Our Catholic Mission in the Year of Faith

The Messages of Pope Benedict XVI in His Apostolic Letter PORTA FIDEI for the Induction of the Year of Faith

    On October 11, 2012, Pope Benedict XVI announced the Year of Faith. The Holy Father wrote in his apostolic letter for the occasion that he has “spoken of the need to rediscover the journey of faith so as to shed ever clearer light on the joy and renewed enthusiasm of the encounter with Christ.”

    Regarding the Second Vatican Council, Alan Shreck writes in his book The Compact History of the Catholic Church that “[t]he greatest impact of the council with regard to the world has been the impetus for Catholics to get more involved in the affairs of society, especially to promote justice, peace and the defense of human life.” (p. 146) With these two things in mind, taking into account Pope Benedict’s message to the world and keeping in mind the fact that Catholics long ago were called to get more involved in matters such as those listed above, why would we not jump on the call to evangelize others? Why would we not want to bring others to the fullness of truth? 

    Pope Benedict speaks of the Second Vatican Council in his apostolic letter for the Year of Faith. He wrote in his letter, quoting Bl. Pope John Paul II, ‘“I feel more than ever in duty bound to point to the Council as the great grace bestowed on the Church in the twentieth century: there we find a sure compass by which to take our bearings in the century now beginning.”’ Popes Benedict XVI and John Paul II ask that by following the proper guidance, we can assist in the “necessary renewal of the Church.” (Apostolic Letter for the Year of Faith) In his Letter, the current Holy Father offers to us beautiful words of guidance in how we can “open wide the doors to Christ," and he begins with the words “patience” and “love.” By these things, we, as Christians, can bring to the world the light of Christ and open the doors to Him.

    We are summoned to renew conversion to the Lord. This is what the Holy Father tells us. We are called to “press forward” in the Church and cooperate with God, and we must have “Faith working through love.” (Gal 5:6) The Holy Father’s message is that it was through the greatest of loves that God saved us and calls the world to a conversion through the forgiveness of their sins. (Acts 5:31) Many people say that God will not forgive them because they have just done too many bad things in life. Others say they don’t need forgiveness because they just don’t believe in God anyway. It is our duty as Christians to bring these people to the truth. But how can we do this?

    Pope Benedict tells us that we must evangelize in love, not pride or force. Some say that the best way to preach is by doing so always, but using “words when necessary,” as St. Francis of Assisi is credited as having said. But whether by words or actions, we are called to preach the gospel. As Christians, our mission is to love. The pope asks us to be inspired by and have in our hearts the love Christ has in His own. This is what “impels us to evangelize.” We are called to be joyful and loving, patient and kind; not forceful, demeaning, with an in-your-face type of attitude. This would often be the wrong approach. We are called to attract others to the Faith through love. Pope Benedict writes that “[f]aith grows when it is lived as an experience of love received and when it is communicated as an experience of grace and joy. It makes us fruitful, expanding our hearts in hope and enables us to bear life-giving witness.” In love, we can help others to realize that their hearts, like that of St. Augustine, will not be at rest until they rest in Christ.

    The Holy Father’s next message is that we must believe to bring others to believe, too. He writes that “Only through believing, then, does faith grow and become stronger.” We are told that “reflection on the faith will have to be intensified, so as to help all believers in Christ to acquire a more conscious and vigorous adherence to the Gospel, especially at a time of profound change such as humanity is currently experiencing.” Part of the message for Christians is to profess our faith publicly, in “fullness and with new conviction, with confidence and hope.” We are called to be witnesses. The early Christians professed their faith to the point of death, and we, too, must be ready to live our faith at each moment of our lives. Pope Benedict XVI tells us we must “entrust ourselves fully to God.” God gave us free will, but we have to cooperate with Him and accept the grace He gives to us in the call to evangelize others. When we say “I believe” in the Creed at Mass, we have to mean it with all of our hearts and be ready to do anything for the Church in following the magisterium and the Word of God.

    We are called to safeguard the teaching of the Church. Time and time again in the course of history, we have seen or read of many occasions during which the Church could have fallen apart. God, however, was upholding it then and continues to uphold it now, and we are called to do our part in safeguarding it. We are called to continue to live the Faith through the sacraments and liturgy. These are what can give us grace and the courage we need to fight for the Church.The Mass, the Eucharist-- with these we will have strength. 

