The road to priesthood is a long-haul. Once a man is accepted as a seminarian for the diocese, he can spend anywhere from 6-9 years in preparation for ordained ministry. During those years, he must be docile to the Holy Spirit and to the instruction of the church in order to be well-prepared to serve the People of God in his diocese. Priestly formation focuses on four dimensions of development: human, spiritual, intellectual and pastoral. In the next four issues I will take each of these dimensions and break it down.
Father Nick Adam
The human dimension is the “everyday” dimension of the man. What habits/character traits/virtues of a candidate create a bridge between himself and his flock as he helps to lead them to the Lord? What habits/character traits/vices create a stumbling block? This is the most basic part of priestly formation, and the human dimension is developed with the most basic of requirements in the seminary. Do you wake up on time for prayer? Are you pleasant at the breakfast table? What are your conversation skills? Are you comfortable speaking with someone who is much older/younger than you?
Everyone will be at a different stage of development when they enter the seminary, but we all have traits that we can hone and develop as we seek to better relate to our surroundings. I believe that one of the most important traits that a man seeking priesthood must have is self-awareness. If we are humbly aware of our struggles and imperfections and we are honest about them, then we can move forward in peace and really seek to find the Lord in that struggle for improvement, but if we seek to hide our flaws from others and act like they are not there, then this is a recipe for misery, both for ourselves or those around us.
The seminary is a place where honest and open communication about human formation is encouraged. Seminarians are encouraged to “fraternally correct” their peers if they witness a human formation issue themselves. Candidates regularly meet with a formation adviser who serves as a mirror for the man as he lives in the community, and yearly self-evaluations and faculty evaluations provide updates on progress. Human formation, however, continues for a lifetime. We are all called to be (as Bishop Robert Barron would term it) “great-souled,” men and women who are open to others and serve as witnesses to Christ’s love in the world. Human formation in the seminary provides many practical tools for men to be good, well-adjusted and helpful priests, but that work must continue beyond ordination.
IN EXILE By Father Ron Rolheiser, OMI Recently NASA launched the James Webb Space Telescope into space, the biggest and most expensive telescope ever built. It will take six months for it to travel a million miles from the earth, find its permanent place in space, and then start transmitting pictures back to earth. Those pictures will be such as have never seen before. The hope is that it will enable us to see much further into space than we’ve ever seen before, ideally to the very ends of our still expanding universe, right to the first particles that issued forth from the original explosion, the Big Bang, that began time and our universe.
Scientists estimate that our universe began 13.7 billion years ago. As far as we know, prior to that there was nothing in existence, as we understand that today (except for God). Then, out of this seeming nothingness, there was an explosion (the Big Bang) out of which everything in the universe including our planet earth formed. As with any explosion, the parts that were the most intimately intertwined with the expelling force are those driven furthest away. Thus, when investigators try to determine the cause of an explosion they are particularly interested in finding and examining those pieces that were most closely tied to the original force of the explosion, and generally those pieces have been blown furthest away.
Father Ron Rolheiser, OMI
The force of the Big Bang is still going on and those parts of our universe that were most intimately intertwined with its beginnings are still being driven further and further into space. Scientists are investigators, probing that original explosion. What the James Webb Space Telescope hopes to see is some of the original parts from that unimaginable explosion that gave birth to our universe because these parts were there at the very beginning, at the origins of everything that exists. By seeing and examining them, science hopes to better understand the origins of our universe.
Looking at the excitement scientists feel around this new telescope and their hopes that it will show us pictures of particles from the beginning of time, can help us understand why the Evangelist, John, has trouble restraining his enthusiasm when he talks about Jesus in his first Epistle. He is excited about Jesus because, among other things, Jesus was there at the beginnings of the universe and indeed at the beginnings of everything. For John, Jesus is a mystical telescope through which we might view that primordial explosion that created the universe, since he was there when it happened.
Let me risk paraphrasing the beginning of the First Epistle of John (1:1-4) as he might have written it for our generation vis-a-vis our curiosity about the origins of our universe:
You need to understand of whom and what I am speaking: Jesus wasn’t just some extraordinary person who performed a few miracles or even who rose from the dead. We are speaking of someone who was there at the very origins of creation, who himself is the foundation for that creation, who was with God when “the Big Bang” occurred, and even before that. Incredibly, we actually got to see him in the flesh, with human eyes, the God who created “the Big Bang,” walking among us! We actually touched him bodily. We actually spoke with him and listened to him speak, he who was there at the origins of our universe, there when “the Big Bang” took place! Indeed, he is the One who pulled the switch to set it off, with a plan in mind as to where it should go, a plan that includes us. Do you want to probe more deeply into what happened at our origins? Well, Jesus is a mystical telescope to look through. After all, he was there at the beginning and unbelievably we got to see, hear, and touch him bodily! Excuse my exuberance, but we got to walk and talk with someone who was there at the beginning of time.
