A View from the Choir Loft
Liturgy

A View from the Choir Loft

by Jeffrey Miller
written by Jeffrey Miller

My parish’s historic wooden church has been closed for renovation since the start of the year. Today we had our first Masses there since then.

There is still work to be done and additional items awaiting to be finished, shipped, and installed. Still, it is very good to be back.

The picture was my view from the choir loft before Mass started. Previously we had not been able to use the choir loft, especially as I was told there was little ventilation and it was barely usable. This was no problem today and they had added a couple of ceiling fans in the area.

I have always loved the acoustics of singing in this church and the choir loft makes it easier for us to hear each other. For the last six months, we have been having the TLM in the main Church later in the day. I greatly appreciate the accommodations made to make this happen, but we are a small schola and trying to be heard in a very large parish without amplification was difficult.

It was also great to see that we were pretty close to capacity regarding the number of people who attended.

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Police deflection rioters from Portland Catholic church
News

Police deflection rioters from Portland Catholic church

by Jeffrey Miller
written by Jeffrey Miller

This article in the Catholic Sentinel detail plans to attack and protect Holy Redeemer in Portland, Or.

Stunned that there was no plan, Markgraf alerted fellow parishioners to call City Hall to ask for a strategy to protect the Piedmont neighborhood, including Holy Redeemer. More than 100 people dialed in.

Initially, the parish planned to hold a prayer vigil on July 1 in the church with some parishioners present on the church front porch to provide a peaceful presence. However, the archdiocese in consultation with city officials strongly advised against that plan. Portland police and private security concurred because of the high risk of harm to persons and property.  

Simultaneously, the parish alerted television and print media, a tactic that police praised, saying it dampened attendance at the nighttime rally.  

“These people don’t like to be seen,” Markgraf said. “They like to go in the dark, with their faces covered.”

In the park on the night of July 1, where about 60 anarchists had gathered, one friend of Holy Redeemer was present and heard talk of attacking Holy Redeemer. 

“I felt like I was in the movie ‘High Noon’ with Gary Cooper,” said Markgraf, who stayed in the church during the night. “Would anyone come in to help us?”

On their way out of the park, anarchists smashed the windows of a closed coffee shop and headed toward the church. Then the police responded, with what Father Belinsky called “appropriate presence and force.”

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My Reflection on Sunday’s Gospel Luke 10:1-12, 17-20
Scripture

My Reflection on Sunday’s Gospel Luke 10:1-12, 17-20

by Jeffrey Miller
written by Jeffrey Miller

Luke 10:1–12, 17–20 ESV – Bible Gateway

Jesus and the Apostles continue on their final journey to Jerusalem together.

As John Bergsma notes:

The past several Sundays have foreshadowed Jesus’s coming suffering and death, but this Sunday we get a reprieve as themes of suffering recede into the background. We are temporarily caught up in the joy of Jesus’s ministry as he assembles around himself a congregation of disciples who constitute a spiritual “Jerusalem.” In the healing ministry of Jesus and his disciples, we see a fulfillment of certain prophecies of peace and restoration to the “holy city” of the LORD.[1]

Today’s passage is unique to the Gospel of Luke regarding the group of 70 disciples that Jesus appoints and then sends out on a mission to proclaim the Kingdom of God. There are a lot of parallels here, such as with Matthew 10, where Jesus sends out the Twelve to cure the sick, cast out demons, and preach the message of the Kingdom of God.

These disciples were specifically appointed and tasked by Jesus for this mission to prepare the mission field ahead of Jesus’ arrival there. “They are doing what was done by John the Baptist, whose “manifestation” or commissioning (noun anadeixis, 1:80) was for the purpose of going “ahead of” (literally, “before the face of”) him (7:27) to prepare his way.”[2]

Depending on the translation and the source manuscript used, sometimes the number of disciples is listed as either 70 or 72.

Jesus was setting up the new Israel in his ministry, and in addition to the Twelve, who were simultaneously the new Patriarchs, the new Tribal Princes (see Num 7), and the New Officers of Israel (see 1 Kgs 4), Jesus also chose seventy others, who correspond to Moses’s seventy elders over the tribes (Num 11:16–30). Just as Moses had twelve tribal princes and seventy elders, the new Moses has the Twelve Apostles and seventy disciples.[1]

Brant Pitre provides some reasons for the discrepancy:

What’s fascinating is if you look at the Hebrew copies of Genesis 11 and you count up the names of the nations, guess how many nations there are? Seventy nations. Now in the Greek Septuagint, it was translated a little differently and if you look at those copies, guess how many gentile nations there are? Seventy-two. So a tradition arose that the number 70 (or 72) represented the number of gentile nations, the number of peoples that there were, so to speak, in the world. So some traditions in Judaism would see the world in terms of the twelve tribes of Israel and 70 (or 72) gentile nations. [3]

We have an added interpretative layer that builds on Jesus being the new Moses and his picking leaders and commissioning them into a fuller mission territory including the gentiles.

