June: Month of the Sacred Heart of Jesus

I am very blessed to have been born in the month of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Today, June 2, is my 57th birthday and the 6th birthday of my nephew Michael Colin Kirby. I am in New Hampshire with my brother and his family at the moment and will be returning to Tulsa tomorrow. When Michael Colin, a child of the sea and surf, was asked what he would like for his birthday supper, he replied, "Lobster and steamers!"

I will try during the month of June to continue the meditations on the Litany of the Sacred Heart that I began two years ago. They can be found in the Sacred Heart archives of Vultus Christi.

One of my favourite prayers to the Sacred Heart of Jesus is this one, written by Cardinal Newman. It is as theologically precise as it is tenderly human. I am especially moved by Newman's allusion to the Eucharistic Heart of Jesus: "Thou art concealed in the Holy Eucharist and thou beatest for us still."

My God, my Saviour, I adore Thy Sacred Heart,
for that heart is the seat and source
of all Thy tenderest human affections for us sinners.
It is the instrument and organ of Thy love.
It did beat for us. It yearned over us.
It ached for us, and for our salvation.
It was on fire through zeal, that the glory of God might be manifested in and by us.
It is the channel through which has come to us all Thy overflowing human affection,
all Thy Divine Charity towards us.
All Thy incomprehensible compassion for us, as God and Man, as our Creator and our Redeemer and Judge, has come to us, and comes,
in one inseparably mingled stream, through that Sacred Heart.
O most Sacred symbol and Sacrament of Love, divine and human, in its fulness,
Thou didst save me by Thy divine strength, and Thy human affection,
and then at length by that wonder-working blood, wherewith Thou didst overflow.
O most Sacred, most loving Heart of Jesus,
Thou art concealed in the Holy Eucharist, and Thou beatest for us still.
Now as then Thou savest,
Desiderio desideravi--"With desire I have desired."
I worship Thee then with all my best love and awe,
with my fervent affection, with my most subdued, most resolved will.
O my God, when Thou dost condescend to suffer me to receive Thee,
to eat and drink Thee, and Thou for a while takest up Thy abode within me,
O make my heart beat with Thy Heart.
Purify it of all that is earthly, all that is proud and sensual,
all that is hard and cruel, of all perversity, of all disorder, of all deadness.
So fill it with Thee, that neither the events of the day
nor the circumstances of the time may have power to ruffle it,
but that in Thy love and Thy fear it may have peace.

The Venerable John Henry Cardinal Newman

I asked in prayer for love of Christ

Sixth Sunday of Paschaltide B

John 15:9-17
1 John 4:7-10
Acts 10:25-26. 34-35.

Photo of a window in the chapel of All Saints Convent, Oxford, by Fra Lawrence, O.P.

When Love Awakens Love

Love alone can awaken love. Love is always a resurrection, a springing from death to life, a passage from solitude to communion, a calling forth from the chill darkness of the tomb into a pure and wonderful light. The Father's love for us was revealed when He sent into the world His only-begotten Son (Jn 3:17) so that we could have life through Him. This is the love that is life-giving: not our love for God, but God's love for us revealed in the friendship of Christ (1 Jn 4:10). "I have called you friends," He says (Jn 15:15).

Catholic Love

We have heard so many times that God loves us that we are in danger of being lullabyed into a religion of comfortable sentimentality, one that, as Father Aidan Kavanagh would say, "tucks us in with feather puffs." Institutionalized Christianity is all too easily subverted by the socially acceptable gospel of niceness, by a religion that finds the saccharine verses in greeting cards interchangeable with the hard, bracing words of the Gospel. A Catholicism that makes few demands on us, that offers a cheap consolation, and leaves us relatively untouched, unmoved, and undisturbed, is no Catholicism at all, certainly not the Catholicism of the apostles, the martyrs, and the mystics.

With Riven Heart

It is easy to forget that the revelation of God's infinite love for us is something which burns, which pierces, which wounds, which sets us all ablaze. I am reminded of the words of a Franciscan poet of the thirteenth century:

Before I knew its power, I asked in prayer
For love of Christ, believing it was sweet;
I thought to breathe a calm and tranquil air,
On peaceful heights where tempests never beat.
Torment I find instead of sweetness there.
My heart is riven by the dreadful heat;
Of these strange things to treat
All words are vain;
By bliss I am slain,
And yet I live and move.
(Jacopone da Todi, Lauda 90)

This searing experience of Divine Love has nothing in common with the complacent, insipid sort of piety that so many confuse with authentic Christianity. This experience of the friendship of Christ is wounding; it has nothing in common with a friendship content with vague sentiments and the occasional nod to a conventional piety.

As the Father Has Loved Me

Today's Gospel is a passionate declaration of love on the part of God. It comes from the mouth of Jesus, the Father's Eternal Word, the Friend and Lover of our souls. Like a flame, it leaps out of the blazing furnace of His Heart. "As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you" (Jn 15:9).

How does the Father love the Son? The Father loves the Son infinitely, immeasurably, eternally, ineffably, from before the creation of the world unto the ages of ages. The Son is pure response to that love, equally perfect, equally eternal. So intense, so immense, so alive is the ebb and flow of love between the Father and the Son that it is their Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the Love with which God the Father loves the Son. The Holy Spirit is the Love with which God the Son loves the Father. The Holy Spirit is the embrace of the Father and the Son, the Kiss of the Mouth of God.

The Holy Spirit

Today, Our Divine Lord says to us, "As the Father has loved me so I have loved you" (Jn 15:9). Christ's love for us brings us -- created and finite human beings -- into the circle of God's Trinitarian life, not as mere spectators, but as participants. Christ loves us with the same burning, boundless, love with which He Himself is loved by the Father. The seal of that love is the Holy Spirit. Jesus says to us, "Abide in my love" (Jn 15:9 ), which means, "Abide in my Holy Spirit." The Holy Spirit is the seal of our friendship with Christ. "I have called you friends" (Jn 15:15), and that you may grasp this, I give you my Holy Spirit, the Kiss of My Mouth.

A Love Stretched and Broadened

The words of Jesus, "As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you" (Jn 15:9) are completed by these other words, "Love one another as I have loved you" (Jn 15:12). Christ loves us with all the wideness of His mercy; He loves us with a love that cannot be measured. We, for our part, love selectively and cautiously. We have set ideas about who is lovable, and who is not; we have our own private criteria for determining who is worthy of our love, and who is not. We love narrowly, not widely. We exclude certain categories of people. We are reluctant to invest love in people too different from ourselves. Different race, different background, different religion. Different tastes, different culture, different appearance, different values, different politics. The lists could go on and on.

In today's lesson from the Acts of the Apostles, we see Saint Peter's capacity for love stretched and broadened by circumstances, and by the Holy Spirit. Peter's change of heart takes place in three steps. In verse 28, Peter says, "God has shown me that I should not call any man common or unclean" (Ac 10:28). In verse 35, he stretches a little more: "Truly, I perceive that God shows no partiality . . . . In every nation anyone who fears Him and does what is right is acceptable to Him" (Ac 10:35). Finally, in verse 47, his change of heart is complete: "These people, he says, have received the Holy Spirit just as we have" (Ac 10: 47). Peter begins to love people different from himself. Peter begins to love as Christ loves.

By the Holy Spirit

How can we, narrow-hearted sinners, wounded by life's hurts--selfish, impatient, and limited -- how can we ever hope to love each other as Christ loves us? The point is, of course, that it is impossible. The realization that the Christian life is impossible is precisely what begins to make it possible. We cannot love one another as Christ has loved us, except by the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit is not the optional Person of the Most Holy Trinity. Christ was conceived in the Virgin Mary's womb by the power of the Holy Spirit. Christians are brought to birth in the bath of regeneration by the power of the Holy Spirit. Bread and wine become the Body and Blood of Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit. Christians are made, not by dint of their own efforts to love, but by "God's love poured forth into our hearts through the Holy Spirit which has been given to us" (Rom 5:5). The Holy Spirit is Christ's first gift to those who believe. The Holy Spirit is fire, consuming our sins, cauterizing our wounds, purifying us of the selfishness, narrow-mindedness, and fear that thwart our best attempts to love as Christ loves.

Seven Gifts

The Holy Spirit dilates the hearts' capacity for love. The Holy Spirit makes it possible for us to correspond to the friendship of Christ and to love as Christ loves by gracing us with His seven gifts. Tradition identifies them as wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety and fear of the Lord. These gifts of the Holy Spirit make us capable of a bold love, an inventive love, a wise love, a sacrificial love. Thus what was impossible becomes possible. This is what we see and admire in the lives of the saints.

Twelve Fruits

When we begin to rely on the Holy Spirit's gifts more than on ourselves, fruits of the Holy Spirit begin to blossom, to develop, and to mature. The tradition of the Church, based on Saint Paul (Gal 5:22-23), lists twelve of them: "charity, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, generosity, gentleness, faithfulness, modesty, self-control, and chastity (CCC, 1832).

Fruitful Friendship

By the gifts and fruits of the Holy Spirit, we are able to do what Jesus commands us. Without them, the Christian life is impossible. And if, with the help of the Holy Spirit, we do what Christ commands us, then we become more than the servants of Christ (Jn 15:15), we become, according to the desire of His Heart, His friends (Jn 15:15), His intimates, those with whom He is pleased to share everything He has heard from His Father (Jn 15:15), the secrets of His mercy, of His wisdom, of His love.

Jesus commissions us to go and bear fruit, fruit that will abide (Jn 15:16). The fruit we bear manifests the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives and in the Church. The fruits of the Holy Spirit are dependent upon the Spirit's seven gifts. The seven gifts themselves are grafted onto the virtues of faith, hope and charity, the theological virtues infused by the Holy Spirit at Baptism and Confirmation. The same Holy Spirit is given us afresh in every Eucharist, overshadowing altar and assembly, descending to gather us into the circle of Trinitarian love, and into its earthly manifestation, the communion of the Church.

