My People

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Credit: Photo by Mark Lyons

Human Dignity Must Be Respected

Pope Francis addressed participants in the general assembly of the Pontifical Academy for Life on June 25 in Vatican City.

His address follows:

"... I am pleased to offer all of you my greetings, beginning with your President, Archbishop Vincenzo Paglia, whom I thank for his presentation of the program of this General Assembly, in which the question of human life will be considered in relation to today's globalized world. I also greet Cardinal Sgreccia, who at ninety years of age is still youthful and enthusiastic in working for life. Thank you, Your Eminence, for all that you have done, and continue to do, in this area.

"The wisdom that must inspire your approach to 'human ecology' demands a consideration of the ethical and spiritual quality of life at each of its phases. Think of human life at its conception, human life growing in the womb, life newly born, life as a child, a teenager, an adult... Think of life that has grown old and is ready to pass away - and eternal life! Life that is family and community, life that prays and hopes. Life that is frail and sick, wounded, insulted, humiliated, marginal-ized, and cast aside. All this is human life, the life of human persons who live on God's earth and share our common home with every living creature. In our life-science laboratories, we study life with instruments that enable us to explore life's physical, chemical, and mechanical aspects. This activity is important and cannot be neglected, but it needs to be part of a broader and deeper perspective, one that concentrates specifically on human life - the life that entered this world with the miracle of speech and thought, affections and spirit. Today, it is fair to ask what attention the human wisdom of life receives from the natural sciences. What political culture inspires us to nurture and protect real human life? Life's finest work is giving birth to new persons, fostering their spiritual and creative qualities, introducing them into the love found in the family and the community, caring for weakness and hurt... to say nothing of initiating them into the life of God's children, in Jesus Christ.

"When we give children over to poverty, the poor to hunger, the persecuted to war, and the elderly to abandonment, do we not ourselves do the 'dirty work' of death? Where does this dirty work of death come from? It comes from sin. Evil tries to convince us that death is the end of everything, that we have come into this world by chance and that our fate is to end up in nothingness. If we exclude 'the other' from our thinking, our lives become self-centered and a mere consumer commodity. Narcissus, who in ancient mythology loved only himself and ignored the good of others, is foolish but does not realize it. In a way, he is the source of that contagious spiritual virus that turns us into reflections in a mirror who see ourselves alone and nothing else. We become blind to life and its power - to life as a gift received from others, a gift that in turn must be passed on responsibly.

"The global vision of bioethics that you have drawn from the Christian vision and are preparing to re-propose in the field of social ethics and worldwide humanism, will strive with greater commitment and rigor to break free from complicity with the dirty work of death that draws its strength from sin. It will be able to bring us back to the covenant with the grace that God has destined to be part of our lives. This bioethics will not begin with a consideration of sickness and death in order to reach an understanding of the meaning of life and the worth of the individual. Rather, it will begin with a profound belief in the irrevocable dignity of the human person, as loved by God - the dignity of each person, in every phase and condition of existence - as it seeks out those forms of love and care that are concerned for the vulnerability and frailty of each individual.

"First of all, then, your global bioethics will be a specific way to develop the vision of integral ecology set forth in my Encyclical Laudato Si', in which I pointed to the following areas of concern: 'the intimate relationship between the poor and the fragility of the planet, the conviction that everything in the world is connected, the critique of new paradigms and forms of power derived from technology, the call to seek other ways of understanding the economy and progress, the value proper to each creature, the human meaning of ecology, the need for forthright and honest debate; the serious responsibility of international and local policy, the throwaway culture and the proposal of a new lifestyle.' (Laudato Si', 16).

"Second, within a holistic vision of the person, there is a need to express with greater clarity all those the connections and concrete differences present in our universal human condition and involve us - beginning with our own bodies. Indeed, 'our body itself places us in a direct relationship with the environment and with other living beings. The acceptance of our bodies as God's gift is vital for welcoming and accepting the entire world as a gift from the Father and our common home, whereas thinking that we enjoy absolute power over our own bodies turns, often subtly, into thinking that we enjoy absolute power over creation. Learning to accept our body, to care for it, and to respect its fullest meaning is an essential element of any genuine human ecology. Also, valuing one's own body in its femininity or masculinity is necessary if I am going to be able to recognize myself in an encounter with someone who is different.' (Laudato Si', 155).

"It is necessary to undertake a careful discernment of the complex fundamental differences present in human life: between man and woman, fatherhood and motherhood, filiation and fraternity, various social factors and the different ages of life. Then too, between all the difficult conditions and all the delicate or dangerous situations that call for particular ethical wisdom and courageous moral resistance: sexuality and the transmission of life, sickness, and old age, limitation and disability, poverty and exclusion, violence and war. 'The defense of the unborn, for example, needs to be clear, firm and passionate, for at stake is the dignity of human life, which is always sacred and demands love for each person, regardless of his or her stage of development. Equally sacred, however, are the lives of the poor who are already born, the destitute, the abandoned and the underprivileged, the vulnerable infirm and elderly exposed to covert euthanasia, the victims of human trafficking, new forms of slavery, and every form of rejection.' (Gaudete et Exsultate, 101).

"In the texts and instruction given in Christian and ecclesiastical programs of formation, these themes of the ethics of human life will need to be given their proper place within a global anthropology, and not be confined to the limit-questions of morality and law. It is my hope that a conversion to the centrality of an integral human ecology, that is, of a harmonious and comprehensive understanding of the human condition, will find strong support and positive resonance in your work in the areas of intellectual, civic, and religious life.

