October 20-22, 1992

These five women lived out their vocation by doing the ordinary things of life with an extraordinary spirit of love, dedication, and faithfulness. This message is one that our wounded world needs today. The stories of these women, of their lives and finally of the work and dedication that led to their deaths, can bring much-needed hope to those who see in their lives little or nothing to hope in, and can bring encouragement and support to those of us who have hope but find it dulled by the concerns of everyday living.

Barbara Ann Muttra, Shirley Kolmer, Mary Joél Kollmer, Agnes Mueller, and Kathleen McGuire were heroic both in their dedication and their commonplaceness. Through pondering their lives and work, we Christians can rediscover the fact that it is precisely in going about our ordinary business with an extraordinary spirit that we become saints.

posted by Fr. Jeffrey Keyes, C.PP.S. on 11:58 PM link

. . .

San Gaspare del Bufalo



You will find him called many things. I have seen him listed on the Web in a variety of places as:

Gaspar
Gaspare
Gaspar Bufalo
Gaspar of Bufalo
Gaspar de Bufalo
Gaspar del Bufalo
Caspar
Kaspar

One website even still lists him as Bl. Gaspar, even though he was canonized in 1954. He is Italian. His name is Gaspare. Caspar and Kaspar come from German and English translations of his name. Someone once asked me if Caspar, the friendly ghost, was named after him.

This website still lists the wrong date for his feast. St. Gaspar died on December 28 and so that would normally be his feast day, except for the fact that it is already a major feast day, the Feast of the Holy Innocents. St. Gaspar's feast was once celebrated on January 2nd, a date close to the anniversary of his birth. Gaspar was born on January 6, the Feast of the Epiphany. A date so close to Christmas and New Years proved to be a difficult time for a religious community to gather its members and associates together for a celebration. I do not know the exact date the feast day was changed. Possibly Frs. Ballor or Cera can post more reliable information. I have been associated with this community in one way, shape or form since 1980 and Gaspar's feast has been celebrated on October 21 as long as I can remember. This was a date chosen to reflect the anniversary of one of Gaspar's earliest missions, the foundation of the evening oratory for the workers in the fields and markets, soon after Gaspar's ordination.

Here is a site that I had a hand in creating on Catholic Information Network, the home of the Gaspar list. The Gaspar is list is a place to carry on conversations about the life and ministry of St. Gaspar and the Spirituality of the Precious Blood. (This Weblog has been more successful in starting those conversations, though)

Here is a website that belongs to the parish where I served as Pastor from 1994 to 2001.

Anybody want any more information about St. Gaspar? There is a book on his life being published soon in English, and there are many other resources available at St. Charles Center in Ohio. Fr. Ballor there can provide you with a CD filled with all his letters and much more information.

May the celebration of his feast bring you many blessings.

posted by Fr. Jeffrey Keyes, C.PP.S. on 12:24 PM link

. . .

Greetings from Rome



This message was received today from the Generalate in Rome, forwarded by Fr. Jerry Stack, CPPS, the Secretary General.

"By divine mercy, our Institute continues to be blessed by the Lord; it offers a special service for the urgencies of our times."

"El Instituto, por la misericordia divina, sigue siendo bendecido por el Señor, y presenta una proporción especial para la urgencia de los tiempos."

"L'Istituto per divina misericordia prosiegue ad esser benedetto dal Signore, e presenta una proporzione speciale all'urgenza dei tempi."

-----S. Gaspar to Msgr. G. Costantini, 1834

Our best wishes and prayers to all as we celebrate the Feast of St. Gaspar!

Nuestos saludos y oraciones a todos mientras celebramos la Fiesta de San Gaspar!

I nostri saluti e preghiere a tutti mentre celebriamo la Festa di San Gaspare.

Barry Fischer, CPPS
Francesco Bartoloni, CPPS
Jerome Stack, CPPS
Robert Schreiter, CPPS
Luís Filipe Cardoso Fernandes, CPPS

posted by Fr. Jeffrey Keyes, C.PP.S. on 10:32 AM link

. . .

Priesthood

Catholic World News has posted a story on that new document on the Priesthood.

Here is the document.

posted by Fr. Jeffrey Keyes, C.PP.S. on 11:06 PM link

. . .

