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November 22, 2008 –  Saturday of 33rd Week in Ordinary Time       DAILY LITURGICAL/THEME MEDITATION: "He is not God of the dead, but of the living; for all live to him" UNIVERSAL CHURCH/WORLD EVENT(S): Sant'Egidio Praises UN Death Penalty Vote SAINT OF THE DAY Feast of the Presentation of Mary  GENERAL MARIOLOGY The Virgin Mary in the New Testament, Part I: Meeting with Elizabeth: Visitation and Magnificat DIVINE MERCY On The Present Moment From One Hour To The Next  TEACHING/TESTIMONY/CONVICTION: Cyprus Meeting Appeal for Peace   Monthly Index

DAILY LITURGICAL MEDITATION

"He is not God of the dead, but of the living; for all live to him" Scripture:  Luke 20:27-40 27 There came to him some Sadducees, those who say that there is no resurrection, 28 and they asked him a question, saying, "Teacher, Moses wrote for us that if a man's brother dies, having a wife but no children, the man must take the wife and raise up children for his brother. 29 Now there were seven brothers; the first took a wife, and died without children; 30 and the second 31 and the third took her, and likewise all seven left no children and died.  32 Afterward the woman also died. 33 In the resurrection, therefore, whose wife will the woman be? For the seven had her as wife." 34 And Jesus said to them, "The sons of this age marry and are given in marriage; 35 but those who are accounted worthy to attain to that age and to the resurrection from the dead neither marry nor are given in marriage, 36 for they cannot die any more, because they are equal to angels and are sons of God, being sons of the resurrection. 37 But that the dead are raised, even Moses showed, in the passage about the bush, where he calls the Lord the God of Abraham and the God of  Isaac and the God of Jacob. 38 Now he is not God of the dead, but of the living; for all live to him." 39 And some of the scribes answered, "Teacher, you have spoken well." 40 For they no longer dared to ask him any question. Meditation: Is your life earthbound or heavenbound? The Sadducees had one big problem – they could not conceive of heaven beyond what they could see with their naked eyes! Aren't we often like them? We don't recognize spiritual realities because we try to make heaven into an earthly image. The Sadducees came to Jesus with a test question to make the resurrection look ridiculous. The Sadducees, unlike the Pharisees, did not believe in immortality, nor in angels or evil spirits. Their religion was literally grounded in an earthly image of heaven. Jesus retorts by dealing with the fact of the resurrection. The scriptures give proof of it. In Exodus 3:6, when God manifests his presence to Moses in the burning bush, the Lord tells him that he is the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. He shows that the patriarchs who died hundreds of years previously were still alive in God. Jesus defeats their arguments by showing that God is a living God of a living people. God was the friend of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob when they lived. That friendship could not cease with death. As Psalm 73:23-24 states: "I am continually with you; you hold my right hand. You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will receive me to glory."  The ultimate proof of the resurrection is the Lord Jesus and his victory over death when he rose from the tomb. Before Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, he exclaimed:  "I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and whoever lives and believes in me shall never die.  Do you believe this?" (John 11:25). Jesus asks us the same question. Do you believe in the resurrection and in the promise of eternal life with God? The Holy Spirit reveals to us the eternal truths of God's unending love and the life he desires to share with us for all eternity. Paul the Apostle, quoting from the prophet Isaiah (Isaiah 64:4; 65:17) states: "What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man conceived, what God has prepared for those who love him," God has revealed to us through the Spirit (1 Corinthians 2:9-10). The promise of paradise – heavenly bliss and unending life with an all-loving God – is beyond human reckoning. We have only begun to taste the first-fruits! Do you live now in the joy and hope of the life of the age to come? "May the Lord Jesus put his hands on our eyes also, for then we too shall begin to look not at what is seen but at what is not seen. May he open the eyes that are concerned not with the present but with what is yet to come, may he unseal the heart's vision, that we may gaze on God in the Spirit, through the same Lord, Jesus Christ, whose glory and power will endure throughout the unending succession of ages." (Prayer of Origen, c. 185-254) Psalm 144:1-10 1 Blessed be the LORD, my rock, who trains my hands for war, and my fingers for battle; 2 my rock and my fortress, my stronghold and my deliverer, my shield and he in whom I take refuge, who subdues the peoples under him. 3 O LORD, what is man that you regard him, or the son of man that you think of him? 4 Man is like a breath, his days are like a passing shadow. 5 Bow your heavens, O LORD, and come down! Touch the mountains that they smoke! 6 Flash forth the lightning and scatter them, send out your arrows and rout them! 7 Stretch forth your hand from on high, rescue me and deliver me from the many waters, from the hand of aliens, 8 whose mouths speak lies, and whose right hand is a right hand of falsehood. 9 I will sing a new song to you, O God; upon a ten-stringed harp I will play to you, 10 who gives victory to kings, who rescues David your servant.   RETURN TO TOP