Toward Pentecost

The liturgy begins to prepare us for Pentecost, inviting us to make ready our hearts for the breath of the risen Christ who says "Receive the Holy Spirit" (Jn 20:22). Prepare then for the "rush of a mighty wind" (Ac 2:2) and for "tongues as of fire" (Ac 2:3). Already, the liturgy invites us to lift our faces heavenward that we might receive anew the Kiss of the Mouth of God. Why not pray in the words of the Song of Songs, "O that you would kiss me with the kiss of your mouth" (Ct 1:2)?

And the Inexhaustible Chalice

In just a few moments, we will approach the Inexhaustible Chalice, if not by a movement of the feet, then by a movement of the heart by the vehemence of a holy desire that God will honour. He will not send the hungry away empty. The friendship of Christ is not paralyzed by the dullness of our bureaucracies and the impersonal strictures of a system that, at times, seems distant, faceless, and even heartless. Nothing can separate us from the friendship of Christ; nothing can come between those to whom He says, "I have called you friends" (Jn 15:15) and the love revealed on His Face and in His pierced Heart. Receive the Eucharistic infusion of the Holy Spirit, if not in eating and drinking the Holy Mysteries, then by desiring them with a great desire. He who says, "I have called you friends" (Jn 15:15), wants nothing but that "His joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full" (cf. Jn 15:11).

John Paul II’s ‘Rule’ for married couples discovered, published by newspaper

Rome, Italy, Apr 17, 2009 / 09:45 am (CNA).- In its Thursday printed edition, the Italian daily Il Messagero published an unknown booklet written by Cardinal Karol Wojtyla in 1968 to help married couples in his Polish diocese implement the Encyclical “Humanae Vitae,” released that same year by Pope Paul VI. The text, entitled “Rule for Spouses,” was never made public outside the Archdiocese of Krakow, but was recently discovered by a student from the John Paul II Institute for Life and Family in Rome.

The booklet will be officially presented on April 24, but on Thursday Il Messagero published a full version in Italian, as well as Wojtyla’s introduction to the Rule on its website (in Italian).

“In the future Polish Pope’s observation,” Il Messagero writes, “there is a prophetic concern for the crisis of values that affects the destiny of Western civilization and its models.”

In his introduction, Wojtyla wrote that “the present Rule sprouts from a series of pastoral experiences with some married couples and, at the same time, from the marriage experience of couples themselves.”

The Rule, he wrote, “is born simultaneously with the publication of the encyclical Humanae Vitae, which proposes to spouses and their pastors the Gospel’s demand for authentically Christian marriages.”

The future Pope also suggested that groups of spouses who apply the Rule can take the name “Humanae Vitae.”

“The Rule is aimed at married couples in their entirety and not to spouses as individuals. It is important, indeed, that it is adopted and put in practice by the couple, not solely the husbands or wives without the commitment of their spouses.”

The future Pope John Paul explains that “the specific goal of the Humanae Vitae groups is the continuing commitment toward a spiritual perspective, so that the integral teachings of Christ our Lord about marriage and family, announced by the Church, may become real in their marriages, with a full understanding and full love.”

“Therefore, it is about creating an adequate spirituality, that is to say, an interior life, that will allow the organization of marriage and family life in a Christian way,” Cardinal Wojtyla adds.

“Such spirituality cannot exist in a definitive manner based on the model of religious congregations, but must be constantly reworked,” the introduction concludes.

Announcements regarding an English translation of the “Rule for Spouses,” have not yet been made.

Benedict at 82; The Last 20th Century Man

Today Pope Benedict XVI celebrates his 82nd birthday. Time flies so quickly; it seems like yesterday he was visiting Ground Zero and greeting the youth of New York!

In honor of his birthday, I am reposting this from last April:

BENEDICT XVI; THE LAST 20th CENTURY MAN

It seems almost silly to say I am bringing coverage of Benedict XVI’s extraordinary sojourn in America to a close (actually, my final final thoughts are here) because the truth is I will likely be reading all of his addresses more closely and bringing them up in coming weeks, but the wall-to-wall writing will end here. I do want, though, to end with a thought that blipped through my head when Benedict was in DC, and again as he addressed the United Nations.

Benedict XVI is the last man of the 20th century to walk the global stage. He saw tyranny overtake his country and the minds and imaginations of his countrymen, as well as his own liberty. He watched the cold war play out and worked closely with one of the destructors of that system. That he viewed all of these things through the lens of faith and mystery means that his perspective is not only singular, it is supernatural, as well.

Before we knew him as Benedict, while he was still Joseph Ratzinger, he was telling us what he knew, but between his “rottweiler” caricature and all the religious wrappings, we missed it:

“…the population of an entirely planned and controlled world are going to be inexpressibly lonely … and they will then discover the little community of believers as something quite new. As a hope that is there for them, as the answer they have secretly always been asking for.” [emphasis mine - admin] — (from God and the World)

He knows. Listen to this 20th century man who sees what comes ahead because he vividly remembers all that came before - all that we want to believe we’ve left behind. He recognizes the tyrant because he has seen it, has felt its breath on his very neck. And in that statement, he acknowledges for us that the tyrant this time will eat up liberty so thoroughly that only in the spirit will freedom be found, nourished and strengthened. A totalitarian world without a spiritual defense will be unsurvivable.

Someone asked me why I did not write about Bill Maher’s standard-issue hate words about Benedict - timed to coincide with his visit and thus garner Maher the most attention.

I did not comment on Maher because it seemed pointless to; every word he speaks about Benedict proclaims himself, and his own lonely creed of atheism.

Bill Maher is a 21st century man; a fervent atheist, as fierce in his secular faith as the holiest of rollers. When I consider that line by then-Cardinal Ratzinger…”the population of an entirely planned and controlled world are going to be inexpressibly lonely…” I think Maher is already living there in that cold place, where one may lunch with the cool kids who hold court in the lunchroom, but then go home to a solitary room, hoping in nothing beyond their still-deigning to like you tomorrow.

Atheism may be the burgeoning movement, but that’s only because atheism is so easy. It requires nothing more of you than your willingness to cultivate cynicism, which is the laziest thing to grow. It lives of a piece with Benedict’s “dictatorship of relativism” and his counsel that

“relativism…does not recognize anything as definitive [its] ultimate goal consists solely of one’s own ego and desires.

…An “adult” faith is not a faith that follows the trends of fashion and the latest novelty; a mature adult faith is deeply rooted in friendship with Christ. It is this friendship that opens us up to all that is good and gives us a criterion by which to distinguish the true from the false, and deceipt from truth.

Relativism is a growth-stunter. When nothing matters and you answer for nothing, you’re living the life of a child, and a nation of children cannot survive for very long. Relativism-embracing Europe is dying for that reason, because growing up and parenting others is not just difficult, it is selfless; in relationships one is answerable to another.

In Christ we have a relationship, and Jesus calls us on it. We are answerable to Him, and (insofar as he has promised it) he to us.

Benedict knows this, just as he knew that sex scandals and bishops - including himself - must be called on and made answerable by and to the faithful, who in turn have their own responsibilities and relationships to maintain. This is hard stuff, not easy; it requires the cultivation of faith and trust, not cynicism. It requires the difficult, painful work of looking at things one would rather not, and asking forgiveness and trying to heal and rebuild. If we do that work, we can - eventually - look each other in the face, standing free and independent, living honorably together, in truth, and with no need to hide. We’ll be able to withstand the vagaries of life with hope, and joy and real peace.

Relativism is a game of hide-and-seek. Benedict XVI is calling out, “olly-olly-ox-in-free.” He’s saying “let’s get everyone out from the shadows” including the church itself.

That is the work of adult faith and if we now continue in this vein, we will be strengthened; we will grow; we will survive and be ready to face that cold, lonely “planned and controlled” world, and to ultimately defeat it. We begin again, as we mean to continue.

UPDATE: Just finishing my thought: Benedict is only a man - with all that coverage you might wonder if I have forgotten that, but I have not. He is a man, trying to shepherd the 21st Century, with the wisdom gleaned in the last century, the most deadly century. Actually, he is the last active soldier of the greatest generation, still standing, still fighting, and he will, I think, cast a giant shadow

Linking to this piece, Brian Saint-Paul at Inside Catholic makes a very insightful observation:

21st century man has skipped the last 100 years entirely. That’s why he can continue to parrot the parlour atheism of the 19th century without the 20th century’s sad lesson on where such things lead.

Beautifully said.

Archbishop Timothy Dolan's Mass of Installation in St. Patrick's Cathedral New York..Full of energy..

Easter's two dates remnant of historic divide

On Sunday, Roman Catholics and Protestants across the globe will celebrate Easter. A week later, the Eastern Orthodox Church (and some of the Eastern Catholic rites) will mark the holy day.

Although both the Catholic and the Orthodox churches agree that Jesus rose from the dead on Easter, defeating sin and death, its leaders can't seem to agree on exactly when to observe the feast, by far the most important celebration of their shared Christian faith.

The rift has existed for centuries, since the Great Schism of 1054 when a Roman legate and the patriarch of Constantinople excommunicated each other. The two churches developed separate traditions, with Orthodox Christians following the Julian calendar to calculate when to celebrate Easter, and Roman Catholics (and Protestants) adhering to the newer Gregorian calendar to do the same.

Two local leaders of the Catholic and Orthodox churches said in recent interviews that developing a common date would be preferable, but talks to that end between the highest levels of the two churches have yet to produce results.

