Vatican City, 27 June 2012 (VIS) - The Letter to the Philippians which, the Holy Father said, is in some way St. Paul's "spiritual last will and testament", was the theme of his catechesis during the general audience, which was held this morning in the Paul VI Hall.

The Apostle of the Gentiles dictated this Letter from jail, when he felt death approaching, yet nonetheless it closes with an invitation to be joyful. Joy, the Holy Father explained, "is a fundamental characteristic of being Christian. ... But how can one be joyful in the face of an imminent death sentence? From where, or better from whom, does St. Paul draw his peace of mind and the strength and courage to face martyrdom?"

The answer is to be found in the middle of the Letter to the Philippians, in the so-called "carmen Christo" or "Christological hymn", which "summarises the Son of God's divine and human itinerary". It opens with these words: "Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus". This, the Pope said, "means not only following Jesus' example, ... but also involving the whole of our lives in His way of thinking and acting".

This hymn to Christ begins by saying that He is "'in the form of God'. Yet Jesus, true God and true man, did not experience this condition ... in order to triumph and to impose His supremacy", but to take "'the form of a slave', the human form marked by suffering, poverty and death. He assimilated Himself fully to mankind, except in sin".

St. Paul continues by outlining the historical context of Jesus' earthly life, up to the cross where He "experienced the greatest degree of humiliation, because crucifixion was the punishment reserved for slaves, and not for the free". Yet it is "in the cross of Christ that man is redeemed and Adam's experience is transformed ". If the first man sought to be like God, "then Jesus, though 'in the form of God', lowered Himself and immersed Himself in the human condition, ... to redeem the Adam within us and to restore to man the dignity he had lost".

"Human logic", Benedict XVI went on, "often seeks realisation in power and domination. ... Man still wants to build the Tower of Babel with his own strength, to reach the heights of God, to be like God. The incarnation and the cross remind us that full realisation lies in conforming our human will to that of the Father, in emptying ourselves ... of selfishness in order to fill ourselves with the love of God and thus to become truly capable of loving one another".

The Pope then noted that, in the second part of the Christological hymn, the subject changes: no longer Christ but God the Father. "He Who abased Himself by taking on the form of a slave, is exalted and raised above all things by the Father, Who gives Him the name of 'Kyrios', 'Lord'. ... The Jesus Who is exalted is the Jesus of the Last Supper Who ... bends to wash the feet of the Apostles. ... It is important to remember this always during our prayers and our lives".

"This hymn in the Letter to the Philippians contains two important indications for our own prayers. The first is the invocation of 'Lord' addressed to Jesus Christ Who, ... amidst so many 'dominators' who seek to rule, remains the one Lord of our lives. ... Therefore it is important to maintain a scale of values in which the first place belongs to God".

"The second indication is prostration, ... the 'bending of every knee in heaven and on earth', ... the adoration that all creatures owe to God. Genuflection before the Blessed Sacrament or kneeling in prayer express the attitude of adoration before God. ... When we kneel before the Lord we confess our faith in Him, we recognise that He is the one Lord of our lives".

"At the beginning of this catechesis we asked ourselves how St. Paul could be joyful when faced with the risk of imminent martyrdom", the Holy Father concluded. "This was possible only because the Apostle never removed his gaze from Christ".

source:
V.I.S. -Vatican Information Service. www.vis.va

Durante a Audiência Geral, Bento XVI centra-se na alegria de São Paulo antes do martírio iminente

