Dedication


For Love of God and Man

Thoughts and Faith to Share


IMAGINE REVISED
By Fredi D'Alessio
Imagine there's a Heaven,
It's easy if you try,
A hell below us,
Above us Holy sky,
Imagine all the people
Living for God’s way ~

Imagine there's no hatred
It isn’t hard to do,
No cause to kill or die for,
And one religion too,
Imagine all the people
Living in Christ’s peace ~

You may say I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world believes as one

Imagine shared possessions,
I wonder if you can,
No deeds of greed, no hunger,
A brotherhood of man,
Imagine all the people
Sharing all the world ~

You may say I’m a dreamer,
But I’m not the only one,
I hope someday you'll join us,
And the world will Love as one

Click here for an explanation of these lyrics and for a side-by-side comparison with the original.

There is but one Owner of the World

MEDITATION:

As Pascal insightfully observed:
“Jesus will be in agony until the end of the world;
and we cannot sleep during this time”.

Where is Jesus in agony in our own time?
In the division of our world into belts of prosperity
and belts of poverty ... this is Christ’s agony today.
Our world is made of two rooms:
in one room, things go to waste,
in the other, people are wasting away;
in one room, people die from surfeit,
in the other, they die from indigence;
in one room, they are concerned about obesity,
in the other, they are begging for charity.

Why don’t we open a door?
Who don’t we sit at one table?
Why don’t we realize that the poor
can help the rich?
Why? Why? Why are we so blind?

PRAYER:

Lord Jesus, those who live to hoard riches
are the very ones you have called fools!

Yes, those who think they own anything
are really fools,
since there is but one Owner
of the world.

Lord Jesus,
the world is yours and yours alone.
Yet you have given it to everyone
so that the earth can become a home
where all find nourishment and shelter.

So hoarding riches is robbery,
if their useless accumulation
prevents others from living.

Lord Jesus,
put an end to the scandal
that divides the world
into castles and slums.
Lord, teach us once more the meaning of brotherhood!

Source:

WAY OF THE CROSS AT THE COLOSSEUM

LED BY THE HOLY FATHER POPE BENEDICT XVI
GOOD FRIDAY 2006

Pope John Paul the Great







O Blessed Trinity
We thank You for having graced the Church
with Pope John Paul II
and for allowing the tenderness of your Fatherly care,
the glory of the cross of Christ,
and the splendor of the Holy Spirit,
to shine through him.

Trusting fully in your infinite mercy
and in the maternal intercession of Mary,
he has given us a living image
of Jesus the Good Shepherd,
and has shown us that holiness
is the necessary measure of ordinary Christian life
and the way of achieving eternal communion with You.

Grant us, by his intercession,
and according to your will,
the graces we implore,
hoping that he will soon
be numbered among your saints.

Amen.

Still Counting


35 Years...and Counting
By Fredi D'Alessio

Each of us is called to represent Christ to others and to be his instruments of love, mercy, and peace. Although each of us may encounter different ways of embracing that calling, all of us should open our minds and hearts to a multitude of opportunities. Today it is appropriate for each of us to reflect on how we represent the mind and heart of Christ with regard to the sanctity of life and the evil of abortion. Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me... Truly, I say to you, as you did it not to one of the least of these, you did it not to me. (Mt 25:40,45)

What makes abortion so abominable is that it kills. No matter what procedure is used nor whether it is surgical or chemical, a life is snuffed out. Someone’s future eliminated. A pre-born infant, child, adolescent, adult - a person - is deprived of its very existence in the physical realm. Can any deed be more anti-Christian?

Unfortunately, there are a great many places throughout this land, which we continually ask God to bless, where his precious infants are put to death in horrific numbers and in horrific ways. These killing centers present us with daily opportunities to represent Christ. Indeed if we go to them with the mind of Christ, with the intent to save lives and souls, we can in effect represent the Blessed Trinity.