Normally Blog traffic slows down toward the weekend. Not this week. Yesterday and today the traffic went through the roof. It seems that any one who went looking for "Luminous Mysteries" on Google found The New Gasparian on the first page of links. Today we slipped to page three on Google, but then Disputations posted a link to my article on the Rosary (see side bar) and a whole bunch of people came over to read. There were a bunch of vistors from Flos Carmeli too. Welcome to all. Join in the conversation. Join in the feast.

posted by Fr. Jeffrey Keyes, C.PP.S. on 10:51 PM link

. . .

Texts for the Feast

Gaspar del Bufalo, born in Rome, January 6, 1786, displayed even in his youth a predilection for catechizing the ignorant and the illiterate, as well as practicing works of charity towards the sick in hospitals. During the political upheavals in the Papal States he remained loyal to the Holy Father, and as a result was forced into exile and held in prison for almost two years. Imbued with a deep devotion to the Blood of Christ and a great missionary zeal , he founded a Society of Missionaries under the title of the Most Precious Blood in 1815, and advised Blessed Maria De Mattias in the founding of the Sisters Adorers of the Blood of Christ. He was highly successful in his ardent missionary activity, which he pursued right up to the time of his death, especially in bandit-infested areas. He died in Rome, December 28, 1837.


October 21
Gaspar del Bufalo
Priest, Founder of the Missionaries of the Precious Blood
Solemnity

Mass

Introductory Rites

It is good to give thanks to the Lord, to sing praise to your name, Most High, to proclaim your kindness at dawn and your faithfulness throughout the night. (Psalm 92:2-3)

Opening Prayer

O God, our Father
you made Gaspar del Bufalo a priest
and outstanding apostle of the Precious Blood of your Son.
Through his intercession
grant that we may experience the abundant fruits
of the price of our redemption.
We ask this through our Lord, Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, forever and ever.

Reading One

Jeremiah 1:4-9
The word of the LORD came to me thus: Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I dedicated you, a prophet to the nations I appointed you. "Ah, Lord GOD!" I said, "I know not how to speak; I am too young." But the LORD answered me, Say not, "I am too young." To whomever I send you, you shall go; whatever I command you, you shall speak. Have no fear before them, because I am with you to deliver you, says the LORD. Then the LORD extended his hand and touched my mouth, saying, See, I place my words in your mouth!

Responsorial Psalm Ps 98:1,2-3,3-4

R/. Go into the whole world and proclaim the good news.

Sing to the Lord a new song
for he has done wondrous deeds
his right right hand has won victory for him
his Holy arm. R/.

The LORD has made his salvation known;
in the sight of the nations he has revealed his justice.
He has remembered his kindness and faithfulness
toward the house of Israel. R/.

All the ends of the earth have seen
the salvation of our God.
Sing joyfully to the LORD, all you lands;
break into song; sing praise. R/.

Second Reading

Romans 5:5-11
Brothers and Sisters, hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out into our hearts through the holy Spirit that has been given to us. For Christ, while we were still helpless, yet died at the appointed time for the ungodly. Indeed, only with difficulty does one die for a just person, though perhaps for a good person one might even find courage to die. But God proves his love for us in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us. How much more then, since we are now justified by his blood, will we be saved through him from the wrath. Indeed, if, while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son, how much more, once reconciled, will we be saved by his life. Not only that, but we also boast of God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.

Gospel

R/. Alleluia
V/. The Lord has sent me to bring glad tidings to the poor, to proclaim liberty to captives.
R/. Alleluia

Mark 16:15-18
Jesus appeared to the eleven and said to them, "Go into the whole world and proclaim the gospel to every creature. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved; whoever does not believe will be condemned. These signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will drive out demons, they will speak new languages. They will pick up serpents (with their hands), and if they drink any deadly thing, it will not harm them. They will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover."

Prayer over the Gifts

Lord,
give to us who offer these gifts at your altar
the same spirit of love that filled St. Gaspar.
By celebrating this mystery with pure minds and loving hearts
may we offer a sacrifice that pleases you,
and brings salvation to us.
Grant this through Christ our Lord.

Preface: (Common of Pastors)

Communion Rite

Go into the whole world and proclaim the good news: I am with you always , says the Lord. (Mt 16:15; Mk 28:20)

Prayer after Communion

Lord,
may the sacrament we receive
on this celebration in honor of St. Gaspar del Bufalo
give us holiness of mind and Body
and bring us into your divine life.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.

posted by Fr. Jeffrey Keyes, C.PP.S. on 10:37 PM link

. . .

