Keep
your eyes open!...
April
26, 2012
(Mat
5:11-12) Blessed
are ye when they shall revile you, and persecute you, and speak all
that is evil against you, untruly, for my sake: Be glad and rejoice for
your reward is very great in heaven. For so they persecuted the
prophets that were before you.
NEWS REPORT: Muslim
Persecution of Christians: March, 2012
The war on Christianity and its adherents rages on in the Muslim world.
In March alone, Saudi Arabia's highest Islamic law authority decreed
that churches in the region must be destroyed; jihadis in Nigeria said
they "are going to put into action new efforts to strike fear into the
Christians of the power of Islam by kidnapping their women"; American
teachers in the Middle East were murdered for being or talking about
Christianity; churches were banned or bombed, and nuns terrorized by
knife-wielding Muslim mobs. Christians continue to be attacked,
arrested, imprisoned, and killed for allegedly "blaspheming" Islam's
prophet Muhammad; former Muslims continue to be attacked, arrested,
imprisoned, and killed for converting to Christianity.
Sudan: Sudanese
aerial strikes were aimed at church buildings in various regions.
Churches in the Nuba Mountains are holding worship services very early
in the morning and late in the evening to avoid aerial bombardments
intentionally targeting their churches. The Khartoum regime is "doing
everything possible to make sure they get rid of Christianity from the
Nuba Mountains—churches and church schools are the targets of both the
Sudanese Armed Forces and its militias," said an aid worker.
Sudan: Over half
a million people, mostly Christian and originally from South Sudan,
have been stripped of citizenship in response to the South's secession,
and forced to relocate: "Sudanese Christians who have barely a month to
leave the north or risk being treated as foreigners are starting to
move, but Christian leaders are concerned that the 8 April deadline set
by Islamic-majority Sudan is unrealistic. 'We are very concerned.
Moving is not easy ... people have children in school. They have homes
... It is almost impossible,' said a Catholic bishop."
ANALYSIS: Sudan and South
Sudan must step back from war
FAITH IN ACTION: Alone
and Forgotten, One American Doctor Saves Lives in Sudan’s Nuba Mountains
RELATED HEADLINES
Catholic Bishops
Call Borders War 'Shameful'!
Sudan
Security Arrests Three Darfur Catholic Officials
Muslim
mob burns Catholic church in Sudan capital
Thoughts
and Sayings of Saint Margaret Mary: The Practice of Virtue
19. By wishing to do much, we often
spoil everything,
constraining our Lord to leave us to act alone and withdraw from us in
sorrow.
April
25, 2012
(Mat
9:37-38) Then
he saith to his disciples, The harvest indeed is great, but the
labourers are few. Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he
send forth labourers into his harvest.
MOYNIHAN REPORT:
Letter
#8: 7th Anniversary of Benedict’s Election
EXCERPT NEWS REPORT:
Pope
Benedict begins 8th year of service
Pope Benedict XVI began his eighth year as pope on Tuesday after
spending the waning days of his seventh driving home his view of the
Catholic Church, with a divisive crackdown on dissenters and an equally
divisive opening to a fringe group of traditionalists.
The coming year may see more of the same as the Vatican gears up to
celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Second Vatican Council, the
1962-65 church meetings that reshaped the Catholic Church and are key
to understanding this papacy and Benedict's recent moves to quell
liberal dissent and promote a more conservative brand of Catholicism.
Tuesday marked the anniversary of the start of Benedict's pontificate,
which officially began April 24, 2005, with an inaugural Mass in St.
Peter's Square. The pope promised then not to impose his own will on
the church but to rather listen "to the word and the will of the Lord,
to be guided by him, so that he himself will lead the church at this
hour of our history."
Seven years later, Benedict has certainly left a mark on the church,
pressing a conservative interpretation of Vatican II's key teachings,
appointing like-minded bishops and making his priority the
revitalization of traditional Catholicism in a world, which he often
laments, seems to think that it can do without God.
SEE ALSO: Ratzinger
expresses his disapproval of German translation of Gospels
VATICAN RADIO: Lombardi:
“The eighth year of the Pope’s pontificate is going to be a busy one”
In the wake of recent celebrations of Pope Benedict XVI’s 85th birthday
on April 16 and the 7th anniversary of his election to the pontificate,
April 19, the director of the Holy See’s Press Office devoted his
latest editorial to the year ahead. Holy See’s spokesman Fr. Federico
Lombardi shared the Pope’s hope that the dialogue with the breakaway
group of traditionalist Catholics known as Saint Pius X Fraternity will
come to a resolution, that bridges the gap without creating any new
ones. The Jesuit priest wished the Pope well as he travels to the
northern Italian city of Milan to deliver a message of love and hope
for families as they hold their World Meeting of Families in June. He
also hoped that “dissenting groups will hear his invitation to be in
communion with the Church and receive this invitation with respect and
attention, and with an understanding of its significance.” Fr. Lombardi
expressed hope that International Eucharistic Congress in Ireland in
June will help in the healing, purification and renewal of the Church
in Ireland following the devastating sexual abuse scandals there. The
Jesuit priest also hoped that Pope Benedict’s visit to Lebanon in
September may give him a chance to spread a message of peace amid the
tragic conflicts in that region.
It is our hope that the Year of Faith will not only be filled with
exemplary initiatives and beautiful celebrations, but that it will also
promote a sense of renewal in the profound relationship between God,
his Son Jesus Christ, and believers, against the ever decreasing
awareness of the religious dimension of human life and mankind’s
journey through history.
Il Sole 24 Ore: Pope
Benedict XVI’s Bright and Dramatic Path
L'Osservatore Romano: Joseph
Ratzinger Theologian and Pope
Thoughts
and Sayings of Saint Margaret Mary: The Practice of Virtue
18. Go courageously to God, along the
way He has
traced out for you, steadfastly embracing the means He offers you.
April
24, 2012
(2Jn
1:5-6) And
now I beseech thee, lady, not as writing a new commandment to thee, but
that which we have had from the beginning, that we love one another.
And this is charity: That we walk according to his commandments. For
this is the commandment that, as you have heard from the beginning, you
should walk in the same:
CNS: Catholic
communicators must obey church teaching, US cardinal says
BLOG: Catholic
Bishops Take on Obama
OPINION: Catholic
Church must oppose government mandates on reproductive issues by
Miami Archbishop Thomas Wenski
There was a time when Catholics here in the United States were regarded
with great suspicion by their mostly Protestant neighbors. In the late
19th and early 20th centuries, as the numbers of Catholics grew because
of immigration; many thought that these immigrants who accepted the
religious authority of a pope could never be successfully integrated
into the American experiment of democracy.
Fortunately, the civil liberties granted by our Constitution allowed
Catholics, in spite of these prejudices, to prosper in America. The
Constitution guaranteed citizens of all religious faiths the right to
contribute to the common life together. And, as Catholics and as
Americans, we can take some holy pride in pointing out our own
contributions. We built schools, orphanages, hospitals, universities;
we served in our nation's wars, we founded businesses, we served in
public office, etc. We were no less Catholic for being American; and no
less American for being Catholic.
However, today, America's "first freedom," the freedom of religion, is
under great stress if not under outright assault — and not just for
Catholics.
Alabama's draconian anti-immigrant legislation "criminalizes" bible
classes for irregular (undocumented) immigrants. The federal government
recently attempted to redefine for churches the definition of
"religious minister" or "religious employee" — in EEOC v.
Hosanna-Tabor. In several states, Catholic Charities have had their
licenses revoked to provide foster care and adoption services.
A radical rereading of the First Amendment protections has resulted in
concerted efforts to deny right of conscientious objection on the part
of Catholic individuals and institutions with regard to cooperation in
intrinsically evil practices — ACLU v. Sebelius. The State Department
in its analysis of the state of religious liberty in the world also
seems to have reduced freedom of religion to mean merely freedom to
worship.
And even more ominous is the HHS mandate for contraception,
sterilization, and abortion inducing drugs represents. This represents
an unprecedented intrusion by the federal government to force religious
institutions to facilitate and fund a product contrary to their own
moral teaching. The mandate purports to define which religious
institutions are "religious" enough to merit the protection of their
religious liberty.
The Church cannot not oppose this unjust (and we believe
unconstitutional) mandate. It is not a matter of whether contraception
may be prohibited by the government. This is not even a matter of
whether contraception may be supported by the government. Instead, it
is a matter of whether religious people and institutions may be forced
by the government to provide coverage for contraception or
sterilization, even if that violates their religious beliefs.
These efforts to restrict religious liberty are seemingly founded in a
reductive secularism that has more in common with the French Revolution
than with America's founding. They seek to delegitimize the Church's
participation in public debate about issues that will determine the
future of American society.
As the pope told Castro in Cuba, in upholding this basic human right to
religious freedom the Church is not seeking any privileges for herself.
The Church does not seek to impose her views but seeks the freedom to
propose them in the public square and to witness to them coherently so
as to contribute to human flourishing in society.
Rather than facing the shuttering of our schools, universities and
hospitals by the federal government we will seek remedies from both the
Congress and the courts. Here in Florida, we also have the opportunity
in November to vote to approve the "Freedom of Religion" Amendment 8.
This amendment will protect faith-based agencies and organizations from
further erosions of religious freedom at the state level.
America's first freedom, the freedom of religion, has honored America's
diversity by permitting the inclusion of all its citizens in
contributing to the common good of all. The stakes are high. Separation
of church and state does not require the exclusion of religion from
society. To exclude people of faith from making their contributions and
their proposals in the public square would impoverish us all.
Thoughts
and Sayings of Saint Margaret Mary: The Practice of Virtue
13. Our falls are the result of the
continual revolt
of our passions. But we need not be troubled, cast down or discouraged
by them: we must do violence to ourselves and draw profit from them.
April
20, 2012
(Joh
3:3-6) Jesus
answered and said to him: Amen, amen, I say to thee, unless a man be
born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. Nicodemus saith to him:
How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into
his mother's womb and be born again? Jesus answered: Amen, amen, I say
to thee, unless a man be born again of water and the Holy Ghost, he
cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh
is flesh: and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
CATHOLIC TESTIMONIES
Several testimonies were posted during the Lenten season at http://www.hereiamlord.com/testimonies.html.
The last seven posted Catholic (katholikos from
katholou — throughout the whole, i.e., universal) testimonies include two
from America, and one each from Poland, Sri Lanka, Australia, New
Zealand and France.
Share the blessings of belonging to the Catholic Church!
ONLINE VIDEO: Being
Born Again: A Commentary by Fr. Barron
BLOG: Are
Catholics Born Again Christians? by Fr. Dwight Longenecker
EXCERPT CATHOLICHERALD
COMMENTARY: What
makes us Catholics? Prayer, love and forgiveness are not enough
in themselves
At Mass yesterday morning – Divine Mercy Sunday – we were all given the
little cards devised by the Department for Evangelisation and
Catechesis for the Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales. On
one side is the famous quotation from Blessed John Henry Newman that
starts “God has created me to do Him some definite service. He
has committed some work to me which He has not committed to another…”
On the other side are several precepts that “as a Catholic I am called
to [practise]”.
They include prayer, forgiving others, loving my neighbour as myself,
celebrating the sacraments regularly, using the gifts I have been given
wisely and sharing with others “the joy of knowing Jesus Christ.” Apart
from the mention of the sacraments (which High Anglicans would also
accept) there is nothing in this list that is specifically Catholic
rather than generally “Christian.” They are high general ideals and if
we Christians did live them properly we would change the world.
But what gives a Catholic identity? A member of the Ordinariate
would immediately answer: obedience to the magisterium, the teaching
authority of the Church. So perhaps I would have added to the
list above: “Loyalty to Rome.” That was what Saints John Fisher and
Thomas More lost their heads for, after all. Their opponents who
followed the new Protestant faith would have agreed to everything
listed on the little cards. Mention of Rome gives a certain hard
edge to the other precepts, almost a suggestion of divisiveness.
Perhaps that is why it was not included.
Not to carp, I was glad to see at the top of the list the one about
“sharing with others the joy of knowing Jesus Christ”. This is
something that we Catholics are not generally good at; we leave it to
the evangelicals to want to share the fervour of Christian faith.
We can get preoccupied by “truth” at the expense of “charity”,
forgetting that they are both sides of the same coin; the one depends
on the other.
EDITORIAL: David
Quinn: The beliefs of the church are not going to change by poll
The findings of the
survey commissioned by the Association of Catholic Priests
(ACP) are not even in the tiniest bit surprising. We have known for
years that on issue after issue many or most Catholics, even weekly
Mass-going Catholics, do not believe what their church believes.
The press release by the ACP says the survey "reveals a significant
disconnect between official Catholic Church teaching and what Catholics
actually believe".
That is absolutely correct, but the question is what should be done
about it? Does the church alter its teachings in line with the latest
opinion poll or must it instead do a much better job explaining to
Catholics and the general public why it believes what it
believes? Continue.....
Thoughts
and Sayings of Saint Margaret Mary: The Practice of Virtue
12. Virtue does not consist in making
good resolutions,
nor in saying fine words, but in keeping one's resolutions and carrying
out one's good intentions.
April
19, 2012
(1Th
5:19-21) Extinguish not the spirit. Despise not
prophecies. But prove all things: hold fast that which is good.
RECOMMENDED READING:
Searching
for and Maintaining Peace
EDITOR'S NOTE: The excerpted
post below is from a non-Catholic blog. I have purposely
refrained from posting a link as other materials posted there are
antagonistic towards the Catholic Faith. The material below
however, though not authored by me, resonates with my own personal
experience.
Patient Endurance: Becoming
Hardened and Battle-Ready
This is a post that I have been preparing for quite some time. In
all actuality, I believe a more truthful and correct description would
be to say that this post is one that The Lord has been preparing me for
for quite some time. Without going into a lot of detail, I can
honestly say that the last six months has proven to be one of the most
difficult, and trying, periods of my life as I have endured a seemingly
endless string of intense physical trials. With that being said,
The Lord has shown amazing favor during this period and helped me to
mature in truly substantial ways.
One of the most substantial spiritual milestones I reached was when the
Lord was teaching me to be content with His provision. I have
been dealing with a rather severe, disabling medical condition for the
last five years and I had always been holding out hope that I would be
healed, healthy, and on my way. In mid-December of last year I
finally realized that I am the way I am for a reason...it is the Lord's
provision for me. If it were up to me I would be healed, able to
quit taking all of my medications, forever free from my reliance upon
doctors and emergency rooms, no longer suffering from the afflictions
that have come to be such a large part of my daily existence.
That is exactly how things would be if I were in charge and had it my
way, and I can tell you with 100% certainty that my way is simply no
good. No offense intended, but your way is no good either.
The Lord has a plan and it is working and shall continue to work until
it succeeds...rest assured dear brothers and sisters that it most
certainly will succeed!
For my thoughts are not your
thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. For as
the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your
ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. ~ Isaiah 55:8-9
After coming to the crucially important realization dealing with
contentment with The Lord's provision things continued on as they had
been. The trials kept coming and each one seemed more intense
than the last. I continued to seek The Lord about what was
transpiring and one phrase seemed to keep coming to mind, "patient
endurance".
Consider it all joy, my brethren,
when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your
faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect
result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in
nothing. ~James 1:2-4
For quite some time I have been wanting to write about "patient
endurance" as it seems to be one of the more important lessons The Lord
is bringing forth in this late hour. However, there was something
missing that I could not quite explain and I was simply unable to get
this post started. For a while I had the sense that The Lord was
directing my attention to the Book of Exodus, and after a couple of
truly unmistakable signs I shifted my focus to Exodus to see what it
was The Lord was trying to tell me.
As I was going through the first part of the Book of Exodus, The Lord
was showing me some rather intense things, but nothing relating to the
"patient endurance" theme He had been working on with me. That is
until I reached Exodus 13:17-18, which states:
Now when Pharaoh had let the people
go, God did not lead them by the way of the land of the Philistines,
even though it was near; for God said, “The people might change their
minds when they see war, and return to Egypt.” Hence God led the people
around by the way of the wilderness to the Red Sea; and the sons of
Israel went up in martial array from the land of Egypt.
The Lord could have very easily taken His people to the Promised Land
using a short-cut, but there was a very good reason why The Lord chose
to do it in a way that was far different than anyone had in mind.
The Lord knew that His people were not ready for war, so instead of
taking them directly into the Promised Land to face the Canaanites The
Lord led His people into the wilderness because there was a great deal
He had to teach them. The Lord knew His people needed to be
tested, refined, hardened, and then and only then would they be ready
for the battle required to enter the promised land.
Many of you are going through your own wilderness experiences at
present. Those with a seeing eye and a hearing ear sense that
everything is changing. The wilderness experience is a necessary
one as it will be what tests, refines, hardens, and prepares those
chosen for what lies ahead. We must each meet our wilderness
experience with a contentment of The Lord's provision as we patiently
endure the hardships The Lord has brought forth for our
refinement. Brothers and Sisters The Lord is teaching us to
patiently endure through affliction and suffering so that we might
endure to the end and be overcomers in the last days!
But the one who endures to the end,
he will be saved
~ Matthew 24:13
You will be hated by all because of
My name, but the one who endures to the end, he will be saved.
~ Mark 13:13
You will notice that there is nothing written about "enduring until you
think you've had enough", or "enduring until it gets too hard and you
see no reason why it should be this way in the first place." The
command is straight-forward and simple, yet not at all easy...endure to
the end!
It is in these "wilderness times" of suffering and affliction that we
learn to patiently endure with a contentment of The Lord's provision
that we may share in the hope of being an overcomer and sharing in the
rich reward that The Lord has promised to all those who endure and
overcome.
He who has an ear, let him hear what
the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will
grant to eat of the tree of life which is in the Paradise of God.
~ Revelation 2:7
He who has an ear, let him hear
what the Spirit says to the churches. He who overcomes will not
be hurt by the second death.
~ Revelation 2:11
He who has an ear, let him hear what
the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, to him I
will give some of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone,
and a new name written on the stone which no one knows but he who
receives it.
~ Revelation 2:17
A dear friend and I always refer to this current wilderness season as
"the frying pan season", as in going from the frying pan to the
fire. Make no mistake about it, this frying pan season is coming
to a rapid end and the "fire season" will follow. The point and
purpose of this frying pan season is to prepare those chosen for battle
in the great spiritual war that is approaching, enabling them to endure
to the end and attain the rank of overcomer.
Thoughts
and Sayings of Saint Margaret Mary: The Practice of Virtue
11. Great graces are
often attached to what seems
trifling.
April
18, 2012
(Mat
7:13-14) Enter
ye in at the narrow gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way
that leadeth to destruction, and many there are who go in thereat. How
narrow is the gate, and strait is the way that leadeth to life: and few
there are that find it!
CATHOLIC FREE PRESS:
At
Holy Thursday Mass, pope criticizes dissent from church teachings
During a Mass in which priests renew their promises of fidelity to
Christ, Pope Benedict XVI firmly criticized dissent from church
teachings and disobedience of God’s will as illegitimate pathways
toward reform and renewal.
Surrounded by more than 1,600 priests, bishops and cardinals, the pope
cautioned against calls for women’s ordination, saying such campaigns
seemed more “a desperate push” to fulfill one’s own preferences rather
than a sincere attempt to conform one’s life more closely to Christ.
During the April 5 chrism Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica, which focuses
on Holy Thursday as the day Jesus shared his priesthood with the
apostles, the pope said he wanted to use the occasion to ask all
priests, including himself, to meditate upon what their consecration
really means.
“Are you resolved to be more united with the Lord Jesus and more
closely conformed to him,” which entails a renunciation of oneself and
“of the much-vaunted self-fulfillment,” the pope asked.
Being Christ-like means not to be served but to serve, not taking but
giving, he said.
If that is the nature of the priesthood, then what should be the
response of priests when faced with “the often dramatic situation of
the church today,” the pope asked.
VATICAN INSIDER EDITORIAL:
A
transitional papacy?
PRESS RELEASE: Catholic
Clergy in US Say NO to Colleagues in Austria; YES to Pope in Rome
BREAKING: Vatican
Orders Crackdown on US Nun Association
VIEWPOINT: Father
Mark Kirby: Abuse Of The Holy Eucharist Is A Cancer At The Heart Of The
Church!
SHAMEFUL DISSENT IN THE NEWS:
Catholic
pastor applauded for shunning anti-gay marriage drive
The congregation at Seattle’s Our Lady of the Lake Catholic Church gave
the Rev.. Tim Clark a standing ovation Sunday when he announced that
the parish would not gather signatures for a referendum to repeal
same-sex marriage.
The parish became the sixth in Seattle to opt out of the petition drive
for Referendum 74 that has been endorsed and foisted on parishes by
Archbishop J. Peter Sartain.
“I am happy to report that Our Lady of the Lake parish-oners have been
overwhelmingly and, thus far, unanimously supportive of the decision I
made NOT to gather signatures in support of this Referendum,” Clark
wrote in response to an e-mail.
“The standing ovation experienced during one of the Masses says less
about me and much more about the health of this parish. I only
wished the archbishop could have experienced the sustained applause —
the ‘sensus fidelium’ — of the people. He needs to listen to this
‘voice.’ That is my prayer.”
The archbishop said that all persons “should be treated with respect,
sensitivity and love,” but reiterated church teachings on sexuality
that are eschewed by many American Catholics.
“It is important to remember that all Christians are called to
chastity, and sexual intercourse is so intimate and significant that it
is intended only for a man and woman in marriage,” said the letter,
cosigned by Archbishop Sartain and Auxiliary Bishop Eusebio Elizondo.
“When I first read the archbishop’s letter I was troubled by the
content and his intentions,” Clark wrote. “In conscience, I could
not allow signatures to be gathered, to allow the faith to be
politicized in this way.
“What troubles me is the message this whole approach sends which I find
discriminatory and insensitive. To follow through with his wishes
would be hurtful, divisive and a countersign to what we are trying to
foster in this Catholic community in Wedgwood.
“I deeply believe, and say this with boldness, that this approach is
not in the mind of Christ.”
Thoughts
and Sayings of Saint Margaret Mary: The Practice of Virtue
10. Our self-love is
so subtle; at times it makes
us believe that we are seeking God, because we are so much attached to
the things of His service, that we feel some annoyance when obliged to
leave them. This is because we seek our own satisfaction rather than
God;
a heart that wishes for Him alone, finds Him everywhere.
April
17, 2012
(Joh
19:23-24) The
soldiers therefore, when they had crucified him, took his garments,
(and they made four parts, to every soldier a part) and also his coat.
Now the coat was without seam, woven from the top throughout. They said
then one to another: Let us not cut it but let us cast lots for it,
whose it shall be; that the scripture might be fulfilled, saying: They
have parted my garments among them, and upon my vesture they have cast
lots. And the soldiers indeed did these things.
(Joh 20:6-7) Then
cometh Simon Peter, following him, and went into the sepulchre: and saw
the linen cloths lying, And the napkin that had been about his head,
not lying with the linen cloths, but apart, wrapped up into one place.
VIA VIS: THE
HOLY ROBE, SYMBOL OF THE CHURCH'S INDIVISIBLE UNITY
Thousands of pilgrims are currently converging on the cathedral of
Trier, Germany, for the fifth centenary of the first public display of
the "Heiliger Rock", said to be the Holy Robe which Jesus wore before
His crucifixion and for which, according to the Gospel of St. John, the
Roman soldiers cast lots.
According to tradition, part of this robe was found by Helena, mother
of Constantine the Great, who gave it to St. Agricius, archbishop of
Trier. The faithful were able to see it for the first time in 1512 when
the emperor Maximilian I asked Archbishop Richard von Greiffenklau of
Trier to put it on public display.
For the inauguration of the pilgrimage, which will last until 13 May,
Benedict XVI has sent a message to Bishop Stephan Ackermann of Trier.
