2016
#BreakingNews young Boy beheaded in Syria - Please PRAY
Horror in Aleppo: "moderate" rebel group beheads Palestinian child
Aleppo (AsiaNews) – The beheading of an 11-year-old by Syrian opposition groupNour al-Din al-Zenki has sparked horror and indignation after images of the event began circulating on social media on Tuesday. The group itself is part of the anti-government Free Syrian Army, considered “moderate” in the West.
The video shows a terrified child, desperately pleading (pictured), with obvious signs of bruising on his stomach and legs. He also has traces of blood on an arm. All this points to torture.
In the background the notorious takbir is heard, praising the executioner who, in the name of “Allah’s greatness", justifies and sanctifies the killing of "enemies of the faith." In this case, the enemy is a child unable to find the right words to convince them of his innocence.
Circulating on social media, the video, which has also outraged the strongest supporters of the anti-Assad camp in Syria, begins with an FSA "soldier" issuing the sentence against the child. The FSA is the armed wing of the anti-Assad opposition.
As he reads the boy’s verdict, the militiaman adds, "They have no more men, now they send us children."
The video ends with the executioner lifting the severed head and screaming "Allah Akbar" (God is greatest). "These are your men, Bashar (Assad)". This is followed by another "Allah Akbar" by those present.
The child, whose name is Abdallah Issa, lived in the Palestinian refugee camp of Handarat, north of Aleppo. He was beheaded after he was accused of being part of Liwa Al Quds, the Jerusalem Brigade.
The execution took place in the back a red pickup, parked in a street, in front of several people who appear smiling and joyful before the macabre spectacle.
Some Nour al-Din al-Zenki supporters tried to justify the horrible crime on social media by stating that "the child" shown in the video "was 19".
Other supporters urged the group's leaders to issue a press statement clarifying the victim's age.
Still more, however, tried to downplay the incident, saying the child was Syrian from the city of Homs, as if the child's nationality made a difference and beheading a Syrian boy was "lawful and permissible".
Supported by Turkey, the United States, Saudi Arabia and Qatar, Nour al-Din al-Zenki is considered part of the moderate, not terrorist and peaceful opposition, authorised to take part in negotiations. Yesterday, the group issued a statement indirectly acknowledging the child’s execution.
For the group’s leaders, the boy’s killing was a "violation" of its rules of engagement that was not representative of its overall operations.
In view of the situation, it announced the creation of a commission of inquiry, adding that the fighters who appear in the video were being “held for interrogation”. (PB)
Text shared from AsiaNewsIT |
Today's Mass Readings and Video : Thurs. July 21, 2016 - #Eucharist
Thursday of the Sixteenth Week in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 398
Reading 1JER 2:1-3, 7-8, 12-13
This word of the LORD came to me:
Go, cry out this message for Jerusalem to hear!
I remember the devotion of your youth,
how you loved me as a bride,
Following me in the desert,
in a land unsown.
Sacred to the LORD was Israel,
the first fruits of his harvest;
Should any presume to partake of them,
evil would befall them, says the LORD.
When I brought you into the garden land
to eat its goodly fruits,
You entered and defiled my land,
you made my heritage loathsome.
The priests asked not,
“Where is the LORD?”
Those who dealt with the law knew me not:
the shepherds rebelled against me.
The prophets prophesied by Baal,
and went after useless idols.
Be amazed at this, O heavens,
and shudder with sheer horror, says the LORD.
Two evils have my people done:
they have forsaken me, the source of living waters;
They have dug themselves cisterns,
broken cisterns, that hold no water.
Go, cry out this message for Jerusalem to hear!
I remember the devotion of your youth,
how you loved me as a bride,
Following me in the desert,
in a land unsown.
Sacred to the LORD was Israel,
the first fruits of his harvest;
Should any presume to partake of them,
evil would befall them, says the LORD.
When I brought you into the garden land
to eat its goodly fruits,
You entered and defiled my land,
you made my heritage loathsome.
The priests asked not,
“Where is the LORD?”
Those who dealt with the law knew me not:
the shepherds rebelled against me.
