POPE FRANCIS PRAYER: WAY of the CROSS, GOOD FRIDAY

 O Christ crucified and victorious,Your Way of the Cross is the summary of your life,the icon of Your obedience to the will of the Father,and the realization of your infinite love for us sinners. 

It is the proof of Your mission. 

It is the final fulfillment of the revelation and the history of salvation.The weight of Your cross frees us from all of our burdens. In Your obedience to the will of the Father,we become aware of our rebellion and disobedience.

In You, sold, betrayed, crucified by Your own people and those dear to you,we see our own betrayals and our own usual infidelity. 

In Your innocence, Immaculate Lamb, we see our guilt.In Your face, slapped, spat on and disfigured,we see the brutality of our sins.In the cruelty of Your passion,we see the cruelty of our heart and of our actions.

In Your own feeling of abandonment,we see those abandoned by their families,by society, by attention and by solidarity. In Your body, sacrificed, ripped and torn,we see the body of our brothers who have been abandoned along the way,disfigured by our negligence and our indifference. 

In Your thirst Lord, we see the thirst of Your merciful Father,who desired to embrace, forgive and save all of humanity.

 In You, Divine Love, we see even today, before our very eyes,and often with our silence and complicity, our persecuted brothers and sisters,decapitated, crucified for their faith in You. 

Imprint in our heart, Lord, sentiments of faith, hope and charity,of sorrow for our sins, and lead us to repent for our sins that have crucified You.Lead us to transform our conversion with words into a conversion of life and works. Help us to preserve within us a living memory of Your disfigured face,so that we may never forget the terrible price You paid to free us. 

Crucified Jesus, strengthen in us a faith that does not collapse in the face of temptations; awaken in us the hope that does get lost Following the temptations of the world.Preserve in us the charity that is not fooled by the corruption of worldliness. 

Teach us that the cross is the way to the resurrection. 

Teach us that Good Friday is the way to the Easter of light. 

Teach us that God never forgets any of his children,and never tires of forgiving us and embracing us with His infinite mercy. 

But also teach us to never tire of asking Him for forgiveness and believing in the boundless mercy of the Father. 

Soul of Christ, sanctify us!Body of Christ, save us! Blood of Christ, inebriate us! Water from the side of Christ, wash us! Passion of Christ, comfort us! O Good Jesus, hear us! Hide us in your wounds! Do not allow us to separate from You! From the evil enemy defend us!In the hour of our death, call us! And command us to come to You,so that we may praise You with Your Saints forever and ever.

AMEN.

STATEMENT OF ARCHBISHOP JOSE H. GOMEZ REGARDING PRIESTLY STATUS OF CARDINAL ROGER MAHONY AND BISHOP THOMAS CURRY

STATEMENT OF ARCHBISHOP JOSE H. GOMEZ REGARDING PRIESTLY STATUS OF CARDINAL ROGER MAHONY AND BISHOP THOMAS CURRY

February 1, 2013

Questions from the faithful and some members of the news media indicate that it would be helpful for me to clarify the status of Cardinal Roger Mahony and Bishop Thomas Curry.

Cardinal Mahony, as Archbishop Emeritus, and Bishop Curry, as Auxiliary Bishop, remain bishops in good standing in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, with full rights to celebrate the Holy Sacraments of the Church and to minister to the faithful without restriction.

http://media.la-archdiocese.org/statement-of-archbishop-jose-h-gomez-regarding-priestly-status-of-cardinal-roger-mahony-and-bishop-thomas-curry/​

White House Immigration LEADERSHIP Desperately Needed!!!

I'm writing these thoughts at LAX as I prepare to depart for Rome to assist in the celebration of the World Day for Migrants and Refugees on Sunday, January 14, 2018.

It is with a very heavy heart that I make this journey with the desperate situation facing two groups of immigrants living in our midst.  Both groups have been here for years, and are settled into our society, working, paying taxes, and contributing to our economy.  They are:

A.   DACA Students.    These young people were brought here to our country as minors.  They did not choose to come here; they were brought by family or others.  They have grown up here, and they know no other country.  They have been educated here, they speak primarily English, and they serve in our armed forces  They have jobs and they help build up our economy.  They remember little of their country of origin, they do not know the language or culture, and they would be bewildered if forcibly return to their home countries.

Our DACA residents are a positive addition to our communities and country; they are part of us.  They are Americans in every sense.  

But they are at great risk of being deported because President Trump has decided to terminate their legal status effective in two months--March of 2018.

Sadly, the President has tossed this issue to Congress to resolve.  Congress is involved in so many political posturing schemes now that they are incapable of giving leadership to resolve national problems.  It's all about the 2018 November elections, and which party will have a majority in the House and the Senate.

Nothing else is of any importance or value, regardless of the incalculable human suffering that could result because of their inaction and gravely misplaced priorities.

The President needs to step forward and explain to the American people the value of these 800,000 young adults, and demand a path forward to give them full legal status, and the opportunity to become American citizens.  Only a small piece of paper is keeping them from massive deportation.  Many of them have children who are USA citizens.  

