The Pope and Young People

DISCOURSE OF POPE BENEDICT XVI
ENCOUNTER WITH YOUNG PEOPLE
ST JOSEPH'S SEMINARY, DUNWOODIE
NEW YORK
19 APRIL 2008


Your Eminence,

Dear Brother Bishops,

Dear Young Friends,

“Proclaim the Lord Christ … and always have your answer ready for people who ask the reason for the hope that is within you” (1 Pet 3:15). With these words from the First Letter of Peter I greet each of you with heartfelt affection. I thank Cardinal Egan for his kind words of welcome and I also thank the representatives chosen from among you for their gestures of welcome. To Bishop Walsh, Rector of Saint Joseph Seminary, staff and seminarians, I offer my special greetings and gratitude.

Young friends, I am very happy to have the opportunity to speak with you. Please pass on my warm greetings to your family members and relatives, and to the teachers and staff of the various schools, colleges and universities you attend. I know that many people have worked hard to ensure that our gathering could take place. I am most grateful to them all. Also, I wish to acknowledge your singing to me Happy Birthday! Thank you for this moving gesture; I give you all an “A plus” for your German pronunciation! This evening I wish to share with you some thoughts about being disciples of Jesus Christ ─ walking in the Lord’s footsteps, our own lives become a journey of hope.

In front of you are the images of six ordinary men and women who grew up to lead extraordinary lives. The Church honors them as Venerable, Blessed, or Saint: each responded to the Lord’s call to a life of charity and each served him here, in the alleys, streets and suburbs of New York. I am struck by what a remarkably diverse group they are: poor and rich, lay men and women - one a wealthy wife and mother - priests and sisters, immigrants from afar, the daughter of a Mohawk warrior father and Algonquin mother, another a Haitian slave, and a Cuban intellectual.

Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton, Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini, Saint John Neumann, Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha, Venerable Pierre Toussaint, and Padre Felix Varela: any one of us could be among them, for there is no stereotype to this group, no single mold. Yet a closer look reveals that there are common elements. Inflamed with the love of Jesus, their lives became remarkable journeys of hope. For some, that meant leaving home and embarking on a pilgrim journey of thousands of miles. For each there was an act of abandonment to God, in the confidence that he is the final destination of every pilgrim. And all offered an outstretched hand of hope to those they encountered along the way, often awakening in them a life of faith. Through orphanages, schools and hospitals, by befriending the poor, the sick and the marginalized, and through the compelling witness that comes from walking humbly in the footsteps of Jesus, these six people laid open the way of faith, hope and charity to countless individuals, including perhaps your own ancestors.

And what of today? Who bears witness to the Good News of Jesus on the streets of New York, in the troubled neighborhoods of large cities, in the places where the young gather, seeking someone in whom they can trust? God is our origin and our destination, and Jesus the way. The path of that journey twists and turns ─ just as it did for our saints ─ through the joys and the trials of ordinary, everyday life: within your families, at school or college, during your recreation activities, and in your parish communities. All these places are marked by the culture in which you are growing up. As young Americans you are offered many opportunities for personal development, and you are brought up with a sense of generosity, service and fairness. Yet you do not need me to tell you that there are also difficulties: activities and mindsets which stifle hope, pathways which seem to lead to happiness and fulfillment but in fact end only in confusion and fear.

My own years as a teenager were marred by a sinister regime that thought it had all the answers; its influence grew – infiltrating schools and civic bodies, as well as politics and even religion – before it was fully recognized for the monster it was. It banished God and thus became impervious to anything true and good. Many of your grandparents and great-grandparents will have recounted the horror of the destruction that ensued. Indeed, some of them came to America precisely to escape such terror.

Let us thank God that today many people of your generation are able to enjoy the liberties which have arisen through the extension of democracy and respect for human rights. Let us thank God for all those who strive to ensure that you can grow up in an environment that nurtures what is beautiful, good, and true: your parents and grandparents, your teachers and priests, those civic leaders who seek what is right and just.

The power to destroy does, however, remain. To pretend otherwise would be to fool ourselves. Yet, it never triumphs; it is defeated. This is the essence of the hope that defines us as Christians; and the Church recalls this most dramatically during the Easter Triduum and celebrates it with great joy in the season of Easter! The One who shows us the way beyond death is the One who shows us how to overcome destruction and fear: thus it is Jesus who is the true teacher of life (cf. Spe Salvi, 6). His death and resurrection mean that we can say to the Father “you have restored us to life!” (Prayer after Communion, Good Friday). And so, just a few weeks ago, during the beautiful Easter Vigil liturgy, it was not from despair or fear that we cried out to God for our world, but with hope-filled confidence: dispel the darkness of our heart! dispel the darkness of our minds! (cf. Prayer at the Lighting of the Easter Candle).

What might that darkness be? What happens when people, especially the most vulnerable, encounter a clenched fist of repression or manipulation rather than a hand of hope? A first group of examples pertains to the heart. Here, the dreams and longings that young people pursue can so easily be shattered or destroyed. I am thinking of those affected by drug and substance abuse, homelessness and poverty, racism, violence, and degradation – especially of girls and women. While the causes of these problems are complex, all have in common a poisoned attitude of mind which results in people being treated as mere objects ─ a callousness of heart takes hold which first ignores, then ridicules, the God-given dignity of every human being. Such tragedies also point to what might have been and what could be, were there other hands – your hands – reaching out. I encourage you to invite others, especially the vulnerable and the innocent, to join you along the way of goodness and hope.

The second area of darkness – that which affects the mind – often goes unnoticed, and for this reason is particularly sinister. The manipulation of truth distorts our perception of reality, and tarnishes our imagination and aspirations. I have already mentioned the many liberties which you are fortunate enough to enjoy. The fundamental importance of freedom must be rigorously safeguarded. It is no surprise then that numerous individuals and groups vociferously claim their freedom in the public forum. Yet freedom is a delicate value. It can be misunderstood or misused so as to lead not to the happiness which we all expect it to yield, but to a dark arena of manipulation in which our understanding of self and the world becomes confused, or even distorted by those who have an ulterior agenda.

Have you noticed how often the call for freedom is made without ever referring to the truth of the human person? Some today argue that respect for freedom of the individual makes it wrong to seek truth, including the truth about what is good. In some circles to speak of truth is seen as controversial or divisive, and consequently best kept in the private sphere. And in truth’s place – or better said its absence – an idea has spread which, in giving value to everything indiscriminately, claims to assure freedom and to liberate conscience. This we call relativism. But what purpose has a “freedom” which, in disregarding truth, pursues what is false or wrong? How many young people have been offered a hand which in the name of freedom or experience has led them to addiction, to moral or intellectual confusion, to hurt, to a loss of self-respect, even to despair and so tragically and sadly to the taking of their own life? Dear friends, truth is not an imposition. Nor is it simply a set of rules. It is a discovery of the One who never fails us; the One whom we can always trust. In seeking truth we come to live by belief because ultimately truth is a person: Jesus Christ. That is why authentic freedom is not an opting out. It is an opting in; nothing less than letting go of self and allowing oneself to be drawn into Christ’s very being for others (cf. Spe Salvi, 28).

How then can we as believers help others to walk the path of freedom which brings fulfillment and lasting happiness? Let us again turn to the saints. How did their witness truly free others from the darkness of heart and mind? The answer is found in the kernel of their faith; the kernel of our faith. The Incarnation, the birth of Jesus, tells us that God does indeed find a place among us. Though the inn is full, he enters through the stable, and there are people who see his light. They recognize Herod’s dark closed world for what it is, and instead follow the bright guiding star of the night sky. And what shines forth? Here you might recall the prayer uttered on the most holy night of Easter: “Father we share in the light of your glory through your Son the light of the world … inflame us with your hope!” (Blessing of the Fire). And so, in solemn procession with our lighted candles we pass the light of Christ among us. It is “the light which dispels all evil, washes guilt away, restores lost innocence, brings mourners joy, casts out hatred, brings us peace, and humbles earthly pride” (Exsultet). This is Christ’s light at work. This is the way of the saints. It is a magnificent vision of hope – Christ’s light beckons you to be guiding stars for others, walking Christ’s way of forgiveness, reconciliation, humility, joy and peace.

