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      Today is Feast of Saint Martha, the loyal, devoted Disciple of the Lord. Tomorrow is the Seventeenth Friday in Ordinary Time as well as the Feast of Saint Peter Chrysologus, Bishop and Doctor of the Church. For the readings, liturgies and meditations for these two days, click on DAILY LITURGY.

Thursday July 29:
Feast of Saint Martha, Disciple of the Lord

White vestments

First Reading: Exodus 40: 16-21, 34-38
Psalms: Psalm 84: 2-6, 8, 11
Gospel Reading: John 11: 19-27 or Luke 10: 38-42

      Though there has been much confusion, Saint Martha was the sister of Mary of Bethany and not to be confused with Mary Magdalene, whose feast we recently celebrated. While Mary of Bethany is said to have been a "dreamer" sitting by Our Lord for hours at a time just drinking everything in, Martha was the "doer" and at times resented it such as the account in Luke 10: 38-42 in which Jesus lovingly rebuked her "Martha, Martha, thou art anxious and troubled about many things; and yet only one thing is needful. Mary has chosen the best part and it will not be taken away from her." Sacred Scripture records that Martha and Mary's brother was Lazarus and in John 11: 40, Jesus again tests Martha's faith just before resurrecting Lazarus when He says, "Have I not told thee that if thou believe thou shalt behold the glory of God?" Yet through it all Martha rolled with the punches, so to speak, and was always there to cook for Our Lord and clean for she truly believed. Martha, like Mary Magdalene, was there at the foot of the Cross with the Blessed Mother and Saint John and was privileged to see Jesus after His Resurrection. Some accounts have Martha traveling to Gaul (France) after Pentecost with Lazarus and Mary of Bethany to preach the Gospel though this is not substantiated.

Friday July 30:
Seventeenth Friday in Ordinary Time and
Feast of Saint Peter Chrysologos, Bishop and Doctor of the Church

Green or white vestments

First Reading: Leviticus 23: 1, 4-11, 15-16, 27, 34-37
Psalms: Psalm 81: 2-6, 10-11
Gospel Reading: Matthew 13: 54-58

      Born in 380, Saint Peter Chrysologus was Bishop of Ravenna, Italy during the Council of Ephesus in which he defended the Blessed Mother's title of Theotokos - Mother of God. He was also influential with the empress Gallia Placidia who had built his church of St. John the Evangelist through the influence of the Emperor Constantine. However Peter frequently rebuked her for the annual carnival, admonishing "They who delight in the devil cannot rejoice in Christ." Through his edification and preaching many abandoned their libidious ways and turned their attention to the Gospel which Peter preached relentlessly and how the Incarnate Word related with their current situations. Peter, who was proclaimed a Doctor of the Church by Pope Benedict XIII in 1729, said of the role of Bishop: "He obeys the king, he collaborates with those in power, he respects the elderly, he is kind to youth, he loves his companions, he is affectionate toward children, he imitates Christ in his generous service to all." Ever the promoter of orthodox teaching and total loyalty to Holy Mother Church, Peter passed on peacefully to his Heavenly reward in 451 at the age of 71.

     In honor of today's Feast of Saint Martha we present the Preface for today's Mass:

It is truly right and just to exalt You, O God of Infinite Mercy, as we honor with fitting praise Christ, the King of the universe, on the feast of St. Martha, who was happy to welcome Him into her house and served Him with devotion and loving zeal. By the generosity of her heart she obtained the resurrection of her brother Lazarus, who was four days dead, and she merited to be united for all eternity in the Kingdom of Heaven with Him Whom she had received as a guest.

HEADLINES:

Pope says, don't blame God for hell, man created it through his own free will by saying "no" to God.

     Holding his first Wednesday Papal Audience at Castelgondolfo for the summer, Pope John Paul II followed up his previous talk last Wednesday on Heaven by discussing the existence of hell and emphasizing that the devastating unspeakable horrors of hell are mostly the lack of God and living forever with knowing that they will never, ever be with Him. The Holy Father spoke of the existence of satan and his legions who, as fallen angels, fall into the category of "misery loves company" and want to make us miserable forever, living in everlasting regret. That is why how we live in this life and excercize our free will is so vital to the next. For more, click on Hell is Godless!

      VATICAN (CWNews.com) - Pope John Paul II said at his weekly general audience on Wednesday that hell is not so much a physical place as a rejection of the presence of God and that the condemned choose to enter that condition.

      A week after speaking on the reality of heaven, the Holy Father emphasized that hell is also real. "Hell is not a punishment imposed externally by God, but the condition resulting from attitudes and actions which people adopt in this life," he said. "More than a physical place, hell is the state of those who freely and definitively separate themselves from God, the source of all life and joy."

      "So eternal damnation is not God's work but is actually our own doing," he added. He described hell as "the pain, frustration and emptiness of life without God." He also warned that demons do exist, saying "Christian faith teaches us that there are creatures who have already given a definitive 'no' to God. These are the spirits which rebelled against God and whom we call demons."

      The Holy Father cautioned Christians against dwelling on hell. "The reality of hell should not ... be a cause of anxiety or despair for believers. Rather it is a necessary and healthy reminder that human freedom has to be conformed to the example of Jesus, who always said 'yes' to God, who conquered Satan and who gave us His Spirit so that we too could call God 'Father'."

