Posted on 03/27/2013 6:24:20 AM PDT by NYer
.- A Syrian Christian who fled the fighting in his country believes that the Good Friday Stations of the Cross at the Coliseum will help promote Christian unity and raise awareness of the growing turmoil in the Middle East.
“This will raise more awareness because the situation in Syria is dangerous, especially for Christians,” said Wael Salibi, a Christian Syrian who moved to Italy in September to flee the violence.
“Christians know they will rise again like Jesus did on the third day, but only with a lot of unity and by praying together,” Salibi told CNA in a March 26 interview.
Pope Francis will celebrate the Way of the Cross at the Coliseum on Friday evening, a solemn tradition that takes place by candle light every year.
Benedict XVI asked Cardinal Bechara Boutros Rai to choose a group of Lebanese to write the 14 meditations for the Way of the Cross and to supervise them.
His wish was to raise awareness and increase prayers for the Arabic Christians living in the Middle East, following his visit to Lebanon in September 2012.
“Christians are facing very serious problems and the Lebanese lived (with) the aftermath of their civil war for many years, so they understand,” said the 25-year-old Syrian.
The meditations focus on ongoing violence in the Middle East and Christian disunity, as well as the abuse of women and children and the promotion of abortion.
Six of the reflections were written by representatives from the six rites of the Catholic Church in Lebanon: Latin, Maronite, Melkite, Armenian, Syriac and Chaldean.
The remaining eight were composed by six different Catholic youth groups, a special needs group and a non-governmental organization.
“When rebels turned the Homs neighborhood of Hamadea into a battlefield about a year ago, 80,000 Christians were forced to leave,” Salibi recounted.
And in his estimation, the Lebanese “live in a volcano ready to erupt any time.”
“When Cardinal Bechara Boutros Rai visited Syria in February, he left a strong message of how important it is for Christians in the Middle East to unite,” said Salibi.
His visit to Syria was the first by the head of the Maronite Church since Lebanon gained independence from France in 1943.
“Muslims and Christians lived side by side, like a rainbow, but people are now being forced to leave their country and this is making the region lose its uniqueness,” said Salibi.
“Christians play a very important role there since they make a bridge between the East and the West and between Islam Shiites and Sunnis,” he added.
The young people who helped write the reflections arrived in Assisi from Lebanon on March 26, and they will later make their way to Rome.
STATIONS OF THE CROSS
LED BY THE HOLY FATHER
POPE FRANCIS
GOOD FRIDAY
THE PASSION OF THE LORD
MEDITATIONS
by Lebanese young people
under the guidance of
His Eminent Beatitude
Cardinal Béchara Boutros Raï
Introduction "A man ran up and knelt before him, and asked him, ‘Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?’" (Mk 10:17). Jesus answered this burning question, which arises in the innermost core of our being, by walking the way of the Cross. We contemplate you, Lord, along this path which you were the first to tread, and after which "you built a bridge to death with your Cross, so that men might pass from the land of death to the land of Life" (Saint Ephraim the Syrian, Homily). The call to follow you is addressed to all, especially to the young and to those who are tried by division, wars or injustice and who fight to be signs of hope and builders of peace in the midst of their brethren. We therefore place ourselves before you with love, we present our sufferings to you, we turn our gaze and our heart to your Holy Cross, and strengthened by your promise, we pray: "Blessed be our Redeemer, who has given us life by his death. O Redeemer, realize in us the mystery of your redemption, through your passion, death and resurrection" (Maronite Liturgy).
EWTN is providing LIVE coverage from Rome beginning at 12 noon on Friday, March 29.
Ping!
