Last December, Family Theater Productions in Hollywood sponsored a Theology of the Body script contest.

The winning script? A characteristically brilliant piece of writing by Sean Dillon, fellow Act One 2002 alumnus:

Labels: hollywood, John Paul II, marriage and family, moral life, movies, respect, theology of the body

On the memorial of St. John Mary Vianney, patron saint of priests, I've decided to pull a few passages from a letter to priests that was published by Pope John Paul II on Holy Thursday of 1986. In this letter, the Pope reflected on the Curé D' Ars and the value of his example for priests today.

The depth of his love for Christ and for souls

The Cure of Ars is a model of priestly zeal for all pastors. The secret of his generosity is to be found without doubt in his love for God, lived without limits, in constant response to the love made manifest in Christ crucified. This is where he bases his desire to do everything to save the souls ransomed by Christ at such a great price, and to bring them back to the love of God. Let us recall one of those pithy sayings which he had the knack of uttering: "The priesthood is the love of the Heart of Jesus." In his sermons and catechesis he continually returned to that love: "O my God, I prefer to die loving you than to live a single instant without loving you... I love you, my divine Savior, because you were crucified for us... because you have me crucified for you." For the sake of Christ, he seeks to conform himself exactly to the radical demands that Jesus in the Gospels puts before the disciples whom he sends out: prayer, poverty, humility, self-denial, voluntary penance. And, like Christ, he has a love for his flock that leads him to extreme pastoral commitment and self-sacrifice. Rarely has a pastor been so acutely aware of his responsibilities, so consumed by a desire to wrest his people from the sins of their lukewarmness. "O my God, grant me the conversion of my parish: I consent to suffer whatever you wish, for as long as I live." Dear brother priests, nourished by the Second Vatican Council which has felicitously placed the priest's consecration within the framework of his pastoral mission, let us join Saint John Mary Vianney and seek the dynamism of our pastoral zeal in the Heart of Jesus, in his love for souls. If we do not draw from the same source, our ministry risks bearing little fruit!

The specific ministry of the priest

Saint John Mary Vianney gives an eloquent answer to certain questionings of the priest's identity, which have manifested themselves in the course of the last twenty years; in fact it seems that today a more balanced position is being reached. The priest always, and in an unchangeable way, finds the source of his identity in Christ the Priest. It is not the world which determines his status, as though it depended on changing needs or ideas about social roles. The priest is marked with the seal of the Priesthood of Christ, in order to share in his function as the one Mediator and Redeemer. So, because of this fundamental bond, there opens before the priest the immense field of the service of souls, for their salvation in Christ and in the Church. This service must be completely inspired by love of souls in imitation of Christ who gives his life for them. It is God's wish that all people should be saved, and that none of the little ones should be lost (cf. Mt 18:14). "The priest must always be ready to respond to the needs of souls," said the Cure of Ars. "He is not for himself, he is for you." The priest is for the laity: he animates them and supports them in the exercise of the common priesthood of the baptized—so well illustrated by the Second Vatican Council—which consists in their making their lives a spiritual offering, in witnessing to the Christian spirit in the family, in taking charge of the temporal sphere and sharing in the evangelization of their brethren. But the service of the priest belongs to another order. He is ordained to act in the name of Christ the Head, to bring people into the new life made accessible by Christ, to dispense to them the mysteries—the Word, forgiveness, the Bread of Life—to gather them into his body, to help them to form themselves from within, to live and to act according to the saving plan of God. In a word, our identity as priests is manifested in the "creative" exercise of the love for souls communicated by Christ Jesus. Attempts to make the priest more like the laity are damaging to the Church. This does not mean in any way that the priest can remain remote from the human concerns of the laity: he must be very near to them, as John Mary Vianney was, but as a priest, always in a perspective which is that of their salvation and of the progress of the Kingdom of God. He is the witness and the dispenser of a life other than earthly life (cf. Presbyterorum Ordinis, 3). It is essential to the Church that the identity of the priest be safeguarded, with its vertical dimension. The life and personality of the Cure of Ars are a particularly enlightening and vigorous illustration of this.

