What would Father Tolton say of Rome today?

Going as far back as the days of the ancient Republic, the city of Rome has always been inhabited by people from everywhere around the Mediterranean Sea, giving the ethnic makeup of ancient Rome a wide diversity.

We see something of this in Suetonius' account of the funerary ceremonies for Julius Caesar in 44 B.C. After describing the way the Romans mourned the loss of the man to whom they gave the title Imperator (though without permission to use the title), Suetonius remarks that the "public grief was enhanced by crowds of foreigners lamenting in their own fashion - especially Jews, who came flocking to the Forum for several nights in succession" ("Divus Iulius", 84, in The Twelve Caesars).

In his book A Day in the Life of Ancient Rome, Alberto Angela draws an interesting picture of the populace of what was then the capital of the world:

Actually, a large portion of the inhabitants of imperial Rome would be categorized today as immigrants or aliens, because they came mostly from the eastern provinces of the Empire; [sic] places located in present-day Turkey, lands that the Romans referred to with the catchall term, Greek (Asia, Galatia, Cilicia, Cappadocia, Bithynia), or from places throughout the Middle East, with Syria in the lead.

Considerable numbers of Rome's inhabitants also had North African origins: families from Egypt or from the fertile provinces of Cyrenaica and pro-consular Africa (Libya and Tunisia). Not to mention immigrants from Mauretania (Algeria and Morocco).

He goes on to note that "at least six of every ten inhabitants of the capital (if not more) were not from Rome or from the Italian penninsula," a figure he describes as "astounding," and this when the city had some 1.5 million inhabitants.

Today, the city of Rome is home to some 2.9 million people, about 10% of whom are non-Italians (half of whom come from various parts of Europe). Rome may be the Eternal City, but some things here do change.

The Servant of God Father Augustus Tolton - the first publicly acknowledged black priest in the United States of America - spent six years in Rome at the Propaganda Fide (from 1880-1886) preparing for his ordination to the priesthood. In the January 7, 1889, the Atlanta Constitution published a quote of Father Tolton about his time in the Eternal City, words that were first published in The Washington Post (though the Constitution does not provide the details). The Servant of God said:

I encountered no prejudice whatever and after my ordination celebrated mass for four weeks in St. Augustine’s, Rome, where princes and potentates worship.

As I consider the current situation of the city of Rome, I wonder if he would be able to say these same words today. I hesitate to say I do not think he could.

I was disturbed yesterday to read that a group of angry Romans burned down a refugee asylum last week:

After local residents living in council-owned accommodation in Tor Sapienza, Rome, were told they were facing eviction on Wednesday, tensions with the local migrant population who live at the ‘Smile’ centre at the taxpayer’s expense came to a head as a number of dustbins were set alight. This is not the first time the centre has been targeted – in November last year, locals threw home-made bombs and rocks at the building.

Passions were then inflamed by complaints of sexual assault of local girls by migrants. Riot police were in heavy attendance at anti-migrant demonstrations in which residents chanted “the blacks have to go”.

Many of the immigrants from Africa and elsewhere have come to Rome seeking a better life for themselves and for their families, but what they have found here is not what they were promised or what they hoped for:

One Ethiopian from the centre, who said he came to Europe to avoid jail: “I’m afraid and I do not want to stay here anymore but I cannot go home… Outside, people would call us ‘Black pieces of s***’, but inside, with the police cordon, it felt like being back in prison”.

Along one of the routes I take a couple of times each week to buy Dr Pepper, I walk past a revolting bit of graffiti:

"No negri" is Italian for, "No blacks".

This graffiti has been there for at least four or five months (and probably longer; it's a newer route for me) at what seems to be a relatively major intersection, although the small swastika, which seems to be crossed out, is newish (I took this picture this morning and remember the swastika being there before). Given how quickly the city painted over the "Super Pope" graffiti, I'm shocked this bit of graffiti remains.

Father Tolton, pray for us and for Rome! 

Pope Francis, Scolder of Introverts?

