Slow Down

Many of us rush through our days as well as rush through our meals. Often we let ourselves get so busy that we do not enjoy what we are doing or what we are eating. We swallow life in great gulps instead of savoring it moment by moment.

Hurry and busyness are forms of self-will. Deluded by an exaggerated sense of our own importance, we deem it crucial to perform all tasks and activities according to our personal schedule. Impatient with traffic tie-ups, other people's slowness, or unavoidable delays, we make ourselves tense and miserable by our refusal to accept life as it comes.

Time spent each day in quiet meditation can give us glimpses of God's timelessness. We see that our schedule is not that important after all, when measured against eternity. As the presence of God seeps into our consciousness, we relax into the fullness and peace of each moment. Trusting our God to order our lives, we can slow down and enjoy God's gifts.

May I exchange hurry and busyness for Your peace.

Invoking the Gift of Full Communion: Christian Unity

In his general audience, held this morning in the Paul VI Hall, the Pope dedicated his catechesis to the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, which is taking place from 18 to 25 January and during which "all those who believe in Christ are invited to come together in prayer, so as to bear witness to the profound ties that unite them and to invoke the gift of full communion".

The Holy Father remarked on "the providential fact that prayer is at the centre of the journey to unity. This", he said, "reminds us once again that unity cannot be a product of mere human efforts, is its above all a gift of God. ... We do not 'construct' unity, God 'constructs' it, it comes from Him, from the mystery of the Trinity".

Benedict recalled how the theme chosen for this year's Week of Prayer "refers to the experience of the first Christian community in Jerusalem, as described in the Acts of the Apostles: 'They devoted themselves to the Apostles' teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers'".

This quotation identifies "four characteristics defining the first Christian community of Jerusalem", he said, "which still act as pillars for the life of all Christian communities, and constitute the solid foundation on which to continue to construct the visible unity of the Church".

Commenting on the first of these characteristics, the Pope noted that, "even today, the community of believers recognises the norms of its own faith in that reference to the teaching of the Apostles. All efforts to build unity among Christians must, then, involve increasing faithfulness to the 'depositum fidei' handed down to us by the Apostles".

The Holy Father then turned to the second element, "fraternal communion, ... the most tangible expression of unity between disciples and the Lord, especially for the outside world. ... The history of the ecumenical movement has been marked by difficulties and doubts, but it is also a history of fraternity, of co-operation and of human and spiritual sharing, which has significantly altered relations among believers in the Lord Jesus. We are all committed to continuing this journey".

On the subject of the third characteristic, "the breaking of bread", the Holy Father noted that "communion in Christ's sacrifice is the pinnacle of our union with God and, therefore, it also represents the completeness of the unity of Christ's disciples, full communion". In this context he noted also how "the impossibility of sharing the same Eucharist ... also gives a penitential dimension to our prayers. This must be a reason for ever more generous commitment on everyone's part so that, having removed the obstacles to full communion, the day may come when it will be possible to gather around the table of the Lord, together breaking the Eucharistic bread and drinking from the same chalice.

"Finally", he added, "prayer was the fourth characteristic of the early Church in Jerusalem ... Prayer also means opening ourselves to the fraternity that stems from our being children of the one heavenly Father; it means being ready for forgiveness and reconciliation".

"Like the first Christian community of Jerusalem, on the basis of what we already share we must offer a powerful witness - well-founded spiritually and well-supported by reason - of the one God Who revealed Himself and speaks to us in Christ, in order to be bring a message which guides and illuminates the path of modern man, who often lacks clear points of reference. It is important, then, to increase our mutual love every day, striving to overcome the barriers that still exist between Christians, in the knowledge that true inner unity does exist among people who follow the Lord. We must collaborate as much as possible, working together on outstanding questions and, above all, aware that we need the Lord's help on this journey. He must still help us a lot because without Him, alone, without 'abiding in Him', we can do nothing".

Family Ties

Good Afternoon, Church,

A cool day in Dundas, ON has me blogging beside a fireplace in St. Augustine's rectory. I'm still recuperating from Bronchitis but was able to steal a few hours last evening to spend some time with my parents before heading home this week.

Father Paul with his parents: Laura & Fred Bringleson

I do not have the privilege of getting home often so it is always a delight to be able to reconnect with family, especially as the years pass quickly.


I will be spending the remainder of the day sorting through the mail of the last weeks and getting ready for the weekend in Flin Flon, MB.


A great day to one and all.

Heart of a Brother: Clifford Bringleson, C.R.

Good day, Church.

Feeling better these days and the meds are finally freeing up my lungs from the Bronchitis. I'm actually feeling almost human today.

