http://www.zenit.org/article-29067?l=english
ZE10042805 - 2010-04-28
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Archbishop Vegliò on Theology and Migration
"An Army of Invisible People Who Can Be Blackmailed"
MALAGA, Spain, APRIL 28, 2010 (Zenit.org).- Here is the text of an address given today by Archbishop Antonio Maria Vegliò, president of the Pontifical Council for Migrants and Travelers, at the European Migration Congress under way through Saturday in Spain.
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I am grateful to the President of the Council of European Bishops' Conferences, H.E. Cardinal Péter Erdö, and the President of the Commission for Migrations, H.E. Bishop José Sánchez González, who have organized this European Congress. I cordially thank the Secretary General, Father Duarte da Cunha, for the invitation he extended to me, which I gladly accepted, to talk to you about the theme: “Analysis and interpretation of the Church in relation to the changes brought about in Europe by migration and mobility. A theological perspective”.
I cordially greet Their Eminences the Cardinals, Their Excellencies the Bishops, and all of you who are present here. This important meeting has as its theme: “Europe of people in movement. Overcoming fear. Outlining prospects”. As a matter of fact, the phenomenon of migrations has always accompanied the history of humanity, but in the past years it has taken on almost universal dimensions and ever more complex meanings[1]. Every continent and all governments are called upon to tackle it and the new aspects that accompany it in our time. Motivations and causes have been the object of countless studies and congresses, which often note and document mainly the dramatic ways in which many migrations take place, but they have not been able to reduce their human and social cost.
1. Europe and Current Migratory Flows
In the 27 countries of the Union, it is estimated that there are 24 million immigrants at present, mostly from the countries that belong to the Union. Two-thirds of the foreigners present are hosted by Germany, France and the United Kingdom, even though the Mediterranean countries are recording constant increases.
On the other hand, it is difficult to obtain precise figures regarding the irregular immigrants, but according to recent evaluations, they could be between 4.5 and 8 million, with an estimated increase of between 350,000 and 500,000 a year[2].
It seems more and more obvious that the flows of human mobility are perceived negatively by the people in Europe . Various polls attest to this and point out the widespread impression that there are too many foreigners who represent a threat to the culture and identity and to order and security, in addition to the worrying increase in negative behaviors towards the immigrants motivated by the opinion that, at least in part, the disadvantages in terms of the labor market are caused by the foreigners' presence.
In fact, since Europe feels like a besieged “fortress”, it tackles the phenomenon of mobility on the defensive. The “governance” of migrations and the fight against irregular immigration are presented as the main solution in order to give security to the European societies and insert immigration control in the viewpoint of the fight against terrorism, especially of an Islamic mold. In this way, the unacceptable trilogy “immigration – criminality and terrorism – insecurity” is proposed and reaffirmed. For this reason, Europe's migration policy supports closing borders to people, but freedom of circulation for information, goods and capital. In fact, all the European countries, albeit in different ways, experience the paradox of increasingly closed or selective borders, and, at the same time, inflows of irregular migrants. The same can really be said about the other continents: a political attitude of rejecting immigrants is growing, whereas the economies still need to hire them. It is obvious to everyone that we are before the tendency of many countries to entrench themselves, to close in on themselves, to ensure the level of well-being attained within their walls, but without paying sufficient attention to the needs of those outside the walls with a grave omission of the principle of solidarity.
This is why the objective of the European policy appears to be to limit the number of immigrants by making it difficult or almost impossible for the regular ones to arrive, and to eliminate the irregular immigrants. It is proposed to select the migratory flows so they will not be dangerous, and to force the immigrants to not get inserted into our societies so as to not create cultural contamination and pollute the European identity or that of the individual countries in the Union. We are before a kind of institutionalized “ethnic distortion”, which surely does not favor the autochthones' serene approach to the immigrants or the immigrants' process of integration into the fabric of the societies of destination.
In recent times, the so-called “armored communities” have been growing, and we may be about to witness the birth of “armored continents”, with Europe and North America in the front line. We will probably see new iron curtains fall soon, with tightened border controls and new coastal defense measures. Some venture to say that the reinforcement of the borders does not serve only or in first place to stop the migratory movements -- which in fact continue -- but to define the migrants that cross them as illegal, thereby giving them an identity that puts them in a position of inferiority and a lack of rights: an army of invisible people who can be blackmailed and exploited[3].
2. The Dialectics of Migration
The sense of insecurity which the European citizens feel today is caused, on the one hand, by the inevitable generational changes and, on the other, by an economic globalization without rules. Therefore, shifting the blame for the instability on the migrants – rather than facing realistically the problems that have roots elsewhere – appears to help create in public opinion the image of a State that is vigilant and concerned about its citizens' security, and this fuels the fear of others and of migrants in particular. In the current situation of crisis of the State-Nation institution, while the political and cultural entity of the European Union is becoming consolidated, it is claimed that security can be offered by reinforcing the national identital sense more, without evaluating the fact sufficiently that the European societies have already become multicultural, multiethnic and pluri-religious, and that social, cultural and political integration policies for the migratory component present in a structural way in our societies need to be tackled with courage and foresight.
We have to reaffirm, in fact, that the diversity brought by the migrations is not a given: there are different things, individuals and cultures. Often, throughout history, these differences have been used to dominate or discriminate and their value was rarely enhanced. Instead, to conceive of diversity as a value means to develop a pluralistic view of reality where recognition, respect and promotion of diversity is possible and hopeful.
3. Managing Migrations
Today's migrations are characterized by a great complexity of factors. It should not be forgotten that the migrants themselves do not play a passive role; on the contrary, they are the immediate protagonists both from the standpoint of protecting their fundamental human rights and observing their duties. They are driven by grave needs to leave or, in some cases, to flee from their countries; but they also make choices and move in order to fulfill individual or family projects to improve their living conditions, often with courage and determination. These are choices that all of us would make if we were in the same situations.
A phenomenon of epochal dimensions like migrations requires a policy that can take the many mechanisms that characterize it into consideration . Punitive measures are not enough. Often they do not even discourage new departures but only make them more dangerous or costly. The political exploitation of migrations without really taking the necessary precautions is even more damaging. This can unleash xenophobic resentment in the local people and, as a result, violent reactions that may even find justification in the words of one politician or another, such as, “You have to be mean with the illegal immigrants”. Instead, the question should be asked: How can the supply and demand for labor be met without making the foreign workers always go through the door of illegality?
And then: How much is invested in integration to build a society – which is already multiethnic – in which cohesion, reciprocal respect and dialogue will not be lacking? What is done for schools, which are confronted more and more with the insertion of boys and girls of foreign origin, and for the poorer neighborhoods where autochthones and immigrants live together amidst various social hardships? Can cooperation with the migrants' countries of departure and transit continue to consist solely of financing detention centers (or “concentration camps”) on their territory?
“Emigration, in almost every case, is not a pleasure but a necessity...by preventing it a sacred human right is violated, by abandoning it to itself it is made ineffective...it is the sincere expression of a permanent state of things:”[4] Giovanni Battista Scalabrini wrote this in 1887. Migrations, therefore, are a structural reality of our time. It is everyone's task to look after it for the common good, also by stressing respect for the norms, traditions and customs of the countries that welcome the migrants.
4. The Encyclical Caritas in veritate
It is in this broad context that we express gratitude to the Holy Father for giving us the Encyclical Caritas in veritate, which dedicates No. 62 to migrations in Chapter V entitled: “The Cooperation of the Human Family”. In fact, the theme of migration flows from the Encyclical's reflection on integral human development to which the Holy Father explicitly refers. The current phenomenon of migrations, as the Pope says, “is a striking phenomenon because of the sheer numbers of people involved, the social, economic, political, cultural and religious problems it raises, and the dramatic challenges it poses to nations and the international community”[5].
Human mobility, moreover, has always been at the center of the Church's attention and concern, even if her interventions started to become systematic from the second half of the nineteenth century. Initially, the task of aiding migrants was entrusted to the missionary religious Congregations. Without being exhaustive, we mention the first interventions of Don Bosco's Salesians in Argentina, Saint Frances Cabrini's activity in the United States of America, the foundation of a missionary Congregation by Blessed Giovanni Battista Scalabrini for the Italian migrants in the Americas and the corresponding Bonomelli Work for Europe.
There were also some important statements by the Holy See down to the publication of our Pontifical Council's Instruction Erga Migrantes Caritas Christi in which the signs of the times and the changes in the methods of migrations are given proper attention, together with a call to unity and communion among peoples as a providential occasion, in mutual respect and defense of the dignity of human life in all its forms.
5. The Specific Contribution of Caritas in veritate to Migrations
The Church has thus continued to offer a valuable contribution to the complex and vast phenomenon of human mobility. She has made herself the spokesperson of the most vulnerable and marginalized people, but she also intends to give value to the migrants in the ecclesial community and society, as an important coefficient for reciprocal enrichment and the construction of the one family of peoples in a fruitful intercultural exchange.
Therefore, the Encyclical Caritas in veritate confirms that the migratory flows, with all the components of the movement of entry, transit and exit, are no longer an experience limited to some areas of the planet. They constitute a worldwide and permanent phenomenon, bearing in mind that together with the international migrations, massive displacements also take place within a one same region and that urbanization has now become a characteristic fact of modern societies, also as a consequence of the internal and international economic-productive imbalances. In fact, Benedict XVI writes: “We are facing a social phenomenon of epoch-making proportions that requires bold, forward-looking policies of international cooperation if it is to be handled effectively” (No. 62).
After these preliminary remarks, the Holy Father develops his deep reflection and marks out an itinerary which summarizes some main arguments of the Church's Social Doctrine. In fact, he highlights first of all the need for “close cooperation” between the migrants' countries of departure and arrival, to which we should also add the responsible and active involvement of the countries of transit. By analogy, the Christian communities and all the organizations, both national and international, dedicated to the migratory movements also take part in the same process. It is in the area of the principles of solidarity and subsidiarity, therefore, that “adequate international norms” become necessary to which the nationals norms should also be harmonized (No. 62).[6]
In any case, the horizon we must not lose sight of is the centrality of the human person, “the primary capital to be safeguarded and valued...in his or her integrity” (No. 25), with attention to the protection of the rights both of the individual migrants and their families, and of the societies that receive them.
Since such broad questions are involved, the Holy Father's reminder is useful to consider that “no country can be expected to address today's problems of migration by itself”, and so the recommendation is well placed which is addressed to everyone to be attentive to “the burden of suffering, the dislocation and the aspirations that accompany the flow of migrants”, also because “the phenomenon...is difficult to manage” (No. 62).
However, while the problematic aspects stand out rather easily, the positive elements should not be underestimated, even if only from the economic viewpoint related to development. In fact, “foreign workers, despite any difficulties concerning integration, make a significant contribution to the economic development of the host country through their labor, besides that which they make to their country of origin through the money they send home” (Ibid.). Precisely in the area of the market system, however, the Holy Father's voice rings out with tones of alarm and denunciation to warn those who exploit the migrants' weak and vulnerable condition because “these laborers cannot be considered as a commodity or a mere workforce. They must not, therefore, be treated like any other factor of production” (Ibid.).
Lastly, the concluding statement in No. 62 re-proposes principles on which the Church is not willing to negotiate precisely because in the mystery of the Incarnation and the Redemption, she contemplates the dignity and respect of every creature wanted “in the image and likeness” of the Creator. Therefore, “every migrant is a human person who, as such, possesses fundamental, inalienable rights that must be respected by everyone and in every circumstance” (ibid.).
