The Vatican

"Pilgrims of hope": preparation for the 2025 Jubilee begins

On the way to a new Holy Year of the universal Church, the Jubilee of 2025, Pope Francis wants to begin his preparations, and to this end he has unveiled the Jubilee motto: "Pilgrims of Hope". The last 25 years have represented for the Church and for society a "change of epoch", as the Holy Father has repeatedly emphasized.

Giovanni Tridente-January 14, 2022-Reading time: 2 minutes
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"Pilgrims of Hope" is the motto chosen by Pope Francis for the next Holy Year of the universal Church, the Jubilee of 2025. It was Archbishop Rino Fisichella, President of the Pontifical Council for Promoting the New Evangelization, who announced it in the last few hours, recounting the results of the recent private audience he had with the Holy Father in early January.

The news that it would be the Vatican department headed by Monsignor Fisichella who would coordinate the preparation of the next Jubilee on behalf of the Holy See, in contact with the Italian civil authorities, was announced the day after Christmas, but close talks had already been going on for several months with the organizations concerned.

The Pontifical Council for Promoting the New Evangelization, which according to the forthcoming text of the reform of the organization of the Roman Curia - Praedicate evangelium - should be merged with the Congregation of Propaganda Fide, already managed the previous "Jubilee of Mercy" (December 8, 2015 - November 20, 2016). It is true that then it was an event that not only came as a surprise at the behest of Pope Francis, but was intended to be "diffusive" with respect to the single city of Rome, with the opening of the "Holy Doors" in all the dioceses of the world. The first Holy Door to be opened, as will be recalled, was not that of St. Peter's Basilica, but that of the peripheral Cathedral of Banguì, in the Central African Republic.

The path of preparation

Returning to the next Jubilee in 2025, in addition to the logistical aspect, there will undoubtedly be the path of spiritual preparation. Suffice it to recall that for the Great Jubilee of the Year 2000, the path of preparation began six years earlier, in 1994, when John Paul II delivered to the whole Church the Apostolic Letter Tertio Millenio Adveniente. In that document, he anticipated the three phases that would lead to the fullness of this celebration: an "ante-preparatory" phase and three strictly preparatory years, from 1997 to 1999.

We are certainly not at the imminence of a change of millennium that would require a thoughtful reflection on two millennia of history, but certainly the last 25 years have represented for the Church and for society a "change of epoch," as Pope Francis has repeatedly emphasized.

A reasoning that the Pope also made in 2019 to the Roman Curia, when he reiterated that precisely in this epochal context, where among other things, he said, "we are not in Christendom, not anymore", the real urgency of Christ's witnesses is not to "occupy spaces" but to "initiate processes".

Certainly, the theme of hope also came to the Pope's mind after the events of the last two years, characterized by the pandemic, which in addition to so much suffering has sown in the world despair and disillusionment towards a future that seems uncertain, in which the ability to dream has also been lost.

The Jubilee will therefore be an opportunity to take up again the path of trust and to look with renewed eyes to the future that awaits us, each of us doing our part: pilgrims of hope.

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Vocations

Priest Saints: José Gabriel Brochero, the Cura Brochero

Saint Joseph Gabriel Brochero is the first canonized saint who was born, lived and died in Argentina. He died of leprosy on January 26, 1914. He was beatified on September 14, 2013 and canonized on October 16, 2016. His feast day is celebrated every year on March 16.

Pedro José María Chiesa-January 13, 2022-Reading time: 5 minutes
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The priest Saint José Gabriel Brochero is the first canonized saint who was born, lived and died in Argentina. He is popularly known as the "Cura Brochero". He was born on March 16, 1840. The following day he was baptized. His family was composed of parents who worked hard rural jobs, which would not be an obstacle for them to form a brilliant large family faithful to the Catholic Faith, austere to the extreme and composed of ten children, one of whom would become a priest (José Gabriel Brochero) and two of the faithful religious women of the Congregation of the Sisters of the Orchard.

He died of leprosy on January 26, 1914. The disease lasted for many years, and "devoured" him little by little. He had contracted it as a result of his persevering assistance to an old man suffering from the disease, in spite of all the warnings he was given. He did not want to abandon him, since he was aware that he was the only person who visited him. His feast day is celebrated every year on March 16. He was beatified on September 14, 2013 and canonized on October 16, 2016.

His priestly ministry

Regarding his priestly work, on November 4, 1866 he was ordained priest in the Cathedral of Córdoba (Argentina). The following year he showed his priestly guts by standing out for his courageous generosity in assisting the sick and dying during the cholera epidemic that struck the city of Cordoba in 1867, killing a significant percentage of the population (2,300 people out of some 30,000).

At the end of 1869, the bishop entrusted him with the extensive "Curato" of San Alberto: ten thousand inhabitants scattered in desert and mountainous areas, across 4,336 square kilometers, in an area cut off by the interposition of the "Sierras Grandes", a 2,200 meters high stone massif, whose traverse, although not very high, was very dangerous and inhospitable, which is why it was isolated from the most civilized places.

In his "Curato" the places were distant, and there were almost no roads or schools. In addition, the moral state and material destitution of its inhabitants was lamentable. Nevertheless, Brochero's apostolic heart turned that area into a center of spirituality and a flourishing productive zone.

The seat of the Curato was called "Villa del Tránsito" (today "Cura Brochero"), it consisted of only twelve precarious houses, with no services whatsoever. In that place illiteracy, concubinage, alcoholism, theft and poverty were raging, to which was added the absolute lack of religious instruction and the lack of sacraments.

The Cura Brochero, aware that the state authorities of the provincial capital would not show any interest in those abandoned places, understood that if he did not organize the population so that they would raise their own human dignity, he could not preach the Gospel effectively; Therefore, with remarkable spiritual, sacramental and moral leadership, he organized the inhabitants in teams to build chapels and schools, to lay out roads in rocky and steep places, and to open irrigation ditches that would bring water from the mountain rivers to the crops, transforming the area into an orchard. 

Many of these works still survive today, and among them is the "Camino de las Altas Cumbres", which was used in international rally competitions.

On muleback

Unlike the holy Curé of Ars, whom the Holy Spirit impelled to develop a notable "static" pastoral ministry, centered on confessions and preaching to the faithful, Cura Brochero was impelled by the Holy Spirit to the "dynamic" task of parish ministry, For this reason, on the back of a mule, he traveled thousands of kilometers ("thousands" in the literal sense) to visit all his parishioners and bring them the Faith, consolation and the sacraments, bearing cruel wounds on his incurably wounded backside. 

One day he understood that his efforts would never bear solid spiritual fruit if he did not achieve the profound conversion of the souls entrusted to him; and he also understood that the only way to convert so many poor and abandoned people was to make them participate, "everyone" (and especially the illiterate, concubines, alcoholics, bandits persecuted by the law, etc.), in batches of spiritual exercises of at least eight days (with less than eight, he considered that "nothing serious" could be done). 

In those batches there were four days dedicated to formation in basic Christian doctrine, and another four to the prayer life itself. 

In pursuit of this goal, he built a huge retreat house on the site of his parish, which was almost abandoned. Although all his parishioners considered the proposal crazy, it was done: they say that there is no holiness without some magnanimity.

It was built in a short time, and in the first year of use alone, a total of 2,240 retreatants (adding together the men's and women's groups) participated in those spiritual exercises in a "mysterious" way. Anyone who knows the place today would find no human explanation for this fact. And this practice remained firm, in that unpopulated area, from 1877 to 1914 (the year of his death). There were exercise batches of up to 900 participants.

If we take into account that in those years there was no radio, no TV, no WhatsApp, no social networks, and no freezerSince there were no refrigerators, no cold food chains, no gas, no drinking water, and the means of transportation were on foot or blood traction, there is no doubt that the breath of the Holy Spirit in that place, and the correspondence to the grace of the saintly priest, were two undoubted realities. 

His faith, as Jesus Christ asked us to do, was capable of "bring forth children of Abraham from the very stones". (Matthew 3:9). On the other hand, the population of the place where the retreat house was built was only a hundred people, so that the rest of the retreatants had to go out to isolated and distant areas, which made success completely inexplicable without the action of the Spirit and the correspondence to grace.

The most important lesson he gave us priests can be summarized as follows (these are not his words): "To convert the ignorant and the rude: Eight days of retreats... at least!" He was a great promoter of popular spiritual retreats for simple people, and also a great inspirer of those parish priests who consider it fundamental to have retreat houses in their own parish: no more making spiritual retreats depend on the free availability of dates in other retreat houses!

To all that has been said, we must add the countless number of anecdotes collected that reflect his good humor, his trust in grace, his faith in the need for the sacraments, and the importance of human promotion as a basis for the action of the Holy Spirit; these anecdotes are inexhaustible and very interesting, but brevity prevents us from presenting them.

His death

When he died he was seventy-three years old. The last part of his life he was blind and very deaf, and abandoned by almost everyone... because of the panic of leprosy, which chilled good feelings. Let us remember that if today we are afraid of the "coronavirus"... how much more was the fear of leprosy then!

He died with all the sacraments, enduring severe pain. They buried him four meters deep in the chapel of the retreat house, and covered the coffin with quicklime, after which they burned all his belongings, except the parish books. 

Today those books that record his living faith in the sacraments survive, proof of which is the immeasurable number of people he served, as well as the silent fruits that persevere in that area which he extracted from geographical abandonment and spiritual poverty, which is why all its inhabitants (believers or not, Catholics or anti-Catholics) unanimously esteem him as a historic leader in all areas: human, spiritual, moral and religious. 

In the area where he carried out his ministry, it is said that the priest Brochero, as a priestly image of Christ, is worthy of a fame and affection that have made him an "untouchable", a worthy title for one who consumed his life as do the candles that worship God the Father on the altar.

Distinguished Argentine folklorists honored Cura Brochero with a beautiful song, which can be heard below, "A step here a stride there", that summarizes his life very well.

The authorPedro José María Chiesa

Santa Fe, Argentina

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Martin KuglerRead more : "Christians must move from angry majority to creative minority".

Interview with Martin Kugler, director of Kairos Consulting for Non-Profit Organisations and member of the Observatory on Intolerance and Discrimination against Christians in Europe.

Maria José Atienza-January 13, 2022-Reading time: 5 minutes
RelatedRelated NewsEurope: intolerance towards Christians on the rise

A few weeks ago the Observatory for Intolerance and Discrimination against Christians in Europe published the report "Under Pressure. The human rights of Christians in Europe."The report for the years 2019-2020 lists some of the main obstacles faced by Christians in Europe.

Faced with this reality of the radicalization of secularism in various environments, the Viennese Martin KuglerIn Omnes, he stresses the need for Christians to "be more authentic and less frightened, to be well informed and to express themselves with intelligible and reasonable arguments.

A very interesting point is the phenomenon that this study calls secular intolerance. There are those who call themselves Christians and defend this idea of religion as "something private". Is the public dimension of a religion being confused with a confessional state?

-The public dimension of the lived Christian faith is evident and necessary. To confuse it with "political Catholicism" is completely anachronistic, but it is deliberately used by proponents of radical secularism to intimidate Christians who actively participate in public life. However, the issue is very simple when one makes it concrete. Our relationship with God and the Church is a very personal thing, but it has consequences that affect our whole lives as citizens, workers or business people, journalists or teachers, voters and politicians, etc.

The same could be said of atheists or agnostics, whom no one would ask to discard their worldview when they write an article or get involved in politics. Yes, even when they make a judicial decision, they are influenced by their beliefs, which can be seen, for example, in decisions of the ECtHR.

The trick, very common among European secularist elites, works very simply: they present the agnostic or even anti-Christian point of view as the neutral position par excellence. In the Viennese Jewish tradition, this is called chutzpahshamelessness.

Our relationship with God and the Church is very personal, but it has consequences that affect our whole life as citizens.

Martin KuglerObservatory for Intolerance and Discrimination against Christians in Europe

Dialogues and rights

The report highlights the ignorance of the religious fact in many governments, which is a problem when dealing with these attacks against Christians. Is there a solution for this? How to act when there is no predisposition to dialogue?

Martin Kugler
Martin Kugler

-This ignorance also has to do with a pronounced unwillingness to take seriously the phenomenon of people of faith. To cross this threshold, we need to reduce prejudice and be considerate in style, especially in communicating our concerns and problems.

A good example is the pro-life movement. The choice of words can close doors, but it can also open them. There is a big difference between talking about abortion as "murder" or pointing out that every abortion ends the heartbeat of one of the weakest members of our society. And that abortion is irrevocable and remains a wound forever. It is also often useful to call prejudices by their name in a polite and clear way, and thus awaken part of the public.

We must not resign ourselves to the fact that Christians, especially the Catholic Church, always appear as victimizers and never as victims in movies and theater, in school books, in novels... In general, in the media. This seems to be a dogma, observable in the lack of attention to the drama of the growing persecution of Christians throughout the world or, regionally, in turning a blind eye to the discrimination of Christians in Europe.

The report points to Spain as one of the countries where this intolerance is not only permitted, but almost encouraged by the institutions.. How to combine this call for dialogue with the defense of rights that are violated by a supposed rule of law?

-Like many Austrians, I am a fan of Spain and am therefore very concerned about some developments. In fact, the ideology that prevails in part of the establishment Spanish reminds me of the attitudes of teenagers. Teenagers who, 50 years after Franco's death, had to demonstrate a rebellion against conservative values.

On some issues such as identity politics, sex and gender education or anti-discrimination, it seems as if all adults have left the living room in Western and Northern Europe. And I am not saying this myself, but British liberal author Douglas Murray, who as a homosexual shows great unease about this fact.

However, on certain issues there is hope for a victory of reason, because the cultural Marxist left is divided within itself. One example is the transgender movement, which is full of contradictions and yet is building up massive pressure, rendering the historical gains of the feminist movement obsolete.

In Great Britain, for example, they now refrain from hormonal and surgical treatment of young people only because they express this desire to a psychotherapist or a doctor. A bill to this effect has been stopped.

Responsibility of Christians

One of the serious problems we observe in Europe is the polarization of positions and even a certain "ghettoization" among those who defend one position or the other. How can we overcome this reality? Are there signs of hope anywhere?

-In the book "Democracy without Religion?" published in Madrid in 2014. (Stella Maris) we have already pointed out this danger. The famous Jewish professor Joseph Weiler wrote at the time about a double ghetto for faithful Christians in Europe. One in which they were forced by intimidation, political pressure or even the curtailment of certain rights such as freedom of conscience.

The other ghetto would be the one in which many Christians would have voluntarily placed themselves because it would take a lot of courage, energy and hope to remain in the assigned place, even in the main place of social discourse.

On issues such as identity politics, sex and gender education or anti-discrimination, it seems as if all the adults have left the room.

Martin KuglerObservatory for Intolerance and Discrimination against Christians in Europe

The report is intended to be an aid to dialogue, but there are those who may be even more afraid of seeing this regression of religious freedoms. How can we overcome this fear and lead, without extremism, these realities to a normalization of the rights of Christians?

Pope Benedict delivered an important speech in the German Parliament in 2011. He described the ecology of man as a reality that is always on our side, so to speak, and against all ideologies. His predecessor, St. John Paul II, pointed out that the great "evil" of the 20th century - Nazism and Marxism - was finally overcome also in this last century.

In 1989, in Eastern Europe, after 50 years of communist dictatorship, the people demonstrated a surprising capacity for resistance. And finally, dialogue can also mean preventing bad things from happening, so that a situation is only "half bad". So, please, no "all or nothing" posturing.

The study calls for the involvement of Christians in cultural, social and political life. Has there been a certain neglect of this duty on the part of Christians?

In general, Christians in Europe should abandon the position of a so-called angry majority and become a creative minority. As beacons of society, we could also get the silent majority to speak and act. Or at least give something like a witness of hope for the next generation and create the basis for a new beginning.

It is essential for Christians to be more authentic and less frightened, to be well informed and to express themselves with intelligible and reasonable arguments. In this world, they are increasingly becoming advocates of freedom and a full life.

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Boys play soccer on a dusty field in South Africa

A group of boys play soccer on a dusty field in Soweto, South Africa. Lhe Catholic bishops of Africa expressed their concern about the serious problems that threaten peace throughout the continent.

Omnes-January 13, 2022-Reading time: < 1 minute
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Spain

Missionary childhood: "Jenet, Michelle and Íscar represent all the children of the world".

Sofia, a Franciscan missionary, shared the stories of three girls whom she met through her work on the Brazilian border with Venezuela. These three minors represent, for this Vilagarciana, "all the children of the world. I thank God for knowing these stories that give light to a new life and that, in the margin, are the light of the world and teach us to believe in God who is alive".

Maria José Atienza-January 12, 2022-Reading time: 3 minutes

The presentation of the Day of Missionary Childhood, which will be celebrated on Sunday, January 16 in Spain, included the testimony of Sofia Quintans Bouzada, a Franciscan missionary of the Mother of the Divine Shepherd, a missionary in Brazil.

Together with José María Calderón, National Director of OMP Spain, she has given a name to the work that the pontifical work carries out in the most disadvantaged areas of the planet.

Sofia is one of the members of the Franciscan missionary community that settled in 2019 in the north of the country, in the state of Roraima. The area is a border enclave that is one of the most important crossing points for Venezuelan refugees.

Sofia, a Peruvian and a Venezuelan nun, soon to be joined by a Congolese, constitute what he called a "very incarnated, Samaritan and humble ecclesial presence".

Its evangelizing work is focused on caring for refugees from Venezuela who, since 2018 have crossed into the Carioca nation. An estimated 600,000 Venezuelans have crossed into Brazil since 2018. That year, the humanitarian crisis unleashed in this northern border caused the Brazilian government to launch a huge reception operation in which the government itself, the army, NGOs and the different confessions rooted in the country collaborate.

quintas_brasil_omp

In this complex and varied map of institutions, the Franciscan Missionary Sisters are "a small presence but a strong experience of the poor and small Christ". They collaborate in accompanying, listening to and welcoming thousands of minors, especially girls, who live in particularly harsh conditions.

A process of "welcoming, promoting and integrating these people as if they were Christ himself coming to us," Quintás stressed. A process that makes them feel welcomed through personal and spiritual accompaniment" and always "with a careful respect for the person".

As Sofía Quintás explained, refugees arriving in Brazil begin their lives in "shelters", refugee camps set up by the government. In addition to being smaller, the "shelters" are differentiated by typology -women with children, single men, minors...- in order to meet their needs more effectively.

Three names

This Franciscan missionary has personalized her experience in three different stories of three girls. Jenet, the first, a Pomona girl, came out of an indigenous community in the interior of Venezuela with a tumor in her head. She asked for help, but was without documents. Thanks to various efforts, she was able to be transferred to Sao Paulo for treatment and returned to her indigenous community. "The girl's struggle for life," said Quintás, "was for me a very strong reflection of the living Christ.

The second story has taken the name of Michelle, who for this Franciscan "represents the trafficking of the most vulnerable human beings". She lives in one of these "shelters" and the nun noticed that she stopped attending the integration activities. When asked why she did not attend, the girl replied that she "wanted to go, but she had to work at the traffic lights" begging on the streets.

The third name is that of Íscar, who, "after crossing the border alone at the age of 16," managed to finish her studies and has recently graduated, and every day, she emphasized, thanks God for having been able to get her life back on track and forgive her brother who mistreated her.

2022 a busy year for PMOs

For his part, the National Director of OMP Spain, José María CalderónHe emphasized that this year 2022 has a special accent for the missionary family.

It is not for nothing that this is the first centenary of the institution of Missionary Childhood as a pontifical work, "its placing at the service of the ordinary pastoral work of the Holy Father in the care of children in mission territories".

In addition, on May 22nd she will be proclaimed Blessed Pauline Jaricot, the young Lyonnaise initiator of what would later become the Propagation of the Faith. 

Calderon recalled that "missionary childhood is very important. For many children in mission territories, the only place where they find a home, affection, possibilities to grow and study is the church". He also pointed out that this campaign continues the campaign started four years ago in which Missionary Childhood is centered on the life of Jesus as a child. In this edition, "the children of the world are also a light for children without faith, who are ignored, who are not loved".

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"Work is essential in human life and is the path to sanctification."

Pope Francis reflected on the work of St. Joseph and how Jesus learned the same trade from his father. He affirmed that work does not "only serve to earn adequate sustenance," but is primarily "a path of sanctification."

David Fernández Alonso-January 12, 2022-Reading time: 3 minutes
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"The evangelists Matthew and Mark define Joseph as a "carpenter" or "woodworker." We have recently heard that the people of Nazareth, hearing Jesus speak, wondered, "Is not this the carpenter's son?" (13:55; cfr. Mc 6,3). Jesus practiced the office of his father". This is how the Holy Father Francis began his catechesis on Wednesday, January 12, in Paul VI Hall.

The Pope reflected on the office of Joseph: "The Greek term tektonused to indicate Joseph's work, has been translated in various ways. The Latin Fathers of the Church did it with "carpenter". But let us keep in mind that in the Palestine of Jesus' time wood was used, besides for making plows and various furniture, also for building houses, which had wooden windows and terrace roofs made of beams connected together with branches and earth".

"Carpenter" or "woodworker" was therefore a generic qualification, indicating both wood craftsmen and workers engaged in activities related to construction. It was a rather hard job, having to work with heavy materials such as wood, stone and iron. From the economic point of view, it did not assure great profits, as can be deduced from the fact that Mary and Joseph, when they presented Jesus in the Temple, offered only a pair of turtledoves or pigeons (cfr. Lc 2:24), as prescribed by the Law for the poor (cfr. Lv 12,8)".

Pope Francis during a general audience in the Paul VI Hall at the Vatican, Jan. 12, 2022. (CNS photo/Paul Haring)

In relation to Jesus as an adolescent, the Pope says that therefore, "he learned this trade from his father. That is why, when as an adult he began to preach, his astonished countrymen wondered: "Where did this man get this wisdom and these miracles?" (Mt 13:54), and they were scandalized because of him (cf. v. 57)".

"This biographical information about Joseph and Jesus" made the Pope think, he said, "of all the workers in the world, especially those who do hard work in mines and in certain factories; those who are exploited through undeclared work; the victims of work; the children who are forced to work and those who scavenge in landfills in search of something useful to exchange... But I also think of those who are without work; of those who rightly feel their dignity wounded because they cannot find work. Many young people, many fathers and many mothers live the drama of not having a job that allows them to live serenely. And often the search becomes so dramatic that it leads them to the point of losing all hope and desire for life. In these times of pandemic, many people have lost their jobs and some, crushed by an unbearable burden, have gone so far as to take their own lives. Today I would like to remember each one of them and their families".

Work, the Holy Father stressed, "is an essential component in human life, and also in the path of sanctification. It is also a place where we experience ourselves, where we feel useful, and where we learn the great lesson of concreteness, which helps to ensure that the spiritual life does not turn into spiritualism. But unfortunately work is often hostage to social injustice and, rather than being a means of humanization, it becomes an existential periphery. I often ask myself: in what spirit do we go about our daily work? How do we face fatigue? Do we see our activity as linked only to our destiny or also to the destiny of others? In fact, work is a way of expressing our personality, which is by its nature relational".

"It is beautiful," Francis concluded, "to think that Jesus himself worked and that he learned this art from St. Joseph. Today we must ask ourselves what we can do to recover the value of work; and what contribution, as Church, we can make so that it can be rescued from the logic of mere profit and can be lived as a fundamental right and duty of the person, which expresses and increases his dignity".

The Pope wanted to pray with those present the prayer that St. Paul VI raised to St. Joseph on May 1, 1969:

"Oh, Saint Joseph,
patron saint of the Church,
you who together with the Word incarnate
you worked every day to earn your bread,
finding in Him the strength to live and work;
you who have felt the restlessness of tomorrow,
the bitterness of poverty, the precariousness of work;
you who today show the example of your figure,
humble before men,
but very great before God,
protects workers in their harsh daily existence,
defend them from discouragement,
of the denying revolt,
and from the temptation of hedonism;
and safeguards the peace of the world,
that peace which alone can guarantee the development of peoples. Amen"

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Twentieth Century Theology

The stages of Joseph Ratzinger (I)

Joseph Ratzinger is one of the great theologians of the 20th century and, moreover, an exceptional witness of the life of the Church, with his four stages as theologian and professor, Archbishop of Munich, Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, and Pope.

Juan Luis Lorda-January 12, 2022-Reading time: 7 minutes
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What defines a theologian? It seems obvious to look at the external effect. First, in his books. Then, in the main ideas or clichés attributed to him, fixed, with better or worse success, by a tradition first of essays and, above all, of dictionary entries and manuals. In Joseph Ratzinger, not enough time has passed for this operation. And even his work is not completely fixed, as his Collected Works are being published, grouping his writings by themes and gathering unpublished and minor or little known writings, thus transforming their appearance and, in the long run, their reading. 

Four theological stages

What is fixed are the four stages of his life. After a period of formation comes his work as a theologian (1953-1977), including his participation in the Council (1962-1965); then, as Archbishop of Munich (1977-1981), as Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (1982-2005) and as Pope (2005-2013). Thus, two more stages dedicated to theological thought or discernment are combined, as professor and as prefect; and two purely pastoral stages, as bishop and as pope. It is a happy combination. It would be a grave error regarding the nature of theology, and a tremendous impoverishment, to reduce his theological contribution to "professional" dedication: articles, books, conferences....  

In the four stages he has done theology, although in different ways. And one can try to synthesize what each period contributes as well as the basic lines that run through them all. In his conversations, he himself has stated that he sees himself with a certain continuity, although circumstances have placed him in different positions. Kierkegaard used different pseudonyms to show the different perspectives with which he could look at things. Joseph Ratzinger has been given them by the course of his life. Because a young theologian, a bishop in a complex era, a prefect for the doctrine of the faith who has to pay universal attention to doctrine, and a Pope who has to be a good Shepherd and a reference of communion for the whole Church, with a particular mission regarding the interpretation and application of the Second Vatican Council, do not see things with the same perspective. 

