It isn’t the last time I have been called and asked to pray for a young person and their family in a crisis such as this, and my heart aches for them, the unanswerable questions added to the burden of their loss. One question often asked, “Will my child/spouse/nephew/cousin/mom go to hell?”

We can take consolation in the words of Saint Benedict from his Rule, chapter 4 (73), “Never despair of God’s mercy.”

What is the expanse of God’s mercy? The scriptures remind us:

• “Rend your hearts, not your garments, and return to the Lord, your God. For gracious and merciful is he, slow to anger, rich in kindness, and relenting in punishment.” (Joel 2:13)
• “Let us fall by the hand of God, for he is most merciful.” (2 Samuel 24:14)
• “But God, who is rich in mercy, because of the great love he had for us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, brought us to life with Christ.” (Ephesians 2:4-5)
• “…not because of any righteous deeds we had done but because of his mercy…” (Titus 3:5).

The Old Testament gives hope to those suffering from the weight of sin, reminding us of God’s mercy and calls us to trust in Him. Jesus summarizes the mercy of God in the parable of the prodigal son. Blessed John Paul II explains this loving mercy, “This love is able to reach down to every prodigal son, to every human misery, and above all to every form of moral misery, to sin. When this happens, the person who is the object of mercy does not feel humiliated, but rather found again and “restored to value” (Dives in Miserdicordia, Bl.  John Paul II, Ch. 4).

Yes, the Catechism of the Church does speak of suicide and its consequences. We know that to take one’s own life is wrong. We were all given life by God, and thus we are responsible for our lives before God who has given it to us. We are stewards, not owners of the life we are given (2280). When one commits suicide she contradicts the natural inclination to preserve her life…it goes against a just self-love and, likewise departs from a love of neighbor as the act cuts those bonds of solidarity to which a person still has obligations. It also is contrary to love for the living God (2281). It is also a grave sin if one would take their own life with the intention of leading others to do the same (creating scandal) (2282). And yet, can we dare to hope that:

“God is greater than our hearts.” 1 John 3:20

The Catechism also states how, “…in cases of grave psychological disturbances, anguish, or grave fear of hardship, suffering, or torture can diminish the responsibility of the one committing suicide” (2282).

Therefore, we should not despair of eternal salvation of persons who have taken their own lives. By ways known to God alone, He can provide the opportunity for repentance. We as a Church must pray for such persons who have taken their own lives (2283).

We have lived a Lent, walking in the shadows of the desert with Jesus, confronting the sin in our lives. If we are honest with ourselves, we know just how difficult that battle can be. Yet, Easter comes. We find in the suffering at the Cross the hope of the Resurrection. The paschal Christ, in Blessed John Paul II’s words,  is the “definitive incarnation of mercy…as sung in the Psalm 89 (88): Misericordias Domini in aeternum cantabo.”

It is no wonder the Church celebrates Divine Mercy Sunday on the second Sunday of Easter. We are given the opportunity to reflect on God’s mercy through the lens of the Paschal mystery. As we pray for souls who have taken their own lives, let us reflect on the words of Jesus, as given to Saint Faustina:

My daughter, tell the whole world about My inconceivable mercy. I desire that the Feast of Mercy be a refuge and shelter for all souls, and especially for poor sinners. On that day the very depths of My tender mercy are open. I pour out a whole ocean of graces upon those souls who approach the fount of My mercy. The soul that will go to Confession and receive Holy Communion shall obtain complete forgiveness of sins and punishment. On that day all the divine floodgates through which graces flow are opened. Let no soul fear to draw near to Me, even though its sins be as scarlet. My mercy is so great that no mind, be it of man or of angel, will be able to fathom it throughout all eternity. Everything that exists has come forth from the very depths of My most tender mercy. Every soul in its relation to Me will contemplate My love and mercy throughout eternity. The Feast of Mercy emerged from My very depths of tenderness. It is My desire that it be solemnly celebrated on the first Sunday after Easter. Mankind will not have peace until it turns to the Fount of My Mercy. (Diary of St. Faustina Kowalska, # 699)

From the Divine Mercy Chaplet:

Eternal Father, I offer you, the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of your Dearly Beloved Son, Our Lord, Jesus Christ. In atonement for our sins and those of the whole world.