Nicholas Frankovich has written an interesting (I think that's the best way to describe it) article at the National Review in which he asserts that "Pope Francis Enters His Third Year of Scolding Introverts."

Knowing me to be a self-professed introvert, a friend sent the article to me asking my thoughts about the author's claims. After my initial comments, I've had a bit more time to consider my thoughts and thought I might share them here.

Over the past several months, there has been a slowly growing campaign among introverts to try to get the extremely extroverted culture in which we live to understand us better so that things like this do not happen to us:

If you cannot appreciate or do not understand this graphic, suffice it to say that you are not an introvert.

I'm not quite sure when this movement first began - or how successful it has been - but it seems to have begun sometime around the publication of Susan Cain's excellent and insightful book, Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World that Can't Stop Talking (if you haven't yet this book, you should, whether you are in introvert or an extrovert).

In this world that can't stop talking, I - and many of my fellow introverts - sometimes feel like this:

There are many times here at the Casa Santa Maria that the noise volume in the refectory - which was acoustically designed for the reading of texts during meals - becomes so loud that I cannot remain in the dining room without losing my sanity and developing a very large headache. The external stimuli become too much for my brain to take in and process and it begins to become overwhelming and draining. I've never liked loud environments or going out to eat with more than five other people (one, two, or three others is preferable) because it becomes too much and takes a long time to recover my energy.

Within this introvert movement, there seems to have developed two camps. The first seems to me to be reasonable and sane, seeking to let it be known that introversion is not the same thing as shyness and that not all introverts are anti-social recluses. I support this camp and identify it. They want people to know this:

But the other camp is not always so gentle and seems to look for what it perceives as attacks on introverts. Many in this camp strike me as actual anti-social recluses who want never want anything at all to do with extroverts. Such a position is both unreasonable and impossible. This camp supports such graphics as this:

Being of an introverted nature does not mean that you should not keep your word. It is into this second camp of introverts that I suspect Frankovich has fallen.

Frankovich begins his article with the assertion that as

An extrovert, Francis attaches a positive moral value to extroversion — and, as if it followed by some logical necessity, a negative moral value to extroversion’s complement, introversion.

 Of these two claims, the first, I think, is more likely than the second.

At least in his interactions with the public, Pope Francis certainly comes across as a very extroverted personality, hugging and smiling at everyone in sight. The crowds have responded well to do this, but an extroverted world does not know what to do with a public introvert.

But we do not know what Pope Francis does after being with the crowds. Does he go back to the Apostolic Palace and immediately sit down for meetings with visiting dignitaries and attend to the usual work of the day? Does he take some time to himself to read or take a nap? The media has not yet asked these questions and Pope Francis has not yet said.

If photographic evidence portrays an accurate picture, something clearly happened to Jorge Cardinal Bergoglio with his election to the See of Peter. The man who formerly was very introverted - we saw something of it immediately after his election when he simply stood on the balcony and stared out across the people for several minutes. The more I think about this, the more it strikes me because even the very introverted Benedict XVI came onto the balcony waving and smiling at the crowds. Consider this:

 

And compare it to this:

Who, in these pictures taken just after their elections, looks more like an extrovert?

This is where I think Frankovich first goes wrong with his assessment of Pope Francis. He seems to be only aware of what the media passes on about him (and we know why that's a bad idea). All he sees of Pope Francis are pictures of him smiling broadly and embracing everyone within reach, but I wonder if he has ever looked at pictures of Pope Francis when he offers the Holy Mass? Within the Liturgy, Pope Francis looks anything but an extrovert:

 

These are only three images, but others are very easily found; the media, however, chooses not to share them, just as they only rarely shared pictures of Benedict XVI smiling broadly.

In consider whether or not Pope Francis is an extrovert, we cannot forget that he spends, by his own admission, more than an hour in prayer each morning before Mass and another 30-60 minutes in prayer before dinner (I can't seem to track this source down; perhaps one of you can help?). This doesn't quite sound like the activity of an introvert.

