WEEKLY E-MAGAZINE VOLUME:XXIX/2020 OCTOBER 24-30, 2020

Carlo Voice

A weekly E-Magazine, published in view of fostering True Teachings of

Chief Editors- Bro. Ephrem Kunnappally and Bro. John Kanayankal

Contributing Editors Very Rev.Joychen Paranjattu, Vicar General- Diocese of Rajkot Rev.Fr. Shanthi Puthusherry, PIM Rev. Fr. Sunny Kuttikkattu CMI Rev. Bro. Philip Kunnumpurath

Spiritual Patrons His Holiness Francis HB Ibrahim Isaac Sedrak Coptic Catholic HB Patriarch Bechara Boutros al-RahiMarionite Patriarch HB Ignace Joseph III Younan Syriac Catholic Patriarch HB Joseph AbsiMelkite Catholic Patriarch HB Louis Raphaël I Cardinal Sako Chaldean Patriarch HB Gregoire Pierre XX Ghabroyan of Cilicia Armenian Catholic Patriarch HB Mar George Alencherry- Major of Syro-Malabar Church HE Moran Mor Cardinal Cleemis Mar Baselius Cathocos HB Patriarch Pierbattista Pizzaballa Jeruslem Catholic Patriarch HG Domenico Sorrentino, Assisi-Nocera Umbra-Gualdo Tadino HE Philiopose Mar Stephanose, Syro- Malankara Bishop of Canada HE Mar George Madathikandathil Bishop of Kothamagalam HE Mar Prince Antony Panengadan Bishop of Adilabad HE Thomas Dabre, Bishop of Poone Dr.Nicola Ghori, Postulator Cause of Carlo Acutis Madam Antonia Salzano, Madre de Carlo Acutis Design and Layout: Carlo Brothers Published on the Behalf of Association of Amici di Carlo Acutis and Brother of India Charitable Trust, Upputhara Editorial Office:Carlo Voice

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Illegal copying and reproduction by any means is punishable under the Copyright Laws. Homily of His Beatitude Patriarch-Archbishop Pierbattista Pizzaballa

October 25, 2020

XXX Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A

We remain in the context of the fulmination between the Pharisees, masters of the Law, and Jesus. The Pharisees, in different ways, with additional questions, put Jesus to the test; they try to put Him in difficulty, to deceive Him, to have some charge of accusation with which to bring Him to trial.

In today’s passage (Mt 22:34-40), the subject is again the interpretation of the Torah, and the question concerns more specifically the commandments: which is the greatest commandment?

The question, as they put, presupposes that behind it, there is an entire thought, a theology so that among all the commandments present in the Law, there is one crucial, exactly “great.” Then there are much less critical, less significant than the first. And the great commandment, of course, cannot be other than that concerning God, His being the only God, to be loved with one’s whole self, first and above everything else.

When a person did that, he observed the heart of the Law and could feel pretty good.

Jesus does not deny this vision of things, this “theology,” but goes further and changes the criterion. It is evident that God is one and that He is loved above everything, but that is not all; it is not the only great commandment. There is another “great” commandment, which, not surprisingly, Jesus defines as “similar” (Mt 22:39) to the other, and that does not concern God, but the neighbor.

And it is like the first not just because it is equally important, but because it has the same subject, namely, love.

We could say, therefore, that the great commandment is not one, but there are two, and it is as if the first, by itself, were incomplete. That means that it is not enough to love God; it would be much simpler, and everything would be concentrated and used up in worship, in observance, in prayer.

Instead, it is not enough to live the duty of loving God and then not to do the same for the love of neighbor.

God demands that the brother be loved with the same love, the same recognition, the same respect that one has for Him. Both are commandments so that it cannot be said that to love God is a commandment while to love the neighbor is an exhortation, a counsel.

That, Jesus says, is not optional; it is not left to personal sensibility, to the culture, to each one’s possibilities: no, it is a commandment, and it is for everyone.

It is as if God Himself did not accept a love given to Him, which then does not become love given to the other, to the brother.

If this commandment is second, it is not because it is of lesser importance, but because, in some way, it derives from the first. Love for the other arises from an authentic relationship with God, from a sincere listening, from a correct mode of living worship, of observing the Law. Whoever loves God must arrive at loving the neighbor.

