Blessed Sacrament Church

Intercession

May those who long for a child of their own be filled with trust in God’s loving plan.

Prayers

Our Father, 3 Hail Marys, Glory Be

Reflection

It can be very difficult and painful when the Lord doesn’t answer our prayers the way we hope. We may have many doubts and questions, wondering why we face the challenges that we do. Yet even though our suffering is often shrouded in a sense of mystery, we believe that the Lord loves us with great tenderness and compassion that is beyond our imagination. Knowing this, we can trust that “all things work for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose” (Rom 8:28).

Acts of Reparation (choose one)

• Smile. Ask God today for the grace to be extra joyful and share your love for Christ with those who need that encouragement the most today.
• Pray the Rosary, or even just a decade, today for someone who has hurt or disappointed you, and ask for the grace to forgive that person.
• We can sometimes forget how blessed we are to have many of our daily comforts. Give up sleeping with your pillow tonight.

One Step Further

Learn how some methods of conceiving a child pose serious concerns in “Life Matters: Reproductive Technologies.” Visit bit.ly/ReproductiveTechnologies2011 to read the article.

Find a printable version of this document at http://www.usccb.org/about/pro-life-activities/january-roe-events/upload/2015-Nine-Days-Day-3.pdf.

By Francis X. Rocca / Catholic News Service — Pope Francis told a crowd of an estimated 6 million gathered in a Manila park to protect the family “against insidious attacks and programs contrary to all that we hold true and sacred, all that is most beautiful and noble in our culture.” The pope’s homily at the Jan. 18 Mass also reprised several other themes he had sounded during the four-day visit, including environmental problems, poverty and corruption.

Despite continuous rain, the congregation in Rizal Park began to assemble the night before the afternoon celebration. Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle of Manila canceled other Masses throughout the archdiocese to enhance turnout. The crowd was so dense in spots that people passed hosts to fellow worshippers unable to reach priests distributing Communion.

An aerial view shows pilgrims gathering to hear a Mass celebrated by Pope Francis at Rizal Park in Manila, Philippines, Jan. 18. The view shows only a portion of the Mass site, which a local church official said was more than a mile long. (CNS photo/Philippine Air Force/Handout via Reuters)

The government estimated total crowd size at 6 million-7 million people. According to the Vatican spokesman, Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi, that would be the largest number of people ever to gather to see a pope. A Mass with St. John Paul II in the same place 20 years earlier is believed to have drawn 4 million to 5 million people, often described as the largest live crowd in history.

The Mass was celebrated on Santo Nino Day, or the feast of the Holy Child Jesus, one of the most popular feast days in the Philippines. Many of those who walked great distances down closed roads to get to Rizal Park held statues of Santo Nino.

For his final scheduled public talk in the country, Pope Francis stuck to his prepared English text and did not improvise in Spanish, as he had done at several emotional points during the visit. Yet his voice rose with emphasis during the passage about protecting the family.

Those words echoed his warning, during a Jan. 16 meeting with Filipino families, against “ideological colonization that tries to destroy the family” through such practices as same-sex marriage and contraception.

In his homily, Pope Francis said Christians “need to see each child as a gift to be welcomed, cherished and protected. And we need to care for our young people, not allowing them to be robbed of hope and condemned to life on the streets.”

The pope praised the Philippines, whose population is more than 80 percent Catholic, as the “foremost Catholic country in Asia,” and said its people, millions of whom work abroad, are “called to be outstanding missionaries of the faith in Asia.”

Yet he warned the developing nation, one of Asia’s fastest-growing economies, against temptations of materialism, saying the devil “hides his snares behind the appearance of sophistication, the allure of being modern, like everyone else. He distracts us with the promise of ephemeral pleasures, superficial pastimes. And so we squander our God-given gifts by tinkering with gadgets; we squander our money on gambling and drink.”

