CHRIST LOVED THE CHURCH: FRANCIS THROWS DOWN THE GAUNTLET TO RELIGIOUS
From Dr. Jeff Mirus at catholicculture.org
http://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/articles.cfm?id=572
The Concho Padre
Pope Francis made a surprise visit to the Pius X clinic on the outskirts of Rome late Saturday morning to personally ascertain the well-being of one of his Cardinals.
Mexican Cardinal Javier Lozano Barragán, President Emeritus of the Pontifical Council for Pastoral Health Care, is in hospital following an operation. The Pope, who also spent time greeting Clinic staff, paid tribute to the testimony of faith of the Mexican Cardinal who turned 80 years old on January, 26.
The Concho Padre
Gladden us with holy joys,
almighty God, and make us rejoice
with devout thanksgiving,
for the Ascension of Christ your Son is our exaltation,
and, where the Head has gone before in glory,
the Body is called to follow in hope.
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 24:46-53
Jesus said to his disciples:
“Thus it is written that the Christ would suffer
and rise from the dead on the third day
and that repentance, for the forgiveness of sins,
would be preached in his name
to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem.
You are witnesses of these things.
And behold I am sending the promise of my Father upon you;
but stay in the city
until you are clothed with power from on high.”
Then he led them out as far as Bethany,
raised his hands, and blessed them.
As he blessed them he parted from them
and was taken up to heaven.
They did him homage
and then returned to Jerusalem with great joy,
and they were continually in the temple praising God.
The Fortnight for Freedom, which we celebrated for the first time last year, takes place from June 21—the vigil of the Feasts of St. John Fisher and St. Thomas More—to July 4, Independence Day. Last year, we saw a great diversity of events promoting religious freedom across the country. In 2013, we face many challenges to religious liberty, including the August 1, 2013 deadline for religious organizations to comply with the HHS mandate; potential Supreme Court rulings that could redefine marriage in June, causing serious religious liberty issues for Catholic adoption agencies and many others; and religious liberty concerns in other areas, such as immigration and humanitarian services.
During the Fortnight, our liturgical calendar celebrates a series of great martyrs who remained faithful in the face of persecution by political power—St. John the Baptist, SS. Peter and Paul, the First Martyrs of the Church of Rome, St. John Fisher, and St. Thomas More.Through prayer, study, and peaceful public action during the Fortnight for Freedom, we hope to remind ourselves and others all throughout the United States about the importance of preserving the fundamental right of religious freedom.
US Conference of Catholic Bishops
Pope Francis does not distribute Communion when he celebrates Mass in public. Now Sandro Magister of L’Espresso explains this new papal policy.
In 2010, then-Cardinal Bergoglio remarked that some people who come forward to receive Communion “take refuge in the Church and do not live according to the justice that God preaches. And they do not demonstrate repentance.” The future Pontiff said: “I do not want these persons to approach me for a photo.” At the time, Cardinal Bergoglio was speaking about employers who exploited their workers. It is difficult to be sure that such a person is an unrepentant public sinner, he said. Nevertheless he did not want to give such people an opportunity to exploit the Church.
The Pope’s reasoning applies to politicians who flout the teachings of the Church, for example by supporting legal abortion, Magister notes. Pope Francis will not be pictured administering the Eucharist to them.
THE CONCHO PADRE POST 