Tag: Christianity

In my previous life, when I was single and fancied myself a world traveler, the Cathedral of Notre Dame was one of the first items I ever crossed off my bucket list. It did not disappoint. 

Having experienced it in person, climbing its stairs to share the view with a gargoyle or two, made what happened in Paris five years ago all the more terrible. Watching the 2019 inferno was devastating — seeing the iconic steeple topple, and then disappear amid the flames and smoke.

Even before the fire was out, speculation spread about what caused the blaze. I have to admit that I entertained a few conspiratorial premises, just based on the state of the world in which we live and the historical and religious importance of Notre Dame. 

I was weirdly relieved to discover that the fire was not due to some clandestine international conspiracy, or religious terrorism. It was a banal electrical short circuit, capable of laying low a mainly stone structure that has stood for centuries.

But even as Notre Dame still smoldered days after, I wondered — or more precisely, feared — a secondary disaster would befall this once iconic and sacred space. My trepidation was fueled by news reports that the opening discussions on Notre Dame’s repair included suggestions that the cathedral would be “updated.” 

Besides the obvious need for a modern fire detection and prevention mechanism, the powers that be were considering modern-day materials and design sensibilities that might alter Notre Dame’s architectural profile forever.

Nightmarish images filled my imagination of Notre Dame’s once grand medieval visage being rendered unrecognizable with glass, harsh right angles, and a watered-down religious profile taking its place. Would velvet banners with doe-eyed children gathered around a Jesus who looked like he just stepped off a Hallmark “holiday” card be in the offing? 

After all, this isn’t your great-great-great grandfather’s France. She can no longer claim the title she once held as “Daughter of the Church,” when only 8% of its citizens attend Mass weekly. Today France, like a lot of other places, seems closer to the 18th-century Enlightenment that gave birth to the excesses of the French Revolution and turned houses of worship into temples of “reason.”

The good news is I am pretty good at being wrong, and it appears my fears were mistaken. The French government vowed to rebuild this magnificent edifice in five years. Nearly $1 billion in donations poured in from around the world. Even though, technically speaking, this month marks the fifth anniversary, that they are on schedule to reopen Notre Dame’s doors to the general public by the end of 2024, despite a global pandemic in the middle of renovations, is miraculous.

Among other miracles, when those doors open again, what people are going to see is pretty much what medieval worshippers saw. Concepts to “improve” and “update” the space lost out to cooler heads, and Notre Dame is being repaired to its original state.

To accomplish such a monumental feat, artisans from around the world were brought in. Many of them have relied on modern technology, like computer imaging, to assist them with their work, but the technology was there to serve the needs of modern building technique stability while maintaining not-so-modern aesthetics. This included using the same materials the original builders utilized when the structure first took form overlooking the Seine. Where possible, the 21st-century builders even used medieval tools like axes and chisels. This result is both an homage to the craftsmanship of the past and a sign of respect for the beauty that was and will continue to be Notre Dame.

This month, the spire so many of us watched keel over and plummet into an inferno has now been affixed to its rightful place and lords over the gargoyles. Just as geography can be destiny, so too is architecture, and to lose something as splendid as Notre Dame not just to fire but to the whims of those who feel a need to “improve” it would have been a double disaster. No one ever suggests the Gettysburg Address could have been longer, or that the Mona Lisa would have been a stronger painting if there was a pony in the background.

I guess I’m just a sucker for spires and statues, niches, and ornamentation chiseled out of stone by artistic hands. Now, as I enter another phase of life, where I may not be as spry to run up the steps of Notre Dame like I once did, I can certainly see reviewing my travel to-dos and putting a renewed and reborn Notre Dame back on the bucket list.

At the start of the school year last fall, the group of kids who’d transferred from nearby public elementary schools to Our Lady of Guadalupe Church School in Oxnard were still learning English, and couldn’t read or identify certain letter sounds.

But a few months later, something had changed. After 90 days of personalized instruction, the students now know letter sounds, can read full sentences, and have a higher level of fluency.

Such turnaround stories are the goal of Solidarity Schools, a three-year initiative aimed at helping students in disadvantaged areas with limited proficiency in English perform at or above grade level in reading and math.

Our Lady of Guadalupe is one of 18 elementary schools in the Archdiocese of LA participating in the initiative, which is also present at six Catholic high schools in the archdiocese. It uses a common curriculum, intervention programs, and professional development to create a “culture of literacy” at schools where literacy doesn’t always come so easily. 

