ZE091207
ZENIT
The World Seen From Rome
Daily dispatch - December 07, 2009
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VATICAN DOSSIER
WORLD FEATURES
- US Bishops Back Measure to Bar Tax-Funded Abortion
- Prelate Urges Christians to Give up Western Ways
- Emigration Is Not an Evil, Says Cardinal
- Italian Bill Would Recognize Rights of Unborn
NEWS BRIEFS
Civilization of Love
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VATICAN DOSSIER
Belgium Sends 100-foot Tree to St. Peter's
Set to Be Lit Up in White and Gold on Tuesday
VATICAN CITY, DEC. 7, 2009 (Zenit.org).- The Christmas tree in St. Peter's Square this year is a fir from the Ardennes forest of Belgium.
The 30-meter (about 100-foot) tree is 100 years old. It has a 7-meter (22-foot) diameter and weighs 14 tons.
The tree was to be felled, along with others of the same forest, to allow for the growth of other nearby trees and plants, a communiqué from the Holy See noted.
On Friday, the tree was set up to the right of the obelisk. It will be decorated in Vatican colors -- gold and white -- and will be lit up Tuesday, feast of the Immaculate Conception.
The tradition of placing a Christmas tree and a Nativity scene in St. Peter's Square goes back only to 1982; it was an initiative of Pope John Paul II.
Benedict XVI has followed this tradition. He has also highlighted the cultural and artistic value of Nativity scenes, saying they are not just a spiritual tradition.
St. Peter's Nativity scene has nine figures that were part of a scene prepared by St. Vincent Palloti in 1842 in the Church of Sant'Andrea della Valle, located in the heart of Rome.
To these figures of the Holy Family, eight others were subsequently added, in particular, a traditional Polish family.
The Nativity scene is customarily inaugurated on Dec. 24 and remains up until Feb. 2, feast of the Presentation of the Child Jesus in the Temple of Jerusalem.
As for the tree, for the past 27 years, different regions of Italy and Europe have taken turns in donating it.
This year's tree will be used to make wooden sculptures, the sales of which will be given to the poor.
The 30-meter (about 100-foot) tree is 100 years old. It has a 7-meter (22-foot) diameter and weighs 14 tons.
The tree was to be felled, along with others of the same forest, to allow for the growth of other nearby trees and plants, a communiqué from the Holy See noted.
On Friday, the tree was set up to the right of the obelisk. It will be decorated in Vatican colors -- gold and white -- and will be lit up Tuesday, feast of the Immaculate Conception.
The tradition of placing a Christmas tree and a Nativity scene in St. Peter's Square goes back only to 1982; it was an initiative of Pope John Paul II.
Benedict XVI has followed this tradition. He has also highlighted the cultural and artistic value of Nativity scenes, saying they are not just a spiritual tradition.
St. Peter's Nativity scene has nine figures that were part of a scene prepared by St. Vincent Palloti in 1842 in the Church of Sant'Andrea della Valle, located in the heart of Rome.
To these figures of the Holy Family, eight others were subsequently added, in particular, a traditional Polish family.
The Nativity scene is customarily inaugurated on Dec. 24 and remains up until Feb. 2, feast of the Presentation of the Child Jesus in the Temple of Jerusalem.
As for the tree, for the past 27 years, different regions of Italy and Europe have taken turns in donating it.
This year's tree will be used to make wooden sculptures, the sales of which will be given to the poor.
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Irish Prelates Called to Rome to Discuss Scandal
Pope Wishes to Evaluate "Painful Situation," Says Spokesman
VATICAN CITY, DEC. 7, 2009 (Zenit.org).- The director of the Vatican press office confirmed today that Benedict XVI will meet Friday with Irish prelates to discuss the abuse of children by clergy in the nation.
Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi confirmed that the Pope will meet with Cardinal Sean Brady, president of the Irish episcopal conference, and Archbishop Diarmuid Martin of Dublin.
The spokesman said the Holy Father called the meeting "to be briefed and to evaluate the painful situation of the Church in Ireland following the recent publication of the Murphy Commission Report."
Father Lombardi said directors of dicasteries that deal with these issues will also attend, as will Archbishop Giuseppe Leanza, the apostolic nuncio to Ireland.
The report, which details abuse cases in the Dublin Archdiocese from 1975 to 2004 and the response of Church and state authorities to these accusations, was published Nov. 26 by an independent investigative commission.
Bishop Donal Murray of Limerick was the only active bishop named in the report for failing to deal properly with sexual abuse cases, and it called his handling of the investigations "inexcusable."
In a statement read during Sunday Masses throughout the diocese, Bishop Murray affirmed that he is "is acutely aware of the pain and anguish that has been experienced and expressed in the last week."
Amid speculation that the bishop would resign, the statement added that he is "reflecting on the decision that he now has to make and asks for your continued prayers especially over the coming week."
Anger
"I know very many people are very angry with their church and their bishops at this time in Ireland, and rightly so," Cardinal Brady told RTE over the weekend. "I know we have failed people and especially survivors of abuse, and that now is the time for action and accountability, and taking of responsibility for what has taken place."
The investigation began three years ago, under the leadership of Justice Yvonne Murphy, a High Court judge from Dublin.
After its publication, Northern Ireland assembly members called for a similar inquiry.
The publication of this Dublin report comes several months after the May 20 release of the Ryan report, which detailed widespread child abuse in Catholic schools throughout the country.
The cardinal and archbishop also met with Benedict XVI regarding that report, in early June.
The Holy Father then called for a "deep examination" of the life of the Church in Ireland. Archbishop Martin affirmed that the Pontiff was "visibly upset" when he was presented by the prelates with the details contained in the Ryan report.
Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi confirmed that the Pope will meet with Cardinal Sean Brady, president of the Irish episcopal conference, and Archbishop Diarmuid Martin of Dublin.
The spokesman said the Holy Father called the meeting "to be briefed and to evaluate the painful situation of the Church in Ireland following the recent publication of the Murphy Commission Report."
Father Lombardi said directors of dicasteries that deal with these issues will also attend, as will Archbishop Giuseppe Leanza, the apostolic nuncio to Ireland.
The report, which details abuse cases in the Dublin Archdiocese from 1975 to 2004 and the response of Church and state authorities to these accusations, was published Nov. 26 by an independent investigative commission.
Bishop Donal Murray of Limerick was the only active bishop named in the report for failing to deal properly with sexual abuse cases, and it called his handling of the investigations "inexcusable."
In a statement read during Sunday Masses throughout the diocese, Bishop Murray affirmed that he is "is acutely aware of the pain and anguish that has been experienced and expressed in the last week."
Amid speculation that the bishop would resign, the statement added that he is "reflecting on the decision that he now has to make and asks for your continued prayers especially over the coming week."
Anger
"I know very many people are very angry with their church and their bishops at this time in Ireland, and rightly so," Cardinal Brady told RTE over the weekend. "I know we have failed people and especially survivors of abuse, and that now is the time for action and accountability, and taking of responsibility for what has taken place."
The investigation began three years ago, under the leadership of Justice Yvonne Murphy, a High Court judge from Dublin.
After its publication, Northern Ireland assembly members called for a similar inquiry.
The publication of this Dublin report comes several months after the May 20 release of the Ryan report, which detailed widespread child abuse in Catholic schools throughout the country.
The cardinal and archbishop also met with Benedict XVI regarding that report, in early June.
The Holy Father then called for a "deep examination" of the life of the Church in Ireland. Archbishop Martin affirmed that the Pontiff was "visibly upset" when he was presented by the prelates with the details contained in the Ryan report.
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WORLD FEATURES
US Bishops Back Measure to Bar Tax-Funded Abortion
Senate Vote Expected on Tuesday
WASHINGTON, D.C., DEC. 7, 2009 (Zenit.org).- The U.S. bishops are backing an amendment to keep abortion out of health care reform and are asking voters to urge their Senators to support the measure.
The bishops wrote Congress today in support of an amendment proposed by Senators Ben Nelson, Orrin Hatch and Robert Casey, which would prevent the health reform bill from using federal funds to pay for health plans that include elective abortions. They sent along two fact sheets explaining how the current bill supports abortion and how the amendment would stop that.
A similar measure was passed in the House of Representatives, paving the way for the passage there of the "Affordable Health Care for America Act."
The bishops are urging voters to contact their Senators and express support for the amendment, and in fact, the bishops' Web site offers a user-friendly e-mail system to put constituents in touch with their Senators.
"This amendment will have the same effect as the Stupak-Smith-Ellsworth-Kaptur-Dahlkemper-Pitts Amendment already accepted in the House by an overwhelming bipartisan majority," the bishops' letter said. "Like that amendment, it does not change the current situation in our country: Abortion is legal and available, but no federal dollars can be used to pay for elective abortions or plans that include elective abortions. This amendment does not restrict abortion, or prevent people from buying insurance covering abortion with their own funds. It simply ensures that where federal funds are involved, people are not required to pay for other people’s abortions."
The bishops note that without the amendment, the Senate bill fails to keep tax dollars from funding abortions.
"Sadly, the current Senate bill fails to keep in place the longstanding federal policy against the use of federal funds for elective abortions or health plans that include elective abortions -- a policy upheld in all health programs covered by the Hyde Amendment, the Children’s Health Insurance Program, the Federal Employee Health Benefits Program -- and now in the House-passed 'Affordable Health Care for America Act,'" they explained. "We believe legislation that violates this moral principle is not true health care reform and must be amended to reflect the Hyde restrictions. If that fails, the current legislation should be opposed."
