May the holiness of consecrated people edify the Church, Pope prays

At the conclusion of Evening Prayer in Feb. 2, the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord, at St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome, Pope Benedict XVI offered a special prayer that those in the consecrated life would edify the entire Church with their holiness of life.

“My thoughts turn affectionately to all consecrated men and women everywhere, who I entrust to the Blessed Virgin Mary,” the Pope said.

“Oh Mary, Mother of the Church,

I entrust consecrated life to you

That you may obtain for it the fullness of divine light.

May it remain attentive to the Word of God,

Humble in the following of Jesus your son and our Lord,

Open to the visit of the Holy Spirit,

In the daily joy of the Magnificat,

So that the Church might be edified by the holiness of life

Of these your sons and daughters

In the commandment of love.

Amen.”

Daily Readings for Friday February 04, 2011

Reading 1, Heb 13:1-8

1 Continue to love each other like brothers,

2 and remember always to welcome strangers, for by doing this, some people have entertained angels without knowing it.

3 Keep in mind those who are in prison, as though you were in prison with them; and those who are being badly treated, since you too are in the body.

4 Marriage must be honoured by all, and marriages must be kept undefiled, because the sexually immoral and adulterers will come under God's judgement.

5 Put avarice out of your lives and be content with whatever you have; God himself has said: I shall not fail you or desert you,

6 and so we can say with confidence: With the Lord on my side, I fear nothing: what can human beings do to me?

7 Remember your leaders, who preached the word of God to you, and as you reflect on the outcome of their lives, take their faith as your model.

8 Jesus Christ is the same today as he was yesterday and as he will be for ever.

Daily Readings for Friday February 04, 2011

Reading 1, Heb 13:1-8

1 Continue to love each other like brothers,

2 and remember always to welcome strangers, for by doing this, some people have entertained angels without knowing it.

3 Keep in mind those who are in prison, as though you were in prison with them; and those who are being badly treated, since you too are in the body.

4 Marriage must be honoured by all, and marriages must be kept undefiled, because the sexually immoral and adulterers will come under God's judgement.

5 Put avarice out of your lives and be content with whatever you have; God himself has said: I shall not fail you or desert you,

6 and so we can say with confidence: With the Lord on my side, I fear nothing: what can human beings do to me?

7 Remember your leaders, who preached the word of God to you, and as you reflect on the outcome of their lives, take their faith as your model.

8 Jesus Christ is the same today as he was yesterday and as he will be for ever.

Daily Readings

Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 27:1, 3, 5, 8-9

1 [Of David] Yahweh is my light and my salvation, whom should I fear? Yahweh is the fortress of my life, whom should I dread?

3 Though an army pitch camp against me, my heart will not fear, though war break out against me, my trust will never be shaken.

5 For he hides me away under his roof on the day of evil, he folds me in the recesses of his tent, sets me high on a rock.

8 Of you my heart has said, 'Seek his face!' Your face, Yahweh, I seek;

9 do not turn away from me. Do not thrust aside your servant in anger, without you I am helpless. Never leave me, never forsake me, God, my Saviour.

Gospel, Mk 6:14-29

14 King Herod had heard about him, since by now his name was well known. Some were saying, 'John the Baptist has risen from the dead, and that is why miraculous powers are at work in him.'

15 Others said, 'He is Elijah,' others again, 'He is a prophet, like the prophets we used to have.'

16 But when Herod heard this he said, 'It is John whose head I cut off; he has risen from the dead.'

17 Now it was this same Herod who had sent to have John arrested, and had had him chained up in prison because of Herodias, his brother Philip's wife whom he had married.

18 For John had told Herod, 'It is against the law for you to have your brother's wife.'

19 As for Herodias, she was furious with him and wanted to kill him, but she was not able to do so,

20 because Herod was in awe of John, knowing him to be a good and upright man, and gave him his protection. When he had heard him speak he was greatly perplexed, and yet he liked to listen to him.

21 An opportunity came on Herod's birthday when he gave a banquet for the nobles of his court, for his army officers and for the leading figures in Galilee.

22 When the daughter of this same Herodias came in and danced, she delighted Herod and his guests; so the king said to the girl, 'Ask me anything you like and I will give it you.'

23 And he swore her an oath, 'I will give you anything you ask, even half my kingdom.'

24 She went out and said to her mother, 'What shall I ask for?' She replied, 'The head of John the Baptist.'

25 The girl at once rushed back to the king and made her request, 'I want you to give me John the Baptist's head, immediately, on a dish.'