"A global bioethics calls us to engage with wisdom in a profound and objective discernment of the value of individual and community life, which must be protected and promoted even in the most difficult circumstances. We also state strongly that, without the adequate support of a responsible human closeness, purely legal regulations and technical support cannot, by themselves, ensure conditions and relationships consonant with the dignity of the person. A vision of globalization that, left to its own devices, tends to increase and deepen inequalities, calls for an ethical response that promotes justice. Attention to social, economic, cultural, and environmental factors that affect health is part of this commitment, and becomes a concrete way to implement the right of every people 'to share, on a basis of equality and solidarity, in the enjoyment of goods intended for all.' (Saint John Paul II, Sollicitudo Rei socialis, 21).

"Finally, the culture of life must look more deeply into the 'serious question' of life's 'ultimate destination.' This means highlighting with greater clarity whatever directs man's existence towards a horizon that surpasses him: each person is freely called 'as a daughter or son to intimacy with God and a share in his happiness... The Church teaches that hope in a life to come does not take away from the importance of the duties of this life on earth, but rather adds to it by giving new motives for fulfilling those duties' (Gaudium et Spes, 21). We need to question more deeply the ultimate purpose of life, in a way that makes us capable of restoring dignity and meaning to the mystery of its deepest and most sacred affections. Human life, beautiful beyond words yet frightfully fragile, points us beyond ourselves. We are infinitely more than what we can do by ourselves. Yet human life is also incredibly tenacious, certainly due to some mysterious grace from on high, in its bold invocation of justice and the final victory of love. And capable too - as it hopes against all hope - of sacrificing for life to the very end. Acknowledging and appreciating this faithfulness and dedication to life gives rise in us to gratitude and a sense of responsibility, and it encourages us to offer our knowledge and our experience generously to the whole human community. Christian wisdom must re-propose, with passion and boldness, that the human race is destined to life in God, who has promised to open to the love of life, beyond death, the infinite horizon of loving bodies of light, where tears will be no more. And to amaze them eternally with the unfading beauty of all those 'visible and invisible' things hidden in the womb of the Creator. Thank you."

Family Life Is Loving Adventure

Pope Francis was moved to put aside his prepared talk when he met a deligation of the Forum of Family Associations in Vatican City on June 15. His extemporaneous remarks are followed by his prepared talk.

"... I thought it would be a welcome address.... But hearing Gianluigi speak, I saw that there was fire in [his words]; there was mysticism. It is a great thing. For some time now, I have not heard the family being spoken about with so much passion. And it takes courage to do so nowadays! It takes courage. And thank you for this! I had prepared a speech but after the warmth with which Gianluigi spoke, I find mine cold. I will consign it, so that he may distribute it later, and then I will publish it.

"While he was speaking, many things came to my mind and heart, many things regarding the family, things that are not said, that are not normally said, or if they are said, they are said in a very polite way, as if it were a schooling on the family.... He spoke from the heart and all of you wish to speak like this. I will take something he said, and I too would like to speak from the heart and to ad-lib what came to my heart while he was speaking.

"He used the expression: 'to look into each other's eyes.' The man and the woman, the husband and the bride, looked into each other's eyes. I will tell you an anecdote. During audiences, I like to greet the couples who are celebrating their 50th, their 25th anniversary ..., also when they come to Mass at Santa Marta. There was once a couple who was celebrating their 60th anniversary. But they were young because they married when they were 18 years old, as was done in those days. In those days, people married young. Nowadays, why would a son get married? Poor mothers! But the solution is clear: stop ironing the shirts and he will marry soon, Right? I find this couple before me and they were looking at me.... I said: 'Sixty years! But do you still have the same love?' And they were looking at me; they looked at each other and then they looked at me again, and I saw that their eyes were moist. And they both said to me: 'We are in love.' I'll never forget this. 'After 60 years, we are in love.' The warmth of the family that grows, love that is not the love of a romance novel. It is true love. Being in love your whole life with all the problems there are.... But being in love.

"Then there is another question I would like to ask the couples who have been married for 50 or 60 years: 'which one of you has had more patience?' It's predictable; the answer is: 'both of us.' This is beautiful! This reveals a life together, a life lived as a couple. That patience of abiding one another.

"And then to the young spouses who tell me: 'we have been married for one month, two months...' my question is: 'Have you argued?' They usually say 'yes' - 'Ah good, this is important. But it is also important not to end the day without making up.' Please teach this: it is normal to argue because we are free people and there are problems and we must sort them out; but not to end the day without making up. Why? Because the 'cold war' of the following day is very dangerous.

"With these three anecdotes I wanted to introduce what I would like to say to you.

"Family life is a sacrifice but a beautiful sacrifice. Love is like making pasta: every day. Love in marriage is a challenge for the man and for the woman. What is the man's greatest challenge? To help his wife become 'more woman.' More woman. So she may grow as a woman. And what is the woman's challenge? To help her husband become 'more man'. And thus, they both move forward. They move forward.

"Another thing that greatly helps in married life is patience: knowing how to wait. Waiting. There are crises in life - very serious crises, terrible crises - where there may also be times of infidelity. When the problem cannot be solved at that time, there is need for that loving patience which waits, which waits. Many women - because this pertains to women more than to men, but even men do this at times - many women have waited in silence, looking the other way, waiting for the husband to return to fidelity. And this is holiness; the holiness that forgives all, because it loves. Patience. A lot of patience, each for the other. If one is nervous and shouts, do not reply with another shout.... Keep quiet; let the storm blow over and then, at the right time, talk about it.