UNIVERSAL CHURCH/WORLD EVENTS

Sant'Egidio Praises UN Death Penalty Vote Community Favors Universal Moratorium   ROME, NOV. 21, 2008 (Zenit.org).- The Community of Sant'Egidio praised a U.N. committee's call for a global moratorium on the death penalty as a "change of sensitivity" in the international community. On Thursday, the U.N. Human Rights Committee adopted for the second year in a row a global moratorium on executions. The measure is expected to pass a vote in the organization's plenary assembly next month. Sant'Egidio praised the move today, and affirmed that it will continue its efforts so that the moratorium is definitively approved by the plenary assembly. The Catholic lay community also noted that more countries are welcoming the moratorium: "Over the past two years, many African and Central Asian countries have played a part in this battle for a more human justice." It cited among them "many that have suffered the terrible experience of genocide and apartheid, and have given up the death penalty as an instrument of justice," as is the case of Cambodia, Rwanda, Burundi and South Africa. It is necessary to continue working to "spread this culture of life that de-legitimizes the death penalty and encourages a reduction of violence and the undertaking of paths of reconciliation and peaceful coexistence," the community stated. Sant'Egidio said the death penalty "is not only an internal question in each country, but today is officially a question that has to do with the international community." The community will sponsor, along with the World Coalition Against the Death Penalty, the event "Cities for Life -- Cities Against the Death Penalty," which will be observed Nov. 30.   © Innovative Media, Inc. Reprinting ZENIT's articles requires written permission from the editor.   RETURN TO TOP

DAILY LITURGICAL SAINT

November 22, 2008 St. Cecilia (3rd century)   Although Cecilia is one of the most famous of the Roman martyrs, the familiar stories about her are apparently not founded on authentic material. There is no trace of honor being paid her in early times. A fragmentary inscription of the late fourth century refers to a church named after her, and her feast was celebrated at least in 545. According to legend, Cecilia was a young Christian of high rank betrothed to a Roman named Valerian. Through her influence Valerian was converted, and was martyred along with his brother. The legend about Cecilia’s death says that after being struck three times on the neck with a sword, she lived for three days, and asked the pope to convert her home into a church. Since the time of the Renaissance she has usually been portrayed with a viola or a small organ. Comment: Like any good Christian, Cecilia sang in her heart, and sometimes with her voice. She has become a symbol of the Church's conviction that good music is an integral part of the liturgy, of greater value to the Church than any other art. In the present confused state of Church music, it may be useful to recall some words of Vatican II (see below). Quote: “Liturgical action is given a more noble form when sacred rites are solemnized in song, with the assistance of sacred ministers and the active participation of the people.... Choirs must be diligently promoted, but bishops and other pastors must ensure that, whenever the sacred action is to be celebrated with song, the whole body of the faithful may be able to contribute that active participation which is rightfully theirs.... Gregorian chant, other things being equal, should be given pride of place in liturgical services. But other kinds of sacred music, especially polyphony, are by no means excluded.... Religious singing by the people is to be skillfully fostered, so that in devotions and sacred exercises, as also during liturgical services, the voices of the faithful may ring out” (Constitution on the Liturgy, 112-118). RETURN TO TOP

