THE CONCHO PADRE POSTPope Francis will meet on Thursday, August 29, with King Abdullah of Jordan to discuss the escalating crisis in Syria and the Middle East.
The Pope and the Jordanian leader are also expected to speak more broadly about the prospects for cooperation between Christians and Muslims. This will be their first meeting.
Vatican Press Office
Gospel Mk 6:17-29
Herod was the one who had John the Baptist arrested and bound in prison
on account of Herodias,
the wife of his brother Philip, whom he had married.
John had said to Herod,
“It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife.”
Herodias harbored a grudge against him
and wanted to kill him but was unable to do so.
Herod feared John, knowing him to be a righteous and holy man,
and kept him in custody.
When he heard him speak he was very much perplexed,
yet he liked to listen to him.
She had an opportunity one day when Herod, on his birthday,
gave a banquet for his courtiers,
his military officers, and the leading men of Galilee.
Herodias’ own daughter came in
and performed a dance that delighted Herod and his guests.
The king said to the girl,
“Ask of me whatever you wish and I will grant it to you.”
He even swore many things to her,
“I will grant you whatever you ask of me,
even to half of my kingdom.”
She went out and said to her mother,
“What shall I ask for?”
She replied, “The head of John the Baptist.”
The girl hurried back to the king’s presence and made her request,
“I want you to give me at once
on a platter the head of John the Baptist.”
The king was deeply distressed,
but because of his oaths and the guests
he did not wish to break his word to her.
So he promptly dispatched an executioner with orders
to bring back his head.
He went off and beheaded him in the prison.
He brought in the head on a platter and gave it to the girl.
The girl in turn gave it to her mother.
When his disciples heard about it,
they came and took his body and laid it in a tomb.
St. Augustine was born in 354 in northern Africa to a Christian mother and a pagan father. He received a Christian education, but spent his teen years in worldly pursuits. He graduated with degrees in grammar and rhetoric and became a professor. He resisted the Church, choosing to practice the Manichaean faith of Persia and later, Neo-platonism. Eventually, through the tireless efforts of his mother, St. Monica; and St. Ambrose, Bishop of Milan; St. Augustine reasoned himself into the Christian faith, becoming baptized at age 33. Content to ponder the mysteries of God and live a hermetic lifestyle, St. Augustine initially resisted the priesthood. Upon a trip to Hippo, the townspeople – knowing of St. Augustine’s holiness, begged the aging bishop, Valerius, to ordain him. St. Augustine accepted Holy Orders and took it on with his characteristic ardor. Four years later, he became Bishop of Hippo, blending a monastic lifestyle with clerical duties. St. Augustine is most beloved for his fount of doctrinal truths. He preached and wrote extensively on God, leaving a treasury of wisdom dear to all the faithful. Some of his most famous works include; Confessions, City of God, On Christian Doctrin, and Handbook on Faith, Hope, and Love. He is the patron saint of theologians and was declared a Doctor of the Church in 1298 by Boniface VIII.
St. Monica was born in Northern Africa about 331. She was the daughter of Christian parents and the mother of St. Augustine of Hippo, as well as two younger children, Navigius and Perpetua. St. Monica’s husband was pagan, yet she faithfully kept Christian values prominent in the home. Through her testimony, both her husband and her son, St. Augustine – after 17 years of resistance, converted to Christianity. St. Monica’s faithful spirit is evident in the pages of her son’s famous work, Confessions. For centuries, women have prayed to St. Monica to aid wayward children and husbands. She is the patron saint of married women, and Santa Monica, CA is named in her honor.
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From Aragon, where he was born in 1556, to Rome, where he died 92 years later, fortune alternately smiled and frowned on the work of Joseph Calasanz. A priest with university training in canon law and theology, respected for his wisdom and administrative expertise, he put aside his career because he was deeply concerned with the need for education of poor children.
When he was unable to get other institutes to undertake this apostolate at Rome, he and several companions personally provided a free school for deprived children. So overwhelming was the response that there was a constant need for larger facilities to house their effort. Soon Pope Clement VIII gave support to the school, and this aid continued under Pope Paul V. Other schools were opened; other men were attracted to the work and in 1621 the community (for so the teachers lived) was recognized as a religious community, the Clerks Regular of Religious Schools (Piarists or Scolopi). Not long after, Joseph was appointed superior for life.
A combination of various prejudices and political ambition and maneuvering caused the institute much turmoil. Some did not favor educating the poor, for education would leave the poor dissatisfied with their lowly tasks for society! Others were shocked that some of the Piarists were sent for instruction to Galileo (a friend of Joseph) as superior, thus dividing the members into opposite camps. Repeatedly investigated by papal commissions, Joseph was demoted; when the struggle within the institute persisted, the Piarists were suppressed. Only after Joseph’s death were they formally recognized as a religious community.
Treatment for bipolar disorder
If you spot the symptoms of bipolar depression in yourself or someone else, don’t wait to get help. Ignoring the problem won’t make it go away; in fact, it will almost certainly get worse. Living with untreated bipolar disorder can lead to problems in everything from your career to your relationships to your health. Diagnosing the problem as early as possible and getting into treatment can help prevent these complications.
If you’re reluctant to seek treatment because you like the way you feel when you’re manic, remember that the energy and euphoria come with a price. Mania and hypomania often turn destructive, hurting you and the people around you.
BIPOLAR DISORDER
Signs and symptoms of a mixed episode
A mixed episode of bipolar disorder features symptoms of both mania or hypomania and depression. Common signs of a mixed episode include depression combined with agitation, irritability, anxiety, insomnia, distractibility, and racing thoughts. This combination of high energy and low mood makes for a particularly high risk of suicide
(Vatican Radio) After the recitation of the Angelus, Pope Francis renewed his call for peace in Syria. “It is not confrontation that offers hope to resolve problems, but rather the ability to meet and dialogue.” The Holy Father called on the International Community to do everything in its power to help the “beloved Syrian nation” find a solution to the ongoing conflict. At the end of his remarks, Pope Francis lead all those listening in a prayer to Mary, Queen of Peace.
Below, please find Vatican Radio’s translation of Pope Francis appeal for Syria:
With great suffering and concern I continue to follow the situation in Syria. The increase in violence in a war between brothers, with the proliferation of massacres and atrocities, that we all have been able to see in the terrible images of these days, leads me once again raise my voice that the clatter of arms may cease. It is not confrontation that offers hope to resolve problems, but rather the ability to meet and dialogue.
From the bottom of my heart, I would like to express my closeness in prayer and solidarity with all the victims of this conflict, with all those who suffer, especially children, and I invite you to keep alive the hope of peace. I appeal to the international community that itself more sensible to this tragic situation and make every effort to help the beloved Syrian nation find a solution to a war that sows destruction and death.
All together let us pray. . . All together let us pray to Our Lady, Queen of Peace:
Mary, Queen of Peace, pray for us!
Everyone: Mary, Queen of Peace, pray for us!
(Vatican Radio) (Vatican Radio) In his Angelus address on Sunday, Pope Francis spoke about the words of Jesus from the day’s Gospel: “Strive to enter through the narrow gate.”
Read more from Vatican Radio.
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