There are different kinds of knowledge and different kinds of wisdom, along with different avenues for accessing each of them. Science is one of those avenues, an important one. For far too long theology and religion did not consider it a friend. That was (and remains) a tragic mistake since science has the same founder and same intent as theology and religion. Theology and religion have been wrong whenever they have sought to undercut science’s importance or its claims to truth. Sadly, science has often returned the favor and viewed theology and religion as a foe rather than as a colleague. The two need each other, not least in understanding the origins and intent of our universe.
How do we understand the origins and intent of our universe? Science and Jesus. Science is probing those origins in the interest of telling us how it happened and how it is unfolding, while Jesus (who was there when it happened) is more interested in telling us why it happened and what it means.
(Oblate Father Ron Rolheiser is a theologian, teacher and award-winning author. He can be contacted through his website www.ronrolheiser.com.)
From the hermitage By sister alies therese In England I was blessed to know an Anglican priest, Robert Llewelyn, who for many years was the chaplain at the Julian Shrine in Norwich. I lived some twenty miles away and went there frequently. Of his several books, a favorite is Prayer and Contemplation (SLG Press, Oxford, 1977). In chapter seven, he considers contemplation and the cloud of forgetting – some help to me.
As we age forgetfulness shows up … names, things, why I’m doing this, where was I going? etc. These seem quite negative and often cause us to wonder where we are on the dementia continuum.
I heard about a psychiatrist speaking before a group of seniors about dementia. Key to his rather clinical explanations was this delightful indicator. He asked how many had lost their keys. Most raised their hands. Then he asked how many found them? Most raised their hands. That is not dementia he told them. This is: did you know what to do with the keys when you found them? This caused some laughter and he laughed too. Holy forgetting is not quite the same! This holy forgetting that Robert writes about is from The Cloud of Unknowing an old 14th century text, written by the author to a young disciple who wanted training in prayer. These ‘clouds’ help us focus on God in prayer. For example, one of the most important things to put under this cloud of forgetting is past sins, confessed and forgiven. Yes, they come into our minds … that distracts us. In Chapter 31 of The Cloud: “…sins (new or old) try to cover them with the thick cloud of forgetting as though they had never been committed by you or anyone else …”
sister alies therese
Robert then goes on to remind us that he is not talking about repression (nor was the author of The Cloud) … that is dangerous. “That,” he says, “is a compulsory and involuntary forgetting or experience of memories which the mind has found too painful to retain in conscious thought.” These are mental health issues to be sorted and healed in other ways.
Robert is concerned rather with trying to heal involuntary distractions (and even voluntary ones), so that we are able to pray, focused on God. “We are,” he says, “poor apart from God’s enabling strength and it may well be that this awareness is our deepest need.” (page 80)
Without this strength we can do nothing. Our goal is to ultimately behold God and in our daily life we see the many wonderful, unique, and marvelous works of God … but not quite God. What we want, Robert reminds us, is to come to the prayer of the Holy Spirit who “gives us the ‘best’ prayer, whether seen as being for God’s glory or as a meeting of our need for deliverance: twin aspects of prayer that must be held together.”
“But once our sights,” he concludes, “have been truly set on God, with the desire and intention that in God’s grace they will remain so, we need not fear these invaders of our imagination. What now becomes necessary is to pay them no attention.” When this is practiced, we find healing. “Try to forget created things, let them go … sit in the darkness as long as it takes … go on longing after the God you love, never giving up.”
Mark Lowry, Christian humorist, musician and writer noted this: “I look forward … but the memories can be greater.” He talks of how his PawPaw couldn’t remember much near his end … “except the Sunday dinners on the ground and singing in the male quartet. He sat and looked forward to the coming of the Lord … where memories and plans are the same. And I’m sure,” he quips, “over the door into heaven there is a sign: No Wheelchairs, Hospital Beds, or Bedpans Allowed!” Great things to forget!
(Sister alies therese is a canonically vowed hermit with days formed around prayer and writing.)
On Ordinary Times By Lucia A. Silecchia On New Year’s Eve, I found myself in a favorite small town donut shop in Pennsylvania. While many may crave more lavish year end celebrations, for me it is good company, hot coffee and a fresh donut bursting with coconut custard that make a sweet way to bid farewell to one year and greet the next.
The cashier at the donut shop was handing out calendars that day. The one she gave me will find its way into my office where, for twelve months, it will keep me constantly craving donuts.
In coffee shops, banks, grocery stores, churches, repair shops and stationary stores everywhere, calendars are scattered at the start of a new year. Perhaps, the paper calendar is in decline a bit as many live by online schedules and the ever-present daily data from smart phones. Yet, I hope that the paper calendar endures. It is a tangible sign of the gift of time. The calendars we hold in our hands, tack on our walls, keep on our desks, or toss in piles of papers are simple reminders to entrust the new year to God.
Lucia A. Silecchia
The pages of our calendars may already have notes about what is expected to happen in 2022. The pages are preprinted with holidays, observances, and the starts and ends of seasons. Calendars of a religious nature highlight the feast days and liturgical seasons that mark our walk through this life on our way to the eternal.
