Saint Andrew the "first-called" apostle - Family Visit - Confirmations, École Étoile de l'Est

Today the Church celebrates the Apostle Andrew, according to the Gospel of John the first to be called by name to follow Jesus (1:35-40); he went to call his brother Simon, who was renamed Peter by Our Lord (1:41-42).

Just as the Latin Church of Rome celebrates Peter and Paul, martyred there, the Greek Orthodox Church of Constantinople specially honours Peter's brother Andrew.  On this day, a delegation from Rome exchanges greetings with the Ecumenical Patriarchate in Istanbul, as, on June 29, Rome receives fraternal delegates from the East.

Saint André, apôtre, Patron de l’Ecosse et de la Russie

André vient du grec Andreas qui signifie « viril, beau, courageux ». Seuls les évangiles synoptiques en font mention à quelques reprises, sa ns satisfaire vraiment notre curiosité…

Saint Marc inaugure la prédication de Jésus par l’appel des deux premiers disciples : Simon et André, son frère, alors qu’ils étaient en train de jeter leurs filets à la mer (Mc. 1, 16-18). Ils habitent à Capharnaüm, où Jésus, sortant de la synagogue, s’en vient guérir la belle mère de Simon dans leur maison (Mc. 1, 29). Selon Marc, André est l’un des quatre qui avec Pierre, Jacques et Jean, questionnent Jésus sur la destruction du Temple (Mc.13, 3-4).

Saint Matthieu reprend le récit de Marc. Jésus appelle Pierre et André ensemble au moment où ils sont en train de jeter leurs filets dans la mer. Ils le suivent sans tarder (Mt. 4, 18-20). Saint Luc mentionne André parmi les douze que Jésus choisit parmi les disciples après avoir prié dans la montagne. Pour lui, pas d’ordre chronologique dans l’appel. (Lc 6, 12-16). Ce qui importe, c’est leur mission. Luc les appelle : Apôtres ; « envoyés » pour porter la bonne nouvelle à tous.

Saint Jean nous donne davantage de détails sur la naissance de sa vocation. Disciple de Jean Baptiste, il serait le premier appelé (« protoclite », selon le nom grec dont l’honore l’Eglise Byzantine). Au passage de Jésus, le Baptiste le désigne comme « L’Agneau de Dieu ».

Aussitôt, à l’écoute de cette annonce, André et un autre disciple, probablement Jean, suivent Jésus. Par une question, ce dernier éveille leur désir profond : « Rabbi, où demeures-tu » ? Jésus alors les invite à demeurer auprès de lui : « Venez et voyez ». Rencontre, communion sur lesquelles l’évangéliste garde le silence. Dans son enthousiasme d’avoir trouvé le Messie, André s’empresse dès le lendemain de partager son expérience à son frère Simon qu’il amène à Jésus. Comme Philippe, André et Simon sont originaires de Bethsaïde en Galilée au nord du lac de Tibériade (Jn. 1, 40-42).

Lors de la multiplication des pains (Jn. 6, 8-9), la foi de l’apôtre est mise à l’épreuve. Cependant, il fait confiance et présente au Seigneur l’offrande du pauvre, d’un enfant muni de cinq pains d’orge et de deux poissons. Avec Philippe il servira de médiateur entre les Grecs qui veulent voir Jésus et le Seigneur (Jn. 12,20-22). Déjà le voilà rempli de zèle missionnaire, comme au lendemain de la Pentecôte. C’est cet aspect de la personnalité d’André, l’un des quatre colonnes de la première communauté, que l’évangéliste met en avant dans les récits le concernant.

En dehors des récits évangéliques, nous n’avons plus de traces écrites de l’apostolat de saint André. Après la Pentecôte, chacun des apôtres partit évangéliser une partie du monde connu. Selon des sources difficiles à vérifier, André serait parti vers la Mer Noire, l’Asie Mineure, la Thrace, la Macédoine et plus au nord notamment l’Ukraine, la Roumanie, la Bulgarie, parcourant également la Turquie, la Géorgie et la Russie. Il serait remonté le long du Dniepr, de Kiev jusque Novgorod.

Sur le chemin de retour, en Turquie, il convertit les habitants de la petite ville de Byzance. Il y fonda une Eglise dédiée à la Mère de Dieu et y établit Stachys, l’un des septante disciples, comme évêque après lui. Grâce à André et Pierre, les deux frères, un lien s’établit entre l’Eglise de Rome et celle de Byzance, appelée Constantinople par la suite, et Istanbul aujourd’hui.

Selon la tradition, il arriva ensuite à Patras, en Achaïe, où il fut martyrisé sous l’empereur Néron en 60. Le proconsul du lieu, Egée, refusa d’entendre la bonne nouvelle de l’Evangile et ordonna de le fixer par des cordes à une croix, afin que sa mort fût plus lente. Il y demeura attaché pendant trois jours, annonçant l’évangile du haut de sa croix. Puis, il pria ainsi : « Accueille-moi, mon Maître, ô Christ, que j’ai aimé, que j’ai connu, que je désire voir….Reçois mon âme, Seigneur Jésus-Christ ».

En 1462, le pape Pie II reçut d’Orient le crâne du saint. Il fut placé dans la Basilique Saint Pierre avec son frère. En septembre 1964, le pape Paul VI créait la surprise en restituant à l'église de Patras, en Grèce, le chef de saint André. Geste d'amitié et de fraternité à l'égard de l'Église orthodoxe grecque et de son patriarche. (Interface n° e-87 Septembre 2002- J.Siat et P .Fransen)

La liste des patriarches de Constantinople cite l’apôtre André comme fondateur de l’Eglise de Constantinople en 38, suivi par l’apôtre Stachys. L’actuel patriarche Bartholomée est le 270me successeur de saint André.

En Angleterre, environ sept cents églises sont mises sous le patronage de saint André. En France, il vient de suite après les saints Pierre et Paul. C’est dire l’impact qu’il a eu aussi en Occident malgré l’absence de documents écrits.

La croix de saint André. Lors de sa visite auprès du patriarche Bartholomée en 2006, Benoît XVI déclara : « Une tradition successive, comme nous l’avons mentionné, raconte la mort d’André à Patras, où il subit lui aussi le supplice de la crucifixion. Cependant, au moment suprême, de manière semblable à son frère Pierre, il demanda à être placé sur une croix différente de celle de Jésus.

