Podcast

Today we celebrate the Resurrection, the greatest of our Church’s feasts. That makes it the perfect opportunity to think about what I call “faith encounters.” There is a rich variety in the different Evangelists’ scriptural accounts of that first Easter. There are, to be sure, differences in the details of Jesus’ appearances to Peter, Mary Magdalene, the Emmaus disciples, Thomas, and various groups of apostles. Yet each Gospel writer seeks to communicate the same fundamental truth: the crucified one is risen. Surely, this was also the Virgin Mary’s experience!

Robert Ellsberg sits down with Author, Carolyn Y. Woo, to discuss Rising, Learning from Women’s Leadership in Catholic Ministries. Through reflection on first-person narratives of a range of women involved in leadership positions in Catholic ministries (social justice, LCWR and religious congregations, educational, media, diocesan, NGOs, etc.), Rising examines the range of leadership roles that women play in the Catholic Church, explores the particular challenge that women face, as well their distinctive styles of leadership, while also pointing toward an expanded understanding of ministry and leadership in the church. The contributors represent a broad range of women in leadership positions, ranging from the conservative Becket Fund, to Sr. Simone Campbell, Kerry Robinson, Kerry Weber (America media), Sr. Carol Keehan (Catholic Health Association), Kim Daniels (staff for USCCB), etc.

On Palm Sunday we begin our intimate Holy Week journey with Jesus. On this occasion I recall a moving experience from the Philippines, where I spent 52 years in mission. It was during the visit of Pope Francis in January 2015. He came to accompany the people who had been so badly devastated by a typhoon. In Tacloban City on January 17, 2015, the Pope said: “If today all of us are gathered here, fourteen months after the passage of Typhoon Yolanda, it is because we are certain that we will not be disappointed in our faith, for Jesus has gone before us. In his passion he took upon himself all of our sorrows.”

I have observed a recurring theme among the different groups that I accompanied in mission: the inability to accept that God forgives us completely and has lifted the burden of guilt once we recognize our sins and repent. For many of us, it is easier to believe in a God ever-ready to punish us than to believe in a merciful God who goes the extra mile to forgive us. We condemn ourselves to constant “mea culpa behavior”.

Martin Luther King and The Trumpet of Conscience Today wrestles with the parts of King’s vision that have historically been the most uncomfortable for white Americans. The lectures that comprise “The Trumpet of Conscience” are a powerful critique of the triple American evils of racism, the scourge of poverty, and the horrors of war. In light of today’s urgent social issues, Régine Michelle Jean-Charles offers a faith-based, justice-centered response to economic inequality, the refugee crisis, Black Lives Matter, and #MeToo, while asking questions similar to those King posed in his speeches: “If I do not stop to help families separated at the border what will happen to them?”; “If I do not stop to help those suffering as a result of income inequality, what will happen to them?” “If I do not stop to help survivors of rape and sexual abuse what will happen to them?”

“Filled with the Holy Spirit, Jesus returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the desert for forty days, to be tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and when they were over he was hungry. The devil said to him, ‘If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.’ Jesus answered him, ‘It is written, One does not live by bread alone.’” Luke 4:1-4

Thursday of the Third Week of LentLk 11:14-23But he knew their thoughts and said to them,“Every kingdom divided against itself will be laid wasteand house will fall against house.And if Satan is divided against himself,how will his kingdom stand?"

Memorial of Saint Patrick, bishopLk 5:1-11For astonishment at the catch of fish they had made seized himand all those with him,and likewise James and John, the sons of Zebedee,who were partners of Simon.Jesus said to Simon, "Do not be afraid;from now on you will be catching men."When they brought their boats to the shore,they left everything and followed him.

One-on-One interview by Robert Ellsberg with Thomas H. Groome about his new book, What Makes Education Catholic: Spiritual Foundations.In this readable and timely work, Thomas Groome explores the basis of Catholic education, from the historical Jesus to figures like Augustine and Aquinas, Angela Merici, Elizabeth Seton, and Mary Ward. Groome shows how these foremothers and fathers of Catholic education ground and shape the spirituality of Catholic educators today. It is these foundations that ensure that Catholic schools today deliver the education they promise to students--not only to Catholics, but to those of many religious traditions.

“More than that, I even consider everything as a loss because of the supreme good of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have accepted the loss of all things and I consider them so much rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having any righteousness of my own based on the law but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God, depending on faith”. (Philippians 3: 8-9)“There’s a fire in my belly” are words I often hear from seminarians as they move through the process of formation. That burning desire to share what has been given to us in knowing Jesus should be common to all believers. As we celebrate the patron saint of Ireland this week, let us take his example of putting “the supreme good of knowing Christ” first in his life. Captured in Scotland by pirates and taken to Ireland as a slave to tend sheep, Saint Patrick prayed continuously during his captivity. It was during those six years that he experienced a conversion which protected him from the hardships of slavery. After being told in a dream from God to leave Ireland, St. Patrick escaped, returned home, and had another vision which prompted him to study for the priesthood. Entire kingdoms were brought to Christ through hearing him speak, often by using shamrocks to explain the Trinity. But just exactly how do we make knowing Christ our ultimate goal? By meditating on how Jesus lived and responded to others when reading the Gospels; by studying references to Christ in Scripture; by allowing the Holy Spirit to remind us of our Lord’s words when we worship and pray; and by coming to mission with Him in forwarding the Gospel.---, we are called to share our faith as St. Patrick did – even with his captors – however it will often mean making major changes in our thinking and lifestyle. Knowing Jesus naturally transforms our lives daily, inspiring us to invite others to know Him through us and through our actions. No amount of religious effort can...

“So whoever is in Christ is a new creation: the old things have passed away; behold, new things have come.” 2 Corinthians 5:17Imagine for a moment an archbishop voluntarily living as a homeless man. In the inspirational novel The Homeless Bishop by Joseph E. Girzone, (Orbis Books), modern-day Archbishop Carlo Brunini ventures on a journey of homelessness to better understand the plight of those for whom he cares so deeply.

When Socrates was on trial for impiety, he was famously quoted as having said, “The unexamined life is not worth living.” Words to live by as Ash Wednesday approaches.As a child I learned how to examine my conscience before confession. Later in college, my Jesuit teachers taught me about self-examination using the discernment exercises of Ignatius of Loyola. I also had my Jewish friends telling me about the Ten Days of Repentance (Aseret Yemei ha Teshuvah) between Rosh Hashanah (the Jewish New Year) and Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement). Like our own traditions, these centuries-old observances are dedicated to examining our conscience—and making the necessary amends.