The Holy See
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Ecclesia De Eucharistia on Its Ecumenical Import
Ecumenical & Interfaith Commission: www.melbourne.catholic.org.au/eic Ecclesia de Eucharistia On Its Ecumenical Import By Clint Le Bruyns (Clint Le Bruyns, is an Anglican ecumenist who is currently completing a research project on contemporary Anglican and Protestant perspectives on the Petrine ministry at the University of Stellenbosch in South Africa, where he also serves in the faculty of theology as Assistant Lecturer and Research Development Coordinator of the Beyers Naude Centre for Public Theology.) The pope’s latest encyclical Ecclesia de Eucharistia (On the Eucharist in its Relationship to the Church) – the fourteenth in his 25-year pontificate - was released in Rome on Maundy or Holy Thursday, April 17, 2003.1 Flanked by an introduction (1-10) and conclusion (59-62), the papal letter comprises six critical sections in which the Eucharist is discussed: The Mystery of Faith (11-20); The Eucharist Builds the Church (21-25); The Apostolicity of the Eucharist and of the Church (26-33); The Eucharist and Ecclesial Communion (34-46); The Dignity of the Eucharistic Celebration (47-52); and At the School of Mary, “Woman of the Eucharist” (53-58). Published in English, French, Italian, Spanish, German, Portuguese and Latin, it is a personal, warm, and passionate letter by the current pope on a longstanding theological treasure and dilemma (cf. 8). Like all papal encyclicals it is an internal theological document, bearing the full authority of the Vatican and addressing a matter of grave importance and concern for Roman Catholic faith, life and ministry. But papal texts are no longer merely Roman Catholic in orientation and scope. -
St. John Paul II's Redemptoris Mater
St. John Paul II’s Redemptoris Mater – Mary’s Maternal Mediation June 19, 2014 I was asked to open our annual novena talks this mystery of Her Son’s incarnation and redemptive year with Pope St. John Paul II’s encyclical mission. Mary’s singular mediation is intimately Redemptoris Mater, which he wrote to announce linked with her role as Mother of God and Mother the Marian Year of 1987-88. In this encyclical, John of the Church. Paul II recalls and develops the Mariological “All the saving influence of the Blessed teachings of the Second Vatican Council, especially Virgin on mankind originate ... from the divine pleasure. They flow forth from the Chapter 8 of Lumen Gentium, the Dogmatic superabundance of the merits of Christ, Constitution on the Church. The encyclical falls into rest on his mediation, depend entirely on it, and draw all their power from it. In no three Parts: Mary in the Mystery of Christ, the way do they impede the immediate union Mother of God at the Center of the Pilgrim Church of the faithful with Christ. Rather, they foster this union.” (LG 60, emphases are and finally, Maternal Mediation. This talk will focus John Paul II’s own) on the third part of this encyclical. “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord.” By her The Pope opens this section with the quote from acceptance of Motherhood she submits and 1Timothy, which most Protestants cite as their cooperates with the one mediation of Her Son. Her objection to praying to Mary or calling her consent is total self-gift, which constitutes her as “Mediatrix”: virginal bride and mother. -
Seventh Pastoral Letter of Catholic
SEVENTH Pastoral Letter PASTORAL LETTER TO PRIESTS “As the Father hath sent me, even so send I you.” (John 20:21) Feast of the Dormition, 15 August 2004 INTRODUCTION To our beloved sons and brothers, the priests, “Grace, mercy, and peace, from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord.” (1 Timothy 1: 2) We greet you with the salutation of the Apostle Paul to his disciple, Timothy, feeling with him that we always have need of the “mercy and peace of God,” just as we always have need of renewal in the understanding of our faith and priesthood, which binds us in a peculiar way to “God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord.” We renew our faith, so as to become ever more ready to accept our priesthood, and assume our mission in our society. The Rabweh Meeting We held our twelfth annual meeting at Rabweh (Lebanon), from 27 to 31 October 2002, welcomed by our brother H.B. Gregorios III, Patriarch of Antioch, of Alexandria and of Jerusalem for the Melkite Greek Catholics. We studied together the nature of the priesthood, its holiness and everything to do with our priests, confided to our care and dear to our heart. Following on from that meeting, we address this letter to you, dear priests, to express to all celibate and married clergy, our esteem and gratitude for your efforts to make the Word and Love of God present in our Churches and societies. Object of the letter “We thank God at every moment for you,” dear priests, who are working in the vineyard of the Lord in all our eparchies in the Middle East, in the countries of the Gulf and in the distant countries of emigration. -
