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BEIRUT (AP) -- The U.S. military said it shot down an Iranian-made, armed drone in southern Syria on Tuesday, marking the third time this month that that the U.S. has downed aircraft affiliated with Syrian President Bashar Assad's government....
WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Donald Trump said Tuesday that the death of 22-year-old Otto Warmbier after his lengthy detention in North Korea was a "total disgrace," and said if the college student had been returned home to the U.S. earlier, "I think the result would have been a lot different."...
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Republicans are getting ready for Senate votes on legislation scuttling former President Barack Obama's health care law, Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said Tuesday among growing indications that the climactic vote could occur next week....
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) -- The United States flew two supersonic bombers over the Korean Peninsula on Tuesday in a show of force against North Korea, South Korean officials said....
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Sen. John McCain said Tuesday that Americans who are "stupid" enough to still want to travel to North Korea should be required to sign a waiver absolving the U.S. government of any blame should they be harmed while there....
JER 20: 10-13; ROM 5:12-15; MATTHEW 10: 26-33Anecdote: Fearless St. Teresa. St. Teresa of Avila is famous as a theologian, reformer of the Carmelite Order, and spiritual advisor to the great medieval Spanish mystic, St. John of the Cross. But Teresa's ministry was not well received in her community. Her sisters had grown lax in faith and practice, and when she called for reform their response was to throw her out of convents that she herself had established. On one occasion, she was turned out at night in the middle of a rainstorm. Dressed only in her coarse wool habit, she climbed into a donkey cart and was riding along when the wheel of the cart hit a ditch and the cart turned over, dumping Teresa into the mud. She sat there, in mud-soaked wool, looked up to heaven, and said, "Lord, if this is the way you treat your friends, it's no wonder that you don't have many." But frustrated as she was, Teresa clung to God. In one of her medi...
JER 20: 10-13; ROM 5:12-15; MATTHEW 10: 26-33
Anecdote: Fearless St. Teresa. St. Teresa of Avila is famous as a theologian, reformer of the Carmelite Order, and spiritual advisor to the great medieval Spanish mystic, St. John of the Cross. But Teresa's ministry was not well received in her community. Her sisters had grown lax in faith and practice, and when she called for reform their response was to throw her out of convents that she herself had established. On one occasion, she was turned out at night in the middle of a rainstorm. Dressed only in her coarse wool habit, she climbed into a donkey cart and was riding along when the wheel of the cart hit a ditch and the cart turned over, dumping Teresa into the mud. She sat there, in mud-soaked wool, looked up to heaven, and said, "Lord, if this is the way you treat your friends, it's no wonder that you don't have many." But frustrated as she was, Teresa clung to God. In one of her meditations on the Disciplines of the Holy Spirit, Teresa talks about how we must not be deceived by the appearance that evil triumphs over good. She wrote, "God uses the Devil as a sharpening-stone for Christians." Teresa not only taught this lesson, she lived by it. She never gave up on God, even when her sisters opposed her by going to priests and bishops to make trouble for her. She kept right on teaching what she knew to be the truth. And eventually, she won out. Her desire was to be faithful, and God prospered her efforts. Today, she is known as a Doctor of the Church -- an exemplary teacher and thinker -- while the nuns who treated her so badly remain dead and unknown. And the Carmelite convents of Teresa's reform continue to this very day. Teresa understood what the prophet Jeremiah was talking about in the first reading and what Jesus was teaching in today's Gospel lesson.
Introduction: Our scripture for this Twelfth Sunday in Ordinary Time is a call to preach Christ through our words and lives without fear.
