Posted on 05/26/2014 7:16:40 PM PDT by Salvation
May 27, 2014
Tuesday of the Sixth Week of Easter
Reading 1 Acts 16:22-34
The crowd in Philippi joined in the attack on Paul and Silas,
and the magistrates had them stripped
and ordered them to be beaten with rods.
After inflicting many blows on them,
they threw them into prison
and instructed the jailer to guard them securely.
When he received these instructions, he put them in the innermost cell
and secured their feet to a stake.
About midnight, while Paul and Silas were praying
and singing hymns to God as the prisoners listened,
there was suddenly such a severe earthquake
that the foundations of the jail shook;
all the doors flew open, and the chains of all were pulled loose.
When the jailer woke up and saw the prison doors wide open,
he drew his sword and was about to kill himself,
thinking that the prisoners had escaped.
But Paul shouted out in a loud voice,
“Do no harm to yourself; we are all here.”
He asked for a light and rushed in and,
trembling with fear, he fell down before Paul and Silas.
Then he brought them out and said,
“Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”
And they said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus
and you and your household will be saved.”
So they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to everyone in his house.
He took them in at that hour of the night and bathed their wounds;
then he and all his family were baptized at once.
He brought them up into his house and provided a meal
and with his household rejoiced at having come to faith in God.
Responsorial Psalm Ps 138:1-2ab, 2cde-3, 7c-8
R. (7c) Your right hand saves me, O Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
I will give thanks to you, O LORD, with all my heart,
for you have heard the words of my mouth;
in the presence of the angels I will sing your praise;
I will worship at your holy temple,
and give thanks to your name.
R. Your right hand saves me, O Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Because of your kindness and your truth,
you have made great above all things
your name and your promise.
When I called, you answered me;
you built up strength within me.
R. Your right hand saves me, O Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Your right hand saves me.
The LORD will complete what he has done for me;
your kindness, O LORD, endures forever;
forsake not the work of your hands.
R. Your right hand saves me, O Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Gospel Jn 16:5-11
Jesus said to his disciples:
“Now I am going to the one who sent me,
and not one of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?’
But because I told you this, grief has filled your hearts.
But I tell you the truth, it is better for you that I go.
For if I do not go, the Advocate will not come to you.
But if I go, I will send him to you.
And when he comes he will convict the world
in regard to sin and righteousness and condemnation:
sin, because they do not believe in me;
righteousness, because I am going to the Father
and you will no longer see me;
condemnation, because the ruler of this world has been condemned.”
Feast Day: May 27
Born: early 6th century, Rome, Italy
Died: 26 May 604, Canterbury, Kent, England
Patron of: England
St. Augustine of Canterbury
Feast Day: May 27
Died: 605
St. Augustine was born in Rome, Italy. When he grew up, he became a monk. Years later he was made the abbot of St. Andrew's monastery in Rome. Pope St. Gregory the Great chose him and forty other monks for a mission dear to his heart. They were to preach the Gospel or the Good News of Jesus to the people of England.
Abbot Augustine and the monks started on their journey for the British Isles. When they reached southern France, people warned them that the Celts in England were fierce. The monks felt discouraged and frightened.
They asked Augustine to go and ask the pope's permission to give up the whole idea. He did, but the pope would not change his mind. He said that the people in England wanted to accept the Christian faith. The monks went to England. They arrived in 596.
The missionaries were well received by King Ethelbert, whose wife was a Christian princess from France. When they landed, the monks formed a procession and walked along singing psalms. They carried a cross and a picture of our Lord. Many people received the monks' message. King Ethelbert himself was baptized on Pentecost, 597. Abbot Augustine became a bishop that same year.
St. Augustine often wrote asking the pope for advice. And Pope St. Gregory gave him much holy advice, too. Speaking about the many miracles St. Augustine worked, the pope said: "You must rejoice with fear and fear with joy for that gift." He meant that Augustine should be happy that through the miracles the English were being converted. But he should be careful not to become proud because the miracles were worked by God through him.
