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The Good Shepherd is with us

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We celebrated the consecration and turned to the
Good Shepherd in the heart of the Easter season, to hear the voice of the one who laid down his life for us, who knows each of us by name, our fears and dreams, our struggles and hopes, and wants to hear our voices
in prayer and in concern for one another.

Bishop Joseph R. Kopacz

By Bishop Joseph Kopacz
On Friday, May 1, the Diocese of Jackson in solidarity with all Catholic dioceses in the United States and in Canada renewed the consecration of the United States to the Blessed Virgin Mary. The following statement of faith and hope along with the opening prayer unfolds the tradition of the centrality of the Blessed Mother’s singular vocation whom all generations will call blessed. “When our Risen Lord appeared to his disciples on Easter Sunday he said: ‘Peace be with you.’ We can be confident that he desires this same peace for all the members of his body, the church, and for the people of the entire world. In this difficult time, we turn to the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church and Queen of Peace, to ask that she intercede with her Son for all those who are affected in any way by this pandemic. As we renew the consecration of our country and of ourselves to the Mother of the God, we implore her maternal care for her children.
Let us pray.
“O God, Father of mercies, whose Only Begotten Son, as he hung upon the Cross, chose the Blessed Virgin Mary, his Mother, to be our Mother also, grant, we pray, that with her loving help your Church may be more fruitful day by day and, exulting in the holiness of her children, may draw to her embrace all the families of the peoples. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.” (John 19:26-27)
Mary’s identity as the Mother of the Church was sealed on the day of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit descended upon her once again, along with the other 119 disciples at the church’s inception. (Luke 2)
Earlier in the Gospel of John she was present at the wedding of Cana, the site of her son’s first sign or miracle, where he changed the water into wine. In that moment she was a witness for all who want to be disciples when she said to the waiters, “do whatever he tells you.” (John 2:5) These words link the prayer of consecration with Good Shepherd Sunday and the call to hear the voice of the Lord, and to do whatever he tells us. Not as an escape from reality, which is very complicated at this time, but as an invitation to know that God is with us always.
We celebrated the consecration and turned to the Good Shepherd in the heart of the Easter season, to hear the voice of the one who laid down his life for us, who knows each of us by name, our fears and dreams, our struggles and hopes, and wants to hear our voices in prayer and in concern for one another.
The 23rd Psalm, our responsorial Psalm of the day, is a beacon of courage and hope. “Although we walk through a dark valley, we fear no evil, because you are at our side with your rod and your staff that give us courage.” God never abandons the flock. We know this in Jesus Christ whose suffering and death and resurrection are a healing balm for our suffering and the promise of life in abundance. “Nothing can separate us from the love of Christ.” (Romans 8:39)
We possess abundant treasures in the storehouse of faith. The grace of God already has led us to the restful and renewing waters of Baptism, to the anointing of our heads and hearts with holy oils, and to the Eucharistic table, filled with life and love in abundance. The Good Shepherd is at our side, in our homes, in all the spaces we carefully navigate. It is true that the borders and edges of our reality are blurred, and life and death are locked in mortal combat for all to see, too close for comfort. Yet, out of darkness and the shadow of death the voice of the Good Shepherd is not silent. May our shelter-in-place and safety at home provide for us a channel to hear his voice and follow his paths. We must drink deeper of the waters of our faith in creative in life-giving ways. It is true that we are scattered and sacramentally separated from the flock, the Body of Christ, the green pastures of our spiritual lives, but the grace and love of the Shepherd remain a living fountain that does not run dry, and already flows upward to eternal life.
We all yearn for the day when we can feast directly at the table of plenty, the Eucharistic banquet, the body and blood, soul and divinity of the Good Shepherd. The time is drawing nearer when we will hear the voices of the communion ritual: “The Body of Christ” and “Amen.” Afterall, Holy Communion with the Lord and with one another is what the Good Shepherd desires for us. But while we wait in joyful hope, let us not waste time fretting over what we are lacking, but rather, celebrating all that we have in abundance in Jesus Christ, the Good Shepherd. With our Blessed Mother, may our souls also proclaim the greatness of God and rejoice in God our Savior. (Luke 1:45-46) This is our faith and we are proud to profess it in Christ Jesus, our Lord.

El Buen Pastor esta con nosotros

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Celebramos la consagración y recurrimos
al Buen Pastor en el corazón de la temporada
de Pascua, para escuchar la voz de quien dio su vida
por nosotros, que nos conoce por nuestro nombre,
nuestros miedos y sueños, nuestras luchas y esperanzas
y quiere escuchar nuestras voces en oración y
preocupación por los demás.