In Matthew, a few chapters before the one we are reading (Mt 15:1-9), we find a vehement rebuke by Jesus to the Pharisees and the Scribes, who criticized Him because His disciples were transgressing traditions by eating without first washing their hands.

But Jesus, responding, says this to them: “But you say, ‘Whoever says to father or mother, “Any support you might have had from me is dedicated to God,” need not honor his father” (Mt 15:5-6).

That is, He criticizes them for falling into this illusion, that of thinking that loving God is in some way an absolute that excludes the love of neighbor, falling into the error that there is a love for God that does not pass through the love of neighbor.

Whoever pretends to love only God, whoever uses this to avoid getting their hands dirty, in the end, comes to love no one, neither God nor neighbor, but only himself, in an evil way, closed in his egoism.

And Jesus will go even further, in chapter 25 (Mt 25:31-45), when in the parable of the final judgment He will say that whoever will have loved his brother, in some way will have loved Him, will have loved God. The two commandments are one great commandment.

Jesus stills the Storm (Mt 8:23-34)

Very.Rev.Fr.Dr.Joychen Paranjattu,Rajkot Diocese

Today Corona Virus is taking a great toll on the lives of people all over the world. Last October – November, when the virus was in Wuhan, we thought that the virus is too far away and we are all safe. However, this virus has reached our nation, in our state, our city and is an unwelcome guestin our homes. Many of our own near and dear ones have succumbed to this virus. Now we cry out to the Lord for help like the disciples of our Lord.In the Gospel passage, we see the disciples following Jesus into the boat. Most probably, they must have spent quite a lot of time together in the sea. Later on, the Lord was asleep when the storm arose and the disciples were frightened. They woke Jesus up saying, “Lord, save us! We are perishing!” The Lord is unhappy with his disciples who were with him for the past few years. They had seen him performing many miracles, heard him teaching with authority. However, they were frightened and anxious amidst storm. When fear overcomes one, there is no place for trust. The presence of the Lord was not enough to calm down their fearful mind. They woke him up to quieten the wind and Jesus rebukes them for their lack of faith.

We are in a world full of activities. We have no time to rest, no time to sleep. We turn even the night into day and work. We find ourselves in great panicby the troubles of life. There are spiritual and physical dangers that loom large around us. As we live in the world, “like a roaring lion, your adversary the devil prowls around, looking for someone to devour” (1Pet 5:8). Time and again, we are asked to be on the alert. We are too much worried about economical poverty and think of earning more wealth to make ourselves happier and more comfortable. However, this desire for comfort and happiness, leads us to lose sleep and to become workaholics. There are tensions from socio-political sphere. People now rely on sleeping pills to overcome the burdens of life.

In the Gospel passage, it was Jesus’peaceful sleep that we need to look at. He was sitting on the boat amidst great storm. They were being tossed about. However, Jesus who is the sovereign Lord of the universe was peacefully resting. He was not disturbed by anything. points out thatJesus knew that he was always under the watchful and protective eye of his Father. His trust in the Father was the reason why he could rest amidst storms. We need to learn from Jesus to trust in God the Father. As long as the Lord is in our life’s journey, he will be in control over everything. There is no need to panic. Every storm will die down at the command of our Lord who is seated in our life’s boat. Let us keep him at the helm to guide our lives.

As Jesus and the disciples come to the country of the Gadarenes, they meet two demoniacs that come out of the tombs. The devil cannot withstand the authentic presence of God. They were powerful in the absence of Jesus. However, Jesus’ presence tormented them and they ran for cover. They knew that they would be destroyed and so begs Jesus for mercy to enter the swine. The merciful Lord is even kind to the demons who begs for mercy. He will never abandon anyone who cries for mercy. A word from the Lord was enough to calm the wind and to free the people from the power of demons. Having received the permission, “the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the sea and perished in the water”. However, the people who still loved their swine failed to recognize the presence of the Lord of the universe, who had authority over the wind and the demons. They ask Jesus to leave the place. If one fails to see and live in the presence of the Lord, there will be total confusion, anxiety and fear. Instead of inviting him to take control of our boat, one might ask him to leave our homes. Let us remain in the presence of the Lord that he may protect us from the troubles of life and from every evil

