CONSISTORY SATURDAY 11/25

At 10.30 a.m. tomorrow, November 24, the Pope will hold an Ordinary Public Consistory for the creation of 23 new cardinals.

The consistory for the creation of new cardinals, according to the new rite introduced during the consistory of June 28, 1991, contains the following points:

Following a liturgical greeting, the Pope reads the formula of creation, and solemnly proclaims the names of the new cardinals. The first of the new cardinals then addresses the Holy Father on behalf of everyone.

This is followed by the Liturgy of the Word, the Pope's homily, the Profession of Faith and the taking of the oath by each cardinal.

Each new cardinal then approaches the Holy Father and kneels before him to receive the cardinal's biretta and to be assigned a title or deaconry.

The Pope places the biretta on the cardinal's head and says, in part: "(This is) red as a sign of the dignity of the office of a cardinal, signifying that you are ready to act with fortitude, even to the point of spilling your blood for the increase of the Christian faith, for peace and harmony among the people of God, for freedom and the spread of the Holy Roman Catholic Church".

The Holy Father hands over the Bull of Creation as cardinal, assigns the title or deaconry and exchanges a kiss of peace with the new members of the College of Cardinals. The cardinals also exchange such a sign among themselves.

The rite is concluded with the Prayer of the Faithful, the recitation of the Our Father and the final blessing.

At 10.30 a.m. on Sunday, November 25, Solemnity of Christ the King, the Holy Father will preside at a concelebrated Mass with the new cardinals, during which he will give them the cardinal's ring, "the sign of dignity, pastoral care and the most solid communion with the See of Peter."

As he places the ring on the new cardinal's finger, the Pope says: "Take this ring from the hand of Peter and know that, with the love of the Prince of the Apostles, your love for the Church is strengthened."

Following the morning's ceremony, the College of Cardinals will have 201 members, of whom 120 are electors. The members of the College, by continent of origin, are divided as follows: 104 from Europe, 20 from North America, 34 from South America, 18 from Africa, 21 from Asia and 4 from Oceania.

As advisors to the Pope, the cardinals act collegially with him through consistories, which meet by order of the Roman Pontiff and under his presidency. Consistories can either be ordinary or extraordinary. In the ordinary consistory, all cardinals present in Rome, other bishops, priests and special guests are convened. These consistories are called by the Pope for consultation on certain important issues or to give special solemnity to some celebrations. An extraordinary consistory is one to which all cardinals are convened, and is celebrated when some special needs or more serious affairs of the Church suggest that it should be held. (Vatican Information Services)

CONSISTORY ANNOUNCEMENT

(From the 10/27 General Audiece)

I now have the joy of announcing that this 24 November, eve of the Solemnity of Christ the King, I will hold a Consistory at which, departing by one from the number established by Pope Paul VI, confirmed by my venerable Predecessor John Paul II in the Apostolic Constitution Universi Dominici Gregis (cf. n. 33), I will name 18 Cardinals. Here are their names.

1. Archbishop Leonardo Sandri, Prefect of the Congregation for the Oriental Churches;

2. Archbishop John Patrick Foley, Pro-Grand Master of the Knights of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem;

3. Archbishop Giovanni Lajolo, President of the Pontifical Commission and of the Governorate of Vatican City State;
4. Archbishop Paul Joseph Cordes, President of the Pontifical Council "Cor Unum";

5. Archbishop Angelo Comastri, Archpriest of the Vatican Basilica, Vicar General for Vatican City State and President of the Fabric of St Peter;

6. Archbishop Stanisław Ryłko, President of the Pontifical Council for the Laity;

7. Archbishop Raffaele Farina, S.D.B., Archivist and Librarian of Holy Roman Church;

8. Archbishop Agustín Garcia-Gasco Vicente of Valencia, Spain;

9. Archbishop Sean Baptist Brady of Armagh, Ireland;

10. Archbishop Lluís Martínez Sistach of Barcelona, Spain;

11. Archbishop André Vingt-Trois of Paris, France;

12. Archbishop Angelo Bagnasco of Genoa, Italy;

13. Archbishop Théodore-Adrien Sarr of Dakar, Senegal;

14. Archbishop Oswald Gracias of Bombay, India;

15. Archbishop Francisco Robles Ortega of Monterrey, Mexico;

16. Archbishop Daniel N. DiNardo of Galveston-Houston, U.S.A.;

17. Archbishop Odilo Pedro Scherer of São Paulo, Brazil;

18. Archbishop John Njue of Nairobi, Kenya.

I also wish to raise to the dignity of Cardinal three venerable Prelates and two well-deserving ecclesiastics, particularly praiseworthy for their commitment to the service of the Church:

1. H.B. Emmanuel III Delly, Patriarch of Babylon for Chaldeans;

2. Archbishop Giovanni Coppa, Apostolic Nuncio;

3. Archbishop emeritus Estanislao Esteban Karlic of Paraná, Argentina;

4. Fr Urbano Navarrete, S.J., former Rector of the Pontifical Gregorian University; and

5. Fr Umberto Betti, O.F.M., former Rector of the Pontifical Lateran University.

"ὁ θεòς ἀγάπη ἐστίν"

The title of this post is the Greek wording from 1 John 4:16: "God is Love".

