From The Vatican, USCCB, CNA, saints.SPQN.com and Catholic Online:
Daily Readings:
Saints/Martyrs/Feasts/Fasts to be observed/commemmorated/celebrated: Lent,
Acacius Agathangelos of Melitene
Aldo of Hasnon
Amos the Prophet
Anesius
Balbina of Rome
Benjamin the Deacon
Bonaventure Tornielli of Forli
Cornelia
Daniel of Murano
Felix
Guy of Pomposa
Guy of Vicogne
Jane of Toulouse
Machabeo of Armagh
Mary Mamala
Natalia Tulasiewicz
Renovatus of Merida
Stephen of Mar Saba
Theodulus
St. Benjamin
Feastday: March 31
424?
St. Benjamin, Martyr (Feast Day - March 31) The Christians in Persia had enjoyed twelve years of peace during the reign of Isdegerd, son of Sapor III, when in 420 it was disturbed by the indiscreet zeal of Abdas, a Christian Bishop who burned the Temple of Fire, the great sanctuary of the Persians. King Isdegerd threatened to destroy all the churches of the Christians unless the Bishop would rebuild it.
As Abdas refused to comply, the threat was executed; the churches were demolished, Abdas himself was put to death, and a general persecution began which lasted forty years. Isdegerd died in 421, but his son and successor, Varanes, carried on the persecution with great fury. The Christians were submitted to the most cruel tortures.
Among those who suffered was St. Benjamin, a Deacon, who had been imprisoned a year for his Faith. At the end of this period, an ambassador of the Emperor of Constantinople obtained his release on condition that he would never speak to any of the courtiers about religion.
St. Benjamin, however, declared it was his duty to preach Christ and that he could not be silent. Although he had been liberated on the agreement made with the ambassador and the Persian authorities, he would not acquiesce in it, and neglected no opportunity of preaching. He was again apprehended and brought before the king. The tyrant ordered that reeds should be thrust in between his nails and his flesh and into all the tenderest parts of his body and then withdrawn. After this torture had been repeated several times, a knotted stake was inserted into his bowels to rend and tear him. The martyr expired in the most terrible agony about the year 424.
St. Guy of Pomposa
Feastday: March 31
St. Guy of Pomposa (1046) was born in Italy and gave everything to the poor. He spent three years, as a hermit, on the island of Po River. He become the abbot of St. Severus. He became a much sought after spiritual adviser. His feast day is March 31.
St. Achatius
Feastday: March 31
Achatius, also known as Acacius; the facts of his life are uncertain. He may have been bishop of Antioch or of Militene and may not have been a bishop at all. He was prominent in Christian circles in Antioch and when summoned to appear before the local Roman official, Martian, a dialogue on Christianity and it's teachings as compared to other religions ensued, which has come down to us. Achatius refused to sacrifice to pagan gods, and when he would not supply the names of his fellow Christians, was sent to prison. Supposedly when Emperor Decius received Martian's report of the trial he was so impressed by both men that he promoted Martian and pardoned Achatius. Though listed as a martyr there is no evidence he died for the faith.
St. Balbina
Feastday: March 31
130
Martyr baptized by Pope St. Alexander. The daughter of Quirinus the martyr, Balbina died for the faith and was buried on the Appian Way. Her relics were later enshrined in St. Balbina's Church on the Aventine.
St. Theodulus
Feastday: March 31
unknown
Martyr with Anesius, Felix, Cornelia, and companions in Africa. The details of their suffering are not extant.
St. Daniel
Feastday: March 31
1411
A Camaldolese hermit, originally a German merchant. He was traveling on business and stopped at Murano, Italy, where he became a Camaldolese. Daniel was slain by robbers.
St. Machabeo
Feastday: March 31
Irish abbot of Armagh, Ireland, for four decades. He is also listed as Gilda-Marchaibeo. He governed the monastery of Sts. Peter and Paul.
St. Renovatus
Feastday: March 31
633
Bishop of Merida, Spain. A convert from Arianism, he entered a monastery and became abbot of Cauliana in Lusitania and then bishop of Merida. He served his see for more than two decades
St. Abda
Feastday: March 31
Africa martyred with Anesius.
Scriptural Readings:
March 31, 2011
Thursday of the Third Week of Lent
Reading 1
Jer 7:23-28
Thus says the LORD:
This is what I commanded my people:
Listen to my voice;
then I will be your God and you shall be my people.
Walk in all the ways that I command you,
so that you may prosper.
But they obeyed not, nor did they pay heed.
They walked in the hardness of their evil hearts
and turned their backs, not their faces, to me.
From the day that your fathers left the land of Egypt even to this day,
I have sent you untiringly all my servants the prophets.
Yet they have not obeyed me nor paid heed;
they have stiffened their necks and done worse than their fathers.
When you speak all these words to them,
they will not listen to you either;
when you call to them, they will not answer you.
Say to them:
This is the nation that does not listen
to the voice of the LORD, its God,
or take correction.
Faithfulness has disappeared;
the word itself is banished from their speech.
Ps 95:1-2, 6-7, 8-9Responsorial PsalmR. (8) If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.
Come, let us sing joyfully to the LORD;
let us acclaim the Rock of our salvation.
Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving;
let us joyfully sing psalms to him.
R. If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.
Come, let us bow down in worship;
let us kneel before the LORD who made us.
For he is our God,
and we are the people he shepherds, the flock he guides.
R. If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.
Oh, that today you would hear his voice:
“Harden not your hearts as at Meribah,
as in the day of Massah in the desert,
Where your fathers tempted me;
they tested me though they had seen my works.”
R. If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.
Lk 11:14-23GospelJesus was driving out a demon that was mute,
and when the demon had gone out,
the mute man spoke and the crowds were amazed.
Some of them said, “By the power of Beelzebul, the prince of demons,
he drives out demons.”
Others, to test him, asked him for a sign from heaven.
But he knew their thoughts and said to them,
“Every kingdom divided against itself will be laid waste
and house will fall against house.
And if Satan is divided against himself,
how will his kingdom stand?
For you say that it is by Beelzebul that I drive out demons.
If I, then, drive out demons by Beelzebul,
by whom do your own people drive them out?
Therefore they will be your judges.
But if it is by the finger of God that I drive out demons,
then the Kingdom of God has come upon you.
When a strong man fully armed guards his palace,
his possessions are safe.
But when one stronger than he attacks and overcomes him,
he takes away the armor on which he relied
and distributes the spoils.
Whoever is not with me is against me,
and whoever does not gather with me scatters.”
Next Day
Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States, second typical edition, Copyright © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine; Psalm refrain © 1968, 1981, 1997, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved. Neither this work nor any part of it may be reproduced, distributed, performed or displayed in any medium, including electronic or digital, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.
General Audience of Pope Benedict XVI:
BENEDICT XVI
GENERAL AUDIENCE
St. Peter's Square
Wednesday, 30 March 2011
[Video]
Saint Alphonsus Liguori
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
Our catechesis today deals with Saint Alphonsus Liguori, an outstanding eighteenth-century preacher, scholar and Doctor of the Church. Alphonsus left a brilliant career as a lawyer to become a priest, and greatly contributed to the renewal of the Church in his native Naples. He began as a missionary among the urban poor, gathering small groups for prayer and instruction in the faith. Broadening his pastoral outreach, he founded the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer – the Redemptorists – as a group of itinerant missionaries. Alphonsus’ pastoral zeal also found expression in his moral teaching, which emphasized divine mercy and the relationship between God’s law and our deepest human needs and aspirations. His many spiritual writings, marked by a deep Christological and Marian piety, stressed the practice of prayer, especially before the Blessed Sacrament. May this great Doctor of the Church, venerated also as the patron of moral theologians, help us to respond ever more fully to God’s call to grow in holiness, and inspire in priests, religious and laity a firm commitment to the new evangelization.
* * *
I greet all the English-speaking pilgrims present at today’s Audience, especially those from England, Norway, Japan, the Philippines and the United States. To the choirs I express my gratitude for their praise of God in song. Upon all of you I cordially invoke the Lord’s blessings of joy and peace.
© Copyright 2011 - Libreria Editrice Vaticana
The Pope's Appeal after the Angelus:
The Pope's Appeal after the Angelus
Let the weapons be silenced in Libya
and let dialogue begin
After praying the Angelus with the faithful in St Peter's Square on Sunday, 27 March, the Holy Father made the following Appeal for peace on behalf of the people of Libya.
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
In the face of the ever more dramatic news that is arriving from Libya, I feel increasing anxiety for the safety and security of the civil population and apprehension on account of the escalation of events now marked by the use of weapons. In moments of greater tension it becomes urgently necessary, in the search for peaceful and permanent solutions, to have recourse to every means available to diplomatic action and to support even the weakest signs of openness and of the desire for reconciliation among all the parties involved.
In this perspective, as I raise my prayers to the Lord for a return to harmony in Libya and in the entire North African region, I address a heartfelt appeal to the international organizations and to all who have political and military responsibilities to initiate a dialogue immediately and to suspend the use of weapons.
(©L'Osservatore Romano - 30 March 2011)
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From the abyss of evil
Benedict XVI's "pilgrimage" - as he chose to call it - to the Fosse Ardeatine to pay homage to the victims of the appalling massacre which lives on, indelible, among the many horrors of the Second World War, was given no coverage in the media; perhaps partly because of the rapid succession of events in the international arena. Yet Benedict XVI's Visit to this Sacrarium "dear to all Italians", in continuity with the Visits of Paul VI and of John Paul II, and wishing to pray and to "refresh the memory" - has a special significance which endures.
Their Successor has in fact taken another step in the recomposition of the memory of that conflict which contributed to plunging the 20th century into the abyss of evil. As Benedict XVI said exactly a month after his election, reflecting on the latest papal successions.
In this way, it is necessary to consider, the new Pope said, "Under the light of Providence, how can we not read as a divine plan the fact that on the Chair of Peter, a Polish Pope is succeeded by a citizen of that Country, Germany, where the Nazi regime was the most vicious, attacking the nearby nations, Poland among them? "In their youth, both of these Popes - even if on opposing fronts and in different situations - knew the cruelty of the Second World War and of the senseless violence of men fighting men, people fighting people". In the presence of the Chief Rabbi of the oldest community of the Western diaspora, ferociously damaged by racial persecution, also at the Fosse Ardeatine, the Bishop of Rome, a "city consecrated by the blood of the martyrs", wished to meet at length the relatives of the victims - Catholics and Jews together - and paid homage to their memory, in a place close to the catacombs and from which one again the prayer of the Psalms was raised, which for many centuries both Jews and Christians prayed to the one God.