6. A Positive Viewpoint but not without denunciation
The Encyclical Caritas in veritate also makes explicit reference to human mobility in two other passages. The first is found in Chapter II, which has as its theme, “Human Development in Our Time,” and it is included on the list of factors which the Holy Father defines as “of decisive impact upon the present and future good of humanity” (No. 21).
Therefore, “large-scale migrations of peoples, often provoked by some particular circumstance and then given insufficient attention” (ibid.), urge the international community, but also all men and women of good will, to consider with due attention all the current situations that call for new approaches and courageous stands for the common good of the States and the universal common good.
Migrations, in this framework, are alongside “the technical forces in play, the global interrelations, the damaging effects on the real economy of badly managed and largely speculative financial dealing [...] and the unregulated exploitation of the earth's resources” (ibid.). Migrations, moreover, have a twofold value connotation: first, they have reached considerable dimensions today and so due to this quantitative weight alone, they cannot be neglected. Second, the migrant's wounded face is increasing clear in the turmoil of movements which are not an expression of free choice, but “often provoked”: that is, caused by erroneous policies, in particular to thwart illegal immigration. In fact, the more restrictive the measures are, the more the number of illegal migrants and traffickers in foreign labor grows.[7] So even the most protected borders are crossed daily by people who flee from unacceptable living conditions and do not stop before dangers and obstacles of any kind.
Finally, it is a question of improper management when integration is hindered by impracticable conditions and when everyone's participation in looking after the common good is just a proclamation that has no way of being carried out.
For this reason, two extremes need to be avoided: absorption, the complete assimilation into the dominant society to the detriment of the migrant's identity, and exclusion, which includes the danger of marginalization.[8]
7. A Faith Reading
Also in the area of the migratory phenomenon a reading is proposed that is filled with faith and hope. For beyond the dramatic aspects that often accompany the migrants' history, their faces and experiences bear the seal of the history of salvation and the theology of the “signs of the times”.
Therefore, migrants are also a providential resource to be discovered and given value in building a new humanity and proclaiming the Gospel. In Caritas in veritate, Benedict XVI entrusts the responsibility to everyone to promote and guarantee a sustainable development, including the emerging countries and the elites of the poor countries. In respect for the principles of solidarity and subsidiarity the legitimate demands of diversity make headway. Then the way is surely opened, not without difficulty, to discover that the other face of difference is similarity, and that similarity does not coincide in any way with uniformity but is the most rational criterion for building the one family of peoples, with roots in biblical revelation and the fruitful history of Christianity.
8. Some Theological and Pastoral Foundations
These remarks make it possible to identify some pillars on which ecclesial pastoral concern is built from a biblical-theological viewpoint. First and foremost, there is the affirmation of the equal dignity of human persons: “Each man is loved by God. No one is excluded from his love. This is the principle of universal salvation”, as John Paul II stated in the Message for the 1987 World Day of Migrants[9].
This departure point calls for and promotes the principle of solidarity of peoples and the principle of subsidiarity, as we read in Sollicitudo Rei Socialis in Nos. 23 and 38.[10]
From this the common responsibility towards the migrants is also derived, which has grown following the phenomenon of globalization.
For us, believers, the foundations of respect and hospitality for migrants are contained in the Word of God. In fact, the invitation to love foreigners comes from God himself: “When an alien resides with you in your land, do not molest him. You shall treat the alien who resides with you no differently than the natives born among you; have the same love for him as for yourself; for you too were once aliens in the land of Egypt. I, the LORD, am your God” (Lev 19:33s). The New Testament recommends hospitality, welcome and respect for the equal dignity of all human beings. Paul's Letter to the Ephesians, for examples, proclaims that we are no longer “strangers and sojourners, but...fellow citizens with the holy ones and members of the household of God” (Eph 2:19).
Unfortunately, the biblical messages in favor of foreigners have not always had adequate application in catechesis and praxis. Indeed, the little attention given to the biblical text may be one of the reasons why Europe has given in, and still gives in to forms of nationalism and xenophobic closing. The presence of migrants in our midst reminds us that from the biblical standpoint, freedom and well-being are gifts and as such can only be maintained if they are shared with those who do not have them. So since we give value to the person and the dignity of each person as an image of God, it is important to be committed so that the equality of all human persons will be realized.
9. The Priority of Dialogue
From this viewpoint, in the Message Benedict XVI sent on the occasion of the Study Day organized by the Pontifical Council for Inter-religious Dialogue and the Pontifical Council for Culture on December 3, 2008, he stated that the theme of dialogue between cultures and religions today is “a priority” for Europe, and explained that “contemporary Europe, peering into the third millennium, is the fruit of two millennia of civilization. The latter sinks its roots both in the enormous and ancient patrimony of Athens and Rome, as well as above all in the fruitful terrain of Christianity, which has revealed itself capable of creating new cultural patrimonies receiving the original contribution of each civilization[11].
The Pope added: “Intercultural and inter-religious dialogue emerges as a priority for the European Union and is of interest transversely to the sectors of culture and communication, of education and science, of migrations and minorities, youth and labor”. Finally, the Holy Father concluded the Message by inviting believers to be “willing to promote initiatives of intercultural and inter-religious dialogue, to stimulate collaboration on topics of mutual interest, such as the dignity of the human person, the quest for the common good, the building of peace and development”[12].
10. The “Culture of Hospitality”
Together with these subjects for theological-pastoral reflection, we cannot forget the theme of hospitality and, more in particular, the preparation of a “culture” and an “ethic of hospitality” in the current conditions of life. My predecessor to the Presidency of the Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant People, Cardinal Renato Raffaele Martino, on the occasion of the World Day for Refugees in June 2008, stated that “hospitality for foreigners is the heart of the European identity”.
Indeed, the migrations of peoples raise some serious questions today: How to welcome the new immigrants? To what point should we go in accepting the life traditions of those who come from other cultures? What real possibilities do we have to experience an encounter of civilizations that will not be a clash or a conflict? These questions do not admit simplistic answers that are all the more attractive the more they are demagogic and unrealistic. In the new, irreversible pluricultural context, what social cohabitation should be built so it will be just and solidarity-based? How should the society be so it will be at the service of the people and the different human groups that compose it?
In attempting to give a response, a threefold model can be hypothesized: a society that rejects differences; a society that tolerates differences; a society that includes differences.
The Church wants to affirm the culture of respect, equality and the evaluation of diversities which sees the migrants as bearers of values and resources. For these reasons, she suggests revisiting policies and norms that jeopardize the protection of fundamental rights, such as the right to family reunion, access to citizenship and the stability of one's migratory project. She also expresses strong dissent regarding the ever more restrictive praxis in granting the refugee status, and the more and more frequent recourse to the detention and expulsion of migrants.
The Church will continue to be committed to intensifying meetings and inter-religious dialogue and she will do her utmost so that the laws on religious freedom will be marked by a spirit of fair play and reciprocal respect. She will also continue to welcome the migrants who come from sister Churches fraternally, to share the riches of diversity with them, and to proclaim the Gospel together through word and action.
There is no doubt that the light of the biblical message leads Christians to assume their responsibilities with renewed commitment in the national communities and in the European institutions and, at the same time, to promote social justice within peoples and, in particular, to bridge the gap that separates the rich from the poor.
Conclusion
Before the phenomenon of human mobility, the Church raises some urgent questions of a historical, cultural, economic, social and political nature. She refers to the Gospel which calls upon the Christians of the European Union, the sister Churches and civil societies to contribute together so that a human and dignified welcome will be given to men and women migrants, refugees and those involved in the different forms of mobility. Moreover, since the Church is aware of the tragedies of the past, she knows that the full integration of every minority is essential in maintaining civil harmony and democracy. On the basis of the Christian faith, she intends to contribute to building a Europe with a more human face where human rights and the fundamental values of peace, justice, freedom, tolerance, participation and solidarity are protected.
Thank you!
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[1] Recent data can be consulted in the Report of the INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATION FOR MIGRATION, World Migration 2008: Managing Labour Mobility in the Evolving Global Economy, 2008. The International Migration Outlook 2008, the annual Report on migrations of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) points out that over the course of 2006 (the last year of statistical references), the permanent regular immigrants in the OECD member countries increased by 5%, a smaller increase compared to 12% in 2005 and 18% in 2004. Overall, approximately 4 million people have emigrated to the OECD Member States: 44% for family reunion and 14% for work among the permanent immigrants. While in absolute terms the most significant increases in immigration inflows were recorded in the United States (which received about one-third of the permanent flow with 1.3 million in 2006), the United Kingdom (340,000), Spain, Canada and Germany. In relation to the total population, Ireland, New Zealand and Switzerland received the most significant inflows, while Portugal, Sweden and Denmark also showed increases greater than 20%. On the other hand, in Austria (-18%) and Germany (-11%), the decreases were more substantial. Ireland, for example, recorded an increase in immigration equal to 66% in the past six years, and Finland 40%. In some countries, like Japan, Germany and Hungary, the contribution of immigration was not able to makes the demographic imbalance positive in 2006, whereas in the countries where the population is growing, immigration already contributes 40% to its growth, with peaks of 80% in the countries of Southern Europe.
[2] According to the European agency Frontex, the border areas where the greatest number of irregular migrants are intercepted or attempt to enter are the borders between Slovakia and the Ukraine, Slovenia and Croatia, Greece and Albania, and between Greece and Turkey. Moreover, areas considered extremely hot are naturally Austria's external borders with respect to Schengen, the Spanish enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla, the Canary Islands, Sicily and, in particular, Lampedusa. Among the nationalities of the illegal migrants that come from south of Europe, Moroccans are first (approximately 70%), followed by nationals from Sub-Saharan Africa, Eritreans and Egyptians.
[3] W. T. CAVANAUGH, “Migrant, tourist, pilgrim, monk: mobility and identity in a global age”, in Theological Studies 2 (2008) 344.
[4] G. B. SCALABRINI, L’emigrazione italiana in America. Osservazioni, Amico del Popolo, Piacenza 1887, 8.
[5] The Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church, Libreria Editrice Vaticana, Vatican City 2004, edited by the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, states that “immigration can be a resource for development rather than an obstacle to it” (No. 297). Therefore, “Regulating immigration according to criteria of equity and balance is one of the indispensable conditions for ensuring that immigrants are integrated into society with the guarantees required by recognition of their human dignity” (No. 298). Furthermore, “immigrants are to be received as persons and helped, together with their families, to become a part of societal life. In this context, the right of reuniting families should be respected and promoted. At the same time, conditions that foster increased work opportunities in people's place of origin are to be promoted as much as possible” (Ibid.).
[6] Benedict XVI also reaffirmed that “it is therefore important to protect migrants and their families with the help of specific legislative, juridical and administrative protection, and also by means of a network of services, consultation centers and structures that provide social and pastoral assistance”, Angelus, January 14, 2007: People on the Move XXXIX (104, 2007) 31. This is in consonance with the specification that “the Church...through its various Institutions and Associations, offers its advocacy that is becoming more and more necessary”, Message for the 93rd World Day of Migrants and Refugees 2007: People on the Move XXXVIII (102, 2006) 42.
[7] Giovanni Battista Scalabrini, in 1888, in an open letter to Hon. Paolo Carcano, the Under-Secretary of Finance, denounced the negative work of the emigration agents and described them as “people who sniff out corpses...and deal in human flesh”: Il disegno di legge sulla emigrazione italiana. Osservazioni e proposte, Tipografia dell’Amico del Popolo, Piacenza 1888.
