During Advent, we have been attempting to reflect on Rejoice, a letter to consecrated women and men based on the teachings of Pope Francis. During this fourth week of Advent, when we proclaim the Annunciation (Luke 1:26-38), we would do well to ponder the final portion of Rejoice, "Hail, Mother of Joy," which references both the Annunciation and the Visitation.
Additionally, we might consider another question of Pope Francis included in Rejoice. In his homily for the opening of the General Chapter of the Order of St. Augustine in August, 2013 in Rome, Pope Francis referenced the "restlessness of love," that is, "ceaselessly seeking the good of the other, of the beloved, without ever stopping, and with the intensity that leads even to tears." The Holy Father's question included in Rejoice is: "The restlessness of love is always an incentive to go towards the other, without waiting for the other to manifest his need. The restlessness of love gives us the gift of pastoral fruitfulness, and we must ask ourselves, each one of us: is my spiritual effectiveness healthy, is my apostolate fruitful?"
Sunday, December 21, 2014
Friday, December 12, 2014
No Longer Slaves . . .
The 2015 World Day of Peace Message of Pope Francis was released on Wednesday. The theme is "No Longer Slaves, But Brothers and Sisters." Click here to read the full text. Here's an excerpt in which Pope Francis discusses the efforts of religious congregations to end human trafficking and assist its victims:
"I would like to mention the enormous and often silent efforts which have been made for many years by religious congregations, especially women’s congregations, to provide support to victims. These institutes work in very difficult situations, dominated at times by violence, as they work to break the invisible chains binding victims to traffickers and exploiters. Those chains are made up of a series of links, each composed of clever psychological ploys which make the victims dependent on their exploiters. This is accomplished by blackmail and threats made against them and their loved ones, but also by concrete acts such as the confiscation of their identity documents and physical violence. The activity of religious congregations is carried out in three main areas: in offering assistance to victims, in working for their psychological and educational rehabilitation, and in efforts to reintegrate them into the society where they live or from which they have come" (n. 5).
"I would like to mention the enormous and often silent efforts which have been made for many years by religious congregations, especially women’s congregations, to provide support to victims. These institutes work in very difficult situations, dominated at times by violence, as they work to break the invisible chains binding victims to traffickers and exploiters. Those chains are made up of a series of links, each composed of clever psychological ploys which make the victims dependent on their exploiters. This is accomplished by blackmail and threats made against them and their loved ones, but also by concrete acts such as the confiscation of their identity documents and physical violence. The activity of religious congregations is carried out in three main areas: in offering assistance to victims, in working for their psychological and educational rehabilitation, and in efforts to reintegrate them into the society where they live or from which they have come" (n. 5).
Thursday, December 11, 2014
December Issue of Stop Trafficking
Click here to access the December 2014 issue of the Stop Trafficking newsletter, highlighting studies that expose the complexities of sex and labor trafficking.
Wednesday, December 10, 2014
Prayer and Fasting for Peace
On the 11th of each month, the Sisters of Christian Charity observe a day of prayer and fasting for peace. Thanks to the Sisters of the Western Region (Wilmette, IL) for providing us with this prayerful reflection for December 11:
In
our fasting and prayer on Thursday, December 11, 2014 let us ponder the words
of Pope Francis as he names the virtue of humility as an important step on the
pathway to peace.
PATHWAYS
TO PEACE
“So it is always with God’s love, that, in
order to reach us, takes the way of humility… One can take no other road, if I
do not lower myself, if you do not lower yourself, you are not a Christian, you
are not on the pathway to peace.” (Pope Francis: Homily.)
“Let us never forget that authentic
power is service, and that the pope too, when exercising power, must enter ever
more fully into that service which has its radiant culmination in the
Cross. He must be inspired by the lowly,
concrete and faithful service which marked St. Joseph and, like him, he must
open his arms to protect all of God’s people and embrace with tender affection
the whole humanity, especially the poorest, the weakest, the least important.” (Pope
Francis: Pathways to Peace.)
FOR REFLECTION: HOW WILL I RESPOND?
Catechism
of the Catholic Church 520: In all of his life Jesus presents himself
as our model. He is the “perfect man” who
invites us to become his disciples and follow him. In humbling himself, he has given us an
example to imitate through his prayer he draws us to pray, and by his poverty
he calls us to accept freely the privation and persecutions that may come our
way.
Consider: Where could I grow in the imitation of
Christ’s humility? What elements of
humility do I like to follow? What
elements do I ignore or avoid?
Pope
Francis: “Servant leadership is found in
service. Just like Jesus, who didn’t
come to be served but to serve. His
service was on the Cross. He humbled
himself unto death, He died on a cross for us, to serve us, to save us. It’s with this path that the Church moves
forward. For the Christian, getting
ahead, progress, means humbling oneself.