Preparing the Feast

This Sunday we celebrate the Solemnity of St. Gaspar del Bufalo, the great apostle and missionary of the Most Precious Blood. His feast is October 21, but religious orders are given permission in their local houses to transfer the feast to a Suinday so that it may be celebrated with greater solemnity. This small mission house will be overflowing with guests this Sunday as we celebrate his feast and mark the 10th anniversary of the Martyrs of Charity in Liberia, Adorers of the Blood of Christ from the Province of Ruma, Illinois.

Sister Joél Kollmer, aged 58, taught Christian doctrine at St. Michael's School, and was in charge of training the young Liberian women aspiring to become Adorers of the Blood of Christ. She had worked in Liberia for ten years.

Joél's cousin, Sister Shirley Kollmer, 61, was principal of St. Patrick's High School in Monrovia and coordinated the initial formation of the young Liberian women studying to become Adorers of the Blood of Christ. She was also the overall coordinator for the ASC mission in Gardnersville. Shirley had been missioned to Liberia for nine years.

Sister Agnes Mueller, 62, in Liberia for five years, had worked in Kle in Bomi Country before she came to Gardnersville. She was the manager of the Ave Maria Clinic in Gardnersville and ran literacy classes for the women in the area.

Sister Kathleen McGuire, the youngest at age 54, had just completed her first year in Liberia and was manager of St. Michael's School in Gardnersville. Kathleen and Agnes worked with the students at St. Michael's School and St. Patrick's School in Monrovia who were trying to recover their lives from the chaos of the previous outbreak of the civil war in 1990.

A 21 year veteran of the Liberian mission, Sister Barbara Ann Muttra was the Assistant Health Director at the Secretariat of the Archdiocese of Monrovia. She also collected and ran food, clothing, and medical supplies to the villages in the interior that had been hard hit by the war. She was especially moved by the plight of the people of Bomi County where she had been missioned for seven years and made frequent trips to Kle.

These five women lived out their vocation by doing the ordinary things of life with an extraordinary spirit of love, dedication, and faithfulness. This message is one that our wounded world needs today. The stories of these women, of their lives and finally of the work and dedication that led to their deaths, can bring much-needed hope to those who see in their lives little or nothing to hope in, and can bring encouragement and support to those of us who have hope but find it dulled by the concerns of everyday living.

Barbara Ann Muttra, Shirley Kolmer, Mary Joél Kollmer, Agnes Mueller, and Kathleen McGuire were heroic both in their dedication and their commonplaceness. Through pondering their lives and work, we Christians can rediscover the fact that it is precisely in going about our ordinary business with an extraordinary spirit that we become saints.

posted by Fr. Jeffrey Keyes, C.PP.S. on 10:29 PM link

. . .

Priesthood

The Congregation for the Clergy released today a new Instruction entitled "The Priest, Pastor and Leader of the Parish Community." I have not found a link to it on their website. They sent it to me directly. It looks pretty good. If someone would like a copy of it, email me and I will forward it to you.

Cardinal Castrillon said "The main objective of this Instruction, is to define for the community and the clergy the role of pastor and sacramental leader, who from the parish encourages and leads the people to Christ, the Way to the Father."

This document comes at a good time for the church in the current situation, and it is a great time for me this month as I prepare to celebrate the anniversary of my ordination.

"This document," the Cardinal concluded, "is also a tribute to the many parish priests in the whole world who carry out their ministry faithfully and silently, despite difficulties, misunderstandings and humiliation."

posted by Fr. Jeffrey Keyes, C.PP.S. on 2:26 PM link

. . .

Huh? Rejection?

It is always better to get your information from the Church itself than to rely on the News Media (even sometimes Catholic media) to faithfully relay what the Church is doing. I have often said that if a sports reporter was as ignorant of the football team as the religion reporter is allowed to be ignorant of the church, the sports writer would be fired.

Reading the letters of Cardinal Re and Bishop Gregory you realize that the Church has great compassion for victims of abuse, and that the Vatican clearly supports what the Bishops are doing to correct the situation. Yes, there needs to be further reflection and some revision before the recognitio is granted, but in no way did the Vatican completely reject the Bishops' policies. So why is it in this story the headline and the lead line all use the word "reject?" The Newspaper clearly gives the opposite impression from what actually happened. The Norms are still on the table, still in force, there was not any indication that bishops were to stop enforcing it, in fact they were clearly encouraged to still enforce it while the mixed commission prepares to meet.