Scripture lessons: The first reading tells us how the prophet Jeremiah trusted in the power of God while he faced opposition for his prophetic ministry. The psalmist in today’s responsorial psalm repeats the same trust in the kindness and great mercy of God when he is misunderstood and ill-treated even by his brothers and relatives. In the second reading Paul assures the Christians in Rome that they need not be afraid of opposition because they share in the death of Jesus and his resurrection or they are united with Christ the new Adam in his resurrection. Today’s gospel passage is from the end of Jesus’ instruction to his disciples as he sends them forth to carry on his mission of preaching and healing. He asks them to live simply and to expect opposition and rejection. After having predicted the future opposition and persecution Jesus encourages his disciples to stand firm. Three times they are urged, "Do not fear!" "Do not be afraid!" Instead of shrinking from their task, they are to proclaim the Gospel boldly, because they will be protected just as Jeremiah was assured of God's protection. Hence Jesus commands his disciples not to fear their persecutors. He presents before them the image of the sparrow to reinforce the disciples’ trust and hope in God. The readings hint at the opposition we future Christians will encounter as we carry on the work of Jesus in the world and they encourage us to persevere in doing the work of Jesus. They assure us that we will be successful despite the opposition we encounter.
The first reading: Jer 20: 10-13: The first reading from Jeremiah, like today’s Gospel, reflects on the suffering of the believer. Jeremiah experienced the dangers posed by his friends, and even his family because he spoke the words given him by Yahweh. He lived from about 650 B.C. to 580 B.C. Most of his work was in Judah's capital Jerusalem. He tried to keep the people and the kings faithful to God in a world of political intrigue. Nevertheless, Jeremiah was confident that God would not let his enemies overcome him. He declared, "But the Lord is with me, like a mighty champion: my persecutors will stumble, they will not triumph." He praised God for salvation before he actually experienced it. "Sing to the Lord, praise the Lord, for he has rescued the life of the poor from the power of the wicked!" The passage from Jeremiah contains three voices and three addressees. There is the overall narrator, there is Jeremiah himself, and there are his enemies.
The second reading: Rom 5: 12-15: Paul assures the faithful followers of Jesus that they need not be afraid of opposition because they share in the death of Jesus and in his resurrection. With words of encouragement Paul explains why, in spite of the bitter experience of opposition, their work will succeed. Since Jesus, by his death and resurrection, has conquered sin, Jesus' followers will ultimately succeed in carrying out his work despite the opposition they encounter. Paul describes Jesus as the new Adam. Where the first Adam brought sin and death into the world, the second Adam brings grace and life. The passage tells us that we have died with Christ to the law, to sin, to self and to the world. We need not be afraid of those who oppose us, for we are united with Christ in his resurrection. In the end, those who oppose Christ will be dishonored, and those who have remained faithful will be redeemed and blessed with eternal life.
Exegetical notes: Have no fear. Jesus gives three reasons why his apostles, and we, should not be frightened. The first reason is that opponents will not be able to prevent Jesus' followers from succeeding in their mission because God will expose their evil plans and deeds: "nothing is covered up that will not be uncovered." The Lord "will bring to light the hidden things of darkness" (1 Cor 4:5), and will vindicate the faithful. That God will not permit evil to win is the promise of v. 26.
The second reason not to be afraid is the limited power of our opponents. They can kill the body, which dies all too soon anyway, but have no power over the soul. Only God has power over eternity. The gospel identifies two fears that the apostles had: fear of false accusation and conviction, and fear of bodily harm and death. Tradition has it that almost all the apostles died the violent death of martyrdom. Some of them ended up being crucified on the cross, like Peter and Andrew; beheaded, like James and Paul; flayed alive, like Bartholomew; or thrown into a cauldron of boiling oil, like John. When the Old Testament mentioned fear of God (Psalm 2:11; 15:4; 19:9; 22:23; 25:12, etc.) it generally meant giving due respect to God. Respect is an attitude proper to a free person. God does not threaten to throw us into hell; rather he reminds us that to lose him by sin is to lose ourselves also--and that is hell. There is no reason to fear God because He does not wish that any one should perish. He has sent Christ to provide salvation for all. Fear of God overcomes human fear.