It was that God to whom in the hour of darkness two of these who died had turned, as did others in those days, to assert their faith "in God and in Italy", and to implore the protection of the Jews "from barbarous persecutions".
Benedict XVI quoted their words, recalling the 150th anniversary of the Unificaiton of the country and repeating that in the Father of all a different future is possible. That does not offend the holy Name of God and the human being created in his image.
g.m.v.
(©L'Osservatore Romano - 30 March 2011)
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The Angelus in St Peter's Square
The love of God
respects the freedom of human beings
On returning from the Sacrarium of the Fosse Ardeatine, at noon on Sunday, 27 March, the Holy Father introduced the recitation of the Angelus with the faithful in St Peter's Square with a Reflection on Christ's encounter with the Samaritan woman at the well. He then turned his thoughts to the Middle East, where episodes of violence have been taking place. He prayed that priority "may be given to the way of dialogue and reconciliation in the search for a just and fraternal coexistence. The following is a translation of the Pope's Reflection, which was given in Italian.
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
This third Sunday of Lent is characterized by the Jesus' famous conversation with the Samaritan woman, recounted by the Evangelist John. The woman went every day to draw water from an ancient well that dated back to the Patriarch Jacob and on that day she found Jesus sitting beside the well, "wearied from his journey" (Jn 4:6). St Augustine comments: "Not for nothing was Jesus tried…. The strength of Christ created you, the weakness of Christ recreated you…. With his strength he created us, with his weakness he came to seek us out" (In Ioh. Ev., 15, 2).
Jesus' weariness, a sign of his true humanity, can be seen as a prelude to the Passion with which he brought to fulfilment the work of our redemption. In the encounter with the Samaritan woman at the well, the topic of Christ's "thirst" stands out in particular. It culminated in his cry on the Cross "I thirst" (Jn 19:28). This thirst, like his weariness, had a physical basis. Yet Jesus, as St Augustine says further, "thirsted for the faith of that woman" (In Ioh. Ev. 15,11), as he thirsted for the faith of us all. God the Father sent him to quench our thirst for eternal life, giving us his love, but to give us this gift Jesus asks for our faith. The omnipotence of Love always respects human freedom; it knocks at the door of man's heart and waits patiently for his answer.
In the encounter with the Samaritan woman the symbol of water stands out in the foreground, alluding clearly to the sacrament of Baptism, the source of new life for faith in God's Grace. This Gospel, in fact - as I recalled in my Catechesis on Ash Wednesday - is part of the ancient journey of the catechumen's preparation for Christian Initiation, which took place at the great Easter Vigil. "Whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him", Jesus said, "will never thirst; the water that I shall give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life" (Jn 4:14).
This water represents the Holy Spirit, the "gift" par excellence that Jesus came to bring on the part of God the Father. Whoever is reborn by water and by the Holy Spirit, that is, in Baptism, enters into a real relationship with God, a filial relationship, and can worship him "in spirit and in truth" (Jn 4:23, 24), as Jesus went on to reveal to the Samaritan woman. Thanks to the meeting with Jesus Christ and to the gift of the Holy Spirit, the human being's faith attains fulfilment, as a response to the fullness of God's revelation. Each one of us can identify himself with the Samaritan woman: Jesus is waiting for us, especially in this Season of Lent, to speak to our hearts, to my heart. Let us pause a moment in silence, in our room or in a church or in a separate place. Let us listen to his voice which tells us "If you knew the gift of God…". May the Virgin Mary help us not to miss this appointment, on which our true happiness depends.
Lastly, my thoughts turn to the authorities and citizens of the Middle East, where in the past few days various episodes of violence have occurred, so that there too priority may be given to the way of dialogue and reconciliation in the search for a just and fraternal coexistence.
The Holy Father then said:
I offer a warm greeting to all the English-speaking visitors present for this Angelus prayer. In today's Gospel, Jesus speaks to the Samaritan woman of the gift of the Holy Spirit, the water which wells up to eternal life in those who believe. Through our Lenten observance may all of us be renewed in the grace of our Baptism and prepare with hearts renewed to celebrate the gift of new life at Easter. Upon you and your families I invoke God's Blessings of joy and peace! I wish everyone a good Sunday.
(©L'Osservatore Romano - 30 March 2011)
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The Pope to participants in the Course on the Internal Forum organized by the Apostolic Penitentiary
The last word on evil is the mercy of God
On Friday, 25 March, on the last day of the 22nd Annual Course on the Internal Forum, organized by the Apostolic Penitentiary, which began on 21 March, the Holy Father spoke to the participants in the Vatican's Hall of Blessings. Cardinal Fortunato Baldelli, Major Penitentiary, who presided at the course, gave a detailed update on the penitential discipline, on the administration of the sacrament of Penance and on the specific functions of the Tribunal. Reports were given, among others, by Bishop Gianfranco Girotti, OFM Conv., Regent of the Penitentiary, by Bishop Juan Ignacio Arrieta Ochoa de Chinchetru and by Fr Ján ?a?ok, SJ, respectively canonist and theologian of the Tribunal. The following is a translation of the Pope's Address, which was given in Italian.