At times, however, we are tempted to close in on ourselves, to doubt the strength of Christ’s radiance, to limit the horizon of hope. Take courage! Fix your gaze on our saints. The diversity of their experience of God’s presence prompts us to discover anew the breadth and depth of Christianity. Let your imaginations soar freely along the limitless expanse of the horizons of Christian discipleship. Sometimes we are looked upon as people who speak only of prohibitions. Nothing could be further from the truth! Authentic Christian discipleship is marked by a sense of wonder. We stand before the God we know and love as a friend, the vastness of his creation, and the beauty of our Christian faith.

Dear friends, the example of the saints invites us, then, to consider four essential aspects of the treasure of our faith: personal prayer and silence, liturgical prayer, charity in action, and vocations.

What matters most is that you develop your personal relationship with God. That relationship is expressed in prayer. God by his very nature speaks, hears, and replies. Indeed, Saint Paul reminds us: we can and should “pray constantly” (1 Thess 5:17). Far from turning in on ourselves or withdrawing from the ups and downs of life, by praying we turn towards God and through him to each other, including the marginalized and those following ways other than God’s path (cf. Spe Salvi, 33). As the saints teach us so vividly, prayer becomes hope in action. Christ was their constant companion, with whom they conversed at every step of their journey for others.

There is another aspect of prayer which we need to remember: silent contemplation. Saint John, for example, tells us that to embrace God’s revelation we must first listen, then respond by proclaiming what we have heard and seen (cf. 1 Jn 1:2-3; Dei Verbum, 1). Have we perhaps lost something of the art of listening? Do you leave space to hear God’s whisper, calling you forth into goodness? Friends, do not be afraid of silence or stillness, listen to God, adore him in the Eucharist. Let his word shape your journey as an unfolding of holiness.

In the liturgy we find the whole Church at prayer. The word liturgy means the participation of God’s people in “the work of Christ the Priest and of His Body which is the Church” (Sacrosanctum Concilium, 7). What is that work? First of all it refers to Christ’s Passion, his Death and Resurrection, and his Ascension – what we call the Paschal Mystery. It also refers to the celebration of the liturgy itself. The two meanings are in fact inseparably linked because this “work of Jesus” is the real content of the liturgy. Through the liturgy, the “work of Jesus” is continually brought into contact with history; with our lives in order to shape them. Here we catch another glimpse of the grandeur of our Christian faith. Whenever you gather for Mass, when you go to Confession, whenever you celebrate any of the sacraments, Jesus is at work. Through the Holy Spirit, he draws you to himself, into his sacrificial love of the Father which becomes love for all. We see then that the Church’s liturgy is a ministry of hope for humanity. Your faithful participation, is an active hope which helps to keep the world – saints and sinners alike – open to God; this is the truly human hope we offer everyone (cf. Spe Salvi, 34).

Your personal prayer, your times of silent contemplation, and your participation in the Church’s liturgy, bring you closer to God and also prepare you to serve others. The saints accompanying us this evening show us that the life of faith and hope is also a life of charity. Contemplating Jesus on the Cross we see love in its most radical form. We can begin to imagine the path of love along which we must move (cf. Deus Caritas Est, 12). The opportunities to make this journey are abundant. Look about you with Christ’s eyes, listen with his ears, feel and think with his heart and mind. Are you ready to give all as he did for truth and justice? Many of the examples of the suffering which our saints responded to with compassion are still found here in this city and beyond. And new injustices have arisen: some are complex and stem from the exploitation of the heart and manipulation of the mind; even our common habitat, the earth itself, groans under the weight of consumerist greed and irresponsible exploitation. We must listen deeply. We must respond with a renewed social action that stems from the universal love that knows no bounds. In this way, we ensure that our works of mercy and justice become hope in action for others.

Dear young people, finally I wish to share a word about vocations. First of all my thoughts go to your parents, grandparents and godparents. They have been your primary educators in the faith. By presenting you for baptism, they made it possible for you to receive the greatest gift of your life. On that day you entered into the holiness of God himself. You became adoptive sons and daughters of the Father. You were incorporated into Christ. You were made a dwelling place of his Spirit. Let us pray for mothers and fathers throughout the world, particularly those who may be struggling in any way – socially, materially, spiritually. Let us honor the vocation of matrimony and the dignity of family life. Let us always appreciate that it is in families that vocations are given life.

Gathered here at Saint Joseph Seminary, I greet the seminarians present and indeed encourage all seminarians throughout America. I am glad to know that your numbers are increasing! The People of God look to you to be holy priests, on a daily journey of conversion, inspiring in others the desire to enter more deeply into the ecclesial life of believers. I urge you to deepen your friendship with Jesus the Good Shepherd. Talk heart to heart with him. Reject any temptation to ostentation, careerism, or conceit. Strive for a pattern of life truly marked by charity, chastity and humility, in imitation of Christ, the Eternal High Priest, of whom you are to become living icons (cf. Pastores Dabo Vobis, 33). Dear seminarians, I pray for you daily. Remember that what counts before the Lord is to dwell in his love and to make his love shine forth for others.

Religious Sisters, Brothers and Priests contribute greatly to the mission of the Church. Their prophetic witness is marked by a profound conviction of the primacy with which the Gospel shapes Christian life and transforms society. Today, I wish to draw your attention to the positive spiritual renewal which Congregations are undertaking in relation to their charism. The word charism means a gift freely and graciously given. Charisms are bestowed by the Holy Spirit, who inspires founders and foundresses, and shapes Congregations with a subsequent spiritual heritage. The wondrous array of charisms proper to each Religious Institute is an extraordinary spiritual treasury. Indeed, the history of the Church is perhaps most beautifully portrayed through the history of her schools of spirituality, most of which stem from the saintly lives of founders and foundresses. Through the discovery of charisms, which yield such a breadth of spiritual wisdom, I am sure that some of you young people will be drawn to a life of apostolic or contemplative service. Do not be shy to speak with Religious Brothers, Sisters or Priests about the charism and spirituality of their Congregation. No perfect community exists, but it is fidelity to a founding charism, not to particular individuals, that the Lord calls you to discern. Have courage! You too can make your life a gift of self for the love of the Lord Jesus and, in him, of every member of the human family (cf. Vita Consecrata, 3).

Friends, again I ask you, what about today? What are you seeking? What is God whispering to you? The hope which never disappoints is Jesus Christ. The saints show us the selfless love of his way. As disciples of Christ, their extraordinary journeys unfolded within the community of hope, which is the Church. It is from within the Church that you too will find the courage and support to walk the way of the Lord. Nourished by personal prayer, prompted in silence, shaped by the Church’s liturgy you will discover the particular vocation God has for you. Embrace it with joy. You are Christ’s disciples today. Shine his light upon this great city and beyond. Show the world the reason for the hope that resonates within you. Tell others about the truth that sets you free. With these sentiments of great hope in you I bid you farewell, until we meet again in Sydney this July for World Youth Day! And as a pledge of my love for you and your families, I gladly impart my Apostolic Blessing.


* * *

Queridos Seminaristas, queridos jóvenes:

Es para mí una gran alegría poder encontrarme con todos ustedes en este día de mi cumpleaños. Gracias por su acogida y por el cariño que me han demostrado.

Les animo a abrirle al Señor su corazón para que Él lo llene por completo y con el fuego de su amor lleven su Evangelio a todos los barrios de Nueva York.

La luz de la fe les impulsará a responder al mal con el bien y la santidad de vida, como lo hicieron los grandes testigos del Evangelio a lo largo de los siglos. Ustedes están llamados a continuar esa cadena de amigos de Jesús, que encontraron en su amor el gran tesoro de sus vidas. Cultiven esta amistad a través de la oración, tanto personal como litúrgica, y por medio de las obras de caridad y del compromiso por ayudar a los más necesitados. Si no lo han hecho, plantéense seriamente si el Señor les pide seguirlo de un modo radical en el ministerio sacerdotal o en la vida consagrada. No basta una relación esporádica con Cristo. Una amistad así no es tal. Cristo les quiere amigos suyos íntimos, fieles y perseverantes.

A la vez que les renuevo mi invitación a participar en la Jornada Mundial de la Juventud en Sidney, les aseguro mi recuerdo en la oración, en la que suplico a Dios que los haga auténticos discípulos de Cristo Resucitado. Muchas gracias.

