How can one hate such a kind, gentle, and yet BRAVE man?

My heart has been suffering no lack of distress over the recent media attacks on the HOLY FATHER. At this point it is please that the New York Times and SNAP no longer care so much about truth. They do not even care about the victims at this point. They only care about hate. They hate the Church, and they want us to hate also. They oppose the man who bravely proclaims, Deus Caritas Est GOD IS LOVE. So please read this article AN OPEN LETTER TO HANS KUNG. So do you chose to hate or do you chose to cooperate with the love of Christ?

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Pray for the Pope.

St. Anselm: Why study theology?

Today's saint is St. Anselm. I doubt that many have a strong devotion to him, but he is highly important. I write on him in relation to my studies. Why study theology? Or perhaps a better question: How is the study of God even possible?

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St. Anselm saw theology as simply Faith seeking understanding. The mysteries we believe in -- the Trinity, the coming of Christ into the world (Christmas!), the Sacrifice on the Cross, the Resurrection -- are mysteries. All Christians are called to kneel before them in contemplation. But we can also inquire into them - this is not an impossible task. They remain mysteries, since they are deeper than the mind dig, but our faith seeks to be understood by us. The fact that the Ask Father Box at most parishes is full almost every week indicates this.

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But is it not pride that we seek to understand these mysteries that are so far "above" us? Yes and no - if we see these mysteries as an object of scientific inquiry, than yes that is pride -- this is not a physical science. However, we are not only called to know God, but to love Him. We see the person we love the most and we seek to know Him better. You would never put your spouse through the rigors of scientific inquiry, that just doesn't make sense, but over the years of marriage you come to know him or her very deeply. This is the knowledge that our faith seeks about God. It is not pride, because God has made us to know and to love him. He made us in His image and likeness, so we are "like unto God" in a certain way of speaking, and hence can learn about him.

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So why does the seminarian spend so much time studying theology? Because our callings to follow Christ as one of his priest springs from His love for us, and our response to love him in return. Just like the spouse seeks to know his beloved in love and even to contemplate her; the Christian soul on fire for the love of God seeks to know Him and to contemplate Him.

Holy Hour

Today is the third in a series of Holy Hour homilies that my seminary class has been sponsoring as part of our preparation for diaconate ordination. The basic concept is that during the normal time of exposition, which on other days is reserved for silent private prayer, our class invites a priest to preach on a particular topic relating to the sacrament that we will be receiving in October. The sermons have already covered the Promise of Obedience, and another one that was supposedly on prayer. Today's sermon will be delivered by Fr. Bob Barron, of Word on Fire Ministries, and will be on celibacy.

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The reason that the homilies on the life of a deacon are given in the context of a preached holy hour is simple: to highlight the importance of prayer in living the life of a deacon and later the life of a priest. In fact, prayer is important for any Christian that wishes to seriously live the Christian life. Christian claim to love Christ. Prayer is spending time with Christ. How can any serious Christian claim to love Christ, if he never spends any time with him?

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Prayer is part of each day. Each day there is Mass and Morning Prayer and Evening Prayer as a seminary community, along with a prolonged time of private prayer (usually about an hour). During walks to lectures I pray the rosary, and other prayers.

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I try to pray each morning, but when sleep seems to win the battle in the morning, I pray in the afternoon. What blood is to the life of the body, prayer is to the life of the soul. The body will not live long without blood, so the spiritual life of the soul will quickly be drained without the infusion of prayer. It is never to late to begin praying.

Five Years Ago Today: Annuntio vobis gaudium magnum! Habemus Papam!

Annuntio vobis gaudium magnum! Habemus Papam! (I announce to [all of] you great joy! We have a Pope!). These are the words, that rang over the great "gathering space" of the Universal Church, St. Peter's Square five years ago today. It is a message with great joy. Like joy in our heart as the deacon announces to us the great joy of the Alleluia at the Easter Vigil.

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On his recent pastoral visit to Malta, he noted the dark cloud over Europe. This was in reference to the volcanic cloud from Iceland, but could also be the dark cloud of the decaying European culture. Five years ago today, a ray of light shone through this darkness. I voice that is a great voice, not because he announces himself, but rather that he announces He in whom all things were made and have their being, Jesus Christ. The voice of moral truth in a world that prefers the darkness (cf. John 1:5 and 1:10-1).

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As he testifies to the light, so that all may believe.

Lord, source of eternal life and truth, give to your shepherd, Benedict, a spirit of courage and right judgment, a spirit of knowledge and love. By governing with fidelity those entrusted to his care, may he, as sucessor to the Apostle Peter and Vicar of Christ, build your Church into a sacrament of unity, love and peace for all the world. Amen.

Let us pray for Benedict, the Pope.

May the Lord preserve him, give him a long life, make him blessed upon the earth, and not hand him over to the powers of his enemies.

May your hand be upon your holy servant.

And upon your son, whom you have anointed.

Pater...

Ave...

Gloria...

Peter, do you love me?

