Provincial delegate's report

My dear Carmelites,

This Flos Carmeli has been placed on line here. Printing costs prevent us from publishing the color photographs. If you misplace information published in your newsletter and cannot find your old copy, this blog would be a place where you could locate information going back to 2005. I would like to remind all our communities the importance of keeping your membership rosters up to date. The communities I have not received birthdates from are Conyers & DeRidder. This would be the third appeal I have made for this information. The last time I did not want to embarrass those who had not responded, but so much time has passed now since my first appeal, my patience has worn too thin to worry about embarrassing the negligent chapters.

On behalf of our community of Marylake, our province’s novitiate in Arkansas, I want to thank all our communities and groups who have responded so generously to our call for financial aid by sending a monthly donation. You have helped greatly to reduce our debt. We are presently pursueing the idea of turning some of our property into a cemetery where we can sell plots to any of you who might want to be buried on Carmelite ground. Hopefully that project may generate some needed funds to keep our friars here afloat.

It was a joy to have our provincial council here at Marylake for their annual meeting from June 9-12. As this was to be the last meeting of the original council, barring any unforeseen extraordinary meeting before our elections next year, there was a special poignancy in the air as we tackled the task of replacing our members. Two will remain: Elizabeth Korves our president, and Nancy Thompson. Three will be replaced: Pascal Alfano, Amelia Wilken and Gerald Alford. This photo shows us interviewing via speaker phone in Marylake’s parlor, candidates our canonical communities nominated for provincial council positions.

Alabama

Bobby Pearson’s profession was made to Fr. Adam Gonzales OCD of the California province at retreat on 14-Apr-07. Bobby began our Tennessee Valley Study Group in April 2004. Father Adam has recently been appointed vocation director for the CA-AZ Province. He attended the Seattle OCDS Congress in June.

Arkansas

Our OCDS ran a vocation booth at a local Little Rock church’s yearly bazaar. On 06-May-07. We advertised our cloistered nuns, our friars, and our OCDS, sharing the booth with the diocesan director of vocations, a representative from the Benedictine monks, and three or four different orders of Sisters. See photo in posting of May 2007 titled: “Help our friars with Vocations”

During the bi-annual meeting of our Secular Order at Marylake, we celebrated the profession on Saturday 12-May-07 of Julie Breen Patrick. This community meets every month, but normally at our Nuns monastery downtown. Twice a year they drive out to Marylake, in May and in the fall. Fr. Raphael, our Assistant, was principal celebrant [left], with Fathers John Michael, Joseph and Marion concelebrating the Mass. Formation Director Mary Armstrong [right] presented Julie to Father Raphael after the homily. Our community at Marylake always looks forward to these visits, because after Mass we are served a pot-luck dinner.

Louisiana

Debbie Malarcher was given the OCDS scapular by Fr. John Michael at retreat at Maryhill in Alexandria on 14-Apr-07. Debbie is from Shreveport and transferred from TOC as an isolate of the Alexandria community. This retreat was attended by four from New Iberia, three from Shreveport, one from Natchez, one from Lafayette, and four from Alexandria.

Fr. Jerome Earley OCD, gave a Day of Recollection to our OCDS Community in Baton Rouge on Saturday, 23-Jun-07, at St Isidore parish hall in Baker LA, north of Baton Rouge. “We had a wonderful Day of Recollection and really enjoyed having Fr. Jerome with us again! We miss our OCD priests! (Most in the photo are of our Baton Rouge OCDS, a few are from New Iberia and Natchez.)” [Frances Locker] The parish hall is called the Ott Center after our former bishop, Bishop Ott. At first glance I thought it looked like a cloister of our nuns with the grille behind our members. Frances told me this used to be the old church with the organ pipes behind.

