We join with the Pope, Benedict XVI, in prayer before the Divine Majesty for the following intentions:
The general intention
That initiatives which defend and uphold the role of the family may be promoted within society.
The missionary intention
That Mary, Queen of the World and Star of Evangelization, may accompany all missionaries in proclaiming her Son Jesus.
Today is the 85th anniversary of the birth and the
Baptism of Hi Holiness, Pope Benedict XVI. Let's pray for the Pope and his intentions today.
General intention
Pope Benedict speaking at the Welcome Ceremony in Cuba said, he comes as a pilgrim of charity to strengthen the people in faith. 14 years ago Blessed John Paul II was in Cuba.
The pontiff acknowledges that Cuba is looking to the future to broaden its horizons based on the spiritual and moral values which stand out in the many the notable people of Cuban history which serve all peoples.
Benedict takes on selfish government practices and intellectual, spiritual and cultural demise, by looking to the deep need for reconciliation by hope and bringing people together.
The Pope comes to kneel down in front of Our Lady of Charity on the 400th anniversary of her appearance in Cuban. For the Pope, and therefore for us, he notes truth that the Holy Virgin formed our Christian identity (our roots) were and continue to shape the soul. It is the Virgin Mary who is the keystone of the true identity of the Cuban people pointing to her Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ.
This is the beginning of yet another revolution in Cuba, actually, it is the Papal Revolution, Part II.
The Pope's text follows:
Thank you, Mr President, for your welcome and your kind words, with which you also conveyed the sentiments of respect of the Cuban government and people for the Successor of Peter. I greet the civil authorities here present, as well as the members of the diplomatic corps. I cordially greet the President of the Episcopal Conference, Archbishop Dionisio Guillermo García Ibáñez of Santiago de Cuba; the Archbishop of Havana, Cardinal Jaime Ortega y Alamino, and my other Brother Bishops of Cuba, and I assure them of my deep spiritual closeness. Finally, I greet with heartfelt affection all the faithful of the Catholic Church in Cuba, the beloved people of this beautiful island, and all Cubans wherever they may be. You are always present in my heart and prayers, especially in the days preceding the much anticipated moment of my visit to you, which the grace and goodness of God has made possible.
At Vespers (evening prayer) with the gathered bishops of Latin America at the Cathedral-Basilica of Our Lady of Light, (Leon, Guanajuato, Mexico) this evening the Holy Father address the following homily. His thoughts turn our attention to a deeper fidelity in belonging to Christ, being true in communion with others, rooted and ground in Love. The homily is terrific, he hits on some real significant issues that concern the Catholic Faith and the promotion of Justice. But I can't help thinking that the Pope is treating this pastoral visit as a giant Ad limina.
It gives me great joy to be able to pray with all of you in this Basilica-Cathedral of León, dedicated to our Lady of Light. In the lovely painting venerated in this basilica, the Blessed Virgin holds her Son in one hand with immense tenderness while extending her other hand to succour sinners. This is how the Church in every age sees Mary. We praise her for giving us the Redeemer and we put our trust in her as the Mother whom her divine Son bequeathed to us from the Cross. For this reason, we invoke her frequently as "our hope" because she has shown us Jesus and passed down to us the great things which God constantly does for humanity. She does so simply, as a mother teaches her children at home.
A decisive sign of these great things is given to us in the reading just proclaimed at these Vespers. The people of Jerusalem and their leaders did not acknowledge Christ, yet, by condemning him to death, they fulfilled the words of the prophets (cf. Acts 13:27). Human evil and ignorance simply cannot thwart the divine plan of salvation and redemption. Evil is simply incapable of that.
As Queen Esther asked God for grace to follow Him more closely, so we do the same....
The Pope asks us to join him during the month of March in praying for women and for those face the trial of discrimination.
The general intention
That the whole world may recognize the contribution of women to the development of society.
The mission intention
That the Holy Spirit may grant perseverance to those who suffer discrimination, persecution or death for the name of Christ, particularly in Asia.
The Pope, as you know created 22 new cardinals yesterday. He gave them the symbols of office: the cardinal's biretta, a new ring and the title of a church of which they are the "pastor of" in the Diocese of Rome. Today, the feast of the Chair of Saint Peter, the faithful gather around the Pope, the Bishop of Rome, to worship God. The Church celebrates the "throne of Truth", a fitting image of Christ passing onto us a true experience of faith, truth and love. The homily given by Benedict XVI is noted below.
On this solemnity of the Chair of Saint Peter, we have the joy of gathering around the altar of the Lord together with the new Cardinals whom yesterday I incorporated into the College of Cardinals. It is to them, first of all, that I offer my cordial greetings and I thank Cardinal Fernando Filoni for the gracious words he has addressed to me in the name of all. I extend my greetings to the other Cardinals and all the Bishops present, as well as to the distinguished authorities, ambassadors, priests, religious and all the faithful who have come from different parts of the world for this happy occasion, which is marked by a particular character of universality.
In the second reading that we have just heard, Saint Peter exhorts the "elders" of the Church to be zealous pastors, attentive to the flock of Christ (cf. 1 Pet 5:1-2). These words are addressed in the first instance to you, my dear venerable brothers, who have already shown great merit among the people of God through your wise and generous pastoral ministry in demanding dioceses, or through presiding over the Dicasteries of the Roman Curia, or in your service to the Church through study and teaching. The new dignity that has been conferred upon you is intended to show appreciation for the faithful labour you have carried out in the Lord's vineyard, to honour the communities and nations from which you come and which you represent so worthily in the Church, to invest you with new and more important ecclesial responsibilities and finally to ask of you an additional readiness to be of service to Christ and to the entire Christian community. This readiness to serve the Gospel is firmly founded upon the certitude of faith. We know that God is faithful to his promises and we await in hope the fulfilment of these words of Saint Peter: "And when the chief shepherd is manifested you will obtain the unfading crown of glory" (1 Pet 5:4).
Today, the Holy Father announced his Good Shepherd Sunday missive on vocations. Singed on 18 October 2011, Benedict wrote this letter for the 49th World Day of Prayer for Vocations that's celebrated on the 4th Sunday of Easter, Good Shepherd Sunday. The Pope's message is exactly what I was trying to teach to the RCIA people yesterday: God's love is total and our love for Him needs to be an icon --that is, mirrored-- to the world. His theme this year is: Vocations, the Gift of the Love of God. A few paragraphs of the text follow:
In a famous page of the Confessions, Saint Augustine expresses with great force his discovery of God, supreme beauty and supreme love, a God who was always close to him, and to whom he at last opened his mind and heart to be transformed: "Late have I loved you, O Beauty ever ancient, ever new, late have I loved you! You were within me, but I was outside, and it was there that I searched for you. In my unloveliness I plunged into the lovely things which you created. You were with me, but I was not with you. Created things kept me from you; yet if they had not been in you they would have not been at all. You called, you shouted, and you broke through my deafness. You flashed, you shone, and you dispelled my blindness. You breathed your fragrance on me; I drew in breath and now I pant for you. I have tasted you, now I hunger and thirst for more. You touched me, and I burned for your peace." (X, 27.38). With these images, the Saint of Hippo seeks to describe the ineffable mystery of his encounter with God, with God's love that transforms all of life.
Praying with Pope Benedict XVI for the needs of the Church and people of good will, let's raise our hearts to the Lord with the following:
