Tag Archives: Christianity

Pope Leo XIV: Catechesis 7

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Dear brothers and sisters, good morning and welcome!

Continuing in our reflection on the Dogmatic Constitution Lumen gentium (LG), today we will look at the second chapter, dedicated to the People of God.

God, who created the world and humanity, and who wishes to save every man, carries out his work of salvation in history, choosing a real people and dwelling among them. For this reason, He calls Abraham and promises him descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and the sand on the seashore (cf. Gen 22:17-18). With Abraham’s children, after freeing them from slavery, God makes a covenant with them, accompanies them, cares for them, and gathers them together whenever they stray. Therefore, the identity of this people is given by God’s action and by faith in Him. They are called to become a light for other nations, like a beacon that will draw all peoples, the whole of humanity, to itself (cf. Is 2:1-5).

The Council affirms that “All these things, however, were done by way of preparation and as a figure of that new and perfect covenant, which was to be ratified in Christ, and of that fuller revelation which was to be given through the Word of God Himself made flesh” ( LG, 9). Indeed, it is Christ who, in giving His Body and His Blood, unites this people in Himself and in a definitive way. It is a people now made up of members of every nation; it is united by faith in Him, by adherence to Him, by living the same life as Him, animated by the Spirit of the Risen One. This is the Church: the people of God who draw their existence from the body of Christ [1] and who are themselves the body of Christ; [2] not a people like any other, but the People of God, called together by Him and made up of women and men from all the peoples of the earth. Its unifying principle is not a language, a culture, an ethnicity, but faith in Christ: the Church is therefore – according to a splendid expression of the Council – the assembly of “all those who in faith look upon Jesus” ( LG, 9).

It is a messianic people, precisely because it has Christ, the Messiah, as its head. Those who belong to it do not pride themselves on merits or titles, but only on the gift of being, in Christ and through Him, daughters and sons of God. Above any task or function, therefore, what really matters in the Church is to be grafted onto Christ, to be children of God by grace. This is also the only honorary title we should seek as Christians. We are in the Church in order to receive life from the Father unceasingly and to live as His children and brothers and sisters among ourselves. Consequently, the law that animates relationships in the Church is love, as we receive and experience it in Jesus; and her goal is the Kingdom of God, towards which she walks together with all humanity.

Unified in Christ, Lord and Saviour of every man and woman, the Church can never turn inwards on herself, but is open to everyone and is for everyone. If believers in Christ belong to it, the Council reminds us that “All men are called to belong to the new people of God. Wherefore this people, remaining one and unique, must extend to the whole world and to all ages, so that the intention of God’s will may be fulfilled, who in the beginning created human nature as one and wants to gather together his children who were scattered” (LG, 13). Even those who have not yet received the Gospel are therefore, in some way, oriented towards the people of God, and the Church, cooperating in Christ’s mission, is called upon to spread the Gospel everywhere and to everyone (cf. LG 17), so that every person may enter into contact with Christ. This means that in the Church there is, and there must be, a place for everyone, and that every Christian is called to proclaim the Gospel and bear witness in every environment in which he or she lives and works. Thus, this people shows its catholicity, welcoming the wealth and resources of different cultures and, at the same time, offering them the newness of the Gospel to purify them and to raise them up (cf. LG, 13).

In this regard, the Church is one but includes everyone. A great theologian described it thus: “The unique Ark of Salvation must welcome all human diversity into its vast nave. The only banquet hall, the food it distributes is drawn from all of creation. The seamless garment of Christ, it is also – and it is the same thing – the garment of Joseph, with its many colours”. [3]

It is a great sign of hope – especially in our times, traversed by so many conflicts and wars – to know that the Church is a people in which women and men of different nationalities, languages and cultures live together in faith: it is a sign placed in the very heart of humanity, a reminder and prophecy of that unity and peace to which God the Father calls all his children.

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[1] Cf. J. Ratzinger, The New People of God, Brescia 1992, 97.

