ZENIT in Roswell, Georgia, United States for Wednesday, 8 June 2016 "Pope at Audience: ‘Come to the Party! The Wine Can’t Be Missed’..."

ZENIT in Roswell, Georgia, United States for Wednesday, 8 June 2016 "Pope at Audience: ‘Come to the Party! The Wine Can’t Be Missed’..."
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Pope at Audience: ‘Come to the Party! The Wine Can’t Be Missed’ by Deborah Castellano Lubov

Come to the party, for the wine can’t be missed!
This was the invitation made by Pope Francis at the General Audience this morning in St. Peter’s Square when he reflected on the first of Jesus’ miracles, the changing of water into wine at the wedding feast of Cana.
Recalling Mary’s observation that the newly married couple ran out of wine, Francis lamented how a wedding party could not be properly celebrated if it lacks this necessary element.
While water is necessary for life, the Pontiff explained, “the wine expresses the abundance and joy of the celebration.”
“A wedding party where no wine makes the newlyweds ashamed, imagine you finish the wedding party drinking tea!’ Francis said, noting, “The wine is necessary to the party.”
In this marriage, the Jesuit Pope explained, a new covenant is stipulated, for not just the servants, but the whole Church are entrusted with the mission of doing: “Whatever He tells you.” Serving the Lord, the Pontiff stressed, means hearing and practicing His word, as Mary simply directed the servants to do.
Recalling how the head of the banquet tasted the water that had become wine and said, “You have kept aside the good wine until now,” Francis noted how the Lord “continues to reserve the ‘best wine’ for our salvation.”
The Holy Father observed how St. John called these first miracles ‘signs’ because they were not done to arouse wonder, but to reveal the Father’s tender love. Francis exhorted faithful to realize that they are called constantly “to renew their love for the Lord, and to draw new wine, new life, from His saving wounds.”
Highlighting that at Cana, Jesus’ disciples become His family, Francis reminded faithful that as members of the Lord’s family, the Church, ‘We are all invited to the wedding, because the new wine is not to be missed!”
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On ZENIT’s Web page:
Full text: To be made available shortly
English Summary of Pope’s General Audience by ZENIT Staff

Here is the Vatican-provided English-language summary of Pope Francis’ General Audience this morning in St. Peter’s Square:
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Speaker: Dear Brothers and Sisters: In our continuing catechesis for this Holy Year of Mercy, we now consider the first of Jesus’ miracles, the changing of water into wine at the wedding feast of Cana. Saint John fittingly calls these miracles “signs”, for by them the Lord reveals the Father’s merciful love. Jesus’ choice of a wedding feast points to the deeper meaning of this miracle. It is a sign of the new covenant that he came to inaugurate, the messianic banquet promised for the end times, where he is the Bridegroom and the Church his bride. By changing the water kept for ritual purification into new wine, Jesus signals that he is the fulfilment of the Law and the prophets. Mary’s command to the servants – “Do whatever he tells you” – can serve as a programme of life for the Church. We are called constantly to renew our love for the Lord, and to draw new wine, new life, from his saving wounds. The miracle at Cana reminds us that we are invited, as members of the Lord’s family, the Church, to draw near to him in faith, and thus to share in the joy of the wedding feast of the new and eternal covenant.
Speaker: I greet the English-speaking pilgrims and visitors taking part in today’s Audience, particularly those from England, Scotland, France, the Netherlands, China, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and the United States of America. With prayerful good wishes that the present Jubilee of Mercy will be a moment of grace and spiritual renewal for you and your families, I invoke upon all of you joy and peace in our Lord Jesus Christ.
Fifteenth Meeting of Council of Cardinals Concludes by ZENIT Staff

Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi, director of the Holy See Press Office, has reiterated that Pope Francis and the Council of Cardinals are continuing to discuss curial reform.
During a briefing held this afternoon in the Holy See Press Office, the Vatican spokesman informed journalists about the 15th Session of the “Council of Cardinals,” often called the “C9,” which began Monday and ended this afternoon in the Vatican.
Fr. Lombardi noted that the members and the Pope participated in all its meetings, with the only exception being the Pope on Wednesday morning due to his weekly General Audience.