We also mark on the pages those events that we ourselves plan for 2022. We record routine obligations, vacation plans, birthdays, anniversaries, graduations and the special events and celebrations that we hope will lie ahead in the months to come.
Yet, most of the days of the calendar hold the unknown because the futures held in those days are still hidden. They are in the hands of God and will stay safely there as they unfold.
Right now, when I look at the donut shop calendar, I do not know which days will bring unexpected joys. I cannot predict what days will record meetings with students who have painful struggles or dinners with friends to share exciting news or newfound fears.
I see blank pages now where new adventures will take place and days that will be spent with those I love. I know that many meetings will be added to the schedule – and with uncertainty I wonder whether I will have the wisdom or insight to make the most of them.
I cannot tell now if there will be medical appointments on any of those days when I or someone I love receives bad news. I cannot tell which days will go well, and which will leave me yearning for the chance to re-do something I did or said.
I do not yet know if I will use the days of this new year wisely and keep enough time for prayer and contemplation. Somehow, for me, that which is most important never gets scheduled at all.
I cannot tell if there are days ahead when my schedule includes commitments I should have declined – or fails to include commitments I should have made. I do not know which days I will have an opportunity to say or do something that helps another along life’s path, or whether I will take or waste that opportunity.
I do not know which days might hold first meetings with those who may become lifelong friends. I do not know which days I might hold a newborn seeing the world for the first time or clasp the hand of an elder seeing the world for the last time.
Most profoundly, I do not know if, on any of the days on my calendar, I will ever mark a small cross – something my mother always did on her calendar when someone she loved passed from this life. I do not know if there will be a day on which my own entries themselves will stop because I cannot presume that I will have any day beyond today. Perhaps when you look at your calendar you sense the same “unknown-ness” that I do. It fills me with hope and a deep sense of how much I need to entrust the 365 days on my donut shop calendar to God.
For all of us, the dark (but lengthening!) days of January may be the right time to briefly hold our calendars in our hands or look at them hanging on our walls and pray that the days they mark will hold only what is good, holy and healthy for body and spirit. It is a chance to pray, together, that we can be good and faithful stewards of the time we are given, that we will give more than we receive and that even the most ordinary days will be traveled with reverence for how extraordinary the gift of days is. With these hopes is a prayer that God will strengthen, help, guide and bless all of us embarking on our new days of ordinary time.
Happy New Year! May God bless you and yours.
(Lucia A. Silecchia is a Professor of Law at the Columbus School of Law at the Catholic University of America. “On Ordinary Times” is a biweekly column reflecting on the ways to find the sacred in the simple. Email her at silecchia@cua.edu.)
From the Archives By Mary Woodward JACKSON – As we begin the new calendar year, let’s visit another interesting stop in Bishop John Gunn’s diary. This time we are on the road in northeast Mississippi in June of 1912.
On this trip, Bishop Gunn visits Tupelo and Plantersville among other places. He conferred the sacrament of confirmation and spoke to large gatherings of Catholics and non-Catholics in each location.
On June 12 he arrived in Tupelo and here is what he had to say about his visit: “Tupelo is a boom town of new growth with plenty of activity, and a promise that it may become something. The town hall was secured, much free advertisement was given, and I said Mass on the stage, confirmed a few Catholics there and found the big event of the visit was to be a mass meeting in the theatre to hear the Bishop talk of Catholic claims.”
“I spoke about an hour in Tupelo on that night and was congratulated for nearly another hour afterwards with such vigorous handshaking that I was afraid of arm dislocation.”
Similar to the Kelly cabin in Plantersville, this house from our diocesan archives photo collection in Hickory Flats could have been a visiting place for our early bishops, such as Bishops Elder and Gunn.
From Tupelo, Bishop Gunn headed the next day to Plantersville – called Potato Hill by locals. There he encountered an elderly Mrs. Kelly, who was overcome with tears of joy to meet the Bishop. Bishop Gunn’s diary account gives the reason for her outpouring.
“There was one family of the name Kelly – the oldest settler in that section – and after walking, riding and climbing for a number of hours we reached the little log cabin on a hill where Mrs. Kelly was rocking herself in expectation.”
“She was old and very religious and as soon as she heard that there was actually a Bishop on her porch she commenced to weep and to talk about John. ‘Do you think, Bishop, he will ever be forgiven, or what part of hell is he in, or can you get him out?’ Or other questions equally hard to answer.” “I thought that John probably had misconducted himself in years gone by – he was now eleven years dead – and his wife had not completely forgiven him. I tried to make the man’s excuse as well as I could, but she would talk of John and finally I let her tell the whole story.”
“John and I came from Ireland to Mobile and we got married there and struck out to find a quiet place to spend our honeymoon. We got tired just here and we camped and thought it would be a good place to remain.”
“The Indians were everywhere but they didn’t bother us. John – who was a carpenter – cut down the logs and I was strong enough to drag the logs up here. John and I built this log house, and we were the happiest people in the world for some thirty or forty years. The Indians roundabout didn’t bother us, but the Protestants wanted me and John to go to their meeting houses, or they wanted us to pray with them.”