[2] Cf. Y. M.-J. Congar, A Messianic People, Brescia 1976, 75.

[3] Cf. H. de Lubac, Catholicism: A study of dogma in relation to the corporate destiny of mankind (Catholicisme: Les aspects sociaux du dogme).Ca

3rd Week of Lent: a School for Catechumens

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This 3rd week of Lent is an important week for people entering our church and participating in its sacraments. It’s a school for catechumens seeking Baptism;  others are receiving sacraments. Three readings this week are especially important:  the story of the Samaritan woman, the story of Naaman the Syrian, and then, Luke’s account of Jesus visit to Nazareth. 

The Samaritan woman, who meets Jesus at Jacob’s well, is an important teacher for those approaching the church and its sacraments. It’s a story so important that the liturgy recommends this gospel be read in place of another gospel this week, if it’s not read on Sunday.

Like the Samaritan woman, we are people of our own time and place, with our prejudices and deep desires. Like her, Jesus leads us gradually to a new understanding of who we are and what we are called to be. Like her, he promises us living water. 

What does “living water” mean? Baptize in living waters, the early baptismal rituals say. They forbid baptism in stagnant water. Why? Stagnant water goes nowhere. Living water brings us to all life, to all creation, to a greater life. It’s not a water that restricts; this water makes us grow.  

For the Jews the Jordan River was living water. Entering the Jordan at his baptism Jesus empowered it with new life. His Spirit entered the waters. Just as water once flowed out in four rivers over the whole world – according to the Book of Genesis – the waters of the Jordan flowed out over the world after Jesus was baptized.  

Monday’s reading recalls Naaman the Syrian. Like the Samaritan woman, he was not a Jew. He came somewhat skeptically to the waters of the Jordan to be cleansed of his leprosy. Not only was he cleansed of leprosy, but he came to new knowledge: “Now I know that there is no God in all the earth, except in Israel.” Like the Samaritan woman, Naaman received the gift of faith. 

The stories of Naaman and the Samaritan woman are great stories for reflecting on the mystery of the church, baptism and the sacraments. 

Why do we catechize and baptize people entering the church and her sacramental life during Lent? Because Lent leads to the mystery of the death and resurrection of Jesus. Living water came from his side at his death. Blood and water from his side gave life to the Church and her sacraments. 

During this third week of Lent, the gospel of the rejection of Jesus at Nazareth is also read. (Monday) The story is important because it presents “the scandal of the Incarnation.” Jesus was rejected at Nazareth as the carpenter, Mary’s son. Those who enter the church and participate in her sacraments will face a similar “ scandal of the Incarnation.”

The church is a complex reality, Pope Leo said in a recent address, it is a reality of saints and sinners. We have to live in that reality.

Scripture and Tradition

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Here’s Pope Leo latest reflection of the documents of the Second Vatican Council at his Wednesday audience yesterday, on the important subject of scripture and tradition:

“Dear brothers and sisters, good morning and welcome!

Continuing our reading of the Conciliar Constitution Dei Verbum on Divine Revelation, today we will reflect on the relationship between Sacred Scripture and Tradition. We can take two Gospel scenes as a backdrop. In the first, which takes place in the Upper Room, Jesus, in his great discourse-testament addressed to the disciples, affirms: “These things I have spoken to you, while I am still with you. But the Counsellor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you. … When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth” (Jn 14:25-26; 16:13).

The second scene takes us instead to the hills of Galilee. The risen Jesus shows himself to the disciples, who are surprised and doubtful, and he advises them: “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations … teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you” (Mt 28:19-20). In both of these scenes, the intimate connection between the words uttered by Christ and their dissemination throughout the centuries is evident.

It is what the Second Vatican Council affirms, using an evocative image: “There exists a close connection and communication between sacred tradition and Sacred Scripture. For both of them, flowing from the same divine wellspring, in a certain way merge into a unity and tend toward the same end” (Dei Verbum, 9). Ecclesial Tradition branches out throughout history through the Church, which preserves, interprets and embodies the Word of God. The Catechism of the Catholic Church (cf. no. 113) refers, in this regard, to a motto of the Church Fathers: “Sacred Scripture is written principally in the Church’s heart rather than in documents and records”, that is, in the sacred text.

