.::Firmum Est::. - - My Heart is Steadfast

From John Allen:

When Benedict lands at Andrews Air Force Base on April 15, the United States will become just the second nation visited by all three modern popes who have travelled outside Italy: Paul VI, John Paul II, and now Benedict XVI. Can you guess the other one without looking it up? In any event, the distinction won’t last long, because Australia is set to join the club in July when Benedict XVI arrives for World Youth Day.

To date, the only other nation to be visited by Paul VI, John Paul II, and Benedict XVI is Turkey. Interestingly, even after adding Australia to the list in view of Benedict’s scheduled July visit, not one of these countries has a majority Catholic population. That’s symbolic, perhaps, of the desire of modern popes to engage not just the Catholic flock, but the entire world, in the church’s capacity as what Paul VI called “experts in humanity.”

Benedict XVI’s general prayer intention for December is: “That human society may be solicitous in the care of all those stricken with AIDS, especially children and women, and that the Church may make them feel the Lord’s love.” His mission intention is: “That the incarnation of the Son of God, which the Church celebrates solemnly at Christmas, may help the peoples of the Asiatic Continent to recognize God’s Envoy, the only Savior of the world, in Jesus.”

Yesterday, a group of American Benefactors were given a private Papal Audience in the Sala Clementina of the Papal Household. I was honored to be among them and to meet His Holiness, Benedict XVI. It was an exciting experience shared with Deacon Joe Rogers, Charlie Cortinovis and Anthony Lieckteg - all seminarians of Washington, DC.

After Mass at the Church of Santa Susanna, the official church for the American community in Rome, we boarded some buses to Vatican City. The Pope had a meeting with the President of Sri Lanka just prior to our audience. After being ushered through the palace and into the Sala, we waited a few moments for his entrance. He greeted us with a message I will share below.

It was a joy to visit St Peter’s Basilica directly from the Audience. We continued to pray for the Holy Father, that his shepherding of the flock of God will be done out of love and that any burdens that he may bear will always be with our Lord Jesus Christ. We visited the tomb of St Peter - and prayed the Apostle’s Creed. Also, we visited the tomb of Servant of God, John Paul II.

In sum, it was a day so fully of goodness that it could have only been imagined by the Father.
Pictures will follow soon - but those taken by the official photographers may be viewed here.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Holy Fathers Address:

Dear Friends in Christ,

In this joyful season as we offer thanks and praise to God for Christ’s victory over sin and death, I am pleased to greet you, the members of the Papal Foundation, on your annual pilgrimage to Rome. “Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ” (Phil 1:2).

Our Easter faith gives us hope that the risen Lord will truly transform the world. In his Resurrection we recognize the fulfillment of God’s promise to the exiled people of Israel: “I will open your graves and raise you from your graves, O my people; and I will bring you home into the land of Israel” (Ez 37:12). Truly, the risen Christ gives renewed hope and strength to many in our world today who suffer injustice or deprivation and who long to be able to live with the freedom and dignity of the children of God.

Christ promised to send the Holy Spirit to enkindle the hearts of believers, moving them to love their brothers and sisters as Christ loved them, and to witness through their charitable activity to the Father’s love for all humanity (cf. Deus Caritas Est, 19). The fruit of that gift of the Spirit can be clearly seen in the assistance that the Papal Foundation gives in Christ’s name to developing countries, in the form of aid projects, grants and scholarships. I am most grateful for your support and for the help you give me in carrying out my mission to care for Christ’s flock in every corner of the world.

I assure you that your love of the Church and your dedication to the practice of Christian charity is deeply appreciated. As we prepare to celebrate the great outpouring of the Spirit at Pentecost, I encourage you to continue in your generous commitment, so that the flame of divine love may continue burning brightly in the hearts of believers everywhere. Commending you to the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church, I cordially impart my Apostolic Blessing to you and to your families as a pledge of joy and peace in the Risen Savior.

