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TRÁI TIM
MẸ: NƠI CON NƯƠNG NÁU - ĐƯỜNG ĐẾN VỚI CHÚA |
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"Chúa Giêsu muốn dùng con để làm
cho Mẹ được nhận biết và yêu mến" |
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February 2, 2009 - Monday in 4th
Week of Ordinary Time
LITURGICAL/THEME MEDITATION:
"The favor of God was upon him"
UNIVERSAL CHURCH/WORLD EVENT(S):
Eluana's Fate Signals the
Life or Death of the West
SAINT OF THE DAY
Presentation of the Lord
GENERAL
MARIOLOGY
THE
MESSAGE OF FATIMA
INTERPRETATION OF THE “SECRET”
ANNOUNCEMENT MADE BY CARDINAL ANGELO SODANO
SECRETARY OF STATE
DIVINE MERCY
On Mercy
His Fathomless Mercy
TEACHING/TESTIMONY/CONVICTION:
Pope On the Messiah
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DAILY LITURGICAL MEDITATION |
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"The favor of God was upon him"
Scripture: Luke 2:22-40 (alternate
reading: Mark 5:1-20)
22 And when the time came for their purification
according to the law of Moses, they brought him up to Jerusalem to
present him to the Lord 23 (as it is written in the law of the Lord,
"Every male that opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord") 24
and to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in the law of the
Lord, "a pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons." 25 Now there was a
man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon, and this man was righteous and
devout, looking for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was
upon him. 26 And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he
should not see death before he had seen the Lord's Christ. 27 And
inspired by the Spirit he came into the temple; and when the parents
brought in the child Jesus, to do for him according to the custom of the
law, 28 he took him up in his arms and blessed God and said, 29 "Lord,
now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word; 30
for mine eyes have seen thy salvation 31 which thou hast prepared in the
presence of all peoples, 32 a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and
for glory to thy people Israel." 33 And his father and his mother
marveled at what was said about him; 34 and Simeon blessed them and said
to Mary his mother, "Behold, this child is set for the fall and rising
of many in Israel, and for a sign that is spoken against 35 (and a
sword will pierce through your own soul also), that thoughts out of many
hearts may be revealed." 36 And there was a prophetess, Anna, the
daughter of Phan'u-el, of the tribe of Asher; she was of a great age,
having lived with her husband seven years from her virginity, 37 and as
a widow till she was eighty-four. She did not depart from the temple,
worshiping with fasting and prayer night and day. 38 And coming up at
that very hour she gave thanks to God, and spoke of him to all who were
looking for the redemption of Jerusalem. 39 And when they had performed
everything according to the law of the Lord, they returned into Galilee,
to their own city, Nazareth. 40 And the child grew and became strong,
filled with wisdom; and the favor of God was upon him.
Meditation: Do you know the favor of the Lord?
After Jesus' birth, Mary fulfills the Jewish right of purification after
childbirth. Since she could not afford the customary offering of a lamb,
she gives instead two pigeons as an offering of the poor. This rite,
along with circumcision and the redemption of the first-born point to
the fact that children are gifts from God. Jesus was born in an ordinary
home where there were no luxuries. Like all godly parents, Mary and
Joseph raised their son in the fear and wisdom of God. He, in turn, was
obedient to them and grew in wisdom and grace. The Lord's favor is with
those who listen to his word with trust and obedience. Do you know the
joy of submission to God? And do you seek to pass on the faith and to
help the young grow in wisdom and maturity?
What is the significance of Simeon's encounter with
the baby Jesus and his mother in the temple? Simeon was a just and
devout man who was very much in tune with the Holy Spirit. He believed
that the Lord would return to his temple and renew his chosen people.
The Holy Spirit also revealed to him that the Messiah and King of Israel
would also bring salvation to the Gentile nations. When Joseph and Mary
presented the baby Jesus in the temple, Simeon immediately recognized
this humble child of Bethlehem as the fulfillment of all the messianic
prophecies, hopes, and prayers. Inspired by the Holy Spirit he
prophesied that Jesus was to be "a revealing light to the Gentiles". The
Holy Spirit reveals the presence of the Lord to those who are receptive
and eager to receive him. Do you recognize the indwelling presence of
the Lord with you?
