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Holy Land experience ‘brought Bible to life’ for priestand diocesan travelers

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HOLY LAND – Pilgrims listen to a tour guide in the Grotto of the Nativity in Bethlehem. (Photos courtesy of Father Mark Shoffner)

By Bryce Newsom
OXFORD – The Holy Land. Though the locations in which our Lord made the greatest sacrifice are a world away, this didn’t prevent Father Mark Shoffner and several members of our diocese from journeying that distance. Traveling by plane, these pilgrims visited stunning locations such as the former home of our Mother Mary, the workshop of her husband, Joseph, and the Sea of Galilee. Many miracles, and similarly many tragedies, happened in and around these areas. Upon their return, Father Mark shared their story.

The holy sites that were visited left a deep impression on many of the pilgrims, as could be gathered by their reactions to the meaning of the grounds as well as the architecture of the buildings themselves. For example, when asked what his favorite stop of their itinerary happened to be, Father Shoffner replied, “Definitely the Holy Sepulchre, it’s always been my favorite place to visit in the Holy Land.”

Father Mark Shoffner celebrated Mass on Mount Tabor on July 4 during a pilgrimage to the Holy Land.

Father Mark also specified a particular experience which he and his fellow pilgrims were involved in at The Basilica of the Annunciation: “When we were there, by the ruins of Mary’s house, above us Mass was happening. And as the bells were ringing for the consecration, we realized that we were in the place where the Word became flesh … as the Word was becoming flesh in the Eucharist above us. It was a surreal experience.”

Continuing about their venture to the Holy Sepulchre, Father Mark spoke about his feeling that he had “completed his mission” as a Knight Chaplain of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre. He saw the reaction of many to the holy site, with awestruck wonder and adoration, and it warmed his soul. For not only was he himself able to observe and appreciate these passages he had read, made real in front of him, but he was able to help bring others to this realization as well.
Father Mark was able to go up Mount Tabor, often called the Mount of Transfiguration, and look out on the Sea of Galilee. When doing this in reflection, a thought dawned on him: “When you’re up there, you’re seeing the exact same locations that Jesus saw.” This revelation put the trip in perspective for Father Shoffner. The trip brought the Bible to life for many people, with other locations such as Capernaum, Nazareth, and the site of the Wedding at Cana, where Christ performed His first miracle.

For many, this was a trip which changed the way they viewed their faith. It became tangible, physical and more impactful. And in this process, grew that faith in Christ. Which, of course, was one of the primary goals of the pilgrimage. Another, however, was to observe the current state of Catholics in the Holy Land. Many are struggling to support their families, and often ask St. George, a former Roman soldier whose icon many place above their doorways, to pray for them. Let us, as their brothers and sisters, continue to pray fervently for them throughout this trying time.

Father Mark Shoffner and his pilgrims sailing on the Sea of Galilee.

Growing Catholic community flourishes inside Pearl state prison

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By Chris Kieffer
PEARL – On a Saturday afternoon in July, the 100 men gathered inside a chapel in this central Mississippi city rose and applauded as Father Lincoln Dall began his processional to commence Mass.

The congregants were inmates at the Central Mississippi Correctional Facility (CMCF). And the unscripted moment of enthusiastic appreciation that erupted at the start of Mass underscores the passion that has been at the heart of the growing Catholic ministry here inside the razor wire.

“I feel like it is almost ministry in its most raw form,” said Father Lincoln, the pastor at both Holy Savior Catholic Church in Clinton and Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in Raymond and the vicar general for the Diocese of Jackson. “A lot of them realize they have a lot to work on, and they’re hungry for this. You feel the energy for it. It’s palpable.”

PEARL – Recently, Father Lincoln Dall and Bishop Joseph Kopacz celebrated Mass with the St. Michael the Archangel community at the Central Mississippi Correctional Facility in Pearl. (Photo courtesy of Father Lincoln Dall)

Father Lincoln has a long history with prison ministry, but even he has been amazed by the burgeoning Catholic community here inside one of Mississippi’s three state prisons. As recently as last Christmas, about 15 or 20 inmates would regularly attend Mass, which was then held in a small room tucked inside one of the facility’s buildings. Now, some 120 or 130 men attend one of the two Masses Father Lincoln celebrates at CMCF’s chapel nearly every weekend.

“It is an accomplishment for us to see it growing, and it makes us feel we are doing something positive,” said Chris, an inmate at the facility and member of the Catholic community.

