Pope Benedict XVI spoke on a wide range of subjects during his recent visit to the U. S. The Holy Father discussed the responsibility of developed countries vis-a-vis the third world. He enjoined us to welcome poor immigrants to our shores. He apologized to the victims of the scandal which has shaken the Catholic church in America.
The successor of St. Peter came across - to Catholics and non-Catholics alike - as kind, honest, sincere, and erudite. It was impressive that he wrote the
speeches himself. Given his many years of academic experience, that should not have been too much of a surprise.
In Yonkers, New York, Pope Benedict delivered a special message to 26,000 young men and women gathered at St Joseph's Seminary and College. It was a message which may well apply to all of us, young and old alike, and senior citizens too!
Pointing to the lives of six saints, the Holy Father remarked that we too can
certainly aspire to, if not achieve, that kind of life and attain to that level
of holiness.
He noted that "Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton, Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini, Saint
John Neumann, Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha, Venerable Pierre Toussaint, and Padre Felix Varela (are) ...six ordinary men and women who grew up to lead extraordinary lives.....each responded to the Lord's call to a life of charity and each served Him here, in the alleys, streets and suburbs of New York.....what a remarkably diverse grouo they are: poor and rich, lay men and women - one a wealthy wife and mother - priests and sisters, immigrants from afar, the daughter of a Mohawk warrior father and Algonquin mother, another a Haitian slave, and a Cuban intellectual. ......
Any one of us could be among them, for there is no stereotype to this group, no single mold. Yet a closer look reveals that there are common elements. Inflamed with the love of Jesus, their lives became remarkable journeys of hope. .....
For each there was an act of abandonment to God, in the confidence that He is the final destination of every pilgrim.....
Through orphanages, schools and hospitals, by befriending the poor, the sick and the marginalized, and through the compelling witness that comes from walking humbly in the footsteps of Jesus, these six people laid open the way of faith, hope and charity to countless individuals....."
Sainthood for us, frail ordinary mortals? Was Pope Benedict kidding? Was the Holy Father just trying to be nice and to make us feel better about ourselves?
Apparently not. The Pope was reiterating a message that dates back to Apostolic times. A message that has faded through the centuries so that Vatican II and Pope John Paul the Great, dusting it off, have put it back on center stage.
The call to holiness is God's invitation to each and everyone of us. It is not
an exclusuve invitation that is reserved only to bishops and priests, to nuns
and monks and deacons.
Admittedly, it is no cakewalk. The ascent to Mt Carmel, as the great theologian and mystic, St John of the Cross calls the spiritual journey to which all of us are encouraged to take is the hardest trip to embark on.
However, Pope Benedict, echoing the spirit of Vatican II, says that it comes
down to one simple task and one thing only:: Follow Christ!
Training to become a saint does not necessarily mean traveling to India
and working in the slums of Calcutta, as Mother Teresa did. Nor does it strictly obligate you to offer your life in exchange for one condemned to execution, as St Maximilian Kolbe did.
Each of us are invited to seek our own unique pathway back home to our heavenly Father and Creator. Spiritual writers point to the life of St Therese, "the little flower" as a model of this challenging quest.
As Therese studied the lives of the saints, she wondered how she could ever
duplicate their heroic achievements. She was "a small speck of sand" compared to the lofty mountains that martyrs and selfless missionaries appeared to be.
Since she was too small and to weak to make the arduous climb, Therese asked God to carry her. The "little way of spirituality" which St Therese describes in her autobiography, "The Story of a Soul" not only made "the ordinary Carmelite nun" one of the Doctors of the Church, but also one of the greatest saints in modern times.
Therefore, it is understandable for Pope Benedict XVI to say to the youth gathered in New York:: " Take courage! Fix your gaze on the saints.....Let your imaginations soar freely along the limitless expanse of the horizons of Christian discipleship".
Showing posts with label Christianity. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Christianity. Show all posts
Friday, May 9, 2008
Friday, April 25, 2008
Heralds of Hope
Which of Pope Benedict XVI's messages during his 5-day Apostolic Visit impressed you? Unless you are a sympathizer of Colorado's 6th District Congressman and ex-presidential candidate Tom Tancredo, who blasted the Holy Father for his plea of compassion for illegal immigrants, I imagine you would have found that Benedict's messages (which he wrote himself, giving papal speechwriters reprieve) made sense and that Tancredo's opposition to American multiculturalism and his relentless fight to halt all immigration, whether legal or otherwise, do not.
