Friday, February 27, 2004

The U.S. Bishops on Marriage

The USCCB issued a FAQ on marriage back in November of last year. It is worth reading as the battle to amend the Constitution begins.

Across times, cultures, and very different religious beliefs, marriage is the foundation of the family. The family, in turn, is the basic unit of society. Thus, marriage is a personal relationship with public significance.

Marriage is the fundamental pattern for male-female relationships. It contributes to society because it models the way in which women and men live interdependently and commit, for the whole of life, to seek the good of each other.

The marital union also provides the best conditions for raising children: namely, the stable, loving relationship of a mother and father present only in marriage. The state rightly recognizes this relationship as a public institution in its laws because the relationship makes a unique and essential contribution to the common good.

Laws play an educational role insofar as they shape patterns of thought and behavior, particularly about what is socially permissible and acceptable. In effect, giving same-sex unions the legal status of marriage would grant official public approval to homosexual activity and would treat it as if it were morally neutral.

When marriage is redefined so as to make other relationships equivalent to it, the institution of marriage is devalued and further weakened. The weakening of this basic institution at all levels and by various forces has already exacted too high a social cost.

The state has an obligation to promote the family, which is rooted in marriage. Therefore, it can justly give married couples rights and benefits it does not extend to others. Ultimately, the stability and flourishing of society is dependent on the stability and flourishing of healthy family life.

The legal recognition of marriage, including the benefits associated with it, is not only about personal commitment, but also about the social commitment that husband and wife make to the well-being of society. It would be wrong to redefine marriage for the sake of providing benefits to those who cannot rightfully enter into marriage.

Some benefits currently sought by persons in homosexual unions can already be obtained without regard to marital status. For example, individuals can agree to own property jointly with another, and they can generally designate anyone they choose to be a beneficiary of their will or to make health care decisions in case they become incompetent.

One person's idea which springs from this last paragraph is that in order to address the issues that homosexual persons are raising, efforts should be made to make benefits for single people easier to obtain. In other words, allow single people an easier method to designate a "next of kin".

This "next of kin" designation avoids any insinuation that
there is a "marriage" or even a publicly recognized
"union" of the individuals. Yet at the same time, it
gives single persons the right to establish a "family"
connection in a manner that is closely analogous to adoption.
One might even characterize the "next of kin" designation
as the adoption of a brother or sister to whom the legal
rights of next-of-kin attach. The law could also provide
for "next of kin" certificates and "kinship severed"
(divorce)certificates.

It is probably a good idea. However, the issue is not really about the ability to designate a "next of kin". The issue is whether there are universal truths which cannot be thrown out simply because a number of people do not like them. Is marriage simply something that the state grants or is it part of the natural law which cannot be ignored without serious consequences? Keep us Lord from straying further from you.


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Thursday, February 26, 2004

Update on Mother Angelica

EWTN has posted an update on Mother Angelica. Please remember to continue to pray for Mother. She has done so much good. In a very real way, I owe my conversion to her. Through EWTN, God drew me into the Church. Thank God, for Mother! Lord, richly bless this faithful servant of yours.

Sister Mary Catherine, Vicar at Our Lady of the Angels Monastery reports that “Mother Angelica is doing very well. She is in very good spirits and is feeling well physically. She continues to struggle with her speech, however she is able to say some things without any trouble. She and another Sister enjoyed preparing a St. Valentine’s Day treat for the Sisters – homemade cupcakes. And Mother did the decorating! She spends her days with the Sisters or in the Chapel praying. She is as quick witted as ever and keeps us laughing with her comically facial expressions and childlike joy.”


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What are you busy doing?

How have you been? Busy. This is such a common reply that we often fail to recognize that being busy is not a virtue. Neither is it an answer to how we are living. It is simply a shorthand answer for justifying our existence. After all, if we have been busy, we have been, well, busy doing "things". Our God is interested in what we are busy doing. All of our work might be completely interior. In fact that is what Lent calls us to do, begin to work on our interior life. Then from within will flow the works to which we have been called.