For the sake of His sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world.

Amen.

Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord, and may Your perpetual light shine upon them. May they rest in peace. Amen.

Take this as an invitation to stop. for. a. moment. Acknowledge that the world can wait a few minutes.
Pray to the Holy Spirit to help you, with whatever is getting in your way and blurring the lines between you and God.

Holy Spirit, give me a great heart
—–open to your silent and strong word;
—–closed to all mean ambitions;
—–against any human contemptible competition,
——–filled with faithfulness to the holy Church.

Give me a great heart that desires to become
—–like the Heart of Our Lord Jesus;
a great and strong heart to love everyone,
—–serve everyone and suffer for everyone;
a great and strong heart to overcome
—–all trials, tedium, weariness,
——–every disillusionment and offence.

Give me a great and strong heart,
 —–constant to the point of sacrifice,
 ——-when necessary.
A heart whose happiness consists
—–in beating with the Heart of Christ
——–and doing the will of the Father
———–humbly,

—————faithfully

——————–and perseveringly.

Amen.

- attributed to Pope Paul VI

Under one of my posts, a fellow Catholic supporting the current administration wrote, “… there are many sick and broken people in America:  the marginalized, the underclass, those who are thrown from their homes (because of) banking policies, and those who simply cannot afford the health care system.”  Many compassionate friends fear that undoing the newly implemented healthcare law will leave those without a voice in the dust. Others have voiced the importance of personal responsibility and economic stability in order to ensure on-going help to those in dire need.

So what to do? How to reconcile the needs on the minds and hearts of the modern Catholic facing an election that is so polarized?

Another  friend of mine, reading a article about subsidiarity that I posted on Facebook was quick to remind me, “Subsidiarity without solidarity, is as unbalanced as solidarity without subsidiarity.”

This is, I believe, part of our problem in trying to reconcile our social beliefs with our civic duty. Many of my compassionate friends who live in close solidarity with the poor, advocating for their needs, have not considered the Church’s teaching on subsidiarity within the broader framework of the Magisterial teaching on the Human Community.  On the other hand, many who are concerned with the economy and limited government have not integrated the Church’s teachings on solidarity and the common good.

I’d like to explore these two principles – on solidarity and subsidiarity – together; the way they were meant to be; like to ends to an accordion that work together for the good of society. These principles are discussed in Part Three of the Catechism: Life in Christ, in the second chapter on The Human Community, in three articles:

Since we are made in the image of God and called through baptism to reflect the Son, Jesus Christ, our lives and relationships should also reflect the relationship of the Most Holy Trinity. By understanding human relationship in this way, the image of the Holy Trinity can be reflected upon in both an individual’s relationships, but also in the relationship of government bodies over the care of their people. “The human person…is and ought to be the principle, the subject and the end of all social institutions.” (Gaudium et Spes, 25).

With this in mind, organizations – both voluntary and governmental – find their reason for existence, for the purpose of developing “the sense of initiative and responsibility, and helps to guarantee individual rights.”  But there are limitations that government has if the human person is to be free to act as intended by God.

Subsidiarity

While recognizing the importance of organizational structures in society, the Magisterium warns of the danger that organizations and government can have on society, that “excessive intervention by the state can threaten personal freedom and initiative.” This is where the principle of subsidiarity becomes important.

The Catechism explains the principle: “according to which ‘a community of a higher order should not interfere in the internal life of a community of a lower order, depriving the later of its functions, but rather should support it…’” (CCC1883). In this way, government becomes a mirror of God’s governance: “God has not willed to reserve to himself all exercise of power. He entrusts to every creature the functions it is capable of performing, according to the capacities of his own nature. This mode of governance ought to be followed in social life” (CCC 1884).