Yesterday I took some time to visit my uncle who happens to also be a Brother in Religious Life: The Congregation of the Resurrection. Brother Clifford Bringleson, C.R., has been in religious life for over 50 years and has recently moved into a care facility in Maryhill, ON.

Brother Clifford Bringleson, C.R. & nephew Fr. Paul Bringleson

Bro. Cliff has been an inspiration for me in my own religious witness and it was very good to see him again and enjoy his friendship. We have many memories as his nieces and nephews of being exposed to a healthy and happy witness to the gospel through the lives of many Resurrectionist Priests and Brothers.

Be assured of our continued prayer for you, Brother Cliff and know that you continue to touch the lives of many people in your faithful and humble witness.

Woman Who Cared for Her Husband's Killers is on Road to Sainthood

Here is an extraordinary story of love, sacrifice and forgiveness:

Maria Seiquer was born in 1891 in Murcia, Spain. In 1914, she married Angel Romero, a doctor known for his honesty and dedicated service. The couple built a public chapel on their ranch in Villa Pilar where Maria taught catechism to children and her husband provided free care for the poor once a week.

When the anti-Catholic persecution reached Murcia in 1931, Angel decided to enter politics to defend the Church. He soon became the target of violent attacks.

In August of 1936, he was captured and held in prison. Maria was able to visit him twice in jail where he told her:  “They think they are sacrificing us, and they don’t realize that what they are doing is glorifying us.” She then revealed her intention to devote herself to God.  “If they don’t kill me too, I promise you I will enter the convent,” she promised him.

Angel was shot and killed only weeks after he was detained.

Maria was forced to flee Murcia because of fear for her own life.  While away, she met a woman named Amalia Martin de la Escalera who returned with her to Villa Pilar once the country’s civil war ended. Together they founded the first convent of the Apostolic Sisters of Christ Crucified.

“I forgive all my enemies, I pray for them and I desire to forgive all those who have done me wrong,” she wrote.  The community of sisters took to teaching children, feeding the poor and visiting the elderly and the sick in nearby towns.

Among those they visited were the executioners of her husband.

Numerous witnesses confirm that until her death in 1975, Maria cared for one of the women who denounced her husband. She saw furniture that was once hers in the homes of the sick under her care, but never said a word. Maria cared for the son of the anti-Catholic militant who dragged her husband’s body through the streets, aware of who he was. She also frequently appeared in court pleading that her husband’s killers be spared the death penalty.

In her writings she said, “I have only done what Christ has taught me: Forgive them, for they know not what they do.”

Read the full story here.

Beginning of Week of Prayer for Christian Unity

The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, traditionally celebrated every year from 18 to 25 January, begins today.

The theme chosen for 2011 is: "One in the apostles' teaching, fellowship, breaking of bread and prayer" (cf. Acts 2:42).

The materials for the week of prayer and for the rest of 2011 have been jointly prepared by the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity and the Commission on Faith and Order of the World Council of Churches.

  Each day of the Week will have a different theme:

18 January: The Church in Jerusalem.

19 January: Many Members in One Body.

20 January: Devotion to the Apostles' Teaching Unites Us.

21 January: Sharing, an Expression of Our Unity.

22 January: Breaking the Bread in Hope.

23 January: Empowered to Action in Prayer.

24 January: Living in Resurrection Faith.

25 January: Called for the Service of Reconciliation.

Although the traditional period for celebrating this week of prayer is the month of January, in the southern hemisphere this coincides with the holidays so Churches sometimes seek other periods such as, for example, around the time of Pentecost, which is also a symbolically significant date for the unity of the Church, and was suggested by the Faith and Order movement in 1926.

In the basilica of St. Paul's Outside-the-Walls at 5.30 p.m. on Tuesday 25 January, Feast of the Conversion of the Apostle Paul, Benedict XVI will preside at the celebration of Vespers to mark the close of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity.

Interior Fire: A Contemporary View of Purgatory As Presented by Pope Benedict

Artistic Portrayal of Purgatory

Saints acquire such knowledge of God that they are a valuable aid to theologians in understanding the mysteries of the faith, says Benedict XVI, offering as an example the insights on purgatory gleaned by St. Catherine of Genoa.

The Pope spoke of the 16th-century saint today during the general audience in Paul VI Hall. Catherine (1447-1510), a married woman outstanding for her service to the sick, came to an understanding of purgatory through her own experience of sorrow for sin.

She was married at 16 and spent the first 10 years of her married life far from God in a way that left her "a feeling of profound emptiness and bitterness in her heart," the Holy Father explained. But then, in 1473, she was given a "clear vision of her miseries and defects, and at the same time of the goodness of God."

