secular Institute for the laity under religious vows

March 14th, 2006
by
John Schlegel, S.J.
President
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Isaiah 1:10, 16-20
Psalm 50:8-9, 16bc-17, 21 and 23
Matthew 23:1-12
Praying Lent
Daily Lenten Prayer
Weekly Guide for Daily Prayer



This second week of Lent finds America's upper Midwest unseasonably warm and dry. Tulips are pushing their fingers prematurely into the sunlight; trees are budding as squirrels surrender their winter apartments; and students, dressed for June, are throwing Frisbees. It is March and it is Lent; yes, Lent as a harbinger of springtime. But the seasoned Midwesterner knows the last snow has not yet fallen! Spring is not yet! It is Lent and Easter is yet to come!

Over multiple Lents we all know the season is about fasting and prayer and alms giving. It is about discipline, generosity and patience. Today's scripture passages suggest that Lent is also about listening. Listening for an invitation to grow, to renew, and to re-green one's spiritual life just as the earth renews its natural beauty in the spring sunshine and the earth, however reluctantly, surrenders its captive seedlings.

Isaiah tells us to "Hear the word of God…listen to the instruction of our God…wash yourselves clean…put away misdeeds…cease doing evil…learn to do good…make justice your aim…redress the wronged…and set things right!" These are all invitations; invitations to action and to relationship. These are invitations to renewal and to a new springtime in the spirit!

The Psalm begins, "Listen, my people, I will speak." And Matthew tells us, "Then Jesus spoke to the crowds and to his disciples." These, too, are invitations to hear the Lord and by implication, to follow the Lord.

Yes, Lent is a season for listening, as it is a time of renewing and re-greening one's interior life. Six weeks is a long time to have one's ear cocked for the slightest whisper or the loudest sound which suggests that God is afoot in your life and in your relationships. One of the central challenges of Lent is discerning and identifying the voice of God in the cacophonous sounds and competing slogans that surround each of us.

Identifying the authentic voice of God is complicated. Jesus tells us that there is but "one teacher", "one father", and "one master." But we are surrounded by competing teachings, slogans, diets, miracle drugs, would-be masters and ideologies. Lent is a time to discern and identify, to reject the voices of false teachers for the authentic teachings of the one teacher; to replace the dross of winter with the verdant colors of spring.

Listen carefully for God's voice as you clear the underbrush of your spiritual garden; listen for God's call as you prune the branches of self-confidence, self-doubt or self-sufficiency. Listen for God's directive in the songs of the returning robins and the shower of spring rains. For as has been said: "The world is charged with the grandeur of God." Amidst that grandeur God speaks! Our creator God, our savior God, the spirit of God, speak to each of us in our own time and circumstance. God speaks gently in love and thunders fiercely in judgment. God comforts and secures those who are faithful.

Lent, as a forerunner of spring, has time left before spring is upon us, before Lent matures into the Easter mystery. Ours is the opportunity and the responsibility to live these days well. There is time to stir from the doldrums of sin and selfish involvements. There is time to rip-up and replant the weak places in one's life. Ours is the opportunity for a renewal and a re-greening of our spiritual life in our own context and setting. For as Isaiah says in today's first reading: "If you are willing and obey, good things will come your way…"


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Q: I have been in abusive relationships for much of my life. I seem to pick the same type of partners and am constantly being hurt. What can I do differently?

A: You were created in God's image and likeness. Saying, "I deserve better than the kinds of relationships I have had" may be the best start you can make. If you respect yourself, other people will also.

Your diocesan Catholic Charities office can help you contact a professional counselor with whom you can discuss this situation.

Jesus Is Condemned to Die.


The First Station Jesus stands in the most human of places. He has already experienced profound solidarity with so many on this earth, by being beaten and tortured. Now he is wrongfully condemned to punishment by death. His commitment to entering our lives completely begins its final steps. He has said "yes" to God and placed his life in God's hands. We follow him in this final surrender, and contemplate with reverence each place along the way, as he is broken and given for us.
click on photo to enlarge We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you.
Because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.
List of Stations
Next Station
As I view the scene, I become moved by both outrage and gratitude.
I look at Jesus. His face. The crown of thorns. The blood. His clothes stuck to the wounds on his back.

