2015
RIP 7 Kids Killed in house Fire of Jewish family in Brooklyn with cries of "Mommy, help me..."
Thousands at Day of the Unborn Child in Australia with #PROLIFE Procession
Cathedral Mass & Procession to Mark Day of the Unborn Child
Catholic Communications, Sydney Archdiocese,
19 Mar 2015
19 Mar 2015
The unborn child parents never had a chance to know or love
In previous years Auxiliary Bishops for the Archdiocese, the Most Rev Julian Porteous, who is now Archbishop of Hobart, and Bishop Terry Brady have led the procession. But this year Sydney's Archbishop, the Most Rev Anthony Fisher OP who was installed last November, will celebrate Mass for the Unborn Child at St Mary's Cathedral and then lead the procession through the CBD.
"On average each year depending on the weather between 2500 to 3000 join the procession. But this year with Archbishop Anthony leading the procession, even though rain is forecast, we think the numbers will be at a record level and may even exceed 4000," says Paul Hanrahan, Executive Director of Family Life International which helps organise the Mass for the Unborn Child and the rosary procession each year in collaboration with the Archdiocese of Sydney's Life Marriage and Family Centre.
Last year's procession on Day of Unborn Child makes its way to Parliament House
A leader and author in the field of bioethics, Archbishop Anthony was the founding Director of the John Paul II Institute for Marriage and Family.
"He has been a strong advocate for God's precious gift of life and was a member of various Pro-Life groups campaigning against abortion when he was still a still a law student at the University of Sydney and before he entered the legal profession or began to discern his vocation as a priest," Paul says.
Each year in Australian more than 100,000 unborn children are aborted, losing their chance at life.
The Madonna and Child Memorial to Unborn Children at Rookwood Cemetery
Each year the Day of the Unborn Child is celebrated on the nearest Sunday to the Feast of the Annunciation on 25 March. One of the most important Feasts in the Catholic liturgical calendar, the Feast of the Annunciation commemorates the day the Holy Virgin was visited by the Angel Gabriel and told that she would conceive and become the mother of Jesus Christ, son of God.
Paul says the Feast of the Annunciation is the ideal time to remember and pray for the unborn child, particularly as we are now entering the final weeks of Lent.
Since the start of Lent, Paul and members of Family Life International as well as all those who believe in the sanctity of life have gathered to pray each day on the corner opposite Sydney's oldest and best known Preterm abortion clinic in Surry Hills as part of the annual 40 Days for Life prayer vigil.
Priests and Religious join young Catholics to participate in 40 Days for Life Prayer Vigil
Following Sunday's Mass for the Unborn Child which will be celebrated at St Mary's Cathedral at 10.30 am by Archbishop Anthony, the Archbishop will lead the praying of the Angelus after which he will walk in front of the procession down through the CBD and then back up to Macquarie Street to the NSW Parliament where different speakers will celebrate the sanctity of each and every human life, and the pray for the Unborn Child.
The procession will then return to the Cathedral for Benediction.
#PopeFrancis meeting with 100,000 Youth "we have to get closer to Christ on the cross”.
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis denounced a hidden euthanasia of elderly telling thousands of young people gathered on Naples waterfront that family affection is the best medicine for the elderly, solitude their worst poison.
Some 100 thousand young people gathered on Naples waterfront in what was Pope Francis’ last appointment on his busy one day pastoral visit to the southern Italian Campania region.
Greeted to cheers shouted in the local dialect on arriving on the stage the Pope took the microphone to encourage the crowd to shout the name of Jesus and proclaim their faith in Him and not that of the Pope.
Then in what has become the Pope’s preferred form of encounter, people were invited to pose questions for him to answer. As he responded to the first question on how to recognize God in today’s world, he apologized for reaming seated, confessing his tiredness after a hectic day.
“Our God is a God of words, gestures and silences”, he replied pointing to the parable of the Good Shepherd. He is a God who knows us better then we know ourselves, who speaks to us in the silence of our hearts. But God can’t speak to us if we are not silent, if we do not silently gaze at the Crucifix. We can draw near to the silence of God by contemplating Christ crucified abandoned.