Dans son cas, il s’agit d’une croix décussée, c’est-à-dire dont le croisement transversal est incliné, qui fut donc appelée « croix de saint André ».

Sources : Vie des saints et bienheureux – RR PP Bénédictins de Paris – Letouzey et Ané – Paris – 1954 ; Catholicisme – Hier - Aujourd’hui- Demain – Letouzey et Ané – Paris - 1948

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We humbly implore your majesty, O Lord, that just as as the blessed Apostle Andrew was for your Church a preacher and pastor, so he may be for us a constant intercessor before you. Through our Lord.

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Family Visit

On Saturday, I joined my brother Vince and his wife Barbara, their daughter Patricia, son-in-law Peter Lawson and granddaughter Katie (Catherine) for a pre-Advent/Christmas luncheon of fish and chips in the Byward Market:

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Confirmations - Étoile de l'Est

Samedi matin, j’ai présidé la célébration du sacrement de la Confirmation pour les élèves de l’École Étoile de l’Est, Paroisse St. Joseph d’Orléans.  

Voici quelques photos :

ADVENT FIRST VESPERS FOR ALL NASCENT LIFE

On Saturday evening, the Eve of the First Sunday of Advent, a goodly throng took part in a special vigil for all nascent life, which included vespers, a bilingual homily (the English portions follow below), adoration and benediction of the Blessed Sacrament. 

Photos were taken afterwards, some of which are posted below. 

Yesterday, I found on the web the prayer for all nascent life offered by the Holy Father.  It follows the photos.

VIGIL OF FIRST SUNDAY OF ADVENT—November 27, 2010—CATHEDRAL BASILICA OF NOTRE DAME, OTTAWA [Text: First Thessalonians 5: 23-24]

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ:

As you all know, we’re here tonight because we received a very important invitation. Pope Benedict has asked Bishops around the world to observe in their dioceses a Vigil for unborn human life on the eve of the First Sunday of Advent.

And it is no coincidence that the Holy Father asks us to pray for the beginnings of human life just as we begin our preparations to receive the Christ Child, Jesus, our Redeemer.

In a few moments we will pray and meditate on “The Joyful Mysteries of the Rosary”. These Mysteries remind us how God’s plan for our salvation was being worked out, step by grace-filled step, from Gabriel’s message to the Virgin at the Annunciation to the Finding of the Child Jesus in the Temple.

These Mysteries of Christ’s first moments in Mary’s womb, through his birth and young adulthood encourage us to reflect not only on the Incarnation: tonight we may also contemplate the gift and mystery of conception and birth; we ponder in prayer the need for all human life to be welcomed, nurtured and loved within the family.

Contemplating the Joyful Mysteries connects naturally to our Advent preparations. In many churches throughout the world pastors and enthusiastic lay people are getting Christmas crèches ready for display: the animals are being counted and inspected – the donkey, the cow, the sheep and even the camel of the Magi are given a careful once over. Figurines of the angels, the shepherds, the Magi, Mary and Joseph are being arranged thoughtfully in the crèche.

A manger is being positioned very carefully in the very centre. It is important to place the manger just so in order that it is the focal point of this dramatic scene. We come to the crèche to see the infant Jesus Christ helpless in that humble animal feedbox; thirty-three years later he will be held on a different wooden structure – the Cross.

The figurine of a newborn baby reminds us of God’s great love for us and for the world: God so loved the world that He gave us his only Son so that we might have abundant life. Jesus was born into a family and experienced the reality of human life in every way but sin: truly we have a Savior who has walked our walk. For many of us preparing the Christmas crèche at home helps us focus on this great mystery.

It is hard to appreciate fully the miracle of the incarnation: hard to realize that God values human life so much that He would let His Son experience the total human reality, from conception to death, from start to finish. When we look at the tiny Christ Child in the manger we mustn’t forget that the first place where he was loved, kept safe was his mother’s womb. Before he was placed in a manger he rested beneath his mother’s heart, where he grew and matured, waiting for the joyful, miraculous, moment of his birth.

Sometimes, we can even play down the trying circumstances surrounding his coming into the world: the irregular pregnancy, the uncertain future of his humble family life, the poverty into which he was born, and his family’s need to flee persecution and death as refugees to a foreign land to make a new life.

Sadly, the sanctity of human life is not always recognized or protected in our world. Conditions exist which make it difficult for many people to receive and treasure human life: poverty, brokenness in relationships, mental and physical illness, and even selfishness all discourage the joyful welcome of the gift of human life.

Our whole culture can become jaded; we can forget that each human life is a miraculous gift from God. With great hubris we imagine that we are the authors of life in the lab; we can lose sight of the fact that from the first moment of conception we are much, much more than a mere collection of cells. From the moment of his or her conception, every human being is a unique expression of God’s love and on-going creation in the world. God reminds in the words of the Prophet Isaiah: “Thus says the Lord, your Redeemer, who formed you in the womb: I am the Lord, who made all things,
who alone stretched out the heavens, who by myself spread out the earth” (Isaiah 44.24).

In a child, we see proof of God’s creative and generous love. How many parents here tonight gazed in wonder, awe and thanksgiving at your newborn child?

The human person is a marvelous creation, “whole and entire, spirit, soul, and body” as Paul reminds us tonight. This precious, fragile, human life is first nurtured and experiences the love of mother and father in the womb. Every nascent human life has inherent dignity and deserves love as a marvelous expression of the image and likeness of God.

In the intercessions this evening we will beseech God: “Your Son ennobled all human life when he became flesh in the womb of the Virgin Mary, Enlighten our minds to see the dignity of every human life from its earliest embryonic beginnings.”

As we eagerly await our annual celebration of the birth of the child Jesus, let us pray for the grace to welcome every human life, from its very beginning in the womb, with reverence, wonder, and joy.

The conception and birth of Jesus teaches us that God values all of our humanity – body, spirit and soul; let us pray tonight that we will respect, value and protect the fullness of human life from the moment of conception until its natural end.

May God bless you and may Mary, the Mother of God, comfort you with her maternal love.

