Beatification of Pope John Paul II

In January of this year, Pope Benedict XVI announced that the late Pope John Paul II would be beatified on May 1st in Rome. John Paul died in April of 2005, after serving 26 years as the head of the Church on earth. He will now be called “Blessed John Paul.”

Beatification is an official Church recognition of a person's entry into Heaven. What does it take to be beatified? Normally, five years must have passed since the death of the candidate, although for John Paul, this waiting period was waived by Pope Benedict. Next, witnesses are called to testify about the candidate’s life of virtue, and documentation is given to the Congregation for the Causes of Saints. An evaluation by theologians, cardinals, and bishops takes place, and a positive appraisal is presented to the Holy Father.

For beatification, a miracle credited to the intercession of the deceased person is necessary. The miracle must be verified through canonical investigation. This is where things stand in the case of John Paul II. For canonization – actually being named a saint – another miracle is required. The reasoning behind this requirement is that miracles prove that the saint is indeed in Heaven and capable of interceding for those who request help in prayer.

Most of the miracles in sainthood causes are healings. The miracle approved for Pope John Paul concerns a 49-year-old French nun who was diagnosed with an aggressive form of Parkinson’s disease in 2001. After her order prayed to John Paul for help, Sister Marie-Simone was cured and able to resume her work as a maternity nurse.

The date for the beatification ceremony, May 1st, the Sunday after Easter, has been observed since 2000 as “Divine Mercy Sunday” by the Catholic Church. The Divine Mercy feast is associated with a 20th century Polish nun, St. Faustina Kowalska, to whom John Paul had a strong personal devotion. Her diary entries focused on God’s mercy and the call to practice mercy in our lives, something the previous pope strongly believed in and practiced. One of the most profound moments in the late pope’s life was his1983 meeting with his would-be assassin and the forgiveness he offered.

It is important to remember that when the Church beatifies or canonizes a person, it is not a declaration that that person was perfect in earthly life, or that their views or ideology reflected those of God! Rather, we honor the Church’s saints and blesseds because we see in them (and try to imitate) a holy response to God’s offer of grace.

Easter Blessings

As previously posted, our 3-Minute Catechesis is on holiday but will return Sunday, May 1st.

Palm Sunday

Our 3-Minute Catechesis is taking a holiday this week and next (Palm Sunday & Easter). In lieu of the catechism we're reprinting an essay which looks at the crucifixion of Christ through the eyes of Barabbas. A blessed Palm Sunday to each of you.

"Hello, my name is Yoshua. Oh, I’m sorry, some of you are Greek speakers, you would probably know me better as Jesus. No, not that Jesus. I’m Yoshua Bar-Abbas, Jesus, son of the father.

"I was born and raised here in Judea and it’s been hard to watch what’s happening to our country under Roman rule. They extort taxes from us just to pay the soldiers who are here to keep us under control. And here we are, at the Passover, and what have they done? They’ve increased the guard to “protect” us. They’ve increased the guard to protect their interests! Even Pontius Pilate has come into the city from his palace at the sea to watch over us. Our “friends,” the Romans. Hah!

"I’ve waited all my life for the words of the prophets to come true. Scripture and the prophets all point to our time, now, for the Messiah to come. But where is he? A few years ago I followed the Baptizer, John. He preached that the kingdom of God was at hand and repentance. But, now he’s dead.

"The Messiah is supposed to come and raise up a mighty army and defeat our enemies. We’ll drive out all those who would hope to put us into slavery or to death.

"But where’s the Messiah that Scripture tells us about? I don’t know, but John made me believe that it’s time. I felt that I couldn’t wait any longer for him to make his move. Maybe God wants us to take matters into our own hands. And what better time could there be than during Passover, when the city swells to four times its normal size? That’s why I did what I did. Yesterday, I sneaked up behind a centurion and took his short-sword from its scabbard. Before he could react I made a quick thrust and he lay dead at my feet.

"I called others to join me. “There’s tens of thousands of us and only a few thousand of them. We can overthrow them.” But, no one joined me and I was quickly captured. And I thought that I’d end up being a martyr, and maybe that was God’s plan for me. But even that didn’t happen.

"This morning I was yanked out of my cell, and instead of being taken to Golgotha, I was brought before Pilate, himself. And to my surprise, I wasn’t the only Jesus there.

"The Nazarean, the prophet was there and Pilate was asking the crowd which one of us they wanted released; the son of the father, or the king of the Jews. What chance did I have of being picked against the prophet? Surely the crowd would rather have him freed. But from the back of the crowd came a few voices that shouted, “Bar Abbas, and they got louder, “BAR ABBAS” and more joined in, “BAR ABBAS” until it seemed that everyone was calling my name.

