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February 25th Medjugorje Monthly Message

   Dear children! Also today I am with you in a special way contemplating and living the passion of Jesus in my heart. Little children, open your hearts and give me everything that is in them: joys, sorrows and each, even the smallest, pain, that I may offer them to Jesus; so that with His immeasurable love, He may burn and transform your sorrows into the joy of His resurrection. That is why, I now call you in a special way, little children, for your hearts to open to prayer, so that through prayer you may become friends of Jesus. Thank you for having responded to my call.

For more on Medjugorje, click on MEDJUGORJE AND MORE

     We continue with this new series that debuted the beginning of the year, bringing you on a regular basis three times a week the Princes of the Church. Our twenty-fourth red hat we feature, in alphabetical order is Cardinal Giovanni Cheli, the Italian President Emeritus of the Pontifical Council for the Care of Migrants and Itinerant People. For more on Cardinal Cheli, click on COLLEGE OF CARDINALS COLLECTION

24.   Cardinal Giovanni Cheli

      One of the oldest of the newest cardinals Cardinal Giovanni Cheli is President Emeritus of the Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant People, having resigned at eighty years-old last year. Born on the feast of Saint Francis of Assisi in Turin, Italy, he became a priest at age 24 in 1942. After some time in pastoral work in his diocese, he was summoned to Rome where he entered the Secretariat of State diplomatic corp. He was named Second Secretary to the Apostolic Nunciature in Guatamala in 1952, a post he held until 1955 when he was appointed First Secretary to the Apostolic Nunciature in Spain for the next seven years. In 1962 Pope John XXIII tabbed him as Councelor to the Nunciature in Rome until 1967 when Pope Paul VI named him to the Council for Public Affairs of the Church at the Vatican where he remained until 1973 when he was assigned to become Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the United Nations for the next thirteen years. On September 16, 1978 he was ordained a bishop and became titular Archbishop of Santa Giusta. In 1986 Pope John Paul II elevated him to the post of President of the Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant People, a post he served faithfully for twelve years. He was named in the most recent Consistory of February 21, 1998, receiving his red-hat as a cardinal-deacon and receiving the titular church of Saints Cosmas and Damian.

      Though he retired from active duty last year, he still maintains Curial membership in the Pontifical Commission for Latin America, the Pontifical Council "Cor Unum" and the Pontifical Commission for Interreligious Dialogue. Due to his age he is no longer eligible to vote in the Conclave and also would most likely not be considered as papal possibility were an election held.

     This weekend we observe the Lenten Liturgy Friday, Saturday and Sunday with the SECOND SUNDAY OF LENT. For the readings, liturgy, and meditations, click on DAILY LITURGY FOR THE WEEKEND.

Friday February 25:
Lenten Weekday

Purple or violet vestments

First Reading: Ezekiel 18: 21-28
Psalms: Psalm 130: 1-8
Gospel Reading: Matthew 5: 20-26

Saturday February 27:
Lenten Weekday

Purple or violet vestments

First Reading: Deuteronomy 26: 16-19
Psalms: Psalm 119: 1-2, 4-5, 7-8
Gospel Reading: Matthew 5: 43-48

SUNDAY February 28:
SECOND SUNDAY OF LENT

Purple or violet vestments

First Reading: Genesis 12: 1-4
Psalms: Psalm 33: 4-5, 18-20, 22
Second Reading: 2 Timothy 1: 8-10
Gospel Reading: Matthew 17: 1-9

Monday March 1:
Lenten Weekday

Purple or violet vestments

First Reading: Daniel 9: 4-10
Psalms: Psalm 79: 8, 9, 11, 13
Gospel Reading: Luke 6: 36-38

     Continuing with the Responsory Prayers during Lent adapted from the Byzantine Rite, we present:

Let us cast off the works of darkness:
And put on the armor of light.

Events this weekend in Church History

     Saturday is the day we commemorate the birth of Constantine the Great that occurred around 280 A.D. when Saint Helena, who would go on to find the True Cross in Jerusalem, gave birth to Constantine while she was still a British princess. For other events throughout the centuries that are memorable in Church history this weekend, click on MILLENNIUM MILESTONES AND MEMORIES

Historical Events in Church Annals for February 26:

• 251 A.D.
  
• Death of Saint Nestor of Perga, Bishop of Pamphylia was arrested by the governor of Lycia and crucified because of his faith and zeal during the persecution of the Roman emperor Decius.

• 303 A.D.
  
• Death of Saint Dionysius, First Bishop of Augsburg, Germany. Ordained by Saint Narcissus he was fleshed out by Roman soldiers and martyred during the terrible reign of Diocletian.