GENERAL MARIOLOGY

The Virgin Mary in the New Testament, Part I By Fr. Settimio M. Manelli, F.I.   Meeting with Elizabeth: Visitation and Magnificat St. Luke relates how after the Annunciation "Mary arose and went with haste into the hill country, to a town of Judah. And she entered the house of Zechariah and saluted Elizabeth" (Lk 1:39-40). The Angel Gabriel had informed her of the miraculous pregnancy of her cousin. Mary entered her house, where "we find her engaged in a service of charity to her cousin Elizabeth, with whom she remained ‘about three months’ (1:56) to assist her during the terminal phase of her pregnancy" (107). The arrival and the presence of Mary in the house of Zechariah, in addition to the precious physical and moral support of her cousin Elizabeth, also brought singular gifts of grace. Mary, in fact, gave to her cousin and to her son the presence of the Messiah, for centuries awaited. To this was linked the outpouring of the Holy Spirit and the gift of messianic joy. It is evident that St. Luke considered the recording in his gospel of this episode known as the "Visitation" very important, because this is a significant moment in the history of salvation, and crucial to knowing and understanding the divine project of salvation. First, with many exegetes, we note how we are face to face with a "protopentecost" (108), now investing Elizabeth and the child in her womb, and a little later Zechariah as well (1:67), still later Simeon (2:26ff.) and Anna (cf. 2:38). The Holy Spirit gives himself and acts on a sweeping scale. This detail is particularly relevant, because it shows, above all to Hebrews, that the time of the Messiah has arrived. The prophets had foretold in fact, that the days of the Messiah would see an abundant outpouring of the Spirit of God. Throughout the "account of the hidden life" by Luke we find various references to the Holy Spirit (cf. Lk 1:15, 35, 41, 67; 2:26, 27), who with the arrival of the messianic era acts above all in arousing the spirit of prophecy (109). It is thanks to the presence of Mary who is carrying Jesus that the Holy Spirit comes to be poured out in abundance. This is not by chance. Rather it is part of a divine design to employ a woman as Mediatrix of the gifts of grace promised from ancient times. As Eve, by way of the forbidden fruit, procured the spiritual death of Adam and of his descendents, so God desired to re-establish supernatural life to mankind through "the blessed fruit" of the womb of Mary. In effect, Elizabeth in a loud voice blessed and proclaimed Mary and the fruit of her womb blessed, the fruit who is the Savior Lord, Jesus, meaning "God is salvation." "And it came to pass, when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, that the babe in her womb leapt. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit, and cried out with a loud voice saying: ‘Blessed are you among women and blessed is the fruit of your womb!’" (Lk 1:41-42) (110). In their reflection on Mary’s journey to Ain Karem (a village not far from Jerusalem where Elizabeth resided) a number of exegetes discern a strict parallel with the Old Testament episode involving the transport of the Ark of the Covenant from Gabaa to Jerusalem (2 Sam 6:2-16). The comparison permits the establishment of a strict analogy between Mary and the sacred Ark. The Ark was the visible sign of the invisible, but certain, presence of God in the midst of his people, a presence assuring Israel of divine protection and blessing. Mary is the new sacred Ark, because she carries in herself the sensible, corporal presence of the invisible God, whose birth will bring definitive salvation and redemption not only to Israel, but to all mankind (111). Mary is the Ark of the new and eternal Covenant, established by God with man in the blood of his Son. In this parallelism with 2 Samuel, however, a fundamental difference must be remarked. The ancient Ark, in fact, was a simple object, hence absolutely extraneous to the divine presence, of which it was the symbol, and to its distinctive role of blessing for the people of Israel. Mary, instead, is a living person who carries in herself the living God. She collaborates with her whole self, soul and body, in the realization of the divine design of salvation: will, intelligence, sentiments, thoughts, words, actions, all is accomplished in perfect union with the divine will: Another luminous lesson of the "Visitation" narrative is the truth about the salvific-missionary aspect of Mary’s journey, above all in the person of Mary associated with her Son, entirely one with him in the work of redemption. Elizabeth and John, receiving Mary into their house, receive the Messiah Savior, who fills them with joy and the Holy Spirit. Mary