Coming along

It has been my hope that I would finish writing this book by the end of this summer, but I never really thought that would be feasible. Once school begins I will have pretty much no time to write, and I will be in school straight through until the novitiate begins next August. Obviously it is fine if it doesn't get finished by the end of the summer, but it would just be nice. But suddenly I am beg inning to have hope. I've written about 7,000 words today, and I am still going. What's more, I'm starting to feel really good about what I'm writing. I won't say the process is exactly healing for me in any way, mostly because I've already healed greatly from the wounds of my past, and in fact stirring up some of these old emotions is even a bit disconcerting, but regardless I find myself writing with keen insight into my past for the first time, and that is encouraging. We'll see how it goes…

President Obama to Present Pope with St. John Neumann’s Stole

St. John Neumann's stole to be Obama gift to Pope

By Kristin E. Holmes

Inquirer Staff Writer

The owners of the DiCocco Family St. Jude Shop are getting to be experts at this. When there's a presentation for the pope, call the store in Havertown.

Twice in the last 15 months, the store owners have been tapped for their Benedict XVI know-how.

The first time, they helped supply a specially made chair the pope used during a U.S. visit. This time, they assisted the White House in finding a gift for him.

That present will be given to Benedict as part of President Obama's visit to the Vatican tomorrow.

The box will contain a stole that had been draped around the enshrined body of St. John Neumann in Philadelphia for nearly 20 years.

"It's a sacred gift," said the Rev. Kevin Moley, pastor of the National Shrine of St. John Neumann in Northern Liberties. "I'm glad [the administration] asked St. Jude, and St. Jude asked us, because it represents the U.S. and Rome. We should all be pleased and thankful."

Read the rest at the Philadelphia Inquirer

Credit where credit is due: this is a very cool gift from the President. On a side note, one of the president's spokesmen has indicated that he anticipates a very frank discussion between the two on the issue of abortion. How about we all just pray for fruit to be born from their meeting, whatever is discussed. The Pope, in fact, will be meeting with quite a few world leaders. Let us pray for wisdom for the pontiff and openness from the leaders, that hopefully he will provide and they will well receive sound moral guidance in their political leadership and personal lives.

Pope Benedict XVI on His Third Encyclical

On the 3rd Encyclical

"A Better Future for Everyone Is Possible"

VATICAN CITY, JULY 8, 2009 (Zenit.org).- Here is a translation of the address Benedict XVI gave today during the general audience in Paul VI Hall. He reflected on his third encyclical, "Caritas in Veritate," which was released Tuesday.

* * *

Dear brothers and sisters:

My new encyclical "Caritas in Veritate," which was officially presented yesterday, was fundamentally inspired in a passage from the Letter of St. Paul to the Ephesians, in which the apostle speaks of acting according to truth in charity: "Rather," we have just heard, "living the truth in love, we should grow in every way into him who is the head, Christ" (4:15).

Charity in truth is, therefore, the principal propelling force for the true development of each person and all of humanity. Because of this, the whole of the Church's social doctrine revolves around the principle "caritas in veritate." Only with charity, enlightened by reason and faith, is it possible to achieve objectives of development with a human and humanizing value. Charity in the truth "is the principle around which the Church's social doctrine turns, a principle that takes on practical form in the criteria that govern moral action" (No. 6).

In the introduction, the encyclical immediately refers to two fundamental criteria: justice and the common good. Justice is an integral part of this love "in deed and truth" (1 John 3:18), to which the Apostle John exhorts us (cf. No. 6). And "to love someone is to desire that person's good and to take effective steps to secure it. Besides the good of the individual, there is a good that is linked to living in society. &h ellip; The more we strive to secure a common good corresponding to the real needs of our neighbors, the more effectively we love them." Therefore, there are two operative criteria: justice and the common good. In this second element, charity acquires a social dimension. Every Christian, the encyclical says, is called to this charity and, it adds, "This is the institutional path … of charity" (cf. No. 7).

Like other documents of the magisterium, this encyclical also takes up again and goes deeper into the analysis and reflection of the Church on social issues of vital interest to humanity in our times. In a special way, it is linked to what Paul VI wrote now more than 40 years ago in "Populorum Progressio," the cornerstone of the Church's social teaching, in which the great Pontiff outlined certain decisive and ever relevant ideas for the integral development of man and of the modern world. The world situation, as the chronicle of recent mon ths amply demonstrates, continues presenting not a few problems and the "scandal" of outrageous inequalities, which remain despite commitments made in the past. On one hand, signs of grave social and economic inequalities are evident; on the other hand, peoples from all over are calling for reform that will overcome the discrepancy of development among peoples, and this cannot wait.

The phenomenon of globalization can, in this sense, be a real opportunity, but for this, it is important to undertake a profound moral and cultural renewal and responsible discernment of the decisions that must be made for the common good. A better future for everyone is possible, if it is founded on the discovery of fundamental ethical values. A new economic plan is needed that will reshape development in a global way, basing itself on the fundamental ethics of responsibility before God and before man as a creature of God.

The encyclical certainly doesn't look to give technical solutions to the great social problems of the world today -- this is not the role of the Church's magisterium (cf. No. 9). It recalls, however, the great principles that show themselves to be indispensable for building human development in the coming years. Among these: In the first place, attention to the life of the person, considered as the center of all true progress; respect for the right to religious liberty, always closely linked to the development of the person; rejection of a Promethean vision of the human being, which considers him the absolute author of his own destiny. An unlimited trust in the power of technology in the end shows itself to be illusory. 

Upright people are needed as much in politics as in the economy, people who are sincerely attentive to the common good. In particular, looking at world emergencies, it is urgent to call the attention of public opinion to the drama of hunger and food security, which affects a considerable porti on of humanity. A drama of such proportions piques our consciences: It must be decisively confronted, eliminating the structural causes that bring it about and promoting agricultural development in the poorest countries.

