The Great Mystery of Holy Saturday

Holy Saturday has been the subject of profound theological speculation since the last century, as Christians pondered the terrible anguish of the human being living and dying in the darkness of a “world” that was socially constructed in such a way as to exclude God. In the twentieth century, history confronted us with the awful and inescapable question: if the Creator is made to disappear, what hope could there possibly be for the creature (especially the created person)? Nevertheless, there were some Christians who began to realize that God would not so easily let Himself be set aside. They began to ponder the Paschal Mystery of the redeeming event of Christ’s death and resurrection in distinctive ways. Holy Saturday, with its mysterious silence, began to take on a new focus as God “seemed to be silent” in the face of all the individual and corporate violence perpetrated within existentially-totalitarian-secularist societies with their ideologies, wars, concentration camps, gulags, genocides, and countless other forms of agonizing oppression. 

Nietzsche had said, “God is dead,” and many people feared (or hoped) that this was really true. The Christian tradition, however, knew more of the mystery of God’s love for the world and the depths of the salvific suffering of the Father’s Only-Begotten Son. How might this relate to Holy Saturday? Can it be said that the Divine Person of God the Son — who really died on Good Friday in His human nature and endured the silence of “being-dead” on Holy Saturday — made Himself “present” in solidarity to the ultimate depths of human anguish? 

Such speculations are not meant to replace the traditional Holy Saturday theme of Christ going down to the realm of death to rescue the righteous people of Israel and all others who had lived and died in fidelity to whatever light of truth had been given to them. Their souls were all awaiting Christ’s redeeming “descent” wherein He would lead them into the Father’s glory, “opening the gates of heaven” that had been shut by original sin. Rather, these more recent theological speculations sought to encompass this traditionally explicit Holy Saturday theme within the consideration of a more fundamental mystery of how Jesus enters into death itself — how He really, “ontologically (so to speak),” takes our sins and our death upon Himself, repairs the irreparable through His saving love, and opens the way to salvation beyond all human possibilities.

Here there is much that remains veiled in mystery, and prone to misunderstanding or over-mystified expressions. But there appears to be something herein that responds to the unspeakable anguish of human persons in the face of evil and death — the anguish that became especially a stumbling block to belief in God for many people who felt trapped by the limits of a world without transcendence and constructed by human power alone.

As it so happens, one of these theologians articulated his reflections on this theme in a very moving way during a “meditation” he presented while visiting the Holy Shroud of Turin on May 2, 2010. These reflections are of particular interest because the theologian in question was not there in a merely private capacity; he was the Pope making a Pastoral Visit to the Archdiocese of Turin. Pope Benedict XVI was anything but the unimaginative, rigid, reactionary that so many journalists made him out to be. He was a great and profound theologian, and his teachings as Pope continue to guide some of the most important “new pathways” that authentic Catholic theology is called to investigate and ponder today and in the future.

Here is what Pope Benedict XVI said about the mystery of Holy Saturday on May 2, 2010, after he referred to the Shroud as the “Icon of Holy Saturday.” Check the Vatican Website for the full text of this beautiful and powerful reflection. It gives courage to our faith to know that we are so unfathomably loved by God:

“Holy Saturday is a ‘no man's land’ between the death and the Resurrection, but this ‘no man's land’ was entered by One, the Only One, who passed through it with the signs of his Passion for man's sake: Passio Christi. Passio hominis…

“In this ‘time-beyond-time’, Jesus Christ ‘descended to the dead.’ [From the Apostles’ Creed: “He descended into hell.”]

“What do these words mean? They mean that God, having made himself man, reached the point of entering man's most extreme and absolute solitude, where not a ray of love enters, where total abandonment reigns without any word of comfort: ‘hell.’

“Jesus Christ, by remaining in death, passed beyond the door of this ultimate solitude to lead us too to cross it with him.

“We have all, at some point, felt the frightening sensation of abandonment, and that is what we fear most about death, just as when we were children we were afraid to be alone in the dark and could only be reassured by the presence of a person who loved us. Well, this is exactly what happened on Holy Saturday: the voice of God resounded in the realm of death.

“The unimaginable occurred: namely, Love penetrated ‘hell.’ 

“Even in the extreme darkness of the most absolute human loneliness we may hear a voice that calls us and find a hand that takes ours and leads us out.

“Human beings live because they are loved and can love; and if love even penetrated the realm of death, then life also even reached there.

“In the hour of supreme solitude we shall never be alone.”

Love Does Not End With Death (Good Friday 2026)

My Dad passed away seven years ago today. Here is a picture of that "original Virginia Janaros" family from about 40 years ago, when we were all young: my parents (both passed on from this world) and my brother who has been like an anchor in my life for 63 years. 

Life is a great mystery. Every human person is precious, and we discover that especially through the persons that are given to us to love. I am learning in an ever more concrete way that love does not end with death. But if it weren't for Jesus Christ and his victory over death that we remember and celebrate in these days, I would be a lost man. The passage of time would be unbearable.

