Forgetting Jerusalem

Have you heard what happened in Jerusalem yesterday?  Perhaps you have not.  It is likely that you know that the "first openly gay NBA player is retiring" or that Buffalo has six feet of snow.  But Jerusalem?

I came across too references to "something" happening in Jerusalem on Catholic news, so I figured it must be a big deal.  A quick check of Google News came up empty.  But tomorrow, President Obama will be making a speech, and a Bill Cosby show might not air due to allegations he is facing ...

I checked a couple of other national news sites.  Nothing on Jerusalem.  But a baby with four arms and four legs is attracting interest in India and "Transgender People Push for Greater Acceptance" ...

Source

So, back to Google News I went, thinking that whatever cryptic references to Jerusalem I heard must have been misunderstood.  This time I typed "Jerusalem" in the search bar.  And then I saw the news.

This morning in Jerusalem two Palestinians, armed with butcher knives and a rifle, entered a synagogue and brutally killed five men, including four rabbis.  

In the heart of the Jewish faith -- Jerusalem -- in the location they hold so dear -- a synagogue -- four leaders of the Jewish faith -- rabbis -- were attacked.  

And here in the United States, we barely heard a whisper.  Sure, it probably was a top story when it first happened, but after a few moments, more important things took the stage ... like Disney's new "Cinderella."

News is now entertainment.  We need to know what the latest celebrity kerfuffle is, but all of the injustices to human dignity and attacks on religious liberty and atrocious treatment of men, women and children around the globe?  Well, those only merit attention if they drive ratings and spike website visitor counts.  

Why aren't we stopping to mourn the loss of life in a synagogue in Jerusalem today?  Why aren't we praying for our Jewish brothers and sisters who, whether or not they were physically present in the synagogue during the attack, were attacked today?  

If you did not know about the attack in the Holy Land today, I hope you'll take a few minutes to read the story and to pray for those killed, those present and for all Jewish people.  

Controlling life or death is only an illusion

Brittany Maynard's tragic death has skyrocketed to the top of news feeds for the past week.  The world waited in suspense as November 2 drew closer.  Would she choose to die or, as one of her final messages seemed to allude to, would she decide to keep on living?  But as we know, she did die.  As one author suggested, though, we will never know if her death was a free choice or one that was horribly influenced by the organization "Compassion and Choices" that hijacked Brittany's situation for their own benefit.

The loss of Brittany is certainly tragic.  The tragedies could continue to mount if people use her story as a catalyst for physician-prescribed suicide.  That's why another young woman with the same cancer shared her perspective on CNN:



Cancer has been in the news in Cincinnati lately.  Bengals' player Devon Still's four-year-old daughter is battling cancer right now.  Lauren Hill, a freshman basketball player at the College of Mt. St. Joseph, has been told she has until December to live.

There has been no talk of suicide pills or control of death for Lauren.  Instead, the entire city has rallied around her as she played her first (as she says, her first, not her last) college basketball game.  

Women like Lauren and Maggie Karner (above) are witnessing how to live, which is also how to die.  They are truly brave in submitting to the reality that we cannot control everything -- not death, nor life.  They are courageous in allowing their immense suffering to transform them and others, rather than to dominate them.

Pray for Lauren.  Pray for Maggie.  Pray for all who are faced with terminal diagnoses -- for the courage to live while dying.  

A beautiful story of life, love and grace

Stories // David William from Church Project on Vimeo.

Quote book

"I have been able to celebrate Holy Mass in chapels built along mountain paths, on lakeshores and seacoasts; I have celebrated it on altars built in stadiums and in city squares... This varied scenario of celebrations of the Eucharist has given me a powerful experience of its universal and, so to speak, cosmic character. Yes, cosmic! Because even when it is celebrated on the humble altar of a country church, the Eucharist is always in some way celebrated on the altar of the world. It unites heaven and earth. It embraces and permeates all creation. The Son of God became man in order to restore all creation, in one supreme act of praise, to the One who made it from nothing." -- St. John Paul II

Prayers for marriage

On Wednesday, a court room in Cincinnati will be the scene of arguments and a decision about the definition of marriage in four different states, including Ohio.  It's time to pray for the lawyers, judges and all those involved, that the sanctity of marriage will be upheld.  Let's not give into thoughts of inevitability, but instead be hopeful that marriage's authentic meaning will be affirmed.

