Affirmation Of Personal Faith

From the Diocese of Baker, page 156.

I hope that you can affirm this without reservation!

[The Most Reverend Robert F. Vasa, Bishop of Baker, Oregon, requires this affirmation of faith for all lay persons who hold positions of administration and teaching in his diocese.]

What a great bishop. This would have been the norm before the Council. Requiring that those who teach the Catholic Faith affirm it. Novel?

Affirmation Of Personal Faith *

“I believe and profess all that the holy Catholic Church teaches, believes and proclaims to be revealed by God.”

In particular:

I affirm and believe the Church’s teaching about the inviolability of human life. In accord with that teaching I affirm that human life is sacred and must be protected and respected from the moment of conception until natural death. I affirm that I reject direct, intentional abortion and I do not recognize the legitimacy of anyone’s claim to a moral right to form their own conscience in this matter. I am not pro-choice. I further attest that I am not affiliated with, nor supportive of, any organization which supports, encourages, provides or otherwise endorses abortion or euthanasia. (cf. CCC 2270-2283)

I affirm and believe the Church’s teaching about the sinfulness of contraception. I affirm, in accord with the teachings of the Church that “every action which, whether in anticipation of the conjugal act, or in its accomplishment, or in the development of its natural consequences, proposes, whether as an end or as a means, to render procreation impossible” is intrinsically evil. (CCC 2370)

I affirm and believe that every person is called to chastity in accord with their present state of life and that it is only in marriage between man and woman that the intimacy of spouses becomes a sign and pledge of spiritual communion. (CCC 2337—2365) I accept the Church’s teaching that any extra-marital sexual relationships are gravely evil and that these include pre-marital relations, masturbation, fornication, the viewing of pornography and homosexual relations.

I affirm and believe the teaching of the Church about the evil of homosexual acts. I accept the formulation in the Catechism which states: “Basing itself on Sacred Scripture, which presents homosexual acts as acts of grave depravity, tradition has always declared that “homosexual acts are intrinsically disordered.” They are contrary to the natural law. They close the sexual act to the gift of life. They do not proceed from a genuine affective and sexual complementarity. Under no circumstances can they be approved.” (CCC 2357)

I affirm and believe all that the Church teaches about the Reality and Presence of Christ in the Most Holy Eucharist. Specifically I believe that Jesus is present Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity under each of the forms of bread and wine and that receiving either one is Communion with the whole Christ. I recognize that worship and adoration are appropriate, not only during Mass but also outside of Mass and that the Most Holy Eucharist must always be handled with the utmost care and devotion. (CCC 1373-1381)

I affirm and believe the teachings of the Church regarding Mary, Mother of Christ and Mother of the Church. I accept with the Church that it is fitting and proper to honor the Blessed Virgin with special devotion. (CCC 963-975)

I affirm and believe that it is possible for a person to choose to remain separated from God for all eternity and that “This state of definitive self-exclusion from communion with God and the blessed is called “hell.” ” (CCC 1033)

I affirm and believe that those who die in God’s grace and friendship but are still imperfectly purified undergo additional purification so as to achieve the holiness necessary to enter the joys of heaven. I affirm that the Church’s name for this final purification is Purgatory. (CCC 1030-1032)

I affirm and believe in One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church, and I embrace the teachings about the Church, as enunciated in the Catechism of the Catholic Church. (cf. CCC 748-962)

I affirm and believe that the Church teaches with God-given authority and that the promise of Christ to remain with His Church always, until the end of time, is a reality. I further acknowledge that those teachings pronounced in a definitive manner, even though not as an infallible definition, are binding on the consciences of the faithful and are to be adhered to with religious assent. (CCC 892)

To these and to all the teaching of the Catholic Church I give my assent. I attest that I believe these things and, while I am aware of my own sinfulness and shortcomings, I strive in my beliefs and life style to conform to this Affirmation of Personal of Faith.


* The Church requires the making of a Profession of Faith by various persons when they undertake specific duties related to Church administration and teaching. (cf. Canon 833) In the Diocese of Baker this has been expanded to include those who take on the ecclesial duties of Catechist, Liturgical Reader, Cantor, Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion and other Church positions which entail a presumption of orthodoxy.