thus becomes the first "evangelatrix" of the Kingdom of God in the heart of man. … The mystery of the Incarnation had just been accomplished in her. Mother and Son are totally one. But why was the Word made flesh? To work the redemption of mankind, bringing the Kingdom of God into the heart of every man. The Redeemer wishes to commence the work at once, by bringing his Kingdom into the heart of his precursor. Mary cooperates, always united and active. She moves; indeed "she hastens." She is the bearer of the Messiah Savior. She has within her the fountain of grace. She is already the "dispensatrix" of grace (112). Elizabeth, as soon as she heard the greeting of Mary, was filled with the Holy Spirit and by his light recognized Mary as Mother of her Lord, declaring herself unworthy to receive her into her house: kai póthen moi touto hina élthe he méter tou kuríou mou pròs emé, "And why is this granted me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?" (Lk 1:43). Elizabeth, writes C. Ghidelli, "considered the effects this visit had on her: she felt herself object of a signal favor on the part of God; indeed she professed herself unworthy of such a visit (cf. 2 Sam 6:9; 24:21)" (113). To grasp the sense of the expression "Mother of the Lord," it is necessary to examine the meaning of the word kúrios (Lord) in reference to Christ. Here it is enough to note that this is a title in the Septuagint that referred to God himself, and is employed to translate the sacred tetragram JHWH. Now, in the first chapter of St. Luke’s gospel the term "Lord" appears 17 times, always in reference to God. Its meaning on the lips of Elizabeth can only be this. G. Roschini has already noted quite precisely how in St. Luke "the expression ‘Mother of my Lord’ is perfectly synonymous with the expression ‘Mother of God;’" in fact, "if the ‘Lord’ about whom Mary (echoed by Elizabeth) speaks is ‘God,’ it follows that ‘God’ is the ‘Lord’ about whom Elizabeth herself had spoken" (114). Further in confirmation of this argument in 2 Sam 6:9 the term Lord is certainly in reference to God. Elizabeth, then, enlightened by the Holy Spirit, is the first to recognize the divinity of the Son of Mary and to proclaim Mary’s divine maternity (115). The gospel text states that Elizabeth, before speaking these words, which are a profession of faith, "was filled by the Holy Spirit:" eplésthe pneúatos hagíou (1:41). Hence, it is the Holy Spirit who aroused in Elizabeth a prophetic spirit permitting her to recognize and exalt the Mother of her Lord. And it is always in virtue of the Holy Spirit that Elizabeth blesses Mary and Jesus enclosed in her womb: "Blessed are you among women and blessed is the fruit of your womb" (1:42). Just as the old Simeon who on having received Jesus in his arms exploded in a canticle of praise to God, so, too, Elizabeth experienced joy via the child within her, when Mary arrived with Jesus. "Mary’s greeting released the joy of the days of salvation; the long-awaited Messiah had arrived" (116). Elizabeth concluded her canticle with a blessing addressed to Mary: "And blessed is she who has believed, because the things promised her by the Lord shall be accomplished" (1:45). This blessing will later be addressed by Jesus himself to all who believe. For them, Mary now becomes the perfect exemplar: "My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and act upon it" (Lk 8:21) (117). What was the content of Mary’s faith at the Annunciation? Fr. Stefano Manelli replies in this way: The mystery of the Most Holy Trinity: the angel "sent by God" (the Father) speaks to her of the Son of God and of the Holy Spirit; The mystery of the Incarnation: the angel proposes to her the conception and birth of the Son of God, by the work of the Holy Spirit; The mystery of the redemption: the angel informs her that the son will be called "Jesus," which means "God saves," because he will be the Savior; The mystery of the divine maternity: the angel tells her that the son to be conceived and born is the Son of God; and The mystery of the virginal maternity: the angel explains to her that she shall conceive virginally, "overshadowed," rendered fruitful by the Holy Spirit (118). The same author notes further that even if the faith of Mary was "most sublime and profound," Nonetheless, this affirmation of the fundamental content of the faith of Mary is not a reason for denying that she continued to grow in faith through each of the events in the life and mission of her Son. … If Mary knew the redemptive plan of God over all, she did not, however, know all the "steps" and "details" of the plan, on which precisely … she continued to "meditate in her heart" via what transpired (Lk 2:19, 51) (119). (to be continued)  RETURN TO TOP