Why is JPII a saint?

Congratulations to Cincinnati's two newest priests!

Is generosity worth it?

Questions from Credo ... Can you "pray out the gay"?

This past weekend I presented the workshop, "Homosexuality: Always God's Children" at the Credo retreat.  We did not have time for the Q&A portion of the workshop, so the questions will be answered here during the next week or two.

Q. Can you "pray out the gay" (for lack of a better term)?

A. Someone with same-sex attraction, just as every person, is called to bring struggles, questions, joys, and sorrows to prayer.  The answer to those prayers will be a matter of God's plan for that individual person, but we can be confident that He will give the graces to live a joyful, peaceful life.  

For some people, this might involve some degree of "change."  Perhaps, it will be a decrease of attraction to someone of the same sex.  Perhaps, someone will eventually be attracted to those of the opposite sex.  Perhaps, it will simply mean less of a desire to engage in same-sex actions.  These things have occurred in the past to various people.

But for others, there may not be a change of sexual attraction.  Instead, there will be the grace of chastity, good friends who challenge and support, a peace in living a chaste lifestyle.
We know that every one of us is given a cross to bear, an opportunity to suffer with Christ as we await heaven.  Some crosses are taken from us, and some remain, accompanied with an outpouring of God's grace.  No matter what the cross, no matter what our prayer, we know that God is present to us, loves us and wants the best for us.  

It's a good time to mention, too, that many question their "sexual identity" as a teenager.  For some who experience same-sex attraction, this turns into accepting the label of "gay" or "lesbian."  Because there can be fluidity to sexual attraction, especially during adolescence, labeling oneself in this way is particularly problematic.  

So, instead of "praying out the gay," may I suggest surrendering this cross to the Lord and asking Him to help you to bear it?  He knows what plans He has for you.  Whether your same-sex attraction "disappears" or you find renewed commitment to chastity, you can be assured that His plans are for your good.  

If you'd like to hear a more personal account, read this article: "I am not gay ... I am David."

Day of Prayer for Priests

It's the Feast of the Sacred Heart, which is a beautiful event for all Catholics. But in a particular way we are asked to pray for our priests today. Here is a prayer written by St. Therese:


Prayer for Priests

O Jesus, Eternal Priest, keep your priests within the shelter of your sacred heart, where none may touch them.

Keep unstained their anointed hands, which daily touch your sacred body.

Keep unsullied their lips, daily purpled with your precious blood.

Keep pure and unearthly their hearts, sealed with the sublime mark of your priesthood.

Let your holy love surround them, and shield them from the world’s contagion.

Bless their labors with abundant fruit,

and may the souls to whom they minister be their joy and consolation here on earth,

and in heaven, their everlasting crown.

Mary, Mother of Priests, pray for priests and vocations to the priesthood.

– St. Therese of Lisieux


(Thanks to Deacon Greg for sharing this prayer in the past.)

How about some good news?

Russia had its first Eucharistic procession since 1918 for Corpus Christi this year!

 

(Thanks to Marcel LeJeune for sharing on Aggie Catholics.)

World Day of Prayer for China

Beginning with Pope Benedict XVI, and now continued by Pope Francis, May 24 is the World Day of Prayer for China. It's so important that we keep our brothers and sisters in this nation in our prayers!