I am sure that this path of solidarity toward the development of the poorest countries will certainly help to elaborate a solution to the current global crisis. Undoubtedly, the role and political power of the state should be attentively re-evaluated, in an age in which limitations to its sovereignty exist as a result of the new economic-commercial and international financial situation.

And on the other hand, the participation of citizens in national and international politics should not be lacking, thanks as well to a renewed commitment from the associations of workers called to establish new synergies at the local and international level. The means of social communication also have a primary role in this field, to advance dialogue among cult ures and distinct traditions.

In wanting to make a plan for development that is not tainted by the malfunctions and distortions amply present today, serious reflection on the very meaning of the economy and its goals is required from everyone. The ecological state of the planet demands it; the cultural and moral crisis of man that is apparent in every corner of the globe requires it. The economy needs ethics for its correct functioning; it needs to recover the important contribution of the principle of gratuitousness and the "logic of gift" in the economy of the market, in which the norm cannot be personal gain.

But this is only possible thanks to a commitment from everyone, economists and politicians, producers and consumers, and presupposes formation of the conscience that gives strength to moral criteria in the elaboration of political and economic projects. Rightly so, many places pay recourse to the fact that rights presuppose corresponding dut ies, without which rights run the risk of becoming arbitrary. 

It is said more and more that it is necessary for all of humanity to have a different style of life, in which the duties of everyone toward the environment are united with those of the person considered in himself and in relation with others. Humanity is one family and fruitful dialogue between faith and reason cannot but enrich it, making the work of charity more effective in society, moreover establishing the appropriate framework to stimulate collaboration between believers and non-believers, in the shared perspective of working for justice and peace in the world.

As guidelines for this fraternal interaction, in the encyclical I indicate the principles of subsidiarity and solidarity, which are interconnected. I have indicated, finally, faced with such vast and deep problems in the world of today, the need for a world political Authority regulated by law, which abides by the principles of subsid iarity and solidarity already mentioned and which is firmly oriented toward the fulfillment of the common good, in respect of the great moral and religious traditions of humanity.

The Gospel reminds us that man does not live on bread alone: not just with material goods can he satisfy the deep thirst of his heart. The horizons of man are undoubtedly higher and broader. Because of this, every development program should have present, together with the material, the spiritual growth of the human person, who is gifted with soul and body. 

This is integral development, to which the Church's social doctrine constantly refers -- development that has its guiding criteria in the propelling strength of "charity in truth." Dear brothers and sisters, let us pray so that this encyclical too can help humanity to feel that it is one family committed in bringing about a world of justice and peace. Let us pray that believers who work in economics and politics realize h ow important is the coherence of their Gospel testimony in the service they offer society.

In particular, I invite you to pray for the leaders of states and governments of the G-8 who are meeting during these days in L'Aquila. That from this important world summit might come decisions and useful guidelines for the true progress of all peoples, especially of the poorest. Let us entrust these intentions to the maternal intercession of Mary, Mother of the Church and of humanity.

[Translation by ZENIT]

Caritas in Veritate – Initial Analysis

One thing is for certain: one should not look to this Pope seeking sound bites. This Encyclical, Caritas in Veritate - Charity in Truth, is a very dense 30,000 words. I have some initial reactions to the first half of the Encyclical:

The first thing that struck me, not related to the content but rather to the way he has situated this, is his defense of Paul VI and the Second Vatican Council as a continuation of Church Tradition. The Holy Father has consistently stated, to the chagrin of traditionalists and progressives alike, that Vatican II is only properly interpreted through a hermeneutic of continuity. In reference to Pope Paul VI's great Encyclical, Populorum Progressio - On the Development of Peoples, which serves as the backdrop of this current Encyclical, the Holy Father writes that it can only properly be interpreted through "the Tradition of the apostolic faith[13], a patrimony both ancient and new, outside of which Populorum Progressio would be a document without roots." Paul VI's Encyclical is situated in continuity with Leo XIII's Rerum Novarum - On Capital and Labor, in continuity with the Second Vatican Council, and in continuity with the historical development of the apostolic faith. Concerning the Second Vatican Council the Holy Father writes, "The Council probed more deeply what had always belonged to the truth of the faith, namely that the Church, being at God's service, is at the service of the world in terms of love and truth."

There is obviously way too much in this encyclical to give any sort of detailed analysis, and as I said, even here I will merely comment on the first half, and then give a commentary on the second half later. In both I will merely highlight a few points of the Encyclical that I found to be of particular interest. I do hope that not only does everyone read it, but as many people as possible generate discussions from it, because this Encyclical clearly has the potential, depending on what we do with it, to positively shape human development at a time when the entire world is forced to reevaluate our economic models and motivations.

First, as has been a consistent theme of Joseph Ratzinger's life as a theologian, this Encyclical necessarily points to the intrinsic relationship between charity and truth. He writes:

Truth needs to be sought, found and expressed within the "economy" of charity, but charity in its turn needs to be understood, confirmed and practised in the light of truth. In this way, not only do we do a service to charity enlightened by truth, but we also help give credibility to truth, demonstrating its persuasive and authenticating power in the practical setting of social living. This is a matter of no small account today, in a social and cultural context which relativizes truth, often paying little heed to it and showing increasing reluctance to acknowledge its existence.

The intrinsic connection between charity and truth is important because in that recognition, charity is established as an authentic expression of our humanity, and thus "as an element of fundamental importance in human relations, including those of a public nature."

The principle of charity in truth is the driving principle of the Church's social doctrine, and it takes on practical form in the criteria that govern moral action. Of these criteria the Holy Father examines two in particular that he believes are particularly relevant today: justice and the common good. Justice, he reminds us, is inseparable from and intrinsic to charity, though charity transcends justice. "Charity always manifests God's love in human relationships as well, it gives theological and salvific value to all commitment for justice in the world." Justice necessitates that we be concerned with the proper recognition of rights for all humanity. Charity is linked to this, but goes beyond it by also establishing "relationships of gratuitousness, mercy and communion."