President Trump and Congress:  you have a moral obligation to recognize the presence and value of these young adults, and you have the authority to end this uncertainty and give them a safe and secure path forward as fellow citizens.

B.    TPS Residents.   This group of 200,000 Salvadoran people came here because of the horrific and demonizing forces present across El Salvador, as well as others from Honduras and Guatemala.  Some of those forces were natural, such as earthquakes, drought.  Others, as always, man-made:  ruthless gangs, lawlessness, atrocious murder rates, no employment opportunities, depressing economy, and similar.

President Trump is ending this TPS program, and threatens to deport at least 200,000 people who have come here under duress and have established their lives and families here.  Most of their children are USA citizens, as with the DACA young adults.

Their forced deportation results in a horrific choice:  return home with their children who know nothing of El Salvador, or leave them here and go back home--total breakup of these families.


We as Catholics have a moral obligation to stand up for these two groups of immigrants and to proclaim their enormous positive contribution to our society and economy, and to demand that the President and Congress confirm through legislation what all national polls have confirmed:  these people deserve to remain in our midst and to have a path forward to full legal status.

Leadership means exactly that:  the person holding the highest position in the land needs to step forward and to proclaim a positive path forward, rather than slink into inaction worried about "supporters."  In our country, that person is President Trump.

It is irresponsible for President Trump to toss this situation to Congress and to wait for them to find a solution.  

Pope Francis has shown dramatic leadership on behalf of migrants, immigrants, refugees, and displaced persons.  That leadership is based on God's plan for all created peoples across the globe, on the teaching and example of Jesus Christ, and the moral imperatives proclaimed by the Church over the centuries.

Let us pray that Jesus, the Light for all Peoples, will bring about an enlightenment of our President and Congressional leaders!

GOOD DESCRIPTION OF OUR NATION'S REALITY

Recently, there was an insightful paragraph in the daily Magnificat which summed up well the reality which our nation is experiencing at this time:

"History attests that when those in power concentrate on their own survival out of personal ambition, turning away from the common good, it is the time of decline.  Marginalizing Christianity from the public sphere is a sign, not of intelligence, but of fear.  It is failing to see, through the dark clouds of prejudice, that society cannot help but benefit from Christianity.  Yes, society can benefit from Christianity....  The more one seriously studies the origins of humanism, and the more he recognizes the existence of something that is not only spiritual, but distinctly Christian."

That was written by Cardinal Angelo Bagnasco, the Archbishop of Genoa, and while he was focusing on the issues plaguing Europe, his insights speak loudly to our own reality here in our country.

The loss of a sense of the common good, and an exaggerated focus on me--individualism--runs totally counter to the message and witness of Jesus in the Gospels.  The two great pillars which Jesus taught us remain crucial to discovering a new path forward in our nation:  God's love for us must be lived out through compassion for one another, and God's mercy for us must be lived out through generous forgiveness among all of us.

Those strong pillars are taught through the person of Jesus Christ, the Gospels, and lived out in a bold proclamation of our Christian identity and commitment to all peoples.  Unfortunately, humility, personal ambition at all costs, and the neglect of the common good of all peoples, converge to stifle God's plan for all of us.

ENDING DACA PROGRAM A SERIOUS LOSS FOR ALL

Statement of His Eminence Roger Cardinal Mahony

Archbishop Emeritus of Los Angeles, CA

On

The Elimination of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrival (DACA) Program

The announcement on September 5, 2017 by President Donald Trump that he will end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program is deeply troubling.  Not only has the president revoked a promise to 800,000 young persons who wish to live the American dream, he has also harmed our nation.

These young persons are hard-working and talented, who through no fault of their own were brought to our nation at a young age.  For many, this is the only country they have ever known.  They are industrious, intelligent, and highly-skilled and want nothing more than to contribute 

their immense energy and ideas to our great nation. 

Instead, the Trump administration has placed them in jeopardy, betraying their promise as human beings and our values as Americans.  The president has rejected our future leaders, to our nation’s detriment.

Now they will be faced with possible deportation to nations they do not know and possible statelessness.  Many have brothers and sisters who were born here, and those bonds will now be broken with their separation.  Their vast potential and their hard work and sacrifice in our country will be wasted.

This issue is not about economics, the rule of law, the separation of powers, or fairness to US citizens.  It is a moral issue, and the ending of this program is an incredible blow to the ethical underpinnings of our country, a blow to our values given us by Jesus Christ, and a blow to basic human sensibilities.   

I urge Congress to swiftly pass the bi-partisan DREAM Act, recently introduced in the US Senate and the US House of Representatives, which would give Dreamers permanent residency and a path to citizenship.   For the sake of our nation, which was founded and built by immigrants, and for these amazing young persons, we cannot let this decision stand.

This is a special moment for Democrats and Republicans to demonstrate that they can be our country’s leaders.  Come together, hammer out an agreement favorable for our Dreamer young people!

