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"

March 22, 2009 -  Sunday in 3rd Week of Lent     LITURGICAL/THEME MEDITATION: “God so loved the world that he gave us his only Son” UNIVERSAL CHURCH/WORLD EVENT(S): Benedict XVI's Greetings at Angolan Airport SAINT OF THE DAY St. Nicholas Owen  GENERAL MARIOLOGY Our Lady of Mount Carmel: History, the Scapular, and Marian Mediation Our Lady of Mount Carmel and Fatima DIVINE MERCY On God's Will In A Mysterious Manner  TEACHING/TESTIMONY/CONVICTION: Papal Address to Youth at Dos Coqueiros Stadium

DAILY LITURGICAL MEDITATION

“God so loved the world that he gave us his only Son” Gospel Reading: John 3:14-21 14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of man be lifted up, 15 that whoever believes in him may have eternal life." 16 For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God sent the Son into the world, not to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him. 18 He who believes in him is not condemned; he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. 19 And this is the judgment, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. 20 For every one who does evil hates the light, and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. 21 But he who does what is true comes to the light, that it may be clearly seen that his deeds have been wrought in God. Old Testament Reading: 2 Chronicles 36:14-16,19-23 14 All the leading priests and the people likewise were exceedingly unfaithful, following all the abominations of the nations; and they polluted the house of the LORD which he had hallowed in Jerusalem. 15 The LORD, the God of their fathers, sent persistently to them by his messengers, because he had compassion on his people and on his dwelling place; (2 Chronicles 36:14-15) Meditation: Do you know the healing power of Christ's redeeming love? The prophets never ceased to speak of God's faithfulness and compassion towards those who would return to him with trust and obedience (2 Chronicles 36:15). When Jesus spoke to Nicodemus he prophesied that his death on the cross would bring healing and forgiveness and a "new birth in the Spirit" (John 3:3) and eternal life (John 3:15). Jesus explained the necessity of his crucifixion and resurrection by analogy with Moses and the bronze serpent in the desert. When the people of Israel journeyed in the wilderness, they complained against the Lord and regretted ever leaving Egypt. God punished them for their stubborn and rebellious hearts by sending a plague of deadly serpents. When they repented and cried to the Lord for mercy, God instructed Moses: "Make a fiery serpent, and set it on a pole; and every one who is bitten, when he sees it, shall live" (Numbers 21:8). The bronze serpent pointed to the cross of Christ which defeats sin and death and obtains everlasting life for those who believe. The result of Jesus "being lifted up on the cross" and his rising and exaltation to the Father's right hand in heaven, is our "new birth in the Spirit" and adoption as sons and daughters of God. God not only redeems us, but he fills us with his own divine life and power that we might share in his glory. Jesus gives us the Holy Spirit that we may have power to be his witnesses and to spread and defend the gospel by word and action, and to never be ashamed of the Cross of Christ. The Holy Spirit gives us his seven-fold gifts of wisdom and understanding, right judgment and courage, knowledge and reverence for God and his ways, and a holy fear in God's presence (see Isaiah 11) that we may live for God and serve him in the power of his strength. Do you thirst for new life in the Spirit? How do we know, beyond a doubt, that God truly loves us and wants us to be united with him forever? For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16). God proved his love for us by giving us the best he had to offer – his only begotten Son who freely gave himself as an offering to God for our sake and as the atoning sacrifice for our sin and the sin of the world. This passage tells us of the great breadth and width of God's love. Not an exclusive love for just a few or for a single nation, but an all-embracing redemptive love for the whole world, and a personal love for each and every individual whom God has created in his own image and likeness. God is a loving Father who cannot rest until his wandering children have returned home to him. Saint Augustine of Hippo says, "God loves each one of us as if there were only one of us to love." God gives us the freedom to choose whom and what we will love. Jesus shows us the paradox of love and judgment. We can love the darkness of sin and unbelief or we can love the light of God’s truth, beauty, and goodness. If our love is guided by what is true, and good and beautiful then we will choose for God and love him above all else. What we love shows what we prefer. Do you love God above all else? Do you give him first place in your life, in your thoughts, decisions and actions?  "Lord Jesus Christ, your death on the cross brought life, healing, and pardon for us. May your love consume and transform my life that I may desire you above all else. Help me to love what you love, to desire what you desire, and to reject what you reject".   Psalm 137:1-6 1 By the waters of Babylon, there we sat down and wept, when we remembered Zion. 2 On the willows there we hung up our lyres. 3 For there our captors required of us songs, and our tormentors, mirth, saying, "Sing us one of the songs of Zion!" 4 How shall we sing the LORD's song in a foreign land? 5 If I forget you, O Jerusalem, let my right hand wither! 6 Let my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth, if I do not remember you, if I do not set Jerusalem  above my highest joy!   www.dailyscripture.net   RETURN TO TOP

