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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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November 25/2009 - Wednesday
of
34th Week of Ordinary Time
LITURGICAL/THEME MEDITATION:
"You will be delivered up ..but not a
hair of your head will perish"
UNIVERSAL CHURCH/WORLD EVENT(S):
Vatican Letter to Priests on
Obedience
SAINT OF THE DAY
St. Columban
GENERAL
MARIOLOGY
Nativity of the
Virgin Mary
DIVINE MERCY
Divine Mercy: The Miracles
TEACHING/TESTIMONY/CONVICTION:
A Lenten
Reflection For College Students
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DAILY LITURGICAL MEDITATION |
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Wednesday (11/25): "You will be delivered up
..but not a hair of your head will perish"
Scripture: Luke 21:12-19
12 But before all this they will lay their hands on you and persecute
you, delivering you up to the synagogues and prisons, and you will be
brought before kings and governors for my name's sake. 13 This will be a
time for you to bear testimony. 14 Settle it therefore in your minds,
not to meditate beforehand how to answer; 15 for I will give you a mouth
and wisdom, which none of your adversaries will be able to withstand or
contradict. 16 You will be delivered up even by parents and brothers and
kinsmen and friends, and some of you they will put to death; 17 you will
be hated by all for my name's sake. 18 But not a hair of your head will
perish.19 By your endurance you will gain your lives.
Meditation: If the gospel message is good news, then why do so
many oppose it with hostility and even violence? Jesus warns his
followers that they will be confronted with persecution, wickedness,
false teaching, and temptation. The real enemy of the gospel is Satan
whom Jesus calls a "murderer" and "father of lies" (John 8:44). Satan
uses fear and hatred to provoke hostility in others towards those who
follow Jesus Christ. And what is Jesus' response to this hostility and
opposition? Love, truth, and forgiveness. Only love can defeat
prejudice, intollerance, hatred, and envy. God's love purifies our
hearts and minds of all that would divide and tear people apart. The
truth is also essential for overcoming evil and tribulation in the
world. Satan deceives and sin blinds the heart and mind. Only God's
truth can free us from error and spiritual blindness. The gospel is
God's word of truth and salvation. That is why Jesus tells his disciples
to proclaim the gospel throughout the whole world (Mark 16:15), even in
the midst of opposition and persecution.
Jesus tells his disciples that if they endure to the end they will
gain their lives – they will see God's salvation and inherit eternal
life and happiness with God. Endurance is more than human effort and
perseverance. It is a supernational gift of the Holy Spirit which
enables us to bear up under any trial, temptation, and form of
persecution. Endurance is strengthened with hope – the supernatural
assurance that we will see God face to face and inherit all the promises
he has made. Jesus is our supreme model and hero who endured the cross
for our sake (Hebrews 12:2). "God shows his love for us in that while we
were yet sinners Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8). Jesus willingly shed
his blood for our sake and for our salvation and he calls us to lay down
our lives for one another and to take up our cross in like manner (John
15:12-13; 1 John 3:16).
The word "martyr" in the New Testament Greek means "witness". The
Book of Revelations says that "Jesus was the faithful witness ...who
freed us from our sins by his blood" (Revelations 1:5). Tertullian, a
second century lawyer who converted when he saw Christians singing as
they went out to die by the hands of their persecutors, exclaimed: "The
blood of the martyrs is seed." Their blood is the seed of new
Christians, the seed of the church. The third century bishop, Cyprian
said: "When persecution comes, God's soldiers are put to the test, and
heaven is open to martyrs. We have not enlisted in an army to think of
peace and to decline battle, for we see that the Lord has taken first
place in the conflict." True martyrs live and die as witnesses of the
gospel. They overcome their enemies through persevering hope and
courage, undying love and forebearance, kindness, goodness, and
compassion.
St. Augustine of Hippo wrote, "The martyrs were bound, jailed,
scourged, racked, burned, rent, butchered – and they multiplied!" Why is
this the case? The Christian martyrs witnessed to the truth, joy, and
freedom of the gospel, by their lives, their testimony, and by the
shedding of their own blood for the name of Christ. Today we
unfortunately witness many extremists and misguided individuals who will
sacrifice their lives, and kill others in the process, out of hatred,
revenge, prejudice, and envy. From a Christian point of view, they are
not true martyrs because their sacrifice is not motivated by God's
merciful love and forgiveness, truth and righteousness.
True martyrs pray for their persecutors and love their enemies. In
their suffering and in their death they witness the truth of the gospel
– that "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).