Our Lady of Guadalupe principal Lionel Garcia said he’s seen students in the program become more confident, more involved on campus, and more enthusiastic about reading.  

“It’s huge for the community, especially for marginalized communities, because it provides accessibility and resources that support all types of learners,” he said. “For a principal, it’s honestly a great initiative. And it works.” 

The Solidarity Schools program serves more than 4,000 students and is being launched with more than $2 million in support from the archdiocese and donors, said Paul Escala, senior director and superintendent of Catholic schools. 

The initiative was born after Escala’s team discovered that at many archdiocese schools, 70% or more of students were performing below grade level in reading coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic.

They also noticed a pattern: Many of those underperforming students came from chronically impoverished backgrounds, and in many cases, their schools lacked the proper resources to help. 

To launch the program, the Department of Catholic Schools (DCS) started looking for funding and identified schools that had experienced three or more years of below-grade-level performance in reading.

“Christ teaches us that we must find the lost sheep and bring them back to the flock,” said Robert Tagorda, chief academic officer. “That’s what this initiative represents for us. We’re doing it in a way that targets the academic needs of these students.” 

The Solidarity Schools program is being rolled out over three years. 

At the high school level, the program is focused on boosting math proficiency this year. At elementary schools, it’s mostly focused on implementing Success for All (SFA), a literacy program that provides phonics-based language arts curriculum, coaching, and professional development.

Each week, members of the DCS team overseeing the program’s rollout visit schools to provide feedback, review results, and organize materials.

“The work that we’re doing with these schools really speaks to what our faith calls us to do,” said Gina Aguilar, Ed.D., managing director of the DCS Academic Excellence team. “To journey together, and support our students, and help them become who God called them to be.” 

For elementary students, the program emphasizes letting students learn at their own pace while continuously challenging them, even as their literacy skills improve. 

Christian C., a fifth-grader at San Miguel Catholic School in Watts, said he’s learned new words this year through SFA that are strengthening his vocabulary and reading comprehension skills.

“Now I can use bigger words, longer words to make better sentences,” he said. 

Valery R., also a fifth-grader at San Miguel, said that while her reading scores have always been solid, SFA challenges her to achieve even higher. 

“I feel like SFA is just a great way to impact and expand our reading level,” she said. 

In the program’s second year, students will also get help with math, as well as continued literacy support. 

In the third year, the department will focus on making the program permanent at the schools before tapering off its daily support.

Its supporters say Solidarity Schools goes beyond academic growth in the classroom: By targeting attendance, behavior, and parent and family involvement, it also gives valuable skills to help break the cycle of poverty in which some of their families live.

At least two-thirds of Solidarity School participants come from low-income backgrounds, and 94% are Black or Latino, according to DCS.

Many live in historically underserved communities, where access to quality housing, health care, and other services critical to families’ stability are limited, Tagorda said.

Many also come from families still reeling financially from the COVID-19 pandemic, which can create instability at home and detract from student performance, he added.

So far, testing data shows that Solidarity Schools students are making “huge” gains in literacy, Aguilar said. In just the first three months of the program, the percentage of participants reading at or above grade level increased by eight points.

Studies also show that the number of elementary students needing “urgent intervention” is down and schools are meeting the program’s implementation goals.

At St. Malachy School in South LA, Rosio Orozco — who serves as both the principal and a full-time fifth-grade teacher — said the school has seen major improvements in student behavior and achievement since joining the program.

Orozco said she’s changed her classroom management style after participating in the program. Instead of “hovering” over students to ensure they stay on task, she’s now able to let them set their own learning routine.

“There’s no need for reminders anymore because they are so involved in it and understand how the process works,” said Orozco, who’s been teaching for more than 25 years. “That allows me to take a step back and just see everything come alive on its own.”

At San Miguel, Principal Maryann Davis said she’s also noticed that students are more excited about reading.

“It’s become a community where everybody’s looking out for each other,” she said. “The students are being responsible for each other because they care about each other. They’re working in teams and they want their team to be successful.”

Looking toward the future, Escala said the department has already been contacted by other schools interested in seeking to join the Solidarity Schools program.

Escala said he hopes the program grows, because the more students that are reached, the more lives can be changed.

