Announcing:
Saint Mary's Press winner for the week of March 21, 2011!
Congratulations to Sherry Miller!

Sherry will receive a copy of Breakthrough! The Bible for Young Catholics, a $20.95 value.

As the title suggests, Breakthrough! The Bible for Young Catholics highlights what happens throughout salvation history between God and humanity. God breaks through and connects with human history, thereby establishing a relationship with humanity.

Using the Good News translation, Breakthrough! The Bible for Young Catholics was created for young people leaving childhood and entering adolescence. Its ten special features were created to help make the Bible easier for young people to read and understand.

They will learn about the great people of the Bible, and will see how God has been breaking through in human history and connecting with humanity for thousands of years. Most important, they will discover, in the Bible, how God's messages to key people of faith have meaning for life today.

Breakthrough! The Bible for Young Catholics
ISBN: 978-0-88489-862-7, paper, 1,968 pages

Saint John Baptist de La Salle

Did you know that John Baptist de La Salle is the patron saint of educators, teachers, and principals? John Baptist de La Salle was born into a wealthy family in northern France in 1651. At the time, education was a privilege reserved for the wealthy. After being ordained a priest in 1678, De La Salle became involved in education through training teachers for poor children, and then later forming the Brothers of the Christian Schools (Christian Brothers). He gave away his wealth and lived with his new community, committed to providing a quality education for the poor and underprivileged. Today the work of the Christian Brothers extends to over 80 countries with over 900 schools and 60 universities. In these schools the Christian Brothers and their lay colleagues educate more than 850,000 students. In addition to schools, the Christian Brothers are involved in a wide range of other ministries, including Saint Mary’s Press.

In an effort to increase the awareness of Saint John Baptist de La Salle as the patron saint of teachers and the awareness of the various ministries of the Christian Brothers, Br. George Van Grieken, FSC, the director of vocation ministry, has a special invitation for everyone who subscribes to The Servant Leader. If you contact Br. George at br.george@dlsi.org, he will send you a poster of Saint John Baptist de La Salle, titled "The Patron Saint of Teachers." Additionally, he will make available one-page prayer services for Catholic teachers featuring the words of De La Salle, which can be used at faculty meetings or in-services.

Here at Saint Mary’s Press, we continually look to the writings and works of Saint John Baptist de La Salle to guide us in our ministry. With his commitment to the total education of all young people and the innovation he brought to sharing the Good News of Christ, I cannot imagine a better patron saint for educators. I pray that the example of Saint John Baptist de La Salle inspires you, and as always, I pray that God will continue to bless you and your ministry.

Peace,
Steven McGlaun

Click Here for More Information

Meditation 11: Many Ministries, the Same Spirit

Theme: De La Salle truly believed that God calls each person to minister to the People of God in different ways and that salvation is found in each person’s ministry. We should embrace the ministry God calls us to, no matter how humble it seems.

Opening prayer: Holy Spirit, living within me and within all of God’s Creation, grant that I may understand more completely the ways in which you are calling me to minister to my neighbors.

About De La Salle
De La Salle learned about his ministry and the ministry of the Brothers through the experiences of his life and their life together. He believed that the community of Brothers would gain credibility in the eyes of society and the church if its superior were a priest. So he sent Brother Henri l’Heureux to study for ordination. Brother Henri, who seemed in perfect health, died suddenly.

The news broke his [De La Salle’s] heart. . . . This first movement of human grief was followed by a deeply religious reaction and resignation to God’s holy will. He adored His eternal designs, and declared on the spot that the sudden demise of Brother Henri was a warning from Heaven, indicating that the Institute should not include priests among its members. . . .

. . . In a word, the Brothers chosen and given preference for promotion to Sacred Orders would not be slow in preferring themselves to the others, in trying to dominate them, in losing esteem for their vocation and the spirit that should characterize it, along with the grace of their state. . . .