In his article on subsidiarity, Benjamin Wiker uses an example where government, in providing for a man’s family takes away the man’s role as husband and father to care for his children and wife, and thus strips him of the capacity for moral perfection in his vocational role as a father and husband. Too much intervention by the state can threaten personal freedom and initiative:

“The state, like a benevolent dictator, could provide food, clothing, and shelter for my wife and children, but in doing so, it would violate my “moral space,” the space in which I have the opportunity and responsibility of using my freedom to become morally good.”

The danger then, becomes one that, a government that does too much doesn’t allow her people to do for themselves what they can, and thus weakens the whole society, and threatens the moral fabric of that society.

Then, what about those who are poor, who legitimately need assistance of one kind or another? This leads us to consider the proper place of the principle of solidarity.

Solidarity

Human beings are made differently. Saint Paul describes the body of Christ comprised of many people with different gifts that go to build up the whole body (Romans 12:3-8). The differences between persons lead to an interdependence in society. We are different, but as the Church defends, “these differences encourage and often oblige persons to practice generosity, kindness, and sharing of goods; they foster the mutual enrichment of cultures.” And this is all part of God’s plan (CCC 1937). The principle of solidarity is characterized as “friendship” or “social charity” that we are called to show toward our brothers and sisters.

Our society sometimes confuses the idea of solidarity with ‘leveling the playing field’ where everyone is the same. The Church doesn’t teach that. On the contrary, she acknowledges that “talents are not distributed equally” (CCC 1936), but also that there are ‘sinful inequalities’ that exist, where unhealthy work conditions are imposed; where human dignity is downplayed (CCC 1938). These would be appropriate areas that government can intervene, to protect and uphold the human dignity of the person, and to ensure that justice – the giving one what is due to him – is assured.

Solidarity, then, the building of friendship and charitable respect between rich and poor, workers and employers, government and its peoples become the foundation by which socio-economic problems can be resolved (CCC 1941). It promotes an individual to act in the best interest and fairness toward his neighbor, and to practice charity freely out of love.

In conclusion, it is good to remind ourselves that the purpose (the end) of human existence rests in God himself. The pattern of inter-relationship found in the unity of the three Divine Persons is a model for the human family and government as well. The love that resides in the Blessed Trinity is the call of all peoples, making the love of neighbor inseparable from the love of God.

It is as though all humanity is called to communicate divine love. Each individual is called to reflect God’s love to his neighbor. Similarly, the greater society, is called to be a mirror of God in the way it must govern her people. In doing so, it “bears witness to such great regard for human freedom” (CCC1884) and by providing security and order, becomes an instrument of true peace.

What to do? What we really need is to retreat!

What? No time for a week-long retreat let alone a weekend? Not a problem! A spiritual director told me recently, “God doesn’t need a lot of your time (since He is not bound by time); but He does need a little, not much, at least enough to get His foot in the door of your heart.” It is a good way to look at prayer then, as mini-retreats, moments to let ‘God get His foot in the open door of your heart.’

Saint Teresa of Avila described prayer this way:  “…prayer is nothing else than a frequent solitary sharing with a friend of whose love we are certain.” If prayer is a sharing with a friend, why is it so difficult for us to do so with God?  Saint Teresa is a good retreat director for us here, as she herself struggled in the beginning of her prayer; she understands our struggle and distractions and gives us some simple, sound advice.

According to Teresa, our prayer journey has two main parts: our effort (such as is found in vocal prayer and meditative prayer using our imagination) and that infused by God (this is where we move away from the activity of prayer into the quiet and are able to remain still before the Lord, which leads to a deeper prayer, union with God).

Part one. Our effort means, we have to show up. We have to show up at our friend (Jesus’) door and knock. This is our assent – our turning to God. When we show up at Jesus’ door and he invites us in, we do not distract ourselves with our media devices. We silence them and speak with our friend. Remember – not a lot of time; but in the beginning, especially, be attentive to the wonderings from prayer and call yourself back. St. Teresa’s friend in her distraction was perseverance. We must work to come back to our prayer – again and again – especially when it doesn’t seem to mean anything; those times when it seems we are doing all the work, and God is absent.