Roots of faith

Joseph Ratzinger has portrayed himself very well in this exceptional and charming autobiographical book, My life (1927-1977)which he published in 1997 and which compiles his trajectory as a professor. It is completed with the four books of conversations with Seewald and with some moments of gatherings and expansion during his pontificate. 

There we can see how much he has been marked by the experience of faith lived in his childhood, in the traditional Bavarian environment, with his simple and believing family, with the liturgy joyfully and solemnly celebrated in the parishes he knew as a child, with the stages and feasts of the liturgical calendar that marked the rhythm of the life of all those believing people. He could have lost or changed these roots, but in the course of his life he has consolidated them, and that Christian experience is the basis of his theology. 

Liturgy as lived faith

In the presentation of his Complete Works (vol. I, dedicated to the Liturgy), he explains: "The liturgy of the Church was for me, from my childhood, a central reality in life and it also became [...] the center of my theological endeavor. As a subject of study I chose fundamental theology, because I wanted above all to keep track of the question: Why do we believe? But in this question was the other question about the right answer to God and, therefore, the question of divine worship [...], of the anchoring of the liturgy in the founding act of our faith and, thus also, of its place in the whole of our human existence." And a little earlier he explained: "In the word 'Orthodoxy' the second half, 'doxa', does not mean 'opinion', but 'glory'; it is not about having a correct 'opinion' about God, but about the correct way to glorify Him, to respond to Him. This is indeed the fundamental question asked by the man who begins to understand himself correctly: how should I meet God?"

His itinerary through fundamental theology, on the nature and problems of faith, which also addresses the situation of the modern world, will find a liturgical response. The faith can and must be thought about in order to understand, explain and defend it, but above all it must be lived and celebrated. From this he also deduces the role of the theologian and his own. 

Theological roots

Joseph Ratzinger was educated at the seminary of his diocese, in Freising, and later at the theological faculty of Munich (1947-1951), still in ruins as a result of the war. At My life reflects very well the enthusiastic and renewing atmosphere of the time. The harsh experiences of Nazism had aroused in the German Church a yearning for renewal and evangelization, which received with enthusiasm the new ferments of liturgical theology (Guardini), ecclesiology (De Lubac) and Scripture, as well as the new philosophical inspirations, especially phenomenology and personalism (Guardini, Max Scheler, Buber). All this gave him a certain tone of overcoming (and superiority) with respect to the old scholastic (and Roman) theology. The young Ratzinger was impressed by Catholicism by De Lubac, and by the Meaning of the Liturgyby Guardini. And, from then until the end of his life, he kept himself well informed of the progress of biblical theology.

Somewhat unexpectedly, he became a professor at the seminary and specialized in Fundamental Theology, where the great questions of faith in the modern world, the sciences, politics, and the difficulties of people today in believing were raised. His doctoral thesis on St. Augustine (Village and house of God in San Agustín1953), led him to delve deeper into ecclesiology. And the habilitation thesis on The Theology of History in St. Bonaventure (1959) addressed a new approach to fundamental theology: revelation, before being concretized in formulas of faith (dogmas), is the manifestation of God himself in the history of salvation. This confronted him with Schmaus in the thesis tribunal, but it was an idea that already prevailed and would end up being taken up by the Second Vatican Council: revelation is with "deeds and words" of God, and founds the profound unity of the two sources, Scripture and Tradition. 

Ratzinger professor and theologian (1953-1977)

There followed a very intense period as professor of Fundamental Theology (and later also of Dogmatic Theology) at the seminary (1953-1959) and then at four universities: Bonn (1959-1963), Münster (1963-1966), Tübingen (1966-1969) and Regensburg (1969-1977).

Ratzinger is a young and intelligent professor and feels united to a current of German theological renewal with representative figures, such as Rahner and Küng, who appreciate him. He was also appreciated by Cardinal Frings, who took him on as an advisor and conciliar expert, after having heard him give a lecture on how the Council should be (1962-1965). He will work a lot for the Cardinal (almost blind), and the Council will give him a new experience of the life of the Church and dealings with great and veteran theologians he admires, such as De Lubac and Congar. 

Within that theological enthusiasm, he began to perceive the symptoms of the post-conciliar crisis and, little by little, he distanced himself from the vedetism of some theologians, such as Küng, and also from those who understood themselves as the true and authentic teachers of the faith, a council of theologians constituted as a permanent source of change in the Church. This will be the reason for their adhesion to the project of the magazine Communioby Von Balthasar and De Lubac, in contrast to the magazine ConciliumRahner. Discernment is needed. It is also necessary to discern and focus biblical theology, so that it brings us closer to Christ and does not separate us from him. It is a concern that is born then and grows in his life until the end when, already as Pope, he writes Jesus of Nazareth. 

The work of this period

At first glance, his work as a theologian is not very extensive and is somewhat hidden, because he has many dictionary articles and commentaries. As a result of his work in Fundamental Theology, he will later publish his Theory of theological principles (1982). In addition, he has collected his articles on ecclesiology in The new People of God (1969) and, later, in Church, ecumenism and politics. New essays in ecclesiology.  

However, the book that makes him famous at this time and that brings together all his concern to explain the Christian faith to a modern world more or less problematized and critical, is his Introduction to Christianity (1968: complex year), soon translated into many languages. It is a course for university students, but it gathers and synthesizes many of his points of view. 

In addition, after he had already been appointed Archbishop of Munich, he completed and published a brief Eschatology (1977), which is more important than it seems in his thought, since it gives the cosmic sense of history, puts human life before the great questions and allows him to approach the problem of the soul and the person from a theological point of view renewed by personalist thought. The human being is, above all, a word of God and someone destined for him. 

Ratzinger bishop (1978-1982)

It came as a complete surprise to him, as he confesses with complete simplicity in My life. Not even when the nuncio called him did he imagine what was coming his way. But Paul VI had thought of him as a theologian-bishop with sufficient personal authority to help settle the difficult post-conciliar ecclesial situation in Germany. Joseph Ratzinger suffered it. The most beautiful and rewarding part of his ministry was preaching and dealing with the simple people. The hardest thing was the resistance and the manias of the ecclesial structures, so developed (and sometimes problematized) in Germany. The first is the lived faith, in which the authenticity and efficacy of the Gospel is appreciated. But the second, which is difficult to handle, also belongs to the reality of the Church in this world and cannot be ignored. 

As the second part remains more hidden, it can be said that this period is characterized by a great expansion of his attention to the liturgy and preaching on Christian holiness. And this consolidates his theology as a pastor, recalling the intense tradition of the ancient Church fathers, theologians and bishops. The mission of a bishop is, above all, to celebrate and preach, as well as to guide the life of the Church. The same activity allows him to develop his liturgical thought, and to develop his reference to the holiness of the Church, reflected in the mysteries of the Lord's life and in the lives of the saints. 

The work of this period

It is a short period, four years, but key in the development of his liturgical theology. What, at first, as a priest and professor, had been occasional preaching, gradually became a body on the mysteries of the faith and the life of Jesus Christ that the Church celebrates throughout the year. For example, the four sermons on Eucharist, center of the Church (1978), The God of Jesus Christ. Meditations on the Triune God, y The party of the faith (1981). His liturgical reflection, previously a bit scattered and occasional, is now consolidated in a general vision, and will end, already as prefect, in his The meaning of the Liturgy (2000). In which he also includes his interest in art and, especially, in sacred music. 

In addition, this period highlights his preaching on creation in the face of questions of modern science and evolution, which results in an intelligent and lucid book, Creation and sin.

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Sunday Readings

"The amphorae of new wine". Second Sunday in Ordinary Time

Andrea Mardegan comments on the readings for the Second Sunday in Ordinary Time and Luis Herrera offers a short video homily. 

Andrea Mardegan / Luis Herrera-January 12, 2022-Reading time: 2 minutes

The third Epiphany of Jesus takes place at Cana. In the Mass the Gospel begins with the words: "at that time", but in the original the episode is introduced with: "on the third day". In the theophany at Sinai, God appeared to Moses on the third day amid thunder and lightning, in a cloud and with a very loud sound of a horn.

The style has changed: here Jesus participates in a wedding feast: joy, good food, singing and dancing. Three days lasted his search and three days will last "his hour", in Jerusalem. The wedding is a symbol of Israel's relationship with God. With Isaiah God declares his love for Jerusalem: "...".You will be called My joy and your land Married, for the Lord will find His delight in you and your land will have a bridegroom ... as the husband rejoices over the bride, so your God will rejoice over you.".

The true husband at Cana is Jesus, called seven times by his proper name and three times by personal pronouns, and the true bride is Mary, called twice by her proper name and three times by personal pronouns. the mother of Jesus, then woman and again mother. It is Mary who introduces Jesus and his disciples, us, to the feast. She takes notice. She leaves the role of a simple guest. She goes further: she is not the bridegroom, nor the master of the table, no one has asked her for anything, but "When the wine ran out, the mother of Jesus said to him, "They have no wine"".

He has set his eyes on the Son and with his gaze asks him to give a sign of himself to these spouses and to the world. Jesus is pensive, Mary is reminded of his state of mind by the words of the angel. Perhaps he did not want to begin yet what would have brought immense suffering to his Mother, because it would have led him to die for love, for all.

That is why he says to her: "Woman, what's the matter with you and me? My time has not yet come.". The hour decided by the Father. Saying this, he connects the wedding at Cana with his cross and his resurrection. Mary understands and, with the language of her eyes, which both of them have always known well, says to him: my love, do not be afraid for me, I have already said my yes.

And it's forever, you know. With a look he says to him, "You can now anticipate your hour." Paul to the Corinthians: "To each is given a particular manifestation of the Spirit for the common good."At Cana, each one does his part, the servants fulfill fully what Mary commands and what Jesus said: "...".to the top"fill the stone amphorae with water for the purification of the ancient law.

They become an anticipation of the chalices filled with the wine of the new covenant. The master of the table tastes and testifies that this wine is the best. The bridegroom, the first unwitting recipient of the gospel of God, welcomes with his astonished silence the unexpected that happened in his life. The disciples, and we with them, believe in Jesus and follow him.

Homily on the readings of Sunday II

The priest Luis Herrera Campo offers its nanomiliaa small one-minute reflection for these readings.

The authorAndrea Mardegan / Luis Herrera

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ColumnistsCelso Morga

The Three Wise Men are all of us

The "magi" personify all those who, without belonging to the People of Israel, were to be incorporated into Christ through baptism.

January 11, 2022-Reading time: 3 minutes

The manifestation of Jesus as the Child, the Son of God, to some "magicians from the East"is the revelation of the Messiah, Son of God, to all mankind. The "magi" represent us. They personify all those who, without belonging to the People of Israel, were to be incorporated into Christ through faith and baptism. They were the first to whom the Lord wished to manifest himself outside Israel.

Their path to the Child is guided by a "star". This shows us the importance of creation as a path to God for all peoples. The magi begin their journey from the revelation of God in nature to the revelation of God through the Scriptures of Israel: "...".In Bethlehem of Judah," they said to him, "for so it is written by the Prophet. And you, Bethlehem, land of Judah, are certainly not the least among the chief cities of Judah; for out of you shall come forth a leader who will shepherd My people Israel." (Mt 2:5-6). To find the true God, one must go through the revelation of God hIsrael.

The magi, who tradition says were also kings, represent us all. St. Leo the Great wrote: "May all peoples come to join the family of the patriarchs (....) May all nations, in the person of the three Magi, worship the Author of the universe, and may God be known, not only in Judea, but also throughout the world, so that everywhere his name may be great." (Serm.23).

The world is in great need of the true God, revealed first of all to Israel. The Magi arrive in Jerusalem "to pay homage to the King of the Jews"(Mt 2:2). He is "Who dominates over numerous peoples"(cf. Num 24:7 ff.). We all have a great need to adore this Child and to offer him the gift of our existence.

We clearly perceive that the dominant culture is relativistic. Everything must revolve around the individual himself, as a standard of truth and goodness; everything is a function of the subjective preception of each one, of each one and in the "the".right to have rightsI am a "socially responsible person," shirking family or social duties and responsibilities. Others must simply submit to my decision.

This dominant "subjectivism" that seems to favor the person, in reality weakens the person, weakening also the family and society, and makes it easily dependent on the interests of large power groups.

Yes, the Social Doctrine of the Church also affirms that ".the common good is always oriented towards the progress of people" (CCC, n.1912); that "the social order and its progress must be subordinated to the good of the people.... and not the other way around."(GS 26:3), but the person open to God as his Creator and Savior and open to the family and society; not closed in on himself. It is a social order based on the truth of the person as creature; a social order built on justice and enlivened by love. 

Is not the root of this transforming process that we are undergoing and that is leading us to a dominant "subjectivism" the spiritual impoverishment, the absence of God, the loss of the true meaning of life and death that leads to a dehumanizing nihilism? Every person needs to find meaning in life and this ultimate meaning can only be the true God, the Only One who can fully satisfy the yearning for happiness that nests in man.

That is why it is so important that we look to heaven, to that star that leads us to the Child Jesus to wake us up and help us awaken from that dehumanizing dream that seeks to banish God from the lives of men.

The authorCelso Morga

Archbishop emeritus of the Diocese of Mérida Badajoz

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  • Cristina InogésI perceive that the 'hour of the laity' is closer than ever".
The World

Cristina InogésI perceive that the 'hour of the laity' is closer than ever".

Interview with Cristina Inogés, member of the Methodological Commission of the Synod and in charge of the moment of reflection at the opening of the synodal journey in Rome.

Maria José Atienza-January 11, 2022-Reading time: 4 minutes
RelatedRelated NewsKeys and risks of a Synod that aims to involve the whole ChurchRelated NewsMsgr. Luis Marín: "The Synodal Church is not an invention of the Pope".Related NewsSynodality, central to the life and mission of the Church

When he received the mail from the General Secretariat of the Synod of Bishops inviting her to be one of the voices participating in the opening of the synod "For a synodal Church, communion, participation and mission", this laywoman, a theologian from the Faculty of Protestant Theology of Madrid and member of the Methodological Commission of the XVI Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, thought "they had made a mistake with Cristina".

Already at the opening ceremony, in his meditation, together with Pope Francis, he pointed out that it is "good and healthy to correct mistakes, to ask forgiveness for the crimes committed, and to learn to be humble. We will certainly experience moments of pain, but pain is part of love. And the Church hurts us because we love her. He spoke to Omnes about this meditation and the synodal journey of which it is a part.

You were one of the participants at the opening of the Synod in Rome with Pope Francis. How did you receive this assignment? 

-It was through email, which is how we operate today. All very normal and simple. 

What did that moment mean to you? 

- The first thing was to believe that they had made a mistake in the General Secretariat of the Synod because there is another Christina in the Methodological Commission. When I realized that there was no mistake and that the e-mail was for me, I could not believe it. I took a few deep breaths and replied to the email thanking them. There was not much more I could do.

A few weeks ago, you had the opportunity to participate in the Thursdays of the Theological Institute of Religious Life, those moments of formation for consecrated life, in which you spoke about religious life and synodality. Is there an effort in religious life to participate and encourage this process? 

-The religious have two ways of participation: the diocesan one through the diocese where there are communities, and the participation through their own congregation. The effort, really, is because they can work in depth through these two ways. In addition, religious life, as part of the people of God, has a very important role in this Synod, and something so obvious that it may possibly escape our attention should not go unnoticed. This something is that Francis has appointed two religious as undersecretaries of the Synod: Nathalie Becquart, from the Congregation of Xaviers and Luis Marin, from the Congregation of the Augustinians. This is no coincidence. Both Nathalie and Luis, in addition to the work they have in the General Secretariat of the Synod, do not cease to participate in meetings, courses, conferences... encouraging and explaining the importance of this Synod. Religious life, as part of the people of God, has a very important role in this Synod.

Does the "synodal tradition" of religious communities facilitate the progress of this synodal process?

-First of all, it is important to make clear that the synodality is not a tradition as such. It is a constitutive element of the Church. Second, having apparently synodal structures in an institution does not guarantee that they function synodally. There are also such structures in the parishes, in the diocesan structures themselves, and until this Synod almost no one had heard the word synodality.

Religious life must learn to be synodal, as we all must learn to be. In fact, in the recent book by Salvatore Cernuzio The veil of silence The application of synodal forms in religious life will be one of the steps that will help to clean up the problem of abuse of religious women and nuns in the congregations. This is stated by Nathalie Becquart in the foreword. With this affirmation it is clear that, until now, it was not given to the extent that it should be given.

cristina inoges_marin
Cristina Inogés and Mons. Luis Marín at the opening of the synod

Now that we are several months into this process, do you perceive a real commitment to synodality in the Church? 

-Clear bet... I do not know. It is hard to break certain inertias and the fear of the unknown does not help (although I do not understand what fear one can have of a proposal of the Spirit such as this Synod). However, I do perceive an enthusiasm in the laity who are beginning to see that this time that of the hour of the laity is closer than ever. That is the attitude: not to stay still and to walk, to open the path, to know that we are not alone. To be aware that Francis wants to listen to us and wants us to learn to be Church in another way. 

One of the challenges is to also integrate those who do not feel they are an "active" part of the Church (whether they are baptized or not). Do you think these people are being reached? 

-We all have to get involved in the action of approaching these people. What happens is that the first approach should be on the part of the bishops because these people, whom we ourselves have often silenced and made invisible, also need the figure and the word of the pastors.

We must bear in mind that the usual channels are not enough to approach these people. It is necessary to create others, to think of others, to build others and, sincerely, I do not know how this is going at the moment. But don't let anyone think that it is very complex to do so. Many times social networks can be great allies. The question is what and how we say in the networks that we are all called to participate in this Synod.

In his remarks at the opening of the synod, he focused especially on overcoming and asking forgiveness for the mistakes made as part of this synodal process. Is there fear in recognizing one's own weakness? 

-We all have to get involved in the action of approaching these people. What happens is that the first approach should be on the part of the bishops because these people, whom we ourselves have often silenced and made invisible, also need the figure and the word of the pastors.it is true that I alluded to the errors and said that we had to ask for forgiveness, but not only for the errors, but also and above all, for the crimes.

Mistakes and crimes are not the same thing. A mistake can be committed unintentionally; a crime requires premeditation. They are tremendously different realities. More than fear of one's own weakness, the fear is of the consequences of that weakness, made up, I repeat, of mistakes and crimes. It costs a lot to assume institutional responsibility and without that it will be very difficult to recover, if possible, some of the lost credibility. 

In this case, as they are of such magnitude, repentance must be accompanied by investigation of them. Without that process of investigation leading to cleansing, no matter how much we look to the future we will not find much hope, because there will always be the suspicion that something was hidden in the past. If we want to learn, let us learn by cleaning up. It will be the only way.

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RelatedRelated NewsKeys and risks of a Synod that aims to involve the whole ChurchRelated NewsMsgr. Luis Marín: "The Synodal Church is not an invention of the Pope".Related NewsSynodality, central to the life and mission of the Church
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Spain

The youngest, most affected by the pandemic

The XI Barometer of Families in Spain, carried out by GAD3 for The Family Watch Foundation, shows that people under 30 years of age are the age group that has sought psychological help most often for problems derived from the pandemic.

Maria José Atienza-January 10, 2022-Reading time: 4 minutes

People under 30 years of age have been the age group most affected by the consequences that the coronavirus pandemic has had on Spanish families.

34% of the 18-24 year-olds have needed psychological help and have used anxiolytics for the first time in these months.

Internet: the minefield

One of the points of concern arising from thisBarometer The main reason for the increase in the consumption of "adult" content during the confinement of families is the increase in the consumption of "adult" content during the confinement.

Although this barometer, as highlighted by Sara MoraisThe GAD3 general director, who does not measure consumption but rather perception, is striking in that 68.7% of those surveyed consider that this type of behavior has increased during confinement. More than half of them also highlight the ease of access to inappropriate content through digital film and entertainment platforms.

Internet access through mobile devices, at an increasingly younger age, is a key concern for Spanish families.

Parents point to the growth of harmful behaviors such as excessive use and time spent on social networks.

The most feared problems focus on the exposure of their image, insults and insults and the inability to filter inappropriate content. They also point to possible changes in self-esteem derived from the perceived idealization of influencer profiles.

Within this area, 85% of those interviewed are in favor of increasing the regulation of advertising with minors, especially with regard to the image of minors on television and networks.

About 80% of respondents believe that advertising shows preteens with adult attitudes and that a sexualized image of preteens is given.

In this line, Maria José OlestiThe general manager of the The Family Watch Foundation pointed out the Foundation's work with operators and political parties to ensure that, when contracting an Internet line, access to certain content is limited by default, as is already the case in other countries.

Starting a family, yes, but for the long term.

Starting a family still seems to be a particularly difficult task in the eyes of younger people. Those under the age of 45 give priority to financial stability and further education over starting a family.

In this sense, eight out of ten interviewees think that there are more difficulties in forming a
Only half of those surveyed say that starting a family is well valued socially and in the workplace, especially among those over 45 years of age.

This negative perception of the social and support environment is one of the most important obstacles to the formation of families in their 30s and 40s. As Olesti points out: "If we don't offer young people opportunities and make it easier for them to start a family and even become independent, it will be difficult for them to consider having children".

Olesti also alludes to the physical and emotional toll that the pandemic has taken on families. Something that makes evident "the need to reflect on the family and family policies" so that these are really effective and help families.

Light at the end of the tunnel

Although the data are far from the perceptions prior to the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic in 2019, the GAD3 study reveals a slight optimism in Spanish families. In this sense, the percentage increase among those under 45 years of age in relation to starting a family stands out.

If last year, at the height of the pandemic and with total confinement still recent, only 26% of respondents in this age group considered the possibility of starting a family in the next few years, this point has risen in this edition to 46%, although it still lags behind issues such as prospering in professional life or furthering one's studies.

There is also a perceived increase in the belief in the improvement of the economic situation, both at the household and national levels. A year ago, the outlook of the majority of respondents showed a negative picture of the overall economic future at 65%. In this edition, the perception of an overall economic downturn has dropped to 42.7%. Those who think their personal situation will improve in the coming months has also risen to 24%.

In the words of Morais, "Spaniards have resumed their life plans that had been held back by the pandemic, such as buying a house, a car or starting a family".

The general manager of GAD3 emphasizes that in the coming months, economic indicators such as real estate, which have been halted by the pandemic, will increase.

Methodology

The Family Barometer is conducted through telephone surveys, carried out in the second half of last December. The surveys were made to 601 households throughout the country, including the Autonomous Cities of Ceuta and Melilla.

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The Vatican

Former residence of the popes opens to the public

Rome Reports-January 10, 2022-Reading time: < 1 minute
rome reports88

The Lateran Apostolic Palace, next to the basilica of the same name which is the cathedral of Rome, was the residence of the popes from the fourth to the fourteenth century.

The building was rebuilt in the sixteenth century under the pontificate of Sixtus V who made it his summer residence. It currently houses the offices of the diocese of Rome. Its interior has been opened to the public with guided tours organized by the Missionaries of Divine Revelation.

AhNow you can enjoy a 20% discount on your subscription to Rome Reports Premiumthe international news agency specializing in the activities of the Pope and the Vatican.
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Books

In a state of grace

Manuel Casado recommends reading the new collection of poems by Carmelo Guillén, of which it could be said that each page "drips life and sings life".

Manuel Casado Velarde-January 10, 2022-Reading time: 3 minutes
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Carmelo Guillén Acosta (Seville, 1955) gives us a new book of poems. After his compilation volume Learning to love. Complete (revised) poetry 1977-2007 (2007) and its subsequent releases (Life is the secret2009, and Redemptions, of 2017), In a state of grace is a book of enthusiastic celebration of human fullness thanks to the Incarnation. Parodying the words of Dámaso Alonso's sonnet about Lope de Vega, it could be said that each page of this collection of poems "drips life and sings life". Love and light invade and vivify everything.

If for Quevedo "all the everyday is much and ugly", Guillén Acosta's poetry is a hymn to "the value / of each thing, however fragile it may be" (13), to the sacredness of matter and the prosaic, in which he aspires to "feel the snap of the insignificant, / its everydayness", "that which drives me not to long for / another life different from this one in which I now live" (16), because in it everything is "tightly woven into our workmanship" (61). 

Book

Title: In a state of grace
AuthorCarmelo Guillén Acosta
Editorial: Renaissance
Pages: 72
City and year: Seville, 2021

If it were not a cliché, and if the author had not already given ample evidence to say so, we would have to consider that we are before a book of full maturity, of mastery of expressive resources, always, of course, at the service of the core of meaning. 

In the pages of this book the reader encounters the most categorical lie to an "ojalatera mysticism". The poet surrenders himself "point-blank to the tiny instant, / to the fleetingness of time, to so many facts / that barely peek out and fall into oblivion" (22); all this "in a present / that tastes like eternity" (23), "that never ends, similar / to the love of God, whose exercise / I discover without ceasing in this world / to the rhythmic beat of my life" (25). In order to discover this God who "disguises himself as routine" (Insaustiti dixit), it is necessary to be "contemplative, / that clairvoyance that silence brings, / that final harmony with everything created" (27), which allows us to remain "faithful to the insignificant, / to the palpitation of daily life", and "to see how life / impels me to give myself to the little things, / to its simple and fragile breathing" (29). 

