PathToHoliness

One of the most prayerful and dedicated priests in our diocese celebrated 25 years of priestly service this Sunday. He is associated with the work of Opus Dei and at his Jubilee Mass he openly acknowledged the important role Opus Dei plays in his religious formation. Among those in attendance at Fr. Korte’s Jubilee celebration were Bishop Robert Finn (Kansas City/St. Joseph, MO) who is a member of the Priestly Society of the Holy Cross, the organization for diocesan priest “associates”of Opus Dei, and Fr. Jay Alvarez, a priest of the Prelature of Opus Dei.

In an interview with our local Catholic newspaper (no link available), Fr. Korte had many wonderful reflections on this important occasion:

On his calling:

“Some say that 90% of one’s vocation comes from one’s parents. Were it not for the strong Catholic formation I received at home, I would not be a priest today…

“I was immediately taken in by the story of that parish priest (from the book Everybody Calls Me Father) and all the work that he did with young people and I said, ‘that’s what I want to do.’ From that moment forward, I never had a doubt about my vocation – even though I had doubts about myself, whether I could do it.”

On his ordination and the priesthood:

“I was like a young man getting married. I was excited about my future in pastoral ministry – enthusiastic, hoping for the best and prepared to accept and deal with any problems as they came along…

“I am married to the Church…I have always seen celibacy as a great gift – not only practically but spiritually. To be solely dedicated to God is a real gift…[For priests, that] “hundred times more” (Mt. 19:29) refers not to a life of luxury but the spousal union of the priests with the Church and sacramental identification with Jesus the High Priest.”

On working with young people:

“A large benefit of having a parish school is that I can spend time in it. Working with young people and taking their souls seriously has always been a big part of my priestly ministry. I have found that when we give them a challenge, they are up to it.”

On prayer and the priesthood:

“I always say the human heart needs the Sacred Heart. We have the blessing of the Sacred Heart of Jesus living and beating, so to speak, in the Blessed Sacrament. It’s a great gift. I especially feel that in the morning and in the afternoon when I spend time in adoration…

I’m all for the intellectual life and solid doctrine, but we also need prayer and solid piety with that. When you get out and into the parishes, you find that a lot of your strength is spent dealing with intense pastoral and spiritual issues. And you need to have a way to recover your strength. As a priest, you can get caught up in a kind of activism. So you don’t want to neglect your prayer life. You need a way to re-energize between pastoral activities….

I’ve often said I would have been in the headlines were it not for a life of serious formation and prayer. I do get my serenity from Christ, and it is a gift. But I would easily lose it without prayer.”

Finally, Fr. Korte asks for the prayers of all faithful Catholics:

“So, I would like them all to pray that I remain faithful and that I continue to grow in my love of God and the Church, of which they’re all a major part.”

Indeed we should always pray for all of our priests – and the Pope!

Read this article from the Catholic Key: Bishop Finn: Opus Dei has strengthened my spiritual life
According to the National Catholic Reporter Bishop Finn is one of four “Opus Dei Bishops” in the U.S. The others include Archbishop Jose Gomez of San Antonio, Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio of Brooklyn and Archbishop John Myers of Newark, N.J.

In his talks last week, Pope Benedict seriously stressed the importance of combating the “dictatorship of relativism” with a faith, grounded in truth and incorporated into every aspect of our lives. From his meeting with the Bishops:

Any tendency to treat religion as a private matter must be resisted. Only when their faith permeates every aspect of their lives do Christians become truly open to the transforming power of the Gospel.

We live in a society that is increasingly divorcing itself from any semblance of faith. While we respect freedom of religion, we also want God out of school, the bedroom, the voting booth and so forth. We passively accept that “certain things ‘out there’ are true, but without practical relevance for everyday life (1).” The problem is affecting Catholics as well. How many Catholics attend Mass every Sunday only to go home and forget about Christ for the rest of the week, think that they can live as good and faithful Catholics privately while ignoring the Sacraments given to us by Christ or publicly profess to be Catholic while exhibiting behavior that is opposed to the faith that they proclaim (cohabitation, fornication, using contraception, supporting abortion rights etc…).

“No, my children! We cannot lead a double life. We cannot have a split personality if we want to be Christians. There is only one life, made of flesh and spirit. And it is that life which has to become, in both body and soul, holy and filled with God.”
~St. Josemaria Escriva; Passionately Loving the World

True faith demands conversion! God wants all of us and wants to participate in every aspect of our lives. We are, every one of us, called to be SAINTS!

