Catholic News World : Wednesday August 3, 2016 - SHARE

2016

#PopeFrancis "In a world thirsting for peace....I hope that the spirit of the Olympic Games inspires..." #Olympic Message - FULL TEXT

#BreakingNews Priest dragged out of Church by Police in Paris during Holy Mass - Please PRAY

August Month of the Immaculate Heart of Mary : #ImmaculateHeart Novena and Consecration Prayers to SHARE

#PopeFrancis "...the young people of the world received the message of Mercy" FULL TEXT Audience + Video

Saint August 3 : St. Lydia Purpuraria : Patron of Dyers

Today's Mass Readings and Video : Wed. July 3, 2016

Saint August 3 : St. Gamaliel : #Teacher of St. Paul

(Vatican Radio)  At the conclusion of his Wednesday General Audience, Pope Francis delivered his message for the upcoming Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, urging Brazilians to work for a more just and safe country.

With the Olympic Games 2016 getting underway in Rio on Saturday, August 6th, Pope Francis told all those involved to ‘fight the good fight’ and finish the race together.

He said “in a world thirsting for peace, tolerance, and reconciliation”, the prize for all participants and spectators of the Games consisted in something much more precious than a medal.

Their prize, he said, is “the construction of a civilization in which solidarity reigns and is based upon the recognition that we are all members of the same human family, regardless of the differences of culture, skin color, or religion.”

The Holy Father also expressed his desire that all Brazilians, “who with their joy and characteristic hospitality have organized the ‘Feast of Sport’, … that this will be an opportunity to overcome difficult moments and commit themselves to working as a team to build a more just and safe country, betting all on a future full of hope and joy."

A Vatican Radio English translation of Pope Francis’ message for the Olympics is below:

I would like to send an especially warm greeting to the Brazilian people, in particular to the city of Rio de Janeiro, which is hosting the athletes and passionate fans from all over the world on the occasion of the Olympics. In a world thirsting for peace, tolerance, and reconciliation, I hope that the spirit of the Olympic Games inspires all – participants and spectators – to “fight the good fight” and finish the race together (cf. 2 Tim 4,7-8), desiring to obtain as a prize, not a medal, but something much more precious:  the construction of a civilization in which solidarity reigns and is based upon the recognition that we are all members of the same human family, regardless of the differences of culture, skin color, or religion. And for all Brazilians, who with their joy and characteristic hospitality have organized the ‘Feast of Sport’, I hope that this will be an opportunity to overcome difficult moments and commit themselves to working as a team to build a more just and safe country, betting all on a future full of hope and joy. May God bless you all!

(Devin Sean Watkins) 

#BreakingNews Priest dragged out of Church by Police in Paris during Holy Mass - Please PRAY

In Paris, France, on August 3, 2016, at the Church of  Sainte Rita, parishioners were shocked during the Mass when police arrived. The pews had been removed to barricade the entrance of the church. A group of police in riot gear entered the building. St. Rita was set to be demolished since October 2015. The people arms locked, started to sing. The parishioners were forced away. A priest who was praying the Rosary was thrown to the floor and dragged away. Fr. Guillaume de Tanoüarn, while saying Mass was grabbed from the altar by his vestments. This happened less than 24 since the funeral of Fr. Jacques Hamel, The priest martyred at Mass by ISIS operatives in Rouen. St. Rita was built in the year 1900 in October 2015,  the building was set to be demolished and the property converted into a parking lot. Please PRAY for Priests...

August Month of the Immaculate Heart of Mary : #ImmaculateHeart Novena and Consecration Prayers to SHARE

