CATHOLIC FAITHWATCH: “Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord, Homily of His Holiness Saint John Paul II, 21st Anniversary of the Death of Paul VI, Friday, 6 August 1999” – vatican.va 8.6.99

Saint Pope John Paul II file photo, adapted from image at archives.gov

“Today, the Eucharist which we are preparing to celebrate takes us in spirit to Mount Tabor together with the Apostles Peter, James and John, to admire in rapture the splendour of the transfigured Lord. In the event of the Transfiguration we contemplate the mysterious encounter between history, which is being built every day, and the blessed inheritance that awaits us in heaven in full union with Christ, the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. 

We, pilgrims on earth, are granted to rejoice in the company of the transfigured Lord when we immerse ourselves in the things of above through prayer and the celebration of the divine mysteries. But, like the disciples, we too must descend from Tabor into daily life where human events challenge our faith. On the mountain we saw; on the paths of life we are asked tirelessly to proclaim the #Gospel which illuminates the steps of believers. …”

Click here for: “Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord, Homily of His Holiness Saint John Paul II, 21st Anniversary of the Death of Paul VI, Friday, 6 August 1999” – vatican.va 8.6.99

[featured images are file photos]

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CATHOLIC FAITHWATCH: “[The Multiplication of Loaves and Feeding of the 5,000 in the Gospel of John] – Pope Benedict XVI Angelus, July 29, 2012” – VaticanVa

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“… the multiplication of the loaves … Jesus later comments on … pointing to himself as the ‘Bread’ which gives Life. Jesus’ actions are on a par with … the Last Supper. He ‘took the loaves, and when he had given thanks, he distributed them to those who were seated,’ … the topic of ‘bread,’ … shared out, and on thanksgiving (v. 11, in Greek eucharistesas), recall the Eucharist, Christ’s sacrifice for the world’s Salvation. * * * Priest Lifting Large HostThe Eucharist is the human being’s ongoing, important encounter with God in which the Lord makes Himself our Food and gives Himself to transform us into Him. … [F]ive loaves and two fish …. The miracle was not worked from nothing, but from a first modest sharing of what a simple lad had brought …. Jesus does not ask us for what we do not have. … God is capable of multiplying our small acts of love and making us share in his gift. The crowd was impressed by the miracle …. However the people stopped at the material element …. [L]et us ask the Lord to enable us to rediscover the importance of feeding ourselves not only on bread but also on Truth, on Love, on Christ, on Christ’s Body, taking part faithfully and with profound awareness in the Eucharist so as to be ever more closely united with Him. … ‘It is not the Eucharistic food that is changed into us, but rather we who are mysteriously transformed by it. Christ nourishes us by uniting us to Himself ….’ (Apostolic Exhortation Sacramentum Caritatis, n. 70). Let us [also] pray … that … bread necessary for a dignified life may never be lacking … that inequalities … be demolished … with sharing and with love. …”

Click here for: “[The Multiplication of Loaves and Feeding of the 5,000 in the Gospel of John] – Pope Benedict XVI Angelus, July 29, 2012” – VaticanVa

 

 

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CATHOLIC FAITHWATCH: “Saint Benedict of Norcia” – Pope Benedict XVI General Audience of 9 April 2008/VaticanVa

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“… St Benedict’s life was steeped in an atmosphere of prayer, the foundation of his existence. Without prayer there is no experience of God. Yet Benedict’s spirituality was not an interiority removed from reality. In the anxiety and confusion of his day, he lived under God’s gaze and in this very way never lost sight of the duties of daily life and of man with his practical needs. Seeing God, he understood the reality of man and his mission. In his Rule he describes monastic life as “a school for the service of the Lord” (Prol. 45) and advises his monks, “let nothing be preferred to the Work of God” [that is, the Cross Atop Rocky CliffDivine Office or the Liturgy of the Hours] (43, 3). However, Benedict states that in the first place prayer is an act of listening (Prol. 9-11), which must then be expressed in action. “The Lord is waiting every day for us to respond to his holy admonitions by our deeds” (Prol. 35). Thus, the monk’s life becomes a fruitful symbiosis between action and contemplation, “so that God may be glorified in all things” (57, 9). In contrast with a facile and egocentric self-fulfilment, today often exalted, the first and indispensable commitment of a disciple of St Benedict is the sincere search for God (58, 7) on the path mapped out by the humble and obedient Christ (5, 13), whose love he must put before all else (4, 21; 72, 11), and in this way, in the service of the other, he becomes a man of service and peace. In the exercise of obedience practised by faith inspired by love (5, 2), the monk achieves humility (5, 1), to which the Rule dedicates an entire chapter (7). In this way, man conforms ever more to Christ and attains true self-fulfilment as a creature in the image and likeness of God. …”

