Each year the Church invites us to remind ourselves of God’s plan of salvation for us sinners. Each day throughout Advent we are presented with yet another prophet providing further insights into the Messiah who will be sent by God to take away our sins and to restore our friendship with God.
Advent is rightfully called a “new beginning” since God’s plan of salvation is lived out yet anew year after year.
Advent 2010 has an added feature since we now begin a year-long preparation for the use of the new Roman Missal which has been recently translated more accurately into today’s English. This third edition of the Roman Missal in English will be used starting with the first Sunday of Advent 2011.
Priests, deacons, religious, various ministers, choirs, and all of the Catholics of our Archdiocese will be given special sessions to prepare to celebrate the Mass in English according to the new translation. The new translation has many word changes because this translation is more fully faithful to the original Latin text.
Preparing ourselves for new wording and new responses at Mass is only part of the “new beginning” which we will celebrate as Advent 2011 begins next year. I am hopeful that these months of catechesis will help us renew our understanding of the Eucharist in our lives as Catholics. As Catholics, we are singularly a “Eucharistic Church.” Our celebration of the Eucharist from the earliest days of the apostles, and down through history, distinguishes us from all other Churches who call themselves Christian.
The Eucharist is one of God’s greatest gifts to us in and through his Son, Jesus Christ. Recall the two men journeying to Emmaus on that first Easter Sunday afternoon who encountered the Risen Jesus without knowing it was him, and then their eyes were opened as he sat at table with them and “broke the bread” for them—then vanishing from their sight.
We must recall that in the consecrated bread and wine, we truly receive Jesus Christ, body and blood, soul and divinity. The bread and wine are totally changed from the appearances of bread and wine into the very Body and Blood of our Risen Savior, Jesus Christ.
As Catholics, our faith in the total transformation of the bread and wine distinguishes us from many other Christian Churches. We do not believe that the bread and wine simply serve as “reminders” or “symbols” of the Last Supper. Rather, we believe that the bread and wine are changed substantially into Christ’s Body and Blood—usually referred to with the term “transubstantiation”.
The Advent season we begin this year will be a time of preparation and renewal of our love for the Eucharist. The changes in wording and translation are only secondary to the great mystery of our Faith—receiving the sacred Body and Blood of Jesus Christ!
Friday, November 19, 2010
Monday, November 15, 2010
STATE SUPREME COURT DECISION: EVERYONE BENEFITS
The California State Supreme Court has ruled that students who have received three or more years of high school education in California are eligible for the in-state tuition rate if they enter one of the State colleges or universities. These students must graduate from a California high school.
In a 7 to 0 unanimous opinion written by Justice Ming W. Chin, the State's highest Court decided that such students entering State colleges or universities are not required to pay out of state tuition rates.
This decision will affect about 25,000 undocumented students enrolled in the State's colleges and universities. And although eligible for the in-state tuition, such students are not eligible for government financial aid programs.
This is good news for all Californians! Virtually all undocumented students were brought to this country by family members; they did not decide on their own to come to our country.
Having these young people well educated helps fill our State's need for a more highly trained workforce, especially as thousands of baby-boomers begin to retire.
Now Congress and the President need to take the next step as early as possible: pass the DREAM Act so that these students who graduate from our colleges and universities can be placed on a path towards legal residency and eventual citizenship. I am hopeful that during this lame-duck session of Congress the leadership might put this legislation forward for a full vote in the House and Senate.
To maintain a punitive posture towards our undocumented young people who graduate from colleges and universities is not only against the American spirit, that attitude deprives our country of the benefit from an upcoming well educated work force.
Let's continue our collective efforts to pass the elements of immigration reform--either one by one, or as a comprehensive piece of legislation.
"For I was a stranger, and you welcomed me" (Matthew 25:35)
In a 7 to 0 unanimous opinion written by Justice Ming W. Chin, the State's highest Court decided that such students entering State colleges or universities are not required to pay out of state tuition rates.