[8] In this broad context, there has been no shortage of statements by the Bishops who made their voices heard the following interventions, among others: “We are aliens and transients before the Lord our God”, 2006, of the Canadian Bishops' Conference ; “La Pastoral de las Migraciones en España. Reflexión pastoral y Orientaciones Prácticas para una Pastoral de Migraciones en España a la luz de la Instrucción Pontificia ‘Erga migrantes caritas Christi’”, 2007, published by the Spanish Bishops' Conference; “Graced by Migration”, published in 2008 by the Australian Bishops' Conference. Between 2000 and 2003, the United States Bishops published three important Pastoral Letters: “Welcoming the Stranger Among Us: Unity in Diversity”; “Asian and Pacific Presence: Harmony in Faith” and “Strangers No Longer: Together on the Journey of Hope”, written in collaboration with the Bishops of Mexico. On its part, the “Service National de la Pastorale des Migrants et des Personnes Itinérantes” in France issued the document: “Artisans de communion. Aumôneries et aumôniers des Communautés des catholiques de la migration”, in 2007.
[9] In the Message for the preceding year, the Pope stated: “The commitment to the realization of true equality for all and the will to protect the weaker sections of the community, which are often the targets of discrimination and racism, contribute towards the building of a more just and, consequently, more humane society”.
[10] “If a nation were to succumb more or less deliberately to the temptation to close in upon itself and failed to meet the responsibilities following from its superior position in the community of nations, it would fall seriously short of its clear ethical duty” (23).
[11] The Pope continued: “The new humanism, which arose from the spread of the evangelical message, exalts all the elements worthy of the human person and his transcendent vocation, purifying them from the dross that obfuscates the genuine face of mankind created in the image and likeness of God. Thus, Europe appears to us today as a precious fabric, whose weave is made up of the principles and values of the Gospel, while the national cultures have been able to address an immense variety of perspectives which manifest the religious, intellectual, technical, scientific and artistic capacities of 'Homo Europeus.' In this connection, we can state that Europe has had and still has a cultural influence on the totality of the human species, and cannot fail to feel particularly responsible not only for its own future, but also that of the whole of humanity”.
[12] The Holy Father went on to explain that “once diversity is received as a positive fact, it is necessary to make persons accept not only the existence of the other's culture, but also the desire to be enriched with it. Addressing Catholics, my predecessor, the Servant of God Paul VI, enunciated his profound conviction in these terms: 'The Church must enter into dialogue with the world in which she lives. The Church becomes word, the Church becomes message, the Church becomes conversation' (Encyclical Ecclesiam Suam, No. 67). We live in what is usually called a 'plural world,' characterized by the speed of communications, the mobility of peoples and their economic, political and cultural interdependence. Precisely in this, perhaps dramatic hour, though unfortunately many Europeans seem to forget Europe's Christian roots, the latter are alive and should trace the path and nourish the hope of millions of citizens who share the same values”.
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
New Mexico Catholic Bishops Speak Out
Against the New Arizona Immigration Law
Albuquerque, NM, Monday, April 26, 2010--
In union with our fellow Bishops in Arizona, we Catholic Bishops in New Mexico speak out strongly against the new Arizona Immigration Law. The Law would require police to question people about their immigration status – including asking for identification – if they suspect someone is in the Country illegally. We are concerned that legal immigrants and U.S. Citizens would probably be interrogated by the police if they look Hispanic, or in any other way, foreign. The law would lead to racial profiling, community distrust and a pervasive fear among immigrants. It would also cause immigrants to hesitate to report crimes or to cooperate with the authorities and other investigations. Serious questions have also been raised about the constitutionality of the law and it is likely that legal challenges will be brought against the law by the U. S. Justice Department.
It is clear that we need immigration reform at the National level in order to deal with the disparities in the present immigration law. We Bishops are concerned that other States might try to initiate such a wrongheaded law as well. We hope that the implementation of the law will be stopped. It is not in keeping with the best traditions of our Nation.
Albuquerque, NM, Monday, April 26, 2010--
In union with our fellow Bishops in Arizona, we Catholic Bishops in New Mexico speak out strongly against the new Arizona Immigration Law. The Law would require police to question people about their immigration status – including asking for identification – if they suspect someone is in the Country illegally. We are concerned that legal immigrants and U.S. Citizens would probably be interrogated by the police if they look Hispanic, or in any other way, foreign. The law would lead to racial profiling, community distrust and a pervasive fear among immigrants. It would also cause immigrants to hesitate to report crimes or to cooperate with the authorities and other investigations. Serious questions have also been raised about the constitutionality of the law and it is likely that legal challenges will be brought against the law by the U. S. Justice Department.
It is clear that we need immigration reform at the National level in order to deal with the disparities in the present immigration law. We Bishops are concerned that other States might try to initiate such a wrongheaded law as well. We hope that the implementation of the law will be stopped. It is not in keeping with the best traditions of our Nation.
Sunday, April 25, 2010
MONDAY MORNING MISSION MEDITATION for the week of April 25, 2010
Catholic Charities. Providing Help. Creating Hope.
VISION: Believing in the presence of God in our midst, we proclaim the sanctity of human life and the dignity of the person by sharing in the mission of Jesus given to the Church. To this end, Catholic Charities works with individuals, families, and communities to help them meet their needs, address their issues, eliminate oppression, and build a just and compassionate society.
MISSION: Rooted in the Mission of the Diocese of Youngstown "to minister to the people in the six counties of northeastern Ohio . . .(and) to the world community", we are called to provide service to people in need, to advocate for justice in social structures, and to call the entire Church and other people of good will to do the same.
GOALS: Catholic Charities is devoted to helping meet basic human needs, strengthening families, building communities and empowering low-income people. Working to reduce poverty in half by 2020.
KEY VALUE: Hospitality
WHAT WE DO: Organizing Love. "As a community, the Church must practise love. Love thus needs to be organized if it is to be an ordered service to the community" (Deus Caritas Est, par. 20)
On Sunday (Fourth Sunday of Easter, Cycle C, http://www.usccb.org/nab/042510.shtml) we read how Jesus and the Father are One, and that like a Good Shepherd, Jesus leads his sheep. That "Oneness" recognizes the unity between the Father and the Son -- and the Holy Spirit -- who empowers us to live in the love of God. Filled with the Holy Spirit, we hear how the early Church proclaimed the Good News of Jesus' message despite criticisms, attacks and jealousy. The disciples, who experienced the "Oneness" with Jesus and thus God, were filled with great joy as they continued to preach the Good News and healed people.
In Catholic Charities http://www.ccdoy.org we too share with joy the Good News of Jesus' healing and compassion through each encounter we have with a person who comes to our door. As a ministry of the Church, we share that unity with all other Catholic Charities -- or Caritas -- agencies throughout the world. Just recently, the people of the Diocese of Youngstown collected over $329,000.00 for Catholic Relief Services to help rebuild Haiti. Thanks for all your support and generosity.
Reflection from Pope Benedict XVI's Encyclical, Caritas in Veritate
http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/encyclicals/documents/hf_ben-xvi_enc_20090629_caritas-in-veritate_en.htm
Some important date(s) this week:
http://www.americancatholic.org/Features/Saints/ByDate.aspx
SUNDAY, APRIL 25. St. Pedro de San Jose Betancur, 1626-1667. Central America can claim its first saint with the July 30 canonization of Pedro de Betancur by Pope John Paul II in Guatemala City. Known as the "St. Francis of the Americas," Pedro de Betancur is the first saint to have worked and died in Guatemala.
Calling the new saint an “outstanding example” of Christian mercy, the Holy Father noted that St. Pedro practiced mercy “heroically with the lowliest and the most deprived.” Speaking to the estimated 500,000 Guatemalans in attendance, the Holy Father spoke of the social ills that plague the country today and of the need for change.
“Let us think of the children and young people who are homeless or deprived of an education; of abandoned women with their many needs; of the hordes of social outcasts who live in the cities; of the victims of organized crime, of prostitution or of drugs; of the sick who are neglected and the elderly who live in loneliness,” he said in his homily during the three-hour liturgy.
Pedro very much wanted to become a priest, but God had other plans for the young man born into a poor family on Tenerife in the Canary Islands. Pedro was a shepherd until age 24, when he began to make his way to Guatemala, hoping to connect with a relative engaged in government service there. By the time he reached Havana, he was out of money. After working there to earn more, he got to Guatemala City the following year. When he arrived he was so destitute that he joined the bread line which the Franciscans had established.
Soon, Pedro enrolled in the local Jesuit college in hopes of studying for the priesthood. No matter how hard he tried, however, he could not master the material; he withdrew from school. In 1655 he joined the Secular Franciscan Order. Three years later he opened a hospital for the convalescent poor; a shelter for the homeless and a school for the poor soon followed. Not wanting to neglect the rich of Guatemala City, Pedro began walking through their part of town ringing a bell and inviting them to repent.
Other men came to share in Pedro's work. Out of this group came the Bethlehemite Congregation, which won papal approval after Pedro's death. A Bethlehemite sisters' community, similarly founded after Pedro's death, was inspired by his life of prayer and compassion.
He is sometimes credited with originating the Christmas Eve posadas procession in which people representing Mary and Joseph seek a night's lodging from their neighbors. The custom soon spread to Mexico and other Central American countries.
THURSDAY, APRIL 29. St. Catherine of Siena, 1347-1380
Her public influence reached great heights because of her evident holiness, her membership in the Dominican Third Order, and the deep impression she made on the pope. She worked tirelessly for the crusade against the Turks and for peace between Florence and the pope
In 1378, the Great Schism began, splitting the allegiance of Christendom between two, then three, popes and putting even saints on opposing sides. Catherine spent the last two years of her life in Rome, in prayer and pleading on behalf of the cause of Urban VI and the unity of the Church. She offered herself as a victim for the Church in its agony. She died surrounded by her "children."
Catherine ranks high among the mystics and spiritual writers of the Church. In 1939, she and Francis of Assisi were declared co-patrons of Italy. Paul VI named her and Teresa of Avila doctors of the Church in 1970. Her spiritual testament is found in The Dialogue.
SATURDAY, MAY 1. St. Joseph the Worker. Apparently in response to the “May Day” celebrations for workers sponsored by Communists, Pius XII instituted the feast of St. Joseph the Worker in 1955. But the relationship between Joseph and the cause of workers has a much longer history.
In a constantly necessary effort to keep Jesus from being removed from ordinary human life, the Church has from the beginning proudly emphasized that Jesus was a carpenter, obviously trained by Joseph in both the satisfactions and the drudgery of that vocation. Humanity is like God not only in thinking and loving, but also in creating. Whether we make a table or a cathedral, we are called to bear fruit with our hands and mind, ultimately for the building up of the Body of Christ.
SUNDAY MAY 9. Mother's Day. Consider sending your mom, or a mom who needs help and support, some fair traded chocolate, coffee, tea or another such product. Visit Catholic Relief Services Fair Trade website at http://www.crsfairtrade.org.
SHARING HOPE IN HARD ECONOMIC TIMES.
Get ready. Catholic Charities will be launching its seventh annual First Step for Change campaign next week. Will your parish be participating? If not, you can mail your individual contribution to Catholic Charities, First Step for Change, P. O. Box 614, Youngstown, Ohio 44501. Funds collected through this special effort are forwarded to the Catholic Charities agency serving the donor’s county/community.