The third reason we should not be afraid is God's compassionate love. We are more important to God than sparrows. Matthew speaks of two sparrows sold for one penny. The God who cares for a trivial bird like the sparrow also cares about our smallest problems – even the hairs on our heads are counted. While this is an encouraging assurance, it may be difficult to believe in the midst of persecution. But God knows everything that we go through – nothing that happens to us escapes him. When we feel lonely and abandoned, when it seems that our prayers are unanswered, God knows and cares. Jesus concludes by saying, "So do not be afraid; you are worth much more than many sparrows." In other words, the perfect antidote for fear is trust in God. God is our shelter and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble. So we will not be afraid… (Psalm 45:1, 2. Confer also Psalm 27:1,2, Psalm 91:1,2)
The necessity of loyalty in Christian life. If we are loyal to Jesus in this life, Jesus will be loyal to us in the life to come. On the other hand, if we are too proud to acknowledge that Christ is our Lord and Savior, He will not acknowledge us in the next life. In the early church, Christians had the courage of their convictions, knowing very well that this might result in their losing their lives. Hence, we must not deny him through our silence, whether in word or deed. Denial by deeds arises from actions that do not match our profession of faith. We must not be ashamed to behave as people of faith and proclaim our Christian convictions when necessary.
Revelation of hidden things and triumph of truth. "There is nothing hidden that will not be revealed and nothing secret that will not be made known," This is not a threat that God will expose some sin we had forgotten. Jesus speaks these words as good news, as a reason not to be afraid of persecution. These verses promise that the evil motives and the wickedness of the persecutors will someday become a matter of public knowledge. At the Last Judgment, the persecutors will not be able to hide their sin. It will eventually come to light and to judgment. When that happens, those who have been persecuted will be vindicated before God and before the world. Verses 26-27 promise the ultimate triumph of truth and righteousness. We are challenged to trust in the loving God who continually saves us in the events of our lives. We are sheltered, protected and wrapped in God’s love. Hence, we are free – free of fear – free to live – free to witness to Christ through our lives.
Life messages: 1) Be not afraid: Sometimes we are afraid that we will make a wrong decision. At other times, we are afraid of what others will think when we speak up for Jesus. We are afraid of what the future will bring our children. We are also afraid of growing old. Sometimes we are afraid of what bad health will bring us. At the root of these fears is the fear of loss. Every fear we have is grounded in the knowledge that we have something or someone to lose. I can lose my job, family, house, money, health and even life itself. Rejection and loss are the basis of our fears. But we forget one thing: whatever trouble or crisis affects us, we know that God understands it better than we ourselves. Our heavenly Father knows exactly what is happening. What a release from fear it is to know that God is on our side; that our life is in the hands of a loving God. The next time fear grips our life we need to remember that being faithful to Christ wherever we meet him in this life is much more important than our fear of rejection and loss. Also let us take a moment to recall some of the great promises of God. Let us remind ourselves that God cares – we are each a dear child of his and he cares for each of us. "Don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows." The last verse of Psalm 27 sums it up nicely, "Trust in the Lord. Have faith, do not despair. Trust in the Lord." (Prepared by Fr. Anthony Kadavil).
Indian Cardinal Ivan Dias, Prefect Emeritus of the Vatican’s Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples and Archbishop Emeritus of Bombay died on Monday in Rome. He was 81. “The church in India has lost an illustrious son,” is how Cardinal Oswald Gracias, Archbishop of Bombay described the late prelate. “Cardinal Ivan Dias made India proud. …. he loved India, and he worked tirelessly for the progress and uplift of its people,” said Card. Gracias in comments to Crux. Card. Gracias succeeded Card. Dias as Bombay Archbishop in 2006. The office of the Pontifical Liturgical Celebrations said the funeral Mass of Card. Dias will be held on Wednesday, 21 June, in Rome’s St. Peter’s Basilica. At the end of the concelebrated Mass presided over by Cardinal Angelo Sodano, the dean of the College of Cardinals, Pope Francis will deliver a valedictory message.Early lifeBorn on 14 April,...
Indian Cardinal Ivan Dias, Prefect Emeritus of the Vatican’s Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples and Archbishop Emeritus of Bombay died on Monday in Rome. He was 81.
