"The Son of Man must suffer greatly and be rejected... and be killed and on the third day be raised."

DAILY GOSPEL: 24/09/2010

«Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.» John 6,68

Friday of the Twenty-fifth week in Ordinary Time

Book of Ecclesiastes 3:1-11.
There is an appointed time for everything, and a time for every thing under the heavens.
A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to uproot the plant.
A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to tear down, and a time to build.
A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance.
A time to scatter stones, and a time to gather them; a time to embrace, and a time to be far from embraces.
A time to seek, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away.
A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to be silent, and a time to speak.
A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.
What advantage has the worker from his toil?
I have considered the task which God has appointed for men to be busied about.
He has made everything appropriate to its time, and has put the timeless into their hearts, without men's ever discovering, from beginning to end, the work which God has done.

Psalms 144(143):1-2.3-4.
Of David. Blessed be the LORD, my rock, who trains my hands for battle, my fingers for war;
My safe guard and my fortress, my stronghold, my deliverer, My shield, in whom I trust, who subdues peoples under me.
LORD, what are mortals that you notice them; human beings, that you take thought of them?
They are but a breath; their days are like a passing shadow.

Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke 9:18-22.
Once when Jesus was praying in solitude, and the disciples were with him, he asked them, "Who do the crowds say that I am?"
They said in reply, "John the Baptist; others, Elijah; still others, 'One of the ancient prophets has arisen.'"
Then he said to them, "But who do you say that I am?" Peter said in reply, "The Messiah of God."
He rebuked them and directed them not to tell this to anyone.
He said, "The Son of Man must suffer greatly and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed and on the third day be raised." 

Lc 9,18-22

Commentary of the day 
Theodoret of Cyrus (393-460), Bishop
Treatise on the Incarnation, 26-27 ; PG 75,1465

"The Son of Man must suffer greatly and be rejected...  and be killed and on the third day be raised."

       Jesus made his way of his own free will towards the sufferings Scripture had foretold. He had frequently predicted them to his disciples and had even severely rebuked Peter, who had received their discovery with indignation (Mt 16,23). Finally, he showed how they were the cause of the world's salvation. This was why, to the men coming to arrest him, he referred to himself as: «I am he whom you are seeking» (cf. Jn 18,5.8)... He was struck, covered with spittle, mocked, tortured, scourged and, in the end crucified. He allowed two outlaws, one at his right and one at his left, to share his suffering. Classed alongside murderers and criminals he took vinegar and gall, fruits of a bitter vine. He was struck in mockery by a reed, pierced by a lance in his side and, in the end, laid in a tomb.

       All this he suffered while working our salvation... By his thorns he brought an end to the punishment laid on Adam, since the latter, having sinned, received this sentence: «Cursed be the ground because of you! Thorns and thistles shall it bring forth to you» (Gn 3,17-18). With the gall he took to himself all that is bitter and painful in mortal life and sorrowful to men. With the vinegar he accepted human nature's decline and bestowed on it its restoration to a higher state. By the purple he symbolized his royalty; with the reed he indicated how weak and feeble the devil's power is. Being slapped, he made known our enfranchisement [just as we do in the case of a slave]. He bore with the abuse, punishment and beating due to us.
      
He was struck in the side, making him more like Adam. But, far from bringing forth the woman who, by her straying, gave birth to death, he made a spring of life to gush out (Gn 2,21; Jn 19,34). And this gives life to the world by means of a twofold stream: the first renews and re-clothes us in the garment of immortality in the baptistery; and following this birth, the second feeds us at God's table just as one suckles a newborn child.

---

Friday, 24 September 2010

Our Lady of Mercy

---

OUR LADY OF MERCY

        St. Peter, of the noble family of Nolasco, was born in Languedoc, about 1189. At the age of twenty-five he took a vow of chastity, and made over his vast estates to the Church. Some time after, he conceived the idea of establishing an order for the redemption of captives. The divine will was soon manifested. The Blessed Virgin appeared on the same night to Peter, to Raymund of Pennafort, his confessor, and to James, King of Arragon, his ward, and bade them prosecute without fear their holy designs. After great opposition, the Order was solemnly established, and approved by Gregory IX., under the name of Our Lady of Mercy.

        By the grace of God, and under the protection of His Virgin Mother, the Order spread rapidly, its growth being increased by the charity and piety of its members, who devoted themselves not only to collecting alms for the ransom of the Christians, but even gave themselves up to voluntary slavery to aid the good work.

        It is to return thanks to God and the Blessed Virgin that a feast was instituted which was observed in the Order of Mercy, then in Spain and France, and at last extended to the whole Church by Innocent XII., and the 24th September named as the day on which it is to be observed.

