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Monday, July 22, 2013. 16th Week in Ordinary Time
From left: The Crucifixion, Raphael; The burial of Jesus, Caracci; the penitent with the perfume jar; two Greek icons; Mary Magdalene, El Greco; a detail of the Magdalene at the foot of the Cross; Noli me tangere, Fra Angelico.
ST. MARY MAGDALENE, Penitent
Long before Dan Brown decided to exploit her figure, Mary of Magdala was a subject of great fascination in literature and art, much of it inspired by apocryphal gnostic gospels. The Bible unequivocally identifies her presence at the three great events in the final days of Christ on earth: the Crucifixion; the burial; and the Resurrection, of which she was the first human to learn the news. She is described as one of the women disciples who followed Jesus and the Twelve in their travels just before the Passion, "assisting them out of their means". Earlier, she is referred to as the woman from whom Jesus had cast out 'seven demons'. However, Bible readers have also identified her with the prostitute who, repenting her ways, threw herself at the feet of Jesus and anointed his feet with a jar of expensive perfume. She is also often confused with Mary of Bethany, the sister of Martha and Lazarus. She is not mentioned in the Acts of the Apostles, but according to tradition, she ended up in Ephesus, where John the Beloved had gone with the Blessed Mother, and that she died there. A French legend has it that she, along with Mary Cleophas and Mary Salome, travelled with their uncle Joseph of Arimathea after the Resurrection to flee anti-Christian persecution and landed on the southern coast of France near Marseilles. More unlikely legends sprung out of that, including that purveyed by Dan Brown's book. The Orthodox have always venerated her as 'the myrrh-bearer' and 'equal to the Apostles'. though none of the myriad legends associate her with any apostolic work.
Readings for today's Mass:
www.usccb.org/bible/readings/072213.cfm
WITH POPE FRANCIS TODAY
He left Rome this morning enroute to the 28th WYD in Brazil, making his first trip abroad as Pope to his home continent though not to his own country. He has now arrived in Brazil after a 12-hour trans-oceanic flight to an official airport welcome led by President Dilma Roussef.
He will have a 36-hour rest to normalize his biorhythm at a diocesan residence called Somare where John Paul II also stayed during two visits to Rio. His first event on July 24 will be a visit to the shrine of Our Lady of Aparecida, where he will say Mass for the faithful before returning to Rio in the early afternoon to officially take part in WYD.
NB: When the Pope boarded the plane this morning, he was conspicuously carrying a hefty briefcase (or maybe it was a toiletry case), but the media stories, starting with Vatican Radio, said "The Pope boarded the plane carrying his own bag..." as the latest breathless addition to the now voluminous trove of urban legends about the Pope. And if there had been no picture showing him carrying that 'bag', one might have imagined him lugging his suitcase up the plane steps, a gesture which surely, no one seriously expects the Vicar of Christ to do, nor would he gain points with anyone but his fawning sycophants by doing so, assuming one thinks he would be foolish enough to do it, which would be insulting him!
All our prayers for the Pope, the participants of World Youth Day,
the people of Brazil and the youth of the world for yet another edition
of a divinely inspired initiative by soon-to-be Saint John Paul II.
May it be as fruitful for the faith as those that preceded it.
Personally, I am hoping that Pope Francis will tell the young people in Rio something like "Emeritus Pope Benedict has asked me to convey to you his love, prayers and encouragement in practising your faith and helping the new evangelization".
Dear young people, between the Father of World Youth Day who will soon be a saint, and the all-conquering Pope Francis, please do not forget to say a prayer for the gentle Pope who led you lovingly through the exhilarating experiences of Cologne, Sydney and Madrid.
One year ago...
At the Sunday Angelus, Benedict XVI reflected on the day's Gospel depicting Jesus as the Shepherd for the lost sheep of Israel, and went on to reflect on Mary Magdalene, whose feast day it was, as one of those lost sheep who was saved by Jesus from total subordination to the devil. He expressed his condolences and prayers for the victims and families of the midnight movie massacre in Aurora, Colorado, early Saturday morning, in which at least 12 persons were killed, and a ferry accident in Zanzibar in which 68 died. He also expressed his best wishes for the Summer Olympics which open in London on July 27, saying he hoped the two-week Games would also mark a truce in current fighting in many places.
ANGELUS TODAY
July 22, 2012
Here is a translation of the Pope's words:
The Word of God this Sunday reproposes to us a fundamental and always fascinating theme in the Bible: It reminds us that God is the Shepherd of mankind.
This means that God wants us to have life, he wants to lead us to good pastures, where we can eat and rest. He does not want us to get lost and to die, but to reach the goal of our journey on earth, which is truly the fullness of life. It is waht every father and mother want for their own children: goodness, happiness, realization.
In today's Gospel, Jesus presents himself as the Shepherd of the kist sheep of Israel. He looks on his people with what we might call a pastoral eye. For example, we are told today that "When he disembarked and saw the vast crowd, his heart was moved with pity for them, for they were like sheep without a shepherd; and he began to teach them many things" (Mk 6,34).
Jesus incarnates God the Shepherd in the way he preached, and in his works, taking care of the sick and the sinners, those who are 'liost' (cfr Lk 19,10), in order to bring them to safety, to the mercy of the Father.
