Debt To Our Jewish Ancestors of Faith

'And he (the other criminal) said, "Jesus remember me when you come in your kingly power."  And he (Jesus Christ) said to him, "Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise."'           (Luke 23:42-43)

The above is a most comforting scene from the Passion of Jesus.  This criminal's prayer sums up the Faith so many of our Jewish benefactors have passed on to us.  As many of us begin Holy Week today recalling the Passion, Death and Resurrection of Our Lord and Savior; we may wish to reflect on those  who during the pre-Christian era received and protected the Faith in the One, True God--our Jewish ancestors in Faith.  We must not forget that after Adam's fall that it was through these People of Faith; trusting in God's promise in the coming Messiah--Christ--the Faith was transmitted.  The early part of this week is a good time to meditate on Noah, Abraham, Issac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, David, the Prophets and all those Jewish (Old) Testament figures to whom we owe so much.  This Faith that motivated John the Baptist and the Faith and Trust that allowed the young Virgin Mary and the humble Joseph to respond to God's call.  All this culminating in the Incarnation of God, Jesus, Our Lord and Savior--a Jew--redeeming the World.

If we have any Jewish friends or acquaintances, wouldn't the next couple of days be the ideal time to thank them for preserving the Faith in the True God and gently invite them to be open to the greatest wonder of God, i.e., that being that the One True God is a "Triune God".

May the graces that burst from Heaven during this most holy week of the year penetrate the hearts of all of us, those we love, those we don't know and those we do not love.

I pray that we all hear Jesus' comforting voice say,  "Truly, I say to you, today you are one with Me and soon you will be with Me in Paradise!"     

We Have A Pope!

The following is a reprint (slightly edited) of a reflection I recently e-mailed to my "Family & Friends".

As I say "Adieu" to our retired Pope Emeritus Benedict, I am happy and optimistic with the choice of our new pope, Pope Francis I, though the name is strange when hearing it in French as they have been referring to him as "Francois Premier" (Ier).  Francis Ier was a rather free spirited French king who ushered in the Renaissance in France.  His life was quite different from Saint Francis of Assisi.

The new pope chose the name Francis after Saint Francis of Assisi.  This may seem strange for a pope of the Jesuit Order (more correctly the Order of the Society of Jesus).  He did explain to the international press core on Saturday, March 16th the reasons he chose Saint Francis, i.e., Saint Francis' love of poverty and the poor, his love of nature and the current condition of our environment and mission of peace.  What some may not know is that there are at least two Jesuits who are canonized saints named Francis, Saints Francis Xavier and Francis Borgia.  Both of these men are extraordinary saints.  Saint Francis Xavier (1506-1552) following the leadership of Saint Ignatius of Loyola along with four other men founded the Order of the Society of Jesus in Paris, France.  He is recognized as one of the greatest missionaries of the Catholic Church.  Saint Francis Borgia (1510-1572) of the famous or infamous Borgia family.  He was born into wealth and power.  He married and after his wife died he recognized his call to the priesthood in the Jesuit order.  Receiving permission from Saint Ignatius top enter the order as a widower with children, after making arrangement ts for his children, he entered the order in 1546.  He went on to receive his doctorate and subsequently became the  third "Father General"-leader-of the Jesuit order to which he  contributed greatly.  He is seen by some as the second founder of the Jesuit order.

Jesuits are known for their role in education, the arts and scientific research--many planets were discovered by Jesuit astronomers and they are therefore named after therm.  Jesuits are often found associating with people in prestigious positions; yet they personally take the vow of poverty and live modest lives.  Based on this fact I am not surprised that Pope Francis I is recognized for his love of the poor and the underprivileged.  One of our parish priests noted that Pope Francis while he was the Archbishop of Buenos Aires frequently offered Mass "under tents" in the slums of the city welcoming the forgotten and the unwelcome, e.g. street prostitutes and drug addicts.  I have a slogan which I stumbled upon about a year or two ago which could describe Pope Francis:  "In the world, for the world; but not of the world".

I am very pleased and as I wrote above optimistic learning of the man the Cardinals have elected to be The Holy Father for The Church.  I am filled with hope.

"Two people went up to the temple area to pray; one was a Pharisee and the other was a tax collector.  The Pharisee took up his position and spoke this prayer to himself, 'O God, I thank you that I am not like the rest of humanity---greedy, dishonest, adulterous---or even like this tax collector.  I fast twice a week, and I pay tithes on my whole income.'  But the tax collector stood off at a distance and would not even raise his eyes to heaven but beat his breast and prayed, 'O God, be merciful to me a sinner.'  (Jesus added) I tell you, the latter went home justified, not the former, for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and the one who humbles himself will be exalted."  Luke 18:10-14

Isn't it remarkable how relevant the parables of Jesus from approximately 2,000 years ago are to us today.

The above parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector in the temple really hits me.  I like to think that I'm like the tax collector but to be honest, unfortunately I often catch myself---my thought process----to be too much like the Pharisee's.  Too often I come to church self-satisfied rather than contrite!  Too often I catch myself judging others, forgetting my own failures!  Too often I think of God as being a God of Rules rather than a God of Love!  I forget that God really wants mercy not sacrifice and I pat myself on my back for the little I do.  I forget that what God wants from me is a relationship with Him.  I forget that when I pray the "Our Father", I ask God to forgive my trespasses as I forgive others and as written in Matthew18:35 that I must forgive from my heart!

Being that in the Latin Rite the Lenten Season is half over, now is a good time for me to reflect on my own repentance, my outreaching of friendship and forgiveness to others and my relationship with God.  Hopefully through the grace of God, someday in the future I'll be able to honestly state that I am closer to being the tax collector than the Pharisee in the parable. 

The 21st Century is a great century to be alive and to be Catholic!

This may sound like a surprising comment with the economic condition of many of the advanced countries including the United States, the deterioration of the Judo-Christian culture in the United States and other Western cultures, the deterioration of many families, the displacement of Christian traditions and practices by pagan and secular substitutes, etc.  And within the Catholic Church clerical sex scandals and the poor catechesis of the Catholic laity. 

Despite the above the 21st century is a great century in which to live! It is true that on the secular side the economy of our country as many others is in a poor situation  Yet on the religious side, as tragic as the clerical sex scandal is and the great damage so many of the victims have incurred, this situation has made the Church better prepared to preclude further harm.  Also,  if a person reflects on the popes that shepherded the Church over the 20th-21st centuries, one discovers what great popes occupied the Chair of Peter.  The Second Vatican Council has been invigorating for the Church, and though there were a few stumbles implementing the Council's resolutions,  today the Church is stronger.  There hasn't been a time in the Christian era where the Church had better communication tools and greater involvement by both the clergy and the laity in evangelizing. 

The world today, as "pagan" as it is, is not much different from the world in which the early Christians lived.  Like those early Christians,  Catholics today are living in many cases in "societies of death" and corruption, i.e., unbridled abortion, endorsement of euthanasia and infanticide in certain places.  Promiscuous sex is also encouraged in much of popular culture, violence permeates much of the entertainment, homosexual relationships are being advocated as being on the plain of  heterosexual relationships thus equating them as both being equally qualified as candidates for marriage, etc. etc.

As bleak as this may sound, Catholics today are facing many of the obstacles to a Christian life as the early Christians faced.  Therefore today we have the same opportunities as those early Christians had to show their love for God, each other and their fellow men and thus convert the world to Christ.  Yes this is a great time to be alive as like our predecessors we today can once again, through the grace of God, make others aware of the promise and love of God, showing the love, peace and joy that fills a person who recognizes the dignity of each person--from the unborn to the senile--that is a "person of life".