"It would be ideal if every Christian celebrated Easter together, because it's another sign of the unity of the church," said Monsignor Dennis Mikulanis, pastor of San Rafael Catholic Church in Rancho Bernardo and the ecumenical officer of the Roman Catholic Diocese of San Diego. "When we celebrate Easter on different days, it's a sign that we can't even get our celebrations together, much less our doctrines."

Archpriest George Morelli, a pastor with St. George's Antiochian Orthodox Church in San Diego and president of the Eastern Orthodox Clergy Conference of San Diego (and a regular columnist for the North County Times' Faith & Values section), said the two celebration dates are also a concern among his parishioners.

"We do care," he said. "We wish that we could get together on this."

But it's complicated, he added. While it would be nice to have all Christians mark Easter on the same day, many in the Orthodox Church believe the two different celebrations highlight and differentiate the Eastern church "as the one unbroken church ---- keeping the same traditions," Morelli said.

The term "orthodox" means "right believing" or "correct, true glory," while "catholic" means "universal." Members of the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches each believe that their church is the so-called original church that can trace its roots directly to Jesus and his apostles, and each church recognizes the legitimacy of the other's apostolic succession.

The Julian calendar predates by centuries the more commonly used Gregorian calendar of today, and the Orthodox church uses the venerable calendar to determine Easter, which for them is the first Sunday after the spring equinox and its first full moon, and after the Jewish Passover, Morelli said.

"There is a theological reason for that," Morelli said, of the inclusion of the equinox in the calculation. "The reason is, there is not a place on Earth that is not touched by the light of the sun (at the equinox). Every place on Earth, from the sun itself, or the sun reflecting off the full moon, is lit up by the sun, and Christ is considered to be the light that illuminates all."

Theology aside, reconciling the two dates is a goal discussed locally and internationally, he said.

"We have meetings where we talk about issues, about how we can understand each other and get together and push from the bottom up so that the pope of Rome and patriarchs of the east can work these problems out," Morelli said of his clergy conference.

On a global level, the Joint International Commission for Theological Dialogue between the Orthodox churches and the Catholic churches meets to discuss such issues, he said. A compromise has yet to be reached, he said.

Mikulanis said recent leaders of the Roman Catholic Church have called on both churches to celebrate Easter together.

"Pope Paul VI and Pope John Paul II both publicly stated, 'Let's celebrate Easter on a common date, you pick the date,' " he said. "The Roman Catholic Church is willing to celebrate Easter if they (the Orthodox Church) were to pick a specific date instead of bouncing all over."

For Catholics, Easter is celebrated on the Sunday following the first full moon after the spring equinox, according to the Catholic Catechism, the official teachings of the Catholic Church.

The method of calculation is similar to the Orthodox Church's. Some years the celebrations fall on the same date, as will be the case next year. But because of the differences in the Gregorian and Julian calendars, Easter usually occurs on different dates for the two churches, Mikulanis said.

"It's very complicated," he said.

Ultimately, a shared celebration is something to continue to strive for.

"For centuries, since 1054, there has been animosity between Roman Catholics and Eastern Orthodox," Mikulanis said. "Those differences have been slowly whittled away. We are coming closer and closer to one another, seeing one another as brothers and sisters in Christ."

Jesus' Resurrection was a 'real historical event,' Pope proclaims

Vatican City, Apr 15, 2009 / 09:59 am (CNA).- At his first General Audience of this Easter Season, Pope Benedict XVI said before more than 30,000 people that Christians must forcefully proclaim Jesus' Resurrection as “a real historical event, borne out by many authoritative witnesses.”

"The astonishing novelty of the Resurrection is so important that the Church never ceases to proclaim it, perpetuating its memory, especially on Sundays, the Lord's Day and the weekly Easter of the people of God," explained the Pope, who traveled to the Vatican by helicopter from his residence in Castel Gandolfo.

Instead of a far away, mythical story, we must proclaim Jesus' Resurrection as “a real historical event, borne out by many authoritative witnesses,” Pope Benedict insisted. “We affirm it forcefully because, even in our own times, there is no lack of people who seek to deny its historical truth, reducing the Gospel narrative to a myth, thus repeating old worn-out theories as if they were new and scientific."

"Of course, for Jesus the Resurrection was not a simple return to His earlier life on earth," the Pope continued. "Rather it was a passage to a profoundly new dimension of life, one that is deeply new, that involves in a new dimension the whole of the human family."

This new dimension, he added, illuminates “our entire earthly pilgrimage, including the human enigma of pain and death.” “With St. Augustine we can proclaim: 'The Resurrection of Christ is our hope' and our future," the Pope pointed out.

"It is true," the Pope stated, "Christ's Resurrection is the foundation of our firm hope and illuminates our entire earthly pilgrimage, including the human enigma of pain and death.”

Moreover, “Faith in Christ crucified and risen is the heart of the entire evangelical message, the central nucleus of our 'Creed.'” “The death of Christ shows that the word of God really and fully became 'flesh', human 'history.'"

"At Easter," the Holy Father concluded, "God reveals Himself and the power of the Trinitarian love that annihilates the destructive forces of evil and death.”

“Let us be enlightened by the splendor of the Risen Lord. Like Saint Paul who met the Divine Master in an extraordinary fashion on his way to Damascus, we cannot keep to ourselves this truth which changes everyone’s life. We must bear witness to divine love.”

During the general audience people sang “Happy Birthday” to Benedict XVI in several languages (English, French, German, Spanish, Portuguese, Croatian and Italian) to mark his 82nd birthday, celebrating also the anniversary of his pontificate, which falls on April 19.

The Pope's Birthday
Posted on April 15, 2009, 3:49 PM | Irene Lagan

Pope Benedict will celebrate his 82nd birthday tomorrow. The pope was born on Holy Saturday, April 16, 1927, and was the first baby baptized a few short hours later at the Easter liturgy. He has always regarded his Easter entry into the world as something special. Here is a short excerpt from Salt of the Earth, an interview by Peter Seewold with then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger.

The Easter vigil was not yet celebrated in those days, so that the Resurrection was celebrated in the morning, with the blessing of the water, which then served throughout the whole year as the baptismal water. And, because the baptismal liturgy was consequently taking place in the Church, my parents said, ‘Well, the boy’s already here’ so its natural that he be baptized too at this liturgical point in time, which is when the Church baptizes. And the coincidence that I was born at the very moment when the Church was preparing her baptismal water, so that I was the first person baptized with the new water, does indeed mean something to me. Because it situates me particularly in the context of Easter and also binds birth and baptism in a very suggestive way.

In this interview, the pope then goes on to talk about the happy memories of growing up in a close family of modest means, where the simple joys of life were not crowded out by too much stuff.

I often think back on how wonderful it was that we could be happy over the smallest things and how we also tried to do things for one another. How this very modest, sometimes financially difficult situation gave rise to an inner solidarity that bound us deeply together.

I wonder if Pope Benedict, ever in his wildest dreams, could have imagined that he'd one day be greeted by thousands wishing him happy birthday in St Peter's square.

"The Church Herself Begins"
HOMILY OF THE MOST REVEREND TIMOTHY M. DOLAN
TENTH ARCHBISHOP OF NEW YORK
MASS OF INSTALLATION
ST PATRICK'S CATHEDRAL
NEW YORK
15 APRIL 2009

“This is the day the Lord has made!
Let us rejoice and be glad! Alleluia!”

“He has risen as He said, alleluia! alleluia!”

“Jesus Christ yesterday and today, the beginning and the end,
Alpha and Omega.
All time belongs to Him
and all the ages,
to Him be glory and power! Amen!”

You are all so very welcome here, in this “Cathedral of suitable magnificence,” as Archbishop John Hughes, whose cross I wear today, termed it, that has been such a warm, embracing spiritual home for untold millions.

Thank you, thank you all for so personally supporting me as I begin this apostolic ministry in the Archdiocese of New York.

Thank you, eminent cardinals, for by your presence you salute the vibrant Church in New York. A special appreciation to Cardinal William Baum, the dean of our American cardinals, Cardinal William Levada from Rome, Cardinal Marc Ouellet, Archbishop of Quebec City, and, of course, to Cardinal Edward Egan. Eminence, thank you for your leadership these past nine years, and, as the disciples on the road to Emmaus asked the Lord, please, “Stay with us!”

Archbishop Pietro Sambi, our papal nuncio, and Archbishop Celestino Migliore, papal nuncio to the United Nations;

My brother bishops, our beloved auxiliary bishops of the archdiocese, of the entire State of New York, from across the entire United States, and here even from Italy, Australia, Canada, Puerto Rico, and Ireland, whose fraternity means so much;

My cherished brother priests, especially those of this archdiocese, who now have a special claim on my heart;

deacons and seminarians;

consecrated women and men religious; distinguished representatives from other revered families of faith, respected civic and political leaders, special friends who have been so loyal to me from St. Louis, Rome, D.C., Kansas City and the wonderful archdiocese of Milwaukee . . . and all of God’s people, children of our one Father and brothers and sisters in the Lord…

Maybe I should not be so flattered that so many are here . . . after all, everybody wants to “take sanctuary on income tax day!”

My dear family . . . when I told Mom that Pope Benedict XVI had appointed me Archbishop of New York, I remarked, “Mom, whatever God gives me in life, His greatest gift to me is that I am Bob and Shirley Dolan’s son.” I mean that. And I’m so glad Mom is here this afternoon . . . especially because there’s a sale on at Macy’s!

Thank you all!

But, I hope you understand, as grateful as I am to all of you, there is another claim on my gratitude that towers above all the rest.

Above all, above all, I give praise to God, our Father, for raising His Son Jesus Christ from the dead! For “Christ is risen! He is truly risen! Give thanks to the Lord for He is good! For His mercy endures for ever!”

