The Eucharist: The Food of Truth

On this mountain the LORD of hosts will provide for all peoples

A feast of rich food and choice wines, juicy, rich food and pure, choice wines.

On this mountain he will destroy the veil that veils all peoples,

The web that is woven over all nations;

he will destroy death forever.

The Lord GOD will wipe away the tears from all faces;

The reproach of his people he will remove from the whole earth;

for the LORD has spoken.

On that day it will be said:

"Behold our God, to whom we looked to save us!

This is the LORD for whom we looked;

let us rejoice and be glad that he has saved us!"

Isaiah 25:  6-9

In the sacrament of the altar, the Lord meets us, men and women created in God's image and likeness (cf. Genesis 1:27), and becomes our companion along the way. In this sacrament, the Lord truly becomes food for us, to satisfy our hunger for truth and freedom. Since only the truth can make us free (cf. John 8:32), Christ becomes for us the food of truth.…  Each of us has an innate and irrepressible desire for ultimate and definitive truth. The Lord Jesus, "the way, and the truth, and the life" (John 14:6), speaks to our thirsting, pilgrim hearts, our hearts yearning for the source of life, our hearts longing for truth. Jesus Christ is the Truth in person, drawing the world to himself.

...In the Gospel we hear how Jesus, after feeding the crowds by multiplying the loaves and fishes, says to those who had followed him to the synagogue of Capernaum: "My Father gives you the true bread from heaven; for the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven, and gives life to the world" (John 6:32-33), and even identifies himself, his own flesh and blood, with that bread: "I am the living bread which came down from heaven; if anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread which I shall give for the life of the world is my flesh" (John 6:51). Jesus thus shows that he is the bread of life which the eternal Father gives to mankind.

His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI

Apostolic Exhortation, Sacramentum Caritatis

(On the Eucharist as the Source and Summit of the Church’s Life and Mission)

http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/apost_exhortations/documents/hf_ben-xvi_exh_20070222_sacramentum-caritatis_en.html

During my years of service to the Church I have had the privilege to meet and work with holy men and women who are nourished by the “food of truth,” and who devote their lives to witnessing the Truth to society, in national governments or the international sphere such as the United Nations.  The mission they have accepted is not easy:  it involves a share in the Cross of Christ.  But they are people of profound faith, hope, and joy!  Please remember in your prayers the courageous apostolic nuncios at the United Nations in New York and Geneva, members of Holy See Delegations, pro-life and pro-family organizations, and all those who strive to promote the natural moral order which fully respects the inherent dignity of each human person.   (For more information visit The Apostolic Lady's Links Page.)

I have also encountered clergy, vowed religious, and laity, each one “in good standing,” who publicly dissents from aspects of Church teaching typically related to human life, sexuality, marriage, and the family.  For whatever goodwill or compassion may be intended, these persons dismiss God’s moral law and encourage others to do likewise, leaving them longing for the Truth.  This wounds the Body of Christ.

Created in God’s image, nourished by the Holy Eucharist, and empowered by the Holy Spirit, we have the potential to be faithful witnesses of the Truth. 

Do we recognize the richness the Lord has bestowed on us?  Where do we go to satisfy our hunger and thirst for the Truth?  How do we share the truth with others? 



His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI
United Nations, New York - April 2008

Karen M. Hurley, President General, and Arlene Barron-Champoux, International Representative
World Union of Catholic Women's Organizations (WUCWO)
United Nations, New York - April 2008



The Psalms

His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI dedicated his catechesis during the June 22 General Audience, held in Saint Peter’s Square, to what he described as "the book of prayer par excellence, the Book of Psalms".   

"The Psalms teach us to pray," our Holy Father explained. "In them, the Word of God becomes the word of prayer.... People who pray the Psalms speak to God with the words of God, addressing Him with the words He Himself taught us.... Through these words it is also possible to know and accept the criteria of His actions, to approach the mystery of His thoughts and His ways, so as to grow and develop in faith and love".

"By teaching us to pray," the Pope went on, "the Psalms also teach us that at times of desolation, even in moments of suffering, the presence of God is a source of wonder and consolation. We may weep, plead and seek intercession... but in the awareness that we are advancing towards the light, where praise will be unending."

For the complete text please visit:

http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/audiences/2011/documents/hf_ben-xvi_aud_20110622_en.html

http://visnews-en.blogspot.com/2011/06/psalms-book-of-prayer-par-excellence.html



Which Psalm or Psalms help to raise your "awareness that we are advancing towards the light, where praise will be unending"?

Pope Benedict XVI's 60th Anniversary of Ordination

His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI
2010 World Day of Prayer for the Sick
Mass, Saint Peter's Basilica

His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI will celebrate the 60th anniversary of his ordination to the priesthood on June 29, the Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul. The Congregation for Clergy has issued an appeal to Catholics worldwide to mark the Pope's anniversary with 60 hours of Eucharistic prayer for vocations and the sanctification of the clergy.       

Our Holy Father has been an outstanding model of priestly ministry and service to the Church.  On each of the occasions I have been privileged to meet His Holiness he has been gracious, affirming, and most appreciative of “the great work being done” by faithful Catholic women around the world.  The first time I was able to greet Pope Benedict XVI, in 2006, I was struck by the way his eyes twinkled and his warm smile reflected the joy of greeting a dear family member or friend.  Could this be a glimmer of how our loving God looks at each one of us?  Let us join in prayer for our Holy Father.





Saint Peter's Square, November 15, 2006
Fotografia Felici

The White House, April 16, 2008

The United Nations, April 18, 2008

Father’s Day

“See what love the Father has bestowed on us that we may be called the children of God. Yet so we are. The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Beloved, we are God's children now; what we shall be has not yet been revealed. We do know that when it is revealed we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.”

I John 3: 1-2

“God's very being is love. By sending his only Son and the Spirit of Love in the fullness of time, God has revealed his innermost secret: God himself is an eternal exchange of love, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and he has destined us to share in that exchange.”

Catechism of the Catholic Church, 221

We thank our fathers and grandfathers, uncles and godfathers, brothers and friends, and all of the spiritual fathers who have cared for us, guided us, and taught us to know, love and serve our heavenly Father. 

The Power of Intercession: The Prophet Elijah’s Prayer

His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI resumed his series of catecheses on the subject of prayer, focusing on the Prophet Elijah, during the June 15 General Audience held in Saint Peter’s Square.

Our Holy Father explained how "upon Mount Carmel Elijah revealed himself in all his power as intercessor when, before the whole of Israel, he prayed to the Lord to show Himself and convert people's hearts.” (cf. I Kings 18)   Elijah’s request "was that the people might finally and fully come to know and understand Who their God is, and make the decisive decision to follow only Him….  Believers must respond to the absoluteness of God with absolute and total love, a love involving all their lives, their energies, their hearts.... In his intercession, Elijah asked of God what God Himself wished to do: to show Himself in all His mercy, faithful to His nature as Lord of life Who forgives, converts and transforms….

As we look to Elijah’s example, let us be ever more convinced of the power of intercessory prayer, so that we can help all people to know the one true God, to turn away from every form of idolatry, and to receive the grace offered to us on the wood of the Cross and in the fire of the Holy Spirit.”

For more information please visit:

http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/audiences/2011/documents/hf_ben-xvi_aud_20110615_en.html

http://visnews-en.blogspot.com/2011/06/power-of-intercession-prophet-elijahs.html

Animated by the Holy Spirit

His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI presided at Mass in Saint Peter’s Basilica on the Feast of Pentecost, Sunday, June 12, 2011.  In his homily our Holy Father said:

"The Holy Spirit animates the Church….  The Church is not the result of human will, of reflection, of man's abilities or his capacity for organisation. If this were the case she would have passed out of existence a long time ago, just as all human things pass. She is, rather, the Body of Christ animated by the Holy Spirit...