Please join in this prayer written by Pope Benedict a few years ago:


Virgin Most Holy, Mother of the Incarnate Word and our Mother,
venerated in the Shrine of Sheshan under the title "Help of Christians,"
the entire Church in China looks to you with devout affection.
We come before you today to implore your protection.
Look upon the People of God and, with a mother's care, guide them
along the paths of truth and love, so that they may always be
a leaven of harmonious coexistence among all citizens.


When you obediently said "yes" in the house of Nazareth,
you allowed God's eternal Son to take flesh in your virginal womb
and thus to begin in history the work of our redemption.
You willingly and generously co-operated in that work,
allowing the sword of pain to pierce your soul,
until the supreme hour of the Cross, when you kept watch on Calvary,
standing beside your Son, Who died that we might live.


From that moment, you became, in a new way,
the Mother of all those who receive your Son Jesus in faith
and choose to follow in His footsteps by taking up His Cross.
Mother of hope, in the darkness of Holy Saturday you journeyed
with unfailing trust towards the dawn of Easter.
Grant that your children may discern at all times,
even those that are darkest, the signs of God's loving presence.


Our Lady of Sheshan, sustain all those in China,
who, amid their daily trials, continue to believe, to hope, to love.
May they never be afraid to speak of Jesus to the world,
and of the world to Jesus.
In the statue overlooking the Shrine you lift your Son on high,
offering him to the world with open arms in a gesture of love.
Help Catholics always to be credible witnesses to this love,
ever clinging to the rock of Peter on which the Church is built.
Mother of China and all Asia, pray for us, now and for ever. Amen!

Prayers for our Pope Emeritus

I just read that the Spanish paper El Mundo is reporting that Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI's has health problems that are "very severe" and that "we won't have him with us much longer."  

Let's keep him in prayer.  

UPDATE: The papal spokesman says that Pope Emeritus Benedict does not have a serious illness.  Of course, one does not have to have a serious illness to have declining health, so it is not clear if Fr. Lombardi's words are entirely denying the report from El Mundo.  Regardless, we have all seen how different our last Holy Father looks now from the picture at left, which I took in 2006.  Consequently, whether or not he now has a "very severe" condition, this is still a good reminder to keep him in our prayers.  

Prayer to the Holy Innocents

I haven't posted for a couple of days because I'm at a loss for words about the events on Friday. But this is a way to break the silence while still living in it:

Prayer to the Holy Innocents

Holy Innocents, you died before you were old enough to know what life means, pray for all children who die young that God may gather them into His loving arms.

Holy Innocents, you were killed because one man was filled with hatred, pray for those who hate that God may touch their hearts and fill them with love.

Holy Innocents, you experienced a violent death, pray for all who are affected by violence that they may find peace and love.

Holy Innocents, your parents grieved for you with deep and lasting sorrow, pray for all parents who have lost young children that God may wrap a warm blanket of comfort around them.

Holy Innocents, those around you certainly felt helpless to prevent your deaths, pray for all who feel helpless in their circumstances that they may cling to God for courage and hope.

Holy Innocents, you who are now in Heaven, pray for all of us that one day we may join you there to bask in God's love forever.

Amen.

Quote book

"Yet this power, the grace of the Spirit, is not something we can merit or achieve, but only receive as pure gift. God’s love can only unleash its power when it is allowed to change us from within. We have to let it break through the hard crust of our indifference, our spiritual weariness, our blind conformity to the spirit of this age. Only then can we let it ignite our imagination and shape our deepest desires. That is why prayer is so important: daily prayer, private prayer in the quiet of our hearts and before the Blessed Sacrament, and liturgical prayer in the heart of the Church. Prayer is pure receptivity to God’s grace, love in action, communion with the Spirit who dwells within us, leading us, through Jesus, in the Church, to our heavenly Father. In the power of his Spirit, Jesus is always present in our hearts, quietly waiting for us to be still with him, to hear his voice, to abide in his love, and to receive “power from on high”, enabling us to be salt and light for our world." -- Pope Benedict XVI

Quote book

"Prayer makes your heart bigger, until it is capable of containing the gift of God Himself." -- Bl. Mother Teresa

Stations of the Cross meditations, Part III

Our Kenosis teens prepared these Stations of the Cross meditations during this Holy Week. We hope and pray that they present you an opportunity for fruitful reflection during this Triduum.

