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December 19, 2008 –  Friday in 3rd Week of Advent      DAILY LITURGICAL/THEME MEDITATION: "Many will rejoice at his birth" UNIVERSAL CHURCH/WORLD EVENT(S): Holy See on UN Declaration on Homosexuality SAINT OF THE DAY Blessed Pope Urban V  GENERAL MARIOLOGY The Predestination of the Virgin Mother and Her Immaculate Conception Total Consecration to and Triumph of the Immaculate Heart DIVINE MERCY On Saving Souls Let Your Mercy Rest Upon Sinners  TEACHING/TESTIMONY/CONVICTION: Charity and the Economic Crisis   Monthly Index

DAILY LITURGICAL MEDITATION

Friday (12/19): "Many will rejoice at his birth" Scripture: Luke 1:5-25 5 In the days of Herod, king of Judea, there was a priest named Zechari'ah, of the division of Abi'jah; and he had a wife of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. 6 And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless. 7 But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and both were advanced in years. 8 Now while he was serving as priest before God when his division was on duty, 9 according to the custom of the priesthood, it fell to him by lot to enter the temple of the Lord and burn incense. 10 And the whole multitude of the people were praying outside at the hour of incense. 11 And there appeared to him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense. 12 And Zechari'ah was troubled when he saw him, and fear fell upon him. 13 But the angel said to him, "Do not be afraid, Zechari'ah, for your prayer is heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John. 14 And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth; 15 for he will be great before the Lord, and he shall drink no wine nor strong drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother's womb. 16 And he will turn many of the sons of Israel to the Lord their God, 17 and he will go before him in the spirit and power of Eli'jah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready for the Lord a people prepared." 18 And Zechari'ah said to the angel, "How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is advanced in years." 19 And the angel answered him, "I am Gabriel, who stand in the presence of God; and I was sent to speak to you, and to bring you this good news. 20 And behold, you will be silent and unable to speak until the day that these things come to pass, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their time." 21 And the people were waiting for Zechari'ah, and they wondered at his delay in the temple. 22 And when he came out, he could not speak to them, and they perceived that he had seen a vision in the temple; and he made signs to them and remained dumb. 23 And when his time of service was ended, he went to his home. 24 After these days his wife Elizabeth conceived, and for five months she hid herself, saying, 25 "Thus the Lord has done to me in the days when he looked on me, to take away my reproach among men." Old Testament Reading: Judges 13:2-7,24-25 “For lo, you shall conceive and bear a son. No razor shall come upon his head, for the boy shall be a Nazirite to God from birth; and he shall begin to deliver Israel from the hand of the Philistines." And the woman bore a son, and called his name Samson; and the boy grew, and the LORD blessed him.  And the Spirit  of the LORD began to stir him” (Judges 13:5,24-25) Meditation: Do you believe that God will fulfill all his promises just as he said? Advent is a time to renew our hope and confidence in God’s faithfulness to the covenant he made with his people. In preparing the way for a Savior, we see the wondrous miracle of two barren couples who conceive and bear sons – Samson in the Old Testament (Judges 13) and John the Baptist in the New Testament (Luke 1:5ff) – who are called by God to bring hope and deliverance at a time of spiritual darkness and difficulty for the people of God.  Zechariah was a godly man who was tuned to God’s voice. He was born into a priestly family and it was his privilege to be chosen to enter the inner court of the temple to offer sacrifice to God.  Luke records that the people wondered at Zechariah’s delay and were amazed that he was speechless when he withdrew from the inner sanctuary. They rightly perceived that he had a special encounter with God. God’s angelic messenger greeted Zechariah with a blessing beyond his expectations.  “Your prayer is heard! You will have a son! And his mission will be great for all of Israel. ” Now that seemed like a lot for Zechariah to take in all at once. Could God really do a miracle for his barren wife, Elizabeth?  The angel somewhat wisely put Zechariah in his place before God’s mighty action.  He became speechless until the day the infant was dedicated to the Lord and given the name, John. When God draws us into his presence, he wants us to be still and quiet before him so we can listen to his voice as he speaks to our hearts and reveals his mind to us.  Do you listen attentively to the Lord and do you ponder his word in your heart with trust and confidence?  In the annunciation of the birth of John the Baptist, the angel explains to Zechariah the role his son is to play in preparing the way for the Messiah. John will be great in the sight of God. He will live as a Nazarite (see Numbers 6) – a person set apart for the Lord. He will be filled with the Holy Spirit even within his mother's womb. And he shall be sent to the people of God, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of fathers and children to God and one another, by turning the "disobedient to the wisdom of the just." The name John means "the Lord is gracious". When God acts to save us he graciously fills us with his Holy Spirit and makes our faith "alive" to his promises. Do you pray that "the hearts of parents and children may be turned to God and one another"? "Lord Jesus, you bring hope and restoration to your people. Restore and strengthen Christian family life today. Help me to love and serve my family. May your love rule in all my relationships and remove any barriers to peace and harmony." Psalm 71:3-6, 16-17 3 Be thou to me a rock of refuge, a strong fortress, to save me, for thou art my rock and my fortress. 4 Rescue me, O my God, from the hand of the wicked, from the grasp of the unjust and cruel man. 5 For thou, O Lord, art my hope, my trust, O LORD, from my youth. 6 Upon thee I have leaned from my birth; thou art he who took me from my mother's womb. My praise is continually of thee. 16 With the mighty deeds of the Lord GOD I will come, I will praise thy righteousness, thine alone. 17 O God, from my youth thou hast taught me, and I still proclaim thy wondrous deeds.   RETURN TO TOP

