| |
| |
|
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 15/2009 - 33rd
Sunday of
Ordinary Time
LITURGICAL/THEME MEDITATION:
"They will see the Son of man coming
in clouds with great power and glory"
UNIVERSAL CHURCH/WORLD EVENT(S):
Facebook, Wikipedia and
YouTube in the Vatican
SAINT OF THE DAY
St. Albert the Great
GENERAL
MARIOLOGY
Nativity of the
Virgin Mary
DIVINE MERCY
Divine Mercy in My Soul
NOTEBOOK VI
TEACHING/TESTIMONY/CONVICTION:
Do You Find
It Difficult to Say: "Good Job!" to a Friend?
|
|
DAILY LITURGICAL MEDITATION |
|
Sunday (11/15): "They will see the Son of man
coming in clouds with great power and glory"
Scripture: Mark 13:24-32
24 "But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun will be
darkened, and the moon will not give its light, 25 and the stars will be
falling from heaven, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken. 26
And then they will see the Son of man coming in clouds with great power
and glory. 27 And then he will send out the angels, and gather his elect
from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven.
28 "From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes
tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near. 29 So
also, when you see these things taking place, you know that he is near,
at the very gates. 30 Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass
away before all these things take place. 31 Heaven and earth will pass
away, but my words will not pass away. 32 "But of that day or that hour
no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the
Father.
Meditation: How good are you at reading signs? The people of
Jesus' time expected that the coming of the Messiah would be accompanied
by extraordinary signs and wonders. Jesus' first coming was clouded in
mystery and wonderment: a son of David born in a cave at Bethlehem; magi
from the East guided by a star to worship the newborn king of Israel; a
carpenter miracle-worker who gave sight to the blind and raised the
dead; a Suffering Servant who bore the sins of many upon a cross; a
Risen Lord who stormed the gates of Hell to release its captives. Jesus
on a number of occasions prophesied that he would return again at the
end of the world to finish the work he came to accomplish through his
death and resurrection. The image of a "Son of man coming in a cloud
with power and great glory" is taken from the vision of the prophet
Daniel (Daniel 7:13-14). Daniel's vision is a royal investiture of a
human king before God's throne. This king, whose authority comes from
God, is given world-wide rulership and power which lasts forever. The
Jews of Jesus' day were looking for a Messianic king who would free them
from foreign oppression. Jesus tells them that when he returns he will
establish a universal kingdom of peace, righteousness, and justice for
all.
Jesus' prophetic description of the end of time and the day of
judgment was not new to the people of Israel. The prophets had foretold
these events many centuries before. "Behold the day of the Lord
comes, cruel, with wrath and fierce anger to make the earth a desolation
and to destroy its sinners from it" (Isaiah 13:9-13; see also Joel
2:1-2; Amos 5:18-20; Zephaniah 1:14-18). Jesus speaks of the second
coming as a known fact, a for certain event we can expect to take place.
This coming will be marked by signs that all will recognize; signs which
will strike terror in those unprepared and wonder in those who are ready
to meet the Lord. When the Lord returns he will establish justice and
righteousness and he will vindicate all who have been faithful to him.
His judgment is a sign of hope for those who trust in him.
What lesson does the Lord Jesus want us to learn from the parable of
the budding fig tree? The fig tree was a common and important source of
food for the Jews. It bore fruit twice a year, in the autumn and in the
early spring. The prophet Joel mentions its fruitbearing as a sign of
favor from the Lord (Joel 2:22). The Talmud said that the first fruit
came the day after Passover. The Jews believed that when the Messiah
came he would usher in the kingdom of God at Passover time. This parable
fortells the joy of God's kingdom — the joy
of new life and the promise of a new age of peace and blessing. The
signs of spring are evident for all who can see. Just so are the signs
of God's kingdom. The "budding" of God's kingdom begins first in the
hearts of those who are receptive to God's word. Those who trust in
God's word will bear the fruits of his kingdom. And what are the fruits
of that kingdom? "The kingdom of God ..is righteousness and peace and
joy in the Holy Spirit (Romans 14:17).