Holy Father invites 18 women to participate in European Synod of Bishops in October

      Seeking a balanced representation of the faithful of the continent, Pope John Paul II has appointed eighteen women from religious life and the laity to participate in the European Synod which will begin in October at the Holy See. Some will be active as experts while others will be merely observers. One of the auditors will be the founder of the Focalare Movement, Chiara Lubich. For more, click on Working Women at the Synod.

      VATICAN CITY, JUL 27 (ZENIT).- John Paul II made new appointments for the Synod for Europe, to be held in Rome from October 1-28. The list includes 23 Cardinals, Bishops and priests whose selection is the Pope's prerogative, as well as 17 experts and 38 auditors. The Synod Fathers are appointed by their respective Episcopal Conferences.

      Among the papal appointments are 18 women, both religious and lay, some as experts and others as auditors. The list includes Italian Paola Bignardi, National President of Catholic Action (auditor), Sr. Enrica Rosanna, Sociology Professor at the Auxilium (expert), native Russian writer Irina Alberti (auditor), Chiara Lubich, founder of the Focolare Movement (auditor), and Sister Tekla Famiglietti, General Abbess of the Brigittines (auditor). Among the auditors are two women from Bosnia: Sanja Horvat, nurse and theology student at the Sarajevo Theological Institute, and Ana Huml, expert in telecommunications. Also named as auditors are Polish couple Stanislaw and Ludmilla Grygiel (he is an expert in family pastoral care at the Pontifical Lateran University); and Spanish couple Jesus and Juana Carrascosa, members of the Communion and Liberation International Center.

      The list also includes Javier Echevarria Rodriguez, prelate of Opus Dei (pontifical appointment); Kiko Arguello, founder of the Neo-Catecumenal Way; and three Cardinals: Franciszek Macharski, Archbishop of Krakow; Jan Chryzostom Korec, Bishop of Nitra, Slovakia; and Adam Joseph Maida, Archbishop of Detroit and president of the U.S. Episcopal Conference's Committee for Aid to the Church in Central and Eastern Europe. ZE99072703

Government of India could stand in the way of Papal Visit there

      Local Church officials in India who have been trying to pave the way for the Holy Father to visit their land during his trip to close the Asian Synod, are growing more pessimistic as they run up against roadblock after roadblock from the Indian Government which has shown an anti-Christian penchant over the past several years. The biggest culprit is the Bharatiya Janata Party which is afraid of being exposed if the Pope does visit. For more, click on Chances of India hosting Pope are diminishing.

      DELHI, JUL 28 (ZENIT).- Catholics in India hope Pope John Paul II will visit their country during his trip to Asia, projected for the end of this year. As with previous continental Synods, the Pope is expected to conclude the April-May 1998 Synod for Asia by presenting the post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation in that continent. Nonetheless, local Church sources express doubts as to whether the government will allow such a visit.

      Divine Word Fr. Dominic Emmanuel, spokesman for the Indian Catholic Bishops Conference, told SAR News that the Church fears the visit will not be allowed by the coalition government led by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The government may give the border dispute between Pakistan and India and the proximity of the September elections, as reasons to reject the plan for a papal visit.

      The Holy Father's visit would fill Catholics with pride, and help soothe wounds caused by the BJP during this electoral year, Fr. Emmanuel explained. Although the Council of Ministers must approve the papal visit, BJP ministers are expected to oppose it.

      The visit of the head of the Catholic Church would not augur well for the Party, after the many attacks against Christians, including missionaries. In 1998 alone, following the BJP's rise to power, there were 100 attacks on Christian individuals and institutions. Out of a total population of 955,220,000, there are 17,211,000 Catholics in India, and about one million Christians of other denominations. India has had two papal visits: Paul VI in 1964 and John Paul II in 1986. ZE99072805

Presidential candidate Steve Forbes pledges to appoint Judges holding "belief in the sanctity of life."

      Stating that the Roe vs. Wade days of legalized abortion are numbered, Republican presidential candidate Steve Forbes pledged to appoint pro-life judges, not being ashamed to use their views on abortion and morals as a strong litmus test in his promised attempts to return America to God and turn things around in this country. He correctly traces the origin of America's moral decline when the landmark Roe vs. Wade decision made abortion legal. He sees the pendulum swinging back toward a more conservative, responsible mode among the American people. For more, click on Pro-life Supreme Court .

      DES MOINES, Iowa (CWNews.com) - Republican president candidate Steve Forbes said on Tuesday that the Supreme Court's 1973 Roe v. Wade decision legalizing abortion "is going to go" as public opinion shifts, and said that if elected he will appoint pro-life judges.

      Forbes, running his second presidential campaign, said he would choose judges, including Supreme Court justices, based on their views regarding "adhering to the Constitution, including the belief in the sanctity of life." Forbes also said public opinion is shifting away from legalized abortion, despite media and political pundits saying otherwise. "There is growing support for restrictions," said Forbes, who conceded "many Americans don't agree with the ultimate goal yet."

      He added, "If you have made a wrong constitutional decision you shouldn't let it stand. Just because bad law has been around for a while, you shouldn't leave it."

For more headlines and articles, we suggest you go to the Catholic World News site at the CWN home page and Church News at Noticias Eclesiales and Daily Dispatches, Dossiers and Features from ZENIT International News Agency. CWN, NE and ZENIT are not affiliated with the Daily CATHOLIC but provide this service via e-mail to the Daily CATHOLIC Monday through Friday.

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July 29, 1999 volume 10, no. 141   DAILY CATHOLIC