Instead, I have hope. I know that life is destined to be fulfilled in eternity, that our loves and labors and sorrows in this world — entrusted to Jesus — are seeds that will bear fruit in the Resurrection. Thus we journey through time with the firm hope that we will dwell forever together with the Triune God who is Love, in whose embrace we find unending joy — and where nothing is "lost," where we will see one another's faces healed and made whole, with every tear wiped away.

Holy Thursday 2026: “God Gives Himself to Us”

Holy Thursday.

Jesus washes the feet of the apostles. Detail from Ethiopian icon.

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“The gift and example overall, which we find in the passage on the washing of the feet, is a characteristic of the nature of Christianity in general. Christianity is not a type of moralism, simply a system of ethics. It does not originate in our action, our moral capacity. Christianity is first and foremost a gift: God gives himself to us - he does not give something, but himself. And this does not only happen at the beginning, at the moment of our conversion. He constantly remains the One who gives. He continually offers us his gifts. He always precedes us. This is why the central act of Christian being is the Eucharist: gratitude for having been gratified, joy for the new life that he gives us” (Pope Benedict XVI, Holy Thursday, 2008).

Betrayal Wears Many Disguises

“Betrayal” isn’t as difficult as it seems. It disguises itself as a kiss. It is capable of many disguises.

And so we come to Judas.

Are we really so much different from him?

Who hasn’t betrayed the Lord in some way or other, to some extent?

We betray Him too. Even if just by some lukewarm, half-baked schemes we connive in when God’s ways are incomprehensible to us, or embarrass us, or disappoint us in our narrowness...

But the decision we then face is whether we’re going to give up on God, or go back to Him.

Never, never, never give up!

Peace Comes With Work to Do

Peace

When will you ever, Peace, wild wooddove, shy wings shut, 

Your round me roaming end, and under be my boughs? 

When, when, Peace, will you, Peace? I'll not play hypocrite 

To own my heart: I yield you do come sometimes; but 

That piecemeal peace is poor peace. What pure peace allows 

Alarms of wars, the daunting wars, the death of it?

O surely, reaving Peace, my Lord should leave in lieu 

Some good! And so he does leave Patience exquisite, 

That plumes to Peace thereafter. And when Peace here does house 

He comes with work to do, he does not come to coo, 

       He comes to brood and sit.

~Gerard Manley Hopkins 

"God is Love! Have Mercy! Lay Down Your Weapons!"

Why should I write anything on this Psalm Sunday 2026, when such eloquent, passionate, insistent pleas were made today on behalf of our humble Savior by His own Vicar on this Earth, the Successor of Saint Peter, Bishop of Rome, Servant of the Servants of God?

Pope Leo devoted nearly the whole of his Psalm Sunday homily today to Jesus as "King of Peace" who cries out to humanity to withdraw from further escalation of a monstrous war that has already spun out of control and brought lasting damage and misery, and that now threatens to afflict immense suffering upon the whole world.

Let us be clear: the Pope is not "preaching politics." He is continuing and further emphasizing his prophetic warning that "darkness is about to engulf the earth." His aim is to proclaim the gospel that the Paschal Mystery of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus is our salvation and our hope. Jesus wins the decisive victory over all the violence that is brought to bear against Him, by answering it with the wonderful and incomprehensible love of His Most Compassionate Heart.

This is the all-encompassing victory of forgiving love that pertains to each one of us, that is given to free us from our own sins - from the "small wars" that rage in our hearts and strike out against Him and against our brothers and sisters. Christ alone saves us from our sins.

At the same time, the Pope is also applying this gospel truth to read the signs of the times. His intention is not to add one more opinion to the convoluted discourse about geopolitical strategy or the arrangement of hegemonic power in diverse regions — the human machinations to achieve "security" through the use of violence. Rather, he sees the particular hubris of powerful nations in this moment of time and denounces it as SIN. Continuing to risk the incredible dangers of this utterly reckless war is sinful. Leo calls us to repentance, so that we might open our hearts to the mercy of Christ who never ceases to love us. 

But the war attacks and afflicts human persons whom Christ has united with Himself, and sets forces in motion that may reek havoc on millions (or billions) of people all over the world. Pope Leo is insisting that we stop waging war against one another, and instead turn to Christ and beg Him to draw us closer to Himself and one another, to pour out into our hearts the Holy Spirit who makes us peacemakers.

From today's homily by Pope Leo XIV for Psalm Sunday (excerpts from Vatican website):

"We turn our gaze to Jesus, who reveals himself as King of Peace, even as war looms around him. He remains steadfast in meekness, while others are stirring up violence. He offers himself to embrace humanity, even as others raise swords and clubs. He is the light of the world, though darkness is about to engulf the earth. He came to bring life, even as plans unfold to condemn him to death.

"King of Peace. Jesus’ desire is to bring the world into the Father’s arms, tearing down every barrier that separates us from God and from our neighbor, for 'He is our peace' (Eph 2:14).

"King of Peace. Jesus enters into Jerusalem not upon a horse, but upon a donkey, fulfilling the ancient prophecy that calls for rejoicing at the arrival of the Messiah: 'Lo, your king comes to you; triumphant and victorious is he, humble and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey. He will cut off the chariot from Ephraim and the war-horse from Jerusalem; and the battle bow shall be cut off, and he shall command peace to the nations' (Zech 9:9–10).

