Immersed in the Prayers of the Church

The time dedicated to liturgical prayer in the life of Christians, especially during Mass, was the central theme of His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI's catechesis during his general audience, held October 3, 2012 in St. Peter's Square.

Prayer, the Pope explained, "is the living relationship of the children of God with their immeasurably good Father, with His Son Jesus Christ and with the Holy Spirit…."

For Christians prayer means "constantly gazing at Christ in ways that are ever new", said the Holy Father. "Yet we must not forget that we discover Christ and know Him as a living Person in the Church. She is 'His Body'.... Praying means raising oneself to the heights of God, by means of a necessary and gradual transformation of our being".

By participating in the liturgy "we make the language of mother Church our own, we learn to speak in her and for her. Of course this comes about gradually, little by little. I must progressively immerse myself into the words of the Church with my prayers, life and suffering, with my joy and my thoughts. This is a journey which transforms us", the Pope said.

The Church becomes fully visible in the liturgy, the Holy Father concluded, "the act by which we believe that God enters our lives and we can encounter Him. The act in which ... He comes to us and we are illuminated by Him".

For more information, please visit:

http://www.news.va/en/news/the-church-becomes-fully-visible-in-the-liturgy

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Holy Father’s Prayer Request for Year of Faith and Synod of Bishops

His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI asked everyone to join his prayers "entrusting to the Mother of God the main ecclesial events we are preparing to experience: the Year of Faith, and the Synod of Bishops on the New Evangelisation. May the Blessed Virgin accompany the Church on her mission to announce the Gospel to the men and women of our time".

For more information, please visit:

http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-asks-faithful-to-pray-for-year-of-faith-synod

 

Visit the Vatican’s Year of Faith website often for ongoing updates:

http://www.annusfidei.va/content/novaevangelizatio/en.html

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Saint Francis with the Sultan
 

Saint Francis’ Presence in the Holy Land

Drawn by love of the poor and crucified Christ, Saint Francis of Assisi went to the Middle East at the beginning of the 13th century, in order to “touch” the places which, up to today, offer an irreplaceable testimony to God’s revelation and to God’s love for the human person.

During his pilgrimage, and despite the Crusades, Saint Francis encountered and dialogued with the sultan Melek al-Kamel, who was governing the Holy Land at the time.  It was a peaceful encounter, which marked the beginning of the Franciscans’ presence in the Holy Land and also influenced the way in which they have been present over the centuries.

Saint Francis and the Franciscans always had at heart the love of the Incarnation of Jesus, and that is why they have loved the Holy Land since the beginning. For there is no Incarnation without a place. Loving this land means to love Jesus. And we cannot think of Jesus without loving His land.

In 1342 Pope Clement VI mandated the Franciscans to become the official custodians of the Holy Sites of Christendom, that is, to help maintain and preserve them, while at the same time, ministering to the faithful of the Holy Land.

There are concrete ways of watching over the holy places: animating the holy places for the pilgrims and the local Churches by means of the liturgy, welcoming the pilgrims who come from every part of the world in order to pray and to become recollected, and preserving the structures of these places.

Local Christian communities live alongside the holy places. The local communities are made up of parishes of different Catholic rites and traditions (Western and Eastern). The Franciscans have the responsibility for various parishes whose heart and whose seat are in the holy places.

Loving the stones that preserve the memory of Jesus also means to love the living stones, the Christian communities who, throughout the centuries, live here. The Custody has many formative and social activities, which aim at supporting the Christian presence in the Holy Land: running schools, constructing housing, helping people who suffer from various forms of poverty.

Today the Franciscan Custody of the Holy Land is a constant in the life of the Christian community.  The friars are obliged to give peace, love, pardon, faith and hope to suffering Christians in the Holy Land who now find themselves in a great dilemma and are reluctantly leaving their homes and land to live in other parts of the world.  As the late Archbishop Pietro Sambi stated, “We don’t want the Holy Sites of Christendom to become empty religious monuments and museums.  We need a living and worshipping community.”

Christians now comprise less than two percent (2%) of the population of the Holy Land.  The focus of the Franciscan Foundation for the Holy Land is to keep a Christian presence, the “Living Stones” of our faith, in the Holy Land by providing education, employment, and housing.