«El Hijo del Hombre tiene que padecer mucho, ser entregado a manos de los hombres»

EVANGELIO DEL DÍA: 24/09/2010

¿ Señor, a quién iremos?. Tú tienes palabras de vida eterna. Jn 6, 68

Viernes de la XXV Semana del Tiempo Ordinario

Libro de Eclesiastico, de Sirac 3,1-11.
Hay un momento para todo y un tiempo para cada cosa bajo el sol:
un tiempo para nacer y un tiempo para morir, un tiempo para plantar y un tiempo para arrancar lo plantado;
un tiempo para matar y un tiempo para curar, un tiempo para demoler y un tiempo para edificar;
un tiempo para llorar y un tiempo para reír, un tiempo para lamentarse y un tiempo para bailar;
un tiempo para arrojar piedras y un tiempo para recogerlas, un tiempo para abrazarse y un tiempo para separarse;
un tiempo para buscar y un tiempo para perder, un tiempo para guardar y un tiempo para tirar;
un tiempo para rasgar y un tiempo para coser, un tiempo para callar y un tiempo para hablar;
un tiempo para amar y un tiempo para odiar, un tiempo de guerra y un tiempo de paz.
¿Qué provecho obtiene el trabajador con su esfuerzo?
Yo vi la tarea que Dios impuso a los hombres para que se ocupen de ella.
El hizo todas las cosas apropiadas a su tiempo, pero también puso en el corazón del hombre el sentido del tiempo pasado y futuro, sin que el hombre pueda descubrir la obra que hace Dios desde el principio hasta el fin.

Salmo 144(143),1-2.3-4.
De David. Bendito sea el Señor, mi Roca, el que adiestra mis brazos para el combate y mis manos para la lucha.
El es mi bienhechor y mi fortaleza, mi baluarte y mi libertador; él es el escudo con que me resguardo, y el que somete los pueblos a mis pies.
Señor, ¿qué es el hombre para que tú lo cuides, y el ser humano, para que pienses en él?
El hombre es semejante a un soplo, y sus días son como una sombra fugaz.

Evangelio según San Lucas 9,18-22.
Un día en que Jesús oraba a solas y sus discípulos estaban con él, les preguntó: "¿Quién dice la gente que soy yo?".
Ellos le respondieron: "Unos dicen que eres Juan el Bautista; otros, Elías; y otros, alguno de los antiguos profetas que ha resucitado".
"Pero ustedes, les preguntó, ¿quién dicen que soy yo?". Pedro, tomando la palabra, respondió: "Tú eres el Mesías de Dios".
Y él les ordenó terminantemente que no lo dijeran a nadie.
"El Hijo del hombre, les dijo, debe sufrir mucho, ser rechazado por los ancianos, los sumos sacerdotes y los escribas, ser condenado a muerte y resucitar al tercer día". 

 Lc 9,18-22

Leer el comentario del Evangelio por 
Teodoreto de Ciro (393-460), obispo
Tratado sobre la encarnación, 26-27; PG 75, 1465

«El Hijo del Hombre tiene que padecer mucho, ser entregado a manos de los hombres»

     Jesús acude espontáneamente a los sufrimientos anunciados por la Escritura. A menudo los había predicho a los discípulos e increpado, en cierta ocasión, a Pedro por haber aceptado de mala gana este anuncio de la pasión (Mt 16,23). Había demostrado que a través de ella sería salvado el mundo. Por eso se presentó él mismo a los que venían a prenderle, diciendo: Soy yo a quien buscáis» (cf Jn 18, 5.8)... Fue abofeteado, escupido, injuriado, torturado, flagelado y, finalmente, crucificado. Aceptó que dos bandidos, uno a su derecha y el otro a su izquierda, fueran asociados a su mismo suplicio, siendo así contado entre los homicidas y malhechores, gustando también el vinagre y la hiel de una viña perversa; se burlaron de él golpeándole con una caña, atravesado por la lanza en el costado y, finalmente, sepultado.

     Con todos estos sufrimientos nos alcanzó la salvación... Con la corona de espinas puso fin al castigo de Adán, porque éste, después del pecado, escuchó esta sentencia: «Maldito el suelo por tu culpa: brotará para ti cardos y espinas» (Gn 3,17-18). Con la hiel cargó sobre sí la amargura y molestias de la vida mortal y dolorosa de los hombres; con el vinagre asumió la naturaleza degradada del hombre y la reintegró a su estado primitivo. La púrpura significó su realeza; la caña fue indicio de cuan débil y frágil es el poder del diablo. Las bofetadas proclamaron nuestra libertad [como se hacía con los esclavos]; soportó las injurias, los castigos y los golpes de látigo que nosotros merecíamos.

