Aug 9 Sun - How should I pray?

 

Aug 9 Sun

How should I pray?

Jesus went up on the mountain by himself to pray. Jesus’ prayer to the Father is the perfect model of prayer. Often done in solitude and in secret, as we see in today’s Gospel, the prayer of Jesus involves a loving adherence to the will of the Father even to the Cross and an absolute confidence in being heard.

In his teaching, Jesus teaches his disciples to pray with a purified heart, with lively and persevering faith, with filial boldness. He calls them to vigilance and invites them to present their petitions to God in his name. Jesus Christ himself answers prayers addressed to him.

While the Mass is the perfect prayer, we also need to have a private life of prayer, a daily and intimate conversation with God. Heaven is communion with God, and one way to begin this communion now is by the conversation of mental prayer.

As was the case with Christ and his mother, the heart of prayer is offering oneself in loving adherence to the will of the Father, regardless of the cost. 
“My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as thou wilt.”
And Mary said, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.”

“And Jesus lifted up his eyes and said, ‘Father, I thank you that you have heard me. I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me.” In imitation of Christ our Master, we also must have the sureness that God will answer our prayers. So, we pray with faith. 

We cannot expect our life of prayer to mean anything without an ongoing conversion of heart. If we don’t work with God to purify our lives of sin, we can’t expect a life of prayer. The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent, and believe in the gospel.

We must pray with “filial boldness” or the audacity of a loved child. We can ask for what we want, so long as it is not evil. “If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”

We pray to the Father through Christ and directly to Christ. Christ invites his disciples to present their petitions to God in his name. Jesus Christ himself answers prayers addressed to him.

To be vigilant means to be on watch. We are vigilant if we say to Our Lord, I will pray at this time every day, and I will pray in these ways every day, and then actually do it.

We can find the solitude Elijah and Christ sought and that Christ recommends for us anytime we want by entering into our own interiority—even if things are busy and noisy around us. However, the best place for prayer is before the Blessed Sacrament in a quiet Church. 

Aug 8 Sat - How can I overcome difficulties?

 

Aug 8 Sat 

How can I overcome difficulties?

Keys to Mental Strength and Resilience Through the Example of Rafael Nadal

Rafael Nadal is one of the world’s most renowned athletes who has found in psychological strength a tool to give his best in every match. Maintaining alertness, knowing how to control his thoughts, emotions, and actions to focus on the present are some of the practices Nadal has honed to reach such heights. 

Mental resilience differs from physical resilience in that the latter refers to the healthy state of the body that allows it to resist and overcome illnesses or accidents, with greater recovery power. However, mental stability is knowing how to remain strong and healthy after something negative, difficult, or challenging happens to us.

It can also be described as the ability to manage and withstand difficult situations without succumbing to frustration. Developing this skill is key to interpreting and responding to everything that happens to us and surrounds us, both personally and professionally. The greater a person’s mental strength, the better their ability to manage stress and insecurities.

For this reason, cultivating it is one of the secrets of elite athletes. In addition to mastering their sport, it’s also important for these professionals to have the ability to manage their actions and emotions to avoid frustration, especially during play.

Fortitude is one of those virtues that helps us be better parents, children, professionals, or businesspeople. In particular, it helps us have the firmness, patience, and perseverance to make the necessary decisions to achieve the good we seek, even in the midst of difficulties. A strong person perseveres in fulfilling what they believe they must do, according to their conscience; one who does not measure the value of a task solely by the benefits received, but by the service rendered to others. The strong person sometimes suffers, but endures; they may weep, but they swallow their tears. When adversity intensifies, they do not yield.

Cultivating this habit helps us improve personally and professionally, because it allows us to overcome challenging professional situations more quickly and achieve our goals. Growing in this virtue is not easy; it’s a never-ending process, and one can never truly claim or boast about possessing it. The important thing is to strive to develop it without comparing oneself to others.

“No man, whether he be a Christian or not, has an easy life. To be sure, at certain times it seems as though everything goes as we had planned. But this generally lasts for only a short time. Life is a matter of facing up to difficulties and of experiencing in our hearts both joy and sorrow. It is in this forge that man can acquire fortitude, patience, magnanimity and composure."