• 327 A.D.
  
• Death of Saint Alexander of Alexandria, Bishop of Alexandria who died two years after the First Ecumenical Council at Nicaea in which he took part and saw the fruition of his efforts to eradicate Arianism, quite prevalent in his diocese, by the Council's formal condemnation of the Arian heresy.

• 1154 A.D.
  
• Death of Sicilian and Anjou king Roger II Guiscard who was a constant thorn in the side of the Holy See throughout his reign.

• 1266 A.D.
  
• Death of Manfred, illegitimate son of the emperor Frederick Hohenstaufen whom Manfred's mother had entrusted to the Holy See to raise. But Manfred, like his father and grandfather, turned on Rome. Two years after his death the last of the Hohenstaufen's - Conradin would die and thus bring to an end the line of the house of Hohenstaufen and a chance for peace in Italy and Sicily.

• 1361 A.D.
  
• Birth of Wenceslaus of Bohemia who would go on to become the Holy Roman Catholic German emperor from 1378 to 1400.

• 1732 A.D.
  
• The first Holy Sacrifice of the Mass is celebrated in the first American Catholic church in Philadelphia on this date.

Historical Events in Church Annals for February 27:

• @280 A.D.
  
• Birth of Constantine to Saint Helena who would go on to find the true cross while her son would convert at the sign in the sky - "In hoc signo vinces" and go on to liberate Christians, proclaiming it the state religion of the Roman empire and contributing much to furthering the faith throughout the vast empire after three centuries of persecutions.

• 1862 A.D.
  
• Death of Saint Gabriele dell' Addolorata, patron of Italian Catholic youth who died in Abruzzi, Italy at the age of 24. The eleventh of thirteen children born to the Possenti family, he was christened Francis Possenti. His family was very wealthy and he became spoiled. In his mid-teens he fell very ill and pledged to enter religious life if he was healed. He was and he fulfilled that promise, but the stronger he got, the more he procrastinated entering the Jesuit novitiate and making that final commitment. Guess what? He fell ill again and once again, in desperation, made the same pledge and this time made good on his promise, becoming a Passionist priest in 1861. Almost immediately he contracted TB and, though in great pain, offered it all up cheerfully for he had learned from his own mistakes that God allows these sufferings for good. He prayed for all and it has been documented that another Italian saint Saint Gemma Galgani was cured of her TB because of his intercession. Throughout Italy Gabriele is considered the patron saint of students, seminarians and young priests. He was canonized in 1920 by Pope Benedict XV.

Historical Events in Church Annals for February 28:

• 468 A.D.
  
• Death of Pope Saint Hilary*, 46th successor of Peter. Born in Cagliari, Italy, Hilary's pontificate lasted seven years. In his political thought he followed his great predecessor Saint Leo the Great. He decided that a certain level of culture was needed in order to become a priest, and that Popes and Bishops should not nominate their successors.

• 869 A.D.
  
• The Eighth Ecumenical Council closes at Constantinople in which the Eastern Patriarch Photius was deposed and the Greek schism ended.

• 1468 A.D.
  
• Birth of Alessandro Farnese* in Canino, Italy. He would go on to become a prized student at Pisa, become treasurer for the Church, then cardinal-deacon before being selected Pope Paul III on October 13, 1534 as the 220th successor of Peter.

• 1759 A.D.
  
• Pope Clement XIII allows the Bible to be translated into more languages for the benefit of evangelizing to all peoples.

  *=sometimes attributed to February 29th, but when no leap year are lumped with February 28th.

"Let nothing of the world dissuade you from having absolute faith."

      Those words come from the Blessed Virgin Mary in her 412th Message to the Hidden Flower of the Immaculate Heart on the Feast of the Archangels in September, 1993 in which Our Lady reinforces her previous Message #411 two days earlier that we all need to be ready spiritually for the Warning which will come when we least expect it and is the great sign of God's Infinite Mercy before His Justice is delivered. She beseeches us to pray for the protection of the Holy Archangels, especially Saint Michael against the wiles of the evil one, imploring all to "pray, watch, wait and persevere" for "all shall come to pass." the need to trust in her Divine Spouse the Holy Spirit in our constant struggle with the world, the flesh and the devil. For Messages #411 and 412, click on "I SOLEMNLY TELL YOU..."

Messages Four Hundred-eleven and Four Hundred-twelve

      Beloved Hidden Flower, I bless you and ask you to be steadfast in your faith. I desire all of my little ones to pray so that I may continually intercede for each of you. Without prayer you will be deceived. Already the evil one has blanketed the world in confusion and chaos while he works through the false peace to establish his reign.

