2015
Catholic Quote to SHARE from St. Faustina's Diary “Tell souls not to place within their own hearts obstacles to My mercy..."
Latest #News from #Vatican Information Service and #PopeFrancis at #HolySee
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20-07-2015 - Year XXII - Num. 136
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Summary |
| - Francis recalls his recent trip to Latin America |
| - Other Pontifical Acts |
| Francis recalls his recent trip to Latin America Vatican City, 19 July 2015 (VIS) – Pope Francis, in today's Sunday Angelus, commended the fruits of his recent apostolic trip in Latin America to the Virgin Mary, venerated in those lands as Our Lady of Guadalupe, and thanked the people of Ecuador, Bolivia and Paraguay for their warm and affectionate welcome, and for their enthusiasm. He also offered thanks to the authorities of the three countries for their collaboration, and for all the clergy, from the bishops to men and women religious, who accompanied him during his stay. “With these brothers and sisters, I praised the Lord for the wonders that He has worked in the People of God on their path in those lands, and for the faith that has inspired and continues to inspire their life and culture. And we have also praised Him for the natural beauty with which He enriched these lands. The Latin American continent has great human and spiritual potential, and safeguards deeply rooted Christian values, but also experiences serious social and economic problems. To contribute to their solution, the Church is committed to mobilising the spiritual and moral forces of her communities, collaborating with all members of society. Faced with the great challenges that announcing the Gospel entails, I invited them to draw from Christ the Lord the grace that saves and gives strength to the effort of Christian witness, and to further spread of the Word of God, so that the strong religiosity of the people may always bear faithful witness to the Gospel”. The Pope had previously commented on the day's Gospel reading in which Jesus takes the apostles to a secluded place to rest, but seeing that the multitudes follow them, feels compassion for them and begins to impart His teachings. Francis focused on the verbs that the evangelist uses: to see, to have compassion, and to teach. “We can call them the verbs of the Pastor”, he observed. “To see, to have compassion, to teach. The first and the second, to see and to have compassion, are always linked to Jesus' attitude: indeed, His outlook is not that of a sociologist or a photojournalist, since He always sees with 'the eyes of the heart'. These two verbs, to see and to have compassion, configure Jesus as the Good Shepherd. But His compassion is not merely a human sentiment: it is the emotion of the Messiah in whom God's tenderness is made flesh. And from this compassion there emerges Jesus' desire to nourish the crowd with the bread of His Word, that is, to teach the Word of God to the people. Jesus sees, Jesus has compassion, and Jesus teaches”. “And I asked the Lord that the Spirit of Jesus, the Good Shepherd, this Spirit, might guide me during the apostolic trip I made in Latin America over the last few days”, added the Pope. |
| Other Pontifical Acts Vatican City, 20 July 2015 (VIS) – The Holy Father has appointed Dr. Salvatore Vecchio, formerly director of Human Resources at the Bambino Gesu Paedatric Hospital, Rome, as director of the Labour Office of the Apostolic See. On Saturday 18 July, the Holy Father: - appointed Msgr. Claudio Cipolla as bishop of Padua (area 3,297, population 1,068,498, Catholics 1,004,088, priests 990, permanent deacons 49, religious 1976), Italy. The bishop-elect was born in Goito, Italy in 1955 and was ordained a priest in 1980. He has served in a number of roles in the diocese of Mantua, including parish vicar and director of diocesan Caritas. He is currently parish priest, episcopal vicar for the pastoral sector, and member of the college of consultors, the diocesan pastoral council and the commission for the continuing formation of the clergy. He is a “ratione officii” member of the episcopal council and the presbyteral council, and was named Chaplain of His Holiness in 2011. He succeeds bishop Antonio Mattiazzo, whose resignation from the pastoral care of the same diocese upon reaching the age limit was accepted by the Holy Father. - appointed Fr. Basil Bhuriya, S.V.D., as