The Music at the Papal Liturgies

Being a member of the National Association of Pastoral Musicians for the past 29 years, I had received an interesting email with the "lineup" of musical selections for all of the papal liturgies while B16 is here in the U.S. I was very impressed by the selections chosen by the people in the Archdiocese of Washington, D.C., but I was not at all impressed by the choices for the liturgies in New York.

In Washington, it was clear that the planners wanted lots of congregational participation, in ALL of the languages of the liturgy. We saw and heard the results of that at the wonderful Mass in the stadium on Thursday. EVERYBODY SANG! ALL SORTS OF LANGUAGES WERE SUNG! ALL SORTS OF MUSIC WERE UTILIZED TO HELP ALL TO SING THE LITURGY!

Unfortunately, the planning folks in New York didn't get the memo about "full, conscious and active participation of ALL of the faithful" in the liturgies. I found the music chosen for the New York liturgies to be way too "highbrow" and "elitist" and "unaccessible" to the everyday pew-dweller to even begin to sing.

I'm very dissapointed with the Archdiocese of New York, and their planning team.

Once again, they've proven to the rest of the American Church to be snooty, and out of touch with real-life with the average American Catholic experience. They value performance over participation. It's very clear.

I'm glad I live in New Jersey, and I always will!

The Holy Father at the U.N.

ADDRESS OF POPE BENEDICT XVI

TO THE UNITED NATIONS ORGANIZATION
UN HEADQUARTERS, NEW YORK
18 APRIL 2008


Mr President,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

As I begin my address to this Assembly, I would like first of all to express to you, Mr President, my sincere gratitude for your kind words. My thanks go also to the Secretary-General, Mr Ban Ki-moon, for inviting me to visit the headquarters of this Organization and for the welcome that he has extended to me. I greet the Ambassadors and Diplomats from the Member States, and all those present. Through you, I greet the peoples who are represented here. They look to this institution to carry forward the founding inspiration to establish a "centre for harmonizing the actions of nations in the attainment of these common ends" of peace and development (cf. Charter of the United Nations, article 1.2-1.4). As Pope John Paul II expressed it in 1995, the Organization should be "a moral centre where all the nations of the world feel at home and develop a shared awareness of being, as it were, a 'family of nations'" (Address to the General Assembly of the United Nations on the 50th Anniversary of its Foundation, New York, 5 October 1995, 14).

Through the United Nations, States have established universal objectives which, even if they do not coincide with the total common good of the human family, undoubtedly represent a fundamental part of that good. The founding principles of the Organization - the desire for peace, the quest for justice, respect for the dignity of the person, humanitarian cooperation and assistance - express the just aspirations of the human spirit, and constitute the ideals which should underpin international relations. As my predecessors Paul VI and John Paul II have observed from this very podium, all this is something that the Catholic Church and the Holy See follow attentively and with interest, seeing in your activity an example of how issues and conflicts concerning the world community can be subject to common regulation. The United Nations embodies the aspiration for a "greater degree of international ordering" (John Paul II, Sollicitudo Rei Socialis, 43), inspired and governed by the principle of subsidiarity, and therefore capable of responding to the demands of the human family through binding international rules and through structures capable of harmonizing the day-to-day unfolding of the lives of peoples. This is all the more necessary at a time when we experience the obvious paradox of a multilateral consensus that continues to be in crisis because it is still subordinated to the decisions of a few, whereas the world's problems call for interventions in the form of collective action by the international community.

Indeed, questions of security, development goals, reduction of local and global inequalities, protection of the environment, of resources and of the climate, require all international leaders to act jointly and to show a readiness to work in good faith, respecting the law, and promoting solidarity with the weakest regions of the planet. I am thinking especially of those countries in Africa and other parts of the world which remain on the margins of authentic integral development, and are therefore at risk of experiencing only the negative effects of globalization. In the context of international relations, it is necessary to recognize the higher role played by rules and structures that are intrinsically ordered to promote the common good, and therefore to safeguard human freedom. These regulations do not limit freedom. On the contrary, they promote it when they prohibit behaviour and actions which work against the common good, curb its effective exercise and hence compromise the dignity of every human person. In the name of freedom, there has to be a correlation between rights and duties, by which every person is called to assume responsibility for his or her choices, made as a consequence of entering into relations with others. Here our thoughts turn also to the way the results of scientific research and technological advances have sometimes been applied. Notwithstanding the enormous benefits that humanity can gain, some instances of this represent a clear violation of the order of creation, to the point where not only is the sacred character of life contradicted, but the human person and the family are robbed of their natural identity. Likewise, international action to preserve the environment and to protect various forms of life on earth must not only guarantee a rational use of technology and science, but must also rediscover the authentic image of creation. This never requires a choice to be made between science and ethics: rather it is a question of adopting a scientific method that is truly respectful of ethical imperatives.

Recognition of the unity of the human family, and attention to the innate dignity of every man and woman, today find renewed emphasis in the principle of the responsibility to protect. This has only recently been defined, but it was already present implicitly at the origins of the United Nations, and is now increasingly characteristic of its activity. Every State has the primary duty to protect its own population from grave and sustained violations of human rights, as well as from the consequences of humanitarian crises, whether natural or man-made. If States are unable to guarantee such protection, the international community must intervene with the juridical means provided in the United Nations Charter and in other international instruments. The action of the international community and its institutions, provided that it respects the principles undergirding the international order, should never be interpreted as an unwarranted imposition or a limitation of sovereignty. On the contrary, it is indifference or failure to intervene that do the real damage. What is needed is a deeper search for ways of pre-empting and managing conflicts by exploring every possible diplomatic avenue, and giving attention and encouragement to even the faintest sign of dialogue or desire for reconciliation.

The principle of "responsibility to protect" was considered by the ancient ius gentium as the foundation of every action taken by those in government with regard to the governed: at the time when the concept of national sovereign States was first developing, the Dominican Friar Francisco de Vitoria, rightly considered as a precursor of the idea of the United Nations, described this responsibility as an aspect of natural reason shared by all nations, and the result of an international order whose task it was to regulate relations between peoples. Now, as then, this principle has to invoke the idea of the person as image of the Creator, the desire for the absolute and the essence of freedom. The founding of the United Nations, as we know, coincided with the profound upheavals that humanity experienced when reference to the meaning of transcendence and natural reason was abandoned, and in consequence, freedom and human dignity were grossly violated. When this happens, it threatens the objective foundations of the values inspiring and governing the international order and it undermines the cogent and inviolable principles formulated and consolidated by the United Nations. When faced with new and insistent challenges, it is a mistake to fall back on a pragmatic approach, limited to determining "common ground", minimal in content and weak in its effect.

This reference to human dignity, which is the foundation and goal of the responsibility to protect, leads us to the theme we are specifically focusing upon this year, which marks the sixtieth anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. This document was the outcome of a convergence of different religious and cultural traditions, all of them motivated by the common desire to place the human person at the heart of institutions, laws and the workings of society, and to consider the human person essential for the world of culture, religion and science. Human rights are increasingly being presented as the common language and the ethical substratum of international relations. At the same time, the universality, indivisibility and interdependence of human rights all serve as guarantees safeguarding human dignity. It is evident, though, that the rights recognized and expounded in the Declaration apply to everyone by virtue of the common origin of the person, who remains the high-point of God's creative design for the world and for history. They are based on the natural law inscribed on human hearts and present in different cultures and civilizations. Removing human rights from this context would mean restricting their range and yielding to a relativistic conception, according to which the meaning and interpretation of rights could vary and their universality would be denied in the name of different cultural, political, social and even religious outlooks. This great variety of viewpoints must not be allowed to obscure the fact that not only rights are universal, but so too is the human person, the subject of those rights.

The life of the community, both domestically and internationally, clearly demonstrates that respect for rights, and the guarantees that follow from them, are measures of the common good that serve to evaluate the relationship between justice and injustice, development and poverty, security and conflict. The promotion of human rights remains the most effective strategy for eliminating inequalities between countries and social groups, and for increasing security. Indeed, the victims of hardship and despair, whose human dignity is violated with impunity, become easy prey to the call to violence, and they can then become violators of peace. The common good that human rights help to accomplish cannot, however, be attained merely by applying correct procedures, nor even less by achieving a balance between competing rights. The merit of the Universal Declaration is that it has enabled different cultures, juridical expressions and institutional models to converge around a fundamental nucleus of values, and hence of rights. Today, though, efforts need to be redoubled in the face of pressure to reinterpret the foundations of the Declaration and to compromise its inner unity so as to facilitate a move away from the protection of human dignity towards the satisfaction of simple interests, often particular interests. The Declaration was adopted as a "common standard of achievement" (Preamble) and cannot be applied piecemeal, according to trends or selective choices that merely run the risk of contradicting the unity of the human person and thus the indivisibility of human rights.

