Peter and Paul

On today's Solemnity (officially, a Holy Day of Obligation, though the US is excused), we honor the two "premier" apostles, one of whom is simply referred to as "the Apostle" even though he never knew Jesus during the Lord's earthly life. Both are considered the "founders" of the Church of Rome, even though neither was the first to bring the Gospel to the Eternal City. And while saints are usually commemorated on the anniversary of their death (their "birthday" according to the spirit), these two are honored together on the day their remains were transferred to new sites, long years after their martyrdoms.

Significantly for a Daughter of St. Paul, both saints are also writers. Inspired writers of the Bible itself! And just the other night, I was finishing our Founder's reflections fro 1954 and came upon his remarks about writing as a mission field. Actually, he used the word "redazione" (redaction) which sounds more like an editorial function, but for him it was all that stage of "preparing the message," whether it was in writing a book, a screenplay, a radio script...

Without further ado, I present you a very rough, literal translation of Blessed James Alberione on writing:

Writing/editorial this means many things. In general [our] publishing is the preaching of the doctrine of Jesus Christ; complete doctrine, concerning the dogmas, truths, and moral teaching, teaching about the spiritual life, the liturgy, the sacraments, the Mass. Preaching can be done either through the spoken word or through writing, and it can be transmitted in various ways, for example with television, radio. It is always an editorial task, whether for the press, or cinema, or radio, or television. The object is the same: the word of Jesus Christ, the word of the church.

Therefore we have to consider as sacred the apostolate of the Pauline Family. At the same time we have to include what the Pope said to Catholic editors a few days ago. It is not necessary that we always speak of religion. Everything that is good, is Catholic. And this includes all of the branches of knowledge, the way of teaching them and of promoting them. When the Lord, in creation, ended each day, according to the Bible's way of putting it, "He saw that it was good": (cf Gen 1:4). So we are like loudspeakers that repeat what was in the creative design of God, even when we publish about the natural sciences; we are [God's] loudspeakers even more when we publish Divine knowledge, that which Jesus Christ preached and the Church handed on by tradition, so that the multiform wisdom of God might be diffused and known everywhere [cf Ephesians 3:10].

Then we have to note: the writer/editor/publisher is one who communicates his or her thought. The thoughts that he/she formulates have to enter in to enlighten the mind of the readers, of the radio audience, of the viewers of the film and of television. The writer/editor has to be a person full of faith above all, and at the same time must be well informed; he or she must be a person full of hope, who looks toward heaven, whether in the his or her own work done for God, for His glory as well as with respect to the reader whom he/she wants to lead to paradise; he or she must be a person full of charity, that is, one who really loves the Lord and really loves souls. The three theological virtues, therefore, deep in the soul of the writer. He or she takes inspiration from the dispositions and the style with which St. Paul dictated his letters.

Then the writer/editor must consider him or herself [living and acting] in Christ, ... who for us men and for our salvation descended from heaven and was incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the Virgin Mary. The writer/editor must be/make one who really lives among the people. Thus, like Jesus, he or she must turn toward the masses, to the greatest number of souls, to the multitudes who compose society for the most part; and then to everyone, as did Jesus, who "lived among the men" [Bar 3:38], as the Scripture says, to save us through the word of truth [cf Ephesians 1:13].

And the readers? They too must be guided by faith, or at least have the dispositions to receive the truth. There are always those who welcome the truth and those who are deaf to it. "His own received him not; to those who did receive him, he gives power to become children of God" [John 1:11-12]. Docility is required in the one who reads, in the one who listens, in the one who watches.

How can we turn toward Mary or address ourselves to Mary with regard to writing/editorial work? As a general principle: all grace came through Mary. Above all, grace includes the truth. Man must unite himself to God but above all with the mind. Grace includes eternal life; it includes interior and exterior holiness. Everything has passed through Mary and thus the truth as well. If we have learned from the divine model, [we know that] everything has come through Mary.

