DC Priest Ordinations tomorrow

The following is from the website of the Office of Priest Vocations which you can check out HERE. Please pray for the men to be ordained tomorrow. 

 

              2013 Ordinations to the Priesthood

 

At 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, June 15, at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, Cardinal Wuerl will ordain six men to the priesthood for our archdiocese!  Click here to learn about a Holy Hour to be held with our six ordinandi at St. Jerome's in Hyattsville, Maryland on Friday, June 14.  Please consider coming to St. Jerome's where Fr. William Byrne, pastor of St. Peter's on Capitol Hill, will lead us in prayer and adoration of our Most High Priest for the intentions of Deacon Francisco Aguirre, Deacon Rafael Barbieri, Deacon Mark Cusik, Deacon Sean Foggo, Deacon Scott Holmer, and Deacon Samuel Plummer.

Pro-life NFL player

by Steven Ertelt | Washington, DC | LifeNews.com | 6/6/13

Baltimore Ravens offensive lineman Matt Birk is pro-life — so when it came time for the Ravens to visit President Barack Obama for the annual congratulations to the Super Bowl winners, he decided not to go.

The pro-life NFL player explained his decision:

 

 

“I wasn’t there,” Birk told The Power Trip. “I would say this, I would say that I have great respect for the office of the Presidency but about five or six weeks ago, our president made a comment in a speech and he said, ‘God bless Planned Parenthood.’”

 

Birk, who also took a public stance during the recent gay rights movements that swung through our country last year, is a very open and public Catholic and claims that he took offense to these comments that were made by President Obama. So much so, that he declined a once in a lifetime opportunity to meet and be honored by the President at the White House.

 

“Planned Parenthood performs about 330,000 abortions a year,” Birk explained. “I am Catholic, I am active in the Pro-Life movement and I just felt like I couldn’t deal with that. I couldn’t endorse that in any way.”

 

Planned Parenthood is one of the nations leading sexual and reproductive health care providers.

 

Their stances on birth control, abortion and the morning after pill have often pinned the in a head on clash with many Catholic and Conservative Christian groups across the nation.

 

“I’m very confused by [the President's] statement,” Birk questioned. “For God to bless a place where they’re ending 330,000 lives a year? I just chose not to attend.”

 

Birk is a longtime pro-life advocate who has a thoughtful position against abortion and a family story to share.

 

Birk grew up in St. Paul Minnesota, where Planned Parenthood did abortions for decades and then the godfather of one of Birk’s five children opened a pregnancy center across the street from the abortion facility. Adrianna, Birk’s wife, volunteered at the center, and eventually the Planned Parenthood abortion clinic closed.Birk was a featured speaker at the Maryland March for Life previously and he said his Catholic faith and being a father are two of the big reasons he is pro-life and he shared how he was overwhelmed to hold his first child.“It was unbelievable the love that I felt for her,” he said in a prior interview, “and any parent knows exactly what I’m talking about. At that point, you know it’s not a choice. Life is a gift that’s given to us. We are supposed to accept it. It’s not our choice whether we decide a baby lives or not.”Birk said participating in the March for Life is “one of the coolest things I’ve done.”“It seems like our society and media want to push pro-lifers to the side and hope that we would shut our mouths and go away quietly,” said Birk. “Let’s not do that.”
“We all need saving,” he said, “and there’s one thing that can save us all, and that’s prayer,” he added.

“I don’t think I’m a superstar by any means,” Birk said, “but I’m glad (for) the platform that football allows me. I’m glad to use it to support causes that I passionately believe in and this is one of them. For me, it comes down to what’s right and what’s wrong – what’s God’s will and what’s not.”

"Jesus and the Jewish Roots of the Eucharist"

Many thanks to Dan Grossano who sent me a message on the feast of Corpus Christi about a book and presentation, "Jesus and the Jewish Roots of the Eucharist" by Dr. Brant Pitre.  As Dan recommended this to me, I recommend it to you (kinda what we heard from St. Paul in the second reading on Sunday..."I handed on what I received"!).  As Dan said, "I was just listening to his presentation about it and it is dynamite. It would be well worth your time and can be found here: http://www.theholyeucharist.com/".

When you click on the link above, you can listen to or watch the presentation by clicking on the audio file or video file (under the download section as it appears below).  Understanding the Jewish roots of the Eucharist truly helps us to appreciate the richness and depth of the greatest treasure on earth.

Download

Download Dr. Pitre's presentation in MP4 or MP3 format by clicking the links below:

MP4 - Video file that can be played across computers and mobile devices.
*iPhone Tip* The MP4 can be added to your iTunes video library then synced onto the iPhone, iPod & iPad.
MP3 - Audio file that can be played across computers and most mobile devices.

Audio File - MP3 format - 65 MB
Video File - MP4 format - 385 MB
Text Outline - PDF format - 1 MB

Homily - "Top 10 reminders about the Eucharist"

I have found that laying out specific guidelines and principles is helpful for people to follow the Lord, especially with regard to the Eucharist. So, on this feast of Corpus Christi, the Body and Blood of Christ, here are some specific guidelines and principles. I am calling them, the "Top ten reminders about the Eucharist and Mass. 