“In my heart, I believe that this is where our job is as a church, as a ministry,” he said. “Ending the cycle of poverty for many children by unlocking the door of literacy is going to be the biggest upside of this project.”

On May 13, the Church celebrates the anniversary of the appearance of Mary to three shepherd children in the town of Fatima, in Portugal, in 1917. Between May 13 and October 13 of that year, Mary appeared six times to brother and sister Francisco, 8, and Jacinta, 6, and their cousin Lucia, 9.

On May 13, 1917, the three children were in the field when they saw a “woman all in white, more brilliant than the sun.” She told the children, “Please don’t be afraid of me, I’m not going to harm you.” When Lucia asked her where she came from, she told them, “I come from Heaven.” Our Lady wore a white mantle, edged with gold, and carried a rosary. She asked the children to pray and devote themselves to the Holy Trinity, and “to say the Rosary every day, to bring peace to the world and an end to the war.”

Over the course of her appearances, Mary revealed that the children would suffer, especially from the unbelief of their families, and that the two young children, Francisco and Jacinta, would be taken to Heaven, but Lucia would live longer, to spread the message of devotion to the Immaculate Heart.

When she appeared for the last time, Mary told Lucia, “I am the Lady of the Rosary.” That day, 70,000 people turned out to witness the apparition, because Mary had promised that she would show the people the apparitions were true. The crowd saw the sun make three circles, moving around the sky in a zigzag movement, that left no doubt about the truth. By 1930, the Bishop had approved of the apparitions and the message, and the Church has declared them authentic.

Our Lady told the children about her concerns that the world would face war, starvation, and persecution of the Church in the 20th century if people did not make reparations for sin. She told the children, and the Church, to pray and offer sacrifices to God so that peace may be spread across the world.

Our Lady of Fatima also revealed three prophetic “secrets.” The first two were revealed earlier, referring to the vision of hell and the souls languishing, the request for an ardent devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, the prediction of the Second World War, and finally the prediction of the damage Russia would do by embracing Communism and rejecting Christianity.

The third secret was revealed in 2000 — “The good will be martyred; the Holy Father will have much to suffer; various nations will be annihilated.” This has been interpreted to include the assassination attempt on Pope John Paul II in 1981, which happened on May 13, the 64th anniversary of the apparitions.

    

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit! Christ is Risen!

Dear brothers and sisters, the Church calls this day “Antipascha”—that is, “in place of Pascha”. We all rejoiced in The Bright Resurrection of Christ, PaschaAn explanation of certain expressions of St. Gregory the Theologian which are sung together with the troparia at Holy Pascha (Instruction 21)

“>Pascha of Christ; the Lord vouchsafed many to celebrate it at services in churches and partake of the Body and Blood of Christ. Some of you were able to attend services of Bright Week: A Meeting with EternityAt Pascha God gives us an amazing opportunity to experience the atmosphere of the Heavenly Kingdom.”>Bright Week, to rejoice in such easy, joyful, festive and short (as compared to Lenten) services and cross processions, and this Sunday is like the renewal of Pascha.

One of the reasons for the existence of this service is historical. The celebration of Antipascha appeared because many pilgrims who came to the Holy Land, to Jerusalem to celebrate Pascha were late for the feast of the Holy Resurrection of Christ. For various reasons, not everyone arrived in time. And that is understandable, since there were neither airplanes, nor buses, nor modern ships at that time. And so, this service on the first Sunday after Pascha was compiled for them. Although it is a Sunday service, its composition resembles that of the twelve great feasts, and thus it is really the renewal of Pascha.

Today we also remember the event from the Gospel called “the assurance of the holy Apostle Thomas”, because it was the Sunday after the Resurrection of the Savior. We know that on the first day of His Resurrection the Lord appeared to His disciples (and Thomas was absent at that moment), taught them peace and blessed them to spread the Gospel, the Good News. He said, As My Father hath sent Me, even so send I you (Jn. 20:21); then He breathed on them (Jn. 20:22) and gave them the Holy Spirit. We know that later, at Pentecost, these gifts of the Holy Spirit would increase, and give the Apostles the power to preach.

When the Holy, Glorious Apostle ThomasThe Holy and Glorious Apostle Thomas was born in the Galilean city of Pansada and was a fisherman.

