Category Archives: Columnists

Loving. Respecting. Forgiving.

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KNEADING FAITH
By Fran Lavelle
The Synod on Synodality is forming and informing the work of the diocese as we continue to recover from the pandemic. Being a self-confessed overthinker, the implications about what we are hearing has my mind and heart working overtime. Yes, I am at the point of sleeping with a notepad next to the bed to write things down in the middle of the night lest I forget them by morning. There is much work to be done for sure. While our process has highlighted the challenges facing the church, it has also revealed a great hope that is palatable but energizing and exciting.

Our Synod Advisory Council spent a Saturday last month combing through the individual responses from the parishes. A common thread throughout the responses be it Anglo, Hispanic, African American, or youth is a call for unity and healing. Literally the Body of Christ is suffering from divisiveness and indifference toward the other. The question remains, how do we come back together under the four marks of the church – One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic? It is a behemoth task, but it can and must be undertaken for the good of all God’s people.

In our regional listening sessions with Bishop Kopacz, we have been asking people to give us concrete ideas on how we can truly heal and restore unity.

Sometimes in the United States we can be a little egocentric and not see life beyond our borders. One of the things that Covid revealed was the culture of dualistic thinking and divisive political rhetoric is not unique to the U.S. This culture of dis-unity has permeated the globe. We can all point fingers or become armchair sociologist in offering explanations on how we got here. To a degree I think reflecting on the question of how we got here is helpful in discerning how we move on from here, but we cannot allow the question of how we got here further divide us with blame.

The call for unity and healing can be achieved if we truly recognize and understand the dignity of all people. If we believe that we were created in the image and likeness of God, then we all share the dignity given to God’s children. At one of the regional listening sessions a young boy aged 8-9 came up to me after the session was over to turn in his paperwork. After thanking him he turned and walked away. I glanced down at the paper he handed me. In response to how we can foster healing and unity he wrote, “To love and to respect and to forgive. We should be loving people.” This young boy understands with great clarity our mission to heal and unite takes love, respect, and forgiveness.

One of the Gospel readings from the local listening sessions was the parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37). We all know the story. But do we really know the story? (Pope Francis, Fratelli Tutti, paragraph 81)

Pope Francis underscores the point of the parable, “By approaching and making himself present, he crossed all cultural and historical barriers. Jesus concludes the parable by saying: “Go and do likewise” (Luke 10:37). In other words, he challenges us to put aside all differences and, in the face of suffering, to draw near to others with no questions asked. I should no longer say that I have neighbors to help, but that I must myself be a neighbor to others.”

In responding to the question of what the Holy Spirit is calling us to in this reading, one high school student responded beautifully, “The good Samaritan ignored the social differences between himself and the victim in the name of mercy. This is the mindset we should have today.”

It can feel somewhat overwhelming when we consider the multitude of challenges that face our world today. It is easy to feel small and insignificant. Many people pass by the victim on the road. It only takes one person to stop and show compassion. I am reminded of an oft noted quote by Edward Everett Hale, “I am only one, but I am one. I cannot do everything, but I can do something. And I will not let what I cannot do interfere with what I can do.”

He went to him and bandaged his wounds, having poured oil and wine on them. How are we being called to pour oil and wine into the wounds of our neighbors? That is the question before us today. I think my young friend from the listening session framed our response beautifully … Loving. Respecting. Forgiving.

(Fran Lavelle is the Director of Faith Formation for the Diocese of Jackson.)

First Mass on Mississippi soil dates back to Easter 340 years

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From the Archives
By Mary Woodward
JACKSON – Possibly a little-known fact by most of us is this Easter is the 340th anniversary of the first Mass celebrated on Mississippi soil. In the southwest corner of the State of Mississippi in Wilkinson County, there exists a very important site of church and American history.

On Easter Sunday in 1682, Father Zenobius Membre, an Order of the Friars Minor Recollect priest, celebrated Easter Mass on the bluff above the river near present day Fort Adams as part of Sieur Robert Cavelier de LaSalle’s expedition down the river from Montreal to its mouth.

Although this is the first documented Mass in the area, there is much evidence that the Hernando deSoto expedition in 1540 would have had Masses celebrated in what is now southern Alabama. It is believed by the time the expedition reached the Mississippi, where deSoto died of a mosquito born illness in 1842 near present day Ferriday, Louisiana, the priests travelling with him would have run out of the wine needed for Mass.

FORT ADAMS – On Easter Sunday 1682, the first recorded Mass on Mississippi soil took place in Wilkinson county. St. Patrick’s Church was built in 1900 on Fort Adams town square. Today, the town has largely become a hunting and fishing camp and was named to the 2021 list of Ten Most Endangerd Places in Mississippi by the Heritage Trust. (Photos by Mary Woodward)


After de LaSalle claimed the territory along the entire river for France and named it Louisiana, the Bishop of Quebec sent missionary priests down the river to evangelize the various tribes of indigenous people. Father Antione Davion was one of these missionaries, who came to the area around 1698 and established a small mission near the site of what is now Fort Adams. He built a small church on the bluff, which became known as La Roche a Davion, and ministered there until he left the mission in 1720.

In 1795, after the Revolutionary War, the United States signed the Treaty of San Lorenzo with Spain, establishing the boundary between Spanish West Florida and the U.S. at Latitude 31 N, a short distance south of Roche Davion. Because of its strategic location on the river, the site became the last military outpost before French territory and served as the port of entry for the United States. The name was then changed to Fort Adams after the President John Adams who was in office at that time.

