Monthly Archives: September 2013

US Bishops write every member of Congress re Syrian crisis

September 6, 2013 – 8:23 am

Washington, D.C., September 05, 2013 (Zenit.org)

On the same day that Pope Francis asked the G20 nations to “lay aside the futile pursuit of a military solution” in Syria, Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), and Bishop Richard Pates of Des Moines, Iowa, chairman of the USCCB Committee on International Justice and Peace, wrote to every member of Congress, urging them not to resort to military intervention, but instead work to end the violence in Syria through a political solution.

In their letter today, Cardinal Dolan and Bishop Pates affirmed the finding of a proposed Congressional resolution that acknowledges that “the conflict in Syria will only be resolved through a negotiated political settlement,” and questioned military intervention. The bishops also condemned the use of chemical weapons in Syria, declaring these “indiscriminate weapons have no place in the arsenals of the family of nations.” They noted that more than 100,000 Syrians have lost their lives, more than 2 million have fled the country as refugees, and more than 4 million within Syria have been driven from their homes by the ongoing conflict.

“Our focus is on the humanitarian catastrophe unfolding in Syria and on saving lives by ending the conflict, not fueling it,” the bishops wrote. They echoed the appeals of Pope Francis and bishops in the Middle East who “have made it clear that a military attack will be counterproductive, will exacerbate an already deadly situation, and will have unintended negative consequences.”

“We ask the United States to work urgently and tirelessly with other governments to obtain a ceasefire, initiate serious negotiations, provide impartial humanitarian assistance, and encourage efforts to build an inclusive society in Syria that protects the rights of all its citizens, including Christians and other minorities,” they wrote. The bishops also assured Congress of their prayers in the midst of this complex situation.

Cardinal Dolan and Bishop Pates wrote to President Obama September 4, also urging a political solution in Syria.

From zenit.org

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Pope Francis Friday Mass, Sept. 6

September 6, 2013 – 8:13 am

(Vatican Radio) The Christian ought always to be joyful as one who goes to a wedding. This was the message of Pope Francis in his remarks following the Gospel at Mass on Friday morning in the Domus Sanctae Marthae chapel in the Vatican. The Holy Father further stressed the need to overcome the temptation to put the novelty of the Gospel into old wineskins, and repeated that the Sacrament of Matrimony is the image of Christ’s union with the Church. Read More.

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News Briefs, Sept. 5

September 6, 2013 – 8:08 am

Catholic News Service is the official news agency of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops. Read here their news briefs for Thursday, September 5.

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Traveling

September 6, 2013 – 8:05 am

Have been traveling to Port Saint Lucie, Florida, to visit with my family. Will try to post some articles and links pretty quick.

The Concho Padre

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News Briefs, Sept. 3

September 3, 2013 – 5:23 pm

Catholic News Service is the official news agency of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops. Here is their News Briefs for Tuesday, September 3.

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Pope Francis homily at Mass Sept. 3

September 3, 2013 – 9:00 am

Jesus has no need of armies. Read the report from Vatican Radio.

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Pope St. Gregory the Great

September 3, 2013 – 4:44 am

St. Gregory the Great was born in Rome in 540 A.D. Raised among saints, his father was a regionarius, an official in the Church, and his mother and two aunts were extremely devote, later becoming canonized. The family was aristocratic, famous for owning vast estates and participating in Roman government. As such, St. Gregory’s education was steeped in law, religion, grammar, rhetoric, and overall, affairs of the republic. By age 30, he held one of the most important offices for a young man, a Roman prefect, yet gave it up to become a monk. After his father’s death, he bequeathed the family’s estates, creating seven monasteries, and retreated to religious life. Within four years, though, the pope commissioned him to Constantinople as deacon and ambassador. Within a decade, he returned to Rome and resumed running the monasteries as abbot. But after the death of Pope Pelagius II, St. Gregory was elected his successor. At this time, church and state were at the epoch of their medieval power. St. Gregory took his place to rule over the ecclesiastical sphere, a lofty task. His skills in government, estate management, finance, and staff leadership shined. St. Gregory leveraged his papal authority, forming relations with the churches in Spain, Gaul, Africa, Britain, as well as the Eastern Churches. Also, he developed a code of life for bishops and began a rigorous preaching routine. His homilies drew massive crowds as they used rich anecdotes and practical metaphors. Diligent until the end, he wrote extensively on spiritual works; penning thousands of letters, sermons, and commentaries. As such, he is honored as one of the Four Great Doctors of the Church along with St’s Augustine, Ambrose and Jerome.

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Pope Francis: “Words can kill”

September 2, 2013 – 7:47 pm

2013-09-02 Vatican Radio
(Vatican Radio) Where there is God there is no hatred, envy or jealousy, and there is no gossip that can kill.

This was the message at the heart of Pope Francis’ homily this morning as he celebrated Mass in the Casa Santa Marta after the summer break.

The Pope first reflected on today’s liturgical reading which tells of the meeting between Jesus and the people of Nazareth as recounted by the Gospel according to Luke.

The Pope noted that the people of Nazareth with whom he had grown up, admired Jesus, but at the same time expected great things from him: “they wanted a miracle” to be able to believe in Him. And when Jesus told them they were without faith, they were filled with fury, drove him out of the town, and led him to the brow of the hill to hurl him down headlong”.

And Pope Francis reflected on the reading pointing out that a situation which had started off with admiration was to end with a crime: they wanted to kill Jesus. Because of jealousy and envy. This – he said – is not just something that happened two thousand years ago: “this kind of thing happens every day in our hearts, in our communities”. And he made the example of when somebody new enters a community, on the first day – he said – people speak well of him; on the second not so well; and from the third on gossip and badmouthing starts to spread and end up skinning him”.

The Pope elaborated on the concept quoting from the first letter of St. John 3, 15 in which he says: “He who hates his brother is a murderer”. We are used to gossip – he continued – “but how many times our communities, even our families have become a hell in which we criminally kill our brother with words”.

A community, a family – the Pope continued – can be destroyed by envy that sows evil in the heart and causes one to speak badly of the other”. In these days, Pope Francis said, days in which we are speaking so often of peace, we see the victims of arms, but we must also reflect on our daily arms: “badmouthing and gossip”. Every community – the Pope concluded – must live with the Lord and be “like heaven”.

“So that there is peace in a community, in a family, in a country, in the world, we must be with the Lord. And where the Lord is, there is no envy, there is no criminality, there is no hatred, and there are no jealousies. There is brotherhood. Let this be our prayer to the Lord: never kill your neighbor with words”.

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Pope calls for prayer and fasting

September 1, 2013 – 9:09 am

Pope Francis has declared next Saturday, September 7, as a worldwide Day of Prayer and Fasting for Peace. He will also be holding a five-hour vigil in St. Peter’s Square from 7 pm to Midnight next Saturday.

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