TRÁI TIM MẸ:  NƠI CON NƯƠNG NÁU - ĐƯỜNG ĐẾN VỚI CHÚA

"Chúa Giêsu muốn dùng con để làm cho Mẹ được nhận biết và yêu mến"

November 19, 2008 –  Wednesday of 33rd Week in Ordinary Time       DAILY LITURGICAL/THEME MEDITATION: "As for these enemies of mine, who did not want me to reign over them" UNIVERSAL CHURCH/WORLD EVENT(S): Religions Ask Nations for World Peace SAINT OF THE DAY St. Agnes of Assisi  GENERAL MARIOLOGY The Virgin Mary in the New Testament, Part I: The Annunciation (Lk 1:26-28) DIVINE MERCY On Blessed Virgin Mary: Close To The Immaculate Heart  TEACHING/TESTIMONY/CONVICTION: Papal Message to Cyprus Meeting   Monthly Index

DAILY LITURGICAL MEDITATION

Wednesday (11/19):  "As for these enemies of mine, who did not want me to reign over them" Scripture:  Luke 19:11-28 11 As they heard these things, he proceeded to tell a parable, because he was near to Jerusalem, and because they supposed that the kingdom of God was to appear immediately. 12 He said therefore, "A nobleman went into a far country to receive a kingdom and then return. 13 Calling ten of his servants, he gave them ten pounds, and said to them, `Trade with these till I come.' 14 But his citizens hated him and sent an embassy after him, saying, `We do not want this man to reign over us.' 15 When he returned, having received the kingdom, he commanded these servants, to whom he had given the money, to be called to him, that he might know what they had gained by trading. 16 The first came before him, saying, `Lord, your pound has made ten pounds more.' 17 And he said to him, `Well done, good servant! Because you have been faithful in a very little, you shall have authority over ten cities.' 18 And the second came, saying, `Lord, your pound has made five pounds.' 19 And he said to him, `And you are to be over five cities.' 20 Then another came, saying, `Lord, here is your pound, which I kept laid away in a napkin; 21 for I was afraid of you, because you are a severe man; you take up what you did not lay down, and reap what you did not sow.' 22 He said to him, `I will condemn you out of your own mouth, you wicked servant! You knew that I was a severe man, taking up what I did not lay  down and reaping what I did not sow? 23 Why then did you not put my money into the bank, and at my coming I should have collected it with interest?' 24 And he said to those who stood by, `Take the pound from him, and give it to him who has the ten pounds.' 25 (And they said to him, `Lord, he has ten pounds!') 26 `I tell you, that to every one who has will more be given; but from him who has not, even what he has will be taken away.  27 But as for these enemies of mine, who did not want me to reign over them, bring them here and slay them before me.'" 28 And when he had said this, he went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem. Meditation: How does God establish his kingdom here on the earth? The Jews in Jesus' time had a heightened sense that the Messiah would appear soon to usher in the kingdom of God's justice, love, and peace on the earth (Isaiah 11:1-9). Jesus, in fact, spoke in messianic terms of the coming reign of God. Perhaps his entry into Jerusalem would bring about such a change and overthrow of Roman domination. Jesus speaks to their longing for a new kingdom in the parable of a nobleman who went away to receive a kingdom. The parable reveals something important about how God works his plan and purpose with the human race. The parable speaks first of the king's trust in his subjects. While he goes away he leaves them with his money to use as they think best. While there were no strings attached, this was obviously a test to see if the king's subjects would be faithful and reliable in their use of the money entrusted to them. Third, the king rewards those who are faithful and he punishes those who sit by idly and who do nothing with his money. The Lord Jesus offers us a kingdom of justice, love, and peace and he calls us to live as citizens of this kingdom where he rules as Lord and Master. Through his atoning death on the cross and through his resurrection victory, Jesus frees us from a kingdom of darkness where sin and Satan reign. Through the power of the Holy Spirit the Lord gives us freedom to live as his servants and to lay down our lives in loving service of our neighbors (Galatians 5:1,13). The Lord entrusts us with his gifts and graces and he gives us freedom to use them as we think best. With each gift and talent, the Lord gives sufficient grace and strength for using them in a fitting way. As the parable of the talents shows, God abhors indifference and an attitude that says it's not worth trying. God honors those who use their talents and gifts for doing good. Those who are faithful with even a little are entrusted with more! But those who neglect or squander what God has entrusted to them will lose what they have. There is an important lesson here for us. No one can stand still for long in the Christian life. We either get more or we lose what we have. We either advance towards God or we slip back. Do you trust in God's grace to make good use of the gifts and talents he has given you? "Lord Jesus, be the ruler of my heart and mind and the master of my home and goods. Fill me with a generous and wise spirit that I may use the gifts, talents, time, and resources you give me for your glory and your kingdom." Psalm 17:1-8 1 Hear a just cause, O LORD; attend to my cry! Give ear to my prayer from lips free of deceit! 2 From thee let my vindication come! Let thy eyes see the right! 3 If thou triest my heart, if thou visitest me by night, if thou testest me, thou wilt find no wickedness in me;  my mouth does not transgress. 4 With regard to the works of men, by the word of thy lips I have avoided the ways of the violent. 5 My steps have held fast to thy paths, my feet have not slipped. 6 I call upon thee, for thou wilt answer me, O God; incline thy ear to me, hear my words. 7 Wondrously show thy steadfast love, O savior of those who seek refuge from their adversaries at thy right hand. 8 Keep me as the apple of the eye; hide me in the shadow of thy wings   RETURN TO TOP