Part two. All the while, with our small efforts in prayer – whether it is vocal prayer* or meditation – God is pouring His gifts of prayer on us. God desires union with us, thus he infuses a spirit of prayer in our hearts, allowing us to experience intimacy with Him, an increased detachment from the preoccupations of our daily life, and hopefully, a deep union with God (this is our goal: to be transformed in our relationship with God).

Throughout our prayer, St. Teresa mentions, it helps us ‘advance’ in our prayer, to recall the sacred humanity of Jesus in our conversation with the Lord. She explains, having this capacity will not always require words to be spoken, but at times silence is even better, as we grow in awareness that we are not only looking at him, but that he is looking at us.

This act of prayer, from the active, imaginative prayer of talking with Jesus, to the quiet reflective prayer of silently being with Jesus is a progression from the “carnal” love to a “spiritual” love for God. It is a recognition that our prayer takes two. It is a meeting that involves more than our showing up; but it is a sacred meeting between us and our Creator – an appointment that can’t wait forever.

So, what will it be for you? Will you procrastinate or persevere? When is your ‘retreat’ or appointment with God?

* examples of vocal prayer: memorized prayers, rosary, talking out loud with God. 

Meghan, during her second year in Nurobo, Indonesia.

Meghan’s parents were with her as she waited to check in at the airport. Her father asked her again, “Why are you doing this?” With honest simplicity, she replied, “Dad, like I’ve told you, I can’t explain it. I just know I have to do this.”

What was it that Meghan felt so compelled to do?  Mission.

She was on her way to Rome for her preparation to serve in Indonesia for two years. With her bags checked and a last hug, she made her way toward her boarding gate without a real clear idea of what she was getting herself into. All she knew was, ‘she had to do it’.

Many young people today consider going on mission projects. It is an exciting prospect, going to a far off land to learn about another culture and people, while serving the less fortunate.

During my six and half years with VOICA (Canossian International Voluntary Service), I have had the honor of preparing Meghan and many other young men and women to serve one to three years in our Canossian missions.

One of the first things we do with a new group of fledgling missionaries is to sit them down and ask them to share with us and their peers, “Why are you here?” On a rare occasion one might state they weren’t really sure why they were preparing for mission, but that it just ‘seemed like the right thing to do’. For the most part, those that come to us desire one of these – or a combination of – things:

• Be able to see another country, and serving is a good way to learn about the locals;
• Give back to God for the good education received, by helping others;
• Travel;
• Round out a resume;
• Experience something new before settling into a career, and or getting married;
• And sometimes they want to escape (not a good reason for mission).

These answers will naturally shift as they learn what mission really is and what mission really is not:

Mission is not:

• A place we go to import our knowledge as though we have all the answers.
• An attitude that I’ve done what was expected of me today; the rest can wait until tomorrow.
• Set on a fixed schedule. Someone may knock at your door in need of help at an inconvenient time.
• A division of chores between volunteer missionaries.
• Grass huts and wild animals (although there are those things).

Mission is:

• A place where we learn to be humble, realizing that even the poorest of those we serve will have something to teach us.
• An attitude of putting others first, especially when you are tired and don’t think you can give any more.
• Spontaneous at times, asking volunteers to drop what they are doing and give a hand to an urgent need.
•  A union of hearts between volunteers, to be generous in helping one another.
• A desire to know the other person and their inherent dignity given by God.

Little by little our volunteers grow into their missionary skin while preparing in Rome. They learn to live together in community (essential for successful mission); they learn to pray together, and to lead prayer; they learn about their particular missions, the language, culture; they learn to solve problems using the few resources they have; they learn to cook and clean; they learn about our Saints, Magdalene Canossa and Josephine Bakhita; they learn about mission in the Church; they learn how to serve others and their community.

More importantly, they learn that mission is hard work, but there is also much joy.

Those who experienced long-term mission may resonate with Meghan’s strong need to give a couple of years of life. Her reflections describe her need to go serve in mission an “illness” that “enveloped her entire being…a great desire on my heart to serve others”.

Our volunteers may not start out with such a desire; but as they complete their missions, and say goodbye to their new friends, they have learned well what it means to have mission penetrate their being, and grow in desire to give their heart to serve and love.

