Cathedral of St. Peter The Apostle Catholic Church

The Day of The Holy Spirit

admin — Fri, 17 May 2013 20:37:43 +0000

John’s Gospel tells us that when Jesus “breathed” on the disciples, the Holy Spirit came into them, empowering them to forgive sins and to gather all people into union with one another.

The book of Genesis had explained the divisions among nations with the story of the Tower of Babel. In rebellious pride, human beings had struggled to become equal to God. The result was chaos, strife, the inability even to speak the same language among themselves. Today’s reading from Acts tells how the Spirit has just the opposite effect. Strangers from many nations hear and understand one another, each in his or her own tongue.

This message of unity in the Spirit is repeated in the reading from Corinthians. There are many gifts, many ways to serve. One way is not “higher,” nor one person “better” than another. There is but one Spirit, who accomplishes all the different works we do, acting through us.

Ascension Celebration

admin — Thu, 09 May 2013 22:09:13 +0000

There are a number of obvious themes that emerge from the Ascension celebration. One of the most prominent is that God in Christ is not just inherent, but also transcendent, and that Christ is high over all, truly and justly reigning over all of creation even when it doesn’t always seem like it. Another, complimentary theme that stands out is the link between Ascension and Pentecost, which in Luke’s writings, is clear and strong. Jesus shifts from a specific, localized human body in a specific geographical location, to a universal Presence, seeking to indwell multitudes of bodies. This happens when Christ gathers all things to himself, and fills all things with himself (as Paul says in Ephesians). Thus, there is a sense in which the Ascension is the most immanent and inclusive picture of God we ever see. In the feast of Ascension we discover that Christ’s love goes further even than resurrection, but leads Christ to embrace all of creation, and fill it all with himself, while also carrying our humanity into the Godhead – the ultimate, intimate union of God and God’s universe!

The Workings of the Spirit

admin — Fri, 03 May 2013 18:03:46 +0000

Anyone who has seen a loved one off to a new adventure knows how difficult it is to rejoice, even when we are reasonably optimistic about their future. So, we can imagine how difficult it must have been for the disciples to rejoice in Jesus’ announced departure. Today’s Gospel is part of Jesus’ Last Supper discourse, recorded only by John. Jesus announces shocking news. He must go to the Father, and they should rejoice in this. To help them through this, Jesus gives his disciples his give of peace and promises an Advocate.

From our privileged position in history, we can see that all that Jesus promises comes to pass. The Church has grown and still exists on this earth because of the abiding Spirit. But living by the Spirit and entering into the peace of Christ is no small task. Jesus doesn’t promise the apostles a rose garden. He is realistic about the costs of discipleship. And, mercifully, he is also clear about its rewards.

The Ways of Love

admin — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 20:07:15 +0000

One can feel the energy of a young, growing church in today’s first reading. For Paul and Barnabas, it’s smooth sailing. For the sponsoring church at Antioch, good news. The second reading—a vision—offers a picture of triumph, pure and simple. We might paraphrase God’s direct words to read: “Don’t you see? I make all things new!”

The young church remains new and young to this day if and when it follows the command Jesus lays down in the Gospel: “Love one another.” The attitude and actions of love define the disciples and identify them with their master. Every person on this earth can be a disciple. For discipleship does not depend on learning or sophistication or age or arcane knowledge of secret cults. We are asked to study and practice the ways of love, right here and right now in the company of ordinary people.

The Good Shepherd

admin — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 19:04:46 +0000

The Good Shepherd not only knows us but has given his life for us. We belong to the Shepherd. His life is the source of our life. One part of this relationship is firm—God’s part. The Father has entrusted us to the Son, and the Son will not let go of our hand.

The other part of this relationship depends on us, of course. In today’s Gospel, Jesus assumes our open-hearted good will. “My sheep hear my voice . . . and they follow me.” This hearing and following is a daily undertaking that implies responsibility. Those who exercise good stewardship of their prayer lives realize that hearing or listening is fundamental to prayer.

Prayer is a personal encounter with the Lord and requires dialogue. Some people never learn the art of listening. When we enter into a dialogue with someone we love, we speak and we listen. Otherwise it cannot be dialogue. This week, let’s think about how we pray. Do we do all the talking and then get up and do something else? Or do we sit quietly, waiting for God’s voice to enter our hearts?