Jesus gave his life for all who would accept him as their savior –
whether Jew or Greek, Christian or Muslim, agnostic or atheist. Satan
seeks to destroy our faith through the fear of death and he incites
others to persecute Christians for their faith in Christ. Martyrs who
shed their blood for Jesus Christ win great victory, not only for
themselves, but for the whole people of God. The martyrs overcome Satan
by enduring suffering and death through their faith in Christ who died
and rose for us. And through their witness many others recognize the
victory which Christ won on the cross. The martyrs witness to the truth
– the truth of Jesus Christ and his power to overcome sin, fear, hatred,
violence, and prejudice, and even death itself. What gives courage and
confidence to the martyrs is the firm hope in the resurrection of Jesus
Christ and the promise of eternal life and and unending happiness with
God.
God may call some of us to be martyrs for our faith. But for most of
us, our call is to be 'dry' martyrs who bear testimony to the joy and
power of the gospel in the midst of daily challenges, contradictions,
temptations and adversities which come our way as we follow the Lord
Jesus. What will attract others to the truth and power of the gospel?
When they see Christians loving their enemies, being joyful in
suffering, patient in adversity, pardoning injuries, and showing comfort
and compassion to the hopeless and the helpless. Jesus tells us that we
do not need to fear our adversaries. God will give us sufficient grace,
strength, and wisdom to face any trial and to answer any challenge to
our faith. Are you ready to lay down your life for Christ and to bear
witness to the joy and freedom of the gospel?
"Lord Jesus Christ, by your atoning death on the cross you have
redeemed the world. Fill me with joyful hope, courage, and boldness to
witness the truth of your love for sinners and your victory over the
powers of sin, Satan, and death."
Psalm 119:33-40
33 Teach me, O LORD, the way of thy statutes; and I will keep it to
the end.
34 Give me understanding, that I may keep thy law and observe it with my
whole heart.
35 Lead me in the path of thy commandments, for I delight in it.
36 Incline my heart to thy testimonies, and not to gain!
37 Turn my eyes from looking at vanities; and give me life in thy ways.
38 Confirm to thy servant thy promise, which is for those who fear thee.
39 Turn away the reproach which I dread; for thy ordinances are good.
40 Behold, I long for thy precepts; in thy righteousness give me life!
www.dailyscripture.net
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UNIVERSAL CHURCH/WORLD EVENTS |
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Vatican Letter to Priests on Obedience
"It Is Truly Possible to Give All to Christ"
VATICAN CITY, NOV. 24, 2009 ( Zenit.org).- Here is the letter Archbishop Mauro Piacenza, secretary of the Congregation for Clergy, sent Nov. 18 to priests on the promise of obedience.
* * *
"Do you promise filial respect and obedience to me and my successors?"
(Pontificale Romanum. De Ordinatione Episcopi, presbyterorum et diaconorum, Edition typica (Typis Polyglotis Vaticanis 1990))
From the Vatican, Nov. 18, 2009
Dear Brothers in the Priesthood,
Even if they are not bound by a Solemn Vow of obedience, ordinands profess a "promise" of "filial respect and obedience" to their own Ordinary and his Successors. If the theological standing of a Vow and a promise is different, the total and definitive moral obligation is identical, and likewise identical is the offering of one's will to the will of Another: to the Divine will, mediated through the Church.
In a time such as ours, marked as it is by relativism and democraticism, by various forms of autonomous individualism and libertinism, such a promise of obedience appears ever more incomprehensible to the prevailing mindset. It is not rare for it to be conceived as a diminution of dignity and human freedom, as perseverance in obsolete forms, typical of a society incapable of authentic emancipation.
We who live authentic obedience know well that this is not the case. Obedience in the Church is never contrary to the dignity and respect of the person, nor must it ever be understood as an abandonment of responsibility or as a surrender. The Rite utilizes a fundamental adjective for the right understanding of such a promise; it defines obedience only after mentioning "respect", and this with the adjective "filial".
Now the term "son", in every language, is a relative name, which implies, specifically, the relationship of a father and a son. It is in this context that the obedience we have promised must be understood. It is a context in which the father is called to truly be a father, and the son to recognize his own sonship and the beauty of the fatherhood that has been given to him. As happens in the law of nature, no one chooses his own father, nor does one choose one’s own sons. Therefore, we are all called, fathers and sons, to have a supernatural regard for one another, one of great reciprocal clemency and respect, that is to say the capacity to look at the other keeping always in mind the good Teacher who has brought him into being, and who always, ultimately, moulds him. Respect is, by definition, simply this: to look at someone while keeping Another in mind!
