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Sunday, June 27, 2010

CATHOLIC WORLD NEWS: SUN. JUNE 27, 2010










CATHOLIC WORLD NEWS: SUN. JUNE 27, 2010: HEADLINES-
VATICAN: POPE: ANGELUS NEW BLESSED LEBANNON ESTEPHAN NEHME-
AMERICA: CANADA: PRAY FOR G20 SUMMIT AS VIOLENCE ERUPTS-
AFRICA: GUINEA: PRAY FOR THEM AS THEY BEGIN THEIR ELECTIONS-
EUROPE: ENGLAND: BISHOPS RELEASE GUIDE TO CARE FOR DYING-

ASIA: KOREA: REGLIOUS TEACH DIGNITY OF LIFE DUE TO RISE IN SUICIDES-
AUSTRALIA: BISHOP ANTHONY FISHER SPEAKS ON THE PRIESTHOOD-

VATICAN
VATICAN: POPE: ANGELUS NEW BLESSED IN LEBANNON ESTEPHAN NEHME

YOUTUBE VATICAN CHANNEL: Freedom and love are one and the same! By contrast, obeying one's own selfishness leads to rivalries and conflicts.

In his Angelus on Sunday, Pope Benedict XVI returned to the them of Christ's call and his demands. He said these can appear harsh, but in reality they express the newness and absolute priority of the Kingdom of God, which comes into being in the Person of Jesus Christ himself.
The Pope explained that those who give up everything, even themselves, to follow Jesus enter a new dimension of freedom, one that Saint Paul calls 'living by the Spirit'
At the end of the Marian prayer, the Pope expressed his joy at the announcement of a new blessed: Estéphan Nehme, a member of the Lebanese Maronite Order whose life spanned the 19th and 20th century and who was beatified Sunday in Lebanon. In greeting in Polish the Holy Father talked about the summer holiday season which is just around the corner for many people. He said that he hopes these encounters with nature, new people and the fruits of human creativity are not just an occassion for the recovery of physical strength and intellectual development but also a more intense encounter with God and a strengthening of Faith. http://www.youtube.com/vatican#p/a/u/0/7qDYZMxpfss
IMAGE SOURCE http://www.radiovaticana.org/en1/index.asp
 
AMERICA
CANADA: PRAY FOR G20 SUMMIT AS VIOLENCE ERUPTS

CITYSCAPEPRAYER: Most Canadian Houses of Prayer are already planning to participate in some way. If you are in leadership in a House of Prayer and want to register for the Luke 18 Weekend, contact us at info@cityscapeprayer.org  There are no fees of any kind involved, your registration will enable us to get you set up on the communications platform so you can join in the cross-Canada networking.´
Pray:
Along with the Canadian Institute of Global Affairs, Cityscape Ministries has developed a 3 page prayer guide that you can download here. http://cityscapeprayer.org/pdf/G8_Prayer_Guide.pdf

REPORT ON VIOLENCE AT G20 LOCATION
CBC.CA REPORT: Police fired at least half a dozen rubber bullets at protesters in Toronto's east end on Sunday afternoon, arresting several people as the city remained on edge a day after a downtown rampage by militant activists.


