instruction concerns the spirit of detachment: the Apostles must not be
attached to money and comforts. Jesus warns the disciples that they will not
always receive a favourable welcome: at times they will be rejected, and may
also be persecuted. But
that should not affect them: they must speak in the name of Jesus and preach
the Kingdom of God, without worrying about success. They must leave the
outcome in the hands of God.
"The first reading presented the same perspective, showing us that often
God’s messengers are not well received. This is the case of the prophet
Amos (who) preached with great energy against injustice, especially denouncing
the abuses of the
king and chiefs, abuses that offend the Lord, and render acts of worship vain.
... But,
Subject: VISnews120716
From: Vatican Information Service - Eng - txt
whether accepted or rejected, Amos continued to prophesy, preaching what God
says and not what people wanted to hear. This remains the mandate of the
Church: she
does not preach what the powerful want to hear. Her criterion is truth and
justice, even if that garners no applause and collides with human power".
"The other very important indication of the Gospel is that the Twelve must
not be content to preach conversion: their preaching must be accompanied,
according to the instructions and example given by Jesus, by the bodily and
spiritual care of the
sick. He speaks of the concrete curing of diseases, ... of purifying the human
mind, ... of cleaning the eyes of the soul that are obscured by ideology and
therefore cannot see God, cannot see truth and justice. ... The apostolic
mission must always
include two aspects: preaching the word of God and manifesting His goodness
with acts of charity, service and dedication".
"The Lord calls us all, distributing different gifts for different tasks in
the Church. He calls us to the priesthood and consecrated life, and He calls
us to marriage and commitment as lay people within the Church and society. ...
Two complementary
paths that illuminate each other, enrich each other and together enrich the
community. ... The Lord bountifully sows His gifts, He calls you to follow Him
and to continue His mission today".
"I propose you intensely live the Year of Faith, which will begin in
October, fifty years from the opening of Vatican Council II. The conciliar
documents contain an enormous wealth for the formation of new generations of
Christians, for the formation
of our consciousness. Read them, read the Catechism of the Catholic Church and
rediscover the beauty of being Christians, of being Church and enjoying the
great 'we' that Jesus formed around Him, to evangelise the world: the 'we' of
the Church, never
closed, but always open and projected towards the proclamation of the
Gospel".
___________________________________________________________
POPE RECALLS ST. BONAVENTURE ON HIS FEAST DAY
Vatican City, 15 July 2012 (VIS) - At midday today, having returned from
his pastoral visit to Frascati, the Holy Father appeared on the balcony
overlooking the inner courtyard of the Apostolic Palace of Castelgandolfo to
pray the Angelus with
faithful gathered below.
"In the liturgical calendar", he said, "15 July is the memory of the
Franciscan St. Bonaventure of Bagnoregio, Doctor of the Church, the successor
of St. Francis of Assisi at the head of the Order of Friars Minor. He wrote
the first biography of
Francis, and at the end of his life was also bishop of this diocese of
Albano".
"The whole life and theology of St. Bonaventure have Jesus Christ as their
core inspiration. This centrality of Christ is also to be found in the second
reading of today’s Mass, the famous hymn of the Letter of Paul to the
Ephesians, which
begins: 'Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has
blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavens'. The
Apostle then goes on to show us how this blessing is realised in four passages
all of which begin with the
same expression 'in Him', referring to Jesus Christ. 'In Him' the Father chose
us before the creation of the world; 'in Him' we are redeemed through His
blood, 'in Him' we have become heirs predestined to be 'the praise of his
glory'; 'in Him' those who
believe in the Gospel receive the seal of the Holy Spirit. This hymn contains
the Pauline view of history, which St. Bonaventure helped to spread in the
Church:
all of history is centred on Christ, Who is a guarantee of novelty and renewal
in every age. In Jesus, God has spoken and given everything, but because He is
an inexhaustible treasure, the Holy Spirit never ceases to reveal and update
His mystery.
Therefore, the work of Christ and the Church never regresses, but always
progresses".
After praying the Angelus the Holy Father described the holidays as "a
favourable moment to reflect upon our lives, and to open our hearts to other
people and to God. I invite you to concern yourselves with those who suffer
solitude and abandonment,
in the street, in their own homes, in hospitals or in care homes. Do not
hesitate to visit them".
Finally the Pope recalled the fact that today marks the liturgical memory
of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Mother of God of the Scapular. "Blessed John Paul
II wore and loved the scapular", he said. "To all his compatriots - in Poland,
in the world and
here in Castelgandolfo - I express the hope that Mary, the best of mothers,
may protect you with her mantle in the struggle against evil, intercede in
your request for grace, and show you the path that leads to God".
___________________________________________________________
AUDIENCES
Vatican City, 16 July 2012 (VIS) - This afternoon the Holy Father is
scheduled to receive in audience Cardinal Marc Ouellet P.S.S., prefect of the
Congregation for Bishops.
On Sunday 15 July he received in audience Cardinal Fiorenzo Angelini,
president emeritus of the Pontifical Council for Health Pastoral Care.
___________________________________________________________
OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS
Vatican City, 16 July 2012 (VIS) - The Holy Father:
- Accepted the resignation from the pastoral care of the archdiocese of
Keewatin-Le Pas, Canada, presented by Archbishop Sylvain Lavoie O.M.I., in
accordance with canon 401 para. 2 of the Code of Canon Law, appointing Fr.
William Stang O.M.I., vicar
general, as apostolic administrator "sede vacante et ad nutum Sanctae Sedis"
of the same archdiocese.
- Erected the new diocese of Udupi (area 3,500, population 1,445,240,
Catholics 106,149, priests 86, religious 225) India, with territory taken from
the diocese of Mangalore, making it a suffragan of the metropolitan church of
Bangalore. He appointed
Bishop Gerald Isaac Lobo of Shimoga, India, as first bishop of the new
diocese.
On Saturday 14 July it was made public that the Holy Father appointed Fr.
Gregory Bittman, judicial vicar and chancellor of the archdiocese of Edmonton,
Canada, as auxiliary of the same archdiocese (area 81,151, population
1,589,080, Catholics
378,545, priests 175, permanent deacons 20, religious 362). The bishop-elect
was born in Hamilton, Canada in 1961 and ordained a priest in 1996. He has
worked in pastoral care in a number of parishes.
___________________________________________________________
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