Mississippi

On Sunday 15-Apr-07 at St. James church in Gulfport, Gail Occhi and Herbert Young made their Definitive Promise at the hands of newly appointed Assistant Monsignor James McGough. Beverly Courtenay, formation director for our Gulf Coast community [left] presented the two candidates to Msgr James McGough. Their Final Promise had been delayed a year due to Hurricane Katrina.

Missouri

Our community in St Louis lost two members in April. Long time member Lyn Grothoff died on Wednesday, April 4th. She was laid out at Hutchens Mortuary in Florissant. Visitation on Good Friday, and a prayer service on Holy Saturday at St. Rose Philippine Duchesne Church. Lyn had been in a nursing home for some time. She lost her husband and two of her children recently and her oldest son is in poor health also. Lyn was born 28-Jun-33, made her profession on 20-May-84, and definitive in 87. Mike Harris died of leukemia on 12-Apr-07. Mike had moved to St Louis from Southern California last fall. His funeral was at Immaculate Conception Church in Dardenne Praire.

Tennessee

Our Knoxville Study Group invited the Asheville OCDS for their annual retreat directed this year by Fr. William Healy OCD from Milwaukee. Father Bill served many years as provincial delegate to the Secular Order of the Washington Province.

The retreat, organized by Knoxville Councillors Ghislaine Miller and George Quinter, was held April 13-15, 2007, at the Living Waters Catholic Reflection Center in Maggie Valley, North Carolina. It is run by the Augustinian friars.

Left to Right: Missy DePersio, Adriana Fadden, Brenda Nicholson, Jeanne Dauenhauer, Jan Hicks, Susana Navarro-Valenti, Mark Calvert, Susan Hendershott, Fr. William Healy, OCD, Beth Small (in front), Colleen Harbison (behind Beth), Dot Terheyden, Carole Amador, George Quinter, Mary Ann Shanahan, Anita Gouge, Ghislaine Miller, Kendra Dowlatshahi, Dorothy Curtis, and Kathy DeWine.

Texas

Our 2008 Congress committee has selected a new location for our Houston Congress next year. The steering committee signed a contract in May with the Omni Hotel Westside off Katy Freeway (I-10) in Houston. The website for this congress which contains the speakers and theme may be found at http://www.ocdscongresshouston.com/

I was invited by President Lois Vasquez [left] to give a retreat to our Georgetown Study Group at Cedarbrake retreat center in Belton Texas from June 29 to July 1^st. The theme was Blessed Elizabeth of the Trinity. Despite flooding throughout the state of Texas, many of our members attended including representatives from the Austin community, and our Kileen and Waco Study Groups.

Your brother in Carmel,

Fr. John Michael OCD, prov. delg.

Who receives Promises

Q. Dear Father John Michael, may our retreat master receive the First Promises of our novices at our annual retreat this fall? He is a Discalced Carmelite from another province. Will you need to authorize him?

A. The short answer to your question is, yes he may, and he doesn’t even have to be a Carmelite priest. No, I do not need to authorize him. Read our Oklahoma Provincial Statute I.6): “When the Spiritual Assistant is unable to preside, no special delegation is needed for the Local Council to ask another priest or deacon to clothe candidates and receive Promises and vows.”

The long answer is a bit more complicated. This question involves our OCDS Constitution, articles 11 & 12: “the Promise is made to the community in the presence of the Superior of the Order or his delegate.” It also pertains to introductory notes in our Carmelite ritual which state: ”The local Assistant of the Community, or another authorized priest, presides.” [13 for Clothing, 31, 51 & 67 for Professions]

The important thing to remember at a Profession ceremony is what may affect the validity of the Promise. Who is it who authorizes the candidate to make the Promise and thus be professed in our Order? That authorization comes from the local council of a canonical community, or in the special cases of our Study Groups, the authorization comes from the Provincial Council. If a council vote has been taken with the result that the candidate has been approved (before the ceremony), fine. But if not, then the candidate’s profession would be invalid even if the pope himself were to receive the Promise (at the ceremony).

