Sister Carol Zinn, the newly elected head of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious, said the Vatican’s doctrinal assessment of the conference is “much more about the future” of the Catholic Church and not primarily about the conference itself.

“As women of the Church, we will discern how to move through the turbulent aftermath of the doctrinal assessment,” Sr. Zinn, a member of the Sisters of Saint Joseph, said during her remarks to the LCWR Leadership Assembly, held Aug. 13-16 at the Caribe Royale Hotel in Orlando, Fla.

“The processes of inclusion and dialogue needed today may demand great suffering on our part as we work to create such processes,” she added, according to the website of the U.S. Federation of the Sisters of Saint Joseph.

Sr. Anne Myers, president of the Sisters of Saint Joseph, praised Sr. Zinn’s new position.

“Sister Carol’s calm articulate presence, love for religious life and the Church, and her global perspective are invaluable gifts that she brings to the LCWR Presidency,” she said in an Aug. 22 statement.
 
”She cherishes our congregation’s charism of unity and approaches the important and complex work of LCWR with this significant attitude of mind and heart.”

Sr. Zinn had been part of her order’s leadership team and was the congregation’s representative to a consultative non-governmental organization with the United Nations.

She said she looked forward to serving the leadership conference as it continues to “discern the signs of the times, remain faithful to the Gospel message of Jesus and the dreams of our founders and foundresses while responding to the needs of the people of God in our day, for the life of the world.”

Full Story: New LCWR head says assessment is about Church’s future

Source: Catholic News Agency

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Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI resigned from the papacy because “God told me” to, according to a report by a Catholic news agency.

The Zenit news agency reported on Monday (Aug. 19) that Benedict decided to step back as a result of what he described as a “mystical experience” that shouldn’t be confused with a vision.

That experience sparked an “absolute desire” to dedicate his life exclusively to prayer, in a solitary relationship with God, Benedict reportedly said.

Zenit writes that its report is based on the account of one of the few people who are granted a meeting with the former pope, who is living in a retrofitted monastery on the Vatican grounds.

Benedict shocked the world with the announcement of his resignation on Feb. 11, becoming the first pope to leave his job in more than 600 years. He told aides he intended to live out his life “hidden from the world.”

When he announced his resignation, Benedict told a group of cardinals in Latin that his “strengths” were no longer sufficient “to adequately fulfill the ministry entrusted to me” because of old age.

According to the report, Benedict also praised the “charisma” of his successor, Pope Francis, saying that his actions as the leader of the Catholic Church show that his election was “God’s will.”

Full Story: Benedict XVI: ‘God told me’ to resign

Source: Religion News Service

Malaria-stricken Rukhiya Malik, 27, sits in the corner of a medical facility run by volunteers in a Mumbai suburb. She is hoping for subsidized medicine for an energy-sapping disease that has left her too weak to walk or hold a long conversation.

“I can’t go to big hospitals,” she says. “I borrowed money from someone else to come here. Government hospitals are expensive. They charge for blood tests. Where would I get the money from?”

Having lost her father last year and her brother a few months later in a train accident, Malik is the family’s only breadwinner and has an aging mother to look after.

There are thousands like her, in Mumbai, who struggle to cope with the financial burden that illness brings with it. With 20 percent of Mumbai’s population – 3.5 million – living below the poverty line, good medical treatment is a luxury few poor can afford.

instead of the 70 government-run hospitals in India’s financial capital, they can only turn to clinics run by Trusts, which offer medicines at subsidized rates.

“The problem is that the population has increased and the authorities are not able to increase the number of health centers at this rate,” says Ravikanth Singh, who runs one such clinic. Hospitals “are in a pathetic condition” as they lack proper staffing and management.

Singh began his Doctors for You organization with some students from a government medical college in 2007. Within three years, he had launched a medical center in a slum area to provide general check-ups, immunization, dental care and primary health needs of the local community.

Mumbai has several facilities like Singh’s but not enough to bring solace to the thousands of poor, who live in crowded slums and eat and drink in highly unhygienic circumstances.

