Paul VI Pontifical Institute

The Victory of the Cross

ehogan — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 13:02:43 +0000

-The Crucifix / Diego Velasquez

The Victory of the Cross

"In me, God himself became exhausted. The inexhaustible was exhausted. Life was lived out. Love was loved out. This was my victory. In the cross was Easter. In death the grave of the world was burst open. In the leap into the void was the ascension into Heaven. Now I fill the entire world, and at last every soul lives from my dying. And wherever a man decides to forsake himself, to give up his own narrowness, his self-will, his power, his blockaded resistance to me, there my kingdom flourishes. And yet men can accomplish this only against their own will, and they prefer anything to being delivered over to my grace. For this reason I must go with them long distances, life-long distances, until they understand that they don’t understand, and they open their cramped fingers and let themselves fall back into my heart. Until they feel the ground so falter beneath them that they do not make this groundlessness into a new platform, a new standpoint, or reduce this openness to a higher form of imprisonment, or form abandonment into a cleverer sort of protection, or make of God’s foolishness a sublime kind of wisdom. Until they have grown so unaccustomed to looking at themselves that they at last look at me as if for the first time. Until, afar off, the horizon begins to dawn for those who seemed to know all about Christianity."

-Hans Urs von Balthasar

Paul VI Pontifical Institute

"...so must the Son of Man be lifted up ..." (John 3:14)

ehogan — Sun, 18 Mar 2012 15:19:06 +0000

"And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life." (John 3:14-15)

The sculpture you’re looking at is located atop Mount Nebo, which tradition names as the burial site of Moses.

The Mount Nebo Cross is composed of three simple elements taken from the life of Moses and Israel. First, there is the main pillar, representing the pillar of fire that led the Israelites through the desert. Second, there are the flames of fire coming out of the pillar, which also suggest the “Eagles’ Wings” of Exodus 19: “You have seen for yourselves how I treated the Egyptians and how I bore you up on eagle wings and brought you here to myself.” (Ex 19:4) Third, there is the serpent mounted on a pole, which was used to heal those Israelites who had been bitten by saraph serpents during their wanderings in the desert (see Num 21: 4-9).

Of course the “trick” is that when you put these three elements of the Exodus story together, they form an image of the Cross—which we believe is the definitive Passover (the Exodus from the slavery of sin and death to the Promised Land of eternal life) and the source of ultimate healing. The Scripture citation that most fittingly corresponds to the Mount Nebo Cross is this: “Just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.” (Jn 3:14-15)

We hope that this image, and these reflections, can be an aid to your Lenten journey!

Paul VI Pontifical Institute

Why Do We Fast?

ehogan — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 19:19:32 +0000

Why do we fast?

As Lent gets underway, some people wonder: why do we fast?

OK…so, we usually grumble about the fact that we “have to” fast. But underneath the grumbling lurks the question: “why?”

Here are some answers to that question.

Simple

On the simplest level, we fast because the Church asks us to.

There's value to obedience! Simple obedience is a great reason to start fasting, and a great reason to continue to fast, and a great support when we’re tempted to give up on fasting.

Still, while it’s a good place to start, it would be sad if our understanding and practice of fasting stopped there.

Moving Deeper

On a deeper level, we fast as a wake-up call to some of our bad habits.

FIRST: We fast to teach us control of our desires – as opposed to immediate satisfaction of our desires.

When we make a commitment to fasting, we have to assess our desires, not just satisfy them. We’re brought to the point of saying “Yes, I’m hungry right now. But today is a day of fasting, so I’m not going to eat. I’m not going to let that desire control my actions.”

That’s a habit that we could all use on a lot of levels, not just when it comes to food! How many fights could be stopped by exercising that same internal muscle – “I’m not going to let that desire control my actions”? How many marriages could be saved from infidelity by the phrase “I’m not going to let that desire control my actions”?

SECOND: We also fast to help us break habits of dependence on anything other than God.

What does that mean?

Well, let’s be honest – what’s your first thought in the morning : Is it “How can I praise, love, and serve God today?” or is it “Where’s my coffee?” Then, as the day goes along, are you more likely to stop in the chapel to pray, or to stop at the drive through and get a cup of coffee? If a neutral observer looked at how you spend your time, energy, and money on any given day, would they conclude that you worship God or the bean?

THIRD: We also fast to grow in sympathy, and effectiveness.

Think about ministering to people in need. A general rule is that you’re more effective when you know the need. The best counselor for an alcoholic on the road to recovery is an alcoholic who is sober. The best counselor for a drug addict who’s trying to get clean is a former drug addict. The best consoler for a parent who has lost a child is another parent who has lost a child. And so on.

Similarly, we’re better able to minister to the hungry when we’ve been hungry ourselves -- and Jesus told us he would judge us on that basis!

When we fast for these (and similar) reasons, we’re no longer simply obeying – we are growing up, spiritually. Simple obedience when we are children can help lead us to the deeper level; and simple obedience as adults can be a doorway to the deeper level. But there comes a time when we have to grow up, or remain spiritual adolescents. Growing up – spiritually – doesn’t mean abandoning the discipline of fasting. It means engaging in the discipline on a deeper level, and for a deeper set of reasons.

Spiritual Senses

Finally, there’s something really important that shouldn’t be left out: at its deepest level, fasting is about saying “No” to one thing in order to say “Yes” to something else.

Sound curious? Let me give a couple of examples of what that means, before explaining how it applies to fasting.

A serious athlete says "No" to some things – like foods high in sugar or fat – in order to say “Yes” to something else : maximizing the performance of his or her body. That kind of renunciation is physically fruitful – it helps to build a stronger body.

A married man says “No” to some things in order to say “Yes to something else. In married love spouses are called to give themselves completely—body, mind and soul—to one person, in a way that they don’t give themselves to anyone else. So a married man says “No” to physical and emotional intimacy with other women in order to say “Yes” to something else – a complete and exclusive union with THIS woman, his wife; the same is true of a married woman and her husband. That kind of renunciation is psychologically fruitful – it helps to build a stronger marriage.

So how does fasting say “No” to one thing in order to say “Yes” to something else?

I have discovered that fasting increases my spiritual attentiveness. When my body is hungry, my spirit more acutely reaches out to God. I more readily perceive His presence if I’m doing His will, and I more readily perceive His absence if I’m straying from that path. Or, if I have to have a hard conversation with someone, I find that fasting helps me to reach out more compassionately to them so that I know when and how to speak. In its own way, the physical renunciation of fasting is spiritually fruitful.

I can't always fast. But as I have grown up, spiritually, I've been drawn to it more and more. I’m not drawn to fasting because I want to say “No” to food – I don’t! I’m drawn to it because I want to say “Yes” to the deeper spiritual attentiveness that is its fruit.

So think of Lent as a spiritual training ground. Just as serious athletes say "No" to foods high in sugar or fat in order to maximize the performance of their bodies, so serious spiritual athletes engage in fasting to maximize the "performance" of their souls. In that sense, Lent is not an invitation to gloomy living, but the Church's invitation to a higher level of living.

Happy Lent!

Paul VI Pontifical Institute

FREE APP : Audio New Testament

ehogan — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 19:45:28 +0000

In preparation for the Year of Faith, the Truth & Life Dramatized audio bible has developed an APP, and their goal is to give this APP away FREE to anyone who would like to receive it.

This free APP includes the entire written text of the RSV-CE New Testament and the fully-dramatized audio of the Gospel of Mark.

Here's a link for this FREE APP: www.truthandlifeapp.com

The Truth & Life New Testament (RSV-CE) is 22-hours in length, features more than 70 actors, and has movie-quality sound effects and an original music score. This 'radio-drama' style audio presentation brings the eternal words of the New Testament to life!

The audio Gospel of Mark is 2-hours long and features many award-winning International celebrities, including: Blair Underwood (Mark), Kristen Bell (Mary, Magdalene), Michael York (Luke), Sean Astin (Matthew), Brian Cox (Voice of God), Malcolm McDowell (Caiaphas), Julia Ormond (Mary, Mother of God), Stacy Keach (John), and John Rhys-Davis (Narrator).

The Truth & Life Dramatized Audio Bible was granted an Imprimatur by The Vatican, and features a foreword by Pope Benedict XVI.

Paul VI Pontifical Institute

Welcome, Altus Air Force Base!

ehogan — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 17:33:28 +0000

A heart-felt welcome to our friends at Altus Air Force Base!

It is an honor to serve those who serve our country.

Paul VI Pontifical Institute

Leadership Retreat 2012

sisterteresaliu@archstl.org — Tue, 13 Sep 2011 18:57:25 +0000

Download Registration Form - LRC 2012W07 version For printer.pdf

Download Registration Form

Paul VI Pontifical Institute

New Director

ehogan — Mon, 03 Jan 2011 21:43:22 +0000

Greetings and Happy New Year from the Paul VI offices! As the new director of the Paul VI Institute, I want to start the year off by introducing myself.

Introduction

By way of introduction, the first thing I usually say is that I am a husband, a father, and a teacher.