"King of Peace. When one of his disciples drew his sword to defend him and struck the high priest’s servant, Jesus immediately stopped him, saying: 'Put your sword back into its place, for all who take the sword will perish by the sword' (Mt 26:52).

"King of Peace. While he was burdened with our sufferings and pierced for our sins, Jesus 'did not open his mouth, like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent' (Is 53:7). He did not arm himself, or defend himself, or fight any war. He revealed the gentle face of God, who always rejects violence. Rather than saving himself, he allowed himself to be nailed to the cross, embracing every cross borne in every time and place throughout human history.

"Brothers and sisters, this is our God: Jesus, King of Peace, who rejects war, whom no one can use to justify war. He does not listen to the prayers of those who wage war, but rejects them, saying: 'Even though you make many prayers, I will not listen: your hands are full of blood' (Is 1:15).

"As we set our gaze upon him who was crucified for us, we can see a crucified humanity. In his wounds, we see the hurts of so many women and men today. In his last cry to the Father, we hear the weeping of those who are crushed, who have no hope, who are sick and who are alone. Above all, we hear the painful groans of all those who are oppressed by violence and are victims of war.

"Christ, King of Peace, cries out again from his cross: God is love! Have mercy! Lay down your weapons! Remember that you are brothers and sisters!"

Pope Leo: War and the Idolatry of Power and Money

Pope Leo XIV once again reminds us of the truth about war and peace during his Apostolic visit to Monaco. As we prepare for Holy Week, many people already endure the “passion” of war — the innocent victims, the children, the elderly, the ordinary people who are terrorized by bombs, cut off from basic necessities, driven from their homes and becoming refugees, or killed or wounded capriciously.

Meanwhile, the whole world teeters on a precipice — the imminent possibility of a further escalation that could unleash destruction on a scale we cannot imagine. Lord Jesus, move the hearts of those who hold power to step back from the edge of catastrophe! You who are the God who came among us “unarmed and disarming,” protect us, save us, change our hearts!

“Remembering” God’s Love Through Prayer

Here are some brief antiphons from the liturgy during the fifth week of Lent that have brought me consolation and strength of heart during an abundance of difficulties old and new. Prayer is a gift that reminds us that Jesus carries us in His Heart in all our trials and all our joys. All of life is immersed in His love.

Mary's "Yes" Helps Give God's Mercy a Human Face

Mary said, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord.

May it be done to me according to your word" (Luke 1:38).

For the Solemnity of the Annunciation, I would like to cite some words from Pope Leo XIV's homily for the Marian feast on January 1. On both these days "we celebrate the mystery of Mary’s divine motherhood. By her 'yes,' she helped give a human face to the source of all mercy and benevolence: the face of Jesus...

"One of the fundamental features of God’s face [is] the complete gratuity of his love... God presents himself to us 'unarmed and disarming,' as naked and defenseless as a newborn in a cradle. He does this to teach us that the world is not saved by sharpening swords, nor by judging, oppressing or eliminating our brothers and sisters. Rather, it is saved by tirelessly striving to understand, forgive, liberate and welcome everyone, without calculation and without fear.

"This is the face of God that Mary allowed to take shape and grow within her womb, completely transforming her life. It is the face she proclaimed through the joyful yet delicate light of her eyes while bearing him in her womb; the face whose beauty she contemplated daily in her home as Jesus grew as a child, boy and young man; and the face she followed with the heart of a humble disciple, as he walked the paths of his mission, all the way to the cross and the resurrection. To do so, she too laid aside every defense, renouncing expectations, claims and comforts – as mothers so often do – consecrating her life without reserve to the Son she had received by grace, so that she might, in turn, give him back to the world.

"In Mary’s divine motherhood, then, we see the meeting of two immense, 'unarmed' realities: that of God, who renounces every privilege of his divinity to be born in the flesh (cf. Philippians 2:6-11), and that of a human person who, trustingly and fully, embraces God’s will. In a perfect act of love, she offers him the greatest power she possesses: her freedom."

#Annunciation

The Love and Mercy of Saint Oscar Romero

Today we commemorate the martyrdom of Saint Oscar Romero.

Saint Oscar Romero "of the Americas" is an example for our time of singular dedication to Christ in the concrete circumstances in which he was called. As Archbishop of the capital city of a nation mired in political and social injustice, dehumanization, and violence, Romero's love for Jesus Christ and the dignity of whole reality of EVERY human person in Christ the Redeemer drove him to stand up for the poor and denounce the repression perpetrated by the corrupt government, the military, and the "death squads."

Romero did not advocate fighting violence with violence. His only "weapons" were the love and mercy by which he preached Christ, taught the truth, admonished sinners (no matter how rich, powerful, or dangerous they were), and pleaded for their conversion. He lived the radical vocation of a bishop, and for this he shed his blood while saying Mass on March 24, 1980. 

To his intercession let us entrust all those who suffer oppression and dehumanizing violence (which is always "anti-christian" because it is inflicted on human persons for whom Christ died, whom He made His brothers and sisters). Let us ask Saint Oscar Romero to intercede especially for all the peoples of "America" — North, Central, and South.