UNIVERSAL CHURCH/WORLD EVENTS

Benedict XVI's Greetings at Angolan Airport "Your Land Is Abundant and Your Nation Is Mighty"   LUANDA, Angola, MARCH 20, 2009 (Zenit.org).- Here is the address Benedict XVI gave today upon arriving at the Quatro de Fevereiro Airport in Luanda on the second phase of his international trip to Africa. * * * Mr President, Distinguished Civil and Military Authorities, Dear Brother Bishops, Dear Angolan Friends, With sincere sentiments of respect and friendship, I set foot on the soil of this noble and young nation in the course of a pastoral visit in which I intend to reach out to the entire African continent, even if it has been necessary to restrict the itinerary to Yaoundé and to Luanda. I would like everyone to know, however, that I keep very much in my heart and in my prayers Africa in general and the people of Angola in particular, whom I warmly encourage to continue along the path of peace-building and reconstruction of the country and its institutions. Mr President, I begin by thanking you for your kind invitation to visit Angola and for the warm words of welcome that you have just addressed to me. Please accept my respectful greetings and my very best wishes, which I also extend to the other Authorities who have kindly come here to receive me. I greet the whole of the Catholic Church in Angola in the persons of the Bishops here present, and I thank all my Angolan friends for the affectionate welcome they have given me. To those who are listening on radio and television, I offer a further cordial greeting, certain of Heaven’s blessing on the common mission that has been entrusted to us: that of building together a freer and more peaceful society, marked by greater solidarity. How can I fail to recall the famous visitor who blessed Angola in June 1992: my beloved Predecessor John Paul II? A tireless missionary of Jesus Christ to the furthest ends of the earth, he pointed out the way towards God, inviting all people of good will to listen to their own rightly formed consciences and to build a society of justice, of peace and of solidarity, in mutual charity and forgiveness. For my part, I remind you that I come from a country where peace and fraternity are dear to the hearts of all its people, in particular those, like myself, who have known war and division between family members from the same nation as a result of inhuman and destructive ideologies, which, under the false appearance of dreams and illusions, caused the yoke of oppression to weigh down upon the people. You can therefore understand how keenly aware I am of dialogue as a way of overcoming every form of conflict and tension and making every nation -- including your own -- into a house of peace and fraternity. With this in view, you must take from your spiritual and cultural heritage the best values that Angola possesses, and go out to meet one another fearlessly, agreeing to share personal resources, both spiritual and material, for the good of all. How can our thoughts not turn also to the people from the province of Kunene, who have been afflicted by torrential rains and floods, causing numerous deaths and leaving many families without shelter through the destruction of their homes? At this time I would like to offer those people the assurance of my solidarity, together with a particular encouragement to have the confidence to start again with the help of all. Dear Angolans, your land is abundant and your nation is mighty. Make use of these advantages to build peace and understanding between peoples, based upon loyalty and equality that can promote for Africa the peaceful future in solidarity that everyone longs for and to which everyone is entitled. To this end, I ask you: do not yield to the law of the strongest! God has enabled human beings to fly, over and above their natural tendencies, on the wings of reason and faith. If you let these wings bear you aloft, you will easily recognize your neighbour as a brother or sister, born with the same fundamental human rights. Unfortunately, within the borders of Angola, there are still many poor people demanding that their rights be respected. The multitude of Angolans who live below the threshold of absolute poverty must not be forgotten. Do not disappoint their expectations! This is a huge task, requiring greater civic participation on everyone’s part. It is necessary to involve the whole of Angolan civil society in this effort; but society needs to grow stronger and more articulated, both among its constitutive elements and in its dialogue with the Government, before it can take up the challenge. Before there can