Click here for: “Saint Benedict of Norcia” – Pope Benedict XVI General Audience of 9 April 2008/VaticanVa

 

 

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CATHOLIC FAITHWATCH: “[Parable of the Unfaithful Tenants -] Pope Benedict XVI Angelus 10.2.11” – VaticanVa

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In a 2011 Angelus, Pope Benedict XVI addressed Jesus’ Parable of the Unfaithful Tenants, including the need to Bear Fruit for the Kingdom of God.  Christ is the Stone Rejected by the Builders Who Became the Cornerstone, and Bearing Fruit means doing so being Faithful to Christ:

“… a particularly severe warning from Jesus … ‘The Kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a nation producing the fruits of it’ … These are words that call to mind the great responsibility of those in every epoch who are called to work in the Lord’s vineyard, especially in roles of authority, and they press for a renewal of full fidelity to Christ.’ … ‘the very Stone which the builders rejected’ … He Himself, rejected and crucified, is Risen, to become the ‘corner stone’ on which the foundations of every human life and of the whole world may rest in total safety.”

Pope Benedict XVI explained that the owner of the vineyard represents God Himself, with the Vineyard representing God’s People and the Life that He gives us:

“… The Owner of the Vineyard symbolizes God Himself, while the Vineyard symbolizes His People, as well as the Life He Gives, so that with His Grace and our hard work, we may do good. … God has a Project for His friends, but unfortunately the human response is often oriented to infidelity …. Pride and selfishness prevent us from recognizing and welcoming even God’s most precious gift: His Only-Begotten Son. … Firmly anchored in Faith to the Cornerstone which is Christ, let us abide in Him, like the branch that can bear no Fruit unless it remains attached to the Vine. The Church, the People of the New Covenant, is built only in Him, for Him and with Him. …'”

Click here for: “[Parable of the Unfaithful Tenants -] Pope Benedict XVI Angelus 10.2.11” – VaticanVa

 

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CATHOLIC FAITHWATCH: “[Jesus is the Vine, We Are the Branches;] Pope Benedict XVI, Fifth Sunday of Easter, Regina Caeli 2012” – VaticanVa

Jesus and Mary Magdalene After Resurrection, adapted from image at loc.gov

“… Jesus said to His Disciples, ‘I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser’ … The True Vine of God, True Life, is Jesus who with His Sacrifice of Love gives us Salvation, opens to us the way to be part of this vine. … as Jesus remains in the Love of God the Father, the Disciples too, wisely pruned by the Word of the Master … if they remain profoundly united in Him … become Fruitful Branches that bear an abundant Harvest. St Francis de Sales wrote: ‘The vine-sprig, united and joined to the stock, brings forth fruit not by its own power but in virtue of the stock. … we are united by charity unto our Redeemer as members to their head, and hence it is that … good works, drawing their worth from Him, merit Life Everlasting” (Treatise on the love of God, XI, 6). * * * … each one of us is like a branch that only lives if its union with the Lord grows every day in prayer, in participation in the Sacraments and in charity. … Let us pray to the Mother of God that … all our actions may have their beginning and end in [Jesus].”

