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Posted by bcadmin | Mar 13, 2022 | Art, Catholic News Service, Catholic women, Church in the US, News, Salt Lake City, St. Francis of Assisi |
A love of drawing and an affinity for the art of doodling has led Gabby Gauchay to an unexpected vocation as well as recognition in The Catholic Woman, the quarterly magazine of the National Council of Catholic Women.
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Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Mar 13, 2022 / 07:37 am (CNA).
Noting that Luke’s Gospel reveals that Peter, James, and John had fallen asleep prior to Jesus’ Transfiguration, Pope Francis urged the faithful during his Angelus reflection Sunday to call on the Holy Spirit to awaken their desire to pray.
“The drowsiness of the three disciples appears to be a discordant note. The same apostles then fall asleep in Gethsemane too, during the anguished prayer of Jesus, who had asked them to keep watch (cf. Mk 14:37-41). This somnolence in such important moments is surprising,” the pope observed on March 13, the ninth anniversary of his pontificate, speaking to a large crowd gathered in St. Peter’s Square in Rome.
“However, if we read carefully, we see that Peter, John and James fall asleep before the Transfiguration begins, that is, while Jesus is in prayer. The same will happen in Gethsemane. This is evidently a prayer that continued for some time, in silence and concentration. We may think that at the beginning they too were praying, until tiredness prevailed,” he continued.
Pope Francis observed that as followers of Jesus, we are prone to the same weaknesses as the apostles, and often miss the opportunity to converse with God at important moments of our lives.
“Perhaps in the evening, when we would like to pray, to spend some time with Jesus after a day of rushing around and being busy. Or when it is time to exchange a few words with the family and we no longer have the strength. We would like to be more awake, attentive, participatory, not to miss precious opportunities, but we can’t, or we manage it somehow but poorly,” he said.
“The strong time of Lent is an opportunity in this regard,” Pope Francis continued. “It is a period in which God wants to awaken us from our inner lethargy, from this sleepiness that does not let the Spirit express itself. Because — let us bear this in mind — keeping the heart awake does not depend on us alone: It is a grace and must be requested.
“The three disciples of the Gospel show this: They were good, they had followed Jesus onto the mountain, but by their own strength they could not stay awake. This happens to us too.”
The good news is that the Holy Spirit desires to help us do what we cannot accomplish on our own.
“Like [the apostles], we too are in need of God’s light, that makes us see things in a different way: It attracts us, it reawakens us, it reignites our desire and strength to pray, to look within ourselves, and to dedicate time to others,” the pope said.
“We can overcome the tiredness of the body with the strength of the Spirit of God. And when we are unable to overcome this, we must say to the Holy Spirit: ‘Help us, come, come, Holy Spirit. Help me: I want to encounter Jesus, I want to be attentive, awake.’ Ask the Holy Spirit to bring us out of this slumber that prevents us from praying.”
In conclusion, Pope Francis posed a simple challenge.
“In this Lenten time, after the labors of each day, it will do us good not to switch off the light in the room without placing ourselves in the light of God. To pray a little before sleeping,” he urged.
“Let’s give the Lord the chance to surprise us and to reawaken our hearts. We can do this, for instance, by opening the Gospel and letting ourselves marvel at the Word of God, because the Scripture enlightens our steps and enflames the heart. Or we can look at the crucified Jesus and wonder at the boundless love of God, who never tires of us and has the power to transfigure our days, to give them a new meaning, a new, unexpected light,” he said.
“May the Virgin May help us to keep our heart awaken to welcome this time of grace that God offers to us.”
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Denver Newsroom, Mar 13, 2022 / 07:19 am (CNA).
Pope Francis on Sunday called for an end to the “harrowing war” in Ukraine, condemning in particular the “barbarism” of Russia’s reported attacks last week on civilians— including pregnant women and children— in the eastern city of Mariupol.