For more information, please visit these websites:

http://www.custodia.org/default.asp?id=307

http://ffhl.org/default.aspx

http://www.myfranciscan.org/

If the Lord is calling you to go on pilgrimage to the Holy Land in the Year of Faith, please contact k.m.hurley1@gmail.com.

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Most high, all powerful, all good Lord!

All praise is yours, all glory, all honor, and all blessing….

Praise and bless my Lord, and give thanks,

and serve him with great humility.

-           Saint Francis of Assisi

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Surrounded by Their Watchful Care

The Lord is ever close and active in humanity’s history and accompanies us with the unique presence of his Angels, whom today the Church venerates as “Guardian Angels”, that is, ministers of the divine care for every human being. From the beginning until the hour of death, human life is surrounded by their constant protection…

His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI

Angelus, 2 October 2011

For more information, please visit:  http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/angelus/2011/documents/hf_ben-xvi_ang_20111002_en.html

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The existence of angels - a truth of faith

328 The existence of the spiritual, non-corporeal beings that Sacred Scripture usually calls "angels" is a truth of faith. the witness of Scripture is as clear as the unanimity of Tradition.

Who are they?

329 St. Augustine says: "'Angel' is the name of their office, not of their nature. If you seek the name of their nature, it is 'spirit'; if you seek the name of their office, it is 'angel': from what they are, 'spirit', from what they do, 'angel.'"¹⁸⁸ With their whole beings the angels are servants and messengers of God. Because they "always behold the face of my Father who is in heaven" they are the "mighty ones who do his word, hearkening to the voice of his word".¹⁸⁹

330 As purely spiritual creatures angels have intelligence and will: they are personal and immortal creatures, surpassing in perfection all visible creatures, as the splendour of their glory bears witness.¹⁹⁰

Christ "with all his angels"

331 Christ is the centre of the angelic world. They are his angels: "When the Son of man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him. . "¹⁹¹ They belong to him because they were created through and for him: "for in him all things were created in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or authorities - all things were created through him and for him."¹⁹² They belong to him still more because he has made them messengers of his saving plan: "Are they not all ministering spirits sent forth to serve, for the sake of those who are to obtain salvation?"¹⁹³

332 Angels have been present since creation and throughout the history of salvation, announcing this salvation from afar or near and serving the accomplishment of the divine plan: they closed the earthly paradise; protected Lot; saved Hagar and her child; stayed Abraham's hand; communicated the law by their ministry; led the People of God; announced births and callings; and assisted the prophets, just to cite a few examples.¹⁹⁴ Finally, the angel Gabriel announced the birth of the Precursor and that of Jesus himself.¹⁹⁵

333 From the Incarnation to the Ascension, the life of the Word incarnate is surrounded by the adoration and service of angels. When God "brings the firstborn into the world, he says: 'Let all God's angels worship him.'"¹⁹⁶ Their song of praise at the birth of Christ has not ceased resounding in the Church's praise: "Glory to God in the highest!"¹⁹⁷ They protect Jesus in his infancy, serve him in the desert, strengthen him in his agony in the garden, when he could have been saved by them from the hands of his enemies as Israel had been.¹⁹⁸ Again, it is the angels who "evangelize" by proclaiming the Good News of Christ's Incarnation and Resurrection.¹⁹⁹ They will be present at Christ's return, which they will announce, to serve at his judgement.²⁰⁰

The angels in the life of the Church

334 In the meantime, the whole life of the Church benefits from the mysterious and powerful help of angels.²⁰¹

335 In her liturgy, the Church joins with the angels to adore the thrice-holy God. She invokes their assistance (in the Roman Canon's Supplices te rogamus. . .["Almighty God, we pray that your angel..."]; in the funeral liturgy's In Paradisum deducant te angeli. . .["May the angels lead you into Paradise. . ."]). Moreover, in the "Cherubic Hymn" of the Byzantine Liturgy, she celebrates the memory of certain angels more particularly (St. Michael, St. Gabriel, St. Raphael, and the guardian angels).

336 From infancy to death human life is surrounded by their watchful care and intercession.²⁰² "Beside each believer stands an angel as protector and shepherd leading him to life."²⁰³ Already here on earth the Christian life shares by faith in the blessed company of angels and men united in God.