Experience shows that legality often prevails over justice when the insistence upon rights makes them appear as the exclusive result of legislative enactments or normative decisions taken by the various agencies of those in power. When presented purely in terms of legality, rights risk becoming weak propositions divorced from the ethical and rational dimension which is their foundation and their goal. The Universal Declaration, rather, has reinforced the conviction that respect for human rights is principally rooted in unchanging justice, on which the binding force of international proclamations is also based. This aspect is often overlooked when the attempt is made to deprive rights of their true function in the name of a narrowly utilitarian perspective. Since rights and the resulting duties follow naturally from human interaction, it is easy to forget that they are the fruit of a commonly held sense of justice built primarily upon solidarity among the members of society, and hence valid at all times and for all peoples. This intuition was expressed as early as the fifth century by Augustine of Hippo, one of the masters of our intellectual heritage. He taught that the saying: Do not do to others what you would not want done to you "cannot in any way vary according to the different understandings that have arisen in the world" (De Doctrina Christiana, III, 14). Human rights, then, must be respected as an expression of justice, and not merely because they are enforceable through the will of the legislators.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

As history proceeds, new situations arise, and the attempt is made to link them to new rights. Discernment, that is, the capacity to distinguish good from evil, becomes even more essential in the context of demands that concern the very lives and conduct of persons, communities and peoples. In tackling the theme of rights, since important situations and profound realities are involved, discernment is both an indispensable and a fruitful virtue.

Discernment, then, shows that entrusting exclusively to individual States, with their laws and institutions, the final responsibility to meet the aspirations of persons, communities and entire peoples, can sometimes have consequences that exclude the possibility of a social order respectful of the dignity and rights of the person. On the other hand, a vision of life firmly anchored in the religious dimension can help to achieve this, since recognition of the transcendent value of every man and woman favours conversion of heart, which then leads to a commitment to resist violence, terrorism and war, and to promote justice and peace. This also provides the proper context for the inter-religious dialogue that the United Nations is called to support, just as it supports dialogue in other areas of human activity. Dialogue should be recognized as the means by which the various components of society can articulate their point of view and build consensus around the truth concerning particular values or goals. It pertains to the nature of religions, freely practised, that they can autonomously conduct a dialogue of thought and life. If at this level, too, the religious sphere is kept separate from political action, then great benefits ensue for individuals and communities. On the other hand, the United Nations can count on the results of dialogue between religions, and can draw fruit from the willingness of believers to place their experiences at the service of the common good. Their task is to propose a vision of faith not in terms of intolerance, discrimination and conflict, but in terms of complete respect for truth, coexistence, rights, and reconciliation.

Human rights, of course, must include the right to religious freedom, understood as the expression of a dimension that is at once individual and communitarian - a vision that brings out the unity of the person while clearly distinguishing between the dimension of the citizen and that of the believer. The activity of the United Nations in recent years has ensured that public debate gives space to viewpoints inspired by a religious vision in all its dimensions, including ritual, worship, education, dissemination of information and the freedom to profess and choose religion. It is inconceivable, then, that believers should have to suppress a part of themselves - their faith - in order to be active citizens. It should never be necessary to deny God in order to enjoy one's rights. The rights associated with religion are all the more in need of protection if they are considered to clash with a prevailing secular ideology or with majority religious positions of an exclusive nature. The full guarantee of religious liberty cannot be limited to the free exercise of worship, but has to give due consideration to the public dimension of religion, and hence to the possibility of believers playing their part in building the social order. Indeed, they actually do so, for example through their influential and generous involvement in a vast network of initiatives which extend from Universities, scientific institutions and schools to health care agencies and charitable organizations in the service of the poorest and most marginalized. Refusal to recognize the contribution to society that is rooted in the religious dimension and in the quest for the Absolute - by its nature, expressing communion between persons - would effectively privilege an individualistic approach, and would fragment the unity of the person.

My presence at this Assembly is a sign of esteem for the United Nations, and it is intended to express the hope that the Organization will increasingly serve as a sign of unity between States and an instrument of service to the entire human family. It also demonstrates the willingness of the Catholic Church to offer her proper contribution to building international relations in a way that allows every person and every people to feel they can make a difference. In a manner that is consistent with her contribution in the ethical and moral sphere and the free activity of her faithful, the Church also works for the realization of these goals through the international activity of the Holy See. Indeed, the Holy See has always had a place at the assemblies of the Nations, thereby manifesting its specific character as a subject in the international domain. As the United Nations recently confirmed, the Holy See thereby makes its contribution according to the dispositions of international law, helps to define that law, and makes appeal to it.

The United Nations remains a privileged setting in which the Church is committed to contributing her experience "of humanity", developed over the centuries among peoples of every race and culture, and placing it at the disposal of all members of the international community. This experience and activity, directed towards attaining freedom for every believer, seeks also to increase the protection given to the rights of the person. Those rights are grounded and shaped by the transcendent nature of the person, which permits men and women to pursue their journey of faith and their search for God in this world. Recognition of this dimension must be strengthened if we are to sustain humanity's hope for a better world and if we are to create the conditions for peace, development, cooperation, and guarantee of rights for future generations.

In my recent Encyclical, Spe Salvi, I indicated that "every generation has the task of engaging anew in the arduous search for the right way to order human affairs" (no. 25). For Christians, this task is motivated by the hope drawn from the saving work of Jesus Christ. That is why the Church is happy to be associated with the activity of this distinguished Organization, charged with the responsibility of promoting peace and good will throughout the earth. Dear Friends, I thank you for this opportunity to address you today, and I promise you of the support of my prayers as you pursue your noble task.

Before I take my leave from this distinguished Assembly, I should like to offer my greetings, in the official languages, to all the Nations here represented.

[in English; in French; in Spanish; in Arab; in Chinese; in Russian:] Peace and Prosperity with God's help!

Pope to Catholic Educators: "Be Not Afraid"

ADDRESS OF POPE BENEDICT XVI
TO THE COMMUNITY OF CATHOLIC EDUCATION
CATHOLIC UNIVERSITY OF AMERICA,
PRSBYLA AUDITORIUM
17 APRIL 2008


Your Eminences,Dear Brother Bishops,Distinguished Professors, Teachers and Educators,"How beautiful are the footsteps of those who bring good news" (Rom 10:15-17).

With these words of Isaiah quoted by Saint Paul, I warmly greet each of you - bearers of wisdom - and through you the staff, students and families of the many and varied institutions of learning that you represent. It is my great pleasure to meet you and to share with you some thoughts regarding the nature and identity of Catholic education today. I especially wish to thank Father David O'Connell, President and Rector of the Catholic University of America. Your kind words of welcome are much appreciated. Please extend my heartfelt gratitude to the entire community - faculty, staff and students - of this University.


Education is integral to the mission of the Church to proclaim the Good News. First and foremost every Catholic educational institution is a place to encounter the living God who in Jesus Christ reveals his transforming love and truth (cf. Spe Salvi, 4). This relationship elicits a desire to grow in the knowledge and understanding of Christ and his teaching. In this way those who meet him are drawn by the very power of the Gospel to lead a new life characterized by all that is beautiful, good, and true; a life of Christian witness nurtured and strengthened within the community of our Lord's disciples, the Church.

The dynamic between personal encounter, knowledge and Christian witness is integral to the diakonia of truth which the Church exercises in the midst of humanity. God's revelation offers every generation the opportunity to discover the ultimate truth about its own life and the goal of history. This task is never easy; it involves the entire Christian community and motivates each generation of Christian educators to ensure that the power of God's truth permeates every dimension of the institutions they serve. In this way, Christ's Good News is set to work, guiding both teacher and student towards the objective truth which, in transcending the particular and the subjective, points to the universal and absolute that enables us to proclaim with confidence the hope which does not disappoint (cf. Rom 5:5). Set against personal struggles, moral confusion and fragmentation of knowledge, the noble goals of scholarship and education, founded on the unity of truth and in service of the person and the community, become an especially powerful instrument of hope.