He worked to make peace between the Celtic churches and the Church of Rome. It was there that he was buried. At Canterbury, St. Augustine built a church and a monastery, which became the most important in England. St. Augustine died seven years after his arrival in England, on May 26, 605.
Tuesday, May 27
Liturgical Color: White
Today is the optional memorial of St.
Augustine of Canterbury, bishop. He was
known as the Apostle to the English.
In 597 A.D., he led 40 missionaries to
England. St. Augustine converted the
king and then most of the country.
Daily Readings for:May 27, 2014
(Readings on USCCB website)
Collect: O God, who by the preaching of the Bishop Saint Augustine of Canterbury led the English peoples to the Gospel, grant, we pray, that the fruits of his labors may remain ever abundant in your Church. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.
RECIPES
ACTIVITIES
o Elementary Parent Pedagogy: Regularity in Prayer
o Explanation and Origin of Rogation Days
o Family Procession for a Blessing on the Crops
o Marian Hymn: Bring Flowers of the Fairest
PRAYERS
o Blessing of Sprouting Seed, Rogation Days
o Litany of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Litany of Loretto)
o Litany of Saint Augustine of Kent
o Ceremonies for the Observance of the Rogation Days
· Easter: May 27th
· Optional Memorial of St. Augustine of Canterbury, bishop
Old Calendar: St. Bede the Venerable, confessor and doctor; St. John I, pope and martyr
St. Augustine was born in Rome and died in Canterbury, England, in 604. When Pope Gregory I heard that the pagans of Britain were disposed to accept the Catholic Faith, he sent the prior of St. Andrew, Augustine, and forty of his Benedictine brethren to England. Despite the great difficulties involved in the task assigned to him, Augustine and his monks obeyed. The success of their preaching was immediate. King Ethelbert was baptized on Pentecost Sunday, 596, and the greater part of the nobles and people soon followed his example. St. Augustine died as the first Archbishop of Canterbury. His feast is celebrated in the Extraordinary Form on May 28.
According to the 1962 Missal of Bl. John XXIII the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite, today is the feast of St. Bede. He was a Benedictine monk in the 8th century, who had great learning and is famous in Christian literature. He died in 735. His feast in the Ordinary Form of the Roman Rite is May 25. Today is also the commemoration of St. John I, Pope and Martyr, who died in a dungeon from the hardships he had to endure, in 526. His feast in the Ordinary Form is now celebrated on May 18.
St. Augustine of Canterbury
St. Augustine was the agent of a greater man than himself, Pope St. Gregory the Great. In Gregory's time, except for the Irish monks, missionary activity was unknown in the western Church, and it is Gregory's glory to have revived it. He decided to begin with a mission to the pagan English, for they had cut off the Christian Celts from the rest of Christendom. The time was favorable for a mission since the ruler of the whole of southern England, Ethelbert of Kent, had married a Christian wife and had received a Gaulish bishop at his court. Gregory himself wished to come to Britain, but his election as pope put an end to any such idea, and in 596 he decided to send an Italian monk following the comparatively new Rule of St Benedict. Augustine set out with some companions, but when they reached southern Gaul a crisis occurred and Augustine was sent back to the pope for help. In reply the pope made Augustine their abbot and subjected the rest of the party to him in all things, and with this authority Augustine successfully reached England in 597, landing in Kent on the Isle of Thanet. Ethelbert and the men of Kent refused to accept Christianity at first, although an ancient British church dedicated to St Martin was restored for Augustine's use; but very shortly afterwards Ethelbert was baptized and, the pope having been consulted, a plan was prepared for the removal of the chief see from Canterbury to London and the establishment of another province at York. Events prevented either of these projects from being fulfilled, but the progress of the mission was continuous until Augustine's death, somewhere between 604 and 609.