Their numbers have grown so much that the Catholic community has recently been recognized by CMCF as an official organization with its own bylaws and name – St. Michael the Archangel, chosen to honor the celestial being who led the angelic forces against Satan and his followers.

The community was also given use of the CMCF chapel, where it met for Mass on that Saturday in July. During the service, a banner hung from the ceiling above the altar declaring: “St. Michael the Archangel Catholic Community, Established 2023. Always fighting the forces of evil.”

The Catholic inmates have played a large role in the community’s rapid growth, said Father Lincoln, who has made the ministry the focus of a project he’s undertaking as part of the Mathis Liturgical Leadership Program, a selective two-year initiative run by the University of Notre Dame’s McGrath Institute of Church Life.

The project is about creating a Eucharistic culture. In this case, it builds that culture by empowering the members of CMCF’s St. Michael the Archangel community to evangelize their fellow inmates.

“It has grown because that core group is working behind the scenes when we’re not there, and they’re going and talking to people and evangelizing them and trying to get them to come to Mass,” said Wes Stevens, who also volunteers with Father Lincoln in the ministry. Michael, an inmate who serves as St. Michael the Archangel’s leader, is also a Eucharistic minister. Recognized as the facility’s official Catholic field minister, he meets with other inmates throughout the week, prays with them and tells them about the growing Catholic ministry.

Father Lincoln brings consecrated hosts to a tabernacle they established within the chapel, and Michael distributes the Blessed Sacrament to Catholic inmates during the week. He also brings rosaries and Bibles that have been donated to the ministry.

“For me, it doesn’t matter where I am,” Michael said when asked why the ministry means so much to him. “I have the peace of God. I want others to have what I have. It’s an incredible gift, and I want other people to have it.

“That’s the last thing Jesus said in the Gospel, was for us to go forth and share it.”

Six inmates went through the RCIA program last year and joined the Catholic Church at Easter, and two more were confirmed by Bishop Joseph Kopacz during a spring visit to the facility. A new RCIA class will be held this fall.

The community has a pastoral council of Catholic inmates who meet regularly to plan activities. It recently launched a farmer’s market, which buys fresh fruits and vegetables and sells them to other inmates. They view the market as an outreach opportunity – a chance to highlight the growing Catholic community to others inside the facility – as well a means to provide healthy meals at affordable prices.

“The men who participate in the Catholic Community are a great bunch of men,” Gregg, another inmate, recently wrote in a letter to Father Lincoln expressing his appreciation for the CMCF Catholic ministry. “…. (They) strive behind bars and razor wire to do things that are only discussed and dreamed of from the outside – to evangelize CMCF and build the kingdom of God.”

Although Jesus explicitly instructs his followers to visit those who are in prison (Matthew 25:36), it’s an often-overlooked ministry. It’s an especially important one in a state like Mississippi, which has an incarceration rate of 1,031 people per 100,000 residents, according to 2021 statistics from PrisonPolicy.org. That’s the second highest among U.S. states, and 55 percent higher than the national average.

Father Lincoln was joined on that July Saturday by Bob Pavolini, a volunteer with the Mississippi Association for Returning Citizens (MARC), a group that focuses on the re-entry of incarcerated individuals into society and that holds meetings at St. Paul Catholic Church in Flowood. A handful of other volunteers also assist in this ministry.

Father Lincoln notes the need for more volunteers and donations. Last year, they spent about $16,000 on the ministry – covering such various expenses as rosaries, Catechisms, Bibles, missalettes and books, as well as a golf cart used to distribute produce from the farmer’s market to the inmates. Individuals can donate specifically to the prison ministry through the Jackson’ Diocese’s online giving portal. Anyone interested in volunteering can contact Father Lincoln at lincoln.dall@jackson.diocese.org.

“It’s uncomfortable at first and building relationships with the inmates is a slow-going process, but if you persist and you keep coming, eventually the guys bond with you and they open up and you realize they are just a normal human being who made a mistake at some point in their life,” Stevens said. “They’re not any different than you or I.”

Speaking about the growth of the Catholic community inside CMCF, the inmates rave about Father Lincoln and his sincerity and genuine passion for the ministry.

“I knew from the first time I met him that he really cared about the men here and his mission for God,” Michael said.

During his homily that Saturday afternoon, Father Lincoln referenced a quote he recently saw on the Internet, noting there are no perfect lives, jobs, marriages, parents, etc. We all have our struggles. But, Father Lincoln said, we have God who is perfect and will lead us through our imperfect lives with wisdom, strength and love.