Vox Fidei-THE ALL SAINTS’ AND ALL SOULS’ DAYS

The All Saints’ Day (officially the Solemnity of All Saints and also called All Hallows or Hallowmas) is a solemnity celebrated on 1 November by parts of , and on the first Sunday after Pentecost in Eastern Christianity, in honor of all the saints, known and unknown. In Western Christian theology, the day commemorates all those who have attained the beatific vision in Heaven. It is a national holiday in many historically Catholic countries. In the Roman Catholic Church, the next day, All Souls’ Day, specifically commemorates the departed faithful who have not yet been purified and reached heaven. Catholics celebrate All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day in the fundamental belief that there is a prayerful spiritual communion between those in the state of grace who have died and are either being purified in purgatory or are in heaven (the church penitent and the church triumphant, respectively), and the church militant who are the living. Other Christian traditions define, remember and respond to the saints in different ways. The origin of the festival of All Saints celebrated in the West dates to May 13, AD 609 or 610, when Pope Boniface IV consecrated the Pantheon at Rome to the Blessed Virgin and all the martyrs; the feast of the dedicatio Sanctae Mariae ad Martyres has been celebrated at Rome ever since. This is of course an objection to the claim of many anti-Catholics that the holy observance was only copied from the pagan Roman Feast of the Lemures, in which the malevolent and restless spirits of the dead were propitiated. Hence, this May 13 feast has already been traditionally observed by the Christians as early as 4th century at Edessa according to St. Ephrem the Syrian and got no relation to paganism. The feast of All Saints, on its current date, is traced to the foundation by Pope Gregory III (AD 731-741) of an oratory in St. Peter’s for the relics “of the holy apostles and of all saints, martyrs and confessors, of all the just made perfect who are at rest throughout the world”, with the day moved to 1 November and the 13 May feast suppressed. This usually fell within a few weeks of the pagan Celtic holiday of Samhain, which had a theme similar to the Roman festival of Lemuria, but which was also a harvest festival. However, contrary to the claim of the anti-Catholics that the Catholic observance was also based on the pagan festivity, the Irish, having celebrated Samhain in the past, did not actuallt celebrate All Hallows Day on this November 1 date, as extant historical documents attest that the celebration in Ireland originally took place in the spring: “…the Felire of Oengus and the Martyrology of Tallaght prove that the early medieval churches [in Ireland] celebrated the feast of All Saints on April 20.” A November festival of all the saints was then widely celebrated on November 1 in the days of Charlemagne. It was made a day of obligation throughout the Frankish empire in AD 835, by a decree of Louis the Pious, issued “at the instance of Pope Gregory IV and with the assent of all the bishops”, which confirmed its celebration on November 1. The octave was added by Pope Sixtus IV (AD 1471-1484). Also, in AD 998, St. Odilo, the abbot of the powerful Benedictine monastery of Cluny in southern France, ordered the commemoration of all the faithful departed, who still needed to be completely purified in Purgatory, to be held annually in the monasteries of his congregation on every 2nd of November (the day after the Solemnity of All Saints), which was traditionally observed on October 1 in Germany. Thence, the November 2 observance spread among the other congregations of the Benedictines and among the Carthusians, from France to the rest of Christendom. This feast, called All Souls’ Day. On the other hand, the Eastern Christians of the Byzantine Tradition follow the earlier tradition of commemorating all saints collectively on the first Sunday after Pentecost, All Saints’ Sunday. The feast of All Saints achieved great prominence in the ninth century, in the reign of the Byzantine Emperor, Leo VI the Wise (AD 886-911). His wife, Empress Theophano, commemorated on December 16, lived a devout life. After her death in 893, her husband built a church, intending to dedicate it to her. When he was forbidden to do so, he decided to dedicate it to “All Saints,” so that if his wife were in fact one of the righteous, she would also be honored whenever the feast was celebrated. According to tradition, it was Leo who expanded the feast from a commemoration of All Martyrs to a general commemoration of All Saints, whether martyrs or not. NOTE: In the Church of Rome, All Saints’ Day is a Holy Day of Obligation in many (but not all) countries, meaning going to Mass on the date is required unless one has a good reason to be excused from that obligation, such as illness.

