Denver Catholic

2 I CATHOLIC LIFE OCTOBER 2, 2013 I DENVER CATHOLIC REGISTER Our Lady of the Rosary Ch honored this month ARCHBISHOP'S COLUMN BY JUL MOST REV. SAMUEL J. AQUILA Pope Francis' real agenda Just over a week ago, Pope Francis managed to capture the media spotlight again. And this time the press interpreted his remarks as downplaying the Church's teachings on homosexuality, abortion and contraception. But the larger context of Pope Francis' remarks shows that rather than dismissing those hot-button issues, the Holy Father was delivering a pastoral strategy to the Church that calls it back to Jesus' first principle, that of mercy. Given the confusion surrounding the pope's interview, I am dedicating this week's column to explaining what the pope meant when he told 16 Jesuit journals from around the world, "We have to find a new balance; otherwise even the moral edifice of the Church is likely to fall like a house of cards, losing the freshness and fragrance of the Gospel." The media sound bites take the Holy Father out of context and do not report accurately what he said. What Pope Francis said in that interview reminds me of the story of Jesus being presented with the adulterous woman by the Pharisees, who wanted to trap him and demanded that she be stoned to death, according to the Jewish law. Jesus' response was: "Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her." After all of the Pharisees had left he said, "Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?" She said, "No one, Lord." And Jesus said, "Neither do I condemn you; go, and do not sin again" (John 8:7-11). Note in the story, Jesus is merciful, he does not condemn her to stoning, and he says, "Do not sin again." He is merciful while recognizing the sin and tells the sinner to avoid the sin. I urge that all of you read Pope Francis' in-depth interview, which can be found in English in America Magazine (http://www.americamagazine.org/pope-interview), because he delivers an important call for a return to the heart of the Gospel: God's declaration of his mercy and his desire to save us. This was especially evident in how the Holy Father responded to the question, 'Who is Jorge Bergoglio?' After a period of silence he replied, "I am a sinner whom the Lord has looked upon. … I always felt my motto, Miserando atque Eligendo (By Having Mercy and Choosing Him), was very true for me." "The most important thing," he said later in the interview, "is the first proclamation: Jesus Christ has saved you." It is the encounter with Jesus that changes one's life, and the more a person experiences the love and mercy of Jesus, the more that person moves away from sin. What Pope Francis has done in this interview—and what the media by and large missed—was to give the Church a pastoral strategy for bringing the Gospel to the modern world. His approach to a world torn by violence and wounded by the consequences of discarding God is to call the ministers of the Church to be "ministers of mercy above all." "I see the Church as a field hospital after battle," the pope told the Jesuit journals. "It is useless to ask a seriously injured person if he has high cholesterol and about the level of his blood sugars! You have to heal his wounds. Then we can talk about everything else." DENVER CATHOLIC REGISTER FILE PHOTO BY JAMES BACA When THE CHURCH observes Oct. 7 as a feast dedicated to the nity in Blessed Virgin Mary, specifically under her title of "Our Lady to help of the Rosary." It was known for several centuries by the title floodin "Our Lady of Victory," a feast day that honored a 16th centurytion. T naval victory which secured Europe against Turkish invasion. and no Pope St. Pius V attributed the 1571 victory to the intercession "A lo of the Blessed Virgin Mary, who was invoked the day of the tornado battle through a campaign of praying the rosary throughout Kathy Z Europe. The Church dedicates the month of October to the Our La rosary. in Wind other e Zrub husban childre 2008 w nado t County stroyin and sound board," according to from three to eight weeks," he ing ano Jim O'Laughlin, president and said.O'Laughlin asked sup"We'v founder of the Catholic Radio porters to keep KPIO in their ter," sh Network, the apostolate that prayers, and if able to help fito ask f owns the station. "Insurance nancially, visit www.thecatholiwe're h will not cover these repairs." cradionetwork.com/crndenver. were th Though difficult to estimate html, call 1-877-630-1090, or The damage at this point, repairs mail a donation to Catholic Ra100-plu are expected to run between dio Network, 201 N. Industrial been w $30,000 and $60,000. "We hope Park Road, Excelsior Springs, the Val to be back on the air anywhere MO 64024. the chu ry rece Chariti Denver followin ing rain 16,000 some parishes host Holy Hours Holy Trinity and St. Thomas Colorad specifically for parents with More Parish in Centennial are The children worried about dis- among those that hold weekfamilie tracting other adorers. ly or monthly Holy Hours for tributio "It's to enable people with children. along w small children or infants up For more information about gelist to whatever size to come into the worldwide Holy Hour, visit St. Ma the chapel and not have to the www.childrenoftheeucharist. and th worry that the baby's crying," org. said Debbie Coash, adoration Contact your parish to learn coordinator at Holy Trinity Par- about options for children's ish in Westminster. "It expos- adoration. es children to adoration and allows (parents) to go without Nissa LaPoint: 303-715-3138; fear that it's brothering other nissa.lapoint@archden.org; www.BY CIN people." twitter.com/DCRegisterNissa Flood waves damage air waves The Loveland/Denver Catholic radio station 1570 KPIO-AM was forced off the air after the building at First Street and Taft Avenue in Loveland was overcome with 2 feet of water during the Sept. 11-15 rains. The building sits roughly two blocks south of the Big Thompson River. "We sustained damage to our transmitter, computer Worldwide adoration for kids Oct. 4 BY NISSA LAPOINT Children and families will gather worldwide for the annual Children's Eucharistic Holy Hour on Oct. 4. Cardinal Donald Wuerl of the Archdiocese of Washington will lead the Holy Hour on EWTN, which will broadcast the gathering live 8 a.m. Mountain time from the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C. In the Denver Archdiocese, Bo DENVER CATHOLIC REGISTER CIRCULATION CUSTOMER SERVICE: 303-722-4687 OR CIRCULATION@ARCHDEN.ORG Published by the Archdiocese of Denver, 1300 S. Steele St., Denver, CO 80210 General Manager Karna Swanson Denver Catholic Register (USPS 557-020) is published weekly except the last week of December and the first week of January, and in June, July and August when it goes bi-weekly. The Register is printed by The Denver Post LLC in Denver. Periodical postage paid in Denver, CO. Editor Roxanne King Subscriptions: $35 a year in Colorado; $42 per year out of state. Foreign countries: $42 surface, all countries, 6-8 weeks for delivery; $135 air, all other countries (average). Mexico, $48 air; Canada, $55 air. Postmaster: Send address changes to: Denver Catholic Register, Circulation Dept., 1300 S. Steele St., Denver, CO 80210 or e-mail circulation@archden.org. Business Manager Michael O'Neill See Aquila, Page 4 Editorial: 303-715-3215 or editor@archden.org Advertising: 303-715-3253 or dcrads@archden.org Circulation: 303-715-3211 or circulation@archden.org Online: www.DenverCatholicRegister.org LOADING... 25% A brand new online experience is coming soon. Twen childre mentar by the cently at Sacre in Boul The which a the Sep tively w some s commu ing flo through stroyed The school, for lun dents being mous g parishi "Afte all aski and ho Sarah W coordin "As a s

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