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Pope Francis’ Homily for Corpus Christi by ZENIT Staff
Below is the Vatican provided translation of Pope Francis’ homily for the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ (“Corpus Christi”) given this evening in the square in front of the Basilica of St. John Lateran in Rome:
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«Do this in remembrance of me» (1 Cor 11:24-25).
Twice the Apostle Paul, writing to the community in Corinth, recalls this command of Jesus in his account of the institution of the Eucharist. It is the oldest testimony we have to the words of Christ at the Last Supper.
“Do this”. That is, take bread, give thanks and break it; take the chalice, give thanks, and share it. Jesus gives the command to repeat this actionby which he instituted the memorial of his own Pasch, and in so doing gives us his Body and his Blood. This action reaches us today: it is the “doing” of the Eucharist which always has Jesus as its subject, but which is made real through our poor hands anointed by the Holy Spirit.
“Do this”. Jesus on a previous occasion asked his disciples to “do” what was so clear to him, in obedience to the will of the Father. In the Gospel passage that we have just heard, Jesus says to the disciples in front of the tired and hungry crowds: “Give them something to eat yourselves” (Lk9:13). Indeed, it is Jesus who blesses and breaks the loaves and provides sufficient food to satisfy the whole crowd, but it is the disciples who offer the five loaves and two fish. Jesus wanted it this way: that, instead of sending the crowd away, the disciples would put at his disposal what little they had. And there is another gesture: the pieces of bread, broken by the holy and venerable hands of Our Lord, pass into the poor hands of the disciples, who distribute these to the people. This too is the disciples “doing” with Jesus; with him they are able to “give them something to eat”. Clearly this miracle was not intended merely to satisfy hunger for a day, but rather it signals what Christ wants to accomplish for the salvation of all mankind, giving his own flesh and blood (cf. Jn6:48-58). And yet this needs always to happen through those two small actions: offering the few loaves and fish which we have; receiving the bread broken by the hands of Jesus and giving it to all.
Breaking: this is the other word explaining the meaning of those words: “Do this in remembrance of me”. Jesus was broken; he is broken for us. And he asks us to give ourselves, to break ourselves, as it were, for others. This “breaking bread” became the icon, the sign for recognizing Christ and Christians. We think of Emmaus: they knew him “in the breaking of the bread” (Lk24:35). We recall the first community of Jerusalem: “They held steadfastly… to the breaking of the bread” (Acts2:42). From the outset it is the Eucharist which becomes the centre and pattern of the life of the Church. But we think also of all the saints – famous or anonymous – who have “broken” themselves, their own life, in order to “give something to eat” to their brothers and sisters. How many mothers, how many fathers, together with the slices of bread they provide each day on the tables of their homes, have broken their hearts to let their children grow, and grow well! How many Christians, as responsible citizens, have broken their own lives to defend the dignity of all, especially the poorest, the marginalized and those discriminated! Where do they find the strength to do this? It is in the Eucharist: in the power of the Risen Lord’s love, who today too breaks bread for us and repeats: “Do this in remembrance of me”.
May this action of the Eucharistic procession, which we will carry out shortly, respond to Jesus’ command. An action to commemorate him; an action to give food to the crowds of today; an act to break open our faith and our lives as a sign of Christ’s love for this city and for the whole world.[Original text: Italian] [Vatican-provided translation]
Forum: ‘Mary, Help of Christians’ by Cardinal Donald Wuerl
Below is a reflection of Cardinal Donald Wuerl, Archbishop of Washington, entitled ‘Mary, Help of Christians.’ Published on May 24th, it is from Cardinal Wuerl’s blog:
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The Blessed Virgin Mary is a beautiful, beloved, essential and pervasive figure in Christian life and in the Church’s calendar. She has been since the early days of the Church. Her feasts are as varied as the cultures of the world, with each having special traditions, customs, and habits of piety. For example, the Church honors Mary every Saturday, recalling both the one full day that Jesus spent in the tomb and the traditional belief that Mary was the disciple who best kept the faith on that day. The early Church took up the practice of keeping faith with her on that day each week.
Since the Middle Ages, the Church has devoted the month of May to Mary. Many parishes have “May Crownings” during this time in which a statue of the Blessed Mother is adorned with a diadem or a wreath of flowers. Many Christians also undertake pilgrimages during this month to shrines associated with the Blessed Virgin. In May, there are also three Marian feasts that are celebrated which help us to understand what Mary can teach us about being disciples.