"There are three expressions that are magical words, but words that are important in marriage. 'Excuse me': do not be invasive with the other; 'may I?': that respect for each other. The second expression is 'I am sorry.' Apologizing is something that is very important! We all make mistakes in life, all of us. 'I am sorry; I did this ...;' 'I'm sorry, I forgot...' And this helps us to move on. The ability to apologize helps families move forward. It is true that asking forgiveness involves some shame, but it is a holy shame! 'Forgive me, I forgot...' It is something that really helps us move forward. And the third expression is 'thank you': having the greatness of heart to always say thank you.

"You then spoke about Amoris Laetitia, and you said 'Here Amoris Laetitia is made flesh.' I am happy to hear this: read, read the fourth chapter. The fourth chapter is the very heart of Amoris Laetitia. It is precisely the family's everyday spirituality. Some have reduced Amoris Laetitia to a sterile record of 'this can be done, this cannot.' They have not understood anything. Then, in Amoris Laetitia the problems are not hidden, problems of marriage preparation. You help engaged couples to prepare: things must be stated clearly, is that not true? Clearly. A woman in Buenos Aires once said to me: 'You priests are clever...' - 'Why?' - 'You study eight years to become priests; you prepare for eight years. And then if after a few years it does not work, you write a nice letter to Rome; and Rome gives you permission and you can marry. Instead to us, to whom they give a lifelong Sacrament, you indulge us with three or four meetings as preparation. This is not right.' And that woman was right. Preparing for marriage: yes it requires meetings, explanatory materials, but it takes men and women, friends, who speak to them and help them to grow, to mature on their journey. And we can say that today there is a need of a catechumenate for marriage as there is a catechumenate for Baptism. To prepare, to help one prepare for marriage.

"Then, another problem we see in Amoris Laetitia is raising children. It is not easy to raise children. Today children are quicker than we are! In the virtual world, they know more about it than we do. But it is important to educate them about community, educate them about family life. Teach them about making sacrifices for one another. It is not easy to raise children. The difficulties are major. And you, who love the family, can help other families so much in this regard. The family is an adventure, a beautiful adventure! And today - I say this with heartache - we see that so often one thinks about starting a family and getting married as if it were a lottery: 'Let's go. If it works, it works. If it doesn't work, we cancel the matter and start over.' This superficiality about the greatest gift God has given to humanity: the family. Because, after the account of the creation of man, God shows that he created man and woman in His image and likeness. And when Jesus Himself talks about marriage, He says: 'A man shall leave his father and mother and with his wife shall become one flesh.' Because they are the image and likeness of God. You are the icon of God: the family is the icon of God. Man and woman: are the very image of God. He said so, I am not saying it. And this is great; it is sacred.

"Then today - it hurts to say it - we speak of 'diversified' families: different types of family. Yes, it is true that the word 'family' is an analogical term, because it refers to the 'family' of stars, to 'families' of trees, to 'families' of animals ... it is an analogical term. But the human family as the image of God, man and woman, is one alone. It is one alone. It may be that a man and a woman are not believers: but if they love each other and become joined in marriage, they are the image and likeness of God, even though they do not believe. It is a mystery: Saint Paul calls it the 'great mystery,' the 'great sacrament' (cf. Eph 5:32). A true mystery. I like everything you said and the passion with which you said it. And this is how one should speak about the family, with passion.

"Once, I think a year ago, I called one of my relatives who was getting married. Forty years old. At the end I said: 'Tell me a little: what church are you getting married in?' - 'We don't know yet because we are looking for a church that goes well with the dress that - and he said his fiancée's name - will wear ... and then we have the issue of the restaurant...' But imagine ... that was the main concern. When what is secondary takes the place of what is important. The important thing is to love each other, to receive the Sacrament, to go forth...; and then do all the celebrating you want, all of it.

"Once I met a couple married for 10 years, without children. Talking about this is very delicate, because many times they want children but they do not come, isn't it true? I did not know how to broach the subject. Then I learned that they did not want children. But these people had three dogs, two cats.... It is nice to have a dog, a cat, it's nice.... Or when at times you hear them tell you: 'Yes, yes, but we do not have children yet because we have to buy a house in the country, then travel...' Children are the greatest gift. Children who are welcomed as they come, as God sends them, as God allows - even if at times they are sick. I have heard that it is in fashion - or at least customary - in the first months of pregnancy to have certain exams, to see whether the baby is not well, or has some problems.... The first proposal in that case is: 'Shall we do away with it?' The murder of children. And to have a nice life, they do away with an innocent.

"When I was a boy, the teacher was teaching us history and told us what the Spartans did when a baby was born with deformities: they carried it up the mountain and cast it down, to maintain 'the purity of the race.' And we were stunned: 'But how, how could they do this, the poor babies!' It was an atrocity. Today we do the same thing. Have you ever wondered why you do not see many dwarfs on the streets? Because the protocol of many doctors - many, not all - is to ask the question: 'Will it have problems?' It pains me to say this. In the last century the entire world was scandalized over what the Nazis were doing to maintain the purity of the race. Today we do the same thing, but with white gloves.

"Family, love, patience, joy, and frittering away time with the family. You spoke about something bad: that there is no opportunity to 'fritter the time away,' because to earn a living today one has to have two jobs, because the family is not taken into consideration. You also spoke about the young people who cannot get married because there is no work. The family is being threatened by unemployment.

