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"

June 28, 2009 -  Thirthteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time      LITURGICAL/THEME MEDITATION: "Jesus said, ‘Who touched me?'" UNIVERSAL CHURCH/WORLD EVENT(S): Bishops Urge Global Help in Climate Change Bill SAINT OF THE DAY St. Irenaeus  GENERAL MARIOLOGY THE DIVINE HISTORY AND LIFE OF THE VIRGIN MOTHER OF GOD Book Four - Chapter IV  CHRIST OUR SAVIOR IS BORN OF THE VIRGIN MARY IN BETHLEHEM, JUDA.  DIVINE MERCY Divine Mercy in My Soul Notebook IV  TEACHING/TESTIMONY/CONVICTION: Testimony of Dr. McArthur Hill, former Abortion Provider

DAILY LITURGICAL MEDITATION

Sunday (6/28):  "Jesus said, ‘Who touched me?'" Scripture:  Mark 5:21-43  [alternate reading for the commemoration of the Apostles Peter and Paul: Matthew 16:13-19] 21 And when Jesus had crossed again in the boat to the other side, a great crowd gathered about him; and he was beside the sea. 22 Then came one of the rulers of the synagogue, Ja'irus by name; and seeing him, he fell at his feet, 23 and besought him, saying, "My little daughter is at the point of death. Come and lay your hands on her, so that she may be made well, and live." 24 And he went with him. And a great crowd followed him and thronged about him. 25 And there was a woman who had had a flow of blood for twelve years, 26 and who had suffered much under many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was no better but rather grew worse. 27 She had heard the reports about Jesus, and came up behind him in the crowd and touched his garment. 28 For she said, "If I touch even his garments, I shall be made well."29 And immediately the hemorrhage ceased; and she felt in her body that she was healed of her disease. 30 And Jesus, perceiving in himself that power had gone forth from him, immediately turned about in the crowd, and said, "Who touched my garments?" 31 And his disciples said to him, "You see the crowd pressing around you, and yet you say, `Who touched me?'" 32 And he looked around to see who had done it. 33 But the woman, knowing what had been done to her, came in fear and trembling and fell down before him, and told him the whole truth. 34 And he said to her, "Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace, and be healed of your disease." 35 While he was still speaking, there came from the ruler's house some who said, "Your daughter is dead. Why trouble the Teacher any further?"  36 But ignoring what they said, Jesus said to the ruler of the synagogue, "Do not fear, only believe." 37 And he allowed no one to follow him except Peter and James and John the brother of James. 38 When they came to the house of the ruler of the synagogue, he saw a tumult, and people weeping and wailing loudly. 39 And when he had entered, he said to them, "Why do you make a tumult and weep? The child is not dead but sleeping." 40 And they laughed at him. But he put them all outside, and took the child's father and mother and those who were with him, and went in where the child was. 41 Taking her by the hand he said to her, "Tal'itha cu'mi"; which means, "Little girl, I say to you, arise."42 And immediately the girl got up and walked (she was twelve years of age), and they were immediately overcome with amazement. 43 And he strictly charged them that no one should know this, and told them to give her something to eat. Meditation: Do you approach the Lord with expectant faith? People in desperate or helpless circumstances were not disappointed when they sought Jesus out.  What drew them to Jesus? Was it hope for a miracle or a word of comfort in their affliction? What did the elderly woman who had suffered greatly for twelve years expect Jesus to do for her? And what did a grieving father expect Jesus to do about his lost beloved daughter? Jesus gave hope where there seemed to be no human cause for it because his hope was directed to God. He spoke words of hope to the woman (Take heart, daughter!) to ignite the spark of faith in her (your faith has made you well!). Ephrem the Syrian, a 4th century church father, comments on this miracle: “Glory to you, hidden Son of God, because your healing power is proclaimed through the hidden suffering of the afflicted woman. Through this woman whom they could see, the witnesses were enabled to behold the divinity that cannot be seen. Through the Son’s own healing power his divinity became known. Through the afflicted women’s being healed her faith was made manifest. She caused him to be proclaimed, and indeed was honored with him. For truth was being proclaimed together with its heralds. If she was a witness to his divinity, he in turn was a witness to her faith. ..He saw through to her hidden faith, and gave her a visible healing.” Jesus also gave divine hope to a father who had just lost a beloved child. It took considerable courage and risk for the ruler of a synagogue to openly go to Jesus and to invite the scorn of his neighbors and kin. Even the hired mourners laughed at him in scorn. Their grief was devoid of any hope. Nonetheless, Jesus took the girl by the hand and delivered her from the grasp of death. Peter Chrysologus, a 5th century church father comments on this miracle: “This man was a ruler of the synagogue, and versed in the law. He had surely read that while God created all other things by his word, man had been created by the hand of God. He trusted therefore in God that his daughter would be recreated, and restored to life by that same hand which, he knew, had created her. ..He who laid hands on her to form her from nothing, once more lays hands upon her to reform her from what had perished.” In both instances we see Jesus' personal concern for the needs of others and his readiness to heal and restore life. In Jesus we see the infinite love of God extending to each and every individual as he gives freely and wholly of himself to each  person he meets. Do you approach the Lord with confident expectation that he will hear your request and act on your behalf? "Lord Jesus, you love each of us individually with a unique and personal love. Touch my life with your saving power, heal and restore me to fullness of life. Help me to give wholly of myself in loving service to others." Psalm 30:2-5,10-12 2 O LORD my God, I cried to thee for help, and thou hast healed me. 3 O LORD, thou hast brought up my soul from Sheol, restored me to life from among those gone down to the Pit. 4 Sing praises to the LORD, O you his saints, and give thanks to his holy name. 5 For his anger is but for a moment, and his favor is for a lifetime.  Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning. 10 Hear, O LORD, and be gracious to me! O LORD, be thou my helper!" 11 Thou hast turned for me my mourning into dancing; thou hast loosed my sackcloth and girded me with gladness, 12 that my soul may praise thee and not be silent. O LORD my God, I will give thanks to thee for ever.   www.dailyscripture.net   RETURN TO TOP