Pilate washes his hands of the whole affair. Jesus' hands are tied behind his back.

This is for me. That I might be free. That I might have eternal life.

As the journey begins I ask to be with Jesus. To follow his journey. I express my love and thanks.




Online Retreat Daily Reflections
Creighton University Home Page The Collaborative Ministry Office

The Importance and Value of Consecrated Life


Dear Brothers and Sisters,

In the Encyclical published last Wednesday, by referring to the primacy of charity in the life of Christians and of the Church, I wanted to recall that the privileged witnesses of this primacy are the Saints, who made their lives a hymn to God-Love despite their thousands of different tones. We celebrate them every day of the year in the liturgy.

I am thinking, for example, of those whom we are commemorating in these days: the Apostle Paul with his disciples Timothy and Titus, St Angela Merici, St Thomas Aquinas, St John Bosco. These saints are very different: the first belong to the beginnings of the Church and were missionaries of the first evangelization; in the Middle Ages, Thomas Aquinas is the model of a Catholic theologian who found in Christ the supreme synthesis of truth and love; in the Renaissance, Angela Merici presented a path of holiness also to those who were living in a secular environment; in the modern epoch, Don Bosco, inflamed with love for Jesus the Good Shepherd, cared for the most underprivileged children and became their father and teacher.

In truth, the Church's entire history is a history of holiness, animated by the one Love whose source is God. Indeed, only supernatural love, like the love that flows ever new from Christ's heart, can explain the miraculous flourishing down the centuries of Orders, male and female religious Institutes and other forms of consecrated life.

In the Encyclical, I cited among the Saints most famous for their charity John of God, Camillus of Lellis, Vincent de Paul, Louise de Marillac, Giuseppe Cottolengo, Luigi Orione and Teresa of Calcutta (cf. n. 40).

This array of men and women, moulded by the Spirit of Christ who made them models of dedication to the Gospel, leads us to consider the importance of consecrated life as an expression and school of love.

The Second Vatican Council emphasized that the imitation of Christ in chastity, poverty and obedience should be entirely oriented to the achievement of perfect charity (cf. Perfectae Caritas, n. 1).

Precisely in order to shed light on the importance and value of consecrated life, the Church celebrates this coming 2 February, Feast of the Presentation of the Lord in the Temple, as the Day of Consecrated Life. In the afternoon of that day, just as John Paul II liked to do, I will preside at Holy Mass in the Vatican Basilica, to which the consecrated men and women who live in Rome are specially invited. Let us together thank God for the gift of consecrated life and pray that it may continue to be an eloquent sign of his merciful love in the world.

Let us now turn to Mary Most Holy, mirror of love. With her motherly help may Christians and especially consecrated persons walk expeditiously and joyfully on the path of holiness.

Sunday, 29 January 2006 - Saint Peter's Square

On Wednesday we Bostonians get together for our monthly meeting and evening of recollection. We always has talks of our founder, Blessed James Alberione, SSP. One can find his writings online everywhere. He wrote all kinds of books. Last month we spoks about how we live our vow of poverty in the world. We don't. choose extravagant things and we dress in a simple way--not flashy! We share all with we other.

We talked abouth the vow of chastity and how the the Lord gives us so many gifts of love from people and gifts of spirituality of intimacy that are so fulfilling. We shared all these things with one another!

Monthly we have reports with our superiors on how things are going. I like the accountability. It is so freeing for me. I would miss not having the give and take of such love from Jesus. We shared that together also!

I wanted to share that with all of you!

God Bless!

Nancyann

Nancyann~
Best regards to you and your Boston sisters.
I'm sure you provide strength and joy to each other.
I'm looking forward to meeting with my "brothers"
in Columbus this July.
~George

Good for you! Have a great time then. Isn't it great to belong to group to share with them? I really love them very much! One of our Gabrielites this week, a male branch just got out of the hospital. He is in his forties. He had a heart attack. When he got out of the hospital he called all of us up to tell us all about the experience all around the country! We are a "family." He lives in Mississippi. He is junior professed. Please pray for him. His name is Chris! He has two brothers who are priests!

Yes George, we have our yearly retreat at the end of July in Boston this year. Easy for me. No flying on planes this year!

Thanks for checking in George!

Nancyann!