And remember, “If God gives you the burden, God will give you the strength."

“Let those very obstacles give you strength. God's grace will not fail you: You shall pass through the mountains!"

And even, “Does it matter that you have to curtail your activity, for the moment, if afterwards, like a spring which has been compressed, you will reach incomparably farther than you ever dreamed?" 

Aug 7 Fri - Is the hunt for material things the only motivation in my life?

 

Aug 7 Fri

Is the hunt for material things the only motivation in my life?

Our life here on Earth is like a trip we're taking towards love: loving God and loving everyone else. But, because of the first sin, we humans got a bit messed up. We often love ourselves too much and look for happiness in stuff here on Earth, even when it goes against what God wants for us.

Now, when we reasonably are into material things and keep them in check, that's actually good. We use it to meet our basic human needs.

But sometimes, temptations can make us want things that aren't good for us. So, we have to be careful about those urges that could pull us away from God. This is super important these days, when a lot of people think happiness is all about having and enjoying earthly stuff. It's like we have a battle going on inside us: a fight against our own twisted desires. 

To be vigilant, we must be constantly battling against temptations or anything that makes our faith weaker, our hope fizzle out, or our love get messed up. Everyone feels a lot of pressure, pushed by the devil.

Don't forget that sin, which is basically turning away from God and only focusing on worldly things, starts to sneak into our souls through those evil desires and that urge to enjoy earthly pleasures, no matter what, feeding our earthly ambitions until we forget about God and why we were even created.

Nowadays, there is a universal tendency to center everything on man. We're living in a world that's all about material things. It confuses freedom with permissiveness, while commercializing human passions. It's pretty sad to see so many people letting themselves be told what to do by a few folks who push their own ideas, myths, and even a whole non-religious way of doing things.

We need to combat this tendency with the resources of Christian doctrine, in a constant and worldwide work of Christian formation.

"Remember, this inner struggle isn't just about us disciplining ourselves. It's what naturally follows from the truths God has shown us about Himself, about being human, and about our purpose in the world. Without that inner fight, without sharing in what Jesus went through, no one can really follow Him. Maybe that's why we're seeing this messed-up rush. A lot of people seem to think they can live a totally worldly life and still follow Christ, without the Cross and without suffering."

We live in a society that's all about having fun, and materialism is everywhere. The most important principles, which guided how individuals and society behaved, are being hollowed out by fake ideas about freedom, how sacred life is, that marriage is forever, what human sexuality really means, and how we should view the material advancements that progress brings. Many people are now tempted to just indulge themselves and buy a lot of stuff, and who we are is often defined by what we own."

If we are not careful, we too could succumb to this terrible disease, which is incompatible with true Christian living. 

Aug 6 Thu - Is religion a good fit for people?

 

Aug 6 Thu

Is religion a good fit for people?

People are naturally religious. Their experiences in the world make them instinctively think there's a Being behind everything, "whom everyone calls God."

Anyone can understand God with a bit of common sense, just by thinking about their life experiences. Things like being amazed by nature's beauty, surprised by the gift of life, or happy when feeling loved—all these make us think about the "mystery" behind it all.

Our human spirit, with its ability to self-reflect, grow culturally and technically, and understand right from wrong, shows that we're different from other creatures. We're more than just physical beings; we go beyond the material world and point to a higher, spiritual being that gives us these human qualities.

Our religious feelings aren't just us wishing for happiness; they come from genuinely looking at reality. That's why denying God or trying to push Him out of culture and public life is a pretty new thing, mostly in some parts of the Western world. The big questions about religion and life haven't changed over time, which proves that religion isn't just a "childish" phase that disappears as we learn more.

Realizing that people are naturally religious suggests that when God created us, He already set us up to receive our ultimate calling: being one with God through Christ.

For example, Tertullian noticed how the pagans of his time would naturally say "God is great" or "God is good." He believed the human soul was somehow drawn to the Christian faith. In his book 'Apologetics,' he wrote: "Anima naturaliter christiana"—we all have a naturally Christian soul.