God did create us to be happy, but that does not mean that everything in life will be perfect if we believe in Him. The Pope said one of the great silences of God regards why do children suffer. We can't always understand the silence of God, so "we have to get closer to Christ on the cross”.
The second question, posed by an elderly women, was about the integration of the elderly into society today so they are not left alone or abandoned.
In his response Pope Francis roundly condemned the throw away culture of today with discards not only the elderly but also children and the unborn, which considers children useless and the affection of a cat or dog preferable.
He also clearly condemned a society which sees euthanasia as a solution to the ills of old age. However, not just ‘technical euthanasia’ administered with an injection, the Pope also spoke of a ‘hidden euthanasia’, when old people are denied medicine, food, the affection of their family. Solitude, said Pope Francis is the great poison of the old. And he urged all present with elderly parents to examine their conscience, and think of when was the last time they phoned or visited them.
The Third question regarded ideological attacks on family, to which Pope Francis replied "The family is in crisis. It's true. But it's not new. He said marriage and family life isn't like learning a language – eight lessons and you're fluent. It takes time. And must be well prepared. Above all he concluded it requires the witness of married couples, who can teach young people how to face and resolve problems together.
Taking his leave of the crowds as the sun set over the Bay of Naples, the Pope said that youth and elderly must remain united. The youth have the strength. The elderly have the memory and the wisdom.
“Today is the first day of Spring. Pray for young people. For their future. For hope”.
(Emer McCarthy)
Sunday Mass Online : March 22, 2015 - 5th of Lent
Fifth Sunday of Lent
Lectionary: 35
Reading 1JER 31:31-34
The days are coming, says the LORD,
when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel
and the house of Judah.
It will not be like the covenant I made with their fathers
the day I took them by the hand
to lead them forth from the land of Egypt;
for they broke my covenant,
and I had to show myself their master, says the LORD.
But this is the covenant that I will make
with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD.
I will place my law within them and write it upon their hearts;
I will be their God, and they shall be my people.
No longer will they have need to teach their friends and relatives
how to know the LORD.
All, from least to greatest, shall know me, says the LORD,
for I will forgive their evildoing and remember their sin no more.
when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel
and the house of Judah.
It will not be like the covenant I made with their fathers
the day I took them by the hand
to lead them forth from the land of Egypt;
for they broke my covenant,
and I had to show myself their master, says the LORD.
But this is the covenant that I will make
with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD.
I will place my law within them and write it upon their hearts;
I will be their God, and they shall be my people.
No longer will they have need to teach their friends and relatives
how to know the LORD.
All, from least to greatest, shall know me, says the LORD,
for I will forgive their evildoing and remember their sin no more.
Responsorial PsalmPS 51:3-4, 12-13, 14-15
R. (12a) Create a clean heart in me, O God.
Have mercy on me, O God, in your goodness;
in the greatness of your compassion wipe out my offense.
Thoroughly wash me from my guilt
and of my sin cleanse me.
R. Create a clean heart in me, O God.
A clean heart create for me, O God,
and a steadfast spirit renew within me.
Cast me not out from your presence,
and your Holy Spirit take not from me.
R. Create a clean heart in me, O God.
Give me back the joy of your salvation,
and a willing spirit sustain in me.
I will teach transgressors your ways,
and sinners shall return to you.
R. Create a clean heart in me, O God.
Have mercy on me, O God, in your goodness;
in the greatness of your compassion wipe out my offense.
Thoroughly wash me from my guilt
and of my sin cleanse me.
R. Create a clean heart in me, O God.
A clean heart create for me, O God,
and a steadfast spirit renew within me.
Cast me not out from your presence,
and your Holy Spirit take not from me.
R. Create a clean heart in me, O God.
Give me back the joy of your salvation,
and a willing spirit sustain in me.
I will teach transgressors your ways,
and sinners shall return to you.