During my tenure as provincial delegate there have been a number of cases where the validity of a novice’s profession was questioned because the President or Formation Director decided that the novice had completed our two year formation program, the time had come for profession, and an esteemed priest of the order or family friend of the candidate was suddenly available to do the ceremony, so it was all arranged at the last minute, usually at the annual community retreat. First or Definitive Promise was thus celebrated with no authorization from anyone except the priest presider or retreat master who had no authority to approve the candidate for the Promise. In most cases, the priest just presumed the candidate presented to him was duly approved to be professed, because he had not asked to see her papers showing that a council had approved her. If the priest was not an Assistant of our Order, he simply presumed either that the Director of Formation could make that approval on her own, or that simply completing the two year formation program entitled the candidate to be professed. These are examples of invalid professions.

Now the specific point of your question involves an authorization. Authorization is given to your Spiritual Assistant to receive clothings and Promises as a delegate of the Superior of the Order. This fulfills the requirement quoted above in our Constitutions, since Our Father Provincial is unable to attend all our OCDS profession ceremonies. If your Spiritual Assistant is not available for the rite, your local council may ask another priest or deacon to receive the Promises or vows, with special permission from the General Definitory who approved our Provincial Statutes.

Thanks for asking. Your question gave me a chance to research some aspects of the law involving who does what with whom and who can delegate (the Father Provincial), sub-delegate (his Provincial delegate), but not sub-sub-delegate (the local Assistant, if appointed by the Provincial delegate). Don’t even ask about that.

Your brother in Carmel,

John Michael Payne OCD, prov. delg.

R.I.P.

Antonia Fuentes, age 85, died on April 5, 2007 in San Antonio, Tx. She was clothed Oct. 15, 1984 and made her definitive promise on July 16, 1987 taking the devotional name of Bernadette. She made her vows on July 16, 1993. She had a very strong devotion to St. Joseph and had a Mass celebrated in her home every year on his feast day for 25 years. Due to long illness she was inactive since Sept. 2003. A wonderful and spiritual lady admired by all.

Although we do not print obituaries of our family members here, permit me to make an exception to the rule in the case of Roma Golden’s husband who died 23-Jun-07 in Natchez MS. Harold died about a month after he underwent a difficult surgery. The remarkable thing about Harold is that although he was not a Catholic (he was a Methodist) he always supported his wife Roma in her vocation as a Carmelite, and prayed the Divine Office with her every day. Our sympathies extend to Roma and their four children. As we Carmelites strive to place our responsibilities to spouse and family before those to our order, what a joy it is to have a spouse who supports our responsibilities to our holy Order. May God reward all who support and encourage us in our efforts to live a life of allegiance to the One we know loves us.

Secretary's letter

Letter from Pat Darby
Secretary for Central Jurisdiction

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Because of a serious and unexpected illness, I am today making an announcement that was to be made in the October issue of the Flos Carmeli:

I am happy to announce that Martha Hanley [left] of the Cedar Rapids Community will be the new Editor of the Flos Carmeli, beginning with this edition and forward.

I had asked Fr. John Michael and the Provincial Council to accept my resignation as Editor some time ago. They accepted it and approached Martha to accept the position which she did and was to begin in 2008. However, as you know, sometimes our plans don't work out as we expect.

Due to this unexpected illness, I was unable to prepare and mail the current Flos Carmeli and Martha agreed to take over early. I want to thank her for stepping up on such short notice.

I have done this blessed job for 15 years and felt it was time for someone else to have that privilege. It has truly been a joy and a gift for me over the years and I have learned much from it and loved doing it.

I will continue on as your Provincial Secretary, so all annual dues, financial statements, inquiries will continue to be sent to the Central Office as always: 215 N Greenville Ave # 1214, Allen TX 75002. My e-mail is jmjtj33@aol.com My illness is improving and I hope to be back to normal soon.