bishop of Jhabua (area 21,366, population 5,812,071, Catholics 38,726, priests 68, religious 236), India. The bishop-elect was born in Panchjui, India in 1956, gave his solemn vows in 1985, and was ordained a priest in 1986. He holds a bachelor's degree from the University of Indore, India, and has served in an number of roles, including parish vicar in a number of parishes in the dioceses of Baroda, Indore and Jhabua and rector of the St. Thomas Seminary in Indore. He is currently parish priest and member of the Provincial Council of the Verbite Fathers in the Central Indian Province. - appointed Fr. Corrado Melis as bishop of Ozieri (area 2,288, population 54,600, Catholics 54,200, priests 48, religious 54), Italy. The bishop elect was born in Sardara, Italy in 1963 and was ordained a priest in 1988. He holds a licentiate in theology from the Pontifical Theological Faculty of Sardinia in Cagliari, and has served in a number of pastoral roles in the diocese of Ales-Terralba, including parish vicar, vice rector of the diocesan seminary in Villacidro, director of the diocesan catechistic office, chaplain, parish administrator, and parish priest. He is currently parish priest of Santa Barbara in Villacidro, episcopal vicar for evangelisation and education, director of the diocesan office for family pastoral ministry, and director of the pastoral ministry of ecumenism. He is also a member of the college of consultors and the diocesan council for economic affairs. - elevated Fr. Natale Paganelli, S.X., apostolic administrator of Makeni, Sierra Leone, to the dignity of bishop. The bishop-elect was born in Grignano di Brembate, Italy in 1956, gave his religious vows in 1979, and was ordained a priest in 1980. - appointed Bishop Henry Akuna of Makeni, Sierra Leone, as auxiliary of the diocese of Kenema, (area 15,710, population 1,481,000, Catholics 87,000, priests 19, religious 32), Sierra Leone. |
Today's Mass Readings and Video : Mon. July 20, 2015
Monday of the Sixteenth Week in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 395
Reading 1EX 14:5-18
When it was reported to the king of Egypt
that the people had fled,
Pharaoh and his servants changed their minds about them.
They exclaimed, “What have we done!
Why, we have released Israel from our service!”
So Pharaoh made his chariots ready and mustered his soldiers—
six hundred first-class chariots
and all the other chariots of Egypt, with warriors on them all.
So obstinate had the LORD made Pharaoh
that he pursued the children of Israel
even while they were marching away in triumph.
The Egyptians, then, pursued them;
Pharaoh’s whole army, his horses, chariots and charioteers,
caught up with them as they lay encamped by the sea,
at Pi-hahiroth, in front of Baal-zephon.
Pharaoh was already near when the children of Israel looked up
and saw that the Egyptians were on the march in pursuit of them.
In great fright they cried out to the LORD.
And they complained to Moses,
“Were there no burial places in Egypt
that you had to bring us out here to die in the desert?
Why did you do this to us?
Why did you bring us out of Egypt?
Did we not tell you this in Egypt, when we said,
‘Leave us alone. Let us serve the Egyptians’?
Far better for us to be the slaves of the Egyptians
than to die in the desert.”
But Moses answered the people,
“Fear not! Stand your ground,
and you will see the victory the LORD will win for you today.
These Egyptians whom you see today you will never see again.
The LORD himself will fight for you; you have only to keep still.”
Then the LORD said to Moses, “Why are you crying out to me?
Tell the children of Israel to go forward.
And you, lift up your staff and, with hand outstretched over the sea,
split the sea in two,
that the children of Israel may pass through it on dry land.
But I will make the Egyptians so obstinate
that they will go in after them.
Then I will receive glory through Pharaoh and all his army,
his chariots and charioteers.
The Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD,
when I receive glory through Pharaoh
and his chariots and charioteers.”
that the people had fled,
Pharaoh and his servants changed their minds about them.
They exclaimed, “What have we done!
Why, we have released Israel from our service!”
So Pharaoh made his chariots ready and mustered his soldiers—
six hundred first-class chariots
and all the other chariots of Egypt, with warriors on them all.