“This made John mad and every time he saw anything like a preacher he commenced to curse and swear, and I had great trouble in keeping John from attacking the preacher. This kept on for years and finally the great trouble came to John one evening when two men came up the side of the hill on horseback. John and I were on the porch looking at them coming.”
“John whispered to me ‘here are two more preachers’ and it was not long until one of them came up and said, ‘Aren’t you John Kelly?’ He said ‘Yes, what do you want?’ “Well, John, I heard you are a Catholic.’”
“Then John got mad, and he asked the preacher what in —- did it matter to him, and the preacher smiled, and that made John madder and madder. He told the preacher to go to the bad place. This made the man get off his horse and John got ready to thrash him when the preacher said to him: ‘Why, John Kelly, I am Bishop Elder, the Bishop of Natchez, and that is the way you receive me and treat me.’”
“Poor John was dumbfounded that he couldn’t speak but fainted. To send his Bishop, who had come 28 miles on horseback to see him – to welcome him in such a way. And Mrs. Kelly’s whole trouble was to find out if poor John, who had received the last Bishop who had visited them, was still suffering from the reception given.”
“The Kelly’s had been visited 28 years before by Bishop Elder and poor Mrs. Kelly was glad to see another Bishop who promised all kinds of excuses for her old man, John.”
“She had a number of grown-up children and their families. They were all at supper in the log cabin at Potato Hill. I got the best room and enjoyed it as the trip was long and tiresome.” This is a great account of life on the road in our diocese. We take for granted being able to travel most places in the diocese in one day. Here we have the accounts of bishops travelling to some outlying areas to find their sheep – even sheep who greet them in a not so pleasant way.
God bless the Kelly’s of Potato Hill – salt of the earth.
(Mary Woodward is Chancellor and Archivist for the Diocese of Jackson)
En la víspera de Año Nuevo, me encontré en una de las tiendas de donas favoritas de un pequeño pueblo de Pensilvania. Si bien muchos pueden desear celebraciones de fin de año más lujosas, para mí una buena compañía, café caliente y una dona fresca llena de crema de coco es una manera dulce de despedir un año y saludar al siguiente.
El cajero de la tienda de donas estaba repartiendo calendarios ese día. El calendario que ella me dio llegará a mi oficina donde, durante doce meses, me mantendrá deseando constantemente comer donas.
En cafeterías, bancos, supermercados, iglesias, talleres de reparación y papelerías en todas partes, los calendarios se encuentran dispersos al comienzo de un nuevo año. Quizás, el calendario en papel está disminuyendo un poco, ya que muchos viven según los horarios en línea y los datos diarios siempre presentes de los teléfonos inteligentes.
Sin embargo, espero que el calendario de papel perdure. Es un signo tangible del don del tiempo. Los calendarios que tenemos en nuestras manos, tachonados en nuestras paredes, mantenemos en nuestros escritorios o tiramos con montones de papeles son simples recordatorios para confiar el año nuevo a Dios.
Lucia A. Silecchia
Es posible que las páginas de nuestros calendarios ya tengan notas sobre lo que se espera que suceda en 2022. Las páginas están preimpresas con días festivos, celebraciones y el comienzo y el final de las temporadas. Los calendarios de carácter religioso resaltan los días festivos y los tiempos litúrgicos que marcan nuestro camino en el paso por esta vida hacia lo eterno.
También marcamos en las páginas aquellos eventos que nosotros mismos planificamos para el 2022. Registramos obligaciones rutinarias, planes de vacaciones, cumpleaños, aniversarios, graduaciones y los eventos especiales y celebraciones que esperamos tengan por delante en los meses venideros.
Sin embargo, la mayoría de los días del calendario contienen lo desconocido, porque el futuro que se mantienen en esos días todavía está oculto. Están en las manos de Dios y permanecerán a salvo allí a medida que se desarrollen.
En este momento, cuando miro el calendario de la tienda de donas, no sé qué días traerán alegrías inesperadas. No puedo predecir qué días grabarán reuniones con estudiantes que tienen luchas dolorosas o cenas con amigos para compartir noticias emocionantes o temores recién descubiertos.
Ahora veo páginas en blanco donde tendrán lugar nuevas aventuras y días que pasaré con mis seres queridos. Sé que se agregarán muchas reuniones al programa y, con incertidumbre, me pregunto si tendré la sabiduría o la perspicacia para aprovecharlas al máximo.
No puedo decir ahora si habrá citas médicas en alguno de esos días en que yo o alguien a quien amo recibamos malas noticias. No puedo decir qué días irán bien y cuáles me dejarán anhelando la oportunidad de volver a hacer algo que hice o dije.
Todavía no sé si usaré los días de este nuevo año sabiamente y tendré suficiente tiempo para la oración y la contemplación. De alguna manera, para mí, lo más importante nunca se programa en absoluto.
