Our Lady of America and St. Joseph

Dan Lynch

Our Lady of America and St. Joseph

March 14, 2008

The Feast of St. Joseph, husband of the Blessed Virgin Mary, is usually celebrated on March 19. However, because this date is in Holy Week this year, the Feast will be celebrated on March 15.

Husband of Mary

From Scripture we know that the great virtue of St. Joseph was his obedient faith. "He did as the angel of the Lord commanded him and took Mary as his wife" (Mt. 1:24). He did this in spite of the fact that Mary's pregnancy was apparently visible to everyone. He took her in the mystery of her motherhood and acted in obedient faith, as did Mary when she said, "Let it be done to me according to your word" (Lk. 1:38). "Blessed are they who have not seen, yet have believed" (Jn. 20:29).

As the Second Vatican Council teaches, "The obedience of faith must be given to God as He reveals Himself. By this obedience of faith man freely commits himself entirely to God, making the full submission of his intellect and will to God who reveals and willingly assenting to the revelation given by Him." St. Joseph is the model of this obedient faith. He obeyed the command of the angel and took Mary as his wife in marriage and virginity in a communion of love with God and each other.

As the foster father of Jesus, St. Joseph showed Him all the natural love and affection of a father's heart. He placed his life at the service of God in total self-giving for our Savior who grew up in his house. And Jesus grew "in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and man" (Lk. 2:52).

Worker

The Feast of St. Joseph the Worker is celebrated on May 1. This Feast was instituted by Pope Pius XII in order to impress on our minds the dignity of human work and the principles according to which it should be carried on. He chose St. Joseph as the model and helper of all workers.

From the example of St. Joseph, we should learn that we work in obedience to God's command for our earthly needs while at the same time hoping to attain our heavenly reward. He who was obedient to God's commands took care of the Holy Family by his skill and labor will not fail to extend his help and protection to his co-workers.

On His part, Jesus "was obedient to them" (Lk. 2:51) and thereby sanctified His daily work with St. Joseph. Work was the daily expression of love in the Holy Family. Work, which was a consequence of Original Sin (see Gn. 3:17-20), was now redeemed by Jesus who labored at the workbench with St. Joseph. Work is a human good which transforms nature and makes man, in a sense, more human.

Pius XII decreed that the Feast of St. Joseph the Worker should be celebrated on May 1st, the traditional Workers' Day. He hoped that St. Joseph's patronage would promote peace between workers and their employers and end the strife that too often marred their relationship.

Pope Paul VI said, "St. Joseph is the model of those humble ones that Christianity raises up to great destinies; he is the proof that in order to be a good and genuine follower of Christ, there is no need of great things — it is enough to have the common, simple and human virtues, but they need to be true and authentic."

Pope Pius IX declared St. Joseph to be the "Patron of the Catholic Church". We place our confidence in his protection because he will protect the Church family just as he protected the Holy Family.

Pope John Paul II prayed, "May St. Joseph become for all of us an exceptional teacher in the service of Christ's saving mission, a mission which is the responsibility of each and every member of the Church: husbands and wives, parents, those who live by the work of their hands or by any other kind of work, those called to the contemplative life and those called to the apostolate... ."

Peacemaker

The Blessed Virgin Mary appeared in the United States and revealed her title as "Our Lady of America, The Immaculate Virgin." She also said, "I am the Immaculate One, Patroness of your land." She appeared to Sister Mildred Neuzil in several apparitions that began in 1956 and continued until her death on January 10, 2000 at the age of 83. The devotion to Our Lady of America is the only canonically approved devotion that is based upon apparitions of Our Lady in the United States.

On March 11, 1958, Our Lady of America spoke to Sister Mildred about St. Joseph. She said, "My holy spouse has an important part to play in bringing peace to the world."

In confirmation of Our Lady's statement that St. Joseph "has an important part to play in bringing peace to the world", he told Sister Mildred on his feast day, March 19, 1958:

Dear child, I was king in the little home of Nazareth, for I sheltered within it the Prince of Peace and the Queen of Heaven. To me they looked for protection and sustenance, and I did not fail them.

I received from them the deepest love and reverence, for in me they saw Him whose place I took over them.