R. Create a clean heart in me, O God.
Reading 2HEB 5:7-9
In the days when Christ Jesus was in the flesh,
he offered prayers and supplications with loud cries and tears
to the one who was able to save him from death,
and he was heard because of his reverence.
Son though he was, he learned obedience from what he suffered;
and when he was made perfect,
he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him.
and where I am, there will my servant be.
came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee,
and asked him, “Sir, we would like to see Jesus.”
Philip went and told Andrew;
then Andrew and Philip went and told Jesus.
Jesus answered them,
“The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.
Amen, amen, I say to you,
unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies,
it remains just a grain of wheat;
but if it dies, it produces much fruit.
Whoever loves his life loses it,
and whoever hates his life in this world
will preserve it for eternal life.
Whoever serves me must follow me,
and where I am, there also will my servant be.
The Father will honor whoever serves me.
“I am troubled now. Yet what should I say?
‘Father, save me from this hour’?
But it was for this purpose that I came to this hour.
Father, glorify your name.”
Then a voice came from heaven,
“I have glorified it and will glorify it again.”
The crowd there heard it and said it was thunder;
but others said, “An angel has spoken to him.”
Jesus answered and said,
“This voice did not come for my sake but for yours.
Now is the time of judgment on this world;
now the ruler of this world will be driven out.
And when I am lifted up from the earth,
I will draw everyone to myself.”
He said this indicating the kind of death he would die.
he offered prayers and supplications with loud cries and tears
to the one who was able to save him from death,
and he was heard because of his reverence.
Son though he was, he learned obedience from what he suffered;
and when he was made perfect,
he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him.
Verse Before The GospelJN 12:26
Whoever serves me must follow me, says the Lord;and where I am, there will my servant be.
GospelJN 12:20-33
Some Greeks who had come to worship at the Passover Feastcame to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee,
and asked him, “Sir, we would like to see Jesus.”
Philip went and told Andrew;
then Andrew and Philip went and told Jesus.
Jesus answered them,
“The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.
Amen, amen, I say to you,
unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies,
it remains just a grain of wheat;
but if it dies, it produces much fruit.
Whoever loves his life loses it,
and whoever hates his life in this world
will preserve it for eternal life.
Whoever serves me must follow me,
and where I am, there also will my servant be.
The Father will honor whoever serves me.
“I am troubled now. Yet what should I say?
‘Father, save me from this hour’?
But it was for this purpose that I came to this hour.
Father, glorify your name.”
Then a voice came from heaven,
“I have glorified it and will glorify it again.”
The crowd there heard it and said it was thunder;
but others said, “An angel has spoken to him.”
Jesus answered and said,
“This voice did not come for my sake but for yours.
Now is the time of judgment on this world;
now the ruler of this world will be driven out.
And when I am lifted up from the earth,
I will draw everyone to myself.”
He said this indicating the kind of death he would die.
Miracle of Blood Liquefying at Pope Francis meeting with Religious and his 3 Recommendations
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis spoke of the ‘terrorism of gossip’ as the biggest sign of the devils work in a meeting with priests, religious and seminarians at Naples Cathedral Saturday.
The Gothic ‘Duomo’ – home to the much revered relic of St. Januarius patron Saint of Naples - was the setting for Pope Francis’ first appointment of the afternoon.
He was welcomed by Cardinal Crescenzio Seppe, the Archbishop of Naples and then surrounded by an enthusiastic group of cloistered nuns who had been given special permission to attend the encounter.
The spontaneity of the cloistered set the tone for a convivial meeting, so much so, that in what has become a classic move, Pope Francis began saying "I prepared a speech, but speeches are boring” before launching into a forty minute off-the-cuff reflection on priestly and religious life.
Pope Francis reminded the priests, religious, seminarians and deacons present to put Jesus at the center of their life and not personal problems with their bishop, other priests or members of their community. He said “If the center of your life is someone you have a problem with, you'll have no joy” and when there's no joy in life of priest or nun, ‘people can smell it’.