We can be helpers of God’s precious infants as we pray for them and their parents. We can pray for the conversion of their parents that they will say "yes" to the life created by God and entrusted to their care. We can offer counseling and practical assistance to parents. We can pray for the conversion of the abortionists and their staff and all who support them in any way. We can pray for the conversion of those who live or work in the area or who pass by and who are pro-abortion, pro-choice, or ambivalent. We can pray for God's forgiveness and mercy.

For those babies who will die, we can remain with them at these modern day Calvarys, as Mary and John did at the foot of the Cross, and offer what might be the only human love they will have encountered during their very short lives. We can pray that God be with them before and during the time of their death, and that, in his Blessed Triune Name - Father, Son and Holy Spirit - and with the tears of Our Lady of Sorrows, He baptize them and carry the sacred souls of these Holy Innocents to Heaven.

Dear sisters and brothers in Christ, I invite you to learn about the Helpers of God’s Precious Infants apostolate, and I pray that you may be open in mind and in heart to "listen to him".
This article first appeared on TCRNews.com as 31 Years.....and Counting.

Excerpts from Calvary in Pinellas Park

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Calvary in Pinellas Park

By Fredi D'Alessio

I will never forget my pilgrimage to 'calvary' in Pinellas Park, Florida on behalf of my sister Terri and her family. I was so very blessed to have been able to be there to support them and to advocate for Terri's right to life. I cherish them and the people who stood in solidarity with them, mostly having come from long distances. Of the many fine people I was privileged to meet, I remember with special fondness a young family of eight from Ohio who put aside every other concern and without much planning hurriedly loaded their van with bare essentials and began the long drive to Pinellas Park.

Along with harboring warm feelings for the Schindler family and their supporters, my heart grieves Terri's cold-blooded murder. Being present at the scene of that crime - in the midst of or close by the victims, the intervenors, the perpetrators, the politicians, the police, and the news media - subjected my whole being to a rivalry of emotions and a variety of experiences and encounters. But rather than reflect on what being there was like, I have chosen to reflect on what being there was about.

So many, if not most, of those who have spoken or written about Terri's plight have missed the point. It matters not in the least what Terri's physical condition was. No justification could be made for taking her life no matter who the 'experts' are or how many words they spout.

...

I do not agree with those who have proposed that our role, as non-Floridians, was to support Terri and all those concerned for her well being with our prayers. Yes, of course we should have supported them with prayers, but not merely with prayers of petition. God wants to communicate with us when we pray. The petition He wants most from us is that we may obtain the graces and virtues that are necessary to not only know his will, but also to actively abide by it. He wants us to be his instruments of love, mercy, justice and peace.

Terri is sister to each and every person on earth. God entrusts each and every human life, not only to parents, but also to each and every one of us. To be an authentic disciple of Christ Jesus each of us must accept that responsibility.

The universal Church must be united in the acceptance of that responsibility. Neither borders nor domains, even if they exist within Her own structure (as in dioceses, provinces and regions), can excuse Her (us) from actively reaching out - not merely speaking out. This is particularly so when the 'local Church' has been negligent in Her duties and discipleship (as it was in Terri's case). Supporting those who are in error is not unifying; it is destructive.

When bishops, priests, deacons and laity neglect to intervene on behalf of those at risk and fail to boldly, emphatically and persistently preach the Gospel of Life and correct and admonish those in error about grave issues such as abortion, euthanasia, cloning, embryo production and destruction for any reason, or any other crime against humanity, the stage is set for all of these tragedies to occur. We have been stagehands for decades now, having embraced a disregard for human life and even become desensitized to millions of murders of unborn babies.

...
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Excerpts from Responding to His Call to Love

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Responding to His Call to Love

By Fredi D'Alessio

And he said to him, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the law and the prophets." (Mt 22:37-40)

In a previous writing (View from the Top), I quoted a reflection by Pope John Paul II on praying the Rosary, which succinctly presents us with the domestic and foreign policy we are called by God to embrace:
...

All of the 'fruits of charity' above - products of our “encounter with Christ in his mysteries” - must not be allowed to perish. They become useless if stored away. We must give them away by living them out in our daily lives – by acting upon the desires, resolves, feelings, and yearnings which they evoke. It would be helpful if we include the Holy Father’s reflection as part of our intentions when we begin to pray the Rosary. We must make them our own, and because we must have an intimate knowledge of ourselves, it would also be helpful to examine our progress.
...

