Wednesday, February 27, 2019

Pope Francis' Message for Lent 2019


With the Lenten Season commencing next week (March 6), the Vatican published yesterday at Noon (Rome Time) the Message by Pope Francis for Lent 2019.

“For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the children of God” (Rom 8:19)

Dear Brothers and Sisters

Each year, through Mother Church, God “gives us this joyful season when we prepare to celebrate the paschal mystery with mind and heart renewed… as we recall the great events that gave us new life in Christ” (Preface of Lent I). We can thus journey from Easter to Easter towards the fulfilment of the salvation we have already received as a result of Christ’s paschal mystery – “for in hope we were saved” (Rom 8:24). This mystery of salvation, already at work in us during our earthly lives, is a dynamic process that also embraces history and all of creation. As Saint Paul says, “the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the children of God” (Rom 8:19). In this perspective, I would like to offer a few reflections to accompany our journey of conversion this coming Lent.

1. The redemption of creation

The celebration of the Paschal Triduum of Christ’s passion, death and resurrection, the culmination of the liturgical year, calls us yearly to undertake a journey of preparation, in the knowledge that our being conformed to Christ (cf. Rom 8:29) is a priceless gift of God’s mercy.

When we live as children of God, redeemed, led by the Holy Spirit (cf. Rom 8:14) and capable of acknowledging and obeying God’s law, beginning with the law written on our hearts and in nature, we also benefit creation by cooperating in its redemption. That is why Saint Paul says that creation eagerly longs for the revelation of the children of God; in other words, that all those who enjoy the grace of Jesus’ paschal mystery may experience its fulfilment in the redemption of the human body itself. When the love of Christ transfigures the lives of the saints in spirit, body and soul, they give praise to God. Through prayer, contemplation and art, they also include other creatures in that praise, as we see admirably expressed in the “Canticle of the Creatures” by Saint Francis of Assisi (cf. Laudato Si’, 87). Yet in this world, the harmony generated by redemption is constantly threatened by the negative power of sin and death.

2. The destructive power of sin

Indeed, when we fail to live as children of God, we often behave in a destructive way towards our neighbours and other creatures – and ourselves as well – since we begin to think more or less consciously that we can use them as we will. Intemperance then takes the upper hand: we start to live a life that exceeds those limits imposed by our human condition and nature itself. We yield to those untrammelled desires that the Book of Wisdom sees as typical of the ungodly, those who act without thought for God or hope for the future (cf. 2:1-11). Unless we tend constantly towards Easter, towards the horizon of the Resurrection, the mentality expressed in the slogans “I want it all and I want it now!” and “Too much is never enough”, gains the upper hand.

The root of all evil, as we know, is sin, which from its first appearance has disrupted our communion with God, with others and with creation itself, to which we are linked in a particular way by our body. This rupture of communion with God likewise undermines our harmonious relationship with the environment in which we are called to live, so that the garden has become a wilderness (cf. Gen 3:17-18). Sin leads man to consider himself the god of creation, to see himself as its absolute master and to use it, not for the purpose willed by the Creator but for his own interests, to the detriment of other creatures.

Once God’s law, the law of love, is forsaken, then the law of the strong over the weak takes over. The sin that lurks in the human heart (cf. Mk 7:20-23) takes the shape of greed and unbridled pursuit of comfort, lack of concern for the good of others and even of oneself. It leads to the exploitation of creation, both persons and the environment, due to that insatiable covetousness which sees every desire as a right and sooner or later destroys all those in its grip.

3. The healing power of repentance and forgiveness

Creation urgently needs the revelation of the children of God, who have been made “a new creation”. For “if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has passed away; behold, the new has come” (2 Cor 5:17). Indeed, by virtue of their being revealed, creation itself can celebrate a Pasch, opening itself to a new heaven and a new earth (cf. Rev 21:1). The path to Easter demands that we renew our faces and hearts as Christians through repentance, conversion and forgiveness, so as to live fully the abundant grace of the paschal mystery.

This “eager longing”, this expectation of all creation, will be fulfilled in the revelation of the children of God, that is, when Christians and all people enter decisively into the “travail” that conversion entails. All creation is called, with us, to go forth “from its bondage to decay and obtain the glorious liberty of the children of God” (Rom 8:21). Lent is a sacramental sign of this conversion. It invites Christians to embody the paschal mystery more deeply and concretely in their personal, family and social lives, above all by fasting, prayer and almsgiving.

Fasting, that is, learning to change our attitude towards others and all of creation, turning away from the temptation to “devour” everything to satisfy our voracity and being ready to suffer for love, which can fill the emptiness of our hearts. Prayer, which teaches us to abandon idolatry and the self-sufficiency of our ego, and to acknowledge our need of the Lord and his mercy. Almsgiving, whereby we escape from the insanity of hoarding everything for ourselves in the illusory belief that we can secure a future that does not belong to us. And thus to rediscover the joy of God’s plan for creation and for each of us, which is to love him, our brothers and sisters, and the entire world, and to find in this love our true happiness.

