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On March 17^th we celebrate the feast of Saint Patrick.  Since I reside in the Church of St. Patrick and count both Flinn’s and Murphy’s in my lineage I always look forward to celebrating Saint Patrick’s Day.  While we may raise a glass to St. Patrick (hopefully not too many) we cannot forget that he is best known for raising his heart to the Trinity, and I am sure he would beseech us to do the same.  We should offer a prayer tomorrow that the faith in Ireland will deepen, and that our own lives may emulate an undying dedication to evangelization like St. Patrick. 

Below is portion of St. Patrick’s famous and beautiful prayer known as “St Patrick’s Breast-Plate.”  A full version of the prayer can be found at http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/11554a.htm along with a short biography.  Happy Saint Patrick’s Day!

I bind to myself today

The strong virtue of the Invocation of the Trinity:

I believe the Trinity in the Unity

The Creator of the Universe.

I bind to myself today

God’s Power to guide me, God’s Might to uphold me,

God’s Wisdom to teach me, God’s Eye to watch over me,

God’s Ear to hear me, God’s Word to give me speech,

God’s Hand to guide me, God’s Way to lie before me,

God’s Shield to shelter me, God’s Host to secure me.

Christ with me, Christ before me,

Christ behind me, Christ within me,

Christ beneath me, Christ above me,

Christ at my right, Christ at my left.

Christ in the heart of everyone who thinks of me,

Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks to me,

Christ in every eye that sees me, Christ in every ear that hears me.

Today’s Gospel read at Catholic Masses (where the “A” readings were not used) was about Jesus cleaning the Temple. Clearly in this passage Jesus manifests anger. Why is Jesus angry? Why is he throwing tables over and driving people out? Is this anger a sin? But Jesus never sinned! So how can we understand his anger? In fact, there are a lot of verses all through the Bible that speak of God’s wrath, or anger. How can we understand it and square it with his mercy and patience?

I preached a sermon on these topics today here at my Parish, Holy Comforter – St. Cyprian.  You can get it here: The Whys and Wherefores of Wrath

A more complete listing of my sermons is here: http://frpope.com/audio/recordings.php

I found a very balanced and respectful video describing the beliefs and practices of the Roman Catholic Church. What is interesting to me is that it is produced by the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America. While there are a few things with which I might quibble (for example, I think that it was more than just the controversy about indulgences set off the Protestant Reformation, and that the sampling of American Parish life is too limited), nevertheless the video is well-produced and quite thorough.

Here is the YouTube description of the video:

The purpose of this video is to help Protestant Christians and others develop a better understanding of the Roman Catholic Church, its history and basic beliefs by listening to Roman Catholics tell their own story...

The 35-minute program is organized into three parts: Roman Catholic beliefs, Church history, and Catholic Renewal. The program includes interviews with Roman Catholic theologians, scholars, pastors, and lay people. Portions of this program were recorded in Rome, Assisi, Trent, and Casino, Italy.

After centuries of mistrust, indifference, and even hostility, attitudes between Roman Catholics and other Christians are changing. Dialogue, cooperation, and understanding is healing old wounds, both locally and up to the highest organizational levels.

The Roman Catholic Church is the largest block of Christianity in the world. In the U.S., 65 million Roman Catholics are organized into 200 archdioceses and dioceses and more than 19,000 local Catholic parishes. Each year over one million infants and 70,000 adults are baptized in U.S. Roman Catholic churches. Yet for all its great size, influence, and long history, many non-Roman Catholics understand very little about the largest Christian denomination.

If you have never seen this video about the vocation to the Holy Priesthood then I dare you to watch it! This is one of the best vocations videos ever produced.

And Here is Part Two:

Why not call and get things started?

