SUMMARY:
-
Palm Sunday: God humbles Himself for His people
-
Angelus: the Pope entrusts the victims of the Alps air crash to Our
Lady
-
St. Teresa, a “remarkable woman”: 500th anniversary of the birth
of the founder of Carmel
-
Pope's telegram for the death of the Catholicos Patriarch of the
Assyrian Church of the East
-
Francis prays for flood victims in Chile and Peru
-
Audiences
-
Other Pontifical Acts
______________________________________
Palm
Sunday: God humbles Himself for His people
Vatican
City, 30 March 2015 (VIS) – At 9.30 a.m. in St. Peter's Square the
Holy Father presided at the solemn liturgical celebration of Palm
Sunday and the Passion of the Lord. At the centre of the square, near
the obelisk, the Pope blessed the palm and olive branches and, at the
end of the procession, he celebrated the Holy Mass for the Passion of
the Lord. Young people from Rome and other dioceses took part in the
celebration, on the occasion of the thirtieth World Youth Day, on the
theme “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God”.
The
following is the full text of the homily pronounced by Pope Francis
following the proclamation of the Passion of the Lord according to
Mark:
“At
the heart of this celebration, which seems so festive, are the words
we heard in the hymn of the Letter to the Philippians: 'He humbled
himself'. Jesus' humiliation. These words show us God’s way and,
consequently, that which must be the way of Christians: it is
humility. A way which constantly amazes and disturbs us: we will
never get used to a humble God!
“Humility
is above all God’s way: God humbles himself to walk with his
people, to put up with their infidelity. This is clear when we read
the the story of the Exodus. How humiliating for the Lord to hear all
that grumbling, all those complaints against Moses, but ultimately
against him, their Father, who brought them out of slavery and was
leading them on the journey through the desert to the land of
freedom.
“This
week, Holy Week, which leads us to Easter, we will take this path of
Jesus’ own humiliation. Only in this way will this week be 'holy'
for us too. We will feel the contempt of the leaders of his people
and their attempts to trip him up. We will be there at the betrayal
of Judas, one of the Twelve, who will sell him for thirty pieces of
silver. We will see the Lord arrested and carried off like a
criminal; abandoned by his disciples, dragged before the Sanhedrin,
condemned to death, beaten and insulted. We will hear Peter, the
'rock' among the disciples, deny him three times. We will hear the
shouts of the crowd, egged on by their leaders, who demand that
Barabas be freed and Jesus crucified. We will see him mocked by the
soldiers, robed in purple and crowned with thorns. And then, as he
makes his sorrowful way beneath the cross, we will hear the jeering
of the people and their leaders, who scoff at his being King and Son
of God. This is God’s way, the way of humility. It is the way of
Jesus; there is no other. And there can be no humility without
humiliation.
“Following
this path to the full, the Son of God took on the 'form of a slave'.
In the end, humility also means service. It means making room for God
by stripping oneself, 'emptying oneself', as Scripture says. This –
the pouring out of oneself – is the greatest humiliation of all.
“There
is another way, however, opposed to the way of Christ. It is
worldliness, the way of the world. The world proposes the way of
vanity, pride, success, the other way. The Evil One proposed this way
to Jesus too, during his forty days in the desert. But Jesus
immediately rejected it. With him, and only by his grace, with his
help, we too can overcome this temptation to vanity, to worldliness,
not only at significant moments, but in daily life as well. In this,
we are helped and comforted by the example of so many men and women
who, in silence and concealment, sacrifice themselves daily to serve
others: a sick relative, an elderly person living alone, a disabled
person, the homeless.
“We
think too of the humiliation endured by all those who, for their
lives of fidelity to the Gospel, encounter discrimination and pay a
personal price. We think too of our brothers and sisters who are
persecuted because they are Christians, the martyrs of our own time –
and there are many. They refuse to deny Jesus and they endure insult
and injury with dignity. They follow him on his way. In truth, we can
speak of a ìcloud of witnesses' – the martyrs of our own time.
“During
this week, let us set about with determination along this same path
of humility, with immense love for him, our Lord and Saviour. Love
will guide us and give us strength. For where he is, we too shall
be”.
Angelus:
the Pope entrusts the victims of the Alps air crash to Our Lady
Vatican
City, 29 March 2015 (VIS) – Following the Eucharistic celebration,
the Holy Father prayed the Angelus and greeted all those present,
especially the young, whom he exhorted to continue on their path both
within the dioceses and in their pilgrimage across continents,
leading next year to Krakow, Poland, the homeland of St. John Paul
II, who initiated the World Youth Days.