     Fue abierto su costado, pareciéndose con ello a de Adán. Pero en lugar de salir de él una mujer que, por su extravío, engendró la muerte, brotó una fuente de vida (Gn 2,11; Jn 19,34), de la cual nacen dos arroyos para el mundo. Uno nos renueva y nos viste el vestido inmortal en el baptisterio; el otro, después del nacimiento, nos alimenta en la mesa de Dios tal como la leche alimenta a los recién nacidos.

viernes 24 Septiembre 2010 Nuestra Señora de la Merced Nuestra Señora de la Merced La noche del 1 de agosto de 1218, estando San Pedro Nolasco en oración, se le apareció la Virgen María, le transmitió el mandato de fundar la Orden Religiosa de la Merced para redención de cautivos. Pocos días después, Nolasco, ayudado por D. Jaime el Conquistador y el consejero real San Raimundo de Peñafort, cumplía el mandato. Los mercedarios se comprometían con un cuarto voto: quedarse como rehenes, si fuera necesario, para liberar a otros más débiles en la fe. De este modo, a través de los miembros de la Nueva Orden, la Virgen María, Madre y Corredentora, Medianera de todas las gracias, aliviaría a sus hijos cautivos y a todos los que suspiraban a ella, gimiendo y llorando en este valle de lágrimas. A todos daría la merced de su favor. La Virgen María será invocada desde ahora la advocación de la Merced, o más bello todavía en plural: Santa María de las Mercedes, indicando así la abundancia incontable de sus gracias. Bajo la protección de la Virgen de la Merced, los frailes mercedarios realizaron una labor ingente. Ingentes fueron también los sufrimientos de San Pedro Nolasco, San Ramón Nonato y San Pedro Armengol. Y no faltaron mártires como San Serapio, San Pedro Pascual y otros muchos. El culto a Nuestra Señora de la Merced se extendió muy pronto por Cataluña y por toda España, por Francia y por Italia, a partir del siglo XIII. El año 1265 aparecieron las primera monjas mercedarias. Los mercedarios estuvieron entre los primeros misioneros de América. En la Española o República Dominicana, por ejemplo, misionó Fray Gabriel Téllez (Tirso de Molina). Oremos Señor, Dios nuestro, en tu admirable providencia quisiste que la Madre de tu único Hijo experimentase las angustias y los sufrimientos humanos; por intercesión de María, consuelo de los afligidos y libertadora de los cautivos, concede a los que sufren cualquier modo de esclavitud la verdadera libertad de los hijos de Dios. Por nuestro Señor Jesucristo, tu Hijo.

A longing to see Christ

DAILY GOSPEL: 23/09/2010

«Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.» John 6,68

Thursday of the Twenty-fifth week in Ordinary Time

Book of Ecclesiastes 1:2-11.
Vanity of vanities, says Qoheleth, vanity of vanities! All things are vanity!
What profit has man from all the labor which he toils at under the sun?
One generation passes and another comes, but the world forever stays.
The sun rises and the sun goes down; then it presses on to the place where it rises.
Blowing now toward the south, then toward the north, the wind turns again and again, resuming its rounds.
All rivers go to the sea, yet never does the sea become full. To the place where they go, the rivers keep on going.
All speech is labored; there is nothing man can say. The eye is not satisfied with seeing nor is the ear filled with hearing.
What has been, that will be; what has been done, that will be done. Nothing is new under the sun.
Even the thing of which we say, "See, this is new!" has already existed in the ages that preceded us.
There is no remembrance of the men of old; nor of those to come will there be any remembrance among those who come after them.

Psalms 90(89):3-4.5-6.12-13.14.17.
But humans you return to dust, saying, "Return, you mortals!"
A thousand years in your eyes are merely a yesterday. Before a watch passes in the night,
you have brought them to their end; They disappear like sleep at dawn; they are like grass that dies.
It sprouts green in the morning; by evening it is dry and withered.
Teach us to count our days aright, that we may gain wisdom of heart.
Relent, O LORD! How long? Have pity on your servants!
Fill us at daybreak with your love, that all our days we may sing for joy.
May the favor of the Lord our God be ours. Prosper the work of our hands! Prosper the work of our hands!

Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke 9:7-9.
Herod the tetrarch heard about all that was happening, and he was greatly perplexed because some were saying, "John has been raised from the dead";
others were saying, "Elijah has appeared"; still others, "One of the ancient prophets has arisen."
But Herod said, "John I beheaded. Who then is this about whom I hear such things?" And he kept trying to see him.

