Vol. LI, No. 17 DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD—CAPE GIRARDEAU, MISSOURI December 11, 2015One Church, East to West: Loving Jesus, Serving Jesus, Sharing Jesus

525Jesus was born in a humble stable, into a poor

family. Simple shepherds were the first witnesses to this event. In this poverty heaven’s glory was made manifest. The Church never tires of singing the glory

of this night:The virgin today brings into the work the Eternal / And the earth offers a cave to the Inaccessible. / The angels and shepherds praise him / And the magi advance with the star, / For you are born for us,/ Little Child, God eternal!

The Catechism in brief

The Catechism of the Catholic Church compiles the living tradition of the Catholic Church and divides it into four sections: What Catholics believe (the Creed), how the faith is transmitted (worship and sacraments), how Catholics are called to live (moral life), and prayer.

The Mirr rBy Linda Leicht Springfield

On St. Patrick’s Day 1956 a 25-year-old John Joseph Leibrecht became a priest in St. Louis. That same

year, the Diocese of Springfield-Cape Girardeau became a diocese.

It would be another 28 years before the young priest from St. Louis would become a bishop and move to southern Missouri to lead the sprawling diocese that had at one time been part of the Archdio-cese of St. Louis and the Diocese of Kansas City. However, in the 31 years since, Bp. Leibrecht has a deep affection for the rural southern part of the state and his diocese.

Bp. Leibrecht’s episcopal anni-versary is Dec. 12, the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe.

Retired in 2008, Bp. Leibrecht lives in a comfortable home on the south side of Springfield where he can enjoy pleasant walks in the qui-et neighborhood. When he became Bishop here, he and his family fully expected him to return to St. Louis after retirement. But he not only chose to continue living and serv-ing here, but the Diocese’s first and only Bishop Emeritus even plans to be laid to rest here, on a lovely gre-enway next to St. Agnes Cathedral in Springfield.

Until then, Bp. Leibrecht plans to continue serving the people and the parishes of Springfield-Cape Gi-rardeau as often and as much as he can. He knows first-hand that the priests of our parishes need help with Masses, retreats, and more. Many

of them serve more than one faith community, and times of respite and renewal for them is fleeting.

“I still have the health to be able to help,” he said, just having turned 85 in August. “I gave the priests my phone number … and they’ve been calling it.”

Pastoral service has been his calling since becoming a priest.

“I remember when I could finally tell my family [about be-ing called to be a bishop],” he said. “There was a silence at the table

See Bp. Leibrecht / 2

‘O Antiphons’of Advent

The next issue of The Mirror will be Dec. 25, 2015. Merry Christmas!If you would like to receive the diocesan newspaper via Email in digital format, please contact Angie Toben at (417) 866-0841, or Email her: atoben@dioscg.org.

Merry Christmas!

RETIRED BISHOP—Bishop Emeritus John J. Leibrecht gave a homily during a recent Marian Days celebration in Carthage, MO. Retired since 2008, Bp. Leibrecht continues to help out in parishes, and is the Diocese of Springfield-Cape Girardeau’s first Emeritus bishop. His episcopal anniversary is Dec. 12, feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe. (The Mirror)

Southern Missouri treasure

Bp. John Leibrecht, 31 years a bishop

The Roman Church has been singing the “O” Antiphons since at least the eighth cen-tury. They are the antiphons

that accompany the Magnificat can-ticle of Evening Prayer from Decem-ber 17-23. They are a magnificent theology that uses ancient biblical imagery drawn from the messianic hopes of the Old Testament to pro-claim the coming Christ as the ful-fillment not only of Old Testament hopes, but present ones as well.

December 17O Wisdom of our God Most High,guiding creation with power and love:come to teach us the path of knowledge!

December 18O Leader of the House of Israel,giver of the Law to Moses on Sinai:come to rescue us with your mighty power!

December 19O Root of Jesse’s stem,sign of God’s love for all his people:come to save us without delay!

December 20O Key of David,opening the gates of God’s eternal Kingdom:come and free the prisoners of darkness!

December 21O Radiant Dawn,splendor of eternal light, sun of justice:come and shine on those who dwell in darkness and in theshadow of death.

December 22O King of all nations and keystone of the Church:come and save man, whom you formed from the dust!

December 23O Emmanuel, our King and Giver of Law:come to save us, Lord our God! —From “Catholic Household Blessings & Prayers”

2 The Mirror December 11, 2015DIOCESAN NEWS

Each month, Pope Francis announc-es his special prayer intentions—particular things that he wishes all Catholics to pray for that month.

Pope Francis offers two intentions every month, one universal, and one for a par-ticular Catholic evangelization activity.

December 2015Universal:Experiencing God’s mercy

That all may experience the mercy of God, who never tires of forgiving.

Evangelization:Families

That families, especially those who suffer, may find in the birth of Jesus a sign of certain hope. ©TM

Pope’s monthly prayer intentions

Miss Merry Christmas crowned at McAuley

CHRISTMAS PAST MEETS CHRISTMAS PRESENT—The students of McAuley Catholic High School, Joplin, spent the afternoon of Dec. 1, welcoming Christmas Past, while crowning Christmas Present. Senior Delaney Crawford (escorted by Nick Freitas) was crowned Miss Merry Christmas 2015 by Nancy Koester, Miss Merry Christmas 1972. Miss Crawford was part of the 2015 Joplin Christmas Parade held the night of Dec. 1 in Downtown Joplin, in which she rode in a convertible with classmate Patrick Riscoe as her driver. (Submitted photo)

with my mother, brothers, and sis-ter. Finally, Mom said, ‘How do you feel about it?’

“I said, ‘My first feeling is that I’m going to miss being a pastor at Sacred Heart (in St. Louis).’

“My brother, Fr. Bob, said, ‘Why don’t you just be a pastor down there?’

“I will never forget that,” Bp. Leibrecht said. “I have found that being a ‘pastor’ in Springfield-Cape Girardeau has inspired my whole life as a bishop.”

Bp. Leibrecht said he was able to follow that advice because of the hard work of the small staff at The Catholic Center and the priests of diocese.

“We would get together and talk about diocesan policies,” he said. “Then they would have the ad-ministrative responsibilities to carry it out.”

While the bishop enjoyed and focused on the spiritual aspect of his role, he admits he doesn’t miss the administrative responsibilities one has as bishop. He also doesn’t miss

all the evening meetings and pres-sures on his time that being a bish-op, parish priest, or school adminis-trator had on him over the course of his career.

“Now, once I get to 6 or 7 o’clock in the evening, I have time to read, work on a homily, watch the St. Louis Cardinals, whatever it might be,” he said. “Most days, there are things that I am doing, certain-ly, but it’s the evenings that I really look forward to.”

In the 24 years that he actively served as bishop, there was plenty of work to do—some difficult and draining, other work proved exhila-rating and joyous.

