Year of St. Joseph

St. Joseph was proclaimed Patron of the Catholic Church on 8 December 1870. To mark its 150^th anniversary Pope Francis proclaimed a Year of St. Joseph to extend until 8 December 2021. Vatican News posted about the Year; the post includes a link to the letter of Francis.

#PopeFrancis proclaims a “Year of Saint Joseph” running from today to 8 December 2021.https://t.co/5fJb8NNmwz

— Vatican News (@VaticanNews) December 8, 2020

“All Our Votes Are Compromised”

Canada celebrates its Thanksgiving today. Soon Canadians will also go to the polls. In democracies voting is a cherished right never to be wasted. Voting is fraught with compromise, a “blunt instrument,” to use the metaphor of theologian Brett Salkeld: it neither converts candidates nor baptizes issues. Yet many are tempted to think otherwise. Mr. Salkeld:

We do not like to think that the ways our vote exemplified Catholic teaching might not have been perfectly efficacious in manifesting Gospel values in the law of the land, and so we are tempted (and the parties are there to goad us on) to imagine a straight line between our vote and the achievement of the goods we seek, even though politics is much messier than that.

Mr. Salkeld’s essay is well worth reading: its clarity balances its length. A gentle and alert reading rewards with an accurate knowledge and better understanding of Catholic reasoning about the civic right and responsibility of voting.

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Image “Arnaud Jaegers | Unsplash " 

Leading from Faith With Passion

News often is bleak. Political life in several places is more polarized. One result is that people, whom governments ought to serve, are not helped. David Clegg’s story is encouraging; it also demonstrates how elected officials can serve both individuals and the common good.

A recently elected D.A. with a passion for #restorativejustice: Meet David Clegg '11 Div. https://t.co/f7zrKRYPM2 pic.twitter.com/gcBQNKY0eB

— Yale Divinity School (@YaleDivSchool) August 26, 2020

Healing Catecheses Continue

Pope Francis continued his series of catecheses at the General Audience today. “To Heal the World” is the name of the series the Pope offers in the face of the pandemic. Today Francis highlighted solidarity and faith.

Vatican News summarized the catechesis.

Thinking 'Chrisitan' = Thinking Differently

Thinking the same way as other social groupings does no think with the mind of Jesus. Radical individualism modern, Western people take for granted did not exist in the time of Jesus; it did not exist when the scriptures written about him and homilies proclaimed him and his risen life.

Helen Orchard contrasted “St Ignatius Loyola’s approach in the Spiritual Exercises with that of modern spiritualities that can mask a self-indulgent individualism. …while the Spiritual Exercises begins with the human person, he or she does not exist in isolation as the centre of a universe around which all else revolves.”

‘Thy will be done’ or ‘follow your bliss’? https://t.co/j8uXmbiumE #spirituality #AMDG

— Thinking Faith (@ThinkingFaith) July 13, 2020

Hefty Demands

The threads of prophets and of reward for welcoming them (it is life itself in the first reading) unite the First Reading and the Gospel. In the Gospel Jesus speaks about those who welcome his witnesses. Jamie L. Waters reflected on the Sunday readings at mass at America Magazine.

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Wiki-image Glass of cold mineral water by “Arria Belli | CC BY-SA 2.0"

Finding God Now

Ignatian spirituality seeks God in everything. Everything includes pandemics. At America Magazine Jesuit Richard G. Malloy noted the new experience of pandemic means new ways to find God and to trust God. “To trust in God today, we need to think anew. Too many of us conceive of God with medieval notions of reality.”

God is at work in this coronavirus time. From these days of hunkering down, we can learn much about life and death, meaning and meaninglessness, courage and fear, hope and despair; community and isolated individualism, good and evil.https://t.co/XAGjEYiSCb

— America Magazine (@americamag) June 19, 2020

Path Opened

"Catholicism’s approach toward non-Christian religions…significantly changed” with the Second Vatican Council. Many continue to oppose the Council and its fruits. Andrea Tornielli, Vatican News Editorial Director, considered the declaration that changed the Church’s trajectory, Nostrae aetate. Mr. Tornielli also considered papal involvement from St. Paul VI to Francis.

Our Editorial Director looks back at the Second Vatican Council's declaration, Nostrae aetate, and how it has left its mark on the history of the Church. https://t.co/YkTXlMjqSw

— Vatican News (@VaticanNews) June 19, 2020

Christian Hope Is Practical

Jesuit James Hanvey noted that witnesses of hope are open, and they are empowered by the Spirit to “realise new possibilities.” The gospel paves the way for new possibilities because it “opens up paths of encounter.” Fr. Hanvey offered a video-prayer to help us encounter Christ.

‘All of us who live from the gift of faith are witnesses of hope – a real, practical hope, which is not trapped in the old patterns but can realise new possibilities.’ https://t.co/t4S0PW4OQo

— Thinking Faith (@ThinkingFaith) June 9, 2020

Faith, Science, Pandemic

Faith and science together help “to build a humane world for all human beings.” Example: the Big Bang theory (mentioned by Pope Francis in his address containing the previous quotation), stating that the universe is not static, was first put forward by a “thoroughly committed” and “exemplary priest in every way.”

