JACKSON – El obispo Joseph Kopacz, rodeado de sacerdotes y diáconos de la Diócesis de Jackson, conmemoró su décimo aniversario de ordenación al episcopado en la Catedral de San Pedro Apóstol en Jackson, con una Misa especial el martes 6 de febrero.
JACKSON – En Misa especial el 6 de febrero del 2024, el obispo Joseph Kopacz celebró el décimo aniversario de su nombramiento como el obispo undécimo de la Diócesis de Jackson Mississippi. En la foto se ve al opispo Kopacz, en su entrada a la Catedral de San Pedro, precedido por Mary Woodward, canciller de la Diócesis y el diácono Denzel Lobo. (Foto de Tereza Ma)
El obispo Kopacz fue ordenado e instalado como el undécimo obispo de Jackson el 6 de febrero de 2014, pero recuerda con cariño haber recibido la llamada inicial el día antes del Día de Acción de Gracias, con un acento italiano inolvidable: “El Santo Padre le indica que sea el obispo de Jackson. en Misisipi.” El obispo Kopacz reflexionó ante los reunidos en su misa de aniversario que “era una oferta que no se puede rechazar”.
“Estos pasados 10 años me han dado la oportunidad de reflexionar y apreciar el llamado y el desafío y la bendición continua de servir como el undécimo obispo de la diócesis”, dijo el obispo Kopacz.
Recordó con cariño haber atravesado la diócesis en avión días después de haber sido instalado como obispo y haber visitado algunas parroquias en toda la diócesis, incluida la Basílica de Santa María en Natchez, San José en Greenville, San James en Tupelo y San José en Starkville.
“Fue fantástico experimentar y ver la gran extensión de terreno que cubre la diócesis”, dijo el obispo Kopacz. “En aquel entonces y 10 años después, con posiblemente 300.000 millas en mi auto, creo que puedo decir que sé un poco sobre Mississippi y su geografía.”
Pero más que millas, reflexionó el obispo Kopacz, son las innumerables almas que han tocado su vida a lo largo del camino a través de las parroquias y la variedad de misiones y ministerios que conforman la diócesis.
JACKSON – En fotos, momentos de la Misa especial el 6 de febrero de 2024 celebrada el obispo Joseph Kopacz al arribar el décimo aniversario de su nombramiento como pastor del Pueblo de Dios en la Diócesis de Jackson Mississippi un 6 de febrero de 2014 . (Fotos de Tereza Ma)
Continuó celebrando la dedicación del clero, la resiliencia de los feligreses y el poder transformador de la gracia de Dios trabajando a través de cada individuo. En su homilía, el obispo Kopacz atribuye su entusiasmo y energía por la diócesis a la oración eucarística en la Misa cuando el clero reza por él todos los días. Bromeando con los clérigos presentes, diciéndoles que “no pueden saltarse esa parte… ya que de ella fluye mucha gracia en los días buenos y malos. Realmente me hace avanzar”. El obispo Kopacz, quien cumplirá 74 años a finales de este año, dice que espera seguir presente para celebrar el 200 aniversario de la diócesis dentro de 13 años. Expresó lo agradecido que estaba por la gente de la diócesis, todos los sacerdotes y religiosos, los compañeros de trabajo de la Cancillería y todo el personal de las parroquias y escuelas de toda la diócesis que responden al llamado de Dios todos los días. “Agradezco a todos por la amabilidad y generosidad por el décimo aniversario de mi consagración e instalación como undécimo obispo de Jackson,” dijo el obispo Kopacz. “Fue una ocasión espléndida y alegre, concluyó.”
By Kimberley Heatherington (OSV News) – “It is a scandal,” Pope Francis said in his 2013 message for World Food Day, “that there is still hunger and malnutrition in the world!”
The pontiff further warned against acceptance of that lethal truth, cautioning that “hunger and malnutrition can never be considered a normal occurrence to which one must become accustomed, as if it were part of the system. Something has to change in ourselves, in our mentality, in our societies.”
Listeners may readily nod in agreement – while all too easily imagining that Pope Francis was speaking of some distant, developing nation.
But the truth is, even in the United States – the richest country in the world, if ranked by its $26.95 trillion gross domestic product, or GDP – 49 million Americans, one in every six, relied on food assistance from charities in 2022.
