God's Word and Daily Life

By Fr. Bernard Holzer, aa

Last Monday, Pope Francis marked his 10th anniversary as pope. The gift that he wanted most for his anniversary, he said, is “peace.”

Let’s then pray for him, for his ministry of harmony and peace, in the paths of St. Francis of Assisi.

Let us reread his two last encyclicals: “Fratelli Tutti” – “All Brothers and Sisters” and “Laudato Si” – “Praise be to you” on care of or common home. And let us act on it with love.

“The guarantee of an authentic openness to God, on the other hand, is a way of practising the faith that helps open our hearts to our brothers and sisters. Saint John Chrysostom expressed this pointedly when he challenged his Christian hearers: “Do you wish to honor the body of the Savior? Do not despise it when it is naked. Do not honor it in church with silk vestments while outside it is naked and numb with cold”. Paradoxically, those who claim to be unbelievers can sometimes put God’s will into practice better than believers.” – Fratelli Tutti § 74

“Because all creatures are connected, each must be cherished with love and respect, for all of us as living creatures are dependent on one another.” – Laudato Si § 42

By Fr. Bernard Holzer, aa

Is the Lenten Season a special moment for me?

How do I live out this time of love: love of God, of others, and of myself?

I would like to suggest a way of reflection and conversion.

Please, read and meditate on the five Lenten sermons of Cardinal Cantalamessa. He is preaching the Lenten retreat of Pope Francis and of the Roman Curia.

His first sermon focused on the Holy Spirit at the heart of all the life of the Church, the real actor of our human and spiritual life. He is the actor of all real conversion of the Church. He will be the guide of the coming Synod.

See his homily in the link:

http://www.cantalamessa.org/?p=4059&lang=en

Listen and meditate an extract of his meditation. It’s directed to each of us:

“We are by nature inclined to be hard on others and soft on ourselves, when we should set ourselves up to do the exact opposite: strict with ourselves, soft on others. This proposal, if we take it seriously, would be enough on its own to sanctify our Lent. It would exempt us from any other type of fasting and would dispose us to work more fruitfully and serenely in all areas of the life of the Church.

An excellent exercise in this direction is to be honest, in the court of one's own heart, with the person with whom one disagrees. When I realize that I am accusing someone inside, I have to be careful not to immediately take my side. I need to stop rehashing my reasons like someone chewing gum, and instead try to put myself in the other person's shoes to understand their reasons and what they would have to say to me as well.”

Let us try, and pray for each other. Blessed and joyful Lenten Season!

By Mike Punzal

The 1986 EDSA People Power Revolution gathered millions of Filipinos from all walks of life to march along Epifanio de los Santos Avenue (EDSA), the main artery of Metro Manila, to end the dictatorship of President Ferdinand E. Marcos and begin a new era marked by true freedom and democracy. This spirit of the movement was not confined to Manila; it manifested through non-violent demonstrations staged in different cities nationwide—it was a revolution marked by its peaceful means, led by a nation united to reclaim liberty.

The events of February 25, 1986, altered the course of our nation’s history; it showcased to the world the remarkable resolve of the Filipino people. It heralded an era of peace. Over the years, we have continued to remember this momentous occasion by honoring the sacrifices of all those who fought the dictatorship.

In 1985, President Marcos Sr. was being pressured by the public and his US allies to declare a snap election. A group of military officials had also organized a group a few years prior and just went public to call for reforms in the military. In secret, they were planning a coup for the end of the year. However, Marcos Sr. surprised everyone when he announced on US television that he was declaring snap elections and that he would be running for office. Just two months after an organization formed to call for her Presidency, Cory Aquino – widow of the assassinated Ninoy Aquino – received a petition with more than a million signatures drafting her to run against Marcos. 

37 years after the People Power, we are once again confronted with so many difficulties and challenges. How do we respond to these as a people? Have kept the spirit of EDSA alive in the way we chose our leaders and support our government?

By Mike Punzal

On February 22, the universal Church celebrates once again, Ash Wednesday.

We think that Ash Wednesday is more about death than life as we are reminded of Jesus’s suffering and death. But If we take a closer look, though, we find that the message of Ash Wednesday has far more to do with life than with death. It’s much more about what it means to be human—on this side of death’s door, not only beyond. Being human means being both blessed and broken, and Ash Wednesday is a special invitation to look at our own brokenness in a way that can bring healing, strength, and courage.

Of course, brokenness is never the goal, even if we can encounter God through the process. We don’t set out to come up short, make mistakes, or feel “less than.” But we often do, a reality that is one mysterious thread within the intricate tapestry of human life. We have another word for this kind of brokenness, one that captures our essence as incomplete all on our own. That word is vulnerable.

Vulnerability has become something of a buzzword in recent years. A simple online search of the word turns up countless videos, articles, and book titles. But what does it really mean? To be vulnerable is to be exposed, to be open. Being vulnerable means that the parts of ourselves that are not strong and beautiful are visible to others. Let us embrace our vulnerability and be humble to seek God’s grace.

By Fr. Bernard Holzer, aa

Pope Francis' visit to the Democratic Republic of Congo and his ecumenical pilgrimage for peace in South Sudan are a powerful sign for all Christians: let us not forget Africa, this great dynamic and courageous continent, ravaged by neo-colonial exploitation and wars.