His intimate configuration to Christ and his solidarity with sinners

Saint John Mary Vianney did not content himself with the ritual carrying out of the activities of his ministry. It was his heart and his life which he sought to conform to Christ. Prayer was the soul of his life: silent and contemplative prayer, generally in his church at the foot of the tabernacle. Through Christ, his soul opened to the three divine Persons, to whom he would entrust "his poor soul" in his last will and testament. "He kept a constant union with God in the middle of an extremely busy life." And he did not neglect the office or the rosary. He turned spontaneously to the Virgin. His poverty was extraordinary. He literally stripped himself of everything for the poor. And he shunned honors. Chastity shone in his face. He knew the value of purity in order "to rediscover the source of love which is God." Obedience to Christ consisted, for John Mary Vianney, in obedience to the Church and especially to the Bishop. This obedience took the form of accepting the heavy charge of being a parish priest, which often frightened him. But the Gospel insists especially on renouncing self, on accepting the Cross. Many were the crosses which presented themselves to the Cure of Ars in the course of his ministry: calumny on the part of the people, being misunderstood by an assistant priest or other confreres, contradictions, and also a mysterious struggle against the powers of hell, and sometimes even the temptation to despair in the midst of spiritual darkness. Nonetheless he did not content himself with just accepting these trials without complaining; he went beyond them by mortification, imposing on himself continual fasts and many other rugged practices in order to "reduce his body to servitude," as Saint Paul says. But what we must see clearly in this penance, which our age unhappily has little taste for, are his motives: love of God and the conversion of sinners. Thus he asks a discouraged fellow priest: "You have prayed..., you have wept..., but have you fasted, have you kept vigil...?" Here we are close to the warning Jesus gave to the Apostles: "But this kind is cast out only by prayer and fasting" (Mt 17:21). In a word, John Mary Vianney sanctified himself so as to be more able to sanctify others. Of course, conversion remains the secret of hearts, which are free in their actions, and the secret of God's grace. By his ministry, the priest can only enlighten people, guide them in the internal forum and give them the sacraments. The sacraments are of course actions of Christ, and their effectiveness is not diminished by the imperfection or unworthiness of the minister. But the results depend also on the dispositions of those who receive them, and these are greatly assisted by the personal holiness of the priest, by his perceptible witness, as also by the mysterious exchange of merits in the Communion of Saints. Saint Paul said: "In my flesh I complete what is lacking in Christ's afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the Church" (Col 1:24). John Mary Vianney in a sense wished to force God to grant these graces of conversion, not only by his prayer but by the sacrifice of his whole life. He wished to love God for those who did not love him, and even to do the penance which they would not do. He was truly a pastor completely at one with his sinful people. Dear brother priests, let us not be afraid of this very personal commitment—marked by asceticism and inspired by love—which God asks of us for the proper exercise of our Priesthood. Let us remember the recent reflections of the Synodal Fathers: "It seems to us that in the difficulties of today God wishes to teach us more deeply the value, importance and central place of the Cross of Jesus Christ." In the priest, Christ relives his Passion, for the sake of souls. Let us give thanks to God who thus permits us to share in the Redemption, in our hearts and in our flesh! For all these reasons, Saint John Mary Vianney never ceases to be a witness, ever living, ever relevant, to the truth about the priestly vocation and service. We recall the convincing way in which he spoke of the greatness of the priest and of the absolute need for him. Those who are already priests, those who are preparing for the Priesthood and those who will be called to it must fix their eyes on his example and follow it. The faithful too will more clearly grasp, thanks to him, the mystery of the Priesthood of their priests. No, the figure of the Cure of Ars does not fade.

(from the Letter of Pope John Paul II To All the Priests of the Church for Holy Thursday 1986)

See also:

Letter of Pope Benedict XVI Proclaiming a Year for Priests - June 16, 2009

Encyclical Letter of Pope John XXIII on Saint John Vianney - August 1, 1959

Labels: conversion, John Paul II, mercy, moral life, paschal mystery, pope benedict xvi, priesthood, saints, vocations, Year for Priests

During the past week, many people have been watching a YouTube video of a wedding entrance. It doesn't take place at a Catholic wedding, but it clearly seems to be in a Christian context.



There's something infectious about the moment. It's a fun celebration of the joy of the moment, communicating a carefree sense of celebration... a unique, creative and serendipitous ode to human love.

However, it seems to me that such an outpouring of self-expression is more suited to a reception than the start of a worship service. In the words of Cardinal Ratzinger,

"Real liturgy implies that God responds and reveals how we can worship him. In any form, liturgy includes some kind of 'institution.' It cannot spring from imagination, our own creativity -- then it would remain just a cry in the dark or mere self-affirmation. Liturgy implies a real relationship with Another, who reveals himself to us and gives our existence a new direction." (The Spirit of the Liturgy, "Liturgy and Life")

I think the young playwright Karol Wojtyla had a similar insight, more particularly as it relates to marriage, in a passage from The Jeweler's Shop. A couple struggling through their married life after starting on a wobbly foundation observe their situation as follows:

CHRISTOPHER
When we took the rings I felt your hand trembling ....
We forgot to pay attention to the face of that old man,
whom Mother told me about: his eyes are said to be very expressive.
It is not our fault that we read nothing
in his eyes; and he said little -- things we knew anyway.
So do not be surprised, Mother, than his words left no trace
(things we knew anyway -- we did not sense greatness),
and Monica's trembling hands told me much more.
I was engrossed in her being moved, and in my own
experience of her being moved, which I shared fully
-- and I saw us two deep down in our own experience:
I think I love her very much.

MONICA
We were taken up with each other -- how could we tear ourselves away ...
He did nothing to fascinate us ...
he simply measured, first, the circumference of our fingers, then of the rings,
as an ordinary craftsman would. There was no artistry in it even.
He did not bring us closer to anything. All the beauty remained
in our own feeling. He did not widen or narrow anything ...
I was absorbed by my love -- and by nothing else, it seems.

In essence, the hyperfocus on their own powerful emotions / desire for each other overshadowed the sacramental and transcendent dimensions of the vows they were entering into. The jeweler, a priest-like figure who stood before them -- almost like a witness at a marriage -- was in the periphery of their experience, a mere tired formality in the background of what they perceived as most important.

I wonder how often this sort of thing happens to men and women approaching the altar and the sacrament of marriage. How often does God's role in the marriage covenant become only window dressing for a couple preparing for marriage? I don't have the answer, but only want to pose the question.

We live in a hypersentimental culture. But sentimentality doesn't carry us through trials and difficulties. The grace of God -- the initiating and sustaining power of human love, enabling two distinct persons to become one flesh in the mundane but very demanding sacrifices of each being for the other -- is an essential part of what Christians acknowledge and ask for when they come together in the covenant of marriage.