I can't help but think that there are many oath breakers serving in various positions of authority in the Church today if all bishops, priests and religious were mandated to take this oath. =)

Calls to unite Anglicans and Catholics under Pope

Does the Pope need more headaches?
According to some Anglicans, yes. From The Times.
My commentary in red.

Radical proposals to reunite Anglicans with the Roman Catholic Church under the leadership of the Pope are to be published this year, The Times has learnt. [Well, the proposal ain't so radical. From the commentary of the ARCIC co-chairmen in 'The Gift of Authority': 'In March 1966 the then Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Michael Ramsey, paid an official visit to Pope Paul VI in Rome. This inaugurated a new era in relations between the Anglican Communion and the Catholic Church, with the emphasis on Christian charity and sincere efforts to remove the causes of conflict and re-establish unity.' So, no, the proposal is not so radical. From the time dialogue began between the Catholic Church and the Anglican Communion, unity was the stated aim.]

The proposals have been agreed by senior bishops of both churches. [A good lot of bollocks that'll do. From previous the history of the ARCIC statements, nothing came of it and the Anglican Church continued to go its own way and do as it pleases.]

In a 42-page statement prepared by an international commission of both churches, Anglicans and Roman Catholics are urged to explore how they might reunite under the Pope. [This was actually explored and agreed upon in the ARCIC document 'The Gift of Authority', which came out waaaaaay back in 1999. And what came out of that? Bupkus!, thats what.]

The statement, leaked to The Times, is being considered by the Vatican, where Catholic bishops are preparing a formal response. [Which should be along the lines of 'Show me by your deeds, not just mere words'.]

It comes as the archbishops who lead the 38 provinces of the Anglican Communion meet in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, in an attempt to avoid schism over gay ordination and other liberal doctrines that have taken hold in parts of the Western Church. [And trying to re-unite with the Catholic Church won't provoke schism? The Catholic Church is is considered apostate by some Anglicans and the 39 Articles of Religion has this to say:

Article XXII. Of Purgatory.
The Romish Doctrine concerning Purgatory, Pardons, Worshipping and Adoration, as well of Images as of Relics, and also Invocation of Saints, is a fond thing, vainly invented, and grounded upon no warranty of Scripture, but rather repugnant to the Word of God.]

The 36 primates at the gathering will be aware that the Pope, while still a cardinal, sent a message of support to the orthodox wing of the Episcopal Church of the US as it struggled to cope with the fallout after the ordination of the gay bishop Gene Robinson. [I'm sure the TEC or ECUSA or whatever they want to be called will be thrilled.]

Were this week’s discussions to lead to a split between liberals and conservatives, many of the former objections in Rome to a reunion with Anglican conservatives would disappear. [I don't think the many serious and conscientious objections many Anglicans hold will just disappear like that. They have to profess all that the Catholic Church holds and teaches to be revealed by God with the assent of Faith. We don't want an influx of heretics. We have enough of those as it is.] Many of those Anglicans who object most strongly to gay ordination also oppose the ordination of women priests. [But some don't and Rome opposes both, so? Someone's gotta give.]

Rome has already shown itself willing to be flexible on the subject of celibacy when it received dozens of married priests from the Church of England into the Catholic priesthood after they left over the issue of women’s ordination. [Perhaps the solution is an Anglican sui juris Church, but with the likes of the Traditional Anglican Communion, not the Anglican Communion centred in Canterbury.]

There are about 78 million Anglicans, compared with a billion Roman Catholics, worldwide. In England and Wales, the Catholic Church is set to overtake Anglicanism as the predominant Christian denomination for the first time since the Reformation, thanks to immigration from Catholic countries.

As the Anglicans’ squabbles over the fundamentals of Christian doctrine continue — with seven of the conservative primates twice refusing to share Communion with the other Anglican leaders at their meeting in Tanzania — the Church’s credibility is being increasingly undermined in a world that is looking for strong witness from its international religious leaders. [You don't say.]

The Anglicans will attempt to resolve their differences today by publishing a new Anglican Covenant, an attempt to provide a doctrinal statement under which they can unite. [Good luck. They haven't succeeded until now. There's just no authority in Anglicanism capable of upholding and enforcing such a covenant.]