The biggest change in the dio-cese has been the number of people who have become members of the Catholic community, he said. The other change, to which he credits all six of the Diocese’s bishops, has been a deepening of the faith of those Catholics.

“Bp. [James] Johnson has made a very significant contribution to that,” he said. “I have seen growth in many relationships with God, I really have.”

Called as disciplesIn addition, Bp. Leibrecht said

he has witnessed both priests and the laity share more of the responsibil-ity of making the diocese and their parishes “a really-alive community of faith,” both within the Church and the larger secular communi-ty. He credits the Second Vatican Council, which closed its sessions 50 years ago, as being a major influ-ence in that “partnership.” Vatican II encouraged lay people to become more active in church and the com-munity, whether it be through char-ity work, political activism, or in the workplace. The Catholic Church’s mission is to evangelize and make Christ known to the world. It can’t do that without active involvement from all its members, upon which baptism confirms their role as mis-sionaries, a mandate not limited to ordained clergy.

As Pope Francis recently said, “Missionary spirit is manifested by preaching love, humanity, and faith through one’s witness and not through proselytism.”

Faith in Jesus Christ is shared first through “witness then with words,” the pope said Dec. 2 at his weekly general audience.

One of his biggest challenges in the vast Diocese of Springfield-Cape Girardeau has been that the number of priests serving in parishes has not kept up with the growing number of Catholics in southern Missouri. But Bp. Leibrecht sees that changing.

“That is starting to turn around now,” he said. “We have more semi-narians now, 16, than we have had in years.” The Diocese hopes to or-dain two more priests and two tran-sitional deacons in 2016.

Bp. Leibrecht believes that the influence of Pope John Paul II and

his connection with youth has been a big part of men discerning a vo-cation to serve as priests, and he expects Pope Francis to bring even more young men to the seminary.

“The Pope has a special way with young people,” Bp. Leibrecht said. “He enjoys them, and they see the joy that he has in his own vocation. I think that is going to

From Page 1

See Bp. Leibrecht / 3

READING—When he’s not helping out in parishes or giving a retreat, Bishop Emeritus John J. Leibrecht enjoys time in the evenings to read, watch the St. Louis Cardinals, pre-pare a homily, or contemplate na-ture on a walk in the neighborhood. Ordained for the Diocese of Spring-field-Cape Girardeau in 1984, Bp. Leibrecht celebrates his 31st anniver-sary of episcopal ordination on Dec. 12, the feast of Our Lady of Guada-lupe. (Photo by Linda Leicht)

Bishop John Leibrecht, 31 years a bishop

December 11, 2015 The Mirror 3DIOCESAN NEWS

Immaculate Conception School, New Madrid

PrincipalQualifications For Principal

1. Be a practicing Catholic.2. Possess a teaching certificate on the level of principalship; elementary, or

secondary.3. Have satisfactory health and professional manner.4. Have had either several years of teaching experience or professional prepara-

tion at the level of principalship; elementary, or secondary. Teaching or administrative experience in Catholic education preferred.

5. If not degree certified as a principal, agrees to begin working towards this in order to be considered for re-hiring. This should be noted on the contract each year.

Applications are available on the parish and school Websites: icnewmadrid.com and icssaints.eduk12.net. The application process will commence immediately and continue until the position is filled.

Tour Rome during the

‘Year of Mercy’

Join Fr. Rick Jones, Pastor of Our Lady of the Lake Catholic Church in Branson, MO,

on a “Year of Mercy” pilgrimage.

Trip Dates: Aug. 17-29, 2016

For more information on this pilgrimage, contact Fr. Jones at the parish,

(417) 334-2928 Ext. 122

continue, the interest in the priesthood.”

One of the most diffi-cult things to deal with dur-ing his time in the priest-hood and as a bishop has been the sex-abuse scandal that rippled through the Church in 2002.

Many in the Church, as well as professionals, had not sufficiently understood the nature of sexual abuse of minors, especially of young-er children, Bp. Leibrecht said.

“That is the biggest and most difficult problem that the Church has been fac-ing,” Bp. Leibrecht said. “I’m glad that we’ve made such progress and taken seriously the Church’s role in vetting all its members through proper psychological screen-ing, background checks, and education, and procedures for protecting our youth.”

Card. Bernard Law served as the fourth bishop to the southern Missouri diocese for 11 years before he moved in 1984 to serve the Archdiocese of Boston. In Boston, often referred to as the “epicenter” of the scandal, Card. Law would be accused of secrecy and re-assigning offending priests rather than removing them from ministry or warn-ing parishioners. Then-Bp. Law was well-respected and loved during his time in southern Missouri, so news of the scandal hit home in Missouri with particular shock.

The mistakes Card.

From Page 2 Law made in Boston satu-rated the national news and brought focus to the Ameri-can Church’s painful jour-ney that ultimately led to priests being removed, even prosecuted, and the Church instituting rules and pro-cedures to address both of-fenders and victims, as well as prevent future offenses. But Bp. Leibrecht asks ev-eryone not to totally judge the Church or Card. Law by those mistakes, for he is a man who also has “good-ness” in him.

“Remember, this is not the church of Card. Law or Bp. Leibrecht,” he said. “This is the Church of Jesus Christ. He is the center of our lives. This can be expe-rienced as a test to see what faith in Jesus Christ means in our lives. We get tested in many ways.”

Roman Catholic-Pentecostal Dialogue

Another important de-velopment in the diocese has been the Catholic-Pen-tecostal Dialogue instituted by Bp. William Baum in the early 1970s, which contin-ues today.

“I have made some very, very good friends with members of the Assem-blies of God,” Bp. Leibrecht said. “I feel my own faith enriched by the witness of their faith.”

In addition, many of the priests and parishioners throughout the diocese are members of local ministeri-al alliances, something that has grown over the years since Bp. Baum’s time.

“There’s a wonder-ful, deeper understanding of one another and respect now,” he said.

“There’s a positive di-rection happening in ecu-menism,” Bp. Leibrecht said.

“The antagonisms, mis-trust, and misinterpretations between peoples of different faiths are being reduced all across southern Missouri,” he said. “It’s beautiful to see. There have been good things happening between Chris-tians in southern Missouri in my years here, thanks be to God.”

For one, the third an-nual Joint Pentecostal and Roman Catholic Worship service will take place on Jan. 20, 2016, in Evangel Temple, Springfield. Fr. Daniel Ro-bles, pastor of St. Eustachius, Portageville and St. Cecilia, Kennett, will give the reflec-tion for the evening, which is held each year during the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity and alternates an-nually being held in a Ro-man Catholic parish and a

evangelical church.All of these experiences

and love of the people of southern Missouri have led Bp. Leibrecht to call this home, despite his deep con-nections to St. Louis.

“This has become my home now,” he said. “And I’m grateful to God for hav-ing been assigned here.” ©TM

Leslie Anne Eidson con-tributed to this article.

