Blog by-the-Sea

Solutions: Taking Into Accout All the Needs of the Person

2009-07-12T21:11:35-07:00

In his words at today's midday Angelus, the Holy Father spoke about the efforts of heads of state at the G-8 Summit to reach accords to assure humanity a better future. He spoke of what the Church has to offer. Warning of dark scenarios for the future entailed in certain technological practices contrary to life, he said that solutions to the world's current problems "must take account of all the needs of the person, who is endowed with soul and body, and must thus take the Creator, God, into consideration."

The Holy Father leaves tomorrow for his vacation in Les Combes.

Zenit and Benedetto XVI Forum have full English translations. The Daily Bulletin has the original Italian text and greetings in several languages. Asia News has an article.

Pope Benedict XVI Discusses His New Encyclical Caritas in Veritate

2009-07-08T21:37:52-07:00

In today's General Audience, the Holy Father spoke about his new Encyclical, Caritas in Veritate.

The original Italian text of the Audience, with summaries in several languages, was posted by the Vatican Press Office's Daily Bulletin. Full English translations have been provided by Zenit and Benedetto XVI Forum. Vatican Information Service has a press release with quotations. Asia News has an article that highlights the Pope's request for prayer for the Heads of State and government leaders gathered for the G8 Summit.

The following is from his English language summary:

"Today I wish to reflect on my Encyclical, Caritas in Veritate. Some forty years after Pope Paul VI’s Encyclical Populorum Progressio, it too addresses social themes vital to the well-being of humanity and reminds us that authentic renewal of both individuals and society requires living by Christ’s truth in love (cf. Eph 4:15) which stands at the heart of the Church’s social teaching. The Encyclical does not aim to provide technical solutions to today’s social problems but instead focuses on the principles indispensable for human development. Most important among these is human life itself, the centre of all true progress. Additionally, it speaks of the right to religious freedom as a part of human development, it warns against unbounded hope in technology alone, and it underlines the need for upright men and women – attentive to the common good – in both politics and the business world. In regard to matters of particular urgency affecting the word today, the Encyclical addresses a wide range of issues and calls for decisive action to promote food security and agricultural development, as well as respect for the environment and for the rule of law. Stressed is the need for politicians, economists, producers and consumers alike ensure that ethics shape economics so that profit alone does not regulate the world of business. Dear friends: humanity is a single family where every development programme – if it is to be integral – must consider the spiritual growth of human persons and the driving force of charity in truth. Let us pray for all those who serve in politics and the management of economies, and in particular let us pray for the Heads of State gathering in Italy for the G8 summit. May their decisions promote true development especially for the world’s poor. Thank you."

About the New Encyclical:

2009-07-07T22:54:45-07:00

I glanced over the new Encyclical, Caritas in Veritate, this morning and printed a copy from the internet. I'm hoping to have time to read it this week-end. Insight Scoop, American Papist and Father Z have a lot of good blogging about it already. Christopher Blosser has an extensive round-up at First Things. I don't plan to post any comments about it until I have had some time to think about it.

St. Teresa of Avila's Dove Metaphor, Part 6: Images of Spiritual Growth

2009-07-05T18:59:00-07:00

In Part 5 of this series of posts, I mentioned that St. Teresa of Avila's nestling metaphor and her silkworm/cocoon/butterfly metaphor are related metaphors of growth. This post adds three more such metaphors and writes about what each of them tells us about spiritual growth. Each image tells us something different about the spiritual journey. Some are better at telling us about ourselves, and others are better at telling us about God.

The three new ones are: (1) St. John of the Cross's metaphor of the vessel filled from the spring of the Divinity; (2) St. Teresa's metaphor of the sponge soaking up the Trinity; and (3) St. Teresa's and St. John of the Cross's metaphor of the bride in the wine cellar.

I recommend the ICS Publications translations of the writings of St. Teresa of Avila and St. John of the Cross, including those quoted here. I quote from older translations that are in the public domain, when I can find them, to avoid the need to ask busy friars for permission to use copyright protected materials in these lengthy posts.

The Growth of a Baby Bird and Spiritual Growth

The growth of a baby bird learning to fly is one of the metaphors used in Interior Castle to describe the process of a soul's growth in the spiritual life. It is an image of transformation through the experience of God. The baby bird's muscles grow through its own efforts and through the body's natural growth processes as it moves its wings, tries to fly and fails, and tries again. It learns from watching more mature birds. Eventually, through no effort of its own, its feathers and wing size are sufficient to support flight, and through its patient and determined efforts, its strength and knowledge are sufficient too.