About 150 protesters were staging a peaceful gathering outside the makeshift G20 police detention centre at Eastern and Pape avenues, while police in riot gear looked on.
At one point, plainclothes police arrived, entered the crowd and began to arrest several people.
"They knew who they were looking for," said the CBC's Bill Gillespie. "These are trained police snatch squads using intelligence on finding suspected troublemakers."
At the same time, police formed a line in front of the crowd, urging the protesters to "move back." It was then that they opened fire with rubber bullets, Gillespie said. The crowd began to move away from the detention centre area, returning north to Queen Steet East, he said. Earlier in the day, dozens of people were arrested at the University of Toronto.
Black clothing, weapons found
About 50 people were rounded up in the morning after police found street-type weapons and black clothing hidden in bushes. It's believed the bricks were to be used by anarchists who caused widespread damage on Saturday.
Several handcuffed people were seen being taken into waiting police buses or, in at least one instance, a court services vehicle.
One man dressed in black told CBC News: "I was there to peacefully protest."
"We were sleeping," another man said as he was escorted into a police bus.
Const. Rob McDonald told reporters it was his understanding that people from various places across Canada have been arrested.
"They were found in possession of bricks and other items that could compromise the safety of the citizens of Toronto."
Four other people were arrested in the early morning after they were caught coming out of a city sewer in the financial district on Queen Street West between Yonge and Bay streets.
Toronto police spokesman Sgt. Tim Burrows told CBC News that the four were arrested 2:25 a.m. ET "while leaving a maintenance hole cover, after being in the underground infrastructure of the tunnels."
Burrows said no explosives were found and "the security plan is well intact."
The demonstration Saturday split into two parts, as protesters from a variety of causes marched while so-called Black Bloc anarchists — known for violent confrontation with authorities — tried repeatedly to break into the secure zone where leaders of the G20 are meeting.
Police moved to block the militants, who then smashed windows and spray-painted walls. Four police cars were set alight, 480 people were arrested, and hospitals and the Eaton Centre shopping mall were locked down.
SOURCE http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2010/06/27/g20-toronto-protest.html#ixzz0s4rd92QC

AFRICA
GUINEA: PRAY FOR THEM AS THEY BEGIN THEIR ELECTIONS

ALL AFRICA REPORT: At a moment when the tide of global democracy is seemingly in reverse, it is heartening to note the enthusiasm with which many voters in Africa are participating in campaigns, building grassroots movements of popular support and claiming ownership in the system.

This year elections will be held in numerous countries, from Cote d'Ivoire to Madagascar to Rwanda, with varying levels of fairness. But one of the most optimistic presidential elections is coming up on June 27 when Guinea is to hold its first truly democratic polls in the country's 50 years of independence.
With almost 10 million people and a booming mining sector with some of the largest deposits of iron ore and bauxite in the world, this election should be closely watched, not only by markets, but also by democracy advocates as a barometer of the institutional environment on the continent.
If a successful free and fair process can be undertaken here, it is hoped that other neighbors can be encouraged to follow similar rules and standards, including regional titan Nigeria, which is expected to hold elections in 2011.
In the past, fraud, vote buying and outright manipulation marred Guinean elections. This time, however, things are looking quite different, according to a recent statement from Carter Center election observers:
Aminata.com
Presidential candidate, Cellou Dalein Diallo, at a campaign rally in Conakry.
"The Carter Center observation mission in Guinea is encouraged by the positive tone of the electoral campaign in Guinea, including candidates' messages promoting reconciliation and transcending ethnic boundaries, and by the National Electoral Commission's (CENI) commitment to inclusive elections. (...) There is a palpable sense of excitement and expectation among Guineans, who hope for a meaningful democratic transition and civilian government."
That fact that Guinea is on the cusp of holding its first real election in 50 years is no small feat, especially considering the extraordinary violence and civil strife the country has suffered in recent years - making Guinea one of Africa's poorest nations despite its abundant resource wealth.
SEE FULL ARTICLE AT http://allafrica.com/stories/201006250001.html


EUROPE
ENGLAND: BISHOPS RELEASE GUIDE TO CARE FOR DYING

Catholic Bishop Conference report: Catholic Bishops’ Conference launches ‘A Practical Guide to the Spiritual Care of the Dying Person’

