Syrian Refugees

Wow, it's really been two years since I wrote a blog post hunh? I originally used this blog as way to share my travels as a student in Rome with my family and friends. At the end of that chapter, I continued to use it to share the little joys and revelations that life presented to me. I came back to it today because I needed some space to think and put some ideas out there. I'm hesitant to hit publish on this because it is such a sensitive subject and I really value my relationships with my family and friends and the last thing I would want to do is alienate or offend anyone. That is not at all my intent and as such I will do my best to write this as politely and inoffensively as possible. If I do rub you the wrong way please accept this apology in advance.

I came back to the blog though after spending the better part of an evening being bothered by a National Review article that a facebook friend had posted: http://www.nationalreview.com/syrian-refugees-arent-1939s-jews?6YgLRkLI5IcWlH7q.01

Initially, I simply responded to the issue of using American attitudes towards central European Jews pre-WWII as a comparison to American attitudes towards Syrian refugees. It is as follows:  I don't know, I think it's a yes and no. Is what happened to the Jewish people during the holocaust a reason to throw caution the the wind and let in all Syrian refugees? No way. Is it a good reminder that we have a history as a people of making xenophobic, bigoted decisions towards people we view as "other"? Yeah, definitely. Not saying this to accuse you of that at all, I just think there's probably a middle ground here.

However, the National Review article continued to bother me especially the "prudential reasons" it gave for not admitting Syrian refugees. This perseveration compounded upon my growing frustration with the anit-immigration tenor of the Republican primary campaigns. I come down on the conservative side on the majority of issues but for the life of me I am really struggling to understand the widespread current hostility towards immigrants. Perhaps that's part of the reason for this post, to get some help understanding why I feel like I'm way out there in my views on this issue.

My largest beef with the National Review's article was the paragraph where it claimed that Central European Jews offer a false comparison to Syrian Muslims because the Jews were well integrated into Western European culture (in which America was a participant) where as "the intellectual, cultural, and political traditions of Syria are not in concert with those of the West." I'm not disputing the fact that Syrian culture is very different from American or Western European culture. What I dispute is that this view gives much too lenient a pass to most of our immigrant ancestors. To say nothing of the people of Eastern ancestry that currently make up hugely successful portions of our citizenry, I want to point out how entirely unsuited almost all of ancestors where to being good, integrated Americans. What did my ancestors coming from 19th Century Imperial Germany know about being democratic citizens, what did Italians of the same time period know of it. How about those fleeing the communist bloc a hundred years later? There were no shortage of "good Americans" pointing this out at those times either. The reality is that, as any good chest-thumbing American patriot will tell you, our country has been something of leader in these democracy and culture things for the last couple hundred years. Therefore almost anyone coming to this country has had to go through some serious acclimation, a process that normally takes a few generations. 

Before I get too far I should say that I totally believe that the first duty of a government is to protect its citizens. However, is refusing to accept Syrian refugees really serving this end? It seems to me like the classic gun control argument could be applied here as well. For gun control, the argument runs that banning guns wouldn't keep bad actors from getting firearms and using them for evil, rather it would primary restrict the ability of citizen to use guns for legitimate ends. Will banning Syrian refugees keep terrorists out of our country? I don't think so. That's no excuse for not taking every reasonable precaution to prevent terrorist for entering under the guise of refugees, it's just to say that if ISIS is completely determined to get their agents into our country they will find other ways.

My last point of contention with the National Review is its argument that, where as Jews were fleeing from Germany, the Syrian refugees applying for entry to America are mostly trying to come from Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, etc. As the author says, "it is one thing to rescue Jews from imminent danger; it is another to offer greater safety to those who already have it." For real? If violence, lack of opportunity, and factional hate is what leading a few young people to be able to commit such incredibly horrific acts as what recently happened in Paris then why, why would I wish any of them to remain in countries that are only one rung up the ladder in those respects than the land that they are fleeing? Why would I not prefer for them to come to the freest, most prosperous country in the world, where they could be given a peaceful, hospitable welcome and the opportunity to make anything they wanted of their lives? I know that there are risks in this proposal but there are so many risks in our modern world that it is incredible to me to reject such a positive good that we could give for the sake of an illusion of safety.

I am so grateful for having been born an American, to the good, hardworking great-grandchildren of  German immigrants. I am so grateful for the opportunities that I've been handed in life simply on the grounds of where I was born. There's a lot of polemical talk in the city in which I live now about how the American dream is dead, but that is very much not my experience. I hope and I pray that we can continue to make the courageous decision to share our beautiful birth right with "others", whether they be Syrian, or Latino, or anything else under the sun.

A Big Heart Open to God

So you may have noticed that Pope Francis gave an interview recently which much of the media lost its collective mind over heralding it with bylines like: Pope Francis seems to launch a Catholic perestroika, etc. etc. I initially didn't look into it much just assuming media outlets were being their normal, secular, ignorant selves, but then I ran across the original interview by accident and realized that there was so much more to it than some easily misquoted phrases. The full interview is long, like 10k words long but it is so, so good. Maybe its just me, or just the mood I was in when I read it but it blew me away and rereading selections from it is still impressing me. If you have time I could not encourage you enough to read it: http://www.americamagazine.org/pope-interview.