Would such priest-Brothers be humble enough to confine themselves to the limitations of a vocation which has nothing flamboyant about it in the world’s eyes, nothing to flatter self-love? Would they restrict themselves to the role of the schoolmaster, and to the useful and necessary function of teaching catechism simply . . . ? (Blain, De La Salle, book 2, pp. 95–96)

Pause: Reflect on De La Salle’s belief that each state in life has its own grace.

De La Salle’s Words
God is so good that He not only brings us into existence by His act of creation but also desires that all of us come to the knowledge of truth. This truth is God Himself and all that He has willed to reveal to us through Jesus Christ, through His apostles, and through His church. God desires all of us to be taught this knowledge, that our minds may be enlightened by the light of faith. We cannot be taught the mysteries of our religion unless we have the good fortune to hear about them, and we cannot have this advantage unless someone preaches the word of God. . . . God diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge throughout the world by human ministers. Just as He commanded light to shine out of darkness, so He also kindles a light in the hearts of those whom He has called to announce His word to children, to enlighten them by making the glory of God known to them. Since God in His mercy has given you such a ministry, do not falsify His word but gain glory before Him by proclaiming His truth to those whom you are called to teach. Let this be your continual effort in the lessons you give them, looking upon yourselves as the ministers of God and the administrators of His mysteries. (Meditations for the Time of Retreat, p. 47)

Reflection
Educating wealthy young people had been done in monasteries and in other schools, but teaching poor children at the elementary level was viewed as beneath male religious congregations. By working in charity schools, De La Salle elevated teaching in poor schools to a genuine ministry and, in effect, created a new form of ministry for laypeople. Permeated by the spirit of the Scriptures, De La Salle recognized that every activity is Christian ministry that leads to human wholeness, that serves to heal the brokenness among God’s people, whether it be loneliness, poverty, powerlessness, ignorance, injustice, or physical or emotional pain. The Spirit calls us to ministry and provides the gifts to accomplish it. Furthermore, as we minister, we make Christ, the suffering servant of God, present in the world.

In the Christian Testament, ministries may be roughly grouped as of the word (kerygma), community building (koinonia), celebration (leitourgia), or serving and healing (diakonia).

- Which of these ministries do you find most compatible with your abilities? Why?
- How are you making Christ, the suffering servant, present in the world? By offering hospitality? By directly serving people? By nurturing your family? By practicing stewardship of the environment?

Another way of appreciating your own gifts as a minister is to ask yourself how you are the following:
- Hands of Jesus to people . . .
- Voice of Jesus . . .
- Ears of Jesus . . .
- Eyes of Jesus . . .
- Body of Jesus . . .

Ask the Holy Spirit for the graces you need to be God’s minister in whatever work you do or lifestyle you lead.

Third Sunday of Lent
March 27, 2011
John 4:5-42

Opening Prayer
Jesus, we understand the isolation of the Samaritan woman in this Sunday's Gospel because we have done things in our lives that have caused division and hurt. Help us, especially during these days of Lent, to reconcile the broken relationships that are a cause of isolation in our lives. Amen.

Context Connection
This Sunday's Gospel helps us understand the process of conversion and what it means to come to a deeper faith in Jesus. Through the experience of the Samaritan woman, we are able to follow her process of coming to faith--from her initial encounter with Jesus, to her conversion and freedom from sin, to her witnessing the Good News.

In this story, John's Gospel takes the Samaritan woman from misunderstanding who Jesus is to a clear understanding of Jesus's identity. The woman first addresses Jesus as "a Jew" (4:9). A little further into the conversation, she uses the title of Lord or "sir" (4:11). After Jesus tells her intimate details of her life, she calls him "a prophet" (4:19). And by the end of the encounter, the woman professes that Jesus is "the Messiah" (4:29). This is a remarkable transformation in understanding on the part of the Samaritan woman.