A woman walks away with free groceries from the food pantry and free hot meals at a church in Boston April 14, 2020. (OSV News photo/Brian Snyder, Reuters)
During Poverty Awareness Month, OSV News talked with Catholic Charities offices across the country – in Virginia, Mississippi and Nevada – to learn how they help feed a hungry nation.
The Diocese of Arlington, Virginia – just outside the nation’s capital – is home to four of America’s richest locales, in terms of median income: Loudoun, Fairfax and Arlington counties, and the city of Falls Church. It’s a landscape distinguished by large homes, elevated rents and a highly educated workforce.
“But the reality is that – even in this prosperous area of the country, there is significant poverty,” explained Bishop Michael F. Burbidge after he blessed the Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Arlington’s new Alexandria regional office Jan. 5. “There are people who are hungry every day, every night – not knowing where their next meal is coming from. And so, it’s our sacred duty to kind of wake people up a little bit, and say, ‘No – if we’re really looking, the need is apparent.'”
The new regional office – which includes an expanded food pantry and emergency financial assistance services – opened at a time when casual observers might expect the economic gaps apparent during COVID to be mended.
They aren’t.
An estimated 200,000-plus people remain food insecure in the Arlington Diocese, which encompasses 21 counties and seven cities. The three Catholic Charities food pantries and warehouse form an integral part of the more than 50 pantries and various distribution sites located throughout the diocese, all coordinating together to serve the hungry.
More than 59,000 food requests were made during the last year, $2.2 million in food was distributed, and Christ House shelter served 17,627 free evening meals.
“When we tell people within the last year there’s been a 40% increase in the number of people served – that’s a significant number,” Bishop Burbidge said. “Sometimes you get the word out by numbers – the pounds of food that have been delivered. So the good news is that there is a more spacious place to serve even more people. But the sad reality is, the need is just as great, too.”
Synodality, Bishop Burbidge shared, is essential in serving the poor.
“Even though we may have good intentions, if it comes from above – ‘We want to do good works, and this is what we’re going to do’ – it may not be the most effective way of serving. So it must begin with that synodality, that listening,” he explained. “What are the needs – the most critical needs – at this point? And when you hear from the people you’re trying to help, then you’re going to be more effective.”
“When people come into this place,” Bishop Burbidge said of the food pantry, “one of the things that respects the dignity of the human person is that they get a cart – and they choose. That helps uplift the dignity of the person.”
Mississippi – according to the Mississippi Food Network – “has the worst hunger problem in America.” The charity reports almost one in six Mississippians – about 480,600 people – don’t have enough to eat, while more than one in five children (18.8%) frequently go to bed hungry.
Those are all-too-familiar statistics to Chamon Williams, community services manager at Catholic Charities in the Diocese of Jackson, Mississippi, which includes 65 of the state’s 82 counties.
“We’re always looking for different solutions or resources to support the community,” Williams said.
One solution to senior hunger in Natchez – a little over 100 miles from Jackson – is a partnership between Catholic Charities and the Basilica of St. Mary. Each month, seniors in need are offered a box that includes such food staples as meat, vegetables, fruit, sugar, flour and more. An average of 40 boxes are distributed monthly.
JACKSON – St. Jude parish engaged in their Feed My Sheep ministry led by Beth Paczak. The group served lunch at Poindexter Park on Sunday, October 23, 2022. (Photos by Rhonda Bowden)
“Because they are on a fixed income,” Williams explained, “the likelihood of many of these individuals receiving SNAP benefits – or even receiving SNAP benefits that would allow them to buy all of the staples that they need on a monthly basis – may be slim, based on their income.” SNAP stands for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, the largest federal food assistance program to people with low incomes.
It’s an awful paradox – numerous of the box recipients are just well enough off, in the government’s assessment, to not receive comprehensive food assistance, but are not well enough off to cover combined costs of rent, medicine and food.
While “what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas,” those who live in (rather than simply visit) Las Vegas, the most populous city in Nevada, struggle with more than just the lure of the Strip and its casinos. More than 274,000 Southern Nevadans – including one in six children – experienced food insecurity in 2023.
Deacon Tom Roberts – president and CEO of Catholic Charities of Southern Nevada – is uniquely qualified to identify with the needs of his community. During a 30-plus-year executive career in the gaming industry, he was ordained a deacon for the then-Diocese of Las Vegas (now an archdiocese). When his predecessor at Catholic Charities – Msgr. Patrick Leary – died unexpectedly, Deacon Roberts was asked to step in.