The Immaculate Conception of Bearer Mary Agreed to the Blessed Virgin Mary
Connecting Catechesis and Life WHAT THE CHURCH BELIEVES BY PRAYING THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION This prayer is packed with words OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY and phrases that give us clues to what the Church has come to believe about this by Eliot Kapitan woman and this Solemnity. All of us know good people who live Mary was kept seemingly blameless lives and do what God sinless from the first asks of them. We look up to them with moment of her respect, with admiration, and even with conception. She was love. favored with God’s grace. More than any Mary, the blessed, the virgin, is, in other human, she was fact, a blameless one. She bears many and is “full of grace,” full titles and honors of respect. She is the of God’s very life and first Saint. We call her the Holy Mother of presence, full of God’s God (and celebrate this on 01 January, holiness. Solemnity and Holyday of Obligation). She is the daughter of Joachim and Anne (26 This favor, this July, Memorial). She is the believer of freely-given grace was in God’s good news for her and she said yes preparation for Mary to to it (Annunciation of the Lord, 25 March, respond to God’s action. Solemnity). This enabled her to do God’s will and become HOW THE CHURCH PRAYS the mother of the world’s redeemer. Catholics gather for Mass on December 8 each year to celebrate the Since this God- Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of bearer Mary agreed to the Blessed Virgin Mary. -
Being Faithful Citizens in the Voting Booth
WITNESSWITNESS Volume 12 Number 1 SUMMER 2012 Being Faithful Citizens in the Voting Booth By Jason Hall health, to home, to work, to family, to culture—is ften, the tensions, distractions, and confusion false and illusory if the right to life, the most basic generated by partisan politics make it difficult to and fundamental right and the condition for all other O discern the appropriate Catholic approach to elec- personal rights, is not defended with maximum de- tions. In Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship, the termination. (Christifideles Laici, no. 38) bishops of the United States give us some clear principles In an attempt to incorporate these teachings, two temp- to consider when making voting decisions. We must be tations present themselves. First, we might embrace an carefully discerning voters. We must not allow partisan loy- understanding of all issues as morally equivalent. However, alties, shallow political advertising, or economic self- this would be a failure of judgment. “The direct and inten- interest to be the determining factor in deciding for whom tional destruction of innocent human life from the moment we will vote. of conception until natural death is always wrong and is not How should we rate the importance of issues that divide just one issue among many. It must always be op- candidates and parties? Faithful Citizenship stresses the posed.” (FC, 28) The second temptation is to use the rela- importance of the virtue of prudence, the ability “to discern tive importance of big issues like abortion or euthanasia as our true good in every circumstance and to choose the right an excuse to ignore other issues which bear on the com- means of achieving it.” (FC, 19, quoting the Catechism of mon good. -
The Holy See
The Holy See VESPERS LITURGY ON THE OCCASION OF THE 40th ANNIVERSARY OF THE PROMULGATION OF THE CONCILIAR DECREE "UNITATIS REDINTEGRATIO" HOMILY OF JOHN PAUL II Saturday, 13 November 2004 "But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near in the blood of Christ. For he is our peace" (Eph 2: 13ff.).1. With these words from his Letter to the Ephesians the Apostle proclaims that Christ is our peace. We are reconciled in him; we are no longer strangers but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone (cf. Eph 2: 19ff.).We have listened to Paul's words on the occasion of this celebration that sees us gathered in the venerable Basilica built over the Apostle Peter's tomb. I cordially greet those taking part in the ecumenical conference organized for the 40th anniversary of the promulgation of the Decree Unitatis Redintegratio of the Second Vatican Council. I extend my greeting to the Cardinals, Patriarchs and Bishops taking part, to the Fraternal Delegates of the other Churches and Ecclesial Communities, and to the Consultors, guests and collaborators of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity. I thank you for having carefully examined the meaning of this important Decree and the actual and future prospects of the ecumenical movement. This evening we are gathered here to praise God from whom come every good endowment and every perfect gift (cf. Jas 1: 17), and to thank him for the rich fruit the Decree has yielded with the help of the Holy Spirit during these past 40 years.2. -
The Holy See