Number 1. A question I am asked often is, "why do we have to go to Mass every Sunday?" First, it is the third commandment to keep holy the Sabbath.  The Christian Sabbath is Sunday.  Second, the main point of coming to Mass is to receive the Eucharist.  Jesus teaches in John 6:53-54 that if we want to get to Heaven, we need to receive the Eucharist:  "Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life within you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks has eternal life". If we want to get to Heaven, we need to come to Mass every Sunday to receive the Eucharist, whether we are home or away. Between the teaching of John 6 and the Last Supper accounts in which Jesus says, "this is my body", we can know with certainty that the Eucharist is truly the Body and Blood of Christ. "This is my body" means this is my body.

Number 2. When does Mass start and end? Mass starts when the presider makes the sign of the Cross and greets the people. We need to be here for the start of Mass and be prepared to enter into the sacred mysteries. We definitely need to be present in time for the Gospel.  If we miss the Gospel, we have missed Mass and need to find another Mass to fulfill our Sunday obligation. We need to be here for the Liturgy of the Word and the Liturgy of the Eucharist.  Mass ends when the presider gives the final blessing and says, "the Mass is ended" (duh!). It is a venial sin to arrive late or leave early without a good reason.

Number 3.  Does God care how we dress for Mass? I think so.  He says in the first Book of Chronicles and in Psalms 29 and 96, "worship the Lord in holy attire".  We come to the house of God for a "sacred banquet", as the Church puts it.  Blessed John Paul II described the Mass as a "sacred banquet in which the simplicity of the signs conceals the unfathomable holiness of God". Does the way we dress celebrate the "unfathomable holiness of God"? We primarily dress nicely to show reverence for the Lord,  but we also dress modestly to help each other.  We don't want to distract members of the opposite sex by what we wear. It's better to wear more than less in donning our "Sunday best".

Number 4. Participate! Vatican II calls for "full and active participation" among the faithful. Let's hear what this sounds like. Can you give me an amen? "AMEN!" Imagine that kind of participation in every response and hymn during Mass. 

Number 5. Transubstantiation. This means that the substances of bread and wine change to become the Body and Blood of Christ.  Transubstantiation also takes place with the priest.  It is no longer the priest who is celebrating the Mass; it is Christ. That's why we hear the words, "this is my body" and not this is his body. The priest acts in persona Christi - in the person of Christ - at Mass and in the other sacraments. 

Number 6. When does the Consecration actually take place? When the words of Institution are said, "this is my body...this is the chalice of my blood".

Number 7.  We can receive Holy Communion either in the hand or on the tongue. People receive on the tongue because they believe it is the most reverent way to receive, or they think only the priest should touch the sacred Host, or they don't want any particles of the Host falling to the ground in the transfer from hand to hand or hand to mouth. But, as early as the fourth century, the tradition of the Church has allowed for receiving in the hand. St. Theodore of Mospsuestia (c. 350 AD) instructed people who receive in the hand to "make of your left hand a throne for your right as it is about to receive your King, and receive the Body of Christ in the fold of your hand, responding 'Amen'. 

Number 8. Who may receive the Eucharist? Catholics who in a state of grace. I say before Holy Communion at every Mass, "let all faithful Catholics come receive our Lord". If you are not Catholic or not in a state of Grace, you are encouraged to remain in your pew to make a spiritual Communion. Forget what others might be thinking or if they are judging you. Be respectful of the Eucharist and if you need yo go to Confession before receiving, please do. You can also come up for a blessing by crossing your arms. 

Number 9. The Communion of saints. This is one of the most beautiful teachings of our Church. The Eucharist is where heaven and earth unite. Where there is the Son, there is the Father and the Spirit and all the angels and saints. During Mass, the Church is like a chamber of Heaven where the saints on earth are joined with the saints in heaven. All of our loved ones who are among the saints in heaven are with us at every Mass, even though we can't see them.

Number 10. Thanksgiving. The word Eucharist literally means, "thanksgiving". We come to give thanks to God for all that He has done for us. We especially give thanks to Jesus for His sacrifice on the Cross. I invite you to join the saints in the practice of making a prayer of thanksgiving after Mass.  Spend a moment or two to digest all that you just received in this heavenly banquet. Give thanks to The Lord for all that He has given you. And especially, thank Jesus for His sacrifice on the Cross for you and the gift of the Eucharist - the Body of Blood of Christ, the greatest treasure in the world. 

Holy Hour with the Pope tomorrow!

From The Word Among Us (wau.org):

 

On Sunday, June 2, the Solemnity of Corpus Christi, Pope Francis is presiding over a special worldwide Eucharistic Adoration. It will take place at 5:00 PM, Rome time (11:00 AM Eastern time). Dioceses and parishes all over the world will join in simultaneously, or, depending on the time zone, with a Holy Hour at a more convenient time that day.

 

To learn more about this special Year of Faith event and to find a Holy Hour near you, visit www.annusfidei.va (click on “Events” and then “Adoration in the World”). Of course, you can join in by doing your own hour of prayer before the Blessed Sacrament.

Prayer Intentions. As you pray, keep in mind Pope Francis’ special prayer intentions for the month of June:
  • That a culture of dialogue, listening, and mutual respect may prevail among peoples.
  •  That where secularization is strongest, Christian communities may effectively promote a new evangelization.

And Pray with Faith! Remember the gospel passage where Philip invites Nathanael to come meet Jesus with him? He tells his friend: “We have found him about whom Moses in the law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus son of Joseph from Nazareth.” When Nathanael scoffs and asks, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip replies simply, “Come and see.” Nathanael does just that, and within the first few moments of his conversation with Jesus, he declares, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!” (John 1:45-46,49).

