I’ve found myself praying extra hard the past few weeks with final exams, projects, and presentations. I’m sure you all feel the same way. In a sense, it’s amazing when I find myself praying, and I wonder why I don’t take advantage of the numerous opportunities for prayer the rest of the year when perhaps I am not as stressed. For example, yesterday morning I was walking through campus to turn in a final project and managed to say an entire rosary. On Tuesday, I was at the Newman Center for the day and went to mass at noon. These are opportunities that are available each and every day, and yet for some reason I had to wait until finals week to take advantage of them.

Eric and I were talking last night about how much our lives depend on the next six months or so. With only a year left as undergraduates and careers and further education looming, it’s easy to get lost in the stress. I think the best prayer is a simple one:

“Jesus, I trust in you.”

On Thursday I was blessed with the opportunity to travel to Washington, D.C. to celebrate mass with Pope Benedict XVI. It took place in Nationals Park, a very nice facility, and the venue was packed. There were about 46,000 in attendance.

Traveling with Catholic Campus Ministry at Bucknell University, we were seated in section 419, the very top deck. However, the view was terrific and the day memorable.

Below is the homily from the mass at Nationals Park. It was a very inspirational message filled with hope for the Church in the United States.

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

“Peace be with you!” (Jn 20:19). With these, the first words of the Risen Lord to his disciples, I greet all of you in the joy of this Easter season. Before all else, I thank God for the blessing of being in your midst. I am particularly grateful to Archbishop Wuerl for his kind words of welcome.

Our Mass today brings the Church in the United States back to its roots in nearby Maryland, and commemorates the bicentennial of the first chapter of its remarkable growth – the division by my predecessor, Pope Pius VII, of the original Diocese of Baltimore and the establishment of the Dioceses of Boston, Bardstown (now Louisville), New York and Philadelphia. Two hundred years later, the Church in America can rightfully praise the accomplishment of past generations in bringing together widely differing immigrant groups within the unity of the Catholic faith and in a common commitment to the spread of the Gospel. At the same time, conscious of its rich diversity, the Catholic community in this country has come to appreciate ever more fully the importance of each individual and group offering its own particular gifts to the whole. The Church in the United States is now called to look to the future, firmly grounded in the faith passed on by previous generations, and ready to meet new challenges – challenges no less demanding than those faced by your forebears – with the hope born of God’s love, poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit (cf. Rom 5:5).

In the exercise of my ministry as the Successor of Peter, I have come to America to confirm you, my brothers and sisters, in the faith of the Apostles (cf. Lk 22:32). I have come to proclaim anew, as Peter proclaimed on the day of Pentecost, that Jesus Christ is Lord and Messiah, risen from the dead, seated in glory at the right hand of the Father, and established as judge of the living and the dead (cf. Acts 2:14ff.). I have come to repeat the Apostle’s urgent call to conversion and the forgiveness of sins, and to implore from the Lord a new outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon the Church in this country. As we have heard throughout this Easter season, the Church was born of the Spirit’s gift of repentance and faith in the risen Lord. In every age she is impelled by the same Spirit to bring to men and women of every race, language and people (cf. Rev 5:9) the good news of our reconciliation with God in Christ.

The readings of today’s Mass invite us to consider the growth of the Church in America as one chapter in the greater story of the Church’s expansion following the descent of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. In those readings we see the inseparable link between the risen Lord, the gift of the Spirit for the forgiveness of sins, and the mystery of the Church. Christ established his Church on the foundation of the Apostles (cf. Rev 21:14) as a visible, structured community which is at the same time a spiritual communion, a mystical body enlivened by the Spirit’s manifold gifts, and the sacrament of salvation for all humanity (cf. Lumen Gentium, 8). In every time and place, the Church is called to grow in unity through constant conversion to Christ, whose saving work is proclaimed by the Successors of the Apostles and celebrated in the sacraments. This unity, in turn, gives rise to an unceasing missionary outreach, as the Spirit spurs believers to proclaim “the great works of God” and to invite all people to enter the community of those saved by the blood of Christ and granted new life in his Spirit.