 Lc 9,7-9

Commentary of the day 
Saint Augustine (354-430), Bishop of Hippo (North Africa) and Doctor of the Church
Sermons on the first letter de Saint John, I, 3 (©Augustinian Heritage Institute; SC 75, p. 117)

A longing to see Christ

           [John] says: «We announce to you the eternal life that was with the Father and was manifested in us. What we have seen and heard we announce to you (1Jn 1,2-3). Let Your Charity pay heed: «What we have seen and heard we announce to you.» They saw the Lord himself present in the flesh, and they heard words from the Lord's mouth, and they announced them to us. We also have heard, then, but we haven't seen. Are we therefore less fortunate than those who saw and heard? And why does [John] add: «So that you also may have fellowship with us»? They saw; we didn't see, and yet we are in fellowship because we maintain a common faith.

To the disciple who wished to touch and thus to believe, the Lord - consoling us who are unable to touch him with our hand as he is now seated in heaven, although we can touch him by faith - said, «Blessed are those who do not see and who believe» (Jn 20:29). It is we who were described, we who were designated. May there be in us, then, the blessedness that the Lord foretold would come to be! Let us hold firmly onto what we don't see, because those who have seen it are announcing it so that we also may have fellowship with them and so that «our joy may be full» (v.4).

---

Thursday, 23 September 2010

St Pio da Pietrelcina, Capuchin Priest (1887-1968)

---

PADRE PIO DA PIETRELCINA
Capuchin priest
(1887-1968)

"Far be it from me to glory except in the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ" (Gal 6:14).

        Like the Apostle Paul, Padre Pio da Pietrelcina placed at the centre of his life and apostolic work the Cross of his Lord as his strength, his wisdom and his glory. Inflamed by love of Jesus Christ, he became like him in the sacrifice of himself for the salvation of the world. In his following and imitation of the Crucified Christ he was so generous and perfect that he could have said: "I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me" (Gal 2:20). And the treasures of grace which God had granted him so lavishly and unceasingly he passed on through his ministry, serving the men and women who came to him in ever greater numbers, and bringing to birth an immense host of spiritual sons and daughters.

        This worthy follower of Saint Francis of Assisi was born on 25 May 1887 at Pietrelcina in the Archdiocese of Benevento, the son of Grazio Forgione and Maria Giuseppa De Nunzio. He was baptized the next day and given the name Francesco. At the age of twelve he received the Sacrament of Confirmation and made his First Holy Communion.

        On 6 January 1903, at the age of sixteen, he entered the novitiate of the Capuchin Friars at Morcone, where on 22 January he took the Franciscan habit and the name Brother Pio. At the end of his novitiate year he took simple vows, and on 27 January 1907 made his solemn profession.

        After he was ordained priest on 10 August 1910 at Benevento, he stayed at home with his family until 1916 for health reasons. In September of that year he was sent to the friary of San Giovanni Rotondo and remained there until his death.

        Filled with love of God and love of neighbour, Padre Pio lived to the full his vocation to work for the redemption of man, in accordance with the special mission which marked his entire life and which he exercised through the spiritual direction of the faithful: the sacramental reconciliation of penitents and the celebration of the Eucharist. The pinnacle of his apostolic activity was the celebration of Holy Mass. The faithful who took part witnessed the summit and fullness of his spirituality.

        On the level of social charity, he committed himself to relieving the pain and suffering of many families, chiefly through the foundation of the Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza (House for the Relief of Suffering), opened on 5 May 1956.

        For Padre Pio, faith was life: he willed everything and did everything in the light of faith. He was assiduously devoted to prayer. He passed the day and a large part of the night in conversation with God. He would say: "In books we seek God, in prayer we find him. Prayer is the key which opens God's heart". Faith led him always to accept God's mysterious will.

        He was always immersed in supernatural realities. Not only was he himself a man of hope and total trust in God, but by word and example he communicated these virtues to all who approached him.

        The love of God filled him, and satisfied his every desire; charity was the chief inspiration of his day: to love God and to help others to love him. His special concern was to grow in charity and to lead others to do so.

        He demonstrated to the full his love of neighbour by welcoming, for more than fifty years, countless people who had recourse to his ministry and his confessional, his counsel and his consolation. He was almost besieged: they sought him in church, in the sacristy, in the friary. And he gave himself to everyone, rekindling faith, dispensing grace, bringing light. But especially in the poor, the suffering and the sick he saw the image of Christ, and he gave himself particularly to them.