To be fair, if you read the full article you get a fuller sense of the nuance of the situation. But if all you see is the headline, and are disposed to dismiss the church as uncaring and out of touch, you will have plenty of false evidence to support your opinion and judgment.

When it come to news, it is better to reflect on the real thing.

Here is Cardinal Re's letter

Here is Bishop Gregory's response.

posted by Fr. Jeffrey Keyes, C.PP.S. on 1:30 PM link

. . .

From the writings of
St. Ignatius of Antioch


(...having your hearts kindled in the blood of God." (Ephesians, 1)


"...even what you do in the flesh is spiritual, for all your actions are done in Jesus Christ." (Eph 8)


"...one who has truly mastered the utterances of Jesus will also be able to apprehend his silence." ( Eph 15)

Love is the blood of Christ -- (in 2 of the letters, Smyrneans and Trallians)


"...let gentleness be your weapon. ...take a firm grip on your faith (the very flesh of the Lord) and your love (the life-blood of Jesus Christ...") (Trallians 8)


I give glory to Jesus Christ,
the God who bestowed such wisdom upon you;
for I have perceived that you are established in unmoveable faith, as if nailed to the cross of the Lord Jesus Christ,
in flesh and in spirit,
and firmly grounded in love,
in the blood of Christ,
fully persuaded that our Lord is truly
of the race of David according to the flesh,
but Son of God by the divine will and power,
truly born of a virgin and baptized by John
that all righteousness might be fulfilled by him.
(Smyrneans, ch 1)

"This favor only I beg of you: allow me to be a libation poured out to God while there is still an altar ready for me." (Romans 2)

I desire the bread of God,
which is the flesh of Christ
who was of the seed of David;
and for drink I desire his blood,
which is love uncorruptible.
(Romans)

"I send you greetings in the Blood of Jesus, wherein is joy eternal and unfailing." (Philadelphians 1)

"For let nobody be under any delusion; there is judgement in store even for the host of heaven, the very angels in glory, the visible and invisible powers themselves, if they have no faith in the blood of Christ." (Symrnaeans 6)

"Address yourself to people personally, as is the way of God himself, and carry the infirmities of them all on your shoulders as a good champion of Christ ought to do. The heavier the labor, the richer the reward." (Polycarp 1)

There is no surer pledge or clearer sign of this great hope in the new heavens and new earth "in which righteousness dwells," (2 Pet 3:13) than the Eucharist. Every time this mystery is celebrated, "the work of our redemption is carried on"(LG 3) and we "break the one bread that provides the medicine of immortality, the antidote for death, and the food that makes us live forever in Christ Jesus." (Ignatius of Antioch, ad eph 20) (CCC 1405)

"Mary's virginity and giving birth, and even the Lord's death escaped the notice of the prince of this world: these three mysteries worth of proclamation were accomplished in God's silence."(quoted in CCC 498)

posted by Fr. Jeffrey Keyes, C.PP.S. on 8:37 AM link

. . .

St. Ignatius of Antioch

This is an article written previously for Precious Blood Family

The spirituality of the Precious Blood was not new with St. Gaspar in the early Nineteenth Century. He himself was the one who told us that this "devotion of ours is so antique" (1) it goes back to the very beginning. He was to assert that this devotion is "the basis, the sustenance, the essence"(2) of all other devotions. Thus we consider other saints as part of the Precious Blood Family.

This month we consider the life and witness of St. Ignatius of Antioch. He was a Syrian, a convert from paganism, and was the third bishop of Antioch. He was one of those who came to believe through the powerful preaching and example of the Christian community in Antioch, an important community in the spread of the gospel outside of Palestine. It was in Antioch that the believers were first called “Christians." Antioch was one of the first communities to integrate people who had no acquaintance with Judaism. Antioch, as a young church, knew that part of the call was to send out missionaries. They are the ones who commissioned Barnabas and Paul as missionaries. One source indicates Ignatius may have taken over the Church in Antioch around the year 69.(3) Another source states it was during the reign of Emperor Trajan (AD 98-117) that Ignatius was condemned as a Christian and sent to Rome under chains to face martyrdom.(4) Our modern ears may think that he unnaturally desired this martyrdom, yet if we spend time with his letters and breathe the air he breathes, we shall see that his death is a marvelous testament to life.