So the head of the family must be loved, obeyed, and respected, and in return be a true father and protector to those under his care.

In honoring in a special way my fatherhood, you also honor Jesus and Mary. The Divine Trinity has placed into our keeping the peace of the world.

The imitation of the Holy Family, my child, of the virtues we practiced in our little home at Nazareth is the way for all souls to that peace which comes from God alone and which none other can give.

Father

The Fatherhood of God is the source of human fatherhood. St. Joseph acted as the father of Jesus. Fathers are called to love and lead their families as a model of God the Father's love for them. St. Joseph is the model father. He came to Sister Mildred and said that fathers must come to him to learn obedience to authority, the Church and the laws of their country. Fathers also must imitate his great purity of life and the deep respect that he held for his Immaculate Spouse.

On the eve of his Feast, March 18, 1958, he came to Sister and said:

All Fatherhood is blest in me whom the Eternal Father chose as His representative on earth, the Virgin-Father of His own Divine Son. Through me the Heavenly Father has blessed all fatherhood, and through me He continues and will continue to do so till the end of time.

My spiritual fatherhood extends to all God's children, and together with my Virgin Spouse I watch over them with great love and solicitude.

Fathers must come to me, small one, to learn obedience to authority: to the Church always, as the mouthpiece of God, to the laws of the country in which they live, insofar as these do not go against God and their neighbor.

Mine was perfect obedience to the Divine Will, as it was shown and made known to me by the Jewish law and religion. To be careless in this is most displeasing to God and will be severely punished in the next world.

Let fathers also imitate my great purity of life and the deep respect I held for my Immaculate Spouse. Let them be an example to their children and fellowmen, never willfully doing anything that would cause scandal among God's people.

Fatherhood is from God, and it must take once again its rightful place among men.

Pure Heart

Jesus and Mary desire that the Pure Heart of St. Joseph be honored on the First Wednesday of each month. On March 30, 1958, he appeared to Sister Mildred and said:

I am the protector of the Church and the home, as I was the protector of Christ and His Mother while I lived upon earth. Jesus and Mary desire that my pure heart, so long hidden and unknown, be now honored in a special way. Let my children honor my most pure heart in a special manner on the First Wednesday of the month by reciting the Joyful Mysteries of the Rosary in memory of my life with Jesus and Mary and the love I bore them, the sorrow I suffered with them. Let them receive Holy Communion in union with the love with which I received the Savior for the first time and each time I held Him in my arms.

Those who honor me in this way will be consoled by my presence at their death, and I myself will conduct them safely into the presence of Jesus and Mary.

So let us respond to the requests of St. Joseph and ask his intercession for the great gifts of God's protection, peace and presence.

URL: http://www.catholicexchange.com/node/70504

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Two Capuchin Brothers to Profess Final Vows

Two Brothers to Profess Final Vows

Brothers Barnabas Eichor, Joseph Mary Elder Make Final Profession As Capuchin Friars

by Blaine Burkey, O.F.M.Cap.

Friars of the Capuchin Province of Mid-America are looking forward to the community's first final profession of new members since 1996.

Brother Barnabas Eichor and Brother Joseph Mary Elder (to left and right of Vocation Director John Lager in photo) are scheduled to make final profession March 27, during the friars' annual provincial assembly at Victoria, Kansas.

Both friars are currently preparing for the priesthood at St. John Vianney Theological Seminary in Denver and live at St. Francis of Assisi Friary in Denver. In additional to his study of theology, Br. Barnabas is doing a pastoral internship at Sacred Heart Church in Denver, which involves serving on the pastoral and parish finance councils and teaching adult catechism classes. Br. Joseph Mary teaches confirmation classes at Annunciation Church. Both parishes are pastored by members of the Capuchin Order.

During his years in formation as a Capuchin, Br. Barnabas has also worked to improve housing for the poor, taught at Annunciation Elementary School, and worked with Meals on Wheels and Habitat for Humanity. Br. Joseph Mary has also ministered in two centers for the homeless, a retirement center, and a home for severely mentally challenged children and adults, and with people receiving Meals on Wheels.