        He exercised to an exemplary degree the virtue of prudence, acting and counselling in the light of God.

        His concern was the glory of God and the good of souls. He treated everyone with justice, frankness and great respect.

        The virtue of fortitude shone in him. He understood very early in life that his would be the way of the Cross, and he accepted it at once with courage and out of love. For many years, he experienced spiritual sufferings. For years he endured the pains of his wounds with admirable serenity. 

        When he had to submit to investigations and restrictions in his priestly ministry, he accepted everything with profound humility and resignation. In the face of unjust accusations and calumnies he remained silent, trusting always in the judgement of God, of his immediate superiors and of his own conscience.

        He habitually practised mortification in order to gain the virtue of temperance, in keeping with the Franciscan style. He was temperate in his attitude and in his way of life.

        Conscious of the commitments which he had undertaken when he entered the consecrated life, he observed with generosity the vows he had professed. He was obedient in all things to the commands of his Superiors, even when they were burdensome. His obedience was supernatural in intention, universal in its scope and complete in its execution. He lived the spirit of poverty with total detachment from self, from earthly goods, from his own comfort and from honours. He always had a great love for the virtue of chastity. His behaviour was modest in all situations and with all people.

        He sincerely thought of himself as useless, unworthy of God's gifts, full of weakness and infirmity, and at the same time blessed with divine favours. Amid so much admiration around him, he would say: "I only want to be a poor friar who prays". 

        From his youth, his health was not very robust, and especially in the last years of his life it declined rapidly. Sister Death took him well-prepared and serene on 23 September 1968 at the age of eighty-one. An extraordinary gathering of people attended his funeral. 

        On 20 February 1971, barely three years after the death of Padre Pio, Pope Paul VI, speaking to the Superiors of the Capuchin Order, said of him: "Look what fame he had, what a worldwide following gathered around him! But why? Perhaps because he was a philosopher? Because he was wise? Because he had resources at his disposal? Because he said Mass humbly, heard confessions from dawn to dusk and was - it is not easy to say it - one who bore the wounds of our Lord. He was a man of prayer and suffering".

        Even during his lifetime, he enjoyed a vast reputation for sanctity, because of his virtues, his spirit of prayer, sacrifice and total dedication to the good of souls.

        In the years following his death, his reputation for sanctity and miracles grew steadily, and became established in the Church, all over the world and among all kinds of people. (...)       

        On 2 May 1999, in the course of a solemn concelebrated Mass in St Peter's Square, Pope John Paul II by his apostolic authority beatified the Venerable Servant of God Padre Pio of Pietrelcina, naming 23 September as the date of his liturgical feast. (...)

        On 20 December, in the presence of John Paul II, the Decree on the miracle was promulgated. Finally, on 28 February 2002 the Decree of Canonization was promulgated. 

Homily at the canonization of St Padre Pio of Pietrelcina (16 June 2002) 

1. "For my yoke is easy and my burden light" (Mt 11: 30).

        Jesus' words to his disciples, which we just heard, help us to understand the most important message of this solemn celebration. Indeed, in a certain sense, we can consider them as a magnificent summary of the whole life of Padre Pio of Pietrelcina, today proclaimed a saint.

        The evangelical image of the "yoke" recalls the many trials that the humble Capuchin of San Giovanni Rotondo had to face. Today we contemplate in him how gentle the "yoke" of Christ is, and how truly light is his burden when it is borne with faithful love. The life and mission of Padre Pio prove that difficulties and sorrows, if accepted out of love, are transformed into a privileged way of holiness, which opens onto the horizons of a greater good, known only to the Lord.

2. "But may I never boast except in the cross of Our Lord Jesus Christ" (Gal 6,14). 

        Is it not, precisely, the "glory of the Cross" that shines above all in Padre Pio? How timely is the spirituality of the Cross lived by the humble Capuchin of Pietrelcina. Our time needs to rediscover the value of the Cross in order to open the heart to hope.

        Throughout his life, he always sought greater conformity with the Crucified, since he was very conscious of having been called to collaborate in a special way in the work of redemption. His holiness cannot be understood without this constant reference to the Cross.

        In God's plan, the Cross constitutes the true instrument of salvation for the whole of humanity and the way clearly offered by the Lord to those who wish to follow him (cf. Mk 16,24). The Holy Franciscan of the Gargano understood this well, when on the Feast of the Assumption in 1914, he wrote: "In order to succeed in reaching our ultimate end we must follow the divine Head, who does not wish to lead the chosen soul on any way other than the one he followed; by that, I say, of abnegation and the Cross" (Epistolario II, p. 155).