A report on the “State of Health in Mumbai,” published in July by an NGO, said city authorities must focus more on primary healthcare and ensure it caters to fulfilling the needs of the poor.

Public health surveillance needs to be immediately augmented, the report said.

Shaikh Naranum, 21, battling the first stages of tuberculosis, says she would choose an NGO-run clinic over a government facility for reasons that are not just financial.

Privately run multi-specialty hospitals “are the best but I don’t have money to afford them. I prefer hospitals run by trusts and NGOs … as they treat patients with respect.”

In Mumbai, it is always a case of survival of the fittest, says doctor Chirag Rathod, member of the Hope for the Hopeless team that organizes day-long free medical camps.

“If a person doesn’t have money, the only option they have is a government hospital and because of corruption in the system, patients here are taken for granted,” he says.

The authorities are making efforts to improve matters. In July 2012, the state government launched the Rajeev Gandhi Jeevandayee Yojana project, which provides health insurance coverage of up to 150,000 rupees for families whose annual income is less than 100,000 rupees a year.

The government also claims it has sanctioned up to 1.830 billion rupees (US$3 million) for hospitals to conduct up to 952 medical procedures for patients in the past year.

But government also says some 28 private and charitable hospitals in the city refuse to be part of this pro-poor scheme. Health Minister Suresh Shetty says the refusals are because the government’s fixed rates for treatment are too low.

While such disputes continue, the poor hit by malaria and tuberculosis – and with no possible access to expensive private treatment – have no choice but to deal with apathetic government hospitals or Trust-run clinics.

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by Paul Brian Campbell,SJ

“You have hardened,” said the flower, bending her petals downward toward the half stone at her roots. “These rains should have softened you, made you more fertile and receptive to the seeds of the fields; but no. You have accumulated minerals and have become more silent and full of calcium. Why do you stay here? Why do you resist the brook that gives us water?”

The stone said nothing.

A number of clouds passed by, the sun set and the night arrived with an immense bronze-colored freckled moon with acne scars upon her worn face and in this manner reflected down upon the silent stone which still had not fallen asleep. The flower, by now, had tucked-in her petals and slept profoundly, and at this time the stone began to answer:

“I stay here because your roots have made me yours. I stay here because it is no longer about my feeling the earth rather because I have become part of that which functions as a support of your stem which resists the wind and the rain. Everything changes, my sweet flower,” said the stone, “but I stay here because love is that microscopic space between your feet and my salted skin. You would only be able to feel it if destiny were ever to separate the two of us.”

The moon followed the fade of the stars. Dawn gave a yawn as the sun began to burn its horizon on the lower lip of the mouth of a new day. The flower awoke and extended her beautiful petals. “Good morning,” she said, “I dreamed that you were singing to me. How foolish of me, don’t you think?”

The stone said nothing.

by Paul Brian Campbell,SJ

A young student at a Zen monastery comes to his master and throws himself at his feet, sobbing. The teacher lifts him up gently, and asks him, “What is troubling you, my son?” “O master,” the student falters, “I am so discouraged. My meditation is a nightmare-my mind is always running after worldly thoughts, my legs ache, I’m constantly falling asleep… I cannot concentrate on anything for even a breath. I think that I am just not cut out for meditation.”

The master pats his head and comforts him “Do not worry, my child. This is only a stage. It will pass, it will pass.” The student heaves a big sigh, bows to his master, and goes back to the meditation hall.

A few days later, he comes running to his master, grinning from ear to ear. “O master, by your grace, my meditation is completely transformed now! I’m getting so much joy, so much peace, so much depth…” The master responds calmly, “Do not worry, my son. It will pass.”

Biblical Reflection for the Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C – August 18, 2013
The Scripture readings for the 20th Sunday in Ordinary Time invite us to consider the implications of our commitments, our lifestyles and our relationships with others. In the first reading from Jeremiah, the biblical prophet is called to comfort the afflicted and to afflict the comfortable. Jesus, like Jeremiah, will experience the prophet’s fate [Jeremiah 38:4-6,8-10].