be a society that is truly solicitous for the common good, there have to be common values, shared by all. I am convinced that modern Angola will be able to find such values in the Gospel of Jesus Christ, as happened long ago, at the time of your illustrious forebear, Dom Alphonsus I Mbemba-a-Nzinga. Through his efforts, five hundred years ago, a Christian kingdom emerged in Mbanza Congo which survived until the eighteenth century. From its ashes, at the turn of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, a renewed Church could arise which has continued to grow right up to our own days; may God be thanked for it! This is the immediate occasion for my visit to Angola: to be together with one of the oldest Catholic communities in sub-equatorial Africa, to strengthen it in its faith in the risen Jesus and to join its sons and daughters in praying that this time of peace in Angola, in justice and fraternity, may prove lasting, allowing the community to carry out the mission that God has entrusted to it for the good of its people within the family of Nations. May God bless Angola! © Copyright 2009 -- Libreria Editrice Vaticana   RETURN TO TOP

DAILY LITURGICAL SAINT

March 22, 2009 St. Nicholas Owen (d. 1606)   Nicholas, familiarly known as "Little John," was small in stature but big in the esteem of his fellow Jesuits. Born at Oxford, this humble artisan saved the lives of many priests and laypersons in England during the penal times (1559-1829), when a series of statutes punished Catholics for the practice of their faith. Over a period of about 20 years he used his skills to build secret hiding places for priests throughout the country. His work, which he did completely by himself as both architect and builder, was so good that time and time again priests in hiding were undetected by raiding parties. He was a genius at finding, and creating, places of safety: subterranean passages, small spaces between walls, impenetrable recesses. At one point he was even able to mastermind the escape of two Jesuits from the Tower of London. Whenever Nicholas set out to design such hiding places, he began by receiving the Holy Eucharist, and he would turn to God in prayer throughout the long, dangerous construction process. After many years at his unusual task, he entered the Society of Jesus and served as a lay brother, although—for very good reasons—his connection with the Jesuits was kept secret. After a number of narrow escapes, he himself was finally caught in 1594. Despite protracted torture, he refused to disclose the names of other Catholics. After being released following the payment of a ransom, "Little John" went back to his work. He was arrested again in 1606. This time he was subjected to horrible tortures, suffering an agonizing death. The jailers tried suggesting that he had confessed and committed suicide, but his heroism and sufferings soon were widely known. He was canonized in 1970 as one of the 40 Martyrs of England and Wales. Comment: Nicholas was a clever builder and architect who used his skills to protect endangered priests. Without his help, hundreds of English Catholics would have been deprived of the sacraments. His gift for spotting unlikely places to hide priests was impressive, but more impressive was his habit of seeking support for his work in prayer and the Eucharist. If we follow his example, we may also discover surprising ways to put our skills to God’s service.   http://www.americancatholic.org/Features/SaintofDay RETURN TO TOP

GENERAL MARIOLOGY

Our Lady of Mount Carmel: History, the Scapular, and Marian Mediation By Amy Farrell Our Lady of Mount Carmel and Fatima In the sixth apparition of Fatima on October 13, 1917, the Blessed Virgin Mary first appeared as Our Lady of the Rosary (58). After Our Lady of the Rosary spoke with the children, she disappeared into the distance. Then followed a series of three visions: St. Joseph with the child Jesus, followed by Our Lady of Sorrows and then Our Lady of Mount Carmel. After this series of visions, approximately 70,000 onlookers witnessed the solar miracle in which the sun "danced in the sky" and appeared to plummet toward the earth (59). Many have speculated that these three visions represent the mysteries of the Rosary, in which the vision of Our Lady of Mount Carmel with the Scapular, corresponds to the Glorious Mysteries, pointing to the significance of Our Lady and the Scapular in obtaining Eternal Life (60). The importance of the Scapular promise is conveyed based on Our Lady’s message to the world, "You have seen hell where the souls of poor sinners go. To save them, God wishes to establish in the world devotion to my Immaculate Heart" (61). In the fourth apparition, Our Lady tells the children again to pray the Rosary daily, for world peace and the end of the First World War, and that "only she can help you" (62). She teaches the children the prayer attached to the Rosary, "O my Jesus, forgive us, save us from the fires of hell. Lead all souls to heaven, especially those who are most in need" (63). In these words, she reveals the parallel importance of the Scapular and consecration to her Immaculate Heart. In the seventh apparition to Sr. Lucia on December 10, 