Eleventh Station: Jesus is nailed to the cross.

Leader: We adore you O Christ and we bless you.
All: Because by Your holy cross, You have redeemed the world.

The nails pierced the median nerves. Pain shoots not just through Christ’s hands and arms but through His entire body. These nerves. This body. The same sensory system that allows us to feel joy, is causing such great physical pain.

Lord, the depth of Your suffering is only a shadow of Your love for me. When I am sorrowful or happy, these are only a glimpse of the profundity of Your plan for me. A plan for happiness, for eternity.

Jesus, help me to accept the grace You offer to bear my own pains, with my eyes always heavenward towards the point of it all.

Our Father … Hail Mary … Glory Be …

Twelfth Station: Jesus dies on the cross.

Leader: We adore you O Christ and we bless you.
All: Because by Your holy cross, You have redeemed the world.

Dear Jesus, You died on the cross for love of us. You forgave those who hate You, and even as You died, You prayed for them. You taught us that there is no greater love than to give up one’s life for one’s friend. Even when we are treated unfairly and we feel like we are alone, help us to know you are there, encouraging us and teaching us to love those who sin against us.

Our Father … Hail Mary … Glory Be …

Thirteenth Station: Jesus is taken down from the cross.

Leader: We adore you O Christ and we bless you.

All: Because by Your holy cross, You have redeemed the world.

Lord, as Your body was taken down from the cross – bloody, bruised, pierced, wounded – you were surrounded by Your mother Mary, your disciple John and Joseph of Arimathea. The world would look at Your body and shun the blood, the violence, the mangled limbs. But the eyes of faith of those who surrounded You most closely told a different story. This was no meaningless death, no waste of a life. It was a sacrifice of love. Each nail mark radiated the pure light of love. Each mark of blood represented infinite sacrifice. Each wound poured forth a gift – a fruit of love given to the end.

While looking at Your body, most would walk away in disgust, yet Your disciples, along with their grief, could experience even a glimmer of joy, knowing they were loved to the end. Please give us the grace to look at You and Your sacrifice with eyes of faith and hope and to embrace the fruit of suffering in our own lives.

Our Father … Hail Mary … Glory Be …

Fourteenth Station: Jesus is laid in the tomb.

Leader: We adore you O Christ and we bless you.
All: Because by Your holy cross, You have redeemed the world.

When You laid in the tomb, the earth mourned, the trees wept, the seas wept and the land barren. At this moment the world stood still and the cosmos paused, but Your body laid waiting for the victory. Oh, the anguish, darkness, and emptiness we all feel at times, Lord, You knew in the tomb. The joy You knew in what was about to be accomplished. You allow us Lord at times to experience emptiness in order to purify the gift. Teach me Lord to find joy in the emptiness as You did.

Our Father … Hail Mary … Glory Be …

Stations of the Cross meditations, Part II

Today we continue the meditations written by Kenosis: Teen Disciples for Love and Life.

Sixth Station: Veronica wipes the face of Jesus.
Leader: We adore you O Christ and we bless you.All: Because by Your holy cross, You have redeemed the world.

Dear Jesus, thank you for the example set by Veronica to console the injured and abused in their weakest times. Help us to follow in her footsteps and not be afraid to do what we know is right and to help those in need. Like Veronica, give us the courage to stand up for the voiceless souls who are mistreated and condemned and to wipe away any hurt that may be stained on their hearts.

Our Father … Hail Mary … Glory Be …

Seventh Station: Jesus falls a second time.

Leader: We adore you O Christ and we bless you.
All: Becaus
e by Your holy cross, You have redeemed the world.

