2015
Quote to SHARE by St. Teresa of Avila "Let nothing disturb you, Let nothing frighten you, All things are passing away: God never changes...
-- St. Teresa of Avila
#PopeFrancis sends Letter for Congress on #StTheresaofAvila a “master of prayer”
The letter, signed by Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin on behalf of the Holy Father, expresses gratitude to the Academic world for highlighting the relevance of Saint Theresa’s teachings.
Organized by the Catholic University of “Santa Teresa de Jesus de Avila” in collaboration with other Catholic Universities, the 3-day Congress entitled “St. Teresa of Avila, Maestra de Vida” is taking place in Avila, the city where Theresa was born 500 years ago. The main purpose of the congress is to bring the figure of St. Teresa of Avila closer to those in academia and university circles by examining the figure of the great mystic from different perspectives, including, the impact St. Teresa and her writings have had and will continue to have on the New Evangelization, on our interior and daily lives and on modern society today. Organizers say that while examining the validity and scope of her teachings during this congress, “we hope to foster a deeper understanding of her spirituality and to discover her as an example for future generations”.
In his letter, Pope Francis also urges participants at the Congress to find in the contemplation and meditation pursued by Theresa - whom he describes as a “master of prayer” – the source of true science and authentic values that are at the basis of life. Over 3.000 representatives of Universities all over the world have been invited to this congress where experts in the figure of St. Teresa as well as intellectuals from the five continents, philosophers and theologians will be lecturers.
(Linda Bordoni)
Today's Mass Readings and Video : Mon. August 3, 2015
Monday of the Eighteenth Week in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 407
Reading 1NM 11:4B-15
The children of Israel lamented,
“Would that we had meat for food!
We remember the fish we used to eat without cost in Egypt,
and the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks,
the onions, and the garlic.
But now we are famished;
we see nothing before us but this manna.”
Manna was like coriander seed and had the color of resin.
When they had gone about and gathered it up,
the people would grind it between millstones or pound it in a mortar,
then cook it in a pot and make it into loaves,
which tasted like cakes made with oil.
At night, when the dew fell upon the camp, the manna also fell.
When Moses heard the people, family after family,
crying at the entrance of their tents,
so that the LORD became very angry, he was grieved.
“Why do you treat your servant so badly?” Moses asked the LORD.
“Why are you so displeased with me
that you burden me with all this people?
Was it I who conceived all this people?
Or was it I who gave them birth,
that you tell me to carry them at my bosom,
like a foster father carrying an infant,
to the land you have promised under oath to their fathers?
Where can I get meat to give to all this people?
For they are crying to me,
‘Give us meat for our food.’
I cannot carry all this people by myself,
for they are too heavy for me.
If this is the way you will deal with me,
then please do me the favor of killing me at once,
so that I need no longer face this distress.”
“Would that we had meat for food!
We remember the fish we used to eat without cost in Egypt,
and the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks,
the onions, and the garlic.
But now we are famished;
we see nothing before us but this manna.”
Manna was like coriander seed and had the color of resin.
When they had gone about and gathered it up,
the people would grind it between millstones or pound it in a mortar,
then cook it in a pot and make it into loaves,
which tasted like cakes made with oil.
At night, when the dew fell upon the camp, the manna also fell.
When Moses heard the people, family after family,
crying at the entrance of their tents,
so that the LORD became very angry, he was grieved.
“Why do you treat your servant so badly?” Moses asked the LORD.
“Why are you so displeased with me
that you burden me with all this people?
Was it I who conceived all this people?
Or was it I who gave them birth,
that you tell me to carry them at my bosom,
like a foster father carrying an infant,
to the land you have promised under oath to their fathers?
Where can I get meat to give to all this people?
For they are crying to me,
‘Give us meat for our food.’
I cannot carry all this people by myself,
for they are too heavy for me.
If this is the way you will deal with me,
then please do me the favor of killing me at once,
so that I need no longer face this distress.”
Responsorial PsalmPS 81:12-13, 14-15, 16-17
R. (2a) Sing with joy to God our help.
“My people heard not my voice,
and Israel obeyed me not;
So I gave them up to the hardness of their hearts;
they walked according to their own counsels.”