We do not know the day or hour when the Lord will return again in
glory. But the Lord does give us signs, not only to "wake us up" as a
warning, but also to "rouse our spirits" to be ready and eager to see
his kingdom come in all its power and glory. The Lord wants us to be
filled with joyful anticipation for his coming again. He surely comes to
us each day and speaks to our hearts like a lover who whispers in the
ear of the beloved. As he promised, the Lord will surely come again in
all his glory. Do you look for the signs pointing to the Lord's return
and do you pray that he come quickly to establish peace and justice on
the earth?
"Lord Jesus Christ, you are the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning
and the end of all history, and the lord of all creation. Give me joyful
hope and confidence that I will see you face to face when you return in
glory ."
Psalm 16:5,8-11
5 The LORD is my chosen portion and my cup; thou holdest my lot.
8 I keep the LORD always before me; because he is at my right hand, I
shall not be moved.
9 Therefore my heart is glad, and my soul rejoices; my body also dwells
secure.
10 For thou dost not give me up to Sheol, or let thy godly one see the
Pit.
11 Thou dost show me the path of life; in thy presence there is fulness
of joy, in thy right hand are pleasures for evermore.
www.dailyscripture.net
RETURN
TO TOP
|
|
UNIVERSAL CHURCH/WORLD EVENTS |
|
Facebook, Wikipedia and YouTube in the
Vatican
Preachers of Truth Meet Sellers of "My Own Truth"
By Jesús Colina ROME, NOV. 13, 2009 (Zenit.org).-
There are not a few voices in the Church calling for the
message of the Gospel to make better use of the Internet
-- Benedict XVI's is among them.
And yet, when representatives of some of the most
successful Internet initiatives met in Rome today with
the European bishops' Commission for the Media, a great
difference in mentality became obvious, even if there
was also evidence of a genuine desire for mutual
understanding.
The chamber of the former hall of the synod of
bishops -- which the producers of "Angels and Demons"
rented for millions of euros -- witnessed two views of
reality: On one hand, an institution, the Church,
founded for 2,000 years on the proclamation of Truth;
and on the other, exponents of successful business
initiatives, which arose a few years ago, based on
giving everyone the chance to express "his own truth."
The meeting occurred in the context of a four-day
conference that began Thursday in the Vatican, promoted
by the Commission for the Media of the Council of
European Bishops' Conferences (CCEE).
Networking prelates
The meeting began with a survey among the bishops and
representatives of the episcopal commission.
Moderator Jim McDonnell of the Signis World Catholic
Association of Communication asked the bishops, priests
and some lay experts in communication -- just under 100
in total -- how many had a profile on Facebook. More
than one fourth raised their hand.
Nearly everyone in the group was familiar with
Wikipedia and about 10% had collaborated in editing one
of its entries.
Almost everyone had also viewed videos on YouTube and
about 15% had used the site to post one of their own.
Approximately 10% had used or followed Twitter.
The networkers
Then came the presentations from the Internet
representatives. Christophe Muller, director of YouTube
alliances in Southern and Eastern Europe, the Middle
East and Africa, illustrated the philosophy that gave
origin and life to Google.
In particular, he praised the Holy See's decision to
make a place for itself on YouTube.
And he presented a promotional video showing how the
great of the world -- from Barack Obama to the Queen of
England -- use this platform. Among them is Benedict
XVI.
Delphine Ménard, treasurer of Wikipedia, France,
explained how the collaborative encyclopedia does not
seek to give a view of truth, but rather aims for all
points of view to be represented.
For his part, Christian Hernandez, in charge of the
commercial development of Facebook, showed how Christian
initiatives have arisen in the Facebook world that range
from a Shrine of Lourdes profile, to "Jesus Daily," a
profile that offers phrases from the Gospel, and
has more than one million followers.
Among these initiatives, he also presented Benedict
XVI's profile. What he did not say is that this profile
was created by an unknown individual who has
fraudulently taken the Pope's identity.
