IRL Summer Intern Reflects on WYD and What Love Truly Means

wyd logoWorld Youth Day. A time where the Pope and millions of Catholic and Christian youth come together and learn about the love of God and how to spread that love into the world. WYD reminds us that we are not alone in this world. That no matter where we are or who we are …we all strive for this one greatness that this world needs more now than ever…WYD has a great impact on this mission.

This year, it is taking place in Krakow, Poland. More than two million youth are expected to attend, which is incredible. Despite the threats in the world, we are determined to do better at loving each other and not letting anything get in the way of that.

airplaneSt. John Paul II, a great patron of Poland, is a wonderful example of how love can  be shown no matter who or where you are. JPII traveled to more than 100 countries to express the message of love, faith, and peace. He played a major role in the fall of communism after WWII. Even after a murder attempt on his life in Vatican City, he forgave the man who tried to kill him. The devil tried but God won.

The same thing is happening in our world today. Another saint of Poland, Saint Faustina, is known for the messages of Divine Mercy that that she received from Jesus. This year of mercy comes at a time when forgiveness is difficult and scarce and judging others is profuse and an “expression of yourself.”  We all know someone who has issues with the Catholic Church or even with God. Unfortunately, and I very much hope that this changes very quickly, love is defined by whether you agree with what someone does, believes, and says…which is absurd. Since when did “I love you,” equal “I agree with you?’”Jesus never said “I agree with you,” to Mary Magdalene, so therefore He loved her. A parent doesn’t stop loving their child if they make the wrong decisions.

download (1)Many Catholics are portrayed in this way. When the media hears that the Pope still prohibits abortion, they automatically think he hates women.  Pro-life is actually pro-woman (pro-mother) and even pro-human. Pro-life is a belief and a way of life of love over evil. Life is universal and priceless and choosing who gets it and who doesn’t is pure discrimination on the most innocent and fragile of life.

But, disagreeing with someone’s stance on abortion (or anything) should NOT influence your amount of love. By giving unconditional love, mercy and compassion, amazing things happen and we overcome hatred. That is how God created it to work. As the world progresses, there are becoming more ways to hate and destroy, but we cannot forget that there are becoming even more ways to love. World Youth Day in Krakow could not have come at a better time when our youth are dealing with unfathomable misconceptions and direct violations on humanity. These youth are coming together for one thing: to learn love. There is no greater weapon.

“Angel of Dachau” to Be Beatified

fr unz picOn September 24, 2016, Fr. Engelmar Unzeitig will be beatified in Würzburg, Germany. Known as the “Angel of Dachau,” Father Engelmar died of typhoid fever, contracted while caring for the sick with this deadly disease in the infamous concentration camp. As it says in his short biography, “He volunteered to go to those doomed to death, thereby condemning himself to death.”

Father was born in 1911 in Czechoslovakia. Four of his six years as an ordained Mariannhill Missionary priest were spent in Dachau where he was imprisoned as a traitor for insisting that one must obey God more than man and for defending Jews. Dachau was known as the “largest monastery in the world” for there were 3000 clergyman detailed there, 95% of whom were Roman Catholic priests. Father was especially solicitous of the Russian prisoners, learning the language so he could he could bring them back to the Faith.

In late December of 1944, Father was one of 20 priests who volunteered to care for the victims of typhus who were dying at a rate of 100 per day. Like St. Maximilian Kolbe, OFM Conv., who gave up his life to save a married man, Fr. Engelmar knew he was marching to certain death.

fr unz iconA fellow prisoner-priest said that the help he gave was a “fruit of his priestly love of neighbor. He gladly heard the confessions of his poor sheep and comforted them in his kind and quiet way in the misery of the camp…He offered them more than just his time and selfless concern. He gave them his whole priestly love. That was his goal while death reaped its terrible harvest.”

In his last letter to his sister, Father Engelmar wrote, “Love doubles one’s strength, makes one inventive, renders one inwardly free and happy. It really has not entered into the heart of any man what God has prepared for those who love Him.” He died on March 2, 1945. The camp was liberated just one month later.

Because he was so highly esteemed, a priest contrived to have his body cremated alone and thus they were able to retrieve his ashes and secretly deliver them in a sewn linen bag to the Mariannhillers in Würzburg. Fr. Engelmar was declared venerable by Benedict XVI in 2009, and in January 2016, Pope Francis pronounced Father Unzeitig a martyr, killed in hatred of the faith.

Father Engelmar Hubert Unzeitig? He was a very dear, precious man. He was love in person. More than that I cannot say. That he was: love!”

An Adult Coloring Book on the Rosary

avemaria mitsuiOne of the hot items now is adult coloring books.  I have seen ones containing flowers, nature, animals and the like, all looking vaguely New-Age-y. My niece is using them as therapy as she sits at the bedside of a sick loved one. The coloring of the images is therapeutic and often results in an incredible picture!

Therefore, I was pleased to see that Daniel Mitsui has issued The Mysteries of the Rosary: An Adult Coloring Book (64 pages, 8.5 x 11, $9.95)  to draw people who are interested in this type of artistic endeavor into the mysteries of Christ’s life. Elizabeth Scalia, US Editor-in-Chief of Aleteia, writes in the Forward that she found that spending time working on Daniel’s images “brought me first into a place of deep focus, then into relaxation, and finally into the stillness that comes with prayerful adoration.”

front_coloringIf you are unfamiliar with Daniel’s work which is reminiscent of illuminated manuscripts, check out his website. To the right is sample artwork similar to what you would find in the Rosary Book. His work is incredible detailed and rich and theologically profound, using images that you often find depicted in ancient stained-glass windows. Yet it is wonderfully original and fresh for our modern eyes.

The coloring book is formatted to resemble one of the early devotional books dedicated to the Holy Rosary. Daniel took the mysteries from a series of large drawings he originally drew in ink on calfskin vellum. Many of the borders and ancillary pictures he took from other drawings. All the artwork came from his own hand.

This unique coloring book contains thirty illustrations— Fifteen full-page drawings of the Rosary; Twelve vignettes featuring prophets, evangelists and Church Fathers; and Three larger drawings with the artist’s commentary.

thumb_millefleur_resurrectionSince Daniel’s reception into the Church in 2004, he has focused on religious subjects. In 2011, the Vatican commissioned him to illustrate a new edition of the Roman Pontifical. In 2012, he established Millefleur Press, an imprint for publishing fine books and broadsides of his artwork and typography.

To order the Rosary book, please visit Ave Maria Press.