The prophets prophesied by Baal,
and went after useless idols.
Be amazed at this, O heavens,
and shudder with sheer horror, says the LORD.
Two evils have my people done:
they have forsaken me, the source of living waters;
They have dug themselves cisterns,
broken cisterns, that hold no water.
Responsorial PsalmPS 36:6-7AB, 8-9, 10-11
R. (10a) With you is the fountain of life, O Lord.
O LORD, your mercy reaches to heaven;
your faithfulness, to the clouds.
Your justice is like the mountains of God;
your judgments, like the mighty deep.
R. With you is the fountain of life, O Lord.
How precious is your mercy, O God!
The children of men take refuge in the shadow of your wings.
They have their fill of the prime gifts of your house;
from your delightful stream you give them to drink.
R. With you is the fountain of life, O Lord.
For with you is the fountain of life,
and in your light we see light.
Keep up your mercy toward your friends,
your just defense of the upright of heart.
R. With you is the fountain of life, O Lord.
O LORD, your mercy reaches to heaven;
your faithfulness, to the clouds.
Your justice is like the mountains of God;
your judgments, like the mighty deep.
R. With you is the fountain of life, O Lord.
How precious is your mercy, O God!
The children of men take refuge in the shadow of your wings.
They have their fill of the prime gifts of your house;
from your delightful stream you give them to drink.
R. With you is the fountain of life, O Lord.
For with you is the fountain of life,
and in your light we see light.
Keep up your mercy toward your friends,
your just defense of the upright of heart.
R. With you is the fountain of life, O Lord.
AlleluiaSEE MT 11:25
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Blessed are you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth;
you have revealed to little ones the mysteries of the Kingdom.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
“Why do you speak to the crowd in parables?”
He said to them in reply,
“Because knowledge of the mysteries of the Kingdom of heaven
has been granted to you, but to them it has not been granted.
To anyone who has, more will be given and he will grow rich;
from anyone who has not, even what he has will be taken away.
This is why I speak to them in parables, because
they look but do not see and hear but do not listen or understand.
Isaiah’s prophecy is fulfilled in them, which says:
You shall indeed hear but not understand,
you shall indeed look but never see.
Gross is the heart of this people,
they will hardly hear with their ears,
they have closed their eyes,
lest they see with their eyes
and hear with their ears
and understand with their hearts and be converted
and I heal them.
“But blessed are your eyes, because they see,
and your ears, because they hear.
Amen, I say to you, many prophets and righteous people
longed to see what you see but did not see it,
and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.”
Blessed are you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth;
you have revealed to little ones the mysteries of the Kingdom.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
GospelMT 13:10-17
The disciples approached Jesus and said,“Why do you speak to the crowd in parables?”
He said to them in reply,
“Because knowledge of the mysteries of the Kingdom of heaven
has been granted to you, but to them it has not been granted.
To anyone who has, more will be given and he will grow rich;
from anyone who has not, even what he has will be taken away.
This is why I speak to them in parables, because
they look but do not see and hear but do not listen or understand.
Isaiah’s prophecy is fulfilled in them, which says:
You shall indeed hear but not understand,
you shall indeed look but never see.
Gross is the heart of this people,
they will hardly hear with their ears,
they have closed their eyes,
lest they see with their eyes
and hear with their ears
and understand with their hearts and be converted
and I heal them.
“But blessed are your eyes, because they see,
and your ears, because they hear.
Amen, I say to you, many prophets and righteous people
longed to see what you see but did not see it,
and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.”
#ProLife book "Love Unleashes Life" Inspired by True Story - by Stephanie Gray
What are people saying about the book?
“Stephanie Gray has got it right…This book teaches the loving attitude, respectful disposition and communication techniques needed to succeed in this vital work of tough love.”
–Bishop Thomas Olmsted, Diocese of Phoenix
“This book is a must-read for anyone interested in reaching hearts and minds about the greatest human rights issue of our day. With clarity and compassion, Stephanie makes an air-tight case for life, and masterfully equips us to do the same.”
–Lila Rose, Live Action
“Stephanie Gray is incredible. She combines a razor sharp mind with a winsome apologetic that is truly engaging, even to critics.”