....We have to do this: consider the needs of humanity; then go to Jesus, consider the sacred sciences, make a beautiful visit to the Blessed Sacrament, and therefore, drawing from Jesus that knowledge of which the world has need, and breaking it for the little ones. One must always say, "there was no one who would break it for them” (Lam. 4:4). Humanity has need of bread, of the bread of which Jesus Christ spoke: not from bread alone does man live, but from every word that comes from the mouth of God" (Mt 4:4)

Two things, therefore: 1. Consider the needs of mankind, then consider those persons whom we must address, whether they are children, educated people, or pagans. To take the truth from him who is Truth itself, and therefore Wisdom itself, and break it for the people who need this bread. Sometimes the need is so great they don't even feel hungry, as happens when someone is extremely weak.

And further, ask Mary the dispositions for writing/editorial.

I have accented the three theological virtues which form the pedestal, the three feet on which writing/editorial has to support itself: Faith, Hope and Charity. But beyond this it takes prudence, love of the truth. Feel the heart full of the truths that one learns, that one is studying. Feel a holy fire in the soul. That these souls be saved, that they reach heaven.

Mary is Queen of writing/editorial; and so never attempt to write without having invoked her aid. 

Chicago celebrates!

Jonathan Toevs hoists the Stanley Cup for all to see;
I can't help but think of it as an almost priestly gesture.

I love it when the whole city shows up for a celebration. Today, of course, it was to welcome the Blackhawks (and the Stanley Cup).

Our whole area was barricaded to traffic, even though (technically) the motorcade would not be coming our way. Instead, one block of Michigan Avenue (the next block south of us) was just a "through-way" for the team's double-decker buses as they went to a new staging area to resume the parade. That didn't stop the crowds from gathering on the corner to catch a glimpse. Sister Gemma and I had a birds-nest view from the balcony of a nearby condo building.

I was impressed at how many spontaneous entrepreneurs were out there, too: a small family selling armbands; the guy with the bottled water and air horns; the ice-cream carts; the pedi-cab drivers offering a rare ride down an empty Michigan Avenue. Even now, hours later, with the traffic freely running on Michigan Avenue, you can still hear the happy cheers (and the air horns) coming up from the sidewalk, where just about everyone is wearing red or black.

This atmosphere of shared exaltation is a happy hint of heaven, when we'll all be united in praise--and content with not just a glimpse, but with a beatific vision of the ultimate Victor. But for now, I think Jesus finds himself quite at home amid the crowds on the streets of Chicago.

Airtime and summer reading (UPDATED)

I was scheduled to host "The Winds of Change" radio show tomorrow at noon, but with the Blackhawks' Victory Parade (for bringing the Stanley Cup back to Chicago) I figured it would be next to impossible to get in and out of the city with the street closings and security measures... So I was on the air today instead.
Listen in!

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Books and music featured on today's show:

Other titles mentioned:
A book I read over and over when I was 10.

Found at long last! Sprockets, a Little Robot!

And--bonus!--someone on Google + alerted me to the presence of YouTube videos in which the book is read aloud:

Father in Faith

Last week in the Mass readings, St Paul pointed to Jesus as a model of generosity: "Though he was rich, he made himself poor, so that you might become rich." (Scholars say that it is typical of Paul to draw our attention to Jesus as a model for our choices.) In today's first reading, from the book of Genesis, it is Abraham who anticipated (or, we could say, "imitated" in anticipation) that same self-emptying generosity.

Seeing the quarrels between his own shepherds and those of his nephew Lot (yes, that Lot) as they made their way through the Promised Land (the very title refers to God's promises to Abraham), the patriarch realized that the extended family would have to split up. There was no way they could live off the same land: between the people and the flocks, the combined households were just too big. And even though Abram was the senior, he did not pick out the finest spot for himself and let Lot take the leftovers. He "made himself poor" in a way, by giving Lot first pick of the territory. Lot went off in the direction of ill-fated Sodom, which was at the time "like a well-watered garden." Abraham took his tents and his herds and went off along the "strait and narrow way" toward Canaan.

I see Abraham in this story as a person of great interior freedom. He had heard God's promise of lands and descendants, and his faith was so firm that "he did not grasp at" the immediate and obvious fulfillment of at least one of those promises. Instead, he left that fulfillment completely in God's hands.

That's a real challenge for me. I tend to be like the airplane traveler who has to be reminded that "the closest exit may be behind you," out of my range of vision, but real and concrete and available. In the light of today's Gospel, it is this "narrow gate" that leads to life.