Needed first, perhaps, is an increased spirit of joy. An Advent meditation suggests that in order to cultivate a joyful spirit, we must first reject self-pity. It goes on to say "the daily news reports can be toxic. Too much exposure to the woes of the world can be damaging to your mental health, as well as your spirit of joy", and suggests we limit our television viewing. There are many good reasons for us to limit that very intake, but doing so in order to shield ourselves from the woes of the world may actually leave us committing a deplorable act of self-pity.

We cannot empty ourselves of self-pity by focusing on ourselves, by turning our backs on others or burying our heads in the sand. We cannot risk deceiving ourselves into believing that if we do not see the horrors which many of our brothers and sisters throughout the world are daily confronted with, they are not happening. That is to inadvertently risk exempting us from caring enough about their plights to help. Surely if members of our immediate families were suffering, we would not risk 'tuning them out' so that we would not have to suffer with them. Shall we then tune out any others? Rather, we need to tune ourselves out and tune the world in.

God arranged for us to be on this earth during these times - times in which technology enables us to be informed about what is happening to our brethren all over the world. In many ways, perhaps there isn’t enough coverage of the most serious woes of the world.

We should share in the sorrows of those who are suffering. We cannot allow ourselves to be overcome by sadness, but we should be appalled when others suffer due to injustice, negligence or contempt. Being emotionally deaf, dumb and blind to the world will not bring us joy. In order to answer the call to love, we must balance our emotions - not bury them or hide from them. We would do well to develop a deeply devotional prayer regimen on our neighbors’ behalf with the hope that one day we may share their joys.

To avoid cultivating a selfish joy, we must respond to the simple call to love. Then, merely seeing a smile on another's face could bring us immense joy, especially if circumstances have prevented this person from smiling for a very long time.
...

One very prominent obstacle that hinders our response is resentment. This feeling of ill will is toxic to the 'fruits of charity'. This lingering anger chokes our hearts with living thorns, so that when the seeds of the fruits of charity are sown among those thorns, they prove unfruitful. Resentment needs to be conquered by the very love - the antidote - that it has grown resistant to. Although it may seem nearly impossible to overcome, it isn’t; we can chip away at resentment one Rosary bead at a time.

These actions will also bring forth a greater response to the call to love:
...

In all of the above we will find opportunities for fulfilling those corporal and spiritual works of mercy to which He calls us: feeding the hungry, sheltering the homeless, clothing the naked, visiting the sick and imprisoned, burying the dead, counseling the doubtful, instructing the ignorant, admonishing sinners, comforting the afflicted, forgiving offenses, bearing wrongs patiently, praying for the living and the dead.

When we serve our sisters and brothers we serve God:
...

Oh, that today you would hear his voice: Harden not your hearts. (Heb 4:7) If today we hear his voice, let us respond to His call with a loving heart - by giving away the 'fruits of charity' as we live them out in our daily lives.

In responding prayerfully, actively, joyfully to the simple call to love, we cannot fail to "make this world more beautiful, more just, more closely conformed to God's plan".

As individuals we can do little things with great love, and as a nation we can do greater things with great love. We can be a great people - people of truth, light, forgiveness, joy, life, peace, faith, hope, love – people of God.

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Excerpts from View from the Top

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View from the Top

By Fredi D'Alessio

"If you scored Republican ... You've now proved you're a true-blooded American who not only understands that there is a right and a wrong, but has the brains to know the difference between the two." So says Adam Sparks in his article 'Arnold's Quiz To Determine Political Affiliation VIEW FROM THE RIGHT'.

The quiz instructs you to score one point as a Democrat or a Republican each time you align yourself with one party or the other on the following issues: Taxes, Regulation, Environmentalism, Media Bias, Trade Policy, Fighting Tyranny, Affirmative Action, Education, Sexual Abuse, Purpose of Government, The Problem with the World Is Us (U.S.), Immigration, Crime and Punishment, Corporations and Unions, Families.