One of the sponsors of the bill, Senator Nelson of Nebraska, noted that the amendment is a reflection of Americans' desires to restrict abortion.
"Most Nebraskans, and Americans, do not favor using public funds to cover abortion,” he said in a statement on his Web page, "and as a result this bill shouldn’t open the door to do so."
--- --- ---
On the Net:
Bishops' link to contact senators: http://actions.nchla.org/Core.aspx?AID=970&APP=GAC&IssueID=19513&SiteID=-1
Full text of bishops' letter: www.usccb.org/comm/archives/2009/09-253.shtml
Fact sheet on the Senate bill: www.usccb.org/healthcare/hatch-nelson120409.pdf
Fact sheet on the amendment: www.usccb.org/healthcare/nelsondo.pdf
The bishops wrote Congress today in support of an amendment proposed by Senators Ben Nelson, Orrin Hatch and Robert Casey, which would prevent the health reform bill from using federal funds to pay for health plans that include elective abortions. They sent along two fact sheets explaining how the current bill supports abortion and how the amendment would stop that.
A similar measure was passed in the House of Representatives, paving the way for the passage there of the "Affordable Health Care for America Act."
The bishops are urging voters to contact their Senators and express support for the amendment, and in fact, the bishops' Web site offers a user-friendly e-mail system to put constituents in touch with their Senators.
"This amendment will have the same effect as the Stupak-Smith-Ellsworth-Kaptur-Dahlkemper-Pitts Amendment already accepted in the House by an overwhelming bipartisan majority," the bishops' letter said. "Like that amendment, it does not change the current situation in our country: Abortion is legal and available, but no federal dollars can be used to pay for elective abortions or plans that include elective abortions. This amendment does not restrict abortion, or prevent people from buying insurance covering abortion with their own funds. It simply ensures that where federal funds are involved, people are not required to pay for other people’s abortions."
The bishops note that without the amendment, the Senate bill fails to keep tax dollars from funding abortions.
"Sadly, the current Senate bill fails to keep in place the longstanding federal policy against the use of federal funds for elective abortions or health plans that include elective abortions -- a policy upheld in all health programs covered by the Hyde Amendment, the Children’s Health Insurance Program, the Federal Employee Health Benefits Program -- and now in the House-passed 'Affordable Health Care for America Act,'" they explained. "We believe legislation that violates this moral principle is not true health care reform and must be amended to reflect the Hyde restrictions. If that fails, the current legislation should be opposed."
One of the sponsors of the bill, Senator Nelson of Nebraska, noted that the amendment is a reflection of Americans' desires to restrict abortion.
"Most Nebraskans, and Americans, do not favor using public funds to cover abortion,” he said in a statement on his Web page, "and as a result this bill shouldn’t open the door to do so."
--- --- ---
On the Net:
Bishops' link to contact senators: http://actions.nchla.org/Core.aspx?AID=970&APP=GAC&IssueID=19513&SiteID=-1
Full text of bishops' letter: www.usccb.org/comm/archives/2009/09-253.shtml
Fact sheet on the Senate bill: www.usccb.org/healthcare/hatch-nelson120409.pdf
Fact sheet on the amendment: www.usccb.org/healthcare/nelsondo.pdf
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Prelate Urges Christians to Give up Western Ways
Encourages Building Bridges in Middle East
OSLO, Norway, DEC. 7, 2009 (Zenit.org).- Christians in the Middle East must build bridges with the cultures around them rather than emphasizing differences, says the grand knight of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulcher.
Cardinal John Foley stated this Friday in a conference on "The Exodus of Christians from the Holy Land: A Challenge for a Sustainable Peace."
In the conference, held at the Norwegian School of Theology in Oslo, he pointed out that for Christians to thrive in the Middle East, they must integrate more into the culture.
"Christianity is trans-national, trans-ethnic and trans-cultural," the cardinal stated. "It should not be tied to an ethnic group" or "any one culture."
"It is for the whole world," he affirmed.
The prelate explained that "the tendency of Christians in the Middle East is to identify with Western ways and Western styles," but that they "must not cling" to this identity.
He continued: "Of course we all belong to a family, a clan, have an ethnic group. This is the ethnicity we all have. But the Christians in the Middle East -- and everywhere -- have to be able to let go of that, too.
"One of the problems in the Middle East is that Christians have asserted Western culture against Islamic culture. Muslims don't eat pork, we will. Muslims don't drink wine, we will. Muslims fast through Ramadan, we won't.
"It's a sense of, we have to be us and they have to be them."
Global
Cardinal Foley acknowledged that this is "understandable," but that "Christianity doesn't have to be -- and shouldn't be -- tied to the Western way of doing things."
"Christianity is not tied to geography," he said.
"Judaism is focused on one piece of land," the prelate noted, "the small strip of land, the Holy Land, because of the promise to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, because of the ancient kingdoms of Judah and Israel."
As well, he continued, "Islam is very tied to territory," in a sense, "shrine-bound" to places like Mecca, Medina and Jerusalem.
Christianity is different, said the cardinal, as "Jesus is not buried in the Holy Sepulcher."
"We find him everywhere," he added, and "Christianity can flourish anywhere."
On the other hand, Cardinal Foley affirmed, Christians, especially from the Western world, are a "bridge to the future for the Muslim Arab world."
Western values
He explained, "Christians from the Western world have learned certain things and bring certain values and perspectives that are vitally important for the growth and maturation of the Arab world."
Among these ideas are the understanding of the separation between church and state, the prelate pointed out, or the value of reconciliation and forgiveness.
"If the Islamic world is to join fully into modern society, it has to integrate these values into its daily life," he said.
The cardinal affirmed that "Christians, because they bridge [many] cultures can be the instruments of assisting the maturation and modernization of the Islamic and Arab worlds."
"Ultimately," he said, "what Christians bring is that they become bridges in their very selves."
Cardinal Foley continued: "Our challenge is bridging differences.
"Christians have a tremendous role to play, even though they are a tiny minority and don't quite fit. They have tremendous roles to play in the Holy Land and in the Middle East."
--- --- ---
On ZENIT's Web page:
Full text: www.zenit.org/article-27766?l=english
Cardinal John Foley stated this Friday in a conference on "The Exodus of Christians from the Holy Land: A Challenge for a Sustainable Peace."
In the conference, held at the Norwegian School of Theology in Oslo, he pointed out that for Christians to thrive in the Middle East, they must integrate more into the culture.
"Christianity is trans-national, trans-ethnic and trans-cultural," the cardinal stated. "It should not be tied to an ethnic group" or "any one culture."
"It is for the whole world," he affirmed.
The prelate explained that "the tendency of Christians in the Middle East is to identify with Western ways and Western styles," but that they "must not cling" to this identity.
He continued: "Of course we all belong to a family, a clan, have an ethnic group. This is the ethnicity we all have. But the Christians in the Middle East -- and everywhere -- have to be able to let go of that, too.
"One of the problems in the Middle East is that Christians have asserted Western culture against Islamic culture. Muslims don't eat pork, we will. Muslims don't drink wine, we will. Muslims fast through Ramadan, we won't.
"It's a sense of, we have to be us and they have to be them."
Global
Cardinal Foley acknowledged that this is "understandable," but that "Christianity doesn't have to be -- and shouldn't be -- tied to the Western way of doing things."
"Christianity is not tied to geography," he said.
"Judaism is focused on one piece of land," the prelate noted, "the small strip of land, the Holy Land, because of the promise to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, because of the ancient kingdoms of Judah and Israel."
As well, he continued, "Islam is very tied to territory," in a sense, "shrine-bound" to places like Mecca, Medina and Jerusalem.
Christianity is different, said the cardinal, as "Jesus is not buried in the Holy Sepulcher."
"We find him everywhere," he added, and "Christianity can flourish anywhere."
On the other hand, Cardinal Foley affirmed, Christians, especially from the Western world, are a "bridge to the future for the Muslim Arab world."
Western values
He explained, "Christians from the Western world have learned certain things and bring certain values and perspectives that are vitally important for the growth and maturation of the Arab world."
Among these ideas are the understanding of the separation between church and state, the prelate pointed out, or the value of reconciliation and forgiveness.
"If the Islamic world is to join fully into modern society, it has to integrate these values into its daily life," he said.
The cardinal affirmed that "Christians, because they bridge [many] cultures can be the instruments of assisting the maturation and modernization of the Islamic and Arab worlds."
"Ultimately," he said, "what Christians bring is that they become bridges in their very selves."
Cardinal Foley continued: "Our challenge is bridging differences.
"Christians have a tremendous role to play, even though they are a tiny minority and don't quite fit. They have tremendous roles to play in the Holy Land and in the Middle East."
--- --- ---
On ZENIT's Web page:
Full text: www.zenit.org/article-27766?l=english
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Emigration Is Not an Evil, Says Cardinal
Underlines Christianity as a Movement
OSLO, Norway, DEC. 7, 2009 (Zenit.org).- The grand knight of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulcher is expressing concern about dwindling numbers of Holy Land Christians, while affirming that their emigration is not necessarily negative.
Cardinal John Foley stated this Friday in a conference held at the Norwegian School of Theology in Oslo on "The Exodus of Christians from the Holy Land: A Challenge for a Sustainable Peace."
He said, "I think that we can say without qualification that the presence of Christians in the Holy Land today is a source of hope for understanding, peace and reconciliation."
The cardinal reported however, that "in the entire traditional Holy Land area you are looking at a population of over 10,000,000 people, and a total Christian population of less than 200,000 [or 2%], the smallest percentage of Christians of any country in the region."