Saint Thomas believed that humans have "a natural desire to see God." But our experiences show that we can't achieve this on our own. It can only happen if God comes to us and shows Himself as He truly is. But that's what Revelation is all about.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church sums up some of these ideas:

Our minds can figure out that God exists by looking at the created world, through two paths: physical creation and the human person.

These ways of seeing God's existence aren't "proofs" in the same way math or science proves things. Instead, they're different arguments that become more convincing depending on how much someone has thought about them and what they've learned.

They're also not "proofs" as in experimental sciences (such as physics or biology), because we can't observe or measure God. We can't watch Him like a sunset or a sandstorm and then draw conclusions. 

Aug 5 Wed - Should I always try to appear good and proclaim my qualities?

 

Aug 5 Wed

Should I always try to appear good and proclaim my qualities?

In a person’s life, “There is no greater road to travel than the way of love, but only the humble can travel it." 

Humility is not the most important virtue, but without it, other virtues cannot exist. “Do not forget that humility is such an important virtue that, if it is lacking, there can be no virtue. I will repeat that, in the interior life, humility is the salt that seasons all foods. For even though a particular act may seem virtuous, it cannot be, if it is the consequence of pride, of vanity, or of stupidity, or if we do it thinking about ourselves, instead of putting ourselves at the service of God."

“When our attention turns to ourselves, and we dwell on whether others are going to praise or criticize us, we are doing ourselves very great harm. God alone should interest us, and for His sake, all those closest to us, and all the souls in the world without exception. So, away with self! It is a hindrance."

To a certain extent, all virtue can be seen as an expression of humility, in line with St. Josemaría's teaching: 
“PRAYER is the humility of the man who acknowledges his profound wretchedness and the greatness of God. He addresses and adores God as one who expects everything from Him and nothing from himself.

FAITH is the humility of the mind which renounces its own judgment and surrenders to the verdict and authority of the Church.

OBEDIENCE is the humility of the will which subjects itself to another's will, for God's sake.

CHASTITY is the humility of the flesh, which subjects itself to the spirit.

EXTERIOR MORTIFICATION is the humility of the senses.

PENANCE is the humility of all the passions, immolated to the Lord.
Humility is truth on the road of the ascetic struggle.”

We must be on our guard against any form of pride that tries to disguise itself as humility. In the words of St Jerome: “It is one thing to be virtuous, and quite another to appear to be virtuous. There is no worse pride than that which hides under the appearance of humility.”

St. Josemaría gives us a reliable test to recognize it: “Are you truly humble? Can you mortify your self-love, for the sake of charity? Can you accept the humiliations God asks of you in unimportant matters that don't obscure the truth? What is it that makes charity sluggish? Quite simply, pride. So, ask our Lord to grant you humility, because if pride is not taken in hand promptly, with the passage of time it only gets worse."

On the other hand, “To be humble does not mean to go around dirty and unkempt. It does not mean being indifferent to all that happens around us and constantly failing to exercise our rights. Much less does it mean to go around proclaiming silly things about ourselves. There can be no humility if we are theatrical or if we are hypocrites, because humility is truth." 

Aug 4 Tue - Do the Gospels show some human virtues in Our Lady?

 

Aug 4 Tue

Do the Gospels show some human virtues in Our Lady?

The Gospels reveal some aspects of our Mother's soul, namely, some human virtues. Among them:

1. SOLIDARITY: The Gospel of Saint Luke tells us that after the angel Gabriel announced to her that she would be the mother of Christ, Mary hurried off, running to the mountains of Judea to help her relative Elizabeth. Mary showed solidarity in the face of another’s need, risking her life and health to assist the elderly woman who needed her help.

The same sense of solidarity must move us to step outside ourselves, away from our comforts and our often selfish interests, to think of others and serve them, aware that we are all responsible for one another.

2.- EMPATHY: In his Gospel, Saint John recounts Mary’s concern when the wine ran out at the Wedding at Cana –a concern that went beyond mere pity, much less criticism. Mary was an empathetic woman who took action to find a solution to others’ needs.

In our case, we may not always have the solution to every problem at our fingertips, but empathy must move us to seek solutions together, setting aside destructive criticism and any personal, economic, partisan, or other interests to work for the common good.