Pope Francis, who had urged a group of young people earlier in the day to address the challenge of climate change through dedication to the environment, told Mass-goers human sinfulness had “disfigured (the) natural beauty” of creation.

Other consequences of sin, the pope said, were “social structures which perpetuate poverty, ignorance and corruption,” problems he had emphasized in his Jan. 16 speech at Manila’s presidential palace.

Intercession

May those near the end of their lives receive medical care that respects their dignity and protects their lives.

Prayers

Our Father, 3 Hail Marys, Glory Be

Reflection

In today’s Gospel reading (Jn 1:35-42), John the Baptist testifies that Jesus is “the Lamb of God.” How often do we meditate on Jesus as the Lamb and our salvation? There is nothing we could ever accomplish on our own that could make up for our daily failures to love others with the merciful and sacrificial love of Christ. But in the Sacrament of Reconciliation, he forgives our faults, wipes the stain of sin from our souls and gives us the strength to begin anew with the help of his grace. Let us live each day in gratitude for the mercy God shows us!

Acts of Reparation (choose one)

• Take time to write a handwritten note to someone who is lonely or needing encouragement.
• Read about the life of a modern (19th or 20th century) saint. You might be surprised by how much you have in common with them.
• Go to bed a little early tonight, and spend some time talking and listening to God.

One Step Further

Various types of advance medical directives raise some concerns you should be aware of as you consider your health care options. Find out what they are in “Advance Medical Directives: Planning for Your Future.” (Visit www.bit.ly/AdvanceMedicalDirectives to access the full article).

Find a printable version of this document at http://www.usccb.org/about/pro-life-activities/january-roe-events/upload/2015-Nine-Days-Day-2.pdf.

Intercession

For the conversion of all hearts and the end to abortion.

Prayers

Our Father, 3 Hail Marys, Glory Be

Reflection

Today’s Gospel reading from Mark (Mk 2:13-17) recounts Jesus dining with tax collectors and sinners. When the Pharisees question Jesus about this, he responds, “Those who are well do not need a physician, but the sick do. I did not come to call the righteous but sinners.”* In a society where millions of people have fallen prey to the false promises of the culture of death, let us witness to the mercy of Jesus and invite all who’ve been wounded to experience his abundant love and healing.

Acts of Reparation (choose one)

• Go to an abortion clinic and pray, or set aside an hour today to pray for those who are struggling with a decision of life or death for their unborn child.
• Spend some time reflecting upon today’s Gospel passage.
• Use Facebook or another form of social media to post something that builds up the culture of life.

One Step Further

Women’s health, women’s equality, and women’s marriage prospects have suffered from over 40 years of nationally legal abortion throughout all 9 months of pregnancy. Learn how in “Life Matters: Roe Plus 40.” (Visit www.bit.ly/RoePlus40 to access the full article).

A printable version of this document is available at http://www.usccb.org/about/pro-life-activities/january-roe-events/upload/2015-Nine-Days-Day-1.pdf.

By Patricia Zapor / Catholic News Service — Surprising even the people who have been promoting the sainthood cause of Blessed Junipero Serra, Pope Francis announced Jan. 15 that in September, he hopes to canonize the 18th-century Spanish Franciscan who founded a string of missions across Mexico and California.

Blessed Serra is credited with directly founding nine missions in California, one in Baja California in Mexico and with reinvigorating established missions in Mexico. Friars under his tutelage founded many others across California, in territory that was then part of New Spain.

Blessed Junipero Serra, a Spanish Franciscan who ministered in U.S. and Mexico, is pictured in an undated painting. During his flight from Sri Lanka to Manila, Philippines, Jan. 15, Pope Francis said he would canonize Blessed Junipero in September. (CNS photo)

The vice postulator for Blessed Serra’s sainthood cause, Franciscan Father John Vaughn, told Catholic News Service he was taken completely by surprise by the pope’s announcement. Even among the friars at Mission Santa Barbara, where he lives, “I was the last to know,” he said.