August is a month dedicated to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.  Pope John Paul II encouraged devotion to Mary in his Apostolic Letter Rosarium Virginis Mariae.
 St. Augustine said of Mary "she cooperated through charity in the work of our redemption". Devotion to the Heart of Mary began in the Middle Ages under Anselm of Canterbury, and Bernard of Clairvaux. It was further developed by Mechtild, Gertrude the Great and Bridget of Sweden.  St. John Eudes (d. 1681) propagated the devotion, and made it public.
Feast Days
Pope Pius XII instituted the feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary in 1944 to be celebrated on the 22nd of August. In 1969, Pope Paul VI moved the celebration of the Immaculate Heart of Mary to the day, Saturday, after the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.  Pope Paul VI moved the celebration of the Queenship of Mary from 31 May to 22 August.
Five 1st Saturdays
Our Lady of Fátima asked that, in reparation for sins committed against her Immaculate Heart, on the first Saturday Catholics go to Confession (within eight days before or after the first Saturday), receive Holy Communion, recite five decades of the Rosary, and keep her company for 15 minutes while meditating on the 15 mysteries of the Rosary. She promised that, whoever would ever do this, would be given at the hour of his death the graces necessary for salvation.
Consecration to the Immaculate Heart of Mary by St. Louis de Montfort 

I, . . ., a faithless sinner, renew and ratify today in thy Heart, O Immaculate Mother, the vows of my Baptism; I renounce forever Satan, his pomps and works; and I give myself entirely to Jesus Christ, the Incarnate Wisdom, to carry my cross after Him all the days of my life, and to be more faithful to Him than I have ever been before.

Queen of the Most Holy Rosary, in the presence of all the heavenly court, I choose thee this day for my Mother and Mistress. I deliver and consecrate to thee, and to thy Immaculate Heart, as thy child and slave of love, my body and soul, my goods, both interior and exterior, and even the value of all my good actions, past, present and future; leaving to thee the entire and full right of disposing of me, and all that belongs to me, without exception, according to thy good pleasure, for the greater glory of God, in time and in eternity. Amen

NOVENA PRAYER (Say for 9 Days - Each day Pray 1 Our Father, 1 Hail Mary and 1 Glory Be)

Immaculate Heart of Mary, full of love for God and mankind, and of compassion for sinners, I consecrate myself entirely to you. I entrust to you the salvation of my soul. May my heart be ever united with yours, so that I may hate sin, love God and my neighbor, and reach eternal life together with those whom I love.

Mediatrix of All Graces and Mother of Mercy, remember the infinite treasure which your Divine Son has merited by His suffering and which he has confided to you for us, your children. Filled with confidence in your motherly heart, and for the sake of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, obtain for me the favor I ask: [Mention your request here].

Dearest Mother, if what I ask for should not be according to God's will, pray that I may receive that which will be of greater benefit to my soul. May I experience the kindness of your intercession with Jesus during life and at the hour of my death? Amen

Litany of  Our Lady - Loreto 

V. Lord, have mercy.

R. Christ have mercy.

V. Lord have mercy. Christ hear us.

R. Christ graciously hear us.

God the Father of heaven, have mercy on us.

God the Son, Redeemer of the world, have mercy on us.

God the Holy Spirit, have mercy on us. 

Holy Trinity, one God, have mercy on us.

Holy Mary, pray for us. 

Holy Mother of God, pray for us. 

Holy Virgin of Virgins, [etc.]

Mother of Christ,

Mother of divine grace,

Mother most pure,

Mother most chaste,

Mother inviolate,

Mother undefiled,

Mother most amiable,

Mother most admirable,

Mother of good Counsel,

Mother of our Creator,

Mother of our Savior,

Virgin most prudent,

Virgin most venerable,

Virgin most renowned,

Virgin most powerful,

Virgin most merciful,

Virgin most faithful,

Mirror of justice,

Seat of wisdom,

Cause of our joy,

Spiritual vessel,

Vessel of honor,

Singular vessel of devotion,

Mystical rose,

Tower of David,

Tower of ivory,

House of gold,

Ark of the covenant,

Gate of heaven,

Morning star,

Health of the sick,

Refuge of sinners,

Comforter of the afflicted,

Help of Christians,

Queen of Angels,

Queen of Patriarchs,

Queen of Prophets,

Queen of Apostles,

Queen of Martyrs,

Queen of Confessors,

Queen of Virgins,

Queen of all Saints,

Queen conceived without original sin,

Queen assumed into heaven,

Queen of the most holy Rosary,

Queen of families,

Queen of peace,

V. Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world,

R. Spare us, O Lord. 

V. Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world,

R. Graciously hear us, O Lord. 

V. Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world,

Have mercy on us.