Entre tantos dominadores, Deus é o único Senhor

CIDADE DO VATICANO, quarta-feira, 27 de junho de 2012 (ZENIT.org) - Continuando a sua catequese sobre a oração em São Paulo, durante a Audiência Geral desta manhã, o Papa Bento XVI centrou-se na Epístola aos Filipenses, que destaca o sentido de gratidão a Deus do Apóstolo, também na iminência do martírio (Cf. Fil. 2,27).
Na prisão em Roma, Paulo "expressa a alegria de ser discípulo de Cristo, de poder ir ao seu encontro, até o ponto de ver a morte não como perda, mas como lucro”. De onde podemos tirar a nossa alegria, também numa situação tão trágica?
O segredo de Paulo é aquele de ter "os mesmos sentimentos de Cristo Jesus" (Fil 2,5), ou seja, a humildade, a generosidade, o amor, a obediência a Deus, o dom de si mesmo. É o seguimento total ao Filho de Deus, Caminho, Verdade e Vida.
A música mencionada na Carta aos Filipenses, conhecida pela tradição como carmen Christo (canto por Cristo), "resume todo o percurso divino humano do Filho de Deus e abrange toda a história humana”, explicou o Papa: “do ser na condição de Deus, à encarnação, à morte na cruz e à exaltação na glória do Pai está também implícito o comportamento de Adão, do homem inicial”.
Jesus, Deus feito homem, não vive a sua natureza divina "para triunfar ou para impor a sua supremacia, não o considera como uma posse, um privilégio, um tesouro que deve ser aproveitado". Ao mesmo tempo que assume a “forma de escravo” ("morphe doulos" no original grego da Epístola Paulina), ou seja assemelhou-se aos homens na pobreza, no sofrimento e na morte. Tudo por obediência ao Pai, “até a morte, e uma morte de cruz”, diz São Paulo.
A Cruz ajuda a derrubar o pecado original de Adão, "criado à imagem e semelhança de Deus, pretendeu ser como Deus com as próprias forças, colocar-se no lugar de Deus, e assim perdeu a dignidade original que lhe tinha sido dada”. Jesus fez justamente o contrário: encontra-se na “condição de Deus” mas se abaixa à condição humana “para redimir Adão que está em nós e restaurar a dignidade que o homem havia perdido."
Ao contrário, a lógica humana, também depois do sacrifício redentor de Cristo, "busca muitas vezes a realização de si mesma no poder, no domínio, nos meios poderosos” e o homem insiste “em querer construir com as próprias forças a torre de Babel para conseguir por si mesmo a altura de Deus, para ser como Deus”.
A Encarnação e a Cruz, no entanto, mostram "que a plena realização está em conformar a própria vontade humana naquela do Pai, no esvaziar-se do próprio egoísmo, para preencher-se do amor, da caridade de Deus e assim se tornar realmente capaz de amar os outros”.
Não é "permanecendo fechado em si mesmo" que o homem se realiza. Adão não errou tanto no imitar a Deus, mas na ideia de Deus que “não quer somente grandeza” mas é principalmente “amor que se doa já na Trindade e depois na criação”.
A ascensão a Deus acontece portanto “na descida do humilde serviço”, essência de Deus que, em Jesus, se inclina para lavar os pés dos discípulos, exortando-os a fazer o mesmo entre eles (cf. Jo 13,12-14 ).
O hino da Carta aos Filipenses, oferece duas direções importantes para a nossa oração: em primeiro lugar que Deus é "o único Senhor” da nossa vida, em meio a tantos “dominadores” que a querem conduzir e dirigir”, o único tesouro pelo qual “vale a pena gastar a própria existência”.
A segunda indicação é dada pela prostração da genuflexão, também física, que deve ser realizada “não por hábito e rapidamente, mas com profunda consciência”, tratando-se de um modo no qual “confessamos a nossa fé nele”, disse o Papa.
No final da catequese, o Santo Padre voltou ao dilema inicial, dando-lhe uma explicação adequada: São Paulo se alegra diante do risco iminente do martírio, porque “nunca tirou o seu olhar de Cristo até o ponto de transformar-se conforme na morte, “na esperança de alcançar a ressurreição dos mortos” (Fp 3.11).

EL SEÑOR QUE ADORAMOS ES EL QUE LAVA LOS PIES A LOS APÓSTOLES EN LA ÚLTIMA CENA

Ciudad del Vaticano, 27 junio 2012 (VIS).-La Carta a los Filipenses, considerada el testamento espiritual de San Pablo, fue el tema de la catequesis de la audiencia general de los miércoles, celebrada en el Aula Pablo VI.

El apóstol de las gentes dictó ese texto mientras estaba en la cárcel y sentía la muerte cercana; sin embargo, en su última parte hay una invitación a la alegría. La alegría, explicó el Santo Padre es una “característica fundamental de ser cristianos (...) Pero, ¿como se puede estar alegres ante una condena de muerte inminente? ¿De dónde, o mejor, de quien obtiene San Pablo la serenidad y el valor para afrontar el martirio?”.

