Pope Benedict intends to travel to Austria,U.S.,France and Australia
Vatican City,July.17,2007(CINS/EWTN:Joan's Rome) - Pope Benedict intends to travel to Vienna, Austria in September and deliver an important speech to diplomats in that city, according to the head of the Holy See Press Office, Fr. Federico Lombardi. The Vatican spokesman was speaking Sunday on RAI, Italian state television. Though he did not indicate the theme of the Pope’s talk in Austria, Fr. Lombardi said it would be an “internationally important” speech to diplomats who are accredited to the many international organizations based in the Austrian capital. Benedict XVI will be in Austria September 7 to 9 to mark the 850th anniversary of the founding of the shrine of Mariazell.
The Pope is currently vacationing in Lorenzago di Cadore in Italy’s northeastern province of Veneto and will remain in this Alpine region until July 27 when he returns to Rome to the papal tesidence at Castelgandolfo where he will remain for nearly two months.
Fr. Lombardi also indicated that the Holy Father intends to travel in 2008 to the United Nations in New York, to Sydney, Australia for World Youth Day – which begins a year from now - and to the shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes in France to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the apparitions of Our Lady to St. Bernadette. Fr. Lombardi, referring to Lourdes, said the papal trip would likely be an emotional one as Lourdes was the site in 2004 of Pope John Paul’s last international trip. He added, “We also hope to go to the United Nations.” The late Pope spoke at the U.N. twice during his pontificate. Benedict XVI has received many invitations to visit dioceses in both North and Central America, including one from Cardinal Sean O’Malley of Boston.
Pope Benedict uses older ritual for his private Mass
Vatican City, Jul. 17, 2007 (CINS /CWN) - Pope Benedict XVI, who recently issued a motu proprio allowing all Catholic priests to celebrate the old Latin Mass, uses the older ritual himself for his private Mass, CWN has learned.
Informed sources at the Vatican have confirmed reports that the Holy Father regularly celebrates Mass using the 1962 Roman Missal.
In his motu proprio Summorum Pontificum the Pope says that the older form-- the form in universal use before the liturgical changes that followed Vatican II-- was never abrogated.
Since becoming Roman Pontiff, Benedict XVI has always used the new ritual-- which he identifies in Summorum Pontificum as the "ordinary form" of the Roman rite-- for public celebrations of the Eucharistic liturgy. However few people have witnessed the Pope celebrating his private daily Mass.
Unlike his predecessor John Paul II, who regularly invited visitors to attend the Mass that he celebrated each morning in his private chapel, Benedict XVI has made it his regular practice to celebrate Mass with only a few aides. The Pope's closest associates have established a reputation for preserving confidences.
Pope Benedict has long been known as an ardent defender of the Catholic liturgical tradition. In the early 1990s he raised eyebrows in Rome by writing a laudatory preface to the book The Reform of the Roman Liturgy, in which Msgr. Klaus Gamber decried many of the liturgical changes of the past few decades.
Then-Cardinal Ratzinger also traveled to Wigratzbad, in Bavaria, to ordain priests for the Fraternity of St. Peter, a group devoted to the use of the traditional liturgy. He performed those ordinations, as well as Mass on Easter Sunday in 1990, using the 1962 Roman Missal.
BENEDICT XVI'S MESSAGE TO YOUNG AUSTRALIANS
Sidney, Australia, Jul.6,2007 (CINS /SIR) - Informed of the arrival of the symbols of the World Youth Day (WYD), the Cross and the Icon of the Virgin, in Australia on July 1st, Benedict XVI sent a message to card. Gorge Pell, archbishop of Sidney, and to the President of the Australian Bishops, mgr. Philip Wilson, which the organising committee of the Sidney WYD (15-20 July 2008) published on the official website of the WYD, www.wyd2008.org, yesterday. The message, signed by the Secretary of State, card. Tarcisio Bertone, says that the Pope “warmly greets the many young Australians who have convened to welcome these two holy symbols after their pilgrimage through many Pacific countries”. The handing over of the Cross, comments the Pontiff, “has become a tradition to be experienced with deep faith, like a walk of conversion, following in Jesus’ footsteps”. This is why Benedict XVI says he is convinced that, “increasingly driven by Christ, the young Australians will grow in the love of His Church, strengthening their commitment to their parishes by adhering to the ecclesial mission of witnessing the Gospel through their deeds, their words and a persuasive testimony of Christian life”.In the Vanguard by Fr.Benedict Jonak O.P.
8 July 2007
Fourteenth Sunday of the Year (C)
Readings:
Isaiah 66:10-14
"Rejoice with Jerusalem, and be glad for her, all you who love her; rejoice with her in joy, all you who mourn over her; that you may suck and be satisfied with her consoling breasts; that you may drink deeply with delight from the abundance of her glory."
For thus says the LORD: "Behold, I will extend prosperity to her like a river, and the wealth of the nations like an overflowing stream; and you shall suck, you shall be carried upon her hip, and dandled upon her knees. As one whom his mother comforts, so I will comfort you; you shall be comforted in Jerusalem. You shall see, and your heart shall rejoice; your bones shall flourish like the grass; and it shall be known that the hand of the LORD is with his servants, and his indignation is against his enemies.