I suspect that, at his core, Pope Francis remains an introvert, but that he has learned, most likely with the aid of the Holy Spirit, how to be an extrovert while with the people. The world being what it is today, this is probably a necessary skill.

Frankovich spends a good part of the rest of his article explaining what he means when he says that Pope Francis places "a negative moral value to extroversion’s complement, introversion," a claim I'm not so sure about, though it does have some merit.

His principle evidence seems to be this:

The primary reason that he disappoints many Catholics who delight in cultivating their interior life is not that he leans left in his politics and theology but that he’s shallow or at least presents himself as such. He has little apparent interest in the life of the mind. He lacks the patience to think slowly.

The first bit of evidence comes from Pope Francis' homily on 26 September 2013. This is problematic because we do not have the text of that homily, but only a rough outline with a few sparse quotes provided. The portion of the homily in question is summarized as follows:

And why, Pope Francis asked, does Jesus create problems. “You cannot know Jesus”, he responded, “without having problems”. You cannot know Jesus “by sitting in first class” or “in the calm”, much less “in the library”. We only come to know Jesus on the daily path of life.

I remember reading about this bit after he said and it frustrated many of us studying here in Rome. The Church tells us that we will find holiness by following the Church's wishes for us, which, for the time, is academic study, which is normally done in a library. But Pope Francis seemingly told us this wasn't true, despite such shining examples as Saint Thomas Aquinas.

What we didn't know then - and what Frankovich seems not to have known and what I only just know learned - was what Pope Francis then went on to say. The summary continues:

We can also come to know him in the Catechism, the Holy Father affirmed. “It is true! The Catechism”, he continued, “teaches us many things about Jesus, and we should study it, we should learn it”. However, the fact remains that knowing about Jesus through the Catechism “is not enough”: knowing him with the mind is a step in the right direction, but “in order to know Jesus, we need to enter into a dialogue with him. By talking with him, in prayer, on our knees. If you don't pray, if you don't talk to Jesus,” he said, “you don't know him”.

After saying we cannot know Jesus "in the calm" or "in the library," he tells us to study the Catechism - which would likely be done in a library - and to spend time in prayer - which is normally done in the calm. Both libraries and prayer are enjoyed more by introverts than extroverts, if the experience of my friends (among whom are both introverts and extroverts) is to be believed.

This brings us to Frankovich's second piece of evidence, that Pope Francis "lacks the patience to think slowly." Here I think Frankovich may be correct. Though a Jesuit, Pope Francis does not seem to have ever completed his doctoral work.

The difficulty with Pope Francis - if I may put it that way - is that he is not a precise thinker. We see this in the homily above and we have seen it time and again in his airplane interviews. This is not helped by the media who seems to all but revel in distorting what he says.

In what seems rather a leap, Frankovich goes on to associate extroversion with the New Evangelization:

The word “missionary,” of course, is now associated with colonialism and has fallen out of fashion. And “apostolic” sounds churchy and formal. In contemporary Catholicism, the new word for the Extrovert Ideal is “evangelical,” as in “the New Evangelization.” You know the drill: Leave the fortress and sally forth into town. Drop that sourpuss, Counter-Reformation stance contra mundum. Engage the world with a smile. Let’s dialogue.

To be fair, Pope Francis isn't the first one to tell us we should not look like sourpusses. Saint Francis of Assisi said, "It is not fitting, when one is in God's service, to have a gloomy face or a chilling look." Given that Jesus came "that your joy may be complete," I'm not sure how one could argue with this (John 15:11).

Likewise, the stance of the Church against the world was arguably helpful in the last few centuries, at least in Europe and the New World. Is it wrong to engage the world with a smile? Even an introvert can do that, one person at a time. Even an introvert can dialogue, one person at a time.

When he told us to "go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations," Jesus did not say this only applies to extroverts (Matthew 28:19); this commission belongs to every one of the baptized, whether extrovert or introvert. 

Frankovich is right to note, though, that

All Christians are called to contribute to the Great Commission, but the nature of the contribution will vary from individual to individual, as the body of Christ has many members, each with a different function.