As usual, Jesus does not sugarcoat what he is calling them to do. “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.” Their work is to be founded on prayer and the help of others. That this work is not all on us as individuals. We need the help and support of others and so he sends them out two by two. Sending them out as teams also help to confirm their message as the testimony of two witnesses as specified in Deut 19:15.

As witnesses ourselves we are to use our native intelligence to spread the Gospel, but like these disciples, we are reminded that primarily this is the Lord’s work. In the Old Testament, we have plenty of examples of Judges and Prophets being stripped down of possessions and men to show that ultimately we are totally dependent on God for anything we accomplish. That we are to say “Peace to this house!” and not to be upset when this is not returned in kind. The Gospel still has come nearer to them and everything is in God’s time. As the Lord told Samuel when they demanded a king “for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected me from being king over them.” Knock the dust off your sandals and move on.

Another facet of Jesus sending them that John Bergsma notes:

The seventy, however, are sent to Gentile and Samaritan territory, so Jesus has to instruct them explicitly on how to handle conscience issues regarding the observation of kosher laws. Gentiles did not keep kosher, and Samaritans had different kosher regulations. Jesus tells them not to be concerned about this: “eat what is set before you” (10:8) without asking questions of conscience.[1]

One aspect of the mission of these disciples is that it is accompanied by deeds of power. Besides, being commissioned to preach and heal the sick they also exorcise demons in Jesus’ name.

St. Bede, a Doctor of the Church, made this observation:

[J]ust as the number of the twelve apostles marked the beginning of the episcopal rank, it is apparent that the seventy-two disciples, who were also sent out by the Lord to preach the word, signify in their selection the lesser rank of the priesthood that is now called the presbyterate. (Bede, On the Tabernacle, 3.112; trans. A. G. Holder)

Part of today’s lectionary reading cuts out a key verse in Luke 10:16.

Returning to Brant Pitre’s commentary:

Jesus says, “He who hears you, hears me. He who rejects you, rejects me, and he who rejects me, rejects him who sent me.” Now that is probably the strongest statement of apostolic authority in the New Testament or in the Gospel (or at least one of the strongest here), because what Jesus is saying is that when he appoints someone and he sends them out to proclaim the gospel, to hear them is to hear him, and to reject a duly appointed emissary of Jesus is not just to reject Jesus, but is ultimately to reject the Father as well.[3]

After the disciples return joyfully they are amazed that “even the demons are subject to us in your name.” Jesus refocuses them into what is their ultimate goal, to be with him forever in heaven. We can rejoice in what Jesus does with us, but we can never lose sight of our final end. Every step along the way must be done in gratitude which will make that joy complete.

There are a couple of interpretations of what Jesus means by “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.” There are a couple of different interpretations of what Jesus meant by this:

  • That Jesus is talking about the original fall of Satan and the other angels at the dawn of creation. Also points to his pre-existence.[3]
  • Another interpretation some scholars are inclined to: “Jesus is saying to the apostles, I could see spiritually what you were doing in a historical sense. I saw the demons falling from heaven as you were casting them out. I saw Satan being overcome in your exorcistic activity.”[3]

Regarding the second one, I agree with Brant Pitre “That’s a possible interpretation. I don’t think we can rule it out, but it seems to me that it doesn’t quite grasp the gravity of Jesus’ words.”

One final note from John Bergsma:

Perhaps one of the reasons deeds of power seem rare these days is the lack of bold action based on faith among those of us who call ourselves Catholic. Heaven and hell are still real. The Gospel of Jesus Christ still confronts every human being. Preaching and evangelistic mission are just as necessary now as they were two thousand years ago. This Sunday let’s pray for revival of the Church’s evangelistic zeal, beginning in our own parishes.

Catechism 787 From the beginning, Jesus associated his disciples with his own life, revealed the mystery of the Kingdom to them, and gave them a share in his mission, joy, and sufferings. Jesus spoke of a still more intimate communion between him and those who would follow him: “Abide in me, and I in you.… I am the vine, you are the branches.” And he proclaimed a mysterious and real communion between his own body and ours: “He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him.”[4]

Sources

  1. The Word of the Lord: Reflections on the Sunday Mass Readings for Year C, John Bergsma  ↩
  2. The Gospel of Luke, Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture, Rev. Pablo T. Gadenz  ↩
  3. Catholic Productions, Brant Pitre  ↩
  4. Catholic Church. (2000). Catechism of the Catholic Church (2nd Ed). United States Catholic Conference.  ↩
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The Weekly Francis

The Weekly Francis – Volume 417

by Jeffrey Miller
written by Jeffrey Miller
pope-francis2-300x187

The Weekly Francis is a compilation of the Holy Father’s writings, speeches, etc which I also cross-post at Jimmy Akin’s blog.