What happened to Nathanael can happen to us! When we “come and see” Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament, he will convince us that he is the Son of God, that he is our Savior, and that he is our Lord. The same Jesus who changed Nathanael can change our lives as we spend time in his presence.

But it won’t happen as if by magic. Of course, God will bless us if we just show up and sit passively before him, but there is so much more available to us than a general blessing from God. We open ourselves to receive it when we use our intellect in prayer, holding fast to the truths of Christ’s presence and telling ourselves to expect Jesus to touch us and teach us. Jesus promised that “all who see the Son and believe in him may have eternal life” (John 6:40). That active belief is what will bring us into contact with Jesus. It will open the floodgates of his blessing and his love for us.

So when you go to visit Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament, ask him to reveal himself to you. Listen for his still, small voice in your heart. After all, prayer is conversation with God—conversation with a God who loves to talk with us and to embrace us with his love.

Summer Conferences at Steubenville

Franciscan University at Steubenville (Ohio) offers spiritual conferences in the summer that have been popular among people ages 18-30 for many years. Check out the schedule of charismatic, spiritual and apologetic conferences here.  One of the conferences, "Defending the Faith", is from July 26-28.  Based on the video and write-up below, it looks really good!  A slew of powerhouse Catholic speakers will be there.  Of course, the greatest Catholic speaker, the Holy Spirit, will be leading it all! 


                      

July 26 – 28

Faith Transforming Culture

“Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations.”
—Matthew 28:19

There is not a conference on earth that better equips ordinary Catholics for the work of the new evangelization. The program at Defending the Faith includes bestselling authors and renowned speakers—men and women who not only teach, but also motivate. People travel from the far corners of the country (and abroad) to attend, and they go home with renewed confidence, zeal, and real knowledge. They go home with power to evangelize.

This year’s conference focuses on the difference in the new evangelization—the qualities that make it new. Pope Benedict XVI, like his blessed predecessor, insists that this is not just the work of missionaries and priests. Explaining and defending the faith is the job description of every Catholic.

No pope, no bishop, no parish priest can reach our workplaces and neighborhoods the way ordinary lay people can, if they’re prepared to give witness. No experience prepares lay people as well as
Defending the Faith.

The popes tell us we must take the Gospel not only to those who are ignorant of Christ, but also to those who are baptized but have grown lukewarm in faith. Ours is not just a one-time witness, but ongoing and ever-deepening.

What’s more, our focus is not just individual, but cultural. Our goal is the establishment of what
Blessed Pope John Paul II called a “civilization of love.”

This year’s roster of speakers helps us to see our mission clearly—what we need to do to bring about change in politics, media, art, and everyday conversation

We must not abandon the field to those who despise our faith. We cannot love our neighbor if we’re not working to transform the culture. We will be judged by how well we’ve given witness.

Defending the Faith is where great and effective witness begins. Make your beginning by registering today.


Talk Titles
“Offering the World a Better Life!”
“Mary Star of the New Evangelization: Our Lady’s Spiritual Journey and the Year of Faith”
“How to Lose the Culture War”
“I Fought the Church and the Church Won”

Workshops                         
“New Media and the New Evangelization”
“By What Authority?”
“Don’t Impose Your Morality on Me! Engaging the Culture of Moral Relativism”

Additional Information
Early Session begins 2 p.m. (Travelers’ Mass available at 4 p.m.)
Conference ends Sunday by 1 p.m.

"How to Become An Annoying Catholic (In Eight Easy Steps)"

As a follow-up to my post from May 21, please check out this informative and entertaining post from CatholicVote.org here.

"Varsity Catholic" by FOCUS...coming to GW!

We found out today from FOCUS that we will be getting a fifth missionary next year...a "Varsity Catholic" missionary!  We don't know who it is yet, but are very excited to be getting a new missionary whose ministry will be primarily to athletes.  For more info, check out the video below and click here.



             

Homily - "Share in the life of the Trinity"

It is much quieter on the campus of GW now that the students have gone home for the summer.  Some of them are around during the summer months, and I have continued meeting with a few. One of them asked me in our meeting, "what is Grace?" This is a beautiful but tough question. Answering it is much like articulating the dogma of the Holy Trinity. We are dealing with mystery, so while we won't be able to understand it fully, we can at least use the language of the Church to define or describe it. 

As some of you memorized when you were young, Grace is a share in divine life. It is a share in God's life. Grace is the most incredible thing in the world! I don't think we begin to appreciate this until we start living a life of Grace. Grace is everything, and everything is Grace. Grace gives us strength to live as we are supposed to live...and as we truly want to live. And, as we hear in today's readings, Grace attaches us to the things of God. When we share in God's life, we share in wisdom (1st reading), virtue (2nd reading), and truth (Gospel). I met with a student for an hour and a half last week talking about things like the Trinity. She was so impressed with and inspired by the wisdom and truth of the Church. It's an incredible thing to come to know wisdom and truth!

As Jesus indicates in the Gospel, the Spirit guides us to all truth...particularly, the truth about God. Thanks to the Spirit, we know who God is! As a people, we waited for

housands of years to know who God is. We now know that God is Father, Son, and Spirit. This is what He has revealed to us through Scripture and the Church. Reason tells us THAT God exists, but faith tells us WHO God is. The Spirit not only tells us who God is, but He also invites us to share in God's life. What does a share in the life of the Trinity look like? What is the life in the Trinity?

The Church describes the Holy Trinity as a "communion of persons". We are invited, then, into this communion...this family of divine persons. The Trinity is three persons, one God. They are distinct persons who share the same substance. We now use the correct term in the creed, "consubstantial"; each divine person shares the same substance. The Church says that each has a distinct "mission". This word "mission" helps us to work through the doctrine of the Trinity.

The mission of the Holy Spirit is the love between the Father and the Son. The Father and Son have infinite love for one another. This is from all eternity, so our finite minds cannot really grasp this. But, their love for one another cannot be contained. It overflows - like coffee overflowing a cup - and generates another divine person, the Holy Spirit.  The Holy Spirit is the love between the Father and the Son. Analogous to this is the love between husband and wife overflowing to create another person; every baby is the love between his or her parents. The Holy Spirit is the love between the Father and the Son. The Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son...to us. He invites us to share in the love of the Trinity. 

The mission of the Son is knowledge of the Father. He says a few times in the Gospel that if we know Him, we know the Father. The Father sends the Son into the world for us to know Him. Everything comes to us from the Father, through the Son, and in the Holy Spirit. This is the Trinitarian formula which shows us the missions of each divine person.

Finally, we use this Trinitarian formula at Mass. If you listen to the prayers, then you hear that they are offered to the Father through the Son and in the Holy Spirit. And, when we receive the Eucharist, God makes His dwelling within us: Father, Son, and Spirit. Where there is the Son, there is the Father and Holy Spirit. 

As we leave Mass tonight, let us think about what we do when we dip our fingers into the holy water font and bless ourselves. This reminds us of our Baptism when we first received God's Grace and the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit came into our souls. And, it reminds us of the Trinitarian lives we are to live: in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

Praying for the families in Oklahoma

‘I am close to the families of all who died in the Oklahoma tornado, especially those who lost young children. Join me in praying for them,’...tweet of Pope Francis.

“If we annoy people, blessed be the Lord”

 

 

 

 

Vatican City, May 16, 2013 / 10:40 am (CNA/EWTN News).- The Pope told Christians it is better to be “annoying” and “a nuisance” than lukewarm in proclaiming Jesus Christ.

“If we annoy people, blessed be the Lord,” said Pope Francis during his morning Mass at the Vatican on May 16.

“We can ask the Holy Spirit to give us all this apostolic fervor and to give us the grace to be annoying when things are too quiet in the Church,” he said at the chapel of the Saint Martha residence, where he lives.

He celebrated the Mass alongside Cardinal Peter Turkson and Bishop Mario Toso, the president and the secretary of the Vatican Council for Justice and Peace.

Council staff and employees from Vatican Radio were among those attending the Eucharistic celebration.

The Pope preached on today’s first reading from Acts 22 and contrasted “backseat Christians” with those who have apostolic zeal.

“There are those who are well mannered, who do everything well, but are unable to bring people to the Church through proclamation and apostolic zeal,” he stated.

The pontiff said apostolic zeal “implies an element of madness,” which he labeled as “healthy” and “spiritual.”

He added that it “can only be understood in an atmosphere of love” and that it is not an “enthusiasm for power and possession.”

Pope Francis also dwelt on St. Paul’s actions in the reading from Acts.

“Paul, in preaching of the Lord, was a nuisance, but he had deep within him that most Christian of attitudes, apostolic zeal,” he stated.

“He was not a man of compromise, no!” he exclaimed. “The truth, forward! The proclamation of Jesus Christ, forward!”

The Pope noted that St. Paul’s fate was one “with many crosses, but he keeps going, he looks to the Lord and keeps going.”

“He is a man who, with his preaching, his work, his attitude irritates others, because testifying to Jesus Christ and the proclamation of Jesus Christ makes us uncomfortable.
“It threatens our comfort zones, even Christian comfort zones, right?” he asked the congregation. “It irritates us.”

Pope Francis underscored that the Lord “always wants us to move forward, forward, forward, not to take refuge in a quiet life or in cozy structures.”

Saint Paul’s apostolic zeal, he observed, comes from knowing Jesus Christ.

Paul did not find and encounter Jesus Christ with an intellectual or scientific knowledge, but with “that first knowledge of the heart and of a personal encounter.”

According to the Pope, St. Paul was a “fiery” individual who was always in trouble, “not in trouble for troubles’ sake, but for Jesus” because “proclaiming Jesus is the consequence.”

“The Church has so much need of this, not only in distant lands, in the young churches, among people who do not know Jesus Christ, but here in the cities, in our cities, they need this proclamation of Jesus Christ,” Pope Francis stressed.

“So let us ask the Holy Spirit for this grace of apostolic zeal, let’s be Christians with apostolic zeal, onwards, as the Lord says to Paul, take courage!” he exclaimed.

Homily - "The Spirit has been leading us"

Given at the Vigil Mass for Pentecost which was also the Baccalaureate Mass for our graduating seniors:

 

 

Earlier in the week, we had our Senior Night when we honored our seniors with a Mass and dinner.  It was a great time of reminiscing over the past four years.  If you all remember that summer of 2009, then you might recall meeting me at orientation (CI) or in the first few weeks of school.  I asked you what you would be studying and what you wanted to do after graduation.  So many of you said, “I want to be president”.  I replied, “That’s cool.  President of what?” “Of the United States”.  I laughed it off with the first few of you, but then after the first dozen or so (!), I took it more seriously.  That summer was when I arrived as chaplain of the Newman Center (we are seniors together!) and the campus minister was two campus ministers ago.  So, a lot has happened since you began GW…even the outside of the Newman Center has changed dramatically!  When you arrived, the exterior paint was something out of the Partridge Family from the 70s – “earth tones” like brown, green, orange, etc.  We brightened it up with yellow and blue, trying to make it in the family of buff and blue.

