Herod perceiving that he was deluded by the wise men, was exceeding angry; and sending killed all the men children that were in Bethlehem, and in all the borders thereof, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had diligently inquired of the wise men. Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremias the prophet, saying: A voice in Rama was heard, lamentation and great mourning; Rachel bewailing her children, and would not be comforted, because they are not.- St. Matthew 2:16-18
In Ramah is heard the sound of moaning, of bitterweeping! Rachel mourns her children, she refusesto be consoled because her children are
no more.
- Jeremiah 31:15
We rejoice in the glory of Jesus Christ, who conquered the enemy not by force
of arms but with a white-robed army of children, and we cry out: The
white-robed army of martyrs praises you.
The Holy Innocents gave witness not by words but by their life's blood - give
us the strength to be your witnesses before men, both by word's and actions.
They were not ready for battle but you made them fit to win the palm of
victory - now that we are prepared for victory, do not let us despair.
You washed the robes of the Innocents in your blood
- cleanse us from all sin.
You rewarded the child martyrs with the first share of your kingdom - do not
let us be cast out from the unending heavenly banquet.
You knew persecution and exile as a child - protect all children whose lives
are in danger from famine wars and disasters.
O God, whom the Holy Innocents confessed and proclaimed on this day, not by
speaking but by dying, grant, we pray, that the faith in you which we confess
with our lips may also speak through our manner of life. Through our Lord Jesus
Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy
Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
:+: PRO-LIFE PRAYER TO ST JOSEPH :+:
Good Saint Joseph, your faithful love protected and nourished the Mother of God
and Jesus Christ, her son. Your fatherly care led to maturity He through whom
all creation began.
Through your intercession, may God guide and protect all human life from
conception to natural death and lead this nation in the ways of truth.
Holy Joseph, Virgin-Father of Christ, pray for the soon to be fathers of the
world, and grant all the graces necessary for them to be men of honor and love.
+ Amen.
The
Staff of St Joseph (encased) As far as I know, this staff is venerated
in the Hermitage of Camaldoli in the mountains of central Italy, close
to the city of Arezzo.
Dear
brothers and sisters in Rome and throughout the world, a happy Christmas to you
and your families!
In
this Year
of Faith, I express my Christmas greetings and good wishes in these
words taken from one of the Psalms: “Truth has sprung out of the earth”.
Actually, in the text of the Psalm, these words are in the future: “Kindness
and truth shall meet; / justice and peace shall kiss. / Truth shall spring out
of the earth, /and justice shall look down from heaven. / The Lord himself will
give his benefits; / our land shall yield its increase. / Justice shall walk
before him, / and salvation, along the way of his steps” (Ps 85:11-14).
Today
these prophetic words have been fulfilled! In Jesus, born in Bethlehem of the
Virgin Mary, kindness and truth do indeed meet; justice and peace have kissed;
truth has sprung out of the earth and justice has looked down from heaven.
Saint Augustine explains with admirable brevity: “What is truth? The Son of
God. What is the earth? The flesh. Ask whence Christ has been born, and you
will see that truth has sprung out of the earth … truth has been born of the
Virgin Mary” (En. in Ps. 84:13). And in a Christmas sermon he says that
“in this yearly feast we celebrate that day when the prophecy was fulfilled:
‘truth shall spring out of the earth, and justice shall look down from heaven’.
The Truth, which is in the bosom of the Father has sprung out of the earth, to
be in the womb of a mother too. The Truth which rules the whole world has
sprung out of the earth, to be held in the arms of a woman ... The Truth which
heaven cannot contain has sprung out of the earth, to be laid in a manger. For
whose benefit did so lofty a God become so lowly? Certainly not for his own,
but for our great benefit, if we believe” (Sermons, 185, 1).
“If
we believe”. Here we see the power of faith! God has done everything; he has
done the impossible: he was made flesh. His all-powerful love has accomplished
something which surpasses all human understanding: the Infinite has become a
child, has entered the human family. And yet, this same God cannot enter my
heart unless I open the door to him. Porta fidei! The door of faith! We
could be frightened by this, our inverse omnipotence. This human ability to be
closed to God can make us fearful. But see the reality which chases away this
gloomy thought, the hope that conquers fear: truth has sprung up! God is
born! “The earth has yielded its fruits” (Ps 67:7). Yes, there is a
good earth, a healthy earth, an earth freed of all selfishness and all lack of
openness. In this world there is a good soil which God has prepared, that he
might come to dwell among us. A dwelling place for his presence in the world.