The Holy Father's Prayer at the Vigil for All Nascent Life

Lord Jesus, You who faithfully visit and fulfill with your Presence the Church and the history of men;

You who in the miraculous Sacrament of your Body and Blood render us participants in divine Life
and allow us a foretaste of the joy of eternal Life;
We adore and bless you.
Prostrated before You, source and lover of Life, truly present and alive among us, we beg you:
Reawaken in us respect for every unborn life, make us capable of seeing in the fruit of a mother's womb the miraculous work of the Creator, open our hearts to generously welcoming every child that comes into life.
Bless all families, sanctify the union of spouses, make fruitful their love.
Accompany the choices of legislative assemblies with the light of your Spirit,so that peoples and nations may recognise and respect the sacred nature of life, of every human life.
Guide the work of scientists and doctors, so that all progress contributes to the integral well-being of the person, and no one endures suppression or injustice.
Gift creative charity to administrators and economists, so they may realise and promote sufficient conditions
so that young families can serenely embrace the birth of new children.
Console married couples who suffer because they are unable to have children and in Your goodness provide for them.
Teach us all to care for orphaned or abandoned children, so they may experience the warmth of your Love,
the consolation of your divine Heart.
Together with Mary, Your Mother, the great believer, in whose womb you took on our human nature, we wait to receive from You, our Only True Good and Savior, the strength to love and serve life, in anticipation of living forever in You, in communion with the Blessed Trinity.
Amen.

A New Liturgical Year Begins - Advent I: Gazing towards the Parousia

Lorenzo Lotto, Christ in Glory with Symbols of the Passion, 1543

First Sunday of Advent (Year "A") November 28, 2010 - THE SON OF MAN IS COMING AT AN UNEXPECTED HOUR [Texts: Isaiah 2:1-56 [Psalm 122]; Romans 13:11-14; Matthew 24:37-44]

Today the Church begins the celebration of the a New Liturgical Year of God. In this liturgical Year "A", the gospel readings are generally chosen from the evangelist Matthew. In this gospel, Jesus often speaks of "your heavenly Father" and stresses God's providence.

Saint Matthew depicts Jesus as the teacher whose instruction evokes and surpasses that of Moses. Jesus consoles His disciples with the news that God has bestowed the gift of the Kingdom on them, then challenges them to live according to the gift they have received. Great things are expected of those to whom much has been given.

In the words of Paul's epistle to the Romans, the consummation of history, the final era of salvation is "nearer to us now than when we became believers". It is as if the long night of waiting for the Day of the Lord is over and the final sunrise will soon occur ("the night is far gone, the day is near").

In the ancient world, moral teachers would note that the cover of darkness sometimes emboldened people to behaviour they would be ashamed of in daylight. Paul says that belief in the nearness of Christ's coming should have profound ramifications on people's moral life, enabling them to live as if in a new moral order.

"Let us then lay aside the works of darkness and put on the armour of light; let us live honourably as in the day, not in revelling and drunkenness, not in debauchery and licentiousness, not in quarrelling and jealousy".

In his Confessions, St. Augustine tells us that this text from Romans precipitated his decision to surrender to the grace of God. Heeding Paul's exhortation, he put aside his immoral ways and embraced the new life that Christ makes possible in the disciple's being through dying to sin and rising to new life in baptism.

In the verse immediately preceding the gospel reading, Jesus noted the central truth about the completion of God's saving plan, "about that day and hour no one knows, neither the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father" (24:36).

The teaching of today's pericope is summarized in its closing verse, "the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour" (24:44). The parables which follow illustrate this truth, the first by showing the master coming sooner than expected and the second by showing the "bridegroom" (in the early church an image of Christ) coming later than expected (25:10). Since the time of the Son of Man's coming cannot be known, Christians should be in a constant state of readiness.

This warning is illustrated by biblical history--the Great Flood--when people were caught completely unawares by the disaster that came upon them. The power of the Noah image is underlined by the repetition that just as was the case in the days of Noah, so will it be at the Parousia of the Son of Man: "they knew nothing until the flood came and swept them all away".

Two verses in perfect parallelism offer additional illustrations of judgement suddenly coming upon people: of two people (men?) in a field one is taken and one left; of two working at the mill (women or slaves?) one is taken and one left.

The criterion of the separation is not offered but, from the context, we must deduce that one of each pair was ready, the other not. One of each pair was taken to meet Christ coming in glory, the others were left to suffer the fate of those unprepared. The householder always on watch for the unexpected coming of a thief completes Jesus' teaching on readiness for His coming.

Every year, the first Sunday of Advent focuses the believer's gaze on the end of history and the coming of Jesus, the Son of Man, in glory. The readings and tone of the liturgy intend to stir up sentiments of yearning for the Parousia (second coming) of Christ.

The opening prayer expresses this desire very well, "Grant your faithful, we pray, almighty God, the resolve to run forth to meet your Christ with righteous deeds at his coming, so that, gathered at his right hand, they may be worthy to possess the heavenly kingdom".

Traveling with the First Signs of Winter - Getting Ready the Advent Wreath - MaterCare International

Snow and Ice and Flight Delays

Actually, I am an afficionado of winter, except for things like the consequences of the arrival of snow and ice, such as fender-benders, flight cancellations and delays, etc.

It was brisk and cold in Toronto yesterday morning and I left so early to get to Toronto City Centre's Billy Bishop Airport that I did not check on the status of flights departing for Ottawa.  On arrival, I discovered the 10:30 flight had been cancelled, but we were soon rebooked on the 11:30 flight, heading on to Halifax and St. John's.

The winds were fierce and there was a bit of turbulence and the landing was rough, but I arrived to see the first snowfall of the season, harbinger of more delights to come.  Here are some images from around the cathedral and archbishop's residence for the record:

Preparing for Advent with a Wreath

As I was leaving St. Augustine's Seminary yesterday, I noticed that the Advent wreath had been hung from the ceiling at the entrance to the chapel.  The ceremony of the lighting of the Advent wreath is one of the happy memories of being introduced as a youngster to the Season of Advent. So, on my return to Ottawa and the residence yesterday afternoon, I was delighted to see the Advent wreath all set up beneath the dining-room's Madonna and Child (below).