Dear Friends,
I am very glad to address to each one of you my most cordial welcome. I greet Cardinal Fortunato Baldelli, Major Penitentiary, and I thank him for his courteous words. I greet Bishop Gianfranco Girotti, Regent of the Penitentiary, the personnel, the co-workers and all the participants in the Course on the Internal Forum which has now become a traditional appointment and an important occasion for deepening the knowledge of topics linked to the sacrament of Penance. I would like to reflect with you on an aspect not sufficiently thought about but which is of great spiritual and pastoral importance: the pedagogical value of Sacramental Confession.
Although it is true that it is always necessary to safeguard the objectivity of the effects of the sacrament and its correct celebration in accordance with the norms of the Rite of Penance, it is not out of place to reflect on how much it can educate the faith of both the minister and the penitent. The faithful and generous availability of priests to hear confessions - after the example of the great saints of the past from St John Mary Vianney to St John Bosco, from St Josemaría Escrivá to St Pius of Pietrelcina, from St Joseph Cafasso to St Leopold Mandi? - shows all of us that the confessional may be a real "place" of sanctification.
How does the sacrament of Penance educate? In what sense does its celebration have pedagogical value, especially for ministers? We may start by recognizing that the mission of priests is a unique and privileged observation point, from which it is daily granted to contemplate the splendour of divine Mercy. How often in celebrating the sacrament of Penance the priest witnesses real miracles of conversion which, in renewing "the encounter with an event, a person" (Deus Caritas Est, n. 1), reinforces his own faith! Basically, hearing confession means witnessing as many professiones fidei as there are penitents, and contemplating the merciful God's action in history, feeling tangibly the saving effects of the Cross and of the Resurrection of Christ, in every epoch and for every person.
We are often faced with true and proper existential and spiritual dramas that find no answer in human words but are embraced and taken up by divine Love, which pardons and transforms: "though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow (Is 1:18).
If, on the one hand knowing and, in a certain way, visiting the depths of the human heart, even its darkest aspects, tests the humanity and the faith of the priest himself, on the other, it fosters within him the certainty that it is God who has the last word over human evil and history, it is his Mercy which can make all things new (cf. Rev 21:5).
Then, how much the priest can learn from exemplary penitents: through their spiritual life, the seriousness with which they carry out their examination of conscience, the transparency with which they admit their sins and their docility to the Church's teaching and to the confessor's instructions.
From the administration of the sacrament of Penance we may draw profound lessons of humility and faith! It is a very strong appeal to each priest for knowledge of his own identity. We will never be able to hear the confessions of our brothers and sisters solely by virtue of our humanity! If they approach us, it is only because we are priests, configured to Christ the Eternal High Priest, and enabled to act in his Name and in his Person, to make God who forgives, renews and transforms, truly present. The celebration of the sacrament of Penance has a pedagogical value for the priest, as regards his faith, as well as the truth and poverty of his person, and nourishes within him an awareness of the sacramental identity.
What is the pedagogical value of the sacrament of Penance for penitents? We should state beforehand that first and foremost it depends on the action of Grace and on the objective effect on the soul of the member of the faithful. Of course, sacramental Reconciliation is one of the moments in which personal freedom and an awareness of self need to be expressed particularly clearly. It is perhaps also for this reason, in an epoch of relativism and of the consequent attenuated awareness of one's being, that this sacramental practice is also weakened.
Examination of conscience has an important pedagogical value. It teaches us how to look squarely at our life, to compare it with the truth of the Gospel and to evaluate it with parameters that are not only human but are also borrowed from divine Revelation. Comparison with the Commandments, with the Beatitudes and, especially, with the Precept of love, constitutes the first great "school of penance".
In our time, marked by noise, distraction and loneliness, the penitent's conversation with the confessor can be one of the few - if not the only - opportunities to be truly heard in depth.
Dear priests, do not neglect to allow enough room for the exercise of the ministry of Penance in the confessional: to be welcomed and heard is also a human sign of God's welcoming kindness to his children. Moreover the integral confession of sins teaches the penitent humility, recognition of his or her own frailty and, at the same time, an awareness of the need for God's forgiveness and the trust that divine Grace can transform his life. Likewise, listening to the confessor's recommendations and advice is important for judging actions, for the spiritual journey and for the inner healing of the penitent.
Let us not forget how many conversions and how many truly holy lives began in a confessional! The acceptance of the penance and listening to the words "I absolve you from your sins", are, lastly, a true school of love and hope that guides the person to full trust in the God Love, revealed in Jesus Christ, to responsibility and to the commitment to continuous conversion.
Dear priests, our own prior experience of divine Mercy and of being humble instruments teaches us an ever more faithful celebration of the Sacrament of Penance and profound gratitude to God who "gave us the ministry of reconciliation" (2 Cor 5:18).
I entrust to the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mater misericordiae and Refugium peccatorum, the fruits of your Course on the Internal Forum and the ministry of all Confessors, as I bless you all with great affection.