In the light of Christ’s words, quoted above, the Council affirms that “this tradition which comes from the Apostles develops in the Church with the help of the Holy Spirit” (Dei Verbum, 8). This occurs with full comprehension through “contemplation and study made by believers”, through “a penetrating understanding of the spiritual realities which they experience” and, above all, with the preaching of the successors of the apostles who have received “the sure gift of truth”. In short, “the Church, in her teaching, life and worship, perpetuates and hands on to all generations all that she herself is, all that she believes” (ibid.).

In this regard, the expression of Saint Gregory the Great is famous: “The Sacred Scriptures grow with the one who reads them”. [1] And Saint Augustine had already remarked that “there is only one word of God that unfolds through Scripture, and there is only one Word that sounds on the lips of many saints”. [2] The Word of God, then, is not fossilized, but rather it is a living and organic reality that develops and grows in Tradition. Thanks to the Holy Spirit, Tradition understands it in the richness of its truth and embodies it in the shifting coordinates of history.

In this regard, the proposal of the holy Doctor of the Church John Henry Newman in his work entitled The Development of Christian Doctrine is striking. He affirmed that Christianity, both as a communal experience and as a doctrine, is a dynamic reality, in the manner indicated by Jesus himself in the parables of the seed (cf. Mk 4:26-29): a living reality that develops thanks to an inner vital force. [3]

The apostle Paul repeatedly exhorts his disciple and collaborator Timothy: “O Timothy, guard what has been entrusted to you” (1 Tim 6:20; cf. 2 Tim 1:12-14). The Dogmatic Constitution Dei Verbum echoes this Pauline text when it says: “Sacred tradition and Sacred Scripture form one sacred deposit of the word of God, committed to the Church”, interpreted by the “living teaching office of the Church, whose authority is exercised in the name of Jesus Christ” (no. 10). “Deposit” is a term that, in its original meaning, is juridical in nature and imposes on the depositary the duty to preserve the content, which in this case is the faith, and to transmit it intact.

The “deposit” of the Word of God is still in the hands of the Church today, and all of us, in our various ecclesial ministries, must continue to preserve it in its integrity, as a lodestar for our journey through the complexity of history and existence.

In conclusion, dear friends, let us listen once more to Dei Verbum, which exalts the interweaving of Sacred Scripture and Tradition: it affirms that they “are so linked and joined together that they cannot stand independently, and together, each in their own way, under the action of the one Holy Spirit, they contribute effectively to the salvation of souls” (cf. no. 10).”

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[1] Homiliae in Ezechielem I, VII, 8:  PL 76, 843D.

[2]  Enarrationes in Psalmos 103, IV, 1

[3] Cf. J.H. Newman,  An Essay on the Development of Christian Doctrine, Milan 2003, p. 104.

 Look to Christ!  Come closer to him!  

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Pope Leo spoke about Christian Unity at the close of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity today, January 25th:  

My dear friends, every year the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity invites us to renew our commitment to this great mission, bearing in mind that the divisions among us – while they do not prevent the light of Christ from shining – nonetheless make the face which must reflect it to the world less radiant.

Last year, we celebrated the 1700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea.  His Holiness Bartholomew, Ecumenical Patriarch, invited us to celebrate the anniversary in İznik, and I give thanks to God that so many Christian traditions were represented at that commemoration two months ago. 

 Reciting the Nicene Creed together in the very place where it was formulated was a profound and unforgettable testimony to our unity in Christ.  That moment of fraternity also allowed us to praise the Lord for what he accomplished through the Nicene Fathers, helping them to express clearly the truth of a God who drew near to us in Jesus Christ.  May the Holy Spirit find in us docile minds even today, so that we may proclaim the faith with one voice to the men and women of our time!