 
Here is some background to the origin of the Advent Wreath:

The Advent wreath originated a few hundred years ago among the Lutherans of eastern Germany. It probably was suggested by one of the many light symbols which were used in folklore at the end of November and beginning of December... The Christians in medieval times kept many of these lights and fire symbols alive as popular traditions and ancient folklore.

In the sixteenth century the custom started of using such lights as a religious symbol of Advent in the houses of the faithful. This practice quickly spread among the Protestants of eastern Germany and was soon accepted by Protestants and Catholics in other parts of the country. Recently it has not only found its way to America, but has been spreading so rapidly that it is already a cherished custom in many homes.

The Advent wreath is exactly what the word implies, a wreath of evergreens (yew or fir or laurel), made in various sizes. It is either suspended from the ceiling or placed on a table, usually in front of the family shrine. Fastened to the wreath are four candles standing upright, at equal distances. These candles represent the four weeks of Advent.

Daily at a certain time (usually in the evening), the family gathers for a short religious exercise. Every Sunday of Advent one more candle is lit, until all four candles shed their cheerful light to announce the approaching birthday of the Lord.

All other lights are extinguished in the room, and only the gentle glow of the live candles illuminates the darkness. After some prayers, which are recited for the grace of a good and holy preparation for Christmas, the family sings one of the traditional Advent hymns or a song in honor of Mary.

The traditional symbolism of the Advent wreath reminds the faithful of the Old Testament, when humanity was "sitting in the darkness and in the shadow of death" (Luke 2:79); when the prophets, illumined by God, announced the Redeemer; and when the hearts of men glowed with the desire for the Messiah.

The wreath -- an ancient symbol of victory and glory -- symbolizes the "fulfillment of time" in the coming of Christ and the glory of His birth.

In some sections of Europe it is customary for persons with the name of John or Joan to have the first right to light the candles on the Advent wreath and Christmas tree, because John the Evangelist starts his Gospel by calling Christ the "Light of the World" and John the Baptist was the first one to see the light of divinity shining about the Lord at His baptism in the Jordan. --from Fr. Francis X. Weiser, S.J., Handbook of Christian Feasts and Customs

In our St Rita's Parish in Ahuntsic, Montreal (and in our home) there was a practice of the eldest lighting the candle the first week and the youngest the next week, the next eldest, etc.  Perhaps there were too many people called John or Joan in the parish!  That was so in our house, where Dad and my youngest brother were both named John....

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Blessing the Advent Wreath

(by laypersons)

O God, by whose word all things are sanctified,
pour forth thy blessing upon this wreath
and grant that we who use it may prepare our hearts
for the Coming of Christ,
and may receive from thee abundant graces.
Through Christ Our Lord.
Amen.

(by priests):

Blessed are you, O Lord our God, king of the universe.
You sent your Son to be the Light of the world
and to spread his light of love to all.
Bless us and accept + these wreaths of light made from our hands.
May their ever increasing brightness be a sign to us
of the approaching nearness of your Son,
that we might prepare in joy for his humble birth in a manger
and be ready to receive him at his coming again in glory;
through the same Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns
with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
Amen.

(From Celebrating Advent and Christmas: A Sourcebook for Families cf: Women for Faith and Family, http://wf-f.org/).

Blessed Advent!

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MaterCare and Maternal Well-Being

MaterCare is an organization of Catholic health professionals dedicated to the care of mothers and babies, both born and unborn, through new initiatives of service, training, research and advocacy, which are designed to reduce the tragically high rates of maternal mortality, morbidity and abortion.

MCI’s mission is to carry out the work of Evangelium Vitae (the Gospel of Life) by improving the lives and health of mothers and babies both born and unborn, through new initiatives of service, training, research, and advocacy designed to reduce the tragic levels of abortion world-wide and maternal and perinatal mortality, morbidity in developing countries.

MaterCare's founder and zealous promoter of maternal care in Ghana, Kenya, Haiti--wherever needed--Dr. Robert Walley (based in St. John's, NL) came to visit with me earlier this week, while he was in Ottawa to make presentations on protecting the gift of life, one woman and one child at a time. 

It is amazing how precisely this organization's ideals and methods cohere with what Canada proposed at the G8 and G20 this summer!  And how sad that its uncompromising stance in favour of life renders it difficult to get along with government agencies infected with the virus that "reproductive health" includes contraceptives and abortion.

This evening's 7PM Vespers and Prayer Vigil for all Nascent Life in Notre Dame Cathedral, in solidarity with Pope Benedict XVI and the Catholic Church around the world, will remember in a particular way agencies such as MaterCare International and Birthright that assist medically and with spiritual and material resources women and men struggling to accept and treasure the gift of life in the womb.

Mémoire facultatif: St. Jean Berchmans - Insurance Management Board - Visit with Seminarians

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Aujourd'hui, l'Eglise permet une mémoire facultatif de St. Jean Berchmans, né le 13 mars 1599 à Diest (Belgique) et décédé le 13 août 1621 à Rome, était un jeune jésuite belge, étudiant à Rome. Il a été canonisé par le Pape Léon XIII en 1888.

D'humble origine - son père était cordonnier - et de nature joyeuse, Jean aspire dès son adolescence à devenir prêtre. Il étudie au collège jésuite de Malines. Excellent étudiant, ses parents espèrent le voir poursuivre une carrière ecclésiastique rémunératrice, mais Jean préfère entrer au noviciat de la Compagnie de Jésus (24 septembre 1616).

Envoyé à Rome pour y faire ses études de philosophie au Collège Romain (1619), il y étonne ses maîtres comme ses condisciples : une charité et convivialité exquises s'allient en lui à une brillante intelligence et grande maturité affective. Son journal intime révèle également la profondeur de sa vie spirituelle : on peut parler d'une véritable union mystique avec Dieu.

Au début de 1621 sa santé donne des signes de détérioration auxquels on ne prête guère attention. Le 8 juillet il passe brillamment son examen final de philosophie. Peu après il se retrouve à l'infirmerie fauché par une grave attaque de dysenterie qui l'emporte le 13 août de la même année.

Jean Berchmans a vécu avec intensité et passion sa vocation religieuse et ses rapports avec les autres. La dévotion populaire conduit à sa béatification en 1865 et sa canonisation en 1888.