He’s been there ever since.
“I like to say, ‘Our clients never expected to be here, and neither did I,'” Deacon Roberts shared, noting Catholic Charities of Southern Nevada has dealt with a “dramatic” rise in food insecurity in the last decade.
The numbers Deacon Roberts cites underscore that assertion: almost 2,500 meals on wheels delivered per day to senior citizens, with another 1,000 on a waiting list; 500-600 community meals served daily; and 150 daily visitors to the community food pantry, open five days per week.
“There’s more need than ever,” sighed Deacon Roberts, who – even as CEO – continues to help deliver meals. Sometimes, what he encounters still has the capacity to shock.
“I’d see the dishes that our food comes in on the floor,” Deacon Roberts recalled, “and I’d say, ‘Why is your dish on the ground? Didn’t you like the food?’ And they’d say, ‘No, deacon – we’re sharing our food with our pets.'” “And so I’d go out in my car and cry,” the deacon reflected, “and then we started to put donated pet food on our delivery run. Hundreds of our seniors now are as excited and grateful for the food that feeds their companion, so they’re not having to share their food with that pet. It’s been a complete eye-opener for me.”
Deacon Roberts adds, “They’re having to make that sad decision of, ‘Can I afford my rent and my medicine, or do I have food?'”
At the free daily community meal, Deacon Roberts said, “so many of these people we’re serving in that dining room every day are homeless – or as they get towards the end of the month, they just run out of money. Families come in – it breaks my heart to see families and little ones come in.”
Other resources also are available at mealtime, with Deacon Roberts’ staff and volunteers on the lookout to “connect the dots for people.”
“Help and hope” is their mission, according to Deacon Roberts – optimism and assistance for all. “I like to say we don’t check religious ID cards around here,” Deacon Roberts said. “So anybody that needs help and hope can get it.”
(Kimberley Heatherington writes for OSV News from Virginia.)
By Joanna Puddister King JACKSON – As the Diocese of Jackson kicks off the 2024 Catholic Service Appeal (CSA), director of Stewardship and Development, Rebecca Harris shared her enthusiasm for the ministries that the appeal supports across the diocese.
“The appeal sustains essential ministries that play a pivotal role in nurturing and advancing our Catholic faith,” said Harris.
Under the theme “Hope Rising,” the diocese is inviting all to become beacons of hope to 14 ministries through support and prayers for the appeal.
Harris says that the Catholic community can become that hope to those served by these ministries: Seminarian Education, Catholic Schools, Retired Priests, Clergy Healthcare Assistance, Permanent Diaconate Ministry, Prison Ministry, Catholic Charities, Campus Ministry, Formation Ministry and Religious Education, Intercultural Ministry, Evangelization and Communication, Family Ministry, Young Adult Ministry, Youth Ministry and grants for Parishes and Schools.
Each year in January Bishop Joseph Kopacz sends letters to all parishioners in the diocese asking for support of those ministries. In this year’s letter, he asks that parishioners recognize the timelessness of a piece of St. Paul’s letter to the Hebrews – “Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have; God is pleased by sacrifices of that kind.” (Hebrews 13:16)
Bishop Kopacz reminds parishioners that “we are gently being summoned to be good stewards of the blessings that we have received and are being called to share our blessings.”
“When you make a gift you become the ‘Hope Rising’ to those served by the appeal,” Harris says. She says that supporters will also find in-depth information on each of the 14 ministries supported through the appeal at csa.jacksondiocese.org by clicking on the “Ministries Supported” button. She invites all to “explore the profound impact your donations make on our faith community.”
Bishop Kopacz and Harris both express gratitude for the continued trust and support of the Catholic community. “We assure you that we have been diligent stewards of the funds entrusted to us.”
To provide transparency and accountability, the graphics in the Catholic Service Appeal insert in Mississippi Catholic and on the website offer a detailed breakdown of how every dollar from the 2023 CSA was allocated, said Harris. “This visual representation underscores our commitment to responsible financial management and demonstrates how your contributions actively promote our Catholic faith.”
There are several ways to give to the 2024 Catholic Service Appeal. Pledge cards can be mailed to PO Box 22723, Jackson, MS 39225; and supporters can visit csa.jacksondiocese.org to donate online. Additionally, giving is also open through text by texting “GiveCSA” to (601) 202-5979.