3. RESPONSIBILITY: Saint Luke recounts an episode in the life of the holy family of Nazareth, when the child Jesus was lost and found in the temple. The twelve-year-old Jesus was left behind at the Temple of Jerusalem after a pilgrimage. Mary and Joseph, mindful of their responsibility as parents, returned to look for Jesus.

Even though they knew that Jesus was the Son of God, they were committed to caring for and raising him, and, as Scripture tells us, Jesus remained under their authority.

A country's future depends on the education of its children. It is an inalienable right of parents to educate their children according to their beliefs. Thus, all parents must assume this responsibility and ensure their children's well-rounded education.

This responsibility involves doing what is required according to the roles we fulfill—with honesty, dedication, integrity, and rectitude. If we all do our part responsibly, everything will go more smoothly in our society.

4. COMMUNION: The Acts of the Apostles tells us that Mary was with the apostolic community, united in prayer and in the breaking of bread. Mary was a woman of communion, of closeness; she did not create polarization.

In these early Christian communities, there were no individual interests; rather, people worked for the common good, for the good of all their brothers and sisters.
In our case, we must not allow purely partisan elements to polarize the family or working environment.

Thus, we must entrust our society to Mary’s maternal intercession and ask for the grace to imitate her virtues of solidarity, empathy, responsibility, and communion. 

Aug 3 Mon - Was Saint Joseph an old man at Our Lady’s Annunciation?

 

Aug 3 Mon

Was Saint Joseph an old man at Our Lady’s Annunciation?

The Gospels do not tell us anything about St. Joseph's age at the time of his betrothal to Mary. He must have been some years older than she was, but not by much. There are many reasons to suppose that Our Lady married a young man.

One of them is that it would be the normal course of events. Of course, this particular young man was endowed with exceptional qualities. It is the apocryphal Gospels that describe for us events that are incredible in the full sense of the word.

They try to fill in the details that the evangelists did not mention with unbridled fantasy. They tell us that Joseph was an ugly widower to offer better safeguards for Mary's virginity. These ideas were accepted by some of the ancient writers, especially St. Epiphanius.

This is also seen in the way St. Joseph is frequently portrayed in paintings and holy cards during the Middle Ages and down through the centuries that followed, including in our own era. 

However, the oldest surviving depictions follow a completely different path from this apocryphal image, representing Mary's spouse instead as a young and vigorous man. Traces of those apocryphal accounts only started to appear in the 5th and 6th centuries and subsequently. Various historians and archaeologists have noted this.

Among the mosaics representing St. Joseph, the one in the triumphal arch of the Basilica of St. Mary Major in Rome from the time of Pope Sixtus III is notable. Within the mystery of the life of Christ, where St. Joseph is portrayed, his appearance is young and full of strength. In many of the paintings in which Pope John VI, in the 8th century, decorated the churches, St. Joseph appears young.

On some of the paintings on Christian sarcophagi of the early centuries, St. Joseph wears a workman's overalls and has a strong, manly face. 

From the Gospel narratives, we can presume that Mary's spouse was young and full of energy, since more than once he had to pack up his household and move elsewhere, and likewise, had to provide for his family under difficult circumstances. Furthermore, Jesus passed for Joseph's son, according to the flesh, which would not have happened if Joseph had been an elderly man.

St. Josemaría writes, 
“I don't agree with the traditional picture of St Joseph as an old man, even though it may have been prompted by a desire to emphasize the perpetual virginity of Mary. I see him as a strong young man, perhaps a few years older than our Lady, but in the prime of his life and work."

“You don't have to wait to be old or lifeless to practice the virtue of chastity. Purity comes from love, and the strength and gaiety of youth are no obstacle for noble love. Joseph had a young heart and a young body when he married Mary, when he learned of the mystery of her divine motherhood, when he lived in her company, respecting the integrity God wished to give the world as one more sign that he had come to share the life of his creatures." 

Aug 2 Sun - How can I help others?

 

Aug 2 Sun   

How can I help others?

Many times in Jewish history, especially in times of distress, the Chosen people were overwhelmed and unsure whether they would even survive.