"Christians are leaving the Holy Land," he said, "leaving the Arab world, leaving the Middle East."
The prelate explained that this is taking place because "socially, among Christians, there is a sense of exclusion, if not discrimination, in many countries."
"That there is discrimination in Muslim countries is absolutely incontestable," he said, though it "varies from country to country."
"Generally speaking," he added, "the higher levels of the political and social order are reserved for Muslims; it's a fact of life."
Spreading worldwide
"However," Cardinal Foley affirmed, "if it should happen that there be not one single Christian left in the Holy Land, it will not hurt Christianity fundamentally," as Christianity is not bound to any geographical location.
Christianity can flourish anywhere, he said.
The cardinal stated: "When we talk about migration, we need to remember that fundamentally Christianity is a movement.
"Christians have always spread throughout the world. The mission of Christians is to spread throughout the world. Evangelization is all about spreading the Kingdom of God."
Thus, the prelate affirmed, emigration is "not an evil as such."
He continued: "Don't think that the movement of Christians is necessarily bad; the fact that a lot of Christians leave one place and go to another doesn't mean it is an evil, although they may move with regret. It's also a fact of life."
When Christians from Bethlehem emigrate, Cardinal Foley pointed out, they bring their values and history to other lands.
Emigration is "not necessarily an evil," he reiterated, "but, it does involve a loss."
"There's a patrimony and a culture that is being lost with the exodus of the Christians," the prelate affirmed.
Welcome
"On the other hand," he added, "it is understandable that Christians and other people in the Middle East want to seek a better life."
The cardinal acknowledged, "It takes a valiant minority to stay simply for the sake of maintaining the Christian presence when there are jobs, educational opportunities, a future and freedom in other parts of the world."
He continued: "Migration, by the way, doesn't mean you can't come back. One of the challenges, it seems to me, is to create a climate for safe migration.
"It's paradoxical that we're more inclined to let the birds migrate than to let the people."
Cardinal Foley underlined the need to assist the Christians who are currently living in the Holy Land, who "need help."
"If we are truly concerned with that part of the world, we need to use some of our influence on the governments of the lands in which we live to affect their national policies about the Middle East," he said.
In this way, the prelate affirmed, "we help ensure that Christian values, Christian ethics, Christian criteria of judgment are being brought to the table, either directly through our home countries or through the advocacy and work of the local church."
He also added that "a very practical thing we can do is help those who wish to migrate: Welcome them, facilitate their arrival and the presence and establishment of Middle Eastern Christians who wish to come to our home countries."
--- --- ---
On ZENIT's Web page:
Full text: www.zenit.org/article-27766?l=english
Cardinal John Foley stated this Friday in a conference held at the Norwegian School of Theology in Oslo on "The Exodus of Christians from the Holy Land: A Challenge for a Sustainable Peace."
He said, "I think that we can say without qualification that the presence of Christians in the Holy Land today is a source of hope for understanding, peace and reconciliation."
The cardinal reported however, that "in the entire traditional Holy Land area you are looking at a population of over 10,000,000 people, and a total Christian population of less than 200,000 [or 2%], the smallest percentage of Christians of any country in the region."
"Christians are leaving the Holy Land," he said, "leaving the Arab world, leaving the Middle East."
The prelate explained that this is taking place because "socially, among Christians, there is a sense of exclusion, if not discrimination, in many countries."
"That there is discrimination in Muslim countries is absolutely incontestable," he said, though it "varies from country to country."
"Generally speaking," he added, "the higher levels of the political and social order are reserved for Muslims; it's a fact of life."
Spreading worldwide
"However," Cardinal Foley affirmed, "if it should happen that there be not one single Christian left in the Holy Land, it will not hurt Christianity fundamentally," as Christianity is not bound to any geographical location.
Christianity can flourish anywhere, he said.
The cardinal stated: "When we talk about migration, we need to remember that fundamentally Christianity is a movement.
"Christians have always spread throughout the world. The mission of Christians is to spread throughout the world. Evangelization is all about spreading the Kingdom of God."
Thus, the prelate affirmed, emigration is "not an evil as such."
He continued: "Don't think that the movement of Christians is necessarily bad; the fact that a lot of Christians leave one place and go to another doesn't mean it is an evil, although they may move with regret. It's also a fact of life."
When Christians from Bethlehem emigrate, Cardinal Foley pointed out, they bring their values and history to other lands.
Emigration is "not necessarily an evil," he reiterated, "but, it does involve a loss."
"There's a patrimony and a culture that is being lost with the exodus of the Christians," the prelate affirmed.
Welcome
"On the other hand," he added, "it is understandable that Christians and other people in the Middle East want to seek a better life."
The cardinal acknowledged, "It takes a valiant minority to stay simply for the sake of maintaining the Christian presence when there are jobs, educational opportunities, a future and freedom in other parts of the world."
He continued: "Migration, by the way, doesn't mean you can't come back. One of the challenges, it seems to me, is to create a climate for safe migration.
"It's paradoxical that we're more inclined to let the birds migrate than to let the people."
Cardinal Foley underlined the need to assist the Christians who are currently living in the Holy Land, who "need help."
"If we are truly concerned with that part of the world, we need to use some of our influence on the governments of the lands in which we live to affect their national policies about the Middle East," he said.
In this way, the prelate affirmed, "we help ensure that Christian values, Christian ethics, Christian criteria of judgment are being brought to the table, either directly through our home countries or through the advocacy and work of the local church."
He also added that "a very practical thing we can do is help those who wish to migrate: Welcome them, facilitate their arrival and the presence and establishment of Middle Eastern Christians who wish to come to our home countries."
--- --- ---
On ZENIT's Web page:
Full text: www.zenit.org/article-27766?l=english
email this article | print this article | comment this article
Italian Bill Would Recognize Rights of Unborn
Presented to Keep Abortion Law From Distortion
By Antonio Gaspari
ROME, DEC. 7, 2009 (Zenit.org).- A proposal in the Italian Senate would recognize the rights of the unborn, affirming that every human being has juridical capacity from the moment of conception.
The bill was drafted by Carlo Casini, president of the Pro-Life Movement and Member of the European Parliament, and backed by leaders of the Italian Parliament: Maurizio Gasparri, Gaetano Quagliarello and Laura Bianconi. The measure was presented last Thursday.
During the press conference to present the bill, Gasparri explained that it is not an attempt to rewrite Italy's current abortion law, but to keep it within its original intentions.
He said the bill would prohibit distortion of the law "to the point of denying the one conceived the dignity of person and of using abortion as a contraceptive, two conditions that the law rejects."
Casini told ZENIT that the bill spells "progress in the juridical culture." He maintained that recognizing the rights of the unborn "is a more solid and lasting support for the rights of everyone."
Number of lives
The European Parliamentarian pointed to the examples of Poland and Spain to illustrate how the wording of law translates into actual numbers of abortions.
He noted that Poland and Spain have identical abortion laws, but in 2007, there were in Poland 313 abortions, whereas in Spain they rose to 120,000.
"The essential difference lies in that Polish law refers to the conceived in the first point as a person, whereas for a certain Spanish culture, the conceived is 'something,' a mass of cells that has no rights," he said.
Bianconi, meanwhile, suggested that the Senate bill is an attempt "to move the whole debate" into the context of the 1959 Declaration of the Rights of the Child.
"A defense of childhood, which must be both before as well as after birth, must provide recognition of human life until its birth," she said.
Casini invited all political parties to come together on this topic.
He explained that "the presentation of this bill is not a demonstrative gesture but a political battle." And it is so because it means taking "an historic and above all symbolic step," given the anniversary of the universal declaration on children's rights.
"That is why," Casini affirmed, "it would be really important and significant that both the majority as well as the opposition come together on such a delicate topic."
ROME, DEC. 7, 2009 (Zenit.org).- A proposal in the Italian Senate would recognize the rights of the unborn, affirming that every human being has juridical capacity from the moment of conception.
The bill was drafted by Carlo Casini, president of the Pro-Life Movement and Member of the European Parliament, and backed by leaders of the Italian Parliament: Maurizio Gasparri, Gaetano Quagliarello and Laura Bianconi. The measure was presented last Thursday.
During the press conference to present the bill, Gasparri explained that it is not an attempt to rewrite Italy's current abortion law, but to keep it within its original intentions.
He said the bill would prohibit distortion of the law "to the point of denying the one conceived the dignity of person and of using abortion as a contraceptive, two conditions that the law rejects."
Casini told ZENIT that the bill spells "progress in the juridical culture." He maintained that recognizing the rights of the unborn "is a more solid and lasting support for the rights of everyone."
Number of lives
The European Parliamentarian pointed to the examples of Poland and Spain to illustrate how the wording of law translates into actual numbers of abortions.
He noted that Poland and Spain have identical abortion laws, but in 2007, there were in Poland 313 abortions, whereas in Spain they rose to 120,000.
"The essential difference lies in that Polish law refers to the conceived in the first point as a person, whereas for a certain Spanish culture, the conceived is 'something,' a mass of cells that has no rights," he said.
Bianconi, meanwhile, suggested that the Senate bill is an attempt "to move the whole debate" into the context of the 1959 Declaration of the Rights of the Child.
"A defense of childhood, which must be both before as well as after birth, must provide recognition of human life until its birth," she said.
Casini invited all political parties to come together on this topic.
He explained that "the presentation of this bill is not a demonstrative gesture but a political battle." And it is so because it means taking "an historic and above all symbolic step," given the anniversary of the universal declaration on children's rights.
