Catholic News 2
"Morning Joe" co-hosts Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski say they are engaged, confirming rumors of an off-screen romance that have been swirling since last year....
WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Donald Trump and Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull are aiming to put a rocky start behind when they meet for the first time and commemorate the 75th anniversary of an important World War II battle....
ON THE INDIAN RIVER LAGOON, Fla. (AP) -- The most biologically diverse waterway in America is seriously ill....
WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Republican-led House is expected to vote overwhelmingly to impose new sanctions on North Korea aimed at its shipping industry and use of slave labor....
BAGHDAD (AP) -- Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi is in talks with the Trump administration to keep American troops in Iraq after the fight against the Islamic State group in the country is concluded, according to a U.S. official and an official from the Iraqi government....
WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Republican health care bill leapt over a procedural hurdle and headed toward a showdown vote on final House passage Thursday. Leaders predicted they'd deliver a victory for President Donald Trump just six weeks after nearly leaving the measure for dead and days after GOP support seemed to crumble anew....
Pope St. John Paul II, the good shepherd. The most beautiful and meaningful comment on the life and the legacy of our late Holy Father, Pope St. John Paul II, was made by the famous televangelist, Billy Graham. In a TV interview, he said: “He lived like his Master, the Good Shepherd, and he died like his Master, the Good Shepherd.” In today’s Gospel, Jesus claims that he is the Good Shepherd and explains what he does for his sheep. Moses, the shepherd-leader: The Jews had a lovely legend to explain why God chose Moses to be the leader of His people. "When Moses was feeding the sheep of his father-in-law in the wilderness, a young lamb ran away. Moses followed it until it reached a ravine, where it found a well to drink from. When Moses got up to it, he said: `I did not know that you ran away because you were thirsty. Now you must be weary.' He took the lamb on his shoulders and carried it back. The...
Pope St. John Paul II, the good shepherd. The most beautiful and meaningful comment on the life and the legacy of our late Holy Father, Pope St. John Paul II, was made by the famous televangelist, Billy Graham. In a TV interview, he said: “He lived like his Master, the Good Shepherd, and he died like his Master, the Good Shepherd.” In today’s Gospel, Jesus claims that he is the Good Shepherd and explains what he does for his sheep. Moses, the shepherd-leader: The Jews had a lovely legend to explain why God chose Moses to be the leader of His people. "When Moses was feeding the sheep of his father-in-law in the wilderness, a young lamb ran away. Moses followed it until it reached a ravine, where it found a well to drink from. When Moses got up to it, he said: `I did not know that you ran away because you were thirsty. Now you must be weary.' He took the lamb on his shoulders and carried it back. Then God said: `Because you have shown pity in leading back one of a flock belonging to another man, you shall lead my flock Israel.'"
Introduction: On this Good Shepherd Sunday and World Day of Prayer for Vocations, the Church reminds us of our call to become good shepherds of God’s flock and good sheep of His parishes and invites us to pray for vocations to the priesthood, the diaconate and the consecrated life. Both the Old and New Testaments use the image of a Shepherd and His flock to describe the unique relationship of God with Israel and of the Christ with Christians.
The first reading (Acts 2:14a, 36-41) is taken from St. Peter’s first sermon, given on Pentecost. Here, he exhorts his listeners, Jewish people gathered for the Feast of Weeks – the "Sabbath" of the seven weeks that have elapsed since Passover -- to know beyond any doubt that the One they have allowed to be crucified is the true Shepherd, the Lord and Messiah. This text gives us a summary of the whole Gospel message: Who Jesus is, how he saves us, and how we should respond. Peter tells the people: “You crucified your God and Messiah, but he has risen from death and offers you forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” The conclusion of the sermon sums up the whole kerygma in a single Christological formula: "God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus Whom you crucified." The titles "Lord" and "Christ” have great significance. "Lord" was a title reserved for God alone. When early Christians realized that God had been made flesh in the person of Jesus, they dared to give him this Divine title. "Christ" is the Greek form of the Hebrew word "Messiah," meaning the "anointed one,” or "King." He is the long-awaited successor to King David, and the fulfillment of all the hopes based on David’s glorious reign. Peter then proclaims that the proper response to the Good News about Jesus is to repent and be baptized “in the name of Jesus Christ,” and thus to become members of the Good Shepherd’s flock. Through the Sacrament of Baptism, they will receive the forgiveness of sins.
