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WEDNESDAY
September 30, 1998
SECTION TWO vol 9, no. 191
To print out entire text of Today's issue, print this section as well as SECTION ONE
LITURGY OF THE DAY
Today is the Feast of Saint Jerome, Doctor of the Church who translated the Bible into Latin from Hebrew and Aramaic so all could understand with the famous Vulgate edition. Tomorrow we celebrate the Feast of another great saint and Doctor of the Church Saint Therese of Lisieux as we continue this series of great feasts this week. For the readings, liturgies and meditations, and vignettes on these two inspiring saints, click on LITURGY
Wednesday, September 30, 1998
First Reading: Job 1: 6-22
Psalms: Psalm 17: 1-3, 6-7
Gospel Reading: Luke 9: 46-50
Feast of Saint Jerome, Priest and Doctor of the Church
Born of wealthy parents in Dalmatia, which is today the former Yugoslavia, Jerome was given the opportunity to study at the great universities. He chose Rome, studying the languages. Through his intellectual curiosity towards literature, Christian writings and Scripture, he came to realize the Truth and was baptized in 360 by Pope Liberius himself. Jerome, yearning for more, gave up the pagan culture and the social trappings and sought the life of a hermit for four years where he studied Hebrew which he later called "the language of hissing and broken-winded words." At the conclusion of this seclusion, he became a priest around 379 and journeyed to Constantinople where he studied Scripture with St. Gregory Nazianzus as his tutor. When Gregory retired as Bishop of Constantinople and left for Asia Minor, Jerome was drawn to Rome where, accompanied by Bishop Paulinus, he was introduced to Pope Saint Damasus I. So taken was the pontiff that he appointed Jerome as his secretary and commissioned him to undertake his greatest contribution: translating the Greek and Hebrew texts of Sacred Scripture into Latin. At that time the language of the common people of the empire in the west was Latin, yet most of the writings had been in Greek, Hebrew and Aramaic and thus understandable only to the learned. Urged on by Pope Damasus, Jerome accepted the tremendous task of translating the entire bible into Latin to which we are all grateful for the Latin Vulgate Edition of St. Jerome. It took great skill and discernment to express the meaning of the Word of God in Latin and to know which words to choose. Jerome was given another gift, that of being able to express the Word in the simplest and most meaningful way and honing in even more on the true essence of all that was written by the prophets and evangelists. Within a short time the people were able to read and understand the "Good News" of the New Testament. This played a major role in the people rejecting the heresy of Arianism in the West for they could now read first hand the truth. While he was working on this massive project, Jerome had also become spiritual director to three holy women who had come from nobility but wanted more than the world offered. Many believe these ladies - Marcella, Paula and Eustochia were the first religious nuns. Because of her wealth and strong faith, Paula built a monastery in Bethlehem for the women to live and when Damasus died in 384 Jerome graciously declined Pope Saint Siricus’ offer to stay on as secretary, opting instead to become full time spiritual director at the Bethlehem monastery where he could also devote more time to translating the greater part of the Old Testament from Hebrew to Latin. For nine years from 393 to 404 many Arian clergymen sought to discredit him and cast scandal on Jerome, the sisters, and the Church but Jerome, through his faithfulness and the grace of God, withstood these attacks and staunchly defended the orthodox doctrine of his faith. He had intended to return to Rome at the urging of Pope Saint Innocent I who was elected the 40th successor to Peter on December 22, 401 but in 404 two events occurred. First, Sister Paula died, saddening Jerome and, after much prayer, decided to stay on at the monastery; and secondly, he received the terrible news that Rome was being sacked by the Goth Alaric and he prayed intensely for the Holy Father’s safety and all of the Roman people, some of whom, in 410, had sought shelter at the monastery when the Saracens invaded Palestine. Jerome interrupted his work on Ezekiel to take the Roman refugees in, taking the opportunity to teach them all he knew during the decade they were together for in 420 he died near the age of 90 and was buried in the monastery which had now also become a hospice for many and would soon be the site for the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem. It’s interesting to note that during this period in history when Jerome translated the bible into Latin, Ufila, the Bishop of the Western Goths, was doing the same. Translating the Latin into Gothic.
