Holy Mass the night before Christmas, Holy Doors open, Jubilee 2025 begins

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Pope Francis 'throws open' Holy Door to inaugurate 2025 Jubilee

Pope Francis opens the Holy Door of Saint Peter's Basilica thereby officially inaugurating the 2025 Jubilee of Hope. He reassures during his Christmas evening Mass that the Christ Child of Bethlehem offers the world infinite hope and joy.

By Deborah Castellano Lubov

As Pope Francis opened the Holy Door of Saint Peter's Basilica, the evening of 24 December 2024, he ushered in the widely-anticipated 2025 Jubilee of Hope.

With the liturgical gesture of the Door's opening at the start of the Christmas Mass during the Night, as explained in the papal bull for the Jubilee Spes non confundit, the Pope inaugurated the Ordinary Jubilee, a historic event taking place every 25 years.

The Ordinary Jubilee will conclude with the closing of the same Holy Door on 6 January 2026, the Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord.

The significance of the Holy Door 

The Holy Door is deemed 'Holy' since it calls all those who enter through it to walk in holiness of life. In the footsteps of the Pope, during the singing of the Jubilee hymn, representatives of the entire People of God crossed its threshold, as a prelude to the countless pilgrims of hope from every country and language who will visit St. Peter's Basilica and celebrate the mysteries of salvation during the Holy Year. 

Pope Francis at the threshold of the opened Holy Door of Saint Peter's Basilica

The origin of the custom goes back to Pope Martin V who, for the Extraordinary Jubilee of 1423, opened a Holy Door to enter the Lateran Basilica. In St. Peter's, it was first used for the Jubilee of 1450.

Its location, the rear wall of the chapel dedicated by Pope John VII to the Mother of God, corresponds to a place where it is found today. Pope Alexander VI, in 1500, endowed this symbol of the opening of the Jubilee with a ritual that remained virtually unchanged over the centuries, until the turn of the millennium, when in the year 2000, the removal of the former brick wall was replaced by the ceremonial opening of the bronze Door already in 1983.

The last opening of the Holy Door for an Ordinary Jubilee was when Pope St. John Paul II had done so in the Year 2000. Pope Francis opened the Holy Door in 2015 for his 2016 Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy.

Jubilee to strengthen faith and recognize Christ in our midst

"During the Holy Year," the Pope has prayed, "may the light of Christian hope illumine every man and woman, as a message of God’s love addressed to all! And may the Church bear faithful witness to this message in every part of the world!"

The Holy Father invited us to pray, to prepare ourselves throughout this year, so that this Jubilee may “strengthen us in our faith, helping us to recognize the Risen Christ in the midst of our lives, transforming us into pilgrims of Christian hope."

Restoring us to Our Father's embrace

The Pope picked up the Jubilee theme of hope in his homily. He began recalling the Gospel passage according to St. Luke which recounts when the angel of the Lord, bathed in light, illumines the night and brings glad tidings to the shepherds: 'I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.  For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, who is Christ the Lord' (Lk 2:10-11).  

At that moment, the Holy Father reflected on how Heaven breaks forth upon earth amid the wonder of the poor and the singing of angels.  "God," he highlighted, "has become one of us to make us like Himself; He has come down to us to lift us up and restore us to the embrace of the Father."

Little Child offers hope for the world

In Emmanuel, 'God with us,' the Pope reiterated, we find our hope.

"The infinitely great," he marveled, "made Himself tiny" and "the glory of heaven appeared on earth as a little child."  

"If God can visit us, even when our hearts seem like a lowly manger," the Pope continued, "we can truly say: Hope is not dead; hope is alive and it embraces our lives forever!"

“If God can visit us, even when our hearts seem like a lowly manger, we can truly say: Hope is not dead; hope is alive and it embraces our lives forever!”

'There is hope for you'

The Pope reminded that with the opening of the Holy Door, the new Jubilee was inaugurated, which exhorts each one of us to enter into the mystery of this extraordinary event.

"Tonight, the door of hope has opened wide to the world" and "God speaks to each of us and says: 'there is hope also for you!'" he said.