Reflection: Pray for all those touched by our difficult economic times. You may even be praying for yourself!
Prayer Intention: That all will have been affected by our economic decline may find hope in these tough times.
PAPAL INTENTIONS:
APRIL 2010
Fundamentalism and Extremism
General: That every tendency to fundamentalism and extremism may be countered by constant respect, by tolerance and by dialogue among all believers.
Persecuted Christians
Missionary: That Christians persecuted for the sake of the Gospel may persevere, sustained by the Holy Spirit, in faithfully witnessing to the love of God for the entire human race.
MAY 2010
Human Trafficking
General: That the shameful and monstrous commerce in human beings, which sadly involves millions of women and children, may be ended.
Priests, Religious and Committed Lay People
Missionary: That ordained ministers, religious women and men, and lay people involved in apostolic work may understand how to infuse missionary enthusiasm into the communities entrusted to their care.
Corporal Works of Mercy: The seven practices of charity toward our neighbor
Feed the hungry
Give drink to the thirsty
Clothe the naked
Shelter the homeless
Visit the sick
Visit those in prison
Bury the dead
See our website at www.catholiccharitiesyoungstown.org for links to the our ministries and services.
For more information on Catholic Social Doctrine and its connection to our ministries, visit my blog at: http://corbinchurchthinking.blogspot.com/
VISION: Believing in the presence of God in our midst, we proclaim the sanctity of human life and the dignity of the person by sharing in the mission of Jesus given to the Church. To this end, Catholic Charities works with individuals, families, and communities to help them meet their needs, address their issues, eliminate oppression, and build a just and compassionate society.
MISSION: Rooted in the Mission of the Diocese of Youngstown "to minister to the people in the six counties of northeastern Ohio . . .(and) to the world community", we are called to provide service to people in need, to advocate for justice in social structures, and to call the entire Church and other people of good will to do the same.
GOALS: Catholic Charities is devoted to helping meet basic human needs, strengthening families, building communities and empowering low-income people. Working to reduce poverty in half by 2020.
KEY VALUE: Hospitality
WHAT WE DO: Organizing Love. "As a community, the Church must practise love. Love thus needs to be organized if it is to be an ordered service to the community" (Deus Caritas Est, par. 20)
On Sunday (Fourth Sunday of Easter, Cycle C, http://www.usccb.org/nab/042510.shtml) we read how Jesus and the Father are One, and that like a Good Shepherd, Jesus leads his sheep. That "Oneness" recognizes the unity between the Father and the Son -- and the Holy Spirit -- who empowers us to live in the love of God. Filled with the Holy Spirit, we hear how the early Church proclaimed the Good News of Jesus' message despite criticisms, attacks and jealousy. The disciples, who experienced the "Oneness" with Jesus and thus God, were filled with great joy as they continued to preach the Good News and healed people.
In Catholic Charities http://www.ccdoy.org we too share with joy the Good News of Jesus' healing and compassion through each encounter we have with a person who comes to our door. As a ministry of the Church, we share that unity with all other Catholic Charities -- or Caritas -- agencies throughout the world. Just recently, the people of the Diocese of Youngstown collected over $329,000.00 for Catholic Relief Services to help rebuild Haiti. Thanks for all your support and generosity.
Reflection from Pope Benedict XVI's Encyclical, Caritas in Veritate
"This means that moral evaluation and scientific research must go hand in hand, and that charity must animate them in a harmonious interdisciplinary whole, marked by unity and distinction. The Church's social doctrine, which has 'an important interdisciplinary dimension', can exercise, in this perspective, a function of extraordinary effectiveness. It allows faith, theology, metaphysics and science to come together in a collaborative effort in the service of humanity. It is here above all that the Church's social doctrine displays its dimension of wisdom. Paul VI had seen clearly that among the causes of underdevelopment there is a lack of wisdom and reflection, a lack of thinking capable of formulating a guiding synthesis, for which 'a clear vision of all economic, social, cultural and spiritual aspects' is required. The excessive segmentation of knowledge, the rejection of metaphysics by the human sciences, the difficulties encountered by dialogue between science and theology are damaging not only to the development of knowledge, but also to the development of peoples, because these things make it harder to see the integral good of man in its various dimensions. The 'broadening [of] our concept of reason and its application' is indispensable if we are to succeed in adequately weighing all the elements involved in the question of development and in the solution of socio-economic problems."(par. 31)
http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/encyclicals/documents/hf_ben-xvi_enc_20090629_caritas-in-veritate_en.htm
Some important date(s) this week:
http://www.americancatholic.org/Features/Saints/ByDate.aspx
SUNDAY, APRIL 25. St. Pedro de San Jose Betancur, 1626-1667. Central America can claim its first saint with the July 30 canonization of Pedro de Betancur by Pope John Paul II in Guatemala City. Known as the "St. Francis of the Americas," Pedro de Betancur is the first saint to have worked and died in Guatemala.
Calling the new saint an “outstanding example” of Christian mercy, the Holy Father noted that St. Pedro practiced mercy “heroically with the lowliest and the most deprived.” Speaking to the estimated 500,000 Guatemalans in attendance, the Holy Father spoke of the social ills that plague the country today and of the need for change.
“Let us think of the children and young people who are homeless or deprived of an education; of abandoned women with their many needs; of the hordes of social outcasts who live in the cities; of the victims of organized crime, of prostitution or of drugs; of the sick who are neglected and the elderly who live in loneliness,” he said in his homily during the three-hour liturgy.
Pedro very much wanted to become a priest, but God had other plans for the young man born into a poor family on Tenerife in the Canary Islands. Pedro was a shepherd until age 24, when he began to make his way to Guatemala, hoping to connect with a relative engaged in government service there. By the time he reached Havana, he was out of money. After working there to earn more, he got to Guatemala City the following year. When he arrived he was so destitute that he joined the bread line which the Franciscans had established.
Soon, Pedro enrolled in the local Jesuit college in hopes of studying for the priesthood. No matter how hard he tried, however, he could not master the material; he withdrew from school. In 1655 he joined the Secular Franciscan Order. Three years later he opened a hospital for the convalescent poor; a shelter for the homeless and a school for the poor soon followed. Not wanting to neglect the rich of Guatemala City, Pedro began walking through their part of town ringing a bell and inviting them to repent.
Other men came to share in Pedro's work. Out of this group came the Bethlehemite Congregation, which won papal approval after Pedro's death. A Bethlehemite sisters' community, similarly founded after Pedro's death, was inspired by his life of prayer and compassion.
He is sometimes credited with originating the Christmas Eve posadas procession in which people representing Mary and Joseph seek a night's lodging from their neighbors. The custom soon spread to Mexico and other Central American countries.
THURSDAY, APRIL 29. St. Catherine of Siena, 1347-1380
Her public influence reached great heights because of her evident holiness, her membership in the Dominican Third Order, and the deep impression she made on the pope. She worked tirelessly for the crusade against the Turks and for peace between Florence and the pope
In 1378, the Great Schism began, splitting the allegiance of Christendom between two, then three, popes and putting even saints on opposing sides. Catherine spent the last two years of her life in Rome, in prayer and pleading on behalf of the cause of Urban VI and the unity of the Church. She offered herself as a victim for the Church in its agony. She died surrounded by her "children."
Catherine ranks high among the mystics and spiritual writers of the Church. In 1939, she and Francis of Assisi were declared co-patrons of Italy. Paul VI named her and Teresa of Avila doctors of the Church in 1970. Her spiritual testament is found in The Dialogue.
SATURDAY, MAY 1. St. Joseph the Worker. Apparently in response to the “May Day” celebrations for workers sponsored by Communists, Pius XII instituted the feast of St. Joseph the Worker in 1955. But the relationship between Joseph and the cause of workers has a much longer history.
In a constantly necessary effort to keep Jesus from being removed from ordinary human life, the Church has from the beginning proudly emphasized that Jesus was a carpenter, obviously trained by Joseph in both the satisfactions and the drudgery of that vocation. Humanity is like God not only in thinking and loving, but also in creating. Whether we make a table or a cathedral, we are called to bear fruit with our hands and mind, ultimately for the building up of the Body of Christ.
SUNDAY MAY 9. Mother's Day. Consider sending your mom, or a mom who needs help and support, some fair traded chocolate, coffee, tea or another such product. Visit Catholic Relief Services Fair Trade website at http://www.crsfairtrade.org.
SHARING HOPE IN HARD ECONOMIC TIMES.
Get ready. Catholic Charities will be launching its seventh annual First Step for Change campaign next week. Will your parish be participating? If not, you can mail your individual contribution to Catholic Charities, First Step for Change, P. O. Box 614, Youngstown, Ohio 44501. Funds collected through this special effort are forwarded to the Catholic Charities agency serving the donor’s county/community.
Reflection: Pray for all those touched by our difficult economic times. You may even be praying for yourself!
Prayer Intention: That all will have been affected by our economic decline may find hope in these tough times.
PAPAL INTENTIONS:
APRIL 2010
Fundamentalism and Extremism
General: That every tendency to fundamentalism and extremism may be countered by constant respect, by tolerance and by dialogue among all believers.
Persecuted Christians
Missionary: That Christians persecuted for the sake of the Gospel may persevere, sustained by the Holy Spirit, in faithfully witnessing to the love of God for the entire human race.
MAY 2010
Human Trafficking
General: That the shameful and monstrous commerce in human beings, which sadly involves millions of women and children, may be ended.
Priests, Religious and Committed Lay People
Missionary: That ordained ministers, religious women and men, and lay people involved in apostolic work may understand how to infuse missionary enthusiasm into the communities entrusted to their care.
Corporal Works of Mercy: The seven practices of charity toward our neighbor
Feed the hungry
Give drink to the thirsty
Clothe the naked
Shelter the homeless
Visit the sick
Visit those in prison
Bury the dead
See our website at www.catholiccharitiesyoungstown.org for links to the our ministries and services.
For more information on Catholic Social Doctrine and its connection to our ministries, visit my blog at: http://corbinchurchthinking.blogspot.com/
Sunday, April 18, 2010
MONDAY MORNING MISSION MEDITATION for the week of April 18, 2010
Catholic Charities. Providing Help. Creating Hope.
VISION: Believing in the presence of God in our midst, we proclaim the sanctity of human life and the dignity of the person by sharing in the mission of Jesus given to the Church. To this end, Catholic Charities works with individuals, families, and communities to help them meet their needs, address their issues, eliminate oppression, and build a just and compassionate society.
MISSION: Rooted in the Mission of the Diocese of Youngstown "to minister to the people in the six counties of northeastern Ohio . . .(and) to the world community", we are called to provide service to people in need, to advocate for justice in social structures, and to call the entire Church and other people of good will to do the same.
GOALS: Catholic Charities is devoted to helping meet basic human needs, strengthening families, building communities and empowering low-income people. Working to reduce poverty in half by 2020.