UNIVERSAL CHURCH/WORLD EVENTS

Holy See on UN Declaration on Homosexuality "Challenges Existing Human Rights Norms"   NEW YORK, DEC. 18, 2008 (Zenit.org).- Here is the statement the Holy See Mission to the United Nations delivered today before the 63rd session of the U.N. General Assembly on human rights questions, in particular on sexual orientation and gender identity. * * * The Holy See appreciates the attempts made in the Declaration on human rights, sexual orientation and gender identity --presented at the UN General Assembly on 18 December 2008 -- to condemn all forms of violence against homosexual persons as well as urge States to take necessary measures to put an end to all criminal penalties against them. At the same time, the Holy See notes that the wording of this Declaration goes well beyond the abovementioned and shared intent. In particular, the categories "sexual orientation" and "gender identity", used in the text, find no recognition or clear and agreed definition in international law. If they had to be taken into consideration in the proclaiming and implementing of fundamental rights, these would create serious uncertainty in the law as well as undermine the ability of States to enter into and enforce new and existing human rights conventions and standards. Despite the Declaration's rightful condemnation of and protection from all forms of violence against homosexual persons, the document, when considered in its entirety, goes beyond this goal and instead gives rise to uncertainty in the law and challenges existing human rights norms. The Holy See continues to advocate that every sign of unjust discrimination towards homosexual persons should be avoided and urges States to do away with criminal penalties against them. 18 December 2008 RETURN TO TOP

DAILY LITURGICAL SAINT

December 19, 2008 Blessed Pope Urban V (1310-1370)   In 1362, the man elected pope declined the office. When the cardinals could not find another person among them for that important office, they turned to a relative stranger: the holy person we honor today. The new Pope Urban V proved a wise choice. A Benedictine monk and canon lawyer, he was deeply spiritual and brilliant. He lived simply and modestly, which did not always earn him friends among clergymen who had become used to comfort and privilege. Still, he pressed for reform and saw to the restoration of churches and monasteries. Except for a brief period he spent most of his eight years as pope living away from Rome at Avignon, seat of the papacy from 1309 until shortly after his death. He came close but was not able to achieve one of his biggest goals—reuniting the Eastern and Western churches. As pope, Urban continued to follow the Benedictine Rule. Shortly before his death in 1370 he asked to be moved from the papal palace to the nearby home of his brother so he could say goodbye to the ordinary people he had so often helped. RETURN TO TOP

