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Let us pray
for Benedict XVI
PRAISED BE JESUS
CHRIST!
(Now and Forever)
The Holy Father is scheduled to pilgrimage to Turkey Nov. 28. When
originally announced, the trip was considered a significant papal
outreach to the Orthodox after a six-year interruption in
Catholic-Orthodox dialogue. Turkey is a Muslim country. The Orthodox
represent some .01 percent of the population. But Nov. 30 is the feast
of St. Andrew, patron of the Orthodox Patriarchate. There are strong
ecumenical overtones to the trip.
In the meantime, Muslims around the world took offense at comments made
by Benedict XVI in a lecture given at the University of Regensburg,
Germany, during the pope’s visit to his homeland in September. A radical
British Muslim, Anjem Cloudary, drew headlines when he said the pope
should be executed for insulting Mohammed, founder of Islam. Two
churches in the Palestinian West Bank were fire-bombed. Four other
churches in the West Bank and one in the Gaza Strip reported gunfire.
Criticism came from Muslim leaders in Egypt, Pakistan, Iran and
Indonesia. Protests, some of which turned violent, erupted in London and
Delhi. A woman religious was murdered in Somalia.
The Holy Father moved quickly to defuse the outburst, calling for a
special meeting with Muslim leaders outside Rome. Generally speaking,
Muslim leaders reacted favorably to the face-to-face meeting with the
pope. Turkey, too, has not tried to postpone the papal visit. Yet, there
is some apprehension. Security undoubtedly will be at a high level, but
does the trip to a Muslim country put the Holy Father in harm’s way?
In that context, the Knights of Columbus are calling for a demonstration
of solidarity with the Holy Father, a special “spiritual pilgrimage” for
its members and for the broader Catholic community. The aim is to
generate prayers for the success of Pope Benedict’s trip.
To mark the occasion, Bishop William E. Lori, Diocese of Bridgeport, the
Supreme Chaplain of the Knights of Columbus, has composed a special
“spiritual pilgrimage” prayer which Knights and others are encouraged to
pray daily from the Sunday prior to the pope’s visit (Nov. 26, the
Solemnity of Christ the King) through the Holy Father’s scheduled return
to the Vatican on Dec. 1.
The initiative strives to show unity with and prayerful support for our
Holy Father as he prepares for and makes this important and historic
pastoral visit to Turkey.
I encourage my readers to include the following in your daily prayers
starting on the Solemnity of Christ the King:
“Heavenly Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth takes
its name, we humbly ask that you sustain, inspire and protect your
servant, Pope Benedict XVI, as he goes on pilgrimage to Turkey — a land
to which St. Paul brought the Gospel of your Son; a land where once the
Mother of your Son, the Seat of Wisdom, dwelt; a land where faith in
your Son’s true divinity was definitely professed. Bless our Holy
Father, who comes as a messenger of truth and love to all people of
faith and good will dwelling in this land so rich in history. In the
power of the Holy Spirit, may this visit of the Holy Father bring about
deeper ties of understanding, cooperation and peace among Roman
Catholics, the Orthodox and those who profess Islam. May the prayers and
events of these historic days greatly contribute both to greater accord
among those who worship you, the living and true God, and also to peace
in our world so often torn apart by war and sectarian violence.
“We also ask, O Heavenly Father, that you watch over and protect Pope
Benedict and entrust him to the loving care of Mary, under the title of
Our Lady of Fatima, a title cherished both by Catholics and Muslims.
Through her prayers and maternal love, may Pope Benedict be kept safe
from all harm as he prays, bears witness to the Gospel, and invites all
peoples to a dialogue of faith, reason and love. We make our prayer
through Christ, our Lord. Amen.”
As a sidebar, the Council of Ephesus held in 431, in what today is
Turkey, was the third ecumenical council. It condemned two prominent
heresies of the time and defined the two natures in the one person of
Christ (the hypostatic union). It was also Ephesus that recognized Mary
of Nazareth, the Mother of Jesus, the Theotokos, the God-bearer or the
Mother of God. So, the Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches (495):
“In fact, the one whom she conceived as man by the Holy Spirit, who
truly became her Son according to the flesh, was none other than the
Father’s eternal Son, the second person of the Holy Trinity. Hence the
Church confesses that Mary is truly ‘Mother of God’ (Theotokos).”
On Thanksgiving
This week, of course, we have Thanksgiving. For many, it is a great
family day. In addition to the family gathering, many start their
Thanksgiving by participating in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.
Eucharist, of course, means thanksgiving. This is clearly highlighted in
the third Eucharistic Prayer, wherein the priest celebrant proclaims:
“Father, calling to mind the death your Son endured for our salvation,
his glorious resurrection and ascension into heaven, and ready to greet
him when he comes again, we offer you in thanksgiving this holy and
living sacrifice.”
When using the third Eucharistic Prayer, I make special effort to
emphasize that word thanksgiving. In my judgment, we need to look at our
world and our lives through glasses of gratitude: an attitude of
gratitude, as Father Maurice Miller is fond of saying.
Pessimists will be able to find much about which to fret this
Thanksgiving. The world is far from a perfect place. Many families carry
a daily cross of apprehension for a family member serving in the
military. Much of the world is deprived of food, clothing, health care,
the basic necessities of life. Poverty is epidemic. The political scene
is anything but encouraging. Millions never see the light of birth. The
list goes on and on. But, no matter how challenging life becomes, we are
most blessed and in ways we often fail to recognize.
May this Thanksgiving be approached and celebrated with an attitude of
gratitude to God for our many blessings. Hopefully, for many, the day
will begin with the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. There is no better way
to observe the civil holiday of Thanksgiving than by giving praise to
God from whom all blessings flow! |