      O! Little ones you are so cold. Your faith is like a treasure deeply buried and now lost. Prayer unearths the treasure of faith, allowing Light to permeate the whole soul. In these last days you cannot afford to be lukewarm nor lacking belief. Now is the time to have great faith. If you convert your heart and remain ever one with the Divine Will, God shall give to you the miracles you need to persevere until the Triumph of my Immaculate Heart.

      O! Pray much and speak the Truth with all your heart. Pray for all priests and religious who no longer live their consecrated lives as God intends. There must be complete reform of the religious life as it once was in its purity.

      Children of my Immaculate Heart, do not give up the good fight. You are my chosen ones, the apostles of the end times. Therefore, know the signs of chastisement will worsen and the fulfillment of my words shall come to pass.

      All who are called to live in Eucharistic communities as the early Christians did must begin now, allowing God to overcome all obstacles. This is vital to my Heart's triumph!

      I love and bless you. Thank you for responding to my Call!

      Beloved Hidden Flower, peace. I am with you.

      Yes, tell my children the hour draws close for the warning to occur. The whole world will be given this warning, and then they shall stand before Mercy and Justice, seeing their souls in the Light of Truth. This, my child, is Mercy given to all the world, for all are God's children and they have forgotten Him.

      Tell all that this moment is closer than one can grasp. It will come in an instant, and all shall tremble before the Almighty God. But to all whose hearts are converted, they shall have no fear but live as man was always intended to live, in adoration of God, the Creator of all.

      Dear children, I beseech you: Pray. Pray often. Give all to God and turn to Him as your True Father. Let nothing of the world dissuade you from having absolute faith.

      I remind you on this day to call upon the Holy Archangels, and to pray for their help to fight the enemy who spreads confusion and despair. They await your prayers, for they are God's warriors against all of satan's demons. Invoke St. Michael every day, particularly after every Mass. When you do this, you bestow honor on God, Who has willed for the angels to be your guards, guides and protectors. I, the Mother of God, Queen of Angels, implore every church to renew the prayer to St. Michael with faith, trust and love.

      Join your prayers always to the eternal sacrifice of my Son that you may experience the power of the Holy Spirit. This is the time of the Holy Spirit. Call upon Him; be consecrated to Him, Who is the Sanctifier.

      Again, I solemnly tell you: Pray, watch, wait and persevere. All shall come to pass.

      I love and bless you. Thank you for responding to my Call!

Daily Dose of curious contents of the Church

    We hear the name "Roman Curia" bandied about a lot. But what does it mean? The word curia means "court" in Latin. The roman Curia, as the Catholic Almanac points out, is "the Church's network of central administrative agencies also called dicastries which serve the Vatican and local churches, with authority granted by the Pope." The original office of the Curia was the Apostolic Chancery which was set up in the 4th century in order to transmit documents. Special commissions of Cardinals and Bishops were gradually established into divisions during the second half of the 15th Century as an offshoot of the Council of Trent and the counter-reform measures. Pope Saint Pius X revamped the governing process in 1908. It wasn't until 1967 that Pope Paul VI, after a four year intensive study of each commission, reorganized the entire Curia, publishing a special Apostolic Constitution Regimini Ecclesiae Universae on August 18, 1967. All of his decrees went into effect March 1968. Twenty years later John Paul II further modified the Curia with his Apostolic Constitution Pastor Bonus on June 28, 1988 that was implemented on March 1, 1989. Though there have been revisions of some offices since, the current Curia compose the Office of the Secretariat of State, nine governing agencies called Congregations, three judicial agencies called Tribunals, eleven promotional agencies termed Pontifical Councils, three Offices and five Curia Agencies which deal with matters within the Vatican, and twenty Commissions and Committees, many of which are attached to certain Curial agencies. All Curial positions are appointed by the Pope and they are subject to the Roman Pontiff and Canon Law 360 and 361. Basically the Curia is the Vatican's answer to Congress, except they perform much more efficiently!
(sources: Code of Canon Law, Chapter IV, The Roman Curia, c. 360 and 361; 1999 Catholic Almanac, Our Sunday Visitor; My Catholic Faith, Mission House; Catholic Encyclopedia, Thomas Nelson Publishers)

Click here to go to SECTION THREE or return to SECTION ONE or click here to return to the graphics front page of this issue.

February 26-28, 1999 volume 10, no. 40   DAILY CATHOLIC