KEY VALUE: Hospitality
WHAT WE DO: Organizing Love. "As a community, the Church must practise love. Love thus needs to be organized if it is to be an ordered service to the community" (Deus Caritas Est, par. 20)
On Sunday (Third Sunday of Easter, Cycle C, http://www.usccb.org/nab/041810.shtml) we read how the Apostles praised God for empowering them to witness to the name of Jesus. We hear how Jesus, according to John's Gospel, appears to his Apostles again, for the third time. In this encounter, those engaged in their daily work of fishing find no catch in the watch of the night. But as the morning dawns, Jesus engages them to toss the nets over on the other side. With their acknowledgement that "it is the Lord," the men catch an abundance of fish. Then Jesus, ever the practical man, enjoins the disciples to eat breakfast with them -- a sharing and breaking of bread as a remembrance of his dying and rising. Then Peter stands there: will Jesus remember his three time denials in the courtyard? What will Jesus say to him? Is it over? Rather we see the Risen Lord calling upon Peter to love him and to follow him. Jesus forgives and loves in abundance...just like that incredible catch of fish. Jesus brings abundance with every encounter. We are called, in turn, to "follow" Him and do the same.
In Catholic Charities http://www.ccdoy.org we too continue to witness to the Lord's abundance. Maybe we are not able to give exactly what every person/family who comes to our door wants or may even need, but we aim to provide an abundance of care, concern and love. We continue Jesus' command to "follow" Him by being that sign of the Church of the healing presence of the Risen Christ, being ever practical to the point of asking: come eat breakfast, have a cup of coffee, what can we do for you today? We are glad that we are partners with the Society of St. Vincent de Paul in many areas of the Diocese in order to help each person/family that comes to our door.
Reflection from Pope Benedict XVI's Encyclical, Caritas in Veritate:
http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/encyclicals/documents/hf_ben-xvi_enc_20090629_caritas-in-veritate_en.htm
Some important date(s) this week: http://www.americancatholic.org/Features/Saints/ByDate.aspx
MONDAY, APRIL 19. Blessed Luchesio and Buonadonna d. 1260. Luchesio and his wife Buonadonna wanted to follow St. Francis as a married couple. Thus they set in motion the Secular Franciscan Order.
Luchesio and Buonadonna lived in Poggibonzi where he was a greedy merchant. Meeting Francis—probably in 1213—changed his life. He began to perform many works of charity. At first Buonadonna was not as enthusiastic about giving so much away as Luchesio was. One day after complaining that he was giving everything to strangers, Buonadonna answered the door only to find someone else needing help. Luchesio asked her to give the poor man some bread. She frowned but went to the pantry anyway. There she discovered more bread than had been there the last time she looked. She soon became as zealous for a poor and simple life as Luchesio was. They sold the business, farmed enough land to provide for their needs and distributed the rest to the poor.
To meet this desire, Francis set up the Secular Franciscan Order. Francis wrote a simple Rule for the Third Order (Secular Franciscans) at first; Pope Honorius III approved a more formally worded Rule in 1221.
The charity of Luchesio drew the poor to him, and, like many other saints, he and Buonadonna seemed never to lack the resources to help these people.
TUESDAY, APRIL 20. St. Conrad of Parzham, 1818-1894. Conrad spent most of his life as porter in Altoetting, Bavaria, letting people into the friary and indirectly encouraging them to let God into their lives. As porter he dealt with many people, obtaining many of the friary supplies and generously providing for the poor who came to the door. He treated them all with the courtesy Francis expected of his followers. Conrad also developed a special rapport with the children of the area. He enthusiastically promoted the Seraphic Work of Charity, which aided neglected children.
SATURDAY, APRIL 24. St. Fidelis of Sigmaringen, 1577-1622. If a poor man needed some clothing, Fidelis would often give the man the clothes right off his back. Complete generosity to others characterized this saint's life. Born in 1577, Mark Rey (Fidelis was his religious name) became a lawyer who constantly upheld the causes of the poor and oppressed people. Nicknamed "the poor man's lawyer," Fidelis soon grew disgusted with the corruption and injustice he saw among his colleagues. He left his law career to become a priest, joining his brother George as a member of the Capuchin Order. His wealth was divided between needy seminarians and the poor.
As a follower of Francis, Fidelis continued his devotion to the weak and needy. Once, during a severe epidemic in a city where he was guardian of a friary, Fidelis cared for and cured many sick soldiers.
Note: Please consider joining our
FACEBOOK CAUSE http://apps.facebook.com/causes/106889
FACEBOOK GROUP http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=461833870606
TWITTER account, CCDOY, http://twitter.com/CCDOY
for current updates and calls to action that we can all use.
Sharing Hope In Tough Times: Catholic Charities Responds to Families Facing Economic Crisis
Last year, Catholic Charities provided fiscal literacy and money management education to 1,893 people.
PAPAL INTENTIONS: APRIL 2010
Fundamentalism and Extremism
General: That every tendency to fundamentalism and extremism may be countered by constant respect, by tolerance and by dialogue among all believers.
Persecuted Christians
Missionary: That Christians persecuted for the sake of the Gospel may persevere, sustained by the Holy Spirit, in faithfully witnessing to the love of God for the entire human race.
Corporal Works of Mercy: The seven practices of charity toward our neighbor
See our website at www.catholiccharitiesyoungstown.org for links to the our ministries and services.
For more information on Catholic Social Doctrine and its connection to our ministries, visit my blog at: http://corbinchurchthinking.blogspot.com/
VISION: Believing in the presence of God in our midst, we proclaim the sanctity of human life and the dignity of the person by sharing in the mission of Jesus given to the Church. To this end, Catholic Charities works with individuals, families, and communities to help them meet their needs, address their issues, eliminate oppression, and build a just and compassionate society.
MISSION: Rooted in the Mission of the Diocese of Youngstown "to minister to the people in the six counties of northeastern Ohio . . .(and) to the world community", we are called to provide service to people in need, to advocate for justice in social structures, and to call the entire Church and other people of good will to do the same.
GOALS: Catholic Charities is devoted to helping meet basic human needs, strengthening families, building communities and empowering low-income people. Working to reduce poverty in half by 2020.
KEY VALUE: Hospitality
WHAT WE DO: Organizing Love. "As a community, the Church must practise love. Love thus needs to be organized if it is to be an ordered service to the community" (Deus Caritas Est, par. 20)
On Sunday (Third Sunday of Easter, Cycle C, http://www.usccb.org/nab/041810.shtml) we read how the Apostles praised God for empowering them to witness to the name of Jesus. We hear how Jesus, according to John's Gospel, appears to his Apostles again, for the third time. In this encounter, those engaged in their daily work of fishing find no catch in the watch of the night. But as the morning dawns, Jesus engages them to toss the nets over on the other side. With their acknowledgement that "it is the Lord," the men catch an abundance of fish. Then Jesus, ever the practical man, enjoins the disciples to eat breakfast with them -- a sharing and breaking of bread as a remembrance of his dying and rising. Then Peter stands there: will Jesus remember his three time denials in the courtyard? What will Jesus say to him? Is it over? Rather we see the Risen Lord calling upon Peter to love him and to follow him. Jesus forgives and loves in abundance...just like that incredible catch of fish. Jesus brings abundance with every encounter. We are called, in turn, to "follow" Him and do the same.
In Catholic Charities http://www.ccdoy.org we too continue to witness to the Lord's abundance. Maybe we are not able to give exactly what every person/family who comes to our door wants or may even need, but we aim to provide an abundance of care, concern and love. We continue Jesus' command to "follow" Him by being that sign of the Church of the healing presence of the Risen Christ, being ever practical to the point of asking: come eat breakfast, have a cup of coffee, what can we do for you today? We are glad that we are partners with the Society of St. Vincent de Paul in many areas of the Diocese in order to help each person/family that comes to our door.
Reflection from Pope Benedict XVI's Encyclical, Caritas in Veritate:
"In this context, the theme of integral human development takes on an even broader range of meanings: the correlation between its multiple elements requires a commitment to foster the interaction of the different levels of human knowledge in order to promote the authentic development of peoples. Often it is thought that development, or the socio-economic measures that go with it, merely require to be implemented through joint action. This joint action, however, needs to be given direction, because 'all social action involves a doctrine'. In view of the complexity of the issues, it is obvious that the various disciplines have to work together through an orderly interdisciplinary exchange. Charity does not exclude knowledge, but rather requires, promotes, and animates it from within. Knowledge is never purely the work of the intellect. It can certainly be reduced to calculation and experiment, but if it aspires to be wisdom capable of directing man in the light of his first beginnings and his final ends, it must be 'seasoned' with the 'salt' of charity. Deeds without knowledge are blind, and knowledge without love is sterile. Indeed, 'the individual who is animated by true charity labours skilfully to discover the causes of misery, to find the means to combat it, to overcome it resolutely'. Faced with the phenomena that lie before us, charity in truth requires first of all that we know and understand, acknowledging and respecting the specific competence of every level of knowledge. Charity is not an added extra, like an appendix to work already concluded in each of the various disciplines: it engages them in dialogue from the very beginning. The demands of love do not contradict those of reason. Human knowledge is insufficient and the conclusions of science cannot indicate by themselves the path towards integral human development. There is always a need to push further ahead: this is what is required by charity in truth. Going beyond, however, never means prescinding from the conclusions of reason, nor contradicting its results. Intelligence and love are not in separate compartments: love is rich in intelligence and intelligence is full of love."
(par. 30)
http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/encyclicals/documents/hf_ben-xvi_enc_20090629_caritas-in-veritate_en.htm
Some important date(s) this week: http://www.americancatholic.org/Features/Saints/ByDate.aspx
MONDAY, APRIL 19. Blessed Luchesio and Buonadonna d. 1260. Luchesio and his wife Buonadonna wanted to follow St. Francis as a married couple. Thus they set in motion the Secular Franciscan Order.
Luchesio and Buonadonna lived in Poggibonzi where he was a greedy merchant. Meeting Francis—probably in 1213—changed his life. He began to perform many works of charity. At first Buonadonna was not as enthusiastic about giving so much away as Luchesio was. One day after complaining that he was giving everything to strangers, Buonadonna answered the door only to find someone else needing help. Luchesio asked her to give the poor man some bread. She frowned but went to the pantry anyway. There she discovered more bread than had been there the last time she looked. She soon became as zealous for a poor and simple life as Luchesio was. They sold the business, farmed enough land to provide for their needs and distributed the rest to the poor.
To meet this desire, Francis set up the Secular Franciscan Order. Francis wrote a simple Rule for the Third Order (Secular Franciscans) at first; Pope Honorius III approved a more formally worded Rule in 1221.
The charity of Luchesio drew the poor to him, and, like many other saints, he and Buonadonna seemed never to lack the resources to help these people.
TUESDAY, APRIL 20. St. Conrad of Parzham, 1818-1894. Conrad spent most of his life as porter in Altoetting, Bavaria, letting people into the friary and indirectly encouraging them to let God into their lives. As porter he dealt with many people, obtaining many of the friary supplies and generously providing for the poor who came to the door. He treated them all with the courtesy Francis expected of his followers. Conrad also developed a special rapport with the children of the area. He enthusiastically promoted the Seraphic Work of Charity, which aided neglected children.
SATURDAY, APRIL 24. St. Fidelis of Sigmaringen, 1577-1622. If a poor man needed some clothing, Fidelis would often give the man the clothes right off his back. Complete generosity to others characterized this saint's life. Born in 1577, Mark Rey (Fidelis was his religious name) became a lawyer who constantly upheld the causes of the poor and oppressed people. Nicknamed "the poor man's lawyer," Fidelis soon grew disgusted with the corruption and injustice he saw among his colleagues. He left his law career to become a priest, joining his brother George as a member of the Capuchin Order. His wealth was divided between needy seminarians and the poor.