Until now, Pope Francis has frequently and repeatedly called the Church to "go out to the peripheries" and bring people to the Church to encounter Jesus Christ. Of course this must be done; it was Jesus established his Church in the first place!

 

But if each of us was constantly out, there would be no one to welcome those who came to the Church. This is, admittedly, not something Pope Francis has spoken much about publicly, but given his repeated exhortations to prayer, I don't think he would disagree with it. Remember that Pope Francis is not a precise talker and frequently emphasizes one side of the coin, if you will, at the expense of the other side. Is this sufficient reason to say that Pope Francis is always scolding introverts? I don't think so.

 

In his Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Gaudium, Pope Francis insists that "if the whole Church takes up this missionary impulse, she has to go forth to everyone without exception" (48). Words of this sort seem to be at the heart of Frankovich's assertion, but we have to ask ourselves what Pope Francis means by this. Does he really mean that each member of the Church has the same role to play in the New Evangelization, in the act of going out?

 

Pope Francis explains what he means with the insight on a introvert:

Going out to others in order to reach the fringes of humanity does not mean rushing out aimlessly into the world. Often it is better simply to slow down, to put aside our eagerness in order to see and listen to others, to stop rushing from one thing to another and to remain with someone who has faltered along the way. At times we have to be like the father of the prodigal son, who always keeps his door open so that when the son returns, he can readily pass through it (46).  

One does not often hear the advice to slow coming from an extrovert.

Sir Thomas Malory asks our prayers

Le Morte D'Arthur, by John Mullaster Carrick

The author of the great literary classic Le Morte D'Arthur (The Death of Arthur), Sir Thomas Malory, died on this day in the year 1471. William Caxton first published Sir Thomas' work in 1485.

Very little is known with certainty about this man who made such a significant contribution to the Matter of Britain other than the fact that he was held as a "knight prisoner" in France, during which time he wrote his work in twenty-one books in his cell.

At the conclusion of his work, Sir Thomas leaves us with these words:

Here is the end of King Arthur, and of his noble knights of the Round Table, that when they were whole together there was ever an hundred and forty. And here is the end of the death of Arthur. I pray you all, gentlemen and gentlewomen that readeth this book of Arthur and his knights, from the beginning to the ending, pray for me while I am alive, that God send me good deliverance, and when I am dead, I pray you all pray for my soul. For this book was ended the ninth year of the reign of King Edward the fourth, by Sir Thomas Maleore, knight, as Jesu[s] help[ed] him for his great might, as he is the servant of Jesu[s] both day and night.

His words are a fitting remember for us to pray for those who have gone before us, even those whose books we frequently read.

Additional evidence of the stupidity of selfies?

It seems that my great dislike - even disgust - of selfies has found another justification, this time from shoplifting Italian teenagers:

The first teenager was tracked down and the three were taken in for questioning by police, where they made the audacious request for a selfie with police officers as a souvenir of their first arrest.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, police did not grant their request. The three face charges for shoplifting [more].

I'm tempted to ask if taking selfies makes people stupid, or if it's the other round, but it's an answer that I probably don't to know.

It's just a simple sign right?

A new piece of legislation - HB1371, the Oklahoma Religious Freedom Act - has been introduced by Representative Chuck Strom (R-Ok) concerning "any marriage ceremony, celebration, or other related activity" and those persons who might not wish to participate in them.

Representative Emily Virgin (D-Ok) has introduced this proposed legislation that would require

Any person not wanting to participate in any of the activities set forth in subsection A of this section based on sexual orientation, gender identity or race of either party to the marriage shall post notice of such refusal in a manner clearly visible to the public in all places of business, including websites. The notice may refer to the person’s religious beliefs, but shall state specifically which couples the business does not serve by referring to a refusal based upon sexual orientation, gender identity or race.

At first glance, one might think this amendment a step in the right direction because - at least on the surface - it would maintain the right to refuse service requiring the violation of religious beliefs so long as the existence of an objection was publicly stated. This is a further protection of religious freedom, right? It's just a simple sign, right? Not exactly.