The second criterion of charity in truth, equally as relevant to the current situation of the world and the present economic crisis, is the common good. The Holy Father makes no comment on or commitment to any specific economic model, but he is clear that any pursuit of profit that does not account for the common good is going to lead to corruption and manipulation. "Profit is useful if it serves as a means towards an end that provides a sense both of how to produce it and how to make good use of it. Once profit becomes the exclusive goal, if it is produced by improper means and without the common good as its ultimate end, it risks destroying wealth and creating poverty." This pursuit of the common good is properly situated within the context of the development of the human person. Society must not seek merely to advance technologically or fiscally – in other words, we must not only seek progress, which can be measured statistically, but development, which is measured in justice and charity.

The Holy Father is especially critical of the greed and manipulation that played such an important role in our current economic collapse:

Yet it must be acknowledged that this same economic growth has been and continues to be weighed down by malfunctions and dramatic problems, highlighted even further by the current crisis. This presents us with choices that cannot be postponed concerning nothing less than the destiny of man, who, moreover, cannot prescind from his nature. The technical forces in play, the global interrelations, the damaging effects on the real economy of badly managed and largely speculative financial dealing, large-scale migration of peoples, often provoked by some particular circumstance and then given insufficient attention, the unregulated exploitation of the earth's resources.

This crisis though, as with any crisis, is not without opportunity. The world is now forced to confront our decisions and our models of production and economy. This confrontation can become a positive one if the world will "rediscover fundamental values on which to build a better future. The current crisis obliges us to re-plan our journey, to set ourselves new rules and to discover new forms of commitment, to build on positive experiences and to reject negative ones. The crisis thus becomes an opportunity for discernment, in which to shape a new vision for the future."

The current economic crisis forces us to choose between two paths: the path of solidarity or the path of exploitation. The principle of charity in truth clearly demands the former. We have seen the overall wealth of the world increase abundantly, but in the process inequalities have increased significantly. These inequalities are matters of both charity and justice. Justice, insofar as many of these inequalities are the direct result of exploitation of the poor. Charity in that the abundance of wealth in rich nations enables them to enact economic models and designs that can actually benefit poorer nations.

Insofar as injustice has created economic inequality we must look especially to issues of trade. Rich nations continue to place high tariffs on imported goods, as well as subsidize exports. At the same time, these nations which control the world financial institutions (especially the IMF) use their influence to eliminate those same protective measures in poorer nations. The result is two-fold: one, the market does not control production of goods in the way that it should, but instead is flooded with commodities in a way that drives their prices down, which does not affect the farmer/manufacturer/producer who is subsidized by the state, but completely decimates the one who is simply seeking survival; two, by the massive disparity of trade created by this subsidy/tariff model prevents poor nations from generating the sort of income that can be used to invest in infrastructure and technology in a way that will allow them to climb the economic ladder and get out of extreme poverty – an advancement, by the way, that would benefit all nations economically, as in a globalized economy such as this all benefit by the existence of robust trading partners.

The final point I wish to highlight from this Encyclical right now is the concept the Holy Father develops of "responsible freedom." He challenges the idea that freedom is truly realized as total autonomy, but rather authentic freedom is that which removes all obstacles to the good. This freedom is denied in various ways in the modern world. The one that incites the most passion in me is his criticism of the "unduly rigid assertion of the right to intellectual property, especially in the field of health care." It must be recognized absolutely that access to health care is a fundamental right of humanity. This is where science and technology must always be harmonized and guided by proper moral guidance. Science and technology must be at the service of the common good, not simply the advancement of profit. We have peoples suffering from very curable or at least treatable diseases, yet too often they are denied available treatments because drug companies will not allow the mass production of those treatments because of their greedy grip on patent rights (for a truly fantastic book that deals with this well, read Mountains Beyond Mountains: The Quest of Dr. Paul Farmer, a Man Who Would Cure the World, by Tracy Kidder). Profit can be a good, and of itself is not to be condemned; but when profit takes precedent over an obvious common good, when profit prevents man from being treated for diseases that will otherwise kill or incapacitate him, then profit becomes sin. "For the love of money is the root of all evils; it is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced their hearts with many pangs" (1 Tim 6:10).

Related to this is concept of responsible freedom is the need to ensure the rights of workers. The global economy today too often creates a competition for the lowest bidder of labor among poor and underdeveloped nations. The Holy Father writes:

Consequently, the market has prompted new forms of competition between States as they seek to attract foreign businesses to set up production centres, by means of a variety of instruments, including favourable fiscal regimes and deregulation of the labour market. These processes have led to a downsizing of social security systems as the price to be paid for seeking greater competitive advantage in the global market, with consequent grave danger for the rights of workers, for fundamental human rights and for the solidarity associated with the traditional forms of the social State.

This competition for cheap labor creates a degradation of the human person that regards man through a strictly utilitarian lens, and not through the lens of inherent dignity that is his by virtue of being created by God and in God's image. As the world moves forward in developing the economic plans for the future, primary among this new vision must be a deep respect for the rights of workers, and overall for human dignity. This flows directly from the human right that the Church recognizes as primary among all human rights, the right to life, which is where I will pick up in my next post.

Truth and Love in Christ

"Truth and love are originally identical; where they are completely realized they are not two parallels or even opposing realities but one, the one and only absolute." Joseph Ratzinger, Introduction to Christianity

"God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth." (John 4:23)

"I am the way, and the truth, and the life." (John 14:6)

 

There is an insidious seduction of the modern world, the seduction of relativism, which causes man to buy into the lie that truth and love are somehow separable. I say it is insidious because it is a lie, but it is an attractive one. The truth is difficult and much more likely to cause conflict, and our human nature is such that we prefer to shy away from conflict. It is difficult to find someone who does not agree with the ideal of love, and so we look at love as the common bond which can unite us. But love that is not in the service of truth is vapid and meaningless, it is merely a sentiment with no substantial value. When love forsakes its responsibility to truth, it is not love at all, but is a sentimental lie.

