Acts 4:23-31; Ps 2 BLessed are all who take refuge in the lord; John 3:1-8
Peter and his group has been arrested for speaking about Jesus and God's will for humanity. THey were order not to speak or teach in the name of Jesus. However Peter andJohn said that it would be impossible to keep quiet and not share what they have seen and heard. So they were threatened once again before they were released.
Upon returning to the community, they reported what had happened then they___________ what?
Fill in the blank.
What did they do next according the Acts of the Apostles.
BElow you will find some multiple choice answers to choose from:
Did they
a) complain about their unfair treatment
b) were filled with sadness and grief about the unjust arrest and accusations and threats
c)find a lawyer to defend them because their freedom of speech was being abused by authorities
d)They decided to move to a safer place to carry on their mission
e) They prayed for strength to continue to good fight, to run the race
The answer is e). They prayed for strength and they boasted in God's mighty hand so much so the place shook and they were filled with the Holy Spirit.
What do we do when things get tough and obstacles arise?
Do we cry foul? Do we pout about unfairness? Or do we pray and continue to speak boldly about the mighty works of God?
Monday, April 28, 2014
Saturday, April 26, 2014
PROCESS OF CANONIZATION
The Process of Beatification & Canonization
The process of documenting the life and virtues of a holy man or woman cannot begin until 5 years after death. This waiting period insures that the person has an enduring reputation for sanctity among the faithful. It can be waived by the Supreme Pontiff, and has been done on two occasions. Pope John Paul II waived 3 years of the waiting period in the case of Mother Teresa of Calcutta, and Pope Benedict XVI waived all five years in the case of his predecessor, Pope John Paul II.
After the five years have concluded, or earlier if all or some of the period is waived, the Bishop of the diocese in which the individual died can petition the Holy See to allow the initialization of a Cause for Beatification and Canonization. If there is no objection by the Roman Dicasteries, in particular the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, the permission, or nihil obstat (nothing stands in the way), is communicated to the initiating Bishop.
SERVANT OF GOD
Once a Cause has begun, the individual is called a Servant of God, e.g. the Servant of God Karol Wojtyła or the Servant of God Pope John Paul II.
Diocesan Tribunal: Informative Process
During this first phase the Postulation established by the diocese, or religious institute, to promote the Cause must gather testimony about the life and virtues of the Servant of God. Also, the public and private writings must be collected and examined. This documentary phase of the process can take many years and concludes with the judgment of a diocesan tribunal, and the ultimate decision of the bishop, that the heroic virtues of the Servant of God have or have not been demonstrated. The results, along with the bound volumes of documentation, or Acta (Acts), are communicated to the Congregation for the Causes of the Saints.
Congregation for the Causes of the Saints: Positio
The Acta resulting from the documentary or informative phase of the process are committed by the Congregation to a Relator appointed from among the Congregation's College of Relators, whose task is to superintend the Cause through the rest of the process. Working with a theological commission established by the Congregation, the Relator ensures that the Positio summarizing the life and virtues of the Servant of God is properly prepared. When the Positio is finished, the theological commission votes affirmatively or negatively on the Cause. This recommendation is then passed to the cardinal, archbishop and bishop members of the Congregation who in turn vote. Their vote determines whether the Cause lives or dies. If the vote is affirmative, the recommendation of a Decree of Heroic Virtues is sent to the Holy Father, whose judgment is final.
VENERABLE
Supreme Pontiff: Decree of the Heroic Virtues of the Servant of God
Once the person's Heroic Virtues have been recognized by the Pope, they are called Venerable, e.g. Venerable Servant of God John Paul II, or Venerable John Paul II.
Diocese: First Miracle Proposed in Support of the Cause
The remaining step before beatification is the approval of a miracle, evidence of the intercessory power of the Venerable Servant of God and thus of his or her union after death with God. Those who propose a miracle do so in the diocese where it is alledged to have occurred, not in the diocese of the Cause, unless the same. The diocese of the candidate miracle then conducts its own tribunals, scientific and theological.