Earlier this month, on May 13, we commemorated the Memorial of Our Lady of Fatima which recalls the appearance of the Blessed Virgin to three young children in Portugal in 1917. Mary encouraged penance, conversion and praying the rosary, warning the world of a great war and suffering, but that, “In the end, my Immaculate Heart will triumph.”
The Feast of Our Lady, Help of Christians, which is celebrated today, May 24, is an older feast, dating back to the to the sixteenth century, which was not a peaceful time in Europe. In 1571, Catholics throughout the continent joined in praying the rosary in hopes of prevailing over Muslim military forces that had long sought to expand into Europe. These prayers were answered at the Battle of Lepanto on October 7, 1571, which is now the feast for Our Lady of the Rosary.
Both of these feasts highlight not only the strength we find in asking Mary’s intercession, joining our prayers to her intercession, but also the confidence that God continues to act in the world. God hears the cry of those who suffer and God responds.
The third Marian feast for May is the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin onMay 31. We remember how Mary journeyed to the home of her kinswoman Elizabeth to care for her as the birth of her son, John the Baptist, drew near. In the greeting that is so beautifully recounted in the first chapter of Luke, Mary first announces the arrival of the Messiah to the people of Israel as she prays what is known as the Magnificat. “My soul magnifies the Lord and my Spirit rejoices in God, my Savior” (Luke1:46). This is a prayer of joy and of confidence that, in staying close to Christ, we are never alone.
These celebrations, like all Marian feasts, are really celebrations of Jesus Christ, for she has no privilege that she has not received from God. In these days, we learn how to stay close to him in prayer and through the practice of charity, such as caring for a relative in a time of need, with confidence that our prayers will be answered.
To rejoice in Mary is to celebrate God’s greatest creation – the vessel he fashioned to be his own mother, the woman who would bear him into the world. In the life of the “handmaid of the Lord,” we learn what it means to say “yes” to life in the Lord and to discover in him the meaning of life.
With maternal love for us, Mary wants what is best for us – she wants Jesus for us, so she urges us, “Do whatever he tells you” (John 2:5). Then she helps us as we lead others to know and love her Son too. Her feasts not only empower us to turn to her in prayer, but also to love Jesus and others with a greater love.
To learn more about these and the other Marian feasts, I invite you to see the book that my long-time collaborator Mike Aquilina and I wrote, entitled, The Feasts: How the Church Year Forms Us as Catholics(2014).
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On the NET:
To the original post on Cardinal Wuerl’s blog: http://cardinalsblog.adw.org
Syria’s Catholic and Orthodox Children to Pray Together for Peace by John Pontifex
By John Newton and Eva-Maria Kolmann
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Children from Syria’s different Christian denominations will be joining together to pray for peace in the country on International Children’s Day.
The plan, which is being backed by Syrian Church leaders, was described in a joint message from the country’s Catholic and Orthodox Patriarchs.
They wrote: “On this International Day of the Child, Christian children in many of the towns and cities of Syria are going to gather together and pray that peace may come at last.”
On 1st June hundreds of children are expected to gather together for processions in Damascus, Aleppo, Homs, Tartus and Marmarita to pray for peace.
The Patriarchs added: “The children in our own home country of Syria are the little brothers and sisters of the suffering Child Jesus.
“For more than five years now they have been dragged through a cruel war, wounded, traumatised or even killed.
“Many have lost their parents and everything that was dear to them. Innumerable children were born during the war and have never experienced peace.
“Their tears and their sufferings cry out to Heaven.”
This prayer campaign grew out of an initiative organised by Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need.
Last month the charity arranged a visit by an international Catholic-Orthodox delegation to representatives of all the Christian Churches in Syria to talk about joint initiatives for peace and reconstruction in Syria.
Syria is a priority country for Aid to the Church in Need and the charity is providing food, shelter, medicine and pastoral support for Christians and others suffering poverty and persecution.
Maronite Bishop Antoine Chbeir of Lattakia told ACN that he hopes that the children’s example will mark the beginning of a renewed prayer initiative for Syria.
He said: “We are hoping that this campaign will continue, so that the light of peace can shine forth brightly.”
Aid to the Church in Need is also asking children in schools and parishes throughout the world to join together with Syria’s young people to pray for peace.