‘A Practical Guide to the Spiritual Care of the Dying Person’ was launched at the Faith in Health conference in Liverpool on 25 June. It aims to assist front-line healthcare staff in identifying spiritual need in their patients, and to feel confident in their ability to provide it. Commissioned by the Bishops’ Conference Healthcare Reference Group, the guide was written by Dr Catherine Gleeson, Dr David Jones, Fr Paul Mason and Rev Dr James Hanvey SJ. A draft of the guide was the subject of a public consultation earlier in the year.
Baroness Finlay of Llandaff, Professor of Palliative Medicine at Cardiff University and Consultant at the Velindre Hospital in Cardiff, said: “This guide to spiritual care is so valuable because it enables us all to recognize psychosocial and spiritual distress in the dying. It is applicable to dying people of any faith or none; as the authors observe, ‘we share a common humanity if not always a common faith’. This guide should be read by all who are involved with dying people. Dying is a part of life that will come to us all sooner or later. We must try to see it through the eyes of those who are there now.”
At the conference Archbishop Vincent Nichols highlighted the spiritual care needs of older people, and said about the new guide, “In this difficult area our guide recognises the simple truth that there is such a thing as spiritual need, and that spiritual pain is not just a manifestation of a medical symptom. The difficulty at such a moment of uncertainty is how to find the words to connect with people for whom the language of faith is alien. We hope this document will be of practical help to staff in the National Health Service who are caring for those who are dying.”
One of the authors, Dr David Jones, said, “It’s a document with some practical help, some ethical guidelines and an invitation to think more deeply. We hope it will be useful to a wide variety of people. It was written specifically so that many people could get something out of it who come from a wide variety of backgrounds, not only from Christian backgrounds.”
Published by the CTS, its launch tied in with the theme of the conference ‘Faith in Health: Beginnings and endings – caring for the whole person’. 150 delegates attended the conference in Liverpool for health and social care professionals, of all faiths or none. They explored issues of transition and change for the care giver and the care receiver, with particular reference to the quality of care and meeting spiritual needs. Faith in Health was the second residential conference organised by the Healthcare Reference Group, which is part of the Department for Christian Responsibility and Citizenship of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales. The conference was put on jointly sponsored with the Conference of Religious and The Catholic Medical Association.
Contact
Catholic Communications Network (CCN)
t: 020 7901 4800

e: ccn@cbcew.org.uk
Further Information
Faith in Health
The conference ‘Faith in Health: Beginnings and endings – caring for the whole person’ was for health and social care professionals, of all faiths or none. Faith in Health was the second residential conference organised by the Healthcare Reference Group, which is part of the Department for Christian Responsibility and Citizenship of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales. The conference was put on jointly sponsored with the Conference of Religious and The Catholic Medical Association. Delegates explored issues of transition and change for the care giver and the care receiver, with particular reference to the quality of care and meeting spiritual needs.
To order/download ‘A Practical Guide to the Spiritual Care of the Dying Person’, click here. http://www.catholic-ew.org.uk/Catholic-Church/Publications/Practical-Guide-to-the-Spiritual-Care-of-the-Dying-Person
http://www.catholic-ew.org.uk/Catholic-Church/media_centre/press_releases/press_releases_2010/Catholic-Bishops-Conference-launches-A-Practical-Guide-to-the-Spiritual-Care-of-the-Dying-Person


ASIA
KOREA: REGLIOUS TEACH DIGNITY OF LIFE DUE TO RISE IN SUICIDES

UCAN report: A sharp rise in suicides in Korea has sparked a call for religions to take a leading role in preventing people killing themselves by teaching the dignity of life and offering spiritual aid to their faithful.

The Korean Council of Religious Leaders (KCRL) and the Korean Association for Suicide Prevention issued the call at a joint forum called Life Loving to discuss ways of preventing suicides.
The Ministry of Health and Welfare sponsored the forum.
Seven experts representing each religion presented how suicide was viewed by their respective religious teachings and discussed measures to prevent it.
All said suicide was against religious teachings, and needed active prevention measures such as reinforcing existing education and giving spiritual help to those at risk of committing suicide.
The KCRL represents Buddhism, the Catholic Church, Confucianism, Cheondo-gyo, Protestantism, Won Buddhism and the Association of Korean Native Religions.
Cheondo-gyo and Won Buddhism are indigenous Korean religions.
“Every religion cherishes life and teaches the dignity of life. However, religious faithful also commit suicide because they are not able to make the connection between faith and life,” Father Hugo Park Jung-woo, executive secretary of the Committee for Life of Seoul archdiocese, told UCA News on June 24,
“If religious followers consider the basic religious teachings, they will look away from suicide. All religions should take more action and teach the dignity of life and offer spiritual help like counseling services,” he added.
“The role of religions in preventing suicides is crucial since they exert huge influence in our society. If they act together, people’s concerns and awareness on the suicide issue will drastically increase,” said Park Ha-jeong, manager of the health ministry’s Healthcare Policy Bureau.
According to the Korean National Police Agency, there were 14,579 suicides in 2009, up 18.8 percent from 12,270 in 2008.
http://www.ucanews.com/2010/06/25/korean-faiths-take-aim-at-rising-suicide-rate
AUSTRALIA
BISHOP ANTHONY FISHER SPEAKS ON THE PRIESTHOOD