"Out of the Depths"

Fifth Sunday of Lent.

Moving Forward Toward Changes and Pain

The journey of this life brings changes, and losses, and pain. And I am a man of so little faith.

Often, I am tempted to try to “live inside” the order and understanding that my powerful mind can construct. My mind adheres to the truth and the Person of Christ, but this doesn’t mean that I can reduce the mysteries of faith to a mere ideology that “explains away” the flesh-and-blood challenges of real life, or insulates me from their call (Christ’s call) for my response, my love, and my endurance. I can fall for this temptation (in some measure, as I live day to day) without even being aware of it. But there are times when we realize how little we have allowed our faith in Jesus to penetrate our bones.

As an educated person, a thinker, and a teacher, I do have a few little pieces of “human wisdom” (awkward and fallible), which are also drawn beyond themselves by the small faith I (sometimes desperately) hold onto, and the conviction — often obscured but not entirely extinguished — that God loves us, and that Jesus lives and endures everything with us and in us.

Faith in Jesus is a grace from God. But the world with its darkness and violence, my incoherence and distraction, and the sickness of my mind and body fight against my remembering Jesus and trusting in Him. And now, something is coming that terrifies me!

Underneath my intelligence and my feeble will is a storm of emotional trauma, confusion, and anguish that I don't understand and can't get a grip on. It's like the water Peter is drowning in, when he cries out, "Jesus, save me!" It all comes down to His grabbing a hold on me.

Jesus, save me...

And now, I cry out in new ways. Not for myself alone do I cry out. “Jesus, save us!”

We all must find this cry, as we move forward into change and pain and the loss of many illusions. Pray to the Lord!

And look for Jesus in the faces of one another. Never forget that we are all brothers and sisters. Don't be alone!

Saint Joseph, the Faithful Protector

Daily Novena Prayer to Saint Joseph 

Saint Joseph, you are the faithful protector and intercessor of all who love and venerate you.

You know that I have confidence in you and that, after Jesus and Mary, I come to you as an example for holiness, for you are especially close with God. Therefore, I humbly commend myself, with all who are dear to me and all that belong to me, to your intercession.

I beg of you, by your love for Jesus and Mary, not to abandon me during life and to assist me at the hour of my death. Glorious Saint Joseph, spouse of the Immaculate Virgin, pray for me to have a pure, humble, charitable mind, and perfect resignation to the divine Will. Be my guide, my father, and my model through life that I may die as you did in the arms of Jesus and Mary.

Loving Saint Joseph, faithful follower of Jesus Christ, I raise my heart to you to implore your powerful intercession in obtaining from the Divine Heart of Jesus all the graces necessary for my spiritual and temporal welfare, particularly the grace of a happy death, and the special grace I now implore:

(Mention your request) 

Guardian of the Word Incarnate, I feel confident that your prayers on my behalf will be graciously heard before the throne of God. Saint Joseph Most Just, Pray for us! Amen. 

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end.

Amen.

Finally Forsythia!

Look! Flowers! They’ve come at last. The Forsythia bushes are in bloom!

Jesus Heals the “Man-Born-Blind,” and Gives Him Faith

What a tremendous Scripture reading we are given for the Fourth Sunday of Lent! Chapter 9 of the Gospel of John recounts the miraculous healing of “the man born blind.” This is a magnificent text, rich in meaning on so many levels: the mystery of Christ, the grace of salvation, the liberation of fallen humanity from the blindness of sin, the role of human freedom. John 9 is almost inexhaustible as a text for lectio divina and offers many perspectives for theological and exegetical work.

Here we will focus on only one aspect of this narrative, insofar as it is the story of the conversion of a human person — the “man-born-blind”— to a way of “seeing” that is not only physical, but that above all empowers him to adhere to Jesus in faith and love. The disability of blindness was regarded as a particularly grave and mysterious affliction in most ancient cultures, including first century Israel. The loss or diminishment of one’s sight (even in old age) was a special cause for sorrow and a sense of impoverishment, distancing people from a full engagement with the world that was ordinarily so accessible to the whole realm of their senses, and often placing them in a condition of dependence on others for the basic needs of life. 

But the man we meet in the story of John 9 was afflicted with a form of blindness beyond anything caused by common human ailments, accidents, or violence: he was “blind from birth.” He was regarded as a “defective” human being in a way that often failed to distinguish his physical handicap from his essential dignity as a human person created and loved by God. He had no experience of sight and was physically incapable of seeing. We don’t know the nature of his condition in terms of modern medicine, but it may have involved a congenital disfigurement — some Church fathers claim that he had no eyes at all, but in any case his blindness seemed immediately apparent to others. The disciples were so struck by his appearance that they assumed it to be some punishment for sin (John 9:2), and after his cure his neighbors didn’t even recognize him as the same person (9:8-9). 

