Prayers for World Youth Day

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The upcoming World Youth Day will be a new Pentecost, Benedict XVI says. And he is asking the whole Church to participate, at least spiritually, if not physically.

The Pope made this invitation today before he prayed the midday Angelus with crowds gathered at the papal summer residence at Castel Gandolfo. He emphasized the importance of Catholics worldwide joining in prayer for the July 15-20 event, to be held in Sydney, Australia.

"I invite the whole Church to share in this new stage of the great pilgrimage of young people across the world, begun in 1985 by the Servant of God John Paul II," he exhorted. "I am certain that from all the corners of the earth Catholics will be united with me and with all the young people gathered -- as in the Cenacle -- in Sydney, intensely invoking the Holy Spirit so that he will flood hearts with the inner light of love of God and of brothers, and of courageous initiative to introduce Jesus' eternal message in the diversity of languages and cultures."

The theme of his message for the meeting will be "You Will Receive Power When the Holy Spirit Has Come Upon You; and You Will Be My Witnesses," with which Christian communities have been preparing over the past year for the event.

He said: "This is the promise Jesus made to his disciples after the resurrection, and which remains always valid and actual in the Church: The Holy Spirit, awaited and received in prayer, infuses in believers the capacity to be witnesses of Jesus and his Gospel.

"Blowing on the Church's sail, the divine Spirit pushes her to 'go into the deep,' always anew, from generation to generation, to take to everyone the Good News of the love of God, revealed fully in Jesus Christ, dead and resurrected for us."

He reflected briefly on the two symbols of WYD, which are always present in these events: the young people's cross and an icon of the Virgin Mary.

"In past months, the 'young people's cross' has been taken all over Oceania and in Sydney it will be once again a silent witness of the pact of alliance between the Lord Jesus Christ and the new generations," he said. Along with the Cross, the "icon of the Virgin Mary accompanies the World Youth Days. We entrust to her maternal protection this trip to Australia and the meeting with young people in Sydney."

Benedict XVI's missionary prayer intention for July is for the success of the World Youth Day in Sydney this month.

In support of Pope Benedict and our own Fr. Farrell, who will be leading Villanova's contingent to World Youth Day, let us pray daily "that World Youth Day held in Sydney, Australia, may awaken the fire of divine love in young people and make them sowers of hope for a new humanity," and that all who travel there will arrive and return safely.

The Jubilee Year of the Apostle Paul

Saint Paul the Apostle
June 28, 2008 - June 29, 2009

His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI opened the Jubilee Year dedicated to the Apostle Paul today in Rome (11:30 AM EDT) with Vespers at the Papal Basilica of St. Paul and tomorrow with Mass on the Feast of Saints Peter and Paul (8:00 AM EDT).

For a virtual tour of the Papal Basilica, click here.

For additional resources on the Jubilee Year of Paul, click here

In announcing the year of St. Paul last year, Pope Benedict pointed to the relevance of Paul's life in our own day:

1. Evangelization is necessary to Christians.

The Holy Father said the Church needs modern Christians who will imitate Paul’s missionary energy and spirit of sacrifice. We need to look at our immediate sphere of influence: our family, parish and community. But we should always work to broaden that sphere of influence as much as possible to spread the Kingdom of Christ, just as Paul did.

2. Disagreements are human nature, but charity is eternal.

Opening the year on the feast of Sts. Peter and Paul, the Pope pointed out that Peter and Paul were very different figures with different roles in the Church. There was tension between them, the Pope said, but together they helped build the Church and showed the world “a new way of being brothers.” Paul also had a famously sharp disagreement with St. Barnabas, so acrimonious that they split. When the Church seems polarized, we can take comfort that there have always been big disagreements in the Church — and even greater charity.

3. Our Church is built on the sacrifice of the apostles.

It was only a few decades ago that Peter’s tomb was found to be buried deep beneath the center altar of St. Peter’s Basilica. Now Vatican experts have discovered a roughly cut marble sarcophagus deep beneath St. Paul Outside the Walls, which, said Pope Benedict: “according to the common opinion of the experts and unopposed tradition holds the remains of the apostle Paul.”

4. Be ready for martyrdom.

These are difficult, even dangerous times, with new legal challenges are making it criminal to be a believing Catholic. Don’t worry, said the Pope. The Church’s actions are credible and effective only to the extent that Christians are willing to “pay personally for their faith in Christ, in every situation,” said Pope Benedict. Where this commitment is lacking, the appeal of the Gospel will be weaker, he said.

Paul “lived and worked for Christ; he suffered and died for him. How current is his example today!”

There are a great number of resources available to help us participate in the Jubilee Year. At the very least, we each can commit to praying with Paul by reading about him and what he, himself wrote.

Prayer for the Year of St. Paul

Glorious Saint Paul,
Apostle to the Gentiles,
when the Lord called, you answered,
and you spread the good news of the Gospel
to the very ends of the earth.

Pray for us,
that we may serve Christ as you did:
proclaiming the name of Jesus
in good times and bad,
when convenient and when inconvenient.

Pray for us,
that we may welcome all the people we meet
with compassionate hearts and open minds.

Pray for us,
that Christ may live in us as he lived in you.

We pray in the name of the One
who is your Lord and ours,
Christ Jesus our Lord.
Amen.

