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A balanced Catholic weekly magazine published by the jesuits of the United States for an intelligent Catholic readership. Go online to subscribe.

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This link will keep 'parishioners-at-large' in touch with current creative liturgy sources and resources that respect a variety of 'traditions' within the Church.

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A 'movement' of lay Catholics 'inspired' by the abuse scandal calling for greater accountability of bishops to 'Catholics in the Pew.'

Survivos' Network for those Abused by Priests or Religious
A National Network of self-help support groups for people abused by clergy or religious.

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Vital information about the disclosure of sexual abuse and related issues affecting Catholics in the pew and the manner in which Bishops continue to exempt themselves from accountability

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Daily Scripture

+ 7th Week of Easter

“Parting is such sweet sorrow.”

Readings: Acts 20:17-27 Psalm 68:10-11, 20-21 John 17:1-11

I am in the world no longer, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. [John 17:11]

Shakespeare ‘penned’ the phrase quoted above. I didn’t understand it as a student of Shakespeare in high school but I began to understand it when I waved goodbye to my family as I sailed off to Italy on September 21, 1963 for a three-year stretch in Rome. In fact, it has multiple meanings and applications that I appreciate now more than ever before.

There is another phrase that perhaps gives credence to my thoughts so poorly expressed and it’s this: “Absence makes the heart grow fonder.” Ah, that’s it. At times we need to separate from ‘the source’ in order to appreciate how important it is to stay connected.

The farewell speech of St. Paul in Acts and the farewell ‘prayer’ of Jesus in John’s gospel were more likely composed by the authors of these texts along the lines of the farewell speeches of great leaders of their times in order to attract the attention of Jesus’ followers.

The departure of Jesus and later that of Paul created ‘fallow’ time in the hearts of the neophyte believers that was absolutely necessary if they were to grasp the significance of Jesus’ message and the teachings of St. Paul.

We are once again in ‘fallow’ time as we prepare for Pentecost. It’s a time of discernment during which we are invited to ponder the words and deeds of Jesus so that in his absence, we may come to know his presence in the Spirit that remains within us and around us.

As we ponder, it is important to reflect on the gifts of the Holy Spirit: wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety and reverence of the Lord. And the fruits of the Holy Spirit are qualities that are characteristic of a community living in Christ: charity, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, generosity, gentleness, faithfulness, modesty self-control and chastity.

There is much to ponder as we wait for the coming of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost.

Daily Scripture

Friday August 29, 2008

+ Beheading of John the Baptist

If you’re going to put your head on the block, be sure it’s for the right cause.

Gird your loins; stand up and tell them all that I command you. Be not crushed on their account, as though I would leave you crushed before them. [Jeremiah 1:17-18]

When I listened as a child to the dramatic stories of the trials of martyrs, they were ancient history. As I grew older and listened to more stories of martyrs, they were about courageous men and women in other lands – in Nazi Germany, Poland, Russia, China, Latin America, Rwanda and Sudan, to name only a few.

As an adult, the stories were about martyrs in our own land – martyrs for the sake of justice on behalf of blacks in Mississippi, martyrs for the sake of the exploited poor in sweat shops, and more recently, martyrs for the sake of the abused – not only those sexually abused by priests or religious but also the thousands who are abused daily by trusted family members, teachers, coaches, counselors. In the face of denial, these ‘martyrs’ have not been literally beheaded though many who oppose them believe they have lost their heads. Too many have taken their lives.

The word ‘martyr’ literally means ‘witness.’ There are folks with a martyr complex who seem to revel in the glory of martyrdom but true martyrs are not masochists. They are people of faith committed to justice and integrity for the sake of the ‘inconvenient truth’ of the Gospel.

John the Baptist could have kept silent and won the favor of the ‘king’ but he chose to follow the heartbeat of truth and act with integrity for which he paid the price. I suppose he was an extremist of sorts. People who pursue justice and integrity are in pursuing love in its most extreme form.

“Greater love has no one than to lay down one’s life for a friend.”

Please help:

Victims of sexual abuse didn’t choose which road they took in life. Others chose it for them, leading to pain and suffering.

But there is one road that can bring those wounded back to health. It’s The Road to Recovery.

Please help Road to Recovery reach those in need of a healing way home. Send your donations to:

Road to Recovery PO Box 1908, Livingston NJ 07039 Click Road to Recovery Website above to find out more information about Road to Recovery, a tax exempt not profit organizations. All donations are tax deductible.