I pray, then, that this significant anniversary in the life of the Church in the United States, and the presence of the Successor of Peter in your midst, will be an occasion for all Catholics to reaffirm their unity in the apostolic faith, to offer their contemporaries a convincing account of the hope which inspires them (cf. 1 Pet 3:15), and to be renewed in missionary zeal for the extension of God’s Kingdom.

The world needs this witness! Who can deny that the present moment is a crossroads, not only for the Church in America but also for society as a whole? It is a time of great promise, as we see the human family in many ways drawing closer together and becoming ever more interdependent. Yet at the same time we see clear signs of a disturbing breakdown in the very foundations of society: signs of alienation, anger and polarization on the part of many of our contemporaries; increased violence; a weakening of the moral sense; a coarsening of social relations; and a growing forgetfulness of Christ and God. The Church, too, sees signs of immense promise in her many strong parishes and vital movements, in the enthusiasm for the faith shown by so many young people, in the number of those who each year embrace the Catholic faith, and in a greater interest in prayer and catechesis. At the same time she senses, often painfully, the presence of division and polarization in her midst, as well as the troubling realization that many of the baptized, rather than acting as a spiritual leaven in the world, are inclined to embrace attitudes contrary to the truth of the Gospel.

“Lord, send out your Spirit, and renew the face of the earth!” (cf. Ps 104:30). The words of today’s Responsorial Psalm are a prayer which rises up from the heart of the Church in every time and place. They remind us that the Holy Spirit has been poured out as the first fruits of a new creation, “new heavens and a new earth” (cf. 2 Pet 3:13; Rev 21:1), in which God’s peace will reign and the human family will be reconciled in justice and love. We have heard Saint Paul tell us that all creation is even now “groaning” in expectation of that true freedom which is God’s gift to his children (Rom 8:21-22), a freedom which enables us to live in conformity to his will. Today let us pray fervently that the Church in America will be renewed in that same Spirit, and sustained in her mission of proclaiming the Gospel to a world that longs for genuine freedom (cf. Jn 8:32), authentic happiness, and the fulfillment of its deepest aspirations!

Here I wish to offer a special word of gratitude and encouragement to all those who have taken up the challenge of the Second Vatican Council, so often reiterated by Pope John Paul II, and committed their lives to the new evangelization. I thank my brother Bishops, priests and deacons, men and women religious, parents, teachers and catechists. The fidelity and courage with which the Church in this country will respond to the challenges raised by an increasingly secular and materialistic culture will depend in large part upon your own fidelity in handing on the treasure of our Catholic faith. Young people need to be helped to discern the path that leads to true freedom: the path of a sincere and generous imitation of Christ, the path of commitment to justice and peace. Much progress has been made in developing solid programs of catechesis, yet so much more remains to be done in forming the hearts and minds of the young in knowledge and love of the Lord. The challenges confronting us require a comprehensive and sound instruction in the truths of the faith. But they also call for cultivating a mindset, an intellectual “culture”, which is genuinely Catholic, confident in the profound harmony of faith and reason, and prepared to bring the richness of faith’s vision to bear on the urgent issues which affect the future of American society.

Dear friends, my visit to the United States is meant to be a witness to “Christ our Hope”. Americans have always been a people of hope: your ancestors came to this country with the expectation of finding new freedom and opportunity, while the vastness of the unexplored wilderness inspired in them the hope of being able to start completely anew, building a new nation on new foundations. To be sure, this promise was not experienced by all the inhabitants of this land; one thinks of the injustices endured by the native American peoples and by those brought here forcibly from Africa as slaves. Yet hope, hope for the future, is very much a part of the American character. And the Christian virtue of hope – the hope poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, the hope which supernaturally purifies and corrects our aspirations by focusing them on the Lord and his saving plan – that hope has also marked, and continues to mark, the life of the Catholic community in this country.