In times like those of today, with the advent of the "non-things" of the digital sphere, in which the real becomes liquid, loses density and vanishes, and in which we have become blind to the silent, habitual, minute realities (Byung-Chul Han), the poetry of Guillén Acosta invites us to anchor ourselves in being, in the solidity of the living rock.

The general celebratory tone, with the mastery of rhythm to which the author has accustomed us, bursts out on occasions in songs like this one: "Who would have thought / that these tiny things, / microscopic almost, / without any interest [...], would accompany me / in my daily struggle / until the end of my days, / and that they would be the key / that would open the door / narrow after my death" (30).

Guillén Acosta's poetry is not a way of expressing himself: it is a way of living, a contemplative, hopeful, grateful life, open to the great gift of human existence. A life, in short, dedicated, that "to give oneself to another person is, without a doubt, / the shortest way to reach happiness" (57). It is a poetry that speaks to the deepest human needs, because it springs from the "very living waters of life," as St. Teresa of Avila says.

If it is true that, as F.-X. Bellamy writes, time devoted to contemplation is the only thing that can save our world today, the book of poems In a state of grace operates in the reader the perlocutionary effect of making him value his own life, "revealing to him in time what escapes time", that is, what is permanent, actual, eternal. Here, precisely, lies, as Hölderlin warned ("what remains is founded by poets"), the essence of poetry. It is a necessary function today more than ever, when we are moving here and there, with the vertigo of an ambulance, but without fixed points and firm ground to anchor ourselves to. It is no wonder, then, that there is such a sense of absurdity and hopelessness. And so much dispensable medicalization.

If someone were to ask me why I like this book by Guillén Acosta, the answer that comes to me spontaneously is: because it helps me to glimpse the thickness of what, in my daily life, seems trivial and inane; because it helps me to better understand my life and my vocation as an ordinary Christian; because it helps me to live.

When turning the last page of this collection of poems, the reader does not know for sure whether he has been reading or praying. In any case, he has experienced that what he has in his hands at any given moment, no matter how often or how painful it may be (because "from time to time it happens: pain gives mouthfuls"), has an unprecedented density if he knows how to conjugate it with the verbs to love and to serve, in active and passive; and he has "made up his mind / that there is no other eternity" (44). 

The authorManuel Casado Velarde

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The Vatican

The dream of a totally missionary Church

In his Message for the upcoming World Mission Day, Pope Francis has expressed his desire to begin a stage of the Church that involves all Christians by virtue of their baptism, modern prophets and witnesses who carry the Gospel to the ends of the earth in the power of the Holy Spirit.

Giovanni Tridente-January 10, 2022-Reading time: 3 minutes
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A new missionary season involving all Christians by virtue of their baptism, modern prophets and witnesses who carry the Gospel to the ends of the earth in the power of the Holy Spirit. This is the dream that Pope Francis conveyed to the universal Church in his Message for the upcoming World Mission Day, released on Epiphany Day, January 6 of this new year.

The event will take place, as usual, on the penultimate Sunday of October, a month notoriously dedicated to missions, and this year it will fall on the 23rd. The theme chosen is taken from verse 8 of the Acts of the Apostles, "So that you may be my witnesses", which records the last conversation of the risen Jesus with the disciples before his Ascension into Heaven.

These words - Pope Francis writes in the Message - represent "the central point, the heart of Jesus' teaching to his disciples in view of his mission in the world". And they are a constant invitation to every baptized person if he or she wants to be a true witness to Christ. Here arises "the identity of the Church", which is built not in isolation in the individual members, but in community, as St. Paul VI already indicated in the Evangelii Nuntiandi.

As for the essence of this mission - the Pontiff explains - it translates into "bearing witness to Christ, that is, to his life, passion, death and resurrection, out of love for the Father and for humanity". It is a warning for every Christian, who is called, in short, not to communicate himself or his own gifts and abilities, but to "offer Christ with words and actions, announcing to all the Good News of his salvation with joy and frankness, like the first Apostles".

True witnesses

This can also mean, at times, suffering "martyrdom", not necessarily bloody, but it is the most concrete way of being true witnesses. It is not by chance that in evangelization "the example of Christian life and the proclamation of Christ go together", like the two lungs with which a community that considers itself truly missionary must breathe, Pope Francis stresses in his Message.

The Pope then reflects again on the need to go beyond the "usual places" of evangelization, since there are still geographical areas where the Christian message has not yet reached. At the same time, we must also consider all those social and existential horizons, those "borderline" human situations that nourish a desire, even if it is not expressed, to encounter Christ.

Obviously, it is necessary to count on the constant inspiration of the Holy Spirit, because he is "the true protagonist of the mission", who gives strength to his disciples and knows how to give "the right word, at the right time and in the right way".

In this perspective, the Pope invites us to live also the different missionary anniversaries that fall in this year 2022. Among them, the 400th anniversary of the creation of the Sacred Congregation of Propaganda Fide, "a providential intuition" that already in 1622 made it possible to carry out the Church's evangelizing mission far from the interference of worldly powers.

Two centuries later, the French Pauline Jaricot - who will be beatified on May 22 - founded the Association for the Propagation of the Faith, which allowed individual believers to participate actively in the missions through a fruitful network of prayer and collections for missionaries. From that first seed was born today's World Mission Day.

Witnesses killed

This anniversary can also be an opportunity to remember the many witnesses who give their lives for the missions every year, being killed in contexts of violence, social inequality, exploitation and moral and environmental degradation: parish priests, priests engaged in social works, religious, but also many lay people and catechists.

Each year, their stories are collected in a dossier published by Fides. In 2021, for example, 22 missionaries were killed in the world, 13 priests, 1 religious, 2 nuns and 6 lay people, most of them in Africa, but also in America, Asia and one case in Europe. People who gave witness to Christ until the last moment of their lives, often in those geographical and existential peripheries far from conventional places, as the Church invites and as true mission demands.

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  • Culture
  • Gershom Scholem (1897-1982). Jewish revelation and tradition
Culture

Gershom Scholem (1897-1982). Jewish revelation and tradition

In these years of rediscovery of Jewish tradition and culture by the Catholic world, a key author for understanding Jewish thought today -and its tensions and conflicts- is Gershom Scholem, who is a relatively little known figure in Spain.

Jaime Nubiola-January 10, 2022-Reading time: 4 minutes

Gerhard Scholem did everything in his power to be as Jewish as possible. He was born in 1897 into an assimilated German-Jewish family, for whom Jewishness was nothing more than the traditions of their ancestors. Therefore, the young Scholem's quest was seen as an act of rebellion, a sign of his interests in the Jewish world. too Jews. Proof of this is his rejection of the name "Gerhard" and its replacement by the much more Jewish name "Gershom".

He studied mathematics, philosophy and oriental languages before finding his favorite subject of study: Kabbalah, the system of interpretation of the occult doctrines of the Jewish mystical tradition. He participated in Zionist groups from a young age. He claimed that for him Zionism was not only a political movement, in favor of the creation of the State of Israel, but a movement of profound renewal of Judaism.

For Scholem, Judaism was something particular, impossible to assimilate to any other culture without destroying itself; the search for that "true Judaism" was what moved him to study the Kabbalah and other historical movements, as well as to join Zionism and move to live in Jerusalem, where he died in 1982, after a prolific academic life at the Hebrew University. His interest in the spiritual renewal of the Jewish people led him to research on history, messianism and Jewish identity and historical mission.

His passion for the past was not merely a scholarly interest: what he hoped to find in history was the renewing force that would make it possible to build the present and thus give the Jewish people new reasons to struggle to exist. Thus he writes in Major trends in Jewish mysticism: "The stories are not yet finished, they have not yet become history, the secret life in them may emerge again in you or me today or tomorrow.".

Scholem considered that the irrefutable proof of the particularity of the Jewish people was their resilienceDespite the vicissitudes of history and the difficult circumstances through which it has had to pass, it has always known how to preserve itself and to preserve its meaning and its mission. "Ultimately this meaning was based on the particular relationship that the chosen people have with God and that tradition preserves and enriches according to historical circumstances."has written César Mora ("Gershom Scholem, rediscoverer of Jewish mysticism", El Ciervo., 2019). For Scholem, it is striking how, under very harsh social circumstances, capable of crushing him, the Jew has reconfigured and developed. He does not attribute this solely to the religious bond, for it seems to him that precisely the present era, marked by secularization, has not been able to make the common bond of the people obsolete.

For Scholem, the specificity of the Jewish people arises largely from God's choice and the message he revealed to them. This revelation is not understood as a single and final moment, but radiates and expresses itself in all of reality and throughout all of history.

Scholem understands revelation as something open-ended, pending its final configuration that will only be understood by looking back: "The word of God, if there is such a thing, represents an absolute, of which it can just as well be said to rest in itself as to move in itself. Its irradiations are present in everything that, everywhere, struggles to express and configure itself... and it is precisely in this difference between what is called the word of God and the human word that the key to revelation is found." (Scholem, There is a Mystery in the World: Tradition and Secularization, p. 18). 

Therefore, revelation is understood by Scholem as something open to interpretation, an encounter of man with the word of God that is infinitely interpretable, that is configured through historical experiences and with them is renewed. Historical experience thus becomes for Judaism something fundamental, where the Jewish people finds its identity and where it encounters revelation.

One of these fundamental moments that imprints identity on the Jewish people would be the revelation of Sinai and, even today, the question about the contents of the revelation and its confrontation with the times is still valid.

For Scholem, revelation adapts itself to historical time and therefore at each moment of history this question must be asked anew and an answer must also be sought in history. Historical experiences necessarily lead the Jew to ask himself about his identity; unlike the Christian, to whom historical circumstances tell him - according to Scholem - nothing about his identity, since his configuring moment - the coming of the Messiah - has already occurred in the past. The present and the future are for the Jew open and radically related to his most intimate identity. Events such as the Shoah are fundamental to understanding Jewish identity today.

For Scholem, revelation is open to the novelty of human creativity. It is not something fixed and that should only be transmitted, but something alive, in a constant relationship with the believing conscience and open to spontaneity. Scholem sees in tradition the secret of the Jewish people, for it represents the union of the old with the new, the acceptance of novelty and its integration into what is already established.

Learning from our "elder brothers in the faith" - as John Paul II liked to call the Jewish people - is a challenge. In this direction, Gershom Scholem is an author who can help us, for he gives us much food for thought.

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Latin America

The context of the presidential elections in Chile

After a disputed campaign, the leftist candidate Gabriel Boric has won the majority against José Antonio Kast, lawyer and Catholic politician. The bishops ask him to "govern for all Chileans".

Pablo Aguilera-January 10, 2022-Reading time: 3 minutes

In a hard-fought ballot on Sunday, December 19, José Antonio Kast, a lawyer and Catholic politician, accepted his defeat against his rival, Gabriel Boric, candidate of the extreme left.

In the early morning of Monday 20, the final results were reported: Boric received 55.8 % of the votes, compared to Kast's 44.1 %. The percentage of Chileans who went to the polls in this second round was 56.59%. In the first round of November 21, 47.34 % of the citizens voted; in that round Kast had obtained the first majority, closely followed by Boric.

In his government proposal, Kast presented different strategies to protect life from conception to natural death, to reinforce the preferential right of parents to educate their children and to recognize the culture and identity of indigenous people, among other proposals.

Meanwhile, the government proposal of Boric, standard-bearer of the Frente Amplio and the Communist Party, promises the incorporation of a feminist perspective, the implementation of policies such as the "legal, free, safe and free abortion"and modifications to the gender identity law, among other ideas.

Boric is in his second term as a deputy and for the 2019 social outburst he signed the Agreement for Peace to meet the demands of the citizenry regarding public policies that allow for greater dignity and that today is translated into the Constitutional Convention to propose a new Constitution for Chile.

In view of the presidential election, the Standing Committee of the Episcopal Conference (CECh), issued a prudent communiqué on December 16, where they offered their prayers for the next president and asked him to "to govern for all Chileans, seeking paths of dialogue, agreement, justice and fraternity.".

Some bishops, individually, reminded their faithful of the ".non-negotiable principlesThe Standing Committee sent its greetings to the winner of the election: "The Church must respect life from conception to death, marriage between a man and a woman, freedom of education, etc.". When the result of the election was known, the Standing Committee sent its greetings to the winner: "I would like to congratulate him on his victory.We pray to God to give you his wisdom and strength, which you will undoubtedly need. The mission is always greater than our possibilities and capacities, but we trust that -with the collaboration of the citizens, the work of the various social and political actors, and the spiritual strength that comes from faith and the deepest human convictions- he will be able to face his task with generosity, commitment and prudence.".

Although Boric's program proposes to make drastic changes in public policies, he will most probably have to negotiate with the opposition, since the latter will have 50 % of the senators in the new Congress. The President and the new parliamentarians will take office next March.

Beyond the outcome of the presidential election, there is something more important to come. The Constituent Convention, which started working last July, should deliver a proposal for a new political Constitution between April and July 2022. Sixty days later this text will be submitted to a plebiscite; for its approval or rejection, 50 % plus one of the votes will be needed.

The Catholic Church and other Christian denominations, Jews, Muslims and others are collecting the 15,000 signatures required to support a proposal on religious freedom to the Convention. This proposal was submitted in writing last October.

The president of the Bishops' Conference, Cardinal Archbishop of Santiago Celestino Aós reflected on this situation in his Christmas message, emphasizing welcoming, listening and dialogue: "We are in another: busy with our chores and political and social plans, angry in our financial adventures and misadventures, discussing religiously about justice and sins, always sins of others, because corruption is in other neighborhoods! The words money, vacations, business, yes, wrapped in viruses and contagion, and ICU beds, etc., ring out and resound. very worried and lamenting that the avalanche of objects and gifts is not so great, and because our celebrations must be limited to the ordered capacities, and without understanding that we all must make our contribution to better organize our coexistence, to put peace where there is violence, respect where there is hatred, honesty where there is corruption, marital fidelity where there is abuse and abandonment, dialogue where insult and disqualification deafen, welcome where migrants suffer rejection. They are everyone's task, it is also your task.".

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The World

Pope's travels in 2022: increasingly a 'bridge builder

As with the consistories of cardinals, or now with the reform of the Roman Curia, and of course on the occasion of the conclaves, the expectation of the Holy Father's travels in 2022, brings with it a point of intrigue, of mystery. The apostolic journeys of Pope Francis are a sowing of fraternity and unity, and show him, more and more, to be Pontifex.

Rafael Miner-January 9, 2022-Reading time: 7 minutes
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The evolution of the pandemic is marking the Pope's visits to various places in Italy and around the world. For this reason, the Holy See cannot schedule these trips as far in advance as it would like. However, Francis has been slipping in some of his wishes, and the audiences offer some clues.

In writing these lines about possible trips of the Pope in this year that is beginning, with the help of Giovanni TridenteOmnes correspondent in Italy, was thinking of three scenes from 2021. The first, his words on the plane returning from his historic visit to Iraq at the beginning of March, which we will now see.

Second, the consecration of the modern church of St. John the Baptist, a novena in the United Arab Emirates, in December, just days before the inauguration of the grand cathedral of Our Lady of Arabia in Bahrain, which the Pope will inaugurate in December. has thanked King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa.

And the third, Pope Francis' meeting with the Orthodox Metropolitan, president of the Moscow Patriarchate's Department for External Relations, Hilarion Alfeyev, which took place on December 22, in the study of the Paul VI Hall. For an hour, they reaffirmed "the spirit of fraternity" and the common commitment to "seek concrete human and spiritual answers," the Vatican Press Office noted.

With Orthodox Patriarch Kirill

At the meeting, Metropolitan Hilarion conveyed to the Pope his best wishes, both personally and on behalf of Patriarch Kirill., for his 85th birthday. The Pontiff welcomed these greetings "with gratitude," expressing "sentiments of affection and closeness to the Russian Church" and to Kirill himself, who recently turned 75. The Holy Father recalled "the path of fraternity we have traveled together and the conversation we had in Havana in 2016."

In this climate, which continues that maintained by the Holy Father with the highest representatives of the Orthodox Church in Cyprus and Greece, one of the possible places that the Vatican Secretariat of State is considering for a meeting between Pope Francis and Patriarch Kirill could be the Abbey of Pannhonalma (Hungary), a place of strong ecumenical tradition, perhaps in September, or even in the first half of this year. Its abbot is Cyril Tamas Horotobagyi, and he has been in Rome in December. Other possible venues for such a meeting would be Finland and even Kazakhstan, although the country is now embroiled in a crisis. "I am always willing, I am also willing to go to Moscow. There are no protocols for dialogue with a brother," the Pope said recently, Rome Reports reports.

Reminiscing Iraq

"I traveled to Iraq knowing the risks, but after much prayer, I made the decision freely. It has been like getting out of prison.", said Pope Francis on the plane returning from his visit to the land of Abraham in March 2021, after fifteen months in seclusion in the Vatican, without receiving the faithful in audiences.

The stay of the Common Father of Catholics on Iraqi soil left us some important lessons, which we summarize in Omnes, and also offer some keys for his next trips. Perhaps the first is this: to think of others, of the Iraqi people, to travel even when everything seemed against him, to go to comfort and console them. A work of mercy.

The second was compassion, like Jesus shortly before the multiplication of the loaves and fishes, as read in this Saturday's Gospel. A few years ago, in October 2015, shortly before the convocation of the Holy Year of Mercy, the Pope said in Santa Marta: God. "he has compassion, he has compassion for each one of us; he has compassion for humanity and has sent his Son to heal it."

Compassion was at the heart of the prayers of Pope Francis, Pontifex, in the plains of Nineveh and Ur, for so many people, especially Christians, who have suffered "the tragic consequences of war and hostility". And in Mosul, where the Pope spoke of cruelty: "It is cruel that this country, the cradle of civilization, has been hit by such an inhuman storm, with ancient places of worship destroyed and thousands and thousands of people (Muslims, Christians, Yazidis and others), forcibly evicted and killed.". Hours later, on the flight back to Rome, he would tell reporters: "I did not imagine the ruins of Mosul, I was speechless." Some photo, which you can see in this web siteis really shocking.

"We have to forgive."

There, in Hosh-al-Bieaaa, the square of the four churches (Syriac-Catholic, Armenian-Orthodox, Syriac-Orthodox and Chaldean) of Mosul, destroyed between 2014 and 2017 by terrorist attacks, Francis solemnly affirmed that. "fraternity is stronger than fratricide, hope is stronger than death, peace is stronger than war.". "This conviction can never be silenced in the blood shed by those who profane the name of God by walking paths of destruction."

Last but not least (last but not least), we said, forgiveness. "Almighty God, open our hearts to mutual forgiveness, make us instruments of reconciliation."prayed in the ancient Ur of Abraham, together with a hundred representatives of Islam, Judaism and Christianity, in a historic interreligious meeting.

Lebanon, Kazakhstan, India...

After the messages that the Pope has left us also in Cyprus or near the Athenian Acropolis, in Lesbos, and before that in Budapest and Slovakia, Pope Francis has cried out in parallel for peace and stability in the land of the cedars, Lebanon. The conditions for such a visit are not yet likely to be in place, at least in the first half of the year. But Francis wants to go to the Mediterranean country.

In early August, one year after the terrible explosion that devastated the port of Beirut, leaving nearly 200 dead and thousands injured, the Pope publicly renewed his commitment to visit Lebanon in the near future. "Dear Lebanese," he said in the Paul VI Hall, "my desire to visit you is great. I never tire of praying for you, asking that Lebanon may once again be a message of fraternity, a message of peace for the entire Middle East".

Kazakhstan (Central Asia) will host the Seventh Meeting of the Leaders of Traditional Religions on September 14-15, and it should be recalled that the President of the Senate recently visited the Pope in Rome. However, the current political conditions of the country do not seem ideal for a papal visit, as has been pointed out. However, nothing can be ruled out.

Let us also mention India. At the end of October, the Pope received the Prime Minister of the Indian Republic, Narendra Modi, who then greeted Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican Secretary of State, and Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, Secretary for Relations with States: "In the course of a brief conversation," the communiqué noted, "they referred to the cordial relations existing between the Holy See and India". However, there is no concrete date for an eventual visit.

Santiago de Compostela, Canada

Two probable trips of the Pope in the summer of this year are Santiago de Compostela and Canada. In the extensive interview with Carlos Herrera, 'Herrera en Cope', at the beginning of September, the Pope said his desire to travel to Santiago in the summer of 2022 to address an appeal to Europe. "To the president of the Xunta de Galicia I promised to think about the matter," the Pontiff commented. "For me the unity of Europe at the moment is a challenge. Either Europe continues to refine and improve in the European Union, or it disintegrates." The ideal framework could be the end of the European Youth Pilgrimage, which concludes on August 6 and 7.

Francis reiterated in the conversation that its objective is to continue to give priority to visiting small European countries.. Therefore, "I went to Strasbourg but I did not go to France. I went to Strasbourg for the European Union. And if I go to Santiago, I go to Santiago, but not to Spain, let it be clear". Although some media do not rule out the possibility that the Pope, a Jesuit after all, may agree to visit Manresa (or Loyola) at the conclusion of the Ignatian Year, which commemorates the 500th anniversary of the conversion of St. Ignatius of Loyola, as Omnes has reported.

Another possible visit is the Pope's trip to Canada, in North America, which has to do with an issue that has shaken the Church in recent years: the serious abuse of minors. The Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops has invited the Holy Father to make an apostolic visit within the context of the pastoral process of reconciliation being carried out with the indigenous population, following their mistreatment by Catholic communities in the 19th century, which included the discovery of more than a thousand unmarked graves with the remains of indigenous children.

Ukraine, Montenegro, Malta, South Sudan, Congo...

There is also talk of a trip to Ukraine before the summer. At Christmas, Francis said that "the metastases of a gangrenous conflict" should not be allowed to spread in Ukraine, because of the tensions between Kiev and Moscow, which give rise to fears of a military escalation. And he also recalled the "forgotten" tragedies of the conflict in Yemen and Syria, which "has caused many victims and an incalculable number of refugees". Ukrainian Catholics take the Pope's trip almost for granted, in order to avoid a conflict with Russia.

Moreover, since before the pandemic, His Holiness had been planning trips to Montenegro, Malta, Indonesia, East Timor, Papua New Guinea (Oceania), and perhaps even more insistently, to the Republic of Congo and South Sudan, on the African continent.

Florence (Mediterranean region), and Rome.

A first meeting this year will be the Pope's meeting in Florence with bishops and mayors of the Mediterranean region at the end of February, in which refugees and their families will also participate, so that this area will once again become "a symbol of unity and not a border".

The event continues the mission launched by the Italian Episcopate in Bari in February 2020, on the verge of the pandemic, with the meeting "Mediterranean, frontier of peace" which, for the first time in history, brought together the bishops of the Mare Nostrumunited by the desire to tear down the walls that separate nations, reports the official Vatican agency.

Moreover, in June of this year, without moving from Rome, will take place the X Meeting of Familieswith the theme 'Family love: vocation and path to holiness'. A meeting that had to be postponed in 2020 because of the pandemic and that will have a multicenter and extended modality, "favoring the involvement of diocesan communities around the world".

"Four or five trips out of Italy."

Pope Francis begins this year, which will mark nine years since his election, with the preparation of "four or five" trips outside Italy, during which he could visit Oceania and Canada for the first time, among other destinations, the Télam news agency reported, although he has in mind trips "to the Congo and Hungary".

"In addition, I still have to pay the overdue bill for the trip to Papua New Guinea and East Timor," the Holy Father added, referring to the visit originally scheduled for 2020, but suspended because of the pandemic.

"You have to go to the periphery if you want to see the world as it is," the Pope pointed out about his way of traveling in the book 'Let's Dream Together', in which he added: "I always thought that one sees the world more clearly from the periphery, but in these last seven years as Pope, I ended up proving it. To find a new future you have to go to the periphery".

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Father S.O.S

Deserts that refresh

The ordinary thing in the development of the spiritual life is to pass through the desert. It was done by the Jewish people, John the Baptist, Christ and many others who have come after him. The spiritual desert can be confused with an existential crisis, with a depression or with a dark night. It can also overlap with all of them.

Carlos Chiclana-January 9, 2022-Reading time: 3 minutes

You can go through personal, marital, vocational, spiritual, institutional, etc. deserts. There the conditions are spartan, it is very cold and very hot, there is little company, the food is precarious, time passes slowly, silence prevails, there is dust and bugs, they are inhospitable, austere and unpleasant places. It is logical to complain and seek comfort, whether it is a golden calf, turning stones into bread or crying for the leeks and onions you used to eat.

And at the same time, remember that you are passing through, that you will leave behind something that was left over, that you know it is a desert because you have known other places and you can compare. The fact that you are there now does not cancel or deny what you have lived before, but rather reinforces, affirms and contrasts it. That it was different before also reaffirms that you are now in that desolate place. The emotional dryness of this season contrasts with the wise conscience that connaturally points out the truth. The desert is a lonely place where only God meets you at dawn after having contemplated you while you slept. 

Don't be afraid of it, it's scary, yes, and go for it because it's good for us even if we don't understand it. 

1.- It threatens to destructure your life. It seems that everything is over, that nothing makes sense anymore, that everything before was false. Great uneasiness and/or subtle deceptive approaches will appear: disillusionment, tiredness, existential questioning or amendment to the totality.

2.- It questions. To go through it means to discern again. Yes, again. What is wheat and what is tares, what is straight and what is crooked, what is light and what is shadow, the demons and the wild beasts ask you, if it is this way or the other. It is a lucid deliberation in which, at the same time, you know and you don't know, you see and you don't see. 

3.- Awaken the spirit so that you can start again, and really start. It is the preamble to a new spiritual path, to return to the essential and make things new. Do not deny the past, you know where you come from, even sometimes running away from the Egyptian on duty. The sun burns your old skin and a new one appears. You are thirsty and long for the light; unlike the depressive pictures, where you don't care about anything, here you want to find the truth.