For this is not all about Timothy Dolan, or all about cardinals and bishops, or about priests and sisters, or even about family and cherished friends.

Nope . . . this is all about two people: Him and her . . . this is all about Jesus and His Bride, the Church. For, as de Lubac asked, “What would I ever know of Him without her?”

The Resurrection, Easter, is the very foundation of our faith, our hope, our love. Everything in the Church commences when, like those two disciples on the road to Emmaus that first Easter, we recognize Jesus as risen from the dead. The Church herself begins.

The Resurrection of Jesus is so central to our faith that we celebrate it every Sunday at Mass. On my first day as your archbishop I dream that we can reclaim Sunday as the Lord’s Day, anchored in our faithfulness to Sunday Mass, our weekly family meal with the risen Jesus.

In thanking God for the Resurrection of Christ, we thank God for the Church. For as “Jesus is the human face of God,” as Pope Benedict XVI often reminds us, the Church is the human face of Jesus.

For us as Catholics, Christ and His Church are one.

The triumph, the life, the light, the mercy, the raising up, the salvation which exploded Easter morning as Jesus rose from the dead continues in His Church, an extraordinary spiritual family that gathers men and women of every nation, race, language, and background into a breathing tapestry of faith.

The power of the risen Christ shows itself -- Christ shows Himself! -- in the extraordinary community that is the Church.

God’s love for us is so personal, so passionate, so intense that He gave His only begotten Son for our salvation. And when God the Father raised His Son from the dead, He put His divine seal of approval upon His work of art, the human project, on women and men made in His own image and likeness, washed clean by the blood of His Son on Good Friday, destined to spend eternity at His side, and assured us, “The evil, horror, lies, hate, suffering and death of last Friday will not prevail! Goodness, decency, truth, love, and life will have the last word.”

That’s the Easter message the Church is entrusted to live and to tell. For, believe it or not, the dying and rising of Jesus continues in His Church.

That’s the story of these extraordinary acres of the Lord’s vineyard of the Church we call the Archdiocese of New York. Now in her third century, the risen Christ has been and is alive here. Let me count some of the ways:

-- In the welcome given to countless immigrants, like even my own great-great grandparents, who came and still do come to this country through this city with little or nothing of earthly value, but tenaciously clung to that “pearl of great price,” their faith, to find in the Church here the spiritual counterpart of Lady Liberty, Holy Mother Church, who welcomed them, embraced them, settled them in, taught their children, and kept that faith alive.

[Spanish:] Hoy agradecemos a Dios por la gracia de nuestros hermanos y hermanas Latinas, cuya presencia es una gran bendición en esta arquidiócesis. A ustedes, hermanos y hermanas, prometo dar mi amor, mi corazón, mi energía. Su fe Católica, viva y fervorosa, es una luz para todos nosotros.

[Today we give God thanks for the blessing of our Latino brothers and sisters, whose presence is a great blessing in this archdiocese. To you, brothers and sisters, I promise to give my love, my heart, my energy. Your Catholic faith, alive and vibrant, is a light for us all.]

-- The risen Christ is alive here in the Church in and through her priests. My brother priests: you are the apple of my eye! You mean everything to me. Without you, I can do nothing. In you I still see St. Isaac Joques, Venerable Felix Varela, Issac Hecker, Fighting Father Duffy, Fulton J. Sheen, Richard John Neuhaus, Avery Dulles; in you I see men who continue the power of the resurrection at the altar, in the confessional, in the classroom, with the sick, searching, and the poor. I have long admired you from afar, but today for the first time I can say, “my brother priests” of the Archdiocese of New York—my admiration, deep appreciation, and unflagging love to you;

--The Risen Christ is alive in her consecrated religious, women and men, in whom Elizabeth Ann Seton, Francis Xavier Cabrini, and Michael Judge find most worthy heirs, as you continue to give the Word flesh in your simplicity of life, charity, and obedience.

--The awesome yet gentle might of the Christ’s Resurrection continues in the Church of New York in her faithful people, women and men who love their Church in spite of her wounds, who savor their baptismal call, rely upon the grace and mercy of prayer and the sacraments, live as committed husbands and wives, mothers and fathers, and generous single people, and who bring the person, teachings, and invitation of their Lord to family, community, parish, and the public square, continuing the legacy of such lay leaders as Pierre Toussaint, Dorothy Day, and Governor Al Smith.

--Christ is one with His Church in this archdiocese as we obey his final mandate to teach, as we praise God for the prize of our celebrated Catholic schools, to whose flourishing I pledge my best efforts and support, and our promising programs of evangelization and catechetics.

--The Resurrection of Jesus goes on in our apostolate for the struggling, searching, and marginalized, as thousands of those closest to Christ’s Sacred Heart—the hungry, homeless, sick, troubled, and immigrants--find solace and help in our Catholic charities and healthcare. Conscious are we of former Mayor Ed Koch’s observation that the Catholic Church is the glue that keeps this city together . . . and, and . . . the Resurrection goes on, as His Church continues to embrace and protect the dignity of every human person, the sanctity of human life, from the tiny baby in the womb to the last moment of natural passing into eternal life. As the Servant of God Terrence Cardinal Cooke wrote, “Human life is no less sacred or worthy of respect because it is tiny, pre-born, poor, sick, fragile, or handicapped.” Yes, the Church is a loving mother who has a zest for life and serves life everywhere, but she can become a protective “mamma bear” when the life of her innocent, helpless cubs is threatened. Everyone in this mega-community is a somebody with an extraordinary destiny. Everyone is a somebody in whom God has invested an infinite love. That is why the Church reaches out to the unborn, the suffering, the poor, our elders, the physically and emotionally challenged, those caught in the web of addictions.

--The risen Jesus remains alive in this archdiocese as the Church partners with respected neighbors and friends of other Christian families, our Jewish older brothers and sisters in the faith, who today conclude Passover and have our best wishes, and with our Islamic and Eastern religious communities, as the Church relishes the unique ecumenical and inter-religious concord of this greater New York community; and as the archdiocese collaborates with our political, civic, cultural, and business leaders, so very welcome here today, in all noble prospects advancing human welfare and dignity. Seven-and-a-half years ago, on September 11, 2001, New Yorkers gave a lesson of extraordinarily generous courage to the world. Selfless police officers, fire fighters, and emergency medical personnel, saved lives, and many gave theirs. Their sacrifice was an ecumenical, interreligious civic testimony to the worth of every human person. You did us all proud, and now how proud I am now to partner with all of you in that same spirit;

--and, maybe most of all, Christ remains present in His Church as people whisper prayers, worship at Sunday Mass, struggle with sin and pursue virtue, hunger for God’s Word and Sacrament, and realize that, as much as we love New York, we have here no lasting home, for our true citizenship is in heaven.

And just what, I ask you, does the Church have to give? Does she have power and clout, property and prestige? Forget it! Those days are gone, if they ever did exist at all.

The Church instead borrows the vocabulary Jesus Himself used in those days after He rose, as we speak of “a peace He gives us,”
of “feeding my sheep,”
of “teaching the nations.”

The Church really has no treasure but her faith in the Lord, which is not bad at all, as we shrug and say with Peter and John in the Acts of the Apostles, “Silver and gold we have not, but, what we do have, we give: …
Jesus Christ…!

Now, let me bring this home by suggesting that we all take a little stroll down…the road to Emmaus.

See, I mentioned to you that the Church continues not just the rising but also the dying of Jesus Christ. We’ve just been through a litany of ways that the rising of Jesus radiates in the Church in this historic archdiocese. But we’d be naive if we overlooked the dying, wouldn’t we?

For indeed not only the Resurrection but the cross, the dying, of Christ goes on:

--As we are tempted to fatigue in our works of service and charity;

--As we continue realistically to nurse the deep wounds inflicted by the horrible scandal, sin, and crime of sexual abuse of minors, never hesitant to beg forgiveness from God and from victim survivors and their families, committed to continue the reform, renewal, and outreach Pope Benedict encouraged us to last year, when, among many other places, he urged us in this very cathedral, “to respond with Christian hope to the continuing challenges [of] this painful situation...”

-- The cross is there as more and more of our people are burdened under financial woe and uncertainty;

--As strains on the family take their toll, or as the Church is ridiculed for her teaching on the sanctity of marriage;

--As we struggle to keep our parishes and schools strong, and recognize that we need a new harvest of vocations to the priesthood, diaconate, religious life, and faithful, life-long, life-giving marriage;

Shortages and cutbacks, people mad at the Church or even leaving her, and our seeming inability to get the Gospel message credibly out there . . .

. . . are we not at times perhaps like those two dejected disciples on the road to Emmaus? They were so absorbed in their own woes, so forlorn in their mistaken conclusion that the one in whom they had placed their trust was dead, so shocked by the shame, scandal, and scorn of last Friday . . . that they failed to recognize Jesus as He walked right alongside of them!

I say to you, my sister and brother disciples now on the road to Emmaus, let’s not turn inward to ourselves, our worries, our burdens, our fears; but turn rather to Him, the way, the truth, and the life, the one who told us over and over, “Be not afraid!”, who assured us that He “would be with us all days, even to the end of the world,” and who promised us that “not even the gates of hell would prevail,” the one who John Paul the Great called, “the answer to the question posed by every human life,” and recognize Him again in His word, in the “breaking of the bread,” in His Church.

Let Him “turn us around” as He did those two disciples, turned them around because, simply put, they were going the wrong way, and sent them running back to Jerusalem, where Peter was, where the apostles were, where the Church was.

For three weeks in July, 1992, I was on pilgrimage in Israel. I had a wonderful Franciscan guide who made sure I saw all the sacred places in the Holy Land. The day before I departed, he asked, “Is there anything left you want to see?”

“Yes,” I replied, “I would like to walk the road to Emmaus.”