As a follower of Francis, Fidelis continued his devotion to the weak and needy. Once, during a severe epidemic in a city where he was guardian of a friary, Fidelis cared for and cured many sick soldiers.
Note: Please consider joining our
FACEBOOK CAUSE http://apps.facebook.com/causes/106889
FACEBOOK GROUP http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=461833870606
TWITTER account, CCDOY, http://twitter.com/CCDOY
for current updates and calls to action that we can all use.
Sharing Hope In Tough Times: Catholic Charities Responds to Families Facing Economic Crisis
Last year, Catholic Charities provided fiscal literacy and money management education to 1,893 people.
PAPAL INTENTIONS: APRIL 2010
Fundamentalism and Extremism
General: That every tendency to fundamentalism and extremism may be countered by constant respect, by tolerance and by dialogue among all believers.
Persecuted Christians
Missionary: That Christians persecuted for the sake of the Gospel may persevere, sustained by the Holy Spirit, in faithfully witnessing to the love of God for the entire human race.
Corporal Works of Mercy: The seven practices of charity toward our neighbor
Feed the hungry
Give drink to the thirsty
Clothe the naked
Shelter the homeless
Visit the sick
Visit those in prison
Bury the dead
See our website at www.catholiccharitiesyoungstown.org for links to the our ministries and services.
For more information on Catholic Social Doctrine and its connection to our ministries, visit my blog at: http://corbinchurchthinking.blogspot.com/
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Holy See on Children and Mortality
"Governments Must Continue to Address the Urgent Health Needs of Children"
NEW YORK, APRIL 13, 2010 ( Zenit.org ).- Here is the address Archbishop Celestino Migliore, permanent observer of the Holy See at the United Nations, delivered Monday before the Economic and Social Council's commission on population and development.
* * *
Mr. Chairman,
As this Commission on Population and Development convenes in the midst of an ongoing economic and financial crisis, we would do well to listen to a growing opinion among economists that demographic trends are part of the problem and cannot be overlooked as an important part of the solution. The demographic crisis that in a few decades has brought down annual population growth rates from 7% to below 1% in many parts of the world, in tandem with the aging of the population, has resulted in devastating effects for the economy and governance.
The correction of the population deficit with constant immigration does not seem to resolve the problems even in the short term. The same demographic policies that caused population growth rates to plunge to unsustainable levels need to be reviewed and re-designed along with appropriate social policies to encourage births.
Among the topics assigned to this year’s CPD session, global health, morbidity, mortality and development, the preparatory documents focus mainly on maternal mortality.
According to UN statistics there are some half-million maternal deaths annually of which approximately ninety-nine per cent occur in developing countries. Not only do the lives of these mothers end in tragedy but also the lives of their babies begin in turmoil. In the aftermath, the chance of survival of their young children decreases dramatically resulting in the disintegration of their families and hindrance to local development.
Sadly, these deaths represent only the tip of the iceberg. It is estimated that for every mortality, thirty more women suffer long-term damage to their health, such as from obstetric fistulae. The physical devastation caused by fistulae makes them complete outcasts and isolated by family and society. They suffer pain, humiliation, and lifelong disability if not treated. World-wide perhaps two million of these poor, young and forgotten mothers are living with the problem, most of whom are in Africa. These deaths of mothers and babies are all the more shameful especially since they are readily preventable and treatable.
The consensus of the obstetrical community is that mothers need essential prenatal care, skilled attendants at all deliveries and specialist care for life threatening complications. And yet, programs focused on providing the services that ensure mothers and their babies survive pregnancy are badly underfunded.
Investments in education and long-term development programs can provide communities with the means for improving their own health. However, the emigration of individuals with medical knowledge and skills from developing countries results in the loss of the very expertise and people necessary to improve the health-care systems in those countries.
In addition, governments must continue to address the urgent health needs of children around the world. In 2008 alone, there were over 243 million cases of malaria leading to over 800,000 deaths. Similarly, treatable and avoidable respiratory infections, digestive diseases and illnesses resulting from inadequate nutrition continue to be the main causes of death for children in the developing world. Diseases which long have been eliminated in developed countries continue to devastate children in the developing world and global solidarity is necessary to ensure that poor children have access to necessary medication and nutrition.
Mr. Chairman,
In extending health care to all, civil society, including faith-based organizations, must be an engaged partner. In many corners of the globe, Catholic hospitals and clinics continue to be the front-line providers for primary health care, in particular to the most marginalized of society. These nonprofit organizations provide care to those whom society has left behind or for whom offering services is too difficult or too dangerous. By living with and amongst those they serve these organizations promote solidarity within the community and contribute a unique understanding of the community’s needs.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
NEW YORK, APRIL 13, 2010 ( Zenit.org ).- Here is the address Archbishop Celestino Migliore, permanent observer of the Holy See at the United Nations, delivered Monday before the Economic and Social Council's commission on population and development.
* * *
Mr. Chairman,
As this Commission on Population and Development convenes in the midst of an ongoing economic and financial crisis, we would do well to listen to a growing opinion among economists that demographic trends are part of the problem and cannot be overlooked as an important part of the solution. The demographic crisis that in a few decades has brought down annual population growth rates from 7% to below 1% in many parts of the world, in tandem with the aging of the population, has resulted in devastating effects for the economy and governance.
The correction of the population deficit with constant immigration does not seem to resolve the problems even in the short term. The same demographic policies that caused population growth rates to plunge to unsustainable levels need to be reviewed and re-designed along with appropriate social policies to encourage births.
Among the topics assigned to this year’s CPD session, global health, morbidity, mortality and development, the preparatory documents focus mainly on maternal mortality.
According to UN statistics there are some half-million maternal deaths annually of which approximately ninety-nine per cent occur in developing countries. Not only do the lives of these mothers end in tragedy but also the lives of their babies begin in turmoil. In the aftermath, the chance of survival of their young children decreases dramatically resulting in the disintegration of their families and hindrance to local development.
Sadly, these deaths represent only the tip of the iceberg. It is estimated that for every mortality, thirty more women suffer long-term damage to their health, such as from obstetric fistulae. The physical devastation caused by fistulae makes them complete outcasts and isolated by family and society. They suffer pain, humiliation, and lifelong disability if not treated. World-wide perhaps two million of these poor, young and forgotten mothers are living with the problem, most of whom are in Africa. These deaths of mothers and babies are all the more shameful especially since they are readily preventable and treatable.
The consensus of the obstetrical community is that mothers need essential prenatal care, skilled attendants at all deliveries and specialist care for life threatening complications. And yet, programs focused on providing the services that ensure mothers and their babies survive pregnancy are badly underfunded.
Investments in education and long-term development programs can provide communities with the means for improving their own health. However, the emigration of individuals with medical knowledge and skills from developing countries results in the loss of the very expertise and people necessary to improve the health-care systems in those countries.
In addition, governments must continue to address the urgent health needs of children around the world. In 2008 alone, there were over 243 million cases of malaria leading to over 800,000 deaths. Similarly, treatable and avoidable respiratory infections, digestive diseases and illnesses resulting from inadequate nutrition continue to be the main causes of death for children in the developing world. Diseases which long have been eliminated in developed countries continue to devastate children in the developing world and global solidarity is necessary to ensure that poor children have access to necessary medication and nutrition.
Mr. Chairman,
In extending health care to all, civil society, including faith-based organizations, must be an engaged partner. In many corners of the globe, Catholic hospitals and clinics continue to be the front-line providers for primary health care, in particular to the most marginalized of society. These nonprofit organizations provide care to those whom society has left behind or for whom offering services is too difficult or too dangerous. By living with and amongst those they serve these organizations promote solidarity within the community and contribute a unique understanding of the community’s needs.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Holy See Welcomes US-Russia Nuclear Deal
Spokesman Says It’s a Step on the Right Path
VATICAN CITY, APRIL 12, 2010 ( Zenit.org ).- A Vatican spokesman welcomed as “good news” the signing of the START-2 Treaty by Russia and the United States.
The presidents of the Cold War antagonists signed the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty last Thursday in Prague.
Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi, director of the Vatican press office, spoke of the event during the most recent edition of Vatican Television’s “Octava Dies.”
The spokesman characterized the treaty as ending a situation of deadlock and renewing the path to arms reduction, “and -- we hope -- the elimination of the most dangerous bellicose arsenals."
The new treaty replaces the recently expired 1991 START agreement. It reduces the strategic warheads permitted both countries to 1,550, down from a previous limit of 2,200.
The nuclear arms allowed by the treaty "continue to be sufficient to destroy our planet,” Father Lombardi said, “but their number is inferior to that of the times of the unlimited, futile and mad, nuclear arms race."
"To talk of peace, confidence and solidarity, when still thousands of very powerful nuclear warheads are calibrated is probably optimistic, but the path is appropriate and it is urgent to continue following it," the spokesman reflected. "In this way, there is more credibility to speak of nuclear non-proliferation to other countries with nuclear ambitions, and immense economic, scientific and human resources can be allocated to the most urgent needs of humanity and its development.
“Every effort in this sense will be encouraged and the Church will always be on the side of the agents of peace.”
VATICAN CITY, APRIL 12, 2010 ( Zenit.org ).- A Vatican spokesman welcomed as “good news” the signing of the START-2 Treaty by Russia and the United States.
The presidents of the Cold War antagonists signed the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty last Thursday in Prague.
Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi, director of the Vatican press office, spoke of the event during the most recent edition of Vatican Television’s “Octava Dies.”
The spokesman characterized the treaty as ending a situation of deadlock and renewing the path to arms reduction, “and -- we hope -- the elimination of the most dangerous bellicose arsenals."
The new treaty replaces the recently expired 1991 START agreement. It reduces the strategic warheads permitted both countries to 1,550, down from a previous limit of 2,200.
The nuclear arms allowed by the treaty "continue to be sufficient to destroy our planet,” Father Lombardi said, “but their number is inferior to that of the times of the unlimited, futile and mad, nuclear arms race."
"To talk of peace, confidence and solidarity, when still thousands of very powerful nuclear warheads are calibrated is probably optimistic, but the path is appropriate and it is urgent to continue following it," the spokesman reflected. "In this way, there is more credibility to speak of nuclear non-proliferation to other countries with nuclear ambitions, and immense economic, scientific and human resources can be allocated to the most urgent needs of humanity and its development.
“Every effort in this sense will be encouraged and the Church will always be on the side of the agents of peace.”
Saturday, April 10, 2010
MONDAY MORNING MISSION MEDITATION for the week of April 11, 2010
Catholic Charities. Providing Help. Creating Hope.
VISION: Believing in the presence of God in our midst, we proclaim the sanctity of human life and the dignity of the person by sharing in the mission of Jesus given to the Church. To this end, Catholic Charities works with individuals, families, and communities to help them meet their needs, address their issues, eliminate oppression, and build a just and compassionate society.
MISSION: Rooted in the Mission of the Diocese of Youngstown "to minister to the people in the six counties of northeastern Ohio . . .(and) to the world community", we are called to provide service to people in need, to advocate for justice in social structures, and to call the entire Church and other people of good will to do the same.
GOALS: Catholic Charities is devoted to helping meet basic human needs, strengthening families, building communities and empowering low-income people. Working to reduce poverty in half by 2020.
