Lift Up Your Gaze

“Lift up your gaze.....Let us turn our eyes to Christ Crucified, .........the source of mercy, which alone can save humanity." Pope Leo XIV

Some relics of St. Anthony of Padua were in my diocese for ten days. I made a point of visiting them. It was quite interesting, especially after meeting the priest who brought them over from Italy. It was simple and reverent, but it was worth the effort. Recently, someone I know asked to come to mass with me. I did not even know the person was Catholic, but they wanted to come and it was good to take them. These are small examples that manifest themselves as we move about our day. What is our starting point? We live so many distractions, and our minds are full of things to do, but only one thing is necessary. We went as a group to volunteer with the poor. The students are not all Catholic and many might not even be religious, but we need to help.

“Start by doing what is necessary; then do what’s possible; and suddenly you are doing the impossible.” St. Francis of Assisi

Great saints suffered so much for the faith. Blessed Ignazio Maloyan was an Armenian Catholic. He became bishop of Mardin, Turkey. At the outbreak of World War I, many Armenians began to be persecuted. As the house of the Archbishop of Mardin was surrounded, the bishop and over 400 Christians were rounded up. They were marched into the desert and tortured. An impromptu liturgy used bread scraps. Maloyan was the last to die of this group. It is so important to read about these great people. Similarly, St. Barnabas’ feast day was last week. He introduced Paul to the other Apostles. Though he came later, he is still considered one of the Apostles. St. Paula Frassinetti was born into a pious family. Her mother died and she turned to Our Lady for help. Her aunt came to help but she died also, so Paula became the ‘mom.’ Despite her health problems and frailty, she organized a group of like-minded women and began the Sisters of St. Dorothy. They gave an education to girls in need. The examples are endless. The bigger question is what are we doing?

“No duty is more urgent than that of returning thanks.” – St. Ambrose

Events and experiences happen in front of us. It cannot be said enough times that awareness is so important. A nearby parish to me has seen a spark of interest in the Catholic Church. These are hopeful signs. As I read and watched Pope Leo move about Spain, I would listen to his words and reflect on his wisdom and simplicity. The crowds were overwhelming. Yet, we need to remember and pay attention to what we can do in our small corner of the world. There is much work to be done. Let us start moving.

St. Peter Chrysologus: "If you do not close your ear to others you open God's ear to yourself."