To fully appreciate this story, we must take into consideration the cultural backdrop. First, in the Mediterranean world of Jesus's time, life was divided according to gender. Women had their places to meet and carry out their responsibilities, and men had theirs. The well was a shared space that the whole community held in common, but that men and women used at different times--women in the morning and evening, men during the day but never at the same time. In this passage from John, the Samaritan woman comes to the well at noon, a time for men to use it. The Samaritan woman, experiencing isolation from her community because of her lifestyle, comes alone to the well during the heat of the day, when she thinks no one else will be there. Second, in Jesus's day, men did not speak to unchaperoned women, and women did not speak to strange men in public. A violation of this social norm is pointed out in the Gospel: "How is it that you, a Jew, ask a drink of me, a woman of Samaria?" (4:9). In addition, the Jews had a great dislike for the Samaritans and did not associate with them at all. (See the article "Discrimination in Jesus' Time," in chapter 10 of Luke in The Catholic Youth Bible®.) Third, after the Samaritan woman comes to understand the true identity of Jesus as the Messiah, she rushes back to the village marketplace--a place women were not permitted to enter when men were present. She tells the men of her encounter with Jesus, the Messiah, and they return to the well with her. The Samaritan woman is truly an evangelist telling of the Good News of Jesus to her village.

John shows us the tender compassion of Jesus as he encounters the Samaritan woman. Through this encounter, we see that Jesus does not allow his healing care and concern to be restricted by discrimination nor social norms that divide. It is his compassionate presence that helps the woman become aware of her needs--of her deep thirst. Once Jesus reveals his knowledge of the secrets of her intimate life, a transformation happens within the woman. It becomes a turning point. Even though Jesus knows these things about her, Jesus still loves her. Jesus commands her attention because he knows her so completely. Renewed by Jesus's healing words, the natural response of the Samaritan woman is to share this new understanding of Jesus with others in her village. She becomes a missionary to her own people. Jesus's words of compassion move this woman from her isolation, to faith, and then to mission.

This Gospel story is about the human process of coming to fullness of faith in Jesus the Christ. The Samaritan woman moves from no knowledge of Jesus to asking questions about his identity; to insight that he might be a prophet; to the conviction that Jesus is more than just a man--that he is the Messiah; to giving witness to her experience among those in her village. What unfolds before us in this story is the process of conversion that takes place when we encounter Jesus. The encounter with Jesus's loving grace brings about a conversion of heart because the forgiveness of sin leads to true freedom.

Tradition Connection
In parishes with an RCIA (Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults) program, starting on the third Sunday of Lent and extending into the fourth and fifth Sundays, those entering the Catholic Church, catechumens who will be baptized at the Easter Vigil, experience the Scrutinies. The Scrutinies are rites of self-searching and repentance. These rites help the elect (catechumens) to uncover the sinfulness of their hearts and to be healed. It is meant to be the concluding process of conversion for those preparing for Baptism. The story of the Samaritan woman's conversion parallels the conversion process of the catechumen.

In this Sunday's Gospel, Jesus and the Samaritan woman meet at the well of Jacob. This well has a long tradition of being a source of life-sustaining water because it was dug by Jacob and his sons. It provided water that supported life of every kind. Jesus promises that he will give life-giving water that will surpass the water of Jacob's well. Jesus is referring to the waters of eternal life that we receive through Baptism: "Because we are dead or at least wounded through sin, the first effect of the gift of love is the forgiveness of our sins. The communion of the Holy Spirit1 in the Church restores to the baptized the divine likeness lost through sin" (Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraph 734). Through Baptism, we come to our faith in Jesus Christ.

The Catechism also says that "Faith is certain. It is more certain than all human knowledge because it is founded on the very word of God who cannot lie" (paragraph 157). As the Samaritan woman's faith in Jesus developed, she continued to seek out more information about Jesus so she could deepen her faith. "'Faith seeks understanding':2 it is intrinsic to faith that a believer desires to know better the One in whom he has put his faith and to understand better what He has revealed" (Catechism, paragraph 158). Searching for a deeper understanding is a part of the process of coming to faith in Jesus. It is divine grace that moves an individual's intellect and will to cooperate in the quest to understand who Jesus is: "Believing is an act of the intellect assenting to the divine truth by command of the will moved by God through grace"3 (Catechism, paragraph 155). This is all part of the conversion process--the process of Jesus coming to know us intimately and us coming to know Jesus in truth: "The grace of the Holy Spirit seeks to awaken faith, conversion of heart, and adherence to the Father's will" (Catechism, paragraph 1098).