This good earth exists, and today too, in 2012, from this earth truth has
sprung up! Consequently, there is hope in the world, a hope in which we can trust,
even at the most difficult times and in the most difficult situations. Truth
has sprung up, bringing kindness, justice and peace.
Yes,
may peace spring up for the people of Syria, deeply wounded and divided by a
conflict which does not spare even the defenceless and reaps innocent victims.
Once again I appeal for an end to the bloodshed, easier access for the relief
of refugees and the displaced, and dialogue in the pursuit of a political
solution to the conflict.
May
peace spring up in the Land where the Redeemer was born, and may he grant
Israelis and Palestinians courage to end to long years of conflict and
division, and to embark resolutely on the path of negotiation.
In
the countries of North Africa, which are experiencing a major transition in pursuit
of a new future – and especially the beloved land of Egypt, blessed by the
childhood of Jesus – may citizens work together to build societies founded on
justice and respect for the freedom and dignity of every person.
May
peace spring up on the vast continent of Asia. May the Child Jesus look
graciously on the many peoples who dwell in those lands and, in a special way,
upon all those who believe in him. May the King of Peace turn his gaze to the
new leaders of the People’s Republic of China for the high task which awaits
them. I express my hope that, in fulfilling this task, they will esteem the
contribution of the religions, in respect for each, in such a way that they can
help to build a fraternal society for the benefit of that noble People and of the
whole world.May
the Birth of Christ favour the return of peace in Mali and that of concord in
Nigeria, where savage acts of terrorism continue to reap victims, particularly
among Christians. May the Redeemer bring help and comfort to the refugees from
the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo, and grant peace to Kenya, where
brutal attacks have struck the civilian population and places of worship.
May
the Child Jesus bless the great numbers of the faithful who celebrate him in
Latin America. May he increase their human and Christian virtues, sustain all
those forced to leave behind their families and their land, and confirm
government leaders in their commitment to development and fighting crime.
Dear
brothers and sisters! Kindness and truth, justice and peace have met; they have
become incarnate in the child born of Mary in Bethlehem. That child is
the Son of God; he is God appearing in history. His birth is a flowering of new
life for all humanity. May every land become a good earth which receives and
brings forth kindness and truth, justice and peace. Happy Christmas to all of
you!
BREAKING NEWS: Pope Pardons Paolo Gabriele Vatican City, 22 December 2012 (VIS) - Given below is the communiqué released this morning by the Secretariat of State:
"This morning the Holy Father Benedict XVI visited Paolo Gabriele in
prison in order to confirm his forgiveness and communicate in person his
decision to grant Mr. Gabriele's request for pardon, thereby remitting
the sentence passed against the latter. This constitutes a paternal
gesture towards a person with whom the Pope shared a relationship of
daily familiarity for many years.
"Mr. Gabriele was subsequently released from prison and has returned
home. Since he cannot resume his previous occupation or continue to live
in Vatican City, the Holy See, trusting in his sincere repentance,
wishes to offer him the possibility of returning to a serene family
life".
The Words of St Joseph to Our Lady, after the Message of the
Angel (Taken from the Church-Approved "Mystical City of God" by
Venerable Maria D'Agreda) "Blessed art thou,
Lady, among all women, fortunate and preferred before all nations and
generations. May the Creator of heaven and earth be extolled with eternal
praise, since from his exalted kingly throne He has looked upon Thee and chosen
Thee for his dwelling-place and in Thee alone has fulfilled the ancient
promises made to the Patriarchs and Prophets. Let all generations bless Him:
for in no one has He magnified his name as He has done in thy humility; and me,
the most insignificant of the living, He has in his divine condescension
selected for thy servant."