(©L'Osservatore Romano - 30 March 2011)
Daily Readings:
Saints/Martyrs/Feasts/Fasts to be observed/commemmorated/celebrated: Lent,
Acacius Agathangelos of Melitene
Aldo of Hasnon
Amos the Prophet
Anesius
Balbina of Rome
Benjamin the Deacon
Bonaventure Tornielli of Forli
Cornelia
Daniel of Murano
Felix
Guy of Pomposa
Guy of Vicogne
Jane of Toulouse
Machabeo of Armagh
Mary Mamala
Natalia Tulasiewicz
Renovatus of Merida
Stephen of Mar Saba
Theodulus
St. Benjamin
Feastday: March 31
424?
St. Benjamin, Martyr (Feast Day - March 31) The Christians in Persia had enjoyed twelve years of peace during the reign of Isdegerd, son of Sapor III, when in 420 it was disturbed by the indiscreet zeal of Abdas, a Christian Bishop who burned the Temple of Fire, the great sanctuary of the Persians. King Isdegerd threatened to destroy all the churches of the Christians unless the Bishop would rebuild it.
As Abdas refused to comply, the threat was executed; the churches were demolished, Abdas himself was put to death, and a general persecution began which lasted forty years. Isdegerd died in 421, but his son and successor, Varanes, carried on the persecution with great fury. The Christians were submitted to the most cruel tortures.
Among those who suffered was St. Benjamin, a Deacon, who had been imprisoned a year for his Faith. At the end of this period, an ambassador of the Emperor of Constantinople obtained his release on condition that he would never speak to any of the courtiers about religion.
St. Benjamin, however, declared it was his duty to preach Christ and that he could not be silent. Although he had been liberated on the agreement made with the ambassador and the Persian authorities, he would not acquiesce in it, and neglected no opportunity of preaching. He was again apprehended and brought before the king. The tyrant ordered that reeds should be thrust in between his nails and his flesh and into all the tenderest parts of his body and then withdrawn. After this torture had been repeated several times, a knotted stake was inserted into his bowels to rend and tear him. The martyr expired in the most terrible agony about the year 424.
St. Guy of Pomposa
Feastday: March 31
St. Guy of Pomposa (1046) was born in Italy and gave everything to the poor. He spent three years, as a hermit, on the island of Po River. He become the abbot of St. Severus. He became a much sought after spiritual adviser. His feast day is March 31.
St. Achatius
Feastday: March 31
Achatius, also known as Acacius; the facts of his life are uncertain. He may have been bishop of Antioch or of Militene and may not have been a bishop at all. He was prominent in Christian circles in Antioch and when summoned to appear before the local Roman official, Martian, a dialogue on Christianity and it's teachings as compared to other religions ensued, which has come down to us. Achatius refused to sacrifice to pagan gods, and when he would not supply the names of his fellow Christians, was sent to prison. Supposedly when Emperor Decius received Martian's report of the trial he was so impressed by both men that he promoted Martian and pardoned Achatius. Though listed as a martyr there is no evidence he died for the faith.
St. Balbina
Feastday: March 31
130
Martyr baptized by Pope St. Alexander. The daughter of Quirinus the martyr, Balbina died for the faith and was buried on the Appian Way. Her relics were later enshrined in St. Balbina's Church on the Aventine.
St. Theodulus
Feastday: March 31
unknown
Martyr with Anesius, Felix, Cornelia, and companions in Africa. The details of their suffering are not extant.
St. Daniel
Feastday: March 31
1411
A Camaldolese hermit, originally a German merchant. He was traveling on business and stopped at Murano, Italy, where he became a Camaldolese. Daniel was slain by robbers.
St. Machabeo
Feastday: March 31
Irish abbot of Armagh, Ireland, for four decades. He is also listed as Gilda-Marchaibeo. He governed the monastery of Sts. Peter and Paul.
St. Renovatus
Feastday: March 31
633
Bishop of Merida, Spain. A convert from Arianism, he entered a monastery and became abbot of Cauliana in Lusitania and then bishop of Merida. He served his see for more than two decades
St. Abda
Feastday: March 31
Africa martyred with Anesius.
Scriptural Readings:
March 31, 2011
Thursday of the Third Week of Lent
Reading 1
Jer 7:23-28
Thus says the LORD:
This is what I commanded my people:
Listen to my voice;
then I will be your God and you shall be my people.
Walk in all the ways that I command you,
so that you may prosper.
But they obeyed not, nor did they pay heed.
They walked in the hardness of their evil hearts
and turned their backs, not their faces, to me.
From the day that your fathers left the land of Egypt even to this day,
I have sent you untiringly all my servants the prophets.
Yet they have not obeyed me nor paid heed;
they have stiffened their necks and done worse than their fathers.
When you speak all these words to them,
they will not listen to you either;
when you call to them, they will not answer you.
Say to them:
This is the nation that does not listen
to the voice of the LORD, its God,
or take correction.
Faithfulness has disappeared;
the word itself is banished from their speech.
Ps 95:1-2, 6-7, 8-9Responsorial PsalmR. (8) If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.
Come, let us sing joyfully to the LORD;
let us acclaim the Rock of our salvation.
Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving;
let us joyfully sing psalms to him.