V. Pray for us, O holy Mother of God.

R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Let us pray. Grant, we beseech Thee, O Lord God, that we thy servants may enjoy perpetual health of mind and body, and by the glorious intercession of blessed Mary, ever Virgin, may we be freed from present sorrow, and rejoice in eternal happiness. Through Christ our Lord. R. Amen.

The versicle and prayer after the litany may be varied by season. Thus, during Advent (from the fourth Sunday before Christmas to Christmas Eve):

V. The Angel of the Lord declared unto Mary.

R. And she conceived by the Holy Spirit.

Let us pray. O God, who hast willed that by the message of an Angel, thy Word should receive flesh from the womb of the Virgin Mary: grant unto thy suppliants, that we who believe that she is truly the Mother of God, may be assisted by her intercession before Thee. Through the same Christ our Lord. R. Amen.

From Christmas to Candlemass (the Feast of the Presentation), that is through February 1:

V. Thou gavest birth without loss of thy virginity.

R. Intercede for us, O holy Mother of God.

Let us pray. O God, Who by the fruitful virginity of blessed Mary hast offered unto the human race the rewards of eternal salvation, grant, we beseech thee, that we may know the effects of her intercession, through whom we have deserved to receive the author of life, our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son. R. Amen.

From Candlemass to Easter (through Holy Week), AND from the day after Pentecost (or from Trinity Sunday, if Pentecost is celebrated with octave) to the beginning of Advent:

V. "Pray for us" and prayer "Grant unto thy servants," as above:

During Eastertide (from Easter day through Pentecost, and throughout the octave of Pentecost if it is celebrated):

V. Rejoice and be glad, O Virgin Mary, alleluia.

R. For the Lord is truely risen, alleluia.

Let us pray. O God, Who by the resurrection of Thy Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, hast vouchsafed to make glad the whole world, grant, we beseech Thee, that through the intercession of the Virgin Mary, His mother, we may attain the joys of eternal life, through the same Christ our Lord. R. Amen.

#PopeFrancis "...the young people of the world received the message of Mercy" FULL TEXT Audience + Video

Dear Brothers and Sisters, good morning!

Today, I would like to reflect briefly on the Apostolic Journey I made in the past days to Poland.

The occasion of the journey was the World Youth Day, 25 years after that historic celebration at Czestochowa, shortly after the fall of the “Iron Curtain.” Over these 25 years, Poland has changed, Europe has changed and the world has changed, and this WYD became a prophetic sign for Poland, for Europe and for the world. The new generation of young people–inheritors and continuers of the pilgrimage initiated by Saint John Paul II–gave the answer to today’s challenge. They gave a sign of hope, and this sign is called fraternity, because, in fact, in this world at war, we need fraternity, closeness, dialogue and friendship. And this is a sign of hope: when there is fraternity.

We begin precisely with young people, who were the first reason for the journey. Once again they answered the appeal: they came from all over the world – some of them are here! [ he pointed to pilgrims in the Hall] — a celebration of colors, of different faces, languages and histories. I don’t know how they do it: they speak different languages, but are able to understand one another! And why ? Because they have the will to go together, to build bridges of fraternity. They came also with their wounds, with their questions but especially with the joy of encountering one another; and, once again, they formed a mosaic of fraternity. One can speak of a mosaic of fraternity. An emblematic image of the World Youth Days is the multi-colored range of flags waved by the young people: in fact, at the WYD the nations’ flags become more beautiful, they are, so to speak, “purified,” and the flags of nations in conflict among them also waved nearby. And this is beautiful! The flags are also here … Make them seen!

So, in this great Jubilee meeting, the young people of the world received the message of Mercy, to take it everywhere in spiritual and corporal works of mercy. I thank all the young people that came to Krakow! And I thank those that joined us from all parts of the earth! — as in many countries small Youth Days were held in connection with Krakow’s. May the gift you received become a daily answer to the Lord’s call. A memory full of affection goes to Susanna, the Roman girl of this diocese, who died immediately after having taken part in the WYD, at Vienna. May the Lord, who has certainly received her in Heaven, comfort her relatives and friends.