The Patriarchs’ message goes on: “The defenceless Child, in whose form God chose to become man, is at the same time the Lord of history.
“The Prophet Isaiah foretold this Child as ‘Prince of Peace’ and ‘Wonderful Counsellor’.
“That is why the Christ Child is often portrayed, not only as a naked child in the manger, but as a King, holding in His left hand the globe, representing the world, and with His right hand blessing the whole Earth.
“The Christ Child has come to bring peace.”
The campaign has been placed under the patronage of the Child Jesus – and two similar images in which Jesus is dressed as a king are being used as part of the prayer campaign.
These are the Catholic image of Infant of Prague and the Orthodox icon of The Mother of God of the Never Fading Rose, in which the Blessed Virgin Mary holds the crowned Christ Child in her arms.
The children will carry both these images in procession on 1st June.
The patriarchs concluded their message with this appeal: “We pray to Him – the Christ, the King of the Universe, who carries the world in His hand, in the arms of His mother – to bless all the children of Syria.
“We implore Him, who alone can bring peace: ‘Protect and save the children of this land! Hear our prayers, now! Delay no longer in granting peace to our land!
“Look upon the tears of the children; dry the tears of the mothers; let the cries of grief at last fall silent!’”
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Aid to the Church in Need is an international Catholic charity under the guidance of the Holy See, providing assistance to the suffering and persecuted Church in more than 140 countries. www.churchinneed.org (USA); www.acnuk.org (UK); www.aidtochurch.org (AUS); www.acnireland.org (IRL); www.acn-aed-ca.org (CAN)www.acnmalta.org (Malta)
Holy See Praises Church’s Healthcare Efforts at 69th World Health Assembly by ZENIT Staff
At the 69th World Health Assembly, the Holy See has reiterated the commitment of Catholic Health Care institutions to continue efforts to end the epidemics and neglected diseases.
Archbishop Jean-Marie Mupendawatu, head of the Holy See delegation at the assembly held in Geneva, Switzerland, May 23-28, stressed this in his speech Wednesday morning, in which he commended the Report on Health in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (WHA69/15), which underscores the commitment to an integrated multi-sectorial approach in which health is not only one of the several goals that are interlinked, but influences and is influenced by other goals and targets as an integral part of sustainable development.
“The implementation of the ambitious 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development with its 17 goals and 169 associated targets will ensure the promotion of an economically, socially and environmentally viable future for our planet and for present and future generations. The Holy See delegation welcomes the vital emphasis on the dignity of the human person and the strong focus on equity expressed in the pledge that ‘no one will be left behind’. This in terms of health is expressed in goal 3, to ‘Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages’, which has 13 targets that are underpinned by universal coverage as the key to the achievement of all the others.”
“According to the United Nations Declaration, sustainable development goals are ‘integrated and indivisible’ in that progress in one area is dependent on progress in many others, and they are also global in nature and universally applicable as they seek to be relevant to all countries”, he observed, emphasizing that “one of the key challenges for the new Agenda is translating this basic principle of being ‘integrated and indivisible’ into practical action. This is more critical where the synergies are less direct, as in the link between climate change and the spread of vector-borne diseases. With regard to action to combat climate change and its impact on health, my delegation wishes to underscore the need for more political will and strong commitment from civil society in order to reach truly meaningful and effective global agreements on the environment. Often international negotiations cannot make significant progress due to positions taken by countries which place their national interests above the global common good.”
He went on the quote the Encyclical Letter ‘Laudato Sì , on care for our common home, in which Pope Francis stresses the need to think of one world with a common plan, and notes that “an interdependent world …motivates us to ensure that solutions are proposed from a global perspective, and not simply to defend the interests of a few countries… A global consensus is essential for confronting the deeper problems, which cannot be resolved by unilateral actions on the part of individual countries. Such a consensus could lead, for example, to planning a sustainable and diversified agriculture, developing renewable and less polluting forms of energy, encouraging a more efficient use of energy, promoting a better management of marine and forest resources, and ensuring universal access to drinking water.”