I know some will say I'm a spoil-sport for raising this question, but is an entrance procession like the one above really an appropriate way for a couple to present themselves before God and the human community at the threshold of their marriage vows? I don't know the answer, but merely want to raise the question.

Labels: church, John Paul II, liturgy, marriage and family, moral life, multimedia, poetry, prayer, sacraments

The new encyclical letter from Pope Benedict XVI On Integral Human Development in Charity and Truth was released this past Tuesday.

I've uploaded a print-friendly PDF version of the letter. Like all of the documents on my site, it is designed in a two-column format, with footnotes rather than endnotes. You can download it here.

I haven't had a chance to read the whole thing yet, so I'm not going to post about it just yet. There are plenty of people doing that right now; for reactions and opinions, see the Opinionated Catholic linkfest.

There will be plenty of time to examine this encyclical later; I don't feel any need to correspond to a frenzied news cycle.

Instead, I'm gearing up for a slow, methodical treatment of John Paul II's document on priestly formation. I hope to have the first post prepared by the weekend.

Labels: caritas in veritate, church, John Paul II, pastores dabo vobis, pope benedict xvi, priesthood, Year for Priests

It is pleasant to spend time with him, to lie close to his breast like the Beloved Disciple (cf. Jn 13:25) and to feel the infinite love present in his heart. If in our time Christians must be distinguished above all by the “art of prayer,” how can we not feel a renewed need to spend time in spiritual converse, in silent adoration, in heartfelt love before Christ present in the Most Holy Sacrament? How often, dear brothers and sisters, have I experienced this, and drawn from it strength, consolation and support!

(from the encyclical letter Ecclesia de Eucharistia, paragraph 25)

Labels: communion, Eucharist, John Paul II, prayer, sacraments

I received this e-mail from Katie von Schaijik of the Personalist Project today:

There was so much interest in the talks the other night that we decided to hasten the launch of our public forum for discussion.

You'll find there Dr. Healy's reflections on his experience of the event and his impression of the controversy surrounding Christopher West these days. Soon we'll be able to add audio recordings of the lectures, with, hopefully, video to follow.

We think of the forum as an online watering hole for personalists and their friends. We're calling it the Linde, after 2 establishments of that name in Liechtenstein, where we used to drink beer and philosophize between classes.

We hope you'll visit often and add your comments to our discussions!

Labels: communication, dialogue, John Paul II, moral life, theology of the body

On May 18, 1920, Karol Wojtyla was born.

In remembrance of his birthday, and in honor of his memory, I thought I'd share the story of the time I got to meet the Pope. Here's a picture from the moment.



En route to a semester of seminary studies in Jerusalem back in 1996, I spent a week in Rome, and had the chance to see the Pope John Paul II twice... once at a Wednesday audience, and once at a Sunday Mass celebrated at Castel Gandolfo, his summer residence.

Meeting the Pope was without question one of the happiest moments of my life. He is the kindest, warmest person I have ever met, to say nothing of his intelligence, virtue and holiness. I have great respect for the man, even from a merely human point of view... and so to meet him, after reading so much of his work, was a real privilege.

The day before I met him, I thought long and hard about what I would say to him. I was wearing a clerical shirt with a Roman collar, so he would already know that I was a seminarian. I couldn't think of anything for a while, and thought I might tell him my name, where I was from, and show him a picture of my family. But then I decided I needed to keep it simple, because I’d probably just trip over my tongue anyway.

During the Mass, just before I met him, he seemed very frail and weak. But when he walked around afterward, he didn't seem weak at all. He passed by rather quickly; there was just enough time to make eye contact, and then to reach down to kiss his papal ring. Then he was on to the next person.

I thought I had lost my opportunity to say something to him. But I decided to speak up anyway, even though he had moved on. And so I said, not very loudly, "I love you, Papa." He heard me, returned to me and took my hand again, looking at me in his gentle way. He then turned to my teacher, a priest on the seminary faculty, and asked: “Americano?” When my teacher confirmed this, the Pope looked back at me and said, “Good… good.”

I was so grateful for the chance to say these words to the Pope in person. Here he was—the philosopher, the poet, the actor, the pastor, the courageous shepherd, the contemplative, a true friend of God—standing before me, and I was able to express my affection for him. And it wasn’t simply my affection for him, but for the Church he serves, and for Christ from whom he received his commission of service. For me, it was more than a pious sentiment, it was a commitment… to Christ, to the Church, and to him as chief shepherd of the Church.

When my faith grows weak, or when temptation or doubt crowd in, I often bring this moment of commitment before the eyes of my heart. And I remember the way I was sincerely and affectionately received by this giant of our faith. To me, his whole visage proclaims the first words of Christ after the resurrection, and the first words of his papacy: Be not afraid.

Labels: John Paul II, priesthood, respect

As some of you may have seen last night, Christopher West appeared on ABC's Nightline in a segment about John Paul II's Theology of the Body.

As might be expected from a secular news source, the story was sexed up and distorted a good deal. The ABC reporter (or at least the editors) missed the point that this teaching is about what it means to be human, not about some fad which people are 'trying out' to improve life in the bedroom. TV coverage here and web article here. Look no further than the article's title: Sex Sermonist's Heroes: Pope John Paul II and Hugh Hefner.

Some of this could have been avoided, I'm sure, but I'm hopeful that a few people might search out West's website (tobinstitute.org) and delve a bit more deeply into the topic.