Thursday, October 1, 1998
Thursday October 1:
Feast of Saint Therese of the Child Jesus, Virgin, Religious and Doctor of the Church
White vestments
First Reading: Job 19: 21-27
Psalms: Psalm 27: 7-9, 13-14
Gospel Reading: Luke 10: 1-12
Feast of Saint Therese of the Child Jesus, Virgin, Religious and Doctor of the Church
The youngest of nine children, Saint Theresa of the Child Jesus was born Maria Frances Theresa Guerin in 1873 at Alencon near Normandy in France and was one of four of the daughters who survived infancy. Five of the other children born to Theresa's parents Louis Martin Guerin and his wife Zelie-Marie had died in their infancy. Theresa was sent to the Benedictine monastery in Lisieux where she became known for her total suppression of her own will in favor of what Jesus wanted, offering every little sacrifice she could. Frail from birth, Theresa had been healed of a serious illness in 1883 through the intercession of Our Lady, and decided then and there she would become a Carmelite Nun. However her age prevented her from pursuing this immediate goal. Undaunted and persistent that Jesus wanted this, she even approached the Holy Father Pope Leo XIII during a group audience with him in Rome on pilgrimage, asking him to allow her to enter the convent. He was somewhat taken aback by her forwardness but replied gently, "Whatever your bishop advises, you follow, my child." This news from such a powerful prelate forced Theresa to bite her lip for she thought surely the Pope would allow this. Saddened she returned to France where she waited until old enough to be admitted which she was in 1888 and given the name Sister Theresa of the Child Jesus of the Holy Face. Five years later at the age of 20 she was chosen mistress of novices. Three years later in 1986 Tuberculosis set in. Once this was known, Theresa's older blood sister, Mother Agnes of Jesus insisted that Theresa write down her memoirs for posterity. This she did and after her death this work entitled The Story of a Soul was widely circulated. In it, Theresa emphasized her doctrine on the "little way" of spiritual childhood stressing that she wanted to save souls to help priests save souls by prayer, sacrifice, and suffering. Her "little way" means loving and trusting in God as a child, held in His loving arms as she writes, "From the age of three, I never refused our good God anything. I have never given him anything but love. I just want to love God. I want to do hard things for Him. I want to pray for priests and for sinners. I want to shine like a little candle before His altar." She exemplified two of the greatest virtues, humility and total dependence on the Will of God. She even prayed that God would hear her prayer and save so many souls by offering herself in total reparation, including letting God give away any graces she would earn to any soul who needed it. As she lay dying in the convent in 1897, she pressed her precious crucifix to her heart and peering Heavenward replied, "I love Him! My God, I love You!" Shortly afterwards the tuberculosis took its toll and Theresa died on September 30, 1897 at only 24. True to her promise that she would let fall from Heaven a "shower of roses," she became known far and wide as the "Little Flower" with many miracles of intercession attributed to her throughout the world so that in 1925 Pope Pius XI canonized her proclaiming, "St. Theresa of the Child Jesus is the greatest saint of modern times." In 1944, at the height of World War II when France was being pummelled by German howitzers, Pope Pius XII proclaimed her patroness of France along with Saint Joan of Arc. French aviators and soldiers took up the battle cry encouraged by her intercession and many attribute the fall of Germany to storming Heaven. Theresa also shares a title with Saint Francis Xavier as patroness of Foreign Missions. Though Theresa never had the opportunity to set step outside of Europe, she had a longing to go to a Carmelite mission in Hanoi, Vietnam in the late 19th Century. On September 19th of 1996, Pope John Paul II officially proclaimed St. Therese a Doctor of the Church, making her the third female saint to be so honored.
PRAYER & DEVOTIONS
Today's Preface of the Mass honors Saint Jerome:
Today we proclaim You wise and wonderful because You have revealed Your loving design by making Your Word known. Through Your graces St. Jerome penetrated Your Divine Revelation so profoundly that from this treasure he could dispense the old and the new wisdom, thus prompting us by his example to seek constantly in the sacred pages Christ, Your Living Word.
We continue with the Nine Day Novena to Saint Theresa of the Child Jesus with the eighth day by clicking on NOVENA
Novena to the Little Flower
To be prayed nine days in a row
O Little Therese of the Child Jesus, please pick for me a rose from the Heavenly Gardens and send it to me as a message of love.