Notice that this amendment allows a business to refuse service based even on the "race of either party," which, unless I am mistaken, would be a violation of the federal Civil Rights Act. Representative Virgin's amendment - probably unintentionally - justifies and protects racism, which is morally evil and, as the Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches, is "incompatible with God's design" (1935).

The posting of a sign, though, isn't so much about making the lives of same-sex couples easier by saving them time shopping around - the law suits brought against such businesses thus far seem to have purposefully sought out those already known to be opposed - as it is about singling out those who oppose the redefinition of marriage. By publicly singling them out, they will be able to be more easily targeted, intimidated, silenced, and shut down. That is, of course, the end goal, and anyone who says differently isn't paying close enough attention to what is happening.

In fact, it's already very recently happened to Barronelle Stutzman, a florist in the state of Washington, who was labeled a homophobe even though she provided service to people she knew to have a same-sex attraction; she simply would not provide flowers for what she believes is not an actual marriage (and which, in fact, is not, even if the government decides to say it is) and in which it would be immoral for her to participate.

As I consider this proposed requirement to post a sign, I cannot help but think back to Hitler's Germany, in which Jewish businesses were required to post a sign that they were owned and staffed by Jews. It was a simple and public declaration that made it easier for those who did not wish to conduct business with Jews. But it quickly became an easy means to target the Jews and remove them. Do we have any real reason to think the same cannot happen with a requirement that Christians post a sign on their storefronts?

Some will object that the Nazis targeted Jews because they hated Jews and that it did not concern whom they decided to serve. This is true as far as it goes, but to suggest that there are not those in the United States of America who hate Christians not because of whom they chose to serve but simply because they are Christians is to plunge one's head deep into the sand.

Barronelle Stutzman refused to service a same-sex "marriage" because she knew that - as a Christian - she simply could not do so. She knows that her religious beliefs are who she is and that they cannot be separated from what she does. She is not alone in this right conviction, even if most Americans who claim the name of Christian do not understand such an integrity of faith and life stemming from their baptism into Christ Jesus. What is more, those who hate Christians - and their number is not dwindling - know this, too. And they are looking for ways to target them.

I very much hope my fears are unfounded but, if history teaches us anything, they are all too possible.

A news round up - 11 March 2015

Here are a few news stories you may have missed:

• The European city with more bicycles than people (Amsterdam) is planning to construct an underwater bicycle garage because it has run out of room for them above ground.

• According to the findings of a survey conducted by the Public Religion  Research Institute, for the first time in the history of the United States of America Protestants no longer make up a majority of the American populace.

• They said we were crazy for even suggesting something like this might happen because, you know, the "slippery slope" argument is a fallacy, and yet it happened: three men with same-sex attraction have entered into what is being called the world's first "gay married 'throuple'".

• Even as snow sits on Hawaii's Mauna Loa and Mauna Kea (which has delayed the construction of a telescope), the Iditarod - Alaska's famed dogsled race - went on this past Saturday as scheduled, despite a lack of snow. 
• Legislators in the state of Utah recently passed a bill to make Utah the only state in the union in which those receiving the death penalty may be brought before a firing squad. The governor has not yet said if he will sign the law.

God is mocked that you might be honored

The Holy Veil of Manopello
PHOTO: Paul Badde

Wake up, O my soul, and look at the face of your Christ. Look, I say, at that face once shining in blinding splendor, whose clarity is veiled on account of you; that face most beautifully adorned and yet despised because of you; that gracious and sweet face, spit upon in its kindliness; lovingly desirable, now made abominable in its desirability. Look and reflect what the Lord has done on earth. God is mocked that you might be honored; God is scourged that you might be consoled; God is crucified that you might be freed; the immaculate Lamb is sacrificed that you might have a feast; the lance made blood and water flow from his side that you might drink. Therefore, look at the cost of your redemption, look at the example he gave for your instruction.

