The Catholic Church. Raphael: Our Joyful Angelic Friend, Fr. Ed Broom, OMV

The Catholic Church. Raphael: Our Joyful Angelic Friend, Fr. Ed Broom, OMV

Couched in between the Book of Nehemiah and Judith can be found an endearing, heart-warming, uplifting and inspiring short Book of the Bible with the title Tobit. Composed of only fourteen short chapters, the story runs smoothly and quickly with simple but profound messages for the whole world and at all times.

The Word of God is like a two-edged sword that pierces bone from marrow.

Jesus reminds us that man does not simply live on bread alone but on every word that issues forth from the mouth of God.

The Psalmist calls our attention to the fact that the word is a lamp for our feet and a light for our path.

In this short essay we would like to focus upon one person present in this brilliant Biblical short-story and literary masterpiece—the person of an angel, whose name is Raphael.

Our prayer and hope is that after reading and prayerfully reflecting upon the Book of Tobit and becoming familiar with this simple and humble composition, that you will be comforted with meeting, knowing, and loving a new friend that already knows you and loves you—the Archangel Raphael.

Indeed this Archangel greatly desires to walk with you, accompany you in this life so that he will be present with you for all eternity, absorbed in the love of the Blessed Trinity for all eternity.

Two Problems & God’s Intervention

The Book of Tobit presents us with two very serious problems from the outset!

Two families are suffering excruciating pains that do not seem to have an easy solution!

Problem One: There are two Tobits—the father and son.

The father is a very good man! During a meal, he leaves the table to help to bury the dead.

But as it happens, exhausted due to his strenuous work of burying the dead, he falls asleep, but with his eyes open.

Unfortunately, birds passing left their droppings that fall into his eyes.

To make a long story short, despite the intervention of the doctors and their various remedies, the poor man ends up blind—not able to see the light of the day, the color of the rainbow or the smiling faces of his family members.

Imagine his suffering and all because he sacrificed himself to exercise a corporal work of mercy—to bury the dead.

Problem Two: Not too distant from the residence of the two Tobits lived Sarah, a distant relative to the family of Tobit.

The suffering of this young woman was beyond limits!

Her most earnest desire was to marry a young man and to form a wholesome and God-fearing family.

However, the devil, whose name was Asmodeus, intervened in a terrible fashion. Every time that Sarah would marry, the wedding night Asmodeus would visit the room and slay her new husband, leaving him dead and the poor young woman a widow.

This did not happen once or twice, but six times!

The end result for Sarah was nothing less than total despair!

The thought came to her that the best solution would be to simply go up in the upper room, get a rope and hang herself to end her endless misery.

Therefore, we are confronted with two very serious family problems; on a human level, seemingly beyond solution!

However, all things are possible for God if there is faith.

Indeed God can even move mountains.

God will intervene in a surprising, but very powerful way, not directly, but indirectly through the mediation of one of His chief emissaries—an angel, better yet an Archangel, whose name was Raphael.

Actually the translation of “Raphael” could be rendered “Medicine of God or “God heals”.

In short, Raphael is sent by God to accompany the younger Tobit to the home of Sarah for the purpose of sealing a marriage and avoiding future tragedies.

On the way to the home, Tobit Jr. being led by Raphael, as they walk along the shore of the sea, they grab hold of a fish and cut out the liver of the fish which Raphael insists be brought with them to the home of Sara and her parents—which is done!

Upon arriving Tobit asks for the hand of Sarah in Holy Matrimony.

The parents consent to giving up their beautiful daughter, who has suffered so much for having lost her previous six prospect husbands.

However, before retiring that night and consummating the marriage, both Sarah and Tobit burn some of the gall of the fish—to ward away the evil spirits.

But even more important, they both pray that God will protect them and bless their marriage.

This being done in the name of God, the two are united in holy Matrimony and the evil spirits take flight.

Most likely the other prospects died because they sought her for lustful motives rather than noble motives of pure love.

A great message today for our youth!

Thanks be to God and thanks be to the intercession of the Archangel Raphael, “God Heals”, Sarah’s problem was brought to a successful conclusion.

Now what about the problem of the elderly blind man—Tobit Sr.?

Upon returning from his wedding and arriving home with his wife, accompanied by the Archangel Raphael, the angelic doctor insists on prayer and also to taking the fish gall that was used earlier before the wedding night, but this time to apply the fish gall to the eyes of the blind—father.

Done with humility and obedience something consoling happened to the father of Tobit.

Something like scales that were covering his eyes peeled off and he was able to see once again.

Another major victory and triumph over human evil—sickness, manifested by blindness.

How kind, loving and good God truly is!

Therefore, before our eyes this Biblical passage manifests God’s loving and healing presence in healing two families with almost unsolvable predicaments—blindness and the loss of prospect husbands.

Sadness to the point of despair was transformed into overflowing light for the eyes and joy to the young romantic hearts.

We would invite all of you to choose today a new friend—the Archangel Raphael, “God heals”. We will present a list of the specific areas that this great angel can help you, come to your aid and lead you on to the path that leads to holiness, happiness, and heaven!

St. Raphael As The Patron Of…

( 1 ) Travelers. He led young Tobit safely to the home of his future bride and spouse Sara.

May Raphael accompany us and save us from the many dangers we experience on our journey to heaven.

( 2 ) Future Spouses. It was Raphael that brought both Tobit Jr. and Sarah together as future spouses.

Today more than ever let us consecrate our young people to Raphael so that he might help them to make the right decision with respect to their marriage vocation. One wrong choice can prove catastrophic.

May this holy Angel give them light and wisdom on this all-important choice.