GENERAL MARIOLOGY

The Predestination of the Virgin Mother and Her Immaculate Conception  By Fr. Peter Damian Fehlner, F.I.  Total Consecration to and Triumph of the Immaculate Heart What we perceive in this summary of Catholic Tradition and belief concerning the Immaculate Conception is an explanation of the scriptural roots of this mystery, a mystery which pervades every page of Scripture and every aspect of the mystery of Christ and of the Church. The mystery of Mary Immaculate is the key to the central mystery of Revelation, viz., that of the incarnate Savior and our incorporation into his Mystical Body, a salvation which, according to St. Anselm, St. Thomas and Bl. John Duns Scotus, could not be more perfect in any possible world (81). In his Conferences on the Hexaemeron, in treating of the illumination of the mind through the Scriptures, St. Bonaventure has an inspired perception of this key when he tells us that Mary is the second of the four fundamental mysteries of faith illustrated by the Bible. Wonderful things are told of Mary in every passage of Scripture, because in every passage she is included in relation to her Son. And what some claim in asking (as much today as in the Middle Ages): "why is so little said of Mary in the Bible?" is of no import, for the simple reason that everywhere in Scripture Mary is spoken of. For to speak everywhere of Mary far transcends even the most detailed treatise on her, whether biblical or doctrinal (82). Guided by a study of the living Tradition of the Church we are able to grasp the passages of Scripture dealing with the Immaculate Conception in the literal sense as keys to the whole of theology. With this we may ponder the suggestion of some contemporary scholars (83) that the position of the ancient Scotistic school on the content of the Protoevangelium be reconsidered, viz., that it not be restricted to Genesis 3:15. Instead, the promise of the Redeemer after the fall should be included within the framework of the absolute primacy of Christ and Mary as set forth in Genesis, chapters one and two, where this is given as the reason for the original creation culminating in the formation of Adam and Eve as male and female. Such an approach is not merely the one of Scotus; it is also affirmed both by St. Bonaventure and St. Thomas as the common view of Tradition, even if these two Doctors try to explain why the absolute primacy cannot be demonstrated thereby as fact (84). Here a point underscored by St. Maximilian M. Kolbe (85) may be fruitfully pondered. The Immaculate Conception may not be divorced from considerations reflecting the reality of sin, in particular original sin and the involvement of the Devil in this, and the need of redemption in order to attain salvation. But even if Adam had not sinned, the mystery of the Immaculate Conception, like that of the Incarnation, would have involved considerations of this kind, viz., in relation to the nature of the trial, or proving, both of the angels and of mankind in the persons of our first parents. A great many doctors and theologians of the past, indeed the letter to the Hebrews and the book of Revelation (86), appear to suggest strongly that at the heart of those trials was a willingness to accept and revere the incarnate Son and the Immaculate Mother, to prefer the fruit of the tree of life to that of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Preservative redemption, as distinct from liberative, can only be grasped when we see how the Immaculate Conception is the key, not only to our de facto liberation from sin, but also 1) to the trial by which we were to merit heaven even before any consideration of redemption, and 2) after original sin to our good fortune (unlike the fallen angels) (87) to have a Savior-Redeemer, because the Son of God still wanted our Mother as his Mother, notwithstanding our infidelity. Clearly, the Immaculate Conception is not a privilege, as some claim, which isolates the Mother of God from us. Quite the contrary, being the singular grace whereby one of our family can be the Mother of God, the associate of the Redeemer in crushing the head of our accuser and enemy (cf. Gen 3:15; Rev 12:10), we too can come to participate via our liberation from sin what she lives by her preservation from original sin. Here is the ultimate implication of that first promise-prophecy (Gen 3:15) of a Redeemer whose Immaculate Mother would crush the head of the serpent. Its fulfillment is sketched