To seminarians, he said “If Jesus isn't center of your life, postpone ordination”, while he urged religious men and women to nurture a deep relationship with Mary saying “if you don't know the Mother, you won't know Son”.
Pope Francis also spoke of the danger of attachment to worldly goods. He said when priests or nuns are attached to money, they unconsciously prefer people with money. Here, in a humorous aside, the Pope told the story of one nun so attached to money that when she fainted someone suggested putting 100 pesos under her nose to wake her up. Instead, ordained and consecrated must always have a preferential option for the poor.
Pope Francis also tested those present asking how many could remember the corporal and spiritual works of mercy. Too many of us can't, he said. He spoke of a convent that remodeled and put TVs in every room, which hindered community life.
“Community life isn't easy” Pope Francis admitted. Often because “the devil sows jealously” which is revealed in the ‘terrorism of gossip’, that can destroy others. This, he stated “is the greatest sign of the devil's work”.
But all of these dangers can be avoided by three simple things, Pope Francis concluded: Adoration, love of the Church and apostolic zeal. Warning that the Church isn't an NGO, Pope Francis said "I leave you with three things: adore Jesus, love the Church, be a missionary”.
The encounter concluded with the veneration of the relics of St. Januarius, a vile of dried blood which each March 19th on the Feast of the great patron is moved, liquefies and visibly flows again. It has become inseparable in popular imagination with good fortune.
As the Pope kissed the reliquary, cardinal Sepe announced the blood of St Januarius "is already halfway liquefied". To which Pope Francis calmly responded if the blood only half liquefied it means the Saint thinks we're only half converted. "We must keep going."
Following his encounter with the clergy and religious of Naples, Pope Francis held a closed door encounter with the sick and disabled in the Jesuit Church in Naples.
(Emer McCarthy)
Wow Pope Francis eats lunch with 120 Prisoners in a Jail - Message of Hope
The Pope was welcomed to the center by Antonio Fullone, director of the Detention Center and it’s chaplain, Fr. Franco Esposito. The highlight of the visit came as he shared lunch with 120 inmates of the prison. His 12 table guests included an Argentinean and the overseer of the prison, some of whom were given the opportunity to ask the Holy Father a few questions.
For his part, the Holy Father addressed the detainees, expressing his happiness at being able to visit them.
He spoke at length with them and engaged in a spontaneous "off-the.cuff" conversation. In his prepared remarks that were handed to those present, the Pope said he came to bring them “the love of Jesus” who came to the world save everyone.
“At times you may feel disappointed, discouraged, abandoned by all, but God does not forget his children, He never abandons them!” he said. “He is always at our side, especially in times of trial; He is a Father who is "rich in mercy", who always turns towards us his serene and benevolent gaze, always waiting for us with open arms.”
The Holy Father went on to encourage the prisoners, saying that no matter what mistakes they committed in life, the Lord never tires of showing them the path that leads to Him and that “not even jail bars” can separate them from God’s love. “The only thing that can separate us from Him is our sin, but if we recognize Him and confess with sincere repentance, that very sin becomes the place of encounter with Him, because He is mercy” he said.
Acknowledging the many letters he receives from prisoners around the world, the Pope sympathized with them and the undignified conditions many find themselves in.
However, he also praised the work of the directors, chaplains, educators and pastoral workers who remain close to them. He also called for the development of a positive experience in prison life so that, once freed, detainees can contribute to both society and the Church.
Concluding his remarks, Pope Francis called on the prisoners to live every day in God’s presence. “Even in the midst of so many problems, even serious ones, let us not lose our hope in the infinite mercy of God and in His providence,” he said.
Saint March 22 : Blessed Clemens August von Galen - Cardinal in Germany
 Information:
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BISHOP OF MUNSTER, CARDINAL
Clemens August von Galen was born on 16 March 1878 in Dinklage Castle, Oldenburg, Germany, the 11th of 13 children born to Count Ferdinand Heribert and Elisabeth von Spee.
