Mount Of Olives

A fragment of earth seen through leaves,

through the thicket of time, at last through the brook

that covers the bottom of a slender chalice.

The chalice was formed from a crack in the rocks.

-

A fragment of earth seen still through You,

or is it through me?

The dwarfed olive trees where You

could not find shelter then, nor–

And today, why do I come?

Don’t be surprised. Here for one thousand

nine hundred years each gaze passes

into that one gaze which never alters.

- Saint John Paul II

The Mission Of The Redeemer

As displayed in our exhibit, Saint John Paul II was always on mission throughout his pontificate. 

As we await the Lord’s second coming this Advent, many people throughout the world are still waiting to be introduced to Him. Saint John Paul II addressed this very issue in his encyclical Redemptoris Missio, which celebrated its 24^th anniversary this past weekend. To preach the Gospel is the vocation of every man, and through this letter, the late Holy Father guided the faithful on how to live like him, as a people on mission.

“No believer in Christ, no institution of the Church can avoid this supreme duty: to proclaim Christ to all peoples,” wrote John Paul II, for it is Christ who reveals God to us and reveals man to himself. The Church must always be on mission, because:

…true liberation consists in opening oneself to the love of Christ. In him, and only in him, are we set free from all alienation and doubt, from slavery to the power of sin and death. Christ is truly “our peace” (Eph 2:14); “the love of Christ impels us” (2 Cor 5:14), giving meaning and joy to our life.

…Newness of life in him is the "Good News" for men and women of every age: all are called to it and destined for it. Indeed, all people are searching for it, albeit at times in a confused way, and have a right to know the value of this gift and to approach it freely.

All people are made to be a part of the Kingdom of God, and as Christians we are called to respond to the missionary grace that the Father bestows upon each and every one of us. Relying upon the Holy Spirit, “the principal agent of mission,” we are each called to evangelize in our own unique ways, witnessing to the Gospel with our lives and preaching it to those who have never heard it and to those who need to hear it again.

The Guadalupe Event

Saint John Paul II's trips to Mexico are featured in our exhibit. 

With the celebration of the feast of Saint Juan Diego yesterday, and the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe on Friday, this is a big week for the Church in Mexico.

Saint John Paul II canonized Juan Diego when he was on his 2002 pilgrimage to the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City. In his homily for the canonization, the Holy Father said:

“The Guadalupe Event,” as the Mexican Episcopate has pointed out, “meant the beginning of evangelization with a vitality that surpassed all expectations. Christ's message, through his Mother, took up the central elements of the indigenous culture, purified them and gave them the definitive sense of salvation.” Consequently Guadalupe and Juan Diego have a deep ecclesial and missionary meaning and are a model of perfectly inculturated evangelization. 

Let us pray with St. John Paul II, that “The Guadalupe Event” continues to feed the New Evangelization in Mexico.

St. Juan Diego and Our Lady of Guadalupe, Pray for Us!

Prayer On The Immaculate Conception

“Hail Mary, full of grace!”

Immaculate Virgin, here I am at your feet once again,

full of devotion and gratitude….

In you, “humble and highest of creatures,”

divine grace had the full victory over evil.

You are for us, pilgrims on the paths of the world,

the bright model of evangelical fidelity

and the ever-living pledge of sure hope.

Virgin Mother…

Watch over families especially: 

may love sealed by the Sacrament ever reign between spouses,

may children walk on the paths of goodness and true freedom,

may the elderly feel surrounded by attention and affection.

Inspire, Mary, in so many young hearts,

generous replies to the “call for the mission...”

Blessed Virgin, Queen of Apostles!

Assist those who through study

and prayer are preparing to labor

on the many frontiers of the new evangelization.

Waiting And Patience

In his biography of Saint John Paul II, Witness to Hope, George Weigel describes how Cardinal Wojtyła kept in touch with old friends throughout his episcopate in Kraków, and how he continued to accompany them on their journeys of faith.

In his book, Weigel includes what Cardinal Wojtyła wrote in response to a letter from a friend and mother of two-year-old twins. He wrote:

I sense tiredness in your letter, which is easy to understand, knowing your character and your nervous system. On top of this, you always wanted to plan and do everything rationally. And here is the kingdom of irrationality, where normal activity and energy aren’t enough; you need to wait things out, some time to do nothing, and, simply, patience—especially since there are two. I realized that, on the one hand, there is always a price we pay for love. On the other, thanks to God, love is returned in that price. 

Just like this mother of twins, many of us like to “plan and do everything rationally.” Advent reminds us that God is not subject to our plans, but rather, He is the plan. St. John Paul II’s letter can remind us that we are called to be patient and wait for His coming, for the return of love.

St. John Paul II, Pray for Us!

Letter from George Weigel’s Witness to Hope (New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 1999; 215).

Trust In The Lord Forever

On that day they will sing this song in the land of Judah:

“A strong city have we;

he sets up walls and ramparts to protect us.

Open up the gates

to let in a nation that is just,

one that keeps faith.

A nation of firm purpose you keep in peace;

in peace, for its trust in you.”

Trust in the LORD forever!

For the LORD is an eternal Rock.

He humbles those in high places,

and the lofty city he brings down;

He tumbles it to the ground,

levels it with the dust.

It is trampled underfoot by the needy,

by the footsteps of the poor.

-Isaiah 26:1-6