“The
theme of this great meeting: 'Blessed are the merciful, for they will
be shown mercy', harmonises with the Holy Year of Mercy”, he said.
“Let yourselves be filled with the tenderness of the Father, to
radiate it around you. And now we turn in prayer to Mary, our Mother,
so that she might help us to live Holy Week with faith. She too was
present when Jesus entered Jerusalem, acclaimed by the crowd; but her
heart, like that of her Son, was ready for sacrifice. Let us learn
from Her, faithful Virgin, to follow the Lord even when His path
leads to the Cross. I entrust to her intercession the victims of last
Tuesday's aviation tragedy, among whom there was also a group of
German students”.
St.
Teresa, a “remarkable woman”: 500th anniversary of the birth of
the founder of Carmel
Vatican
City, 28 March 2015 (VIS) – Pope Francis has written a letter to
Fr. Saverio Cannistra, prepositor general of the Order of Descalced
Brothers of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel, to commemorate
the fifth centenary of the birth of St. Teresa of Jesus and and to
participate in the giving of thanks for the charism of this
“remarkable woman”.
“I
consider it a providential grace that this anniversary coincides with
the year dedicated to consecrated life, in which the Saint of Avila
shines as a sure guide and attractive model of total commitment to
God. … How much we continue to benefit from the witness of her
consecration, born directly of her encounter with Christ, her
experience of prayer, as a continual dialogue with God, and her
community life, rooted in the maternity of the Church!”
“St.
Teresa was above all a teacher of prayer. The discovery of Christ's
humanity was central to her experience. Moved by the desire to share
this personal experience with others, she describes it in a lively
and simple way, accessible to all, as consisting simply in 'a
relationship of friendship … with Whom we know loves us'. The
prayer of Teresa was not a prayer reserved solely to a space or time
of day; it arose spontaneously on the most diverse occasions. … She
was convinced of the value of continual, if not always perfect,
prayer. … To renew consecrated life today, Teresa has left us a
great heritage full of concrete suggestions, ways and methods of
praying that, far from closing us in ourselves or leading us merely
to inner balance, enable us always to start again from Jesus, and
constitute a genuine school for growth in love for God and
neighbour”.
“Starting
from her encounter with Jesus, St. Teresa lived 'another life'; she
transformed herself into a tireless communicator of the Gospel. Keen
to serve the Church, and faced with the great problems of her time,
she did not limit herself to being an observer of the situations
surrounding her. … In this way she began the Teresian reform in
which she asked her sisters not to waste time discussing 'matters of
little importance' with God while “the world is in flames'. This
missionary and ecclesial dimension has always distinguished the
Discalced Carmelites. As she did during her times, St. Teresa opens
up new horizons to us today; she calls us to a great enterprise, to
look upon the world through Christ's eyes, to seek what He seeks and
to love what He loves”.
“St.
Teresa knew that neither prayer nor mission could sustain an
authentic community life. Therefore, the foundation she laid in her
monasteries was fraternity. … She was very careful to warn her
sisters of the danger of self-referentiality in fraternal life”,
emphasising the need to “'place what we are at the service of
others. To avoid such risks, the Saint of Avila reminded her sisters
above all of the virtue of humility, which is neither outward neglect
nor inner timidness of the soul; instead, it involves each person
being aware of their own possibilities and of what God can achieve in
us. The contrary is what she refers to as a 'false point of honour',
a source of gossip, jealousy and criticism, that seriously harm
relations with others. … With these noble roots, Teresian
communities are called to become houses of communion, able to bear
witness to the fraternal and maternal love of the Church, presenting
to the Lord the needs of the world, riven by divisions and wars”.
Pope's
telegram for the death of the Catholicos Patriarch of the Assyrian
Church of the East
Vatican
City, 28 March 2015 (VIS) – The Holy Father has sent a telegram of
condolences to His Beatitude Mar Aprem Locum Tenens of the Assyrian
Church of the East for the death of the His Holiness Mar Dinkha IV,
Catholicos Patriarch of the Assyrian Church of the East.
The
Pope assures the Assyrian faithful of the spiritual closeness of all
Catholics, and remarked that the Christian world has lost “an
important spiritual leader, a brave and prudent pastor, who
faithfully served his community in extremely difficult times”.