“That we cannot do,” he told me, “You see, no one really knows where that village of Emmaus actually was, so there is no more road to Emmaus.”

Sensing my disappointment, he remarked, “Maybe that’s part of God’s providence, because we can now make every journey we undertake a walk down the Road to Emmaus.”

My new friends of this great archdiocese, would you join your new pastor on an “adventure in fidelity,” as we turn the Staten Island Expressway, Fifth Avenue, Madison Avenue, Broadway, the FDR, the Major Deegan, and the New York State Thruway into the Road to Emmaus, as we witness a real “miracle on 34th street” and turn that into the road to Emmaus?

For, dare to believe, that:
From Staten Island to Sullivan County
From the Bowery, to the Bronx, to Newburgh,
From White Plains to Poughkeepsie…

He is walking right alongside us.

“For why do we look for the living among the dead?”

“For He is risen as He said, alleluia, alleluia!”

“Give thanks to the Lord for He is good, for His mercy endures forever.”

Five Things Every Catholic Should Know (and many don't)

1. The Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick is not part of Last Rites. The shift in emphasis from extremunction to Anointing was made over 40 years ago. However, Last Rites has always consisted of Confession and Communion. Don’t wait to call a priest until it is too late for the dying person to receive them. If you do YOU may be depriving them of the chance to properly prepare for heaven.


2. The funeral rites of the Church are not for a “celebration of the life” of the deceased. That is common in secular “memorial services”. The funeral of a Catholic is so that the community can pray that the deceased person may be forgiven their sins and go to heaven. It isn’t accomplished yet. We’re praying for it and we do that with the same prayers for all the baptized. You can personalize your license plates, not a funeral. Personal eulogies are best done at a wake, not the funeral. Besides, reflecting on the resurrection of Jesus is personal to a committed Christian.


3. Fasting for an hour from everything (except water or medication) before receiving Communion is a REQUIREMENT, not a suggestion. That includes breath mints and gum too.


4. Coming to mass each and every Sunday is an obligation binding on all Catholics. If you’re sick or in some way prevented from coming (for example, because there is 4 feet of snow on the ground) then you can stay home. However, skipping mass on purpose is still considered a serious (i.e. mortal) sin. When you do miss mass without a good reason you should not receive Communion again until you go to Confession.


5. Speaking of Confession, it is REQUIRED, not suggested, that you go to Confession at least once every year. Failure to do so is also a serious sin.

"At Home" in New York: "The Happy Bishop"
A Good Installation Morning to one and all.

We may only be just approaching the more prominent of the rites welcoming the tenth archbishop to this "capital of the world." Yet even so, the Gotham papers have already gone full-out wild with glee.

As this morning's Times reservedly recounts Tim Dolan's "grand entrance" (and the hammer he used to make it) at last night's Vespers, the Post -- whose front page on the morning after the appointment famously screamed "GODSEND!" -- echoes it today, blaring "HEAVEN SENT" on its cover and "KNOCKING ON HEAVEN'S DOOR" inside, while the Daily News' lede hails "THE HAPPY BISHOP"... a line taken from a column in today's edition written by the man, himself:

The Archdiocese of New York has been welcoming people from near and far, from across our country and from around the world, for more than 200 years. If there is any place that knows how to make a newcomer feel at home, it's New York. So I thank you for your warm welcome. But I need more than just your good wishes and wise counsel. I need your prayers.

Let's be frank - being archbishop of New York is a difficult job, a blessing and a burden, and far more worthy men have gone before me. So I ask all New Yorkers - Catholics and otherwise - to pray for me, asking God to give me the wisdom and courage I need to be a faithful archbishop. I ask my new Jewish neighbors to pray for me as Passover draws to a close. Catholics have a special responsibility, and I want to make a particular request of all Catholic families and Catholic schools: Please ask your children to say a Hail Mary for me. The prayers of children are powerful indeed, and I need them.

People come to New York for many reasons - it is a world center of culture and commerce, a meeting place and a melting pot. I come here with the same mission I had in Milwaukee, St. Louis, Rome, Washington and all the places where I have served as a priest these last 33 years. My task is to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and to encourage all those who will listen to set out on the high adventure of Christian discipleship.

I aim to be a happy bishop, sharing joys and laughs with you. So you will see me at the St. Patrick's parade, and at the new Yankee Stadium, and at processions and feast days and barbecues across our almost 400 parishes. Being Catholic is not a heavy burden, snuffing the joy out of life; rather our faith in Jesus and His Church gives meaning, purpose and joy to life. I love being a Catholic, I love being a priest, and I fully intend to love being archbishop of New York while loving all of you in the Church in New York.

Loving the Church here means supporting her indispensable work caring for the poor, the immigrants, the sick and elderly, the lonely, the unborn and the abandoned. It means working hard for her Catholic schools, in many ways the pride of the archdiocese. It means ensuring that our parishes are places where people encounter the Lord Jesus in the Mass, the sacraments and in an authentically Catholic community. It means inviting more young men to become priests and women to become sisters.

It means speaking from America's most famous pulpit for justice and peace, for religious liberty and the sanctity of all human life. It means teaching the Catholic faith in season and out of season, as a good shepherd must.

Pope John Paul II used to speak of my predecessors as the archbishops "of the capital of the world." There is a universal dimension to the Archdiocese of New York. That means that it is truly Catholic - for "catholic" means universal. We have a universal mission - the same mission the archdiocese has lived for two centuries: To proclaim Jesus Christ to a city, a diocese, a country and a world in need of His saving love.

My mission is to remind New Yorkers that they must welcome God to this "capital of the world" as warmly as they have welcomed so many others.

That's what a boy from Ballwin will be doing in the Big Apple.

Thanks for taking me in! God bless you.

* * *
Lest anyone's unaware, we've never seen an arrival as rapturous as this before.

Ever.

For the many of us to whom Dolan's anything but a stranger, this comes as no surprise.

And to think, it's only just beginning... indeed, canonically speaking, it hasn't even begun yet.

That, of course, comes a little after 2 this afternoon -- don't forget your worship aid and webstreams.

With Gov. David Patterson -- the nation's most-prominent African-American Catholic -- expected to introduce a bill permitting same-sex marriage in New York state as early as tomorrow, today's 10am press conference might just be even more interesting than it would've been before.

As always, more after it happens. In the meantime, though, fullvideo of last night's Vespers has been posted for on-demand viewing, courtesy of the great folks at Boston's CatholicTV.

Montreal Cardinal: "I am against abortion, but I can understand that in certain cases, there is no other choice than to practice it."

By Tim Waggoner

MONTREAL, April 14, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Over the Easter weekend, Le Devoir newspaper published a story based on an interview with Cardinal Jean-Claude Turcotte of Montreal, during which the Cardinal contradicted the teachings of Catholic Church on abortion and condoms.

In the interview Cardinal Turcotte, as quoted by Le Devoir, compared abortion to killing in self-defense, effectively equating the unborn child with a violent aggressor. "Personally, I am against murder," he said, "but can understand that sometimes, when someone is being attacked, they need to kill someone in self-defense. I am against abortion, but I can understand that in certain cases, there is no other choice than to practice it."

Turcotte made the comments in the context of addressing the announcement of the excommunication of those involved in the abortion of the twins of a nine-year-old Brazilian girl. He called the move by Brazilian Archbishop Cardoso of Recife, who had announced the excommunication, a "clumsy move."

Turcotte had also criticized the excommunications earlier, in a statement released in March, in which he said that the situation in Brazil called for a more "evangelical" approach.

Turcotte had said he was "pleased" to learn that the bishops' conference of Brazil had distanced themselves from their fellow in Recife.

During the recent interview, Turcotte also addressed the controversy over Pope Benedict's remark against condoms during his recent trip to Africa. According to Cardinal Turcotte, it would be "ridiculous" to suggest that the Pope said condoms should not be used.

"Essentially, the pope said that it took two things to fight this disease, the means, but also a change of mentality. He pronounced this sentence to show that condoms were not in and of themselves the perfect solution; we took his words out of context and all this was largely amplified," said Cardinal Turcotte.

"As if the pope had said that condoms should not be used. This is ridiculous! When someone has AIDS, it is his or her responsibility to protect the people with whom he or she has intercourse."

‘Orthodox’ Catholics more hopeful about future of Church, poll finds

Syracuse, N.Y., Apr 15, 2009 / 08:32 am (CNA).- A new poll shows that American Catholics are generally optimistic about the future of their Church, with self-described “Orthodox” Catholics tending to be more hopeful and more churchgoing than self-described “Progressive” Catholics. The results come from the Spring 2009 Le Moyne-Zogby Contemporary Catholic Trends (CCT) survey, which polled 3,812 randomly sampled members of the Zogby Interactive Panel between Feb. 23 and 25. Respondents included 767 Catholics, who described themselves in a variety of ways.

Twenty percent of Catholic respondents described themselves as Progressive, while 11 percent chose Orthodox as a descriptor. Seven percent said they were Evangelical, four percent said they were Fundamentalist, and three percent said they were Born-Again.

Among all Catholic respondents, 36 percent said they were very optimistic and 37 percent said they were somewhat optimistic about the Church’s future. Eighteen percent were somewhat pessimistic, with only five percent being very pessimistic.

According to Zogby, “Progressive” Catholic respondents were the most likely to be pessimistic, with 36 percent being somewhat pessimistic and four percent being very pessimistic about the future of the Church.

Among the “Orthodox” Catholics, six percent were somewhat pessimistic, while only one percent was very pessimistic.

Concerning Mass attendance, 63 percent of “Progressive” Catholics attend less than once per month, while 79 percent of the “Orthodox” attend Mass at least once a month. Nineteen percent of “Progressives” attend Mass weekly or more often, while 65 percent of the “Orthodox” attend that frequently.