No puedo decir si hay días por delante en los que mi agenda incluye compromisos que debería haber rechazado, o no incluye compromisos que debería haber hecho. No sé qué días tendré la oportunidad de decir o hacer algo que ayude a otro en el camino de la vida, o si aprovecharé o desperdiciaré esa oportunidad.
No sé en qué días se celebrarán las primeras reuniones con quienes se convertirán en amigos para toda la vida. No sé qué días podría sostener a un recién nacido que ve el mundo por primera vez o estrechar la mano de un anciano que ve el mundo por última vez.
Más profundamente, no sé si, en alguno de los días de mi calendario, marcaré alguna vez una pequeña cruz, algo que mi madre siempre hacía en su calendario cuando alguien a quien amaba fallecía en esta vida. No sé si habrá un día en el que mis propias entradas se detengan porque no puedo presumir que tendré un día más allá de hoy.
Quizás cuando miras tu calendario sientas el mismo “desconocimiento” que yo. Me llena de esperanza y de un profundo sentido de cuánto necesito confiar a Dios los 365 días de mi calendario de la tienda de donas.
Para todos nosotros, los días oscuros, ¡pero prolongados!, de enero pueden ser el momento adecuado para sostener brevemente nuestros calendarios en nuestras manos o mirarlos colgados en nuestras paredes y orar para que los días que marcan contengan solo lo bueno, santo y sano para el cuerpo y el espíritu.
Es una oportunidad para orar, juntos, para que podamos ser buenos y fieles administradores del tiempo que se nos da, que demos más de lo que recibimos y que, incluso los días más ordinarios, se recorran con reverencia por lo extraordinario que es el don de la vida.
Con estas esperanzas haz una oración para que Dios nos fortalezca, ayude, guíe y bendiga a todos nosotros al embarcarnos en nuestros nuevos días del tiempo ordinario.
¡Feliz año nuevo! Que Dios te bendiga a ti y a los tuyos.
(Lucia A. Silecchia es profesora de derecho en la Universidad Católica de América. “On Ordinary Times” es una columna quincenal que reflexiona sobre las formas de encontrar lo sagrado en lo simple. Envíele un correo electrónico a silecchia@cua.edu)
Recientemente, la NASA lanzó al espacio el telescopio espacial James Webb, el telescopio más grande y caro jamás construido. Le tomará seis meses viajar un millón de millas desde la Tierra, encontrar su lugar permanente en el espacio y luego comenzar a transmitir imágenes a la Tierra. Esas imágenes serán únicas, como nunca antes se ha había visto. La esperanza es que nos permitirá ver mucho más en el espacio de lo que hemos visto antes, idealmente hasta los extremos de nuestro universo todavía en expansión, hasta las primeras partículas que surgieron de la explosión original, el Big Bang , que comenzó el tiempo y nuestro universo.
Los científicos estiman que nuestro universo comenzó hace 13,7 mil millones de años. Hasta donde sabemos, antes de eso, no existía nada, como lo entendemos hoy, excepto Dios. Luego, de esta aparente nada, hubo una explosión, el Big Bang, a partir de la cual todo se formó en el universo, incluido nuestro planeta tierra.
Padre Ron Rolheiser, OMI
Al igual que con cualquier explosión, las partes que estaban más íntimamente entrelazadas, con la fuerza expulsora, son las que más se alejan. Por lo tanto, cuando los investigadores intentan determinar la causa de una explosión, están particularmente interesados en encontrar y examinar aquellas piezas que estaban más estrechamente ligadas a la fuerza original de la explosión y, en general, esas piezas salieron volando más lejos.
La fuerza del Big Bang aún continúa y aquellas partes de nuestro universo que estaban más íntimamente entrelazadas con sus comienzos todavía se están impulsando cada vez más hacia el espacio. Los científicos, en su investigación, están probando esa explosión original. Lo que el telescopio espacial James Webb espera ver son algunas de las partes originales de esa explosión inimaginable que dio a luz a nuestro universo, porque estas partes estaban allí desde el principio, en el origen de todo lo que existe.
Al verlos y examinarlos, la ciencia espera comprender mejor los orígenes de nuestro universo. Observar la emoción que sienten los científicos en torno a este nuevo telescopio y sus esperanzas de que nos muestre imágenes de partículas del principio de los tiempos, puede ayudarnos a comprender por qué el evangelista Juan tiene problemas para contener su entusiasmo cuando habla de Jesús en su primera Epístola. Está entusiasmado con Jesús porque, entre otras cosas, Jesús estuvo allí al principio del universo y, de hecho, al principio de todo. Para Juan, Jesús es un telescopio místico a través del cual podemos ver esa explosión primordial que creó el universo, ya que él estaba allí cuando sucedió.
Permítanme arriesgarme a parafrasear el comienzo de la Primera Epístola de Juan (1, 1-4) como él podría haberlo escrito para nuestra generación frente a nuestra curiosidad sobre los orígenes de nuestro universo:
Debes entender de quién y de qué estoy hablando:
Jesús no fue solo una persona extraordinaria que realizó algunos milagros o incluso quien resucitó de entre los muertos.