I posted the following comment on the Nightline article:

I recommend Christopher's book, The Love That Satisfies, where he draws out the backdrop of this beautiful teaching by John Paul II and Benedict XVI, particularly as discussed in the latter's letter entitled God Is Love (Deus Caritas Est). The TV interview sort of jumbled up the insight about Hugh Hefner, and made it unnecessarily ambiguous. What Hefner and John Paul II had in common was an awareness that the Victorian / Puritan view of sex was radically insufficient. Hefner's response was obviously defective, but the insight that the Victorian view was problematic contains a seed of insight... which John Paul II recognized as well, and unpacked in a Biblical and deeply human way, to point an authentic way forward... recognizing God's beautiful plan for love and life.

I'm pleased that West decided to post a series of clarifications on his website to untangle some of the misrepresentations which were part of last night's coverage:

In an effort to correct any editorial comments which may appear misleading, the following few points will help clarify the actual teaching of The Theology of the Body:

• Christopher West is not a sex therapist. He is a Catholic educator, author, lecturer, and faculty member of the Theology of the Body Institute. The TOB Institute is an educational organization and does not engage in sex therapy.


• John Paul II's Theology of the Body is intended for every human being,regardless of his or her state in life and regardless of what sexual tendencies one might experience in this fallen world. The TOB provides not only a vision of God's glorious plan for human sexuality and married love, but a vision of what it means to be human and what it means to love in the image and likeness of God.


• From beginning to end, Sacred Scripture unfolds a glorious love story, a story about the "marriage" between God and humanity, Christ and the Church. By inviting men and women to participate in this love, Scripture shows us the "path of love" -- including the path for spouses in their sexual intimacy. However, in a cultural climate fixated on the mechanics of sex rather than on authentic marital love, to describe the Bible as the "ultimate sex guide" can be misleading. It is certainly a guide to love, and, indeed, to the "ultimate" love: the love revealed in Christ.


• The Song of Songs presents an unabashed biblical celebration of the chaste love of a husband and wife, including multiple references to the intimacies of "tasting" the goodness of the other. To construe this as an endorsement for "oral sex" (as the culture uses that term) can be more than misleading. Please see Christopher West's book Good News About Sex and Marriage (chapter 5) for the full context of his answer to this question.


• The Song of Songs is of great importance to a proper understanding of Christianity. Indeed, the saints and mystics of the Catholic tradition have written more commentaries on the Song of Songs than any other book in the Bible. It is in the very center of the Bible for a reason. Calling it the "centerfold" in Scripture, Christopher intends to redeem the common understanding of the word "centerfold," which is usually associated in popular culture with pornography. In no way is it meant to compare the sacredness of the Song of Songs with the distortions of pornography.

My previous posts on the topic of the Theology of the Body are available here.

Labels: communication, John Paul II, marriage and family, moral life, Puritan America

At the foot of the Cross, Mary lovingly receives the lifeless body of her Son. She kisses Him, and then gazes out at us as she holds Him. Her eyes are filled with grief but no bitterness. “This is for you,” her eyes say to us. She is the gracious hostess of the divine meal, expressing a hospitality that has cost her everything.

Mary is… the Mother of Mercy because it is to her that Jesus entrusts his Church and all humanity. At the foot of the Cross, when she accepts John as her son, when she asks, together with Christ, forgiveness from the Father for those who do not know what they do, Mary experiences, in perfect docility to the Spirit, the richness and the universality of God’s love, which opens her heart and enables it to embrace the entire human race. Thus Mary becomes, for each and every one of us, the Mother who obtains for us divine mercy.

Pope John Paul II, The Splendor of Truth

Labels: John Paul II, Lent, Mary, mercy, stations of the cross

John the Beloved watches as the body of Christ is elevated on the Cross. He remembers the words of the Master as He elevated the unleavened bread: “This is my body… do this in memory of me.” The Supreme Teacher does not want us to forget that love is self-offering, and so the meal He asks us to share, again and again until the end of time, takes the very shape of His sacrifice.

Christ’s blood reveals to man that his greatness, and therefore his vocation, consists in the sincere gift of self. Precisely because it is poured out as the gift of life, the blood of Christ is no longer a sign of death, of definitive separation from the brethren, but the instrument of a communion which is richness of life for all. Whoever in the Sacrament of the Eucharist drinks this blood and abides in Jesus is drawn into the dynamism of his love and gift of life, in order to bring to its fullness the original vocation to love which belongs to everyone.

It is from the blood of Christ that all draw the strength to commit themselves to promoting life. It is precisely this blood that is the most powerful source of hope, indeed it is the foundation of the absolute certitude that in God’s plan life will be victorious.

Pope John Paul II, The Gospel of Life

Labels: communion, Eucharist, human life, John Paul II, Lent, sacraments, stations of the cross

On the fourth anniversary of his death, two tributes: one from Salt and Light TV, and one I put together in 2005.

Labels: fatherhood, John Paul II, multimedia

On the third anniversary of JPII's passing, I thought I'd share the story of the time I got to meet the Pope. Here's a picture from the moment.



En route to a semester of seminary studies in Jerusalem back in 1996, I spent a week in Rome, and had the chance to see the Pope John Paul II twice... once at a Wednesday audience, and once at a Sunday Mass celebrated at Castel Gandolfo, his summer residence.

