Catholic world news: Sun. Aug. 16, 2009: headlines:
VATICAN: ANGELUS DEDICATED TO MARY:
EUROPE: ARCHBISHOP SUPPORTS BOTH FORMS OF THE MASS:
AFRICA: CONGO-KINSHASA-16 KILLED IN ATTACK:
ASIA: YEMEN: NEWS OF ABDUCTED EUROPEANS CONDITIONS FOR CEASEFIRE :
AUSTRALIA: QUADRIPLEGIC MAN WINS RIGHT TO DIE BUT MAY RECONSIDER:
AMERICAS: CAR ACCIDENT CAUSES DEATH DUE TO FAINTING SPELL:
TODAY'S SAINT
VATICAN
ANGELUS DEDICATED TO MARY
This Sunday’s Angelus reflection was once again dedicated to Mary as Pope Benedict greeted crowds of pilgrims and tourists from the baloney of the Castel Gandolfo Summer Residence.One day after the Feast of The Assumption the Pope called to mind the words of the Gospel of the Day from St John chapter 6, to illustrate how much one simple word changed the course of God’s relationship with humanity and how much it can still change our lives today. That word being of course, Mary’s ‘yes’.Pope Benedict said : “God take his "flesh", his real and earthly humanity from Mary…..to enter into our mortal condition. In turn, at the end of Her earthly existence, the body of the Virgin Mary was assumed into heaven by God and allowed enter the heavenly condition. It is a kind of exchange”."What happened in Mary - continued Pope Benedict - is also valid for every man and woman. God asks each one of us to welcome Him, to make available to Him our hearts, our bodies, our entire existence, so that He can dwell in the world. He calls us to unite ourselves to Him in the Sacrament of the Eucharist, to form the Church together…. And if we say yes, like Mary, by the very measure of our 'yes', that mysterious exchange also happens to and in us: we are assumed in the divinity of He who assumed our humanity". After the Marian prayer, in greetings in French, Pope Benedict had a special thought for a group of young pilgrims from Africa. The Pope concluded with a call to all "to keep open the door of our hearts and to give daily witness to the tenderness of the Lord for those who are, physically or spiritually in need”. http://www.radiovaticana.org/en1/Articolo.asp?c=309857
EUROPE
ARCHBISHOP SUPPORTS BOTH FORMS OF THE MASS
The Catholic Herald reports that Archbishop Vincent Nichols of Westminster has stressed that unity in Christ is at the heart of the Church's liturgy ahead of Britain's first diocesan training conference for the traditional Latin Mass.In a letter addressed to the priests taking part in a training seminar later this month the Archbishop echoed the Pope's words in the Motu Proprio Summorum Pontificum which liberated the older form of the Roman Rite in 2007. He said that Benedict XVI had made it clear that both forms serve "one and the same Rite". He said: "The Mass is the source and expression of the unity of the Church, for that unity comes from Christ. We have no other. Our unity does not consist in a uniformity of personal taste or preference. "Indeed, such matters should play a minimum part in our liturgy, particularly in the ministry of the priest. What we priests are to provide, as a key element of our ministry, is the liturgy of the Church."Although the Latin Mass Society has hosted training conferences for priests wishing the to learn how to celebrate the older form of the Mass in the past, this will be the first to be provided by a diocese in conjunction with the LMS. Archbishop Nichols said that both forms of the Mass would find their place at the conference. But he said that there was no place in conference for those who hold that the newer form of the Mass is inferior to the 1962 Missal. He said: "The view that the ordinary form of the Mass, in itself, is in some way deficient finds no place here. Indeed, anyone who holds such a view does not come under the generous provision of Summorum Pontificum. Such a person is inexorably distancing themselves from the Church."He said that the principles of good liturgy, "such as the 'active participation' of all taking part in the Mass, both in the Liturgy of the Word and the Liturgy of the Eucharist" applied to either form being used. Concluding, the Archbishop said that priests and bishops had been given the delicate task, namely the "provision of the extraordinary form of the Mass in response to genuine needs as outlined in the Motu Proprio". Archbishop Nichols criticised the mindset that rejects the ordinary form of the Mass in a recent interview with The Catholic Herald where he stressed the importance of the fact that it is "perfectly clear in the teaching of the Church that there is one Roman Rite, there is one gift of the Eucharist, one sacred order by which that gift is actualised and made present in every corner of the world". (SOURCE http://www.catholicherald.co.uk/articles/a0000618.shtml
AFRICA
CONGO-KINSHASA-16 KILLED IN ATTACK
All Africa reports that the United Nations peacekeeping operation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is providing medical assistance to the victims of a deadly attack by armed militiamen in a mine-rich area in the strife-torn east of the country.
Media reports say at least 16 people were killed during Wednesday's attack, which took place in the remote village of Mpama in North Kivu province, close to the mines at Biseye. Mining is a lucrative source of income in the impoverished region, which continues to be beset by outbreaks of fighting involving militia groups and the army.
Troops from the Congolese army (FARDC) stationed nearby were dispatched to find the militiamen, but they had already fled, according to a press statement issued today by the UN peacekeeping mission, known as MONUC.
Alan Doss, the head of MONUC and the Secretary-General's Special Representative to the DRC, denounced the attack.
"Nothing can justify these crimes committed by the armed groups that strike at civilians," Mr. Doss said.
MONUC established a medical assistance team in the nearby town of Ishenga to treat the injured, with some others evacuated to other centres. The blue helmets have also stepped up their patrols in the Walikale-Biseye area. (SOURCE: http://allafrica.com/stories/200908160009.html
ASIA
YEMEN: NEWS OF ABDUCTED EUROPEANS AMONG CONDITIONS FOR CEASEFIRE
AsiaNews.it reports that there is a demand for "information" about the fate of six Europeans - five Germans and a Briton - abducted in June in the north of Yemen among the conditions imposed by the Sanaa government to put an end to the heavy attacks that the army is conducting against the Houthi rebels. The rebels, who complain of air strikes and bombardment of peaceful villages, are a Shiite minority that takes its name from Abdulmalik al-Houthi, their spiritual leader. Al-Houthi speaks of "criminal acts" and describes the deaths of two children, due to the attacks.The government accuses the Houti of wanting to restore a form of state – along Iranian lines – similar to the one in the region of Sa'ad that lasted until the '60s, and of attacks against government installations, as well as kidnappings, like that of June. On that occasion three women, two German and one South Korean, were also abducted but later found dead.
The current clash, which local sources call the "Sixth War of Sa'ad" involves, in addition to the army, members of the Hashid tribe, who are also Shiites. This highlights the intricacy of the situation.
Last Saturday, a mediation committee had established "steps" to reach a stable ceasefire, but the government and rebels accuse each other of making any truce impossible, which was supposed to have substituted an existing one, that had also been violated. (SOURCE: http://www.asianews.it/index.php?l=en&art=16055&size=A
AUSTRALIA
QUADRIPLEGIC MAN WINS RIGHT TO DIE BUT MAY RECONSIDER
CathNews Australia reports that a Perth quadriplegic Christian Rossiter won a landmark legal case, allowing to starve himself to death if he chooses. Mr Rossiter said after the proceedings, however, that he could be persuaded to live.
"I'm happy that I won my right to die, and (have) no sustenance and no water," he said on Friday. "The judge was so benevolent that he considered those, that he set a legal precedent in Australian law.
"That similar quadriplegics can choose whether they want to live," he was quoted as saying in an AAP report carried by WA Today.
Mr Rossiter said he would seek further medical advice from an experienced palliative care doctor before deciding not to be fed through a tube to his stomach.
"I want to end my life, but after I speak to a medical professional," Mr Rossiter said. "He could dissuade me. I have to seek advice. There's a possibility I could still be dissuaded."
WA Supreme Court Justice Wayne Martin ruled it would be unlawful for Brightwater Care Group to continue feeding Mr Rossiter against his wishes if he had been informed of the consequences of ceasing nutrition and fluids.
He also said any person providing palliative care to 49 year old Mr Rossiter would not be criminally responsible if the use of painkillers did not deliberately cause or hasten his death.
Mr Rossiter, who lost all body movement after he was hit by a car in 2004 and suffered two falls in 2008 which led to spastic quadriplegia, had the right to direct his treatment.
"It's not about euthanasia ... nor is it about the right to life," he told the court.
The tragedy of Mr Rossiter's situation was "profoundly significant but irrelevant" to the legal decision, Justice Martin said. Mr Rossiter, he said, had the mental capacity to make an informed decision regarding receiving or refusing care, he said.
"They are entirely matters for Mr Rossiter," he said. His draft judgement was published on the WA Supreme Court website for public perusal.
Mr Rossiter, who has described his life as "a living hell", told reporters following the hearing that he did not lack the courage to carry out his wish to die.
He said in a statement read out by his lawyer, that his dying wish was to have painkillers to make him drowsy and to watch TV as he waited to die.
"I want to say that the painkillers make me drowsy, and I would like to be made drowsy in my final moments so the time would pass more quickly," he said.
"And I would like to watch Foxtel on the television to pass the time."
SOURCE
http://www.cathnews.com/article.aspx?aeid=15791)
AMERICAS
CAR ACCIDENT CAUSES DEATH DUE TO FAINTING SPELL
CNA reports that the Diocese of Cordoba in Mexico has expressed sadness over an accident caused by Bishop Eduardo Patino Leal, who fainted while driving. The accident left five people injured and one person dead. The diocese said Bishop Patino was driving his pickup on the way to a meeting when he fainted and ran over six people. One of the bystanders was killed. The bishop suffers from diabetes, which officials said was probably the cause of his fainting spell. When he regained consciousness, Bishop Patino realized he had crashed his pickup into a post and had run over several individuals. Police officers helped him out of the vehicle and said he was extremely upset and showed signs of hypertension and dizziness. He had also injured his right hand in the accident. The diocese said Bishop Patino is very saddened by the incident and has offered his prayers and sincere apologies to the family members of the victims. “He joins his sorrow to that of each of them as if they were his own family,” the statement said. Bishop Patino offered his full cooperation to police in their investigation of the incident. (SOURCEhttp://www.catholicnewsagency.com/new.php?n=16848
TODAY'S SAINT
St. Stephen of Hungary
FIRST KING AND
PATRON SAINT OF HUNGARYFeast: August 16
Information:
Feast Day:
August 16
Born:
975, Hungary
Died:
August 15, 1038, Esztergom or Székesfehérvár, Kingdom of Hungary
Canonized:
August 20, 1083, Esztergom, Hungary by Pope Gregory VII
Major Shrine:
Saint Stephen's Basilica in Budapest, Hungary
Patron of:
Hungary
First King of Hungary, b. at Gran, 975; d. 15 August, 1038.
He was a son of the Hungarian chief Géza and was baptized, together with his father, by Archbishop St. Adalbert of Prague in 985, on which occasion he changed his heathen name Vaik (Vojk) into Stephen. In 995 he married Gisela, a sister of Duke Henry of Bavaria, the future Emperor St. Henry II, and in 997 succeeded to the throne of Hungary. In order to make Hungary a Christian nation and to establish himself more firmly as ruler, he sent Abbot Astricus to Rome to petition Pope Sylvester II for the royal dignity and the power to establish episcopal sees. The pope acceded to his wishes and, in addition, presented him with a royal crown with which he was crowned at Gran on 17 August, 1001 . He founded a monastery in Jerusalem and hospices for pilgrims at Rome, Ravenna, and Constantinople. He was a personal friend of St. Bruno of Querfurt and corresponded with Abbot St. Odilo of Cluny.
When on 2 September, 1031, his only son, St. Emeric, lost his life on a bear hunt, his cherished hope of transferring the reins of government into the hands of a pious Christian prince were shattered. During his lifetime a quarrel arose among his various nephews concerning the right of succession, and some of them even took part in a conspiracy against his life. He was buried beside his son at Stuhlweissenburg, and both were canonized together in 1083. His feast is on 2 September, but in Hungary his chief festival is observed on 20 August, the day on which his relics were transferred to Buda. His incorrupt right hand is treasured as the most sacred relic in Hungary.
(Edited from: http://www.ewtn.com/saintsHoly/saints/S/ststephenofhungary.asp)
SAINTLY QUOTE
When you feel the assaults of passion and anger, then is the time to be silent as Jesus was silent in the midst of His ignominies and sufferings. St. Paul of the Cross
TODAY'S MASS READINGS
1ST READING
Proverbs 9: 1 - 6
Wisdom has built her house, she has set up her seven pillars.
She has slaughtered her beasts, she has mixed her wine, she has also set her table.
She has sent out her maids to call from the highest places in the town,
"Whoever is simple, let him turn in here!" To him who is without sense she says,
"Come, eat of my bread and drink of the wine I have mixed.
Leave simpleness, and live, and walk in the way of insight."
PSALM
Psalms 34: 2 - 7
My soul makes its boast in the LORD; let the afflicted hear and be glad.
O magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt his name together!
I sought the LORD, and he answered me, and delivered me from all my fears.
Look to him, and be radiant; so your faces shall never be ashamed.
This poor man cried, and the LORD heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles.
The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear him, and delivers them.
Ephesians 5: 15 - 20
Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise,
making the most of the time, because the days are evil.
Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.
And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery; but be filled with the Spirit,
addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with all your heart,
always and for everything giving thanks in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God the Father.
TODAY'S GOSPEL
John 6: 51 - 58
I am the living bread which came down from heaven; if any one eats of this bread, he will live for ever; and the bread which I shall give for the life of the world is my flesh."
The Jews then disputed among themselves, saying, "How can this man give us his flesh to eat?"
So Jesus said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood, you have no life in you;
he who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.
For my flesh is food indeed, and my blood is drink indeed.
He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him.
As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so he who eats me will live because of me.
This is the bread which came down from heaven, not such as the fathers ate and died; he who eats this bread will live for ever."