It is only in the context of "filial respect" that an authentic obedience is possible, one which is not only formal, a mere execution of orders, but one which is ardent, complete, attentive, which can really bring forth the fruits of conversion and of "new life" in him who lives it.
The promise is to the Ordinary at the time of ordination and to his "Successors", since the Church always draws back from an excessive personalism: She has at heart the person, but not the subjectivism that detracts from the power and the beauty, both historical and theological, which characterize the Institution of obedience. The Spirit resides also in the institution, since it is of divine origin. The institution is charismatic, of its very nature, and thus to be freely bound by it in time (the Successors) means to "remain in the truth", to persevere in Him, present and operative in his living body, the Church, in the beauty of the continuity of time, of ages, which joins us enduringly to Christ and to his Apostles.
Let us ask of the Handmaid of the Lord, the obedient one par excellence, of her who, even in weariness, sang her "Behold, do with me according to your Word", the grace of a filial obedience, entire, joyful, and ready; an obedience which frees us from being the protagonists of our own selves and which can show the world that it is truly possible to give all to Christ and to be men fully real and authentic.
Mauro Piacenza
Titular Archbishop of Vittoriana
Secretary
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DAILY LITURGICAL SAINT |
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http://www.americancatholic.org/Features/SaintofDay
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GENERAL
MARIOLOGY |
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Nativity of the Virgin Mary
The Gospel of Pseudo-Matthew
Translation by Saint Jerome
CHAP. 28.--And
again the son of Annas, a priest of the temple,
who had
come with Joseph, holding his rod in his hand in
the sight of all, with
great fury broke down the dams which Jesus had
made with His own hands, and
let out the water which He had collected in them
from the torrent.
Moreover, he shut the aqueduct by which the
water came in, and then broke
it down. And when Jesus saw this, He said to
that boy who had destroyed His
dams: O most wicked seed of iniquity! O son of
death! O workshop of Satan!
verily the fruit of thy seed shall be without
strength, and thy roots
without moisture, and thy branches withered,
bearing no fruit. And
immediately, in the sight of all, the boy
withered away, and died.
CHAP.
29.--Then Joseph trembled, and took hold of
Jesus, and went with
Him to his own house, and His mother with Him.
And, behold, suddenly from
the opposite direction a boy, also a worker of
iniquity, ran up and came
against the shoulder of Jesus, wishing to make
sport of Him, or to hurt
Him, if he could. And Jesus said to him: Thou
shall not go back safe and
sound from the way that thou goest. And
immediately he fell down, and died.
And the parents of the dead boy, who had seen
what happened, cried out,
saying: Where does this child come from? It is
manifest that every word
that he says is true; and it is often
accomplished before he speaks. And
the parents of the dead boy came to Joseph, and
said to him: Take away that
Jesus from this place, for he cannot live with
us in this town; or at least
teach him to bless, and not to curse. And Joseph
came up to Jesus, and
admonished Him, saying: Why doest thou such
things? For already many are in
grief and against thee, and hate us on thy
account, and we endure the
reproaches of men because of thee. And Jesus
answered and said unto Joseph:
No one is a wise son but he whom his father hath
taught, according to the
knowledge of this time; and a father's curse can
hurt none but evil-doers.
Then they came together against Jesus, and
accused him to Joseph. When
Joseph saw this, he was in great terror, fearing
the violence and uproar of
the people of Israel. And the same hour Jesus
seized the dead boy by the
ear, and lifted him up from the earth in the
sight of all: and they saw
Jesus speaking to him like a father to his son.
And his spirit came back to
him, and he revived. And all of them wondered.
CHAP.
30.--Now a certain Jewish schoolmaster named
Zachyas[1] heard
Jesus thus speaking; and seeing that He could
not be overcome, from knowing
the power that was in Him,[2] he became angry,
and began rudely and
foolishly, and without fear, to speak against
Joseph. And he said: Dost
thou not wish to entrust me with thy son, that
he may be instructed in
human learning and in reverence? But I see that
Mary and thyself have more
regard for your son than for what the elders of
the people of Israel say
against him. You should have given more honour
to us, the elders of the
whole church of Israel, both that he might be on
terms of mutual affection
with the children, and that among us he might be
instructed in Jewish
learning. Joseph, on the other hand, said to
him: And is there any one who
can keep this child, and teach him? But if thou
canst keep him and teach
him, we by no means hinder him from being taught
by thee those things which
are learned by all. And Jesus, having heard what
Zachyas had said, answered
and said unto him: The precepts of the law which
thou hast just spoken of,
and all the things that thou hast named, must be
kept by those who are
instructed in human learning; but I am a
stranger to your law-courts,
because I have no father after the flesh. Thou
who readest the law, and art
learned in it, abidest in the law; but I was
before the law, But since thou
thinkest that no one is equal to thee in
learning, thou shalt be taught by
me, that no other can teach anything but those
things which thou hast
named. But he alone can who is worthy.[3] For
when I shall be exalted on
earth, I will cause to cease all mention of your
genealogy. For thou
knowest not when thou wast born: I alone know
when you were born, and how
long your life on earth will be. Then all who
heard these words were struck
with astonishment, and cried out: Oh! oh! oh!
