Pope in Lebanon 2

COMMENT

Visit to St. Paul's Basilica in Harissa and Signing of Apostolic Exhortation

Papal Journey to Lebanon
14-16 September 2012
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APOSTOLIC JOURNEY TO LEBANON (14-16 SEPTEMBER 2012) VISIT TO ST. PAUL'S BASILICA IN HARISSA AND SIGNING OF THE POST-SYNODAL APOSTOLIC EXHORTATION ADDRESS OF HIS HOLINESS POPE BENEDICT XVI Basilica of Saint Paul, Harissa Friday, 14 September 2012 [Video] Mr President, Your Beatitude, Venerable Patriarchs, Dear Brother Bishops and Members of the Special Council of the Synod of Bishops for the Middle East, Distinguished Representatives of the various religious confessions,  Lebanon  Worship_slideshow the world of culture and civil society, Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, Dear Friends, I thank Patriarch Gregorios Laham for his words of welcome, and the Secretary-General of the Synod of Bishops, Archbishop Nikola Eterović, for his introduction. My warm greetings go to the Patriarchs, to all the Eastern and Latin Bishops assembled in this beautiful Cathedral of Saint Paul, and to the members of the Special Council of the Synod of Bishops for the Middle East. I am also gratified by the presence of the Orthodox, Muslim and Druze delegations, as well as those from the world of culture and from civil society. The happy coexistence of Islam and Christianity, two religions that have helped to shape great cultures, is what makes for the originality of social, political and religious life in Lebanon. One can only rejoice in this circumstance, which must absolutely be encouraged. I entrust this wish to the religious leaders of your country. I greet with affection the beloved Greek Melkite community with gratitude for your welcome. Your presence makes my signing of the Post-Synodal Apostolic ExhortationEcclesia in Medio Oriente all the more solemn; it testifies that this document, while addressed to the universal Church, has a particular importance for the entire Middle East. Providentially, this event takes place on the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, a celebration originating in the East in 335, following the dedication of the Basilica of the Resurrection built over Golgotha and our Lord’s tomb by the Emperor Constantine the Great, whom you venerate as saint. A month from now we will celebrate the seventeen-hundredth anniversary of the appearance to Constantine of the Chi-Rho, radiant in the symbolic night of his unbelief and accompanied by the words: “In this sign you will conquer!” Later, Constantine signed the Edict of Milan, and gave his name to Constantinople. It seems to me that the Post-Synodal Exhortation can be read and understood in the light of this Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross, and more particularly in the light of the Chi-Rho, the two first letters of the Greek word “Christos”. Reading it in this way leads to renewed appreciation of the identity of each baptized person and of the Church, and is at the same time a summons to witness in and through communion. Are not Christian communion and witness grounded in the Paschal Mystery, in the crucifixion, death and resurrection of Christ? Is it not there that they find their fulfilment? There is an inseparable bond between the cross and the resurrection which Christians must never forget. Without this bond, to exalt the cross would mean to justify suffering and death, seeing them merely as our inevitable fate. For Christians, to exalt the cross means to be united to the totality of God’s unconditional love for mankind. It means making an act of faith! To exalt the cross, against the backdrop of the resurrection, means to desire to experience and to show the totality of this love. It means making an act of love! To exalt the cross means to be a committed herald of fraternal and ecclesial communion, the source of authentic Christian witness. It means making an act of hope!

Pope in Lebanon Beirut

Pope urges Lebanon to set an example for co-existence

Pope Benedict XVI (C) and Gregorios III, Patriarch of the Church of Antioch (2nd L from centre), attend a ceremony at the St. Paul Basilica in Harissa near Beirut September 14, 2012. REUTERS/Osservatore Romano

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"Lebanon is called, now more than ever, to be an example," he told political and religious leaders on the second day of a visit that coincided with violent protests across the Muslim world against a U.S.-made film insulting Islam.