However, I figured that a lot people probably don't have that much time and so I thought I'd quote my favorite sections from it and the sections which are being taken out of context so you too can realize what an awesome Holy Father we have.

First the interviewer begins:

I ask Pope Francis point-blank: “Who is Jorge Mario Bergoglio?” He stares at me in silence. I ask him if I may ask him this question. He nods and replies: “I ​​do not know what might be the most fitting description.... I am a sinner. This is the most accurate definition. It is not a figure of speech, a literary genre. I am a sinner.”

The pope continues to reflect and concentrate, as if he did not expect this question, as if he were forced to reflect further. “Yes, perhaps I can say that I am a bit astute, that I can adapt to circumstances, but it is also true that I am a bit naïve. Yes, but the best summary, the one that comes more from the inside and I feel most true is this: I am a sinner whom the Lord has looked upon.” And he repeats: “I ​​am one who is looked upon by the Lord. I always felt my motto, Miserando atque Eligendo [By Having Mercy and by Choosing Him], was very true for me.”

The motto is taken from the Homilies of Bede the Venerable, who writes in his comments on the Gospel story of the calling of Matthew: “Jesus saw a publican, and since he looked at him with feelings of love and chose him, he said to him, ‘Follow me.’” The pope adds: “I think the Latin gerund miserando is impossible to translate in both Italian and Spanish. I like to translate it with another gerund that does not exist: misericordiando[“mercy-ing”].

Next the interviewer asked the Pope what led him to become a Jesuit and in answering the Pope mentioned what led him to choose to live in the Casa Santa Marta rather than the papal apartments:

Three things in particular struck me about the Society: the missionary spirit, community and discipline. And this is strange, because I am a really, really undisciplined person. But their discipline, the way they manage their time—these things struck me so much.

“And then a thing that is really important for me: community. I was always looking for a community. I did not see myself as a priest on my own. I need a community. And you can tell this by the fact that I am here in Santa Marta. At the time of the conclave I lived in Room 207. (The rooms were assigned by drawing lots.) This room where we are now was a guest room. I chose to live here, in Room 201, because when I took possession of the papal apartment, inside myself I distinctly heard a ‘no.’ The papal apartment in the Apostolic Palace is not luxurious. It is old, tastefully decorated and large, but not luxurious. But in the end it is like an inverted funnel. It is big and spacious, but the entrance is really tight. People can come only in dribs and drabs, and I cannot live without people. I need to live my life with others.”

The following is an awesome comment in which the Pope addresses another topic on which he has already been frequently misunderstood:

A person once asked me, in a provocative manner, if I approved of homosexuality. I replied with another question: ‘Tell me: when God looks at a gay person, does he endorse the existence of this person with love, or reject and condemn this person?’ We must always consider the person. Here we enter into the mystery of the human being. In life, God accompanies persons, and we must accompany them, starting from their situation. It is necessary to accompany them with mercy. When that happens, the Holy Spirit inspires the priest to say the right thing.

The next couple paragraphs are the bit that news outlets have been grossly misinterpreting and so I'd like to quote them in their entirety so you can see the beauty of Pope Francis's idea of the Churches mission in the world and how it is not the departure from tradition that everyone seems to be claiming:

We cannot insist only on issues related to abortion, gay marriage and the use of contraceptive methods. This is not possible. I have not spoken much about these things, and I was reprimanded for that. But when we speak about these issues, we have to talk about them in a context. The teaching of the church, for that matter, is clear and I am a son of the church, but it is not necessary to talk about these issues all the time.The dogmatic and moral teachings of the church are not all equivalent. The church’s pastoral ministry cannot be obsessed with the transmission of a disjointed multitude of doctrines to be imposed insistently. Proclamation in a missionary style focuses on the essentials, on the necessary things: this is also what fascinates and attracts more, what makes the heart burn, as it did for the disciples at Emmaus. We have to find a new balance; otherwise even the moral edifice of the church is likely to fall like a house of cards, losing the freshness and fragrance of the Gospel. The proposal of the Gospel must be more simple, profound, radiant. It is from this proposition that the moral consequences then flow.

“I say this also thinking about the preaching and content of our preaching. A beautiful homily, a genuine sermon must begin with the first proclamation, with the proclamation of salvation. There is nothing more solid, deep and sure than this proclamation. Then you have to do catechesis. Then you can draw even a moral consequence. But the proclamation of the saving love of God comes before moral and religious imperatives. Today sometimes it seems that the opposite order is prevailing. The homily is the touchstone to measure the pastor’s proximity and ability to meet his people, because those who preach must recognize the heart of their community and must be able to see where the desire for God is lively and ardent. The message of the Gospel, therefore, is not to be reduced to some aspects that, although relevant, on their own do not show the heart of the message of Jesus Christ.”

