In The Bosom Of Holy Mother Church

In his homily for the Feast of St. George this past Tuesday, Pope Francis reflected on the first reading from Acts of the Apostles, emphasizing the importance of moving forward for our Mother the Church:

Think of this Mother Church that grows, grows with new children to whom She gives the identity of the faith, because you cannot believe in Jesus without the Church. Jesus Himself says in the Gospel: "But you do not believe, because you are not among my sheep." If we are not "sheep of Jesus," faith does not come to us. It is a rosewater faith, a faith without substance. And let us think of the consolation that Barnabas felt, which is "the sweet and comforting joy of evangelizing." And let us ask the Lord for this "parresia," this apostolic fervor that impels us to move forward, as brothers, all of us forward! Forward, bringing the name of Jesus in the bosom of Holy Mother Church, and, as St. Ignatius said, "hierarchical and Catholic." So be it. 

For the full text, go here. 

And the Lord Added to Their Number Day By Day

"And they devoted themselves to the Apostles' teaching
and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.
…And day by day, attending the temple together and
breaking bread in their homes, they partook of food
with glad and generous hearts and praising God
and having favor with all the people. And the Lord
added to their number day by day those
who were being saved" (Acts 2:42, 46-47).

These verses from the Acts of the Apostles describe the earliest Christian communities, groups brought together by the newness of the Gospel and the warmth of the Holy Spirit. As we reflect upon them, we might realize that this is exactly what we are called to do as new evangelizers—to praise God with “glad and generous hearts” so that we have “favor with all the people” and invite them into our community with joy.

How can we revive this spirit of evangelization? How can we awaken our Christian brothers and sisters to the real and glorious Revelation of Jesus Christ?

Well, we are about to find out! This last reflection will summarize the remaining three chapters of the Instrumentum Laboris for the upcoming Synod on the New Evangelization, which we began to discuss earlier this week.

For the most part, responses to the Lineamenta suggest that changes must be made in response to modern circumstances. In order to re-propose the divine and the sacred, the Church must break through the secularized culture. The globalized world, economic divisions, polarized civic life, dependence on scientific discoveries and research, changes in new media and communications, and a misguided sense of spirituality present challenges as well.

Happy Feast of St. Matthias!

During those days Peter stood up in the midst of the brothers (there was a group of about one hundred and twenty persons in the one place). He said,“My brothers, the scripture had to be fulfilled which the holy Spirit spoke beforehand through the mouth of David, concerning Judas, who was the guide for those who arrested Jesus. He was numbered among us and was allotted a share in this ministry. He bought a parcel of land with the wages of his iniquity, and falling headlong, he burst open in the middle, and all his insides spilled out. This became known to everyone who lived in Jerusalem, so that the parcel of land was called in their language ‘Akeldama,’ that is, Field of Blood. For it is written in the Book of Psalms:

‘Let his encampment become desolate,
and may no one dwell in it.’

And:

‘May another take his office.’

Therefore, it is necessary that one of the men who accompanied us the whole time the Lord Jesus came and went among us, beginning from the baptism of John until the day on which he was taken up from us, become with us a witness to his resurrection.” So they proposed two, Joseph called Barsabbas, who was also known as Justus, and Matthias. Then they prayed, “You, Lord, who know the hearts of all, show which one of these two you have chosen to take the place in this apostolic ministry from which Judas turned away to go to his own place.” Then they gave lots to them, and the lot fell upon Matthias, and he was counted with the eleven apostles.

Acts of the Apostles 1:15-26

St. Matthias, you experienced the Lord’s life and resurrection. Please intercede for us, that we may be like you in our witness and commitment to Christ.

We must obey God rather than men

Peter and the Apostles stood before the Sanhedrin. They again faced the jealous high priest who had thrown them into prison the night before. 

“We gave you strict orders did we not, to stop teaching in that name,” the high priest said. “Yet you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and want to bring this man’s blood upon us.”

The Apostles were not afraid. They replied: “We must obey God rather than men” (Acts 5: 17-29).

We encounter these words in the first reading today, and they hold profound meaning for each and every one of us—we must obey God rather than men.

In this “world of men”—this culture—the option to obey God rather than men is often hidden behind a wall of distractions.

Just picture it: A young woman wakes up in the morning and immediately turns on the news to fill her mind as she drinks her coffee and prepares for the day. She puts her headphones in after locking the door, blasting music throughout the entire commute. She gets to work and immerses herself in it, filling up any breaks with texting and YouTube videos. At the end of the day she walks home to the same soundtrack, planning to spend the evening with her favorite shows.