St. Josemaria wrote

We are at the beginning of Lent: a time of penance, purification and conversion. It is not an easy program, but then Christianity is not an easy way of life. It is not enough just to be in the Church, letting the years roll by. In our life, in the life of Christians, our first conversion — that unique moment which each of us remembers, when we clearly understood everything the Lord was asking of us — is certainly very significant. But the later conversions are even more important, and they are increasingly demanding. To facilitate the work of grace in these conversions, we need to keep our soul young; we have to call upon our Lord, know how to listen to him and, having found out what has gone wrong, know how to ask his pardon…

What better way to begin Lent? Let’s renew our faith, hope and love. The spirit of penance and the desire for purification come from these virtues. Lent is not only an opportunity for increasing our external practices of self denial. If we thought it were only that, we would miss the deep meaning it has in christian living, for these external practices are — as I have said — the result of faith, hope and charity. (Christ is Passing By, 57)


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Wednesday, February 25, 2004

What are you giving up for Lent?

Fr. Groeschel is suffering as he recovers from his serious injuries. It is no wonder, he is wondering what to give up for Lent. As Fr. Sudano writes:

Brother Daniel and Brother Peter report that Father Benedict had a good day; yet he is running a slight fever and easily gets fatigued. He is getting very good help and is more comfortable now as he has a special air mattress which helps prevent bed sores. Father Richard and Father Luke stopped by today for a brief visit. They report that Father appears well; yet they think the length of his road to recovery may be longer than everyone had expected. Father Benedict made some comments about purgatory which indicates he is suffering more than it appears. When Father Richard asked him if he wanted to receive ashes tomorrow, he replied, "I don't need ashes." They chuckled; but he wasn't smiling. On a similar but lighter note, when I called the hospital room this evening, I asked Br. Peter if Father wanted to tell me anything. Brother Peter left to relay my message, and then came back with "Fr. Benedict says he's trying to figure out what to give up for Lent"!

Perhaps you and I should not have such a hard time figuring out what we should give up for Lent. I know it did not take me long. I think that He has made it clear which fault I should try to mortify over the next 40 days.

We can take comfort that our Lord will be with us to help us through this time. Lent should not be a season without joy; it should be a season of encouragement. As Fr. Sudano writes:

So that's what we'll do as we enter into this Lenten season - push on! Let us continue to keep Fr. Benedict in prayer. Unlike us, he doesn't need to give up anything up for Lent; he's offering himself. In our own way and in our own sufferings, let us do the same.

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Tuesday, February 24, 2004

Doing Work

As I am sure you know now, Fr. Groeschel has returned to New York to continue his recovery closer to home. It seems from Fr. Sudano's updates that this has been of great benefit for Fr. Groeschel. However, even he knows that the closer we are to home, the more work is required of us. It doesn't get easier at home, it just might be easier to to the more God expects of us:

When the friars walked into the room this morning around nine o'clock, Father Benedict greeted them, mouthing the words, "Okay, let's get to work!" They knew what that meant - slowly stretching his arms and legs. Guess who wants to get out of the hospital yesterday? It appears the whole idea of getting a smaller trach so Father can speak may be out of the picture - this just might slow down his progress in getting entirely off the ventilator. This must happen before Father moves to another facility for physical therapy.

Continue to pray for his full and complete recovery. Pray that we he will soon be off the venilator. And pray that we too may work with a purpose of Heaven in whatever God has called us to do.




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Monday, February 23, 2004

Preparing for Lent

The challenge of Sunday's Gospel reading (Luke 6:27-38) in which we are called to love unconditionally, even to love our enemies, is the type of difficult examination of conscience and exhortation that is a trumpet call for Lent.

The Holy Father's message for Lent is also one which must be deeply pondered because in it he calls us to remember that we are children:

With childlike simplicity let us turn to God and call him, as Jesus taught us in the prayer of the "Our Father", "Abba," "Father."

Our Father! Let us repeat this prayer often during Lent; let us repeat it with deep emotion. By calling God "Our Father," we will better realize that we are his children and feel that we are brothers and sisters of one another. Thus it will be an easier for us to open our hearts to the little ones, following the invitation of Jesus: Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me (Mt 18:5).

In this hope, I invoke upon each of you God's blessings, through the intercession of Mary, Mother of the Word of God made man and Mother of all humanity.

The verse he has selected as the theme for Lent underscores Jesus' attitude toward children:

Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me. (Mt 18:5)

We are to receive children as we would receive Jesus. The Lord is always found in the marginalized. And who today is more marginalized than children? As our Holy Father says,

Together with such great generosity, however, a word must be said about the selfishness of those who do not receive children. There are young people who have been profoundly hurt by the violence of adults: sexual abuse, forced prostitution, involvement in the sale and use of drugs; children forced to work or enlisted for combat; young children scarred forever by the breakup of the family; little ones caught up in the obscene trafficking of organs and persons. What too of the tragedy of AIDS and its devastating consequences in Africa? It is said that millions of persons are now afflicted by this scourge, many of whom were infected from birth. Humanity cannot close its eyes in the face of so appalling a tragedy!