Encontramos la respuesta en el centro de la Carta a los Filipenses, en el llamado “carmen Christo” o “Himno cristológico”, un canto que “resume el itinerario divino y humano del Hijo de Dios” y que se abre con una exhortación: “Tened entre vosotros los sentimientos propios de Cristo”. “Se trata -dijo el Papa- no sólo de seguir el ejemplo de Jesús (...) sino también de conformar toda nuestra existencia según su modo de pensar y de obrar”.

Este himno a Cristo parte de su ser “en la condición de Dios”; una condición que “Jesús, verdadero Dios y verdadero hombre no vive (...) para triunfar o para imponer su supremacía”, sino asumiendo “la 'forma de esclavo'; de la realidad humana marcada por el sufrimiento, la pobreza y la muerte; asimilándose plenamente a los hombres, excepto en el pecado”,

San Pablo traza a continuación el marco histórico en que transcurrió la vida terrena de Jesús hasta el Calvario, “el máximo grado de humillación porque la crucifixión era el castigo reservado a los esclavos y no a las personas libres”. Pero “en la Cruz de Cristo, el hombre es redimido y la experiencia de Adán se transforma”. Si el primer hombre pretendió ser como Dios “Jesús, no obstante su condición de Dios (...) se sumergió en la condición humana para redimir al Adán que hay en nosotros y devolver al ser humano la dignidad que había perdido”.

“La lógica humana, en cambio -prosiguió el Santo Padre- busca a menudo la propia realización en el poder y el dominio (...) El hombre sigue queriendo construir con sus propias fuerzas la torre de Babel para llegar a la altura de Dios, para ser como Dios. La Encarnación y la Cruz nos recuerdan que la realización plena está en conformar la voluntad humana a la del Padre, en vaciarse (...) del egoísmo para llenarse del amor de Dios y de esa forma, ser verdaderamente capaces de amar a los demás”.

En la segunda parte del himno cristológico, el sujeto cambia; no es Cristo, sino Dios Padre que “exalta y eleva sobre todas las cosas a aquel que se humilló como un esclavo y lo llama 'Señor' (...) El Jesús exaltado- subrayó el Santo Padre- es el de la Última Cena, que (...) se inclina a lavar los pies de los apóstoles (...) Es importante recordarlo cuando rezamos y en nuestras vidas”.

La Carta a los Filipenses contiene dos indicaciones importantes para la oración. La primera es “la invocación 'Señor', dirigida a Jesucristo (...) que es el único Señor de nuestra vida, en medio de tantos 'dominadores' que la quieren dirigir (...) Por eso es necesario tener una escala de valores en la que Dios ocupa el primer puesto”.

La segunda es “la prostración (...) el 'doblar las rodillas' en el cielo y en la tierra en “signo de la adoración que todas las criaturas deben a Dios. La genuflexión ante el Santísimo Sacramento o el arrodillarse mientras rezamos expresan, también con el cuerpo, la actitud de oración ante Dios (..) Cuando nos arrodillamos ante el Señor confesamos nuestra fe en Él; reconocemos que es el único Señor de nuestra vida”.

“Al principio de la catequesis -concluyó Benedicto XVI- nos preguntábamos cómo San Pablo podía ser feliz ante el peligro inminente del martirio (...) Era posible sólo porque el apóstol no alejó nunca su mirada de Cristo”,

la fuente:
V.I.S. - Vatican Information Service. www.vis.va

L'HUMILITE DU SEIGNEUR

Cité du Vatican, 27 juin 2012 (VIS). Lors de l'audience générale tenue Salle Paul VI, le Saint-Père a abordé l'épître aux philippiens, considérée comme le testament spirituel de saint Paul. Ce texte, a-t-il rappelé, a été écrit en prison, alors qu'il sentait proche la mort. Sa finale est cependant une invitation à la joie, "caractéristique fondamentale de l'être chrétien... Mais comment peut-on se réjouir à la veille d'une condamnation à mort? De qui Paul tire-t-il sa sérénité et le courage d'affronter le martyr?". La réponse se trouve au coeur de l'épître que la tradition nomme Carmen Christi, c'est à dire un chant christologique résumant son mode de penser et de vivre, "le parcours divin et humain du Fils de Dieu". Il s'ouvre par l'encouragement à faire siens ces sentiments de Jésus, "non pas de suivre seulement son exemple...mais d'y conformer notre existence". Cet hymne encourage à adopter la condition du Seigneur afin de faire triompher sa suprématie. Jésus s'en est dépouillé pour se faire esclave. "La condition humaine est marquée par la pauvreté, la souffrance et la mort, et il s'est pleinement assimilé aux hommes, le péché mis à part".