“>Apostle Thomas learned the news of the Resurrection of Christ, he said that he would not believe it until he put his hands into His wounds. But there is nothing surprising in this “unbelief”, because we know that when in the morning the Myrrh-Bearing Women had brought them the news that Christ was risen from the dead, many of the Apostles did not believe either, and after His Resurrection, Christ had to some extent to assure those who saw Him. There is the detail—He ate in front of the disciples, ate the honeycomb, among other things. Why did He eat honey? At that time the Jews believed that honey chased away evil spirits. Since His transformed body no longer needed food, the Lord showed, including by eating honey, that He was not a spirit, let alone an evil spirit or a ghost. Therefore, against this background, the Apostle Thomas’ unbelief, or rather, his distrust of this news, sounded quite natural. And when the Lord appeared to the disciples on the following Sunday, where St. Thomas was present, we see how the Lord assured him.

The Apostle Thomas was, like all the apostles, a human being with his own character. We know the Apostle Peter as a rather impulsive and impetuous man; we also know that the young Apostle John the Evangelist was calmer; we know the other Apostles too. And St. Thomas was no exception—he had his own personality traits.

Firstly, if you remember, St. Thomas is called “the Twin” in the Gospel. Why? Because, according to tradition, St. Thomas was very much like Christ in appearance. Of course, Christ was recognized by His preaching, but the physical resemblance was so striking that the nickname “the Twin” stuck to St. Thomas for a long time.

The assurance of the Apostle Thomas     

Secondly, we know his determination. When the Savior went to Bethany to resurrect Lazarus, we remember that the Apostles did not want to go with Him, as they were aware that the Jews sought to slay Him (Jn. 5:16). And when the Savior first said indirectly that Lazarus was asleep, and then said clearly that Lazarus was dead, the Apostle Thomas, if you remember, uttered these words: Let us also go, that we may die with him (Jn. 11:16). What do they mean? That there was no point in going there, since Lazarus was already dead, and it was extremely dangerous to go there. But with these words he expressed his faithfulness to the Savior: Let us also go, that we may die with him. And we know the destiny of this apostle—he preached in countries far away from the Holy Land: in India and in Mesopotamia. There is even a legend that he passed through the lands of what is now China, and like most of the Apostles, he was killed for preaching the Word of God.

There is a very important question of faith in today’s Gospel. Of course, we realize that believers are standing at the Liturgy now. But even among us believers, faith changes and wavers. Sometimes it is strong, sometimes it is weak, sometimes doubts arise not only in faith in God, but in faith in His Providence and in the meaning of our lives. And people who do not have faith in the Lord are the opposite people in some ways—they do not want, or sometimes do not know, what a deep, beautiful and unknown world of faith opens up to a person who comes to the faith. But faith depends on you and me. The Lord says in Revelations, Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear My voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with Me (Rev. 3:20). And, of course, there are many different ways of acquiring faith. Sometimes it is present throughout your life, from childhood, sometimes it comes at a young or mature age, and sometimes it comes during an illness. We remember the story of the ever-memorable Metropolitan Anthony of Sourozh, about how he came to the faith. In fact, he was a protesting teenager who was not just annoyed, but even angry when others told him something about the Lord, about Christ, about the Orthodox faith, about Christian traditions, customs, and about his adolescence. Overnight, after reading a short passage from the Gospel, he suddenly converted, and the path of his life opened up before him. We know Metropolitan Anthony of Sourozh as a physician, as a monk, as a bishop, and as a wonderful spiritual father who spread the Word of God not only in the Western world, where he lived, but also to what was then Soviet Russia.

​Metropolitan Anthony of Sourozh     

There are, in a sense, two ways of acquiring faith in your life. The first is when you come to the faith on your own. But this still requires some kind of search, doubt, interest—even with a negative sign, as was the case with the future Metropolitan Anthony. Your search matters. The second is a personal example of someone who is near you or far from you, but an example that is known. And in this sense, the words of today’s Gospel spring to mind again: As My Father hath sent Me, even so send I you. How important it is, brothers and sisters, for you and me, a little flock (cf. Lk. 12:32), to go and preach to others! How do we preach? With words? Usually not, although there are people who are interested in hearing words. We preach with our deeds, lives and prayers. Realizing that at this moment God loves a non-believer no less than He loves me, who am now standing here on the ambo and delivering a sermon on this Sunday. Do not despair, do not be discouraged, pray for your loved ones, and do not withdraw into your shell. But a personal example is not always reliable, because it can vary.