R. Sing with joy to God our help.
“If only my people would hear me,
and Israel walk in my ways,
Quickly would I humble their enemies;
against their foes I would turn my hand.”
R. Sing with joy to God our help.
“Those who hated the LORD would seek to flatter me,
but their fate would endure forever,
While Israel I would feed with the best of wheat,
and with honey from the rock I would fill them.”
R. Sing with joy to God our help.
One does not live on bread alone, but by every
word that comes forth from the mouth of God.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
“My people heard not my voice,
and Israel obeyed me not;
So I gave them up to the hardness of their hearts;
they walked according to their own counsels.”
R. Sing with joy to God our help.
“If only my people would hear me,
and Israel walk in my ways,
Quickly would I humble their enemies;
against their foes I would turn my hand.”
R. Sing with joy to God our help.
“Those who hated the LORD would seek to flatter me,
but their fate would endure forever,
While Israel I would feed with the best of wheat,
and with honey from the rock I would fill them.”
R. Sing with joy to God our help.
AlleluiaMT 4:4
R. Alleluia, alleluia.One does not live on bread alone, but by every
word that comes forth from the mouth of God.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
GospelMT 14:13-21
When Jesus heard of the death of John the Baptist,
he withdrew in a boat to a deserted place by himself.
The crowds heard of this and followed him on foot from their towns.
When he disembarked and saw the vast crowd,
his heart was moved with pity for them, and he cured their sick.
When it was evening, the disciples approached him and said,
“This is a deserted place and it is already late;
dismiss the crowds so that they can go to the villages
and buy food for themselves.”
He said to them, “There is no need for them to go away;
give them some food yourselves.”
But they said to him,
“Five loaves and two fish are all we have here.”
Then he said, “Bring them here to me,”
and he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass.
Taking the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven,
he said the blessing, broke the loaves,
and gave them to the disciples,
who in turn gave them to the crowds.
They all ate and were satisfied,
and they picked up the fragments left over–
twelve wicker baskets full.
Those who ate were about five thousand men,
not counting women and children.
he withdrew in a boat to a deserted place by himself.
The crowds heard of this and followed him on foot from their towns.
When he disembarked and saw the vast crowd,
his heart was moved with pity for them, and he cured their sick.
When it was evening, the disciples approached him and said,
“This is a deserted place and it is already late;
dismiss the crowds so that they can go to the villages
and buy food for themselves.”
He said to them, “There is no need for them to go away;
give them some food yourselves.”
But they said to him,
“Five loaves and two fish are all we have here.”
Then he said, “Bring them here to me,”
and he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass.
Taking the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven,
he said the blessing, broke the loaves,
and gave them to the disciples,
who in turn gave them to the crowds.
They all ate and were satisfied,
and they picked up the fragments left over–
twelve wicker baskets full.
Those who ate were about five thousand men,
not counting women and children.
#BreakingNews over 200000 displaced due to Floods in Myanmar - Please Pray
46 dead and 200 thousand displaced in Myanmar floodsThe government declares a state of emergency in four regions, some unreachable by rescue teams. Because of the lack of communications and infrastructure, the scale of the disaster could be worse. Pakistan, Vietnam and Nepal also affected.
Yangon (AsiaNews) - "46 people are dead and more than 200 thousand displaced people by floods caused by heavy rains that have hit Myanmar in these days." This was stated by a member of the South-East Asian State’s Relief and Resettlement Department. The lack of communications and infrastructure could hide the true extent of the emergency caused by the monsoons.
The authorities have declared a state of emergency for the four central regions of the country, which are the most affected. "There were warnings ... we thought it was a normal [flood season]," a source tells Agence France-Presse.
In the capital of Chin, Haka, landslides have destroyed 700 homes; 5 thousand people have had to find temporary shelter. President Thein Sein said that the government will do "everything possible" to bring relief, even if part of the Chin "is isolated from the surrounding regions."
In the state of Rakhine, home to the Rohingya Muslim minority, there are at least 140 thousand displaced people living in makeshift shelters along the coast, and those who are allowed, in Buddhist temples.
The rains began last July 16 with an unusual fury. Farmland, roads, railways, bridges and houses were destroyed in the storms, which are also causing landslides.