If you think back to who you were four years ago – teenagers right out of high school – then you will see how much you have grown intellectually, personally, and spiritually.  We all have grown! You have helped me to grow, no doubt.  I said the other night that you have taught me so much.  One of the greatest things you have taught me is to teach the truth in love.  And, underscore IN LOVE.  My primary task is to teach.  We celebrate Pentecost tonight when the Spirit of Truth came upon the early Church and has been guiding the Church in truth ever since.  Our mission is to speak the Truth, and you have taught me, mainly through your example, to do it in kindness , compassion, gentleness, and patience.  Thank you for all that you have taught me!

One thing we have definitely shared together these past four years is the Holy Spirit.  If there was any doubt that the Spirit has been guiding us, God made it abundantly clear this semester.  We had such an awesome semester with the Spirit, especially during the Easter Season when the readings spoke to us so much about uniting in persecution and in joy.  Sometimes, God sends the Spirit in dramatic ways so that we will know He is there with us.  Look at the event of Pentecost: it is pretty dramatic! The Spirit comes upon the Apostles who were all together in a room afraid to go outside “for fear of the Jews”.  They were afraid to be identified as followers of Jesus.  Then, the Spirit comes upon them as tongues of fire, and they go out and boldly proclaim Jesus. The same Spirit that dramatically came upon them has come upon you these past four years, sometimes in extraordinary ways and sometimes in ordinary ways.  But, make no mistake, the Spirit has been leading us.

Jesus says in the Gospel (Jn 20:19-23) that “as the Father has sent me, so I send you”.  The word apostle means, “one who is sent”.  You have been modern day apostles on this campus the past four years, going out to campus and inviting people to Jesus.  I said this to you when you were freshmen and you response has literally been known around the country and the world.  Cardinal Wuerl has used you and our GW Catholic community as the main example of the New Evangelization in homilies and talks in Washington and around the country, as well as in his new book. Who knows, maybe he even mentioned you in the Synod of Bishops on the New Evangelization last year in Rome!  As Christ sent out the Apostles, He has sent you out to this campus.  Now, He sends you out to the world.  Just like the Apostles, you have been all together to receive the Spirit; now you, too, go out separately to speak the Truth in love.

So, that’s the plan going forward.  How do you live it?  St. Paul gives you a spiritual blueprint for your future in our second reading (Rom 8:8-17): life in the Spirit.  You have a choice as you have had the past four years: to live in the flesh or in the Spirit.  You have seen that when we live in the Spirit, it’s just different.  Living in the Spirit brings joy, and not just pleasure which passes.  It brings peace.  When Jesus gives peace to the Apostles in the Gospel (and He says twice, “peace be with you”), He gives it in the form of a divine person, the Spirit! It is the Spirit of joy, peace, love, kindness, generosity, chastity, and all the fruits.  Life in the Spirit means a life of freedom.  I hope you have experienced this freedom in your time here, especially with regards to chastity. 

Finally, live this life in the Spirit centered on the Eucharist.  Jesus promises in John’s Gospel that those who remain in Him and Him in us (Eucharistic language) have life, bear much fruit, and live forever.  The saints found happiness in their devotion to the Eucharist, and I promise you will find happiness in a life centered on the Eucharist.  So, go to Mass every Sunday no matter where you are, and daily Mass whenever you can.  And, pray the rosary every day, at least a part of it.  Again, the saints’ ticket to happiness was in Jesus through Mary. 

Just because we will be separated physically does not mean we will be separated spiritually.  I will pray for you every day, and please pray for me and our GW Catholic community.  I am always here for you in the future as I’ve been here for you the past four years. One of the things you have realized about having a celibate priest around is that I am always here.  If there is one thing I hope you have learned in these four years from me – other than that the Eucharist is really the Body and Blood of Christ (!) – is how much God loves you.  And, how much I love you.  My hope is that you believe deeply in your hearts that you are good and you are loved.       

Pro-lifers: reject the death penalty for Gosnell

Why the pro-life movement must reject the death penalty for Kermit Gosnell

By Ashley E. McGuire

Published: May 14, 2013

washingtonpost.com

 

Is it any surprise that Dr. Kermit Gosnell was found guilty of murder? His trial, when people finally started paying attention, disgusted the nation for weeks. He killed babies, inside the womb and out, he discriminated on the basis of race, he put women in danger, he made the world an uglier place.
The world is a touch more just, now that he has been found guilty. But soon many will begin banging their drums with bloodlust, calling for the death penalty. But what good is responding to death with death?

In fact, pro-lifers often make the argument that responding to a violent act (rape) with another violent act (abortion), only perpetuates a cycle of evil and violence. This is not to say that putting Gosnell to death is the moral equivalent of aborting a baby conceived of rape, as putting Gosnell to death would not necessarily be unjust. But it is to say that fixating on the death penalty for Gosnell is focusing our attention in the wrong place.

Our Constitution may permit the death penalty, but our hearts should resist it. And in our modern world, where the human heart is so coarsened against the dignity and value of all human life, there is actually much good that can come of sparing the life of a criminal and causing him instead to live the rest of his life in penance for his crimes. Blessed Pope John Paul frequently made the case against the death penalty, arguing that the world had developed in such a way that, “society has the means of protecting itself, without definitively denying criminals the chance to reform.”