- Saint Bonaventure

We should stop lying to God

In matters of prayer we are only too apt to deceive ourselves because, generally speaking, man does not enjoy praying. He easily experiences boredom, embarrassment, unwillingness, or even hostility. Everything else appears to him more attractive and more important. He persuades himself that he has not got the time, that there are other more urgent things to do; but no sooner has he given up prayer than he applies himself to the most trivial of tasks. We should stop lying to God. Better to say openly, "I do not wish to pray," than to make such excuses. Better not to resort to specious justifications such as, for instance, tiredness, but to declare, "I do not feel like praying." This may sound less decorous, but at least it is the truth which leaves the way open, whereas self-deception does not.

- Romano Guardini

A blue sky and a beautiful facade

The last two days here in the Eternal City have been both chilly and incredibly windy. But the sky has remained a gorgeous blue, as this picture taken at the Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls shows:

A Prayer for Great River Teens Encounter Christ

Above: Part of the chains that held Saint Paul
Below: The sarcophagus of Saint Paul

I made a little pilgrimage this afternoon to the Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls to pray at the tomb of the Apostle for Great River Teens Encounter Christ #298. While there, I wrote the following prayer, largely inspired by Saint Paul's Letter to the Galatians:

Glorious Saint Paul,
who did not weary laboring in the vineyard of the Lord
to proclaim the glorious riches of the Crucified Christ,
intercede now for those laboring in the same vineyard
through Great River Teens Encounter Christ.

Inspired by your shining example
and assisted by the help of your prayers,
may they proclaim with lives of joy and fidelity
the true freedom of the children of God
and so lead their brothers and sisters to the Son of God
who loves them and gave himself for them.

You who encountered him who died and was raised
teach the team and candidates to do good to all
and to glory only in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ
so that they, with you, might receive the crown of life
and the palm of victory.

Amen.

Please join me this weekend in praying for Great River TEC #298.

Has the Mass really only been celebrated in the vernacular for 50 years?

The Holy Father Pope Francis will offer the Holy Mass tomorrow in the Roman church of Ognissanti (All the Saints) to mark the 50th anniversary of a similar Mass celebrated there by one of his blessed predecessors. As Vatican Radio explains:

It was the morning of the 7th of March 1965, the first Sunday in Lent of that year when in this very same Church Blessed Paul VI celebrated Holy Mass for the first time in the vernacular rather than in Latin, as was the custom at the time.

That last claim is simply not correct.

Before the Holy Mass was offered in the Latin language, it was celebrated in the Greek language, which was the vernacular language at the time. What is more, when the Mass began to be celebrated in Greek and not Latin, the language was changed because, at the time, Latin was the vernacular language. Even today, there remains a clear reminder of the fact that Greek was the original language of the Mass with the Kyrie, which is still chanted in Greek today even if the rest of the Mass is celebrated in Latin and frequently in vernacular languages, as well.

If at times something sad happens

Then when you have done all good things, begin anew as if you had done nothing. If at times something sad happens, something bad, something tedious, something bitter, and certainly if sometimes a good thing happens by chance, then you should immediately look to the crucified Jesus hanging on the cross. Look there at the crown of thorns, the iron nails, the lance in the side; gaze at the wounds in his feet and hands, the wounds to his head, his side and his whole body, and recall that this is what he suffered for you, what he bore for you, so that you may know how much he loved you. Believe me: after gazing in such a way, you will find that everything sad becomes joyful, everything heavy becomes light, everything boring lovable, everything harsh sweet and soothing. 

- Saint Bonaventure

NYC adds Muslim holidays to school calendar

Beginning with the 2015-2016 academic year, two Muslim holy days - Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha - will be added to the calendar of New York City's public schools by Mayor Bill de Blasio, who in doing so has fulfilled one of his campaign promises.

The New York Times reports that New York City is not the first school district to do so, though it is the largest:

At least six school districts nationally, including Cambridge, Mass.; Dearborn, Mich.; Burlington, Vt.; and Paterson and South Brunswick, N.J., have granted days off for the major Muslim holidays. Many more districts recognize the holidays in other ways, such as noting them on the school calendar or granting excused absences for observant students.

