Wednesday, April 27, 2016

DAILY DISPATCH "General Audience: On the Parable of the Good Samaritan" ZENIT from Roswell, Georgia, United States for Wednesday, 27 April 2016

DAILY DISPATCH "General Audience: On the Parable of the Good Samaritan" ZENIT from Roswell, Georgia, United States for Wednesday, 27 April 2016

General Audience: On the Parable of the Good Samaritan by ZENIT Staff

Here is a ZENIT translation of the address Pope Francis gave during this morning’s general audience in St. Peter’s Square.
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Dear Brothers and Sisters, good morning!
Today we reflect on the parable of the Good Samaritan (cf. Luke10:25-37). A Doctor of the Law puts Jesus to the test with this question: “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” (v. 25). Jesus asks him to give the answer himself, and he gives it perfectly: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind: and your neighbor as yourself” (v. 27). Then Jesus concludes: “do this, and you will live” (v. 28).
Then that man poses another question, which becomes very valuable for us: “who is my neighbor?” (v. 29), and he infers: “my parents? My fellow countrymen? Those of my religion? …” In sum, he wants a clear rule that enables him to classify others in “neighbor” and “non-neighbor,” in those who can become neighbors and those who cannot become neighbors.
And Jesus answers with a parable, placing at the scene a priest, a Levite and a Samaritan. The first two are figures linked to the worship of the Temple; the third is a schismatic Jew, considered as a foreigner, pagan and impure, namely the Samaritan. On the road from Jerusalem to Jericho, the priest and the Levite come across a dying man, that brigands had assaulted, robbed and abandoned. In similar situations, the Lord’s Law foresaw the obligation to help him, but both passed beyond without stopping. They were in a hurry … The priest perhaps looked at his watch and said: “But I’ll be late for Mass … I must say the Mass.” The other one said: “But, I don’t know if the Law allows me, because there is blood there and I will be impure …” They go on another way and do not approach him.
And here the parable offers us a first teaching: it is not automatic that one who frequents God’s house and knows His mercy is able to love his neighbor. It is not automatic! One can know the whole Bible, one can know all the liturgical rubrics, one can know all the theology, but from knowing, loving is not automatic: loving has another way, intelligence is needed but also something more … The priest and the Levite saw, but ignored; looked but did not provide. Yet true worship does not exist if it is not translated into service to one’s neighbor. Let us never forget it: in the face of the suffering of so many people destroyed by hunger, by violence and by injustices, we cannot remain spectators. What does it mean to ignore man’s suffering? It means to ignore God! If I do not approach that man, or that woman, that child, that elderly man or elderly woman that is suffering, I do not come close to God.
But let us come to the center of the parable: the Samaritan, that is, in fact, the one who was scorned, the one on whom no one would have wagered anything and who, nevertheless, also had his commitments and his things to do — when he saw the wounded man, he did not pass beyond like the other two, who were linked to the Temple, but “he had compassion” (v. 33). So says the Gospel: “he had compassion,” that is, his heart, was moved; he was moved within! See the difference. The other two “saw,” but their hearts remained closed, cold. Instead, the Samaritan’s heart was attuned to God’s heart itself. In fact, “compassion” is an essential characteristic of God’s mercy. God has compassion for us. What does it mean? He suffers with us; He feels our sufferings. Compassion means: “to share with.” The word indicates that something within us moves and trembles on seeing man’s ill. And in the gestures and the actions of the Good Samaritan we recognize God’s merciful action in the whole history of salvation. It is the same compassion with which the Lord comes to meet each one of us: He does not ignore us, He knows our sorrows; He knows how much we need help and consolation. He comes close to us and never abandons us. Each one of us should ask himself the question and answer in his heart: “Do I believe this? Do I believe that the Lord has compassion for me, just as I am, a sinner, with so many problems and so many things?” Think of this and the answer is: “Yes!” But each one must look into his heart to see if he has faith in this compassion of God, of the good God who comes close, who heals us, who caresses us. And if we refuse Him, He waits: He is patient and is always at our side.
The Samaritan behaved with true mercy: he dressed that man’s wounds, he took him to the inn, took personal care of him and provided for his assistance. All this teaches us that compassion, love, is not a vague feeling, but it means to take care of the other even to paying in person. It means to commit oneself, taking all the necessary steps to “come close” to the other, to the point of identifying oneself with him” “you shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Behold the Lord’s Commandment.
The parable having ended, Jesus turns around the question of the Doctor of the Law and asks him: “Which of these three, do you think, proved neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?” (v. 36) Finally, the answer is unequivocal: “The one who showed mercy on him” (v. 27) At the beginning of the parable, for the priest and the Levite their neighbor was the dying man; at the end <of the parable> it is the Samaritan who came close. Jesus turns the perspective around: not to classify others to see who is a neighbor and who is not. You can become a neighbor to anyone you meet in need, and you will be so if you have compassion in your heart, that is, if you have that capacity to suffer with the other.
This parable is a stupendous gift for all of us, and also a commitment! Jesus repeats to each one of us what He said to the Doctor of the Law: “Go and do likewise” (v. 37). We are all called to follow the same path of the Good Samaritan, who is a figure of Christ: Jesus bent over us, made Himself our servant, and thus He saved us, so that we too are able to love as He loved us, in the same way.
[Original text: Italian]
[Translation by ZENIT]
In Italian
I greet the Italian-speaking pilgrims, in particular you, faithful of the dioceses of Chieti-Vasto, Novara, Alessandria, Chiavari and Pavia, led by your respective Bishops, and I hope that your Jubilee pilgrimage is rich in fruits for the benefit of your diocesan communities. I greet the faithful of Pattada, Tradate, Sant’Andrea in Andria and Santa Maria Maddalena in Dossobuono.
A thought goes to the Redemptorist Missionaries, to the priest educators of the Major Seminaries affiliated to the Urbanian University and to all those taking part in the Seminar promoted by the University of the Holy Cross.
I greet the young people, the especially numerous pupils of the schools, the sick and the newlyweds. To you, dear young people, I wish that you always be faithful to your Baptism, witnessing the joy that comes from the encounter with Jesus. I exhort you, dear sick, to look at Him who conquered death and who helps you to accept your sufferings as an occasion of redemption and salvation. Finally, I invite you, dear newlyweds, to think and live the daily family experience with a look of love that “bears all things and endures all things” (1Corinthians 13:7).
[Original text: Italian][Translation by ZENIT]

