Cardinal Bergoglio
Ok – This may come out sounding a bit complicated, so you’ll have to bear with me –maybe help me sort it out – I apologise for not sorting it out first before bringing you into it, but it is too big to contain. Think of Cat Steven’s song, “I can’t let it in… I gotta let it out…”
I was disappointed about half way during the Eucharistic Congress, because my goal to write a bit about every day was not made possible. By day three, there was just too much. I managed a blog entry on day four, and promised more, but was not able to do it.
The reason why this upset me is because there was so much to share, so many insights, so many “A-ha” moments. We recently taped a Catholic Focus talking about our Eucharistic Congress experience (to be broadcast in September), and it allowed me to “relive” the Congress and be able to remember many of those wonderful moments.
Not surprisingly, for me, many of them had to do, not with the Eucharist specifically, but with marriage. Which makes sense, because what is true for one Sacrament, is true for all of them.
On June 18th, Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, Archbishop of Buenos Aires and Primate of Argentina, spoke on the daily theme of “The Eucharist builds up the Church, the Sacrament of Salvation”, his talk titled: “The Eucharist and the Church, Mystery of the Covenant”.
As he began, I was brought back (made memory) to a most awesome week I had in Buenos Aires in January 2001 for that year’s Youth Congress of Latin American Bishops. Youth and Youth Ministry representatives, priests, Bishops and a few Cardinals from all 23 Latin American countries and Spain, gathered in a small retreat house for six days, to reflect on the state of youth ministry in the continent. It was one of the first of many World Youth Day blessings for me.
The reason why Cardinal Bergoglio’s talk reminded me of this meeting (other than the fact that he is Argentinian) was because of the approach to the topic. It was very organised. He had the topic divided into “Don” (gift) and “tarea” (work). Each topic had subtopics and even sub-sub-topics. This was how the week in Buenos Aires, seven years ago was structured.
I must say that a lot of it went over my head. While amazing, a lot of it sounded a bit academic and far out of my reach. That is often true of topics that have so much depth to them.
Then he said something that will forever change my attitude towards the Eucharist and marriage: “The institution of the Eucharist anticipates the Sacrifice on the Cross.”
He went on to explain, “So that the disciples, when they realised (each in their own time) what Christ had offered in His passion, [they also realized] that they already had received Him and that He had already made them participants in this redemptive sacrifice.”
This blew me away. He meant that the Sacrifice on the Cross would have had no meaning, had the Eucharist not been first instituted. Without the Eucharist, the sacrifice on the Cross, would have only been a total act of God, but without anyone capable of receiving it. “The wine would have broken the old wine skins,” he said. But instead, “the act of the Cross is received into the new wine skin of the hearts that have already received Him and pre-tasted Him in the Eucharist.” He concluded, “That is why all the Passion could have and can be contemplated as salvific, because those who contemplate on it are “already included,” in communion with the salvific love beating in the Lord who suffers it.”
I don’t know if that makes any sense to anyone. Let me explain: Christ had to institute the Eucharist first, in order to prepare the disciples’ hearts, for His passion – so that they could be included in His passion. That makes sense, because the only way that WE are included in His Passion, is through and thanks to, the Eucharist. If it’s true for us, it must have been true for the disciples.
And the washing of the feet, the mundane application of the sacrifice is so key. In many ways, the Eucharist and the sacrifice on the Cross, would also have no meaning without the washing of the feet. It is in the washing of the feet that we can participate in the sacrifice. Most of us are not called to die for someone else, but we are called, and have daily opportunities to serve each other, to wash each other’s feet.
Here’s the clincher for me. Cardinal Bergoglio used marriage as an example: Christ had to anticipate his death on the Cross with the
institution of the Eucharist so his sacrifice could be received. Just like the marriage couple that “anticipates” their love in the vows, so that when they consummate that same sacramental love, it can be received and not “break the wine skins.” So many couples are breaking the wine skins because the love they share is not anticipated in the vows.
It may be a bit complicated, but for me was the insight of the week. In essence it all means that without the Church, and without the Eucharist, the love of God, as expressed to us through the Sacrifice on the Cross (John 3:16), cannot be received.
What does this all mean to me in my daily life? Well, how to I participate in the Sacrifice of the Cross? How do I participate in the Eucharist? How do I live the Eucharistic mission? How do I live my marriage? Am I breaking the old wine skins, or am I letting God renew the wine skins of my heart so that my heart can be an adequate vessel to receive his Love and His presence? Are you?
Pedro and Mary Rose Bacani filming at the University of St. Thomas
Recently I was back at York University (it’s been a long time) for an event and I heard the University being referred to as a “liberal arts school”. I had never thought of York as a liberal arts school. Of course, I was there studying theatre and was very much immersed in their conservatory program. At the same time, it’s true that all students were required to take a social science, a natural science and a humanities course, and several other courses outside of our own faculty and department. I guess that made our education a liberal arts one.
It made me think of my high school education. I am an I.B. grad. The International Baccalaureate is an internationally recognised university preparatory diploma, which requires the students to take one course in each of the following areas: humanities, maths, sciences, arts and two language courses. On top of this, in order to graduate the students have to engage in at least one semester of a social service activity, a creative activity and a service to the college community. I must say, I was very proud of the well-rounded education I received.