"That is why," Casini affirmed, "it would be really important and significant that both the majority as well as the opposition come together on such a delicate topic."
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NEWS BRIEFS
Holy See: Put Justice at Base of Trade
Affirms Economic Systems Must Protect Human Dignity
GENEVA, Switzerland, DEC. 7, 2009 (Zenit.org).- International trade should be based on social justice, particularly as the poor are hit hardest by the global recession, says the Holy See's permanent observer at the Geneva U.N. offices.
Archbishop Silvano Tomasi affirmed this when he addressed the Seventh Session of the WTO Ministerial Conference, Vatican Radio reported. The three-day event concluded last Thursday and focused on "The WTO, the Multilateral Trading System and the Current Global Economic Environment."
During the meeting, ministers of the 139 WTO member countries evaluated the state of negotiations for a worldwide agreement on the liberalization of trade.
Though "every country has the right to define its own economic model," Archbishop Tomasi said, systems should be thought out in the context of "inclusive and equitable globalization," in which "solidarity, investment, the transfer of technology, the capacity to build and the exchange of knowledge are means at the service of development." All of this, he added, should be "based on the centrality of the person."
Economy should protect the dignity inherent to every human person, the prelate affirmed. And that is why the market should be directed to the common good, responding above all to the needs of the poorest.
To attain this objective, the Holy See representative contended, there must be "a decisive step toward a system of trade based on the principle of social justice."
Archbishop Silvano Tomasi affirmed this when he addressed the Seventh Session of the WTO Ministerial Conference, Vatican Radio reported. The three-day event concluded last Thursday and focused on "The WTO, the Multilateral Trading System and the Current Global Economic Environment."
During the meeting, ministers of the 139 WTO member countries evaluated the state of negotiations for a worldwide agreement on the liberalization of trade.
Though "every country has the right to define its own economic model," Archbishop Tomasi said, systems should be thought out in the context of "inclusive and equitable globalization," in which "solidarity, investment, the transfer of technology, the capacity to build and the exchange of knowledge are means at the service of development." All of this, he added, should be "based on the centrality of the person."
Economy should protect the dignity inherent to every human person, the prelate affirmed. And that is why the market should be directed to the common good, responding above all to the needs of the poorest.
To attain this objective, the Holy See representative contended, there must be "a decisive step toward a system of trade based on the principle of social justice."
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Spanish Priests Donate $94,000 to Charity
SALAMANCA, Spain, DEC. 7, 2009 (Zenit.org).- An initiative encouraging diocesan priests to give what they could to charity resulted in more than €63,000 ($94,000) from the Diocese of Salamanca.
The priests' donation to Caritas came in response to a request from their bishop last Holy Week, given the worldwide economic downturn.
Caritas Spain reported that the response to Bishop Carlos López's request brought €63,000 for the neediest of the diocese. This donation is in addition to the economic and pastoral assistance that is ordinarily given by the priests.
The national Caritas office publicly thanked the priests for their commitment to the poor.
The priests' donation to Caritas came in response to a request from their bishop last Holy Week, given the worldwide economic downturn.
Caritas Spain reported that the response to Bishop Carlos López's request brought €63,000 for the neediest of the diocese. This donation is in addition to the economic and pastoral assistance that is ordinarily given by the priests.
The national Caritas office publicly thanked the priests for their commitment to the poor.
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Civilization of Love
Health Care, Politicians and the Catholic Conscience
A Troubling New Development Appears in American Politics
By Carl Anderson
NEW HAVEN, Connecticut, DEC. 7, 2009 (Zenit.org).- For decades, Americans have been subjected to the arguments of certain Catholic politicians who argued that while "personally opposed" to unjust policies like abortion, they were nonetheless unwilling to "impose" that view on the rest of the country.
The argument was disingenuous, premised on the fact that somehow a "Catholic" conscience had to be put to the side in the public square.
Now, the very people who argued that they couldn't bring their private conscience into a secular public square are poised to use the law to impose a particular view on their fellow Catholics.
By working and voting to include abortion coverage in health care legislation, several Catholic politicians stand at the precipice of being the deciding votes in forcing a particular immoral view on their fellow Catholics, by forcing them to fund abortion through their tax dollars.
While professing that they cannot impose their conscience on anyone else, these politicians seem to have little hesitation about imposing a political view -- one they claim to oppose in principle -- on the consciences of their fellow Catholics.
Far from Kennedy
Catholic politicians willing to forsake their own consciences and impose a directly anti-Catholic view on others have come a long way from the legacy of American history's highest profile Catholic statesman, John F. Kennedy, who while discussing his role as a Catholic and candidate for president said: "If the time should ever come -- and I do not concede any conflict to be even remotely possible -- when my office would require me to either violate my conscience or violate the national interest, then I would resign the office; and I hope any conscientious public servant would do the same."
And while some might consider that Catholic politicians have disagreed with the public policy recommendations of their bishops in a variety of areas, the key is this: Many issues are prudential and open to reasonable disagreement; but the inalienable right to life in the context of abortion is not -- it is fundamental and it may not be compromised.
As Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger -- now Benedict XVI -- noted about Catholic politicians in 2004: "Not all moral issues have the same moral weight as abortion."
He added: "While the Church exhorts civil authorities to seek peace, not war, and to exercise discretion and mercy in imposing punishment on criminals, it may still be permissible to take up arms to repel an aggressor or to have recourse to capital punishment. There may be a legitimate diversity of opinion even among Catholics about waging war and applying the death penalty, but not however with regard to abortion."
Unjust law
Catholic politicians must now consider the effect of national legislation mandating Catholic cooperation in abortion. In his famous pro-life encyclical, "Evangelium Vitae," Pope John Paul II said: "The passing of unjust laws often raises difficult problems of conscience for morally upright people with regard to the issue of cooperation, since they have a right to demand not to be forced to take part in morally evil actions."
He said further: "Christians, like all people of good will, are called upon under grave obligation of conscience not to cooperate formally in practices which, even if permitted by civil legislation, are contrary to God's law. Indeed, from the moral standpoint, it is never licit to cooperate formally in evil. […]
"This cooperation can never be justified either by invoking respect for the freedom of others or by appealing to the fact that civil law permits it or requires it. Each individual in fact has moral responsibility for the acts which he personally performs; no one can be exempted from this responsibility, and on the basis of it everyone will be judged by God himself" (74).
It is doubly ironic that a law that would force millions to violate their conscience by paying their taxes and would entangle thousands of Catholic physicians, nurses, hospitals and charities in the evil of abortion is being considered at precisely a time when the majority of Americans -- in greater and greater numbers -- are increasingly becoming more pro-life.
Catholic public officials in Washington have the power to prevent this moral tragedy from happening. They should not hesitate to do so.
* * *
Carl Anderson is the supreme knight of the Knights of Columbus and a New York Times bestselling author.
NEW HAVEN, Connecticut, DEC. 7, 2009 (Zenit.org).- For decades, Americans have been subjected to the arguments of certain Catholic politicians who argued that while "personally opposed" to unjust policies like abortion, they were nonetheless unwilling to "impose" that view on the rest of the country.
The argument was disingenuous, premised on the fact that somehow a "Catholic" conscience had to be put to the side in the public square.
Now, the very people who argued that they couldn't bring their private conscience into a secular public square are poised to use the law to impose a particular view on their fellow Catholics.
By working and voting to include abortion coverage in health care legislation, several Catholic politicians stand at the precipice of being the deciding votes in forcing a particular immoral view on their fellow Catholics, by forcing them to fund abortion through their tax dollars.
While professing that they cannot impose their conscience on anyone else, these politicians seem to have little hesitation about imposing a political view -- one they claim to oppose in principle -- on the consciences of their fellow Catholics.
Far from Kennedy
Catholic politicians willing to forsake their own consciences and impose a directly anti-Catholic view on others have come a long way from the legacy of American history's highest profile Catholic statesman, John F. Kennedy, who while discussing his role as a Catholic and candidate for president said: "If the time should ever come -- and I do not concede any conflict to be even remotely possible -- when my office would require me to either violate my conscience or violate the national interest, then I would resign the office; and I hope any conscientious public servant would do the same."
And while some might consider that Catholic politicians have disagreed with the public policy recommendations of their bishops in a variety of areas, the key is this: Many issues are prudential and open to reasonable disagreement; but the inalienable right to life in the context of abortion is not -- it is fundamental and it may not be compromised.
As Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger -- now Benedict XVI -- noted about Catholic politicians in 2004: "Not all moral issues have the same moral weight as abortion."
He added: "While the Church exhorts civil authorities to seek peace, not war, and to exercise discretion and mercy in imposing punishment on criminals, it may still be permissible to take up arms to repel an aggressor or to have recourse to capital punishment. There may be a legitimate diversity of opinion even among Catholics about waging war and applying the death penalty, but not however with regard to abortion."
Unjust law
Catholic politicians must now consider the effect of national legislation mandating Catholic cooperation in abortion. In his famous pro-life encyclical, "Evangelium Vitae," Pope John Paul II said: "The passing of unjust laws often raises difficult problems of conscience for morally upright people with regard to the issue of cooperation, since they have a right to demand not to be forced to take part in morally evil actions."
He said further: "Christians, like all people of good will, are called upon under grave obligation of conscience not to cooperate formally in practices which, even if permitted by civil legislation, are contrary to God's law. Indeed, from the moral standpoint, it is never licit to cooperate formally in evil. […]
"This cooperation can never be justified either by invoking respect for the freedom of others or by appealing to the fact that civil law permits it or requires it. Each individual in fact has moral responsibility for the acts which he personally performs; no one can be exempted from this responsibility, and on the basis of it everyone will be judged by God himself" (74).