It is here that in 1801, the Choctaws signed the Treaty of Fort Adams ceding more than 2.6 million acres of Choctaw land to the U.S. When the Louisiana Purchase occurred in 1803, the more than 500 troops on site were moved to New Orleans, but Fort Adams continued to function as a post until the War of 1812.

With time and the river’s changing course, Fort Adams population dwindled as happens in many cases. Those who remained eventually saw the building of a small church dedicated to St. Patrick on the town’s main square in 1900. The church, along with St. Joseph Church built in 1873 were serviced by priests from Natchez mostly until 1940, when St. Joseph was established as a parish again.

Nowadays, Fort Adams has become largely a hunting and fishing camp with only a few houses and two churches remaining, including St. Patrick. Although, the river is now distant from the town, it often visits after a few heavy rains and floods most of the area including the small church, which a few years ago was given to a group of local parishioners devoted to saving the church building. Mass is no longer celebrated there and most of the sacred items are stored safely in higher ground.

On a visit to Woodville and Fort Adams a few years ago, I was given a tour of the area by my dear cousin, Shep Crawford, local lawyer and judge, who has lived in Wilkinson County near Woodville for many years. Shep and I toured Fort Adams on a dry day and were able to see St. Patrick and the almost permanent water line four feet up on the church exterior wall. Pontoons boats were parked on the land adjacent to it. Residents of the area live up on the hillsides that once looked out of the “father of waters.”

We then made our way around to the small hamlet of Pond, which is named so because there is a pond in the middle of it. It includes a small general store and post office and a couple of cabins overlooking the pond.

I have often wanted to return to Pond and one of its cabins to spend a few days steeped in the history of the area. But I also remember Shep casually stating, as we stopped and looked down a road headed south, that 20 minutes down this scenic highway was Angola State Prison. So that was a reality check.

The entire town of Fort Adams was named to the 2021 Ten Most Endangered Places in Mississippi by the Mississippi Heritage Trust. It is recognized for its once pivotal role in the development of borders among nations as our country and state grew into existence.

So, on this Easter Sunday, imagine back 340 years and a missionary journey that brought the sacred mysteries to a small corner of God’s Kingdom. The history is there, and the spirits of the past linger as an inspiration of commitment and dedication to our Catholic Faith. We give thanks to Almighty God for them.

I credit the Heritage Trust website for historical information included in this article. You can learn more about the 10 most endangered places at https://www.10mostms.com/.

(Mary Woodward is Chancellor and Archivist for the Diocese of Jackson.)

Called by name

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I am pleased to announce that we have a new seminarian enrolling the fall. Mr. Richard Martin, Jr. (EJ) has been accepted to study for the priesthood for the Diocese of Jackson and will be enrolling at Notre Dame Seminary in New Orleans this August. EJ grew up at St. Richard Catholic Church and attended St. Richard and St. Joseph Catholic Schools. After graduating from Spring Hill College in Mobile, EJ was working in Austin, Texas, but discerned that the Diocese of Jackson is where he is called to continue his discernment.

It has been a great gift to walk with EJ, who I had met a few times here and there as he came home to visit family when I was the parochial vicar at St. Richard. I have gotten to know him much better over the past year or so as we have embarked on a ‘pre-discernment’ process which has led him to this point. Our application process for the priestly formation program in the diocese is very involved, but it helps the applicant, and the church, decide whether or not the diocesan seminary is the right place for formal discernment.

One of the aspects of the process which is particularly helpful is the vocations board. This is a group of parishioners from around the diocese (mostly the Jackson area) that agree to meet with an applicant after he has met all the other ‘objective’ requirements for admission. As the vocation director, I provide them with a review of the application process, and then every applicant meets speaks with them about his journey so far. The Board is then invited to ask any questions of the applicant, and of me, about the process and to discuss frankly whether seminary is the right choice for that man. This is a great opportunity for the church to speak with men who, God-willing, will be future priests, and it also gives me perspectives that are extremely valuable which are brought to the Bishop as he decides whether each applicant is a good fit for seminary formation.

I believe God is calling many more men to the seminary than are currently in the seminary, but we almost must be prudent, patient and collaborative in this process. I am so pleased that we have accepted another excellent applicant to study for the priesthood. When we as a church send a man off to seminary, we simply can’t predict whether the Lord will call him ‘all the way’ to the priesthood, but we can do our best to ensure that he is a position spiritually, personally and emotionally to thrive in the seminary program, and whether or not he reaches ordination, he will be an great asset and continue to build up the Kingdom of God in the Diocese of Jackson.

Please keep EJ in your prayers as he embarks on this next step, I am excited to see what the Lord has in store for him, and I know he’ll be a great asset to our excellent group of seminarians!

– Father Nick Adam

If you are interested in learning more about religious orders or vocations to the priesthood and religious life, please email nick.adam@jacksondiocese.org.

Straining to hear the voice of Good Friday

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IN EXILE
By Father Ron Rolheiser, OMI
They shall look upon the one whom they have pierced! A phrase that names the voice that’s left behind on Good Friday.

In 1981, an anonymous young girl was brutally raped and murdered by the military at an obscure location in El Salvador, fittingly called La Cruz (the Cross). Her story was reported by a journalist named Mark Danner. In his account of this, Danner describes how after a particular massacre some soldiers shared how one of their victims haunted them and how they could not get her out of their minds long after her death.

