ments.” • Suffering at end-of-life, and in every- day life, from a Catholic perspective: Caporusso cited St. John Paul II: “In the pages of the Old Testament, it was felt that someone suffered because they sinned, either themselves or a family mem- ber. Today we know as pointed out in (the pope’s) apostolic letter that suffering has a redemptive value.” • The Catholic perspective on euthana- sia and assisted suicide: “Nothing and no one can in any way per- mit the killing of an innocent human being, whether a fetus or an embryo or an infant or an adult; an old person, or one suffering from incurable disease, or a person who is dying. Moreover, we have no right to ask for this act of killing for ourselves, or those entrusted to our care. Nor can anyone le- gitimately recommend or permit such an action.” 0 they may be,” he wrote. The heart of Christ also frees Catho- lics from the problem of communities and pastors who are “excessively caught up in external activities, structural reforms that have little to do with the Gospel, obsessive reorganization plans, worldly projects, sec- ular ways of thinking and mandatory pro- grams,” he wrote. “The result is often a Christianity stripped of the tender consolations of faith, the joy of serving others, the fervor of per- sonal commitment to mission, the beauty of knowing Christ and the profound grat- itude born of the friendship he offers and the ultimate meaning he gives to our lives,” he added. Pope Francis invited Catholics to re- discover or strengthen their devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the practices connected with it, particularly Eucharistic adoration and receiving the Eucharist on the first Friday of each month. This practice once served to remind the faithful that Communion was not a re- ward for the perfect, he wrote, but to renew people's confidence in the “merciful and ever-present love” of Christ in the Eucha- rist and his invitation “to union with him.” Today the First Fridays devotion, he wrote, can help counter “the frenetic pace of today's world and our obsession with free time, consumption and diversion, cell phones and social media (and) we forget to nourish our lives with the strength of the Eucharist.” 0
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dignity of every person, especially those who were considered ‘unworthy.’ ” “In union with Christ, amid the ru- ins we have left in this world by our sins, we are called to build a new civilization of love,” the pope wrote. “That is what it means to make reparation as the heart of Christ would have us do.” “Amid the devastation wrought by evil, the heart of Christ desires that we coop- erate with him in restoring goodness and beauty to our world,” Pope Francis wrote. The encyclical was published as mem- bers of the Synod of Bishops were wrap- ping up a multiyear process focused on fostering “a synodal Church: communion, participation and mission.” In his encyclical, the pope empha- sized how only a deep and abiding love in the Lord can inspire and fuel Catholics to share the Gospel and God's love with the world. Mission requires missionaries who are “enthralled by Christ” and are “impatient when time is wasted discussing second- ary questions or concentrating on truths and rules because their greatest concern is to share what they have experienced,” he wrote. “They want others to perceive the goodness and beauty of the Beloved through their efforts, however inadequate
Lopez said he became involved after recognizing the shortage of priests and seminarians, which motivated him to take direct action to promote vocations. “We got a group of us together – we know it’s a need. Nobody promotes it, in a sense, besides our Vocations Office, which is small,” he said. “We said, ‘This is the right time. Let’s get it going.’ ” “The more we speak about vocations, the more we talk with our youth, our young men and women about what type of vocation they really want in life, then it becomes something,” Lopez said. The new chapter garnered praise from inside the diocesan Vocations Office. “I think it’s a great movement helping to promote vocations specifically within our strong Hispanic families,” said Father Robert Moreno Jr., associate director of Vocations. “We have the Serra Clubs that are do- ing great work, but now we have people who are Spanish-speaking primarily; that’s their first language,” he said. “And that’s their target now. “All the Serra Clubs are bilingual – we can’t say that we’re only English-speaking,” he said. “We’re bilingual, but sometimes maybe we’re focused too much on the En- glish generation. Do not forget that we have people who grew up in Spanish-speaking homes who only prefer Spanish.” Pacheco said he, Lopez and others in the group met with Vocations Director Father Leonel Rodriguez earlier this year and secured the support of the Vocations Office. “When we had a conversation with Father Leonel and Father Robert, we said, ‘Think of us as your extended help … as an extension of the Vocations Office,’ ” Lopez said. Apostolado Serra received its charter from Giovana García of Serra Internation- al in Chicago during the Oct. 26 ceremo- ny. The installation and dinner followed a Mass at the basilica. 0
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ments on the subject, Caporusso reviewed several end-of-life topics during his pre- sentation, including: • The difference between ordinary and proportionate need, and extraordinary and disproportionate need: “Ordinary need signifies that treat- ment rendered offers a reasonable hope of benefit to the patient, and outweighs the associated risks and burdens of that treat- ment. If the benefits are proportionate to the burdens, the patient should choose in favor of treatment. A patient at end of his or her life can choose to refuse the treat- ment if it does not offer a reasonable hope of benefit … and burdens exceed any pos- sible benefit. These treatments are termed extraordinary or disproportionate treat-
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DIOCESE OF BROWNSVILLE
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