About 64 percent of all Catholic respondents said the Sacraments were very important to their faith, while 23 percent said they were somewhat important. Another 61 percent said the Church’s concern for the poor was very important, with another 29 percent saying it was somewhat important.

Around 81 percent of all Catholics said teachings about Mary as the Mother of God are somewhat or very important to their faith.

Concerning the priesthood, only 36 percent of respondents said it is somewhat or very important to their faith that the priesthood should be all male, while 32 percent said it is somewhat or very important that the priesthood remain celibate.

Sixty nine percent of the “Orthodox” Catholics believed an all-male priesthood is somewhat or very important, while only six percent of “Progressives” felt it is important to their faith.

Dr. Matthew Loveland, principal investigator of the CCT project, commented on the poll results in an April 9 Zogby press release:

"These numbers remind us that news headlines are only part of the Catholic religious experience. When asked to reflect on the Church, I expect that most people think of their personal religious lives, not the national headlines. Religion is experienced, most vividly, in the parish and the family. In fact, 76% of respondents said that family connections are an important aspect of their faith. So, to me, these numbers suggest that most Catholics are satisfied with their personal religious lives."

"Yes We Can," Cathedral Style
As the Appointed One was led to his chair and sat in it for the first time, clearly visible a couple feet away was a cassocked cleric's raised, clenched fist.

No doubt about it, that was The Gesture of the Night.

More in the morning... but for everyone wanting to know the identity of the mysterious lead MC, standing closest to Tim Dolan was no Gothamite nor Milwaukeean, but his high school lockermate and best friend ever since, Msgr Dennis Delaney of St Louis.

Now a pastor in the Gateway City and former rector of Kenrick-Glennon Seminary there, Delaney spent the days before the Big Apple appointment holed up with his pal as the weeklong storm of pre-announcement rumors ground two archdioceses to an effective halt.

Between his lockermate, his "spiritual mother," the B12 shout-out to his new "younger brothers" that began to rouse a demoralized presbyterate, the flood of friends all in from across the globe -- and, of course, his "dear Mom" front and center, 50 other relatives in tow -- the evening was, stem to stern, a family affair... one where the favorite son got a round of applause in the St Pat's pulpit simply on appearing in it.

Lest anyone's curious, no on-demand video's materialized just yet, but you'll have it as soon as it does... Meanwhile, the flip-side brings a 10am presser then, of course, the Main Event four hours later.

Stay tuned for it all, and hope you're enjoying the feed while you do.

URBI ET ORBI MESSAGE
OF HIS HOLINESS
POPE BENEDICT XVI

EASTER 2009

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Rome and throughout the world,

From the depths of my heart, I wish all of you a blessed Easter. To quote Saint Augustine, “Resurrectio Domini, spes nostra – the resurrection of the Lord is our hope” (Sermon 261:1). With these words, the great Bishop explained to the faithful that Jesus rose again so that we, though destined to die, should not despair, worrying that with death life is completely finished; Christ is risen to give us hope (cf. ibid.).

Indeed, one of the questions that most preoccupies men and women is this: what is there after death? To this mystery today’s solemnity allows us to respond that death does not have the last word, because Life will be victorious at the end. This certainty of ours is based not on simple human reasoning, but on a historical fact of faith: Jesus Christ, crucified and buried, is risen with his glorified body. Jesus is risen so that we too, believing in him, may have eternal life. This proclamation is at the heart of the Gospel message. As Saint Paul vigorously declares: “If Christ has not been raised, our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain.” He goes on to say: “If for this life only we have hoped in Christ, we are of all men most to be pitied” (1 Cor 15:14,19). Ever since the dawn of Easter a new Spring of hope has filled the world; from that day forward our resurrection has begun, because Easter does not simply signal a moment in history, but the beginning of a new condition: Jesus is risen not because his memory remains alive in the hearts of his disciples, but because he himself lives in us, and in him we can already savour the joy of eternal life.

The resurrection, then, is not a theory, but a historical reality revealed by the man Jesus Christ by means of his “Passover”, his “passage”, that has opened a “new way” between heaven and earth (cf. Heb 10:20). It is neither a myth nor a dream, it is not a vision or a utopia, it is not a fairy tale, but it is a singular and unrepeatable event: Jesus of Nazareth, son of Mary, who at dusk on Friday was taken down from the Cross and buried, has victoriously left the tomb. In fact, at dawn on the first day after the Sabbath, Peter and John found the tomb empty. Mary Magdalene and the other women encountered the risen Jesus. On the way to Emmaus the two disciples recognized him at the breaking of the bread. The Risen One appeared to the Apostles that evening in the Upper Room and then to many other disciples in Galilee.

The proclamation of the Lord’s Resurrection lightens up the dark regions of the world in which we live. I am referring particularly to materialism and nihilism, to a vision of the world that is unable to move beyond what is scientifically verifiable, and retreats cheerlessly into a sense of emptiness which is thought to be the definitive destiny of human life. It is a fact that if Christ had not risen, the “emptiness” would be set to prevail. If we take away Christ and his resurrection, there is no escape for man, and every one of his hopes remains an illusion. Yet today is the day when the proclamation of the Lord’s resurrection vigorously bursts forth, and it is the answer to the recurring question of the sceptics, that we also find in the book of Ecclesiastes: “Is there a thing of which it is said, ‘See, this is new’?” (Ec 1:10). We answer, yes: on Easter morning, everything was renewed. “Mors et vita, duello conflixere mirando: dux vitae mortuus, regnat vivus – Death and life have come face to face in a tremendous duel: the Lord of life was dead, but now he lives triumphant.” This is what is new! A newness that changes the lives of those who accept it, as in the case of the saints. This, for example, is what happened to Saint Paul.

Many times, in the context of the Pauline year, we have had occasion to meditate on the experience of the great Apostle. Saul of Tarsus, the relentless persecutor ofChristians, encountered the risen Christ on the road to Damascus, and was “conquered” by him. The rest we know. In Paul there occurred what he would later write about to the Christians of Corinth: “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has passed away, behold, the new has come” (2 Cor 5:17). Let us look at this great evangelizer, who with bold enthusiasm and apostolic zeal brought the Gospel to many different peoples in the world of that time. Let his teaching and example inspire us to go in search of the Lord Jesus. Let them encourage us to trust him, because that sense of emptiness, which tends to intoxicate humanity, has been overcome by the light and the hope that emanate from the resurrection. The words of the Psalm have truly been fulfilled: “Darkness is not darkness for you, and the night is as clear as the day” (Ps 139 [138]:12). It is no longer emptiness that envelops all things, but the loving presence of God. The very reign of death has been set free, because the Word of life has even reached the “underworld”, carried by the breath of the Spirit (v. 8).

If it is true that death no longer has power over man and over the world, there still remain very many, in fact too many signs of its former dominion. Even if through Easter, Christ has destroyed the root of evil, he still wants the assistance of men and women in every time and place who help him to affirm his victory using his own weapons: the weapons of justice and truth, mercy, forgiveness and love. This is the message which, during my recent Apostolic Visit to Cameroon and Angola, I wanted to convey to the entire African continent, where I was welcomed with such great enthusiasm and readiness to listen. Africa suffers disproportionately from the cruel and unending conflicts, often forgotten, that are causing so much bloodshed and destruction in several of her nations, and from the growing number of her sons and daughters who fall prey to hunger, poverty and disease. I shall repeat the same message emphatically in the Holy Land, to which I shall have the joy of travelling in a few weeks from now. Reconciliation – difficult, but indispensable – is a precondition for a future of overall security and peaceful coexistence, and it can only be achieved through renewed, persevering and sincere efforts to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. My thoughts move outwards from the Holy Land to neighbouring countries, to the Middle East, to the whole world. At a time of world food shortage, of financial turmoil, of old and new forms of poverty, of disturbing climate change, of violence and deprivation which force many to leave their homelands in search of a less precarious form of existence, of the ever-present threat of terrorism, of growing fears over the future, it is urgent to rediscover grounds for hope. Let no one draw back from this peaceful battle that has been launched by Christ’s Resurrection. For as I said earlier, Christ is looking for men and women who will help him to affirm his victory using his own weapons: the weapons of justice and truth, mercy, forgiveness and love.

Resurrectio Domini, spes nostra! The resurrection of Christ is our hope! This the Church proclaims today with joy. She announces the hope that is now firm and invincible because God has raised Jesus Christ from the dead. She communicates the hope that she carries in her heart and wishes to share with all people in every place, especially where Christians suffer persecution because of their faith and their commitment to justice and peace. She invokes the hope that can call forth the courage to do good, even when it costs, especially when it costs. Today the Church sings “the day that the Lord has made”, and she summons people to joy. Today the Church calls in prayer upon Mary, Star of Hope, asking her to guide humanity towards the safe haven of salvation which is the heart of Christ, the paschal Victim, the Lamb who has “redeemed the world”, the Innocent one who has “reconciled us sinners with the Father”. To him, our victorious King, to him who is crucified and risen, we sing out with joy our Alleluia!

Daring rescue of ship's captain leaves Vermont parish overjoyed

By Chaz Muth
Catholic News Service

WASHINGTON (CNS) -- When news of the bold liberation of U.S. Capt. Richard Phillips from the grip of pirates off the coast of Somalia filtered through his Vermont Catholic parish April 12, members of his church community felt like their Easter prayers had been answered.

"We're so happy that it turned out the way that it did," said Donna Schaeffler, secretary of St. Thomas Church in Underhill Center, Vt., the parish where Phillips, 53, and his wife, Andrea, regularly attend Mass.

"There is so much media here and we're trying to give the Phillipses their privacy, but we've been praying at Mass for his safe release," Schaeffler told Catholic News Service April 13 in a telephone interview.