synthetically in the grand vision of the Ark of the Covenant in heaven, who is the woman clothed with the sun (88). May we give more concrete, practical formulation to the significance of lived faith in the Immaculate Conception, or devotion to the Immaculate Heart based on total consecration and wholehearted support for the triumph of that Heart, as requested by Jesus himself? Indeed, this may be done on two scores. The first concerns the relation between the Immaculate Conception and the divine maternity, more exactly divine because virginal. Why a virginal maternity might be possible, and if activated should entail a virginal conception and virginal birth of a divine person—or in reverse, how a divine person might be born of a woman and so identified as divine—becomes clear in pondering the mystery of the Immaculate Conception, created and uncreated. The mystery of the uncreated Immaculate Conception is the mystery of the spousal love of the Holy Spirit: all the love of the Father and Son. The mystery of the created Immaculate Conception is that of the spousal love of the Father and incarnate Son in Mary. That mystery is her unique union with the Holy Spirit and how it shaped both her body and soul to be the prime worthy dwelling place of the incarnate Word (cf. Collect of the Mass of the Immaculate Conception). Nothing could underscore so well the value of perfect virginity and every other form of chastity subordinate to it. It is the key to God being with us, as the angel so concisely explained to Mary at the Annunciation. It is the key to the divinization of man. The high point of such divinization in this time of pilgrimage is the celebration of the Eucharist. We can only enjoy fully the fruits of that mystery as sacrifice and sacrament if our own hearts are one with the Immaculate Heart. For Mary made the Eucharist possible, because she first brought the Word into our world and into our lives. To deny this or minimize this is ultimately to preclude sharing in these stupendous blessings. The second concerns the reality of the Church here and now as one and holy. It is the Immaculate Mother’s dynamic presence at the center of the Church. This explains why the Church is one and holy here and now, despite so many sinners or half-saints and so much quarreling and division among her members. As the Immaculate Conception, Mary is the Church, personally rather than collectively. And to the degree the mystery of the Immaculate Conception is incorporated into the Church collectively and into each of her members singly, the Church will more and more be without spot and without wrinkle (cf. Eph 5:27). This is the praise of the glory of his grace (cf. Eph 1:6) which the Father desires. Much has been said since the Council on the need to relate Mary more to the Church, but often those saying this have tended to minimize the crucial importance of the Immaculate Conception, viz., that genuine ecclesio-typology can only rest on the mystery of the Immaculate Conception, and the only effective ecumenism will be that rooted in and ending with the praise of all the baptized for "our fallen nature’s solitary boast" (89). The doctrine of the Immaculate Conception is, then, simply the most radical, personal and social specification of what it means to address Mary as the Panhaghia, the all-holy, all-blessed among women (cf. Lk 1:28. 42), the reason why he who is the Holy One of God, the Son of God (cf. Lk 1:35; Jn 6:70), like us in all things but sin (Jn 8:44, 46; 14:30; 1 Jn 1:5; 1 Pet 2:22; 2 Cor 5:21; Heb 4:15), will make us who are like him in all things but holiness, like him even in that, and so make us sharers in the divine nature (cf. 2 Pet 1:4). Put practically, this mystery translates as Mediatrix of all grace, clearly depicted without the name in the account of the Presentation of Jesus in the Temple by his most pure Mother, thereby making possible and effecting the encounter of the Church, in the persons of Simeon and Anna, with the Savior and salvation, the light illumining the darkness of sin (cf. Lk 2:22-40). What Christ asks of us, the whole Church and each member, actual and potential, is to "take her into our homes," viz., into our hearts (cf. Jn 19:25-27). In biblical terminology this is what St. Maximilian M. Kolbe means by "incorporation of the Immaculate Conception into the Church and into the lives of men," at once the basis and the goal of all missionary activity. (to be continued)  RETURN TO TOP

