2014
South Korea makes Official Music Video with Stars for Pope Francis
Death Toll in Palestine at 172 after 7th day of Bombing - Please PRAY
Today's Mass Readings : Mon. July 14, 2014
Death Toll in Palestine at 172 after 7th day of Bombing - Please PRAY
ASIA NEWS by Joshua Lapide
According to Palestinian sources, the death toll has reached 172. Rockets continue to rain on Israel. Since the start of the conflict, Hamas has fired more than a thousand of them, 130 only yesterday. The UN Security Council unanimously approves a call for a ceasefire. But the belligerents seem unmoved.
Jerusalem (AsiaNews) - On the seventh day of war in Gaza, the latest reports indicate that Israeli air strikes hit three Qassam Brigades sites along the coast, as well as sites in Gaza City, Deir el-Balah, in the southern part of the Gaza Strip, and the northern towns of Beit Lahiya and Jabaliya.
At least 172 Palestinians have been killed since Israel's offensive began, according to Palestinian officials. Israel says it is targeting Hamas militants and "terror sites". However, the United Nations has estimated that 77 per cent of the people killed in Gaza have been civilians.
More than 130 rockets hit Israel yesterday and more than a thousand have been launched since 8 July. Some rockets have also been fired from Lebanon and Syria.
One rocket hit an Israeli power facility that supplies Gaza, cutting electricity to 70,000 Palestinians in the territory, Israel's military said.
For now, Israel's Iron Dome anti-missile system has so far been able to stop most incoming rockets before they hit cities and settlements. No Israeli has died, although some have been wounded.
As the situation gets worse with Israel's threatened ground invasion, diplomatic efforts have increased to stop the conflict.
Yesterday, the UN Security Council unanimously approved a call for a ceasefire, but did not specify any deadline. The Pope made a "heartfelt appeal ... for peace in the Holy Land".
US Secretary of State John Kerry called Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to urge a truce.
The foreign ministers of the Germany and Italy, Frank-Walter Steinmeier and Federica Mogherini, are expected in the coming days in the Middle East. Mogherini is scheduled to meet with Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. The latter yesterday appealed to the United Nations for international protection.
Yet neither Israel nor Hamas seem willing to listen. Netanyahu is facing increasing pressure from within his cabinet to launch a ground attack, but while 90 per cent of Israelis support strikes at Hamas targets, support for a ground assault is less forthcoming.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Israel would act "vigorously in order to achieve the goal of the operation -- the restoration of quiet for a long period while inflicting a significant blow on Hamas and the other terrorist organizations." However, he runs the risk of appearing weak, if rockets from Gaza continue to target Israeli cities.
Israel's military, which claims to have hit 1,300 "terrorist targets", yesterday dropped leaflets and phoned residents in the town of Beit Lahiya, north of Gaza, to urge them to leave as a prelude to an operation against "terrorists and the terrorist infrastructure."
For its part, Hamas, which is in financial difficulty and has recently seen a significant rise in the level of dissatisfaction among Gazans, "has nothing to lose," this according to Mukhaimer Abu Saada, a professor of political science at Gaza's Al Azhar University.
Notwithstanding the interest of some of its factions - and others in Israel - to undermine the agreement with Abbas, Hamas has to try to "stay alive" and every time a house is hit or someone dies, its popularity grows despite the Israeli accusations that it uses civilians as human shields.
What it is looking for is anything that will allow it to claim a propaganda victory and ease Egypt's economic blockade.
According to Israeli sources, Hamas has an arsenal of about 10,000 missiles, especially short-range rockets, which would enable it to hold out for about six weeks, too long for Israel.
On the other hand, a ground invasion aimed at eliminating all or most of launch sites would likely be too costly in terms of casualties.
All this shows that the room for diplomacy is quite limited. ASIANEWS IT REPORT
According to Palestinian sources, the death toll has reached 172. Rockets continue to rain on Israel. Since the start of the conflict, Hamas has fired more than a thousand of them, 130 only yesterday. The UN Security Council unanimously approves a call for a ceasefire. But the belligerents seem unmoved.
Jerusalem (AsiaNews) - On the seventh day of war in Gaza, the latest reports indicate that Israeli air strikes hit three Qassam Brigades sites along the coast, as well as sites in Gaza City, Deir el-Balah, in the southern part of the Gaza Strip, and the northern towns of Beit Lahiya and Jabaliya.
At least 172 Palestinians have been killed since Israel's offensive began, according to Palestinian officials. Israel says it is targeting Hamas militants and "terror sites". However, the United Nations has estimated that 77 per cent of the people killed in Gaza have been civilians.
More than 130 rockets hit Israel yesterday and more than a thousand have been launched since 8 July. Some rockets have also been fired from Lebanon and Syria.
One rocket hit an Israeli power facility that supplies Gaza, cutting electricity to 70,000 Palestinians in the territory, Israel's military said.
For now, Israel's Iron Dome anti-missile system has so far been able to stop most incoming rockets before they hit cities and settlements. No Israeli has died, although some have been wounded.
As the situation gets worse with Israel's threatened ground invasion, diplomatic efforts have increased to stop the conflict.
Yesterday, the UN Security Council unanimously approved a call for a ceasefire, but did not specify any deadline. The Pope made a "heartfelt appeal ... for peace in the Holy Land".
US Secretary of State John Kerry called Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to urge a truce.
The foreign ministers of the Germany and Italy, Frank-Walter Steinmeier and Federica Mogherini, are expected in the coming days in the Middle East. Mogherini is scheduled to meet with Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. The latter yesterday appealed to the United Nations for international protection.
Yet neither Israel nor Hamas seem willing to listen. Netanyahu is facing increasing pressure from within his cabinet to launch a ground attack, but while 90 per cent of Israelis support strikes at Hamas targets, support for a ground assault is less forthcoming.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Israel would act "vigorously in order to achieve the goal of the operation -- the restoration of quiet for a long period while inflicting a significant blow on Hamas and the other terrorist organizations." However, he runs the risk of appearing weak, if rockets from Gaza continue to target Israeli cities.
Israel's military, which claims to have hit 1,300 "terrorist targets", yesterday dropped leaflets and phoned residents in the town of Beit Lahiya, north of Gaza, to urge them to leave as a prelude to an operation against "terrorists and the terrorist infrastructure."
For its part, Hamas, which is in financial difficulty and has recently seen a significant rise in the level of dissatisfaction among Gazans, "has nothing to lose," this according to Mukhaimer Abu Saada, a professor of political science at Gaza's Al Azhar University.
Notwithstanding the interest of some of its factions - and others in Israel - to undermine the agreement with Abbas, Hamas has to try to "stay alive" and every time a house is hit or someone dies, its popularity grows despite the Israeli accusations that it uses civilians as human shields.
What it is looking for is anything that will allow it to claim a propaganda victory and ease Egypt's economic blockade.
According to Israeli sources, Hamas has an arsenal of about 10,000 missiles, especially short-range rockets, which would enable it to hold out for about six weeks, too long for Israel.
On the other hand, a ground invasion aimed at eliminating all or most of launch sites would likely be too costly in terms of casualties.
All this shows that the room for diplomacy is quite limited. ASIANEWS IT REPORT
Novena to St. Kateri Tekakwitha - Litany and Hymn Prayers
Novena: Kateri, favored child and Lily of the Mohawks, I come to seek your intercession in my present need: (State your intention here...) I admire the virtues which adorned your soul: love of God and neighbor, humility, obedience, patience, purity and the spirit of sacrifice.
Help me to imitate your example in my state of life. Through the goodness and mercy of God, Who has blessed you with so many graces which led you to the true faith and to a high degree of holiness, pray to God for me and help me. Obtain for me a very fervent devotion to the Holy Eucharist so that I may love Holy Mass as you did and receive Holy Communion as often as I can. Teach me also to be devoted to my crucified Savior as you were, that I may cheerfully bear my daily crosses for love of Him Who suffered so much for love of me.
Most of all I beg you to pray for me that I may avoid sin, lead a holy life and save my soul. AMEN
In Thanksgiving to God for the graces bestowed upon Kateri: (Recite the following prayers...) Our Father... Hail Mary... Glory Be... (3 times) Kateri, Lily of the Mohawks, pray for me.
Lord, have mercy on us.
Help me to imitate your example in my state of life. Through the goodness and mercy of God, Who has blessed you with so many graces which led you to the true faith and to a high degree of holiness, pray to God for me and help me. Obtain for me a very fervent devotion to the Holy Eucharist so that I may love Holy Mass as you did and receive Holy Communion as often as I can. Teach me also to be devoted to my crucified Savior as you were, that I may cheerfully bear my daily crosses for love of Him Who suffered so much for love of me.
Most of all I beg you to pray for me that I may avoid sin, lead a holy life and save my soul. AMEN
In Thanksgiving to God for the graces bestowed upon Kateri: (Recite the following prayers...) Our Father... Hail Mary... Glory Be... (3 times) Kateri, Lily of the Mohawks, pray for me.
Lord, have mercy on us.
Christ, have mercy on us.
Lord, have mercy on us.
Christ, hear us.
Christ, graciously hear us.
God the Father of Heaven, have mercy on us.
God the Son, Redeemer of the World have mercy on us.
God the Holy Ghost, have mercy on us.
Holy Trinity, one God, have mercy on us.Kateri, lily of purity, pray for us.
Kateri, consoler of the heart of Jesus, pray for us.
Kateri, bright light for all Indians, pray for us.
Kateri, courage of the afflicted, pray for us.
Kateri, lover of the cross of Jesus, pray for us.
Kateri, flower of fortitude for the persecuted, pray for us.
Kateri, unshakeable in temptations, pray for us.
Kateri, full of patience in suffering, pray for us.
Kateri, keeper of your virginity in persecutions, pray for us.
Kateri, leader of many Indians to the true faith through your love for Mary, pray for us.
Kateri, who loved Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament, pray for us.
Kateri, lover of penance, pray for us.
Kateri, who traveled many miles to learn the faith, pray for us.
Kateri, steadfast in all prayer, pray for us.
Kateri, who loved to pray the rosary for all people, pray for us.
Kateri, example to your people in all virtues, pray for us.
Kateri, humble servant to the sick, pray for us.
Kateri, who by your love of humility, gave joy to the angels,
pray for us.
Kateri, your holy death gave strength to all Indians
to love Jesus and Mary, pray for us.
Kateri, whose scarred face in life became beautiful after death,
pray for us.
Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, spare us, 0 Lord.
Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, graciously hear us, 0 Lord.
Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, have mercy on us.
LET US PRAY
0 Jesus, who gave Kateri to the Indians as an example of purity, teach all men to love purity, and to console your immaculate Mother Mary through the lily, Kateri Tekakwitha, and your Holy Cross, Amen.
Latest News from Vatican Information Service - Pope Francis Appoints and Messages
Vatican City, 13 July 2014 (VIS) – After praying the Angelus, the Pope launched a fresh appeal for fervent prayer for peace in the Holy Land in the light of the tragic events of recent days. “I still recall the meeting of 8 June with Patriarch Bartholomaios, President Peres and President Abbas, with whom we invoked the gift of peace and heard the call to break the cycle of hatred and violence. Some might think that such a meeting took place in vain. But no, because prayer helps us not to allow ourselves to be overcome by evil, nor resign ourselves to violence and hatred taking over dialogue and reconciliation. I urge the parties concerned and all those who have political responsibility at local and international levels to offer a prayer and make some effort to bring an end to all hostilities and to achieve the desired peace for the good of all. And I invite everyone to unite in prayer. In silence everyone, let us pray. Now, Lord, help us! Grant us peace, teach us peace, guide us toward peace. Open our eyes and our hearts and give us the courage to say: “No more war!” “War destroys everything”. Give us the courage to take concrete actions to build peace. Make us willing to listen to the cry of our citizens who ask us to transform our weapons into instruments of peace, our fears into trust, and our tensions into forgiveness”. The Holy Father then went on to comment that today is “Sea Sunday”, and greeted all seafarers, fishermen and their families, urging Christian communities, particularly those living in coastal areas, to be attentive to them. “I also invite the chaplains and volunteers of the Apostleship of the Sea to continue their commitment to the pastoral care of these brothers and sisters”, he added, entrusting all, “especially those who are in difficulty and away from home, to the maternal protection of Mary, Star of the Sea”. Finally, he blessed all the spiritual sons and daughters of St. Camillus de Lellis, astomorrow marks the 400th anniversary of his death, and invited the Camillan family, in this jubilee year, “to be a sign of the Lord Jesus who, as the Good Samaritan, tends to the wounds of the body and the spirit of suffering humanity, pouring the oil of consolation and the wine of hope. To those of you gathered here in St Peter's Square, as well as to health professionals serving in hospitals and nursing homes, it is my hope that you may continue grow in the charism of charity, fuelled by daily contact with the sick”. | |||||||||
POPE FRANCIS' VIDEOMESSAGE TO PATIENTS IN GEMELLI HOSPITAL Vatican City, 14 July 2014 (VIS) – On Sunday morning the Holy Father sent a video message to patients in Rome's Agostino Gemelli Hospital, in which he apologised for be unable to attend the visit planned for 27 June, cancelled due to an unexpected indisposition. “I extend my apologies not only to the hospital directors but to all those who have worked with such effort and passion. Above all, I include the patients waiting to be able to pray together during the Holy Mass, whom I would have liked to greet personally”. Francis encouraged the sick to cultivate in prayer “the flavour of the things of God; bear witness that your strength lies in God alone. You who, as patients, experience the frailty of the body, can offer a powerful testimony to those who are near you of how the Gospel and the merciful love of the Father are a precious asset in life, not money or power. Indeed, even when a person is important according to a worldly logic, he is not able to add even one extra day to his own life”. The Pope commented that the summer vacations were approaching and that many people go on holiday to relax. “However, summer is also a difficult moment especially for the elderly and the sick, who are more likely to remain alone and who encounter greater difficulties in obtaining certain services, especially in big cities. So, this time of repose is also the time in which the difficulties in life can become even greater”. He concluded by highlighting the passion and dedication of the hospital staff, and thanked them warmly for their work. “I truly looked forward to meeting with you but, as you well know, we are not the masters of our own lives and things do not always go to plan. We must accept our frailty. With me, cultivate the trust that our strength lies in God alone. I entrust you to Mary and ask that you continue to pray for me, as I need your prayers”. | |||||||||
REDUCTIONISM DISCARDS AN ENTIRE GENERATION OF YOUNG PEOPLE Vatican City, 13 July 2014 (VIS) – Yesterday, Saturday, the Holy Father lunched with the participants in the international seminar dedicated to Pope Francis' proposal in the Apostolic Exhortation “Evangelii Gaudium”, for “an increasingly inclusive economy”, which took place in the Casina Pio IV in the Vatican. “What you do is very important”, he said. “Reflecting on reality, but reflecting without fear, reflecting with intelligence. Without fear and with intelligence. And this is a service”. Referring to the themes considered during the seminar, he went on to offer a brief discourse on anthropological reductionism. “I believe that this is the strongest moment for anthropological reductionism. What is happening to humanity at the moment is what happens when wine becomes brandy: it passes through a phase of distillation, in organisational terms. It is no longer wine, but it is something else: perhaps more useful, more qualified, but it is not wine! For mankind it is the same: man passes through this transformational phase and ends up – and I am serious – losing his humanity and becoming a tool of the system, a social and economic system, a system where imbalance reigns. When mankind loses his humanity, what happens to us? What occurs is what I would describe in simple terms as a throwaway policy or sociology: what is no longer useful is discarded, because man is not at the centre. And when man is not at the centre, there is something else in his place and man is at the service of this other thing. The idea, therefore, is to save mankind, in the sense of restoring him to the centre: to the centre of society, of thought, of reflection. Restoring mankind to the centre. You do good work. You study, reflect, hold conferences for this reason – so that mankind is not discarded. Children are discarded – we all know about today's birth rates, at least in Europe; the elderly are discarded, because they are not 'useful'. And now? An entire generation of young people is discarded, and this is very serious! I have seen a figure: 75 million young people, under the age of 25, without work. The 'neither-nor' young: those who neither work nor study. They do not study because they do not have the opportunity, and the do not work because there is no work. Who will be the next to be discarded? Let us stop this in time, please!”. The Pope thanked those present for their work and their initiatives “to restore balance to this imbalanced situation and to recover mankind, restoring him to the centre of reflection and the centre of life. He is the king of the universe!” he exclaimed. “And this is not theology, it is philosophy and human reality”. | |||||||||
OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS Vatican City, 12 July 2014 (VIS) – The Holy Father has: - appointed Archbishop Luigi Bianco, as apostolic nuncio in Ethiopia. Archbishop Bianco was previously apostolic nuncio in Honduras. - appointed Bishop Claudio Maniago, auxiliary of the archdiocese of Florence, Italy, as bishop of Castellaneta (area 1,043, population 128,687, Catholics 125,861, priests 54, permanent deacons 1, religious 41), Italy. - appointed Cardinal Jaime Lucas Ortega y Alamino, archbishop of La Habana (Cuba), as his special envoy to the concluding celebration of the 350 th anniversary of the foundation of the parish of Notre Dame-de-Québec, Canada, “mother-church of all the parishes of North America” scheduled for 14 September 2014. - appointed Rev. Luca Sansalone of the clergy of Rome as judicial vicar of the Tribunal of First Instance for the causes of nullity of marriage for the region of Latium. Rev. Sansalone was previously adjunct judicial vicar at the same Tribunal.
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Today's Mass Readings : Mon. July 14, 2014
Reading 1IS 55:10-11
Thus says the LORD:
Just as from the heavens
the rain and snow come down
and do not return there
till they have watered the earth,
making it fertile and fruitful,
giving seed to the one who sows
and bread to the one who eats,
so shall my word be
that goes forth from my mouth;
my word shall not return to me void,
but shall do my will,
achieving the end for which I sent it.
Just as from the heavens
the rain and snow come down
and do not return there
till they have watered the earth,
making it fertile and fruitful,
giving seed to the one who sows
and bread to the one who eats,
so shall my word be
that goes forth from my mouth;
my word shall not return to me void,
but shall do my will,
achieving the end for which I sent it.
Responsorial Psalm PS 65:10, 11, 12-13, 14
R/ (Lk 8:8) The seed that falls on good ground will yield a fruitful harvest.
You have visited the land and watered it;
greatly have you enriched it.
God’s watercourses are filled;
you have prepared the grain.
R/ The seed that falls on good ground will yield a fruitful harvest.
Thus have you prepared the land: drenching its furrows,
breaking up its clods,
Softening it with showers,
blessing its yield.
R/ The seed that falls on good ground will yield a fruitful harvest.
You have crowned the year with your bounty,
and your paths overflow with a rich harvest;
The untilled meadows overflow with it,
and rejoicing clothes the hills.
R/ The seed that falls on good ground will yield a fruitful harvest.
The fields are garmented with flocks
and the valleys blanketed with grain.
They shout and sing for joy.
R/ The seed that falls on good ground will yield a fruitful harvest.
Such large crowds gathered around him
that he got into a boat and sat down,
and the whole crowd stood along the shore.
And he spoke to them at length in parables, saying:
“A sower went out to sow.
And as he sowed, some seed fell on the path,
and birds came and ate it up.
Some fell on rocky ground, where it had little soil.
It sprang up at once because the soil was not deep,
and when the sun rose it was scorched,
and it withered for lack of roots.
Some seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it.
But some seed fell on rich soil, and produced fruit,
a hundred or sixty or thirtyfold.
Whoever has ears ought to hear.”
The disciples approached him and said,
“Why do you speak to them in parables?”
He said to them in reply,
“Because knowledge of the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven
has been granted to you, but to them it has not been granted.
To anyone who has, more will be given and he will grow rich;
from anyone who has not, even what he has will be taken away.
This is why I speak to them in parables, because
they look but do not see and hear but do not listen or understand.
Isaiah’s prophecy is fulfilled in them, which says:
You shall indeed hear but not understand,
you shall indeed look but never see.
Gross is the heart of this people,
they will hardly hear with their ears,
they have closed their eyes,
lest they see with their eyes
and hear with their ears
and understand with their hearts and be converted,
and I heal them.
“But blessed are your eyes, because they see,
and your ears, because they hear.
Amen, I say to you, many prophets and righteous people
longed to see what you see but did not see it,
and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.
“Hear then the parable of the sower.
The seed sown on the path is the one
who hears the word of the kingdom without understanding it,
and the evil one comes and steals away
what was sown in his heart.
The seed sown on rocky ground
is the one who hears the word and receives it at once with joy.
But he has no root and lasts only for a time.
When some tribulation or persecution comes because of the word,
he immediately falls away.
The seed sown among thorns is the one who hears the word,
but then worldly anxiety and the lure of riches choke the word
and it bears no fruit.
But the seed sown on rich soil
is the one who hears the word and understands it,
who indeed bears fruit and yields a hundred or sixty or thirtyfold.”
You have visited the land and watered it;
greatly have you enriched it.
God’s watercourses are filled;
you have prepared the grain.
R/ The seed that falls on good ground will yield a fruitful harvest.
Thus have you prepared the land: drenching its furrows,
breaking up its clods,
Softening it with showers,
blessing its yield.
R/ The seed that falls on good ground will yield a fruitful harvest.
You have crowned the year with your bounty,
and your paths overflow with a rich harvest;
The untilled meadows overflow with it,
and rejoicing clothes the hills.
R/ The seed that falls on good ground will yield a fruitful harvest.
The fields are garmented with flocks
and the valleys blanketed with grain.
They shout and sing for joy.
R/ The seed that falls on good ground will yield a fruitful harvest.
Reading 2ROM 8:18-23
Brothers and sisters:
I consider that the sufferings of this present time are as nothing
compared with the glory to be revealed for us.
For creation awaits with eager expectation
the revelation of the children of God;
for creation was made subject to futility,
not of its own accord but because of the one who subjected it,
in hope that creation itself
would be set free from slavery to corruption
and share in the glorious freedom of the children of God.
We know that all creation is groaning in labor pains even until now;
and not only that, but we ourselves,
who have the firstfruits of the Spirit,
we also groan within ourselves
as we wait for adoption, the redemption of our bodies.
I consider that the sufferings of this present time are as nothing
compared with the glory to be revealed for us.
For creation awaits with eager expectation
the revelation of the children of God;
for creation was made subject to futility,
not of its own accord but because of the one who subjected it,
in hope that creation itself
would be set free from slavery to corruption
and share in the glorious freedom of the children of God.
We know that all creation is groaning in labor pains even until now;
and not only that, but we ourselves,
who have the firstfruits of the Spirit,
we also groan within ourselves
as we wait for adoption, the redemption of our bodies.
Gospel MT 13:1-23
On that day, Jesus went out of the house and sat down by the sea.Such large crowds gathered around him
that he got into a boat and sat down,
and the whole crowd stood along the shore.
And he spoke to them at length in parables, saying:
“A sower went out to sow.
And as he sowed, some seed fell on the path,
and birds came and ate it up.
Some fell on rocky ground, where it had little soil.
It sprang up at once because the soil was not deep,
and when the sun rose it was scorched,
and it withered for lack of roots.
Some seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it.
But some seed fell on rich soil, and produced fruit,
a hundred or sixty or thirtyfold.
Whoever has ears ought to hear.”
The disciples approached him and said,
“Why do you speak to them in parables?”
He said to them in reply,
“Because knowledge of the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven
has been granted to you, but to them it has not been granted.
To anyone who has, more will be given and he will grow rich;
from anyone who has not, even what he has will be taken away.
This is why I speak to them in parables, because
they look but do not see and hear but do not listen or understand.
Isaiah’s prophecy is fulfilled in them, which says:
You shall indeed hear but not understand,
you shall indeed look but never see.
Gross is the heart of this people,
they will hardly hear with their ears,
they have closed their eyes,
lest they see with their eyes
and hear with their ears
and understand with their hearts and be converted,
and I heal them.
“But blessed are your eyes, because they see,
and your ears, because they hear.
Amen, I say to you, many prophets and righteous people
longed to see what you see but did not see it,
and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.
“Hear then the parable of the sower.
The seed sown on the path is the one
who hears the word of the kingdom without understanding it,
and the evil one comes and steals away
what was sown in his heart.
The seed sown on rocky ground
is the one who hears the word and receives it at once with joy.
But he has no root and lasts only for a time.
When some tribulation or persecution comes because of the word,
he immediately falls away.
The seed sown among thorns is the one who hears the word,
but then worldly anxiety and the lure of riches choke the word
and it bears no fruit.
But the seed sown on rich soil
is the one who hears the word and understands it,
who indeed bears fruit and yields a hundred or sixty or thirtyfold.”
Or MT 13:1-9
On that day, Jesus went out of the house and sat down by the sea.
Such large crowds gathered around him
that he got into a boat and sat down,
and the whole crowd stood along the shore.
And he spoke to them at length in parables, saying:
“A sower went out to sow.
And as he sowed, some seed fell on the path,
and birds came and ate it up.
Some fell on rocky ground, where it had little soil.
It sprang up at once because the soil was not deep,
and when the sun rose it was scorched,
and it withered for lack of roots.
Some seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it.
But some seed fell on rich soil and produced fruit,
a hundred or sixty or thirtyfold.
Whoever has ears ought to hear.”
Such large crowds gathered around him
that he got into a boat and sat down,
and the whole crowd stood along the shore.
And he spoke to them at length in parables, saying:
“A sower went out to sow.
And as he sowed, some seed fell on the path,
and birds came and ate it up.
Some fell on rocky ground, where it had little soil.
It sprang up at once because the soil was not deep,
and when the sun rose it was scorched,
and it withered for lack of roots.
Some seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it.
But some seed fell on rich soil and produced fruit,
a hundred or sixty or thirtyfold.
Whoever has ears ought to hear.”
2014
Saint July 14 : St. Kateri Tekakwitha : Patron of Ecology and Natives
Bl. Kateri Tekakwitha
VIRGIN
Feast: July 14
Information:
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Known as the "Lily of the Mohawks", and the "Genevieve of New France" an Indian virgin of the Mohawk tribe, born according to some authorities at the Turtle Castle of Ossernenon, according to others at the village of Gandaouge, in 1656; died at Caughnawaga, Canada, 17 April, 1680.
Her mother was a Christian Algonquin who had been captured by the Iroquois and saved from a captive's fate by the father of Tekakwitha, to whom she also bore a son. When Tekakwitha was about four years old, her parents and brother died of small-pox, and the child was adopted by her aunts and an uncle who had become chief of the Turtle clan. Although small-pox had marked her face and seriously impaired her eyesight and her manner was reserved and shrinking, her aunts began when she was yet very young to form marriage projects for her, from which, as she grew older, she shrank with great aversion.
In 1667 the Jesuit missionaries Fremin, Bruyas, and Pierron, accompanying the Mohawk deputies who had been to Quebec to conclude peace with the French, spent three days in the lodge of Tekakwitha's uncle. From them she received her first knowledge of Christianity, but although she forthwith eagerly accepted it in her heart she did not at that time ask to be baptized. Some time later the Turtle clan moved to the north bank of the Mohawk River, the "castle" being built above what is now the town of Fonda. Here in the midst of scenes of carnage, debauchery, and idolatrous frency Tekakwitha lived a life of remarkable virtue, at heart not only a Christian but a Christian virgin, for she firmly and often, with great risk to herself, resisted all efforts to induce her to marry.
When she was eighteen, Father Jacques de Lamberville arrived to take charge of the mission which included the Turtle clan, and from him, at her earnest request, Tekakwitha received baptism. Thenceforth she practised her religion unflinchingly in the face of almost unbearable opposition, till finally her uncle's lodge ceased to be a place of protection to her and she was assisted by some Christian Indians to escape to Caughnawaga on the St. Laurence. Here she lived in the cabin of Anastasia Tegonhatsihonga, a Christian Indian woman, her extraordinary sanctity impressing not only her own people but the French and the missionaries. Her mortifications were extreme, and Chauchtiere says that she had attained the most perfect union with God in prayer.
Upon her death devotion to her began immediately to be manifested by her people. Many pilgrims visit her grave in Caughnawaga where a monument to her memory was erected by the Rev. Clarence Walworth in 1884; and Councils of Baltimore and Quebec have petitioned for her canonization. On 22 June 1980, she was beatified by Pope John Paul II; her feast day is celebrated on 14 July.
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SOURCE: http://www.ewtn.com/saintsHoly/saints/K/blkateritekakwitha.asp#ixzz1S6S5r600
Saint July 14 : St. Camillus de Lellis : Patron of Nurses, Hospitals and Sick
St. Camillus de Lellis
FOUNDER
Feast: July 14
Information:
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THE early years of Camillus gave no sign of sanctity. At the age of nineteen he took service with his father, an Italian noble, against the Turks, and after four years’ hard campaigning found himself, through his violent temper, reckless habits, and inveterate passion for gambling, a discharged soldier, and in such straitened circumstances that he was obliged to work as a laborer on a Capuchin convent which was then building. A few words from a Capuchin friar brought about his conversion, and he resolved to become a religious. Thrice he entered the Capuchin novitiate, but each time an obstinate wound in his leg forced him to leave. He repaired to Rome for medical treatment, and there took St. Philip as his confessor, and entered the hospital of St. Giacomo, of which he became in time the superintendent. The carelessness of the paid chaplains and nurses towards the suffering patients now inspired him with the thought of founding a congregation to minister to their wants. With this end he was ordained priest, and in 1586 his community of the Servants of the Sick was confirmed by the Pope. Its usefulness was soon felt, not only in hospitals, but in private houses. Summoned at every hour of the day and night, the devotion of Camillus never grew cold. With a woman's tenderness he attended to the needs of his patients. He wept with them, consoled them, and prayed with them. He knew miraculously the state of their souls; and St. Philip saw angels whispering to two Servants of the Sick who were consoling a dying person. One day a sick man said to the Saint, "Father, may I beg you to make up my bed? it is very hard." Camillus replied, "God forgive you, brother! You beg me! Don't you know yet that you are to command me, for I am your servant and slave." "Would to God," he would cry, "that in the hour of my death one sigh or one blessing of these poor creatures might fall upon me!" His prayer was heard. He was granted the same consolations in his last hour which he had so often procured for others. In the year 1614 he died with the full use of his faculties, after two weeks' saintly preparation, as the priest was reciting the words of the ritual, "May Jesus Christ appear to thee with a mild and joyful countenance!"
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SOURCE: http://www.ewtn.com/saintsHoly/saints/C/stcamillusdelellis.asp#ixzz1S6RcNuIs
10 Amazing Facts and Quotes about Pope Francis Soccer and #WorldCup - SHARE
1. Pope Francis' love of football started when he was a child in Argentina. Both the players and the fans pray during the games.
2. Pope Francis’ hero was René Pontoni (1920-1983), who played for San Lorenzo in 1946 as they won the national title.
3. Pope Francis has good memories of going to games with his father in the Gasómetro Stadium. This was known as Club Atletico San Lorenzo de Almagro. It was founded by Padre Lorenzo Bartolome Massa in 1908; who allowed young people to play on church property instead of in the streets.
4. Pope Francis is a card-carrying member of the San Lorenzo Club. He has renewed membership annually since 2008, even as pope – (ID No. 88235). The San Lorenzo team had “Papa Francisco” badges on their jerseys during a game when San Lorenzo scored a 1-0 win.
5. Agentina's national team met with Pope Francis in August 2013 and took a photograph with him.
6. Pope Saint John Paul II is often prayed to by football fans as he also liked the game. Pope John Paul II was canonised by Pope Francis in April. John Paul II often played goalkeeper in his hometown of Wadowice, Poland.
7. Pope Francis has compared his role as Pope to sports “Pray for me that in the playing field that the Lord has placed me, I can play the game honestly and courageously fora the good of all.”
8. Pope Francis encouraged sports as a gift from God on August 13, 2013 he said, “Live your sport as a gift from God, an opportunity not only to improve your talents, but also a responsibility… I have confidence in all the good you can do, especially among young people.”
9 At the start of the World Cup Pope Francis said, "I wish everyone a wonderful World Cup, played in a spirit of true fraternity." on Twitter. 12 Jun 2014
10. The day before the World Cup Final Match Pope Francis Tweeted
"The World Cup allowed people from different countries and religions to come together. May sport always promote the culture of encounter." 13 Jul 2014
2. Pope Francis’ hero was René Pontoni (1920-1983), who played for San Lorenzo in 1946 as they won the national title.
3. Pope Francis has good memories of going to games with his father in the Gasómetro Stadium. This was known as Club Atletico San Lorenzo de Almagro. It was founded by Padre Lorenzo Bartolome Massa in 1908; who allowed young people to play on church property instead of in the streets.
4. Pope Francis is a card-carrying member of the San Lorenzo Club. He has renewed membership annually since 2008, even as pope – (ID No. 88235). The San Lorenzo team had “Papa Francisco” badges on their jerseys during a game when San Lorenzo scored a 1-0 win.
5. Agentina's national team met with Pope Francis in August 2013 and took a photograph with him.
6. Pope Saint John Paul II is often prayed to by football fans as he also liked the game. Pope John Paul II was canonised by Pope Francis in April. John Paul II often played goalkeeper in his hometown of Wadowice, Poland.
7. Pope Francis has compared his role as Pope to sports “Pray for me that in the playing field that the Lord has placed me, I can play the game honestly and courageously fora the good of all.”
8. Pope Francis encouraged sports as a gift from God on August 13, 2013 he said, “Live your sport as a gift from God, an opportunity not only to improve your talents, but also a responsibility… I have confidence in all the good you can do, especially among young people.”
9 At the start of the World Cup Pope Francis said, "I wish everyone a wonderful World Cup, played in a spirit of true fraternity." on Twitter. 12 Jun 2014
10. The day before the World Cup Final Match Pope Francis Tweeted
"The World Cup allowed people from different countries and religions to come together. May sport always promote the culture of encounter." 13 Jul 2014
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