They had plundered a village and raped many of the women. One of these was a young girl, an evangelical Christian, whom they had raped many times in a single afternoon and tortured. However, throughout it all, this young girl, clinging to her belief in Christ, had sung hymns. The soldiers who had violated and eventually executed her were haunted by that. Here are Danner’s words:

Father Ron Rolheiser, OMI

“She kept right on singing, too, even after they had done what had to be done and shot her in the chest. She had lain there on La Cruz with the blood flowing from her chest and had kept on singing – a bit weaker than before, but still singing. And the soldiers, stupefied, had watched and pointed. Then they had grown tired of the game and shot her again, and she sang still, and their wonder began to turn to fear – until finally they had unsheathed their machetes and hacked her neck, and at last the singing had stopped.” (The Massacre at El Mozote, N.Y., Vintage Books, 1994, pp. 78-79.)

They shall look upon her whom they have pierced! Notice the feminine pronoun here because in this instance the one who is looked upon after being pierced is a woman. Dying such a violent, unjust, and humiliating death with faith in her heart and on her lips makes her the crucified Christ, and not just because she (like all Christians) is a member of the Body of Christ. Rather because at this moment, in this manner of death, with this kind of faith overt in her person, like Jesus, she is leaving behind a voice that cannot be silenced and which will haunt those who have done violence to her and all the rest of us who hear about it.

What haunted those soldiers? The haunting here is not that of some wounded spirit that now seeks retribution by frightening us and forever unsettling our dreams. Nor is it the haunting we feel in bitter regret, when we recognize a huge, unredeemable mistake which had we foreseen the consequences of, we would never have made. Rather, this is the voice that haunts us whenever we silence, violate, or kill innocence. It’s a voice which we then know can never be silenced and which irrespective of the immediate emotions it evokes in us, we realize we can never be free from, and which paradoxically invites us not to fear and self-hatred but to what it embodies.

Gil Bailie, who makes this story a corner-piece in his monumental book on the cross and non-violence, notes not just the remarkable similarity between her manner of death and Jesus’, but also the fact that, in both cases, part of the resurrection is that their voices live on.

In Jesus’ case, nobody witnessing his humiliating death on a lonely hillside, with his followers absent, would have predicted that this would be the most remembered death in history. The same is true for this young girl. Her rape and murder occurred in a very remote place and all of those who might have wanted to immortalize her story were also killed. Yet her voice survives, and will no doubt continue to grow in history long after all those who violated her are forgotten. A death of this kind morally scars the conscience and leaves behind a permanent echo that nobody can ever silence.

When we parse out all that’s contained in that echo, when we take a reflective look at Jesus on the cross or at the death of this young evangelical, we cannot but feel a wound at a gut level. To gaze upon the one whom we have pierced, Jesus or any innocent victim, is to know (in a way that undercuts all culpable and invincible ignorance) that the voice of self-interest, injustice, violence, brutality, and rape will ultimately be silenced in favor of the voice of innocence, graciousness and gentleness. Yes, faith is true.

A critic reviewing Danner’s book in the New York Times tells how, after reading this story, he kept “straining hopelessly to hear the sound of that singing.”

In our churches on Good Friday, we read aloud the Gospel account of Jesus’ death. Listening to that story, like the soldiers who brutally murdered an innocent young, faith-filled woman, we are made to look upon the one whom we have pierced. We need to strain to hear more consciously the sound of that singing.

(Oblate Father Ron Rolheiser is a theologian, teacher and award-winning author. He can be contacted through his website www.ronrolheiser.com.)

O Come Let Us Adore Him: Eucharistic Devotions

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THINGS OLD AND NEW
By Ruth Powers

The Mass of the Lord’s Supper on Holy Thursday celebrates one of the central beliefs of the Catholic Church: that Christ is totally, physically present in bread and wine of the Eucharist. The appearance remains that of bread and wine, but the essence becomes Christ through His gift to us at the consecration of the Mass. This was the belief from the very earliest days of the church, as attested in the letters of St. Paul; and from this belief grew the practice of treating the consecrated bread and wine with special reverence since it is, after all, Jesus himself.

The practice of reserving the Blessed Sacrament outside of Mass has a long history in the church. In the earliest centuries, the purpose was to reserve it to take to the sick and dying, as described by St. Justin Martyr and Tertullian. However, once Christianity was legalized and worship could be public, there is reference to reserving part of it in special containers for adoration outside of Mass. St. Basil the Great is described as reserving a part of the Eucharist in a container shaped like a dove in a description from A.D. 379. As Christianity spread throughout Europe, churches began to be built with tabernacles on or above the altar for the reservation of the consecrated bread although there is little specific mention of specific practices for adoration.

Ruth Powers

In 1079 Pope Gregory VII began something of a “Eucharistic Renaissance” in Europe when he issued a statement affirming the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist after a prominent cleric had denied it. From this time forward, we see the development of Eucharistic processions, special acts of adoration, encouragement of visits to the church to adore the Blessed Sacrament in the tabernacle and a renewed emphasis on adoration by members of religious orders. Members of the Benedictine order in France and England took the lead in promoting adoration there while St. Francis of Assisi is credited with introducing the practice in Italy. The host began to be elevated at the consecration of the Mass so that people could adore (the elevation of the chalice came later, after the Council of Trent).

