Author: geonyayyad

‘Love and the Joy of Forgiveness’ by Bishop DiMarzio

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February 10, 2016 – Excerpted from Put Out Into the Deep, Bishop DiMarzio’s column in The Tablet:

My dear brothers and sisters in the Lord,

February is the month for those in love. The Feast of St. Valentine has become a day that focuses on cards, candy, flowers and even diamond rings. However, the history of St. Valentine’s Day is not founded on material tokens of affection, but rather on St. Valentine, an early martyr of the Church, who gave his life as a witness to the love of Jesus Christ.

According to tradition, Valentine was imprisoned for marrying and ministering to Christians, during a time of persecution. While in confinement, he wrote to those who cared about him, always signing his letters, “Your Valentine.”

However the tradition began, it has become one of the most economically successful days of the year, next to Christmas and Halloween. It is interesting to see how these feasts days of the Church have generated secular interest and economic value, but it is important to remember and reflect on the traditions’ deeper meanings.

Read the full text of the Bishop’s column on The Tablet website.

Bishop DiMarzio To Celebrate Ash Wednesday

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On Wednesday, February 10th, hundreds of Catholics will come to Brooklyn’s historic Cathedral Basilica of St. James in observance of Ash Wednesday.

The Most Reverend Nicholas DiMarzio, Bishop of the Diocese of Brooklyn, will bless ashes and mark the foreheads of congregants as he celebrates a noon Mass at 250 Cathedral Place, Downtown Brooklyn.

Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of Lent, a 40 day Christian observance in the liturgical year that ends with the celebration of the Sacred Triduum, the three holiest days of the year–HolyThursday, Good Friday, and the Easter Vigil–which lead to Easter Sunday.

As is customary, the ashes to be used on Ash Wednesday will come from the burning of the blessed branches used on Palm Sunday of the previous year. Palm Sunday, also known as PassionSunday, is the Sunday before Easter that commemorates Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem. It also marks the beginning of Holy Week. This year, Easter Sunday will be celebrated on March 27.

‘Now Is The Time For Conversion’ By Bishop DiMarzio

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February 3, 2016 – Excerpted from Put Out Into the Deep, Bishop DiMarzio’s column in The Tablet:

My dear brothers and sisters in the Lord,

As we prepare to begin Lent in this Jubilee Year of Mercy, we must be attentive to the “Message of His Holiness Pope Francis for Lent 2016.” Our Holy Father has chosen the theme, “The works of mercy on the road of the Jubilee,” citing the words that Jesus repeats in the Gospel of Matthew, the words of the Psalm, “I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.” (Mt 9:13).

In this Year of Mercy, our Holy Father reminds us of this in his new book, “The Name of God is Mercy.” We do not know God by any other attribute but one that is merciful. Pope Francis reminds us that the mystery of Divine Mercy is revealed in the history of the Covenant between God and the people of Israel. Time and time again, the people of Israel broke the Covenant relationship, but God was always faithful to the Covenant and redeemed His unfaithful children. Finally, it was in the New Covenant made in the blood of Jesus Christ that the boundless mercy of God is shown by making Christ “mercy incarnate.” Yes, Jesus Christ is for us the true face of mercy, the face of God who is so merciful to us, who are sinners.

Read the full text of the Bishop’s column on The Tablet website.

‘We Can Help Alleviate The Pain Of Poverty’ by Bishop DiMarzio

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January 20, 2016 – Excerpted from Put Out Into The Deep, Bishop DiMarzio’s column in The Tablet:

My dear brothers and sisters in the Lord,

January has been designated as Poverty Awareness Month by many organizations. The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops joins with the Catholic Campaign for Human Development in calling attention to the issue of poverty, especially in our own country.

We are following the example of our Holy Father, Pope Francis, who in his encyclical, The Joy of the Gospel, Evangelii Gaudium, clearly stated what he said at the beginning of his pontificate, “I want a Church which is poor for the poor.”

This seemingly radical statement has many implications. If the Church is to serve the poor, then the Church itself must certainly act as the poor do, meaning that it must be dependent on the providence of God and not rely on its own resources. The poor necessarily are dependent on others for the basic necessities of life. There is no special charism that the poor have to be able to bear the burden of their poverty.

Read the full text of the Bishop’s column on The Tablet website.

‘DC March Is A Big Step For Life’ By Bishop DiMarzio

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January 13, 2016 – Excerpted from Put Out Into the Deep, Bishop DiMarzio’s column in The Tablet:

My dear brothers and sisters in the Lord,

Each year on the anniversary of the infamous Roe v. Wade decision, a march on Washington, D.C., has occurred since Jan. 22, 1973. The purpose of this annual March for Life is to bring attention to an erroneous decision of the Supreme Court of the United States which found in our Constitution the right to personal freedom, including the right to an abortion.

It seems that personal rights in the last 42 years have triumphed over the rights of others in the community. The Right to Life Movement has been essentially that; the right to preserve human life and not to take away rights from anyone else but to preserve life from conception to natural death. In these past 42 years, the course of opposition to abortion rights has taken various forms. One consistent element has been the March for Life on Washington. Far from diminishing, attendance at this annual event has increased over the years, although the publicity given to it is normally overshadowed as portrayed in the media by the small groups of those who protest this March for Life. One interesting fact is that the March is now attended mostly by young people.

Read the full text of the bishop’s column on The Tablet website.