In the second reading from the letter to the Hebrews [12:1-4], we learn once again that Jesus, the great architect of the Christian faith had himself to endure the cross before receiving the glory of his triumph. Reflection on his sufferings gives us courage to continue the struggle, if necessary even to the shedding of blood. We must regard our own sufferings as the affectionate correction of the Lord, who loves us as a father loves his children.

In Sunday’s Gospel [Luke 12:49-53] Jesus reminds the crowd that those who commit to him will find that it affects the way they relate to friends and family members. A serious commitment to Jesus forces us to change the way we live our lives, and this can put strains on relationships. We don’t expect to hear such difficult words from Jesus in the Gospels. But it is good to be reminded once in a while that the decision to do the right thing, the good thing and the best thing, is not always easy and without conflict. Jesus himself did not make easy decisions and avoid conflict. Jesus reminds his followers to be prepared for difficult decisions and conflict as well.

Jesus demands a decision either for or against his message

The baptism referred to in Sunday’s Gospel is actually Christ’s passion and death. He longs for this event to take place [Luke 12:50]. Family members are divided against one another; the harsh reality is that the Church’s mission of conversion will not be a total success. Jesus demands a decision either for or against his message. “I came to bring fire to the earth and how I wish it were already kindled” [Luke 12:49]. Jesus did not sit on the fence, resisting hard decisions for fear of not being accepted. He never sought harmony and a middle way in every dispute. He walked into the midst of great conflicts of his time and was unafraid of making tough decisions.

Let us reflect for a moment on our own lack of courage and conviction in the many decisions we must make in life. Many of us hold a view that Christians should always seek harmony and a ‘middle way’ in every dispute and we assume that tension and conflict are worse evils than injustice and oppression. We place a very high premium on being liked and accepted by everyone! And we are often very afraid of revealing who we really are and what we really believe to those we think are friends! We fear rejection!

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By Thomas J. Reese, S.J.

Octavio Gonzalez, a graduate of Georgetown University, would be picking corn and raising a few cattle in El Teul de Gonzalez, Mexico, if his father had not illegally trekked across the hills at the U.S.-Mexico border near San Ysidro, California, in 1969.

Mr. Gonzalez never planned to stay permanently in the U.S., but he wanted something better for his children after he married a woman who had also crossed into the U.S. illegally after being turned back by a border guard who refused to let her cross even though she had a valid visa.

“As much as they both wanted to stay with their families in Mexico, it was becoming clear to them that their aspirations for their children would not be possible living in Mexico,” Octavio explained to a forum sponsored by the Woodstock Theological Center at Georgetown University on Tuesday. “If they stayed to raise a family in Mexico, their children, like them, would go to school six months out of the year and work the fields on the ranch. We would certainly never get the opportunity to study through college.”

The forum was moderated by Jill Marie Gerschutz, who with Donald M. Kerwin, Jr., edited And You Welcomed Me: Migration and Catholic Social Teaching (Lexington Press, 2009).

The Gonzalez family story exemplifies that “A migrant is a person possessed by a dream, just like you and me,” as Bishop Gerald Kicanas, vice president of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops, told a Georgetown audience last month. “They’re trying to improve their lives, live their lives with some dignity, with some semblance of value and meaning.”

Speaking at the same forum as Octavio Gonzalez, Cardinal Theodore McCarrick explained why the Catholic Church supports comprehensive immigration reform that provides a path to citizenship. The church’s teaching on immigration is based on the fact that “We are all brothers and sisters in God’s one family,” he said. Or as Pope Benedict XVI said in his latest encyclical, Caritas in Veritate: “Every migrant is a human person who, as such, possesses fundamental, inalienable rights that must be respected by everyone and in every circumstance.”

The retired archbishop of Washington reminded the audience that the people of Israel were immigrants and God had told them in Leviticus (19:33-34): “When an alien resides with you in your land, you shall not oppress the alien. The alien who resides with you shall be to you as the citizen among you; you shall love the alien as yourself, for you were once aliens in the land of Egypt.”

With Christmas less than two months away, the cardinal recalled that Jesus and the Holy Family were also refugees in Egypt when they fled from Herod.

