WOMEN'S KEY ROLE

WOMEN’S KEY ROLE

Pope Francis has stated that women have a key role to play, stressing women must collaborate with men in carrying out their mission as an educator “in a serene and effective way.”

Francis spoke to members of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue, headed by Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran, in Rome for their annual plenary assembly.

The Pope pointed to three main areas of reflection for council members to consider regarding the theme of their discussion: valuing the role of women, educating in fraternity and dialogue.

When it comes to valuing the role of women, Pope Francis said that within a complex society marked by plurality and globalization, “there is need for a greater recognition of the ability of women to educate in universal fraternity.”

If women are able to freely put their gifts at the service of the entire community, “the way in which society understands and is organized is positively transformed, reflecting better the substantial unity of the human family,” he said.

Because of this, a beneficial model for society is one that amplifies the presence of women in social, economic and political life at the local, national and international levels, “as well as in the ecclesial,” he said.

“Women have the right to be actively involved in all areas, and their right must be asserted and protected even by legal means wherever they prove necessary.”

This, Francis said, involves “expanding the spaces of a more incisive feminine presence.”

“There are so many and many women who, in their daily commitments, with dedication and conscience, with courage that is at times heroic, have developed and put their genius to use, their precious traits in the most varied, specific and qualified skills combined with the real experience of being mothers and teachers.”

On the plenary theme of educating in fraternity, the Pope said women as educators “have a special vocation, capable of creating and growing new forms of acceptance and esteem.”

“The feminine figure has always been at the center of familiar education, not exclusively as a mother,” he said, adding that the contribution of women in the field of education is “inestimable.”

Education, he said, “brings a wealth of implications both for the woman herself, for her way of being, and for her relationships, for the way she deals with human life and life in general.”

Because of this, men and women are called to contribute together in fostering universal brotherhood, which is, in the end, also an education “in the peace and complimentarity of their various and sensitive roles.”

“Women, intimately linked to the mystery of life, can do much to promote the spirit of brotherhood, with their care for the preservation of life and with their conviction that love is the only force that can render the world habitable for all,” he said.

In effect, women are often the only ones to accompany others, particularly the weakest in the family and in society, and victims of conflicts.

“Thanks to their contribution, educating in fraternity – due to their nature of inclusion and generating ties – can overcome the culture of waste,” Francis said.

Educating in fraternity is also an essential part of interreligious dialogue, he said, noting that women are often committed more than men in this area, “and so contribute to a better understanding of the challenges characteristic of a multicultural reality.”

However, “women can also become fully involved in exchanges at the religious level, as well as those at the theological level,” the Pope said, noting that many women “are well prepared to face encounters of interreligious dialogue at the highest levels and not just from the Catholic side.”

“This means that the contribution of women is not limited to ‘feminine’ arguments or to encounters of only women,” he said, adding that dialogue “is a path that man and woman must accomplish together.”

ECUMENISM: COOPERATIVE AND DIALOGIC

                  COOPERATIVE AND DIALOGUE ECUMENISM

Fr. Mervyn Carapiet

Cooperative ecumenism has to proceed on the presupposition that we do not have full agreement or full unity and do not expect it for some time to come. It requires that we love one another as brothers and sisters even now, looking forward to the time when the Lord will make greater unity possible, and in the meantime we will cooperate where we can and whenever we can to strengthen the worldwide Christian cause and the Christian people. The rule should be: whatever builds up, that we will try to do. Sometimes that rule indicates not cooperating in certain ways, though we might be personally ready for them, because of the need to take into account others who do not see things our way or to avoid worsening relations between the churches. Nonetheless, the spirit behind such an approach is to seek to lay down our lives for all those whom we recognize as true brothers and sisters in Christ, and with them to advance the cause of Christ. That, I am proposing, is the proper basis of cooperation.
Dialogue ecumenism and cooperative ecumenism proceed on two different bases, practically speaking. Dialogue ecumenism proceeds on the basis that we need to discuss our differences and try to seek agreement. Cooperative ecumenism proceeds on the basis that we will cooperate where we can in matters of common concern, even though we have disagreements. That does not mean we do not talk about them. Often one of the most helpful things we can do is to educate one another in our differences so that we do not presuppose something that we should not. It certainly does not mean that we regard the differences as unimportant. But the purpose of coming together is not to work out the differences but to love one another as brothers and sisters and work together in spite of the differences.
Cooperative ecumenism proceeds, when effective, on certain principles that can be stated as follows:

1. We need to accept the fact that there are issues that divide the churches, and we need to abide by the limits that our churches have set. We cannot solve fundamental interchurch problems and should probably not try to. Nor should we act as though they did not exist. We therefore have to accept that each of us will believe the doctrines of our church and be faithful to its essential practices and current discipline.
2. In our sharing together we will emphasize the central core of Christian teaching and practice that we share in common. We will do this partly because these truths in themselves call for such emphasis. But we will also emphasize the common central core of Christian truth because we can thereby foster our unity and serve the convergence of the entire Christian people.
3. In discussing our differences together, we should
• aim at having the peace in our relationships which will enable us to discuss differences in a loving manner
• avoid discussing those things we cannot yet discuss peacefully, gradually widening the circle of the things we can discuss as we experience the peace and trust to do so
• not be embarrassed by our own beliefs, nor be apologetic about them
• regard the things other Christians hold that we disagree with as mistakes a good Christian could make rather than as wrongdoing or a denial of Christianity
• not discuss our beliefs in a polemical way, but state them in the way that would be most acceptable to others
• ask whether the discussion is building up love and unity in the body of Christ or tearing it down.

EUCHARISTIC FAITH

 EUCHARISTIC FAITH

Let me relate an incident in the life of Mother Teresa. On one occasion she was visiting in South America and was walking towards a poverty stricken village, accompanied by a few of her sisters and some press photographers - since by then she was quite famous. As Mother approached the edge of the village, the children out to meet her, screaming with delight, holding and kissing her hands, dancing round her as she walked on. The poor village elders waited to greet her. The press reporters exchanged glances and speculated what these people would ask of her:  some tins sheets for their shanty houses, bags of broken wheat and milk powder, used and oversized clothes from Germany? So they were flabbergasted when Mother reached the group and they extended their hands and said:  “Mother, give us God. Mother, give us God!”

Some years ago, I spent a month in Nainital, staying in St. Francis’ Church, overlooking the lake. One morning, after Mass I stood outside the church by the railing of the church property. Two senior school girls, apparently Punjabi Hindus, walked right up to me and said, “Father, please open the church; we want to see God.”  Their request sounded very sincere, and the point is that it seemed to echo the request the poor of that South American village made to Mother Teresa: “Mother, give us God.” Let’s admit it: under the refinery of riches and the rags of poverty there is a hunger for God, of which the hunger for material bread is but a pale reflection.  God knows about this hunger; he placed it there deep in the pit of our beings. The hunger for divine reality is somewhat continuous with but of a much higher nature than our hunger for food and drink, our craving for appreciation and affection, our desire for immortality. The Holy Eucharist reminds us of that mystery within us that we must always keep open and alive and not smother by gluttony for material food, drink and worldly pleasure.

You must know this beautiful little verse

addressed to the Holy Eucharist:

“Heavenly sweetness unalloyed

Who eat thee hunger still;

Who drink of thee still feel a void

Which only thou canst fill.”

To paraphrase Ignatius of Antioch, in the Eucharist we not only puts our arms round Jesus but more importantly he squeezes us with a resounding bear hug. He just about takes our breath away. You cannot get any closer than that; and you probably don’t want to.

We have to admit, though, that when Jesus offered his flesh as the bread to eat and his blood as drink, he must surely have sounded as hard as nails. The Jews took Jesus’ words in a crass, material sense, and were shocked. But they need not have been, if only they had faith in him.

 When confronted with mystery, my advice is, “Believe now, understand later.” Jesus’ response to his shocked hearers was not to water down his teaching but to reinforce it and drive it home. Over the centuries, we Christians have come to understand that the “bread’ or the “flesh” is the person of Jesus, who gives himself in the Eucharist as food, which nourishes, supports and strengthens us, bringing us the fulfilment of our deepest needs and desires, and therefore profound joy. By eating his flesh, an intimate union of minds and hearts, an identity of ideals and attitudes emerges, so that it is no longer a merely human life we live, but Jesus Christ lives in us, and we are assimilated to him. {When you eat anything, the material you eat becomes your body; your body takes over. This is called assimilation. But when you receive Holy Communion, you become part of the Body of Christ, who takes over.}

If partaking of the Eucharist means anything, then it must mean transformation and renewal of mind and heart, becoming more Christ like. This is not some crude magical act. The Eucharist is the pledge and source of eternal life only to those who allow themselves to be “drawn into”, who consciously and freely “come to” Jesus in faith and self-surrender.