Gifts of stocks, donor advised funds and Qualified Charitable Distribution through your IRA can also be made to support the Catholic Service Appeal. For more information on the CSA, contact Rebecca Harris at (601) 960-8477.
(Editor’s note: See the special Catholic Service Appeal insert in this edition of Mississippi Catholic to learn more about all the ministries supported by this appeal.)
ANGUILLA – Our Mother of Mercy celebrated their 100-plus anniversary on Saturday, Jan. 27. Pictured: Reed Mahalitc and his sister Charley Rose bring the gifts up to Bishop Joseph Kopacz and Father Panneer Selviam Arokiam. (Photo by Tereza Ma)TUPELO – High school students from St. James parish, step up and lead by example, in service to their parish. Pictured: Marcela Tiscareno and Alexandra Villanueva wash dishes and clean the parish kitchen with their fellow senior classmates with a smile. (Photo by Michelle Harkins)
JACKSON – Archbishop Thomas Rodi of Mobile lays hands on Bishop Joseph Kopacz during his ordination as Bishop of Jackson on Feb. 6, 2014. (Photo from archives)
By Bishop Joseph R. Kopacz, D.D. Just shy of 47 years a priest and now 10 years as the 11th Bishop of Jackson, I give thanks to the great High Priest, Jesus Christ for the gift of serving Him, His body the church, and the Kingdom of God in this world.
The Lord pronounced that “I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.” (John 10:10) This promise has been fulfilled ten-fold in my life. Indeed, abundance is the stamp of priesthood and episcopal ministry. Whether blessings or burdens, for me iIt has been a life of purpose especially over the unanticipated bends in the road.
A few days following my consecration and installation on Feb. 6, 2014, I treasured the opportunity to fly from Madison to St. Mary’s Basilica in Natchez, to St. Joseph in Greenville, to St. James in Tupelo, and to St. Joseph in Starkville, and in the process to have my first encounters with the faithful. During those 12 hours, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., from an ariel view of 3,000 feet a large swath of the Diocese of Jackson stretched out before me, a grand view that remains vivid to this day. Play it forward, and 10 years and 300,000 miles later, via modern day horsepower, have given me boots on the ground experience forming a deep bond with the Diocese of Jackson and the State of Mississippi. Of course, it’s not a matter of miles, but of mission and ministries and the Catholic people who make up the communities of faith throughout 65 counties.
As my anniversary approached there were two events a week ago that afforded me the opportunity to deepen the understanding that the gift I have received can only be graciously lived in turn. Unexpectedly, Bishop Mario Dorsonville died from health complications after serving only 10 months as the Ordinary of Houma-Thibodaux. At his Mass of Christian burial, the shock and sadness of those in the congregation were plain to see, and at moments I could not help but be self-referential considering the timeframe of his ten months and my ten years. If he were blessed to serve ten years, he would have been my age looking back in gratitude over a decade of service in the Bayou of Louisiana. We know not the day nor the hour, only that each day is the moment at hand, and the weeks, months and years follow rhythmically under the wings of Divine Providence.
The following day, on Friday of last week I had a visitor from Northeastern Pennsylvania, who was on his way to begin a new chapter of active duty in the Army Corps Band at Fort Hood, Texas. Liam and his brother Luke, my godson, served at my Mass of consecration and installation as early adolescents. Now they are 23 and their adult lives are unfolding with energy and enthusiasm.
Over breakfast at Broad Street Bakery, he just happened to mention that he could retire after 20 years at age 42, and then floated the question – “by the way, how old will you be at retirement?” That’s a number he couldn’t even compute. As he savored his grits it struck me that over ten years a number of folks in my life have left this world, and others have come of age. And yes Virginia, there is a Santa Claus and yes, someday I will retire. But meanwhile I am still on active duty and grateful for the energy and motivation that propel me forward each day. Another way of naming this is God’s grace in varied and splendid ways, especially implored in the Eucharistic prayer at each Mass when I am lifted up by name.
Finally, I give thanks for the countless collaborators in the ministry – ordained, religious, and lay – whose love for the Lord Jesus and the church, whose generosity and Gospel commitment are a fountain of inspiration every day. Let the new decade begin and may the bends in the road ahead continue the adventure in that sacred space between time and eternity. Ad multos anos!