Deus Caritas Est takes its name from the first line of the encyclical and corresponds to 1 John 4:16. In his first encyclical Pope Benedict treats the subject of human love. In the 42 paragraph opus Benedict reflects on eros, agape, and logos, and the relationship of Christ to the different ways we love. As he reflects on love Benedict ascertains that love for self and love for neighbor must be one and inseparable. Furthermore, love must be reciprocated. One cannot take without giving. Benedict urges the faithful, especially those involved in charitable work, to take the time to reflect on love. The forum for reflection on love is prayer. He recalls the example and life of Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta. He points to her as prime example that prayer does not take away from charitable work, but rather, is the birth place of charity and love. Christians must "reaffirm the importance of prayer in the face of the activism and the growing secularism of many Christians...(§36-38)"

Benedict brings love home in reflecting upon the "personal" love of God.

In Jesus Christ, it is God himself who goes in search of the “stray sheep”, a suffering and lost humanity... His death on the Cross is the culmination of that turning of God against himself in which he gives himself in order to raise man up and save him.This is love in its most radical form. By contemplating the pierced side of Christ (cf. Jn 19:37), we can understand the starting-point of this Encyclical Letter: “God is love” (1 Jn 4:8). (§9)

The encyclical also calls for justice in the world. Benedict warns that the church must not replace politics. The church's responsiblity, writes Benedict, is to speak for and promote justice. Justice in the world is the outcome of love.

Benedict encourages readers to love one another sincerely, for only love can acheive to dispel the darkness, and we, being created in the image of God, are capable of love.

Love is the light—and in the end, the only light—that can always illuminate a world grown dim and give us the courage needed to keep living and working. Love is possible, and we are able to practice it because we are created in the image of God. To experience love and in this way to cause the light of God to enter into the world—this is the invitation I would like to extend with the present Encyclical." (§39)

It is said that a Pope's first encyclical sets the tone of his papacy. Below is the final paragraph of Deus Caritas Est. If indeed this encyclical will set the tone to Benedict's papacy, then it's going to be a great one!

The saints are the true bearers of light within history, for they are men and women of faith, hope and love...Outstanding among the saints is Mary, Mother of the Lord and mirror of all holiness....“My soul magnifies the Lord” (Lk 1:46). In these words she expresses her whole programme of life: not setting herself at the center, but leaving space for God, who is encountered both in prayer and in service of neighbor—only then does goodness enter the world...The testimonials of gratitude, offered to her from every continent and culture, are a recognition of that pure love which is not self- seeking but simply benevolent. At the same time, the devotion of the faithful shows an infallible intuition of how such love is possible: it becomes so as a result of the most intimate union with God, through which the soul is totally pervaded by him—a condition which enables those who have drunk from the fountain of God's love to become in their turn a fountain from which “flow rivers of living water” (Jn 7:38). Mary, Virgin and Mother, shows us what love is and whence it draws its origin and its constantly renewed power. (§40-42)

At an ecumenical vespers service at the Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls, during the same week of the publication of Deus Caritas, Pope Benedict summarized his beliefs on love in what he said in his homily, "God is love. On this solid rock the entire faith of the church is based."

Pope Benedict to Sign Second Encyclical

It has been made known that Pope Benedict XVI will sign his second encyclical on November 30. It is entitled, "Spe Salvi, "Saved by Hope". This is a follow-up to his first encyclical, Deus Caritas Est "God is Love" published in December of 2006. The pattern seems to be that Benedict focuses on a specific virtue (faith, hope, and love) as the subject of his encyclicals.

In an interview Cardinal Tarciso Bertone, the Vatican Secretary of State, commented that the Pope will use 2008 to "underline in a concrete way the work of the church's organs of justice and peace across the world,". Could then, Spe Salvi, be the precursor that will set an infrastructure for 08? We will have to wait and see.

Intense Reading- John Henry Cardinal Newman

Over the last few days i have been pouring over John Henry Cardinal Newman's essay on the Development of Christian Doctrine. At first, this essay seemed daunting and rather intimidating. After several cracks at reading (and actually savoring it) i have come to appreciate Newman and his opus. The essay primarily focuses on the following points:

• Christianity is not arbitrary. Christianity has a purpose in history and within the divine plan.