In a subsequent conversation with ZENIT, Hernandez
said that today, this issue was brought to his attention
at the Vatican.
He said that Facebook has blocked a Vatican profile
page, but for the fraudulent Benedict XVI profile, he
was unable to offer a solution.
Apples and oranges
As the meeting moved to the questions-and-answers
stage, it was evident that there was clear difficulty in
understanding.
On one hand, the prelates acknowledged the limits of
the Catholic Church, which seeks to dialogue on the
Internet, but by and large uses basic pages: About 70%
of Catholic institutional sites have not introduced
interactive elements of Web 2.0.
Then as well -- contrary to what they expected -- the
bishops did not find themselves in a meeting with
communication experts, but rather with representatives
of enterprises with a very specific business model. This
model is their primary interest and leaves aside
humanistic considerations.
"Can one still speak of truth on social networks
based on the idea that each user has his truth?" one of
the prelates' working groups asked the Internet
representatives.
The representatives of the three enterprises agreed
that "power" has now gone to the users; users "control"
the media -- but they will be able to seek truth more
effectively knowing how to use the media.
TURN TO TOP
|
|
DAILY LITURGICAL SAINT |
|
http://www.americancatholic.org/Features/SaintofDay
RETURN TO TOP
|
|
GENERAL
MARIOLOGY |
|
Nativity of the Virgin Mary
The Gospel of Pseudo-Matthew
Translation by Saint Jerome
|
[Translated by Alexander Walker, Esq., one of
Her Majesty's Inspectors of Schools for
Scotland.]
HERE beginneth the book of the Birth of the
Blessed Mary and the Infancy of the Saviour.
Written in Hebrew by the Blessed Evangelist
Matthew, and translated into Latin by the
Blessed Presbyter Jerome.
To their
well-beloved brother Jerome the Presbyter,
Bishops Cromatius and Heliodorus in the Lord,
greeting.
The birth of
the Virgin Mary, and the nativity and infancy of
our Lord
Jesus Christ, we find in apocryphal books. But
considering that in them
many things contrary to our faith are written,
we have believed that they
ought all to be rejected, lest perchance we
should transfer the joy of
Christ to Antichrist. (1) While, therefore, we
were considering these
things, there came holy men, Parmenius and
Varinus, who said that your
Holiness had found a Hebrew volume, written by
the hand of the most blessed
Evangelist Matthew, in which also the birth of
the virgin mother herself,
and the infancy of our Saviour, were written.
And accordingly we entreat
your affection by our Lord Jesus Christ Himself,
to render it from the
Hebrew into Latin, (2) not so much for the
attainment of those things which
are the insignia of Christ, as for the exclusion
of the craft of heretics,
who, in order to teach bad doctrine, have
mingled their own lies with the
excellent nativity of Christ, that by the
sweetness of life they might hide
the bitterness of death. It will therefore
become your purest piety, either
to listen to us as your brethren entreating, or
to let us have as bishops
exacting, the debt of affection which you may
deem due.
REPLY TO THEIR
LETTER BY JEROME.
To my lords the
holy and most blessed Bishops Cromatius and
Heliodorus,
Jerome, a humble servant of Christ, in the Lord
greeting.
