October
26, 2008
Visiting
the Pope
My
mother's health
As I was returning from my Italy retreat, my mother, Anita, had a serious
heart attack. (I try not to dwell on the thought that the anticipation
of her son’s return might have contributed to this!!)
As of this writing, she is beginning to recover, under the care of her
doctors and the staff at Winthrop Hospital. Please keep her in your
prayers.
All
Saints, All Soul's Day
Next weekend we celebrate the two special days that celebrate the saints
and that remember our beloved dead: All Saints Day on Saturday, and
All Soul’s Day on Sunday.
Here’s where it might be confusing -- while All Saints Day is
always a holy day, when it falls on a Saturday, it is not a holy day
of obligation. However we WILL celebrate this feast at the 9am mass
that day. Our All Soul’s commemoration begins with the Saturday
evening mass and continues through Sunday.
We’ll have a special
family celebration at the 10am mass
e-mail Father Ralph:
Past
Columns:
October 26: Rome-ing Around
October: 12: Lost in Translation
October 5: Violence and Life
Sept 28: Flip Flopping
Sept 21: Congratulations
Socorro!
Sept 14: Lift High the Cross
Sept 7: Happy 90th Birthday
August 31: From "saint"
to "Satan"
August 24: So you're not
the Pope
August 17: When God says
"no"
August 10: The Tiny Whispering
Sound
August 3: A Proud and Tender
Moment
July 27: What
would you ask for?
July 20: Waiting
for the Wheat
July
13: What we Wear
uly
6: We Welcome Westbrook
June
29: Sommer in the Summer
June 22: Welcome
Father Jaime
June 15: Father
Gonzalo Lopez
June 8: What happened
on Sunday
June 1: Where
do you belong?
May
25: We are the Body of Christ
May 18: Trinity,
It's About Unity
May 11: We are
One in the Spirit
May 4: Who's in
Your Top Twelve?
April 27: Now
that he's gone...
April 20: Yay
Deacons!
April 13: Here
comes the Pope
April 6: Fresh Oil
March 30: What are you doing
for Easter?
March 23: Can Easter come
too early?
March 16: Which crowd is
yours?
March 9: We believe, yet...
March 2: Oil or Mud
February
24: What are you thirsting for?
February 17: Who are You
Wearing?
February 10: Just Say No
February
3: The January
20: Being Safer
January 13: Conversations
in 2008
January 6: Matthew's Magi
December 30:
What's Next?
Columns from
2007
Columns
from 2005
Columns
from 2004
Columns
from 2003
Columns from 2002
I got
to see Pope Benedict on my trip to Rome. I was actually hoping (since
I’m now a member of the papal household) to visit his apartment
for some strudel, but perhaps that was too much to expect. But we did
get seats in the 14th row for Wednesday’s Papal Audience.
He was quite energetic as he greeted
pilgrims from around the world. You could tell there was a genuine joy
at being with so many thousands of his brothers and sisters. And certainly
with that number of people present, he didn’t even begin to greet
people individually.
After greeting everyone in general, he gave a little talk -- it’s
part of his ongoing reflection on Saint Paul -- since this is 2000th year
since the death of Paul. The major talk was in Italian, but then he gave
a summary in different languages.
Here’s what he said in English:
“Dear Brothers and Sisters,
In our continuing catechesis on Saint Paul, we now consider his teaching
on the Church. It was “the Church of God” which Paul persecuted
before his conversion, and throughout his Letters he uses the term “Church”
both with reference to local Christian communities and to the Church as
a whole. For Paul, faith in the person of Jesus Christ and his Gospel
is at the heart of the Church. Paul’s entire work of evangelization,
centered on the proclamation of the Paschal mystery of the Lord’s
death and resurrection, was aimed at establishing new communities of those
who believe in the Lord and share in the life of the Spirit. The Church
thus takes shape as an “ekklesía”, a concrete assembly
called into being by God’s word. For Paul, the Church is also the
“Body of Christ”, a living body endowed with a complex of
ministries which are spiritual in their origin and purpose. In the variety
and the theological richness of his teaching on the Church, Paul invites
us to understand and love the Church ever more deeply, and to work for
her upbuilding in faith and charity.”
So, here’s the question I
left the Vatican with: How can we, as the parish family of St. Brigid’s
build up faith and charity?