Daily Lent Prayer
"Lord, open my lips,
and my mouth shall declare your praise."
Opening Prayer:
Father,
teach us to lead good lives,
encourage us with your support
and bring us to eternal life.

We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.

The Readings: Jeremiah 18:18-20; Psalm 31:5-6, 14, 15-16; Matthew 20:17-28

Daily Meditation:
Whoever wishes to be great among you shall be your servant.
Jesus is telling us about his Passion, Death and Resurrection - for us.
Too often we are fighting over which of us is the greatest.
To take this journey with him, is to take a journey
that draws us to be with him in it and like him:
a servant of love for others.

"The Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve
and to give his life as a ransom for many."

Today's Daily Reflection

Intercessions:
Let us give thanks to God, our Father:
through the power of the Spirit he purifies our heart and strengthens us in love. Let us humbly ask him:
Lord, give us your Holy Spirit.

Help us to receive good things from your bounty with a deep sense of gratitude;
-and to accept with patience the evil that comes to us.
Teach us to be loving not only in great and exceptional moments,
-but above all in the ordinary events of daily life.
May we abstain from what we do not really need,
-and help our brothers and sisters in distress.
May we bear the wounds of your Son,
-for through his body he gave us life.


Closing Prayer:
God of Love,
through this Lenten journey,
purify my desires to serve you.
Free me from any temptations to judge others,
to place myself above others.
Please let me surrender even my impatience with others,
that with your love and your grace,
I might be less and less absorbed with myself,
and more and more full of the desire
to follow you, in laying down my life
according to your example.

May the Lord bless us,
protect us from all evil
and bring us to everlasting life.
Amen.

March 15th, 2006
by
Deb Fortina
Academic Affairs
Click here for a photo of and information on this writer.
Jeremiah 18:18-20
Psalm 31:5-6, 14, 15-16
Matthew 20:17-28
Praying Lent
Daily Lenten Prayer
Weekly Guide for Daily Prayer



Jeremiah 18: 18-20 "…Heed me, O LORD, and listen to what my adversaries say. Must good be repaid with evil that they should dig a pit to take my life? Remember that I stood before you to speak in their behalf, to turn away your wrath from them."

Psalm 31: 5-6, 14,25-26 "Save me, O Lord, in your kindness..."

Matthew 20: 17-28 "…the Son of May did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many."

Saint Louise de Marillac - died in 1660. Louise was born near Meux France, but lost both her parents at an early age. Even though she wanted to become a nun, she was encouraged to marry instead, which she did and the couple had one son. When eventually her husband fell ill and died, Louise began working with the poor. She received limited time in counsel with St. Francis de Sales, and eventually worked with St. Vincent de Paul. One day Vincent asked Louise to join his work with the poor, after he realized that he needed women who were peasants themselves who could get closer to the poor. Louise started with four other women, but eventually her following grew and she later wrote the "rule-of-life" orders for her new community, the Sisters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul. Before they became an official order, they dressed as peasant women. Saint Louise is known as the patron saint of Social Workers.

I caught a glimpse of Jesus today from the first reading in the Book of the Prophet Jeremiah. The image was of Jesus hanging from the cross calling out to God the Father asking for His forgiveness for those who persecute Him for they know not what they do. In today's reading, Jeremiah is aware that his adversaries are plotting against him. Like Christ, Jeremiah has stood up pleading to the LORD to spare them (those who would like to kill him) His wrath. Oh how confusing it must be to have a person or persons turn on you, when you have stood in support of them in the past. During our Lenten season it is fitting to be reading from Jeremiah, whose name in Hebrew means "The LORD raises up". The first sentence in the Reading Guide section of The Catholic Study Bible says "More than anyone else Jeremiah steps out of the pages of the Old Testament, a type and model of Jesus Christ." (The Catholic Study Bible; RG304)

From the Gospel in Matthew, we are led further into our Lenten journey when Jesus tells His disciples that "the Son of Man" will be handed over to be crucified, but He will be raised up on the third day. How could anyone comprehend this kind of talk? By now the disciples have been with Jesus through many ups and downs, but none have been so threatening as to claim his life. Surely they didn't know what to think. The next part of our reading shows how little they have grasped His teachings up to this point. The mother of James and John approaches Jesus asking if Jesus will place her sons at His right and left hand in His kingdom. Of course this causes a few of the others to become indignant with these two men. But Jesus, always patient and always the teacher, says what is important. "…whoever wishes to be great among you shall be your servant; whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave. Just so, the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many." (Matthew 20:26-28) We are to understand greatness in a new way; to be great is to serve.