But many fear that the divisions have gone too far to be bridged and that, if they cannot even share Communion with each other, there is little hope that they will agree on a statement of common doctrine. [Perceptive, aren't they?]

The latest Anglican-Catholic report could hardly come at a more sensitive time. It has been drawn up by the International Anglican-Roman Catholic Commission for Unity and Mission, which is chaired by the Right Rev David Beetge, an Anglican bishop from South Africa, and the Most Rev John Bathersby, the Catholic Archbishop of Brisbane, Australia.

The commission was set up in 2000 by the former Archbishop of Canterbury, Lord Carey of Clifton, and Cardinal Edward Cassidy, then head of the Vatican’s Council for Christian Unity. Its aim was to find a way of moving towards unity through “common life and mission”.

The document leaked to The Times is the commission’s first statement, Growing Together in Unity and Mission. The report acknowledges the “imperfect communion” between the two churches but says that there is enough common ground to make its “call for action” about the Pope and other issues.

In one significant passage the report notes: “The Roman Catholic Church teaches that the ministry of the Bishop of Rome [the Pope] as universal primate is in accordance with Christ’s will for the Church and an essential element of maintaining it in unity and truth.” [That's not significant at all. That's what the Catholic Church has always taught. ARCIC said the same thing in 'The Gift of Authority'. Listen to this:

47. Within his wider ministry, the Bishop of Rome offers a specific ministry concerning the discernment of truth, as an expression of universal primacy. ... The reception of the primacy of the Bishop of Rome entails the recognition of this specific ministry of the universal primate.]

Anglicans rejected the Bishop of Rome as universal primate in the 16th century. [And look what happened to them. Let's take that as a warning for those who reject the Roman Primacy and advocate more collegiality.] Today, however, some Anglicans are beginning to see the potential value of a ministry of universal primacy, [About time, if you ask me.] which would be exercised by the Bishop of Rome, as a sign and focus of unity within a reunited Church.

In another paragraph the report goes even further: “We urge Anglicans and Roman Catholics to explore together how the ministry of the Bishop of Rome might be offered and received in order to assist our Communions to grow towards full, ecclesial communion.” [Nothing new here. ARCIC's 'The Gift of Authority' again:

52. The Commission is of the view that we have deepened and extended our agreement on:

the possibility, in certain circumstances, of the Church teaching infallibly at the service of the Church’s indefectibility (paragraphs 41-44);

a universal primacy, exercised collegially in the context of synodality, as integral to episcope at the service of universal communion; such a primacy having always been associated with the Bishop and See of Rome (paragraphs 46-48);

how the ministry of the Bishop of Rome assists the ministry of the whole episcopal body in the context of synodality, promoting the communion of the local churches in their life in Christ and the proclamation of the Gospel (paragraphs 46-48);

how the Bishop of Rome offers a specific ministry concerning the discernment of truth (paragraph 47).

If you ask me, ARCIC went even further than the current statement.]

Other recommendations include inviting lay and ordained members of both denominations to attend each other’s synodical and collegial gatherings and conferences. Anglican bishops could be invited to accompany Catholic ones on visits to Rome. [Been there, done that. From ARCIC's 'The Gift of Authority' again:

Renewed Collegiality: Making Visible our Existing Communion

58. Anglicans and Roman Catholics are already facing these issues but their resolution may well take some time. However, there is no turning back in our journey towards full ecclesial communion. In the light of our agreement the Commission believes our two communions should make more visible the koinonia we already have. Theological dialogue must continue at all levels in the churches, but is not of itself sufficient. For the sake of koinonia and a united Christian witness to the world, Anglican and Roman Catholic bishops should find ways of cooperating and developing relationships of mutual accountability in their exercise of oversight. At this new stage we have not only to do together whatever we can, but also to be together all that our existing koinonia allows.

59. Such cooperation in the exercise of episcope would involve bishops meeting regularly together at regional and local levels and the participation of bishops from one communion in the international meetings of bishops of the other. Serious consideration could also be given to the association of Anglican bishops with Roman Catholic bishops in their ad limina visits to Rome. Wherever possible, bishops should take the opportunity of teaching and acting together in matters of faith and morals. They should also witness together in the public sphere on issues affecting the common good. Specific practical aspects of sharing episcope will emerge from local initiatives.