His father belonged to the noble family of Westphalia, who since 1660 governed the village of Dinklage. For over two centuries his ancestors carried out the inherited office of camerlengo of the Diocese of Münster.
Clemens August grew up in Dinklage Castle and in other family seats. Due to the struggle between Church and State, he and his brothers were sent to a school run by the Jesuits in Feldkirch, Austria.
He remained there until 1894, when he transferred to the Antonianum in Vechta. After graduation, he studied philosophy and theology in Frebur, Innsbruck and Münster, and was ordained a priest on 28 May 1904 for the Diocese of Munster by Bishop Hermann Dingelstadt.
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source: http://www.ewtn.com/saintsHoly/saints/C/blclemensaugustvongalen.asp#ixzz1po7aFPYz
Saturday, March 21, 2015
Pope Francis "...in Jesus that we are all children of God..."
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis has spoken out against the ‘stink of a corrupt society’ that leaves young people pray to exploitation in the workplace, marginalizes immigrants and corrodes hope in society.
Continuing his whirlwind trip to Pompeii and Naples, Pope Francis on Saturday morning arrived in Scampia, an impoverished neighourhood close to Naples where he received a rapturous welcome from the community there in John Paul II Square. It is an area, which Cardinal Cresenzio Sepe described in his address to the Pope during this visit, as a suburb of Naples, which despite its many problems is rich in resources, especially the Parishes that are committed to spreading the Gospel.
The Holy Father heard from three representatives who included Corazon, an immigrant from the Philippines. She told the Pope she was speaking on behalf of those from his community that are immigrant those who are homeless and he asked Pope Francis to be an authentic voice them.
The Pope also heard from Michele, who spoke to him about the despair of those who can’t find work. He told the Holy Father there are less and less people in his community who have a job before adding that, “we need to believe in the sacredness of work.”
Speaking on behalf of the Prosecutors of Naples, Antonio Bonajuto, President of the Court of Appeal of Naples addressed the Pope describing the effects of corruption in society there saying, “it invalidates public ethics and generates juvenile delinquency, despair and death.” He then appealed to Pope Francis saying, “Indicate to us, Your Holiness, a path of hope to sustain the commitment of all those who pursue law and justice… To these three speakers the Pope offered words of hope and encouragement.
Click here for our video report:
Below a Vatican Radio translation of Pope Francis’ responses:
A heritage of hope in the face of evil
"I wanted to start my visit to Naples from here from this periphery. I greet you all and thank you for your warm welcome! We can really see that Neapolitans are not cold people"
"You belong to a people with a long, complex and dramatic history. Life in Naples has never been easy, but it has never been sad! This is your greatest asset. Daily life in this city, with its difficulties and its hardships and sometimes its trials, produces a culture of life that always helps people to pick themselves up again after every fall, and to ensure that evil never has the last word. This is a beautiful challenge: no, never let evil have the last word. It is this hope, as you well know, this great heritage, this ‘raising of the soul', which is so precious, but also exposed to assaults and theft. We all know, those who voluntarily take the path of evil steal a piece of hope, earn a little something but steal hope from themselves, from others, from society. The path of evil is one that always steals hope and also robs honest and hardworking people, as well as the good reputation of this city, it
We are all immigrants
Responding to the words of a Filipino immigrant, the Pope said: "I would like to speak to the sister who spoke on behalf of immigrants and the homeless. She asked for a word to ensure that migrants are children of God and citizens. But must we arrive at this point? Are migrants second-class humans? We have to feel that our migrant brothers and sisters are citizens, are like us, God's children, they are migrants like us, because we are all migrants bound for another country, no? And maybe we will all get there? And nobody will be lost on the way! We are all immigrants, all children of God, children of God who has put us all on a journey, everyone. You cannot say: 'But migrants are like this ... We are not. .. '. No! We are all immigrants, we are all on a journey, everyone. And this word is not written in a book, that we are all migrants; it is written in our flesh, eh? In our flesh, in our way of life, and it assures us that in Jesus that we are all children of God, loved children, wanted children, saved children. Think of that! We are all immigrants on the journey of life. None of us have a fixed abode in this land! We all have to leave. And all we have to leave to find God! One before and the other after, or as that old man said, that crafty old man: 'Yes, yes, all! You go on ahead, I will go last! '. All of us, all, we all have to leave”.