The scientific commission must determine by accepted scientific criteria that there is no natural explanation for the alleged miracle. While miracles could be of any type, those almost exclusively proposed for Causes are medical. These must be well-documented, both as regards the disease and the treatment, and as regard the healing and its persistence.
While the scientific commission rules that the cure is without natural explanation, the theological commission must rule whether the cure was a miracle in the strict sense, that is, by its nature can only be attributed to God. To avoid any question of remission due to unknown natural causation, or even unrecognized therapeutic causation, theologians prefer cures of diseases judged beyond hope by medicine, and which occur more or less instantaneously. The disappearance of a malignancy from one moment to another, or the instantaneous regeneration of diseased, even destroyed, tissue excludes natural processes, all of which take time. Such cases also exclude the operation of the angelic nature. While the enemy could provoke a disease by his oppression and simulate a cure by withdrawing his action, the cure could not be instantaneous, even one day to the next. Much less can he regenerate tissue from nothing. These are, therefore, the preferred kinds of cases since they unequivocally point to a divine cause.
The theological commission must also determine whether the miracle resulted through the intercession of the Servant of God alone. If the family and friends have been praying without cease to the Servant of God exclusively, then the case is demonstrated. However, if they have been praying to the Servant of God, to the Blessed Virgin, St. Joseph and others, then the case is clouded, and probably cannot be demonstrated. Thus, the task of the theological commission is two-fold, judge whether the cure was a miracle, and judge whether this miracle is due to the intercession of the Servant of God. The decision is forwarded to the Congregation in Rome.
Congregation: First Miracle Proposed in Support of the Cause
As occured at the diocesan level, the Congregation for the Causes of the the Saints establishes both scientific and theological commissions. The affirmative vote of the theological commission is transmitted to the General Meeting of the cardinal and episcopal members, whose affirmative judgment is forwarded to the Supreme Pontiff.
It should be noted that in cases of martyrdom the miracle required for beatification can be waived - martyrdom being understood as a miracle of grace. In this case, the vote of the Congregation would establish the death of the Servant of God as true martyrdom, resulting in a Decree of Martyrdom by the Holy Father.
Supreme Pontiff: Decree of a Miracle
With the Holy Father's approval of a Decree of a Miracle, the Servant of God can be beatified.
BLESSED
Supreme Pontiff: Beatification
With the beatification rite, conducted on the authority of the Supreme Pontiff, the Venerable Servant of God is declared Blessed, e.g. Blessed John Paul II.
Blesseds may receive public veneration at the local or regional level, usually restricted to those dioceses or religious institutes closely associated with the person's life. "Public veneration" in this use of the term doesn't mean that it is done in public; rather,that it is an act done by the clergy, or delegated laity, in the name of the Church (Mass, Divine Office, images in churches etc.), even if done in private. On the other hand, "private veneration" means veneration by individuals or groups acting in their own name, even if done "in public." While the Church restricts the public venration of Blesseds, Catholics are free to privately venerate them.
The reason for this distinction and its disciplinary norm is that beatification is not considered an infallible papal act, and so it is not yet appropriate that the entire Church give liturgical veneration to the Blessed. Perhaps to reinforce this distinction, Pope Benedict XVI has restored the practice, in use prior to Pope Paul VI, of having the Prefect of the Congregation conduct the beatification, rather than the Pope doing it himself. He has made exceptions, one of which is his predecessor, Pope John Paul II.
In the case of Blessed John Paul II, the Holy See in a Decree Concerning the Liturgical Cult of Blessed John Paul II has determined that public veneration is lawful in the Diocese of Rome and the nation of Poland. Other nations, dioceses and institutes may petition the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments for the Indult to render cultus (veneration) to the Blessed. Without an Indult, however, public veneration is illicit, and even harms the possiblility for Canonization of the Blessed.