It’s something worthwhile to consider:

Voica Volunteer Missionaries in Action, serving as catechists, teachers, healthcare workers, bakers, diggers, brick makers, painters, and most of all, a sign the hope of God’s love to those in their midst.

—

Related Posts:

Last week Bonnie wrote about her call to mission from her kitchen.

Meet the Costyns, a young married couple now in Rome for preparation for mission with us. They are keeping a blog of their missionary journey.

According to the laws of Rome, Peter’s crime was not so much he and the other believers held Jesus as a god – for Rome had many of them; but that the so-called ‘Christians’ would not pay tribute to Caesar as god. Rome saw itself as a mother that knew what was best for her children, including how and what would be considered proper worship.

It is good during these last few days of the Fortnight for Freedom to keep this thought in mind. What does it mean that we have – as the Bill of Rights points out at the top of the list – ‘free exercise of religion’? This says more than just a right to worship freely, but we are free to publicly exercise that which we profess.

Unfortunately, the United States government is trying to redefine that very freedom by stringently determining what groups are considered religious and which are not under the Health and Services (HHS) Mandate. The mandate’s definition of religious organizations is the basis for what organizations can declare exemption from a healthcare provision that employers must include abortificient and contraceptive ‘care’ in their healthcare plans.

The HHS regulation exempts “religious” organizations only if they meet four criteria:

1. their primary purpose is the inculcation of religious values,
2. they primarily employ people who share their religious tenets,
3. they primarily serve people who share their religious tenets, and
4. they are organized under the section of the Internal Revenue Code used by churches per se.

What this means, groups such as Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta’s Missionaries of Charities would not be defined as a religious organization, because they – and most Catholic charities – have always provided their services to anyone – regardless of faith or lack of faith – that finds themselves in need. Catholic institutions employ many people of other faiths because of the skills they offer to assist the works of charities; not because they share in the same ‘religious tenets’.

Under such definition, it is true, Mother Teresa and her works of charity are not ‘religious’ at all, and would be forced to provide medicines and procedures (contraceptives and abortion-related procedures) that go against her religious beliefs. Her religious freedom to act according to conscience would indeed be suppressed.

To understand how grossly errant this policy is, let us compare it with an example from history.

In the years following the writing of the Declaration of Independence, Napoleon was conquering Italy. There is a little known story about his ‘governance’ that is well documented in our own religious institute’s history. By decree, Napoleon ordered the closing of all religious institutions in Italy, including those in the city of Verona, the home of our Foundress, Saint Magdalene of Canossa. She was still working out her plans to begin a new religious congregation that, much like Mother Teresa focused on the welfare of the sick and dying, and education of the poor. But of course, she needed a place in which to carry out her works of charity and to house and prepare her followers for this work. Napoleon had made himself a guest of the Canossa palace, and Magdalene understood that she would need approvals from his government in order to obtain the abandoned convent of Saint Joseph for her works.

It is interesting to note, that despite the fact that Magdalene’s works of charity were clearly based on religious principles, Napoleon was able to appreciate them as a benefit for the society. Her request for the acquirement of the convent of Saint Joseph’s was approved for her works of charity, and thus, May 8, 1808 the Canossian Daughters of Charity – Servants of the Poor was born in an abandoned convent of Saint Joseph’s in Verona, Italy.

Napoleon, who obviously had no regard for religious (demonstrated by the decree of 1806, ousting religious from their convents), was able to recognize the good in a young woman’s works of charity, and grant her the approval to open a house to fulfill them. How is it that the United States government cannot see the harm of restricting religious from equally acting for the good of society through their works of charity, according to their good conscience?

This is what we are up against. Solely because we by conscience cannot restrict our services and hiring practices to those who share our own religious tenets, we are not recognized as ‘religious’ organizations.

In these last days of the Fortnight for Freedom, we must pray – and pray hard – that our freedom to exercise faith in the service of the least of our society will be upheld and protected by law. Otherwise, what guarantee will there be from preventing in the future our freedoms from being further reduced to a point where we, like Saints Peter and Paul whom we celebrate today, will have to pay a very high price to follow Christ?