What evil have these children done to merit such suffering? From a human standpoint it is not easy, indeed it may be impossible, to answer this disturbing question. Only faith can make us begin to understand so profound an abyss of suffering. By becoming "obedient unto death, even death on a Cross"(Phil 2:8), Jesus took human suffering upon himself and illuminated it with the radiant light of his resurrection. By his death, he conquered death once for all.

May this be a Lent where our reflection upon all the "least of these" result in acts of mercy, generosity, and genuine conversion in all our hearts.


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Tuesday, February 17, 2004

Maybe we should be teaching the Primary Teachers?

It is very interesting to note, when you think about, the disparity of resources which are devoted to teaching children instead of teaching parents. For many parents, their continued instruction in the faith is a 10 minute homily once a week. If you include several Holy Days of obligation, that adds up to, at best, about 10 hours of instruction for an entire year or roughly 0.1% of the available hours in a year. (I have always been upset when a homily on the Gospel or other readings is replaced by a talk on some other topic; it is a waste of the precious little time that is given to instruction in the faith.) Steve Kellmeyer writes:

A child’s primary catechist is his parents. The bishop is the primary catechist of the diocese, but he is not the child’s primary catechist. The priest is the pre-eminent catechist in the parish, but he is not the child’s primary catechist. The Director of Religious Education (DRE), the CCD teachers, the parochial school teachers, all of these people are somewhat useful in passing on the Faith, but none of them are the primary catechists. The parents have the first and primary responsibility to pass the Faith onto their own children. No one else does.

The bishop does not delegate this responsibility to the parents. Neither does the priest or the DRE or the Catholic teachers. At the moment a man and a woman exchange vows in marriage, each consecrates the other as both spouse and catechist.

Let us be absolutely clear. The Bridegroom, Jesus Christ, God Himself, consecrates the bride and bridegroom to be the primary catechists to their own children. Canon law, the Catechism and the documents of the Church are all quite clear on this. Bishops, priests and their lay employees all exist to assist the parents, not to replace them. It is their job to make sure the parents know the Faith and know how to pass it on. It is the parents’ job to do the passing on.

But parents can’t teach what they don’t know. The Pope understands. In his very first encyclical, Teaching the Faith Today (Catechesi Tradendae), article #23 points out, for “instruction in the Faith to be effective, it must be permanent. It would be quite useless if it stopped short on the threshold of maturity.”

The Catechism of the Catholic Church explicitly says this. Open it to article #2225, “Parents should initiate their children at an early age into the mysteries of the faith.” The Catechism is divided into four major sections. Flip back to the Table of Contents and read the heading to Section II. It is called “The Christian Mystery.” What are the contents of Section II? The sacraments. From the earliest days of the Church, the sacraments have always been called “mysteries of Faith.” Indeed, the Greek word for sacrament is still mysterion: mystery.

The American bishops know all this. They even wrote a letter, Our Hearts Are Burning Within Us that says adult education is of central importance and that the bulk of parish resources are to be devoted to adult education. The bulk of parish resources. Hmmm….

Look at your parish. Consider how much time, money and effort is poured into your parish school, the physical plant devoted to it, the raw number of personnel. Now do the same for the adult formation program(s) in your parish. Hmmm…

Everyone agrees the family is under assault. Everyone fails to notice the local parish is often in the vanguard of the assault. Attempting to replace Catholic parents violates parental rights, violates the principle of subsidiarity, and attacks the family, yet the attitude of a significant number of DRE’s, priests and bishops is precisely this, “Parents are not qualified to teach their own children because they are ignorant of Catholic Faith, so it is up to me to do the job.”

To any bishop, priest or DRE who thinks this, let it be said as succinctly as possible, “No, it is not up to you to do their job. It is up to them to do their job. It is up to you to teach them to do it. Stop enabling their co-dependence. Start doing your job so they can do theirs.”


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Sunday, February 15, 2004

Beatitudes

Blessed are you poor, for yours is the kingdom of God (Luke 6:20).

What does it mean for us to be poor? Jesus was poor. Even at His crucifixion, He was stripped of his garments leaving Him with nothing material. In Philipians, St. Paul makes the point that Jesus, "did not count equality with God something to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of man" (2:6-7). Jesus became poor for us. He came to serve, and not to be served.