There are two well-known stories. The first one is as follows. An elderly woman said: “You know, my grandmother was very religious.” Why? She was born before the Revolution, and a priest in their family on St. Elias Day or during the summer drought went to the field to do a prayer service to ask God to send rain. And according to her, the priest was always so sure that the Lord would help that he always took an umbrella with him when he went to the field to do a prayer service, in very hot weather, when the sky was absolutely cloudless. “And we children remembered that there was never a time when it did not rain after his prayer service,” she related.

And here is the second story. Another elderly woman said that her grandmother did not go to church and was not very religious. Why? Because once in her childhood she remembered a priest living next door to them. Once two or three weeks after Pascha she saw that priest through the fence feeding the dried up kulichi (Paschal cakes) that had been given to him in large quantities by his parishioners to pigs in his farm. And it so confused her that it left a negative impression on her soul for the rest of her life. Therefore, brothers and sisters, on the one hand, personal example is not always reliable, and on the other hand, how important it is, how important our behavior is, our adherence to our faith, especially if people know that we go to church. As soon as we something wrong, they will say to us, “You go to church, but you do such things!”

    

And here is the last thing I would like to say today. The words of today’s Gospel, which St. Thomas uttered when he saw the Savior, are very important. When Thomas saw His wounds, he exclaimed, My Lord and my God! (Jn. 20:28). So let this phrase be with us in different circumstances of our lives, whether happy or sad. We can put a lot into it. My Lord and my God! Christ is risen!

St. Epiphanius was born in Palestine around the year 310. His parents were Jewish, but Epiphanius is said to have been drawn to the Catholic Church after seeing a monk give away his clothing to a homeless person.

Not long after his conversion, Epiphanius became a monk, living in the Egyptian deserts. 

Around 333, Epiphanius returned to the Holy Land, and built a monastery near his birthplace in Judea. He upheld the rigors of monasticism, even though many other monks at the time considered them excessive, and insisted that he was working for God’s kingdom. 

Epiphanius was versed in Hebrew, Egyptian, Syrian, Greek, and Latin languages and literature. For over 20 years, he was a disciple and close companion of St. Hilarion the Great, a monk known for his wisdom and the miracles he performed. 

Even after Hilarion left Palestine around the year 356, he maintained a friendship with Epiphanius. Hilarion’s influence in the Church of Salamis, in present-day Cyprus, was a determining factor in Epiphanius’ election as bishop in 367. 

In Palestine, Epiphanius offered frequent guidance in the Church’s struggle against Arianism, the heresy that denied Jesus’ eternal existence as God. As bishop, Epiphanius wrote many works arguing for orthodox teachings on subjects such as the Trinity and the Resurrection. 

Epiphanius was a strong voice for orthodoxy, although his zeal was sometimes misguided or uninformed. He inadvertently became involved in a plot against St. John Chrysostom. Some of his apologetic works are also regarded as inaccurate or flawed today. 

Despite this, Epiphanius is revered among the early Church Fathers, and his writings that contain important formulations of orthodox belief are cited in the Catechism of the Catholic Church. 

Epiphanius died in 403, while returning from Constantinople after distancing himself from the attempts to depose St. John Chrysostom. When he sensed he was near death, Epiphanius gave his disciples two final pieces of advice: to keep God’s commandments, and to guard their thoughts against temptation. 

Epiphanius was buried on May 12, after his ship’s return to Salamis. In 787, the Seventh Ecumenical Council confirmed his reputation as a Church Father. 

    

What can I tell you? We’ll live another year. Actually, we’re talking about the end of the world. When will it come? When love runs dry. When there’s no love, then life will be meaningless. But as long as people are standing in line for Love [for Homily on Holy CommunionThere are three necessary conditions that we as Christians must fulfill when we receive our Lord Jesus Christ in the Communion of His Holy Mysteries.

“>Holy Communion—Ed.], we have a chance to live, and to live well. Although, of course, there are different moments, but we don’t need to pay much attention to them. When we’re fixated on ourselves, when we build everything for ourselves, nothing works out for us. But when we give our whole lives into God’s hands, then everything is for the best.

You know, there are people who, no matter what happens to them, turn everything to good, and everything works out to their benefit. And there are those for whom, even if something good happens, it’s still something bad. We have to become optimists, and thank God for what we have today. And we have God. “God is with us! Understand all ye nations, and submit yourselves, for God is with us!” Billions of people don’t know God—billions! But you and I have been accounted worthy of the honor of being Orthodox Christians. This calling is above all other callings. It must be cherished and protected; it must be treasured.