Little is known of his life in Antioch. What we know of him is from his arrest and deportation to Rome to become a feast for lions in the Roman amphitheater. On his journey to Rome under guard, representatives visited him from various churches and cities along the route. His seven letters were written to the communities of those who visited him, or to the cities he had previously visited on this journey. There is much in his writings that finds resonance in the life of our own St. Gaspar.

Greetings in the Blood of Jesus

One of the trials of Ignatius was to hear of those Christians who had denied the reality of Christ's sufferings. In effect, they denied the reality of his Body and his Blood. For them, God had visited his people, but he had not become human. This is an ancient heresy known as Docetism. For Ignatius, to deny Jesus' humanity was to deny our salvation. "I want you to be unshakably convinced of the birth, the passion, and the resurrection which were true and indisputable experiences of Jesus Christ, our Hope."(5)

Blood then became for Ignatius, the symbol of the stark reality of Jesus humanity and his sufferings. His letters, with salutations like "greetings in the Blood of Jesus,"(6) were filled with references to the "divine Blood."(7) "For let nobody be under any delusion; there is judgement in store even for the hosts of heaven, the very angels in glory, the visible and invisible powers themselves, if they have no faith in the Blood of Christ."(8) For Ignatius, the pouring out of Jesus Blood was the essence, the real experience of Jesus' love. Love is the very blood of the Christian life, the "energy coursing through its veins and arteries."(9)

Gasparian Echoes

One of the central ideas in Ignatius' letters is the focus on humility that would be echoed centuries later in the writings of St. Gaspar. In Ignatius this humility was the key to his hope for martyrdom. Accounting the suffering as joy was a way of acknowledging eternal life, and that death was not the end. To focus on preserving his life would be, for him, the same as saying that Jesus' gift of life had no meaning. Humility was the key to victory. "I have great need of that humility which is the prince of this world's undoing,"(10) he wrote. Not only could he not focus solely on his present life, but also he enjoined his correspondents to do nothing to save him, ensuring that he belonged entirely to Jesus alone. (11) Very much related to this was his focus on silence. The creative stillness, the silence of God brought about a great redemption in silence in what he referred to as trumpet-tongued secrets: Mary's virginity, her childbearing, and the death of the Lord. All of these were done in the silence and humility of lowly flesh, yet overturned the power of death. (12)

Another focus in Ignatius that finds an echo in Gaspar is the emphasis on the unity of the church and the respect paid to the leaders of the Church. Ignatius' letters are the earliest writing we have on church order that includes the three orders of bishop, presbyter and deacon. Gaspar’s devotion to Pope Pius VII would have made St. Ignatius very happy. Ignatius demanded "complete unity, in the flesh as well as in the spirit."(13) He proclaimed Christ in the flesh so completely, that he taught that obedience to the bishop was the same as obedience to Christ. We can have no life apart from Jesus in the flesh, and the only way this could be accomplished in the flesh was by submission of mind and heart to the bishop.(14)

For Ignatius, blood was life itself. But more than that it was Jesus very real life giving life and salvation to us. Both Ignatius and Gaspar remarked how this life was being denied in the world in which they lived. For us in this day, this life is most precious. We celebrate St. Ignatius Feast on October 17 each year, four days before the feast of St. Gaspar. As this saint is such a strong witness of the importance of Jesus' Precious Blood his letters and story should be an important part of our preparation for our founder’s feast. As we take the cup at each Eucharist, we remind ourselves of the joy Ignatius took in his impending suffering. Suffering is not a sign that God abandons us, rather it is precisely the place the Lord comes to accompany us, not just in spirit, but in his own flesh. Everything we do now in the flesh, joys and sufferings, are now done in his body, with his blood, in his love.


FOOTNOTES
(1).Gaspar del Bufalo, letter to Pope Leo XII, July 29, 1825
(2).ibid.
(3)Butler's Lives of the Saints, Concise Edition, Michael Walsh, ed., HarperSan Francisco, 1991, pg. 341.
(4)Early Christian Writings, Penguin Classics, Maxwell Staniforth, trans. pg 55
(5)St. Ignatius of Antioch, Letter to the Magnesians, 11; all quotes from the Letters of St. Ignatius of Antioch are taken from Early Christian Writings except where indicated.
(6)St. Ignatius of Antioch, Letter to the Philippians, 1
(7)St. Ignatius of Antioch, Letter to the Ephesians, 1
(8)St. Ignatius of Antioch, Letter to The Symrnaeans, 6
(9)St. Ignatius of Antioch, Letter to the Trallians, 8, see footnote in text referring to Lightfoot translation.
(10)St. Ignatius of Antioch, Letter to the Trallians, 4
(11)St. Ignatius of Antioch, Letter to the Romans
(12)St. Ignatius of Antioch, Letter to the Ephesians, 19
(13)St. Ignatius of Antioch, Letter to the Magnesians, 13
(14)St. Ignatius of Antioch, Letter to Polycarp