Jesus accepts another fall. God’s own flesh is torn open, and He is humiliated by His children. Even knowing the suffering that would follow, He accepts another fall, not to force His children into salvation, but open the invitation to us, even in our sinfulness. Though He falls, He is able to get back up with the hope that just one of His children will get to enter heaven.

Jesus, fighting for the salvation of souls is demanding and exhausting. We are often humiliated, and when we aren’t it is because we were too afraid to stick up for You. Help us to persevere even after we fall. Help us suffer toward Your cross of our own salvation. Help us to fight for what is true and not to count the cost. Amen.

Our Father … Hail Mary … Glory Be …

Eighth Station: Jesus meets the women of Jerusalem.

Leader: We adore you O Christ and we bless you.
All: Because by Your holy cross, You have redeemed the world.

“A large crowd of people followed Jesus, including many women who mourned and lamented him. Jesus turned to them and said, ‘Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me; weep instead for your children.” – Luke 23:27-28

Jesus, walking along the road to His death and carrying the heavy wooden cross, is still able to maintain a kind and loving presence to those around Him. If you think about the last time you had a bad day, did you act in a similar manner? Chances are, you were grumpy, annoyed, and tried hard to close yourself off to the rest of the world. Jesus, though, sets us the perfect example of how to remain joyful in our sufferings. Instead of reacting with bitterness to these poor women, He reaches out to them and comforts them even when He is the one who is in most need of comfort.

Jesus, help me to always imitate Your joyful and kindly demeanor, even if I’m going through the most difficult of times.

Our Father … Hail Mary … Glory Be …

Ninth Station: Jesus falls a third time.

Leader: We adore you O Christ and we bless you.
All: Because by Your holy cross, You have redeemed the world.

Lord, you have fallen again. The crown of thorns pushes more forcefully into your head. The weight of the wood crushes your shoulders. Passersby mock and scorn You. In the pain and humiliation You say, “Yes.” You say yes to loving the world – each person unique, unrepeatable, loved into existence. You say yes to every moment of pain, physical and emotional, knowing that it will bear fruit. You see a young man in 2,000 years receiving forgiveness in the Sacrament of Reconciliation, and you say yes. You see a woman living several centuries away whose child is dying, and you say yes. You say yes so that all those who follow You can suffer with meaning. You say yes so that every man and woman can live eternally with You. Even when it means repeatedly falling, you stand again to say yes.

Jesus, we ask for the grace to unite our yes with Yours, that You will open our suffering to Your own and to Your incredible love.

Our Father … Hail Mary … Glory Be …

Tenth Station: Jesus is stripped of His garments.

Leader: We adore you O Christ and we bless you.
All: Because by Your holy cross, You have redeemed the world.

Oh Lord, how is it that our God would take on our flesh to suffer and personally take on our guilt? Your poured Your life out like a libation. You gave Your life as a selfless gift in order to open our hearts to receive that gift. Still Lord, you allow Yourself to be stripped of all in order that You can give all. Lord, teach me to get rid of all attachments in order that I may be a total gift to You and to others. There are times, Lord, when I have nothing to give, but teach me to give that nothing. Jesus, it must have given You great joy to know at the moment Your cloak was stripped from Your body, Your complete selfless gift would change my heart this very moment. Thank you for the gift.

Our Father … Hail Mary … Glory Be …

Stations of the Cross meditations, Part I

Once again, Kenosis: Teen Disciples for Love and Life spent the Holy Week meeting creating meditations on the Stations of the Cross. This time we asked that the meditations focus on the joy and fruitfulness of suffering. And once again, the meditations are too good not to share. I hope they give you an opportunity for fruitful prayer as we prepare for the Triduum.

First Station: Jesus is condemned to death.

Leader: We adore you O Christ and we bless you.
All: Because by Your holy cross, You have redeemed the world.