this marvellously great and
wonderful mystery. Never have we heard the like!
Never has it been heard
from any one else, nor has it been said or at
any time heard by the
prophets, or the Pharisees, or the scribes. We
know whence he is sprung,
and he is scarcely five years old; and whence
does he speak these words?
The Pharisees answered: We have never heard such
words spoken by any other
child so young. And Jesus answered and said unto
them: At this do ye
wonder, that such things are said by a child?
Why, then, do ye not believe
me in those things which I have said to you? And
you all wonder because I
said to you that I know when you were born. I
will tell you greater things,
that you may wonder more. I have seen Abraham,
whom you call your father,
and have spoken with him; and he has seen me.[4]
And when they heard this
they held their tongues, nor did any of them
dare to speak. And Jesus said
to them: I have been among you with children,
and you have not known me; I
have spoken to you as to wise men, and you have
not understood my words;
because you are younger than I am,[5] and of
little faith. |
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DIVINE MERCY
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Divine Mercy:
The Miracles
"Cardinal
Vidal leads the investigation in March. At the middle of September, Cardinal
Vidal released a letter confirming what happened to me. And he gives me an
endorsement letter, so that I could give testimony around the world.
"One of the doctors who was assigned to me at the I.C.U. , he is not just an
ordinary doctor because when he took his medical examinations, he got the
highest score all over the country and when he entered the Chong Hua
Hospital, he was awarded as the most outstanding P.G.I. doctor. He was
assigned to me at the I.C.U. from the very beginning, until I woke up. And
because he cannot sleep anymore, so he entered the Seminary to become a
Priest, and now he is already a Priest.
"From March 1993 up to now, Jesus keeps appearing to me to my dream. That is
also accepted by our local Church. Because my Spiritual Director is Msgr
Chris Garcia. He is one of the most holiest Priests in Cebu and he is also
gifted. He has the gift of inner locution (inner telepathic voice), meaning
he can also talk to Jesus. But he cannot see Jesus. But Jesus appears to me,
to my dream, where I can see Him, where I can talk to Him, where I can touch
Him, where I can even embrace Him. And what is best for us! Every time Jesus
appears to me, He also tells my Spiritual Director, so there is a
confirmation. That is why, where ever I go, it is embraced by the Church.
"Also during my investigation, the doctors asked the Priest, 'Where does all
that blood come from? ' The blood coming out from my mouth is with force and
continuously for several hours and why there was no blood transfusion.
(Blood count showed no reduced level of blood). So the Priest prayed and
after praying the answer that this blood coming out from my mouth is for
cleansing. I have to be cleansed because I have to face the Lord - and they
also said that is it also said in the Bible, that whoever sees the Lord will
have to die, so I have to die. But because I have a mission, so I have to
live again.
"Also they ask me: 'Why you? Why did Jesus choose you?' So I answered them.
'May be because I am nothing. May because I have nothing to be proud of
except for my sins.' So, when I have a chance to talk with Jesus, I ask the
Lord, 'My Lord, my God, why me? I am a sinner. I am a sinful man.' And Jesus
answered, "You cannot appreciate the beauty of My
mercy unless you experience the misery of sin.'
And so I accepted my mission.
"Also so many are coming to me, so I ask the Lord: 'My Lord, my God! So many
are coming to me and entrust their problems to me, what shall I do?' And
Jesus answered: Just let them pray the chaplet
unceasingly and they will be guided.'
"That is why now, in the Philippines, the
chaplet is very popular, not only among the Catholics but also the other
Church dominions because there are so many miracles that have been
attributed to the chaplet. For example: Several months ago, my Spiritual
Director, Msgr Chris Garcia, he had a slight stroke. So he was admitted at
the Hospital, and the doctor said that he had a brain tumor and that there
is a virus in his brain and that he cannot open his eyes because it is too
painful. We went to the Hospital and we prayed the chaplet of Divine Mercy,
together with Msgr Chris, and after we prayed the chaplet, several minutes
later, he asked for his lap top computer. So you see the power of the
chaplet. The miracle of the chaplet.