The only defeat Augustine met with after he came to England was in his attempt to reconcile the Welsh Christians, to persuade them to adopt the Roman custom of reckoning the date of Easter, to correct certain minor irregularities of rite and to submit to his authority. Augustine met the leaders of the Welsh church in conference but he unfavorably impressed them by remaining seated when they came into his presence — it is likely that in this he unfavorably impressed St Bede too. Augustine was neither the most heroic of missionaries, nor the most tactful, but he did a great work, and he was one of the very few men in Gaul or Italy who, at that time, was prepared to give up everything to preach the gospel in a far country.
— Excerpted from The Saints edited by John Coulson
Patron: England.
Symbols: Banner of the crucifixion; King Ethelbert rising out of a font (Bishop baptizing a king); fountain; cross fitchée pastoral staff and book; cope, mitre and pallium.
Things to Do:
Saint Augustine of Canterbury
Because I told you this, grief has filled your hearts. (John 16:6)
You probably have shed many a tear at some time in your life over the departure of a dear friend or beloved family member. Saying good-bye is hard.
Imagine how hard it must have been for the disciples. They had put their lives on the line, associating so closely with Jesus. What they had done was counter to their culture in many respects. Jesus had become as a brother to them, and God had become “Abba,” their heavenly Father.
It’s no wonder, then, that when Jesus announced his imminent departure, they panicked a little. Grief filled their hearts, and anxious thoughts, their minds. They were so upset that they seem to have missed his final words: love one another; abide in me; keep my commands; don’t be afraid. They missed his final assurances: I will not leave you as orphans; I will give you my peace; the Father will send the Helper, the Holy Spirit; I will come to you.
Sadness and fear can so easily cause us to miss what’s most important. But it doesn’t have to be this way! Exactly because Jesus left, the Father gave us the Holy Spirit. He sent us an Advocate, One who pleads on our behalf, One who argues for us, One who counsels and advises us and empowers us as we try to live out our faith. Jesus was trying to shift the disciples’ focus away from the loss they dreaded and onto the great gain they were about to experience. He will do no less for you, because that same gain is yours!
Think of all the gifts the Holy Spirit brings: the love Jesus commanded us to have for each other. Peace and joy. Patience. Kindness and goodness, the kind that God shows us every day, every hour, every minute. Gentleness and faithfulness in the face of a world that values neither particularly highly. Self-control in a world that advocates against it. Wisdom, strength, endurance, and so much more.
When the reality of family life or work or relationships that you are involved in stirs up anxiety, confusion, or fear, shift your focus onto the Advocate, the Holy Spirit. And thank Jesus for having sent him to you!
“Holy Spirit, come! I welcome you into my heart today.”
Acts 16:22-34; Psalm 138:1-3, 7-8
John | |||
English: Douay-Rheims | Latin: Vulgata Clementina | Greek NT: Byzantine/Majority Text (2000) | |
John 16 |
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5. | But I told you not these things from the beginning, because I was with you. And now I go to him that sent me, and none of you asketh me: Whither goest thou? | Hæc autem vobis ab initio non dixi, quia vobiscum eram. Et nunc vado ad eum qui misit me ; et nemo ex vobis interrogat me : Quo vadis ? | νυν δε υπαγω προς τον πεμψαντα με και ουδεις εξ υμων ερωτα με που υπαγεις |
6. | But because I have spoken these things to you, sorrow hath filled your heart. | sed quia hæc locutus sum vobis, tristitia implevit cor vestrum. | αλλ οτι ταυτα λελαληκα υμιν η λυπη πεπληρωκεν υμων την καρδιαν |
7. | But I tell you the truth: it is expedient to you that I go: for if I go not, the Paraclete will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. | Sed ego veritatem dico vobis : expedit vobis ut ego vadam : si enim non abiero, Paraclitus non veniet ad vos ; si autem abiero, mittam eum ad vos. | αλλ εγω την αληθειαν λεγω υμιν συμφερει υμιν ινα εγω απελθω εαν γαρ εγω μη απελθω ο παρακλητος ουκ ελευσεται προς υμας εαν δε πορευθω πεμψω αυτον προς υμας |