“Christ lived as a migrant and a refugee for a reason,” he asserted, “in order to live with his people in solidarity, to provide example to all generations, even to this day, and to give witness to the Kingdom of God.”

Jesus made this explicit in his teaching when he said that to attain the Kingdom of Heaven, we must welcome the stranger. “For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me…. Just as you did this to the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.”

Like the late John Paul II, McCarrick saw in the parable of the Good Samaritan a message about immigration. He quoted John Paul, who said: “For her part, the church, like the good Samaritan, feels it her duty to be close to the illegal immigrant and refugee, contemporary icons of the despoiled traveler, beaten and abandoned on the side of the road to Jericho.”

Pope Benedict has continued this solidarity with immigrants by encouraging the U.S. bishops “to continue to welcome the immigrants who join your ranks today, to share their joys and hopes, to support them in their sorrow and trials, and to help them flourish in their new home.”

McCarrick decried “the broken immigration system and a toxic political atmosphere which has prevented humane reform of this system.” The Catholic community witnesses “families being separated, migrant workers being exploited, and families mourning the death of loved ones who die on their journey to the United States.”

“We must change our laws so as to bring the undocumented out of the shadows, provide safe passage to those who want to come to work or join their families in our country, and address the economic inequities which compel persons to leave their homes in search of employment,” he said.

Octavio’s parents did legalize their status in 1986 under the Immigration Reform and Control Act. His parents now could become active in their community and church and buy a home and car. Their five sons were already American citizens having been born here, so Octavio, a hard working student, had no problem going to college. He is now a legal assistant at the Immigrants’ Rights Clinic at Stanford Law School.

But Octavio told of another exceptional high school graduate, Jessica, whose dream of college is at risk. Although only three years old when brought across the border by her parents, she has no path to citizenship available and could be sent back to a country she does not even remember despite the fact that all of her teachers and peers consider her an exemplary person.

Perhaps the immigration debate says as much about us as a country as it does about the immigrants. Who do we want to be? As the Catholic bishops of Mexico and the United States stated in their joint pastoral letter, Strangers No Longer, “We judge ourselves as a community of faith by the way we treat the most vulnerable among us.”

Thomas J. Reese, S.J., is Senior Fellow at Woodstock Theological Center at Georgetown University.

One of the more beautiful and admirable attributes of the saints-but also one that can be a bit dangerous if we are not careful-is their remarkable willingness and even desire to forgive and make excuses for those who cause them harm.

I say beautiful and admirable because it is an imitation of Jesus Christ who, as he experienced the agony of the cross, prayed, “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34). However plain it seems to us that these persons knew precisely what they were doing, Christ challenges us in our perceptions and cautions us not to judge the intentions we can never fully know. He makes excuses for them and expresses, even in the midst of his suffering, the desire that they be forgiven.

But at the same time, to make excuses for those who do evil can be dangerous. It can allow for its continuation and perpetuate the sin. Psychologists speak of codependency and the consequences of enabling others to continue in their destructive behavior. Certainly Christ is not advocating that. It is a careful balance we must strike, because we believe in a God of unfathomable mercy but also in a God of justice.

A wonderful, and I would say also timely, example for us in this careful balance between forgiveness and justice is Blessed John Paul II (soon to be canonized St. John Paul II). Shot at point blank range in St. Peter’s square in 1981, he nearly died from that assassination attempt. Yet once he had recovered enough to speak he broadcast a message to the entire world: “I pray for that brother of ours who shot me, and whom I have sincerely pardoned.”

That brother of ours? By no means was Blessed John Paul II referring here to the fraternal bond of baptism. The assassin, Mehmet Ali Ajca, was not a Christian. The Pope was simply referring to this person’s dignity as one created in the image of God and, in a certain sense, making excuses by separating the man from the act of destruction he had so deliberately carried out. What is often missed in John Paul’s offer of forgiveness and his subsequent pastoral visit to “this brother of ours” is the fact that Blessed John Paul II was in total agreement that Ajca, who had already taken the life of a journalist, be locked up in jail!