We also, because of the constant drag of original sin, can often feel empty inside and worry that we will never have the good things we desire, never really have life.

God promises to satisfy our hunger and thirst for physical and spiritual goods. This is what He promises: “I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.”

Some say, “We have no need of other persons, and we have no need of God.” These are fictions. Some think it is degrading to consider oneself like a hungry child or a beggar.

It is a fiction that we are not in need, and it is not degrading to be needy. We really are interdependent in the natural world and on other human beings. And we certainly are dependent on God.

It is good that God is just and kind so that we can call upon him with confidence.

By the miracles, Jesus signaled that in the kingdom, people would have their physical needs fulfilled. They will eat and be satisfied for free.

“By freeing some individuals from the earthly evils of hunger, injustice, illness, and death, Jesus performed messianic signs. Nevertheless, He did not come to abolish all evils here below, but to free men from the gravest slavery, sin, which thwarts them in their vocation as God’s sons and causes all forms of human bondage.”

Does sin really thwart one’s vocation as a child of God? Yes. It is the only thing that can separate us from the love of Christ.

Is sin really the cause of every form of human bondage? Yes.

There are many “signs” that we, children of God, can perform with the help of the graces God bestows on us. One group of these is the spiritual works of mercy.

The seven are converting the sinner, instructing the ignorant, counseling the doubtful, comforting the sorrowful, bearing wrongs patiently, forgiving injuries, and praying for the living and the dead.

The needs of the body are important, but objectively those of the soul are even more, because, as we have seen, sin is the gravest slavery.

It is good to think about our current situation, the people around us, and their needs. That will reveal the opportunities we have to perform these works of mercy. There certainly are such opportunities in every person’s life.

Among these: “Foster happiness among those around you by cheerfully serving the people you work with and by striving to carry out your job as perfectly as you can, showing understanding, smiling, and having a Christian approach to life. And do everything for God, thinking of his glory, with your sights set high and longing for the definitive homeland, because there is no other goal worthwhile."

Reciprocally, we must receive good counsel and warnings as coming from God.
“Spiritual direction. Don’t object to someone poking at your soul with supernatural sense and holy shamelessness to check how true it is that you are able –and willing– to give glory to God." 

Aug 1 Sat - Can prayer help me find clear directions in my life?

 

Aug 1 Sat

Can prayer help me find clear directions in my life?

Those who truly pray know that prayer affects one's entire life; it is not merely an activity, but involves them personally—in their identity and their relationships. This stems from having discovered who God is.

Prayer is the response of one who knows that his life unfolds in God. That recognition is gradual: with the help of grace, it grows… or wanes. What matters is not what to do during moments of prayer or how to address God, but rather knowing God, knowing and believing in His Love, and then recognizing one’s unworthiness, avoiding evil, and abhorring sin.

Prayer is getting to know oneself and others… adoration of God, gratitude.

A person may understand life: 
- either as a gift, and thus live with gratitude (this is the beginning of true prayer), or 
- as a right, and live in the discontent of constant demands. 
Hence, the fundamental disposition of humility. To enter into a life of prayer is to gradually discover one’s own weakness and the wonder of God: two things that are closely linked.

Three general guidelines for prayer:

The first is to learn about God (reading the Gospel, the life of Christ, or other accessible texts…): prayer arises in the presence of God’s reality. Thus, I will stir a longing to know and love Him at the beginning of the journey and always. What matters most is not so much what I do, but where prayer leads me, what I am seeking.

The second is to trust a spiritual director who respects my freedom and will help me recognize my own frailty.

This person will help me to better understand my life: to acknowledge my responsibility for my own gifts, to find opportunities to serve, truly trusting God (which leads me to take risks for Him…), and to accept my own limitations. Thus, I can turn these into opportunities to live out my divine sonship, to delve deeper into God’s mercy, and to ask for the virtue of hope.

