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Jesus helps sinners by welcoming, not banishing them, papal preacher says

Posted on by Catholic News Service

Jesus does not wait for sinners to change their lives before He welcomes them, said the preacher of the papal household.

“He welcomes them and this leads sinners to change their lives,” Cardinal Raniero Cantalamessa told Pope Francis, top Vatican officials and Vatican employees in the Paul VI Audience Hall.

“God’s mercy, in fact, is without conditions, but it is not without consequences!” he said.

Cardinal Cantalamessa, preacher of the papal household, gave the first of his 2023 Advent reflections to the pope and his aides Dec. 15, focusing on St. John the Baptist and the new evangelization. No Friday meditations were given the first two weeks of Advent as the pope had been scheduled to be in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Dec. 1 and Dec. 8 was the feast of the Immaculate Conception.

“At the basis of the baptist’s preaching is the statement: ‘Repent and thus the kingdom of God will come to you!’ At the basis of Jesus’ preaching is the statement: ‘Repent because the kingdom of God has come to you!'” the cardinal said.

“It is not the observance of the commandments that allows the kingdom of God to come; but it is the coming of the kingdom of God that allows the observance of the commandments,” he said.

“People did not suddenly change and become better, so that the kingdom could come to them. No, they are the same as always, but it is God who, in the fullness of time, sent his Son, thus giving them the possibility of changing and living a new life,” he said.

The “newness of Christ is reflected in the different attitude of the baptist and Jesus toward the so-called ‘sinners.’ John, we have seen, attacks sinners who come to him with fiery words” while Jesus speaks and eats “with tax collectors and sinners.”

“Jesus does not wait for the Samaritan woman to put her private life in order before spending time with her and even asking her to give him something to drink. But in doing so he changed the heart of that woman who became an evangelizer among her people,” Cardinal Cantalamessa said, noting that the same thing happened with Zacchaeus, Matthew the publican and the adulteress.

“We cannot draw an absolute norm from these examples,” he said, because Jesus could read people’s hearts. “We are not Jesus,” but “the Church cannot ignore, however, the style of Jesus or place it on the same level” as that of St. John the Baptist.

“Jesus disapproves of sin infinitely more than the most rigid moralists could do, but he proposed a new remedy in the Gospel: not distancing, but acceptance,” he said.

“Changing one’s life is not the condition for approaching Jesus in the Gospel; however, it must be the result — or at least the purpose — after approaching him,” he said.

The cardinal said the Catholic Church “has much to learn from today’s mothers and fathers” who continue to respect and love their children even when they “destroy themselves” with addictions, abuse or bad choices. “We are called to choose between the model of John the Baptist and the model of Jesus, between giving pre-eminence to the law, or giving it to grace and mercy.”

St. John the Baptist is not just a moralist and a preacher of penance, the cardinal said, he is a special prophet who points to the savior who has already come.

This is “the new Christian prophecy, which does not consist in announcing a future salvation, but in revealing the hidden presence of Christ in the world,” he said.

Jesus said, “I am with you always until the end of the world” and he continues to be among humanity, but the world even today, after two thousand years, still does not recognize him, the cardinal said.

The prophetic task of the church is the same as that of St. John the Baptist, he said, “to shake each generation from its terrible distraction and blindness that prevents it from recognizing and seeing the light of the world.”

During St. John the Baptist’s time, people were scandalized by the humble, human, “physical body of Jesus; from his flesh so similar to ours, except in sin,” he said.

Today, what scandalizes is “his mystical body, the church, so similar to the rest of humanity, not even sin excluded,” Cardinal Cantalamessa said.

But, he said, “just as John the Baptist made his contemporaries recognize Christ under the humility of the flesh, so it is necessary today to make him recognized in the poverty of the church — and in the poverty of our own lives.”