It is in the context of this hope born of God’s love and fidelity that I acknowledge the pain which the Church in America has experienced as a result of the sexual abuse of minors. No words of mine could describe the pain and harm inflicted by such abuse. It is important that those who have suffered be given loving pastoral attention. Nor can I adequately describe the damage that has occurred within the community of the Church. Great efforts have already been made to deal honestly and fairly with this tragic situation, and to ensure that children – whom our Lord loves so deeply (cf. Mk 10:14), and who are our greatest treasure – can grow up in a safe environment. These efforts to protect children must continue. Yesterday I spoke with your Bishops about this. Today I encourage each of you to do what you can to foster healing and reconciliation, and to assist those who have been hurt. Also, I ask you to love your priests, and to affirm them in the excellent work that they do. And above all, pray that the Holy Spirit will pour out his gifts upon the Church, the gifts that lead to conversion, forgiveness and growth in holiness.

Saint Paul speaks, as we heard in the second reading, of a kind of prayer which arises from the depths of our hearts in sighs too deep for words, in “groanings” (Rom 8:26) inspired by the Spirit. This is a prayer which yearns, in the midst of chastisement, for the fulfillment of God’s promises. It is a prayer of unfailing hope, but also one of patient endurance and, often, accompanied by suffering for the truth. Through this prayer, we share in the mystery of Christ’s own weakness and suffering, while trusting firmly in the victory of his Cross. With this prayer, may the Church in America embrace ever more fully the way of conversion and fidelity to the demands of the Gospel. And may all Catholics experience the consolation of hope, and the Spirit’s gifts of joy and strength.

In today’s Gospel, the risen Lord bestows the gift of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles and grants them the authority to forgive sins. Through the surpassing power of Christ’s grace, entrusted to frail human ministers, the Church is constantly reborn and each of us is given the hope of a new beginning. Let us trust in the Spirit’s power to inspire conversion, to heal every wound, to overcome every division, and to inspire new life and freedom. How much we need these gifts! And how close at hand they are, particularly in the sacrament of Penance! The liberating power of this sacrament, in which our honest confession of sin is met by God’s merciful word of pardon and peace, needs to be rediscovered and reappropriated by every Catholic. To a great extent, the renewal of the Church in America and throughout the world depends on the renewal of the practice of Penance and the growth in holiness which that sacrament both inspires and accomplishes.

“In hope we were saved!” (Rom 8:24).” As the Church in the United States gives thanks for the blessings of the past two hundred years, I invite you, your families, and every parish and religious community, to trust in the power of grace to create a future of promise for God’s people in this country. I ask you, in the Lord Jesus, to set aside all division and to work with joy to prepare a way for him, in fidelity to his word and in constant conversion to his will. Above all, I urge you to continue to be a leaven of evangelical hope in American society, striving to bring the light and truth of the Gospel to the task of building an ever more just and free world for generations yet to come.

Those who have hope must live different lives! (cf. Spe Salvi, 2). By your prayers, by the witness of your faith, by the fruitfulness of your charity, may you point the way towards that vast horizon of hope which God is even now opening up to his Church, and indeed to all humanity: the vision of a world reconciled and renewed in Christ Jesus, our Savior. To him be all honor and glory, now and forever. Amen!

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By Mike Rakszawski

Here are a few good sites that will keep you informed on the events this week.

http://uspapalvisit.org/

http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/travels/2008/index_stati-uniti_en.htm

http://whispersintheloggia.blogspot.com/

Tonight at Mass, the priest mentioned that this Tuesday is the last day of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia’s 200th Anniversary year. I’d heard that this year was our 200th anniversary, but wasn’t aware that the actual day the diocese was founded is this Tuesday.

200 years out of the 2000+ that the Catholic Church has been around doesn’t really seem like that much; but its still worth thinking about all that has been accomplished in that time. 200 years ago, there was no organized Catholic presense in the Philadelphia area. Today, thousands of people are part of parishes that fall under the umbrella of the Archdiocese.