Born in Denver in 1965, James Richard Eichor, Jr., earned a master's degrees in economics at the University of New Mexico in1987 and one in anthropology at Texas A & M University in 1989. He then served in the Army in both Desert Storm and Desert Shield of the Persian Gulf War, and returned to civilian life to engage in sales and semitruck driving. He entered the Catholic Church at the Easter Vigil in 2000, entered the Capuchin novitiate in 2002, at that time taking his new religious name, Barnabas, and made his first profession of vows in 2003.

Scott Michael Elder was born in Florissant, Mo., in 1977 and grew up in Kirkwood, Mo. A graduate of DeSmet High School in St. Louis in 1995, he pursued a degree in English for several years, but dropped out of school for a while, working in the meantime in ink manufacturing and landscaping. Br. Joseph Mary says his life was profoundly affected by a pilgrimage to Medjugore in 2001. He entered the Capuchin Order in 2003, at that time took a new religious name, Joseph Mary, and made his first profession of vows in 2004.

Br. Barnabas is the son of James and Alice Eichor, who lived for many years in Bayfield, Colo., but are currently in rest homes in the north Texas panhandle. Br. Joseph Mary's parents, Bruce and Mary Cheryl Elder are parishioners of St. Peter's Church in Kirkwood.

URL: http://midamcaps.blogspot.com/

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Scripture Needs to Be Read Spiritually, Says Preacher

Scripture Needs to Be Read Spiritually, Says Preacher

Delivers Final Lenten Meditation for Pope and Curia

ROME, MARCH 14, 2008 (Zenit.org).- Scripture is not only inspired by God, but also "breathes forth God," that is, the Holy Spirit inhabits Scripture and animates it, says the preacher of the Pontifical Household.

Capuchin Father Raniero Cantalamessa said this today in the Lenten meditation he delivered to Benedict XVI and the Roman Curia in the Redemptoris Mater Chapel of the Apostolic Palace.

The sermon was the last in a series of meditations the preacher gave this Lent.

The series, titled "The Word of God Is Living and Effective," reflects the theme of the next Synod of Bishops on the word of God, to be held in October.

Father Cantalamessa spoke about the two meanings implied by 2 Timothy 3:16 "all Scripture is inspired by God."

He explained that the more common meaning is the "passive" one, referring to the way that God directed the writers of the holy texts.

The second meaning, the preacher explained, is "active": Scripture, is not only "inspired by God" but also "spirates God." "After having dictated the Scripture, the Holy Spirit is in a way contained within it; he ceaselessly inhabits it and animates it with his divine breath."

Setting him free

Father Cantalamessa then asked, "How do we approach the Scriptures in a way that they truly 'free' the Spirit that they contain?"

He said that "in Scripture, the Spirit cannot be discovered if not by passing through the letter, that is, through the concrete human vesture that the word of God assumed in the different books and inspired authors. In them the divine meaning cannot be discovered, if not by beginning from the human meaning, the one intended by the human author, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Luke, Paul, etc. It is in this that we find the complete justification of the immense effort in study and research that surrounds the book of Scripture."

But, Father Cantalamessa affirmed, there is a "tendency to stop at the letter, considering the Bible an excellent book, the most excellent of human books, if you will, but only a human book. Unfortunately we run the risk of reducing Scripture to a single dimension."

The Pontifical Household preacher pointed to a sign of hope: "That the demand for a spiritual reading of Scripture and one guided by faith is now beginning to be felt by some eminent exegetes."

The Capuchin urged a furthering of this "spiritual reading."

He explained: "To speak of the 'spiritual' reading of the Bible is not to speak of an edifying, mystical, subjective, or worse still, imaginative, reading, in opposition to the scientific reading, which would be objective. On the contrary, it is the most objective reading that there is because it is based on the Spirit of God, not on the spirit of man.

"Spiritual reading is therefore something that is quite precise and objective; it is the reading that is done under the guidance of, or in the light of, the Holy Spirit that inspired Scripture. It is based on a historical event, namely, the redemptive act of Christ which, with his death and resurrection, accomplishes the plan of salvation and realizes all of the figures and the prophecies, it reveals all of the hidden mysteries and offers the true key for reading the Bible."