8. | And when he is come, he will convince the world of sin, and of justice, and of judgment. | Et cum venerit ille, arguet mundum de peccato, et de justitia, et de judicio. | και ελθων εκεινος ελεγξει τον κοσμον περι αμαρτιας και περι δικαιοσυνης και περι κρισεως |
9. | Of sin: because they believed not in me. | De peccato quidem, quia non crediderunt in me. | περι αμαρτιας μεν οτι ου πιστευουσιν εις εμε |
10. | And of justice: because I go to the Father; and you shall see me no longer. | De justitia vero, quia ad Patrem vado, et jam non videbitis me. | περι δικαιοσυνης δε οτι προς τον πατερα μου υπαγω και ουκετι θεωρειτε με |
11. | And of judgment: because the prince of this world is already judged. | De judicio autem, quia princeps hujus mundi jam judicatus est. | περι δε κρισεως οτι ο αρχων του κοσμου τουτου κεκριται |
(*) The translations start Verse 5 one sentence sooner than the original.'
Daily Marriage Tip for May 27, 2014:
Rita Boeke tells of how she played a practical joke on her husband, Bob, by filling his car with balloons when he was a teacher. (Forever And A Day) Can you think of a practical joke that would bring a smile to your beloved and not get you in trouble?
Saint Bede the Venerable
Tuesday, 27 May 2014 07:03
Today is the feast of Saint Bede the Venerable, a model for all Benedictine monks by reason of his serene fidelity to the regular observance, to liturgical prayer, and to study, all within the enclosure of the monastery. This stained glass window is a delightful depiction of Saint Bede: he is in his cell, seated at his desk. Before him, on his desk, there is a crucifix and, on a reading stand, the open book of the Scriptures. In both the crucifix and the Scriptures Saint Bede sees Christ; he contemplates Christ; he is absorbed by Christ. On the wall behind Saint Bede one sees various notes and letters arranged in a kind of filing system. Saint Bede’s cell is tidy and bright. On his desk there is nothing superfluous. A clear desk fosters a clear mind, making lectio divina easier. The expression on Saint Bede’s face reveals a profound humility of heart and a childlike purity. Characterized by “the love of learning and the desire for God”, Saint Bede remains a model of single–hearted devotion to Christ.
Pope Benedict XVI on Saint Bede the Venerable
Wednesday, 18 February 2009
Study, Observance, Singing
The Saint we are approaching today is called Bede and was born in the north-east of England, to be exact, Northumbria, in the year 672 or 673. He himself recounts that when he was seven years old his parents entrusted him to the Abbot of the neighbouring Benedictine monastery to be educated: “spending all the remaining time of my life a dweller in that monastery”. He recalls, “I wholly applied myself to the study of Scripture; and amidst the observance of the monastic Rule and the daily charge of singing in church, I always took delight in learning, or teaching, or writing” (Historia Eccl. Anglorum, v, 24). In fact, Bede became one of the most outstanding erudite figures of the early Middle Ages since he was able to avail himself of many precious manuscripts which his Abbots would bring him on their return from frequent journeys to the continent and to Rome. His teaching and the fame of his writings occasioned his friendships with many of the most important figures of his time who encouraged him to persevere in his work from which so many were to benefit.
Forever before Your Face
When Bede fell ill, he did not stop working, always preserving an inner joy that he expressed in prayer and song. He ended his most important work, the Historia Ecclesiastica gentis Anglorum, with this invocation: “I beseech you, O good Jesus, that to the one to whom you have graciously granted sweetly to drink in the words of your knowledge, you will also vouchsafe in your loving kindness that he may one day come to you, the Fountain of all wisdom, and appear forever before your face”. Death took him on 26 May 737: it was the Ascension.