"With haste," therefore, he said, "let us set out to behold the Lord who is born for us, our hearts joyful and attentive, ready to meet him and then to bring hope to the way we live our daily lives.  For Christian hope is not a 'happy ending' which we passively await, but rather, a promise, the Lord’s promise, to be welcomed here and now in our world of suffering and sighs." 

“With haste, let us set out to behold the Lord who is born for us, our hearts joyful and attentive, ready to meet Him and then to bring hope to the way we live our daily lives”

The end to wallowing in mediocrity

Significantly, Pope Francis underscored, the Jubilee "is a summons not to tarry, to be kept back by our old habits, or to wallow in mediocrity or laziness." 

“It is a summons not to tarry, to be kept back by our old habits, or to wallow in mediocrity or laziness”

The Pope recalled Doctor of the Church Saint Augustine's having suggested that hope calls us to be upset with things that are wrong and to find the courage to change them. 

With this in mind, as disciples of the Lord, the Holy Father encouraged, "we are called to find our greater hope in Him, and then, without delay, carry that hope with us, as pilgrims of light amid the darkness of this world."

Rediscovering joy of encounter with the Lord

"Brothers and sisters," the Pope reminded, "this is the Jubilee." 

"This is the season of hope in which we are invited to rediscover the joy of meeting the Lord," he stressed, adding how the Jubilee "calls us to spiritual renewal and commits us to the transformation of our world, so that this year may truly become a time of jubilation."

Pope Francis concluded by offering some food for thought.

"Dear sister, dear brother, on this night the 'holy door' of God’s heart lies open before you.  Jesus, God-with-us, is born for you, for us, for every man and woman. With him, joy flourishes; with Him, life changes; with Him, hope does not disappoint."

“Dear sister, dear brother, on this night the 'holy door' of God’s heart lies open before you.”

Opening of Holy Doors

On Christmas Day, Pope Francis will deliver his Urbi et Orbi message to the people of the city of Rome and the world from the central loggia of St. Peter's Basilica at noon.

On 26 December, for the first time in the Jubilee tradition, Pope Francis will open a fifth sacred portal in a Roman prison, a gesture of hope that shows his ongoing closeness to detainees.

On Sunday, 29 December, the Pope will open the Holy Door of his cathedral, Saint John Lateran, which on 9 November this year celebrated the 1700th anniversary of its dedication.

Then, on 1 January 2025, the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God, the Holy Door of the Papal Basilica of Saint Mary Major will be opened.

Lastly, Sunday, 5 January 2025, will mark the opening of the Holy Door of the Papal Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls.

These last three Holy Doors will be closed on Sunday, 28 December 2025.

Pope meets with 7,500 children from 84 countries representing joy and unity

 

Pope invites children to teach world through their joy and purity

Pope Francis meets with 7,500 children from 84 countries in the Vatican and emphasizes the importance of learning from their innate joy and the unity they represent.

By Francesca Merlo

Pope Francis welcomed children from around the world to the Vatican's Paul VI Hall to share a few moments of joy and laughter during a meeting themed "Let's Learn from Boys and Girls."

Addressing the young audience, the Pope expressed his gratitude to the children, those who accompanied them, and the organizers of the event, including Cardinal José Tolentino and the Dicastery for Culture and Education, as well as Father Enzo Fortunato, who made the event possible.

He also acknowledged all the other families and organizations whose contributions were essential to this event taking place. 

Learning from children

Pope Francis began his address by acknowledging the theme as being a particular one, "Learn from children?" he asked. "Aren't children the ones who should learn?"

He responded to this question by emphasizing the importance of learning from children, as they continually offer valuable lessons to the world. 

The Pope described how children embody the beauty of life in its simplicity and the joy of being together, two gifts from God that should be cherished.

"We need to learn from you," stressed the Pope. "I am always happy when I meet you because you teach me something new every time."

Pope Francis then urged the children to proclaim together: "Life is a gift! God loves us! We are all brothers and sisters!"

A family gathering

The Holy Father went on to note that this gathering of children from all corners of the world was just like a reunion of siblings in a "big house" that Jesus has provided, symbolizing the universal Church's embrace to all.