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By Philip Pullella
and Erika SolomonPosted 2012/09/15 at 2:23 pm EDT

BEIRUT, Sep. 15, 2012 (Reuters) — 

Pope Benedict urged multi-faith Lebanon on Saturday to be a model of religious peace for the Middle East, as a civil war raged in neighboring Syria, deepening sectarian divisions.

Lebanon - torn apart by a 1975-1990 sectarian civil war - is a religious mosaic of over four million people whose Muslim majority includes Sunnis, Shi'ites and Alawites. Christians, over one-third of the population, are divided into more than a dozen churches, six of them linked to the Vatican.

The German-born pontiff, 85, delivered his morning speech in French at the presidential palace after meeting President Michel Suleiman, a Maronite Christian, Sunni Prime Minister Najib Mikati and parliamentary speaker Nabih Berri, a Shi'ite.

At a rally later in the day, he told thousands of cheering young people not to let discrimination, unemployment and instability drive them abroad and reminded young Syrian Christians in the crowd that "the pope has not forgotten you."   

CATHOLICS CELEBRATE

Catholic faithful listen to Pope Benedict XVI during his trip Saturday to Bkerke, the house of the Maronite Catholic Patriarch of Antioch and all the East, Mar Bechara Boutros al-Rahi.          

HE AND I, GB. Not so much to be comforted by the Comforter, but so that He will teach you how to comfort Me

Gabrielle Bossis, HE AND I

 1945

May 10 -  Ascension. After Vespers in the empty church. 

"Lord, I rejoice for those in heaven. But the Ascension is sad for our planet."  

 "Make a fervent novena for Pentecost together with My mother and the holy women in the Upper Room. Not so much to be comforted by the Comforter, but so that He will teach you how to comfort Me. Earnestly desire to know how to console Me. Make use of this most gentle way of loving, as though you offered Me a new home with rare flowers and perfumes where a wealthy friend waited for frequent meetings and confidences.

It is your heart that wants the hearts of all men to be Mine. It is your heart that wants to find warmth close to Mine. Then if you have a clear understanding of the Ascension, you will try to follow your Beloved and live less for the things of your planet than for His home in heaven. So don't fail to begin doing now what you will do tomorrow: join in the praises of the All-joyous ones, your  brothers of tomorrow.

You remember that in spite of the fact that I rose from the Mount of Olives, I remained in the midst of My apostles, hidden in the Eucharist, in the heart of My holy mother. Could I have deserted My poor children completely? You, My child, seek Me always in the Eucharist. It is there for you, for everyone. Don't be reticent. Come simply. Give thanks with joy in your heart. Love simply.

Every is so simple with Me..........

Claire de Castelbajac, That my joy might remain

Translation from Frenchhttp://aumonerie-icp.blogspace.fr/2735565/Claire-de-Castelbajac-Que-ma-joie-demeure/ Claire de Castelbajac, That my joy might remain   ( Corner books .... )posted Friday, November 25, 2011 11:59 p.m.

Claire de Castelbajac -

That my joy might remain

A book by Dominique-Marie Douzet

Why write a book about a normal life?

Perhaps to show us that holiness is accessible it is neither fair nor necessary to wait a lifetime to become a martyr, mystic and missionary.

Claire enters Eternity 22 January 1975 to 21 and a half years.

At the age when we say that holiness is for later, what had she done to conquer "all of a sudden the crown as others receive only after many years" the grace to appear before God?

She, with simplicity, love without measure, sketched the life to the fullest, in Espérance lived deep without fear, doing what she had to do.

What a joy - what a relief, too - to be able to recognize in this gentle child and angry at the same time, this exuberant and rebellious teenager, this young woman seeking without finding his vocation fully, no one can say what would have become Claire if she had lived she was just called to eternity.

At his death, rain Thanksgiving: "We do not ask for it, we the pray. "

A convent of Cistercian nuns suffering from a shortage of vocations for 30 years decides to pray through his intercession in the same year, five girls seeking entry - the first name is Claire. Since then, almost every year, a new vocation radiant knocks!

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

This course is full of holiness Father Dominique-Marie Douzet - which itself has a nice "debt" to Claire de Castelbajac - began to share with us in this first biography, citing numerous letters of Claire, full of humor bright and exuberant joy.