This decision will affect about 25,000 undocumented students enrolled in the State's colleges and universities. And although eligible for the in-state tuition, such students are not eligible for government financial aid programs.
This is good news for all Californians! Virtually all undocumented students were brought to this country by family members; they did not decide on their own to come to our country.
Having these young people well educated helps fill our State's need for a more highly trained workforce, especially as thousands of baby-boomers begin to retire.
Now Congress and the President need to take the next step as early as possible: pass the DREAM Act so that these students who graduate from our colleges and universities can be placed on a path towards legal residency and eventual citizenship. I am hopeful that during this lame-duck session of Congress the leadership might put this legislation forward for a full vote in the House and Senate.
To maintain a punitive posture towards our undocumented young people who graduate from colleges and universities is not only against the American spirit, that attitude deprives our country of the benefit from an upcoming well educated work force.
Let's continue our collective efforts to pass the elements of immigration reform--either one by one, or as a comprehensive piece of legislation.
"For I was a stranger, and you welcomed me" (Matthew 25:35)
Monday, October 18, 2010
CHURCH in the MIDDLE EAST: SYNOD of BISHOPS
It is a privilege to be in Rome for the Special Assembly on the Church in the Middle East of the Synod of Bishops. Running from October 10 to 24, the Synod has brought together some 185 Synod Delegates to discuss all aspects of the Catholic Church in the greater Middle East area.
Since the Second Vatican Council, the Church has recognized six historic Catholic Churches of the Middle East as Churches of equal dignity with the Latin Church: the Armenian, Chaldean, Coptic, Maronite, Melkite, and Syrian. In our Archdiocese we are blessed to have all six of these Churches present. In addition, we also have many Eastern Rite Churches with roots in India, northern Africa, and Europe.
The past several years have been extremely difficult for our Eastern Catholic Churches because of wars, political tensions, and economic sanctions imposed upon Christians throughout the area. These problems have prompted many Christians to flee for safer homes and more equal opportunities in Latin America, the United States, Canada, South Africa, and Australia.
The Church around the world welcomes our Eastern Rite brothers and sisters and attempts to provide them new opportunities in our midst. We encourage the Eastern Rite members to remain faithful to their own Eastern Churches, and not to leave them for the Roman Catholic parishes nearby.
But there is also a new phenomenon affecting the Churches in the Middle East: the Latin Catholic population is expanding rapidly across the Persian Gulf States and in Saudi Arabia. Most of these are guest workers primarily from the Philippines and throughout South Asia.
Some two million of these live in Saudi Arabia but they are forbidden to practice their Faith because the public observance of Christianity is prohibited.
Increased efforts are underway to find new avenues of pastoral ministry for these Catholics who are living in countries with a strict Islamic code of conduct, thus forbidding other religions to function.
We are at the half-way point in the Synod, and are now developing proposals for Pope Benedict XVI to consider when the Synod ends. These proposals would be developed into an Apostolic Exhortation by the Pope, usually issued a year after the Synod.
But in the meantime, all of us from the Eastern and Western Churches are determined to move forward quickly with renewed bonds of friendship and to initiate new avenues of cooperation and collaboration for the good of both emigrants from the Middle East and immigrants to the Middle East.
Since the Second Vatican Council, the Church has recognized six historic Catholic Churches of the Middle East as Churches of equal dignity with the Latin Church: the Armenian, Chaldean, Coptic, Maronite, Melkite, and Syrian. In our Archdiocese we are blessed to have all six of these Churches present. In addition, we also have many Eastern Rite Churches with roots in India, northern Africa, and Europe.
The past several years have been extremely difficult for our Eastern Catholic Churches because of wars, political tensions, and economic sanctions imposed upon Christians throughout the area. These problems have prompted many Christians to flee for safer homes and more equal opportunities in Latin America, the United States, Canada, South Africa, and Australia.
