Apostleship of Prayer

Today’s saint was a Spanish Jesuit and missionary to South America where he dedicated himself to serving the African people who were kidnapped, transported to Colombia, and sold into slavery. When he canonized St Peter in 1888, Pope Leo XIII declared him the patron saint of all missions to black people and nations. Let pray with St. Peter Claver today for refugees forced from their homes like the people he served. Our reflection is from a talk that Fr. John Hardon, S.J. gave and which appears on the Real Presence Eucharistic Education and Adoration Association’s web site.

Now something about Peter Claver’s missionary apostolate. It was by all odds, one of the most unique in the Church’s missionary history. Claver recognized that these people are not to be just baptized; before being baptized they must first be instructed. … His hardest task was to restore some self-respect to these people who had been treated so inhumanly for so long. His principle effort … was to try to show to these naked slaves that they were still loved. …The lowest estimate reported in Peter Claver’s canonization was three hundred thousand baptisms. And we’re told the slaves persevered and they made better Christians than their slave owners. …

Now something about his spirituality. First of all, there are few saints in the Church’s calendar that teach us more about the virtue of mercy than Peter Claver. … Our Holy Father defines mercy as love overcoming resistance. He tells us that mercy is costly love. Mercy is love that loves in spite of obstacles, difficulties, natural reluctance, and in this case, positive revulsion. Few canonized … more clearly illustrate St. Ignatius’ teaching about the nature of love. “Love … is shown more in deeds than in words. Love does not mean that I like to do what I’m doing, love means that I do it.” … And the doing is your love. The resistance, the revulsion, the dislike – Claver had all of that. He would admit more than once that it took all his human power to penetrate that den of stench when he climbed into the holes of those slave ships. We need that. And that’s why God every so often raises a saint like this, to teach us who can be so finicky, so particular and in our affluent United States, so spoiled. That’s the first lesson. And remember that statement revealed by the Holy Spirit. Learn this. ‘I want mercy, not sacrifice.’ In other words, the sacrifice, even the sacrifice of the Mass, the sublimest that we can offer, is only as pleasing to God as it is joined with mercy, which means that I love in spite of the fact that nature holds me back.

Today’s Readings: 1 Corinthians 6:1-11;  Psalm 149:1b-6a, 9b;  Luke 6:12-19

Hippolytus was a theologian and Pontian was pope. Unfortunately, they were enemies. Hippolytus struggled with several popes whom he thought were too lenient in dealing with heretics who repented. He even allowed himself to be elected the first “anti-pope.” But then they were both exiled to the island of Sardinia where they were reconciled and died from the mistreatment they received. In our reflection today, we conclude Pope Benedict’s remarks at the opening ceremony for the recent World Youth Day. His words remind us to pray that all may know God’s plan for humanity and for creation; may the knowledge of God’s plan and the Holy Spirit help all to become holy.

Dear friends, life is not governed by chance; it is not random. Your very existence has been willed by God, blessed and given a purpose (Genesis 1:28)! Life is not just a succession of events or experiences, helpful though many of them are. It is a search for the true, the good and the beautiful. It is to this end that we make our choices; it is for this that we exercise our freedom; it is in this – in truth, in goodness, and in beauty – that we find happiness and joy. Do not be fooled by those who see you as just another consumer in a market of undifferentiated possibilities, where choice itself becomes the good, novelty usurps beauty, and subjective experience displaces truth. Christ offers more! Indeed he offers everything! Only he who is the Truth can be the Way and hence also the Life. Thus the “way” which the Apostles brought to the ends of the earth is life in Christ. …

My dear friends, God’s creation is one and it is good. The concerns for non-violence, sustainable development, justice and peace, and care for our environment are of vital importance for humanity. They cannot, however, be understood apart from a profound reflection upon the innate dignity of every human life from conception to natural death: a dignity conferred by God himself and thus inviolable. Our world has grown weary of greed, exploitation and division, of the tedium of false idols and piecemeal responses, and the pain of false promises. Our hearts and minds are yearning for a vision of life where love endures, where gifts are shared, where unity is built, where freedom finds meaning in truth, and where identity is found in respectful communion. This is the work of the Holy Spirit! This is the hope held out by the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It is to bear witness to this reality that you were created anew at Baptism and strengthened through the gifts of the Spirit at Confirmation. Let this be the message that you bring from Sydney to the world!