Dear brothers and sisters, the “lenten” period of forty days spent by the Son of God in the desert of creation had the goal of making it once more that garden of communion with God that it was before original sin (cf. Mk 1:12-13; Is 51:3). May our Lent this year be a journey along that same path, bringing the hope of Christ also to creation, so that it may be “set free from its bondage to decay and obtain the glorious liberty of the children of God” (Rom 8:21). Let us not allow this season of grace to pass in vain! Let us ask God to help us set out on a path of true conversion. Let us leave behind our selfishness and self-absorption, and turn to Jesus’ Pasch. Let us stand beside our brothers and sisters in need, sharing our spiritual and material goods with them. In this way, by concretely welcoming Christ’s victory over sin and death into our lives, we will also radiate its transforming power to all of creation.

From the Vatican, 4 October 2018,
Feast of Saint Francis of Assisi

FRANCIS


Thursday, February 21, 2019

Masses of the Blessed Virgin Mary 13 (Lent IV): The Commending of the Blessed Virgin Mary


The words of Jesus, dying on the Cross: “Behold, your son... Behold, your mother.” (John 19, 26-27), are seen by the Church as a special parting gift, by which Christ the Lord "entrusted to his Virgin Mother all his disciples as her children" (Leo XIII, Encyclical Letter Octobri mense: ASS 24 [1891-1892] p. 195), and entrusted his Mother to his disciples to be honoured and revered. Hence "a deep bond of love is fashioned between the Blessed Virgin Mary and his faithful disciples" (Preface), which is honored and celebrated in this Mass.

The commending of the disciples: it is primarily God who is glorified, for making "a home for the Blessed Virgin in the Church as the joyful mother of children" (Entrance Antiphon, cf. Psalm 113, 9). Our Lady is called "mother of those who believe" (Preface), to whom the faithful turn with full confidence; Jesus Christ is more than once referred to as the one who "entrusted us to his Virgin Mother as her children" (Prayer after Communion, cf. Collect, Prayer over the Offerings, Preface). This act of commending is part of the mystery of Christ's Passion and the Virgin's co-suffering; the liturgy therefore refers to the Blessed Virgin as one who "stood by the cross and tenderly looked on the wounds of her Son, whose death she knew would redeem the world." (Gospel Verse), and it places on her lips the words of the Apostle: "I endure all for the sake of the elect, so that they too may achieve salvation in Christ Jesus with eternal glory." (Communion Antiphon, 2 Tm 2, 10). With Mary in mind the liturgy sets before the faithful the wonderful example of the Mother of the Maccabees, who saw her sons dying, yet bore this with courage because of her hope in God (1st Reading, 2 Maccabees 7, 1. 20-29).

The commending of the Virgin: Our Lady also was entrusted by Christ to the loving care of the beloved disciple: "To the virgin John, Christ, dying on the Cross, entrusted his Virgin Mother" (Liturgia Horarum, 27 december, Antiphon 2 at Morning Prayer). In John, Christ made all his disciples "living signs of his own love for her" (Prayer over the Offerings, cf. Sacramentarium Veronense 1276): they "receive her as a precious inheritance from their Master" (Preface), and in heeding what she says (cf. Preface, John 2, 5) they conscientiously "keep the words of their Master" (Preface).

----------

Entrance Antiphon Psalm 113, 4. 9
The Lord is enthroned above all nations,
God’s glory is above the heavens.
The Lord makes a home for the Blessed Virgin in the Church
as the joyful mother of children.

COLLECT
All-holy Father, you chose the Easter Mystery
as the way of our salvation;
grant that we, whom Jesus entrusted from the Cross
to his Virgin Mother,
may be numbered among your adopted children.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.

LITURGY OF THE WORD

First Reading

Because of her hope in the Lord, this admirable mother bore their deaths with honor.

A reading from the second Book of Maccabees 7, 1. 20-29

It happened that seven brothers with their mother were arrested
   and tortured with whips and scourges by the king,
   to force them to eat pork in violation of God’s law.

Most admirable and worthy of everlasting remembrance was the mother,
   who saw her seven sons perish in a single day,
   yet bore it courageously because of her hope in the LORD.
Filled with a noble spirit that stirred her heart with courage,
   she exhorted each of her sons
   in the language of their ancestors with these words:
   “I do not know how you came into existence in my womb;
   it was not I who gave you the breath of life,
   nor was it I who set in order
   the elements of which each of you is composed.
Therefore, since it is the Creator of the universe
   who shapes each person’s beginning,
   as he brings about the origin of everything,
   the Creator, in his mercy,
   will give you back both breath and life,
   because you now disregard yourselves for the sake of his law.”