In John’s Gospel two disciples of John the Baptist begin to follow Jesus and ask him where he is staying. He responds with an invitation: ‘Come and See.’ (John 1:38-39)
We know that one of these disciples was Andrew, the brother of Peter. It is believed that the other disciple is John the Evangelist. John often makes mention of the disciple “whom Jesus loved,” and it is very possible that this is John himself. But we can also place ourselves in that position of the beloved disciple. We are all students of Jesus who are loved by him without reserve. Often, however, we live as if Jesus has nothing to teach us, and he’s just there to help us when we need it.
Each spring on Palm Sunday weekend, St. Joseph Seminary College hosts a ‘Come and See’ retreat for young men who are open to the call to priesthood. This retreat serves as a point on the road for young disciples as they gather information and seek to discern their vocation well.
Father Nick Adam
I try to send as many guys on this retreat as possible each year because it is a great way to see what seminary life is really like. Seminarians are not ‘normal’ in many ways: they schedule their life around prayer and Mass, and that’s not the norm. But they are very ‘normal’ in other ways. They have hobbies and interests far beyond the pews. They love to build good community and spend time having fun. In some ways, the seminary is the place where men go to learn a more virtuous ‘normal.’ In the secular world, we learn many things that seem normal but are actually damaging to our consciences and our souls. Bad language is thrown around like it’s nothing, and vicious behavior is talked about on a sliding scale depending on the audience.
In the seminary men are normal, but they have been invited to ‘Come and See’ a new way of living as they are challenged to rise above the small-ness of a life focused on self and move toward a life lived for God. That focus could lead them toward the ultimate end of priestly ordination, but even if it doesn’t, they are shown a way of living that helps them be the virtuous men that our society needs. At the ‘come and see’ retreat, visitors get a look at this way of life firsthand. They see the ‘normal-ness’ of the seminarians but also they are inspired by the different way of life they have voluntarily chosen.
I hope that we will have a great group of men going to the ‘Come and See’ this spring. Please pray that the men who are being called to this event have the courage to reach out to me and overcome the obstacles that can sometimes appear when something important is happening. Pray that many more men will want to follow Jesus wherever he leads them.
Father Nick Adam, vocation director
(Father Nick Adam can be contacted at nick.adam@jacksondiocese.org.)
Is this new or are we just more aware of it? Hatred and contempt are everywhere. They are in our government houses, in our communities, in our churches and in our families. We are struggling, mostly without success, to be civil with each other; let alone to respect each other. Why? Why is this happening and intensifying?
Moreover, on both sides, we are often justifying this hatred on moral grounds, even biblical grounds, claiming that the Gospel itself gives us grounds for our disrespect – My truth is so right and you are so wrong that I can disrespect you and I have biblical grounds to hate you!
Well, even a cursory look at scripture should be enough to enable us to see this for what it is; rationalization, self-interest – and the farthest thing from Jesus.
Father Ron Rolheiser, OMI
Let’s begin with something already taught long before Jesus. In the Jewish scriptures, we already find this text: “I have made you contemptible and base before all the people, since you do not keep my ways, but show partiality in your decisions. Have we not all the one Father? Has not the one God created us? Why do we break faith with one another?” (Malachi 2:8-10) Long before Jesus, Jewish spirituality already demanded that we be fair and never show partiality. However, it still gave us permission to hate our enemies and to take revenge when we have been wronged – “an eye for an eye.”
Jesus turns this on its head. Everywhere in his person and in his teaching, most explicitly in the Sermon on the Mount, he challenges us in a radically new way, telling us that, if we want to go to heaven, our virtue needs to go deeper than that of the Scribes and the Pharisees. What was their virtue?
The Scribes and Pharisees of his time were very much like the church-going Christians of our time. They were sincere, essentially honest, basically good people, who kept the commandments and practiced strict justice. But, according to Jesus, that isn’t enough. Why? If you are a sincere person who is honest, keeps the commandments, and is fair to everyone, what’s still missing? What’s still missing lies at the very heart of Jesus’ moral teaching, namely, the practice of a love and forgiveness that goes beyond hatred and grievance. What exactly is this?
