AWARENESS

 

a) Awareness

        A compass is a small but very useful instrument. Its needle always points north, and with that, you know which way to go on a path. Within us, we have something similar to a compass, which tells us what is right and what is wrong: it is our conscience.

        Conscience, therefore, is the judge of our own actions, the (invisible) spiritual capacity that we all have to know, remember, or warn, whether we have done something right or wrong.

        For this capacity to always guide us well and provide sound judgment, it must be nurtured, cared for, and respected by us (a compass can age, become damaged, or break). This is the need to educate our conscience.

b) Types of consciousness

        People are all different, and no two people are alike. However, in their ways of reasoning, it is possible to establish different groups or ways of thinking (the scrupulous person who continues to take medication even when healthy, the distrustful person who believes the doctor is going to poison them...).

        There are 5 types of consciousness:

- True. This is the one who judges correctly and is right about what happened;

- Erroneous. This is the one who takes bad for good and remains as they are, mistaken and without caring about the person;

- Guilty. This is the one who has not wanted to know the truth, whether through carelessness, negligence, or malice;

- Innocent. This is the one who has never heard the truth and would correct themselves at a later opportunity;

- Doubtful. This is the one who does not know what to expect, does not know how to act.

        In cases of doubtful conscience, one should always choose "the lesser evil" or "the least risky option".

c) Object of the action

        It is the specific action that is performed, and it is independent of everything else, purpose, or circumstances. And that is because an action:

-It is either good in itself (working well, obeying parents...),

-or it is bad in itself (cheating a customer, hating a sibling...).

        The object of the action answers the "what" that has been done, and is the most important thing for an action to be good or bad.

d) End of action

        It is the intention behind a person's actions. It is not the most important thing (what is done is what is most important), because:

-the end does not justify the means,

-something does not depend on the intention with which it was done.

        The purpose of the action answers the "why" and "for what" something has been done, and points to the desire and the way to achieve it.

e) Circumstances of the action

        These are the accidental elements of the action, and they only secondarily influence the morality of the acts. They correspond to:

-who did it (if it's a novice, repeat offender...),

-where it was done (in public, in private...),

-how it was done (consciously, while intoxicated...).

        Sometimes the role of circumstances can profoundly alter the narrative of events.

 

 

TRUE

 

True
        It consists of expressing a judgment about something accurately. It therefore requires clarity of understanding and humility to recognize things. Truth sees things:
-as they are (objectivity),
-as they should be (honesty).
        The truth doesn't erase my opinion , but it does put it in its place. It has no minor flaws (every lie is a lie, whether big or small). It excludes mental constraints (creating my own world in my head), and it must repair the damage done.
        The truth cannot be told only if it is secret :
- of summary, from a judge or doctor (in certain cases);
- of secrecy, from a priest (always).
Sins against the truth
        They can be committed through words, actions, or omissions. These are sins of speech :
- lie: trying to deceive another,
- false testimony: stating the opposite of what is true,
- gossip: talking about other people's affairs,
- slander: giving rise to false judgments,
- mockery: pointing out someone's faults,
- criticism: judging another person with or without foundation.
        These are sins of action :
- hypocrisy: feigning qualities or feelings,
- impersonation: taking the place of another,
- simulation: exhibiting what one is not,
- demagoguery: dominating by making faces or with empty words,
- duplicity: having a double standard, a double face...
- vainglory: boasting or showing off oneself,
- information manipulation: distorting images or information.
        These are sins of omission :
- suspicion: thinking badly without reason,
- distrust: not believing what is true,
- secrets: publishing a judicial summary, violating the anonymity of the patient, breaking the seal of confession,
- omission: failing to tell the truth.

JUSTICE

a) Justice

        Within the world of work, and the economy in general, there must be one virtue that regulates everything: it is the virtue of justice.

        Justice consists of giving each person what is due to them, and giving more to those most in need, and it can be of 3 types:

- Commutative. It consists of receiving according to one's output (if you have worked 4 hours, you receive 4);

- Distributive. It consists of receiving according to one's needs (if one is disabled, one receives for 4 hours what was worked in 3);

- Social. It consists of giving everything to the common good (if you have worked 4, you give 0.4% to the common treasury).

        In order for justice to prevail, the following must also be taken into account:

-not everything that is legal is moral,

-not everything that is possible is necessary.

        Morality always takes precedence over legality, and necessity always takes precedence over morality. The possible leads to the good, the good leads to the best.

b) Values ​​of justice

        It is the collection of goods belonging to others that other people cannot obtain, but which we have in excess and must share. These are the works of mercy, both material and spiritual goods.

These are material         values ​​of justice :

-visit and care for the sick,

-feed the hungry,

-give drink to the thirsty,

-clothe the naked,

-give shelter to the pilgrim,

-visit the imprisoned,

-bury the dead.

These are values ​​of spiritual justice :

-teach the ignorant,

-give advice to those who need it,

-correct those who error

-comfort the sad,

-forgive injuries,

-patiently endure the faults of others,

-pray to God for the living and the dead.