( 3 ) Purity. Before they married they prayed together, expressing their desire not to marry due to lust but for the noble purpose of forming a family.

May our young people, through the intercession of Saint Raphael, pursue holiness of mind, feelings, body, thought and action!

( 4 ) Happy Meetings. Furthermore, St. Raphael is the patron of happy meetings or encounters.

He was the one that presented the young couple to each other by travelling with Tobit Jr. How often do we have meetings and encounters on a daily basis?

How often these meetings start with tensions and end worse?

Why not make it a common practice to invite the Archangel Raphael to be with you in your daily encounters with people.

Beyond a shadow of doubt the meetings will be more peaceful and bear more abundant fruit. Try it!

( 5 ) Joy! Pope Francis in his Apostolic Exhortation, The Joy of the Gospel, insists on being missionaries to the whole world, in bringing the Good News of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ to all people.

However, the Pope insists that we cannot be walking around with a funeral face, but must radiate the joy of the Risen Jesus!

The Archangel Raphael, by his powerful intercession and will of Almighty God, transformed tragedy and utter despair into an overflowing and exultant joy! Blindness into sight and death into the joy of married love!

May you choose the Archangel Raphael to be your travelling companion in life and he will preserve you in a constant state of joy of heart.

Saint Paul exhorts us: “Rejoice in the Lord; I say it once again: rejoice in the Lord!” (Phil. 4:4)

( 6 ) Patron of the Eyes. It was through the intercession of the Archangel Saint Raphael that this poor blind man, Tobit Sr. recovered his sight, by the application of the remains of the fish.

How important today in our modern society to consecrate our eyes to Saint Raphael, Saint Lucy, and to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

In a pornographic society where so many people are addicted to the impure image—TV., internet, movies, indecent magazines, billboards, etc.—we must have some powerful intervention.

May Saint Raphael help us to walk on the path of holiness and purity.

May he help us to avoid the near occasion of sin; may he help us to control our eyes which are truly the mirror of our soul.

May this great angel help us to live out the Beatitude: “Blessed are the pure of heart, for they will see God.” (Mt. 5:8)

( 7 ) Patron of Prayer, Thanks, and Praise. At the end of this heart-warming story, the Archangel Raphael does not attribute the triumphs and successes to himself.

On the contrary, the angel points to God and praises and thanks God and invites Tobit, the family as well as all of us to render praise and thanksgiving to God who is the author of all good gifts—sight, health, healing, marriages and vocations.

May this Glorious Archangel foster in our hearts an attitude of perpetual gratitude and a desire to constantly praise the good God for all the gifts He has so generously bestowed upon us.

In conclusion, you are never alone!                                                                                     

Starting today, why not embrace a new friend, and angelic friend, an Archangel—Raphael.

Ask him to walk with you, to accompany you, to be with you, to guide and protect you, to fill you with both purity and over-flowing joy.

He longs for your friendship.

If accepted he will be your strong and faithful friend on earth in time and for all eternity in heaven.

Saint Raphael, be with us; walk with us; pray for us; be our dear and constant friend!

http://catholicexchange.com/raphael-joyful-angelic-friend

https://www.facebook.com/TheCatholicChurch/posts/10152752892246942:0

The Bible You Don’t Know: The Story of the Septuagint, Stephen Beale, Catholic Church

The Bible You Don’t Know: The Story of the Septuagint, Stephen Beale, Catholic Church

Catholic Church

The Bible You Don’t Know: The Story of the Septuagint

Stephen Beale                                               

                                                                                       

It was some six decades after the death of Alexander the Great and more than two centuries before the birth of Christ.

One of the world’s greatest libraries—ever—was seeking new titles. It already had more than two hundred thousand of them, but there was one glaring omission: the Torah of the Hebrews. And the king of Alexandria badly wanted it. His orders to his librarian essentially amounted to: spare no expense in getting it.

So begins the epic story of the Septuagint, the translation of the Hebrew Scriptures into ancient Greek, as told in the ancient letter of Aristeas, supposedly a royal court official, to his brother.

Today, translating ancient texts sounds like a thing that would excite balding and bespeckled scholars burrowed deep bowels of libraries. In other words: not the stuff of legend. But, as recounted by Aristeas, the story of how the Torah was translated into ancient Greek becomes just that.

The task of finding translators took on all the trappings of an international diplomatic mission. An official letter was dispatched to the Jewish high priest requesting translators, and an embassy was appointed to meet them in Jerusalem and escort them back to the land of the pharaohs. The mission took on social and political ramifications: at the time there were, according to Aristeas’ account, some one hundred thousand Jewish captives in Egypt—taken from Israel by the previous king of Egypt. (This is not to be confused with the Exodus. We’re talking the period after the conquests of Alexander the Great.)

When the obvious contradiction between his reverence for Jewish the law and the continuing captivity of Jewish slaves was pointed out to him, the king promptly freed them, according to Aristeas (who conveniently takes credit for proposing the emancipation).

Meanwhile, several gifts were prepared for the diplomats to take to the Jewish high priest. These included a solid gold table embossed with precious stones and embellished with a crystal and amber center—“which produced an incomparable impression on the beholders,” according to Aristeas.

Seventy two elders—six from each of the twelve tribes—were to be selected for the work of translation. Hence the name Septuagint, which is taken from (ironically enough) the Latin word for seventy. (The Septuagint is often referred to as the LXX, the Roman numerals for 70.)