It is a shame that Tancredo is a grandson of Italian immigrants. You would have expected him to be kinder and gentler to immigrants -- honest, hardworking folks, who, like his grandparents, come to America to seek a better life for themselves and for their children. It is a shame too that he was born and raised a Catholic (he is now an Evangelical Presbyterian) and had forgotten that passage in the Old Testament when Abraham welcomed strangers to his abode and asked his wife Sarah to feed them (they turned out to be angels).
I don't know what made Tancredo hate foreigners with a vengeance. Among other things, he founded the Congressional Immigration Reform Caucus in 1999 to advance his agenda, relegating the chairmanship in 2007 to San Diego's Brian Bilbray. If you recall, Tancredo is the bright guy who last year advocated bombing Mecca and Medina in response to an Islamic terrorist attack, prompting a media outrage.
Perhaps, spending an evening to watch the movie "Under the Same Moon" (La Misma Luna) might give Tancredo, Bilbray, Hunter and the Washington hardliners on immigration a glimpse of the hidden people they are so worried about. Nine-year-old Carlitos in Tijuana and his mother Rosario in Los Angeles will open our eyes to the plight of the poor and the stranger hidden in our midst.
It was proper that Pope Benedict delivered his plea for "the poor, the homeless, the stranger, the sick and all who suffer" at St. Patrick's Cathedral, in the heart of multicultural New York City, the nation's first capital, America's premier melting pot and immigration gateway. 36% of New York's current 8.2 million residents are foreign-born (10% are Asian).
"Gathered as we are in this historic cathedral", Pope Benedict observed, "how can we not think of the countless men and women who have gone before us, who labored for the growth of the Church in the United States, and left us a lasting legacy of faith and good works?".
"Dear brothers and sisters, in the finest traditions of the Church in this country, may you also be the first friend of the poor, the homeless, the stranger, the sick and all who suffer. Act as beacons of hope, casting the light of Christ upon the world...."
Pope Benedict, the erudite theologian, revealed himself to be a poet at heart. Pointing to the stained glass windows of the gothic cathedral, he remarked: "From the outside, those windows are dark, heavy, even dreary. But once one enters the church, they suddenly come alive; reflecting the light passing through them, they reveal all their splendor. Many writers -- here in America we can think of Nathaniel Hawthorne -- have used the image of stained glass to illustrate the mystery of the Church herself. It is only from the inside, from the experience of faith and ecclesial life, that we see the Church as she truly is: flooded with grace, resplendent in beauty, adorned by the manifold gifts of the Spirit. It follows that we, who live the life of grace within the Church's communion, are called to draw all people into this mystery of light."
"This is no easy task", the Holy Father admitted, "in a world which can tend to look at the Church, like those stained glass windows, "from the outside": a world which deeply senses a need for spirituality, yet finds it difficult to "enter into" the mystery of the Church. Even for those of us within, the light of faith can be dimmed by routine, and the splendor of the Church obscured by the sins and weaknesses of her members. It can be dimmed too, by the obstacles encountered in a society which sometimes seems to have forgotten God and to resent even the most elementary demands of Christian morality....In a word, it is not always easy to see the light of the Spirit all about us, the splendor of the Risen Lord illuminating our lives and instilling renewed hope in his victory over the world."
"As heralds of hope...where God's grace has placed us", let us do our part to make Christ's message of love and compassion overcome the worldly rhetoric of hatred, "self-centeredness, greed, violence and cynicism (which) often seem to choke the fragile growth of grace in people's hearts".
It is a shame that Tancredo is a grandson of Italian immigrants. You would have expected him to be kinder and gentler to immigrants -- honest, hardworking folks, who, like his grandparents, come to America to seek a better life for themselves and for their children. It is a shame too that he was born and raised a Catholic (he is now an Evangelical Presbyterian) and had forgotten that passage in the Old Testament when Abraham welcomed strangers to his abode and asked his wife Sarah to feed them (they turned out to be angels).
I don't know what made Tancredo hate foreigners with a vengeance. Among other things, he founded the Congressional Immigration Reform Caucus in 1999 to advance his agenda, relegating the chairmanship in 2007 to San Diego's Brian Bilbray. If you recall, Tancredo is the bright guy who last year advocated bombing Mecca and Medina in response to an Islamic terrorist attack, prompting a media outrage.