-My wife and I met in college (the University of Scranton), and have been married for 18 years. Deo gratias!

-We have six children – four boys and two girls –with ages ranging from 13 down to 1. I always say that “It’s a glorious way to be overwhelmed.”

-I love to teach! I have taught on the high school, college, and graduate school levels. I have taught in men’s groups, parishes, clusters, dioceses, and formation programs. In teaching, I always receive more than I give.

History

Here’s just a little bit of history, to help you know where I’m coming from: I was born in New Jersey, grew up in Green Bay, and went to high school and college in Northeastern Pennsylvania. My wife and I lived for 5 years in Boston, 9 years in Nebraska, and the last 4 years in Saginaw, Michigan. I guess you could say I’ve been a pilgrim most of my life!

I received a PhD in theology from Boston College. (My coursework was in systematic theology and my dissertation was on the relationship between theology and science. The relationship between theological method and the history and philosophy of science has always been of great interest to me.) After five years of study in Boston we moved to Omaha, NE, to work with the Institute for Priestly Formation – a national program of spiritual formation for diocesan seminarians. While in Omaha I taught in a Catholic college for two years and a Catholic high school for six years. After nine years in Omaha we moved to Saginaw, Michigan, to work with Archbishop Carlson. I served in Saginaw as Diocesan Theologian, Director of Deacon Formation, and Director of the Center for Ministry and Office of Formation (the Diocesan “nerve center” for faith formation and retreats), and taught part time at Sacred Heart Seminary in Detroit. After a little over 4 years in Saginaw, here we are in Saint Louis!

Vision

One of my basic convictions is that the fruitfulness of our work depends on prayer. When intimacy with Jesus Christ is at the heart of our lives, all of our work somehow becomes fruitful; when intimacy with Jesus Christ is lacking in our lives, even our best efforts dry up. I’ve always thought that the following words of Fr. Thomas Dubay capture that conviction quite nicely:

We do others far more good when we ourselves are close to God. We bond with others more readily and are good for them to the precise degree of our immersion in God who is love. Husbands and wives, fathers and mothers, can do more for each other and for their children when they become men and women of burning prayer. Their effectiveness multiplies and snowballs; their influence is deeper and eternal. The same is true of the priest at the bedside or in the confessional or in the pulpit.

-Thomas Dubay, Prayer Primer, 26/81

My desire is that the following three points will always be the first goals of every class taught through the Paul VI Institute:

1) That students will grow in their love and knowledge of Jesus Christ through this class.

2) That students will grow in their love and knowledge of the teachings of the Church through this class.

3) That students will grow in their ability to proclaim the Good news of Jesus Christ to the contemporary world through this class.

As you can see, I believe that an ever deepening intimacy with Jesus Christ, an ever deepening membership in the Church, and a renewed evangelization are intimately linked.

I hope to make the Paul VI website a valuable catechetical resource. To that end, I have invited the Paul VI institute faculty members to submit short catechetical articles ( 500 – 800 words) and short catechetical videos (5 minutes or less) for posting on the website, and to suggest links to helpful and reliable resources for our students. I invite everyone to check back on our website from time to time, to see how we are coming with the project!

As we enter the New Year, let our hearts and our voices be united to each other in prayer:

Lord Jesus Christ, we give to you our hearts. Please give to us your Sacred Heart. Through all that we think and feel, through all that we say and do, may the name of Jesus be praised. Holy Mary, mother of God, Pray for us!

Sincerely yours in Christ,

Dr. Ed Hogan

Director, Pontifical Paul VI institute of Catechetical and Pastoral Studies

Associate Professor, Kenrick-Glennon Seminary

Archdiocese of Saint Louis

ehogan@archstl.org

(314) 792-7453

Paul VI Pontifical Institute

New Certificate Program At Paul VI: Catholic Medical Moral Catechesis

Tue, 19 Jan 2010 21:16:02 +0000

The Catholic moral perspective with its rich tradition of defending the truth regarding the dignity of the human person, has much to contribute to the discussion of medical ethics. Some Catholics desire help in articulating the moral perspective of the Church regarding these issues. Responding to this need, Paul VI Institute of Catechetical and Pastoral Studies is beginning a new certificate program, The Certificate of Catholic Medical Moral Catechesis. Students will grow in their understanding and learn to teach others about the Catholic perspective in the medical moral arena. Students who have earned other certificates with Paul VI Institute may find that they have already completed many courses for the new certificate. This program is open to all interested adults. Click here for a brochure about Paul VI's new Certificate of Catholic Medical Moral Catechesis