If we decide to follow Jesus this Lenten season, as the disciples did that day, we too will be asked to do great things, we will be asked to serve. How is Jesus asking us to serve in our world today? Let us pray and ask St. Louise de Marillac, who answered God's call to serve the poor and abandoned in France, to help us know God's will for our lives this day.

"Into your hands I commend my spirit: you will redeem me, O LORD, O faithful God." (Psalms 31:6)

TWENTY FIVE Year Memoriam: The Creighton community pauses today to remember Philip Greteman, David Hoover, Edward Reznicek and Daniel Ross. These sophomore students were returning home from a spring break trip when their lives were cut short about a mile from campus in a tragic vehicular accident 25 years ago today. We join their families in prayer; may their souls rest in peace.


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George and others who belong to a Catholic religious affiliation group! Please free to introduce yourselves and your groups here and to promote your religious group for the Catholic Church's glory in our forum here.

I would like that very much and we all would like to hear about it also! Vocation promotion is what I am all about!

Spirituality is what this forun is all about! Feel free to post spirituality!

God Bless You All!

Nancyann

Q: How do I become a member of the Third Order of St. Francis? Is there a group near my city?

A: Information about the Secular Franciscan Order (once known as the Third Order) can be obtained through 1-800-FRANCIS or by contacting www.nafra-sfo.org.

please check out www.vocation.com

please check out www.albahouse.org

The Institute of Our Lady of The Annunciation also called the Annunciationists is an a Institute attached to the Society of St. Paul.

The Annunciationist are consecrated women who live in the world who and live under religious vows of poverty, chastity and obedience and have a religious superior! They gently strive to give the love of Jesus to the world by living religious vows and by sharing the fruits of their vows with whom they live, work and meet daily!

Their special charism and devotion are to St Paul, the apostle and to Mary, Queen of the Apostles! They spread Jesus Master, Way, Truth and Life in their apostolates through the use of social communication and the media. For more information contact me at [email protected] and I will forward your information to our Institute Director immediately.

Some Pauline Sites that show you the Pauline spirituality and apostolates and that update and change frequently, sometimes daily, they are www.albahouse,com,www.alberione.com,www.alberione,org,www.pauline.org,www.pddm.org,www.pddm.us!

Enjoy and God Bless!

Nancyann

Daily Lent Prayer
"Lord, open my lips,
and my mouth shall declare your praise."
Opening Prayer:

God of love,
bring us back to you.
Send your Spirit to make us strong in faith
and active in good works.
Grant this through our Lord, Jesus Christ, Your Son,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.

The Readings: Jeremiah 17:5-10; Psalm 1:1-2, 3, 4, 6; Luke 16:19-31

Daily Meditation:
Bring us back to you.
The story of the Rich Man and Lazarus is our lesson today.
We beg to be open to the workings of the Spirit,
that we might not settle for the consolations of this life alone.

Jesus then said, "I am the one who raises the dead to life!
Everyone who has faith in me will live, even if they die.
And everyone who lives because of faith in me will never really die.
Do you believe this?"
John 11

Today's Daily Reflection

Intercessions:
God has revealed himself in Christ.
Let us praise his goodness, and ask him from our hearts:
Remember us, Lord, for we are your children.

Teach us to enter more deeply into the mystery of the Church,
- that it may be more effective for ourselves and for the world as the sacrament of salvation.
Lover of mankind, inspire us to work for human progress,
- seeking to spread your kingdom in all we do.
May our hearts thirst for Christ,
- the fountain of living water.
Forgive us our sins,
- and direct our steps into the ways of justice and sincerity.

Closing Prayer:
Loving God,
I hear your invitation, "Come back to me"
and I am filled with such a longing to return to you.
Show me the way to return.
Lead me this day in good works I do in your name
and send your Spirit to guide me and strengthen my faith.
I ask only to feel your love in my life today.