The One Word of God: Christ
Sacred Scripture was the constant source of Bede’s theological reflection. After a critical study of the text (a copy of the monumental Codex Amiatinus of the Vulgate on which Bede worked has come down to us), he comments on the Bible, interpreting it in a Christological key, that is, combining two things: on the one hand he listens to exactly what the text says, he really seeks to hear and understand the text itself; on the other, he is convinced that the key to understanding Sacred Scripture as the one word of God is Christ, and with Christ, in his light, one understands the Old and New Testaments as “one” Sacred Scripture. The events of the Old and New Testaments go together, they are the way to Christ, although expressed in different signs and institutions (this is what he calls the concordia sacramentorum).
The Church
For example, the tent of the covenant that Moses pitched in the desert and the first and second temple of Jerusalem are images of the Church, the new temple built on Christ and on the Apostles with living stones, held together by the love of the Spirit. And just as pagan peoples also contributed to building the ancient temple by making available valuable materials and the technical experience of their master builders, so too contributing to the construction of the Church there were apostles and teachers, not only from ancient Jewish, Greek and Latin lineage, but also from the new peoples, among whom Bede was pleased to list the Irish Celts and Anglo-Saxons. St Bede saw the growth of the universal dimension of the Church which is not restricted to one specific culture but is comprised of all the cultures of the world that must be open to Christ and find in him their goal.
The Historian
Another of Bede’s favourite topics is the history of the Church. After studying the period described in the Acts of the Apostles, he reviews the history of the Fathers and the Councils, convinced that the work of the Holy Spirit continues in history. In the Chronica Maiora, Bede outlines a chronology that was to become the basis of the universal Calendar “ab incarnatione Domini”. In his day, time was calculated from the foundation of the City of Rome. Realizing that the true reference point, the centre of history, is the Birth of Christ, Bede gave us this calendar that interprets history starting from the Incarnation of the Lord. Bede records the first six Ecumenical Councils and their developments, faithfully presenting Christian doctrine, both Mariological and soteriological, and denouncing the Monophysite and Monothelite, Iconoclastic and Neo-Pelagian heresies.
Lastly he compiled with documentary rigour and literary expertise the Ecclesiastical History of the English Peoples mentioned above, which earned him recognition as “the father of English historiography”. The characteristic features of the Church that Bede sought to emphasize are: a) catholicity, seen as faithfulness to tradition while remaining open to historical developments, and as the quest for unity in multiplicity, in historical and cultural diversity according to the directives Pope Gregory the Great had given to Augustine of Canterbury, the Apostle of England; b) apostolicity and Roman traditions: in this regard he deemed it of prime importance to convince all the Irish, Celtic and Pict Churches to have one celebration for Easter in accordance with the Roman calendar. The Computo, which he worked out scientifically to establish the exact date of the Easter celebration, hence the entire cycle of the liturgical year, became the reference text for the whole Catholic Church.
Teacher of Liturgical Theology
Bede was also an eminent teacher of liturgical theology. In his Homilies on the Gospels for Sundays and feast days he achieves a true mystagogy, teaching the faithful to celebrate the mysteries of the faith joyfully and to reproduce them coherently in life, while awaiting their full manifestation with the return of Christ, when, with our glorified bodies, we shall be admitted to the offertory procession in the eternal liturgy of God in Heaven. Following the “realism” of the catecheses of Cyril, Ambrose and Augustine, Bede teaches that the sacraments of Christian initiation make every faithful person “not only a Christian but Christ”. Indeed, every time that a faithful soul lovingly accepts and preserves the Word of God, in imitation of Mary, he conceives and generates Christ anew. And every time that a group of neophytes receives the Easter sacraments the Church “reproduces herself” or, to use a more daring term, the Church becomes “Mother of God”, participating in the generation of her children through the action of the Holy Spirit.