1925, Our Lady appeared with the Child Jesus who said, "Have compassion on the Heart of your most Holy Mother, covered with thorns, with which ungrateful men pierce it at every moment, and there is no one to make an act of reparation to remove them" (64). In this seventh apparition, Our Lady promises Sr. Lucia to "assist at the hour of death, with the graces necessary for salvation" those who on five consecutive first Saturdays fulfill the following conditions: 1) receive sacramental confession; 2) receive Holy Communion; 3) pray five decades of the Rosary; and 4) "keep me company" while meditating for fifteen minutes on any number of the Rosary mysteries, with the intention of making reparation to her Immaculate Heart (65). This promise is in accordance with the Scapular promise, both which emphasize Our Lady’s role, determined by Our Lord, to assist her children in achieving eternal salvation. Our Lady of Mount Carmel and the Life of the Christian It is evident in the messages of Fatima, that Our Lady is teaching the world about establishing devotion to her Immaculate Heart. Let us consider, in summary, how consecration to the Immaculate Heart of Mary is related to Our Lady of Mount Carmel. In order to consider this relationship, it is necessary to turn the attention again to the meaning of "Mount Carmel." In a conference on Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Fr. John Corapi, S.O.L.T., speaks of the mystical yet real relation between Carmel and the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Carmel or "Garden of God," is a place where fruit is brought forth. Thus, Carmel prefigures the perfect Garden of God, Mary’s Immaculate Heart. The Immaculate Heart of Mary is where Jesus, "the Life" (Jn 14:6) is found. Many saints, including St. Leo and St. Augustine, explain that Mary conceived Jesus in her heart before He was conceived in her womb. God dwells in the Immaculate Heart of Mary, the Garden of God, where He calls us also to dwell and to be nourished with the life of Grace. Mary said "yes" to God and conceived Jesus, "the Life" Himself. Her Immaculate Heart is the perfect environment for supernatural life to flourish, as in her Immaculate Heart the Garden of God is found. Every garden requires a principle of life; in the Immaculate Heart of Mary, the Garden of God, this is God the Father. A garden likewise requires another principle of life: the sun. Jesus the Son of God and Son of Mary gives the Garden warmth, love and sheds the light of truth. Likewise, every garden needs water. The living water of Eternal life, the Holy Spirit, nourishes and gives life to the Garden (and all that is planted in the garden). The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit dwell in Mary’s Immaculate Heart, so we take refuge in this "Garden of God," Mary’s Immaculate Heart, where God dwells. Thus Carmel shows us the way to the preeminent Garden of God, the Immaculate Heart of Mary. It is here that her children are to take refuge and to live in God’s Grace (66). In returning to the reflection on the meaning of "Carmel" in light of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, and the significance for our world today, consider the three Scriptural citations mentioned in the Introduction. These characteristics by no means exhaust the symbolic significance of Mount Carmel, yet they provide the means for a deepened understanding. Mount Carmel is a place of gathering of God’s children where He conquers evil and idolatry: "Now therefore send and gather all Israel to me at Mount Carmel, and the four hundred and fifty prophets of Ba'al and the four hundred prophets of Ashe'rah, who eat at Jez'ebel's table." So Ahab sent to all the people of Israel, and gathered the prophets together at Mount Carmel (1 Kings 18:19, 20). The Lord told Elijah to gather His people on Mount Carmel, where a great spiritual battle would take place. Here, Elijah restored the Israelites to the covenant with God, as the false god, Ba’al is defeated and the Lord is again worshiped as the true God. Our Lady of Mount Carmel wishes to gather her children together, in the Spirit of Carmel, assisting her children in offering our lives in the service of Our Lord, through prayer and sacrifice, willing to engage in a spiritual battle which will bring about the ultimate victory of good over evil. The gathering on Mount Carmel in the Old Testament, points to the reality that today we must be united in this battle, under the mantle of Our Lady, the woman who crushes the head of the serpent (Gen 3:15). The Scapular speaks of the Blessed Mother’s victory over evil, as she promises that those who die wearing the Scapular will not suffer eternal fire. In other words, through the protection of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, the soul will not be lost to Satan. Our Lord was revealed as the true God on Mount Carmel, conquering the pagan god, Ba’al. As Mount Carmel symbolizes Our Lord’s triumph over evil, this will happen through the maternal intercession of Our Lady of Mount Carmel who promises salvation to her children who strive to remain united to her.  http://www.motherofallpeoples.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1617&Itemid=40    RETURN TO TOP