TOB Tuesday: The opposite of love

One observation Pope John Paul made while still known to the world (if he was known at all) as Karol Wojtyla was that the opposite of "loving" a person wasn't "hating" but using. When a person is reduced to a means decided by someone else, that person is being treated as a thing, not a person or partner at all. In Love and Responsibility, and later in his Theology of the Body, Wojtyla says that even when both parties in a relationship agree to what amounts to mutual exploitation, love--if it is there at all--is seriously compromised.

Is this for real?

Dr. Carlos Taja from the US Conference of Catholic Bishops:

 

The New Testament: the Reality, not just the Book

I just read Scott Hahn's latest book, "Consuming the Word: The New Testament and the Eucharist in the Early Church." I'm going to read it again. Soon. And take notes this time. And maybe offer to lead an adult faith program here at the bookstore to go through it again.


Hahn presents a careful, historical case for understanding the "New Testament" not simply as a book we can read, but as a very concrete sort of reality we live in and renew, every day (or at least on Sunday) at Mass. In other words, the "New Testament" is the covenant into which we are baptized, in which we stand, and which is renewed when we participate fully in the Mass. Covenants are made for the sake of communion. This is why Jesus told us to "take and eat," not "take and read." And when we do read, it is in the light of the communion-making Covenant that we interpret not just the text of the New Testament, but the whole Bible. Which makes sense, when you realize that the books of the New Testament were written, so to speak, in a Eucharistic setting (and in many cases, for the liturgy).

With a tip of the hat to Stuart, for highlighting this on his book review blog, here's Dr. Hahn to explain it more properly:

A Great Work of Mercy for Needy Moms

Just found out about "The Well of Mercy," a wonderful community here in Chicago for single women in crisis pregnancies; they currently have 14 single-parent families (some of the women have two or three other kids, who are also part of the community). 

Women (average age is 27) can stay up to five years, getting help with job training, education, household finances, counseling... and they are all introduced to the Theology of the Body, too (which they find extraordinarily empowering).  They live as a family in a huge old convent, preparing and eating meals together (supper, at least). I was really impressed by something the director said in this regard. Many of the women grew up without parenting, in shattering poverty. When they come to the community, they are expected to give over their "Link" cards (food stamps successor) for the community's groceries. This is the hardest thing for any of them to do, and takes a while--days and weeks during which a woman will go to the kitchen and open the fridge, and stand there looking: there is food in the refrigerator! When, finally, the woman realizes that she will not go hungry here, she finds the trust to make her contribution to the grocery money.

This is not a quick and easy way to solve a crisis pregnancy; it's certainly not the "take care of 'it'" fix abortion pretends to be, and it's not the "until the next failed birth control" roulette, either. What The Well of Mercy (and other programs like it, such as Heather's House) offers is the education and formation of a woman to her true dignity. Now that the program has been going for a couple of years, there are enough women who are established in the community's life to help mentor the newcomers. As you can imagine, they have a waiting list, too. 

The Well of Mercy was founded by a Chicago laywoman, who put her entire life's savings into the project. This service gets absolutely no federal funds, either. Right now they need help with regular operating costs, but they could also use some bicycles and child-carts as a way of teaching the moms low-cost ways of having fun and staying healthy. Baby care items are always appreciated; other in-kind gifts may be offered in their resale shop, which serves as a training in retail sales.

The Well of Mercy will be holding a fund-raiser that is worthy of your participation if you are in the Chicago area, or planning a vacation in Chicago around July 19: a two and a half hour nighttime cruise on Lake Michigan, with live entertainment, food, auction, etc. Call 773-274-4227 for info and tickets ($100).

"Like" them on Facebook, too!

The Cheerful Giver and TOB

Mary's "freedom of the gift" was
beautifully expressed in her response
to Gabriel's message.

In today's first reading, St. Paul is continuing his friendly badgering of the Corinthians with regard to the collection for the needy faithful in Jerusalem. Yesterday he pointed to the example of Jesus' self-emptying of his divine prerogatives "so that you might become rich." Today he gets more to the dispositions of the givers. (This is where "God loves a cheerful giver" comes from.)