"Our pastor (Father Charles R. Danielson) also asked everyone to pray for the Phillipses during the Easter morning Mass. We were just so happy to hear the news of his rescue later in the day," she said.

Phillips allowed himself to be taken hostage by four pirates who tried to seize the U.S.-flagged Maersk Alabama April 7 in the Indian Ocean, in order to keep the crew of the 17-ton ship safe.

He was detained by his armed captors on one of the ship's lifeboats for five days. U.S. naval forces surrounded the small boat, and Navy snipers fired three shots to kill a trio of Somali pirates and free the American sea captain, a Navy commander told The Associated Press April 13.

The fourth pirate, who had been aboard the USS Bainbridge for negotiations about the captain's release, surrendered and could face life in a U.S. prison, the AP reported.

President Barack Obama, who told the AP he was pleased with the rescue, said Phillips' courage was "a model for all Americans."

The White House had authorized the Navy to take action to resolve the five-day standoff.

Father Danielson told CNS he prayed with Phillips' wife privately at the couple's Underhill Center home the day before the dramatic rescue, and spoke to "excited and overjoyed" family members April 12 after he learned the captain was safe.

The U.S. sea captain told news reporters shortly after his rescue that he was not a hero, and praised the Navy SEALs for their efforts in securing his freedom.

Bishop Salvatore R. Matano of Burlington, Vt. -- who spoke with a member of the Phillips family April 11 and plans to have a face-to-face meeting with them after they are reunited with the captain -- said this ordeal has reminded Catholics all over Vermont how much they need the peace that Easter brings.

"I'm sure the Phillips family understands that wonderful peace since their horrible ordeal is over," Bishop Matano said. "They realize the peace of Easter and we hope that continues."

The event that unfolded for the family and citizens of Vermont has helped locals focus on tragedies all over the world and reminded them to pray for the safe return of members of the military serving in war-torn regions around the planet, he told CNS April 13.

"It's been a real eye-opener, I'll tell you that," Father Danielson told CNS in a telephone interview. "An event like this really humanizes the news. It really brings home that the faces of people in the news belong to real human beings. It's someone in your parish, in your community, and we're hoping and praying for the best."

The ordeal has also shown the priest, who has been pastor of St. Thomas since last July, that he has a faith community of people who really care about one another, pray for each other and band together in difficult times.

"This is a small community and everyone here has been concerned," Schaeffler told CNS. "Our office has been flooded with phone messages and e-mails from people who have expressed their well-wishes to Capt. Phillips and his family. When things settle down, I'll make sure they get these messages."

END

Happy Easter: The Tomb Is Empty!
4/11/2009

Catholic Online (www.catholic.org)
Life reigns. Death dies, dealt a fatal blow at the hands of the Warrior of love. Nothing can separate us from that Love incarnated in the Crucified, Risen Son of the True and Living God. Alleluia!

On the first day of the week, Mary of Magdala came to the tomb early in the morning, while it was still dark, and saw the stone removed from the tomb. (John 20)

CHESAPEAKE, VA (Catholic Online) - The tomb is empty. Death could not contain the One who poured Himself out in Love. The light floods the once dark cave and fills the entire world with hope. The debt has been paid, the last enemy death has been defeated, hell has been conquered, the captives have been liberated, love has triumphed and heavens gates have been opened wide. He is Alive and all those who stand at the Altar of the Cross, believing in His promise, shall live forever in Him.

The tomb is empty.

There is a glorified Resurrected Savior, now seated at the right hand of the Father, holding the place He has prepared for each of us. His wounds are glorified now, beautiful, streaming the light of grace upon an earth being reborn, revealing the depth of His love and the Hope that springs eternal. Through taking on our very humanity, He did for us what we could never have done for ourselves. He "who knew no sin" walked in the perfect obedience of the Son and bridged the gap between the Father and the sons and daughters who had rejected His invitation to communion, through the offering of His own Body on the altar of the Cross. And now, He lives no more to die!

The tomb is empty.

Through His passion, His obedience unto death, and His Resurrection, He welcomes us into the very inner life of the Trinity. In Him we make our home in God. In His sacred humanity He transforms the entire human experience. He invites us to live differently and shows us the path to peace, this way of the fullness of life now and eternal glory in the new world to come. The veil of the tabernacle has been torn. His flesh has become the bridge between heaven and earth. He has opened eternity to all who were bound by the chains of time. He has clothed in glorious freedom those once wrapped in the grave clothes of death. He has given eternal purpose to the sheep who had wandered aimlessly in empty self pursuits.

The tomb is empty.

The whole world, created through Him, is now re-created in Him. We see our lives differently as we open ourselves to His Spirit and allow Him to replace our finite vision with the eyes of eternal perspective. Our feet become shod with the hope of the Good News as we walk the journey of faith following in His train. His redemptive mission continues through us to a world waiting to be born anew. He walks through time in His Body on earth, His church; the world reconciled. He invites all men and women to follow Him. For these who are born again through the waters of Baptism every tomorrow is filled with hope.

The tomb is empty

We can find the purpose of eternity revealed in the temporal realities of every today. The real "stuff" of our mundane daily lives becomes the ingredients of our own sanctification; the materials out of which the new creation is fashioned anew around us. The materials have not changed; we have, because He lives now in us and we in Him. There is nothing we face alone, no tomorrow that is not redeemed and made new in the timeless One, who, out of endless, eternal, unquenchable love, came into time to redeem and transform it.

The tomb is empty

Life for a Christian is not circular but linear. It is always moving forward to fulfillment in Him. There is a beginning - and an end - which is but a new beginning in the One who is Himself both the Beginning and the End. Time unfolds into eternity in Him who has entered time and transformed it by His life, death and Resurrection. That Glorious Day, understood by the Church as the first day of the new creation, that Day that the early Christians called the "Eighth Day"; is now upon us. It is the portal to eternity. He is the firstborn, the first-fruits of a new creation and is making all things new now, within us and around us.

The tomb is empty.

The ground upon which He breathed and formed our first brother Adam, the ground upon which He walked and into which they placed His sacred, lifeless Body, has opened wide. It could not contain Him. He Rose victorious from the dead! "Be not afraid" He now cries out causing the stones to burst forth in our own lives. "Be gone" He commands as he shines the light that dispels all the darkness! "Now since the children share in blood and flesh, he likewise shared in them, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and free those who through fear of death had been subject to slavery all their life. (Hebrews 2:14-15)".

The tomb is empty

Life reigns. Death dies, dealt a fatal blow at the hands of the Warrior of love. Through sin, death came into the world, and now through the Sinless One it has been vanquished. No longer an enemy it is a friend, an ally, to those who live their lives in the One who has been raised. No longer an end it becomes a new beginning for all who hide their lives in His wounded side and live their lives forever joined to Him. Nothing can separate us from that Love incarnated in the Crucified, Risen Son of the True and Living God.

The tomb is empty

When we embrace the implications of that empty tomb we begin to live in eternity, even now. We understand that He holds the future - our future and the future of this whole world that He still loves- in those wounded, glorified hands. The events that we remembered and celebrated during these Holy Days provide a lens, a "hermeneutic" of meaning for everything that happens in our daily lives. Even suffering and loss have beauty and irreplaceable value - redemptive, life transforming value- when we choose to follow the One who has been raised. The world is bathed in the newness of Easter.

Happy Easter. The tomb is empty.

An Easter Sermon from St. John Chrysostom
4/11/2009

Catholic Online (www.catholic.org)
St. John Chrysostom - whose name means "golden tongue" - was a great preacher from the fourth century. His words have lived on throughout the history of the Church.

WASHINGTON (Catholic Online) - As Easter Sermon from St. John Chrysostom:

Is there anyone who is a devout lover of God? Let them enjoy this beautiful bright festival! Is there anyone who is a grateful servant? Let them rejoice and enter into the joy of their Lord!

Are there any weary with fasting? Let them now receive their wages! If any have toiled from the first hour, let them receive their due reward; If any have come after the third hour, let him with gratitude join in the Feast!

And he that arrived after the sixth hour, let him not doubt; for he too shall sustain no loss. And if any delayed until the ninth hour, let him not hesitate; but let him come too. And he who arrived only at the eleventh hour, let him not be afraid by reason of his delay.

For the Lord is gracious and receives the last even as the first. He gives rest to him that comes at the eleventh hour, as well as to him that toiled from the first. To this one He gives, and upon another He bestows. He accepts the works as He greets the endeavor. The deed He honors and the intention He commends.

Let us all enter into the joy of the Lord! First and last alike receive your reward; rich and poor, rejoice together! Sober and slothful, celebrate the day!

You that have kept the fast, and you that have not, rejoice today for the Table is richly laden! Feast royally on it, the calf is a fatted one. Let no one go away hungry. Partake, all, of the cup of faith. Enjoy all the riches of His goodness!

Let no one grieve at his poverty, for the universal kingdom has been revealed. Let no one mourn that he has fallen again and again; for forgiveness has risen from the grave. Let no one fear death, for the Death of our Savior has set us free. He has destroyed it by enduring it.

He destroyed Hades when He descended into it. He put it into an uproar even as it tasted of His flesh. Isaias foretold this when he said, "You, O Hell, have been troubled by encountering Him below."

Hell was in an uproar because it was done away with.
It was in an uproar because it is mocked.
It was in an uproar, for it is destroyed.
It is in an uproar, for it is annihilated.
It is in an uproar, for it is now made captive.
Hell took a body, and discovered God.
It took earth, and encountered Heaven.
It took what it saw, and was overcome by what it did not see.
O death, where is thy sting?
O Hades, where is thy victory?