Clearly, the process Jesus used to “open his eyes” was no ordinary medical treatment. Through his making mud paste from the dust and his saliva, putting it upon the places where the man should have had functioning eyes, and having the man wash in the pool of Siloam (9:6-7), Jesus effected a mysterious physical transformation that enabled him to see. Up to that moment, the experience of this man was nothing except the hindrance of being blind in a visual world full of people who took seeing for granted and structured their environment in a visual way. Nevertheless (as becomes evident in the discourse that follows) he was not lacking in intelligence and had a basic knowledge of the religion of Israel. Still, the strange innate deformity of his physical blindness had compelled him to be a beggar, to live on the margins of the community. At no point in this story do we even hear his name.

Perhaps he regarded himself as “the blind beggar” and nothing more. He asked nothing of Jesus, and probably didn’t even notice him, but Jesus — the “light of the world” (9:5) — chose this man in the compassion of his heart and re-formed the man’s body so that he could see for the first time. Jesus did this for him personally, but also as a sign of the love he wants to give to all of us, to make of our poor humanity a new creation. He heals the man “so that the works of God might be made visible through him” (9:3). God is present, acting, offering salvation through Jesus. The physical miracle is undeniable, but it is also an invitation to faith in Jesus. 

When his sight was given him, the man-born-blind knew his benefactor only as “the man called Jesus” (9:11), but he soon found himself the object of disputation. The religious authorities found fault with Jesus for doing an active work that “broke the Sabbath” (9:16). But the formerly blind man had already begun to see with more than his renewed bodily eyes. He knew he had been touched by the power of God. To the doubting Pharisees he declared that Jesus was “a prophet” (9:17). 

Yet the controversy only deepened. His own parents were afraid to support his testimony to Jesus (9:18-23) and the religious authorities had clearly set themselves in opposition to Jesus, insisting that Jesus was a sinner. The blind man had lived his whole life on the margins, far from theological erudition and disputations. He was a poor man, a simple man. But he couldn’t deny the facts, which were overwhelming to him and which should have been clear to anyone else who knew him: “If he is a sinner, I do not know. One thing I do know is that I was blind and now I see” (9:25). The powerful men of Judaea insisted that Jesus could not be trusted. His actions didn’t meet their criteria of someone who was from God. They closed their hearts to Jesus and insisted to the formerly blind man that it was dangerous to follow Jesus, that they didn’t know the source of his power, or where Jesus had come from. 

But the once-blind and now-seeing beggar was further enlightened in front of the ironic opposition of the religious experts, and he found the courage to call them out: “This is what is so amazing, that you do not know where he is from, yet he opened my eyes. We know that God does not listen to sinners, but if one is devout and does his will, he listens to him. It is unheard of that anyone ever opened the eyes of a person born blind. If this man were not from God, he would not be able to do anything” (9:30-33).

This humble statement was not only entirely reasonable; it also expressed the basic terms of the Mosaic Covenant that the religious leaders claimed the authority to interpret. Their only refuge at this point was violence: they throw him out of the meeting place. The formerly-blind man found himself once again “marginalized” by human society, but his heart was open and he was one step away from faith. Jesus came to him, and the man looked at Jesus with his newfound eyes. Jesus said, “‘Do you believe in the Son of Man?’ He answered and said, ‘Who is he, sir, that I may believe in him?’ Jesus said to him, ‘You have seen him and the one speaking with you is he.’ He said, ‘I do believe, Lord,’ and he worshiped him” (9:35-38). In this final encounter with Jesus, the man-born-blind was given the eyes of faith and the full adherence of conversion.

Pope Leo: “CEASE FIRE!”

If Popes sound repetitive on the evils of wars, it’s because they need to repeat these words over and over again in a world that seems to have learned nothing from the nightmares of the twentieth century. I stood in Saint Peter’s Square over 30 years ago listening to Saint John Paul II deliver passionate warnings about the situation in Iraq. No one listened. He foresaw the chaos and misery that still endures in the region even now.

Today, Pope Leo speaks more prophetic words to our time. Is anyone listening? Will we “leave him alone” in his prophetic cries and the sorrow he carries in his heart over the immense human suffering that grows greater every day?

"For two weeks now, the peoples of the Middle East have been suffering the horrific violence of war. Thousands of innocent people have been killed, and countless others have been forced to flee their homes. I renew my prayerful closeness to all who have lost loved ones in the attacks, which have struck schools, hospitals and residential areas....

"On behalf of the Christians of the Middle East, and of all women and men of good will, I appeal to those responsible for this conflict: cease fire! May paths of dialogue be reopened! Violence can never lead to the justice, stability and peace for which the peoples are waiting."

~Pope Leo XIV

—————————————————————

UPDATE: In Sunday’s Angelus message, Pope Leo also expressed strong concern over Israel’s attacks on Lebanon (Israel claims this is necessary to go after Iran’s proxy group Hezbollah, which has again launched missiles against them). Today (March 16th) the Israeli State began a ground invasion of Lebanon:

“The situation in Lebanon is a cause for great concern. I hope that avenues for dialogue will emerge to support the country’s Authorities in implementing lasting solutions to the serious crisis currently unfolding, for the common good of all the Lebanese people.”

But Maronite Christian communities in Southern Lebanon are caught in the crossfire. Last Wednesday, in his General Audience, the Pope referred to this in a very personal way:

“Today in Qlayaa, Lebanon, the funeral of Father Pierre El Raii, Maronite parish priest of one of the Christian villages in southern Lebanon, is being celebrated. These villages are once again experiencing the tragedy of war. I am close to all the Lebanese people at this time of grave trial.