The embassy returned with the 72 translators. Upon their arrival they were greeted more like royal dignitaries rather than Scripture scholars, as told by Aristeas. The king received them immediately, rather than wait the traditional five to thirty days. In meeting them he told them their arrival would become a national holiday. Naturally, a seven-day marathon of feasting ensued, in which each of the elders was asked a question by the king in order to ascertain their wisdom and knowledge, so Aristeas’ story goes.

Then the elders were taken to the island of Pharos to begin their work. Had they looked up from their windows they might have seen one of the seven wonders of the ancient world under construction—the Lighthouse of Alexandria. Whether they realized it or not, they were to produce one of the great literary wonders of the ancient world. As Aristeas describes it,

There he assembled them in a house, which had been built upon the sea-shore, of great beauty and in a secluded situation, and invited them to carry out the work of translation, since everything that they needed for the purpose was placed at their disposal. So they set to work comparing their several results and making them agree, and whatever they agreed upon was suitably copied out under the direction of Demetrius [the royal librarian]. And the session lasted until the ninth hour; after this they were set free to minister to their physical needs. Everything they wanted was furnished for them on a lavish scale.

Aristeas’ version has the 72 translators acting as a committee. But the Talmud, a Jewish rabbinical guide to the Torah (itself a valued tool of biblical interpretation today), suggests there was a mystical dimension to the process of translation. According to the Talmud version, the 72 elders were assigned to separate rooms without being told what they were supposed to be doing. Then the king himself went into each room, telling the elder present to copy out the Torah by memory in Greek. So they did. And when the translations were compared, they were identical.

The story of Aristeas doesn’t have much credibility in the scholarly world. (Not to mention the Talmud’s mystical account.) And perhaps understandably so: his account is riddled with elements of the fabulous. It’s now even doubted that Aristeas was the real author. But there does seem to be a consensus that there is a kernel of truth to all this—and that is that sometime around 282 BC the Torah was actually translated in ancient Greek in Alexandria, Egypt.

And there’s no doubt that the Septuagint when fully completed (the rest of the books took longer than the 72 days recorded by Aristeas, modern scholars say), it was a monumental achievement of literature and linguistics. As two scholars have put it, “Because the Septuagint was the first translation made of the Hebrew Bible (or of any literary work of comparable size) into another language, it marks a milestone in human culture. Any knowledge of the ancient world would be incomplete without understanding the significance of the Septuagint and the history that brought it into existence” (Karen Jobes and Moisés Silva in Invitation to the Septuagint, 19).

The Septuagint was also deeply influential in the early Church. Rendered in Greek, the Old Testament resonated with the Greco-Roman Christian culture in a way that the Hebrew might not have.

Take Exodus 3:14 where God, speaking out of the burning bush, tells Moses, “I am Who I am.” In the Greek this becomes egō eimi ho ōn—I am He Who is. In the Greek, ōn is related to ontos, a word we could translate as being. Suddenly this verse takes on a whole new set of connotations than the original Hebrew and we begin to see the seed of the later patristic (as well as medieval) conception of God as being itself.

Another intriguing case is the end of Isaiah 7:9. A more literal translation of the Hebrew might be something like what the New American Bible has: Unless your faith is firm, you shall not be firm! But the Septuagint tweaks this in a way that has big ramifications for its meaning. In English the Septuagint version would read: Unless you believe, you will not understand.

This verse has immediate and profound implications for the understanding of the relationship between faith and reason.

St. Augustine grasped this and it became a motto for his theology.

The reverence that Church Fathers like Augustine had for the Septuagint is hard to overstate.

Writing in his classic work, On Christian Doctrine, Augustine points to the harmony among the 72 translators evidence of the special authority of the Septuagint. In the City of God, he goes so far as to even suggest the Septuagint itself is inspired: “For the same Spirit who was in the prophets when they spoke these things was also in the seventy men when they translated them, so that assuredly they could also say something else, just as if the prophet himself had said both, because it would be the same Spirit who said both.”

Agree or not with Augustine, there’s no question the Septuagint does—and should have—a special authority for us today.

For one thing, it’s the oldest version of the Old Testament we have—predating the earliest version of the Hebrew text we have (known as the Masoretic text).

The Septuagint is also the version that the New Testament writers used most often when quoting from the Old Testament.

According to one scholarly count (cited here), the Septuagint is cited 340 times and the Hebrew text just 33.

It’s something to keep in mind when we remember that the Septuagint is the source for so-called apocryphal books that are included in the version of Old Testament that we Catholics use.

http://catholicexchange.com/bible-dont-know-story-septuagint

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Social protection. Almost half the world’s older persons lack pensions. International Labour Organization, September 30, 2014

Social protection. Almost half the world’s older persons lack pensions. International Labour Organization, September 30, 2014

 

ILO report says 52 per cent of older persons receive a pension, but levels are inadequate and the trend has been worsened by fiscal consolidation.

News | 30 September 2014

GENEVA (ILO News) -- Nearly half – 48 per cent – of all people over pensionable age in the world do not receive a pension, and for many of the 52 per cent who do coverage is not adequate, says a new report by the International Labour Organization (ILO).

As a result, the majority of the world’s older women and men have no income security, have no right to retire and must keep working as long as they can – often in poorly paid, precarious conditions.

The ILO policy paper “Social Protection for older persons: Key policy trends and statistics” shows that in recent years many middle and low-income countries have been rapidly expanding pension coverage through a mix of contributory and non-contributory, tax-financed social pensions.

The report looks at pension systems in 178 countries. It finds that more than 45 countries have reached 90 per cent pension coverage and more than 20 developing countries have achieved or nearly achieved universal pension coverage. 