The document bears the date of 6 April, Good Friday.
The Holy Father recalls how St. John says that the tunic was a single
seamless piece of cloth, for which reason the soldiers decided not to
tear it but to cast lots. "The Church Fathers saw in this the unity of
the Church, founded as one indivisible community by the love of
Christ", the Pope says. "The Saviour's love brings together that which
has been divided. ... Moreover, the Robe of Christ is 'woven in one
piece from the top'. This too is an image of the Church, which lives
not thanks to her own efforts but because of the action of God. As one
indivisible community she is a work of God, not the result of man's
abilities. At the same time, the Holy Robe is a monition to the Church
to remain faithful to her origins, in the awareness that her unity,
consensus, effectiveness and witness ... can only be a gift of God".
Finally, the Holy Father writes, "the Holy Robe is not a toga, an
elegant garment expressing a social function; it is a modest habiliment
which serves to cover and protect the person wearing it, to protect his
propriety. It is the undivided gift of the Crucified Christ to the
Church which He sanctified with His blood. For this reason the Holy
Robe reminds the Church of her own dignity. ... We must be constantly
open to conversion and humility, in order to be disciples of the Lord
in love and truth. At the same time, the special dignity and integrity
of the Church cannot be sold short and abandoned to the clamour and the
summary judgement of public opinion".
Concluding his message the Pope notes that "the jubilee pilgrimage has
taken as its motto an invocation of the Lord: 'Lead to unity that which
is divided'. We do not want to be isolated. We want to ask the Lord to
guide us on the shared path of faith, to make it live again for us. In
this way - growing together as Christians in faith, prayer and witness,
and amidst of the trials of our time - we will be able to proclaim His
magnificence and His goodness".
VIA VATICAN RADIO:
Christ's
Holy Tunic venerated in Trier
FROM THE MAILBAG
VIA Bread of Heaven
International Prayer Group: *Why Did Jesus Fold the Napkin?*
Why did Jesus fold the linen burial cloth after His resurrection? I
never noticed this....
The Gospel of John (20:7) tells us that the napkin, which was placed
over the face of Jesus, was not just thrown aside like the grave
clothes.
The Bible takes an entire verse to tell us that the napkin was neatly
folded, and was placed at the head of that stony coffin.
Early Sunday morning, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to
the tomb and found that the stone had been rolled away from the
entrance.
She ran and found Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom
Jesus loved. She said, 'They have taken the Lord's body out of the
tomb, and I don't know where they have put him!' Peter and the other
disciple ran to the tomb to see. The other disciple out ran Peter and
got there first. He stopped and looked in and saw the linen cloth lying
there, but he didn't go in.
Then Simon Peter arrived and went inside. He also noticed the linen
wrappings lying there, while the cloth that had covered Jesus' head was
folded up and lying to the side.
Was that important? Absolutely!
Is it really significant? Yes!
In order to understand the significance of the folded napkin, you have
to understand a little bit about Hebrew tradition of that day.
The folded napkin had to do with the Master and Servant, and every
Jewish boy knew this tradition.
When the servant set the dinner table for the master, he made sure that
it was exactly the way the master wanted it.
The table was furnished perfectly, and then the servant would wait,
just out of sight, until the master had finished eating, and the
servant would not dare touch that table, until the master was finished..
Now if the master were done eating, he would rise from the table, wipe
his fingers, his mouth, and clean his beard, and would wad up that
napkin and toss it onto the table.
The servant would then know to clear the table. For in those days, the
wadded napkin m eant, "I'm finished.."
But if the master got up from the table, and folded his napkin, and
laid it beside his plate, the servant would not dare touch the table,
because..........
The folded napkin meant, "I'm coming back!"
(Rev
22:20) He that giveth testimony of these things,
saith: Surely, I come quickly: Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.
Thoughts
and Sayings of Saint Margaret Mary: The Practice of Virtue
7. I think you would
please our Lord by going to
Him with the dispositions of the prodigal son, in such wise that fear
may
not banish confidence. It is not said, however, that this son, after
having
returned to his father, left him a second time.
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