4.- Show the north. To see the stars well, the more darkness the better. It seems - so say the mystics who enlighten us with their dark nights - that He does not exempt from the fecund blackness of the blind man who recovers his sight. The lack of light on earth allows you to see the stars in the sky, where the Polar remains at your service. If you trust the night with your time and wait, in the end, it always surprises you with the gift of dawn. There is hope, in the face of the hopelessness of depression.

5.- It clears and stuns at the same time. It generates confusion at first: what is going on? Little by little it centers you and allows you not to be distracted because there is little noise there, with so much emptiness around. It frees you from weights that are not necessary to move forward. In silence the word is better heard. Without so much complement the Word is more authentic and you know it is there, even if you feel almost nothing spiritually, and in other areas of your life you are still as alive as ever.

6.- Wanderlust. When you find yourself so sold out you have two options: either you wake up and continue walking to live, or you abandon yourself and die for the desert nothingness. This scenario offers you a full life according to the spirit, because the material, structural, institutional or task supports are few, unappetizing and little satisfying. The desert does not lull you to sleep like the alterations of the state of mind.

7.- Detach. To be able to advance through the sands it is necessary to detach oneself from what is not essential: occupations, errands, activities, distractions. It is frightening because it seems that there will be nothing left, but there will be you and God who, moreover, in the midst of the depopulation, will say to you with a half smile "feed them", when all you have left are rags, much hunger and thirst.

8.- Go inside. As the outside of the desert is of little interest and is always the same, it is necessary to stop looking outside for what you have inside. Thus, it places you in a propitious scenario for the encounter with yourself, with your own truth, and to see that there inside they were already waiting for you for the wedding. However, in depression you are not able to reflect.

9.- Rename. With so many stones around, at the end you see your name written on all the little white stones. A new name, after the hero's journey, which turns out to be the same name as before. 

Thus, you make history, you build your history, and you come out of the desert awake, vitalized and with that look -comprehensive, amazed and appreciative- about yourself, others and life, which allows you to enjoy every drop of water much more.

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ColumnistsJosé María Calderón

Children, like Jesus, are light

January 9, 2022-Reading time: 2 minutes

"Children help children", this has been and is the alma mater of the Pontifical Work of Missionary Childhood (formerly known as Holy Childhood). Sometimes the verb was changed to "children evangelize children".

This year, the Day of this Pontifical Work, which will take place on January 16, has chosen the theme, "With Jesus to Jerusalem: Light for the world!"

We will recall the last known detail of the Lord's infancy: when Jesus as a child stays in Jerusalem, answering and enlightening the doctors and teachers of the law. He is the true Light of the world who enlightens those who live in darkness and in the shadow of death.

Today there are many children in the world who live in darkness, who do not have the faith, the hope, the love that comes from knowing God. They too must have the joy of knowing that they are loved by a God who is Father. They are many, they are the majority, they are too many. And we can help them, and so we must teach them to our children. Do you remember Teresita? Yes, the little missionary girl! She wanted to be a missionary: "I want to bring Jesus to the children who do not know him, so that they may go to heaven happily ever after, always." Children can be missionaries, be light to bring Jesus to those who do not know him. And they do it by praying for the children who do not know God; and they do it by offering small or big sacrifices for the missionaries, as Therese did; and they do it when they give a small alms to help the missions.... 

Children are missionaries when they speak with simplicity and with a smile about God and about what they ask of him or what they thank him for in their prayers; sometimes they are the ones who best give a great testimony of faith and trust in God, and sometimes they are the ones who best understand that we must be concerned about others, that we must widen our hearts to be attentive to the needs of other children, even if they are far away.

The authorJosé María Calderón

Director of the Pontifical Mission Societies in Spain.

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Cinema

Is there a perfect family? �

Exciting without falling into sentimentality, "Vicino a te" develops according to a discreet, simple and effective scene, which has no other intention than to tell a story in the most realistic way possible.

Patricio Sánchez-Jáuregui-January 8, 2022-Reading time: 2 minutes

Testo originale in inglese qui

John, a thirty-five year old single father and a mixed-race car wash, is an Irishman with only a few months to live. Preparing for what is coming, he spends most of his time trying to find a new family for his three year old son, Michael. Pressed between the need to say goodbye, the protective instinct and an impossible decision, he will seek the assistance of the Social Services' helpers, in particular Shona.

Exciting without falling into sentimentality, "Vicino a te" develops according to a discreet, simple and effective scenery, which has no other intention than to tell a story in the most realistic way possible. It is an opera that successfully avoids lapsing into drama and confronts paternity, death and the father-figure relationship, providing clear but painful guidance.

Edificant in its own way, it is a simple story, but told in a special way, which is attentive to the fatalism of Italian neorealism (Vittorio De Sica), as well as to the ravishing and documentary technique of the English (Mike Leigh) and European (Dardenne brothers) for social cinema.

The presupposition of the film, perhaps a bit predictable and which could lead the film into melodrama, is managed with a sober, attentive and clear narration, which allows to put in light the humanity of its characters. It is the witnesses and the small details of daily life that give a realistic tone to the story and that coinvolve.

The film features an excellent James Norton (Piccole donne, guerra e pace), the young Daniel Lamont as his son, and Eileen O'Higgins as Shona. The film is a great example of this, which helps to channel the audience's empathy towards what is about to happen and when it happens and the emotion is too high (last desires, last moments), these are moments that are managed, avoiding, wisely, to emphasize them. Former business banker and Luchino Visconti's nipote, Uberto Pasolini is a multi-awarded filmmaker, stage designer and producer who directs and writes this critically acclaimed social work (his third film as a filmmaker). A film close to a documentary, which successfully manages emotions without falling into sentimentality where the characters and the story are well harmonized creating a film of rare quality.

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Cinema

Is there such a thing as a perfect family?

Patricio Sánchez-Jáuregui-January 8, 2022-Reading time: 2 minutes

Close to you

Direction and scriptUberto Pasolini
Country: Italy
Year: 2021

Text in Italian here

A thirty-five-year-old single father and window cleaner, John is an Irishman with only a few months to live. Preparing for what's ahead, he spends most of his time trying to find a new family for his three-year-old son, Michael. Caught between the need to say goodbye, the protective instinct, and an impossible decision, he will seek the assistance of Social Services employees, especially Shona.

Emotional without falling into sentimentality, "Close to you." thrives on a discreet, simple and effective script, which has no pretensions beyond telling a story as realistically as possible. It is a piece that successfully avoids falling into drama, and deals with fatherhood, death and the father-son relationship with accurate but soft stitches.

Edificant in its own way, it is a modest story told in a special way, which draws from the fatalism of Italian neorealism (Vittorio De Sica), as well as from the close and documentary technique of British (Mike Leigh) and European (Dardenne brothers) social cinema.

The film's premise, perhaps a bit hackneyed and lends itself to pocket melodrama, is maintained thanks to a sober, careful and clear-sighted technique, which reveals the humanity of its characters. It is the actors and the small details of everyday life that give the film a realistic and engaging quality.

Thus, we find an enormous James Norton (Little Women, War and Peace)A creditable acting and directing performance with his son, Daniel Lamont, and an anecdotal accompaniment by Eileen O'Higgins (Shona) that helps to channel the audience's empathy for the impending and produce compassion for the inevitable, which weighs on the simple moments and overflows in the few characteristically emotional moments (last wishes, last moments) that are well chosen and wisely not overplayed.

Former investment banking employee, and nephew of Luchino Visconti, Uberto Pasolini is a multi-award winning director, screenwriter and producer who directs and writes this critically acclaimed social work (his third film as director). A film close to a documentary, direct, that handles emotions well without falling into sentimentality, and whose actors and moments are perfectly matched, creating a memorable film.

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  • José M. AlbaladThe parishes have been the 'field hospital' requested by the Pope".
Spain

José M. AlbaladThe parishes have been the 'field hospital' requested by the Pope".

The director of the Secretariat for the Support of the Church, José María Albalad, highlights how despite the drop in collections in Spain as a result of the pandemic, donations through the donation portal have increased, but not enough - at least for now - to cope with the drop in income.

Maria José Atienza-January 8, 2022-Reading time: 4 minutes

Zaragozano, journalist and doctor in Communication, José María Albalad has been the head of the Secretariat for the Support of the Church of the Spanish Episcopal Conference since last September.

Its first months have been marked by the consequences of the pandemic on family economies and, therefore, on the Church, as well as the renewal of the donation portal. donoamiiglesia.

- The Spanish Church launched this donation system a few years ago. How has it evolved over the years? Has it been well received? 

The donation portal is one of the strategic axes of the Secretariat for the Support of the Church, which has set itself the goal of promoting new technologies and alternative ways of collaboration.

Specifically, the donation portal 'donoamiiglesia.es' was created five years ago, in 2016, with a pioneering approach, since already at that time it allowed, at the click of a button, to make a donation to any of the 23,000 parishes in Spain.

The pandemic, therefore, caught the Church with its 'homework' done in this regard and, faced with the closure of churches due to the confinement of 2020, donations in this way increased fivefold.   

However, the economic support received through the portal -in global terms- does not yet represent a particularly significant percentage, if we compare it with the volume of collections in Spain.

But it does increase significantly as new consumption and leisure habits are consolidated, increasingly closer to the digital ecosystem.

In this sense, the work that is currently being done with new technologies in general and with the donation portal in particular represents a clear commitment to the future. After this sowing period, the fruits -which are increasing- will multiply.

The pandemic, therefore, caught the Church with its 'homework' done and, faced with the closure of the temples due to the confinement of 2020, donations through the donoamiiglesia website increased fivefold.

José María Albalad. Director of the Secretariat for Church Support

- What changes does this new website present with respect to the previous donoamiiglesia? 

The new design reflects needs that have been detected both by the Dioceses and the Spanish Episcopal Conference, as well as by the donors themselves. Specifically, the changes seek to increase ease of use for the user, through an intuitive website adapted to the profile of the donor: a person between 50 and 59 years old, who makes an average donation of 49 euros. This is already reducing the number of incidences, since the points of the process that could generate some kind of confusion have been addressed.

In addition, an interface has been created that seeks to transmit the friendly, human and transparent face of the Church. The idea is to gradually incorporate the publication of news, stories and testimonies.

A milestone of the new portal is that it facilitates the diffusion to the parishes with a specific URL for each entity, which in turn allows them to have a personalized QR code. From the point of view of promotion, this is a great opportunity for each community, which gains in proximity.

Donoamiiglesia.es' is a dynamic project, in continuous evolution, so this relaunch is not the end of the work. In fact, it is planned to incorporate Bizum as a payment method in the first quarter of next year. 

- To what extent has the pandemic crisis affected these donations? 

We are experiencing a double phenomenon. On the one hand, collections in Spain have fallen by a third as a result of the pandemic, as an approximate average. On the other hand, donations through the donation portal have increased, but not enough - at least for now - to cope with the drop in income.

In addition to this, the needs have skyrocketed and the Church has responded from the very beginning to the current challenge, attending to the particular situation of each person, of each family. The parishes have been (and are), without a doubt, the 'field hospital' that Pope Francis calls for.

The number of transactions this year through the donation portal exceeds 85,000, and recurring donations are on the rise. In other words, more and more people are committing to collaborate periodically with a fixed amount, which facilitates financial planning. It is important to remember that individuals (those who pay personal income tax) can deduct an 80% on donations of up to 150 euros.

The needs have skyrocketed and that the Church has responded from the outset to the current challenge, attending to the particular situation of each person.

José María Albalad. Director of the Secretariat for Church Support

- Now it is very easy to donate to exactly what we want: diocese, seminary or the EEC itself. In general terms, how are these donations distributed? Do we tend to "the known": parish, seminary... ?

In more than 90% of cases, people collaborate directly with their parish, which responds to a natural logic. The Christian community lives and celebrates its faith in the parish, which with its many activities (celebratory, pastoral, charitable...) is a witness to the joy and tenderness of the Gospel. This collaboration is not only economic, but also of qualities, time and prayer.

The Church is much more than a building or a person. We are shelter, food and hope for those who need it most. I would like to take this opportunity to extend my heartfelt thanks to all the people who checked the X box on their tax returns this year, to those who have donated - and even paid by direct debit - through their parishes or dioceses, to those who have left legacies or inheritances and, in general, to all those who have collaborated to the extent of their possibilities.

Without the generosity of so many people, the Church would not have been able to respond to the tsunami of needs unleashed by the pandemic and continue to proclaim the Good News.

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Integral ecology

Mercy for all

Mercy is to be exercised toward everyone. Neither those who have acted unjustly, nor those who have allowed themselves to be guided by naivety or misunderstood generosity, should be excluded from it.

Juan Arana-January 7, 2022-Reading time: 4 minutes
RelatedRelated NewsThe temptation to divinize the universe

For any Christian, the concluding words of Mark's Gospel have sounded for twenty centuries like a good wake-up call: "Go into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature". Nothing less! To the whole world and to every creature... It is a huge mission; as overwhelming as it is exciting. The urgencies of Francis Xavier and so many others, in a hurry to travel and convert the globe before their own breath ran out, are explainable... Matthew adds to his version a couple of nuances that should not be neglected: "Teach all nations... teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you". In other words: everything to everyone. There is no exclusion clause in the message we must convey; the sower must continue to sow his seed without sparing it even among the stones and thistles, since no one knows beforehand if the sown ground lacks a hidden fruitfulness that is waiting for whoever says "Get up and walk!".

Today civilizations, rather than allying or warring with each other, are rubbing against each other and intermingling. That is why it is very easy to reach pessimistic conclusions about the possibility of reaching a truth that convinces everyone. As far as religions are concerned, the question of whether there are a that stands out among the rest also seems more irresolvable than ever. We Christians in many respects are no better than the rest of men. If the Jews of the Old Testament took every opportunity to disappoint the expectations that God had placed in them, we children of the Church that came out of the New Covenant also often disappoint our own and strangers. 

But there is something that allows an impartial observer to notice a distinctive feature: our doctrine does not disprove the qualification of universal, Catholic. Unlike so many associations of one sign or another, in ours only God reserves the right of admission, and He will exercise it only at the end of time: as far as we are concerned, if it were objectively possible, no one should be excluded from the message. Unlike other fields that are better laid out, more conscientiously weeded or systematically weeded, in the gardens of the Church the weeds grow happily along with the wheat: this is not the time to separate one from the other, nor are we the ones called to do so.

In short, we must make sure that the good seed is not lost and does not die, even if an adversary who does not respect the rules of the game acts among us.. Hence a good part of the reproaches made to us by the children of the century, who try to compensate for the absence of God that they profess, with the supposedly immaculate purity of their wanderings. But it does not matter: let them be the ones who boast of practicing zero tolerance with these or those beyond. For the Christian faithful to his identity, the struggle is only against evil, against sin, but not against those who perpetrate it, since God has not authorized us to despair of the conversion of any sinner. The mercy we try to practice is for everyone.

On the face of it, the situation we have reached is funny. It would seem that those who throw so many things in the face of the members (and above all of the hierarchy) of the Church, claim almost infinite tolerance for evil and, on the other hand, very limited intolerance against those who protect or pardon repentant wrongdoers. I am not trying by this to excuse those who, having the duty of guardianship, have neglected, no matter with what motive, so elementary a duty. On the other hand, as Nicolás Gómez Dávila proclaims in one of his aphorisms: "At a certain deep level, every accusation made against us is correct". And undoubtedly, those who systematically reject any accusation made against them are wrong, and even more so those who boast of an immaculate performance. But it is one thing for believers to have a lot to improve and another for those who hate us for the mere fact of being believers to set themselves up as supreme judges of morality, while at the same time acting as prosecutors and executioners.

The denunciation of injustice is a prophetic virtue... provided, of course, that it is not instrumentalized in the service of other causes, especially that of persecuting enemies or favoring friends. It would be desirable that those who are so quick to accuse poor shepherds of being villains, victims of a guilty naivety or of a misunderstood generosity (and it would be good, of course, that they overcome both the one and the other), would have been able to apply such severe reprimands to themselves and their allies when the time came. Evil is still evil no matter how you look at it. When it comes to committing it, hypocritical dissimulation is undoubtedly an aggravating factor, but neither does the cynicism of those who boast of their misdeeds to their face serve as a mitigating factor. 

According to the proverb "seven times the just man falls", very few of the faithful or pastors of the Church will pretend that it is not their duty to beat their breasts and face all the consequences of their actions and omissions. But, either we have mercy on everyone (bad guys included) as our Master taught, or I am afraid that we will start a dynamic that in the end will give no quarter to anyone (not even to the most innocent). According to what many say, it would seem that there are no sins, but only unforgivable sinners, who curiously coincide with those who for some reason are the object of their hatred.

The authorJuan Arana

Professor of Philosophy at the University of Seville, full member of the Royal Academy of Moral and Political Sciences, visiting professor in Mainz, Münster and Paris VI -La Sorbonne-, director of the philosophy journal Nature and Freedom and author of numerous books, articles and collaborations in collective works.

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Experiences

A door to the knowledge of God's history with us

The Bible Porticopublished by the Saxum Foundation, historically contextualizes and explains the sacred books through visual elements, chronological tables and simple explanations that can be downloaded free of charge for use in classes, catechesis and personal formation.

Maria José Atienza-January 7, 2022-Reading time: 7 minutes

Do we know how to situate Jeremiah in history, when he lived, why he wrote what we read today, whose contemporary was King David? Questions like these were the ones that led Jesús Gil and Jose Ángel Domínguez to combine their knowledge of graphic design, spiritual theology and biblical theology in The portico of the Bible, which, reminiscent of the Portico de la Gloria that gives access to the cathedral of Santiago de Compostela, is conceived as a "gateway" to the knowledge and deepening of the books that make up the Old and New Testament. 

Jesús Gil, a priest of the Prelature of Opus Dei and doctor in Spiritual Theology from the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross, who had previously worked in various media as a visual journalist and art director, explains how this reference book came about: "Both Jose Angel, who has a Ph.D. in Biblical Theology, and I had previously taught classes on the history and geography of the Holy Land. We had the Oxford Bible Atlas maps, the chronology done, from the Saxum Visitor Center and we had worked on the subject. During the confinement I began to consider asking Oxford for the rights to these maps and we began to work out what would be the basis of this book. We worked out a plan with the Saxum Foundation - with whom I had already published Traces of our faith- a guide to the Holy Land - and thanks to her, it was possible to carry out this project".. 

The support of the Saxum International Foundation is what has made it possible for The portico of the Bible is a reference book made available to anyone who wants to use it. It can be downloaded free of charge and is designed to support the teaching and study of the Bible at all levels. "The origin is very academic, very didactic." Jesús Gil highlights. "We wanted to make some good materials to teach these Bible classes and make them available to everyone, something that would not have been possible with a conventional publisher and that has been possible thanks to the Saxum International Foundation.". 

In addition to their previous work and the support of the Foundation, the authors of The portico of the Bible The project has benefited from the advice and guidance of several professors of Biblical Theology and History from the San Dámaso University of Madrid (Napoleón Ferrández and Agustín Giménez), the San Vicente Ferrer Faculty of Theology of Valencia (Joaquín Mestre), the University of Navarra (Francisco Varo, Vicente Balaguer and Fernando Milán) and the Pontificia Università della Santa Croce of Rome (Carlo Pioppi).

The portico of the Bible is available in Spanish. The English and Polish versions of the texts are in their final stages, and the Portuguese and Italian editions are being prepared. In this regard, Jesús Gil points out: "Hopefully there will be many more editions, such as those of Footprints of our Faith which, in addition to the above, is published in French, German and Korean".. 

Situating the history of salvation

What does this book bring to any Christian? Jesús Gil points it out clearly: "Situating salvation history in time and space." 

A fact that is not trivial, since, as Gil, "This is the basis of the whole theology of the Incarnation: God became man at a specific moment in history, in a precise place in the world and not in any other place". 

For the Christian who approaches the Bible as part of the knowledge of Christ, "knowing the history and the places where our salvation history unfolds are fundamental.". 

Approaching Sacred Scripture

"With Jesus we also meet in his Word", Jesús Gil recalls. For this reason, understanding what and why Sacred Scripture says certain things, speaks of certain kings or areas or mentions traditions from different sources can be of great help in understanding more fully the message of these passages of the Old and New Testament. 

There are many Christians who really do not know the Bible. Historically, moreover, there has been a kind of misgivings about the difficulty of reading some books, as Jesús Gil himself acknowledges: "It is true that there are books and passages in Sacred Scripture that are not easy to understand and interpret today, but they also have teachings for the men and women of today. Every month I give an adult confirmation catechesis and, on many occasions, I ask how old King David was... No one knows how to answer that he is from the year 1000 BC. This fact is not indifferent because, when David decides to build the temple, God sends Nathan to confirm him in the goodness of his purpose and also to tell him that his hands are stained with blood and that his son Solomon will build it. But in addition, Nathan already makes the messianic prophecy: "Your house and your kingdom will always stand firm before me, your throne will last forever." (2Samuel 7:16-17) and this prophecy takes a thousand years to be fulfilled, which gives us to understand that God's times are not our times". Another example that the author points out is that of knowing the history of the people of Israel. For example, in relation to the promised land, given by God, it is noted that it goes from one failure after another: deportations, wars, slavery... "The whole story of failures, of banishments, infidelities, comings and goings... also says a lot to us, because our life is full of the same." points out Jesús Gil. "No life is perfect and yet, out of failures, God is speaking and purifying his people." 

One of the most important new features of The portico of the Bible are the index cards for each book that makes up Sacred Scripture. In this case, the books are not presented in canonical order but in chronological-temporal order, with the objective of helping to frame the moment of Scripture or to which the biblical books refer in the context of universal history. These explanatory charts of each of the books that make up the Old and New Testament are synthetic and informative charts. 

For each book, the literary genre, the story told or its historical context, the time and process of composition, authorship, main teachings, key concepts, relevant aspects of the structure and central passages are detailed. 

The graphs are accompanied by illustrations by National Geographic Magazine and data on the oldest surviving manuscripts for each book, also compiled by the American magazine. 

As Jesús Gil points out, this choice of chronological order has not been easy."Some books of the Bible are easy to frame, but others are not. It is practically impossible to order them exactly. We find books like Isaiah, which was written over hundreds of years, or Daniel, whose date is unknown. At The portico of the Bible these books are placed in the place where their message can best be understood". 

The documentation work for this book has been extensive. Jesús Gil highlights, for example, the valuable help of the book by Vicente Balaguer Introduction to Sacred Scripturein which he explains how the writing of the book of Genesis corresponds to the time of the Babylonian exile. "Genesis is written in contrast to Babylonian myths."recalls Jesús Gil. "The people of Israel are the only monotheistic people in the midst of a polytheistic society, in which the world is explained as a consequence of confrontations between gods... The Jews deny this explanation and turn to their oral tradition: that of the creation of the world by a unique, good God, who creates it out of love... Knowing when each of these books was written gives some reading keys that make it easier to understand the content of each book".

The book, moreover, is the result of an enormous work of coordination and adequacy between design and content. Each book is presented in one or two pages, including explanatory cards. In addition, the chronologies included cover the history of salvation from Abraham to the present, with information on the historical context of other civilizations close to Israel or universal history.

An invitation to read the Bible

With The portico of the Bible the authors would like to make a "invitation to read every book of the Bible.". It is conceived as a reference book. 

"This book does not exhaust itself, but should lead to reading other books, for example books of the Bible, or introductions to reading biblical books."Jesús Gil points out that, in addition to the above-mentioned Introduction to Sacred Scripture points out the usefulness of the EUNSA commentaries on the Holy Bible, written by professors of Theology at the University of Navarra. 

The portico of the Bible can help to get the most out of each Sunday's readings, notes Jesús Gil. In fact, one of the objectives of this book is to serve as an aid in Sunday preaching for priests or in catechesis. "It often happens that, in the Old Testament passage on Sunday, we do not know the context. For example, when we read part of Jeremiah's oracle of consolation, which is almost at the end of his book, we read it without knowing what has happened before. Jeremiah witnesses the destruction of Israel, the deportation to Babylon... the consequence of evils that he himself had denounced. Therefore, the fact that Jeremiah himself, at the end of the book, has some oracles of consolation and restoration of the kingdom of Israel gives it much more value, because throughout his book he denounces the sins and evils of the people and warns of an evil, of destruction, but ends with consolation. Knowing this gives more value to that consolation.". 

To know Sacred Scripture better in order to know God better, this would be the key goal of The portico of the Bible since, throughout the Bible, "God makes himself known and makes known how he acts. If we do not know Sacred Scripture, we do not know a large part of God's history with us", Gil concludes. 

The Saxum Foundation and the Visitor Center

The portico of the Bible is linked, in a way, to another book, Footprints of our faith, as a preparation for the pilgrim's visit to the Holy Land. Both titles have been published by the Saxum International FoundationIts main objective is to offer the possibility of reaching an encounter with God through a deeper and historical knowledge of the places where Jesus lived, preached and acted. Its main project is the Saxum Visitor Center located 15 kilometers from Jerusalem and offers, at its entrance, a chronology that combines the history of salvation with major historical events, as well as a large map of the Middle East places the pilgrim in the history of the places he or she is visiting. Inside, an interactive, multimedia experience is offered through which pilgrims get a perfect idea of what life and the main events of salvation history would be like.

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ColumnistsCésar Mauricio Velásquez

Money and growth

January 7, 2022-Reading time: < 1 minute

Wealth, growth and the fight against corruption are central themes in the discourse of any politician. Promises of rivers of milk and honey adorn the range of extremes and ideological centers in social networks and auditoriums around the world. 