In 1264, Pope Urban IV instituted the feast of Corpus Christi in recognition of the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist. The great theologian St. Thomas Aquinas wrote the text and hymns for the Mass and the Office of the feast, some of which are still in use today like Panis Angelicus, Pange Lingua, Tantum Ergo, and O Salutaris Hostia. Around this same time, we begin to see the devotion that would come to be known later as Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament, where the Eucharist is exposed for adoration for a time and then used to bless the people. By the 15th century, elaborate containers for exposition of the Eucharist, called monstrances, became popular.

In the wake of the Protestant Reformation, the Council of Trent emphasized the Real Presence in response to Protestant insistence that the Eucharist was only symbolic. The Council declared that Eucharistic adoration was a form of latria, or worship of God. The Council further stated that “the Sacrament, therefore, is to be honored with extraordinary festive celebrations (and) solemnly carried from place to place in processions according to the praiseworthy universal rite and custom of the holy church. The Sacrament is to be publicly exposed for the people’s adoration.” Growing from this pronouncement was the practice of “Forty Hours” where continuous prayer and meditation is made for forty continuous hours before the exposed Eucharist. Some religious orders also performed perpetual adoration, where the Eucharist was exposed 24 hours a day and someone was always in prayer before it. By the 18th century, promotion of quiet personal visits to churches to pray before the Blessed Sacrament, called Holy Hours, were being promoted by saints such as Alphonsus Ligouri and Benedict Joseph Labre. St. Alphonsus explained that a visit to the Blessed Sacrament is the practice of loving Jesus since friends who love each other visit frequently.

After a brief decline in the early 19th century, Eucharistic devotions became popular again in the late 19th through the mid-20th centuries. Eucharistic Congresses, large meetings to promote devotion to Christ in the Eucharist, became popular events. Unfortunately, both understanding of and devotion to the Eucharist has declined precipitously in recent years. A 2020 Pew Research study found that more than two-thirds of Catholics, including those who attend Mass regularly, do not believe that Christ is truly present in the Eucharist! They believe it is only a symbol. Because of this decline in the understanding and devotion to Christ in the Blessed Sacrament, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops has begun a three year plan to focus on the Eucharist and has declared a “Year of the Eucharist” beginning on the Feast of Corpus Christi this year. The focus period will culminate in a national Eucharistic Congress in 2024 in Indianapolis, Indiana. Spend some time in the upcoming months renewing or deepening your faith in the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist.

(Ruth Powers is the program coordinator for St. Mary Basilica Parish in Natchez.)

Wisdom for Lent

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On Ordinary Times
By Lucia A. Silecchia

It is likely that, for many, a significant number of favorite family photos are snapped around a dinner table.

Among the most joyful of those photos are the ones in which there are new faces around that table – when marriages, births, engagements, adoptions, friendships, and the bonds of neighborliness draw more people, with love, into the family circle.

Some of the saddest of those photos are the ones in which loved ones are missing. Perhaps death parted them from their families. Perhaps ill health, travel difficulties, competing obligations, work responsibilities, military deployments, canceled flights, limited funds, divorce or other estrangements kept others away. Whatever the reasons, absence brings sadness or emptiness in its wake.

Then, there are the bittersweet family photos. These are the ones in which there are both new faces and missing loved ones. These are the ones when there are new people drawn into the heart of the family’s love at the same time that others, also beloved, are not there.

Lucia A. Silecchia

I have been thinking about this as I anticipate the Easter season, soon to be upon us.

At the great Vigil of Easter, new sisters and brothers in Christ will join us, fully, around the table of the Lord when we will worship together with that special joy that comes when new members of the family are with us. For months, we have prayed for our catechumens and candidates; for weeks we have met them through the scrutinies of Lent; for much of the past year they have joined us in our parish life, in eager anticipation of the Baptisms, Confirmations and First Holy Communions of Eastertide. As is true of any family, the joy of welcoming new members and gathering to celebrate the Eucharist with them for the first time and after is a source of great happiness and celebration.

Yet, this joy may be a bit bittersweet if there are also loved ones missing from our celebrations – loved ones who will not be with their parish families for the great celebrations of Easter and beyond.
Some, certainly, have been separated by death. The realities of this have been particularly painful these past two years as the shadow of mortality has been on the minds of many. For those who have passed from this life, may God bless you as you journey on your way to your true home.

But so many others are missing from our parish communities for myriad reasons that are as unique as they are. It may be that they cannot physically come to Mass – or can only come with the assistance of others that may be hard to find. It may be that they are burdened by the exhausting challenges of demanding jobs, young children, long hours, or over commitments to other things – even other things that are good. It may be a hurt, pain or bad memory that keeps some afar. For others it may be a single time when a lack of hospitality or an unkind word was just enough to turn them away.

It may be that because our fast-paced world does not value Sabbath rest as it once did, there is pressure to use Sunday as a catch-up day before a new week begins. It may be a lack of opportunities to learn about the faith – and the difficulty that it is to love what is unknown or misunderstood. It may be the deep struggle of wrestling with a challenging teaching or practice of the Church. It may be guilt about a past mistake, the convenience of viewing Mass on-line, fear of close contacts, or a language barrier that makes participation difficult. It may be disillusionment engendered by scandal or bad example. It may be pressure from friends or family hostile to or skeptical about faith. It may be grief about something so deep it has shaken faith to its core. It may be a million other things known only to God.

But, the gatherings of our faith communities are poorer whenever someone, anyone, is missing – just as our own families are poorer in the absence of a loved one.