KEY VALUE: Hospitality
WHAT WE DO: Organizing Love. "As a community, the Church must practise love. Love thus needs to be organized if it is to be an ordered service to the community" (Deus Caritas Est, par. 20)
On Sunday (Second Sunday of Easter, Divine Mercy Sunday, Cycle C http://www.usccb.org/nab/041110.shtml) we read the story of Jesus' appearance to his disciples a week after His resurrection. The Apostle Thomas had not been present at that first appearance immediately after Jesus' resurrection, and claimed that he would, or could, not accept the news of Jesus' presence unless he could touch Him. Jesus gives Thomas that opportunity; with that moment, Thomas proclaims his belief. Jesus reminds us today how believing without seeing is a graced moment. We also hear in the Acts of the Apostles how many signs were done by Jesus' disciples in that many "believed;" in fact, without ever "seeing" Jesus, the power of the Spirit living in the Apostles provided healing to those needing a cure with the simple passing of the shadow of Peter's cloak.
In Catholic Charities http://www.ccdoy.org we believe in the power of the Good News of the Resurrection and continue to provide healing to those who seek relief and help. The Spirit that Jesus breathed on his disciples continues to blow in the work of Catholic Charities in that each person, family, and community can be touched with the love, mercy and peace of God. The Easter news of abundant life remains the center of our work of help and our message hope.
Reflection from Pope Benedict XVI's Encyclical, Caritas in Veritate:
http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/encyclicals/documents/hf_ben-xvi_enc_20090629_caritas-in-veritate_en.htm
Some important date(s) this week: http://www.americancatholic.org/Features/Saints/ByDate.aspx
SUNDAY, APRIL 11.
SATURDAY APRIL 17. St. Benedict Joseph Labre (d. 1783) was truly eccentric, one of God's special little ones. Born in France and the eldest of 18 children, he studied under his uncle, a parish priest. Because of poor health and a lack of suitable academic preparation he was unsuccessful in his attempts to enter the religious life. Then, at 16 years of age, a profound change took place. Benedict lost his desire to study and gave up all thoughts of the priesthood, much to the consternation of his relatives.
He became a pilgrim, traveling from one great shrine to another, living off alms. He wore the rags of a beggar and shared his food with the poor. Filled with the love of God and neighbor, Benedict had special devotion to the Blessed Mother and to the Blessed Sacrament. In Rome, where he lived in the Colosseum for a time, he was called "the poor man of the Forty Hours Devotion" and "the beggar of Rome." The people accepted his ragged appearance better than he did. His excuse to himself was that "our comfort is not in this world." He was officially proclaimed a saint by Pope Leo XIII at canonization ceremonies in 1883. He is the patron saint of the homeless.
Note: Please consider joining our
FACEBOOK CAUSE http://apps.facebook.com/causes/106889
FACEBOOK GROUP http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=461833870606
TWITTER account, CCDOY, http://twitter.com/CCDOY
for current updates and calls to action that we can all use.
Sharing Hope In Tough Times: Catholic Charities Responds to Families Facing Economic Crisis
Catholic Charities asks you to please support the 2010 Bishop’s Appeal for Catholic Charities and Church. Sixty-six percent (66%) of the funds collected in the Appeal help to fund the programs and services offered by Catholic Charities agencies throughout the Diocese of Youngstown.
PAPAL INTENTIONS:
APRIL 2010
Fundamentalism and Extremism
General: That every tendency to fundamentalism and extremism may be countered by constant respect, by tolerance and by dialogue among all believers.
Persecuted Christians
Missionary: That Christians persecuted for the sake of the Gospel may persevere, sustained by the Holy Spirit, in faithfully witnessing to the love of God for the entire human race.
Corporal Works of Mercy: The seven practices of charity toward our neighbor
See our website at www.catholiccharitiesyoungstown.org for links to the our ministries and services.
For more information on Catholic Social Doctrine and its connection to our ministries, visit my blog at: http://corbinchurchthinking.blogspot.com/
VISION: Believing in the presence of God in our midst, we proclaim the sanctity of human life and the dignity of the person by sharing in the mission of Jesus given to the Church. To this end, Catholic Charities works with individuals, families, and communities to help them meet their needs, address their issues, eliminate oppression, and build a just and compassionate society.
MISSION: Rooted in the Mission of the Diocese of Youngstown "to minister to the people in the six counties of northeastern Ohio . . .(and) to the world community", we are called to provide service to people in need, to advocate for justice in social structures, and to call the entire Church and other people of good will to do the same.
GOALS: Catholic Charities is devoted to helping meet basic human needs, strengthening families, building communities and empowering low-income people. Working to reduce poverty in half by 2020.
KEY VALUE: Hospitality
WHAT WE DO: Organizing Love. "As a community, the Church must practise love. Love thus needs to be organized if it is to be an ordered service to the community" (Deus Caritas Est, par. 20)
On Sunday (Second Sunday of Easter, Divine Mercy Sunday, Cycle C http://www.usccb.org/nab/041110.shtml) we read the story of Jesus' appearance to his disciples a week after His resurrection. The Apostle Thomas had not been present at that first appearance immediately after Jesus' resurrection, and claimed that he would, or could, not accept the news of Jesus' presence unless he could touch Him. Jesus gives Thomas that opportunity; with that moment, Thomas proclaims his belief. Jesus reminds us today how believing without seeing is a graced moment. We also hear in the Acts of the Apostles how many signs were done by Jesus' disciples in that many "believed;" in fact, without ever "seeing" Jesus, the power of the Spirit living in the Apostles provided healing to those needing a cure with the simple passing of the shadow of Peter's cloak.
In Catholic Charities http://www.ccdoy.org we believe in the power of the Good News of the Resurrection and continue to provide healing to those who seek relief and help. The Spirit that Jesus breathed on his disciples continues to blow in the work of Catholic Charities in that each person, family, and community can be touched with the love, mercy and peace of God. The Easter news of abundant life remains the center of our work of help and our message hope.
Reflection from Pope Benedict XVI's Encyclical, Caritas in Veritate:
"Yet it should be added that, as well as religious fanaticism that in some contexts impedes the exercise of the right to religious freedom, so too the deliberate promotion of religious indifference or practical atheism on the part of many countries obstructs the requirements for the development of peoples, depriving them of spiritual and human resources. God is the guarantor of man's true development, inasmuch as, having created him in his image, he also establishes the transcendent dignity of men and women and feeds their innate yearning to “be more”. Man is not a lost atom in a random universe: he is God's creature, whom God chose to endow with an immortal soul and whom he has always loved. If man were merely the fruit of either chance or necessity, or if he had to lower his aspirations to the limited horizon of the world in which he lives, if all reality were merely history and culture, and man did not possess a nature destined to transcend itself in a supernatural life, then one could speak of growth, or evolution, but not development. When the State promotes, teaches, or actually imposes forms of practical atheism, it deprives its citizens of the moral and spiritual strength that is indispensable for attaining integral human development and it impedes them from moving forward with renewed dynamism as they strive to offer a more generous human response to divine love. In the context of cultural, commercial or political relations, it also sometimes happens that economically developed or emerging countries export this reductive vision of the person and his destiny to poor countries. This is the damage that 'superdevelopment' causes to authentic development when it is accompanied by 'moral underdevelopment'."
(par. 29b)
http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/encyclicals/documents/hf_ben-xvi_enc_20090629_caritas-in-veritate_en.htm
Some important date(s) this week: http://www.americancatholic.org/Features/Saints/ByDate.aspx
SUNDAY, APRIL 11.
The "First Sunday after Easter" ‑ which is designated in "The Liturgy of the Hours and the Celebration of the Eucharist" as the "Octave Day of Easter" ‑ was officially called the Second Sunday of Easter after the liturgical reform of Vatican II. Now, by the Decree of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, the name of this liturgical day has been changed to: "Second Sunday of Easter, or of Divine Mercy." http://www.divinemercysunday.com/mercy_sunday.htm
Pope John Paul II made the surprise announcement of this change in his homily at the canonization of Sr. Faustina on April 30, 2000. There, he declared: "It is important then that we accept the whole message that comes to us from the word of God on this Second Sunday of Easter, which from now on throughout the Church, will be called 'Divine Mercy Sunday.' "
By the words "the whole message," the Holy Father was referring to the strict connection between the "Easter Mystery of the Redemption" ‑ the suffering, death, burial, resurrection, and ascension of Christ, followed by the sending of the Holy Spirit ‑ and this Feast of Divine Mercy, the Octave Day of Easter.
By what the Holy Father continued to say, it becomes clear why Jesus insisted that the sacred image of Himself as The Divine Mercy is to be venerated throughout the world in connection with the observance of this Sunday (see Diary, 49, 88, 299, 341, 570, 742). The Holy Father said: "Before speaking these words, Jesus shows His hands and His side. He points, that is, to the wounds of the Passion, especially the wound in His Heart, the source from which flows the great wave of mercy poured out on humanity.
"From that Heart, Sr. Faustina Kowalska, the blessed whom from now on we will call a saint, will see two rays of light shining from that Heart and illuminating the world: 'The two rays,' Jesus Himself explained to her one day, 'represent blood and water' (Diary,299).
"Divine Mercy reaches human beings through the Heart of Christ crucified: 'Tell, My daughter, [all people] that I am Love and Mercy itself [personified]' Jesus will ask of Sr. Faustina (Diary, 1074). Christ pours out this mercy on humanity through the sending of the Spirit who, in the Trinity, is the Person‑Love. And is not mercy love's 'second name' (cf. Rich in Mercy, n.7), understood in its deepest and most tender aspect, in its ability to take upon itself the burden of any need and, especially, in its most immense capacity for forgiveness?"
SATURDAY APRIL 17. St. Benedict Joseph Labre (d. 1783) was truly eccentric, one of God's special little ones. Born in France and the eldest of 18 children, he studied under his uncle, a parish priest. Because of poor health and a lack of suitable academic preparation he was unsuccessful in his attempts to enter the religious life. Then, at 16 years of age, a profound change took place. Benedict lost his desire to study and gave up all thoughts of the priesthood, much to the consternation of his relatives.
He became a pilgrim, traveling from one great shrine to another, living off alms. He wore the rags of a beggar and shared his food with the poor. Filled with the love of God and neighbor, Benedict had special devotion to the Blessed Mother and to the Blessed Sacrament. In Rome, where he lived in the Colosseum for a time, he was called "the poor man of the Forty Hours Devotion" and "the beggar of Rome." The people accepted his ragged appearance better than he did. His excuse to himself was that "our comfort is not in this world." He was officially proclaimed a saint by Pope Leo XIII at canonization ceremonies in 1883. He is the patron saint of the homeless.
Note: Please consider joining our
FACEBOOK CAUSE http://apps.facebook.com/causes/106889
FACEBOOK GROUP http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=461833870606
TWITTER account, CCDOY, http://twitter.com/CCDOY
for current updates and calls to action that we can all use.
Sharing Hope In Tough Times: Catholic Charities Responds to Families Facing Economic Crisis
Catholic Charities asks you to please support the 2010 Bishop’s Appeal for Catholic Charities and Church. Sixty-six percent (66%) of the funds collected in the Appeal help to fund the programs and services offered by Catholic Charities agencies throughout the Diocese of Youngstown.
PAPAL INTENTIONS:
APRIL 2010
Fundamentalism and Extremism
General: That every tendency to fundamentalism and extremism may be countered by constant respect, by tolerance and by dialogue among all believers.
Persecuted Christians
Missionary: That Christians persecuted for the sake of the Gospel may persevere, sustained by the Holy Spirit, in faithfully witnessing to the love of God for the entire human race.