The problem is that neither party demonstrates that it "not only understands that there is a right and a wrong, but has the brains to know the difference between the two". Or is it that they do understand that there is a right and a wrong, but their selfish, superficial and shortsighted ideologies inhibit their ability to know the difference between the two?

Either way, something vital is lacking in the political arena. And not just at a Party level, but also at a personal level. It is my opinion that there is an absence of knowledge of God's perspective or even an awareness or concern that He has one. Despite all the rhetoric we hear about "In God we trust", nothing is more apparent than the fact that we do not trust in God. If we did, we wouldn't continually disregard His Statutes and try to usurp His Throne. It should be of no surprise that the aforementioned void has been filled with injustice and immorality.

We should not be viewing the world from the Left, Center or Right. It is imperative that we view it from the Top - from the perspective of its Creator. We can only do that with eyes of love. Firstly, love of our Creator and secondly, love of all his creatures. We must also acknowledge that we do not own what He has created. In the beginning God entrusted the earth and its resources to the common stewardship of mankind to take care of them, master them by labor, and enjoy their fruits. The goods of creation are destined for the whole human race. Although, mankind is called to respect both the universal destination of goods and the right to private property, the right to private property does not do away with the original gift of the earth to the whole of mankind. Further, we must acknowledge that God loves everyone equally. If we are to love them as well, we must not only share their joys, but also their sorrows.

As the antidote to selfish, superficial and shortsighted ideologies, I present the following reflection by Pope John Paul II on praying the Rosary:
...

The Holy Father has succinctly presented us with the domestic and foreign policy we are called by God to embrace. Whatever one's religion, if we believe that God is the giver of life, we must ascend the Holy Mountain, view the world from the top, shout from it "In God we trust", and descend from it filled with Wisdom and Love.

I personally am not a Democrat or a Republican. I am an American. One who believes that we are not called to possess great things, but to be a great people. That should be our intention when we say "God bless America".

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Excerpts from A Call to Alms

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A Call to Alms

by Fredi D'Alessio

When Mary set out to visit her cousin Elizabeth, who was in her sixth month with child, she had just learned that she herself would soon give birth to the Son of God. Out of charity, without concern for the difficulties she might face, Mary put her self-interests aside and hastened to the aid of her cousin who was elderly and fragile. Mary remained at Elizabeth’s side for three months.

How often do we put our personal interests aside and reprioritize our obligations and responsibilities so that we can go to the aid of others? How often do we take personal risks for the sake of others?

Many of the immediate reactions to the horrible events of September 11 proved that we are a people capable of acts of charity, even to the point of heroism. But what about our longer-term reactions? They, of course, depend on what lessons we have learned from the horrors of September 11.
...

The current lifestyle of our nation leaves much to be desired. The United States — indeed, the entire Western World — has become materialistic to the core. Our full-scale embrace of consumerism has resulted in consumerism’s crushing embrace of us as individuals. Our single-minded pursuit of wealth and merchandise has seriously undermined our spiritual health.
...

If we free ourselves from this master’s bondage, we will be free to strengthen our spiritual lives and return to the loving embrace of our true Lord and Master. Our blindness or indifference to the suffering of so many people throughout the world will be overwhelmed by an awareness that the Will of God is not being done, and we will stop allowing ourselves to postpone submitting to His Will. We will elect to more purposefully care for our brothers and sisters throughout the world with our hearts and our resources.

Let us no longer ask what our God can do for us, but rather what we can do for our God. Let us, by our actions, begin showing our Heavenly Father that we can be all that He asks us to be — a truly holy people filled with love for Him and for each other. Let us renew our faith at this critical moment in history ...

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Excerpts from America's Greatness


The Ultimate Test of America's Greatness
The Condition for Her Survival

An official departure ceremony for John Paul II was held at the Detroit Airport on 19 September 1987. In the presence of Vice-President George Bush and other dignitaries, the Holy Father delivered his farewell message.