"And I would like to end with some advice that a teacher once gave me - he gave it to us at school - a philosophy teacher, the dean. I was in the seminary, in the philosophy phase. There was the topic of human maturity; we study that in philosophy. And he asked: 'What is the everyday criterion to know if a man, if a priest is mature?' We gave some answers.... And he said: 'No, a more simple one: an adult person, a priest, is mature if he is able to play with children.' This is the test. And I say to you: fritter away time with your children; fritter away time with your children; play with your children. Do not tell them: 'Don't be a nuisance!' I once heard a young father of a family say: 'Father, when I go to work they are sleeping. When I come home they are sleeping.' It is the cross of this slavery of an unjust way of working that today's society brings us.

"I said that this was the last thing. No, the penultimate. The last thing is what I will say now, because I do not want to forget it. I spoke about children as the treasure of promise. But there is another treasure in the family: it is grandparents. Please, take care of grandparents! Have the grandparents talk; have the children speak with their grandparents. Embrace grandparents; do not distance them from the family because they are annoying, because they repeat the same things. Love grandparents, and have them talk to the children. Thank you all. Thank you for your passion; thank you for the love that you have for the family. Thanks for everything! And go onward with courage. Thank you! Now before giving you the blessing, let us pray to Our Lady: 'Hail Mary...' "

The prepared speech of the Holy Father follows:

"... I welcome you and I offer a warm greeting to you and to your President, whom I thank for his words. This encounter allows me to meet your organization, the Forum of Families, up close. Founded 25 years ago, it embraces overall more than 500 associations, and is truly a network which highlights the beauty of communion and the power of sharing. It is a special 'family of families,' of an associative type, through which you experience the joy of co-existence and at the same time you commit yourselves to assume the burden of the common good, to be built each day both in the environment of the Forum, and that of the broader society.

"The family, which you foster in various ways, is at the center of God's plan, as the entire history of salvation shows. Through a mysterious divine plan, the complementarity and the love between man and woman make them co-operators of the Creator, who entrusts them with the task of bringing new creatures to life, taking to heart their growth and education. Jesus' love for children, His filial relationship with the heavenly Father, His defense of the marriage bond, which He declares sacred and indissoluble, fully reveals the family's place in God's plan: being the cradle of life and the first place of welcome and of love, it plays an essential role in mankind's vocation and is like a window which opens wide onto the very mystery of God, who is Love in the unity and in the trinity of the Persons.

"Our world, often tempted and guided by individualistic and selfish reasoning, often loses the meaning and the beauty of stable bonds, of commitment to people, of unconditional care, of assuming responsibility for the good of the other, of gratuitousness and of self-giving. For this reason one has difficulty in comprehending the value of the family, and one ends up understanding it according to the same reasoning that privileges individual interests instead of relationships and the common good. And this is despite the fact that in the recent years of economic crisis the family has represented the most powerful shock absorber, capable of redistributing resources according to the needs of each person.

"On the contrary, full recognition and appropriate support of the family should be the top priority of civil institutions, called to promote the formation of sound, serene families who attend to their children's education and who compensate for situations of weakness. Indeed, those who learn to experience authentic relationships in the sphere of the family will be better able to exercise them in the broadest contexts, from school to the world of work; and those who practice it in a spirit of respect and service at home, will be better able to practice it also in society and in the world.

"Now, the objective of stronger support for families and a more appropriate appreciation of them, should be reached through a tireless effort toward raising awareness and dialogue. This is the task that the Forum has carried out for 25 years, in which you have accomplished a great deal of initiatives, establishing a relationship of trust and cooperation with the institutions. I exhort you to continue this work, by promoting projects which demonstrate the beauty of the family, and which are attractive because they are convincing, since their importance and value are evident.

"Thus I encourage you to witness to the joy of love, which I explained in the Apostolic Exhortation Amoris Laetitia, where I harvested the fruits of the providential journey of the Synod on the Family, which was carried out by the whole Church. Indeed, there is no better subject than joy which, radiating from the inside, proves the value of ideas and experience and points to the treasure that we have discovered and wish to share.

"Therefore, impelled by this force, you will be ever more ready to take the initiative. The Apostle Paul reminds Timothy that 'God did not give us a spirit of timidity but a spirit of power and love and self-control' (2 Tim 1:7). May this be the spirit which animates you too, teaching you respect but also courage, to accept the challenge and seek out new paths, without fear. It is the style I have asked of the entire Church since my first and programmatic Apostolic Exhortation, when I used the term 'primerear' ['take the initiative'], which suggests the capacity to go with courage to encounter others, not to close oneself in one's comfort zone but to look for points of convergence with people, to build bridges by going to discover goodness wherever it may be found (cf. Evangelii Gaudium, n. 24). God is the first to primerear with us: if we have truly met Him, we cannot hide, but rather we must go out and act, using our talents.

"Thank you for making the effort to do so! Thank you for your generous dedication, in line with your Statute, for the 'active and responsible participation of families in the cultural, social, and political life' (2.1.b), and for the 'promotion of appropriate family policies that protect and support the functions of the family and its rights' (2.1.c). May you continue, moreover, in the school environment, to favor greater parental involvement and to encourage many families to a style of participation. Never tire of supporting the growth of the birth rate in Italy, by raising awareness in institutions and in public opinion of the importance of giving life to policies and structures more open to the gift of children. It is a real paradox that the birth of children, which constitutes the greatest investment for a country and the first condition of its future prosperity, often is a cause of poverty for families, due to the inadequate support they receive or to the inefficiency of many services.