Maybe, as the Easter season comes, it can beckon each of us to think of one person we know who might be missing from our parish celebrations. We may know that person well, or casually; we may know why he or she is away, or we may not; we may have wise words of wisdom to share, or, more than likely, we may not.

But, as spring comes, as Covid-19 wanes, and as the greatest celebration of the Christian year arrives, this may be the perfect opportunity to invite someone to join us – not just for the Easter season, but also for the ordinary times to follow. There is no substitute for a personal invitation. Christ, after all, called each of His apostles, individually, by name. This Easter season may give us the chance to call someone by name to join us as our family gathers again to celebrate the Resurrection of Christ.
The joy of welcoming our new brothers and sisters will be so much sweeter if our churches are filled with the whole family that welcomes them.

To my new sisters and brothers in Christ – welcome! To my returning sisters and brothers in Christ – welcome back! May God bless us all as we journey together through the joys of Easter, as a family together now and in ordinary times.

God bless you and yours as Lent gives way to Easter.

(Lucia A. Silecchia is a Professor of Law at the Columbus School of Law at the Catholic University of America.)

Pornografía y Castidad

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La pornografía es la mayor adicción en el mundo de hoy, y por un amplio margen. Afecta principalmente a los hombres, pero también es una adicción creciente entre las mujeres. Gran parte de esto, por supuesto, se debe a su fácil y gratuita disponibilidad en Internet. Todos ahora (incluidos nuestros propios niños pequeños) tienen acceso inmediato desde la privacidad de sus teléfonos o computadoras portátiles, y en el anonimato. Ya no tendrás que escabullirte a alguna sección sórdida de la ciudad para ver lo prohibido. Hoy en día, la pornografía está ganando una mayor aceptación en la corriente principal. ¿Cuál es el daño o la vergüenza en ello?

Padre Ron Rolheiser, OMI

De hecho, ¿cuál es el daño o la vergüenza en ello? Para un número creciente de personas hoy en día, no hay daño ni vergüenza en ello. Su punto de vista es que, cualquiera que sea su desventaja, la pornografía es la liberación de la antigua represión sexual religiosa. De hecho, muchas personas lo ven como una expresión saludable de la sexualidad (sorprendentemente, esto incluye incluso a algunas escritoras feministas). Los personajes de la televisión dominante bromean sobre su colección de pornografía, como si fuera tan inocente como una colección de viejos álbumes favoritos, y tengo colegas que argumentan que nuestra resistencia a ella simplemente delata la represión sexual. El sexo es hermoso, argumentan, entonces, ¿por qué tenemos miedo de mirarlo?

¿Qué tiene de malo la pornografía? Casi todo, y no sólo desde una perspectiva moral.

Comencemos con el argumento: el sexo es hermoso, entonces, ¿por qué tenemos miedo de mirarlo? Esa lógica tiene razón en una cosa, el sexo es hermoso, tan hermoso de hecho que necesita ser protegido de su propio poder. Decir que se puede mirar como uno podría mirar una hermosa puesta de sol es ingenuo, religiosa y psicológicamente. Religiosamente, se nos dice que nadie puede mirar a Dios y vivir. Eso también es cierto para el sexo. Su misma luminosidad necesita un velo. Además, es psicológicamente ingenuo argumentar que este tipo de intimidad profunda puede exhibirse públicamente. No puede y no debe. La exhibición pública de ese tipo de intimidad viola todas las leyes de decoro y respeto por aquellos involucrados en esta intimidad y los que miran. Como todas las cosas profundamente íntimas, necesita un velo adecuado.

Luego, al hablar de la belleza del sexo y del cuerpo humano, debemos hacer una distinción entre desnudez y desnudo. Cuando un buen artista pinta un cuerpo desnudo, la desnudez sirve para resaltar la belleza de toda la persona, cuerpo y alma, incluida su sexualidad. En un desnudo, la sexualidad está conectada con la totalidad, con el alma; cuánto al contrario con la desnudez. Expone el cuerpo humano de una manera que destruye su integridad, separa su alma y escinde el sexo de toda la persona.

 Cuando esto sucede, y eso es precisamente lo que sucede en la pornografía, el sexo se convierte en algo sin alma, escindido, mecánico, sin un significado profundo, bipolar, algo de lo que necesitas volver a tu ser real. Y, cuando eso sucede, toda profundidad desaparece y entonces, como escribe W.H. Auden , todos sabemos las pocas cosas que nosotros, como mamíferos, podemos hacer.

Lamentablemente, hoy para muchos de nuestros jóvenes, especialmente los niños, la pornografía es su educación sexual inicial, y es una que puede dejar una huella permanente en ellos.

Esa huella puede tener efectos a largo plazo en la forma en que entienden el significado del sexo, cómo respetan o no respetan a las mujeres y cómo captan o no el vínculo vital y conmovedor entre el sexo y el amor. La pornografía, y no solo en los jóvenes, puede dejar cicatrices difíciles de superar. El argumento en contra es que la pornografía bien puede deformar inicialmente la visión de un adolescente pero que esto se curará una vez que madure y se enamore de verdad. Mi esperanza es que esto sea cierto, pero mi preocupación es que la impronta inicial pueda, a largo plazo, manchar la forma en que una persona se enamora y especialmente cómo entiende la reciprocidad radical que se le pide al sexo en el amor. Tal es el poder potencial de la pornografía.

