July 25 was the 50th anniversary of Humanae Vitae, Blessed Paul VI’s encyclical on the integrity of love and the appropriate means of family planning. Issued during the cultural meltdown of the 1960s, and in a year when irrationality stalked the entire Western world, Humanae Vitae instantly became the most vilified act of the papal magisterium in history. And to what should have been their shame, entire national episcopates distanced themselves from Pope Paul’s teaching by a variety of stratagems, many of which exhibited some degree of theological confusion and some of which were downright cowardly.

All the fathers, doctors, saints and spiritual writers indicate essentially the same thing: their desire to belong totally to Mary as the means to belong totally to Jesus, and to place oneself into the hands of Mary that she may lead us to a more perfect union and likeness with Christ.

Devotion to Mary is to live in imitation of Jesus’ relationship with Mary that we may become more like him. In the Gospel of Luke at the Annunciation, Jesus entrusted himself entirely to Mary as an embryo in her womb and as a little child in her care. Mary cooperated with the Holy Spirit in the birth, development, education and formation of Jesus.

The recent tragic deaths of designer Kate Spade and celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain have dramatized what The New York Times calls the “public health crisis” of suicide, underscored when the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that the U.S. suicide rate increased almost 30 percent from 1999 to 2016.

How do we receive the Eucharist in a holy manner? Aside from being in a state of grace, there are practical steps to be taken to benefit the most from this blessed encounter:

Here is a very quick summary of the stance of the Catholic Church on the death penalty. This review is necessary because of Gov. Bruce Rauner’s recent proposal to reinstate capital punishment — abolished in Illinois in 2011 — for persons convicted of mass killings or the homicide of a law-enforcement officer. I write as one who, many years ago, testified before a committee of the Illinois General Assembly about the evolving teaching of the Catholic Church on this topic.

Spring has arrived! The earth is about to enjoy greater warmth and new life awakening within it.

When surrounded by vitality, be it a newborn child, a beloved animal, a cheerful friend or a bright sunny day, life is wonderful. Create a garden and yet another wonderful dimension of life’s richness is added.

It is important to grasp that sanctifying grace is a real transformation of the soul! Luther taught that the soul in grace is wearing the garment of Christ’s merits, which cover the soul like a cloak covers a leprous beggar. The church teaches that the very substance of the soul is renewed. The soul is affected in its very being so that it can genuinely be called a “new creation.” Sanctifying grace gives a new life to the soul, a life with its own new abilities, powers, and destiny, given as a gift from God. Thus, the baptized Christian can now perform actions at the level of its new being, actions which because they are supernatural, merit a supernatural reward. (cf. 2Cor 5:17; Titus 3:8; Eph 2:10.)

International Women’s Day in March recalls that many girls and women in developing countries still face huge barriers to an education, are denied rights to ownership of the land they labor on, have no access to health care, suffer regular beatings from their husbands, and are placed in early child marriages resulting in horrendous feminine problems when they give birth.

The elements: actual and sanctifying grace

Actual grace: a kind of divine or supernatural thrust or impetus that allows us to act above our own power. This is because our own natural powers are incapable of attaining supernatural rewards. Prior to the reception of sanctifying grace, we need a special help from God, which is called actual grace.

Two weekends ago I enjoyed two different cultural efforts: a concert by the Heartland Community Chorus at St. Jerome Church in Troy (this concert was repeated at Highland St. Paul), and the performance of Annie Jr. by the Drama Club of St. John Neumann School in Maryville.

Over many years, I have learned to appreciate the skills and attention needed to sing and act effectively. As a presider at worship, of course, I am always putting my singing into service. And although it has been 20 years since I last performed in a theatrical production, the proclamation of the Word of God always calls for a sense of drama.

In the Sacred Scriptures the Gospel tells us Jesus first commissioned the Apostles to “Go make disciples.” Then Jesus said, “Baptize them in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.” At one of our parishes on a recent weekend two children were baptized during Mass and began their journey of faith in the Catholic Church. They felt the blessed water claim them as a child of God, and they were anointed by the sacred oil (chrism) Bishop Thomas John Paprocki blessed at the chrism Mass in March. We lit their candle from the Christ candle and placed the white garment upon them. This is all about identity. They now are a son and daughter of God, our brother and sister in Christ, and made holy, clean and pure.

The defense of the indefensible often leads to a kind of derangement in otherwise rational people. That was the case with the defenders of slavery and legalized racial segregation; it has become the case with abortion.

I’ve long thought that the most callous, coldhearted contribution to the national debate on abortion was penned by the feminist ideologue, Barbara Ehrenreich, in a 1985 column for the New York Times. There, Ehrenreich deplored the “lasting … damage” done by the pro-life movement by “getting even pro-choice people to think of abortion as a ‘moral dilemma,’ an ‘agonizing decision,’ and related code phrases for something murky and compromising … . Regrets are also fashionable, and one otherwise feminist author wrote recently of mourning, each year following her abortion, the putative birthday of her discarded fetus. I cannot speak for other women, of course, but the one regret I have about my own abortions is that they cost money that might otherwise have been spent on something more pleasurable, like taking the kids to movies and theme parks.”

The spiritual doctors of the church offer us a simple way of understanding the steps along our path to sanctity.

In previous articles, we learned about the various stages of prayer: vocal, mental and contemplation. Let’s now simplify the stages and examine our spiritual life in terms of personal conversion.