"These and other problems must be addressed with determination and charity, demonstrating that the sensitivity that you carry forth regarding the family is not to be labelled as confessional in order to accuse it - wrongly - of partiality. It is instead based on the dignity of the human person and therefore must be recognized and shared by all, as when, also in institutional contexts, the 'Family Factor' is referred to as that element of political and operative evaluation, the multiplier of human, economic, and social richness.

"I thank you again for this meeting. I exhort you to continue in your commitment in service to the family and life, and I invoke upon all members of the Forum God's blessing and the protection of the Holy Family of Nazareth. Please, do not forget to pray for me."

College Program Impacts Many

by Michael Halm

The University of Kansas had a great books program in the 1970s. After more than a hundred students decided to join the Catholic Church in ten years, the Kansas City Times depicted a hippie evolving into a monk. The three professors, all H. Bernard Fink Teacher of the Year award winners, Frank Nelick, Dennis Quinn, and John Senior, were accused of proselytizing, found not guilty and the program was closed down.

Quinn says, "You teach what you are. Well, we were Catholic, and it came out without us talking about it at all." He specialized in Renaissance literature, but taught a wide range of courses, including Greek, Roman and Medieval classics until he retired in 2006. He had numerous honors, including the 1969 HOPE Award from KU. His book, Isis Exiled: A Synoptic History of Wonder was published in 2002. Nelick was cited from 1951 to 1960 in "Our Outstanding Teachers" at KU and was nominated for the HOPE Award several times.

Senior won the Amoco Award and citation by Esquire magazine as one of America's fifth best teachers. Senior published several books, including The Way Down and Out, The Death of Christian Culture, The Restoration of Christian Culture, and Pale Horse, Easy rider. Fr. Francis Bethel wrote John Senior and the Restoration of Realism. He converted to Catholicism in the 1960s.

One alumni of the program is Paul Coakley, now archbishop of Oklahoma City. He remembers, "It was an extraordinary experience, it was an extraordinary time, and it was unquestionably the most significant educational experience of my life. Our professors taught as if they believed there was a truth and that that truth was knowable.

"In a certain sense, the focus was on educating the person, forming the person, not so much on training for a career," he points out. "It was a very good foundation for life, whether one entered a trade, a career, or a religious vocation. Many people found their life's vocation as a result of that program." Some of these religious vocations were discerned at the Abbey of Notre Dame de Fontgombault in France, a popular student destination. While most enjoyed a sojourn at the Benedictine monastery's guesthouse before returning to Kansas, six stayed behind and took vows."

In 1999, those six graduates returned to their homeland to establish a new Benedictine monastery, Annunciation Priory of Clear Creek in Oklahoma (clearcreekmonks.org). Dom Philip Anderson is now the abbot of Our Lady of the Annunciation of Clear Creek Abbey, OK. In ten years it grew to about 50. "The average age is a little over 40 years. We have many young monks, but some of us are beginning to be not so young!" Abbot Dom says.

James Conley, now bishop of Lincoln, a convert from Presbyterianism, also graduated in 1977. He gave the eulogy for Quinn, which can be read or heard at adraughtovintage.com

Yet another alumni, Dr. Robert Carlson, is one of the three founders of Wyoming Catholic College. He told the story in Truth on Trial: Liberal Education Be Hanged. Reviewer Scott W. Dorsey wrote he had "never read an account that better exposes the dogma of political correctness and multiculturalism for what it is: a despicable incarnation of the worst sort of academic barbarism."

David Whalen, now associate provost of Hillsdale College in Michigan, calls the program "absolutely determinative" for their path in life. Specifically, says Whalen, the professors' focus on the three transcendentals - the true, the good, and the beautiful - make an impact on his view on life. "I give credit to that experience," he adds, "for opening my eyes to permanent truth."

Talks by faculty and students of the Pearson Integrated Humanities Program are also on line at calliopemuse.wordpress.com. Erin Doom founded the Eighth Institute, inspired by IHP. Some Catholic grade schools and home-schools have tried to incorporate facets of the program, often intermingling the educational philosophy with the Great Books, as has the Thomas More College of Liberal Arts, Merrimack, NH. A scholarship and a memorial is planned (https://fundihpmemorial.org/) at the St. Lawrence Center near campus. It will proclaim the programs's emblem and motto, "Nascantur in Admiratione" ("Let us grow in admiration").

Care For Creation Is Continuing Challenge

Pope Francis addressed an international conference on July 6 in Vatican City which considered his encyclical on the environment. The Pope said:

"I welcome all of you assembled for this International Conference marking the third anniversary of the Encyclical Letter Laudato Si' on care for our common home. In a special way, I would like to greet His Eminence Archbishop Zizioulas, because he and Cardinal Turkson together presented the Encyclical three years ago. I thank all of you for coming together to 'hear with your hearts' the increasingly desperate cries of the earth and its poor, who look for our help and concern. You have also gathered to testify to the urgent need to respond to the Encyclical's call for change, for an ecological conversion. Your presence here is the sign of your commitment to take concrete steps to save the planet and the life it sustains, inspired by the Encyclical's assumption that 'everything is connected.' That principle lies at the heart of an integral ecology.

"Here we can think back on the call that Francis of Assisi received from the Lord in the little church of San Damiano: 'Go and repair My house, which, as you can see, lies in ruins.' Today, the 'common home' of our planet also needs urgently to be repaired and secured for a sustainable future.