Diocese: Second Miracle Proposed in Support of the Cause
After beatification the Church looks for a second miracle before proceeding to canonization. The process is the same as it was for the miracle which made beatification possible. The alleged miracle is studied by scientific and theological commissions in the diocese in which it is alleged to have occurred.
Congregation: Second Miracle Proposed in Support of the Cause
After the diocesan process is concluded the proposed miracle is studied by a scientific and then a theological commission of the Congregation for the Causes of the Saints. The vote of this commission is forwarded to the episcopal members of the Congregation whose affirmative vote is communicated to the Holy Father.
Supreme Pontiff: Decree of a Miracle
The consent of the Holy Father to the decision of the Congregation results in a Decree of a Miracle. Canonization is now possible.
SAINT
Supreme Pontiff: Canonization
By the Rite of Canonization the Supreme Pontiff, by an act which is protected from error by the Holy Spirit, elevates a person to the universal veneration of the Church. By canonization the Pope does not make the person a saint. Rather, he declares that the person is with God and is an example of following Christ worthy of imitation by the faithful. A Mass, Divine Office and other acts of veneration, may now be offered throughout the universal Church.
If the saint has some universal appeal he may be added to the general calendar of the Church as a Memorial or Optional Memorial. If the appeal is localized to a region of the world, a particular nation, or a particular religious institute, the saint may be added to the particular calendars of those nations or institutes, or celebrated by the clergy and faithful with a devotion to the saint with a votive Mass or Office.
IN HIS NAME
Mark 16:15-20
"These signs will accompany those who believe : in my name they will drive out demons, they will speak new languages. They will pickup serpents with their hands, and if they drink any deadly thing, it will not harm them. They will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover."
Wow!
"But they went forth and preached everywhere and the Lord worked with them and confirmed the word through accompanying signs."
When was the last time we picked up serpents? Now notice Jesus doesn't say the serpents are alive when you pick them up. Just pointing out the obvious.
But what's the deal are we empowered to do such things are not? Do these signs still accompany those who believe?
Rather than focus on driven our demons, picking up serpents, drinking deadly things without being harmed, healing the sick, speaking new languages, we should on the essential.
Too often we get distracted by the details and lose sight of what matters most.
The essential ingredient in all of this is the phrase "in my name…"
It is in the name of Jesus we find our ability to let the grace of faith to transform us and reveal the signs of Jesus' action in our world through us.
How do we live "in his name"? That is the most essential question for us as believers.
Too often we live in and act on our own behalf. We do not truly let the power of His name guide and direct our steps. We are hesitant; we are scared; we are luke warm in our faith.
What would happen if we truly let the central motivation of our life revolve around His Name rather than our own personal gain or ideas or desires?
A boldness of faith would begin to spread throughout the world. Signs of the living presence of Jesus would be seen and experienced as it was in the days of the apostles.
"These signs will accompany those who believe : in my name they will drive out demons, they will speak new languages. They will pickup serpents with their hands, and if they drink any deadly thing, it will not harm them. They will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover."
Wow!
"But they went forth and preached everywhere and the Lord worked with them and confirmed the word through accompanying signs."
When was the last time we picked up serpents? Now notice Jesus doesn't say the serpents are alive when you pick them up. Just pointing out the obvious.
But what's the deal are we empowered to do such things are not? Do these signs still accompany those who believe?
Rather than focus on driven our demons, picking up serpents, drinking deadly things without being harmed, healing the sick, speaking new languages, we should on the essential.
Too often we get distracted by the details and lose sight of what matters most.
The essential ingredient in all of this is the phrase "in my name…"
It is in the name of Jesus we find our ability to let the grace of faith to transform us and reveal the signs of Jesus' action in our world through us.
How do we live "in his name"? That is the most essential question for us as believers.
Too often we live in and act on our own behalf. We do not truly let the power of His name guide and direct our steps. We are hesitant; we are scared; we are luke warm in our faith.
What would happen if we truly let the central motivation of our life revolve around His Name rather than our own personal gain or ideas or desires?
