Denver Catholic

2 I MARCH 19, 2014 I DENVER CATHOLIC REGISTER Professor to discuss mission of Church, gift of Vatican II document BY NISSA LAPOINT What does the Vatican II doc- ument "Gaudium et Spes" ("Joy and Hope") and Pope Francis have in common? Both emphasize a commit- ment to the poor and see the human dignity in every person, said Professor Douglas Bush- man of the Augustine Institute. In the next Archbishop's Lec- ture Series April 8 on the John Paul II Center campus, Bush- man will speak about the pon- tiff's focus on serving the poor and recognizing the God-given dignity in everyone, in particu- lar those neglected by a world that values productivity and defines fulfillment in terms of material prosperity, he said. He offered a glimpse of his upcoming talk with the Denver Catholic Register. Blessed Pope John Paul II once said Vatican II and its doc- uments are like a gift the Holy Spirit gave the modern Church, Bushman shared. "Well, people love to open gifts, so they should open up the documents of Vatican II and read them," Bushman said. "When my students study these texts, they always express their surprise at how profoundly relevant, biblical and spiritual they are." "Gaudium et Spes" is no exception, Bushman said. In this document faithful may find one of the greatest gifts— the answer to many of life's deepest and most profound questions like the meaning and purpose of life. This answer, he said, lies in Christ. "The main point of 'Gaudi- um et Spes' is that Christ is the answer to all of the questions that people cannot avoid ask- ing about the meaning and pur- pose of life," Bushman said. The document states, "It is only in the mystery of the Word made flesh that the mystery of man truly becomes clear." And it's precisely this mes- sage the Church wants to con- vey to people across the world. During his talk, Bushman said he will encourage faithful to help others discover the rel- evance of Christ's life, teach- ing, mission and especially his death and resurrection. This message can be kept alive. He proposes raising these deepest questions of life among one's neighbors. Ask: "What is it that consti- tutes our ultimate fulfillment? What is love? What is justice? How can we make sense out of war and suffering? Why do I find it difficult to do what is good?" This includes critiquing the modern world, he said. "In families and among friends, Catholics should en- gage in a serious analysis of the news and discuss the issues of the day in light of faith. All of this will require a commitment to a life of prayer and examina - tion of conscience," Bushman said. Bushman, who holds a licen- tiate in sacred theology from the University of Fribourg in Switzerland, moved last fall with his wife and family from Green Bay, Wis., to teach at the Augustine Institute. He is the author of several articles and books including "The True Spirit of Vatican II" on Catholic World Report On- line. He also holds the Pope St. John Paul II Chair of Theology for the New Evangelization and specializes in spirituality, Vati- can II, Blessed John Paul II and pastoral theology. His talk will conclude the four-part series on Vatican II. Advance registration for the lec- ture is not needed; seating is on a first-come, first-serve basis. ARCHBISHOP'S COLUMN MOST REV. SAMUEL J. AQUILA "Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do," Jesus said as his executioners crucified him and onlookers reviled him. These are challenging, radical words, and the forgiveness that Jesus asks of us is an important part of making this Lent one of deep conversion. C.S. Lewis captured the difficulty of Christ's standard when he wrote in his book "Mere Christianity," "Everyone says for- giveness is a lovely idea, until they have something to forgive." Jesus' radical call to forgiveness is repeated each time we pray the Our Father and utter that all important word "as," "for- give us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us." At the conclusion of teaching the Our Father, Jesus rein- forces the point, "For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father also will forgive you; but if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your tres- passes" (Matt 6: 14). I am sure that there is not a single person in the world who hasn't been hurt by someone else and come up against the challenge of forgiveness. On March 8, at the Beacon of Hope Gala sponsored by Cath- olic Charities for women's services and the Lighthouse, Gianna Jessen, a survivor of a saline abortion and the inspiration for the film "October Baby," addressed more than 850 people. She spoke of how through Jesus she eventually forgave her natural mother and the doctor who performed the attempt- ed abortion. She spoke of how that forgiveness freed her from bitterness, hatred and holding grudges. Her mother, howev- er, refused to receive her forgiveness and told her "you are an