Jesus is the new temple (John 1:14; 2:19-22). In the
Old Testament God manifested his presence in the "pillar of cloud" by
day and the "pillar of fire" by night as he led them through the
wilderness. God's glory visibly came to dwell over the ark and the
tabernacle (Exodus 40:34-38). When the first temple was built in
Jerusalem God's glory came to rest there (1 Kings 8). After the first
temple was destroyed, Ezekiel saw God's glory leave it (Ezekiel 10). But
God promised one day to fill it with even greater glory (Haggai 2:1-9;
Zechariah 8-9). That promise is fulfilled when the "King of Glory"
himself comes to his temple (Psalm 24:7-10; Malachi 3:1). Through
Jesus' coming in the flesh and through his saving death, resurrection,
and ascension we are made living temples of his Holy Spirit (1 Cor.
3:16-17). Ask the Lord to renew your faith in the indwelling presence of
his Spirit with you. And give him thanks and praise for coming to make
his home with you.
Simeon blessed Mary and Joseph and he prophesied to
Mary about the destiny of this child and the suffering she would undergo
for his sake. There is a certain paradox for those blessed by the Lord.
Mary was given the blessedness of being the mother of the Son of God.
That blessedness also would become a sword which pierced her heart as
her Son died upon the cross. She received both a crown of joy and a
cross of sorrow. But her joy was not diminished by her sorrow because it
was fueled by her faith, hope, and trust in God and his promises. Jesus
promised his disciples that "no one will take your joy from you" (John
16:22). The Lord gives us a supernatural joy which enables us to bear
any sorrow or pain and which neither life nor death can take way. Do
you know the joy of a life fully surrendered to God with faith and
trust?
Simeon was not alone in recognizing the Lord's
presence in the temple. Anna, too, was filled with the Holy Spirit. She
was found daily in the temple, attending to the Lord in prayer and
speaking prophetically to others about God's promise to send a redeemer.
Supernatural hope grows with prayer and age! Anna was pre-eminently a
woman of great hope and expectation that God would fulfill all his
promises. She is a model of godliness to all believers as we advance in
age. Advancing age and the disappointments of life can easily make us
cynical and hopeless if we do not have our hope placed rightly. Anna's
hope in God and his promises grew with age. She never ceased to worship
God in faith and to pray with hope. Her hope and faith in God's promises
fueled her indomitable zeal and fervor in prayer and service of God's
people. What do you hope for? The hope which God places in our heart is
the desire for the kingdom of heaven and eternal life as our happiness.
How do we grow in hope? By placing our trust in the promises of Jesus
Christ and relying not on our own strength, but on the grace and help of
the Holy Spirit. Does your hope and fervor for God grow with age?
"Lord Jesus, may I never cease to hope in you and to
trust in your promises. Fill me with your Holy Spirit that I may always
recognize your saving presence in my life. Help me to point others to
Christ and to be an example of faith and devotion as Simeon and Anna
were to their generation."
Psalm 24:7-10
7 Lift up your heads, O gates! and be lifted up, O
ancient doors! that the King of glory may come in.
8 Who is the King of glory? The LORD, strong and mighty, the LORD,
mighty in battle!
9 Lift up your heads, O gates! and be lifted up, O ancient doors! that
the King of glory may come in.
10 Who is this King of glory? The LORD of hosts, he is the King of
glory! [Selah]
www.dailyscripture.net
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UNIVERSAL CHURCH/WORLD EVENTS |
Eluana's Fate Signals the Life or Death of the West
Cardinal Caffara on a Humanity Adrift Without God
BOLOGNA, Italy, FEB. 1, 2009 ( Zenit.org).- The fate of a young woman in a coma whose father has appealed for her feeding tube to be removed has become a "sign of contradiction" that signals the fate of the West, according to the archbishop of Bologna.
Cardinal Carlo Caffara explained this today in his homily given at the cathedral in Bologna for the 31st National Day for Life in Italy. He spoke specifically of the case of Eluana Englaro, 37, who has been in a coma since 1992, when she suffered a car accident.
Her case has been called Italy's version of the Terri Schiavo battle that raged in the United States in 2005, and ended in Schiavo's death by dehydration and starvation.
The cardinal said that Eulana has become a "'sign of contradiction' between a culture of death and a culture of life."