The Church was catholic from the first moment of her existence. Her universality is not the result of the subsequent inclusion of different communities: from the first instant the Holy Spirit created her as the Church of all peoples. She embraces the entire world, crossing frontiers of race, class and nation, breaking down barriers and uniting mankind in the proclamation of the One and Triune God. From her beginnings, the Church was one, catholic and apostolic. This is her true nature and as such she must be recognised. She is holy, not thanks to any capacity of her members, but because God Himself, with His Spirit, continuously creates, purifies and sanctifies her…."

For more information please visit:

http://visnews-en.blogspot.com/2011/06/church-was-catholic-from-very-first.html

Touched by the Fire of the Holy Spirit



 Dove of the Holy Spirit - Gian Lorenzo Bernini

(circa 1660, alabaster, Saint Peter's Basilica, Vatican City)



 “When the time for Pentecost was fulfilled, they were all in one place together.  And suddenly there came from the sky a noise like a strong driving wind, and it filled the entire house in which they were.  Then there appeared to them tongues as of fire, which parted and came to rest on each one of them.  And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in different tongues, as the Spirit enabled them to proclaim.” 

Acts 2: 1-3

“...Dear brothers and sisters, we are always in need of hearing the Lord Jesus tell us what he often repeated to his friends: "Be not afraid". Like Simon Peter and the others we must allow his presence and his grace to transform our heart, which is always subject to human weakness. We must know how to recognize that losing something indeed, losing ourselves for the true God, the God of love and of life is actually gaining ourselves, finding ourselves more fully. Whoever entrusts himself to Jesus already experiences in this life the peace and joy of heart that the world cannot give, and that it cannot even take away once God has given it to us. So it is worthwhile to let ourselves be touched by the fire of the Holy Spirit! The suffering that it causes us is necessary for our transformation. It is the reality of the Cross. It is not without reason that in the language of Jesus "fire" is above all a representation of the mystery of the Cross, without which Christianity does not exist. Thus enlightened and comforted by these words of life, let us lift up our invocation: Come, Holy Spirit! Enkindle in us the fire of your love! We know that this is a bold prayer, with which we ask to be touched by God's flame; but above all we know that this flame and it alone has the power to save us. We do not want, in defending our life, to lose eternal life that God wants to give us. We need the fire of the Holy Spirit, because only Love redeems.”

His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI

Homily, Pentecost 2010

For the complete text please visit:

http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/homilies/2010/documents/hf_ben-xvi_hom_20100523_pentecoste_en.html

What do you remember about the day of your Confirmation when you received the fullness of the Holy Spirit which completed the grace of your Baptism?  In my mind’s eye I can see my family and seventh grade classmates in our parish church, as well as a favorite priest standing nearby smiling as the Bishop anointed my forehead with Chrism.  However, I can’t say that I fully realized at that time the responsibilities or challenges which accompanied being sealed with the gift of the Holy Spirit.  It was years later that I more deeply felt “a special strength of the Holy Spirit to spread and defend the faith by word and action as a true witness of Christ, to confess the name of Christ boldly, and never to be ashamed of the Cross.”  (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1303)  For only by doing God’s will may we experience “the peace and joy of heart that the world cannot give.”

During my first visit to the Holy Land our five-woman study group had been traversing the maze of narrow streets through the Old City of Jerusalem, at times trying hard to keep up with our energetic, long-legged guide.  We arrived at the Cenacle, or Upper Room, and, having caught our breath, we took in the present day surroundings of the site of the Last Supper, the Descent of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost, as well as other events recorded in Sacred Scripture.  We sang, “Come, Holy Ghost,” as our priest chaplain prayed over each one of us in turn.  We were indeed “touched by God’s flame” in that holy place, reminded of our apostolic responsibilities, and transformed in Christ.

How do we, long after our Confirmation Day, “let ourselves be touched by the fire of the Holy Spirit?”  Do we sometimes overlook the gifts the Lord has given to us?  Do we ever try to escape from the challenges of the Cross? 

Let us together pray the “bold prayer”:

Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of Your faithful and enkindle in them the fire of your love.

V.  Send forth Your Spirit and they shall be created.
R.  And You shall renew the face of the earth.

Let us pray.
O God, Who by the light of the Holy Spirit, did instruct the hearts of the faithful, grant us in the same Spirit to be truly wise, and ever to rejoice in His consolation. Through Christ our Lord.  Amen.