A boldness of faith would begin to spread throughout the world. Signs of the living presence of Jesus would be seen and experienced as it was in the days of the apostles.
Thursday, April 24, 2014
UPPER HAND IN THE UPPER ROOM
Acts 3:11-26; Ps 8 O Lord, our God how wonderful your name in all the earth!; Luke 24:35-48
Jesus once again shows himself in the upper room to his apostles. The gift he brings is forgiveness and peace.
Why does Jesus appears? A question that can only receive a speculative answer. But we can investigate the fruit of this appearance.
1)
He shows himself to be real. He is not some renegade spirit or some phantom or hallucination. He is real. He is alive. He sits, stands, talks, eats, and is touched.
Jesus is not distance but near at their side. Pope Francis pointed this out some time back, "Jesus is not up there far away. He is by our side. We should reach out to him." The distance we experience from Jesus is not his doing but ours.
2)Jesus reveals the necessity of the cross. The cross was not a last ditch effort or emergency back up plan. As JEsus tells us according to the law of Moses and the prophets the cross, suffering, death of Jesus was center stage of God's plan of bringing us back to him. This is why we have the crucifix in the sanctuary of the Catholic Church. we do not want to lose sight of the cost of freedom and love and peace as Jesus gives it. Too often we shift our focus and turn away from the that which makes the resurrection possible.
3) There remains a sense of urgency. Jesus speaks about going out to others to preach repentance and to offer them the peace he brings. To all nations we must go. Repentance begins with us but must not end there. The fruit of Christ passion is meant for all.
4) Assistance is on the way. We do not do this alone. In verse 49 Jesus speaks of being clothed with power. The Holy Spirit will be sent. B this narrative we understand what it means to live in the spirit: to proclaim the passion of Christ, to embrace the cross, to be instruments of forgiveness and peace, to go forth unceasingly.
He is Risen. He must rise in and through us daily to greet the world and to transform it.
Jesus once again shows himself in the upper room to his apostles. The gift he brings is forgiveness and peace.
Why does Jesus appears? A question that can only receive a speculative answer. But we can investigate the fruit of this appearance.
1)
He shows himself to be real. He is not some renegade spirit or some phantom or hallucination. He is real. He is alive. He sits, stands, talks, eats, and is touched.
Jesus is not distance but near at their side. Pope Francis pointed this out some time back, "Jesus is not up there far away. He is by our side. We should reach out to him." The distance we experience from Jesus is not his doing but ours.
2)Jesus reveals the necessity of the cross. The cross was not a last ditch effort or emergency back up plan. As JEsus tells us according to the law of Moses and the prophets the cross, suffering, death of Jesus was center stage of God's plan of bringing us back to him. This is why we have the crucifix in the sanctuary of the Catholic Church. we do not want to lose sight of the cost of freedom and love and peace as Jesus gives it. Too often we shift our focus and turn away from the that which makes the resurrection possible.
3) There remains a sense of urgency. Jesus speaks about going out to others to preach repentance and to offer them the peace he brings. To all nations we must go. Repentance begins with us but must not end there. The fruit of Christ passion is meant for all.
4) Assistance is on the way. We do not do this alone. In verse 49 Jesus speaks of being clothed with power. The Holy Spirit will be sent. B this narrative we understand what it means to live in the spirit: to proclaim the passion of Christ, to embrace the cross, to be instruments of forgiveness and peace, to go forth unceasingly.
He is Risen. He must rise in and through us daily to greet the world and to transform it.
Wednesday, April 23, 2014
BURNING HEARTS
Acts 3:1-10; PS 105 Rejoice, O hearts that seek the Lord; Luke 24:13-35
What does it mean to profess faith in the resurrection? What does it mean to say "the Lord has truly been raised and appeared to Simon!"
It means the power of God is not bound by the limits and the laws of nature. God's power is truly a power that liberates. The resurrection begins a new reality of God's presence in our midst that is beyond our senses. Jesus is different. He no longer belongs to the world of the senses that is he is no longer contained or limited by the senses.