“Many developing countries are boldly expanding their pension systems -- a very positive trend,” said Isabel Ortiz, director of the ILO’s Social Protection Department. “But as important as expanding coverage, is guaranteeing adequate pension benefits. Older men and women have a right to retire in dignity, without falling into poverty. This is an issue worldwide.” 

 

How well do countries cover their populations for pensions?

Mouse over the chart to see the values

Remarkable increases in pension coverage were achieved in only a decade in places like China, Lesotho, Thailand, Timor Leste and Tunisia, ranging from about 25 per cent to more than 70 per cent of the population. Tax-financed pensions play a major role in extending pension coverage, as they ensure a basic level of protection for those not receiving a contributory pension.

Austerity’s effects

According to the report, fiscal consolidation policies adopted from 2010 onwards have led to reduced social protection for older persons. Adjustment measures include cuts in health and other social services, as well as pension reforms such as raising the retirement age, reducing benefits and increasing contribution rates. 

“These adjustments are undermining the adequacy of pension and welfare systems and reducing their ability to prevent poverty in old age,” said Ortiz. 

“The long-term liabilities of austerity take time to show up. Depressed household income levels are leading to lower domestic consumption and slowing down economic recovery. It is alarming that future pensioners will receive lower pensions in at least 14 European countries by 2050,” she added.

                                                                                                                            

Social protection as growth strategy

Ortiz explained that the positive impacts of social protection on both social and economic development, for example through boosting consumer spending and promoting more inclusive economic growth, have put social protection at the forefront of the development agenda. Many middle-income countries are enlarging social protection as part of their strategy to drive economic growth.

“China, for example, has achieved nearly universal coverage of pensions and increased wages,” Ortiz said.

Some countries, including Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Hungary, Kazakhstan and Poland, are reversing the earlier privatization of their pension systems of the 1980s and 1990s because they were too expensive and did not expand pension coverage. The full or partial renationalization of these pension schemes aims to reduce the fiscal costs, to improve pension coverage and old-age income security.

“Public social security systems with strong social protection floors are essential for economic recovery, inclusive development and social justice, and therefore must be an integral part of the post-2015 development agenda,” said Ortiz. “Social protection in old age is a human right backed by international labour standards. It also makes good economic sense.”

The ILO promotes policies and provides assistance to its member states to help extend adequate levels of social protection to all members of society, including older persons. 

The ILO Social Protection Floors Recommendation, 2012 (No. 202), which calls for the extension of social protection coverage, following the principles of universality of coverage, non-discrimination and gender equality, was adopted by 185 countries and further endorsed by G20 leaders and the United Nations.

www.ilo.org International Labour Organization, Organizatia Internationala a Muncii

http://www.ilo.org/global/about-the-ilo/newsroom/news/WCMS_310210/lang--en/index.htm?shared_from=media-mail

Heure Sainte, Paray-le-Monial, Jeudi 2 octobre 2014. Avec le Vénérable Paul VI ; à l’occasion de sa prochaine béatification le 19 octobre

Heure Sainte, Paray-le-Monial, Jeudi 2 octobre 2014

                                             

Avec le Vénérable Paul VI ; à l’occasion de sa prochaine béatification le 19 octobre

Exposition du Saint-Sacrement

Chant :

Seigneur Jésus, tu es présent   dans ton Eucharistie.   Dans cette hostie nous t’adorons et nous te magnifions.

Toi qui es Dieu, toi qui es roi, tu nous as tout donné. Tu es le Christ, tu es l’Agneau  Immolé sur la croix.

Dans ta passion tu as porté chacun de nos péchés. Ton sang versé nous a lavés et nous a rachetés.

I- « Alors Jésus parvient avec eux à un domaine appelé Gethsémani, et il dit aux disciples : "Restez ici, tandis que je m'en irai prier là-bas." Et prenant avec lui Pierre et les deux fils de Zébédée, il commença à ressentir tristesse et angoisse. Alors il leur dit : "Mon âme est triste à en mourir, demeurez ici et veillez avec moi." Etant allé un peu plus loin, il tomba face contre terre en faisant cette prière : "Mon Père, s'il est possible, que cette coupe passe loin de moi ! Cependant, non pas comme je veux, mais comme tu veux."Il vient vers les disciples et les trouve en train de dormir ; et il dit à Pierre : "Ainsi, vous n'avez pas eu la force de veiller une heure avec moi ! Veillez et priez pour ne pas entrer en tentation : l'esprit est ardent, mais la chair est faible." » (Matthieu 26)

C’est maintenant qu’il faut que nos esprits se réveillent, que nos consciences s’éclairent et que, sous le regard illuminateur du Christ, toutes les forces de nos âmes se tendent. Prenons maintenant conscience, dans une douleur sincère, de tous nos péchés, prenons conscience de ceux de nos pères, de ceux de l’histoire passée, prenons conscience de ceux de notre époque, de ceux du monde dans lequel nous vivons. Et pour que notre douleur ne soit ni lâche ni téméraire, mais humble, pour qu’elle ne soit pas désespérée, mais confiante, pour qu’elle ne soit pas passive, mais priante, qu’elle s’unisse à celle de Jésus-Christ Notre-Seigneur, patient jusqu’à la mort et obéissant jusqu’à la croix…  

(Paul VI. Pèlerinage en Terre Sainte, 1964 ; prière de repentance au Saint-Sépulcre)

Prière :

Là où toi, ô Seigneur Jésus, l’innocent, tu as été accusé ; le juste, tu as été jugé ; le saint, tu as été condamné… nous nous souvenons de toi ; nous t’adorons ; nous t’invoquons, ô Seigneur Jésus. (Amen). (Prière de Paul VI au Saint-Sépulcre)
Silence

Chant :

R/ Ô Dieu saint, Ô Dieu fort, Ô Dieu immortel, aie pitié de nous.
Nous n’avons porté ni le poids du jour ni la brûlure du soleil.
À la onzième heure, nous venons à toi. Sauve-nous, prends pitié de nous.