This version of The Weekly Francis covers material released in the last week from 9 June 2022 to 28 June 2022.

Angelus

General Audiences

Homilies

Messages

Speeches

Papal Tweets

  • “Let us not forget the people of Ukraine battered by war. Let us not become accustomed to live as though the war is something far off. Let us #PrayTogether for these people who are suffering so much and who are living a true martyrdom.” @Pontifex, 15 June 2022
  • “Не забуваймо про багатостраждальний народ України, що перебуває в стані війни. Не звикаймо жити так, ніби війна є чимось далеким. #МолімосяРазом за цей народ, який багато страждає, переживаючи справжнє мучеництво.” @Pontifex, 15 June 2022
  • “The elderly who preserve the disposition for healing, consolation, intercession for their brothers and sisters, are perhaps the greatest witnesses of that gratitude that accompanies the faith. #BlessingOfTime” @Pontifex, 15 June 2022
  • “Jesus speaks in silence in the Mystery of the Eucharist. He reminds us every time that following him means going out of ourselves and not making our life a possession of our own, but rather a gift to him and to others.” @Pontifex, 16 June 2022
  • “Jesus knows our strengths and our defects, and is always ready to care for us, to heal the wounds of our errors with the abundance of his grace.” @Pontifex, 17 June 2022
  • “God makes himself tiny, like a morsel of bread. That is precisely why we need a large heart so we can recognize, adore and receive him.” @Pontifex, 18 June 2022
  • “And let us not forget the suffering of the Ukrainian people. I would like you all to keep in mind a question: what am I doing today for the Ukrainian people? Do I pray? Am I doing something? Am I trying to understand? Each one of you, answer in your heart.” @Pontifex, 19 June 2022
  • “І не забуваймо багатостраждальний український народ. Я хочу, щоб усі ви ставили собі запитання: що я сьогодні роблю для українського народу? Молюся? Докладаю якісь зусилля? Чи стараюся зрозуміти? Нехай кожен відповість у своєму серці.” @Pontifex, 19 June 2022
  • “Давайте не будем забывать о многострадальном украинском народе. Я бы хотел, чтобы у всех нас возник вопрос: «Что я сегодня делаю для украинского народа? Молюсь ли? Прилагаю какие-то усилия? Пытаюсь ли понять?» Пусть каждый ответит в своём сердце.” @Pontifex, 19 June 2022
  • “In the Body and Blood of Christ, we find his presence, his life given for each of us. He not only gives us help to go forward, but he gives us himself: he enters into our affairs, he visits us when we are lonely, giving us back a sense of enthusiasm. #CorpusChristi” @Pontifex, 19 June 2022
  • “I join the appeal of the bishops of #Myanmar, that the international community not forget the Burmese people, that human dignity and the right to life be respected, as well as places of worship, hospitals and schools.” @Pontifex, 19 June 2022
  • “If we want to cooperate with our heavenly Father in building the future, let us do so together with our brothers and sisters who are #migrants and #refugees. Let us build the future today! For the future begins today and it begins with each of us. #WorldRefugeeDay” @Pontifex, 20 June 2022
  • “We need to dream even as a Church. We need enthusiasm, we need the passion of youth, to be witnesses of God who is always young!” @Pontifex, 21 June 2022
  • “Tomorrow, the X World Meeting of Families will begin. It will take place in Rome and at the same time throughout the world. I thank the married couples and families who will bear witness to familial love as a vocation and way to holiness. Have a good meeting!” @Pontifex, 21 June 2022
  • “We need to live with our eyes raised to heaven: as Blessed Maria and Luigi Beltrame Quattrocchi used to say to their children, confronting the efforts and joys of life, “always looking from the roof upwards”. #WMOF22” @Pontifex, 22 June 2022
  • “Whenever a man and a woman fall in love, God offers them a gift; that gift is marriage. It is a marvellous gift, which contains the power of God’s own love: strong, enduring, faithful, ready to start over after every failure or moment of weakness. #WMOF22” @Pontifex, 22 June 2022
  • “Dependence increases with illness, with old age, and we are no longer self-sufficient like we were before. Faith also matures here. Jesus is also with us here. Here, the wealth of our faith lived well during our journey through life also springs forth. #BlessingOfTime” @Pontifex, 22 June 2022
  • “Let us always look at young people with a smile. They carry on what we have sown. An elderly person cannot be happy without looking at young people and young people cannot move ahead in life without looking at the elderly.” @Pontifex, 22 June 2022
  • “I express my sympathy to the injured and those who have been affected by the earthquake in #Afghanistan, and I especially pray for those who have lost their lives and for their families. I hope that with everyone’s help the suffering of the people can be alleviated.” @Pontifex, 22 June 2022
  • “Families are places of welcome, and woe if they were to disappear! Society would become cold and unbearable without welcoming families. #WMOF22” @Pontifex, 22 June 2022
  • “As food diminishes, the thunder of weapons grows. So, let us not stop praying, fasting, helping, working so that paths of #peace might be given more space in the jungle of conflict.” @Pontifex, 23 June 2022
  • “What is needed is an infinite mercy, like that of the #SacredHeart, to remedy so much of the evil and suffering we see in the lives of human beings…. Let us entrust ourselves and the world to Him!” @Pontifex, 24 June 2022
  • “Dear priests, be patient with the faithful, always ready to encourage them. Be untiring ministers of God’s forgiveness and mercy. Never be harsh judges, but loving fathers.” @Pontifex, 24 June 2022
  • “Let us place in the #ImmaculateHeart of Mary, where God is mirrored, the inestimable goods of fraternity and peace, all that we have and are, so that she, the Mother whom the Lord has given to us, may protect us and watch over us.” @Pontifex, 25 June 2022
  • “The #family is the place of encounter, of sharing, of going forth from ourselves in order to welcome others and stand beside them. The family is the first place where we learn to love. #WMOF22
    vVX Event” @Pontifex, 25 June 2022
  • “Dear families, be signs of the living Christ, do not be afraid of what the Lord asks of you, nor of being generous with Him. Be the seed of a more fraternal world! Be the welcoming face of the Church! And please pray, always pray! #WMOF22” @Pontifex, 26 June 2022
  • “I entrust to God the soul of Sister Luisa Dell’Orto, a Little Sister of the Gospel of Saint Charles de Foucauld, who made a gift of her life to others even to martyrdom. #LetsPrayTogether for the #Haitian people, so they might have a more serene future.” @Pontifex, 26 June 2022
  • “In #Ukraine, bombardments continue which are causing death, destruction and suffering for the population. Please, let us not forget these people afflicted by the war. Let us not forget this in our heart and with our prayers.” @Pontifex, 26 June 2022
  • “Let us ask Jesus for the strength to be like him, to follow him resolutely, not to be vindictive and intolerant when difficulties present themselves, when we spend ourselves in doing good and others do not understand this. #GospelOfTheDay (Lk 9:51–62)” @Pontifex, 26 June 2022
  • “To serve the Gospel and our brothers and sisters, to offer our own lives without expecting anything in return, without seeking any worldly glory: this is what we are called to.” @Pontifex, 27 June 2022
  • “I sorrowfully heard the news of the tragedy of the #migrants in Texas and #Melilla. Let us #PrayTogether for these brothers and sisters who died following their hope of a better life; and for ourselves, may the Lord might open our hearts so these misfortunes never happen again.” @Pontifex, 28 June 2022
  • “The Christian #faith is fundamentally an encounter with Jesus Christ. If we truly believe in Jesus, we must try to act like Jesus did: encounter others, encounter our neighbours, so as to share the saving truth of the Gospel with them.” @Pontifex, 28 June 2022

