APR 17 E 3_13 FINAL.qxp_Mar E 12 3/14/17 10:25 AM Page 5
L E A R N I N G T H E FA I T H , L I V I N G T H E FA I T H
successors, and every Christian, whatever his or her state of life or vocation, is called to circulate the love of Christ in a world where there is so much suffering and indifference. What a privilege to be a part of this living mystery! It is also the human element in this distribution system that often breaks down. Those of us charged with preaching the Gospel and celebrating the sacraments can lose our zeal. Those charged with maintaining the domestic church and transmitting the faith from one generation to the
POPE FRANCIS: CNS photo/Paul Haring — KARL OF AUSTRIA: Photo Courtesy of the Gebetsliga, The Emperor Karl League of Prayer. EmperorCharles.org
H O LY FAT H E R ’ S P R AY E R I N T E N T I O N
Offered in Solidarity with Pope Francis YOUNG PEOPLE: That young people may respond generously to their vocations and seriously consider offering themselves to God in the priesthood or consecrated life.
next can succumb to temptation and discouragement. Believers sometimes give scandal, causing people to lose or abandon their faith. Yet nothing is lacking in the furnace of charity that burns for our salvation. Breakdowns, when they occur, are due to our lack of connection to Christ. We should think of the Knights of Columbus as an important part of the Church’s distribution system. Our first principle is charity — an extension of that burning love which Christ has for each person, without exception. The strength and beauty
of the charity we are called to practice lie not merely in its massive scope or in the many forms it takes. Rather, our charity is a way of extending and circulating the love of Christ, especially for the poor, the needy, the widow, the orphan and the vulnerable. So as you engage in the charitable works of the Order, consider yourself part of the Church’s “distribution system.” By our zeal and enthusiasm for charity and service, let us help keep that system in good repair!♦
C AT H O L I C M A N O F T H E M O N T H
Blessed Karl of Austria (1887-1922) THE ELDER SON of Archduke Otto of Austria and Princess Maria Josepha of Saxony, Karl was born Aug. 17, 1887. His great uncle, Franz Joseph, was the Austro-Hungarian Emperor at the time. Largely influenced by his devout mother, Karl received a strong Catholic education and developed a lifelong love of the Eucharist and the Sacred Heart of Jesus. After high school, Karl entered the army and served as an officer in Bohemia. In 1911, he married Princess Zita of Bourbon and Parma, and they were eventually blessed with eight children. The couple had a happy marriage and joyfully taught their children the prayers and precepts of the Church. Following the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand in 1914, Karl suddenly became first in line to the imperial throne. The outbreak of World War I thrust him into military service on the Galician front, where he witnessed the horrors of trench warfare. With the death of Emperor Franz Joseph in 1916, Karl ascended the throne at age 29. With limited political experience, Karl (also known as Charles I) was en-
trusted with the care of the dissolving Hapsburg monarchy on the cusp of the Russian Revolution in 1917. Committed to peace, he was the sole European statesman to support Pope Benedict XV’s call for a “peace without victory.” He also created programs to assist industrial workers, families and the needy. After the armistice in 1918, Karl was compelled to renounce participation in government affairs, though he refused to abdicate. In 1921, he was banished to the Portuguese island of Madeira, where he fell gravely ill the next year. Karl died with his wife by his side April 1, 1922, while calling on the name of Jesus. He was beatified by Pope John Paul II in 2004.♦
APRIL 2017
♦ COLUMBIA ♦ 5