"Her martyred body," he explained, "has become the question addressed to every conscience that reflects on man's destiny: To whom does man belong? Who has dominion over man's life and death? Who owns man?"
According to Cardinal Caffara, "the spiritual event of the West has come to the end of the line: If the life of man does not belong to man but to God, no one has control over it for any reason, [but] if the life of man belongs to man, it is consistent to hypothesize circumstances in which everyone can do what he wants with his life or ask others to put an end to it."
He said "the illusion of building a human home 'as if God did not exist' must at some moment bring us to this point." And the cardinal added: "In the body of this woman, and in her fate, there is an image of the fate of the West."
Cardinal Caffara invited the faithful to pray that the Lord "give wisdom to our legislators, so that they know how to defend the good of the person, of every person, by means of just norms."
To the human and civil community the archbishop of Bologna said, quoting St. Irenaeus, that "God's nearness to man that the Church grants us makes us once again repeat with great conviction: 'the glory of God is man fully alive, but man's life is the vision of God.'"
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DAILY LITURGICAL SAINT |
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February 2, 2009
Presentation of the Lord
At
the end of the fourth century, a woman named Etheria made a pilgrimage
to Jerusalem. Her journal, discovered in 1887, gives an unprecedented
glimpse of liturgical life there. Among the celebrations she describes
is the Epiphany (January 6), the observance of Christ’s birth, and the
gala procession in honor of his Presentation in the Temple 40 days
later—February 15. (Under the Mosaic Law, a woman was ritually “unclean”
for 40 days after childbirth, when she was to present herself to the
priests and offer sacrifice—her “purification.” Contact with anyone who
had brushed against mystery—birth or death—excluded a person from Jewish
worship.) This feast emphasizes Jesus’ first appearance in the Temple
more than Mary’s purification.
The observance spread throughout the Western Church in the fifth and
sixth centuries. Because the Church in the West celebrated Jesus’ birth
on December 25, the Presentation was moved to February 2, 40 days after
Christmas.
At the beginning of the eighth century, Pope Sergius inaugurated a
candlelight procession; at the end of the same century the blessing and
distribution of candles which continues to this day became part of the
celebration, giving the feast its popular name: Candlemas.
Comment:
In Luke’s account, Jesus was welcomed in the temple by two elderly
people, Simeon and the widow Anna. They embody Israel in their patient
expectation; they acknowledge the infant Jesus as the long-awaited
Messiah. Early references to the Roman feast dub it the feast of St.
Simeon, the old man who burst into a song of joy which the Church still
sings at day’s end.
Quote:
“Christ himself says, ‘I am the light of the world.’ And we are the
light, we ourselves, if we receive it from him.... But how do we receive
it, how do we make it shine? ...[T]he candle tells us: by burning, and
being consumed in the burning. A spark of fire, a ray of love, an
inevitable immolation are celebrated over that pure, straight candle,
as, pouring forth its gift of light, it exhausts itself in silent
sacrifice” (Paul VI).
http://www.americancatholic.org/Features/SaintofDay
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GENERAL
MARIOLOGY |
CONGREGATION
FOR THE DOCTRINE OF THE FAITH
THE
MESSAGE OF FATIMA
INTERPRETATION OF THE “SECRET”
ANNOUNCEMENT MADE BY CARDINAL ANGELO SODANO
SECRETARY OF STATE
At the
end of the Mass presided over by the Holy Father at Fatima, Cardinal
Angelo Sodano, the Secretary of State, made this announcement in
Portuguese, which is given here in English translation:
Brothers and Sisters in the Lord!
At the
conclusion of this solemn celebration, I feel bound to offer our beloved
Holy Father Pope John Paul II, on behalf of all present, heartfelt good
wishes for his approaching 80th Birthday and to thank him for his vital
pastoral ministry for the good of all God's Holy Church; we present the
heartfelt wishes of the whole Church.
On
this solemn occasion of his visit to Fatima, His Holiness has directed
me to make an announcement to you. As you know, the purpose of his visit
to Fatima has been to beatify the two “little shepherds”. Nevertheless
he also wishes his pilgrimage to be a renewed gesture of gratitude to
Our Lady for her protection during these years of his papacy. This
protection seems also to be linked to the so-called third part of the
“secret” of Fatima.