“We all have our crosses,” Father Lincoln said. “I know you do. Our faith is here to help us through all of the struggles we have.”

Education, roof, bones mark Bishop’s tenure

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From the Archives
By Mary Woodward

JACKSON – When Bishop Van de Velde arrived in Natchez on Dec. 18, 1853, he inherited a cathedral in debt and needing completion on top of repairs to what already was there.

In a letter to the Propagation of the Faith written on Jan. 2, 1854, Bishop Van de Velde describes the scene:

“When my venerable predecessor was nominated to the new Diocese of Natchez in 1841, he had not a Catholic church in this city. He had only one church and one priest in the whole extent of the diocese.

“The Catholics in general were poor and few in numbers, as they still are. He was forced to build a church here to serve as his Cathedral and he used all the money which he could obtain by gifts, subscriptions, contributions, collections, allotments, etc.

NATCHEZ – Bishop Van de Velde was buried in the crypt beneath the St. Mary Basilica sanctuary until 1874 when his remains were transferred by his Jesuit brothers to Florissant, Missouri. (Photos courtesy of St. Mary Basilica Archives/Mike Murphy)

“He contracted debts in building this church which he has left half-finished. There are walls, furniture and roof which already need to be renewed. The windows have been boarded up, leaving an opening in each one in which panes of glass have been placed.

“It is absolutely the appearance of a great barn, and it has been in this state since 1843.”

Archbishop Antoine Blanc of New Orleans gifted Bishop Van de Velde with around $2000. Adding that to a parish subscription, he was able to put a slate roof on the church and with some other funds collected locally and from the Propagation of the Faith was able to do some repairs.

As a diocese, Bishop Van de Velde maintained the 11 original parishes established by Bishop John Joseph Chanche at Natchez, Paulding, Biloxi, Jackson, Bay St. Louis, Pass Christian, Vicksburg, Sulphur Springs (Camden), Pearlington, Port Gibson and Yazoo City. There were also a few dozen mission stations being attended to monthly around these locations.

During his tenure, the Bishop tried to develop Catholic education in his diocese. He invited the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet to staff a new mission and future school built at Sulphur Springs. Five Sisters journeyed down the Mississippi River to Vicksburg, where they were met by the Bishop. From there they travelled by stagecoach to Canton and on to Sulphur Springs.

Bones from the old Spanish burial ground located behind St. Mary Basilica rest under the sanctuary of the church.

There is an interesting event that occurred along the journey which reflects an undercurrent of anti-Catholic sentiments in the State. The stagecoach owner apparently was one who expressed these sentiments as a member of the Know-Nothing movement. Simply put, the Know-Nothings believed Catholics were conspiring to subvert civil and religious liberties in the United States.

During the ride, the man, who also was intoxicated, accused our Bishop of being a priest and spat tobacco in his face several times in front of the five Sisters. Bishop Van de Velde maintained his composure and temper blocking the spew with his hat. Finally, when the stage stopped to change horses near Canton, Bishop Van de Velde threw the man out of the coach.

Another major education initiative of Bishop Van de Velde’s was to establish a Jesuit College at Rose Hill near Natchez. But this was not to be due to a lack of qualified clergy available for the endeavor and, the Jesuits were unable to accept the Bishop’s proposal.

Overall, Bishop Van de Velde was a much-loved bishop among the clergy and laity. His efforts to grow Catholic educational opportunities in his diocese show his commitment to further the faith in the State.

Back in the city of Natchez, the Bishop briefly obtained possession of the old Spanish burial ground located behind the church. The grounds had become a playground for children and dogs, with bones being unearthed and scattered. The city had even used some of the ground containing bones to level city streets. Bishop Van de Velde had all the bones gathered into two boxes and interred them in a crypt under the sanctuary in the church, then built a high wall around the rest of the area to protect the remaining graves.

In the fall of 1855, Natchez and Mississippi were under another siege of Yellow Fever. Several of the Cathedral staff were ill with the disease and suffering in the rectory next to the church. On Oct. 23, the Bishop fell on the steps of the rectory while going out in the evening to close the front gate. He fractured his leg in two places. Those inside suffering from fever were unaware of his predicament, and the poor Bishop had to lie there until morning when passersby heard his moans.