FIFTH BISHOP—(Center) Bishop-elect John J. Leibrecht spoke at a press conference at the Archdiocese of St. Louis chancery on Oct. 23, 1984, announcing his appointment as the fifth bishop of the Diocese of Springfield-Cape Girardeau. Also pictured was Card. John Carberry (left), retired archbishop of St. Louis; Card. John May, then-archbishop of St. Louis; and Dave McGee (back), cameraman for CBS affiliate television KOLR-Channel 10. Bp. Leibrecht’s epis-copal ordination and installation was Dec. 12, 1984, 31 years ago. (The Mirror)

Bishop John Leibrecht, 31 years a bishop

4 The Mirror December 11, 2015CHRISTMAS/ADVENT

The Mirror: Newspaper of the Diocese of Springfield-Cape Girardeau USPS Publication 117-330 Publisher: Msgr. Thomas E. Reidy, Diocesan Administrator Editor: Leslie A. EidsonProduction: Glenn Eckl Circulation/Advertising: Angie Toben, atoben@dioscg.org

Published every other week except the last week in December at 601 S. Jefferson, Springfield, MO 65806-3143. Address all communications to 601 S. Jefferson, Springfield, MO 65806-3143; Telephone (417) 866-0841; FAX (417) 866-1140; Email atoben@dioscg.org

POSTMASTER: Send address changes to The Mirror, 601 S. Jefferson, Springfield, MO 65806-3143. When giving change of address, state both old and new address, also old and new parish. Subscription: $14 per year.Periodicals postage paid at Springfield, MO, and additional mailing offices. Vol. LI No. 17 Dec. 11, 2015 Single copy price, $0.50

Copyright © 2015, The Mirror, CNS, CNA, USCCB, The Vatican, as noted. The Mirror OnLine: www.dioscg.org “Diocese of Springfield-Cape Girardeau”

It’s been a good reading year and I highly recommend the following to the readers on your Christmas shopping list:

God or Nothing, by Card. Robert Sarah (Ignatius Press): It was the book being dis-cussed at Synod-2015 and with good reason, for this interview-style autobiography of a life of faith is moving, insightful, and a wonderful testament to the fruits of the European mission to Africa in the early 20th century. As African Catholicism now challenges its Euro-parent to rediscover the gift of faith that Europe once gave others, God or Nothing is also an invitation to meet a man whose service to the universal Church may not end with his current post in the Roman Curia.

Church of Spies: The Pope’s Secret War Against Hitler, by Mark

Riebling (Basic Books): It’s scandal-ous that this deeply-researched study of Pius XII’s involvement in plots to depose Adolf Hitler has been largely ignored by the mainstream press, but the reason why isn’t hard to guess—Church of Spies con-founds the “Hitler’s Pope” rubbish that Catholic-bashers find useful. It’s a great read, so give it on those grounds; but it’s morally permissible if you give it to annoy the New York Times.

Vatican Coun-cil Notebooks, by Henri de Lubac (Ig-natius Press): There are many Vatican II memoirs available, but Fr. de Lubac’s is more even-tempered than Yves Congar’s My Journal of the Council (Liturgical Press); the de Lubac volume is also a model of ed-iting and annotation. Louis Bouyer’s Memoirs (Ignatius Press), recently published, include some interest-ing nuggets about Vatican II and its liturgical aftermath.

How God Became King: The Forgotten Story of the Gospels, by N.T. Wright (HarperOne): Sound, accessible biblical commentary that’s informed, but not distorted, by historical–criti-cal scholarship is always welcome, and the former Anglican bishop of Durham is its leading practitioner in the Anglosphere. Give it to a bishop, priest, and/or deacon on your list, gently reminding him or them that expository preaching is essential, and that Dr. Wright is a master-guide to breaking open the gospel text so that we see the world more clearly through it. Also, How God Became King makes wonder-ful spiritual reading for Advent or Lent.

Truth Over-ruled: The Future of Marriage and Religious Free-dom, by Ryan T. Anderson (Regnery): Your best guide to the debate that the Supreme Court has tried to end, but hasn’t.

Destiny and Power: The Ameri-can Odyssey of George Herbert Walker Bush, by Jon Meacham (Random House): A splendidly crafted, richly detailed reminder that decency and chivalry were no obstacles to American high office in our lifetime.

Imperium and Conspirata, by Robert Harris (Gal-lery Books): Harris’s trilogy of novels about Cicero will be completed in January with a third volume, Dictator; there, our hero runs afoul of the nasty Caesars, Julius and Octavian, but that’s to get ahead of the story. The first two volumes will whet the appetites of those who relish first-rate historical

fiction, in preparation for the denouement.

Devotion, by Adam Makos (Bal-lantine): The story of the U S Navy’s first African-American carrier pilot, Jesse Brown, and his white squadron-mate and friend, Tom Hudner, is touching in its own right and a timely antidote to the politically-correct madness of recent months on campuses and elsewhere. If you can avoid choking-up while read-ing what Pres. Harry Truman said to Hudner when presenting him the Congressional Medal of Honor in the presence of Jesse Brown’s widow, Daisy, you have more emo-tional iron in you than I do.

The Inimitable Jeeves; Very Good, Jeeves; Right Ho, Jeeves; Thank You, Jeeves; The Code of the Woosters; and Stiff Upper Lip, Jeeves, by P.G. Wode-house (Norton or Touchstone): It’s going to be a tough year, 2016; it’s impossible to stay grumpy reading Wodehouse. So start now, and in-vite lugubrious or distraught family and friends to the party.

And, if I may note my own two recent offerings:

The revised and expanded Letters to a Young Catholic (Basic Books) is intended for the young from 16 to (at least) 80-plus, while City of Saints: A Pilgrimage to John Paul II’s Kraków (Image) will, I hope, be welcomed by all attending World Youth Day-2016, in person or in spirit, in print or in the all-color-photog-raphy e-book. ©TM

George Weigel is Distinguished Senior Fellow of the Ethics and Public Policy Center in Washington, DC.

Books for Christmas shopping listsTHE CATHOLIC DIFFERENCEGeorge Weigel

December 11, 2015 The Mirror 5DIOCESAN NEWS

Belleville, IL—The Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate and Our Lady of the Snows Shrine present the annual Way of Lights Christ-mas Display, Now through-Jan. 1, 2016. Over 1 million lights are featured along a 1.5-mile route depicting the journey to Bethlehem. Reservations phone number, (636) 549-4610 (reservations taken from 8 a.m.-5 p.m., Sunday thru Friday) (no Saturdays); activities in the visitors center and guild center. Bring the family on Tuesday evening and receive discounts on activities. For more information, contact the shrine at (618) 397-6700, or (314) 241-3400, or visit www.wayoflights.org.