So, anyone who is a member of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, Tuesday is your birthday too. Say a prayer, reflect, and (if the mood strikes you) maybe even buy a sheet cake.

This week is Jesus Week at Penn, sponsored by the Christian group “Penn for Jesus”.

Earlier in the semester, the Penn Newman Center, the Catholic student center on campus which I am involved in, decided not to participate in Jesus Week this year because Penn for Jesus expressed interest in making the goal of the week evangelization on the Penn campus. Penn Newman, however, was uninterested in participating in evangelization. I am not exactly sure what the reason behind this was.

What are your thoughts concerning evangelization in the Catholic church? Should it be a focal point? Should it be discouraged?

The Vatican said today that Muslims are now more numerous than Catholics in a worldwide report compiled by Monsignor Vittorio Formenti. According to the report, Muslims comprise 19.2 percent of the world’s population and Catholics account for 17.4 percent.

“For the first time in history we are no longer at the top: the Muslims have overtaken us,” Formenti told Vatican newspaper L’Osservatore Romano in an interview, saying the data referred to 2006.

He said that if all Christian groups were considered, including Orthodox churches, Anglicans and Protestants, then Christians made up 33 percent of the world’s population — or about 2 billion people.

The Vatican recently put the number of Catholics in the world at 1.13 billion people. It did not provide a figure for Muslims, generally estimated at around 1.3 billion.

Formenti said that while the number of Catholics as a proportion of the world’s population was fairly stable, the percentage of Muslims was growing because of higher birth rates.

He said the data on Muslim populations had been compiled by individual countries and then released by the United Nations, adding the Vatican could only vouch for its own statistics.

I think this news should serve as a wake up call to all Catholics, especially those in the United States, that the entire world really is one giant missionary zone. These numbers are not startling if you’ve read Mark Steyn’s “America Alone: The End of the World As We Know It,” but the high birthrates among nearly every Islamic nation versus the anemic birthrates at or below the replacement level of 2.1 per couple in the vast majority of Western nations is both a serious problem and a great opportunity for Catholics.

Our children and grandchildren, though, may grow up in a world dominated by Islam with both radical strains and more moderate strains. We have the opportunity to “make all things new again” in our lives spiritually and in our communities with our witness to Christ and the Good News of the Gospel. Only through a deeper relationship with God through the Mass, through prayer and through everyday witness to Him can we be effective advocates for the Gospel.

We are being called to a new kind of commitment toward Christ and His Eternal Word. Unless we make ourselves new again and make our communities and families more living examples of faith, it will be our grandchildren who face a world entirely unfriendly and unwelcoming to the life of Christ.

HAPPY EASTER SEASON, EVERYONE!

I hope everyone is basking in Christ’s glory during these days, and using that Easter hope to fuel their determination through these hectic last weeks of the semester.  Thank God for the liturgical season.

While just surfing through ITunes (I was actually looking for some classical music with some xylophones because I’m a nerd) and I came across this new subheading under the ITunes store called ITunes U.  It turns out, ITunes is now reaching out to colleges to put audio files of lectures and sometimes entire semester long classes on their site!  Wow.

So, looking at the list of colleges, there is at least one Catholic college represented currently!  AND it just so happens to be Villanova University (which is very close to most of the posters here at CC)!

I am currently downloading 19 tracks and probably 30 hours worth of lectures from their Augustinian Institute.  FOR FREE!  They also have a lecture series titled “United States, the World and You” which looks pretty interesting.

So what is to be said of this?  How incredible?  I fear, however, that I might be doing/promoting something illegal; it just feels wrong.  I pay thousands of dollars to get this info at DeSales, so why is it free on ITunes?  Well, I’m not really complaining.

Check it out!  If you go to the ITunes homepage, just look in the left column to find ITunes U.

Have fun learning for free!  Who’da thought???

Peace and God Bless,

Matt Kuhner

PS. But seriously, if I’m missing something please inform me! haha!