We believe in forgiveness and mercy, but also that dangerous criminals should be kept off the streets. We are not blind to the fact that those who have committed heinous crimes owe a debt to society; their acts of violence have penal ramifications.

Why do I mention these things this morning? Firstly, they are important for us to reflect on because every single one of us, at one time or another, has been hurt by the words or actions of others. What does forgiveness mean for us, and how should we pursue it? On a broader level, as recent as this morning our newspapers display criminals who have committed acts of violence against innocent people; the call for justice, even retribution, echoes from the radio and television news stations daily. As Christians we are called to embrace forgiveness and mercy but by no means are we to forget the demands of justice and the responsibility to make the world a safer place. It is not easy to discern how we should respond to the demands of the Gospel, which Christ and saints like John Paul II have modeled so well for us. In our first reading this morning, however, the patriarch Joseph teaches us beautifully how to begin.

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The feast day of the Assumption of Mary, also known as Assumption Day, celebrates the day that God assumed the Virgin Mary into Heaven following her death, according to popular Christian belief. It is the principal feast day of the Virgin Mother.

It is celebrated annually on or around August 15 by many countries, particularly in parts of Europe and South America. Some countries celebrate the day at other times of the year. This day is also known as the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Dormition of the Most Holy Mother of God (in the eastern countries), or the Feast of the Assumption.

What do people do?
Colorful processions through the streets and firework displays mark the celebration of the Feast of the Assumption in Italy, as they do in Italian-American communities throughout the United States. In Sicily and rural areas outside Rome, a bowing procession is the day’s main event. A statue of the Virgin Mary is carried through the town to a ceremonial arch of flowers, where a group of people holding a statue of Christ awaits her arrival. Both statues are inclined toward each other three times, and then the Christ figure precedes the figure of Mary back to the parish church for a special benediction.

In Sao Paulo and other parts of southern Brazil, the feast is called Nosa Senhora dos Navegantes, or “Our Lady of the Navigators”. Pageants are held on decorated canoes, each carrying a captain, a purser, three musicians, and two rowers. They travel to small villages to entertain and feast. Towns may have small church processions with musicians whose costumes and demeanors depict the “Three Wise Men” who are mentioned in the Bible.

In previous years some Italian plazas were flooded. Citizens would ride through the temporary “lakes” in carriages and it was common for people to carry bowls of rose-scented water, which they sprinkled on themselves – possibly a carryover from a pagan ritual in which the gods were petitioned to provide adequate rainfall for the crops, or as a tribute to the pagan goddess Isis of the Sea. Assumption Day is also an important holiday in France where the Virgin Mary has been the patron saint since 1638.

Public life
Assumption Day is a public holiday in countries such as Austria, Belgium, Chile, Croatia, France, parts of Germany, Guatemala, Greece, Italy, Poland, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain and Switzerland (the holiday may be regional or limited to certain groups in Switzerland). However, Assumption Day is not a public holiday in countries such as Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

Background
Assumption Day commemorates the belief that when Mary, the mother of Jesus Christ, died, her body was not subjected to the usual process of physical decay but was “assumed” into heaven and reunited there with her soul. This holiday, which has been celebrated since the fourth century CE, is a Christianization of an earlier harvest festival and, in many parts of Europe, is known as the Feast of Our Lady of the Harvest.

For centuries celebrations were held in the honor of the goddess Isis of the Sea, who was born on this day according to mythology. With the coming of Christianity church leaders decided that the easiest way to handle this pagan ritual was to simply change it into a Christian holiday, hence the introduction of Assumption Day came forth.

Like the Immaculate Conception, the Assumption was not always an official dogma of the Roman Catholic Church – not until Pope Pius XII ruled it so in 1950. It is, however, a pious belief held by some Orthodox Christians and some Anglicans. It is regarded as the principal feast day of the Virgin Mother.