    The next message of the Pope? Continue believing, evangelizing, and defending the Faith and bringing others to know of the mercy of God. Again, only in God will our hearts find rest. The pope writes: “in [Christ] all the anguish and all the longing of the human heart finds fulfillment. The joy of love, the answer to the drama of suffering and pain”-- all of this can be found in Christ. St. Augustine knew this when he wrote in his beautiful work  Confessions, "You have made us for Yourself, O Lord. Our hearts are restless until they rest in You." To relate this concept to real life situations, the Pope provides examples of the many incredible saints and holy people who lived by faith in God. He writes of Our Lady and her fiat, he writes of the apostles leaving everything they had to follow Christ; he writes of the disciples who followed in the footsteps of the apostles, and of the martyrs who “gave their lives, bearing witness to the truth...” By the examples of these many wonderful witnesses, we can learn how to bring others to the faith through charity and selflessness. Pope Benedict tells us that “Faith without charity bears no fruit, while charity without faith would be a sentiment constantly at the mercy of doubt.” Pope Benedict tells us to love others, to not be afraid of evangelizing and bringing others to the truth. Through love, we are “capable of opening the hearts and minds of many to the desire for God and for true life, life without end.” In love, we have to defend and fight for all we believe in. We must defend the truth, life, and the unborn. We cannot give up; rather, we can look to all the beautiful witnesses to the Faith and be inspired by them always, praying for the grace to never shirk our moral obligations and duties to the Church. If we are called to die for our faith, then let us do so with joy.

    We have faith. We have hope. We have love. We believe in God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit; we believe in the Church, in Heaven, the forgiveness of sins, the communion of saints. So what are we waiting for in bringing our Faith to others? In communion with the saints in heaven and the faithful on earth, as well as Our Lady and Christ, let us in Christ, through Mary, follow our call and “open wide the doors to Christ” so that all hearts might rest in Him. Pope Benedict, as Christ's servant, asks this of us in the Year of Faith. We are called to be patient, but we are called to act now. Let us respond to that call by living our faith more deeply, hoping in God, and bringing souls in union with Him through love.

Works Cited

Pope Benedict XVI, Apostolic Letter Porta Fidei, (11 October 2012). Retrieved from Libreria Editrice Vaticana: http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/motu_proprio/documents/hf_ben-xvi_motu-proprio_20111011_porta-fidei_en.html. Online. Retrieved 30 November 2012.

Shreck, Alan. The Compact History of the Catholic Church, Ohio: Servant Books, an imprint of St. Anthony Messenger Press, 2009. Print.

 

In your hearts enthrone Him; there let Him subdue, All that is not holy, all that is not true; Crown Him as your Captain in temptation’s hour; Let His will enfold you in its light and power.

Book Review on St. Teresa of Avila’s Interior Castle

St. Teresa of Avila

“I began to think of the soul as if it were a castle made of a single diamond...in which there are many rooms, just as in Heaven there are many mansions.”

Those are the words of St. Teresa of Avila in her remarkable spiritual autobiography and book on mystical theology, Interior Castle. Through her writing, the reader encounters such beautiful experiences of the soul on the quest for heavenly perfection and ultimately a perfect union with God. One may find guidance from and inspiration in the words of this incredible saint and Doctor of the Church who explores themes of self-knowledge, sacrifice and suffering, achievement of humility, and self-surrender to God and detachment from this world leading one to the next, praising and blessing God endlessly. St. Teresa of Avila offers to her readers a means of gaining spiritual perfection, being able to stand in the innermost and chiefest mansion, the place of unity with Christ.

How can the soul achieve eternal dwelling in this place? There is a process and a progression, St. Teresa explains. Considering souls in the feminine sense, St. Teresa describes the progress and transformation from an imperfect creature weighed down by sin and darkness to a soul made beautiful by the light of God’s grace, a soul united to Christ as a bride is united to her husband. St. Teresa tells us that we can enter the mansion through the door of prayer. Once we have entered, we discover new rooms as we travel on. She instructs us to roam about to find self-knowledge and “begin by entering the room where humility is acquired rather than flying off to the other rooms. For that is the way to progress.”

And thus the journey begins.

First Mansions. “The door of the castle is prayer,” we read. We also read of the beauty and dignity of souls, and of the beauty of all persons as they were made in the image and likeness of God. St. Teresa points out that we have a lack of comprehension of this beauty as we will only have a minute comprehension of the castle with mansions. In this chapter, we discover the fact that as we had separated ourselves from God in sin, we too separated ourselves from the understanding of our bodies and souls, our being as a whole. The rough set of the diamond in the outer castle is the body of ours, but what of our souls? The fact of the matter is that we must make an attempt to carefully preserve the soul’s beauty. Teresa asks us to imagine this castle and delve more deeply inside of it as we continue our spiritual journey. 