Más allá de todo esto, se podría argumentar con fuerza que la pornografía (en su producción y visualización) es violencia contra la mujer y que la pornografía sutil y no tan sutilmente promueve la violencia contra la mujer. Finalmente, en una cultura que se enorgullece sobre todo de su sofisticación y liberación, sobre todo de su liberación de muchos de nuestros antiguos tabúes religiosos, uno duda incluso en mencionar la palabra “castidad” en este contexto. ¿Se atreve uno a decir que la pornografía es mala porque es la antítesis misma de la castidad? ¿Se atreve uno a usar la castidad como argumento cuando en su mayor parte nuestra cultura desdeña la castidad, la compadece y reserva un cinismo particular para los grupos religiosos que aún defienden el viejo adagio, “guárdalo para tu cónyuge”? Peor aún, es el cinismo de hoy frente a la idea de permanecer castos para Jesús.

Pero, la idea de la castidad incrusta el sexo dentro del romance, lo sagrado, el compromiso, la comunidad y el alma, mientras que la pornografía lo retrata como sin alma y lo incrusta en una privacidad enfermiza. Así que los dejo con la pregunta: ¿cuál hace del sexo algo sucio?

(El padre oblato Ron Rolheiser es teólogo, maestro y autor galardonado. Se le puede contactar a través de su sitio web www.ronrolheiser.com. Ahora en Facebook www.facebook.com/ronrolheiser)

María, mujer que hace maravillas vs. los artífices de la guerra

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By Hosffman Ospino Catholic News Service

Nuestro mundo observa con tristeza y confusión la invasión de Ucrania, una nación soberana, por parte de su vecino, Rusia, un país exponencialmente más poderoso a nivel político, económico y militar.

Es notable el nivel de preocupación que existe en cuanto a las consecuencias que esta situación puede tener. Algunos temen la desestabilización de Europa y posiblemente de otras partes del mundo. Otros piensan que estas acciones pueden motivar a otras naciones grandes a invadir a sus vecinos más pequeños. Más aterrador es la posibilidad de una guerra mundial usando armas nucleares.

Dr. Hoffsman Ospino

En tan sólo unas semanas, el uso despiadado de poder por parte de Rusia contra Ucrania ha llevado a muchas naciones a contemplar más abiertamente la idea de una mayor militarización. Varios países están anunciando incrementos en los presupuestos militares. La producción y distribución de armas, legal e ilegalmente, seguramente se dispararán.

Este es un momento que parece propicio para aquellos líderes que en lugar de buscar el bien común de los pueblos a los que están llamados a servir, prefieren servir como artífices de la guerra. Prácticamente la mayoría de estos artífices de la guerra, abusando su poder para infligir dolor y muerte, son varones. ¿Les podemos llamar líderes? ¿Qué idea de liderazgo reside en sus mentes y corazones?

La invasión de Ucrania por parte de Rusia no es el único conflicto armado que puede generar disrupciones regionales y globales. Otras naciones se encuentran actualmente sumidas en guerras civiles, luchas contra grupos terroristas y confrontaciones con grupos de crimen organizado, como en el caso de los carteles de la droga.

El número de personas que pierden la vida en esos conflictos es simplemente perturbador. Un ser humano que muera como resultado de la guerra ya es exceso. Nuestro mundo parece haber desarrollado cierta tolerancia hacia los conflictos violentos y las muertes que resultan de la guerra. Muchas personas están siendo desplazadas, familias separadas y futuros arruinados. No olvidemos que por lo general son las mujeres, los niños y los ancianos quienes pagan el precio más alto de las guerras.

Quisiera gritar, “¡basta!” Por el bien de todos, de nuestros hijos e hijas y de nuestras familias, por el futuro de nuestro mundo, “por favor, basta”. Si tan sólo hubiera una manera simple de contener esta absurdidad. Me siento como una voz en el desierto. Sin embargo, no una voz que está sola. Mi voz se une a otras voces. Pero, ¿quién está escuchando? Oigo al papa Francisco y a otros líderes clamar por la paz. ¿Quién está escuchando?

¿Puede alguien hacer algo con relación a esta situación? Al hablar sobre la guerra y sus consecuencias con mis hijos, quienes son pequeños, me preguntan si hay alguien como la Mujer Maravilla, refiriéndose a la película del año 2017 sobre esta heroína ficcional, quien pueda entrar al campo de batalla, derribar tanques, evitar proyectiles y detener guerras.

¿Puede alguien como ella confrontar a los artífices de la guerra en nuestro tiempo? En la película, la Mujer Maravilla se enfrenta a Ares, el dios griego de la guerra, quien vive incógnito entre los humanos promoviendo conflicto, lo detiene y lo derrota.

Al escucharles, sonrío y desearía que fuera así de fácil. Al mismo tiempo se me ocurre que tenemos a María, la madre de Jesús, una mujer que hace maravillas. En tiempos de guerra y dificultad, por siglos los católicos hemos girado nuestra atención hacia ella en oración. No es en vano que uno de sus títulos más conocidos sea el de Reina de la paz.

El viernes 25 de marzo del 2022 estuve en una Misa con cientos de personas, unido al papa Francisco y a millones de católicos en el mundo entero, consagrando a la humanidad y especialmente a Ucrania y a Rusia, al Inmaculado Corazón de María.

Creo que es por medio de acciones como ésta que la Virgen María hace grandes maravillas. Veo a María confrontando a los artífices de la guerra en nuestro día reuniéndonos, en el nombre de Jesús, para contemplar y afirmar la dignidad de todo ser humano. Me parece que tal es el regalo más maravilloso que puede detener cualquier guerra.