embarrassment to our family." While Gianna has experienced the freedom and joy forgiveness brings, her mother is still held bound by hatred. No one should have to suffer an injustice, and yet, all of us inevitably do. This challenge presents us with a choice between holding on to our anger and hurt, or letting go of it, trusting in God's eter- nal justice and praying for those who have harmed us. Father Jean Bernard, who survived the Dachau concentra- tion camp just outside of Munich during World War II, lived through the spiritual and emotional journey of forgiveness at a level that none of us will hopefully have to. In his book "Priestblock 25487," Father Bernard insists on forgiveness, despite the treatment he received from the Nazis: "We must forgive while remaining conscious of the full hor- ror of what occurred, not only because nothing constructive can be built on a foundation of hatred—neither a new Europe nor a new world—but above all for the sake of him who com- mands and urges us to forgive, and before whom we, victims and executioners alike, are all poor debtors in need of mercy." Forgiveness, as Father Bernard points out, is not limited just to forgiving others. It also involves asking God's forgiveness for those who have harmed us—the executioners in his story, and the doctor and the mother in Gianna's story—and then being willing to receive the gift of God's mercy in return. For it is only in receiving the mercy of the Father and Jesus that we are truly set free. We Catholics are blessed with the beautiful gift of the sacra- ment of confession (John 20:22-23) that Jesus gave us so that we could encounter his mercy in-person. When we confess our sins to a priest, we are speaking to Jesus and it is he who forgives our sins, once again reconciling us with himself, the Father and the Holy Spirit. Confession is always available at your parish, but on March 20, confession will be available at almost every parish between 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. as part of the "Light is On for You" campaign. I urge you my brothers and sisters to examine your con- sciences this week, and if there is any place in your heart that lacks forgiveness of another, bring it to Jesus in the sacrament of reconciliation. Pray for this grace: "Jesus grant to me the grace to forgive as you forgive, to pray for my enemies as you prayed for yours." Commit to forgiveness for Lent See Aquila, Page 7 Following the celebration of the bus' arrival around 9 a.m., the school community head- ed to the church for a Mass of thanksgiving with Archbishop Samuel Aquila. "It is exciting to see (all that's been accomplished here)," the archbishop told the con- gregation at the end of Mass. "When I returned to Denver a little over a year and a half ago, one of the exciting surprises I discovered was that St. Rose of Lima was still in existence and doing very well. That was a gift to see." He thanked ACE for provid- ing dedicated and faith-filled teachers. After Mass eighth-grade students led a community meeting in the school gymna- sium, followed by an awards presentation honoring sup- porters Joanne Horne, and Ralph and Trish Nagel. Horne received the Uni- versity of Notre Dame Sorin Award for Service to Catholic Schools for her role in found- ing the Ambassadors of Hope program of volunteers that serve in Catholic schools. Since 2003 it has grown to 100 active members. The Nagels were recognized with the University of Notre Dame Champion for Educa- tion Award for their generous support of Catholic schools including St. Rose of Lima. Donations have amounted to more than $1 million allowing the school to build a gym, li- brary and preschool. The bus then headed out to its next stop: Colorado Springs. For more information visit http://ace.nd.edu/20/. Julie Filby: 303-715-3123; julie.filby@archden.org; www. twitter.com/DCRegisterJulie Irish From Page 1 KIDS SPEAK-OUT Eighth-graders: What do you like about St. Rose of Lima Academy? "I just like being here; you get a feeling of joy. You know that the teachers really care about you. You get a feeling you won't get left behind, they're always there to support you." —Miguel Zarzo "The teachers are always there for us when we need them." —Saul Marquez "I've been here since kinder- garten, so I really like how we're all like a family, not just students." —Alyssa Acosta "I really like St. Rose because they push us to do our best, to be better people; and that prepares us for high school." —Monse Pineda Pope Francis, Vatican II show love for poor, professor says CATHOLIC LIFE ARCHBISHOP'S LECTURE SERIES Speaker: Professor Douglas Bushman, S.T.L. Topic: "'Gaudium et Spes' and the Apologetics of Meaning: Christ is the Answer to All of Man's Questions" When: 7 p.m. April 8 Where: Bonfils Hall, John Paul II Center campus, 1300 S. Steele St., Denver RSVP: not required

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