He highlighted the importance of creating an environment where children, no matter where they come from, always feel welcomed, loved, and accepted.

Expressing his desire to personally greet each child, Pope Francis acknowledged that due to the large number present this would but be possible, but he did ensure that his words and blessings were extended to every child and, through them, to children worldwide.

Pope Francis then shared his compassion for those children suffering due to war, hunger, disease, climate disasters, and poverty.

The gift of life

The Pope encouraged his young audience to always remember that life is a beautiful gift, that God loves them dearly, and that it is a wonderful experience to be together, to communicate, to share, and to give.

He reminded them to pray to the Blessed Virgin Mary. "Our Lady will help you," he said. "Always pray to the Blessed Virgin Mary."

The Pope then invited the children to come forward with their own questions, which ranged from how to care for the environment and do good in our world.

Communicating the joy so evident at WYD 23

 

Young people attending WYD in Lisbon  (ANSA)

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WYD communicates the joy of young people’s encounters

Ana Alvez, Director of Communication of World Youth Day 2023 that kicked off on 1 August, highlights the duty for all the media organizations present in Lisbon to “speak with the heart”.

By Francesca Merlo and Edoardo Giribaldi

Ana Alvez, Director of Communication at World Youth Day 2023, found the involvement of people from all over the world to be the “most amazing thing about this job,” or, as she likes to call it, “a grace.”

Listen to the interview with Ana Alvez

Over 20 languages

Together with her team, she is responsible for all the WYD social media accounts, including Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Twitter, and also TikTok.

Specifically, the Facebook page is available in 20 languages, “which is truly incredible,” according to Alvez, highlighting how volunteers are active not only in Portugal but worldwide.

The Head of Communication also mentioned the WYD website, the design team, “responsible for every image that you see here in Lisbon, and the WYD TV, “a channel broadcasting all the main events, also from the pilgrims’ perspective.”

Communicate to the world

The effort is relevant considering that “all of this has to be communicated to the whole world.”

This includes not only the translation in the WYD's five official languages (Portuguese, Spanish, Italian, French and English) but also many others, through the work of interpreters that translate all the main events through a special frequency, so that “every pilgrim can listen to them on the radio in their local language.”

Communication is about more than just informing people about an event. “We want to communicate what we call the theological fundamental,” a concept developed by the Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life, based on “evangelization.”

“Gathering with Jesus Christ as we meet each other coming from different parts of the world, sharing experiences. This is about being Catholic.”

WYD's messages

“Tolerance, union, the possibility to gather different cultures in the same space,” are other concepts that WYD can communicate, together with “peace, so important in these days, especially in Europe.”

Much attention was also given to messages related to sustainability, based on Pope Francis’ Laudato si' encyclical.

“We have to have the young people at the main center of communication and of course our dear Pope Francis.”

WYD's message, according to Alvez, should also include a sense of inclusiveness, even in terms of coverage from non-Catholic media.

"Transmit the joy"

“WYD is for everybody,” the Head of Communication affirmed. “For people outside the Church somehow it was difficult to understand why this is for everybody.” However, the messages conveyed and their relevance is “common worldwide. Whether in Portugal or all over the world.”

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02/08/2023

Pope to Portuguese authorities: WYD offers a chance to build a more peaceful world

With 2,500 credentials that were released to media organizations from all over the world, the challenge for them is “to transmit the joy” perceived in the encounter of young people. Something “that is difficult to explain through words, but if you see it, you feel there is something very special about this.”

“There's a special thing about World Youth Day, it's bigger than us. We have to be responsible and do everything with rigor, but there's a special hand in all of this. And I believe it's God, of course.”

"Speak with the heart"

The final message for all the journalists present at WYD recalled Pope Francis’ words to “speak with the heart,” from young people’s angle.

“Yesterday I was walking through Lisbon at midnight and I saw young people walking and singing in a very joyful and peaceful way. And this is something really, really special,” Alvez concluded. 