Growth targets, GDP, inequality reduction, inclusion and a number of development goals occupy life, time, existence and happiness. 

Issues and reflections that go beyond these concepts seem to have no real space in the so-called public agenda. The complete vision of other essential issues, such as the origin and destiny of human life, the family, drug consumption and trafficking, have fallen into the prism of pragmatism, of how much they cost and how much they are worth, regardless of what they are.  

The loss of the good sense of wealth, replaced by greed, envy and class struggle, has awakened a violent and blind resentment. Those who succeed and achieve wealth are viewed with suspicion, are not valued in their efforts, and are even persecuted by ideologues of misery who know little about social responsibility, constant work and discipline.

The goals of economic growth, job creation and poverty reduction, for example, are not possible without the combined efforts and risks of the public and private sectors. The soundness of business, as well as the good future of entrepreneurship among young people, is possible with human values, fair laws and honest rulers. 

Good economic growth reduces poverty, generates shared wealth and improves living conditions, but true growth is complete: of body and soul, and this is where the goal lies.

The authorCésar Mauricio Velásquez

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Initiatives

The Three Kings' Parade in Poland: from one school to hundreds of cities

Millions of people in Poland take part in the parades of kings. What began as a small Christmas performance in a Warsaw school takes, at this time of the year, the streets of many Polish cities and towns and has spread beyond its borders.

Maria José Atienza-January 6, 2022-Reading time: 3 minutes

Piotr Giertych, one of the organizers of this parade, describes for Omnes the beginnings of this procession that reflects a deep-rooted devotion to the Magi in Poland: "The Three Wise Men Parade in Poland was born as a developed form of Christmas theater that has its history in Poland since the 17th century. That's when this tradition left the houses, churches or schools and began to walk the streets".

From school theater to Cavalcade

What today is the Three Kings Parade was resumed at the school. Żagle in Warsaw where "every year the children were actors in a Christmas theater. The typical scenes we know from Holy Scripture began to take on colors and sounds. In the theater each pupil had his or her own role and, with the growing number of pupils, it was an increasingly difficult adventure. In 2008, the organizer of the school theater proposed to go outside. Something that, with the temperatures and snow typical of Polish weather, seemed crazy. However, the first event was very successful and we repeated it the following year.

Year after year, people and organizations joined the procession, recalls Giertych: "The number of people taking part and the interest of the media in this street theater confirmed to us that the Poles wanted to celebrate this day. The parliament decided to change the law and proclaim January 6 a public holiday (a working day since the communist government abolished the holiday in 1962)".

2011 was a key year: "For the first time we were able to organize the parade on January 6 and more cities joined our Foundation. Since then, the number of parades has only grown, even in areas where there was no celebration of this day. Piotr Giertych emphasizes that "in 2020 (the last January 6 before Covid19) there were 872 cities in Poland that organized the Three Kings' Parade together with us".

A festive catechesis

"The Cavalcade always has the same narrative," Giertych points out, "the magi look up to heaven and begin their pilgrimage. At the same time, the Holy Family decides to go to Bethlehem. On the way they meet King Herod, the shepherds, the inn, angels and devils, who try to divert the travelers. The Romans keep order in the streets..., and ahead of them all goes the star".

The celebration is not limited to the participants of this procession. "All the participants of the Cavalcade receive a paper crown and a songbook. This allows people to join in with those dressed as kings, knights, court ladies, shepherds, etc. All together they sing Christmas carols, a very old tradition in Poland that has survived even during the communist era."

It is a festive catechesis, "the carols have great theological content and narrate truths of the faith," says Giertych, "which is not an obstacle for more than a thousand people to dance the typical Polish dance (polonez) to the chords of a carol at the end.

The tradition of the Cavalcade is already a reality in Poland, in fact, according to the organizer, "Pope Benedict XVI and now Pope Francis greet the Polish Cavalcades every year on January 6 from their windows".

In Poland, around two million people participate in the event in almost a thousand localities and, "for some years now, the Polish parade has been joined by other countries: France, England, Germany, Austria, Ukraine, Romania, Slovenia, Hungary and Kazakhstan, but also the USA, Ecuador, Cuba and even countries in Africa such as Rwanda, Congo, Cameroon, Zambia and Chad". As Giertych emphasizes "We are happy that we can bring the good news about the birth of Jesus to so many people all over the world".

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Baptism of the Lord: the work of art that took more than 400 years to reach its destination

In the basilica of San Giovanni dei FiorentiniThere is a sculptural group by the baroque artist Francesco Mochi: the Baptism of the Lord. This majestic work was commissioned by the noble Falconieri family for the main altar of the basilica.

Omnes-January 6, 2022-Reading time: < 1 minute
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"You are my beloved son". Baptism of the Lord

Andrea Mardegan comments on the readings for the Baptism of the Lord and Luis Herrera offers a brief video homily. 

Andrea Mardegan-January 6, 2022-Reading time: 2 minutes

The account of Jesus' baptism in the Jordan, according to Luke, is introduced in the Mass by Isaiah, with the exhortation to comfort Jerusalem because her tribulation has come to an end: "Speak to the heart of Jerusalem and cry to her that her bondage is fulfilled, her guilt has been atoned for".

John is present in the prophecy in which he identifies himself: "A voice cries out: "In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord, in the steppe make a straight highway for our God".

And after the voice "the glory of the Lord will be revealed and all men together will see it". A prophecy that begins to be fulfilled in the theophany after the baptism of Jesus. 

This is why Paul can write to Titus that this has happened, with words that evoke in a suggestive way the incarnation of the Word: "the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men". It is about our Savior Jesus Christ who "gave himself for us to redeem us from all iniquity".

Further on he expresses the same event in similar words: "when the goodness of God, our Savior, and his love for mankind was manifested, he saved us, not by righteous deeds which we had done, but by his mercy, with a water that regenerates and renews in the Holy Spirit, which God has poured out upon us abundantly through Jesus Christ, our Savior".

Jesus is, then, the grace of God that has appeared, and the goodness of God and his love for men that have also manifested themselves, have become visible and work through the water that regenerates, without merit on our part. 

Paul in these two texts uses the Greek verb "epiphaino" (to appear, to shine, to manifest), which is the same verb used by Luke in the hymn of Zechariah when, after speaking of the mission of his son John, he says that "Thanks to the tenderness and mercy of our God, a sun will visit us from above, to shine on those who are in darkness". John goes ahead of Jesus and tells us what his baptism will be like: with the Holy Spirit and fire. Fire that burns away sins and the Holy Spirit that makes us children of God.

The grace, goodness and love of God for mankind appeared to the Magi after their star appeared. It is manifested today in his Baptism, the second Epiphany. In Luke's account the baptism of Jesus is cited as having already taken place.

More central is the opening of the heavens and the prayer of Jesus: now there is no longer any distance between heaven and earth. The embrace of the Father in Christ extends to creation and to his children.

We see the Holy Spirit and hear the voice of the Father. To each one of us he says: "You are my beloved Son, with you I am well pleased". Let us listen to those words with present faith.

Homily on the readings of the Baptism of the Lord

The priest Luis Herrera Campo offers its nanomiliaa small one-minute reflection for these readings.

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Balthazar's bullet

The author tells the story of a man who, thanks to the Magi of the East, decides - on the verge of death - to get his life back on track.

Juan Ignacio Izquierdo Hübner-January 5, 2022-Reading time: 3 minutes

I stopped cutting my hair when Andrea kicked me out of the house. Two years later, in the cold of Pamplona at Christmas, living in one of those small cars in which you have to choose whether to touch the roof with your head or the steering wheel with your knees, I no longer had the strength to curb pornography and alcohol, two weaknesses in which, I know! But I decided to give myself a gift for Epiphany, something that would help me relaunch my life towards something hardly worse, that is, a good revolver. A Colt Cobra of 150 grams, with a barrel for 6 cartridges; a device sympathetic to my situation.

I decided to release it on the eve of the holiday. That day I had breakfast in a village cafeteria, where I was not ashamed to shave and charge my cell phone; then I parked on a hill overlooking a green valley in Navarra to spend the morning wandering around the Internet; at noon I ate two ham sandwiches, then put a cartridge in the revolver and put it in my pocket to have it handy when the time came. I fumbled in the glove compartment looking for the bottle, but found a book. It was an old gift from Andrea that I never opened... "would it be vain to try to read it now and distract myself a little from the horror of the afternoon?", I tried, however, as usually happens with readings that are recklessly started after eating, I started to fall asleep.... 

I was sitting in a dark desert, under a firmament with thousands of bitter eyes, sand was seeping into my socks, into my pants pockets and I remembered, "the revolver!". It was gone. In return, I had a bullet, which I clenched in my fist with ardor. The wind picked me up, my double pullover became insufficient and I began to shiver. I folded my arms and walked in circles. 

I couldn't tell how long it was before I heard a Chewbacca-like growl. The sound was getting closer, a silhouette, then another; they turned on a lamp and I distinguished three camel riders riding calmly towards me. 

- I am Balthazar," said the third one when they arrived. -I offer you a barter for the bullet you have in your hand.  

I remained indifferent.

- I understand," he commented, ceremoniously getting off the camel.

He was a tall, stocky African, but his maroon robe and turban left room for a kindly face, so I was surprised when he took a run at me and, poof, kicked me in the butt so splendidly that he knocked me to the floor. I got up very surprised to be feeling physical pain in that area, even though I didn't even have a bed to fall off of in real life. Balthazar took another run, but then I dodged him; although in vain, because with a quick turn he kicked me with his other leg and knocked me down, making me swallow some sand. Then he jumped up to press me with his body, a goal he achieved more than satisfactorily, he took the bullet from me and left me a Colt Cobra in exchange.

- I'm not doing it for me," he said, getting back on his camel, "it's for the Boy. He cares for you," he added with a little smile, as they set off. They advanced a few meters and turned off the lamp. The light of a larger star guiding them from the horizon was enough for them. 

I felt cold again, time passed, I understood that I was going to die, but then I woke up. It was almost midnight; I thought of turning on the heater, but I gave up, it made no sense. My hair covered my face and the revolver had fallen out of my pocket; I picked it up in fear of reflection, aimed at my temple and fired. "Click." I fired again, much more upset, and so on up to 5 times. Before trying for the sixth time, I hesitated. "This bullet is Balthazar's," I said to myself in surprise. 

Suddenly I was aware of the home I had fallen into: a car full of dust, remains of ham on the seat, papers and cans everywhere... "Here I am eating the carobs of the pigs, while..."; I put the revolver in the glove compartment and noticed that January 6 had arrived. "Why don't I face it, you coward!", I asked myself in tears. The night turned into a long debate: "How to gather strength to get my life back?"; it was beginning to get light when I settled on a plan: thank Balthazar, get a haircut and, most importantly, ask my wife for forgiveness and help. And when the sun rose behind the hills that close the valley, smiling, I started the engine.

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In heaven the Bethlehem is made

A peculiar living Bethlehem takes place in heaven to show that today is the day for all of us to become children, to contemplate from below the greatest mystery, to be surprised by all that God does in us.

January 5, 2022-Reading time: 3 minutes

San Francisquito de Asís is today like crazy finalizing the details of the Living Bethlehem that, as every year, he organizes in heaven on the night of Epiphany:

-Let's go children, children, we are late! Teresita, Juanito, what are you doing? Get to your places, quick!


Therese is Lisieux and Juanito is Don Bosco, although there in heaven nobody calls him Don anymore. They call each other with the diminutive because there they are all like children, do not forget that to become like them is one of the requirements to enter. This year it was their turn to play Mary and Joseph, and they are delighted. Teresita had always stood out for her humility, like the one from Nazareth; and Juanito, as much as he loves children, could not have been given a better placement than next to the divine infant.

-Do you think I kneel down well, Paquito? -asks Antoñito to the person in charge of the work while he prostrates himself with a gesture full of humility and devotion.

-Perfetto, this is how I like Antonino: with reverence, parsimony and joy, all in one go. Go on, shake hands with Tommasino and each to his place.

Antoñito is the one from Padua (although he was born in Portugal), who plays the role of a mule this year. The role was given to him because of his knowledge of the animal. You may already know about that episode of his life on earth in which one who did not believe in the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist challenged him to make a mule adore the Blessed Sacrament and, at the order of the saint, the mule bowed down and adored. Tomasito is the one from Aquino, and he plays the ox because that was the nickname given to him at the university by his classmates: "mute ox", because of his corpulence and his silent and good-natured character.

-Look at me, look at me flying, how beautiful everything looks from up here!

-Come on, Lolín, go down to the cave and let's get started.

The one who flutters is the Andalusian Blessed Manuel Lozano Garrido, who was already known in his homeland by the diminutive of Lolo. The role of heralding angel in the shepherds' cave suits him perfectly, because he dedicated his earthly life to journalism; but the wings are a problem because, as he suffered from a paralyzing disease during almost all his life, now he can't stay still on the ground. Those who ask him to come down are Jacinta and Francisco Marto, the visionary brothers of Fatima, who repeat every year as shepherds because they nail the role, although this time St. Pascual Bailon and St. Margaret, who also knew well the job of taking care of sheep, have been added.

The Three Wise Men, who traditionally represent the three continents then known, will be this time: for Europe, St. Ferdinand, who is used to wearing a crown as he was king of Castile and Leon; for Asia, St. Paul Miki, who, although he was not a king, does have bearing because he belonged to a very rich family in Japan; and, for Africa, St. Charles Lwanga, who knows the protocol well, as he was a page in the royal court.

Everything is ready for the Epiphany performance to begin. Well, not everything, the child is missing...

-What do you mean, "What do you mean, manca il bambino? -Francisquito asks with the typical Italian gesture with his fingers together and upwards.

Strangely, no one seems to hear the Assisi man's question.

-I'm talking to you, il narratore," insists the little inventor of the Nativity Scene in his funny Italian.

...

Gee, I've never had the protagonists of one of the stories I tell address me before. I'll answer and see what happens...

-Is it me you are talking to, Francisco?

-Of course, narratore. The role of a child is your role today. You have to become a child, like Jesus, like us. Christmas and tenderness, and fragility. This crib is prepared for tea.

-Well, but I'm of an age now, I don't know if I would fit in the crib....

-Today is Epiphany, isn't it? Today everything is magical, and here in the sky even more so. Per favore, come up. Presto, il Signore wants to see you.

-All right, but let me say goodbye to the readers, because I won't be able to tell them any more.

-I'll walk, I'll walk...

Well you know dear, I'm going to the portal, that this year I had to stop narrating and live it as a protagonist. Maybe next year it will be your turn, or maybe every year it will be everyone's turn, but we are so absent-minded that we don't even realize it.

Today is not a day of nerves and illusion only for the little ones of the house. Today is the day for all of us to become children, to contemplate from below the greatest mystery, to let ourselves be gifted by the Kings, to open our eyes wide and be surprised by all that God does in us, to thank the child for becoming man and to ask men to become children, as all the saints, the little beloved children of God, knew how to do and continue to do in heaven.

Happy Epiphany!

The authorAntonio Moreno

Journalist. Graduate in Communication Sciences and Bachelor in Religious Sciences. He works in the Diocesan Delegation of Media in Malaga. His numerous "threads" on Twitter about faith and daily life have a great popularity.

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The adventure of being engaged

Living a "successful" courtship is not about ending up marrying the other person, but about preparing both of you to be good spouses.

Lucía Simón-January 5, 2022-Reading time: 9 minutes
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I recently received the following testimony. It is from a young man who attended a bridal preparation course. I share it with you because it is not wasted:

"The reason I come to this course, even though I don't even have a girlfriend, is my conversation with Father Graciano. Father Graciano is the priest of my town. He has known me all my life. Everyone in the village loves him. Even those who don't believe consult him and appreciate him. Graciano has the wisdom of the saints. Perhaps because he spends so much time in the church, in front of the small tabernacle. One would say that it is just another accessory, along with the storks, the worn pews and the bell tower.

After my last failed love affair, I decided to consult Father Graciano. I took the bus to my hometown and went to the church, where I knew I would find him as always. Available to everyone. After his little surprise at believing me in town, the usual questions about family and comments about my height, I got straight to the point:

-Father, I need your advice. I've already had several girlfriends and I don't know what happens that always ends badly and I'm devastated. I don't know if I have a jinx or if I'm a brute.

There, I gave free rein to my spite accumulated over the years and I told him, one by one, all my love affairs and their corresponding failures. He listened attentively. From time to time he would ask a question or smile at my comments. I have always been an all or nothing person and I live it intensely. When I finished I looked at him.

-Tell me, Father, why does it always end badly? He took his time before answering. He looked sideways at the tabernacle, I suppose imploring divine help, and answered me thus, with his usual gentleness and assurance:

-Well, Nacho. Let's analyze little by little. Let's start with the first girl you told me about... Ana, right?

-Yes, Father.

-Good. I don't know why you included Ana as a girlfriend. That girl was not a girlfriend. It was something else. Call it what you want. A courtship is a serious thing. It's a preparation for marriage. Just like priests go to seminary and prepare, and we pray. Courtship is like the seminary of marriage.

-But father, I was only 18 years old.

-Even if you had been 15. That girl wasn't a girlfriend. I'm sure you didn't even think of her as the woman of your life.

-No, of course not. She was a very pretty girl but we had nothing in common.

-Well, first observation. In courtship, you don't choose a girl just because you are attracted to her. We are body but also soul. Your intelligence must approve and also feel attracted by your decision," I looked at him surprised by the simplicity and logic of his reasoning.

-So, Patricia? What went wrong with her?

-Oh, that was the next one... With that one it was the other way around. You chose her with everything you thought your girlfriend should have, but, didn't you tell me yourself that you were walking with her and looking at others?

-You know it, Nacho. Heart and intelligence. Both are necessary to choose. And I would add prayer. That courtship can already be a holy thing. You can't ask God for help only when an emergency arises. You must keep him in mind in all the decisions of your life. The small ones and the big ones. The person you choose as a bride should have everything you look for in someone you would raise a family with. And then families have their things. There are children, job bumps, mortgages, illnesses... Do you understand?

-Yes, Father. You give me a lot to think about.

-Well, let's go on, then it was Marina....

-No, father. Marina was the last one. Then it was Carmen.

-It's true, Carmen. What went wrong with her?

-I don't know, because she was perfect. Beautiful, good...she had it all. She even helped me finish my degree.

-Yes. What went wrong with that girl is that you were an idiot. First of all, you let your friends get involved, and a relationship is a relationship of two....

-But father, they laughed at me because I took her to ballet instead of soccer. One has one's dignity and must mark one's territory.

-The "dignity" you're talking about is useless in a love relationship, Nacho. And the territory thing, leave it to the animals in the jungle. In a courtship a series of virtues must be developed. Among them, generosity. To think of the other and not of yourself. To enlarge the heart to the maximum. Give, give and give. It is never too little. And along with generosity, humility. You should have asked for forgiveness when you fought because you were not right.

-Well, neither does she," I replied stubbornly.

-You should at least have taken the first step," he conceded, patiently, "Pride kills love. You have to know how to ask for forgiveness. The person you choose must also know how to ask for forgiveness. Humility is key to a happy coexistence and makes us love each other more. I would also add strength. This girl helped you finish your degree. What were you doing sleeping at that time when she called you to study? Without strength you can't build anything. Would you like to be pulling the other person all the time like a little child? No, Nacho. You have to be strong and, at the same time, understanding and tender. And not only tender in kisses and hugs. Tender in the way you treat them, in your gestures. That is the basis of respect.

-But father, we are not perfect," I ventured.

-No, of course not," he said with a laugh. But that's what courtship is all about. Getting to know each other and working together on a series of virtues that allow your love to grow. First you are "you and her", but then in marriage you have to look for the "we". It is a lifelong process. But it begins in courtship.

-Well, if it doesn't work out... then what's the point of all this effort? Look at Marina. With her everything was perfect. And I did make an effort. It's true that I don't have all those virtues as well as I'd like, but I gave it my all and it went badly.

-No. Not bad. With Marina I would say it wasn't bad. The success of a courtship is not necessarily that it ends in a wedding. The success is that it is a good preparation for you as a future husband and for her as a future wife. In love you both have to be there and if she didn't want to in the end she didn't want to. But you take with you a "backpack" full of good acts that have made you better. I looked at him surprised and a little consoled.

-Father, if I follow your advice, will I find the person who will fulfill me completely?

-No, son," he looked at me seriously, "You'll never find that," I opened my mouth in astonishment.

That can only be found in heaven. People do not complete us absolutely. To human love what is proper to human love and to divine love what is proper to divine love. From a human love you can expect and aspire to the maximum, but within the imperfect. You said it yourself. We are not generous, humble, strong...and we lack so many other virtues. We cannot therefore demand from others a perfection that does not exist on earth. But we must strive to make our love for each other as perfect as possible.

-Thank you, Father. You've given me a lot to think about. Would you recommend anything else?

-I would tell you that when you meet the right person, try to love them very much and get to know them well. It is important to talk about all things with full confidence and naturalness. Of faith, of questions about life (abortion, euthanasia...), of your projects (work, etc). And also, Nacho, take advantage of the fact that you now live in a big city. Look for preparation for boyfriends, educate yourself well. It is good to have preparation for academics but also for life. It is good to live in community and with God. Don't leave it aside.

-Thank you, father. I will think about everything you have told me.

A thousand purposes came out of that conversation. I don't know if I will find the right person. But I do know that, if I do find her, I will be ready."

In the practice of marriage counseling we frequently encounter problems that have their origin in the courtship or that could have been avoided with a correct development of the courtship. To live a good courtship is an important guarantee to achieve a strong marriage. But, how to prepare ourselves well in the courtship?

I believe that the first thing we must consider are the following questions: what is a courtship and what do I expect from courtship and, later, from marriage. Once these questions are resolved we will address how to make our courtship a time of true preparation for marriage.

What is a courtship

Regarding the first previous idea: what is a courtship. We must distinguish the courtship of other figures that we find today and that in nothing resemble it. A relationship with the right to friction is not a courtship. Dating is not a relationship that leaves aside any kind of commitment or exclusivity. Dating is not a courtship, nor is it a roll or analogous figures.

Engagement is a stage of preparation for marriage between two people who feel love for each other and want it to grow more each day. Indeed, the preparation for marriage is not the pre-marriage courses prior to the celebration, but it is a longer period of great importance.

For Christians, however, courtship goes beyond the merely human and reaches also to the spiritual. Engagement is already a path of holiness and preparation for living the universal vocation to love that becomes concrete in marriage.

If a friend of ours told us that he wanted to become a priest, it would seem logical to ask him if he had thought it through, if he had prayed about it... and yet, in order to start dating a person we leave God aside. It is important to pray about the person we want to date and, once we are engaged, to pray for that person as well.

If we do not leave God out of our courtship, we will get used to something that is very important: to take Him into account in our marriage as well.

What we expect from courtship

Regarding the second previous idea: what do we expect from courtship and, later, from marriage. This is something we should also reflect on. We are all born with an insatiable desire to be loved just for being who we are. Not for being handsome, smart or having a good job, but for being Perico Perez. This desire generates an inner emptiness that, at certain times, can even be painful: no one understands me, I feel alone, etc.

A frequent mistake is to think that in courtship and, later in marriage, I will find a person who will completely fill that void. That is impossible because human love is never perfect and our thirst is for perfect love. We will only fill that void completely in heaven.

Only what is proper to human love can be asked of human love. And, within a human love, the love of the bride and groom contains in potential what must be realized throughout the marriage. A love that, within the imperfect, tends and struggles to be as perfect as possible. A love that tends to move from "you and me" to "we". This is a process that must be developed throughout the marriage and that is never exhausted.

Key ideas

Having clarified these previous questions, we can now get into all those aspects that can make my courtship a success or not.

First of all, it is necessary to keep in mind that every courtship must begin with a crush. There must always be a loving attraction towards each other. But, since the human being is not only a body but also a soul and has intelligence, the attraction we feel towards that other person must be confirmed by our intelligence. That is to say, it is not enough that a person attracts me physically, but he/she must also attract me with my intelligence. That person must have those aspects that I am looking for in the person with whom I want to form a family in the future. It is good to keep this aspect in mind and to be aware, upon reflection, that married life will not be like when we are young and carefree. There will come obligations, illnesses, work bumps... and in all these circumstances the person who will accompany me will be the one I choose now.

Secondly, it is important to take into account a series of human virtues that are a good "backpack" to take with you to your marriage. They are virtues that I have to see if the person I am dating has them and, at the same time, virtues that I have to know if I have them myself or if I have to work on them. Of course, bearing in mind that no one is perfect. The important thing is that the virtue exists or that there is a sincere effort to achieve it. Among these virtues I would highlight:

  1. Humility. It is very important to see already in the courtship if the other person knows how to ask for forgiveness. If he/she knows how to recognize what he/she has done wrong and start again. Pride is one of the worst enemies of sincere love and, therefore, of marriage. We must work on this virtue during the engagement and pay a lot of attention to it.
  2. Tenderness. Not only in physical manifestations but also in language, in gestures: how he speaks to me, how he listens to me, how he treats me... And not only to me but to others. Tenderness is the basis of respect, without which it is very difficult or impossible to maintain a marriage.
  3. Generosity. Already from the courtship we must exercise ourselves to seek first the good of the other without thinking so much about oneself. Generosity is the key to happiness. It is true that in courtship the donation of oneself is not as complete as in marriage, but for the donation to become what it should be, it is necessary to work on generosity with the other and extend it to friends, work colleagues, etc. Whoever struggles to make his heart big, arrives better prepared to marriage.
  4. Fortress. Fortitude is a key virtue for any love relationship. In courtship we can see if the other person comes down with anything, if he or she is lazy in studies or negligent at work. This virtue is what allows the marriage to be a strong marriage.

