April 2013 Volume III, Issue 4 MI Monthly Formation PPooppee FFrraanncciiss Dear MI Members and Friends, 4:25)! In an Easter homily of the 4thcentury, the bishop pronounced What a tremendous time of grace we these extraordinarily modern, and have been living and are invited to one could say existentialist, words: continue living. We have a Pope, “For every man, the beginning of Pope Francis; the first Jesuit, the life is when Christ was immolated first Francis, the first from the for him. However, Christ is Americas - It seems that my brother immolated for him at the moment he Cardinals have gone to the ends of recognizes the grace and becomes the earth to get one, Pope Francis conscious of the life procured for MI Monthly said upon his election. Everything is him by that immolation” (The Intention speaking of novelty, of renewal and Paschal Homily of the Year 387 : new life. During the homily for the SCh, 36 p. 59f.). Immaculata, please Celebration of the Passion of Our intercede… Lord, Father Raniero Cantalamessa, What an extraordinary thing! This OFM, Cap, the Preacher of the Good Friday celebrated in the Year Pontifical Household, said, “We of Faith and in the presence of the have reached the summit of the Year new successor of Peter, could be, if of Faith and its decisive moment. we wish, the principle of a new ... that faith in the This is the faith that saves, "faith kind of existence. Bishop Hilary of Resurrection of that overcomes the world" (1 Jn Poitiers, converted to Christianity Christ may lead us 5:5)! Faith – the appropriation by as an adult, looking back on his past ever more closely which we make ours the salvation life, said, "before meeting you, I did toward the gifts that are eternal. worked by Christ, by which we put not exist". on the mantle of his righteousness. On the one hand there is the And an itinerary for this novelty was outstretched hand of God offering given by Pope Francis in his homily man His grace; on the other hand, to the Cardinal electors on March the hand of man reaching out to 14, the day after his election at the receive it through faith. The "new Missa Pro Ecclesia. It is an itinerary and everlasting Covenant" is sealed we are all invited to follow. It has a with a handclasp between God and three point plan: Journeying, man. building, professing. MI National Center Marytown 1600 W Park Ave We have the opportunity to make, “Journeying.” O house of Jacob, Libertyville, IL on this day, the most important come, let us walk in the light of the 60048 decision of our lives, one that Lord" (Is 2:5). This is the first thing opens wide before us the doors of that God said to Abraham: Walk in Web: www.consecration.com eternity: to believe! To believe that my presence and live blamelessly. "Jesus died for our sins and rose Journeying: our life is a journey, MI National President again for our justification" (Rom and when we stop moving, things go Fr. Patrick Greenough, OFM Conv MI Monthly Formation April 2013 Page 2 wrong. Always journeying, in the Christ, now says to him: You are the presence of the Lord, in the light of Christ, the Son of the living God. I the Lord, seeking to live with the will follow you, but let us not speak blamelessness that God asked of of the Cross. That has nothing to do Abraham in his promise. with it. I will follow you on other terms, but without the Cross. When “Building.” Building the Church. we journey without the Cross, We speak of stones: stones are solid; when we build without the Cross, but living stones, stones anointed by when we profess Christ without the Holy Spirit. Building the the Cross, we are not disciples of Church, the Bride of Christ, on the the Lord, we are worldly: we may cornerstone that is the Lord himself. be bishops, priests, cardinals, popes, This is another kind of movement in but not disciples of the Lord. our lives: building. “My wish is that all of us, after “Thirdly, ‘professing.’ We can walk these days of grace, will have the as much as we want, we can build courage, yes, the courage, to walk many things, but if we do not in the presence of the Lord, with profess Jesus Christ, things go the Lord’s Cross; to build the wrong. We may become a charitable Church on the Lord’s blood NGO, but not the Church, the Bride which was poured out on the of the Lord. When we are not Cross; and to profess the one walking, we stop moving. When we glory: Christ crucified. And in are not building on the stones, what this way, the Church will go happens? The same thing that forward. happens to children on the beach when they build sandcastles: “My prayer for all of us is that the everything is swept away, there is Holy Spirit, through the intercession The Vatican website no solidity. When we do not profess of the Blessed Virgin Mary, our can be located here: Jesus Christ, the saying of Léon Mother, will grant us this grace: to www.annusfidei.va/cont Bloy comes to mind: ‘Anyone who walk, to build, to profess Jesus ent/novaevangelizatio/e does not pray to the Lord prays to Christ crucified. Amen.” n.html. the devil.’ When we do not profess Jesus Christ, we profess the Ann O’Donnell Videos also are worldliness of the devil, a demonic Fr. Kolbe Missionary of the available: worldliness. Immaculata www.usccb.org/beliefs- [email protected] andteachings/how-we- “Journeying, building, professing. teach/newevangelizatio But things are not so n/year-of- straightforward, because in faith/videos.cfm. journeying, building, professing, there can sometimes be jolts, movements that are not properly part of the journey: movements that pull us back. Picture - Pope Francis “This Gospel continues with a kissed the feet of 12 situation of a particular kind. The inmates at a juvenile same Peter who professed Jesus detention center in Rome on Holy Thursday. MI Monthly Formation April 2013 Page 3 A HISTORICAL MEETING BETWEEN BROTHERS Pope Francis gave Pope Benedict an icon of Mary The meeting took place in Castel Gandolfo, where and Jesus that the Russian Orthodox delegation to Pope Benedict is staying. When the two went into his inauguration had given him just a few days the chapel of the papal villa to pray, Pope Benedict earlier. indicated that Pope Francis should take the front pew, but Pope Francis, reaching out to help his "They told me this was predecessor walk, said, "We're brothers," and they Our Lady of Humility. knelt side by side. If I may say, I thought of you," Pope Francis said. Pope Benedict Meeting with Pope Emeritus Benedict grasped his successor's http://video.repubblica.it/dossier/il-nuovo-papa/a- hands. Pope Francis told Pope Benedict, "You gave castel-gandolfo-lo-storico-incontro-tra-i-due- us so many examples of humility and tenderness." papi/123281/121771 GOOD FRIDAY WITH POPE FRANCIS “One word should suffice this evening, that is the Cross itself. The Cross is the word through which God has responded to evil in the world. Sometimes it may seem as though God does not react to evil, as if he is silent. And yet, God has spoken, he has replied, and his answer is the Cross of Christ: a word which is love, mercy, forgiveness. It also reveals a judgment, namely that God, in judging us, loves us. If I embrace his love then I am saved, if I refuse it, then I am condemned, not by him, but my own self, because God never condemns, he only loves and saves.” “Dear brothers and sisters, the word of the Cross is also the answer which Christians offer in the face of evil, the evil that continues to work in us and around us. Christians must respond to evil with good, taking the Cross upon themselves as Jesus did. …We now continue this Via Crucis in our daily lives. Let us walk together along the Way of the Cross and let us do so carrying in our hearts this word of love and forgiveness. Let us go forward waiting for the Resurrection of Jesus.” “Find Pope Francis’ messages and homilies at http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/francis Pro-Life * If you know someone who is facing an unwanted pregnancy, please share this number: (800) 395-HELP; or OptionLine.org. MI Monthly Formation April 2013 Page 4 General Chapter of the Order of Friars Minor Conventual Reflection by Fr. Patrick Greenough, OFM Conv., MI National President Provincials, Custos and other delegates from all over the world of the Conventual Franciscans gathered in Assisi for the General Chapter. The friars are present on every continent throughout the world ministering to the poor, teaching in schools, working in hospitals, staffing parishes and wherever the Gospel leads them and the Church needs them. It was the 200th General Chapter of the Conventual Franciscans in their 800 year history. Fr. Patrick Greenough with delegates to the Chapter. Thank you MI members for your prayers. After reviewing the work of the Order of the last six years, on On January 29, 2013, the Friars re-elected future of the Order for the next six years. Fr. Marco Tasca the 119th successor of St. Francis of Assisi. All of the Friars gathered at the Every day the friars gathered in prayer in the lower tomb of St.