posted by Fr. Jeffrey Keyes, C.PP.S. on 8:27 AM link

. . .

Here It Is

ROSARIUM VIRGINIS MARIAE

I will read it tonight when I get the time. I can hardly wait.

posted by Fr. Jeffrey Keyes, C.PP.S. on 12:11 PM link

. . .

Mission Sunday

Mission Sunday always seems to coincide with the Feast of St. Gaspar del Bufalo. This is very providential. Thanks to Precious Blood Companion Maureen Lahiff for finding the Pope's text for us.

posted by Fr. Jeffrey Keyes, C.PP.S. on 12:06 AM link

. . .

I Wish I Were There

I would have been in the middle of it.

posted by Fr. Jeffrey Keyes, C.PP.S. on 11:57 PM link

. . .

La Madre

Happy Feast of St. Teresa of Jesus. Prayers are offered especially for all my Carmelite visitors. Our formation house is right next door to the Carmelite one here in Chicago. One of her favorite expressions hits home today. "Lord, if this is the way you treat your freinds, no wonder you have so few of them." Nothing but computer problems today. Mysterious message from a fellow blogger which he did not send has caused some havoc with the computer. Norton's bells and whistles multiply by the minute. Come to find out my own email address has sent something unbeknownst by me to others. All of it offered up for the people in Virginia and Maryland. My problems are miniscule in comparison. I preached a Mission in Arlington, VA this year and have spoken with a few people there in recent days. Please offer your prayers for them. Leave promises of prayer in Conversations and I will make sure they see them. Computer will be down for the rest of the day while I do some re-installing and re-formatting, etc. Everything is backed up fortunately.

Stay tuned for some more Gasparian quotes to mark the festivities. St. Gaspar's feast is October 21.

posted by Fr. Jeffrey Keyes, C.PP.S. on 12:28 PM link

. . .

More on the Rosary

Disputations Has had a great deal more to say on the Rosary on this month of the Rosary.

posted by Fr. Jeffrey Keyes, C.PP.S. on 7:26 PM link

. . .

The Rosary as
a Prayer of Communion

This article was originally published in Precious Blood Family. It is reposted here in honor of the new apostolic letter referred to in the previous post, and in honor of the month of the Holy Rosary.

The Rosary is a familiar form of prayer for many Catholics, but it is also a greatly misunderstood prayer as well. Many Non-Catholics believe it is an exercise in mindless repetition or idolatry of Mary. Many Catholics believe that rosary will gain us extra favors or that it can be used as jewelry. Our community has what it refers to as the Precious Blood Rosary as well as what is understood as the more traditional Marian rosary.

The heart of the Rosary is a living relationship with the Lord Jesus and a desire to spend time in his company immersing oneself in the mysteries of his life, death and resurrection. Meditating on these mysteries enables us to remember and to live the heart of the gospel. Knowing these 15 stories, not only with our minds, but with our hearts enables us to walk with Jesus, to pray with him, and to do his will.

The Rosary is essentially a prayer, contemplative prayer. All the emotions of wonder, awe and reverence go with this prayer. All the aims of the ancient practice of Lectio Divina are relevant here. Meditating on the mysteries enables one to “read” the life of Jesus each day. More than reading, meditating on the mysteries in this manner enables one to “chew” the words, to taste them in much the same way as Ezekiel took the scroll on which the Word of God was written and ate it.(1) The use of imagination helps us to enter the story, to hear the voices and to feel the emotions. As the Angel greets Mary in the Annunciation we feel her wonder and doubt. Imagine, the creator of the world being given to you to hold and to care for. Imagine yourself saying “be it done to me according to your word.” Immersing ourselves in the mystery of the Visitation allows us to join in the chorus of “blessed is the fruit of your womb” and to celebrate that “nothing will be impossible for God.”(2)

The praying of the rosary is not about the repetition of many prayers, but a time piece to mark the moment of prayer. Spending time with one another is exactly how a relationship grows and we are drawn into a communion with one another. The prayers we use to mark this prayer experience are fundamentally conversations with the Word of God drawn from the Scripture. The first part of the “Hail Mary” is two passages from the first chapter of Luke’s Gospel. The second part of the “Hail Mary” is the prayer of the church in response. So too, in the rosary we add our own voice, listening to the Word of God and responding from our heart.