We are on Day Nine of the Fortnight for Freedom. Join us in prayer and reflection on the gift we have in religious freedom.

Check out the USCCB website for opportunities during this Fortnight.

Well worth reading, Archbishop William E. Lori addresses the Religious Liberty Observatory of the Italian Ministry of External Affairs and the City of Rome on Religious Freedom.

Related Post: I Dare You!

Saints Peter and Paul, pray for us!

Saint Magdalene of Canossa, pray for us!

Blessed Teresa of Calcutta, pray for us!

[author] [author_image timthumb='on']http://www.ignitumtoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/profile_sr_lisa-e1313147535417.jpg[/author_image] [author_info]Sister Lisa Marie Doty is a Canossian Sister. She enjoys giving retreats and vocational talks to teens and young women in the Sacramento Diocese, and on-going formation to her Institute’s Lay Canossian Associates. She is also the local vocational director for her religious family. In her spare time, she enjoys graphic design, playing with new media, taking walks and making rosaries. Her website is Nunspeak.[/author_info] [/author]

On the way home from the movie, my Sisters and I were discussing various scenes in the movie, and how impressed we were with the story of young José and the deep courage he had shown. But where did he get it?

One of the opening scenes depicts an eleven year old boy, José, and his friend playing a joke on the parish priest, Father Christopher (Peter O’Toole). José is caught by his father and brought to the priest so that he can make up for his wrong doing. The light-hearted priest plays down the matter of the joke, and the boy is taken under Father Christopher’s wing. Over the days that follow, a friendship forms between the priest and the boy. One day, José asks Father Christopher why he doesn’t go into hiding like many of the other priests. He tells the boy how God will watch over him in His house. The boy continues to insist, only for the priest to conclude, “There is no greater glory than to give your life for Christ.”  These words impress José very much. A few days later, José is up in the bell tower marveling at the view of hills, when he notices government horsemen riding toward his village. He shouts to warn the people and then goes to find Father Christopher to warn him. José urges Fr Christopher to hide, but he refuses. He gives his rosary to José and sends him off. José returns to the bell tower from where he watches as his priest friend is brought out of the church and shot by a firing squad. As the squad prepares, it seems that the priest and José are repeating the words from their places, aware of the others presence, “There is no greater glory than to give your life for Christ.”

The movie goes on to show this young boy as a person of deep moral fiber, courageous and zealous for the things of God. Towards the end of his young life, he is tortured to reveal the base camp of the rebels, and in his refusal they cut the bottoms of his feet. He is then led through the village – his personal via crucis – his feet bleeding, to the spot prepared for his execution. With his parents standing by, he is given the chance to walk away, if only he will say Christ is dead. He continues to say “Viva Cristo Rey!” He is stabbed and topples over, tracing the sign of a cross in the ground with his blood shortly before he is shot to death.

Reflecting on his character, I mused:

• “What if Father Christoper had gone into hiding?” 
• “What if – in his moment of confrontation – the priest gave in to his prosecutors and denied his faith there in the square under the watchful eyes of young José?” 
• “What if others chose not to get involved, risking their personal safety, for the sake of the war for religious freedom?”

The movie doesn’t tell us, but hints at the inspiration in Jose’s life in a simple parish priest who lived – and died – well for Christ.

This lesson is one we all must take to heart. We might not be called to die – as many did in the Cristero War did – for what we believe in. But we can ask ourselves, “Who are the Josés in our lives that might be carefully watching, wanting to do what is right but need someone to show them the way?”

Will the witness of our life and faith be such, that when José must choose, we have helped prepare him to be courageous to do what is right, no matter the cost? Viva Cristo Rey!

___

@Sr_Lisa Sister, why did you retweet a heretic (Protestant); Joyce Meyer? #confused #Catholic #OneHolyCatholicApostolic — CCU (@Mister_Posh) May 3, 2012

In truth, I didn’t know a lot about Joyce Meyer when I retweeted her message, a quotation from Scripture: “Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding” -Proverbs 3:5. I knew she is not Catholic; she is a professed Christian. Questions swirled around in my head, the words “heretic” and “oneHolyCatholicApostolic” bouncing back and forth in an odd game of ping-pong.

