PASTOR’S MEANDERINGS 4 – 5 MARCH 2017 FIRST SUNDAY OF LENT (A)

STEWARDSHIP: What temptations lure us from the path of discipleship? Possessions? Pride? Power? Oh Lord, create for us a clean heart and renew a steadfast spirit within us!

Alexander Solzhenitsyn “The line separating good and evil passes not through states, nor between classes, nor between political parties either – but right through every human heart. Even in the best of hearts, there remains a small corner of evil.”

SECOND SUNDAY OF LENT 12 MAR ‘17 Gn. 12:1-4: Abraham is called to step out in faith with the promise of manifold blessings. 2 Tm. 1:8-10: Just as Abraham was called so we are called as Christians, by Christ’s life-giving death, to hope; not just for a great name, but even for immortality with God. Mt. 17:1-9: The Transfiguration invites the disciples to hope for a share in Christ’s coming glory. It also reminds them, by its passing brevity, that we will live that hope more in waiting than in seeing.

Gerard Manly Hopkins, S.J. “The world is charged with the grandeur of God.”

FASTING AND ABSTINENCE: The Lenten norms for the U.S. regarding fast and abstinence established by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops in November 1966 and reiterated in November 1973, are as follows: Abstinence The law of abstinence requires a Catholic 14 years of age until death to abstain from eating meat on Fridays in honor of the Passion of Jesus on Good Friday. Meat is considered to be the flesh and organs of mammals and fowl. Also forbidden are soups or gravies made from them. Salt and freshwater species of fish, amphibians, reptiles and shellfish are permitted, as are animal derived products such as margarine and gelatin which do not have any meat taste. On the Fridays outside of Lent the U.S. bishops’ conference obtained the permission of the Holy See for Catholics in the US to substitute a penitential, or even a charitable, practice of their own choosing. They must do some penitential/charitable practice on these Fridays. For most people the easiest practice to consistently fulfill will be the traditional one, to abstain from meat on all Fridays of the year. (This change was announced the year that I was in my second year at Allegheny College. When it was announced in the cafeteria at a Friday evening meal, there was a standing ovation by those present. When I was home for Christmas break, I assumed {always a dangerous process} that the change would be incorporated in the routine of the family. When I walked into the kitchen on the first Friday I was surprised to see Mum preparing a traditional meatless meal. In response to my reminding her of the change Mum pointed out that for generations the family had eaten meatless meals on Wednesdays and Fridays and it really didn’t matter what some committee in had decided things were not changing here, now sit down and eat your macron.) During Lent abstinence from meat on Fridays is obligatory in the United States as elsewhere. Fasting The law of fasting requires a Catholic from the 18th Birthday (Canon 97) to the 59th Birthday (i.e. the beginning of the 60th year, a year which will be completed on the 60th birthday) to reduce the amount of food eaten from normal. The Church defines this as one meal a day, and two smaller meals which if added together would not exceed the main meal in quantity. Such fasting is obligatory on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. The fast is broken by eating between meals and by drinks which could be considered food (milk shakes, but not milk). Alcoholic beverages do not break the fast; however, they seem to be contrary to the spirit of doing penance. With regard to the seriousness of the matter, the teaching of Pope Paul VI may be simply paraphrased: The obligation to do penance is a serious one; the obligation to observe, as a whole or “substantially,” the penitential days specified by the church also is serious. No one should be scrupulous in this regard; failure to observe individual days of penance is not considered serious; rather it is the failure to observe any penitential days at all or a substantial number of days that must be considered serious. People should seek to do more rather than less; fast and abstinence on the days prescribed and works of religion and charity on the Fridays outside Lent should be considered a minimal response to the Lord’s call to penance and conversion of life. Those who are excused from fast or abstinence Besides those outside the age limits, those of unsound mind, the sick, the frail, pregnant or nursing women according to need for meat or nourishment, manual laborers according to need, guests at a meal who cannot excuse themselves without giving great offense or causing enmity and other situations of moral or physical impossibility to observe the penitential discipline. Aside from these minimum penitential requirements Catholics are encouraged to impose some personal penance on themselves at other times. It could be modeled after abstinence and fasting. A person could, for example, multiply the number of days they abstain. Some people give up meat entirely for religious motives (as opposed to those who give it up for health or other motives). Some religious orders, as a penance, never eat meat. Similarly, one could multiply the number of days that one fasted. The early Church had a practice of a Wednesday and Saturday fast. This fast could be the same as the Church's law (one main meal and two smaller ones) or stricter, even bread and water. Such freely chosen fasting could also consist in giving up something one enjoys - candy, soft drinks, smoking, that cocktail before supper, and so on. This is left to the individual. One final consideration. Before all else we are obliged to perform the duties of our state in life. Any deprivation that would seriously hinder us in carrying out our work, as students, employees or parents would be contrary to the will of God.