Click here for: “Pope Benedict XVI, Fifth Sunday of Easter, Regina Caeli 2012” – VaticanVa

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CATHOLIC FAITHWATCH: “Saint John Paul II’s Christological Catechesis” – VaticanVa

Saint Pope John Paul II file photo, adapted from image at archives.gov

“1.Catechesis as contemplation of the mystery of Christ:
From 7th January 1987 to 19th April 1989 the Holy Father John Paul II gave extensive catechesis on the second article of the Creed: “I believe in Jesus Christ”. It consists of 85 chapters of a Christological itinerary divided into eight stages:
a. Jesus Christ in the Old and New Testaments (1-13);
Christ Breaking Bread, Photograph of Painting, adapted from image at loc.gov with credit to Detroit Publishing Co.b. Jesus Christ Son of God (14-33);
c. Miracles as “signs” of Jesus’ divinity (34-40);
d. Jesus Christ man among men (41-44);
e. The Church’s faith in Jesus Christ (45-49);
f. Jesus Christ’s mission (50-64);
g. Jesus Christ’s sacrifice (65-76);
h. Jesus Christ’s Resurrection and glorification (77-85). …”

Click here for “Saint John Paul II’s Christological Catechesis” – VaticanVa

[featured images are file photos]

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CATHOLIC FAITHLINK: “Christ the Good Shepherd” – Saint Gregory the Great/VaticanVa

Jesus the Good Shepherd, adapted from antique Currier & Ives image at loc.gov

“I am the Good Shepherd. I know My own – by which I mean, I love them – and My own know Me. In plain words: those who love Me are willing to follow me, for anyone who does not love the Truth has not yet come to know it. * * * … by the Love with which He dies for His sheep He shows how greatly He Loves His Father. Again He says: My sheep hear My Voice, and I know them; they follow Me, and I give them Eternal Life. … If anyone enters the sheepfold through Me he shall be saved …. He will enter into a life of Faith; from Faith he will go out to vision, from belief to contemplation, and will graze in the good pastures of Everlasting Life. So our Lord’s sheep will finally reach, their grazing ground where all who follow Him in simplicity of heart will feed on the Green Pastures of Eternity. These pastures are the Spiritual Joys of Heaven. There the elect look upon the face of God with unclouded vision and feast at the banquet of life for ever more. Beloved brothers, let us set out for these pastures …. From a homily on the Gospels by Saint Gregory the Great, Pope (Hom. 14. 3-6: PL 76, 1129- 1130)”

Click here for: “Christ the Good Shepherd” – Saint Gregory the Great/VaticanVa

CATHOLIC FAITHWATCH: “Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord, Homily of His Holiness Saint John Paul II, 21st Anniversary of the Death of Paul VI, Friday, 6 August 1999” – vatican.va 8.6.99

Saint Pope John Paul II file photo, adapted from image at archives.gov

“Today, the Eucharist which we are preparing to celebrate takes us in spirit to Mount Tabor together with the Apostles Peter, James and John, to admire in rapture the splendour of the transfigured Lord. In the event of the Transfiguration we contemplate the mysterious encounter between history, which is being built every day, and the blessed inheritance that awaits us in heaven in full union with Christ, the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. 

We, pilgrims on earth, are granted to rejoice in the company of the transfigured Lord when we immerse ourselves in the things of above through prayer and the celebration of the divine mysteries. But, like the disciples, we too must descend from Tabor into daily life where human events challenge our faith. On the mountain we saw; on the paths of life we are asked tirelessly to proclaim the #Gospel which illuminates the steps of believers. …”

Click here for: “Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord, Homily of His Holiness Saint John Paul II, 21st Anniversary of the Death of Paul VI, Friday, 6 August 1999” – vatican.va 8.6.99

[featured images are file photos]

View of St. Peter's Basilica at Vatican from River

 

CATHOLIC FAITHWATCH: “Message of the Holy Father Francis for Lent 2018 Released; [‘Because of the increase of iniquity, the love of many will grow cold’ (Mt 24: 12)]” – VaticanVa 11.1.17