He is accessible in a new and deeper way. This is why he is made known in the breaking of the bread.
Faith in the resurrection is a profession of the real existence of God and the real existence of God is made present in the breaking of the bread, the Eucharist.
We have access to the presence of the resurrected JEsus in the Eucharist we celebrate. This is how god has chosen to stay with us
"And it happened that, while he was with them at table, he took bread, said the blessing, broke it, and gave it to them. With that their eyes were opened and they said to each other, 'were not our hearts burning within us while he spoke to us on the way and opened the scriptures to us?"
The experience of the breaking of the bread, the Eucharist, becomes a lens by which they look back an begin to understand the real presence of God, Jesus who accompanies them.
In the Eucharist Jesus is with us to accompany us. Just as the Lord appeared to Simon he also appears to us every time we celebrate the breaking of the bread.
A few words from Blessed Pope John XXIII
"The older I get the more I realize the value of simplicity in thought, word, and speech…simply all that is complex. As much as possible, reduce it to its original clarity without getting distracted by details."
The Eucharist is the original clarity of Jesus fulfilling his last promise to be with us always...
What does it mean to profess faith in the resurrection? What does it mean to say "the Lord has truly been raised and appeared to Simon!"
It means the power of God is not bound by the limits and the laws of nature. God's power is truly a power that liberates. The resurrection begins a new reality of God's presence in our midst that is beyond our senses. Jesus is different. He no longer belongs to the world of the senses that is he is no longer contained or limited by the senses.
He is accessible in a new and deeper way. This is why he is made known in the breaking of the bread.
Faith in the resurrection is a profession of the real existence of God and the real existence of God is made present in the breaking of the bread, the Eucharist.
We have access to the presence of the resurrected JEsus in the Eucharist we celebrate. This is how god has chosen to stay with us
"And it happened that, while he was with them at table, he took bread, said the blessing, broke it, and gave it to them. With that their eyes were opened and they said to each other, 'were not our hearts burning within us while he spoke to us on the way and opened the scriptures to us?"
The experience of the breaking of the bread, the Eucharist, becomes a lens by which they look back an begin to understand the real presence of God, Jesus who accompanies them.
In the Eucharist Jesus is with us to accompany us. Just as the Lord appeared to Simon he also appears to us every time we celebrate the breaking of the bread.
A few words from Blessed Pope John XXIII
"The older I get the more I realize the value of simplicity in thought, word, and speech…simply all that is complex. As much as possible, reduce it to its original clarity without getting distracted by details."
The Eucharist is the original clarity of Jesus fulfilling his last promise to be with us always...
Tuesday, April 22, 2014
OUTSIDE OR INSIDE
John 20:11-18
There are three things about this gospel that are intriguing.
Mary weeps outside the tomb. As long as she stays outside the empty tomb she is overcome with sadness. She has an uncontrollable fit of tears that consumes her.
The moment she goes inside the tomb, the moment she enters empty tomb things begin to change. The reality begins to take over and bring about an opportunity of conversion. She enters upon the opportunity of encounter with the risen Lord.
She moves from seeking evidence to having an encounter. This is truly the hallmark of faith. Evidence can be easily manipulated, but an encounter is truly lasting.
Notice the encounter with the Risen Lord occurs in three stages.
First there is the initiative. Jesus initiates the encounter. Then there is the recognition. Mary hears Jesus call her by name and this encounter is personal. Then she is given a mission to go forth and spread the message to the apostles.
Evidence is surpassed by encounter. And the encounter empowers her to go forth.
Here in lies the matter of faith and exposes what is the matter with us as believers.
We have a tendency to stop at the evidence and keep Jesus distant or if we do go further then we usually stop at the encounter and make it about our own personal relationship with Jesus and we cling to him as Mary did with out realizing it is about the mission. We never move beyond the encounter to go forth and spread the message.