The majority of consultations were again devoted to further considerations on the various dicasteries of the Curia, the subject of previous meetings, in view of the new apostolic constitution. Special attention was paid to the Congregation for Bishops, the Secretariat of State, the Congregations for Catholic Education, the Oriental Churches and the Clergy, and the Pontifical Councils for Culture, for Promoting Christian Unity, and for Interreligious Dialogue.
The results of the considerations during prior sessions regarding various Congregations – for the Doctrine of the Faith, Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, Causes of Saints, Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life – as well as the new dicastery on “Charity, Justice and Peace” (which as mentioned previously, will incorporate the current competences of Justice and Peace, Cor Unum, Health Care Workers, Migrants and Itinerant Peoples) have been entrusted to the Pope for further examination and consultations as he may consider appropriate.
The criteria of these reflections have included, for instance, simplification, harmonization of the tasks of the difference organisms, and possible forms of decentralization in relation with the Episcopal Conferences.
Updates were given by the coordinator of the Council for the Economy, Cardinal Marx, and the prefect of the Secretariat for the Economy, Cardinal Pell, on issues within their competence.
On the part of the prefect of the Secretariat for Communication, Msgr. Dario Viganò reported on the progress of reforms of the Holy See system of communication, on the ongoing re-evaluation of work organisation and on production processes, and on the process of integration, especially with regard to Vatican Radio and the Vatican Television Centre during the current year. The Council expressed its gratitude and encouraged the continuing progress on this path.
Cardinal O’Malley reported on the activity of the Commission for the Protection of Minors, and introduced an exchange of reflections on the Pope’s new Motu Proprio (“Like a Loving Mother”, published on 4 June).
The Council of Cardinals consists of the following nine prelates: Cardinal Giuseppe Bertello, president of the Pontifical Commission for the Vatican City State; Cardinal Francisco Javier Errazuriz Ossa, Archbishop Emeritus of Santiago, Chile; Cardinal Oswald Gracias, Archbishop of Bombay; Cardinal Reinhard Marx, Archbishop of Munich; Cardinal Laurent Monsengwo Pasinya, Archbishop of Kinshasa, Congo; Cardinal Sean Patrick O’Malley, Archbishop of Boston; Cardinal George Pell, prefect of the Secretariat for the Economy; Cardinal Oscar Andres Rodriguez Maradiaga, Archbishop of Tegucigalpa, Honduras; and Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican Secretary of State.
The next two sessions of the Council of Cardinals are scheduled forSept. 12-14 and Dec. 12-14.
‘Armenians, Whether Catholic or Orthodox, Love the Pope’ by Oliver Maksan

Pope Francis’ upcoming visit to Armenia is boosting spirits and creating high expectations: “The Holy Father is coming to strengthen us Armenians in our faith. We Armenians, no matter whether Catholic or Orthodox, love him. After all, he recognized the genocide of our people. We will always remember him for that.”
Those were the words of Armenian Catholic Archbishop Raphael Minassian, who spoke with international Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need about the papal visit to the Caucasus republic June 24-26.
The prelate said: “The Pope showed strong moral leadership when he called the genocide committed against our people 100 years ago by its name and recognized it as the first genocide of the 20th century. This is extremely important to us Armenians.
“For 100 years we have worked to have our suffering recognized, but without success. We only received empty promises from nations and politicians. The pope, however, is not a politician. He is the representative of Christ on earth, and he is concerned with truth and human rights.”
The archbishop stressed that Armenia is of great significance to Christianity worldwide. He said: “Armenia was the first country on earth to adopt Christianity. This was more than 1700 years ago. Our people continue to be influenced by the faith today. Over the centuries we have also given Christianity millions of martyrs. I always say: the Jewish people prepared the first coming of Christ. Through our martyrs, we Armenians are preparing the way for the second coming of Christ. We are bearing witness to Christ for the entire world.”
The vast majority of the Armenian population belongs to the Armenian Apostolic Church, a member of the family of Orthodox Churches. The Armenian Catholic Church is united with Rome and has about 160,000 members worldwide. The archbishop emphasized that the differences between the Armenian Orthodox and Armenian Catholic Churches are minimal and that the relationship is optimal.
He said: “We have the same faith, celebrate the same sacraments and have the same liturgy. The only difference is in the recognition of the pope in Rome. But other than that, there are no differences. And in any case, the Armenians, no matter whether Orthodox or Catholic, feel they are one people and one Church.”
