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The Trial

      In Lesson 8 THE TRIAL OF THE SANHEDRIN our Heavenly Mother further affirms these times and reinforces the importance of the Final Dogma which will signal the beginning of the transformation from our present era to the promised new Era of Peace. None of this could have been possible without Mary's Divine Son willingly humbling Himself and submitting to the Sanhedrin which He knew would condemn Him to death. In the first part of Lesson 8, Our Lady gives the Hidden Flower of the Immaculate Heart a vivid vision of Christ's trial as we continue this special daily series during Lent. For part one of Lesson 8, click on "IT IS CONSUMMATED!"

      Dear Father, Our Heavenly Mother says here that in the moment when, by God’s Mercy, we shall each see ourselves as we are seen by God; that is, when we stand before the Truth, then shall all men known that Mary is the Immaculate Conception, Co-Redemptrix, our Advocate, the New Eve and Mediatrix of all graces, as God willed and allowed it to be through His Only-Begotten Son’s Redemptive Act. This, She tells me, shall happen before the Justice of God strikes, but not until the world has suffered through many chastisements. But we are close to this moment, Father. Our Lady says that by our devotion to Jesus’ passion we will be ready for the illumination of our souls, and all that will then swiftly follow. Having tested the voice, I proceed to write.

      I see Jesus tied by the hands and around the waist as one might do to a wild, insane person. He stands meekly in the center of a large room, and already the maltreatment He has received shows plainly. He has been brutally slapped, for His lips are swollen and blood trickles down into His beard. There is a large bruise beneath His left eye and the flesh is swollen. Also His nose bleeds and I wonder if it is broken. But Our Lord utters not one sound, while I become aware of noise all around: the scuffling of feet, the murmur of voices, the rustling of roves and mantles.

      I am in the court of Annas and Caiphas; the trial before the Sanhedrin. There are many, many nobles of the Temple present. The torches along the wall light the room but make elongated, grotesque shadows of all those present.

      I move in a full circle and see nearly every place filled. But several are empty, the places of those who will have no part in this unjust trial under Mosaic Law.

      But everyone in attendance is watching Jesus with rabid attention. They nearly salivate at the thought that this "man," this Nazarene is finally theirs and will soon be dead, buried and forgotten.

      All reason has left them. It shows in their eyes, upon their open, snarling lips.

      It is as if time stands still. All movement for me is suspended. While I long to gaze at my suffering Jesus, I must turn. Now I see the High Priest, Caiphas. He is rotund, pompous in attire and posture. His fleshy face and eyes are glaring at Jesus. The arteries in his thick neck pulsate with blood and he is shaking with a rage which he can no longer hold in check. As I look at Annas and the others, I see through the eyes of my soul the glare of the evil one in each face. Sanity has fled. Human emotion, human passion in all its baseness is here and the malevolence is palpable. It tries to push me back, to bend me in half, to rip me apart. But silently I cry out "Jesus" and the force withdraws.

      At this moment Caiphas literally rips apart the expensive, highly-decorated robe he wears as High Priest and in a voice that rises to near-scream he shouts to all assembled:

      `"He has blasphemed!" A moment of silence, as Caiphas dares to take several steps closer to the Messiah, the Lamb of God. He would spit upon Jesus, but rather, turns mockingly to all the scribes and elders and asks in a ridiculous voice: "What further need have we of witnesses?

      A voice, then two, three - and all: "He is liable to death!"

NEXT INSTALLMENT: Part Two of Lesson 8: THE TRIAL BEFORE THE SANHEDRIN

      Today is the Fourth Thursday of Lent and the Optional Feast of Saint Cyril of Jerusalem, Bishop and Doctor of the Church while tomorrow is the festive Feast of Saint Joseph when we put Lent aside for the day in celebrating this glorious feast of the foster-father of Jesus and earthly-spouse and protector of the Blessed Virgin Mary. In most dioceses, the Lenten Fast is excused for this day and eating meat on this Friday is permitted. For the readings, liturgies, meditations and vignettes on these two great saints, click on DAILY LITURGY.