                                    

II- « Arrivés à un lieu dit Golgotha, c'est-à-dire lieu dit du Crâne, ils lui donnèrent à boire du vin mêlé de fiel ; il en goûta et n'en voulut point boire. Quand ils l'eurent crucifié, ils se partagèrent ses vêtements en tirant au sort. Puis, s'étant assis, ils restaient là à le garder. Ils placèrent aussi au-dessus de sa tête le motif de sa condamnation ainsi libellé : "Celui-ci est Jésus, le roi des Juifs." Alors sont crucifiés avec lui deux brigands, l'un à droite et l'autre à gauche. Les passants l'injuriaient en hochant la tête et disant : "Toi qui détruis le Sanctuaire et en trois jours le rebâtis, sauve-toi toi-même, si tu es fils de Dieu, et descends de la croix !" Pareillement les grands prêtres se gaussaient et disaient avec les scribes et les anciens : "Il en a sauvé d'autres et il ne peut se sauver lui-même ! Il est roi d'Israël : qu'il descende maintenant de la croix et nous croirons en lui ! Il a compté sur Dieu ; que Dieu le délivre maintenant, s'il s'intéresse à lui ! Il a bien dit : Je suis fils de Dieu !" Même les brigands crucifiés avec lui l'outrageaient de la sorte. A partir de la sixième heure, l'obscurité se fit sur toute la terre, jusqu'à la neuvième heure. Et vers la neuvième heure, Jésus clama en un grand cri : "Eli, Eli, lema sabachtani" , c'est-à-dire : "Mon Dieu, mon Dieu, pourquoi m'as-tu abandonné ?" » (Matthieu 27)

Ici, ô Seigneur Jésus, ta passion a été offrande, prévue, acceptée, voulue, a été sacrifice : tu fus la victime, tu fus le prêtre. Ici, ta mort fut l’expression, fut la mesure du péché humain, fut l’holocauste du plus grand des héroïsmes, fut le prix offert à la justice divine, fut la preuve du suprême amour. Ici se combattirent la vie et la mort, ici, tu remportes la victoire, ô Christ, mort pour nous et ressuscité pour nous. (Ibid.)

Prière :

Toi, fils de l’homme, tu as été torturé, crucifié et mis à mort. Toi, Fils de Dieu, tu as été blasphémé, moqué, renié ; toi, la lumière, tu as connu les ténèbres ; toi, le roi, tu as été élevé sur une croix… nous nous souvenons de toi ; nous t’adorons ; nous t’invoquons, ô Seigneur Jésus. (Amen). (Ibid.) 

Silence      

Chant :

Nous avons péché contre le ciel et contre toi, et comme le prodigue nous te supplions, 

En ton pardon, accueille-nous.

R/ Ô Dieu saint, Ô Dieu fort, Ô Dieu immortel, aie pitié de nous.

III- « Après quoi, sachant que désormais tout était achevé pour que l'Ecriture fût parfaitement accomplie, Jésus dit : "J'ai soif." Un vase était là, rempli de vinaigre. On mit autour d'une branche d'hysope une éponge imbibée de vinaigre et on l'approcha de sa bouche. Quand il eut pris le vinaigre, Jésus dit : "C'est achevé" et, inclinant la tête, il remit l'esprit. » (Jean 19)

Fidèles, infidèles, nous l’avons été tant de fois. Nous sommes venus pour confesser le mystérieux rapport entre nos péchés et ta passion, notre œuvre, ton œuvre. Nous sommes venus pour nous frapper la poitrine, pour te demander pardon, pour implorer ta miséricorde. Nous sommes venus parce que nous savons que tu peux, que tu veux nous pardonner, parce que tu as expié pour nous, tu es notre rédemption, tu es notre espérance. (Ibid.)

Prière :                        

Seigneur Jésus, notre rédempteur, ravive en nous le désir et la confiance en ton pardon, affermis notre volonté de conversion et de fidélité, fais-nous goûter la certitude et aussi la douceur de ta miséricorde. (Amen). (Ibid.)
Silence

Chant :

Qui nous rendra la beauté du premier jour où tu nous façonnas à ton image ? 

Toi le créateur de l’Église, sauve-nous.

R/ Ô Dieu saint, Ô Dieu fort, Ô Dieu immortel, aie pitié de nous.

Tantum ergo – Bénédiction du Saint Sacrement – Louanges divines – Salve Regina 

---

Chants tirés du carnet Il est vivant (A.V.M. - 71600 Paray-le-Monial)

© Sanctuaires de Paray-le-Monial              

“Pour être certain(e) de recevoir l'Heure Sainte tous les mois dans votre boîte mail, ajoutez l'adresse standard-paray@emmanuel.info à votre carnet d'adresses.

N'hésitez pas à transférer cet e-mail à vos ami(e)s pour leur faire connaître l'Heure-Sainte. » Objet : Heure Sainte du mois d'octobre De : Sanctuaires de Paray-le-Monial (standard.paray@emmanuel.info) À : Olivia Marcov@ ...; Date : Lundi 29 septembre 2014 19h31

http://www.sanctuaires-paray.com/spip.php?article17

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Chrétiens en pays musulman au jour de l’Aïd el-Kébir. Comment les chrétiens peuvent-ils s’associer à cette fête ? Eglise Catholique Algérie

Chrétiens en pays musulman au jour de l’Aïd el-Kébir                

Comment les chrétiens peuvent-ils s’associer à cette fête ?