There are many who call out the name of Christ, who loudly proclaim their love for Him, who even call Him Lord. Yet who can truly love whom they do not know? Or rather, if we truly love someone that love itself leads us to know them. Yet so many profess a love for Christ while preaching a pseudo-gospel that expresses disdain for everything He taught, everything He lived, died, and rose for. One of the most popular of these lies, Satanic to the core, is the "prosperity gospel," which seduces and manipulates poor and vulnerable persons by telling them that if they put their trust in God, not only will God provide for them eternally, but He will surely provide for them here on earth, too. These antichrists pick and choose certain verses from Scripture in the same way that Satan did with Christ in the desert, promising "all the kingdoms of the world and the glory of them" (Mt 4:8). In the process, they deny the assurance of suffering for those who are faithful to Christ and forsake the reality of the Cross. Listen to the words of St. Augustine from his sermon on Christian Pastors:

But what sort of shepherds are they who for fear of giving offense not only fail to prepare the sheep for the temptations that threaten, but even promise them worldly happiness? God himself made no such promise to this world. On the contrary, God foretold hardship upon hardship in this world until the end of time. And you want the Christian to be exempt from these troubles? Precisely because he is Christian, he is destined to suffer more in this world.

Fidelity to Christ requires fidelity to the truth. Love for God and for man requires love of truth. We as Christians forsake our responsibility to the Gospel when out of fear of giving offense we refrain from speaking truth. This is no time for bowing to the dictatorship of relativism or the golden calf of tolerance, pretending that any viewpoint is acceptable. If one has faith in Christ and has an honest misunderstanding of the Gospel, then they must be given the most gentle of corrections. If one is corrected and continues to preach a false Gospel, then through the use of Scripture and sound reason their false teaching must be rebuked.

We know that, "All scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work" (2 Tim 3:16-17). If someone preaches a pseudo-gospel promising prosperity and temporal blessing because of their faith in Christ, we tell them, "Indeed all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted" (2 Tim 3:12). If a fellow Christian says to be silent in the authentic sharing of the Gospel, we respond, "Do not be ashamed then of testifying to our Lord, nor of me his prisoner, but share in suffering for the gospel in the power of God" (2 Tim 1:8). And if one of the antichrists proclaiming the false "prosperity gospel" informs you that your suffering is an indication of lack of faith in Christ, respond thusly: "More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not disappoint us, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us" (Rom 5:3-5).

We as Christians have the responsibility to preach Christ, and him crucified. This fidelity to Christ places upon us the burden of truth, and to truth we must always be faithful, and we must always speak the truth in love (cf. Eph 4:15), knowing that one cannot exist without the other. Will our faithfulness to the truth cause us suffering, cause us to be persecuted, cause even those who call upon the name of Christ to shun? It most certainly will. It is in just this willingness to suffer for Christ that we are most abundantly blessed.

Caritas in Veritate – it’s here!

Caritas in Veritate, Pope Benedict XVI's present encyclical, is finally here! I'm such a geek. Reading it now, will comment later.

Self-Awareness and the Grip of the Ego

Breakthroughs do indeed happen. These can, however, be quickly followed by moodiness, irritability, struggling once again with demons we thought had been dealt with long ago. This ego backlash is fairly common at this point in one's practice and not all that complicated. The ego is accustomed to keeping a tight grip on things and always having the last word. Any growth in contemplation is going to loosen the ego's grip, and the encounter with silence will for once leave it speechless. Sometimes the ego reacts by tightening its grip again, and, after taking a step forward, we're left with the impression of having taken three steps back. It's best to become comfortable with the sense of always being a beginner.

--Fr. Martin Laird, OSA, Into the Silent Land: A Guide to the Christian Practice of Contemplation, p. 87

One of the fruits of contemplative practice in the beginning can often feel more like a curse. It is the fruit of self-awareness. This takes on three distinct manifestations. One, we develop a hyper-awareness of our faults and sins; two, this awareness brings to the surface hidden anger, fear, resentment, pain, and the like; finally, the silence with which we begin to encounter all loosens the grip of the ego, and the ego does not like this one bit, for it is in the ego's nature to dominate and control. The attack of the ego attempting to regain control produces an internal battle that often makes us irritable, angry, moodiness, depression. In all three cases it feels as if we are actually regressing in the spiritual life, when in fact the opposite is occurring. We are being purified, like gold tried in fire. These impurities, these pains, these afflictions, these sins, are all passing through the furnace of Christ's Sacred Heart, and this process is painful, but produces great humility and great purity.

Again, in all three cases, the solution to this encounter is the same. When we notice a sin or a fault brought into the realm of our awareness, or when the excavation of deeply hidden pains and hurts is brought into the present awareness, or when the attack of the ego causes irritability or some other moodiness, instead of whipping up a mental commentary, we simply meet these thoughts and feelings with the silent gaze of awareness. This is a deeper silence than what has previously been described, when we used the prayer word as a means of focusing our awareness on the present (remember the vaccine effect). In this silence, Fr. Laird writes that "we are able to meet our thoughts and feelings directly, without commentary, without telling a story to ourselves about them. We simply let them be without being ensnared by them." He continues:

Now that you are aware of these objects, gently shift your attention away from them, these narratives that have stolen our attention over a lifetime – our anger, our fear, our envy, our pounding commentaries on how life should be – shift your attention to the awareness itself. Immediately the thinking mind grows still. Then we have answered the riddle of the Second Doorway and we realize that we are silence, fuller and vaster than the mind can grasp.