R. If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.
Come, let us bow down in worship;
let us kneel before the LORD who made us.
For he is our God,
and we are the people he shepherds, the flock he guides.
R. If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.
Oh, that today you would hear his voice:
“Harden not your hearts as at Meribah,
as in the day of Massah in the desert,
Where your fathers tempted me;
they tested me though they had seen my works.”
R. If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.
Lk 11:14-23GospelJesus was driving out a demon that was mute,
and when the demon had gone out,
the mute man spoke and the crowds were amazed.
Some of them said, “By the power of Beelzebul, the prince of demons,
he drives out demons.”
Others, to test him, asked him for a sign from heaven.
But he knew their thoughts and said to them,
“Every kingdom divided against itself will be laid waste
and house will fall against house.
And if Satan is divided against himself,
how will his kingdom stand?
For you say that it is by Beelzebul that I drive out demons.
If I, then, drive out demons by Beelzebul,
by whom do your own people drive them out?
Therefore they will be your judges.
But if it is by the finger of God that I drive out demons,
then the Kingdom of God has come upon you.
When a strong man fully armed guards his palace,
his possessions are safe.
But when one stronger than he attacks and overcomes him,
he takes away the armor on which he relied
and distributes the spoils.
Whoever is not with me is against me,
and whoever does not gather with me scatters.”
Next Day
Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States, second typical edition, Copyright © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine; Psalm refrain © 1968, 1981, 1997, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved. Neither this work nor any part of it may be reproduced, distributed, performed or displayed in any medium, including electronic or digital, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.
General Audience of Pope Benedict XVI:
BENEDICT XVI
GENERAL AUDIENCE
St. Peter's Square
Wednesday, 30 March 2011
[Video]
Saint Alphonsus Liguori
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
Our catechesis today deals with Saint Alphonsus Liguori, an outstanding eighteenth-century preacher, scholar and Doctor of the Church. Alphonsus left a brilliant career as a lawyer to become a priest, and greatly contributed to the renewal of the Church in his native Naples. He began as a missionary among the urban poor, gathering small groups for prayer and instruction in the faith. Broadening his pastoral outreach, he founded the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer – the Redemptorists – as a group of itinerant missionaries. Alphonsus’ pastoral zeal also found expression in his moral teaching, which emphasized divine mercy and the relationship between God’s law and our deepest human needs and aspirations. His many spiritual writings, marked by a deep Christological and Marian piety, stressed the practice of prayer, especially before the Blessed Sacrament. May this great Doctor of the Church, venerated also as the patron of moral theologians, help us to respond ever more fully to God’s call to grow in holiness, and inspire in priests, religious and laity a firm commitment to the new evangelization.
* * *
I greet all the English-speaking pilgrims present at today’s Audience, especially those from England, Norway, Japan, the Philippines and the United States. To the choirs I express my gratitude for their praise of God in song. Upon all of you I cordially invoke the Lord’s blessings of joy and peace.
© Copyright 2011 - Libreria Editrice Vaticana
The Pope's Appeal after the Angelus:
The Pope's Appeal after the Angelus
Let the weapons be silenced in Libya
and let dialogue begin
After praying the Angelus with the faithful in St Peter's Square on Sunday, 27 March, the Holy Father made the following Appeal for peace on behalf of the people of Libya.
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
In the face of the ever more dramatic news that is arriving from Libya, I feel increasing anxiety for the safety and security of the civil population and apprehension on account of the escalation of events now marked by the use of weapons. In moments of greater tension it becomes urgently necessary, in the search for peaceful and permanent solutions, to have recourse to every means available to diplomatic action and to support even the weakest signs of openness and of the desire for reconciliation among all the parties involved.
In this perspective, as I raise my prayers to the Lord for a return to harmony in Libya and in the entire North African region, I address a heartfelt appeal to the international organizations and to all who have political and military responsibilities to initiate a dialogue immediately and to suspend the use of weapons.
(©L'Osservatore Romano - 30 March 2011)
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From the abyss of evil
Benedict XVI's "pilgrimage" - as he chose to call it - to the Fosse Ardeatine to pay homage to the victims of the appalling massacre which lives on, indelible, among the many horrors of the Second World War, was given no coverage in the media; perhaps partly because of the rapid succession of events in the international arena. Yet Benedict XVI's Visit to this Sacrarium "dear to all Italians", in continuity with the Visits of Paul VI and of John Paul II, and wishing to pray and to "refresh the memory" - has a special significance which endures.
Their Successor has in fact taken another step in the recomposition of the memory of that conflict which contributed to plunging the 20th century into the abyss of evil. As Benedict XVI said exactly a month after his election, reflecting on the latest papal successions.
In this way, it is necessary to consider, the new Pope said, "Under the light of Providence, how can we not read as a divine plan the fact that on the Chair of Peter, a Polish Pope is succeeded by a citizen of that Country, Germany, where the Nazi regime was the most vicious, attacking the nearby nations, Poland among them? "In their youth, both of these Popes - even if on opposing fronts and in different situations - knew the cruelty of the Second World War and of the senseless violence of men fighting men, people fighting people". In the presence of the Chief Rabbi of the oldest community of the Western diaspora, ferociously damaged by racial persecution, also at the Fosse Ardeatine, the Bishop of Rome, a "city consecrated by the blood of the martyrs", wished to meet at length the relatives of the victims - Catholics and Jews together - and paid homage to their memory, in a place close to the catacombs and from which one again the prayer of the Psalms was raised, which for many centuries both Jews and Christians prayed to the one God.