Professor Robert George has gone so far as to suggest that a plea for mercy for the life of Gosnell from the pro-life community might touch the hearts of heinous criminals such as he. Pro-lifers must realize that we can condemn Gosnell’s murder and infanticide and the crimes committed by abortionists every day, without calling for their lives.

Rather than focusing on Gosnell’s punishment, we should instead turn our attention to the hellish world that legal abortion has created. The Gosnell trial brought to light just how hideous and gruesome second and third trimester abortions are, even when legal. It has forced us to come to terms with the reality that abortion still places women in danger. It has sewn death into the bedrock of feminism, depriving women of the knowledge that they have alternatives to midnight assaults on their wombs when they are pregnant and scared.

Don’t get me wrong, Gosnell’s crimes rank among the most vile I’ve ever known to transpire in my short life.

But clamoring for his death perpetuates a culture of death. Pro-lifers must stay focused on saving babies, not on killing their killers.

Ashley E. McGuire is a Senior Fellow with The Catholic Association and the editor of Altcatholicah. 

US Bishops Announce 2nd Fortnight for Freedom

         

Prayer Effort Answers Threats to Religious Liberty

By Staff

 

WASHINGTON, D.C., May 14, 2013 (Zenit.org) - The second annual Fortnight for Freedom will take place from June 21 to July 4, and will consist of national and local efforts to educate Americans on challenges to religious liberty both at home and abroad.

 

Archbishop William Lori of Baltimore, chairman of the US bishops' Ad Hoc Committee for Religious Liberty, will open the 2013 Fortnight for Freedom by celebrating Mass at Baltimore's National Shrine of the Assumption.

 

Cardinal Donald Wuerl of Washington will celebrate the closing Mass at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington on July 4, American Independence Day.

 

"The need for prayer, education, and action in defense of religious liberty has never been greater," explained Archbishop Lori. "The Fortnight for Freedom exists to meet that need. This year's

Fortnight occurs just weeks before August 1, when the administration's mandate coercing us to violate our deeply-held beliefs will be enforced against most religious non-profits. During the
Fortnight the Supreme Court's decisions on the definition of marriage will likely be handed down as well. Those decisions could have a profound impact on religious freedom for generations to come."

 

Resources for the Fortnight are at www.Fortnight4Freedom.org.

 

The site has items such as one-page fact sheets outlining current threats to religious freedom both in the United States and abroad; frequently asked questions about religious liberty, including quotes from the Founding Fathers, the Second Vatican Council and Popes John Paul II and Benedict XVI; and a study guide on Dignitatis Humanae, Vatican II's document on religious liberty.

 

The Web site also lists sample activities already planned in several dioceses, an image gallery of photos from last year's Fortnight celebrations, as well as resources and recommendations for other local efforts, such as prayers for use in special liturgies.

Homily - "Who we are transcends what we do"

Click here to listen to Sunday's homily.

Homily - "Let nothing disturb your peace"

Click here to listen to Sunday's homily.

I would like to start by talking about a prayer plan for your summer which a few students have asked for.  We have had such a good and fruitful semester with the Holy Spirit together, and we want to keep it going.  It’s tough when we separate for the summer and you all go on your own.  So, the prayer plan will be to pray every day, of course.  I took this to prayer last week and asked the Lord how many minutes a day you should be praying: 5 minutes? 10? 20?  All of a sudden, the lyrics to the song, “22”, came into my head.  No joke.  It was like, “I’m feeling 22”, and I was like, “what? Oh, I’m feeling 22 minutes of prayer each day”.  Kinda weird, I know; I didn’t know Jesus was a Taylor Swift fan! But, it makes sense because every time you hear that song this summer, it will remind you of the prayer plan.

Also, 22 minutes is about the length of the average weekday Mass.  I know you won’t be able to get to Mass every day (in addition to Sunday), but go whenever you can.  The Mass is the greatest prayer; daily Mass is the best way for us to grow spiritually.  It takes about 22 or 23 minutes for me to pray the rosary every night, but I have a long list of intentions that you don’t have (yet) so it won’t take as long.  You can also read one chapter of a Gospel every day, and meditate on it for 22 minutes.  You can “lectio divina”; this is when you pray over a passage and just let a word or phrase or scene really speak to you.  If you have a smart phone, you can get an app called “iBreviary”.  This is the Liturgy of the Hours in which you pray throughout the day – morning prayer, daytime, evening, etc. in the tradition of Jesus and David who prayed seven times a day.  Some of our students do this and love it.  This would add up to 22 minutes.  Whatever you do, I recommend a “prayer partner” – someone who would either do this as well or just hold you accountable for doing it.  You need someone else with you because you won’t be able to do this on your own.  One of our students told me that her brother will be her prayer partner, not that he would pray, but that he would make sure she will pray. 

One of the biggest reasons to pray every day is to remain in the peace of the Holy Spirit.  We have had such a huge semester with the Spirit in persecution, joy, unity, and love.  We want to keep it going!  One student talked to me last weekend about the peace of the Spirit.  She has had such a good year with the Holy Spirit when she needed it most.  She has been at such peace.  But, then last weekend, a friend who is supposedly a believer said things to her that were not from the Holy Spirit.  It really rattled her.  We identified what was going on: that this had disturbed her peace.  It’s like we hear in the first reading where the Apostles are talking about people who have “disturbed your peace of mind”.  It’s a spiritual principle to “let nothing disturb your peace”.  We want to watch out for people or things that will disturb our peace; especially this summer, watch out for serious sin that will do this. So, her peace was disturbed and she was shaken.  Then, she told me the other night that she had a conversation with another friend that was totally from the Holy Spirit.  Her peace was restored, and you could see it all over her face. 