DIVINE MERCY

Divine Mercy In my soul   Preface The diary of Sister Maria Faustina H. Kowalska is the record of her life experience – the journey of her soul. She was graces by a special communion with God, and the diary expresses her conviction that this communion ought to be the center of our lives. Since the 1940’s the Marians of the Immaculate Conception, St. Stanislaus Kostka Province, have shared this conviction and have undertaken the promulgation of God’s mercy throughout the world, particularly as it has been proclaimed by Sister Faustina. In 1979, convinced of the importance of the diary, the Marians were instrumental in bringing it – in its rough typewritten form – out of Poland. We made the necessary corrections to the manuscript and published a critical Polish edition that has been promulgated throughout the world to Polish speaking people. At the same time, we commissioned a couple in Poland, Adam and Danuta Pasicki, to translate the diary into English. Once they had completed this first, literal translation, we asked Archbishop George Pearce, S.M., to re-translate portions of it in accordance with proper English terminology for the various theological concepts and spiritual experiences referred to throughout the diary. Archbishop Pearce was supported in this second translation by Fahters George Kosicki, C.S.B., Gerald Farrel, M.M., Leo McCauley, S.J, and an Oblate, Francis Baga, O.M.I. When this text was completed, it was given to Father Seraphim Michalenko, M.I.C, who was Director of the Divine Mercy Department from 1979-1986. Together with Sister Sophia Michalenko, C.M.G.T., he carefully reviewed the translation, often referring back to the original Polish to ensure exactness of expression. Father Joseph Sielski, M.I.C and Father Kazimierz, M.I.C., were then asked to review the text, re-reading it for authentic agreement with the Polish. Finally, in the first part of 1987, the text was returned to the Divine Mercy Department, now headed by Father George Kosicki, C.S.B. through his efforts, the tireless work of Sister Sophia Michalenko, C.M.G.T, and the assistance of Vincent Flynn, the diary was subjected to a complete editing, re-typing, and proofing process for clarity of expression and readability according to current English grammar and usage. The index, listing the main themes of the diary, was compiled by Father Eugene Ozimek and developed by Fr. George Kosicki and Sister Sophia. The design, composition, and mechanicals were then completed by Charles Parise and Pat Menatti, and the diary was printed by the Marian Press at the Marian helpers center. To all involved with this work, we wish to express our deepest gratitude and the assurance of our prayers. Since the Polish diary is the official text, we have made every effort to be truly faithful to it, and to retain the various shades of meaning implied in the theological and spiritual terms used by Sister Faustina – a definite challenge, indeed! In translating the diary, we dealt with the same kind of challenge that faces the translators of Sacred Scripture. Some terms allow for a variety of expressions even though the meanings are the same, and the final translation thus becomes a personal choice of style and expression on the part of the translator. For the most part, the texts that have already been published in the popular devotional booklets are the same as those used in the diary, though in some instances, there again may be slight differences of style and expression. Special Features of this New English Edition In the final editing process, inconsistencies of verb tense, capitalization, and punctuation were standardized as much as possible without losing Sister Faustina’s unique style and powerful simplicity of expression. Our Lord’s words to Sister Faustina were set in Bold Type (We, Sue and Marianne, Put Our Lord’s words in Red, Our Lady’s in Blue, and Angels in Purple) for emphasis, while Our Lady’s words were set in Italics. The page numbers of Sister Faustina’s original notebooks were also set in bold type, and paragraphs thought to be overly long or diversified in content were split into shorter paragraph units for readability. The footnotes too, have been reexamined, and additional clarifying notes have been added where necessary. Notes that were no longer pertinent, in light of changes incorporated into the English translation, were deleted; and, wherever possible, explanatory notes were placed in [square brackets] in the text itself to avoid unnecessary breaks in the reading. Our deepest hope is that this diary may truly be a vehicle of grace for all who read it, for in reading it we can see that the mercy of God lives forever. Above all, we hope that all people will be struck by the truth that mankind will not have peace until it turns with trust to God’s mercy. May each one of you experience the power of the Blood and Water that poured out from the Heart of Jesus as a fount of mercy, and may each of you find confidence and trust in this ever present mercy of God! Gratefully in the Lord, Very Rev. Richard J. Drabik, M.I.C. Provincial Superior Eden Hill, Stockbridge, Massachusetts March 19, 1987. ORIGINAL PREFACE TO THE POLISH