Advent: waiting in joyful hope

 Advent: waiting in joyful hope

By

 Father Edward Kolla

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November 26, 2022

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Matt and Jeannine Donnelly and their children Jake, Wyatt and Elaina – of Incarnation Parish, Mantua – are among the faithful Catholics who are preparing for the Advent season. On Sunday, Nov. 27, the first candle on Advent wreaths will be lit, symbolizing hope; this is also the start of the Catholic Church’s liturgical year. (Photo by Rich Hundley III)

In his novel, “The Screwtape Letters,” C.S. Lewis recounts the advice of a wise, old demon, Screwtape, to his young, inexperienced nephew, Wormwood, about how to tempt a certain unnamed “patient” and win him over to Satan. So he asks Wormwood what his thoughts are about how he might proceed.

Wormwood begins, “Tell the patient there is no God.”

“Oh, no,” Screwtape says. “That’s much too big.”

He continues, “So tell him there’s no such thing as hell.”

“Also too big,” Screwtape replies.

His nephew goes on, “Then how about telling the patient he’s got plenty of time to put his house in order?”

“Ah, now you’re on the right track,” Screwtape says approvingly. “That plays on the human tendency to procrastinate. It’s nothing big, but it can yield big results in the long run.”

So Screwtape advises Wormwood to begin working on evil on a small scale. Forget the big stuff for now. That will come later when the patient is duly conditioned.

The liturgical season of Advent has something quite different to say to us than the lie Wormwood proposes to put in the mind of his patient. The fact is, we do not have unlimited time until judgment day; so it is best to be prepared.

Advent is a tough sell. Always has been. First of all, it is a very short liturgical season, usually between three and four weeks long. Second, competition with the preparation and celebration of secular Christmas is overwhelming.

So many voices vie for our attention in Advent – voices of materialism, consumerism and hedonism. In fact, there is no such thing as Advent in the world outside the Church. The voice of Advent has a hard time breaking through to us. We have to struggle and even consciously decide if we wish to hear it.

One way to make such a decision is to reflect prayerfully on the readings for Mass during Advent. Generally speaking, we will discover there are a number of powerful voices that make an urgent appeal to us during the season. And the stage is set at the Mass for the first Sunday of Advent.

The voice of Isaiah, who is the premier prophet of Advent, invites us to consider what heaven is like so that we might more ardently desire to go there. He paints it as the house of God on the highest of mountains to which people of every nation stream in order to enjoy eternal peace.

The voice of the Apostle Paul cries out that it is time to wake up because the day of our salvation is fast approaching. We need to be prepared by casting off “works of darkness” (carnal desires) and putting on the “armor of light” (virtuous conduct).

The most important Advent voice, of course, is the voice of Jesus. It is not the cry of an infant calling us to commemorate the human birth of the Son of God, the first Christmas, 2,000 years ago. It is rather an urgent plea of the adult Jesus, beckoning us to prepare for the second Christmas, his coming in glory and majesty at the end of time. He advises us to be watchful and ready since he will come like a thief in the night when we least expect him. That, of course, is the real Christmas that Advent calls us to prepare for.

The Church considers preparation for second Christmas so crucial that we pray for it at each and every Mass. Immediately after the Our Father the priest prays: “Deliver us, Lord, we pray, from every evil, graciously grant peace in our days, that, by the help of your mercy, we may always be free from sin and safe from all distress, as WE AWAIT THE BLESSED HOPE AND THE COMING OF OUR SAVIOR, JESUS CHRIST.

This Advent, let us not fall into Screwtape’s trap of procrastination. Instead, let us be mindful to tune out secular distractions and prepare our hearts for Christ’s return. 

Since Pope Francis visited Iraq the Catholics there are full of joy as they celebrated Palm Sunday

 

In Palm Sunday procession, joyful Iraqi Catholics called ‘heroes’

Syriac Catholic Patriarch Ignace Joseph III Younan, visiting from the patriarchate in Beirut, speaks following a Palm Sunday procession outside the Church of St. John the Baptist in Qaraqosh, Iraq, March 28, 2021. (CNS photo/Syriac Catholic patriarchate)

By Catholic News Service • Posted March 29, 2021

QARAQOSH, Iraq (CNS) — Syriac Catholic Patriarch Ignace Joseph III Younan, visiting from the patriarchate in Beirut, led about 20,000 Christians through the streets of Qaraqosh Palm Sunday, March 28.