 

c) Sins against justice

        They can be committed at both a personal and a professional level.

        These are sins on a personal level :

- greed: disordered appetite for money,

- wastefulness: spending money excessively,

- gambling: spending on vices what is needed for something else,

- betting: playing with the future and luck,

- profit: living only to earn money.

 

        These are sins at the workplace level :

- robbery: to seize someone else's property,

- theft: to possess someone else's property,

- retention: to keep what belongs to another,

- claims: to return what was not damaged,

- corruption: to threaten the decision-maker.

 

The Holy Spirit Receives Equal Worship

 

The Council of Nicaea confessed the divinity of the Son, “true God of true God” and “of one Being with the Father.” But it did not address the divinity of the Holy Spirit. A few years after the Council of Nicaea, Macedonius, Patriarch of Constantinople, the new imperial capital, denied the divinity of the Holy Spirit. This led to the Second Ecumenical Council meeting in Constantinople in 381. It completed the profession of faith of Nicaea, adding to the original text that the Holy Spirit is “Lord and giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and is worshipped and glorified with the Father and the Son.” In words that bear an undeniable kinship to the language of Scripture, the Creed, following Paul (2 Cor 3:17), describes the Spirit as “Lord.” and following the Gospel of John (Jn 6:63), as "Giver of Life." The Creed also says that the Holy Spirit "proceeds" from the Father (Jn 15:26) and that "he spoke through the prophets" (2 Pet 1:21).

To affirm that the Spirit is Lord (Kyrios in Greek, a translation of the Hebrew term Yahweh, "the only Lord": Deut 6:4) is to say that he is God. And to affirm that he is the giver of life is to say that he has the power of the Creator. To say that he proceeds from the Father is to deny that he is a creature. The last sentence contains the clearest testimony to the divinity of the Holy Spirit: he receives the same worship and glory as the Father and the Son, worship that can only be given to God.

Although it is not easy to represent each of the persons of the adorable Trinity in human terms, since everything we say about God falls far short of who He is, it is important to make it clear that the Spirit is not an impersonal force or a divine energy, but a divine person. Only one person can mediate between persons, in this case between the Father and the Son. Christians also relate to each of the divine persons in a personal way: we are children of the Father, brothers and sisters of the Son, and friends or temples of the Spirit, for a friend is one who fills my heart with joy and changes my life.

The Holy Spirit is the love of God poured into our hearts. It is the way God makes Himself present in our lives: filling our hearts with joy, attuning our intelligence to God's way of thinking, enabling us to love unconditionally, filling us with strength to be witnesses of Jesus Christ, and sustaining our hope in the midst of difficulties. For this reason, we address the Spirit, just as we do the Father and the Son, in the second person: "Come, Holy Spirit," or "Enlighten me, Holy Spirit."

Christian life is animated by a mysterious and invisible being, yet always personal. The Spirit is the living presence of Jesus after his ascension into heaven. On the day of his Ascension, Jesus had commissioned his followers: "Go and make disciples of all nations." To these weak and rude men, the Divine Spirit gave the eminent knowledge of the Gospel (Jn 14:26: "The Spirit will teach you all things") and the strength for apostolic heroism.

May the month for Mary, Model, Teacher, and Mother

Traditionally, in the Catholic world, the month of May is dedicated to Mary. Mary is a name of Hebrew origin that means "exalted" or "chosen of God." Therefore, it is a very appropriate name to designate the one chosen by God to be the mother of his Son. For this reason, "all generations call her blessed" (Luke 1:48).

Furthermore, Mary is a good model of Christian life. The Second Vatican Council calls her the "exalted Model" of the Church, "a model of all the virtues for the entire community of the elect." Indeed, she "in a certain sense unites within herself and reflects the most radical demands of faith..., continually progressing in faith, hope, and love, and seeking and obeying God's will in all things" (Lumen Gentium, 65).

Precisely because she is a good model, she can also be described as a teacher of Christian life and a teacher of humanity. Good teachers are not simply those who limit themselves to offering facts and knowledge, but those who are examples of life for their students. Vatican II, quoting Saint Ambrose, says that Mary's life "is a teaching for all" (Perfectae Caritatis, 25). If her life is a teaching, she must necessarily be a teacher. Undoubtedly, her teaching began with the education of her son, as all mothers on earth do: they are the first to teach their children, and this teaching marks their lives forever. But more than Mary as the educator of the child Jesus, I now want to note Mary's role as an educator of the Church, in line with what Vatican II affirms: Mary "cooperates in the education of believers" (Lumen Gentium, 63). Mary is a good teacher because she does not teach "from outside," without being involved in her teaching. She brings about in her life what she invites. If she teaches us to fulfill Jesus' will, it is because she is the first disciple and the first convert.