Jesus talks about peace tonight in the Gospel right after alluding to the Holy Spirit “whom the Father will send in my name, …teach you everything and remind you of all that I told you”.  We hear the Spirit teaching the early Church in the first reading in the awesome Acts of the Apostles which we’ve been hearing all Easter season.  It is the Spirit who has led the Church from day one for 2000 years now!  Then, the Lord talks about peace.  He says the words we have heard thousands of times at Mass, “peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you”.  The first part is the Jewish greeting of “shalom”; the second part is the peace that Jesus gives which is deeper: the peace of the Holy Spirit.  The peace He gives is the Holy Spirit! We first receive this peace in Baptism and it grows more and more in the sacramental life.  When this peace is embedded in our hearts, we are not “troubled or afraid”.  It is intensely cool to live without fear!  This is the peace of the Holy Spirit.

Finally, let’s go back to the first paragraph of the Gospel – Christ talking about the love of God.  If we love Him, we will keep His Word.  The Spirit helps us to keep His Word…keep the 22 minutes a day this summer.  And, “my Father will love him (or her), and we will come to him and make our dwelling with him”.  God makes His dwelling with us: this is Eucharistic language.  As we receive the Lord tonight in the Eucharist, let us receive His love…let us receive His peace.  It’s like what Father Dan talked about at the Healing Mass: to receive Christ’s healing is to receive His love.  When we receive His peace, we receive His love, and God makes His dwelling with us.  Receive His love tonight, and just rest in His love and His peace.  Dwell in the peace of the Holy Spirit.  Let the peace come deep into your hearts and know that God loves you.  He loves you.  Parting thought for you for the summer: know deep in your hearts that you are good and you are loved.   

"She deserved better"

One of our juniors, Chris Crawford, had his commentary on the Gosnell case published by the National Catholic Register!  Congratulations to Chris, a gifted writer and speaker who brings passion and compassion to his mission as our Pro-Life Director.  The commentary is below; click here to view it on the NCR site.


Gosnell Trial, Long Ignored by the Media, a Potential Game Changer

Commentary
by Chris Crawford
4/18/2013
The gruesome details of the Kermit Gosnell murder trial are beginning to soak into the minds of Americans who read the belated news reports on the trial of the Pennsylvania doctor who performed late-term abortions.

Gosnell is charged with murder, in the deaths of a female patient and seven babies prosecutors say survived late-term abortions. As one column noted this week, the facts of the case are so grisly that an online fact-checking site was forced to confirm that the murders actually happened.

Any person who examines the Gosnell case understands that this has the potential to be a game changer for the way much of the culture views abortion in America. The Gosnell case is one that can awaken the consciences of Americans who have never fully examined the humanity of the unborn child since Roe v. Wade.

After the media began to report on the story, Ilyse Hogue, president of NARAL Pro-Choice America,
criticized pro-lifers and blamed them for the Gosnell murders. Indeed, she claimed that overregulation of the abortion industry is the reason that an abortionist was able to kill one woman and dozens of babies outside of the womb.

Yes, NARAL and its allies have the audacity to claim that overregulation was the reason that Gosnell was able to operate an abortion business with unsanitary equipment, bloody counter surfaces, parts of unborn children clogging up toilets and the necks of born-alive babies being “snipped” by unqualified staff members.

I have an alternative theory to NARAL’s “overregulation” defense. Perhaps the atrocities of Gosnell’s house of horrors happened because society does not embrace the “culture of life” that pro-lifers strive for. Perhaps Gosnell and others were desensitized to killing a baby outside of the womb because doing the same thing inside the womb is legally protected and culturally normal.

After all, the snipping of a fully formed baby’s neck inside of the womb is a “safe and legal” medical procedure. It is only when the child is outside of the womb that the procedure becomes a potentially capital criminal offense. If Gosnell had simply snipped the children’s necks five minutes earlier than he did, the law would protect him rather than demand his prosecution.

This is why the Gosnell case can be a game changer for the American conscience: Because decent people shudder at the notion of a baby’s neck being “snipped” on an operating table, they are forced to realize that the same disturbing procedure is legal when performed inside the womb. It is not the brutality with which Gosnell operated that made his actions illegal; it is merely the age of his victims.
Therein lies the collapse of the pro-choice argument. We look upon the dead baby girl on the operating table, and our hearts break. We look upon her lifeless little body and think, “She deserved better.”

This heartbreaking sentiment should cause each of us to consider the following question: “When did this baby girl start deserving better?”

Was it when her mother could start to feel her kicking feet? Was it when she could begin feeling pain? Was it when her heart started beating during the first trimester? Or when her unique, individual DNA was formed at conception?

And when we look upon this lifeless body, we don’t care what took her life. We don’t care if saline solution burned her to death, if a vacuum evacuated her from the womb or if Gosnell’s “snippers” ended her life. We simply think, “She deserved better.”

For years, this reality has evaded the consciences of most Americans. To many people, these questions have gone unanswered because they haven’t even been considered. Instead, the abortion debate has revolved around sloganeering and political bull.

The Gosnell trial forces us to finally face the difficult questions that stir our souls. When we reach the answers to these questions, the abortion debate in America will be fundamentally transformed.