For questions regarding your newsletters, write Martha at tnmhanley@yahoo.com

For a list of the conferences of the 2007 Western Regional Congress held in the Seattle area, and ordering information, you can go to
http://congress.ocds.info/recordings.htm

Now, I will have the pleasure of looking forward to our Provincial Newsletter and reading it from cover to cover. Again, it has been a pleasure and joy to be your Editor. May the Holy Spirit inspire our new Editor.

Your sister in Carmel,
Pat Darby,
of the Good Sheperd, ocds

Provincial Council report

REPORT FROM THE

PROVINCIAL COUNCIL
July 2007

Summer brings our busy time for visitations. Pascal visited Natchez (formerly Vidalia) where we have a small but very faithful and active study group. Amelia visited our Gulf Coast community in Mississippi which seems to have recovered well from the ravages of Katrina. We’ve decided that Gerald is jinxed in relation to making a visitation with Topeka. Twice now he’s had problems that resulted in a delay. We’re hoping that the third time is the charm. Several visitations will take place here during July and August by all provincial councilors.

June 9-12 brought our annual in person meeting. As always, we rejoiced in spending time together even though this year came with a touch of sadness since this was our last meeting of this very first Provincial Council. Next year’s meeting will be with the new councilors. Topics that we discussed include congresses and particularly finances for congresses. The Houston planners informed us that the amount of funds left over from the St Louis congress is greatly insufficient and they are having to do a number of fund raisers in order to make the required deposit on the hotel in a couple of months. The Provincial Council has decided to work with host communities towards building up the congress fund to a minimum of $10,000 to be passed from each host community to the next. We know it’ll take some time to build the fund up to that amount but given the size of deposits asked for by hotels and other such initial costs for congresses, we felt this amount is necessary.

We spent a great deal of time discussing Provincial Council elections and how to best make the transition and orient new members. We had some good candidates nominated to be on the ballot and contacted them during our meeting to explain the expectations of serving on the Provincial Council and answer questions each candidate had. In addition, we discussed canonical establishment for a few of our study groups. Finally we shared some long term dreams about the future of the Provincial Council.

While the rest headed home, Elizabeth and Fr. John Michael headed for the OCDS National Council meeting followed by the Regional Congress in Seattle. Fr. John Michael’s plane was scheduled to leave an hour earlier than Elizabeth’s but somehow her plane left before his and she arrived in Seattle an hour before him, much to Father’s consternation. Highlights of the National Council meeting are included in this issue of the Flos. Both very much enjoyed the Congress. There were some great talks (esp. by OCDS) and we encourage folks who were unable to attend the Congress to order copies of the talks from http://congress.ocds.info/recordings.htm

The Houston Congress will be Sept 11-14, 2008 and their website is at http://ocdscongresshouston.com/

Finally, we ask that everyone continue to hold the process of our first Provincial Council elections in prayer. Nominees are in discernment and soon we will be asking them to write up a few things that we’ll print in a future Flos Carmeli to help our province discern when it comes time to vote. In the meantime, this current Provincial Council serves on and wishes everyone a blessed feast of Our Lady of Mt Carmel !!

Provincial Council:
Pascal Alfano, Gerald Alford, Elizabeth Korves, Nancy Thompson, and Amelia Wilken

Extending Formation

Extending a Formation Period

Section I of the Provincial Statutes allows for extending each formation period when necessary. It is important to realize that the times given in the Constitutions are considered MINIMAL times for each formation period.

There are many reasons that a council might feel it is best to extend the formation period longer than mentioned in the Constitutions. Sometimes a candidate will ask for more time before proceeding to the next stage of formation. Always the extension of a formation period should not be viewed in a negative light but as something meant to be supportive of the needs of the candidate in relation to being properly formed in the Carmelite charism.

At the National Council meeting in Seattle in June, our OCDS General Delegate clarified that if a person is in First Promise and that formation period is extended, then the candidate needs to renew the First Promise. This renewal should be done just like the original profession --using the Ritual and taking place at a Mass or at the Liturgy of the Hours. The only change is that in place of "for the next three years," the candidate makes the Promise for the time period of the extension, i.e. "for the next 18 months."

