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April 2011

April 19

The Passion according to John

April 19, 2011

Each year on Good Friday the Passion of Jesus Christ according to John is read aloud in our churches. John’s Gospel, as we know, was written later than the other Gospels, perhaps some 70 years after Jesus died, and those years gave John plenty of time to reflect upon Jesus’ death and highlight a number of aspects that are not as evident in the other Gospels. What are those special aspects? The bulk of John’s account focuses on Jesus’ trial and the eventual judgment that He be put to death. But it is ingeniously written. John writes up the trial of Jesus in such a way that, while Jesus is the one being tried, everyone else is on trial except Jesus. Pilate is on trial, the Jewish authorities are on trial, Jesus’ apostles and disciples are on trial, the crowds watching are on trial, and we who are hearing the story. Jesus, alone, is not on trial, even as His trial is judging everyone else. Hence when Pilate asks Jesus: What is truth? Jesus’ silence puts Pilate on trial by throwing Pilate back on his own silence, the truth of himself. It’s the same for the rest of us.

April 20

We all share in the divine life

April 20, 2011

Second Sunday of Easter (Year A) May 1 (Acts 2:42-47; Psalm 118; 1 Peter 1:3-9; John 20:19-31) What fuels the negative forces at work in our world? Human competition, greed, fear and selfishness do the job quite well without blaming Satan or some other sinister force for our troubles. It doesn’t really matter if we are competing for oil, trade, power, military strength, economic advantage or even God. When we are convinced that there is not enough for everyone and that we feel threatened or fearful the “fun” begins — the game of trying to do others out of what we want for ourselves. This deadly game usually ends in blood and tears. Luke’s depiction of the ideal Christian community challenges this dreary inevitability and offers us a luminous path out of the darkness. This first generation of disciples began to renounce the cause of so much human misery — the notion of personal wealth and property especially at the expense of others. This practice of the radical common life was not common — the Dead Sea Scroll community was a noted exception. But the first Christians were convinced that this was the pattern of the new age that was being born in their time. It was the pattern of a community in which the need for competition or jealousy would be lessened and no one would be humiliated or denied the basics of life.

He is truly risen

April 20, 2011

What actually happened on that first Easter Sunday? Every Easter, millions of Christians worldwide celebrate the Resurrection of Jesus. They rejoice at the Scripture passages that recount the Risen Lord appearing first to Mary Magdalene and later to His disciples. The story is so familiar, so central to our faith, that even casual church-goers can almost recount it by rote. But what really happened that day? In Pope Benedict’s new book, Jesus of Nazareth — Holy Week: From the entrance into Jerusalem to the Resurrection, Christians have been given an Easter present to help them explore that question. The final chapter of Benedict’s book is a profound historical examination of the Resurrection. On the matter of that first Easter, he ponders: What is the Resurrection of Jesus?

Charles Lewis: A religious voice is — frighteningly so — second-class in society

April 20, 2011

We are living in a society with a secular set point. Any issue that is raised can only be considered if it is within a secular context. Anything that might smell of coming from a religious point of view is not welcome and even feared. Such issues as embryonic stem-cell research, the large number of abortions taking place in Canada or the rampant use of pornography in society is expected to be discussed in non-religious terms — even if religion has something to say of value for the broader good. This was made clear to me in an unusual way not long ago. I was writing about the debate on euthanasia. I happened to interview a woman, a physician and professor, who gave some very rational and secular reasons for opposing euthanasia. An anti-euthanasia activist was furious at me for speaking to her. He said I had undermined his cause because the woman also happened to be a nun and her objection to euthanasia would just confirm to the society at large that this was another case of religious people trying to impose their values on secular society.

The Resurrection transformed all our relationships

April 20, 2011

As I think back over the long winter now ending in Easter’s joy and promise, one spiritual event I took part in comes to mind with special urgency. The discussion, entitled “The Senses of Creation: Ecology and Symbolism,” happened one snowy weekend at the St. Mary of Egypt retreat centre, near Belleville, Ont. (This outstanding ministry is co-ordinated by Catholic Register columnist Mary Marrocco.) The leader of the retreat was Gavin Miller, a biologist, ecologist and Catholic layman. Miller’s theme was humankind’s relationship with the realm of nature, as that ratio has been deformed, especially over the last two or three centuries, by motives of greed and exploitation long endemic in Western culture. This lethal link, however, is neither necessary nor inevitable. We can choose life instead of death, co-existence with nature instead of manipulation — if we are willing to view nature in the holistic perspectives opened in history by the Resurrection of the Lord. The contemporary environmental crisis, Miller told us, is deeply rooted in an instrumental and utilitarian attitude toward nature that is typical of mainstream Western thought and practice. This impulse has a venerable history. Magic, for example, was the ancient bid to desacralize and conquer nature, to reduce everything to operational quantities.