Remember folks, this came out waaaaaay back in 1999. And yet, bubkus.]

Pope St. Pius V who excommunicated Queen Elizabeth I of England

The report adds that special “protocols” should also be drawn up to handle the movement of clergy from one Church to the other. Other proposals include common teaching resources for children in Sunday schools and attendance at each other’s services, pilgrimages and processions.

Anglicans are also urged to begin praying for the Pope during the intercessionary prayers in church services, and Catholics are asked also to pray publicly for the Archbishop of Canterbury. [Ok. This part I don't get. They acknowledge the Universal Primacy of the Pope and therefore it's right for Anglicans and Catholics to pray for him. But who the heck is the Archbishop of Canterbury? Why should Catholics pray for him? ]

In today’s Anglican Church, it is unlikely that a majority of parishioners would wish to heal the centuries-old rift and return to Rome. [Yeah, they too comfortable in their heresy and their social club churches, each going their own way like disobedient children home alone.]

However, the stance of the Archbishop of Canterbury over the present dispute dividing his Church gives an indication of how priorities could be changing in light of the gospel imperative towards church unity.

Dr Rowan Williams, who as Primate of the Church of England is its “focus for unity” [That's theological speak for a person who can do nuts as his house falls all around him.], has in the past supported a liberal interpretation of Scripture on the gay issue. [That of course gives him loads of credibility with the likes of Akinola and John Chew.] But he has made it clear that church unity must come before provincial autonomy. [Fair and good. But can he DO anything about it? Why should the TEC listen to him?] A logical extension of that, once this crisis is overcome either by agreement or schism, would be to seek reunion with the Church of England's own mother Church. [Who are ordaining women to the episcopate.]

Plans to reunite Anglicans with Roman Catholics under the leadership of the Pope are to be published this year. [Good luck with that and good luck in 'unordaining' all those women priests and bishops.]

The proposal, is designed to encourage Christian unity. It has been discussed by senior bishops of both Churches and is being reviewed by the Vatican. [The Vatican is wasting its time. Just send them a copy of Apostolicae Curae and ask them to repent and come back to Holy Mother Church.]

If agreed, it would see Anglicans reunited with the Roman Catholic Church just under five centuries after the Protestant split from Rome. [I'm not holding my breath. Looking at the state of the current ecumenical dialogues, I think that, aside from dialogue with the Orthodox(Jerusalem and Constantinople recognize Anglican orders by the way), the others are fruitless. I'm convinced that the only way to achieve Christian Unity is to preach an ecumenism of return and repentance. ]

In a document titled Growing Together In Unity And Mission, the Anglican-Roman Catholic Commission for Unity and Mission, set up in 2000 to try to bring both Churches together, outlines how they could unite and calls for a "full, ecclesial union". [Kneel at the altar of the Catholic Church closest to you and say these words:

O my God, I firmly believe that you are one God in three divine Persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. I believe that Your divine Son became man and died for our sins, and that He will come to judge the living and the dead. I believe these and all the truths which the holy Catholic Church teaches, because You have revealed them, who can neither deceive nor be deceived.

And in case I wasn't clear, I say it again, I believe and profess all that the holy Catholic Church teaches, believes and proclaims to be revealed by God.

Amen.

And there you have it. Instant Christian Unity. =)]

My philosophy of life

Interesting and good to know =)

You scored as Divine Command. Your life is directed by Divine Command: Your god and religion give you meaning and direction. “Know therefore that the LORD thy God, he is God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations.” --King James Version of the Bible Divine Command 100% Utilitarianism 70% Existentialism 50% Justice (Fairness) 50% Kantianism 50% Strong Egoism 0% Hedonism 0% Apathy 0% Nihilism 0% What philosophy do you follow? (v1.03) created with QuizFarm.com

Hat tip to Mark.

Happy Chinese New Year!

To all readers who are celebrating the Lunar New Year,
HAPPY
CHINESE
NEW YEAR!
May the new year bring you prosperity and good health and God's choicest blessings!