Perhaps, spending an evening to watch the movie "Under the Same Moon" (La Misma Luna) might give Tancredo, Bilbray, Hunter and the Washington hardliners on immigration a glimpse of the hidden people they are so worried about. Nine-year-old Carlitos in Tijuana and his mother Rosario in Los Angeles will open our eyes to the plight of the poor and the stranger hidden in our midst.
It was proper that Pope Benedict delivered his plea for "the poor, the homeless, the stranger, the sick and all who suffer" at St. Patrick's Cathedral, in the heart of multicultural New York City, the nation's first capital, America's premier melting pot and immigration gateway. 36% of New York's current 8.2 million residents are foreign-born (10% are Asian).
"Gathered as we are in this historic cathedral", Pope Benedict observed, "how can we not think of the countless men and women who have gone before us, who labored for the growth of the Church in the United States, and left us a lasting legacy of faith and good works?".
"Dear brothers and sisters, in the finest traditions of the Church in this country, may you also be the first friend of the poor, the homeless, the stranger, the sick and all who suffer. Act as beacons of hope, casting the light of Christ upon the world...."
Pope Benedict, the erudite theologian, revealed himself to be a poet at heart. Pointing to the stained glass windows of the gothic cathedral, he remarked: "From the outside, those windows are dark, heavy, even dreary. But once one enters the church, they suddenly come alive; reflecting the light passing through them, they reveal all their splendor. Many writers -- here in America we can think of Nathaniel Hawthorne -- have used the image of stained glass to illustrate the mystery of the Church herself. It is only from the inside, from the experience of faith and ecclesial life, that we see the Church as she truly is: flooded with grace, resplendent in beauty, adorned by the manifold gifts of the Spirit. It follows that we, who live the life of grace within the Church's communion, are called to draw all people into this mystery of light."
"This is no easy task", the Holy Father admitted, "in a world which can tend to look at the Church, like those stained glass windows, "from the outside": a world which deeply senses a need for spirituality, yet finds it difficult to "enter into" the mystery of the Church. Even for those of us within, the light of faith can be dimmed by routine, and the splendor of the Church obscured by the sins and weaknesses of her members. It can be dimmed too, by the obstacles encountered in a society which sometimes seems to have forgotten God and to resent even the most elementary demands of Christian morality....In a word, it is not always easy to see the light of the Spirit all about us, the splendor of the Risen Lord illuminating our lives and instilling renewed hope in his victory over the world."
"As heralds of hope...where God's grace has placed us", let us do our part to make Christ's message of love and compassion overcome the worldly rhetoric of hatred, "self-centeredness, greed, violence and cynicism (which) often seem to choke the fragile growth of grace in people's hearts".
Friday, April 18, 2008
Pope Benedict XVI Visits America
(April 15-20, 2008)
April 15, 2008. Pope Benedict XVI arrived today at Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland. President George Bush and First Lady Laura, accompanied by their daughter, Jenna, warmly welcomed the Holy Father, as he stepped off an Alitalia jetliner. Among the cheering crowd of well-wishers were hundreds of schoolchildren and Catholic parishioners as well as Apostolic Nuncio Pietro Sambi and church dignitaries. It was the first time that the President met a foreign dignitary at the airport.
This is Pope Benedict’s first official visit to the United States, his eight trip outside Italy. Speaking in Rome, before he embarked on this five-day Apostolic Visit, Pope Benedict expressed the wish that his pastoral visit would be “a special missionary experience (and) a time of spiritual renewal for America…”.
65 million Catholics in America await the pontiff’s visit. Though not known to be as charismatic as his predecessor Pope John Paul (the Great), Pope Benedict is widely recognized as an intellectual giant. Among knowledgeable theologians, Benedict XVI, the university professor and author of over twenty books, enjoys the well-earned reputation as a genius in theological matters.
The Pope will visit Washington and New York, bringing the message to Americans that “Christ (is) Our Hope”. “The intention behind my visit…is to reach out spiritually to all Catholics in the United States. At the same time, I earnestly hope that my presence among you will be seen as a fraternal gesture towards every ecclesial community, and a sign of friendship for members of other religious traditions and all men and women of good will. The risen Lord entrusted the Apostles and the Church with his Gospel of love and peace, and his intention in doing so was that the message should be passed on to all peoples”.
Pope Benedict will be celebrating his 81st birthday, April 16th, in Washington, DC, where he will hold an interfaith meeting with Buddhists, Hindus, Jews, Muslims, and representatives of other religions.