Today’s Readings: Ezekiel 9:1-7, 10:18-22;  Psalm 113:1-6;  Matthew 18:15-20

Humanity, made in God’s image and likeness, was designed by God to care for creation, to be stewards of creation. But because we have not followed God’s plan, a great moral as well as environmental pollution has resulted. Let us pray that the human family may learn to respect God’s plan for the world and care for creation as God’s gift. Our reflection continues Pope Benedict’s speech at the beginning of World Youth Day 2008.

What of man, the apex of God’s creation? Every day we encounter the genius of human achievement. From advances in medical sciences and the wise application of technology, to the creativity reflected in the arts, the quality and enjoyment of people’s lives in many ways are steadily rising. … All of us, young and old, have those moments when the innate goodness of the human person – perhaps glimpsed in the gesture of a little child or an adult’s readiness to forgive – fills us with profound joy and gratitude.

Yet such moments do not last. So again, we ponder. And we discover that not only the natural but also the social environment – the habitat we fashion for ourselves – has its scars; wounds indicating that something is amiss. Here too, in our personal lives and in our communities, we can encounter a hostility, something dangerous; a poison which threatens to corrode what is good, reshape who we are, and distort the purpose for which we have been created. Examples abound, as you yourselves know. Among the more prevalent are alcohol and drug abuse, and the exaltation of violence and sexual degradation, often presented through television and the internet as entertainment. I ask myself, could anyone standing face to face with people who actually do suffer violence and sexual exploitation “explain” that these tragedies, portrayed in virtual form, are considered merely “entertainment”?

Today’s Readings: Ezekiel 2:8-3:4;  Psalm 119:14, 24, 72, 103, 111, 131;  Matthew 18:1-5, 10, 12-14

St. Clare was a contemporary of St. Francis of Assisi and was so impressed by him that she resolved to follow his way of life. She gave away all her possessions and received the religious habit from St. Francis in 1212. As other women joined her in a life of prayer, penance, and poverty—including her mother and two of her sisters—the Order of Poor Clares was formed. In 1958 Pope Pius XII named her the patron saint of television because of the tradition that when she was too ill to participate in the Mass in her convent chapel she was miraculously able to see and hear it on the wall of her room. As we pray that the human family may know how to respect God’s design for the world and be good stewards of creation, let us pray for an end to pollution—in the natural world and in the media. Our reflections for the next three days will be from Pope Benedict’s speech at the welcoming ceremony for World Youth Day on July 17.

For people of your age, however, any flight is an exciting prospect. But for me, this one was somewhat daunting! Yet the views afforded of our planet from the air were truly wondrous. The sparkle of the Mediterranean, the grandeur of the north African desert, the lushness of Asia’s forestation, the vastness of the Pacific Ocean, the horizon upon which the sun rose and set, and the majestic splendor of Australia’s natural beauty which I have been able to enjoy these last couple of days; these all evoke a profound sense of awe. It is as though one catches glimpses of the Genesis creation story – light and darkness, the sun and the moon, the waters, the earth, and living creatures; all of which are “good” in God’s eyes (1:1 – 2:4). …

And there is more – something hardly perceivable from the sky – men and women, made in nothing less than God’s own image and likeness (1:26). At the heart of the marvel of creation are you and I, the human family “crowned with glory and honor” (Psalm 8:5). How astounding! With the Psalmist we whisper: “what is man that you are mindful of him?” (8:4). And drawn into silence, into a spirit of thanksgiving, into the power of holiness, we ponder.

What do we discover? Perhaps reluctantly we come to acknowledge that there are also scars which mark the surface of our earth: erosion, deforestation, the squandering of the world’s mineral and ocean resources in order to fuel an insatiable consumption. Some of you come from island nations whose very existence is threatened by rising water levels; others from nations suffering the effects of devastating drought.

Today’s Readings: Ezekiel 1:2-5,24-28c;  Psalm 148:1-2,11-14;  Matthew 17:22-27

The first International Eucharistic Congress was held in France in 1881. The 49th Congress will be held next week in Quebec City, Canada and will celebrate the 400th anniversary of the founding of that city and the first Catholic diocese north of Mexico City. In his Mission Intention this month Pope Benedict has asked us to pray for the upcoming Congress. Let us do so today by reflecting on part of the Introduction to the “foundational theological document” which was issued to help the Church prepare for the Congress.