In justice and fairness, you are still entitled to hate someone who hates you and to extract an appropriate vengeance on someone who has wronged you. However, Jesus asks something else of us: “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor’ and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. … If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” (Matthew 5:43-48)
This is the very essence of Christian morality. Can you love someone who hates you? Can you do good to someone who wishes you evil? Can you forgive someone who has wronged you? Can you forgive a murderer? It’s this, and not some particular issue in moral theology, which is the litmus test for who is a Christian and who isn’t. Can you love someone who hates you? Can you forgive someone who has hurt you? Can you move beyond your natural proclivity for vengeance?
Sadly, today we are failing that test on both sides of the ideological and religious spectrum. We see this everywhere – from the highest levels of government, from high levels in our churches, and in public and private discourse everywhere, that is, people openly espousing disrespect, division, hatred and vengeance – and trying to claim the moral high ground in doing this. Major politicians speak openly and explicitly about hating others and about exacting revenge on those who oppose them. Worse still, churches and church leaders of every kind are lining up behind them and giving them “Gospel” support for their espousal of hatred and vengeance.
This needs to be named and challenged: anyone who is advocating division, disrespect, hatred or revenge is antithetical to Jesus and the Gospels. As well, anyone supporting such a person by an appeal to Jesus, the Gospels, or authentic morality, is also antithetical to Jesus and the Gospels.
God is love. Jesus is love enfleshed. Disrespect, hatred, division and revenge may never be preached in God’s or Jesus’ name, no matter the cause, no matter the anger, no matter the wrong. This doesn’t mean that we cannot have disagreements, spirited discussions and bitter debates. But disrespect, hatred, division and revenge (no matter how deeply they may in fact be felt inside us) may not be advocated in the name of goodness and Jesus. Division, disrespect, hatred and vengeance are the Anti-Christ.
(Oblate Father Ron Rolheiser is a theologian, teacher and award-winning author. He can be contacted through his website www.ronrolheiser.com.)
By Carol Glatz VATICAN CITY (CNS) – Wrath is a “dark vice” that destroys relationships, focuses all blame on others and only worsens over time, Pope Francis said.
“It is capable of depriving us of sleep, of barring the way to reason and thought” because wrath completely clouds thinking clearly and builds up incessantly without mercy, the pope said Jan. 31 at his weekly general audience in the Paul VI Audience Hall.
Continuing a series of audience talks about vices and virtues, the pope reflected on the vice of wrath. “If it is born of an injustice suffered or believed to be suffered, often it is unleashed not against the offender, but against the first unfortunate victim,” he said, giving as an example people who can “withhold their rage in the workplace,” but then unleash it at home on their spouse and children. Wrath “destroys human relationships. It expresses the incapacity to accept the diversity of others, especially when their life choices diverge from our own,” he said.
When someone is dominated by wrath, the pope said, “they always, always say the problem is the other person; they are unable to recognize their own defects, their own shortcomings.”
St. Paul recommends Christians face up to the problem right away and attempt reconciliation before the end of the day, the pope said, quoting the apostle’s Letter to the Ephesians (4:26) “Do not let the sun set on your anger.”
Pope Francis greets a child after his weekly general audience in the Paul VI Audience Hall at the Vatican Jan. 31, 2024. (CNS photo/Lola Gomez)
“The night cannot be handed over to the devil,” the pope said, repeating that it is important that any misunderstandings be handled before the day is over since this vice can keep people “awake at night, brooding over our reasons and the unaccountable mistakes that are never ours and always the other’s.”
“In the Lord’s Prayer, Jesus makes us pray for our human relations, which are a minefield: a plane that is never in perfect equilibrium,” he said.
“We are all sinners, all of us,” with outstanding debts or “trespasses” committed and experienced throughout life, he said.
“Therefore, we all need to learn how to forgive” as far as humanly possible, he said. “Wrath is countered by benevolence, openness of heart, meekness and patience.”
However, the pope said, “not everything that stems from wrath is mistaken.”
“We are not responsible for the onset of wrath, but always for its development,” he said.
Sometimes “it is good for anger to be vented in the right way,” he said. “Holy indignation exists,” especially at an injustice, but this is not wrath.
Jesus felt it several times in his life, but “he never responded to evil with evil,” the pope said.
When he entered the temple and drove out the merchants and overturned the tables of the money changers, Jesus “performed a strong and prophetic action, dictated not by wrath, but by zeal for the house of the Lord,” he said.