The illustration of the fledgling is an excellent illustration of our own role in the growth process, but it is not a very good illustration of God's role. We can imagine the Holy Spirit's presence as the wind carries the mature bird in flight, but flight does not provide a very good illustration of God's role in growth. Other metaphors are better at that.

A Silkworm's Metamorphosis and Spiritual Growth

In the Fifth Mansion, St. Teresa switches her metaphor for a while to that of a silkworm and butterfly. She describes the silkworm and its symbolism at Mansion V:2:

"You have heard how wonderfully silk is made—in a way such as God alone could plan—how it all comes from an egg resembling a tiny pepper-corn. Not having seen it myself, I only know of it by hearsay, so if the facts are inaccurate the fault will not be mine. When, in the warm weather, the mulberry trees come into leaf, the little egg which was lifeless before its food was ready, begins to live. The caterpillar nourishes itself upon the mulberry leaves until, when it has grown large, people place near it small twigs upon which, of its own accord, it spins silk from its tiny mouth until it has made a narrow little cocoon in which it buries itself. Then this large and ugly worm leaves the cocoon as a lovely little white butterfly. . . .

"The silkworm symbolizes the soul which begins to live when, kindled by the Holy Spirit, it commences using the ordinary aids given by God to all, and applies the remedies left by Him in His Church, such as regular confession, religious books, and sermons; these are the cure for a soul dead in its negligence and sins and liable to fall into temptation. Then it comes to life and continues nourishing itself on this food and on devout meditation until it has attained full vigour, which is the essential point, for I attach no importance to the rest. When the silkworm is full-grown as I told you in the first part of this chapter, it begins to spin silk and to build the house wherein it must die. By this house, when speaking of the soul, I mean Christ."

Before its metamorphosis, she explains, the silkworm must first grow to maturity. Only when it is full-grown does it begin to spin its cocoon. The transformation into a butterfly does not ordinarily happen until after the silkworm has matured. Only in the Fifth Mansion does she speak of that.

At the beginning of the Fifth Mansion, she looks back on the growth process through the first four Mansions of Interior Castle, and says:

"[The soul] commences using the ordinary aids given by God to all, and applies the remedies left by Him in His Church, such as regular confession, religious books, and sermons; these are the cure for a soul dead in its negligence and sins and liable to fall into temptation. Then it comes to life and continues nourishing itself on this food and on devout meditation until it has attained full vigour. . . ."

Through that nourishment, the soul grows to full strength. The silkworm's growth through nourishment illustrates the slow process of preparation for the spiritual metamorphosis. While the silkworm can nourish itself and build its cocoon, preparing for that death to self that leads to metamorphosis, it is changed into a butterfly through an initiative other than its own.

We cannot come to God without an awareness of who He is and an awareness of our own sinfulness in His presence, and thus penance and sacrifice. That is much of what St. Teresa meant by self-knowledge.

Butterfly imagery naturally makes people want to be a butterfly and not a silkworm, and thus gives meaning to the suffering and dryness of the cocoon. The object of the imagery is to reassure us that in the process of death to self is a pathway of drawing closer to God that will end in a personal transformation that is pleasing to Him.

The Vessel Drawing Water from a Spring and Spiritual Growth

At the end of Chapter 2 of Père Marie-Eugene de l'Enfant Jesus' classic book on Interior Castle, I Want to See God, he wrote, "From the ocean of the divinity, says Saint John of the Cross, each one draws out with the vase that he brings to it. It is the degree of unitive charity that determines the capacity of that vase, and hence the power for vision and the measure of beatific joy."