For those of you who do not know, the Chinese Lunar New Year celebration, which is also known as the Spring Festival, lasts for fifteen days and is the most important of all the Chinese festivals. It is celebrated in China, Taiwan, Korea, Hong Kong Vietnam, Singapore, Malaysia and wherever the Chinese can be found. This year is the year of the pig according to the Chinese zodiac.

One of the most important aspects of this festival is the reunion dinner on the eve of the new year. All the members of the family, regardless of whether they are overseas or in the neighbouring towns, will make the long trek to the eldest member's usually the parents, grandparents or great-grandparents home for the reunion dinner. But, due to the affluence of Chinese society, the reunion dinner is frequently held in restaurants and hotels these days.

The rush back for the reunion dinner has sparked a mass migration of hundreds of millions in China. Liberal amounts or liquor will be consumed as family members catch up on the latest news and gamble the night away.

In the morning of the first day on the new year, the eldest and most senior married couple will distribute red packets filled with money to all the unmarried members of the family who will form a line and greet them. This is the part that the kids look forward most to. All married couples are expected to give out the red packets and all unmarried people, including yours truly, are eligible. Red is the traditional colour of good luck and is worn by all Chinese on this day.

The kids will also go from house to house bearing new year wishes and collecting the 'ang pows' or red packets. Most importantly, the first day of Chinese New Year is a time where families will pay a visit to the oldest and most senior member of their extended family, usually their parents, grandparents or great-grandparents.

Some families may invite a Lion dance troupe as a symbolic ritual to usher in the Lunar New Year as well as to evict bad spirits from the premises. These troupes come with drums and cymbals and will let off fire crackers which the Chinese believe will frighten away the evil spirits.

I have fond memories of those joyful days when I was a kid. The extended family, including my grandparents, a huge numbers of aunts and uncles and cousins thrice removed would gather at a great grand aunt's place for the reunion dinner. The table would then be cleared and out would come the cards. Black jack and poker would continue into the wee hours of the morning. Before fireworks were banned, we kids would go into the field and let off loads of firecrackers and play with sparklers.
Then, just before midnight, we would get into a car and go down town where the banking district was. The banks would vie and compete with each other to see which bank could let off the most firecrackers. The long red firecrackers would be let down the side of the banks headquarters and at the stroke of midnight, a mighty roar would gather and grow as the firecrackers were were simultaneously lit and the crowd would anxiously wait to see which bank would last the longest.

The gambling would then continue and I would renew my friendships with my cousins. it was so easy making friends when you're a kid. You could see each other only for a day and a year later, you can still pick up where you left off and go bounding off together looking for mischief. =) Those were fun times. When the gambling finally ends, I would get all the spare coins. That was fun!

My grandfather died many years back and the family began to move away and some have migrated overseas. For us the reunion dinner has ceased as there's just no one left.

For my part, I attended Mass this morning, to thank God for all the blessings that he has bestowed this past year and to beg for His continued protection and favour for the coming year.

It's quite fortunate that the new year this year does not fall on Ash Wednesday, Friday or Lent this year as it has happened in past years. The Bishops Conference has usually transferred the obligation of fasting and abstinence when this occurs for pastoral reasons as many Chinese Catholics have non-Catholic family and friends.

Anyway, this was a little snippet into Chinese culture. Hope you've enjoyed it!

True Love

“Life has not been easy but I am never lonely because I have him,” she said.

Yap said couples like them do not know much about lovey-dovey words.

“But I will take care of her until I die because I am her man and she is my woman. Isn’t that enough?” he asked.

Isn't that enough indeed! With St. Valentine's Day just past, I would like to highlight this example of true love. Oftentimes we get young people who profess undying love for each other, marry and then divorce. The words 'I love you' has been so abused that it has been stripped of all its meaning. It has become a catch-phrase, thrown about carelessly.

Love might burn burn hotly for many people, but it might also go out quickly. They must realize that true love is selfless and to be truly in love, we must be prepared to be in it for the long haul, come what may.