It is doubly ironic that a law that would force millions to violate their conscience by paying their taxes and would entangle thousands of Catholic physicians, nurses, hospitals and charities in the evil of abortion is being considered at precisely a time when the majority of Americans -- in greater and greater numbers -- are increasingly becoming more pro-life.
Catholic public officials in Washington have the power to prevent this moral tragedy from happening. They should not hesitate to do so.
* * *
Carl Anderson is the supreme knight of the Knights of Columbus and a New York Times bestselling author.
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DOCUMENTS at ZENIT Web Page
Cardinal Foley to Norwegian Theology School
OSLO, Norway, DEC. 7, 2009 (Zenit.org).- The address Cardinal John Foley, the grand knight of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulcher, delivered Friday at a conference at the Norwegian School of Theology in Oslo on "The Exodus of Christians from the Holy Land: A Challenge for a Sustainable Peace," is available on ZENIT's Web page.
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On ZENIT's Web page:
Full text: www.zenit.org/article-27765?l=english
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On ZENIT's Web page:
Full text: www.zenit.org/article-27765?l=english
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DOCUMENTS
Father Cantalamessa's 1st Advent Sermon
"Jesus ... Has Called Me Friend! I Am His Friend!"
VATICAN CITY, DEC. 7, 2009 (Zenit.org).- Here is the Advent reflection delivered Friday by Capuchin Father Raniero Cantalamessa the preacher of the Pontifical Household for Benedict XVI and members of the Roman Curia. The talk was titled "Servants and Friends of Jesus Christ."
* * *
1. At the source of every priesthood
In the choice of subject to propose in these homilies in the Papal Household I always try to be guided by the particular grace that the Church is living. Last year it was the grace of the Pauline Year, this year it is the grace of the Year of Priests, for whose proclamation, Holy Father, we are profoundly grateful.
Vatican Council II dedicated to the subject of the priesthood an entire document, "Presbyterorum Ordinis"; in 1992, John Paul II addressed to the whole Church the post-Synodal exhortation "Pastores Dabo Vobis," on the formation of priests in the present circumstances; the present Supreme Pontiff, in proclaiming the present Year of Priests, has sketched a brief but intense profile of the priest in the light of the life of the Holy Curé d'Ars. Innumerable are the interventions of individual bishops on this subject, not to speak of the books written on the figure and mission of the priest in the century that just ended, some of which are literary works of great worth.
What can be added to all this in the brief time of a meditation? I am encouraged by the saying with which, I remember, a preacher began his course of exercises: "Non nova ut sciatis, sed vetera ut faciatis": what is important is not to know new things, but to put into practice those that are known. Hence, I give up any attempt of doctrinal synthesis, of global presentations or ideal profiles on the priest (I would not have either the time or the capacity) and I try, if possible, to make our priestly heart vibrate on contact with some word of God.
The word of Scripture that will serve as the guiding thread is 1 Corinthians 4:1, which many of us remember in the Latin translation of the Vulgate: "Sic nos existimet homo ut ministros Christi et dispensatores mysteriorum Dei": "Thus all of us should consider ourselves: servants of Christ and administrators of the mysteries of God." Alongside it we can place, for certain aspects, the definition of the Letter to the Hebrews: "For every high priest chosen from among men is appointed to act on behalf of men in relation to God" (Hebrews 5:1).
These phrases have the advantage of referring us to the common roots of every priesthood, that is, to that stage of revelation when the apostolic ministry was not yet diversified, giving place to three canonical degrees of bishops, presbyters and deacons, that, at least, in regard to their respective functions, became clear only with St. Ignatius of Antioch, at the beginning of the second century. This common root is brought to light in the Catechism of the Catholic Church which defines Holy Orders as "the sacrament through which the mission entrusted by Christ to his apostles continues to be exercised in the Church until the end of time: thus it is the sacrament of Apostolic ministry" (No. 1536).
And it is to this initial stage that we attempt to refer to as much as possible in our meditations, for the purpose of grasping the essence of the priestly ministry. In this Advent, we will take into consideration only the first part of the Apostle's phrase: "Servants of Christ." If God so wills, we will continue our reflection in Lent, meditating on what it means for a priest to be "administrator of the mysteries of God" and what are the mysteries that he must administer.
"Servants of Christ!" (with the exclamation mark to indicate the greatness, dignity and beauty of this title): see the word that should touch our heart in the present meditation and make it vibrate with holy pride. We are not speaking here of practical and ministerial services, how to administer the word and the sacraments (of this, I said, we will speak in Lent); in other words, we are not speaking of the service as act, but of service as state, as essential vocation and as identity of the priest and we speak of it in the same sense and with the same spirit of Paul who at the beginning of his letters always introduces himself thus: "Paul, servant of Christ Jesus, apostle by vocation."
On the invisible passport of the priest, the one with which he presents himself every day in the presence of God and of his people, to the call "profession," one should be able to read: "Servant of Jesus Christ." All Christians of course are servants of Christ, but the priest is so in a wholly particular title and sense, as all baptized persons are priests, but the ordained minister is so in a title and sense that is different and higher.
2. Continuators of the work of Christ
The essential service that the priest is called to render Christ is to continue his work in the world: "As the Father has sent me, even so I send you" (John 20:21). In his famous Letter to the Corinthians, Pope St. Clement comments: "Christ is sent by God and the Apostles by Christ. ... They, preaching everywhere in the country and in the city, appointed their first successors, having been put to the test by the Spirit, to be bishops and deacons" (1 Clementis 42: 1-2). Christ was sent by the Father, the apostles by Christ, the bishops by the apostles: It is the first clear enunciation of the principle of apostolic succession.
However, this word of Jesus does not have only a juridical and formal meaning. It does not only found, in other words, the right of ordained ministers to speak as "sent" by Christ; it also indicates the motive and the content of this mission which is the same for which the Father sent the Son to the world. And why has the Father sent his Son to the world? Here we also give up global and exhaustive answers for which it would be necessary to read the whole Gospel; we will focus only on some programmatic declarations of Jesus.
Before Pilate, he affirmed solemnly: "for this I have come into the world, to bear witness to the truth" (John 18:37). To continue the work of Christ implies therefore for the priest to give witness to the truth, to make the light of what is true shine. It is only necessary to take into account the double meaning of the word truth, aletheia, in John. It oscillates between divine reality and knowledge of divine reality, between an ontologic or objective meaning and a gnoseologic or subjective one. Truth is "eternal reality in so far as it is revealed to men, whether referring to reality itself or to its revelation."[1]
The traditional interpretation has intended "truth" above all in the sense of revelation and knowledge of truth; in other words, as dogmatic truth. This is certainly an essential task. The Church, on the whole, absolves it through the magisterium, the councils, theologians, and the individual priest by preaching the "holy doctrine" to the people.
Not to be forgotten, however, is John's other meaning of truth: that of the known reality, more than knowledge of the reality. In this light, the task of the Church and of the individual priest is not limited to proclaiming the truth of the faith, but to helping to experience it, to enter into profound and personal contact with the reality of God, through the Holy Spirit.
"Faith, St. Thomas Aquinas has written, does not end in the proclamation, but in the thing" ("Fides non terminatur ad enuntiabile sed ad rem"). Similarly, the teachers of the faith cannot be satisfied to teach the so-called truth of faith, they must help persons to get the "thing," to not only have an idea of God, but to experience Him, according to the biblical sense of knowing, different, as is noted, from the Greek and philosophic.
Another programmatic declaration of intentions is the one Jesus pronounced before Nicodemus: "For God sent the Son into the world, not to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him" (John 3:16). This phrase is read in the light of that which precedes it immediately: "For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life."
Jesus came to reveal to men the salvific will and merciful love of the Father. All his preaching is summarized in the word that he addresses to the disciples in the Last Supper: "For the Father himself loves you!" (John 16:27).
To be continuators in the world of the work of Christ means to make one's own this basic attitude in confrontations with others, even the most distant. Not to judge but to save. The human quality on which the Letter to the Hebrews most insists in delineating the figure of Christ as Priest and of every priest should not go unobserved: likeableness, the sense of solidarity, compassion in confrontations with others.
Of Christ it is said: "For we have not a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sinning." Affirmed of the human priest is that he "is appointed to act on behalf of men in relation to God, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins. He can deal gently with the ignorant and wayward, since he himself is beset with weakness. Because of this he is bound to offer sacrifice for his own sins as well as for those of the people" (Hebrews 4:15-5:3).
It is true that Jesus, in the Gospels, also shows himself severe, judges and condemns, but with whom does he do it? Not with the simple people who followed him and came to listen to him, but with hypocrites, the self-sufficient, the teachers and guides of the people. Jesus was not in fact, as is said of certain political men: "strong with the weak and weak with the strong." All to the contrary!
3. Continuators, Not Successors
But in what sense can we speak of priests as continuators of the work of Christ? In every human institution, as the Roman empire was at that time and as religious orders and all worldly enterprises are today, the successors continue the work, but not the person of the founder. This at times is correct, surmounted and even disavowed. But it is not like this in the Church. Jesus does not have successors because he is not dead, but alive; "risen from death, death no longer has power over him."
What, then will the task of his ministers be? That of representing him, that is, of making him present, of giving visible form to his invisible presence. In this consists the prophetic dimension of the priesthood.