Patriarch Younan told the faithful that the Syriacs of Qaraqosh “are the pupils in the eyes of our Syriac Church. You are the best lung in which our Syriac Church breathes, this lung that exudes faith, preaches goodness, and invites us all to renew our hope in the Lord Jesus in the midst of difficulties and challenges, for he is the one who says, ‘Do not be afraid.'”

Patriarch Younan referred to Pope Francis’ early March visit to Qaraqosh as a “wedding.”

Worshippers hold olive branches during Palm Sunday Mass at a church in Baghdad March 28, 2021. Syriac Catholic Patriarch Ignace Joseph III Younan, visiting from the patriarchate in Beirut, led a procession through the streets of Qaraqosh for Palm Sunday. (CNS photo/Teba Sadiq, Reuters)

“Today is your feast … that follows the wedding that Qaraqosh witnessed, and you were the heroes of this wedding when you received His Holiness, Pope Francis … as the messenger of peace and brotherhood, love and tolerance for Iraq,” the patriarch said.

About 60% of Qaraqosh’s 50,000 Syriac Catholic residents have returned from their exile in the Kurdistan region to their homes, which had been destroyed and burned by the Islamic State group and repaired with the help of Catholic organizations.

“There are many brothers and sisters” who are absent from “their beloved Qaraqosh,” Patriarch Younan said, noting that thousands of families had left Iraq. “But they are with you and with us today in this joy that fills your hearts.”

The previous day, Patriarch Younan celebrated Mass outdoors at the cathedral in Irbil. On the feast of the Annunciation, he consecrated Al-Tahera Syriac Catholic Church, where Pope Francis had visited. It had been burned and desecrated by Islamic State militants.

The ups and downs, the balance and reality of life, the profound impacts from so many places

It was for me a great weekend.  It was for me a time of great happiness and joy.  And it was for me a dose of reality; things break, things need attention.  It was for me a time of some frustration, missing the 4th weekend in a row at Mass, doing what deacons do.  It was a time of some sadness too, more folks you know with Covid19 and then this afternoon the word of the death of a beautiful soul who inspired and encouraged so many and now will be for us a Saint in Heaven.

It has been over a month since I've seen my local grands; until this weekend.  Brennan, almost 30 months(2 and a half years old) spent Friday evening and all day Saturday.  Brennan is full on energy, a smile that melts hearts, a little independent and some one who loves unconditionally.  Brennan loves to play with all the old toys still at our house from the days of her momma and momma's older brother.  Some of these toys are from the late 70's.  At bedtime it's a three part process: read books, sing songs and say our prayers.  She makes and says the sign of the cross and loves to pray for mommy & daddy, baby Walker, both sets of grandparents, her cousin Levi and Levi's mom & dad.  It's so sweet.  I love her robust Amen.  On Saturday Brennan loves to play in "pops bedroom" jumping on the bed, hiding under the covers, playing and/or tormenting sweet Delilah.  Brennan got to witness our power outage which interrupted her nap because her sound machine quits working.  She also got to see panic Pops when the power came up one of my drainage pumps obviously failed and we had water all over the bathroom floor.  I learned Brennan does not like yelling, even if your yelling for more towels.  Disaster cleaned up and behind us, we drove Brennan home where I would hold my 3 month old grandson Walker.  Poor Walker was the youngest area resident diagnosed with the Coronavirus but thanks be to God had no ill effects.  When I held him I realized it was only the second time I had done so; the first being at his baptism.  He is adorable and am so glad Wendy captured a great picture posted over at my FB page.  I put Brennan to bed again and after reading 3-4 books it was time to sing.  I get routines but I tried some new songs, You are My Sunshine, Yes, Jesus Loves Me, stuff she id not know.  Her mom showed up to bail me out with Brennan's favorite classics.