Soon the Bishop himself had contracted Yellow Fever and suffered for several days in agony. His beloved flock would pass by his room and receive a blessing from him while the fever raged. Then on Nov. 13 in the middle of blessing a parishioner, he succumbed to the illness.

After his funeral Mass, he was buried in the crypt beneath the sanctuary until 1874 when his Jesuit brothers took his remains to Florissant, Missouri. The Jesuit cemetery was relocated in Calvary Cemetery in St. Louis, Missouri, in 2006. Similar to his predecessor, he has been buried three times.
Bless his heart. His prayerful desire to be a missionary priest led him along a circuitous path to frontier mission work. We are blessed by his short term here in our diocese.

A special thank you to the St. Mary Basilica Archives Committee, who provided photos for this article and facts from their web site: www.stmarybasilcaarchives.org.

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

All are welcome

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By Bishop Joseph R. Kopacz, D.D.

“Todos, Todos, Todos” was Pope Francis’ heartfelt declaration during World Youth Day in Lisbon, Portugal earlier this month. This Spanish mantra states that all are welcome, the baptized especially, to come into the presence of God within the Catholic Church to know the transforming love of Jesus Christ.

Young and older, from nearly every nation on the planet were on hand to celebrate with the successor of Peter, the Servant of the Servants of our merciful God. What a marvelous manifestation of the church’s identity and mission in Lisbon, encapsulated as One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic, the focus of our own pastoral reimagining. This universal vision for the church begun on the first Pentecost, actually began to emerge early in the Old Testament. However, it came to fulfillment in the life-giving death and resurrection of the Lord, and in the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. But the Cross reminds us that this vision of unity among all the nations in the church labors to run its course and requires repentance, conversion and sacrifice to overcome the sin that sows division.

Bishop Joseph R. Kopacz, D.D.

The Canaanite woman of last Sunday’s Gospel is an excellent point of departure to look back into the wellspring of the Old Testament. Her unexpected and anguished plea to Jesus on behalf of her possessed daughter began with the greeting, “Lord, son of David, have pity on me.” Jesus was actually speechless for a moment over this pagan woman’s clear grasp of his identity. Respecting her courage and faith, he reminded her of the Israelite attitude and prejudice toward foreigners that “it is not right to take the food of the household and give it to the dogs.”

“But even the dogs eat the scraps that fall from the master’s table” was the desperate woman’s retort. The Lord responded in awe over her faith, and in that instant this “unclean woman’s” daughter was healed. This is a fascinating encounter with the Lord that challenges us to go deeper in our knowledge and understanding of God’s will. The Old Testament holds this key.
The Book of Ruth is a parable, a narrative that confronted the harsh policies of the Israelites in the time of Ezra as they returned home from exile. (Ezra 10) Basically, Ezra was directing the Israelites to leave their foreign wives where they found them because they had been unfaithful to the Covenant.
In this mindset God does not want the blood of foreigners polluting the chosen people’s lineage. Really! Enter the Book of Ruth. It is an endearing story of a Moabite women, a pagan, who chose to return to the land of Israel with her Jewish mother-in-law, Naomi. Ruth’s words are forever enshrined in our biblical memory. “Wherever you go, I shall go. Wherever you live, I shall live. Your people shall be my people and your God, my God. Wherever you die, I wish to die, and so be buried beside you.” (Ruth 1:16-17) The hand of providence placed Ruth in the direct line of the story of salvation as the great-grandmother of King David from whose lineage came the Messiah, the Son of David. The seeds of universality were already sprouting even before King David sat on the throne of Israel.

There is nothing subtle or hidden about Isaiah’s prophecy in last Sunday’s first reading as he anticipates the Great Commission of the Lord at the end of Matthew’s Gospel. “My house will be a house of prayer for all the peoples.” (Isaiah 56:7) All who are righteous are invited to the banquet of God’s love. “On this mountain the Lord Almighty will prepare a feast of rich food for all peoples, a banquet of aged wine – the best of meats and the finest of wines.” (25:6)

The story of the prophet Jonah is another masterpiece of God’s plan for universal salvation. His preaching prompted the citizens of Nineveh, from the King on down, to sincere repentance. As it turns out, Jonah deeply resented God’ action in granting mercy to the hated Assyrians who had destroyed the northern Kingdom of Israel. Too bad for Jonah. The prophet’s three days in the belly of the fish prefigured the Lord’s three days in the tomb and his resurrection from the dead, the final step in the plan of universal salvation. The letter to the Ephesians captures the essence of the Lord’s sacrifice.