St. John of the Cross's vase metaphor is from The Ascent of Mount Carmel, Book II, Chapter XXI, where John wrote about God's displeasure with the prayers of people who seek to know things by supernatural methods, and why God nonetheless sometimes answers such prayers founded upon the weakness of the soul that asks, sometimes also granting to them favors and consolations. His language is only a little bit different from that used by P. Marie-Eugene:

"In a like manner, too, does He treat many weak and tender souls, granting them favours and sweetness in sensible converse with Himself, as has been said above; this is not because He desires or is pleased that they should commune with Him after that manner or by these methods; it is that He gives to each one, as we have said, after the manner best suited to him. For God is like a spring, whence everyone draws water according to the vessel which he carries. Sometimes a soul is allowed to draw it by these extraordinary channels; but it follows not from this that it is lawful to draw water by them, but only that God Himself can permit this, when, how and to whom He wills, and for what reason He wills, without the party concerned having any right in the matter. And thus, as we say, He sometimes deigns to satisfy the desire and the prayer of certain souls, whom, since they are good and sincere, He wills not to fail to succour, lest He should make them sad, but it is not because He is pleased with their methods that He wills it."

St. John of the Cross sees the soul as a vessel drawing water from the spring of the Divinity. We might think of II Cor. 4:7, in which St. Paul says, "But we hold this treasure in earthen vessels, that the surpassing power may be of God and not from us." The illustration of a spring, or of the ocean, tells us much about God's infinite presence. God is unlimited. It tells us much about the soul's ability to be filled with God in contemplation, the only limit being the limit of our own capacity.

When I first noticed P. Marie-Eugene's use of the metaphor of the vase in the ocean of the Divinity, at such an early point in his book as Chapter 2, I wondered why he used that metaphor from St. John of the Cross instead of one of St. Teresa's metaphors for growth. There is no clear answer to that question, since P. Marie-Eugene does not tell us why he did so. St. Teresa's metaphors for growth, such as the fledgling and the silkworm, seem to me to be better descriptions of the process of the soul's journey toward the higher stages of prayer. After giving several months of thought to the matter, I think that P. Marie-Eugene might have chosen that metaphor for its better description of the soul's potential for drawing from God's infinite depths, but I am somewhat guessing at that point.

Our capacity for God can grow as we grow in love for God. The image is a bit limited in that a vase or vessel cannot grow. In that respect the illustration does not tell us much about the soul's ability to increase its capacity. We know from St. John of the Cross's context that the soul can grow stronger.

However, his illustration is excellent in telling us about God's role in our growth. The "spring" of the Divinity provides a better illustration of the infinite Deity we access in prayer, through the limited vessels of our individual souls.

This metaphor also illustrates how God deals with each soul individually, according to its capacity. God sometimes gives extraordinary experiences to people who are weak and whose request for such experiences does not please God. In asking for such things, he says, "although such a person may be assuming the faith, and believing it, nevertheless he is showing a curiosity which belongs to faithlessness." (Ascent Book II, Ch. XXII). St. John says, "For it is tempting God to seek to commune with Him by extraordinary ways, such as those that are supernatural." (Ascent Book II, Ch. XXI). But God sometimes grants such experiences to the weak because "He wills not to fail to succour, lest He should make them sad."

While supernatural experiences may be granted to the weak, St. John of the Cross encourages growth through the ordinary means of the Gospel of Christ, Church teaching, and guidance by the clergy in Ascent Book II, Chapter XXII:

"And so we must now be guided in all things by the law of Christ made man, and by that of His Church, and of His ministers, in a human and a visible manner, and by these means we must remedy our spiritual weaknesses and ignorances, since in these means we shall find abundant medicine for them all."

St. John of the Cross's counsel, in the ascent toward union with God, is the same as the means of growth that St. Teresa describes in Interior Castle: It is through the ordinary methods like the Sacraments, Church teaching, the homilies of good priests, meditation, and prayer. "Wherefore, in all our needs, trials and difficulties, there remains to us no better and surer means than prayer and hope that God will provide for us, by such means as He wills. This is the advice given to us in the Scriptures. . . ." (Ascent, Book II, Chapter XXI).

The Sponge in Water and Spiritual Growth

Teresa's references to a sponge appear in Relations III, Para 9, and in Relations IX, Para 10.

In Relations III, Para 9, she wrote:

"I retain to this day, which is the Commemoration of St. Paul, the presence of the Three Persons of which I spoke in the beginning; they are present almost continually in my soul. I, being accustomed to the presence of Jesus Christ only, always thought that the vision of the Three Persons was in some degree a hindrance, though I know the Three Persons are but One God. To-day, while thinking of this, our Lord said to me 'that I was wrong in imagining that those things which are peculiar to the soul can be represented by those of the body; I was to understand that they were very different, and that the soul had a capacity for great fruition.' It seemed to me as if this were shown to me thus: as water penetrates and is drunk in by the sponge, so, it seemed to me, did the Divinity fill my soul, which in a certain sense had the fruition and possession of the Three Persons. And I heard Him say also: 'Labour thou not to hold Me within thyself enclosed, but enclose thou thyself within Me.' It seemed to me that I saw the Three Persons within my soul, and communicating Themselves to all creatures abundantly without ceasing to be with me."