What impressed me today was how the Theology of the Body calls for precisely the same dispositions that Paul emphasizes in today's passage from 2 Corinthians. Pope John Paul spoke of it in terms of the "freedom of the gift." Without that freedom, can we even speak of "love" in a relationship that involves the gift of self?

But the Gospel tells us of another important element in the gift of self. It is interiority. Without that reserve (we could call it modesty), one might honestly ask if there really is a gift of self and not a transaction or a publicity stunt in which the "self" is a form of currency. (There seems to be a lot of this happening online, don't you think?)

Today's Mass readings invite us to reflect on the quality of our relationships, especially the ones that involve us most deeply. Are the qualities of freedom and interiority prominent?

Loving enemies

There wouldn't seem to be too many ways you could correlate today's first reading (about a church collection!) with the Gospel on loving enemies. When I first read them for my meditation, it seemed to me that I needed to make a choice about which text to focus on. And I have to admit, I was also extremely distracted by an image I had seen last night on Facebook. (I have the kind of mind that never lets go of an image, so I am pretty careful about what crosses my retinas; last night I hit the "hide" button too late.) The item was one of those "old news" bits that always seems to be current news, dated by the last time someone posted or shared it. The actual news item was from December. It was authentic. (I had to check.)

Last December in Syria, a Christian man (a taxi-driver and soon-to-be father) was beheaded because his brother was overheard complaining that the rebels [the anti-Assad side, fractious as it is] were acting like bandits. For this, the complainer's brother was murdered and his body fed to dogs.

That, then, is what kept running through my mind as I read the first reading (St Paul's exhortation that the Corinthians follow the good example of the people in Philippi -- and ultimately of Christ himself) and the Gospel ("love your enemies, pray for those who persecute you....be perfect as the Heavenly Father").

Paul pointing to Christ's example.

According to my favorite Pauline scholar, Michael Gorman, the first reading contains, in nugget form, the heart of the Gospel as Paul preached it: "Being rich, Christ became poor for your sake, so that you might become rich by his poverty." You might be more familiar with the way he expressed the same pivotal reality in his letter to the generous Philippians (whom he was exhorting to a new kind of generosity): "Have among yourselves the same mind that is also yours in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God...emptied himself and took the form of a slave." Paul wanted the Corinthians, and us, to model ourselves on that "form of God," the God who "makes his sun shine on the bad and the good, and causes rain to fall on the just and the unjust."

In the light of the atrocity I was exposed to (and how many that do not reach our ears or eyes?), this command is all the more timely. These are not vague, namby-pamby enemies we're talking about here; not petty injustices or subtle forms of social exclusion. These are "to the death" enemies; the very definition of the word "enemy". And Jesus tells us to "love them, pray for them"; empty yourself and take the form of a slave for them; die for them. Pope Francis is recalling each of us to this central Christian "ethos" which is both a mindset ("have this mind among you which is yours in Christ Jesus") and a way of life; a way of seeing as well as a way of behaving.

Jesus wants his followers to manifest God's indiscriminate goodness precisely in the situations that most mask and distort his presence; to transubstantiate the situation [this is our priesthood] and make it a place where, though "sin abounded, grace abounds all the more." That's just what happened on Calvary.

And "you know the gracious act of Our Lord Jesus Christ."

TOB Tuesday: John Paul II's "different" concept of human love

Getting into controversial terrain here by suggesting that a Pope offered a "different" vision than his forebears. What does Matthew Kuhner mean? And what is so "different" about John Paul's understanding of human love? What was that something "new" he offered the world in his Theology of the Body?

That Extra Mile

Even if St. Paul never read today's Gospel (the written text we have dates after Paul's own writings), he gives a clear example of how the early Christians followed Jesus' command to "turn the other cheek": "When ridiculed, we bless; when persecuted, we endure; when slandered, we respond gently" (1 Cor 4: 12-13).

Paul resisting a sarcastic response to
those senseless Galatians.

Yesterday I was reading the maxims of a Serbian Orthodox monk, the Elder Thaddeus. This wise man, steeped in the ancient traditions handed down from the Desert Fathers, observed that if Christians began to live these words of the Sermon on the Mount--starting with their own thoughts, replacing angry thoughts with charitable thoughts; vengeful thoughts with kind--we would undo the work of the Adversary, which is marked by anger and confusion.