“But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ. And in this one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility. He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near.” (Eph 2:13,16-17)

In our own time, we need to put to death hostility wherever it rears its ugly head and hear the call of the Gospel that rings true in the words of Pope Francis at World Youth Day. Todos, Todos, Todos. This, of course, is the great commission of the Lord “to make disciples of all the nations” (Matthew 28:19) one person, one family, one community, one nation at a time. With the invitation comes the call to repentance, conversion and change with the same attitude of Peter, the first pope, after Jesus had invited himself into his boat. Peter, overwhelmed by God’s grace with the enormous catch of fish exclaimed, “leave me Lord for I am a sinful man.” (Luke 5:8)

Our diocese is blessed with the faithful from many nations, a truly Catholic presence. In light of the above, we can say that a welcoming attitude, faith, prayer, compassion, repentance and conversion are ever-ancient and ever-new components on the journey of salvation. Even though our efforts may seem meager at times, now and then even a scrap that falls from the Master’s table is enough to start the feast.

Pope Francis signals that hundreds of thousands of young people are not loud enough after he asks them to repeat that there is space for everyone in the church. The pope’s remarks came at the World Youth Day welcome ceremony at Eduardo VII Park in Lisbon, Portugal, Aug. 3, 2023. (CNS photo/Vatican Media)

Called by name

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It is Back-to-School time for our seminarians! We have seven men studying for the diocese right now. This year is the first year of a new requirement for men studying to be priests.

The Bishops of the United States have put together a propaedeutic year – which is kind of like a year of basic training for new seminarians. The men in this propaedeutic program will focus less on the academic requirements of priestly formation and spend the year focusing on growing in the good habits that are necessary to be a good seminarian, and one day, a good priest. Focuses include building a stable life of prayer, building good friendships, working on some personal challenges based on one’s background and staying in good physical shape.

I don’t know about you, but I would welcome a year to focus on building up great habits and breaking down bad ones, so I pray that this is a blessed year for these men.

Our two new seminarians are taking part in the propaedeutic year. Wilson Locke (St. Paul Vicksburg) is a Starkville native who has spent the last three years as the youth director at St. Paul’s in Vicksburg. He is a convert to Catholicism and came into the church while at St. Joseph in Starkville. He is entering the propaedeutic program at Notre Dame Seminary in New Orleans. Francisco Maldonado (Immaculate Heart of Mary, Greenwood) is a native of Houston, Texas, who just finished with his freshman year at Mississippi Valley State. After his year at Valley, Francisco decided to apply to the seminary and desires to discern whether he is called to our mission diocese.

We have five returning seminarians this coming year. Deacon Tristan Stovall (Holy Cross Philadelphia) is set to be ordained a priest on May 18, 2024, and he is currently at St. Mary in Natchez on his extended deacon assignment. John Le (St. Francis Brookhaven) just completed his hospital ministry summer and is returning to Sacred Heart Seminary in Hales Corners, Wisconsin. John has extensive formation experience as a Jesuit, so we are working on a schedule with him regarding how much ‘more school’ he’ll need. Will Foggo (St. Paul Flowood) is about ‘halfway done,’ as he enters his fourth year of formation in the seminary. EJ Martin and Grayson Foley (St. Richard Jackson) are both five years away from ordination. (God willing of course!)

Ryan Stoer (St. Richard Jackson) has decided to transfer to the Archdiocese of Santa Fe. I’ve worked closely with Ryan on this decision, and while I am certainly sad to see him go, Santa Fe is getting a high-quality seminarian and future priest. One of the toughest parts of this job is being ‘detached,’ and open to the Lord’s will and not just our own needs. I ask that we all pray for Ryan and wish him all the best and that God’s will be done!

We certainly wish all of our seminarians the very best this school year. Please keep them all in prayer!

                                     – Father Nick Adam, vocation director

For more info on vocations email: nick.adam@jacksondiocese.org.
Save the date: Homegrown Harvest – Saturday, Oct. 21

Are you obscuring divine plans?