The Pope's gestures and words were strong. Let us be challenged by them.

“It is a tragedy that these lands, and more generally the whole African continent, continue to endure various forms of exploitation… "The poison of greed has smeared its diamonds with blood.”

“We cannot grow accustomed to the bloodshed that has marked this country for decades, causing millions of deaths," Pope Francis said.

"Take your hands-off Africa! Stop suffocating Africa: it is not a mine to be exploited nor a land to be plundered."

“Never lose hope. And lose no opportunity to build peace. May hope and peace dwell among you. May hope and peace dwell in South Sudan.”

Let's take the time this week to read the words of Pope Francis during his trip to Africa on the Vatican website. Let us also meet a brother or sister from Africa who lives with us to testify to them of our fraternal friendship. Let us also pray for this continent.

By Mike Punzal

On February 2, Thursday, we will celebrate the World Day for Consecrated Life.

In 1997, Pope Saint John Paul II instituted a day for women and men in consecrated life. This global celebration is attached to the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord on February 2nd. This Feast is also known as Candlemas Day; the day on which candles are blessed symbolizing Christ who is the light of the world. So too, those in consecrated life are called to reflect the light of Jesus Christ to all peoples. 

The celebration of World Day for Consecrated Life is transferred to the following Sunday in order to highlight the gift of consecrated persons for the whole Church. 

There are several ways to celebrate World Day for Consecrated Life. Invite sisters, brothers, and priests to publicly renew their vows at Mass, send cards of support to newer entrants, ask to visit a mother house to meet and pray with sisters, brothers, and priests, invite a vocation director to visit your classroom, Board meeting, or faith group to learn more about consecrated life. Send flowers, make a donation to a religious community, or invite someone to discern their vocation to consecrated life!

Let us pray for the religious brothers, priests and sisters in our community, that God may grant them peace and joy in their vocation, amen!

 by Mike Punzal

On Wednesday, January 25, we remember the Conversion of Saint Paul. Once a sinner, St. Paul’s story teaches us how God’s mercy is more powerful than any of our greatest sin, and that each of us is invited to convert.

No one is more aware of the passage of time than a convert. There is a clear before and after whose threshold is a life-changing encounter with Christ. Saint Augustine’s celebrated exclamation is the most iconic expression of this: “Too late have I loved Thee!” In more recent times the famous British journalist and Catholic convert, Malcolm Muggeridge, poignantly entitled his 1972 autobiography Chronicles of Wasted Time—an allusion to a line from Shakespeare’s Sonnet 106, whose theme, in a context far removed from religious conversion, evokes the imperfection of things past as prophetically foreshadowing present fulfillment.

Looking at conversion in hindsight, as an isolated moment in time, might make all of the before time seem wasted. But considering the past in the light of grace, connections emerge that reveal the hand of God steadily at work even in the midst of our worst mistakes. A string of unlikely events and providential encounters that bring a soul to the point where they are prepared to meet the Lord and say yes to Him is a divine work that grace alone can accomplish. So, let us not be afraid to hope like Paul, to become better persons, to become witnessed of Christ.

AnBy Mike Punzal

From January 23 to 29, the Philippine Church celebrate the National Bible Week. During this week, all Filipinos are enjoined for one week to focus on the reading and studying of the Bible toward the nation’s spiritual, moral and social stability.

Pope Francis' Apostolic Letter "Aperuit illis," which establishes that "the Third Sunday in Ordinary Time is to be devoted to the celebration, study and dissemination of the Word of God."

This Sunday of the Word of God will thus be a fitting part of that time of the year when we are encouraged to strengthen our bonds with the Jewish people and to pray for Christian unity. This is more than a temporal coincidence: the celebration of the Sunday of the Word of God has ecumenical value, since the Scriptures point out, for those who listen, the path to authentic and firm unity. The various communities will find their own ways to mark this Sunday with a certain solemnity. It is important, however, that in the Eucharistic celebration the sacred text be enthroned, in order to focus the attention of the assembly on the normative value of God’s word.

On this Sunday, it would be particularly appropriate to highlight the proclamation of the word of the Lord and to emphasize in the homily the honour that it is due. Families can also find ways of giving a Bible, or one of its books, to the entire assembly as a way of showing the importance of learning how to read, appreciate and pray daily with sacred Scripture, especially through the practice of lectio divina.

By Fr. Bernard Holzer, aa

 In his Message for the World Day of the Sick (on February 11), Pope Francis is inviting us to meditate about illness and about care: “Take care of your brothers.” He is inviting us to get involved after the Covi-19 pandemic.

“These past years of the pandemic have increased our sense of gratitude for those who work each day in the fields of healthcare and research. Yet it is not enough to emerge from such an immense collective tragedy simply by honoring heroes. Covid-19 has strained the great networks of expertise and solidarity, and has exposed the structural limits of existing public welfare systems.  Gratitude, then, needs to be matched by actively seeking, in every country, strategies and resources in order to guarantee each person’s fundamental right to basic and decent healthcare...”

Sick people, in fact, are at the center of God’s people, and the Church advances together with them as a sign of a humanity in which everyone is precious and no one should be discarded or left behind.