In New York, the Pope will visit Ground Zero and celebrate Mass at Yankee Stadium. He will address the General Assembly of the United Nations, on the occasion of the 60th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
”Following in the footsteps of my venerable predecessors, Paul VI and John Paul II, I shall come to United States of America as Pope for the first time, to proclaim this great truth: Jesus Christ is hope for men and women of every language, race, culture and social condition. Yes, Christ is the face of God present among us. Through him, our lives reach fullness, and together, both as individuals and peoples, we can become a family united by fraternal love, according to the eternal plan of God the Father.
I know how deeply rooted this Gospel message is in your country. I am coming to share it with you, in a series of celebrations and gatherings. I shall also bring the message of Christian hope to the great Assembly of the United Nations, to the representatives of all the peoples of the world. Indeed, the world has greater need of hope than ever: hope for peace, for justice, and for freedom, but this hope can never be fulfilled without obedience to the law of God, which Christ brought to fulfillment in the commandment to love one another.
Do to others as you would have them do to you, and avoid doing what you would not want them to do. This “golden rule” is given in the Bible, but it is valid for all people, including non-believers. It is the law written on the human heart; on this we can all agree, so that when we come to address other matters we can do so in a positive and constructive manner for the entire human community.
Dear brothers and sisters, dear friends in the United States, I am very much looking forward to being with you. I want you to know that, even if my itinerary is short, with just a few engagements, my heart is close to all of you, especially to the sick, the weak, and the lonely. I thank you once again for your prayerful support of my mission. I reach out to every one of you with affection, and I invoke upon you the maternal protection of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Que la Virgen María les acompañe y proteja. Que Dios les bendiga.
May God bless you all.”
Highlights of Pope Benedict XVII’s Pastoral Visit are as follows:
Washington, D.C. (April 15-17)
Tuesday, April 15 – Arrival at Andrews AFB, Maryland.
Reception at the White House.
Wednesday, April 16, 5:30 PM – Mass at Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. Evening Prayer with 350 U.S. Bishops
Thursday, April 17 – 10:00 AM – Mass of the Holy Spirit, Nationals Park.
April 17 – Catholic University of America – meeting with heads of more than 200 Catholic colleges and universities and school superintendents of 195 Catholic dioceses, to discuss Catholic Education.
April 17 – Pope John Paul II Cultural Center – meeting with leaders of other religions.
New York (April 18-20)
Friday, April 18 – Address to the United Nations General Assembly
April 18, 6:00 PM – Ecumenical Prayer Service, Parish of St. Joseph, New York, N.Y.
Saturday, April 19, 9:15 AM, Mass for the Universal Church. St. Patrick’s Cathedral, New York,
April 19, 4:30 PM – St. Joseph Seminary, Yonkers, New York – Meeting with Young Catholics and People with Disabilities
April 19, 5:00 PM – Rally and prayer service with Youth and Seminarians
Sunday, April 20, 9:30 AM – Prayer Service at Ground Zero
April 20, 2:30 PM – Mass at Yankee Stadium (Fifth Sunday of Easter), commemorating the Bicentennial Anniversaries of the Archdioceses of Baltimore, Boston, Louisville, New York, and Philadelphia
April 20 – Departure, JFK International.
For more information on the papal visit, link to http:www.uspapalvisit.org
or www.ewtn.com
(April 15-20, 2008)
April 15, 2008. Pope Benedict XVI arrived today at Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland. President George Bush and First Lady Laura, accompanied by their daughter, Jenna, warmly welcomed the Holy Father, as he stepped off an Alitalia jetliner. Among the cheering crowd of well-wishers were hundreds of schoolchildren and Catholic parishioners as well as Apostolic Nuncio Pietro Sambi and church dignitaries. It was the first time that the President met a foreign dignitary at the airport.
This is Pope Benedict’s first official visit to the United States, his eight trip outside Italy. Speaking in Rome, before he embarked on this five-day Apostolic Visit, Pope Benedict expressed the wish that his pastoral visit would be “a special missionary experience (and) a time of spiritual renewal for America…”.
65 million Catholics in America await the pontiff’s visit. Though not known to be as charismatic as his predecessor Pope John Paul (the Great), Pope Benedict is widely recognized as an intellectual giant. Among knowledgeable theologians, Benedict XVI, the university professor and author of over twenty books, enjoys the well-earned reputation as a genius in theological matters.