There has been flooding in other Asian countries. In Pakistan, the rains have caused 109 deaths and 700 thousand people have been affected by the floods; 36 people died in Nepal from landslides. In Vietnam, there have been 17 victims, including two families engulfed by a torrent of toxic sludge. Shared from AsiaNewsIT
Christians in Iraq are in constant fear "it's like living in a cage" - Please Pray
Iraq nuns - we are living, but it’s like living in a cage
Wednesday 29 July 2015
Aid to the Church in Need
6 AUGUST will mark the one-year anniversary of the most tragic day in the lives of a number of Dominican sisters currently serving in Iraq, who suffered and faced on one day challenges that many will not face in a lifetime. These sisters remained resolute in their faith and mission despite the bloodshed, heartbreak and tragedy that they witnessed on that fateful day and in the months following.
Hearing bombs in the distance was not an uncommon occurrence for these sisters and their communities, given the conflict that was happening nearby between Iraqi-Kurdish forces and IS.
‘In the morning we heard the bombs,’ Sister Lyca explained. ‘We thought it was normal because there was a clash between the two parties.’ What was not normal, however, was what happened next.
‘At ten o’clock in the morning there were bombs that fell in village,’ Sister Lyca said. ‘Three people died: two children and a young girl. It was terrible news.’ Diana, another Dominican sister, explained that the young girl who had been killed was recently engaged.
Many began to flee the village after the bombing, but the sisters stayed, feeling they had to provide support to the people and hoping that this instance would be like previous ones, where the threat only lasted a few short days. They also felt safe due to the protection of Peshmerga, the Kurdish forces, who had sworn to protect them. ‘We put all of our trust in Peshmerga because they promised to protect us. Up until the last minute we were so certain that they would defend us,’ Sister Diana said. ‘But when we saw them taking their uniforms off, we knew that the time of danger had finally arrived.’
Abandoned by their protectors and completely defenseless, the sisters decided to leave their convent in Qaraqosh and march with the other thousands of refugees with only half an hour to pack their things. ‘We were panicked when they told us ISIS had gotten into the roads, so many people left with even their nightgowns on.’
‘The distance between Erbil and Qaraqosh is one hour. We made it in 10 hours because there was a huge traffic jam,’ Sister Lyca said. The sisters marched alongside tens of thousands of other refugees fleeing the impending attack from IS. ‘From 11:30 at night to the next morning we marched without any food or water,’ Sister Diana said. ‘We’re talking about August when the heat is unbearable: 100 degrees (Farenheit) with no water.’ Alongside the heat exhaustion and dehydration the sisters and others dealt with were a number of horrible sights that left powerful impressions on the sisters. ‘When we got into the streets we saw thousands and thousands of people marching, cars and people walking,’ Sister Diana said. ‘Cars meant for five people held eight to ten. We heard children shouting and crying, very afraid.’
One sight in particular burned itself into the memories of the sisters. ‘When we passed a checkpoint, there was an ambulance behind us,’ Sister Lyca said. ‘We heard that there were five Islamists in the car, and the army began to fire on the car and on other cars. We saw people walking, running, and taking their children. Mothers took their children and threw them into our car to save their lives. It was a time that I cannot forget. It was terrible.’
The refugee camps in Erbil were a tragic sight to the sisters as well. ‘When we got here, it was even more horrible to see people scattered everywhere like sheep without a shepherd,’ Sister Diana said. ‘Some of these people left mansions. They had so much. So much, and in just a few hours they became homeless. We began to realize that our displacement might not take days, but it could take years and years.’
Unwilling to leave the people in this state, the Church stepped forward to provide aid. Churches were opened on the second day for refugees to stay in. Sisters began teaching the children and providing what education they could, some even taking on classes of hundreds of students like Sister Ban did.
Yet despite these selfless efforts, the Church and the refugees struggle on a spiritual level. ‘We lost our dignity here. We have been humiliated in so many ways,’ Sister Diana said. ‘We are living day-by-day, but the fact is that deep down, this is not the way that human beings should live. We’re living, but it’s like living in a cage. We don’t have the power or strength to stretch our wings where we want.’