26 The king was deeply distressed but, thinking of the oaths he had sworn and of his guests, he was reluctant to break his word to her.

27 At once the king sent one of the bodyguard with orders to bring John's head.

28 The man went off and beheaded him in the prison; then he brought the head on a dish and gave it to the girl, and the girl gave it to her mother.

29 When John's disciples heard about this, they came and took his body and laid it in a tomb. 

Young people want to know catechism: Pope

Pope Benedict has urged young people to study a youth catechism printed for young adults and teens, called "Youcat", in print next month in advance of Madrid's 2011 World Youth Day,

Writing in the foreword to the book, the Pope said: "Some people tell me that the youth of today are not involved in the catechism, but I do not consider this statement and I am certain that I am right. They are not as external as they are accused of being; young people want to identify what life really is about."

The book contains the authorized catechism for World Youth Day. It includes a question and answer section, illustrations, definitions of key terms, Bible credentials and quotes from the saints and other Church teachers.

In his foreword Benedict XVI said the book could be just as charming as a crime novel.

He said: "A crime novel is convincing because it involves the fate of other people, but it could be our own, this book is convincing because it speaks to us of our own fortune and therefore is closely related to each of us."

But he said the catechism did not offer "empty praise" or "easy solutions", but "requires a new life on your part". He urged young people "to study the catechism with passion and insistence! Sacrifice your time for it!"

The Pope said: "You need to know what you believe, you need to know your faith with the same precision with which a computer specialist knows the operating system of a computer...

"You need divine help, so your faith does not dry up like a drop of dew in the sun, so you do not yield to the temptations of consumerism, so your love is not drowned in pornography, so you do not hand over the weak, the victims of abuse and violence".

Daily Readings for Friday February 04, 2011

Reading 1, Heb 13:1-8

1 Continue to love each other like brothers,

2 and remember always to welcome strangers, for by doing this, some people have entertained angels without knowing it.

3 Keep in mind those who are in prison, as though you were in prison with them; and those who are being badly treated, since you too are in the body.

4 Marriage must be honoured by all, and marriages must be kept undefiled, because the sexually immoral and adulterers will come under God's judgement.

5 Put avarice out of your lives and be content with whatever you have; God himself has said: I shall not fail you or desert you,

6 and so we can say with confidence: With the Lord on my side, I fear nothing: what can human beings do to me?

7 Remember your leaders, who preached the word of God to you, and as you reflect on the outcome of their lives, take their faith as your model.

8 Jesus Christ is the same today as he was yesterday and as he will be for ever.

Daily Readings for Friday February 04, 2011

Reading 1, Heb 13:1-8

1 Continue to love each other like brothers,

2 and remember always to welcome strangers, for by doing this, some people have entertained angels without knowing it.

3 Keep in mind those who are in prison, as though you were in prison with them; and those who are being badly treated, since you too are in the body.

4 Marriage must be honoured by all, and marriages must be kept undefiled, because the sexually immoral and adulterers will come under God's judgement.

5 Put avarice out of your lives and be content with whatever you have; God himself has said: I shall not fail you or desert you,

6 and so we can say with confidence: With the Lord on my side, I fear nothing: what can human beings do to me?

7 Remember your leaders, who preached the word of God to you, and as you reflect on the outcome of their lives, take their faith as your model.

8 Jesus Christ is the same today as he was yesterday and as he will be for ever.

Daily Readings

Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 27:1, 3, 5, 8-9

1 [Of David] Yahweh is my light and my salvation, whom should I fear? Yahweh is the fortress of my life, whom should I dread?

3 Though an army pitch camp against me, my heart will not fear, though war break out against me, my trust will never be shaken.

5 For he hides me away under his roof on the day of evil, he folds me in the recesses of his tent, sets me high on a rock.

8 Of you my heart has said, 'Seek his face!' Your face, Yahweh, I seek;

9 do not turn away from me. Do not thrust aside your servant in anger, without you I am helpless. Never leave me, never forsake me, God, my Saviour.

Gospel, Mk 6:14-29

14 King Herod had heard about him, since by now his name was well known. Some were saying, 'John the Baptist has risen from the dead, and that is why miraculous powers are at work in him.'

15 Others said, 'He is Elijah,' others again, 'He is a prophet, like the prophets we used to have.'

16 But when Herod heard this he said, 'It is John whose head I cut off; he has risen from the dead.'

17 Now it was this same Herod who had sent to have John arrested, and had had him chained up in prison because of Herodias, his brother Philip's wife whom he had married.