“The church in India has lost an illustrious son,” is how Cardinal Oswald Gracias, Archbishop of Bombay described the late prelate. “Cardinal Ivan Dias made India proud. …. he loved India, and he worked tirelessly for the progress and uplift of its people,” said Card. Gracias in comments to Crux. Card. Gracias succeeded Card. Dias as Bombay Archbishop in 2006.
The office of the Pontifical Liturgical Celebrations said the funeral Mass of Card. Dias will be held on Wednesday, 21 June, in Rome’s St. Peter’s Basilica. At the end of the concelebrated Mass presided over by Cardinal Angelo Sodano, the dean of the College of Cardinals, Pope Francis will deliver a valedictory message.
Early life
Born on 14 April, 1936 in Bombay, today Mumbai, Cardinal Dias was the second oldest of four sons of Carlo Nazaro Dias and Maria Martins Dias. His father served as an undersecretary for what was then the Bombay Presidency. One of his brothers later became a lieutenant general in the Indian army. After graduating from the Jesuit-run St. Stanislaus High School, he entered the seminary of Bombay archdiocese and was ordained a priest for Bombay Archdiocese On December 8, 1958.
Diplomat
Card. Dias began his pastoral work at St. Stephen’s Church in Bombay until 1961, when he was sent to Rome for higher studies. He was soon picked out for training as diplomat at the Vatican’s prestigious Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy. He also obtained a doctorate in canon law from the Pontifical Lateran University, Rome. As a young priest in Rome, he helped prepare the first papal visit to India by Pope Paul VI in 1964 for the International Eucharistic Congress in Bombay.
After the completion of his diplomatic studied in 1964, Card. Dias served in the Holy See’s missions abroad in the Nordic countries, Indonesia, Madagascar, La Réunion, the Comorros, Mauritius as well as in the Secretariat of State in the Vatican. On 8 May 1982, he was appointed archbishop and Apostolic Pro-Nuncio in Ghana, Togo and Benin. He was consecrated bishop on 19 June that year. He later served as Apostolic Nuncio in Korea (1987-91) and Albania (1991-97).
During his term in Albania he helped rebuild the local church after decades of state-imposed atheism. He invited foreign missionaries to the country and worked with the Albanian government to recover Catholic churches and schools that were confiscated under the atheist regime. He helped prepare the daylong visit of Pope St. John Paul II to the homeland land of Mother Teresa of Kolkata on April 25, 1993.
Archbishop of Bombay - cardinal
Pope St. John Paul II recalled him from diplomatic service and appointed him Archbishop of Bombay on November 8, 1996, and in 2001 made him a cardinal. Cardinal Dias was president delegate of the tenth Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops held in October 2001. The same year, he was named to the Council of Cardinals for the Study of the Organizational and Economic Problems of the Holy See.
Back to Rome - prefect CEP
On May 20, 2006, he was recalled to Rome to serve as prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples. He also was Grand Chancellor of the Pontifical Urbanian University from 2006 to 2011. He retired as p eHe retired ppprefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples on May 10, 2011, at the age of 75. He voted in the enclave that elected Pope Francis in 2013. He lived his retired life in Rome.
“Cardinal Ivan had the courage of his convictions. He never wavered in his zeal for Jesus and the Church,” noted Card. Gracias, a member of the “C9” council of cardinals advising the Pope on the overhaul of the Roman Curia. Speaking to Crux he said the loss isn’t just institutional, but also personal. Card. Gracias who was in Rome last week for a “C9” meeting said, “I have lost a beloved friend, mentor and guide.” “Just two days ago I visited His Eminence at the [Fondazione Don Gnocchi] clinic, and his eyes smiled at me. He was clearly happy and pleased that I had come to visit him and have me sit at his bedside. This welcome he gave me just two days ago, fills my heart with gratitude.”
