Thursday, April 28, 2005

4:19 pm

DAILY GOSPEL
«Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.» John 6,68
    
 
Friday, 29 April 2005
Friday of the 5th week of Easter
Today the Church celebrates : St Catherine of Siena  
 

John Paul II: Holiness with a Feminine Face



Acts of the Apostles 15,22-31.

Then the apostles and presbyters, in agreement with the whole church, decided to choose representatives and to send them to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas. The ones chosen were Judas, who was called Barsabbas, and Silas, leaders among the brothers. This is the letter delivered by them: "The apostles and the presbyters, your brothers, to the brothers in Antioch, Syria, and Cilicia of Gentile origin: greetings. Since we have heard that some of our number (who went out) without any mandate from us have upset you with their teachings and disturbed your peace of mind, we have with one accord decided to choose representatives and to send them to you along with our beloved Barnabas and Paul, who have dedicated their lives to the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. So we are sending Judas and Silas who will also convey this same message by word of mouth: 'It is the decision of the holy Spirit and of us not to place on you any burden beyond these necessities, namely, to abstain from meat sacrificed to idols, from blood, from meats of strangled animals, and from unlawful marriage. If you keep free of these, you will be doing what is right. Farewell.'" And so they were sent on their journey. Upon their arrival in Antioch they called the assembly together and delivered the letter. When the people read it, they were delighted with the exhortation.

Psalms 57,8-12.

My heart is steadfast, God, my heart is steadfast. I will sing and chant praise.
Awake, my soul; awake, lyre and harp! I will wake the dawn.
I will praise you among the peoples, Lord; I will chant your praise among the nations.
For your love towers to the heavens; your faithfulness, to the skies.
Show yourself over the heavens, God; may your glory appear above all the earth.


Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint John 15,12-17.

This is my commandment: love one another as I love you. No one has greater love than this, to lay down one's life for one's friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you. I no longer call you slaves, because a slave does not know what his master is doing. I have called you friends, because I have told you everything I have heard from my Father. It was not you who chose me, but I who chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit that will remain, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name he may give you. This I command you: love one another.

Copyright © Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, USCCB



Commentary of the day :

John Paul II
Apostolic Letter “Spes aedificandi”, §2-3 (translated from the French – DC 2113 7/11/99, p. 918)

Holiness with a Feminine Face


With the Great Jubilee Year 2000 so close, it seems to me that the Christians of Europe, who with all their compatriots are living a time of passage from one period to another – a time which is both rich in hope and not lacking in concerns - can benefit spiritually by contemplating and calling upon certain saints who in some way represent their history in a particular way… I believe that the choice of holiness with a feminine face is particularly significant within the framework of the ever stronger providential tendency in the Church and in the society of our time to acknowledge more clearly the dignity of women and of their specific gifts.

In reality, ever since its beginnings, the Church has not neglected to acknowledge the role and mission of women, even though this was at times conditioned by a culture that did not always give women their due attention. But step by step the Christian community has progressed in this, and in the process, precisely the role of holiness has been seen to be decisive. Constant incitement was offered through the image of Mary, “the ideal woman”, the Mother of Christ and of the Church. But also the courage of the women martyrs, who faced the most cruel torments with amazing strength of soul, the witness of women committed in an exemplary and radical way to the ascetic life, the daily devotedness of many wives and mothers in the “Church of the home”, which is the family, the charisms of so many women mystics who contributed to theological deepening itself – all this gave the Church precious indications for fully understanding God’s intention concerning women. In addition, this intention already found unequivocal expression in certain pages of Scripture, in particular in the attitude of Christ, to which the Gospel testifies. It is along these lines that the decision is to be understood to declare Saint Bridget of Sweden, Saint Catherine of Siena, and Saint Theresa-Benedicta of the Cross as co-patronesses of Europe.



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