Obispo Joseph R. Kopacz

Por Obispo Joseph Kopacz
El viernes primero de mayo, la Diócesis de Jackson, en solidaridad con todas las diócesis católicas de los Estados Unidos y en Canadá, renovó la consagración de los Estados Unidos a la Bienaventurada Virgen María. La siguiente declaración de fe y esperanza junto con la oración de apertura revela la tradición de la centralidad de la vocación singular de la Santísima Madre, a la que todas las generaciones llamarán bendita. “Cuando nuestro Señor resucitado se apareció a sus discípulos el domingo de Pascua, dijo: ‘La paz sea con ustedes’. Podemos estar seguros que Él desea esta misma paz para todos los miembros de su cuerpo, la iglesia y para la gente de todo el mundo. En este momento difícil, nos volvemos a la Santísima Virgen María, Madre de la Iglesia y Reina de la Paz, para pedirle a ella que interceda con su Hijo por todos aquellos que se vean afectados de alguna manera por esta pandemia. Al renovar la consagración de nuestro país y de nosotros mismos a la Madre de Dios, le imploramos a ella por su cuidado maternal para con todos sus hijos.”
Rezamos:
“Oh Dios, Padre de misericordia, cuyo Hijo Unigénito, mientras colgaba de la Cruz, eligió a la Santísima Virgen María, su Madre, para ser también nuestra Madre, concédenos, te rogamos que, con su amorosa ayuda, tu Iglesia pueda ser más fructífera día a día, exultando la santidad de sus hijos, que ella pueda atraer a su abrazo a todas las familias de los pueblos. Te lo pedimos a través de nuestro Señor Jesucristo, tu Hijo, que vive y reina contigo en la unidad del Espíritu Santo, un solo Dios, por los siglos de los siglos. Amén.” (Juan 19:26-27)
La identidad de María como la Madre de la Iglesia fue sellada el día de Pentecostés cuando el Espíritu Santo descendió sobre ella una vez más, junto con los otros 119 discípulos en el inicio de la iglesia. (Lucas 2).
Anteriormente en el Evangelio de Juan, ella estuvo presente en la boda de Cana, el sitio del primer signo o milagro de su hijo, donde cambió el agua en vino. En ese momento, ella fue testigo de todos los que quieren ser discípulos cuando les dijo a los camareros, “hagan lo que él les diga”. (Juan 2:5) Estas palabras vinculan la oración de consagración con el Domingo del Buen Pastor y el llamado a escuchar la voz del Señor y hacer lo que nos diga, no como un escape de la realidad, que es muy complicado en este momento, sino como una invitación a saber que Dios está con nosotros siempre.
Celebramos la consagración y recurrimos al Buen Pastor en el corazón de la temporada de Pascua, para escuchar la voz de quien dio su vida por nosotros, que nos conoce por nuestro nombre, nuestros miedos y sueños, nuestras luchas y esperanzas y quiere escuchar nuestras voces en oración y preocupación por los demás.
El Salmo 23, nuestro Salmo responsorial del día, es un faro de coraje y esperanza, “Aunque pase por el más oscuro de los valles, no temeré peligro alguno, porque tú, Señor, estás conmigo; tu vara y tu bastón me inspiran confianza.” Dios nunca abandona el rebaño. Sabemos esto en Jesucristo, cuyo sufrimiento, muerte y resurrección son un bálsamo curativo para nuestro sufrimiento y la promesa de vida en abundancia. “ ¡Nada podrá separarnos del amor que Dios nos ha mostrado en Cristo Jesús nuestro Señor!” (Romanos 8:39)
Poseemos abundantes tesoros en el almacén de la fe. La gracia de Dios ya nos ha guiado a las aguas tranquilas y renovadoras del Bautismo, a la unción de nuestras cabezas y corazones con aceites sagrados, y a la mesa eucarística, llena de vida y amor en abundancia. El Buen Pastor está a nuestro lado, en nuestros hogares, en todos los espacios que navegamos cuidadosamente. Es cierto que las fronteras y los bordes de nuestra realidad están borrosos, y la vida y la muerte están encerradas en un combate mortal para que todos las vean, demasiado cerca, para su comodidad. Sin embargo, desde la oscuridad y la sombra de la muerte, la voz del Buen Pastor no es silenciosa.
Que nuestro refugio en el lugar y la seguridad en el hogar nos brinden un canal para escuchar su voz y seguir sus caminos. Debemos beber de las aguas más profundas de nuestra fe en formas creativas y vivificantes. Es cierto que estamos dispersos y sacramentalmente separados del rebaño, el Cuerpo de Cristo, los verdes pastos de nuestra vida espiritual, pero la gracia y el amor del Pastor siguen siendo una fuente viva que no se seca, y que ya fluye hacia arriba en busca de la vida eterna.
Todos anhelamos el día en que podamos deleitarnos directamente en la mesa de la abundancia, el banquete eucarístico, el cuerpo y la sangre, el alma y la divinidad del Buen Pastor. Se acerca el momento en que escucharemos las voces del ritual de comunión: “El cuerpo de Cristo” y “Amén”. Después de todo, la Sagrada Comunión con el Señor y con los demás es lo que el Buen Pastor desea para nosotros. Pero mientras esperamos con gozosa esperanza, no perdamos el tiempo preocupándonos por lo que nos falta, sino celebrando todo lo que tenemos en abundancia en Jesucristo, el Buen Pastor. Con nuestra Santísima Madre, que nuestras almas también proclamen la grandeza de Dios y se regocijen en Dios nuestro Salvador. (Lucas 1:45-46) Esta es nuestra fe y estamos orgullosos de profesarla en Cristo Jesús, nuestro Señor.