Though they have worked hard to provide education for children, they fear it is not enough. ‘Our kids come to school for two or three hours a day. It’s nothing. Our college students are deprived from school. As Christians, we love education. What ISIS is doing to us is killing a new generation, because if this generation does not get educated, neither will the next one.’ On top of this, hospitals lack the facilities to deal with all their patients, and there are concerns that the aid coming in may not be enough to last. ‘To the government and even the United Nations, we’re just numbers. We’re not considered as human beings,’ Sister Diana said.
The sisters remain hopeful, however, and keep their faith in God. ‘We have brought all these things into our prayers,’ Sister Huda said. ‘This is my faith. God is with us. God saved us when we came here. We want to thank all the people who think of us and who are helping us.’
Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) have been assisting the persecuted Christians of Iraq and Syria. During 2014 ACN increased its aid to the Middle East – notably Iraq and Syria – where the charity has been helping thousands who have escaped violence, persecution and poverty. ACN paid out nearly $US2.86 million to Syria and $US6.9 million to Iraq – providing for projects such as food, shelter and medicine for communities fleeing bombardment and oppression.
CAN also provided eight schools – pre-fab structures – in Dohuk and Erbil, in Kurdish northern Iraq, to where 120,000 Christians fled last summer after attacks by Islamic State.
Photos courtesy Aid to the Church in Need.
• Dominican sisters with displaced children from northern Iraq form a heart to say thank you to the benefactors of ACN who helped fund this pre-fabricated school in Erbil in Kurdish northern Iraq
• Sisters Lyca, Ban & Huda in their original community
Aid to the Church in Need
6 AUGUST will mark the one-year anniversary of the most tragic day in the lives of a number of Dominican sisters currently serving in Iraq, who suffered and faced on one day challenges that many will not face in a lifetime. These sisters remained resolute in their faith and mission despite the bloodshed, heartbreak and tragedy that they witnessed on that fateful day and in the months following.
Hearing bombs in the distance was not an uncommon occurrence for these sisters and their communities, given the conflict that was happening nearby between Iraqi-Kurdish forces and IS.
‘In the morning we heard the bombs,’ Sister Lyca explained. ‘We thought it was normal because there was a clash between the two parties.’ What was not normal, however, was what happened next.
‘At ten o’clock in the morning there were bombs that fell in village,’ Sister Lyca said. ‘Three people died: two children and a young girl. It was terrible news.’ Diana, another Dominican sister, explained that the young girl who had been killed was recently engaged.
Many began to flee the village after the bombing, but the sisters stayed, feeling they had to provide support to the people and hoping that this instance would be like previous ones, where the threat only lasted a few short days. They also felt safe due to the protection of Peshmerga, the Kurdish forces, who had sworn to protect them. ‘We put all of our trust in Peshmerga because they promised to protect us. Up until the last minute we were so certain that they would defend us,’ Sister Diana said. ‘But when we saw them taking their uniforms off, we knew that the time of danger had finally arrived.’
Abandoned by their protectors and completely defenseless, the sisters decided to leave their convent in Qaraqosh and march with the other thousands of refugees with only half an hour to pack their things. ‘We were panicked when they told us ISIS had gotten into the roads, so many people left with even their nightgowns on.’
‘The distance between Erbil and Qaraqosh is one hour. We made it in 10 hours because there was a huge traffic jam,’ Sister Lyca said. The sisters marched alongside tens of thousands of other refugees fleeing the impending attack from IS. ‘From 11:30 at night to the next morning we marched without any food or water,’ Sister Diana said. ‘We’re talking about August when the heat is unbearable: 100 degrees (Farenheit) with no water.’ Alongside the heat exhaustion and dehydration the sisters and others dealt with were a number of horrible sights that left powerful impressions on the sisters. ‘When we got into the streets we saw thousands and thousands of people marching, cars and people walking,’ Sister Diana said. ‘Cars meant for five people held eight to ten. We heard children shouting and crying, very afraid.’
One sight in particular burned itself into the memories of the sisters. ‘When we passed a checkpoint, there was an ambulance behind us,’ Sister Lyca said. ‘We heard that there were five Islamists in the car, and the army began to fire on the car and on other cars. We saw people walking, running, and taking their children. Mothers took their children and threw them into our car to save their lives. It was a time that I cannot forget. It was terrible.’The refugee camps in Erbil were a tragic sight to the sisters as well. ‘When we got here, it was even more horrible to see people scattered everywhere like sheep without a shepherd,’ Sister Diana said. ‘Some of these people left mansions. They had so much. So much, and in just a few hours they became homeless. We began to realize that our displacement might not take days, but it could take years and years.’