UNIVERSAL CHURCH/WORLD EVENTS

Religions Ask Nations for World Peace Cyprus Meeting Concludes With Appeal   NICOSIA, Cyprus, NOV. 18, 2008 (Zenit.org).- An appeal for world peace was passed from religious leaders to children to government officials today in Cyprus. With the presentation of the appeal, the International Meeting of Prayer for Peace, traditionally sponsored by the Catholic lay Sant'Egidio Community, and this year cosponsored by the Orthodox Church of Cyprus, came to an end. This 22nd annual meeting was on "The Civilization of Peace: Faiths and Cultures in Dialogue." These annual international meetings are part of the heritage of the World Day of Prayer for Peace convened in Assisi by Pope John Paul II on Oct. 27, 1986. Religious leaders gave the appeal to children of various nationalities. The children, on behalf of all generations, gave it to ambassadors and authorities representing all the nations of the world. The text of the appeal acknowledges that the world is "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." The religious leaders affirmed that "too many people suffer in this world of ours, from war, poverty and violence. […] No one should close his heart to compassion." But, they continued, 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. […] A world without a soul will soon become inhuman." The religious leaders affirmed that their various creeds "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. […] 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." And, they affirmed: "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." The religious leaders appealed for dialogue, saying it "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." "May God grant the world the wonderful gift of peace, through the prayer of all believers," they concluded. "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!"   RETURN TO TOP

DAILY LITURGICAL SAINT

November 19, 2008 St. Agnes of Assisi 1197-1253   Agnes was the sister of St. Clare and her first follower. When Agnes left home two weeks after Clare’s departure, their family attempted to bring Agnes back by force. They tried to drag her out of the monastery, but all of a sudden her body became so heavy that several knights could not budge it. Her uncle Monaldo tried to strike her but was temporarily paralyzed. The knights then left Agnes and Clare in peace. Agnes matched her sister in devotion to prayer and in willingness to endure the strict penances which characterized their lives at San Damiano. In 1221 a group of Benedictine nuns in Monticelli (near Florence) asked to become Poor Clares. St. Clare sent Agnes to become abbess of that monastery. Agnes soon wrote a rather sad letter about how much she missed Clare and the other nuns at San Damiano. After establishing other Poor Clare monasteries in northern Italy, Agnes was recalled to San Damiano in 1253 when Clare was dying. Agnes followed Clare in death three months later. Agnes was canonized in 1753. Comment: God must love irony; the world is so full of it. In 1212, many in Assisi surely felt that Clare and Agnes were wasting their lives and were turning their backs on the world. In reality, their lives were tremendously life-giving, and the world has been enriched by the example of these poor contemplatives. Quote: Charles de Foucald, founder of the Little Brothers and Sisters of Jesus, said: "One must pass through solitude and dwell in it to receive God’s grace. It is there that one empties oneself, that one drives before oneself all that is not God, and that one completely empties this little house of our soul to leave room for God alone. In doing this, do not fear being unfaithful toward creatures. On the contrary, that is the only way for you to serve them effectively" (Raphael Brown, Franciscan Mystic, p. 126). RETURN TO TOP