 

For more information, please visit the Catechism of the Catholic Church:

http://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG0015/__P1A.HTM
 

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Santa Maria degli Angeli et dei Martiri
Saint Mary of the Angels and Martyrs
The painting for which the Basilica in Rome was built

 

Sanctuary of the Basilica

 His Eminence Willliam Cardinal Keeler, Archbishop of Baltimore,
 at his Titular Church in Rome in 2005,
receiving WUCWO Executive Committee members:
Amelita Dayrit Go, Vice President General; Gillian Badcock, Secretary General;
Karen Hurley, Vice President for North American Region,
Maria Eugenia Dia de Pfennich, President General

 

Please visit the website of The Basilica of Santa Maria degli Angeli et dei Martiri (Saint Mary of the Angels and Martyrs):

http://www.santamariadegliangeliroma.it/index.htm?lingua=INGLESE&cambialingua=SI#

http://www.santamariadegliangeliroma.it/paginamastersing.html?codice_url=picture&ramo_home=Basilica&lingua=INGLESE

Marble angel holding shell of holy water

 

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Social Networks:

Portals of Truth and Faith; New Spaces for Evangelisation

Vatican City, 29 September 2012 (VIS) - "One of the most important challenges facing the task of evangelisation today is that which is emerging from the digital environment. Pope Benedict XVI calls attention to this particular topic, in the context of the Year of Faith, in his choice of theme for the forty-seventh World Communications Day: 'Social Networks: portals of truth and faith; new spaces for evangelisation'", reads a communique released today by the Pontifical Council for Social Communications.

"The theme suggests a series of important points for reflection. During a time in which technology has emerged as part of the fabric of connectivity of human experiences, such as relationships and knowledge, we need to ask: can it help men and women meet Christ in faith? It is not enough to find an adequate language, but rather, it is necessary to learn how to present the Gospel as the answer to that basic human yearning for meaning and faith, which has already found expression online", the English-language communique says….

"World Communications Day, the only worldwide celebration called for by Vatican Council II (Inter Mirifica, 1963), is celebrated in most countries, on the recommendation of the bishops of the world, on the Sunday before Pentecost (12 May in 2013).

"The Holy Father’s message for World Communications Day is traditionally published in conjunction with the Memorial of St. Francis de Sales, patron of writers (January 24)".

For more information, please visit:

http://www.news.va/en/news/social-networks-portals-of-truth-and-faith-new-spa

 

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“Let us lift up our hearts”

The liturgy as a school of prayer, as a "special place in which God addresses each one of us ... and awaits our response", was the theme of His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI's catechesis during the general audience, held this morning in St. Peter's Square.

The Pope explained how, in the Catechism of the Catholic Church, "we read that the word 'liturgy' originally meant a 'service in the name of/on behalf of the people'. If Christian theology took this word from the Greek, clearly it did so thinking of the new People of God, born of Christ Who opened His arms on the Cross to unite mankind in the one peace of God; 'service in the name of the people', a people which exists not of itself but which has come into being thanks to the Paschal Mystery of Jesus Christ".

The Pope referred to a particular moment in which the: the celebrant's invitation before the Eucharistic prayer: "sursum corda", meaning "let us lift up our hearts"; lift them up, that is, "out of the mire of our concerns and desires, our worries and our distraction. Our hearts, the most intimate part of us, must open meekly to the Word of God and join the prayer of the Church, in order to be oriented towards God by the very words we hear and pronounce".

"We celebrate and experience the liturgy well", the Pope concluded, "only if we maintain an attitude of prayer, uniting ourselves to the mystery of Christ and to His dialogue of a Son with His Father. God Himself teaches us to pray. ... He has given us the right words with which to address Him, words we find in the Psalter, in the great prayers of sacred liturgy and in the Eucharistic celebration itself. Let us pray to the Lord that we may become increasingly aware of the fact that the liturgy is the action of God and of man; a prayer that arises from the Holy Spirit and from us; entirely addressed to the Father in union with the Son of God made man".

 

For more information, please visit:                 

http://www.news.va/en/news/the-liturgy-a-school-of-prayer

http://www.news.va/en/news/audience-the-liturgy-school-of-prayer

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Promote the Glory of His Church

The truth about Jesus Christ also reached Korean soil. It came by means of books brought from China. And in a most marvelous way, divine grace soon moved your scholarly ancestors first to an intellectual quest for the truth of God’s word and then to a living faith in the Risen Savior.