Friends of stories, do not hesitate to open this book!.... before going maybe a ride to the abbey of Sainte Marie Boulaur, where the spirit of Claire, always present and visible, constantly renewing itself with each new vocation.

Some words of Claire de Castelbajac:

In a letter to his parents: "  I love you and I embrace you and I thank you for everything since my conception until death (past, present, future)  " .

A year before his death, a nun: "  I would love to have a religious vocation ... are you sure I do not have? I want to be dedicated to God. I want to be alive to praise God. How do I know what is expected of me?  ".

Four months before his death: " I saw so much that I do not know the voice  . "

After his death, his parents found themselves a box on his desk, that person had not read yet. Claire's hand there was a large part: 

"This is spot on, life! '

Françoise thank you for this article!

http://www.clairval.com/lettres/lettre_1.php?id=2081003

   http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Claire_de_Castelbajac 

• References    Experiencing God in joy: Claire de Castelbajac - his life, his message , Lauret, 1991.
• The joy of God's children, Claire de Castelbajac , Abbaye Sainte-Marie Boulaur collection "Sentinels" Téqui, 2006.
• Claire de Castelbajac 1953-1975: Joy of God, joie de vivre , The Open Book, 2007.
• Marie-Dominique Dauzet , Claire de Castelbajac: That my joy might remain , Presses de la Renaissance, 2010.

Internal links [ edit ]

• Abbey Boulaur    

External links [ edit ]

• Official site of the Abbey of Boulaur
• Interview with postulator of the cause of beatification
• Claire, a witness to the joy of God

Luke 6 - Poverty -v- riches: a gem from Joachim Jeremias COMMENT

Hi, William,

It is great with so much revolving or reflecting of illustrating

The only snack is with the PDF and, in fact, I photo the diagram, the picture.

We have the COMMENTS in tandem below,

and move the date line up.

You keep the wheels well soilfor us.

Thank you.

Yours ....

Donald.  

PS. Text as from the graphic;

    

THE LENSE OF THE EYE OF GOD
Treasure is not in the eye of the beholder but in the vision of God.
HEAVENLY
RICHES
ARROGANCE OF
RICHES
PROFESSION OF
POVERTY
For where your treasure is,
there your heart will be also [Matt 6:21]	INCIDENTAL
INHERENT	WEALTH
POVERTY
Wealth is incidental (occurring by chance in connection with certain life situations):-
Its possession creates a mystique of treasure in worldly minds, and an obsession created can take
possession of the human spirit. There are those who can balance this with opportunities for charity,
although it is a challenging crossbeam to navigate as the semblance of riches draws man to aspire to
the arrogance of riches. This can lead to greed for those who cannot attain it, like the unrepentant thief.
Poverty is inherent (existing in man as a permanent, essential, or characteristic attribute):-
It requires a knowing acceptance [else there will be rejection] if it is to open the way to receptivity
and become a professed proverty of charity for the love of God. It is only realized when it embraces
dependence upon the love of God, in true acknowledgement of its helplessness, for its treasure lies
in abandonment to the will of God, in a sense of its own unworthiness, like the good thief.

----- Forwarded Message -----
From: William - - -
To: Donald - - -
Sent: Sunday, 16 September 2012, 14:43
Subject: Poverty -v- riches: a diagram

Dear Father Donald,

Humbly I submit a diagram to illustrate the drama in the life of man as he seeks to attain to the substance of true riches.

The kind comments given by Fr.R, and those added by yourself, have assisted me in trying to determine the direction of aspiration: the human spirit can find - through the grace of God - the way to its soul's fulfilment through poverty or riches, the realisation of its heavenly treasure. However, it can be found only by those who know their need of God, for it has everything do with faith in the Lord Jesus, for His Cross is the frame of the endeavour.

It would need a forum of greater minds than mine to adequately plot the chart of man's endeavour. Indeed, Our God alone is the architect of so great a design!