“Cardinal Ivan Dias was a martyr for mission,” Card. Gracias said. “All his health issues stemmed from his extensive and intensive missionary travels. Cardinal Ivan never complained … he endured his illness and intense sufferings with Christian fortitude and heroism.” “The Church in India, and especially the Archdiocese of Bombay, now has a powerful intercessor in heaven. “Cardinal Ivan Dias’s intercessions will bring many graces,” Card. Gracias added.
With the death of Card. Dias, the number of cardinals worldwide stands at 220, of whom 116 are below 80 who are eligible to vote for a new pope at a conclave. The rest are over 80 and hence cannot vote.
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Tuesday visited and prayed at the tomb of Don Lorenzo Milani, an Italian priest and educator from the Diocese of Florence, and spoke to the faithful present for his visit in Barbiana.Calling Don Milani a “priest who was as transparent and hard as a diamond”, Pope Francis reflected on his life and legacy as an educator in the northern Italian city of Barbiana from 1954 until 1967.The Pope said he wished to pray at his tomb “in order to pay homage to the memory of a priest who witnessed to how, in the gift of self to Christ, we discover our brothers and sisters in their moment of need, and we serve them”.He told the people of Barbiana that they were “witnesses to his passion as an educator and his desire to reawaken the human aspect in persons in order to open them to the divine.”The Holy Father said education for Don Milani was the concrete expression of his priesthood.“[He sought] to give back the word...
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Tuesday visited and prayed at the tomb of Don Lorenzo Milani, an Italian priest and educator from the Diocese of Florence, and spoke to the faithful present for his visit in Barbiana.
Calling Don Milani a “priest who was as transparent and hard as a diamond”, Pope Francis reflected on his life and legacy as an educator in the northern Italian city of Barbiana from 1954 until 1967.
The Pope said he wished to pray at his tomb “in order to pay homage to the memory of a priest who witnessed to how, in the gift of self to Christ, we discover our brothers and sisters in their moment of need, and we serve them”.
He told the people of Barbiana that they were “witnesses to his passion as an educator and his desire to reawaken the human aspect in persons in order to open them to the divine.”
The Holy Father said education for Don Milani was the concrete expression of his priesthood.
“[He sought] to give back the word to poor people, because without language there is neither dignity nor freedom and justice.”
Pope Francis went on to thank all educators for their “service towards promoting the growth of new generations, especially those who find themselves in uncomfortable situations.”
He said Don Milani’s educative drive was born of his priesthood, which in turn was born of his faith. “His was a totalizing faith, which allowed him to give himself completely to the Lord”.
Turning to the priests present, Pope Francis invited them to be “men of faith” and to “love the Church and make her loved by showing her to be a mother for all, especially for the poorest and most fragile”.
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Tuesday made a pilgrimage to northern Italy to honor two 20th-century parish priests whose commitment to the poor and powerless challenged many faithful - inside and outside the Vatican - to step outside their comfort zones.The Pope flew by helicopter to Bozzolo, near Cremona in the region of Lombardy, to pray at the tomb of Don Primo Mazzolari, parish priest of a small town, a scholar who wrote about St. Francis and Blessed John Henry Newman, he opposed the Mussolini regime and emphasized the importance of the poor. Sanctioned for a time by diocesan authorities, Father Mazzolari was a friend of Pope John XXIII and praised by the future Pope Paul VI. He died in 1959.The Pope then travelled to Barbiana, near Florence to pay tribute to Don Lorenzo Milani, a wealthy convert to Catholicism who founded a parish school to educate the poor and workers. In Bozzolo, Francis stood in silent prayer before the simple tomb of Mazzolari, and then delivered a...
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Tuesday made a pilgrimage to northern Italy to honor two 20th-century parish priests whose commitment to the poor and powerless challenged many faithful - inside and outside the Vatican - to step outside their comfort zones.