Jesus gives strength to face the unexpected

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By Junno Arocho Esteves
VATICAN CITY (CNS) – When faced with uncertainties, adversities or trials, those who place their trust in Christ will not be left alone to fend for themselves, Pope Francis said.
Just as the disciples left Jerusalem after Christ’s death and headed to Emmaus with only their sadness and fear, people may often find themselves discouraged when solely focused on their own hopelessness, the pope said April 27 before reciting the “Regina Coeli” prayer.
Nevertheless, Christians are called to hope in God and not focus on doubt or fear, he said in the address, which was livestreamed from the library of the Apostolic Palace.
When one chooses to follow God, “we will discover that there is nothing unexpected, there is no uphill climb, there is no night that cannot be confronted with Jesus,” the pope said.
Reflecting on the day’s Gospel reading from St. Luke, the pope said the disciples on the way to Emmaus made two trips. While their escape from Jerusalem was a sad and easy “downhill” journey, the pope said their return after encountering Christ was full of joy even though they were tired from the uphill travel.
“In the first, there is the Lord walking beside them, but they don’t recognize him; in the second, they don’t see him anymore, but they feel him near them,” he said. “In the first, they are discouraged and hopeless; in the second, they run to bring the good news of the encounter with the risen Jesus to the others.”
By opening their hearts to Christ, listening him explain Scripture and inviting Jesus to their home, he added, the disciples’ encounter with him is the same that all Christians must follow to experience joy.
“These are the three steps that we can also take in our homes: First, to open our hearts to Jesus, to entrust him with our burdens, hardships, disappointments in life,” the pope said.
“Second, to listen to Jesus, to take the Gospel, read this passage from chapter 24 of Luke’s Gospel; and third, pray to Jesus with the same words of those disciples, ‘Lord, stay with us.’ Lord, stay with me; Lord, stay with all of us because we need you so we can find the way,” he said.
Earlier in the day, Pope Francis celebrated his daily morning Mass in the chapel of residence, the Domus Sanctae Marthae.
At the start of each of his livestreamed Masses, the pope has offered prayers for groups that have suffered or who are on the front lines of the deadly coronavirus pandemic.
During the Mass April 26, the pope prayed for those who are sad and worried about the future.
“Today in this Mass, we pray for all those who are suffering from sadness, because they are alone or because they do not know what to expect in the future or because they cannot support their families because they do not have money, they do not have work. There are so many people who suffer from sadness,” he said.
During his April 25 Mass, the pope offered prayers for funeral service workers who at times are overwhelmed by the increased death tolls due to the pandemic.
“What they do is so painful, so sad and they feel the pain of this pandemic so closely,” he said. “Let us pray for them.”
The pope has also prayed for those who continue to work to lift spirits, even in the midst of suffering and fear. At the start of his morning Mass April 27, the pope offered prayers for artists who, “through the path of beauty, show us what path to follow.”
“May the Lord grant all of us the grace of creativity in this time,” he said.
In his homily, the pope also reflected on the day’s Gospel reading from St. John in which Jesus reproaches the crowd after the multiplication of the loaves for following him “not because you saw signs but because you ate the loaves and were filled.”
Pope Francis said that at times, Christians can do the same and focus on temporal things and lose “the enthusiasm that Jesus’ words had grown in their hearts.”
“The Lord always makes us return to that first encounter, that first moment in which he looked at us, spoke to us and made us want to follow him,” the pope said.
“This is a grace we should ask from the Lord because in life, we always have this temptation to distance ourselves when we see something else,” he said.

(Follow Arocho on Twitter: @arochoju)

Call by name

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Father Nick Adam

All it took was a pandemic for the church to get online. Mega-churches have been streaming for a long time, and they had figured out camera angles and installed sophisticated multi-media set-ups in sanctuaries well before the outbreak of COVID-19, but now mother nature has forced our hand. On Holy Saturday I spent two hours at St. Richard Jackson with my pastor trying to plan the Easter Vigil: “OK, now we need to move here and the camera needs to be here so that you can see the Easter Candle and the baptismal font,” said Father John or I at some point that morning.

This is one of the blessings of this time of trial. Many priests can now easily stream content to parishioners, where two months ago this would have seemed like a huge task. And yet, the physical nature of the sacraments is still missing, the one-on-one encounter of the communicant with the Bread of Life is lacking, and catholics are feeling that loss, even though they may be able to click and see their parish church instantly.

The Catholic Church’s genius is in the encounter that we have with the Lord in the sacraments, and in the encounter we have within the building itself. For young people who are discerning God’s call for them, the chance to speak with a priest about real life, about their concerns, about their dreams, and ask them questions is vitally important. This is one of the things that is difficult right now in this time of quarantine, but there are still ways to honor those who are seeking and try to reach out.

In April I took a group of middle schoolers on a virtual tour of one of our seminaries, St. Joseph Seminary College in Covington, Louisiana. We video conferenced and I shared my screen with them and used Google Earth to describe the grounds to them and talk about the day-to-day life of the seminarians. It was not the actual tour that I had planned at the start of the year of course, but it was real opportunity for young men to encounter a priest, ask questions and have fun. During this time technology can help us connect, but we still must be creative in order to make a real connection. The Lord invites us to an actual encounter each time we come into the church, and we have to continue that mission even during this time of quarantine, and live-streams are a great start, but we must be creative and seek to provide for the people of God as best we can.

May 3 was the World Day of Prayer for Vocations. I ask that everyone say a special prayer for the men and women in our diocese who are seeking to follow the Lord’s will in their lives. The seminarians have completed another semester and we are thankful for them and for the two men, Deacon Andrew Nguyen and Deacon Cesar Sanchez, who will be ordained at the Cathedral of St. Peter in June.

Vocations Events

Saturday, June 27, 2020 – Priestly Ordination of Deacon Andrew Nguyen and Deacon Cesar Sanchez, Cathedral of St. Peter the Apostle Jackson, 9:30 a.m.