Unwilling to leave the people in this state, the Church stepped forward to provide aid. Churches were opened on the second day for refugees to stay in. Sisters began teaching the children and providing what education they could, some even taking on classes of hundreds of students like Sister Ban did.
Yet despite these selfless efforts, the Church and the refugees struggle on a spiritual level. ‘We lost our dignity here. We have been humiliated in so many ways,’ Sister Diana said. ‘We are living day-by-day, but the fact is that deep down, this is not the way that human beings should live. We’re living, but it’s like living in a cage. We don’t have the power or strength to stretch our wings where we want.’
Though they have worked hard to provide education for children, they fear it is not enough. ‘Our kids come to school for two or three hours a day. It’s nothing. Our college students are deprived from school. As Christians, we love education. What ISIS is doing to us is killing a new generation, because if this generation does not get educated, neither will the next one.’ On top of this, hospitals lack the facilities to deal with all their patients, and there are concerns that the aid coming in may not be enough to last. ‘To the government and even the United Nations, we’re just numbers. We’re not considered as human beings,’ Sister Diana said.
The sisters remain hopeful, however, and keep their faith in God. ‘We have brought all these things into our prayers,’ Sister Huda said. ‘This is my faith. God is with us. God saved us when we came here. We want to thank all the people who think of us and who are helping us.’
Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) have been assisting the persecuted Christians of Iraq and Syria. During 2014 ACN increased its aid to the Middle East – notably Iraq and Syria – where the charity has been helping thousands who have escaped violence, persecution and poverty. ACN paid out nearly $US2.86 million to Syria and $US6.9 million to Iraq – providing for projects such as food, shelter and medicine for communities fleeing bombardment and oppression.
CAN also provided eight schools – pre-fab structures – in Dohuk and Erbil, in Kurdish northern Iraq, to where 120,000 Christians fled last summer after attacks by Islamic State.
Photos courtesy Aid to the Church in Need.
• Dominican sisters with displaced children from northern Iraq form a heart to say thank you to the benefactors of ACN who helped fund this pre-fabricated school in Erbil in Kurdish northern Iraq
• Sisters Lyca, Ban & Huda in their original community
Shared from Aid to the Church in Need
Saint August 3 : St. Gamaliel : #Teacher of St. Paul
UCATHOLIC REPORT: The name designates in the New Testament a Pharisee and celebrated doctor of the Law. Gamaliel is represented in Acts 5:34 as advising his fellow-members of the Sanhedrin not to put to death St. Peter and the Apostles, who, notwithstanding the prohibition of the Jewish authorities, had continued to preach to the people. His advice, however unwelcome, was acted upon, so great was his authority with his contemporaries.
We learn from Acts 22:3, that he was the teacher of St. Paul; but we are not told either the nature or the extent of the influence which he exercised upon the future apostle of the Gentiles. Gamaliel is rightly identified with an illustrious Jewish doctor of the Law, who bore the same name and died eighteen years before the destruction of Jerusalem. In the Talmud, this Gamaliel bears, like his grandfather Hillel, the surname of “the Elder”, and is the first to whom the title “Rabban”, “our master”, was given.
He appears therein, as in the book of the Acts, as a prominent member of the highest tribunal of the Jews. He is also treated as the originator of many legal ordinances; as the father of a son, whom he called Simeon, after his father’s name, and of a daughter who married the priest Simon ben Nathanael. The Jewish accounts make him die a Pharisee, and state that: “When he died, the honour of the Torah (the law) ceased, and purity and piety became extinct.”
At an early date, ecclesiastical tradition has supposed that Gamaliel embraced the Christian Faith, and remained a member of the Sanhedrin for the purpose of helping secretly his fellow-Christians (cf. Recognitions of Clement, I, lxv, lxvi). According to Photius, he was baptized by St. Peter and St. John, together with his son and with Nicodemus. His body, miraculously discovered in the fifth century, is said to be preserved at Pisa, in Italy.
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