Toward all truth

Father Cantalamessa said that this "spiritual reading" of Scripture applies to both the Old and New Testaments.

"Reading the New Testament spiritually means reading it in the light of the Holy Spirit given to the Church at Pentecost to lead the Church to all truth, that is, to the complete understanding and actualization of the Gospel," he said.

The preacher affirmed that spiritual reading both integrates and surpassed scientific reading: "Scientific reading knows only one direction, which is that of history; it explains, in fact, that which comes after in light of that which comes before; it explains the New Testament in the light of the Old which precedes it, and it explains the Church in the light of the New Testament.

"Spiritual reading fully recognizes the validity of this direction of research, but it adds an inverse direction to it. This consists in explaining that which comes before in the light of that which comes after, prophecy in the light of its realization, the Old Testament in the light of the New and the New in the light of the tradition of the Church."

Father Cantalamessa contended, then, that "that which is necessary is not therefore a spiritual reading that would take the place of current scientific exegesis, with a mechanical return to the exegesis of the Fathers; it is rather a new spiritual reading corresponding to the enormous progress recorded by the study of 'letter.' It is a reading, in sum, that has the breath and faith of the Fathers and, at the same time, the consistency and seriousness of current biblical science.

The Pontifical Household preacher ended his reflection with a word of hope regarding a return to a spiritual reading like that of the Church fathers.

The Capuchin said "from the four winds the Spirit has begun unexpectedly to blow again" and we "witness the reappearance of the spiritual reading of the Bible and this too is a fruit -- one of the more exquisite -- of the Spirit."

"Participating in Bible and prayer groups, I am stupefied in hearing, at times, reflections on God's word that are analogous to those offered by Origen, Augustine or Gregory the Great in their time, even if it is in a more simple language," he said. "Let us conclude with a prayer that I once heard a woman pray after she was read the episode in which Elijah, ascending up to heaven, leaves Elisha two-thirds of his spirit.

"It is an example of spiritual reading in the sense I have just explained: 'Thank you, Jesus, that ascending to heaven, you do not only leave us two-thirds of your Spirit, but all of your Spirit! Thank you that you did not give your Spirit to just one disciple, but to all men!'"

Permalink: http://www.zenit.org/article-22066?l=english

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Father Corapi’s Conversion Story

Father Corapi’s Conversion Story

From a Los Angeles millionaire, to drug addicted street person, to a Catholic Priest…Father John Corapi’s story is simply amazing. This is a simplified ten minute version of Fr. Corapi’s Conversion Story (otherwise known as his Personal Testimony). The statement of this 10 minute video is simple…”God’s Name is Mercy!”

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In Agony Until the End of the World

In Agony Until the End of the World

Gospel Commentary for Palm Sunday

By Father Raniero Cantalamessa, OFM Cap

ROME, MARCH 14, 2008 (Zenit.org).- In the course of the entire liturgical year, Palm Sunday is the only occasion, besides Good Friday, in which the Gospel of Christ's Passion is read. Not being able to comment on the whole long narrative, we will consider two episodes: Gethsemane and Calvary.

It is written of Jesus on the Mount of Olives that he began "to feel sorrow and distress. Then he said to them, ‘My soul is sorrowful even to death. Remain here and keep watch with me.'" This is an unrecognizable Jesus! He who commanded the winds and the seas and they obeyed him, who told everyone not to fear, is now prey to sadness and anxiety. What is the reason? It is all contained in one word, the chalice: "My Father, if it is possible, let this chalice pass from me!"

The chalice indicates the whole mass of suffering that is about to come crashing down upon him. But not only this. It indicates above all the measure of divine justice that corresponds to men's sins and transgressions. It is "the sin of the world" that he has taken upon himself and that weighs on his heart like a boulder.

The philosopher Pascal said that "Christ is in agony on the Mount of Olives until the end of the world. He should not be abandoned during this whole time."

He is in agony wherever there is a human being that struggles with sadness, fear, anxiety, in a situation where there is no way out, as he was that day. We can do nothing for the Jesus who was suffering then but we can do something for the Jesus who is in agony today. Every day we hear of tragedies that occur, sometimes in our own building, in the apartment across the hall, without anyone being aware of it.