If you are interested in visiting a seminary or house of religious formation,
contact: vocations@jacksondiocese.org
www.jacksonpriests.com

God and the principle of non-contradiction

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Father Ron Rolheiser, OMI

IN EXILE
By Father Ron Rolheiser, OMI
It is funny where the lessons of our classrooms are sometimes understood.
I studied philosophy when I was still a bit too young for it, a nineteen year-old studying the metaphysics of Aristotle and Thomas Aquinas. But something from a metaphysics course remains indelibly stamped in my mind. We learned that there are four “transcendental” properties to God: Scholastic metaphysics tells us that God is one, true, good and beautiful. My young mind then had some grasp of what is meant by true, good and beautiful since we have some common sense notions of what these are, but what is oneness? What is divine about being undivided?

The answer to that didn’t come to me in a classroom or in an academic discussion, even though I have often tried to explain its meaning to students in a classroom. It came to me in a grocery store.

I had been buying groceries in the same store for twelve years when a trivial incident helped explain God’s oneness and its importance to me. The store, a large supermarket, has a fruit isle where you pick up apples, oranges, grapefruits, bananas and the like and then bag them yourself in plastic bags the store supplies. Alongside the plastic bag dispensers there are small containers holding metal twisters you use to tie up the top of your bag. One day, I picked up some fruit put it into a bag, but all the containers containing the twisters were empty – every one of them. As I checked out my groceries, suspecting that possibly someone had taken them as a prank, I mentioned to the cashier that all the twisters were gone. Her answer took me aback: “But, sir, we have never had them in this store!” Thinking she might be new on the job, I said: “I’ve been coming here for more than ten years and you’ve always had them! You can even see their containers from here!” With an assurance that comes from absolute certitude, she replied: “I’ve been working here for a long time, and I can assure you we’ve never had them!”

I pushed things no further, but walking out of the store I thought this to myself: “If she’s right, then I’m certifiably insane! If she’s right then I’m completely out of touch with reality, have been for a long time, and I have no idea what sanity is!” I was certain that I had seen the twisters for ten years! Well, they had reappeared by the next time I entered the store and they are there today, but that little episodic challenge to my sanity taught me something. I now know what it means that God is one and why that is important.

That God is one (and not divided) is the very foundation for all rationality and sanity. That God is undivided and consistent within assures you that two plus two will always be four – and that you can anchor your sanity on that. That God is undivided assures you that if you saw package twisters in a store for twelve years, they were there … and you are not insane. That God is one is the basis for our sanity. It undergirds the principle of non-contradiction: Something is or it is not, it cannot be both; and two plus two can never be five – and that allows us to live rational, sane lives. Because God is undivided, we can trust our sanity.

The truth of this was never jeopardized by the great epistemological debates in history. Doubts about rationality and sanity do not come from Descartes, Kant, Hegel, Locke, Hume, Wittgenstein or Jacques Derrida; these philosophers merely argued about the structure of rationality, never about its existence. What jeopardizes our sanity (and is, no doubt, the greatest moral threat in our world today) is lying, the denial of facts, the changing of facts and the creation of fake facts. Nothing, absolutely nothing, is as dangerous and pernicious as lying or dishonesty. It is no accident that Christianity names Satan the prince of lies and teaches that lying is at the root of the unforgiveable sin against the Holy Spirit. When facts are no longer facts then our very sanity is under siege because lying corrupts the basis for rationality.

God is one! That means that there is no internal contradiction within God and that assures us that there is no internal contradiction possible within the structure of reality and within a sane mind. What has happened, has forever happened and cannot be denied. Two plus two will forever be four and because of that we can remain sane and trust reality enough to live coherent lives.

The single most dangerous thing in the whole world is lying, dishonesty and denying facts. To deny a fact is not only to play fast and loose with your own sanity and the very foundations of rationality; it is also to play fast and loose with God whose consistency undergirds all sanity and all meaning. God is one, undivided, consistent.

(Oblate Father Ron Rolheiser, theologian, teacher and award-winning author, is President of the Oblate School of Theology in San Antonio, Texas. He can be contacted through his website www.ronrolheiser.com. Now on Facebook www.facebook.com/ronrolheiser)