These final paragraphs are the Pope reflecting on the process of discernment which he lists as a pillar of his spirituality:

Yes, in this quest to seek and find God in all things there is still an area of uncertainty. There must be. If a person says that he met God with total certainty and is not touched by a margin of uncertainty, then this is not good. For me, this is an important key. If one has the answers to all the questions—that is the proof that God is not with him. It means that he is a false prophet using religion for himself. The great leaders of the people of God, like Moses, have always left room for doubt. You must leave room for the Lord, not for our certainties; we must be humble. Uncertainty is in every true discernment that is open to finding confirmation in spiritual consolation.

“The risk in seeking and finding God in all things, then, is the willingness to explain too much, to say with human certainty and arrogance: ‘God is here.’ We will find only a god that fits our measure. The correct attitude is that of St. Augustine: seek God to find him, and find God to keep searching for God forever. Often we seek as if we were blind, as one often reads in the Bible. And this is the experience of the great fathers of the faith, who are our models. We have to re-read the Letter to the Hebrews, Chapter 11. Abraham leaves his home without knowing where he was going, by faith. All of our ancestors in the faith died seeing the good that was promised, but from a distance.... Our life is not given to us like an opera libretto, in which all is written down; but it means going, walking, doing, searching, seeing.... We must enter into the adventure of the quest for meeting God; we must let God search and encounter us.

Btw, the scripture passage the Pope refers to, Hebrews 11 is awesome. If you have time you should go read it too because it's great. That's about all I've got but the whole interview is full of wonderful thoughts and comments as Pope Francis really shares himself, his spirituality, his favorite books, music, movies, etc and above all it displays his gentleness and his love as a pastor. I really believe we've been blessed with a great shepherd. Until next time, see you in the Eucharist.

Reasons why God is good (Gig) #91-120

So here are the rest, for a brief description of what these are please see previous post. lol. I also noticed after finishing that this is roughly equivalent to the summer after college and my first year as an RA in Rome. Right now we're on #146 on facebook so there should be yet another 30 reasons why Gig in the near future, which is an increase from the rate or around 30 per year to 30 per summer.  This parallels the realization in my spiritual life that I needed to practice the virtue of gratitude more. Kind of an interesting way of plotting my spiritual journey. Maybe that'll be a future blog post too. Until then see you in the Eucharist.

#91: for sunsets on backroads in the middle of wheat fields across from beautiful old churches before dancing. Thank God for home. And for for finishing a good harvest, 2 1/2" of rain in the middle of June, an awesome retreat on TEC 132, and a plane ticket to Rome. Sorry I was a little behind.

#92: For all the infinite ways in which God showed His goodness in the last week among them: being able to go back to the inspiration for my Gig posts, Prayer and Action, as a chaperone to an incredibly awesome group of young women from St. Thomas. For old houses with peeling paint, scrappers, and ladders. For Gatorade, Bina's, and good 'ole Marion County jokes. For daily mass, rosary, and night prayer. For silent reflection and raucous praise and worship. For an incredible team led by the Holy Spirit, under the patronage of St. Philomena. For conversion, renewal, and healing. For feet washing, the sacrament of reconciliation, and Christ's presence in Adoration. For all these reasons I know God is great! Glory to Him for Prayer and Action 2012 in the Wichita Diocese. St. Philomena, pray for us!

#93: For the work of the Holy Spirit through the intercession of St. Philomena in taking the desire of a few people for adoration and praise and worship and in three days turning it into 70+ driving an hour and a half to a beautiful church in the middle of nowhere to give glorify and adore God with their whole being. Watch out Wichita, St. Philomena is on the loose and the Holy Spirit means business. Better buckle up big things are in store.

#94: for Communion:

http://quo-vadis-deum.blogspot.com/2012/07/communion.html

(just fyi I never claimed to be good at counting. lol.)

#94: for feeling like a totally new person after getting twice as much sleep in a night as usual. Should go to bed at 8pm more often. lol.

#95: rain on a tin roof, county fair, cherry limaide, dancing, Jesus, donuts = awesome.

#96: For St. Philomena.

http://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=98

#97: For my first time behind the wheel in Italy! (and not dying during my first time behind the wheel in Italy. lol)

#98: For the ridiculously beautiful Due Santi campus that is my home for the next 10 months.

#99: For a three hour dinner at a little restaurant in Castel Gandolfo called Bucci's. Literally almost brought tears to my eyes at one point. lol. So good!

Reason #100 why I know Gig: For my family and for dear brothers and sisters in Christ. You all are the greatest blessing in my life. This is my small attempt to return a blessing to you.

The clip is from the blessing Pope Benedict gave this morning after the Angelus which, as a papal blessing, extends not only to those present in the courtyard but also to their family and friends, namely you. https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=3670378436772

#101: for brothers and sisters in Christ who hold me accountable: http://quo-vadis-deum.blogspot.it/2012/08/accountability.html

 #102 why I know Gig: For my grandmother Annetta Butel, and for bringing her home to Himself.

http://quo-vadis-deum.blogspot.it/2012/09/to-saint_1711.html

(despite graduating college I still can't count, in fact it seems to have gotten worse lol.)