Papal Instagram

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My Reflection on Sunday’s Gospel Luke 9:51-62
Scripture

My Reflection on Sunday’s Gospel Luke 9:51-62

by Jeffrey Miller
written by Jeffrey Miller

Luke 9:51–62 ESV – Bible Gateway

This begins a major section in Luke that is the beginning of the final journey to Jerusalem. He has set his face on this journey. A verse from the third servant song of Isaiah provides key background: “I have set my face like flint, / knowing that I shall not be put to shame” (Isa 50:7). Also in Ezek 21:7 “Son of man, turn your face toward Jerusalem: preach against its sanctuary, prophesy against the land of Israel.”

Brant Pitre writes:

Luke always has his eyes ultimately on the end of his gospel, which is going to be Jesus ascending into heaven. It’s not just the cross; it’s not even just the resurrection. It’s him being taken up into heaven. That’s the culmination of Jesus’ exodus that he’s going to accomplish in Jerusalem.[1]

Jesus sends messengers ahead of him to make preparations before entering a Samaritan village. It is entirely plausible that the Samaritans would be very interested in Jesus and the stories about him that had already traveled to them. The fact that his ultimate destination is Jerusalem is a barrier for them since Mt. Gerizim was established as basically a rival altar that they used instead. Historically there was already conflict between the Samaritans and Israelites over this. This conflict was on the rise. The historian Josephus wrote about Jewish pilgrims being murdered by Samaritans as they passed through and that there was a supposed plot to place human bones in the Jerusalem Temple to defile it during Passover. Likely there was also increased violence against the Samaritans themselves.