Corporal Works of Mercy: The seven practices of charity toward our neighbor
Feed the hungry
Give drink to the thirsty
Clothe the naked
Shelter the homeless
Visit the sick
Visit those in prison
Bury the dead
See our website at www.catholiccharitiesyoungstown.org for links to the our ministries and services.
For more information on Catholic Social Doctrine and its connection to our ministries, visit my blog at: http://corbinchurchthinking.blogspot.com/
Saturday, April 3, 2010
MONDAY MORNING MISSION MEDITATION for the week of April 4, 2010
Catholic Charities. Providing Help. Creating Hope.
VISION: Believing in the presence of God in our midst, we proclaim the sanctity of human life and the dignity of the person by sharing in the mission of Jesus given to the Church. To this end, Catholic Charities works with individuals, families, and communities to help them meet their needs, address their issues, eliminate oppression, and build a just and compassionate society.
MISSION: Rooted in the Mission of the Diocese of Youngstown "to minister to the people in the six counties of northeastern Ohio . . .(and) to the world community", we are called to provide service to people in need, to advocate for justice in social structures, and to call the entire Church and other people of good will to do the same.
GOALS: Catholic Charities is devoted to helping meet basic human needs, strengthening families, building communities and empowering low-income people. Working to reduce poverty in half by 2020.
KEY VALUE: Hospitality
WHAT WE DO: Organizing Love. "As a community, the Church must practise love. Love thus needs to be organized if it is to be an ordered service to the community" (Deus Caritas Est, par. 20)
On Sunday (Easter Sunday; The Resurrection of the Lord, Cycle C http://www.usccb.org/nab/040410.shtml) we read the words of great joy in Psalm 118: "This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad." In the gospel accounts, the women and the disciples visit the tomb of Jesus, after a horrible Friday death sentence. All are amazed since the stone has been removed, and the tomb is empty with only Jesus' burial clothes around as evidence. But the empty tomb is not the full story; the appearances of the Risen Jesus to his friends give hope and joy. They see and believe; they continue to tell the story. It is a story of new beginnings.
In the Letter to the Corinthians, Paul writes that "Do you not know that a little yeast leavens all the dough? Clear out the old yeast, so that you may become a fresh batch of dough." The disciples form the new leaven, filled with Easter joy, and go out and shout the good news: Today is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad.
In Catholic Charities http://www.ccdoy.org we are called to be leaven in the world as the first witnesses of Jesus' resurrection. By our open doors to those in need, we witness that Easter joy and peace. We give hope and provide help. We can and oftentimes do transform lives by being leaven for someone. We are also called to be leaven in our communities by being voices of justice and peace. We can be leaven by bringing people together to find answers to common problems. Catholic Charities is called to serve, advocate for justice, and convene others to join in our work for the building of a compassionate and just society. It takes a little bit of leaven to transform a loaf of bread. So too, our small and humble actions witness to the great power of the Love of God, and in turn can bring about a new creation. The Resurrection of the Lord is the story of hope we continue to tell to each person we encounter.
Reflection from Pope Benedict XVI's Encyclical, Caritas in Veritate:
http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/encyclicals/documents/hf_ben-xvi_enc_20090629_caritas-in-veritate_en.htm
Some important date(s) this week: http://www.americancatholic.org/Features/Saints/ByDate.aspx
Easter Week
SATURDAY, APRIL 10. St. Magdalen of Canossa (1774-1835) Wealth and privilege did nothing to prevent today’s saint from following her calling to serve Christ in the poor. Nor did the protests of her relatives, concerned that such work was beneath her.
Born in northern Italy in 1774, Magdalen knew her mind—and spoke it. At age 15 she announced she wished to become a nun. After trying out her vocation with the cloistered Carmelites, she realized her desire was to serve the needy without restriction. For years she worked among the poor and sick in hospitals and in their homes and among delinquent and abandoned girls.
In her mid-twenties Magdalen began offering lodging to poor girls in her own home. In time she opened a school, which offered practical training and religious instruction. As other women joined her in the work, the new Congregation of the Daughters of Charity emerged. Over time, houses were opened throughout Italy.
Members of the new religious congregation focused on the educational and spiritual needs of women. Magdalen also founded a smaller congregation for priests and brothers. Both groups continue to this day.
She died in 1835. Pope John Paul II canonized her in 1988.
Note: Please consider joining our
FACEBOOK CAUSE http://apps.facebook.com/causes/106889
FACEBOOK GROUP http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=461833870606
TWITTER account, CCDOY, http://twitter.com/CCDOY
for current updates and calls to action that we can all use.
Sharing Hope In Tough Times: Catholic Charities Responds to Families Facing Economic Crisis
Through the generosity of parishioners and friends who support the Annual Bishop’s Appeal for Catholic Charities and Church, Catholic Charities served over 36,000 people in 2009, impacting 25,000 households in the Diocese of Youngstown. Catholic Charities is one important way to share your gift with those who are in need -- to help our brothers and sisters in the Spirit of the Risen Lord. Thank you for your support!
PAPAL INTENTIONS: APRIL 2010
Fundamentalism and Extremism
General: That every tendency to fundamentalism and extremism may be countered by constant respect, by tolerance and by dialogue among all believers.
Persecuted Christians
Missionary: That Christians persecuted for the sake of the Gospel may persevere, sustained by the Holy Spirit, in faithfully witnessing to the love of God for the entire human race.
Corporal Works of Mercy: The seven practices of charity toward our neighbor
See our website at www.catholiccharitiesyoungstown.org for links to the our ministries and services.
For more information on Catholic Social Doctrine and its connection to our ministries, visit my blog at: http://corbinchurchthinking.blogspot.com/
VISION: Believing in the presence of God in our midst, we proclaim the sanctity of human life and the dignity of the person by sharing in the mission of Jesus given to the Church. To this end, Catholic Charities works with individuals, families, and communities to help them meet their needs, address their issues, eliminate oppression, and build a just and compassionate society.
MISSION: Rooted in the Mission of the Diocese of Youngstown "to minister to the people in the six counties of northeastern Ohio . . .(and) to the world community", we are called to provide service to people in need, to advocate for justice in social structures, and to call the entire Church and other people of good will to do the same.
GOALS: Catholic Charities is devoted to helping meet basic human needs, strengthening families, building communities and empowering low-income people. Working to reduce poverty in half by 2020.
KEY VALUE: Hospitality
WHAT WE DO: Organizing Love. "As a community, the Church must practise love. Love thus needs to be organized if it is to be an ordered service to the community" (Deus Caritas Est, par. 20)
On Sunday (Easter Sunday; The Resurrection of the Lord, Cycle C http://www.usccb.org/nab/040410.shtml) we read the words of great joy in Psalm 118: "This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad." In the gospel accounts, the women and the disciples visit the tomb of Jesus, after a horrible Friday death sentence. All are amazed since the stone has been removed, and the tomb is empty with only Jesus' burial clothes around as evidence. But the empty tomb is not the full story; the appearances of the Risen Jesus to his friends give hope and joy. They see and believe; they continue to tell the story. It is a story of new beginnings.
In the Letter to the Corinthians, Paul writes that "Do you not know that a little yeast leavens all the dough? Clear out the old yeast, so that you may become a fresh batch of dough." The disciples form the new leaven, filled with Easter joy, and go out and shout the good news: Today is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad.
In Catholic Charities http://www.ccdoy.org we are called to be leaven in the world as the first witnesses of Jesus' resurrection. By our open doors to those in need, we witness that Easter joy and peace. We give hope and provide help. We can and oftentimes do transform lives by being leaven for someone. We are also called to be leaven in our communities by being voices of justice and peace. We can be leaven by bringing people together to find answers to common problems. Catholic Charities is called to serve, advocate for justice, and convene others to join in our work for the building of a compassionate and just society. It takes a little bit of leaven to transform a loaf of bread. So too, our small and humble actions witness to the great power of the Love of God, and in turn can bring about a new creation. The Resurrection of the Lord is the story of hope we continue to tell to each person we encounter.
Reflection from Pope Benedict XVI's Encyclical, Caritas in Veritate:
There is another aspect of modern life that is very closely connected to development: the denial of the right to religious freedom. I am not referring simply to the struggles and conflicts that continue to be fought in the world for religious motives, even if at times the religious motive is merely a cover for other reasons, such as the desire for domination and wealth. Today, in fact, people frequently kill in the holy name of God, as both my predecessor John Paul II and I myself have often publicly acknowledged and lamented. Violence puts the brakes on authentic development and impedes the evolution of peoples towards greater socio-economic and spiritual well-being. This applies especially to terrorism motivated by fundamentalism, which generates grief, destruction and death, obstructs dialogue between nations and diverts extensive resources from their peaceful and civil uses. (par. 29a)
http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/encyclicals/documents/hf_ben-xvi_enc_20090629_caritas-in-veritate_en.htm
Some important date(s) this week: http://www.americancatholic.org/Features/Saints/ByDate.aspx
Easter Week
SATURDAY, APRIL 10. St. Magdalen of Canossa (1774-1835) Wealth and privilege did nothing to prevent today’s saint from following her calling to serve Christ in the poor. Nor did the protests of her relatives, concerned that such work was beneath her.
Born in northern Italy in 1774, Magdalen knew her mind—and spoke it. At age 15 she announced she wished to become a nun. After trying out her vocation with the cloistered Carmelites, she realized her desire was to serve the needy without restriction. For years she worked among the poor and sick in hospitals and in their homes and among delinquent and abandoned girls.
In her mid-twenties Magdalen began offering lodging to poor girls in her own home. In time she opened a school, which offered practical training and religious instruction. As other women joined her in the work, the new Congregation of the Daughters of Charity emerged. Over time, houses were opened throughout Italy.
Members of the new religious congregation focused on the educational and spiritual needs of women. Magdalen also founded a smaller congregation for priests and brothers. Both groups continue to this day.
She died in 1835. Pope John Paul II canonized her in 1988.
Note: Please consider joining our
FACEBOOK CAUSE http://apps.facebook.com/causes/106889
FACEBOOK GROUP http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=461833870606
TWITTER account, CCDOY, http://twitter.com/CCDOY
for current updates and calls to action that we can all use.
Sharing Hope In Tough Times: Catholic Charities Responds to Families Facing Economic Crisis
Through the generosity of parishioners and friends who support the Annual Bishop’s Appeal for Catholic Charities and Church, Catholic Charities served over 36,000 people in 2009, impacting 25,000 households in the Diocese of Youngstown. Catholic Charities is one important way to share your gift with those who are in need -- to help our brothers and sisters in the Spirit of the Risen Lord. Thank you for your support!
PAPAL INTENTIONS: APRIL 2010
Fundamentalism and Extremism
General: That every tendency to fundamentalism and extremism may be countered by constant respect, by tolerance and by dialogue among all believers.
Persecuted Christians
Missionary: That Christians persecuted for the sake of the Gospel may persevere, sustained by the Holy Spirit, in faithfully witnessing to the love of God for the entire human race.
Corporal Works of Mercy: The seven practices of charity toward our neighbor
Feed the hungry
Give drink to the thirsty
Clothe the naked
Shelter the homeless
Visit the sick
Visit those in prison
Bury the dead
See our website at www.catholiccharitiesyoungstown.org for links to the our ministries and services.
For more information on Catholic Social Doctrine and its connection to our ministries, visit my blog at: http://corbinchurchthinking.blogspot.com/
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