The Eucharistic Fast Regular meals and solid food or liquid may be taken up to one hour before receiving holy Communion. Water may be taken at any time; it never breaks the fast. These regulations apply at all times, whether holy Communion is received at Mass in the morning, afternoon or evening, or at midnight. The elderly and those who are suffering from some illness, as well as those who care for them, may receive the Eucharist even if within the preceding hour they have consumed something.

STATIONS OF THE CROSS: The Stations of the Cross in the form most American Catholics know best are of comparatively recent vintage in Church terms, dating back to the year the U.S. Constitution was ratified. However, their history goes back well before that, to the days when pilgrims were first openly able to go to Jerusalem and walk in the footsteps of Jesus on Good Friday.

The emperor Constantine permitted Christians to legally worship in the Roman Empire in 313 after 250 years of persecution. In 335, he erected the Church of the Holy Sepulcher at the site where Jesus’ tomb was believed to have been. Processions of pilgrims to the church, especially during Holy Week, began soon after its completion. A woman named Egeria, a pilgrim from France, described one such pilgrimage which took place in the fourth century. The bishop of Jerusalem and about 200 pilgrims began "at the first cockcrow" at the site of Jesus’ agony on Holy Thursday night. They said a prayer, sung a hymn, and heard a Gospel passage, then went to the garden of Gethsemane and repeated the procedure. They continued to Jerusalem itself, "reaching the (city) gate about the time when one man begins to recognize another, and thence right on through the midst of the city. All, to a man, both great and small, rich and poor, all are ready there, for on that special day not a soul withdraws from the vigils until morning," Egeria wrote. Pilgrimages eventually took a fixed route from the ruins of the Fortress Antonia, where Pilate had his judgment hall, to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. That route through Jerusalem’s Old City gained acceptance as the way Jesus went to his death and remains unchanged today. It is known as the Via Dolorosa, Latin for the "Sorrowful Way." Stops developed on the way to note specific events on the road to Calvary. In many cases, the pilgrims could only guess where some incidents took place because Jerusalem had been almost completely destroyed by Roman armies in 70 A.D. The pilgrims brought back oil from the lamps that burned around Jesus’ tomb and relics from the holy places, and sometimes tried to recreate in Europe what they had seen in the Holy Land. The Moslem conquest of Palestine in the seventh century made such more significant, since it made travel to the Holy Land dangerous. Devotions to the Way of the Cross began in earnest after 1342, when the Franciscan friars were given custody of the holy sites in the Holy Land. The Franciscans have been closely identified with the devotion ever since; for years, Church regulations required a set of the stations to be blessed by a Franciscan when possible. The number of stations varied widely, with some manuals of devotion listing as many as 37. The term "stations" in describing the Way of the Cross was first used in the narrative of an English pilgrim, William Wey, who visited the Holy Land twice in the 15th century. Depictions of the events described in the Stations did not start becoming common in churches until Pope Innocent XI permitted the Franciscans in 1686 to erect such displays in all their churches. He also declared that all indulgences given for visiting the sacred sites in the Holy Land would apply to any Franciscan or Franciscan lay affiliate visiting a set of stations in a church. Pope Benedict XIII extended that privilege to all the faithful in 1726. Five years later, Pope Clement XII allowed all churches to have stations and fixed the number at 14, where it has been ever since. In recent years, many churches have included the Resurrection as a 15th station. Benedict XIV specifically urged every church in 1742 to enrich its sanctuary with stations. Two Franciscans of the era did much to spread the popes’ wishes. St. Leonard of Port-Maurice erected stations at more than 500 churches in Italy, and St. Alphonsus Ligouri in 1787 wrote the version of the Stations that most Americans recognize because it was used in most churches in the United States throughout the 19th and 20th centuries. It has become standard for Catholic churches in this country to recite the prayers related to the Stations on the Fridays of Lent. Many churches have two services, one in the afternoon, mainly for schoolchildren, and one in the evening. Some Protestant churches, especially those belonging to the Episcopal or Lutheran denominations, have made the devotion part of their Lenten activities, particularly on Good Friday. The traditional 14 stations are as follows: Jesus is condemned to death; Jesus takes up his cross; Jesus falls the first time; Jesus meets his mother; Simon of Cyrene carries the cross; Veronica wipes the face of Jesus; Jesus falls the second time; Jesus meets the daughters of Jerusalem; Jesus falls the third time; Jesus is stripped of his garments; Jesus is nailed to the cross; Jesus is crucified; Jesus is taken down from the cross; Jesus’ body is laid in the tomb. The third, fourth, sixth, seventh, and ninth stations are not specifically described in the Gospels, nor is St. Alphonsus’ depiction in the 13th station of Jesus’ body being laid in the arms of his mother. In order to provide a version more specifically aligned with biblical accounts, Pope John Paul II introduced the Scriptural Way of the Cross on Good Friday in 1991 and celebrated that form every year thereafter at the Colosseum in Rome. Pope Benedict approved it for meditation and public celebration in 2007. This version has the following stations: Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane; Jesus is betrayed by Judas and arrested; Jesus is condemned by the Sanhedrin; Jesus is denied by Peter; Jesus is judged by Pilate; Jesus is scourged and crowned with thorns; Jesus takes up his cross; Simon helps Jesus carry his cross; Jesus meets the daughters of Jerusalem; Jesus is crucified; Jesus promises a place in his kingdom to the good thief; Jesus entrusts Mary and John to each other; Jesus dies on the cross; Jesus is laid in the tomb. Franciscans have a long tradition of celebrating the Stations in the Colosseum on Fridays. John Paul made the observance an annual part of his Holy Week calendar on Good Friday. He carried a cross himself from station to station until age and infirmity limited his strength. Days before his death in 2005, he observed the Stations from his private chapel in the Vatican. Pope Benedict XVI continued the tradition as has Pope Francis. Each year, a different person is invited to write the meditation text for the pope’s Stations. Past composers of the papal Stations include several non-Catholics. John Paul wrote the text himself in 2000 and used the traditional stations. Modern liturgists have emphasized that devotion to the Passion is incomplete without reference to the Resurrection and to this end have fostered the addition of a “fifteenth station.”