A third point is to realize that I am not an isolated verse but part of the story of redemption, which includes a tradition. Thus, the need for direction–a guide–to understand myself and God, who speaks to me and also reveals Himself to a people… My personal story must be understood in the context of what came before, what surrounds me, and what follows. That is why I need to turn to the masters of prayer and learn from those around us: St. Josemaría and his writings, the means of formation…

Ultimately, prayer is a means of making myself aware of my relationship with God. This involves presenting myself before Him just as I am, and recognizing His action just as He has chosen to carry it out. Prayer is living with trust in the recognition of Someone—my Father God—who transcends and surpasses me. Only by praying will I learn to pray.

I received life and live my life; now, with prayer, I must embrace my life and give life. 

Jul 31 Fri - Should I help others come close to Jesus, or is this only for priests?

 

Jul 31 Fri

Should I help others come close to Jesus, or is this only for priests?

Like Jesus, we must have compassion for souls, who are like sheep without a shepherd.
They wander through life without ever hearing that the divine Shepherd came to ransom them from their sins. 

“No one can rest content in Opus Dei without feeling troubled by the anonymous crowds: a drove, a flock, a herd, as I once called them. Under their apparent indifference, there are so many noble aspirations, so many possibilities! We must serve all of them. We must bring them back to life, heal them, enlighten their minds, and strengthen their wills, so they can become useful!"

Zeal for the salvation of all souls is an essential characteristic of all God's children. We have to fan it into a flame every day by following the example set by Jesus, who calls us to co-redeem with him. 

We may at times be tempted to dissociate ourselves from other people and refuse to get involved in their lives. Against such moments, we have St. Josemaría's warning: “If you were to fall into the temptation of wondering: ‘Who's telling me to embark on this?’ we would have to reply: ‘Christ himself is telling you, is begging you.’” 

“The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. You must ask the Lord to whom the harvest belongs to send laborers out for the harvesting. Don't take the easy way out. Don't say, ‘I'm no good at this sort of thing; there are others who can do it; it isn't my line.’” 

“No, for this sort of thing, there is no one else: if you could get away with that argument, so could everyone else. Christ's plea is addressed to every Christian. No one can consider himself excused, for whatever reason: age, health, or occupation. There are no excuses whatsoever. Either we carry out a fruitful apostolate, or our faith will prove barren."

“All my children must feel the generous urge to reactivate men's rusty, torpid energies in the service of God. They must make whatever sacrifice is needed, devoting all their strength to the task. They should adopt as their own our Lord's cry: I have compassion on the crowd, feeling pity for the multitudes."

Our charity should be orderly to reach everyone.
God has called us by our name and loves us with special affection. 
“But we have not received the grace of a Christian vocation for ourselves alone." God has called us to spread his message of infinite love throughout the whole world. Not a single soul is excluded from our charity. When Christians understand and implement the catholicity of the Church, when they realize how urgent it is to announce the good news of salvation to everyone, they find that they have to become all things to all people, to save them all.

“We begin with those closest to us; from the heart of the family to our workplace, then to civil society, to the seat of learning, or to the political arena. Our apostolic zeal is at work among all our fellow-citizens in every walk of life. It reaches out to international relations, and encompasses whole races, continents, and civilizations in its love."

“Jesus is urging us on." 

Jul 30 Thu - Should I forget myself and open myself to others?

 

Jul 30 Thu

Should I forget myself and open myself to others?

Love bears fruit only if we lose a part of “ourselves” to make room for the other.

Pope Leo XIV reflected on the nature of true love, which –he said– requires at least three essential attitudes: “detachment, loss, and friendliness.”

Love bears fruit only when we are willing to lose a little of ourselves to make room for another, to lose a little time to listen to a friend, and to lose a little comfort to share in a difficult situation.

We find it hard to understand this, especially in a world where losing seems to be a weakness, and people are obsessed with having and possessing.

St. Josemaría: “After losing those human consolations, you have been left with a feeling of loneliness, as if you were suspended by a mere thread over the black emptiness of the abyss. And your cries, your shouts for help seem to be heard by nobody."

“Be humble, don't seek yourself, don't seek consolation. Love the Cross –to bear it is little– and our Lord will hear your prayer. And calm will be restored to your senses. And your wounded heart will heal. And you will have peace."