GENERAL MARIOLOGY

The Virgin Mary in the New Testament, Part I By Fr. Settimio M. Manelli, F.I.   The Annunciation (Lk 1:26-28) Within the structure of the first two chapters of the Gospel of St. Luke, the account of the Annunciation of the Angel Gabriel to the Virgin Mary is situated in the first diptych, consisting of the announcement made by the Angel Gabriel to Zechariah in the Temple of Jerusalem concerning the conception and birth of John the Baptist (1:5ff.) and of the announcement to Mary, in her home at Nazareth, of the conception and birth of Jesus, also by the Angel Gabriel. The purpose of this comparison is to make plain the superiority of Jesus in relation to the Baptist, who is his precursor, and the superiority of Mary over Zechariah and Elizabeth. Further, the uniting of the two episodes is intended to signal the unity of the divine plan of salvation, heralded by John and brought to completion by Christ (68). The initial verse of the account is linked to the preceding episode chronologically: in the sixth month, which refers to the conception of John the Baptist, the precursor. At this precise moment the other extraordinary event occurred. The very same Angel Gabriel was sent by God to another creature, Mary, to whom he announced the conception of the Messiah Savior. Here it should be remarked how "while John was conceived by a sterile mother (1:5, 24) as prophet of the Most High (1:76), Jesus is conceived by the Virgin Mary (1:27, 35) as Son of the Most High. The parents of the Baptist are just and observers of the law (1:5), Mary, instead, is object of God’s favor (1:28). Zechariah doubts the word of God and is punished by being struck dumb (1:20), Mary, to the contrary, believes the word of God (1:38) and comes to be praised for her faith (1:45)" (69). We also note how Luke tells us nothing about the origin of Mary nor does he praise her directly, as he has already done for Zechariah and Elizabeth (1:5ff.). Of them the evangelist says that "they were just before God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments of God and ordinances of the Lord." Not Mary, but the angel who exalts her (1:27), hence, a heavenly creature sent by God himself, is the evangelist. The core of the angel’s message is the virginal conception and birth of Jesus, the Davidic Messiah and Son of the Most High. By way of this episode (70), then, the evangelist informs his readers of the true identity and saving mission for God’s people of Jesus, the central personality of the gospel account. The message of the angel, however, contains considerably more than this. Indeed, the entire episode makes plain how Mary as well is called to play a fully active and conscious role in the realization of this divine plan of salvation. It is true that God has, in full freedom chosen to do this. But it is also true that God has not forced Mary to do anything. Like all men, she, too, was free to accept or refuse the gift of grace. The angel simply revealed to her the divine choice of becoming the Mother of the Son of God and Messiah Savior. Mary, on her part, actively accepted with full freedom, after being informed of the modalities according to which she would have to realize the divine will, and only after having pondered and evaluated the words of the heavenly messenger (71). The reply of Mary to the angel is object of a certain emphasis (72) in the dynamics of the account. This resembles in some ways other accounts of vocations in the Bible (73). Seen from the perspective of the outline characteristic in such accounts, the passage dealing with the announcement to Mary "sets in relief the person of Mary called to give her consent, and the work of mother in the birth of the Son of God in the condition of man. Mary enters into the dialogue between God and mankind, offering a reply shaped by exemplary faith" (74). Other scholars also find in the account of the Annunciation a reference to covenant formularies. "The account is structured along the lines of the literary genre characteristic of the covenant concluded between God and Israel on Mount Sinai. In both scenes we find three elements: the discourse of the mediator, the reply of the people in terms of obedience and service, the return of the mediator to God. … In the reply of Mary we note the echo of the formula whereby the people gave their assent to the covenant (Ex 19:3ff.)" (75). In the name of the people Mary accepts the New Covenant offered by God via the mediation of the Angel Gabriel and thus becomes the perfect model for acceptance of the Covenant. Mary had faith and obeyed the will of God. All believers are called to imitate her. In particular (76), we note how the angel greeted Mary with these words: Chaire, kecharitoméne, ho kúrios metà sou: Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with thee (1:28). The word chaire may signify rejoice. If taken in that sense, then the angel would be inviting Mary to rejoice at "the arrival of the long-expected Messiah and in that sense also prophesized by the prophets, Zephaniah (3:14-18), Joel (2:21-27), Zechariah (2:14; 9:9ff.), Micah (4:8-10)" (77). The term may also be the equivalent of the Hebrew greeting, shalom, or peace. The Vulgate translates by ave, viz., I salute you, both in Lk 1:28 and in like passages elsewhere (Mt 26:49; 27:29; Mk 15:18; Jn 19:3). After this greeting the angel addressed Mary, calling her kecharitoméne. This word is a perfect passive participle, translated as full of grace, or as fore-loved, privileged, gratified. As perfect passive participle, the Greek word means "to be enriched by grace in a