Meeting the Pope was without question one of the happiest moments of my life. He is the kindest, warmest person I have ever met, to say nothing of his intelligence, virtue and holiness. I have great respect for the man, even from a merely human point of view... and so to meet him, after reading so much of his work, was a real privilege.

The day before I met him, I thought long and hard about what I would say to him. I was wearing a clerical shirt with a Roman collar, so he would already know that I was a seminarian. I couldn't think of anything for a while, and thought I might tell him my name, where I was from, and show him a picture of my family. But then I decided I needed to keep it simple, because I’d probably just trip over my tongue anyway.

During the Mass, just before I met him, he seemed very frail and weak. But when he walked around afterward, he didn't seem weak at all. He passed by rather quickly; there was just enough time to make eye contact, and then to reach down to kiss his papal ring. Then he was on to the next person.

I thought I had lost my opportunity to say something to him. But I decided to speak up anyway, even though he had moved on. And so I said, not very loudly, "I love you, Papa." He heard me, returned to me and took my hand again, looking at me in his gentle way. He then turned to my teacher, a priest on the seminary faculty, and asked: “Americano?” When my teacher confirmed this, the Pope looked back at me and said, “Good… good.”

I was so grateful for the chance to say these words to the Pope in person. Here he was—the philosopher, the poet, the actor, the pastor, the courageous shepherd, the contemplative, a true friend of God—standing before me, and I was able to express my affection for him. And it wasn’t simply my affection for him, but for the Church he serves, and for Christ from whom he received his commission of service. For me, it was more than a pious sentiment, it was a commitment… to Christ, to the Church, and to him as chief shepherd of the Church.

When my faith grows weak, or when temptation or doubt crowd in, I often bring this moment of commitment before the eyes of my heart. And I remember the way I was sincerely and affectionately received by this giant of our faith. To me, his whole visage proclaims the first words of Christ after the resurrection, and the first words of his papacy: Be not afraid.

Labels: fatherhood, John Paul II

From Pope Benedict XVI's words at the Angelus today:

Dear Brothers and Sisters!

On April 2 of last year, a day like today, our beloved Pope John Paul II lived during these same hours the last phase of his earthly pilgrimage, a pilgrimage of faith, love and hope, which left a profound mark on the history of the Church and of humanity. His agony and death were like a prolongation of the Easter triduum.

We all remember the images of his last Via Crucis on Good Friday: Being unable to go to the Colosseum, he followed it from his private chapel, holding a crucifix in his hands. Then, on Easter Sunday, he imparted the blessing "urbi et orbi," without being able to pronounce the words, just with a gesture of his hand. It was the most painful and moving blessing he left us as the greatest testimony of his determination to fulfill his mission to the end.

John Paul II died as he had lived, animated by the indomitable courage of faith, abandoning himself to God and commending himself to Mary Most Holy. We will remember him tonight with a Marian prayer vigil in St. Peter's Square, where tomorrow I will celebrate a Mass for him.

A year after his passing from earth to the Father's house, we can ask ourselves: What has this great Pope left us, who introduced the Church into the third millennium? His legacy is immense, but the message of his very long pontificate may be summarized in the words with which he wished to introduce it here, in St. Peter's Square, on October 22, 1978: "Open wide the doors to Christ!"

John Paul II incarnated this unforgettable call with his whole person and all his mission as Successor of Peter, especially with his extraordinary program of apostolic trips. On visiting countries around the world, when meeting with crowds, ecclesial communities, rulers, religious leaders and different social realities, he carried out something like a unique and great gesture of confirmation of his initial words.

He always proclaimed Christ, proposing him to all, as the Second Vatican Council did, in response to man's expectations, expectations of freedom, justice and peace. Christ is man's Redeemer -- he liked to repeat -- the only Savior of every person and of the whole human race.

In his last years, the Lord gradually stripped him of everything to assimilate him fully to himself. And when he could no longer travel, and later not even walk and, finally, not even speak, his gesture, his proclamation was reduced to the essential: the gift of himself to the end.

His death was the fulfillment of a coherent testimony of faith, which touched the hearts of many people of good will. John Paul II left us on a Saturday, the day dedicated in particular to Mary, for whom he always felt a filial devotion. We now pray to the heavenly Mother of God that she help us to keep as a treasure all that this great Pope gave us and taught us.

Source: ZENIT

Labels: John Paul II

Two years ago, just weeks after I had moved to Los Angeles, I decided that Hollywood needed to know about "Pope Day" -- October 16, the anniversary of the election of John Paul II.

A friend had e-mailed me a reminder of the event, and here was how I recounted my adventures pedalling down Hollywood Boulevard, distributing brochures from the Love and Responsibility Foundation:

Anne,

Thank you so much for the reminder about October 16 - "Pope Day"!

As soon as I got your e-mail, I went to see if there was, in fact, anything planned in the Los Angeles area. The popeday website simply mentioned that someone in LA had requested copies of the Love & Responsibility handout. But there was nothing in the calendar of the diocesan newspaper, so I couldn't connect with other young adults.

But I decided to do my own Pope Day activity: hand out the L&R article on the streets of Los Angeles! I went to Kinko's and made 25 copies. When I approached people, I first would initiate a conversation with one of the following:
* Could I ask you a question? What do you know about Pope John Paul II?
* I have something I'm handing out for free. You don't have to take it if you don't want to. It's about the teachings of the Pope on sexuality, which most people have never seen. When people start paying attention to this message, it's going to turn the Church on its head (sounds exciting, doesn't it? What communist wouldn't be interested in that?)