The Pope flew by helicopter to Bozzolo, near Cremona in the region of Lombardy, to pray at the tomb of Don Primo Mazzolari, parish priest of a small town, a scholar who wrote about St. Francis and Blessed John Henry Newman, he opposed the Mussolini regime and emphasized the importance of the poor. Sanctioned for a time by diocesan authorities, Father Mazzolari was a friend of Pope John XXIII and praised by the future Pope Paul VI. He died in 1959.
The Pope then travelled to Barbiana, near Florence to pay tribute to Don Lorenzo Milani, a wealthy convert to Catholicism who founded a parish school to educate the poor and workers.
In Bozzolo, Francis stood in silent prayer before the simple tomb of Mazzolari, and then delivered a long tribute to the priest whom he described as “Italy's parish priest.”
The Pope quoted Mazzolari’s writings about the need for the Church to accompany its flock and recalled his exhortation that a priest's job isn't to demand perfection from the faithful, but to encourage them to do their best.
Quoting Mazzolari’s own words he said: ``Let us have good sense! We don't to massacre the backs of these poor people.''
He said the legacy of priests like Don Mazzolari is a bright one that challenges us to leave our comfort zones.
“Don Mazzolari tried to change the world without regrets for the past; he was not one who hung on to the Church of the past, but tried to change the Church through love and unconditional dedication” he said.
Pope Francis warned against those men of the Church who “do not want to soil their hands” and who “observe the world through a window”; he warned against those who engage in what he called “separatist activism” where one runs Catholic institutions like banks or businesses; and he spoke out against the temptation for spiritualism which dehumanizes and is devoted only to the apostolate.
Don Mazzolari, the Pope said, conceived the Church going forth into world in the firm belief that that is the only way to reach out to those who do not come to Church any more.
“He was rightly described as ‘the parish priest of those who are far’ because he always loved those on the peripheries and to them dedicated his mission.
Pope Francis concluded his speech with an exhortation to all priests to “listen to the world”, to “step into the dark areas without fear because it is amongst the people that God’s mercy is incarnate.”
He urged them to live in poverty and said that the credibility of the Gospel message is in the simplicity and poverty of the Church and he reminded them always to treasure the lesson of Don Mazzolari.
Pope Francis has expressed his sadness at the death of Indian Cardinal Ivan Dias. The 81 year old retired prefect of the Vatican’s Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples and former archbishop Emeritus of Bombay passed away on Monday in Rome. Pope Francis sent a condolence message to the late cardinal’s brother Francis Dias, recalling his service to the Holy See, particularly his efforts in rebuilding the Church in Albania.Please find below the full text of the Pope's condolence message:Deeply saddened to learn of the death of your dear brother, I offer heartfelt condolences to you and the Dias family. I recall with gratitude the late Cardinal’s years of faithful service to the Apostolic See, especially his contribution to the spiritual and physical reconstruction of the suffering Church in Albania and the missionary zeal demonstrated in his work as Prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples. I likewise unite ...
Pope Francis has expressed his sadness at the death of Indian Cardinal Ivan Dias. The 81 year old retired prefect of the Vatican’s Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples and former archbishop Emeritus of Bombay passed away on Monday in Rome. Pope Francis sent a condolence message to the late cardinal’s brother Francis Dias, recalling his service to the Holy See, particularly his efforts in rebuilding the Church in Albania.
Please find below the full text of the Pope's condolence message:
Deeply saddened to learn of the death of your dear brother, I offer heartfelt condolences to you and the Dias family. I recall with gratitude the late Cardinal’s years of faithful service to the Apostolic See, especially his contribution to the spiritual and physical reconstruction of the suffering Church in Albania and the missionary zeal demonstrated in his work as Prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples. I likewise unite my prayers to those of the faithful of the Archdiocese of Bombay, where the pastoral concern and broad apostolic vision that marked his service as Archbishop are fondly remembered. In union of prayer with all who mourn his passing in the sure hope of the Resurrection, I commend the soul of this wise and gentle pastor to the merciful love of God our heavenly Father and cordially impart my Apostolic Blessing as a pledge of consolation and peace in the Lord.
FRANCISCUS PP.
