Gospel Jn 20:1-2, 11-18
On the first day of the week,
Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early in the morning,
while it was still dark,
and saw the stone removed from the tomb.
So she ran and went to Simon Peter
and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved, and told them,
“They have taken the Lord from the tomb,
and we don’t know where they put him.”
Mary stayed outside the tomb weeping.
And as she wept, she bent over into the tomb
and saw two angels in white sitting there,
one at the head and one at the feet
where the Body of Jesus had been.
And they said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?”
She said to them, “They have taken my Lord,
and I don’t know where they laid him.”
When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus there,
but did not know it was Jesus.
Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?
Whom are you looking for?”
She thought it was the gardener and said to him,
“Sir, if you carried him away,
tell me where you laid him,
and I will take him.”
Jesus said to her, “Mary!”
She turned and said to him in Hebrew,
“Rabbouni,” which means Teacher.
Jesus said to her,
“Stop holding on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father.
But go to my brothers and tell them,
‘I am going to my Father and your Father,
to my God and your God.’”
Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples,
“I have seen the Lord,”
and then reported what he told her.
(Vatican Radio) On the eve of his departure to Brazil for the World Youth Day celebrations in Rio de Janeiro, Pope Francis from the window of the apostolic palace asked those present in St Peter’s Square to accompany him spiritually in prayer for this his first Apostolic visit He also entrusted what he called “this new stage of the great pilgrimage of young people across the world”, to the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, who he added, is so loved and venerated in Brazil.
The Holy Father was speaking following the recitation of the Angelus underlining that at this time, young people should listen to the voice of Jesus. The week of World Youth Day said the Pope could also be called “World Youth Week as it is a week devoted to youth.Peering down at the huge crowds in St Peter’s Square Pope Francis noticed a banner held up by a group of pilgrims, which read “Buon Viaggio” or “have a good trip”. He smiled and thanked them for their good wishes.
The Pope on Sunday also focused his attention on the Gospel reading from Luke which recounts the story of Martha and Mary and their brother Lazarus.
Pope Francis described how both sisters offered hospitality to Jesus on his visit to their house, but in different ways. Mary places herself at the feet of Jesus while Martha is busy preparing things. The Holy Father explained that both of these disciplines, service and prayer are needed to serve the Lord, “they are not two opposing attitudes but, on the contrary both are two aspects essential to our Christian life aspects that should never be separated, but lived in profound unity and harmony.”
Even in our Christian lives, continued the Pope, prayer and action are always deeply united. A prayer that does not lead to concrete action towards a poor brother, who is sick, and in need of help, is a prayer that is sterile and incomplete. But, equally, Pope Francis said, when in ecclesial service you are careful only to give more attention to objects, functions, and structures, and forget the centrality of Christ, you are likely to serve these earthy things and not God.At the end of the Angelus Pope Francis as has become traditional wished all present a good Sunday and a good lunch.
Vatican Radio
Show favor, O Lord,
to your servants
and mercifully increase the gifts of your grace,
that, made fervent in hope, faith and charity,
they may be ever watchful in keeping your commands.
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.
Gospel Lk 10:38-42
Jesus entered a village
where a woman whose name was Martha welcomed him.
She had a sister named Mary
who sat beside the Lord at his feet listening to him speak.
Martha, burdened with much serving, came to him and said,
“Lord, do you not care
that my sister has left me by myself to do the serving?
Tell her to help me.”
The Lord said to her in reply,
“Martha, Martha, you are anxious and worried about many things.
There is need of only one thing.
Mary has chosen the better part
and it will not be taken from her.”
(Vatican Radio) Final preparations are continuing in Rio De Janeiro for the opening of World Youth Day 2013. Pope Francis will depart from Rome to Brazil on Monday. While there the Pope will participate in numerous events including liturgies, the Via Crucis and a prayer vigil with young people. This will also be the Holy Father’s first apostolic journey. Thousands of young people have already arrived in Rio but there are still many who are on their way to be with the Pope in Brazil.
One of those getting ready to depart from Ireland is Anna Keegan who is a Faith Development officer in the Archdiocese of Dublin. Anna is no stranger to the WYD having been to four previous encounters. Anna told Lydia O’Kane that she is also looking forward to this event because it will be first time she will be attending a World Youth Day presided over by Pope Francis. “ Pope Francis seems to be really outgoing and really fun and I think because he is going to South America, you know, where he is from, I think it will be great and I am really looking forward to seeing what his message is, to be honest, to young people.”
Vatican Radio
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Pope Francis today paid a visit to Pope-Emeritus Benedict XVI. He asked Pope Benedict to join him in prayer and solidarity as the new Pontiff prepares to head to Brazil for World Youth Day, his first Apostolic Pilgrimage outside of Italy since being elected to the Chair of Peter.
Read more from Catholic News Service.
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Brazil is in suspense waiting for the Pope’s visit. The visit is attracting attention especially because he is the first Latin American Pope and also because he chose the symbolic name of Francis, dear to believers and non-believers alike. The Pope’s smile and simplicity, his closeness to the poor and his systematic remembrance of them in his actions and words make him a pastor prepared to lavish zeal and love on his sheep. His simple, direct words, born from a heart imbued with profound pastoral fervour, reach to the very depths of people. They instantly identify with his words because they concern their own daily lives. The light tone in which he says them takes nothing from their clarity, depth and power, conferring fresh vigour on the Church and regenerating enthusiasm for faith. In Rio de Janeiro, alongside young people from every part of the world, we shall have the opportunity to come even closer to Francis to quench our thirst with the spirituality that shines out from his gestures and his words. Without any doubt the Pope’s visit will confer new ardour on the evangelization of young people who have deserved the special attention of the Church in Brazil in recent years. Although there are many young people who are active in our communities, we are worried by the number of those who are drifting away from them. It is not that they have stopped believing in God. Faith continues to be alive in their hearts, but they no longer feel the need for the Church’s mediation to express it and bear witness to it. The recent demonstrations in our country are a sign that in the face of the situation of suffering that affects so many Brazilians, young people have not let themselves be contaminated by the culture of well-being which leads to indifference to our neighbour, as the Holy Father recalled recently in Lampedusa.
L’Osservatore Romano (Vatican Newspaper)
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Sunday’s Scripture Commentary
Catholic News Service is the official news agency of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops. As part of their service, they offer a weekly Scripture commentary called “Word to Life.”
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