Pope: Do We Know the Other Lesson From the Parable of the Good Samaritan? by Kathleen Naab

We know the parable of the Good Samaritan is a lesson to teach us that we must love our neighbor, and that there’s no one in the category of non-neighbor, but beyond that, Pope Francis asked today, have we also learned the parable’s lesson that God treats us with the compassion of the Samaritan?
“In the gestures and the actions of the Good Samaritan we recognize God’s merciful action in the whole history of salvation. It is the same compassion with which the Lord comes to meet each one of us: He does not ignore us, He knows our sorrows; He knows how much we need help and consolation. He comes close to us and never abandons us. Each one of us should ask himself the question and answer in his heart: ‘Do I believe this? Do I believe that the Lord has compassion for me, just as I am, a sinner, with so many problems and so many things?’ Think of this and the answer is: ‘Yes!’ But each one must look into his heart to see if he has faith in this compassion of God, of the good God who comes close, who heals us, who caresses us. And if we refuse Him, He waits: He is patient and is always at our side.”
This was Pope Francis’ reflection as he continued the theme of mercy in the general audience held today in St. Peter’s Square.
The parable gave the Pope the chance to reiterate one of his most frequent warnings:
“It is not automatic,” he said, “that one who frequents God’s house and knows His mercy is able to love his neighbor. It is not automatic! One can know the whole Bible, one can know all the liturgical rubrics, one can know all the theology, but from knowing, loving is not automatic: loving has another way, intelligence is needed but also something more … The priest and the Levite saw, but ignored; looked but did not provide. Yet true worship does not exist if it is not translated into service to one’s neighbor.”
The Pontiff added: “What does it mean to ignore man’s suffering? It means to ignore God! If I do not approach that man, or that woman, that child, that elderly man or elderly woman that is suffering, I do not come close to God.”
Compassion
Compassion is the center of the parable, the Pope suggested, centering on this word that means “to share with”:
The Samaritan “‘had compassion,’” Francis said, “that is, his heart, was moved; he was moved within! See the difference. The other two ‘saw,’ but their hearts remained closed, cold. Instead, the Samaritan’s heart was attuned to God’s heart itself. In fact, ‘compassion’ is an essential characteristic of God’s mercy.”
God “shares with” us, the Holy Father continued. “He suffers with us; He feels our sufferings.”
The Samaritan’s concrete, personal actions teach us “that compassion, love, is not a vague feeling, but it means to take care of the other even to paying in person,” Francis said. “It means to commit oneself, taking all the necessary steps to ‘come close’ to the other, to the point of identifying oneself with him: ‘you shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ Behold the Lord’s Commandment.”
“This parable is a stupendous gift for all of us, and also a commitment,” the Holy Father concluded. “Jesus repeats to each one of us what He said to the Doctor of the Law: ‘Go and do likewise’ (v. 37). We are all called to follow the same path of the Good Samaritan, who is a figure of Christ: Jesus bent over us, made Himself our servant, and thus He saved us, so that we too are able to love as He loved us, in the same way.”
On ZENIT’s Web page:
Full text: https://zenit.org/articles/general-audience-on-the-parable-of-the-good-samaritan/

Opus Dei Member Who Died at 17 Recognized for Heroic Virtue by ZENIT Staff

Pope Francis on Tuesday authorised the Congregation for Saints’ Causes to promulgate various decrees regarding causes for canonizations, including the recognition of the heroic virtue of a layperson from Opus Dei.
Maria Montserrat Grases García was born in Barcelona on July 10, 1941. Montse, as she was known by everyone, was one of nine children. Shortly before her 17th birthday, she was diagnosed with bone cancer in her leg. The cancer caused intense pain, which she bore with serenity and with heroic fortitude. Throughout her illness, she never lost her infectious cheerfulness or her capacity for friendship, which sprang from her deep interior life and zeal for souls. As a result, she continued bringing many friends and schoolmates closer to God during her illness. She died on Holy Thursday, March 26, 1959.
Her cause of canonization was opened in Barcelona in 1962.
Here is the full list of decrees approved by the Pope:
MIRACLES
– Blessed Alfonso Maria Fusco, diocesan priest and founder of the Congregation of the Sisters of St. John the Baptist (1839-1910);
– Venerable Servant of God John Sullivan, professed priest of the Society of Jesus (1861-1933);
MARTYRDOM
– Servants of God Nikolle Vinçenc Prennushi, O.F.M., archbishop of Durres, Albania, and 37 companions killed between 1945 and 1974;
– Servants of God José Antón Gómez and three companions of the Benedictines of Madrid, Spain, killed 1936;
HEROIC VIRTUES
– Servant of God Thomas Choe Yang-Eop, diocesan priest (1821-1861);
– Servant of God Sosio Del Prete (né Vincenzo), professed priest of the Order of Friars Minor, founder of the Congregation of the Little Servants of Christ the King (1885-1952);
– Servant of God Wenanty Katarzyniec (né Jósef), professed priest of the Order of Friars Minor Conventual (1889-1921);
– Servant of God Maria Consiglia of the Holy Spirity (née Emilia Pasqualina Addatis), founder of the Congregation of the Sisters of the Addolorata, Servants of Mary (1845-1900);
– Servant of God Maria of the Incarnation (née Caterina Carrasco Tenorio), founder of the Congregation of the Franciscan Tertiary Sisters of the Flock of Mary (1840-1917);
– Servant of God , founder of the Congregation of the Sisters of the Family of the Sacred Heart of Jesus (1851-1923);
– Servant of God Ilia Corsaro, founder of the Congregation of the Little Missionaries of the Eucharist (1897-1977);
– Servant of God Maria Montserrat Grases García, layperson of the Personal Prelature of the Holy Cross and Opus Dei (1941-1959).