#102: For just another day at work. In Athens, Greece. On the Acropolis.

#103: for stumbling upon adoration, benediction and then mass in Krakow after a day at Auschwitz.

#104: for ping-pong.

#105: For that moment when the double sided booklet printing works on the first try. lol.

#106: For all night adoration in beautiful old farm churches in the middle of nowhere with 40+ friends, for sunsets in the Flint Hills after the first snow of the year, for family Christmas (especially the dessert table. lol.) and for going dancing two of the four nights I've been home. It's good to be back in KS!

#107: For dancing, followed by prayer, followed by hipster doughnuts.

#108: For the best sunset of Christmas break as I left KS and touching down the next day in Rome to another fantastic sunset.

#109: For lunches that last until its time to go to bed, literally. New record: 6 hour lunch.

#110: for the awesome state of KS on her 152nd birthday.

#111: For our Holy Father Pope Benedict, may God bless his last days in office and guide our Church through the election of the next Pope. Full text of his resignation below: http://www.businessinsider.com/pope-benedict-resigns-2013-2#ixzz2KaZVr9xK

#112: For the brilliant rainbow sprouting from the top a two thousand year old aqueduct as I drove out of Rome this afternoon, and the freedom of not having a camera, so I could just enjoy the moment.

#113: For espresso. Not sure why it took me six months to think to post that. lol.

#114: For the blessing of having been in Rome the last few weeks to be able to express my gratitude and affection for Pope Benedict, at the Papal Mass on Ash Wednesday, at his last audience yesterday, and finally on the soccer field during Greek Olympics as he flew over campus on his way to Castel Gandalfo. Momma Mary keep him.

#115: For those who dance like no one is watching.

#116: For an epic 10 day trip through Greece. Wow. Mind-blown.

#117: Habemus Papem!!!!!!!!

#118: So yeah I know I'm giving this up for Holy Week but this was too good not to share. From Office of the Readings for Holy Thursday, St. Melito of Sardis speaking of Christ: "It is he who endured every king of suffering in all those who foreshadowed Him. In Abel he was slain, in Isaac bound, in Jacob exiled, in Joseph sold, in Moses exposed to die. He was sacrificed in the Passover lamb, persecuted in David, dishonored in the prophets.

He sealed our souls with His own Spirit, and the members of our body with His own blood."

#119: Alleluia, He is Risen, Indeed He is Risen, ALLELUIA!

#120: "Verso l'alto!" for a weekend in Turin with Pier Giorgio, Don Bosco, and good friends.

Reasons why Gig #60-90:

So someone suggested that I compile my "Reasons why Gig" (Reasons why God is good) facebook statuses, and I realized that it had been a while since I had done so and I was a bit behind. lol. You can see Reasons #1-30 and #30-60 here:

http://quo-vadis-deum.blogspot.it/2010/12/thirty-reasons-why-i-know-god-is-good.html and http://quo-vadis-deum.blogspot.it/2011/05/reasons-why-god-is-good-s-31-60.html

After dredging through my facebook I've found #60-90. These numbers are roughly equivalent to my senior year of college. Reading through them again is a wonderful reminder of how constantly God is working on me and the countless things I have to be grateful for and also how much more I should recognize the little blessings of every day.  Hopefully reasons 90-120 will follow shortly. Momma keep y'all.

#60: for bringing me through another year of college. FREEDOM!!! lol. Blessed be God!

#61: for mountains to climb (literally and figuratively)

#62: for Kansas.

#63: for driving home with the windows down and music blaring on a beautiful summer night after dancing, after the county fair.

# 64: for buttered sweet-corn on my plate, cicadas in the trees, and epic sunsets in the sky. That he would lay down His life so that we could know that all these beautiful things are acts of love from Him for us. We are so blest!

#65: for a blest and challenging weekend on TEC 129 and for introducing me to some amazing new men and women of God. "Darkness is not dark for you, and night shines as the day." Psalm 139:12

#66: Thunderstorm + Sunset = Awesome! Currently: Torrential rain! Hallelujah!

#67: Caught myself singing the Salve Regina along to the radio. lol. Thank you God for 1060AM Wichita/Eldorado EWTN radio.

#68: for giving me a the opportunity to be an RA at an awesome Catholic school. The first and last thing we did in training was pray. Thank God for Catholic colleges.

#69: for the splendor of His creation, most especially His blessed mother and an awesome class with Abbot Dennis about her! Mariology rocks (despite being on a Saturday morning!)