“You have the obligation to sanctify yourself. Yes, even you. Who thinks this is the exclusive concern of priests and religious? To everyone, without exception our Lord said: ‘Be perfect, as my heavenly Father is perfect’ (Mt. 5:48)
~The Way 291

There are many things Catholics can do to incorporate faith into our daily lives. Personally I have found daily Mass and daily recitation of the rosary helpful, along with weekly holy hour in front of the Blessed Sacrament and frequent confession. It is also possible to lift up even the most ordinary daily tasks. Given a supernatural motive, an hour of work can become an hour of prayer. Fidelity to prayer and the Sacraments is essential.

Whenever you gather for Mass, when you go to Confession, whenever you celebrate any of the sacraments, Jesus is at work. Through the Holy Spirit, he draws you to himself, into his sacrificial love of the Father which becomes love for all…

Your personal prayer, your times of silent contemplation, and your participation in the Church’s liturgy, bring you closer to God and also prepare you to serve others (2).

Equally as important is obedience to the law of Christ, His commandments and the teachings of His Church. Despite popular belief, this is the way to true and lasting freedom. Freedom is not an opting out. It is an opting in – a participation in Being itself (3). As today’s Gospel reading says:

If you keep my commandments, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and remain in his love. (Jn. 15:10)

If Christ is the way, the truth and the life, and it is this truth which sets us free (Jn. 8:31-32), then authentic freedom can never be attained by turning away from God (3).

The Gospel teaches us that true freedom, the freedom of the children of God, is found only in the self-surrender which is part of the mystery of love. Only by losing ourselves, the Lord tells us, do we truly find ourselves (cf. Lk 17:33). True freedom blossoms when we turn away from the burden of sin, which clouds our perceptions and weakens our resolve, and find the source of our ultimate happiness in him who is infinite love, infinite freedom, infinite life. “In his will is our peace”.

Real freedom, then, is God’s gracious gift, the fruit of conversion to his truth, the truth which makes us free (cf. Jn 8:32)…When we put on “the mind of Christ” (cf. Phil 2:5), new horizons open before us! In the light of faith, within the communion of the Church, we also find the inspiration and strength to become a leaven of the Gospel in the world (4).

I told you his speeches were jam packed!

Being Catholic is not merely a social identity, it’s not a question of what church (lower case “c”) you belong to or attend, but it is, as our Holy Father says, a question of conviction – do I really believe that only in the mystery of the Word made flesh does the mystery of man truly become clear (cf. Gaudium et Spes, 22)? Am I ready to commit my entire self – intellect and will, mind and heart – to God? Do I accept the truth Christ reveals? Is my faith evident in the way I live my life? Do I give it fervent expression liturgically, sacramentally, through prayer, acts of charity, a concern for justice, and respect for God’s creation? (3)

(1) Responses to questions posed by the Bishops
(2) Youth rally speech in Yonkers
(3) Meeting with Catholic educators
(4) Homily at Yankee Stadium

For the past couple of days I’ve been watching non stop live coverage of the Pope’s visit on EWTN with commentary from Raymond Arroyo and Fr. Richard John Neuhaus, whom I adore. I have been trying to catch all of his speeches, but there are just too many to keep up with! I wanted to comment on some of them, but I am going to have to read them all again online some time. They are so dense, though rich in truth and love.

When addressing the faithful he has touched on many different topics – respect for life, the clergy sex abuse, vocations – but the theme has remained constant – Christ! – Christ as truth, hope and freedom. He has been especially urging people to deepen their own personal relationship with Christ through prayer, which he calls “hope in action.” This, he told his brother Bishops on Wednesday, is where more priestly vocations will come from and how young people will be able to discern the will of God:

Prayer itself, born in Catholic families, nurtured by programs of Christian formation, strengthened by the grace of the sacraments, is the first means by which we come to know the Lord’s will for our lives. To the extent that we teach young people to pray, and to pray well, we will be cooperating with God’s call. Programs, plans and projects have their place; but the discernment of a vocation is above all the fruit of an intimate dialogue between the Lord and his disciples. Young people, if they know how to pray, can be trusted to know what to do with God’s call.

This was also his message to the young people at St. Joseph Seminary yesterday:

What matters most is that you develop your personal relationship with God. That relationship is expressed in prayer. God by his very nature speaks, hears, and replies. Indeed, Saint Paul reminds us: we can and should pray constantly (1 Thess 5:17). Far from turning in on ourselves or withdrawing from the ups and downs of life, by praying we turn towards God and through him to each other, including the marginalized and those following ways other than God’s path (cf. Spe Salvi, 33). As the saints teach us so vividly, prayer becomes hope in action. Christ was their constant companion, with whom they conversed at every step of their journey for others.

As the pope also said at the youth rally, “ultimately truth is a person: Jesus Christ” and we cannot know the truth and be freed by it unless we know the person of Christ.