What she recounts there is somewhat similar to St. John of the Cross's vessel in the spring in that she imagines God as being like water. She sees her soul as being like a sponge instead of a vessel. She describes that sponge as the way in which she saw the Three Persons of the Trinity filling her soul. Yet, God then told her not to just see Him as within herself, but rather to see herself as within God. In that way, the sponge, in God and filled with God, is like the vessel in the spring and filled with water from the spring.

St. Teresa is not speaking of the sponge as varying from soul to soul because she is speaking specifically of herself. That was St. John of the Cross's insight. St. Teresa's insight is that the sponge of one's soul is filled with all three persons of the Trinity, and not only with Christ. That point can be shown in Scripture, and it is not unique or new to St. Teresa. God is love (I John 4:8), and there is love among the persons of the Trinity. The entire Trinity within us enables an encounter with God's love, as described in Eph. 3:17-19, II Cor. 4:6-7, Phil. 4:7-9, Gal. 5:22. The growth in that encounter is fundamental to our growth in the love that P. Marie-Eugene says determines the capacity of our vessel.

St. Teresa returned to her sponge illustration in Relations IX, Para. 10:

"On one occasion, I understood how our Lord was in all things, and how He was in the soul; and the illustration of a sponge filled with water was suggested to me."

Again, the sponge illustrates both how God is in all things (We are in God), and in the soul (God is in us). In visualizing herself within the infinite Divinity, she shows us how small, finite, and ordinary we are. The sponge could think itself to be the center of attention, filled with so essential an element as water, if it could not see itself as little and immersed into a limitless flow of living water from the source. Here, we might think of today's reading from Mass, in which St. Paul says, "I will rather boast most gladly of my weaknesses, in order that the power of Christ may dwell with me." (II Cor. 12:9).

St. Teresa's reference to growth here is her statement that the Lord told her not to "labour" to hold Him within herself, but rather to "enclose" herself within the Lord. This involves meditation and growth in self-knowledge.

I include these texts because they add to St. John of the Cross's vessel illustration. Both speak of God filling us. It is not hard to go from what St. Teresa wrote to concluding that our capacity for being filled with God "in whom we live and move and have our being" (Acts 17:28) depends upon our soul's capacity to absorb the Trinity. Meditation with an awareness of one's own littleness, enclosed in God's infinity, is essential to preparing ourselves for unity with God in contemplation.

The Bride in the Wine Cellar and Spiritual Growth

St. Teresa of Avila, in her Meditations on the Song of Songs, Chapter 6, wrote from Song of Songs 2:4, "The King brought me into the wine cellar and set charity in order within me." Seeing the Lord as King, and the soul as the King's bride, she wrote that a person can be given a larger or smaller amount of wine to drink, "a good or a better wine", which will make him more or less intoxicated. She compares that to God's gifts which vary from one person to another.

While God gives differing amounts to different people, St. Teresa observes, from the fact that the King brings the bride into the wine cellar, "It doesn't seem the King wants to keep anything from her." God's will is to give Himself fully to each soul. Yet, if she were to drink it all, she might lose her life from drinking in more than her natural weakness can stand. "Let it die," she says, "in this paradise of delights."

The message of growth here is much the same as that of the silkworm that must endure a death in its cocoon to become a butterfly. She is speaking of the death to the world that must come if we are to experience the fullness of all that God wishes to give us. While different people receive different amounts from the wine cellar, it is God's will to give each soul everything He has to offer. Some hold back from the fear of that death to self. The process of growth in the first four Mansions of Interior Castle is that process of growth that prepares a soul to receive all that God wishes to offer, even at the cost of dying to the world and living for God.