“We need to distinguish the good,” which is holy indignation, he said, from the bad, which is wrath, and to pray to correctly govern one’s passions, “to educate them so that they turn to the good and not the bad.” The pope also recalled Jan. 31 was the feast of St. John Bosco.
In his greetings to visitors in other languages, the pope highlighted the work of the 19th-century Italian saint, saying he helped many young people in their difficulties and, with his apostolic zeal, brought them to Christ. “Let us also be witnesses to young people that Christ wants to enter our lives to fill them with the joy that only he can give.”
He invited people to imitate the saint, “educating young people in the faith and training them in the different sciences and professions, for a better future in which humanity can enjoy peace, brotherhood and tranquility.”
Season four of “The Chosen,” the wildly popular series on the life of Jesus that began its existence as a crowd-funded streaming series, is finally here, much to the delight of fans around the world. This time around, all episodes will enjoy a theatrical release before debuting on streaming and broadcast outlets. At nearly the same time as season four is released, Catholics begin the liturgical season of Lent. “The Chosen” provides much inspiration that could kick start your Lenten reflection on how God might be inviting you to metanoia, or conversion, during this penitential season.
The first episode deals with the death of John the Baptist (David Amito) and the fallout of that for Jesus (Jonathan Roumie) and the apostles, especially Andrew (Noah James), one of John’s early followers. John’s faithfulness to his God-given vocation, even through imprisonment and death, encourages us to reflect on our own responses to God’s invitations. How have we responded to God’s prompting? How do we even recognize how God summons us to follow him on a daily basis? Are we courageous in the face of persecution, whatever form that may take, or do we shrink from it?
Sister Hosea Rupprecht is a workshop presenter and film critic for the Pauline Center for Media Studies. (OSV News photo/courtesy Daughters of St Paul)
In episode two, things heat up for Jesus following John’s execution. More than that, though, there is dissension in the ranks when Jesus declares that Simon (Shahar Isaac) is no longer Simon but Peter, the rock upon which his church will be built. That night around the campfire, the apostles start to bicker with comments like, “Is Peter the best?” and “He doesn’t act like a rock.” Have you ever felt disappointed in those in leadership positions? How did you respond? What place does humility have in your life? How might God be inviting you to deepen your humility?
Fans of the show will remember that Matthew (Paras Patel) is depicted as having some form of autism. He’s extremely precise – that made him a good tax collector – and he really doesn’t like physical contact. There’s a small scene in episode two when Matthew encounters his old friend, the Roman, Gaius (Kirk B.R. Woller). Gaius observes that Matthew seems different, more relaxed and at peace. Matthew’s response is all about trust in Jesus and surrender to God’s will. He says, “I have only one thing to do today: Follow him. The rest takes care of itself.” What if every Christian could have that attitude? What would happen if we could let go of the problems that worry us and give them all over to God? Is there one thing in my life right now that I need to let go of and relinquish to God? How might I do that this Lent?
Lent is a time to think about the need for reconciliation and forgiveness. In “The Chosen,” the ongoing tension between Matthew and Simon (now Peter) started way back when Matthew almost turned Peter over to the Romans for unpaid taxes. Matthew has never apologized for his actions, and Peter holds onto his resentment. With hostility increasing all around them, Matthew feels unsettled and seeks out Jesus. Jesus helps him to see the need to own up to his actions and reach out to Peter. Jesus tells Matthew that one apologizes to repent, but that forgiveness is a gift from another person. It cannot be demanded.
The thing is, neither Matthew nor Peter is ready to reconcile. Jesus is gentle in his prodding saying, “There is no peace when two of my followers hold resentment against one another.” Since there are over 2 billion Christians in the world, it can be assumed that there are enough resentments to displace the peace that comes with following Jesus. What is one resentment that you could let go of this Lent? Do you need to apologize to anyone? Do you have the power to offer the gift of forgiveness to someone who has hurt you? What’s holding you back?
Yes, “The Chosen” is a made-up television series and not the Gospel itself. Yet, the power of media stories is that they show real, flawed humans, just like you and me, interacting in an imaginative way. “The Chosen,” in particular, can inspire us to take what we see on screen and prompt us to look at our inner selves and the quality of our own following of Christ, especially during this Season of Lent.
(Sister Hosea Rupprecht, a Daughter of St. Paul, is the associate director of the Pauline Center for Media Studies.)