Messages for Various States of Life
By his way of creating theology, interweaving the Bible, liturgy and history, Bede has a timely message for the different “states of life”: a) for scholars (doctores ac doctrices) he recalls two essential tasks: to examine the marvels of the word of God in order to present them in an attractive form to the faithful; to explain the dogmatic truths, avoiding heretical complications and keeping to “Catholic simplicity”, with the attitude of the lowly and humble to whom God is pleased to reveal the mysteries of the Kingdom; b) pastors, for their part, must give priority to preaching, not only through verbal or hagiographic language but also by giving importance to icons, processions and pilgrimages. Bede recommends that they use the Vulgate as he himself does, explaining the “Our Father” and the “Creed” in Northumbrian and continuing, until the last day of his life, his commentary on the Gospel of John in the vulgate; c) Bede recommends to consecrated people who devote themselves to the Divine Office, living in the joy of fraternal communion and progressing in the spiritual life by means of ascesis and contemplation that they attend to the apostolate no one possesses the Gospel for himself alone but must perceive it as a gift for others too both by collaborating with Bishops in pastoral activities of various kinds for the young Christian communities and by offering themselves for the evangelizing mission among the pagans, outside their own country, as “peregrini pro amore Dei”.
A Hard–Working Church
Making this viewpoint his own, in his commentary on the Song of Songs Bede presents the Synagogue and the Church as collaborators in the dissemination of God’s word. Christ the Bridegroom wants a hard-working Church, “weathered by the efforts of evangelization” there is a clear reference to the word in the Song of Songs (1: 5), where the bride says “Nigra sum sed formosa” (“I am very dark, but comely”) intent on tilling other fields or vineyards and in establishing among the new peoples “not a temporary hut but a permanent dwelling place”, in other words, intent on integrating the Gospel into their social fabric and cultural institutions.
The Domestic Church
In this perspective the holy Doctor urges lay faithful to be diligent in religious instruction, imitating those “insatiable crowds of the Gospel who did not even allow the Apostles time to take a mouthful”. He teaches them how to pray ceaselessly, “reproducing in life what they celebrate in the liturgy”, offering all their actions as a spiritual sacrifice in union with Christ. He explains to parents that in their small domestic circle too they can exercise “the priestly office as pastors and guides”, giving their children a Christian upbringing. He also affirms that he knows many of the faithful (men and women, married and single) “capable of irreproachable conduct who, if appropriately guided, will be able every day to receive Eucharistic communion” (Epist. ad Ecgberctum, ed. Plummer, p. 419).
Bede: A Builder of Christian Europe
The fame of holiness and wisdom that Bede already enjoyed in his lifetime, earned him the title of “Venerable”. Pope Sergius I called him this when he wrote to his Abbot in 701 asking him to allow him to come to Rome temporarily to give advice on matters of universal interest. After his death, Bede’s writings were widely disseminated in his homeland and on the European continent. Bishop St Boniface, the great missionary of Germany, (d. 754), asked the Archbishop of York and the Abbot of Wearmouth several times to have some of his works transcribed and sent to him so that he and his companions might also enjoy the spiritual light that shone from them. A century later, Notker Balbulus, Abbot of Sankt Gallen (d. 912), noting the extraordinary influence of Bede, compared him to a new sun that God had caused to rise, not in the East but in the West, to illuminate the world. Apart from the rhetorical emphasis, it is a fact that with his works Bede made an effective contribution to building a Christian Europe in which the various peoples and cultures amalgamated with one another, thereby giving them a single physiognomy, inspired by the Christian faith. Let us pray that today too there may be figures of Bede’s stature, to keep the whole continent united; let us pray that we may all be willing to rediscover our common roots, in order to be builders of a profoundly human and authentically Christian Europe.