DIVINE MERCY

Dairy from St. Faustina On The Present Moment From One Hour To The Next † I live from one hour to the next and am not able to get along in any other way. I want to make the best possible use of the present moment, faithfully accomplishing everything that it gives me. In all things, I depend on God with unwavering trust (Diary, 1400). There are no indifferent moments in my life, since every moment of my life is filled with prayer, suffering, and work. If not in one way, then in another, I glorify God; and if God were to give me a second life, I do not know whether I would make better use of it ... (Diary, 1545). RETURN TO TOP

CATHOLIC  TEACHING/CONVICTION/TESTIMONY

Cyprus Meeting Appeal for Peace   "Too Many People Suffer in This World of Ours"   NICOSIA, Cyprus, NOV. 18, 2008 (Zenit.org).- Here is the appeal for peace issued at the end of the International Meeting of Prayer for Peace, sponsored by the Catholic lay Sant'Egidio Community and the Orthodox Church of Cyprus. This 22nd annual meeting was on "The Civilization of Peace: Faiths and Cultures in Dialogue." * * * Men and women of different religions and cultures, we gathered in Cyprus, this beautiful and wounded island, to pray, to dialogue, to foster the growth of a civilization of peace, which the world needs to avoid becoming inhuman. We experienced days of peace, confident that peace is possible. We are at a difficult point in history. Many certainties are shaken by the economic crisis that has seized our world. Many people are pessimistic about the future. Richer countries focus on protecting their own citizens. A very high price of the crisis will be paid for by the poorest of the world. We are deeply concerned about the millions of old and new poor people, victims of a market thought of as almighty. Too many people suffer in this world of ours, from war, poverty and violence. No one should be happy in a world full of suffering. No one should close his heart to compassion. We share the sorrow of peoples which are held hostages by war, of those who were forced to flee from their homes by ethnic hatred or nationalism, of those who were kidnapped or are missing. Many people, too many, are suffering. This is not the time to surrender to pessimism, it is time to heed the sorrow of people, and to work for the foundation of a new world order of peace. The quest for justice, the use of dialogue, and respect for the weak are the tools we need to build this new world order. We need a surplus of spirit and a greater sense of humanity! A world without a soul will soon become inhuman. Regardless of their differences, our religious traditions strongly testify that a world with no spirit will never be human: they cry out that spirit and humanity should never be trampled on by war; they beg for peace. They want peace, they beg for it, they implore peace from God through prayer. Religions are aware that talking of war in God’s name is meaningless and blasphemous. They are convinced a better humanity will never come from violence and terrorism. They do not share the pessimistic belief in the inevitable clash of religions and civilizations. Religions hope and pray that a true community of peace will be established among peoples and within humanity. No human being, no people, no community is an island. Everyone needs somebody else; everyone needs the friendship, forgiveness, and help of someone else. We share a common global destiny: either we live together in peace or we perish. War is never inevitable and it piles up ruins even in the hearts of winners. No hatred, no conflict, no wall can resist the power of prayer, forgiveness, and patient love leading to dialogue. Dialogue does not generate weakness, rather it grants new strength. It is the real alternative to violence. Nothing is lost with dialogue. Anything can become possible. Here in Cyprus, therefore, we pray that every injustice, war and evil may soon be swept away, and brotherhood among peoples be restored, starting from this island and spreading to the Middle East, to Africa, Latin America, and the whole world. May God grant the world the wonderful gift of peace, through the prayer of all believers! This is not the utopia of heaven on earth, it is our duty to build a more human world. Spirit and brotherhood will make this world possible. No war is ever holy. Peace alone is holy! May God grant the world the wonderful gift of peace, through the prayer of all believers! Cyprus, 18 November 2008   RETURN TO TOP

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