The announcement came when Pope Francis, aboard a flight from Sri Lanka to the Philippines, explained to reporters his decision to canonize St. Joseph Vaz, a 17th- and 18th-century missionary to Sri Lanka, bypassing the usual process, including verification of a second miracle attributed to the saint’s intercession. Pope Francis said St. Joseph was among great evangelists whom he planned to canonize without such preliminaries, in an effort to celebrate the practice of evangelization.

“Now in September, God willing, I will canonize Junipero Serra in the United States. He was the evangelizer of the West in the United States,” the pope said. He did not specify when or where the canonization might take place.

Father Vaughn said he had heard that Pope Francis considered Blessed Serra to have already met the sainthood criteria because of the way he brought the Catholic faith to California and the native populations. But that the pope was ready to move on canonizing the friar came as a total surprise, he said.

The announcement is “a great honor for the province,” Father Vaughn said. “We’ve always looked to Serra as the ideal for how to preach the Gospel, as he said ‘always go forward, never back.’”

Blessed Serra was born in the village of Petra on the Spanish island Mallorca Nov. 24, 1713. After entering the Franciscans, he obtained a doctorate in sacred theology at the National University of Blessed Ramon Lull and developed a career as an academic and acclaimed preacher in Spain. At the age of 36, he volunteered to go to the New World, to Mexico.

As noted in a biography of Blessed Serra on the website of the California-based Santa Barbara Province of the Franciscans, the friar first was assigned to the remote Sierra Gorda region, in what is now the state of Queretaro, where he worked among the Pame Indians, some of whom had already been converted to Catholicism. He then spent another decade crisscrossing central Mexico, preaching.

In 1758, he was appointed to head up a group of Spanish Franciscans sent to evangelize and colonize “Baja” and “Alta” California. He personally established nine missions in what is now the state of California, beginning with Mission San Diego de Alcala in present-day San Diego. He supervised the Franciscans who founded 12 more California missions.

He died at age 70 Aug. 28, 1784, and is buried at Mission San Carlos Borromeo in Carmel, California. He was beatified in Rome Sept. 25, 1988, by St. John Paul II.

Steven Hackel, a history professor at University of California at Riverside who has written a biography, “Junipero Serra: California’s Founding Father,” told CNS he thinks of Blessed Serra as one of the little-heralded “founding fathers” of the United States. Though he was a contemporary of George Washington and Thomas Jefferson, the priest and other missionaries who settled areas beyond the East Coast were crucial to the development of the nation as well.

“Every region had its missionaries who were founding fathers of another sort,” Hackel said.

Although California fourth-graders study Blessed Serra’s accomplishments in social studies classes, Hackel said he and the other missionary founding fathers are often ignored in history textbooks. He said he hopes new attention to Blessed Serra will change that.

As to where the canonization might take place, Pope Francis gave no indication.

The pope is scheduled to visit the United States in September to participate in the World Meeting of Families in Philadelphia, which runs Sept. 22-27.

The Vatican secretary of state, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, said in early January that he expects the pope also will visit Washington, where he has been invited to address a joint session of Congress, and New York, where he has been invited to address the United Nations. The cardinal provided no dates for the pope’s travel and did not mention where else, if anywhere in the U.S., he would visit.

Pope Francis also has been invited to other parts of the United States, and he has said he wants to go to the U.S.-Mexico border. Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto said last June when they met that Pope Francis told him he would accept the invitation to visit Mexico, though he did not say when. In a pastoral trip to Nuevo Laredo Jan. 10, Archbishop Christophe Pierre, apostolic nuncio, remarked that there was “joy and hope” that the pope would visit Mexico, but that he had no information about dates.

At the time of Blessed Serra’s beatification, protesters demonstrated against the action and spray-painted graffiti on the walls of a San Diego museum named for the friar. Critics, including representatives of Native Americans, said Blessed Serra brutalized Native Americans and suppressed Indian culture. A 1986 report by the Diocese of Monterey, California, defended Blessed Serra, saying his reputation had been attacked “without proof or documentation.”