Thursday March 18:
Lenten Weekday and
Optional Feast of Saint Cyril of Jerusalem, Bishop and Doctor of the Church

Purple or violet vestments

First Reading: Exodus 32: 7-14
Psalms: Psalm 106: 4, 19-23
Gospel Reading: John 5: 31-47

      Born in Jerusalem in 315, Saint Cyril of Jerusalem was ordained by Saint Maximus and was charged to teach the catechumens until he succeeded Maximus as bishop of Jerusalem in 349. However, after eight years the Arian heresy reared its ugly head and the Arian bishop of Caesarea Acacius claimed ecclesiastical charge over Jerusalem and had Cyril not only expelled, but condemned by an Arian synod on the false charges of selling Church possessions. Cyril was forced to retreat to Tarsus where he bided his time until 357 when the Council of Selucia reinstated him. But Acacius retaliated by convincing the Roman Emperor Constantius II by having him expelled again. However, when Constantius died two years later his successor Julian the Apostate recalled Cyril. This roller coaster continued in 367 when the new emperor Valens expelled all ecclesiastics who Julian had reinstated. Nine years later Cyril finally returned to Jerusalem but was still under investigation. In an effort to clear his name and the situation the Council of Antioch dispatched Saint Gregory of Nyssa to Palestine to do a thorough investigation. Gregory's findings, which unearthed the corruption within the Arian administration in Jerusalem, totally exonerated Cyril of any wrong doing and upheld him as an orthodox bishop who had been loyal to the faith throughout his life. In 381 Cyril and Gregory took an active role in the Second Ecumenical Council of Constantinople which officially recognized Cyril's authenticity as bishop of Jerusalem. At that same council the Nicene Creed was made official and Cyril concurred with everything within its text. A life-long opponent of Arianism, which denied Christ's divinity and the Holy Spirit, Cyril signed a document which condemned those who held to any kind of Arian thoughts, especially the peoples of Macedonia. After 35 years as a bishop, Cyril died peacefully in 386. Nearly fifteen centuries later Cyril was finally recognized as a Doctor of the Church by Pope Leo XIII in 1882, largely because of the authenticity, clarity and truth of his 24 catechetical lessons that had been passed down through the ages.

Friday March 19:
FEAST OF SAINT JOSEPH, HUSBAND OF MARY, FOSTER FATHER OF JESUS

White vestments

First Reading: 2 Samuel 7: 4-5, 12-14, 16
Psalms: Psalm 89: 2-5, 27, 29, 37
Second Reading: Romans 4: 13, 16-18, 22 Gospel Reading: Matthew 1: 16, 18-21 or Luke 2: 41-51

      So much has been said about this very special, holy, pure and quiet saint...and yet, so little is really known about Saint Joseph. No one can pinpoint the exact year he died, but we do know he died a happy, peaceful death richly deserved because of his obedience to the Will of God in being the earthly guardian of God's Own Son and the Immaculate Mother Mary through whom He chose to fulfill the Act of Redemption. Saint Joseph is the saint most often invoked for the grace of a happy death and the assurance that Jesus is spiritually present at that time with every dying soul. While Mary was the heart of the Holy Family, Joseph was the head, yet always submitting to a higher Power in all things...from accepting Mary's virgin birth as truly from God to rallying the family in the cold of the night to flee from Herod's wrath into a land he knew nothing about, only that God would not abandon him or those he was charged to protect. Every virtue can be attributed to this saint who bridged the Old Law, born into the royal family of David's lineage, and the New Law and guided to maturity his foster Son Jesus Christ, our Savior. Because of his role in protecting the Holy Family he has been designated Protector of Holy Mother Church as well. Yet, it is surprising to discover that this pivotal saint was not really recognized until the fourth century and then that veneration was in the Eastern Church because of the apocryphal History of Joseph. In the Western Church only in the ninth century was there first any mention of Joseph and that was in Irish circles. It wasn't until the fifteenth century that Joseph began receiving widespread veneration in the West when his feast was introduced into the Roman Calendar in the year 1479. It took two great saints to promote his cause for universal appeal - that of Saint Teresa of Avila and Saint Francis de Sales, both doctors of the Church. This recognition finally came in 1870 when Pope Pius IX declared him Patron of the Universal Church. More honors were extended to Joseph in 1889 when Pope Leo XIII made Joseph the model for all fathers in his encyclical Quanquam pluries in which he confirmed "that his pre-eminent sanctity places him next to the Blessed Virgin among the saints." Other recent Popes have also extended special titles on Joseph, among them "Protector of the worker" by Pope Benedict XV, "Patron of Social Justice" by Pope Pius XI and an additional feast day was added in 1955 by Pope Pius XII - May 1 to observe the feast of Saint Joseph the Worker.