Nixa—St. Francis of Assisi Parish will host an adult whole community catechesis

ScheduleThe next safe environment in-service opportunities will be held at the following locations:

Mon., Dec. 14 4:30-7:30 p.m. . . . . . . . .St. Peter, JoplinMon., Dec. 14 5:30-8:30 p.m. . . . . . . . .Our Lady of the Lake, BransonSat., Dec. 19 9 a.m.-12-noon . . . . . . .St. Vincent de Paul, Cape GirardeauSat., Dec. 19 9 a.m.-12-noon . . . . . . .St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, SpringfieldSat., Jan. 30, 2016 9 a.m.-12-noon . . . . . . .St. Vincent de Paul, Cape GirardeauFri., Feb. 8, 2016 6-9 p.m. . . . . . . . . . . . . .St. Ann, Carthage (Spanish)Mon., Feb. 15, 2016 5:30-8:30 p.m. . . . . . . . .Our Lady of the Lake, BransonPreregistration is necessary; go to www.virtus.org and click on “registration” on the left or call your parish/school office for assistance; or call Ken Pesek at The Catholic Center, (417) 866-0841; or Email him at kenpesek@dioscg.org. Participants must be present for the entire training. Training sessions are for adults only. Schedules may be found on the diocesan events calendar at www.dioscg.org, or at www.virtus.org.

class, “A Doctor at Calvary,” 11 a.m.-noon, Sun., March 6, and Sun., March 13. The class will be led by Dr. Jim Lukavsky. There will be a video and “forensic” analysis; a scientific study of the Shroud of Turin. For more information, contact Carl Schimek, (417) 725-9444.

Springfield—Missouri Right to Life Springfield Metro Chapter, will hold an informa-tional/organizational meeting, Sat., Jan. 9, 10 a.m., Midtown Library, Springfield. Discussion of area pro-life events, and state-wide “Show Me Life” pro-life Lobby Day (Feb. 9) in Jeffer-son City. For more information, contact Carl Schimek, (417) 725-9444, or Dave Plem-mons, (417) 838-1839. You may also visit the “Mo Right to Life” Facebook page.

Entire communities come together to celebrate with song and prayer the birth of Jesus Christ for nine nights, representing nine months of gestation, before Christmas. Las Posadas is the re-enactment of Mary and Joseph in Bethlehem as they went from shelter to shelter (posadas) looking for a place to rest and give birth to the baby Jesus. Who will receive the child? Who will find room in their heart for Jesus, the son of God? Las Posadas will be celebrated in:

SACRED HEART Parish, VeronaDec. 16-18 and Dec. 21-24, 6:30 p.m.Dec. 19, 4 p.m.Dec. 20, after Penance Service, 5 p.m.

LAS POSADAS A festival of acceptance

ST. LAWRENCE Parish, MonettDec. 17, 6 p.m., at parishDec. 16 and Dec. 18-24, 6 p.m., church parking lot and then proceed to various houses.

LOVING FATHER,you alone are the source of every good gift.As responsive stewards of your gifts and blessings, we have cultivated your

Church for nearly 60 years across the towns, hills, and fields of southern Missouri.

In gratitude, we remember the faithful servants who built foundations and

nurtured our growth. In hope, we pray for the faith and future of our diocese to

continue the mission of Jesus for years to come. With joy, we entrust ourselves to

your guiding hand as we work from east to west to fulfill your vision.

Bless our efforts to flourish and strengthen our commitment to serve your king-

dom in the future. We pray for guidance, courage, and strength to move forward

with confidence, faith, and for a successful campaign.We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen

Capital Campaignto begin in January

Prayer for the Capital Campaign

6 The Mirror December 11, 2015

We don’t like waiting for anything—for traffic lights,

for weight loss, or even our computers to “refresh” to an anticipated screen on the next Website.

This contemporary ab-horrence of waiting stands in stark contrast to Mary. Her graceful patience is something to consider, es-pecially as Catholics begin the prayerful preparation of Advent.

Mary reminds us that waiting is part of our Cath-olic faith. Sometimes God’s plan isn’t visible. Some-times it’s nothing like we imagined. Sometimes the only thing we know is that we don’t know.

Be still.Be patient.Be calm, for he is near.Be prayerful, and await

the Lord.Let’s slow down. Sure

it’s a busy time, but maybe we can turn waiting into prayer to the Christ for whom we wait.

Let your mind seek stillness as you wait in long checkout lines. Find God when the yellow-then-red traffic light heralds your next delay. Don’t bend your head toward your cell-phone, instead breathe and cast a glance heavenward. Turn off your TV and give yourself 10 minutes, 10 minutes waiting in a dark-ened room with a glowing tree—calm and bright.

Wherever you happen to be waiting impatiently, remind yourself to be mind-ful of waiting for the God who is waiting for you. ©TM

Personal prayer:

Encounter Godthis AdventTHE WAY OF BEAUTY

Sr. Joan L. Roccasalvo, CSJ

“I’m not a religious person, but I am a spiritual per-son.” So goes a common protestation among young

and old alike. Their spirituality has little or nothing to do with organized religion. It makes no burdensome demands. It suits their lifestyle pref-erences in a kind of creative spiritual-ity.

The search for the Transcendent is one of the great thirsts of our age. Psalm 63:1 puts it this way. “O God, you are my God, I am seeking you, I am thirsting for you. I am like a parched land, lifeless and without water.” The late Marianist spiritual director, Fr. Thomas Dubay, SM, com-ments on each phrase:

—The universal I: All of us are voraciously thirsty for the infinite and unending. This includes every-one, the religious and irreligious, the rich and poor, learned and unlearned.

—“For you are my God:” we all want endless life, endless delight, and pleasure, a life only God can fill.

—Dostoyevsky once observed that ‘everyone kneels before some-thing, either the real God or an idol. To live without God is a torture.’

—“My soul thirsts for you.” Plants and animals get thirsty, but they cannot thirst for God. Only a spirit in the flesh can thirst for God. This Living Water is the only kind of refreshment that satisfies one’s parched tongue.

Prayer in the Catholic traditionPerhaps our religious educa-

tion has taught us about Jesus Christ but not about encountering him in personal prayer. Before all else, the Catholic faith is a relationship with Jesus Christ, Living Water that quenches all thirst. He invites every-one to be his companion and, in the process, to become his disciple. And then like those first followers, to go out to our world where “Christ plays in ten-thousand places.”

Personal prayerFriendship with the Lord is far

more important than any other. To cultivate a close relationship, it’s es-sential to spend time alone with him in personal prayer, the time when Jesus transforms us from self-centered individuals into his friends, his com-panions, and his disciples.

Personal prayer is familial conversation with God. Jesus tells us

how to pray: close the door, do it in secret, and pray in a few words (Mt 6:5-6; 7-13). A good place to start is the verse in the Johannine Gospel (6:68): “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life,” in the Matthean Gospel (11:28): “Come to me, all you who labor and are weary, and I will give you rest. …”

Some considerationsHonesty in prayer is all that is

needed. In a metaphorical sense, we stand naked before God to make all our needs known. Nothing is held back. Our physical and emotional needs are brought to prayer, our fantasies, our memories and imagi-nations, fear of failure, fear of com-mitment, fear of being betrayed, unfairness and injustice to me and in the world, being passed over, feeling minimized. If we are serious about friendship with the Lord in prayer, we will allow Divine Providence to guide our lives and even to re-arrange them.