He who digs in
ground where he knows that there is gold, (3)
does not
instantly snatch at whatever the uptorn trench
may pour forth; but, before
the stroke of the quivering spade raises aloft
the glittering mass, he
meanwhile lingers over the sods to turn them
over and lift them up, and
especially he who has not added to his gains. An
arduous task is enjoined
upon me, since what your Blessedness has
commanded me, the holy Apostle and
Evangelist Matthew himself did not write for the
purpose of publishing. For
if he had not done it somewhat secretly, he
would have added it also to his
Gospel which he published. But he composed this
book in Hebrew; and so
little did he publish it, that at this day the
book written in Hebrew by
his own hand is in the possession of very
religious men, to whom in
successive periods of time it has been handed
down by those that were
before them. And this book they never at any
time gave to any one to
translate. And so it came to pass, that when it
was published by a disciple
of Manichaeus named Leucius, who also wrote the
falsely styled Acts of the
Apostles, this book afforded matter, not of
edification, but of perdition;
and the opinion of the Synod in regard to it was
according to its deserts,
that the ears of the Church should not be open
to it. Let the snapping of
those that bark against us now cease; for we do
not add this little book to
the canonical writings, but we translate what
was written by an Apostle and
Evangelist, that we may disclose the falsehood
of heresy. In this work,
then, we obey the commands of pious bishops as
well as oppose impious
heretics. It is the love of Christ, therefore,
which we fulfil, believing
that they will assist us by their prayers, who
through our obedience attain
to a knowledge of the holy infancy of our
Saviour.
There is extant
another letter to the same bishops, attributed
to Jerome: -
-
You ask me to
let you know what I think of a book held by some
to be
about the nativity of St. Mary. And so I wish
you to know that there is
much in it that is false. For one Seleucus, who
wrote the Sufferings of the
Apostles, composed this book. But, just as he
wrote what was true about
their powers, and the miracles they worked, but
said a great deal that was
false about their doctrine; so here too he has
invented many untruths out
of his own head. I shall take care to render it
word for word, exactly as
it is in the Hebrew, since it is asserted that
it was composed by the holy
Evangelist Matthew, and written in Hebrew, and
set at the head of his
Gospel. Whether this be true or not, I leave to
the author of the preface
and the trustworthiness of the writer: as for
myself, I pronounce them
doubtful; I do not affirm that they are clearly
false. But this I say
freely--and I think none of the faithful will
deny it -- that, whether
these stories be true or inventions, the sacred
nativity of St. Mary was
preceded by great miracles, and succeeded by the
greatest; and so by those
who believe that God can do these things, they
can be believed and read
without damaging their faith or imperilling
their souls. In short, so far
as I can, following the sense rather than the
words of the writer, and
sometimes walking in the same path, though not
in the same footsteps,
sometimes digressing a little, but still keeping
the same road, I shall in
this way keep by the style of the narrative, and
shall say nothing that is
not either written there, or might, following
the same train of thought,
have been written. |
|
RETURN TO TOP
|
|
DIVINE MERCY
|
Divine Mercy In my soul
The Mercy of the Lord I will sing Forever.
Divine Mercy in my soul.
Sr. Faustina, Diary
NOTEBOOK V I
J.M.J.
The barque of my life
sails along
Amid darkness and shadows of night,
And I see no shore;
I am sailing the high seas.
The slightest storm would drown me,
Engulfing my boat in the swirling depths,
If you yourself did not watch over me, O God,
At each instant and moment of my life.
Amid the roaring waves
I sail peacefully, trustingly,
And gaze like a child into the distance without fear,
Because You, O Jesus, are my Light.
Dread and terror is all about me,
But within my soul is peace more profound than the depths of the sea,
For he who is with You, O Lord, will not perish;
Of this Your love assures me, O God.
Though a host of dangers surround me,
None of them do I fear, for I fix my gaze on the starry sky,
And I sail along bravely and merrily,
As becomes a pure heart.
And if the ship of my life sails so peacefully,
This is due to but one thing above all:
You are my helmsman, O God.
This I confess with utmost humility.
RETURN TO TOP
|
|
CATHOLIC TEACHING/CONVICTION/TESTIMONY |
|
Do You Find It Difficult to Say:
"Good Job!" to a Friend?
|
|
|
by John Le
hen I was in high school, I was a pretty good student.
In fact, I had nearly straight A's and one of the
highest GPAs in my class. Every semester, I brought my
outstanding report card home to my parents for them to
see. My dad would open the envelope, look at the grades,
then nonchalantly put the report back into the envelope
and give it back to me. There was never a word of
praise. Sometimes, I tried to look at his facial
expressions to see if there was anything there, but I
could never be sure what was on his mind at that moment.