The central theme of the Congress, approved by Pope Benedict XVI, is “The Eucharist, God’s gift for the life of the world.” It is particularly important today to remember God’s gift, for, in the midst of remarkable technological progress, notably in the area of communication, our world experiences a deep interior emptiness that it perceives as an absence of God. Fascinated by its own creative capacities, contemporary humanity tends to forget its Creator and set itself up as the sole master of its own destiny. …

Today’s Readings:  1 Kings 17:7-16; Psalm 4:2-5, 7b-8;  Matthew 5:13-16

These early Church martyrs were brothers and soldiers who, according to tradition, were baptized by St. Peter the Apostle. They gave their lives as Jesus and Peter did—in witness to the truth. May they intercede today for all Christians, that we will be courageous in standing for the truth of human dignity and in working against a culture that demeans the human person. Our reflection is from Pope Benedict’s 2008 Message for World Communications Day.

Man thirsts for truth, he seeks truth; this fact is illustrated by the attention and the success achieved by so many publications, programs or quality fiction in which the truth, beauty and greatness of the person, including the religious dimension of the person, are acknowledged and favorably presented. Jesus said: “You will know the truth and the truth will make you free” (John 8:32). The truth which makes us free is Christ, because only he can respond fully to the thirst for life and love that is present in the human heart. Those who have encountered him and have enthusiastically welcomed his message experience the irrepressible desire to share and communicate this truth. As Saint John writes, “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon and touched with our hands, concerning the word of life … we proclaim also to you, so that you may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. And we are writing this that our joy may be complete” (1 John 1:1-3).

Let us ask the Holy Spirit to raise up courageous communicators and authentic witnesses to the truth, faithful to Christ’s mandate and enthusiastic for the message of the faith, communicators who will “interpret modern cultural needs, committing themselves to approaching the communications age not as a time of alienation and confusion, but as a valuable time for the quest for the truth and for developing communion between persons and peoples” (John Paul II, Address to the Conference for those working in Communications and Culture, 9 November 2002).

Today’s Readings:  James 1:1-11;  Psalm 119:67-68, 71-72, 75-76;  Mark 8:11-13

In our General Intention we are praying with Pope Benedict that Christians may use literature, art, and mass media to create a culture which defends and promotes the values of the human person. Our prayer is not only for those who create art and media but also for all of us who use them. We pray that our use of these things may not support a culture of death but a culture of life. Let us reflect today on part of Pope Benedict’s 2007 Message for World Communications Day—“Children and the Media: A Challenge for Education.”

Educating children to be discriminating in their use of the media is a responsibility of parents, Church, and school. The role of parents is of primary importance. They have a right and duty to ensure the prudent use of the media by training the conscience of their children to express sound and objective judgments which will then guide them in choosing or rejecting programs available. In doing so, parents should have the encouragement and assistance of schools and parishes in ensuring that this difficult, though satisfying, aspect of parenting is supported by the wider community.

The author of the Gospel that bears his name is identified with John Mark, whose mother Mary’s house was used as a meeting place by the early Church in Jerusalem (see Acts 12: 12, 25). His cousin was St. Barnabas and, when Sts. Paul and Barnabas went on a missionary journey, Mark accompanied them. But Mark left them and St. Paul’s loss of confidence in him led to a split with Barnabas. Even in the early Church there were conflicts and hard feelings. In time they were reconciled and Mark helped Paul when he was in prison in Rome (Colossians 4: 10). It was while Mark was in Rome that he got to know St. Peter (1 Peter 5: 13) from whom he acquired the material he used to write his Gospel. As we continue our prayer with a focus on this month’s Mission Intention, let us pray that future priests may develop a deep love for Scripture. By meeting the Lord Jesus present in the Scriptures may they grow closer to him and be filled with a desire to share the Good News of Jesus with everyone they meet and serve.

In October the Synod of Bishops will meet to discuss the importance of the Scriptures. Our reflection today is from Pope Benedict’s January 21, 2008 address to the committee that is preparing for that Synod.