#70: for farmers...and Paul Harvey:http://www.youtube.com/embed/QuzhwkaNC40?rel=0

#71: For finally getting the motivation to finish another blog post. Enjoy: http://quo-vadis-deum.blogspot.com/2011/09/people-who-sit-in-darkness-have-seen.html

#72: for the people that play the piano late at night in the Church. Thanks for making my night whoever you were

#73: for Abbot Denis in all his awesome old Hungarian monk wisdom and holiness and for his last new student mass.

#74: because life is good. And if you're too busy or stressed to realize this right now cut it out! (y'all know who you are). Your problems are not so great that the God of all the universe can't handle them.

#75: for fall Romers*, farm families, and a straight road home! God bless y'all!

           *(even though they didn't go in the spring they're still nice people too, go figure. lol)

#76: What do stars, family potlucks, a sunset in the Flint hills, dancing, and coffee with an awesome cousin have in common? They were all part of an awesome Thanksgiving weekend. Blessed be God!

#77: For beautiful friends who do awesome things like put on mini-retreats over Christmas break.

#78: "In our attempt to sometimes capture a moment, i think we accidentally can sterilize it. We try to make it perfect and clean; but if we learn anything from the Incarnation, it is that God desires to come into the middle of the mess. To put it another way, the Church is not just a house for the rehabilitated, it's also triage for the wounded on the battlefield." Matt Maher

#79: For waking up at 6am on a Saturday morning without a snooze button (miracle), going to mass (miracle) with awesome monks at 6:30, seeing maybe the most brilliant sunrise I've ever seen coming out of mass at 7 (miracle), starting Comps at 9am and 4 hours, 2 blue books, and probably a mild case of carpal tunnel later being done (miracle), and talking to the coolest cousin ever after literally a month of phone tag (miracle). God is good!

#80: for shiny things, like my room right now which is covered in a lovely dusting of glitter. Thanks Jess, you're a wonderful RC. lol

#81: "You are the light of the world" Mt 5:14.

http://quo-vadis-deum.blogspot.com/2012/02/you-are-light-of-world.html

#82: For passing comps! As long as I don't flunk out in the last two months I'll have a degree in May! AHHH!!!!

#83: Because "cup overfloweth" doesn't even begin to describe the blessings that God poured out this weekend on CA#4. Maybe more like "my stock tank overfloweth." God works miracles. Blog post to follow soon. YOU ARE THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD! SCHINK!!!!!!!!!

#84: for the chance to go dancing twice in one weekend. Why do I love dancing so much? check out my philosophy on it if you want to know:http://quo-vadis-deum.blogspot.com/2012/03/philosophy-of-dance_30.html

#85: For the new Cistercian Abbot Fr. Peter and for the beautiful liturgy today to bless his leadership.

#86: For goin out of college the way I came in, two late night papers in one weekend. lol.

#87: For Kansans. In Texas. Two-stepping. So awesome! lol.

#88: "the message we are sending from birth is that if you don't make the traveling soccer team or get into the "right" school, then you will somehow finish life with fewer points than everyone else. That's not right. You'll never read the following obituary: "Bob Smith died yesterday at the age of 74. He finished life in 186th place."

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304811304577366332400453796.html

#89: It's a dang good life. Convocation, Senior TIGT, Red River, Steak and Shake. What an awesome night.

#90: There's no way to describe in a facebook post my gratitude for the past 4 years. Thank you to my professors and classmates. Your friendship will be my most enduring memory of college. Truly we have pursued truth and virtue together. You will remain in my heart and in my prayers. Class of 2012, I already know you'll be successful so my hope for you is that you will know His peace and joy through your whole lives. While we're parting ways now, I'll always see y'all in the Eucharist. Momma keep you!

Che Meraviglia!

"What a Marvel!"

Nice phrase hunh? Ok so now that I've proved that I've learned something in my language classes in Torino (Turin) thus far, on to the story of the aforementioned marvel.

I was at the 6:30 mass this evening at my parish church of Santa Giulia. It was nice. There was adoration and benediction for the hour before hand, which I was excited about. I stumbled through the rosary in Italian with the old ladies before mass. I'm starting to be able to partially understand readings and homilies. Tutto bene (All good). Before I go any further I should mention that this is a beautiful church. If I had to guess I think its a newer construction, a neo-gothic (aka, built in the last 150 years but imitation of the gothic style (which was much older)). This means its tall, has large windows, and beautiful stained glass behind the altar. In Italian churches you can often tell if they're being used for something more than just a museum, there are shrines of recent saints like JPII or Padre Pio, etc. You can tell this church is cared for and prayed in. (I would just upload pictures but while I remembered to bring my camera to Torino, I forgot the cord to connect it to the computer. So those will have to wait two more weeks.)