UNIVERSAL CHURCH/WORLD EVENTS

Bishops Urge Global Help in Climate Change Bill Note Too Little and Too Late in International Assistance   WASHINGTON, D.C., JUNE 26, 2009 (Zenit.org).- U.S. bishops are welcoming certain elements of a House of Representatives climate change bill, but cautioning that the measure does not do enough to assist the planet's poorest nations and people. In a letter Monday from the bishops' conference and Catholic Relief Services, Bishop Howard Hubbard of Albany and Ken Hackett said they are "encouraged by provisions in the legislation that seek to protect the poor and vulnerable at home and abroad." "However, we are very concerned about the inadequate funding for assisting the poorest people and countries on earth through international adaptation efforts," they wrote. Bishop Hubbard is the chairman of the episcopal conference Committee on International Justice and Peace. Hackett is the president of Catholic Relief Services. The two called the American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009 (H.R. 2454) “groundbreaking legislation." They said it "begins a serious and overdue effort to face up to moral and environmental challenges and represents an important beginning." The letter expressed general support for three provisions in the legislation: measure to ensure that low-income U.S. families are not disproportionately affected by a rise in energy prices the legislation could bring about; measures to help non-profit institutions become more energy efficient; and the mechanisms that are in the bill to help international populations. However, regarding this last point, they contended that funding for international adaptation does not meet initial needs, and increases to the funding are programmed for a too distant future. “Catholic Relief Services is already experiencing the tragic consequences of climate change in the lives of people living in poverty,” they added. The services already help more than 100 countries adapt to the impact of climate change through health, agriculture, water and emergency preparedness programs. “As the legislative process moves forward,” Bishop Hubbard and Hackett wrote, “we look forward to working with Congress and the administration to increase funding for international adaptation assistance and taking a major step toward caring for creation and protecting ‘the least of these.’” The bill is set for vote today in the House of Representatives. Even if it passes there, it is expected to face hurdles in the Senate. TURN TO TOP

DAILY LITURGICAL SAINT

June 28, 2009 St. Irenaeus (130?-220)   The Church is fortunate that Irenaeus was involved in many of its controversies in the second century. He was a student, well trained, no doubt, with great patience in investigating, tremendously protective of apostolic teaching, but prompted more by a desire to win over his opponents than to prove them in error. As bishop of Lyons he was especially concerned with the Gnostics, who took their name from the Greek word for “knowledge.” Claiming access to secret knowledge imparted by Jesus to only a few disciples, their teaching was attracting and confusing many Christians. After thoroughly investigating the various Gnostic sects and their “secret,” Irenaeus showed to what logical conclusions their tenets led. These he contrasted with the teaching of the apostles and the text of Holy Scripture, giving us, in five books, a system of theology of great importance to subsequent times. Moreover, his work, widely used and translated into Latin and Armenian, gradually ended the influence of the Gnostics. The circumstances and details about his death, like those of his birth and early life in Asia Minor, are not at all clear. Comment: A deep and genuine concern for other people will remind us that the discovery of truth is not to be a victory for some and a defeat for others. Unless all can claim a share in that victory, truth itself will continue to be rejected by the losers, because it will be regarded as inseparable from the yoke of defeat. And so, confrontation, controversy and the like might yield to a genuine united search for God's truth and how it can best be served.    http://www.americancatholic.org/Features/SaintofDay RETURN TO TOP