How many Mount of Olives, how many Gethsemanes in the heart of our cities! Let us not abandon those who are there within.

Let us now take ourselves to Calvary. "Jesus cried out in a loud voice: ‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?' And Jesus cried out again in a loud voice, and gave up his spirit."

I am now about to pronounce a blasphemy, but then I will explain. Jesus on the cross has become an atheist, one without God. There are two forms of atheism: the active or voluntary atheism of those who reject God, and the passive or suffered atheism of those who are rejected (or feel rejected) by God. In both forms there are those who are "without God." The former is an atheism of fault, and the latter is an atheism of suffering and expiation. Mother Teresa of Calcutta, about whom there was much discussion when her personal writings were published, belongs to this latter category.

On the cross Jesus expiated in anticipation all the atheism that exists in the world, not only that of declared atheists, but also that of practical atheists, the atheism of those who live "as if God did not exist," relegating him to the last place in their life. It is "our" atheism, because, in this sense, we are all atheists -- some more, some less -- those who do not care about God. God too is one of the "marginalized" today; he has been pushed to the margins of the lives of the majority of men.

Here too it is necessary to say: "Jesus is on the cross until the end of the world." He is in all the innocent who suffer. He is nailed to the cross of the gravely ill. The nails that hold him fast on the cross are the injustices that are committed against the poor. In a Nazi concentration camp a man was hung. Someone, pointing at the victim, angrily asked a believer who was standing next to him: "Where is your God now?" "Do you not see him?" he answered. "He is there hanging from the gallows."

In all of the depictions of the "deposition from the cross," the figure of Joseph of Arimathea always stands out. He represents all of those who, even today, challenge the regime or public opinion, to draw near to the condemned, the excluded, those sick with AIDS, and who are occupied with helping some of them to descend from the cross. For some those who are "crucified" today, the designated and awaited "Joseph of Arimathea" could very well be I or you.

[Translation by Joseph G. Trabbic]

* * *

Father Raniero Cantalamessa is the Pontifical Household preacher. The readings for this Sunday are Isaiah 50:4-7; Philippians 2:6-11; Matthew 26:14-27:66.

Permalink: http://www.zenit.org/article-22055?l=english

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Like Peter, Benedict is Today’s Rock

Like Peter, Benedict is Today’s Rock

March 13, 2008 by usccbdigitalmedia

Catholics recognize that when Pope Benedict XVI comes to our country he does so as the successor of St. Peter. As Peter was chosen to be the head of the first Apostles and chief shepherd of the newly born Church, so Pope Benedict is the head of the Apostolic College, that is, the head of all the bishops throughout the world who are in communion with him. As such, he is also the chief shepherd and supreme pastor of the entire Church.

When Jesus asked his disciples who they thought he was, it was Peter who responded without any hesitancy. He clearly professed: “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” In turn, Jesus did not hesitate to tell Peter: “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah. For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my heavenly Father.” Notice that Jesus first tells Peter that he is “blessed.” Peter is blessed because he knows the truth of who Jesus is as the anointed Son of God. Moreover, this blessing did not come from some human source but by revelation directly from Jesus’ heavenly Father. It was the Father himself, through the Holy Spirit, who revealed to Peter that Jesus was his eternal Son. It is precisely because of this divine revelation and Peter’s profession of it that Jesus continued to say to him: “And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it” (Matthew 16:16-18). It is upon the rock of Peter’s profession (his name means “rock”) that Jesus will build his Church. It is the truth of who Jesus is, as the Son of God, and the truth of his Gospel that is the rock-solid foundation of the Church itself. Nothing or no one, not even the devil himself, will ever succeed in distorting or falsifying the truth Jesus’ Gospel as professed by Peter.

As the successor of St. Peter, Benedict is today’s rock upon which the truth of the Church’s profession of faith is assured. Benedict, as did Peter, stands ever ready to profess and guard the Gospel of truth. Thus, the Pope, together with the bishops in union with him, is the guarantor that what we believe and profess as Catholics is the truth of Jesus Christ – his Gospel of life and salvation. We can confidently proclaim with Peter and the Apostles and all Catholics throughout the centuries that Jesus is indeed truly the Son of God. He became man and died for our sins and rose that we might have eternal life.