“In Arabic, ‘El Raii’ means ‘the shepherd’. Father Pierre was a true shepherd, who always stayed beside his people, with the love and sacrifice of Jesus the Good Shepherd. As soon as he heard that some parishioners had been wounded in a bombing, he rushed to help them without hesitation. May the Lord grant that the blood he shed be a seed of peace for beloved Lebanon.”

Like his predecessors, Pope Leo knows that Jesus Christ is the Savior of the world and the ultimate destiny of every human person. He knows that Jesus is the only hope for humanity. He knows that the witness of Father Pierre will bear fruit — even in this poor world — more “powerfully” than all the weapons of war. Pope Leo is a man of faith.

He is also a man of justice and love, of solidarity and mercy and charity. He knows that the love of Christ embraces the whole person, and His mercy governs the peoples in history — with particular attention to the poor, to those who are suffering, to victims of violence, to sinners (all of us) who cry out for freedom from the seemingly inescapable abyss of ignorance and cruelty and discouragement that surrounds us and grows out of our own hearts.

He appeals to us to uproot war from our hearts, and take up the “narrow path” of real dialogue, person-to-person dialogue in which we struggle to listen to one another with openness to the Word of God, who (Christians should remember) dwells among us, and to the freedom of the Holy Spirit to enlighten us and to convert and change our hearts.

This cannot be separated from Leo’s concrete, immediate, firm appeal to those in power who are directly responsible for this war. He speaks in the imperative, echoing the voice of another bishop who was martyred 46 years ago because he said “STOP” to those who perpetrated violence and injustice in his own country. In Leo’s firm insistence we can hear the resonance of the witness of the Latin American bishop whose martyrdom we will commemorate next week, the great Saint Oscar Romero. Jesus knows the secret fruits of Romero’s martyred blood that have yet to appear, just as Jesus knows the mysterious fruits of the self-offering of Father Pierre El Raii. And Jesus will sustain His servant, Pope Leo, in bearing the burdens of the present moment.

In the name of Christ’s Body — the Christian people — and all people of good will, Leo has “demanded” of the Powers that are prosecuting this reckless and destructive war:

“CEASE FIRE!”

Happy Birthday Christina Grimmie!

Today would have been Christina Grimmie's 32nd birthday. Although it's nearly ten years since she was shot and killed by a "stranger" as she welcomed him with open arms at a meet-and-greet after a concert, she still inspires #TeamGrimmie and all of us as we remember her heart full of love and gratitude.💚

War in Iran: the Spiral of Violence Grows…

The war in Iran goes on. 

What are the aims of the conflict unleashed by Israel and the United States? The USA tries to explain its relentless bombing campaign with a variety of constantly-shifting objectives. It’s about “regime change,” or destroying permanently Iran’s capacity to build a nuclear weapon, or reducing as much as possible Iran’s ability and status a regional military threat. The U.S. president at one point last week called for Iran’s “unconditional surrender.” But what gives him the authority to make such a sweeping demand? What does it even mean?

These are open-ended and — in the circumstances — opaque goals for what is being presented as a “preemptive war of self-defense” (a concept which, in any case, could be used as a justification for any nation to attack another nation). Despite Iran’s brutal regime, its theocratic opposition to Israel, and the violence of its regional proxies, it is by no means clear how Iran posed an imminent threat to the security of the United States of America. What has Iran done to deserve this wholesale terrorizing of its civilian population, the crippling of its capacity to function as a civil society, and the general chaos unleashed by the destruction of infrastructure and all the “death, fire, and fury” raining down from its skies?

Certainly, the Iranian government’s killing of thousands of protesters in the streets last month was horrific, barbaric and intolerable. It was the latest of decades of brutal and violent acts, and those who perpetrate such crimes must be held accountable. But why does anyone think that bombing the whole nation into a condition of powerlessness — with possible ethnic fragmentation, civil conflict, and chaos — will bring about improvement? Are the United States and Israel trying to “destroy-Iran-in-order-to-save-it”? Do these allies care about “saving” Iran at all? Are they even pursuing the same aims with their bombing campaign?

I want the people of Iran to flourish in a healthy society that respects the dignity of every human person, has religious freedom and an appropriate recognition of civil rights, and has peaceful relationships with its neighbors. It's hard to imagine how these social conditions could come about without profound and substantial alterations of the structures and mentality of the Iranian political system. Of course this also includes peace with Israel, which will inevitably entail some kind of permanent (and probably internationally mediated) agreement for Israel's security, but also for Israel to accept its place within its internationally recognized borders alongside the development of a peaceful and responsible Palestinian State. 

Certainly, these are extremely difficult goals. Nevertheless (in my opinion) they still had a chance to be achieved or at least approached by intense, constructive dialogue and the incentives of economic collaboration, greater cultural interaction, and fraternal solidarity with the international community. Recent negotiations appeared to be making small gains in this direction. In my opinion, the framework obtained by multilateral diplomatic efforts in 2015 should have been given a chance to unfold and open further possibilities for dialogue and development of the various and complex features of Iranian society. And there is no inherent reason why Iran and Israel couldn’t overcome their differences and learn to (at least) coexist peacefully in a region where there is ample room for Muslims, Jews, and Christians to dwell together as neighbors, recognizing their common humanity and their distinctive identities and heritages, learning to listen to one another and understand one another.