 

St. Teresa tells us that in order to go deeper, we must trust in the mercy and love of God, be humble and ask for the grace to know His greatness. Her message is to follow the will of God and He will indeed lead you along the right path. We are given an explanation of the many ways of “being” in a place. The answer of how to enter the castle is through “prayer and meditation,” striving to realize and remedy the present condition of a soul weighed down and barred from God by sin. This prayer must be true prayer; not from the lips, but rather from the heart and mind.

We learn in the first chapter the importance of self-knowledge. When the soul falls into mortal sin, St. Teresa writes, there is no knowledge of self, no unity with God. There is a “thick darkness,” and although Christ is still within the soul, He is lost, shut out almost. St. Teresa writes of a soul who wanted all persons to realize the utter horror of distracting the soul from God, sharing with the world the image of a crystal, a black cloth, and the sun shining brightly. The soul, the sin, and the Son of God-- these are what her image represents. How is the soul to receive grace if it is to separate itself from the Son? St. Teresa teaches that we can learn to understand ourselves, our souls redeemed by Christ’s Precious Blood, and remove that black cloth begging God to deliver us from evil, asking him to give us grace to have fear if we were ever to think of offending Him. This, St. Teresa says, is requesting of Christ humility, placing all of our trust in Him Who is at the centre of the mansion, and not in ourselves. Christ’s light will reach us if only we are to open our doors wide to Him. The author writes, “As I see it, we shall never succeed in knowing ourselves unless we seek to know God: let us think of His greatness and then come back to our own baseness; by looking at His purity we shall see our foulness; by meditating upon His humility, we shall see how far we are from being humble.” Through these things, we will be ready to embrace the good and move to the second mansions. Set your eyes upon Christ and His mother and learn true humility; do not let the devils or reptiles enter your soul so as to puff up your pride and absorb you in wrongdoing. St. Teresa invites us to be zealous, fill our souls with love, learn to know ourselves so that we might know Christ all in the hopes of reaching the greatest possible perfection.

In the chapter on the Second Mansions, we learn of the importance of perseverance. The  soul puts prayer into practice. Although devils and reptiles do continue every attempt to infiltrate the soul and win it over to sin, the soul and God are working together to resist and fight the devil. These mansions are warmer and filled with more light than the First. There are still trials, but the souls tries to absorb himself in good conversations, in sermons, in reading good books. God calls us by means of these things. He might also call us through sickness and prayer. He loves when souls pray, but we must remember, too, that the devil is trying to attack good; any chance he can take he tries to confuse the soul. Reason and faith, however, long with memory, lead us along the proper path. St. Teresa tells us that “[t]he will inclines to love One to Whom it has seen so many acts and signs of love, some of which it would like to return. In particular, the will shows the soul how this true Lover never leaves it... Then the understanding comes forward and makes the soul realize that... outside this castle it will never find security or peace...”Let us ask for God’s assistance, His mercy, and light in dark times. Let us be ever ready to conform our wills to that of God and be determined to never be defeated by the devil, always fighting “by the Cross” which souls carry when they are the spouse of Christ.

St. Teresa tells us here that because the soul’s progress is still at the beginning stages and one may fall, not to let ourselves “lose heart,” but rather strive for Christ’s peace, trusting in His Mercy. She says that “[i]t is absurd to think that we can enter Heaven without entering our own souls -- without getting to know ourselves, and reflecting upon the wretchedness of our nature and what we owe God, and continually imploring His Mercy.” We are told that we can ascend to the Father through Christ.

Third Mansions. We learn here the goodness of walking in fear. This brings a soul to the “straight road of salvation,” where our “only pleasure consists of pleasing God.” St. Teresa tells us here to imitate Our Lady and teaches us to not rely on ourselves but rather on God and Our Lady. She tells us that even if we are in constant conversation about God and continuously remaining in prayer, even if we hate sin and things of this world, we need to walk in fear, although leaving our reason and fear in the hands of God. When we consider the aridities of prayer, we learn that God tests souls and brings them to humility through recognition of their faults. God grants these souls in the Third Mansions special favors in their attempt to overcome difficulties. St. Teresa believes there are many souls who have received theses favors and grace; these souls “avoid committing even venial sins; they love doing penance; they spend hours in recollection; they use their time well; they practice works of charity toward their neighbors; and they are very careful in their speech and dress and in their government of household if they have one.” St. Teresa speaks again of humility and she tells us that the greatest stumbling block to the next mansion is pride and weariness, and unhealthy fear. St. Teresa tells us we are undeserving beings, but God asks of us resoluteness of our will, and not our works in life, and for this He rewards us. We are told, however, that the more He gives to us, the more we remain in his debt. We need to focus on our faults and not the faults of others, and we must abandon the things of this world, the things which will make us fall backwards, and instead abandon ourselves entirely to God and His will.

