The Journey of Faith Continues



Statue of Christ
Roof of Saint Peter's Basilica

His Holiness Pope Francis delivered the homily at Mass celebrated in Saint Peter’s Square on Sunday, 24 November 2013, to mark the Solemnity of Christ the King and close the Year of Faith.

“Today’s solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe, the crowning of the liturgical year, also marks the conclusion of the Year of Faith opened by Pope Benedict XVI, to whom our thoughts now turn with affection and gratitude. By this providential initiative, he gave us an opportunity to rediscover the beauty of the journey of faith begun on the day of our Baptism, which made us children of God and brothers and sisters in the Church. A journey which has as its ultimate end our full encounter with God, and throughout which the Holy Spirit purifies us, lifts us up and sanctifies us, so that we may enter into the happiness for which our hearts long….

Christ is the center of the history of the human race and of every man and woman. To him we can bring the joys and the hopes, the sorrows and troubles which are part of our lives. When Jesus is the center, light shines even amid the darkest times of our lives; he gives us hope, as he does to the good thief in today’s Gospel.

While all the others treat Jesus with disdain – “If you are the Christ, the Messiah King, save yourself by coming down from the cross!” – the thief who went astray in his life but now repents, clinging to the crucified Jesus, begs him: “Remember me, when you come into your kingdom” (Lk 23:42). And Jesus promises him: “Today you will be with me in paradise” (v. 43). Jesus speaks only a word of forgiveness, not of condemnation; whenever anyone finds the courage to ask for this forgiveness, the Lord does not let such a petition go unheard. Jesus’ promise to the good thief gives us great hope: it tells us that God’s grace is always greater than the prayer which sought it. The Lord always grants more than what he has been asked: you ask him to remember you, and he brings you into his Kingdom!

Let us ask the Lord to remember us, in the certainty that by his mercy we will be able to share his glory in paradise. Amen!”

For more information, please visit:

http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-francis-homily-at-year-of-faith-closing-mass

http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-francis-christ-the-king-angelus-for-persecute

 

Dome of Saint Peter's Basilica

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While we have now arrived at the Closing of the Year of Faith, our own journey of faith will continue until, by the grace of God, we enter into Jesus’ Kingdom.

In some ways this year seems to have been long—realistically it has been more than 13 months!  Please pause with me and reflect on what we have done with the opportunities we have received to rediscover the beauty of our faith.

Where have we journeyed and what have we learned along the way?    

How have we encountered the Lord?  How have we been inspired by the Holy Spirit?

Has our observance of this Year brought us blessings of grace, peace and spiritual growth?  How have we shared those blessings with others?

“God’s grace is always greater than the prayer which sought it. The Lord always grants more than what he has been asked.”

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The Profession of Faith

I believe in one God, the Father almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
of all things visible and invisible.

I believe in one Lord Jesus Christ,
the Only Begotten Son of God,
born of the Father before all ages.
God from God, Light from Light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made, consubstantial with the Father;
through him all things were made.
For us men and for our salvation
he came down from heaven,
and by the Holy Spirit was incarnate of the Virgin Mary,
and became man.
For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate,
he suffered death and was buried,
and rose again on the third day
in accordance with the Scriptures.
He ascended into heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead
and his kingdom will have no end.

I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the Lord, the giver of life,
who proceeds from the Father and the Son,
who with the Father and the Son is adored and glorified,
who has spoken through the prophets.

I believe in one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church.
I confess one Baptism for the forgiveness of sins
and I look forward to the resurrection of the dead
and the life of the world to come.

Amen.

 

Dome of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, Jerusalem

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Stir the Fire of Hope

To my Brother Bishops and Priests, Brothers and Sisters in Christ:

In the midst of the gloom, uncertainty and grief that has beset our countrymen due to the devastation wrought by typhoon Yolanda, we bring you our message of hope. The typhoon was the strongest in the world according to the reckoning of scientists, but our faith in the Lord is even stronger. No typhoon or flood can diminish the strength of the Filipino soul.