But there has also been pushback. In November, education officials in Montgomery County, Md., reacted to a local campaign to recognize the Muslim holidays by deciding to eliminate all mention of religious holidays on their 2015-16 school calendar, including Rosh Hashana and Christmas. Instead, those days would be simply marked as days off.

I am not opposed to adding the holy days of religions other than Christianity or Judaism to school calendars and I wonder a bit why this took so long to happen, especially given the number of students of the Muslim faith in New York City's schools. As the New York Times goes on to report:

In New York, a group of Muslims has spent nine years pressing for inclusion on the city’s school calendar, which already recognizes several Jewish and Christian holidays. Muslims make up about 10 percent of the student body in the city’s public schools, according to a 2008 study by Columbia University.

The public schools of New York City have not previously gone so far as to remove all mention of religious holidays from their calendars, but according to the calendar for the 2014-2015 academic year, schools were closed for Rosh Hashanah but the students did not have a "Christmas Break" this past year. Instead, they had a "Winter Recess (including Christmas and New Year's Day)." What is more, the students will not have an "Easter Break" next month, but a "Spring Recess (including Good Friday, Easter and Passover)." 

Although there is a holiday granted under an explicitly Jewish name, no such holiday is granted under an explicitly Christian name. It seems unclear at this point as to whether the students in New York City will explicitly have the two Muslim holy days free or if they will be subsumed under some other name, as has been done with the Christian holy days of Christmas and Easter and with the Jewish holy day Passover.

Curiously, the New York Times does not explain the origins, history, or customs associated with either of the Muslim holidays on which the schools will be closed. Nor does it explain why these two particular days were chosen against other Muslim holy days.

Eid al-Fitr is a feast day marking the end of Ramadan and Eid al-Adha commemorates Abraham's readiness to sacrifice Isaac. It does seem customary on either of these feast days to take a day off, as Christians customarily do - or at least once did - on Christmas and Easter.

A beautiful image of St. Francis for your Wednesday morning

St Francis. Add MS 34294 f. 206v @BLMedieval pic.twitter.com/dRRoXueTIh
— Robert Miller (@robmmiller) March 3, 2015

Papal prayer intentions, March 2015

In the charity of your daily prayers, please remember these intentions of the Holy Father Pope Francis through the month of March:

General Intention: That those involved in scientific research may serve the well-being of the whole human person.

Mission Intention: That the unique contribution of women to the life of the Church may be recognized always.

Ways to help the Christians persecuted by the Islamic State

One of my friends in Rome asked me this past weekend what she could do - in addition to prayer - to help our brothers and sisters in Iraq and Syria who are suffering for the sake of the name of our Lord Jesus Christ (cf. Matthew 10:22). It is an excellent question, and one I was very happy to answer.

In these Lenten days we strive to be ever more conformed to the Redeemer by dedicating ourselves to increased prayer, fasting, and almsgiving because "prayer is good when accompanied by fasting, almsgiving, and righteousness (Tobit 12:8). And by being united to him, we are necessarily united also to everyone else who is united to him. Benedict XVI beautifully put it thus:

Union with Christ is also union with all those to whom he gives himself. I cannot possess Christ just for myself; I can belong to him only in union with all those who have become, or who will become, his own. Communion draws me out of myself towards him, and thus also towards unity with all Christians. We become “one body”, completely joined in a single existence. Love of God and love of neighbour are now truly united: God incarnate draws us all to himself (Deus caritas est, 14).

It is only natural, then, that in these days given over to penance that we seek to "pray without ceasing" for the persecuted Christians - for the persecuted members of the Mystical Body of Christ, our body (I Thessalonians 5:17). We should implore the Lord to strengthen their faith, hope, and love that they may give a clear and faithful witness to him who died and rose for us.