Dear friends, the history of this nation includes many examples of the Church's commitment in this regard. The Catholic community here has in fact made education one of its highest priorities. This undertaking has not come without great sacrifice. Towering figures, like Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton and other founders and foundresses, with great tenacity and foresight, laid the foundations of what is today a remarkable network of parochial schools contributing to the spiritual well-being of the Church and the nation. Some, like Saint Katharine Drexel, devoted their lives to educating those whom others had neglected - in her case, African Americans and Native Americans. Countless dedicated Religious Sisters, Brothers, and Priests together with selfless parents have, through Catholic schools, helped generations of immigrants to rise from poverty and take their place in mainstream society.

This sacrifice continues today. It is an outstanding apostolate of hope, seeking to address the material, intellectual and spiritual needs of over three million children and students. It also provides a highly commendable opportunity for the entire Catholic community to contribute generously to the financial needs of our institutions. Their long-term sustainability must be assured. Indeed, everything possible must be done, in cooperation with the wider community, to ensure that they are accessible to people of all social and economic strata. No child should be denied his or her right to an education in faith, which in turn nurtures the soul of a nation.

Some today question the Church's involvement in education, wondering whether her resources might be better placed elsewhere. Certainly in a nation such as this, the State provides ample opportunities for education and attracts committed and generous men and women to this honorable profession. It is timely, then, to reflect on what is particular to our Catholic institutions. How do they contribute to the good of society through the Church's primary mission of evangelization?All the Church's activities stem from her awareness that she is the bearer of a message which has its origin in God himself: in his goodness and wisdom, God chose to reveal himself and to make known the hidden purpose of his will (cf. Eph 1:9; Dei Verbum, 2). God's desire to make himself known, and the innate desire of all human beings to know the truth, provide the context for human inquiry into the meaning of life. This unique encounter is sustained within our Christian community: the one who seeks the truth becomes the one who lives by faith (cf. Fides et Ratio, 31). It can be described as a move from "I" to "we", leading the individual to be numbered among God's people.This same dynamic of communal identity - to whom do I belong? - vivifies the ethos of our Catholic institutions. A university or school's Catholic identity is not simply a question of the number of Catholic students. It is a question of conviction - do we really believe that only in the mystery of the Word made flesh does the mystery of man truly become clear (cf. Gaudium et Spes, 22)? Are we ready to commit our entire self - intellect and will, mind and heart - to God? Do we accept the truth Christ reveals? Is the faith tangible in our universities and schools? Is it given fervent expression liturgically, sacramentally, through prayer, acts of charity, a concern for justice, and respect for God's creation? Only in this way do we really bear witness to the meaning of who we are and what we uphold.


From this perspective one can recognize that the contemporary "crisis of truth" is rooted in a "crisis of faith". Only through faith can we freely give our assent to God's testimony and acknowledge him as the transcendent guarantor of the truth he reveals. Again, we see why fostering personal intimacy with Jesus Christ and communal witness to his loving truth is indispensable in Catholic institutions of learning. Yet we all know, and observe with concern, the difficulty or reluctance many people have today in entrusting themselves to God. It is a complex phenomenon and one which I ponder continually. While we have sought diligently to engage the intellect of our young, perhaps we have neglected the will. Subsequently we observe, with distress, the notion of freedom being distorted. Freedom is not an opting out. It is an opting in - a participation in Being itself. Hence authentic freedom can never be attained by turning away from God. Such a choice would ultimately disregard the very truth we need in order to understand ourselves. A particular responsibility therefore for each of you, and your colleagues, is to evoke among the young the desire for the act of faith, encouraging them to commit themselves to the ecclesial life that follows from this belief. It is here that freedom reaches the certainty of truth. In choosing to live by that truth, we embrace the fullness of the life of faith which is given to us in the Church.

Clearly, then, Catholic identity is not dependent upon statistics. Neither can it be equated simply with orthodoxy of course content. It demands and inspires much more: namely that each and every aspect of your learning communities reverberates within the ecclesial life of faith. Only in faith can truth become incarnate and reason truly human, capable of directing the will along the path of freedom (cf. Spe Salvi, 23). In this way our institutions make a vital contribution to the mission of the Church and truly serve society. They become places in which God's active presence in human affairs is recognized and in which every young person discovers the joy of entering into Christ's "being for others" (cf. ibid., 28).The Church's primary mission of evangelization, in which educational institutions play a crucial role, is consonant with a nation's fundamental aspiration to develop a society truly worthy of the human person's dignity. At times, however, the value of the Church's contribution to the public forum is questioned. It is important therefore to recall that the truths of faith and of reason never contradict one another (cf. First Vatican Ecumenical Council, Dogmatic Constitution on the Catholic Faith Dei Filius, IV: DS 3017; St. Augustine, Contra Academicos, III, 20, 43). The Church's mission, in fact, involves her in humanity's struggle to arrive at truth. In articulating revealed truth she serves all members of society by purifying reason, ensuring that it remains open to the consideration of ultimate truths. Drawing upon divine wisdom, she sheds light on the foundation of human morality and ethics, and reminds all groups in society that it is not praxis that creates truth but truth that should serve as the basis of praxis. Far from undermining the tolerance of legitimate diversity, such a contribution illuminates the very truth which makes consensus attainable, and helps to keep public debate rational, honest and accountable. Similarly the Church never tires of upholding the essential moral categories of right and wrong, without which hope could only wither, giving way to cold pragmatic calculations of utility which render the person little more than a pawn on some ideological chess-board.With regard to the educational forum, the diakonia of truth takes on a heightened significance in societies where secularist ideology drives a wedge between truth and faith. This division has led to a tendency to equate truth with knowledge and to adopt a positivistic mentality which, in rejecting metaphysics, denies the foundations of faith and rejects the need for a moral vision. Truth means more than knowledge: knowing the truth leads us to discover the good. Truth speaks to the individual in his or her the entirety, inviting us to respond with our whole being. This optimistic vision is found in our Christian faith because such faith has been granted the vision of the Logos, God's creative Reason, which in the Incarnation, is revealed as Goodness itself. Far from being just a communication of factual data - "informative" - the loving truth of the Gospel is creative and life-changing - "performative" (cf. Spe Salvi, 2). With confidence, Christian educators can liberate the young from the limits of positivism and awaken receptivity to the truth, to God and his goodness. In this way you will also help to form their conscience which, enriched by faith, opens a sure path to inner peace and to respect for others.

It comes as no surprise, then, that not just our own ecclesial communities but society in general has high expectations of Catholic educators. This places upon you a responsibility and offers an opportunity. More and more people - parents in particular - recognize the need for excellence in the human formation of their children. As Mater et Magistra, the Church shares their concern. When nothing beyond the individual is recognized as definitive, the ultimate criterion of judgment becomes the self and the satisfaction of the individual's immediate wishes. The objectivity and perspective, which can only come through a recognition of the essential transcendent dimension of the human person, can be lost. Within such a relativistic horizon the goals of education are inevitably curtailed. Slowly, a lowering of standards occurs. We observe today a timidity in the face of the category of the good and an aimless pursuit of novelty parading as the realization of freedom. We witness an assumption that every experience is of equal worth and a reluctance to admit imperfection and mistakes. And particularly disturbing, is the reduction of the precious and delicate area of education in sexuality to management of 'risk', bereft of any reference to the beauty of conjugal love.

How might Christian educators respond? These harmful developments point to the particular urgency of what we might call "intellectual charity". This aspect of charity calls the educator to recognize that the profound responsibility to lead the young to truth is nothing less than an act of love. Indeed, the dignity of education lies in fostering the true perfection and happiness of those to be educated. In practice "intellectual charity" upholds the essential unity of knowledge against the fragmentation which ensues when reason is detached from the pursuit of truth. It guides the young towards the deep satisfaction of exercising freedom in relation to truth, and it strives to articulate the relationship between faith and all aspects of family and civic life. Once their passion for the fullness and unity of truth has been awakened, young people will surely relish the discovery that the question of what they can know opens up the vast adventure of what they ought to do. Here they will experience "in what" and "in whom" it is possible to hope, and be inspired to contribute to society in a way that engenders hope in others.