“And he said to the Jews, ‘Behold your king!’ They cried out, ‘Take him away, take him away! Crucify him!’ Pilate said to them, ‘Shall I

crucify your king?’ The chief priests answered, ‘We have no king but Caesar.’ Then he handed him over to them to be crucified.” – John 19:14-16.

Jesus, knowing he was completely innocent of any crime, accepts the fate that the Jews and the Romans dictate. He knows that by doing this he will have to suffer greatly, and yet He continues anyway because He places the good of each of us above His own comfort. His words in the garden echo in our memory, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me, yet, not as I will but as You will.”

Jesus, help us to show this same selflessness that you did, even in the face of situations that cause us harm.

Our Father … Hail Mary … Glory Be …

Second Station: Jesus takes up His cross.

Leader: We adore you O Christ and we bless you.
All: Because by Your holy cross, You have redeemed the world.

Dearest Jesus, Your example of self-gift and humility inspires us to give of ourselves and offer up our sufferings to You. Through Your willingness to accept Your cross, You gave us a model to follow and a way to face our struggles with joy and hope in our hearts.

Our Father … Hail Mary … Glory Be …

Third Station: Jesus falls the first time.

Leader: We adore you O Christ and we bless you.

All: Because by Your holy cross, You have redeemed the world.

Jesus’ first fall shows the weight of the cross, how heavy our sings are. How much more joyful we should be, then, that such a burden has been lifted from our shoulders. His falling and rising shows that He is with us at every moment, even when we fall. He is with us, helping us carry our crosses, and just as He didn’t give up on us on His way to Calvary, He doesn’t give up on us now. The fall wasn’t the greatest pain He endured for our sake, but it shows us that He is with us not only in our greatest trials, but also smaller ones. Jesus’ rise after His fall points to His resurrection, which is the ultimate example of hope because of suffering.

Our Father … Hail Mary … Glory Be …

Fourth Station: Jesus meets His mother.

Leader: We adore you O Christ and we bless you.
All: Because by Your holy cross, You have redeemed the world.

As Mary looks at her suffering Son, her heart burns with desolation. The angel Gabriel had promised that her Son would redeem the world, but now He is walking from the sinful world to His death. It is at this moment that Mary reflects on the joy of her first yes at the Annunciation, and the grace that has come from the suffering she has endured. If her small suffering in saying yes to God could make God flesh, what could limit the power of the suffering of God? Mary is able to trust that he agony, united to her Son’s plays an active part in the salvation of the world.

Mary, help us to see how God has used our suffering to make Himself visible to our family and those around us. Help us in our agony to know that Jesus is meeting us with a deep understanding of the sufferings of our heart.

Our Father … Hail Mary … Glory Be …

Fifth Station: Simon of Cyrene helps Jesus to carry His cross.

Leader: We adore you O Christ and we bless you.
All: Because by Your holy cross, You have redeemed the world.

It was not long into the journey up the hill that it was recognized that our Christ was not going to make it on His own. The soldiers pressed Simon of Cyrene into helping. How blessed was Simon to be allowed the great honor to share in the suffering of the Lord.

But we can be sure that this is not how he felt. At least, not initially. What overwhelming joy, would Simon have, when Christ rises, and His true nature is known, that he played some small part.

Each time I suffer, I am given the opportunity to join in the suffering of Christ. But too often I cannot see beyond my broken heart. I refuse to see beyond the unfairness of my situation.

Lord, take my heart, all my suffering, all my faults, all my talents. Help me to focus them towards You; towards joining them with Your way of the cross; towards uniting with You in the Eucharist. Only in placing them in You, can they be transformed in the Resurrection into JOY. Please not let it be after the fact that I see the beauty and fruitfulness of this suffering.

Our Father … Hail Mary … Glory Be …

Prayers please

Courtney Brown and I will be speaking to students from all of the Catholic high schools in northern Kentucky today. Please pray for us and for the openness of the students. We are thrilled to have the opportunity to share the message that we are "made for more" with so many young people.