Puis, a dit le Pape, Paul évoque le contexte dans lequel s'est produit cet abaissement du Christ, achevé par l'humiliation suprême de la croix. "La crucifixion était en effet le sort des esclaves... Mais par la croix le Christ a racheté l'Adam qui est en nous. Il nous a rendu notre dignité... A l'inverse, la logique humaine recherche souvent sa propre réalisation dans le pouvoir, dans la domination. L'homme continue de vouloir bâtir avec ses propres forces la tour de Babel, de se hausser au niveau de Dieu pour être comme lui. L'incarnation et la croix nous rappelle que la pleine réalisation réside dans la conformation de notre volonté à celle du Père... Mais il faut se libérer de l'égoïsme pour se remplir d'amour, de la charité de Dieu".

L'épître aux philippiens contient deux indications importantes pour la prière, l'invocation Seigneur, qui s'adresse à Jésus-Christ, seul maître de nos vies au milieu de tant de dominateurs, et la prostration. La génuflexion est un signe d'adoration que tout créature doit au Créateur, entre la terre et le ciel. Nous prions à genoux devant le Saint Sacrement en exprimant corporellement cette soumission à Dieu, en exprimant notre foi en lui, en le reconnaissant comme maître de nos vies. "Celui qui s'est totalement abaissé en se faisant esclave a été exalté, élevé par le Père au dessus de toute chose, au point de lui attribuer le titre de Kryos, Seigneur... C'est le Jésus de l'ultime Cène...qui s'est penché pour laver les pieds des apôtres... Nous nous sommes demandé au début comment saint Paul avait pu se réjouir à l'approche de la mort... Ce ne fut possible que parce que l'apôtre des gentils n'a jamais détourné son regard de la Croix".

la source:
VIS - Vatican Information Service. www.vis.va

IL SIGNORE CHE ADORIAMO È COLUI CHE SI CHINA A LAVARE I PIEDI AGLI APOSTOLI NELL'ULTIMA CENA

Città del Vaticano, 27 giugno 2012 (VIS). La Lettera ai Filippesi, testamento spirituale di San Paolo, è stato il tema della catechesi dell'Udienza Generale di oggi, tenutasi nell'Aula Paolo VI.

L'Apostolo delle genti dettò la Lettera ai Filippesi mentre era in prigione e sentiva prossima la morte. Nell'ultimo capitolo c'è un forte invito alla gioia "caratteristica fondamentale del nostro essere cristiani", ha spiegato il Santo Padre. "Ma come si può gioire di fronte a una condanna a morte ormai imminente? Da dove o meglio da chi san Paolo trae la serenità, la forza, il coraggio di andare incontro al martirio e all’effusione del sangue?".

Troviamo la risposta al centro della Lettera ai Filippesi, in quello che la tradizione cristiana denomina 'carmen Christo', il canto per Cristo, o (...) 'inno cristologico'; un canto "che riassume l'itinerario divino e umano del Figlio di Dio" e che si apre con una esortazione: "Abbiate in voi gli stessi sentimenti di Cristo Gesù". "Si tratta - ha detto il Papa - non solo di seguire l’esempio di Gesù, ma di coinvolgere tutta l’esistenza nel suo modo di pensare e di agire".

Questo Inno a Cristo parte dal suo essere "nella condizione di Dio"; una condizione che "Gesù, vero Dio e vero uomo, non vive (...) per trionfare o per imporre la sua supremazia (...), Anzi, 'spogliò', svuotò se stesso, assumendo (...) la 'forma di schiavo', la realtà umana segnata dalla sofferenza, dalla povertà, dalla morte; si è assimilato pienamente agli uomini, tranne che nel peccato".