"Unto death, death on a cross. You have to get out of yourself; you have to complicate your life, losing it for love of God and souls. So, you wanted to live a quiet life. But God wanted otherwise. Two wills exist: your will should be corrected to become identified with God's will: you must not bend God's will to suit yours."

“Some have dedicated all their yearnings and their professional work to the service of the Church, for the good of all men."

“Let us learn to obey, let us learn to serve. There is no better leadership than wanting to give yourself freely, to be useful to others."

Whoever keeps his life only for himself –as the Gospel says– actually loses it, because he does not open himself to the joy of love, and he becomes barren.

Jesus asked us to follow him and to be witnesses to his Kingdom. This is not about some external acts, but about committing our whole being to a loving relationship with him.

From the moment the Lord began to send His apostles on mission, He wanted them to be free from any ties. This principle applies to everyone: even the most important attachments find their fulfillment only in the love that Christ gives us.

Married life, for example, can only be lived to the full by “leaving one’s parents’ home” to be committed to the marital relationship.

Similarly, in the upbringing of children, we help them fulfill their potential and find happiness by teaching them to be self-reliant and make their own decisions.

For this reason, Jesus invites us to embrace the Cross: He offered Himself, He lost Himself, and precisely, this way, we receive His life in abundance. Likewise, if we live according to the logic of gift, we too will be able to bring forth new life in our friendly relationships. 

Jul 29 Wed - Should I fully embrace the Council?

 

Jul 29 Wed

Should I fully embrace the Council?

A Christian Catholic must enthusiastically accept the teachings of all the Councils of the Church.

Last year, the Church celebrated the 1700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea. Most Christians embraced it. Yet to this day, one can detect the lingering influence of the Arian heresy; there are theologians in Catholic universities still propounding the idea—anathematized at Nicaea—that Jesus is “mutable or subject to change.”

Aha! I tricked you, didn’t I? When I opened with a question about “the Council,” you assumed that I was referring to Vatican II. For decades now, Catholics have spoken about Vatican II as THE COUNCIL, often implying that it is the only Council that matters.

Every ecumenical council is an important moment in the life of the Church, and Vatican II is no exception.

The Second Vatican Council was convened in no small part to continue the work the First left unfinished, after the First was cut short when Italian troops occupied Rome. 

Vatican I focused on the role of the Roman Pontiff, leaving open questions about the authority of bishops. Vatican II took up that question, among others, but still, many questions remain about the nature of a diocesan bishop’s authority. The Council (and here I do mean Vatican II) did not resolve all those questions.

Many questions remain. Not only questions about episcopal authority and collegiality, but also questions about the necessity of the Catholic Church for salvation, the understanding of conscience, and the proper form of the Eucharistic liturgy. On all these questions, an inquisitive Catholic can easily find sharply opposed opinions, some of them clearly at odds with the actual written pronouncements of the Council.

How can these conflicts be resolved? Pope Benedict XVI, who participated in the conciliar debates, offered the very reasonable proposal that every conciliar teaching—of Vatican II or any other council—should be interpreted with the “hermeneutic of continuity,” on the unassailable understanding that what the Church has always taught remains what the Church will always teach, since the Truth entrusted to the Church in Jesus Christ is not “mutable or subject to change.”

Continuity –not rupture– is fidelity to Jesus, to his Revelation. Thus, the word of God with a new garment is kept alive and is handed down from generation to generation by the Church with the assistance of the Holy Spirit.

Opposed to this continuity, we sometimes hear opinions about the need for “rupture,” to cut off with most of what the Church has always taught.

The teachings of an ecumenical council are not proclaimed to break or discontinue the Faith.  Yet they do not represent the complete and final definitive statement of the Church. Every Council leaves some questions unanswered, some statements unclear, and some points in need of clarification.

But if anyone interprets Vatican II as repudiating fundamental principles of Catholic teaching, he must be misinterpreting the Council. But here again, I am saying “the” Council. Which Council is he misinterpreting? Probably all of them.

How I wish that many good Catholics would wholeheartedly accept Vatican II, what that Council actually taught and sought. For this to come, we should understand the teachings of Vatican II as the Council Fathers would understand them.

Excerpts from Phil Lawler