With my love in Our Lord,

William

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

----- Forwarded Message -----
From: Donald - - -
To: William - - -
Cc: Raymond Jaconelli <nunraw.raymond2@yahoo.co.uk>
Sent: Saturday, 15 September 2012, 13:00
Subject: Fw: [Teresa Avila] Luke 6 - Poverty -v- riches: a gem from Joachim Jeremias COMMENT

William,

PS from Fr Raymond

At the end of the Mass this morning he said quote e of "Where you treasure is, your heart is" would illustrate could be from Theresa of Avila.

See ATTACHMENT

Broadband has been on and off.

Donald

God addresses money frequently because He knows it’s what we treasure. How you treat your money says everything about your heart. Your heart follows your cash. Matthew 6:21 tells us, “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

Read more at http://www.christianpost.com/news/where-your-treasure-is-your-heart-is-also-57291/#sHU227Si7fZbB6to.99 

----- Forwarded Message -----
From: Fr Donald <domdonald@sacmus.org>
To: nunrawdonald@yahoo.com
Sent: Friday, 14 September 2012, 21:53
Subject: [Dom Donald's Blog] Luke 6 - Poverty -v- riches: a gem from Joachim Jeremias COMMENT

Dear William,
Thank you for the well expressed,  " Luke 6 - Poverty -v- riches: a gem from Joachim Jeremias", spiraling mind on different point of focus.   
 Very exciting and here my addled brain is trying to sort out paradoxes or reverse.- mirror reflections. Is it possible to illustrate with a diagram?

Meanwhile , Fr. R. offers,
re . Escatological reversal of far times:
Ecclesiastics 20:9-10
"There may be good fortune for a person in adversity,
   but a windfall may result in a loss. 
There is the gift that profits you nothing,
   and the gift to be paid back double". 
Another "quote" which I cannot trace;
"There are those who are poor - yet possess all things
and those who think themselves rich - yet are destitute."

Looking forward.
Danielou also features for today's Feast of Exaltation of the Cross.

Dali sketch

Donald

--
Posted By Fr Donald to Dom Donald's Blog on 9/14/2012 09:53:00 PM

COMMENT:
Dear William,
Thank you for the well expressed,  " Luke 6 - Poverty -v- riches: a gem from Joachim Jeremias", spiraling mind on different point of focus.   
 Very exciting and here my addled brain is trying to sort out paradoxes or reverse.- mirror reflections. Is it possible to illustrate with a diagram?

Meanwhile , Fr. R. offers,
re . Escatological reversal of far times:
Ecclesiastics 20:9-10
"There may be good fortune for a person in adversity,
   but a windfall may result in a loss. 
There is the gift that profits you nothing,
   and the gift to be paid back double". 
Another "quote" which I cannot trace;
"There are those who are poor - yet possess all things
and those who think themselves rich - yet are destitute."

Looking forward.
Danielou also features for today's Feast of Exaltation of the Cross.

Donald

HE AND i, GB. 1940 November 4 Nantes Recreation time.

 One paragraph from "HE AND i" is more than enough for days, as in the frame

HE AND i, GB. 1940  November 4  Nantes Recreation time.

November 4 -  Nantes. Recreation time.

 "Do you at last believe with all your heart that I created you in order to make you eternally happy? It was out of pure love that I made you - not for My own interest but for yours: to give you infinite bliss.

O thank Me for your creation. Turn your life toward Me. Never cease to look at My love enfolding you; and feeling loved, love Me.

You know how much more intensely one loves when one feels loved. It's like an animated conversation. Only in this one there is no need of any words. We love; that's all. And I am so much yours that you don't even feel that I come down or that you rise up, but it seems quite simple to you that we talk to each other on the same level, share as equals, even exchange our two hearts, since for Bridegroom and bride everything is in common, and although you give yourself utterly, you keep your personality and only enhance it the more.”