King Antiochus, suspecting insult in her words,
   thought he was being ridiculed.
As the youngest brother was still alive, the king appealed to him,
   not with mere words, but with promises on oath,
   to make him rich and happy
   if he would abandon his ancestral customs:
   the king would make the youngest brother his Friend
   and entrust him with high office.
When the youth paid no attention to him at all,
   the king appealed to the mother,
   urging her to advise her boy to save his life.
After he had urged her for a long time,
   she went through the motions of persuading her son.
In derision of the cruel tyrant,
   she leaned over close to her son and said in their native language:
   “Son, have pity on me, who carried you in my womb for nine months,
   nursed you for three years, brought you up,
   educated and supported you to your present age.
I beg you, child, to look at the heavens and the earth
   and see all that is in them;
   then you will know that God did not make them out of existing things;
   and in the same way the human race came into existence.
Do not be afraid of this executioner,
   but be worthy of your brothers and accept death,
   so that in the time of mercy I may receive you again with them.”

The word of the Lord.

Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 17, 2-3. 5-6. 7. 19-20 (R.: 7a)

R. In my distress I called upon the Lord.

I love you, LORD, my strength,
   LORD, my rock, my fortress, my deliverer,
my God, my rock of refuge,
   my shield, my saving horn, my stronghold! R.

The breakers of death surged round about me;
   the menacing floods terrified me.
The cords of Sheol tightened;
   the snares of death lay in wait for me.  R.

In my distress I called out: LORD!
   I cried out to my God.
From his temple he heard my voice;
   my cry to him reached his ears. R.

They attacked me on a day of distress,
   but the LORD came to my support.
He set me free in the open;
   he rescued me because he loves you. R.

Alleluia

The mother of Jesus stood by the cross
and tenderly looked on the wounds of her Son,
whose death she knew would redeem the world.

Gospel

Woman, this is your son.

A reading from the Holy Gospel according to John 19, 25-27

Standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother
   and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas,
   and Mary of Magdala.
When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing beside her,
   he said to his mother, “Woman, behold, your son.”
Then he said to the disciple,
   “Behold, your mother.”
And from that hour the disciple took her into his home.

The Gospel of the Lord.

LITURGY OF THE EUCHARIST

PRAYER OVER THE GIFTS
Lord, receive the gifts we joyfully present,
that they may become the Body and Blood
of our Lord Jesus Christ,
who on the Cross entrusted all his followers
in the person of John
to the Virgin Mother as her children,
and entrusted her to them
as living signs of his own love for her.
He lives and reigns for ever and ever.

PREFACE

Mary and John are Commended to Each Other’s Care

The Lord be with you.
R. And with your spirit.

Lift up your hearts.
R. We lift them up to the Lord

Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
R. It is right and just.

It is truly right and just, our duty and our salvation,
always and everywhere to give you thanks,
Lord, holy Father, almighty and eternal God.

For at the foot of the Cross of Jesus,
by his solemn and dying wish,
a deep bond of love is fashioned
between the Blessed Virgin Mary
and his faithful disciples:
the Mother of God is entrusted to the disciples
as their own mother,
and they receive her
as a precious inheritance from their Master.

She is to be for ever
the mother of those who believe,
and they will look to her
with great confidence in her unfailing protection.
She loves her Son in loving her children,
and in heeding what she says
they keep the words of their Master.

Through him the Angels of heaven
offer their prayer of adoration
as they rejoice in your presence for ever.
May our voices be one with theirs
in their triumphant hymn of praise:

Holy, Holy, Holy....

Communion Antiphon 2 Tm 2, 10
I endure all for the sake of the elect,
so that they too may achieve salvation in Christ Jesus with eternal glory.

PRAYER AFTER COMMUNION
Lord God,
let this sacred table increase our filial love,
for here we are nourished
by the Body and Blood of Christ,
who when dying on the Cross
delivered his spirit into your hands
and entrusted us to his Virgin Mother as her children.
Through Christ our Lord.

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Thursday, February 7, 2019

Decree on the inscription of the celebration of Saint Paul VI, Pope, in the General Roman calendar



At noon [Vatican Time], the Holy See Press Office released a Decree from the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments last January 25, stating that the Celebration of St. Paul VI, who was Canonised alongside 6 Blesseds last 14 October 2018, will be celebrated from here onward on 29 May, in the rank of Optional Memorial. 

It was on May 29, 1920 that St. Paul VI was Ordained into the Priesthood. This changes the Celebration date decreed during his Beatification last 2014 presided by Pope Francis himself, where he chose 26 September, the day of his birth, as his Memorial date.

Here we give the original Latin text, alongside the English translation and the "Memoria ad Libitum" in the Roman Rite of the celebration.

===

Text in the original language

DECRETUM
De celebratione Sancti Pauli VI, papæ,
in Calendario Romano Generali inscribenda

Iesus Christus hominis plenitudo, vivens et operans in Ecclesia, omnes homines invitat ad transfigurantem occursationem cum Eo, qui est «via, veritas et vita» (Io 14, 6). Sancti quidem hoc iter confecerunt. Hoc Paulus VI perfecit, exemplum sectans Apostoli cuius nomen assumpsit, in illo temporis vestigio quo Spiritus Sanctus eum selegit tamquam Petri successorem.