La plus grande des fêtes musulmanes

Le 10^ème du 12^ème mois du calendrier musulman, le mois de Dhou l-Hijja, le mois du Pèlerinage à La Mecque, les pèlerins sacrifient un mouton, en mémoire du geste d’Abraham[1] (Coran 37,101-106). Beau geste disant la volonté de préférer Dieu à tout attachement terrestre, y compris les liens du sang. En communion avec les pèlerins, il est traditionnel dans beaucoup de pays musulmans de sacrifier le même jour un animal. C’est la Grande Fête musulmane (El-Aïd el-Kébir), la Fête du Sacrifice (Aïd el-Adha). Il y a grande prière et sermon le matin à la mosquée, comme lors de l’autre Fête, la Petite Fête (El-Aïd el-seghir), Fête de la rupture du Jeûne (Aïd el-Fitr) qui clôt le mois de Ramadan.

Comment les chrétiens vivant dans un environnement musulman peuvent-ils partager ce moment de fête avec leurs amis musulmans ?

Par l’amitié

De même que beaucoup de musulmans nous témoignent leur amitié en  offrant une part de la viande du mouton de l’Aïd (et parfois en offrant quelque chose à l’occasion de la fête chrétienne de Noël), il est bon que nous nous manifestions à l’occasion de cette fête par un « Bonne Fête ! », une brève visite, un coup de fil, un SMS, un petit cadeau aux enfants, voire en participant à l’achat du mouton comme le font certains chrétiens membres d’une famille musulmane.

                                                                                                                                  

Nous aussi sommes sensibles au geste et à la foi d’Abraham

Le lectionnaire pour la célébration des saints du calendrier liturgique d’Afrique du Nord propose une messe votive de saint Abraham que beaucoup de communautés ont l’habitude de célébrer le Jour de l’Aïd el-Kébir. On y trouve les lectures suivantes : Genèse 22 (la ligature d’Isaac), Galates 3 (Abraham père des croyants), le Psaume 24 ou le Psaume 104,1-9 et Jean 8,51-58 (l’espérance d’Abraham se réalise en Jésus).

Le texte de Gn 22 est lu également dans la liturgie lors de la veillée pascale, mais aussi le 2^ème dimanche de Carême de l’année B et le jeudi de la 13^ème semaine du temps ordinaire des années impaires. On pourra se reporter aux introductions ou aux commentaires de ce texte rédigés pour ces jours-là dans les missels.

La riche symbolique du bélier ou du bouc, du mouton et de l’agneau nous marque aussi profondément[2] :

Agneau de la libération : Chaque année pour la Pâque juive, Pessah, se souvenant comment Dieu avait libéré son peuple opprimé en Egypte, chaque famille égorgeait un agneau mangé selon des rites précis. C’est le texte d’Exode 12,3-12.

[ [1] A noter que le Coran ne fait jamais mention d’un mouton.

² Nous développons ici la question du point de vue biblique, mais on pourrait en trouver de multiples illustrations dans la littérature contemporaine, par exemple chez ces merveilleux auteurs d’Afrique du nord que sont le Libyen Ibrahim el-Kouni ou l’Algérien Yasmina Khadra (Les Agneaux du Seigneur, 1988), comme dans des œuvres plus lointaines, la fable d’Esope reprise par La Fontaine (Le loup et l’agneau), etc. ]

Nous pouvons prier Dieu de libérer ceux qui nous entourent et nous-mêmes de ce qui nous opprime, prier pour ceux qui souffrent de toutes formes d’oppression autour de nous.

Bouc émissaire : La Bible fait mention d’un rite effectué le jour du Grand Pardon, visant à opérer un transfert rituel du péché du peuple sur un bouc qui sera ensuite chassé au désert, déplaçant ainsi la violence interne d’une société à l’extérieur d’elle-même pour ramener la paix. C’est le texte de Lévitique 16,21-22. René Girard a bien montré comment ce rite entendait répondre à un fonctionnement inscrit de manière archaïque dans nombre de groupes ou de sociétés, qui choisissent plus ou moins consciemment une personne ou un groupe minoritaire qui est accusé des malheurs ou des fautes de tous.

Nous pouvons en ce jour prier pour tous ceux qui servent de « bouc émissaire », dans nos propres autojustifications comme dans notre société.

                                                                                                                                     

Serviteur souffrant : L’agneau figure aussi le Serviteur maltraité. Le texte d’Isaïe 53 parle de cet homme humilié, méprisé, qui en fait portait nos souffrances, était broyé à cause de nos propres perversités, mais n’ouvrait pas la bouche, comme un agneau qu’on mène à l’abattoir.

Nous pouvons prier pour tous ceux qui offrent leur vie en sacrifice par leur droiture professionnelle ou politique, par leur lutte pour la justice, par le don d’eux-mêmes à leur famille, au soin d’ascendants âgés ou de malades, ou de tout autre manière.

Agneau de Dieu (en latin Agnus Dei) : Dans l’évangile de Jean, le Baptiste désigne ainsi Jésus : « Voici l’Agneau de Dieu qui enlève le péché du monde » (Jn 1,19). Le même Jean reprendra cette figure de l’Agneau tout au long du dernier livre de la Bible, l’Apocalypse. Certes, l’Agneau n’est pas ici victime passive et contrainte (« Ma vie nul ne la prend mais c’est moi qui la donne » Cantique C3 Dorlay), mais envoyé par le Père ; il s’offre, prend sur lui le péché du monde, et le sauve.

