the teachings of the Church "we can read the truth of Christ."

The Holy Father prompted warm applause from the large crowd when he drove home the point: "The slogan that was fashionable a few years ago-- 'Jesus Yes, Church No'-- is completely irreconcilable with the intentions of Christ."

But the commentary is almost longer than the general audience address itself so I also put the actual words of the Pontiff:

In coming weeks, our catechesis will focus on the mystery of Christ and the Church. Jesus willed to found his Church upon the Apostles, and it is through their witness that we continue to encounter him. The mission of the Apostles must be seen in the context of the mystery of communion of God’s People, spanning both the old and the new Covenant. Jesus’s entire ministry took place against the backdrop of Israel’s faith and hope, and was aimed at gathering into one the eschatological People of God. Far from a purely individualistic summons to conversion, his mission was directed to the establishment of the community of the new and eternal Covenant. Jesus’ conscious decision to choose the Twelve Apostles was a prophetic sign announcing the eschatological renewal of the twelve tribes of Israel, the dawn of salvation and the fulfilment of God’s promises. In the person of the Apostles, charged with the celebration of the Eucharist and the forgiveness of sins, the Church has been made the sign and instrument of the Kingdom of God in our midst. Christ can never be separated from the Church; through the Church he remains ever present in his people, and in a special way in the successors of the Apostles.

Three bishops seem to reject statement of Catholic Democrats in Congress

Three senior prelates in the American Catholic Church have responded to a recent statement on abortion issued by 55 Catholic Democrats in Congress. In part, the statement said, "We also need to reaffirm the Catholic Church's constant teaching that abortion is a grave violation of the most fundamental human right, the right to life that is inherent in all human beings, and that grounds every other right we possess."

"Statement on Responsibilities of Catholics in Public Life" was signed by Baltimore Cardinal William H. Keeler, chairman of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops Committee on Pro Life Activities; Washington Cardinal Theodore E. McCarrick, chairman of the USCCB Task Force on Catholic Bishops and Catholic Politicians; and Brooklyn Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio, chairman of the USCCB Committee on Domestic Policy.

The bishops were responding to the Democrat's "Statement of Principles" that was issued early in March which called abortion "undesirable" but fell short of calling for the overturning Roe v. Wade, the landmark Supreme Court decision mandating abortion on demand. The bishops called the release of the Representatives' statement "an opportunity to address several important points about the responsibilities of Catholics in public life."

The Representatives' statement placed great emphasis on increasing funding for welfare and other government programs saying that doing so will reduce the number of unwanted pregnancies. The bishops said they "welcome the Representatives' recognition that Catholics in public life must act seriously and responsibly on many important moral issues" and called "priority for the poor, the protection of family life, the pursuit of justice and the promotion of peace . . . fundamental priorities of the Catholic moral tradition which cannot be ignored or neglected." But, they countered, "While it is always necessary to work to reduce the number of abortions by providing alternatives and help to vulnerable parents and children, Catholic teaching calls all Catholics to work actively to restrain, restrict and bring to an end the destruction of unborn human life."

The bishops also responded to the Representatives' claim that they "seek the Church's guidance . . . but believe also in the primacy of conscience." The bishops replied that, "As Catholic legislators seek to act in accord with their own consciences, it is essential to remember that conscience must be consistent with fundamental moral principles. As members of the Church, all Catholics are obliged to shape our consciences in accord with the moral teaching of the Church."

The Representatives approvingly quote Pope John Paul II's letter on the laity, Christifideles Laici and in what might be interpreted as a gentle tweak on the part of the bishops, they quote Christifideles Laici right back; "Above all, the common outcry, which is justly made on behalf of human rights — for example, the right to health, to home, to work, to family, to culture — is false and illusory if the right to life, the most basic and fundamental right and the condition for all other personal rights, is not defended with maximum determination. The human being is entitled to such rights, in every phase of development, from conception until natural death..."