In addition to all these virtues (we could talk about many more), two other aspects that should be highlighted are: faith and the topics we should talk about before getting married.

Regarding faith, it is not essential that the other person shares my faith, although it would be very good. In any case, I must take into account if there is a rejection of the faith I have. It is very easy to respect each other during courtship in this area, but then there will be questions such as how to educate children in the faith, put my own beliefs into practice, etc. These are very important issues that we must take into account already in the courtship and not expect them to be resolved automatically when we get married.

As for topics to talk about before getting married, it is very good to talk progressively as the engagement progresses and, in a natural way, about all the issues that are important. We cannot limit ourselves to talking about unimportant issues. We must know this person well, know how he/she thinks, how he/she would act in certain circumstances. As an example of questions that have to be discussed before getting married, we can mention the following: those related to life (abortion, euthanasia), those related to parenthood (natural regulation, contraceptive methods, in vitro fertilization, responsible parenthood...), those that affect life together (where I want to live, type of work, etc.).

Finally, it is important to emphasize the growing importance of the initiatives of preparation for engaged couples, including those of preparation for courtship, even if they do not yet have a boyfriend/girlfriend. Formation and accompaniment are a good guarantee to strengthen and enrich our engagement.

The authorLucía Simón

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Shipwreck of civilization

The migration crisis in Europe has reached a very worrying point. It has become a problem with a difficult solution, neither easy nor close. The Pope cried out against this situation during his visit to the refugee camp in Lesbos. 

January 4, 2022-Reading time: 2 minutes

I recently read a reflection by Don Fabio Rosini in his latest book: The art of caring (the art of healing). The Roman priest affirmed -applying medical language to the spiritual realm- that most of the time we make the mistake of making a judgment about the symptoms, without getting to the causes that produce the disease.

For years now, we have been carrying a migration crisis that in Europe has claimed the lives of tens of thousands of people in the waters of the Mediterranean. Recently we have seen the Belarusian government using migrants as a means of exerting pressure on the border with Poland, or how the English Channel has become a new scene of death.

The problem is endemic and the solution does not seem easy or close. Politics is entangled in a rhetoric made up of accusations against the other side, while millions of euros are allocated to third countries to contain the migratory advance.

And, in spite of everything, we do not find the diagnosis, because we are so focused on alleviating the symptoms that we fail to find the cause. Perhaps because it is not simple and requires a high cost. Pope Francis had no qualms about stating it in the form of a question mark during his visit to the refugee camp in Mytilene, on the island of Lesbos, on December 5: "Why [...] do we not talk about the exploitation of the poor, or the forgotten and often generously financed wars, or the economic deals that are made at the expense of people, or the hidden maneuvers to traffic arms and proliferate their trade? Why do we not talk about this?".

The Pontiff encouraged the confrontation of remote causes and concerted, far-sighted action. And he launched a heart-wrenching plea: do not turn the mare nostrum at mare mortuum. "Let's stop this wreck of civilization!"

The authorMaria Candela Temes

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European Catholic Social Days. A new beginning for Europe

From March 17 to 20, 2022, Bratislava will host the European Catholic Social Days to reflect on whether there is a need for a less selfish and more caring idea of Europe beyond the pandemic. 

Giovanni Tridente-January 3, 2022-Reading time: 3 minutes

To show the vitality of Catholics in Europe, working for the solidarity and well-being of all citizens of the continent, especially the young and the future. This is the aim of the third edition of the European Catholic Social Days, which will take place in Bratislava (Slovakia) from March 17 to 20.

The theme chosen for this edition - which is being prepared by the Commission of the Bishops' Conferences of the European Union (COMECE), the Council of the Bishops' Conferences of Europe (CCEE), the Dicastery for the Service of Integral Human Development and the host Bishops' Conference - is "The European Union and its Bishops".Europe beyond the pandemic: a new beginning".

The main idea of these days, explained at the press conference by COMECE President Jean-Claude Hollerich, Archbishop of Luxembourg, is to overcome selfish and materialistic attitudes, repeatedly denounced also by Pope Francis, to give way to the principles of solidarity that have always characterized the old continent.

More than 300 delegates from the various European Bishops' Conferences, young people, academics and politicians are expected to participate in the European Days of Reflection and Proposals, which will be guided by the encyclicals Laudato si' y Fratelli tuttiin an attempt to generate a kind of ".spirituality of fraternityThe term "human development" has been defined by Cardinal Peter Turkson, President of the Dicastery for Human Development. 

Among the themes chosen, there is the need to take care of the younger generations, to make them protagonists and not mere spectators of a long-awaited renewal, but there is also, obviously, the concern for the most fragile and marginalized social realities. 

The conference will begin on March 17 with the opening celebration in the cathedral. Then, on March 18 and 19, participants will analyze the challenges of contemporary Europe, based on three key themes: demographic change and the family; technological and digital transformation; ecology and climate change. The work will take place in plenary sessions, working groups and round tables. On March 20, the results of the workshops will be presented and discussed in plenary session.

The logo of this edition recalls the figure of St. Martin of Tours and the medieval story of his conversion to Christianity after meeting a half-naked beggar on the outskirts of the city of Amiens, in northern France. On this occasion he cut his cloak in half to share it with the beggar, who appeared to him in a vision and revealed himself to be Christ. St. Martin is also the patron saint of Bratislava and of the city's cathedral.

The official website of the European Social Days is www.catholicsocialdays.eu, through which the documents prepared and the list of participants will be made available. They can also be followed at streaming some moments of the event, whose twitter account is @EUcatholicdays.

"Today, while many in Europe are questioning its future with mistrust, many look to it with hope, convinced that it still has something to offer the world and humanity.", Pope Francis wrote on October 22, 2020 in a Letter on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of COMECE and the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the Holy See and the European Union.

Two years later, the need to continue dreaming about "a Europe of solidarity and generosity is still alive. A welcoming and hospitable place, where charity - which is the supreme Christian virtue - overcomes all forms of indifference and selfishness."as the Pontiff wished on that occasion. And once again there resounds the strong call to Christians to "work for the salvation of humanity.a great responsibility": "to awaken the conscience of Europe, to encourage processes that generate a new dynamism in society". That is why we need the European Social Weeks and a new start after the pandemic.

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Sunday Readings

"The time of love forever". Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord

Andrea Mardegan comments on the readings for the Epiphany of the Lord and Luis Herrera offers a short video homily. 

Andrea Mardegan-January 3, 2022-Reading time: 2 minutes

How beautiful the months in Bethlehem after meeting Simeon and Anna in the temple. How beautiful those family moments with Elizabeth and Zechariah, in our home. When the magi arrived, Jesus was already standing on his legs, although he was willingly in my arms. Especially in front of strangers.

I was surprised to see those foreign and cultured characters bowing as if in front of a king. I would have wanted Jose to stay by my side, but he was behind, checking the door, observing the situation from afar. I wanted them to focus on the child and me. 

When Jesus awoke in the morning, he sang to him, remembering his birth, the words of Isaiah: "Arise, shine, for your light is coming, and the glory of the Lord dawns upon you. Behold, darkness covers the earth, a thick fog envelops the peoples; but the Lord rises upon you, his glory appears upon you".

After the encounter with the Magi, in times of peace, I learned to add those words of the prophet: "Lift up your eyes and look around: they all gather, they come to you. Your Sons come from afar, your daughters are brought in your arms. Then you will see this radiant with joy, your heart will rejoice and be enlarged, when the treasures of the sea are poured out upon you, and the riches of the peoples are brought to you. A multitude of camels and dromedaries shall come to you from Midian and Ephah. All those of Sheba will come, laden with gold and incense and proclaiming the praises of the Lord. 

But that night, after his passing, was eventful. With Joseph we felt that the time of peace in Bethlehem was about to end. It had been an immense gift, an opportunity to rest, to build our family's day-to-day life away from the misunderstandings and gossip of Nazareth, although there was no lack of it even in Bethlehem.

An oasis of peace for the first months of Jesus' life. As Qoelet teaches: "Everything has its time and there is a time for everything under heaven. There is a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to pluck up what is planted". And I wondered: what time will now begin for us? "A time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance." We talked about it with Jose that night. We both had a hard time falling asleep.

We also remembered that phrase: "And a time to love and a time to hate" and we said to ourselves that Jesus had come to complete those words, to establish the time of love forever, in good times and bad. This thought reassured us: we had found the solution. We looked at Jesus in his crib. He was sleeping happily. This also gave us hope, and we were able to fall asleep.

The homily on the readings of the Epiphany of the Lord

The priest Luis Herrera Campo offers its nanomiliaa small one-minute reflection for these readings.

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  • Focus
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  • Saints, clues and books to live the 'Amoris Laetitia Family Year'.
Family

Saints, clues and books to live the 'Amoris Laetitia Family Year'.

Last Sunday, Pope Francis wrote a Letter to families in this Year of the Family Amoris Laetitia, with the aim of encouraging husbands and wives to continue to walk with greater faith. Some testimonies of holy couples or couples in the process of beatification are recalled here, and useful readings are outlined in the days leading up to the arrival of their Majesties from the East.

Rafael Miner-January 2, 2022-Reading time: 9 minutes
RelatedRelated NewsLet's keep the party in peace', a family, fun and musical proposal.Related News"It is the year to revalue the beauty of marriage and the Christian family."

Last year's Solemnity of St. Joseph was the starting signal for the "Amoris Laetitia" Year of the Family, which Pope Francis has called for five years after his Apostolic Exhortation "Amoris Laetitia".Amoris Laetitiaon the joy and beauty of family love. A time in which the Holy Father invited the whole Church to "a renewed and creative pastoral impulse to place the family at the center of the Church's and society's attention".

For his part, the prefect of the Dicastery for the Laity, the Family and LifeCardinal Kevin J. Farrell pointed out that "it is more opportune than ever to dedicate an entire pastoral year to the Christian family, because presenting God's plan for the family to the world is a source of joy and hope; it is truly good news!

Next, there is a brief review of some models, in the case of the Holy Family, couples who have been beatified or canonized, and who can shed light on how to put into practice the Pope's orientations and indications. Subsequently, some books and initiatives in the same direction are collected. This is necessarily a synthetic outline, so new testimonies and contributions will be added in future issues.

Holy Family of Nazareth

"May St. Joseph inspire in all families the creative courage, so necessary in this change of era that we are living, and may Our Lady accompany in their marriages the gestation of the "culture of encounter", so urgent to overcome the adversities and oppositions that darken our time" (Pope Francis, Letter, 26.12.2021). "The many challenges cannot rob the joy of those who know that they are walking with the Lord. Live your vocation intensely. Do not let a sad countenance transform your faces. Your spouse needs your smile. Your children need your encouraging looks. Pastors and other families need your presence and joy: the joy that comes from the Lord!"

2. St. Joachim and St. Anne

Joachim and Anna are the names revealed by Tradition about the parents of the Virgin Mary. As parents of the Virgin Mary, they are also the grandparents of Jesus. This dignity, part of God's saving promise to the people of Israel and all mankind, is partially revealed in the names of these two saints. While Jehoiachin means 'God prepares', Ana means 'grace', 'compassion'.

3. Aquila and Priscilla, saints

Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI commented that, to the gratitude for the faithfulness of those first churches mentioned by St. Paul in his Letter to the Romans, "we must also join our own, because thanks to the faith and the apostolic commitment of lay faithful, from families such as those of the Aquila and PriscillaChristianity has reached our generation. (...) In order to take root in the land, in order to develop extensively, it was necessary the commitment of these families, of these Christian communities, of lay faithful that offered the 'humus' to the growth of faith. They went to partners of St. Paul the Apostle, whom they welcomed into their home and for whose protection they exposed their own lives.

4. Saint Monica, and other fathers and mothers

"Born in Tagaste in the year 331 or 332, she occupies the first place in the gallery of saints of the Augustinian Family because she is the mother of St. Augustine. Inseparable from each other, mother and son leave in the background Patricio, father and husband, and the other two children of the couple", says agustinos.es. "She took the initiative in education, with a special emphasis on the religious aspect. Monica's pedagogy, we would say today, is that of persevering witness and accompaniment. In this way she won her husband to Jesus Christ and had a decisive influence on the conversion of her son Augustine. With immense joy she attended his baptism on Easter night in 387. She died in Ostia Tiberin, at the gates of Rome".

Also St. Gordian and St. Sylvia, fathers of St. Gregory the Great, reached the altars, and in the VII century in BelgiumSaint Vincent and Saint Valdetrudis, who were the parents of four holy children: Saint Landerico, bishop of Paris, Saint Dentellino, Saint Aldetrudis and Saint Madelberta (abbesses of the monastery of Maubeuge).

5. Saint Isidro Labrador and Saint María de la Cabeza

"The Virgin of Almudena and the Virgin of the Almudena have always been so united in the soul of the people of Madrid. saint Isidore the farmer. On the occasion of the feast of May 15, 1852, in the Official Journal of Notices of Madrid, published this brief review on the life of St. Isidore: 'Madrid, famous for many titles, is particularly so for having given birth to this illustrious and holy man. Raised in the fear of God, and having been blessed with a good soul, he was virtuous all his life, whether he is considered married to Santa Maria de la Cabeza, whether he is seen tilling the land, in fulfillment of his obligation or directing his fervent vows to the Lord and his Blessed Mother in the temples of Atocha and Santa Maria de la Almudena, all the qualities of a true servant of God will always be admired in him" (archimadrid.org).

6. St. Thomas More

"A decree of Pope Leo XIII declared Thomas More [Lord Chancellor of England, 1478-1535] blessed on December 29, 1986, 'the day consecrated to Thomas, the Archbishop of Carterbury, whose faith and constancy he so strenuously imitated.' On May 9, 1935, Pope Pius XI defined in semi-public consistory the sanctity and cult due in the future to 'the lay Thomas More'." (Sir Thomas More, Andrés Vázquez de Prada, Rialp). "There remains nothing else to do," the Pope said, but "to exhort you and all our other children in Christ to imitate his virtues and to raise your minds and spirits imploring the patronage of that martyr, for yourselves and for the universal Church."

7. Saints Célia Guerin and Luis Martín

Parents of St. Therese of Lisieux, also known as St. Therese of the Child Jesus, born in 1873 in Alençon (France) and a Discalced Carmelite. She was the fifth of 5 sisters, all of whom were religious. St. Louis Martin and St. Celia Guerin became the first marriage not martyr canonized at the same time. Therese entered the Carmelite monastery in Lisieux, France, at the age of 15 and died on September 30, 1897 at the age of 24. After their trip to Sri Lanka, Pope Francis, who canonized them in 2015, said, "When I don't know how things will go, I have the habit of asking St. Therese of the Child Jesus to carry the problem in her hands, and to send me a rose."

8. Manuel Rodrigues Moura and his wife, Blessed

Brazilian, victims of the persecution unleashed against the Catholic faith (1645). Along with them are many martyred couples in Japan and Korea.

9. Blessed Luigi Beltrame and Maria Corsini

In 2001, the Italian spouses were beatified in the same ceremony. Luis Beltrame Quattrocchi and Maria CorsiniThey married in 1905. They had two sons, who received the priesthood, and two daughters. One of her daughters married and the other became a nun. Three of his sons attended the beatification ceremony.

St. John Paul II expressed his joy because, 'for the first time two spouses have reached the goal of beatification'. They were Roman, married for fifty years and had four children. The Pope underlined that the first beatification of a married couple came just 'on the twentieth anniversary of the Apostolic Exhortation Familiaris Consortio'.

Some biographies

Initiatives and literary works on marriage and family values have increased in recent years, following the Apostolic Exhortation 'Amoris Laetitia' of Pope Francis, and this year established by the Pope, together with the impulse of the Dicastery for the Laity, the Family and Life, the Episcopal Conferences and the apostolic movements. By way of example, some of these can be cited.

In the first place, last year two biographies have appeared. One about Carmen Hernandez, initiator together with Kiko Arguello of the Neocatechumenal Way, who died five years ago, so that, following the canonical norms, it would be possible to request the opening of the Cause of Beatification. Carmen Hernandez was a woman "deeply in love with Christ"as described by Carlos Metola, diocesan postulator appointed by the Neocatechumenal Way, in an interview with Omnes. The biography has been managed by the Biblioteca de Autores Cristianos (BAC).

María Ascensión Romero, of the International Team of the Neocatechumenal Way, interviewed in the program 'EcclesiaThe TRECE tv program, presented by Álvaro de Juana, underlined the great contribution of Carmen Hernández to carry forward the Second Vatican Council. "She has been a great figure in the Church of the twentieth century and in its history in general," he said.

A biography of one of the first three supernumeraries of Opus Dei, Mariano Navarro Rubio, married with eleven children, who died in 2001, has also been published. There is already a biography written by Antonio Vázquez in Ediciones Palabra of the first of them, Tomás Alvira, whose Cause of Beatification has been initiated together with his wife, Paquita Dominguez.

Now an extensive biography of Mariano Navarro Rubio, Aragonese politician, author of the so-called Stabilization Plan and governor of the Bank of Spain, has been published, in which many people explain how he lived his vocation to marriage as an authentic path to sanctity, with interviews and testimonies from family and friends of the biographer's life. There are around 500 pages, with more than 80 photographs, in which appear, among others, St. Josemaría, founder of Opus Dei, Blessed Álvaro del Portillo and Bishop Javier Echevarría. The edition is published by Homo Legens.

Initiatives and other contributions

Among the publishing initiatives to help young married couples, and not so young, are those of Ediciones Palabra, which has published 'Más que juntos', by Lucía Martínez Alcalde and María Alvarez de las Asturias, in 2021.

The two authors, married with children and with different professional paths, address in a practical way the moments before and the first years after the wedding. Written in a direct and simple style, it puts 'things in their place', starting with the key: the decision to get married is based on building a non-temporary relationship together - to be a tandem.

In the meantime, from the same publisher Palabra, 'Una decisión original', with the subtitle 'Guía para casarse por la Iglesia' (Guide to getting married in the Church), by Nicolás Álvarez de las Asturias, Lucas Buch and María Álvarez de las AsturiasThe book offers keys to founding a unique family, to grow in love, and to never lose strength.

Other helpful titles include 'Christian courtship in a hypersexualized world' by T.G. Morrow (Rialp), a readable and theological guide that deals with everything from first friendship to the wedding day, love and morality during courtship, chastity and communication crises. Arguments has also recently reviewed ‘How to find your soul mate without losing your soul', by Jason Evert, which conveys the message, among others, that we should not idealize relationships: there are no perfect and easy courtships, each one has its difficulties and the important thing is to overcome them.

15 women speak

CEU Ediciones has launched this year 'Familias sin filtro', a book of photographs and family testimonies of self-improvement and motivation, based on 15 Spanish mothers, many of them entrepreneurs, who speak freely about their family and their relationship with their vocation, their work, their desires and their presence in social networks. Although no one asks them specifically about their faith, many also talk about their relationship with God and with saints they admire. 

The book has the peculiarity that all proceeds from its sale go to child cancer research through the 'Vicky's Dream' Foundation, which has been working for this cause since 2017. Among the mothers are Laura García Marcos, Vicky's mother; Lara Alonso del Cid, businesswoman of the Mentidero restaurants; 

Virginia Villa, mother of a large family, director of the Irene Villa Foundation for disability support; Marian Rojas Estapé, daughter of psychiatrist Enrique Rojas.

Marriage and the Christian family

That is precisely the title of a recent work by professors Augusto Sarmiento Franco y José María Pardo Sáenzpublished by Eunsa (University of Navarra). Through the family runs the history of man, the history of the salvation of humanity. Among the numerous paths that the Church proposes to save the human being, the family is the first and most important, the authors point out. In the same publishing house, Jorge Manuel Miras Puso has published 'Matrimonio y familia', and José Miguel Granados Temes, 'El evangelio del matrimonio y de la familia'.

José Miguel Granados asks: What is the essence of the Gospel of marriage and the family? The answer is simple: the good news of the human love of man and woman, in the divine design. This answer contains the appropriate anthropology in accordance with the order of the Creator (of universal value and accessible to the well-configured reason) and is brought to fullness in the mystery of the Redemption of Jesus Christ". In the book, Professor Granados Temes, a parish priest in Madrid, presents in an orderly and clear way the magisterium of St. John Paul II on the theology of the body.

Promotion of the family

Also last year, the magazine Misión, published by the Universidad Francisco de Vitoria, in Madrid, awarded its prizes to a dozen persons and entities "whose work has been outstanding in the promotion of the family, in the defense and care of human life and in evangelizing activity". The award winners were, among others, the 'Plataforma Más Plurales'; the radio broadcaster Javi Nieves; 40 Días por la Vida; the Amor Conyugal Project, whose work in "making possible a real conversion of Catholic marriages", and the Aladina Foundation, "for its close and tender accompaniment of the families of children suffering from cancer".

Harmony

Another interesting book of the past year has been 'Harmony', by Alfred Sonnenfeld, published by Rialp. On this occasion, the author deals with perfectionism and imperfection, respect for the other, egocentrism and romanticism as dissolvents of an authentic couple relationship, and the correct understanding of love and sex, aimed at making it last. Through modesty, moreover, sex will retain much of its value and mystery.

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The World

"My path to the Catholic Church".

Gero Pischke recounts his conversion in a conversation with José M. García Pelegrín in Berlin, Germany.

Gero Pischke-January 2, 2022-Reading time: 3 minutes

I was born in 1961; I grew up near Hannover. There, my mother joined the Seventh-day Adventists in the early 1960s. When my parents divorced, my mother moved to Denmark with my sister; my father and I headed for Berlin; I remember the atmosphere at school was brutal. No one cared about me; perhaps this is why I looked for a kind of surrogate parents among the Adventists. 

I received adult baptism in the fall of 1982. Every Sabbath we had an hour of prayer and an hour of Bible study, plus the reading of Adventist writings, Ellen Gould White and others. Later I joined a subgroup, the "Adventist Fellowship". Sabbath Rest", also called of the "Message for Our Time". But I soon realized that almost everything there revolved around money. Since - unlike the Catholic and Evangelical churches - they do not collect church tax, they have to collect donations. 

Something that had always caused me a big problem is that, with the regeneration they preach, I cannot get deliverance from sin. Of course God forgives sins, but how can I be sure? I also had no one with whom I could talk about these things. Besides, I was alone, because I was the only member of the sect in Berlin. Many things were forbidden to me, such as going to the cinema or eating out, alcohol, smoking... and I was also instructed to limit contact with "people of the world" as much as possible. At a certain point, from one second to the next, I broke with them. At first I dedicated myself - as they say - to enjoying life, to doing everything I had missed for decades.

The Benedict XVI's speech at the Bundestag in September 2011 made a deep impression on me. From then on I tried to read everything he said. Although for a few years I did not seem to make any progress, I felt more and more sympathy for the Catholic Church. In 2014, I set up my own business with a partner, in whom I initially had a lot of confidence. But a few months later, I realized that the product we were selling was not good, which led me almost to ruin. So I put an end to that freelance work.

By the end of 2014, I had hit rock bottom. I had been participating for some time in the meetings of a "smoking club"; but because I was so demoralized, I sent an email to excuse myself from attending on a certain occasion; however, the organizer phoned me and encouraged me to attend, because we were also talking about issues of a certain depth. I attended and thus met a member of the Catholic Church who, as I could see, was characterized by great spiritual depth. He turned out to be a member of the personal prelature Opus Dei. He soon invited me to attend a Holy Mass. I went with some expectation; in my youth, I had been led to see in the Catholic Church the "Antichrist".

I didn't understand much of the liturgyI was impressed from the very beginning. What I saw helped me to concentrate: Christ crucified, the Stations of the Cross and the Blessed Virgin Mary made me see that there was something special there, a closeness to God such as I had never experienced before. I was able to witness the administration of Holy Communion: on my knees and in my mouth. What a gesture of humility! I decided to buy a catechism book. I read it and went through it with the help of the two priests at the Opus Dei center for two years. Through conversations, participation in Holy Mass and praying the Rosary, I came to know the Catholic faith.

An enormous step was to know the sacrament of confession and therefore the certainty of forgiveness, as well as to be able to receive the body of Christ from an ordained priest. So many things were weighing on my mind and heart that I felt the urge to become a Catholic. So I received the sacraments of Baptism and Confirmation in May 2019; since then I continue to develop spiritually. Shortly before that, I had already renounced some sins that I had been deeply rooted for decades and that I have not committed again.

I have felt God's blessing, unprecedented grace. "Where, death, is your victory, where is your sting?". I also prayed a lot to get a professional perspective, and my prayers were heard: little by little things started to improve after I changed the focus of my freelance activity at the end of 2014. I am so happy and content that I don't mind at all the accusations that certain media pour out about the Catholic Church. Everywhere there are sins, and I have known of worse things that others have committed; but the only one being persecuted is the Catholic Church. It hurts me, but it does not make me feel insecure that I have made the right decision.

The authorGero Pischke

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Pope's teachings

The Social Dimension of the Gospel (about the trip to Cyprus and Greece)

On the verge of his 85th birthday, the Pope made a whirlwind trip, a veritable marathon, to Cyprus and Greece from December 2 to 6. There he highlighted the profoundly human, social and, one might say, Mediterranean dimension of the Christian message. 

Ramiro Pellitero-January 2, 2022-Reading time: 8 minutes

At the same time, the Pope strengthened ties with Greek Christians - in countries that are increasingly welcoming more and more Catholic citizens - and encouraged the participation of all of us to meet the challenges facing Europe. 

Patience, fraternity and welcome

In his meeting with the Catholic faithful of Cyprus (Maronite Cathedral of Our Lady of Grace, December 2, 2011), Francis expressed his joy at visiting the island, following in the footsteps of the Apostle Barnabas, son of this people. He praised the work of the Maronite Church - of Lebanese origin - and stressed mercy as a characteristic of the Christian vocation, as well as unity in the diversity of rites.