It was that God to whom in the hour of darkness two of these who died had turned, as did others in those days, to assert their faith "in God and in Italy", and to implore the protection of the Jews "from barbarous persecutions".
Benedict XVI quoted their words, recalling the 150th anniversary of the Unificaiton of the country and repeating that in the Father of all a different future is possible. That does not offend the holy Name of God and the human being created in his image.
g.m.v.
(©L'Osservatore Romano - 30 March 2011)
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The Angelus in St Peter's Square
The love of God
respects the freedom of human beings
On returning from the Sacrarium of the Fosse Ardeatine, at noon on Sunday, 27 March, the Holy Father introduced the recitation of the Angelus with the faithful in St Peter's Square with a Reflection on Christ's encounter with the Samaritan woman at the well. He then turned his thoughts to the Middle East, where episodes of violence have been taking place. He prayed that priority "may be given to the way of dialogue and reconciliation in the search for a just and fraternal coexistence. The following is a translation of the Pope's Reflection, which was given in Italian.
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
This third Sunday of Lent is characterized by the Jesus' famous conversation with the Samaritan woman, recounted by the Evangelist John. The woman went every day to draw water from an ancient well that dated back to the Patriarch Jacob and on that day she found Jesus sitting beside the well, "wearied from his journey" (Jn 4:6). St Augustine comments: "Not for nothing was Jesus tried…. The strength of Christ created you, the weakness of Christ recreated you…. With his strength he created us, with his weakness he came to seek us out" (In Ioh. Ev., 15, 2).
Jesus' weariness, a sign of his true humanity, can be seen as a prelude to the Passion with which he brought to fulfilment the work of our redemption. In the encounter with the Samaritan woman at the well, the topic of Christ's "thirst" stands out in particular. It culminated in his cry on the Cross "I thirst" (Jn 19:28). This thirst, like his weariness, had a physical basis. Yet Jesus, as St Augustine says further, "thirsted for the faith of that woman" (In Ioh. Ev. 15,11), as he thirsted for the faith of us all. God the Father sent him to quench our thirst for eternal life, giving us his love, but to give us this gift Jesus asks for our faith. The omnipotence of Love always respects human freedom; it knocks at the door of man's heart and waits patiently for his answer.
In the encounter with the Samaritan woman the symbol of water stands out in the foreground, alluding clearly to the sacrament of Baptism, the source of new life for faith in God's Grace. This Gospel, in fact - as I recalled in my Catechesis on Ash Wednesday - is part of the ancient journey of the catechumen's preparation for Christian Initiation, which took place at the great Easter Vigil. "Whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him", Jesus said, "will never thirst; the water that I shall give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life" (Jn 4:14).
This water represents the Holy Spirit, the "gift" par excellence that Jesus came to bring on the part of God the Father. Whoever is reborn by water and by the Holy Spirit, that is, in Baptism, enters into a real relationship with God, a filial relationship, and can worship him "in spirit and in truth" (Jn 4:23, 24), as Jesus went on to reveal to the Samaritan woman. Thanks to the meeting with Jesus Christ and to the gift of the Holy Spirit, the human being's faith attains fulfilment, as a response to the fullness of God's revelation. Each one of us can identify himself with the Samaritan woman: Jesus is waiting for us, especially in this Season of Lent, to speak to our hearts, to my heart. Let us pause a moment in silence, in our room or in a church or in a separate place. Let us listen to his voice which tells us "If you knew the gift of God…". May the Virgin Mary help us not to miss this appointment, on which our true happiness depends.
Lastly, my thoughts turn to the authorities and citizens of the Middle East, where in the past few days various episodes of violence have occurred, so that there too priority may be given to the way of dialogue and reconciliation in the search for a just and fraternal coexistence.
The Holy Father then said:
I offer a warm greeting to all the English-speaking visitors present for this Angelus prayer. In today's Gospel, Jesus speaks to the Samaritan woman of the gift of the Holy Spirit, the water which wells up to eternal life in those who believe. Through our Lenten observance may all of us be renewed in the grace of our Baptism and prepare with hearts renewed to celebrate the gift of new life at Easter. Upon you and your families I invoke God's Blessings of joy and peace! I wish everyone a good Sunday.
(©L'Osservatore Romano - 30 March 2011)
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The Pope to participants in the Course on the Internal Forum organized by the Apostolic Penitentiary
The last word on evil is the mercy of God
On Friday, 25 March, on the last day of the 22nd Annual Course on the Internal Forum, organized by the Apostolic Penitentiary, which began on 21 March, the Holy Father spoke to the participants in the Vatican's Hall of Blessings. Cardinal Fortunato Baldelli, Major Penitentiary, who presided at the course, gave a detailed update on the penitential discipline, on the administration of the sacrament of Penance and on the specific functions of the Tribunal. Reports were given, among others, by Bishop Gianfranco Girotti, OFM Conv., Regent of the Penitentiary, by Bishop Juan Ignacio Arrieta Ochoa de Chinchetru and by Fr Ján ?a?ok, SJ, respectively canonist and theologian of the Tribunal. The following is a translation of the Pope's Address, which was given in Italian.