O Little Flower of Jesus, ask God today to grant the favors I now place with confidence in your hands...
(Here mention specific requests)
St. Therese, help me to always believe as you did, in God's great love for me, so that I might imitate your "Little Way" each day. Amen.
WORLDWIDE NEWS & VIEWS with a Catholic slant
HEADLINES:
Holy Father gathers Eastern Patriarchs, urges greater dialogue with Orthodox brethren
The Holy Father met Tuesday with the five Patriarchs of their respective Eastern Churches which are in union with Rome - the Armenian, Chaldean, Coptic, Melkite and Maronite Churches and urged them to continue their traditions while fostering dialogue with their Orthodox brethren. He cited the loyalty of these five Eastern Churches as hope that those Eastern Churches outside communion with Rome can eventually return to the fold though the main sticking point remains, after almost a century, the supremacy of the Pope. For more, click on Patriarchs
POPE IN "SOLEMN" MEETING WITH EASTERN PATRIARCHS
VATICAN (CWNews.com) -- Pope John Paul II today met with five
patriarchs of the Eastern Catholic churches, and urged them to
participate actively in dialogue with the Orthodox churches.
In greeting the patriarchs, the Holy Father cited the words of Pope
Leo XIII, spoken at a meeting with the Eastern leaders in 1984: "It is
to give an indisputable proof of our affection that we have called you
to Rome, wishing to speak with you, wishing to highlight the prestige
of your patriarchal authority." Pope John Paul said that he wished to
"make those words his own," and he repeated that the patriarchs are
"fathers and chiefs" of their churches. Thus he stressed "the
solemnity and importance" of today's meeting.
The Church leaders gathered with the Pope were Patriarchs Nasrallah
Pierre Sfeir of Antioch (Maronite), Maximos V Hakim of Antioch
(Melkite), Jean-Pierre Kasparian of Cilicia (Armenian), Stephanos II
Ghattas of Alexandria (Coptic), and Raphael I Bidawid of Babylon
(Chaldean).
The Pope observed that the universal Church has shown a keener
understanding of the Eastern churches in recent years; he cited the
promulgation of the new Code of Canon Law for the Eastern churches
in October 1990, and his own apostolic letter Orientale Lumen. In
that letter the Pope emphasized the need to preserve and nurture
the traditions and spirituality of the Eastern churches. Today he told
the patriarchs that they must conserve their "specific liturgical,
spiritual, theological, and canonical treasures" so that the Gospel can
be offered to the Church and the world with an ever greater
abundance."
At the same time, the Pope did not shrink from discussion of the
Petrine ministry, which remains a contentious subject with the
Orthodox churches. He suggested-- again repeating the message of
his apostolic letter-- the need to define the function of the papacy
carefully, as a service of unity for the entire Church.
The Eastern patriarchs, the Pope continued, are themselves signs of
unity within the Church, acting as the heads of their respective
synods. He also stressed the role that the Eastern Catholic churches
can play in the effort to restore full communion with the Orthodox
churches.
Catholics in India rally to protest recent rash of violence and terror
Over 3000 Catholics gathered over the weekend demanding protection from the government for Religious and Christians, specifically Catholics in the wake of a rash of rapes and assaults on Religious in Central India. They called authorities on the carpet for not apprehending the perpetrators of the apprehensive rapes and muggings of four nuns last week even though they have been identified. There is great alarm throughout the central part of this country as persecution of Christians and Religious in particular intensify. For more, click on Violence in India
CATHOLICS IN CENTRAL INDIA HOLD RALLY, DEMAND PROTECTION
NEW DELHI (CWNews.com) - Secular women's groups and
activists joined over 3,000 Catholics in central India on
Sunday in a rally to protest the rape of four nuns last
week and to demand a special court for the trial of the
culprits.
"We are surprised that even four days after the incidents,
the culprits have not been apprehended. We demand that the
administration make every effort to arrest the culprits at
the earliest opportunity and set up special courts to speed
up the process," Bishop George Anathil of Indore said in a
statement to federal officials.