Before Christ, prophecy consisted essentially in proclaiming a future salvation, "in the last days," after him, it consists in revealing to the world the hidden presence of Christ, in crying out like John the Baptist: "In your midst is one you do not know."
"One day some Greeks came to the apostle Philip with the question: "We wish to see Jesus!" (John 12:21); the same question, more or less explicit, is in the heart of one who approaches a priest today.
St. Gregory of Nissa coined a famous expression, which is usually applied to the experience of mystics: "Feeling of presence." [2] The feeling of presence is more than simple faith in the presence of Christ; it is to have the lively feeling, the almost physical perception, of his presence as risen. If this is proper to mysticism, then it means that every priest should be a mystic, or at least a "mystagogue," one who introduces people to the mystery of God and of Christ, as though holding him by the hand.
The priest's task is no different, even if subordinated, in regard to that which the Holy Father pointed out as absolute priority of the Successor of Peter and of the whole Church in the letter of last March 10, addressed to bishops: "In our time in which in a vast area of the earth faith is in the danger of being extinguished as a flame that no longer finds nourishment, the priority above all is to render God present in this world and to open to men access to God. Not to any god, but to the God who spoke on Sinai: to that God whose face we recognize in the love spent to the end (cf John 13:1) -- in Jesus Christ crucified and risen. ... To lead men to God, to the God who speaks in the Bible: this is the supreme and fundamental priority of the Church and of the Successor of Peter in this time."
4. Servants and Friends
However, now we must take a step forward in our reflection. "Servants of Jesus Christ!": This title must never be alone; alongside it must always be at least, in the depth of one's heart, another title -- that of friends!
The common root of all ordained ministries that were delineated later is the choice that Jesus made one day of the Twelve; this is what, from the priestly institution, goes back to the historical Jesus. It is true that the liturgy places the institution of the priesthood on Holy Thursday, because of the word Jesus pronounced after the institution of the Eucharist: "Do this in memory of me." But even this word implies the choice of the Twelve, without saying that, taken alone, it would justify the role of sacrificer and liturgist of the priest, but not that, just as essential, of herald of the Gospel.
Now, what does Jesus say in this circumstance? Why does he choose the Twelve, after having prayed the whole night? "And he appointed twelve, to be with him, and to be sent out to preach (Mark 3:14-15). To be with Jesus and to go and preach: To stay and to go, to receive and to give: It is in a few words what is essential in the task of the collaborators of Christ.
To be "with" Jesus does not mean obviously only a physical closeness; it already contains all the richness that Paul will enclose in the meaningful formula "in Christ" or "with Christ." It means to share everything of Jesus: his itinerant life, certainly, but also his thoughts, purposes, spirit. The word companion comes from the Medieval Latin and means he who has in common (cum, with-) the bread (panis), who eats the same bread.
In his farewell address, Jesus takes a step forward, completing the title of companions with that of friends: "No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you" (John 15:15).
There is something moving in this declaration of love of Jesus. I will always remember the moment when it was given to me, for an instant, to know something of this emotion. In a prayer meeting, someone had opened the Bible and read that passage of John. The word "friends" struck me to a depth I have never experienced; it moved something in the depth of my being, so much so that for the rest of the day I kept repeating to myself, full of wonder and incredulity: He has called me friend! Jesus of Nazareth, the Lord, my God! He has called me friend! I am his friend. And it seemed to me that I could fly over the roofs of the city and even go through fire with that certainty.
When St. Paul speaks of the love of Jesus Christ he always seems "moved.": "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?" (Romans 8:35), "he loved me and gave himself for me!" (Galatians 2:20). We are led to mistrust the emotion and finally to be ashamed. We do not know of what wealth we deprive ourselves. Jesus "is profoundly moved" and weeps before the widow of Nain (cf. Luke 7:13) and Lazarus' sisters (cf. John 11:33.35). A priest capable of being moved when he speaks of the love of God and of the suffering of Christ or picks up the confidence of a great sorrow, convinces better than with infinite reasonings. To be moved does not mean necessarily to start weeping; it is something that is perceived in the eyes, in the voice. The Bible is full of God's pathos.
5. The soul of every priesthood
A personal relationship, full of trust and friendship with the person of Jesus is the soul of every priesthood. In view of the Year of Priests I read again the book of Jean-Baptiste Chautard "The soul of the apostolate" that did so much good and shook so many consciences in the years preceding the Council.
In a moment in which there was great enthusiasm for "parish works": cinema, recreation, social initiatives, cultural circles, the author brought back the discourse brusquely to the heart of the problem, criticizing the danger of an empty activism. "God, he wrote, wants Jesus to be the life of works."
He did not diminish the importance of pastoral activity, on the contrary, he affirmed however that without a life of union with Christ, they were no more than "crutches." Jesus says to Peter: "Simon, do you love me? Feed my sheep." (cf. John 21: 15 f.) The pastoral action of every minister of the Church, from the Pope to the last priest, is but the concrete expression of the love for Christ. Do you love me? Then feed! Love for Jesus is that which makes the difference between the priest manager and the priest servant of Christ and dispenser of the mysteries of God.
Dom Chautard's book could very well have been entitled "The soul of the priesthood," because it is of him that one speaks, in practice, in the whole work, as agent and responsible in the front line of the pastoral care of the Church. At that time, the danger to which it was intended to react was so-called "Americanism." The Abbot refers often, in fact, to the letter of Leo XIII "Testem benevolentiae" which condemned such a "heresy."
Today this heresy, if one can speak of heresy, is no longer "American," but a threat that, also because of the diminished number of priests, affects the clergy of the whole Church: it is called frenetic activism. (Many of the instances, after all, that came in that time from Christians of the United States -- and in particular from the movement created by the Servant of God Isaac Hecker, founder of the Paulist Fathers, stamped with the term "Americanism," for example, liberty of conscience and the need for dialogue with the modern world --, were not heresies but prophetic instances that Vatican Council II, in part, made its own!).
The first step, to make Jesus the soul of one's priesthood, is to go from the Jesus personage to the Jesus person. A personage is one of whom one can speak as much as one pleases, but to whom and with whom no one dreams to speak. One can speak of Alexander the Great, Julius Caesar, Napoleon as much as one wishes, but if someone said he speaks with one of them they would send him immediately to a psychiatrist. The person, on the contrary, is one with whom and to whom one can speak. As long as Jesus remains an ensemble of opinions, of dogmas or of heresies, someone who is placed instinctively in the past, a memory, not a presence, he is a personage. It is necessary to convince oneself that he is alive and present, and more important than speaking about him is to speak with him.
One of the most beautiful traits of Don Camillo of Guareschi, naturally taking into account the literary genre adopted, is his speaking in a loud voice with the Crucified of all the things that happen in the parish. If we made it a habit to do so, spontaneously, with our own words, how many things would change in our priestly life! We would realize that we never speak to a void, but to someone who is present, who listens and who responds, perhaps not in a loud voice like to Don Camillo.
6. To make "the large stones" safe
As in God the whole external work of creation, flows from his intimate life, "from the incessant flow of his love," and as all the activity of Christ flows from his uninterrupted dialogue with the father, so all the works of a priest must be the prolongation of his union with Christ. "As the Father sent me, even so I send you," also means this: "I came into the world without separating myself from the Father, you go into the world without separating yourselves from me."
When this contact is interrupted, it is as when the electric current is cut off in a house and everything stops and is in darkness or, if it is a question of the water supply, the faucets no longer give water. One hears said sometimes: how can one be tranquil and pray when so many needs claim our presence? How can one not run when the house is burning? It is true, but imagine what would happen to a squadron of fire fighters that ran, to the sound of a siren, to extinguish a fire and then, arriving at the site, remembers that they have not even a drop of water in the tanks. This is how we are, when we run to preach or to another ministry empty of prayer and of the Holy Spirit.
I read somewhere a story that it seems to me applies in an exemplary way to priests. One day, an old professor was called as expert to speak on the more efficient planning of their time to the higher cadres of some large North American companies.
He decided then to attempt an experiment. Standing up, he took from under the table a large empty glass. At the same time he also took a dozen large stones like tennis balls that he deposited delicately one by one in the glass until it was full. When no more stones could be added, he asked his pupils: "Do you think the glass is full?" and they all answered "Yes!"
He bent down again and took out from under the table a box full of crushed stones which he poured over the large stones, moving the glass so that the crushed stones could infiltrate between the large stones to the bottom. "Is the glass full this time?", he asked. Becoming more prudent, the pupils began to understand and answered: "Perhaps not yet." The old professor bent down again and took out this time a small bag of sand that he poured into the glass. The sand filled the spaces between the stones and the crushed stones. Then he asked again: "Is the glass full now?" And all without hesitation answered: "No!" In fact, the old man took the decanter that was on the table and poured the water into the glass to the brim.
At this point he asked: "What great truth does this experiment show us? The most audacious replied: "This demonstrates that even when our agenda is completely full, with a bit of good will, we can always add some new endeavor, something else to do." "No," answered the professor. "What the experiment demonstrates is that if one does not put the large stones first in the glass, one will never succeed in making them go in afterward." "What are the large stones, the priorities, in our life? The important thing is to put these large stones first in your agenda."
Saint Peter pointed out, once and for all, which are the large stones, the absolute priority, of the apostles and of their successors, bishops and priests: "But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word" (Acts 6:4).
We priests, more than anyone else, are exposed to the danger of sacrificing what is important for the urgent. Prayer, the preparation of the homily or for Mass, study and formation, are all important things, but not urgent; if they are postponed, apparently, the world does not collapse, while there are so many little things -- a meeting, a phone call, a material task -- which are urgent. Thus one ends up by postponing systematically the important things to a "later" that never arrives.