John and James react against their refusal to see them in a way once again earning the sobriquet “Sons of Thunder.” A lot is going on here as they reference calling down fire from heaven to consume the Samaritans. We can see this as a reference to Genesis 19, where God rains down fire from heaven upon the Sodom and Gomorrah, and Eli’jah calls down fire from heaven to consume the sacrifice. John the Baptist has been killed, and possibly these brothers see themselves picking up John’s role in the spirit and power of Eli’jah.[2]

This question they put forth to Jesus, it seems, they expect a reply for their zeal. They have seemed to forget many messages from Jesus they had heard on their journey involving loving your neighbor. They have let their prejudice override this. It only states that Jesus rebukes them for this and that they move on to another village instead. Some early manuscripts expand Luke 9:55 to include, “You do not know what manner of spirit you are of, for the Son of man came not to destroy men’s lives, but to save them.’”[1] Whether or not this was in the original text, it gets to the heart of why they were rebuked. The Samaritans wanted Jesus on their terms, and James and John also wanted Jesus to react on their terms.

The Gospel continues to relate two encounters with men who either wanted to follow Jesus and one where Jesus called them to follow him. They are examples of the commitment to follow Jesus unreservedly. An interesting aspect is that this also relates to Genesis 19, where Lot’s wife looks back, despite being warned not to. This also relates to the example of Eli’jah and Eli’sha with a difference. In the case of Eli’jah, he grants Eli’sha’s request to say goodbye to his parents and dispose of his property rather quickly. Jesus’ does not give the same type of request to the young man he calls to follow him. His demand supersedes even the love of parents mandated in the Old Testament. Jesus is implicitly revealing his divine identity in doing this. When God indeed calls us to do something, it supersedes all earthly attachments as it is not only meant for our good but for others. There is also a question regarding the man’s request to bury his father because it might be that his father has not yet even passed. Jesus knows us intimately and only calls us towards the good. It is straightforward for us to devise delaying tactics for his call. Delays that in everyday situations are our duty.

Discernment is involved, but once we are intellectually convinced he is calling us for something—we must respond.

Peter Kreeft comments on this passage:

God always has a good reason for asking us every single thing he asks of us. And there is no reason for us to think that we will always recognize what that good reason is. Why should we think we will? Do we think we are as wise as God is? If our God never asked us to do or endure things that we did not understand, it would not be the true God at all because that mind would be equal to our own mind.[3]

If you think Jesus is calling you to maintain a status quo with no changes required, it is not Jesus. If you hear Jesus calling you to a radical change in your life that is not comfortable or reassuring, he is leading you to eternal life.

Regarding Jesus’ comment that he has nowhere to rest, the Catechism says:

544 The kingdom belongs to the poor and lowly, which means those who have accepted it with humble hearts. Jesus is sent to “preach good news to the poor”; he declares them blessed, for “theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” To them—the “little ones”—the Father is pleased to reveal what remains hidden from the wise and the learned. Jesus shares the life of the poor, from the cradle to the cross; he experiences hunger, thirst, and privation. Jesus identifies himself with the poor of every kind and makes active love toward them the condition for entering his kingdom.

Sources

  1. Catholic Productions, Brant Pitre  ↩
  2. Navarre, Saint Luke’s Gospel (2005)  ↩
  3. Peter Kreeft, Food for the Soul: Reflections on the Mass Readings Year C  ↩
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Thank You, Jesus!
Pro-life

Thank You, Jesus!

by Jeffrey Miller
written by Jeffrey Miller

What a great Solemnity of the Sacred Heart.

That this day celebrates an aspect of the Incarnation that we are moving towards seeing the humanity of the unborn. So fitting.

Such a long battle ahead of us, but at least the battle becomes more localized where we have better chances for real change in converting hearts and minds to the humanity of the unborn.

So thank you Jesus and all those who worked to see this happen and will continue to pray and work for the end of abortion.

Please support your local pregnancy resource centers as they are needed even more now.

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Punditry

Happy Father’s Day from Today.com

by Jeffrey Miller
written by Jeffrey Miller

Some articles just beckon for a rage-share.

8 Fathers Share How Roe V. Wade Has Shaped Their Lives written by Danielle Campoamor for Today.com.

As you would expect from abortion agitprop, there are no voices from fathers who regret an abortion.