Although I have eventually come to understand my dad
much better and realize how proud he was of me even
though he never told me so, I often wonder what it would
have been like if he sometimes gave me a pat on the
shoulder and said "Good job, son!" Praising one another
is oftentimes a difficult thing to do. In our Vietnamese
culture, parents often do not praise their children
because we are not an openly affectionate people. Some
parents may also fear that praising their children may
provoke them to have big heads. The virtue of humility
is especially valued among the Vietnamese people. But
for others, praising is also difficult because they have
a difficult time appreciating the goodness in others. As
far as this is concerned, the lack of praising is not
necessarily just in the Vietnamese culture. There is a
significant lack of it in the American culture as well.
It is not just a cultural issue but also a personal one.
Praising, if done properly, can help to create a climate
where people feel good about themselves and as a result
have a sense of self-worth that helps them to fulfill
their potential. Believe it or not, many people find it
difficult to praise another person for one minute.
Imagine right now, that you were standing in front of a
friend who just gave a great performance at a church
event. Can you say something more to him/her than "Good
job!"? Chances are, you may find that you quickly run
out of things to say after these initial phrases. You
may even find yourself embarrassed about saying these
nice things. On the other hand, a lot of us can go on
and on with criticisms.
Everyday, all around us, there are countless
opportunities for us to praise others--a good tennis
game, a beautifully written essay, a nice effort at some
project. Praise is really our effort at removing
ourselves from the picture and letting others "be" who
they are. According to C.S. Lewis, "The humblest, and at
the same time, most balanced and capacious minds,
praised most, while the cranks, misfits and malcontents
praised least. The good critics found something to
praise in many imperfect works; the bad ones continually
narrowed the list of books we might be allowed to read.
The healthy and unaffected [person], even if luxuriously
brought up and widely experienced in good cookery, could
praise a very modest meal; the dyspeptic and the snob
found fault with all."
When we praise, we focus on the individual that we are
praising and not on ourselves. When we praise others, we
say things like "You sang that song beautifully!" or "I
have never seen you play the piano better" or "That poem
you wrote was the best one you've ever written." As we
can see, there is no reference to me or other people in
these praises. We only look at the worthy things in the
person we are praising and letting him/her know that we
appreciate what he/she has.
As Christians, we are continuously encouraged to give
praise to God. We praise God for all the good things
that God has done. We praise God for the beauty that God
has created in the world. In that same spirit, we are
also encouraged to praise our families, friends,
neighbors, co-workers, and perhaps even strangers.
Praising is no more than us telling the truth about what
we see in the other person. This sounds simple enough,
but unfortunately, many of us don't really know how to
praise. For example, an attempt at praise might sound
like this, "That was pretty good, but you could have
done better" or "That was not bad." This comes across as
half-hearted and maybe even stingy. One reason that many
people have trouble with praise is because they have
been brought up in environments where praise is not
readily available. But another reason may be because
they just don't want to do it. For some, it is a matter
of personal jealousy or competition. This attitude
certainly says more about the person who refuses to
praise than the object of the praise. For others, it is
because they don't want to come across as "kissing up"
or "brown-nosing."
In my opinion, it is not necessarily a good thing to
continuously praise, especially when it's disingenuous
or untruthful. There is such a thing as over-praise.
However, in a culture when there is hardly enough
praise, we should not worry so much about over-doing it.
Moreover, if we are sincere with our praise, we should
not worry about what others think. As a person, I feel
that sometimes, it is important for me to be praised by
my friends, teachers, and family. Being praised helps me
to feel affirmed in the things that I do and encourages
me to continue the things that I've been doing. On the
other hand, giving praise also gives me joy because it
is an act of unselfishness. It is also an act of
openness to the things and people around me and finding
myself able to appreciate them. All these things help me
to grow as an individual. Thus, we all should not
hesitate to give praise when it is proper and genuine,
and receive praise from others with joy and
gratefulness.
|
|
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
|
|
|
|
|