"When you're down. and feeling sad ..."

Pope Benedict's Epiphany homily discusses the importance of pursuing the vision of the Kingdom, no matter the discouragements. A teacher takes comfort in this paragraph:

“There is no shadow, however dark, that can dim the light of Christ. For this reason believers in Christ never lose hope vis-à-vis the great social and economic crisis troubling humanity today, the destructive hatred and violence that continue to shed blood in many regions of the world and man’s selfishness and pretensions to be his own god, which leads sometimes to dangerous distortions of God’s design about life and the human dignity in matter of the family and the harmony of creation. As I wrote in the already mentioned Spe salvi Encyclical, our efforts to free human life and the world from poisons and pollution that could destroy the present and the future retains its value and meaning, ‘even if we outwardly achieve nothing or seem powerless in the face of overwhelming hostile forces,’ because ‘it is the great hope based upon God's promises that gives us courage and directs our action in good times and bad’(n. 35).”...

The Holy Father's visit, so far

As I watch the Liturgy from St. Patrick's, one conclusion for sure: this Pope IS what he says, and seems to be a gentleman of transparency and humility. Highlights:

• This visit is a working visit. All those gaps in the public, televised schedule mean, of course, that a great deal of Church and Church-State business is being transacted. Not that that doesn't go on as a matter of course with such visits, but it seems more so this time. And, there are surprises that confound the secular press: the visit with the abuse victims.
• With liturgies at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception and St. Patrick's Cathedral, we're also reminded that the visit is to the historic Catholic Church in the United States as well as today's faith family. We have some pretty worship spaces here, new and older.
  
• In the UN address: It is not fitting that a believer should set aside religious conviction in order to participate in the full exercise of citizenship. A truthful, pointed and courageous note in a fascinating exposition of natural right and natural law. He didn't hide his learning here, but gave us a peek into the brilliance of his scholarly insight.
  
• The homily at St. Patrick's: The concluding point was that the clergy and faithful should be models of humility, leaders in resolving and setting aside all ancient sources of conflict. There was something beautiful here. Perhaps those dioceses in the decaying Northeast will find hope and renewal. The Church as a society must rebuild from the ground up in many of these areas.
  
• The Liturgy at Nationals' Stadium: There was an intimacy about it, highlighted by the closeness allowed the faithful as the Holy Father walked the last leg of the processional and recessional parades. He also appears to have a great serenity at these moments, something which requires trust, fearlessness and a love of the faithful.
• A little bit of Latin and "romanism," but graceful and not over-bearing. I think the point is to give a model for the future, and an invitation. There are those who expected something more heavy-handed in this regard. Befitting the environment, there was some incredible classical hymnody and sacred music at St. Pat's.
• Pope Benedict seems to be more at ease as the journey continues. He is a young 81 years old.
  
• The multi-dimensional, multi-faceted complexity of the Catholic Church in this country is on display, reflecting and even providing a paradigm for the carrying forward of the American experiment. The Holy Father did say something about this in the St. Pat's homily. A harmony that is forged out of the creative tension of diverse elements and interests will be better and stronger in the long run.
• Speaking of unity and disunity, his point about the post-Vatican II Church was interesting. I don't recall this tone from anyone else, even John Paul. Both Wojtyla and Ratzinger were very involved in the Council. (There is available on the internet a photo of Joseph Ratzinger and Jesuit theologian Karl Rahner taken at the time of the Council. They're both in secular business suits.) They seem to have different takes on it. Benedict is certainly correct at least in this: it remains a strong and urgent need to find the deeper unity at the heart of the Council's inspired documents, and build from there. As with the facing of the abuse crisis, his honest acknowledgment of the present situation clears the way for an integral, rather than formal, collegiality in the Church. There are seeds for the future here.
• On the point of renewal: the older nuns present are the Vatican II sisters, in their secular "American" dress and intense address to the world; the younger nuns are the ones in traditional habits, serene, joyful and multicultural, yet very purposeful in the exercise of their communities' charisms.
  
• "My answer to all you have given me in this visit is my blessing at the end of the Holy Mass."
• Father Neuhaus: "a real pastoral intervention."
  

"We must move forward together in hope."

"No Room at the Inn"

From Benedict XVI's homily at Christmas Midnight Mass:

“The time came for Mary to be delivered. And she gave birth to her first-born son and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn” (Lk 2:6f.). These words touch our hearts every time we hear them. This was the moment that the angel had foretold at Nazareth: “you will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High” (Lk 1:31). This was the moment that Israel had been awaiting for centuries, through many dark hours – the moment that all mankind was somehow awaiting, in terms as yet ill-defined: when God would take care of us, when he would step outside his concealment, when the world would be saved and God would renew all things. We can imagine the kind of interior preparation, the kind of love with which Mary approached that hour. The brief phrase: “She wrapped him in swaddling clothes” allows us to glimpse something of the holy joy and the silent zeal of that preparation. The swaddling clothes were ready, so that the child could be given a fitting welcome. Yet there is no room at the inn. In some way, mankind is awaiting God, waiting for him to draw near. But when the moment comes, there is no room for him.

Man is so preoccupied with himself, he has such urgent need of all the space and all the time for his own things, that nothing remains for others – for his neighbour, for the poor, for God. And the richer men become, the more they fill up all the space by themselves. And the less room there is for others....

In the stable at Bethlehem, Heaven and Earth meet. Heaven has come down to Earth. For this reason, a light shines from the stable for all times; for this reason joy is enkindled there; for this reason song is born there.

At the end of our Christmas meditation I should like to quote a remarkable passage from Saint Augustine.Interpreting the invocation in the Lord’s Prayer: “Our Father who art in Heaven”, he asks: what is this – Heaven? And where is Heaven? Then comes a surprising response: “… who art in Heaven – that means: in the saints and in the just. Yes, the heavens are the highest bodies in the universe, but they are still bodies, which cannot exist except in a given location. Yet if we believe that God is located in the heavens, meaning in the highest parts of the world, then the birds would be more fortunate than we, since they would live closer to God. Yet it is not written: ‘The Lord is close to those who dwell on the heights or on the mountains’, but rather: ‘the Lord is close to the brokenhearted’ (Ps 34:18[33:19]), an expression which refers to humility. Just as the sinner is called ‘Earth’, so by contrast the just man can be called ‘Heaven’” (Sermo in monte II 5, 17).

Heaven does not belong to the geography of space, but to the geography of the heart. And the heart of God, during the Holy Night, stooped down to the stable: the humility of God is Heaven. And if we approach this humility, then we touch Heaven. Then the Earth too is made new. With the humility of the shepherds, let us set out, during this Holy Night, towards the Child in the stable! Let us touch God’s humility, God’s heart! Then his joy will touch us and will make the world more radiant. Amen

This Pope's "mining" of Scripture and of the Church Fathers for meaning relevant to today's situation continues to awe. "Heaven does not belong to the geography of space, but to the geography of the heart."

Why we teach

"And even if they are demanding answers, the young are not afraid of them; more to the point, they even await them."

--Pope John Paul II

Benedict XVI and the Environment

I love the rhetorical language in this news piece--"surprise attack" and "condemns," etc.

Benedict would be what's called a moderate on this issue. He doesn't deny the need to pay attention, but considers human needs and human problems as the priority item. End of discussion.