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John 16:5-11 Jesus said to his disciples: "But now I am going to the one who sent me, and not one of you asks me, ´Where are you going?´ But because I told you this, grief has filled your hearts. But I tell you the truth, it is better for you that I go. For if I do not go, the Advocate will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you. And when he comes he will convict the world in regard to sin and righteousness and condemnation: sin, because they do not believe in me; righteousness, because I am going to the Father and you will no longer see me; condemnation, because the ruler of this world has been condemned." Introductory Prayer: Lord, as I begin this prayer I offer you my whole self: my thoughts, desires, decisions, actions, hopes, fears, weaknesses, failures and petty successes. I open my entire being to you, aware that you know everything already. I’m certain of your mercy and of the purifying power of your penetrating, loving gaze. Petition: Lord, help me to experience the joy and consolation of the Spirit. 1. Sadness at Jesus’ Parting: As Jesus’ imminent self-sacrifice approaches, the apostles are overwhelmed with confusion and grief. “Who is going to betray him?” “Why is he going?” “What will we do without him?” Questions like these — fruit of their concern for their Master and friend — are whispered to and fro. They have given up everything to follow him. Jesus strives to console them although he is immersed in grief himself. Sorrow is not lacking in the life of any pilgrim, and as Christians we are exiles in a foreign land. Our joy and hope comes from the vision of faith, which enables us to follow in the footsteps of Our Lord. His sacrifice and victory give meaning to our daily trials. 2. The Consoler’s Coming: We are called to an intimate friendship with the Holy Spirit, the “Sweet Guest of the Soul.” Jesus breathed the Holy Spirit upon us at our baptism to be the craftsman of our holiness, and our consolation and strength as we await Christ’s return. No one would wish to face a criminal trial alone and unaided; nor should we try to face the ordeal against sin without the help of Christ’s advocate. Am I aware of the gentle presence of the Holy Spirit in my soul? Am I attentive and docile to his inspirations and movements? 3. Setting Things Right: Nothing is so unsettling as to see the “bad guy” win. Whether it be in the movies or in real life, somehow it seems written in the very fabric of the universe that good should prevail. Many times evil has appeared to usurp the upper hand momentarily, but a Higher Power has always intervened, causing one tyranny and dictatorship after another to crumble. In our own day, evils abound in societies where the lives of the most vulnerable are greatly undervalued. Christ reminds us, however, that the Holy Spirit is at work. Time and again the Holy Spirit continues renewing the face of the earth and changing hearts, bringing good out of evil. Am I too pessimistic in the face of evil, or do I have the optimism of a Christian? Do I confide in the grace and action of the Holy Spirit? Conversation with Christ: Lord Jesus, you have left us to go to the Father and yet you are still with us through the action of your Holy Spirit. Help me to find strength and consolation as I strive to follow his guidance. Resolution: I will take a moment out of my day today to thank the Holy Spirit for his action in the world and in my life. |
May 27, 2014
In the first reading, several miracles occur. First, there is an earthquake and the chains of all the prisoners fall off. But the bigger miracle is that no one tries to escape. Most probably Paul talked to them and convinced them not to run away. However, the biggest miracle is about to happen. The jailer, who must have maltreated many of the prisoners, realizes that Paul and Silas are envoys of God. So he asks for salvation from God through them. He brings them to his house (still another miracle), washes their wounds and then sits down to listen to their preaching. All his family members are converted to the faith and are all baptized. Now that is a miracle!
Have you witnessed miracles in which people completely change the direction of their lives? It would be great to witness such miracles because they truly strengthen our faith in God. The conversion of St. Paul is one such miracle. Miraculous conversions are the work of the Holy Spirit. When the Holy Spirit touches a person, he can change immensely and is filled with zeal to obey God and His commands. We should not give up on anyone no matter how bad they might be because God is more powerful than our sins. He can change us totally if we believe in Him and desire to be converted to His way of doing and thinking. The work of the Holy Spirit is to undo the works of the devil. So we should not be afraid of the evil one because God has already triumphed on Easter Sunday over the prince of this world. The gospel says so.