 

The Upper Room as it appears today



Pilgrimage to the Holy Land

It would give me great joy if you could experience the countless blessings of going to the roots of our faith, to walk where Jesus walked on this earth, and to visit amazing sites described in Sacred Scripture.



Rainbow over the Mount of Olives, Jerusalem



Please prayerfully consider joining me on a Pilgrimage to the Holy Land from March 17 – 27, 2012.  The scriptures will come alive as we follow in the footsteps of Jesus.  Tour includes:  Daily Mass at holy sites, guide, accommodation in First Class hotels (five nights in Jerusalem, three nights in Tiberias, on the shores of the Sea of Galilee), land transportation by deluxe motorcoach, roundtrip airfare from Philadelphia on nonstop flight, and more, for $2,975 per person/double occupancy.  For the pilgrimage brochure and more details please e-mail k.m.hurley1@gmail.com.  For further information on this pilgrimage, please contact:  George’s International Tours, (800) 566-7499 or http://www.georgesintl.com/.

Sea of Galilee viewed from the Church of the Primacy of Peter

Pray for and with the Church of Jerusalem

On the Vigil of Pentecost, the Jerusalem Churches will call upon the Spirit with one voice.  On June 11, 2011, at 6:00 p.m. Holy Land time, the Latin Catholic Church will host the sixth Extraordinary Prayer of all Churches for Reconciliation, Unity and Peace, beginning in and proceeding from Jerusalem. The prayer will be presided over by His Beatitude Fouad Twal, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, from the Latin Patriarchate Church in the Holy City.

This year all Christians celebrate Pentecost on the same date which makes for a particularly joyful and united intercessory prayer.  Let us join in prayer with our brothers and sisters in Christ.

http://www.prayrup.info/en/news

For the peace of Jerusalem pray: "May those who love you prosper!

May peace be within your ramparts, prosperity within your towers."

For family and friends I say, "May peace be yours."

For the house of the LORD, our God, I pray, "May blessings be yours."

Psalm 122

Witnessing to the Gospel in the Digital Era

“The hour is coming, and is now here, when true worshipers will worship the Father in Spirit and truth; and indeed the Father seeks such people to worship him.  God is Spirit, and those who worship him must worship in Spirit and truth.”

John 4:  23-24

“…We must be aware that the truth which we long to share does not derive its worth from its ‘popularity’ or from the amount of attention it receives. We must make it known in its integrity, instead of seeking to make it acceptable or diluting it. It must become daily nourishment and not a fleeting attraction. The truth of the Gospel is not something to be consumed or used superficially; rather it is a gift that calls for a free response.

…The web is contributing to the development of new and more complex intellectual and spiritual horizons, new forms of shared awareness. In this field too we are called to proclaim our faith that Christ is God, the Saviour of humanity and of history, the one in whom all things find their fulfilment (cf. Eph 1:10). The proclamation of the Gospel requires a communication which is at once respectful and sensitive, which stimulates the heart and moves the conscience; one which reflects the example of the risen Jesus when he joined the disciples on the way to Emmaus (cf. Lk 24:13-35). By his approach to them, his dialogue with them, his way of gently drawing forth what was in their heart, they were led gradually to an understanding of the mystery.

…The truth of Christ is the full and authentic response to that human desire for relationship, communion and meaning which is reflected in the immense popularity of social networks. Believers who bear witness to their most profound convictions greatly help prevent the web from becoming an instrument which depersonalizes people, attempts to manipulate them emotionally or allows those who are powerful to monopolize the opinions of others….  Believers encourage everyone to keep alive the eternal human questions which testify to our desire for transcendence and our longing for authentic forms of life, truly worthy of being lived. It is precisely this uniquely human spiritual yearning which inspires our quest for truth and for communion and which impels us to communicate with integrity and honesty….”