This is good stuff, stuff that has not been as consistent as I would like, a lot of this we can blame Covid19.  But everyday we try and try to live life, to power on and I truly enjoyed these events.  Today, Wendy and I enjoyed the hour long video chat with our NC grands, Calvin and Katelyn.  We have not seen them in person since last December and our August visit was cancelled because of our illness.  But via Skype we caught up, watched them ride bikes outside with mom helping out and marveled at how big they are getting.  Calvin will soon be 8 and Katelyn recently turned 5.  Both are full of energy, maybe Katelyn a bit more.  Both are wonderful grandkids as they stay close to us via the gift of Skype.  So yes, the weekend, for me brought much joy.

But Mike is a worrier and the latest incident with the plumbing and a 30 year old septic tank took a little toll.  Wendy and I just decided enough is enough and we will get some professional help out here hopefully tomorrow.  We can fix it up and stem the tide but the incidents are too frequent.  This was event #3 just this year alone.  So I guess we have our own 2020 mess to deal with it.  Wendy tries very sincerely to help me through drama's like this.  It's not the end of the world, no matter how inconvenient or troublesome these things can be.  In the big picture, with Wendy and I surviving Coronavirus and having such a nice time with our families, I can see where I need to relax.  In perspective this weekend I learned of the death of a beautiful soul here on the Northshore who is a local inspiration, a young mother of 5 with a wonderful husband who give their all to the church and demonstrate in many ways their love of Jesus.  Last week her husband Jason acknowledged all the prayers and love being sent her way and he summed it up nicely, whether God has a miracle in store for his wife here on earth or He calls her home to Him in Heaven; either way it is all miracle.  Rest in the sweet peace of Jesus dear Elise.  You were and are so loved by so many.  I also learned some details of two Priests I follow via social media and their battle with Coronavirus.  One is still very sick so please pray for Father Larry's recovery and the continuing recovery of Msgr. Charles.  There are a few more clergy here locally that I am following and a couple of folks from our local Knights of Columbus.  All are in my prayers.

I miss doing all things Deacon on the weekend and during the week.  My ministry at Rayburn Prison is now over 5 months suspended and it looks like it will be a long time before we return to the men.  I do hold all of them in my prayers in as special a way as I possibly can.  I did just announce that my Bible Study will return in about 30 days and it's focus will be on the Eucharist in Scripture through the teachings of Dr. Scott Hahn.  I can't wait.  Perhaps this will help return all things back to a feeling of "normal".  I also plan to return to the altar next weekend.  Even if I may get tired, I feel it's time and I certainly will confirm this with my doctor.  There has been a lot of changes at my parish over the last 2 months and not being there to at least assist has been difficult.  God keeps helping me with that patience thing.  I do know this, when it's time to preach again I sure have plenty to say.

All these things I've written about today remind me that life comes with great joys and happiness, occasional uncertainties, profound impacts and influences from so many sources and can mean illness and yes, even death; all a part of the lives we live here as dress rehearsal for life to be lived with God in Heaven.

The words I used to begin this essay reminded me of the beautiful words of Gaudium et spes, the Pastoral Constitution of the Church in the Modern World.  I leave these words for all of us to read and contemplate and pray with:

The joys and the hopes, the griefs and the anxieties of the men of this age, especially those who are poor or in any way afflicted, these are the joys and hopes, the griefs and anxieties of the followers of Christ. Indeed, nothing genuinely human fails to raise an echo in their hearts. For theirs is a community composed of men. United in Christ, they are led by the Holy Spirit in their journey to the Kingdom of their Father and they have welcomed the news of salvation which is meant for every man. That is why this community realizes that it is truly linked with mankind and its history by the deepest of bonds.

Come Saturday morning looking for joy and peace even amidst flooding toilets

This Saturday is one Nona and Pops have been looking forward to and thankfully is now enjoying.  Our granddaughter Brennan is spending the day, and the night and tomorrow morning with us.  We are so excited.  This of course is a source of great joy!  Sometimes I don't embrace joy enough and am anxious and worried about many things(yes, I can be a Martha).  These silly things do suppress the abundant joy I do have as a husband, father, grand-father and deacon.  I let work related stuff bother me more than I should, I fret over cutting the grass during the summer and I am always on the lookout for this elusive thing called rest and sleep.