In the passage from the Letter to the Ephesians chosen as the theme for this year’s Week of Prayer, we repeatedly hear the adjective“one”: one body, one Spirit, one hope, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God (cf. Eph 4:4-6). How can these inspired words not touch us deeply?  How can our hearts not burn within us when we hear them? 

 Yes, “we share the same faith in the one and only God, the Father of all people; we confess together the one Lord and true Son of God, Jesus Christ, and the one Holy Spirit, who inspires us and impels us towards full unity and the common witness to the Gospel” (Apostolic Letter In Unitate Fidei, 23 November 2025, 12).  We are one!  We already are!  Let us recognize it, experience it and make it visible!

As we look toward the 2,000th anniversary of the Passion, Death and Resurrection of the Lord Jesus in 2033, let us commit ourselves to further developing ecumenical synodal practices and to sharing with one another who we are, what we do and what we teach.

Lectionary and Saints

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Our daily liturgy gives us scriptures to read and saints to celebrate. This week in our lectionary we continue to read from the Gospel of Mark and the 1st Book of Samuel. Today we remember Fabian, an early pope and  martyr, and Sebastian, a soldier saint and martyr.  Tomorrow we have Agnes, a young girl and early martyr. 

Our lectionary readings are not chosen haphazardly. After the feast of the Baptism we began reading each day from the Gospel of Mark, the first of the gospels to be written, an appropriate reading for following Jesus as he begins his ministry in Galilee. 

The saints point out how others have followed him. . The three martyrs we remember this week are examples of some who were put to death in persecutions that took place in the early church. Fabian was put to death at the beginning of the Decian persecution (250) because he was a church leader. The Roman strategy was to kill church leaders and their followers would scatter. 

Sebastian was a soldier saint martyred in the Diocletian persecution. From what we know, Christians were highly regard by the emperor when he first came to power, but then he turned against them,  especially the officer class. Like Sebastian, many of them holding influential positions in the empire were put to death for their supposed disloyalty. 

Agnes was not killed in a general persecution like Fabian and Sebastian.  She died because Christians were legally vulnerable in the centuries before Constantine. The Romans were suspicious of them. Agnes a victim of a powerful Roman man who used the Roman judicial system to punish a young Christian girl who  would not let him have his way with her. 

   

Our Lady of Guadalupe, Pray for Immigrants

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In our 2018 pastoral letter, “Open Wide Our Hearts,” we lamented the impact of immigration raids and mass deportations in which even those who are U.S. citizens have been caught up and deported, noting: “Today, many Hispanics are often assumed to be in this country illegally. These attitudes of cultural superiority, indifference, and racism need to be confronted; they are unworthy of any follower of Christ.”

We consistently reaffirm what the church has always taught: that every human person is created in the image and likeness of God, the imago Dei, and that the dignity of the human person does not depend on a particular legal status, nationality or occupation. We also recognize that promoting public order and upholding the rule of law are necessary endeavors, especially because these measures help guard against trafficking and other forms of exploitation.

Today, however, we see aggressive approaches to immigration enforcement that inflict harm on our sisters and brothers, sometimes restricting their ability to work, live and worship in arbitrary ways. Many citizens and lawful residents have reported being detained by methods that blur the line between legitimate enforcement and discriminatory profiling. This climate of fear makes our neighbors hesitant to go to work, to attend Mass or to visit loved ones.

In light of this, we must ask again: Who is my neighbor? The answer, as always, is found in Christ. He calls us to see with the eyes of mercy, to walk with those who suffer and to build a society rooted in justice and love. As disciples, we cannot remain indifferent. We are called to advocate for a just and meaningful immigration reform that respects human dignity, upholds due process and promotes the common good.

