“I shall reflect on myself and ask: ‘What have I done for Christ? What am I doing for Christ? What ought I do for Christ?’” –––St. Stanislaus Kostka NNNNNNeeeeeewwwwwwSSSSSSttttttaaaaaannnnnn TTThhheee NNNeeewwwssslllllleeetttttteeerrr ooofff SSSttt.... SSStttaaannniiiisssllllllaaauuusss PPPaaarrriiiissshhh EEEllllll BBBooolllllleeetttíííínnn dddeee llllllaaa PPPaaarrrrrroooqqquuuiiiiaaa dddeee SSSaaannn EEEssstttaaannniiiisssllllllaaaooo Spring / Primavera 2016 Jubilee of Mercy by Norman Berger entitled Misericordiae Vultus [The Face of Mercy] (MV) 2. This On April 11, 2105 Pope Francis announced an document explains the why , what , and how of this extraordinary undertaking: a special time of celebration for extraordinary year. the Church called a jubilee year , this one dedicated to the The “burning desire” of the Holy Father is for us to reflect mystery of mercy. In fact, the activities of th is Year of Mercy are meant to steep the year in mercy, so that we on the corporal and spiritual works of mercy. “It will be a might experience the mercy of God ourselves and then way to reawaken our conscience, too often grown dull in `give it away to others in every the face of pove rty. And let us enter more deeply into the weakness and need. heart of the Gospel where the poor have a special experience of God’s So, what is mercy anyway? According mercy.”(MV 15) to the Archdiocesan website, “The Old One aspect of this Year of Mercy is the and New Tes taments tell us that mercy is God’s love expressed as a response commissioning of special “missionaries to human suffering.”1 Another facet of of mercy” (on Ash Wednesday in St. mercy can be gained from the Diary of Peter’s Basilica) who are able “to pardon even those sins reserved to the St. Faustina which records the Holy See, so that the breadth of their revelations of the Lord concerning the Divine Mercy. Passages from the diary mandate as confessors will be even give a rich portrait of the importance clearer. They will be, above all, living of mercy as revealed by Our Lord. signs of the Father’s readiness to welcome those in search of his Two great parables told by Jesus in the pardon.”(MV 18) . Interestingly, this New Testament also shed light on emphasizes, seemingly, what was stated Mercy: the parable of the Prodigal Son by Our Lord to St. Faustina, “Come (Luke 15:11-32 ) and the parable of the with faith to the feet of My Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37 ). representative. I Myself am waiting These parables reveal the nature of there for you. I am only hidden by the God as that of a Father who never priest...Make your confession before gives up until he has forgiven wrong and who overcomes me...open your soul to confession as you would to Me, and rejection with compassion and mercy. Significant in the I will fill it with My light”. Old Testament are the poignant appeals of the psalmists Pope Francis mentions the idea of making a pilgrimage as for mercy as heard in numerous Psalms. being a part of a Jubilee Year (MV 14), but one need not The Pope’s motivation for designating a Jubilee Year of go to Rome to prayerfully pass through one or all of the Mercy can be found than in the “bull of indiction” (a Holy Doors of the four major basilicas in that city. For this formal announcement or proclamat ion) of Pope Francis, continued on page 2 NewStan 1 from the body of Antonio near his heart in repayment of Jubilee of Mercy ` continued from page 1 the loan. Portia, the new wife of Antonio’s good friend Basanio, has disguised herself as a learned doctor to argue year, Pope Francis has encouraged each diocese in the for Antonio’s life with this famous soliloquy on mercy: world to have its own Holy Door in the cathedral of the diocese to enable more participation in this facet of a The quality of mercy is not strain’d, Jubilee Year (MV 3) – it’s a less expensive option , I might It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven add! In accordance with this wish of Pope Francis, the Upon the place beneath: it is twice blest; Holy Door in our cathedral basilica was opened o n It blesseth him that gives and him that takes: December 15th for the benefit of the faithful. Archbishop ‘Tis mightiest in the mightiest: it becomes Chaput has also designated Holy Doors at these Shrine The throned monarch better than his crown; Churches in the Archdio cese of Philadelphia: Miraculous [sic]But mercy is above this sceptred sway; Medal Shrine, Shrine of St. John Neumann, and Shrine of It is enthroned in the hearts of kings, St. Rita of Cascia in Philadelphia; Our Lady of It is an attribute to God himself; Czestochowa (Doylestown); Shrine of St. Katharine And earthly power doth then show likest God’s Drexel (Bensalem). When mercy seasons justice. Finally, turning from the world of the Sacred to t he 1http://archphila.