San Paolo continua delineando il quadro "storico" nel quale trascorse la vita terrena di Gesù fino alla morte di Croce. "Sulla croce Gesù Cristo ha raggiunto il massimo grado dell’umiliazione, perché la crocifissione era la pena riservata agli schiavi e non alle persone libere". Però "Nella Croce di Cristo l’uomo viene redento e l’esperienza di Adamo è rovesciata. Adamo, creato a immagine e somiglianza di Dio, pretese di essere come Dio, (...). Gesù, invece, pur essendo 'nella condizione di Dio', si è abbassato, si è immerso nella condizione umana, nella totale fedeltà al Padre, per redimere l’Adamo che è in noi e ridare all’uomo la dignità che aveva perduto".

"La logica umana, invece - ha proseguito il Pontefice - ricerca spesso la realizzazione di se stessi nel potere, nel dominio, nei mezzi potenti. L’uomo continua a voler costruire con le proprie forze la torre di Babele per raggiungere l’altezza di Dio, per essere come Dio. L’Incarnazione e la Croce ci ricordano che la piena realizzazione sta nel conformare la propria volontà umana a quella del Padre, nello svuotarsi di sé stessi, del proprio egoismo, per riempirsi dell’amore, della carità di Dio e così diventare veramente capaci di amare gli altri".

"Nella seconda parte di questo 'inno cristologico' della Lettera ai Filippesi, il soggetto cambia; non è più Cristo, ma è Dio Padre. (...) Colui che si è profondamente abbassato prendendo la condizione di schiavo, viene esaltato, innalzato sopra ogni cosa dal Padre, che gli dà il nome di (...), 'Signore', la suprema dignità e signoria. (...) Il Gesù che viene esaltato è quello dell’Ultima Cena" che "si china a lavare i piedi agli Apostoli. (...) Questo è importante ricordarlo sempre nella nostra preghiera e nella nostra vita".

"L’inno della Lettera ai Filippesi ci offre qui due indicazioni importanti per la nostra preghiera. La prima è l’invocazione 'Signore' rivolta a Gesù Cristo, (...) è Lui l’unico Signore della nostra vita, in mezzo ai tanti 'dominatori' che la vogliono indirizzare e guidare. Per questo, è necessario avere una scala di valori in cui il primato spetta a Dio".

"La seconda indicazione è la prostrazione, il 'piegarsi di ogni ginocchio' nella terra e nei cieli, (...) l’adorazione che tutte le creature devono a Dio. (...) Quando ci inginocchiamo davanti al Signore noi confessiamo la nostra fede in Lui, riconosciamo che è Lui l’unico Signore della nostra vita".

"All’inizio della catechesi - ha concluso Benedetto XVI - ci siamo chiesti come san Paolo potesse gioire di fronte al rischio imminente del martirio e della sua effusione del sangue. Questo è possibile soltanto perché l’Apostolo non ha mai allontanato il suo sguardo da Cristo sino a diventargli conforme nella morte".

servizi del Vatican Information Service possono essere riprodotte parzialmente o totalmente citando la fonte:
V.I.S. - Vatican Information Service - www.vis.va

The Mass is a true Sacrifice

The Eucharist

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The MassThe EucharistThe Mass as SacrificeThe Eucharist and the Mass
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The Mass & Revelation

This topic is so huge, so wondrous, it's hard to know where to begin, so I'll guess I'll start with explaining what the Church teaches about the Sacrifice of the Mass and about the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist:

The Mass is a true Sacrifice: Christ, as the High Priest after the order of Melchizedek, offers the graces of His once and for all Sacrifice on the Cross to us sacramentally under the appearances of bread and wine through the ministry of His ordained priests
Christ's ordained priests offer Christ to the Father under the appearances of bread and wine. Christ is really and truly present, under the appearance of bread and wine, in every way: Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity.
The Church, as the Body of Christ, offers Herself to God. Each member, as a part of the royal priesthood ("the priesthood of believers") offers his or her own sufferings and prayers, uniting them with Christ's offering of Himself. This includes the entire Church: Militant, Suffering, and Triumphant.
Christ is not recrucified; the Sacrifice of the Mass is unbloody -- after the order of Melchizedek. Christ died once at a finite point in History; but God is outside of time and His offering of Himself is eternal. The Grace Christ offers in the Divine Liturgy and what He offered on the Cross are of the same sacrifice; therefore, in no way can the liturgical Sacrifice be a "repetition" of the Crucifixion. His sacrifice is re-presented ("made present again in some way"). As the Council of Trent put it, "The fruits of that bloody sacrifice, it is well understood, are received most abundantly through this unbloody one, so far is the latter from derogating in any way from the former."
The Sacrifice of the Mass is a propitiatory sacrifice, that is, it is made for the remission of sins and for the appeasement of the Father. The Old Testament sacrifices were ineffectual, but the Sacrifice of Christ on Calvary, which the Mass re-presents, is effectual because Christ Himself is both the High Priest and the perfect Victim. Partaking of His Body (with right intention, as with all Sacraments) remits venial sin and sanctifies.