Is a non-Catholic Christian a heretic? What should be our attitude toward those who believe in Christ, yet who remain outside the loving arms of our mother, the Church?

One definition of a heretic: “a dissenter from established religious dogma; especially : a baptized member of the Roman Catholic Church who disavows a revealed truth; one who dissents from an accepted belief or doctrine.”

So, can one be a dissenter (heretic) if one was never a part of the established religion to begin with? The use of the word sounds so archaic in an age where dialogue between Christian churches and their people is commonplace. It gives the sense that Catholics have no business socializing with non-Catholics, as though they have nothing to offer us.

The pro-life movement gives us a different view: it is one great example of how Christians have united for the protection of the unborn. Common ground is a great place to start when there are differences.  Does that mean we, as Catholics, are to lay down our Rosary beads for the sake of ecumenical dialogue (there, I said it!)? Absolutely not. We must not shy away from our Christian brothers and sisters by hiding our faith like a frightened ostrich with its head in the sand. Rather, we must know our faith and be willing to share it when others ask, and to affirm our brothers and sisters when we are on common ground. Blessed John Paul II gave us a great teaching in his encyclical Ut Unum Sint:

Ut unum sint! The call for Christian unity made by the Second Vatican Ecumenical Council with such impassioned commitment is finding an ever greater echo in the hearts of believers, especially as the Year 2000 approaches, a year which Christians will celebrate as a sacred Jubilee, the commemoration of the Incarnation of the Son of God, who became man in order to save humanity.

The courageous witness of so many martyrs of our century, including members of Churches and Ecclesial Communities not in full communion with the Catholic Church, gives new vigour to the Council’s call and reminds us of our duty to listen to and put into practice its exhortation. These brothers and sisters of ours, united in the selfless offering of their lives for the Kingdom of God, are the most powerful proof that every factor of division can be transcended and overcome in the total gift of self for the sake of the Gospel.

Christ calls all his disciples to unity. My earnest desire is to renew this call today, to propose it once more with determination, repeating what I said at the Roman Colosseum on Good Friday 1994, at the end of the meditation on the Via Crucis prepared by my Venerable Brother Bartholomew, the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople. There I stated that believers in Christ, united in following in the footsteps of the martyrs, cannot remain divided. If they wish truly and effectively to oppose the world’s tendency to reduce to powerlessness the Mystery of Redemption, they must profess together the same truth about the Cross. The Cross! (#1).

This led me to respond back to Mr Posh the following way:

@Mister_Posh +JMJ+I RT’d Proverbs 3:5.We must affirm what is good in her, so to build bridges for her to cross over. Charity demands it. — Sr Lisa Marie Doty (@Sr_Lisa) May 3, 2012

Let us boldly hold on to our faith, and ask the Lord to give us courage, that we will not avoid our non-Catholic brothers and sisters, but be reminded by Blessed John Paul II, and look to the common ground of the Cross, by which to build bridges towards a true unity. Charity does demand it.

[author] [author_image timthumb='on']http://www.ignitumtoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/profile_sr_lisa-e1313147535417.jpg[/author_image] [author_info]Sister Lisa Marie Doty is a Canossian Sister. She enjoys giving retreats and vocational talks to teens and young women in the Sacramento Diocese, and on-going formation to her Institute’s Lay Canossian Associates. She is also the local vocational director for her religious family. In her spare time, she enjoys graphic design, playing with new media, taking walks and making rosaries. Her website is Nunspeak.[/author_info] [/author]

It began as Passover always does, with prayers and songs, the questioning of why this is the holiest of nights, and the retelling of Israel’s deliverance from the Egyptians. From memory the ancient covenant at Mount Sinai was retold; and how God brought his people into the Promised Land. But at one point, Jesus spoke of a betrayer in our midst. That one of his inner circle was ready to hand him over. How our hearts were cut to think of it. ‘Is it I, Lord?’ echoed the voices of his friends. An examination of our hearts became a burden – have we betrayed him in some way? Then Peter was told that he would deny Jesus, not once, but three times!