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/ Profane (i.e., humanism, literature, etc.) a beautiful ode to Catechetical-Notes-Works-of-Mercy2.pdf mercy is found in Shakespeare’s play The Merchant of Venice . 2The bull of indiction may be found here: In Act IV, Scene 1, money lent by Shylock, the Jewish http://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/apost_letters/docu moneylender to the Merchant of Venice, Antonio, cannot ments/papa-francesco_bolla_20150411_ misericordiae- be repaid and Shylock demands a “pound of flesh” be cut vultus.html. Celebrating the Easter Feast by Lino Viola consu med during the winter Over the years certain food items have been traditionally months before Lent was cured for associated with vario us holidays and religious feasts. Easter spring. The curing process took is no exception; in fact it may have even more than the time and the first hams were not other feasts. Many of the foods have a symbolism attached ready until Easter, making ham a to them. Perhaps the large number of Easter foods can be natural choice for the Easter attributed to the very strict Lenten abstinence from all dinner. forms of meat and animal products including eggs, milk, butter, and fat – and the relief after that fast at Easter. Eggs are a symbol of rebirth, rejuvenation and immortality. The ancient Romans had a saying, “ Omne vivum ex ovo ” Roast lamb is traditionally associated with the Easter meal. (“All life comes from an egg”) which inspired Christians to The lamb is specifically related to Christ, the Passover use it as a symbol for the new and everlasting life that lamb, and to “the Lamb of God.” During the time of Christ won for us through His passion, death, and Moses the Jews sacrificed a lamb for Passover. In so doing resurrection. The tradition of “painting” Easter eggs they were freed from slavery in Egypt and brought to the comes from the Orthodox and Eastern Catholic churches Promised Land. Christ is the new Paschal lamb, who was where eggs were dyed red to symbolize the blood that sacrificed for our sins. He has freed us fr om the slavery of Jesus shed on the cross. People in central European sin and opened the gates of the countries have a long tradition of elaborately decorating true Promised Land – Heaven. Easter eggs. I remember a Polish lady always giving me The tradition of having ham at one of these eggs, psysanky (pee-SAHN-kee), which had Easter in the United States goes some of the most intricate designs. back to early days prior to Easter bread represents Jesus Christ as the bread of life. refrigeration. Meat was With the end of the Lenten fast, sweet breads rich with slaughtered in the fall and the butter, milk and egg s are common on the Easter table. fresh pork that was not continued on page 7 NewStan 2 Parishioner Spotlight Alic ia Brozovich The College currently has nine choirs, and Alicia is a by Dianne Spotts member of Westminster Choir, which is professionally Alicia Brozovich has traveled quite a distance to be our contracted to sing in Charleston this spring. While there, new Music Director. Originally from Kansas, the she hopes to enjoy one of her hobbies: scuba divin g. Sunflower State, she earned her undergraduate degree at Another exhilarating chance to expand her horizons will Benedictine College in Atchison, Kansas . She worked come in March, when she’ll be part of the Symphonic there as an Admissions Counselor until coming east in Choir singing Mahler’s 8th Symphony at the Kimmel Center, August of 2015 to enroll at the prestigious Westminster with the Philadelphia Orchestra. And those horizons will Choir College in Princeton, New Jersey, where she will extend to Oxford in the summer , when she will be complete her Master’s Degree in Choral Conducting in studying Choral Conducting. May of 2017. Alicia has a love for life that oozes from her pores. Along Coming from a land-locked state, she with travel, she also loves languages, quickly discovered an d loves the and an item on her bucket list is to be beaches in New Jersey, and hopes to fluent in both Italian and Polish do some hiking in Pennsylvania. (which are part of her heritage). An other topic in our conversation “It’s really different here,” Alicia said that brought forth a glow: the young while we chatted over lunch. “Everything Catholic man she is dating who plays is flat in Kansas, and I always wanted piano, trumpet, and is studying Sacred to come to the East Coast.” Music at Westminster Choir College.