So obstinate had the LORD made Pharaoh
that he pursued the children of Israel
even while they were marching away in triumph.
The Egyptians, then, pursued them;
Pharaoh’s whole army, his horses, chariots and charioteers,
caught up with them as they lay encamped by the sea,
at Pi-hahiroth, in front of Baal-zephon.
Pharaoh was already near when the children of Israel looked up
and saw that the Egyptians were on the march in pursuit of them.
In great fright they cried out to the LORD.
And they complained to Moses,
“Were there no burial places in Egypt
that you had to bring us out here to die in the desert?
Why did you do this to us?
Why did you bring us out of Egypt?
Did we not tell you this in Egypt, when we said,
‘Leave us alone. Let us serve the Egyptians’?
Far better for us to be the slaves of the Egyptians
than to die in the desert.”
But Moses answered the people,
“Fear not! Stand your ground,
and you will see the victory the LORD will win for you today.
These Egyptians whom you see today you will never see again.
The LORD himself will fight for you; you have only to keep still.”
Then the LORD said to Moses, “Why are you crying out to me?
Tell the children of Israel to go forward.
And you, lift up your staff and, with hand outstretched over the sea,
split the sea in two,
that the children of Israel may pass through it on dry land.
But I will make the Egyptians so obstinate
that they will go in after them.
Then I will receive glory through Pharaoh and all his army,
his chariots and charioteers.
The Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD,
when I receive glory through Pharaoh
and his chariots and charioteers.”
Responsorial PsalmEXODUS 15:1BC-2, 3-4, 5-6
R. (1b) Let us sing to the Lord; he has covered himself in glory.
I will sing to the LORD, for he is gloriously triumphant;
horse and chariot he has cast into the sea.
My strength and my courage is the LORD,
and he has been my savior.
He is my God, I praise him;
the God of my father, I extol him.
R. Let us sing to the Lord; he has covered himself in glory.
The LORD is a warrior,
LORD is his name!
Pharaoh’s chariots and army he hurled into the sea;
the elite of his officers were submerged in the Red Sea.
R. Let us sing to the Lord; he has covered himself in glory.
The flood waters covered them,
they sank into the depths like a stone.
Your right hand, O LORD, magnificent in power,
your right hand, O LORD, has shattered the enemy.
R. Let us sing to the Lord; he has covered himself in glory.
If today you hear his voice,
harden not your hearts.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
I will sing to the LORD, for he is gloriously triumphant;
horse and chariot he has cast into the sea.
My strength and my courage is the LORD,
and he has been my savior.
He is my God, I praise him;
the God of my father, I extol him.
R. Let us sing to the Lord; he has covered himself in glory.
The LORD is a warrior,
LORD is his name!
Pharaoh’s chariots and army he hurled into the sea;
the elite of his officers were submerged in the Red Sea.
R. Let us sing to the Lord; he has covered himself in glory.
The flood waters covered them,
they sank into the depths like a stone.
Your right hand, O LORD, magnificent in power,
your right hand, O LORD, has shattered the enemy.
R. Let us sing to the Lord; he has covered himself in glory.
AlleluiaPS 95:8
R. Alleluia, alleluia.If today you hear his voice,
harden not your hearts.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
GospelMT 12:38-42
Some of the scribes and Pharisees said to Jesus,
“Teacher, we wish to see a sign from you.”
He said to them in reply,
“An evil and unfaithful generation seeks a sign,
but no sign will be given it
except the sign of Jonah the prophet.
Just as Jonah was in the belly of the whale three days and three nights,
so will the Son of Man be in the heart of the earth
three days and three nights.
At the judgment, the men of Nineveh will arise with this generation
and condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah;
and there is something greater than Jonah here.
At the judgment the queen of the south will arise with this generation
and condemn it, because she came from the ends of the earth
to hear the wisdom of Solomon;
and there is something greater than Solomon here.”
“Teacher, we wish to see a sign from you.”