For me, the story of the Woman at the Well (John 4 4-42) is such a profound example of what author Sherry Weddell calls a “God moment” — where we are blessed to “encounter Christ.”

The woman may have come to the well for water, as she did every day, but she would leave with so much more. This day she came around the hour where she knew she would avoid being seen (as she had a past and a reputation) but Jesus was there to meet her. He came to meet her needs.

Lectio Divina, or “divine reading,” is another form of mediation by the reading of Scripture in the context of prayer. It is a traditional Benedictine practice intended to promote communion with God and to increase the knowledge of God’s word. It does not treat Scripture as texts to be studied but as the Living Word.

First, a few words about Billy Graham.

I can remember that, in my youth, I would hear the Rev. Graham and others speaking about “accepting Jesus as your personal Savior.” My reaction was to think that salvation was taken care of by my being part of a “system” of salvation — the Catholic Church. I would wonder, “What’s this personal business?”

Continuing my sharing from my last column I want to help break down the walls some have built up in regard to each of our parishes and their relationship to the diocese. Our Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Springfield is our mother church for all 129 parishes. Together we make up what is called the “see” of Springfield in Illinois. First the Diocese of Quincy, then the Diocese of Alton, the see was transferred to become the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois in 1923.

The following points can be of help in growing closer to Jesus if you find it difficult in getting into a habit of daily mediation.

St. Theresa of Avila mentioned that without a book written for spiritual reading on her lap, she found meditation almost impossible. The following is based on and inspired by her instruction to her nuns on how to practice meditation:

Thirty-five years ago we would be reading the writings of Bishop Joseph A. McNicholas in the Time & Eternity diocesan newspaper. As we would get closer to spring and the “Cardinal/Cub” contest, folks all over the diocese wrote to Bishop McNicholas (a Cardinal fan) making their predictions for the upcoming year. It really was a great way for him to connect with the flock and fans over the 28 Illinois counties that make up our diocese.

When I moved to Madison County in July, it was my intention to get involved with the Metro East Interfaith Partnership (MEIP). I was surprised when I received an invitation to join their steering committee. My reaction was: You don’t want a newcomer to be on your steering committee, do you? But this is how I was welcomed, and I have been on the steering committee since my arrival.

Just as you and I get to know people by meeting, listening and speaking to them, so in meditation we get to know God by conversing with him in a quiet place. “When you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father in the secret place.” Matthew 6:6.

We listen to God speaking to us through the beauties of nature, Sacred Scripture, the texts of the Liturgy and the lives and writings of the saints. In meditation, we ponder what Jesus says to us in all of these ways and then we respond with our inner thoughts, applications and words. It is a mental conversation between two friends.

When Isaiah speaks of a bear and cow being neighbors and a baby sitting aside a viper (Is 11:1-9), what message is he sending for us in 2018?

At first look his examples symbolize peaceful coexistence. That which seems unlikely is now likely; direct opposites uniting as one.

The derivation of the word “peace” comes from the word “pact.” Isaiah envisions a world desirous of making covenants that create peaceful existence.

Thus far, in surveying types of prayer with the help of Bishop Ken Untener’s discussion in the Little Books of the Diocese of Saginaw, I have looked at verbal prayer and prayer which is essentially reflection on reading the Sacred Scriptures.

Before moving into meditation (thinking), I want to consider an activity which contains elements of reading and thinking.

What is prayer? What is its purpose? St. Theresa of Avila says, “Prayer is to realize how much it means to you to have God’s friendship and how much he loves you.” She also says, “Prayer is when we raise our hearts and minds to God.” St. Therese of Liseux offers this beautiful explanation about prayer: “For me, prayer is a surge of the heart; it is a simple look, turned toward heaven, it is a cry of recognition and of love, embracing both trial and joy.”

One of the best ways to be faithful to the Lord is to take him at his word: “Be not afraid.” This is a call to courage. Jesus is asking you to be calm in the storm of life, not only for your own peace of mind, but for the well-being of your loved ones. You can decide to present the face of Christ to them, by showing them your faith in his strength.

It’s normal to worry about the future. The threat of war looms all around us. North Korea, Iran, Isis, they all pose serious threats to our peace. We don’t have a crystal ball to tell us what’s going to happen next, but we do have a body of wisdom that saves us from a lot of confusion and dread. It’s synopsized for us in the Apostle’s Creed.

Two weeks ago I was welcomed to the Charleston Catholic community to offer the weekend Masses and also offer an Advent mission. Charleston is blessed by having a wonderful parish family of St. Charles Borromeo as well as the Eastern Illinois University Catholic Newman Center community. Father Hyland Smith is their young and energetic pastor, and is loved and well-respected by those he serves. Roy Lanham has served the EIU Newman community for over 32 years, and has a great connection to the college students.

Many of us seem to have been taken aback by the occurrence of Advent and Christmas this year.

First of all, there is the matter of Dec. 25 falling on a Monday. This means, of course, that the Fourth Sunday of Advent will be Dec. 24, and, after the regular Sunday Masses, we go immediately into the Christmas Masses on Sunday evening.

TED is a media organization that posts online talks under the slogan “ideas worth spreading.” Earlier this year Pope Francis surprised the world by digitally giving his own TED Talk at the organization’s annual conference in Vancouver. In his nearly 20-minute talk, our Holy Father challenged his listeners to ignite a much-needed revolution of tenderness in our world.