We can be assured that through baptism we have received the divine life of the Holy Spirit and have become members of the Body of Christ, the Church, and thus we are sons and daughters of the Father. Without doubt we know, in faith, that our sins are forgiven in the Sacrament of Reconciliation and that Jesus is truly and really present in the Eucharist. Our assurance in all that we believe is founded upon the essential truth that as the Father, through Holy Spirit, revealed to Peter the truth of who Jesus is and the Gospel that he proclaimed, so the Father continues to reveal to his successors, through the same Holy Spirit, the truth of Jesus Christ and his Gospel.

In this we, as Catholics, can rejoice and be glad. As the successor of St. Peter, Pope Benedict still proclaims and guards the Gospel of truth and so we are assured that we live the truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ through divine life of the Holy Spirit.

Father Thomas G. Weinandy, O.F.M., Cap.

Executive Director for the Secretariat for Doctrine

USCCB


URL: http://usccb.wordpress.com/2008/03/13/like-peter-benedict-is-today%e2%80%99s-rock/

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To Whom Do You Belong?

To Whom Do You Belong?
by Father Matthew Kaderabek, LC

Resolution: Today seek to do only what is pleasing to God, especially by practicing great charity in your relations with others.

March 11, 2008
Tuesday of the fifth week of Lent

John 8: 21-30
Jesus said to the Pharisees: "I am going away and you will look for me, but you will die in your sin. Where I am going you cannot come." So the Jews said, "He is not going to kill himself, is he, because he said, 'Where I am going you cannot come'?" He said to them, "You belong to what is below, I belong to what is above. You belong to this world, but I do not belong to this world. That is why I told you that you will die in your sins.
For if you do not believe that I AM, you will die in your sins." So they said to him, "Who are you?" Jesus said to them, "What I told you from the beginning. I have much to say about you in condemnation. But the one who sent me is true, and what I heard from him I tell the world." They did not realize that he was speaking to them of the Father. So Jesus said to them, "When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will realize that I AM, and that I do nothing on my own, but I say only what the Father taught me. The one who sent me is with me. He has not left me alone, because I always do what is pleasing to him." Because he spoke this way, many came to believe in him.

Introductory Prayer: Father, I want to belong only to you. May I never sell my heavenly birthright for the measly pleasures of this world below. I trust in you. Help my lack of trust.

Petition: Lord, that I might belong to you alone, and totally abandon myself to your holy will.

1. Belonging to God To whom do I belong? As baptized Christians we belong to God, as a son belongs to his father. The devil is a thief, and his chief delight is to steal God’s most precious possessions—his sons and daughters. He can't steal us by brute force, but must convince us to renounce our birthright willingly by committing sin. It would seem an impossible task to convince a prince to swap his palace for a pigsty, but the devil is up to the challenge. He is the father of lies, and we must not underestimate his power. He is an expert deceiver and knows just how to persuade us to exchange our priceless inheritance for a bowl of moldy lentils. This is sin, a gyp of colossal proportions. If only we saw this as clearly as Christ did, we would never sin again.

2. Belonging to This World It is only because he loves them dearly that Jesus is so upset by the Pharisees. He knows that they have received so much and been offered a high place in the kingdom, and yet they choose to reject that gift. He knows that their sin of self-righteous pride will only make them miserable in this world and the next. It is their misery that upsets him, not the misery that they cause him through their attacks. Do I also feel pity for the poor souls who are trapped in their own self-centeredness? Am I committed to bringing them to the light with patience and charity? Or do I merely condemn them because of the harm they do to me?

3. Pleasing God Jesus was able to say, “I always do what is pleasing to him.” These words ring in my heart. I too want to please God, but my desires are still so mixed. I need to be purified in the crucible of suffering, so that only the gold of my selfless desire to please God and help others remains. My selfish desire to please myself has got to go; it is like unwanted alloy, like dirt and rock that robs me of my dignity and beauty. Burn it up and purify me, Lord, so I can always please you and put the needs of others before my own, after the example of your Son.

