“Prayer, humility, and charity toward all are essential in the Christian life: they are the way to holiness.” @pontifex, 16 June 2013
“God is so merciful toward us. We too should learn to be merciful, especially with those who suffer” @pontifex, 17 June 2013
“In this Year of Faith, let us remember that faith is not something we possess, but something we share. Every Christian is an apostle.” @pontifex, 18 June 2013
“Many of you have already arrived in Rio and many more are just arriving. We will see one another there in only three days.” @pontifex, 19 June 2013
“Dear young friends, I know that many of you are still travelling to Rio. May the Lord accompany you on your way.” @pontifex, 20 June 2013
“How many wish to be in Rio for WYD but can’t! May they feel at one with us in prayer.” @pontifex, 21 June 2013
Note: Due to problems with using copyrighted material from the Vatican the eBook version of The Weekly Francis has been suspended. For users of the previous ebook volume I have some suggestions for alternatives on how to best read these documents especially on mobile platforms.
Thomas Peters (American Papist/CatholicVote/National Organization for Marriage) has been severely injured and is in need of your prayers.
According to his father, canonist Edward Peters (via Facebook):
Thomas Peters was seriously hurt in a swimming accident Tuesday evening. He fractured his 5th cervical vert. and is at Univ. Maryland Medical Center (Baltimore). Natalie Zmuda Peters is there, and the moms Angela & Becky Z flew out a couple hours ago. He moved an arm on command and is undergoing more tests. He has responded pretty well to the immediate steps taken for him so far. I will stay in touch here. Your prayers and well wishes are deeply appreciated.
Update:
Thom can move his arms, docs are discussing the best treatment for his neck injury. Immediate concern is for the considerable water in his lungs. We are astounded at the expressions of prayers and support. Thom & Nat know about it. Please keep them up.
I have known Thomas and his family for many years, and I implore your prayers for him, his wife, his family, and for all who are in similar situations.
Words are inadequate to the burden of my heart.
“The Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans too deep for words” (Rom. 8:28).
“We pray for a heart which will embrace immigrants. God will judge us upon how we have treated the most needy.” @pontifex, 27 June 2013
“Christians are always full of hope; they should never get discouraged.” @pontifex, 27 June 2013
“If we wish to follow Christ closely, we cannot choose an easy, quiet life. It will be a demanding life, but full of joy.” @pontifex, 27 June 2013
“Lord, grant us the grace to weep over our indifference, over the cruelty that is in the world and in ourselves.” @pontifex, 27 June 2013
“In this Year of Faith let us aim to do something concrete every day to know Jesus Christ better.” @pontifex, 27 June 2013
“For a Christian, life is not the product of mere chance, but the fruit of a call and personal love.” @pontifex, 27 June 2013
Note: Due to problems with using copyrighted material from the Vatican the eBook version of The Weekly Francis has been suspended. For users of the previous ebook volume I have some suggestions for alternatives on how to best read these documents especially on mobile platforms.
“We cannot live as Christians separate from the rock who is Christ. He gives us strength and stability, but also joy and serenity.” @pontifex, 2 July 2013
“Christ’s love and friendship are no illusion. On the Cross Jesus showed how real they are.” @pontifex, 4 July 2013
“Jesus is more than a friend. He is a teacher of truth and life who shows us the way that leads to happiness.” @pontifex, 5 July 2013
“The Lord speaks to us through the Scriptures and in our prayer. Let us learn to keep silence before him, as we meditate upon the Gospel.” @pontifex, 6 July 2013
“Are you angry with someone? Pray for that person. That is what Christian love is.” @pontifex, 17 June 2013
“Christians are ready to proclaim the Gospel because they can’t hide the joy that comes from knowing Christ.” @pontifex, 19 June 2013
“Let us never forget that it is the Lord who guides the Church. He is the one who makes our apostolates fruitful.” @pontifex, 21 June 2013
“If we have found in Jesus meaning for our own lives, we cannot be indifferent to those who are suffering and sad.” @pontifex, 22 June 2013
“We are all sinners. But may the Lord not let us be hypocrites. Hypocrites don’t know the meaning of forgiveness, joy and the love of God.” @pontifex, 23 June 2013
Notes
(1) This version of The Weekly Francis includes the daily homilies of the Holy Father. These homilies are not published in full and summaries are provided by Vatican Radio.
In a statement from Vatican spokesman Fr. Federico Lombardi:
After careful reflection, therefore, it was decided that the best way to make the richness of the Pope’s homilies accessible to a wider public, without altering their nature, is to publish an ample synthesis, rich also in original quoted phrases that reflect the genuine flavor of the Pope’s expressions. It is what L’Osservatore Romano is committed to doing every day, whereas Vatican Radio, on the basis of its characteristic nature, offers a briefer synthesis, but accompanied also with some passages of the original recorded audio, as well as CTV which offers a video-clip corresponding to one of the inserted audios published by Vatican Radio.
(2) The full English translation of the General Audience on 5 June 2013 has still not been released.
“We must not be afraid of solidarity; rather let us make all we have and are available to God.” @pontifex, 11 June 2013
“How many kinds of moral and material poverty we face today as a result of denying God and putting so many idols in his place!” @pontifex, 12 June 2013
“Let the Church always be a place of mercy and hope, where everyone is welcomed, loved and forgiven.” @pontifex, 16 June 2013
“Sometimes we know what we have to do, but we lack the courage to do it. Let us learn from Mary how to make decisions, trusting in the Lord.” @pontifex, 3 June 2013
“Christ leads us to go out from ourselves more and more, to give ourselves and to serve others.”@pontifex, 4 June 2013
“Care of creation is not just something God spoke of at the dawn of history: he entrusts it to each of us as part of his plan.” @pontifex, 5 June 2013
“Consumerism has accustomed us to waste. But throwing food away is like stealing it from the poor and hungry.” @pontifex, 7 June 2013
“With the “culture of waste”, human life is no longer considered the primary value to be respected and protected.” @pontifex, 9 June 2013
In 1992, actor Michael O’Hare was cast as Commander Jeffrey Sinclair, the lead character on the television program Babylon 5.
He remained with the show for its first season and then was suddenly written out.
When the second season began, Sinclair was replaced by Capt. John Sheridan, played by Bruce Boxleitner.
While I very much enjoyed Boxleitner’s performance, I–like all the existing fans–wondered what happened to O’Hare.
The truth is something I never guessed . . .
What People Did Guess
The leading theory in fandom was that the executives at Warner Brothers (or its subsidiary PTEN, which ran Babylon 5) had demanded that O’Hare be fired and replaced.
According to the common account, the show was struggling to get off the ground, and O’Hare’s performance was thought to be a drag on it.
A new, more likable main character needed to be brought in, and so the stoic Sinclair was replaced by the ebullient Sheridan.
It was thought that this was unfair to O’Hare, because he had been intentionally asked to play a character who was wounded.
The Battle of the Line
Sinclair had fought at the Battle of the Line, when the Minbari nearly destroyed Earth.
Something mysterious happened to him during this battle, and his memories of it had been erased.
The result left him one of the walking wounded.
During the first season of the show, cracks began to appear in the wall that had been built in his mind, and his memories began to resurface, bit by bit.
In one episode in particular, a covert group of agents from Earth put him through a kind of psychological torture in an attempt to force his memories to resurface.
Because he was mentally injured by the mysterious thing that happened to his character at the Battle of the Line, O’Hare was asked to initially play the part as solemn and reserved.
The idea was that he would open up as his character arc progressed and as he learned what had happened to him and he dealt with it.
By the end of the first season, he was less stiff and formal than he had been at the beginning. The loosening up was happening.
It seemed unfair that, just as the character was reaching this point in his personal story arc, he was written out by the executives’ demands.
Not the First Time
It wouldn’t have been the first time that this kind of thing happened in a television series–or even a science-fiction series.
In the long-running BBC Doctor Who franchise, the sixth actor to play the Doctor–Colin Baker–had been asked to play a deliberately abrasive Doctor in 1984.
When he was first introduced, he acted arrogant and erratic and physically attacked his uncomprehending companion.
He also declared: “I am the Doctor, whether you like it . . . or not!”
It seemed like a deliberate affront to the fans of the show, who immediately began to complain about the “unlikeable Doctor.”
The idea was that the arrogant, erratic Doctor would eventually be transformed into a likable one over the course of his character arc, but this wasn’t clear to the viewers, many of whom had a strongly negative reaction.