Irish Jesuit to Be Beatified by ZENIT Staff

Archbishop Eamon Martin of Armagh, Primate of All Ireland, has welcomed the news that Pope Francis has approved the beatification of Venerable John Sullivan SJ.
Archbishop Eamon said, “It is wonderful news that Pope Francis has approved the decree that has authenticated a miracle attributed to Jesuit priest Father John Sullivan. I know that the news will be welcomed by all those, in Ireland and around the world, who have a devotion to him and who have been inspired by his ministry.
Father Sullivan had great time for and devotion to the sick. He was a man who had a great gift of consolation and healing to those who were sick. In recalling his ministry to the sick today I was reminded of the words of Pope Francis in his message for the World Day of the Sick this year in which he said,
“let us ask Jesus in his mercy, to grant to all of us this same readiness to be serve those in need, and, in particular, our infirm brothers and sisters. At times this service can be tiring and burdensome, yet we are certain that the Lord will surely turn our human efforts into something divine. We too can be hands, arms and hearts which help God to perform his miracles, so often hidden”.
Father John Sullivan had that readiness to serve those who were in need. It is because of his reputation as a holy and healing person that so many people still visit his tomb in Gardiner Street Church in Dublin each year to pray for his intercession.
In reflecting on Father Sullivan’s dedication to those who were sick, I think of all those who minister to the sick today – hospital chaplains, nurses, doctors, carers and all those who quietly take care of a loved one who is suffering from ill health – and give thanks for their dedication.
In particular I wish to pay tribute to the Jesuit community for their ministry in education and social justice in Ireland. I know that today’s news will be warmly received by the Society of Jesus. I offer a prayer of thanks for the life of Father John Sullivan SJ and will continue to pray for the cause of his canonization.”
Father John Sullivan was born in 1861 and entered the Jesuit Order in 1900. He died on 19 February 1933. More information on the life and works of John Sullivan is available at www.frjohnsullivan.ie/

Canadian Bishops Add Revamped Website to Efforts to Halt Euthanasia Push by ZENIT Staff

The webpage of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB) on euthanasia and assisted suicide has been revamped to be more accessible and facilitate research.
The new web page offers links to: CCCB statements, resources from the different Regional Episcopal Assemblies; five major campaigns against physician-assisted suicide; resources for parish communities; resources of the Catholic Organization for Life and Family; and a number of other articles and media reports.
In February 2015, the Carter v Canada (AG) decision by the Supreme Court of Canada ruled in favor of physician assisted suicide, mandating the Parliament to pass legislation to set the criteria. The deadline to pass the legislation was supposed to be February of this year, but the Court extended it to June. The bill, C-14, was introduced earlier this month, and the bishops responded thus: “Bill C-14, no matter how it may be amended, is an affront to human dignity, an erosion of human solidarity, and a danger to all vulnerable persons — particularly the aged, disabled, infirm and sick who so often find themselves isolated and marginalized.”
The Special Joint Committee of the Government of Canada on “Physician-Assisted Dying” made some remarkable recommendations for the legislation. Among the committee’s conclusions were recommendations for making assisted suicide available to adolescents and children who might be considered “mature minors.” As well, the committee recommended that psychological suffering be included in criteria for eligibility and that all health-care practitioners must at minimum provide “effective referrals” to those who want to kill themselves.
See some of the Church’s efforts to stop the push for euthanasia here:

Vatican Communication Reform Process Has 2-Year Plan by Sergio Mora

The reform of the Vatican’s various communications offices is underway and will end in 2018, unifying a very articulated structure. Although there will be cuts in the budget in the structure that today has more than 600 workers, essentially an effort will be made to optimize the communication and economic systems, keeping in mind the changes that have occurred in today’s world.
This was reported today by the Prefect of the Secretariat of Communication, Monsignor Edoardo Vigano, in a conference to the participants in Rome of the course of the University of the Holy Cross, which began yesterday and will end tomorrow. The annual course brings together both Church and secular journalists to consider the Church’s communication in a digital context.
The reform is understood not only of an economic type and with criteria of sustainability, explained the Prefect. “The reform stems from the idea that the most important patrimony is that of human resources,” he said, “not forgetting that with the reform an economy of scale comes into force, which makes possible a reduction of the costs, and this is important.”
And this because we are responsible for money that is not personal, but of the Holy See, fruit of offerings and donations, etc. “This requires a very high responsibility and, therefore, every euro spent must have a justification of an apostolic type,” he added.
It is “not about a coordination, or about changing the names of roles, but about the processes of communication and also about the means that form part of it,” so that it is “the most effective possible in keeping with the mission of the Church.” All this means reclassification, formation and updating processes.
The Prefect of the Secretariat of Communication said that talk began on this process in 1996, in commissions, study groups, etc. The process led to a decision of the Council of the Nine Cardinals, a synodal discussion related to the reform of the Curia that called for the Pope’s decision, so that the results of the commissions and reports would find a feasible project. Thus “the Holy Father wrote a Motu Proprio, namely an act of government that came into force on June 29 of last year.”
For instance, it is necessary to know that the consumer of information on the Internet is also a transmitter. In other words, the scenario has changed, the means of accessing learning, the systems of knowledge. This new scenario — “without forgetting the great tradition of Vatican Radio and/or of L’Osservatore Romano — puts everything in an integrated framework of unitary management.”
The key points, indicated by the Prefect, “are new production processes. Today each means carries out its production in a vertical manner, and they must be thought in transversal ideas, a container that can serve all the outgoing channels, with attention to the interlocutors.”
One of the typical dangers of the whole Catholic world, he noted, “is to develop greatly a self-consoling rhetoric, which doesn’t happen in the business world.”
“I believe it’s more important to open the window and to see if our interlocutors are there, and if we meet their questions and give them appropriate answers,” he added.
How can realities with great glories be reformed? The method was christened as that “of the onion,” which is made of layers, extracts and, he joked, “it’s not called artichoke because an onion always makes a tear fall. In a process of reform, it isn’t pathological but yes physiological or natural for a tear to fall.”
The Prefect pointed out that the process began with a Motu Proprio, which in 2015 created the Secretariat of Communication, to which the Press Office and the Internet service were fused. The Pontifical Council of Communications was dissolved into the Secretariat because it became the Pastoral Theological Department. The Press Office continues and will be the office of institutional communication. The Internet service, instead, includes all the engineers and technicians of the Vatican Television Center and the Radio, and they are the vertebral column of the technological fusion.
In 2016 the Television and Radio have united, which is easy, but there is the difficulty of the Radio’s great redactions, with much personnel. Next year L’Osservatore Romano, the Libreria Editrice Vaticana, the photographic service and the typography will fuse.
In addition, the Secretariat created the Pontifex twitter account and Franciscus on Instagram. The moment of verification will be in 2018, with an economic consolidation at least in the economy of scale.