Symbols
Remnants of the ancient celebration include night time bonfires and public illuminations, both probably symbolic of the sun, in Italy. The idea of prosperity is also evident in the throwing of coins from windows down to the street in some cultures. Symbolic images of the Virgin Mary and her assumption into heaven have been associated with the day. Blue is the color most often associated with the Virgin Mary. It symbolizes truth and clarity, and it is the color of the sky, which symbolizes heaven. The lily, which is a symbol of purity, chastity, and simplicity, is also associated with the Virgin Mary.

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Jesuits in Southeast Asia will be taking a more active role in the fight against human trafficking, which Pope Francis recently called “a despicable activity, a disgrace for our societies, which describe themselves as civilized”.

There was strong Jesuit participation in a recent meeting of major superiors focussed on the issue. Among the participants at the XV Southeast Asia Major Superiors Congress held in Singapore from April 15 to 19 were Jesuits from Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Vietnam, Cambodia and Micronesia. During the meeting, the Indonesian Province and Malaysia-Singapore Region in particular committed to concrete actions in the broad plans developed to combat human trafficking in the various local contexts.

Human trafficking is the fastest-growing crime in the world. An estimated 27 million men, women, children have been made into slaves across the world, and every year, an estimated 800,000 people are forced or sold into slavery.

In its second global estimate of forced labour released in June 2012, the International Labour Organization said there are 20.9 million victims of modern-day slavery at any given time, with Asia Pacific accounting for the largest number at about 11.7 million.

Indonesian Provincial Fr Riyo Mursanto SJ said that the Jesuits will continue to work with and through KOPTARI, the Conference of Religious Major Superiors in Indonesia, on raising awareness of human trafficking in the country and supporting the work of the women religious providing direct care to victims.

Fr Riyo, who is also chairman of KOPTARI, said that in its meeting with the Bishops Conference in August, KOPTARI will strongly emphasise the importance of raising awareness of human trafficking among the diocesan priests and male religious.

KOPTARI will also support the national networking meeting in July of the Counter Women Trafficking Commission of the IBSI (Indonesia Conference of Women Religious), and efforts by women religious to provide shelters for victims.

Fr Riyo said that the Indonesian Province would also look at opportunities to provide Jesuits in formation with “direct experiences around the complexity of the problem”.

“Families look for happiness. But human trafficking breaks apart close members of the families and brings misery,” said Fr Riyo.

In Malaysia and Singapore, the Society will be collaborating with other religious in the Conference of Religious Major Superiors (CRMS) Malaysia-Singapore-Brunei on efforts in Malaysia and Singapore. These will build on the CRMS’ first modest anti-human trafficking project in 2011 to raise awareness of human trafficking.

Fr Colin Tan SJ, Regional Superior of the Jesuit region of Malaysia-Singapore, who served as chairman for this year’s SEAMS Congress, has agreed to coordinate the fundraising efforts for CRMS initiatives in awareness raising and advocacy and its plans to raise awareness among lawyers, doctors, and business groups. He will also be assisting in efforts to conscientise bishops and priests and encourage them to raise awareness of the issue from the pulpit.

“Human trafficking is a serious issue that concerns the Church in in its social mission and duty to reach out to the weak, the poor, the marginalised, the vulnerable and the exploited,” said Fr Colin. “Following what Pope Francis has said, the ‘church must be in the streets with the poor, to find God among them and to learn from them’.”

The Southeast Asia Major Superiors Congress is held once every three years to encourage and enable networking and collaboration among the Religious in Southeast Asia. The XV SEAMS Congress, which was focussed on human trafficking, drew 33 participants from nine Asian countries, and resulted in broad action plans to combat human trafficking in Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Micronesia, Myanmar, Thailand, and the Philippines.

In a statement issued on April 22, the SEAMS Congress said, “Through the Congress, participants emerged with a strong conviction that we cannot continue to address human trafficking in our present piecemeal way. There is an urgent need for greater networking and collaboration.”

The anti-human trafficking project implemented by the Conference of Religious Major Superiors Malaysia-Singapore-Brunei in 2011 consisted of a set of five brochures on human trafficking, available in English, Chinese and Malay. For more information on the project and to download the brochures, go to http://franciscans.sg/crms/