Galatians 6:14-18
But far be it from me to glory except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. For neither circumcision counts for anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creation. Peace and mercy be upon all who walk by this rule, upon the Israel of God. Henceforth let no man trouble me; for I bear on my body the marks of Jesus.
Luke 10:1-12,17-20
After this the Lord appointed seventy others, and sent them on ahead of him, two by two, into every town and place where he himself was about to come. And he said to them, "The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; pray therefore the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest. Go your way; behold, I send you out as lambs in the midst of wolves. Carry no purse, no bag, no sandals; and salute no one on the road. Whatever house you enter, first say, `Peace be to this house!' And if a son of peace is there, your peace shall rest upon him; but if not, it shall return to you. And remain in the same house, eating and drinking what they provide, for the laborer deserves his wages; do not go from house to house. Whenever you enter a town and they receive you, eat what is set before you; heal the sick in it and say to them, `The kingdom of God has come near to you.' But whenever you enter a town and they do not receive you, go into its streets and say, `Even the dust of your town that clings to our feet, we wipe off against you; nevertheless know this, that the kingdom of God has come near.' I tell you, it shall be more tolerable on that day for Sodom than for that town.
The seventy returned with joy, saying, "Lord, even the demons are subject to us in your name!" And he said to them, "I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. Behold, I have given you authority to tread upon serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy; and nothing shall hurt you. Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you; but rejoice that your names are written in heaven."
Fr.Benedict Jonak finds profound meaning in the sending of the disciples two-by-two.
If one wonders what it means for the Church to be missionary some of the answers to this question are presented to us in today's Gospel.
In the opening verses of the lesson we find that Jesus sends out his disciples 'two by two'. Wherever we go or live, even though we might be on our own, in our deepest identity we are always members of the body of Christ. Because of this we are always there on behalf of the whole community of the faithful.
This need not be an obsessive kind of awareness but a supportive and edifying one. For the Church is not a community of Don Quixotes caught up in a series of individual missions in the world, rather we share in the same mission that originates with the sending of the Word.
Jesus tells his listeners many times that he and the Father are one and that he reveals the things he learnt from the Father. Similarly we, members of Christ's body, are sent out to bear witness to the Word's mission as co-operators in God's plan of salvation.
The sending out in twos mirrors the fact that God has sent his Son and his Spirit to reveal himself to us. A preaching community is a powerful sign not only through its words or works but also through the way that the members of the community relate to each other, through divinely-inspired love. In a sense, love is the proper language of mission for it is the language of God. When we live in the world as members of the body of Christ we are cemented together by the Spirit of love.
It is a consoling fact that through love we ultimately speak a language that is essentially not ours but given to us through God's grace. Sometimes one can lack words or not know what to do but to love is always the right thing to do. Often love can be expressed in service to our families, to our brothers and sisters in faith or to strangers. But love can also be expressed in patiently waiting for somebody to grow, in our being there for them. It takes time for a grain to germinate, to grow and to bear fruit.
It is through love that we can resist the temptation of putting ourselves in the centre of the mission. Jesus tells his disciples not to boast about the fruit of their work:
Do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you; but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.
One participates in the mission to prepare a place for the Lord of the harvest, so that people are willing to accept him. The mission is to go ahead of him and proclaim the Good News that the 'kingdom of God is near'. We are not the lords of the harvest and the mission we take part in is also not ours. The Church is never at the centre of the mission but in the vanguard.
The love that God has for us is such that he became one of us and died for us on the cross. This love comes down to us from the cross and hence the cross is the symbol of love. St Paul encourages us by saying that if one should boast about anything it should be about the cross of our Lord. Nothing that we can do on our own has a redemptive value. We have already been redeemed by Jesus through his cross. Now we need to become a new creation through his love.
About the Preacher: Fr. Benedict Jonak was ordained deacon on 2nd July 2007 at Blackfriars, Oxford, where he is about to embark on a degree in Classics.
This article is reproduced with the Permission of Electronic Publishing House of the English Province of the Order of Preachers,the Dominicans.
Pope Benedict XVI imposed the Pallium on 46 metropolitan Archbishops
Vatican City,June.29,2007(CINS/AsiaNews) – Benedict XVI today imposed the pallium on 46 metropolitan archbishops in a sign of their communion with the Apostolic See during mass in St Peter’s basilica. The pallium is a stole made of lamb’s wool, symbolizing the bishop’s vocation as pastors to care for Christ’s flock and his lost sheep. It bears five embroidered crosses, a sign of Christ’s wounds and was blessed by the pope after having been placed on the Confessional, the tomb of the apostle Peter, underlining unity with the pontiff and the See of Peter.Among those who received the pallium, there were Indian and Philippine bishops. A further 5 prelates not present in the basilica will receive it in their own diocese.
As has become tradition, there was also a delegation from the ecumenical patriarchate of Constantinople present at the ceremony. This year the delegation was composed by Emmanuel Adamidis, Greek orthodox archbishop of France, director of the Orthodox Church office at the European Union; Gennadios Limouris, metropolitan of Sassima, Co-president of the mixed international commission for dialogue between the Catholic and Orthodox Church, and deacon Andreas Sofianopoulos, from the Patriarchal seat of Fanar.