The most effective way to gently shift our attention is again through the use of the prayer word, be it the ancient use of the Jesus Prayer or whatever other word we have selected. As we begin to grow in the contemplative practice it is effective and highly recommended that we use this prayer word not only in our moments of "sitting in silence," the 30 minutes or an hour that we practice silence in morning and in night, but also throughout the day. Let the prayer word, united with breath, become the regular movement of our day, so that anytime in the day when our discursive mind is not necessarily actively engaged we are practicing the prayer word. If we are doing the dishes, driving in the car, walking down the street, sitting on the beach, whenever our mind need not be active it is of great benefit to practice the prayer word united with breathing. This will cultivate a powerful sense of awareness and stillness in our soul that will better enable us to meet all the distractions of the day, and will be of tremendous psychological benefit as our deepening in prayer excavates all these hidden feelings, thoughts, emotions, and so forth.

To give an example from my own life, one Sunday I found myself terribly afflicted by the irritability described above, by the attack of my ego attempting to close its grip on me once again. All throughout the day I was irritated. During Mass I found myself angry at the priest and the musician for ruining the Liturgy. As I was walking home a car drove by me with his windows down and music blaring with the bass so high that the windows were rattling, and as he passed me I yelled, "You sound like a real idiot, you know that?!" Coupled with all of this irritability was that hyper-awareness of my own faults, so that when I was angry in church and after I yelled at this man the commentary in my head instantly began to whip itself into a frenzy. "What kind of Christian am I? Why am I yelling at this person? How am I ever going to be a compassionate priest if all I do is yell at people when I think they're wrong? How dare I be angry with this musician who is devoting his time to providing this music to us, no matter how awful it is? He's clearly a better person than me, and here I am judging him!" And on it went. After the yelling incident and the ensuing commentary I suddenly became aware of what I was doing, and returned right to the Jesus Prayer, and as I continued my walk, simply inhaled, "Oh my Jesus, Son of God, have mercy on me," and exhaled, "a sinner." That continued, and in meeting the irritability and the anger with that silent awareness, and then gently shifting my attention away from it with the use of my prayer word, not only did the anger and irritability and anger pass and peace envelop my soul, but my own silence deepened considerably.

We must realize that Christian contemplative practice is not a matter of removing thoughts, of ridding ourselves of thoughts, feelings, emotions, etc. We are not Stoics, we are not Zen Buddhists, we are Christians. As such we have a knowledge of God's indwelling within us and the union of love that is perfected through our faith in Christ. So the goal here is not to become empty, to rid ourselves of emotions, but rather to meet them in silent awareness, and allow the grace of God through Christ to purify them. This, again, is why this contemplative practice is so greatly deepened by the frequency of the Sacraments, particularly the Sacraments of Reconciliation and Eucharist, as the Sacraments themselves work to purify and perfect us and conform us to Christ, which is the goal of every Christian. As with the Sacraments, it is just this contemplative practice that through grace heals us and perfects us and allows us to truly say with St. Paul, "It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me." This is the desired fruit of contemplation.

Discovering the Art of Silence

Truly I have set my soul
In silence and peace
As a child has rest in its mother's arms,
even so my soul.
--Psalm 131

The discursive mind, the ability to think and to reason, is one of the great gifts of humanity. It is an essential component of what makes us human. There is the tendency, however, to allow it to dominate our soul in such a way that denies us the opportunity to cultivate another and even greater component of our humanity, which is the art of silence.

I say that silence is an art because, just like our ability to reason, it is something that requires careful cultivation. The practice of silence is a necessary preparation for the grace of contemplation, which is the self-same communication of God's Being to the soul. Our minds are not used to silence, perhaps less so today than ever, and yet now more than ever it is so important to cultivate this art. So many of us experience the great illusion of the fallen human condition, the illusion of absence from God, of God's distance, of God's separation, or even worse, the illusion that simply is not. The practice of silence is the art that allows us to enter into the depthless depths of our now-consciousness, to rest and be immersed into the present moment, without any discursive thought about what is going on in that moment, or what preceded or will proceed it, but simply to be. It is in this simple non-act of being, the resting in the eternal moment, that the very ground of our being, God, will break through that moment and flood our awareness with His very Self. It is thus, without meditation or reasoning, that we truly become aware of how immensely we are loved, and that the love poured into every human soul is then able to heal us of all our pains, our sins, our frailties, and we experience the sublime peace of a child resting in its mother's arms.

The practice of silence is not about a technique, as some would say, for that indicates a level of control that is contrary to what silence is. But it is nonetheless a practice and as such requires training. There are two elements in this practice that go back at least as far as the Desert Fathers. One is the practice of breathing, and the other is the use of a prayer word. Breathing is essential for the calming of the mind and the slowing of the beating of the heart. How many of us when stressed or anxious have reverted to the taking of a few deep breaths to calm ourselves? In developing the practice of silence it is helpful to begin by taking several deep breaths, allowing the exhale to be longer than the inhale. This is helpful in stilling the mind and relaxing the body. After several of these breaths then the breathing will slow itself naturally, and can then take over on its own.

The use of a prayer word takes many forms throughout the history of Christianity. Perhaps the most popular, again used by the Fathers and continued today, especially in the Orthodox tradition, is what is commonly referred to as the Jesus Prayer. It takes a variety of forms, going something like, "Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner," or, "Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me," or sometimes just simply, "Jesus." Whatever is chosen, the idea is to unite the prayer word with the breath, so that breath and word become one. If using the longer form of the prayer word, on the inhale one would say, "Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me," and on the exhale, "a sinner."

The purpose of the prayer word is to direct the wandering mind back to the present, back to the loving awareness of the now so that God may break through. In the beginning this will all seem fabricated and unnatural, but after only a few days of this practice it will become natural and the effects of silence will begin to be felt. The idea is that the mind has a natural tendency to wander, to obsess, to fixate on trains of thoughts. In attempting to practice silence the mind becomes all-too aware of just how active it is, as it thinks about the laundry that we need to do, what we will make for dinner, who won the Phillies game, the argument we had earlier, the argument we might have later, and even when a pious thought enters into our mind we find ourselves tending to meditating on that thought, discursively thinking about what it means. Any number of thoughts will flood the mind as we attempt to practice silence. The purpose of the prayer word is not to stop our mind from thinking, but rather to recognize the thoughts as they come and then use the prayer word to come back to the present.