Let us follow the example of Our Lady of Guadalupe and stand in solidarity with those who live in fear, as a testament to God’s abiding peace. Let us be beacons of Christ’s light, filled with compassion and courage. Let us raise our voices in support of a meaningful reform of our immigration system, one that recognizes, as the U.S. bishops reaffirmed last month, that ensuring national security and safeguarding human dignity are not in conflict. Let us reject dehumanizing rhetoric and violence, whether directed at immigrants or at law enforcement. And let us never grow weary in the Gospel call to love without condition.

May the Lord, who is close to the brokenhearted, strengthen us in this mission. And may we, as one body of Christ, never forget who our neighbors are (Ps 34:19).

Bishop Robert Brennan of Brooklyn, NY

Dedication of the Churches of Sts. Peter and Paul

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On November 18th, we honor the great apostles, Peter and Paul, remembering the dedication of the two ancient churches built over their graves. Peter is honored in the Vatican Basilica of St. Peter; Paul is honored in the Basilica of St. Paul, outside the Aurelian Walls along the Via Ostiense. The two apostles are founders and teachers of the Roman church.

Constantine built churches over the apostles’ graves in the middle of the 4th century. Besides honoring the apostles Peter and Paul, the churches were part of a wider plan of prayer, instruction and pilgrimage still seen in the Holy Year pilgrimages to Rome today. An early example of evangelization and catechesis.

From earliest times pilgrims followed a path from one church to the other, visiting a number of other Christian shrines – St. Agnes and St. Lawrence, for example–on their way. A later pilgrim map based on that ancient pilgrimage journey offers an example.

Pilgrim Map, 17th century, Wikipedia Commons

Peter was crucified on the Vatican Hill in 64 near the obelisk not far from the circus of the emperors Caligula and Nero and was butried nearby.  Constantine erected a basilica over his burial site in 326, while Sylvester was pope. Later in 1626 the present basilica replaced Constantine’s church. It’s in the process of reconstruction in the illustration above. Recent excavations have confirmed Peter’s burial place under the papal altar of this church.

Paul, tradition says, was beheaded on the Ostian Way, outside the ancient city walls, in 67. Constantine built a shrine church over the gave in 325; it was enlarged by Theodosius I in386. The church was rebuilt after a fire in 1823, according to its original measurements. The apostle’s grave lies before the main altar of the church.

Defend your Church, O Lord, by the protection of the holy Apostles, that, as she received from them. the beginnings of her knowledge of things divine, so through them she may receive, even to the end of the world, an increase in heavenly grace. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son. (Collect for the feast)

St. Peter’s Basilica, Rome
St.Paul outside the wall, Rome

The Kingdom among us: Luke 17: 20-25

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Where is God?

God is everywhere.

That was one of the first question and answer I learned from my catechism many years ago. 

The Pharisees ask a question somewhat like that as Jesus approaches Jerusalem with his followers:

 “When is the kingdom of God coming?”

Jesus responds: “The coming of the Kingdom of God cannot be observed, and no one will announce, ‘Look, here it is,’ or, ‘There it is.’For behold, the Kingdom of God is among you.” (Luke 17:20-25)

The catechism of the scriptures, which we listen to now, says “The kingdom of God is among you.” The Greek word translated “among” can also be translated “within” so some translations have “The kingdom of God is within you.” But commentators say it’s better we look for the kingdom of God among us than simply within us. 

Yes, God who is everywhere is within us, holding us and all things in being. God makes a home in us, Jesus says, but we should not limit God’s presence to human beings or see God working only in us. God is among us, in others and in the universe we are part of. God is not present among us as an observer, God is building a kingdom that we may not observe. We can miss it, the parables of Jesus indicate.

Especially in times like our, the kingdom that’s coming is hard to see.  

It’s hard to see Jesus in the bread and wine, in his followers, in the wars and the destruction happening in our environment.

That’s what eyes of faith are for. Lord, that we may see.

St.Josaphat: Nov. 12

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The Eastern Catholic Church of the Ukraine will be celebrating the feast of St. Josaphat (1580-1683) on November 12. They’re celebrating him as a holy ecumenist who worked  tirelessly to bring unity among the Eastern Christian churches of Eastern Europe. He gave his life for it. 