Catholic women reflect on pregnancy, childbirth during the pandemic

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By Katie Scott
PORTLAND, Ore. – At 8 a.m. on Easter, two days before giving birth, Jennifer Ratigan pulled into a hospital parking lot and waited for a physician’s assistant – donning full protective garb, including a face mask and shield – to reach through a rolled-down window to swab her nose for a COVID-19 test.
The hospital was preparing for a potential surge in coronavirus cases and was testing all mothers who’d likely deliver soon. Medical staff wanted to allocate equipment and health care workers properly.
Ratigan, whose test results were negative, understood the precaution. But the contrast between the strange early morning outing and her soul’s desire was acute and painful. She longed to be at Mass, to be among friends, to be watching her five children gleefully scramble for hidden eggs.
“It was emotional,” said the 42-year-old, a member of St. Rose of Lima Parish in Northeast Portland. “I felt sad and lonely.”
For pregnant and postpartum mothers, the pandemic has upended birth plans and altered expectations. It’s caused heightened uncertainty and twinges of fear. At the same time, many women, Ratigan included, say it’s intensified their awe of life and reliance on God.
“This Easter I needed the surrender prayer, ‘Jesus, I turn it over to you,’” Ratigan said.
On April 14, the Ratigan family welcomed child No. 6, a boy they named Luke. “It means ‘light,’ and he’s our light right now,” said his mother in a recent phone interview, the cries and coos of the newborn interrupting periodically.
Ratigan’s husband, Mitch, is a baseball coach, and before the virus, the couple wondered how the family would juggle baseball season with four sons who play and a baby on the way.
“When the pandemic started, it was a jolt into reality and the realization of how silly our little frets were before,” said Ratigan. After her previous births, she’d stayed in the hospital a few days. With Luke, it was a mere 24 hours. “It was very quick; they want to get people out,” she said. When her muscles ached, she reminded herself she wasn’t usually out of a hospital bed so early.
There have been many moments of pregnancy, pandemic and birth that she’ll never forget.
En route from the hospital, she texted Father Matt Libra, their pastor, asking if they could get a drive-by blessing. The priest came out of the rectory mask-clad and prayed over the family.
“That felt so very special,” recalled Ratigan.
A few nights ago, close family friends dropped off pizza on their doorstep and then stood across the street as Luke was held up and introduced.
“We are being really diligent and following social-distancing recommendations,” Ratigan said.
“No one wants to be responsible for getting anyone else sick. But that night I started to tear up. We will not ever underappreciate friendships.”
Prayer, thankfully, pays no heed to physical distance. “The many prayers of others have strengthened us through all this,” she said.
Because the coronavirus is new, it’s not yet clear if pregnant women have a greater chance than the general public of contracting COVID-19 or if they’re more likely to have serious complications. The CDC says pregnant women seem to have the same risk as those who are not pregnant.
There also currently is no evidence that the virus is transmitted in utero or through breast milk, said Dr. Judy Marvin, medical director of Providence Health and Services women’s clinics in Oregon.
Another impact of the virus is this: No doula in the delivery room. No post-birth hugs from her parents. No tender hospital moment of grandparents meeting their freshly arrived grandson.
“You have these expectations, and then – surprise – a pandemic is here and everything looks different,” said Angie Kelly, whose first baby was born on Palm Sunday.
She said of all the changes to her birth plan, keeping the baby, Tano Lorenzo Thomas Kelly, and her parents separate has been the hardest. First it was because of hospital limits on visitors, now it’s due to social distancing.
The lack of her anticipated support at the hospital meant “it was all the more meaningful to have such caring nurses,” said the 29-year-old.
Right now, Kelly and her husband are savoring this time with their son. “We’d be in the house all the time anyway,” she said with a laugh. “Instead of needing to turn down events or showing up late, we are able to just be with each other.”

Jennifer Ratigan, a parishioner of St. Rose of Lima Catholic Church in Portland, Ore., wears a required mask as she holds her newborn son Luke during a doctor’s visit in late April, 2020. Echoing other Oregon Catholics, she said pregnancy and childbirth during the coronavirus pandemic intensified her reliance on prayer and reverence for life. (CNS photo/courtesy Jennifer Ratigan) See COVID-PREGNANCIES April 30, 2020.

The couple has tried to limit their news consumption, while staying mindful of the suffering caused by the pandemic. “I want to soak in this awesome, wild, new-parent time,” said Kelly, cradling her baby. “From where I sit, the world looks beautiful.”
Christina Fordyce, a member of St. Joseph Parish in Salem, is having a home birth for her second baby, due in August.
“It was such an amazing experience with our first that we wanted to do it again,” said Fordyce, 25. Now she feels especially relieved at the decision, which a growing number of women nationwide are making during the pandemic.
Some women have concerns about their own and especially their babies’ potential vulnerability to the virus in hospitals.
Though Fordyce’s birth plan may remain in place even if the pandemic lasts through the summer, her visits with the midwives have changed. The last prenatal appointment was over the phone, and for the previous one the midwife wore a mask and gloves and stayed just long enough to check her vitals.
“The visits usually feel so intimate and personal,” said Fordyce. “Both their experience and mine were so different.”
It’s also been a bit tough to parent a toddler while pregnant without the in-person practical and spiritual support of her parish community.
Lent as a “big part of the pregnancy was providential,” she said. “It’s a time to get on your feet spiritually and pick up prayer routines you may have dropped. I needed that more than ever.”
“Trust” is a word that keeps coming to mind, she added. “There are so many unknowns right now. It’s an opportunity to place more trust in God.”
Olivia is an Oregon Catholic who’s three months pregnant with her third child. She’s keeping her name private so she can share the news in person with her extended family, now separated by social distancing.
“We are close to a lot of my family, and we really miss seeing them, our kids really miss seeing them,” said Oliva, who is in her late 30s.
She’s not due until the fall, but public health experts, including the head of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, have warned a second wave of coronavirus cases could appear around then.
“If we have to do social distancing and no one can come over, my husband may have to stay with the kids while I give birth,” Oliva said. “That’s a tough, sad reality to consider.”
“Even in the midst of these trials and the unknowns and the world changing so fast, life is a gift,” Olivia said. “I can celebrate the life in my womb in this moment. This baby in me is a source of joy in a strange time. This baby is a source of hope.”

(Scott is special projects reporter at the Catholic Sentinel, newspaper of the Archdiocese of Portland.)

In memorium: Sisters who served St. Joseph school

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Sister Mary Patricia
DETROIT – Sister Mary Patricia, Cecilia Pyszynski, of Detroit, Michigan, completed her life’s journey of 93 years on April 17, 2020 in Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary Convent, Livonia, Michigan. Sister was in religious life for 75 years.
The former Cecilia Pyszynski, was the first of seven children of John and Veronica (Balcerak). At the age of 10 she was afflicted with polio and was unable to walk for a year.Through therapy she gradually regained the use of her limb.