Dear friends, I wish to conclude by focusing our attention specifically on the paramount importance of your own professionalism and witness within our Catholic universities and schools. First, let me thank you for your dedication and generosity. I know from my own days as a professor, and I have heard from your Bishops and officials of the Congregation for Catholic Education, that the reputation of Catholic institutes of learning in this country is largely due to yourselves and your predecessors. Your selfless contributions - from outstanding research to the dedication of those working in inner-city schools - serve both your country and the Church. For this I express my profound gratitude.

In regard to faculty members at Catholic colleges universities, I wish to reaffirm the great value of academic freedom. In virtue of this freedom you are called to search for the truth wherever careful analysis of evidence leads you. Yet it is also the case that any appeal to the principle of academic freedom in order to justify positions that contradict the faith and the teaching of the Church would obstruct or even betray the university's identity and mission; a mission at the heart of the Church's munus docendi and not somehow autonomous or independent of it.Teachers and administrators, whether in universities or schools, have the duty and privilege to ensure that students receive instruction in Catholic doctrine and practice. This requires that public witness to the way of Christ, as found in the Gospel and upheld by the Church's Magisterium, shapes all aspects of an institution's life, both inside and outside the classroom. Divergence from this vision weakens Catholic identity and, far from advancing freedom, inevitably leads to confusion, whether moral, intellectual or spiritual.

I wish also to express a particular word of encouragement to both lay and Religious teachers of catechesis who strive to ensure that young people become daily more appreciative of the gift of faith. Religious education is a challenging apostolate, yet there are many signs of a desire among young people to learn about the faith and practice it with vigor. If this awakening is to grow, teachers require a clear and precise understanding of the specific nature and role of Catholic education. They must also be ready to lead the commitment made by the entire school community to assist our young people, and their families, to experience the harmony between faith, life and culture.

Here I wish to make a special appeal to Religious Brothers, Sisters and Priests: do not abandon the school apostolate; indeed, renew your commitment to schools especially those in poorer areas. In places where there are many hollow promises which lure young people away from the path of truth and genuine freedom, the consecrated person's witness to the evangelical counsels is an irreplaceable gift. I encourage the Religious present to bring renewed enthusiasm to the promotion of vocations. Know that your witness to the ideal of consecration and mission among the young is a source of great inspiration in faith for them and their families.To all of you I say: bear witness to hope. Nourish your witness with prayer. Account for the hope that characterizes your lives (cf. 1 Pet 3:15) by living the truth which you propose to your students. Help them to know and love the One you have encountered, whose truth and goodness you have experienced with joy. With Saint Augustine, let us say: "we who speak and you who listen acknowledge ourselves as fellow disciples of a single teacher" (Sermons, 23:2).

With these sentiments of communion, I gladly impart to you, your colleagues and students, and to your families, my Apostolic Blessing.

On a wing and a prayer....

OK, Benedict XVI (aka B16 for you BINGO fans) is on his way to our shores.

There's lots of speculation about what he'll do, say, and pray on the way, and while here.
There is even a crazy interest in what he'll be wearing for the different events! Oy vey!!!!
Some liturgist friends are speculating that we'll get a preview of the yet-unseen new translation of the Roman Missal in English currently under preparation in Rome......I think this rumor is highly unlikely.

I do believe, however, that Papa-Ratzinger will take some time while on Alitalia "Shepherd 1", to actually pray for us U.S. Catholics. We may not have the same styles or interests, but I do know him to be a man of prayer.

Let's pray for the one who prays for us!

Blue Mass, 2008

Tomorrow, April 15, the Diocese of Trenton will celebrate the annual "Blue Mass" to honor those in the many forms of law enforcement throughout our diocese and state.

This celebration is an annual way of saying "thank you" to the men and women of law enforcement from our area, and to pray for those who have fallen, and also to support their families and friends who mourn their loss.

The mass, with Bishop Smith presiding and preaching, is a way to join together in prayer in our Cathedral Church. As you may know, I'll be one of the MC's for the Mass. ("MC" is shorthand for "Master of Ceremonies") In reality, I'll be taking the role of one of the main "altar-boys".....helping to make the Bishop look like he knows what he's doing, helping the priests and the old Monsignors to go where they're supposed to be, and overall, helping to organize the whole event.

I've often said that the job of MC's is not to pray, but to make everyone else look good! A good MC should be practically invisible to the congregation, but is definitely in charge of helping the celebration to look smooth. It's much like the job of a good cop!

Let's pray that happens tomorrow!

Truth be told, this is one of my favorite events at the Cathedral each year. For me, it's such a simple, yet profound way that we Catholics can gather with the men and women who serve and protect us each day, and then to pray with them, and then to honor them and their service with our highest form of prayer...the Mass. Together, with the Lord's Self Sacrifice, we give thanks and praise for those who serve us and protect us.

Parish Council Tonight

Tonight, our parish council met. One of the most over-arching topics that we discussed was our parish's practice of Stewardship. We spoke about how our Parish Plan calls us to renew our efforts to educate and form all parishioners to be good stewards, sharing time, talent, and treasure as co-owners of our community.

One of the first things we need is: more parishioners to volunteer to serve on the Parish Stewardship Committee. The Stewardship Committee should meet monthly for one hour, and the current chair of that committee is Mary-Jo Lopez.

The stewardship committee is responsible for keeping the whole parish community appraised of new and creative ways that we can exercise our call and responsibility to be good stewards of our parish. The Stewardship Committee can look at the members of our parish, look at their occupations, and invite them to share their gifts to build up the community.


Imagine if we had say, 20 Insurance professionals in our parish. They could put together a conference or a workshop to advise:

a. Newly married couples, starting their families.

b. Folks planning their retirement needs.

c. Seniors, planning their funeral needs.

These are just a few examples of how we could possibly use just one group of folks already in the parish, to invite them to come together, and to serve the needs of our parishioners and even outsiders!

Imagine the possibilities! Imagine if all of the nurses of our parish got together! Imagine if all of the lawyers got together! IT COULD HAPPEN!!!


Think about joining the Stewardship Committee for this year. See me after any of the masses next weekend if you think that you can help!

Confirmation, 2008

Last night, we celebrated the Confirmation of 71 of our young people.

Bishop John Smith, of the Diocese of Trenton, came to celebrate the sacrament here at St. Anselm. It was the first time in almost 8 years that Bishop Smith celebrated the sacrament here at St. Anselm.

Today, many people stopped me and told me how happy they were with the way the celebrations went yesterday.

I was particularly happy with the energizing ways in which the Bishop interacted with the young people and their parents, godparents, and the many visitors who were here for the celebrations.

Next week, Bishop Smith will be very busy in helping to welcome Pope Benedict to our country. Bishop John will be part of the meetings with Pope Benedict in Washington, DC, and also in New York City.

I know that Bishop John will be asking the Pope to pray for and to bless the people of the Diocese of Trenton in the next few days.

It's my own personal prayer that next week is a time for all American Catholics to take some time off from the regular routine, and to pray with the Holy Father, and to be open to the messages of renewal that he offers to the country, to the world (at the U. N.) and to all of the baptized by his words and his affections.

Congratulations Confirmandi!

Coming to America

In anticipation of Pope Benedict's upcoming visit to America, Voice of the Faithful (VOTF) has produced a petition that we can sign online. Here's the text and the online links: Voice of the Faithful (VOTF) is circulating a petition (text below) which you can access and sign online at the VOTF site.

VOTF PetitionTO POPE BENEDICT XVI AND HIS FELLOW BISHOPS

On the occasion of the Pope’s April, 2008 visit to the United States

Please join Voice of the Faithful (VOTF) in calling all Catholics to transform our Church. Join your voice with thousands of others who must raise our voices through petition because the Pope has scheduled no discussions or listening sessions with ordinary laity. Will he hear the concerns of the faithful without such conversations? We Catholics are still addressing the clergy sex abuse scandal, one of the worst crises in the history of our Church. One-third of those raised Catholic in the U.S. no longer call themselves Catholics, according to a recent survey. Numbers of priests are declining; many parishes and schools are closing; we face massive financial crises. Voice of the Faithful, with more than 35,000 members, proposes concrete solutions to address this crisis:

1. Treat survivors of sexual abuse with the justice and compassion our faith demands.

2. Hold bishops accountable to the people they serve.

3. Embrace full participation of Catholic men and women in Church decision-making.

4. Require full financial transparency and accountability in all governance matters.

We believe these steps will produce:

• An open, transparent and accountable Church

• A participative Church embracing the gifts and talents of the baptized

• A Church governed by compassion, informed by justice, empowered by equality, and animated to act collegially

We urge all clergy to listen to the voices of the faithful as we join together to inspire our Church to become a community of believers worthy of our founder, Jesus Christ.