If we do not learn this Christian
rule, we will never be able to understand Jesus’ true message on power and
peace.”
Consider: What are my views about power, service and
peace? When have I had positions of
leadership – in my family, my school, my workplace, my parish, or my community?
How did I carry out those roles of servant leadership? Have I been a servant to those I lead?
Sunday, December 7, 2014
"Waiting for God's Tomorrow" during the Second Week of Advent
We began the Year of Consecrated Life last week by introducing Rejoice, a letter to consecrated men and women based on the teachings of Pope Francis. This week, we draw from the same letter, this time quoting Pope Francis from his celebration of Vespers with the Community of Camaldolese Benedictine Nuns in November 2013. Its Marian theme is especially timely during this week in which we celebrate the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary and its "waiting" theme is especially timely during this second week of Advent.
"At the foot of the cross, Mary is at the same time the woman of sorrow and of watchful expectation of a mystery far greater than sorrow, which is about to be fulfilled. It seemed that everything had come to an end; every hope could be said to have been extinguished. She too, at that moment, remembering the promises of the Annunciation could have said: They did not come true, I was deceived. But she did not say this. And so she who was blessed because she believe, sees blossom from her faith a new future and awaits God's tomorrow with expectation. At times I think: Do we know how to wait for God's tomorrow? Or do we want it today? For her the tomorrow of God is the dawn of Easter morning, the dawn of the first day of the week. It would do us good to think, in contemplation, of the embrace of mother and son. The single lamp lit at the tomb of Jesus is the hope of the mother, which in that moment is the hope of all humanity. I ask myself and I ask you: Is this lamp still alight in monasteries? In your monasteries are you waiting for God's tomorrow?"
"At the foot of the cross, Mary is at the same time the woman of sorrow and of watchful expectation of a mystery far greater than sorrow, which is about to be fulfilled. It seemed that everything had come to an end; every hope could be said to have been extinguished. She too, at that moment, remembering the promises of the Annunciation could have said: They did not come true, I was deceived. But she did not say this. And so she who was blessed because she believe, sees blossom from her faith a new future and awaits God's tomorrow with expectation. At times I think: Do we know how to wait for God's tomorrow? Or do we want it today? For her the tomorrow of God is the dawn of Easter morning, the dawn of the first day of the week. It would do us good to think, in contemplation, of the embrace of mother and son. The single lamp lit at the tomb of Jesus is the hope of the mother, which in that moment is the hope of all humanity. I ask myself and I ask you: Is this lamp still alight in monasteries? In your monasteries are you waiting for God's tomorrow?"
Friday, December 5, 2014
Ebola and Poverty
In the November 17 issue of America, Michael Rozier, SJ writes: "Our instinct is to overlook the social and environmental influences on health and focus on personal behavior and medical care. We like to blame either the individual (typically for chronic diseases like diabetes or obesity) or the micro-organism (tuberculosis or Ebola). But we fail to appreciate how involved we all are -- how responsible we are -- for the social conditions that foster disease along the way."
His article, "Behind the Headlines: Ebola and the magnifying power of poverty," invites us to look beyond the "powerful narrative" of the sensational media coverage by looking at the poverty and political instability that gives the virus its true power. His article, available here, is well worth your time. It would also be good to remember in prayer those individuals, families and communities who continue to be devastated by Ebola, which -- according to Rozier -- will "extend longer than our attention span."
His article, "Behind the Headlines: Ebola and the magnifying power of poverty," invites us to look beyond the "powerful narrative" of the sensational media coverage by looking at the poverty and political instability that gives the virus its true power. His article, available here, is well worth your time. It would also be good to remember in prayer those individuals, families and communities who continue to be devastated by Ebola, which -- according to Rozier -- will "extend longer than our attention span."
Wednesday, December 3, 2014
JPIC Advent Calendar
Thank you to the Sisters of Charity of St. Elizabeth for sharing their calendar containing brief and meaningful suggestions for Advent. Click here to access the file or here to go to the Sisters of Charity site, click on the "Peace, Justice and Earth" tab, then "Advent Calendar."
(An example of the suggestions on the calendar for December 3: Feast of St. Francis Xavier, nameday of Mother Xavier - Pope Francis says “Pastoral ministry in a missionary key seeks to abandon the complacent attitude that says: 'We have always done it this way.'” Do I hear a call in these words?)
(An example of the suggestions on the calendar for December 3: Feast of St. Francis Xavier, nameday of Mother Xavier - Pope Francis says “Pastoral ministry in a missionary key seeks to abandon the complacent attitude that says: 'We have always done it this way.'” Do I hear a call in these words?)
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