I am surprised at how moved I have been by watching the pope this week. I mostly feel a great sense of joy and pride in my Catholic faith when I see the smiling face of this gentle and humble vicar of my Christ on earth. He’s such a sweet and loving man (I love the way he rises from his chair to eagerly greet those who have just addressed him) and what I have noticed during this visit is that it is not so much his words – powerful as they are – but just his very presence that has brought excitement and hope, centered on Christ, to the Church in our country, at least for the moment. I pray that it will last.

Watch this video of the pope “mingling” with a large crowd of his fans outside his residence in NY. One person said it was “almost as good as seeing the Rolling Stones.”

You can read text of all of his speeches and homilies at the Vatican website, or at the USCCB’s Papal Visit site which includes audio and video.

Our Holy Father is here! Are you excited or what?! Tomorrow is our beloved pontiff’s 81st birthday. And Saturday will mark his third anniversary as Pope. What a privilege it is to be able to share these two very special occasions with the pope this year! Here is the Knights of Columbus’ papal visit prayer:

Almighty Father, who pours forth blessings in
abundance upon us, we humbly pray that you
will inspire, guide and protect Pope Benedict
XVI on his pastoral visit to the United States.
Lord God, bless our Holy Father who comes as
a messenger of peace and charity to all people
of faith and good will. May his presence in the
United States serve to build up the bonds that
unite us who are each made in your image and
likeness, and may his teaching and witness
strengthen the faith of the People of God.
Father, we lovingly entrust Pope Benedict’s
visit to the care of Our Lady of Guadalupe,
Queen of the Americas. Through her prayers
may he be preserved from all harm, and may
he shine forth with the truth of the Gospel that
he proclaims, and may his presence among us
foster a renewal of the Church in our country.
We make this prayer through Christ our Lord.
Amen

Pope Benedict’s pastoral visit to the U.S. starts tomorrow with the theme of Christ our Hope!

[M]an needs God, otherwise he remains without hope…God is the foundation of hope: not any god, but the God who has a human face and who has loved us to the end, each one of us and humanity in its entirety. His Kingdom is not an imaginary hereafter, situated in a future that will never arrive; his Kingdom is present wherever he is loved and wherever his love reaches us. His love alone gives us the possibility of soberly persevering day by day, without ceasing to be spurred on by hope, in a world which by its very nature is imperfect. His love is at the same time our guarantee of the existence of what we only vaguely sense and which nevertheless, in our deepest self, we await: a life that is “truly” life. (Spe Salvi, 23, 31)

At our Legion of Mary Acies yesterday our spiritual director urged us to offer up many prayers, especially extra rosaries, for the Pope and the success of his visit. There has been a lot of speculation as to how his trip will effect or influence politics. What is most important, however, is how the presence of our humble German Shepherd here will influence souls.

The salvation of souls is greatly needed in our country, especially among Catholics. A recent poll showed a majority of Catholics (68%) believe that they can still be “good Catholics” without going to Mass every Sunday. Indeed, only one-third of America’s Catholics attend weekly Mass. This is the “source and summit” of our Catholic faith!

Together let us pray for our beloved Holy Father, for his safety, for the success of his visit and that the people of America may be open to his message of hope!

Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in them the fire of your love. Send forth your Spirit, O Lord, and they shall be created and you shall renew the face of the earth. O, God, who by the light of the Holy Spirit, did instruct the hearts of the faithful, grant that by the same Holy Spirit we may be truly wise and ever enjoy His consolations, Through Christ Our Lord, Amen.

Below are links to some of my past posts that feature the Holy Father and his writings:

A Message From Papa Ben!
The Paradox of the Cross
The Resurrection = Event of Love
We are Awaited by His Love
Pope Confronts the “Difficult Problem of Bioethics”
An Advent Reflection on Eternal Life
Love and Suffering
When Technical Progress Becomes a Threat
The Pope on Political Priorities
Oh, and I Love the Pope, Too!
Pope Endorses Stem Cell Research
Pope Speaks About Life Issues
The Greatest Destroyer of Peace
Uniting for Life

Check out the Pope’s itinerary on Fox News and be sure to watch EWTN or visit Benedict in America for full coverage of our Holy Father’s visit to America.

I hope you’re getting ready for the visit from our Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI starting tomorrow. There’s been a lot of speculation about his trip which I think the video Chelsea posted helped clarify.

I see lots of news online about the trip including a story in the Ft. Worth Star-Telegram which says that President Bush will be picking the Pope up personally from the airport and escorting him back to the White House. Here’s his explanation for why he’s doing so:

“One, he speaks for millions. Two, he doesn’t come as a politician; he comes as a man of faith,” Bush told the EWTN Global Catholic Network in an interview aired Friday. He added that he wanted to honor Benedict’s conviction that “there’s right and wrong in life, that moral relativism has a danger of undermining the capacity to have more hopeful and free societies.”

A few months ago our associate pastor and the principal of our parish grade school (who is a part time apologist) started a Sunday night adult faith formation. They have been recording each talk and now 1-7 are available online!