No calamity or natural devastation can quench the fire of our hope. The Filipino soul is stronger than Yolanda. In this moment of national calamity, we turn to the Lord as we have always done for the past four hundred years. We turn to the Lord and cling to him and beg Him to stay by the people who call on His mighty name….

Paraphrasing the Apostle Paul “Earthquake where is your victory! Typhoon where is your sting! Our hope is in the Lord and we shall overcome because love is stronger than typhoons and earthquakes and death!

+ Jose S. Pala D.D.

Archbishop of Cebu

President, Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines

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Thank you so much for your kind thoughts and prayers. The super typhoon devastated Central Philippines. At present Catholic Women’s League (CWL) is involved in relief operations and, later on, in the rehabilitation programs.  With our faith, our hope and prayers, God will always be with us!

With your prayers and the generous support from many countries, especially from the American people, we shall overcome. We are truly grateful to all of you!  May God bless us all!

Amelita Dayrit-Go

World Union of Catholic Women’s Organisations (WUCWO)

Vice-President General, Regional Vice-President for Asia Pacific, 2001-2006

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When I began my service as the National Council of Catholic Women (NCCW – USA) Representative to the World Union of Catholic Women’s Organisations (WUCWO) back in 1996 my “neighborhood” became "global" but also much smaller than it previously seemed to me.  (Remember this was before the days of instant internet communications when we thought that sending a fax was amazingly fast compared to snail mail!)  Getting to know each other and sharing faith, hope and love with our brothers and sisters in countless countries made “world news” more like “local news” that affected members of God’s family.  I became keenly interested in the news that impacted the lives of “my” extended family. 

 

Through WUCWO we can keep in contact with our sisters throughout the world and so I felt compelled to share with you the concerns as well as resilience of those faith-filled people who live in the Philippines.  Please keep them in your prayers and offer whatever support you are able in order to stir “the fire of hope.”

 

For more information, please visit:

 

http://www.usccb.org/about/national-collections/index.cfm
http://www.crosscatholic.org/pages/page.asp?page_id=292169
http://www.cwlphilippines.org/CWL_Philippines.html

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Karen Hurley greeted His Holiness Pope Francis
October 12, 2013
Servizio Fotografico de L'Osservatore Romano

Vibrant and Dynamic Roles

… Women all around the world are entering into vibrant and dynamic roles in the Church. The Church, Bride of Christ, is emerging in new splendor! Women are arising and shining. Being a woman, is not about opting out, giving up or sitting back. The Bible and our own Christian heritage, is packed full of women, who changed the hearts of kings and the outcomes of wars, freed prisoners and fed the poor, built hope and founded religious congregations, raised children and practiced faithfulness, loved and lived generously. They are both companions to men, and leaders of men in bringing God’s love, to this broken world. What is most inspiring about many women, however, is the fact that they achieve so much against great odds and opposition…

 

My dear sisters in Christ, you have come here from many nations. You are a powerful sign of the universality of the Church. And as such, I renew my invitation to you, to take fully to heart the mission of the Church in the Holy Land. Our mission, like yours, is first of all, to be witnesses to Jesus Christ, witnesses to the Truth. Intimately tied to this mission, is working for the unity of all Christians in the world. It is the prayer of Jesus “that all may be one.” Let us confidently place all our prayers, little though they may seem, in our hands, in the hands of the great Lord, Who took five loaves and two fishes and fed the multitudes. We realize, therefore, that our little, becomes much, when placed in the hands of God.

 

May all your experiences, here, strengthen your faith, increase your hope, deepen your union with the Lord, renew you in prayer and make you truly one in and with His desire, that you are to be His witnesses to the ends of the earth. Be a strong presence wherever you live, and wherever you go. Never fail to look to the Author and Perfecter of our faith; follow Him, keep His Word in your hearts. In this way, your hope will not fail.