Before Father’s Day, TODAY Parents spoke to eight dads who responded to a call-out on social media asking fathers to share how abortion shaped their lives. The men were given permission from their current partners to disclose their abortions and other personal medical information. Their last names have been withheld to protect their families’ privacy, and their comments have been edited for brevity and clarity.

All of the dads, surprisingly, who responded were men and the previous-“pregnant people” in their lives. They slip up at times in the article and mention “moms.”

This article was packed with blasé-evil. A celebration of men happy they had their child killed and how everything worked out and how they would go on to be also dad’s children they allowed to live.

I can easily imagine an interview with Canaanite fathers after a sacrifice to Moloch. “Moloch really gets results as my life is great now after boiling my child alive in a bronze statue!”

Here are some examples of the logic of blasé-evil.

“I wouldn’t be a father without abortion.”

He goes on to say:

“I consider my role as a man and a father to put a dude out into the world that knows abortion is normal;

Such high aspirations.

Another man writes:

“My wife made the decision to terminate. It wasn’t unilateral, but she had my full support.

I remember when words use to have meanings.

There is just so much confusion in this article. One man describes the sadness of a child who died in the second trimester. Apparently, he thought that without legal access to abortion no medical procedure could be performed to remove the dead child. Later after they had two children, a third was terminated.

Another man also describes a miscarriage thinking his wife would be forced to bring it to term.

Overall the message of the articles is that children are great if they come at the exact time you want and you are open to children in the first place. If you confer on them the magical property of “wantedness.” These were “difficult” decisions but allowed for crafting a better family.

The only positive aspect to this article was the replies, which were not sold on the premise. TODAY on Twitter: “Eight dads opened up about how abortion has helped them become the fathers they are today. https://t.co/AJLRtyfZWx” / Twitter

Hail Mary, Pray for use

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Frank Sheed’s “What Difference Does Jesus Make?”
Book Review

Frank Sheed’s “What Difference Does Jesus Make?”

by Jeffrey Miller
written by Jeffrey Miller

I am currently reading Frank Sheed’s “What Difference Does Jesus Make?” published in 1971.

I do wonder how a Sheed book can possibly ever go out of print. I picked this up as a used OSV 1972 edition.

Next, I wonder how hardly anything has changed in 50 years.

He describes talking at a Catholic high school to several hundred Freshmen and sophomores and asking them “Apart from obeying the law of the Church is there any point in going to Mass?” No one was able to offer a reason, and they were trying. Some even had a devotion to the Mass tangentially.

He doesn’t mention the name of the school since this was his experience everywhere he spoke.

I was reading this before the start of the Eucharistic Conference in my diocese today, held in my parish church. I have no doubt that the attendees today could have given good answers to Sheed’s question. I also think there is probably also some more awareness of Jesus in the Eucharist that young Catholics would point to. 

Still, there is what Sheed calls the “Dimming of Christ”, hiding him in abstractions and taking sides in what are both/ands.

Mostly I am reflecting on how I have dimmed Christ in my own life making abstractions. I can reflect on the title “What Difference Does Jesus Make?”, and say honestly that it makes a difference each day in my life. I can’t imagine my life without him now other than thinking that I would have fallen into various debaucheries. But, if he is going to make a difference it can’t be a status quo one.

But in this time of crisis which could become chaos, the Church is afflicted with the same problems as the world. With her children questioning her authority and even her relevance, she is preoccupied with her own renewal, tormented about her own restructuring. In what shape the Church may emerge I do not know. But Christ needs no renewal, defects in the Church’s structure are not defects in him. His message needs no recasting, only deeper understanding of what it has in it for the world’s needs. The lament he uttered over Jerusalem he might well be uttering over us (“If only you had known what things make for your peace”) (Luke 19.42).

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The Weekly Francis

The Weekly Francis – Volume 416

by Jeffrey Miller
written by Jeffrey Miller
pope-francis2-300x187

The Weekly Francis is a compilation of the Holy Father’s writings, speeches, etc which I also cross-post at Jimmy Akin’s blog.

This version of The Weekly Francis covers material released in the last week from 4 June 2022 to 14 June 2022.