“With an aching heart I add my voice to that of the common people, who implore the end of the war,” the pope said March 13, addressing the crowd gathered in St. Peter’s Square in Rome following the Angelus, a Marian prayer.
“In the name of God, listen to the cry of those who suffer, and put an end to the bombings and the attacks! Let there be real and decisive focus on the negotiations, and let the humanitarian corridors be effective and safe. In the name of God, I ask you: stop this massacre!”
The pope’s words come following numerous reports last week of civilian casualties in Mariupol, amid Russia’s attempt to seize the strategically-located city as part of its ongoing invasion of Ukraine, which began on Feb. 24.
On Wednesday, March 9, a Russian strike on a maternity hospital in Mariupol killed at least three people and injured at least 17, according to local officials. Amid heavy loss of life in the city, there have been reports of civilians being buried in mass graves.
Pope Francis said that Mariupol, a city of 400,000 which was founded and named for the Virgin Mary, “has become a city martyred” amid the assault.
“Faced with the barbarism of the killing of children, and of innocent and defenseless citizens, there are no strategic reasons that hold up: the only thing to be done is to cease the unacceptable armed aggression before the city is reduced to a cemetery,” the pope said.
The pope’s words echoed those of a prominent Catholic leader in Ukraine, Major Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk, who lamented March 10 what he described as the “mass murder” of Ukrainians following Russia’s full-scale invasion. The following day, March 11, Shevchuk said the assault is “becoming a war primarily against the civilian, peaceful population.”
As of Sunday, the United Nations Refugee Agency had estimated that 2.5 million people have fled Ukraine since the war began, many seeking refuge in Poland. Pope Francis urged the welcoming of refugees, “in whom Christ is present.”
He also asked all diocesan and religious communities to “increase their moments of prayer for peace.”
“God is only the God of peace, he is not the God of war, and those who support violence profane his name. Now let us pray in silence for those who suffer, and that God may convert hearts to a steadfast will for peace,” the pope concluded.
According to recent reports, a Russian rocket attack early Sunday on a military base near Lviv, a city near the Polish border, killed at least 35 people and injured 134.
Since the start of the invasion, Pope Francis has called for peace. He recently urged Catholics worldwide to pray and fast for Ukraine on Ash Wednesday, which marked the beginning of Lent on March 2. He also dispatched two Vatican Cardinals to Ukraine, where among other things they have met with refugees.
March 13, 2022 marked the ninth anniversary of Francis’ election as pope.
Read More(Here are a few words from the great Pontiff, from his second last Lent in 2004) JOHN PAUL II ANGELUS Second Sunday of Lent, 7 March 2004 1. “Jesus took Peter, John and James, and went up onto a mountain to pray” (Lk 9:28): this is how the Gospel of the Transfiguration of Christ begins,[…]
The post Pope John Paul’s Second Last Second Sunday of Lent appeared first on Catholic Insight.
Read MorePosted by bcadmin | Mar 13, 2022 | Editor's Corner, News |
On February 28th, the U.S. Senate voted on a bill that would have legalized the ‘right’ for a mother to ‘terminate her pregnancy’ for all nine months of pregnancy, no questions asked. This would effectively turn all of America into New York, or, for that matter, Canada, abortion-wise, a tragic result much worse than Roe[…]
The post Close Calls and Conscience appeared first on Catholic Insight.
Read MoreMontreal’s Irish community will be on its feet again next week with resumption of its St. Patrick’s Day parade — two years after the Great Green blowout was unceremoniously cancelled by COVID-19.
Read MoreReading I Gn 15:5-12, 17-18
The Lord God took Abram outside and said,
“Look up at the sky and count the stars, if you can.
Just so,” he added, “shall your descendants be.”
Abram put his faith in the LORD,
who credited it to him as an …
Posted by bcadmin | Mar 13, 2022 | Cardinal Pietro Parolin, China, lead, News, News Analysis, Persian Gulf, President Vladimir Putin, Russia, uae, Ukraine, Vatican diplomacy |
Pope Francis arguably is the lone global leader right now with a real capacity to help make the wall of opposition to Putin truly global.