Son corps se trouve dans le transept gauche de l’église Saint-Ignace de Rome. En 1909, l'église église Santa Maria Immacolata e San Giovanni Berchmans dans le quartier Tiburtino de Rome lui est consacrée. En Belgique plusieurs églises lui sont dédiées.

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ACBO'S INSURANCE MANAGEMENT BOARD

Among the committees that serve the Assembly of Catholic Bishops of Ontario is the Insurance Management Baord that meets several times a year at the ACBO offices at 10 St. Mary Street (across the street from where Regis College was located from 1976-2009 and where I worked from 1981-95 (with the exception of three academic years when I was in Rome, Jerusalem and Regina). 

 

The IMB is comprised of two bishops (Bishop Mulhall, the chair, and myself) and about a dozen lay men and women who handle the nitty-gritty of keeping safe our people, buildings and ministries through wise management of insurance policies, employee benefit plans, etc.  Yesterday morning we held the fall meeting.  Here are a couple of photos taken then:

VISIT TO THE OTTAWA SEMINARIANS AT ST. AUGUSTINE'S

Once each semester, I try to find time to meet with the Ottawa seminarians engaged in the program of priestly formation at St. Augustine's Seminary on Toronto's Scarborough Bluffs.

Yesterday, I celebrated Mass with our six seminarians in residence at SAS (one is serving an internship back in the archdiocese), met with each privately and joined them for supper at the Cozy Hungarian Restaurant nearby.

Today, I will preside at Mass in the Community Chapel then head for home.

OM: St. Catherine, Virgin and Martyr - Honouring Rabbi and Mrs. Schild

Today the liturgy permits an optional memorial of St. Catherine of Alexandria.

Patron saint of young women, millers, philosophers, preachers, spinners, students and wheelwrights.

In fourth century Alexandria, there lived a Christian noblewoman and philosopher of great beauty named Catherine. When she heard that the Roman emperor Maxentius was persecuting Christians, Catherine publicly protested. Astounded by her audacity, Maxentius sent fifty famous philosophers to try to change her mind, but Catherine, with her clever arguments, converted every one of them to Christianity. Maxentius immediately ordered their execution.

The emperor then tried to persuade Catherine to become his bride. Catherine refused, saying that she was already a bride of Christ. This answer drove Maxentius into a fury, and he commanded that she be tortured on the infamous spiked wheel (later called the "Catherine wheel"). But angels are said to have thrown bolts of lightning so that the wheel broke and the spikes flew off, injuring onlookers but leaving Catherine unharmed. When she was eventually beheaded, milk, not blood, flowed from her neck, and angels carried her body up to Mount Sinai. (Source: Carol Armstrong. Lives and Legends of the Saints. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1995.)

St. Catherine Hearts/Les Coeurs de Sainte Catherine: In northern France, there is an old custom, on St Catherine's Day heart-shaped cakes are given to young women who have reached age twenty-five and are not married to encourage them in their search for love.

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O God of power and mercy, you gave St. Catherine of Alexandria, your martyr, victory over pain and suffering; strengthen us who celebrate this day of her triumph and help us to be victorious over the evils that threaten us. Through our Lord.

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MEMORIES OF THE CHRISTIAN-JEWISH DIALOGUE OF TORONTO (CJDT)

Yesterday, I flew to Toronto to take part in a Testimonial Dinner in Honour of Rabbi Erwin and Mrs. Laura Schild, who celebrate 66 years on marriage this New Year's Eve. I had come to know and appreciate Rabbi Schild while I was a member of CJDT from 1982-1994 (the last two years of which I served as Chair).  I was asked to give the keynote address (see below), though it was easily topped by the response by the honoree, Rabbi Erwin.

Here are some photos from the evening:

Rabbi Erwin and Mrs. Laura Schild

Regis College Jesuits Fr. Gordon Rixon and Scholastic Matthew Livingstone wore gloves to give special handling to the St. John's Collegeville Bible brought for this special event

The Pentateuch Volume drew great interest; here pages from Genesis, the Cain and Able narrative.

Sr. Eileen Schuller, OSU and I got caught up on news scriptural.

  

Dear Rabbi Schild and Mrs. Schild, Dear Sisters and Brothers, Dear Friends,

It is an honor and privilege for me to share this special evening with you and to pay tribute to a great teacher, mentor and friend, Rabbi Erwin Schild and his dear wife, Laura.

It is fitting that this evening’s tribute takes place during Toronto’s Holocaust Education Week. From your beginnings as a teenaged prisoner in the Dachau concentration camp to becoming pastor and leader of 1,800 Jewish families at Toronto’s Adath Israel Synagogue, you, Rabbi Erwin have led a truly remarkable and heroic life that has been devoted to dialogue, and to helping each of us grow in our understanding of each another and to appreciate more deeply the Judeo-Christian heritage of our Canadian society in particular. My reflections this evening will focus on three themes: our Sacred Scriptures, the ethics and values systems that underlie our decisions, and our common gift to the world.

The Word of God

Two years ago, I had the privilege of taking part in the World Synod of Bishops at the Vatican on the theme of “The Word of God in the Life and Mission of the Church.” Pope Benedict XVI presided over this historic, three-week gathering of bishops from every corner of the world. Faithful to his consistent commitment to building bridges with our elder Jewish brothers and sisters, the Holy Father extended an unprecedented invitation to Rabbi Shear Yashuv Cohen of Haifa, Israel, to break open the Word of God for the Synod Fathers and bishops on the first day of the International Synod. About a decade earlier, Pope John Paul II made a proposal that we should read the scriptures in their Jewish context. Pope Benedict XVI invited Rabbi Cohen to explain to the bishops the Jewish interpretation of the Bible, whose first five books comprise the Torah, Judaism's most sacred writings. It was truly an historic moment at the Vatican and for the entire Church: a Jewish Rabbi addressing the Pope and a Synod of Bishops.

Two weeks ago, the Vatican published “Verbum Domini,” Pope Benedict’s Apostolic Exhortation or final document on the 2008 Synod. In section #43 of the document, he wrote about Christians, Jews and the Sacred Scriptures. Allow me to quote to you from that rich section:

“Having considered the close relationship between the New Testament and the Old, we now naturally turn to the special bond which that relationship has engendered between Christians and Jews, a bond that must never be overlooked. Pope John Paul II, speaking to Jews, called them “our ‘beloved brothers’ in the faith of Abraham, our Patriarch”. To acknowledge this fact is in no way to disregard the instances of discontinuity which the New Testament asserts with regard to the institutions of the Old Testament, much less the fulfillment of the Scriptures in the mystery of Jesus Christ, acknowledged as Messiah and Son of God.”