Culture of Life Foundation
1413 K Street, NW, Suite 1000
Washington DC 20005
Phone: (202) 289-2500 Fax: (202) 289-2502 E-mail: clf@culture-of-life.org Website: http://www.culture-of-life.org

Three bishops seem to reject statement of Catholic Democrats in Congress

Three senior prelates in the American Catholic Church have responded to a recent statement on abortion issued by 55 Catholic Democrats in Congress. In part, the statement said, "We also need to reaffirm the Catholic Church's constant teaching that abortion is a grave violation of the most fundamental human right, the right to life that is inherent in all human beings, and that grounds every other right we possess."

"Statement on Responsibilities of Catholics in Public Life" was signed by Baltimore Cardinal William H. Keeler, chairman of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops Committee on Pro Life Activities; Washington Cardinal Theodore E. McCarrick, chairman of the USCCB Task Force on Catholic Bishops and Catholic Politicians; and Brooklyn Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio, chairman of the USCCB Committee on Domestic Policy.

The bishops were responding to the Democrat's "Statement of Principles" that was issued early in March which called abortion "undesirable" but fell short of calling for the overturning Roe v. Wade, the landmark Supreme Court decision mandating abortion on demand. The bishops called the release of the Representatives' statement "an opportunity to address several important points about the responsibilities of Catholics in public life."

The Representatives' statement placed great emphasis on increasing funding for welfare and other government programs saying that doing so will reduce the number of unwanted pregnancies. The bishops said they "welcome the Representatives' recognition that Catholics in public life must act seriously and responsibly on many important moral issues" and called "priority for the poor, the protection of family life, the pursuit of justice and the promotion of peace . . . fundamental priorities of the Catholic moral tradition which cannot be ignored or neglected." But, they countered, "While it is always necessary to work to reduce the number of abortions by providing alternatives and help to vulnerable parents and children, Catholic teaching calls all Catholics to work actively to restrain, restrict and bring to an end the destruction of unborn human life."

The bishops also responded to the Representatives' claim that they "seek the Church's guidance . . . but believe also in the primacy of conscience." The bishops replied that, "As Catholic legislators seek to act in accord with their own consciences, it is essential to remember that conscience must be consistent with fundamental moral principles. As members of the Church, all Catholics are obliged to shape our consciences in accord with the moral teaching of the Church."

The Representatives approvingly quote Pope John Paul II's letter on the laity, Christifideles Laici and in what might be interpreted as a gentle tweak on the part of the bishops, they quote Christifideles Laici right back; "Above all, the common outcry, which is justly made on behalf of human rights — for example, the right to health, to home, to work, to family, to culture — is false and illusory if the right to life, the most basic and fundamental right and the condition for all other personal rights, is not defended with maximum determination. The human being is entitled to such rights, in every phase of development, from conception until natural death..."

Culture of Life Foundation
1413 K Street, NW, Suite 1000
Washington DC 20005
Phone: (202) 289-2500 Fax: (202) 289-2502 E-mail: clf@culture-of-life.org Website: http://www.culture-of-life.org

Follow Aslan

I don't know about you, but when I saw Narnia in the movie theater after Christmas, and met Aslan for the first time, I wished he were real. I realized I was meeting God, I mean seeing the goodness of Jesus who gave his life for me, and I wanted my image of God to be dashed on the rocks to be replaced with reality, this reality that I saw before me. The theater had become a cathedral. I came across an article that spoke precisely of this: From Strattford Caldecot's excellent article about Aslan from The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe:

So if you feel moved to speak to Aslan, to pray to him, there is nothing wrong with that. You are praying to someone that exists. Test it out and see if he answers. Just as the noble young Calormene, Emeth, found out after death that the prayers he had directed to Tash were counted by Aslan as prayers to himself, you may find that prayers to Aslan have been redirected to the One of whom Aslan is a fictional image. What I am saying is not that the Narnia stories are just copying the Gospels, and that we have to decode the events and characters so they can be translated into Christian terms. I am saying that in the imaginary world (just as in the Gospels if we read them in the right spirit) we can find things stirring in us that are true, that exceed what is on the page, that are present in our imagination as tokens of something deeper and truer than the imaginary world.