LENTEN EXERCISE FORTY PRAYERS FOR 40 DAYS. Monday 6 Mar To do the will of God St. Gabriel Possenti said of himself, “I will attempt day by day to break my will into little pieces. I want to do God’s holy will, not my own.” Prayer: Dear God, my sincere prayer today is “thy will be done.” Scripture: Lk. 22:42

Tuesday 7 Mar For deeper joy. “Be merry, really merry. The life of a true Christian should be a perpetual jubilee, a prelude to the festivals of eternity,” advised St. Theophane Venard. Prayer: Dear God, let me find joy and happiness daily, even in the most unpromising of circumstances. Scripture: Ps. 118:24

Wednesday 8 Mar To be a peacemaker. “Peace is not a dream or something utopian; it is possible,’” noted Pope-emeritus Benedict XVI. Prayer: Dear God, Jesus said ‘Blessed are the peacemakers. I strengthen my resolve to be a peace maker and to encourage others to do the same. Scripture: Mt. 5:9

Thursday 9 Mar To eat vegetarian In her book, The Wisdom of the , Jill Haak Adels writes, “Saints seem to be overwhelmingly vegetarian.” Prayer: God, through this season of Lent, empower me to be like the prophet Daniel who practiced vegetarianism. Scripture: Dn. 1:11

Friday 10 Mar For a simpler life. “Simplicity, simplicity, simplicity” was the desire of Henry David Thoreau. Prayer: Dear God, I resolve to clean out my home, giving away what is unused, unneeded and unnecessary so that I may be unfettered from material things. Scripture: Mt. 19:24

Saturday 11 Mar To serve others. Irish wisdom says that God likes help when helping people. Prayer: Dear God, I want to be your hands and feet in serving and helping others. Scripture: Mt. 23:11