During this Journey, I also visited the Shrine of Czestochowa. Before the icon of Our Lady, I received the gift of the gaze of the Mother, who, in a particular way, is Mother of the Polish people, of that noble nation that has suffered so much and, with the strength of faith and her maternal hand, has always risen again. I greeted some Poles here [in the Hall]. You are good, you are good! There, under that gaze, one understands the spiritual sense of this nation’s journey, whose history is linked indissolubly to the Cross of Christ. There one touches with the hand the faith of the holy people of God, which keeps hope through trials; and it also keeps that wisdom that is a balance between tradition and innovation, between memory and future. And today Poland reminds the whole of Europe that the Continent cannot have a future without its founding values, which in turn have the Christian vision of man at the center. Among these values is mercy, of which two great children of the Polish land were special apostles: Saint Faustina Kowalska and Saint John Paul II.

And, finally, this Journey also had the horizon of the world, a world called to respond to the challenge of a war “in pieces,” which is threatening it. And here the great silence of the visit to Auschwitz-Birkenau was more eloquent than any word. In that silence I heard, I felt the presence of all the souls that passed by there; I felt the compassion, the mercy of God, which some holy souls were able to bring also to that abyss. In that great silence I prayed for all the victims of violence and of war. And there, in that place, I understood more than ever the value of the memory, not only as the memory of past events, but as warning and responsibility for today and tomorrow, so that the seed of hatred and violence will not take root in the furrows of history. And in this memory of wars and of many wounds, of so many griefs experienced, there are also so many men and women of today, who suffer wars, so many of our brothers and sisters. Looking at that cruelty, in that concentration camp, I thought immediately of today’s cruelties, which are similar: not so concentrated as in that place, but everywhere in the world; this world that is sick of cruelty, of pain, of war, of hatred, of sadness. And that is why I always ask you for prayer: may the Lord give us peace!

I thank the Lord and the Virgin Mary for all this. And I express again my gratitude to the President of Poland and to the other Authorities, to the Cardinal Archbishop of Krakow and to the entire Polish Episcopate, and to all those that, in a thousand ways, made this event possible, which offered a sign of fraternity and peace to Poland, to Europe and to the world. I would also like to thank the young volunteers who worked for more than a year to bring this event forward; and also the media, those who work in the media: thank you so much for having made this Day seen in the whole world. And here I cannot forget Anna Maria Jacobini, an Italian journalist who lost her life there, suddenly. Let us also pray for her: she left us while carrying out her service.

Thank you!

[Original text: Italian] [Translation by ZENIT]

Greeting in Italian

Dear Italian-speaking faithful, welcome! I am happy to receive the young musicians and dancers of the Folklore Festival of Cori; the pilgrims of the Saint Benedict and Saint Francis Walk of the Diocese of Frosinone-Veroli-Ferentino and the members of the Solidarity Center of Pesaro. May the visit to the tombs of the Apostles Peter and Paul, on the occasion of the Jubilee of Mercy, nourish in all faith and commitment in concrete works of charity.

A particular greeting goes to young people, the sick and newlyweds. Tomorrow we celebrate the Memoria of Saint John Mary Vianney, Patron of priests and especially of parish priests. May his great humility be an example for you, dear young people, to live life as gift of God; may his confident abandonment in Christ the Savior sustain you, dear sick, in the hour of suffering; and may his Christian testimony give courage to you, dear newlyweds, to profess your faith without shame.

Tomorrow I will go to the Papal Basilica of Saint Mary of the Angels, at the Porziuncola, on the occasion of the eighth centenary of the “Pardon of Assisi,” which was observed yesterday. It will be a very simple but very significant pilgrimage in this Holy Year of Mercy. I ask all to accompany me with prayer, invoking the light and strength of the Holy Spirit and the heavenly intercession of Saint Francis.