Prayer is the spiritual power of our active lives, for Jesus tells us: “I am the vine, you are the branches. If you remain in me, and I in you, you

will bear much fruit. But apart from me, you can do nothing” (Jn 15:5).

Mothers and fathers with con-stant demands of family life cannot be expected to spend long periods of time in prayer. Whenever possible, they must seize those moments—and they are moments—when short prayers become gems of prayer. They may express relief, thanksgiving for a favor received, or help at that moment to restrain our tempers. In prayer, God will tell us how to begin. God will teach us how to pray.

Muslims pray five times a day: ‘Allah is great, there is none greater.’ Their devotion edifies those of us who may protest that there is little or no time during the day for prayer.

Priests and those in consecrated life should be able to arrange their time for prolonged periods of prayer in addition to spiritual reading, pray-ing The Liturgy of the Hours and the daily examen. The monastic vocation is largely one of spending long hours in personal and liturgical prayer.

Jesus withdrew from the crowds and spent long hours in prayer with his Father. He prayed before making a decision, after apostolic work, in

ADVENT

PRAYER & WAITING—Sister Petra Salgado, MCM, at prayer. Sr. Salgado is pastoral associate at Sacred Heart Parish, Verona. (Photo by Dean Curtis/The Mirror)

December 11, 2015 The Mirror 7

By Kelly Bothum

Patience is like a parking space at the mall on Black Friday—it exists but it sure seems in

short supply.This contemporary ab-

horrence of waiting stands in stark contrast to Mary.

Mary reminds us that waiting is part of our Catholic faith. Sometimes God’s plan isn’t visible. Sometimes it’s nothing like we imagined.

In that way, Mary is Advent.

She didn’t know what was happening the day Ga-briel, the angel, appeared to her. She was a frightened girl, barely a teenager and already betrothed to Joseph. Gabriel tells her something that on the surface sounds absurd.

She, a virgin, would have a baby by the Holy Spirit, and this child will grow up to be the son of the God. No details of how it will happen. Just wait for it to happen, Gabriel said.

And she accepted. She didn’t ask Gabriel to let her think about it, to return at another time or complain. She didn’t ignore God’s plan or wait to see if he’d forget it.

Instead, she said, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word” (Lk 1:39).

Her waiting and patience extend far beyond those nine months of pregnancy. She endures more than any mother ever. Gabriel might not have told her, but Sime-on gives her a glimpse of what the future would hold when she and Joseph present Jesus in the temple.

He says: “(and you yourself a

Gethsemane and on the cross.

Other considerations“My work is my prayer” holds

true if there is also prayer which is not work. It is unrealistic to expect our lives to become one ceaseless act of prayer unless there are also regu-lar times when worldly occupations are laid to one side to remain with God alone. If we do not find God in prayer, we most assuredly will not find God in others, in our work, and in the unexpected events that be-fall us. Prayer is the soul of any true spirituality.

Praying with the silent music of chant in the background may help one to pray, but most music tends to distract and call attention to itself.

‘The great exchange’As one progresses from medita-

tion to deeper prayer, the individual speaks less and listens more. God will communicate to the individual through delicate promptings meant only for the one at prayer. Below, readers will find some scripture pas-sages Fr. Dubay recommended for prayer in what he liked to call “The Great Exchange:”

Prayer transforms us into godly people. This is expressed in Eze-chiel 16:14ff: “You were exceedingly beautiful with the dignity of a queen; you were renowned among the na-tions for your beauty perfect as it was because of my splendor which I had bestowed on you, says the Lord God. They were crude and rude; you were renowned for your beauty because of my splendor which I bestowed on you.”

This people were transformed by God. God gives a splendor that we cannot achieve ourselves except through prayer in which we are called to perfect beauty.

God’s beauty is what we reflect, expressed in 2 Corinthians 3:18: “We, with our unveiled faces reflecting like a mirror the brightness of the Lord, all grow brighter and brighter as we are turned into the image that we reflect; this is the work of the Lord who is Spirit.” We are transformed from one glory to another, i.e., in the transforming union beautifully expressed by St. Gregory of Nyssa in his “Life of Moses.”

We are pinnacles of God’s cre-ation expressed in Ephesians 2:10: “We are God’s work of art created in Christ Jesus to live the good life as from the beginning He meant us to live it.”

Finally, in Ephesians 3:20, we read: “He whose power is at work in us is powerful and more than power-ful to carry out his purpose beyond all our hopes and dreams.” ©CNA

Sr. Roccasalvo, CSJ, is a member of the Congregation of St. Joseph, Brent-wood, NY, holds degrees in philosophy (PhL), musicology (PhD), theology (MA), and liturgical studies (PhD), and has taught at all levels of Catholic educa-tion. Her Email address is jroccasalvo@optonline.net.

Looking to Mary’s example during Advent

Waiting seems like a long-lost virtue in a world that’s increasingly in a hurry. But the Bible assures us that if we wait, great things will come our

way.Take a page from James, who advised us to

be like a farmer who reaps rewards from waiting.But what we, as Christians, wait for is more

precious than food.“Be patient, therefore, brothers, until the

coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient with it until it receives the early and the late rains. You, too, must be patient. Make your hearts firm, because the coming of the Lord is at hand” (Jas 5:7-8). ©CNS

Good things come to those who wait

ADVENT

sword will pierce) so that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed” (Lk 2:35).

Mary watches Jesus grow from an infant to a boy, the kind who gets lost in the temple and can’t understand why his parents worry. She watches him rise, nudging him along for his first miracle at Cana, then suffers the ulti-mate heartache. She stands at the cross watching her son die a terrible death.

And still she waits.Her patient-waiting pro-

vides a roadmap of faith for us. Steady, obedient, faithful, she simply follows the path God has drawn for her.

During Advent, we should all be so willing to wait and listen to what God is re-ally saying to us. That means slowing down and savoring the moment rather than push-ing to get to the next great thing.

It also means accept-ing suffering, if need be, because we don’t know when it will turn to joy. It means appreciating the struggles because eventually they lead

to successes. It’s treasuring the unexpected.

Mary did just that, and look how it turned out for all of us. ©CNS

Bothum is a freelance writer and mother of three.

MADONNA AND CHILD—Byzantine Ma-donna and Child at National Art Gallery, Washington, DC. (Flickr)

8 The Mirror December 11, 20152015 CHRISTMAS COLLECTION

December 11, 2015 The Mirror 92015 CHRISTMAS COLLECTION

10 The Mirror December 11, 2015DIOCESAN NEWS

How did you love Jesus better?• I prayed more than ever.• I grew close to God this week-

end because I learned to trust him

• I loved Jesus better by opening my heart to him, instead of be-ing closed off.