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FROM THE HERMITAGE
By Sister alies therese

Maybe he’d never heard this Psalm? “I love You, O Lord, my strength … and I am safe… The breakers of death surged around about me, the destroying floods overwhelmed me … in my distress I called upon the Lord … from God’s temple I was heard, my cry reached God’s ears…and set me free in the open and rescued me, because God loves me.” (Psalm 18:5-7, 20)

I also love the Peterson translation of 18:20, “God stood me up on a wide-open field; I stood there saved – surprised to be loved.” This is the reality of the Job story – a love story – a story that challenges us to come to a deeper understanding of the awesomeness of God’s love for us, the heart of the truth, the place of union. “Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one like him…” (Job 1:8) Yet God later questions Job: “Why do you confuse the issue? Why do you talk without knowing what you are talking about? Where were you when I created the universe? Tell me since you know so much.” (Peterson, Job 38:1ff)

This has been a weird year for me. From January when I ended up in hospital for many weeks with broken bones and infections, to July when our apartments, filled with swift moving rain, flooded, midst extreme heat. When was the last time you read Job? If not recently, I suggest it as part of your study, not because bad things happen but because Job discovers many things he’d never even considered.

The Job story is full of sadness and as C.S. Lewis points out in The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, “If you’ve been up all night and cried till you have no more tears left in you – you will know that there comes in the end a sort of quietness.”

Some of our readers are suffering right now in the quiet … perhaps the loss of a child, a fire, in jail, abuse, or hunger, including darkness in prayer or even unbelief. Joan W. Blos, an American author wrote this: “This morning’s sermon reminded us that great though our grief and suffering be, others have suffered more.” Anguish may fill the pages of Job and yet if we stop there, we shall never heal, have hope or happiness and we shall never learn compassion.

Because of the surprise of love, Job moved from being an advice-giving, important, very rich fellow and helping the poor … to becoming poor himself. Job recognized a whole new life when he talked with God (screamed, complained and confessed). How shall I say, he got ‘real,’ unlike his previous life or that of his ‘friends.’

In his poverty Job learned something else surprising, only God unties knots of trauma, pain, disappointment or distress. “You told me, ‘Listen and let Me do the talking. Let Me ask the questions. You give the answers. Job said, I admit I once lived by rumors of You, now I have it all firsthand – from my own eyes and ears! I’m sorry – forgive me. I’ll never do that again. I promise! I’ll never again live on the crusts of hearsay, crumbs of rumors!” (Peterson, Job 42:6)

So, the surprise included this personal relationship with God as reality, not just an idea or a possibility. Job discovered he was known, not through an intellectual exercise, nor a simple acceptance of other people’s stories and experiences, no, his own experience welded him in joy to a God who loves beyond all telling.

Our lives contain many fears, and when they are the focus, obscure divine plans. Over the centuries our various cultures and peoples have enslaved, murdered and warred against one another, executed one another, nuked, gossiped, bad-mouthed and turned our backs on one another. We have done horrible things even in the church by ignoring one another. Why are there no Black US saints? For centuries we have lived through greed, stealth and power, and the funny thing is, we continue today. Slavery, where human beings are ‘owned,’ cannot be explained away with ‘slaves learning really helpful things.’ Job learned only in love can we thrive and obtain forgiveness by experiencing the humility of God, moving us beyond these things.

If you are obscuring the divine plan in your life because you are afraid, stuck in some sin or addiction needing release, do read Job and see how much you are loved. Find a way to pray that causes you to rejoice, to see beyond rumor or other people’s experiences, that you might be surprised by this love so extreme, expressed in Jesus’ love-giving sacrifice for you!

Chester Cricket, in George Selden’s The Cricket in Times Square, “began to chirp to ease his feelings. He found that it helped somehow if you sang your sadness.” Do chirp and sing so that others might be lifted from their anguish. Do learn to listen, as Job did, to the voice of God who desires us more than we can imagine. Do get out of the way, so God’s divine plan for your life might flourish, living anew as Job who disowned what he said and repented in dust and ashes. (Job 42:6)

BLESSINGS.

(Sister alies therese is a canonically vowed hermit with days formed around prayer and writing.)

Combating sex trafficking takes all of us

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GUEST COLUMN
By Debbie Tubertini

I recently went to the movie theater to see “Sound of Freedom” which is based on a true story. It tells of an anti-child sex trafficking organization centered on Operation Underground Railroad by a former federal agent, Tim Ballard. Ballard is portrayed in the film by Jim Caviezel, who played Jesus in “Passion of the Christ.”

I was hesitant at first about going to see this movie because I knew it was going to be heart breaking and make me angry. Yes, it was heart breaking and, yes it did make me angry; however, it provided information that made me feel more aware and informed about how this happens all over the world, even in Mississippi. It also made me appreciate how one person can make a difference if they know what to look for and what to do in the event you suspect someone is in this situation.