Where they may lead us is up to us. They may lead us eventually to Christian belief, as they have for many people, or they may not. The important thing is to follow—not to follow C. S. Lewis, but to follow the tracks of infinite desire that we find in his story, to pick up the trail of something real, and not pretend we have sensed nothing that speaks to us about our own life. There is something called wishful thinking, and we have to be on guard against it. But there is also wishless thinking, or cynical thinking, like that of the dwarfs in The Last Battle who refuse to be taken in. We need to be searching for truth, and to settle for nothing less.

The whole article is worth reading.

Catholic scholar explains Church’s position on adoption by same-sex couples

Excerpts from an interview with Dr. John Haas regarding the decision of the Boston Diocese to cease their Catholic Charities adoption services (the entire interview is an excellent educational piece, but if you can't read the whole thing, I hope these excerpts will help clarify a painful and confusing issue):

Q: The Vatican document says that “Allowing children to be adopted by persons living in such unions would actually mean doing violence to these children.”

Dr. Haas: When the Holy See talks about the violence being done to these children, it is not talking necessarily about physical violence being done to them. They are talking about placing them in an environment in which they are deprived of the opportunity for their full wholesome development by having the example of a mother and a father and care being given by a mother and a father in their rearing.


Q: The bishops maintain their decision is a matter of faith. What does divine revelation have to say about this issue?

Dr. Haas: Nobody ever brings up the fact that we, as Catholics, know that God has a plan for marriage and family. He has revealed it. It’s crystal clear. It’s from the first book of the Bible to the last book of the Bible. In Genesis you have the establishment of the family, you have the creation in God’s likeness of Adam and Eve: “Male and female He created them.” You have Jesus Himself quoting Genesis when He says, “This is why a man shall leave his mother and his father and cling to his wife and the two shall become one flesh.” So you have Jesus Himself, who is the founder of the Catholic Church and in whose name Catholic Charities works, who has said this is God’s plan, this is the plan for a family to be wholesome and function best. Then you get to the last book of the Bible, the Apocalypse, in which Jesus Christ is referred to as the bridegroom and the Church is going to be referred to as His bride. The overwhelming evidence from divine revelation says this is God’s plan, and we know that any departure from God’s plan is going to be deleterious or hurtful to those who depart from that plan.


Q: Some of the board members of Catholic Charities who resigned say that, in conscience, they cannot continue serving in an organization that will actively discriminate against gay people. Can a well-formed Christian conscience disagree with the teachings of the Church on this issue?

Dr. Haas: No. It is a misunderstanding of what conscience is. Conscience conforms to reality and the moral law. It doesn’t make the moral law and determine what reality is or is not.

Conscience is the capacity to see reality for what it truly is and then to base one’s judgement for action on that. One cannot, by appealing to conscience, make up what constitutes reality or what constitutes moral law. That’s not what conscience is. It has an objective component that must conform to the moral law and to reality and, for us as Catholics, must conform to what is revealed to us in divine revelation, in Scripture and in the teachings of Jesus Himself.

Q: Are the bishops actively discriminating against gay people by refusing to allow Catholic agencies to place children with them?

Dr. Haas: It is not an issue of discrimination. Catholic Charities and the Catholic Church have never denied health care, counseling, material support in terms of houses and support because people are gay. It’s my understanding that no one, other than government agencies, provides more care and assistance to those suffering of HIV/AIDS, many of whom are homosexuals, than the Catholic Church.

But when it comes to the matter of placing children [in adoptive homes], the greatest concern on the part of the placement agency has to be the good of the child. In fact, adoption agencies in the state “discriminate” all the time. Because people have to go through these qualifying programs before it’s determined that this or that couple can adopt a child. The agencies in this state will sometimes make the judgement that this, that or another couple ought not to become adoptive parents.