Faith continues to shape other scientists. Journalist Elana Schor wrote about 3 U.S. government scientists and how faith shapes their scientific work.

New: Faith's relationship to science has faced its share of strain during the pandemic -- but for some experts leading the U.S. coronavirus response, the two have coexisted harmoniously.

A deeper look at faith's influence on 3 of those gov't scientists. https://t.co/qBKGsH4isT

— Elana Schor (@eschor) May 28, 2020

Through Lens of “Rapidification”

Jesuit Fr. Federico Lombardi looked ahead in his latest post in the “Living Beyond the Crisis” series. Has quarantine given us new appreciation of time?

Father Federico Lombardi looks ahead to the future that awaits us after the #coronavirus crisis: rediscovering the Lord’s time is a source of meaning for the rest of our existence.https://t.co/2MPCwLPVeT

— Vatican News (@VaticanNews) May 22, 2020

“Fundamental anti-values”

The world after the pandemic needs other values, said Jesuit Cardinal Michael Czerny in an interview. Laudato Si! articulates that faith can do justice to “three fundamental and intertwined relationships.” The encyclical had already inspired initiatives before its 5^th birthday.

In an interview to mark #LaudatoSiWeek, @jesuitczerny urges us to let the encyclical shape the way we think about the #coronavirus crisis and find solutions to the fault lines it is highlighting. https://t.co/pschRFfsV8 pic.twitter.com/WHV6p2BZAN

— Thinking Faith (@ThinkingFaith) May 22, 2020

Easter Joy

The fact that the Easter festival has been given 50 days indicates the magnitude of celebrating it with joy. After 5 weeks human celebration easily begins to flag. The pandemic unites people more closely with the first disciples than one might think: they were joyless before the Risen One visited them.

Editor in Chief of America Media Jesuit Matt Malone notes that faith flowing from Easter infuses people with new purpose.

Easter joy gives us the faith to stand in our present, on the bedrock of the past, and face our future: a future of our choosing yet also chosen for us, @Americaeditor writes in his 'Of Many Things' column. https://t.co/L53BskDSJl

— America Magazine (@americamag) May 20, 2020

Repeating Invitation

A chorus of voices speaking different languages joined Pope Francis’ plea to pray and act in the face of the pandemic—14 May. 

As #PopeFrancis invites people of all faiths to pray on 14 May for an end to the #coronavirus pandemic, we get a snapshot of people around the world who plan on taking part in this unique initiative. https://t.co/PALYH6j5SY

— Vatican News (@VaticanNews) May 12, 2020

Focus on Health

A pandemic add to the observance of International Nurses Day. It coincides with the birth of Florence Nightingale. This year it also evokes prayer for nurses and their expertise and selflessness.

On this International Nurses Day, birthday of Florence Nightingale, we also remember the Sisters of Mercy who accompanied her to Scutari to nurse the wounded. We pray today in gratitude for all nurses& nurses in training. https://t.co/hISPy2qkG7 pic.twitter.com/D6RgVgyL8G

— Sisters of Mercy (@mercyworldwide) May 12, 2020

Amid pandemic, nurses have given heroic example, pope says https://t.co/zue82tN1Da

— Catholic News Service (@CatholicNewsSvc) May 12, 2020

To Begin: Happy Mothers’ Day

#PopeFrancis on #MothersDay: "I want to remember with gratitude & affection all mothers, entrusting them to the protection of Mary, our heavenly mother. My thoughts also go to the moms who have passed on to the other life and accompany us from Heaven." pic.twitter.com/OuL0sWBtdm

— Catholic News Service (@CatholicNewsSvc) May 10, 2020

Front Lines

Health care professionals are working over overtime everywhere. They face very steep challenges and deep shortages. Pope Francis has called nurses “experts in humanity.” Doctors, and all “medical caregivers and the authorities…are pillars, who help us go forward, and defend us in this crisis.”

Hospital chaplains are vital caregivers, too. They are having to protect themselves and the patients they serve by praying “through glass” instead of personal contact. Chaplains are attending more to medical staffs. America Magazine published brief accounts of four chaplains in different areas in the United States.

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Wiki-image Simple Bible Logo by “Crutons  | CC BY-SA 3.0"

Prayer, Blessing, Encouragement, Call

The days of Christmas and Easter have been the occasions for popes to bless the city of Rome and the world (Latin: urbi et orbi). Yesterday Pope Francis blessed the world from Rome. It followed three-quarters of an hour of prayer. Francis’ reflection on the occasion spoke to our current fear and noted an invitation resides in the pandemic: “to reawaken and [enact] solidarity and hope.”   

[The previous link includes the YouTube video of the event.]

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Wiki-image Basilica of St. Peter by “Siyatalebi  | CC BY-SA 3.0"

An Opportunity

Our powers of self-observation, self-knowing and self-discovery are rich and rewarding. Sadly we are often distracted from exercising them. The isolation experienced in these trying days may be an opportunity to exercise them. Bishop Robert Barron has been pondering that and shared his thoughts (video is 14 mintues).

In Spanish, Polish, English: Masses

These United States parishes and chapels staffed by Jesuits live-stream masses. Times, days of the week and languages link to the sites. Bookmark this link for convenience. 

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Wikimage Reflection of stained glass window on wall by "Jebulon / CC0"