Bishop Anathil said that Catholics in remote areas "feel
insecure after the latest incidents." The rape of four nuns
and the looting of their convent was followed by an attack
on another church. Gunmen knocked on the doors of a church
in Jhabua Saturday night and the priest, fearing for life,
bolted the doors. While the thugs broke one lock, the noise
of passing vehicles made them run away before gaining entry.
Following the Saturday night attack, the state government
posted police at all twelve churches in the region.
Digvijay Singh, the chief minister of the state, said that
the attacks on Christians is not a "law and order problem."
The minister said, "There is a conspiracy behind these
attacks. It is not happening in my state alone. It's taking
place in Uttar Pradesh, in Gujrath, and even Delhi." A
Clarist convent near New Delhi was looted and the nuns
attacked on Thursday. Another convent near Calcutta was
robbed and the maid raped while the nuns attended Mass on
Friday.
Holy See honors Pope John Paul II's predecessors
The Vatican honored both Pope Paul VI and Pope John Paul I Tuesday with a special Mass celebrated by the Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Angelo Sodano. The Holy Father had honored Pope Paul VI last week in his trip to Brescia in Northern Italy, birth place of the 262nd successor of Peter. Sunday marked the twenty year anniversary of Pope John Paul I's death. For more, click on Honoring past Popes.
REMEMBERING POPE JOHN PAUL I
VATICAN (CWNews.com) -- Cardinal Angelo Sodano, the Vatican
Secretary of State, today celebrated Mass in memory of Popes Paul
VI and John Paul I. In his homily he characterized them both as "the
two popes of the Council."
While the two pontiffs were very different in many ways, Cardinal
Sodano said, they both presided over a Church "seized by the Spirit,
with a new vigor for evangelization and dialogue with the
contemporary world." They both strove for Christian unity, he said.
Vatican Radio also devoted a part of its broadcast today to the
memory of Pope John Paul I, who died 20 years ago, after only 33
days as Pontiff. Vatican Radio recalled the words Pope John Paul I
spoke at his last public audience on September 27, 1978: "the love of
God is a mysterious voyage." That night, John Paul I died of a heart
attack.
Salvation through the Satellite
Translating one form of communication into another was the essence of the Holy Father's emphasis on utilizing the Media to take the word and turn it to the Word which he reinforced at the weekend seminar of communicators dedicated to using high-tech methods to foster evangelization within the Church. The Pope expressed appreciation that more interest is being given to stories of Old and New Testament in films and is hopeful Hollywood will use the talents they have been given to foster things that please God and the culture of life rather than the culture of death. For more, click on High-tech evangelization.
MODERN MEDIA AS EVANGELIZING TOOLS
VATICAN (CWNews.com) -- Pope John Paul II today encouraged the
participants in a seminar on modern communications to use those
high-tech tools for the purpose of evangelization.
"The meeting between divine revelation and modern means of social
communication, which must be conducted with respect for the truths
contained in the Bible and the just use of modern techniques, can
bear abundant good fruits," the Pope said. He said that the challenge
is to push the mass media toward "more noble tasks," and to curb the
"improper and often banal" use of the media.
The conference, dedicated to exploration of better use of modern
communications tools-- especially television and cinema-- "touches
on a service of great human and spiritual value," the Pope said. These
media "always deserved to be developed and perfected," he added.
The Holy Father cited a fundamental principles which should guide
that effort: "the absolutely transcendent dimension of the Word of
God." The challenge here is to translate "one form of language into
another," he said-- from the written word to the visual medium,
which is "apparently more superficial, but in some respects more
powerful and incisive than other forms of language."
Pope John Paul also welcomed the renewed interest of filmmakers in
the stories of the Old and New Testament, which has been evident in
the recent production of several new Italian films on Biblical themes.
For more headlines and articles, we suggest you go to the Catholic World News site. CWN is not affiliated with the Daily CATHOLIC but provides this service via e-mail to the Daily CATHOLIC Monday through Friday.
PROVERB OF THE DAY
"He who trusts in himself is a fool, but he who walks in wisdom is safe."
Proverbs 28: 26
Click here to return to SECTION ONE or click here to return to the graphics front page of this issue.
September 30, 1998 volume 9, no. 191 DAILY CATHOLIC