EDITION, 1981 In presenting this edition of the Diary of Sister Faustina Kowalska I am fully aware that I am introducing a document of Catholic mysticism of exceptional worth, not only for the Church in Poland, but also for the Universal Church. This publication is the critical edition, and thus reliable. It is the work of the Postulator of Sister Faustina, under the direction of the authority of the Archdiocese of Cracow. The Diary, whose object is devotion to the Divine Mercy, has acquired tremendous interest lately for two reasons: Firstly: the Sacred Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, in its revision more then two years ago [1978], withdrew the consures and reservations advanced earlier by the Holy See in relation to the writings of Sister Faustina. The withdrawal of the “Notification” caused the devotion to the Divine Mercy, as presented in the Diary, to grow in renewed vitality on all continents, as is evidenced by the numerous testimonies received by the Postulator and the Congregation of which Sister Faustina was a member. Secondly: The recent encyclical of Pope John Paul II, Dives in Misericordia, happily fixed the attention of the Church, and even of the secular world, on this most wonderful attribute of God and extraordinary aspect of the economy of salvation, which is the Divine Mercy. A comprehensive study in order to indicate the affinity of ideas found in the Diary of Sister Faustina and this encyclical (not to mention their probable interdependence) would be most welcome. These salient points certainly are numerous, for they draw their inspiration from the same source; namely, from the revelation of God and the teaching of Christ. Furthermore, they come from the same spiritual environment, from Cracow, the city which, as far as I know, possesses the oldest Church dedicated to the honor of the Divine Mercy. It is likewise necessary to stress that it was Karol Cardinal Wojtyla, the Archbishop of Cracow at that time, who made efforts to begin the Process of Beatification of Sister Faustina Kowalska and did inaugurate that process. In this light, the Diary of Sister Faustina took on exceptional meaning for the Catholic spirituality; and that is why it was fitting to prepare a credible edition, in order to prevent distortion of the text by persons who perhaps are acting in good faith, but who are not adequately prepared for such work. Thus, publications containing differences and even contradictions, such as took place with the spiritual diary of St. Therese of the Child Jesus, The Story of a Soul, can be avoided. The reader, after just a superficial skimming of the Diary, may be struck by the simplicity of the language and even by the spelling and stylistic errors, but he should not forget that the author of the Diary had but a limited elementary education. The theology alone which is found in the Dairy awakens in the reader a conviction of its uniqueness; and if one considers the contrast between Sister Faustina’s education and the loftiness of her theology, the contrast alone indicates the special influence of Divine Grace. I would like to mention here my meeting with a well known contemporary mystic, Sister Speranza, who in Collevalenza, not far from Todi [Italy], founded the sanctuary of “The Most Merciful Love,” the site of numerous pilgrimages. I asked Sister Speranza whether she had heard of the writings of Sister Faustina and what she thought of them. She answered me with simplicity: “The writings contain a wonderful teaching. But reading them one must remember that God speaks to philosophers in the language of philosophers and to simple souls in the language of the simple ones, and only to these last does He reveal truths hidden from the wise and prudent of this world.” To conclude this preface, permit me to mention yet one more personal recollection from the year 1952, when for the first time I took part in a solemn beatification ceremony in St. Peter’s Basilica. After the festivity I was asked by some persons who also participated, “Who exactly was this blessed one?” The question embarrassed me very much, because at the moment I could not recall who those blessed were, although I knew full well that the real purpose of a beatification is to present to the People of God a model to consider and imitate in their lives. Among the candidates for beatification and canonization, Poland has presently two persons familiar to the whole world, which knows who they are, what they accomplished in their lifetime and what sort of message their lives proclaim. They are Blessed [now Saint] Maximilian Kolbe, the martyr of love, and Sister Faustina Kowalska, [now Saint] the Apostle of the Divine Mercy. Rome, December 20, 1980 Andrew M. Deskur Titular Archbishop of Tene. This I confess with utmost humility. http://our.homewithgod.com/divinemercy/book5/ RETURN TO TOP

CATHOLIC  TEACHING/CONVICTION/TESTIMONY