In these words of praise
and benediction saint Joseph was enlightened by the Holy Ghost, in the same
manner as saint Elisabeth, when she responded to the salutation of our Queen
and Mistress. The light and inspiration, received by the most holy spouse was
wonderfully adapted to his dignity and office. The heavenly Lady, upon hearing
the words of the holy man, answered in the words of the Magnificat, as She had
done on her visit to saint Elisabeth, and She added other canticles. She was
all aflame in ecstasy and was raised from the earth in a globe of light, which
surrounded Her and transfigured Her with the gifts of glory.
At this heavenly vision
saint Joseph was filled with admiration and unspeakable delight; for never had
he seen his most blessed Spouse in such eminence of glory and perfection. Now
he beheld Her with a full and clear understanding, since all the integrity and
purity of the Princess of heaven and mystery of her dignity manifested
themselves to him. He saw and recognized in her virginal womb the humanity of
the infant God and the union of the two natures of the Word. With profound
humility and reverence he adored Him and recognized Him as his Redeemer,
offering himself to his Majesty. The Lord looked upon him in benevolence and kindness
as upon no other man, for He accepted him as his foster-father and conferred
upon him that title. In accordance with this dignity, He gifted him with that
plenitude of science and heavenly gifts which Christian piety can and must
acknowledge. I do not dilate upon this vast excellence of saint Joseph made
known to me, because I would extend this history beyond the prescribed bounds.
St. Joseph is presented as a “just man” (Matthew 1:19), faithful to God’s law, ready to do His will. On account of this he enters into the mystery of the Incarnation after an angel of the Lord appears to him in a dream and tells him: "Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary your wife with you. In fact the child that has been conceived in her comes from the Holy Spirit; she will give birth to a son and you will call him Jesus: he in fact will save his people from their sins" (Matthew 1:20-21). Forgetting the thought of repudiating Mary in secret, he takes her in because his eyes now see the work of God in her.
Pope Benedict XVI
Angelus, 19 December 2010
__________________________
I would like to turn my gaze to the figure of St. Joseph. St. Luke presents the Virgin Mary as "a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the house of David" (Lk 1: 27). The Evangelist Matthew, however, places a greater emphasis on the putative father of Jesus, stressing that through him the Child belonged legally to the lineage of David and thus fulfilled the Scriptural prophecy that the Messiah would be a "Son of David". But Joseph's role cannot be reduced to this legal aspect. He was the model of a "just" man (Mt 1: 19) who, in perfect harmony with his wife, welcomed the Son of God made man and watched over his human growth. It is therefore particularly appropriate to establish a sort of spiritual conversation with St. Joseph, so that he may help us live to the full this great mystery of faith.
Pope Benedict XVI Angelus Message, 18 December 2005
_____________________________
The Gospel, as we know, has not kept any word from Joseph, who carries out his activity in silence. It is the style that characterizes his whole existence, both before finding himself before the mystery of God's action in his spouse, as well as when - conscious of this mystery - he is with Mary in the Nativity. On that holy night, in Bethlehem, with Mary and the Child, is Joseph, to whom the Heavenly Father entrusted the daily care of his Son on earth, a care carried out with humility and in silence.
Pope Benedict XVI
Vatican Gardens, 5 July 2010
_____________________________
Each
and every one of us has a role to play in the plan of God: Father, Son
and Holy Spirit. If discouragement overwhelms you, think of the faith of
Joseph; if anxiety has its grip on you, think of the hope of Joseph,
that descendant of Abraham who hoped against hope; if exasperation or
hatred seizes you, think of the love of Joseph, who was the first man to
set eyes on the human face of God in the person of the Infant conceived
by the Holy Spirit in the womb of the Virgin Mary. Let us praise and
thank Christ for having drawn so close to us, and for giving us Joseph
as an example and model of love for Him.
Pope Benedict XVI Yaoundé, Cameroon, 19 March 2009
We rejoice in the glory of Jesus Christ, who conquered the enemy not by force
of arms but with a white-robed army of children, and we cry out: The
white-robed army of martyrs praises you.
Good Saint Joseph, your faithful love protected and nourished the Mother of God
and Jesus Christ, her son. Your fatherly care led to maturity He through whom
all creation began. 