« Agneau de l’Alliance fidèle, Agneau de Dieu victorieux du péché, prend ce monde en pitié et donne-lui la paix ! » (Cantique Rimaud-Berthier A 240-1). « Agneau glorieux, Agneau que nous avions immolé, Agneau devenu notre berger, prends pitié de nous, conduis-nous vers le Père ; prends pitié de nous, guide-nous dans la paix ! » (Cantique Rimaud-Berthier D 360-1).

Il arrive que la liturgie nous invite à prier explicitement pour les musulmans (par exemple lors des Vêpres du jeudi IV). N’hésitons pas à le faire aussi en ce jour d’Aïd !

            P. Michel Guillaud, Vicaire Général
Constantine (Algérie)
 

www.eglise-catholique-algerie.org

Actualité de l’Eglise d’Algérie : Vendredi, le 3 octobre 2014

Réflexion chrétienne autour de la fête du sacrifice ( aïd al-adha ) : par le P.Michel Guillaud ( vicaire général de Constantine ).

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[1] A noter que le Coran ne fait jamais mention d’un mouton.

[2] Nous développons ici la question du point de vue biblique, mais on pourrait en trouver de multiples illustrations dans la littérature contemporaine, par exemple chez ces merveilleux auteurs d’Afrique du nord que sont le Libyen Ibrahim el-Kouni ou l’Algérien Yasmina Khadra (Les Agneaux du Seigneur, 1988), comme dans des œuvres plus lointaines, la fable d’Esope reprise par La Fontaine (Le loup et l’agneau), etc.

The Mission to Magadan According to Katalyn, The Catholic Parish of the Nativity of Jesus, Magadan, Russia

The Mission to Magadan According to Katalyn, The Catholic Parish of the Nativity of Jesus, Magadan, Russia

My name is Katalyn Miller and I am a senior at Franciscan University of Steubenville.

I am studying Theology and Catechetics, with a minor in History with the hopes to one day teach high school aged kids.

My faith has always been extremely important to me and has played a pivotal role in how I have become the woman that God intended for me to be.

Through my faith the Lord has instilled a deep sense of trust to Him and His will in my life.

Over the past few years the Lord has strengthened this trust through many trials.

A little over eighteen months ago the Lord put that trust to the test by calling me to do a mission trip to Russia.

His first call came quietly through personal prayer and adoration of the Blessed Sacrament.

Then, during a mission trip to Lourdes, France, the Lord’s call became louder. While I was in front of the Blessed Sacrament, the Blessed Mother told me to go and serve the country of Russia.

I firmly replied, “Absolutely not!” and ignored the call.

I was afraid to travel to and serve in Russia.

It was too far from home and would demand a lot from me in terms of planning and fundraising.

However, the Lord continued to call me to this mission and I finally decided to trust him and agreed to serve in Russia.

After about a year of planning and trusting in the Lord to give me information on where to serve him, the Lord opened the door to come to Magadan.

It all happened so quickly.

One moment I had no idea where to serve God in Russia and in the next moment I had a place to serve with all the details for living and serving figured out.

There is no other way to explain how it all came together other than by the Lord’s anointing.

After a few quick months, I found myself at the doorstep of a mission that I had been called to for well over a year.

Never had I felt the Lord’s calling so strongly in my life.

The trust that the Lord had rooted deep within me was seeing fruits with the “Mission to Magadan.”

During the long eight-hour flight from Moscow to Magadan, I felt like a little kid on Christmas Eve trying to sleep before the much anticipated Christmas morning. 
Upon arriving in Magadan, I immediately felt like it had become home.

Fr. Michael has played such a fatherly role for me here in Magadan and you can clearly see the Lord working through him.

The sisters from the order of the “Daughter’s of Charity” are unbelievably joyful and it is evident that they are deeply in love with the Lord.

They have been an example of how to have a joyful and loving relationship with the Lord and because of that I have been able to grow in my personal relationship with God.

The parishioners have been so welcoming that I can clearly see the Lord radiating out of their love for me.

In a place like Magadan that is so dark and gloomy, you would not expect to see so much light and hope in the eyes of the people here.

The Lord has continuously shown me why he brought me here.

He is bringing love to the people in Magadan and I am merely the instrument the Lord has chosen to love these people.

In the same way, the Lord has also revealed His own love for me through the joy and hope of the people I meet.

They radiate Christ in every moment and show me the Lord’s love for me.

In a town that was built for the persecution and suffering of people, you would never expect such a strong witness of faith.

I am reminded constantly of a scripture passage in the Gospel of John;

“The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness does not overcome it.” (John 1:5)

If there is one thing I have learned from my time in Magadan it is that there is no amount of darkness that can overcome the light of Christ.

The light of Christ is stronger than death, and can overcome any trial that I am faced with.

Magadan has taught me to trust in the Lord and that if I cling to the Him, no evil can overcome me.

http://myemail.constantcontact.com/Mission-to-Magadan-e-news-September-2014.html?soid=1102658680149&aid=gbyj-xwoiP4

https://www.facebook.com/Mission2Magadan

The Mission to Magadan according to Hannah, Hannah's Testimony, The Catholic Parish of the Nativity of Jesus, Magadan, Russia

The Mission to Magadan according to Hannah, Hannah's Testimony, The Catholic Parish of the Nativity of Jesus, Magadan, Russia

“Therefore I accept the loss of all things for the sake of gaining Jesus Christ my Lord” (Phil 3:8)

This is my favorite Bible verse, not only because it reminds me of my call to live for heaven, but because it reminds me of the true desire of my heart.

If I am to gain heaven, to be with my beloved God for eternity, I have no other choice but to deny myself and take up my cross to follow Him.