(Ospino es profesor de teología y educación religiosa en Boston College.)

Call for consecration originated with Our Lady of Fatima

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By Bishop Joseph R. Kopacz, D.D.
The feast of the Annunciation, March 25 which celebrates the moment in which Mary accedes in all wonder and mystery to be the mother of God’s beloved Son, takes on added significance this year in response to Pope Francis’ call to the church to consecrate Russia and the Ukraine to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

Bishop Joseph R. Kopacz

For nearly a month now, there is a desperate plea and prayer for peace for the people of the Ukraine. Our prayer is not limited to this conflict but reaches out to all war-torn nations in our world. However, the inspiration to consecrate a nation, in particular, Russia, afflicted by communism, to the Blessed Mother’s Immaculate Heart originated with Our Lady of Fátima, based on her apparitions reported in 1917 by three shepherd children at the Cova da Iria, in Fátima, Portugal.

The three children were Lucía dos Santos and her cousins Francisco and Jacinta Marto. The apparitions occurred between May 13, 1917 and Sept. 13, 1917. The consecration of Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary was first requested on July 13, 1917 as World War I raged and the menace of communism was advancing.

Pope Francis’ decision to consecrate Russia and the Ukraine to the Immaculate Heart of Mary on the Solemnity of the Annunciation comes at another crucial time for the church and the world. The Ukraine’s Latin Rite Bishops made the appeal to Pope Francis after Russia launched its invasion on Feb. 24, one month ago.

This is not the first time that the Vicar of Christ, the Bishop of Rome, has consecrated nations and peoples to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. In the aftermath of the assassination attempt on his life in 1981, St. Pope John Paul II immediately thought of consecrating the world to the Immaculate Heart of Mary and he himself composed a prayer for what he called an “Act of Entrustment,” which was to be celebrated in the Basilica of Saint Mary Major on June 7, 1981, the Solemnity of Pentecost. The following is the part which refers specifically to the Act of Entrustment:

“Mother of all individuals and peoples, you know all their sufferings and hopes. In your motherly heart you feel all the struggles between good and evil, between light and darkness, that convulse the world: accept the plea which we make in the Holy Spirit directly to your heart and embrace with the love of the Mother and Handmaid of the Lord those who most await this embrace, and also those whose act of entrustment you too await in a particular way. Take under your motherly protection the whole human family, which with affectionate love we entrust to you, O Mother. May there dawn for everyone the time of peace and freedom, the time of truth, of justice and of hope.”

In order to respond more fully to the requests of Our Lady, the Holy Father desired to make more explicit during the Holy Year of the Redemption the Act of Entrustment of May 7, 1981, which had been repeated in Fatima on May 13, 1982.

On March 25, 1984 in St. Peter’s Square, while recalling the fiat uttered by Mary at the Annunciation, the Holy Father, in spiritual union with the Bishops of the world, who had been convoked beforehand, entrusted all men and women and all peoples to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, in terms which recalled the heartfelt words spoken in 1981.

In a 1989 handwritten letter, Sister Lucia said that Pope John Paul’s consecration of the whole world to the Immaculate Heart of Mary was “accepted in heaven.” The Vatican’s Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith said the consecration had been completed to Sister Lucía’s satisfaction. “The decision of His Holiness Pope John Paul II to make public the third part of the secret of Fatima brings to an end a period of history marked by tragic human lust for power and evil, yet pervaded by the merciful love of God and the watchful care of the Mother of Jesus and of the church.” (The Message of Fatima, 2000)

On Friday, March 25 there will be prayers of consecration rising up to heaven from all over the world. Our diocese will be in solidarity with the universal church with a special holy hour of consecration at 11 a.m. at the Cathedral of St. Peter the Apostle in Jackson, followed by Mass for the Solemnity of the Annunciation. Likewise, there will be prayer throughout the diocese.

Cardinal Ratzinger as head of the Congregation on the Doctrine of the Faith wrote in the 2000 document, “The Message of Fatima” that “we believe that the action of God, the Lord of history, and the co-responsibility of men and women in the drama of God’s creative freedom, are the two pillars upon which human history is built. Our Lady, who appeared at Fatima, recalls these forgotten values. She reminds us that humanity’s future is in God, and that we are active and responsible partners in creating that future.”
The following is an excerpt from the prayers that will rise like incense on the Solemnity of the Annunciation.

“Most Holy Virgin Mary, tender Mother of men and women, to fulfill the desires of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the request of the Vicar of Your Son on earth, we consecrate Russia and the Ukraine to your Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart, O Queen of the Most Holy Rosary, and we recommend to You, all the people of our country and all the world. Please accept our consecration, dearest Mother, and use us as You wish to accomplish Your designs in the world.”

Nuestra Señora de Fátima, origen del llamado a la consagración

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Por Obispo Joseph R. Kopacz, D.D.
La fiesta de la Anunciación, el 25 de marzo, celebra el momento en que María accede con todo asombro y misterio a ser la madre del Hijo amado de Dios. Este año adquiere un significado adicional en respuesta al llamado del Papa Francisco a la iglesia para consagrar Rusia y Ucrania al Inmaculado Corazón de María.
Desde hace casi un mes, hay una súplica y oración desesperadas por la paz para el pueblo de Ucrania. Nuestra oración no se limita a este conflicto, sino que se extiende a todas las naciones devastadas por la guerra en nuestro mundo. Sin embargo, la inspiración para consagrar una nación, en particular Rusia, afligida por el comunismo, al Inmaculado Corazón de la Santísima Madre se originó en Nuestra Señora de Fátima, en base a las apariciones relatadas en 1917 por los tres niños pastores en Cova da Iria, en Fátima, Portugal.

