The Holy Cross: “That the World Might Be Saved…”

The Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross.

Jesus said to Nicodemus, “No one has gone up to heaven except the one who has come down from heaven, the Son of Man. And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life. For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him” (John 3:13-17). .

Jesus said to the people, “Now is the time of judgment on this world; now the ruler of this world will be driven out. And when I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw everyone to myself” (John 12:31-32). 

The “Measure” of a Forgiving and Merciful Heart

Here is the Gospel passage proclaimed at the Eucharistic Liturgy of September 12. I place it here because it is a word from Jesus that I need to read and ponder again and again, and beg Him for the grace of a heart full of God’s generosity, a forgiving and merciful heart:

Jesus said to his disciples: “To you who hear I say, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. To the person who strikes you on one cheek, offer the other one as well, and from the person who takes your cloak, do not withhold even your tunic. Give to everyone who asks of you, and from the one who takes what is yours do not demand it back. 

“Do to others as you would have them do to you. For if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do the same. If you lend money to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, and get back the same amount. But rather, love your enemies and do good to them, and lend expecting nothing back; then your reward will be great and you will be children of the Most High, for he himself is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked. Be merciful, just as also your Father is merciful.

“Stop judging and you will not be judged. Stop condemning and you will not be condemned. Forgive and you will be forgiven. Give and gifts will be given to you; a good measure, packed together, shaken down, and overflowing, will be poured into your lap. For the measure with which you measure will in return be measured out to you.”

~Luke 6:27-38

In Timor-Leste, a Nation Goes to Mass

“On This Day,” 2011

Here was a “Facebook Memory” from September 7, 2011. I have posts on this blog that are older than that. I can read about these kinds of memories anytime I want. (You can too—there are lots of articles about “the kids” from… back when they were kids.)

Still, something like this just popping up on social media reminds me that THIRTEEN YEARS AGO was “another world”! We had many hilarious conversations like this in the “old days,” when we all gathered to say the family rosary.

Needless to say, all four “girls” got their ears pierced eventually, grew up in many other ways, and today they are all lovely young women with their own styles. (Jojo still doesn’t like to “get a shot” from the doctor. Frankly, neither do I.😜)

Faith to Move Mountains

"Everyone in the crowd sought to touch him because power came forth from him and healed them all" (Luke 6:19).

The Gospel often challenges our minds and hearts, and we say "Amen" to the words and deeds of Jesus even when we don't understand what they mean for us. Here is something more marvelous than anything "the crowd" hoped to receive from Him: the gift of God's grace, the new life in the Holy Spirit that enables us to say "yes" with faith and love for Jesus, the Son of the Father, the One through whom and for whom we have been created, the One who dwells among us and accompanies us and makes us His brothers and sisters, children of God, sharers of eternal life. 

We want to awaken our faith to a confidence and ardor that can "move mountains" — or, rather, to beg God to move mountains, to open the eyes of the blind and the ears of the deaf. We long for everyone in our poor world to see and hear the One who created us and gave Himself to us in boundless love. God knows that there are many "mountains" in our world that need "moving." Jesus promises us, "Ask and you shall receive"... but do we really believe this? We must ask with confidence in the Father's love, knowing that mountains can move, evils can be overcome, hearts can change — not according to the measure of our expectations but in God's way and God's time. 

If we persevere in asking we shall receive far greater than we ever imagined. The power and mercy of the Lord will level mountains, fill up valleys, bring healing and reconciliation where there seems to be no hope.

Mother Teresa: "Give Him [Your] Nothingness"

Saint "Mother Teresa."

September 5th is her feast day, although it isn't (yet) on the universal Roman calendar. She was only canonized eight years ago. She died on September 5, 1997 - I remember going to my "Yahoo home page" on the old dial-up internet and there was a "headline" right there and it said "Mother Teresa Dies." It was the first time I remember seeing "breaking news" right on my computer screen, and I looked at the headline (I don't recall any link to an article) and thought, "What? This just happened? Today?" 