Will the ‘many’ be counted?

April 20, 2011

Many Catholics are reading the Holy Father’s most recent book, Jesus of Nazareth, Holy Week, as spiritual reading this Holy Week. Does many mean all? Joseph Ratzinger/Benedict XVI sheds light on a matter that English-speaking Catholics will encounter later this year. The new translation of the Roman Missal, which will take effect in Advent 2011, changes the words of institution, the words the priests says to consecrate the bread and wine, transubstantiating them into the Body and Blood of Christ. Holy Week is a good time to examine that. In the current English translation the priests says over the chalice, “... it will be shed for you and ‘for all’ so that sins may be forgiven...” The new translation will say, “... will be poured out for you and ‘for many’ for the forgiveness of sins....”

Move to Canada awakens a pair of vocation calls

April 20, 2011

Hezuk Shroff [images/stories/faith/faith11/hezukshroffregister.jpg]Hezuk Shroff says he has been blessed with not one, but two vocations. Born in Calcutta, India, in 1971, Shroff was raised in the Zoroastrian religion. When he came to Canada to attend McGill University in Montreal, he discovered the first of those vocations, a conversion to the Catholic faith. While exploring his faith and the possibility of becoming a religious brother, Shroff was sent to Cebu in the Philippines to do missionary work. It was there he found his second and deeper vocation, a call to the priesthood. “Father doesn’t have time for us,” said the youth of Cebu, according to Shroff. “Father is too busy running the parish.”

King’s University appoints new academic dean

April 20, 2011

King’s University College at the University of Western Ontario [images/stories/logos/logos11/londonkingscollegeuniversity.jpg]LONDON, Ont. - Sauro Camiletti has been appointed the new academic dean at King’s University College at the University of Western Ontario. Effective July 1, the appointment follows an intense international search and a broad consultative process within the King’s community. “It is a great privilege to serve as a leader in an academic community that is recognized for the quality of its degree programs, the teaching ability and scholarship of its faculty, its Christian values and the services it provides its students,” said Camiletti.

Students urged to be more active in social justice

April 20, 2011

Ontario Catholic School Trustees’ Association [images/stories/logos/OCSTA.jpg]TORONTO - The Catholic Board Council of the Ontario Student Trustees’ Association has released a new social justice report urging Catholic students to become active in organizations promoting justice and service to marginalized groups. “(The report) is trying to get the message across that social justice is such an integral way of making Catholic education come alive,” said Olivia Suppa, president of the Catholic Board Council. “Let us live as Jesus wanted though nurturing the growth of Catholic leadership, and through opening our eyes and hearts to serve the victims of injustices in our communities, our country and our world,” according to the online report entitled “Social Justice: Inspiring Active Citizenship in Catholic Education.” Members of the Catholic Board Council prepared the report over two years, with input from Catholic student trustees from across the province. The trustees call for an “active” component in the religion curriculum based “on our call to act as responsible stewards of humanity.” It also “encourages that local and global initiatives, outreach programs and positions related to social justice be included in religious education in the classroom, as well as integrated into the cultural life of the school community.”

Hill of Crosses Lithuania’s haven of peace

April 20, 2011

The Hill of Crosses in Lithuania is a well known destination for pilgrims especially at Easter time. Here, a mother with her two children are on a pilgrimage to the hill. (Photo by Eero Sorila) [images/stories/features/freature11/hillofcrosseslithuania.jpg]SIAULIA, LITHUANIA - The Hill of Crosses in Lithuania is a unique travel destination, especially at Easter time. Three-and-a-half hours drive north from the capital Vilnus takes you to Siaulia. The pastoral scenery along the way is peacefully soothing. A little further turning left at a sign to Kryziu Kalnas, a country road will take you two kilometres to an unusual sight. A hill, which in the past served as a military stronghold, is now a haven of peace. It strikes a musical chord of sad and happy sounds like a giant harp as the northeast wind blows. Thousands of small crosses rub the bases of big crosses, like plucking the strings of a harp. The sad sounds are a reminder of 1831-1863 when crosses were installed in memory of those who were exiled and murdered in Siberia for opposing Russia’s Tsarist rule. These sounds continued loudly during the time of the Soviet regime, 1917-1990. During the Soviet era, the crosses served as symbols against atheism. At the same time they spoke strongly for the sentiments of Lithuanian nationalism.