Fourth Mansions. Prayer of Quiet, meditation, and spiritual consolations. Here St. Teresa begins to touch the supernatural. These Mansions are beautiful, being essentially free from evil creatures trying to enter, although when they do the temptations are in a way welcome, for God gives great reward to the souls who directly turn to Him. We see that we can do nothing without God, and while earthly things may bring joy to us and make us happy, St. Teresa tells us that it seems “that the feelings which come to us from Divine things are as purely natural as these, except that their source is nobler... worldly joys have their source in their own nature and end in God, whereas spiritual consolations have their source in God...” . She tells us that even “tears and longings sometimes arise partly from our nature and from the state of preparedness we are in,” but “eventually lead one to God.” These ideas are written of in comparison to two basins filled with water; one basin contains water through human skill, the other through ever-flowing water from it’s source- God. This second basin overflows with water and goodness from God and it is by this that souls can enjoy sweetness and consolation. In desiring God’s glory and praising Him, in doing all things to please Him, we have signs of love. We need to not let our intellect interfere with desires and passions and proper reasoning in order to be closer to God. Finding peace in God will allow for no unrest to be present and strifes and trials can be borne in our desire to imitate God and to suffer for and serve Christ. St. Teresa writes of prayer of recollection, seeking God within ourselves, enlarging our hearts. She notes, too, though, that we can relapse, whether it be from physical weakness or that of the intellect and imagination, and tells us that we must abandon ourselves to the will of God and He will restore our strength.

Fifth Mansions. Closer unity to God. “Riches, treasures, and delights.” A sort of spiritual betrothal or preparation for betrothal. Love of neighbor, charity, and profiting other souls as it leads a good life. Higher contemplation. Proceeding carefully so that the devil can in no way win souls back by weakening wills and darkening understanding. These are all topics which St. Teresa touches on in these chapters. The faculties of the soul may be asleep for a while to the things of the world, but when they are, they are completely possessed by God, in a “death full of delight.” The devils have less if any opportunity to enter these mansions. As in the union with God, He protects and guards the soul from sin entirely, and the devils are too frightened. God is protecting us, but St. Teresa says to “trust God more and more” and that “we must serve His Majesty with humility and simplicity of heart, and praise Him...” Here God “implants Himself in the interior of that soul” by grace. St. Teresa tells us that she understands these mansions as being the cellar where the King brings His bride in the Songs. The Bride wanders about seeking her Beloved. She says the cellar is “where the Lord is pleased to put us, when He wills and as He wills.” God places us there in the centre, and He enters, too. The silkworm metaphor is St. Teresa’s next idea. She describes the process of a worm being transformed into a butterfly after the warmth of the weather comes and likens it to a soul which gets new life when the Holy Spirit nourishes it until it is “full grown” and can build up the Body of Christ. He gives the soul “frequent confessions, good books and sermons, for these are the remedies for the soul dead in negligences and sins and frequently plunged into temptation.” Prayer of Union spun by souls is what St. Teresa describes here. She says, “Let us renounce our self-love and self-will, and our attachment to earthly things. Let us practice penance, prayer, mortification, obedience, and all the other good works that you know of... Then we shall see God and shall ourselves be hidden in His greatness” closely united to Him, fixing our eyes on His greatness.

The soul “finds itself so anxious to praise the Lord” and “finds itself longing to suffer great trials.” Not being given the full capacity to conform with God’s will, though there is still room to grow and tears and sorrows to get past before arriving at the next Mansions and before attaining perfect unity with God.