In his book Into the Silent Land: A Guide to the Christian Practice of Contemplation, Fr. Martin Laird, OSA, describes the prayer word as a kind of vaccination. In reality the prayer word is just another discursive thought, but its effect is such that by "injecting" the mind with a bit of the disease, the mind builds up the necessary defense against it and eventually overcomes it. So by the use of the prayer word, whenever our mind wanders to any discursive thought whatsoever, we simply repeat the prayer word and allow ourselves to come back to the silence of the present.

Over time we will discover that our mind wanders less and less, and when it does we will notice that we are drawn much more naturally back to silence. In this silence a tremendous awareness of our deepest selves begins to emerge – and it must be forewarned that at times this can be scary or even painful, but at the same time, it is here that true healing can occur. Henry Nouwen once wrote:

The great challenge is living through your wounds, instead thinking them through. It is better to cry than to worry, better to feel your wounds deeply than to understand them, better to let them enter into your silence than to talk about them. The choice you face constantly is whether your hurt is to your head or to your heart. In your head you can analyze them, find their causes and consequences, and coin words to speak and write about them. But no final healing is likely to come from that source. You need to let your wounds go down into your heart. Then you can live them through and discover they will not destroy you. Your heart is greater than your wounds.

This is what happens in the discovery of silence. We enter deep into the heart, or rather, into the depths of our being, where we can hide nothing from ourselves, where we are stripped naked, and finally, in that depthless space, God breaks through into that awareness and the fire of the Holy Spirit purifies us, cleanses us, and heals all of our brokenness. Thus it is that the practice of silence leads to powerful transformation of the human spirit, for it is in silence that the human spirit recognizes her intimate union with the Spirit of God, and that loving awareness of God's intimate presence heals and transforms us so that we may become perfect and whole.

This practice of silence, which opens the soul up to the grace of contemplation, does not seem natural to many of us, as we have become so accustomed to the cacophony of noise and thoughts, and it may seem scary to those of us who have great pain in the depths of our being, but it is in this silence that we are healed and that we are released from the suffocating hold of our thoughts and our pains and our fears. Confronting this fear of silence, however, is a journey of immeasurable reward, and should be taken up by anyone who wishes to discover the nearness of God and the sublime peace and beauty that comes with resting in Him.

Developing the Loving Awareness of God

Union with God is not something we acquire by a technique but the grounding truth of our lives that engenders the very search for God. Because God is the ground of our being, the relationship between creature and Creator is such that, by sheer grace, separation is not possible. God does not know how to be absent. The fact that most of us experience throughout most of our lives a sense of absence or distance from God is the great illusion that we are caught up in; it is the human condition. This illusion of separation is generated by the mind and is sustained by the riveting of our attention to the interior soap opera, the constant chatter of the cocktail party going on in our heads. For most of us this is what normal is, and we are good at coming up with ways of coping with this perceived separation (our consumer-driven entertainment culture takes care of much of it). But some of us are not so good at coping, and so we drink ourselves into oblivion or cut or burn ourselves "so that the pain will be in a different place and on the outside."

--Fr. Martin Laird, O.S.A., Into the Silent Land: A Guide to the Christian Practice of Contemplation

The great common illusion of our human experience is that we are somehow separated from God, that God is absent from us, that He is distant. There exist any number of reasons why this distance is perceived, but the reality is that we as humans are built for contemplation. We are created with a God-given capacity for knowledge of God's nearness, for the intimate experience of God's indwelling within us, as the very ground of our being.

St. Augustine wrote well of this illusion of separation in his Confessions when he exclaimed, "You were within me, yet I was outside, and it was there that I sought You." In his own way Augustine here points to a condition common to all of humanity, yet expressed in varied and diverse ways. Knowledge of and intimacy with God is a fundamental human desire, yet because of the way in which we perceive His absence this desire frequently becomes disordered and manifests itself in any number of ways. The drug addict, the alcoholic, the one who acts out in licentiousness, these are just some of the more extreme and harmful ways in which we seek that transcendent experience. There are other ways, of course, which are actually of themselves quite healthy and can often pave the way for a deeper encounter with God. I am thinking here of our various friendships and community participations, where we seek to be part of something bigger than ourselves and at the same time experience some sort of intimacy.

The point is that in all these varied ways humans seek God from without when in reality He must be sought within. As the ground of our being He is calling us deeper into silence, so that deep below the cacophony of the world and of our thoughts we may learn to Be still, and know that I am God (Ps 46:10, RSV).

Contemplation is not a practice, it is not a technique. It is a loving awareness of the soul's union with God. St. John of the Cross often refers to it as passive, but Fr. Laird suggests that perhaps a better word is receptive. We do have a part to play in our preparation for this awareness, this self-same communication of God's Being which comes forth from the living spring dwelling at the deepest depths of our spirit. We must learn to exercise the soul in this receptivity. This comes from our listening to the Spirit speak in Scripture; by receiving God's Being in the Eucharist; by liberating ourselves from the darkening of our soul's ability to perceive, which comes from sin, by our frequency of the Sacrament of Reconciliation, and by our tender devotion to prayer, especially to silent prayer. We learn to pray through the many vocal prayers of the Church, and while we never set them aside, we also grow into the practice of the silent, loving awareness of God. For those who walk this path, there are many to whom God will then draw into contemplation, into that perfect awareness of the soul's union with Him that serves as the perfect foreshadowing of the sublime beatific vision. Even those who do not experience the grace of contemplation will nonetheless most certainly find themselves immensely blessed in prayer.