According to Archbishop Minassian, the situation of the Church in Armenia is completely different from that in other parts of Western Europe. Her explained: “There is no secularism here. The Armenians are a religious people. The people have faith. This is a fixed part of life. And our Church is alive, even though there are not many of us. But still we have many charitable projects for the poor, old and disabled.”
However, he added, “as a Church we only have limited funds. This makes us even more grateful for donors in the West. But now I would like to ask them specifically to pray that the papal visit will be a success.”
FORUM: ‘Catholic Religious on the Front Line’ by Nigel Baker

Below is a reflection of British Ambassador to the Holy See Nigel Baker on the role religious are playing to counter crime and violence, and to help victims. This reflection, entitled ‘Catholic Religious on the Front Line,’ is from Ambassador Baker’s blog available on the British Embassy to the Holy See Website:
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Baroness Anelay, Foreign Office Minister and the Prime Minister’s Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict, paid a brief visit to Rome last week. The main focus of her trip was to meet religious men and women from Catholic congregations working in Africa and elsewhere to help the victims of sexual violence in conflict. The meeting had to be held behind closed doors because of the very real potential threat to sisters and brothers operating in this area. We opened with a prayer for religious recently murdered in south Sudan, abducted in Yemen, and violently attacked in Nigeria – sad testimony to the dangerous conditions in which so many work.
Baroness Anelay saluted their constancy, commitment and courage. The discussion revealed the deep understanding of the realities on the ground by so many religious who have dedicated their lives to helping others. One said that he had lived in the Democratic Republic of Congo (before Zaire) since 1970, and since 2009 had focused on helping to rehabilitate victims of sexual violence, traumatised by their experience, back into the community. Another sister gave us a harrowing picture of her work in the borderlands of Congo and Uganda devastated by the so-called Lord’s Resistance Army militia. Harrowing, but also hopeful. She, unlike many international NGOs, did not leave when trouble arrived.
My government is hoping to be able to work more closely with this network of extraordinary men and women. One of the real problems for victims of sexual violence is the stigma that sticks to the victim, not the perpetrator. We learned from the religious we met that a crucial aspect of reintegration into society was helping the victim recover his or her social identity, as well as training and education for the victim and for their children. Sadly, so much remains to be done. The British government is determined to do more to prevent this appalling but all too prevalent crime. Tackling impunity through the very practical International Protocol now available in many languages, training military including UN forces, and dealing with judicial corruption are all pieces in the jigsaw.
What Catholic religious men and women are doing, day in and day out, to help and support the victims, is a vital and selfless service that we should never take for granted. They are trying, through their own umbrella organisations based in Rome, to strengthen cooperation between the many different congregations that are working in this area. We wish them well in this effort, and look forward to cooperating with them in our common battle against hate, violence and corruption. Rape as a weapon of war needs to be eradicated. Catholic religious are in the front line against it.
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On the NET:
Link to the original piece on Ambassador Baker’s Blog: http://blogs.fco.gov.uk/nigelbaker/2016/05/26/catholic-religious-on-the-front-line/
GENERAL AUDIENCE: On Jesus’ 1st Miracle 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!
Before beginning the catechesis, I would like to greet a group of couples, celebrating their 50th wedding anniversaries. This, truly, is “the good wine” of the family! Yours is a testimony that the newlyweds – who I will greet later – and young people must learn. It is a beautiful testimony. Thank you for your testimony.
After having commented on some parables of mercy, today we reflect on Jesus’ first miracle, which the evangelist John calls “signs,” because Jesus did not do them to arouse wonder, but to reveal the Father’s love. John (2:1-11), in fact, narrates the first of these prodigious signs, and it is carried out at Cana of Galilee. It is a sort of “entrance door” on which words and expressions are carved, which illumine the entire mystery of Christ and open the disciples’ hearts to faith. Let us look at some of them.
In the introduction, we find the expression “Jesus and His disciples” (v. 2). Those that Jesus has called to follow Him He has united to Himself in a community and now, as one family, they are all invited to the wedding. Beginning His public ministry at the wedding feast of Cana, Jesus manifests Himself as the Spouse of the People of God, announced by the prophets, and He reveals to us the profundity of the relationship that unites us to Him: it is a new Covenant of love. What is at the foundation of our faith? — An act of mercy with which Jesus has united us to Himself. And the Christian life is the answer to this love. It is like the story of two who are in love. God and man meet one another, seek one another, find one another, celebrate and love one another: precisely like the loved and beloved in the Canticle of Canticles. All the rest comes as consequence of this relationship. The Church is Jesus’ family in which His love is poured out; it is this love that the Church cherishes and wishes to give to all.