"The next thing I know, I’m being thrown into the street in front of the Praetorium. I started to move away, not waiting for someone to change their mind, thinking myself lucky. But, I couldn’t make myself leave.

"Soon, they brought out the Nazarean, dragging the beam that he was to be crucified on. They had beaten him, and he was bloody and weak. It was all he could do to drag the great beam of wood.

"I still couldn’t leave. I was compelled to follow, puzzled by the humility of this just man. I watched as he slowly made his way out of the city gate near the palace to the place of the skull. They stripped him of his clothes and nailed him to the beam. Then they raised the beam, and I saw his anguish as his weight pulled at the nails. It was only after some people came to take his body away that I stopped to consider all that had happened.

"I can’t believe what they’ve done! This man was innocent! I was guilty, not him! How could they have crucified him and let me live? I’m the criminal. He died for my sins. He died so that I might live!"



© 1998 Mark Bussemeier

Passion Sunday and Palms

Next Sunday, Christians throughout the world celebrate the triumphal entry of Jesus Christ into Jerusalem, the week before His death and resurrection. The biblical account of Palm Sunday can be found in each of the four gospels, but it is in the gospel of John that we find the reference specifically to palm branches.

Carrying palms or other branches in procession goes back to the Old Testament, where it was not only practiced but commanded by God. After the fall harvest, when the people gathered for the Feast of Tabernacles, God said in the book of Leviticus “On the first day, you shall gather foliage from majestic trees, branches of palms and boughs of myrtles and of valley poplars, and then for a week you shall make merry before the Lord, your God.” In the second book of Maccabees, the Jews celebrate Hanukkah in the same way.

The New Testament book of Revelation has John describing a vision in Heaven, where “a great multitude, which no one could count, from every nation…stood before the throne and before the Lamb, wearing white robes and holding palm branches in their hands.”

An ancient practice in Christianity involves gathering leftover palms, drying them, and then burning them. The burning is conducted carefully, using special equipment, so that the ashes remain and do not fly up and blow away. After being burned and cooled, the ashes are used on Ash Wednesday. The palms, which symbolize triumph, and the ashes, which symbolize death and penitence, form a great symbolic connection between suffering and victory.

So what are we supposed to do with the blessed palms we receive? It is considered disrespectful to tear or shred the palms and leave the “strings” in the pews or on the floor; it is also very messy! Most of us will take our palms, some having folded them into crosses, and reverently place them in our homes. Our faith reminds us that the palms do not possess any power or virtue of their own, but they do serve as a reminder of the kingship of Jesus in our lives. An Italian and French custom is to break off a piece of the palm and burn it during fierce storms or natural disasters, while praying to St. Barbara, the patron saint of storms.

Few churches have the necessary equipment and resources to burn the palms properly: this includes Risen Savior. For that reason, you are asked not to bring your palms back to the parish; rather, you should dispose of them by carefully and respectfully burying them in the ground.

The Cross and The Lamb

During Lent, many people choose to wear crosses, crucifixes, or holy medals. These often serve as physical reminders of what one has promised to do or what one has given up as the Church prepares for the Passion and Death of Jesus. The cross is an important symbol to Christians throughout the world, but there are other symbols of Jesus as well. In fact, before the 5th century, Christians avoided use of the cross due to the disgrace associated with crucifixion, a heinous form of death. Instead, Jesus was primarily represented as a lamb. How did Jesus get to be associated with a lamb? There are many references in the New Testament, including thirty in the book of Revelation alone, but in order to understand the connection, we must look to the Old Testament story of Moses in Egypt.

The Jewish feast of Passover reminds us of how God rescued the Israelites from slavery in Egypt by killing the firstborn Egyptians and “passing over” the homes of the Israelites. This was the last of ten plagues God used to convince the pharaoh to release His chosen people. To protect the firstborn sons of their families, the Israelites were told to sacrifice an unblemished lamb and smear the blood on the doorposts of their houses. This was a signal to the angel of death to “pass over” and spare the firstborn of God’s people. For Christians, Jesus is both the sacrificed firstborn Son as well as the unblemished or sinless lamb who gives His blood and His life to save His people from the slavery of sin and death.

In the 5th century we start seeing the use of the crucifix, a cross with a corpus or body. Images of the crucifix in the Middle Ages tended to depict Jesus with his eyes open and no trace of suffering to reflect the Resurrection. By the 13th century, Christ’s body was often depicted as twisted and bleeding to emphasize his humanity, and by this time the crucifix became established as an altar centerpiece in most churches. During the Protestant Reformation in the 16th century, the crucifix was banned as a form of idolatry. Today, the crucifix is primarily used in Roman Catholic, Anglican, and Eastern Orthodox Churches.

While an empty cross can represent Jesus’ resurrection, Catholics understand the importance of remembering the suffering and death that took place on the cross before the resurrection. Both the crucifix and the lamb help us to remember the suffering that God endured for us and for our salvation.

The Scrutinites

During Lent especially, parishioners are exposed to the adults going through a process called the R.C.I.A. or Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults. Although much of the formation of these men and women is done in evening gatherings, as Lent advances and Easter approaches, the community takes a more active role in witnessing the journeys of these people.

Throughout the year, as they discerned their calling to be a disciple of Christ in the Roman Catholic tradition, these men and women participated in a Rite of Acceptance. Then, at the beginning of Lent, there was the Rite of Sending in which those who were accepted were sent to the Rite of Election or, if they had already been baptized, to the Rite of Continuing Conversion. This involved getting out of their comfort zone – this parish! – and taking part in a rite involving the bishop.

What’s left for those participating in R.C.I.A.? Those who were accepted and then sent will now be taking part in the Scrutinies. The Scrutinies are short liturgical rites that invoke the grace and power of the Holy Spirit and call the Elect out of the darkness of evil and sin and into the light of Christ. The Scrutinies serve many purposes for the Elect, including calling on the intercession of the parish community as these men and women prepare for the Easter sacraments. Another purpose of the Scrutinies is to purify the catechumens’ minds and hearts and strengthen them against temptation. The three rites, which take place on the 3rd, 4th, and 5th Sundays of Lent, help make them firm in their resolve, so that they become more closely united with Christ and make progress in their efforts to love God more deeply.

Each of the three Scrutinies is based on a Gospel reading with the theme of conversion and coming into the light of Christ. These are the stories of the Woman at the Well, the Blind Beggar, and the Raising of Lazarus.

While these Scripture readings are proclaimed for the benefit of the catechumens, the stories offer we who are already baptized and among the Elect something to think about as we prepare for the Passion, Death, and Resurrection of Jesus. We, too, scrutinize our lives through the biblical examples. The woman at the well leaves behind her bucket, the blind man runs off and forgets the cloak in which he caught the coins of his beggary, and Lazarus leaves behind an empty tomb. What will we leave behind to follow Jesus? As we ponder that, we understand that, like those in R.C.I.A., we are all still on the journey.

The Elect of God

This Sunday, the unbaptized catechumens who are in RCIA will be participating in the Rite of Election. While they will be meeting the shepherd of our diocese, the real purpose of this rite is not to meet the Archbishop, but to celebrate their election by God and the Church, in preparation for the Easter Sacraments. What does it mean to be elected, and why doesn’t every Catholic participate?

Election has to do with being chosen. Just a few months ago, the United States held a rather contentious midterm election in which choices were made, but this is a little different from the Church’s concept of election. In the Bible, we hear many stories of God choosing a person or even an entire people. The Israelites were God’s “chosen people.” David was chosen by God to be king of Israel. The angel Gabriel brought Mary the news that she had found favor and had been chosen to be the mother of God’s Son. And, of course, Jesus is called the Messiah, the “chosen one” of God. It is God who chooses. God takes the initiative and claims a person or a people as his own.

Many of us were born into Catholic families and baptized as babies. At baptism, the priest or deacon who baptized us claimed us for Christ. This was symbolized by his making a cross on our foreheads and then inviting our parents and godparents to do the same. The Church teaches that all of the baptized are the Elect, God’s chosen people. This concept comes originally from the Hebrew Scriptures.

God's promises to Abraham are recorded in the book of Genesis. First, Abraham is promised that he will have a child and a nation of descendants that are uncountable. Second, Abraham is told that his descendants will inherit the land of Canaan. Third, Abraham and his descendants will be blessed and the rest of the nations of the world will be blessed through him.

These promises prefigure of the coming of Christ and the salvation offered to everyone. The child we are given is the incarnate God and the land we inherit is a place in Heaven. In going to the cross, Christ made salvation possible for all people in all nations. When does this possibility become an actuality? That happens when, in exercising free will, we choose to have faith in Jesus Christ and say yes to the salvation He offers. Those of us who are baptized, even if we were baptized as infants, continually use our free will to choose salvation. We don’t have to run for office, but being counted among the Elect is done in cooperation with our God-given free will.