Sister Mary Patricia

She entered the Seminary of the Felician Sisters in Detroit in 1940, and after graduation, June 11, 1944, was admitted to the postulancy on June 29, 1944. During the investiture ceremonies the following year, Cecilia received the name, Sister Mary Patricia. Final profession of vows was in 1952.
Sister Mary Patricia earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Madonna (College) University and a Master of Arts in religious education from Aquinas College. On a journey that spanned 60 years in the ministry of education, 31 years were in teaching and 29 years as Director in religious education.
Sister taught primary grades in nine different schools within the Archdiocese of Detroit. In other dioceses Sister taught at: St. Joseph Jackson; St. Mary Alpena; St. Stanislaus Ludington; St. Cecilia Clare; Holy Spirit and St. Jude Grand Rapids; St. Hyacinth Bay City; and St. Stanislaus Dorr.
Sister Patricia was permanently transferred to St. Joseph Convent in 2007 where she continued to be active in pastoral ministry until 2011. Her health steadily declined, and she was placed in hospice care. Her life peacefully ebbed away and on April 17, 2020, Sister Mary Patricia slipped into the Lord’s embrace and journeyed to eternity.
Internment was in Holy Sepulchre Cemetery, Southfield, Michigan on April 22, 2020.

Sister Mary Alice Ann

Sister Mary Alice Ann
BAY CITY, Mich. – Sister Mary Alice Ann, Alice Gradowski, of Bay City, Michigan, entered eternal life April 25, 2020 while in St. Mary Mercy Hospital, Livonia, Michigan. Sister was 73 years old and was in religious life for 55 years.
Born on May 5, 1946 Alice was the fifth of five children born to Stanley and Alphonsa (Andrzejewski): Virgil, Ernest and Robert; and one sister – Maxine Kolat. Alice was baptized and confirmed at St. Hedwig Church in Bay City, Michigan where she also attended the parish grade school.
Following graduation 1960, she attended Felician Academy in Detroit, Michigan. In June 1964, Alice was accepted as a postulant to the Felician Congregation, and the following year, at the Investiture Ceremony, she received the name of Sister Mary Fernanda, later changed to Sister Mary Alice Ann. Final vows were professed in 1973.
Sister Alice Ann earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Madonna University in Livonia and a Master of Arts from Eastern Michigan University in preparation for a ministry of education that spanned thirty-six years. For the first 13 years, Sister mainly taught primary grades at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, Wyandotte; St. Valentine, Kawkawlin; and St. Christine, Detroit. For the next 23 years Sister was assigned as principal at St. Dunstan, Garden City; St. Joseph, Jackson; St. Hyacinth, Bay City; and St. Thecla, Clinton Township.
As principal, Sister was involved in many extracurricular activities: Eucharistic minister, parish council, teaching in the R.C.I.A. program, conducting Share-the Word discussion groups and participating in week-end renewals. Attendance at basketball and soccer games, school dances and parish raffles were also an important part of her life as principal.
Sister Alice Ann served as local minister of several of the convents for a total of 14 of years. When the Presentation Central Convent held elections in the year 2000, Sister Alice Ann was elected to the Livonia Provincial Administration as Third Councilor and director of education until 2006.
Following a short residence St. Francis Home in Saginaw and a final assignment at St. Stanislaus Convent, Bay City, Michigan, Sister retired to Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary Convent, Livonia. Assigned to dining room assistant and the ministry of prayer, sister performed her duties joyfully for 12 years. One of the first sisters in chapel in the early hours of morning, sister could be seen scurrying down the corridors in her wheelchair to visit the Blessed Sacrament and join in community prayer.
In early April her health began to decline, and Sister was taken to St. Mary Mercy Hospital. On April 25, 2020, during the time of the COVID-19 pandemic, Sister Alice Ann left this earth for her final journey to the God whom she served with joy for 55 years in religious life.
Interment was in Holy Sepulchre Cemetery on April 29.

