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November 23, 2008 –  34th Sunday in Ordinary Time       DAILY LITURGICAL/THEME MEDITATION: “ The King will say to those at his right hand, `Come, O blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you” UNIVERSAL CHURCH/WORLD EVENT(S): Expert: Anti-Life Attacks Intensify in Latin America SAINT OF THE DAY  GENERAL MARIOLOGY The Virgin Mary in the New Testament, Part I: Blessed Miguel Agustín Pro DIVINE MERCY On Deify, Divinize, Transform The Totality Of His Delight  TEACHING/TESTIMONY/CONVICTION: Papal Address on Caring for Sick Children   Monthly Index

DAILY LITURGICAL MEDITATION

Sunday (11/23):  “ The King will say to those at his right hand, `Come, O blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you” Gospel Reading:  Matthew 25:31-46 31 "When the Son of man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. 32 Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate them one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, 33 and he will place the sheep at his right hand, but the goats at the left. 34 Then the King will say to those at his right hand, `Come, O blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; 35 for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, 36 I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.' 37 Then the righteous will answer him, `Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? 38 And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? 39 And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?' 40 And the King will answer them, `Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me.' 41 Then he will say to those at his left hand, `Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels; 42 for I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.' 44 Then they also will answer, `Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you?' 45 Then he will answer them, `Truly, I say to you, as you did it not to one of the least of these, you did it not to me.' 46 And they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life." Meditation: Do you recognize that Jesus Christ has been given full authority and power to rule over the earth as well as heaven? The Father in heaven sent his son into the world to redeem us from slavery to sin and Satan. And he promises that his son will return again at the end of the world to complete the work he began in his first coming. When the Son of Man, a Messianic title from the Book of Daniel, returns in glory he will judge between nations and individuals - separating those who rejected his claim as true King and Lord over heaven and earth. Jesus was crucified for his claim to be the Messianic King who would rule not only over his people Israel but ultimately over all the nations as well. Through his death and resurrection, Jesus triumphed over sin and death and won the right to rule as Lord and King over all. What is the significance or meaning of Jesus' kingship for us? Kingship today seems antiquated, especially in democratic societies where everyone is treated equal and free. God at first did not want to give his people Israel a king. Why? Because God alone was their King and they needed no other. Nonetheless, God relented and promised his people that through David's line he would establish a kingship that would last for eternity (Psalm 89:29). The Jews understood that the Messiah would come as king to establish God's reign for them. They wanted a king who would free them from tyranny and from foreign domination. Many had high hopes that Jesus would be the Messianic king. Little did they understand what kind of kingship Jesus claimed to have. Jesus came to conquer hearts and souls for an imperishable kingdom, rather than to conquer perishable lands and entitlements. Jesus told a parable about sheeps and goats to illustrate how he would judge when he returns in glory. What happens when you put sheep and goats together? Jesus' audience readily understood the need for separating the two. In arid lands, like Israel, goats and sheep often grazed together during the day because green pasture was sparse. They were separated at night because goats needed shelter. Goats were also less docile and more restless than sheep. They came to symbolize evil and the term "scape-goat" has become a common expression for someone bearing blame for others. (See Leviticus 26:20-22 for a description of the ritual expulsion of sin-bearing goat on the Day of Atonement.) What's the point of this story for us? The kind of life we choose to live now and the moral choices we make will have consequences that determine our future – for better or for worse. Separation is an inevitable consequence of judgement. The Day of Judgement will reveal who showed true compassion and mercy toward their neighbor. As much as we might like to judge the parables, the parables, nonetheless, judge us.  Jesus teaches us a very important lesson about loving our neighbor and taking responsibility for others. God will judge us not only for the wrong we have done but also for what we have failed to do. Now is the time of God’s mercy, for seeking his help and grace to turn away from sin, and to walk in his way of love. We can love freely, generously, and unconditionally because God has already poured his love into our hearts through the gift and working of his Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 5:5). Ask the Holy Spirit to purify your heart that you may love as God loves and live charitably with all.  This parable is similar to the parable about Lazarus and the rich man. The rich man let Lazarus die on his doorstep and was doomed to crave for drops of cold water he had not thought of giving to the poor man. When Martin of Tours (who lived in the 4th century), a young Roman soldier and seeker of the Christian faith, met an unclothed man begging for alms in the freezing cold, he stopped and cut his coat in two and gave half to the stranger. That night he dreamt he saw the heavenly court with Jesus robed in a torn cloak. One of the angels present asked, "Master, why do you wear that battered cloak?"  Jesus replied, "My servant Martin gave it to me." Martin’s disciple and biographer Sulpicius Severus states that as a consequence of this vision Martin “flew to be baptized.” God is gracious and merciful; his love compels us to treat others with mercy and kindness. When we do something for one of Christ's little ones, we do it for Christ. Do you treat your neighbor with mercy and love as Christ has treated you? The scriptures present us with the choice between two kingdoms – the kingdom of light and the kingdom of darkness. The choice is ours. Which kingdom do you serve? God's kingdom lasts forever because it is built on the foundation of God's love and justice. To accept Jesus as Lord and King is to enter a kingdom that will last forever where righteousness, love, truth, and peace dwell. Is your life submitted to the Lordship of Jesus? "Lord Jesus Christ, you are my King and there is no other. May your love rule in my heart that I may think and act with charity towards all.” Psalm 23 1 The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want; 2 he makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters; 3 he restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake. 4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil;  for thou art with me;  thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me. 5 Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of my enemies;  thou anointest my head with oil, my cup overflows. 6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life;  and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.   RETURN TO TOP