Last month a few of us from S+L TV spent a week at the University of St. Thomas in Houston Texas. UST is a Basilian University and it provides its students with a very strong liberal arts education.
Had you asked me before I went to UST what a Catholic University looked like, I would’ve said that it would be like Franciscan University in Steubenville, Thomas Aquinas College, or Our Lady Seat of Wisdom, right here in our very own back yard, in Barry’s Bay, Ontario. What I found was very different.
I had read that all major universities in the U.S. were founded by Christians, for Christian purposes: Yale, Harvard, Princeton and Columbia (which was founded as King’s College). In fact, what I learned was that the university concept was a truly Christian one – as learning about God, requires learning about Scripture and Nature and learning about these, requires a well-rounded knowledge of a lot of things. So that was a pretty new concept for me: that the University, at its core, is a Catholic Institution.
Interviewing students at UST
And it makes sense: universities are a place where we search for truth, for meaning. If all we are doing is focusing on one particular aspect of vocational training, with the hopes of landing a good career, we may end up as good engineers, lawyers or teachers, but how does that prepare us for life in general? How does that make us better, wise people?
Well, I certainly believe that having gone through the IB program made me a better student, and having been required to take sciences and humanities in order to get my theatre degree, makes me a better theatre-person. It’s true, York University is not a Catholic institution in the least, but the very fact that they have a core curriculum means that their approach to education is a universal one and that, in itself is Catholic.
And send us your comments; about your experiences with education and what university you attended and why, we love to hear from you.
Pedro
First published March 17, 2008
“Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you. Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man’s gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully.Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with God’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited.
Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord. On the contrary: “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” – Romans 12
It’s not that I’ve got it all down pat – ready to go. I have not discovered holiness anymore than the next guy – I don’t think I am closer to God or Heaven than anyone and I am not certain that my religion is better than any others.
I struggle with these things. I do wish to know, love and serve God. Honestly, six years ago, I didn’t know what that meant. I can’t explain what it feels like to “feel called.” It’s not like I heard a voice or anything. It’s not even really a feeling – it’s that and more. How do you know you’re in love with someone? Is it just the feeling, or is it something more – something organic – from deep within, deeper than where feelings come from? How do you know your whole destiny is to go home to the Creator? I long to go home to be with God. I don’t know why. I don’t know if it’s because I’ve been taught that, or because it’s deep desire within me – that has always been there. That I was created that way…. that I am being created that way. I believe God lives in our desires.
And at the same time I know that there is nothing I can do to get to Heaven. There is nothing any of us can do to get to Heaven. We go to Heaven because God loves us and wants us to be there with Him. We get there because of God’s Grace. Is it enough to simply have that desire – the desire to know, love and serve God – the way I long to know, love and serve my wife – the desire to be with Him?
My limited humanity (in my understanding of the Gospels and what wise people have written) tells me that the way to know, love and serve God is to know, love and serve others. This is what “feed the hungry,
clothe the naked, and console the afflicted” is all about. This is what Mother Teresa spent a lifetime doing: “If you do it to the least of these, you do it to me.” And so, every day I try to do what I do and do it well. I try to make my body a living sacrifice and holy (even though I am not sure what that really means). I try to be kind and compassionate to others. I try to listen to others and help where I am needed. I try to console those who need consolation. I try not to act big and I try not to think that I have all the answers. I try to simplify my life – to uncomplicate my life – to clear it of all the clutter. That’s what the Sabbath was created for. That is what this season of Lent, and in particular this Holy Week allows me to do. I try to keep in mind that I need God and without Him I can do nothing.
Pedro
First published December 12, 2007
Image of Our Lady of Guadalupe
Had you asked me when I was a little boy, what Mary, the Mother of God, looked like, I would’ve said that she’s dark skinned, pregnant, wears a rose coloured dress with blue-green cape and has the sun’s rays shining out of her (or from behind her). On her cloak there are the constellations, she is standing on a half-moon and she has an angel below her feet. I would have said this, because that’s the statue of Mary that I saw every Sunday at Church, at our Parish of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Panama. Every Sunday after Mass, my mother would go into the little chapel that had the life-sized statue to pray. We, of course, tagged along. Soon, I developed my own habit of popping in there whenever I could – which turned out to be a lot, since, as a teen-ager, I spent pretty much my whole weekend at that church between catechism, youth group and choir practices.
The Church also has a huge stained glass window at the front, with the image of Mary giving Juan Diego her image imprinted on his tilma (a cactus cloth blanket commonly worn by native-peasants in those days). During the day, the image could be seen from the inside of the Church, but at night, of course, with the Church lights on, could only be seen from the outside. The things that we remember, eh?