Sixth Mansions. Lover and Beloved grow in intimacy. With “greater favours”come “greater trials.” The soul “has been wounded with love for the Spouse and seeks more opportunity of being alone, trying.....to renounce everything which can disturb it in this its very solitude.” God is the soul’s whole desire. The soul prizes God’s honor and glory more than its own. God sends many infirmities and interior sufferings to the soul here, but giving us no more than what we can handle, and always giving us patience. Suffering purifies us and enables us to make it into the seventh mansions. St. Teresa describes here the care a soul must have in sharing such personal matters with confessor, much like St. Faustina in her diary. St. Teresa says the best medicine for these souls is not to remove the trouble but rather to “occupy oneself with external affairs and works of charity and to hope in God’s mercy, which never fails those who hope in Him.” Here is where God, Who is in the Seventh Mansion, awakens and calls the soul to Him, leaving no room for the devil. The devil may try to tempt the soul, and the soul as a result may become anxious, but God will calm it by speaking to it, communicating with it in different ways, and providing intellectual visions (even possibly revealing deeper truths about God) which the soul will understand as genuine and not just in the imagination per criteria St. Teresa describes, but which should be kept secret and not sought out. With trust and meditation on Christ’s most sacred Humanity and love, through prolonged meditation and prayer on Christ’s Passion, God allows the soul to be suspended in prayer and rapture or ecstasy, confirming the betrothal, cleansing the soul entirely, blessing the soul with courage, uniting the soul with Himself, “fanning [the will of the soul brightly] into flame” a flame ready for the Seventh Mansions. St. Teresa writes that “Our Lord grants the soul favours like these because He is pleased to treat her like a true bride, who is determined to do His will in all things, and to give her some knowledge of the way in which she can do His will and of His greatness.”

Seventh Mansions. Spiritual Marriage. Transformation. Peace. The rain becomes one with the river. These are concepts of another Heaven. This other Heaven is the Seventh Mansions. God’s greatness, works, mercies and wonders are without limit here. The more we learn to know Him here the more we praise Him. Here God grants the soul special favours of Divine Marriage and brings it to His home. God enkindles and illumines the spirit and soul to true unity. St. Teresa says that they are the souls who, “by God’s mercy, have done penance for their sins and are in grace.” In this mansion, “[o]ur good God now desires to remove the scales from the eyes of the soul, so that it may see and understand something of the favour which He is granting it...by means of an intellectual vision, in which...the Most Holy Trinity reveals Itself.” The soul feels within itself a “Divine companionship...she has great confidence that God will not leave her.” The presence of God might not always be fully realized, but it knows of God’s companionship. St. Teresa tells us here that souls and spirits are, though different, one, and we also learn of the subtle differences between spiritual marriages and spiritual unions. She says, “there is the same difference between the Spiritual Betrothal and the... Marriage as there is between two betrothed persons and two who are united so that they cannot be separated any more” and goes on saying that “[b]etween the Spiritual Marriage and the body there is even less connection, for this secret union takes place in the deepest centre of the soul, which must be where God Himself dwells.” In Spiritual Betrothal the persons are often separated.

The communication of God in this most interior and chiefest mansion is a great secret and favour, and the soul is truly made one with God in a way different from any way before. Christ “gives the soul that kiss for which the Bride besought Him.” St. Teresa quotes St. Paul in writing the following: Mihi vivere Christus est, mori lucrum, which means “For to me, to live is Christ; and to die is gain.” In the seventh Mansions, the soul, writes St. Teresa, may say these words because “it is here that the little butterfly to which we have referred dies, and with greatest joy, because Christ is now its life.” Here Christ lives in us, and the presence of the Lord is everlasting. There is ultimate perfection and peace. God and the soul cannot be separated.

So how can we get here? Humility, patience, perseverance, trust, courage, detachment from the world, self-giving, offering the Lord any interior and exterior sacrifice we can give Him. God unites these things with His offerings which He gave to God on the Cross, and in this unity, His great blessings overflow into souls, uniting souls to Himself. Let us make a throne for God in our hearts which will not be at rest until resting in Our Lord, in that inmost room in our soul, our interior castle which belongs entirely to God. He will enfold us in His mercy so that we may become one with Him.

“May He be forever blessed and praised by all His creatures. Amen.” -St. Teresa of Avila

    Viva el Papa! 