The next General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops will reflect on “The Word of God in the Life and Mission of the Church”. Among the Ecclesial Community’s many and great duties in today’s world, I emphasize evangelization and ecumenism. They are centered on the Word of God and at the same time are justified and sustained by it. As the Church’s missionary activity with its evangelizing work is inspired and aims at the merciful revelation of the Lord, ecumenical dialogue cannot base itself on words of human wisdom (1 Corinthians 2: 13) or on neat, expedient strategies, but must be animated solely by constant reference to the original Word that God consigned to his Church so that it be read, interpreted and lived in communion with her. In this area, St Paul’s doctrine reveals a very special power, obviously founded on divine revelation but also on his own apostolic experience, which confirmed anew the awareness that not wisdom and human eloquence, but only the power of the Holy Spirit builds the Church in the faith (1 Cor. 1: 22-24; 2: 4f).

Today’s Readings:  1 Peter 5:5b-14;  Psalm 89:2-3, 6-7, 16-17;  Mark 16:15-20

St. Fidelis, a name which means “Faithful”, was born in what is now Germany and became known as “the poor man’s lawyer” because he generously gave his time to defend the rights of the poor who could not afford the services of a lawyer. In 1612 he left this profession and became a Capuchin Franciscan. In 1622 the Pope created a special office in the Vatican to coordinate the Church’s missionary activities around the world—the Congregation for the Propagation of the Faith. St. Fidelis was placed in charge of the Capuchin mission in Switzerland and he was so successful in bringing back Catholics who had left the Church during the Protestant Reformation that he was martyred, making him the Proto-martyr of the Propagation of the Faith. We ask this faithful witness to intercede with us for future priests: may they be courageous and faithful in bringing the Catholic faith to their people. Our reflection is from Pope John Paul’s Apostolic Exhortation, “Shepherds After My Own Heart,” on the Formation of Priests, #46.

There are spiritual and religious values present in today’s culture, and man, notwithstanding appearances to the contrary, cannot help but hunger and thirst for God. However, the Christian religion is often regarded as just one religion among many or reduced to nothing more than a social ethic at the service of man. As a result, its amazing novelty in human history is quite often not apparent. It is a “mystery,” the event of the coming of the Son of God who becomes man and gives to those who welcome him the “power to become children of God” (John 1:12). It is the proclamation, nay the gift, of a personal covenant of love and life between God and human beings. Only if future priests, through a suitable spiritual formation, have become deeply aware and have increasingly experienced this “mystery” will they be able to communicate this amazing and blessed message to others (1 John 1:1-4).The [Second Vatican] Council…, while taking account of the absolute transcendence of the Christian mystery, describes the communion of future priests with Jesus in terms of friendship. And indeed it is not an absurdity for a person to aim at this, for it is the priceless gift of Christ, who said to his apostles, “No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what the master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you” (John 15:15).Today’s Readings:  Acts 15:7-21;  Psalm 96:1-3, 10;  John 15:9-11

Today’s saint was a great missionary bishop who suffered martyrdom at the hands of pagan priests in Prussia. In 1997 Pope John Paul II visited the Czech Republic where St. Adalbert was bishop to celebrate the millennial anniversary of his death. Reflecting now on the Holy Father’s words at that celebration, let us pray that the future priests in the younger dioceses of the world will have the same missionary zeal of today’s saint.

“As the Father has sent me, even so I send you” (John 20:21). Adalbert heard these words as though addressed to him personally. As the first Bishop of Prague of Bohemian blood, at the end of the first millennium, he was heir to the traditions of holiness of the martyrs who had gone before him…. At the same time he looked towards the future: he spared no effort for the spiritual rebirth of Prague and the homeland, sustained by ardent faith in Christ.Dear friends! To you I entrust the task of making a decisive contribution to the evangelization of your country. Take Christ into the third millennium. Trust him! His promise spans the centuries: “Whoever loses his life for my sake and the Gospel’s will save it” (Mark 8:35). Do not be afraid! Life with Christ is a wonderful adventure. He alone can give full meaning to life, he alone is the center of history. Live by him! With Mary! With your Saints!Ask Christ for the gift of the Spirit. For it is precisely he, the Spirit, the Divine Person who has the task of healing, purifying, sanctifying men’s consciences, and thus renewing the face of the earth. With all my heart I want this to happen to you, to your nation, to all who share in the thousand year-old heritage of Saint Adalbert, and to the people of the whole world. May the words proclaimed so powerfully by the Church in today’s Liturgy be fulfilled in you: Veni Sancte Spiritus, Come, Holy Spirit! In You is the source of light and life; in You the flame of eternal love; in You the secret of the hope that never disappoints. Come, Holy Spirit! Amen. Today’s Readings:  Acts 15:1-6;  Psalm 122:1-5;  John 15:1-8