Why was the “space for dialogue” not fostered with more dedication and patience? Why was this not possible? Instead it seems that the injustices and failures of the 20th century that began with the fall of the Ottoman Empire will continue to constrain and define the peoples of the Middle East, pushing them further and further down the endless spiral of retributive violence.

This war will not bring security and stability to the region. Nor will it bring freedom to the Iranian people. Anything “gained” from this war will be regarded by many as a foreign imposition and received with resentment. War is never a constructive project, especially in our time. It only sows the seeds of more violence for the future. In the case of this war, the Iranian regime and its military are already pursuing revenge and counter-violence against the USA and its allies in the Gulf region, and positioning themselves to block the Strait of Hormuz and disrupt the global economy. 

The President of the United States began this war (in conjunction with Israel) without any authorization from the US Congress, without any international mandate from the UN, without any “checks” or “balances” against his power to command the most colossal military forces ever assembled in the history of the world. If some construal of the United States Constitution (beyond the wildest nightmares of the American founders) justifies the President wielding this kind of power, then it is time to amend the Constitution. No single person should have such unchecked, unmediated, unaccountable power. Nations and leaders must work together toward achieving peace and security in this world of monstrous technological forces and the fragile, imperiled condition of human existence and the whole realm of creation.

The war in Iran and the Middle East is already a “defeat for humanity” and it risks escalating into an even greater catastrophe. It is a cause of grave concern and profound sorrow. It is good for us to be united with the ongoing prayer of Pope Leo XIV:

"We lift up our humble prayer to the Lord, so that the thunderous sound of bombs may cease, weapons may fall silent, and a space for dialogue may open up in which the voice of the people can be heard.  I entrust this intention to the Blessed Virgin Mary, Queen of Peace, that she may intercede for those who suffer because of war and lead hearts along the paths of reconciliation and hope." (Pope Leo, Angelus, March 8).

"O Surpassing Loving-Kindness" - My Baptismal Day

Today I celebrated and gave thanks for the foundational gift that has shaped my entire existence, the gift of being wholly claimed by Jesus Christ through the sacrament of Baptism, which I received on March 10, 1963. I will never come to the end of my gratitude for the free gift of God the Father through Jesus Christ His Son and in the transforming "beginning" of a totally new life in the Holy Spirit.

Here is an excerpt from a fourth century text of the Church Father Saint Cyril of Jerusalem:

"O strange and inconceivable thing! We did not really die, we were not really buried, we were not really crucified and raised again; but our imitation was in a figure, and our salvation in reality. Christ was actually crucified, and actually buried, and truly rose again; and all these things He has freely bestowed upon us, that we, sharing His sufferings by imitation, might gain salvation in reality. O surpassing loving-kindness! Christ received nails in His undefiled hands and feet, and suffered anguish; while on me without pain or toil by the fellowship of His suffering He freely bestows salvation" (Saint Cyril of Jerusalem, Catechetical Lectures 20:5).

Pope Leo’s Prayer for Disarmament and Peace

—————————

Lord of Life,
you shaped every human being in your image and likeness.
We believe you created us for communion, not for war,
for fraternity, not for destruction.

You who greeted your disciples saying, “Peace be with you,”
grant us the gift of your peace
and the strength to make it a reality in history.
Today we lift up our prayer for peace in the world,
asking that nations renounce weapons
and choose the path of dialogue and diplomacy.

Disarm our hearts of hatred, resentment, and indifference,
so we may become instruments of reconciliation.
Help us understand that true security
does not come from control fueled by fear,
but from trust, justice, and solidarity among peoples.

Lord, enlighten the leaders of the nations,
so they may have the courage to abandon projects of death,
halt the arms race,
and place the lives of the most vulnerable at the center.
May the nuclear threat never again dictate the future of humanity.

Holy Spirit
make us faithful and creative builders of daily peace:
in our hearts, our families,
our communities, our cities.
May every kind word, every gesture of reconciliation,
and every choice for dialogue be seeds of a new world.

Amen. .

~Pope Leo XIV

Winter's Dignified Beauty: A Sign of Hope?

Now that March has begun — full of the shock and terror of a war unleashed upon the world once again by reckless human hands — the "mostly-uncomfortable" month of February doesn't seem worth complaining about. After all, it was only relatively normal winter weather...

I didn't get out much, what with the snow in the beginning of the month and my developing a "stubborn chest cold" later (that I still haven't managed to shake). Ironically, my immune system has always been pretty strong — except for its blind spot for Lyme Disease bacteria and its associated co-infections.

When the kids were growing up, I "shook off" most seasonal-minor-illness stuff. But now I am not only officially "over-the-hill," but am also in the early stages of tumbling along the strange-descent-down-the-other-side of the hill (ha, ha!😵‍💫😜). Colds and flu-ish things and headaches hang around longer, and require "rest" — which I have never been good at. But clearly last month's weather was not the kind that makes venturing out on my "three-legged-adventures" a restful experience.