For me, the lesson hit home when I stepped into St Peter's for Mass. A couple of the Friars tend to put their own fingerprints all over the liturgy, and it drives me nuts. Today's Gospel challenged me to lighten up. No, those exaggerations and idiosyncrasies do not belong in the liturgy (which is the work of the people), but my own irritation is not exactly godly, either. And if I can "bless...endure...respond gently" (in other words, go that extra mile in bearing the burden imposed on me by the celebrant), I am contributing something positive; being a peacemaker rather than cultivating aggravation in my own heart.

Turning the other cheek, going the extra mile: it starts with our own thoughts. This way of going the extra mile hardly characterizes Internet debate, but maybe it should. Can it start with us? Is this how we transform the world--or our own corner of it?

Happy Birthday to us!

Teresa Merlo would take the name
"Thecla" after Paul's premier
woman disciple.

98 years ago today, according to our community's oral tradition, 21-year-old Teresa Merlo met for a few minutes with seminary professor Father James Alberione (nicknamed "The Theologian") in the sacristy of the Church of Sts. Cosmos and Damien in Alba, Italy. Merlo's mother waited somewhat
anxiously in the nave.

Teresa had tried to enter religious life already, but the local communities didn't think she had the health. Did Alberione know of yet another order? Or did his tiny printing school need Teresa's expertise (and access to her fine sewing machine, a gift her parents had made upon her successful completion of the program in far-off Turin), to make clothing for the boy printers?

When Teresa reappeared, her mother wanted to know everything. What did The Theologian have to say? It turns out he had spoken of a new community of sisters, women who for now could only do piecework with their sewing needles, but who would one day run printing presses to spread the Gospel. They would live in community, and make the vows of poverty, chastity and obedience. And one day, they would be all over the world. He asked me to take part in this.

"Well?" Mother Merlo asked, prying at the bottom line.

"I said yes."

Years later (in 1950), Mother Thecla made her movie debut (second from
 left),  appearing as the prophetess Anna in the full-length motion picture,
 "Mater Dei." (This Pauline film was the first color film in Italy.)

From glory to glory in the Mass readings

Today's Mass readings work together in a pretty amazing way, even though they were not specifically intended to. In the first reading (2 Cor 3:15-4:1-3, 6), Paul uses an image from the book of Exodus to explain that, as magnificent as the Covenant of Sinai was, it can't compare to the glory that Jesus ushered in. In the Gospel, Jesus refers back to the prescriptions of the Sinai Law, too. In the Sermon on the Mount, he tells his followers that they have to go beyond the basic demands of the Law ("You shall not kill") to an even more godlike way of living ("whoever is angry with his brother...is liable to judgment").

Both Jesus and Paul hint that the "new" was already present in the "old"; all they are doing is "taking away the veil" so we can see clearly what God had in mind all along. We're moving, Paul says, "from one degree of glory to another."

Book reports

In the interest of summer reading (and summer readers), here are some recent Pauline titles that seem worth highlighting:

The Locket's Secret: great for girls! At least this blogging Mama thinks so... (click on the image and you'll find a link where you can sample the first chapter).

For children who need to turn in book reports when school starts up again, our Encounter the Saints series has had a few new additions (editions) this year. These are novelized lives of saints and meet the usual criteria for chapter book--plus there are enough of them in the series to keep kids in reading matter all summer log!

For Dads: Man to Man, Dad to Dad: Catholic Faith and Fatherhood is a great gift for a new father.  The editor (Brian Caulfield, editor of the Knights of Columbus' "Fathers for Good" website) gathered the insights of 12 other dads on issues related to marriage, sexuality, theology of the body (yes!), the meaning of manhood, the role of discipline, the place of sports, the disastrous effect of porn. It really is "man to man."

Read more from the USCCB "For your Marriage" website and on Stuart Dunn's blog (he gives it 5 stars).

He and I is a spiritual classic, now available in a one-volume edition (as well as in e-book). At age 62, this French nurse and playwright began to recognize the voice of Jesus in her heart, and for almost fifteen years she kept a journal of those conversations with the Lord. What is noteworthy about these intimate colloquys is that they were not about noteworthy matters, but about the most ordinary aspects of Gabrielle's life and experience. (One passage I read 20 years ago that still has an impact on me concerned grace before meals.) You can find some reviews of the older edition on GoodReads as well as on Amazon.com (where a number of the reviewers say something to the effect of "life-changing").