It is important to remember that at the end of the three years, the First Promise expires. Once the Promise expires, the person is no longer a member of the Order. So it is important that the Local Council (or the Provincial Council in the case of Study Groups) grant permission for an extension and the candidate publicly renew the Promise at the point in time when the initial three year period comes to an end.

--The Provincial Council

National Council

OCDS National Council

Meeting Highlights

Members of the OCDS National Council met June 14 and 15 in Bellevue, Wash. Following are some of the points discussed:

• Province updates:

· The California/Arizona Province has completed its statutes and is working on a procedure manual. The province has 2,300 members in 60 communities,

· The Oklahoma Province will be having its first provincial elections. There are 870 members in 40 communities.

· The Washington Province is continuing to work on statutes. Washington has 4,000 members in 123 communities.

· OCDS had a tax-exempt IRS number! I was informed the latter part of August by a banker in Oregon that the tax id number formerly listed here is not operative. He said an annual financial report must be submitted to keep the number filed active. I was never asked for a financial report, so the feds must have retired my OCDS number years ago. I apologize for this inconvenience. If you are thinking of using that number to your community's bank account, please do not use it. If you already have your account listed under that number, it would probably be best to close that account and take out a new one. Treasurers, it is important that you keep good records of money earned and spent while using that number, in case you are investigated. We will try to file for a new number and appoint someone to file the needed reports to keep the tax exempt status active.

· If an OCDS member moves to another province, he or she is under the jurisdiction of that province. The two communities involved in the transfer must be in dialogue about the individual who has moved. The community receiving the transfer is not obligated to accept the individual. The receiving community is in charge of the individual's formation.

· In general, OCDS members should be attached to the community they are most proximate to. It is recommended that seculars maintain membership in communities closest to them; they should not divide along political lines. OCDS must be assigned to a community. Provincial councils decide on questionable cases.

· Father Deeney spoke about dismissals of definitively professed members from the order. Canon law must be followed in exercising penalties. Other valid punishments (e.g., being taken off an active role, not being allowed to vote or to participate in business meetings) must be used first. Penalties must be discussed with the offender. For dismissal, the problem must be grave, provable, consistent and recorded. The Provincial must be consulted.

· Good formation is essential. The local council has the responsibility to refuse progress to those in formation if they do not have vocations. Councils should not commit sin against the community in the name of being charitable to an individual in formation.

· Promises make a person a full member in OCDS. Vows are distinctly personal, not institutional. The key is to focus on good formation in preparation for promises before spending much time on the details of vows.

· All three provinces are committed to a three-year cycle of regional congresses. Provinces will do their best to decrease the costs associated with congresses. Regional congresses will attempt to have more workshops and more OCDS speakers.

· The National Council will provide a theme for the National Congress. Each province will submit a list of speaker suggestions to the host community for that congress.

· When it is decided to extend the first promise, an extension of the promise is to be made before the Spiritual Assistant. It is best if all promises could be received by a Carmelite priest.

· Spiritual assistants cannot sub-delegate their responsibilities to another priest [if they are appointed by the Provincial delegate].

· Father Deeney plans to set up secretariats in Asia, India, Europe-Africa and the Americas. These secretariats will be made up of committees of OCDS members.

OCDS are full members of the order, dependent on the friars.

· The National Council has not authority to dictate decisions to the provinces. Provincial Statutes take precedence over National policies. The National Council proposes policies to the three provinces. Each Provincial Council may accept or reject or amend these suggested policies. Then each Provincial Council can make an addendum to its Provincial Statutes. These addenda are binding to OCDS in that province. When the policy is published, it is considered promulgated and carries the weight of law.

· Any community that does not accept the Constitutions ceases to be a community of the order.