For a priest, to put the large stones first in the glass, can mean very concretely, to begin the day with time for prayer and dialogue with God, so that the activities and different commitments do not end up by taking up all the space.
I end with a prayer of abbot Chautard: "O God, give the Church so many apostles, but revive in their heart an ardent thirst for intimacy with You and at the same time a desire to work for the good of their neighbor. Give all a contemplative activity and an active contemplation." So be it!
--- --- ---
[1] H. Dodd, "L'interpretazione del Quarto Vangelo" ["The Interpretation of the Fourth Gospel"], Paideia, Brescia, 1974, p. 227
[2] Gregory of Nissa, "Sul Cantico" ["On the canticle"], XI, 5, 2, (PG 44, 1001) (aisthesis parousias).
* * *
1. At the source of every priesthood
In the choice of subject to propose in these homilies in the Papal Household I always try to be guided by the particular grace that the Church is living. Last year it was the grace of the Pauline Year, this year it is the grace of the Year of Priests, for whose proclamation, Holy Father, we are profoundly grateful.
Vatican Council II dedicated to the subject of the priesthood an entire document, "Presbyterorum Ordinis"; in 1992, John Paul II addressed to the whole Church the post-Synodal exhortation "Pastores Dabo Vobis," on the formation of priests in the present circumstances; the present Supreme Pontiff, in proclaiming the present Year of Priests, has sketched a brief but intense profile of the priest in the light of the life of the Holy Curé d'Ars. Innumerable are the interventions of individual bishops on this subject, not to speak of the books written on the figure and mission of the priest in the century that just ended, some of which are literary works of great worth.
What can be added to all this in the brief time of a meditation? I am encouraged by the saying with which, I remember, a preacher began his course of exercises: "Non nova ut sciatis, sed vetera ut faciatis": what is important is not to know new things, but to put into practice those that are known. Hence, I give up any attempt of doctrinal synthesis, of global presentations or ideal profiles on the priest (I would not have either the time or the capacity) and I try, if possible, to make our priestly heart vibrate on contact with some word of God.
The word of Scripture that will serve as the guiding thread is 1 Corinthians 4:1, which many of us remember in the Latin translation of the Vulgate: "Sic nos existimet homo ut ministros Christi et dispensatores mysteriorum Dei": "Thus all of us should consider ourselves: servants of Christ and administrators of the mysteries of God." Alongside it we can place, for certain aspects, the definition of the Letter to the Hebrews: "For every high priest chosen from among men is appointed to act on behalf of men in relation to God" (Hebrews 5:1).
These phrases have the advantage of referring us to the common roots of every priesthood, that is, to that stage of revelation when the apostolic ministry was not yet diversified, giving place to three canonical degrees of bishops, presbyters and deacons, that, at least, in regard to their respective functions, became clear only with St. Ignatius of Antioch, at the beginning of the second century. This common root is brought to light in the Catechism of the Catholic Church which defines Holy Orders as "the sacrament through which the mission entrusted by Christ to his apostles continues to be exercised in the Church until the end of time: thus it is the sacrament of Apostolic ministry" (No. 1536).
And it is to this initial stage that we attempt to refer to as much as possible in our meditations, for the purpose of grasping the essence of the priestly ministry. In this Advent, we will take into consideration only the first part of the Apostle's phrase: "Servants of Christ." If God so wills, we will continue our reflection in Lent, meditating on what it means for a priest to be "administrator of the mysteries of God" and what are the mysteries that he must administer.
"Servants of Christ!" (with the exclamation mark to indicate the greatness, dignity and beauty of this title): see the word that should touch our heart in the present meditation and make it vibrate with holy pride. We are not speaking here of practical and ministerial services, how to administer the word and the sacraments (of this, I said, we will speak in Lent); in other words, we are not speaking of the service as act, but of service as state, as essential vocation and as identity of the priest and we speak of it in the same sense and with the same spirit of Paul who at the beginning of his letters always introduces himself thus: "Paul, servant of Christ Jesus, apostle by vocation."
On the invisible passport of the priest, the one with which he presents himself every day in the presence of God and of his people, to the call "profession," one should be able to read: "Servant of Jesus Christ." All Christians of course are servants of Christ, but the priest is so in a wholly particular title and sense, as all baptized persons are priests, but the ordained minister is so in a title and sense that is different and higher.
2. Continuators of the work of Christ
The essential service that the priest is called to render Christ is to continue his work in the world: "As the Father has sent me, even so I send you" (John 20:21). In his famous Letter to the Corinthians, Pope St. Clement comments: "Christ is sent by God and the Apostles by Christ. ... They, preaching everywhere in the country and in the city, appointed their first successors, having been put to the test by the Spirit, to be bishops and deacons" (1 Clementis 42: 1-2). Christ was sent by the Father, the apostles by Christ, the bishops by the apostles: It is the first clear enunciation of the principle of apostolic succession.
However, this word of Jesus does not have only a juridical and formal meaning. It does not only found, in other words, the right of ordained ministers to speak as "sent" by Christ; it also indicates the motive and the content of this mission which is the same for which the Father sent the Son to the world. And why has the Father sent his Son to the world? Here we also give up global and exhaustive answers for which it would be necessary to read the whole Gospel; we will focus only on some programmatic declarations of Jesus.
Before Pilate, he affirmed solemnly: "for this I have come into the world, to bear witness to the truth" (John 18:37). To continue the work of Christ implies therefore for the priest to give witness to the truth, to make the light of what is true shine. It is only necessary to take into account the double meaning of the word truth, aletheia, in John. It oscillates between divine reality and knowledge of divine reality, between an ontologic or objective meaning and a gnoseologic or subjective one. Truth is "eternal reality in so far as it is revealed to men, whether referring to reality itself or to its revelation."[1]
The traditional interpretation has intended "truth" above all in the sense of revelation and knowledge of truth; in other words, as dogmatic truth. This is certainly an essential task. The Church, on the whole, absolves it through the magisterium, the councils, theologians, and the individual priest by preaching the "holy doctrine" to the people.
Not to be forgotten, however, is John's other meaning of truth: that of the known reality, more than knowledge of the reality. In this light, the task of the Church and of the individual priest is not limited to proclaiming the truth of the faith, but to helping to experience it, to enter into profound and personal contact with the reality of God, through the Holy Spirit.
"Faith, St. Thomas Aquinas has written, does not end in the proclamation, but in the thing" ("Fides non terminatur ad enuntiabile sed ad rem"). Similarly, the teachers of the faith cannot be satisfied to teach the so-called truth of faith, they must help persons to get the "thing," to not only have an idea of God, but to experience Him, according to the biblical sense of knowing, different, as is noted, from the Greek and philosophic.
Another programmatic declaration of intentions is the one Jesus pronounced before Nicodemus: "For God sent the Son into the world, not to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him" (John 3:16). This phrase is read in the light of that which precedes it immediately: "For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life."
Jesus came to reveal to men the salvific will and merciful love of the Father. All his preaching is summarized in the word that he addresses to the disciples in the Last Supper: "For the Father himself loves you!" (John 16:27).
To be continuators in the world of the work of Christ means to make one's own this basic attitude in confrontations with others, even the most distant. Not to judge but to save. The human quality on which the Letter to the Hebrews most insists in delineating the figure of Christ as Priest and of every priest should not go unobserved: likeableness, the sense of solidarity, compassion in confrontations with others.
Of Christ it is said: "For we have not a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sinning." Affirmed of the human priest is that he "is appointed to act on behalf of men in relation to God, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins. He can deal gently with the ignorant and wayward, since he himself is beset with weakness. Because of this he is bound to offer sacrifice for his own sins as well as for those of the people" (Hebrews 4:15-5:3).
It is true that Jesus, in the Gospels, also shows himself severe, judges and condemns, but with whom does he do it? Not with the simple people who followed him and came to listen to him, but with hypocrites, the self-sufficient, the teachers and guides of the people. Jesus was not in fact, as is said of certain political men: "strong with the weak and weak with the strong." All to the contrary!
3. Continuators, Not Successors
But in what sense can we speak of priests as continuators of the work of Christ? In every human institution, as the Roman empire was at that time and as religious orders and all worldly enterprises are today, the successors continue the work, but not the person of the founder. This at times is correct, surmounted and even disavowed. But it is not like this in the Church. Jesus does not have successors because he is not dead, but alive; "risen from death, death no longer has power over him."
What, then will the task of his ministers be? That of representing him, that is, of making him present, of giving visible form to his invisible presence. In this consists the prophetic dimension of the priesthood.
Before Christ, prophecy consisted essentially in proclaiming a future salvation, "in the last days," after him, it consists in revealing to the world the hidden presence of Christ, in crying out like John the Baptist: "In your midst is one you do not know."
"One day some Greeks came to the apostle Philip with the question: "We wish to see Jesus!" (John 12:21); the same question, more or less explicit, is in the heart of one who approaches a priest today.
St. Gregory of Nissa coined a famous expression, which is usually applied to the experience of mystics: "Feeling of presence." [2] The feeling of presence is more than simple faith in the presence of Christ; it is to have the lively feeling, the almost physical perception, of his presence as risen. If this is proper to mysticism, then it means that every priest should be a mystic, or at least a "mystagogue," one who introduces people to the mystery of God and of Christ, as though holding him by the hand.