What is sex trafficking? Sex trafficking involves a wide range of activities where a trafficker uses force, fraud or coercion to compel another person to engage in a commercial sex act. Trafficked victims can be of any age, race, sex, culture, religion, economic class and any level of education.

The traffickers’ aim is to profit from the exploitation of their victims using a multitude of coercive and deceptive practices. Traffickers can be strangers, acquaintances, or even family members who prey on the most vulnerable in our society. They frequently target victims who are looking for a brighter future, those hesitant to call the police, or those who feel excluded or ostracized from family or their community.

Human trafficking is the fastest growing international crime network the world has experienced. It is a $150 billion-dollar annual industry. The United States is considered one of the top destinations for victims of child trafficking and exploitation. The top recruitment location is the internet. Traffickers also use online dating platforms to identify victims. Traffickers will present themselves as recruiters or modeling agents on these dating platforms luring victims with attractive career opportunities. According to UNODC (United Nations Office on Drug and Crime) female victims continue to be primary targets, however there is a huge increase in male targets.

The following statistics are from Angel Studios Fight Against Child Trafficking website.

  • The United States is #1 in the world for sex trafficking.
  • Over 500,000 children go missing each year in the United States.
  • Greater than 50% of victims are between the ages of 12-15.
  • 25% of child pornography is created by a neighbor or family member.
  • Over 500,000 online sexual predators are active each day.
  • Over 80% of child sex crimes begin on social media.
  • As of 2021, there were 250,000 websites containing images or videos of children sexually abused and that number continues to rise.
  • Globally, 27% of human trafficking victims are children.
    Items to note:
  • “Sound of Freedom” was filmed in 2018 and has just now been made available in the theatres in 2023. According to Jim Caveziel they ran into one roadblock after another with this movie. The movie was first bought by 21st Century Fox but shelved when Disney purchased the studio. The movie was finally acquired by Angel Studios.
  • A common misconception is that human trafficking requires crossing state lines or national borders. The correct term for this is human smuggling. Human trafficking requires no movement. Victims are trafficked in their own states, towns and even in their own homes. In many cases these children are “groomed” by adults they know.

So, what can we do?

  • Pray for the victims who are in this horrible situation.
  • Educate ourselves and our children on the specifics of child trafficking.
  • If you are a parent, educate your children on ways to stay safe on the internet. They need to know how to protect themselves from online exploitation. Also, monitor their social media activity.
  • Make sure your state legislators are putting laws in place to increase accountability for human traffickers in our state.
  • Make sure this topic is kept in the forefront of our national security.
  • For those who feel called to do even more, investigate ways you can educate and help in your own community. A step further, reach out to organizations within your community that are working to rescue and restore trafficked children.

The National Human Trafficking Hotline is 1-888-373-7888. Anti–Trafficking Hotline Advocates are available 24/7 to take reports of potential human trafficking situations.

(Debbie Tubertini is the Office of Family Life coordinator for the Diocese of Jackson.)

Jesus does not abandon individuals or the church, pope says at Angelus

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By Cindy Wooden
VATICAN CITY (CNS) – Having faith does not mean there will be no difficulties in life, either for individuals or for the church as a whole, Pope Francis said, but it does mean knowing that Jesus is there to give courage and to defeat evil.

“The Lord knows that the boat of our life, as well as the boat of the church, is threatened by headwinds, and that the sea on which we sail is often turbulent,” the pope said Aug. 13, commenting on the day’s Gospel story about Jesus walking on the water toward the disciples whose boat was being tossed about by the wind.

Jesus “does not spare us the hard work of sailing,” the pope told an estimated 15,000 people gathered in the square for the midday recitation of the Angelus. Instead, “he invites us to face difficulties so they too might become salvific places, so Jesus can conquer them, so they become opportunities to meet him.”

“In our moments of darkness, he comes to meet us, asking to be welcomed like that night on the lake” when the disciples were afraid until Jesus reassured them, Pope Francis said.

In biblical times, people thought that large expanses of water were “the haunts of evil powers that man was not able to master,” symbols of chaos and darkness, he said. The disciples probably were not just afraid of sinking but also of being “sucked in by evil.”

“And here comes Jesus, walking on the waters, that is, over the powers of evil,” telling the disciples not to be afraid, the pope said.