 

His Beatitude Fouad Twal, Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem

Address to the WUCWO Conference (excerpt)
Amman, October 25, 2013

For the complete text, please visit:  http://en.lpj.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/WUCWO-Jordan-Oct-24-2013-FINAL-FOR-DISTRIBUTION.pdf

 

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Karen Hurley with His Beatitude Fouad Twal, Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem

 

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… Being a Christian is more important than the role, the function, one exercises in the community.  It means that the “common priesthood” (the priesthood we all receive in Baptism) is more important than the “ministerial priesthood”.  It means that “charity” is worth more than “authority”.  It means that “testimony” is worth more than “words”, it means that “being is more important than “acting”, “service” more than “power”.

 

Perhaps a peculiarity of women in evangelization is precisely this:  to give the Word, the Word of God, of course, more than through “words” through life, through their witness.  They realize what Saint Francis was recommending to his friars:  “preach the Gospel always, if necessary with words”.

 

His Excellency Archbishop Giorgio Lingua

Apostolic Nuncio in Iraq and Jordan
Address to the WUCWO Conference (excerpt)
Amman, October 25, 2013

 

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The World Union of Catholic Women’s Organisations (WUCWO) in collaboration with the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem and the International Forum of Catholic Action, hosted a conference for women of the Middle East on the theme, “Women Believers at the Service of Life, Dignity and the Common Good.”  This historic conference was held under the patronage of Her Majesty Queen Rania Al Abdullah and was officially opened by Her Royal Highness Princess Sumaya bint El Hassan.  More than 60 Catholic women from countries throughout the region and around the world gathered in Amman, Jordan from October 24 – 27, 2013.

Her Royal Highness Princess Sumaya bint El Hassan

 

It was a joy for me to participate and, especially, to see the seeds grow that were sown at the 2010 WUCWO Assembly in Jerusalem.  We learned much about the reality of life for women who live in Palestine as well as those who live in Lebanon and Iraq.  It is hard to imagine the challenges of being amongst the “few” Christians who strive to remain in their homelands despite political strife and/or religious challenges.  Many of the women present are the last members of their families who have not emigrated to safer, more Christian-friendly countries.  Likewise it was humbling to get to know women whose parishes are the territory where Jesus and Mary were physically present—Bethlehem, Jerusalem, and Nazareth.  While many of us may belong to parishes devoted to our Lord or our Blessed Mother, few of us can say that they actually lived where the parish now exists.

 

Helen Kwon and Karen Hurley

 

Participants on Mount Nebo

 

We celebrated Morning Prayer one day on Mount Nebo—the spot where Moses was able to see the Promised Land that he would not be able to enter.  We visited a local parish and joined in Sunday Mass in Arabic.  Also during the conference we heard some women who speak Aramaic prayed the Lord’s Prayer in the language of Jesus.

 

Participants after Mass

Ultimately we strengthened the bonds of faith, hope and love which unite us as sisters in Christ.  We will now be networked through technology as well as prayer as we strive to do God’s will in our corners of the world.

 

Tour of Petra

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Follow in the footsteps of Jesus from March 29 – April 8, 2014.  The scriptures will come alive on this Lenten journey to the roots of our faith. Tour includes:  Daily Mass at holy sites, licensed Christian guide, accommodation in First Class hotels (five nights in Jerusalem, three nights in Tiberias, on the shore of the Sea of Galilee), breakfast and dinner daily, land transportation by deluxe motorcoach, roundtrip airfare from Newark to Tel Aviv on nonstop flights with United Airlines, and more, for $3,459 per person/double occupancy. 

 

We will meet the local people, the “living stones” of the Holy Land, our brothers and sisters in Christ, who are waiting to welcome us “home”.  We hope to visit with the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem who will share with us the hopes and concerns of those who live in the land of Jesus.

 

For complete details on this pilgrimage, please contact:  George’s International Tours, (800) 566-7499, sales@georgesintl.com, or Karen Hurley, k.m.hurley1@gmail.com.

 

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