St. John of the Cross also used seven mansions and the wine cellar as illustrations in The Ascent of Mount Carmel. He writes, in Book II, Chapter XI, about the soul moving from step to step through seven mansions, in a reference similar to that of St. Teresa's seven mansions, although the word is "mansiones" and not "moradas". He wrote:

"If, then, the soul conquer the devil upon the first step, it will pass to the second; and if upon the second likewise, it will pass to the third; and so onward, through all seven mansions which are the seven steps of love, until the Spouse shall bring it to the cellar of wine of His perfect charity."

In Ascent, the bride in the wine cellar represents the perfection of unitive love in the seventh mansion -- God's "perfect charity" or "unitive charity" in spiritual marriage. And while such unitive charity is limited to the higher mansions, St. John of the Cross speaks of "seven steps of love" in all seven mansions, as the soul moves toward that perfect charity of the wine cellar.

So I thought it would be interesting to try to identify the levels of love in the first four Mansions of Interior Castle, and here is what I came up with:

First Mansion: St. Teresa mentions mutual love among nuns, watching for Satan's divisive efforts. The soul entering the castle turns toward the center, where the King is, with an awareness of to whom one is speaking.

Second Mansion: The soul can hear the Lord when He calls. From time to time, he draws us near through words spoken by others in homilies, books, illnesses, trials, and truth taught during brief moments spent in prayer. God waits for us patiently.

Third Mansion: The soul's love has not yet reached the point where love overwhelms reason. But reason makes the soul dissatisfied with going step by step in serving God. The soul begins to want a supernatural means of reaching the center where the King is.

Fourth Mansion: Supernatural experiences begin, with the prayer of infused recollection and quiet, or spiritual delight. This is a stage of transition when both consolations and spiritual delights are felt. St. Teresa defines love as desiring to please God. This is the introduction to the unitive love between God and the soul leading toward spiritual marriage.

St. Teresa then takes us into her description of the Fifth Dwelling Place, which she says most people who pray enter at some level. Indeed, she says, all who wear the Carmelite habit are called to prayer and contemplation. But there are various levels of the Fifth Dwelling Place, and some of them are experienced by only a few. She cautions, "But, daughters, if you would purchase this treasure of which we are speaking, God would have you keep back nothing from Him, little or great." "There is no more certain sign," she says, of "whether or not we have reached the prayer of union." Those who are there have "died entirely to this world, to live more truly than ever in God." This is the spiritual death of the cocoon, which only those who have already grown enough spiritually are likely to endure.

The Blood of Christ Is the Earnest of God's Faithful Love

2009-07-05T14:02:08-07:00

In his words at today's midday Angelus, the Holy Father spoke about July as the month devoted to the Most Precious Blood of Christ, referencing passages from the new testament about the blood of Christ. He said, "Christ did not answer evil with evil, but with goodness, with his infinite love. The blood of Christ is the earnest of God's faithful love for mankind." After the prayer, he spoke about recent tragedies, including a bomb that exploded in front of a cathedral this morning in the Philippines, killing several people and injuring many more.

Benedetto XVI Forum has photos and an English translation. The Vatican's Daily Bulletin has the original Italian text and the Pope's greetings in various languages. Asia News has an article. In addition to the Asia News article about the bombing, linked above, another article was published by the Associated Press, among others.

Pet Safety for 4th of July Fireworks

2009-07-04T10:31:09-07:00

Here are some links to articles on how to keep your pet safe and calm during the 4th of July fireworks. It seems that more pets run away that day than any other day of the year. I came across two particularly good articles and decided to see what else I could find for a round-up.

I think Cesar Millan is probably right that the owner's positive attitude can help to calm the pet. Muffin's birthday is celebrated today, although I actually only know that she was born in early July and I have always put "July 1" on vet records. So I can make an extra fuss over the cats that way, although they don't actually know that's what the fuss is about.

ASPCA Message: 4th of July Festivities: Should You Bring Your Pet?

Franny's Cats Blog and about.com: 4th of July Survival Kit for Cats

Houston Cat Care Examiner: Pet Survival Guide for the 4th of July

Best Friends Network: Pets and Fireworks - Not a Safe Mix

Ezine: Cats and Fireworks - Tips to Help Keep Your Feline Calm and Safe

PetMD's Daily Vet Blog: Fireworks and Pets Don't Mix (In case you didn't already know)

Cesar Millan's 4th of July Fireworks Tips (for Dogs)

Animal Planet video on Pets and Fireworks

The Priest's Personal Identity Identified with His Pastoral Activity

2009-07-01T08:12:38-07:00

In today's General Audience, the Holy Father spoke of the link between the recently concluded Pauline Year and the newly begun Year of Priests, particularly mentioning St. Jean-Baptiste Marie (John Mary) Vianney. The Daily Bulletin has the Italian text with summaries in several languages. Vatican Information Service has an English language press release with quotations. Benedetto XVI Forum has photos. Zenit has a full translation.