Obispo Joseph R. Kopacz

Los tres niños eran Lucía Dos Santos y sus dos primos Francisco y Jacinta Marto. Las apariciones ocurrieron entre el 13 de mayo de 1917 y el 13 de septiembre de 1917. La consagración de Rusia al Inmaculado Corazón de María se solicitó por primera vez el 13 de julio de 1917, cuando se desató la Primera Guerra Mundial y avanzaba la amenaza del comunismo.

La decisión del Papa Francisco de consagrar Rusia y Ucrania al Inmaculado Corazón de María en la Solemnidad de la Anunciación llega en otro momento crucial para la iglesia y el mundo. Los obispos del Rito Latino de Ucrania hicieron el llamamiento al Papa Francisco después que Rusia lanzara su invasión, hace un mes, el 24 de febrero.

Esta no es la primera vez que el Obispo de Roma y Vicario de Cristo consagra naciones y pueblos al Inmaculado Corazón de María. Después del atentado contra su vida en 1981, el Papa San Juan Pablo II inmediatamente pensó en consagrar el mundo al Inmaculado Corazón de María y él mismo compuso una oración que llamó un “Acto de Encomienda”, que fue celebrado en la Basílica de Santa María la Mayor el 7 de junio de 1981, en la solemnidad de Pentecostés. La porción siguiente es la que se refiere específicamente al Acta de Encomienda:

“Madre de los hombres y de los pueblos, Tú conoces todos sus sufrimientos y sus esperanzas, Tú sientes maternalmente todas las luchas entre el bien y el mal, entre la luz y las tinieblas que sacuden al mundo, acoge nuestro grito dirigido en el Espíritu Santo directamente a tu Corazón y abraza con el amor de la Madre y de la Esclava del Señor a los que más esperan este abrazo, y, al mismo tiempo, a aquellos cuya entrega Tú esperas de modo especial. Toma bajo tu protección materna a toda la familia humana a la que, con todo afecto a ti, Madre, confiamos. Que se acerque para todos, el tiempo de la paz y de la libertad, el tiempo de la verdad, de la justicia y de la esperanza.”

Para responder más plenamente a las peticiones de Nuestra Señora, el Santo Padre quiso hacer más explícito el Acta de Encomienda durante el Año Santo de la Redención del 7 de mayo de 1981, que había sido repetida en Fátima el 13 de mayo de 1982.

El 25 de marzo de 1984 en la Plaza de San Pedro, recordando el fiat pronunciado por María en la Anunciación, el Santo Padre, en unión espiritual con los Obispos del mundo, que habían sido convocados de antemano, encomendó a todos los hombres y mujeres de todos los pueblos al Inmaculado Corazón de María, en términos que recordaron las sentidas palabras pronunciadas en 1981.

En una carta manuscrita de 1989, la Hermana Lucía dijo que la consagración del mundo entero al Inmaculado Corazón de María por parte del Papa Juan Pablo II fue “aceptada en el cielo.” La Congregación para la Doctrina de la Fe del Vaticano dijo que la consagración se completó a satisfacción de la hermana Lucía. “La decisión del Santo Padre Juan Pablo II de hacer pública la tercera parte del «secreto» de Fátima cierra una página de historia, marcada por la trágica voluntad humana de poder y de iniquidad, pero impregnada del amor misericordioso de Dios y de la atenta premura de la Madre de Jesús y de la Iglesia.” (El Mensaje de Fátima, 2000)

El viernes 25 de marzo habrá oraciones de consagración subiendo al cielo desde todo el mundo.
Nuestra diócesis se solidarizará con la iglesia universal con una hora santa especial de consagración a las 11 a.m. en la Catedral de San Pedro Apóstol en Jackson, seguida de una Misa por la Solemnidad de la Anunciación. Asimismo, habrá oración a través de toda la diócesis.

El Cardenal Ratzinger como jefe de la Congregación para la Doctrina de la Fe escribió en el documento de 2000, “El Mensaje de Fátima” que “…creemos que la acción de Dios, Señor de la historia y la corresponsabilidad de hombres y mujeres en el drama de la libertad creadora de Dios, son los dos pilares sobre los que se construye la historia humana. Nuestra Señora, que se apareció en Fátima, recuerda estos valores olvidados. Ella nos recuerda que el futuro de la humanidad está en Dios y que somos socios activos y responsables en la creación de ese futuro.”

Lo siguiente es un extracto de las oraciones que se elevarán como incienso en la Solemnidad de la Anunciación.

“Santísima Virgen María, tierna Madre de los hombres y mujeres, para cumplir los deseos del Sagrado Corazón de Jesús y la petición del Vicario de Tu Hijo en la tierra, consagramos Rusia y Ucrania a tu Doloroso e Inmaculado Corazón, ¡oh!, Reina del Santísimo Rosario y encomendamos a Ti, a todo el pueblo de nuestra patria y de todo el mundo. Por favor acepta nuestra consagración, Madre queridísima, y úsanos como Tú deseas para realizar Tus designios en el mundo.”