Anyhow, so mass finished and I stayed to pray a bit as the meager congregation trickled out. After a little while I went to look at a lectionary that was in the main isle in the middle of the church. As I'm standing there trying to piece together what I thought I heard during the readings with what I was seeing on the page people started walking by me up to the front pews of the church. These people were followed by even more people. I was confused. By the time I finished trying to decipher the lectionary there were more people in the church than there had been for the whole mass and they were all in about the first quarter of the pews. This was strange, so before leaving I sat down at the back to see what was going on. As I watched more and more people poured in. Even stranger still was that they weren't all old (which is the vast majority of who you see in Italian churches. For context its not unusual if I'm the only male at a daily mass and probably the only one under 60.) In fact many of them were young, like my age, but there was the whole gamete from parents with young children to senior citizens. I was speculating to myself what could be going on, maybe a concert or a lecture or something certainly not a mass because we'd just finished mass and as I mentioned this was not the demographic you get at an Italian mass. Plus there were so many people. Within about 10 minutes the church had almost completely filled from the front back, to the point that several people joined me in my pew which was second to the last in the church. People were literally rushing in now and I was almost bewildered because it definitely looked like the altar was being set for mass. I thought maybe it was for a different Chrisitan denomination, or different Catholic rite or congregation, because it was unlike anything I'd ever seen in Italy - or in the US for that matter. As the Liturgy started it was clear that it was definitely Catholic and as the priest began the opening prayer it was apparent that it was in Italian. By this time the church was literally standing room only, and there were plenty of people standing, FOR A THURSDAY EVENING MASS! (This is not a small church either for the record). I'm thoroughly bewildered at this point and while I had planned on going to the grocery store right after mass, I had to figure out what this was about before I could leave.

Finally, right before the homily, I had to ask the little old Italian lady next to me (in really poor Italian, which she was luckily able to understand) what the heck was going on. She replied that it was a mass for the group Comunione e Leberazione (Communion and Liberation) for the feastday of St. Benedict, the patron of Europe. Wild! Now I still don't know much about the group. The word Liberation in the name always kind of brings to mind Liberation Theology, which had some issues in the post-Vatican II era, but I don't think they're closely related. From what I saw tonight though and the fact that Pope-emeritus Benedict is a fan I think its safe to say that the Holy Spirit is definitely at work through them in Torino. I was so enthralled by what was going on that despite having just been to mass I couldn't bring myself to leave. Let me list off for you the many marvels of this mass:

1. A packed church for a Thursday evening mass, literally hundreds of Italians.
2. The vast majority were young adults, people my age, and young men were NOT a small minority!
3. Beautiful, reverent, well done Liturgy. This is rare outside of papal masses. I think its partly due to the rather loose cultural take Italians have on laws, civil or ecclesial. What's more the congregation was reverent too. At this mass everyone knelt (that could), everyone stood, they sang together, they prayed in unison. This is not quite the typical, more laisses faire approach to participation at Italian masses.
4. A polyphonic chant choir. When I graduated from UD and Collegium was more or less disbanded I thought I might have heard the last of what had been a great and new-found blessing in my college days, that of masses accompanied by a beautiful, classical, a capella choir. So I was almost startled when the choir lit into Gregorian chant for the first time at offertory. They were good too, really good.
5. A communion line. Context again: in case you haven't been to a mass here it would be good to point out that trying to get to communion in Italy might be comparable to trying to get on the freeway in Italy. You just have to go for it. Forget the concept of a line, because it is something that has probably never occurred to your neighboring Italians. You normally end up feeling like you've cut someone off, which isn't such a big deal because they were expecting you to and they did it to someone else to get into the aisle themselves but still it feels kind of like a jostle to get to the front. This evening though perhaps one of the most marvelous sights was when it came time for communion a line qued up from the back of the church to the front. The line qued up pew by pew just like in the states but instead of from the front to the back, each waited for the pew behind it to go. While it may seem insignificant, this small communal act of charity ("the last shall be first and the first shall be last") was awesome in a culture where communion is often anything but calm and orderly.

--

What an unexpected blessing in the first week in Torino. The Church is alive and young! And not just in America or Latin America but in Europe where it is supposedly dead and dying. It was such a blessing to be reminded so vividly and powerfully that I'm not alone, but am a very small part of something very big, something setting fire to even inhospitable places like modern Europe. I have no idea where this adventure is heading but am excited to keep discovering. Quo vadis? Where are you going?

Everyone Has a Story

Dear friends,

Peace and Blessings from Rome and my sincere apologies for not being more diligent to this blog. Apparently my mom wasn't the only one who was disappointed with my lack of posts because today I was just about knocked off my feet by one heck of a a God moment that I'm pretty positive I'm supposed to share (at least that's the only thing I can come up with to explain what happened).