The priest's task is no different, even if subordinated, in regard to that which the Holy Father pointed out as absolute priority of the Successor of Peter and of the whole Church in the letter of last March 10, addressed to bishops: "In our time in which in a vast area of the earth faith is in the danger of being extinguished as a flame that no longer finds nourishment, the priority above all is to render God present in this world and to open to men access to God. Not to any god, but to the God who spoke on Sinai: to that God whose face we recognize in the love spent to the end (cf John 13:1) -- in Jesus Christ crucified and risen. ... To lead men to God, to the God who speaks in the Bible: this is the supreme and fundamental priority of the Church and of the Successor of Peter in this time."
4. Servants and Friends
However, now we must take a step forward in our reflection. "Servants of Jesus Christ!": This title must never be alone; alongside it must always be at least, in the depth of one's heart, another title -- that of friends!
The common root of all ordained ministries that were delineated later is the choice that Jesus made one day of the Twelve; this is what, from the priestly institution, goes back to the historical Jesus. It is true that the liturgy places the institution of the priesthood on Holy Thursday, because of the word Jesus pronounced after the institution of the Eucharist: "Do this in memory of me." But even this word implies the choice of the Twelve, without saying that, taken alone, it would justify the role of sacrificer and liturgist of the priest, but not that, just as essential, of herald of the Gospel.
Now, what does Jesus say in this circumstance? Why does he choose the Twelve, after having prayed the whole night? "And he appointed twelve, to be with him, and to be sent out to preach (Mark 3:14-15). To be with Jesus and to go and preach: To stay and to go, to receive and to give: It is in a few words what is essential in the task of the collaborators of Christ.
To be "with" Jesus does not mean obviously only a physical closeness; it already contains all the richness that Paul will enclose in the meaningful formula "in Christ" or "with Christ." It means to share everything of Jesus: his itinerant life, certainly, but also his thoughts, purposes, spirit. The word companion comes from the Medieval Latin and means he who has in common (cum, with-) the bread (panis), who eats the same bread.
In his farewell address, Jesus takes a step forward, completing the title of companions with that of friends: "No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you" (John 15:15).
There is something moving in this declaration of love of Jesus. I will always remember the moment when it was given to me, for an instant, to know something of this emotion. In a prayer meeting, someone had opened the Bible and read that passage of John. The word "friends" struck me to a depth I have never experienced; it moved something in the depth of my being, so much so that for the rest of the day I kept repeating to myself, full of wonder and incredulity: He has called me friend! Jesus of Nazareth, the Lord, my God! He has called me friend! I am his friend. And it seemed to me that I could fly over the roofs of the city and even go through fire with that certainty.
When St. Paul speaks of the love of Jesus Christ he always seems "moved.": "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?" (Romans 8:35), "he loved me and gave himself for me!" (Galatians 2:20). We are led to mistrust the emotion and finally to be ashamed. We do not know of what wealth we deprive ourselves. Jesus "is profoundly moved" and weeps before the widow of Nain (cf. Luke 7:13) and Lazarus' sisters (cf. John 11:33.35). A priest capable of being moved when he speaks of the love of God and of the suffering of Christ or picks up the confidence of a great sorrow, convinces better than with infinite reasonings. To be moved does not mean necessarily to start weeping; it is something that is perceived in the eyes, in the voice. The Bible is full of God's pathos.
5. The soul of every priesthood
A personal relationship, full of trust and friendship with the person of Jesus is the soul of every priesthood. In view of the Year of Priests I read again the book of Jean-Baptiste Chautard "The soul of the apostolate" that did so much good and shook so many consciences in the years preceding the Council.
In a moment in which there was great enthusiasm for "parish works": cinema, recreation, social initiatives, cultural circles, the author brought back the discourse brusquely to the heart of the problem, criticizing the danger of an empty activism. "God, he wrote, wants Jesus to be the life of works."
He did not diminish the importance of pastoral activity, on the contrary, he affirmed however that without a life of union with Christ, they were no more than "crutches." Jesus says to Peter: "Simon, do you love me? Feed my sheep." (cf. John 21: 15 f.) The pastoral action of every minister of the Church, from the Pope to the last priest, is but the concrete expression of the love for Christ. Do you love me? Then feed! Love for Jesus is that which makes the difference between the priest manager and the priest servant of Christ and dispenser of the mysteries of God.
Dom Chautard's book could very well have been entitled "The soul of the priesthood," because it is of him that one speaks, in practice, in the whole work, as agent and responsible in the front line of the pastoral care of the Church. At that time, the danger to which it was intended to react was so-called "Americanism." The Abbot refers often, in fact, to the letter of Leo XIII "Testem benevolentiae" which condemned such a "heresy."
Today this heresy, if one can speak of heresy, is no longer "American," but a threat that, also because of the diminished number of priests, affects the clergy of the whole Church: it is called frenetic activism. (Many of the instances, after all, that came in that time from Christians of the United States -- and in particular from the movement created by the Servant of God Isaac Hecker, founder of the Paulist Fathers, stamped with the term "Americanism," for example, liberty of conscience and the need for dialogue with the modern world --, were not heresies but prophetic instances that Vatican Council II, in part, made its own!).
The first step, to make Jesus the soul of one's priesthood, is to go from the Jesus personage to the Jesus person. A personage is one of whom one can speak as much as one pleases, but to whom and with whom no one dreams to speak. One can speak of Alexander the Great, Julius Caesar, Napoleon as much as one wishes, but if someone said he speaks with one of them they would send him immediately to a psychiatrist. The person, on the contrary, is one with whom and to whom one can speak. As long as Jesus remains an ensemble of opinions, of dogmas or of heresies, someone who is placed instinctively in the past, a memory, not a presence, he is a personage. It is necessary to convince oneself that he is alive and present, and more important than speaking about him is to speak with him.
One of the most beautiful traits of Don Camillo of Guareschi, naturally taking into account the literary genre adopted, is his speaking in a loud voice with the Crucified of all the things that happen in the parish. If we made it a habit to do so, spontaneously, with our own words, how many things would change in our priestly life! We would realize that we never speak to a void, but to someone who is present, who listens and who responds, perhaps not in a loud voice like to Don Camillo.
6. To make "the large stones" safe
As in God the whole external work of creation, flows from his intimate life, "from the incessant flow of his love," and as all the activity of Christ flows from his uninterrupted dialogue with the father, so all the works of a priest must be the prolongation of his union with Christ. "As the Father sent me, even so I send you," also means this: "I came into the world without separating myself from the Father, you go into the world without separating yourselves from me."
When this contact is interrupted, it is as when the electric current is cut off in a house and everything stops and is in darkness or, if it is a question of the water supply, the faucets no longer give water. One hears said sometimes: how can one be tranquil and pray when so many needs claim our presence? How can one not run when the house is burning? It is true, but imagine what would happen to a squadron of fire fighters that ran, to the sound of a siren, to extinguish a fire and then, arriving at the site, remembers that they have not even a drop of water in the tanks. This is how we are, when we run to preach or to another ministry empty of prayer and of the Holy Spirit.
I read somewhere a story that it seems to me applies in an exemplary way to priests. One day, an old professor was called as expert to speak on the more efficient planning of their time to the higher cadres of some large North American companies.
He decided then to attempt an experiment. Standing up, he took from under the table a large empty glass. At the same time he also took a dozen large stones like tennis balls that he deposited delicately one by one in the glass until it was full. When no more stones could be added, he asked his pupils: "Do you think the glass is full?" and they all answered "Yes!"
He bent down again and took out from under the table a box full of crushed stones which he poured over the large stones, moving the glass so that the crushed stones could infiltrate between the large stones to the bottom. "Is the glass full this time?", he asked. Becoming more prudent, the pupils began to understand and answered: "Perhaps not yet." The old professor bent down again and took out this time a small bag of sand that he poured into the glass. The sand filled the spaces between the stones and the crushed stones. Then he asked again: "Is the glass full now?" And all without hesitation answered: "No!" In fact, the old man took the decanter that was on the table and poured the water into the glass to the brim.
At this point he asked: "What great truth does this experiment show us? The most audacious replied: "This demonstrates that even when our agenda is completely full, with a bit of good will, we can always add some new endeavor, something else to do." "No," answered the professor. "What the experiment demonstrates is that if one does not put the large stones first in the glass, one will never succeed in making them go in afterward." "What are the large stones, the priorities, in our life? The important thing is to put these large stones first in your agenda."
Saint Peter pointed out, once and for all, which are the large stones, the absolute priority, of the apostles and of their successors, bishops and priests: "But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word" (Acts 6:4).
We priests, more than anyone else, are exposed to the danger of sacrificing what is important for the urgent. Prayer, the preparation of the homily or for Mass, study and formation, are all important things, but not urgent; if they are postponed, apparently, the world does not collapse, while there are so many little things -- a meeting, a phone call, a material task -- which are urgent. Thus one ends up by postponing systematically the important things to a "later" that never arrives.
For a priest, to put the large stones first in the glass, can mean very concretely, to begin the day with time for prayer and dialogue with God, so that the activities and different commitments do not end up by taking up all the space.
I end with a prayer of abbot Chautard: "O God, give the Church so many apostles, but revive in their heart an ardent thirst for intimacy with You and at the same time a desire to work for the good of their neighbor. Give all a contemplative activity and an active contemplation." So be it!
--- --- ---
[1] H. Dodd, "L'interpretazione del Quarto Vangelo" ["The Interpretation of the Fourth Gospel"], Paideia, Brescia, 1974, p. 227
[2] Gregory of Nissa, "Sul Cantico" ["On the canticle"], XI, 5, 2, (PG 44, 1001) (aisthesis parousias).
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