I found this information really interesting about Easter. It is adopted from the latest post to “Cor Ad Cor Loquitur,” the electronic newsletter for Catholic Campus Ministry at Bucknell University.

Easter is always the first Sunday after the first full moon after the Spring Equinox. This dating of Easter is based on the lunar calendar that Hebrew people used to identify Passover, which is why it moves around on our Roman calendar.

The next time Easter will be this early (March 23) will be the year 2228 (220 years from now). The last time it was this early was 1913.

Based on the above, Easter can actually be one day earlier (March 22) but this is pretty rare. The next time it will be a day earlier, March 22, will be in the year 2285 (277 years from now). The last time it was on March 22 was 1818.

Wishing you all a joyful Easter!

Happy Easter, everyone! Okay, so maybe it’s not actually Easter Sunday any longer, but I just got back to my dorm here at Penn after what I would consider a real smorgasbord of Catholicism. Here’s a break-down of my Easter Triduum:

Thursday:

7:30 PM – Mass of the Lord’s Supper (St. Agatha-St. James, West Philadelphia)

9:00 PM – Cheesesteaks at Pat’s and Geno’s (South Philadelphia)

Friday:

4:00 PM – Viewing of “The Passion of the Christ” (Mayer Hall, Penn Campus)

6:00 PM – Meeting for peer advising for next year (Penn Campus)

7:30 PM – Tenebrae Service (St. Agatha-St. James, West Philadelphia)

2:00 AM – Highballs and apple caramel cake (Mayer Hall, Penn Campus)

Saturday:

9:00 AM – Practice test for MCAT (Mayer Hall, Penn Campus)

2:30 PM – Early Easter dinner with the Rakszawski side of the family (Chadds Ford, PA)

8:00 PM – Easter Vigil Mass (Nativity of Our Lord, Warminster, PA)

Sunday:

11:00 AM – Easter Mass (Nativity of Our Lord, Warminster, PA)

1:00 PM – Easter dinner with Gauder side of the family (Warminster, PA)

6:00 PM – Depart home for Penn

10:00 PM – Easter Mass (St. Agatha-St. James, West Philadelphia)

Okay, so you might be wondering why I went to so many masses. Well, I’m a trumpet player, and I really love Easter music. It’s been tough balancing school with religion this past week, as Eric documented in his last post on Lent. Attending so many masses could easily cause one to get caught up in the motions, but somehow I managed to draw something spiritually from each mass. I rediscovered my devotion to St. Gianna Beretta Molla, whom I’ve prayed to in the past during times of poor health, but this time it was to help me in my discernment of a career in medicine. St. Gianna was a physician herself, and I really heard God calling me to pray to her that she may help me in the months to come as I prepare to apply to medical school. Music has always been the greatest form of prayer in my life, and this Easter was no different. It is such a spiritual rush for me to play my trumpet and pour my heart into my music. I feel very satisfied with my spiritual development over the past three days, especially since going in to Holy Week I was having a difficult time focusing in on Christ and the true meaning of Easter.

As Lent winds down, I find myself wondering whether it happened at all or not. Lent is supposed to be a time in preparation for the holiest of Catholic holidays. The past couple of Lents, though, have been far less ‘holy’ or focused spiritually for me than I feel like they should be.

I wonder if this is part of adjusting to life as an adult Catholic. In high school (and even more so in grade school), I was in an environment that was, more or less, Catholic. In college, there is definitely a solid Catholic community, but it’s far less comprehensive than in the past.

As a result, I feel like I need to make more of an effort to really make Lent happen for me spiritually. There are no days off, fewer opportunities to relax and reflect, etc; but it is still Jesus’ death and resurrection that we are celebrating, and should therefore be as special.

When I transition into what is a more ‘adult’ life over the coming years, I’m hoping that I can improve the effort that I put into Lent. My surroundings aren’t likely to get any more Catholic, so it’s really going to be necessary for me to recognize the importance of Lent from Ash Wednesday through Easter Sunday.

Does anybody else feel this way? How have your Lents been spiritually in college?