Paulus VI (in sæculo: Ioannes Baptista Montini) die 26 mensis septembris anno 1897 in vico Concesio prope Brixiam in Italia natus est. Die 29 mensis maii anno 1920, presbyteratu auctus est. Inde ab anno 1924 in adiuvandis Summis Pontificibus Pio XI et Pio XII incubuit simulque ministerium sacerdotale pro iuvenibus universitariis exercuit. Substitutus Secretariæ Status nominatus, tempore secundi totius mundi belli, de Hebræis persecutis et profugis suscipiendis molitus est. Deinde Pro-Secretarius Status pro Ordinariis Ecclesiæ Negotiis factus, pro singulari officio etiam fautores oecume­nici motus complures cognovit atque convenit. Archiepiscopus Mediolanensis nominatus diversimode dioecesim coluit. Anno 1958, ad dignitatem Cardinalis Sanctæ Romanæ Ecclesiæ a Sancto Ioanne XXIII evectus est, post cuius mortem, die 21 mensis iunii anno 1963, ad Petri cathedram electus est. In opere a præcessoribus inito alacriter perseverans, præsertim Concilium Vaticanum II perfecit atque incepta innumera inchoavit, quæ vividæ eius sollicitudinis erga Ecclesiam et mundum eius ætatis fuerunt signum, in quibus memoranda ipsiusmet peregrinantis itinera, apostolici muneris causa suscepta, quæ quidem cum ad Christianorum unitatem parandam, tum ad vindicanda primaria hominum iura maximi momenti evaserunt. Item Magisterium pacis summum exercuit, populorum progressionem atque fidei inculturationem promovit, instaurationem denique liturgicam, qua ritus et preces, servata traditione et simul ad nova tempora accommodatione, probavit ita ut Calendarium, Missale, Liturgiam Horarum, Pontificale et fere totum Rituale pro ritu Romano auctoritate sua promulgaret ad actuosam populi fidelis participationem liturgiæ fovendam. Eodem modo celebrationes pontificias ad simpliciorem formam exsequi curavit. Die 6 mensis augusti anno 1978, in Arce Gandulphi, Deo spiritum reddidit, et, iuxta suam dispositionem, humiliter sicut vixerat sepultus est.

Deus, omnium fidelium pastor et rector, curam Ecclesiæ suæ, peregrinantis in tempora, illis tradit quos Ipse vicarios Filii sui constituit. Ex iis sanctus Paulus VI fulget, qui in se fidem puram sancti Petri et missionalem sedulitatem sancti Pauli iunxit. Conscientia sua se Petrum sentiendi clarescit si meminimus eum, in die 10 iunii 1969, Consilium Oecumenicum Ecclesiarum Genevæ visitantem, se obtulisse dicentem: «Mihi nomen est Petrus». Sed ille autem missionem suam, pro qua se electum agnoscebat, ab ipso nomine selecto mutuabat. Tamquam Paulus, vitam suam profudit pro Christi Evangelio, novos fines superans et testimonium Eius afferens in opere nuntiandi et dialogum promovendi, propheta Ecclesiæ ad externum convertendæ, quæ longinquos intuetur et pauperes curat.Ecclesia vero semper fuit amor eius constans, navitas eius primigenia, assidua cogitatio, primum et præcipuum vestigium illius pontificatus: nam volebat Ecclesiam in se ipsam penitus introspicere ad magis magisque opus Evangelii nuntiandi dilatandum.

Vitæ sanctitate huius Summi Pontificis perspecta, operibus verbisque testificata, et magno pondere eius ministerii apostolici perpenso pro Ecclesia in toto orbe terrarum diffusa, Summus Pontifex FRANCISCUS, postulationes et desideria populi Dei annuens, celebrationem sancti Pauli VI, papæ, die 29 maii, gradu memoriæ ad libitum, in Calendarium Romanum inseri decrevit.

Nova igitur memoria cunctis Calendariis Librisque liturgicis pro Missæ et Liturgiæ Horarum celebratione erit inserenda; textus liturgici adhibendi hoc decreto adnexi, cura Coetuum Episcoporum vertendi, approbandi et post huius Dicasterii confirmationem edendi sunt.

Contrariis quibuslibet minime obstantibus.

Ex ædibus Congregationis de Cultu Divino e Disciplina Sacramentorum die 25 ianuarii 2019, in festo Conversionis S. Pauli, apostoli.