      Today's prayer is taken from the Opening Prayer honoring Saint Cyril of Jerusalem:

Father, through Cyril of Jerusalem You led Your Church to a deeper understanding of the mysteries of salvation. Let his prayers help us to know Your Son better and to have eternal life in all its fullness.

      On this date in 1227 Pope Honorius III died. He is the Roman Pontiff who at first turned down Saint Francis of Assisi in his request to begin his Order of Friars Minor, but in a dream the Pope realized the error of his ways and recalled the humble mystic back to Rome to officially approve the Franciscans. For other pertinent events throughout the centuries that are memorable in Church history today, click on MILLENNIUM MILESTONES AND MEMORIES

Historical Events in Church Annals for March 18:

• 386 A.D.
  
• Death of Saint Cyril of Jerusalem, Bishop and Doctor of the Church. For more see DAILY LITURGY

• 417 A.D.
  
• The Greek Pope Saint Zosimus becomes the 41st successor of Peter. He would die less than two years later on December 26, 418. He had a strong personality which would fortify him in his insisting on the rights of the Church against foreign interference. Of very strict morals, this holy Sovereign Pontiff would ordain that illegitimate children could not be raised to the priesthood. He would also send apostolic vicars to the Franks.

• 731 A.D.
  
• Pope Saint Gregory III becomes the 90th successor of Peter. This Syrian-born Vicar of Christ would die ten years and ten days later on March 28, 741. He would seek the help of Charles the Hammer, king of the Franks against the Lombards. From this fact would be derived the title of "Most Christian" assumed by the monarchs of France ever since. He also would earmark charitable donations to the Holy See to be termed "Peter's Pence."

• 971 A.D.
  
• Saint Edward, King of England is martyred by an assassin.

• 1123 A.D.
  
• First Lateran Council, the ninth Ecumenical Council to be held, is convened by Pope Calixtus II in Rome.

• 1227 A.D.
  
• Death of Pope Honorius III, 177th successor of Peter. This Roman-born pontiff was elected on July 18, 1216. He defined, in the Liber Censorium the rights of the Popes and specified the ceremonial for their election. With Andrew II of Hungary, he organized the Fifth Crusade. He also received a vision in a dream about Saint Francis and recalled him to Rome to approve the Assisi saint's Order of Friars Minor.

• 1229 A.D.
  
• The German Emperor Frederick II proclaims himself King of Jerusalem despite lack of support from Pope Gregory IX who eventually excommunicated Frederick for his insubordination and meddling.

• 1314 A.D.
  
• King Philip IV of France, paranoid of the growing power of the Knights Templar from the spoils they gained in the Holy Lands, accuses them of heresy in his vendetta against the deceased Pope Boniface VIII and orders the burning of thirty-nine Knights, including Jacques de Molay, the last Master of the Templars.

• 1556 A.D.
  
• The Catholic Queen Mary Stuart, Queen of Scots, returns to Edinburgh after a time in exile.

HEADLINES:

Italy helping unify ties between China and the Vatican during Chinese President Jiang Zemin's visit to Rome this week

      Speculation is ripe around Rome that Chinese President Jiang Zemin may meet with Pope John Paul II later this week during the Oriental leader's five-day trip to Italy. The subject would be China's recognizing the Roman Catholic Church, allowing the vast underground Church there to practice their faith freely. The Italian government has gone to bat for the Holy See in helping this become a reality. For more, click on Opening doors.

