THE CONCHO PADRE POST(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Friday established the Pontifical Commission for Reference on the Organisation of the economic-administrative structure of the Holy See, a special commission to reform its economic and administrative departments. The Holy Father has already established a separate commission overseeing the Institute for the Works of Religion, commonly called the Vatican Bank.
The Concho Padre
Catholic News Service is the official news agency of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops. They publish daily news briefs. Here is News Briefs for July 17.
The Concho Padre
(Vatican Radio) “His Holiness Pope Francis shares wholeheartedly in the pain of the families afflicted by the death of one of their own, and in that of the leaders and organizers of the group.”
Pope Francis learned on Thursday of a tragic accident in French Guiana. A bus carrying young people to World Youth Day was hit head-on by a truck, leaving one young Parisian girl dead, and three other people in critical condition.
In a message of condolence sent by Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone on the Pope’s behalf to the Bishop of Cayenne, the capital of French Guyana, the Holy Father assured all those involved in the accident of his prayers, and expressed his deepest sympathy for the victims, as well as for the rescue workers and all those around them. Pope Francis sent a special Apostolic Blessing to all those affected by the tragedy.
The accident occurred about sixty kilometres from Saint-Laurent du Maroni, on the main road connecting the city to Cayenne. The cause of the accident is not yet known.
On Thursday evening, Cardinal Andre Vingt-Trois, the Archbishop of Paris, will lead a prayer vigil organised by the victims’ parish in France; while in French Guyana, the Bishop of Cayenne will offer Mass at the Cathedral.
Vatican Radio
Let us pray for these folks, too! The Concho Padre
Vatican City, July 17, 2013 (Zenit.org)
Pope Francis sent a message today to the Catholics in Ireland, Scotland, England and Wales on the occasion of the Day for Life. The event will be celebrated in Scotland, England and Wales on July 28th and in Ireland on October 6th.
The Pope’s message which was sent by Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, the Vatican Secretary of State, was published today in a press release sent by the Catholic Bishops Conference of England in Wales (CBCEW.
Referencing the teachings of Saint Irenaeus which states that “glory of God is seen in a living human being,” Cardinal Bertone stated that Pope Francis encourages all Catholics in the region to “let the light of that glory shine so brightly that everyone may come to recognize the inestimable value of all human life.”
“Even the weakest and most vulnerable, the sick, the old, the unborn and the poor, are masterpieces of God’s creation, made in his own image, destined to live for ever, and deserving of the utmost reverence and respect,” the message stated.
Cardinal Bertone also assured the Holy Father’s prayers for the Day for Life, expressing his that they “will help to ensure that human life always receives the protection that is its due, so that ‘everything that breathes may praise the Lord.”
Life is Worth It
According to the CBCEW, over half-a-million leaflets on the Day for Life have been distributed to parishes in preparation for the event. The theme, “Care for Life – Its Worth It” was taken from a homily by then Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio in 2005 to mark the feast of Saint Raymond Nonnatus, “the protector of Pregnant Women.”
“All of us must care for life, cherish life, with tenderness, warmth…to give life is to open (our) heart, and to care for life is to (give oneself) in tenderness and warmth for others, to have concern in my heart for others,” the future Pope said in 2005.
“Caring for life from the beginning to the end. What a simple thing, what a beautiful thing… So, go forth and don’t be discouraged. Care for life. It’s worth it.”
The Catholic Bishops Conference stated that “this year’s Day for Life focuses on care for unborn children and their mothers; care for people who are elderly and care for those who are suicidal and their families.”
Click here to see today’s readings.
“You have hidden these things from the wise and the learned and have revealed them to the childlike”
My daughters, if only you knew the delight God takes in seeing a poor village girl, a poor [religious] Daughter of Charity speak to him lovingly, oh!, you would walk with even greater confidence than I could advise you. If you knew how much science you would draw from it, how much love and sweetness you would find in it! There you would find it all, dear daughters, because it is the fountain and spring of all knowledge.
Where does it come from that you see unlettered people speak so fluently about God and explain mysteries with more understanding that would a doctor? A doctor who has no more than his doctrine really speaks about God according to the manner his knowledge has taught him; but a prayerful person speaks in an altogether different way. And the difference between them comes, my daughters, from the fact that the first speaks out of a knowledge that is simply acquired, but the other from an infused knowledge full of love, in such a way that the doctor in this comparison is by no means the more knowledgeable. And he is obliged to keep quiet wherever a person of prayer is present because she speaks of God in a very different way than he is able to do.
Saint Vincent de Paul
Catholic News Service is the official news agency of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops. They publish a daily News Briefs. Read today’s.
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SAO PAULO (CNS) — As hundreds of thousands of young Catholic pilgrims descend on Brazil, World Youth Day coordinators in Rio de Janeiro are putting the finishing touches on preparations for up to 2.5 million people.
