DZSJ
Wednesday, March 6, 2013
The Perfect Pope
What are the Cardinals thinking as they prepare for conclave? Surely they approach this important and historic process with a mental checklist of skills and qualities that would be essential for the next successor of Peter. Cardinal Roger Mahony of LA shares on his blog about what the "perfect pope" would be like. As we look forward to the future, might we also look back to the fisherman Jesus calls to be the Rock of the Church? Blessings,
DZSJ
DZSJ
Tuesday, March 5, 2013
Adopt a Cardinal!
Dear Class,
The Sistine Chapel is officially closed to prepare for the Conclave: exciting times! In a spirit of prayer for the Church, I heard about Adopt A Cardinal on the radio this past week. This is a basic interactive site where you get assigned a cardinal to pray for as they enter the process of selecting the new pope. I am keeping Cardinal Ranjith of Sri Lanka in my prayers. :-)
Blessings,
Daniella
The Sistine Chapel is officially closed to prepare for the Conclave: exciting times! In a spirit of prayer for the Church, I heard about Adopt A Cardinal on the radio this past week. This is a basic interactive site where you get assigned a cardinal to pray for as they enter the process of selecting the new pope. I am keeping Cardinal Ranjith of Sri Lanka in my prayers. :-)
Daniella
Church as Sacrament
Rose... that song brought tears to my eyes! I literally could just write about the song and how beautiful it was. Thank you so much for sharing that... truly- It started my day off with peace and appreciation for His absolute "lovely" creation.
The term sacrament was very new to me when I started the LIM program in August. Although hearing it my whole life, I never knew what the term meant and to what application it had to my life. Just from my three classes thus far and studying this term, I also associated sacrament with the sacraments of the church. Needless to say, the meaning is so much greater... deeper... and as Rose said, "beautiful." Within the readings, the theme of sacraments is shown throughout God's relationship with human beings and His creation. I loved this quote from Vorgrimler. "When God's word and God' glory (shekinah) are present to human beings, they do not 'represent' an absent God; instead, they present the manner in which God is most intimately present within the human person" (7). To me, this says it all... "Sacraments are a particular part of the relationship" (Vorgrimler, 5). If you have an intimate relationship with God, His word and His glory are presented to us in a most intimate way, His creation and His love for us. Something as simple as walking my dog outside is where I can find the most intimate time with God. Nature, the sounds, the smells, the flowers, the animals walking everywhere... I feel God's love, I feel His sacraments, I feel God's very self there. Another term that has been applied to the sacraments is "symbols." "A genuine symbol does what it symbolizes" (Vorgrimler, 10). In conclusion of what "sacrament" means to me, Vorgrimler states, "The life that is given to us, the people we encounter, the beloved one, the companions who live in solidarity with us, our work and its products, those events in life that really touch and shake us (and above all, death itself), experiences of liberation, justice, and reconciliation, true works of art, God's CREATION that makes up the world with us and around us: ALL these can be so transparent to God that they reveal God's true presence. In this way, our whole life can be understood as the fundamental sacrament, to the extent that our understanding of life and our interpretations take account of this transparency and do not remain on the banal surface of things" (11). Truly summed it up for me and how beautifully said...
It is almost as if the term "sacrament" brings humbleness to me and a HOPE for the fulfillment of the promises of God that are still to come!
I am posting a picture of my 2 animals that I lost within 24 hours this past summer. I know this sounds cheesy and I'm sure you are wondering how this has anything to do with the term "sacrament." But for me, I find animals to bring so much love that a human cannot. How they are created, each so differently just amazes me. My bird, Phoebe, who is considered biblically (in the NT) to be a "helper," reminded me of the gentleness and intricateness of Christ. I adore nature and I adore all of God's creation... I find Him in ALL things. So, needless to say, I have an entire new perception and understanding of the Church as Sacrament!
(Having a problem uploading it, going to try and get it up as soon as I can!)
The term sacrament was very new to me when I started the LIM program in August. Although hearing it my whole life, I never knew what the term meant and to what application it had to my life. Just from my three classes thus far and studying this term, I also associated sacrament with the sacraments of the church. Needless to say, the meaning is so much greater... deeper... and as Rose said, "beautiful." Within the readings, the theme of sacraments is shown throughout God's relationship with human beings and His creation. I loved this quote from Vorgrimler. "When God's word and God' glory (shekinah) are present to human beings, they do not 'represent' an absent God; instead, they present the manner in which God is most intimately present within the human person" (7). To me, this says it all... "Sacraments are a particular part of the relationship" (Vorgrimler, 5). If you have an intimate relationship with God, His word and His glory are presented to us in a most intimate way, His creation and His love for us. Something as simple as walking my dog outside is where I can find the most intimate time with God. Nature, the sounds, the smells, the flowers, the animals walking everywhere... I feel God's love, I feel His sacraments, I feel God's very self there. Another term that has been applied to the sacraments is "symbols." "A genuine symbol does what it symbolizes" (Vorgrimler, 10). In conclusion of what "sacrament" means to me, Vorgrimler states, "The life that is given to us, the people we encounter, the beloved one, the companions who live in solidarity with us, our work and its products, those events in life that really touch and shake us (and above all, death itself), experiences of liberation, justice, and reconciliation, true works of art, God's CREATION that makes up the world with us and around us: ALL these can be so transparent to God that they reveal God's true presence. In this way, our whole life can be understood as the fundamental sacrament, to the extent that our understanding of life and our interpretations take account of this transparency and do not remain on the banal surface of things" (11). Truly summed it up for me and how beautifully said...
It is almost as if the term "sacrament" brings humbleness to me and a HOPE for the fulfillment of the promises of God that are still to come!
I am posting a picture of my 2 animals that I lost within 24 hours this past summer. I know this sounds cheesy and I'm sure you are wondering how this has anything to do with the term "sacrament." But for me, I find animals to bring so much love that a human cannot. How they are created, each so differently just amazes me. My bird, Phoebe, who is considered biblically (in the NT) to be a "helper," reminded me of the gentleness and intricateness of Christ. I adore nature and I adore all of God's creation... I find Him in ALL things. So, needless to say, I have an entire new perception and understanding of the Church as Sacrament!
(Having a problem uploading it, going to try and get it up as soon as I can!)
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