[Original text: Italian] [Translation by ZENIT]

Saint August 3 : St. Lydia Purpuraria : Patron of Dyers

The name, "Lydia", mean that she was from Lydia in Asia Minor. She is also known as “St. Lydia” or even more simply “The Woman of Purple,” Lydia is given other titles: “of Thyatira,” “Purpuraria,” and “of Philippi (‘Philippisia’ in Greek).” . The second comes from the Latin word for purple and relates to her connection with purple dye. Philippi was the city in which Lydia was living when she met St. Paul and his companions. Acts 16 describes Lydia : A certain woman named Lydia, a seller of purple, of the city of Thyatira, one who worshiped God, heard us; whose heart the Lord opened to listen to the things which were spoken by Paul. When she and her household were baptized, she begged us, saying, "If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come into my house, and stay." So she persuaded us. — Acts 16:14-15 World English Bible. Lydia was hospitable to Saint Paul and his companions in Philippi. They stayed with her until their departure, through Amphipolis and Apollonia, to Thessalonica (Acts 16:40-17:1). Paul, Silas, and Timothy traveled through Philippi when they met “a reputable businesswoman and possibly a widow… [who] was a righteous Gentile or ‘God-fearer’ attracted to Judaism”. “[S]he was one of a large group [considered]…sympathizers with Judaism, believers in the one God, but who had not yet become ‘proselytes’ or taken the final step to conversion to Judaism”. “Thyatira in the province of Lydia (located in what is now western Turkey) was famous for the red [variety of purple] dye”. Lydia of Thyatira is most known as a “seller” or merchant of purple cloth. She is known as the “patroness of dyers.” There is a church located in Philippi, which is considered to have been built in St. Lydia’s honor.
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Today's Mass Readings and Video : Wed. July 3, 2016

Wednesday of the Eighteenth Week in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 409

Reading 1JER 31:1-7

At that time, says the LORD,
I will be the God of all the tribes of Israel,
and they shall be my people.
Thus says the LORD:
The people that escaped the sword
have found favor in the desert.
As Israel comes forward to be given his rest,
the LORD appears to him from afar:
With age-old love I have loved you;
so I have kept my mercy toward you.
Again I will restore you, and you shall be rebuilt,
O virgin Israel;
Carrying your festive tambourines,
you shall go forth dancing with the merrymakers.
Again you shall plant vineyards
on the mountains of Samaria;
those who plant them shall enjoy the fruits.
Yes, a day will come when the watchmen
will call out on Mount Ephraim:
“Rise up, let us go to Zion,
to the LORD, our God.”

For thus says the LORD:
Shout with joy for Jacob,
exult at the head of the nations;
proclaim your praise and say:
The LORD has delivered his people,
the remnant of Israel.

Responsorial PsalmJER 31:10, 11-12AB, 13

R. (see 10d) The Lord will guard us as a shepherd guards his flock.
Hear the word of the LORD, O nations,
proclaim it on distant isles, and say:
He who scattered Israel, now gathers them together,
he guards them as a shepherd his flock.
R. The Lord will guard us as a shepherd guards his flock.
The LORD shall ransom Jacob,
he shall redeem him from the hand of his conqueror.
Shouting, they shall mount the heights of Zion,
they shall come streaming to the LORD’s blessings.
R. The Lord will guard us as a shepherd guards his flock.
Then the virgins shall make merry and dance,
and young men and old as well.
I will turn their mourning into joy.
I will console and gladden them after their sorrows.
R. The Lord will guard us as a shepherd guards his flock.

AlleluiaLK 7:16

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
A great prophet has arisen in our midst
and God has visited his people.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

GospelMT 15: 21-28

At that time Jesus withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon.
And behold, a Canaanite woman of that district came and called out,
“Have pity on me, Lord, Son of David!
My daughter is tormented by a demon.”
But he did not say a word in answer to her.
His disciples came and asked him,
“Send her away, for she keeps calling out after us.”
He said in reply,
“I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”
But the woman came and did him homage, saying, “Lord, help me.”
He said in reply,
“It is not right to take the food of the children
and throw it to the dogs.”
She said, “Please, Lord, for even the dogs eat the scraps
that fall from the table of their masters.”
Then Jesus said to her in reply,
“O woman, great is your faith!
Let it be done for you as you wish.”
And her daughter was healed from that hour.

Saint August 3 : St. Gamaliel : #Teacher of St. Paul

(Greek form of the Hebrew name meaning "reward of God"). The name designates in the New Testament a Pharisee and celebrated doctor of the Law. Gamaliel is represented in Acts 5:34 sqq., 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. the Catholic Encyclopedia

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