• I experienced His grace and mercy, and I was able to see what is really important.

• I learned that He is always wait-ing for me.

• I let go of my fears.• Confession was wonderful for

me.• I loved him more after going to

Adoration.• Being surrounded by thousands

of people who have the same religion as me made it very easy to love Jesus and not worry about what others thought.

• Learning about what my reli-gion teaches helped me love Jesus more.

How did you serve Jesus?• I felt like I made an amazing

connection with Jesus• I went to adoration with an

open heart.• By letting Him call out to me

and listening to what He said.

• We packaged meals for the poor.• By praising Jesus in song.• By helping load and unload the

bus.• I prayed that attendees would

be open to what the speakers said.

• I tried to help outsiders fit in.• By fully participating in the

sacraments of the Church.

How did you share Jesus?• I was a proud Catholic.• I talked about Jesus with my

friends.• I shared Jesus by that smile I

kept on my face and was ready to assist everybody I could.

• By being a witness to Him by the way I acted.

• My roommates and I talked all night about our experiences.

• A group of kids just started sing-ing Christian songs in the hotel lobby. It was great.

• I shared an experience I had with Jesus during Adoration.

• I encouraged others to go to confession.

What challenged you most?• Confession—it was my first one

since First Communion• Confession, since I hadn’t gone

since the third grade• Accepting, that despite my

flaws, I’m worth it.• Not being able to experience

this with my parents as it was happening.

• This weekend we heard a lot about the joy of belonging to God. It really made me think about my vocation in God’s service.

• Realizing that I have neglected my family.

How are you going to respond to this experience?• I am definitely going to try to

spread the name of Jesus to my community, even though Ca-tholicism is the minority.

• I knew Jesus better this week-end, more than I had before, and I wish to tell him, “Here I am Lord, send me.”

• I will not be ashamed of my faith and how I express it.

• Pray more and pay more atten-tion in Mass.

• I am going to get rid of bad habits and be a better person.

• I am going to try to spend more quiet time in prayer.

• Remember to help the least of my brothers.

Comments about NCYC in light of our diocesan vision: Loving Jesus, Serving Jesus, Sharing Jesus

Youth encounter Christ at NCYCIndianapolis, IN

Eighteen parishes in southern Missouri can probably still feel the energy that their youth and adults brought back from their

experiences at the National Confer-ence of Catholic Youth (NCYC) held Nov. 19-21 in Indianapolis. Fifty-three

adult chaperones and pastors accom-panied 174 high-school youth from around the Diocese of Springfield-Cape Girardeau to interact with close to 25,000 other Catholics in order to learn more about Jesus and them-selves as Catholic disciples.

“I was overcome with the Holy Spirit and was filled with joy,” said

Jordan Hayes, 10th grade, Our Lady of the Lake Parish, Branson, “Meeting people from all over the United States, and talking to them and learning about their lives, was probably one of my favorite parts.”

“Though it was nothing com-pared to Mass that Saturday night with 25,000 people praising Jesus and There I was on my

knees in front of a beautiful altar that was built with stones from

across the nation. This time of adoration was unlike any other I had ever experienced: 24,000 high school students and adults filled Colts Stadium with a reverence and tranquil-ity and it became shockingly clear to me that Jesus Christ, the real deal, wwas present. And as we sang, as we prayed, as we worshipped, I began to sob quietly. I remember think-ing to myself that maybe I shouldn’t cry because people around me might feel un-comfortable. I didn’t want my friends, who I’ve known since elementary school, to think I was being weirdly emotional. The music began again and al-though I’ve sung this hymn a hundred times, I heard it with new ears.

“Here I am Lord, is it I, Lord?”

Prayer is personal, prayer is honest, prayer is not some-thing to be self-conscious about.

“I have heard you calling in the night.”

I shouldn’t be worrying about others observing me. I am called to be a vessel of His love.

“I will go Lord, if you lead me.”

And so, I let myself cry. I allowed myself to be thankful and vulnerable and peaceful.

“I will hold your people in my heart.” When I opened my eyes at the end of Adora-tion, I turned to my friends around me, and I was met with red, teary eyes that matched my own. The youth I trav-eled with, and that you see in pews today, are true disciples. We are the Young Church. Because of the generosity of you, our loving parishioners, and our diocese, we are able to go out into the world and proclaim the good news of the Lord. We have so much to of-fer and share with you. I want to thank you: Thank you SO much for giving me every-thing I needed in order to be able to experience this.

—Grace Reding, 12th grade, Our Lady of the Lake Parish, Branson

‘Here I Am Lord’

SERVICE—Occasions for service were part of the programming at NCYC, including packaging food for the homeless. Here, Natalie Wren from Holy Trinity Parish, Aurora, made hats for the less fortunate. (Submitted photo)

LEOPOLD PILGRIMS— Entertainer Jesse Manabussen posed for a photo with Rev. Mr. Charles Dunn and a group of youth from Leopold, MO, at NCYC. (Submitted photo)

December 11, 2015 The Mirror 11DIOCESAN NEWS

Christmas Challenge matches funds until Dec. 31

For the 12th year, the O’Reilly Wooten family has issued a $50,000 Christmas Challenge to our community in support of The Kitchen. They will

match the first $50,000.00 donated to The Kitchen, Inc., from now until Dec. 31st. Please join the O’Reilly Wooten family and take a stand to end poverty and homelessness in our commu-nity—your tax -deductible donation today Online at thekitcheninc.org. For more information, contact Kippie Kutz: (417) 837-1500, kkutz@thekitcheninc.org.

receiving Communion … you could practically feel the Holy Spirit in the room. I’m so glad I was blessed with this amazing experience that I’ll never forget,” Hayes said.

Under the general theme of “Here I Am Lord,” general sessions, workshops, oppor-tunities for service, and the sacraments were all there to enjoy, as well as the chance to dance or play basketball. The goal of NCYC is to engage the head, heart, and hands of all participants.

Speakers included Jackie Francois Angel, a full-time

speaker, singer/songwriter, and worship leader from Or-ange County, CA. Besides be-ing the artist of two albums with spiritandsong.com, she travels the globe speaking to young people about God’s love. International youth speaker, vocalist, and beat-boxer Paul J. Kim was also on-hand to share his passion for Jesus Christ and the New Evangelization via music, comedy, and inspirational talks. He has a BA in philoso-phy from Franciscan Univer-sity, and an MA in marriage and family therapy from Hope

International University.“NCYC was really ter-

rific this year!” said Troy Casteel, diocesan Director of Family Ministries and Coor-dinator of Youth Ministry. “The young people were so enthusiastic and had so many faith-building experiences. For so many of them, being around 23,000 other Catho-lics helps them realize that the Church is truly universal. I believe it helps them feel less isolated when the majority of the people in their communi-ties are from the protestant faith tradition.”