Cath News report: Some years ago I was speaking to a candidate in the RCIA programme who thought, like many already-Catholics think, that all priests are in vows of poverty, chastity and obedience. I explained that most priests were not in fact religious. She responded: "So you don't need to be particularly religious to be a priest?" What to say...[1]

The Dominican Constitutions provide that novices are to be instructed about priesthood (LCO 187.1) while students are to prepare for their priestly ministry by integrating it with their religious life (LCO 223). Novices and students often debate which comes first: religious life or ministerial priesthood?
Often this is in reaction to an older notion of religious priests as diocesan priests in habit - or at least with a habit in the closet.
Also in the background may have been a Thomist metaphysic, according to which episcopacy and religious life were not ontological states, were not inscribed upon one's soul the way sacramental characters are, could presumably be dispensed, and would not carry forward into the afterlife.
But priesthood, like baptism and confirmation, brought about an ontological change: priests are priests forever.
Also in the background was the idea that formation was a thing to be endured patiently for a few years only - however much Regents, chapters and documents might pay lip-service to ongoing formation.
Clothing in the habit, simple profession and solemn profession were stages along the way to the great liberation: priestly ordination. Dominican priests, especially if appointed to a parish as many of them were in my province, were largely free of their community and superiors - except when it was convenient to plead the Dominican thing against bishops and diocesan clergy.
A symbol of all this that my own Australian province inherited from its Irish founders was the progression from white socks to black trousers under the habit and the raising of the habitual hemline to ensure the presbyteral pantaloons were on display. In the United States I also met friars rarely if ever seen in the habit who sported the most elegant of diocesan clerical attire. Presbytery trumped priory.
- Bishop Anthony Fisher, Priesthood in the Dominican Order @ Irish Dominicans
http://www.cathnews.com/article.aspx?aeid=22109