The Rosary is an incarnational prayer. The Word was made flesh. In this prayer we use not just mind and heart, but voice and hands as well. In the rosary we are impelled to offer our “bodies as a living sacrifice.”(3) Many of us carry the rosary in our pockets or purses as a reminder, as a tool to carry the prayer with us throughout the day. In this way we follow the command to “pray without ceasing.”(4)

It is through Mary that the Word was made flesh and so in this prayer we also honor the mother of God. She is the one who believed.(5) She is the one who pondered all these things in her heart.(6) She is the one who stood faithfully at the foot of the cross.(7) She is the one given to us to take into our home.(8) For Precious Blood people who remember Gaspars’ devotion to Mary, the Rosary is an important prayer. It is a tool by which we imitate Gaspar who accomplished everything by prayer, we pray with Mary to whom he was so devoted, and we accompany one another in the bond of communion which he so wonderfully preached. Without the correct understanding of Jesus and Mary, without the knowledge of the scripture and the mysteries of the Life of Jesus, the Rosary would be incomprehensible. But with all these things, the Rosary enables us to enter more completely into that intimate communion Jesus established in his own blood.

(1)Ezek 3:3
(2)Luke 1:37
(3)Rom 12:1
(4)1 Thess 5:17, see also Luke 18:1
(5)Luke 1:45
(6)Luke 2:51
(7)John 19:25
(8)John 19:27

posted by Fr. Jeffrey Keyes, C.PP.S. on 1:03 PM link

. . .

Luminous Mysteries

Catholic World News and other sources are reporting that John Paul II is set to issue a new apostolic letter on The Rosary. I can hardly wait to read it. Reports indicate that the Pope is proposing a new set of five mysteries for our meditation.

They report: The five new mysteries, the "luminous mysteries," will focus on the public life of Jesus Christ, Vatican sources say. They will be: the Baptism in the Jordan, the temptation in the desert, the proclamation of the Kingdom, the Transfigurations, and the entry into Jerusalem.

I have been using the rosary for years as a means to meditate on many different stories from the scriptures. The "Hail Mary" itself is classic lectio. Combining scripture texts with personal prayers in a prayerful conversation the "Hail Mary" is a perfect image of intimate prayer. "Hail Mary, full of grace," and "Blessed are you among women," are excerpts from the Gospel of Luke. "Holy Mary Mother of God," is personal intimate prayer. Its origin is unknown. The example of twinning scripture with conversation has always been an inspiration for me in praying the scriptures.

Teaching, learning, and meditating on the 15 mysteries is an excellent way to learn and appreciate the stories of the faith and life's mysteries. Now with 5 more official mysteries to meditate on as a whole church there are significant stories and insights which will become a common treasure of all the faithful.

A while back I wrote an article on the Rosary for the Precious Blood Family magazine. I will go looking into my computer files and see if I can find a copy to post here.

posted by Fr. Jeffrey Keyes, C.PP.S. on 12:35 PM link

. . .

ok, maybe I got carried away. One of the seminarians asked if it was the beatific vision I had seen. No, I informed him, just that Benito Santiago had come up with a two run home run putting the Giants ahead. Ok, I am a partisan, born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area. Yes, I live in Chicago now (and am glad to be home), but one of my favorite recreations as a Bay Area Pastor was a Giants Game, and I still have a soft spot in my heart for them. So yes, as I remember very clearly the 1962 World Series in my childhood, It is my hope to see the Giants finally victorious in the World Series. I was only a year old the last time they did that. St. Gaspar had a passion for a city. No it was not a baseball team. So I will try to get my work done this week, but one eye will be directed toward the Baseball diamond.

posted by Fr. Jeffrey Keyes, C.PP.S. on 11:07 PM link

. . .

Travel Day....home to Chicago

posted by Fr. Jeffrey Keyes, C.PP.S. on 7:06 AM link

. . .