In today's Gospel we hear Jesus ask Peter three times, "Simon, do you love me?" Three times the Peter says, "Yes, Lord, you know that I love you!" And Jesus responds, "Feed my sheep." There are two things that we can learn from this. First is the mercy of the Lord - yes the mercy of the Lord. We remember that Peter denied Jesus three times, and now Jesus gives better three opportunities to redeem those denials. Each time that we have denied Jesus with our sins, He calls us through the sacrament of confession, "Bill Brunner, do you love me?" And by confessing our sins, we say, "Yes, Lord, you know that I love you!" Since we will not let our sins keep us from the love of Jesus for us - but we need to respond to that invitation to "un-do" that sin.

This Sunday is also the Sunday of the "Primacy of Peter." Since the Church looks at this Gospel as the time when Jesus gives Peter the first place among the apostles. After all, Peter, and only Peter, is the only one that Jesus told to "feed my sheep." This primacy continues to this day through the ministry of the Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI.

In the Holy Land, on the shore of the sea of Galilee, there is a little church called the "Primacy of Peter Church." Re-read the gospel again, and look at these pictures. This church was built on the spot that tradition holds that today's Gospel took place. In the upper picture you can see the inside of the church. In the center is a large rock. This is the rock on which Jesus served his disciples the breakfast of fish. It is just off this shore that Jesus directed them to the miracle of the large catch of fish. It is hear that Jesus, in his mercy, invited Peter to re-affirm his love of Jesus, and those reverse the denials. It is also here that we can enter in prayer, and respond to Jesus when he invites us to do the same.

The lower picture is one of me standing on the sea-shore just outside the church.

Reflection for the Third Sunday of Easter

The priest at today's Mass will pray these words over the gifts of bread and wine that we offer. Receive these gifts from your Church. May the great joy you give us come to perfection in heaven.
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The prayers that are said over the bread and wine always contain a little "theological nugget," and if you want to understand what we as Catholics believe about the Eucharist, meditate and reflect on these little prayers.
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Reflecting on today's prayer, we see the basic "back and forth" of each Mass. We give God something, joined to the sacrifice of Christ; and God looking down on His Son and our offering, gives us so much more back, so much more!
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Receive these gifts... What do we give to God? We give Him our very lives. Each morning I pray: Accept O Lord, through the Immaculate Heart of your Mother, this day with all its prayers and works; joys and sufferings... We give our lives by giving God all our prayers and works -- and also all our struggles. This could be the struggle of not gossiping about a co-worker behind her back. It could be the struggle of going one day of not committing that sinful habit that we have been struggling with. It is also offering Thanksgiving to God for all the many gifts He gives us each day. So the gifts are not only bread and wine, but our very selves.
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We give these things because God originally gave them to us. We give them because these struggles have value when joined to the sacrifice of Christ. We given them because of the great promise of God - that He wants to give us a great gift of joy here on earth and perfect and complete joy in heaven. Just a little cooperation with God, and He responds with so much more.
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Since we are still celebrating Easter, this joy on earth is the fore-taste of the resurrection we will experience in heaven. So in the closing prayer, we pray: Lord... bring us to the glory of the resurrection...

Back from Lent and Easter!

This week marks a return to the "normal daily schedule" at the North American College. Lent is over, so there the station churches have finished up for the year. Holy week was beautiful. The post-Easter travels to Fatima have lefted me refreshed, both bodily and spiritually - I am now ready for the final push to the end of the year - to finish my STB degree at the Angelicum, and return home in June.

The refectory is all set for the 2010 Rector's Dinner!

This week is also marked by the annual Rector's Dinner. This is the yearly fundraising dinner for the North American College. It also presents us, seminarians, to offer our gratitude to the generous benefactors of the college, who provide the material possibilities for us to be formed in the heart of Rome - in the heart of the Church.

Fresco painting of the Conversion of St. Paul in the Cappella Paolina in the Apostolic Palace. Painted by Michelangelo in 1545

Connected with this dinner is also the Papal Foundation's annual trip to Rome. This foundation provides the Holy Father with much of the funding for his works of social charity. We cannot forget that the Holy Father and the Vatican is the largest charitable organization in the world. These people make that possible. Part of their trip includes their daily Mass. I was very honored to be asked to serve for their Mass today in the Pauline Chapel (Cappella Paolina) in the Palace of the Pope.

Thislittle chapel is decored with two massive fresco paintings by Michelangelo, and has recently been restored. What a treat! It is just a beautiful chapel, and after Mass the servers and choir, all seminarians from the North American College were invited to join the Papal Foundation for their tour of the Sistine Chapel and part of the Pope's Palace.

On the left: Archbishop DiNoia, the celebrant of today's Mass

In additional treat of being invited to serve for this Mass was that Archbishop DiNoia was the celebrant and gave the Foundation a brief talk after the Mass. Archbishop DiNoia gave the college a great lecture on preaching to young adults last year, and he has been to the college a number of times - including celebrating the Easter Vigil for us.

The Archbishop's talk was a short word about liturgy and the new translation of the prayers for Mass. He remarked that every religious tradition has "a sacred language" for their acts of worship. The Hindi uses Sanskrit. The Muslims use Arabic. The Jews use Hebrew. And up until 1970, Catholics only used Latin as their "sacred language." So allowing Mass to be celebrated in English was (and still is) quite a "new thing." So we are still learning how we should be doing it, and we have learned much more since 1970 about theology, and translating, so that is why we need a new translation of the prayers of the Mass.