The Pope will visit Washington and New York, bringing the message to Americans that “Christ (is) Our Hope”. “The intention behind my visit…is to reach out spiritually to all Catholics in the United States. At the same time, I earnestly hope that my presence among you will be seen as a fraternal gesture towards every ecclesial community, and a sign of friendship for members of other religious traditions and all men and women of good will. The risen Lord entrusted the Apostles and the Church with his Gospel of love and peace, and his intention in doing so was that the message should be passed on to all peoples”.
Pope Benedict will be celebrating his 81st birthday, April 16th, in Washington, DC, where he will hold an interfaith meeting with Buddhists, Hindus, Jews, Muslims, and representatives of other religions.
In New York, the Pope will visit Ground Zero and celebrate Mass at Yankee Stadium. He will address the General Assembly of the United Nations, on the occasion of the 60th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
”Following in the footsteps of my venerable predecessors, Paul VI and John Paul II, I shall come to United States of America as Pope for the first time, to proclaim this great truth: Jesus Christ is hope for men and women of every language, race, culture and social condition. Yes, Christ is the face of God present among us. Through him, our lives reach fullness, and together, both as individuals and peoples, we can become a family united by fraternal love, according to the eternal plan of God the Father.
I know how deeply rooted this Gospel message is in your country. I am coming to share it with you, in a series of celebrations and gatherings. I shall also bring the message of Christian hope to the great Assembly of the United Nations, to the representatives of all the peoples of the world. Indeed, the world has greater need of hope than ever: hope for peace, for justice, and for freedom, but this hope can never be fulfilled without obedience to the law of God, which Christ brought to fulfillment in the commandment to love one another.
Do to others as you would have them do to you, and avoid doing what you would not want them to do. This “golden rule” is given in the Bible, but it is valid for all people, including non-believers. It is the law written on the human heart; on this we can all agree, so that when we come to address other matters we can do so in a positive and constructive manner for the entire human community.
Dear brothers and sisters, dear friends in the United States, I am very much looking forward to being with you. I want you to know that, even if my itinerary is short, with just a few engagements, my heart is close to all of you, especially to the sick, the weak, and the lonely. I thank you once again for your prayerful support of my mission. I reach out to every one of you with affection, and I invoke upon you the maternal protection of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Que la Virgen María les acompañe y proteja. Que Dios les bendiga.
May God bless you all.”
Highlights of Pope Benedict XVII’s Pastoral Visit are as follows:
Washington, D.C. (April 15-17)
Tuesday, April 15 – Arrival at Andrews AFB, Maryland.
Reception at the White House.
Wednesday, April 16, 5:30 PM – Mass at Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. Evening Prayer with 350 U.S. Bishops
Thursday, April 17 – 10:00 AM – Mass of the Holy Spirit, Nationals Park.
April 17 – Catholic University of America – meeting with heads of more than 200 Catholic colleges and universities and school superintendents of 195 Catholic dioceses, to discuss Catholic Education.
April 17 – Pope John Paul II Cultural Center – meeting with leaders of other religions.
New York (April 18-20)
Friday, April 18 – Address to the United Nations General Assembly
April 18, 6:00 PM – Ecumenical Prayer Service, Parish of St. Joseph, New York, N.Y.
Saturday, April 19, 9:15 AM, Mass for the Universal Church. St. Patrick’s Cathedral, New York,
April 19, 4:30 PM – St. Joseph Seminary, Yonkers, New York – Meeting with Young Catholics and People with Disabilities
April 19, 5:00 PM – Rally and prayer service with Youth and Seminarians
Sunday, April 20, 9:30 AM – Prayer Service at Ground Zero
April 20, 2:30 PM – Mass at Yankee Stadium (Fifth Sunday of Easter), commemorating the Bicentennial Anniversaries of the Archdioceses of Baltimore, Boston, Louisville, New York, and Philadelphia
April 20 – Departure, JFK International.
For more information on the papal visit, link to http:www.uspapalvisit.org
or www.ewtn.com
Friday, March 28, 2008
Men of God
Mater Dolorosa Retreat House
If you missed setting aside time during Holy Week, don't feel too bad. There are always opportunities to set aside time for yourself, some time to reflect on your life's direction, some time to just sit back and think. Some time to spend in Sabbath or in retreat.
In the Philippines, at least in my youth, Holy Week was a national religious event, when people stopped working, closed stores and offices, spent time in church and in prayer. Holy Thursday was "Visita Iglesia" when we walked or drove from church to church, to visit the Blessed Sacrament exposed for adoration after evening Mass until midnight. Good Friday was spent at home, in silence, observing fast and abstinence, listening to the Seven Last Words ("Siete Palabras") preached from noon to three at the main Cathedral and broadcasted throughout the islands.