Mr. Vice President,
Dear Friends, dear People of America,
...
As I leave, I express my gratitude to God also for what he is accomplishing in your midst. With the words of Saint Paul, I too can say with confident assurance "that he who has begun the good work in you will carry it through to completion, right up to the day of Christ Jesus" (Phil 1:6-7). And so I am confident too that America will be ever more conscious of her responsibility for justice and peace in the world. As a nation that has received so much, she is called to continued generosity and service towards others.
2. As I go, I take with me vivid memories of a dynamic nation, a warm and welcoming People, a Church abundantly blessed with a rich blend of cultural traditions. I depart with admiration for the ecumenical spirit that breathes strongly throughout this land, for the genuine enthusiasm of your young people, and for the hopeful aspirations of your most recent immigrants. I take with me an unforgettable memory of a country that God has richly blessed from the beginning until now.
America the beautiful! So you sing in one of your national songs. Yes, America, you are beautiful indeed, and blessed in so many ways:
- in your majestic mountains and fertile plains;
- in the goodness and sacrifice hidden in your teeming cities and expanding suburbs;
- in your genius for invention and for splendid progress;
- in the power that you use for service and in the wealth that you share with others;
- in what you give to your own, and in what you do for others beyond your borders;
- in how you serve, and in how you keep alive the flame of hope in many hearts;
- in your quest for excellence and in your desire to right all wrongs.
Yes, America, all this belongs to you. But your greatest beauty and your richest blessing is found in the human person: in each man, woman and child, in every immigrant, in every native-born son and daughter.
3. For this reason, America, your deepest identity and truest character as a nation is revealed in the position you take towards the human person. The ultimate test of your greatness is the way you treat every human being, but especially the weakest and most defenseless ones.
The best traditions of your land presume respect for those who cannot defend themselves. If you want equal justice for all, and true freedom and lasting peace, then, America, defend life! All the great causes that are yours today will have meaning only to the extent that you guarantee the right to life and protect the human person:
- feeding the poor and welcoming refugees;
- reinforcing the social fabric of this nation;
- promoting the true advancement of women;
- securing the rights of minorities;
- pursuing disarmament, while guaranteeing legitimate defense;
…All this will succeed only if respect for life and its protection by the law is granted to every human being from conception until natural death.
Every human person - no matter how vulnerable or helpless, no matter how young or how old, no matter how healthy, handicapped or sick, no matter how useful or productive for society - is a being of inestimable worth created in the image and likeness of God. This is the dignity of America, the reason she exists, the condition for her survival - yes, the ultimate test of her greatness: to respect every human person, especially the weakest and most defenseless ones, those as yet unborn.
With these sentiments of love and hope for America, I now say goodbye in words that I spoke once before (7 October 1979): "Today, therefore, my final prayer is this: that God will bless America, so that she may increasingly become - and truly be - and long remain - one Nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all".
May God bless you all.
God bless America!
John Paul II

Calvary in Pinellas Park











By Fredi D'Alessio

I will never forget my pilgrimage to 'calvary' in Pinellas Park, Florida on behalf of my sister Terri and her family. I was so very blessed to have been able to be there to support them and to advocate for Terri's right to life. I cherish them and the people who stood in solidarity with them, mostly having come from long distances. Of the many fine people I was privileged to meet, I remember with special fondness a young family of eight from Ohio who put aside every other concern and without much planning hurriedly loaded their van with bare essentials and began the long drive to Pinellas Park.

Along with harboring warm feelings for the Schindler family and their supporters, my heart grieves Terri's cold-blooded murder. Being present at the scene of that crime - in the midst of or close by the victims, the intervenors, the perpetrators, the politicians, the police, and the news media - subjected my whole being to a rivalry of emotions and a variety of experiences and encounters. But rather than reflect on what being there was like, I have chosen to reflect on what being there was about.

So many, if not most, of those who have spoken or written about Terri's plight have missed the point. It matters not in the least what Terri's physical condition was. No justification could be made for taking her life no matter who the 'experts' are or how many words they spout.