Robertus Card. Sarah
Præfectus

+ Arturus Roche
Archiepiscopus a Secretis

Text in the English Language

DECREE
ON THE INSCRIPTION OF THE CELEBRATION OF SAINT PAUL VI, POPE,
IN THE GENERAL ROMAN CALENDAR

Jesus Christ, the fullness of humanity, living and working in the Church, invites all people to a transforming encounter with Him, who is “the way, the truth and the life” (Jn 14:6). This is the journey of the Saints. Paul VI made it following the example of the Apostle whose name he assumed at the moment when the Holy Spirit chose him as Successor of Peter.

Pope Paul VI (Giovanni Battista Montini) was born on 26 September 1897 at Concesio (Brescia), in Italy. On 29 May 1920 he was ordained to the priesthood. In 1924 he began his service to the Supreme Pontiffs, Pius XI and Pius XII, and at the same time exercised his priestly ministry among university students. Nominated as the Substitute of the Secretariat of State he worked during the Second World War to find shelter for persecuted Jews and refugees. He was later designated Pro-Secretary of State for the General Affairs of the Church, also because of which he knew and encountered many of the proponents of the ecumenical movement. Appointed as Archbishop of Milan, he worked with great care for the diocese. In 1958, he was elevated to the dignity of a Cardinal of the Holy Roman Church by Pope Saint John XXIII, and following his death was elected on 21 June 1963 to the See of Peter. He immediately continued the work begun by his predecessors, in particular he brought the Second Vatican Council to its completion and he began many initiatives that showed his solicitude for the Church and for the contemporary world. Among these initiatives we ought to recall his voyages as a pilgrim, undertaken as an apostolic service which served both as a preparation for the unity of Christians and in asserting the importance of fundamental human rights. Furthermore, he exercised his Supreme Magisterium favouring peace, promoting the progress of peoples and the inculturation of the faith, as well as the liturgical reform, approving Rites and prayers at once in line with tradition and with adaptation for a new age. By his authority he promulgated the Calendar, the Missal, the Liturgy of the Hours, the Pontifical and nearly all of the Ritual for the Roman Rite with the purpose of promoting the active participation of the faithful in the Liturgy. At the same time he saw to it that papal celebrations should take on a more simple form. At Castel Gandolfo on 6 August 1978, he gave his spirit back to God and, according to his wishes, he was buried just as he had lived, in a humble manner.

God, the Shepherd and Guide of all the faithful, entrusts his pilgrim Church through the ages, to those whom he himself has established as Vicars of his Son. Among these, Paul VI shines out as one who united in himself the pure faith of Saint Peter and the missionary zeal of Saint Paul. His consciousness of being the Successor of Peter is evident when we recall that on 10 June 1969, during a visit to the World Council of Churches in Geneva, he introduced himself by saying “My name is Peter”. Nevertheless, he also acknowledged by the name he chose the mission for which he had been elected. Like Saint Paul he spent his life for the Gospel of Christ, crossing new boundaries and becoming its witness by proclamation and dialogue, a prophet of a Church facing outwards, looking to those far away and caring for the poor. The Church was always, indeed his constant love, his principal concern, the object of constant reflection, the first and most fundamental thread of his whole pontificate. He wished nothing other than the Church would have a greater knowledge of herself in order to be ever more effective in proclaiming the Gospel.

Having considered this Pope’s holiness of life, witnessed to by his works and words, and having taken account of the great influence of his apostolic ministry for the Church throughout the whole world, Pope Francis, assenting to the petitions and desires of the People of God, has decreed that the celebration of Pope Saint Paul VI, should be inserted into the Roman Calendar on 29 May with the rank of optional memorial.

This new memorial will be inserted into all Calendars and Liturgical Books for the celebration of the Mass and the Liturgy of the Hours; the liturgical texts to be adopted, attached to this Decree, must be translated, approved and, after the confirmation of this Dicastery, be published by the Episcopal Conferences.

Anything to the contrary notwithstanding.

From the offices of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, 25 January 2019, on the Feast of the Conversion of Saint Paul, Apostle.

Robert Card. Sarah
Prefect

+ Arthur Roche
Archbishop Secretary

“Memoria ad libitum” di San Paolo VI, Papa, nel Libro del Rito Romano

Adnexus decreto diei 25 ianuarii 2019

Additiones in Libris liturgicis Ritus Romani
de memoria ad libitum sancti Pauli VI, papæ

IN CALENDARIUM ROMANUM GENERALEM

MAIUS

29 S. Pauli VI, papæ



IN MISSALE ROMANUM

Die 29 maii
S. Pauli VI, papæ

De Communi pastorum: pro papa.

Collecta

Deus, qui Ecclésiam tuam regéndam
beáto Paulo papæ commisísti,
strénuo Fílii tui Evangélii apóstolo,
præsta, quǽsumus, ut, ab eius institútis illumináti,
ad civílem amóris cultum in mundum dilatándum
tibi collaboráre valeámus.
Per Dóminum.

IN ORDINEM LECTIONUM MISSÆ

571a            Die 29 maii

S. Pauli VI, papæ

De Communi pastorum [pro papa].