For years now the Church of Rome and Constantinople send delegations to celebrations marking the feast of the apostles, patrons of the two Churches, Peter (June 29) and Andrew (November 30). November 30th last the Pope himself, on official visit to Turkey, took part in the feast of St Andrew in Constantinople, together with Patriarch Bartholomew I.
This ecumenical dimension, linked to the ministry of Peter and the primate, was the theme of the pontiff’s homily. “Peter’s confession – said the pope – cannot be separated from his pastoral duty to Christ’s flock”, the so called “power of the keys” (Mt 16, 17-19).
With the subtlety of a theologian, Benedict XVI explained that the confession of full faith in Jesus as the Son of God, is not just something which belongs to the Church in general, rather it is something entrusted in particular to Peter, a “task conferred on Peter by the Lord…. rooted in the personal relationship between the historic Jesus and Simon the fisherman, starting from their very first encounter, when Christ says to him : “You are Simon … you will be called Cefa (which means Peter)" (Jn 1,42). Again: “Christ entrusted Peter with a very particular task, recognising in him a special gift of faith from the heavenly Father”. Correcting some erroneous interpretations along protestant lines, which place Peter and Paul’s vocation on the same level, the pontiff clarified: “Parallels between Peter and Paul are suggestive, but they cannot diminish the weight of Simon’s historic journey with his Master and Lord, who from the very beginning characterised him as the “rock” upon which the new community, the Church, would be built”.
The ministry of Peter, the pontiff underlined, is to insure the fullness of the Christian faith. Inspired by today’s Gospel and by Christ’s two questions to his disciples, ("Who do people say that the Son of Man is – But who do you say that I am?” Mt16,13-20),the pope explained : “People think that Jesus is a prophet”, but that is inadequate. “Great scholars – continued Benedict XVI – recognise his spiritual and moral stature and his influence on the history of humanity, comparing him to Buddha, Confucius, Socrates and other great thinkers and figures in history” but they “fail to grasp ….. They fail to recognise his unique entity”. Faced with these people’s response, fruit of an “external” consciousness of the figure of Jesus, “we want to make Peter’s response our own. According to Mark’s Gospel he says: ‘You are the Messiah’ (8, 29); in Luke the affirmation is ‘The Messiah of God’ (9, 20); in Mathew: ‘You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God’ (16, 16); and finally in John: ‘you are the Holy One of God’ (6, 69). They were all the right answers, also valid for us”.
Peter’s confession needed to be ‘corrected’ by Jesus: “in the synoptic Gospels – continues the pope - Peter’s confession is always closely followed by Christ’s announcement of his imminent passion. An announcement which provokes a reaction from Peter, who is as of yet unable to comprehend. And yet it is a fundamental element, an element on which Jesus insists with strength”.
“Today as in Christ’s time – continues the pope - it is not enough to possess the right confession of faith: it is always necessary to learn from the Lord the way in which he is the Saviour and the path we must take to follow him. We must recognise that, even for the believer, the Cross is always hard to accept. Our instincts push us to avoid it, and the tempter leads us to believe that it is wiser to save ourselves than lose our lives for our faith in the love of the Son of God made man”.
Concluding, Benedict XVI thanked the delegation from the ecumenical patriarchate of Constantinople and the metropolitans who received the pallium, ending his homily with a prayer to the Blessed Virgin: “May Her inexhaustible faith, which sustained the faith of Peter and the Apostles, continue to inspire the faith of generations of Christians : Queen of the Apostles, pray for us!”.
Following the celebration, accompanied by the Patriarchate delegation, the pope visited the tomb of St Peter where he remained for a moment of silent prayer.
Benedict XVI returned to the theme of ecumenism in reflections before the Angelus with pilgrims gathered in St Peter’s square. After greeting and thanking the delegation from the patriarchate of Constantinople the pope added: “The feast of the Apostles Peter and Paul invites us in a very particular way, to intense prayer and firm action for the cause of unity between Christ’s disciples. The Christian East and West are very close and can already count on an almost complete communion, as is remembered in the Second Vatican Council; I will see that it guides our ecumenical journey. Our encounters, visits and the dialogue which is underway are not mere courtesy or attempts to reach compromises, but signs of our shred will to do all that is possible to achieve full communion implored by Christ in his prayer to the Father after the Last Supper: ‘ut unum sint’”.
The pontiff then recalled the dedication of the Pauline Year which will begin 28 June 2008 and end 29 June 2009, to mark 2000 years since the birth of the apostle Paul. “I hope – said the pope – that the various initiatives organised will contribute to a renewed missionary enthusiasm and intensify our relations with our brothers in the East and with other Christians who like us venerate the Apostle to the gentiles”.
Following the Marian prayer, Benedict XVI greeted the people of Rome, whose patron saints are Peter and Paul, wishing them “peace” and “Christian prosperity”. He asked Rome’s Christians to “always behave in a way that is worthy of the Gospel, to be the ‘yeast’ of every area of life”.