My name is Hannah Castree and I will be a senior in college at Franciscan University of Steubenville this fall.

If anyone would have told me a year ago that I would go to Russia even once in my life, I would have thought they were crazy.

Now, the thought of ever wanting to leave Magadan is crazy to me.

When I started considering coming to Magadan this summer, I went back and forth so much that I am surprised that I didn’t get whiplash by the end of it!

It took months of prayer and a lot of me begging the Lord to make His will clear in this decision.

If I was going all the way to Siberia, I wanted a clear answer.

Finally, when the clear answer did not come, I realized that the Lord was calling me to make a decision and trust Him.

I told Him that I was going to push forward with going and if He really did not want me to go, to stop me.

As my friends and family asked me why I was going and some thought I was crazy, the only answer I could give them was, “I do not know why I am going, I just know that the Lord wants me to go.”

This did not change, even after arriving in Magadan.

I had no particular love or passion for Russia or Russian culture, I just had a love for God that brought me here.

This continued for the first two weeks of living in Magadan.

After living here for about a month, the Lord has shown me the reasons why He brought me here, but He also has placed in my heart a love for Magadan.

Now I love Russian culture, Russian people, and I love the community in Magadan. I have never been so welcomed and loved by people I did not know and only just met.

These people that have been placed in my life are the reason the Lord brought me to Magadan.

He has asked me to be His instrument so that He can love His children here in Magadan.

I am His arms when He wants to hug them, I am His eyes when He wants to look at them with eyes of love.

It is truly no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.

I have been amazed at how great my love for these people is.

As the Lord’s instrument, He has allowed me to experience His love for each person I meet.

I see them through His eyes in all their dignity, beauty, and I am able to see the gift they are to this world.

This in itself is a gift to me, Magadan feels like home.

Without evening realizing it, all the people I have met are becoming members of my family.

It is as if there is a place in my heart that each person I encounter was meant to fill. Each person reveals a part of God to me I never knew before, and would be missing in my life had I not met them.

I hope as I continue my time here that I may become more of a worthy instrument in the hands of our Lord and simply to love all those I meet.

That is my greatest desire in all that I do, because the Love of God is the greatest gift I have ever received.

https://www.facebook.com/Mission2Magadan

Mission to Magadan, Monday, September 1, 2014, at 1:04am:

Here's our e-newsletter for August!

http://myemail.constantcontact.com/Mission-to-Magadan-e-news-August-2014.html?soid=1102658680149&aid=I03mpeGJnhU

The Mission to Magadan According to Theresa, The Catholic Parish of the Nativity of Jesus, Magadan, Russia

The Mission to Magadan According to Theresa, The Catholic Parish of the Nativity of Jesus, Magadan, Russia

I do not feel worthy to write this short glimpse into the beauty of Magadan.

How can a person put into words the glory of God?

There is no limit! There is no end!

And I, the least of His followers, a nursing major from Holly, Michigan endeavor to give it justice.

In the words of C.S. Lewis, "We are mirrors whose brightness is wholly derived from the sun that shines upon us."

The temptation has come to me to think that I have accomplished great things for the Lord here in Magadan or that I have somehow been the cause of conversion in northeastern Siberia.

The truth is that God’s brightness in Magadan is brighter than the midday sun. God’s love and truth is so real in Magadan you can almost touch it; you breathe it with every breath.

I did not expect to find Him in hotdogs for breakfast, misinterpreted translations, or Russian friends who have become family; but I have.

Here in Magadan my spiritual vision is growing with the aid of a brand new pair of glasses.

One of the biggest ways my interior vision improves is in through the vision of myself.

The Lord is showing me my great humility in Magadan and freeing me to allow His love through me as He chooses.

I see Him touch so many lives in Magadan.

I have seen Him in everyone from Fr. Michael Shields to the grocery boy we buy our vegetables from.

I see Christ in the children and our English students.

I see Christ in the parishioners and in my mission team.

The love, joy, and generosity of the people of Magadan flows from true hearts that know God.

Even though most people do not even know if God exists, their hearts know what their minds do not.

Sharing in the creation of the connection between the head and heart is the greatest miracle I have seen in this mission.

There is also a real struggle and spiritual battle in Magadan to live for God and embrace the truth that engulfs you.

His mercy is greater than every evil; His healing more powerful than any pain.

Though the pain of Magadan is great, God was, is, and shall always will be greater than that pain felt in Magadan.

I do not know why He chose me to come to Magadan but I am glad that He did.

I praise Him for choosing me to be Catholic, to know Him, and to come to Magadan. While I intended to give much here in Magadan, I have received so much more than I could have ever expected from the Mission to Magadan.

*Look for Katalyn and Hannah’s testimonials in our next newsletter.

Mission to Magadan e-news July 2014 http://conta.cc/1tDqfwo

https://www.facebook.com/Mission2Magadan

Priest Fr Michael Shields: Why is Christian conversion so difficult? Anchorage, Alaska

Biserica Saint Andrew, Eagle River, Alaska, 28 August 2014
Sursa : pagina de Facebook, Olivia Maria Marcov si Catholic Anchor
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TT32ZHxu85s&list=UUfH0mgsyjBIz9925GzfneRw

Priest Fr Michael Shields: Christianity is the cure to a deadly disease, Anchorage, Alaska

Biserica Saint Andrew, Eagle River, Alaska, 28 August 2014
Sursa : pagina de Facebook, Olivia Maria Marcov si Catholic Anchor

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jYtlpMKzpA0&list=UUfH0mgsyjBIz9925GzfneRw#action=share