Lectio I: 1 Cor 9, 16-19. 22-23, n. 722, 4.
Ps. resp.: Ps 95 (96), 1-2a. 2b-3. 7-8a. 10, n. 721, 5.
Alleluia: Mc 1,17, n. 723, 3.
Evang.: Mt 16, 13-19, n. 724, 2.

IN LITURGIAM HORARUM

Die 29 maii

S. PAULI VI, PAPÆ

Ioannes Baptista Montini, die 26 mensis septembris anno 1897 in vico Concesio prope Brixiam natus est. Presbyteratu auctus die 29 mensis maii anno 1920, ministerium suum Apostolicæ Sedi præstitit, donec Archiepiscopus Mediolanensis nominatus est. Ad Petri cathedram evectus, die 21 mensis iunii anno 1963, feliciter Concilium Vaticanum secundum perfecit, instaurationem vitæ ecclesialis promovit, Liturgiæ præsertim, dialogum œcumenicum et nuntium Evangelii mundo recentioris ætatis. Die 6 mensis augusti anno 1978, Deo spiritum reddidit.

De Communi pastorum: pro papa.



Ad Officium lectionis

LECTIO ALTERA

Ex Homilíis sancti Pauli Sexti, papæ

(In ultima Concilii Oecumenici Vaticani secundi publica Sessione, die 7 decembris 1965: AAS 58 [1966] 53. 55-56. 58-59)

Opus est cognoscere hominem, ut cognoscatur Deus

Ope huius Concílii, doctrína theocéntrica ac theológica, uti aiunt, de humána na­tú­ra ac de mundo ad se hóminum mentes convértit, quasi eos próvocans, qui illam a nostræ ætátis ratióne aliénam atque extráneam putent; atque tália sibi árrogat, quæ mundus primum quidem absúrda iúdicet, sed póstea, ut fore confídimus, hu­mána, sapiéntia ac salutária ultro agnóscet: scílicet Deum esse. Utique Deus est; reápse exsístit; vivit; persóna est; est próvidus, infiníta bonitáte prǽditus, et quidem bonus non solum in se, sed maximópere etiam erga nos; est noster Creátor, no­stra véritas, nostra felícitas; ádeo ut homo, cum mentem et cor suum in Deo defígere nítitur, contemplatióni vacándo, actum ánimi sui elíciat, qui ómnium nobilíssimus ac perfectíssimus est habéndus; actum dícimus, a quo nostris étiam tempóribus innúmeri humánæ navitátis campi suæ dignitátis gradum súmere possunt ac debent.

Verum enimvéro Ecclésia, in Concílio collécta, suam consideratiónem summó­pere inténdit – prætérquam in semetípsam, atque in necessitúdinem, qua cum Deo coniúngitur – in hóminem étiam, in hóminem, sícuti reápse hoc témpore se con­spiciéndum præbet: hóminem, dícimus, qui vivit; hóminem, qui sibimetípsi uni pro­vehéndo déditus est; hóminem, qui non modo sese dignum exístimat, ad quem unum, véluti ad quoddam centrum, omne stúdium conferátur, sed étiam affirmáre non verétur, se esse cuiúsvis rei princípium atque ratiónem. Totus homo phæno­ménicus, suis innúmeris ánimi habítibus indútus, quibus in conspéctum venit, se Concílii Pátribus obiécit, qui et ipsi hómines, immo omnes Pastóres atque fratres sunt, inténta cura atque amánti caritáte prǽditi: homo, qui suas luctuósas fortúnas animóse conquéritur; homo, qui et prætérito et nostro hoc témpore álios infra se pósitos exístimat, ideóque semper fluxus atque fucátus, sui cúpidus et ferox est; ho­mo sibi dísplicens, qui risus edit et lácrimas fundit; homo ad ómnia versátilis, ad quáslibet partes agéndas fácilis; homo in unam sciéntiæ pervestigatiónem ácriter inténtus; homo, qui uti talis cógitat, amat, in labóribus desúdat, semper ad áliquid ánimum advértit; homo, qui sacra quadam cum religióne est considerándus, ob suæ infántiæ innocéntiam, ob suæ inópiæ arcánum, ob pietátem, quam suæ ægritúdines movent; homo hinc sui ipsíus tantum studiósus, hinc societáti favens; homo simul laudátor témporis acti, simul pósterum tempus præstólans, illúdque felícius quam prætéritum sómnians; homo ex áltera parte crimínibus obnóxius, ex áltera sanctis móribus ornátus; et deínde deínceps. Humanitátis illud láicum atque profá­num stúdium, immáni qua est magnitúdine, tandem aliquándo pródiit, idémque ad certámen, ut ita dicámus, Concílium lacessívit. Relígio, id est cultus Dei, qui homo fíeri vóluit, atque relígio – talis enim est æstimánda – id est cultus hóminis, qui fíeri vult Deus, inter se congréssæ sunt. Quid tamen áccidit? Certámen, proélium, aná­thema? Id sane habéri potúerat, sed plane non áccidit. Vetus illa de bono Samaritáno narrátio exémplum fuit atque norma, ad quam Concílii nostri spirituális rátio dirécta est. Etenim, imménsus quidam erga hómines amor Concílium pénitus pervásit. Perspéctæ et íterum considerátæ hóminum necessitátes, quæ eo molestióres fiunt, quo magis huius terræ fílius crescit, totum nostræ huius Sýnodi stúdium detinué­runt. Hanc saltem laudem Concílio tribúite, vos, nostra hac ætáte cultóres huma­nitátis, qui veritátes rerum natúram transcendéntes renúitis, iidémque novum no­strum humanitátis stúdium agnóscite: nam nos étiam, immo nos præ céteris, hómi­nis sumus cultóres.