3. "I am the Lord who acts with mercy" (Jer 9,23). 

        Padre Pio was a generous dispenser of divine mercy, making himself available to all by welcoming them, by spiritual direction and, especially, by the administration of the sacrament of Penance. I also had the privilege, during my young years, of benefitting from his availability for penitents. The ministry of the confessional, which is one of the distinctive traits of his apostolate, attracted great crowds of the faithful to the monastery of San Giovanni Rotondo. Even when that unusual confessor treated pilgrims with apparent severity, the latter, becoming conscious of the gravity of sins and sincerely repentant, almost always came back for the peaceful embrace of sacramental forgiveness. May his example encourage priests to carry out with joy and zeal this ministry which is so important today (...).

4. "You, Lord, are my only good". 

        This is what we sang in the responsorial psalm. Through these words, the new Saint invites us to place God above everything, to consider him our sole and highest good.

        In fact, the ultimate reason for the apostolic effectiveness of Padre Pio, the profound root of so much spiritual fruitfulness can be found in that intimate and constant union with God, attested to by his long hours spent in prayer and in the confessional. He loved to repeat, "I am a poor Franciscan who prays" convinced that "prayer is the best weapon we have, a key that opens the heart of God".

        This fundamental characteristic of his spirituality continues in the "Prayer Groups" that he founded, which offer to the Church and to society the wonderful contribution of incessant and confident prayer. To prayer, Padre Pio joined an intense charitable activity, of which the "Home for the Relief of Suffering" is an extraordinary expression. Prayer and charity, this is the most concrete synthesis of Padre Pio's teaching, which today is offered to everyone.

 5. "I bless you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because ... these things ... you have revealed to little ones" (Mt 11,25).

        How appropriate are these words of Jesus, when we think of them as applied to you, humble and beloved Padre Pio.

        Teach us, we ask you, humility of heart so we may be counted among the little ones of the Gospel, to whom the Father promised to reveal the mysteries of his Kingdom.

        Help us to pray without ceasing, certain that God knows what we need even before we ask him.
        Obtain for us the eyes of faith that will be able to recognize right away in the poor and suffering the face of Jesus.

        Sustain us in the hour of the combat and of the trial and, if we fall, make us experience the joy of the sacrament of forgiveness.

        Grant us your tender devotion to Mary, the Mother of Jesus and our Mother.

        Accompany us on our earthly pilgrimage toward the blessed homeland, where we hope to arrive in order to contemplate forever the glory of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.                                   

- Copyright © Libreria Editrice Vaticana

El deseo de ver a Cristo

EVANGELIO DEL DÍA: 23/09/2010

¿ Señor, a quién iremos?. Tú tienes palabras de vida eterna. Jn 6, 68

Jueves de la XXV Semana del Tiempo Ordinario

Libro de Eclesiastico, de Sirac 1,2-11.
¡Vanidad, pura vanidad!, dice Cohélet. ¡Vanidad, pura vanidad! ¡Nada más que vanidad!
¿Qué provecho saca el hombre de todo el esfuerzo que realiza bajo el sol?
Una generación se va y la otra viene, y la tierra siempre permanece.
El sol sale y se pone, y se dirige afanosamente hacia el lugar de donde saldrá otra vez.
El viento va hacia el sur y gira hacia el norte; va dando vueltas y vueltas, y retorna sobre su curso.
Todos los ríos van al mar y el mar nunca se llena; al mismo lugar donde van los ríos, allí vuelven a ir.
Todas las cosas están gastadas, más de lo que se puede expresar. ¿No se sacia el ojo de ver y el oído no se cansa de escuchar?
Lo que fue, eso mismo será; lo que se hizo, eso mismo se hará: ¡no hay nada nuevo bajo el sol!
Si hay algo de lo que dicen: "Mira, esto sí que es algo nuevo", en realidad, eso mismo ya existió muchísimo antes que nosotros.
No queda el recuerdo de las cosas pasadas, ni quedará el recuerdo de las futuras en aquellos que vendrán después.

Salmo 90(89),3-4.5-6.12-13.14.17.
Tú haces que los hombres vuelvan al polvo, con sólo decirles: "Vuelvan, seres humanos".
Porque mil años son ante tus ojos como el día de ayer, que ya pasó, como una vigilia de la noche.
Tú los arrebatas, y son como un sueño, como la hierba que brota de mañana:
por la mañana brota y florece, y por la tarde se seca y se marchita.
Enséñanos a calcular nuestros años, para que nuestro corazón alcance la sabiduría.
¡Vuélvete, Señor! ¿Hasta cuándo...? Ten compasión de tus servidores.
Sácianos en seguida con tu amor, y cantaremos felices toda nuestra vida.
Que descienda hasta nosotros la bondad del Señor; que el Señor, nuestro Dios, haga prosperar la obra de nuestras manos.