Office for Priest Vocations in the Archdiocese of Washington  (301) 853-4580

What does the Catholic Church teach on stem cell research? Washington Archbishop Donald Wuerl calls President Barack Obama’s decision today to void restrictions on federal funding of embryonic stem cell research “very disheartening,” and notes the availability and success of ethical alternatives. Here’s an excerpt from his Catholic Standard column, Lifting Limits on Embryonic Stem Cell Research: Politics over Science and Ethics:

The announcement that President Barack Obama has signed an executive order voiding restrictions on federal funding of embryonic stem cell research is very disheartening news. It is described by Cardinal Justin Rigali, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Pro-Life Activities, as a “sad victory of politics over science and ethics.”  Human life is not to be treated as a commodity, as a raw material to be used in science experiments, but as the gift of God that it is.

What is particularly distressing about the President’s decision is that it is not necessary. Ethical alternatives to embryonic stem cell research, such as the use of adult stem cell tissue and umbilical cord blood where there is no destruction of innocent human life, already exist and have been used successfully for decades.

The Catholic Church supports scientific advances, but the decision to move forward should not be based on whether something can be done, but whether it should be done. As a society, we are called to protect the dignity of all human life and therefore must oppose embryonic stem cell research…..Read the entire column here.

The “feminine genius” is the way that Pope John Paul II spoke about the contribution of women to church and society. Today in many countries in Europe and South America, International’s Women’s Day is celebrated. In Italy, in many of the parish churches, bouquets of mimosas are given to women who just happen to be walking by the church!

In Every Age

In honor of International Women’s Day, I’d like to celebrate the feminine genius that has shaped the Church. There is not enough space to really do the topic justice and to be fair, at times in the history of the Church it failed to protect the dignity of women and to fully recognize the gifts of women to the church and society. Today is a day to celebrate the church as a place that has nurtured the gifts and leadership of women. In the realm of the spiritual life, the Church never denied women’s call to holiness and to live fully the life of the Gospel. In every age of the Church, it has identified and honored women as models of what it means to be holy, of what the feminine dimension of discipleship looks like.

Evangelists, Martyrs and Doctors

The Church teaches that Mary, the Mother of God, is the model of the perfect disciple for men and for women. In Mary, we see that discipleship requires that we hear the voice of God, respond to God’s invitation and be of service in building the kingdom of God. Mary Magdalene is called the “Apostle to the Apostles” because it was to her that Jesus entrusted the first announcement of his resurrection. The African women, Perpetua and Felicity are two of our earliest martyrs and have left us a first-person testimony of their faith and martyrdom. Among the 33 doctors of the Church are three women. Teresa of Avila, a Spanish Carmelite, Catherine of Siena, an Italian Lay woman and Thérèse of Liseux, a French Carmelite who have through their lives and in their writings made a contribution to the faith that will be relevant in all ages. For this they are named Doctors of the Church.

Catholic Women’s Contribution to church and society in the United States

In the United States, it was the genius of many women who built the Catholic schools and Catholic healthcare systems that exist today. Among the first women’s colleges are Trinity University in D.C., founded by the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur and St. Mary’s College, founded by the Sisters of Providence. Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton is the first native-born saint from the United States. She is joined by Saint Katherine Drexel, a Philadelphia native whose religious order, the Blessed Sacrament Sisters served in ministry to Native Americans and Black Catholics. Saint Katherine founded Xavier University, the only historically black Catholic college in the United States. Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha, a Native-American woman with a ministry to the sick and aging and Mother Elizabeth Lange, founder of the Oblate Sisters of Providence, the fist Black Roman Catholic order of sisters are just a few of the great American Catholic women. Many Mexican-American women find in the Venerable Concepcion Cabrera de Armida, a mystic and writer, a model for living fully the life of a Catholic wife and mother.

Every new age calls forth new models of living the fullness of the Christian life. There is no reason not to think that the Church and the country will continue to be shaped by a feminine genius as Catholic women continue to answer God’s call to study the faith, serve in ministry, nurture strong marriages, raise healthy and happy children and bring the Gospel to bear in professions of every kind. In a recent interview with the German Press, Pope Benedict reflected “I believe women themselves, with their energy and strength, with their predominance, so to speak, with what I would call their ‘spiritual power,’ will know how to make their own space.”