Praying by the bead

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Ruth Powers

THINGS OLD AND NEW
By Ruth Powers
In the long tradition of the church, the month of May has been traditionally devoted our Blessed Mother. The catholic devotion that is probably most closely connected to her is the rosary, so let’s take a look at how that form of prayer developed.
Catholics are not the first people to pray using beads. Beads or knotted cords were used by Hindus and Buddhists to keep track of prayers long before they advent of Christianity. In Christian practice the Desert Fathers in the third century were known to use stones or knotted “prayer ropes” to keep track of their daily recitation of the 150 psalms. A little later in the Eastern church the Jesus Prayer (“Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me”) became popular and was repeated over and over while counting beads. In the Middle Ages the common people, who were often illiterate, wished to join in some way with the devotional prayer taking place in monasteries, where recitation of the 150 psalms was done daily. Since most people know the Our Father, they began to use strings of beads (called paternosters for the first words of the prayer) to count out the recitation of 150 Our Fathers in place of the psalms. In fact, the word bead, comes from the Old English word “bede,” which means prayer. These beads, and the prayers that went with them were sometimes called the poor man’s breviary.
The prayer most closely associated with the rosary, the Hail Mary, took over a thousand years to reach its modern form. The earliest version simply added the name of Mary to the words spoken by the angel in Luke 1:28. Repeating this phrase while counting 150 beads was popularized by Pope Gregory the Great (590-604). The second phrase from Luke 1:42 began to be added sometime between then and the early 13th century. The final petition (Holy Mary, mother of God, etc.) was added by St. Peter Canisius in his first catechism in 1555 and finalized in the Catechism of the Council of Trent in 1566.
Another development in the monasteries, that of adding a phrase relating to the life of Christ and His mother after each of the 150 psalms, led to the development of the mysteries of the rosary. These were simplified into the Joyful, Sorrowful, and Glorious Mysteries in the late 15th and early 16th centuries.
In 1569 Pope St. Pius V officially promulgated the rosary in the form we know now: 15 decades of Hail Marys introduced by the Our Father and concluded with the Glory Be, along with the 15 mysteries. The rosary remained unchanged for over 400 years until 2002, when Pope St. John Paul II introduced a fourth set of mysteries, the Luminous Mysteries. These mysteries add events of Christ’s public ministry to the meditations of the rosary. In his Apostolic Letter Rosarium Virginis Mariae, he proposed including events from Jesus ministry to help catholics enter more fully into the life of Jesus through the rosary.
Another addition to the rosary, although unofficial, occurred as a result of the appearances of Mary at Fatima in 1917. Mary told the three children who saw her to pray for world peace by reciting the rosary every day. She also asked the children to add a short prayer at the end of each decade: “O my Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of hell; lead all souls to heaven, especially those in most need of thy mercy.” Many catholics today incorporate this prayer into the rosary.
No discussion of the rosary would be complete without mention of St. Dominic Guzman (died 1221). There is a tradition that he devised the rosary as we know it after a vision of the Blessed Mother. The first written mention of this did not come until more than 250 years later in 1495 when it was mentioned by Pope Alexander VI as a “pious belief.” Scholars tend to doubt the story, as there are no mentions of it in the earliest accounts of Dominic’s life or in the Dominican constitutions, and paintings of St. Dominic from his lifetime and shortly after do not include it as a symbol to identify the saint. What cannot be doubted is that St. Dominic had great devotion to Mary, which he used effectively in his crusade to convert the Albigensian heretics in France and Italy, and may well have used the version of the rosary available in his time. However, we have seen that the form of the rosary that most catholics recognize today was the result of a long process of development culminating long after Dominic’s death. Some scholars think that this belief tying St. Dominic to the rosary may be due to confusing him early on with Dominic of Prussia, who did a great deal to promote the idea of meditating on the mysteries in the early 15th century). What we cannot doubt is that the rosary at all its stages of development has been a valuable practice for enriching the spiritual life of catholics.

(Ruth is the Program Coordinator for St. Mary Basilica Parish in Natchez. She has over 35 years’ experience as a catechist and theology teacher at all levels from preschool to graduate school.)

A time for peace

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Melvin Arrington

Reflections on Life
By Melvin Arrington
When I was in college in the late 1960s one of the recordings that received a lot of airtime on the radio was “Turn! Turn! Turn!” by the Byrds. The song, based on the first eight verses of Ecclesiastes chapter three, tells us there’s a time for everything. It ends with “a time for peace, I swear it’s not too late,” a line that was to those of my generation a direct reference to the Vietnam War.
No, it’s not too late for peace. We still need it in our country today, especially as the COVID-19 virus continues to spread. During these days of quarantine, soon to be measured in months, we have witnessed food rationing, hoarding and social distancing, the latter a practice totally contrary to the best instincts of human nature. Other public health restrictions on the size of gatherings have even resulted in the closing of churches. These situations have created a great deal of unrest and uncertainly and, among some, even panic. Yes, we need peace in our country today, but most of all we need it in our hearts.
In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus proclaimed, “Blessed are the peacemakers.” (Matthew 5:9) If we want to take on that role, we must first be at rest in our innermost being. And true peace, the third of the Fruits of the Spirit, can only come to those who have a personal relationship with Jesus.
Everyone longs for tranquility in at least some aspect of life – in our country, at the workplace, in the home – and we all long for peace of mind. But more importantly, what we really desire is peace of soul, that inner calm in the face of all life’s storms. So, how is it possible to attain it? Certainly not by attempting to forge it through our own efforts. There’s only one way, by surrender. Jesus said, “whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.” (Matthew 10:39) If we believe what He said, St. Paul’s paradoxical statement, “When I am weak, then I am strong” (II Corinthians 12:10) actually makes sense.
People often say there’s no need to worry about things beyond our control. That’s easier said than done. Nevertheless, whatever burden I’m carrying, I need to give it up, and surrender it to Jesus. He’s in control, and He can handle things a lot better than I can.
What He offers is a supernatural form of peace, one that “surpasses all understanding.” (Philippians 4:7) So, when life becomes overwhelming, we ought to rely on His promises: “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” (John 14:27) No, the world can’t fulfill our deepest longings. Only Christ can do that.
The current crisis will one day pass, and another will take its place. We all had to change the way we live after 9/11, and we’re going to have to make even more adjustments in the wake of the current pandemic.
Right now, the whole world is in exile. We’re all experiencing isolation and separation from friends, neighbors, even family. Yet, despite these impositions, we now find ourselves with a lot of free time for reflection on the things that really matter. These days when I read and ponder Old Testament passages concerning the Babylonian captivity, those readings now suddenly seem relevant to modern times. And I’m beginning to have a better understanding of the loneliness and despair that many nursing home residents deal with on a daily basis. I’ve also developed a greater empathy for Central American refugees who find themselves separated from their loved ones. Dire situations faced by others always take on greater urgency when we are forced to experience those things for ourselves.
But hard times also bring out the inventiveness and ingenuity of the human spirit. Think of all the humorous responses we have seen to this crisis. That doesn’t mean the internet wits who created all those funny videos, pictures, drawings and sayings are not taking this virus seriously; on the contrary, they are using their creative talents to bring us together and make us strong. This is not about politics; it’s about health – mental, physical, and spiritual – and it’s about being at peace.
Yet, in spite of all the trials we face at the present moment, hope remains. At the conclusion of his livestreamed Easter 2020 Music for Hope concert from the Duomo di Milano, Andrea Bocelli walked out the doors of the empty cathedral to the deserted piazza facing it, and there he sang “Amazing Grace.” Especially moving was his inclusion of this often-omitted verse:
Yea, when this flesh and heart shall fail,
And mortal life shall cease,
I shall possess, within the veil,
A life of joy and peace.
Everlasting peace, that’s the prize. “Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world, grant us peace.”