WEBB CITY PILGRIMS—Young women from Sacred Heart Parish, Webb City, were among the nearly 25,000 at NCYC Nov. 19-21. (Submitted photo)

HUNGRY—Fr. Scott Sunnenberg, pastor, St. Joseph the Worker Par-ish, Ozark, took time out of the busy schedule at NCYC to grab a meal with friends. (Submitted photo)

TRADING SOUVENIRS—Youth from St. Mary Parish, Joplin, traded items during a fellowship period at NCYC. (Submitted photo)

AURORA SIGN-IN—Youth pilgrims from Holy Trinity Parish, Aurora, posed for a photo at sign-in at NCYC in Indianapolis Nov. 19-21. (Submitted photo)

“Before going to NCYC, I had definitely not been the best of Christians,” said Zeke Witty, 10th grade, Branson. “Sure, I went to church and PSR every week, but when-ever I was outside of church I didn’t really live through God and put him first in whatever I did.”

“After going to NCYC and listening to the speakers, it made me realize that there is more to being a Christian than simply going to church regularly and calling it good,” Witty said. “Being a Chris-tian is about helping to lift

up the spirits of those around you, no matter who they are. It’s about forgiving and help-ing others.”

I am especially heart-ened by the great work and generous spirit of the youth leaders and adult volunteers who went along to NCYC and who did so much work long before the pilgrimage in preparation for NCYC,” Casteel said. “We are truly blessed in southern, Missouri to have such wonderful disci-ples who really do love, serve, and share Jesus with all those around them!” ©TM

12 The Mirror December 11, 2015

Springfield

Three recent performances of the musical “Oliver!” at Springfield Catholic High School (SCHS) net-

ted over $6,100 for theater projects. The productions were held Nov. 13-15 and were directed by Fr. Lewis Hejna, chap-lain, at SCHS, and pastor of St. Agnes Cathedral Parish, Springfield.

Based upon the novel Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens, 25 high school stu-dents and 24 grade-schoolers from the parishes of St. Agnes, Immaculate Con-ception, and St. Elizabeth Ann Seton brought to life the story of an orphan who runs away from an orphanage and hooks up with a group of boys trained

‘Oliver!’ takes audience on wild adventure through Victorian England

to be pickpockets by an elderly mentor. The youngest in the musical was in the 3rd grade.

The money raised by the-ater productions stays within the school for future theater projects. In recent years, proceeds have paid for all new curtains; a completely computer-driven LED lighting system; all new microphones, and new carpet. Next for the theater department is the hope of replac-ing the theater seats.

Mark your calendars now for the spring musical at Springfield Catholic High School, which will be “My Fair Lady,” on April 29, 30, and May 1, 2016. ©TM

DIOCESAN NEWS

December 11, 2015 The Mirror 13DIOCESAN NEWS

‘Trashion’ fashion show big runway hitJackson, MO

Seventh and eighth-grade students in Immaculate Conception School, Jackson, hosted a “Trashion” show for parents at the November Home & School Meeting. The students got creative in Art classes in order to create ensembles using recyclable and disposable materials. ©TM

Principal Appreciation Day celebrated around the diocese

Catholic schools in the Diocese of Springfield-Cape Girardeau recently marked Catholic School Principal Appreciation Day on Nov. 19, in-

cluding St. Ambrose School, Chaffee; McAu-ley Catholic High School, Joplin; and St. Mary School, Joplin. ©TM

PRINCIPAL APPRECIATION—Dominique Paje, Student Coun-cil President, at McAuley Catholic High School, Joplin, presented Gene Koester with a card and a gift cer-tificate for Catholic School Princi-pal Appreciation Day on Nov. 19. (Submitted photo)

PRINCIPAL APPRECIATION—Students wore red in St. Mary School, Jop-lin, on Nov. 19—principal Ms. Hamlet’s favorite color—on Catholic School Principal Appreciation Day. Kindergartners gave her a book they made entitled, “Ms. Hamlet Is The Best Principal Because. ...” (Submitted photo)

PRINCIPAL APPRECIATION— St. Ambrose School Angels in Chaffee, MO, honored Mrs. Laura Enderle, their principal, on Nov. 19, Catholic School Princi-pal Appreciation Day. (Submitted photo)

14 The Mirror December 11, 2015DIOCESAN NEWS/ADVERTISING

PO Box 1332Cape Girardeau, MO 63701

(573) 335-6443

Columbia Construction Co.

Herman H. Lohmeyer Funeral HomeLocally-owned & operated u Dedicated u Caring u Professional

Offices of the Catholic Cemeteries

Paul & Lynn WunderlichDavid Fenton • Louis Lohmeyer • Charlene Harris-Bengsch

Gene Lohmeyer • Mary Ann Johnston • Joel Champ

500 E. Walnut - Springfield (417) 862-4433www.hhlohmeyer.com

Memorial forDeceased Children

Name of child______________________________________________________________________

Name ______________________________________________________________________________

Address ____________________________________________________________________________

City/State/Zip _____________________________________________________________________

Phone (optional) _______________________________ Donation (optional) $ ________________

Everyone grieves the death of a child. The entire Church shares in that grief. The Children’s Memorial was established in order that the people of God may join in prayers of hope with loved ones who have lost a child to death. All are welcome to submit a child’s name to be placed on the Memorial. There is no cost—donations are welcome.

To submit a name, please fill out the form below and send to:

Deceased Children’s MemorialSt. Mary Magdalen Church, 4924 Bancroft Ave., St. Louis, MO 63109

Gorman-Scharpf Funeral Home, Inc.Brentwood Chapel • University Chapel

Crematory • Columbarium

Licensed funeral directors of distinction:Bill M. Abbott W. Bruce Howell Marquis Howell, Jr.Robert Lohmeyer Harley R. WilliamsDon R. Lohmeyer Clint W. Mease‘Marquis Howell, Sr. Angela N. CollinsHeather K. Howell Winford R. Laster

Locally owned and operated for over 50 years

1947 E. SeminoleSpringfield MO 65804

(417) 886-9994 • fax (417) 886-9996, gormanscharpf@mchsi.com

Guardian Angel Redwings close seasonOran, MO

The Guardian Angel School varsity boys basketball team and cheerleaders fin-ished their season s with the

REDWING CHEERLEADERS— Guardian Angel School cheerleaders were (front row ) Savannah Below and Paige Overfield ; ( back row) Cam-ryn Lynch, Traci Hency, and Kennedi McVay . (Submitted photo)

BASKETBALL REDWINGS— The boys varsity basketball team from Guardian Angel School, Oran, are (front row ) Langdon Scheeter, Dal-las Kluesner, and Evan Montgomery ; (back row) Coach Andrew Hulshof, Cooper Priggel, Logan Rose, Myles Trankler, John Crippen, Kameron Dohogne, and Coach Kent Mangels. (Submitted photo)

Christian Youth League on Sun., Dec. 6. The tournament, was held at St. Augustine Parish , Kelso, on Dec. 2, 4, and 6.