—Carol Glatz, CNS

Movie review: ‘Freud’s Last Session’

Posted on by Our Sunday Visitor

What might have happened had the resolutely atheist father of psychoanalysis met the Christian author and apologist who created Narnia? The literate philosophical drama “Freud’s Last Session” (Sony Pictures Classics) speculates on just such an encounter with intriguing, though ultimately unsatisfying, results.

Invited to visit prickly Dr. Sigmund Freud (Anthony Hopkins) at the London home where he has taken refuge from the Nazis, buttoned-up Oxford don C.S. Lewis (Matthew Goode) arrives there on the historic autumn day Britain declared war against Hitler’s Germany in 1939. In between monitoring the news on the radio, the two engage in a prolonged theological debate.

Director and co-writer Matthew Brown’s adaptation of his script collaborator Mark St. Germain’s play – itself derived from the book “The Question of God” by Armand Nicholi – uses the ensuing discussion as a jumping off point for exploring the duo’s disparate life experiences. Lewis, for instance, recalls his emotionally absent father while Freud remembers how forceful his dad was.

The screenplay also examines Freud’s highly complicated relationship with his daughter, and professional heir, Anna (Liv Lisa Fries). One ironic aspect of their intense but tangled connection is Freud’s disapproval of Anna’s romance with her colleague Dorothy Burlingham (Jodi Balfour). Though Freud’s view of sexuality was famously indulgent, this didn’t, apparently, apply to Anna.

The discreet but sympathetic presentation of Anna’s love life, which implicitly points to Freud’s hypocrisy on the subject, is balanced by the fact that Lewis is not demonized for his moral objection to all same-sex activity. This is of a piece with the traditional, scripturally-based view of marriage he espouses.

Sober in tone and weighty in its subject matter – Freud is facing imminent death from jaw cancer – the picture is more intent on laying out the arguments than guiding viewers toward any conclusion. While both sides get a fair hearing, the wrap-up, although dramatically well-rounded, feels intellectually incomplete.

What, some moviegoers may wonder, was the point of the whole exercise? On the upside, at least the two principals maintain an air of mutual respect and enjoy some humorous moments together. Overall, this is unusually intelligent fare, though some may find it a bit talky and – an interlude set in the trenches of World War I aside – somewhat stagebound.

The film contains mature themes, including lesbianism and suicide, a combat sequence with some gore, brief sensuality, at least one use of profanity, several milder oaths and a crass expression. The OSV News classification is A-III — adults. The Motion Picture Association rating is PG-13 — parents strongly cautioned. Some material may be inappropriate for children under 13.

—John Mulderig, OSV News

December saint: Blessed Mary Frances Schervier

Posted on by Kay Winchester

There is more to life than economic and social privilege. For Blessed Mary Frances Schervier, her worldly advantages were overshadowed by the spiritual ones she chose to spend her life following instead.

In 1819, Mary Frances was born into a prominent and distinguished family in the town of Aachen, which was then located in Prussia. Her father, a successful factory owner, was also vice-mayor of their city. Her mother, who was French, was the god-daughter of Emperor Francis I of Austria. However, neither of these things resulted in the family leading an ostentatious lifestyle; on the contrary, Mary Frances’ mother ran a strict household and encouraged her daughter’s prayerfulness and charitable works. Mary Frances would often visit her father’s factory to distribute food and clothing, seeing firsthand how much suffering there existed among the poor.

Her duties increased at the age of 13 when both her mother and two sisters died of tuberculosis. In addition to becoming the homemaker for her father, she became increasingly aware of the desperate plight of the most vulnerable. When some other ladies of Aachen formed a society for the relief of the poor, Mary Frances asked her father for permission to join.  Together these women nursed the sick and fed the hungry. Eventually, Mary Frances and four others became members of the Third Order of St. Francis.

In 1845, when Mary Frances was 26, her father also died, and a family friend, who knew her well, counseled her to serve God even more closely. At first, she considered joining the Trappistines, but instead chose to establish a new religious community devoted to the care of the poor. Led by Mary Frances, five women became the nucleus of the community which would become known at the Poor Sisters of St. Francis.