Here is the Holy Father's English language summary:

"There is a close link between the Pauline Year, which concluded last Sunday, and the Church’s current celebration of the Year for Priests. As we have seen, Saint Paul, in his life and his writings, teaches us that the mystery of Christ must stand at the very heart of our lives as individuals and as a community. This is true in a very special way of priests. In Saint John Mary Vianney, the patron saint of parish priests, we see a wonderful example of a priest whose person was completely identified with his ministry. The priest’s personal identity, grounded in his calling and his sacramental configuration to Christ, may not be separated from his pastoral activity. Indeed, the ministry of every priest is essentially "cultic", in the fullest sense of the word: it is meant to enable the faithful to offer their lives to God as a pleasing sacrifice (cf. Rom 12:1). It is my hope that this Year for Priests will help all priests to appreciate the immense grace of their vocation, consecration and mission. During this Year may the whole Church pray and work more fervently for the sanctification of priests, an increase of priestly vocations, and a greater appreciation of the role of the priest in the life of the ecclesial community."

TV Programming for the Solemnity of Sts. Peter and Paul

2009-06-28T09:30:38-07:00

Catholic TV is planning to broadcast today's first vespers of the Solemnity of Sts. Peter and Paul, with the Holy Father presiding, at the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls. The broadcast will be at 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time, 5:00 p.m. Pacific Time. There will be a re-broadcast on Monday at noon Eastern.

EWTN is planning to broadcast Monday's Solemn Mass from Rome. The live broadcast will be at 12:30 a.m. Pacific, 3:30 a.m. Eastern, 9:30 a.m. Rome. A re-broadcast is planned for Monday at 8:30 a.m. Pacific and 11:30 a.m. Eastern.

If you cannot watch those broadcast times, check out French Catholic KTO TV which usually has video on demand available for major Papal events within a day or so after the live broadcast. Full screen viewing is available.

St. Paul as a Model for Priests

2009-06-28T09:08:27-07:00

In his words at today's midday Angelus prayer, Pope Benedict XVI spoke about the Year of St. Paul, which is drawing to a close, and the Year of Priests, which began a week ago. The Pauline Year will end this evening when the Pope presides over the first vespers of the feasts of Sts. Peter and Paul at the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls. The Holy Father called the past year "a time of grace". He proposed St. Paul as a model for priests "in his love for Christ, in his zeal to announce the Gospel, in his dedication to the community, in his elaboration of effective syntheses of pastoral theology."

Zenit has a full translation of the Holy Father's words. Benedetto XVI Forum also has a translation and photos. The original Italian text with greetings in several languages can be found at the Vatican Press Office's Daily Bulletin. Asia News has an article.

Be Still

2009-06-27T20:08:21-07:00

Hat tip Le Petit Placide.

The Beauty of Silence

2009-06-27T19:51:22-07:00

Jeffrey Tucker has a post at New Liturgical Movement called "The Awesome Beauty of Silence". It is about the beauty of a silent recessional at the end of a Requiem Mass at the ongoing Sacred Music Colloquium.

Year for Priests: "Towards the Spiritual Perfection Essential to the Effectiveness of Their Ministry"

2009-06-24T21:56:26-07:00

In today's General Audience, Pope Benedict XVI spoke about Friday's beginning of the new Year of Priests and the ending of the Year of St. Paul. He spoke about why he created a Year of Priests and about the nature of the priesthood. On this feast day of St. John the Baptist, he asked, "May this Year of the Priest bring all priests to identify themselves totally with Jesus, crucified and risen, so that in imitation of St. John the Baptist, we are willing to 'decrease' so that he increases. . . ."

Zenit has a full translation. Benedetto XVI Forum has a lot of photos. Vatican Information Service has a press release. Asia News and Catholic News Agency have articles. The Vatican Press Office's Daily Bulletin has the original Italian text and summaries in various languages.