Conversation with Christ: Jesus, teach me to see the world as you see it, with a great supernatural spirit, so that like you I will value the things above more than the things here below. The created things around me can never be my goal. They are but instruments to help me reach my eternal goal of heaven.

Resolution: Today I will seek to do only what is pleasing to God, especially by practicing great charity in my relations with others.


URL: http://www.catholic.net/spiritual_living/template_channel.phtml?channel_id=6

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Pro-life group launches Humanae Vitae Priests web site

Pro-life group launches Humanae Vitae Priests web site

Front Royal, Va, Mar 10, 2008 / 09:47 pm (CNA).- Human Life International has launched a web site to help priests, deacons and seminarians teach and evangelize using Pope Paul VI’s 1968 encyclical Humanae Vitae.

The site producers plan to supply offering reflections, commentaries, homily aids and solid practical resources for priests to preach about and defend Catholic teachings concerning marital love and contraception. The site is located at http://www.humanaevitaepriests.org/

According to John Mallon, director of HumanaeVitaePriests.org, the site will examine the “disastrous aspects of widespread contraception,” including its “medical, sociological, hormonal, psychological, cultural, pastoral, spiritual, even environmental aspects.” It will feature the commentary of special guest experts.

The site includes a special supplement from the magazine Inside the Vatican’s 1998 issue commemorating the 30th anniversary of the encyclical. The free supplement, titled “A Prophecy for Our Time,” includes interviews with Human Life International founder Father Paul Marx, Priests for Life president Father Frank Pavone, Dr. Janet Smith, and Dr. Alice von Hildebrand. It also contains a pastoral letter from Archbishop Charles Chaput and an article from then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger before his election to the papacy.

“Our prayer is that this project will be a positive effort to spread the light and truth of God’s plan for love, marriage and sexuality,” said Mallon.

URL: http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/new.php?n=12029

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Pope Benedict: resurrection of Lazarus reveals Christ’s power over life and death

Pope Benedict: resurrection of Lazarus reveals Christ’s power over life and death

Pope Benedict XVI

Vatican City, Mar 9, 2008 / 01:17 pm (CNA).- Pope Benedict XVI in his Angelus message said that the Gospel story of Lazarus shows Christ’s absolute power over life and death and reveals His nature as true man and true God.

The Holy Father also repeated his appeals for peace in the Holy Land and the release of a kidnapped Iraqi archbishop.

After returning from an apostolic visit at the San Lorenzo International Youth Center, where he celebrated Mass Sunday morning, Pope Benedict appeared in the window of his study to recite the midday Angelus with thousands of pilgrims in St. Peter's Square.

Before reciting the Angelus, the Holy Father offered a reflection on today's Gospel.
Recounting the story of Lazarus, Pope Benedict said this reading "shows Jesus as true man and true God."

Sleep, he said, is a metaphor for physical death. That is, the death of the body is a sleep from which God can awaken man at any time.

In raising Lazarus and in restoring life to the young son of the widow of Nain (cf. Lk 7:11-17) and the girl of twelve years (cf. Mk 5:35-43), Jesus shows an absolute power over physical death.

At the same time, the Holy Father said, Jesus' lordship over death does not prevent him from showing sincere compassion over the pain of this separation.

Seeing the tears of Martha and Mary and those who had come to console them, even Jesus was "deeply disturbed" and "wept" (John 11:33-35).

"The heart of Christ is divine and human," the Holy Father said. "In Christ, God and Man are perfectly one, without separation and without confusion. He is the image, in fact, the incarnation of God who is love, mercy, paternal and maternal tenderness; of God, who is Life."

The Holy Father added that just as Jesus asked Martha if she believes that he is the "resurrection and the life," Jesus addresses to each of us this same question that in fact exceeds our ability to understand.

Jesus asks us to trust him, as he has been entrusted to the Father. And, the Holy Father said, despite our doubts and our darkness, we are invited to follow Martha's example and say to Jesus, "We believe in you, because you have the words of eternal life. We believe in you, we hope in the gift of life after life, an authentic and full life in your kingdom of light and peace."