DIVINE MERCY

Dairy from St. Faustina On Saving Souls Let Your Mercy Rest Upon Sinners Taking advantage of the intimacy to which the Lord was admitting me, I interceded before Him for the whole world. At such moments I have the feeling that the whole world is depending on me (Diary, 870). Jesus, give me the souls of sinners; let Your mercy rest upon them. Take everything away from me, but give me souls. I want to become a sacrificial host for sinners (Diary, 908).   RETURN TO TOP

CATHOLIC  TEACHING/CONVICTION/TESTIMONY

Charity and the Economic Crisis Interview With the Secretary-General of Aid to the Church in Need   ROME, DEC. 17, 2008 (Zenit.org).- Thanks to its 700,000 benefactors around the world, the international Catholic organization Aid to the Church in Need helps one out of every six seminarians in their studies for the priesthood, but the charity has been hard-hit by the current economic crisis. Nonetheless, Secretary-General Pierre-Marie Morel remains hopeful. In this interview with ZENIT, Morel talks about his first year leading Germany-based aid organization and his response to the current economic turmoil. Q: Last January you gave up your post as vice president of the European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company in order to take over as secretary-general of Aid to the Church in Need. What were the broad lines of your work during the past year? Morel: For the past year I have set myself to understand the issues involved. I began by listening, by systematically interviewing everyone who works for Aid to the Church in Need, not only in the central headquarters in Germany but also in our 17 national offices. This time that I spent with each individual has enabled me to form a preliminary idea of the priorities. With its 300 full-time staff, assisted by numerous volunteers, both clerical and lay, our co-workers are one of the great strengths of this organization, with their commitment, their faith and their professionalism. This workforce is a treasure that we need to take good care of. That is why most of the actions we have taken relate to the staff and the means that are placed at their disposal. Another of the major areas of our work during 2008 and one that should be completed in 2009 has been the establishment of a common IT system for our national offices. This is so that we can better understand our benefactors and better respond to our needs. Our benefactors are extraordinary. They are loyal and generous, for they know what is at stake and know the needs of the Catholic Church around the world. Today there are some 700,000 of them, and they support the pastoral mission of the Church through their faithful prayers. Every 27 seconds the Mass is celebrated somewhere in the world for their particular intentions, and in this way they support the great prayer of the Church, united with the Church in Heaven, in her prayer of supplication to make known the Good News of the Gospel, to bring peace and unity to the world and the relief of suffering. Thanks to them, one seminarian in six around the world is able to train for the priesthood, the ordinary faithful can pray in chapels, and priests and religious can assume their pastoral mission. Thanks to them, we are able to respond positively to over 5,000 requests for help each year. I thank God for their loyal support. Q: As secretary-general you are in a privileged position to witness the sufferings of the Church around the world, are you not? Is that not discouraging? Morel: As we know, Christ gave his life for each one of us. The victory has already been proclaimed and it lies at the end of our journey. All the sufferings that we witness at first hand are the very soil and the seed of the Church. We are called upon to pray and adore in the name of and on behalf of those who cannot do so. We are at the heart of the mystery of the communion of the saints, and this is a powerful weapon against despair. At the social level, daily Mass and adoration recall us personally to this responsibility. In hope we were saved, as St. Paul says to the Romans. It's worth reading the encyclical "Spe Salvi" of our Benedict XVI. In Chapter 3, writing about Josephine Bakhita, he says: "The example of a saint of our time can to some degree help us understand what it means to have a real encounter with this God for the first time." Josephine was born in Darfur, Sudan. Kidnapped by slave traders, beaten till she bled, sold several times, she finally came to know a totally different Master and so was able to encounter God. "Now she had 'hope.'" the Holy Father tells us -- "no longer simply the modest hope of finding masters who would be less cruel, but the great hope: 'I am definitively loved and whatever happens to me -- I am awaited by this Love. And so my life is good.' Through the knowledge of this hope she was 'redeemed,' no longer a slave, but a free child of God." And so, discouraging? No! In hope! We are nurtured by the witness of St. Josephine Bakhita, and also of all the saints of today who are giving their lives for Christ, as we can bear witness at first hand. Two weeks ago we were in Nairobi with my wife, Anne, for the congress of the African Family Life Federation led by its president, Danièle Sauvage. We were deeply impressed by the strength and the depth of the witness given by the representatives from the 17 countries involved, who were