VIEWS

Today I wish to consider the shepherding work of priests, who, in spiritual guidance and in confession, seek to help others to encounter the Amoris Laetitia, the “Joy of Love.” Earlier this year, Pope Francis, who has made Confession a constant theme of his pontificate, wrote in his recent book, “The Name of God is Mercy,” “It is important that I go to Confession, that I sit in front of a priest who embodies Jesus, that I kneel before Mother Church, called to dispense the mercy of Christ. There is objectivity in this gesture of genuflection before the priest; it becomes the vehicle through which grace reaches and heals me.”

When I pointed out in a homily that not all saints are officially canonized, a woman said to me after Mass, “That may be true, but the great saints get to wear a crown in heaven, like St. Paul in today’s epistle!” It got me to thinking: Are there trophies for us in heaven, blue ribbons as eternal accessories?

The 40-something eternally optimistic guard looked particularly young and fit for his age, especially considering his condition. He was a kidney transplant recipient in need of a second transplant.

There’s a saying that I hear fairly frequently these days, especially in response to someone who is asked to take on a ministry or mission for which he or she feels unprepared: “God doesn’t call the equipped; He equips the called.”

I am terrible at sending thank-you notes. If I don’t do it right away it usually doesn’t get done. It is not that I am not thankful; I am truly grateful for the service or gift I have received. I am just forgetful, especially when the next day is filled with more activity and soon the thought of thanking the individual slips from my radar.

As CEO of Catholic Charities, I travel from northern Pinal County to the Nevada-border town of Bullhead City to meet with Catholic Charities staff, community partners and the people we serve in central and northern Arizona.

El amor conyugal “avanza gradualmente con la progresiva integración de los dones de Dios” (#122), dice el Papa Francisco en su Exhortación Apostólica sobre la Alegría del Amor en la Familia. No hay límite a la capacidad de los cónyuges a participar en la caridad infinita que es el Espíritu Santo (cf. #134). “Así, en medio de un conflicto no resuelto, y aunque muchos sentimientos confusos den vueltas por el corazón, se mantiene viva cada día la decisión de amar, de pertenecerse, de compartir la vida entera y de permanecer amando y perdonando. Cada uno de los dos hace un camino de crecimiento y de cambio personal. En medio de ese camino, el amor celebra cada paso y cada nueva etapa” (#163). En este viaje hacia la plena madurez en Cristo, la iglesia acompaña a las parejas casadas y asiste en la tarea permanente de formación de la conciencia que, como el Catecismo dice (#1784) “garantiza la libertad y engendra la paz del corazón”.

Married love “advances gradually with the progressive integration of the gifts of God” (#122), says Pope Francis in his Apostolic Exhortation on the Joy of Love in the Family. There is no limit to the spouses’ ability to participate in the infinite charity which is the Holy Spirit (cf. #134). “Even amid unresolved conflicts and confused emotional situations, they daily reaffirm their decision to love, to belong to one another, to share their lives and to continue loving and forgiving. Each progresses along the path of personal growth and development. On this journey, love rejoices at every step and in every new stage” (#163). On this journey to full maturity in Christ, the Church accompanies married couples and assists them in the lifelong task of formation of conscience which, as the Catechism says (#1784), “guarantees freedom and engenders peace of heart.”

There’s a change in the air and I’m not talking about those sub-112-degree temps as we head into fall.

On a recent pilgrimage with about 30 students to San Xavier Del Bac Mission near Tucson, one of the students remarked “being here on a pilgrimage gives me a new sense of this place.”