The Church around the world welcomes our Eastern Rite brothers and sisters and attempts to provide them new opportunities in our midst. We encourage the Eastern Rite members to remain faithful to their own Eastern Churches, and not to leave them for the Roman Catholic parishes nearby.
But there is also a new phenomenon affecting the Churches in the Middle East: the Latin Catholic population is expanding rapidly across the Persian Gulf States and in Saudi Arabia. Most of these are guest workers primarily from the Philippines and throughout South Asia.
Some two million of these live in Saudi Arabia but they are forbidden to practice their Faith because the public observance of Christianity is prohibited.
Increased efforts are underway to find new avenues of pastoral ministry for these Catholics who are living in countries with a strict Islamic code of conduct, thus forbidding other religions to function.
We are at the half-way point in the Synod, and are now developing proposals for Pope Benedict XVI to consider when the Synod ends. These proposals would be developed into an Apostolic Exhortation by the Pope, usually issued a year after the Synod.
But in the meantime, all of us from the Eastern and Western Churches are determined to move forward quickly with renewed bonds of friendship and to initiate new avenues of cooperation and collaboration for the good of both emigrants from the Middle East and immigrants to the Middle East.
Monday, October 4, 2010
SURPRISE: WE ALL EMPLOY UNDOCUMENTED WORKERS!
Former Secretary of State Colin Powell made the news recently when he admitted that many of the workers who repaired the roof on his house were probably undocumented workers. He quickly clarified that assertion by stating that his contractor hired the workers, not him.
California Governor candidate Meg Whitman stirred up a hornets nest last week when she admitted that her housekeeper for some nine years was undocumented.
But I've got news for everyone: All of us at least indirectly hire undocumented workers, and many directly hire them. Normal life and business in Southern California would come to a screeching halt without undocumented workers doing all kinds of important work to sustain us all: planting and harvesting our food, caring for our children in homes or day care centers, mowing our lawns and maintaining our yards, cleaning rooms in our hotels and motels, washing our cars, doing our dry cleaning and laundry, and performing the laborer tasks on many construction jobs.
But undocumented workers are also doing far more important tasks as well: serving as cooks and chefs in our restaurants, operating outdoor machinery of all kinds, caring for our sick and elderly, assisting in many medical and dental offices, and working alongside engineers out in the field.
Recently I was at an Embassy Suites hotel here in Los Angeles, and I told the manager that it seemed like everyone on his hotel staff were immigrants. He looked at me with surprise, and told me: "Well of course, only immigrants come here and apply for jobs. Do you think ordinary 'Americans' are going to do any of this kind of work?"
The California State Employment Dept. regularly advertises all across the state for people to work in the harvest of peaches, plums, nectarines, grapes, and all kinds of fruits and vegetables. Guess how many 'Americans' show up for this type of employment--you're correct, practically no one.
And yet, immigrants--both documented and undocumented--are actually subsidizing our family food bills. These workers usually earn minimum wage, and work for staggered periods of time. That's why in this country we pay only 9.5% of our annual income for food--the lowest percentage in the world. Other countries and their percentage of income spent for food: United Kingdom, 11%; Japan, 17%; South Africa, 27%; India, 53%.
And why? Because immigrants are subsidizing our food production and processing with their low wages, few worker benefits, and unsteady employment.
This is just one more reason that we need to open our eyes and look around to see how vital immigrants are to the prosperity and well-being of our country. And why we need to enact federal law to help bring our immigrant brothers and sisters out from the shadows and help them become legal residents here.
Yes, ALL of us employ undocumented workers, both directly and indirectly. Let's appreciate them and work to respect their rights in our midst.
California Governor candidate Meg Whitman stirred up a hornets nest last week when she admitted that her housekeeper for some nine years was undocumented.
But I've got news for everyone: All of us at least indirectly hire undocumented workers, and many directly hire them. Normal life and business in Southern California would come to a screeching halt without undocumented workers doing all kinds of important work to sustain us all: planting and harvesting our food, caring for our children in homes or day care centers, mowing our lawns and maintaining our yards, cleaning rooms in our hotels and motels, washing our cars, doing our dry cleaning and laundry, and performing the laborer tasks on many construction jobs.