A Suggested Monthly Reading Plan

June 2008
Acts 1-12

July 2008
First Letter to the Thessalonians

August 2008
Second Letter to the Thessalonians

September 2008
First Letter to the Corinthians

October 2008
Second Letter to the Corinthians

November 2008
Letter to the Philippians

December 2008
Letter to the Galatians

January 2009
Letter to the Romans

February 2009
Letter to the Ephesians

March 2009
Letter to the Colossians

April 2009
First and Second Letters to Timothy

May 2009
Letters to Titus and Philemon

June 2009
Acts 13-28

The notes on the Year of Saint Paul were adapted from a National Catholic Register article by Tom and April Hoopes.

The Corona of Our Mother of Consolation

Article 12

And the life everlasting.

The crown of reward and the palm of victory will be ours in heaven.

We shall see, we shall love, we shall praise. Our vision will not fail, our love will never end, and our praise will never fall silent. Love sings now; then, too, it is love that will sing. But not it is a yearning love that sings, then it will be an enjoying love.

(Sermon, 254, 6)

The Christian who unites his own death to that of Jesus views it as a step towards him and an entrance into everlasting life.

Those who die in God's grace and friendship and are perfectly purified live for ever with Christ. They are like God for ever, for they "see him as he is," face to face.

This perfect life with the Most Holy Trinity - this communion of life and love with the Trinity, with the Virgin Mary, the angels and all the blessed - is called "heaven." Heaven is the ultimate end and fulfillment of the deepest human longings, the state of supreme, definitive happiness

From the Catechism of the Catholic Church, Pt. 1, Ch.3, Par. 1020, 1023, & 1024.

Followed by the Our Father and Hail Mary said for the intentions of the Holy Father.

Conclusion

Prostrate at your feet,
O most Holy Mary, Mother of Consolation,
We ask you to protect the Holy Catholic Faith
by your prayers,
establishing peace among leaders of nations
those who lead the Church and all the faithful,
and above all the conversion of poor sinners,
and the relief of the suffer souls in Purgatory.

Holy Mother of Consolation,
pray for us.

St. Augustine, our brother,
pray for us.

Hail, holy Queen, Mother of mercy,
hail, our life, our sweetness, and our hope.
To you we cry, the children of Eve;
to you we send up our sighs,
mourning and weeping in this land of exile.

Turn, then, most gracious advocate,
your eyes of mercy toward us;
lead us home at last and show us
the blessed fruit of your womb, Jesus:
O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary.

Pray for us, holy Mother of God,
that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Lord Jesus Christ,
Father of mercies and God of all consolation,
your faithful rejoice in the protection of the holy Virgin Mary,
Mother of Consolation.

Through her motherly intercession
may we be freed from all evils in this life
and be worthy of coming to the eternal joy of heaven,
where you live and reign for ever and ever.

Amen.

The Corona of Our Mother of Consolation

Article 11

I believe in the resurrection of the body.

The butterfly symbolizes movement from incomplete life on earth to beautiful life in heaven.

Will these ashes one day take on the form of beauty, be restored to life, restored to light? The bodies of all of us, of me who now speaks to you and of you who now listen, all of us in a few years will be ashes, and yet a few years ago we were not even ashes. If he was able to create what did not exist, will he not be able to remake what once existed?

(Sermon, 361, 12)

Death is the end of man's earthly pilgrimage, of the time of grace and mercy which God offers him so as to work out his earthly life in keeping with the divine plan, and to decide his ultimate destiny. When "the single course of our earthly life" is completed, we shall not return to other earthly lives: "It is appointed for men to die once." There is no "reincarnation" after death.

"The flesh is the hinge of salvation." We believe in God who is creator of the flesh; we believe in the Word made flesh in order to redeem the flesh; we believe in the resurrection of the flesh, the fulfillment of both the creation and the redemption of the flesh.

From the Catechism of the Catholic Church, Pt1. Ch.3, Par. 1013 & 1015.

Follow with reflection, then the Lord's Prayer and the Hail Mary.

The images appearing on the twelve articles of the Corona can be found in the stone work surrounding the main entrance to St. Mary's Hall on the campus Villanova University, originally built as a seminary for the Eastern Province of the Order of Saint Augustine, USA.

The Corona of Our Mother of Consolation

Article 10

I believe in the forgiveness of sins.

The keys of Peter recall the powers given to the apostles by Christ.

Driven out of paradise by you and exiled in a distant land, by myself I cannot return unless you come to meet me in my wan­dering. My return is based on hope in your mercy during all of my earthly life. My only hope, the only source of confidence, the only solid promise is your mercy.

(Discourses on the Psalms, 24, 5)

The Church has received the keys of the Kingdom of heave so that, in her, sins may be forgiven through Christ's blood and the Holy Spirit;s action. In this Church, the soul dead through sin comes back to life in order to live with Christ, whose grace has saved us.

(Sermon 214, 11)

After the Resurrection, Christ sent his apostles so that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be preached in his name to all nations. The apsotles and their successors carry out this ministry of reconciliation, not aonly announcing God's forgiveness and calling all to conversion and faith, but by communicating to them the forgiveness of sins in Baptism and reconciliation with God and the Church through the power of the keys received from Christ

From The Catechism of the Catholic Church, Pt. 1, Ch.3, Par. 981.

Follow with reflection, then the Lord's Prayer and the Hail Mary.

The images appearing on the twelve articles of the Corona can be found in the stone work surrounding the main entrance to St. Mary's Hall on the campus Villanova University, originally built as a seminary for the Eastern Province of the Order of Saint Augustine, USA.