May the Lord bless us,
protect us from all evil
and bring us to everlasting life.
Amen.

March 16th, 2006
by
Bob Berry
Department of Information Technology
Click here for a photo of and information on this writer.
Jeremiah 17:5-10
Psalm 1:1-2, 3, 4 and 6
Luke 16:19-31
Praying Lent
Daily Lenten Prayer
Weekly Guide for Daily Prayer



From the day we were born, we learn to trust and depend on others and things of this world. The very first steps we take, the first words we speak, the first food that we eat, all depends upon someone teaching us how to perform these tasks. We even find ourselves putting our trust in our possessions, wisdom and power, kindness and faithfulness of men, but we all know that these things are temporary. We must put our full confidence on the strong Arm of God.

In Jeremiah 17:5-10, God speaks of the sin of putting our trust in the Flesh, and not in him. I can only imagine how hurt we would be if we had created this world, and not receive any love or gratitude from those within this world. In this passage, God equates our mistrust to that of a barren shrub residing in the desert. This desert land is a dry land, which indicates no water, no green grass, no fruit or vegetation, sure signs of death. It's amazing to think of how God has blessed us with everything we need, and we seem to get farther away from him, until we come to the realization that with God, our lives become fruitful. When we trust in God, we are like a tree planted by the rivers of water (Psalms 1). This tree, a choice tree, about which great care has been taken to set it in the best soil, far from being like the barren bush in the wilderness. A tree thus planted, thus watered, shall not see when heat comes, shall not sustain any damage from the most scorching heats of summer; it is so well moistened from its roots that it shall be sufficiently guarded against drought. This is an indication of those that make God their hope.

Once we put our trust in God, our lives should bear fruit, such as being kindhearted and gladly giving to others as God has given to us. If, instead of doing good with our worldly enjoyments, we make them the food and fuel of our lusts, of our luxury and sensuality, and deny relief to the poor, we shall certainly perish eternally, and the things of this world, which were thus abused, will but add to our misery and torment. This he shows in the parable of the rich man and Lazarus ( Luke 16:19-31).


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California Franciscans reach settlement with sex abuse victims


LOS ANGELES (CNS) -- The St. Barbara Province of Franciscans has reached a tentative settlement of about $28 million with 25 victims of sexual abuse by Franciscan priests or brothers. News of the agreement was made public March 13. Most of the alleged abuse occurred at St. Anthony's High School Seminary in Santa Barbara, a Franciscan institution that closed in 1987. Some also occurred elsewhere in California, including at Old Mission Santa Barbara, a historic mission church run by the Franciscans. Because the mission is part of the Los Angeles Archdiocese, the archdiocese was also a defendant in some of the cases and is to pay a portion of the settlement. The Franciscan provincial minister, Father Melvin A. Jurisich, told Catholic News Service that the aim of his community throughout the settlement negotiations has been "to do the right thing." He said the financial settlement was "only one part" of the order's efforts to seek healing and reconciliation for people who have suffered abuse from members of the order. He said he has met personally with those plaintiffs who wished to do so -- 14 of the 25 -- and he described those meetings as a "very difficult, very powerful experience."




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Catholic, Muslim women find mutual understanding, friendship


SOUTH BEND, Ind. (CNS) -- They have learned that while there are differences between them, there are many common bonds, no matter if they are Muslim or Christian. "We share a lot of values. Let's get together and find out how one another thinks, rather than let the media and current events ... define us," said Pat AbuGharbieh, 52, of the Masjud al-Noor mosque. She belongs to the Muslim-Christian Dialogue Group founded in April 2004 at the urging of Regina Weissert, a member of Little Flower Parish in South Bend. "Unless people talk, you never really know how to live well together," said Weissert. "I am firmly convinced that it is only through dialogue with other cultures and religions that we can develop understanding and knowledge. You can read all about other people, but until you get to know them and talk to them, there is only a superficial understanding of their lives."