Taking his cue from the story of Barnabas, he pointed out two characteristics that the Christian community should have: patience and fraternity. 

Just as the Church in Cyprus has its arms open (welcomes, integrates and accompanies), Francis noted, this is "an important message" also for the Church in the whole of Europe, marked by the crisis of faith. "It is not good to be impulsive, it is not good to be aggressive, nostalgic or complaining, it is better to go ahead reading the signs of the times and also the signs of the crisis. It is necessary to begin again and proclaim the Gospel with patience, to take the Beatitudes in hand, especially to announce them to the new generations.".

Referring to the father of the prodigal son, always ready to forgive, the Pope added: "This is what we wish to do with God's grace in the synodal itinerary: patient prayer, patient listening of a Church docile to God and open to man." A reference also to following the example of the Orthodox tradition, as also emerged in the meeting with the Orthodox Archbishop of Athens, Hieronymus II. 

And on fraternity, in an environment where there is a great diversity of sensitivities, rites and traditions, he insisted: "We should not feel diversity as a threat against identity, nor should we be wary and worried about the respective spaces. If we fall into this temptation, fear grows, fear generates distrust, distrust leads to suspicion and, sooner or later, leads to war.". 

Therefore, it is necessary, together with "a Church that is patient, discerning, never frightened, that accompanies and integrates."also "a fraternal Church, which makes room for the other, which discusses, but remains united and grows in the discussion.".

The same ideas of patience and acceptance were also underlined the same day with the civil authorities. He evoked the image of the pearl that the oyster makes, when, with patience and in the dark, it weaves new substances together with the agent that has wounded it.on the return flight he would speak of forgiveness - in addition to praying and working together, and of the task of theologians - as ways to advance ecumenism.

A comforting and concrete, generous and joyful announcement

The following day Francis held a meeting with the Orthodox bishops (cf. Meeting with the Holy Synod in their cathedral in Nicosia, December 3, 2011), which offered a contribution of light and encouragement for ecumenism. Following the name of Barnabas, which means "son of consolation" or "son of exhortation", the Pope pointed out that the proclamation of the faith cannot be generic, but must really reach people, their experiences and concerns, and for this it is necessary to listen and know their needs, as is common in the synodality that the Orthodox Churches live.

On the same day (3-XII-2021) he celebrated Mass at the GSP stadium in Nicosia. In his homily, the Pope exhorted the faithful to encounter, seek and follow Jesus. In order to make possible the "carrying wounds together" like the two blind men in the Gospel (cf. Mt 9:27). 

Instead of shutting ourselves up in darkness and melancholy, in the blindness of our hearts because of sin, we must cry out to Jesus who passes through our lives. And we must do so, in fact, by sharing our wounds and facing the journey together, coming out of individualism and self-sufficiency, as true brothers and sisters, children of the one heavenly Father. "Healing comes when we carry wounds together, when we face problems together, when we listen and talk to each other. And this is the grace of living in community, of understanding the value of being together, of being community.". In this way we too will be able to proclaim the Gospel with joy (cf. Mt 9:30-31). "the joy of the Gospel frees us from the risk of an intimate, distant and complaining faith, and introduces us to the dynamism of witness".. 

Francis still had time that day for an ecumenical prayer with the migrants (in the parish of the Holy Cross, Nicosia, December 3, 2011), telling them with St. Paul: "You are no longer strangers and aliens, but fellow citizens with the saints and family of God." (Eph 2:19). Responding to the concerns that had been brought to him, he encouraged them to preserve and cultivate their roots. At the same time, they should confidently open themselves to God in order to overcome the temptations of hatred - their own or a group's interests or prejudices - with the strength of Christian fraternity. In this way, it is possible to make dreams come true, to be the leaven of a society where human dignity is respected and where people walk, free and together, towards God.

Involving everyone in Europe's challenges

On Saturday, December 4, Francis arrived in Athens, capital of Greece, cradle of democracy and memory of Europe. At the presidential palace, he openly acknowledged: "Without Athens and without Greece, Europe and the world would not be what they are: they would be less wise and less happy." "This way." -he added-"have passed the Gospel roads that have linked East and West, the Holy Places and Europe, Jerusalem and Rome.". "Those Gospels which, in order to bring to the world the good news of God the lover of mankind, were written in Greek, the immortal language used by the Word -the Logos- to express itself, the language of human wisdom turned into the voice of divine Wisdom".In his meeting with the Orthodox Archbishop of Athens (4-XII-2021), Hieronymus II, the Pope evoked the great contribution of Greek culture to Christianity at the time of the Fathers and the first ecumenical councils. 

Christianity owes much to the Greeks, as well as democracy, which has given rise to the European Union. However," the Pope noted with concern at the presidential palace, "in our days we are facing a regression of democracy, not only on the European continent. 

He invited to overcome the "democratic skepticism"The result, among other factors, of authoritarianism and populism, consumerism, fatigue and ideological colonization. He insisted on the need for the participation of all, not only to achieve common objectives, but also because it responds to who we are: "social beings, unrepeatable and at the same time interdependent".. 

Quoting De Gasperi - one of the builders of Europe - he called for the pursuit of social justice on various fronts (climate change, pandemics, common market, extreme poverty), in the midst of what seems a turbulent sea and "a long and unfeasible odyssey".in clear reference to Homer's story. 

He evoked the Iliadwhen Achilles says: "He is as hateful to me as the gates of Hades who thinks one thing and manifests another." (IliadIX, 312-313). He continued in the key of Greek culture and, under the symbol of solidarity of the olive tree, exhorted to take care of migrants and refugees in Europe. 

With reference to the sick, the unborn and the elderly, Francis took the words of Hippocrates' oath, in which he commits himself to "regulate the tenor of life for the good of the sick", "abstain from all harm and offense". to others, and to safeguard life at all times, particularly in the womb. He pointed out, in a clear allusion to euthanasia, that the elderly are the sign of the wisdom of a people: "Indeed, life is a right; death is not; it is welcomed, not supplied.".

Also under the symbol of the olive tree, he expressed his gratitude for the public recognition of the Catholic community and called for a strengthening of fraternal ties among Christians. 

Encounter between Christianity and Greek culture

In order to strengthen the bonds between Christianity and Greek culture, and in the light of St. Paul's preaching in the Areopagus of Athens (cf. Acts 17:16-34), the Pope pointed out some fundamental attitudes that should shine forth in the Catholic faithful: trust, humility and welcome (cf. Meeting with bishops, priests, men and women religious, seminarians and catechists, Cathedral of St. Dionysius, Athens, December 4, 2011). 

Far from becoming discouraged and lamenting fatigue or difficulties, we must imitate the faith and courage of St. Paul. "The Apostle Paul, whose name refers to littleness, lived in confidence because he took to heart these words of the Gospel, to the point of teaching them to the brethren in Corinth (cf. 1 Cor 1:25,27).

The apostle did not say to them, 'you are getting everything wrong' or 'now I am teaching you the truth,' but began by embracing their religious spirit." (cf. Acts 17:22-23). Because he knew that God works in the heart of man, Paul "He welcomed the desire for God hidden in the hearts of these people and kindly wanted to transmit to them the wonder of faith. His style was not imposing, but propositional.".

On this point, Francis recalled that Benedict XVI advised paying attention to agnostics or atheists, especially since. "When we speak of a new evangelization, these people are perhaps frightened. They do not want to see themselves as an object of mission, nor do they want to give up their freedom of thought and will." (Address to the Roman Curia, December 21, 2009). 

Hence the importance of welcome and hospitality from an open heart to being able to dream and work together, Catholics and Orthodox, other believers, also agnostic brothers and sisters, all of us, in order to cultivate the "mystique" of the fraternity (cf. Evangelii gaudium, 87).

On Sunday, December 5, the Pope visited the refugees in the reception and identification center of Mytilene. He asked the international community and everyone to overcome individualistic selfishness and to stop building walls and barriers. He quoted the words of Elie Wiesel, who survived the Nazi concentration camps: "When human lives are in danger, when human dignity is at stake, national boundaries become irrelevant." (Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech, December 10, 1986). 

With an expression that has become famous, the Pope added, referring to the Mediterranean Sea:"Let us not allow the mare nostrum to become a desolate mare mortuum, nor let this meeting place become a scene of conflict! Let us not allow this 'sea of memories' to become the 'sea of oblivion'. Brothers and sisters, I implore you: let us stop this shipwreck of civilization!"

Conversion, hope, courage

In the homily of that Sunday (cf. Megaron Concert Hall(Athens, 5-XII-2021), Francis took his cue from the preaching of St. John the Baptist in the desert to appeal to conversion, a radical attitude that God asks of all of us: "To become is to think beyond, that is, to go beyond the usual way of thinking, beyond the mental schemes to which we are accustomed. I think of the schemes that reduce everything to our self, to our claim to self-sufficiency. Or in those schemes closed by the rigidity and fear that paralyze, by the temptation of 'it has always been done this way, why change? To convert, then, means not to listen to those who corrode hope, to those who repeat that nothing will ever change in life - the usual pessimists; it is to refuse to believe that we are destined to sink in the quicksand of mediocrity; it is not to surrender to the inner ghosts that appear especially in moments of trial to discourage us and tell us that we cannot, that everything is wrong and that being saints is not for us".

For this reason, he added, together with charity and faith, it is necessary to ask for the grace of hope. "For hope revives faith and rekindles charity.". This message was also present, in a different language, on the last day of his meeting with the young Athenians. 

In a speech full of allusions to Greek culture (the oracle of Delphi, the journey of Ulysses, the song of Orpheus, the adventure of Telemachus), Francis spoke to them of beauty and wonder, service and fraternity, courage and sportsmanship (cf. Meeting with young people at St. Dionysius School, Athens, December 6, 2011). 

Amazement," he explained, "is both the beginning of philosophy and a good attitude to open oneself to faith. Amazement before the love of God and his forgiveness (God always forgives). The adventure of serving with real and not only virtual encounters. In this way we discover and live as "beloved children of God" and discover Christ who comes to meet us in others.

When he said goodbye to them, he proposed "the courage to go forward, the courage to risk, the courage not to stay on the couch. The courage to risk, to go out to meet others, never in isolation, always with others. And with this courage, each of you will find yourselves, you will find others and you will find the meaning of life. I wish you this, with the help of God, who loves you all. God loves you, be courageous, go forward!! Brostà, óli masí! [Forward, all together!".

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The Vatican

Beginning of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity

Before the beginning of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, January 18-25, the Holy See has presented some suggestions for implementing the ecumenical dimension of the synodal process in the local churches.

David Fernández Alonso-January 1, 2022-Reading time: 2 minutes
RelatedRelated News"From conflict to communion": Pope Francis' ecumenical visionRelated NewsEurope celebrates twenty years of ecumenism

On Tuesday, January 18, the Octave for Christian Unity, technically known as the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity 2022, begins in the northern hemisphere and will conclude on Tuesday, January 25. On this occasion, Cardinal Mario Grech and Cardinal Kurt Koch invite all Christians to pray for unity and to continue walking together.

In a joint letter sent on October 28, 2021, to all bishops responsible for ecumenism, Cardinal Koch, president of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, and Cardinal Grech, secretary general of the Synod of Bishops, presented some suggestions for implementing the ecumenical dimension of the synodal process in the local churches. "In fact, both synodality and ecumenism are processes that invite us to walk together," the two cardinals wrote.

Synod in an ecumenical spirit

The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity 2022, prepared by the Near East Council of Churches, under the motto "We have seen his star appear in the east and have come to pay him homage" (Mt 2:2), offers a good opportunity to pray with all Christians for the Synod to take place in an ecumenical spirit.

Reflecting on the subject, the two cardinals affirm: "Like the Magi, Christians also walk together (synodos) guided by the same heavenly light and facing the same darkness of the world. They too are called to worship Jesus together and to open their treasures. Mindful of our need to be accompanied by our brothers and sisters in Christ and of their many gifts, we ask you to walk with us during these two years and we earnestly pray that Christ will lead us closer to Him and that we will thus draw closer to one another."

For this reason, the General Secretariat of the Synod of Bishops and the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity offer this prayer, inspired by the theme of the Week 2022, which could be added to the other proposed intentions, and which can help to join the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity:

Heavenly Father,
as the Magi went to Bethlehem guided by the star,
may your heavenly light also guide the Catholic Church during this synodal period, so that she may walk together with all Christians.
Like the Magi they were united in their worship of Christ,
bring us closer to your Son, so that we may be closer to one another,
let us be a sign of the unity you desire for your Church and for all creation. We ask this through Christ our Lord.
Amen.

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The Vatican

The three paths to lasting peace

While the number of deaths caused by wars and conflicts continues to rise and military spending in the world is increasing at an exorbitant rate, Pope Francis reminds us in his Message for the World Day of Peace (January 1, 2022) that only through dialogue, education and work can we hope for lasting peace.

Giovanni Tridente-January 1, 2022-Reading time: 3 minutes
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The figures are dramatic: according to the latest available data, in June 2021 there are more than 4.5 million official deaths due to wars and conflicts of all kinds in various parts of the world. It is enough to listen again to Pope Francis' Urbi et Orbi on Christmas Day to have an estimate of the global situation in all regions of the planet. 40 million people are food insecure, according to Save the Children estimates. Of these, 5.7 million are children under the age of five who are on the brink of hunger, an increase of 50% over 2019.

To this must be added the impact of the climate crisis: floods, droughts, hurricanes, forest fires... not to mention the numerous problems caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, to the detriment above all of the most vulnerable, who have seen their problems multiply. At the same time, military spending is increasing dramatically, reaching $2 trillion worldwide.

In this context, the Church is celebrating the 55th World Day of Peace on January 1, 2022, which looks at the global situation of the planet not only in terms of armed conflicts, but also in terms of the concrete resolution of the many threats to the future of humanity.

It is not by chance that, in his message written for the occasion, Pope Francis proposes in an unusual way three alternative instruments "to build a lasting peace". And when we speak of peace we also mean rebirth from the rubble and hope for a better future for all those who suffer all kinds of violence and abuse. The "three paths" proposed by the Pontiff refer to: dialogue between generations as the basis for the construction of shared projects; education for freedom, responsibility and development; work, as the full expression of human dignity.

In the Pope's intentions, these are aspects that are at the basis of a true "social pact", which must be designed through a disinterested "craftsmanship" - as he had already indicated in previous messages - that must involve each individual and, therefore, the whole collectivity.

Why is "dialogue between generations" important for peace? Because it is through free and respectful confrontation that mutual trust is generated - Francis reflects - we listen to each other, we come to an agreement and we walk together. The different generations, which have often been divided by economic and technological development, must once again become allies, and this is possible through dialogue "between the custodians of memory - the elders - and those who carry history forward - the young".

To build together a path to peace, we cannot ignore education, precisely to make citizens more aware of their freedom and responsibility. In this regard, we must reverse the course that allocates an exorbitant investment to military spending while depriving education of significant slices of funding. Indeed, investment in education contributes to resolving the many fractures in society if this approach is truly part of a "global pact" that expands the many cultural riches and involves families, communities, schools, universities and all institutions.

Finally, work, "an indispensable factor in building and preserving peace", precisely because it is an expression of "commitment, effort, collaboration with others", "the place where we learn to make our contribution to a more livable and beautiful world". However, there are many injustices in this world, denounced by the Pope: precariousness, the lack of prospects for young people, the lack of legislative recognition of migrant workers, the absence in many cases of welfare systems and social protection. In this sense, therefore, the Pontiff's invitation is to "unite ideas and efforts to create the conditions and invent solutions, so that every human being of working age has the possibility, through his work, to contribute to the life of the family and of society".

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  • On the road to Emmaus: getting to know the Bible in depth
Resources

On the road to Emmaus: getting to know the Bible in depth

Knowing the Bible is an essential element in the deepening of the Christian life. It is a matter of seeing in what way God has made himself known, that is to say, how God wants us to understand these "dark pages"..

José Ángel Domínguez-January 1, 2022-Reading time: 4 minutes
RelatedRelated NewsJoaquín Paniello: "The Road to Emmaus shows God's love".Related NewsIsrael introduces "Saxum Visitor Center" to learn more about the Holy Land

Knowing the Bible in depth involves getting into the scenes.

One foot in front of the other on the gray stone of the streets of Jerusalem. Thus began Cleophas and his friend the way 160 stadia (30 km) that would take them back to their village. It was very early, the first day of the week and the walk would last until sunset, but mostly it was made costly by the weight on the heart. In silence they crossed the streets and left behind the City of David and Herod's Palace. The friend of Cleopas was desolate and in his head the emotions of the last few days over the crucifixion of the master, and the broken illusions of the last three years. Above all: the fear of never seeing Jesus again. They were returning to their village, to the bland comfort of their home, but without Him.

The road left the Holy City and descended westward through the hills of Judea, under a sun that did not quite shine as it usually does in the Holy Land. They had been going for a few hours now and were asking each other what kind of life they would lead now that Jesus was dead and buried. Without realizing it, they have caught up with another traveler on the same road. Neither Cleophas nor his friend is in a sociable mood, but the Wayfarer exudes an air of elegance and simplicity, as if familiar. And there is something in his voice that tugs at their heartstrings.

They talk about the subject that hurts them the most: the Messiah and the frustration of having lost him. The Wayfarer then speaks to them from the Scriptures. But not like the scribes and Pharisees, but as one who has authority, as someone who is telling you his story. Cleopas and his friend listen to the story that the Wayfarer tells them as one who listens to his own life, and their hearts begin to burn... Then, when evening comes, arriving at their village, Emmaus, in the breaking of the bread, they recognize Jesus, and they recognize themselves, as disciples of the risen Messiah. They run, they almost fly, back to the Cenacle, because the emotion does not fit in their chest, and they need to tell it to the four winds.

The scene of the disciples of Emmaus is repeated in the life of every person. On many occasions we are faced with the prospect of a monotonous life, without great prospects. It is then that the encounter with Jesus takes us out of the gray scenario. In the Scriptures, or in the Holy Land (the Fifth Gospel), Jesus is the one who encounters us.

To live the Scriptures as one of the characters was always one of the counsels of St. Josemaría Escrivá, founder of the Opus Dei. The problem is that, for many, the pages of the Bible are presented as something distant, obscure or irrelevant. This can be especially true of the Old Testament, where we find some of the most difficult passages to understand. But also the New Testament presents us with a "disturbing question" when narrating the violent death of the Son of God.

Before its release in 2003, Mel Gibson's film "The Passion" had already raised a whirlwind of criticism. Leaving aside the more ideological and media aspects of the discussion, the main accusations against the feature film about the last earthly hours of Christ centered on its excessive violence. IMDB placed it among the films recommended for those over 18 (with a 10/10 "Violence & Gore" rating) and the MPAA assigned it an "R" rating, i.e., "restricted audience" for the same reason.

This "disturbing question" we were talking about ran through the media and public debate. Beyond the film itself, there arose, as so often before, the question of violence in religion (Sacks, 2015).

Other historical circumstances converged to make the question sound pressing. For example, the terrorist attacks of 9/11 served in some forums as an incentive to criticize the "strong" or "dogmatic" values of monotheistic religions (Rorty-Vattimo, 2005).

As Girard comments, in this case terrorism has hijacked religious codes for its own end. But the question remains: does religion demand violence? The message of salvation that Christ made present cannot be separated from the Cross, God the Father "did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all" (Rom 8:2). As can be seen, this affirmation continues to be a cause of scandal for many today: is not the Christian God an Almighty God? Is he not the God of all mercy (Ps 59:18)? Why then so much violence? Violence is a category that runs through the New Testament and, with greater intensity, through the Old Testament. The question that Christians hear today could be posed as follows: Is the God of the Bible violent?

This is a topic that current Christian theology has confronted from very diverse perspectives, which coincide in facing the presence in Sacred Scripture of what Benedict XVI, in his Apostolic Exhortation "Verbum Domini", called "dark pages of the Bible". Relatively often the Bible "narrates facts and customs such as, for example, fraudulent schemes, acts of violence, extermination of populations, without explicitly denouncing their immorality". What should be the reaction of today's Christian when encountering such passages?

Indeed, we Christians should "always be ready to give an answer to anyone who asks us for a reason for our hope" (cf. 1Pt. 3:15), which leads us to take this "disturbing question" as an incentive to deepen our knowledge of God. But our knowledge "needs to be enlightened by God's revelation" (Catechism of the Church, 38). It is therefore a matter of seeing in what way God has made himself known, that is, how God wants us to understand these "disturbing questions" (Catechism of the Church, 38). dark pages.

It is for this reason that the study of the Bible is presented to us as an essential element in the deepening of Christian life. At the same time, the Christian roots of Europe, and of a large part of today's culture, call for a systematic, scientific and profound knowledge of the Bible, which is the most important element for the deepening of Christian life. best-seller of History, the first work to be reproduced and printed, both in time and quantity.

The authorJosé Ángel Domínguez

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  • The 10 news items that have marked this 2021 in Omnes
Newsroom

The 10 news items that have marked this 2021 in Omnes

Omnes was born, as the multiplatform media it is today, in January 2021. One year later, it has become a benchmark for information and analysis on the Church and current affairs.

Maria José Atienza-December 31, 2021-Reading time: < 1 minute

2021 has been full of interesting news and opinion pieces in Omnes.

Here is a selection of the key information published on our website over the last twelve months:

Analysis of the Motu Proprio Traditionis Custodes and the Explanatory letter to all bishopsby Juan José Silvestre

Juan José Silvestre: "Traditionis Custodes wraca do sytuacji z 1970 roku".

Studying Theology changes your life

"Teologia: przed i po w moim sposobie pojmowania świata".

Montse Gas's article on Family and Religion

Rodzina and religion

Interview with Jaime Mayor Oreja on the occasion of his participation in the 10th St. Josemaría Symposium

Jaime Mayor OrejaCzytaj więcej: "Ci, którzy bronią twardych zasad, są teraz etykietowani jako fundamentaliści".

Revisionism or forgiveness? The current view on the evangelization of America

Ewangelizacja Ameryki: Podziękowanie, prośba o przebaczenie i pomoc na przyszłość.

What is the meaning of the four times "The Lord be with you" in the Mass?

Obecność Chrystusa we Mszy św.

The interview with Carlos Metola, postulator of the cause for the beatification of Carmen Hernández, co-founder of the Neocatechumenal Way.

"Odkryliśmy Carmen głęboko zakochaną w Chrystusie".

Interview with Jacques Philippe, one of the best-known spiritual authors of our time

Jacques Philippe: "Modlitwa to przede wszystkim przyjęcie obecności".

Antonio Moreno's endearing letter

List do mamy

Benedict XVI and Hans Küng. The difficult friendship

Hans Küng i Joseph Ratzinger - trudna przyjaźń
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Initiatives

A million minutes a day with Jesus

The initiative 10 minutes with Jesus has reached 100,000 subscribers on its YouTube channel. Every day, more than 200,000 people directly receive these short meditations, which are already available in 5 languages.

Maria José Atienza-December 30, 2021-Reading time: 2 minutes

10 minutes, 100,000 subscribers on YoutubeIn total, 1 million minutes of prayer from hundreds of thousands of people around the world. What was born almost by chance from the hand of several young priests in August 2018, has reached, in just over three years to all countries of the world, in 5 languages.

Every day more than 200,000 people receive the meditation or listen to it through the various platforms on which it is broadcast. 10 minutes with Jesus is present. At present, meditations are conducted in Spanish, English, Portuguese, French and German.

Its promoters have grown and there are now 60 priests who, each day, comment on a passage from the Gospel using current examples to highlight a central idea of Christian life. In the 10 minutes with Jesus the Gospel is proposed in a fresh, simple and attractive way.

Its promoters point to three key points in the expansion of this prayer initiative:

A need not covered until then, which was to make prayer anywhere and facilitating its realization through platforms known and used by all kinds of people.

A way of communicating that places at the center of the message the person of Jesus Christ and his Gospel without burdening, with a profound language, but without technicalities and from the hand of a priest who himself is praying while speaking to the "you" who listens to the 10 minutes.

In fact, what started to spread through Whatsapphas reached a diffusion and growth so large that a structure had to be designed to sustain the growth. Today, meditations are sent through 340 Whatsapp groups (more than 80,000 unique devices) and YouTube views are close to 18 million.  

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EditorialOmnes

Pope calls for "creative courage" from families

December 30, 2021-Reading time: 2 minutes

The family is a key element, situated at the nucleus of the originator of healthy persons and societies, and at the heart of a living Church. Hence, social tensions and crises of all kinds always end up manifesting themselves in the family, or, conversely, the processes that test the stability of society begin in the family.

This is very clearly the case today in relation to the family as such, devalued and subjected to pressures that distort it, as well as for each family in particular. 

Pope Francis follows the course of families with attention and interest and, in the context of the year dedicated to the family "Amoris laetitia", he has published (precisely on the Solemnity of the Holy Family, December 26) a letter addressed to all the families of the world. It is offered as a "Christmas gift for you, the spouses: an encouragement, a sign of closeness and also an opportunity to meditate.".

The text is characterized, among other features that could be mentioned, by its closeness to the royal families, which is a demonstration of a continuous and not sporadic attention or due to a particular conjunctural situation. One of the expressions of this closeness is the language used, which is easily understandable, and the choice of a length that is accessible to all recipients.

Together with them goes the practical sense with which he shows a good knowledge of the situations and challenges of families; with them he reviews aspects of everyday life and suggests keys, sometimes small but effective, to articulate the gift of one to another in the context of daily family life. On this basis, he reviews the difficulties and opportunities opened up by the pandemic, the work and economic problems, especially of many young families, the challenges involved in courtship, the role of mature marriages, and the contribution of grandparents.