The National Assembly of Religious Women, a now defunct grassroots organization, said at the time that the Vatican “failed to consult adequately” with Native Americans before beatifying Blessed Serra, and that he “was guilty, along with many others, of extreme brutality toward California Indians.”

Hackel said he expects some of those controversies to surface again, but he thinks this time the debate about Blessed Serra could be a constructive conversation.

“He was uncompromising,” Hackel said of the priest. “Without a doubt some Indians will oppose this. But others are rejoicing.”

Working through the controversies “will be a good thing,” he said. “It can lead to reconciliation and mutual understanding.”

By Kyle Eller / The Northern Cross — The diocesan men’s conference is on its fourth year and the women’s conference on its third, and both are moving to Marshall School in Duluth this year.

The Duluth Catholic Men’s Conference is set for Feb. 21 and will feature two speakers, Deacon Ralph Poyo and, for a session in the afternoon, youth minster Nic Davidson.

Deacon Poyo, a national speaker who founded New Evangelization Ministries and is sought for Steubenville Youth Conferences, will give sessions on Jesus, discipleship and pornography. He is coming from North Carolina.

“He is passionate about helping others to make Catholicism more a way of life, rather than just a religious identity,” said Deacon John Weiske, one of the conference organizers.

Davidson, a Duluthian now living in New York, will give a talk on Theology of the Body, a subject on which he speaks nationally.

Deacon Weiske said there will be one change in format.

“Having enough time for confessions has been a challenge,” he said. So in the morning Deacon Poyo will be repeating one of his sessions, allowing organizers to invite half of the men to go confession the first time and the other half the second.

“We’re hoping this will allow all the men who want to go to confession to go to confession,” he said.

He said the facilities at Marshall seem excellent for the expected 400 to 450 attendees, including more accessibility, with no stairs needed to get to the auditorium.

As usual, the conference will include lunch and Mass with Bishop Paul Sirba.

Women’s turn in March

The women’s conference on March 7 will be focused on the “Joy of the Gospel,” a major theme of Pope Francis, and the first 400 guests registered will receive of copy of Pope Francis’ document on the subject, said Betsy Kneepkens, director of marriage and family life for the Duluth Diocese.

This year the conference features two speakers: Hallie Lord, author, editor and founder of the Edel Gathering, speaking on the beauty of the church’s teaching on the vocations of marriage and authentic womanhood, and Kelly Wahlquist, assistant director of the Catechetical Institute for the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis.

Lord is from South Carolina. “Hallie is a wife, mother of six children, and she’s a convert to Cathlicism,” Kneepkens said.

Wahlquist, she said, weaves personal stories and gives practical advice to live the joy of the Gospel with missionary zeal. She is also founder of WINE: Women In the New Evangelization, and a contributing writer for catholicmom.com and The Integrated Catholic Life.

As in years past, there will be Mass, confession, adoration and the opportunity to pray the rosary, with a welcome by Bishop Sirba. Benedictine Sister Lisa Maurer of St. Scholastica Monastery will be the emcee. Kneepkens said the conference has also expanded the vendors to include items like jewelry.

“We anticipate well over 400 participants,” she said.

Both conferences have early registration dates coming up. For the men’s conference, priority registration ends Feb. 9. After that date, the fee rises from $25 to $35.

For the women’s conference, the cost is $30, and registration closes Feb. 20. Lunch and materials are not guaranteed after that date.

More registration information about both conference is available at the diocesan website, www.dioceseduluth.org.

For the men’s conference, registration forms are also available from parish offices.