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Life Jewels (Listen) A collection of One Minute Pro-Life messages. A different message each time you click. |
Why are priests the only ones who can forgive sins?
No man can forgive sins unless he has a commission from God to do so and the power given by him to ensure that the forgiveness he promises the penitent really takes place. The bishop, in the first place, is appointed to do that and, then, his helpers, the ordained priests.
Are there sins that are so serious that not even the average priest can forgive them?
There are sins in which a man turns completely away from God and at the same time, because of the seriousness of the deed, incurs excommunication. When a sin results in "excommunication", absolution can be granted only by the bishop or a priest delegated by him, and, in a few cases, only by the Pope. In danger of death, any priest can absolve from every sin and excommunication.
A Catholic who, for example, cooperates in an abortion automatically excludes himself from sacramental communion; the Church simply acknowledges this fact. The purpose of "excommunication" is to correct the sinner and to lead him back to the right path. (YOUCAT questions 236 & 237)
Dig Deeper: CCC section (1461-1466) and other references here.
Part 2: The Celebration of the Christian Mystery (1066 - 1690)
Section 2: The Seven Sacraments of the Church (1210 - 1690)
Chapter 2: The Sacraments of Healing (1420 - 1532)
Article 4: The Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation (1422 - 1498)
VIII. THE MINISTER OF THIS SACRAMENT ⇡
Since Christ entrusted to his apostles the ministry of reconciliation,65 bishops who are their successors, and priests, the bishops' collaborators, continue to exercise this ministry. Indeed bishops and priests, by virtue of the sacrament of Holy Orders, have the power to forgive all sins "in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit."
65.
Cf. Jn 20:23; 2 Cor 5:18.
Forgiveness of sins brings reconciliation with God, but also with the Church. Since ancient times the bishop, visible head of a particular Church, has thus rightfully been considered to be the one who principally has the power and ministry of reconciliation: he is the moderator of the penitential discipline.66 Priests, his collaborators, exercise it to the extent that they have received the commission either from their bishop (or religious superior) or the Pope, according to the law of the Church.67
66.
Cf. LG 26 § 3.
67.
Cf. CIC, cann. 844; 967-969; 972; CCEO, can. 722 §§ 3-4.
Certain particularly grave sins incur excommunication, the most severe ecclesiastical penalty, which impedes the reception of the sacraments and the exercise of certain ecclesiastical acts, and for which absolution consequently cannot be granted, according to canon law, except by the Pope, the bishop of the place or priests authorized by them.68 In danger of death any priest, even if deprived of faculties for hearing confessions, can absolve from every sin and excommunication.69
69.
Cf. CIC, can. 976; CCEO, can. 725.
68.
Cf. CIC, cann. 1331; 1354-1357; CCEO, can. 1431; 1434; 1420.
Priests must encourage the faithful to come to the sacrament of Penance and must make themselves available to celebrate this sacrament each time Christians reasonably ask for it.70
70.
Cf. CIC, can. 486; CCEO, can. 735; PO 13.
When he celebrates the sacrament of Penance, the priest is fulfilling the ministry of the Good Shepherd who seeks the lost sheep, of the Good Samaritan who binds up wounds, of the Father who awaits the prodigal son and welcomes him on his return, and of the just and impartial judge whose judgment is both just and merciful. The priest is the sign and the instrument of God's merciful love for the sinner.
The confessor is not the master of God's forgiveness, but its servant. The minister of this sacrament should unite himself to the intention and charity of Christ.71 He should have a proven knowledge of Christian behavior, experience of human affairs, respect and sensitivity toward the one who has fallen; he must love the truth, be faithful to the Magisterium of the Church, and lead the penitent with patience toward healing and full maturity. He must pray and do penance for his penitent, entrusting him to the Lord's mercy.
71.
Cf. PO 13.
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