SAINT OF THE WEEK FRANCES of ROME 1384 – 1440 9 MAR The daughter of wealthy parents who lived in Rome, Frances was wed in an arranged marriage to Lorenzo Ponziano when she was thirteen. Always desirous of a life in service to God, Frances began ministering to the poor of Rome soon after her marriage. She was joined in this by Vannozza Ponziano, wife of her brother-in-law, Paluzzo. While living a life of great holiness, Frances neglected none of her obligations to her family even when, upon the death of her mother-in-law, she was required to assume the duties of head of the household for the Ponziano family. When her first son, John Baptist (Battista), was born in 1400, Frances, though well able to afford help, allowed no one but herself to look after him. The same was true for her other two children, Evangelist and Agnes. When a plague struck Rome in the early 1400’, Frances and Vannozza worked to relieve the suffering of the people. To support their efforts, Frances, with the consent of her father-in-law, sold her jewels, emptied the family storerooms, and with Vannozza, went door-to-door begging for food to feed the hungry. Around this time, a great schism had divided the . When Ladislaus of , an ally of the anti-pope, captured Rome, Lorenzo was wounded and Paluzzo was taken prisoner. Ladislaus’ governor also demanded little Battista as a hostage. While Frances was praying in the church, Battista was released under circumstances which were described as miraculous. In a later raid, Lorenzo escaped but Battista was captured. (He later escaped and joined his father.) Ladislaus’ soldiers sacked and burned the Palazzo Ponziano and many farms and villages under the family’s control, slaughtering animals and killing many of the peasants. Frances and Vanozza (whose husband was still a prisoner), together with Evangelist and Agnes, lived in a corner of the burned-out palazzo while still offering whatever help they could to their poorer neighbors. Another pestilence struck Rome around 1413 during which Evangelist died. Twelve months after his death, while Frances was praying, her dead son appeared to her with an archangel. He told her of his happiness in heaven, but warned her that his sister, Agnes, would soon die. As a consolation, the archangel who came with Evangelist would stay with Frances to be her guide. About a year later, Agnes died at the age of sixteen. The archangel, who appeared to Frances as a child about eight years old, remained with her and was seen only by her. Frances’ fame had spread all over Rome, and her advice and counsel were sought from all quarters. She formed a society of women living in the world and bound by no vows, who pledged themselves to God and to the service of the poor. These women were known initially as the of Mary. After seven years, the society thought it appropriate to come together in a house and a building known as the Tod de’ Specchi was acquired for them. They then became known as the Oblates of Tod de’ Specchi. Three years later, Lorenzo died and Frances announced her intentions to join her sisters at Tor de’ Specchi. The superior immediately resigned her position and, together with the other sisters, insisted that Frances take her place. Frances reluctantly accepted. She was now able to live even closer to God and her visions became more frequent. She was sometimes known to spend whole nights in prayers. Frances died in the spring of 1440. When word of her death spread, throngs of people came to the Palazzo Ponziani to mourn. To this day, countless pilgrims come to her tomb in the Church of Santa Maria Nuova and to Tor de’ Specchi and the Casa degli Esercizi Pii (the successor to the old Palazzo Ponziani) on March 9, the anniversary of her death. St. Frances is the patron of motorists.

EXAMINATION OF CONSCIENCE Supplementary Questions to Examine Conscience in Light of Catholic Social Teaching Life and Dignity of the Human Person • Do I respect the life and dignity of every human person from conception through natural death? • Do I recognize the face of Christ reflected in all others around me whatever their race, class, age, or abilities? • Do I work to protect the dignity of others when it is being threatened? • Am I committed to both protecting human life and to ensuring that every human being is able to live in dignity? Call to Family, Community, and Participation • Do I try to make positive contributions in my family and in my community? • Are my beliefs, attitudes, and choices such that they strengthen or undermine the institution of the family? • Am I aware of problems facing my local community and involved in efforts to find solutions? Do I stay informed and make my voice heard when needed? • Do I support the efforts of poor persons to work for change in their neighborhoods and communities? Do my attitudes and interactions empower or disempower others? Rights and Responsibilities • Do I recognize and respect the economic, social, political, and cultural rights of others? • Do I live in material comfort and excess while remaining insensitive to the needs of others whose rights are unfulfilled? • Do I take seriously my responsibility to ensure that the rights of persons in need are realized? • Do I urge those in power to implement programs and policies that give priority to the human dignity and rights of all, especially the vulnerable? Option for the Poor and Vulnerable • Do I give special attention to the needs of the poor and vulnerable in my community and in the world? • Am I disproportionately concerned for my own good at the expense of others? • Do I engage in service and advocacy work that protects the dignity of poor and vulnerable persons? The Dignity of Work and the Rights of Workers • As a worker, do I give my employer a fair day’s work for my wages? As an owner, do I treat workers fairly? • Do I treat all workers with whom I interact with respect, no matter their position or class? • Do I support the rights of all workers to adequate wages, health insurance, vacation and sick leave? Do I affirm their right to form or join unions or worker associations? • Do my purchasing choices take into account the hands involved in the production of what I buy? When possible, do I buy products produced by workers whose rights and dignity were respected? Solidarity • Does the way I spend my time reflect a genuine concern for others? • Is solidarity incorporated into my prayer and spirituality? Do I lift up vulnerable people throughout the world in my prayer, or is it reserved for only my personal concerns? • Am I attentive only to my local neighbors or also those across the globe? • Do I see all members of the human family as my brothers and sisters? Care for God’s Creation • Do I live out my responsibility to care for God’s creation? • Do I see my care for creation as connected to my concern for poor persons, who are most at risk from environmental problems? • Do I litter? Live wastefully? Use energy too freely? Are there ways I could reduce consumption in my life? • Are there ways I could change my daily practices and those of my family, school, workplace, or community to better conserve the earth’s resources for future generations?