ALL LINKS ON NET PRAYER

Apostolic Journey to Lebanon
(14-16 September 2012)

on the occasion of the signing and publication
of the Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation 
of the Special Assembly for the Middle East of the Synod of Bishops

Live broadcasting by CTV
(Vatican Television Center) 

• Program
• Missal for the Apostolic Journey
• Photo Gallery

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• Meeting of His Holiness Benedict XVI with journalists during the flight to Lebanon (Papal Flight, 14 September 2012)[English, French, German, Italian, Polish, Portuguese,Spanish]

• Welcoming ceremony at the Beirut-Rafic Hariri International Airport (14 September 2012) (Video)
  [Arabic, English, French, German, Italian, Polish,Portuguese, Spanish]

• Visit to St. Paul's Basilica in Harissa and the signing of the Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation (14 September 2012) (Video) [Arabic, English, French, German, Italian, Polish,Portuguese, Spanish]

• Ecclesia in Medio Oriente: Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation on the Church in the Middle East: Communion and Witness (14 September 2012)
  [Arabic, English, French, German, Italian, Polish,Portuguese, Spanish]

• Meeting with members of the government, institutions of the Republic, the diplomatic corps, religious leaders and representatives of the world of culture (May 25th Hall of the Baabda Presidential Palace, 15 September 2012)(Video)   
  [Arabic, English, French, German, Italian, Polish,Portuguese, Spanish]

• Luncheon with the Patriarchs and Bishops of Lebanon, members of the Special Council for the Middle East of the Synod of Bishops and the papal entourage (Refectory of the Armenian Catholic Patriachate of Bzommar, 15 September 2012)
  [Arabic, English, French, German, Italian, Polish,Portuguese, Spanish]

• Meeting with the youth in the square across from the Maronite Patriarchate of Bkerké (15 September 2012)(Video) [Arabic, English, French, German, Italian, Polish,Portuguese, Spanish]

• Holy Mass and the presentation of the Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation for the Middle East at the Beirut City Center Waterfront (16 September 2012) (Video)
  [Arabic, English, French, German, Italian, Polish,Portuguese, Spanish]

• Presentation of the Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation for the Middle East at the Beirut City Center Waterfront (16 September 2012) (Video)
  [Arabic, English, French, German, Italian, Polish,Portuguese, Spanish]

• Recitation of the Angelus (16 September 2012) (Video)[Arabic, English, French, German, Italian, Polish,Portuguese, Spanish]

• Ecumenical Meeting in the Hall of Honor of the Syro-Catholic Patriarchate of Charfet (16 September 2012)
  [French, English, German, Italian, Polish, Portuguese,Spanish]

Sep. 17 - Feast of the Stigmata of our holy father Francis

Greetings to Sr. Noreen FMM
for DIAMOND JUBILEE
Happy celebration of your Jubilee.
FIAT in the glory of today and for ever.
God love. 
from Brothers at Nunraw