But there is always joy in the grandkids, like today and Brennan's visit, like the end of July with several days in the presence of Calvin and Katelyn, including the anticipation of being around for Calvin's 7th birthday in a couple of weeks.  There was profound joy today in the opportunity I had to Baptize out two newest Christians, Jackson Gerard and Elle Grace!  There will be other moments and opportunities of joy, as there is every day.  My vision seems to strain sometimes to find or recognize such joy while my vision is crystal clear with frustration.  That's a me thing that needs to change huh.  And I know this.

Right now, as I write, the baby taking a nap(sounds delightful), it's raining and all I can think about is you can't cut grass in the rain.  The rain, by the way, has been falling for almost two weeks now and the forecast is rainy until Wednesday.  Sometimes I joke that I'll let November handle the grass, it might not be a joke.  Or how about the beginning of this crazy Saturday.  Let me tell you.

Never, and I mean never, does anything wake up my wife at 5:15 in the morning but I heard her wake up and she asked me a simple question: what was that smell.  I checked first to make sure it was not me and my dog and I realized she was not dreaming; something kind of smelled funny.  Up I get, crack of dawn and walk up front to find the guest bathroom toilet overflowing, everything is soaked.  I hobble to the bedroom again and our toilet is doing the same.  Water everywhere, even on a small portion of the bedroom carpet.  I panic, a typical reaction, have dreams of $ 10,000 septic repairs, managed to turn off the water and I tell Wendy, we can't possibly watch a grandchild with such a disaster.  Until I heard Wendy yell, I fixed it.  You fixed it1  What the heck are you talking about you fixed it?  Get this; in cleaning the home in preparation for Brennan(she is all of 18 months y'all), Wendy used one of those blue thingy's in the back of the toilet in the guest bathroom.  Somehow that oval ball of blue managed to get perfectly stuck in the drain and water had no where to go.  In my house, on it's journey out the water must have flowed to the back toilet and overwhelmed it too.  That now explains why the water on the floor was a combination blue/green color.  Long story short, it was not a major crisis as I envisioned, we cleaned it up before the sun even comes up, all good and we are now enjoying our Saturday afternoon.  But make no mistake, I was ready to hit the panic button.

This is all very interesting to me because over the course of my 11 year diaconate, I have talked to more than a handful of people about finding joy, finding peace, resting in His perfect peace, smelling the roses, looking for the good in everyone you encounter, having some fun, laughing when laughing is good for the soul.  I have talked to others about this joy and peace inside a 1200 men state run prison, in the hallways and corridors of nursing homes, hospice care, hospitals, inside church, on the front steps of church, at meetings, at work, you get it huh.  Yet I find myself today trying to come to terms with: hear what the Holy Spirit gives you to help others for yourself big boy.  I also hear a little practice what you preach, especially the part about enjoying those wonderful moments, those special days.  And then, the hard part, taking those moments and days and seeing them in everything, and everyone and everyday.

Right here, right now, I got my beautiful granddaughter with me, I got to baptize two beautiful children from two beautiful families, I'm getting ready to go and assist Mass, the very essence of which is pure joy.  I'm still looking for joy and peace, not because it is not there, but because I need to recognize it, especially in it's ordinariness.

Hey, rain will fall, toilets may even overflow, far worse disappointments and even tragedies may come along, but He is always there, His Peace, perfect and complete is always available.  I will look a little harder, as I look for joy and peace.  May you always encounter His perfect peace.

Witnessing Joy; words from the World Meeting of Families

Families: Speaking of & Witnessing Joy is Possible! (Interview from Dublin WMOF)

Risking for True Love Is Joy, So Don’t Delay Marriage Date, Reminds Vatican Foundation President

August 24, 2018 08:04Deborah Castellano LubovInterviews

Not just speaking about joy, but witnessing joy is possible!

In this interview at the World Meeting of Families in Dublin, Salvatore Martinez, president of The Vatican Foundation “International Center Family of Nazareth,” stressed that families’ living and spreading joy is possible and necessary.