Evangelio según San Lucas 9,7-9.
El tetrarca Herodes se enteró de todo lo que pasaba, y estaba muy desconcertado porque algunos decían: "Es Juan, que ha resucitado".
Otros decían: "Es Elías, que se ha aparecido", y otros: "Es uno de los antiguos profetas que ha resucitado".
Pero Herodes decía: "A Juan lo hice decapitar. Entonces, ¿quién es este del que oigo decir semejantes cosas?". Y trataba de verlo. 

 Lc 9,7-9

Leer el comentario del Evangelio por 
San Agustín (354-430), obispo de Hipona (África del Norte), y doctor de la Iglesia
Tratados sobre la primera carta de san Juan, I, 3

El deseo de ver a Cristo

     San Juan escribe: «Os anunciamos la vida eterna que estaba con el Padre y se nos manifestó. Eso que hemos visto y oído os lo anunciamos» (1Jn 1,2-3). Prestad atención: «Os anunciamos eso que hemos visto y oído». Ellos vieron al mismo Señor presente en carne, escucharon de la boca del Señor sus palabras y nos las anunciaron. Y nosotros, sin duda, también las hemos escuchado, pero no le hemos visto. ¿Es que somos menos dichosos que los que le vieron y  escucharon? Entonces, ¿por qué san Juan añade: «Os lo anunciamos para que estéis unidos con nosotros»? Ellos vieron; nosotros no hemos visto, y sin embargo, estamos unidos a ellos porque tenemos la misma fe.

     Al discípulo que pidió tocar para creer... el Señor le dijo, para consolarnos a nosotros que no podemos tocar pero podemos llegar al Señor por la fe: «Dichosos los que crean sin haber visto» (Jn 20,29). Él habla de nosotros, es a nosotros que nos señala. ¡Que se cumpla pues, en nosotros, esta bienaventuranza que el Señor prometió! Creamos firmemente lo que no hemos visto; los que lo vieron nos lo han anunciado para que estemos en comunión con ellos y tengamos «la plenitud de la fe» (v. 4).