That
text contains a prophetic vision similar to those found in Sacred
Scripture, which do not describe photographically the details of future
events, but synthesize and compress against a single background facts
which extend through time in an unspecified succession and duration. As
a result, the text must be interpreted in a symbolic key.
The
vision of Fatima concerns above all the war waged by atheistic systems
against the Church and Christians, and it describes the immense
suffering endured by the witnesses of the faith in the last century of
the second millennium. It is an interminable Way of the Cross led
by the Popes of the twentieth century.
According to the interpretation of the “little shepherds”, which was
also confirmed recently by Sister Lucia, “the Bishop clothed in white”
who prays for all the faithful is the Pope. As he makes his way with
great difficulty towards the Cross amid the corpses of those who were
martyred (Bishops, priests, men and women Religious and many lay
people), he too falls to the ground, apparently dead, under a hail of
gunfire.
After
the assassination attempt of 13 May 1981, it appeared evident that it
was “a mother's hand that guided the bullet's path”, enabling “the Pope
in his throes” to halt “at the threshold of death” (Pope John Paul II,
Meditation from the Policlinico Gemelli to the Italian Bishops,
Insegnamenti, XVII, 1 [1994], 1061). On the occasion of a visit
to Rome by the then Bishop of Leiria-Fatima, the Pope decided to give
him the bullet which had remained in the jeep after the assassination
attempt, so that it might be kept in the shrine. By the Bishop's
decision, the bullet was later set in the crown of the statue of Our
Lady of Fatima.
The
successive events of 1989 led, both in the Soviet Union and in a number
of countries of Eastern Europe, to the fall of the Communist regimes
which promoted atheism. For this too His Holiness offers heartfelt
thanks to the Most Holy Virgin. In other parts of the world, however,
attacks against the Church and against Christians, with the burden of
suffering they bring, tragically continue. Even if the events to which
the third part of the “secret” of Fatima refers now seem part of the
past, Our Lady's call to conversion and penance, issued at the start of
the twentieth century, remains timely and urgent today. “The Lady of the
message seems to read the signs of the times—the signs of our time—with
special insight... The insistent invitation of Mary Most Holy to penance
is nothing but the manifestation of her maternal concern for the fate of
the human family, in need of conversion and forgiveness” (Pope John Paul
II, Message for the 1997 World Day of the Sick, No. 1,
Insegnamenti, XIX, 2 [1996], 561).
In
order that the faithful may better receive the message of Our Lady of
Fatima, the Pope has charged the Congregation for the Doctrine of the
Faith with making public the third part of the “secret”, after the
preparation of an appropriate commentary.
Brothers and sisters, let us thank Our Lady of Fatima for her
protection. To her maternal intercession let us entrust the Church of
the Third Millennium.
Sub
tuum praesidium confugimus, Sancta Dei Genetrix! Intercede pro Ecclesia.
Intercede pro Papa nostro Ioanne Paulo II. Amen.
Fatima, 13 May 2000
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DIVINE MERCY
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On Mercy
His Fathomless Mercy
I realize more and more
how much every soul needs God's mercy throughout life and
particularly at the hour of death (Diary, 1036).
We resemble God most when we forgive our neighbors. God is
Love, Goodness, and Mercy ... (Diary, 1148).
And my path is to be faithful to the will of God in all
things and at all times, especially by being faithful to
inner inspirations in order to be a receptive instrument in
God's hands for the carrying out of the work of His
fathomless mercy (Diary, 1173).
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CATHOLIC TEACHING/CONVICTION/TESTIMONY |
Pope On the
Messiah
"Suffering
Is an Integral
Part of His
Mission"
VATICAN
CITY, FEB.
1, 2009 ( Zenit.org).-
Here is a
translation
of the
address
Benedict XVI
delivered
today before
praying the
midday
Angelus with
those
gathered in
St. Peter's
Square.
* * *
Dear
Brothers and
Sisters!
This year,
at Sunday
Mass, the
liturgy
proposes the
Gospel of
St. Mark for
our
meditation.
A special
characteristic
of this
Gospel is
the
so-called
“messianic
secret,” the
fact that,
for the
moment,
Jesus does
not want
anyone
outside the
restricted
group of his
disciples to
know that he
is the
Christ, the
Son of God.