UNIVERSAL CHURCH/WORLD EVENTS

Expert: Anti-Life Attacks Intensify in Latin America Says Church Working to Stave Off Advances   By Carmen Elena Villa ROME, NOV. 21, 2008 (Zenit.org).- Efforts to substitute and alter fundamental values such as respect for life from conception until natural death are intensifying in Latin America, laments a pro-life expert. Argentine Father Juan C. Sanahuja, founder and director of the news service Noticias Globales, told ZENIT that he believes the anti-life mentality found on there can be traced back to the 1974 Kissinger Report. The report, he said, introduces "a more subtle, and therefore more effective way to form the anti-life mentality in people" by speaking "of the rights of sexual and reproductive health." The author of "El Desarrollo Sustentable. La Nueva Ética Internacional" (Sustainable Growth: The New International Ethics), and member of the Pontifical Academy for Life, said other factors include "the change in cultural patterns of the Third World countries," and the influence of anti-life politicians. Although proponents of abortion are having success, Father Sanahuja said it's "slower in Latin America because the Catholic Church is very weighty and because many Christian Churches also spread the pro-life mentality. Together with catecheses, Christian conferences have been able to defend family values." "We have the great force of truth," added. "These cultural changes are based on an accumulation of lies and manipulations." Father Sanahuja said he sees the greatest pressure to promote the legalization of abortion in Mexico, Brazil and Argentina. He said both President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva of Brazil and President Cristina Kirchner of Argentina are "determined to legislate in favor of abortion." In Mexico, the priest noted, it's different. While Mexico City, a self-governing city-state, legalized abortion through the first trimester, President Felipe Calderon is not for the liberalization of abortion laws. Ideology The priest said he believes that what's behind the promotion of an anti-life culture is "gender ideology." He explained this to be that "which states that the biological sex one is born with doesn't matter. Sexuality is constructed in the course of life and each one does what he wishes with his life and body." He noted that the 5th General Conference of the Latin American Episcopate, held last year in Aparecida, Brazil, clarified that this ideology has "gravely wound the dignity of marriage, respect for the right to life and the identity of the family." Christianity, the priest added, "has served as a wall of containment" against these ideologies. "However," he added, "we must be conscious of the fact that this is not about a religious question alone. Do not kill, the right to educate one's children, homosexuality as an anti-natural attitude, are three questions that belong to the natural law God inscribed in man's heart. "This should be evident in all people, whether or not they are believers. The Church proclaims the natural law, but we must keep in mind that we are defending natural values, not religious ones." [Adapted by Karna Swanson]   RETURN TO TOP

DAILY LITURGICAL SAINT

November 23, 2008 Blessed Miguel Agustín Pro (1891-1927)   ¡Viva Cristo Rey! (Long live Christ the King) were the last words Father Pro uttered before he was executed for being a Catholic priest and serving his flock. Born into a prosperous, devout family in Guadalupe de Zacatecas, he entered the Jesuits in 1911 but three years later fled to Granada, Spain, because of religious persecution in Mexico. He was ordained in Belgium in 1925. He immediately returned to Mexico, where he served a Church forced to go “underground.” He celebrated the Eucharist clandestinely and ministered the other sacraments to small groups of Catholics. He and his brother Roberto were arrested on trumped-up charges of attempting to assassinate Mexico’s president. Roberto was spared but Miguel was sentenced to face a firing squad on November 23, 1927. His funeral became a public demonstration of faith. He was beatified in 1988. Comment: In 1927 when Father Miguel Pro was executed, no one could have predicted that 52 years later the bishop of Rome would visit Mexico, be welcomed by its president and celebrate open-air Masses before thousands of people. Pope John Paul II made additional trips to Mexico in 1990, 1993 and 1999. Those who outlawed the Catholic Church in Mexico did not count on the deeply rooted faith of its people and the willingness of many of them, like Miguel Pro, to die as martyrs. Quote: During his homily at the beatification Mass, Pope John Paul II said that Father Pro “is a new glory for the beloved Mexican nation, as well as for the Society of Jesus. His life of sacrificing and intrepid apostolate was always inspired by a tireless evangelizing effort. Neither suffering nor serious illness, neither the exhausting ministerial activity, frequently carried out in difficult and dangerous circumstances, could stifle the radiating and contagious joy which he brought to his life for Christ and which nothing could take away (see John 16:22). Indeed, the deepest root of self-sacrificing surrender for the lowly was his passionate love for Jesus Christ and his ardent desire to be conformed to him, even unto death.” RETURN TO TOP