      VATICAN (CWNews.com) – Chinese President Jiang Zemin, who is visiting Italy this week, has been asked by the Italian government to take "a step forward" in his country’s relations with the Holy See, according to an Italian newspaper story.

      The daily La Stampa has reported that the Chinese ambassador to Italy has already received a request from the Italian government, suggesting that Beijing should move closer to diplomatic relations with the Vatican. Jiang Zemin will hear that same request during his 5-day trip to Italy, the paper reports.

      The Italian government’s intervention, La Stampa says, is the result of the February 11 meeting between the country’s new president, Massimo d’Alema, and the Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Angelo Sodano. During that meeting, the two reportedly discussed the upcoming visit of Jiang Zemin, and the possibility of ties between Beijing and the Vatican. President d’Alema also assured Cardinal Sodano that he would bring up the sensitive topic of human rights in China.

      The Holy See does not currently have any diplomatic relationship with the Beijing government. Theoretically, the papal nuncio stationed in Taiwan is the Pope’s representative to all of China. The Vatican envoy has been stationed in Taiwan since Catholics were expelled from China in 1951. Recently the Vatican has indicated a willingness to move the nuncio to Beijing, if the Communist government accepts such a move.

      Pope John Paul II is understood to prefer "direct conversations" with Beijing, with a view to eventually establishing full diplomatic relations. However, the Pontiff has also indicated that diplomatic relations cannot be established until China recognizes the religious liberty of its people, and particularly of the loyal Roman Catholics there.

Serious talks underway in Hanoi between Vatican and Vietnamese government

     While talks are being planned between China and the Holy See, talks are well underway between the Vatican and Vietnam in establishing diplomatic relations between the two and recognizing the Vietnamese bishops appointed by the Holy Father. Meanwhile a UN envoy preparing a report on human rights in Vietnam cautions that the communist regime is opening up merely because of pressures from their own people and other governments and doubts the sincerity of the officials in Hanoi. For more, click on Vatican-Vietnam venue

      VATICAN (CWNews.com) - A delegation from the Vatican is in Hanoi this week, continuing talks with the government of Vietnam.

      Msgr. Celestino Migliore is the head of the Vatican diplomatic mission, which is seeking to strengthen relations with the Vietnamese government and at the same time expand the freedoms of Vietnamese Catholics. His delegation has met with members of the government commission charged with supervising religious affairs, and with the foreign ministry.

      The Vatican representatives are pressing the government to accept the bishops named by the Holy See—a topic which has produced several conflicts in recent years, and left major sees without a bishop for months when the government has rejected a Vatican nominee. But this week’s discussions will also explore the possibility of establishing diplomatic relations between Hanoi and the Holy See.

      The possibility of diplomatic ties was first mentioned by the Vietnamese foreign minister. While Vatican officials are reacting cautiously, there has been some speculation in Rome that the precarious political position of the Hanoi regime may be forcing the government to take a more open posture toward foreign contacts.

      In a related story out of Geneva, a UN special envoy to Vietnam on religion said in his report on Tuesday that while the Communist government has lifted some restrictions on the practice of religion, they still have much work to do to ensure real religious freedom.

      Abdelfattah Amor said the government's tight control over religion was intended to prevent the emergence of any group that might become a rival to the Communist Party in controlling the population. "Religion appears as an instrument of policy rather than a component of society ... something which is ultimately contrary to freedom of religion or belief as governed by international law," said Amor, who visited the country last October. The report will be presented to the UN Commission on Human Rights when it opens its six-week session on Monday.

      The majority of Vietnamese are Buddhist, but there are also many Catholics -- from the country's days as a French colony -- as well as Protestants, Muslims, and smaller sects. "The current situation of the religious communities, in which circumscribed areas of freedom are emerging within a general framework of controls ... appears to be valid for all religious denominations," Amor said.

      He added that since 1990, the government has made some positive changes, moving away from "an anti-religious policy towards the authorization, within a framework that is well defined ... by authorities, of religious practice and the building of places of worship."