From Good Friday to early Easter Sunday, my parents did not allow us to open the radio or TV or watch the movies, except religious drama (The Ten Commandments, The Robe, Ben-Hur, The Greatest Story Ever Told, A Man for All Seasons, etc.) Good Friday was the annual family retreat day. Now, regrettably, I am told Filipinos are making Holy Week (Holy Thursday to Easter Sunday) a national vacation time, to spend in beaches and resorts -- much like the paganistic spring breaks we see in the United States and across the border.
In this day and age, our lives are indeed getting so busy, there is hardly time to step off the treadmill to check out if we are making any progress. How much time we spend on the phone, on emails, faxes, blackberries, video games, etc. is frightening. We go to fast food restaurants, or if we are home, we finish our meals quickly so we can attend to other things. We are surrounded by the vicissitudes of modern technology, bombarded by multimedia and repetitious advertisement. There's newspapers and magazines, radio and TV, movies, the Internet -- all competing for our diminishing time and short attention span. No wonder, we complain that we hardly have time. Particularly, time for ourselves -- to rest, to think, to meditate, to pray. Or simply to be.
St. Ignatius of Loyola, a former soldier, knew the importance of retreat, in ultimately achieving victory. Thus, he drafted the "Spiritual Exercises" and came up with the concept of a silent retreat. A special time to think, reflect -- take a step back in order to take two steps forward.
On April 4-6, a hundred men will gather at Mater Dolorosa Retreat House in Sierra Madre, a half hour drive from Los Angeles, two hours from San Diego, three hours from El Centro. From Friday afternoon to Sunday noon, these men of God, aged 15 to 85 will say the rosary, do the Stations of the Cross, read Scripture and holy books, attend Mass together, pray for each other, dine together in silence. They will also listen to Rev. Fr. Pat Brennan, head of the Passionist Community, and enjoy his unending stories and patented Irish jokes.
In 1740, St. Paul of the Cross founded a community dedicated to proclaiming Christ crucified and keeping the memory of His passion alive. Known as the Passionists, these dedicated disciples of St. Paul of the Cross specialize in holding retreats centered on the Passion of Christ. Thus, it is an experience to attend their traditional retreats around Holy Week.
The Passionists have been conducting retreats at Mater Dolorosa since 1932. They have hosted thousands of men and women to spend time with God at this sacred place, beside the San Gabriel Mountains. Retreats are held throughout the year, for men, women, married couples, high school students, etc. -- but retreats around Holy Week and Easter are extra special.
A weekend retreat typically starts with retreatants arriving Friday afternoon, partaking of a welcome supper followed by evening conference and prayer service. Saturday morning starts early at 7 AM with prayer, breakfast, conferences, followed with other devotions and time in the afternoon for Penance Service. There is ample time for private spiritual direction and time to take walks around 80 acres of beautiful foothills and walking trails. Sunday concludes with Mass and Eucharist at noon.
This traditional weekend retreat is designed so people do not have to miss work, yet are able to spend worthwhile time, essentially experiencing what Fr. Tom Green likes to call "A Vacation with the Lord".
If interested in joining the men's retreat on April 4-6 at the Mater Dolorosa Passionist Retreat Center, please email me at ed.gamboa@yahoo.com. You may check out Mater Dolorosa through their website www.materdolorosa.org. or call (626) 355-7188 for future events.
Another weekend gathering for men is the Benedictus Breakfast to be held on Saturday, March 29th, in Escondido at the California Center for the Arts. The meeting will start with breakfast at 8 AM. It promises to be a cool event. Philip Rivers, quarterback for the San Diego Chargers, will be the featured guest speaker. Named after Philip the Apostle, Philip Rivers is a very dedicated Catholic, regularly attending Mass with his wife, Tiffany, and their three children at St. Michael's Church in Poway. It will be worthwhile to hear him speak on how he balances his life as a family man and a professional athlete, how he keeps his spirituality growing, while getting out into the wide world of sports every weekend as a celebrity. His favorite scripture passage is from Galatians 6:9: "Let us not grow tired of doing good, for in due time we shall reap our harvest, if we do not give up".
You may reserve tickets for the event ($25 for adults, $20 for teens) by registering online at www.Benedictus1.com. Clergy are entitled to complementary tickets. Tickets will not be available at the door.
Happy Easter!
(Dr. Gamboa can be reached at ed.gamboa@yahoo.com)
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