VATICAN INSIDER: THE STORY OFF A VOCATION – A LENTEN SERMON : FOLLOWING THE SPIRIT MEANS BEING OPEN TO NOVELTY

VATICAN INSIDER: THE STORY OF A VOCATION

Welcome to a new edition of Vatican Insider featuring news stories from the Vatican and an always-interesting interview segment.

My guest in the interview segment is Fr. Brad Easterbrooks, but he was a Deacon studying in Rome when I interviewed him for Vatican Insider. This week we look at his pre-seminary years – work at a consulting firm and on political campaigns, law school, then the Navy and assignment as a lawyer for JAG (remember the TV show “JAG” – Judge Advocate General!).

He has such an amazing story – one that continues following his ordination in June 2022 – that I offer an encore this weekend.

I do so as I am still mostly homebound due to issues with my back and have not been able to do a new interview. Thanks for understanding!

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A LENTEN SERMON : FOLLOWING THE SPIRIT MEANS BEING OPEN TO NOVELTY

Cardinal Raniero Cantalamessa, the Preacher to the Papal Household, delivers his first sermon for Lent 2023, focusing on “renewing the newness” that comes from the Holy Spirit.

By Christopher Wells

In his first sermon for Lent 2023, the Preacher of the Papal Household, Cardinal Raniero Cantalamessa, O.F.M. Cap., focused on “the newness of the Spirit” and the need for constant renewal and conversion, both individually and in the Church as a whole.

The problem, he said, is not novelty per se, but how we deal with it. “Every novelty and every change is a crossroads; it can take two opposite paths: either that of the world or that of God; either the path of death or the path of life.”

Cardinal Cantalamessa went on to say that in the Church, “we have an infallible means to take the path of life and light every time: the Holy Spirit.” He explained that this year’s series of sermons for Lent are aimed at “encouraging us to put the Holy Spirit at the heart of the whole life of the Church,” and especially in the work of the ongoing Synod.

For his first sermon, the cardinal looked to the lessons taught by the early Christian community. In its earliest days, he said, the Church was led by the Spirit, guided by Him in matters large and small.

This method of turning to the Spirit to make ecclesial decisions – as the Church did with regard to the question of admitting gentiles to the Church – can also be seen in the efforts of the Second Vatican Council to renew the Church’s teaching about Herself, and especially the role of lay people.

It also helps us to see that questions in the Church are not resolved solely by synods or decrees, but by the reception of those teachings, which can sometimes require compromises between a desire for continuity and a desire for novelty.

Cardinal Cantalamessa then recalled the role of St. Peter in mediating between competing concerns in the early Church, a role that is continued today by the Popes as Peter’s successors.

Concluding his sermon, the preacher of the Papal Household emphasized the importance of kindness, of being good to others, while being strict with oneself. As a remedy to polarization and division in the Church, he proposed trying to look at issues from other people’s points of view.

Instead of judging others with condemnation, Cardinal Cantalamessa said, “it is not a matter of eliminating judgment from our heart, but rather of removing the poison from our judgment.”

“The strength of Christian love,” he said, “lies in the fact that it is capable of changing judgment from an act of non-love, turning it into an act love,” thanks to the gift of the Spirit.

Cardinal Cantalamessa concluded his sermon with the prayer “Make me an instrument of your peace,” sometimes attributed to St. Francis of Assisi.

 

CARDINAL PAROLIN CALLS FOR END TO FIGHTING IN CALL WITH RUSSIAN FOREIGN MINISTER LAVROV – LENTEN SERMONS FOR ROMAN CURIA SET FOR MARCH, APRIL

There’s an interesting line in the story today about Cardinal Parolin’s phone conversation with Russia’s foreign minister: “Minister Lavrov’s entourage explained that the minister informed Cardinal Parolin “about Russian motivation regarding the causes and objectives of the special military operation conducted in Ukraine.”

Wouldn’t you love to know Russia’s “motivation and causes” of its invasion of Ukraine!

CARDINAL PAROLIN CALLS FOR END TO FIGHTING IN CALL WITH RUSSIAN FOREIGN MINISTER LAVROV

Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov spoke by phone on Tuesday. Cardinal Parolin reiterated the Pope’s appeal for peace and offered the Holy See’s availability for any type of mediation.

By Vatican News

Vatican Secretary of State Pietro Parolin and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov spoke by phone on Tuesday. Cardinal Parolin reiterated Pope Francis’ repeated appeals for an end to the fighting. He also expressed the Holy See’s availability for any type of mediation deemed useful in order to promote peace.

The director of the Holy See Press Office, Matteo Bruni, confirmed that, “The cardinal conveyed Pope Francis’ deep concern for the ongoing war in Ukraine and reaffirmed what the Pope said last Sunday at the Angelus. In particular, he reiterated his call for an end to armed attacks, for humanitarian corridors to be secured for civilians and rescuers, and for negotiation instead of armed violence.” Concluding the phone call, Cardinal Parolin reaffirmed the Holy See’s willingness “to do everything possible to put itself at the service of this peace.”

News of the talks was also reported by the Interfax news agency, citing the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation. “The parties expressed hope that the next round of talks between Moscow and Kyiv will take place soon and that an agreement will be reached on key issues” with the aim of ceasing hostilities, Russian sources said. Minister Lavrov’s entourage explained that the minister informed Cardinal Parolin “about Russian motivation regarding the causes and objectives of the special military operation conducted in Ukraine.”

During the Angelus last Sunday, Pope Francis had remarked that the ongoing conflict in Ukraine was not a military operation, but rather a war. The Foreign Ministry statement concludes, “Special emphasis was placed on humanitarian issues related to the conflict, including measures to protect civilians, the organization and implementation of humanitarian corridors, assistance to refugees.”

LENTEN SERMONS FOR ROMAN CURIA SET FOR MARCH, APRIL

The Holy See Press Office sent out a note today, stating that the 2022 Lenten sermons will be given on five consecutive Fridays (March 11, 18 and 25, and April 1 and 8) by Preacher of the Papal Household, Cardinal Raniero Cantalamessa, OFM Cap., on the theme “Take, Eat, This is my Body” (Matthew 26,26). They will take place at 9 am in the Paul VI Hall.

Invited to attend are the cardinals, archbishops, bishops and prelates of the Papal Household, employees of the Roman Curia and the vicariate of Rome, Superiors General or Procurators of Religious Orders belonging to the Cappella Pontificia and Seminaries and Colleges of Rome.