So, there is discrimination going on all the time, the real point is whether this is an unjust discrimination. I think one could say the other [type] is just discrimination. And here, in accord with what we believe God has revealed about what would be for the greatest benefit of these children, that for their benefit, we cannot place them into those environments. It’s not a matter of discriminating against homosexuals, it’s a matter of making judgements in accord with what we know of God’s plan for humanity, making judgements about what would be in the best interest of the children.

For example, polygamy. The state agencies might determine that a child would not benefit in a household that has one husband and four wives. If what we have at the heart is the best interest of the child, it would not be an unjust discrimination.

Eucharistic Adoration backed by Pope Benedict

From Zenit, the Pope's response to a member of the clergy of Rome who has instituted perpetual Eucharistic Adoration in his parish:

"I only wish to thank God, that following the [Second Vatican] Council, after a period in which something of the meaning of Eucharistic adoration was lacking, this adoration has been reborn everywhere in the Church, as we saw and heard in the Synod on the Eucharist," Benedict XVI said.

He continued: "Certainly with the conciliar constitution on the liturgy, all the wealth of the Eucharistic was particularly rediscovered, the celebration where the Lord's will is fulfilled: He gives himself to us and we respond giving ourselves to him."

But now "we have rediscovered" that "the ability to celebrate his sacrifice and in this way enter into sacramental, almost corporal communion with him, loses its profundity and human richness if adoration is lacking, adoration as the act that follows receiving Communion," the Holy Father said.

"Adoration," he added, "is to enter into profound heartfelt communion with the Lord, who makes himself bodily present in the Eucharist."

Who attempted the assasination of John Paul II?

John Allen had an excellent comment on the subject in an interview for CNN:

Last week, I was asked by CNN to do a couple of interviews on the report by a commission of the Italian Parliament which asserted "beyond any reasonable doubt" that the Soviet Union was behind the 1981 assassination attempt against Pope John Paul II.

When time allows, TV producers generally like to do a "pre-interview," going over possible questions and answers in order to prepare the host who's actually going to conduct the interview. Generally, these pre-interviews cover far more ground than the on-air appearance. I like doing them, in part because I see it as a bit of continuing education for colleagues in the secular press on the subject of religion, a field that's often terra incognita.

My pre-interview for the bit on the commission's report was a classic example.

After discussing the mechanics of the commission report, the producer asked me about John Paul's 2005 book Memory and Identity, in which the pope said of the assassination attempt that "someone else planned it, someone else commissioned it." She asked if John Paul had in mind the Soviets or some other intelligence service.

"Not necessarily," I replied. "He may not have been referring to any human agents at all."

There was a moment of silence, then the producer said simply, "Fascinating."

I explained that neither John Paul nor senior Vatican officials had ever pressed very hard to unearth the chain of causation behind Mehmet Ali Agca's actions in 1981. In part, this is because Ali Agca has given varying accounts; in part, it's because incontrovertible proof is a rare commodity in this sort of affair.

Deeper than that, however, I suspect John Paul felt he already knew the answer. The pope saw the events of his life through the lens of faith, against a broader cosmic backdrop, so he believed the ultimate author of the assassination attempt was the force of evil let loose in the world. By the same logic, he believed it was the hand of Our Lady of Fatima that saved his life on her Feast Day, May 13.

My producer friend's reaction was not derision or critique, but surprise. It had simply not occurred to her that a pope might interpret an attack against himself in terms of supernatural causation.

Without belaboring the point, this illustrates a broad problem with much media coverage of religion. It's not that coverage is intentionally unfair, which the great majority of the time it's not. The problem is rather that some basic assumptions religious believers make about the world just don't come naturally to many reporters and producers.

In covering religion, journalists would do well to remember that the supernatural remains a powerful explanatory concept for legions of believers -- popes included.

"Patriarch of the West"

Without any fanfare, Benedict XVI last week set aside a traditional title of the Roman Pontiff for roughly 1,500 years, "Patriarch of the West."

For a lucid study of what this might mean, read John Allen's Report today on the National Catholic Reporter's website.