Easter’s consolation is that life, not death, has the final word

April 20, 2011

The Resurrection of Christ is depicted in a 16th-century painting. Easter reminds us that life wins out over death. (CNS/Eric Lessing/Art Resource) [images/stories/faith/faith11/easterartgrief.jpg]Grieving — the painful physical, emotional and spiritual journey that we go through to come to terms with the loss of someone through death, separation or divorce — is among the most sacred and the most human things one will ever undergo. It plummets us into the mysteries of life. On a weekend during this season of Lent, members of my family experienced an emotional roller-coaster, marked by both death and new life. On the Friday, we gathered in prayer and remembrance to honour the life of our mother on the first anniversary of her death. One of my brothers was not able to be with us because he was at the hospital with his son and daughter-in-law, who had a few days earlier prematurely given birth at the five-month mark to twins, a boy and a girl. The tiny girl died on the afternoon of mom’s anniversary. The boy seemed to be doing better, but on Saturday his kidneys ceased to function. Late Sunday morning we baptized a different baby boy born to a second brother’s son and wife. And in the afternoon we received word that the surviving twin had just died. At six o’clock that evening came yet more news: the daughter of a third brother had just given birth to a healthy son to whom she and her husband chose to give the name Francis, my deceased father’s name. Within the span of seven hours there was a Baptism, another death and a birth.

Christian schools opening their doors to Jews, Muslims

April 20, 2011

Rabbi Roy Tanenbaum, the Canadian Yeshiva and Rabbinical School’s founding scholar [images/stories/education/education11/rabbitanenbaum.jpg]TORONTO - The next generation of Canadian rabbis will be able to point to the Catholic roots of their training — or at least of their school. The Canadian Yeshiva and Rabbinical School will begin offering classes this fall in a classroom at the University of St. Michael’s College Faculty of Theology, part of the Toronto School of Theology. Canada’s future imams will have a similar story. A master’s program in Muslim studies is taking shape at the United Church of Canada’s seminary, Emmanuel College. The Toronto School of Theology is reconsidering its mission statement so the consortium of seven Christian theological schools can accommodate the emerging interfaith reality. The expansion beyond the boundaries of Christian faith is “the right move at the right time,” said TST director Alan Hayes.

Singer lends his voice to the community

April 20, 2011

Toronto opera singer Robert Pilon, who is a parishioner at Blessed Sacrament parish. (Photo courtesy of Robert Pilon) [images/stories/arts/arts11/robertpilonopera.jpg]TORONTO - The room falls silent as Toronto opera singer Robert Pilon sings the first lines of the Les Miserables classic “Bring Him Home.” Pilon, who for three years starred as Phantom in Toronto’s Phantom of the Opera, has performed this song and other classics at many galas for the Caritas Project, a Catholic charity that works with people recovering from drug and alcohol abuse. The organization also supports people with mental health issues and behavioural problems. Pilon’s volunteer work with the community reflects a successful musical career that is now geared towards helping others and working with charities. He is also involved with Toronto’s Blessed Sacrament Church, where he is a parishioner. “It is a place of faith. I offer my services at Easter and Christmas to Blessed Sacrament Church so I can thank God for my gift,” he told The Catholic Register.

Vianney’s message of hope hits the road

April 20, 2011

Leonardo Defilippis, star of Vianney. (Photo courtesy of St. Luke Productions) [images/stories/arts/arts11/onemanplayvianney.jpg]TORONTO - A one-man play showcasing St. John Vianney’s message of hope is coming to the archdiocese of Toronto in early May. Vianney, starring Leonardo Defilippis, will be performed at five parishes throughout the archdiocese, beginning May 2 at Brampton’s St. Marguerite d’Youville Church and wrapping up at St. Isaac Jogues Church in Pickering on May 6. In between, it will be performed at Woodbridge’s St. Clare of Assisi (May 3), St. John Vianney in Barrie (May 4) and Toronto’s St. Andrew Kim Church on May 5. The play brings a message of hope during a time of great challenge for the Catholic Church, said Defilippis, who is also founder and president of St. Luke Productions. “It highlights the Church in a very special way. It brings out the importance of the priesthood and role of the priest for the people and what is the role of the people for the priest,” he told The Catholic Register.

Pub dedicated to JPII celebrates beatification

April 20, 2011

The GP2 bar in Rome honours Pope John Paul II. The Italian words on the counter say, “Give me to drink,” a scriptural reference to Jesus’ words to the woman at the well. (CNS photo/Paul Haring) [images/stories/ysn/ysn11/jpiipubrome.jpg]ROME - Young Catholics sip beer and kick back in the crypt beneath the Basilica of St. Charles, home to the GP2 bar and youth club in downtown Rome. The pub, sponsored by the Rome diocesan office of youth ministry and Catholic Action’s youth section, is dedicated to the late Pope John Paul II — Giovanni Paolo II in Italian. Aside from panini, coffee, beer and wine, the club dished out some special events to celebrate Pope John Paul’s life and beatification, scheduled for May 1. A special Czech beer, blessed by Plzen Bishop Frantisek Radkovsky, was to arrive at the pub April 20. Blessing beer is rare today, but the bishop will use a prayer written centuries ago when monasteries produced beer and would pray for those who would consume it.