 

Yearning for an ever greater share in the Christian faith, your ancestors sent one of their own in 1784 to Peking, where he was baptized. From this good seed was born the first Christian community in Korea, a community unique in the history of the Church by reason of the fact that it was founded entirely by lay people. This fledgling Church, so young and yet so strong in faith, withstood wave after wave of fierce persecution. Thus, in less than a century, it could already boast of some ten thousand martyrs. The years 1791, 1801, 1827, 1839, 1846 and 1866 are forever signed with the holy blood of your Martyrs and engraved in your hearts.

 

Even though the Christians in the first half century had only two priests from China to assist them, and these only for a time, they deepened their unity in Christ through prayer and fraternal love; they disregarded social classes and encouraged religious vocations. And they sought ever closer union with their Bishop in Peking and the Pope in faraway Rome.

 

After years of pleading for more priests to be sent, your Christian ancestors welcomed the first French missionaries in 1836. Some of these, too, are numbered among the Martyrs who gave their lives for the sake of the Gospel, and who are being canonized today in this historic celebration.

 

The splendid flowering of the Church in Korea today is indeed the fruit of the heroic witness of the Martyrs. Even today, their undying spirit sustains the Christians in the Church of silence in the North of this tragically divided land.

 

His Holiness Pope John Paul II

Homily, Mass for the Canonization of Korean Martyrs, 6 May 1984

Seoul, Korea

 

 

For the complete text, please visit:

http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/homilies/1984/documents/hf_jp-ii_hom_19840506_martiri-coreani_en.html

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Karen M. Hurley, WUCWO President General; Dr. Helen Kwon, Korea Council of Catholic Women, President
Shrine of the Korean Martyrs

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St Andrew Kim Taegon… often paused to meditate on the divine Teacher's words. At the crucial hour, encouraged by the Lord's prayer, he did not hesitate to "lose" everything (cf. Phil 3: 8) for him. He was faithful unto death. It is said that, while he was waiting to be executed, he encouraged his brethren in the faith with expressions that impressively echoed Jesus' prayer to the Father for his disciples. "Do not let misfortunes frighten you", he begged them; "do not lose heart and do not shrink from serving God, but, following in the footsteps of the saints, promote the glory of his Church and show yourselves true soldiers and subjects of God. Even if you are many, be of one heart; always remember charity; support and help one another, and wait for the moment when God will have mercy on you".

 

 "Be of one heart!". St Andrew Kim Taegon exhorted believers to draw from divine love the strength to remain united and to resist evil. Like the early community, in which all were "of one heart and soul" (Acts 4: 32), the Korean Church had to find the secret of her own cohesion and growth in following the teaching of the Successors of the Apostles, in prayer and in the breaking of bread (cf. Acts 2: 42).

 

His Holiness Pope John Paul II

Homily, 23 March 2001

 

For the complete text, please visit:

http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/homilies/2001/documents/hf_jp-ii_hom_20010323_collegio-coreano_en.html

 

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Lydia praying after lighting a candle at the Shrine

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Our hearts brim with joy. How shall we ever give enough thanks and praise to the Lord of Heaven, Father of us all, who has done such "great things" in this his beloved land of Korea? And for having given us in these holy Martyrs such splendid models of faith, courage, and love?

 

…Your holy ancestors are glorified with the glory of the Risen Lord. Because they bore witness to him unto death, united to his Cross, they now share in his risen life forever. They have thus entered into the joy of Mary, who at the foot of the Cross shared in the passion and death of her Son, our Saviour. The Queen of Martyrs rejoices with you!

 

But, as with most great feasts, we cannot fail to remember those dear to us who could not come to share in the joy: those brethren in the North of this land, and those also in China through which Korea came to know Christ. We pray that they may continue to be strong in bearing witness to the faith. May Mary the Mother of us all comfort and strengthen them as we now invoke her as the Queen of Heaven.

 

 

His Holiness Pope John Paul II

Regina Caeli, 6 May 1984

Seoul, Korea

 

 

For the complete text, please visit:

http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/angelus/1984/documents/hf_jp-ii_reg_19840506_en.html

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Gracious ladies after the Opening Liturgy at the Cathedral in Seoul, Korea

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What a joy it was for me to visit Korea during my service as President General of the World Union of Catholic Women’s Organisations (WUCWO)!  How humbling it was to be greeted upon arrival in my mother tongue by women who devoted many previous months to learning to speak English, under the gracious leadership of Theresa Duck-Choo Oh Kim, WUCWO Vice President for Asia-Pacific!  And speak it very well they did! 