"The following day, we prayed again the chaplet. The doctors re-examined him
and found him negative of everything. So on the third day he checked out of
the Hospital as if nothing had happened. Do you see the power of the
chaplet?
"Also, one of our Divine Mercy leaders in the Philippines, his wife was ill
early in the morning. So they brought his wife to Hospital. The doctors gave
him a prescription to buy the medicine and because he has no money, so he
has to sell his pig. And the buyer paid him for the pig, but the buyer said
that he would get the pig the following day.
"But that afternoon of that very day, the pig refused to stand up and
refused to eat. So, he was so worried, because if something happens to the
pig, they will be in trouble because, they buy the medicine. So he called
all his children and explained to them everything; that they have to pray
the chaplet for the pig. So they prayed the chaplet for the pig. But at the
middle of praying the chaplet the children were laughing. They were all
laughing because they said it was better to pray the chaplet for a human
being, but not for a pig.
"He explained it again to them. He explained it again and again. And on the
third time that they prayed the chaplet, the children prayed intensely and
they finished praying the chaplet. After they finished praying the chaplet,
the pig suddenly stood up and one of the children ran and got some food for
the pig and the pig consumed everything. And the lesson is, if Jesus
answered our prayers for a pig, how much more if we pray the chaplet for a
human being.
"We have another leader of the Divine Mercy in the Philippines. He has
several acres of rice fields and because he is poor he cannot afford to buy
fertilizer, he cannot afford to buy insecticide. So, what he did every
morning, he would roam around his rice field and pray the chaplet of Divine
Mercy, everyday! Every morning! And also every afternoon. During the harvest
time, his neighbors were all surprised, because during harvest time his
harvest is much more than those using fertilizer and insecticide. So you see
the miracle of the chaplet!
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CATHOLIC TEACHING/CONVICTION/TESTIMONY |
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A Lenten Reflection For College Students
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| By Fr. George Alberts
O Lord and Master of my life, take from me the spirit of
sloth, despair, lust of power and idle talk.
But give rather the spirit of chastity, humility, patience
and love to your servant.
O Lord and King, grant me to see my own sins and not judge
my brother, for you are blessed unto ages of ages. Amen.
St. Ephraim the Syrian
As we enter into Great Lent, this prayer of St. Ephraim holds
a major place of importance in many of the services of the
Orthodox Church. In a sense, this prayer is a brief summary of
what a true Christian life is all about.
When I think back on my own college days, I remember thinking
it would be a perfect time to follow the standards of prayer,
fasting and alms-giving which are characteristics of Great Lent.
But when I would hear this prayer, I would realize that
almost every ideal it expressed was even harder to live up to
during those college years.
As a college student, it seems we have many masters of our
life and the Lord is far down the list. Our professors may be
our masters because of work they assign to us. Our fraternities
or sororities may be our masters by planning our social
obligations.
And if we look at our college life, we can see that the list
of masters in our life goes on and on.
Usually we find that during the college years, the Lord is
put on hold. If we were active in our church or its
organizations, our activity stops abruptly during college.
We seem to indulge ourselves in many of the things from which
this prayer asks God to deliver us, and we want little or nor
part of the things that this prayer asks God to bestow on us.
Maybe this is why the church seems to be so far away during
our college years and why it seems to be such a struggle to get
our college students to Bible studies, retreats, or even regular
worship services.
During these years of study, the things that we perhaps study
the least are ourselves, because we often make ourselves the
center of our existence. We are too busy worrying about doing
our assignments, studying and even partying to really examine
ourselves.
While we take many exams during our college years, we are
also given many other exams of our faith and beliefs which often
go unnoticed. Each time a temptation comes along, we are tested.
Our mid-terms might be equated with those very hard moral
decisions we made in our life. All of these tests are added up
to determine the outcome of our final exam which will be given
to us by the Great Teacher.
This is the most important exam that we will ever take, and
we must do some work towards it as well as study for it also.
The way we prepare for this exam is spelled out in this prayer
of St. Ephraim.
During this Lenten period, take some time out to study
yourself using the guidelines given in this prayer. You'll be
surprised at what you'll learn about yourself; and, at the same
time, it will be a good review for that all-important final exam
that will determine if you pass from this life to the next. |
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