‘We Live In A Violent Society’ by Bishop DiMarzio

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December 16, 2015 – Excerpted from Put Out Into the Deep, Bishop DiMarzio’s column in The Tablet:

My dear brothers and sisters in the Lord,

Christmas came early this year in Queens when a desperate mother left her newborn infant in the just erected Nativity scene at Holy Child Jesus Church in Richmond Hill where Bishop Octavio Cisneros is pastor. Certainly, it was a much better ending for that child than the two newborn infants who have been discovered thrown from buildings in the past month.

As we progress in Advent, we saw a terrible massacre at the Planned Parenthood office in Colorado Springs. The deranged assailant mumbling about body parts of babies somehow justified in his mind the violence he perpetrated against innocent people. And early this month, the carnage in San Bernardino, California, reminds us that domestic terrorism, especially inspired by international terrorism, is very much a problem which we need to confront in our society today.

There was a telling headline in one of our most read newspapers saying, “God Isn’t Fixing This.” Yes, how true it is that God cannot fix the problem of evil in our world which we have contributed to in so many ways as individuals and as a society. No, there is no miracle fix to the problem of evil, especially as it is manifested in violence in our society. We must realize that the United States, unfortunately, is one of the most violent societies in the world today. Notwithstanding war-torn areas, the violence perpetrated in our society many times is less vivid but just as real. The violence of abortion, child abuse, domestic abuse, as well as crimes perpetrated on innocent victims points to the basic change needed in our society. How can we make a difference in teaching the dignity of human life and respect for persons? Is it the movies which our children watch, the video games or, most probably, the violence in families which only is later manifested outside the home? What can be done?

Read the full text of the Bishop’s column on The Tablet website.

‘Filling In The Potholes Of Life’ by Bishop DiMarzio

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December 9, 2015 – Excerpted from Put Out Into the Deep, Bishop DiMarzio’s column in The Tablet:

My dear brothers and sisters in the Lord,

One of the most annoying, and I might say dangerous, obstacles in driving on the streets of the City of New York are the potholes. It seems that no one can keep up with repairing them, as they pop up unexpectedly here and there all the time.

As Deacon Jaime Varela is driving me to and from Masses or other events, we find that we are able to call some “craters!” Truly, potholes are dangerous in that one can break an axle, seriously damage a tire or two or even have an accident trying to avoid one. One of my most famous lines to Deacon Jaime is that the farm roads in the rural areas of the Diocese of Camden, where I served before I came to Brooklyn, were better than the roads of New York City. Well, what can one do about potholes? Complain to the city administration? Avoid them? Or, as most of us do, put up with them?

In last Sunday’s Gospel, John the Baptist is speaking out about human potholes, the potholes of our lives. Prepare the way of the Lord, making the winding roads straight and the rough roads smooth. In order to arrive at a true celebration of Christmas, we need to deal with the potholes in our lives, the impediments that keep us from recognizing our Savior who has come to save us, mostly from ourselves and our faults, as well as the dangerous potholes of our lives.

Read the full text of the Bishop’s column on The Tablet website.

CATHOLIC CHURCH IN NYC LAUNCHES CHRISTMAS AD CAMPAIGN

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In partnership with the Archdiocese of New York, the Diocese of Brooklyn has launched a campaign to promote the Sacrament of Reconciliation and encourage people to return to church during the Christmas season. On December 14th, parishes from the five boroughs and the upper counties will offer Reconciliation Monday. Confessions will be made available in all churches from 4 p.m. through 8 p.m.

Inspired by Pope Francis’ announcement on the Jubilee Year of Mercy, which begins on December 8th, the ad campaign calls on all Catholics to give witness to the mercy of God and focus on what it means to be faithful, targeting the diversified population of the Greater New York area and beyond.
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‘Merciful Like The Father’ by Bishop DiMarzio

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December 2, 2015 – Excerpted from Put Out Into the Deep, Bishop DiMarzio’s column in The Tablet:

Since the Second Vatican Council, the Popes have never shied away from proclaiming the Doctrine of Mercy. Beginning with Pope John XXIII, who on October 11, 1962, during the opening address of the Second Vatican Council, said, “The Church prefers the medicine of Mercy rather than that of severity: ‘Today, however, Christ’s Bride prefers the balm of mercy to the arm of severity. She believes that present needs are best served by explaining more fully the purport of her doctrines, rather than by publishing condemnations.’”

Pope Paul VI, who concluded the Second Vatican Council, spoke about mercy in his first Apostolic Exhortation, Evangelii Nutiandi, Announcing the Gospel, on December 8, 1975, when he said, “This kingdom and this salvation, which are the key words of Jesus Christ’s evangelization, are available to every human being as grace and mercy, and yet at the same time each individual must gain them by force – they belong to the violent, says the Lord.”

Saint John Paul II, in his Encyclical, Rich in Mercy, Dives in Misericordia, makes it abundantly clear that the “Mercy of God is key to understanding our relationship to him.” He tells us that it is God who is rich in mercy. Jesus Christ reveals the Father to us, and as the Son, He manifests the Father and makes Him known to us.

Read the full text of the Bishop’s column on The Tablet website.

PDDM Internet Library

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The Pious Disciples of the Divine Master order of nuns would like to share their new apostolic initiative, the PDDM Internet Library!” It is a culmination of 13 years of work and the fruit of their Eucharistic-contemplative life. It is the most complete collection of LECTIO DIVINA on the Vatican II Lectionary and includes reflections on all the readings of the Sunday Cycles and the Weekday Cycles. The meaning of the readings comes alive through the use of stories, life experiences, personal witness, and more. The PDDM hopes this pastoral tool will be useful for all ministers of the word, especially lectors and homilists.

You can check it out at https://pddm.us/p.library.php.