18 For John had told Herod, 'It is against the law for you to have your brother's wife.'

19 As for Herodias, she was furious with him and wanted to kill him, but she was not able to do so,

20 because Herod was in awe of John, knowing him to be a good and upright man, and gave him his protection. When he had heard him speak he was greatly perplexed, and yet he liked to listen to him.

21 An opportunity came on Herod's birthday when he gave a banquet for the nobles of his court, for his army officers and for the leading figures in Galilee.

22 When the daughter of this same Herodias came in and danced, she delighted Herod and his guests; so the king said to the girl, 'Ask me anything you like and I will give it you.'

23 And he swore her an oath, 'I will give you anything you ask, even half my kingdom.'

24 She went out and said to her mother, 'What shall I ask for?' She replied, 'The head of John the Baptist.'

25 The girl at once rushed back to the king and made her request, 'I want you to give me John the Baptist's head, immediately, on a dish.'

26 The king was deeply distressed but, thinking of the oaths he had sworn and of his guests, he was reluctant to break his word to her.

27 At once the king sent one of the bodyguard with orders to bring John's head.

28 The man went off and beheaded him in the prison; then he brought the head on a dish and gave it to the girl, and the girl gave it to her mother.

29 When John's disciples heard about this, they came and took his body and laid it in a tomb. 

Prayer is essential for grasping life's meaning, pope says at audience

People don't really know who they are or what their life's reason is unless they pray regularly, Pope Benedict XVI said. Each day people need " to offer the proper amount of time to prayer, to this honesty to God, to this journey to seek God in order to see him and find friendship with him so that we can experience true life," the pope said Feb. 2 at his weekly general audience.

The pope's audience talk was devoted to the life and teaching of St. Teresa of Avila, the 16th-century mystic and doctor of the church. "She teaches us to truly feel the thirst for God that exists in the depths of our hearts, this wish to see God, to seek God, to speak to God, to be God's friend," the pope said. "All of us need this friendship, which we must renew day by day," he said. The pope said that after a series of talks focusing on women who made important charity to the church in the Middle Ages, he would begin dedicating his audience talks to St. Teresa and other doctors of the church, saints who made important donations to understanding Christian doctrine. "St. Teresa is a true master of Christian life for the faithful in every age," Pope Benedict told the predictable 3,000 people who gathered for the general audience.

Daily Readings for Wednesday February 02, 2011

Reading 1, Mal 3:1-4

1 'Look, I shall send my messenger to clear a way before me. And suddenly the Lord whom you seek will come to his Temple; yes, the angel of the covenant, for whom you long, is on his way, says Yahweh Sabaoth.

2 Who will be able to resist the day of his coming? Who will remain standing when he appears? For he will be like a refiner's fire, like fullers' alkali.

3 He will take his seat as refiner and purifier; he will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, so that they can make the offering to Yahweh with uprightness.

4 The offering of Judah and Jerusalem will then be acceptable to Yahweh as in former days, as in the years of old.

Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 24:7, 8, 9, 10

7 Gates, lift high your heads, raise high the ancient gateways, and the king of glory shall enter!

8 Who is he, this king of glory? It is Yahweh, strong and valiant, Yahweh valiant in battle.

9 Gates, lift high your heads, raise high the ancient gateways, and the king of glory shall enter!

10 Who is he, this king of glory? Yahweh Sabaoth, he is the king of glory.Pause

Gospel, Lk 2:22-40

22 And when the day came for them to be purified in keeping with the Law of Moses, they took him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord-

23 observing what is written in the Law of the Lord: Every first-born male must be consecrated to the Lord-

24 and also to offer in sacrifice, in accordance with what is prescribed in the Law of the Lord, a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons.

25 Now in Jerusalem there was a man named Simeon. He was an upright and devout man; he looked forward to the restoration of Israel and the Holy Spirit rested on him.

26 It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death until he had set eyes on the Christ of the Lord.

27 Prompted by the Spirit he came to the Temple; and when the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the Law required,

28 he took him into his arms and blessed God; and he said:

29 Now, Master, you are letting your servant go in peace as you promised;

30 for my eyes have seen the salvation

31 which you have made ready in the sight of the nations;

32 a light of revelation for the gentiles and glory for your people Israel.

33 As the child's father and mother were wondering at the things that were being said about him,

34 Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, 'Look, he is destined for the fall and for the rise of many in Israel, destined to be a sign that is opposed-

35 and a sword will pierce your soul too -- so that the secret thoughts of many may be laid bare.'