Papal Address to Youth at Dos Coqueiros Stadium "The Power to Shape the Future Is Within You"   LUANDA, Angola, MARCH 21, 2009 (Zenit.org).- Here is the address Benedict XVI gave today at a meeting with youth at Dos Coqueiros Stadium in Luanda. * * * Dear Friends, You have come here in great numbers to be with the Successor of Peter, and you represent so many other young people who are one with us in spirit. You have come to join me in proclaiming openly the joy of our faith in Jesus Christ, and in renewing your commitment to be his faithful disciples in our time. A meeting much like this took place here in Luanda on June 7, 1992 with our beloved Pope John Paul II. Today another Pope stands before you: with a different appearance, but with the same love in his heart, and he embraces all of you in Jesus Christ, who is "the same yesterday, today and forever" (Heb 13:8). First of all I want to thank you for this celebration which you have planned for me, for the festive atmosphere which you yourselves generate, for your presence and for your joy. I cordially greet my brother Bishops and priests and all those who are engaged in youth ministry. I likewise greet with gratitude all who have prepared this event, especially the Bishops' Commission for Young People and Vocations, and its President, Bishop Kanda Almeida, whom I thank for his warm words of welcome. I greet all the young people present, Catholics and others, who are looking for an answer to their questions and difficulties. Some of these have been expressed by your representatives, and I have listened to them with gratitude and appreciation. The embrace I exchanged with them is, naturally, an embrace which I offer to all of you. Meeting young people is good for everyone! You may have your share of difficulties, but you are filled with great hope, great enthusiasm and a great desire to make a new beginning. My young friends, you hold within yourselves the power to shape the future. I encourage you to look to that future through the eyes of the Apostle John. Saint John tells us: "I saw a new Heaven and a new earth ... and I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of Heaven, from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband; and I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, 'Behold the dwelling of God is with men'" (Rev 21:1-3). Dear young people, God makes all the difference. His special presence among us begins with his easy intimacy with the first couple in the garden of Eden; it continues with the divine glory which shone forth from the Tent of Meeting in the midst of the People of Israel during their journey through the desert, and it culminates in the incarnation of the Son of God who became inseparably one with humanity in Jesus Christ. Jesus himself traversed the desert of our humanity and, passing beyond death, he rose from the dead and now draws all humanity with himself towards God. Jesus is no longer confined to a particular place and time. His Spirit, the Holy Spirit, flows forth from him, enters our hearts and thus joins us to him, and with him to the Father -- to the God who is one and three. Yes, my friends! God makes all the difference ... and more! God changes us; he makes us new! This is what he has promised: "Behold, I make all things new" (Rev 21:5). It is true! The Apostle Paul tells us: "If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has passed away, behold the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled himself to us" (2 Cor 5:17-18). In ascending to Heaven and entering eternity, Jesus Christ has become the Lord of all ages. So he can walk with us as a friend in the present, carrying in his hand the book of our days. In his hand he also holds the past, the foundation and source of our life. He also carefully holds the future, allowing us to catch a glimpse of the most beautiful dawn we will ever see: the dawn that radiates from him, the dawn of the Resurrection. God is the future of a new humanity, which is anticipated in his Church. When you have a chance, take time to read the Church's history. You will find that the Church does not grow old with the passing of the years. Rather, she grows younger, for she is journeying towards her Lord, day by day drawing nearer to the one true fountain overflowing with youthfulness, rebirth, the power of life. Dear young people, the future is God. As we have just heard, "he will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more; neither shall there be mourning, nor crying nor pain any more, for the former things have passed away" (Rev 21:4). At present though, and even in our midst, I see some of the many thousands of young Angolans who have been maimed or disabled as a result of the war and the landmines. I think of the countless tears that have been shed for the loss of your relatives and friends. It is not hard to imagine the dark clouds that still veil the horizon of your fondest hopes and dreams. In your hearts I see doubt, a doubt which you have expressed to me today. You are saying: "Here is what we have. There is no visible sign of the things you are talking about! The promise is backed by God's word -- and we believe it -- but when will God arise and renew all things?" Jesus' answer is the one he gave to his disciples: "Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God. Believe also in me. In my Father's house there are many rooms; if it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you?" (Jn 14:1-2). But you persist, dear young people: "Yes! But when will