Some of the recipients so far:
- a guy sitting next to me at the Kinko's in Burbank
- a gay man on Hollywood Boulevard who propositioned me as I approached him (there's a screenplay here... PG-13); he thought that the Pope had already died
- a intelligent-looking woman standing in front of the Chinese Theater waiting for a friend; she told me that the only thing she knew about the Pope was that the Vatican was ticked that the Pope got overlooked for the Nobel Peace Prize
- the entrance to a big porn shop on Hollywood Boulevard (just threw it across the entryway)
- a guy who had stepped out of a trendy bar in Los Feliz for a smoke

Almost always, people have been curious. And three of them genuinely thanked me for the chance to read what the Pope actually has said.

So God's grace is active, even in the bowels of the Hollywood dragon.

Have a blessed Pope Day!

In Christ,

Clayton

Ah, the lusty zeal of youth...

Labels: John Paul II, theology of the body

Ever since the 2004 HIV scare shut down the porn industry in Southern California for several weeks, I have been wondering: has anyone considered (or, better yet, developed) a ministry to those seeking to leave the world of pornography?

I do know of a couple of internet apostolates: the most impressive I have seen is xxxchurch.com, and there is also the Catholic pornnomore.com, which has good content, despite the unattractive layout. (An aside here: Sin doesn't need good production values in order to sell -- if you've ever seen pornographic materials, this is quite self-evident. However, I think it's difficult to make an effective appeal to truth and beauty without a design consistent with the message. Sin is ugly - and porn proves that. Goodness, truth and beauty are awe-inspiring, and materials that want to make an appeal on behalf of these things ought to testify to their attractiveness, rather than provide a counter-witness. I really have to pick up Fr. Thomas Dubay's book, The Evidential Power of Beauty: Science and Theology Meet).

My sense is that many Christians just find the whole business of pornography distasteful and beyond the possibility of missionary endeavor. Of course, it is a healthy instinct to recoil at the notion of porn, but recoiling from those who are the day-to-day casualties of the porn industry seems to me a deficient attitude, especially for Christians.

Last year, an article in the Los Angeles Times gave a bit of backstory about the actors in a nightmarish, oppressive industry that presents itself as victimless and, at times, even glamorous. I can't help but believe that some of these actors would be especially open to what John Paul II has to say about the dignity of the human person, the destructive power of lust, the false freedom of shamelessness, and the desire to be loved as an unrepeatable person instead of being desired as a reproducible object.

And that is only to consider the ones producing the content. What about all of those people receiving it? Judith Reisman has done extensive research on Dr. Alfred Kinsey and the effects of pornography. I recommend a visit to her website, www.judithreisman.org. She's done her homework. Particularly compelling is her testimony last year before the Senate: The Brain Science Behind Pornography Addiction and the Effects of Addiction on Families and Communities. Here is a brief excerpt:

Thanks to the latest advances in neuroscience, we now know that emotionally arousing images imprint and alter the brain, triggering an instant, involuntary, but lasting, biochemical memory trail.

This applies to so-called "soft-core" and "hard-core" pornography, which may, arguably, subvert the First Amendment by overriding the cognitive speech process.

Once our neurochemical pathways are established they are difficult or impossible to delete. Erotic images also commonly trigger the viewer’s "fight or flight” sex hormones producing intense arousal states that appear to fuse the conscious state of libidinous arousal with unconscious emotions of fear, shame, anger and hostility.

These media erotic fantasies become deeply imbedded, commonly coarsening, confusing, motivating and addicting many of those exposed.

So Dr. Reisman has done the research. Now who will enter the mission field? Or will no one do as St. Francis once did, when he went out to be among the lepers? The words of John Paul II haunt me:

"Am I my brother's keeper?" (Gen 4:9). Yes, every man is his "brother's keeper," because God entrusts us to one another. And it is also in view of this entrusting that God gives everyone freedom, a freedom which possesses an inherently relational dimension. This is a great gift of the Creator, placed as it is at the service of the person and of his fulfillment through the gift of self and openness to others...
Evangelium Vitae, paragraph 19

Granted, John Paul II was writing talking about abortion and contraception in this passage, but he also referenced all of the other expressions of the culture of death. Pornography certainly falls within that camp.

So here are a few questions for discussion and reflection:

• Do you know of anyone engaged in an outreach to those who have been used by the porn industry?
• An outreach in this arena has special demands and spiritual perils. What sort of people would best be suited for this mission field?
• Am I praying for those in the porn industry: directors, producers, actors, and viewers/addicts? Or does my disgust with the whole business make me avoid the call of charity in this regard?

Labels: hollywood, human life, John Paul II, mercy, suffering, theology of the body

A friend sent me a PowerPoint presentation with photos of the Pope's burial. I've published them here as a short Flash slideshow.

Labels: John Paul II

A friend of mine who is a priest studying in Rome sent an e-mail about what he experienced at funeral of John Paul II. He's given me permission to reprint the letter here.

Dear Family and Friends,

Here are my reflections on the Funeral of Our Holy Father.