The show suffered as the result of this disastrous creative decision, and Colin Baker was fired in 1986 and the part went to Sylvester McCoy.
O’Hare’s Departure
Had the same thing happened on Babylon 5?
Had J. Michael Straczynski’s (JMS’s) creative decision to introduce Cmdr. Sinclair as an initially stiff, wounded character doomed him, just as he was starting to loosen up on the show?
This is what a lot of fans thought.
Their speculation seemed confirmed when, after O’Hare’s departure was announced, JMS took out an ad in the Hollywood newspaper Variety (if I recall correctly) endorsing Michael O’Hare, seeking to help his career as an actor.
It looked like JMS and O’Hare were on the same side against “the suits.”
Truth Is A Three-Edged Sword
But it turned out that the truth is something far stranger . . . and more tragic.
It can only be told now that O’Hare has passed away.
Michael O’Hare suffered a heart attack in September 2012 and died a few days later.
Just a couple of weeks ago, at a science-fiction convention in late May 2013, JMS revealed the truth that had been hidden all these years.
Between the Darkness and the Light
According to Wikipedia:
During the filming of the first season of Babylon 5, O’Hare began exhibiting symptoms of schizophrenia.
Halfway through filming, his hallucinations worsened and the stress of playing a character who was suffering from a similar mental illness was becoming overwhelming.
Remember that O’Hare was being asked to play the character of Sinclair, who had been psychologically wounded at the Battle of the Line and who now was suffering with breakthrough memories caused, in part, by the attempt of sinister, persecuting government agents to force his missing memories to the surface.
It became increasingly difficult for O’Hare to continue work, his behavior was becoming increasingly erratic and he was often at odds with his colleagues.
O’Hare sought treatment for his mental illness, but feared that, as the main character of Babylon 5, taking an extended medical leave of absence would destroy the show just as it was getting off the ground.
This brings us to the same point that many fans suspected: the future of the show was in question.
Only instead of it being O’Hare’s on-screen performance as judged by executives that was a threat to the show, it was O’Hare’s psychological health, as judged by O’Hare himself that was the threat.
Acts of Sacrifice
So what happened next?
J. Michael Straczynski, the show’s creator and main writer, offered to suspend the show for several months to accommodate O’Hare’s treatment; however O’Hare refused to put so many other people’s jobs at risk.
Straczinski agreed to keep his condition secret to protect O’Hare’s career.
O’Hare agreed to complete the first season but would be subsequently written out of the second season so that he could seek treatment.
The Long, Twilight Struggle
According to Wikipedia:
He reappeared in a cameo appearance early in season two and returned in season three for the double episode War Without End which closed his character’s story arc.
He made no further appearances in Babylon 5.
Although his treatments were somewhat successful, he was never fully cured.
On his return to Babylon 5, Straczinski promised again that he would keep his condition secret to his grave.
O’Hare told him to “keep the secret to MY grave” pointing out that fans deserved to eventually learn the real reason for his departure, and that his experience could raise awareness and understanding for people suffering from mental illness.
On May 25th 2013, Straczynski fulfilled his end of the promise and finally revealed the reasons behind O’Hare’s departure from Babylon 5.
Beyond the Rim
Here’s the video of JMS explaining what happened to Michael O’Hare and the other actors from the series who have passed, including Richard Biggs (Stephen Franklin), Jeff Conaway (Zack Allen), and Andreas Katsulas (G’Kar).
Discussion of Michael O’Hare’s departure begins at 9:40.
“Dear young people, the Church expects great things of you and your generosity. Don’t be afraid to aim high.” @pontifex, 28 May 2013
“The Church is born from the supreme act of love on the Cross, from Jesus’ open side. The Church is a family where we love and are loved.” @pontifex, 29 May 2013
“The whole of salvation history is the story of God looking for us: he offers us love and welcomes us with tenderness.” @pontifex, 31 May 2013
“In this Year of Faith, we pray to the Lord that the Church may always be a true family that brings God’s love to everyone.” @pontifex, 1 June 2013
“The world tells us to seek success, power and money;
God tells us to seek humility, service and love.” @pontifex, 2 June 2013
This version of The Weekly Francis covers material released in the last week from 5 June to 21 July 2013.