TODAY´S SAINT

St. Cyril of Alexandria

DOCTOR OF THE CHURCH
Information: Feast Day: June 27

Born: 376 at Alexandria, Egypt

Died: 444 at Alexandria, Egypt

Patron of: Alexandria, Egypt
Source: Ewtn.com Doctor of the Church. St. Cyril has his feast in the Western Church on the 28th of January; in the Greek Menaea it is found on the 9th of June, and (together with St. Athanasius) on the 18th of January.
He seems to have been of an Alexandrian family and was the son of the brother of Theophilus, Patriarch of Alexandria; if he is the Cyril addressed by Isidore of Pelusium in Ep. xxv of Bk. I, he was for a time a monk. He accompanied Theophilus to Constantinople when that bishop held the "Synod of the Oak" in 402 and deposed St. John Chrysostom. Theophilus died 15 Oct., 412, and on the 18th Cyril was consecrated his uncle's successor, but only after a riot between his supporters and those of his rival Timotheus. Socrates complains bitterly that one of his first acts was to plunder and shut the churches of the Novatians. He also drove out of Alexandria the Jews, who had formed a flourishing community there since Alexander the Great. But they had caused tumults and had massacred the Christians, to defend whom Cyril himself assembled a mob. This may have been the only possible defence, since the Prefect of Egypt, Orestes, who was very angry at the expulsion of the Jews was also jealous of the power of Cyril, which certainly rivaled his own. Five hundred monks came down from Nitria to defend the patriarch. In a disturbance which arose, Orestes was wounded in the head by a stone thrown by a monk named Ammonius. The prefect had Ammonius tortured to death, and the young and fiery patriarch honoured his remains for a time as those of a martyr. The Alexandians were always riotous as we learn from Socrates (VII, vii) and from St. Cyril himself (Hom. for Easter, 419). In one of these riots, in 422, the prefect Callistus was killed, and in another was committed the murder of a female philosopher Hypatia, a highly-respected teacher of neo-Platoism, of advanced age and (it is said) many virtues. She was a friend of Orestes, and many believed that she prevented a reconciliation between the prefect and patriarch. A mob led by a lector, named Peter, dragged her to a church and tore her flesh with potsherds till she died. This brought great disgrace, says Socrates, on the Church of Alexandria and on its bishop; but a lector at Alexandria was not a cleric (Scr., V, xxii), and Socrates does not suggest that Cyril himself was to blame. Damascius, indeed, accuses him, but he is a late authority and a hater of Christians.
Theophilus, the persecutor of Chrysostom, had not the privilege of communion with Rome from that saint's death, in 406, until his own. For some years Cyril also refused to insert the name of St. Chrysostom in the diptychs of his Church, in spite of the requests of Chrysostom's supplanter, Atticus. Later he seems to have yielded to the representations of his spiritual father, Isisdore of Pelusium (Isid., Ep. I, 370). Yet even after the Council of Ephesus that saint still found something to rebuke in him on this matter (Ep. I, 310). But at last Cyril seems to have long since been trusted by Rome.
It was in the winter of 427-28 that the Antiochene Nestorius became Patriarch of Constantinople. His heretical teaching soon became known to Cyril. Against him Cyril taught the use of the term Theotokus in his Paschal letter for 429 and in a letter to the monks of Egypt. A correspondence with Nestorius followed, in a more moderate tone than might have been expected. Nestorius sent his sermons to Pope Celestine, but he received no reply, for the latter wrote to St. Cyril for further information. Rome had taken the side of St. John Chrysostom against Theophilus, but had neither censured the orthodoxy of the latter, nor consented to the patriarchal powers exercised by the bishops of Constantinople. To St. Celestine Cyril was not only the first prelate of the East, he was also the inheritor of the traditions of Athanasius and Peter. The pope's confidence was not misplaced. Cyril had learnt prudence. Peter had attempted unsuccessfully to appoint a Bishop of Constantinople; Theophilus had deposed another. Cyril, though in this case Alexandria was in the right, does not act in his own name, but denounces Nestorius to St. Celestine, since ancient custom, he says, persuaded him to bring the matter before the pope. He relates all that had occurred, and begs Celestine to decree what he sees fit (typosai to dokoun--a phrase which Dr. Bright chooses to weaken into "formulate his opinion"), and communicate it also to the Bishops of Macedonia and of the East (i.e. the Antiochene Patriarchate).
The pope's reply was of astonishing severity. He had already commissioned Cassian to write his well known treatise on the Incarnation. He now summoned a council (such Roman councils had somewhat the office of the modern Roman Congregations), and dispatched a letter to Alexandria with enclosures to Constantinople, Philippi, Jerusalem, and Antioch. Cyril is to take to himself the authority of the Roman See and to admonish Nestorius that unless he recants within ten days from the receipt of this ultimatum, he is separated from "our body" (the popes of the day had the habit of speaking of the other churches as the members, of which they are the head; the body is, of course the Catholic Church). If Nestorius does not submit, Cyril is to "provide for" the Church of Constantinople. Such a sentence of excommunication and deposition is not to be confounded with the mere withdrawal of actual communion by the popes from Cyril himself at an earlier date, from Theophilus, or, in Antioch, from Flavian or Meletius. It was the decree Cyril has asked for. As Cyril had twice written to Nestorius, his citation in the name of the pope is to be counted as a third warning, after which no grace is to be given.