Choosing a Spiritual Director

"TAKE CARE"
Thoughts on Choosing a Spiritual Director

"It is very important that individuals, desiring to advance in recollection and perfection, take care into whose hands they entrust themselves, for the disciple will become like the master." (The Living Flame of Love, 3:30) This is a most wise instruction from Saint John of the Cross and should be taken very seriously. If we recognize the value and priority of our relationship with God and if we desire to grow in that relationship, then we should choose carefully the person who will serve as our spiritual director. We will reflect and act upon the advice and suggestions that our director gives; we want to "take care into whose hands we entrust" ourselves. What follows are some thoughts to consider in choosing a director.

I begin with a well-known text in which John of the Cross speaks of the principal tasks and responsibilities of those who serve in the ministry of spiritual direction:

Directors should reflect that they themselves are not the chief agent, guide, and mover of souls in this matter, but the principal guide is the Holy Spirit, who is never neglectful of souls, and they themselves are instruments for directing these souls to perfection through faith and the law of God, according to the spirit given by God to each one. Thus the whole concern of directors should not be to accommodate souls to their own method and condition, but they should observe the road along which God is leading one; if they do not recognize it, they should leave the soul alone and not bother it. (The Living Flame of Love, 3:46)

Though the main focus of this text is the director, there are important implications here for directees to consider.

"The principal guide is the Holy Spirit." This is at the very heart of the theology of spiritual direction. To be attentive to the Spirit as guide, we should choose a director with whom we do not have an extensive history. A person that we know well could become a distraction to the objectivity that is necessary for a healthy direction relationship. Our focus must remain on the Spirit at work within us. If we choose a director with whom we are familiar in another context(s), human factors can emerge that compromise that objectivity. We can become hesitant or embarrassed about sharing on a deep level because we know that we will encounter the director in those other settings. And, we may see the director in a light that is not helpful to the relationship. This has the potential to create a lack of comfort that can encumber effective spiritual direction.

"According to the spirit given by God to each one." Spiritual direction is not designed to be "one size fits all." It must be attentive to the unique ways in which the Spirit is guiding each of us. To maximize openness to the graces available through spiritual direction, we should choose a director with whom we do not have a personal or professional relationship. Dual relationships raise the issue of safeguarding appropriate boundaries. Personal boundaries are not only physical and emotional, they are also informational. Directees and directors who are in more than one relationship with one another may unintentionally share information outside direction; such inadvertent breaches of confidentiality can erode the trust necessary for direction. Closely related to this is the situation of a spiritual director serving for several members of a community/group to which he/she belongs. While there may be situations in which alternatives are not possible, in general, a diversity of directors from outside is preferable for the spiritual health and development of the community/group.

"Not to accommodate souls to their own method and condition." Directors who have been well formed and trained are keenly aware that the potential for compromising objectivity and personal [12-13] boundaries is very real. They will understand precisely why Saint John of the Cross cautions them in this regard. If that potential for compromise is present, we have the right to assume that the director will notice it and address it, or that the director will be willing to discuss it fully if we mention it. We must sense the director's conviction that spiritual direction is about God's work in us and not about what the director can accomplish.

In light of the above, what qualities might a directee look for in a director? First, a humility that invites our freedom to explore the ways of the Spirit in every dimension of life. When we do not sense that we are encouraged to take up that exploration, we need to examine the roots of that, even though it may involve questioning the health or focus of the direction relationship.

Second, a knowledge of the spiritual life that encourages faith in God and focus on God present and active in our life, and that nurtures confidence of being guided along the pathways of the spiritual journey. Though we may not be familiar with every kind of experience that can emerge in the spiritual life, we must have a basic trust that the director's guidance is useful and beneficial in providing us with some insight into our experience.

Third, a concern that promotes growth. Even though directors may ask about health or affective issues when appropriate, we must have a sense that our continuing spiritual development is at the foundation of the questions, suggestions, and recommendations we receive in direction.