The true meaning of love, a love that fulfills the marital oath of fidelity through sickness and health, for richer and for poorer, in good times and in bad, till death do us part, is enfleshed in this couple, Khoo Joo Sian and Yap Hing.

Their love might not be demonstrated in words, little sweet nothings whispered in each others ears, but in deeds that last. Isn't that enough?

By LOONG MENG YEE

KLANG: Between them there are no whispers of sweet nothings, showy kisses of affection or presents on those special occasions.

Love – for Khoo Joo Sian and husband Yap Hing of Taman Kapar here – is about taking turns to sip from the same cup, eating from a single plate and insisting the other take the last piece of vegetable during meals.

Love also means Khoo, 65, holding her husband’s hands tightly and never letting him out of her sight when they are out collecting recyclable items on their rusty bicycle.

Always together: Yap (left) and Khoo seen walking hand-in-hand as they leave their favourite coffee shop in Klang yesterday.

For Yap, 64, is blind.

And it was an act of love more than a decade ago that cost him his vision.

He had gone for an operation for cataract on both eyes, with strict instructions from the doctors to rest.

His wife dutifully tucked him in bed and went to work, washing dishes at a restaurant.

“I knew there was no more money in the house. I am her husband, I should be the one putting food on the table,” said Yap.

So he stole out of bed and went to the construction site where he worked as a labourer.

He did not know what happened at the work site but remembered that halfway through carrying some bricks he lost his vision and then collapsed.

The doctors later told him that some veins in his eyes had burst because of the exertion.

Khoo has since become his ray of light.

“He is my husband. It is my responsibility to care for him and to love him, no matter what, said Khoo, who married Yap when they were in their 40s.

They make a living now collecting and selling recyclable items. At around 3pm, they are usually seen walking hand-in-hand to their favourite coffee shop for an afternoon cuppa.

“Life has not been easy but I am never lonely because I have him,” she said.

Yap said couples like them do not know much about lovey-dovey words.

“But I will take care of her until I die because I am her man and she is my woman. Isn’t that enough?” he asked.

When I read this, the much abused 1 Cor 13:4-8 immediately came to mind.

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.

Truly, for this elderly couple, materially poor maybe, but rich in love, this Scripture finds its fulfillment. What an inspiration of the cost of love to the young people of today.

From the article Blind because of an act of love.

Sacred Spaces in Casa Andrew: The Altar of The Sacred Heart of Jesus

Here's another glimpse into the Sacred Spaces in Casa Andrew.

After receiving such a good response on my post on the Lady Altar, I’ve decided to highlight another altar in my house, the Altar dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

This oratory is actually in my room and is one of the 'side altars' if you will.

The devotion to the Sacred Heart focuses on Jesus’ divine love for humanity, His Heart burning with love for us. It also stresses the central Christian concept of loving and adoring Jesus. The origin of this devotion in its modern form is derived from a French Catholic nun St. Margaret Marie Alacoque, who learned of the devotion from Jesus who appeared to her in several visions.

The Sacred Heart is depicted as a flaming stylized heart, pierced by the lance-wound, surrounded by a crown of thorns, and bleeding. Jesus' wounded hands are pointing at His heart buring and radiating His love for us. The wounds and crown of thorns allude to the manner of Jesus' death, while the fire represents love.

Many Popes are devoted to the Sacred Heart. Among them, Pope Piux IX who extended this Feast to the Universal Church, Pope Leo XIII who in Annum Sacrum promoted consecration the Sacred Heart, Pope Pius XI who issued Caritate Christi Compulsi on devotion to the Sacred Heart and Pope Pius XII who issued the encyclical, Haurietis Aquas, on the centenary of Pius IX's decree promoting devotion to the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus.

The first few pictures show the altar with its full complement of candles but I found that the central one blocks the view and messes up the focus, so hopefully the subsequent photos are clearer.

Here’s what the altar looks like at night, with the lights turned out.

Another feature of this altar is my favourite icon of Our Lady. The icon is reminiscent of the Icon of Our Mother of Perpetual Succour but is rendered in a more Western style.

There are also 2 crucifixes in front of the statue, with paneled stained glass backing.

What do you think?