This last stage is essential; we too must busy ourselves with the proclamation. By our lives and actions the risen Lord is proclaimed.
There are three things about this gospel that are intriguing.
Mary weeps outside the tomb. As long as she stays outside the empty tomb she is overcome with sadness. She has an uncontrollable fit of tears that consumes her.
The moment she goes inside the tomb, the moment she enters empty tomb things begin to change. The reality begins to take over and bring about an opportunity of conversion. She enters upon the opportunity of encounter with the risen Lord.
She moves from seeking evidence to having an encounter. This is truly the hallmark of faith. Evidence can be easily manipulated, but an encounter is truly lasting.
Notice the encounter with the Risen Lord occurs in three stages.
First there is the initiative. Jesus initiates the encounter. Then there is the recognition. Mary hears Jesus call her by name and this encounter is personal. Then she is given a mission to go forth and spread the message to the apostles.
Evidence is surpassed by encounter. And the encounter empowers her to go forth.
Here in lies the matter of faith and exposes what is the matter with us as believers.
We have a tendency to stop at the evidence and keep Jesus distant or if we do go further then we usually stop at the encounter and make it about our own personal relationship with Jesus and we cling to him as Mary did with out realizing it is about the mission. We never move beyond the encounter to go forth and spread the message.
This last stage is essential; we too must busy ourselves with the proclamation. By our lives and actions the risen Lord is proclaimed.
Sunday, April 20, 2014
EASTER REFLECTION
Here is an excerpt from Pope Benedict's book, Jesus of Nazareth, in regards to how God acts in history.
“It is part of the mystery of God that he acts so gently, that he only gradually builds up his history within the great history of mankind; that he becomes man and so can be overlooked by his contemporaries and by the decisive forces within history; that he suffers and dies and that, having risen again, he chooses to come to mankind only through the faith of the disciples to whom he reveals himself; that he continues to knock gently at the doors of our hearts and slowly opens our eyes if we open our doors to him. And yet—is not this the truly divine way? Not to overwhelm with external power, but to give freedom, to offer and elicit love. And if we really think about it, is it not what seems so small that is truly great?” (p. 276)
Before we start wondering about evidence of the resurrection, we must first note that the bible focuses on the encounters with the resurrected Lord.
No amount of evidence can truly convince us; only a true encounter with the risen Lord can drastically alter our conscious, our thinking, our living.
In is in the recognition of Jesus in our midst that embowers us to give witness.
Encounter not evidence is what drives the apostles. The tomb is empty this is true and factual. The signs of resurrection are real, indeed. But it is the encounter that super charges their life. May it be so for each of us again and again these fifty days of easter and beyond.
May our hearts be open to the gentle unfolding of God's presence in history in such a many that we too can become his witnesses and proclaim his joy to the ends of the earth.
“It is part of the mystery of God that he acts so gently, that he only gradually builds up his history within the great history of mankind; that he becomes man and so can be overlooked by his contemporaries and by the decisive forces within history; that he suffers and dies and that, having risen again, he chooses to come to mankind only through the faith of the disciples to whom he reveals himself; that he continues to knock gently at the doors of our hearts and slowly opens our eyes if we open our doors to him. And yet—is not this the truly divine way? Not to overwhelm with external power, but to give freedom, to offer and elicit love. And if we really think about it, is it not what seems so small that is truly great?” (p. 276)
Before we start wondering about evidence of the resurrection, we must first note that the bible focuses on the encounters with the resurrected Lord.
No amount of evidence can truly convince us; only a true encounter with the risen Lord can drastically alter our conscious, our thinking, our living.
In is in the recognition of Jesus in our midst that embowers us to give witness.
Encounter not evidence is what drives the apostles. The tomb is empty this is true and factual. The signs of resurrection are real, indeed. But it is the encounter that super charges their life. May it be so for each of us again and again these fifty days of easter and beyond.
May our hearts be open to the gentle unfolding of God's presence in history in such a many that we too can become his witnesses and proclaim his joy to the ends of the earth.
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