You have all heard about the crowds in Rome this week, and it was truly amazing. Many people reported waiting 10-15 hours on Wednesday to try and get into to see the Holy Father's body. And yet those same people said they were so grateful for the opportunity to say goodbye. On Thursday I was able to go in to see the body with Archbishop Flynn and the other priest and seminarians from St. Paul (Fr. Scott Carl, Deacon John Gallas, and Tim Schiebe). We were able to spend about an hour in the Back of the Basilica as people continued to process through the main basilica to see the body. Archbishop got to kneel and pray very close for as long as he wanted. They also brought through the back all the handicapped people in wheel chairs and other sorts of dignitaries. It was such a moment to see the whole Church. So many people coming to pay their respects to Our Holy Father. It really made me so grateful to be a Catholic -- to be a member of this household of God.

For the Funeral mass, I was sitting in the middle of the general section reserved for all priests at the front of the Piazza on the left, just down from the main altar (those of you watching on T.V. saw a big section of white -- that was us). I was about 100 yards from the Altar and could see the casket during the whole ceremony. Because I arrived in a car with my Archbishop, Harry Flynn, I was saved the trouble of having to fight through the long lines to arrive at the Piazza. The students from the University of St. Thomas Catholic studies house, had camped out all night to get a place in the Piazza. In fact all the streets around St. Peter's were filled with hundreds of thousands of young people camping out all night to get a good place -- it seemed like the last night to keep vigil with Pope John Paul II as they had done many times at World Youth day.

The mood in the crowd was beautiful, both somber, sad, and also at times joyful. When the body came out the crowd errupted in applause. During the homily by Cardinal Ratzinger he was interupted at several times by applause. Especially when he welcomed the young people. The square was filled with flags from many nations, but especially from the Pope's beloved Poland. The priests in my section seemed to come from almost every country. I heard them speaking around me, Polish, Spanish, French, and English. They were for the most part very somber and at certain points it seemed almost all of us were openly weeping.

As the funeral mass was ready to begin the dignitaries were being seated. Only the Holy Father could bring together so many heads of state who normally don't get along. I was able to see our own President enter with his wife Laura and behind him Presidents Clinton and Bush (senior) and Condoleeza Rice. The procession began with bringing in Our Holy Father's body in its simple wood Casket with the Cross and the M for Our Lady standing at the foot of the Cross. Then in processed the large group of Cardinals, which included all the Cardinals, not just the 122 who will be voting. Finally Cardinal Ratzinger who would lead the ceremony because he is the Dean of the College.

The Homily was for me surprisingly personal. (Read it at: http://www.ewtn.com/JohnPaul2/_mourning/news/index9.asp) He focused not on Pope John Paul II's great achievements: he did not mention that he has written more than all the other Popes combined or traveled more or beatified more. Rather, he focused on John Paul II as a disciple, a Christian who was asked at several times in his life to say "yes" to Jesus. Based on the Gospel which was so beautifully chosen from Our Holy Father's own life where Jesus said to Peter -- Do you love me? (Our Holy Father had preached on this same Gospel at the 25th anniversary of his pontificate 18 months ago -- he said he always tried to answer with Peter, "Yes Lord you know that I love you.") The Cardinal focused especially on Jesus' last words to Peter: Follow me. The Cardinal went through the Holy Father's life and spoke of all those times Jesus had said to Him: follow me. Even mentioning how he was on a canoe trip when he was made a bishop. He showed how at every turning point in Our Holy Father's life the Lord was inviting him more and more to lose himself -- to let go of his hopes, desires, dreams in order to follow him -- to lose himself so that he might find himself. Until finally at the end of his life the Holy Father had given up himself so much that he was conformed to Christ (as St. Paul said -- It is no longer I who live but Christ who lives in me). Cardinal Ratzinger pointed out how deeply our Holy Father lived his priesthood -- so deeply that like the good shepherd he gave himself completely for his sheep.

Then we celebrated the Eucharist and after communion, the funeral ended with the commendation of the Body. This was done in Latin with the traditional: "In Paradisium" (May the Angels lead you into paradise...) and also with a special commendation from the Eastern Rite Catholics sung in Greek. During the different pauses you could here the young people in the crowd chanting as they did at World Youth day in all the various languages (John Paul II we love you!). Then as the Body was lifted up by the Papal Household Chamberlains and begun to be carried back into the Basilica there was simply a sustained applause. The Choir sang, "Magnificat anima mea Dominum, et exsultavit spiritus meus in Deo salvatore meo (Luke 1: 46-47)" The Chamberlains stopped and turned the body one last time towards the crowd, lowering the feet and lifting the head. We all wept as we knew we were saying goodbye for the last time. Then the body was turned again feet towards the altar and disappeared into the basilica. It was taken downstairs and immediately entombed. The Bell of St. Peter's tolled for him. It was as if he passed into the next life at that moment, and now we were left alone.

After making sure the Archbishop got back to his hotel I walked home alone in silence. It is a real time of mourning. It is hard to believe that our Holy Father is gone. It makes one realize just how important he was to you when you feel so profoundly his absence. I can only be grateful thinking of all the ways he impacted me especially as a priest. His love for Our Lady encouraged me to read St. Louis De Montefort and understand true devotion. His love the Eucharist affected the way I treasure daily Mass and daily adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. As Cardinal Ratzinger said he was a priest "fino in fondo" (to the depths of his being), which makes me want to be a priest all the more also giving my life for Christ and his Church. The depths of Our Holy Father's own self gift to Christ are also seen in his spiritual testament. Where it becomes so clear that he saw his whole life as belonging to God alone, entrusting himself always to Jesus through Our Lady, he made a gift of his life for us and for the Church. Again quoting Cardinal Ratzinger's homily: "To the Lord's question, "Karol, do you love me?," the Archbishop of Krakow answered from the depths of his heart: "Lord you know everything; you know that I love you." The love of Christ was the dominant force in the life of our beloved Holy Father. Anyone who ever saw him pray, who ever heard him preach, knows that." May we seek to be so profoundly rooted in Christ as he was. To love Christ above all things is the example he left us. So that they can say of us... anyone who ever saw him pray, or heard him preach knows he loves Christ.