"In recent decades, the scientific community has developed increasingly accurate assessments in this regard. Indeed, 'the pace of consumption, waste, and environmental change has so stretched the planet's capacity that our contemporary lifestyle, unsustainable as it is, can only precipitate catastrophes, such as those which even now periodically occur in different areas of the world' (Laudato Si', 161). There is a real danger that we will leave future generations only rubble, deserts, and refuse.

"So I express my hope that concern for the state of our common home will translate into systematic and concerted efforts aimed at an integral ecology. For 'the effects of the present imbalance can only be reduced by our decisive action, here and now' (ibid.). Humanity has the knowledge and the means to cooperate in responsibly 'cultivating and protecting' the earth. Significantly, your discussions have addressed some of this year's important steps in this direction.

"The COP24 Summit, to be held in Katowice, Poland, in December, could prove a milestone on the path set out by the 2015 Paris Agreement. We all know that much still needs to be done to implement that Agreement. All governments should strive to honor the commitments made in Paris, in order to avoid the worst consequences of the climate crisis. 'Reducing greenhouse gases requires honesty, courage, and responsibility, above all on the part of those countries which are more powerful and pollute the most' (ibid., 169), and we cannot afford to waste time.

"Along with states, local authorities, civil society, and economic and religious institutions can promote the culture and practice of an integral ecology. I trust that events such as the Global Climate Action Summit, to be held from September 12-14 in San Francisco, will provide suitable responses, with the support of citizens' pressure groups worldwide. As I observed, along with His Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, 'there can be no sincere and enduring resolution to the challenge of the ecological crisis and climate change unless the response is concerted and collective, unless the responsibility is shared and accountable, and unless we give priority to solidarity and service' (Message for the World Day of Prayer for Creation, September 1, 2017).

"Financial institutions, too, have an important role to play, as part both of the problem and its solution. A financial paradigm shift is needed, for the sake of promoting integral human development. International organizations such as the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank can encourage effective reforms for more inclusive and sustainable development. It is to be hoped that 'finance... will go back to being an instrument directed towards improved wealth creation and development' (BenedictXVI, Caritas in Veritate, 65), as well as towards care for the environment.

"All these actions presuppose a transformation on a deeper level, namely a change of hearts and minds. In the words of Saint John Paul II: 'We must encourage and support an "ecological conversion" ' (Catechesis, January 17, 2001). Here the religions, and the Christian Churches in particular, have a key role to play. The Day of Prayer for Creation and its associated initiatives, begun in the Orthodox Church, are beginning to spread among Christian communities throughout the world.

"Finally, dialogue and commitment to our common home must make special room for two groups of people at the forefront of efforts to foster an integral ecology. Both will be at the center of the next two Synods of the Catholic Church: young people and indigenous peoples, especially those from the Amazon region.

"On the one hand, 'Young people demand change. They wonder how anyone can claim to be building a better future without thinking of the environmental crisis and the sufferings of the excluded' (Laudato Si', 13). It is the young who will have to face the consequences of the current environmental and climate crisis. Consequently, intergenerational solidarity 'is not optional, but rather a basic question of justice, since the world we have received also belongs to those who will follow us' (ibid., 159).

"Then too, 'it is essential to show special care for indigenous communities and their cultural traditions' (ibid., 146). It grieves us to see the lands of indigenous peoples expropriated and their cultures trampled on by predatory schemes and by new forms of colonialism, fuelled by the culture of waste and consumerism (cf. Synod of Bishops, Amazonia: New Paths for the Church and for an Integral Ecology, June 8, 2018). 'For them, land is not a commodity but rather a gift from God and from their ancestors who rest there, a sacred space with which they need to interact if they are to maintain their identity and values' (Laudato Si', 146). How much we can learn from them! The lives of indigenous peoples 'are a living memory of the mission that God has entrusted to us all: the protection of our common home' (Address, Puerto Maldonado, Peru, January 19, 2018).

"Dear brothers and sisters, challenges are not lacking! I express my heartfelt gratitude for your efforts in the service of care for creation and a better future for our children and grandchildren. Sometimes it might seem too arduous a task, since 'there are too many special interests, and economic interests easily end up trumping the common good and manipulating information so that their own plans will not be affected' (Laudato Si', 54). Yet 'human beings, while capable of the worst, are also capable of rising above themselves, choosing again what is good, and making a new start' (ibid., 205). Please continue to work for 'the radical change which present circumstances require' (ibid., 171). For 'injustice is not invincible' (ibid., 74).

"May Saint Francis of Assisi continue to inspire and guide us on this journey, and 'may our struggles and our concern for this planet never take away the joy of our hope' (ibid., 244). After all, that hope is based on our faith in the power of our heavenly Father. He, 'who calls us to generous commitment and to give Him our all, offers us the light and the strength needed to continue on our way. In the heart of this world, the Lord of life, who loves us so much, is always present. He does not abandon us, He does not leave us alone, for He has united Himself definitively to our earth, and His love constantly impels us to find new ways forward. Praise be to Him!' (ibid., 245)..."

Shared Commitment To Africa Needed

Pope Francis met with delegates from the Organization of African Instituted Churches on June 23 in the Vatican. His remarks follow:

"... I greet you warmly in the peace of Christ! I am pleased to welcome, for the first time, a delegation of the Organization of African Instituted Churches. I thank you for your visit and for your willingness to seek closer ties to the Catholic Church.