But undocumented workers are also doing far more important tasks as well: serving as cooks and chefs in our restaurants, operating outdoor machinery of all kinds, caring for our sick and elderly, assisting in many medical and dental offices, and working alongside engineers out in the field.
Recently I was at an Embassy Suites hotel here in Los Angeles, and I told the manager that it seemed like everyone on his hotel staff were immigrants. He looked at me with surprise, and told me: "Well of course, only immigrants come here and apply for jobs. Do you think ordinary 'Americans' are going to do any of this kind of work?"
The California State Employment Dept. regularly advertises all across the state for people to work in the harvest of peaches, plums, nectarines, grapes, and all kinds of fruits and vegetables. Guess how many 'Americans' show up for this type of employment--you're correct, practically no one.
And yet, immigrants--both documented and undocumented--are actually subsidizing our family food bills. These workers usually earn minimum wage, and work for staggered periods of time. That's why in this country we pay only 9.5% of our annual income for food--the lowest percentage in the world. Other countries and their percentage of income spent for food: United Kingdom, 11%; Japan, 17%; South Africa, 27%; India, 53%.
And why? Because immigrants are subsidizing our food production and processing with their low wages, few worker benefits, and unsteady employment.
This is just one more reason that we need to open our eyes and look around to see how vital immigrants are to the prosperity and well-being of our country. And why we need to enact federal law to help bring our immigrant brothers and sisters out from the shadows and help them become legal residents here.
Yes, ALL of us employ undocumented workers, both directly and indirectly. Let's appreciate them and work to respect their rights in our midst.
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
The DREAM Act Is Essential for Our Country's Future
Senate Majority leader Harry Reid announced that he plans to attach one of the immigration reform measures that would assist undocumented students to the Defense Authorization Bill to be voted on the week of September 20th.
The Catholic Church in our country has long favored passage of the Development,Relief and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act. Passage of the Act would offer a pathway to legal residency and eventual citizenship for undocumented children and young people who were brought to our country by their parents. Many of these youth came as young as one year old and have known no other country except the United States.
If these undocumented young people attend a college or university, or join the military, they become eligible to begin down the pathway to full legal status.
I have met with enthusiastic young men and women who graduate from a college or university here in Los Angeles, but because they lack legal papers, they cannot find employment. The same is true of these young people who join a branch of the military. That makes no sense whatsoever.
I met recently a young man who just graduated from a major university in Los Angeles with his degree in engineering. He is so anxious to put his education and skills at the service of our country and our community, but lacks legal residency papers.
What a waste of the gifts and talents of these young people all across the country.
The DREAM Act is not amnesty. Rather, it is the recognition that in our midst are many young people who only know one country: the United States. And they want to contribute to building up our country.
I urge all the members of the U.S. Senate to see how the DREAM Act will genuinely benefit our country, and to vote for its passage next week.
To hear some stories from these young people, please visit the website below:
The Catholic Church in our country has long favored passage of the Development,Relief and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act. Passage of the Act would offer a pathway to legal residency and eventual citizenship for undocumented children and young people who were brought to our country by their parents. Many of these youth came as young as one year old and have known no other country except the United States.
If these undocumented young people attend a college or university, or join the military, they become eligible to begin down the pathway to full legal status.
I have met with enthusiastic young men and women who graduate from a college or university here in Los Angeles, but because they lack legal papers, they cannot find employment. The same is true of these young people who join a branch of the military. That makes no sense whatsoever.
I met recently a young man who just graduated from a major university in Los Angeles with his degree in engineering. He is so anxious to put his education and skills at the service of our country and our community, but lacks legal residency papers.
What a waste of the gifts and talents of these young people all across the country.