V. We adore Thee, O Christ, and we bless Thee.
R. Because by Thy holy cross Thou has redeemed the world.
FYI here is schedule from Canada’s Salt and Light tv ~
(they do a lot of repeats during the day and night)
http://www.saltandlighttv.org/LIVE
General Audience in St. Peter’s Square
Wednesday, March 27 4:00pm ET / 1:00pm PT (Italian)
9:00pm ET / 6:00pm PT (English)
Thursday: 1:00am ET / 10:00pm PT (English)
Thursday: 8:30am ET / 5:30am PT (French)
Chrism Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica
Thursday, March 28 9:00am ET / 6:00am PT (English)
1:00pm ET / 10:00am PT (English)
2:00am ET / 11:00pm PT (Italian)
Mass of the Lord’s Supper from St. Joseph’s Oratory in Montreal, Quebec
Thursday, March 28 7:30pm ET / 4:30 pm PT (Multilingual) LIVE
12:00am ET / 9:00pm PT (Multilingual)
Celebration of the Lord’s Passion in St. Peter’s Basilica
Friday, March 29 12:00pm ET / 9:00am PT (English) LIVE
8:30pm ET / 5:30pm PT (English)
1:30am ET / 10:30pm PT (English)
4:00am ET / 1:00pm PT (Italian)
Way of the Cross in the Colosseum in Rome
Friday, March 29 4:00pm ET / 1:00pm PT (English) LIVE
6:00pm ET / 3:00pm PT (French)
11:00pm ET / 8:00pm PT (English)
Easter Vigil in St. Peter’s Basilica
Saturday, March 30 3:30pm ET / 12:30pm PT (English) LIVE
11:30 pm ET / 8:30pm PT (English)
Easter Sunday Mass and Urbi et Orbi Blessing in St. Peter’s Square
Sunday, March 31 4:00am ET / 1:00 am PT (English) LIVE
10:00am ET / 7:00am PT (English)
2:00pm ET / 11:00am PT (French)
6:00pm ET / 3:00pm PT (Italian - Urbi et Orbi only)
8:30pm ET / 5:30pm PT (English)
12:30am ET / 9:30pm PT (English)
3:30am ET / 6:30am PT (Italian)
General Audience in St. Peter’s Square
Wednesday, April 3 3:50pm ET / 12:50pm PT (Italian)
Thursday: 2:30pm ET / 11:30am PT (English)
Thursday: 7:35pm ET / 4:35pm PT (French)
Thursday: 10:00pm ET / 7:00pm PT (English)
Thursday: 11:35pm ET / 8:35pm PT (French)
Thursday: 2:00am ET / 11:00pm PT (English)
Thursday: 7:05am ET / 4:05am PT (French)
Thanks for the posting
What will be of interest to me is the vestments, ritual, and perhaps language the pope will be using for this service.
FYI
CiNews News http://www.cinews.ie/article.php?artid=11536
NEWS: Papal Mass of the Lord’s Supper to be simple, no live broadcast
Wednesday, March 27th, 2013
The Mass of the Lord’s Supper that Pope Francis will celebrate on Holy Thursday in the chapel of the Casal del Marmo Penitential Institute for Minors (IPM) will be, by his express desire, very simple, as reported by the Director of the Holy See Press Office, Fr. Federico Lombardi, S.J. Concelebrating with the Holy Father will be Cardinal Agostino Vallini, vicar general of the Diocese of Rome, and Fr. Gaetano Greco, chaplain of the Institute.
Around 10 girls and 40 boys will take part in the Mass. The Pope will wash the feet of 12 of them, who will be chosen from different nationalities and diverse religious confessions. The youth will also say the readings and the prayers of the faithful.
After the Mass, the Pope will meet with the youth and the IPM’s personnel in the Institute’s gym. Around 150 persons are expected to attend, including the Minister for Justice, Paola Severino, accompanied by the Head of the Department of Justice for Minors, Caterina Chinnici, the Commander of the Institute’s Penitentiary Police, Saulo Patrizi, and the Institute’s director, Liana Giambartolomei.
The youth will give the Pope a wooden crucifix and kneeler, which they made themselves in the Institute’s workshop. The Holy Father will bring Easter eggs and “colomba” (the traditional Italian Easter cake in the shape of a dove) for all.
Given the intimate nature of the pastoral visit, journalists will be restricted to the area outside the building and no live coverage will be transmitted.
(Vatican Radio/VIS)
© CatholicIreland.net 2002-2013
Stations of the Cross [Catholic/Orthodox Caucus]
WAY OF THE CROSS COLOSEUM PART 1-2006
"WAY OF THE CROSS" AT COLOSSEUM (Part 2) - 2006
Way of the Cross to Focus on Loss of Sense of Sin
Stations of the Cross - In the Light of the Shroud
The Way of the Cross, with Prayerful Meditations authored by Saint Francis of Assisi
Stations of the Cross Through Poetry
A Few of FR's Finest...Every Day...The Stations of the Cross
The Way of The Cross - a devotional reflection on Christ's Passion
(Then) Cardinal Ratzinger's Meditations for the Stations of the Cross
WAY OF THE CROSS COLOSEUM PART 1 [2006]
"WAY OF THE CROSS" AT COLOSSEUM (Part 2)
Way of the Cross to Focus on Loss of Sense of Sin
Thousands contemplate the saving power of the Cross during Way of the Cross in Rome
"WAY OF THE CROSS" AT COLOSSEUM (Part 2) - 2006
WAY OF THE CROSS COLOSEUM PART 1-2006
A Few of FR's Finest...Every Day...The Stations of the Cross
The Holy Season of Lent -- The Stations of the Cross
Stations of the Cross
This is not a liturgical service, replete with vestments and the like. It is a procession around the coliseum, from one station to the next.
At each stop, a pre-selected group of individuals from all parts of the globe, leads the reflection and prayers for that particular station. The group then passes the cross to the another group which processes to the next station.
It is quite moving.
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