Here is his English language synopsis:

"Last Friday, the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus – a day traditionally devoted to prayer for the sanctification of priests – marked the beginning of the Year for Priests commemorating the sesquicentennial of the death of the Curé of Ars, Saint John Mary Vianney, patron of parish priests. The Pauline Year now ending and the current Year for Priests invite us to consider how the Apostle Paul and the humble Curé of Ars both identified themselves completely with their ministry, striving to live in constant communion with Christ. May this Year for Priests help all priests to grow towards the spiritual perfection essential to the effectiveness of their ministry, and enable the faithful to appreciate more fully the great gift of grace which the priesthood is: for priests themselves, for the Church and for our world. Configured to Christ in the sacrament of Holy Orders, the priest is called to become an alter Christus, "another Christ". His personal union with the Lord must thus unify every aspect of his life and activity. During this Year for Priests, let us entrust all priests to Mary, Mother of the Church, and pray that they will grow in fidelity to their mission to be living signs of Christ’s presence and infinite mercy."

Pope Benedict XVI at the Tomb of Padre Pio

2009-06-21T08:20:49-07:00

Today the Holy Father is visiting the Sanctuary of Our Lady of the Graces in San Giovanni Rotondo. The body of (Saint) Padre Pio has been on display there for 40 years. The Holy Father said Mass this morning and gave his usual midday Angelus reflection. In the afternoon, he is meeting with the sick, the medical staff and managers in front of a hospital, and then meeting with priests, religious and young people. He prayed in front of the body of St. Padre Pio. The Vatican has posted a program. The web page for the journey also has a link to a biographical description about the saint and will have all of the official translations of the texts posted in several languages eventually.

Teresa Benedetta has a lot of photos and a translation of the Holy Father's homily from this morning. Zenit has English translations from all four of the Holy Father's key events homily at Mass, Angelus address, words at the Padre Pio Hospital, and words to priests, religious and youth.

The Vatican's Daily Bulletin has the Italian texts of the homily and the Holy Father's words at the Angelus.

Asia News has an article, and Vatican Radio has an audio report and short article about the Pope's request for charity for refugees during his words at the Angelus.

EWTN broadcast live (at 1:00 a.m. Pacific Time) the Mass and Angelus, and I'm not sure if that also included the Pope's visit to Padre Pio's tomb. There was a scheduled re-broadcast that I tried to watch, but there must have been a technical problem, or else they started an hour or so later (after I left for Mass). Catholic TV will re-broadcast the Mass this evening and tomorrow.

Meanwhile, KTO has the videos available on demand (with French commentary) for all 4 major events of the day: Eucharistic Celebration; Angelus; meeting at the hospital; and meeting with priests, religious and youth. KTO is best viewed in Windows with Explorer. You can click on the icon to the left, under the video, to get the video in full screen. Then click on "escape" to get back to the web page.

In his homily for Mass, the Pope drew from today's Gospel reading for Mass (Mark 4:35-41) in which Jesus sleeps on a boat during a storm and calms the sea when awakened by his disciples. The Pope said that, unlike his disciples, Jesus slept because his faith was strong. Even when Jesus' hour came, in the crucifixion, "like a gigantic wave that is about to crash down upon him", Jesus did not doubt God's power and presence. The Pope said that some saints, like Padre Pio, have lived Jesus' experience. He told those present that "the inheritance that he left for you is holiness." He spoke about the importance of prayer and charity to Padre Pio, and contrasted the ever present "risks of activism and of secularization". He said that, because of those risks, one of the purposes of his visit was to confirm them in their fidelity to the mission they inherited from Padre Pio. He encouraged them "even in the storms that can suddenly rise up" to "experience the breath of the Holy Spirit" and to "always live in serenity and cultivate joy in our hearts, giving thanks to the Lord."