For the next few years, the Poor Sisters did indeed live up to their name. Not only did they minister to the poor and sick, but they themselves lived lives of extreme poverty. Any means they had came entirely from donations, which began to decline when some benefactors curtailed their donations because the sisters began to minister to prostitutes. Nonetheless, more members were attracted to the order, and in 1851, they received formal recognition as a religious congregation.

They began to spread their work from Europe to the United States. In 1863, Mary Frances – who was now the order’s superior – arrived in New Jersey to help her sisters nurse soldiers wounded in the American Civil War, and St. Mary Hospital in Hoboken was founded to meet this specific need. That hospital still exists, although in 2007 its name changed to Hoboken University Medical Center.

When Mary Frances Schervier died in 1876, there were 2,500 members of her congregation worldwide. In 1959, the order became an independent congregation called the Franciscan Sister of the Poor, headquartered in Brooklyn, New York.  They still staff hospitals and homes for the aged.

Mary Frances Schervier was beatified in 1974.  Her feast day is Dec. 14.

Sources for this article include:

catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=46069

franciscanmedia.org/saint-of-the-day/blessed-mary-frances-schervier

franciscansisters-en.sfp-poor.org/about-us/frances-schervier.html

Make it a good year

Posted on by Sharon Trani

By now school is back in session for most families and with it a massive transition. Most children, and their parents, look forward to the new school year, but for others it can be a time of anxiety and dread. Some struggle academically; others are bullied or made fun of or are socially excluded.

For everybody it is a time of change in schedules, expectations, and work load.

Here are a few things to consider as we try to make this a safe and satisfying school year.

 

  1. Have frequent “state of the union” family meetings where you check in with one another, list what went well today or this week, what was hurtful, where we failed, and what our goals are for the next day or week. Encourage your children to express what they are feeling and experiencing. Ask open-ended questions. Make this a fun and safe time. I highly encourage families to eat together, without devices.
  2. The beginning of the school year is a good time to assess your family goals, evaluate your schedule, and avoid overscheduling, so everyone has time to play, relax, talk.
  3. The American Academy of Pediatrics suggest that children ages 6-12 need 9-12 hours of sleep, and teens require 8-10, to maximize academic performance, maintain emotional equilibrium, and stay healthy. Establish a consistent bedtime routine.
  4. There is growing major concern regarding the devastatingly negative impact of social media, not just on children but also on marriages and family life. Social media sets up an artificial environment that impedes genuine social interaction, encourages bullying and unrealistic expectations, and wastes an incredible amount of time, to name a few. There is a Catholic movement that is encouraging families to shut off their devices three nights a week as well as every Sunday. Do not let your children go to their rooms with their screens.
  5. Don’t forget that social-emotional learning is as important as academic learning. And the most important education our children can learn are the virtues — such as patience, respect, kindness, diligence, and humility.
  6. Consistency provides a sense of comfort at any age because it evokes feelings of safety and security. Try to set consistent routines.
  7. Try to expose your child to varied social settings beyond the school setting. Introduce them to social opportunities in the parish and Diocese.
  8. Communicate with your child’s teacher.
  9. A dedicated space and time for homework is ideal. Know what your child is learning and working on.
  10. If a child struggles with academics help him or her develop a skill to feel good about such as carpentry, mechanics, knitting, music.
  11. “Stress that learning is an individual process. If your children feel they are ‘not good’ at a subject, the word ‘yet’ is your best friend. Explain that if we aren’t challenged by things, we aren’t learning. Being ‘good’ at something is not rigidly set according to who we are, but rather something that develops over time through challenge, perseverance and eventual success”(Back to school tips, The Catholic Spirit, August 2014).
  12. Tweens and teens are bombarded with messages that make them feel they don’t measure up. Tell them what you admire about them, talk about their specific passions.  And always remind your children that they are made in God’s image; they “measured up” from their first day of life; their value is in who they are, not in how they perform.
  13. We all must learn to navigate disappointments and frustrations. Don’t jump in too soon to save your students from struggles. Instead, let them learn the satisfaction of solving problems on their own.
  14. Prayer is a huge resource for children. Teach them to talk to God.
  15. Provide clear expectations. Communicate your personal expectations for acceptable and unacceptable performance, both socially and academically.