Chris Crawford is a junior majoring in political science at George Washington University

and is the director of the campus pro-life ministry.

"Inhuman": a block away from GW Newman Center

For four years, we have been praying the rosary every week during the school year on the sidewalk in front of the Washington Surgi Clinic.  This "clinic" is one block from the Newman Center and adjacent to a GW dorm.  We knew that they performed abortions up to 26 weeks, but didn't know until a video called "Inhuman" surfaced from Live Action this week that shows they practice infanticide. The info below from Live Action's Facebook event about a rally tomorrow there as well as the video is below.  We will continue to pray for the conversion of hearts of those who work there as we have the past four years.         STOP THE KILLING RALLY D.C. abortionist Cesare Santangelo is on record supporting infanticide and perpetrating other shocking and illegal acts of inhumanity. If you haven’t see the news, watch our investigation video here: http://www.liveaction.org/inhuman/investigation-2-washington-d-c/ In response Live Action is holding a rally demanding the protection of women, an end to infanticide, and the prosecution of Santangelo. ... You don’t want to miss this. Neither will your friends, so bring them with you. Together we will raise a cry against this ongoing injustice. It cannot be discounted, and it will not be ignored. Speakers include: -Lila Rose, Live Action President -Majorie Dannenfelser, President of the Susan B. Anthony List -Melissa Ohden, the survivor of an abortion attempt -Kristan Hawkins, President of Students for Life -Jill Stanek, prominent pro-life blogger -Charmine Yoest, President and CEO or Americans United for Life

Homily - "Christ can make us new!"

Click here to listen to Sunday's homily by Fr. Mark Ivany, the guest celebrant at the 7:30 student Mass.  Below is the text from my homily.

 

 

“Behold, I make all things new”. I want to talk with you about this tonight in two senses.  The first sense is that Christ makes all things new for us communally.  He is taking us to a new level.  It is unbelievable.  We are on the verge on a capital campaign in which we will have to raise millions of dollars.  The centerpiece of the campaign will be a new Catholic center.  We are about to begin discussions with a Church on campus that would be a perfect Catholic center!  It’s a big property in a highly visible location. We will be asking students to help a good amount with the campaign; it will take a lot of work from all of us!  But, if God wills this, then He will provide.  We have been pursuing this for a long time, and just recently some doors have opened.  We believe that God is opening these doors for us, and will continue to do so.  This will all be for His glory, not ours, as we hear about in tonight’s Gospel.

So, last Tuesday, we had a big crowd at Tuesday dinner (Chick Fil A will do that!), and filmed the first part of the video for the capital campaign.  It was a blast!  Then, we went into discussion after dinner.  Usually, we get 20-30 students for the discussions, sometimes more.  Last week, 50 students packed the place to listen to our panelists.  Four of our men are applying to seminary, so we asked them to tell their stories.  The scene in the discussion was like something out of the Gospel: standing-room-only, people hanging on the every word of each speaker, laughing, crying, etc.  For most of the students there, these are first men they have known to enter seminary.  It was just an incredible night…the greatest night at the Newman Center in my four years.  Someone asked me later that night, ‘what was that tonight?’ I replied, “that was the Holy Spirit”.

The second sense in which Christ makes all things new for us is personally.  One of our young ladies came to talk to me the day after the Tuesday discussion.  She said that she connected with one of the guys who spoke about being an intellectual and knowing about God and the Church, but didn’t know Christ.  Things turned around in his faith life when he came to know Christ.  She said that’s where she is at; she knows about Christ, but she doesn’t know Him.  I told her that’s my specialty; I’m not an intellectual, but I can help you to know Christ.  When we come to know Him, …..wow, everything does become new.

I remember when I first came to know Christ; I was a junior in college.  It was the happiest time in my life.  Last Tuesday was incredible, especially for me as a priest.  But, the happiest time I’ve ever known was at 21.  I remember talking with my buddy in a Church parking lot and just being blown away about how awesome it is to know Christ.  I had gone after many other sources of happiness…many “buzzes”.  The buzz Christ gave me was new.  It lasted!  I call it the “eternal buzz”.  It was new and different.  It was joy!  Joy lasts, pleasure doesn’t.  It was peace.  It was healing.  My father had died four years ago, and Christ began to heal that wound.  I wasn’t look for it, but it came nonetheless.  It was all so new.  It was happiness!

We had “Theology on Tap” the other night (for 21 and over).  On the heels of last week’s Healing Mass, we talked about miracles and healing.  It was another fruitful discussion that people really enjoyed over a couple of beers.  Two students came up to me after the talk and asked to meet about healing.  Each one of us has wounds; Christ can heal them.  He can make us new!

Finally, the common denominator with each of the four men is love for the Eucharist.  Their relationship with Christ took off when they spent more time with Him in daily Mass or in Adoration.  When we get to know Christ, especially in the Eucharist, we are made new.  May we be open to centering our lives on Christ so that we will experience what He says in our own loves, “Behold, I make all things new!”        

"What about my body?"

During our Rosary for Life this past week in which 10-15 students come out every week to pray the rosary in front of the abortion facility on campus (technically just off), we had people on the opposing side show up for the first time in our four years doing this.  They sat in front of us the whole time with signs, listened to the entire rosary, and didn't say a word.  They were among those for whom we offered the rosary.  One of their signs read, "My Body. My Choice".  A student from our pro-life group posted the meme below the picture.  Perfect response.