The story begins exactly a week ago when I was flying back to Rome after a whirlwind 4 days in the states, attending a friend's wedding and graduation at UD. By the time I made it to the Philly-Rome leg I was beat. As the plane was finishing boarding I started getting excited because the I had the isle seat and the window seat immediately to my right was still empty. Planes are about the one place on earth I don't sleep well, and I thought maybe with this extra seat I could catch up on some much needed rest and hit the ground running in Rome. Just as my hopes were starting to get really high and boarding was all but done a huge family comes down the isle (four little boys, the oldest was around 10 and the youngest couldn't have been older than 1 1/2). They took the whole middle row and displaced the two Italians that had moved into their seats, one of whom claimed my extra window seat. At this point my tired self got to start exercising patience, I knew it wasn't their fault but after not really sleeping for four days it required a little more effort to not be annoyed at loosing the extra seat I'd had my heart set on. lol. This exercise in patience increased as we began to taxi and the youngest of the boys began to fuss. It wasn't like he was a good fuss-er either though. He would look around, see if anyone was watching, and if they weren't begin this really pathetic wail/sob. He kept this up the rest of the flight. While my interior struggle continued the rest of the flight as well (aided by earbuds and extensive in-flight movies and music) I never really lost the charitable disposition towards the family. However, I distinctly remember thinking at one point that if I am supposed to get married and be a  father it will have to be with a woman who can help me learn how to avoid raising kids that act like that. Mea culpa.

As we started our final approach and the seat-back screens winked out and the flight crew instructed us to turn off our electronics, I reluctantly pulled out my earbuds.  As I now longer had anything to distract me from the fussy infant on the opposite side of the plane, I turned to the mom who was sitting just behind me across the isle and asked where they were from. Turns out they were from Washington state and had flown all the way across the country and just caught their connecting flight after a made dash through the Philadelphia airport. Man no wonder the kids are a little rough, I thought, what a long time in planes. (I don't know if I thought it at the time but I've often wondered why anyone would do a transatlantic flight with kids, there are good reasons as would find out.) They asked about what I did in Italy and then I asked them what they were coming to Italy for, just vacation? The mom replied, serenely, that her oldest son Tucker has leukemia and had requested to go to Italy through Make-a-wish, which the foundation had funded. Something heavy landed in the pit of my stomach. My flimsy, begrudging "patience" with her family suddenly seemed so very pathetic. Its funny how in an instant your attitude about a person, or people, can change when you get to know them just a little bit. I cannot imagine what that must feel like as a parent. Or trying to give attention to an infant while your oldest son is in a fight for his life at the age of 10. As we continued to talk it turned out we had a lot in common. They lived in the country and raised some chickens, some hogs, and a few cows because they wanted their kids to experience that responsibility. The father was born on a dairy farm about the same size as ours and had grown up showing their cows in 4-H just like I had. I talked to Tucker who had requested to come to Italy because he had become a huge Roman history buff through his home-school curriculum. Their itinerary was to head to a little bed and breakfast on a farm north of Orvieto in Umbria for five days and then spend one day in Rome. Once we landed I wished them well and told them they'd be in my prayers. I immediately thought that I should write a post about the experience but in the hustle of getting ready for the summer term and packing up for the break, I completely forgot; until today.

This morning I went into Rome for the first time since returning to Italy. The summer students were having mass in the crypt of St. Peter's Basilica a mere stones throw from the bones of St. Peter which seemed like a decent reason to head into the city. After mass, I went and ran some errands while the students had a walking tour of Rome with Ryan and Dr. Rombs. By the time I met back up with them three hours later I'd added about 50lbs worth of candles to my backpack and didn't feel like accompanying them up the Capitoline Hill for a view of the Forum, so I went and waited by where the bus would pull up at the base of the hill. While I was standing there on one of the busiest streets in Rome, who walked by but Tucker's whole family. I'd completely forgotten our conversation from the week before but today was the one day that they were going to spend in Rome. Of all the tourists, on all the crowded streets we ended up again in the same place, me about to leave for campus, them just arriving and waiting on a bus to St. Peter's. God works in mysterious ways. It reminded me just how small our pretty big world can be when grace is involved. Needless to say this was a pretty good motivator/shocker to get me to write down the whole experience and also to continue keep Tucker and his family in my prayers. If you have an extra prayer too I'm sure they won't mind. Until next time (which will hopefully be much sooner) Quo vadis?

Pope Francis's Lenten Letter

I was reading through a blog of homilies by Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, now Pope Francis (http://jmgarciaiii.blogspot.co.uk/search?q=bergoglio) and his Lenten letter to  faithful of Buenos Aires the was so awesome that I needed to repost it. Can't wait for his first encyclical.

And rend your hearts, and not your garments, and turn to the Lord your God: for he is gracious and merciful, patient and rich in mercy, and ready to repent of the evil. (Joel 2:13)

Little by little we become accustomed to hearing and seeing, through the mass media, the dark chronicle of contemporary society, presented with an almost perverse elation, and also we become [desensitized] to touching it and feeling it all around us [even] in our own flesh.  Drama plays out on the streets, in our neighborhoods, in our homes and -- why not? -- even in our own hearts.  We live alongside a violence that kills, that destroys families, that enlivens wars and conflicts in so many countries of the world.  We live with envy, hatred, slander, the mundane in our heart.

The suffering of the innocent and peaceable buffets us nonstop; the contempt for the rights of the most fragile of people and nations is not so distant from us; the tyrannical rule of money with its demonic effects, such as drugs, corruption, trafficking in people -- even children -- along with misery, both material and moral, are the coin of the realm [today].  The destruction of dignified work, painful emigrations and the lack of a future also join in this [tragic] symphony. 