(Melvin Arrington is a Professor Emeritus of Modern Languages for the University of Mississippi and a member of St. John Oxford.)

Bette Davis, COVID-19 and the book of Job

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James Tomek, Ph.D

Guest column
By James Tomek, Ph.D.
Is God punishing us with the coronavirus plague? Pope Francis named the Third Sunday in Ordinary Time “Word of God Sunday,” promoting Scripture study, prompting me to reflect on Mr. Skeffington, a Bette Davis movie whose title character’s first name is Job. Can we arrive at a better view of the biblical Job by reading it alongside of Job in the Bette Davis movie? Are there any connections to the biblical hero? The biblical book is about divine justice with Job questioning the morality of the Deuteronomic principle where being faithful to the covenant is rewarded while disobedience is punished. The main characters in the film seem morally motivated by a superficial view of beauty. I will compare the morality in the two works, connecting the concept of beauty to them, while trying to make a beatific conclusion.
The Biblical book can be seen in three acts. After surviving a bet between God and an adversary, where Job does not blaspheme God when he loses his family and possessions (Act I), Job is forced to confront three to four friends who interpret Job’s misfortunes as a sign of covenant disobedience. The central part (Act II) is a poetic dialog between Job and the friends where Job laments his existence, believing his punishment way out of line with his actions. He calls on God to respond (Act III). Upon God’s response, Job remains quiet, not blaspheming God or himself, realizing that he has not enough knowledge to continue his complaint. In the beauty of his humble lament, God restores Job while disapproving the friends’ moral stance.
Mr. Skeffington has three acts. In 1914 New York (Act I), Fanny Trelleis (Bette Davis) is a beauty courted by three to four silly suitors. She is superficial and only loves her brother Trippy whom she saves by marrying Job Skeffington, a stockbroker that her brother embezzled from and who ends up being seduced by Fanny’s beauty. In Act II, the war years and the 1920s, Fanny continues flirting with her suitors while Job is content to patiently wait for her attention. The portrait that he has painted of Fanny becomes a substitute for her love. Upon Trippy’s death their marriage dissolves. In Act III, diphtheria attacks Fanny’s beauty. She comes to her senses when she sees that one suitor wants to marry her for her money and she eventually reconciles with Job who had lost his ill gotten money, made upon advanced news of World War I breaking out, and who comes home blind, but still in love with her. The film ends with the conclusion that a woman is only beautiful when she is loved.
The biblical Job refutes the Deuteronomic principle of God rewarding the just and punishing the unjust. This morality is based on sanctions. Rewards or punishments for actions is no morality at all. Job risks his life by not accepting easy answers (idols). The beauty of his humble lament becomes a beatitude moving God to pardon his questioning. The 1944 film is about the real nature of beauty. The notion, “a woman is only beautiful when loved” needs a different point of view. Simone Weil, in her essay Waiting for God, contends that waiting is a key for religious action. Her waiting is from the French attente, which is a “paying attention” wait, or search for God, the source of love and truth – or beauty. There is a purity or beauty in real love when it is not concerned with rewards or being useful. Weil mistrusts eating as a vulgar wish to consume, with consumption being an idolatrous activity. With the “host” at Mass, we are not consuming it physically as much as showing a desire to be food for others.
The beauty in Mr. Skeffington is more of the “idol” type. Fanny is a superficial socialite who lives off the flattery of her voracious suiters who only want to be seen with her. Job Skeffington is a ruthless stockbroker taking advantage of the outbreak of world war. The only way he can preserve Fanny’s love is by having a portrait made of her that he can idolize. In the third act, reality hits hard as Fanny realizes that she is not loved and that she has thrown away her potential chances as mother and wife. A woman is only beautiful when she is loved is the conclusion.
The biblical Job writer blows apart the Deuteronomic principle of virtue rewarded and vice punished. This interpretation places us with Job’s friends. Real virtue is not accomplished by utility. Actions done with the wish of a reward become idols and are not much different than actions done in evil. The real action in this story is that Job calls God into conversation. He risks everything by questioning the Deuteronomic principle and is rewarded by starting a dialog about the nature of truth and goodness. His lament is beautiful. Mr. Skeffington goes from silly melodrama to a morality play when we question what real beauty is. A woman is beautiful only when loved should be read as a woman is truly only beautiful when she loves. Purity is achieved when we leave our egos, seeing that real beauty is doing the right thing for and in itself. This beauty becomes a beatitude or state of blessedness, seen at Mass, especially when we sing the lament psalms, asking God for help. Is God punishing us with the coronavirus or calling on us to do the right thing? Paying attention becomes an important part of waiting.

(James Tomek is a retired language and literature professor at Delta State University who is currently a Lay Ecclesial Minister at Sacred Heart in Rosedale and also active in RCIA at Our Lady of Victories in Cleveland.)