Finally, he reiterated that “in pursuit of the targets carried forward from the unfinished Agenda, the Holy See would like to reiterate the commitment of Catholic Health Care institutions to continue efforts to end the epidemics of AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria and neglected tropical disease and combat other communicable diseases. With regard to the latter, the Pontifical Council for Pastoral Assistance to Health Care Workers and the Nippon Foundation have organized a Symposium on the theme ‘Towards Holistic Care for People with Hansen’s Disease, Respectful of their Dignity’, to take place in Rome on 9 and 10 June, with the purpose of addressing the triple challenge of reducing the disease burden, helping the sick and their families and integrating them into society. The Symposium is organized with the collaboration of the Raoul Follereau Foundation, the Sovereign Order of Malta and the Sasakawa Memorial Health Foundation.”
Before concluding, Archbishop Mupendawatu announced that later this year, Nov. 10 – 12 , the Pontifical Council for Pastoral Assistance to Health Care Workers will hold its 31st International Conference addressing the issue of Rare Diseases and Neglected Tropical Diseases, which will draw experts and participants from over 60 countries to examine the problem of neglected diseases, especially those affecting the most vulnerable.
A Cry for Help for the Christians of Aleppo, Syria by Archbishop Jean-Clément Jeanbart
Dear friends,
Last week I returned from my trip to North America. Our friends there, and especially Christians, who heard my call for peace and the protection of our poor suffering faithful, seem to have well understood my message, paying more and more heed to the importance of our presence in Syria, its importance to our own community and that of the entire world. The Universal Church finds in us the descendants of the first faithful, those who were baptized on the First Pentecost and who had the honor of baptizing Paul, the Apostle of nations. They were called, in those days, pejoratively, “Nazareans,” after the miserable Crucified One to whom they vowed their existence, Jesus of Nazareth. In New York, seat of the United Nations, where I had the chance to defend our cause, in the presence of delegates from many nations, the reaction of the audience was encouraging, as many among the listeners expressed their warm feelings for us and their desire to do something concretely to help us.
I returned home full of hope and joy, bringing with me good news with which to console and encourage those under my care! Alas, the city was in chaos and our faithful were being terrorized. The days just before my return had been terrible, as the people of Aleppo had thousands of bombs rain down upon them—some say as many as 2500—wounding many innocent victims, again destroying a hospital, a rest home, a school and a great number of homes. A good number of those who had been hesitant about leaving Aleppo were now scurrying to depart for more tranquil places and milder skies—it made us suffer, but we understood why they were doing so. They are afraid for their children and no longer know how to protect them from the barbarism of these merciless beastly mercenaries. For more than four years now jihadists have not stopped mistreating Aleppo residents with hate, violence, destruction and shameless callousness. It would seem they want to completely destroy the secular society that stands in the way of their Salafism, along with a humanist culture that challenges their ignorance.
True, in the face of what is happening, what remains to be said? Is this a civil war, a revolution, or simply a war fought by proxy, sponsored from abroad and utilizing terrorists to occupy and dominate the country? Whatever the case may be, never before in history has a city found itself the target of intensive, unceasing bombing for five years. The damages are beyond calculation. In this poor country ravaged by savages recruited from around the world victims are counted by the hundreds of thousands and the displaced by the millions. It’s hard to keep a count of those who have emigrated, and the relatively small number of Christians remaining are already leaning toward following suit. It is a deadly phenomenon, a form of deportation and an unprecedented exodus—what unhappiness.
Faced by what is happening to us today, humanly speaking there is nothing to do but to despair, lower our arms and let ourselves be slaughtered. But, strengthened by the Hope given by our faith in Him who has promised to stay with us, and confident in his divine mercy—which has not failed to send us brothers and men and women of good will coming to our aid. We will redouble our efforts to help our people and we will fight until our last breath, because a sacred mission obliges us to do so: the survival of Christians in Syria, blessed land that saw the birth and growth of the Church of Christ. We will do everything in our power to allow this Church to continue its prophetic mission in this part of the world, this land sanctified by the blood of countless martyrs.
Please keep us in your prayers and thank you for your support.
Aleppo, Syria
May 20, 2016
Archbishop Jeanbart is the Melkite Metropolitan of Aleppo.