St. Cyril summoned a council of his suffragans, and composed a letter which were appended twelve propositions for Nestorius to anathematize. The epistle was not conciliatory, and Nestorius may well have been taken aback. The twelve propositions did not emanate from Rome, and were not equally clear; one or two of them were later among the authorities invoked by the Monophysite heretics in their own favour. Cyril was the head of the rival theological school to that of Antioch, where Nestorius had studied, and was the hereditary rival of the Constantinopolitan would-be patriarch. Cyril wrote also to John, Patriarch of Antioch, informing him of the facts, and insinuating that if John should support his old friend Nestorius, he would find himself isolated over against Rome, Macedonia, and Egypt. John took the hint and urged Nestorius to yield. Meanwhile, in Constantinople itself large numbers of the people held aloof from Nestorius, and the Emperor Theodosius II had been persuaded to summon a general council to meet at Ephesus. The imperial letters were dispatched 19 November, whereas the bishops sent by Cyril arrived at Constantinople only on 7 December. Nestorius, somewhat naturally, refused to accept the message sent by his rival, and on the 13th and 14th of December preached publicly against Cyril as a calumniator, and as having used bribes (which was probably as true as it was usual); but he declared himself willing to use the word Theotokos. These sermons he sent to John of Antioch, who preferred them to the anathematizations of Cyril. Nestorius, however, issued twelve propositions with appended anathemas. If Cyril's propositions might be might be taken to deny the two natures in Christ, those of Nestorius hardly veiled his belief in two distinct persons. Theodoret urged John yet further, and wrote a treatise against Cyril, to which the latter replied with some warmth. He also wrote an "Answer" in five books to the sermons of Nestorius.
As the fifteenth-century idea of an oecumenical council superior to the pope had yet to be invented, and there was but one precedent for such an assembly, we need not be surprised that St. Celestine welcomed the initiative of the emperor, and hoped for peace through the assembly. (See EPHESUS, COUNCIL OF.) Nestorius found the churches of Ephesus closed to him, when he arrived with the imperial commissioner, Count Candidian, and his own friend, Count Irenaeus. Cyril came with fifty of his bishops. Palestine, Crete, Asia Minor, and Greece added their quotient. But John of Antioch and his suffragans were delayed. Cyril may have believed, rightly or wrongly, that John did not wish to be present at the trial of his friend Nestorius, or that he wished to gain time for him, and he opened the council without John, on 22 June, in spite of the request of sixty-eight bishops for a delay. This was an initial error, which had disastrous results.
The legates from Rome had not arrived, so that Cyril had no answer to the letter he had written to Celestine asking "whether the holy synod should receive a man who condemned what it preached, or, because the time of delay had elapsed, whether the sentence was still in force". Cyril might have presumed that the pope, in agreeing to send legates to the council, intended Nestorius to have a complete trial, but it was more convenient to assume that the Roman ultimatum had not been suspended, and that the council was bound by it. He therefore took the place of president, not only as the highest of rank, but also as still holding the place of Celestine, though he cannot have received any fresh commission from the pope. Nestorius was summoned, in order that he might explain his neglect of Cyril's former monition in the name of the pope. He refused to receive the four bishops whom the council sent to him. Consequently nothing remained but formal procedure. For the council was bound by the canons to depose Nestorius for contumacy, as he would not appear, and by the letter of Celestine to condemn him for heresy, as he had not recanted. The correspondence between Rome, Alexandria, and Constantinople was read, some testimonies where read from earlier writers show the errors of Nestorius. The second letter of Cyril to Nestorius was approved by all the bishops. The reply of Nestorius was condemned. No discussion took place. The letter of Cyril and the ten anathemaizations raised no comment. All was concluded at one sitting. The council declared that it was "of necessity impelled" by the canons and by the letter of Celestine to declare Nestorius deposed and excommunicated. The papal legates, who had been detained by bad weather, arrived on the 10th of July, and they solemnly confirmed the sentence by the authority of St. Peter, for the refusal of Nestorius to appear had made useless the permission which they brought from the pope to grant him forgiveness if he should repent. But meanwhile John of Antioch and his party had arrived on the 26th and 27th of June. They formed themselves into a rival council of forty-three bishops, and deposed Memnon, Bishop of Ephesus, and St. Cyril, accusing the latter of Apollinarianism and even of Eunomianism. Both parties now appealed to the emperor, who took the amazing decision of sending a count to treat Nestorius, Cyril, and Memnon as being all three lawfully deposed. They were kept in close custody; but eventually the emperor took the orthodox view, though he dissolved the council; Cyril was allowed to return to his diocese, and Nestorius went into retirement at Antioch. Later he was banished to the Great Oasis of Egypt.
Meanwhile Pope Celestine was dead. His successor, St. Sixtus III, confirmed the council and attempted to get John of Antioch to anathematize Nestorius. For some time the strongest opponent of Cyril was Theodoret, but eventually he approved a letter of Cyril to Acacius of Berhoea. John sent Paul, Bishop of Emesa, as his plenipotentiary to Alexandria, and he patched up reconciliation with Cyril. Though Theodoret still refused to denounce the defence of Nestorius, John did so, and Cyril declared his joy in a letter to John. Isidore of Pelusium was now afraid that the impulsive Cyril might have yielded too much (Ep. i, 334). The great patriarch composed many further treatises, dogmatic letters, and sermons. He died on the 9th or the 27th of June, 444, after an episcopate of nearly thirty-two years.
http://www.ewtn.com/saintsHoly/saints/C/stcyrilofalexandria.asp
image http://floscarmelivitisflorigera.blogspot.com/2009_01_01_archive.html