Interesting comment on the Da Vinci Code movie

Mark Shea posted an interesting comment regarding the Da Vinci Code phenomenon:

One of the fascinating things about the DVC Phenom is how small-minded True Believers are. Brown's thesis, at the end of the day, is "A dead rabbi had a girlfriend." For some reason, this claim is treated as earth-shattering and important, but the claim "God became man, was killed on a cross and rose from the dead" is treated as ho-hum dusty dogma suitable only for pettifogging theologians. Whatever else this is, it's a spectacular failure of a sense of proportion....

Does Easter arouse in us as much enthusiasm and interest as Brown's novel? Good question!

Mystical Images of Lent

This Lent Ronald Rolheiser is doing a series on Mystical Images. The second in the series is posted: Sweating Blood in the Garden.

His father told him as a child: Unless you sweat blood you will never be faithful. Now he finds in Jesus struggle in the garden an icon of love and fidelity:

the fact that Gethsemane is a garden (rather than in a temple, a boat, or a mountain-top) tells us something too. Archetypally a garden is a place of love, a place of delight, a place to drink wine with friends, a place of intimacy. Conversely, that also makes it the place where love is lost, where one feels the deepest kind of loneliness, and where one suffers emotional crucifixion.

Thus, it's Jesus, the lover, who sweats blood in the garden. What he suffers there is the emotional agony that sometimes comes on us as the price of love. What Jesus sweats there is a lover's anguish. What is that?

Several years ago, there was a TV series entitled, Thirty Something. One of the episodes ran this way:

A group of men had gathered for a "men-only" party at a hotel. One of the men at party, a married man, found himself attracted to one of the hotel managers, a young woman who was on duty that night, in charge of the hospitality. He had to deal with her all evening in terms of making arrangements for food, drink, and music. She was attracted to him too and as the evening went on their bond grew and, though nothing but practical conversation was exchanged, the romantic chemistry between them began to intensify. Each sensed it without, of course, revealing it to the other.

As the evening drew to a close, both did what comes naturally, they lingered near each other and found every kind of practical excuse to prolong their contact, without really knowing what to say to each other, but sensing that there was a special connection that they were reluctant to break off.

Finally, it was time to part. The man stalled, thanking her one last time for what she'd done for the group. She, not wanting to lose the moment, took the risk and said to him: "I very much enjoyed meeting you. Would you like to get together again sometime?"

He, guiltily fingering his wedding ring and apologizing for not being more forthright, did what too few of us would have the honesty and courage to do. He sweated a little blood and then said to her: "I'm sorry, but I'm married. I need to go home to my wife."

My dad used to say to me: "Unless you can sweat blood sometimes, you will never keep a commitment, in marriage, in priesthood, or in anything else. That's what it takes to be faithful!"

A Lenten Prayer

O Trinity uncreated and without beginning,
O undivided Unity, three and one,
Father, Son and Spirit, a single God;
Accept this our hymn from tongues of clay
As if from mouths of flame.
—from the Lenten Triodion of the Orthodox Church

It is impossible to be faithful to Scripture and not take Mary seriously

An excellent article by Rene Laurentin commenting on the joint declaration by the Anglican and Roman Catholic Commission on Mary: grace and hope in Christ. He seeks to address the demotion of Mary in Catholic life in recent decades. Article is in 30 Days.

How can I love doing God's will: Benedict's Encyclical a Byte at a Time

The authentic content of love, since antiquity, Benedict defines as the loved and the lover wanting the same thing and rejecting the same thing. God and myself wanting the same thing and rejecting the same thing. Surely a purified love leads to this as its goal. A similarity between my desire, my thought, my will, my preferences, and those of God. Benedict states it this way:

The love-story between God and man consists in the very fact that this communion of will increases in a communion of thought and sentiment, and thus our will and God's will increasingly coincide: God's will is no longer for me an alien will, something imposed on me from without by the commandments, but it is now my own will, based on the realization that God is in fact more deeply present to me than I am to myself.[10] Then self- abandonment to God increases and God becomes our joy (cf. Ps 73 [72]:23-28). (no. 17)

Is Love a Feeling--Benedict's Encyclical a Byte at a Time

Is love a feeling? Can it be produced at will? Can we be commanded to love? Important questions. Can we be commanded to love God or our neighbor or can we expected to do so only if we feel like it?