Among the 'lost sheep' that Jesus saved was a woman named Mary, from the village of Magdala, along the Lake of Galilee, and therefore called the Magdalene. Today we celebrate her liturgical feast in the calendar of the Church. The evangelist Luke says that Jesus chased seven demons out of her (cfr Lk, 8,2). that is, he saved her from total servitude to the Malignant One.
What is this profound healing that God works through Christ? It consists of a true and complete peace, the fruit of a person's reconciliation with himself, and in all his relationships: with God, with others, with the world.
Indeed, the devil always seeks to ruin the work of God, sowing division in the human heart, between body and soul, between man and God, in interpersonal, social, and international relations, and even between man and Creation.
The devil sows war - God creates peace. Or as St. Paul affirms, Christ "is our peace, he who made both one and broke down the dividing wall of enmity, through his flesh" (Eph 2,14).
In order to fulfill this operation of radical reconciliation, Jesus, the Good Shepherd, had to become a lamb, "the Lamb of God... who takes away the sins of the world" (Jn 1,29). Only thus could he realize the stupendous promise of the Psalm, "Indeed, goodness and mercy will pursue me all the days of my life; I will dwell in the house of the LORD for endless days" (Ps 23,6).
Dear friends, these words make our hearts vibrate, because they express our most profound desire - they say what it is that we were made for: life, eternal life. They are the words of those who, like Mary Magdalene, have experienced God in their own life and know his peace.
Words which are even truer from the lips of the Virgin Mary, who already lives forever in the pastures of Heaven, to which she was led by the Shepherd Lamb. Mary, Nother of Christ our peace, pray for us!
After the prayers, and before his pluriligual greetings, he said this:
In a few days, the 30th Olympic Games will start in London. The Olympiad is the greatest sports event in the world, in which athletes from many nations take part, and therefore, the Games take on a great symbolic value.
That is why the Catholic Church looks at the Olympics with special sympathy and attention. Let us pray so that, God willing, the Games in London may be a true experience of brotherhood among the peoples of the earth
In English, he reiterated his prayers for the London Olympics and took note of two major civilian tragedies in recent days:
I was deeply shocked by the senseless violence which took place in Aurora, near Denver, and saddened by the loss of life in the recent ferry disaster near Zanzibar. I share the distress of the families and friends of the victims and the injured, especially the children. Assuring all of you of my closeness in prayer, I impart my blessing as a pledge of consolation and strength in the risen Lord.
In a few days from now, the Olympic Games are due to begin in Great Britain. I send greetings to the organizers, athletes and spectators alike, and I pray that, in the spirit of the Olympic Truce, the good will generated by this international sporting event may bear fruit, promoting peace and reconciliation throughout the world. Upon all those attending the London Olympic Games, I invoke the abundant blessings of Almighty God.
Ideally, I would post today a reconstruction of Benedict XVI's travel to Cologne for his first WYD, back in 2005, but I have no ready material to pick up since I had not yet begun 'working' in any Forum at the time of Cologne WYD... A substitute for that is this blurb about a book I did not even know existed, which compiles the highly inspired and infinitely inspiring discourses of Benedict XVI during WYD Cologne - they explain in no small measure the tremendous success of his first WYD, to which he came as the obligatory stand=in for the recently departed Father of WYD - and how much condescending verbiage there was about how the self-effacing 78-year-old professor-Pope would never be able to pull it off - only to emerge from it distinctly in his own light, reflecting the glory of the God 'we have come to worship' in Cologne.
God's Revolution:
World Youth Day and
Other Cologne Talks
by POPE BENEDICT XVI
Pope Benedict had a powerful encounter with over one million youth at World Youth Day in Cologne, Germany in August 2005. He also had important separate meetings of significance with Jewish leaders, with Muslim leaders, and a third Ecumenical meeting with Protestant leaders.
This book includes all the texts of his talks to the youth over that five-day period, as well as to these other groups in Cologne.
The Pope's inspiring words and messages to the young people were enthusiastically received, and comprise an important collection of talks for young people everywhere, and indeed for all followers of Christ.
This 20th World Youth Day had a new point of reference: Pope Benedict XVI. It was the first that Pope John Paul II had not been at. But this collection fittingly begins with John Paul's closing talk at WYD in 2004.
Yet Benedict stamped this World Youth Day with his own personal style, with his gentleness and joy, and profound words about Christ's love that the youth responded to with great exuberance.
The theme of this great gathering was "We Have Come to Worship Him." Throughout these talks and encounters with the youth, Benedict reinforced the meaning of this theme by leading us to adore the Child who is God, whose love renews and transforms the whole world.
Radiating from this book, as from World Youth Day, is a sheer joy over the beauty of faith, the beauty of Christ and of our life in Christ.
Reading this book reinforces the conviction that, in the person of Pope Benedict XVI, God has given the Church a great Teacher of the faith, and also a great Pastor who knows the way that can lead us to intimacy with God.
His special charism seems to be his ability to combine universal openness with Catholic identity, clear and comprehensive witness to the truth of Christ with the gentleness of fraternal charity.
[Modificato da TERESA BENEDETTA 23/07/2013 09:54] |