The Responsorial Psalm (Ps 23), introduces Yahweh as the Good Shepherd of Israel and describes all of the things the Lord does for us, His sheep, in providing for our needs.
The second reading (1 Peter 2:20b-25) continues the "shepherd” imagery. The "shepherd" reference in the last verse of this reading from Peter’s epistle links it to the day's Gospel. “He himself bore our sins in his body upon the cross, so that, free from sin, we might live for righteousness. By his wounds, you have been healed. For you had gone astray like sheep, but now you have returned to the Shepherd, the guardian of your souls” (vv. 24-25). Peter then makes three contrasts in this part of his epistle: a) between what Jesus suffered and his surprising responses: "...insulted, he returned no insult;" "when he suffered, he did not threaten"(v. 23); b) between Jesus and us: HE bore OUR sins; by HIS wounds WE are healed (v. 24); c) between our former lost condition and our graced present state. Peter encourages the suffering Christians to follow in their shepherd’s (“suffering servant”) footsteps and remember that they have been claimed by him. Peter also explains how Jesus, the innocent sufferer, was a model of patience and trust in God, and he reminds us that Jesus’ suffering has enabled us to become more fully children of God.
Exegesis of today’s gospel: In today’s Gospel, two brief parables about sheep reveal Jesus as our unique means to salvation. He is the "sheep gate," the gateway to eternal life, and the selfless, caring “shepherd” who provides protection and life itself.
The context: Jesus was not talking to his followers. He was addressing the Pharisees. They were accusing him of being from the devil because he had healed a blind man on the Sabbath. His response was that he was the Good Shepherd. He was not like the hired hands who collected their pay for watching the sheep but abandoned the sheep in their time of need because they didn’t really care about the sheep. So, the Pharisees knew exactly what Jesus meant — he was claiming to be God. They also knew he was contrasting himself to them — the hired hands entrusted to care for God’s people, but caring only for themselves.
Yahweh, the Good Shepherd. For a long time, the Jewish people had used the Good Shepherd image for God. The usage goes all the way back to Genesis 49:24, which says that Joseph was saved "By the power of the mighty one of Jacob, by the Shepherd, the Rock of Israel, the God of your father ..." Such imagery was used by Moses, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Amos, Zechariah, and of course by David in his Psalms. The psalmist addresses Yahweh as his Shepherd. Psalm 23:1 “The Lord is my Shepherd; nothing shall I want.” (Compare also Psalms 77:20, 79:13, 97:7). "He is our God, and we are the people of His pasture and the sheep of His hand" (Ps.95:7). “Like a shepherd, He feeds His flock; in His arms He gathers the lambs, carrying them in His bosom, and leading the ewes with care” (Isaiah 40:11). Ezekiel foretells what the Messiah will do as Good Shepherd. “I myself will tend My sheep …I will search for the lost and bring back the strays. I will bind up the injured and strengthen the weak” (Ezekiel 34: 15-16). In short, God is the ultimate Shepherd of the people, providing guidance, sustenance and protection (Psalm 23), and He intended their Kings and other leaders to be their shepherds as well.
The Good Shepherd image in the New Testament: In Palestine, the word "shepherd" was a synonym for selfless love, sincerity, commitment and sacrificial service. Hence, Jesus selects it as the most fitting term to denote his life and mission (Mt 2:6, 9:36, 18:12-14, 26:31; Mk 6:34, 14:27; Lk 12:32, 15:4; I Pt 2:25, 5:2-4; Heb 13:20). The prophets pointed out the main duties of the Good Shepherd: 1) The Good Shepherd leads the sheep to the pasture, provides them with food and water and protects them. In Palestine, the shepherd went in front and the sheep followed behind. 2) He guarded them, not allowing them to get lost in the desert or become victims of robbers and wild animals - preventive vigilance. 3) He went in search of the lost ones and healed their wounds - protective vigilance. 4) He was ready to surrender his life for his sheep - redemptive vigilance.
The first parable in today’s Gospel: The first part of today’s Gospel contrasts Jesus, the true Shepherd, with fake shepherds, thieves and robbers. Jesus gives us warning against false shepherds and false teachers in his Church. Jesus' love and concern for each of us must be accepted with trust and serenity because he alone is our Shepherd, and no one else deserves our undivided commitment. As a true Shepherd, he leads his sheep, giving them the food and protection only Jesus, the Good Shepherd, can provide, and he protects us and leads us to true happiness.
The second parable. During the time of Jesus in the land of Palestine, the shepherds would bring the sheep down from the hills in the evening to protect them at night when the wolves and mountain lions were hunting their prey. At night, the shepherds would gather their sheep together and lead them into large pens or sheepfolds which had five-foot-high stone walls. The shepherds put the prickly briars along the top of the wall to prevent the mountain lions and wolves from jumping over it. Now, the doorway was about two feet wide, a narrow space in the front wall facing a fire of wood lit outside at night. The shepherd himself would sleep there in the small opening of the stone wall facing the burning fire with his club and staff. If any mountain lion came, the shepherd would fight it off with his weapons, his short stocky club or his long-pointed staff. Thus, literally and actually, the shepherd himself was the door.
In this second parable Jesus compares himself to the Shepherd and to the Gate. The first title represents His ownership because Shepherd is the true owner of the sheep. The second title represents His leadership. Jesus is the Gate, the only Way. He is the One Mediator between God and mankind. All must go through Him, through His Church, in order to arrive in Heaven. By identifying Himself with the sheep-gate, Jesus gives the assurance that whoever enters the pen through Him will be safe and well cared-for. Jesus is the living Door to His Father’s house and Father’s family, the Door into the Father’s safety and into the fullness of life. It is through Jesus, the Door, that we come into the sheepfold where we are protected from the wolves of life. There is safety and security in being a Christian. There is a spiritual, emotional and psychological security and safety when we live within Jesus and his Church, within the protectiveness of Christ, Christian friends and a Christian family.
Life Messages: 1) We need to be good shepherds and good leaders: Everyone who is entrusted with the care of others is a shepherd. Hence, pastors, parents, teachers, doctors, nurses, government officials, and caregivers, among others, are all shepherds. We become good shepherds by loving those entrusted to us, praying for them, spending our time, talents and blessings for their welfare, and guarding them from physical and spiritual dangers. Parents must be especially careful of their duties toward their children, giving them good example and sound religious instruction. Above all, parents should pray for their children and infuse into them sound Christian moral principles.
2) We need to be good sheep in the fold of Jesus, the Good Shepherd: Our local parish is our sheepfold, and our pastors are our shepherds. Jesus is the High Priest, the Bishops are the successors of the Apostles, the pastors are their helpers and the parishioners are the sheep. Hence, as the good sheep of the parish, parishioners are expected to a) Hear and follow the voice of our shepherds through their homilies, Bible classes, counseling and advice. b) Receive the spiritual food given by our pastors by regular participation in the Holy Mass, by frequenting the Sacraments and by participating in prayer services, renewal programs and missions as far as we are able to do so. c) Cooperate with our pastors by giving them positive suggestions for the welfare of the parish, by encouraging them in their duties, by lovingly correcting them with constructive criticism when they are found misbehaving or failing in their duties and, always, by praying for them d) Actively participate in the work of various councils, ministries and parish associations.
3) We need to pray for good pastors and or vocations to priestly and religious life. The Church uses this Sunday to encourage vocations to the ministerial priesthood, the diaconate and the consecrated life. All Christians share in the responsibility of fostering these vocations: a) The faith community must continuously pray for vocations both in the Church and in their families. b) Since good priests, deacons and people embracing the consecrated life come from good Christian families, all Christian parents need to live their faith in Christ on a daily basis by leading exemplary lives as parents and by fostering good relationships with, and among, their children. c) Parents need to respect and encourage a child who shows an interest in becoming a priest or deacon or of entering upon a consecrated life. Parents need to encourage their children, including their teenagers and young adults, to participate actively in the children’s and youth activities in the parish, like Sunday school, children’s clubs, and youth associations. They also need to encourage and actively support them in becoming altar servants, gift-bearers, lectors and ministers of hospitality. On this World Day of Prayer for Religious Vocations, let us begin, or continue, to pray for our priests, deacons and those living a consecrated life instead of criticizing them. ( Fr. Anthony Kadavil)
(Vatican Radio) The Holy See and Myanmar announced on Thursday their intention to establish diplomatic relations. The announcement came in the context of an audience Pope Francis granted the State Counsellor and Union Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar Aung San Suu Kyi.Below, please find the full text of the statement from the Press Office of the Holy See*************************************The Holy See and the Republic of the Union of Myanmar, keen to promote bonds of mutual friendship, have jointly agreed to establish diplomatic relations at the level of Apostolic Nunciature, on behalf of the Holy See, and Embassy, on the part of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar.
(Vatican Radio) The Holy See and Myanmar announced on Thursday their intention to establish diplomatic relations. The announcement came in the context of an audience Pope Francis granted the State Counsellor and Union Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar Aung San Suu Kyi.
Below, please find the full text of the statement from the Press Office of the Holy See
*************************************
The Holy See and the Republic of the Union of Myanmar, keen to promote bonds of mutual friendship, have jointly agreed to establish diplomatic relations at the level of Apostolic Nunciature, on behalf of the Holy See, and Embassy, on the part of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar.
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis says he is praying for the safe return of a kidnapped priest in Yemen, yet again highlighting his concern for the country which is plummeting into what the UN is calling the worst humanitarian crisis in the world today. Salesian priest Tom Uzhunnalil was kidnapped 14 months ago in Yemen.Millions of people continue to suffer in Yemen, a country struggling with military conflict, famine, and a failing health system. “There is a child that dies every ten minutes, so it is a serious situation.” Humanitarian organizations are working hard to bring fresh water and medical aid to the people of Yemen, but their efforts are challenged by the ongoing situation in the nation.CARE International is part of an international network of humanitarian organizations with a program in Yemen that aims to assist those struggling to survive. Colleen Knudsen spoke with the Country Director Wael Ibrahim about the current situation and what his organization believes...
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis says he is praying for the safe return of a kidnapped priest in Yemen, yet again highlighting his concern for the country which is plummeting into what the UN is calling the worst humanitarian crisis in the world today. Salesian priest Tom Uzhunnalil was kidnapped 14 months ago in Yemen.
Millions of people continue to suffer in Yemen, a country struggling with military conflict, famine, and a failing health system. “There is a child that dies every ten minutes, so it is a serious situation.” Humanitarian organizations are working hard to bring fresh water and medical aid to the people of Yemen, but their efforts are challenged by the ongoing situation in the nation.
CARE International is part of an international network of humanitarian organizations with a program in Yemen that aims to assist those struggling to survive. Colleen Knudsen spoke with the Country Director Wael Ibrahim about the current situation and what his organization believes needs to be done in order to bring Yemen back.
Listen to the report:
“The humanitarian situation is very difficult.” Ibrahim says the only lifeline to the outside world and its resources has been shut down, leaving the people in Yemen without food or medical supplies. “Sana’a airport has been closed since August, last August, which means people, even if they have money, they cannot go for medical care. Students cannot resume their students. Business people cannot run business. So, the economic difficulties of being able just in and out of the country are tremendous, and it takes, for example, thee days for us to be able to send one person out of Yemen to go to a meeting or to a workshop.”
Ibrahim stresses the importance of supporting the people of Yemen in the private sector. CARE distributes food vouchers and cash for the locals to partake in the private sector in order to promote a better economy. “The private sector plays a key role in generating income, creating jobs. Even if we have the 2.1 billion in humanitarian response that we need, this will not be sufficient to provide service to the 26.5 million Yemenites.”
He also argues that the situation in Yemen is complicated and that it is the duty of humanitarian organizations and international governments to help. “This has resulted in exasperating an already very difficult situation. Yemen is the poorest country in the Middle East, at the bottom of the UN development index…Yemen cannot survive on aid alone. There has to be an investment in the development and recovery activities. We would like to see more money going into growing food, building infrastructure, facilitating the opening of the airport, and so forth.”
Ibrahim continues to describe the difficulty of bettering the situation without the support and aid of international actors, such as the United Nations. “Yemen is just too complex to try to explain. What we understand from the media is they’re saying, ‘well, people don’t want to know that there only is famine. They want to know why there is famine, who is responsible.’ And of course as a humanitarian organization, our job is not to lay the blame. Our job is to deal with the consequences. Politicians need to deal with the causes because it is political. It is complex, and it requires focus on that while we as humanitarians need to focus on how people receive services.”
The Australian government recently announced their pledge to the humanitarian efforts in Yemen, saying they will give $10 billion. And Ibrahim hopes this action will show the world that Yemen is important and needs to be addressed. “We are certainly grateful that the Australian government has decided to support the humanitarian efforts. I think we have been engaging with the Australians for some time. I think their interest was, understandably, South Asia, and we’re glad that they see Yemen now as a priority and they have pledged support.”