Benedict's answer is profound:

God does not demand of us a feeling which we ourselves are incapable of producing. He loves us, he makes us see and experience his love, and since he has “loved us first”, love can also blossom as a response within us.

In the gradual unfolding of this encounter, it is clearly revealed that love is not merely a sentiment. Sentiments come and go. A sentiment can be a marvellous first spark, but it is not the fullness of love. Earlier we spoke of the process of purification and maturation by which eros comes fully into its own, becomes love in the full meaning of the word. It is characteristic of mature love that it calls into play all man's potentialities; it engages the whole man, so to speak. Contact with the visible manifestations of God's love can awaken within us a feeling of joy born of the experience of being loved. But this encounter also engages our will and our intellect. Acknowledgment of the living God is one path towards love, and the “yes” of our will to his will unites our intellect, will and sentiments in the all- embracing act of love. But this process is always open-ended; love is never “finished” and complete; throughout life, it changes and matures, and thus remains faithful to itself.

Thus, we encounter again one of the major keys of the encyclical: the need for purification if our love, our sentiment, is to be truly mature and life-giving.

A Good Summary of Current Pro-Life Legislation Battles

An accessible article that summarizes what is happening with pro-life legislation across the US, along with pros and cons concerning the timing of seeking these bans on abortion.

New Catholics this Easter

In the Archdiocese of Washingon, 1,233 people gathered in the Shrine of the Immaculate Conception for the Rite of Election and Call to Continuing Conversion, a liturgy marking the final period of preparation before the sacraments of initiation at Easter. The liturgy is held each year on the first Sunday of Easter. This number is the highest number for the past several years.

In 2004, 155,000 adults in the US were baptized or confirmed as Catholic on Easter.


"Welcome to full Communion," said Cardinal Theodore E. McCarrick, archbishop of Washington, after each of the two ceremonies held on Saturday afternoon. "You knew you needed something more than you had. ... Somehow, over all the noise of the world, you heard the Lord say, 'I want you to hear I love you, and I want you to come into My family.'?"

Benedict XVI Live

The Holy Father met with the priests of Romer on March 7, 2006. Departing from any prepared talk he preferred to answer their questions. Fifteen questions and answers are reported by Sandro Magister in www.chiesa. To read them visit:

http://www.chiesa.espressonline.it/dettaglio.jsp?id=46491&eng=y

What does being a cardinal of the Church imply?

From a Zenit interview with the 60-year-old archbishop of Toledo who is on the 15 Church figures scheduled to receive a cardinal's hat at the consistory on Marhc 24th:

A cardinal is he who sheds his blood for the Pope. What does this mean in the present-day context?

Archbishop Cañizares: To be a cardinal is reflected in the [red] color that implies giving witness with the Pope of the faith unto death, if necessary. It is to give witness of the living God and, with Peter, to confess that Jesus Christ is the only Savior, the only hope for the whole of humanity.

It implies living with the Pope, servant of servants, in a life of service and full commitment without any reservations, to spend oneself and exhaust oneself for the hard works of the Gospel, to lose one's life so that the world will believe.

It is to serve in communion, in unbreakable unity with the Successor of Peter; it is to defend the dignity of the injured and poor man, to give him to Jesus Christ.

It is a very beautiful mission, a grace to be able to be associated with the Holy Father in his ministry of confirming the faith, in his ministry of concern for all the Church and of love for all, with that love of which Benedict XVI has spoken to us so beautifully in his encyclical.

Restoring the human being

Jesus gives men and women total familiarity with the truth and continuously invites them to live in it. It is truth offered as a reality that restores the human being and at the same time surpasses him and towers above him, as a Mystery that embraces and at the same time exceeds the impulse of his intelligence.