"She was wounded in her heart by the knowledge of herself, of the life she led and of the goodness of God," he said. "Born from this experience was the decision that oriented her whole life, which expressed in words was: 'No more world, no more sin.'"

Her conversion experience on that day in 1473 became the orientation for Catherine's whole life, and the inspiration for her understanding of purgatory.

The Pope emphasized that Catherine "never had specific revelations on purgatory or on souls that are being purified there;" nevertheless the theme was a central element in her writings, and her "way of describing [purgatory] has original characteristics in relation to her era."

Interior fire

The first of these original features refers to understanding purgatory as an "interior fire," rather than a physical place.

"In her time [purgatory] was presented primarily with recourse to images connected to space," the Pontiff said, "There was thought of a certain space where purgatory would be found. For Catherine, instead, purgatory is not represented as an element of the landscape of the core of the earth; it is a fire that is not exterior but interior. This is purgatory, an interior fire. The saint speaks of the soul's journey of purification to full communion with God, based on her own experience of profound sorrow for the sins committed, in contrast to the infinite love of God."

Hence, her understanding of purgatory was related to her own experience of God's goodness, and "the infinite distance of her life from this goodness and a burning fire within her," he noted. "And this is the fire that purifies, it is the interior fire of purgatory."

This is another innovation for St. Catherine, the Pope said: "[O]ur saint begins from her own interior experience of her life on the path to eternity. The soul, says Catherine, appears before God still bound to the desires and the sorrow that derive from sin, and this makes it impossible for it to enjoy the Beatific Vision of God. Catherine affirms that God is so pure and holy that the soul with stains of sin cannot be in the presence of the Divine Majesty. And we also realize how far we are, how full we are of so many things, so that we cannot see God. The soul is conscious of the immense love and perfect justice of God and, in consequence, suffers for not having responded correctly and perfectly to that love, and that is why the love itself of God becomes a flame. Love itself purifies it from its dross of sin." 

Benedict XVI also pointed out that Catherine's profound mysticism never separated her from service to neighbor. 

"Dear friends," he said, "we must not forget that the more we love God and are constant in prayer, the more we will truly love those who are around us, those who are close to us, because we will be able to see in every person the face of the Lord, who loves without limits or distinctions. Mysticism does not create distances with others; it does not create an abstract life, but brings one closer to others because one begins to see and act with the eyes, with the heart of God." 

The Pope concluded by emphasizing the lessons to be drawn from St. Catherine: "With her life, St. Catherine teaches us that the more we love God and enter into intimacy with him in prayer, the more he lets himself be known and enkindles our heart with his love. Writing on purgatory, the saint reminds us of a fundamental truth of the faith that becomes for us an invitation to pray for the deceased so that they can attain the blessed vision of God in the communion of saints. 

"Moreover, the humble, faithful and generous service that the saint gave during her whole life in the hospital of Pammatone is a luminous example of charity for all and a special encouragement for women who give an essential contribution to society and to the Church with their precious work, enriched by their sensitivity and by the care of the poorest and neediest." 

Trusting in God...

 Where do we find security in love?

Our problem is that we expect to feel secure. I don't believe this is something new to us to understand. Security in relationships is something we all want and all need.

Many of us have had past crises and problems, yet our worries and anxieties continue in the present. We believe that our situation causes our fears and we say, "If only things were different, I could relax." Yet even when everything is going well, we still get anxious that something unseen is amiss. When we are immersed in our fears, unable to let go and live life joyfully, we may become emotionally absent from our loved ones.

Our problem is not that life is insecure. Of course it is. Our problem is that we expect to feel secure. We put great energy into achieving control and having everything "just right," but quite naturally we end up without control. Then we think something is wrong. Instead, we can choose to turn our fears over to God. We do that by talking about our fears, taking the steps we can, and trusting God for the outcomes. Then we return to emotional contact in our relationship.

Tell your spouse or partner something you fear and turn it over to God. 

Saturday Night Fever

Good Evening, Church

This evening finds me continuing to post from Dundas, ON. It was a week of meetings in Toronto which had me ending up at the doctor's office on Wednesday. Yours truly is now battling acute bronchitis and having to take the weekend off from ministry.

I'll be spending the remainder of my few days of holiday in bed trying to overcome this well enough to fly home on Thursday.

On the brightside I have no shortage of the loving faithful who are nursing me back to health. Perhaps God is reminding me that He's still in charge and I need some rest in my world in order to continue to give.

Keep your stick on the ice folks and know your pastor is praying for you.

As ever, stay tuned.