–Scott Klusendorf, Life Training Institute
Read Robert Colquhoun's book review here.
Read Allan Ruhl's book review here.
Here is the story that inspired the title:
It all began in 2008.
I met the tiniest 6-month old baby I’d ever seen on a trip my mom and I took to Romania. The child, Maria [not her real name], weighed only 6 pounds.
When you stroked her face to tickle her, she wouldn't even crack a smile.
She was flat. Emotionless. Unloved.
I presume all she had known from conception to then was abuse and neglect. She drew no attention to herself because no attention was ever given her.
But then something changed.
Suddenly she was held. And rocked. And sung to. Suddenly she was kissed and cuddled. Her light—her life—was unleashed by my mom’s love, and it was amazing what happened next: she smiled, she laughed, and her cries made sound.
Love unleashes life.
It’s a concept. An idea. And when applied to encounters with our fellow humans, it is transformative.
How many more “Maria’s” are in our own backyard? Travelling the world for more than a dozen years, and speaking to people about the controversial topic of abortion, has led me to many encounters with the lonely, the broken, and the abused. How do we reach peoples’ heads and their wounded hearts on this issue that in some way affects us all? How do we hold conversations with kindness? How do we balance truth and love so that we preserve the lives of the pre-born as well as awaken the lives of the born?
“Stephanie Gray has got it right…This book teaches the loving attitude, respectful disposition and communication techniques needed to succeed in this vital work of tough love.”
–Bishop Thomas Olmsted, Diocese of Phoenix
“This book is a must-read for anyone interested in reaching hearts and minds about the greatest human rights issue of our day. With clarity and compassion, Stephanie makes an air-tight case for life, and masterfully equips us to do the same.”
–Lila Rose, Live Action
“Stephanie Gray is incredible. She combines a razor sharp mind with a winsome apologetic that is truly engaging, even to critics.”
–Scott Klusendorf, Life Training Institute
Read Robert Colquhoun's book review here.
Read Allan Ruhl's book review here.
Here is the story that inspired the title:
It all began in 2008.
I met the tiniest 6-month old baby I’d ever seen on a trip my mom and I took to Romania. The child, Maria [not her real name], weighed only 6 pounds.
When you stroked her face to tickle her, she wouldn't even crack a smile.
She was flat. Emotionless. Unloved.
I presume all she had known from conception to then was abuse and neglect. She drew no attention to herself because no attention was ever given her.
But then something changed.
Suddenly she was held. And rocked. And sung to. Suddenly she was kissed and cuddled. Her light—her life—was unleashed by my mom’s love, and it was amazing what happened next: she smiled, she laughed, and her cries made sound.
Love unleashes life.
It’s a concept. An idea. And when applied to encounters with our fellow humans, it is transformative.
How many more “Maria’s” are in our own backyard? Travelling the world for more than a dozen years, and speaking to people about the controversial topic of abortion, has led me to many encounters with the lonely, the broken, and the abused. How do we reach peoples’ heads and their wounded hearts on this issue that in some way affects us all? How do we hold conversations with kindness? How do we balance truth and love so that we preserve the lives of the pre-born as well as awaken the lives of the born?