In addition to being a Teacher, Mary is also the Mother, not only of Christ, but of all the Christian faithful. At the end of the Council, Paul VI gave an important speech in which he proclaimed Mary the Mother of the Church: "We proclaim Mary most holy Mother of the Church, that is, Mother of all the People of God, both of the faithful and of the pastors who call her loving Mother, and we wish that from now on she may be honored and invoked by all the Christian people with this most great title." Paul VI says that this title finds "its justification in the very dignity of the Mother of the Incarnate Word." This motherhood of the Incarnate Word extends to the Church, for Mary is "the mother of him who, from the first instant of his incarnation in her virginal womb, became the head of his mystical body, which is the Church. Mary, therefore, as the mother of Christ, is also the mother of the faithful and of all pastors; that is, of the Church."

The Conclave

 

Tuesday, May 6, is the last day to celebrate the funeral for Pope Francis. On Wednesday, May 7, the Conclave to elect a new Bishop of Rome begins. Once the funeral is over, dioceses and parishes are invited to celebrate Masses "pro eligendo pontífice," that is, Masses for the election of the Roman Pontiff. The Mass, to be held Wednesday at 10:00 a.m. in St. Peter's Basilica, presided over by Cardinal Re (the same one who presided over Francis' funeral), will be attended by all the cardinals. In the collect prayer for this Mass, the prayer that gathers the sentiments of the celebrating assembly, three words appear that we can consider three great principles that the elected bishop will then have to implement according to his character and the needs of the Church: holy zeal for the faithful, reverence for the people, and healthy government.

How can the next Pope not be concerned about world hunger, poverty, migrants, peace, understanding among peoples, ecumenical and interreligious dialogue, the good progress of the Church, and the joyful proclamation of the Gospel? Or has Francis been preoccupied with other things? In short, concerned with proclaiming the Gospel, aware that the Gospel is not only or primarily a matter of doctrine (what do those who yearn for or ask for a Pope concerned with "sound doctrine" mean?), but a matter of life in love, because that is Jesus' commandment and the great sign by which his disciples are known.

It is said that the Pope is chosen by the Holy Spirit. But it is also the result of negotiations, sometimes tense, between the electors. Because the Holy Spirit always uses secondary causes. He does not act directly. He does not send WhatsApp messages, nor does he speak through the mouths of the most rigorous. The action of the Holy Spirit must be seen in consensus, in discernment, in agreements. The Pope will be elected directly by the Cardinals, after each one has discerned in conscience whom to vote for, a vote also conditioned by their character, their experiences, and their expectations. What the Holy Spirit will do is bring out the best in the chosen one, guiding and shaping their character, their vision of things, and their concerns. The Spirit acts through listening to the Word, prayer, attention to the signs of the times, listening to one's brothers and sisters, personal discernment, and freedom.

We Are An Easter People, Moving Through A Good Friday World

 

The world is full of the misery and pain of Good Friday. We only have to open our daily newspapers, turn on the television to the nightly news … for fresh reminders of the violence, cruelty, want, and need that permeates our world. We have only to examine and reflect on our own lives, our own trials and tribulations, our own cares and woes. We have only to consider how we relate to each other and to our world neighbors.

But we are Easter people, and we are supposed to be different.   There are some distinctive characteristics about Easter people that keep us in close touch with this Jesus who says to a grieving Martha: “I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die” Jn 11,25–26. 

Easter people are believers. We believe not only in the possible, we believe also in the impossible. We believe that the lame were made to walk, and the mute made to speak, that lepers were cleansed and the blind received their sight…. We can believe also that with the helpful presence of God’s Holy Spirit, we are strengthened and sustained on our earthly pilgrimage. Further, we can believe that we can fashion new lives committed to love, to peace, to justice, and to liberation for all of God’s people.   

Easter people grieve and need to be comforted. And, yes, Easter people get angry … but we must seek to channel that anger in constructive ways. Be angry enough to say and to seriously mean, I will commit my life to living out the Baptismal Covenant: seeking and serving Christ in all persons, loving my neighbor as myself, striving for justice and peace among all people, respecting the dignity of every human being.   

Easter people hang in until the end. Like the women who stood by the cross, Easter people live by the words of the old spiritual: “I will go, I shall go to see what the end will be.” Benedictine nun and poet Mary Lou Kownacki (1941–2023) embraces this resurrection wisdom:   Easter grabs us by the throat and shouts, “Live.” The radiant Jesus who leaves the tomb challenges our complacency with the forces of death, be they hopelessness, fear, discouragement, or lack of will. Don’t let death have the last word in your story, Jesus urges. None of us has the right to sleep in death.

Even if there is no angel to help you, grab the door of the tomb that holds you back and rip its seal. There's too much goodness in you that still needs to rise, and there’s too much work in the world that still needs to be done. I have been surprised and amazed at my new understanding of Lent this year. I always jumped to the joy of Easter without truly experiencing the wilderness and suffering of Lent. Events like the COVID epidemic and other times of isolation have revealed to me the deep spiritual growth that can come from solitude, silence, and emotional wilderness.