DISGUSTING: PARDON of FORMER SHERIFF ARPAIO

STATEMENT by CARDINAL ROGER MAHONY

PARDON OF FORMER SHERIFF ARPAIO

I am deeply troubled and disgusted by President Trump's pardon of Joe Arapaio, former sheriff of Maricopa County in Arizona.  The former sheriff's tenure was marked by racial profiling, harassment of our Latino brothers and sisters, and the disruption of immigrant communities.  He created fear and terror among so many immigrants, and not just in Arizona.  Children here in California were afraid to go to school because of what they heard from Phoenix.  He defied a court order to discontinue to round up immigrants and to detain them in inhumane conditions. 

 Rather than upholding it, President Trump's pardon flouts and undermines the rule of law. It also sends a dangerous signal to law enforcement throughout the country that they, too, can ignore due process and profile and harass persons of color, especially Latinos.  This pardon rekindles the fear and terror so rampant among our immigrant peoples.  The police need good relationships with immigrants, and our immigrants need an understanding and helpful police force to protect them.

It is clear that the President and his administration is intent on deporting as many immigrants as possible, regardless of their due process rights and the equities they have built in our country.  In line with this goal, I am also troubled that the president may remove protections from young immigrants who qualify for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program.  I urge him to find the moral courage to preserve the DACA program and to defend it rigorously in federal court.

May all Catholics and people of good will raise their voices and stand up for our immigrant brothers and sisters during this difficult period in their lives and in the life of our country.

[August 28, 2017]

[This Statement reflects only the personal views of Cardinal Mahony as Archbishop Emeritus of Los Angeles]

REFLECTIONS ON CHARLOTTESVILLE, RACISM, ANTI-SEMITISM & VIOLENCE

            The reports and images of what is now known simply as “Charlottesville” cast a whiplash on our emotions: suddenly we felt a sense of horror, seeing innocence and beauty being violated by malice and ugliness ; anger, too, that the life that God gives so freely and joyously was attacked by human beings spewing hatred and bigotry. We feel also a weariness that we continue to live with the fruit of what many have called the original sin of our great country: slavery.  We reel at the hate speech so inappropriate for citizens of a land whose pledge of allegiance mandates and calls for liberty and justice for all !

          

            Our hearts go out to Heather Heyer and to the state troopers, Jay Cullen and Burke Bates, who were killed as a result of these sickening events, as well as to their families. We hold them and the residents of Charlottesville—and even the perpetrators—in our prayers for peace, justice, healing and understanding, and more. But prayers will not be enough.

            Racism, white supremacy, anti-Semitism and discrimination are morally evil. They are the very anti-thesis of the Judeo-Christian tradition which is grounded in love of God and of neighbor. They undermine the very foundation of our country and erode relationships among citizens. They generate hate and vengeance and rupture community. They are, therefore sinful.

            As a faith community inspired by the Gospel of Jesus, we Catholics must condemn in the strongest terms the actions and ideologies of the alt-right, white supremacists, neo-Nazis, and the Ku Klux Klan. We need to recommit ourselves to stand up against racism and offer support for its victims. As we face this evil as a Christian community, I invite all Catholics to join together to examine how we can live out our Christian call.  As we do so, we must remember the promise of the Resurrection, life’s victory over sin and death, a promise that does not come easily or immediately but does come with a commitment to every kind of justice.

            I am reminded of the words of Pope Francis to the United States Congress two years ago when he said: “I ask everyone with political responsibility to remember two things: human dignity and the common good.”  Human dignity stems from our belief that God made every man and woman, no matter their race, country of origin or religion, in his own image ( Genesis 1:26-31) and that God especially loves and cares for the orphan, the widow and the stranger in  the land (Deuteronomy 10:17-19). Francis said in that speech: “Each human life is sacred. This theme is about our radical equality before God that leads us to think no less of somebody because they are from a different place or culture…or because of their work or employment situation.”

            Francis told our American lawgivers: “You are asked to protect by means of the law, the image and likeness of God on every face.”  Again he said to them: “ You are called to defend and preserve the dignity of your fellow citizens in the tireless and demanding pursuit of the common good, for this is the chief aim of all politics”—adding the need to care especially for those in situations of greater vulnerability and risk.  To be sure, he saw the reality of hatred and violence in our world.

“All of us are quite aware of and deeply worried by the disturbing social and political situation in the world today.” Francis noted that our world is increasingly a place of conflict, violence, hatred and atrocities, “committed even in the name of God and religion”. To our lawmakers, he stated that “We the people of this continent are not fearful of foreigners.  I say this to you as the son of immigrants, knowing that so many of you are also descended from immigrants.”

            If the hatred we saw in Charlottesville, and perhaps will see again in other rallies in San Francisco and elsewhere, is a serious sin, we as Catholics and Americans need to do contrition for it, to act boldly against such violence, racism and anti-Semitism, to right the wrongs from its presence in our land by truly embracing, as Pope Francis called us to do two years ago, respect and reverence for human dignity and the pursuit of what is truly a common good for all.