Our errors and sins as Church are not beyond this analysis.  Rationalizing selfishnesses, does not diminish it, lack of ethical values within a society metastisizes in [our] families, in the environment of [our] neighborhoods, towns and cities, [this lack of ethical values] testifies to our limitations, to our weaknesses and to our incapacity to transform this innumerable list of destructive realities.

The trap of powerlessness makes us wonder:  Does it make sense to try to change all this?  Can we do anything against this?  Is it worthwhile to try, if the world continues its carnival merriment, disguising all [this tragedy] for a little while?  But, when the mask falls, the truth appears and, although to many it may sound anachronistic to say so, once again sin becomes apparent, sin that wounds our very flesh with all its destructive force, twisting the destinies of the world and of the history. 

Lent is presented us as a shout of truth and certain hope that comes us to say "Yes, it is possible to not slap on makeup, and not draw plastic smiles as if nothing happened."  Yes, it is possible that all is made new and different because God remains "rich in kindness and mercy, always willing to forgive" and He encourages us to begin anew time and again.  Today, again, we are invited to undertake a Paschal road toward Life, a path that includes the cross and resignation; a path that will be uncomfortable but not fruitless.  We are invited to admit that something inside us is not going well, (in society or in the Church) to change, to turn around, to be converted.

Today, the words of the prophet Joel are strong and challenging: Rend your heart, not your clothing: be converted to the Lord, your God.  These [words] are an invitation to all people, nobody is excluded.

 

Rend your heart, not the clothing of artificial penance without [an eternal] future. 

Rend your heart, not the clothing of technical fasting of compliance that [only serves to keep us] satisfied. 

Rend your heart, not the clothing of egotistical and superficial prayer that does not reach the inmost part of [your] life to allow it to be touched by God. 

Rend your heart, that we may say with the Psalmist:  "We have sinned." 

"The wound of the soul is sin: Oh, poor wounded one, recognize your Doctor!  Show him the wounds of your faults.  And, since from Him our most secret thoughts cannot hide themselves, make the cry of your heart felt [to Him].  Move him to compassion with your tears, with your insistence ¡beg him!  Let Him hear your sighs, that your pain reaches Him so that, at the end, He can tell you:  The Lord has forgiven your sins."  (St. Gregory the Great)

This is the reality of our human condition.  This is the truth that approaches authentic reconciliation between God and men.  This is not a matter of discrediting [one's] self-worth but of penetrating, to its fullest depth, our heart and to take charge of the mystery of suffering and pain that had tied us down for centuries, for thousands of years, [in fact,] forever. 

Rend your hearts so that through this opening we can truly see. 

Rend your hearts, open your hearts, because only with [such a] heart can we allow the entry of the merciful love of the Father, who loves us and heals us. 

Rend your hearts the prophet says, and Paul asks us -- almost on his knees -- "be reconciled with God."  Changing our way of living is both a sign and fruit of a torn heart, reconciled by a love that overwhelms us.

 

This is [God's] invitation, juxtaposed against so many injuries that wound us and can tempt us temptation to be hardened:  Rend your hearts to experience, in serene and silent prayer, the gentle tenderness of God.

Rend your hearts to hear the echo of so many torn lives, that indifference [to suffering] does not paralyze us. 

Rend your hearts to be able to love with the love with which we are beloved, to console with the consolation with which we are consoled and to share what we have received. 

The liturgical time the Church starts today is not only for us, but also for the transformation of our family, of our community, of our Church, of our Country, of the whole world.  They are forty days so that we may convert to the same holiness as God's; that we become collaborators who receive the grace and the potential to reconstruct human life so that everyone may experience the salvation which Christ won for us by His death and resurrection. 

Next to prayer and penitence, as a sign of our faith in the force of an all-transforming Easter, we also begin, as in previous years a "Lenten Gesture of Solidarity."  As Church in Buenos Aires, marching towards Easter and believing the Kingdom of God is possible we need that, in our hearts torn by the desire of conversion and by love, grace may blossom.  [We need] effective gestures to alleviate the pain of so many of our brothers who walk alongside.  "No act of virtue can be large if it does not also benefit another...  Therefore, no matter how you spend the day fasting, no matter how you may sleep on a hard floor, and how you may eat ashes and sigh continuously, if do not do good to others, you do not accomplish anything great."  (St. John Chrysostom)

This year of faith we are traversing is also an opportunity God gives us to grow and to mature in an encounter with the Lord made visible in the suffering face of so many children without a future, in the trembling hands of the elders who have been forgotten and in the trembling knees of so many families who continue to face life without finding anyone who will assist them. 

I wish you a holy Lent, a penitential and fruitful Lent and, please, I ask you all that you pray for me. 

May Jesus bless you and may the Blessed Virgin care for you. 

Paternally,

Card.  Jorge Mario Bergoglio S.J.