Likewise should we fast for them, remembering the great importance the Scriptures give to the practice of fasting in both the Old and New Testaments, as Benedict XVI briefly summarized. Saint Paul rejoiced in the sufferings he bore for Christ so that, as he wrote, "in my flesh I complete what is lacking in Christ's afflictions for the sake of his body, the Church" (Colossians 1:24). We can offer the sufferings of our fasting - small and insignificant as they might seem - for the sake of the suffering members of the Body of Christ.

Together with prayer and fasting, it is also right that we give alms to help alleviate the temporal needs of our brothers and sufferings to help them find food and shelter and the other necessities of life. The giving of alms (about which Benedict XVI also wrote), we know, "almsgiving delivers from death, and it will purge away every sin" (Tobit 12:9).

To this end, every day of Lent a collection has been - and will continue to be - taken up at the Masses celebrated at the station churches in Rome for the Christians and Iraq and Syria who are suffering so greatly at the hands of the Islamic State. The collection will be sent to them through the Office of Papal Charities.

If you would like to participate in this collection, you can do so doing making a donation using the PayPal "donate" button at the bottom of the right sidebar of this blog (or by clicking here). Please make sure to list as the purpose of your donation "Persecuted Christians," and I will be certain to see that your donation is collected with the offerings of those in attendance at the Masses. If you wish to contribute in this way, please do so by March 26, 2015.

If you would prefer, you can also give a donation through one of these other agencies:

• Aid to the Church in Need: Collection for Iraqi and Syrian Christians

• Catholic Near East Welfare Association: Collection for Iraqi Christians or the Collection for Syrian Christians

• Knights of Columbus: Collection for Iraqi and Syrian Christians

As we remember the Christians in Iraq and Syria, we should not forget the families of the 21 Coptic martyrs. You can make a donation here towards their children (through April 5, 2015).

Photos from Mount Tabor, where Jesus was transfigured

We hear in the Gospel today that the Lord Jesus led Saints Peter, James, and John "up a high mountain apart by themselves" (Mark 9:2). The mountain on which he led them was Mount Tabor.

Located in the lower part of Galilee, the solitary mountain - in geological terms, a monadnock - reaches a height of some 2,165 feet:

On the way to Mount Tabor, taken on the bus

From the base of the mountain

Although the Evangelists do not specify this mountain in their accounts of the Transfiguration of the Lord (cf. Matthew 17:1-13; Mark 9:1-8; and Luke 9:28-36) - nor does Saint Peter in his (cf. II Peter 1:17-18) - there is no doubt Mount Tabor is the mountain they ascended; it is the only mountain in the region.

Even on a cloudy day, the view from the top of Mount Tabor is something to behold:

 

The first church on the mountain was built around the year 400 A.D.When the Crusaders arrived in the Holy Land, Benedictine monks built a fortified monastery strong enough to defend against the forces of Saladin. However, following the defeat of the Crusaders by Saladin at the Horns of Hattin in 1187, the Benedictines were forced to abandon their monastery. Franciscan friars took over the old monastery in the 1600s and they remain on Mount Tabor today.

The present basilica built in a Roman-Syrian style from the fourth through seventh centuries is the work Antonio Barluzzi:

From within the basilica, one can look through certain places of the floor to the see the rock of the top of the mountain:

 

Consecrated in 1924, the Basilica of the Transfiguration houses a series of beautiful mosaics:

The Nativity of Our Lord

The Bread of Life

The Lamb of God

The Resurrection of Our Lord

The Transfiguration of Our Lord

In the mosaic depiction of Jesus transfigured, we are able to glimpse something of his majesty revealed to Peter, James, and John:

 

 

In this mosaic we see something of what Benedict XVI wrote: "Jesus' divinity belongs with the Cross - only when we put the two together do we recognize Jesus correctly" (Jesus of Nazareth: From the Baptism in the Jordan to the Transfiguration, 305).

In these remaining days of Lent, let us ask the Lord to help us recognize his glory hidden in the Cross, so as to experience all the more joyfully his glory revealed in the Resurrection, both in this life and in the life of the world to come.