It is so wonderful to see our priest and principal take such an interest in the spiritual formation of those in our parish. As the new principal of our Catholic grade school, Mr. Allen wants to encourage parents to deepen their own knowledge of the faith (which they seriously lack) in order for them to extend their children’s Catholic education outside of school and into the home so that they are better prepared to live out their faith in their daily lives. They’re also reaching out to non-Catholics who might want a better understanding of some Catholic Church teaching. The last three talks of this session will be advertised in our local newspaper. Along with the classes and the audio online, they are making the talks available on CD.

Here is Pope Benedict’s video message for the U.S. The theme for his visit: Christ Our Hope

h/t: MONIALES OP ~ Dominican Nuns

Benedict in America

One of the people I heard mentioned on my recent retreat was Mathew Kelly. So, of course I Googled for him at my first chance today. The first result I looked at is an article he wrote called Classroom of Silence. I work in a profession that’s all about noise and I do mean audio. We produce a lot of it for online agricultural communications. I attend a lot of conferences where all you do all day long is talk to people and hear lots of noise. I like my music-filled iPod but I have to take time every day to just sit in silence and this article struck a personal note with me so I thought I’d share it with you. Here’s an excerpt:

Silence presents both sides of the Christian challenge. Firstly, silence introduces us to ourselves – our faults, failings, flaws, defects, talents, abilities, and potential. And secondly, silence introduces us to God – greatness, fidelity, and perfection. It is these two discoveries together – self and God – that propose the Christian challenge. Seeing ourselves as we are, and God as He is, we are always challenged to change, to grow, and to become more like God.

Blaise Pascal, the French philosopher, scientist, mathematician, and writer of the seventeenth century wrote, “All man’s miseries derive from not being able to sit quietly in a room alone.”

How can we examine our conscience when there’s too much noise? Kind of difficult if you ask me. So, many people I work with might be surprised but this makes perfect sense to me and I highly recommend it. Silence that is.

I’m on the final day of my annual retreat which is put on by the Wespine Study Center in St. Louis, MO. It’s actually held at the Cedar Creek Conference Center in New Haven, MO. I like to think of it as my time to re-charge my spiritual batteries for another year. The retreat usually comes at a time when I feel like I really need it. Maybe after a number of years your soul gets into a rhythm.

We have a wonderful chapel in which the priest presents a series of meditations and where we hold daily Mass.

Wespine offers weekend retreats for working men seeking to further develop their relationship with God. The schedule includes daily Mass and Gospel reflections by a priest of Opus Dei, with Confession and spiritual direction available throughout the weekend.

The retreats are held during the spring at Cedar Creek Conference Center, 14 miles west of Washington, Missouri. The retreats run from 10:30 a.m. on Friday to 2:00 p.m. on Sunday.

There are also retreats held here for women that are put on by the Lindell Center, which is located in St. Louis as well.

The Chrism Mass is always one of my favorite Masses of the year because it is when all of the priests gather to renew their committment to serve. The witness of devoted priests is one of the things that makes me proud to be Catholic and I love to see them all together in one place. It is a source of hope to know that so many men have literally given their lives in service to Christ and His Church. I was not able to attend our Chrism Mass this year, but my mother was kind enough to send me this picture:

We have had our share of heartbreak over the years, of priests leaving their vocations, some who were very close friends of ours. That is why it is imperative that we pray for our priests who are not immune to temptation and human weakness.

St. Faustina’s prayer for priests:

“O my Jesus, I beg You on behalf of the whole Church: Grant it love and the light of Your Spirit, and give power to the words of Priests so that hardened hearts might be brought to repentance and return to You, O Lord. Lord, give us holy Priests; You yourself maintain them in holiness. O Divine and Great High Priest, may the power of Your mercy accompany them everywhere and protect them from the devil’s traps and snares which are continually being set for the soul of Priests. May the power of Your mercy, O Lord, shatter and bring to naught all that might tarnish the sanctity of Priests, for You can do all things.” (Diary #1052)

Pope Benedict’s prayer intentions for the month of April:

Pope Benedict’s general prayer intention is: “That Christians, even in the difficult and complex situations of present-day society, may not tire of proclaiming with their lives that Christ’s resurrection is the source of peace and of hope”.

His mission intention is: “That the future priests of the young Churches may be constantly more formed culturally and spiritually to evangelize their nations and the whole world”.

H/T American Papist. Also from the Papist: The Popemobile has arrived! Be sure to check out Benedict in America for all the details of Pope Benedict XVI’s visit in just 12 days!

Speaking of popes, today is the anniversary of the death of John Paul II. See my post at Reflections: JP II and the Culture of Life. Here are pics of your humble blog hosts greeting the late pontiff in 2001: