2015
#BreakingNews Paris Terrorists Killed by Police - 4 Hostages Killed in Store - Please PRAY
Pope Francis "...thousands of yoga or zen courses and all these things. But none of this will be able to give you the freedom..."
Breaking News 2,000 Feared Killed as Extremists Take Over and Burn entire town in Nigeria - Please PRAY
New President of Sri Lanka Maithripala Sirisena Elected - New Democratic Front
Today's Mass Readings : Friday January 9, 2015
• The male hostage who was held by the Kouachi brothers in a printing business in Dammartin-en-Goele is safe.
GROCERY STORE HOSTAGE SITUATION
Friday in Porte de Vincennes, Paris a grocery store with 6 hostages was taken by other terrorists.
• The hostage-taker there demanded freedom for the Kouachi brothers. Police killed Amedy Coulibaly and 4 hostages died in the siege of the building.
The hostage takers were one man and one woman. -- Amedy Coulibaly, 32, and Hayat Boumeddiene, 26 -they killed a policewoman,Clarissa Jean-Philippe, Thursday in Montrouge, Paris.
OTHER PERTINENT INFORMATION• Said Kouachi, one of the two brothers suspected of killing 12 people in and around the provocative satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo in Paris, spent several months in Yemen in 2011, receiving weapons training and working with al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, Morre than 80,000 officers were deployed across France to try to intercept the brothers and other terrorists. "France is living through a trial, when we see the worst massacre of this kind in the last 50 years," President Francois Hollande said Friday.
Names of Jewish hostages taken in Paris - Mordehai ben Sarah, Yosseph Sibony, Dominique bat Sarah, Yohan Cohen, Sarah bat Louna Noa bat Sarah, Sophie Malka bat Noël, Zari bat Suzanne, Esther bat Bnina, Nina Noemie bat Joëlle, Sandy Charabi bat Brigitte, Sandrine Esther bat Blanche -
Pope Francis "...thousands of yoga or zen courses and all these things. But none of this will be able to give you the freedom..."
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis said only the Holy Spirit has the power to open our hearts to God and his love and not thousands of spirituality, yoga or zen courses. His words came during his homily at morning Mass on Friday celebrated in the Santa Marta residence. The Pope’s reflections came from the day's gospel reading that recounted how the apostles were terrified when they saw Jesus walking on water. And the reason for their terror, he explained, is that their hearts were hardened. "Mirror" men and women and religious narcissists
Pope Francis said a person’s heart can be made of stone for many reasons, such as, for example, a painful experience in one’s life. But as he went on to point out, another reason for hardened hearts is because people are closed in on themselves.
“Creating a world within one self, all closed in. Closed within oneself, in one’s community or parish, but always closed in. And this closure can revolve around so many things. But let’s think about pride, self-sufficiency, thinking I am better than others, and vanity too, right? We have ‘mirror-men and women’ (who are wedded to their own image in the mirror), who are closed in on themselves and are constantly looking at themselves, right? These religious narcissists, right? But they have a hardened heart because they are closed in on themselves, they are not open. And they seek to defend themselves with these walls that they have created around themselves.”
Hardened hearts because of insecurity and fear
The Pope said these hardened hearts in people can also arise from a problem of insecurity, such as those who barricade themselves behind the laws and rules, as though inside a prison, to feel safer and follow these rules to the letter,
“When a heart becomes hardened, it’s not free and if it’s not free it’s because that person isn't capable of love, that was the fate of the Apostle John in the first Reading. A love that’s perfect banishes fear: in love there’s no fear, because fear is expecting a punishment and a person who's afraid doesn’t have a perfect love. He or she is not free. They are constantly afraid that something painful or sad will occur, that will cause their life to go badly or will endanger their eternal salvation… What an (over-active) imagination, because he or she can’t love. A person who isn't capable of loving is not free. And their heart was hardened because they hadn’t learnt how to love.”
The Spirit makes us free and docile not yoga or zen courses
Pope Francis concluded his homily by stressing that only the Holy Spirit can teach us how to love and free us from our hardened hearts.
“You can follow thousands of catechism courses, thousands of spirituality courses, thousands of yoga or zen courses and all these things. But none of this will be able to give you the freedom as a child (of God). Only the Holy Spirit can prompt your heart to say ‘Father.’ Only the Holy Spirit is capable of banishing, of breaking that hardness of heart and making it … soft? No, I don’t like that word, … ‘docile’. Docile towards the Lord. Docile when it comes to the freedom to love.”
Breaking News 2,000 Feared Killed as Extremists Take Over and Burn entire town in Nigeria - Please PRAY
For the second time in five days, the Boko Haram insurgents have launched another attack on Baga town in Borno State, it was gathered yesterday; this time burning down almost all the buildings in the town.
In the attack of last Sunday, the military base was routed by the insurgents leading to soldiers abandoning newly acquired military weapons.
Speaking to journalists in Maiduguri, Abba Yunus, a member of the youth vigilante group in the town said: "The militant which had on Saturday taken over the military base in the town, as if they were not satisfied with their destruction of the town on Wednesday launched another attack on it."
Yunus claimed that the new set of people fleeing the town "told the members of the youth vigilante yesterday morning that the insurgents attacked the town again and torched houses and killed countless civilians who were helpless."
He said: "We were told by those that had to flee into Maiduguri through the bushes that many corpses were on the streets, many of which have started decomposing."
A man who identified himself as Musa Alhaji Bukar, a senior government official, had told the BBC that Boko Haram fighters burnt down almost the entire town on Wednesday, after over-running a military base on Saturday. Bukar said bodies lay strewn on Baga's streets, amid fears that some 2,000 people had been killed in the raids, he added. Earlier on Monday, Senator Maina Maaji Lawan, representing Borno North at the Senate said Boko Haram controlled 70 per cent of Borno State, which is worst-affected by the insurgency.
Bukar also said that fleeing residents told him that the town, which had a population of about 10,000, was now "virtually non-existent". However, the federal government has said that it is working hard to ensure the full liberation of Baga town and neighbouring communities. Coordinator of the National Information Centre (NIC) and Director General of National Orientation Agency ( NOA), Mr. Mike Omeri, stated this while briefing journalists yesterday in Abuja.
He also said that government was reviewing the situation with regards to the fight against insurgency in order to improve logistics requirement and support for the security forces to enable the defeat of the terrorists. He said officers were being trained and re-trained to up-grade their skills and capacity while increased surveillance, intelligence sharing and synergy are being enhanced.
According to him, consultation with security chiefs (serving and retired), traditional rulers and other critical stakeholders with a view to bringing their varied experiences to bear on the fight against the insurgency are on-going. Omeri tasked Nigerian leaders on patriotism, saying they do not have to wait until they get into government before they can contribute towards saving the lives of citizens.
"We want to encourage well-meaning leaders to emulate friendly countries who have thrown their weight behind Nigeria in this fight. The part of patriotism and honour is not to wait until we get into government before we can contribute to save the precious lives of our citizens," he said.
All Africa Report
All Africa Report
New President of Sri Lanka Maithripala Sirisena Elected - New Democratic Front
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Maithripala Sirisena is the new president of Sri Lankaby Melani Manel Perera
The elections' outsider defeated the closing head of State Rajapaksa with a majority of 51.28%. His promise: to reduce president's powers and come back to a parliamentary democracy.
Colombo (AsiaNews) - Maithripala Sirisena is the new president of Sri Lanka. He had won 51.28% of the vote, while the outgoing president Mahinda Rajapaksa had stopped at 47.58%. After announcing the official results, Sirisena supporters went on the streets to celebrate with firecrackers.
The New Democratic Front (NDF) of Maithripala Sirisena had won a majority in 12 electoral districts on 22. The new president promised to abolish the "executive presidency" within 100 days from the beginning of his assignment. He also said he want the country comes back to a parliamentary democracy, in which police, judiciary and civil servants are independent.
Till the end Mahinda Rajapaksa wished to be elected for a third mandate, after he changed the Constitution.
Two months ago Maithripala Sirisena left the executive of Rajapaksa, for which he was minister of the Health and general secretary of coalition United People's Freedom Alliance (UPFA). With the support of small and big opposition parties, Sirisena joined the New Democratic Front (NDC) and began his race to the victory. Shared from Asia News IT
Today's Mass Readings : Friday January 9, 2015
Friday after Epiphany
Lectionary: 216
Reading 11 JN 5:5-13
Beloved:
Who indeed is the victor over the world
but the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?
This is the one who came through water and Blood, Jesus Christ,
not by water alone, but by water and Blood.
The Spirit is the one who testifies,
and the Spirit is truth.
So there are three who testify,
the Spirit, the water, and the Blood,
and the three are of one accord.
If we accept human testimony,
the testimony of God is surely greater.
Now the testimony of God is this,
that he has testified on behalf of his Son.
Whoever believes in the Son of God
has this testimony within himself.
Whoever does not believe God has made him a liar
by not believing the testimony God has given about his Son.
And this is the testimony:
God gave us eternal life,
and this life is in his Son.
Whoever possesses the Son has life;
whoever does not possess the Son of God does not have life.
I write these things to you so that you may know
that you have eternal life,
you who believe in the name of the Son of God.
Who indeed is the victor over the world
but the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?
This is the one who came through water and Blood, Jesus Christ,
not by water alone, but by water and Blood.
The Spirit is the one who testifies,
and the Spirit is truth.
So there are three who testify,
the Spirit, the water, and the Blood,
and the three are of one accord.
If we accept human testimony,
the testimony of God is surely greater.
Now the testimony of God is this,
that he has testified on behalf of his Son.
Whoever believes in the Son of God
has this testimony within himself.
Whoever does not believe God has made him a liar
by not believing the testimony God has given about his Son.
And this is the testimony:
God gave us eternal life,
and this life is in his Son.
Whoever possesses the Son has life;
whoever does not possess the Son of God does not have life.
I write these things to you so that you may know
that you have eternal life,
you who believe in the name of the Son of God.
Responsorial PsalmPS 147:12-13, 14-15, 19-20
R. (12a) Praise the Lord, Jerusalem.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Glorify the LORD, O Jerusalem;
praise your God, O Zion.
For he has strengthened the bars of your gates;
he has blessed your children within you.
R. Praise the Lord, Jerusalem.
or:
R. Alleluia.
He has granted peace in your borders;
with the best of wheat he fills you.
He sends forth his command to the earth;
swiftly runs his word!
R. Praise the Lord, Jerusalem.
or:
R. Alleluia.
He has proclaimed his word to Jacob,
his statutes and his ordinances to Israel.
He has not done thus for any other nation;
his ordinances he has not made known to them. Alleluia.
R. Praise the Lord, Jerusalem.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Jesus proclaimed the Gospel of the Kingdom
and cured every disease among the people.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Glorify the LORD, O Jerusalem;
praise your God, O Zion.
For he has strengthened the bars of your gates;
he has blessed your children within you.
R. Praise the Lord, Jerusalem.
or:
R. Alleluia.
He has granted peace in your borders;
with the best of wheat he fills you.
He sends forth his command to the earth;
swiftly runs his word!
R. Praise the Lord, Jerusalem.
or:
R. Alleluia.
He has proclaimed his word to Jacob,
his statutes and his ordinances to Israel.
He has not done thus for any other nation;
his ordinances he has not made known to them. Alleluia.
R. Praise the Lord, Jerusalem.
or:
R. Alleluia.
AlleluiaSEE MT 4:23
R. Alleluia, alleluia.Jesus proclaimed the Gospel of the Kingdom
and cured every disease among the people.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
GospelLK 5:12-16
It happened that there was a man full of leprosy in one of the towns where Jesus was;
and when he saw Jesus,
he fell prostrate, pleaded with him, and said,
“Lord, if you wish, you can make me clean.”
Jesus stretched out his hand, touched him, and said,
“I do will it. Be made clean.”
And the leprosy left him immediately.
Then he ordered him not to tell anyone, but
“Go, show yourself to the priest and offer for your cleansing
what Moses prescribed; that will be proof for them.”
The report about him spread all the more,
and great crowds assembled to listen to him
and to be cured of their ailments,
but he would withdraw to deserted places to pray.
and when he saw Jesus,
he fell prostrate, pleaded with him, and said,
“Lord, if you wish, you can make me clean.”
Jesus stretched out his hand, touched him, and said,
“I do will it. Be made clean.”
And the leprosy left him immediately.
Then he ordered him not to tell anyone, but
“Go, show yourself to the priest and offer for your cleansing
what Moses prescribed; that will be proof for them.”
The report about him spread all the more,
and great crowds assembled to listen to him
and to be cured of their ailments,
but he would withdraw to deserted places to pray.
Latest News from #Vatican Information Service and #PopeFrancis
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08-01-2015 - Year XXII - Num. 004
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| Francis joins in the suffering of the French people Vatican City, 8 January 2014 (VIS) – This morning in the Sanctae Marthae Chapel the Holy Father celebrated Mass for the victims of the attack in Paris yesterday, in which twelve people were killed and several were seriously injured. “The attack makes us think of great cruelty, human cruelty; of such terrorism, both isolated terrorism and state terrorism. The cruelty of which man is capable! Let us pray, in this Mass, for the victims of this cruelty. So many of them! And let us also pray for those who perform these cruel acts, so that the Lord might transform their hearts”. Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin has sent a telegram on behalf of the Holy Father to Cardinal Andre Vingt-Trois, archbishop of Paris, France, the full text of which is published below: “Upon learning of the terrible attack in Paris on the offices of 'Charlie Hebdo', which has claimed numerous victims, His Holiness Pope Francis joins in prayer with the suffering of the bereaved families and the sadness of all the French people. He entrusts the victims to God, full of mercy, and prays that He will welcome them in His light. He expresses his deepest sympathy for the injured and their families, and asks that the Lord console and comfort them in their ordeal. The Holy Father reiterates his condemnation of the violence that generates such suffering, and praying that God grant the gift of peace, he invokes a divine blessing for the afflicted families and the French people”. |
| The Pope strongly condemns the attack in Paris: “Homicidal violence is abominable and never justifiable” Vatican City, 8 January 2014 (VIS) – Yesterday afternoon the director of the Holy See Press Office, Fr. Federico Lombardi, S.J., issued the following statement to journalists: “The Holy Father expresses his strongest condemnation of the horrendous attack this morning that plunged the city of Paris into mourning, claiming a large number of victims, sowing death and causing consternation throughout the whole of French society, and profoundly disturbing all those who favour peace, well beyond the French borders. Pope Francis participates in prayer in the suffering of the wounded and of the families of the deceased, and urges opposition by every means to the propagation of hate and every form of violence, both physical and moral, that destroys human life, violates the dignity of human beings, and radically undermines the foundations of peaceful co-existence between persons and peoples, notwithstanding differences of nationality, religion and culture. Whatever the motive may be, homicidal violence is abominable and never justifiable; the life and dignity of all must be guaranteed and protected decisively, every incitement to hate must be denied, and respect for others must be nurtured. The Pope expresses his closeness, his spiritual solidarity and his support for all those who, in accordance with their various responsibilities, continue to make constant efforts for peace, justice and the rule of law, to heal the causes and sources of hate in this painful and dramatic moment, in France and in every part of the world affected by tensions and violence”. |
| The Pope receives a delegation of Yezidi Vatican City, 8 January 2014 (VIS) – This morning the Holy Father received in audience a delegation from the World Community of Yezidi, according to the director of the Holy See Press Office, Fr. Federico Lombardi, S.J. The delegation was led by the Head of all the Yezidi, Mir Tahsin Said Ali Beg, and their supreme spiritual Head, the “Baba Sheikh”, Sheikh Khato, both resident in Iraqi Kurdistan. The group also comprised three representatives of the Yezidi of North Iraq, Georgia and the diaspora in Germany. During the meeting, which lasted approximately half an hour and took place in the private library of the Apostolic Palace, the delegation thanked the Pope – indicated by one of the delegates as the “father of the poor” –for his support for the Yezidi in this time of persecution and suffering. They informed the Pope of the situation of around five thousand Yezidi women reduced to slavery by the ISIS, and emphasised the good relations between Yezidi and Christians, emphasising their mutual solidarity. Pope Francis assured the delegates of his spiritual closeness and his support in these challenging times, and expressed his hope that soon it will be possible to restore justice and the conditions for a free and peaceful life for the Yezidi, as well as all other minority groups who are the object of discrimination and violence. There are around one and a half million Yezidi throughout the world, of whom half a million are in Iraq; there are others in Turkey, Georgia, Armenia, and in diaspora in many other countries. |
| The Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue calls for human and spiritual solidarity with the victims of the attack on “Charlie Hebdo” and their families Vatican City, 8 January 2014 (VIS) – This morning the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue published the following declaration: “As we reach the end of the meeting in Rome of the four Imams of France, who attended yesterday’s general audience along with the delegation from the French Episcopal Conference, the participants, shocked by the heinous attack on 7 January 2015 on the offices of the publication “Charlie Hebdo”, wish once more to echo the words pronounced by Pope yesterday and this morning, denouncing this cruelty and blind violence. Like him, we invite believers to show through friendship and prayer their human and spiritual solidarity towards the victims and their families. In these circumstances, it should be noted that, without freedom of speech, the world is in danger: it is imperative to oppose hate and every form of violence that destroys human life, violates the dignity of the person and radically undermines the foundation of peaceful co-existence between persons and peoples, notwithstanding differences of nationality, religion and culture. Religious leaders are called upon to further promote a “culture of peace and hope” able to conquer fear and to build bridges between people. Considering the impact of the media, their leaders are invited to offer information that is respectful of religions, their followers and their practices, thus favouring a culture of encounter. Interreligious dialogue remains the only path to follow together to dissipate prejudice”. The communique is signed by Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran, president of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue, Bishop Michel Dubost of Evry-Corbeil et Essonnes, president of the Council for Interreligious Relations of the Bishops' Conference of France, the Imams Tareq Oubrou, Azzedine Cami, Mohammed Moussaoui, Djelloul Seddiki and Fr. Roucou, director of the National Service for Relations with Islam, France. |
| Audiences Vatican City, 8 January 2014 (VIS) – Today, the Holy Father received in audience: - Cardinal Zenon Grocholewski, prefect of the Congregation for Catholic Education (for Institutes of Study); - Cardinal Raymond Leo Burke, patron of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta; - Cardinal Andre Vingt-Trois, archbishop of Paris, France; - Bishop Santiago Olivera of Cruz del Eje, Argentina; - Nicola Zingaretti, president of the Latium region; - His Excellency Mir Tahsin-beg (Tahseen Saeed Ali), head of the Yezidi in all the World, Georgia, and entourage. |
| Other Pontifical Acts Vatican City, 8 January 2014 (VIS) – The Holy Father has appointed Msgr. Joel Mercier, as secretary of the Congregation for the Clergy, at the same time elevating him to the dignity of archbishop. The archbishop-elect was born in Chaudesfonds-sur-Layon, France in 1945 and was ordained a priest in 1970. He holds a bachelor's degree in philosophy and a licentiate in theology from the Universite Catholique de l'Ouest in Angers, and a licentiate and doctorate in canon law from the Pontifical Gregorian University, Rome. He has served in a number of pastoral and administrative roles, including parish vicar in the “Saint-Joseph” parish in Angers, chaplain of Catholic colleges and high schools in Angers, and secretary to the bishop of Angers. He has also served as member of the ecclesiastical tribunal in the Pays de Loire and teaches in the faculty of theology, Angers. He is currently an official of the Congregation for Bishops and spiritual director of the French Seminary in Rome. He was named Chaplain of His Holiness in 2005. |
Saint January 9 : St. Adrian of Canterbury : Abbot
St. Adrian of Canterbury
ABBOT AT CANTERBURY
Feast: January 9
Information:
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Divine Providence conducted this holy man to Britain, in order to make him an instructor of innumerable saints. Adrian was an African by birth, and was abbot of Nerida. not far from Naples, when pope Vitalian, upon the death of St. Deusdedit the archbishop of Canterbury, judged him, for his skill in sacred learning, and experience in the paths of true interior virtue, to be of all others the most proper person to be the doctor of a nation, zealous in the pursuit of virtue, but as yet ignorant in the sciences, and in the canons of the church. The humble servant of God found means to decline that dignity, by recommending St. Theodorus as most capable, but refused not to share in the laborious part of the ministry. The pope therefore enjoined him to be the companion, assistant, and adviser of the apostolic archbishop, which charge Adrian willingly took upon himself. In traveling through France with St. Theodorus, he was stopped by Ebroin, the jealous mayor of the palace, who feared lest the emperor of the East had given these two persons, who were his born subjects, some commission in favor of his pretensions to the western kingdoms. Adrian stayed a long time in France, at Meaux, and in other places, before he was allowed to pursue his journey. St. Theodorus established him abbot of the monastery of SS. Peter and Paul, afterward called St. Austin, near Canterbury, where he taught the learned languages and the sciences, and principally the precepts and maxims of our divine religion. He had illustrated this island by his heavenly doctrine, and the bright example of his virtues, for the space of thirty-nine years, when he departed to our Lord on the 9th of January, in he year 710. His tomb was famed for miracles, as we are assured by Joscelin the Monk, quoted by William of Malmesbury and Capgrave, and his name is inserted in the English calendars.
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EWTN
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