The foundation was created on October 15, 2012 thanks to the Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, in order to fulfil the dream of Pope Saint John Paul II: to build, in Nazareth, “The Home of the Pope,” for all the world’s families. Later Pope Francis approved the new statutes, on January 29, 2016. The ‘home’ then took the name “the Nazareth Family Center,” whose hospitality and spiritual and pastoral animation will be entrusted to the Ecclesial Movement Rinnovamento nello Spirito Santo (Renewal in the Holy Spirit).

But the Foundation has a much wider mandate: to promote the spiritual and social formation of families, and to support family ministry throughout the world, especially in the Holy Land and the Middle East. Although it has its own autonomy, the foundation works in full cooperation with the Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life and with the Vatican Secretariat of State.

Here is the full interview:

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The World Meeting of Families 2018 in Dublin announces to everyone that, as its title says, ‘the Gospel of the family is joy for the world.’ It is a message that goes against the cultural mainstream which we all are surrounded by, which often suggests family as being some sort of limit, an obstacle to personal or career aspirations… How can one be credible when speaking of the Gospel of the family as “joy”?

A definition of [Blessed] Paul VI comes to me, which said that joy is the gigantic secret of Christian life. And for a believer, joy is actually the effect of love. The first effect of love is joy. For many people, joy is the effect of well-being, power, pleasure… But that joy lasts very little! Jesus speaks of a joy that is not consumed, that remains forever.

All the encyclical letters and the exhortations of Pope Francis refer to the joy. And it is meaningful too that joy has laid the foundation for this theme of the ninth World Meeting of Families. Speaking of joy is possible! But above all, witnessing joy is possible. The Christian family, despite the difficulties you mention, is capable of a reserve of joy that does not end, precisely because it comes from the encounter with a person, Jesus, which manifests itself in relationships of love.

In the experience of the children, the grandparents, the ordinery experience of daily family life, joy is the reserve that astonishes those who think it is exhausted. It is a miracle that is permanently renewed because it is a gift, joy.

How should we speak of joy, for example, to boys and girls of today, the children of divorced couples… ?

It is possible as long as you give credit to the word of God. Saint Paul praises the community that was able to preserve joy even in the midst of great tribulation. If joy is a gift you can only receive, then it must be invoked, sought, defended. The new generations should link the effect of joy to prayer. Prayer is not just dialogue with God but it is an opportunity to be regenerated in love. Joy can be received! We see witnesses everyday in those who suffer, those who are persecuted because of justice, many migrants. I have the fortune to travel, to meet many people who should scold the world, even loudly, because they easily could lose their joy, the joy of Christ, the joy of believing!

It is interesting to see instead how this joy regenerates precisely starting from suffering, it is like purified gold to the crucible. It is something that you have inside and that cannot be suppressed. Jesus says: nobody can take away your joy. Joy comes from an encounter, as I said earlier, and this encounter when it happens, cannot in any way be undermined, oppressed, debased by the trials of life. They can certainly give joy a bitter taste; but it is a joy that does not end, indeed, that lasts, endures, and becomes a sign of very strong ‘contradiction,’ if you will, for the world.

In many countries family is still a strong value, but the social context, social and family policies certainly do not help young people to start a family. Therefore, can (or perhaps must) these meetings become even a message for politicians?

Absolutely yes. We get married less and less, there are fewer and fewer children, and the young people who realize this project of family life now do so at an age that is no longer young. In this context, it seems helpful to me the message that Pope Francis gave at the recent meeting with Italian young people, at Circus Maximus in Rome, on August 11. A girl asked him what should they do if there is love, but it must be postponed for for lack of work, home… Then the Pope said: when love is true, it is urgent, it cannot wait, it is necessary to risk it. So we too, as former young people, say: it is worth risking for love, experiencing the joy that comes from love.

Then of course, we must invoke what are called advantageous policies in favor of young people, but let us not forget that families have a capacity to support themselves, a dimension of ‘self-help’ more marked than it may seem. So from below, it is possible to support the new generations, it is possible to nourish this strong ideal of marriage and therefore encourage our young people, through and with concrete testimonies, that it is possible to build a family and it is so necessary, above all, not to postpone the marriage date.