The Risen Christ

admin — Fri, 12 Apr 2013 17:35:11 +0000

In this Sunday’s first reading and Gospel we see Peter and the other disciples in action after the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. On trial, they refused to stop teaching in Jesus’ name, and they rejoiced at the opportunity to suffer for their beliefs. On the lake and its shore, face to face with the Risen Lord, they obeyed his directions and recognized him as he once again ate a meal with them. There are so many human and almost homey touches in these readings! The high priest in the first scene sounds as if he is scolding naughty students. There is an order to stop speaking in Jesus’ name, but it is evident everyone knows they will disobey again. And on the lake shore, we can imagine Peter’s excitement as he strides out of the water and is greeted by Jesus, who grins and says, “Come, have breakfast.”

The second reading, on the other hand, is anything but homey. In this passage from Revelation, John describes a scene in which the same Lord who fed his friends breakfast here receives honor and glory from everything in the universe.

Do Not Be Afraid

admin — Fri, 05 Apr 2013 18:40:41 +0000

Did you notice? Sunday is called the “Second Sunday of Easter,” not the “First Sunday after Easter.” Our celebration of Easter is not over. These Sundays of Easter continue to present the mystery of Jesus Christ’s victory.

The readings begin with the “signs and wonders” abounding in those earliest days. Sick people lay in the street, hoping that at least Peter’s “shadow might fall on one or another of them.” Then, in a powerful passage from the book of Revelation, the visionary falls down “as though dead” upon seeing the victorious Christ. But Christ extends a gentle touch: “Do not be afraid … once I was dead, but now I am alive forever.”

In the Gospel, that same Christ appears and breathes on the disciples, and gently leads Thomas to believe. This Christ—more powerful than any evil force, victorious over death itself—touches us and whispers, “Do not be afraid.”

Easter Energy

admin — Sat, 30 Mar 2013 02:06:27 +0000

On Easter morning when the disciples saw the evidence of the Resurrection, they did not at first grasp it. John reports that “they did not yet understand the Scripture that he had to rise from the dead.” We, on the other hand, have both scripture and church tradition to teach us. Jesus Christ’s resurrection is at the core of our Christian faith.

All of today’s readings tell us how compelling this event was for the first Christians. There is great energy in all the readings. Peter preaches with authority and conviction. Paul calls for Christians to change their lives. In the Gospel reading we see Peter and John in a footrace to reach Jesus’ tomb and see with their own eyes the evidence that they still could not understand or completely believe.

How can some of this Easter energy be restored to us today? Do we let the astonishing news of the Resurrection touch us now? Does it call us to action? To deeper faith? To conversion? What new life will be reborn in us and our parish community this Easter morning?

Treasures From Our Tradition

admin — Sat, 30 Mar 2013 01:00:25 +0000

Over the centuries, the Church has demonstrated a wonderful ability to adopt a culture’s favorite symbols and customs and assign them new meaning. Easter eggs have a very ancient pedigree: nature’s perfect package, emblem of new life, dyed and decorated and given as gifts in ancient Egypt, Rome, China, and Persia. Just as the long hard winter is over, the egg bursts with promise of life and nourishment. Long ago, Christians came to see the egg not as a symbol of spring’s rebirth, but of ours, and as a sign of Christ’s tomb. A Polish legend says that Mary, in compassion for the soldiers at the cross, gave them eggs, but that her tears stained their shells with brilliant color. Legends have their origin in tales told around a hearth, but they often contain a profound truth. The idea of Mary, the first Christian, engaged in a merciful act of forgiveness and tenderness even in the shadow of the cross, describes the age‑old wish that Christ [is] “Easter in us.”

Argentine Cardinal Bergoglio Elected Pope

admin — Wed, 13 Mar 2013 20:54:39 +0000

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Argentine Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, 76, was elected the 266th pope and took the name Francis.

The election March 13 came on the first full day of the conclave on the conclave’s fifth ballot. It was a surprisingly quick conclusion to a conclave that began with many plausible candidates and no clear favorite.

The Latin American pope, a Jesuit, was chosen by at least two-thirds of the 115 cardinals from 48 countries, who cast their ballots in secret in the Sistine Chapel.

His election was announced in Latin from the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica, to a massive crowd in the square below and millions watching around the world.

White smoke poured from the Sistine Chapel chimney at 7:05 p.m. signaling that the cardinals had chosen a successor to retired Pope Benedict XVI. At 7:07 p.m., the bells of St. Peter’s Basilica began pealing continuously to confirm the election.