This is why
he often
admonishes
the apostles
and the sick
people whom
he heals to
not reveal
his identity
to anyone.
For example,
the Gospel
passage this
Sunday (Mark
1:21-28)
tells of a
man
possessed by
a demon, who
suddenly
cries out:
“What do you
want with us
Jesus of
Nazareth?
Have you
come to
destroy us?
I know who
you are: the
holy one of
God!” Jesus
answers him:
“Be quiet!
Come out of
him!” And
immediately,
the
evangelist
notes, the
evil spirit
came out of
the man with
a loud cry.
Not only
does Jesus
chase demons
out of
people,
freeing them
from the
worst
slavery, but
he prohibits
the demons
themselves
from
revealing
his
identity.
And he
insists on
this
“secret”
because the
fulfillment
of his
mission is
at stake, on
which our
salvation
depends.
He knows in
fact that to
liberate
humanity
from the
dominion of
sin he must
be
sacrificed
on the cross
as the true
paschal
lamb. The
devil, for
his part,
tries to
divert his
attention
and direct
it instead
toward a
human logic
of a
powerful and
successful
messiah. The
cross of
Christ will
be the
demon’s
ruin, and
this is why
Jesus does
not cease to
teach his
disciples
that in
order to
enter into
his glory he
must suffer
much, be
rejected,
condemned
and
crucified
(cf. Luke
24:26).
Suffering is
an integral
part of his
mission.
Jesus
suffers and
dies on the
cross for
love. When
we consider
this, we see
that it is
in this way
that he gave
meaning to
our
suffering, a
meaning that
many men and
women of
every age
understood
and made
their own,
experiencing
profound
serenity
even in the
bitterness
of difficult
physical and
moral
trials.
Indeed, “the
strength of
life in
suffering”
is the theme
that the
Italian
bishops have
chosen for
their
customary
message for
today’s Day
for Life. I
wholeheartedly
join in
their
message in
which we see
the love of
pastors for
their
people, and
the courage
to proclaim
the truth,
the courage
to state
with
clarity, for
example,
that
euthanasia
is a false
solution to
the drama of
suffering, a
solution
unworthy of
man. The
true answer
cannot be
putting
someone to
death,
however
“kindly,”
but to bear
witness to
the love
that helps
us to face
pain and
agony in a
human way.
We are
certain: No
tear,
whether it
be of those
who suffer
or those who
stand by
them, goes
unnoticed
before God.
The Virgin
Mary carried
in her
mother’s
heart the
Son’s
secret, she
shared in
the painful
moments of
the passion
and
crucifixion,
sustained by
the hope of
the
resurrection.
To her we
entrust
those who
suffer and
those who
dedicate
themselves
to
supporting
them each
day, serving
life in all
its phases:
parents,
health care
workers,
priests,
religious,
researchers,
volunteers,
and many
others. We
pray for all
of them.
[After the
Angelus the
Pope greeted
the pilgrims
in various
languages.
In Italian
he said:]
Tomorrow we
celebrate
the
liturgical
feast of the
Presentation
of Jesus in
the Temple.
Forty days
after Jesus’
birth, Mary
and Joseph
brought him
to
Jerusalem,
following
the
prescriptions
of the Law
of Moses.
Every first
born, in
fact,
according to
the
Scriptures,
belonged to
the Lord,
and so had
to be
ransomed by
a sacrifice.
In this
event Jesus’
consecration
to God the
Father is
manifested
and, linked
to it, that
of the
Virgin Mary.
For this
reason my
beloved
predecessor,
John Paul
II, desired
that this
feast, in
which many
consecrated
persons take
or renew
their vows,
be the Day
of
Consecrated
Life. So,
tomorrow
afternoon,
at the end
of Holy
Mass, at
which the
prefect of
the
Congregation
for
Institutes
of
Consecrated
Life and
Societies of
Apostolic
Life will
preside, I
will meet
with the
consecrated
men and
women who
are present
in Rome in
St. Peter’s
Basilica. I
invite
everyone to
thank the
Lord for the
precious
gift of
these
brothers and
sisters, and
to ask him,
through the
intercession
of the
Madonna, for
many new
vocations,
in the
variety of
charisms
with which
the Church
is rich.
[Translation
by Joseph G.
Trabbic]
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