Wednesday, March 31
Monastery of Mar Saba, Holy Land.
[I cannot find any online images of today's saint]
ST. STEPHEN OF MAR SABA (Palestine, 725-796)
Orthodox monk, Hermit
Stephen was the nephew of St. John Damascene who took him into the 5th century Mar Saba
monastery when the boy was 10 and educated him for the next 15 years. After John's death in
749, Stephen spent the next 8 years of his life passing on what he had learned from his uncle.
Then he decided he wanted to be a hermit, and was allowed by his superior to spend 5 days of
the week alone, but to provide spiritual guidance on Saturdays and Sundays. Towards the end
of his life, Stephen saw the Saracens invade Palestine and take over many of its cities.
Readings for today's Mass:
www.usccb.org/nab/readings/033110.shtml
OR today.
Illustration from 2010 Via Crucis Meditations by Cardinal Camillo Ruini.
The Holy Father's Mass on the fifth anniversary of the death of John Paul II, praising him as
'A fellow pilgrim for contemporary man'
The other papal story is the Holy Father's telegram to Russian President Medvedev expressing his condolences for
the dead and wounded in Monday's terrorist suicide bomb attacks in two Moscow subway stations. Other Page 1
stories: More than a million are going hungry in northeast Uganda as a result of drought; and an essay on the
Shroud of Turin in the age of secularization. The issue contains the full text of the meditations and prayers for
the Via Crucis on Good Friday at the Rome Colosseum, written this year by Cardinal Camillo Ruini.
THE POPE'S DAY
The Holy Father held his regular General Audience at St. Peter's Square and spoke about the significance
of the Easter Triduum liturgies that begin tomorrow, Maundy Thursday.
NB; While today's OR contains two articles regarding support by the Middle East and Italian bishops for the Pope (translated and
posted in the preceding postbox on this page), it is puzzling - and in a way, shocking even - that it contains not a word about
Father Brundage's statement setting the record straight on the case of the late Milwaukee priest Fr. Lawrence Murphy. Perhaps
no one had the time to translate it to Italian? The site mesainlatino immediately provided one as early as yesterday morning!
To its credit, the English service of Vatican Radio online carries the full statement.
[Modificato da TERESA BENEDETTA 31/03/2010 13:04]