Pope’s Message to the United States

In preparation for his visit to the United States, Pope Benedict XVI sent out a message addressing all of those who follow him in the US.
Notably, he speaks a portion of it in Spanish, addressing the numerous of Hispanic and Spanish speaking Catholics in the United States. 39% of the Catholic population in the United States are Hispanic and His Holiness made sure to recognize and acknowledge that is also the population that is rapidly increasing in the United States.

Dear Brothers and Sisters in the United States of America,

The grace and peace of God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ be with all of you! In just a few days from now, I shall begin my apostolic visit to your beloved country. Before setting off, I would like to offer you a heartfelt greeting and an invitation to prayer. As you know, I shall only be able to visit two cities: Washington and New York. The intention behind my visit, though, is to reach out spiritually to all Catholics in the United States. At the same time, I earnestly hope that my presence among you will be seen as a fraternal gesture towards every ecclesial community, and a sign of friendship for members of other religious traditions and all men and women of good will. The risen Lord entrusted the Apostles and the Church with his Gospel of love and peace, and his intention in doing so was that the message should be passed on to all peoples.

At this point I should like to add some words of thanks, because I am conscious that many people have been working hard for a long time, both in Church circles and in the public services, to prepare for my journey. I am especially grateful to all who have been praying for the success of the visit, since prayer is the most important element of all. Dear friends, I say this because I am convinced that without the power of prayer, without that intimate union with the Lord, our human endeavours would achieve very little. Indeed this is what our faith teaches us. It is God who saves us, he saves the world, and all of history. He is the Shepherd of his people. I am coming, sent by Jesus Christ, to bring you his word of life.

Together with your Bishops, I have chosen as the theme of my journey three simple but essential words: “Christ our hope”. Following in the footsteps of my venerable predecessors, Paul VI and John Paul II, I shall come to United States of America as Pope for the first time, to proclaim this great truth: Jesus Christ is hope for men and women of every language, race, culture and social condition. Yes, Christ is the face of God present among us. Through him, our lives reach fullness, and together, both as individuals and peoples, we can become a family united by fraternal love, according to the eternal plan of God the Father. I know how deeply rooted this Gospel message is in your country. I am coming to share it with you, in a series of celebrations and gatherings. I shall also bring the message of Christian hope to the great Assembly of the United Nations, to the representatives of all the peoples of the world. Indeed, the world has greater need of hope than ever: hope for peace, for justice, and for freedom, but this hope can never be fulfilled without obedience to the law of God, which Christ brought to fulfilment in the commandment to love one another. Do to others as you would have them do to you, and avoid doing what you would not want them to do. This “golden rule” is given in the Bible, but it is valid for all people, including non-believers. It is the law written on the human heart; on this we can all agree, so that when we come to address other matters we can do so in a positive and constructive manner for the entire human community.

Dirijo un cordial saludo a los católicos de lengua española y les manifiesto mi cercanía espiritual, en particular a los jóvenes, a los enfermos, a los ancianos y a los que pasan por dificultades o se sienten más necesitados. Les expreso mi vivo deseo de poder estar pronto con Ustedes en esa querida Nación. Mientras tanto, les aliento a orar intensamente por los frutos pastorales de mi inminente Viaje Apostólico y a mantener en alto la llama de la esperanza en Cristo Resucitado.

Dear brothers and sisters, dear friends in the United States, I am very much looking forward to being with you. I want you to know that, even if my itinerary is short, with just a few engagements, my heart is close to all of you, especially to the sick, the weak, and the lonely. I thank you once again for your prayerful support of my mission. I reach out to every one of you with affection, and I invoke upon you the maternal protection of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Que la Virgen María les acompañe y proteja. Que Dios les bendiga.

May God bless you all.

A link to Pope Benedict XVI speaking the message.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TcRYMtc7pRE

Pope Benedict Arrives

His Holiness, Pope Benedict XVI landed in the United States this afternoon for the first time.
An interesting fact is that it was the very first time the President of the United States has ever greeted anyone as the came off the plane. Usually that job is handed down to the Vice President or lower.

President Bush along with his wife and daughter Jenna, met Pope Benedict XVI and extended their hands to welcome his Holiness. Typically, if a Catholic were to meet the Pope, one would kneel before him and kiss his ring on his right hand.

As we can tell from many of President Bush’s abuse of executive power and the continuation of an “unjust” war, the Bush family is not Catholic.

It will be very interesting to see, (if any) how Pope Benedict’s visit will influence the future of our country, that seems to be in a downward spiral into an economic disaster, while the majority of the country continues to put their weekly purchases at Wal*Mart on credit.

Little do they know the sky is falling.

Hopefully, Pope Benedict will be a powerful leader for this country that is desperate for a reassurance that everything is going to be alright.

Three Years Later…

On February 22, 2008 it will have been three years since the death of Fr. Luigi Guissani.

Don Guiss, as he was affectionately called, was the founder of the Catholic Lay Movement, Communion and Liberation. He founded it in the 1950s when he noticed the overall lack of humanity in the italian youth he was teaching.
Ordained as a priest when he was twenty three, he dedicated his life to educating others on faith and instructing his followers on how to live life fully.

Communion and Liberation is a Catholic Lay movement that has spread across over eighty countries, and has gained the support of Pope John Paul the II, and the Pope Benedict the XVI.
Communion and Liberation consists of people meeting every week, called the School of Community, to read Guissani’s works and discuss how it reflects the the experiences of their own life. The main focus it encourage one to think about their own life and how to discover what corresponds to their hearts.

At Guissani’s funeral in 2005, the then Cardinal Ratzsinger gave the passionate homily detailing the greatness of his life. Pope Benedict has Memores Domini, members of the movement who have dedicated their life to it, living with him and participates in School of Community with them every week.