The DREAM Act is not amnesty. Rather, it is the recognition that in our midst are many young people who only know one country: the United States. And they want to contribute to building up our country.
I urge all the members of the U.S. Senate to see how the DREAM Act will genuinely benefit our country, and to vote for its passage next week.
To hear some stories from these young people, please visit the website below:
Monday, September 6, 2010
PASSION PLAY: OBERAMMERGAU, GERMANY
In the 1600s, the towns and cities of Europe were faced with two great challenges: unending wars among the countries, and the spread of disease by way of the plague.
The small town of Oberammergau, in the Bavarian part of Germany, was hit by the plague. The townspeople rallied together and in 1633 said that if God spared them from any further disease and death, they would put on a Passion Play every 10 years to commemorate this blessing. The disease stopped, and no further deaths occurred.
In 1634, the townspeople put on their first Passion Play to commemorate the life, sufferings, death, and resurrection of Jesus. Now, 376 years later, the people in this small town continue to put on a spectacular re-enactment of Jesus' final days. Some 2,000 villagers participate in the Passion Play, which takes almost a full year to prepare.
Those in the Passion Play must be residents of Oberammeergau for several years, and must commit to participating in the Play from mid-May through early October. The men begin growing beards and long hair on Ash Wednesday of the previous year--in this case, 2009.
The theater holds 4,500 people and pilgrims come from all over the world to witness this deeply moving spiritual event. This was my first visit for the Passion Play, and since I am 74 now, it is highly unlikely that I would be able to attend in 2020.
The Play follows the Gospel accounts very closely, but also links several Old Testament events to the life of Jesus and God's plan of salvation for the human family.
The staging of the Passion Play is remarkable, and with 2,000 villagers participating, all of the scenes calling for large numbers of people are carried out with huge crowds on stage. The music, the singing, the rapidly changing sets, and the flow of the Gospel events are captivating.
What I found so stunning was that those carrying out the various parts in the Play seem real--not like professional actors. You immediately relate to the person of Jesus, Mary, the Apostles, and all of those involved in the Gospel narratives.
The Passion Play is presented in two parts: Part I begins at 2:30 PM and runs to about 5:00 PM. There is a dinner break, and Part II starts at 8:00 PM, ending about 11:15 PM. Even with over five hours of presentation, the time goes by very quickly.
The final Resurrection scene is dramatically presented, and the entire Play is a deeply inspiring spiritual tableau.
I leave this delightful town with a renewed understanding of those final days of Jesus' life, and the incredible personal sacrifice which he made for us.
If you can't attend in 2010, be sure to make plans to attend in 2020--the next time the Play will be presented.
Their website: www.oberammergau-passion.com
The small town of Oberammergau, in the Bavarian part of Germany, was hit by the plague. The townspeople rallied together and in 1633 said that if God spared them from any further disease and death, they would put on a Passion Play every 10 years to commemorate this blessing. The disease stopped, and no further deaths occurred.
In 1634, the townspeople put on their first Passion Play to commemorate the life, sufferings, death, and resurrection of Jesus. Now, 376 years later, the people in this small town continue to put on a spectacular re-enactment of Jesus' final days. Some 2,000 villagers participate in the Passion Play, which takes almost a full year to prepare.
Those in the Passion Play must be residents of Oberammeergau for several years, and must commit to participating in the Play from mid-May through early October. The men begin growing beards and long hair on Ash Wednesday of the previous year--in this case, 2009.
The theater holds 4,500 people and pilgrims come from all over the world to witness this deeply moving spiritual event. This was my first visit for the Passion Play, and since I am 74 now, it is highly unlikely that I would be able to attend in 2020.
The Play follows the Gospel accounts very closely, but also links several Old Testament events to the life of Jesus and God's plan of salvation for the human family.
The staging of the Passion Play is remarkable, and with 2,000 villagers participating, all of the scenes calling for large numbers of people are carried out with huge crowds on stage. The music, the singing, the rapidly changing sets, and the flow of the Gospel events are captivating.