36 There was a prophetess, too, Anna the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was well on in years. Her days of girlhood over, she had been married for seven years

37 before becoming a widow. She was now eighty-four years old and never left the Temple, serving God night and day with fasting and prayer.

38 She came up just at that moment and began to praise God; and she spoke of the child to all who looked forward to the deliverance of Jerusalem.

39 When they had done everything the Law of the Lord required, they went back to Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth.

40 And as the child grew to maturity, he was filled with wisdom; and God's favour was with him.

Reading 2, Heb 2:14-18

14 Since all the children share the same human nature, he too shared equally in it, so that by his death he could set aside him who held the power of death, namely the devil,

15 and set free all those who had been held in slavery all their lives by the fear of death.

16 For it was not the angels that he took to himself; he took to himself the line of Abraham.

17 It was essential that he should in this way be made completely like his brothers so that he could become a compassionate and trustworthy high priest for their relationship to God, able to expiate the sins of the people.

18 For the suffering he himself passed through while being put to the test enables him to help others when they are being put to the test. 

Daily Readings for Tuesday February 01, 2011

Reading 1, Heb 12:1-4

With so many witnesses in a great cloud all around us, we too, then, should throw off everything that weighs us down and the sin that clings so closely, and with perseverance keep running in the race which lies ahead of us.

2 Let us keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, who leads us in our faith and brings it to perfection: for the sake of the joy which lay ahead of him, he endured the cross, disregarding the shame of it, and has taken his seat at the right of God's throne.

3 Think of the way he persevered against such opposition from sinners and then you will not lose heart and come to grief.

4 In the fight against sin, you have not yet had to keep fighting to the point of bloodshed.

Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 22:26-27, 28, 30, 31-32

26 The poor will eat and be filled, those who seek Yahweh will praise him, 'May your heart live for ever.'

27 The whole wide world will remember and return to Yahweh, all the families of nations bow down before him.

28 For to Yahweh, ruler of the nations, belongs kingly power!

30 their descendants will serve him, will proclaim his name to generations

31 still to come; and these will tell of his saving justice to a people yet unborn: he has fulfilled it.

Gospel, Mk 5:21-43

21 When Jesus had crossed again in the boat to the other side, a large crowd gathered round him and he stayed by the lake.

22 Then the president of the synagogue came up, named Jairus, and seeing him, fell at his feet

23 and begged him earnestly, saying, 'My little daughter is desperately sick. Do come and lay your hands on her that she may be saved and may live.'

24 Jesus went with him and a large crowd followed him; they were pressing all round him.

25 Now there was a woman who had suffered from a haemorrhage for twelve years;

26 after long and painful treatment under various doctors, she had spent all she had without being any the better for it; in fact, she was getting worse.

27 She had heard about Jesus, and she came up through the crowd and touched his cloak from behind, thinking,

28 'If I can just touch his clothes, I shall be saved.'

29 And at once the source of the bleeding dried up, and she felt in herself that she was cured of her complaint.

30 And at once aware of the power that had gone out from him, Jesus turned round in the crowd and said, 'Who touched my clothes?'

31 His disciples said to him, 'You see how the crowd is pressing round you; how can you ask, "Who touched me?" '

32 But he continued to look all round to see who had done it.

33 Then the woman came forward, frightened and trembling because she knew what had happened to her, and she fell at his feet and told him the whole truth.

34 'My daughter,' he said, 'your faith has restored you to health; go in peace and be free of your complaint.'

35 While he was still speaking some people arrived from the house of the president of the synagogue to say, 'Your daughter is dead; why put the Master to any further trouble?'

36 But Jesus overheard what they said and he said to the president of the synagogue, 'Do not be afraid; only have faith.'

37 And he allowed no one to go with him except Peter and James and John the brother of James.

38 So they came to the house of the president of the synagogue, and Jesus noticed all the commotion, with people weeping and wailing unrestrainedly.

39 He went in and said to them, 'Why all this commotion and crying? The child is not dead, but asleep.'

40 But they ridiculed him. So he turned them all out and, taking with him the child's father and mother and his own companions, he went into the place where the child lay.

41 And taking the child by the hand he said to her, 'Talitha kum!' which means, 'Little girl, I tell you to get up.'

42 The little girl got up at once and began to walk about, for she was twelve years old. At once they were overcome with astonishment,

43 and he gave them strict orders not to let anyone know about it, and told them to give her something to eat.