Of my twelve days and nights in Florida, most were passed in prayer outside the hospice in Pinellas Park. A few days were spent in support of Terri in Tallahassee at Florida's House and Senate committee hearings, and lobbying at Senator and Governor offices. I also participated in two candlelight prayer vigils outside the Governor's Mansion during which we pleaded with the Governor via an intercom at the gate to do everything possible to save Terri.

I do not agree with those who have proposed that our role, as non-Floridians, was to support Terri and all those concerned for her well being with our prayers. Yes, of course we should have supported them with prayers, but not merely with prayers of petition. God wants to communicate with us when we pray. The petition He wants most from us is that we may obtain the graces and virtues that are necessary to not only know his will, but also to actively abide by it. He wants us to be his instruments of love, mercy, justice and peace.

Terri is sister to each and every person on earth. God entrusts each and every human life, not only to parents, but also to each and every one of us. To be an authentic disciple of Christ Jesus each of us must accept that responsibility.

The universal Church must be united in the acceptance of that responsibility. Neither borders nor domains, even if they exist within Her own structure (as in dioceses, provinces and regions), can excuse Her (us) from actively reaching out - not merely speaking out. This is particularly so when the 'local Church' has been negligent in Her duties and discipleship (as it was in Terri's case). Supporting those who are in error is not unifying; it is destructive.

When bishops, priests, deacons and laity neglect to intervene on behalf of those at risk and fail to boldly, emphatically and persistently preach the Gospel of Life and correct and admonish those in error about grave issues such as abortion, euthanasia, cloning, embryo production and destruction for any reason, or any other crime against humanity, the stage is set for all of these tragedies to occur. We have been stagehands for decades now, having embraced a disregard for human life and even become desensitized to millions of murders of unborn babies. One of the ways in which that disregard and insensitivity is demonstrated daily is by our lack of intervention at the numerous baby-killing centers throughout our country where thousands of babies are murdered every day. Every bishop and pastor in the nation should have been preaching about Terri's right to life from the pulpit and imploring us to become actively involved with her family in their fight for her life.

Pope John Paul II could not have made that point any clearer in his encyclical (Evangelium Vitae) to bishops, priests, deacons, men and women religious, and lay faithful, which begins with: "The Gospel of life is at the heart of Jesus' message. Lovingly received day after day by the Church, it is to be preached with dauntless fidelity as 'good news' to the people of every age and culture." The introduction closes with: "To all the members of the Church, the people of life and for life, I make this most urgent appeal, that together we may offer this world of ours new signs of hope, and work to ensure that justice and solidarity will increase and that a new culture of human life will be affirmed, for the building of an authentic civilization of truth and love."

In 'A Note On Liturgical Norms for Homilies' Fr. Frank Pavone points out: "Liturgy is, ultimately, a life-giving encounter with God. There can be no more appropriate setting in which to proclaim and defend the gift of life. The liturgical laws of the Church certainly leave the door wide open for such a proclamation and defense!"

Those who stood as advocates for life at 'calvary' in Pinellas Park, Florida did so with the "dauntless fidelity" called for by the Holy Father. They came with hope that Terri's life would be saved and with love to help the Shindler family carry their cross.

I don't think there is a better way to close this reflection than with the following excerpt from Pope John Paul II's farewell message given during the official departure ceremony for him at the Detroit Airport on 19 September 1987:

"America, your deepest identity and truest character as a nation is revealed in the position you take towards the human person. The ultimate test of your greatness is the way you treat every human being, but especially the weakest and most defenseless ones. The best traditions of your land presume respect for those who cannot defend themselves. If you want equal justice for all, and true freedom and lasting peace, then, America, defend life! ... Every human person - no matter how vulnerable or helpless, no matter how young or how old, no matter how healthy, handicapped or sick, no matter how useful or productive for society - is a being of inestimable worth created in the image and likeness of God. This is the dignity of America, the reason she exists, the condition for her survival - yes, the ultimate test of her greatness: to respect every human person, especially the weakest and most defenseless ones, those as yet unborn."

Amen.


References:

"Terri and her family"

"Evangelium Vitae"

"A Note On Liturgical Norms for Homilies"

"Pope John Paul II's farewell message given at the Detroit Airport on 19 September 1987"