Pope Francis greets visitors in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican before praying the Angelus Aug. 13, 2023. (CNS photo/Vatican Media)

“By walking on the water, he wants to say, ‘Do not be afraid. I put your enemies under my feet’ – a beautiful message – ‘I put your enemies under my feet’ – not people! – not that kind of enemy, but death, sin, the devil – these are the enemies of the people, our enemies,” Pope Francis said. “Jesus tramples on these enemies for us.”

In the Gospel story, Peter gets out of the boat and starts walking on the water toward Jesus, but then gets frightened and starts to sink.

Peter cries out, “Lord, save me!” which Pope Francis said is a “beautiful” prayer that “expresses the certainty that the Lord can save us, that he conquers our evil and our fears.”

Pope Francis asked the people in the square to repeat that prayer together three times: “Lord, save me! Lord, save me! Lord, save me!”

The illusion of self-sufficiency

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IN EXILE
By Father Ron Rolheiser, OMI

A number of years ago, I attended the funeral of a man who died at the age of ninety. From every indication, he had been a good man, solidly religious, the father of a large family, a man respected in the community, and a man with a generous heart. However, he had also been a strong man, a gifted man, a natural leader, someone to whom a group would naturally look to take the reins and lead. Hence, he held a number of prominent positions in the community. He was a man very much in charge.

One of his sons, a Catholic priest, gave the homily at his funeral. He began with these words: Scripture tells us that the sum of a man’s life is seventy years, eighty for those who are strong. Now our dad lived for ninety years. Why the extra twenty years? Well, it’s no mystery. He was too strong and too much in charge of things to die at seventy or eighty. It took God an extra twenty years to mellow him out. And it worked. The last ten years his life were years of massive diminishment. His wife died, and he never got over that. He had a stroke which put him into assisted living and that was a massive blow to him. Then he spent the last years of his life with others having to help him take care of his basic bodily needs. For a man like him, that was humbling.

But this was the effect of all that. It mellowed him. In those last years, whenever you visited him, he would take your hand and say, “help me.” He hadn’t been able to say those words since he was five years old and able to tie his own shoelaces. By the time he died, he was ready. When he met Jesus and St. Peter on the other side, I’m sure he simply reached for a hand and said, “help me.” Ten and twenty years ago, he would, I’m sure, have given Jesus and Peter some advice as to how they might run the pearly gates more efficiently.

That’s a parable that speaks deeply and directly about a place we must all eventually come to, either through proactive choice or by submission to circumstance; we all must eventually come to a place where we accept that we are not self-sufficient, that we need help, that we need others, that we need community, that we need grace, that we need God.

Why is that so important? Because we are not God and we become wise and more loving when we realize and accept that. Classical Christian theologians defined God as self-sufficient being, and highlight that only God is self-sufficient. God alone has no need of anything beyond Himself. Everything else, everything that is not God, is defined as contingent, as not self-sufficient, as needing something beyond itself to bring it into existence and to keep it in existence every second of its being.

That can sound like abstract theology, but ironically it’s little children who get it, who have an awareness of this. They know that they cannot provide for themselves and that all comes to us as gifts. They know they need help. However, not long after they learn to tie their own shoelaces this awareness begins to fade and as they grow into adolescence and then adulthood, particularly if they are healthy, strong and successful, they begin to live with the illusion of self-sufficiency. I provide for myself!

And, that in fact serves them well in terms of making their way in this world. But it doesn’t serve truth, community, love or the soul. It’s an illusion, the greatest of all illusions. None of us will enter deeply into community as long as we nurse the illusion of self-sufficiency, when we are still saying, I don’t need others! I choose who and what I let into my life!

G.K. Chesterton once wrote that familiarity is the greatest of all illusions. He’s right, and what we are most familiar with is taking care of ourselves and believing that we are sufficient onto ourselves. As we know, this serves us well in terms of getting ahead in this life. However, fortunate for us, though painful, God and nature are always conspiring together to teach us that we are not self-sufficient. The process of maturing, aging and eventually dying is calibrated to teach us, whether we welcome the lesson or not; that we are not in charge, that self-sufficiency is an illusion. Eventually for all of us there will come a day when, as it was with us before we could tie our own shoelaces, we will have to reach out for a hand and say, “help me.”

The philosopher Eric Mascall has an axiom that says we are neither wise nor mature as long as we take life for granted. We become wise and mature precisely when we take it as granted – by God, by others, by love.

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