A Papal Voyage:

A Spiritual Journey with Some of the Greatest Popes Who Served God and the Church from 1800-2012

Pope Pius VII (1800-1823)

With the emergence of technology and advancements in science in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, as well as the idea that philosophy should be based solely on reason (Kant’s famous words “Have courage to use your own reason” spread as the motto for the enlightenment), with politics and religion being separated and secluded from one another, our world underwent some, to put it plainly, very rough times. In the 18th and 19th centuries, Deistic views became popular, separation of the Church and state was present throughout Europe, and false notions of Christianity permeated the world. God, to many philosophers, was just an abstract “thing.” Voltaire mocked Christianity, the Freemason movement arose as a result of this fashion, the French Revolution (the climax of the Enlightenment) came about, heresies spun their way into the web of confusion and false notions being strung together in the Enlightenment, the Bible was seen as “just a book” and not the Word of God, and the reality of sin was majorly overlooked. Pride pervaded the world. Yet, the Catholic Church remained united and the Catholic Faith was never abandoned as a whole. The Church recognized that, as Alan Shreck writes in his book The Compact History of the Catholic Church, “Only God’s grace and the light of Christian faith can enable our reason to see truth clearly and to function in full accord with God’s plan.”

So what was God’s plan? God’s plan, it would seem, was to have the Catholic Church focus on its "spiritual identity and mission.” (Shreck, 106) While there were political upheavals and negative uprising of all sorts, there was also an “upsurge in religious life,” as Shreck puts it. How did this happen? A major part of it was the fact that authority of the Pope was once again restored.

The world, especially from the 18th century up until now, has been blessed with a plethora of remarkable and outstanding men who served our Church as Pope, the Servant of Servants, the Vicar of Christ. All of these men are inspirational and incredible witnesses to the faith, although each had a unique way of living his life in papal office for God and the Church.

One remarkable pope was Pius VII. It was he who took a “heroic stand against Napoleon” even when Napoleon imprisoned the pope because the pope “refused to compromise the rights of the Catholic Church.” This, according to Shreck, “won the admiration of people everywhere.” It was very much because of him that when in times of trouble, people began to turn more and more to the pope for guidance and strength.

Pope Pius IX can be attributed to many spiritual developments within the Church. Although he appeared to some Catholics as a liberal pope because he was “favorable to forces advocating political freedom,” he realized that political liberalism was a dangerous thing for the Church and society and fought against it. Under him, the Papal States were seized, which seemed like a tragedy, but in fact this is what brought the spiritual awakening of the Church. While some may say the pope’s next move was a bit extreme, it was merely taken on the side of precaution. With the rise in intellectual liberalism and a new approach to Catholic theology, the pope was concerned that false ideas were seeping through to the Church in matters of politics, economics, and other ideas, and so he wrote the Syllabus of Errors to reject anything he felt was against Church teaching. This was his way of reminding Catholics to turn to the Church and not the modern world and public opinion for the truth. (Shreck, 108) He wanted to make clear certain ideas that were being disputed in the Faith. This is where he made the most impact. 

Pope Pius IX (1814-1878)

As Shreck writes, the pope “formally defined as a doctrine of faith in 1854 that Mary...was conceived without original sin, the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception.” Where many others may have been skeptical to believe the apparition of Our Lady at Fatima, Pope Pius IX firmly believed it and defined his doctrine from it. Furthermore, in the First Vatican Council which took place in 1869 in Rome, the council, under Pope Pius IX, passed two constitutions that brought about important clarity: first, with regards to the matter of faith and reason, the “ultimate authority” was God’s revelation in Scripture and Tradition, and in the council the pope declared nature and reason as being subordinate to faith and grace; secondly, the council declared the infallibility of the pope speaking in ex cathedra, or in the Chair of Peter.

As seen, this pope alone brought about many spiritual advancements within the Church. He deepened or renewed the spiritual lives of many Catholics. Perhaps the most incredible influence of this pope was his encouragement in frequently receiving Holy Communion and in a deeper devotion to Our Lady and the Sacred Heart of Jesus. (Shreck, 110) Furthermore, he stressed religion of the heart and the mind together. This man, who was early on considered to be a liberal pope, helped people, as Shreck writes, “rediscover the sacramental nature of Catholic life and the reality of the supernatural.”

Pope Leo XIII (1878-1903)

Pope Leo XIII was another prominent pope. He wanted to restore leadership of the papacy on a deeper level. He wanted to make known to the world the influence of the Catholic Church. He was a diplomat who sought conciliation with modern society. His first step: he made John Henry Newman a cardinal. His next step was to strive for friendship with democracy. Next, in order for people to have the ability to pursue historical studies, the pope “opened the Vatican archives to researchers.” He defended justice and better working conditions and wrote the great social encyclical, Rerum Novarum. He revived devotion and deep prayer to the Holy Spirit. He made St. Thomas Aquinas’ theology and philosophy standard for Catholic teaching. He declared complete inerrancy of Scripture and succeeded in reconciling the Church with the modern world. He depended on God’s guidance and received strength to be bold in greatly influencing the Catholic Church.