GENERAL MARIOLOGY

THE DIVINE HISTORY AND LIFE OF THE VIRGIN MOTHER OF GOD BOOK FOUR Describing the Anxieties of Saint Joseph on Account of the Pregnancy of Most Holy Mary,the Birth of Christ our Lord, His Circumcision,the Adoration of the Kings, the Presentation of the Infant Jesus In the Temple, the Flight into Egypt, the Death of the Holy Innocents, and the Return to Nazareth. CHAPTER IV.  CHRIST OUR SAVIOR IS BORN OF THE VIRGIN MARY IN BETHLEHEM, JUDA. After this interchange of Words, so full of mysteries, the divine Child suspended the miracle of his transfiguration, or rather He inaugurated the other miracle, that of suspending the effects of glory in his most holy body, confining them solely to his soul; and He now assumed the appearance of one capable of suffering. In this form the most pure Mother now saw Him and, still remaining in a kneeling position and adoring Him with profound humility and reverence, She received him in her arms from the hands of the holy angels. And when She saw Him in her arms, She spoke to Him and said: "My sweetest Love and light of my eyes and being of my soul, Thou hast arrived in good hour into this world as the Sun of justice (Malach. 4, 2), in order to disperse the darkness of sin and death! True God of the true God, save thy servants and let all flesh see him, who shall draw upon it salvation (Is. 9, 2). Receive me thy servant as thy slave and supply my deficiency, in order that I may properly serve Thee. Make me, my Son, such as Thou desirest me to be in thy service." Then the most prudent Mother turned toward the eternal Father to offer up to Him his Onlybegotten, saying: "Exalted Creator of all the Universe, here is the altar and the sacrifice acceptable in thy eyes (Malachy 3, 4). From this hour on, O Lord, look upon the human race with mercy and inasmuch as we have deserved thy anger, it is now time that Thou be appeased in thy Son and mine. Let thy justice now come to rest, and let thy mercy be exalted; for on this account the Word has clothed itself in the semblance of sinful flesh (Rom. 8, 3), and became a Brother of mortals and sinners (Philip 2, 7). In this title I recognize them as brothers and I intercede for them from my inmost soul. Thou, Lord, hast made me the Mother of thy Onlybegotten without my merit, since this dignity is above all merit of a creature; but I partly owe to men the occasion of this incomparable good fortune since it is on their account that I am the Mother of the Word made man and Redeemer of them all. I will not deny them my love, or remit my care and watchfulness for their salvation. Receive, eternal God, my wishes and petitions for that which is according to thy pleasure and good will." The Mother of mercy turned also toward all mortals and addressed them, saying: "Be consoled ye afflicted and rejoice ye disconsolate, be raised up ye fallen, come to rest ye uneasy. Let the just be gladdened and the saints be rejoiced; let the heavenly spirits break out in new jubilee, let the Prophets and Patriarchs of limbo draw new hope, and let all the generations praise and magnify the Lord, who renews his wonders. Come, come ye poor; approach ye little ones, without fear, for in my arms I bear the Lion made a lamb, the Almighty, become weak, the Invincible subdued. Come to draw life, hasten to obtain salvation, approach to gain eternal rest, since I have all this for all, and it will be given to you freely and communicated to you without envy. Do not be slow and heavy of heart, ye sons of men; and Thou, O sweetest joy of my soul, give me permission to receive from Thee that kiss desired by all creatures. Therewith the most blessed Mother applied her most chaste and heavenly lips in order to receive the loving caresses of the divine Child, who on his part, as her true Son, had desired them from Her. Holding Him in Her arms She thus served as the altar and the sanctuary, where the ten thousand angels adored in visible human forms their Creator incarnate. And as the most blessed Trinity assisted in an especial manner at the birth of the Word, heaven was as it were emptied of its inhabitants, for the whole heavenly court had betaken itself to that blessed cave of Bethlehem and was adoring the Creator in his garb and habit of a pilgrim (Phil. 2, 7). And in their concert of praise the holy angels intoned the new canticle: "Gloria in excelsis Deo, et in terra pax hominibus bonae voluntatis" (Luke 2, 14). In sweetest and sonorous harmony they repeated it, transfixed in wonder at the new miracles then being fulfilled and at the unspeakable prudence, grace, humility and beauty of that tender Maiden of fifteen years, who had become the worthy Trustee and Minister of such vast and magnificent sacraments. It was now time to call saint Joseph, the faithful spouse of the most discreet and attentive Lady. As I have said above he was wrapped in ecstasy, in which he was informed by divine revelation of all the mysteries of this sacred Birth during this night. But it was becoming that he should see, and, before all other mortals, should in his corporeal faculties and senses be present and experience, adore and reverence the Word made flesh; for he of all others had been chosen to act as the faithful warden of this great sacrament. At the desire of his heavenly Spouse he issued from his ecstasy and, on being restored to consciousness, the first sight of his eyes was the divine Child in the arms of the Virgin Mother reclining against her sacred countenance and breast. There he adored Him in profoundest humility and in tears of joy. He