So many of us experience such pain, desolation, anguish, or perhaps the slow torture of banality. This need not be so. We are built for contemplation. God has revealed Himself to us in Christ, and through Christ, through our union with Him, He the Bridegroom, we the Bride, He wishes to communicate to us the awareness of His intimate presence, an awareness that will dissipate all darkness, heal all pain, absorb all desolation, and invigorate our hearts with a profound appreciation for the beauty of life. We need simply learn to travel into the silent land.

Pope Benedict XVI on the Priestly Identity

On Priestly Identity

"One Who Prays Is Not Afraid; One Who Prays Is Never Alone"

VATICAN CITY, JULY 1, 2009 (Zenit.org).- Here is a translation of the address Benedict XVI gave today during the general audience in St. Peter's Square. He continued with the theme he took up last week: the Year for Priests.

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Dear brothers and sisters:

As you know, with the celebration of First Vespers for the solemnity of the holy Apostles Peter and Paul in the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls, the Pauline Year has come to a close -- the year that marked the 2,000th anniversary of the birth of the Apostle to the Gentiles. Let us give thanks to the Lord for the spiritual fruits that this important initiative has brought to so many Christian communities.

As a precious heritage of the Pauline Year, we can reap the Apostle's invitation to go deeper into the knowledge of the mystery of Christ, so that he becomes the heart and center of our personal and social realities.

This is, in fact, the indispensable condition for a true spiritual and ecclesial renewal. As I already emphasized during the first Eucharistic celebration in the Sistine Chapel after my election as the Successor of the Apostle St. Peter, it is precisely from that full communion with Christ that "flows every other element of the Church's life: first of all, communion among all the faithful, the commitment to proclaiming and witnessing to the Gospel, the ardor of love for all, especially the poorest and lowliest" (1st Message at the End of the Eucharistic Concelebration With the Members of the College of Cardinals in the Sistine Chapel, April 20, 2005).

This is true in the first place for priests. Because of this, I thank Divine Providence, which now offers us the possibility of celebrating the Year for Priests. It is my heartfelt wish that this will be an opportunity for interior renewal for every priest, and consequently, [a year of] firm reinvigoration in the commitment to his own mission.

Just as during the Pauline Year, our constant reference point was St. Paul, so in the coming months we will look to St. John Vianney, the holy Curé d'Ars, recalling the 150th anniversary of his death. In the letter I wrote to priests for this occasion, I wanted to emphasize what shines forth in the existence of this humble minister of the altar: "the complete identification of the man with his ministry."

He often said that "a good pastor, a pastor after the heart of God, is the greatest treasure that the good God can give to a parish, and one of the most precious gifts of divine mercy." And almost unable to conceive the greatness of the gift and the task entrusted to a poor human creature, he sighed, "Oh how great is the priesthood! … If he could understand himself, he would die. … God obeys him: He pronounces two words and Our Lord descends from heaven at his beckoning and enters into a tiny Host."

In truth, precisely considering the binomial "identity-mission," every priest can better see the need for this progressive identification with Christ that will guarantee him fidelity and fruitfulness in the evangelical testimony.

The very theme of the Year for Priests -- Faithfulness of Christ, Faithfulness of Priests -- shows that the gift of divine grace precedes every possible human response and pastoral accomplishment, and thus, in the life of the priest, missionary proclamation and worship are never separable, just as the ontological-sacramental identity and the evangelizing mission are not separable.

Apart from that we could say the objective of every priest's mission is "cultic": so that all people can offer themselves to God as a living host, holy and pleasing to Him (cf. Romans 12:1), that in creation itself, in people, it becomes worship and praise of the Creator, receiving from it that charity that they are called to abundantly dispense among each other. 

We clearly see this in the beginnings of Christianity. St. John Chrysostom said, for example, that the sacrament of the altar and the "sacrament of one's brother" or, as they say, the "sacrament of the poor," are two aspects of the same mystery. Love for neighbor, attention to justice and to the poor, are not just themes of social morality, but rather the expression of a sacramental conception of Christian morality, because through the ministry of the priest, the spiritual sacrifice of all the faithful is carried out, in union with that of Christ, the one Mediator: the sacrifice that priests offer in an unbloody and sacramental manner awaiting the new coming of the Lord.

This is the principal dimension, essentially missionary and dynamic, of priestly identity and ministry: by way of the proclamation of the Gospel, those who still do not believe are begotten in the faith, so that they can unite their sacrifice to the sacrifice of Christ, that translates in love for God and neighbor.

Dear brothers and sisters, faced with so many uncertainties and struggles, it is urgent to recover -- also in the exercise of priestly ministry -- a clear and unmistaken judgment about the absolute primacy of divine grace, recalling what St. Thomas Aquinas wrote: "The smallest gift of grace surpasses the natural good of the whole universe" (Summa Theologiae, I-II, q. 113, a. 9, ad 2).

The mission of every priest depends, therefore, also and above all on the awareness of the sacramental reality of his "new being." The priest's renewed enthusiasm for his mission will always depend on the certainty of his personal identity, which is not artificially constructed, but rather given and received freely and divinely. What I have written in the encyclical "Deus Caritas Est" is also true for priests: "Being Christian is not the result of an ethical choice or a lofty idea, but the encounter with an event, a person, which gives life a new horizon and a decisive direction" (No. 1).

Having received such an extraordinary gift of grace with their "consecration," priests become permanent witnesses of their encounter with Christ. Beginning precisely from this interior awareness, they can plentifully fulfill their "mission," by means of the proclamation of the Word and the administration of the sacraments. After the Second Vatican Council, the impression has come about that in our times, there is something more urgent in priests' missions; some believed that they should in the first place build up a distinct society. On the other hand, the verses from the Gospel that we heard at the beginning call our attention to the two essential elements of priestly ministry. Jesus sends the apostles, at that time and now, to proclaim the Gospel and he gives them the power to cast out evil spirits. "Proclamation" and "power," that is to say "word" and "sacrament," are therefore the two foundational pillars of priestly service, beyond its many possible configurations.