Saint July 21 : St. Lawrence of Brindisi : Doctor : #Capuchin #Franciscan
Born at Brindisi in 1559; died at Lisbon on 22 July, 1619. In baptism he received the names of Julius Caesar. Guglielmo de Rossi — or Guglielmo Russi, according to a contemporary writer — was his father's name; his mother was Elisabetta Masella. Both were excellent Christians. Of a precocious piety, Lorenzo gave early evidence of a religious vocation. The Conventuals of Brindisi were entrusted with his education. His progress in his studies was very rapid, and, when barely six, he had already given indication of his future success in oratory. Consequently, he was always the one chosen to address, in accordance with the Italian custom, a short sermon to his compatriots on the Infant Jesus during the Christmas festivities. When he was twelve years of age his father died. He then pursued his studies at Venice with the clerics of St. Mark's and under the supervision of one of his uncles. In 1575 he was received into the Order of Capuchins under the name of Brother Lorenzo, and, after his profession, made his philosophical and theological studies at the University of Padua. Owing to his wonderful memory he mastered not only the principal European languages, but also most of the Semitic tongues. It was said he knew the entire original text of the Bible. Such a knowledge, in the eyes of many, could be accounted for only by supernatural assistance, and, during the process of beatification, the examiners of the saint's writings rendered the following judgment: "Vere inter sanctos Ecclesiae doctores adnumerari potest." Such unusual talents, added to a rare virtue, fitted Brother Lorenzo for the most diverse missions. When still a deacon he preached the Lenten sermons in Venice, and his success was so great that he was called successively to all the principal cities of the peninsula. Subsequently, thanks to his numerous journeys, he was enabled to evangelize at different periods most of the countries of Europe. The sermons he left fill no less than eight folio volumes.He adopted the method of preaching in favour with the great Franciscan missionaries, or rather with apostolic workers of all times, who, aiming primarily to reach men's hearts and convert them, always adapt their style of discourse to the spiritual needs of their hearers. Brother Lorenzo held successively all the offices of his order. From 1596 to 1602 he had, as general definitor, to fix his residence in Rome. Clement VIII assigned him the task of instructing the Jews; thanks to his knowledge of Hebrew and his powerful reasoning, he brought a great number of them to recognize the truth of the Christian religion. His saintliness, combined with his great kindliness, completed the preparing of the way for the grace of conversion. His success in Rome caused him to be called to several other cities, where he also baptized numerous Jews. At the same time he was commissioned to establish houses of his order in Germany and Austria. Amid the great difficulties created by the heretics he founded the convents of Vienna, Prague, and Graz, the nuclei of three provinces.
At the chapter of 1602 he was elected vicar-general. (At that time the Order of Capuchins, which had broken away from the Observants in 1528 and had an independent constitution, gave its first superior the title of vicar-general only. It was not until 1618 that Pope Paul V changed it to that of minister general). The very year of his election the new superior began the visitation of the provinces. Milan, Paris, Marseilles, Spain, received him in turn. As his coming was preceded by a great reputation for holiness, the people flocked to hear him preach and to receive his blessing. His administration characterized by wise firmness and fatherly tenderness, was of great benefit to the order. At the Chapter of 1605 he refused to undertake for a second term the government of his brethren, but until his death he was the best adviser of his successors. It was on the occasion of the foundation of the convent of Prague (1601) that St. Lorenzo was named chaplain of the Imperial army, then about to march against the Turks. The victory of Lepanto (1571) had only temporarily checked the Moslem invasion, and several battles were still necessary to secure the final triumph of the Christian armies. Mohammed III had, since his accession (1595), conquered a large part of Hungary. The emperor, determined to prevent a further advance, sent Lorenzo of Brindisi as deputy to the German princes to obtain their cooperation. They responded to his appeal, and moreover the Duke of Mercœur, Governor of Brittany, joined the imperial army, of which he received the effective command. The attack on Albe-Royal (now Stulweissenburg) was then contemplated. To pit 18,000 men against 80,000 Turks was a daring undertaking and the generals, hesitating to attempt it, appealed to Lorenzo for advice. Holding himself responsible for victory, he communicated to the entire army in a glowing speech the ardour and confidence with which he was himself animated. As his feebleness prevented him from marching, he mounted on horseback and, crucifix in hand, took the lead of the army, which he drew irresistibly after him. Three other Capuchins were also in the ranks of the army. Although the most exposed to danger, Lorenzo was not wounded, which was universally regarded as due to a miraculous protection. The city was finally taken, and the Turks lost 30,000 men. As however they still exceeded in numbers the Christian army, they formed their lines anew, and a few days later another battle was fought. It always the chaplain who was at the head of the army. "Forward!" he cried, showing them the crucifix, "Victory is ours." The Turks were again defeated, and the honour of this double victory was attributed by the general and the entire army to Lorenzo. Having resigned his office of vicar-general in 1605, he was sent by the pope to evangelize Germany. He here confirmed the faith of the Catholics, brought back a great number to the practice of virtue, and converted many heretics. In controversies his vast learning always gave him the advantage, and, once he had won the minds of his hearers, his saintliness and numerous miracles completed their conversion. To protect the Faith more efficaciously in their states, the Catholic princes of Germany formed the alliance called the "Catholic League". Emperor Rudolph sent Lorenzo to Philip III of Spain to persuade him to join the League. Having discharged this mission successfully, the saintly ambassador received a double mandate by virtue of which he was to represent the interests of the pope and of Madrid at the court of Maximilian of Bavaria, head of the League. He was thus, much against his wishes, compelled to settle in Munich near Maximilian. Besides being nuncio and ambassador, Lorenzo was also commissary general of his order for the provinces of Tyrol and Bavaria, and spiritual director of the Bavarian army. He was also chosen as arbitrator in the dispute which arose between the princes, and it was in fulfillment of this role that, at the request of the emperor, he restored harmony between the Duke of Mantua and a German nobleman. In addition to all these occupations he undertook, with the assistance of several Capuchins, a missionary campaign throughout Germany, and for eight months travelled in Bavaria, Saxony, and the Palatinate.
