today’s first reading<\/a>,\u00a0Ezekiel tells\u00a0of his vision of the restoration of the temple.\u00a0 He writes in the time of the\u00a0Exile but in the vision the temple has been rebuilt.\u00a0\u00a0He sees the waters flowing out from the temple.\u00a0\u00a0Normally, as we get farther away from the source of something, its effects get smaller.\u00a0 Think of dropping a stone in the water.\u00a0 The waves are strongest at the point where the stone enters the water and decrease as they move away.\u00a0 In Ezekiel’s vision, the waters deepen as they get farther\u00a0away.\u00a0 He also speaks of how\u00a0much life grows\u00a0from the waters.\u00a0 The water is living water.<\/p>\nWhen we speak of living water<\/em>, we think of the Holy Spirit.\u00a0 When we think of the temple in Ezekiel’s vision, we should think not just\u00a0of\u00a0physical temple building or church building today.\u00a0 Our Church is much more than just\u00a0buildings.<\/p>\nOur Catholic Church today has existed for 2,000 years formed from the\u00a0blood and water that flowed from Jesus’ side on the Cross.\u00a0 There is continuity in those 2,000 years.\u00a0 Documents from the Second Century show that the structure of our Mass today is largely the same as it was in the early church.\u00a0\u00a0We also realize, having started to use\u00a0new translations for Mass just fifteen months ago, the words\u00a0of Mass have changed in 2,000 years ago.<\/p>\n
Our theology has not changed\u00a0<\/em>but our understanding of what\u00a0it means to be Catholic and live according to Jesus’ commands has\u00a0developed<\/em> as the world develops.\u00a0\u00a0Perhaps the most evident place of this development is in areas around technology and medical science.\u00a0 We face decisions today that could not have been fathomed 2,000 years ago.<\/p>\nMuch has happened in 2,000 years and the Church has survived it all.\u00a0 There have been some great popes and there have been times of great difficulty in the\u00a0Church.\u00a0 Ultimately, the Church endures, not because of human beings, because it is God’s Church\u00a0and\u00a0is guided by the Holy Spirit.<\/p>\n
It is the same\u00a0Spirit that we pray comes upon the cardinals in the conclave to elect\u00a0the person God is calling to be\u00a0Pope.\u00a0 Last night, as\u00a0I watched the news, they were talking about how there is no clear front-runner to be the next\u00a0pope.\u00a0 I think that is a good thing.\u00a0 I pray that every one of the cardinals enter the\u00a0conclave with completely open mind and heart so that\u00a0the Holy Spirit may guide them in selecting the next pope.\u00a0 Will you join me in this pray?<\/p>\n
Peace,<\/p>\n
Fr. Jeff<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
I write this at 8 a.m. local time on Tuesday, March 12, 2013.\u00a0 That means the cardinals have celebrated the Mass that opens the conclave and are now in the process of moving into the locked conclave. In today’s first reading,\u00a0Ezekiel tells\u00a0of his vision of the restoration of the temple.\u00a0 He writes in the time …<\/p>\n
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