willing to work together to safeguard family values in line with the teaching of the Church. So there is hope for life. In Palestine we met with Christians who command our admiration by asking nothing more than to be allowed to remain and pray on their own soil and thus to stay on as a sign of peace between all the communities. This is hope for peace. In October I was in Lisieux with Anne for the beatification of Louis and Zelie Martin, the parents of Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus. What an example they are for all parents in the world who choose life and who embrace the Lord's will in their day-to-day lives! Here is hope for the family. In London's Westminster Cathedral I met with Archbishop Jean Benjamin Sleiman of Bagdad and drew great hope from him, despite the precarious situation of Christians in Iraq. This is hope against all hope. What great riches there were likewise in our meeting with the episcopal conference and the apostolic nuncio in Russia, who need our aid so that they can continue to advance their pastoral programs. This is the hope of those who trust. After Gethsemane, after Good Friday, there is the resurrection! Q: For some months now a grave economic and financial crisis has befallen the world. What consequences do you envisage for Aid to the Church in Need? Morel: Faced with such events, we have two options. Either pessimism, turning in on ourselves and giving up; or else the response of those who know that from every evil God can draw good. This is my response. Last month I launched the program Cape 2012, in order to mobilize all our forces within Aid to the Church in Need to confront this crisis. This program was put to the directors' committee and to the General Council of Aid to the Church in Need which met in Rome last week. For if the economic crisis is affecting the major industrialized nations, then we know well that it is the poorer countries who are the first victims of it. We estimate that by 2012 we are going to need €100 million ($144.12 million) in order to meet all the needs. We have a shortfall of €20 million ($28.82 million) per year. The growth in donations will come from our existing national offices, but also from new offices wherever Christians are able to take part in this extraordinary movement of solidarity. Faced with this urgent need, I call on all our benefactors to pray. And I ask them, from 2009 onwards, to give €1 ($1.44) per month extra and each of them to find one new benefactor and explain to this person just why there is this great need. In parallel with this, we are instituting a program for cutting our expenses, so that we can devote the maximum possible amount of funds to the projects. In this way, by the grace of God who has never abandoned us, we are facing the future with confidence, and with this unprecedented mobilization of forces we have high hopes of meeting the demand. Q: You spoke of new offices. What particular countries are you thinking about? Morel: There are numerous and complex factors to be taken into account in regard to establishing new offices. First of all the existing national offices have plans to develop. After that, new countries could become donor countries in the coming years. We are currently studying a number of potential countries. Q: It is said that after the death of their founder, organizations always go through a difficult period. How has it been with Aid to the Church in Need since the death of Father Werenfried? Morel: That is true. As with every organization in the world, the loss of its founder is a painful period and overcoming it involves humility, commitment and prayer. Aid to the Church in Need has had the good fortune to have been raised by Pope John Paul II to the status of a public association of the faithful, attached to the Congregation for Clergy. Under the guidance of our new president, Father Joaquin Alliende Luco, this close bond with the Church has been and remains a determining factor in the fidelity of Aid to the Church in Need to the original charism of its founder and the unity of its members within the bosom of the Catholic Church. Finally, its financial independence makes Aid to the Church in Need an organization that is totally free in the service of the universal Church. Q: We are now coming to the end of this interview. Is there anything you would like to say to us for this New Year? Morel: This is the year of St. Paul. For Aid to the Church in Need it is interesting to note that the community to which Paul remained the most attached was that of the Philippians. Although imprisoned there, and then released, St Paul retained numerous contacts with those who had organized financial support to help him in his work of evangelization. Our benefactors are the Philippians of today! Let us hear again the words of St. Paul to the Philippians in Chapter 4: "Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. Let all men know your forbearance. The Lord is at hand. Have no anxiety about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, will keep your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." May these words of St. Paul to the Philippians be the program for us all in 2009 so that we can remain the messengers of hope that the world needs. A happy Christmas feast and a good and holy New Year 2009 !   RETURN TO TOP

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