He said to them in reply,
“An evil and unfaithful generation seeks a sign,
but no sign will be given it
except the sign of Jonah the prophet.
Just as Jonah was in the belly of the whale three days and three nights,
so will the Son of Man be in the heart of the earth
three days and three nights.
At the judgment, the men of Nineveh will arise with this generation
and condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah;
and there is something greater than Jonah here.
At the judgment the queen of the south will arise with this generation
and condemn it, because she came from the ends of the earth
to hear the wisdom of Solomon;
and there is something greater than Solomon here.”
Saint July 20 : St. Margaret of Antioch : Patron of #Pregnant , Child #Birth and #Nurses
VIRGIN AND MARTYR
Feast: July 20
Feast Day:July 20
Born:
Antioch (in Pisidia)
Died:
304
Patron of:
childbirth, pregnant women, dying people, kidney disease, peasants, exiles, falsely accused people; nurses
Virgin and martyr; belonged to Pisidian Antioch in Asia Minor, where her father was a pagan priest. Her mother dying soon after her birth, Margaret was nursed by a pious woman five or six leagues from Antioch. Having embraced Christianity and consecrated her virginity to God, she was disowned by her father and adopted by her nurse.
While she was one day engaged in watching the flocks of her mistress, a lustful Roman prefect named Olybrius caught sight of her, and attracted by her great beauty sought to make her his concubine or wife. When neither cajolery nor threats of punishment could succeed in moving her to yield to his desires, he had her brought before him in public trial atAntioch. Threatened with death unless she renounced the Christian faith, the holy virgin refused to adore the gods of the empire and an attempt was made to burn her, but the flames, we are told in her Acts, left her unhurt. She was then bound hand and foot and thrown into a cauldron of boiling water, but at her prayer her bonds were broken and she stood up uninjured. Finally the prefect ordered her to be beheaded.
The Greek Church honors her under the name Marine on 13 July; the Latin, as Margaret on 20 July. Her Acts place her death in the persecution of Diocletian (A.D. 303-5), but in fact even the century to which she belonged is uncertain. St. Margaret is represented in art sometimes as a shepherdess, or as leading a chained dragon, again carrying a little cross or a girdle in her hand, or standing by a large vessel which recalls the cauldron into which she was plunged. Relics said to belong to the saint are venerated in very many parts of Europe; at Rome, Montefiascone, Brusels, Bruges, Paris, Froidmont, Troyes, and various other places. Curiously enough this virgin has been widely venerated for many centuries as a special patron of women who are pregnant.Shared from EWTN
Saint July 20 : St. Apollinaris of Ravenna : #Bishop
His preaching of the Good News was so successful that the pagans there beat him and drove him from the city. He returned, however, and was exiled a second time.
After preaching in the area surrounding Ravenna, he entered the city again. After being cruelly tortured, he was put on a ship heading to Greece. Pagans there caused him to be expelled to Italy, where he went to Ravenna for a fourth time.
He died from wounds received during a savage beating at Classis, a suburb of Ravenna.
A beautiful basilica honouring him was built there in the sixth century.
(SOURCE : JOURNEY OF A BISHOP BLOG/IMAGE SOURCE HEILIGENLEXICON)
After preaching in the area surrounding Ravenna, he entered the city again. After being cruelly tortured, he was put on a ship heading to Greece. Pagans there caused him to be expelled to Italy, where he went to Ravenna for a fourth time.
He died from wounds received during a savage beating at Classis, a suburb of Ravenna.
A beautiful basilica honouring him was built there in the sixth century.
(SOURCE : JOURNEY OF A BISHOP BLOG/IMAGE SOURCE HEILIGENLEXICON)
Don't Be Bullied into Changing Definition of Marriage - #Archbishop Fisher of #Australia
More than 120 couples joined Archbishop Fisher for the Marriage Mass on Sunday
Catholic Communications, Sydney Archdiocese, 13 Jul 2015: The Archbishop of Sydney, the Most Reverend Anthony Fisher OP has cautioned married couples against being "bullied" into supporting a redefinition of marriage from the current legal definition of "the union between a man and a woman to the exclusion of all others," to "the union between two people."