Understood also in the context of the Covenant, is Our Lady’s observation: “They have no wine” (v. 3). How is it possible to celebrate the wedding and to feast if what the prophets indicated, as an element typical of the Messianic banquet, is lacking? (cf. Amos 9:13-14; Joel2:24; Isaiah 25:6). Water is necessary to live, but wine expresses the abundance of the banquet and the joy of the celebration. It is a nuptial feast in which wine is lacking and the newlyweds are embarrassed by this. But can you imagine ending a wedding feast drinking tea? It would be an embarrassment. Wine is necessary for a celebration. In transforming the water into wine in the jars used “for the rites of purification of the Jews” (v. 6), Jesus carries out an eloquent sign. Jesus signals He is the fulfillment of the Law and the prophets. As John himself says elsewhere: “The Law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ” (1:17).
Mary’s words to the servants crown the nuptial picture: “Do whatever He tells you” (v. 5). It’s interesting: they are her last words reported by the Gospels: they are her legacy that she gives to all of us. Today, also, Our Lady says to us all: “Whatever He says to you – Jesus says to you –, do it.” It is the legacy she has left us: it’s beautiful! It is an expression that recalls the formula of faith used by the people of Israel at Sinai in answer to the promises of the Covenant: “All that the Lord has spoken we will do!” (Exodus 19:8). And indeed at Cana the servants obey. “Jesus said to them, ‘Fill the jars with water.’ And they filled them up to the brim. Again, He said to them, ‘Draw some out now and take it to the headwaiter.’ So they took it” (vv. 7-8). In these nuptials, the New Covenant is truly stipulated and to the Lord’s servants, namely to the whole Church is entrusted the new mission: “Do whatever He tells you!” To serve the Lord means to listen and to put His Word into practice. It is the simple, but essential recommendation of Jesus’ Mother and it is the Christian’s program of life. To draw from the jar is equivalent for each one of us to entrust ourselves to the Word of God to experience its efficacy in life. Then, together with the steward of the banquet who tasted the water that became wine, we too can exclaim: “You have kept the good wine until now” (v. 10). Yes, the Lord continues to keep that good wine for our salvation, just as it continues to gush from the pierced side of the Lord.
The conclusion of the account sounds like a sentence: “Jesus did this as the beginning of His signs’ in Cana in Galilee, and so revealed His glory, and His disciples began to believe in Him” (v. 11). The wedding at Cana is much more than the simple account of Jesus’ first miracle. As a treasure chest, Jesus keeps the secret of His person and the purpose of His coming: the awaited Spouse begins the nuptials that are fulfilled in the Paschal Mystery. In these nuptials, Jesus unites His disciples to Himself with a new and definitive Covenant. At Cana, Jesus’ disciples become His family and at Cana, the faith of the Church was born. We are all invited to this wedding feast, as the new wine is no longer lacking!
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Dear Italian-speaking pilgrims: welcome!
I am happy to receive the pilgrimage of the diocese of Asti, accompanied by the Bishop, Monsignor Ravinale; the young athletes of the Macerata-Loreto Pilgrimage with the “torch of peace,” accompanied by Monsignor Marconi and Monsignor Vecerrica; the “Saint Francis Migrants” Association of the diocese of Siena; the S.O.S. Childrens’ Villages group of Ostuni and UNITALSI of Tuscany. I hope that for all of you this meeting with the Successor of Peter awakens a renewed commitment in favor of peace and of solidarity towards the neediest.
With particular affection, I greet the International Association of the Lasalle Universities; the Delegates of the Saint Vincent de Paul Society, gathered in General Assembly, as well as the White Fathers, during their Chapter General. I exhort you to live with joy the mission in fidelity to the Gospel and to your respective charisms.
A special greeting goes to Italian Catholic Action, which re-launches today the prayer experience “A Minute for Peace,” culminating in the Eucharistic Celebration in the Basilica of the Holy Spirit in Sassia.
I exhort young people, the sick and newlyweds to pray with special intensity to the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary so that they teach us to love God and our neighbor with full dedication.[Original text: Italian] [Translation by ZENIT]
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