Pope Francis file photo, adapted from image (c) VIS

“Because of the increase of iniquity, the love of many will grow cold” (Mt 24: 12) … the Pasch of the Lord draws near! In our preparation for Easter, God in His Providence offers us each year the season of Lent as a ‘Sacramental Sign of our Conversion’ … to help the entire Church experience this time of grace anew, with joy and in truth.  * * * More than anything else, what destroys charity is greed for money, ‘the root of all evil’ …. The rejection of God and His Peace soon follows … What are we to do? … devoting more time to prayerAlmsgiving sets us free from greed and helps us to regard our neighbour as a brother or sister. … Fasting weakens our tendency to violence … an important opportunity for growth. … experience[ing]what the destitute and the starving … endure. … express[ing] our own spiritual hunger and thirst for life in God. Fasting wakes us up. It makes us more attentive to God and our neighbour. It revives our desire to obey God, who alone is capable of satisfying our hunger. … I urge the members of the Church to take up the Lenten journey with enthusiasm, sustained by almsgiving, fasting and prayer. If, at times, the flame of charity seems to die in our own hearts, know that this is never the case in the heart of God! He constantly gives us a chance to begin loving anew. …”

Click here for: “Message of the Holy Father Francis for Lent 2018, 06.02.2018; [‘Because of the increase of iniquity, the love of many will grow cold’ (Mt 24: 12)]” – Vatican.va 11.1.17 

Additional Links & Resources:

Cross Atop Rocky Cliff“Pope Francis releases 2018 Lenten message: Full text” – Vatican Radio
http://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2018-02/pope-francis-lenten-message-2018.html

“Pope Francis: ‘Come back to the Lord with all your heart during Lent’
http://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2018-02/pope-francis-lent-message-2018-cold-hearts.html

“This Lent, revive your enthusiasm for the faith, Pope says” – CNA
https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/this-lent-revive-your-enthusiasm-for-the-faith-pope-says-16801

“Pope Francis releases Lenten message” – CNS/Arlington Catholic Herald
https://www.catholicherald.com/News/National___International/Pope_Francis/Pope_Francis_releases_Lenten_message/

“This Lent, Pope Francis invites us to reject ‘false prophets’; The pope’s 2018 Lenten message is released” – OSV
https://www.osv.com/OSVNewsweekly/Perspectives/Columnists/Article/TabId/797/ArtMID/13632/ArticleID/24159/This-Lent-Pope-Francis-invites-us-to-reject-false-prophets.aspx

“Pope Francis’ Message for Lent 2015; ‘Make your hearts firm'” – OSV
https://www.osv.com/OSVNewsweekly/Faith/Article/TabId/720/ArtMID/13628/ArticleID/16821/Pope-Francis-Message-for-Lent-2015.aspx

[featured images are file photos]

View of St. Peter's Basilica at Vatican from River

 

 

CATHOLIC FAITHWATCH: “[Almsgiving, Lent, the Final Judgment] – John Paul II General Audience, Wednesday, March 28, 1979” – VaticanVa

Saint Pope John Paul II file photo, adapted from image at archives.gov

“Only with a total attitude — in his relationship with God … himself and … his neighbor — does man reach conversion and remain in the state of conversion. ‘Alms’ … has a meaning … decisive for this conversion. … recall the image of the Last Judgment that Christ gave us: ‘… I was hungry and you gave Me food. I was thirsty and you gave Me drink … a stranger and you welcomed Me. … naked and you clothed Me … sick and you visited Me … in prison and you came to Me. … * * * Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me’ (Mt 25:35-40). … the Fathers of the Church will then say with St Peter Chrysologus: ‘The poor man’s hand is the treasury of Christ, since Christ receives everything that the poor man receives’ (Sermo VIII, 4), and with St. Gregory of Nazianzus: ‘The Lord of all things wants mercy, not sacrifice; and we give it through the poor’ (De patuperum amore, XI). … this opening to others … expressed by ‘help,’ by ‘sharing’ food, a glass of water, a good word, consolation, a visit, precious time, etc., this interior gift offered to the other man, arrives directly at Christ, directly at God. It decides the meeting with Him. It is conversion. … many texts in the Gospel … confirm this … also in the whole of Scripture. ‘Alms’ understood according to the Gospel, according to the teaching of Christ, has a definitive, decisive meaning in our conversion to God. If alms be lacking, our life does not yet converge fully towards God. …”

Click here for: “[Almsgiving, Lent, the Final Judgment] – John Paul II General Audience, Wednesday, March 28, 1979” – VaticanVa

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