stable, lasting way." In fact, the Greek perfect denotes an action completed in the past, whose effects perdure. Hence, the angel greets Mary by announcing that she has been enriched by grace in the past and that the effects of this gift remain. Without doubt this is a singular form of address. No one else in the Bible was ever greeted thus. Only Mary has been so addressed, and this in the moment when she was about to accomplish the "fullness of time," to realize the prophecies of old, and when the Word of God stood ready to take of her our human nature. To this greeting the angel added: "the Lord is with thee." In the Old Testament, this expression is directed to personages who had been chosen to undertake a great mission, absolutely unique, on behalf of the people of God (cf. Gen 28:13-15; Ex 3:12; Josh 1:5; Judg 6:12-16; Jer 1:8). The angel, therefore, informs Mary that she has been called to a special mission for the salvation of Israel, as in the past Jacob, Moses, Joshua, Gideon, Jeremiah, etc., were called. But Mary has been called to a still higher one, because she alone has been addressed by God himself with the name Enriched (or Perfected) by grace; only she became the Mother of the Messiah and the Mother of God, only she, as the account will say later on, will participate in the redemptive mission of the Son via the oblation of her own maternal suffering (cf. Lk 2:34ff.). In this her mission Mary "has found grace with God," viz., "has at her disposition every kindness and support for carrying out the heavy responsibility entrusted to her" (cf. Gen 6:8; Ex 33:17; Judg 6:17) (78). After hearing the words of the angel disclosing her mission of becoming Mother of the Messiah, Mary asked the divine messenger how this could come to be, saying: "I know not man" (v. 34). Mary’s question would hardly make sense on the lips of a "spouse." In reality, her words reveal something much more profound. Indeed, the word used is in the present, which in Greek suggests continuity (79). Hence, Mary says to the angel: "I do not know and I do not intend to know man." For this reason many authors, modern as well as ancient, conclude how "obviously one must therefore admit that the embarrassment of Mary arises from a precise commitment—vow or promise—to ‘not know man’, i.e., to be and to remain a virgin" (80). The angel replies to Mary, informing her of the virginal conception by the work of the Holy Spirit: "The Holy Spirit will come upon you and the power of the Most High will overshadow you" (v. 35). The entire Trinity intervenes in the Incarnation, yet this intervention is properly appropriated to the Holy Spirit. The verb "overshadow" is part of the Old Testament vocabulary and refers in particular to the divine presence in the tent of assembly, rendered visible by means of the cloud which filled the tent (cf. Ex 40:34ff.) (81). The consequence of this intervention is something still greater: the divine-virginal maternity of Mary and, wonder of wonders, the Incarnation of the Son of God. "And therefore the Holy One to be born shall be called the Son of God" (v. 35; see also v. 32). It cannot be overstressed that we have no genuine understanding of Mary except in relation to this unique and stupendous miracle which is the Incarnation; nor do we have any grasp of the Incarnation, even minimal, except through the miracle-sign which is the Virgin Mother. What is true in the first moment of our salvation is true in each successive moment. Mary gave her full and free consent to the divine project, saying: "Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord, be it done to me according to thy word" (v. 38). Stefano Manelli comments thus on these words: Such "consent," given by Mary, is not merely private, but expresses the willing participation of man, of humanity, in the work of salvation. In the freedom of Mary, at that instant, were contained all the desires, fears, and hopes of man in need of redemption. And the New Eve spoke her full, total yes to the angel of light, just as the first Eve had once spoken her yes to the angel of darkness. Moreover, the response given by Mary to the angel also expresses, in addition to her consent, a humble and unconditional dedication to the plan of God entrusted to her. Such a dedication reveals the incomparable faith of Mary, a faith that would call forth the inspired exclamation of Elizabeth and offers the perfect model of obedience, animated by the noblest charity, for the salvation of others (82). The same author makes a further comment, illustrating the link, indeed the identity, of her consent or fiat at the Incarnation with her coredemptive oblation on Calvary, a consent matching the fiat of her Son at his Incarnation (cf. Heb 10:5-10) and in the Garden of Gethsemani (cf. Mt 26:39; Lk 22:41). The expression used by Mary, "handmaid of the Lord," explicitly recalls the celebrated passage of Isaiah concerning the Messiah, the "servant of Yahweh." Indeed, it is the exact "feminine equivalent of the expression servant of Yahweh" as Danieli affirms. This reference establishes two important truths: first, the close union of the "handmaid of the Lord" with the "Servant of Yahweh" in the unique work of the "suffering servant;" and second, the sharing of the painful events of the "suffering servant," immolated for the redemption of men (Is 53:2ff.). The Virgin Mary, in using that expression, did not so much accept as give her all to the redemptive work, as the humble associate of the "man of sorrows pierced for our offenses, bruised for our iniquities" (Is 53:3-5) (83). (to be continued)  RETURN TO TOP

