The 2009 Los Angeles Catholic Prayer Breakfast

The 2009 Los Angeles Catholic Prayer Breakfast was attended today by an estimated 1400 persons. There was a large contingent of the Knights of Columbus on hand, to hear this years featured speaker, Carl Anderson, our Supreme Knight and author of A Civilization of Love: What Every Catholic Can Do to Transform the World, and co-author with Msgr. Eduardo Chavez of Our Lady of Guadeloupe: Mother of the Civilization of Love. --> -->
Hosted by His Eminence Cardinal Roger Mahoney the morning was grace filled. Starting with the rosary, which I am sorry to say I missed, and then Mass Celebrated by the Cardinal himself. sometimes I take for granted the blessing we have of daily homilies by men such as the Cardinal, who can in a few words, explain with fullness the Gospel and ant epistle assigned for the day, all the while bringing out their relevance to today's world. The Gospel in it's complete understanding coupled with our tradition never gets old. --> -->
The Cardinal's homily touched on the paradox of power in Christ, which stems from service to others, rather than the wordily understanding of power as dominance.
The Cardinal next pointed out that this day we celebrate the feast of Our Lady of Sorrows, and he pointed out to valid depictions of her sorrow that at the foot of the cross, when Jesus looked down and founded His church, and that depicted in the film "The Passion of the Christ", which he taught us was a valid depiction of Blessed Mother as shared in Christ's Passion. --> -->
Carl Anderson's speech continued on with the theme he has championed in his book A Civilization of Love: What Every Catholic Can Do to Transform the World. Firstly, that this is not a utopian ideal, but rather a living of the Gospel and a call to do so. He remained us that as Catholics we are responsible to love the unlovable, the unborn, the immigrants those at the margins of society, and that we are in fact to serve them. And in so doing we will transform the world.
He also pointed to Blessed Mother, Our Lady of Guadeloupe and her importance in this transformation, which is already taking place. Our Lady of Guadeloupe, through whom the love and grace of Jesus pours. She reins in heaven, but not as an earthly queen, but as a mother waiting at home for her children.
She is indeed the mother of the civilization of love.