Read MorePosted by bcadmin | Mar 13, 2022 | Church in Europe, lead, Netherlands, News, Patriarch Bartholomew, Patriarch Kirill, Patriarchate of Constantinople, Russia, Russian Orthodox Church, Ukraine, Ukraine Crisis |
On Saturday the pastors of Amsterdam’s Russian Orthodox parish announced their decision to seek formal canonical permission to break away and join the Orthodox Patriarchate of Constantinople.
Read MorePosted by bcadmin | Mar 13, 2022 | Baptism, Commentary, Faith, lead, News, On Spirituality, Transfiguration |
As members of the human race who were separated from our Father, baptism is our homecoming celebration.
Read MorePosted by bcadmin | Mar 13, 2022 | Apologetics, Biblical Exposition, News, Theology |
click here.A Baptist antagonist claimed he had the proper view of God’s plan of salvation – working through dispensations. I explained to him the more substantial, biblical and Catholic concept of covenants. I think you will enjoy the chart which makes salvation history easy to visualize and comprehend. ********************************************** Hello Jerry: It was good talking […]
The post Explaining Catholic View of Covenants with a Dispensational Baptist appeared first on Defenders of the Catholic Faith.
Read MorePosted by bcadmin | Mar 13, 2022 | Into the Deep, Jesus Christ, Knowing the Faith, Lent, News, Transfiguation |
“No matter what our feelings say to the contrary, Jesus, Who suffered for us, is with us in our suffering.” The love in which God embraces each of us is one of the great truths revealed to us throughout salvation history, but especially thr…
Read MorePosted by bcadmin | Mar 13, 2022 | 2022, Body of Christ Crucified, Catholic Church, Catholicism, Columns, Eucharist, It’s Good for Us to Be Here by Fr. John C. De Celles, Mount Tabor, News, Peter James John Moses Elijah Mary, Sacrifice of the Mass is a prayer, The Catholic Thing, The Transfiguration of Christ by Gerard David, Transfiguration Sunday |
Fr. John De Celles: This Lent go up Mount Tabor with Peter, James, and John, with Moses and Elijah and pray with Jesus Christ.
The post It’s Good for Us to Be Here appeared first on The Catholic Thing.
Read MoreGospel Verse, Cf. Mt 17:5:From the shining cloud the Father’s voice is heard: This is my beloved Son, hear him.Between Moses and Elias Jesus shows forth His divine glory, thus foreshadowing His resurrection. He is the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning…
Read MorePosted by bcadmin | Mar 13, 2022 | Baptism, conscience, Essay, Features, Jesus Christ, King David, Lent, nathan, News, Prophet Jeremiah, repentance, Saint John Paull II |
A prophet with a perilous mission “And the Lord sent Nathan to David” (2 Sam 12:1). The context of Nathan’s mission is ominous. After committing adultery with Bathsheba and, in order to hide that sin, […]
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The ruined Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin, built in 1862, in Ukraine’s Zhytomyr region. / FB Olga Rutkovskaya.
Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Mar 12, 2022 / 16:21 pm (CNA).
The Archdiocese of Los Angeles has asked parishes to add a sp…
The ordination of Jonathan Goodall (former Anglican Bishop) to the Catholic priesthood in Westminster Cathedral, London, March 12, 2022. / Mazur/CBCEW.org.uk
London, England, Mar 12, 2022 / 16:02 pm (CNA).
Cardinal Vincent Nichols of Westminste…
Posted by bcadmin | Mar 12, 2022 | News, The Dispatch |
Reel Rating: 4 out of 5 reels As an art form, cinema does not provide a good vehicle for prayer or devotion. However, there are exceptions, the most noteworthy being Mel Gibson’s masterpiece The Passion […]
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