www.franciscan-sfo.org/p1/stigmata.htm

Sep. 17 - Feast of the Stigmata of our holy father Francis Francis imitated Christ so perfectly that towards the end of his life our Lord wished to point him out to the world as the faithful imitator of the Crucified, by imprinting His five wounds upon his body. Two years before his death, when, according to his custom, Francis had repaired to Mt. La Verna to spend the 40 days preceding the feast of St. Michael the Archangel in prayer and fasting, this wonderful event took place. St. Bonaventure gives the following account of it: "Francis was raised to God in the ardor of his seraphic love, wholly transformed by sweet compassion into Him, who, of His exceeding charity, was pleased to be crucified for us. On the morning of the feast of the Exultation of the Holy Cross, as he was praying in a secret and solitary place on the mountain, Francis beheld a seraph with six wings all afire, descending to him from the heights of heaven. As the seraph flew with great swiftness towards the man of God, there appeared amid the wings the form of one crucified, with his hands and feet stretched out and fixed to the cross. Two wings rose above the head, two were stretched forth in flight, and two veiled the whole body. "Francis wondered greatly at the appearance of so novel and marvelous a vision. But knowing that the weakness of suffering could nowise be reconciled with the immortality of the seraphic spirit, he understood the vision as a revelation of the Lord and that it was being presented to his eyes by Divine Providence so that the friend of Christ might be transformed into Christ crucified, not through martyrdom of the flesh, but through a spiritual holocaust. "The vision, disappearing, left behind it a marvelous fire in the heart of Francis, and no less wonderful token impressed on his flesh. For there began immediately to appear in his hands and in his feet something like nails as he had just seen them in the vision of the Crucified. The heads of the nails in the hands and feet were round and black, and the points were somewhat long and bent, as if they had been turned back. On the right side, as if it had been pierced by a lance, was the mark of a red wound, from which blood often flowed and stained his tunic." Thus far the account of St. Bonaventure. Although St. Francis strove in every way to conceal the marvelous marks which until then no man had seen, he was not able to keep them a complete secret from the brethren. After his death they were carefully examined, and they were attested by an ecclesiastical decree. To commemorate the importance of the five wounds, Pope Benedict XI instituted a special feast which is celebrated on September 17th, not only by all branches of the Franciscan Order, but also in the Roman missal and breviary. ON LOOKING UP TO THE CROSS 1. With the example of our holy Father St. Francis in mind, consider what effect a glance at the cross should have on us. It led Francis from the service of the world to the service of God and to penance. A look at the crucifix should remove from our hearts all delight in the world and fill us with sorrow for the sins we have committed in the service of the world, and of our evil passions. For what other reason was Christ nailed to the cross, and his whole body bruised? The Prophet tells us: "He was wounded for our iniquities. He was bruised for our sins" (Is 53:5). Meditation on the sufferings of our Savior caused St. Francis to shed so many tears that his eyes became inflamed. -- Do you also kneel before the crucifix and bewail the sins through which you nailed your Savior to the Cross? 2. Consider that a look at the cross is also a consolation for the sinner. Our crucified Lord assured St. Francis of the complete remission of his sins. The Prophet also tells us: "By His bruises we are healed" (Is 53.5). Moses gave us a picture of our Savior on the Cross when he raised a brazen serpent on high in the desert, so that those who had been bitten by the poisonous serpent in punishment for their murmuring might be healed by looking up to this sign of our redemption. On the crucifix you behold our Savior Himself. "Behold the Lamb of God; behold Him who takes away the sins of the world" (Jn 1:29). -- Look up to Him with sincere contrition and lively confidence; He will also take away your sins. 3. Consider how the contemplation of the Crucified finally pierced St. Francis through and through with the fire of love, so that our Lord made him even externally like Himself. A look at the crucifix should also awaken ardent charity in us. St. Augustine points this out to us when he says: "Behold the head that is bent to kiss you, the heart that is opened to receive you, the arms stretched out to embrace you." Do not look at the image of your crucified Savior in the cold and indifferent way that one looks at a work of art, to marvel at the painful expression there represented. Let it speak to your heart and let your heart speak to it. Serve Him faithfully so that you may one day be united with Him in eternity. PRAYER OF THE CHURCH O Lord Jesus Christ, who when the world was growing cold, didst renew the sacred wounds of Thy sufferings in the body of our holy Father St. Francis in order to inflame out hearts with the fire of Thy divine love, mercifully grant that by his merits and intercession we may cheerfully carry our cross and bring forth worthy fruits of penance. Who livest and reignest forever and ever. Amen. from THE FRANCISCAN BOOK OF SAINTS edited by Marion Habig, ofm Copyright 1959  Franciscan Herald Press   (used  with written permission from the publisher /NAFRA) Image: Watercolor done by P. Subercaseaux Errazuriz, O.S.B. 1880-1956; circa 1920. For additional images from the life of Saint Francis, click here.         Seamus Aros pseudonym of artist James Stenhouse donated to Nunraw. Title "The Divine Descent."  The explanation was given by Bishop Neil at Roslyn Community. The picture is of the vision of the Seraphic St. Francis ,  On the morning of the feast of the Exultation of the Holy Cross, as he was praying in a secret and solitary place on the mountain, Francis beheld a seraph with six wings all afire. The sufferings of Jesus on the Cross are imaged on the multiple figures.