What I found so stunning was that those carrying out the various parts in the Play seem real--not like professional actors. You immediately relate to the person of Jesus, Mary, the Apostles, and all of those involved in the Gospel narratives.
The Passion Play is presented in two parts: Part I begins at 2:30 PM and runs to about 5:00 PM. There is a dinner break, and Part II starts at 8:00 PM, ending about 11:15 PM. Even with over five hours of presentation, the time goes by very quickly.
The final Resurrection scene is dramatically presented, and the entire Play is a deeply inspiring spiritual tableau.
I leave this delightful town with a renewed understanding of those final days of Jesus' life, and the incredible personal sacrifice which he made for us.
If you can't attend in 2010, be sure to make plans to attend in 2020--the next time the Play will be presented.
Their website: www.oberammergau-passion.com
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
JUDGE VAUGHN WALKER GOT IT WRONG
On Wednesday, August 4, it was announced that U.S. District Court Judge Vaughn R. Walker ruled that Proposition 8 which was enacted by the People of California is unconstitutional. His decision fails to deal with the basic, underlying issue--rather he focused solely upon individual testimony on how Prop 8 affected them personally. Wrong focus.
There is only one issue before each of us Californians: Is Marriage of Divine or of Human Origin?
Judge Walker pays no attention to this fundamental issue, and relies solely upon how Prop 8 made certain members of society "feel" about themselves.
Those of us who supported Prop 8 and worked for its passage did so for one reason: We truly believe that Marriage was instituted by God for the specific purpose of carrying out God's plan for the world and human society. Period.
Every single religious faith community in our known history has held this belief since recorded history began. Every indigenous group discovered down through history also understood this belief about marriage, and carried out cultural and religious practices to sustain that belief. Marriage is of divine origin, and that belief is embedded deeply into the heart and spirit of human beings--also described as the natural law for the human family.
Judge Walker assumes that the institution of marriage is of human and civil origin, and therefore, that "marriage" can mean anything any person wishes to ascribe to the institution. Wrong.
The union of a man and of a woman in a life-long loving and caring relationship is of divine origin. No human nor civil power can decree or declare otherwise.
It is too bad that Judge Walker chose to listen to anguished voices about their perception of marriage rather than plumb the depths of the origin of this divinely inspired institution.
For many of us, we will continue to believe that God is the origin of marriage, and we will follow God's constant revelation to that effect.
We in the Roman Catholic Community are totally "pro-marriage" and "pro-family" precisely in the understanding God gave when the first human beings received the breath of God's spirit.
There is only one issue before each of us Californians: Is Marriage of Divine or of Human Origin?
Judge Walker pays no attention to this fundamental issue, and relies solely upon how Prop 8 made certain members of society "feel" about themselves.
Those of us who supported Prop 8 and worked for its passage did so for one reason: We truly believe that Marriage was instituted by God for the specific purpose of carrying out God's plan for the world and human society. Period.
Every single religious faith community in our known history has held this belief since recorded history began. Every indigenous group discovered down through history also understood this belief about marriage, and carried out cultural and religious practices to sustain that belief. Marriage is of divine origin, and that belief is embedded deeply into the heart and spirit of human beings--also described as the natural law for the human family.
Judge Walker assumes that the institution of marriage is of human and civil origin, and therefore, that "marriage" can mean anything any person wishes to ascribe to the institution. Wrong.
The union of a man and of a woman in a life-long loving and caring relationship is of divine origin. No human nor civil power can decree or declare otherwise.
It is too bad that Judge Walker chose to listen to anguished voices about their perception of marriage rather than plumb the depths of the origin of this divinely inspired institution.
For many of us, we will continue to believe that God is the origin of marriage, and we will follow God's constant revelation to that effect.
We in the Roman Catholic Community are totally "pro-marriage" and "pro-family" precisely in the understanding God gave when the first human beings received the breath of God's spirit.
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