The Holy See ADDRESS OF JOHN PAUL II TO THE PLENARY ASSEMBLY OF THE CONGREGATION FOR THE EVANGELIZATION OF PEOPLES Saturday, 24 May 2003 Your Eminences, Venerable Brothers in the Episcopate and in the Priesthood, Dear Brothers and Sisters, 1. I welcome and greet with affection each one of you who are taking part in the Plenary Assembly of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples. I greet first of all Cardinal Crescenzio Sepe, Prefect of your Congregation; I am grateful to him for the words he has addressed to me on your behalf. With him, I greet the Secretaries, the Undersecretary and the collaborators of the Dicastery; I greet the Cardinals, Bishops, men and women Religious and all who are present. During the work of the Plenary Meeting, you have addressed an important aspect of the Church's mission: "Formation in the mission lands", with reference to the priests, seminarians, Religious, catechists, and lay people involved in pastoral activities. This topic deserves your full attention. 2. The urgent need to train apostles for the new evangelization was reasserted by the Second Vatican Council as well as by the Synods of Bishops held in recent years. The work of the Synodal Assemblies has resulted in important Apostolic Exhortations, of which I will only mention Pastores Dabo Vobis, Vita Consecrata, Catechesi Tradendae and Christifideles Laici. The recently founded Ecclesial Communities are rapidly expanding. Precisely because weaknesses and difficulties in their development process have sometimes been identified, it appears urgently necessary to insist on the formation of well-qualified pastoral workers by means of systematic programmes, adapted to the needs of the present time and attentive to "inculturating" the Gospel in the different settings. -
The Role of Mary in the Work of Redemption: Seven Key Moments
The Role of Mary in the Work of Redemption: Seven Key Moments R O B E R T F ASTIGGI , P H .D. Professor of Systematic Theology , Sacred Heart Major Seminary Introduction The role of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the economy of salvation is rooted in the mystery of the Incarnation. God chose to unite creation to himself by becom- ing incarnate ex Maria virgine.1 The eternal plan for the created cosmos, therefore, includes the Blessed Mother. The role of Mary in the economy of salvation is, therefore, not something marginal but central. In fact, the Blessed Virgin Mary is part of God’s plan from all eternity. The theology of Marian co-redemption un- folds in seven key moments: 1) Mary’s predestination as the Co-redemptrix; 2) Mary’s Immaculate Conception; 3) Mary’s free consent to be the Mother of the Word Incarnate at the Annunciation; 4) Mary’s union with her Son “in the work of salvation” from “the time of Christ’s virginal conception up to His death”;2 5) Mary’s union with Christ’s passion and her offering of her crucified Son to the Fa- ther; 6) Mary’s glorious assumption body and soul into heaven; 7) Mary’s ongoing maternal mediation of the grace with and under Christ, the one Mediator. Each of these moments deserves individual attention, but all of them combine to illuminate Mary’s essential role in the work of redemption. 1. Mary’s predestination as Mother of the Redeemer and Co- redemptrix Mary was predestined to be the Mother of the Incarnate Word. -
The Holy See
The Holy See IOANNIS PAULI PP. II SUMMI PONTIFICIS SOLLICITUDO REI SOCIALIS LITTERAE ENCYCLICAE AD EPISCOPOS, SACERDOTES, FAMILIAS RELIGIOSAS, FILIOS ET FILIAS ECCLESIAE ET AD UNIVERSOS HOMINES BONAE VOLUNTATIS, VICESIMO EXPLETO ANNO AB EDITIS LITTERIS ENCYCLICIS A VERBIS « POPULORUM PROGRESSIO » INCIPIENTIBUS. Venerabiles fratres, dilectissimi filii et filiae, salutem et apostolicam benedictionem 1. Sollicitudo rei socialis Ecclesiae veram hominis et communitatis respiciens progressionem, quae pariter ips ius hominis omnes servet facultates ac provehat, multimodis est patefacta. Praecipuum quidem eiusdem doetrinae tradendae instrumentum novissimis temporibus in Romanorum Pontificum potissimum invenitur Magisterio, quod quidem a Leonis XIII Litteris Encyclicis sumens exordia, quarum verba initialia sunt Rerum Novarum, quasi a capite ad quod reliqua referuntur (1), identidem hac de re pertractavit, dum varia documenta socialia foras edenda interdum curabat ipsis anniversariis temporibus, quibus ilIa occurrebat memoria (2). Nec vero Summi Pontifices suis ipsorum dissertationibus doctrinae socialis Ecclesiae collustrare etiam novas rationes neglexerunt. Ipso igitur initio repetito a Leonis XIII luculentis monitis, subsequentibus additamentis locupletato Magisterii, pervenitur ad « corpus » quoddam doctrinae, quod gradatim contexitur, cum scilicet Ecclesia, Verbi a Christo Iesu (3) revelati spectans 2 plenitudinem, Spirituque Sancto affiante (cfr. Io 14, 16. 26; 16, 13-15), vitae hominum scrutatur eventus, dum per historiae cursum evolvuntur. -
Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith
CONGREGATION FOR THE DOCTRINE OF THE FAITH LETTER “IUVENESCIT ECCLESIA” to the Bishops of the Catholic Church Regarding the Relationship Between Hierarchical and Charismatic Gifts in the Life and the Mission of the Church Introduction The gifts of the Holy Spirit in the Church in mission 1. The Church rejuvenates in the power of the Gospel and the Spirit continually renews her, builds her up, and guides her “with hierarchical and charismatic gifts”.[1] The Second Vatican Council has repeatedly highlighted the marvelous work of the Holy Spirit that sanctifies the People of God, guides it, adorns it with virtue, and enrichens it with special graces for her edification. As the Fathers love to show, the action of the divine Paraclete in the Church is multiform. John Chrysostom writes: “What gifts that work for our salvation are not given freely by the Holy Spirit? Through Him we are freed from slavery and called to liberty; we are led to adoption as children and, one might say, formed anew, after having laid down the heavy and hateful burden of our sins. Through the Holy Spirit we see assemblies of priests and we possess ranks of doctors; from this source spring forth gifts of revelation, healing graces, and all of the other charisms that adorn the Church of God”.[2] Thanks to the Church’s life itself, to the numerous Magisterial interventions, and to theological research, happily the awareness has grown of the multiform action of the Holy Spirit in the Church, thus arousing a particular attentiveness to the charismatic gifts by which at all times the People of God are enriched in order to carry out their mission. -
The Holy See
The Holy See LETTER OF JOHN PAUL II TO THE MONTFORT RELIGIOUS FAMILY To the Men and Women Religious of the Montfort Families A classical text of Marian spirituality 1. A work destined to become a classic of Marian spirituality was published 160 years ago. St Louis Marie Grignion de Montfort wrote the Treatise on True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin at the beginning of the 1700s, but the manuscript remained practically unknown for more than a century. When, almost by chance, it was at last discovered in 1842 and published in 1843, the work was an instant success, proving extraordinarily effective in spreading the "true devotion" to the Most Holy Virgin. I myself, in the years of my youth, found reading this book a great help. "There I found the answers to my questions", for at one point I had feared that if my devotion to Mary "became too great, it might end up compromising the supremacy of the worship owed to Christ" (Dono e Mistero, Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 1996; English edition: Gift and Mystery, Paulines Publications Africa, p. 42). Under the wise guidance of St Louis Marie, I realized that if one lives the mystery of Mary in Christ this risk does not exist. In fact, this Saint's Mariological thought "is rooted in the mystery of the Trinity and in the truth of the Incarnation of the Word of God" (ibid.). Since she came into being, and especially in her most difficult moments, the Church has contemplated with special intensity an event of the Passion of Jesus Christ that St John mentions: "Standing by the Cross of Jesus were his mother, and his mother's sister, Mary, the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. -
Ut Unum Sint
ENCYCLICAL LETTER UT UNUM SINT OF THE SUPREME PONTIFF JOHN PAUL II ON COMMITMENT TO ECUMENISM 25 May 1995 INTRODUCTION 1. Ut unum sint! The call for Christian unity made by the Second Vatican Ecumenical Council with such impassioned commitment is finding an ever greater echo in the hearts of believers, especially as the Year 2000 approaches, a year which Christians will celebrate as a sacred Jubilee, the commemoration of the Incarnation of the Son of God, who became man in order to save humanity. The courageous witness of so many martyrs of our century, including members of Churches and Ecclesial Communities not in full communion with the Catholic Church, gives new vigor to the Council’s call and reminds us of our duty to listen to and put into practice its exhortation. These brothers and sisters of ours, united in the selfless offering of their lives for the Kingdom of God, are the most powerful proof that every factor of division can be transcended and overcome in the total gift of self for the sake of the Gospel. Christ calls all his disciples to unity. My earnest desire is to renew this call today, to propose it once more with determination, repeating what I said at the Roman Coliseum on Good Friday 1994, at the end of the meditation on the Via Crucis prepared by my Venerable Brother Bartholomew, the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople. There I stated that believers in Christ, united in following in the footsteps of the martyrs, cannot remain divided. If they wish truly and effectively to oppose the world’s tendency to reduce to powerlessness the Mystery of Redemption, they must profess together the same truth about the Cross.1 The Cross! An anti-Christian outlook seeks to minimize the Cross, to empty it of its meaning, and to deny that in it man has the source of his new life.