Ibrahim is grateful for the support and prayers of Pope Francis, and he says the fact that the Holy Father has addressed the issues in Yemen has raised the spirits of the people. “It sends a strong signal to the Yemenites that you are, as humans, of interest to everyone. I’m not sure they is a huge Christian population in Yemen, but the fact that it’s come from a spiritual leader like the Pope, it gives them a message of hope that the world is looking. The world is interested, and the areas where you least except it, for example the Vatican, you are getting strong moral support.”
Yemen has been struggling to survive for many years, and humanitarian organizations like CARE International are working hard to aid and provide the people will the essentials, like fresh water. However, it is up to the international community to see Yemen as a situation worth investing in. The dignity of these people needs to be strengthened through the recovery and rebuilding of their nation.
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis has urged members of Vatican media platforms not to be afraid of reform, and to embrace the challenge of change that will enable them to bring the message of the Gospel to all. Addressing representatives of the Secretariat for Communications (SPC) gathered for its first Plenary Assembly, the Pope said that to “reform is not just to whitewash things; it’s to give them a different form and organization”. “It’s something, he said to those charged with overhauling the Vatican’s different news and media outlets, to be done with intelligence and what he called a good kind of ‘violence’.”Headed by the Prefect, msgr. Dario Viganò, the new Dicastery was created by Pope Francis exactly two years ago with the mandate to unify all Vatican communications platforms: the Vatican Television Center, the Vatican Publishing House, The Osservatore Romano newspaper, Vatican Radio, the Holy S...
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis has urged members of Vatican media platforms not to be afraid of reform, and to embrace the challenge of change that will enable them to bring the message of the Gospel to all.
Addressing representatives of the Secretariat for Communications (SPC) gathered for its first Plenary Assembly, the Pope said that to “reform is not just to whitewash things; it’s to give them a different form and organization”.
“It’s something, he said to those charged with overhauling the Vatican’s different news and media outlets, to be done with intelligence and what he called a good kind of ‘violence’.”
Headed by the Prefect, msgr. Dario Viganò, the new Dicastery was created by Pope Francis exactly two years ago with the mandate to unify all Vatican communications platforms: the Vatican Television Center, the Vatican Publishing House, The Osservatore Romano newspaper, Vatican Radio, the Holy See Press Office, the Vatican Photographic Service, the Vatican Internet Service, the Vatican Printing Press and the former Pontifical Council for Social Communications.
Describing the issues addressed during the Plenary are “very dear to his heart,” Pope Francis said the work taken on by the SPC aims to “find new criteria and new ways of communicating the Gospel of mercy to all peoples and cultures making use of the new digital culture at our disposal”.
He highlighted the fact that – as specified in his ‘Motu proprio’ which established the new Dicastery - the reform is not about coordinating or merging the various platforms, but sets up something completely new with a single and unified management which will be able to better respond to the needs of the Church’s mission.
Reflecting on the fact that in the past each platform had its own channels and mediums of communication (the written word, images, audio) the Pope said that “all these forms of communication today are transmitted with a single code that uses the binary system.”
Thus, he said, the Vatican newspaper is called to find a new and different way to reach a much higher number of readers that it does through its printed format.
He said that through the years Vatican Radio has become an ensemble of portals and “must be reshaped according to new models so it can conform to modern technologies and to the needs of our contemporaries”.
And regarding the Vatican’s radiophonic service, the Pope had special words of appreciation for the efforts being made in consideration of countries that are not technologically developed – “I think of Africa” he said – praising the “rationalization of Short Wave frequencies that have never been dismantled.
“History undoubtedly represents a precious patrimony of experience to be safeguarded and used as a push towards the future” he said, pointing out that otherwise it would be a mere museum: “interesting and nice to visit, but unable to provide the strength and courage for the continuation of the journey.”
Pope Francis concluded his address encouraging the SPC to courageously bring the reform to completion with an apostolic and missionary spirit, and asked there be a special regard and attention for situations of need, poverty and difficulty within the knowledge that they must be faced with adequate solutions:
“Let us resist the temptation of being attached to a glorious past; let’s all be team players in order to better respond to the new communication challenges posed by culture today without fear and without foreseeing apocalyptic scenarios.”