Wow, getting news on the internet... 

We already knew she was a saint. But we only learned later about her profound interior sufferings. Her life was a witness to the transcendence and the depths of Divine Love. It gives words like these (quoted in the picture above) so much credibility. 

Whatever we're going through, however awful, whatever confusion, discouragement, perplexity, pain, incoherence, powerlessness we find in ourselves - Jesus understands us and loves us infinitely. We can always "begin" to pray.

The Latest Travels of Pope Francis

When I was a kid, we had a "short-wave radio" (ask your parents, or grandparents, what a short-wave radio is), and one of the exciting things to do was to find the English language radio station from “Papua New Guinea.” A broadcast from "the other side of the world"! Cool!

Now, fifty years later, Pope Francis is there. 

Nearly 88 years old and usually requiring the assistance of a wheel chair, Francis is undaunted by his limitations and continues to make these arduous pastoral visits to the “peripheries” — to small countries seldom in the global spotlight, poor countries, or countries with very small Catholic populations. This current trip, however, has unique features. In twelve days, the Pope is visiting four Asian and Pacific countries: Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, East Timor, and Singapore. In many ways, this trip only appears “peripheral” in the eyes of the West. Indonesia is the largest Muslim country in the world (87% of 280 million people), but it upholds religious freedom and its minority populations spanning its vast multiethnic archipelago include Christian population of 10% (with 8.4 million Catholics). Papua New Guinea is apparently more remote, but it stands at the crossroads (for better and/or for worse) of East Asia, Oceania, and Australia. Timor-Leste is an independent nation at the eastern tip of the Indonesian archipelago, comprising half the island of Timor. It is home to more than a million people who speak Portuguese and are nearly all Catholic (I have seen headlines claiming it’s “the most Catholic nation in the world” except for the Vatican City State). Finally, the Pope will visit Singapore, the famous modern City-State on the tip of the Malay peninsula with a large majority of ethic Chinese.

This trip is first and above all intended to be a series of encounters between Francis and the peoples of these nations. At the same time, the Pope is once again highlighting the Church’s solicitude for all her members throughout the world, her commitment to mutual respect and dialogue with peoples of other religions, and her universal (“Catholic”) commitment to the dignity and destiny of every human person on earth, in service to the Gospel of Jesus Christ that God has offered as the definitive outpouring of His love for the healing and fulfillment of every person.

This witness is a blessing to all of us.

It is a particular blessing for this region. Francis has made numerous visits to other parts of East Asia in recent years, including Thailand and Japan, Mongolia, the current nations, and the promise of the next World Youth Day in South Korea in 2027. On all these trips, the presence of the Pope and universal attentiveness of the Catholic Church also falls like a luminous shadow on China. Consider this map of the current journey:

Francis loves the Chinese people, and it is notable that he has given so much attention to the “peripheries” of classical Chinese civilization (places which also matter to the current leadership of China). How does the CCP view all these trips? The Party’s own “logic” probably doesn’t know what to make of it all. It’s possible that they might view all these papal “flyovers” as strategic maneuvers in the long drawn-out Vatican-CCP chess game for “control” over the Catholic Church in China. Catholics, however, might best consider this latest foray into proximity with China to be to be the extension of a prayer from the heart of the Church. For God loves the Chinese people, and China today needs a miracle.

I think this is a time in history when we need to pray for miracles. And we should pray with faith and confidence to Jesus who is the Lord of history.

Many of the events of Pope Francis’s ongoing journey this week are being live-streamed by Vatican Media (on YouTube, if you're awake in those hours - I think it's GMT +11). There are also summary videos and articles too. 

Try this link and see if it works: Here is Pope Francis speaking ENGLISH!🙂 https://fb.watch/uv8mXbYzJN/?

Welcome to September!

“Welcome to September 2024.” 

Digital art personally crafted by JJ. #JJStudios