Amid so many various undertakings Lorenzo found time for the practices of personal sanctification. And it is perhaps the greatest marvel of his life to have combined with duties so manifold an unusually intense inner life. In the practice of the religious virtues St. Lorenzo equals the greatest saints. He had to a high degree the gift of contemplation, and very rarely celebrated Holy Mass without falling into ecstasies. After the Holy Sacrifice, his great devotion was the Rosary and the Office of the Blessed Virgin. As in the case of St. Francis of Assisi, there was something poetical about his piety, which often burst forth into canticles to the Blessed Virgin. It was in Mary's name that he worked his miracles, and his favourite blessing was: "Nos cum prole pia benedicat Virgo Maria." Having withdrawn to the monastery of Caserta in 1618, Lorenzo was hoping to enjoy a few days of seclusion, when he was requested by the leading men of Naples to go to Spain and apprise Philip III of the conduct of Viceroy Ossuna. In spite of many obstacles raised by the latter, the saint sailed from Genoa and carried out his mission successfully. But the fatigues of the journey exhausted his feeble strength. He was unable to travel homeward, and after a few days of great suffering died at Lisbon in the native land of St. Anthony (22 July, 1619), as he had predicted when he set out on his journey. He was buried in the cemetery of the Poor Clares of Villafranca. The process of beatification, several times interrupted by various circumstances, was concluded in 1783. The canonization took place on 8 December, 1881. With St. Anthony, St. Bonaventure, and Blessed John Duns Scotus, he is a Doctor of the Franciscan Order. The known writings of St. Lorenzo of Brindisi comprise eight volumes of sermons, two didactic treatises on oratory, a commentary on Genesis, another on Ezechiel, and three volumes of religious polemics. Most of his sermons are written in Italian, the other works being in Latin. The three volumes of controversies have notes in Greek and Hebrew. Note: In 1959 Pope John XXIII proclaimed St. Lorenzo da Brindisi a Doctor of the Universal Church. His feast is kept on 6 July. Text from the Catholic Encyclopedia
#BreakingNews over 140 Civilians (many Children) accidentally Killed by Coalition - Please PRAY
“The French unjust aggression claimed the lives of more than 120 civilians, most of them are children, women and elderly. the majority of them are also children and women as reports say that the fate of scores of other civilians who still under debris are unknown too,”the Syrian “The government of the Syrian Arab Republic condemns, with the strongest terms, the two bloody massacres perpetrated by the French and US warplanes and those affiliated to the so-called international coalition which send their missiles and bombs to the civilians instead of directing them to the terrorist gangs… Syria also affirms that those who want to combat terrorism seriously should coordinate with the Syrian government and army,” the ministry added. In the letter, the Syrian Foreign Ministry added that it condemns the continued support by the US, France, Saudi Arabia, the UK and Qatar to terrorist organizations such as Al-Nusra Front and Jaish Al-Islam, despite the groups having links to Islamic State and Al-Qaeda.
PLEASE PRAY and FAST for PEACE!
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