• Christian doctrine is the result of human experience coupled with the longstanding tradition and history of the Church.


• The approach and articulation of Christian doctrine will continue to change with each generation. However, the doctrine will not change.


• To grow as a Church is to grow in our understanding.

One of the things that draws me to Newman is that he was a convert to Catholicism. Born and raised in an Anglican home, he was a faithful Anglican. As a scholar at Oxford, his research and study of Chrisitianity and Catholicism in particular, drew him to reject the Anglican Church and become a Catholic. In essence, his belief was that to be immersed in history is to be immersed in Catholicism and to embrace history was to embrace Catholicism. Newman was part of teh Oxford Movement, which sought to reconcile the Anglican Church back to Catholicism. Newman went on to become a priest.

Years later his work was misinterpreted and was silenced by the Church, mostly at the doing of his peers. The moment of reconciliation came when Pope Leo XIII created him a cardinal-deacon. His contribution to Christian thought is similar to that of the greatest: Aquinas.

Reading Newman can be a daunting task. But in the end, one can appreciate his work and hopefully, like he, be transformed with fond appreciation for Catholic scholasticism and the patrimony of thought handed down to us through the history of our Church.

At the end of the work day I checked the blog and I noticed that the book list had a comment. Not too many people know about this blog yet, so I was very eager to check about who had left a comment. To my surprise, Fr. Jim Martin, SJ was the first to leave a comment! Jim Martin is the author of two of the books we will be reading.

A few things about Jim. I first knew of him a while back while reading America Magazine. His articles were always the best! A few months back I picked up his book, My Life With the Saints. As I began reading My Life With the Saints, I immediately fell in love with it and in many ways, this book club had its genesis in wanting to share that book. I started buying that book for friends and giving it as a gift for a birthday, graduation etc. Several of my closest friends and I started tossing around ideas and thoughts that came from the book. The more we spoke about the book, the more I was determined to read more of Martin's works. To this day, I don't think I have met a person who did not enjoy reading that book. Within the book Jim writes about the book club be ran in an NY parish. (That planted a seed about starting this book club. After some research, thought, prayer and discussion, I based the dynamics of this book club on Jim's model)

Although I have never personally met Fr. James Martin, I feel that through his literature I have come to know him on a personal level. His work is very honest, down to earth, and says volumes in the simplicity of his writing style. In many ways I identify with his experiences and in many other ways I look up to him and see in him the very same qualities I would want others to see in me. In some ways, I feel very connected to him. Several weeks ago I found out that Jim and I share a mutual friend... which only added to the connectedness. I am very excited that Jim took the time to comment on our blog.

Jim will be here for the Religious Ed Congress in the Spring. (Jim, perhaps, if your time allows, we can have dinner with our mutual friend).

Here is the text of his comment:

Wow. Thanks for including not one, but two, of my books. I hope that your group enjoys them! And the others are all huge favorites of mine--including, of course, the Gospel of Matthew.Please greet all the saints in Anaheim, a place that I love visiting every year during the L.A. Religious Ed Congress!

Peace, Jim Martin, SJ

Below is the list of dates for our meetings and the books we will be working with. These selections are pretty easy to get through and very inspirational. Suggestions are welcome.

December 12/5 Gospel of Matthew (we will read the NAB version)

January 1/9 Becoming Who You Are Martin S.J., James

February 2/6 Return of the Prodigal Son Nouwen, Henri

March 3/5 My Life With the Saints Martin S.J., James

April 4/2 My Life With the Saints Martin S.J., James

May 5/7 Dangerous Memories: A Mosaic of Mary in Scripture
Johnson CSJ, Elizabeth

June TBA The Cloister Walk Norris, Kathleen

July TBA The Cloister Walk Norris, Kathleen

Why a Book Club?

Welcome to the Saint Boniface Church Book Club Blog. The book club and blog were created by Raymond Uribe, parish youth minister, as a means of bringing together young people who have a desire to read and to deepen their spirituality. Once we get our book club going, you are encouraged to post your reactions and thoughts on this blog to the reading.

Our meetings are arranged in the following manner: dinner of pizza and soda, (free will donations for dinner are accepted), fellowship, prayer, introductions, and discussion of the assigned book. The meeting concludes with a brief introduction to the book for the following month and prayer. Our first meeting is scheduled for December 5, 2007 at 6:30 PM. The location for the meeting will be posted in a few days. Although registration or RSVP are not required, I do encourage you to send me an email or call me to let me know that you are coming. This will help in the planning of how much pizza to order.

Since the holidays are a busy time, I have chosen the Gospel of Matthew as our book of December. At our first meeting I will give a brief introduction to this gospel.