Pope Pius X (1903-1914)

St. Pius X. Like popes before him, he wished to “strengthen Catholic worship and to protect the Church from modern errors.” (Shreck, 117) With him, CCD for the education of youth was called for, the age of receiving Communion was changed to seven (which is considered the age of reason), weekly Mass and Communion were strongly encouraged, he encouraged devotion to St. Joseph, and music in the liturgy underwent positive development. He also reformed other areas of the Catholic Church for which the Church has remained very thankful to this day. 
 

This pope compiled Church Law into one single Code of Canon Law. He started the well-known Catholic lay movement, Catholic Action, and he revived the Catholic Church in France. Although he may have reacted overly so with regards to Modernist movement in condemning it entirely and enforcing secret police to ensure no Modernists would influence Catholic teaching in schools, his motivation and prayer was to have nothing interfere with the very foundations of Catholicism.

Pope Benedict XV
(1914-1922)

Pope Benedict XV. God certainly had a special plan for this pope. In  his time, World War I broke out and his focus was to maintain peace and deal with reconciling the world with conflicts which were on the rise. He condemned abuses on either side, "personally authorized alms for the relief of war victims," and went above and beyond what any world agency did to "break down the barriers of hatred." (Shreck, 120) 

In the year 1917, another event occurred which was unlike any other and which gave the world much to think about and consider. Our Lady appeared to three young children in Fatima, Portugal, and spoke words about the end of WWI, offering the sign of the sun  literally dancing in the sky to  convince people of their faith,  predicting when the end of the war would happen, and also warned the world that "unless special prayer and Eucharist adoration were offered, "'Russia will spread her errors through the world,  promoting wars and the persecution of the Church."' It seemed unlikely this  would occur because Russia then was weak and had next to no power. But guess what happened? Well, Mary was  right. Communism broke out and persecution made its way back into the lives of so many people. 

Mary did not leave the world without hope, however. She asked that in  order for the world to strive for  repentance a daily  rosary be prayed, meditation on God's Word be carried out, and asked that families and nations be consecrated to her Immaculate Heart. Pope Benedict XV took heed of her words. The pope consecrated Russia to her Immaculate Heart during his  papacy. Now although Communism was controlling everything (government,  production, etc.), Mary's message was not forgotten. She asked that prayer rather than physical fighting be done, and it  would be through this that the defeat of communism would come.

Pope Pius XI (1922-1939)

Pope Pius XI.   Now this man lived through some really rough times. He faced Communism, Nazism, Fascism, and with all of that, repression. In order to support the Church in Italy, he surrendered the Papal States to the Fascist leader Mussolini, which actually had the positive impact on the Church with the termination of the pope's authority being dependent on the possession of "an   earthly   kingdom." (Shreck, 122) The  pope furthermore wished to secure the rights of the Catholics in Germany under Hitler's leadership, and in the end, condemned all Fascism and Nazism. 

During this time the pope also had to deal with the Catholic Church in Mexico being oppressed. In the film "For Greater Glory," we see the depiction of the terrible and tragic events which took place in Mexico. Although fighting happened every day, we see the witness of prayer, trust in God and Our Lady, the power of soldiers for Christ fighting together once again, and we see so many who lost their lives in order to stand up for their rights and freedom given to them by God. This is truly beautiful, but could you imagine, though, the weight on the shoulders of the Pope during this time, the pope who prayed so hard for the reign and peace of Christ in society? 

Pope Pius XI instituted the Feast of Christ the King in 1925  in order to remind the world that the universe was still being upheld out of love for all by Christ, the King,  Creator, and Ruler of the world. This pope also "provided leadership for the Catholic missionary activity and social teaching" which placed emphasis on Jesus' values of peace and unity in the gospels, and this was seen in the encouragement and expansion of Catholic Action in society. (Shreck, 123)

Pope Pius XII (1939-1958)

Pope Pius XII.  The pope of peace and the Pope of Mary. Holy and diplomatic. The Church needed this pope during the difficult times of war under Hitler and the Nazi regime. He provided relief and even refuge for Jews and Christians who were persecuted by Hitler. He is credited, Shreck writes, for having saved "some four hundred thousand Jews from certain death."  