Parish of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Panama
St. Juan Diego
It was later on, as an adult that I learned the full story of Guadalupe, though. That Mary appeared to Juan Diego – that she asked him to tell the Bishop, Juan de Zummaraga to build a Church. That the Bishop did not really believe Juan Diego – that he was of course, afraid – that his uncle was sick and dying but was healed – that Mary appeared to Juan Diego even though he went a different way – and that she gave him “proof” to show the Bishop: flowers that were growing on the hilltop. This may not seem like much, except that it was winter and flowers don’t grow in winter. Juan Diego gathered the flowers in his tilma and when he brought them to the Bishop, they discovered the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe imprinted on the cloth. This image is the one that still hangs in the Basilica of Guadalupe in Mexico.
I was there, in 1990, and saw the cloth. It’s been hanging there for 400 years and has not faded. This is a cloth that would not have lasted 20 years. My jeans don’t last 5 years! But it’s been hanging there, unfaded, for over 400 years. Then I remembered something else I had learned as a little boy: Scientific tests had been done on the cloth and no pigments of any kind were found on it. Scientist can’t figure out how the image was imprinted on the cloth. Later on I found out that the stars on her cloak are exactly the map of the constellations that would have been in the sky on the day she appeared to Juan Diego in 1531, and if you magnify the image of Mary’s eye you can see several images. It is believed that they are images of Juan Diego and of Bishop de Zummaraga.
In less than 20 years after the apparitions, some nine million Mexicans were converted to Christianity, putting an end once and for all to the bloody Aztec practice of human sacrifice and helping reconcile the Aztec with their Spanish rulers. Guadalupe is a popular tourist destination in Mexico City. Yearly, an estimated 10 million pilgrims visit the Basilica, making Guadalupe the most popular Marian shrine in the world, and the most visited Catholic Church in the world next to the Vatican. However, my thoughts when being there were of Jesus driving the merchants out of the Temple in Jerusalem. The Plaza outside of the Basilica is so crowded with merchants selling everything from medals, statues, books and holy water, to tacos and enchiladas (I actually had some street food there. Hmmm…. food off a street vendor in Mexico City!) The only way to get a good look at the image, is to go on the “moving sidewalk” (as in airports) just beneath it. You can’t stop in front of it to get a better look and it’s very hard to take photos. Plus, did I mention that it was crowded?
In October 2001 I returned to Mexico, this time as a guest of Mexican Catholic Singer/Songwriter, Martin Valverde. I joined him and nine other Latin American artists for three days of a month-long tour around Mexico. In three days we went to four cities. One of our stops, of course was the Basilica of Guadalupe. But, this time I was with Martin Valverde. Not only were we able to attend Mass at the Basilica, but we sat where the choir sits, just in front and to the left of the image! And my musician friends did some of the music for the Mass.
The group of EnRedados at the Shrine of Guadalupe
Martin has a song called, “No Estoy Aqui?” (Am I not here), based on Juan Diego’s story. Mary said to him, “no tengas miedo. ¿No estoy yo aquí, que soy tu Madre?” Don’t be afraid. Am I, who am your Mother, not here?” And then I learned another important aspect of the story: Mary is our Mother. And if she is our Mother, why be afraid? Seems so simple, yet for me it was a profound realization. And what better place to have it than right there, in the Basilica of our Lady of Guadalupe, during Mass, where, for over an hour I sat not 20 feet away, staring at this miraculous image.
When Mary appeared to Juan Diego, she also said to him, “Know for certain that I am the perfect and perpetual Virgin Mary, Mother of the True God.” and she called him, “my little one”. Not that Juan Diego was a little boy – he was a grown man – probably in his 50′s. But no matter how old we are, we are still Mary’s “little ones”.
When Juan Diego returned from seeing the Bishop and discovering the image on his tilma, he found his uncle who had been completely cured. His uncle told him he had met a young woman, surrounded by a soft light, who told him that she had just sent his nephew to Tenochtitlán (old Mexico City, the capital of the Aztec Empire) with a picture of herself. She told his uncle: “Call me and call my image Santa Maria de Guadalupe”. This was always interesting to me. Mary appeared to Juan Diego on a hill named Tepeyac. Why is she not Our Lady of Tepeyac? It’s believed that the word Guadalupe was actually a Spanish mis-translation of the local Aztec dialect. The word that Mary probably used was Coatlallope which means “one who treads on snakes”! (This is in reference to Eve -Mary being the new Eve – and her offspring crushing the serpent’s head. Gen 3:15. I later found out that Mary is standing on a half-moon, indicating to Juan Diego that she had crushed the feathered serpent-moon god.) If you look at the image you can also see that she is wearing a black belt. This has been identified as an Aztec Maternity belt. I love this, because it reminds me, that Mary appeared to Juan Diego as an Aztec woman. She looked Aztec and spoke Aztec. But of course, she is our Mother!
Some say that Latin America is mainly a Catholic continent because of the Spanish missionaries who came to spread the Good News. That may be true, however, it is clear to me that God had a special plan for Latin America and He carried out his plan through the work of the humblest of little ones: an old peasant by the name of Juan Diego. Isn’t that always how it goes?
May Our Lady of Guadalupe, Our Lady of the Americas, guide you and keep you in her care always.
Pedro
P.S. Juan Diego was canonised by Pope John Paul II on July 31st, 2002.
deacon pedro 