These past few days have been very inspiring. The faith of the people here is Poland and Krakow is strong and omnipresent. The presence of John Paul is just a strong as it is in Rome. Walking into any church, there is likely to be Mass, Confession, Adoration, Rosary, Divine Mercy - people kneeling, standing, sitting, singing, praying - the churches are full of life. Confessions are around the clock - the lines can be 20 - 30 people deep.

The first day here, I visited the Shrine of Jasna Gora in Częstochowa. The monastery has been a pilgrimage destination for hundreds of years, and it contains the most important icon of the Virgin Mary in this part of Europe. The icon, depicting the Mother of God with the Christ Child, is known as The Black Madonna of Częstochowa or Our Lady of Częstochowa. It is Poland’s most important holy site. The Communists tried to create industry here to destroy the faith of the people, therefore these two lifestyles are juxtaposed throughout the city - manifested in an industrial tower as you look down one end of main street and the bell tower of the Shrine at the other.

For Palm/Passion Sunday, we traveled to Kalwaria (Calvary) - a Franciscian Monastery in the mountains south of Krakow. It was built centuries ago to provide pilgrims with a substitute of Jerusalem lost to the Muslim Turks and thus unavailable. With its 42 churches and chapels of all shapes and sizes in addition to the central basilica and the monastery, the vast complex of buildings scattered among woods grew to be the biggest such compound in Europe. It is also Poland’s second most important historic destination for pilgrims. We saw the beginning of the Passion play that will last all week - Jesus’ entrance into the Holy City on the colt and the Cleansing of the Temple. After the money was scattered and the pottery broken, the young children rushed up to take a piece home with them.

I will write more soon about the time in and around Krakow including the events celebrating the life of John Paul II (Monday was the second anniversary of his death) and the visit to Auschwitz-Birkenau, the largest concentration/extermination camp of the Nazi’s during World War II.

A few words from Benedict’s General Audience

This Week of Prayer for Christian Unity takes as its theme these words from St. Mark’s Gospel: “He makes the deaf hear and the mute speak” (cf. Mark 7:31-37). As we recall the wonder felt by those who witnessed Jesus’ healing of a man who could not hear or speak, we too marvel at the remarkable growth that has taken place in ecumenical relations during the last forty years.

The Lord has helped us to overcome our deafness, so that we can listen profoundly to one another, and he has restored our power of speech so that we can pray together and proclaim, the truth with conviction.

General Intention: FOR CHRISTIAN LEADERS OF NATIONS: May Christ, meek and humble of heart, inspire leaders of nations to exercise their authority wisely and responsibly.

Mission Intention: FOR MISSIONARIES: May they live their vocation to follow Jesus with joy and enthusiasm.

Advent is a time of preparation - a time of joyful anticipation. We prepare for the coming of Christ - but in two ways. First, his humbling himself as a Child, taking the form of an infant, to initiate His redemption of the World in His Cross and Resurrection. Second, His final coming, the Last Judgement, where all shall see the salvation of God.

This weekend at the College, we had a day of recollection led by one of our esteemed spiritual directors, Msgr. Bernard Hebda, from the Diocese of Pittsburgh. In his reflections, he pointed out what his patron saint Bernard, termed ‘interior advents.’ The following is a reflection on these concepts and their relation to our Call as Christians to Holiness - it was given in December of 2000 by John Paul the Great.

“Before the manger at Bethlehem - as later before the cross of Golgotha - mankind makes a basic choice in regard to Jesus. In the last analysis, this is the choice which man is called upon to make unavoidably day after day, in regard to God, the Creator and Father. And this is done, before all and above all, within the depths of the personal conscience. It is there that the encounter between God and Man takes place.

“This interior advent is brought to life through constant meditation on and assimilation of the Word of God. It is rendered fruitful and animated by prayer of adoration and praise of God. It is reinforced by constant reception of the sacraments, those of Penance and the Eucharist in particular, for they cleanse and enrich us with the grace of Christ and make us “new,” in accordance with Jesus’ pressing call: “Be converted.”

“In view of this, every day can and ought become Advent for us Christians. It can and ought become Christmas! For, the more we purify our souls, the more shall we make room for God’s love in our hearts, the more Christ will be able to come and be born in us!