Camaldolese Opening First Community in Korea  by Stephany Sun

Fr. Alessandro Barban, the Prior General of the Camaldolese Congregation of the St. Benedict Order, met with Cardinal Andrew Yeom Soo-jung, archbishop of Seoul, and thanked him for his support on the foundation of the first Camaldolese community in Korea.
The first Camaldolese monastery in Korea will be built in Namyangju city. Construction began in January, and is expected to be finished in three years. Presently, a group of Camaldolese sisters reside in the house that belongs to the Benedict Order in Daegu.
The meeting took place April 27 morning in Cardinal Yeom’s office, and was joined by Bishop Peter Chung Soon-taek, the episcopal vicar for religious orders. Fr. Barban stayed 2 weeks in China before coming to Korea.
Fr. Barban said that he is very surprised by the situation of the Catholic Church in Korea.
“I was surprised to hear that there are about 300,000 people baptized each year in Korea. This is no ordinary number. You really have an energetic and vigorous Church.”
Fr. Barban also mentioned that he has great expectations to the new Camaldolese community in Korea, hoping to bring “both direct and indirect effect to the Korean people with the Camaldolese spirituality.”
“The most important part of our spirituality is the ‘life of prayer,’” said Fr. Barban. “It is to seek and to commune with God. It is find real quietness in our minds. It’s the beauty of our Catholic faith which we want to bring to the people nowadays.”
Cardinal Yeom thanked Fr. Barban for his visit to Korea, and promised his continuous prayers and support for the Camaldolese community in Korea.
The Camaldolese spiritual family is a joint order of hermits and cenobites, founded by St. Romuald at the beginning of the 11th century.

Bishops Among 25 Organizations Urging Congress to Pass Conscience Protection by ZENIT Staff

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) joined 25 other major pro-life, religious, and health care organizations on April 19 urging the U.S. House of Representatives to pass the Conscience Protection Act of 2016 (H.R. 4828). Signatories include 10 medical groups representing tens of thousands of health care professionals who object to abortion and are seeking legal protection to serve their patients in good conscience.
“Federal laws protecting conscientious objection to abortion have been approved for decades by Congresses and Presidents of both parties. Even many ‘pro-choice’ Americans realize that the logic of their position requires them to respect a choice not to be involved in abortion,” they wrote. “Yet it is increasingly clear that the current laws offer far less protection in practice than in theory.”
The Conscience Protection Act (H.R. 4828), introduced on March 22 by Reps. John Fleming, M.D. (R-LA) and Vicky Hartzler (R-MO), addresses several “loopholes” in current federal laws that have allowed violations of conscience rights to continue. The letter cites a recent California mandate for almost all health plans in the state to pay for elective abortions, and the government’s failure to vindicate the rights of New York nurse Cathy DeCarlo after she was pressured to assist at a late-term abortion.
The joint letter highlights the modest nature of the bill, explaining that it “would mean almost no change in the substantive policy of Congress” but “would be an enormous step forward in assuring Americans who serve the sick and needy that they can do so without being forced by government to violate their most deeply held convictions on respect for innocent human life.”

English-language Summary of General Audience by ZENIT Staff

Here is the Vatican-provided English-language summary of today’s general audience with Pope Francis:
Dear Brothers and Sisters: In our catechesis for this Holy Year of Mercy, we now turn to the parable of the Good Samaritan. Jesus had taught the great commandment of love for God and neighbour. In reply to the question: “Who is my neighbour?”, he recounts the story of the priest and the levite who pass by a man in need at the side of the road. Their religiosity is ultimately inauthentic, for it does not find expression in service to others. Love, the Lord tells us, is never abstract or distant; it “sees” and it responds. The compassion shown by the Samaritan is an image of the infinite mercy of God, who always sees our needs and draws near to us in love. The command to love God and neighbour, then, is supremely practical; it entails caring for others even to the point of personal sacrifice. By the end of the parable, we see that the “neighbour” is not so much the man in need, but rather the one who responded to that need with compassion. Jesus tells all of us to be neighbours in this sense: “Go and do likewise”. He himself is the model of the Good Samaritan; by imitating his love and compassion, we show ourselves truly to be his followers.
I greet the English-speaking visitors taking part in today’s Audience, particularly the pilgrims from England, Sweden, Slovakia, China, Indonesia, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, the Philippines, Canada and the United States of America. In the joy of the Risen Lord, I invoke upon you and your families the loving mercy of God our Father. May the Lord bless you all!

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