Fourth, a respect that affirms us as persons. Spiritual direction can invite us to experiment with different prayer forms and perspectives. Still, we must experience our spiritual life as truly our own, as a graced adventure that fits our daily life and capabilities as they continue to evolve.

Fifth, an honesty that is willing to challenge. The preceding qualities do not negate the director's responsibility to challenge and address honestly any issues, behaviors, or practices that could be detrimental to our progress in the spiritual life. We should sense that we are welcome to ask the director for suggestions and recommendations that will facilitate the deepening of our relationship with and response to God.

Sixth, the above qualities together point to the director's faith which always recognizes and acknowledges that "the principal guide is the Holy Spirit." We should sense that this recognition and acknowledgment are never lost sight of in the direction relationship and that they are an expression of the director's own love and desire for God.

The director's humility, knowledge, concern, respect, honesty, and faith, however blessed and beneficial, do not exonerate us from taking responsibility for our part in the direction relationship. The topics which emerge in direction can be uncomfortable and probing. Failure to face and address those topics, at times, may not be a reflection on the director's ability, but a call to our own self-examination for any lack of self-knowledge, low self-esteem, or unwillingness to look at our life as it really is.

When speaking about those seeking a spiritual director, Saint John of the Cross makes the assumption that they are "desiring to advance in recollection and perfection." Two brief points implicit in this phrase will serve as a conclusion to these reflections. First, this desire to advance must be genuine and not merely a ploy to be noticed as "holy." Such a ploy is but a very thin veneer for pride. Second, the spiritual direction relationship must be at the service of that desire to advance. Anything less will not point the way toward recollection and perfection and, ultimately, union with God. Truly, then, directees must "take care into whose hands they entrust themselves." It is a matter of life, our spiritual life.

Brother Joel Giallanza, C.S.C.
Institute for Spiritual Direction - Diocese of Austin
P.O. Box 13327- Austin, Texas 78711

Christ

All things, all history converge in Christ. A man of sorrow and hope, he knows us and loves us. As our friend, he stays by us throughout our lives, at the end of time he will come to be our judge; but we also know that he will be the complete fulfillment of our lives and our great happiness for all eternity.

I can never cease to speak of Christ for he is our truth and our light, he is the way, the truth, and the life. He is our bread, our source of living water who allays our hunger and satisfies our thirst. He is our shepherd, our leader, our ideal, our comforter and our brother.

He is like us but more perfectly human, simple, poor, humble, and yet, while burdened with work, he is more patient. He spoke on our behalf, he worked miracles, and he founded a new kingdom; in it the poor are happy, peace is the foundation of a life in common; where the pure of heart and those who mourn are uplifted and comforted; the hungry find justice; sinners are forgiven, and all discover that they are brothers.

He is the mediator —the bridge, if you will— between heaven and earth. Above all, he is the son of man, more perfect than any man, being also the Son of God, eternal and infinite. He is the son of Mary his mother on earth, more blessed than any woman. She is also our mother in the spiritual communion of the mystical body.

--From a homily by Pope Paul VI

Poem on Silence

"But Jesus was Silent..." Mt 26:63

The Silence is Meekness.
When you do not defend yourself against offenses . ..
When you do not claim your rights
When you let God defend you
The Silence is Meekness.

The Silence is Mercy.
When you do not reveal the faults of your brothers to others
When you readily forgive without inquiring into the past
When you do not judge, but pray in your heart
The Silence is Mercy.

The Silence is Patience.
When you accept suffering not with grumbling but joyfully
When you do not look for human consolations
When you do not become too anxious,
but wait in patience for the seed to germinate
The Silence is Patience.

The Silence is Humility.
When there is no competition
When you consider the other person to be better than yourself
When you let your brothers emerge, grown and mature
When you joyfully abandon all to the Lord
When your actions may be misinterpreted
When you leave to others the glory of the enterprise
The Silence is Humility.

The Silence is Adoration.
When you embrace the cross without asking why.
The Silence is Adoration.