Pope St. Gregory the Great

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.

September 3, 2013 – 4:44 am Categories: Uncategorized | Comments Off on Pope St. Gregory the Great

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Pope Francis: “Words can kill”

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”.

September 2, 2013 – 7:47 pm Categories: Uncategorized | Comments Off on Pope Francis: “Words can kill”

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Pope calls for prayer and fasting

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.

September 1, 2013 – 9:09 am Categories: Uncategorized | Comments Off on Pope calls for prayer and fasting

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Commentary for the 22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time – Cycle C

The Sunday Readings from the US Conference of Catholic Bishops.

Here is a lectio divina (commentary) from the Carmelite Order.

August 30, 2013 – 5:11 pm Categories: Uncategorized | Comments Off on Commentary for the 22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time – Cycle C

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News Briefs

Catholic News Service is the official news agency of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops. Here is their News Briefs for Friday, August 30.

August 30, 2013 – 4:55 pm Categories: Uncategorized | Comments Off on News Briefs

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“Vaticanistas” saying new Vatican Secretary of State about to be named

The appointment of a new Vatican Secretary of State is imminent, according to multiple Italian media reports. Archbishop Pietro Parolin is regarded as the Pope’s most likely choice for the key spot.

The appointment of a new Secretary of State, replacing the outgoing Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, would be the most important step in Pope Francis’ plan to bring change to the Vatican. The Secretariat of State exercises enormous power, supervising other offices of the Roman Curia as well as handling foreign-policy issues.

Before the March conclave that elected Pope Francis, many cardinals spoke openly about the need for change at the Secretariat of State. The tenure of Cardinal Bertone has been marred by infighting, gaffes, and scandal. Appointed as Secretary of State in 2006 by Pope Benedict XVI—who remained steadfastly loyal to him despite rising criticism—Cardinal Bertone is now 78 years old, and is expected to step down as the Vatican resumes normal operations after the summer lull.

According to Andrea Tornielli of La Stampa, the resignation of Cardinal Bertone and the appointment of Archbishop Parolin as his successor could come as soon as Saturday, August 31.

Archbishop Parolin, who has been active in Vatican diplomacy since 1986, is currently the apostolic nuncio in Venezuela. He was undersecretary of State—in effect, the Vatican’s deputy foreign minister—from 2002 to 2009. During that time he was involved in sensitive negotiations with China, Israel, and Vietnam, among other countries. His appointment to Venezuela in 2009 was an indication of confidence in his diplomatic abilities, since the Venezuelan bishops were engaged in heated disputes with the country’s strongman, the late Hugo Chavez.

A relatively young (58) prelate who is fluent in several languages, Archbishop Parolin could reassure some denizens of the Secretary of State. Unlike Cardinal Bertone, who had no previous diplomatic experience, Archbishop Parolin is well acquainted with the workings of the Secretariat of State. At the same time, because he left Rome for Caracas in 2009, he was not caught up in the internal disputes that have rocked the Vatican’s most powerful offices.

The appointment of a new Secretary of State could be only the first major sign of change in the workings of the Vatican. Pope Francis may also take steps to re-define the role of the Secretariat, curtailing its broad powers.

August 30, 2013 – 4:48 pm Categories: Uncategorized | Comments Off on “Vaticanistas” saying new Vatican Secretary of State about to be named

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Week of Prayer for Peace in Syria

Paris – A week of prayer for peace in Syria begins today, August 30, and will last until September 6 in the 17 countries where the work of pontifical right “Aid to the Church in Need” is present. As explained in a note sent to Fides by the French office of ACS, the week was scheduled for October, but recent events have anticipated the week: “We cannot wait. The time to pray for peace for Syrian people is now. Our brothers and sisters in Syria need it more than ever”, explains the note. The campaign, which includes a specific Daily intention, joins the incessant prayer for peace and to avoid a military intervention on behalf of Western countries, that continues in all the Christian communities in Syria, as amply documented by Fides Agency .
The prayer released by ACS and destined to the faithful around the world, invokes God for “a peaceful future for Syria, based on justice for all” and reads: “God of mercy, hear the cry of the Syrian people, comfort those who are suffering because of the violence, console those who mourn their dead, convert the hearts of those who have taken up arms, protect those who are committed to peace. God of hope, inspire leaders to choose peace instead of violence and to seek reconciliation with their enemies”.

August 30, 2013 – 11:38 am Categories: Uncategorized | Comments Off on Week of Prayer for Peace in Syria

News Briefs, August 29

Catholic News Service is the official news agency of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops. Read their News Briefs for today.

August 29, 2013 – 4:18 pm Categories: Uncategorized | Comments Off on News Briefs, August 29

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Pope meets with Jordanian king

Pope Francis met on August 29 with Jordan’s King Abdullah II, and the two agreed that negotiation is “the only option” that will resolve the continuing conflict in Syria.

In a joint statement, the Pope and the Jordanian ruler said that “the path of dialogue and negotiation between all components of Syrian society, with the support of the international community, is the only option to put an end to the conflict and to the violence that every day causes the loss of so many human lives, especially amongst the helpless civilian population.”

Pope Francis and King Abdullah also spoke about the need to resume negotiations between Israel and Palestine, with a particular focus on resolving the status of Jerusalem. The Pope praised Abdullah for his efforts to promote inter-religious dialogue, especially through a conference that will be held in Amman in September, on the difficulties facing the Christian minorities in the nations of the Middle East.

August 29, 2013 – 4:15 pm Categories: Uncategorized | Comments Off on Pope meets with Jordanian king

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News Briefs, August 28

Catholic News Service is the official news agency of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops. Read their news briefs for today.

August 28, 2013 – 4:21 pm Categories: Uncategorized | Comments Off on News Briefs, August 28

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