WASHINGTON — A period of prayer, penance, and pilgrimage Jan. 17-25 will mark the anniversary of the 1973 U.S. Supreme Court decision, Roe v. Wade, which legalized abortion throughout pregnancy. The “9 Days for Life” novena encourages nationwide solidarity in prayer for daily intentions, including for couples experiencing infertility, those mourning the loss of a child through abortion, children in need of adoptive homes, and for an end to abortion and use of the death penalty. Resources for the novena are available in numerous ways, including an app.

The initiative is part of the 2014-15 Respect Life Program of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) with the theme “Each of Us is a Masterpiece of God’s Creation,” which is adapted from the words of Pope Francis’ 2013 Day for Life greeting. In addition to the prayer intentions, each day of the program raises awareness on issues such as domestic violence, post-abortion healing, pornography addiction and end-of-life matters.

“Pope Francis reminds us constantly of the loving concern Christians have for all people at any stage of life who’ve been cast aside or forgotten by society,” said Cardinal Seán O’Malley, archbishop of Boston and chairman of the USCCB Committee on Pro-Life Activities. “The 9 Days for Life novena offers a chance to join in prayer and solidarity with the unborn, victims of violence, those suffering from addiction, and those whose hearts ache to be part of a family.”

There are four ways to participate in the program for both English and Spanish speakers: subscriptions to daily content through email or text messages; the “9Days for Life” app; and downloadable print materials. Content will also be shared via a Facebook event (accessible from www.facebook.com/peopleoflife) and other social media with the hashtags #9daysforlife and #9díasporlavida.

Catholics are also encouraged to participate in local events such as Masses, blessings for pro-life pilgrims or a parish holy hour for reparation and healing for all affected by abortion.

More information is available at www.9daysforlife.com and www.usccb.org/respectlife.

Bilingual resources for diocesan and parish leaders, including a guide for youth ministry (including ideas appropriate for other age groups), logos, ads for web and print, a flyer, additional prayer resources, and a social media kit are found at www.usccb.org/about/pro-life-activities/january-roe-events/9-days-for-life-resources-for-leaders.cfm.

On Jan. 15, Duluth-based Catholic musician Danielle Rose released a new music video for the song “Little Flower,” from her album “Culture of Life.” Rose said the video “radiates God’s love for people often considered to be of little value.” She said in China, this mindset of treating some people as of little value “has led to a social crisis in the form of the One-Child Policy.”

In collaboration with Spirit Juice Studios, “Little Flower” was filmed on location in China with the children of China Little Flower orphanage in order to help build a culture of life.

View the video at http://youtu.be/NAwTemKwINQ.

View a short behind-the-scenes video about how the music video was filmed: http://youtu.be/y03KuaaQDxw.

Rose’s website is www.daniellerose.com.

Catholic News Agency/EWTN News — During his flight to the Philippines, Pope Francis thanked a French journalist who gave him an image of St. Therese, saying that instead of giving the usual rose when he asked for help, St. Therese came to him herself.

“I have the habit of, when I don’t know how things will go, to ask of St. Therese the little child, St. Therese of Jesus, to ask her if she takes a problem in hand, some thing, that she send me a rose,” the pope told journalists during his Jan. 15 in-flight press conference from Sri Lanka to the Philippines.

Alan Holdren/CNA Pope Francis receives an image of St. Therese of Lisieux from journalist aboard papal plane.

“I asked also for this trip that she’d take it in hand and that she would send me a rose. But instead of a rose she came herself to greet me.”

The image of the St. Therese, which was given to the pope by Paris Match’s journalist Caroline Pigozzi, was a bas-relief, or carving, that appeared to be in silver.

After the pope received the framed image, he thanked Pigozzi for the gift. “Thanks to Caroline and thanks to little Therese and to [all of] you,” he said.

Born in Alençon, France, in 1873, St. Therese is frequently referred to as “The Little Flower” or “Therese of the Child Jesus.”

A Carmelite nun, St. Therese entered her convent at the age of 15 and dedicated herself to living a simple life of holiness, doing all things with love and childlike trust in God.