Coming SOON (not soon enough for summer reading, but you can order now and get a special discount), is a new series for young readers, Gospel Time Trekkers, about three contemporary children transported right into key events in the New Testament. (This series is the labor of love of our Sister Maria Grace.)

Death with (real) Dignity

The culture of death just keeps 'em coming! A friend of mine in New Jersey posted this on FB:

NJ Democratic Legislature set to vote on Physician Assisted Suicide: Despite the fact that suicide or assisting in it is illegal in NJ, A-3328 -- a bill authorizing assisted suicide -- has been released by the Assembly Health and Senior Services Committee. S-2259, an identical bill, has been referred to the Senate Health, Human Services and Senior Services Committee. These bills would allow a person who has a "terminal disease" to request a prescription from a physician for lethal drugs that would end their life. "Terminal disease" is defined as "an incurable and irreversible disease that has been medically confirmed and will, within reasonable medical judgment, result in a patient's death." The New Jersey Catholic Conference invites us to oppose A-3328/S-2259.

About two weeks ago,  the Wall Street Journal had published an opinion piece on the recently enacted Vermont law, "passed by the state legislature...without consulting the electorate." The author of the piece is the former psychiatrist in chief of Johns Hopkins Hospital, responding to the most popular arguments in favor of assisted suicide. Noting the consistent appeal to "death with dignity," he hits the nail on the head when he observes, "Surely, what we want is 'life with dignity.' "

In regard to patients with painful cancers, "suicide is mentioned only by those patients with serious but treatable depressive illness, or by those who are overwhelmed by confusion about matters such as their burden on loved ones and their therapeutic options. These patients are relieved when their doctors attend to the sources of their psychological distress and correct them." It is precisely this kind of listening to the patient's needs that gets bypassed once assisted suicide is on the books. In Oregon "the law does not demand a psychiatric assessment before they take the fatal step. Yet all efforts by psychiatrists anxious to read the medical charts of these patients after their deaths have been thwarted by the champions of their suicides, who have shrouded the patients' mental states in secrecy by raising the 'privacy privilege.' I believe that these doctors are killing patients of the sort that I help every day."

Read the whole thing here, and share it on your social networks.

TOB Tuesday: Comedy Central Meets TOB

Last week's Washington Post featured an interview piece about comedian Jim Gaffigan. In time for Father's Day, the Catholic comic (father of five and author of Dad Is Fat) offers this beautiful "TOB-from-a-Dad's-perspective" on family life (every reporter finds a way to ask him about those five kids):

Well, why not? I guess the reasons against having more children always seemed uninspiring and superficial. What exactly am I missing out on? Money? A few more hours of sleep? A more peaceful meal? More hair? These are nothing compared to what I get from these five monsters who rule my life … each one of them has been a pump of light into my shriveled black heart.

Read the rest here!

Blessed are the meek...

A little something I read last night, by Blessed Alberione. It goes well with today's Gospel of the Beatitudes!

"Humility and faith are the two elements that essentially constitute prayer, the two feet on which prayer stands. The proud person does not pray well; a proud person does not think of his needs; is not convinced of being needy. The humble person is like the Blessed Virgin, omnipotent. It is a "pleading omnipotence," prayerful. Those who are truly humble are powerful, because their admitted weakness makes them powerful with the heart of God. And this God will bend down and will raise them up and make their life bear fruit."

New!

In view of my upcoming trip to Rome, I received the gift of a new tool for our mission: a light-field camera, which I hope to make very good use of. Once I learn how to use it, that is! Here is the first photo I took with it. (Click into the image to change the focus.) Tomorrow, God willing (and weather permitting), I will take it to Millennium Park for a real first test.

The relic of Blessed James which Sr Helena is holding came my way in 2003 or 2004, shortly after his beatification (which I attended). At the time, our two screenwriting nuns (Sr Helena and Sr Marie Paul) had major projects that they had asked me to pray for, so I put it on Father Alberione's to-do list, where it remains. After all, we have a ways to go before the cinema apostolate is on its feet!