Today begins another page in our Church life. The Lenten services end and the Paschal period begins. And I’ll tell you, it’s much more difficult. It’s very hard, to be honest. You might be in pain, you might be very tired, you might have problems that are weighing you down. How can we reach the Paschal joy, the merriment, the life-affirming notes? It’s very difficult, but we have to learn. In any condition, in any situation, this Paschal week is special. The Why must a church have an iconostasis and curtain over the Royal Doors?In an Orthodox church there is no thing or action which does not carry meaning of spiritual weight. Even the iconostasis and curtain over the Royal Doors are full-fledged “participants” in the Divine services.

“>Royal Doors will be open. This means we’re all in the altar; there is no longer any barrier between God and man. Everything is open, all the fullness of love. “Come and eat” (cf. Ecc. 9:7), come and see (Jn. 1:46), come and hear what is happening in church, and partake of this great joy.

Therefore, of course, it’s not an easy task for us. Moreover, we have to thank God and rejoice not just for a week, but all forty days until the Leavetaking of Pascha (more precisely, thirty-nine days, and on the fortieth day—the Ascension). Imagine what a joyful marathon we have, right? Whatever happens, let’s agree that we’ll try to spend these thirty-nine days thanking God and seeing the beauty of God, seeing all the good things in our lives. Let’s ban the bad—we shouldn’t see anything bad. This is, of course, a super task. But with God, it’s possible.

Let’s try to shame this world with its prince; let’s try not to get stuck in situations, in disputes, in human misunderstandings, but to focus on the main thing—we have Pascha. And that’s why when we rise, when we go to sleep, in any situation, what words do we say? “Christ is Risen From the Dead, Trampling Down Death by Death, and Upon Those in the Tombs Bestowing Life!Come, let us worship and fall down before Christ, Who has delivered us from spiritual death and bodily destruction.

“>Christ is Risen!”

This is an army, truly an army of God! And we fight here, in our heart and in our mind. And we fight with our eyes, so our eyes would be bright and our thoughts pure. So let’s try. You know, the Kingdom of Heaven is joy, it is eternal gratitude, eternal love for God. Perhaps we’ll live more than just one more year, so let’s try to rehearse, so that the joy of God might be with us for thirty-nine days. My soul shall rejoice in the Lord (Ps. 34:10).

Abortion advocates in at least 15 states are seeking to qualify ballot measures for November that would enshrine abortion protections in law or their state constitutions, and some efforts recently got a step closer.

Maryland and Florida will have efforts to enshrine abortion protections in their state constitutions on the ballot. A comparable effort in New York was tossed off the ballot — for now — when it was blocked May 7 by a judge who found that state lawmakers failed to follow procedural rules for passing constitutional amendments. Supporters plan to appeal. Abortion is legal in the Empire State through 24 weeks but with broad exceptions after that point.

Maryland’s Catholic bishops issued a statement May 8 objecting to the November 2024 ballot measure in that state. “This is an important time for us to reiterate our commitment to the protection of all human life,” they said. “We oppose the ‘Right to Reproductive Freedom Amendment’ as it contradicts the fundamental principles of respect for human dignity and the inherent right to life.”

“Our opposition to this initiative is rooted in our unwavering concern for the well-being of women and children. Abortion not only ends the life of an innocent child but also poses significant risks to the physical, emotional and spiritual health of women,” said the statement signed by Baltimore Archbishop William E. Lori, Cardinal Wilton D. Gregory of Washington and Bishop William E. Koenig of Wilmington, Delaware. All have members of their flock who live in Maryland.

In encouraging Catholics and others to reject the amendment, they said abortion perpetuates a “throwaway culture” and that the amendment would divert resources from women’s well-being, risk the rights of health care workers and limit the ability of elected officials to respond to changing needs or information.

Efforts for similar amendments to qualify for the ballot are still underway in several states including Arizona and Montana, where closely watched races for the U.S. Senate also will take place.

In Missouri, supporters of such a ballot measure said May 3 they turned in more than 380,000 voter signatures — more than double the 171,000 required to qualify for the ballot. The office of Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft, a Republican, must verify the signatures in order for the measure to be placed on the ballot.