All Christians agree that Jesus Christ is a High Priest, a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek (Hebrews 6:17-20) and that we are members of His royal priesthood, "the priesthood of believers," as Protestants say (1 Peter 2:9-10, Revelation 1:6, Revelation 5:10 , Revelation 20:6). And Catholics, Orthodox, and a few Protestants know that there is an ordained priesthood (the Greek word for "elder" is "presbuteros," which became "presbyter" in Latin and "priest" in English. So whenever you see "elder" in the New Testament, see the word "priest"!). In all these cases, the word "priesthood" entails "sacrifice" as sacrifice is what priests do. The question becomes, then, what is being offered by each kind of priest? The answer is found by looking at how the Old Testament sacrifices prefigure and culminate in the New Testament once and for all time perfect sacrifice made by Jesus Christ on that one day (by Jewish reckoning) from sunset Holy Thursday to sunset Good Friday.

source

The Mass as a Sacrifice

The Mass as a Sacrifice:

First and foremost, the Mass is a Sacrifice and second it is a Sacred Meal. In the Old Testament, people would frequently offer sacrifices to God include animals in atonement for their sins as was prescribed by the law of Moses. This was done by the priests of the Old Testament. However, as children of the New Testament, we offer to God the only true Sacrifice - Jesus Christ. Jesus is the Lamb of God because He was the sacrifice that paid the price for all of our sins; it is written "Through one man sin entered the world and through sin death." Christ came and died for all of our sin and rose victoriously over death in order to restore us to new life. Because of Jesus' death and Resurrection, all of us may have the chance to enter Heaven. We remember this at every Mass. Jesus, though, spoke about His Body and Blood many times before His death as in John chapter 6, but the people there didn't understand Him.

Look to John 6:40-69 for this dialog. Through that dialog thousands and thousands left Jesus because they believed He was speaking literally about receiving His Body and Blood, and Jesus was speaking that way. If He was speaking symbolically He could have said, "No wait. I'm speaking of a symbol," but He didn't because the Eucharist (Christ's Body and Blood) is truly, literally true.

As the Council of Trent as affirmed, the Mass is the "true and proper sacrifice." As with any sacrifice, there are four necessary components: a sacrificial gift (res oblata), a sacrificing minister (minister legitimus), a sacrificial action (actio sacrificica), and a sacrificial end or object (finis sacrificii). First, the res obltata, or sacrificial gift, must be physical and real. In the Old Testament it consisted of animals offered up to God. Today at the Mass we offer to the Father one sacrifice - His Son. Second, only a qualified person can offer the sacrifice, and that is a priest. In the Old Testament priests were to come only from the Tribe of Levi, in particular from the House of Aaron. Similarly, priests of the Holy Catholic Church must be males. The priest not only offers the Sacrifice of Jesus truly present, but the priest acts in the person of Christ. Thus, he acts in persona Christi, so when the priest says the words of Consecration, it is not the priest speaking but rather Jesus speaking through the priest. And because Jesus was male, all priests must be males. Third, the sacrificial action of the Old Testament was the spilling of the blood of animals. In the New Testament, it is Jesus' voluntary surrender of His Blood and the offering of His life. Finally, the object of Sacrifice is to be offered solely to God for His honor and glory. Such an offering is lifted into the realms of the Divine.

Just as Melchizadek brought forth bread and wine ("bringing forth bread and wine, for he was a priest of the Most High God..."), Jesus instituted the Eucharist as a Sacrifice at the Last Supper. Thus, we again see the importance of the continuity of the Old and New Testaments. Jesus did not come to destroy the Old Covenant but instead, to fulfill it (Matthew 5:17) and establish a new and greater one with His Body as the true and lasting Sacrifice.