Quæ cum ita sint, faténdum revéra est, cathólicam religiónem et humánam vitam inter se amíco foédere iungi, et utrámque simul conspiráre ad unum quoddam humánum bonum: religiónem scílicet cathólicam pro humáno génere esse, humaníque géneris esse quodámmodo vitam.

Quodsi omnes, qui hic præséntes adéstis, memínimus in vultu cuiúsvis hóminis, máxime si lácrimis ac dolóribus efféctus est translúcidus, agnoscéndum esse vultum Christi, Fílii hóminis; ac si in vultu Christi agnoscéndus est vultus Patris cæléstis, secúndum illud: Qui videt me, videt et Patrem, modus noster res humánas æstimándi mutátur in Christianísmum, qui in Deum ut in mé­dium totus dirígitur; ita ut rem hoc étiam modo enuntiáre possímus: scílicet opus es­se cognóscere hóminem, ut cognoscátur Deus.

Amáre hóminem, dícimus, non ut instruméntum, sed ut primum véluti finem, quo ad suprémum finem, humánas res transcendéntem, perveniámus.

Responsorium                                                                         Cf. Phil 4, 8

R/. Quæcúmque sunt vera, pudíca, iusta, casta, amabília, bonæ famæ, *hæc cogitáte (T.P. allelúia).

V/. Si qua virtus et si qua laus, * hæc cogitáte (T.P. allelúia).

Oratio

Deus, qui Ecclésiam tuam regéndam beáto Paulo papæ commisísti, strénuo Fílii tui Evangélii apóstolo, præsta, quǽsumus, ut, ab eius institútis illumináti, ad civílem amóris cultum in mundum dilatándum tibi collaboráre valeámus. Per Dóminum.

IN MARTYROLOGIUM ROMANUM, die 29 maii, primo loco:

Sancti Pauli papæ Sexti, qui, hac die presbyterátu auctus est, dein Archiepíscopus Mediolanénsis, tandem Sedi Románæ eléctus, Concílium Œcuménicum Vaticánum Secúndum diligénter ac felíciter pértulit, renovationémque vitæ Ecclésiæ, sacræ præsértim Liturgíæ, promóvit, œcuménicum diálogum atque Evangélii núntium homínibus huius ætátis curávit, donec die sexto augústi in pace Dómini obdormívit.

Wednesday, February 6, 2019

Masses of the Blessed Virgin Mary 12 (Lent III): The Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother at the Foot of the Cross II


This Mass in celebration of Christ's saving Passion also honors the part played by the Blessed Virgin Mary in achieving our salvation. When Mary became the Mother of Christ "by the power of the Holy Spirit" (Preface), she became by a further gift of divine love "a partner in his Passion" (Preface), a Mother suffering with him (Collect A, Collect B).

The beginning of the Mass echoes the prophecy of Simeon, which links the destiny of the Son and the Mother and foretells that Christ would be a sign that would be contested and that the Virgin's soul would be pierced by a sword of sorrow (cf. Entrance Antiphon. Luke 2, 34-35).

The prayers of the Mass recall the plan of salvation, by which God joined the suffering of the Mother with the suffering of her Son (Collect A, Collect B), and decreed that "the new Eve should stand by the Cross of the new Adam(Preface).

The co-suffering of the Blessed Virgin in the drama of salvation is rightly celebrated, because she stood by the Cross of the Lord (cf. Gospel. John 19, 25-27) "firm in faith, strong in hope, burning with love." (Gospel Verse); there she did not spare her own life when her nation was brought low (cf. 1st Reading. Judith 13,17-20); she endured the greatest of pains in bringing forth to new and divine life the family of the Church, though she had brought forth her Son "without the pains of childbirth" (Preface); hence the faithful glorify her as they say, "How blessed was the Virgin Mary in her sufferings: she gained the palm of living martyrdom at the foot of the Cross of her Son." (Communion Antiphon, A).