Earlier this year, the Catholic bishops of Missouri urged all Catholics and people of goodwill “to not sign any petition that would put this amendment on the ballot.”

“The Catholic Church supports and defends society’s most vulnerable, especially women and children, through accompaniment, social services, and material assistance,” the bishops said.

“A misleading proposed amendment to the Missouri Constitution suggests that a ‘right to an abortion’ is needed to protect women, while the amendment could actually put women at risk and endanger preborn children,” they said. “This ballot initiative would legalize abortions in this state and remove long standing health and safety standards for women. In addition, this initiative does nothing to reduce or eliminate the underlying social causes for abortion and does not further a true culture of life in the state.”

Missouri Right to Life led a “Decline to Sign Campaign” to educate and activated “countless Missourians to fight the battle to ‘Keep Missouri Pro-Life!’”

On May 1, supporters of an abortion ballot measure In South Dakota also said they collected enough signatures to qualify.

Ballot measures on abortion have so far proven elusive for the pro-life movement in previous elections in 2022 and 2023, despite achieving their long-held goal of reversing Roe v. Wade when the U.S. Supreme Court issued its Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health decision, which overturned the 1973 Roe decision and related precedent establishing abortion as a constitutional right. After that decision returned the abortion issue to the legislature, some states moved to expand access to abortion, while others passed legislation limiting the procedure or providing new revenue streams of support for women and families facing unplanned pregnancies.

Ohio voters on Nov. 7, 2023, approved a measure to codify abortion access in that state’s constitution, legalizing abortion up to the point of fetal viability — the gestational point at which a baby may be capable of living outside the uterus — and beyond, if a physician decided an abortion was necessary for the sake of the mother’s life or health. The Ohio results were not an outlier, as they followed previous losses for the pro-life movement at the ballot box when voters in California, Kentucky, Michigan, Montana, Vermont and Kansas either rejected new limitations on abortion or expanded legal protections for it.

After victories at the ballot box, abortion advocates across the country sought similar outcomes in their own states.

In Montana, that state’s Supreme Court in April allowed an effort to add additional protections for abortion through a ballot measure to move forward. That state currently permits abortion at any point prior to fetal viability.

Montana’s Catholic Bishops Austin A. Vetter of Helena and Jeffrey M. Fleming of Great Falls-Billings wrote a May 3 message urging “all people of goodwill to decline to sign the petition to place this dangerous amendment on our ballot.”

“Trusting in God, we invite all Montanans to pray for the defeat of this Constitutional Initiative and stand in defense of women, children and all those threatened by this extreme proposal,” their message said.

The Catholic Church teaches that all human life is sacred from conception to natural death, opposing direct abortion as an act of violence that takes the life of the unborn child.

After the Dobbs decision, church officials in the U.S. have reiterated the church’s concern for both mother and child, and called to strengthen available support for those living in poverty or other causes that can push women toward having an abortion.

  

“O Divine, O dear, O sweetest voice!
For Thou, O Christ, hast faithfully promised
to be with us to the end of the world”
Paschal Canon, Ode 9, troparion

The bright Paschal week is coming to a close. True, the joyful Paschal chants will still be heard in our holy churches until the feast of the Ascension of the LordAscension of the Lord

“>Ascension of our Savior into Heaven, but there won’t be that bright, joyful mood that Pascha week brings us.

The Royal Doors will be closed, the canon won’t be sung in its entirety… Thus, joy passes. It wasn’t long ago that we remembered the days of our Lord’s sufferings—Holy Week passed quickly too. Thus, sorrow, too, passes. Even an ancient pagan philosopher said, “Everything flows, everything changes.” Yes, beloved, everything changes in this life: Sorrow is replaced by joy, and after joy comes sorrow….

But the time will come, beloved, when joy will be constant, when Pascha week will continue forever—this is in the future life. There will be an eternal Pascha, with no leavetaking. There will be eternal joy, according to the prophetic word: The ransomed of the LORD shall return, and come to Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads: they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away (Is. 35:10).

But it won’t be for all people, but only for the faithful and virtuous. For those who don’t believe in God, who don’t keep the commandments of Christ—eternal anguish and despair await them in the life to come. How do we know this? From the mood that people experience in this Paschal week. While the faithful experience joy and peace, special spiritual sweetness on the days of Holy Pascha, for non-believers this is an ordinary week of the year, like all the others. Their hearts are dark and empty, while the faithful are full of spiritual joy.