Angelus

General Audiences

Messages

Speeches

Papal Tweets

  • “Those who pass through the period of old age can discover a new mission in the light of the Gospel: to be signs and instruments of God’s love that indicate what the definitive goal is to which we are called, eternal life with God. #BlessingofTime” @Pontifex, 8 June 2022
  • “The Holy Spirit enables us to discern God’s presence and activity not in great things, not in outward appearances or shows of force, but in littleness and vulnerability.” @Pontifex, 9 June 2022
  • “May the #LongNightoftheChurches, taking place in many churches in several European countries, be a moment of encounter. And may it light many lights of hope in the darkness of the night.” @Pontifex, 10 June 2022
  • “I add my voice to that of the Pan-American and Pan-African Committees of Judges for Social Rights in calling on the @WTO to adopt measures to ensure access to Covid–19 vaccines for all, especially the peoples of Africa. #MC12” @Pontifex, 10 June 2022
  • “Equitable access to safe and effective vaccines is fundamental to saving lives and livelihoods. Africa must not be left behind. No one is safe until everyone is safe. @WTO #MC12” @Pontifex, 10 June 2022
  • “If we can truly invoke God, calling him “Abba — Dad”, it is because the Holy Spirit dwells in us; he is the One who transforms us deep within and makes us experience the soul-stirring joy of being loved by God as his true children.” @Pontifex, 11 June 2022
  • “У моєму серці не згасає думка про населення України, що страждає від війни. Нехай же час, який минає, не охолодить наш біль та наше занепокоєння цими багатостраждальними людьми. Будь ласка, не звикаймо до цієї трагічної дійсності! #МолімосяРазом” @Pontifex, 12 June 2022
  • “The thought of the people of Ukraine, afflicted by war, remains vivid in my heart. Let the passage of time not temper our grief and concern for that suffering population. Please, let us not grow accustomed to this tragic situation! Let us #PrayTogether” @Pontifex, 12 June 2022
  • “Today is the World Day against Child Labour. Let us all work to eliminate this scourge, so that no child is deprived of his or her fundamental rights and forced or coerced to work. #EndChildLabour” @Pontifex, 12 June 2022
  • “Love not only means that we wish others well or that we are good to others, but first and foremost, at the root, that we welcome others, make room for others, make space for others.” @Pontifex, 12 June 2022
  • “The #MostHolyTrinity teaches us that a person can never be without the other. We are not islands, we are in the world to live in God’s image: open, in need of others and in need of helping others.” @Pontifex, 12 June 2022
  • “Jesus summarized his commandments in a single one: “Love one another as I have loved you” (Jn. 15:12). To love like Christ loves means to put yourself at the service of your brothers and sisters, especially those in greatest need, as we are and with what we have.” @Pontifex, 13 June 2022
  • “What great poverty is produced by the senselessness of war! Wherever we look, we can see how violence strikes those who are defenseless and vulnerable. #WorldDayOfThePoor j Message” @Pontifex, 14 June 2022

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The Weekly Francis

The Weekly Francis – Volume 415

by Jeffrey Miller
written by Jeffrey Miller
pope-francis2-300x187

The Weekly Francis is a compilation of the Holy Father’s writings, speeches, etc which I also cross-post at Jimmy Akin’s blog.

This version of The Weekly Francis covers material released in the last week from 30 May 2022 to 7 June 2022.