The tearing of the temple veil is the final sign of the Sacrifice of Jesus on the Cross. The veil in Old Testament was of thick linen that separated the Holy of Holies from the rest of the temple. In particular, it was so holy that a priest could only walk in the temple one day a year. And he would even have a rope tied around his ankle. If the priest died in the temple, he was pulled from the temple using the rope because if someone were to enter the temple, he would die. The tearing of the veil (Matthew 27:51) signified a new Sacrifice and the completion of the redemptive work of Christ. Now mankind could enter in God's presence and offer to God their sufferings, prayers, etc if they were united spiritually with the Cross.

"The Mass in fact truly makes present the sacrifice of the Cross. Under the species of bread and wine, upon which has been invoked the outpouring of the Spirit who works with absolutely unique power in the words of consecration, Christ offers Himself to the Father in the same act of sacrifice by which He offered Himself on the Cross. 'In this divine sacrifice which is accomplished in the Mass, the same Christ who offered Himself once and for all in a bloody manner on the altar of the Cross is contained and is offered in an unbloody manner'. To His sacrifice, Christ unites the sacrifice of the Church: 'In the Eucharist the sacrifice of Christ becomes also the sacrifice of the members of His Body. The lives of the faithful, their praise, sufferings, prayer and work, are united with those of Christ and with his total offering, and so acquire a new value'. The truth that the whole community shares in Christ's sacrifice is especially evident in the Sunday gathering, which makes it possible to bring to the altar the week that has passed, with all its human burdens" (Pope John Paul II)read...

The Power of the Mass

The Power of the Mass
The Greatest Prayer
The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass

Compilation

The Tremendous Blessings and Benefits of the Mass as Told by Popes and Saints

Pope Paul VI	"The Mass is the most perfect form of prayer!"
Pope Benedict XV	"The Holy Mass would be of greater profit if people had it offered in their lifetime, rather than having it celebrated for the relief of their souls after death."
St. Thomas Aquinas, Doctor of the Church	"The celebration of Holy Mass is as valuable as the death of Jesus on the cross."
St. Gregory, Doctor of the Church	"The heavens open and multitudes of angels come to assist in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass." "It is most true that he who attends holy Mass shall be freed from many evils and from many dangers, both seen and unseen."
St. Augustine, Doctor of the Church	"The angels surround and help the priest when he is celebrating Mass." "He who devoutly hears holy Mass will receive a great vigor to enable him to resist mortal sin, and there shall be pardoned to him all venial sins which he may have committed up to that hour." "He [who attends Mass with all possible devotion] shall be freed from sudden death, which is the most terrible stroke launched by the Divine Justice against sinners. Behold a wonderful preservative against sudden death."
St. Jerome, Doctor of the Church	"Without doubt, the Lord grants all favors which are asked of Him in Mass, provided they be fitting for us; and, which is a matter of great wonder, ofttimes He also grants that also which is not demanded of Him, if we, on our part, put no obstacle in the way."
St. John Chrysostom, Doctor of the Church	"When Mass is being celebrated, the sanctuary is filled with countless angels who adore the divine victim immolated on the altar."
St. Anselm, Doctor of the Church	"A single Mass offered for oneself during life may be worth more than a thousand celebrated for the same intention after death."
St. Teresa, Doctor of the Church	Once, St. Teresa was overwhelmed with God's Goodness and asked Our Lord "How can I thank you?" Our Lord replied, "ATTEND ONE MASS."
St. Leonard of Port Maurice	"The principal excellence of the most Holy Sacrifice of the Mass consists in being essentially, and in the very highest degree, identical with that which was offered on the Cross of Calvary: with this sole difference that the sacrifice on the Cross was bloody, and made once for all, and did on that one occasion satisfy fully for all the sins of the world; while the sacrifice of the altar is an unbloody sacrifice, which can be repeated an infinite number of times, and was instituted in order to apply in detail that universal ransom which Jesus paid for us on Calvary." "I believe that were it not for the Holy Mass, as this moment the world would be in the abyss, unable to bear up under the mighty load of its iniquities Mass is the potent prop that hold the world on its base." "Be now confounded for very wonder, reflecting that the proposition just laid down is indeed most true; a soul assisting with adequate devotion at holy Mass renders more honor to God than that which all the Angels and all the Saints put together render with all their adorations." "And, yet, with the holy Sacrifice of the Mass, viewed according to its intrinsic preciousness and value, satisfaction may be made completely for committed sin ... Not that the Sacrifice of the Mass by any means cancels our sins immediately, and of itself, as does the Sacrament of Penance: but it cancels them mediately, calling down various aids of interior impulse, of holy aspiration, and of actual grace, all tending toward a worthy repentance of our sins, either at the time of the Mass itself or at some other fitting time." "O blessed Mass, by which we come to have the Son of God placed not within our arms but within our hearts, Nor is there a doubt but that with Him, and Him alone, we shall be able to satisfy the debt of gratitude which we have contracted with God." "It is in our power by means of it to pay the fourth debt due to God, which is to supplicate Him, and to entreat new graces of Him. ... Yes, yes: in holy Mass our dear beloved Jesus, as the chief and supreme Priest, recommends our case to the Father, prays for us and makes Himself our advocate. ... How can you doubt but that He wishes to give you all the virtues and all the perfections which are required to make you a saint, and a great saint, in Heaven?" "What graces, gifts and virtues the Holy Mass calls down ... repentance for sin ... victory over temptation ... holy inspirations which dispositions to shake off tepidity ... the grace of final perseverance, upon which depends our salvation ... temporal blessings, such as peace, abundance and health ..." In having Masses said for the suffering souls in Purgatory: "the holy Mass not only shortens their pains but also extends great immediate relief to those poor souls ... the charity you exercise toward poor souls under purification will all redound to your own good." In having Masses said for your own soul: "... get celebrated all the Masses possible in your circumstances not only for the souls departed but for your own. Do this for two motives: first to obtain a good and holy death - it being the invariable opinion of theologians that there is no more efficacious means for attaining so holy a purpose. Another motive is that you may yourself issue quickly from Purgatory and fly away into eternal glory, there being no means more adapted for obtaining from God a grace so precious as that of going direct to Heaven, or at least a short detention on the way, than Indulgences duly gained, and the holy Sacrifice."
St. John Vianney Patron Saint of Parish Priests	"When we receive Holy Communion, we experience something extraordinary - a joy, a fragrance, a well being that thrills the whole body and causes it to exalt." "If we really understood the Mass, we would die of joy." "There is nothing so great as the Eucharist. If God had something more precious, He would have given it to us." "When we have been to Holy Communion, the balm of love envelops the soul as the flower envelops the bee."
Blessed Padre Pio, stigmatic priest	"It would be easier for the world to survive without the sun than to do without Holy Mass."
Revelation of Christ to St. Gertrude the Great	For each Mass we hear with devotion, Our Lord sends a saint to comfort us at death.
Revelation of Christ to St. Mechtilde	He who is in the habit of devoutly hearing holy Mass shall in death be consoled by the presence of the angels and saints, his advocates, who shall bravely defend him from all the snares of infernal spirits.

Recommended books:

Hidden Treasure, Holy Mass, by St. Leonard of Port Maurice.
The Incredible Catholic Mass, by Fr. Martin von Cochem.

source

Jesus Our Eucharistic Love by Father Stefano Manelli

Jesus
Our Eucharistic Love

Father Stefano Manelli, O.F.M. Conv., S.T.D.

Eucharistic Life
According to the examples of the Saints

About the Author

Preface

Chapter 1 - O Divine Eucharist

Chapter 2 - Jesus For Me

Chapter 3 - Jesus In Me

Chapter 4 - Jesus With Me

Chapter 5 - The One Who Gives Us Jesus

Chapter 6 - The Bread That Our Heavenly Mother Gives Us

Chapter 7 - Prayers Before The Blessed Sacrament

Supplement:
The Eucharistic Miracle of Lanciano

Ex parte Ordinis nihil obstat quominus imprimatur:
P. ANTONIUS M. DI MONDA, min. prov.
Neapoli, 19.4. 1973.

Imprimatur:

+ ANTONIUS ZAMA, vic. generalis

Neapoli, die 21 Aprilis 1973

source

Missa Gregoriana no Mundo . SANTIDADE

quarta-feira, 27 de junho de 2012

THE LORD WE ADORE IS HE WHO WASHED THE APOSTLES' F...

THE LORD WE ADORE IS HE WHO WASHED THE APOSTLES' FEET AT THE LAST SUPPER