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New vocations film encourages priests to be 'Fishers of Men'


WASHINGTON (CNS) -- With the mid-March premiere of "Fishers of Men," an 18-minute film on DVD that shows many facets of a priest's daily life, "all the elements are in place" for dioceses to join in a new vocations fulfillment and recruitment project sponsored by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, according to the head of the USCCB Secretariat for Vocations and Priestly Formation. Father Edward J. Burns, executive director of the secretariat, said the Priestly Life and Vocation Summit: Fishers of Men project is intended to renew priests' sense of fulfillment in their vocation and to encourage them to draw on that satisfaction to invite other men to pursue the priesthood. The project was developed by the USCCB Committee on Vocations. "Through workshops for priests, the goal of this project is to renew and regenerate the priesthood in the United States," Father Burns said. "It is intended to help priests articulate the joy in their vocation that the overwhelming majority of priests feel and to give them confidence that if they extend the invitation to consider the priesthood, they will find that Catholic men today, especially young men, are open to the challenge," he added.




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Louisiana woman's penny project sends prayers, support to U.S. troops


THIBODAUX, La. (CNS) -- The words "In God We Trust" on the U.S. penny were the inspiration for Thibodaux resident Sally Sobert's Power of Prayer Penny Project, which she began shortly after U.S. military forces invaded Iraq in 2003. "When President (George W. ) Bush first started to talk about a war with Iraq, there were a lot of people who were against sending our troops over there. I wanted to find a way to show our soldiers that we cared about them, that we were praying for them and that no matter whether we believed in the war or not, we supported them," Sobert said. She said she had witnessed the power a prayer coin had on a friend of hers who received it while she was recovering from an injury, and the memory of it stayed with her. "Whenever my friend rubbed the coin, it brought her comfort," she told the Bayou Catholic, newspaper of the Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux. Sobert's prayer pennies for the military are spray-painted red or blue, then affixed to a card that reads: "God has so blessed America. You are one of his many blessings. Thank you. Thanks be to God for you. Keep this penny as a reminder that our prayers are with you. Thank you for serving our country and for protecting the world. God bless you and keep you." To date, according to Sobert, more than 50,000 of the military penny cards have been distributed to troops in the U.S. and Iraq.




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WORLD



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Pope says personal faith is essential, but so is church community


VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- While personal faith in Jesus is essential in a Christian's life, Jesus also came to gather his disciples into a new people of God, the community of the church, Pope Benedict XVI said. "A slogan in vogue a few years ago, 'Jesus, yes; the church, no,' is completely irreconcilable with the intention of Christ," the pope said March 15 at his weekly general audience. The audience, held in St. Peter's Square under bright, sunny skies, marked the beginning of a series of audience talks Pope Benedict planned on "The Mystery of Christ and his Church." "In the catechesis that begins today, I want to demonstrate how the light of Christ's face is reflected in the face of the church, despite the limits and shadows of our fragile and sinful humanity," the pope said. Pope Benedict criticized the "individualistic interpretation" of Christ's ministry espoused by "liberal theologians" such as the late German theologian Adolf von Harnack.




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Quebec bishops to dialogue with 19 priests about homosexuality


TROIS-RIVIERES, Quebec (CNS) -- Quebec's bishops said they want to maintain a spirit of unity as they enter into dialogue with 19 Quebec priests who published a letter of dissent on homosexuality. The priests' letter "puts its finger on a wound in our society, a complex problem, to which we must give attention. There is a larger call for a dialogue about this phenomenon of homosexuality and, on this point, we welcome this invitation to reflection and to dialogue," said Cardinal Marc Ouellet of Quebec City. Cardinal Ouellet, Cardinal Jean-Claude Turcotte of Montreal and Bishop Gilles Cazabon of Saint-Jerome, president of the Assembly of Quebec Catholic Bishops, spoke at a March 9 press conference in Trois-Rivieres, during the Quebec bishops' four-day semi-annual meeting in neighboring Cap-de-la-Madeleine. The priests' letter, which has drawn international attention, appeared in the Feb. 26 issue of Montreal's largest newspaper, La Presse. It sharply criticized the Catholic Church regarding its teaching on homosexuality. In particular, the letter criticized the Canadian bishops' statement on same-sex marriage and the recent Vatican document that deals with the admission of homosexual candidates to the seminary. It also questioned the church teaching that homosexual acts are immoral and said the church must evolve in its position on these issues.




