THE CONCHO PADRE POSTPlease pray for the repose of the soul of my friend, Fred George, who passed away suddenly and unexpectedly in Odessa last night. Pray for his wife, Amanda, and their children and grandchildren and his brother and sisters during this time of heavy grief. Amanda and Fred came by the Cathedral on Tuesday afternoon and we had a nice visit. I am grateful that God put us all together again before he called Fred to himself. Rest in peace, Fred.
The Concho Padre
(The Solemnity of the Ascension will be celebrated on Sunday)
O God, who made your people
partakers in your redemption,
grant, we pray,
that we may perpetually render thanks
for the Resurrection of the Lord.
Who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.
– Amen.
(The Solemnity of the Ascension will be celebrated on Sunday)
Gospel Jn 16:16-20
Jesus said to his disciples:
“A little while and you will no longer see me,
and again a little while later and you will see me.”
So some of his disciples said to one another,
“What does this mean that he is saying to us,
‘A little while and you will not see me,
and again a little while and you will see me,’
and ‘Because I am going to the Father’?”
So they said, “What is this ‘little while’ of which he speaks?
We do not know what he means.”
Jesus knew that they wanted to ask him, so he said to them,
“Are you discussing with one another what I said,
‘A little while and you will not see me,
and again a little while and you will see me’?
Amen, amen, I say to you,
you will weep and mourn, while the world rejoices;
you will grieve, but your grief will become joy.”
“God loves us as a Father …”
From Vatican Radio
http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-francis-god-loves-us-as-a-father
The Concho Padre
“Build bridges, not walls…”
From Vatican Radio:
http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-francis-at-wednesday-mass-build-bridges-not-w
The Concho Padre
(Vatican Radio) A vocation to religious life must always been seen as a call from God to serve the poor, the sick, the lonely and those who find themselves on the margins of society. That was Pope Francis’ message on Wednesday to 800 women who head religious communities in countries around the world. The sisters met with the Pope at the conclusion of their plenary assembly of the International Union of Superior Generals which has been focused on the theme of leadership in light of Gospel values.
In his speech to them, Pope Francis spoke of their vows of obedience, poverty and chastity, saying the sisters are not spinsters, but rather spiritual mothers and icons of the Mother Church. Echoing the theme of their five day meeting, the Pope said true power is always service to others. While the world may see power in terms of possession, dominion and success, the authority of God is always synonymous with service, humility and love. As he has done in the past, the Pope warned of the damage caused to the Church by men and women who seek to further their own careers and personal ambitions. Instead Pope Francis urged the sisters to always “feel with the Church” in faithfulness to the Magesterium, the Pastors and the Bishop of Rome as a visible sign of the unity of the Church. Finally the Pope thanked the sisters for their work and for the maternal intuition which they bring to the life of the Church.
Vatican Radio
Gospel Jn 16:12-15
Jesus said to his disciples:
“I have much more to tell you, but you cannot bear it now.
But when he comes, the Spirit of truth,
he will guide you to all truth.
He will not speak on his own,
but he will speak what he hears,
and will declare to you the things that are coming.
He will glorify me,
because he will take from what is mine and declare it to you.
Everything that the Father has is mine;
for this reason I told you that he will take from what is mine
and declare it to you.”
Grant,
we pray, O Lord, that,
as we celebrate in mystery
the solemnities of your Son’s Resurrection,
so, too, we may be worthy to rejoice
at his coming with all the Saints.
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.
– Amen.
A report from zenit.org
http://www.zenit.org/en/articles/us-bishops-reiterate-call-for-2-state-solution-in-israel-conflict
The Concho Padre
Vatican City, 7 May 2013 (VIS) – Pope Francis will make an apostolic trip to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil from 22 to 29 July of this year on the occasion of the 28th World Youth Day (WYD).
The Pope will depart from Rome’s Ciampino Airport at 8:45am on 22 July and will arrive in Rio de Janeiro around 4:00pm (local time). The welcoming ceremony will take place an hour later in the gardens of the Guanabara Palace, seat of the state’s government, where the Pope will be received by the president of the Brazilian Republic.
Until Wednesday, 24 July, the Holy Father will reside at the Sumare Residence in Rio de Janeiro. That morning, at 8:15am he will travel by helicopter to the Shrine of our Lady of Aparecida where he will celebrate Mass. After lunching with the bishops and seminarians of the province at the Bom Jesus Missionary Seminary, he will return to Rio de Janeiro by helicopter. That evening he will visit the St. Francis of Assisi of the Providence of God Hospital.
On Thursday, 25 July, the Pope will receive the keys to the city of Rio de Janeiro and will bless the Olympic flags at the City Palace. That same morning he will visit a community in Varginha (in the Manguinhos neighbourhood of north Rio de Janeiro). That evening there will be a welcoming ceremony by the youth along the Copacabana beachfront.
On Friday, 26 July, the Pope will hear the confession of some youth participating in the WYD at the Quinta da Boa Vista Park at 10:00am. At 11:30am he will meet with some juvenile detainees in the St. Joaquim Palace of the Archbishop. From the central balcony of that palace, the Pope will pray the Angelus at noon. At 12:15pm he will greet the organization committee and patrons of the 28th WYD and then will have lunch, still at the Archbishop’s Palace, with a group of youth. At 6:00pm a Via Crucis will be held with the youth along the Copacabana beachfront.
On Saturday, 27 July, the 28th WYD will open with Mass celebrated with the bishops and with priests, religious, and seminarians in Rio de Janeiro’s St. Sebastian Cathedral. After that, the Pope will meet with Brazil’s leaders at the Municipal Theatre. Upon that meeting’s conclusion he will have lunch with Brazil’s cardinals, the presidency of the National Conference of Bishops of Brazil, bishops from the region, and the papal entourage in the refectory of the Sumare Study Centre. At 7:30 pm a prayer vigil will be held with the youth at the Campus Fidei of Guaratiba.
On Sunday, 28 July, the Pope will celebrate Mass for the 28th WYD at the Campus Fidei. That afternoon he will meet with CELAM’s (the Latin American Episcopal Council) coordination committee at the Sumare Study Centre. The Holy Father will leave Sumare shortly before 5:00pm to meet with the WYD volunteers and, at 6:30pm, the pontiff’s farewell ceremony will take place at the Galeao–Antonio Carlos Jobim International Airport. The Pope will take off from Rio de Janeiro at 7:00pm and his plane will land in Rome on Monday, 29 July, at around 11:30am.
Vatican Information Service
THE CONCHO PADRE POST 