Christ is Risen, and you, O death, are annihilated!
Christ is Risen, and the evil ones are cast down!
Christ is Risen, and the angels rejoice!
Christ is Risen, and life is liberated!
Christ is Risen, and the tomb is emptied of its dead; for Christ having risen from the dead, is become the first-fruits of those who have fallen asleep.

To Him be Glory and Power forever and ever. Amen!

Christ is risen!

The Resurrection of the Lord
The Paschal Vigil of the Holy Night

Christ is risen!
Christ is risen!
Christ is risen!

This is the night Eucharistic above all others!
This is the night of the Great Thanksgiving,
the Eucharist of glory,
for Christ is risen!

Wrapped in light as in a robe (Ps 103:2),
He has gone into the sanctuary, passed beyond the veil (cf. Heb 6:19).
Christ is risen!

Enveloped now in the bright cloud of the Spirit,
He stands, our priest before the Father,
forever alive, forever life-giving,
"holy, blameless, unstained,
separated from sinners, exalted above the heavens!" (Heb 7:26)
Christ is risen!

This is of all Eucharists the brightest:
the nocturnal Eucharist by which every night is claimed for the light.
This is night of burning hearts and broken bread,
the night of the cup that overflows!
Christ is risen!

David sings the mystery
and the Church takes up his song!
This is the night foretold in prophecy:
"And the night shall be enlightened as the day;
and the night is my light and my delight" (Ps 138:12),
for Christ is risen!

1. In the beginning the heavens were splayed across the void
and the fabric of creation was woven by His hands:
a veil translucent upon the face of the earth,
finely woven that through it we might glimpse His glory!
Christ is risen!

In the beginning He made man in His image, in His likeness.
From the dust Adam emerged, facing the splendour of His glory:
the creature reflecting as in a mirror
the Uncreated Beauty from which all beauty springs.

Great was Adam's grief,
terrible the laments of Eve,
when before their darkened eyes
descended the veil opaque and heavy,
the veil that they, by their sin, had pulled down hard and fast
like a window shade in time of war!
But now the long blackout of history is ended,
for Christ is risen!

"Look, my darling Eve," says ancient Adam
in a creaking voice that has forgotten how to sing,
"is that the light of God I see?"
Behold, the peace of paradise,
for Christ is risen!
Shredded are the shades of night!
Sprung from their hinges the gates of the netherworld!
Unchained the chains, unbolted the bolts!
Christ is risen!

Eve, all bent earthward, stooped with the weight of the ages,
lifts her old gray head as if to examine the fruit on a branch,
then, leaning on her walking stick older than time
-- Adam had cut it for her from the tree --
straightens her crooked back,
and opens her mouth to say:
Christ is risen!

He enters, the Warrior returned from battle,
the King covered with victory,
the Bridegroom "all radiant and ruddy,
distinguished among ten thousand" (Ct 5:10),
for Christ is risen!

2. Behold, the Ram caught in a thicket of thorns!
Behold, the gentle Lamb bound and laid upon the wood!
Behold, the Victim for the Altar!
Behold, the Offering in Love's Undying Flame consumed!
Christ is risen!

Isaac, wide-eyed, looking on,
remembers well the day he was bound fast
and laid upon the altar
by his father's trembling and tender hand.
He remembers the flash of the blade above his head
and, out of heaven, the voice:
"Abraham! Abraham! You have not withheld your son,
your only-begotten son from me!" (cf. Gen 22: 11-12).
"Oh, Father, now I see!
It is as you said:
'God Himself will provide the Lamb, my son,'
for Christ is risen!"

3. Moses, wakened from his sleep,
shuffles out to see the sight,
brooding, grumbling as he goes.
"After forty years of leading them,
the stiff-necked, fickle, dull-witted lot,
could they not at least let a man retired take his rest!
And why that ringing of bells and tambourines?
Would not a slap of the clapper do?"
Not for a minute, my Lord Moses,
for Christ is risen!"

"Could they not have called on Joshua
to see whatever this marvel may be?
I, after all, have seen it all:
the plagues and the parting of the sea,
the pillar of cloud and the pillar of fire,
the rush of the waters, the fright of the steeds,
chariots sinking in the mud and Egyptians dead upon the shore!"
(He does not yet know that -- Christ is risen!)

Then he sees Him whom once he knew,
the Friend with whom he spoke face to face (cf. Ex 33:11),
the Glory whose trail of splendour
he spied from the cleft of the rock (cf. Ex 33:22),
the Beloved Son who woke him briefly not so long ago
to converse with Him and with Elijah
of another exodus, His! (cf. Lk 28:31).
Christ is risen!

Behold Him now, more beautiful than on the heights of Thabor!
Then, "His face shone like the sun,
and his garments became white as light" (Mt 17:2),
but now, there are no words to describe him,
for Christ is risen!

4. He comes, the Lover back from combat,
with shining shards of ruby brightness
slashing through his hands and feet!
"His head is the finest gold;
his locks are wavy,
black as a raven" (Ct 5:11),
and across his forehead
a ring of cut diamonds, an incision of stars!
Christ is risen!

"Your Maker is your Husband,
the Lord of Hosts is His Name!"
Christ is risen!
"Fear not, for you will not be ashamed" (Is 54:4),
for Christ is risen!

"'I hid my Face from you' (Is 54:8), it is true,
shroud and veil covered me,
a stone, the seal upon my tomb,
but now my Face unveiled would be your feast,
your tabernacle, your paradise.
Christ is risen!

There is but a lattice of hope between us,
or the membrane of a living faith stretched taut
and wholly penetrable to love.
Christ is risen!

5. If you are parched, come to the waters!
If you have no money, come all the same!
Tonight is the festival of the destitute,
the homecoming of the wanderer,
the hospitality of the heavens thrown open to the earth!
For Christ is risen!

Tonight there is water in abundance,
for feet and hands and face and head!
A cascade of jewels for the Bride of Christ,
Splashing wetness on the pavement,
bringing a thrill to every thirsting heart,
for Christ is risen!

Tonight, for our lips, there is something sweeter than honey!
Tonight there is a Chalice brimming with the fruit of the vine!
Tonight there is Bread from heaven to strengthen every heart,
supersubstantial, and having within it all delight,
for Christ is risen!

"Ah," I hear you say, "my fasting was not all it could have been,
and, often, from abstinence I abstained!
My penitence was paltry,
and my prayer-time bound to the miserly measure of the clock!
In giving alms I was stiff-necked and stingy,
and when I tried to bend my mind to the Scriptures
it was my feeble head that bent in sleep!
This feast, I fear, is not for me!"
Nonsense! For Christ is risen!

Tonight all is given away:
pardon for sinners,
healing for the sick,
laughter for weepers,
a song for the sullen,
and for those who have nothing -- everything!
Christ is risen!

Tonight no one gets what he deserves!
Each one gets what he has not earned:
"What no eye has seen, nor ear heard,
nor the heart of man conceived,
what God has prepared for those who love Him" (1 Cor 2:9),
for Christ is risen!

6. Tonight the stars shine in their watches and are glad (Bar 3:34),
sparks of fire hurled into the murky vastness,
an incandescent train for the King of Glory!
Christ is risen!

Tonight, for the foolish there is wisdom!
Tonight, for the weak there is strength!
Tonight, for the simple there is understanding!
Christ is risen!

Tonight, for the uncertain there is discernment!
Tonight, for the anxious there is length of days and life!
Tonight, for the blind there is light!
Tonight, for the battle-scarred and weary there is peace,
for Christ is risen!

7. Tonight, there is a bath to wash away every defilement!
Tonight, there is a cleansing from every uncleanness!
Tonight, every idol comes crashing down!
Tonight, there is a mystical infusion of purity in our inmost parts,
for Christ is risen!

This is the night of the new heart.
This is the night of the new spirit.
This is the night of hearts of stone
exchanged for hearts of flesh (cf. Ez 36:26),
for Christ is risen!

Tonight the panting deer arrives at flowing streams!
Tonight she who puts no limits on her desire
is held fast in the embrace of a Love without limits!
Christ is risen!

Tonight he who has followed his heart's whispering,
-- "Seek His Face" --
feasts, like Simon, on the Face of His Lord,
for Christ is risen!

8. After Moses, after David and the Prophets,
the Apostle draws a breath and speaks:
"Consider yourselves," he said, "dead to sin" (Rom 6:11).
"Dead?" you say, fearful and astonished.
"Dead," he says. "No other way.
-- And alive to God in Christ Jesus" (cf. Rom 6:11).
Christ is risen!

Die then, tonight, die dead to all that is old,
die dead to all that is decayed,
die dead to all that will not rise to join the dance,
for Christ is risen!

9. Mary Magdalene and the other Mary
ran before us to the tomb!
The earth shook and shifted, jumped and heaved!
"What cosmic dance is this?" they asked,
as over rocks and rills they sped,
while beneath their feet the road to His tomb
cracked like the shells of Easter eggs!
Christ is risen!

And then they saw it all:
the gracious Angel seated on the stone,
dazzling brightness,
blinding whiteness,
guards, first shaking like leaves in the breeze,
and then stiff as dead men for fear!

"Do not be afraid;
for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified.
He is not here, for he has risen as he said.
Come see the place where he lay" (Mt 28:6).
Christ is risen!

To them it was announced, yes,
but the Mother . . . the Mother already knew!
She, the first in this night, as in the night of Bethlehem,
to behold the Human Face of God!
Christ is risen!

Christ is risen that we, going to the altar in this most holy night,
might see His Face shining beneath the sacramental veils!
Christ is risen that we, like so many mirrors lifted high to catch the light,
might dispel the darkness within and without!
Christ is risen that hope may triumph in every heart, in every place!

Christ is risen to go before us:
our Brother to the Father,
our Priest to the Altar.
our Saviour to the world!

Christ is risen!
Christ is risen!
Christ is risen!