We pledge our energy toward realizing these changes.

First Communions, Part 2

We have lots of kids coming to First Communion these days at St. Anselm.

I noticed this morning, that I didn't recognize many of the families who were here to celebrate this sacrament.

Once again, my suspicions that over 90% of the kids in our religious education programs are not coming to Mass on a regular basis were proven true again this weekend.

I could tell from the first moments of the liturgy that the majority of these families who presented their kids for first holy communion had not been in church for a long time. I could tell because their parents didn't have a clue as to how to participate in Mass at St. Anselm....they didn't know when to sit, stand, or respond....they didn't participate in singing the songs or the psalms, and they carried on nice little private conversations during the Gospel, the homily, and the Eucharistic Prayer. It was very clear that the vast majority of the people who presented their kids for First Holy Communion were not "regular" church folks.

It's sad to say, but our parish is not alone in having this problem.

More on this later......

The dinner at the Emmaus Diner

The encounter with Jesus at the Diner in Emmaus.

We don't know where it exactly happened. We do know that it was an encounter that would be spoken of forever.....

They recognized him in the "breaking of the bread."

This encounter, this "breaking of the bread" would be like none other.

They recognized him in the breaking of the bread.

They knew he was near....as close as a friend.

Let's pray that in these Easter Days, as we celebrate First Communions, Confirmations, Ordinations, and the other sacraments, that we may all feel as close to the Risen Christ as did the first disciples who were there to witness the first Breaking of the Bread.

Getting Ready for First Communions

This weekend, we begin to welcome new sisters and brothers to the altar of Christ's Sacrifice.


First Communions are wonderful, sweet, precious, and one of the most awesome things that we do as Catholic Christians.


We pass on to our young people that most precious of gifts, which we received from our parents, and their parents, and ultimately from Jesus himself. We pass on our belief that this simple bread and sip of wine are the most important gifts that we can give, because they are the promise of eternal life, given by Jesus himself.

We'll celebrate First Communions at two of the weekend masses, each week, for the next three weeks. We welcome the many visitors to our parish who will be joining us for these celebrations. It may take some extra patience, and an extra effort to welcome these visitors and their families. Remember, we are a very UNIQUE community, and some people may not understand the ways we celebrate. Let's pray for the gift of patience, and practice true hospitality. Most of all, let's pray that our young people receiving Holy Communion for the first time in the coming days may appreciate the great gift that is the Eucharist. Let's pray that this is the First of many thousands of Holy Communions!

A gathering of families for Baptism.

Tonight we had a Gathering of families preparing for the

baptism of their children.

We started the process by having members of our Baptism

team go out to their homes and gathering the information for

the paperwork, and then celebrating the first moments of

the ritual for Baptism: asking what name the parents give

their new child, signing them with the sign of the cross, and

most of all, welcoming "with great joy" into the community

of the Catholic Church!

Soon, the families will be actually baptizing the infants: some

at Sunday Mass, some at times outside of Sunday Mass.

Whether they celebrate at Mass or after Mass, these families

are bringing these little ones to our community of faith, and

it's our responsibility....the entire community.....to support

them, and to nourish them.

At St. Anselm, we're trying to be as welcoming, and as supportive to the real needs of young families as possible.

Maybe we don't get worried too much about actual Mass attendance, but we're trying to get young families to know others in the parish community, and to have new members actually know the names and faces of some members of the parish. We're hoping to be a parish where "everybody knows your name" .....like CHEERS!

It's a challenge with almost 2,000 families, but it's a great challenge. As we prepare for the many celebrations of Baptism in the Easter Season, as we prepare for the many celebrations of the First Eucharist in this Easter Season, as we prepare for the celebration of Confirmation in this Easter Season, let's remember that it is the responsibility of "ALL" of the baptized to form others for the initiation sacraments.

Christ is Risen! Indeed He is Risen!

Annunciation Day

An amazing encounter. An angel, sent by God.....to a young virgin. With an amazing announcement.

Amidst fear, puzzlement, and doubt, she gives an answer of faith....and the whole world is changed forever!

Let us, with Mary, be open to the surprising ways of God. Together, let us say "Yes" to the life-giving activities of God in our lives.

CHRIST IS RISEN! INDEED HE IS RISEN!

Divine Mercy....THANK GOD!

The Second Sunday of Easter, a.k.a. "Divine Mercy Sunday"


A couple of years ago, I remember that liturgists here in the United States got very nervous about the growing devotional practices surrounding the new "Divine Mercy Sunday." They were trying to line up the traditional liturgical practices of the Church with the growing devotional practices associated with this "Divine Mercy" Sunday. Some of the professional liturgists, myself among them, were worried that the devotional practicses associated with the "Divine Mercy Chaplet" would conflict with the liturgical celebrations of the Triduum, Easter, and Easter Week.


In our parish, there have been no requests for the celebration of the "DMC" as I like to call it.


However, I am wondering: "What is the need that needs to be met by these folks so devoted to the Divine Mercy Chaplet?" I wonder, "Are these folks in parishes that are not celebrating the Triduum well?" I wonder, "Are these folks looking for an intense experience of prayer through this devotion, because they're not getting it through the liturgies?" It could be. Once again, I wonder!


I don't have any empirical data. But I have a gut feeling that people are looking to have a deep, meaningful, prayer-experience in these Easter Days.

Of course, the whole point of the paschal mystery of Jesus' life-giving passion, death, and resurrection is that JESUS IS DIVINE MERCY. That by his suffering, death and resurrection, we are the receipients of the benefits of his DIVINE MERCY for EVER!


Thank God that our Savior, Jesus of Nazareth, is the CHRIST. Thank God that he has conquered death forever by his resurrection. Thank God that his resurrection is also ours, and always will be, by our baptism into him.

Thank God, that God's Mercy is available to all!

Christ is Risen! He is Risen indeed!

Thomas, getting a bad rap.....

This weekend, we hear the familiar story of Jesus' post-resurrection encounter with Thomas, who missed the first appearance.


Thomas may be more like us folks than we care to imagine. Thomas was a human being like us. We human beings like to know what to expect. Sometimes we don't like surprises. Sometimes we'd like to remain in our own world made up of expectations and experiences.


But sometimes we need surprises in our lives. Sometimes the surprises in our lives prove to be the "yeast" in the flour of our lives that helps us grow and develop.


Let's pray with Thomas and all the saints, that the "surprises" the Lord sends us this week will help us to grow and develop into better disciples of the Risen Lord.


Christ is Risen! Indeed He is Risen!

A new bishop for Van Nuys

Today, I'm writing from Phoenix, AZ. I'm here for the Episcopal Ordination and Enthronement of Bishop Gerald Dino as the new Eparch (Bishop) of Van Nuys, CA. His eparchy takes in the entire Western half of the United States. The ordination took place in the presence of the Papal Nuncio, and three Metropolitan Archbishops from Canada and the US.

It was a beautiful Liturgy and it was impressive to see so many parishioners and friends come to be with Bishop Gerald for this historic event. Many thanks to the Latin-rite bishop of Phoenix, for allowing us to celebrate in one of his larger church buildings.

I return to New Jersey on Saturday, and if you get close to me you may smell the remnants of the incense from the Divine Liturgies! The smell of heaven!

Easter Week

Easter Week!

A week of celebrating Easter each day!

Each day we sing Alleluias all over the place.

Each day we pray as if it's Easter Sunday.

A week like no other

Let's pray for the grace to be open to the ways in which the Risen Christ is calling us to the new ways Christ is calling us all to live!

Easter Peace!

Easter, 2008

He is Risen, He is Risen Indeed!

This Icon tells the story. Adam and Eve are pulled from their tombs. Jesus stands astride the gates of death. Jesus stands with rippling muscles pulling the dead to new life. He's clothed with white and golden clothes as he literally pulls Adam and Eve up to something entierely new!

Happy Easter to all!