kissed his feet in great joy and admiration, which no doubt would have taken away and destroyed life in him, if divine power had not preserved it; and he certainly would have lost all the use of his senses, if the occasion had permitted. When saint Joseph had begun to adore the Child, the most prudent Mother asked leave of her Son to arise (for until then She had remained on her knees) and, while saint Joseph handed Her the wrappings and swaddling-clothes, which She had brought, She clothed Him with incomparable reverence, devotion and tenderness. Having thus swathed and clothed Him, his Mother, with heavenly wisdom, laid Him in the crib, as related by saint Luke (Luke 2, 7). For this purpose She had arranged some straw and hay upon a stone in order to prepare for the God-Man his first resting-place upon earth next to that which He had found in her arms. According to divine ordainment an ox from the neighboring fields ran up in great haste and, entering the cave, joined the beast of burden brought by the Queen. The blessed Mother commanded them, with what show of reverence was possible to them to acknowledge and adore their Creator. The humble animals obeyed their Mistress and prostrated themselves before the Child, warming Him with their breath and rendering Him the service refused by men. And thus the God made man was placed between two animals, wrapped in swaddling-clothes and wonderfully fulfilling the prophecy, that "the ox knoweth his owner, and the ass his master's crib; but Israel hath not known me, and my people hath not understood." (Is. 13.)    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 IV   Today, I opened the gate for Mother superior and knew interiorly that she was going to town on business regarding the work of the Divine Mercy. It is this superior who has contributed most to this whole work of mercy. Today I imprudently asked two poor children if they really had nothing at home. The children, without answering me, walked away from the gate. I understood how difficult it was for them to speak about their poverty, so I went after them in a hurry and brought them back, giving them as much as I had permission for. O God, show me Your mercy According to the compassion of the Heart of Jesus. Hear my sighs and entreaties, And the tears of a contrite heart. O Omnipotent, ever merciful God, Your compassion is never exhausted. Although my misery is as vast as the sea, I have complete trust in the mercy of the Lord. O Eternal Trinity, yet ever gracious God, Your compassion is without measure. And so I trust in the sea of Your mercy, And sense You, Lord, though a veil holds me aloof. May the omnipotence of Your mercy, O Lord, Be glorified all over the world. May its veneration never cease. Proclaim, my soul, God’s mercy with fervor. September 27, 1937. Today, Mother superior and I went to see a certain gentleman where they were printing and painting small holy cards of the Divine Mercy, and also the invocations and the chaplet, which have already received approbation. And we were also to see the improved larger image. It very much resembles the original. This made me very happy. When I looked at this image, I was pierced with such a lively love for God that, for a moment, I did not know where I was. When we had finished our business, we went to the church of the Most Holy Virgin Mary. We attended Holy Mass, during which the Lord gave me to know what a great number of souls would attain salvation through this work. Then I entered into an intimate conversation with the Lord, thanking Him for having condescended to grant me the grace of seeing how the veneration of His unfathomable mercy is spreading. I immersed myself in a profound prayer of thanksgiving. Oh, how great is Gods’ generosity! Blessed be the Lord, who is faithful in His promises… It is extraordinary how Mother Irene has so much light from God concerning this whole matter. She was the first to allow me to carry out the Lord’s wishes, although it was not until two years after the revelation that she became my superior. And despite this fact, she was the first to go with me when the painting of the image was first undertaken. And now again, when some things concerning the Divine Mercy are being published, and small holy cards are being printed, again it is she who is going with me to take care of this matter. God has ordained all this in a mysterious way, because this was begun in Vilnius, and now God’s will has so directed the circumstances that this matter is being continued in Cracow. I know how pleasing this superior is to God; I see how God is directing everything and wants me to be under her protection during these important times… thank You, Lord, for such superiors, who live in the love and fear of God. That is why I pray for her most of all, because she has put herself out the most for the sake of this work of Divine Mercy… September 29, 1937. Today, I have come to understand many of God’s mysteries. I have come to know that Holy Communion remains in me until the next Holy Communion. A vivid and clearly felt presence of God continues in my soul. The awareness of this plunges me into deep recollection, without the slightest effort on my part. My heart is a living tabernacle in which the living Host is reserved. I have never sought God in some far off place, but within myself. It is in the depths of my own being that I commune with my God. My God, despite all the graces, I long without cease to be eternally united with my God; and the better I know Him, the more ardently I desire Him.   RETURN TO TOP