Themes of Catholic Social Teaching The Church’s social teaching is a rich treasure of wisdom about building a just society and living lives of holiness amidst the challenges of modern society. Modern Catholic social teaching has been articulated through a tradition of papal, conciliar, and episcopal documents. The depth and richness of this tradition can be understood best through a direct reading of these documents. In these brief reflections, we highlight several of the key themes that are at the heart of our Catholic social tradition. Life and Dignity of the Human Person The Catholic Church proclaims that human life is sacred and that the dignity of the human person is the foundation of a moral vision for society. This belief is the foundation of all the principles of our social teaching. In our society, human life is under direct attack from abortion and euthanasia. The value of human life is being threatened by cloning, embryonic stem cell research, and the use of the death penalty. The intentional targeting of civilians in war or terrorist attacks is always wrong. Catholic teaching also calls on us to work to avoid war. Nations must protect the right to life by finding increasingly effective ways to prevent conflicts and resolve them by peaceful means. We believe that every person is precious, that people are more important than things, and that the measure of every institution is whether it threatens or enhances the life and dignity of the human person. Call to Family, Community, and Participation The person is not only sacred but also social. How we organize our society—in economics and politics, in law and policy— directly affects human dignity and the capacity of individuals to grow in community. Marriage and the family are the central social institutions that must be supported and strengthened, not undermined. We believe people have a right and a duty to participate in society, seeking together the common good and well-being of all, especially the poor and vulnerable. Rights and Responsibilities The Catholic tradition teaches that human dignity can be protected and a healthy community can be achieved only if human rights are protected and responsibilities are met. Therefore, every person has a fundamental right to life and a right to those things required for human decency. Corresponding to these rights are duties and responsibilities--to one another, to our families, and to the larger society. Option for the Poor and Vulnerable A basic moral test is how our most vulnerable members are faring. In a society marred by deepening divisions between rich and poor, our tradition recalls the story of the Last Judgment (Mt 25:31-46) and instructs us to put the needs of the poor and vulnerable first. The Dignity of Work and the Rights of Workers The economy must serve people, not the other way around. Work is more than a way to make a living; it is a form of continuing participation in God’s creation. If the dignity of work is to be protected, then the basic rights of workers must be respected-- the right to productive work, to decent and fair wages, to the organization and joining of unions, to private property, and to economic initiative. Solidarity We are one human family whatever our national, racial, ethnic, economic, and ideological differences. We are our brothers’ and sisters’ keepers, wherever they may be. Loving our neighbor has global dimensions in a shrinking world. At the core of the virtue of solidarity is the pursuit of justice and peace. Pope Paul VI taught that “if you want peace, work for justice.”1 The Gospel calls us to be peacemakers. Our love for all our sisters and brothers demands that we promote peace in a world surrounded by violence and conflict. Care for God’s Creation We show our respect for the Creator by our stewardship of creation. Care for the earth is not just an Earth Day slogan, it is a requirement of our faith. We are called to protect people and the planet, living our faith in relationship with all of God’s creation. This environmental challenge has fundamental moral and ethical dimensions that cannot be ignored.

This summary is drawn from Sharing Catholic Social Teaching: Challenges and Directions (Washington, DC: USCCB, 1998) and Faithful Citizenship: A Catholic Call to Political Responsibility (Washington, DC: USCCB, 2003) and should only be a starting point for those interested in Catholic social teaching. A full understanding can only be achieved by reading the papal, conciliar, and episcopal documents that make up this rich tradition. For a copy of the complete text of Sharing Catholic Social Teaching: Challenges and Directions (No. 5-281) and other social teaching documents.

Copyright © 2010, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. All rights reserved. This text may be reproduced in whole or in part without alteration for nonprofit educational use, provided such reprints are not sold and include the following notice: "Copyright © 2010, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Washington, D.C. All rights reserved."