"Your communities, in their relatively short history, have been marked by the struggle for independence on the African continent, and by subsequent efforts to shape societies of justice and peace, capable of defending the dignity of the great variety of African peoples. Sad to say, the promise of progress and justice held out in that process of liberation was not always fulfilled; many countries are still far from peace and from an overall economic, social, and political development that can ensure suitable living conditions and opportunities for all their citizens. You are well aware of the challenges that Africa as a whole faces, as well as those faced by the different Churches in carrying out their mission of evangelization, reconciliation, and humanitarian assistance. In particular, you are conscious of the enormous challenge of providing stability, education, and employment opportunities to the young people who form such an important part of African societies.

"Africa today has been compared to the man who went down from Jerusalem to Jericho and fell into the hands of robbers who stripped him, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead (cf. Lk 10:30-37). The basic question facing us is how the Christian message is good news for the people of Africa. As a response to the desperation of the poor, the frustration of young people and the cry of pain of the elderly and the suffering, the Gospel of Jesus Christ, passed on and lived out, translates into experiences of hope, peace, joy, harmony, love, and unity.

"If we are truly convinced that Africa's problems can be more easily resolved by drawing upon the continent's human, cultural and material resources, it is clear that our Christian duty is to accompany every effort to favor a wise and ethical use of those resources. In particular, what is urgently demanded is a shared commitment to promoting peace processes in the various areas of conflict, as well as to concrete forms of solidarity towards those in need. It is the duty of church leaders to help individuals to pool their energies and put them at the service of the common good while defending the dignity, freedom, and rights of all. More than ever, all Christians need to learn to work together for the common good. Although significant disagreements may exist between us on theological and ecclesiological issues, there are many areas where the leaders and members of the various communities of the Christian family can set common goals and work together for the benefit of all. Especially for the most underprivileged and vulnerable of our brothers and sisters.

"The African peoples possess a profound religiosity, a sense of the existence of a Creator God and a spiritual world, the importance of the family, love for life, children as God's gift, respect for elders, duties towards others, near and far... Do these religious values and these principles of life not belong to all of us as Christians? On the basis of them, then, let us express our solidarity in interpersonal and social relationships.

"A particular task of Christians in African societies is that of fostering the coexistence of differing ethnic groups, traditions, languages, and religions, a task that often meets with obstacles due to grave mutual antagonisms. For this reason too, I would like to encourage greater encounter and ecumenical dialogue between ourselves and with all the other Churches. May the Holy Spirit shed His light upon us, so that we may succeed in discovering how best to promote cooperation between all - Christians, traditional religions, Muslims - for the sake of a better future for Africa.

"Dear friends, I thank you once more for your visit. It is my prayerful hope that these days spent in Rome, the city of the martyrdom of the Apostles Peter and Paul, will help strengthen your conviction of the firm will of the Catholic Church to do everything possible, together with her ecumenical partners, to promote the Kingdom of justice, peace, and fraternity that God desires for all humanity. May He look with love upon you, your families, and your nations. I ask you too, please, to pray for me, for I have great need of it. Thank you!"

Prison To Praise

by Colby Wilson

(Editor's note: Mr. Wilson writes from Pennsylvania. We welcome contributions from prisoners. We would like to hear from a variety of prisoners.)

I love reading the Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to St. John because he in a particular way invites you to come to know God in a more intimate way. More so than the other gospel writers who focused on teaching about God in the light of the new revelation, Jesus the Christ. John speaks on two levels at once so as not to lose his readers in the profound spiritual realities he's trying to impart.

As I prayed this passage (lectio divina) He spoke to me of prayer, that ever necessary arena of spiritual combat. He asked me if, when I stepped onto those sands was it done in confidence, with courage? Did I come prepared to exercise fortitude, to attack my foe with persistence until he should be slain? Most importantly, did I know it was only His hand, not my own, that would deliver me? Was I prepared to sacrifice self and trust in Him to live?

This metaphor I believe is the spiritual reality that takes place anytime someone enters into prayer seeking deliverance from temporal or spiritual distress. This was the drama into which our ruler entered into (Jn 4:46b). How far are we willing to go to obtain the life Christ offers? Is it done in faith (Heb 11:1)?

The ruler came from Capharnaum to Cana, looking at a biblical map of the Holy Land, it's about 20 miles to intercede for his son with Jesus. He petitions Jesus to return with him to Capharnaum. St. Gregory says, "He had little faith in Jesus since he did not think He could save unless He were corporeally present." Ah!, how slow we are to believe even after we've heard, like St. Thomas we can all be doubters (Jn 20:24-29). But at least he, the ruler, approached earnestly, and with the beginnings of faith. Have no doubts that this was a prayer, the sense is lost in the NAB here it says "he asked him." In the Douay it says he "prayed him." This jewish ruler, not yet believing in the divinity of Christ, addressed him with the same degree of prayer we as Catholics use with the saints. "To make an earnest petition of another person," Random House Dictionary Unabridged Edition 1967. This is the term "dulia" in latin.

Jesus answers with a rebuke (4:48), "Why?" Because we're always demanding signs (Mt 12:38; 16:1). We're materialistic, we always demand to see to believe. But Jesus is inviting us to grow in faith (Heb 11:1). The ruler is not put off though, he parries this thrust and renews the attack with confidence and persistence (Lk 11:5-8; 18:1-8). It is here many are tempted to despair but this is of Satan. Sts. Paul and John tell us how to conduct ourselves (Rom 12:12, Heb 12:4, Jn 15:7).