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A three-year-old girl, helped by her grandmother, decided to write a letter to Pope Francis. During her family’s pilgrimage to Rome, to observe the 50th anniversary of Pope John XXIII’s death, the Pontiff was doing his usual rounds greeting the faithful in Saint Peter’s Square, kissing and blessing many children, among whom was Alice Maria Rocca, the sender of the letter. While the Pope was kissing her tenderly on the head, she placed the letter in his hands directly.
Some days later, a happy surprise arrived for Alice’s family. In fact, in their mailbox was an envelope from the Secretariat of State of Vatican City and inside was a letter from Pope Francis, who blessed the little girl and all her dear ones.
“I never thought he would reply. We didn’t expect it, in fact, it was a surprise,” said the girl’s mother. She added, “Among the hundreds of thousands of letters that arrive for the Pope from all over the world every day, the Holy Father replied specifically to us.”
In her note to the Pope, Alice introduced herself and asked for a blessing for herself, her family, and the daycare she attends.
Answering her requests, the letter stated: “The Holy Father thanks you for your kind thoughts and invokes upon you the heavenly intercession of Blessed John XXIII, so that you can grow up happy and serene in friendship with Jesus and, while asking you to pray for him, imparts from his heart to you, to your parents and to your grandmother the Apostolic Blessing, gladly extending it to your dear ones, with a particular thought for your friends and teachers at the daycare.”
From zenith.org
Indifference is generally defined as a lack of interest or concern. But the degree of it depends on the situation and the circumstances.
Indifference to untidiness of our work station is not the same as indifference to an act of evil or wickedness.
In the 1st reading, the mother of Moses could just be indifferent and lamented that God was not protecting His people by letting the Egyptians kill their baby boys.
But she did something to protect her baby from the impending evil.
Similarly the adult Moses did not look away or was indifferent to the violence an Egyptian inflicted on his countryman.
In the gospel, Jesus made a pointed reproach on the indifference of the towns of Chorazin and Bethsaida and Capernaum.
Indifference is a sign of internal decay and as such the three cities mentioned in gospel are now in ruins.
Indifference is also a sign that our faith is decaying and that we are not sensitive to the promptings of God in our hearts.
May our hearts be softened by God’s love and may we be aware of the needs of others around us.
“All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.” (Edmund Burke)
Commentary by Father Stephen Yim
The Concho Padre
THE CONCHO PADRE POST 
Scripture commentary for Friday of the 15th Week in Ordinary Time
Today’s Readings from the US Conference of Catholic Bishops
The field of grain that Jesus and his disciples were going through was probably wheat. They would rub the grains in their hands to free them from the outer shell so they could eat them. They did this on the Sabbath which was the day of rest. The Pharisees were always on the watch to find something to condemn Jesus. They pointed out to him that his disciples were breaking the Sabbath day of rest by their actions: “…on the seventh day you must rest even during the seasons of plowing and harvesting” (Ex 34:21). They were overly strict when they considered the disciples to be harvesting the wheat. The law also said, “When you go through your neighbor’s grain field, you may pluck some of the ears with your hands, but do not put a sickle to your neighbor’s grain” (Deut 23:26).
We must be careful not to be overly strict in interpreting God’s laws. Having compassion for others’ needs is also important. That is also a requirement of God’s law: “Love is the fulfillment of the law” (Rom 13:10).
In attempting to loosen up the Pharisees from being overly strict, Jesus pointed out to them an incident in King David’s life when he and his men ate “the bread of offering” which only the priests could lawfully eat (1 Sam 21:1-7). This was allowable because David and his men were hungry—just as were Jesus’ disciples. Jesus also pointed out that for a special reason the priests break the Sabbath law in order to minister in the temple. In doing this sacred work they were perfectly innocent of any wrongdoing.
What did Jesus mean when he said, “…something greater than the Temple is here?” Jesus is the new and greater Temple of God (Jn 2:19). If the priests of the Old Testament could serve in the Temple on the Sabbath and remain guiltless, so can Jesus’ disciples work with Jesus on the Sabbath and remain sinless.
External sacrifices are meaningless when the heart of a person is not in them. The sacrifice must be an expression of the heart’s desire for it to have worth and be acceptable to God.
The Pharisees focused too much on the extra rules they added on to the law to the detriment of the respect and mercy due to persons. Jesus is saying that they need to start having merciful hearts for people and their human needs. They ought to focus their concern more in that direction than trying to catch them breaking the endless rules that they fabricated. They need to be more humane in their treatment of others. Jesus quotes Hosea 6:6 to show that God’s word supports his interpretation and reason for acting the way he did: God desires mercy.
As a Son of Man (who is also divine: Dan 7:13-14) Jesus has the authority to interpret the law: he interprets it in a merciful way. The Sabbath law does not oblige a person to go hungry in order to keep it.
From comelordjesus.com