Although Therese struggled with life in the convent, she committed herself to making the effort to be charitable to everyone, especially those she didn’t like.

The saint performed small acts of charity throughout each day and made little sacrifices regardless of how unimportant they seemed. These acts helped her come to a deeper understanding of her vocation.

She died of tuberculosis at the age of 24 and was proclaimed a Doctor of the Church by Pope John Paul II in 1997 — 100 years after her death. She was the third woman ever to receive title, following in the steps of St. Catherine of Siena and St. Teresa of Avila.

Since her death, millions have been inspired by St. Therese’s “little way” of loving God and neighbor.

Many miracles have been attributed to her intercession, which coincides with the prediction she made during her earthly life that “my Heaven will be spent doing good on Earth.”

In one of her writings, the saint said, “You know well enough that Our Lord does not look so much at the greatness of our actions, nor even at their difficulty, but at the love with which we do them.”

In this new year, take advantage of parish and diocesan opportunities to encounter Jesus anew

“Loving trust and total surrender made Our Lady say ‘yes’ to the message of the angel. And cheerfulness made her run in haste to serve her cousin Elizabeth. That is so much our life: saying ‘yes’ to Jesus and running in haste to serve him in the poorest of the poor. Let us keep very close to Our Lady and she will make that same spirit grow in each one of us.”

— From Mother Teresa’s final letter, written on the day of her death.

The Church begins the New Year celebrating the Octave of the Nativity of the Lord and the Solemnity of Mary, the Holy Mother of God. It is a Holy Day of Obligation, or rather, a holy day of opportunity! There is no better way to begin our year than to thank Almighty God for His goodness to us, and there is no better way to say “thank you” than celebrating the Eucharist.

Bishop Paul Sirba Fiat Voluntas Tua

I extend to all the readers of The Northern Cross my prayers for a blessed New Year flowing from the love of Our Lord, for you and for your families!

As Blessed Teresa of Calcutta said in her last written words on earth, and now sings forever in her life of beatitude in heaven, surrender to the love of Jesus Christ in your life. Follow the example of the Blessed Virgin Mary, our Mother.

The New Evangelization begins with our encounter with Our Lord. It has to be personal. We cannot give what we do not have. Our Lady’s mission was to accept Jesus into her life. Once she did, then she proceeded in haste to give Him to others. Mary bought Him to St. John the Baptist, to Elizabeth, to shepherds and Magi and ultimately to all of us. We are called to do what Mary did.

If our love of Jesus has grown cold or become impersonal or if we don’t have the courage to express our gratitude for what He had done for us, then we must ask God, beg God, the Holy Spirit, for mercy. We beseech Him to rekindle our love and to fan it into a new flame.

We pray for the gift of true repentance from our sins. Then Jesus will do what He does best. He will save us. He does not disappoint, give up on us or leave us without help. In the joy of our new encounter we share the good news of Jesus.

Consequences apparent

Sadly, our world remains in darkness. It becomes increasingly so. As people make the choice to forget God, we see the fruits of the choice: selfishness, broken relationships, violence, persecutions, loneliness and unhappiness. Because Jesus is the solution to all our problems, we need to invite others to encounter Him. He is the Savior of the world. He has overcome the world.

Mary never felt ashamed of Jesus. She proclaimed Him. At Calvary she stood by Him because her love was so deep. She is the Lord’s greatest disciple.

In the coming year of God’s grace, go deeper with Jesus.

Your parishes and our diocesan programs will provide many opportunities for you and your families to grow in your encounter with Jesus.

From Sunday Mass to service of the poor, from Symbolon to Men’s and Women’s Conferences, newly married retreats, the World Meeting of Families in Philadelphia, from parish Bible studies to RCIA, from Tobit to Newman Center Masses, from Eucharistic adoration to our Diocesan 125th Celebration on Sept. 12.

Take advantage of the opportunities!