Elena Maria Vidal on the Sacred Heart of Jesus

2009-06-19T16:24:18-07:00

Elena Maria Vidal has a series of posts related to today's Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus at her new Carmelite-related blog Fountain of Elias:

Madame Elisabeth's Prayer to the Sacred Heart of Jesus

Paray-le-Monial, 1689

Sacred Heart Badge

Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus

A Day in Paray-le-Monial: The Place of the Apparitions of the Sacred Heart

2009-06-19T16:13:45-07:00

Here is another travel diary entry from my trip in January. The day after I went to Ars, I went to Paray-le-Monial. The Basilica of the Sacred Heart there was originally built for a Cluniac monastery. A block or two away is the Visitandine Monastery where St. Marguerite Marie Alacoque lived. Her apparitions of Jesus' Sacred Heart draw many pilgrims to Paray-le-Monial each year. In January, both the Basilica and the Visitandine Monastery's Chapel of the Apparitions were quiet. Here is the day's travel diary:

"He to whom there is no need to say anything knows what we desire (Wis. 7:27, Mt. 6:8). We know that he can do everything. . . . It is enough for us to have brought his power here, to have given his holiness a reason, and we prefer to wait patiently upon his will rather than impudently to ask what he will not perhaps wish to do. Perhaps what our deserving lacks our modesty will supply?"

- St. Bernard of Clairvaux, On Humility and Pride

On a Tuesday morning, mid-January, I was concerned about the weather for the drive from Lyon to Paray-le-Monial, which goes through hills at a higher altitude further from the city than the previous day's drive to Ars-sur-Forman. Three different weather reports agreed it would rain. One of them warned that fog was likely and mentioned a "minimal" chance of heavy snow.

What none of them mentioned was a chance of a beautiful, sunny day. The air was cool and crisp, but not terribly cold, and the drive was scenic and otherwise uneventful. I didn't see clouds begin to gather until on my way back to Lyon late that afternoon.

Along the way, I passed the turnoff to Cluny, where the original monastery once was for the Cluniac reform in the Benedictine Order. However, that monastery has been rebuilt over the years, unlike the church from the Cluniac monastery at Paray-le-Monial, which still stands nearly a millineum after it was built. Only the church remains from the original monastery, and it is massive. The monastery was built in the 10th or 11th century, and the church was built in the 12th century, around the same time when the Cistercian St. Bernard wrote his book quoted above. The large church, built on the initiative of abbot St. Hugh of Cluny, is now called the Basilica of the Sacred Heart, and it is part of a Catholic retreat center operated by the Emmanuel Community.

The Catholic Encyclopedia says of Paray-le-Monial that "The Cluny monks were, 999-1789, lords of the town." In 1678, the Visitandine nuns arrived in the town. In the nearby Chapel of the Visitation, part of the Visitandine Monastery, St. Marguerite Marie Alacoque lived in the late 17th century. She spoke to Jesus who frequently appeared to her as her Director, and who confided to her the mission to establish the devotion to His Sacred Heart. Since 1873, Paray-le-Monial has drawn increasing numbers of pilgrims each year, now numbering around 400,000, largely made up of people with a devotion to the Sacred Heart. On the day when I was there in January, there were only a few.

I thought about St. Bernard's words while I was there. I had a strong sense there of the presence of the Holy Spirit, and thought about the lives of the monks, unknown, their names not remembered, who lived their lives there over the centuries, chanting the hours in that place where the slightest sound resonates so loudly that they would have to have kept very still in times of prayer to maintain silence. The basilica is also known for its "mystical light", created by architectural design.

There must have been unknown saints there through the centuries, the kind remembered on the Feast of All Saints. What they did that affects us today is what they accomplished by their lives of prayer and not action, and what they accomplished in building and maintaining the basilica over the centuries, probably maintenance done in boring manual labor while in meditation.

I looked all around the inside of the basilica and then sat down in a chapel with the reserved host. The crisp air smelled and felt so good that I breathed it in deeply a number of times, clean and crisp, like the cool sunny day, and somehow quietly healing. After a while, I walked through the basilica again and took pictures. There were only a few other people around, so that there was a lot of solitude there, and it was very quiet.

From there, I walked over to the Chapel of the Visitation. A young couple were there for a while, looking at the place where St. Marguerite Marie Alacoque's body rests in the chapel. Later, a nun came in alone and sat down a few rows behind me. I don't know from which order. The Visitandine nuns who live there came into their choir near the chapel, where we could see them, and chanted the office mid-afternoon.

I left around 3:00 p.m. and went and walked through the garden by the basilica before heading back to my car. I looked around for somewhere to have lunch but found nothing open that late in the afternoon, so I headed back to Lyon to return my rental car.

Picture: Statue of St. Marguerite Marie Alacoque in the Basilica of the Sacred Heart, Paray-le-Monial.