Therefore we can say that "The Holy Spirit is the living water 'welling up to eternal life'4 in the heart that prays" (Catechism, paragraph 2652). Lent should be a time for us to renew or strengthen our practice of prayer in our Christian life. "Whether we realize it or not, prayer is the encounter of God's thirst with ours. God thirsts that we may thirst for him"5 (Catechism, paragraph 2560). The living water offered is available for the asking:

"You would have asked him, and he would have given you living water."6 Paradoxically our prayer of petition is a response to the plea of the living God: "They have forsaken me, the fountain of living waters, and hewn out cisterns for themselves, broken cisterns that can hold no water!"7 Prayer is the response of faith to the free promise of salvation and also a response of love to the thirst of the only Son of God."8 (Catechism, paragraph 2561)

Wisdom Connection
John uses a most unusual circumstance to emphasize that coming to believe in Jesus Christ is open to everyone. "Many Samaritans from that city believed in [Jesus] because of the woman's testimony" (4:39). This must have been a hard reality for Jews to accept in light of their long-standing discrimination against the Samaritans. Because the Samaritans experienced conversion and came to profess belief in Jesus, the whole Christian community was challenged to accept all its members as equal in the eyes of God. It may be possible that the Christian community addressed in John's Gospel had difficulty accepting Samaritans as equals and as full members of the Body of Christ.

Another possibility is that John is confirming the new role of women in the community, that they too are called to be evangelizers. The messenger of the salvation of Jesus to this particular community was a woman--and, in this case, a woman who was isolated within her own community because of the way she conducted her life. Think about the people in our own society who we believe God could not possibly use for bringing others to Jesus. Many are needed to bring people to Jesus, and now is the time: "But I tell you, look around you, and see how the fields are ripe for harvesting" (4:35).

When the disciples return to Jesus at the well they urge him to eat, but Jesus refuses and responds by saying, "I have food to eat that you do not know about" (4:32). The disciples wonder if Jesus has hidden away some food or if the Samaritan woman has given him food. Jesus clarifies his statement, "My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to complete his work" (4:34). Jesus's food is doing the will of God the Father. John's Gospel indicates that this is also true for Jesus's disciples. Our spiritual nourishment is derived from doing the will of God.

Acknowledgments
The scriptural quotations contained herein are from the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible, Catholic Edition. Copyright © 1993 and 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. All rights reserved.

The quotations labeled Catechism are from the English translation of the Catechism of the Catholic Church for use in the United States of America. Copyright © 1994 by the United States Catholic Conference, Inc.--Libreria Editrice Vaticana. Used with permission.

The Lord's Prayer is taken from Catholic Household Blessings and Prayers. Copyright © 1988 by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Inc., Washington, DC. All rights reserved.

Endnotes Cited in Quotations from the Catechism of the Catholic Church
1. 2 Corinthians 13:14.
2. St. Anselm, Prosl. prooem: J.P. Migne, ed., Patrologia Latina Supplement, 153, 225A.
3. St. Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologiae II-II, 2, 9; cf. Dei Filius 3: Denzinger-Schönmetzer, Enchiridion Symbolorum, definitionum et declarationum de rebus fidei et morum (1965) 3010.

Saint Margaret Clitherow

March 26 is the memorial for Saint Margaret Clitherow.

Born in 1556 in York, England, Saint Margaret Clitherow was raised Anglican but later converted to Catholicism. She was imprisoned for sheltering priests and allowing the Mass to be celebrated on her property. She was martyred on Good Friday in 1586. She is the patron saint of businesswomen, converts, and martyrs.

For more information about Saint Margaret Clitherow, go to http://saints.sqpn.com/saintm54.htm.