Gulf Pine Catholic

6 Gulf Pine Catholic • April 26, 2024 St. Ignatius of Antioch, a disciple of the apostle John and a leader in the early Church, writes to the faithful in Rome before his martyrdom, “I desire the bread of God, the heavenly bread, the bread of life, which is the flesh of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who became afterwards of the seed of David and Abraham; and I desire the drink of God, namely His blood, which is incorruptible love and eternal life.” Wow, just Wow! Locally, we are participating in the National Eucharistic Revival that began as an effort of the bishops of the United States to increase understand- ing in our country of the Real Prescence of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist. Each of us are called to grow in our understanding, love, and desire for Jesus in the Most Holy Eucharist, and currently many parish- es are holding and participating in events and devo- tionals focused on providing a greater awareness and appreciation of the Eucharist as part of the Year of Parish Revival. Next month, the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage will begin. Pilgrims will process over 6,500 miles across our nation with our Eucharistic Lord -- through cities, along highways, and past rural towns -- on His way to the 10th National Eucharistic Congress to be held in Indianapolis July 17-21. The southern arm of the Pilgrimage will come through the Diocese of Biloxi June 10-13. Pilgrims will depart from the tip of Texas in Brownsville, process around the Gulf of Mexico -- an area chosen for its deep Catholic roots -- and travel through the southeastern region of the United States. We have a whole series of events scheduled for the days that the Pilgrimage is in our Diocese. “We, though many, are one body,” and together we will participate in “The cup of blessing that we bless” and “The bread that we break” through the celebration of Mass, adoration, and pilgrim- age with our Lord. You can see a complete list of events in this edition of the Gulf Pine Catholic , as well as on our diocesan website and social media out- lets. I encourage you to participate in as many of the events of this Eucharistic Pilgrimage as you are able. If you would like to attend the National Eucharistic Congress, tickets and accommo- dations are still available. That information is avail- able on our diocesan website and social media out- lets. SEE BISHOP’S SPANISH COLUMN, PAGE 4 Bishop’s Column From page 3 In age of excess, temperance helps one experience real joy, pope says BY CINDY WOODEN Catholic News Service VATICAN CITY ( CNS ) -- Exercising the virtue of temperance is not a recipe for a boring life, Pope Francis said, but rather it is the secret to enjoying every good thing. If one wants “to appreciate a good wine, savoring it in small sips is better than swallow- ing it all in one go. We all know this,” the pope said April 17 at his weekly general audience in St. Peter’s Square. Continuing a series of audience talks about vices and virtues, the pope focused on temper- ance, which the Catechism of the Catholic Church defines as “the moral virtue that moder- ates the attraction of pleasures and provides balance in the use of created goods.” Temperance is “the virtue of the right mea- sure” in what one does and what one says, the pope said. “In a world where so many people boast about saying what they think, the temper- ate person prefers instead to think about what he or she says.” “Do you understand the difference?” Pope Francis asked people in the square. It means “I don’t say whatever pops into my head. No, I think about what I must say.” A temperate person does not allow “a moment’s anger to ruin relationships and friend- ships that can then only be rebuilt with difficul- ty,” the pope said. Temperance with words is especially important in families to keep “ten- sions, irritations and anger in check.” “There is a time to speak and a time to be silent, but both require the right measure,” he said. Being temperate, he said, does not mean never getting annoyed or frustrated, Pope Francis said, but he kept repeating the phrase with “the right measure” and “the right way.” For example, “a word of rebuke is at times healthier than a sour, rancorous silence,” he said. “The temperate person knows that nothing is more uncomfortable than correcting another person, but he or she also knows that it is nec- essary; otherwise, one offers free reign to evil.” A temperate person “affirms absolute princi- ples and asserts non-negotiable values,” the pope said, but he or she does so in a way that shows understanding and empathy for others. In other words, he said, a temperate person has the gift of balance, “a quality as precious as it is rare” in a world given to excess. “It is not true that temperance makes one gray and joyless,” Pope Francis said. On the contrary, it increases “the joy that flourishes in the heart of those who recognize and value what