What took place in the reality in the passion of Christ is now celebrated in sacramental signs; and so we pray that "the sacrifice of the altar, offered in union with the Virgin, may wipe away our sins and open for us the gates of heaven" (Prayer over the Offerings). The faithful, as they share in the sufferings of Christ, are to rejoice, "that [they] may also rejoice exultantly when his glory is revealed." (Communion Antiphon, B. 1 Peter 4, 13), and, by carrying their Cross each day, they may come to share in the resurrection of Christ (cf. Prayer after Communion).

The texts of the Mass come from the Proprium missarum Ordinis Fratrum Servorum beatae Mariae Virginis, Curia Generalis OSM, Rome, 1972, pp. 57-60.
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Entrance Antiphon Luke 2, 34-35
Simeon said to Mary: Behold, this child is destined
for the ruin and rising of many in Israel,
and to be a sign of contradiction;
and your own soul a sword will pierce.

COLLECT
Lord our God,
you placed at the side of your suffering Son
his Mother to suffer with him,
so that the human race,
deceived by the wiles of the devil,
might become a new and resplendent creation.
Grant that your people may put aside their inheritance of sin
and put on the newness of life won
by Christ the Redeemer.
Who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.

or:

Lord God,
you decreed that the Mother of your Son
should stand by his Cross, suffering with him.
Safeguard in your family
the fruits of your great work of redemption
and in your goodness
make them grow daily more and more.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.

LITURGY OF THE WORD

First Reading

You have averted our ruin before our God.

A reading from the Book of Judith 13,17-20

All the people were greatly astonished.
   They bowed down and worshiped God, saying with one accord,
   “Blessed are you, our God,
   who today have brought to naught the enemies of your people.”
Then Uzziah said to her:
   “Blessed are you, daughter, by the Most High God,
   above all the women on earth;
   and blessed be the LORD God,
   the creator of heaven and earth,
   who guided your blow at the head of the chief of our enemies.
Your deed of hope will never be forgotten
   by those who tell of the might of God.
May God make this redound to your everlasting honor,
   rewarding you with blessings,
   because you risked your life
   when your people were being oppressed,
   and you averted our disaster
   walking uprightly before our God.”
And all the people answered, “Amen! Amen!”

The word of the Lord.

Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 144, 1-2. 4-6. 8-9 (R.: 9b) 

R. The Lord is merciful to every creature.

I will extol you, O my God and King,
and I will bless your name forever and ever.
Every day will I bless you,
and I will praise your name forever and ever. R.

Generation after generation praises your works
and proclaims your might.
They speak of the splendor of your glorious majesty
and tell of your wondrous works.
They discourse of the power of your terrible deeds
and declare your greatness.  R.

The LORD is gracious and merciful,
slow to anger and of great kindness.
The LORD is good to all
and compassionate toward all his works. R.

Alleluia
There by the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ stood his mother,
firm in faith, strong in hope, burning with love.

Gospel

There by the cross of Jesus stood his mother.

A reading from the Holy Gospel according to John 19, 25-27

Standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother
   and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas,
   and Mary of Magdala.
When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing beside her,
   he said to his mother, “Woman, behold, your son.”
Then he said to the disciple,
   “Behold, your mother.”
And from that hour the disciple took her into his home.

The Gospel of the Lord.

LITURGY OF THE EUCHARIST

PRAYER OVER THE GIFTS
Lord, let our gifts be consumed
by the fire of the Holy Spirit,
so that the sacrifice of the altar,
offered in union with the Virgin,
may wipe away our sins
and open for us the gates of heaven.
Through Christ our Lord.

PREFACE

By a Gift of God’s Love Our Lady Shared in the Passion of Her Son

The Lord be with you.
R. And with your spirit.

Lift up your hearts.
R. We lift them up to the Lord

Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
R. It is right and just.

It is truly right and just, our duty and our salvation,
always and everywhere to give you thanks,
Lord, holy Father, almighty and eternal God,
through Christ our Lord.

In your divine wisdom
you planned the redemption of the human race
and decreed that the new Eve
should stand by the Cross of the new Adam:
as she became his Mother
by the power of the Holy Spirit,
so, by a new gift of your love,
she was to be a partner in his Passion,
and she who had given him birth
without the pains of childbirth
was to endure the greatest of pains
in bringing forth to new life
the family of your Church.

Now, with Angels and Archangels,
and the whole company of heaven,
we sing the unending hymn of your praise:

Holy, Holy, Holy....

Communion Antiphon
How blessed was the Virgin Mary in her sufferings:
she gained the palm of living martyrdom
at the foot of the Cross of her Son.

or:

1 Peter 4, 13
Rejoice when you share in the sufferings of Christ,
that you may also rejoice exultantly
when his glory is revealed.

PRAYER AFTER COMMUNION
Lord God, protect your servants,
whose hunger and thirst
you have satisfied in this Sacrament;
as we call to mind Mary’s suffering with Christ,
grant that by carrying our cross each day
we may come to share in his Resurrection.
Who lives and reigns for ever and ever.
Through Christ our Lord.

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