this happen?" The Apostles asked Jesus a similar question, and his answer was: "It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has fixed by his own authority. But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be my witnesses ... to the ends of the earth" (Acts 1:7-8). See how Jesus does not leave us without an answer; he tells us one thing very clearly: renewal starts from within; you will receive a power from on high. The power to shape the future is within you. It is within you, but how? Just as life exists within a seed. That is how Jesus explained it at a critical juncture in his ministry. The beginning of his ministry was accompanied by great enthusiasm. People saw the sick healed, demons cast out, the Gospel proclaimed, but otherwise the world had not changed: the Romans remained in power and everyday life continued to be hard, despite those miracles and those beautiful words. People's enthusiasm was waning so much that even some of his disciples had left the Master (cf. Jn 6:66) who preached but did not change the world. Everyone was asking: deep down, what value does this message have? What has this prophet of God brought us? It was then that Jesus spoke about the sower who sows in the field of the world, and he explained that the seed is his word (Mk 4:3-20) and his miracles of healing. These are so few in comparison to the immense needs and demands of everyday life. And yet, deep within the seed, the future is already present, since the seed contains tomorrow's bread, tomorrow's life. The seed seems almost nothing. But it is the presence of the future, the promise already present. When it falls on good soil, it produces fruit, thirty, sixty and even a hundredfold. My dear friends, you are a seed which God has sown in the world, a seed that contains power from on high, the power of the Holy Spirit. And yet, the only way to pass from the promise of life to actually bearing fruit is to give your lives in love, to die for love. Jesus himself said: "Unless a grain of wheat falls to the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. He who loves his life loses it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life" (Jn 12:24-25). This is what Jesus said, and this is how he acted. His crucifixion seems like complete failure, but it is not! Jesus, in the power of "the eternal Spirit, offered himself without blemish to God" (Heb 9:14). Thus, once he fell to the earth, he could bear fruit in every time and place. In your midst you have the new Bread, the Bread of future life, the Most Holy Eucharist, which nourishes us and pours out the life of the Trinity into the hearts of all people. Dear young people, as seeds filled with the power of the same eternal Spirit, sprout up before the warmth of the Eucharist, in which the Lord's testament is fulfilled: he gives himself to us and we respond by giving ourselves to others, for love of him. This is the way that leads to life; it can be followed only by maintaining a constant dialogue with the Lord and among yourselves. The dominant societal culture is not helping you to live by Jesus' word or to practise the self-giving to which he calls you in accordance with the Father's plan. Yet, dear friends, you have the power within you, just as it was in Jesus when he said: "the Father who dwells in me does his works... he who believes in me, will also do the works that I do; and he will do greater works than these, because I go to the Father" (Jn 14:10,12). So do not be afraid to make definitive decisions. You do not lack generosity -- that I know! But the idea of risking a lifelong commitment, whether in marriage or in a life of special consecration, can be daunting. You might think: "The world is in constant flux and life is full of possibilities. Can I make a life-long commitment now, without knowing what unforeseen events lie in store for me? By making a definitive decision, would I not be risking my freedom and tying my own hands?" These are the doubts you feel, and today's individualistic and hedonist culture aggravates them. Yet when young people avoid decisions, there is a risk of never attaining to full maturity! I say to you: Take courage! Dare to make definitive decisions, because in reality these are the only decisions which do not destroy your freedom, but guide it in the right direction, enabling you to move forward and attain something worthwhile in life. There is no doubt about it: life is worthwhile only if you take courage and are ready for adventure, if you trust in the Lord who will never abandon you. Young people of Angola, unleash the power of the Holy Spirit within you, the power from on high! Trusting in this power, like Jesus, risk taking a leap and making a definitive decision. Give life a chance! In this way islands, oases and great stretches of Christian culture will spring up in your midst, and bring to light that "holy city coming down out of Heaven, from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband". This is the life worthy of being lived, and I commend it to you from my heart. May God bless the young people of Angola! © Copyright 2009 -- Libreria Editrice Vaticana   RETURN TO TOP

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