DIVINE MERCY

Dairy from St. Faustina On Blessed Virgin Mary Close To The Immaculate Heart † Mary is my Instructress, who is ever teaching me how to live for God (Diary, 620). † The more I imitate the Mother of God, the more deeply I get to know God (Diary, 843). I have been living under the virginal cloak of the Mother of God. She has been guarding me and instructing me. I am quite at peace, close to her Immaculate Heart. Because I am so weak and inexperienced, I nestle like a little child close to her heart (Diary, 1097). RETURN TO TOP

CATHOLIC  TEACHING/CONVICTION/TESTIMONY

Papal Message to Cyprus Meeting Peace "Is at the Same Time a Gift and a Task"   VATICAN CITY, NOV. 17, 2008 (Zenit.org).- Here is the text of a message sent by Benedict XVI through his secretary of state, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, to the 22nd International Meeting of Prayer for Peace. The Oct. 31 message was made available Sunday, the first day of the meeting. These annual international meetings are sponsored by the Sant'Egidio Community and are a follow-up to the World Day of Prayer for Peace convened in Assisi by Pope John Paul II on Oct. 27, 1986. This year's event is cosponsored by the Orthodox Church of Cyprus and ends Tuesday. * * * To Prof. Andrea Riccardi Community of Sant'Egidio Dear Professor, I have the honour to convey to You the cordial greetings of His Holiness for the International Meeting of Prayer for Peace. Greetings which You will undoubtedly extend with affection to all those taking part in the works on the theme of The Civilization of Peace: Faiths and Cultures in Dialogue. The current meeting, promoted by the Community of Sant'Egidio and by the Orthodox Church of Cyprus, gathering together personalities from Europe, Africa and Central America for three days in the heart of the Mediterranean Sea, takes place twenty-two years after the historical World Day of Prayer for Peace in Assisi, convened by the Servant of God John Paul II. On that memorable occasion our beloved Pope urged those present and the world at large to live that precious time close to Saint Francis as a moment of mutual listening, an opportunity to "clear away the fog of suspicion and misunderstanding" and ask God our Father for the precious gift of peace. Also your meeting is certainly a powerful experience of communion; it will open up a wider vision of reality and give rise to dialogue between brothers; it represents, furthermore, a moment of true, real and mutual understanding of each other's differences, as well as of the peculiarities and elements that we share. Only through dialogue and sincere efforts it is possible to be integrated in this "multiform and multifaceted linguistic cosmos" within the precious chest of Creation, which is entrusted to the common responsibility and good of every human being. We are profoundly convinced that peace, as the Holy Father Benedict XVI reminds us, "is at the same time a gift and a task". While hoping that the International Meeting of prayer for Peace may offer its participants the chance of future dialogue and common growth, the Holy Father ensures He shall remember it in His prayers. He encourages to keep up the flame of peace, nourished by daily gestures of brotherly love and friendship, and He wholeheartedly conveys to everyone a special Apostolic Blessing. I am glad to add my heartfelt wishes for the success of the International Meeting and I take this opportunity to convey to You and to the participants by best regards. Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone Secretary of State   RETURN TO TOP

Monthly Index              General Archive 2008 General Archive 2007 General Archive 2006 General Archive 2005 General Archive 2004

Hits since 3/16/2004 Màn điện toán toàn cầu của Thiếu Nhi Fatima được bắt đầu với trang Main từ ngày 9/12/1999, nhưng mãi tới Mùa Hè 2001 mới tạm xong, cuối cùng đã được chỉnh trang về cả hình thức lẫn nội dung từ mùa hè năm 2002, để rồi chính thức tái ra mắt vào ngày 25/3/2003 cho đến nay.   TNFatima.org do Thiếu Nhi Fatima chủ trương và thực hiện Mọi ý kiến đóng góp xin gửi về Webmaster