 

It was life-transforming to go on pilgrimage with the ladies to the Shrine of the Korean Martyrs.  The witness of the martyrs’ faith is powerful and inspiring beyond what words can express.  Since my visit I have new devotion for Saints Andrew Kim Tae-gon, Paul Chong Ha-sang, and Companions, whose Memorial we celebrate on 20 September. 

 

Let us give thanks to God for the witness of the Korean Martyrs and for all the Catholics of Korea who live the Faith with joy and fidelity.

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Grace-filled dance interpretation pointing us toward heaven was displayed by elegant Korean ladies. 
We were hosted for an interreligious tea ceremony and dinner at a Buddhist temple.
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Our Korean hosts and hostesses enjoyed celebratory cake-cutting ceremonies! 
Yes, we are using sabers--very carefully!

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We visited a new church being constructed near the DMZ, the border between North and South Korea.
The church in the South was designed to be identical to a church in the North.
Pray for the reunification of these special people.

 

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Jeoldusan Martyrs' Shrine

 

Jeoldusan Martyrs' Shrine is the site of the Byeonin Persecution of 1866, where many Roman Catholics were brutally murdered. This site was built to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Byeonin Persecution and to remember the spirit of martyrdom at Jeoldusan. The Martyrs’ Museum and Martyrs’ Memorial were built in 1967, and in 1972 Martyrs’ Park was opened to the public. Pope John Paul Ⅱ visited in the site in 1984.

http://www.jeoldusan.or.kr/renew/index.php

 

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The Path of Sincere Conversion

On September 16th, the final day of his three day Apostolic visit to Lebanon, His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI presided over Holy Mass at Beirut's waterfront.  The Mass was attended by many thousands of faithful, the Lebanese authorities and 300 bishops from all over the Middle East. The liturgy was celebrated in Arabic, French and Latin.

 

In his homily the Pope commented on today's reading from the Gospel of St. Mark in which the true identity of Jesus is revealed. In Mark's narrative, Jesus is walking with His disciples along the road leading to the villages in the region of Caesarea Philippi when He asks them: "Who do people say that I am?"

 

"The moment He chose to ask this question is not insignificant", the Holy Father explained. "Jesus was facing a decisive turning-point in His life. He was going up to Jerusalem, to the place where the central events of our salvation would take place: His crucifixion and resurrection. In Jerusalem too, following these events, the Church would be born".

 

The Pope went on, "following Jesus means taking up one’s cross and walking in His footsteps, along a difficult path which leads not to earthly power or glory but, if necessary, to self-abandonment, to losing one’s life for Christ and the Gospel in order to save it. We are assured that this is the way to the resurrection, to true and definitive life with God". In this context, Pope Benedict pointed out that the Year of Faith, due to begin on 11 October, is an invitation to "each member of the faithful to renew his or her commitment to undertaking this path of sincere conversion. Throughout this Year, then, I strongly encourage you to reflect more deeply on the faith, to appropriate it ever more consciously and to grow in fidelity to Christ Jesus and His Gospel.

 

"Brothers and sisters, the path on which Jesus wishes to guide us is a path of hope for all. Jesus’ glory was revealed at the very time when, in His humanity, He seemed weakest, particularly through the incarnation and on the cross. This is how God shows His love; He becomes our servant and gives Himself to us"....

 

For the full text of the homily, please visit:

http://www.news.va/en/news/lebanon-full-text-of-the-popes-homily-during-holy

http://www.news.va/en/news/serving-justice-and-peace-is-an-imperative-task-of

 

 

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Is the Lord calling you on a path that includes a pilgrimage to the Holy Land during the Year of Faith? 

 

Join Fr. Joseph Gotwalt as we follow in the footsteps of Jesus from March 9 – 19, 2013.  The scriptures will come alive on this 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 motorcoach transportation from Harrisburg, PA to New York JFK, roundtrip airfare from JFK on nonstop flights with Delta Airlines, and more, for $3,150 per person/double occupancy.  Airfares from other departure cities throughout the USA are available upon request.

 

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.

 

At Caesarea Philippi

 

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