Act of Consecration to the Sacred heart of Jesus

Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, I consecrate myself to Your Most Sacred Heart. Take possession of my whole being; transform me into Yourself. Make my hands Your hands, my feet Your feet, my heart Your heart. Let me see with Your eyes, listen with Your ears, speak with Your lips, love with Your heart, understand with Your mind, serve with Your will, and be dedicated with my whole being. Make me Your other self. Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, send me Your Holy Spirit to teach me to love You and to live through You, with You, in You and for You.

Come, Holy Spirit, make my body Your temple. Come, and abide with me forever. Give me the deepest love for the Sacred Heart of Jesus in order to serve Him with my whole heart, soul, mind and strength. Take possession of all my faculties of body and soul. Regulate all my passions: feelings and emotions. Take possession of my intellect, understanding and will; my memory and imagination. O Holy Spirit of Love, give me an abundance of Your efficacious graces. Give me the fullness of all the virtues; enrich my faith, strengthen my hope, increase my trust, and inflame my love. Give me the fullness of Your sevenfold gifts, fruits and beatitudes. Most Holy Trinity, make my soul Your sanctuary.
Amen.

World Day of the Sick

Pope: From Lourdes to Seoul, I entrust the world’s sick and suffering to Mary Recalling the apparition of Our Lady of Lourdes and the World Day of the Sick, which this year is being celebrated in Seoul, Benedict XVI exhorted health workers and relatives of sick people to offer “human support” and “spiritual accompaniment”, especially those who are terminally ill.

Vatican City (AsiaNews) – On the feast of Our Lady of Lourdes, now also the World Day of the Sick, the pope did not stop at talking about miracles and healing. Thanking health workers and relatives of sick people, he called for the “development of palliative care that offers holistic support”, giving “terminally ill people the human support and spiritual accompaniment that they badly need.”

Benedict XVI recalled the “prodigious event” of “the first apparition of the Virgin Mary to St Bernadette, which took place on 11 February 1858 in the grotto of Massabielle in Lourdes”. This event, continued the pope, made “the location, situated in the French slopes of the Pyrenees, a global center for pilgrimages and intense Marian spirituality. In this place, for nearly 150 years now, the call of Our Lady to prayer and repentance still reverberates powerfully, a quasi permanent echo of the invitation with which Jesus inaugurated his preaching in Galilee: ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news.’ (Mk 1:15).”

Although miracles and healings confirmed by a team of doctors often take place at Lourdes, the pope saw fit to draw attention to a more profound miracle: “Moreover, the shrine has become a destination of many sick pilgrims who, putting themselves in a position to listen to the Most Holy Mary, are encouraged to accept their sufferings and to offer them for the salvation of the world, uniting them with those of the crucified Christ.”

Benedict XVI explained the connection between the feast of Our Lady of Lourdes and the World Day of the Sick: “It was precisely because of this link between Lourdes and human suffering that, 15 years ago, the beloved John Paul II wanted the World Day of the Sick to be celebrated on the feast of Our Lady of Lourdes. This year, the focus of this feast is in the city of Seoul, capital of South Korea, where I sent Cardinal Javier Lozano Barragán, President of the Pontifical Council for Pastoral Health Care to represent me. I send an affectionate greeting to him and to all those gathered there.”

The pope continued: “I would like to extend my thoughts to health workers across the world, well aware of the importance of their service to sick people in our society. In particular, I want to express my spiritual closeness and my affection for our sick brothers and sisters, especially those who are afflicted by more serious and painful illnesses. On this Day, our attention is turned towards them in a special way. It is necessary to support the development of palliative care that offers holistic support and gives terminally ill people the human support and spiritual accompaniment that they badly need.”

Before the Angelus prayer, the pope reminded his audience about a Eucharistic Celebration that will be held this afternoon in St Peter’s Basilica, with many sick people and pilgrims. Mass will be presided over by Cardinal Camillo Ruini, Vicar of the diocese of Rome. Benedict XVI said: “At the end of Holy Mass, I will have the joy, like last year, of spending some time with them, reliving the spiritual climate experienced at the grotto of Massabielle. With this Angelus prayer, I would like to entrust to the maternal protection of the Immaculate Virgin all those in the world who are sick and suffering in body and spirit.”