The ruler is rewarded for his perseverance (4:50). But Jesus, being the Good Shepherd, gives more than we ask for. "He first cures the unbelief; or the imperfection of faith, in the father, and then the fever in the son; for the imperfect faith of the father, pleading for his son, was an obstacle to the latter cure" (Cornelius A Lapide). "Go thy way; thy son liveth" (Jn 4:50). This word of Christ was not only declaratory, but effectual: for it wrought and produced that which it declared namely the life and healing of the sick. So in the consecration of the Eucharist, the words, "This is my body," declare in this way that the Body of Christ is in the Eucharist, at the same time that they confect it and make it present there.

In verses 51-53 the rulers faith is confirmed and the miracle confirmed. For "the miracles of Christ ... are 'motives of credibility' (motiva credibilitatis), which show that the assent of faith is 'by no means a blind impulse of the mind.' " (CCC156). His witness also brings other to Christ (4:53). "Moreover," says Cornelius A. Lapide, "because this noble man dwelt in Capharnaum, as well as the centurion mentioned in Matthew 8, we need not doubt that they were friends; and that the centurion through this miracle, which was prior in point in time (for the healing of his servant by Christ took place later), conceived so great a faith in Christ that he said, "Lord, I am not worthy that thou shouldst enter under my roof, but only say the word, and my servant shall be healed" (Mt 8:8).

Approach the throne of Christ with confidence Christian soul, and proclaim to others the wonders he does for you. Not out of pride, for these are not your works, but for the edification of the faith of others.

Light to the Nations

(A Christian Perspective on World News)

address needs of asian communities

WASHINGTON - The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) is publishing a new document, Encountering Christ in Harmony: A Pastoral Response to Our Asian and Pacific Island Brothers and Sisters. The full text is available on the USCCB website at: http://www.usccb.org/issues-and-action/cultural-diversity/asian-pacific-islander/upload/asian-and-pacific-island-pastoral-response-encountering-christ-in-harmony-2018.pdf .

Approved by the U.S. bishops during their Spring 2018 General Assembly, the pastoral response will guide the Catholic Church in the United States in addressing the pastoral needs of Asian and Pacific Island communities and provide a framework for dioceses and parishes for creating their pastoral plans or actions specific to their circumstances.

The Asian and Pacific Island population in the United States is the fastest growing minority population according to research referenced in the document. Yet, this population "tends to go unrecognized in the wider US society, and there remains a need to bring more attention and support to the Asian and Pacific Island communities," the bishops say in the pastoral response.

Encountering Christ in Harmony aims to: (a) advance the Church's mission of evangelization to specific cultural groups; (b) assist dioceses, parish leaders, other Catholic entities, and the faithful in pastoral outreach to Asian and Pacific Island Catholics; and (c) provide resources and information about Asian and Pacific Island Catholic communities.

The printed version of the document will be available at the USCCB online store (https://store.usccb.org/) at a later date.

(Source: USCCB press release)

roe v. wade shouldn't be litmus test

WASHINGTON - Cardinal Daniel N. DiNardo of Galveston-Houston, President of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), wrote to the members of the Senate on July 6, urging them not to use support for Roe v. Wade as a litmus test for judicial nominees in their deliberations about the upcoming vacancy on the Supreme Court of the United States.

The letter makes clear that the USCCB "does not support or oppose confirmation of particular presidential nominees." Instead, the letter expresses "grave concerns about the confirmation process ... being grossly distorted by efforts to subject judicial nominees to a litmus test in support of Roe, as though nominees who oppose the purposeful taking of innocent human life are somehow unfit for judicial office in the United States."

"By any measure," the Cardinal says, "support for Roe is an impoverished standard for assessing judicial ability. For forty-five years, Roe has sparked more informed criticism and public resistance than any other court decision of the late 20th century."

The letter points to decades of polling showing that most Americans oppose Roe's policy of unlimited abortion, to a growing number of state legislatures passing pro-life laws, to mainstream medicine rejecting abortion, and to many legal scholars who support abortion who have criticized Roe for not being grounded in the U.S. Constitution.

"If a Supreme Court ruling was wrongly decided, is widely rejected as morally flawed and socially harmful, and is seen even by many supporters as having little basis in the Constitution, these are very good reasons not to use it as a litmus test for future judges. Further, a nominees' faith should not be used as a proxy for their views on Roe. Any religious test for public office is both unjust and unconstitutional."

The full text of Cardinal DiNardo's letter to the Senate is posted at: http://www.usccb.org/issues-and-action/human-life-and-dignity/abortion/upload/usccb-president-letter-to-senate-on-judicial-nominees-070618.pdf

For more on the U.S. Bishops' pro-life efforts, including information on Roe v. Wade, visit: http://www.usccb.org/issues-and-action/human-life-and-dignity/abortion/roe-v-wade.cfm

(Source: USCCB press release)

Edge To Edge

Pray The News

Because we are sons and daughters of God, saved by Jesus and empowered by the Holy Spirit, we do not merely read the news but make the news. We direct the course of world events by faith expressed in action and intercession. Please pray for the stories covered in this paper. Clip out this intercessory list and make it part of your daily prayer.

• We pray in thanksgiving for the strong and loving witness of families.
• We pray for all married couples as they respond to God's call.
• We pray for all families to grow ever closer to God and each other.
• We pray for wisdom and courage for all leaders.
• We pray for healing of divisions in our country and in the world.
• We pray for all persecuted Christians.
• We pray that we will live the Beatitudes.
• We pray that we will respect the dignity of all human life, from conception to natural death and in all of life's circumstances.
• We pray that we will have the Heart of Jesus for the marginalized, outcasts, and forgotten.
• We pray for peace throughout the world and especially in Africa and the Middle East.
• We pray that we will care for all of God's creation.
• We pray for students and teachers as they return to school.