His
Holiness Mar Dinka “suffered greatly as a result of the tragic
situation in the Middle East, especially in Iraq and in Syria”, he
continues, “resolutely calling attention to the plight of our
Christian brothers and sisters and other religious minorities
suffering daily persecution. I recall how we spoke of this at length
during the recent visit of His Holiness to Rome. I give heartfelt
thanks to Almighty God for the enduring commitment of His Holiness to
improving relations among Christians and in particular between the
Catholic Church and the Assyrian Church of the East. May the Lord
receive him and grant him eternal repose, and may the memory of his
long and devoted service to the Church live on as a challenge and an
inspiration to us all”.
Francis
prays for flood victims in Chile and Peru
Vatican
City, 28 March 2015 (VIS) – Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro
Parolin has sent a telegram on behalf of the Holy Father to
Archbishpo Ivo Scapolo, apostolic nuncio in Chile, on account of the
floodings and landslides caused by intense rainfall, that have
already claimed six lives and left 19 people missing and thousands
injured in the north of Chile; in southern Peru a further six people
have been killed. The torrential rains have caused a total of at
least 4,000 victims in both countries.
“Due
to the severe flooding that has affected areas of Peru and Chile,
causing casualties and heavy damage to property, the Holy Father
offers prayers for the eternal repose of the deceased and asks for
the Lord to grant consolation and strength to those affected by this
disaster.
The
Holy Father furthermore exhorts all institutions and persons of good
will, motivated by sentiments of fraternal solidarity and Christian
charity, to offer assistance to overcome these difficult moments, and
offers them his heartfelt blessing”.
Audiences
Vatican
City, 30 March 2015 (VIS) – Today, the Holy Father received in
audience:
-
Archbishop Jose Rodriguez Carballo, secretary of the Congregation for
the Institutes of Consecrated Life and the Societies of Apostolic
Life;
-
Cardinal Stanislaw Rylko, president of the Pontifical Council for the
Laity;
-
Cardinal Angelo Bagnasco, archbishop of Genoa, Italy, president of
the Italian Episcopal Conference;
-
Msgr. Jean-Louis Brugues, archivist and librarian of the Holy Roman
Church;
-
Cardinal Angelo Comastri, archpriest of the Papal Basilica of St.
Peter in the Vatican; vicar general of His Holiness for Vatican City
State; president of the Fabric of St. Peter;
-
Bishop Vincenzo Paglia, president of the Pontifical Council for the
Family.
Other
Pontifical Acts
Vatican
City, 30 March 2015 (VIS) – The Holy Father has appointed:
-
Fr. Alberto Vera Arejula, O. de M., as auxiliary of the diocese of
Xai-Xai (area 75,709, population 1,664,000, Catholics 298,000,
priests 27, religious 81), Mozambique. The bishop-elect was born in
Aguilar del Rio Alhama, Spain in 1957, gave his solemn vows in 1981,
and was ordained a priest in the same year. He studied theology and
psychology and, in his pastoral ministry has served in a number of
roles including parish vicar, formator of postulants and promoter of
vocations in the Vicariate of Central America in Guatemala;
provincial counsellor and head of youth and vocational pastoral
ministry for the Province of Aragon, Spain; formator of the
community, superior of the Community of Matola-Mozambiqye, rector of
studies of the Mercedarian Seminary, parish priest, primary and
secondary school director, and diocesan counsellor for Caritas in
Maputo, Mozambique. He is currently provincial delegate for the
Mercedarian Fathers in Mozambique and parish priest in Xai-Xai.
On
Sunday, 29 March, the Holy Father appointed Bishop Michael Goro
Matsuura, auxiliary of the archdiocese of Osaka, Japan, as bishop of
Nagoya (area 25,306, population 12,379,569, Catholics 26,666, priests
115, permanent deacons 3, religious 268), Japan. He succeeds Bishop
Augustinus Jun-ichi Nomura, whose resignation from the pastoral care
of the same diocese upon reaching the age limit was accepted by the
Holy Father.
On
Saturday, 28 March, the Holy Father accepted the resignation from the
pastoral care of the diocese of Makurdi, Nigeria, presented by Bishop
Athanasius Atule Usuh, in accordance with canon 401 para. 2 of the
Code of Canon Law. He is succeeded by Bishop Wilfred Chikpa Anagbe,
C.M.F., coadjutor of the same diocese.
You
can find more information at: www.visnews.org
The
news items contained in the Vatican Information Service may be used,
in part or in their entirety, by quoting the source:
V.I.S.
-Vatican Information Service.
Copyright
© Vatican Information Service 00120 Vatican City
No comments:
Post a Comment