Dear Friends,
I am very glad to address to each one of you my most cordial welcome. I greet Cardinal Fortunato Baldelli, Major Penitentiary, and I thank him for his courteous words. I greet Bishop Gianfranco Girotti, Regent of the Penitentiary, the personnel, the co-workers and all the participants in the Course on the Internal Forum which has now become a traditional appointment and an important occasion for deepening the knowledge of topics linked to the sacrament of Penance. I would like to reflect with you on an aspect not sufficiently thought about but which is of great spiritual and pastoral importance: the pedagogical value of Sacramental Confession.
Although it is true that it is always necessary to safeguard the objectivity of the effects of the sacrament and its correct celebration in accordance with the norms of the Rite of Penance, it is not out of place to reflect on how much it can educate the faith of both the minister and the penitent. The faithful and generous availability of priests to hear confessions - after the example of the great saints of the past from St John Mary Vianney to St John Bosco, from St Josemaría Escrivá to St Pius of Pietrelcina, from St Joseph Cafasso to St Leopold Mandi? - shows all of us that the confessional may be a real "place" of sanctification.
How does the sacrament of Penance educate? In what sense does its celebration have pedagogical value, especially for ministers? We may start by recognizing that the mission of priests is a unique and privileged observation point, from which it is daily granted to contemplate the splendour of divine Mercy. How often in celebrating the sacrament of Penance the priest witnesses real miracles of conversion which, in renewing "the encounter with an event, a person" (Deus Caritas Est, n. 1), reinforces his own faith! Basically, hearing confession means witnessing as many professiones fidei as there are penitents, and contemplating the merciful God's action in history, feeling tangibly the saving effects of the Cross and of the Resurrection of Christ, in every epoch and for every person.
We are often faced with true and proper existential and spiritual dramas that find no answer in human words but are embraced and taken up by divine Love, which pardons and transforms: "though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow (Is 1:18).
If, on the one hand knowing and, in a certain way, visiting the depths of the human heart, even its darkest aspects, tests the humanity and the faith of the priest himself, on the other, it fosters within him the certainty that it is God who has the last word over human evil and history, it is his Mercy which can make all things new (cf. Rev 21:5).
Then, how much the priest can learn from exemplary penitents: through their spiritual life, the seriousness with which they carry out their examination of conscience, the transparency with which they admit their sins and their docility to the Church's teaching and to the confessor's instructions.
From the administration of the sacrament of Penance we may draw profound lessons of humility and faith! It is a very strong appeal to each priest for knowledge of his own identity. We will never be able to hear the confessions of our brothers and sisters solely by virtue of our humanity! If they approach us, it is only because we are priests, configured to Christ the Eternal High Priest, and enabled to act in his Name and in his Person, to make God who forgives, renews and transforms, truly present. The celebration of the sacrament of Penance has a pedagogical value for the priest, as regards his faith, as well as the truth and poverty of his person, and nourishes within him an awareness of the sacramental identity.
What is the pedagogical value of the sacrament of Penance for penitents? We should state beforehand that first and foremost it depends on the action of Grace and on the objective effect on the soul of the member of the faithful. Of course, sacramental Reconciliation is one of the moments in which personal freedom and an awareness of self need to be expressed particularly clearly. It is perhaps also for this reason, in an epoch of relativism and of the consequent attenuated awareness of one's being, that this sacramental practice is also weakened.
Examination of conscience has an important pedagogical value. It teaches us how to look squarely at our life, to compare it with the truth of the Gospel and to evaluate it with parameters that are not only human but are also borrowed from divine Revelation. Comparison with the Commandments, with the Beatitudes and, especially, with the Precept of love, constitutes the first great "school of penance".
In our time, marked by noise, distraction and loneliness, the penitent's conversation with the confessor can be one of the few - if not the only - opportunities to be truly heard in depth.
Dear priests, do not neglect to allow enough room for the exercise of the ministry of Penance in the confessional: to be welcomed and heard is also a human sign of God's welcoming kindness to his children. Moreover the integral confession of sins teaches the penitent humility, recognition of his or her own frailty and, at the same time, an awareness of the need for God's forgiveness and the trust that divine Grace can transform his life. Likewise, listening to the confessor's recommendations and advice is important for judging actions, for the spiritual journey and for the inner healing of the penitent.
Let us not forget how many conversions and how many truly holy lives began in a confessional! The acceptance of the penance and listening to the words "I absolve you from your sins", are, lastly, a true school of love and hope that guides the person to full trust in the God Love, revealed in Jesus Christ, to responsibility and to the commitment to continuous conversion.
Dear priests, our own prior experience of divine Mercy and of being humble instruments teaches us an ever more faithful celebration of the Sacrament of Penance and profound gratitude to God who "gave us the ministry of reconciliation" (2 Cor 5:18).
I entrust to the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mater misericordiae and Refugium peccatorum, the fruits of your Course on the Internal Forum and the ministry of all Confessors, as I bless you all with great affection.
(©L'Osservatore Romano - 30 March 2011)
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