Poverty of spirit, as St. Matthew renders the beatitude, is rightly understanding who we are and what God wants us to do. Jesus us calls us to deny ourselves, take up our cross, and to follow Him. We must deny that part of us that cannot be poor in spirit. We must renounce that which is in us that cannot submit to the Lord of life because we cling to our view of how things are.

In the Lord's economy, the poor are able to see God because their eyes are open to His providence and His love. Jesus addressed the beatitudes in St. Luke's Gospel to the disciples. He was calling them to follow Him by being poor like even He was. Throughout the Gospels, the disciples struggle to see Jesus for who He is--the Son of God who has come to give up His life as a ransom for many. Through poverty, the disciples can see who He is. By giving up all that they had to follow Him and by submitting to His authority, they are eventually able to recognize that Jesus is the Messiah, who has not come to remove the yoke of Roman oppression, but the yoke of sin. As St. Luke records in Acts, St. Peter was able to see who Jesus is and that His resurrection was the fulfillment of the prophecies of the Messiah who would be greater than David.

May we too be poor enough to see who Jesus is and what He wants us to do for Him.


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Tuesday, February 10, 2004

A good snooze is good news


Thank God for Fr. Groeschel's resting. There always seems to be something happening to him. It is a wonder he is able to get the rest he needs. Fr. Sudano writes:

Today was somewhat uneventful in the sense that Father spent much of the day dozing. We are so thankful that he is receiving such good care. We have all heard the saying, "good help is so hard to find". Well, great help is right at Father's fingertips thanks to competent and indeed caring professionals who are keeping a close eye on his progress.
Father had his chest X-rayed today; thank God the lungs are clear. The respiratory therapist comes by a few times during the day to listen carefully for congestion. Suction of fluid from the lungs is a necessary daily ritual despite the discomfort it must cause. Not a day goes by without Father mouthing the words, "When can I go home?" Just the thought of this is painful; yet what can we do but say, "patience" or "soon".

The wounds on Father's head are "healing nicely" the doctor tells us. Also, the respirator gauges indicated that Father is breathing more on his own. However, on this stretch of the road, one takes three steps forward then two steps back. Yet, for that one step, we are grateful.

If Father is awake and engaged tomorrow, the friars will employ someone who can assist them with their lip reading skills. I'm curious to see if this will be helpful and perhaps lower Father's level of frustration in not being able to clearly communicate. Yet, although Father cannot speak, he can listen. I myself have been able to speak to him as the friar's put the phone to his ear. In fact, this evening he received a phone call from a cardinal who prayed over the phone and imparted his apostolic blessing. On behalf of your friar friends in New York, "Thank you, Your Eminence".


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Monday, February 09, 2004

I am ready for the pain

How many of us are ready to say this? As Fr. Sudano relates, Fr. Groeschel is able to say this:

The doctors have not suggested, but rather promised Father that his therapy will be very, very painful. Even today, one day after a (thank God) successful surgery, the therapist was gingerly working on Father's arm. Before the therapist began her regimen, she turned to Father and said with the utmost respect, "Father, this is going to be painful". What was Father B's response? "I am ready for the pain".

"I am ready for the pain". How many times have I said that in my life? Never. What about yourself? No doubt all of us would have done better in life if we could say to the Lord, "I am ready for the pain". Perhaps things would have turned out for the good if we didn't wimp out and whine like a six-year-old.

This is, no doubt, Father's Golgotha. He knows that. While he lies flat on a cross in the shape of a mattress, he says, "Thank you" to a friend - that's the working of Divine grace. Yet I also know that he is saying this to all his friends - to each of you - "thank you for being with me, thank you for not forgetting me, thank you for helping me carry my cross".

So, the next time we feel the cool dark shadow of a cross loom over us, be it a person, place or thing, let us be resolved to say the same, "I am ready for the pain". Father B, rest well. Tomorrow the cross will be there, and so will we.


May we, too, be able to say to Jesus that we are ready for the pain which He permits. Not my will, by Thy will be done.


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Saturday, February 07, 2004

The Breath of Life

As Father Groesechel has been a breath of fresh air for so many, we now have the opportunity of praying for him to breathe on his own. Fr. Sudano writes:

Brother Sharbel told me, "The next miracle everyone has to pray for is his breathing. Tell everyone Father Benedict has to breathe on his own without the respirator". He said it so matter-of-factly; it was like he was placing an order for hamburger. Well, your prayers have moved mountains thus far; why not ask for a miracle in a matter-of-fact way? Okay, Brother Sharbel, one miracle coming up!

