COUNTDOWN TO THE JUBILEE
LITURGY FOR THE WEEKEND
This weekend we observe Passion Sunday which in actuality is Palm Sunday. Friday and Saturday are Lenten Weekdays before the beginning of HOLY WEEK. For the readings, liturgy, meditations and vignette on Palm Sunday, click on DAILY LITURGY FOR THE WEEKEND.
PRAYER & DEVOTIONS
This weekend's prayer is a special one for Palm Sunday taken from My Daily Prayer book:
Almighty, everlasting God, Who didst will that our Savior should take upon Him our flesh, and suffer death upon the Cross, that all mankind should follow the example of His great humility, mercifully grant that we may both follow the example of His patience, and also be made partakers of His Resurrection. Through the same Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, world without end. Amen.
Events this weekend in Church History
Friday is the 621st anniversary of the death of Pope Gregory XI, 201st successor of Peter and the last of the Avignon Popes. It was he whom Saint Catherine of Siena convinced return the papacy to Rome after seventy years of exile in France. To entice him back the Roman Senate gave him a portion of land on Vatican Hill that today is part of Vatican City. For other events throughout the centuries that are memorable in Church history this weekend, click on MILLENNIUM MILESTONES AND MEMORIES
"I solemnly tell all the world that the disasters which have occurred world-wide are a Merciful warning that the Hand of the Father shall soon strike with Justice."
Those words above come from Our Lord just a short while before Lent in 1994 but the words could have been written today for the situation globally has not changed. The only thing that has changed is that we are closer to the time of Justice with fewer days of Mercy left. But, as Jesus and His Blessed Mother in her follow-up Message #452 on January 26, 1994 to the Hidden Flower of the Immaculate Heart. For Messages #451 and 452, click on "I SOLEMNLY TELL YOU..."
The DAILY WORD
"And while they were at supper, Jesus took bread, and blessed and broke, and gave it to His disciples and said, 'Take and eat; this is My Body.'"
Matthew 26: 26
March 25th Medjugorje Monthly Message
Dear children! I call you to prayer with the heart. In a special way, little children, I call you to pray for conversion of sinners, for those who pierce my heart and the heart of my Son Jesus with the sword of hatred and daily blasphemies. Let us pray, little children, for all those who do not desire to come to know the love of God, even though they are in the Church. Let us pray that they convert, so that the Church may resurrect in love. Only with love and prayer, little children, can you live this time which is given to you for conversion. Place God in the first place, then the risen Jesus will become your friend. Thank you for having responded to my call.
WORLDWIDE NEWS & VIEWS with a Catholic slant
HEADLINES:
Pope laments bombing stating no good can come from force and calls for a united Europe to intervene at the table
The Holy Father and the Vatican have reissued a plea to Europe to return to the table to talk peace as a united Europe in the last chance to avert all-out war in Yugoslavia that could spread further. The Holy Father lamented the decision by NATO forces to commence bombing and also was saddened at the news of another Columbia priest slain on Sunday. For more, click on Sad Sovereign Pontiff
War in Kosovo causing fallout at the Vatican as Russian Orthodox leaders cancel meeting at Holy See because of Italian airbase connection with NATO
The fallout between western interests and Russia continued and the latest victim is the Vatican in the aftermath of the canceled meeting between high Russian Orthodox leaders and officials of the Holy See. Claiming it wouldn't be right to come to Italy because of the latter's permitting NATO bombers to launch attacks from Italy, they reiterated their alliance with the Serbian Orthodox. The Russian Patriarch Alexei II warned that the war could escalate into a world war with Russia involved. For more, click on Russian Orthodox exit.
Backlash against Guatamala government claims another judge to resign from case of Bishop's murder last year.
They're dropping like flies! In less than three months another judge has resigned. Judge Henry Monroy is the second judge to leave while overseeing the long, drawn out investigation of the murder of Bishop Juan Gerardi Conedera nearly a year ago. The growing majority believe the Guatamala government and military have been sandbagging the investigation with feeble cover-ups that have raised the ire of Church officials, UN observers, and human rights advocates. For more, click on Gutted in Guatamala.
Pope definitely not slowing down as he attends to full schedule on Solemnity of the Annunciation
Talk about a full slate for the Holy Father, he met not with one or two important delegations but three when he hosted the head of the Armenian Apostolic Church and President of Armenia and officially accepted an invitation to travel to Armenia next year. No sooner had he cemented this, then the Pope greeted an important personage from the China region; no, not Jiang Zemin who has refused to meet with the Pontiff, but Goh Chok Tong - Prime Minister of Singapore. The Holy Father capped his day by gathering with the Ukrainian bishops during their ad limina visit and reasserted the need for ecumenism. For more, click on Full slate.
For more headlines and articles, we suggest you go to the Catholic World News site at the
CWN home page and Church News at Noticias Eclesiales. Both CWN and NE are not affiliated with the Daily CATHOLIC but provides this service via e-mail to the Daily CATHOLIC Monday through Friday.