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Aid to the Church in Need is an international Catholic charity under the guidance of the Holy See, providing assistance to the suffering and persecuted Church in more than 140 countries. www.churchinneed.org (USA); www.acnuk.org (UK); www.aidtochurch.org (AUS); www.acnireland.org (IRL); www.acn-aed-ca.org (CAN)www.acnmalta.org (Malta)
ANALYSIS: Behind the Scenes in Abortion Clinics by Fr. John Flynn
Analysis Written by Father John Flynn:
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Abortion advocates frequently portray themselves as altruistic defenders of women’s rights and dignity. The reality of the abortion industry is much more sordid, as revealed in a recent book detailing the experiences of former abortion clinic workers.
Abby Johnson, a former clinic director for Planned Parenthood in Texas has with the help of pro-lifer Kristan Detrow collected the inside stories of many individuals who saw first-hand how women’s needs were too often put behind corporate priorities and profits.
Johnson, Planned Parenthood’s Employee of the Year for 2008, previously related her rejection of abortion and embrace of the pro-life movement in her book “Unplanned.” Now, in “The Walls Are Talking: Former Abortion Clinic Workers Tell Their Stories,” (Ignatius Press), she has revealed some of the harrowing experiences of those directly involved in abortion.
The book takes its title as an answer to the 1996 TV movie “If These Walls Could Talk,” which Abby described as “propaganda at its finest” in its advocacy for abortion rights.
In her introduction to the testimonies Abby described how she continues to “continually grapple with guilt, shame, and the heaviness of regret,” regarding her previous involvement with helping provide abortions.
Abby also admitted to having had two abortions herself. In fact, one of the book’s testimonies said that around 70% of Planned Parenthood employees had experienced an abortion.
As a result she declared her desire to inform people about the darker side of abortion clinics. “I want them to know the truth about what it does to men, women, and babies. That is the heart and soul of this book,” Abby declared.
With the help of this book: “I pray that babies will be saved, women will be deterred from making such a hopeless choice, and men will encourage and support their partners to choose life,” Abby said.
Ideals betrayed
A familiar theme in the testimonies, which are anonymous to protect those involved, is the hardening of the heart that affects those who work first-hand in ending the lives of unborn children.
Most of those working in the abortion industry – explained one ex-worker – came out of a desire to serve women. As time progressed, however, the experience of working for an organization that makes money out of ending lives meant that their hearts grew calluses.
As a result, “it is commonplace for some clinic workers to ignore, marginalize, blame, and ridicule the women who trust them – especially those who become confrontational when dissatisfied with services rendered by the clinic.”
“I believe that those who work in the abortion industry are affected by a phenomenon I can only describe as the dulling of the conscience,” declared another former clinic worker.
“Abortion clinic workers have experienced evil in a very tangible way,” was the way one ex-worker described it.
Another common theme in the testimonies is the lack of adequate information provided to clients about the risks or possible complications of abortion. One former employee described her own harrowing experience with a chemically-induced abortion and her subsequent realization that women were not properly informed because the clinics are afraid the women will be scared off having an abortion.
“Every woman who walks out of the clinic and chooses life for her child equates to lost revenue,” she declared.
A further testimony recounted how those in charge of a clinic refused to call an ambulance to take a badly bleeding sixteen-year-old to hospital for fear of bad publicity. The fact she came close to death was concealed from her waiting father and from the girl herself.
This lack of interest in the well-being of the clients was poignantly expressed in one of the stories that described the reaction of the clinic worker to a late-term abortion on a woman. Despite her initial decision to ask for an abortion the woman later said she wanted to go to hospital to try and save the baby.
The doctor in charge pressured and even physically forced her to proceed with the abortion. This experience led the clinic worker to conclude that “Women in crisis who were unfortunate enough to run to us were far too often manipulated into executing their babies under the guise of choice and convenience.”
The lack of concern for women’s welfare came out in several of the testimonies that described how clinic workers would ignore the plight of those who were very probably in abusive situations. The cases ranged from a prostitute brought in for an abortion by her pimp to young women impregnated by a father.
Mercy and compassion
In a concluding note to the book Abby once more confessed to her feelings of guilt at having encouraged women to have abortions.
She also had advice for pro-lifers who she argued should avoid condemnation or harsh personal criticism of abortion clinic workers.
In addition to God’s grace it was the mercy and compassion of some people that led Abby to change. “It was not those who yelled and called me names,” she explained. Mercy and love are what those who are still involved in abortion need to hear, not hostility, she urged.
Abby finished with an appeal for prayer, both for those who contributed to the book and above all for those who have not converted yet. “We are waiting for them with our arms wide open,” she concluded.
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