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Haiti's presidential election sets stage for democracy, say bishops


PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (CNS) -- Several Haitian bishops have expressed hope that the recent presidential election sets the stage for a stable democracy and the removal of U.N. peacekeeping troops. They said the situation is still volatile in the poorest country in the Americas, and the church can play a role in dampening political passions and fostering reconciliation so that a new government can take root after several years of social and political instability. The church is present in every city and town, making it important for the rebuilding of the country's institutions, said Msgr. Andre Pierre, permanent secretary of the Haitian bishops' conference. "The church is helping the people focus on peace through meetings, preaching and radio messages," he said March 8. "It's giving direction, helping people to calm down." About 80 percent of Haiti's 8.1 million population professes Catholicism.




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PEOPLE



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Italian cardinal-designate helped establish Vatican-Israeli relations


VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Italian Archbishop Andrea Cordero Lanza di Montezemolo is a veteran diplomat who was instrumental in helping establish diplomatic relations between the Vatican and Israel. He also has served as apostolic nuncio in numerous countries that were often hotbeds of political or social unrest. As a sign of appreciation for his lifelong diplomatic service to the Vatican, Pope Benedict XVI will elevate him to cardinal March 24. At age 80, he will be one of three new cardinals too old to vote in a conclave. Currently serving as archpriest of Rome's Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls, the Turin-born cardinal-designate was the Vatican's first nuncio to Israel when diplomatic relations were established in 1994. Before the Vatican and the state of Israel established any diplomatic relations, he was appointed the apostolic delegate to Jerusalem and the Palestinian territories, in 1990. He worked closely with Israeli and Vatican officials as head of the Holy See's delegation working on the Vatican-Israeli bilateral commission. He was instrumental in helping normalize relations between the two states, which culminated in the signing of the historic "fundamental agreement" in 1993.




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Slovenian cardinal-designate embraces traditional religious rebirth


VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Cardinal-designate Franc Rode heads the Vatican office that oversees religious orders, his latest job in a long series of positions at the Vatican and in his native Slovenia. He has enthusiastically embraced what he calls the "spiritual reform" agenda of Pope Benedict XVI and sees hope in the resurgence of tradition-oriented religious orders and movements around the world. The pope named the 71-year-old prelate, a member of the Vincentian religious order, as one of 15 new cardinals to be inducted in a consistory March 24. Cardinal-designate Rode has headed the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life since 2004, when he returned to the Vatican after seven years as archbishop of Ljubljana, Slovenia, his birthplace. In a recent interview with Catholic News Service, Archbishop Rode said he thinks Pope Benedict's top priority is the spiritual revitalization of the faith life of the church.

headlines from: www.vaticannews.com

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FRIDAY:

Daily Lent Prayer
"Lord, open my lips,
and my mouth shall declare your praise."
Opening Prayer:
Merciful Father,
may our acts of penance bring us your forgiveness,
open our hearts to your love,
and prepare us for the coming feast of the resurrection.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God for ever and ever.

The Readings: Genesis 37:3-4,12-13,17-28; Psalm 105:16-21; Matthew 21:33-43,45-46

Daily Meditation:
The Stone rejected by the builders
has become the Cornerstone.
This Friday of Lent again reminds us of our desire
that our hearts be opened to God's love,
through the forgiveness of our sins.
And, we never forget that we are preparing
to celebrate the life that has been given us.

God showed his love for us
when he sent his only Son into the world to give us life.
Real love isn't our love for God,
but his love for us.
God sent his Son to be the sacrifice by which our sins are forgiven.
1 John 4


Today's Daily Reflection

Intercessions:
Let us pray to Christ our Savior, who redeemed us by his death and resurrection:
Lord, have mercy on us.

You went up to Jerusalem to suffer and so enter into your glory,
- bring your Church to the Passover feast of heaven.
You were lifted high on the cross and pierced by the soldier's lance,
- heal our wounds.
You made the cross the tree of life,
- give its fruit to those reborn in baptism.
On the cross you forgave the repentant thief,
- forgive us our sins.

Closing Prayer:
Father,
I am a child who so often turns my back on your love.
Please accept my small acts of sorrow today
and help to release me from the self-absorption
that closes my heart to you.
As I journey through Lent,
let me remember the feast you have prepared for me
in the resurrection
and let me be filled with thanks to you.

May the Lord bless us,
protect us from all evil
and bring us to everlasting life.
Amen.