Still, I got out a little bit and took pictures. And I also took some time crafting them with a variety of tools at JJStudios (this is also not "restful"). But I have a few things for the "virtual gallery" that will allow us to begin moving toward the Spring Equinox, as life and color begin to emerge... at least in our part of the world.

There are many reasons why people caught up in war might forget about spring. But war zones are not only places where humans suffer. The environment also dies under all these "hammers," all this "epic fury." It will be a burnt, charred springtime (if not worse) in Iran and the Middle East, in Ukraine, and who knows where else. Not to mention the colossal waste of resources for all the armaments that continue to contribute to human and environmental misery, pillaging and poisoning the earth. We are all to blame for this: the poisons in the air — from self-indulgence, greed, and war — have their radical origin from the poison in our hearts.

What can we do when war rages in "faraway" places? For one thing, we can acknowledge our own contribution to the "global rage," and how our own negligence has contributed to the epidemic of hearts growing colder and darker and fruitless in the ways of love. But we need not despair: the Divine Physician has come to bring healing and to set our hearts on fire. If we repent of our sins and let his healing mercy work within us, we will be able to bring change to our barren, blistered, frozen world — to bring forth works of mercy and beauty that offer healing and hope.

Here are a few recent pictures in honor of this season in my own Virginia:

Saint Katharine Drexel

March 3rd is the commemoration of Saint Katharine Drexel, the first born citizen of the United States of America to be canonized.

Heiress of a vast family fortune, Katharine Drexel did more than give alms to the poor. She dedicated her personal energies and all her wealth to building institutions that would change the shape of the society in which she lived. Born in Philadelphia two years before the outbreak of the Civil War, Katharine Drexel’s life spanned nearly a century; she lived to see the United States move from the brink of disintegration to become the most wealthy and powerful nation in the world. 

During this period, however, her work was to found a congregation of women religious — the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament — specially dedicated to missionary activity among the poorest of America’s poor: the newly freed blacks and the increasingly oppressed indigenous peoples. 

Mother Drexel for many years traveled widely through the deep South and the Southwest, dedicating her administrative talents as well as her financial resources to furthering the work of her order. She was especially concerned with the founding of schools for Native Americans and African Americans (in 1917 she founded Xavier University in New Orleans, the first African American Catholic college). 

In the final twenty years of her long life, however, a heart condition forced the end of her journeying. Yet her labor during this time of suffering and what appeared to the rest of the world to be “retirement” was the greatest of all her works: Saint Katharine Drexel dedicated her remaining years to daily adoration of Jesus in the Eucharist, surrendering to him all of her missionary zeal and love for the poor.

Halting the Spiral of Violence

Words of Pope Leo XIV at the Angelus on Sunday, March 1:

“I am following with deep concern what is happening in the Middle East and in Iran during this tumultuous time. Stability and peace are not achieved through mutual threats, nor through the use of weapons, which sow destruction, suffering, and death, but only through reasonable, sincere, and responsible dialogue. Faced with the possibility of a tragedy of immense proportions, I make a heartfelt appeal to all the parties involved to assume the moral responsibility of halting the spiral of violence before it becomes an unbridgeable chasm. May diplomacy regain its proper role, and may the well-being of peoples, who yearn for peaceful existence founded on justice, be upheld. And let us continue to pray for peace.”

Black Smoke and Bright Fire in the Middle East

I had just posted yesterday's 35-year-old memory about "Gulf War I" in the early morning hours when the news came in that the United States and Israel had commenced a sustained bombing campaign against Iran. The Iranians are retaliating by bombing Israel and various Arab Gulf States that have U.S. military bases.

I think we are past the point of no return on this latest war. What a preposterous thing to do!! Unfortunately, it's not surprising, but it's a great sorrow, and we can barely imagine the disasters that may yet unfold. God help us!

Black smoke and bright fire all over the Middle East.

“Desert Storm” in My Journal from 1991

I remember when "old wars" were new. This is the 35th anniversary of the conclusion of the the First Gulf War in Iraq on February 28, 1991.

I was 28 years old that year, and — of course — I imagined that I understood much more than I really did about... well... everything. So I kept a journal for a couple of years, and it was somewhat like a blog. Although, of course, not in my wildest dreams did I ever imagine that there would be such things as the Internet, or blogs, or audiovisual interactive media.

In the long run, the brief "Gulf War I" lead to the much longer and more convoluted "Gulf War II" (2003-2011) and the ISIS reign of terror that moved in after United States troops withdrew.

It seems that "Gulf War III" may be imminent, and no one knows what it might bring to the region and the world. God have mercy on us!

But these handwritten notes come from more than half a lifetime ago, when so much had not yet happened in my own life or in world events. 35 years from today it will be 2061. If I live that long, I will be 98 years old. I'm not counting on it. But my question for today is similar to my question in 1991: What kind of world are we building? How will the dignity of the human person survive? Material power continues to grow exponentially, but wisdom — if anything — has declined (at least in my part of the world). But the grace of Christ is at work also. 

He remains our hope: Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow, Forever.