Let us now focus a little on our dear Lord Jesus himself. When cruel men were weaving the darkest plots against him, he was busy giving them the most precious gift he has. When they were only thinking of setting up an infamous cross to kill him, he was only thinking of setting up an altar to sacrifice himself daily for us. When they were preparing to shed his blood, the same Jesus Christ offered us his precious Blood as the drink of immortality, consolation and happiness. My dear friends, if you are in difficulties and sorrow, he will comfort and lighten your heart. If you are ill, he will heal you or strengthen you.

If the devil, the world and the flesh are battling against you, he will give you the weapons for resisting and winning. If you are poor, he will share his wealth with you for time and eternity. Allow yourself to be wrapped around by his love, and you will see what a loving God can do.

 And I get my cue from St. Thomas Aquinas, the Angelic Doctor of theology, who stated that a clear sign of one’s predestination was a special love of the Holy Eucharist. In other words, if over the years you have developed a loving habit of spending some time every day praying before the Blessed Sacrament, let me assure you that you are marked out for heaven; you’re probably there already; your life on earth is only a shadow, and death makes no difference.

To the Samaritan woman at Jacob’s well, Jesus said, “I have water you know not of, springing up unto everlasting life.” And the woman said, “Sir, give me this water.” To the people on the hillside he declared, “I am the Bread of life.” And they said, “Sir, give us this bread.” On the Feast of Tabernacles Jesus stood up in the Temple and cried out, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink.” And to him we reply, “Lord, slake our thirst as only you can.”

St. Thomas Aquinas wrote a good amount of Latin poetry extolling the Holy Eucharist, which is still sung in the original. One such is the “Adoro te devote,” the final verse of which goes like this:

“Jesu quem velatum nunc adspicio

Oro fiat illud quod tam sitio

Ut te revelata cernens facie

Visu sim beatus tuae gloriae.”

And that could be our prayer, if you don’t mind my translation:

“Jesus, whom now veiled I see,

I pray that what I so thirst for will be

That I may see thy countenance unfolding

And may be blessed thy glory in beholding”.

HOLY NAME OF JESUS

At the Holy Name of Jesus, Every Knee Shall Bend

“At the annunciation, the angel Gabriel gave him the name Jesus as his proper name, which expresses both his identity and his mission.” (CCC 430)

It is significant that the first thing the Archangel Gabriel tells Mary about the son she will conceive is his name. Even before Our Lady learns of her son’s divinity, she is told to name him Jesus. Clearly, the name of Jesus is of great importance, which may be the reason so many people say it, whether with reverence or in vain.

On this Feast of the Holy Name of Jesus it’s good to consider the power of names, and especially the name Our Lord was given when he assumed our human nature. It is a name that can heal and protect us.

According to the Catholic Encyclopedia, “The word Jesus is the Latin form of the Greek Iesous, which in turn is the transliteration of the Hebrew Jeshua, or Joshua, or again Jehoshua, meaning ‘Jehovah is salvation.’”

This explanation aligns with what the angel of the Lord told St. Joseph in the dream he had after he discovered Mary’s pregnancy: “She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” (Mt. 1:21)

Saints throughout history have taught about the saving power of Jesus’ name. St. Bernard had a special devotion, as did Sts. Bernardine of Siena and John Capistran. Many miracles have resulted from invoking the name of Jesus, which should remind us of the blessings we have received from the Savior.

The monogram of the Holy Name of Jesus is IHS, which represents the first and last letters of Ihesus, as Jesus’ name was written in the Middle Ages. The Jesuits adopted this monogram as the emblem of the Society of Jesus.

According to the Catholic Encyclopedia, when we invoke the Name of Jesus with confidence we can receive healing and help with bodily needs; consolation in spiritual trials; and protection against Satan, who fears Jesus’ name. Our Lord tells us in Jn. 16:23 that through his name we also can receive every blessing and grace.

Clearly, there is great power in the Name of Jesus, and also in the other names given to him in Scripture and Sacred Tradition, including: Lord, Savior; Christ; Messiah; Prince of Peace; Lion of Judah; Redeemer; Son of Man; Son of David; Emmanuel; Good Shepherd; The Way, the Truth, the Life; The Gate; The Vine and The King of Kings.

God also gives us names, in addition to the ones our parents give us. He calls us child of God, beloved, his adopted son or daughter, believer and of course Christian.

Although the Lord has lovingly named us, we often give ourselves false names such as: loser, failure, not good enough, victim, ugly, fat, poor, untalented, unexceptional, unworthy, unloved, unhappy, boring …

Just as Jesus’ name reveals his mission on earth, I think there is self-actualizing power in the names we give ourselves. The Archangel Gabriel told Mary what to name the Messiah and we should let Our Lord name us, instead of inventing false names for ourselves. As Jesus shows us the truth we can find refuge in his Holy Name.