Estamos hablando de alguien que estuvo allí en los orígenes mismos de la creación,
quien es el fundamento de esa creación,
quién estaba con Dios cuando ocurrió “el Big Bang”,
e incluso antes de eso.
Increíblemente, pudimos verlo en persona, con ojos humanos,
el Dios que creó “el Big Bang”,
caminando entre nosotros!
De hecho, lo tocamos corporalmente.
De hecho, hablamos con él y lo escuchamos hablar,
el que estuvo en los orígenes de nuestro universo,
allí cuando tuvo lugar “el Big Bang”!
De hecho, es Él quien apretó el interruptor para activarlo,
con un plan en mente sobre a dónde debe ir,
un plan que nos incluye.
¿Quieres profundizar más en lo que sucedió en nuestros orígenes?
Bueno, Jesús es un telescopio místico para mirar.
Después de todo, él estaba allí al principio.
¡e increíblemente pudimos verlo, oírlo y tocarlo corporalmente!
Disculpe mi exuberancia, pero
pudimos caminar y hablar con alguien que estaba allí al principio de los tiempos.
Hay diferentes tipos de conocimiento y diferentes tipos de sabiduría, junto con diferentes vías para acceder a cada uno de ellos. La ciencia es una de esas vías, una importante. Durante demasiado tiempo la teología y la religión no lo consideraron un amigo. Eso fue, y sigue siendo, un trágico error ya que la ciencia tiene el mismo fundador y la misma intención que la teología y la religión.
La teología y la religión se han equivocado cada vez que han tratado de socavar la importancia de la ciencia o sus pretensiones de verdad. Lamentablemente, la ciencia a menudo ha devuelto el favor y ha visto a la teología y la religión como un enemigo en lugar de un colega. Los dos se necesitan mutuamente, sobre todo para comprender los orígenes y la intención de nuestro universo.
¿Cómo entendemos los orígenes y la intención de nuestro universo? La ciencia y Jesús. La ciencia está investigando esos orígenes con el interés de contarnos cómo sucedió y cómo se está desarrollando, mientras que Jesús, que estaba allí cuando sucedió, está más interesado en decirnos por qué sucedió y qué significa.
(El padre oblato Ron Rolheiser es teólogo, maestro y autor galardonado. Puede ser contactado a través de su sitio web www.ronrolheiser.com. Ahora en Facebook www.facebook.com/ronrolheiser)
JACKSON – Recently, I spent a few days in the Mobile area getting some spiritual guidance and refueling after some interesting months. As I sat in the Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception on the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, I began to think about the historic connection our diocese has with Mobile.
To give a brief history of the region, I have taken the following from the Archdiocese of Mobile’s website history section.
The Archdiocese of Mobile was established as the Vicariate-Apostolic of Alabama and the Floridas in 1825 and became the Diocese of Mobile on May 15, 1829, with Bishop Michael Portier, D.D., as the First Bishop of Mobile. The newly created Diocese of Mobile encompassed the entire State of Alabama and the entire State of Florida.
In the 1850’s new dioceses were created in the State of Florida, nonetheless, the Diocese of Mobile still retained the panhandle of Florida until 1968 when the panhandle of Florida became part of the Diocese of St. Augustine and later the Diocese of Pensacola-Tallahassee. On Oct. 8, 1969, the Diocese of Mobile-Birmingham was divided into two separate dioceses with the newly created diocese in the state known as the Diocese of Birmingham in Alabama.
In 1980 the Diocese of Mobile was raised to the status of an archdiocese and Archbishop Oscar H. Lipscomb was appointed the First Archbishop of the newly created Archdiocese of Mobile. Today the archdiocese encompasses 22,969 square miles and includes the lower 28 counties of the State of Alabama.
Bishop Michael Portier, D.D., first bishop of Mobile. (Photos courtesy of The Catholic Week/Archdiocese of Mobile)
The arrival of Catholicism in the region traces its origins to the early Spanish and French explorations and permanent settlements at Pensacola, Florida in 1696, and in Mobile in 1702, where a parish was erected on July 20, 1703, with Henry Rolleaux de la Vente as first pastor. At the time of the creation of the new Diocese of Mobile in 1829, most Catholics were centered in the principal towns of Mobile, Pensacola and St. Augustine.
I have such fond memories of Archbishop Lipscomb who died July 15, 2020. He was a consummate man of the church who exuded priesthood and the office of bishop and had a deep, abiding love for the history and tradition of the Catholic faith in our region.
A man of gentle voice and spirit, he was the principal consecrator of Bishop Joseph N. Latino on March 7, 2003. After the ceremony, we were headed back to the bishops’ vesting area, where he asked me to summon the miter and crozier bearers who had served him that day. When brothers Garrett and Gordon McMullin arrived, the Archbishop presented each of them with two gold Sacagawea dollars stating it was an ancient tradition in the church for the bishop to present two gold coins to them because they were considered part of the bishop’s household.