jueves 23 Septiembre 2010 San Pío Pietrelcina San Pío Pietrelcina El Padre Pío nació en el seno de una humilde y religiosa familia de agricultores, el 25 de mayo de 1887, en una pequeña aldea del Sur de Italia, llamada Pietrelcina. Recibió su primera instrucción de un maestro privado y a la edad de 15 años hizo su ingreso en el Noviciado de los Padres Capuchinos en la Ciudad de Morcone. De débil salud, pero de excepcional fuerza de voluntad, pudo completar sus estudios y gracias a una continua asistencia divina tuvo la ansiada ordenación sacerdotal. El 20 de Septiembre de 1918, aparecieron visiblemente las llagas de Nuestro Señor en sus manos, pies y costado izquierdo del pecho, haciendo del P. Pío el primer sacerdote estigmatizado en la historia de la Iglesia (recuerden que San Francisco no era sacerdote).   Grandes multitudes, de todas las nacionalidades pasaron por su confesionario. Las conversiones fueron innumerables. Diariamente recibía centenares de cartas de fieles, que pedían su consejo iluminado y su dirección espiritual, la cual ha siempre significado un retorno a la serenidad, a la paz espiritual y al coloquio con Dios.    Toda su vida no ha sido otra cosa que una continua oración y penitencia, lo cual no impedía que sembrase a su alrededor felicidad y gran alegría entre aquellos que escuchaban sus palabras, que eran llenas de sabiduría o de un extraordinario sentido del humor.   El Papa Juan Pablo II lo conoció personalmente en 1947, poco después de su ordenación sacerdotal. El Padre Pío profetizó que aquel joven sacerdote sería un día Papa.   El Señor lo llamó a recibir el premio celestial el 23 de Septiembre de 1968. Tenía 81 años. Durante 4 días su cuerpo fue expuesto ante millares de personas que formaban una enorme columna que no conoció interrupción hasta el momento del funeral, al cual asistieron más de cien mil personas.   Millones visitan su tumba en el pueblo de San Giovanni Rotondo, Italia. Entre ellos el Papa Juan Pablo II. El P. Pío está sepultado en la cripta del Santuario de Nuestra Señora de las Gracias, San Giovanni Rotondo. Los preliminares de su Causa de Beatificación y Canonización se iniciaron en noviembre de 1969.  Declarado Venerable el 18 de diciembre de 1997 y Beato, el 2 de mayo de 1999. Declarado Santo el 16 de junio de 2002, en la Plaza de San Pedro en Roma, por S.S. Juan Pablo II.     Fechas importante en la vida de San Pío Pietrelcina  25 de mayo, 1887. Nace en Pietrelcina, Benevento, en el sur de Italia. Sus padres, Grazio "Orazio" Mario Forgione  (1860-1946), granjero, y María Giuseppa de Nunzio Forgione (1859-1929).  26 de mayo, 1887. Bautizado en la Iglesia de Santa María de los   Ángeles. Recibe el nombre de Francesco Forgione.     27 de mayo, 1899. Recibe el Sacramento de la Confirmación.  6 y 22 de enero, 1903. A los dieciséis años entra al noviciado de Marcone. El 22 de enero es investido con el hábito de la Orden de los Hermanos Menores Capuchinos. Toma el nombre de Fra Pío (Fra por Fratello/Hermano).    22 de enero, 1904. Terminado el año de noviciado hace la Primera Profesión (profesión temporal) de los Consejos Evangélicos de Pobreza, Castidad y Obediencia.  Entra al convento de la provincia monástica y estudia para ordenarse sacerdote. 1907. Al cumplirse los tres años de los votos temporales hace su  profesión perpetua o votos solemnes..     10 de agosto, 1910. Con férrea voluntad se sobrepone a graves problemas de salud, es ordenando sacerdote en la capilla del Arzobispo de Beneveto, pero los problemas de salud le obligan a residir con su familia, por largos períodos, hasta el 1916.   Septiembre, 1910. Recibe los estigmas visiblemente por primera vez, pero por poco tiempo y de forma intermitente.   Ruega a Dios se los quite. Confía el acontecimiento únicamente a su Director Espiritual.   Noviembre, 1911. El suceso sobrenatural llega a la atención de sus superiores cuando es observado un día en éxtasis.   28 de julio, 1916. Llega al Convento de San Giovanni Rotondo y permanece allí hasta su muerte.    5 a 7 de agosto, 1918. Transverberación del corazón,  le causan heridas visibles en su costado. (La Transverberación del corazón es una experiencia mística de ser traspasado en el corazón, que indica la unión de amor con Dios.)  20 de septiembre, 1918. Mientras reza, luego de la Misa, en el área del coro de la antigua Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de las Gracias, aparecen los estigmas de forma visible y permanen- te.  El fenómeno perdurará por los próximos 50 años.    1919. Comienzan a circular rumores en el pueblo del posible traslado del ¨santo¨ de San Giovanni Rotondo, lo que agita grandemente a la población.     2 de junio, 1922. El Santo Oficio (hoy Congregación para la Doctrina de la Fe) prohíbe apariciones públicas y el acceso del público a Padre Pió.  1924-1931. En varias ocasiones la Santa Sede rechaza que el fenómeno sea de origen sobrenatural.   9 de junio, 1931. (Solemnidad de Corpus Christi). La Santa Sede ordena al Padre Pío desistir de toda actividad salvo la celebración de la Santa Misa, la cual sólo podrá celebrar en privado.   Principios de 1933. El Santo Padre Pío XI ordena al Santo Oficio que de marcha atrás y deje sin efecto la  prohibición que pesaba sobre el Padre Pío de celebrar públicamente.  Su Santidad Pío XI comenta al respecto: "Nunca sentí mala disposición hacia el Padre Pío, pero sí fui malamente informado."     1934. Las facultades del Padre Pío son restauradas poco a poco. Se le permite confesar primero a hombres (25 de marzo, 1934) y luego confesar a mujeres (12 de mayo, 1934).    23 de septiembre de 1968. Fallece serenamente en su celda a las 2:30 de la madrugada. Murió saludable y sin los estigmas, así como había profetizado en cierta ocasión. Sus últimas palabras: "Gesú e Maria" (Jesús y María).   26 de septiembre, 1968. El cuerpo del Padre Pío se entierra en una cripta en la Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de las Gracias. Asisten al funeral más de 100,000 personas. Oremos   Tú, Señor, que nos has dado un modelo de perfección evangélica en la vida ejemplar de San Pío de Pietrelcina, concédenos, en medio de los acontecimientos de este mundo, que sepamos adherirnos, con todo nuestro corazón, a los bienes de tu reino eterno. Por nuestro Señor Jesucristo, tu Hijo. ver video de San Pietrelcina Padre Pío Pietrelcina