Cardinal Roger Etchegaray: the Holy Father's specially-appointed universal ambassador to bring us into the Third Millennium
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 thirty-sixth red-hat we feature, in alphabetical order is Cardinal Roger Etchegaray, current President of the Central Committee for the Grand Jubilee of the Holy Year 2000 who received his red-hat in Pope John Paul II's first Consistory of June 30, 1979. For more on Cardinal Etchegaray, click on COLLEGE OF CARDINALS COLLECTION
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Who are the top 100 Catholics of this century?
In this weekend's editorial we point out some recent additions to the DAILY CATHOLIC including the new rippling masthead on the Port of Entry page and the start of a campaign to vote on the top 100 Catholics for the 20th Century with the countdown to begin on Pentecost Monday. For the next sixty days readers will have an opportunity to give us their input at top100@dailycatholic.org on who should be on this prestigious list which we will reveal with the countdown beginning with the 100th issue for 1999 on May 24th listing the top Catholics from 100 in rank counting down to number one over the succeeding one hundred issues. For more details in the commentary We'd be foolish to look a gifthorse in the mouth! , click on CATHOLIC PewPOINT.
We must always receive Our Lord in the Holy Eucharist with a clean heart
In her column this week, Sister Mary Lucy Astuto continues her series on Lent, devoting today's column to reminding all of the necessity of receiving Holy Communion in the state of grace; in other words, we cannot receive Our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament if we have mortal sin on our soul because we are then unworthy, unclean vessels that cannot possibly be tabernacles of Purity. To receive in this state is a sacrilege. As Sister would say, "Get thee to the confessional!" For Sister's column, Remember Sacriligeous Communions?, click on GETTING TO THE HEART OF THE MATTER
He was scourged for and by our sins
Meditative Lessons on the Sorrowful Mysteries
With the Easter Triduum less than a week away, we bring you the stirring and disturbing scene of the inhumane way Jesus was treated after leaving the trial of the Sanhedrin. The first part of Lesson 10: THE SCOURGING AND THE CROWNING OF THORNS, encompassing the Second and Third Sorrowful Mysteries will give us meditation food for our souls and hearts to pray ever more for those who continue to persecute Christ's followers and denigrate the Son of God. These meditative lessons, imparted by Our Lady to the Hidden Flower of the Immaculate Heart during Lent of 1993, are meant to inspire and prompt a greater understanding of the season of Lent in helping us all prepare for His Passion and Death and ultimately the glorious Resurrection. Click on "IT IS CONSUMMATED!"
SIMPLY SHEEN: Walking in another's shoes
This week Bishop Fulton J. Sheen equates the comparisons of joy and sadness which tie in with this coming week when we share the joy of the hosannas on Jesus's entrance into Jerusalem and the sad lows of His Passion and Death climaxed by the exhiliarting high of sharing the joys of the Risen Savior. These two spectrums of emotion evoke sympathy - sadness and joy. In one the pain is lessened and in the other the exhilaration amplified if we have someone to share our tears and laughter. If we can learn to understand what it is like to walk in another's shoes, then we will follow in the footsteps of Jesus Christ in the manner He has asked us. For words of wisdom from Bishop Sheen, click on Simply Sheen.
SITE OF THE DAY
Since last weekend's issue was late getting on-line because of server problems we want to refeature last weekend's sites because, with Holy Week upon us, you'll find this an excellent source for inspirational Holy Cards at ANTIQUE HOLY CARDS owned by Professor Julie Ann Brown, a truly dedicated soul. The site, which offers affordable, unique, public domain religious art on CD's, is designed and maintained by Alex Gray, also known as Angel Alex at DesignerSites who also created the reflecting applet masthead on our Port of Entry page and offers numerous special effects that you might be interested in.
CATHOLIC CANVAS:Daily Dose of curious contents of the ChurchCentral Committe for the Grand Jubilee of the Holy Year 2000
This committe was established by Pope John Paul II on November 15, 1994 with his Apostolic Letter titled Tertio Millennio Adveniente which can be read in full at the Vatican Website in which the three years prior to the Jubilee year would be dedicated to One of the members of the Holy Trinity with 1997 devoted to Jesus the Son, 1998 to the Holy Spirit and this year dedicated to God the Father. On the same day the Pope released his letter he tabbed Cardinal Roger Etchegaray to head all preparations including the Jubilee Year Events which officially begins with the opening of the Holy Doors of the Roman basilicas on Christmas Eve of this year and will officially close on the Solemnity of the Epiphany on January 6, 2001 with a packed liturgical program for 2000. A prayer vigil on New Year's Eve this year will mark the passage of the old into the new Millennium.
(source: 1999 Catholic Almanac, Our Sunday Visitor)
To review past articles in textonly format, click on Archives.
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