Lenten promises help youth grow as Catholics

April 20, 2011

This Lent, Emily Dulhanty, a Grade 12 student at Loyola Catholic Secondary School in Mississauga, Ont., chose to do something nice for someone each day. (Photo by Sarah Gagliano) [images/stories/ysn/ysn11/ysnlentenpromises.jpg] TORONTO - Brad Burt’s Lenten promise was to give up hot showers, which he stuck to for the 40 days. Now, he plans on continuing to sacrifice for the rest of the year. “I gave up hot showers for Lent as an offering for my relationship with my girlfriend so that we can grow stronger in our faith on our own and as a couple, (and) also as an offering for helping us to discern marriage,” said Burt, a fourth-year mechanical engineering student at the University of British Columbia. Now that the 40 days of Lent are over, many students have Lenten promise success stories to share, along with some areas for improvement. Marcio Alves, a fourth-year Portuguese major at the University of Toronto, aimed to give up some of his favourite foods for Lent: soft drinks, pizza, chocolate and popcorn.

Finding God through Easter preparation

April 20, 2011

Michelle D'Souza [images/stories/ysn/ysn11/michelledsouzaysn11.jpg]Living in a secular society, many people see chocolate eggs and bunnies as the reason to celebrate Easter. But the Easter season is much more than that. As Catholic youth, we have prepared for 40 days and nights, commemorating the passion and death of Jesus as we eagerly await the Resurrection. During this time, I have done my best to prepare. Jesus died for all mankind, suffering for all of our sins. To know that Jesus gave up His life so that I can live in happiness is a sobering thought. Today, many give up a vice during Lent in hopes of becoming one with Christ. As a frequent Facebook user, I found myself wasting too much time on the popular social media network. I always made time to fit Facebook into my life but never had the time for important things, like family and prayer. As a Lenten initiative, I gave up Facebook.

Education director retires

April 20, 2011

Toronto Catholic District School Board [images/stories/schoolB_logos/TCDSBLogo.jpg]TORONTO - Ann Perron, the Toronto Catholic District School Board’s director of education, announced her retirement on April 14. During her tenure, Perron’s accomplishments have included the “implementation of a balanced and sustainable multi-year budget plan, a review of school board governance and the initiation of a three-year pastoral plan to ‘Nurture our Catholic Community Through Word, Worship and Witness,’ ” the TCDSB said in a statement. Perron began her career as a teacher with the board in 1983. She taught in elementary and high schools and also worked as an elementary school principal. She has served as the provincial co-ordinator for the Institute for Catholic Education. From there, she became a superintendent with the Catholic District School Board of Eastern Ontario. Perron also served as strategic advisor to the deputy minister of education in 2008. Perron returned to the Toronto board to take on the director of education role in March 2009. The board is seeking a new director of education for September.

Jesuits honour Lourdes

April 20, 2011

Jim Webb, right, awards the Magis Award to Fr. Bill Addley, who accepted on behalf of Our Lady of Lourdes parish. (Photo by Michael Swan) [images/stories/toronto/toronto11/jesuithonourslourdes.jpg]CONCORD, ONT. - Jesuit Father Bill Addley took one for the Our Lady of Lourdes team at the fifth annual Provincial’s Dinner April 13. In its 125th year in downtown Toronto, the Jesuits awarded their parish with the Magis Award and pastor Addley was there to accept the plaque. “We gratefully and humbly accept it,” said Addley. The award is bestowed annually by Canada’s English-speaking Jesuits on someone or some community that lives out the ideal of the magis. Magis is Latin for more. St. Ignatius, founder of the Jesuits, urged his followers to constantly ask what more they could do for Christ. Jesuits ever since have called this constant search for more the magis.

Aquino will risk censure

April 20, 2011

Philippine President Benigno Aquino III [images/stories/international/internation11/philipinopres.jpg]MANILA, Philippines - Philippine President Benigno Aquino said he is willing to risk excommunication from the Catholic Church rather than scrap the so-called Responsible Parenthood Bill, reported UCA News. “I remain committed to pushing for the introduction of a law for responsible parenthood ... at risk of excommunication, it is my obligation as a leader,” Aquino told graduates from the University of the Philippines. “In the end I must listen to my conscience and do what is right.” He said he cannot stand by and watch the cycle of poverty continue as unplanned births spiral.