PATRON’S PAGE-Archbishop Pierbattista Pizzaballa

His Beatitude Archbishop Pierbattista Pizzaballa was born in Cologno al Serio (Bergamo), on 21 April 1965. He entered the Franciscan Order in September 1984, made Solemn Profession on October 10, 1989 and was ordained Priest on September 15, 1990. In October 1990, he was transferred to the Holy Land and subsequently entered the service of the . He obtained a Licentiate in Biblical Theology at the Studium Biblicum Franciscanum in .

He lectured Hebrew at the Studium Biblicum Franciscanum, was Vicar of the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem for the pastoral care of Hebrew-speaking Catholics in Israel and in 1995 was responsible for the publication of the in Hebrew, and translated various liturgical texts in Hebrew for the Catholic Communities in Israel. Archbishop Pizzaballa speaks Italian, Modern Hebrew and English.

He served as Custos of the Holy Land from 2004 to 2016. He is a member of the Congregation for Oriental Churches and has been a Consultor in the Commission for Relations with for the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of Unity among Christians.

Archbishop Pizzaballa was appointed Apostolic Administrator of the Latin of Jerusalem on June 24, 2016, and Titular Archbishop of Verbe, formally taking charge of the Latin Patriarchate on July 15, 2016. He was ordained Archbishop on September 10, 2016, in Bergamo, Italy.

Offices of responsibility:

He was also the Vicar General of the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem for the pastoral care of Hebrew-speaking Catholics in Israel.

Since 2008 he is a Consultor in the Commission for relations with Judaism of the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of Unity among Christians.

Fr. Pierbattista Pizzaballa was Custos of the Holy Land for twelve years (05.05.2004 – 20.05.2016).

In 1995 he was responsible for the publication of the Roman Missal in Hebrew, and translated various liturgical texts in Hebrew for the Catholic Communities in Israel.

He lectured Hebrew at the Studium Biblicum Franciscanum.

Nomination as Apostolic Administrator of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem

On June 24, 2016, having accepted the resignation of His Beatitude Patriarch who had reached the legal age, His Holiness Pope Francis appointed the Very Reverend Pierbattista Pizzaballa as Apostolic Administrator sede vacante of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, until the appointment of a new Patriarch.

On July 15, 2016, during a meeting of the Latin Patriarchate Advisory Board, His Beatitude Patriarch Fouad Twal, Latin Patriarch Emeritus of Jerusalem, handed over his powers to Archbishop-designate Pierbattista Pizzaballa, new Apostolic Administrator, according to the decree of nomination issued by Pope Francis.

The Episcopal Ordination of Archbishop Pizzaballa took place in September 2016, in Bergamo, Italy.

On May 31, 2017, Archbishop Pizzaballa was appointed member of the Congregation for the Oriental Churches by the Holy Father Francis,

Publications:

-“La presenza francescana in Terra Santa”. Franciscan Printing Press, 2005, ISBN 978-88-6-24000-91

-“Terra Santa”, interview with Giorgio Acquaviva, Editrice La Scuola, Brescia, 2008, ISBN 978-88-35023-142 -“Le comunità cristiane in Medio Oriente oggi. Dialogo fra le giovani generazioni come unica possibile futura via di distensione”, Pierbattista Pizzaballa-Euntes Docete-LXIV-3-201, Editrice Urbaniana University Press 978-88-401-4041-4

-“Il Custode di Terra Santa – un colloquio con padre Pierbattista Pizzaballa”, Piergiorgio Pescali, ADDEditore, Torino, 2014, ISBN 978-88-67830756

-“Il potere del cuore. Il Medio Oriente nel racconto del Custode di Terra Santa”, Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Edizioni Terra Santa, Milano, Year of Publication 2016 ISBN 978-88-6240-379-5

Honorific decorations:

-Conventual Chaplain Grand Cross ad honorem of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta. 21 February 2013

-Commander of the Order of the Star of Italy (ex Stella della solidarietà italiana). 12 January 2007

-Grand Official of the Order of the Star of Italy (ex Stella della solidarietà italiana). 25 May 2015

-Grand Commander of the Orthodox Order of Cross-Bearers of the Holy Sepulchre. 30 May 2016

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His Beatitude We are Always Happy with your Great Support and care. We assure you our prayers for your future Ministry. Pray for us

Carlo Brothers