CATHOLIC  TEACHING/CONVICTION/TESTIMONY

Testimony of Dr. McArthur Hill, former Abortion Provider (This testimony was originally given at a "Meet the Abortion Providers" workshop sponsored by the Pro-life Action League of Chicago, directed by Joe Scheidler. Priests for Life offers their video, "Inside the Abortion Industry," containing excerpts of the testimonies of many former providers. Contact us for more details.) (continued) My advice to you, Pro-Lifers in this audience, is 1) to keep up the work that you are doing; and 2) to step up your activities. As Joe said, Roe v. Wade is going down this year. I will also state to you that never at any time when I was performing abortion at a facility was anybody outside protesting that. The presence of picketers outside a hospital or a doctor's office can have a profound effect on encouraging someone to say no. I spoke to a group called Lutherans for Life in Denver. They asked me to come and speak to them and I didn't realize what effect that was going to have. After I had finished my presentation the pastor got up and he said: We have been talking for two years. On Saturday morning join me at Luther Hospital where we will begin picketing. That's my hospital. Lutherans for Life have been picketing my hospital now for about two years. Last year I got a call from one of the doctors on staff who performed abortions in his office. He was calling to find out how he could get his name off the picket signs. I told him the answer was simple. Stop doing abortions. He did, and his name came off the signs. Jeannie and I have a presentation for Joe today. There is a very long story behind this so we won't tell it all, but the sign we are about to present to Joe was designed after a Denver Judge told Jeannie that she had to be more creative in her activities. On one side is a picture of a 10-week preborn child and on the other side are the innocuous words, "The Killing Place." Now, believe it or not, this sign got Jeannie and a friend of hers arrested and later got Bishop Moat from Denver arrested--for carrying that sign. It's quite innocuous. It just simply states the truth, and I'd be willing to stand in any court room in this country to testify that at any place performing abortions that that sign is displayed in, is stating the truth. It is The Killing Place. Now we understand that Joe also has a couple of favorite abortionists, so we made provision for them with these placards which can be placed over the word, "The." If those abortionists are in this audience today, I would encourage them to stop their activities. We have another change which can take place with these. That is: The Killing Must Stop. So there are a number of different things that you can use. I was very, very pleased to see today that there were bumper stickers around here which are black with gold coloring on them and I'm just really thrilled about that. You've all got to get some of those and put them on your cars. Jeannie wants me to remind you that you can put a yardstick inside there and use it to hold it up quite nicely. It works very well, Joe, when you use it in that way. She has another sign which she has used which is extremely effective. This sign is visible from a very long way away. This is Baby Choice. Most of you involved in the Pro-Life Movement have seen Baby Choice. On the reverse side is a tiny hand on Jeannie's palm, a 17-week baby that was aborted, and, of course, the gold on black background, the word, "Victim." This sign is very, very visible. I would certainly encourage any of you to utilize the same techniques. We have a few of these signs for sale if you are interested in using them. In closing, I would like to thank Joe for giving me this opportunity to come and to share my experiences with you. Remarks by Joe Scheidler: (to be continued)   RETURN TO TOP

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