The Pope continued: “Saint Paul also uses the lovely image of the olive tree to describe the very close relationship between Christians and Jews: the Church of the Gentiles is like a wild olive shoot, grafted onto the good olive tree that is the people of the Covenant (cf. Rom 11:17-24). In other words, we draw our nourishment from the same spiritual roots. We encounter one another as brothers and sisters who at certain moments in their history have had a tense relationship, but are now firmly committed to building bridges of lasting friendship.”

Rabbi Schild, when I read the words of Pope Benedict, remember with much emotion the gestures of reconciliation and friendship of Pope John Paul II toward the Jewish community, and recall the theology of St. Paul regarding God’s election of the Jewish people, I immediately think of you. I thank you this evening for building bridges of lasting friendship with each of us here in this room, particularly with Christians and Catholics, and with me, a bishop of the Catholic Church. As Pope John Paul II said about Jews on many occasions during his Pontificate, “We have much in common. Together we can do much for peace, justice and for a more fraternal and more humane world”.

Caritas in Veritate

Rabbi Schild, so much of your teaching, preaching and concern these past years has been on the theme of ethics. European and North American societies are based on a legal separation between church and state, but as you well know, this does not mean that we have to exclude ethics and social responsibility from our professional discussions and decisions. You have been concerned, as have I, that reference to societal ethics and purpose— even reference to reality—has been successfully removed from discussions pertaining to the role which money and finance play in society. We have all painfully learned that globalization has made peoples around the world neighbours but not brothers and sisters.

“Caritas in Veritate” (Charity in Truth) is the first social encyclical of the 21st century, published in July 2009, and Pope Benedict XVI’s chosen topic couldn’t be timelier because it goes to the heart of the great questions that you, Rabbi Schild, and so many other good, religious leaders have been asking during these challenging times.

Charity in truth — “Caritas in Veritate” — is a great challenge for the both Church and Synagogue in a world that is becoming progressively and pervasively globalized. The risk for our time is that the de facto interdependence of people and nations is not matched by ethical interaction of consciences and minds that would give rise to truly human development. Only in charity, illumined by the light of reason and faith, is it possible to pursue development goals that possess a more humane and humanizing value. The sharing of goods and resources, from which authentic development proceeds, is not guaranteed by merely technical progress and relationships of utility, but by the potential of love that overcomes evil with good (cf. Rom 12:21), opening up the path towards reciprocity of consciences and liberties (#9 Caritas in Veritate).

In “Caritas in Veritate,” Benedict proposes a “principle of gratuitousness” and the “logic of the gift”—concepts which would transform the potential for development in his view. “Gratuity” is a key element of a Christian vision of the economy—giving and receiving gifts reflects the nature of God, and helps build communities. Pope Benedict argues that the “logic of gratuitousness” must find its place within ordinary economic activity. Is not gratuitousness a deeply rooted characteristic of Covenant to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and embedded in the messages of the prophets of ancient Israel?

“Gratuitousness” and “gift” encourage people to think not of their interest but of service. So Benedict argues that labor unions should think not of their own members alone, but of the good of workers — even foreign workers who might compete with union labour. Benedict endorses the idea that corporations should answer not only to shareholders but also to “stakeholders” — all those who have a stake in a company’s activities. And there is yet another question which must jar and stir us: What term best expresses our responsibility toward the poor? Should we conceive of it under the rubric of freely given gifts, or is there a real duty in justice towards the poor that demands action, rather than merely inviting it?

We would do well, as Jews and Christians to study together “Caritas in Veritate” for it makes the argument that both charity and truth are needed to underpin a just and free economic order. Truth is necessary so that “integral human development” is possible in which men and women are treated as their full human dignity demands, not as mere parts in an economic machine. Charity is essential so that our treatment of each other is not limited to mere contractual obligations, but to the real flourishing of others. At the heart of the economy are human persons. People whose minds are dominated by crassly hedonistic cultures will make crassly hedonistic economic choices. Pope Benedict invites people to live their economic lives in the short, medium, and long-term as if living in the truth is eternally important, not to mention eternally relevant to their soul’s salvation.

Our gifts to the world at Chanukah and Advent

Allow me to conclude with a thought on the feasts we are about to celebrate as Jews and Christians. It is good to reflect on the symbols of light and hope that mark the Jewish feast of Chanukah and the Christian season of Advent that prepares us for the birth of Christ. This is a time when Jews and Christians use the symbols of candles and lights to shatter the winter darkness.

Chanukah [beginning this year at sundown on Thursday, December 2] means “dedication,” and commemorates the rededication of the Temple in Jerusalem after its desecration by foreign forces and the Jews' victory over the Hellenist Syrians in the year 165 B.C. For the rededication celebration, the Maccabees desired to light the menorah and looked everywhere for oil, finally finding a small flask that contained only enough oil to light the menorah for one day. Miraculously, the oil lasted for eight days. The message of Chanukah may be found in the name of the holiday itself: dedication—not only of the temple building but of individual lives to the pursuit of high religious and human ideals.

The biblical selections read during Chanukah and Advent can become a new summons to the Synagogue and to the Church to reach out to one another, to recommit ourselves to the truth of God’s saving Word, to human solidarity, fidelity, and to bearing God’s light to the nations, together as partners in building up the kingdom of God.

Both Jews and Christians are invited to go beyond the outward symbols and ask the deeper questions: how do we continue to long for the truth and salvation that the Messiah will bring? Advent teaches Christians about the relationship between the Scriptures and the Covenants that God has made with the human family.

During the upcoming seasons of Chanukah and Advent, Jews continue to long for the Messiah’s coming and Christians celebrate his birth in human history. Christians believe that Jesus is the promised Messiah who has come (Luke 4:22), but we also know that his Messianic kingdom of justice, love and peace is not yet fully realized.

It is the sacred vocation and mission of the Church to prepare the world for the full flowering of God's kingdom that is “not yet”. The Jewish Kaddish and the Our Father exemplify this message. Both Christianity and Judaism seal their worship with a common hope: “Thy Kingdom come!” There is much unfinished business. The world looks to us—Jews and Christians—for a message, an example and a reason to hope and believe.