TODAY´S MASS READINGS
13TH SUN. ORDINARY TIME

1 Kings 19: 16, 19 - 21


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16 and Jehu the son of Nimshi you shall anoint to be king over Israel; and Eli'sha the son of Shaphat of A'bel-meho'lah you shall anoint to be prophet in your place.

19 So he departed from there, and found Eli'sha the son of Shaphat, who was plowing, with twelve yoke of oxen before him, and he was with the twelfth. Eli'jah passed by him and cast his mantle upon him.

20 And he left the oxen, and ran after Eli'jah, and said, "Let me kiss my father and my mother, and then I will follow you." And he said to him, "Go back again; for what have I done to you?"

21 And he returned from following him, and took the yoke of oxen, and slew them, and boiled their flesh with the yokes of the oxen, and gave it to the people, and they ate. Then he arose and went after Eli'jah, and ministered to him.

Psalms 16: 1 - 2, 5, 7 - 11


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1 Preserve me, O God, for in thee I take refuge.

2 I say to the LORD, "Thou art my Lord; I have no good apart from thee."

5 The LORD is my chosen portion and my cup; thou holdest my lot.

7 I bless the LORD who gives me counsel; in the night also my heart instructs me.

8 I keep the LORD always before me; because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved.

9 Therefore my heart is glad, and my soul rejoices; my body also dwells secure.

10 For thou dost not give me up to Sheol, or let thy godly one see the Pit.

11 Thou dost show me the path of life; in thy presence there is fulness of joy, in thy right hand are pleasures for evermore.

Galatians 5: 1, 13 - 18


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1 For freedom Christ has set us free; stand fast therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.

13 For you were called to freedom, brethren; only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love be servants of one another.

14 For the whole law is fulfilled in one word, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself."

15 But if you bite and devour one another take heed that you are not consumed by one another.

16 But I say, walk by the Spirit, and do not gratify the desires of the flesh.

17 For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh; for these are opposed to each other, to prevent you from doing what you would.

18 But if you are led by the Spirit you are not under the law.

Luke 9: 51 - 62


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51 When the days drew near for him to be received up, he set his face to go to Jerusalem.

52 And he sent messengers ahead of him, who went and entered a village of the Samaritans, to make ready for him;

53 but the people would not receive him, because his face was set toward Jerusalem.

54 And when his disciples James and John saw it, they said, "Lord, do you want us to bid fire come down from heaven and consume them?"

55 But he turned and rebuked them.

56 And they went on to another village.

57 As they were going along the road, a man said to him, "I will follow you wherever you go."

58 And Jesus said to him, "Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man has nowhere to lay his head."

59 To another he said, "Follow me." But he said, "Lord, let me first go and bury my father."

60 But he said to him, "Leave the dead to bury their own dead; but as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God."

61 Another said, "I will follow you, Lord; but let me first say farewell to those at my home."

62 Jesus said to him, "No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God."