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Florida Catholic June 12-18, 2020
YOUR OR NDO COMMUNITY
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DIOCESE OF OR NDO Vol. 81, No. 15
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My Sisters and Brothers in Christ: What is a desert experience? When I think of a desert, I think of dry land with sand all around. I think of earth scorching my bare feet. I think of a blistering sun upon my skin. I think of profound loneliness. I think of an extraordinary thirst for water, for life. We don't live in the des- ert. We live in a very moist, humid and sunny climate. Our grass is green, and our sand leads us to water. Yet, I think each one of us could recall a recent desert experience. What is your desert experience? Maybe your desert experience is the COVID-19 blowing in the wind and swirling around you, holding you in the spiral of fear. Your desert ex- perience might be the anger swell- ing within you because of wrong- ful deaths and a lack of respect for life, no matter the age, race, creed or economic ability. Your desert experience could be your leaving God by not trusting in Him, a dry spell in which you are unable to pray. It could have been the experi- ence of the season of Lent where we were asked to fast, not as we would normally from food which fed our physical body. We were called to fast from the Sac- rament of the Eucharist, the Bread of Life. What could we learn from our desert experi- ence? "We never want to go through that again," you might say. Indeed the Israelites often said similar things to Moses about their dissatisfaction of their des- ert experience and their need for deliverance from it. Their desert experience would re- veal their intentions, what was hid- den in their hearts, and their under- standing of the ways of God. St. Paul speaks to the Corinthians about the desert experience through sinful- ness and reminds them of the call to unity through, with and in Christ. Today, after experiencing the separation from each other because of the pandemic; after feeling alone and in despair as we were left in a health facility without visitors; after crying out because of the witness of a violent act upon another; after being shut in and shut out; after all this, have we drawn nearer to God by drawing nearer to each other? Have we become His eyes and hands and feet and ears? Or have our hearts turned to stone? Jesus shows us the way. We en- counter Him in the desert as he fasts and prays. He does not idly sit and mourn what is not right. The Bread of Life is born out of isolation. The holy family were outcasts at the time of Jesus' birth. His friend and followers abandoned Him. He is alone on the Cross. He cries out, "I thirst." He thirsts for each one of us to partake in His gift of unity so that we are no longer in the desert. Jesus asks the disciples, and now through the ages, asks us to take ac- tion and to proclaim, entrusting us the mandate to continue His work. In order to proclaim we must be- come His witnesses, His story tell- ers, His Gospel of life. We become His love of one another, His com- panion of every person. Who will fortify us? Who will quench our thirst? The Bread of Life is broken and shared with us at each celebration of Mass. Now
ecause the loaf of bread is one, we, though many, are one body, for we all partake of the one loaf. - 1 Cor 10:17
B B
Bishop John Noonan
What is your desert experience?
we can join each other face to face during the celebration of Mass and partake in the gift of the Eucharist. When we receive we become His Presence upon the earth. After Jesus' death on the Cross, the disciples had great fear and locked themselves in a room. But they did not stay in the room. With the embodiment of the Holy Spirit they went out to tell the Good News to the people; they shared sto- ries with their friends, family and strangers about Jesus the Christ. As we were locked in our own homes, we were able to find ways to sustain communion through technology, through window kisses, through notes and cards, through prayer. Pope Francis said, "To tell our story to the Lord is to enter into His gaze of compassionate love for us and for others. We can recount to Him the stories we live, bringing to Him the people and the situations that fill our lives." In that procla- mation, we have left the desert and bring the water of hope, the refresh- ment of love to one another. May we offer ourselves to one another in the partaking of the one loaf, the bond of unity and love.
n
GLENDA MEEKINS
of the Florida Catholic staff
ORLANDO "We all have a moral responsibility- Together we make up the body and face of Christ," said Henry Fortier, superintendent of Catholic Schools for the Diocese of Orlando. Fortier recently joined the National Catholic Education Association (NCEA) for an in-depth discussion on racism in our nation and within our faith institutions. He called on all Catholics to act now to promote change. "We need to live the example," he said. "We're very good about putting out statements when there is a problem. How do we live when there isn't a problem?" The podcast unveiled June 5
th
is ti- tled Open Wide Our Hearts, after the pastoral letter written by Pope Fran- cis in 2018. When violence erupted after George Floyd died in police custody in Minneapolis, Fortier de- cided to send the letter to all Catholic school leadership to be used for so- cial media, homilies and dialogue. As it says in the document, one of
Superintendent of Catholic Schools speaks on racism
the sins of racism is being complicit, not speaking up and taking a stance against what is occurring," he said. Fortier's peer on the podcast, RaeNell Houston, superintendent of the Archdiocese of New Orleans, echoed those sentiments. She, too, is using the Pope's message to pro- voke thoughtful discussion. "Being authentically Catholic embraces the fact that we should love and respect all of us, because we are also made in the image and likeness of God," she said. Archbishop Gregory Ay- mond, also of New Orleans agrees. Mr. Floyd's death reminds us that we are called to believe in the dig- nity of each person," he said. "In the Gospel, there is no room for racism, violence or hatred- Jesus calls us to a deep, abiding respect of every person." Fortier is seizing this opportunity to teach fundamentals of social jus- tice to students, but first he'll begin with staff. "It is a process- We must understand who is in front of the stu- dent. When we look at the impact of Catholic schools and the difference they can make, I first think of my principals and my teachers because they're the ones delivering the mes- sage and filtering it. That is a hercu- lean task- You have to start with the educators, inviting them to reflect on themselves, who they are, and their own experiences." He added, "It's a journey inward and our duty as people of faith." Having been an educator him- self for years, Bishop John Noonan encourages Fortier in his plan. On the same day the podcast became available, Bishop Noonan attended a prayer walk with other Christians in downtown Orlando to honor and remember the hundreds of men and women who have died unjustly. He emphasized his agreement with Pope Francis' statement, "We cannot tolerate or turn a blind eye to racism and exclusion in any form and yet claim to defend the sacredness of every human life." It's something Fortier will con- tinue to shed light on in every class- room. "If we lived more authentical- ly- and when we see the oppressed, we actively seek out resolution, then that reality would help change the conversation as a Church and a community of faith," he said. "Good intentions are not enough. Open your heart. Open your voice. Open your mind and speak and collective- ly we can do much more."
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To listen to this podcast go to
https:// bit.ly/2XKryP9. Superintendent of Catholic Schools, Henry Fortier, with students from St. Andrew Catholic School in Orlando (ELIZABETH WILSON FC)
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