We cannot forget the deeply Judeo-Christian ethics and values that lie at the heart of our nation. We start by working together to protect the most important human values that are threatened by a world in continual transformation and upheaval. In the first place comes the right to life, to be protected from conception right up to natural death. Life is a most precious gift from God, the precondition for all other divine gifts. Next comes the dignity of the human person and the rights which flow from it.

Our common longing for the fruits of the Messianic kingdom invite us—Jews and Christians—into a knowledge of our communion with one another and, a recognition of the terrible brokenness of the world. As Pope John Paul II taught us so powerfully through word, gesture and deed during his historic Pontificate, and as Benedict continues to remind us day after day—nothing and no one can ever wrench us away any longer from that deep communion.

The “tikkun ha’olam”, the healing of the world, its repair, restoration and redemption depends upon us, working together. It is precisely that healing and collaboration that have so marked Rabbi Schild’s life and ministry. For those great gifts, we give thanks to the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and the God and Father of Jesus Christ.

L’chayim, dear Rabbi and Mrs. Schild!

Thank you.

St. Andrew Dung Lac and Companions, Vietnamese Martyrs - Catholic Teachers Guild of Ottawa

O God, source and origin of all fatherhood, who kept the Martyrs Saint Andrew Dung-Lac and his companions faithful to the Cross of your Son, even to the shedding of their blood, grant, through their intercession that, spreading your love among our brothers and sisters, we may be your children both in name and in truth. Through our Lord.

This week, Bishop Vincent Nguyen, Canada's youngest bishop, is attending a special gathering of the hierarchy of Vietnam to celebrate the 400th anniversary of the evangelization of their country.

A high point will be the celebration of today's feast of the Vietnamese Martyrs, one of whom was a distant relative of Bishop Nguyen's.

St. Andrew was one of 117 people martyred in Vietnam between 1820 and 1862. Members of this group were beatified on four different occasions between 1900 and 1951. Now all have been canonized by Pope John Paul II.

Christianity came to Vietnam (then three separate kingdoms) through the Portuguese. Jesuits opened the first permanent mission at Da Nang in 1615. They ministered to Japanese Catholics who had been driven from Japan.


The king of one of the kingdoms banned all foreign missionaries and tried to make all Vietnamese deny their faith by trampling on a crucifix. Like the priest-holes in Ireland during English persecution, many hiding places were offered in homes of the faithful.


Severe persecutions were again launched three times in the 19th century. During the six decades after 1820, between 100,000 and 300,000 Catholics were killed or subjected to great hardship. Foreign missionaries martyred in the first wave included priests of the Paris Mission Society, and Spanish Dominican priests and tertiaries.

Persecution broke out again in 1847 when the emperor suspected foreign missionaries and Vietnamese Christians of sympathizing with a rebellion led by of one of his sons.

The last of the martyrs were 17 laypersons, one of them a 9-year-old, executed in 1862. That year a treaty with France guaranteed religious freedom to Catholics, but it did not stop all persecution.

By 1954 there were over a million and a half Catholics—about seven percent of the population—in the north. Buddhists represented about 60 percent. Persistent persecution forced some 670,000 Catholics to abandon lands, homes and possessions and flee to the south. In 1964, there were still 833,000 Catholics in the north, but many were in prison. In the south, Catholics were enjoying the first decade of religious freedom in centuries, their numbers swelled by refugees.


During the Vietnamese war, Catholics again suffered in the north, and again moved to the south in great numbers. Now the whole country is under Communist rule (http://www.americancatholic.org/).

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Last evening, I was invited by the fledgling Catholic Teachers' Guild of Ottawa to speak to them of Lectio divina, following the 4:30PM Mass at St. Patrick's Basilica. 

The CTGO is an association of teachers focused on learning, prayer and fraternity. They meet on the third Tuesday of the month for Mass and a business session, a learning session and a social.

Guild members "seek spiritual growth and knowledge of authentic Church teaching as they strive to become effective witnesses to Christ in their classrooms, schools and communities. An important aspect of the Guild is intercessory prayer. Members pray for the Church, vocations to the priesthood and religious life, students, fellow teachers and their families, administrators, schools and Catholic education".

All Catholic educators are welcome, whether in private or publicly-funded schools and post-secondary institutions, retired and supply teachers, teachers working in other fields and students at the faculty of education. For more info, write ctgottawa@gmail.com.

We met in the Scavi, shared the desire of Pope Benedict XVI in his apostolic exhortation Verbum Domini that "the Word will be ever more fully at the heart of every ecclesial activity", then explored the Holy Father's exposition of the five steps in the Divine Reading: lectio (reading), meditatio (meditation), oratio (prayer), contemplatio (contemplation) and actio (action showing that a conversion of heart is underway and is shown in deeds).

We explored, as our trial of lectio divina the readings for the coming First Sunday of Advent, which is predominantly focussed on the Gospel of Matthew. This Sunday also continues the recent Sundays' scriptural lessons centered on the Parousia of Christ (his "second coming" in glory).

Several teachers later shared a meal at a nearby Italian restaurant.

Here are some photos:

Miguel Pro, Mexican Martyr of Christ the King - Ordination d'un diacre permanent - St. Clément, pape et martyr

Blessed Miguel Agustín Pro Juárez, Martyr of Mexico is November's "Man of the Month" in the KofC Columbia magazine (available on line www.kofc.org/un/en/columbia/index.html), whose optional memorial may be celebrated today. 

The following website is entirely devoted to Pro: puffin.creighton.edu/jesuit/pro/pro_images.html): here is an account of his life and heroic death:

Miguel Augustine Pro Juárez (1891-1927) was killed for being a Catholic priest during the persecution of the Church under President Plutarco Elías Calles, who was rabidly anti-Catholic. Pro was born in Guadalupe de Zacatecas, Mexico, the son of a mining engineer. He received most of his early education from tutors so when he entered the Society of Jesus, he had not yet completed his secondary education and found studies difficult. He compensated for lack of academic preparation by devoting himself to prayer and the search for holiness.