There will a Commerative Mass, led by Cardinal Sean O’Malley on February 29, 2008 at St. Mary’s Church in Waltham, Massachusetts.

Here is an article written by Elizabeth Pontes, a sophmore at Emmanuel, concerning community service.
Community service is an opportunity for one to see the heart of Christ in the eyes of the poor. If you’re not sure about what you want to do with your life post college, and don’t want to jump right into a career I suggest looking into serving others for a year.

Boston, MA- As spring begins to creep into the minds of students, especially seniors, these soon-to-be grads aren’t just searching for job opportunities like typically expected. They are contemplating dedicating time to volunteering.

This generation is concerned with life experience and the giving back aspect of life. One junior I interviewed said “I’ve always wanted to do it and I feel like now would be the best time, while I’m not so tied down to a career or relationship”.

It is typical for a college student to be asked what their major is and what they would like to do with that, but over the past few years these answers seem to be met with greater amounts of uncertainty.

These students are part of a generation that suffer the stereotype of ‘selfish or self-centered’ but it seems they are ready to prove themselves as a more humane and socially aware group. They are choosing to go against tradition and volunteer, whether it is for a few months or two years.

Volunteering is clearly visible on one Boston college campus, Emmanuel College. This small Catholic liberal arts college prides itself on the efforts students make to give back to the Boston community.

As a freshman at Emmanuel your first day of college is spent volunteering at different community service sites the school has been affiliated with over the years. This “Day of Service” for freshmen is becoming something many clubs and organizations have built their mission statements on. The Student Government Association has recently recognized the popularity and goodness of community service on the campus and has implemented a Day of Service open to the entire student body which will be held April 12th.

These events at Emmanuel influences its students to take an active role within the Boston community but it also challenges them to look outside of this level of locality. One of the most popular breaks for Emmanuel College students is spring break. These students’ destinations aren’t very typical. About 60 students use this week off to travel to either Phoenix, Arizona or New Orleans, Louisiana in order to volunteer. These students spend their time working with the Nation’s most homeless and deprived. Alison Hurney, a junior at Emmanuel College, says “participating in ASB 2007 when I went to Phoenix for a week, that experience made me realize how fortunate I am, and how simply a smile and a hug can make someone’s day.”

Some graduates from Emmanuel College have decided to take a year off before joining the workforce or attending graduate school. One such graduate is currently volunteering in Uganda aiding the Uganda Women’s Efforts to Save Orphans. There she is working to improve the health program as well as work with the children that have been left orphaned after the AIDs epidemic.

Graduates like these are influencing the current students at Emmanuel and all over the nation to seriously contemplate time off. Hurney also feels motivated to join all those before her in volunteering before real or career life sets in, she says “I can. I am a young woman and have very little responsibilities yet. It will give me a year of experience and time to think about what I am truly passionate about. You only live once.”

THIS THURSDAY

Thursday in Emmanuel College’s Library Lecture Hall, there will be a presentation on the science and the ethical consequences of stem cell research.

The February Ethics Discussion will present the two different discussions on the scientific aspect and then on the moral effects on society.

The scientific information will be presented by Professor Todd Williams, an assistant professor of Biology. Michelle Maisee, an assistant professor of Philosophy, will present the ethical concepts.

Embryonic stem cell research is the source of the controversy.  Embryonic stem cells have the capabilities of developing into human fetuses, which is why many people protest the use of them. Many pro-lifers view the research of them violates the right to life because they have the potential of maturing into human life.

The conflict starts when one tries to decipher when life actually begins. Those who are pro-life believe that life starts at the conception, while others disagree and that life does not begin until the actual birth of the child.  

 Research and experiments with adult stem cells are less protested because it does not involve the destruction of human embryos.

 It will be interesting to hear representatives of Emmanuel, (A Catholic, yet “liberal” college) contradicting each other on the future of the medical advances and the morality of the human race.

The monthly Ethics Discussions are sponsored by Campus Ministry. 

 Just because one has the capability to make such medical progress, does not necessarily mean it is morally ethical, or if they should.

My Favorite Day of the of the Year

Ash Wednesday was celebrated yesterday which kicked off the Lenten season all over the world. For many Catholics, it meant another Holy Day of Obligation, a day of fasting and with the absence of meat during their meals.

It was a dreary rainy day that signified the beginning of the struggle that Jesus Christ encountered before He was crucified. It began the weeks of sacrifice, for it is tradition that one gives something up that is dear to them for the forty days of Lent. For example, I am refraining from going on Facebook or Myspace until Easter.

 The Mass  completely contradicted everything I expected Lent to be. It was amazing.

One of the many things that struck me throughout the liturgy was the number of people who attended. Usually, Masses are not well attended and before yesterday, I had only been to one Mass that was standing room only and that was when the Cardinal came to say Mass.

It truly inspired me to to think and reflect. There were many people there that I knew, and didn’t really know if they were Catholic, Christian or religious at all. It was very impressive to me to see all of these people brought together to signify the start of the Lenten season.

 During the Homily, Father Steve spoke about how many people, (like I did) can sometimes dread Lent, and see it as forty days of mourning before Christ’s death. No, this is not how Catholics view Lent. It is a period in which one can become closer to God, and to strenghten their relationship with God. It is a way to discern in one’s life what is truly important and to make commitments to a relationship with God.

 As the ashes were distributed upon the follower’s foreheads, the words from Mark’s Gospel were spoken, “Turn away from sin, and be faithful to the Gospel” (Mark 1:15)

Upon reflection, this is what I am going to mull upon throughout these forty days, and look forward to the celebration of Christ’s Ressurection.