Welcoming 120 couples, their families and friends at a packed St Mary's Cathedral yesterday for the Archdiocese of Sydney's fourth annual Marriage Mass and the Renewal of Vows, Archbishop Fisher urged Catholics to respect and love all without supporting changes to the Marriage Act to permit same sex couples to legally wed.
"Marriage brings together...man and woman, sex and love, love and babies, parents and children," the Archbishop said in his homily.
"To say this is not to criticise anyone."
Archbishop Fisher said the faithful were often labelled as bigoted, with political and cultural forces trying to "bully us all" into redefining marriage.
"To say marriage is special is not to demean these other realities, rather it respects the diverse ways of being human and loving, not pretending away the differences," he said before couples renewed their vows.
Yesterday was a record turnout for the Marriage Mass and Renewal of Vows. Thirty-five of the couples there were celebrating golden milestone anniversaries representing 50, 55, 60 or 65 years of marriage. Among the other 85 couples, there were newly-weds, couples who had been married five or six years, others who had celebrated 20 and 25 years of marriage.
"Some came with their children, others with their children and grandchildren and the day was a wonderful celebration of the value, strength and meaning of the Marriage Sacrament," says Mary Joseph, Research and Project Officer for the Archdiocese's Life, Marriage and Family Centre which organise the Marriage Mass each year.
The current debate over changing Australia's marriage laws and following in the footsteps of the Irish referendum in May and last month's decision by the US Supreme Court to allow same sex marriage in all of America's 50 states is one of the reasons for yesterday's record turnout for the annual Marriage Mass, Mary believes.
All of the couples were personally thanked and congratulated by the Archbishop
"There was a definite show of support among couples, families and everyone who attended for Catholic teachings on marriage and what marriage meant to them, to their families, their children and grandchildren and to society as a whole," she says. "With the meaning of marriage currently being challenged, the large numbers of men, women and children who attended yesterday's Mass was a wonderful demonstration of solidarity in the strength and importance of marriage."
Each of the couples who attended the Mass were given a small gift by the Archbishop while those celebrating golden milestone anniversaries of 50 to 65 years of marriage, were presented with engraved certificates as special mementoes of the occasion.
Among the couples receiving a certificate from the Archbishop were Joan and Keith Dunsmore who will celebrate their 65th "blue sapphire" anniversary on 3 February, 2016.
"We renewed our wedding vows once before but that was some years ago so when we read about the Marriage Mass we thought it would be a nice thing to do ahead of our 65th anniversary," Joan says.
Now in their late 80s, the couple were married at Mary Immaculate Catholic Church, Waverley and both are still active members of the parish.
For Joan and Keith a successful marriage is doing things together, working things out by talking before they become a problem, and above all enjoying the great gift and blessing of children.
With two daughters, four grandchildren and a first great grandchild, they insist that having children has brought them even closer together.
"Two of our very good friends are men who are same sex attracted, and I have to say they are two of the nicest people I have ever met. They are great friends of ours and through them we have met other same sex couples who are also very kind and warm and friendly. But that doesn't mean I think it is necessary to allow them to marry. I think they should be partners in a civil union. But not in marriage which is about children," she says. "And I certainly don't really agree with same sex couples being able to adopt children. But that is just my opinion."
Photographs for the family album following the Mass before a reception and get-together
And one with which most Catholics old and young might well agree.
In June Opposition Leader Bill Shorten outlined a bill to legalise marriage between same-sex attracted couples.
However at least two Queensland Liberal National Party members have said they will co-sponsor the private member's bill along with another Labor MP, a Greens MP and two independents.
This is expected to be tabled in Federal Parliament the first or second week of August.
For the full text of Archbishop Fisher's homily at Sunday's Marriage Mass and Renewal of Vows at St Mary's Cathedral see here
Shared from Archdiocese of Sydney
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