Pro took his vows in August 1913, at a moment of growing conflict in Mexican history. General Venustiano Carranza and the bandit Pancho Villa attacked the Church and the clergy, sacking church buildings and torturing priests and religious. On Aug. 5, 1914, a party of Carranza's men ransacked the novitiate's main house and burned its library. The rector realized that the situation would only worsen so he told his men that each one would be responsible for making his own way across the border into the United States and then on to California where the Jesuits offered a building at Los Gatos to the exiled seminarians from Mexico. Pro arrived there on October 9 and spent a year there before going to Spain to study philosophy. In 1920 he was assigned to teach in Nicaragua, and then returned to Spain for theology. In 1924 he went to Enghien, Belgium to complete the theology course and study sociology because he was interested in the worker movements and wanted to be prepared for his return to Mexico. He was ordained in 1925 as the persecution back in Mexico sharpened under Elías Calles.

Father Pro had no difficulty entering his homeland in June 1926, but at the end of July the government suppressed all public worship and closed the churches. Every priest became a hunted criminal. Faithful Mexicans, however, still sought the sacraments so Pro continued his ministry in secret. He established stations in various parts of Mexico City and visited them regularly to preach and offer the sacraments. He usually lived with his family, who had moved to Mexico City, but he also had some other places where he could seek shelter. Two of his brothers, Humberto and Roberto, helped him in his work by printing and distributing literature for the Religious Defense League. The young Jesuit lived without fear and carried on his priestly ministry until November 1927.

On Sunday, Nov. 13, someone attempted to assassinate General Alvaro Obregón with a bomb which exploded without killing the general. Neither Fr. Pro nor his brothers were involved in the plot but one of them owned a car used in the attempt and had sold it only days earlier. The brothers decided it would be safer to leave Mexico for the United States, but before they could depart, police surrounded the house where they were staying and arrested all three Pro brothers. The actual mastermind of the plot, Luis Segura, turned himself into the police when he heard that Father Pro had been arrested and blamed for the attempt. President Calles wanted to make an example out of the Jesuit even though the one actually responsible for the crime was in custody. On Nov. 22 he invited friends to a special execution the following day.

Soldiers escorted the unsuspecting Jesuit priest into the prison yard the morning of Nov. 23. When he saw the spectators and the firing squad, he asked for a few moments to pray, and then refused the blindfold when it was offered. Holding his rosary in his hand, he stood in front of the bullet-chipped wall and stretched his arms out in the form of a cross. When the order came to fire, he cried out, "Vivo Cristo Rey! Long live Christ the King." His brother Humberto was executed later that morning but Roberto was spared at the last moment. Luis Segura was also shot that morning. Pro's father claimed the body and had a wake in the family home; thousands of workers as well as soldiers came by to see the martyr's body (http://www.sjweb.info/).

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O God, who gave your servant Michael Augustine the grace to seek ardently your greater glory and the salvation of your people, grant that, through his intercession and following his example, we may serve and glorify you by performing our daily duties with fidelity and joy, effectively helping our neighbour. Through our Lord.

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Ordination de Pierre Bélanger au diaconat permanent

Samedi soir, j’au eu la joie de présider l’ordination de m. Pierre Bélanger au service de Église d’Ottawa dans le diaconat permanent. La messe, qui marquait aussi la solennité de Christ-roi, a été célébrée à sa propre paroisse de Sainte Marie, à Orléans.

Voici quelques photos de la messe et de la réception, tenue au Centre des ainés francophones d’Ottawa :

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SAINT CLÉMENT, PAPE ET MARTYR (vers l'an 100)

La liturgie aujourd'hui permet la mémoire facultatif de Saint Clément, qui était né à Rome. Riche, instruit, ardent à chercher la vérité, il trouva dans la religion chrétienne la satisfaction entière des exigences de sa raison et des aspirations de son âme. Non seulement il se fit chrétien, mais il seconda les Apôtres dans la prédication de l'Évangile; et saint Paul, dans son épître aux Philippiens, rappelant les travaux de Clément, assure que son nom est écrit au Livre de vie. Cet attachement de Clément aux Apôtres, ce zèle qu'il montra pour la foi, l'on fait appeler par les Pères homme apostolique.

Élevé à l'épiscopat par saint Pierre, il devait être son troisième successeur, vers l'an 91. Il vit la chute et la mort de Néron, ainsi que la prise et la ruine de Jérusalem. Sons l'empereur Vespasien, Clément fut conduit au tribunal du préfet, qui demeura émerveillé de la sagesse de ses réponses; mais la volonté de l'empereur était nette: "Que Clément sacrifie aux dieux ou soit exilé en Chersonèse!" Quelle ne fut pas la joie du saint exilé, de trouver dans ce lointain pays deux mille chrétiens! La consolation de ces chrétiens fut indicible: "Dieu, leur dit l'humble Pontife, m'a fait une grâce dont je n'étais pas digne, en m'envoyant au milieu de vous partager vos couronnes."

Les généreux confesseurs de la foi, au milieu de leurs rudes travaux, étaient souvent privés d'eau et devaient aller la chercher à une très forte distance. Plein de confiance en Dieu, Clément dit aux chrétiens: "Prions le Seigneur, qui a fait jaillir l'eau d'un rocher du désert; Il nous viendra en aide." Il se mit donc en prière, et bientôt, levant les yeux, il aperçut sur la colline un agneau blanc comme la neige, qui de son pied droit indiquait une source d'eau vive jaillissant soudain. A partir de ce jour, les martyrs eurent de l'eau en abondance. La nouvelle de ce miracle fit une grande impression dans tout le pays, les conversions se multiplièrent, des églises se bâtirent, et quelques années plus tard le paganisme était complètement détruit.

Saint Clément nous a laissé dans ses lettres le plus charmant tableau de ses missions apostoliques. Ce fut seulement sous Trajan, après plus de vingt ans d'exil, que le saint Pape, devenu très suspect à cause de son zèle et de ses succès, fut jeté à la mer, une ancre au cou. Les chrétiens priaient sur la plage. La mer se retira, chose inouïe, d'une lieue et demi, et le corps du martyr parut à découvert, dans une chapelle de marbre construite par les anges. Les marins ont pris saint Clément pour patron.

Abbé L. Jaud, Vie des Saints pour tous les jours de l'année, Tours, Mame, 1950.