Yes, the present earthly life is a foretaste of eternal life. Here develops, here begins the disposition with which we will live in eternity. And our disposition during Pascha week is the pledge of eternal joy… Only, here on earth we perceive everything vaguely, dimly—but then in full clarity (cf. 1 Cor. 13:12).

Your future life depends on you, beloved. If you want the eternal joy of life with God, of eternal Pascha, then believe in God and fulfill His holy commandments, as the Orthodox Church teaches you. If you don’t believe in God and you live like a pagan, there will be eternal sorrow and darkness for you.

May the Lord vouchsafe us all the eternal, unceasing joy of communion with Himself in that life.

“O great and holiest Pascha, Christ! O Wisdom, Word and Power of God! Grant that we may more perfectly partake of Thee in the unending Day of Thy Kingdom” (Paschal Canon, Ode 9, troparion). Amen.

Francis Ignatius Vincent Peis was born in 1701, the second of seven children. He was named for St. Francis of Assisi, to whom his mother prayed during her difficult pregnancy. She promised St. Francis that her son would join the Capuchins as an adult. 

In his childhood, Francis worked hard and lived piously. He was often found praying, and was known to wait in front of the church doors every morning, praying, until they were opened. 

Francis wanted to join the Capuchins as a teenager, but his father forbade him, because their family needed his labor on the farm to survive. But after Francis survived a riding accident through the grace of God when he was 20, he entered the monastery at once, and took his vows a year later. Francis took his second name, Ignatius, as his religious name. 

In his first 15 years as a Capuchin, Ignatius did menial work in the monastery. For the last 40 years of his life, he was appointed questor, the monastery’s official beggar. He traveled around town collecting food and donations for the friars. 

Ignatius was well-loved by the poor and by children, and he often was given alms from those who had barely enough for themselves. He refused to take anything from the very poor, telling them it was better for them to keep it and take care of themselves. 

On his rounds every day, Ignatius took care of the sick and the street children. Many miracles of healing were said to have occurred through his intercession. 

St. Ignatius died in 1781, and was canonized in 1951 by Pope Pius XII. 

Acts 1:1–11 / Ps. 47:2–3, 6–7, 8–9 / Eph. 1:17–23 / Mk. 16:15–20

In today’s First Reading, St. Luke gives the surprising news that there is more of the story to be told. It did not end with the empty tomb or with Jesus’ appearances to the apostles over the course of 40 days. Jesus’ saving work will have a liturgical consummation. He is the great high priest, and he has still to ascend to the heavenly Jerusalem, there to celebrate the feast in the true Holy of Holies.

The truth of this feast shines forth from the Letter to the Hebrews, where we read of the great high priest’s passing through the heavens, the sinless intercessor’s sacrifice on our behalf (see Hebrews 4:14–15). 

Indeed, his intercession will lead to the Holy Spirit’s descent in fire upon the Church. Luke spells out that promise in the First Reading for the feast of the Ascension: “in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit” (Acts 1:5). The Ascension is the preliminary feast that directs the Church’s attention forward to Pentecost. On that day, salvation will be complete; for salvation is not simply expiation for sins (that would be wonder enough), but it is something even greater than that. Expiation is itself a necessary precondition of our adoption as God’s children. To live that divine life, we must receive the Holy Spirit. To receive the Holy Spirit, we must be purified through baptism. 

The Responsorial Psalm presents the Ascension in terms familiar from the worship of the Jerusalem temple in the days of King Solomon: “God mounts his throne to shouts of joy: a blare of trumpets for the Lord” (Psalm 47). The priest-king takes his place at the head of the people, ruling over the nations, establishing peace.

The Epistle strikes a distinctively paschal note. In the early Church, as today, Easter was the normal time for the baptism of adult converts. The sacrament was often called “illumination” or “enlightenment” (see, for example, Hebrews 10:32) because of the light that came with God’s saving grace. St. Paul, in his letter to the Ephesians, speaks in terms of glory that leads to greater glories still, as Ascension leads to Pentecost: “May the eyes of your hearts be enlightened,” he writes, as he looks to the divinization of the believers. Their “hope” is “his inheritance among the holy ones,” the saints who have been adopted into God’s family and now rule with him at the Father’s right hand.

This is the “good news” the apostles are commissioned to spread — to the whole world, to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem — at the first Ascension. It’s the good news we must spread today.