Josaphat was born in Voldymyr, a Ukrainian city the Russians targeted early in their current  invasion of the country. Raised Orthodox, he joined the Ruthenian Catholic  church, became a monk, then was made archbishop of Polotsk. At the time, Polish and Lithuanian armies conquered this disputed territory – the land has been continually fought over. 

St. Sophia Cathedral, Polotsk

Religion entered the fight. Some Orthodox churches wished to be aligned to Rome after the Polish-Liithuanian conquest, so the authorities ordered some Orthodox churches be turned over to the Eastern Catholic Church. That triggered a violent reaction. Mobs sought out Josaphat in his cathedral, beat him, put him to death and threw his body in the Daugava River.

His body was retrieved and brought to his cathedral for burial. Later, it was interred in St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome.

Relations between the church of Rome and the Orthodox churches were strained then; they’re strained now. Political battles, historic feuds and rivalries have only increased tensions between the churches. For Josaphat they caused his death, at the hands of fellow Christians.

The Second Vatican Council in its document Orientalium Ecclesiarum affirmed the right of the Eastern churches to their own liturgy,  theology and organization. As we appreciate their history and spirituality more, respect needs to grow. Members of churches in communion with Rome can share in the sacraments with one another.

Josaphat’s experience points to the difficult path to Christian unity, in this case between the church of Rome and many of the Eastern Orthodox churches. Presently, there are 23 Eastern Churches and about 18 million members united to the Roman Catholic Church. The Eastern Orthodox number about 300 million. The churches originate in Middle East, Eastern Europe, North Africa and India

Efforts towards Christian unity among the churches of the east and west need a patient, steady faith that looks more on God’s grace than human skills. Jesus commands we be one. 

St.Josaphat reminds us to respect the Eastern churches and the rich liturgical and spiritual traditions they offer.  Much of Roman Catholic liturgy and spirituality, especially our feasts of Mary, comes from the churches of the east. Josaphat had a keen appreciation of the common treasure we all share. We need that appreciation today.

Our liturgical calendar, honoring Josaphat, recognizes the universal call to holiness in saints who are from every age and nation. “Holiness is not bound by time and place.” (The Roman Calendar. Text and Commentary, 1976)  We’re called to recognize the church as universal, catholic, existing everywhere..

When we think of saints, we may think of Mary, the mother of Jesus, apostles like Peter and Paul, or extraordinary individuals like Mother Teresa.  True friends of God.

Besides those saints – shining lights of faith– there are unnumbered others in God’s company, the Feast of All Saints says. In a vision of heaven, St. John saw  “a great multitude, which no one could count, from every nation, race, people, and tongue.” {Revelations 7, 9-13} We hope to be with them one day.

Our hope rests on a promise Jesus made, the same apostle says:

 “See what love the Father has bestowed on us that we may be called the children of God. Yet so we are…Beloved, we are God’s children now; what we shall be has not yet been revealed.” (1 John 3,1-3)

How shall we reach that place where we’ll be revealed as children of God?  Jesus said to follow him and live as he taught. He offers the way in his Sermon on the Mount, our gospel reading for this feast says. He will be the way, the truth and the life.

We haven’t seen yet that life we hope for or what God intends us to be. Life does not end; it changes. This feast invites us to trust in God’s promise and hope for the day it’s revealed. 

Extraordinary saints are not the only ones in heaven. There won’t be just a few either. Countless others are in God’s company: saints unnoticed here on earth, saints with little to show, saints who were sinners. People like us.

As we celebrate this feast, St. Bernard says:

“Rise again with Christ and seek the world above and set your mind on heaven. Long for those who are longing for us; hasten to those who are waiting for us, ask those who are looking for our coming to intercede for us. Desire their company and seek a share in their glory. There’s no harm in being ambitious for this. No danger in setting your heart on such glory. Remembering the saints inflames us with a yearning that Christ our life may appear to us as he appeared to them and that one day we may share in his glory.”