I think Alberione is delighted at having a first-hand role in introducing a new form of technology into the Pauline mission! One of the women just accepted into our postulancy is a fine-arts photographer; I am sure she will have many ideas about how to communicate the Gospel visually with this new kind of camera.

Final Vows for Sr Maria Kim

Our Sister Maria Kim returned last week from almost a year in Italy where she was in a program with 30+ other young sisters from around the world who were preparing to make their final vows (we usually say "perpetual profession"). Sister Maria Kim's perpetual profession will be held in her home parish in Tempe, AZ, but she won't be the only Daughter of St. Paul present--not by a long shot! Sister Helena from here in Chicago is also part of the team. In fact, Our Lady of Mt Carmel parish will be hosting a week of evangelizing activity in the days leading up to June 30, when Sister Maria Kim will make those vows of chastity, poverty and obedience "for all my life."

Sister Helena will be offering some Theology of the Body presentations for different groups (different talks geared toward men, women and families); sisters will be available to visit the homes to pray with the families; there will be a special book table where people can sponsor books for others. Every day there will be talks offered on different aspects of spirituality. Plus there will be a discernment retreat for young adult women, a Saturday morning retreat for parishioners, and an Hour of Eucharistic Adoration for the whole parish to round everything out! It's also nice that the two postulants who will be entering novitiate in a few months will also be able to participate in everything, getting a look ahead at the life they are starting out on.

If you are in the Tempe area, please share this information widely! If you know a young woman (14-30) who might "make a good nun," let her know about the June 29-30 discernment retreat. Speaking of vocations, there will be a film crew on hand from SpiritJuice Studios (the same group we are working with for the documentary on our Founder). They'll get everything on camera and then (with the grace of God) put out a short vocation-oriented video that can help other young women like Sister Maria Kim recognize if God is calling them to the Pauline life. We just started an online fundraiser for this project; if we get in $500/day from now until Sister Maria Kim's vow day, we can cover the cost of filming everything. Take a look at the "perks" for the different donation levels! They were mostly my idea. Sister Frances' came up with the sweetest one.

You can also download and print the whole program flyer!

Dispelling the Myth of the Dark Ages

According to Professo Esolen, if the "Dark Ages" are dark to us, it's because we forgot to turn the lights on from our side. Those centuries after the fall of the Roman Empire were actually brilliant. Here are the highlights, in 5 fascinating minutes.

TOB Tuesday: My Body is Me, and it matters

For TOB Tuesday, another video from a student at the John Paul II Institute for Studies of Marriage and the Family. This one has the provocative title "Who I do in My Body Matters."

Murder and Mayhem in today's Liturgy

It was bad enough just on the basis of today's Mass readings: Tobit introduces himself to us as a pious Jew in exile, whose festive meal was interrupted by the news of a murdered relative. He runs to the scene to provide for a decent burial, something which has evidently caused him trouble before. But that's nothing compared to the Gospel parable of the murderous tenant farmers, slaying the representatives of the landowner rather than hand over a share of the produce. A pretty grim start to one's morning meditation, to say the least.

But the Mass I attended this morning used the readings for the saints' day. That meant, yes, an even higher body count. The first reading was the story of the heroic mother and her seven sons, all martyred in the first documented religious persecution in history, under Antiochus Epiphanes ("Antiochus the Magnificent"; his Jewish subjects called him "Antiochus Epimanes"--Antiochus the Mad). The gospel was much milder, except for that last beatitude about those "persecuted for righteousness' sake." But then the homily was about the saints' day: Charles Lwanga and companions (22 were canonized), bringing the liturgy's death toll to 30. (31 if you count Jesus, since the "memorial of his passion" is also made present in the Mass.)

Image found at http://sacredspace102.blogspot.com/2011/06/june-3rd-feast-of-st-charles-lwanga-and.html

What are we to do with all this murder and mayhem? Gotta admit, I don't know. One thing that struck me at Mass today, though, with the inclusion of so much horror (and horror it is, when you read the martyrdom accounts of those young Ugandans, most of them adolescents), is that nothing we experience on earth is outside the pale of redemption. There it was, not just a sordid historical footnote, but a liturgical memorial; a lens with which to hear the readings and experience the memorial of the passion of the Lord. An example, a teaching, an encouragement.