“Bangui is today the spiritual capital of the world,” Pope Francis said as he opened the Holy Door of Bangui’s cathedral on Sunday--the first time a Pope has opened a Holy Door outside Rome. Pope Francis proclaimed: “We all pray for peace, mercy, reconciliation, pardon, love. Throughout the Central African Republic and in all the nations of the world which suffer war, let us pray for peace. And together we all pray for love and peace. We pray together.” The Pope opened the Holy Door in the Central African Republic’s capital before the beginning of Sunday Mass Nov. 29. The Jubilee of Mercy does not begin until Dec. 8, but Pope Francis decided to open the Holy Door in the cathedral of Bangui as a sign of prayer and solidarity with the country. The Central African Republic is an active warzone following the December 2012 uprising which led to the overthrow of the president. About 6,000 people have died in the conflict, with several thousands more displaced. The rite of the opening of the Holy Door is intended to symbolize that the Church’s faithful are offered an “extraordinary path” toward salvation during the time of jubilee. As part of the Holy Year for Mercy, holy doors for the first time will be designated in dioceses. These will be located either in the cathedral, in a church of special significance or a shrine of particular importance for pilgrimages. Each of the four major basilicas in Rome has a holy door. These are normally sealed shut from the inside so that they cannot be opened. The doors are only opened during jubilee years so that pilgrims can enter through them in order to gain the plenary indulgence that is connected with the jubilee. Pope Francis’ Sunday homily emphasized that the power of God’s love can overcome “unprecedented devastation.” He called on Christians to be leaders in showing mercy, forgiveness, and reconciliation. He also called on those involved in unjust conflict to lay down their weapons. “Arm yourselves instead with righteousness, with love and mercy, the authentic guarantors of peace,” he said. Pope Francis will open the Holy Door at St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome when the Holy Year officially begins Dec. 8.

I urge you to continue to pray for the families of the victims who lost their lives in the terrorist attack in Paris. Once again we see what humankind can do with something that God ordained. Religion is not about murder. The focus should be on God. The teachings of Jesus Christ when he lived among us are still true today. Love God with all of your heart. Love your neighbor as you love yourself. Instead of trying to look for differences, lets find the commonalities. Collectively we can solve many of the world's problems by taking the time to get to know others that may be a little different from us. All of the victims killed by the suicide bombers were created by God. Why would God be happy with you if you are killing his creation? Before you condemn someone, kneel and pray with them. Your entire perspective will change.

A week after the 65th anniversary of Father Emil J. Kapaun's capture in North Korea, the bishop of Wichita, Kansas, formally presented a report on the Army chaplain's life, virtues and fame of holiness to the Congregation for Saints' Causes. Bishop Carl A. Kemme of Wichita and a small delegation from the diocese met Nov. 9 with Cardinal Angelo Amato, prefect of the congregation, and other officials to hand over the 1,066 report known as a "positio." During the Korean War, Father Kapaun, a priest of the Wichita diocese, and other members of the 3rd Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, were captured by Chinese troops in North Korea Nov. 2, 1950. The priest died in a North Korean prison camp May 23, 1951. President Barack Obama presented the Medal of Honor posthumously to the war-hero priest in a White House ceremony in 2013, but the men who were imprisoned with Father Kapaun and the faithful of the Diocese of Wichita had been honoring him long before that. "Since the day his fellow prisoners of war in the Korean Conflict (1950-1953) were liberated after their long and cruel incarceration, during which Father Kapaun was instrumental in providing to his fellow soldiers unparalleled pastoral care, word of his saintly virtue has been spreading and continues to our day," said a letter Bishop Kemme wrote and delivered to Cardinal Amato. "I'm very honored and humbled to be part of this moment," Bishop Kemme said after handing over the "positio," which is based on a long diocesan investigation of Father Kapaun's life, writings and eyewitness testimony, including with prisoners who survived the camp. Andrea Ambrosi, the postulator or promoter of the cause, said it took 12-13 months to write the volume, which should go to a team of Vatican historians for review in April. Archbishop Marcello Bartolucci, secretary of the congregation, told Bishop Kemme and his delegation that if the historians have no questions and believe the biography and the information about the circumstances of Father Kapaun's death are complete, the report would go to a commission of theologians. Under normal circumstances, Archbishop Bartolucci said, the theologians would not get to the report for at least 10 years, but since Father Kapaun is the first sainthood candidate from the Wichita diocese, it gets precedence. He is hoping to get the report on the commission's calendar for late 2017. "While you are waiting -- a year or two -- you can work on the miracle," the archbishop told the bishop. In fact, Bishop Kemme told him, the diocese already has identified and is working on the documentation for two healings. One of them could be the miracle needed for Father Kapaun's beatification. While Bishop Kemme was at the Vatican, supporters of Father Kapaun's cause were praying. A special novena for the beatification of Father Kapaun began Nov. 2, the 65th anniversary of his capture at the Battle of Unsan, and was to end on Veterans Day, Nov. 11.

Are you trying to get more out of Mass than you have in the past? Try keeping a journal. You can list the readings from the Bible and look them up later. You can jot down questions for your pastor or deacon and email them for the answers. You can also write down your thoughts about the entire experience by spending a little time at the end of Mass. So what is the point? All of this journaling will help you to deepen your faith. Taking the message of Sunday into the work week can help you become the person God created you to be. And it all starts with making a few notes at Mass and using those notes to live a more Christ-like life. Try it out.