May the Lord Jesus pull us to something entireley new!

Easter peace to all.

Good Friday

Good Friday.

Stations of the Cross....The Celebration of the Passion...Venerating the Cross....Simple Communion....Silence....

While we did all of these "traditional practices" here today, I'm aware of some other activities that happened today.

Our young people took part in "Service to the Suffering"....a diocesan program for youth groups that does community service to the poor during the Triduum. Some worked with shut-ins, some worked with others in need. All gave of their time, and talent, and muscle for others in need.

Some people kept the Paschal fast, only taking one meal today, and then donating to charities that help the hungry.

People were mindful of the plight of Christians in other lands who face persecution and suffering. We collected money for the support of the Christians in the Holy Land. We prayed for our Christian brothers and sisters in Iraq, who face the onus of oppression.

Some people visited the sick and the hospitalized. They hold a special place in our hearts and prayers in these days.

Some people gathered to plan a funeral or a memorial mass for a lost loved-one. The efforts of our bereavement ministry help lead their efforts.

People tried to be hospitable to the many visitors to our parish....to greet them with a smile and a word of welcome, and to help all feel "at home" here in these Triduum Days.

It may have seemed like a "quiet day", but there were many things going on today in our parish, and many, many people reaching out in wonderful, unseen ways.

And so we continue our Triduum journey....

Holy Thursday: Washing Feet

Washing Feet....

The most dramatic symbolism of the year. Yet, maybe the least understood.

Nowhere else do we strip off the layers of influence, status, or power as we do on this night. But we still get caught up with the "fancy" stuff of the liturgy.

I remember a few years ago when I was the chaplain at St. John Vianney High School, and we were running a KAIROS retreat during the Triduum. I asked that all of the students on the retreat get their feet washed by me as part of the regular retreat. I will never forget the look on those young faces when I knelt to wash their feet, kiss their feet, and then dry them off. They looked disgusted, confused and shocked! Then, I heard confessions like none other! I heard all about problems with parents, other adults, friends and siblings like no other.

Getting your feet washed is a powerful symbol. It wakes you up in a powerful way.

It awakens us to all sort of new feelings and emotions.

Jesus intended it to be a powerful action...to turn us upside down. To charge us to look at ourselves as "Jesus himself"....

Imagine being a "servant" like Jesus, willing to "wash feet" at all times...

That's what Holy Thursday is all about...

For Christians, our every year has its origin and its climax at a time determined by the earth and the sun and the moon and the human-made cycle of a seven-day week. The marvelous accidents of earth's place and sun's place, of axis and orbit make cycles within human cycles so that days can be named and remembered and rhythms established.First, we wait for the angle of the earth's axis to make day and night equal (going toward longer days in the "top" half of earth, longer nights in the lower half). Then we wait for the moon to be full. Then we wait for the Lord's Day and call that particular Lord's Day "Easter" in English, but in most other Western languages some word that is closer to an old name, "Pesach" or "Pascha," made into English as "Passover."In these generations, we are finding out how, on the night between Saturday and that Sunday, the church ends and begins not just its year but its very self.We do not come to this night unaware. The church has spent the time since Thursday evening in intense preparation. Even more, we have had the 40 days of Lent to dear down and to build up toward this night.And the night needs a week of weeks, 50 days, afterward to unfold. The 50 days are Eastertime; only after Pentecost does life return to normal.The church came very early to keep something of the spring festival known to Jesus and the first followers. They were Jews and that first full moon of spring was Passover. For those who followed Jesus, whether Jew or Gentile, this was the time when the story of the deliverance they proclaimed in the death and resurrection of Christ was placed beside the story already told at this festival, the deliverance of the captive people from Pharaoh. Very early, that proclamation came to be made not in words alone but in the waters where those who were ready to stake everything on such a deliverance, on this Christ and this church, passed over in God's saving deed.- Gabe Huck in The Three Days: Parish Prayer in the Paschal Triduum

Enough with the Violence in Iraq!

In this undated photo Pope Benedict XVI meets with Chaldean Catholic archbishop Paulos Faraj Rahho, left, and Cardinal Emmanuel III Delly, Patriarch of Babylon for Chaldeans of Iraq. The body of Rahho, kidnapped in Iraq last month, was found just outside the northern city where he was abducted. Archbishop Paulos Faraj Rahho was seized in Mosul and three of his companions were killed Feb. 29 when gunmen attacked them after they had celebrated the Stations of the Cross . (AP Photo/L'Osservatore Romano)


Referencing the murder of Bishop Rahho in Iraq, Pope Benedict XVI delivered this greeting after Palm Sunday Mass to the thousands gathered in St. Peter's Square in Rome:
"At the end of this solemn celebration in which we have meditated on Christ's Passion, I would like to recall the late Chaldean archbishop of Mosul, Monsignor Paulos Faraj Rahho, who tragically died a few days ago. His beautiful witness of fidelity to Christ, to the Church and his people, whom he did not want to abandon despite numerous threats, moves me to cry out forcefully and with distress: Enough with the bloodshed, enough with the violence, enough with the hatred in Iraq! And at the same time I make an appeal to the Iraqi people, who for five years have endured the consequences of a war that has provoked upheaval in its civil and social life: Beloved Iraqi people, lift up your heads and let it be you yourselves who, in the first place, rebuild your national life! May reconciliation, forgiveness, justice and respect for the civil coexistence of tribes, ethnic groups and religious groups be the solid way to peace in the name of God!"

The Pope had already voiced his pain of Chaldean Bishop Rahho's death and a Chaldean bishop in the U.S. has laid the blame for Rahho's death at the doorstep of the administration of President George Bush.

Chrism Mass 2008

Tonight, Tuesday of Holy Week, the people of the Diocese of Trenton gathered for the annual celebration of the Chrism Mass. It was held at St. Mary's Cathedral in Trenton, and was presided over by Bishop John Smith and all of the gathered priests and deacons from throughout the diocese. The diocesan choir provided great musical leadership, and the mass was complete with "smells and bells."

At this annual Mass the Bishop blesses the three oils: The Sick, The Catechumens and The Chrism. Then he sends them out to the parishes of the diocese as his annual "gift" to our parishes at Easter time. These three oils are used in different times in our liturgical lives in each of our parishes.

At St. Anselm, we display the holy oils in the ambry in the chapel, near the tabernacle. During these days of Holy Week, be sure to stop by the chapel to enjoy the wonderful smell of the new chrism that will be used for all baptisms and confirmations.

As Holy Week progresses, let's continue to pray for each other.

Holy Week

This week we call "Holy", we turn to the essentials of our faith. We turn to Jesus of Nazareth, a human being, who knew the pains and joys of human life, but who was open to his Mission.

This week, we are all called to take some time to quiet down, to reflect upon our own Mission, and then to reach out.

This week, we listen to, and celebrate our stories....and once again, we come closer to our Messiah, our Savior, and our Lord. May the Lord in his goodness complete the good that he has begun in all of us!

New Sins? NOT!!!!!!!!!!

Did you hear that the Vatican has released "New Sins"? It's not really that sensational.

The Vatican is rightly teaching about new realities in the modern world: That the division between the super-wealthy and the poor is growing and is unjust. That the gap between those who have and those who have nothing is not growing smaller.

For a full, objective treatment of the Vatican's teaching, check out :

CNS STORY: Social effects of sin greater than ever, says Vatican official

KAIROS RETREAT AT SJV.

Today, I join 25 Seniors from SJV, and their student/adult team leaders on retreat at a camp in Bucks County, PA. The retreat begins tonight, and ends on Saturday afternoon. We'll have many talks, prayers in morning and evening, a Midnight Mass, and great witness talks, and lots of different, life-affirming events.

I'm looking forward to spending the next few days with the students from SJV. The experience of the KAIROS retreats is refreshing and renewing!

As we get ready to celebrate Passion Sunday in our home parishes this weekend, I share just this one thought, born of my KAIROS experience: Jesus loves us, even though we're imperfect, and continues to love us despite our imperfections, and through that love, calls us to share that love with others who need to hear that good news!

Fr. Gene

St. John Vianney Women Trounce Again!

Hot news! SJV women's LANCERS beat out Trenton Catholic Academy tonight at the RITACCO CENTER IN TOMS RIVER!

Hot stuff. The Lady Lancers continue to romp! Go Lancers!