This prayer is for kindergarten kids only (or for those who pray with the confidence of a child)

Gracious and Good Lord, You who pull the clouds across the summer sky, curl the waves white with foam, and carry tiny seeds and beautiful butterflies to faraway lands by the breath of Your lips; grant Father the wind of Your Spirit so he may breathe better and tell the world about God again. Amen.



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Rediscovering the Natural Law

The Pope has proposed a remedy for our troubled world--rediscovering the natural law as our common ethic:

People lack a common ethical foundation because of the rejection of the idea of natural law, said John Paul II as he proposed a remedy.

"The natural law, accessible per se to every rational creature, indicates the first and essential norms that regulate moral life," he said.

"Based on this law, a platform of shared values can be constructed, on which a constructive dialogue can be developed with all men and women of good will and, more in general, with secular society," the Pope continued.

"Today, as a consequence of the crisis of metaphysics, many spheres do not recognize any longer that there is a truth inscribed in the heart of every human person," he said.

The lack of recognition of the natural law leads to two serious problems, John Paul II said.

The first is "the spreading among believers of a morality of a fideistic character," he said.

Second is the lack of "an objective reference point for acts of legislation which often are based solely on social consensus," making it harder to arrive at a common ethical foundation for all humanity, the Pope said.

To help in the rediscovery of "the idea of the natural moral law," the Pope has written the encyclicals "Veritatis Splendor" and "Fides et Ratio."

"Unfortunately, it does not seem that these teachings have been received until now in the desired measure, and this complex problem must be further studied," he said.

Thus, the Holy Father asked the doctrinal congregation to "promote opportune initiatives with the aim of contributing to a constructive renewal of the doctrine on the natural moral law."

The answer to our problems with a judiciary that is increasingly at odds with our legislatures is for there to be interpretation of the law based on the natural law. The natural law does not find privacy rights which permit the killing of innocent life. The natural law recognizes the inherent dignity and infinite value of all persons regardless of whether any government or document does not.

Many conservatives call for a strict interpretation of the Constitution. While I understand that they are concerned about the judiciary's specious finding of justifications for support of abortion and sodomy in the Constitution, I cannot agree with a strict constructionist point-of-view which would support the Dred Scott decision. Natural law on the other hand is the bedrock of any human law. To the extent that laws are not in conformity with the natural law, they are not laws.

As has been said, the Roe versus Wade decision did not legalize abortion, it decriminalized abortion. Abortion can never be legalized because it is against the natural law.


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Friday, February 06, 2004

Children's Prayers

Fr. Glen Sudano writes about the power of the prayers of children:

As many of you have brought this special intention to contemplative nuns, may we also suggest you bring our special intention to the most powerful pray-ers - namely, the children! Have you ever heard a kindergarten kid pray a "Hail Mary"? It melts your heart. Now, if their prayer can soften our hard hearts, imagine what it does to the Sacred Heart?

...Hermits are great, monks are fine, but if you want your message to go straight to God with no static, ask one of these little ones to pray!


This is a beautiful reminder of our Lord's urging us to be like little children in our complete and simple trust of Him. May all of our prayers be like those of a child who holds nothing back and has faith which can cast mountains into the sea.

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Tuesday, February 03, 2004

The fruit continues to ripen

Praise the Lord for all the He is doing through His servant Fr. Groeschel! May God continue to carry him through his recovery.

Fr. Sudano writes:

Fr. Luke reports another small but significant step - Father was taken out of bed and put into a special chair. I'm not sure how long he stayed in the chair, but after some time he was put back into bed. He is very fragile and pain medication was necessary. When I was sitting comfortably in front of the woodburning stove last night, my mind went to Father's discomfort, indeed pain. How I wish I could take his place.

Br. Shawn reports that there's some rejoicing in the ICU and apparently Blessed Mother Teresa may be to blame! Evidently, last week Br. Peter prayed with a relic of Mother Teresa over a young man who was brought into the trauma unit. His parents were distraught since their son was in a deep coma after a serious car accident. The doctors didn't give the parents much hope thinking that perhaps the stem of the brain might have been severed. Well, guess who just opened his eyes and guess who is rejoicing? Be it by natural or supernatural means, the word "miracle" was used; and not only by his mom and dad, but by his attending nurse! May God be praised!