The varsity Redwings took Second Place in the tournament

and second place in the league, with a record of 7 wins and 1 loss. The Red-wing cheer-leaders took First Place in the tourna-ment and Third Place in the league.

December 11, 2015 The Mirror 15ADVERTISING

16 The Mirror December 11, 2015ADULT FAITH

What am I supposed to do for the Year of Mercy?

By Mike Jordan Laskey

“At times we are called to gaze even more attentively on mercy so that we may become a more effective sign of the Father’s action in our lives. For this reason I have proclaimed an Extraordi-nary Jubilee of Mercy as a special time for the Church, a time when the witness of believers might grow stronger and more effective.”

—Pope Francis, Bull of Indiction announcing the Jubilee of Mercy

I don’t want to let Pope Francis down.

I really want to gaze more atten-tively on mercy this Jubilee Year,

and grow into a stronger witness.But first, I have some questions.

Like, what is mercy, exactly? It’s not a word I use a lot outside of the begin-ning of Mass. It sounds to my mod-ern ears like weak surrender or cheap forgiveness. Or, even worse, the self-satisfied flinging of a coin to a beggar. Why not a Jubilee Year of Justice, or Solidarity, or Kinship, or Encounter?

Thinking about this, I vaguely remembered a pithy definition of mercy I had liked in Kerry Weber’s great book Mercy in the City, which I read a few months ago. So I pulled it off the shelf and paged through the first few chapters, and there it was on page 12, where she quotes the Jesuit priest Fr. James F. Keenan. “Mercy,”

he says, “is the willingness to enter into chaos of another.”

The willingness to enter into the chaos of another. This definition unlocked my imagination, and I was immediately flooded with images and stories.

Mercy is the Holy Child Jesus Church community in Queens. When a desperate mother left her newborn son in the church’s manger scene in late November, multiple par-ish families stepped forward to adopt him. “I think it’s beautiful,” Fr. Chris-topher Heanue, the church adminis-trator, said. “A church is a home for those in need, and she felt, in this stable—a place where Jesus will find his home—a home for her child.” Parishioners have two name sugges-tions for the baby: John, because he came before Jesus to prepare the way; and Emanuel, which means “God is with us.”

Mercy is the Intergenerational Learning Center at Providence Mount St. Vincent in Seattle—a preschool inside a nursing home. Through planned and spontaneous activities, the kids and the seniors interact throughout the day, sharing in art projects, exercise, story time, and more. Both the youngsters and the residents have a lot to offer one another and a lot to receive.

Mercy is a mother who sleeps on the floor of her three year-old

son’s room at 2 a.m. because he thinks there are monsters in there.

Mercy is Oakland Athletics pitcher Sean Doolittle and his girl-friend Eireann Dolan, who partnered with Chicago city government officials to organize Thanksgiving dinner for the city’s 17 families of Syrian refugees a couple weeks ago. And mercy is the nonprofit organiza-tions—many of them Catholic—that have proclaimed “Refugees welcome” in states where elected officials have threatened to close their doors.

Mercy is when a person returns to the Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation after decades, nervous as can be and embarrassed to have forgotten the act of contrition, and the confessor responds with warmth, gentleness, and bit of good humor.

Mercy is the hashtag #PorteOu-verte, or “Open Door,” that scores of Parisians used on the night of the ter-ror attacks there to signal that they would open their homes to anyone who needed shelter.

Mercy is Rosa’s Fresh Pizza in Philadelphia, where you can spend an extra dollar to have a post-it put up on the wall. Homeless members of the community are then welcome to come in to the shop and trade in a post-it for a slice.

Mercy is the Gospel stories of the prodigal son, the woman caught in adultery, Matthew the

unscrupulous tax collector, and Peter the denier. The forgiveness they re-ceive does not condone them in their selfishness. They are not condoned, but redeemed.

These images of mercy share some things in common. Each ex-ample features the element of “will-ingness” that Fr. Keenan emphasizes. Instead of avoiding or dismissing the chaos of another, these practitioners of mercy move toward the chaos with creativity and boldness. They make me wonder, “If we Catholics were 10 times bolder and more cre-ative in our practice of mercy than we are right now, how might things be different?” Well, we’d probably have preschools in all our nursing homes and refugees at all our family parties, for starters.

The Jubilee Year of Mercy began on Tue., Dec. 8, and runs all the way until next November. How willing, bold, and creative can we be? u

Mike Jordan Laskey is the direc-tor of Life & Justice Ministries for the diocese of Camden, NJ. He blogs for the Camden diocese at camdenlifejustice.wordpress.com. Reprinted by permission of National Catholic Reporter, 115 E Armour Blvd, Kansas City, MO 64111, www.ncronline.org.

Recovering mercy

The timing of the Extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy, which opened Dec. 8, is providential.

It comes at a time when the world is dumbstruck by the massacres in Paris, California, Mali, and across the Middle East and much of Africa, murder is committed in the name of religion and for the sake of power.

Here in the US, we are debating whether to accept refugees fleeing these war-torn countries because our fears of terrorism outweigh our gen-erosity. This year will encompass our bitter and angry national election. The Internet is full of mercilessness and venom, and the streets of our cit-ies are full of division and mistrust.

So how providential it is that when our age is barren of mercy, the Church is reminding us that mercy is at the heart of the Christian witness.

The good news we proclaim is that “the Lord is kind and merciful,” that God’s “mercy endures forever.” In Advent, we are reminded that the greatest act of mercy of all history was God sending his Son to redeem us; the innocent saving the guilty.

Mercy is the most radical of messages in a world where survival of the fittest and the most unforgiving is more the order of the day. Mercy calls for the virtue of humility, for we who know that our own salva-tion depends on God’s mercy are called to bring a message of mercy to our families, our communities, our nation. Mercy does not require us to turn a blind eye to sin, nor does it deny justice. Mercy goes beyond justice, however. In the Gospel story of Jesus and the adulteress, Jesus rec-ognizes the sinfulness of the woman (“Go and sin no more”), yet saves her life—despite what the law says is the

punishment for adultery. He does so by identifying the sin in the hearts of those who were about to stone her, making it clear that they, too, were in need of God’s mercy.

This Holy Year is a blessing from God, calling all of us to acknowledge the mercy we have experienced and to share that mercy with others, per-haps in the following ways:

—Share it in our families, where mercy is sometimes the most lacking and the most needed. In the family, mercy can be found in the small-est of gestures, yet sometimes is the most difficult to show.

—Share it in our parishes and dioceses, where the pope invites us to make pilgrimages, to put into practice the corporal and spiritual works of mercy, to reach out to those who may feel most unloved or unwelcome.

—Share it in our nation, where

the powerful witness of mercy may be an antidote to the anger and the bitterness that seems so prevalent.

In the psalms and the parables, in the lives of the saints and teach-ings of the popes, in the words of the Mass that we say every week, lessons of mercy abound. Catholics should begin a yearlong reflection on the mercy we have received and the mercy we are being called to live. ©OSV