Paul Zalonski – Page 344

Benedict: to awaken hope in place of despair, joy in place of sadness, & life in place of death

In these first days of Easter the Church rejoices in
Christ’s resurrection from the dead, which has brought new life to us and to
our world. Saint Paul exhorts us to make this new life evident by putting to
death the things of this earth and setting our hearts on the things that are on
high, where Christ is seated at the right hand of the Father (cf. Col 3:1-2).
Having put on Christ in Baptism, we are called to be renewed daily in the
virtues which he taught us, especially charity which binds all the rest together
in perfect harmony. By living this new life we are not only interiorly
transformed, but we also change the world around us. Charity in fact brings
that spiritual freedom which can break down any wall, and build a new world of
solidarity, goodness and respect for the dignity of all. Easter, then, is a
gift to be received ever anew in faith, so that we may become a constant leaven
of life, justice and reconciliation in our world. As believers in the risen
Lord, this is our mission: to awaken hope in place of despair, joy in place of
sadness, and life in place of death. With Christ, through him and in him, let
us strive to make all things new!

Pope Benedict XVI

Summary of Wednesday General Audience

Easter Wednesday: how slow of heart to believe

The supper at Emmaus raises questions for us: Does my heart really seek the Lord? What did we see happen to us during these last days? How have I changed given the events of the Three Holy Days? What does the Lord really want from me? What does it mean to remain with the Lord?

Only the heart tells the truth.

A voice for the voiceless — women and children in China: Reggie Littlejohn speaks out

Open your mouth for the speechless, in the cause of all who are appointed to die. Open your mouth, judge righteously and plead the cause of the poor and needy” (Proverbs 31:8-9)

Several weeks ago I focused my attention —our attention— on the rights of women and children, especially unborn children, in China, by highlighting the work of Reggie Littlejohn. How can one be unmoved by the plight for another human being; in case, women and unborn children??? What about the preference for the poor? What about human dignity?

When I met Reggie through my friend Suzanne Tanzi, the editor of Traces magazine, I was instantly drawn to her work for others. I recognized in her that Christ is working directly through the words and works for those who really have no voice in a country that forcibly holds a One Child Policy. China is among the most offensive countries when it comes to human rights abuses and our Chinese brothers and sisters need an advocate.

Here’s an amazing interview with Reggie: Open your Mouth –Littlejohn Interview.pdf

A recently published essay by Reggie Littlejohn: “China: Family Planning Official Stabs Man to Death“

The link above will take you another blog post which has links to Reggie Littlejohn’s work.

Revelation: at Papal Conclave cardinals asked for John Paul to be beatified

Just days ahead of Pope John Paul II’s beatification on May 1st –the first time in 11 centuries that a successor beatifies his predecessor– the former vicar for Rome, Cardinal Camillo Ruini, speaks about the letter he received as the conclave was about to open that was to elect Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, now Pope Benedixt XVI, by which several cardinals asked for John Paul’s beatification. Read the La Stampa story…

John Paul’s blood to be presented as a relic at May 1st Mass

Blood drawn from Pope John Paul II prior to his death and saved in case there was need of a transfusion at a local hospital, will be presented to Pope Benedict XVI at the May 1st Mass at which John Paul will be declared a “blessed.” The blood relic will be kept with other relics at the Apostolic Household. Read the entire story here.

Easter Monday: why it matters

The day following Easter Sunday, indeed, all of the Easter Octave, is just as important as the Easter mystery of the solemn celebration of the Resurrection: the concrete risen Lord fulfills his promise of new Life. Pope Benedict said today at Castle Gandolfo today, “With greater joy than ever, the Church celebrates
these eight days in a special way, as she recalls the Lord Jesus’s resurrection
from the dead. Let us pray fervently that the joy and peace of Our Lady, Mary
of Magdala and the Apostles will be our own as we welcome the risen Lord into
our hearts and lives. I invoke God’s abundant blessings upon you all!”