After reciting the Angelus, the Holy Father appealed for the second consecutive week for an end to violence in the Holy Land.

He said, "In recent days, violence has again bloodied the Holy Land, fuelling a spiral of destruction and death that seems to have no end. While I invite you to pray with insistence to the Lord Almighty for the gift of peace for the region, I wish to entrust to His mercy the many innocent victims and express solidarity with the families and the injured."

The Holy Father also urged the Israeli and Palestinian authorities to continue negotiations in order to build "a peaceful and just future for their peoples."

"In the name of God, he said, "leave the tortured path of hatred and revenge and pursue the responsible paths of dialogue and trust."

Pope Benedict also expressed his heartfelt concern for the fate of Chaldean Archbishop Paulos Rahho who was kidnapped last week in Iraq. The Pope also voiced his concern for the many Iraqis who continue to suffer violence, which the Holy Father called "absurd" and contrary to the will of God.

Finally, Pope Benedict invited young people from the diocese of Rome to St. Peter's Basilica next Thursday, when he will preside over a penance service in preparation for the upcoming twenty-third World Youth day in Sydney Australia.

He said, "Dear young people of Rome, I invite you all to this meeting with the Mercy of God! For priests and youth ministers, I urge you to encourage the participation of young people by incorporating the words of Paul: "We are ambassadors for Christ…. Let us be reconciled to God!" (2 Cor 5:20).

URL: http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/new.php?n=12017

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Pope tells youth that man is called to an immortality beyond the limits of medicine

Pope tells youth that man is called to an immortality beyond the limits of medicine

Vatican City, Mar 10, 2008 / 10:31 am (CNA).- The Holy Father told about 200 youth gathered for the 25th anniversary of the San Lorenzo Youth Centre on Sunday that while man always retains his dignity whether he is an embryo or in a coma, he is called beyond the limits of medicine to the immortality that only the infinite love of Christ can give.

Pope Benedict was at the center to help begin their 25th anniversary celebrations for the by celebrating Mass for nearly 200 young people who help run the center, which is near St. Peter’s Square.

The San Lorenzo International Youth Centre was inaugurated by John Paul II on March 13, 1983. During a Eucharistic celebration held that day, the then Pope expressed the hope that the center may become "a forge for the formation of authentic young Christians who are capable of bearing coherent witness to the Gospel in today's world."

The Pope began by reading his prepared homily before adding his improvised remarks on the meaning of life and death in light of the Sunday’s Gospel reading, the raising of Lazarus.

"Human beings, though part of this cosmos, transcend it", he said. "Of course man always remains man in all his dignity, even if in a coma or in the embryonic state, yet if he lives only biologically he does not realize and develop all the potential of his being. Man is called to open himself to new dimensions.”

The Pontiff went on to explain the two dimensions. The first is knowledge. In this context he noted how, unlike the animals, "man wishes to know everything, all of reality. ... He thirsts for knowledge of the infinite, he wishes to arrive at the font of life and to drink therefrom, to find life itself.”

This, he continued, leads to the second dimension of love: "Man is not just a being who knows, he also lives in relationships of friendship and of love. Beyond the dimension of knowledge of truth and of being, there also exists, inseparable from it, the dimension of relationships, of love. And it is here that man comes close to the source of life from which he wishes to drink in order to have life in abundance, to have life itself.”

Man also faces a great struggle for life, which is found in science – especially in medicine. However, even if medicine were to find "the prescription of immortality" it would still "be confined within this biosphere.”

"It is easy to imagine what would happen if man's biological life were endless, if he were immortal", the Holy Father added. "We would find ourselves in an aged world, a world full of old people, a world that would leave no space for the young, for the renewal of life. Thus we understand that this cannot be the kind of immortality to which we aspire. ... Drinking from the font of life is to enter into communion with this infinite love which is the source of life.”

The Pope pointed the youth to the teachings of the Fathers of the Church who called the Eucharist "medicine of immortality". In this Sacrament, “we enter into communion with the body [of Christ] which is animated by immortal life and thus we enter, now and always, into the space of life itself."

URL: http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/new.php?n=12020

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