General Audiences

Homilies

Regina Caeli

Speeches

Papal Tweets

  • “Every educational process must be centred on persons and concentrate on what is essential; everything else is secondary. But never without roots and hope for the future. #GlobalCompactOnEducation” @Pontifex, 1 June 2022
  • “Блокада экспорта зерна из Украины угрожает жизни миллионов людей. Я настойчиво призываю гарантировать всеобщее право человека на питание. Пожалуйста, не используйте пшеницу, основной продукт питания, в качестве орудия войны!” @Pontifex, 1 June 2022
  • “Блокування експорту зерна з України ставить під загрозу життя мільйонів людей. Звертаюся із палким закликом гарантувати загальнолюдське право на харчування. Будь ласка, не використовуйте зерно, основний продовольчий продукт, як зброю на війні!” @Pontifex, 1 June 2022
  • “The elderly, in their weakness, can teach those in other ages of life that we all need to surrender ourselves to the Lord, to invoke his help. For God is always our hope and our support. #BlessingofTime” @Pontifex, 1 June 2022
  • “The blocking of grain exports from Ukraine endangers the lives of millions of people. I make a heartfelt appeal that every effort be made to guarantee the universal human right to food. Please do not use wheat, a staple food, as a weapon of war!” @Pontifex, 1 June 2022
  • “Let us #PrayTogether for Christian families around the world; may each and every family embody and experience unconditional love and advance in holiness in their daily lives. #PrayerIntention rPc Video” @Pontifex, 2 June 2022
  • “We ask the Lord for many things, but how often do we forget to ask him for what is most important and what he desires most to give us: the Holy Spirit, the power to love. Indeed, without love, what can we offer to the world?” @Pontifex, 3 June 2022
  • “The culture of encounter is built in the search for harmony among diversity, a harmony that requires acceptance, openness and creativity. At the root of this style of life there is the Gospel. Never tire of invoking the Holy Spirit, Creator of harmony.” @Pontifex, 4 June 2022
  • “#LetsPrayTogether for the orphaned children fleeing from the war, who suffer throughout our world from hunger or lack of medical care, abuse and violence, and those denied the right to be born.” @Pontifex, 4 June 2022
  • “#МолімосяРазом за дітей, які осиротіли і які втікають від війни; за тих, що страждають в усьому світі через голод, брак лікування, від зловживань і насильства; за тих, яким заперечено право народитися. Захистімо всіх дітей!” @Pontifex, 4 June 2022
  • “#ПомолимсяВместе о детях, оставшихся сиротами и бегущих от войны, о детях во всем мире, страдающих от голода, от отсутствия ухода, от жестокого обращения и насилия; о тех, кому отказано в праве родиться. Давайте защитим всех детей!” @Pontifex, 4 June 2022
  • “Теперь, когда бушует ярость разрушения и смерти, когда разгораются конфликты, подпитывая эскалацию, всё более опасную для всех, я вновь призываю лидеров государств: пожалуйста, не ведите человечество к гибели!” @Pontifex, 5 June 2022
  • “Let the desperate cry of the people who suffer be heard! May human life be respected! Let the macabre destruction of cities and villages in Eastern Ukraine stop! Let us #PrayTogether and commit ourselves untiringly to peace.” @Pontifex, 5 June 2022
  • “Нехай буде почутим сповнене відчаю волання людей, що страждають, нехай зберігається пошана до людського життя, нехай зупиниться моторошне знищення міст і сіл на сході України. #МолімосяРазом і невтомно докладаймо зусилля на користь миру.” @Pontifex, 5 June 2022
  • “У той час, як шаленіє безумство руйнування і смерті та розпалюються протистояння, підживлюючи ескалацію, дедалі небезпечнішу для всіх, повторюю свій заклик до провідників народів: будь ласка, не доведіть людство до знищення!” @Pontifex, 5 June 2022
  • “The Holy Spirit, the Spirit of love, fills us with love, makes us feel loved, and teaches us how to love. He is the “motor” of our spiritual lives. #Pentecost
    f Homily” @Pontifex, 5 June 2022
  • “A sound and sustainable ecology, one capable of bringing about change, will not develop unless people change, unless they are encouraged to opt for another style of life, one less greedy and more serene, more respectful and less anxious, more fraternal. #WorldEnvironmentDay” @Pontifex, 5 June 2022
  • “Да будет услышан отчаянный крик страдающих людей, да сохранится уважение к человеческой жизни, да прекратится чудовищное разрушение городов и деревень на востоке Украины. #ПомолимсяВместе, без устали трудясь ради мира.” @Pontifex, 5 June 2022
  • “While the madness of destruction and death rages, and clashes flare up, fueling an even more dangerous escalation for everyone, I renew my appeal to the leaders of nations: please do not bring humanity to destruction!” @Pontifex, 5 June 2022
  • “#Мир eOYp Image” @Pontifex, 5 June 2022
  • “#Peace https://t.co/YWdjyavNux Image” @Pontifex, 5 June 2022
  • “Let us invoke the Holy Spirit each day, so that He can remind us to make God’s gaze upon us our starting point, to make decisions by listening to His voice, and to journey together as Church, docile to Him and open to the world. #Pentecost” @Pontifex, 5 June 2022
  • “The Holy Spirit teaches the Church how to walk – the vital importance of going forth to proclaim the Gospel, not to remain closed in on herself, so that all can be nourished by God’s beauty. #Pentecost” @Pontifex, 5 June 2022
  • “The Spirit makes us see everything in a new way, with the eyes of Jesus. On the great journey of life, the Spirit teaches us where to begin, which paths to take, and how to walk. #Pentecost” @Pontifex, 5 June 2022
  • “#Мир lnAHBOO Image” @Pontifex, 5 June 2022
  • “I was deeply saddened to learn of the horrific attack at Saint Francis church in Owo in #Nigeria. #PrayTogether for all those affected by this act of unspeakable violence and for the conversion of those blinded by hatred and violence.” @Pontifex, 6 June 2022
  • “Mary is the Mother who gives us her Son Jesus. Mary is the path that guides us to the Heart of Christ, who gave his life for love of us. This is why we love her and venerate her. #MotheroftheChurch” @Pontifex, 6 June 2022
  • “I encourage all of you to invoke the Holy Spirit often during the day. His good and creative strength allows us to go out of ourselves and to be a sign of comfort and hope for others.” @Pontifex, 7 June 2022

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