St. Catherine of Bologna

“17. The coming Jubilee Year will also coincide with a significant date for all Christians, namely, the 1700th anniversary of the celebration of the first great Ecumenical Council, that of Nicaea… The Council of Nicaea sought to preserve the Church’s unity, which was seriously threatened by the denial of the full divinity of Jesus Christ and, hence, his consubstantiality with the Father. Some 300 bishops took part, convoked at the behest of the Emperor Constantine; their first meeting took place in the Imperial Palace on 20 May 325.

“Jesus said to His disciples, … When you fast, … When you give alms, … When you pray … And your Father who sees what is hidden will repay you.” Mt. 6:1–6, 16–18 Each year on Ash Wednesday, at Mass or a Prayer Service, as we begin the Season of Lent, we hear the Gospel quoted above, Matthew 6: 1–6, 16–18, and Jesus speaks to us, His disciples, about fasting, almsgiving, and prayer. As Jesus speaks to us of those spiritual practices, we should “listen very closely” because He is telling us not only “what” we should do but “how” (and why) we should do it.

St. John Henry Newman, the great theologian of the nineteenth century, chose as his motto when appointed a cardinal, “Cor ad cor loquitur” — “Heart speaks to heart.” This is a time in our history, I respectfully suggest, when we need heart speaking to heart.