That was such a special moment to witness, and it testified to the Archbishop’s love for history and the church’s rich traditions.
Oftentimes as Mississippi Catholics, we connect ourselves to New Orleans because we share the River with Louisiana. Our diocese originally was cut from the Archdiocese of Baltimore, which is the Mother See of the United States. In 1850, New Orleans was elevated to an archdiocese and became our longtime province and metropolitan see until 1980, when Mobile was elevated to an archdiocese. We then were reunited with our sister territory of Alabama into the Mobile province as mentioned in the last article.
So, in reflecting on our history as a combined U.S. territory with Alabama in the early days of America, we have a lot of extraordinary connections to Mobile not only ecclesially, but also through the air we breathe, the soil upon which we trod and the beaches we enjoy year-round. We are sisters and brothers in one of the most unique territories in the country – Spanish West Florida.
Archbishop Oscar H. Lipscomb was the first Archbishop of the newly created Archdiocese of Mobile in 1980.
In another profound way we are linked to Mobile through the office of bishop. Both Bishop Richard O. Gerow (1924-1966) and Bishop William R. Houck (1984-2003) were Mobile natives and Bishop Joseph L. Howze (auxiliary of our diocese from 1972-1977) was from Daphne. Bishop Houck had a unique connection to Archbishop Lipscomb in that the Archbishop’s uncle, Msgr. Hugh Lipscomb, was Bishop Houck’s first pastor to serve under as a newly ordained priest in 1951. Bishop Houck often remarked that the Monsignor was quite the mentor. Therefore, as I sat in the Cathedral in Mobile, I pondered on the rich tradition of Catholicism in the region and offered a prayer for Archbishop Lipscomb, who is buried in the crypt below the altar there, and for Bishops Gerow and Houck – sons of Mobile. Then I prayed for the laity, religious and clergy of our diocese and the archdiocese along with our current bishops – Joseph Kopacz and Thomas Rodi, who carry on the ministry of those 19th-century bishops of the region – John Joseph Chanche and Michael Poitier. May God continue to bless our region with strong faith and a deep connection to our mission to serve the Lord in this distinctive corner of God’s kingdom. I pray you all have a blessed Christmas and a joyous New Year. See you from the archives in 2022.
(Mary Woodward is Chancellor and Archivist for the Diocese of Jackson)
MOBILE – The Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception was consecrated by Bishop Portier on Sunday, Dec. 8, 1850. The Diocese of Jackson is a suffragan of the Archdiocese of Mobile.
By Bishop Joseph R. Kopacz, D.D. The celebration of the Incarnation, the beginning of the culmination of God’s plan of salvation for humanity, will be celebrated throughout the Christian world over next weekend on the Solemnity of Christmas. In many countries the Lord’s birth will be commemorated at home or in smaller family clusters, but for the majority of the faithful there will be the joyful gatherings in churches with a wide range of languages and customs. For the throngs who do “go to church,” it will be for the celebration of the sacrifice of the Mass, the divine Liturgy, the holy Eucharist, to give thanks to God who so loved the world that he sent his only Son. (John 3:16)
Bishop Joseph R. Kopacz
Next weekend there will be the pastoral challenge in the Catholic world of coordinating the schedule of Masses for Christmas eve, Christmas day, and the Masses for Sunday – the feast of the Holy Family. But whatever Masses we attend let us not lose sight of one of the most sublime mysteries of our faith in the Lord Jesus, the bond between his birth, the Incarnation, and the Mass, when and where we celebrate his death and resurrection.
The link between the words from the prologue of the Gospel of John and the words of consecration from the other three evangelists, Matthew, Mark and Luke, as well as St. Paul are enlightening.
From the prologue: – “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.” (John 1:14)
– The Lord himself handed on to the church, beginning at the Last Supper and continuing for all time, his words of institution and consecration. (Matthew, Mark, Luke and St. Paul) “While they were eating, Jesus took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying, Take and eat; this is my body. Then he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, saying, Drink from it, all of you. This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.” (Matthew 26:26-28)
– Several chapters later in John’s Gospel, the Lord unwaveringly wedded his Incarnation with the Eucharist. “I am that living bread come down from heaven! Everyone who eats it will live forever. And the bread I will give is my flesh for the life of the world.” (John 6:51)
Throughout the Christmas season, the Octave of Christmas, and its sacred interval through Jan. 9, 2022 – the feast of the Baptism of the Lord – there is ample time to cherish the fullness of our faith in the Son of God.
Jesus Christ is the true light that has come into the world, so that whoever accepts him is granted the power to be children of God. Each time we gather at Mass as his Body – the church – the risen Christ reveals his glory to us, the glory as of the Father’s only Son, full of grace and truth.
Whenever someone doubts or rejects the real presence of the risen Christ in the bread and wine, which can occur for many reasons, a good place to revisit is the Incarnation of the Son of God.