A slight shift in our daily prayer moves from praying the Angelus three times a day (at least) to the Regina Coeli, another radical call to live the Gospel is known in this prayer. With the Mother of the Savior we call the promise come true.

Queen of Heaven, rejoice, alleluia.

For He whom you did merit to bear, Alleluia.

Has risen, as he said, alleluia.

Pray for us to God, alleluia.

Rejoice and be glad, O Virgin Mary, alleluia.

For the Lord has truly risen, Alleluia.

Let us pray.

O God, who gave joy to the world through the resurrection of Thy Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, grant we beseech Thee, that through the intercession of the Virgin Mary, His Mother, we may obtain the joys of everlasting life. Through the same Christ our Lord. Amen.

Easter 470 years later

470 years ago on this date, another Easter Sunday, Ignatius of Loyola and his first companions elected Ignatius as the first superior of the new group, a year following the Church’s approval of the society. Just two days before his election, the companions went to the Basilica of Saint Paul outside the Walls to profess their vows.

With these events, Loyola had more concrete points in following God’s will in forming a new society of priests aiming to reform Christian culture under the Roman Pontiff.

The account is here.

Easter Urbi et Orbi 2011: Christ’s resurrection happens in history, permanently remembered and lived

“In
resurrectione tua, Christe, coeli et terra laetentur!

In your resurrection, O
Christ, let heaven and earth rejoice!” (Liturgy of the Hours).

Dear Brothers
and Sisters in Rome and across the world, Easter morning brings us news that is
ancient yet ever new: Christ is risen! The echo of this event, which issued
forth from Jerusalem twenty centuries ago, continues to resound in the Church,
deep in whose heart lives the vibrant faith of Mary, Mother of Jesus, the faith
of Mary Magdalene and the other women who first discovered the empty tomb, and
the faith of Peter and the other Apostles.

Continue reading Easter Urbi et Orbi 2011: Christ’s resurrection happens in history, permanently remembered and lived

Benedict’s Easter Vigil 2011 homily:

Dear Brothers and Sisters, The liturgical celebration
of the Easter Vigil makes use of two eloquent signs. First there is the fire
that becomes light. As the procession makes its way through the church,
shrouded in the darkness of the night, the light of the Paschal Candle becomes
a wave of lights, and it speaks to us of Christ as the true morning star that
never sets – the Risen Lord in whom light has conquered darkness. The second
sign is water. On the one hand, it recalls the waters of the Red Sea, decline
and death, the mystery of the Cross. But now it is presented to us as spring
water, a life-giving element amid the dryness. Thus it becomes the image of the
sacrament of baptism, through which we become sharers in the death and
resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Continue reading Benedict’s Easter Vigil 2011 homily:

Christ crucified transforms the old man, a new creation: is our gaze on Him?

The Church is silent. The Lord is dead; His mother and the Beloved disciple have buried the Lord. We carry on in sorrow, our hearts are quiet and searching for the one who made the promise that things would be different if we believed in Him. Holy Saturday is a distinct day in the Church. Good Friday totally transforms us from something old to something new, this is a time of patient awareness that it is not business as usual. If it is, if we can’t see that our real lives are not the same, then we need to beg the Holy Spirit and the Blessed Mother to show the reasons why life is different now with Jesus crucified and in the tomb.

Pope Benedict’s meditation at the Colosseum lst evening gives us focus:

This evening, in faith, we have accompanied Jesus as he takes the final steps of his earthly journey, the most painful steps, the steps that lead to Calvary. We have heard the cries of the crowd, the words of condemnation, the insults of the soldiers, the lamentation of the Virgin Mary and of the women. Now we are immersed in the silence of this night, in the silence of the cross, the silence of death. It is a silence pregnant with the burden of pain borne by a man rejected, oppressed, downtrodden, the burden of sin which mars his face, the burden of evil. Tonight we have re-lived, deep within our hearts, the drama of Jesus, weighed down by pain, by evil, by human sin.

Continue reading Christ crucified transforms the old man, a new creation: is our gaze on Him?