There was a growing sense of awe and uneasiness at the thought, suggesting that after this moment, nothing would every the same again. The mood of finality increased at the height of the Paschal feast. He spoke words at the breaking of the unleavened bread, saying, “Take it; this is my body.” And again with the Cup of Atonement, he altered the customary words, stating, “This is my blood of the covenant, which will be shed for many.”  The nuance wasn’t lost; I could tell by the faces of those gathered that they understood they were on unfamiliar ground. Questions began to form in their minds, yet, no one dared ask my son tonight. They ate the unleavened bread and drank the cup, pondering what he meant in the subtle changes words he chose to say.

Following the feast, my son and his closest friends went to the Garden of Gethsemane, as they often did, to pray. That was the last I saw of my son until this afternoon. John came rushing in the room early in the morning with news. The Chief Priests had Jesus arrested. No reason was given. It was Judas who led the soldiers to him. John took me to look for my son, and we found him on the road leading out of the city to Golgotha. Oh, the crowds! The soldiers! The yelling! My heart almost broke then, seeing my child bloody from beatings, bearing a cross too heavy. Could I have carried it for him? I wanted to protect him from his suffering, but the best I could do was to offer the pain of my own mother’s heart with the sacrifice of my son. Through the streets he stumbled and fell, got up again, but the weight was too much to bear. Somehow, he went on, every painful step resonating in my sorrowing heart. When, Son of Mine, did you ever prepare me for this moment?

Nothing could have prepared me. I have always known at some unspeakable level that Jesus would not grow old: But how am I made ready to understand that my son, who as a babe was worshiped by kings, today, treated as a dangerous criminal was hung up on a cross to die? The pain is too much to bear.

But then, from the Cross, the words of our last Passover together come back to me. “This is my body… this is my blood.” It strangely consoles the pain of my heart, and I turn to trust that God’s work continues on.

(warning: graphic crucifixion scene)

[author] [author_image timthumb='on']http://www.ignitumtoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/profile_sr_lisa-e1313147535417.jpg[/author_image] [author_info]Sister Lisa Marie Doty is a Canossian Sister. She enjoys giving retreats and vocational talks to teens and young women in the Sacramento Diocese, and on-going formation to her Institute’s Lay Canossian Associates. She is also the local vocational director for her religious family. In her spare time, she enjoys graphic design, playing with new media, taking walks and making rosaries. Her website is Nunspeak.[/author_info] [/author]

• “Love spurs us on to do great things, and makes all that is bitter sweet and savory.” – St Teresa of Jesus (Avila)
• “Give me, Lord, only Thy love and Thy grace; with these I shall be rich enough; there is nothing more that I desire.” – St Ignatius of Layola
• “Love, and do what you will.” – St Augustine
• “Preach the Gospel at all times and when necessary use words.” – St Francis of Assisi
• “If anyone comes to me I want to lead them to Him.” – St Teresa Benedicta of the Cross (Stein)
• “Be ever engaged, so that whenever the devil comes he may find you occupied.” – St Jerome
• “At the end of our life, we shall all be judged by charity.” – St John of the Cross
• “It is better to be the child of God than a king of the whole world.” – St Aloysius Gonzaga
• “May you be content in knowing you are a child of God.” – St Therese of the Child Jesus (Lisieux)
• “Not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love.” – Bl. Mother Teresa of Calcutta
• “Jesus, if you want it, I want it too!” – Bl. Chiara Luce Badano
• “Those who love are never tired, since love knows no burden.” – St Magdalene of Canossa*

These ‘maxims’ remind us of the road, tried and true, and shake us out of our apathy to realign us to heaven (our true aim in this life!). Within their brevity lies an underlying Gospel value that remind us of the Sacred word that has become an appendage to the Saints; the Word has shaped their view of life and of the world.

And you? What is your ‘maxim’ – or mantra – that keeps you on course in the difficult moments of your life? If you don’t have one of your own, what is one of your favorites from the saints?

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