In the power of the Holy Spirit pray for the grace and truth to see with the eyes of the heart the humanity and divinity of the child Jesus, and the crucified and risen Lord. He shines in glory in His resurrected body at the right hand of the Father and intercedes on behalf of his Body, the church, in this world.
Of course, he would want to feed us with exceptional food and drink – His own body and blood – food for the journey.
As, we grapple with this sublime mystery at various intervals over our life span, and we pray for one another to persevere, as individuals, families and friends with our feet firmly planted in God’s good creation as children of the Most High, who never lose sight of the beckoning horizon of eternal life.
Merry Christmas and peace on earth and goodwill toward all!
Por Obispo Joseph R. Kopacz, D.D. La celebración de la Encarnación, comienzo de la culminación del plan de salvación de Dios para la humanidad, se celebrará en todo el mundo cristiano el fin de semana en la solemnidad de Navidad. En muchos países, el nacimiento del Señor se conmemorará en el hogar o en grupos familiares más pequeños, pero para la mayoría de los fieles, habrá reuniones alegres en iglesias con una amplia gama de idiomas y costumbres. Para las multitudes que sí “van a la iglesia”, será para la celebración del sacrificio de la Misa, la Divina Liturgia, la Sagrada Eucaristía, para dar gracias a Dios que tanto amó al mundo que envió a su único Hijo. (Juan 3:16)
El próximo fin de semana tendrá lugar el desafío pastoral en el mundo católico de coordinar el horario de las Misas de Nochebuena, día de Navidad y las Misas del domingo, fiesta de la Sagrada Familia. Pero sean cuales sean las Misas a las que asistamos, no perdamos de vista uno de los misterios más sublimes de nuestra fe en el Señor Jesús, el vínculo entre su nacimiento, la Encarnación y la Misa, cuando y donde celebramos su muerte y resurrección.
Obispo Joseph R. Kopacz
El vínculo entre las palabras del prólogo del Evangelio de Juan y las palabras de consagración de los otros tres evangelistas, Mateo, Marcos y Lucas, así como de San Pablo, es esclarecedor.
Del prólogo: – “Aquel que es la Palabra se hizo hombre y vivió entre nosotros. Y hemos visto su gloria, la gloria que recibió del Padre, por ser su Hijo único, abundante en amor y verdad.” (Juan 1:14)
– El mismo Señor transmitió a la Iglesia, comenzando por la Última Cena y para siempre, sus palabras de institución y consagración. (Mateo, Marcos, Lucas y San Pablo) “Mientras comían, Jesús tomó en sus manos el pan y, habiendo dado gracias a Dios, lo partió y se lo dio a los discípulos, diciendo: Tomen y coman, esto es mi cuerpo. Luego tomó en sus manos una copa y, habiendo dado gracias a Dios, se la pasó a ellos, diciendo: Beban todos ustedes de esta copa, porque esto es mi sangre, con la que se confirma la alianza, sangre que es derramada en favor de muchos para perdón de sus pecados.” (Mateo 26:26-28)
– Varios capítulos más adelante en el Evangelio de Juan, el Señor enlazó inquebrantablemente su Encarnación con la Eucaristía. “¡Yo soy ese pan vivo que ha bajado del cielo; ¡el que come de este pan, vivirá para siempre! El pan que yo daré es mi propia carne. Lo daré por la vida del mundo.” (Juan 6:51)
A lo largo de la temporada navideña, la octava de Navidad y su intervalo sagrado hasta el 9 de enero de 2022, la fiesta del Bautismo del Señor, hay tiempo suficiente para apreciar la plenitud de nuestra fe en el Hijo de Dios.
Jesucristo es la verdadera luz que ha venido al mundo para que a quien lo acepte se le conceda el poder de ser hijo de Dios. Cada vez que nos reunimos, la iglesia como su Cuerpo, en la Misa Cristo resucitado nos revela su gloria, la gloria como del Hijo único del Padre, lleno de gracia y de verdad.
Siempre que alguien dude o rechace la presencia real de Cristo resucitado en el pan y el vino, lo que puede ocurrir por muchas razones, un buen lugar para volver a visitar es la Encarnación del Hijo de Dios.
En el poder del Espíritu Santo, oren pidiendo la gracia y la verdad de ver con los ojos del corazón la humanidad y la divinidad del niño Jesús, y del Señor crucificado y resucitado. Él brilla en gloria en su cuerpo resucitado a la diestra del Padre e intercede en nombre de su Cuerpo, la Iglesia en este mundo.
Por supuesto, él querría alimentarnos con comida y bebida excepcionales, su propio cuerpo y sangre, comida para el viaje.
Mientras, lidiamos con este sublime misterio en varios intervalos a lo largo de nuestra vida; oramos unos por otros para perseverar, como individuos, familias y amigos con los pies firmemente plantados en la buena creación de Dios y creer como hijos del Altísimo, que nunca pierden de vista el horizonte desde donde se te hace señas de vida eterna.
¡Feliz Navidad y paz en la tierra para con todos los hombres de buena voluntad!