When the "diptych" consecration-mission is not taken into account, it becomes truly difficult to understand the identity of the priest and his ministry in the Church. Who in fact is the priest, if not a man converted and renewed by the Spirit, who lives from a personal relationship with Christ, constantly making the Gospel criteria his own? Who is the priest, if not a man of unity and truth, aware of his own limits and at the same time, of the extraordinary greatness of the vocation he has received, that of helping to extend the Kingdom of God to the ends of the earth?

Yes! The priest is a man totally belonging to the Lord, because it is God himself who calls him and who establishes him in his apostolic service. And precisely being totally of God, he is totally of mankind, for all people. During this Year for the Priest, which will continue until the next solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, let us pray for all priests. May there be an abundance of prayer initiatives and, in particular, Eucharistic adoration, for the sanctification of the clergy and for priestly vocations -- in dioceses, in parishes, in religious communities (especially monasteries), in associations and movements and in the various pastoral groups present in the whole world -- responding to Jesus' invitation to pray "to the lord of the harvest that he may send workers to his harvest" (Matthew 9:38).

Prayer is the first task, the true path of sanctification for priests, and the soul of an authentic "vocational ministry." The numerical scarcity of priestly ordinations in some countries should not discourage, but instead should motivate a multiplication of opportunities for silence and listening to the Word, and better attention to spiritual direction and the sacrament of confession, so that the voice of God, who always continues calling and confirming, can be heard and promptly followed by many youth.

One who prays is not afraid; one who prays is never alone; one who prays is saved! St. John Vianney is undoubtedly a model of an existence made prayer. Mary, Mother of the Church, help all priests to follow his example so as to be, like him, witnesses of Christ and apostles of the Gospel. 

[Translation by ZENIT]

[The Holy Father then greeted the people in several languages. In English, he said:]

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

There is a close link between the Pauline Year, which concluded last Sunday, and the Church's curren t celebration of the Year for Priests. As we have seen, Saint Paul, in his life and his writings, teaches us that the mystery of Christ must stand at the very heart of our lives as individuals and as a community. This is true in a very special way of priests. In Saint John Mary Vianney, the patron saint of parish priests, we see a wonderful example of a priest whose person was completely identified with his ministry. The priest's personal identity, grounded in his calling and his sacramental configuration to Christ, may not be separated from his pastoral activity. Indeed, the ministry of every priest is essentially "cultic", in the fullest sense of the word: it is meant to enable the faithful to offer their lives to God as a pleasing sacrifice (cf. Rom 12:1). It is my hope that this Year for Priests will help all priests to appreciate the immense grace of their vocation, consecration and mission. During this Year may the whole Church pray and work more fervently for the sanctification of priests, an increase of priestly vocations, and a greater appreciation of the role of the priest in the life of the ecclesial community.

I offer a warm welcome to the English-speaking visitors present at today's Audience, including the pilgrimage groups from England, Scotland, Japan, Malaysia, the Philippines, Canada and the United States. I thank the choirs for their praise of God in song. Upon all of you I cordially invoke God's blessings of joy and peace!

© Copyright 2009 - Libreria Editrice Vaticana

Pope Benedict XVI’s Prayer Intentions for July

Since one of the conditions to indulgences is that one pray for the intentions of the Holy Father, I am hoping to begin regularly posting those intentions the first of each month. Here are Pope Benedict's prayer intentions for the month of July:

BENEDICT XVI'S PRAYER INTENTIONS FOR JULY

VATICAN CITY, 1 JUL 2009 (VIS) - Pope Benedict's general prayer intention for July is: "That the Christians of the Middle East may live their faith in full freedom and be an instrument of peace and reconciliation".

His mission intention is: "That the Church may be the seed and nucleus of a humanity reconciled and reunited in God's one and only family, thanks to the testimony of all the faithful in every country of the world". 

Celibacy, Marriage, and Union with God

I have been thinking recently about this vocation to celibacy – not specifically the vocation to priesthood, but the vocation to celibacy itself. It is not uncommon to hear one argue against it, on the basis that sexuality is only natural and to deny it thus must be unnatural. This, however, is a false tautology. What we must ask is what is it about sexuality that makes it truly a gift from God?

The reason that Christianity teaches that the sexual union is a gift used perfectly when it is between a husband and a wife is because of what the sexual union itself represents. Sexuality is designed by God as a means to achieve a union of love which leads both to an ecstatic experience as well as the giving of life. It is given to humans in this way because it is a type of what is to come, that union with God experienced by the soul after death. The soul in heaven is perfectly united to God in love in an eternal ecstasy in which the soul also experiences an abundance of life, as promised by Christ. The sexual union, then, is but a foretaste of eternity with God.

This vision of the sexual union is important when attempting to understand the vocation of celibacy. The celibate is called to foreshadow this union with God in a radically different way – through contemplation. Though contemplation is certainly not limited to celibates, celibacy better enables a soul to prepare for it and be drawn into it. Contemplation in a Christian sense has nothing to do with thinking or meditating – though meditation is a means of preparation, it is not contemplation itself. Contemplation is the communication of God's very Being to the soul – it is the deepest awareness of the soul's union with God, and the soul in contemplation experiences even more profoundly than in the sexual union of husband and wife that experience of ecstatic love and the abundance of life.

The reality is that every human being is in union with God. As Creator God is the ground of our very being, and so there is no such thing as "separation" from Him. There is, however, a darkening of the awareness of that union, and this darkening leads us farther and farther astray from our predestination, which is eternal life with God. It is sad then that more priests and religious and celibates of every kind do not recognize their call also to contemplation, because it is through this call that they are best able to foreshadow the life to come. Through so many varied ways does God bless human beings, all so that we may better experience His love and witness to that love by loving our neighbor, and insofar as we all, married or celibate, recognize the true depths of our vocation, only then may we best bring a glimpse of heaven here to earth.