A second feature is the emphasis on stressing that Christian spouses are not alone: God always accompanies them, both at advantageous crossroads and in times of difficulty. This is a conviction that results from Christian faith. From it we know "that God is in us, with us and among us: in the family, in the neighborhood, in the place of work or study, in the city we live in.".

Marriage itself, a great and not always easy journey, is linked, as a true vocation that makes spouses one with each other and with Jesus, to the certainty that "God accompanies you, he loves you unconditionally - you are not alone!". 

On this basis, families will be able to make a valuable contribution to society and to the Church. The Pope encourages them, therefore, to act with "creative courage" both in the Church and in their communities, as well as in determining the general direction of mankind, where they have a "creative courage". "the mission to transform society through its presence in the world of work and to ensure that the needs of families are taken into account.".

It is therefore desirable that this letter reaches many families who will use it, in effect, as an opportunity for meditation.

The authorOmnes

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Sunday Readings

"That Child has done all 'what has been done'". Second Sunday of Christmas

Andrea Mardegan comments on the readings for the Second Sunday of Christmas and Luis Herrera offers a short video homily. 

Andrea Mardegan-December 30, 2021-Reading time: 2 minutes

We have in our eyes the Child born in Bethlehem, who is in the arms of his Mother and St. Joseph. We continue to meditate on this mystery hidden for centuries in the heart of God. Wisdom says of herself: "He who created me made me pitch my tent and said to me, 'Set your dwelling place in Jacob and take Israel as your inheritance. Before the ages, in the beginning, He created me; forever and ever I shall not cease to exist. In the holy Tabernacle, in His presence I worshiped Him, and so I settled in Zion.".

Today, contemplating that child lying in the manger, nourished at his mother's breast, cradled by the paternal arms of Joseph, we know that it is the Wisdom of God, his Word that became flesh, like us, with all the frailties of the creature, dwelt with us, to allow us to become, with him, sons in the Son. 

Today with Paul we believe that, with the ineffable event of the Incarnation, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, in Him "he has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in heaven.". Moreover, that "in Him He chose us before the creation of the world that we should be holy and blameless in His presence for love.".

And the Father's blessing consists in the immensity of his love which is manifested in the birth among us of the Son. And that we too should be his adopted children is "the loving design of his will, to the praise and glory of his grace, whereby he hath made us well-pleasing in the Beloved."

The prologue of the letter to the Ephesians presents us with an attempt to express in great and beautiful words the ineffable mystery of God's infinite love for us. Aware that his words are not enough, Paul prays "to the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory." to grant us "a spirit of wisdom and revelation for a thorough knowledge of him; enlightening the eyes of your hearts that you may know what is the hope to which he calls you, what are the riches of glory left in his inheritance to the saints." 

To achieve this, we return to meditate on John's prologue, which reminds us that this Child is the Word of the Father and that He is the Word of the Father. "was next to God" y "was God". That Child who suckles the mother's milk has done everything "what has been done". He is life and light. He did not make us children through flesh and blood, but through his flesh and blood shed for us. He dwelt among us, we saw his glory, he filled us with every grace that overflowed from him, he revealed to us the truth and the true face of the Father.

That is why they nailed him to the cross, as a blasphemer, those who could not bear the revelation of this merciful and meek face of God who healed the wounds and weaknesses of our flesh and blood with his flesh and blood.

The homily on the readings of Christmas Sunday II

The priest Luis Herrera Campo offers its nanomiliaa small one-minute reflection for these readings.

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Vocations

"At 14, I ran away from God. At 21, he found me again."

Although he turned away from God in his adolescence, the example of his parents and several of his friends led him to rethink his life and enter the Seminary.

Sponsored space-December 30, 2021-Reading time: 2 minutes
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Fr. Cezar Luis Morbach is a priest of the Diocese of Novo Hamburgo, Brazil. He is studying for a doctorate in Systematic Theology at the Pontifical University of Santa Croce in Rome, thanks to a scholarship from CARF. At the age of 14 he began a life far from God, but the Lord found him again at the age of 21.

Cezar Luis Morbach is the fourth of five children. His family, very religious, worked in the fields and he helped them in the various agricultural activities. "I received from my parents the example of honesty, simplicity, but, above all, faith and love for God. My parents have always helped people in need".  

The example of his parents, along with the testimony of friends who entered the Minor Seminary of the Diocese of Santo Angelo, awakened in him the desire to have a seminary experience.

However, he postponed this decision and in 1999, at the age of 14, he left his parents' home to live with his sister and family in search of a better life.

"After 8 years of work and after having started university courses in mathematics, after a period of "escape" from God, He met me again, through a childhood friend, on the eve of his priestly ordination," he recounts.

He gave up his job, his university course, his plans to have a family, a girlfriend, friends... "I left everything to join the Propaedeutic Seminary, in the city of Novo Hamburgo". He was ordained on December 20, 2013.

"Ongoing formation is always urgent and necessary for the clergy and for the lay faithful. Although it is a necessity, not everyone seeks it, not even among the clergy. Therefore, once I have completed my doctoral course at Holy Cross, I will assist in the academic formation of the seminarians of the Diocese, the clergy, as well as in the pastoral and academic formation of the lay faithful, according to the new Pastoral Plan of the Diocese," he explains.

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Integral ecology

"It is worthwhile to alleviate the suffering of the terminally ill."

Students of the Psychology Degree at Villanova University participate in an initiative together with the Hospital de Cuidados Laguna to help and accompany terminally ill patients in the last stage of their lives and thus complete their academic training. Professor Alonso García de la Puente and university student Rocío Cárdenas spoke to Omnes.

Rafael Miner-December 29, 2021-Reading time: 6 minutes

It is Christmas time, a time to share moments with family and friends, even if they are virtual, but many cannot fully enjoy it. The Psychology Degree of the Villanueva University has launched an initiative in which several students and their teacher visit terminally ill patients.


The project is integrated into the Service Learning Program (ApS), which combines academic learning and community service processes in a single project. In this program, 42 students are trained to work on real needs of the environment with the aim of improving it and acquire competencies, skills and ethical values, strengthening their civic-social commitment.

"The academic environment is often devoid of the real thing, in books everything works, but sitting in front of a patient is a different event, a unique experience," explains the head of this project, Alonso García de la Puente, who is a professor at the Universidad Villanueva and director of the psychosocial team of the Laguna Care HospitalThe students attend the center. "It's an impressive experience," says Rocío Cárdenas, a fourth-year psychology student at the university.

Alonso García de la Puente (Mérida, 1984), has a degree in psychology, studied at the Pontifical University of Salamanca, was in the business world for a while, but eventually completed a master's degree in psycho-oncology and palliative care at the Complutense University. Professor De la Puente has been working for eight years at the Hospital de Cuidados Laguna, which specializes in caring for the elderly and treats and cares for patients with advanced diseases. He has been at Villanueva University for three years. This is how he explained the initiative to Omnes, which includes some comments from Rocío Cárdenas.

- How did you come up with the idea of combining your teaching at Villanueva with the direction of the psychosocial team in Laguna?

The subject of Villanueva came up in a talk I gave to a group of young Catholics. One girl was impressed and told her mother, dean of the Faculty of Psychology, about it. I was invited to give a talk on palliative care at the University. The dean and even the Rector were there, and then they asked me if I would like to collaborate with them as a professor. That was the beginning of my journey as a professor at Villanueva, in 2019.

- Tough pandemic times. How would you sum up your years at Laguna? How many people have you cared for in that care hospital?

It is the most life-changing thing in my life history. In my team, we see about 600 people a year, plus their families, which is twice as many. For each person, we see an average of two family members.

We all remember that when we left the university, the feeling was: I don't know anything. A lot of knowledge, but not knowing how to put it into practice or apply it. The University has a very nice program, Learning and Service (ApS), for volunteering, linked to the subjects. It consists of putting into practice what you are learning, that is, learning in practice by giving a service to society.

In this case, we are thinking of making an agreement between Laguna and the university, so that students can come. My subject is Health Psychology. We selected a patient, who has knowledge of his illness, who is able to speak, and the students began to come. Some came in person, and the rest connected online. It was a real laboratory for practicing the subject.

- Tell us a little about the students' experience in the project.

It is a unique experience for them, to be able to face a patient, and especially this type of patient in an end-of-life situation; it transforms them professionally and personally on most occasions. They learn from experience, they integrate from reality. For the hospital, it means being able to share our culture of care. Expanding a compassionate outlook, a discipline to continue to look at the challenges of a chronified society with a long life expectancy. For the students it is very enriching.

Gradually, students move from thinking about themselves, what am I going to say to the patient, etc., to thinking about the patient and being patient-centered, through dignity therapy.

Rocío CárdenasThe patient was the first one the whole class saw, the first contact. It was very shocking, not only from a psychological point of view, but especially from a human point of view. Knowing his condition, we saw the need to be much closer and more caring with him. The project allows young people like us to connect with the experience of death. We have seen a person in his early 50s whose life is ending because of an illness. [Rocío Cárdenas also adds: "A personal experience of mine has been to consider that the work to which God can call me has been that love. That is, to bring heaven forward to those people who are dying"].

- We continue our conversation with Professor García de la Puente: What does dignity therapy basically consist of?

It is a therapy that has a series of structured questions, like a guide, but that allows us to inquire into the patient's life, making a vital review, so that we can connect their self. When people reach the end of their life, or are very ill, they may think that they are no longer who they were. With dignity therapy, the person is able to see that there is a continuum in their life, that they are still the same person, and it connects them to their self. It is also a way to connect with others, with their family, with society, and to realize that this has existed throughout life, how they have been able to help, how they have contributed...And it also connects you with the transcendental: who I am, and what I leave behind me. The legacy that is left, that story is transcribed just as the patient has told it, it is given to him, it is edited, and he distributes it to whomever he wishes, or says to whom he wishes it to be given, thus leaving a sense of legacy, of connection with the transcendental.

For the students, apart from psychology and learning, it is a task that we try to carry out from Laguna. This center not only wants to take care of people, but to take care of a culture, which we are losing, and that we live in a society that is sick, that is having a bad time. The pandemic has pushed it to the limit, and we have realized what was happening, although we were not doing anything to fix it. It's this phenomenon of independence, of people not needing anybody. This is also something that the students learn. We realize that we are not independent, but co-dependent, that we live in a society in which we have to trust, that we have to take care, that suffering exists. And that we should not despair.

- Are you referring to the euthanasia law?

I am referring to that law. In the end, these things tell us about the kind of society we are, Facing the end of life puts you far in front of the truth. Because at the end of life, everything accessory disappears. Your car, who you are, your last name, the neighborhood you come from, your job, even your physique has changed. Nothing you had belongs to you anymore. Through this, people also realize that it is worth caring, that it is worth continuing to learn, to continue studying, to try to alleviate the suffering of these people, not to cut it off, to kill it, but that one can truly train in compassion, in humanism, and accompany the person in suffering, and make that suffering tolerable, because we cannot eradicate it, but we can learn to make suffering tolerable.

- What is your opinion on the lack of specific training in palliative care in Spain? You state that 45 percent of patients in Spain die without receiving palliative care. How do you assess this figure?

Spain does not yet have a specialty in palliative care. This is a huge problem, because when there is no specialty, there is no formal training in palliative care, and there is no recognition, neither socially nor administratively. This figure of 45 percent means that almost half of the population dies in poor conditions.

Many people die suffering, and without receiving the necessary care to work through their suffering at the physical, emotional, social and spiritual levels. Palliative care brings a new look at the patient's vision, moving from a biomedical model to a biopsychosocial and holistic model, treating and looking at the patient from all parts, integrating and attending to them. There are many countries where there is a palliative care law. Chile, for example, has just passed a comprehensive palliative care law. We are a support team, and this means that we come in at the last moment, when little can be done for the patient. Palliative care should come in much earlier, even at the time of diagnosis of the disease.

Professor Alonso García de la Puente and his wife have a baby girl who is only a few months old, it is 8:30 in the morning, and we do not keep him more than a quarter of an hour. But we would have chatted for a good while longer.

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Evangelization

Aid to the Church in Need: 75 years at the side of communities threatened by their faith

Next year, Aid to the Church in Need will be 75 years old. It is currently developing more than 5,000 pastoral projects around the world.

Maria José Atienza-December 29, 2021-Reading time: 4 minutes
RelatedRelated NewsAid to the Church in Need launches "I ache for Africa" campaignRelated NewsHope in the face of growing violations of religious freedom around the world

Your campaigns remind us that, today, more than half of the world's population lives in countries where religious freedom is not respected. They also remind us of those priests, nuns, lay people, children and the elderly who are persecuted and sometimes killed for the simple reason of being Christians.

Thanks to the contributions channeled by Aid to the Church in Need, many Christians are able to survive in these countries under these adverse conditions.

This Pontifical Foundation was founded Werenfried van Straaten in 1947, to help the Catholic Church in countries of real need, the thousands of refugees and Christians persecuted in the world because of their faith.

In Spain, Omnes spoke with its director, Javier Menéndez Ros, who also highlights the advance of aggressive secularism in nations with a Christian tradition and the total absence of public aid for their projects.

- Aid to the Church in Need reminds us that the difficulty of living the faith remains a topical issue. How is ACN structured to provide this help?

In Spain we have our main office in Madrid and more than 25 delegations throughout Spain with 29 employees and more than 210 volunteers in total.

In the world our head office is in Konigstein, Germany and we have 23 international offices, which carry out the awareness, prayer and charity campaigns in which we raise funds for the nearly 5,500 pastoral projects we cover each year in 145 countries around the world.

 - What are the main needs of these communities?

In the pastoral field, which is the one we attend to, Catholic dioceses in countries with few resources need practically everything: support for priests, nuns and lay people committed to catechesis, means of transportation, help with means of communication for evangelization, reconstruction of churches and religious houses, etc.

Let us not forget that Covid has only worsened the situation of poverty and need already suffered by these communities.

- In this regard, has the assistance you provide changed?Aid to the Church in Need to the various Christian communities with the Covid pandemic? 

In most cases our type of aid is the same, but in emergency situations and at risk of survival of Christians, the needs, worsened by the pandemic, have been for health products and basic commodities.

- How are projects born? What are the projects in which you collaborate?Aid to the Church in Need currently?

The pastoral projects that are requested from us arise from the need of a priest, religious or lay person who needs anything from a bicycle, to a bible or a Youcat, or a radio station for catechesis, or who cannot support themselves as priests and we send them mass stipends. With the approval of their respective bishop, they send their project requests to our headquarters and they are processed there.

We are currently engaged in 145 countries with all these types of pastoral projects, paying special attention to Africa, the Middle East, Asia and Latin America, in that order.

- How and who collaborates withAid to the Church in Need?

ACN, or ACN by its international acronym, has more than 345,000 benefactors in the world. Most of them are individuals who, in the 23 countries where we have offices, give us the gift of their prayers and donations. We do not receive any support from government agencies.

-Aid to the Church in Need publishes every year a report on religious freedom in the world, what is the evolution of this religious freedom? 

In our last report on Religious freedom 2021 we conclude that the situation of religious freedom in the world is in a very dangerous decline. No less than 67% of the world's population (5.2 billion people live in countries where religious freedom is not respected.

- At present, what dangers do the most threatened Christian communities face?

The most threatened Christian communities, as they are suffering in sub-Saharan Africa with the tremendous advance of jihadism, in the Middle East with the traces of wars, Daesh and the wave of refugees, or in Asian countries such as Pakistan, India or China, face even more persecution, which leads to massive emigration to safer areas and the possible decline and even disappearance of some of these communities.

- Speaking of this freedom in nations of Christian history, do you think it is on the decline? 

Clearly Christian humanism, with which the history and culture of Europe and America is steeped, is in clear decline and is being replaced by an aggressive secularism that is increasingly virulently attacking the most sacred principles and symbols of our faith and morals.

Recent examples such as the burning of Catholic churches in France or Chile have gone unnoticed by public opinion and are nothing but very worrying signs of this anti-Christian aggressiveness.

RelatedRelated NewsAid to the Church in Need launches "I ache for Africa" campaignRelated NewsHope in the face of growing violations of religious freedom around the world
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Sunday Readings

"Lay Jesus in the manger of our lives". Solemnity of St. Mary, Mother of God

Andrea Mardegan comments on the readings of St. Mary, Mother of God and Luis Herrera offers a short video homily. 

Andrea Mardegan-December 29, 2021-Reading time: 2 minutes

The new year begins with the priestly blessing of the book of Numbers: "The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 'Speak to Aaron and his sons and say to them, "Thus shall you bless the children of Israel, saying to them, 'The Lord bless you and keep you, the Lord make His face shine upon you and grant you His favor, the Lord reach His face toward you and grant you peace.' Thus shall they call upon my name upon the children of Israel, and I will bless them.".

Thus the Church asks and communicates God's blessing for all her children, and for all the days of the year that is beginning. And she makes us glimpse that, with the birth of his Son, the Lord has made his face shine among us and has made himself present in our history as the Prince of Peace. From him can come the true peace that we implore today for all the peoples of the earth, through the intercession of the Queen of Peace, his Mother. 

We, as shepherds of Bethlehem, approach the Mother of God and contemplate her with her husband Joseph. From them we learn to lay Jesus in the manger, which in time will become a cradle, and then a bed: among the objects of daily family life and of our work. Jesus in the places of the house, among the games of childhood, the tools of work.

The times of family and social life are inhabited and lived by the face of God made visible in the human face of the Son of God, son of Mary. Let us look at Mary, Joseph and the child and learn from them to listen to the words of God from the mouths of unknown shepherds sent by angels to watch this prodigy: God-filled normality.

We are amazed by God's visits with his messengers and by the greatness of the poor who welcome and manifest it. We keep this amazement in the chest of our heart, to draw it out and nourish it during the days of the whole year, of our whole life, like Mary. 

We look at Joseph with Mary. When the eight days prescribed for circumcision were completed, he was given the name Jesus, as the angel had called him before he was conceived in the womb. "He was named Jesus."The evangelist uses the third person passive. The angel had said to Mary: you shall call him Jesus; and so also to Joseph: you shall call him Jesus.

The formula in the third person reveals the mutual trust of the spouses, their profound unity. It was not Mary alone who gave him the name, nor Joseph alone; they did it together. There was a concurrence of both, as had already happened with Elizabeth and Zechariah when they gave the name to John.

Thus Joseph becomes the legal father of Jesus, and Mary manifests that she is the mother of Jesus in a unique way compared to all women in the history of men.

Homily on the readings of St. Mary, Mother of God

The priest Luis Herrera Campo offers its nanomiliaa small one-minute reflection for these readings.

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ColumnistsCelso Morga

Do we really have social sensitivity?

The underhanded marginalization of motherhood means that many women are not free, but are under great pressure, to choose life over abortion.

December 28, 2021-Reading time: 3 minutes
RelatedRelated NewsEvery Life Matters mobilizes this Sunday with Leire's story

– Supernatural Redmadre Foundation made public on December 14, 2009, the Maternity Mapwhich analyzes public aid to maternity and, specifically, to pregnant women in vulnerable situations offered in 2020 by the Spanish public administrations as a whole. In that report there is a scandalous and very sad fact: The total investment destined in 2020 by the set of public administrations in support of pregnant women in difficulties was 3,392,233 euros, while the aid for abortion was 32,218,185 million. Spending by public administrations as a whole in Spain on support for pregnant women has increased by only 2 euros since 2018.

Given this fact, one might wonder if there are people who think that abortion is a dish of pleasure for anyone. Because if the answer is no, what do we do if we do not help those women who want to become mothers and are experiencing difficulties to do so? Are we facing ideological imperatives beyond all logic and, of course, human sensitivity? Everything points to yes, since at the same time that abortion is promoted and financed, legal obstacles are put in the way of pro-life associations to inform and offer help to women who go to abortion clinics.

On the other hand, this data belies the idea that our political class, on whom these aids depend, has a developed social conscience. If this were the case, a law would have been enacted by now to combat social exclusion due to maternity, because in many cases, opting for maternity entails difficulties in obtaining a job, and even in keeping it. The underhand marginalization of motherhood means that many women are not free, but are under great pressure to choose life over abortion.

At the same time there is an alarming lack of vision for the future. Two days after the report we have learned that Spain has lost population for the first time in the last five years. According to data from the National Statistics Institute (INE), Spain currently has 47.32 million people, a decrease of 72,007 inhabitants compared to 2020.

All that we are living in this sense is well defined by the holy pope, John Paul II, who coined the term "culture of death" in his encyclical Evangelium Vitae. In it he points out that "with the new perspectives opened up by scientific and technological progress, new forms of aggression against the dignity of the human being emerge, while at the same time a new cultural situation is being delineated and consolidated, which gives attacks on life an unprecedented and - it could be said - even more iniquitous aspect, giving rise to further and more serious concerns: broad sectors of public opinion justify certain attacks on life in the name of the rights of individual freedom, and on this presupposition they seek not only impunity, but even authorization on the part of the State, in order to practice them with absolute freedom and also with the free intervention of health structures". (Evangelium Vitae, num. 4).

More recently, Pope Francis, with his characteristic clarity, declared on the flight back to Rome from Slovakia last September: "Abortion is more than a problem, abortion is murder. Without half-words: whoever performs an abortion, kills". Then he asked himself two questions: "Is it right to kill a human life to solve a problem? (...) Second question: is it right to hire a hitman to solve a problem? (...) That is why the Church is so hard on this issue, because if she accepts this it is like accepting daily homicide".

Now, in the midst of Christmas, is a good time to reflect on this.

The authorCelso Morga

Archbishop emeritus of the Diocese of Mérida Badajoz

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The Vatican

The humility of service, in order to be truly useful to everyone

In Pope Francis' traditional Christmas message to the Roman Curia, which is usually a time for reflection, the Holy Father dwelled on the temptation of "spiritual worldliness."

Giovanni Tridente-December 27, 2021-Reading time: 3 minutes
RelatedRelated NewsCuria reform is already underwayRelated NewsCongratulations to the Roman Curia: "Light is always stronger than darkness".

The illnesses, temptations and afflictions that compromise the "organism" of the Roman Curia - the group of cardinals and bishops who collaborate with the Pope and the Holy See - have always been at the center of the annual greetings to which Pope Francis has accustomed us since his election. It has always been, in short, a moment of verification and reflection, almost like an introspective analysis to better understand "who we are and our mission".

This year, too, the Pontiff was no exception, and he focused on a specific temptation, which he has already identified on other occasions as "spiritual worldliness," the overcoming of which, however, benefits the general service offered by the various Vatican dicasteries to the universal Church.

Back to humility

The key to avoid running the risk of being "generals of defeated armies rather than mere soldiers of a squadron that continues to fight," as he already indicated in his Evangelii gaudium, is to return - and with a certain diligence - to humility, a word and an attitude unfortunately forgotten today and emptied of moralism. And yet, humility is precisely the first door of God's entry into history.

In his speech, which was not brief, Pope Francis reiterated to his collaborators that one cannot "spend one's life hiding behind an armor, a role, a social recognition", because sooner or later this lack of sincerity will take its toll and show all its inconsistency, besides being, in the Church, a serious setback: "if we forget our humanity we live only by the honors of our armor".

Overcoming pride

What, then, should a humble Roman Curia be like? Surely it should not be ashamed of its frailties, for "knowing how to inhabit our humanity without despair, with realism, joy and hope". The opposite of humility is "pride", which goes hand in hand with the "most perverse fruit of spiritual worldliness" which are "securities". While the latter show a lack of faith, hope and charity, pride is "like chaff", which besides generating a sterile sadness, deprives the Church of "roots" and "branches".

Remember and generate

The roots bear witness to the link with the past, with Tradition, with the example of those who have preceded us in evangelization; the shoots are emblems of vitality and projection into the future. With this awareness, a humble Church and Curia are capable of "remembering", treasuring and reliving - Pope Francis added in his reasoning - and of "generating", that is, looking forward with a memory full of gratitude.

The humble, in short, "push towards what they do not know", "accept to be questioned" and open themselves to the new with hope and trust. Without this attitude, one runs the risk of falling ill and disappearing: "without humility, neither God nor one's neighbor can be found".

Basically, if our proclamation preaches "poverty", the Curia must stand out for its "sobriety"; if the Word of God preaches "justice", the Roman Curia must shine for its transparency, without favoritism or entanglements, was the Pope's warning.

The Synod test bed

An immediate testing ground to highlight concrete humility is precisely the synodal journey that the Church is undergoing and that the Roman Curia is called to support as a protagonist, not only because it represents the organizational engine but above all because, as the Holy Father has reiterated, it must "set an example".

Also for the Pope's collaborators, therefore, humility must be declined in the three key words Francis used during the opening of the synodal assembly last October: participation, communion and mission.

A participatory Roman Curia is one that places "co-responsibility" in the first place, which also translates for those in charge into a more helpful and collaborative spirit.

It is a Curia that creates communion, because it is centered on Christ through prayer and the reading of the Word, is concerned for the good of others, recognizes diversity and lives its work in a spirit of sharing.

Finally, it is a missionary Curia, which shows passion for the poor and the marginalized, also because it is evident that even today, and precisely in a synodal phase in which we want to listen to "everyone" indiscriminately, "their voice, their presence, their questions" are missing.

A humble Church is, therefore, a community of the faithful "that places its center outside of itself", aware - Pope Francis concluded - that "only by serving and only by thinking of our work as service can we be truly useful to all".

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RelatedRelated NewsCuria reform is already underwayRelated NewsCongratulations to the Roman Curia: "Light is always stronger than darkness".
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