So, while the drama of our friend and father quietly continues, other wonderful things continue to take place - in your heart and mine. One of our postulants told me this evening that his sister took in a homeless woman and her child in honor of Fr. Benedict. You don't know how pleasing this is to God; how powerful a prayer this is before the throne of God. I believe it was Archbishop Fulton Sheen who once said, "there's nothing sadder than wasted pain." Well, there's no pain being wasted here, believe me.




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Do not fear, but only believe

In today's Gospel reading from the St. Mark's gospel, (5:21 - 43) we are presented with several characters who are asked to trust in Jesus. The first is the synagogue ruler Jairus, who approaches Jesus to ask that He would heal his little daughter who is at the point of death. He has enough faith in Jesus to believe that Jesus can lay His hand upon his daughter and she will be healed.

The next character is a woman who has heard about Jesus and trusts that He can heal her of the hemorrhaging which she has suffered for 12 years. Her faith is strong enough to believe that she will be healed even if she simply touches the hem of Jesus' garment as He passes through the crowd. She dare not do more because she is ritually unclean with her flow of blood, and Jesus is a holy rabbi. After she has touched him Jesus perceives that power has gone out of Him, and he questions who has touched him. The woman's worst fear is realized. She has been discovered. However, Jesus assures her that her faith has made her well.

The final character we meet is a servant of Jairus. He comes up to Jesus and Jairus at what might already be Jairus' breaking point. Jairus is anxious to begin with, but now that Jesus has been "delayed" by the healing of the woman, he is probably ready to grab Jesus by the hand and run to his daughter. However, Jairus' faith is yet to be tested even more because the servant announces that Jairus' daughter had died. The servant adds, "Why trouble the Teacher any further?" Jesus turns to Jairus and says, "Do not fear, only believe."

Many times we think that faith is some incredible leap into the unknown. It is a blind leap of faith. However, when we place our trust in Jesus, we realize that our faith can be reasonable even logical. The key is to know Jesus. How often are we like the servant who takes the "reasonable" line of thinking. The young girl has died so what is the use. But, what if we thought about from a more reasonable approach that takes into account who Jesus is. Jairus has begged Jesus to heal his daughter, and Jesus had gone with the man. Jesus allowed Himself to be "delayed" on His initial goal to heal another daughter of Israel. Although during this delay, the Jairus' daughter died, it did not change Jesus' goal. Why would Jesus set out to heal the little girl and be hindered by circumstances? If we know Jesus, we know that He is not hindered by circumstances. The more logical faith is that what Jesus set out to do, He will accomplish.

The servant's lack of faith is actually illogical. He assumes that because the daughter has died, she cannot be restored. What Jesus began cannot be completed. Again, this reminds me of myself, when I forget that what God has begun, He will complete.

Jairus does not lose hope, but heeds Jesus' words to believe. Our response to Jesus can be one of faith or fear. Fear leaves us dead to God, but faith restores us to life with God.


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Monday, February 02, 2004

The Fruit of his work

Fr. Groeschel's work continues even as he suffers through his recovery. All of the prayers and sacrifice are the work of the Holy Spirit as He gathers together the body of Christ. It is beautiful to see how the Lord has used this servant:

Dear Father Benedict, Our family continues to pray for your complete recovery with the suggested short, but fervent and heartfelt prayer, "Lord, have mercy on your servant, Father Benedict Groeschel!" Our faith is deepened each day as we read the eloquent and inspiring report on your progress from Father Glen. But we are most nourished by seeing daily the incredible video of you telling each of us every morning to "Pick up our cross and follow Him." What a great gift you are giving even in your silence and suffering. We are even referring friends who are experiencing great suffering who may not even know about you to log on to Father Glen's letter so they, too, may be lifted up by your video and encouraged by your words and faith. So, God continues to use your life even as you lay silent. May God bless you and grant you a complete and speedy recovery. - Carlie, Arlington, Virginia

There are many more emails like this one which have been shared by the friars. It fires my heart with faith, hope, and love to read these messages. Perhaps the Lord is trying to show us that He is at work in so many ways that we do not see because we are so focused on the problems which are easier to see.

Why does the Presentation of the Lord and Groundhog Day land on the same day of the year?

Matthew Bunson writes:

As unlikely as it might seem, there is actually a religious connection. The custom began in England with Candlemas (Feb. 2), including a traditional song:

If Candlemas be fair and bright Come, Winter, have another flight; If Candlemas bring clouds and rain, Go, Winter, and come not again.

Over time, the association with Candlemas declined in favor of an animal. In the case of England, it involved a badger or bear; once brought to America, the animal became a groundhog.


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