GENERAL MARIOLOGY

The Virgin Mary in the New Testament, Part I By Fr. Settimio M. Manelli, F.I.   The Magnificat (Lk 1:46-55) After the discourse of Elizabeth, Luke records the canticle of exultation rising from the heart of Mary (1:46-55). Elizabeth praised Mary, Mother of the Lord. Now Mary directs her praise to God, her Savior. Very beautifully, Pope Benedict XVI in the Encyclical Deus Caritas Est says that the Magnificat is "a portrait as it were of the soul" of Mary (n. 41): a soul who praises God, who thanks him, who knows how to be among the little ones and poor of the Lord among the people of Israel and who praises his mercy and the fidelity of his promises. Mary "celebrates the merciful deeds of God along the course of the history of salvation, which now in the fullness of time find their definitive realization" (120). The canticle reveals the spiritual dispositions characteristic of the poor of Yahweh and of the pious of Israel: "joy over the acts of God in history, where he discloses his countenance: merciful, powerful, holy and faithful, solidarity with his people (passing from the initial I to the final we), hope in the realization of the promises made to Abraham" (121). Mary’s canticle, rightly considered the canticle par excellence of the New Testament, may be divided into three parts. "The Virgin Mary glorifies the Lord for the works of mercy and power accomplished by him in herself (vv 48-50), in the poor and little ones (vv 51-53), and in the people of Israel (vv. 54-55). In this interpretation the Magnificat is above all the canticle of praise and hope of the Chosen People through Mary" (122). To express the sentiments of praise and thanks in her heart, Mary made use of themes and of words drawn from the Old Testament. The Magnificat, in fact, embodies a mosaic of biblical texts, reflecting above all from the canticle of Anna, mother of Samuel, and from the Psalms (123). To acknowledge this, however, is not to accept the opinion according to which the author of this canticle is the evangelist himself, who simply places it on the lips of Mary. Based on ingenuous prejudices, this is simply gratuitous. Likewise unconvincing is the opinion that the canticle finds its origin in the first Christian communities and then was employed to describe the sentiments of Mary. F. Manns, a highly respected student of Judaism, rightly says: "Certain exegetes want to attribute the paternity of this song to the author of the third gospel, under the pretext that Mary, a woman, could not have enjoyed the knowledge of the Scriptures as this was expounded in the synagogues. Such a view ignores the ancient rabbinic texts which permitted women to attend the synagogues" (124). Mary proclaims God’s greatness: "My soul magnifies the Lord." In the Old Testament the majesty of God was revealed above all in his interventions on behalf of his people Israel, by fighting at their side to save them from their enemies and to assist them in the conquest of the land he had promised them. This greatness of God "now reaches its high point in the womb of Mary: he reveals himself all-powerful, not as the victorious warrior, but through the mystery of the virginal conception. And the power of God is inseparable from his mercy, indeed it is his mercy in operation" (125). The joy filling Mary is the same as that which filled the psalmist: "But my soul shall rejoice in the Lord, it shall rejoice because of his help" (Ps 34:9) (126). Mary also calls God her Savior, a term which had already entered the vocabulary of piety. With this expression Mary certainly did not intend to speak of salvation in the sense of liberation from sin, which she had not contracted. "The salvation conferred on Mary is not to be understood negatively, viz., liberation of Mary from evil, but positively as the actuation in her ‘of great things’" (127). Mary forms part of the poor of Yahweh. This is why she says that the Lord has looked upon her tapeinosis, i.e., her poverty (or lowliness), that poverty of spirit which already makes one a possessor of the Kingdom of heaven, as one day Jesus will say while proclaiming the evangelical beatitudes (128): (to be continued)  RETURN TO TOP

DIVINE MERCY

Dairy from St. Faustina On Deify, Divinize, Transform Sunday, November 23 The Totality Of His Delight At that moment I felt transconsecrated. My earthly body was the same, but my soul was different; God was now living in it with the totality of His delight. This is not a feeling, but a conscious reality that nothing can obscure (Diary, 137). I want to be completely transformed into Your mercy and to be Your living reflection, O Lord (Diary, 163). O my Jesus, transform me into Yourself, for You can do all things (Diary, 163). 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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