The battle against black market labor
Responding to the words of an unemployed man, the Pope said: "Then there were the words of the worker. And I also thank him, because of course I wanted to touch this point, which is a negative sign of our times. Especially the lack of jobs for young people. But you think young people aged 25 years and under, more than 40 percent have no work! But this is serious! What does a young unemployed person do? What is the future? What path can they choose in life? And this is a responsibility not only of the city, not only of the country, but the world! Why? Because there is an economic system that is denying people and now it is the young people’s turn to be discarded, that is without jobs. And this is serious! Why? - 'But father, there are the works of charity, there are voluntary services, there is Caritas, there is this center, there's that club, which feeds ... '. But the problem is not eating, the most serious problem is that it does not give them the chance to bring the bread home, to earn it! And when you do not earn your daily bread, you lose your dignity! And this lack of work steals dignity. We have to struggle with this, we have to defend our dignity as citizens, men, women, youth. And this is the drama of our time. We must not remain silent. And also part-time work. What do I mean by this? The exploitation of people in the workplace! A few weeks ago, a girl who needed work found a job in a tourist agency and these were the conditions: 11 hours of work, 600 Euros per month with no contribution for her pension. 'Oh, but it's just 11 hours! If you do not like it, look at the queue of people who are waiting for the job! '. This is called slavery, this is called exploitation, this is not human, this is not Christian. And if the person who does this says he is Christian, he is a liar, it is not true, he is not Christian. Even the exploitation of black market labor, where you make people work without a contract, with nothing, and you pay them what you want, this is exploitation of people. Without contributions for their pension or healthcare: 'Ah, I do not care'. I understand you well, brother, I understand you well and thank you for saying what you said. We must resume the fight for our dignity, which is the struggle to seek, to find, to rediscover opportunities to bring home the bread! This is our battle".
The stink of corruption
Finally responding to the words of an Appeals Court prosecutor, the Pope said: "He used a beautiful expression 'path of hope' and remembered a saying of St. John Bosco: 'good Christians and honest citizens', aimed at children and young people. The path of hope for the children, those who are here and everyone is first and foremost that of education, but a real education, the path to educate for a future, and this prevents and helps people to move forward. But he said a word in passing that I would like to take up, a word that is used a lot today, the judge said 'corruption', 'corruption'. But, tell me, if we close the door to immigrants, if we take away people’s work and their dignity, what do you call this? It's called corruption! It's called corruption and we all have the opportunity to be corrupt, none of us can say, I'll never be corrupt. No! It is a temptation, it is slipping, there, there, there, into an easy business, into delinquency, into criminality, into the exploitation of people. How much corruption there is in the world. It is a word that if we study it a bit', is bad, no? Because corruption is a dirty thing! If we find a dead animal and is corrupted, , it's ugly. But it also 'stinks', corruption 'stinks'! A corrupt society stinks! A Christian who allows corruption to enter is not Christian, they stink! I Got It? My presence is meant to be an impetus to a journey of hope, rebirth and recovery that is already underway. I know the generous and effective commitment of the Church, present with its community and its services at the very heart of the reality of Scampia; as well as the continued mobilization of voluntary groups, whose help is never lacking. I also encourage the presence and active involvement of the city government, because a community cannot progress without their support, especially in times of crisis and in the presence of difficult and sometimes extreme social situations. 'Good politics' is a service to people, which is exercised primarily at a local level, where the weight of failures, delays, real omission is more direct and hurts more. Good politics is one of the highest expressions of charity, service, and love. Do good politics, but among you all: politics concerns everyone! Good politics depends on you all".
(Emer McCarthy)
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