During his papacy, he held the belief that one of the greatest (if not the greatest) modern threat to the people of God and humanity as a whole was communism. (Shreck, 124) He fought intensely against communism, excommunicating any Catholic who belonged to this party. Pius decided to take consecration to Our Lady a step further and consecrated the entire world to her Immaculate Heart, understanding that Our Holy Mother was Mother of the world, protector of her children. He defined formally and declared the infallibility of the doctrine of Our  Lady's Assumption, not death, into heaven. 

He opened further the way to the study of the bible and theology, and inspired Catholic thought on the Church being more than just an institution; it is the mystical Body of Christ. In his  encyclical Mediator Dei, he "paved the way," writes Shreck, "for the blossoming of new forms of Catholic theology, beginning with the Second Vatican Council," preparing the Church, which was growing in missionary work and other ways, for deep renewal. 

Pope John XXIII (1958-1963)

Pope John XXIII. He wanted to guide the world so in need of help. He, according to Alan Shreck, "changed the entire image of the Catholic Church in the eyes of the world" which saw the Church as being prideful and not ready to recognize any weaknesses. Because of his warm nature, spontaneous personality, and love of life, people grew to love him. He was not simple, though. He understood history and had been a diplomat, but he focused more on relying on God than on anything else. He wanted peace in the world and unity among all Christians and because of his hard work, faith in Christ, deep prayer, and witness to all as a defender of his faith, he was beatified in 2000 by Pope Bl. John Paul II. 

Pope Bl. John Paul II. 

Pope John Paul II (1978-2005)

John Paul the Great. This remarkable and beloved pope wanted the world to reject fear and "open wide the doors to Christ." He called for a renewed effort to evangelize the whole world. He was considered a missionary pope, proclaiming the gospel and strengthening the Church. He gave a message of hope to all. He awakened the world to the teaching of the theology of the body. He fought for the sanctity of human life, gave the world a clearer view on the dignity and vocation of women in the Church. What I consider to be his most remarkable actions during his pontificate were his bringing the world to the Divine Mercy and Our Lady (with his deep devotion to Our Lady of Fatima) as well as the Eucharist.Where would we be without this great pope whose life's philosophy was living for Jesus through Our Lady as seen in his personal motto "totus tuus"- "totally yours."

 Shreck states it perfectly: "Pope John Paul II confronted confusion with truth, disunity with charity and fear with faith and hope. He called the Church to holiness through prayer." This is the mission, too, of his predecessor, Pope Benedict XVI, who is seeking to restore unity, teach and defend the truth in love and patience, and is encouraging all to live the gospel boldly out of love for Christ. It is evident that Pope Benedict is going to face many challenges, but he tells us that we can "look to the future with hope," which was his message in his homily at Yankee Stadium in 2008.

In 2012, the Year of Faith, let us look to  these inspirational men who died to self and lived for Christ,  these men who  served the Church with all their strength, who dealt with weakness in the Church and who carried crosses unimaginable to many yet loved God and the Church with such a intense love, deep faith and prayer, and profound hope. St. Louis de Monfort wrote that "A Friend of the Cross is a glorious trophy gained by the crucified Christ on Calvary, in union with his holy Mother...his life embraces the cross, and death to the world, the flesh, and sin, so as to live here below a life hidden with Christ in God. In short, a perfect Friend of the Cross is a true Christ-bearer, or rather another Christ, so that he can truly say, "I live now not with my own life but with the life of Christ who lives in me." This a perfect description of the popes mentioned above who followed God's plan and became remarkable apostles and missionaries for the Church, trusting in God's grace and divine love to guide them and the world to peace and unity with Him in heaven for eternity.

I will leave you with the inspiring words of Pope Benedict XVI which he spoke on June 13, 2012, to a General Audience: “As our union with the Lord grows and our prayer likewise becomes more intense, like St. Paul, we too will turn our focus on what is important as well as to recognize that it is not by our own power that the Kingdom of God comes about, but rather by the grace of God who works miracles through us in spite of our weakness.” The Church had its "ups and downs," the world even lost its sense of sin, but God is always there working through us like he did the popes. Let us, like them, have deep trust in and love for God and Our Lady, and be true apostles always ready to defend our Church and "open wide the doors to Christ."

Pope Benedict XVI (2005-present) and
 Pope John Paul II (1978-2005)

Works Cited

Shreck, Alan. The Compact History of the Catholic Church, Ohio: Servant Books, an imprint of St. Anthony Messenger Press, 2009. Print.