uscatholic.org/articles/201709/a-curriculum-that-prevents-bullying-finds-a-home-in-catholic-schools

hhs.gov/about/news/2023/05/23/surgeon-general-issues-new-advisory-about-effects-social-media-use-has-youth-mental-health.html

aboutcatholics.com/beliefs/virtues-catholic-church

—Sharon Trani, a nurse practitioner, is a marriage and family therapist with Vermont Catholic Charities Inc.

—Originally published in the Fall 2023 issue of Vermont Catholic magazine.

Rosary for Peace

Posted on by Submitted Article

Catholics around the world recently united in a day of prayer and fasting for peace and reconciliation in the Holy Land as war continues to devastate the region.

Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Latin Catholic patriarch of Jerusalem, called on Catholics to devote time to prayer with Eucharistic adoration and recitation of the rosary “to deliver to God the Father our thirst for peace, justice, and reconciliation.”

“In this time of sorrow and dismay, we do not want to remain helpless. We cannot let death and its sting (1 Cor 15:55) be the only word we hear,” he said.

Pope Francis called for another day of prayer and fasting for peace in the Israel-Hamas war. It was “a day of penance to which I invite sisters and brothers of the various Christian denominations, those belonging to other religions, and all those who have at heart the cause of peace in the world, to join in as they see fit,” the Holy Father continued.

—CNA

‘The grand experience of Holy Mass’

Posted on by Vermont Catholic

Two things frequently annoy me when I think about our human weaknesses and limitations in the face of the grand experience of Holy Mass. For one, we have the incredible gift of a Sunday Lectionary which weaves themes of prophecy and typology with Old Testament readings and the Gospels.

Each Mass we also read the epistles and add a psalm. And so any given week I could think of 90 minutes worth of inspiring homily material from the Lectionary. (At least I think it would be inspiring). But even if lengthy in-depth homilies were universally preferred, there are just some general limits on the amount you can bite off each Sunday. So preaching every week becomes for me a process of deciding what not to say among the plethora of Scriptural meaning.

Now the other thing that nags at me regarding the Mass is the fact that way too few Catholics identify the word “Mass” with the transubstantiation of the Body and Blood of Christ or the presence of the Incarnate Lord on the altar. Even for those who know the basics of the faith, affirming the catechism teachings on the Eucharist, the real presence of Christ may not be for them the identifying characteristic of the Mass. It’s like the heart can be forgotten due to preoccupation on the extremities. So if there are other ways in which we might get at the heart of the matter, let us ask again, what do we mean by the word Mass? I answer with both the Old Testament and Gospel passages. Let’s take small bites.

I would say first that the word “Mass” means John 3:16: “God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.” We can go way back and remind ourselves that “Mass” came historically from the phrase “Hostia Missa Est,” literally “the victim has been sent.” It means Genesis 22:8: “God himself will provide the lamb for the sacrifice.” And the lamb is Christ.

Then, Mass means John 1:15: “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us.” For Christ is Word and the Lamb of God (John 1:35). And so we say with St. Thomas in the whole celebration of the Mass, “my Lord and my God!” (John 20:28). Lastly, Mass means Joel 2:28: “I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy.” For we are filled with the Spirit through the Eucharist. And in terms of our lives, going forth from Mass bearing the name of Christ, it means John 15:8: “In this is my Father glorified; that you bring forth very much fruit, and become my disciples.”

In this year of Eucharistic renewal, as we eat of the word, and literally eat the Lamb of God by receiving the Body and Blood of Christ, may we truly be filled with the Spirit.

—Father Timothy Naples is pastor of St. John Vianney Church in South Burlington.

—Originally published in the Fall 2023 issue of Vermont Catholic magazine.