Hopefully we have now a week of relative quiet as we await the beginning of the Conclave on the 18th. Having really only known one Pope in my life it is difficult to think yet of another one. But we must pray for the Cardinals that they will follow the Holy Spirit in this difficult job.

Totus Tuus,
Fr. Andrew Cozzens

Labels: John Paul II

I stayed up last night for the funeral Mass of John Paul II. The whole event was very moving, especially the homily by Cardinal Ratzinger and the crowds spontaneously breaking into applause and chants.

It is clearer than ever to me why the Church holds up saints - men and women of outstanding holiness - as witnesses and examples for the world. It encourages us to commit ourselves to living the Gospel fully, rather than by half-measures.

The coverage on NBC that I watched had a commentary that explained the role of Peter in the Church, what Catholics believe about the Eucharist, the veneration of saints, and in particular, the way that Mary, the Mother of God, was known by JPII as the "most direct path to Jesus."

I would say that the funeral helped to fulfill the hope of John Paul II in his Last Will and Testament when he wrote:

I hope that Christ will give me the grace for the last passage, that is [my] Pasch. I hope that he will render it useful also for this most important cause which I seek to serve: the salvation of men, the safeguarding of the human family, and in it of all the nations and peoples (among them I also turn in a particular way to my earthly Homeland), useful for the persons he has entrusted to me in a particular way, for the issues of the Church, for the glory of God himself."

Here was a man whose heart bore the weight of his neighbor's glory to the very end.

People have commented in recent days on how, since his passing, many of us feel orphaned, like we have lost a father. I think this was why Ratzinger's homily was particularly moving, when he told the family of humanity, gathered to grieve the passing of the clearest paternal figure it has known:

"That last Easter Sunday of his life... the Holy Father, in extreme suffering, appeared once again at the window of the Apostolic Palace, and one last time gave ... a blessing," he said. "And I think we can be sure that our beloved pope is standing today at the window of his Father's house, and he sees us and he blesses us."
- Quoted on MTV.com

MTV reported this! We are witnessing a Pope whose impact for the new evangelization knows no limits.

Labels: John Paul II

It seems fitting that John Paul II has passed from this life to the next on the eve of the feast of Divine Mercy. He wrote an encylical letter on the mercy of God, and canonized Sister Maria Faustina.

Right from the beginning of my ministry in St. Peter’s See in Rome, I consider this message [of Divine Mercy] my special task. Providence has assigned it to me in the present situation of man, the Church and the world. It could be said that precisely this situation assigned that message to me as my task before God.
— November 22, 1981 at the Shrine of Merciful Love in Collevalenza, Italy

Here's a short quote from his encylical letter:

The Church proclaims the truth of God's mercy revealed in the crucified and risen Christ, and she professes it in various ways. Furthermore, she seeks to practice mercy towards people through people, and she sees in this an indispensable condition for solicitude for a better and "more human" world, today and tomorrow. However, at no time and in no historical period-especially at a moment as critical as our own-can the Church forget the prayer that is a cry for the mercy of God amid the many forms of evil which weigh upon humanity and threaten it. Precisely this is the fundamental right and duty of the Church in Christ Jesus, her right and duty towards God and towards humanity. The more the human conscience succumbs to secularization, loses its sense of the very meaning of the word "mercy," moves away from God and distances itself from the mystery of mercy, the more the Church has the right and the duty to appeal to the God of mercy "with loud cries" (cf. Heb. 5:7). These "loud cries" should be the mark of the Church of our times, cries uttered to God to implore His mercy, the certain manifestation of which she professes and proclaims as having already come in Jesus crucified and risen, that is, in the Paschal Mystery. It is this mystery which bears within itself the most complete revelation of mercy, that is, of that love which is more powerful than death, more powerful than sin and every evil, the love which lifts man up when he falls into the abyss and frees him from the greatest threats.
— Dives in Misericordia (Rich in Mercy), encyclical of Pope John Paul II, 11/30/1980

Labels: John Paul II, mercy

May John Paul II rest in peace.

Labels: John Paul II

Reveal your presence,
and may the vision of your beauty be my death;
for the sickness of love
is not cured
except by your very presence and image.

The Spiritual Canticle, stanza 11 - St. John of the Cross

Labels: John Paul II, poetry

Dr Navarro-Valls said the Pope had showed signs of losing consciousness, but was not in a coma....

He said aides had told the Pope that thousands of young people were in St Peter's Square.

"In fact, he seemed to be referring to them when, in his words, and repeated several times, he seemed to have said the following sentence: 'I have looked for you. Now you have come to me. And I thank you.' "

from a story in the Sydney Morning Herald

Labels: John Paul II

When we find ourselves at the shores of autumn
fear and love explode their contrary desires:
fear desiring the return to what was already existence,
and still is --
love desiring the departure to the One
in whom existence finds all future.

- from Meditation on Death by Cardinal Karol Wojtyla, March 1975

Labels: John Paul II, poetry