Can Kosovo be saved? Religious leaders not readily optimistic while debating that issue during meetings in Vienna.

      Kosovo religious leaders are not very optimistic that peace can be achieved in this Yugoslav region where ethnic fighting between Serbs and Albanians has garnered the world's attention. The conference in Vienna in which major religious luminaries of Kosovo including the Church's Bishop Marko Sopi have been meeting this week is one of the last ditch hopes to iron out an amicable treaty between Muslims, Orthodox and Catholics in the region where all can live in harmony. If not, violence and war are inevitable. More than 2,000 people have been killed and 600,000 displaced because of the ethnic conflict. For more, click on Working and praying for peace in Kosovo.

      VIENNA (CWNews.com) - A peace meeting between the several religions represented in the breakaway region of Kosovo this week has been cordial, but little progress was made, according to the sponsor of the talks.

      Rabbi Arthur Schneier of the New York-based Appeal of Conscience Foundation said the ethnic Albanian Islamic and Serbian Orthodox leaders are talking, but have not moved toward reconciliation. The Kosovo region, mainly populated by ethnic Albanians -- the majority of whom are Muslim -- broke away from Serbia last year, and fighting since then has left at least 2,000 people dead and 600,000 people homeless. The meeting also includes the Catholic bishop of Kosovo, Marko Sopi.

      "We have spoken out against massacres, against violence regardless of which side committed them. We have never made a distinction between crimes committed by Albanian terrorists or the Serbian security forces," Serbian Orthodox Bishop Kyr Artemije said outside the meeting. "The conference was convened to overcome hatred and to establish confidence between national communities in Kosovo. But I have a feeling not all of us are competent enough to work for the goal for which this conference was convened," he added.

      Schneier said the goal of the meeting, which ends on Thursday, is to find a way for people of various religions to leave together peacefully in Kosovo, whatever the result of peace talks now going on in Paris. "Whatever happens at the negotiating table in Paris, these religious leaders still have to live under the same skies, in the same space. They have to find a way to coexist," he said.

Ancient church discovered in Israel, dating back to sixth century and dedicated to St. John the Baptist

      In the spirit of Indiana Jones, archeologists have uncovered an ancient edifice dating back to 550 that is believed to have been a Byzantine church dedicated to Saint John the Baptist. Experts surmise that it was abandoned in the early part of the seventh century when Saracens conquered the area, causing parishioners to abandon their church out and flee, leaving it in the hands of Arabs who could have turned it into a mosque around 630 since the Islam religion founded by Mohammed was gaining full steam at this time. For more, click on ancient sanctuary.

      ROME, 17 (NE) A Byzantine church belonging to the mid sixth century has been recently discovered by archeologists in Gaza, Israel. Measuring 25 by 13 meters, foundations of the building were laid in 544, being completed by the year 550. This was affirmed by Ya´acov Huster, project archeologist, who began the search of the Christian temple based on testimony and photographs from the 1970s, when bits of mosaics were found during road work.

      Although a large part of mosaics covering the floor and the more than 1.500-year-old foundations of the church have been uncovered, excavations cannot be completed because of an Israeli army emplacement located on top of the remains. "The army can move such a small position", says Huster, who has already asked army officials to move it. But nothing has been done yet.

      According to the archeologist, the most impressive find until now is a mosaic found at the entrance to the church. The mosaic said the church was dedicated to Saint John the Baptist, stating the year construction began and ended. The inscription also praised those who donated money for the mosaic. Huster believes the church served a small village. Evidence suggests that the church was abandoned 80 years after its construction with Arab conquest in 634.

     Today we feature the oldest regular Catholic publication in existence, the official publication of the Vatican since 1861 and weekly newspaper that provides a special internet site tied in with the Vatican web site to L'OSSERVATORE ROMANO. In the past it would take a week or more to get one's copy of L'Osservatore Romano, but today, with the Information Highway one can tap in and read most of the latest issue as you'll see by reading this week's edition released yesterday.

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

March 18, 1999 volume 10, no. 54   DAILY CATHOLIC