His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI

Truth, Proclamation and Authenticity of Life in the Digital Age 

Message for the 45^th World Communications Day

June 5, 2011

For the complete text please visit:

http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/messages/communications/documents/hf_ben-xvi_mes_20110124_45th-world-communications-day_en.html

Some of us who have attained “a certain age” might not have imagined the “new” technologies which we are using today to communicate with each other.  I remember trying to “fax” documents from Pennsylvania halfway around the world to Australia to register for the 1996 World Union of Catholic Women’s Organizations (WUCWO) General Assembly.  It was not as simple as it seems today, but it certainly was faster than sending documents through the post office!  It was just a few years ago when the WUCWO Vice President General and Board Member from Australia “introduced” me to Skype.  The first time I was able to see and speak with her on the computer over the internet left me positively giddy with amazement, especially as it was evening in Harrisburg and the next morning in Victoria.  Yet today it is quite natural—even expected-- to communicate with anyone from anywhere at anytime by the tap of a finger.  Technology allows us to overcome hours and miles in order to be united in faith and friendship.  The world becomes much smaller as we draw closer to one another.

On World Communications Day, Our Holy Father invites us to reflect on how we as Catholic Christians are witnessing to the Gospel in this digital era.  We are called to the basics of knowing and communicating the truth with authenticity.  We have the responsibility to be honest and respectful, to consistently witness the Gospel and the teachings of the Church, both personally and publicly.  The internet can be used to offer hope and meaning as well as contribute to truth and unity.

How are we using new communications technologies to foster human relationships which are truly deep and lasting?  Is the web impacting relationships with those whom we share the reality of our daily lives?  How do we as believers bear witness to our most profound convictions?



Joan McGrath, NCCW President 1995-1997; Maria Eugenia Diaz de Pfennich, WUCWO President General 1996-2006;

Karen M. Hurley, NCCW Representative to WUCWO 1996-2006, WUCWO President General 2006-2010;

at the WUCWO Assembly in Canberra, Australia, 1996





Joan McGrath, Karen Hurley, and WUCWO Assembly Participants

overlooking Canberra, Australia, 1996



Generous and Unconditional Response to God’s Plan

On the evening of May 31, 2011, His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI briefly addressed the faithful present in the Vatican Gardens at the Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes.  Referring to the feast of The Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, our Holy Father noted that:

"Mary truly believed that 'nothing is impossible to God' and, strong in this confidence she let herself be guided by the Holy Spirit in daily obedience to his plan. How can we not desire that same trusting abandon in our lives? How can we not yearn for that beatitude that is born of a profound and intimate familiarity with Jesus? That is why, addressing the one who is 'full of grace', we can today ask that she intercede with Divine Providence for us too, so that we might each day proclaim our 'yes' to God's plan with the same humble and sincere faith that the Virgin said her yes". May she, who welcomed the Word of God within her and wholeheartedly abandoned herself to him, guide us to an ever more generous and unconditional response to his plan, even when we are called to embrace the Cross".

For more information please visit:

http://visnews-en.blogspot.com/2011/06/virgin-help-us-be-generous-in-gods-plan.html

Moses: Model of Intercessory Prayer

“As the mediator between God and Israel, Moses is a model of intercessory prayer. We see this clearly in the episode of the golden calf (Exodus 32). As Moses descends from Mount Sinai where he has spoken to God and received the gift of the Law, he confronts both the infidelity of the people, who now worship an idol of gold, and God’s wrath. Moses intercedes for his people, fully acknowledging the gravity of their sin. He also pleads with God to remember his mercy, to forgive their sin and thus to reveal his saving power. Moses’ prayer of petition is an expression of God’s own desire for the salvation of his people and his fidelity to the covenant. Through his intercessory prayer Moses grows in deeper knowledge of the Lord and his mercy, and becomes capable of a love which extends to the total gift of self. In this prayer Moses points beyond himself to that perfect intercessor who is Jesus, the Son of God, who brings about the new and eternal covenant in his blood, shed for the forgiveness of sin and the reconciliation of all God’s children.”

His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI

General Audience, June 1, 2011

For complete text please visit:

http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/audiences/2011/documents/hf_ben-xvi_aud_20110601_en.html

 and

http://visnews-en.blogspot.com/2011/06/moses-mediator-of-salvation-for-israel.html