At 8:12 p.m., French Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran, the senior cardinal in the order of deacons, appeared at the basilica balcony and read out in Latin: “I announce to you a great joy: We have a pope! The most eminent and most reverend lord, Lord Jorge, Cardinal of the Holy Roman Church, Bergoglio, who has taken for himself the name Francis.”

The crowd in the square responded with cheers, applause and the waving of national flags.

A respected Italian journal said he was the cardinal with the second-highest number of votes on each of the four ballots in the 2005 conclave.

Cardinal Bergoglio has had a growing reputation as a very spiritual man with a talent for pastoral leadership serving in a region with the largest number of the world’s Catholics.

Since 1998, he has been archbishop of Buenos Aires, where his style is low-key and close to the people.

He rides the bus, visits the poor, lives in a simple apartment and cooks his own meals. To many in Buenos Aires, he is known simply as “Father Jorge.”

He also has created new parishes, restructured the administrative offices, led pro-life initiatives and started new pastoral programs, such as a commission for divorcees. He co-presided over the 2001 Synod of Bishops and was elected to the synod council, so he is well-known to the world’s bishops.

The cardinal has also written books on spirituality and meditation and has been outspoken against abortion and same-sex marriages.

In 2010, when Argentina became the first Latin American country to legalize same-sex marriage, Cardinal Bergoglio encouraged clergy across the country to tell Catholics to protest against the legislation because, if enacted, it could “seriously injure the family,” he said.

He also said adoption by same-sex couples would result in “depriving (children) of the human growth that God wanted them given by a father and a mother.”

In 2006, he criticized an Argentine proposal to legalize abortion under certain circumstances as part of a wide-ranging legal reform. He accused the government of lacking respect for the values held by the majority of Argentines and of trying to convince the Catholic Church “to waver in our defense of the dignity of the person.”

His role often forced him to speak publicly about the economic, social and political problems facing his country. His homilies and speeches are filled with references to the fact that all people are brothers and sisters and that the church and the country need to do what they can to make sure that everyone feels welcome, respected and cared for.

While not overtly political, Cardinal Bergoglio has not tried to hide the political and social impact of the Gospel message, particularly in a country still recovering from a serious economic crisis.

Since becoming archbishop of Buenos Aires in 1998, Cardinal Bergoglio has created new parishes, restructured the administrative offices, taken personal care of the seminary and started new pastoral projects, such as the commission for divorcees. He has mediated in almost all social or political conflicts in the city; the newly ordained priests are described as “the Bergoglio generation”; and no political or social figure misses requesting a private encounter with him.

Jorge Bergoglio was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina’s capital city, Dec. 17, 1936.

He studied and received a master’s degree in chemistry at the University of Buenos Aires, but later decided to become a Jesuit priest and studied at the Jesuit seminary of Villa Devoto.

He studied liberal arts in Santiago, Chile, and in 1960 earned a degree in philosophy from the Catholic University of Buenos Aires. Between 1964 and 1965 he was a teacher of literature and psychology at Inmaculada high school in the province of Santa Fe, and in 1966 he taught the same courses at the prestigious Colegio del Salvador in Buenos Aires.

In 1967, he returned to his theological studies and was ordained a priest Dec. 13, 1969. After his perpetual profession as a Jesuit in 1973, he became master of novices at the Seminary of Villa Barilari in San Miguel. Later that same year, he was elected superior of the Jesuit province of Argentina.

In 1980, he returned to San Miguel as a teacher at the Jesuit school, a job rarely taken by a former provincial superior. In May 1992 he was appointed auxiliary bishop of Buenos Aires. He was one of three auxiliaries and he kept a low profile, spending most of his time caring for the Catholic university, counseling priests and preaching and hearing confessions.

On June 3, 1997, he was named coadjutor archbishop. He was installed as the new archbishop of Buenos Aires Feb. 28, 1998.

Some controversy had arisen over the position taken by Cardinal Bergoglio during Argentina’s 1976-1983 military dictatorship, which cracked down brutally on political opponents. Estimates of the number of people killed and forcibly disappeared during those years range from about 13,000 to more than 30,000.

Citing a case in which two young priests were detained by the military regime, critics say that the cardinal, who was Jesuit provincial at the time, did not do enough to support church workers against the military dictatorship.

Others, however, have said that he attempted to negotiate behind the scenes for the priests’ release, and a spokesman for the cardinal, quoted in the daily newspaper La Nación, called the accusation “old slander.”

Catholic News Service – March 13, 2013