2014
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis greeted a group of Italian adult scouts today at Paul VI Hall, encouraging them on their “path” of formation. In his message, the Holy Father encouraged them to continue on the “path” of scouting, a term that describes the formative dimension of the movement. He outlined three paths: family, creation, and the city.“All vocations take their first steps in the family…a movement such as yours, based on continuing education…for you, Christian parents, the educational mission finds its source in the sacrament of marriage, in which the raising of children constitutes a true ministry in the Church”, he said.
Pope Francis also encouraged the group to continue the on path in the care of creation, saying that “ecological question is vital for the survival of man. It has a moral dimension that affects everyone, so no one can be disinterested in the question”.
Pope Francis asked them to continue on paths in the city. “Living in the city you are asked to be the leaven in the dough, offering a sincere contribution to realize the common good”.
Finally, Pope Francis exhorted them to continue their journey, emphasizing that “ your formation as scouts is good training!” Echoing St. Paul, he said Christians train, not like athletes for an ephemeral prize, but to be “a good missionary disciple of the Lord Jesus”. Shared from Radio Vaticana
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07-11-2014 - Year XXII - Num. 196
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Summary |
| - The Pope to Bishops, friends of the Focolare Movement: the globalisation of solidarity against the globalisation of indifference |
| - Francis receives the major superiors: charisms are not to be conserved like bottles of distilled water, but to be put to the service of history |
| - The Holy See at the United Nations: for globalisation in search of mutual benefits |
| - Audiences |
| - Other Pontifical Acts |
| The Pope to Bishops, friends of the Focolare Movement: the globalisation of solidarity against the globalisation of indifference Vatican City, 7 November 2014 (VIS) – “The Eucharist, mystery of communion” is the theme of the ecumenical convention of bishops, friends of the Focolare Movement. This is an annual event uniting bishops not only from different countries but also from different churches and ecclesial communities, defined by Pope Francis as the result of “what is produced by the love of the Word of God and the will to conform existence to the Gospel; these attitudes, created and accompanied by the grace of the Holy Spirit, help nurture many initiatives, allowing solid friendships to thrive and producing significant moments of brotherhood and sharing”. The Holy Father reiterated the value, in a troubled world, of a “clear testimony of unity between Christians and an explicit declaration of esteem, respect and, more precisely, fraternity between us. This fraternity is a shining sign of our faith in the risen Christ. Indeed, if we intend to endeavour, as Christians, to respond incisively to the many problems and crises of our time, it is necessary to speak and act as brothers, so that everyone can easily recognise us as such. This too is a way – perhaps for us the first – of responding to the globalisation of indifference with a globalisation of solidarity and fraternity”. Among the issues that currently call to the conscience of Christians and their pastors, the Pope mentioned the “lack of freedom to publicly express one's religion and to live openly in accordance with Christian ethics; the persecution of Christians and other minorities; the sad phenomenon of terrorism; the refugee crisis caused by wars and other reasons; the challenge of fundamentalism and, at the other extreme, exasperated secularism”. These challenges are a call to “seek with renewed effort, with constancy and patience, the ways that lead to unity, so that the world might believe, and so that we first may be filled with confidence and courage. Among these paths there is a special route, and it is the Eucharist as the mystery of communion. … The Lord's Supper, a central moment in the life of the community, a 'moment of truth', is the encounter between Christ's grace and our responsibility; there, in the Eucharist, we are clearly aware that unity is a gift, and at the same time it is a very serious responsibility”, concluded the Pontiff. |
| Francis receives the major superiors: charisms are not to be conserved like bottles of distilled water, but to be put to the service of history Vatican City, 7 November 2014 (VIS) – The participants in the national assembly of the Italian Confederation of Major Superiors (CISM) – around a hundred people – were received in audience by the Pope this morning in the Clementine Hall. The Pontiff wished to share with them a few points of reference for their path, emphasising that religious life helps the Church to achieve the “attraction” that enables her to grow. Faced with the witness of a brother or a sister who truly lives a religious life, people ask themselves, “what is there here?”, “what is it that leads this person beyond a worldly horizon?”. This is the first issue: helping the Church to grow by attraction. Without proselytising: attraction”. The second point was that radicality, in different forms, is required of every Christian, but in the case of religious persons it assumes the form of prophetic witness. “The testimony of an evangelical life is what distinguishes the missionary disciple and in particular those who follow the Lord in consecrated life. And prophetic witness coincides with sanctity. True prophecy is never ideological, it does not oppose the institution: it is institution. Prophecy is institutional, it does not follow fashion, but is always a sign of contradiction according to the Gospel, like Jesus was. Jesus, for example, was a sign of contradiction to the religious authorities of His time: to the heads of the Pharisees and the Sadducees, the doctors of the Law, but also to the others, such as the Essenes, Zealots, etc”. To explain the third point, the Pope quoted the president of the Major Superiors: “We do not want to fight rearguard battles in defence, but rather to spend ourselves among the people”, certain of the faith that God has always made germinate and grow in His Kingdom. This is not easy, it is not to be taken for granted; it requires conversion; it requires, first and foremost, prayer and worship; and it means sharing with the holy people of God who live in the peripheries of history. Removing oneself from the centre. Every charism, to live and to be fruitful, is required to decentralise, because at the centre there is only Jesus Christ. The charism is not to be conserved like a bottle of distilled water, but must instead be made to bear fruit, with courage, placed at the service of current reality, of cultures, of history, as the great missionaries of our institutes teach us”. Fraternity is another of the signs that religious life must offer in our time, the Pope affirmed; a time in which the dominant culture is individualistic and focused on subjective rights. “Consecrated life can help the Church and society as a whole, offering witness of fraternity, that it is possible to live together as brothers in diversity, because in the community one does not put oneself first, but rather one finds oneself with people who are different in terms of character, age, formation, sensibility … and yet we seek to live as brothers. Of course we do not always succeed, but one recognises one's mistakes, asks for forgiveness and forgives others. This is good for the Church: it causes the lymph of fraternity to circulate. And this is also good for all of society. But this fraternity “presupposes God's paternity and the maternity of the Church and of the Mother, the Virgin Mary”: a relationship cultivated day by day “with prayer, with the Eucharist, with worship, with the Rosary. In this way we renew each day our 'being' with Christ and in Christ, and in this way we place ourselves in an authentic relationship with the Father in heaven and the Mother Church, our hierarchical Holy Mother Church, and the Mother Mary. If our life is always located in terms of this fundamental relations, always renewed, then we are able also to achieve an authentic fraternity, a brotherhood of witness, that attracts”. |
| The Holy See at the United Nations: for globalisation in search of mutual benefits Vatican City, 7 November 2014 (VIS) – “The central challenge in the post-2015 development agenda is to ensure that globalisation benefits everyone. ... We need to strengthen multilateralism to help achieve this goal and manage the different risks and interlinked challenges associated with globalisation”, said Archbishop Bernardito Auza, Holy See Permanent Observer at the United Nations in New York, speaking at the 69th Session of the United Nations General Assembly on 27 October, on the theme “Globalisation and Interdependence”. The prelate spoke about the great benefits globalisation can bring, as well as the widening inequalities. “When globalisation brings people together as equal partners, it creates mutually beneficial results, a win-win partnership for all. If not, globalisation breeds greater inequalities and marginalization, exploitation and injustice. Indeed, as with most human endeavours, globalisation works for good or ill, depending on the underlying ethic and policies driving the process”. The nuncio went on to mention two related issues, culture and the phenomenon of migration. “Culture is a prime vehicle to express and share our common humanity”, he said. “It is critically important if authentic human flourishing is the ultimate goal of economic activity and development and … given all these benefits and values of culture, we should not reduce it to the logic of market exchange. ... A community’s culture is their gift to the global common good, for it is an expression of their humanity, and through culture we can enter into a real dialogue because it speaks to our common humanity”. On migration, the archbishop emphasised that “it affects everyone, not only because of the extent of the phenomenon, but also because of the social, economic, political, cultural and religious problems it raises”, adding that “the Holy See would like to highlight the particularly troubling cases of human trafficking and contemporary forms of slavery spawned by migration. … These modern forms of slavery are the opposite of a globalisation driven by the culture of encounter and the values of solidarity and justice”. “It is necessary always to see the human face of migration, to see the migrant as a fellow human being, endowed with the same human dignity and rights as ourselves. It is only then that we can respond to the globalisation of migration with the globalisation of solidarity and cooperation. Moreover, solidarity with migrants is not enough, if it is not accompanied by efforts towards bringing peace in conflict-ridden regions and a more equitable economic world order. If globalisation has shrunk the world into a village, we may as well become good neighbours”, he concluded. |
| Audiences Vatican City, 7 November 2014 (VIS) – Today the Holy Father received in audience: - Cardinal Gerhard Ludwig Muller, prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith; - Cardinal Agostino Vallini, vicar general of His Holiness for the diocese of Rome; - Cardinal Claudio Hummes, prefect emeritus for the Clergy; delegate for Amazonia at the National Conference of Bishops of Brazil. Yesterday, 6 November, the Holy Father received in audience Cardinal Joao Braz de Aviz, prefect of the Congregation for the Institutes of Consecrated Life and the Societies of Apostolic Life, with Archbishop Jose Rodriguez Carballo, secretary of the same dicastery. |
| Other Pontifical Acts Vatican City, 7 November 2014 (VIS) – The Holy Father has appointed: - Msgr. Jean-Philippe Nault as bishop of Digne (area 6,986, population 163,500, Catholics 112,800, priests 41, permanent deacons 10, religious 136), France. The bishop-elect was born in Paris, France in 1965 and ordained a priest in 1998. After his studies in agricultural engineering and artificial intelligence, he obtained a licentiate in theology from the Pontifical Gregorian University, Rome, and has served in a number of pastoral roles, including director of the Shrine of Ars, parish priest of Notre-Dame de Bourg and dean of Bourg-en-Bresse, in the diocese of Belley-Ars. He succeeds Bishop Francois-Xavier Loizeau, whose resignation upon reaching the age limit was accepted by the Holy Father. - Msgr. Terence Robert Curtin and Rev. Fr. Mark Stuart Edwards, O.M.I., as auxiliaries of the archbiocese of Melbourne (area 27,194, population 4,095,921, Catholics 1,111,981, priests 537, permanent deacons 8, religious 2,218), Australia. Msgr. Curtin was born in Cremorne, Australia in 1945 and ordained a priest in 1971. He holds a doctorate in theology from the Pontifical Gregorian University, Rome and a bachelor's degree in education from the University of Melbourne. He has served in a number of pastoral and academic roles, including chaplain and director of the School of Religion and Philosophy of the Australian Catholic University in Oakleigh; director of the department of religion and philosophy of the Australian Catholic University, Victoria; director of the department of theology of the Australian Catholic University, Victoria; and vice-president and subsequently president of the Melbourne College of Divinity. He is currently director of the Catholic Theological College, Melbourne, parish priest of Greythorn, and episcopal vicar of Melbourne for the East Region. In 2012 he was named Chaplain of His Holiness. Rev. Fr. Edwards was born in Balikpapan, Indonesia in 1959 and ordained a priest in 1986. He holds a doctorate in philosophy and a bachelor's degree in letters and education from the Monash University of Melbourne. He has held a number of roles in the Congregation of Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate, including vice-rector of the Iona College of Brisbane; master of novices art the St. Mary's Seminary, Mulgrave; professor at the Catholic Theological College of Melbourne; and head of scholastics at the St. Mary's Seminary, Mulgrave. He is currently rector of the Iona College, Brisbane. |
Today's Mass Readings : Saturday November 8, 2014
Saturday of the Thirty-first Week in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 490
Reading 1PHIL 4:10-19
Brothers and sisters:
I rejoice greatly in the Lord
that now at last you revived your concern for me.
You were, of course, concerned about me but lacked an opportunity.
Not that I say this because of need,
for I have learned, in whatever situation I find myself,
to be self-sufficient.
I know indeed how to live in humble circumstances;
I know also how to live with abundance.
In every circumstance and in all things
I have learned the secret of being well fed and of going hungry,
of living in abundance and of being in need.
I have the strength for everything through him who empowers me.
Still, it was kind of you to share in my distress.
You Philippians indeed know that at the beginning of the Gospel,
when I left Macedonia,
not a single church shared with me
in an account of giving and receiving, except you alone.
For even when I was at Thessalonica
you sent me something for my needs,
not only once but more than once.
It is not that I am eager for the gift;
rather, I am eager for the profit that accrues to your account.
I have received full payment and I abound.
I am very well supplied because of what I received from you
through Epaphroditus,
“a fragrant aroma,” an acceptable sacrifice, pleasing to God.
My God will fully supply whatever you need,
in accord with his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.
I rejoice greatly in the Lord
that now at last you revived your concern for me.
You were, of course, concerned about me but lacked an opportunity.
Not that I say this because of need,
for I have learned, in whatever situation I find myself,
to be self-sufficient.
I know indeed how to live in humble circumstances;
I know also how to live with abundance.
In every circumstance and in all things
I have learned the secret of being well fed and of going hungry,
of living in abundance and of being in need.
I have the strength for everything through him who empowers me.
Still, it was kind of you to share in my distress.
You Philippians indeed know that at the beginning of the Gospel,
when I left Macedonia,
not a single church shared with me
in an account of giving and receiving, except you alone.
For even when I was at Thessalonica
you sent me something for my needs,
not only once but more than once.
It is not that I am eager for the gift;
rather, I am eager for the profit that accrues to your account.
I have received full payment and I abound.
I am very well supplied because of what I received from you
through Epaphroditus,
“a fragrant aroma,” an acceptable sacrifice, pleasing to God.
My God will fully supply whatever you need,
in accord with his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.
Responsorial Psalm PS 112:1B-2, 5-6, 8A AND 9
R. Blessed the man who fears the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Blessed the man who fears the LORD,
who greatly delights in his commands.
His posterity shall be mighty upon the earth;
the upright generation shall be blessed.
R. Blessed the man who fears the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Well for the man who is gracious and lends,
who conducts his affairs with justice;
He shall never be moved;
the just one shall be in everlasting remembrance.
R. Blessed the man who fears the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
His heart is steadfast; he shall not fear.
Lavishly he gives to the poor;
his generosity shall endure forever;
his horn shall be exalted in glory.
R. Blessed the man who fears the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Blessed the man who fears the LORD,
who greatly delights in his commands.
His posterity shall be mighty upon the earth;
the upright generation shall be blessed.
R. Blessed the man who fears the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Well for the man who is gracious and lends,
who conducts his affairs with justice;
He shall never be moved;
the just one shall be in everlasting remembrance.
R. Blessed the man who fears the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
His heart is steadfast; he shall not fear.
Lavishly he gives to the poor;
his generosity shall endure forever;
his horn shall be exalted in glory.
R. Blessed the man who fears the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Gospel LK 16:9-15
Jesus said to his disciples:
“I tell you, make friends for yourselves with dishonest wealth,
so that when it fails, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings.
The person who is trustworthy in very small matters
is also trustworthy in great ones;
and the person who is dishonest in very small matters
is also dishonest in great ones.
If, therefore, you are not trustworthy with dishonest wealth,
who will trust you with true wealth?
If you are not trustworthy with what belongs to another,
who will give you what is yours?
No servant can serve two masters.
He will either hate one and love the other,
or be devoted to one and despise the other.
You cannot serve God and mammon.”
The Pharisees, who loved money,
heard all these things and sneered at him.
And he said to them,
“You justify yourselves in the sight of others,
but God knows your hearts;
for what is of human esteem is an abomination in the sight of God.”
“I tell you, make friends for yourselves with dishonest wealth,
so that when it fails, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings.
The person who is trustworthy in very small matters
is also trustworthy in great ones;
and the person who is dishonest in very small matters
is also dishonest in great ones.
If, therefore, you are not trustworthy with dishonest wealth,
who will trust you with true wealth?
If you are not trustworthy with what belongs to another,
who will give you what is yours?
No servant can serve two masters.
He will either hate one and love the other,
or be devoted to one and despise the other.
You cannot serve God and mammon.”
The Pharisees, who loved money,
heard all these things and sneered at him.
And he said to them,
“You justify yourselves in the sight of others,
but God knows your hearts;
for what is of human esteem is an abomination in the sight of God.”
2014
Saint November 8 : Four Crowned Martyrs : Roman
Four Crowned Martyrs
Feast: November 8
Information:
Feast Day:
November 8
The old guidebooks to the tombs of the Roman martyrs make mention, in connection with the catacomb of Sts. Peter and Marcellinus on the Via Labicana, of the Four Crowned Martyrs (Quatuor Coronati), at whose grave the pilgrims were wont to worship (De Rossi, Roma sotterranea, I, 178-79). One of these itineraries, the "Epitome libri de locis sanctorum martyrum", adds the names of the four martyrs (in reality five): "IV Coronati, id est Claudius, Nicostratus, Simpronianus, Castorius, Simplicitus". These are the names of five martyrs, sculptors in the quarries of Pannonia (now a part of Austria-Hungary, south-west of the Danube), who gave up their lives for their Faith in the reign of Diocletian. The Acts of these martyrs, written by a revenue officer named Porphyrius probably in the fourth century, relates of the five sculptors that, although they raised no objections to executing such profane images as Victoria, Cupid, and the Chariot of the Sun, they refused to make a statue of Æsculapius for a heathen temple. For this they were condemned to death as Christians. They were put into leaden caskets and drowned in the River Save. This happened towards the end of 305. The foregoing account of the martyrdom of the five sculptors of Pannonia is substantially authentic; but later on a legend sprang up at Rome concerning the Quatuor Coronati, according to which four Christian soldiers (cornicularii) suffered martyrdom at Rome during the reign of Diocletian, two years after the death of the five sculptors. Their offence consisted in refusing to offer sacrifice to the image of Æsculapius. The bodies of the martyrs were interred at St. Sebastian and Pope Melchiades at the third milestone on the Via Labicana, in a sandpit where rested the remains of others who had perished for the Faith. Since the names of the four martyred soldiers could not be authentically established, Pope Melchiades commanded that, the date of their death (8 November) being the same as that of the Pannonian sculptors, their anniversary should be celebrated on that day, under the names of Sts. Claudius, Nicostratus, Symphorianus, Castor, and Simplicius. This report has no historic foundation. It is merely a tentative explanation of the name Quatuor Coronati, a name given to a group of really authenticated martyrs who were buried and venerated in the catatomb of Sts. Peter and Marcellinus, the real origin of which, however, is not known. They were classed with the five martyrs of Pannonia in a purely external relationship. Numerous manuscripts on the legend as well as the Roman Martyrology give the names of the Four Crowned Martyrs, supposed to have been revealed at a later date, as Secundus, Severianus, Carpoforus, and Victorius. But these four martyrs were not buried in Rome, but in the catacomb of Albano; their feast was celebrated on 7 August, under which date it is cited in the Roman Calender of Feasts of 354. These martyrs of Albano have no connection with the Roman martyrs described above. Of the four Crowned Martyrs we know only that they suffered death for the Faith and the place where they were buried. They evidently were held in great veneration at Rome, since in the fourth and fifth century a basilica was erected and dedicated in the Caelian Hill, probably in the neighbourhood of spot where tradition located their execution. This became one of the titular churches of Rome, was restored several times and still stands. It is first mentioned among the signatures of a Roman council in 595. Pope Leo IV ordered the relics removed, about 850, from the Via Labicana to the church dedicated to their memory, together with the relics of the five Pannonian martyrs, which had been brought to Rome at some period now unknown. Both group of maryrs are commemorated on 8 November.
1 Groundbreaking Point from the Synod - A reflection by Archbishop Durocher - Head of CCCB
I imagine then that this discussion is far from finished, and that it will be taken up by the episcopal conferences of the world during the coming year as we prepare for the General Ordinary Synod in October 2015.
On the question of the pastoral accompaniment of homosexuals, a paragraph simply proposed recalling the Church's teaching that there is no equivalence between marriage and a homosexual relationship, while maintaining the dignity and the non-discrimination of homosexuals. This paragraph was also supported by the majority, without attaining the two-thirds bar. Why did some Bishops choose not to approve a text which only repeated the Church's received teaching? I have the impression many would have preferred a more open, positive language. Not finding it in this paragraph, they might have chosen to indicate their disapproval of it. However, it has also been published, and the reflexion will have to continue. So let's set these two important questions aside for a moment. After all, the Synod's theme was not 'Communion for the divorced and remarried and the accompaniment of homosexuals', but rather 'The pastoral challenges of families in the context of new evangelization.' And on this theme, what do the other 58 paragraphs of the text have to say? What can we glean from the Synod's work? Has any ground been broken? My answer?
Absolutely! And particularly on one point. It has approved a very precise pastoral approach, one which is more attentive to the good in people than to their faults; one that speaks less of the sin to be avoided and more of the grace to be attained; one which is less centred on the faults of our society and more attuned to its possible openings to the Gospel message. It's not about being naive or polly-annish, but rather of counting on the Spirit of Jesus-Christ already present in the hears of human beings, even those who believe themselves to be far from God. This approach is not new: many pastoral workers already have adopted it. However, this is the first time -- as far as I know -- that such a text gives it a blessing. Even more, it explains the biblical and doctrinal foundation for this approach, and invites all pastoral worker to embrace it. This is indeed new. And it fills my heart with joy.
In a certain sense, we have done for family life what the Second Vatican Council did for liturgy and ecumenism: give the green light to a style of ministry that is already emerging in the Church, assure its theological grounding, and invite the whole Church to make it its own. (Of course, those who don't like what Vatican II did for the liturgy and for ecumenism might not like what the Synod has done for family life... That's another discussion for another time.) I don't know if the media will pay much attention to this issue. For me, however, and for many leaders in parishes and Christian communities, this is fundamental. And for this I give thanks to the Pope for having called us to this great work of the Church. Shared from http://singandwalk.blogspot.ca/ Blog of Archbishop Durocher - Head of the Canadian Catholic Bishops' Conference
