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Holy Father extols Asia as the land where the Mother of God and the Christ Child were born and entrusts all Asians to Mary; prays on Italy's Thanksgiving Day for victims of casualties last week

    Today we bring you a bonus - two Angelus addresses for the "price of one." Last Sunday in India, the Holy Father delivered his Angelus to about 60,000 at an outdoor stadium dedicated to the memory of Jawaharlel Nehru on the Indian feast of "Diwali" which represents victory of life over death through the festival of light in defeating the darkness. The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass was the perfect complement to this for Christ conquered death and gives us everlasting life through His Death and Resurrection and the remembrance of Him in consecration of the bread and wine into His Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity. The Pope also shed light on a radiant memory of Mother Teresa extolling her as forever India's own. Yesterday on the occasion of Thanksgiving Day in Italy the Bishop of Rome gave thanks and asked special prayers for the victims of two devastating fatal plane crashes and the 7.2 earthquake last week in Turkey. For the Pope's words on his Angelus, click on THE VICAR OF CHRIST SPEAKS.

Angelus Addresses for Sunday November 7 and November 14

Angelus Address at the Official Close of the Asian Synod from November 7, 1999

    Last Sunday in India, the Holy Father delivered his Angelus to about 60,000 at an outdoor stadium dedicated to the memory of Jawaharlel Nehru on the Indian feast of "Diwali" which represents victory of life over death through the festival of light in defeating the darkness. The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass was the perfect complement to this for Christ conquered death and gives us everlasting life through His Death and Resurrection and the remembrance of Him in consecration of the bread and wine into His Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity. The Pope also shed light on a radiant memory of Mother Teresa extolling her as forever India's own.

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

At the end of this Eucharistic celebration, we turn with confidence to Mary, Mother of God. Two thousand years ago the Blessed Virgin gave birth to the incarnate Word on Asian soil. Today, Mary continues to cooperate in the birth and growth of divine life in the souls of the baptized. In their daily lives, may the Church's sons and daughters follow the example of Mary, imitating her ability to discern God's will in every circumstance; her total self-offering in love; her boundless fidelity and tireless devotion; her strength, capable of bearing the greatest sorrows; her capacity always to speak words of support and encouragement.

    To you, Mother of the Church, we entrust the results of the Special Assembly for Asia of the Synod of Bishops: lead the Church in Asia in the joyful proclamation of faith in Jesus Christ our Saviour, and in generous service to the peoples of this continent.

    To you, Model of Holiness, we entrust the clergy, the consecrated men and women, and the laity of the Church in Asia: renew and sustain them in a spirit of zeal and in their commitment to the great task of evangelization and service.

    To you, Mirror of Justice, we entrust those responsible for the destiny of this continent: may they seek tirelessly the common good, and work for the true spiritual and material development of the peoples of this continent.

    To you, Mother of Mercy, we entrust the poor, the needy and the suffering: teach us to be one in spirit with them, in order to serve them as our brothers and sisters.

    To you, Mother of the Redeemer, we entrust the young people of Asia: to them the Church offers the truth of the Gospel as a joyful and liberating message, and asks them to use their freshness and enthusiasm, their spirit of solidarity and hope as peacemakers in a divided world.

    Mary, Mother of the New Creation, pray for us, your children, now and always!

After the recitation of the Angelus, the Holy Father added:

    God bless you all. From this land which preserves the mortal remains of Mother Teresa of Calcutta, show the whole Church that you never forget her witness of evangelical love especially towards the poorest of the poor. Mother Teresa loves India, she is with the people of India forever.

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    Yesterday at St. Peter's in Rome, the Holy Father delivered his Angelus to pilgrims gathered in the Square and dedicated it to the victims of the Egyptian plane crash last week, the most recent earthquake in Turkey, and the devastating crash of the humanitarian flight to Kosovo which L'Osservatore Romano called the "Shuttle of Hope." The Pope called it just one more wound in the post-war agony of Kosovo. It was a sober finale to what should be a celebration for Sunday was the Italian Thanksgiving.

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

1. Today Italy celebrates Thanksgiving Day, which invites us to thank God for the fruits of the earth. At the end of one agricultural season, and the beginning of another, we implore divine blessings on the countryside and on the rural world, so that the Lord will help all those dedicated to work in the fields. While I express heartfelt appreciation to those who are intensely dedicated to agricultural activity, which is indispensable for the survival of the whole of humanity, I request the authorities and public opinion to consider with determined solidarity the need and expectations of the rural populations.

    May this Day, which has been celebrated for almost fifty years in Italy, encourage renewed attention in their regard. May the recurrence of this Day be an occasion to better appreciate creation, which God has entrusted to men to cultivate and safeguard as a precious gift.

2. To the thanksgiving to the Lord for the fruits of the earth, I would like to add thanksgiving for my recent pilgrimage in India and in Georgia, of which I shall be able to speak next Wednesday, during the general audience. This important spiritual experience is a further stage in the road of the new evangelization toward the Great Jubilee of the Year 2000.

    I also thank God for the ecumenical celebration that took place yesterday in the Vatican Basilica, in memory of Saint Bridget. During that sacred rite, the prayer of Christ in the Cenacle kept resounding in my mind: "Ut unum sint." Let us continue to walk on the road Christ has pointed out, in the hope of being able to reach the full unity of all believers as soon as possible.

    May Mary, Mother of the Church, sustain us in this effort.

3. I cannot but recall some disasters and catastrophes of the past days: the collapse of the apartment house in Foggia, burying numerous families in the rubble; an airplane of the World Food Program that crashed in Kosovo, with well-deserving volunteers on board; there has been another violent earthquake in Turkey, following the one in the month of August; a couple of weeks ago an airplane of Air Egypt crashed into the Atlantic Ocean. I ask you to pray for the numerous victims and express my closeness and solidarity to all those who are suffering because of these enormous tragedies. At the same time, I encourage the effort of rescue, help and solidarity, which was immediately and generously manifested, and which merits heartfelt appreciation.

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Appreciation of Purgatory and the Heroic Act of Charity

    Today we continue with our new series in the search to uncover the wonderful treasures of the Church contained in the great Deposit of Faith. We look again today at that merciful gift from God - Purgatory - where we are able to be cleansed before looking upon the Beatific Vision forever. There have been many misconceptions about this intermediate "stopping off point" between earth and Heaven and today we deal with the Heroic Act of Charity. For the fifty-second installment, click on APPRECIATING THE PRECIOUS GIFT OF OUR FAITH

THE SOULS IN PURGATORY

    In our last installment on , we alluded to "Heroic Acts of Charity." Today and throughout this week we would like to go more into detail on what this means for we can all be heroes for Jesus through our own Heroic Acts of Charity. As we know November is truly a month to express thankfulness. Most of us think of November and our national holiday of Thanksgiving. Actually, the month began with two feasts of All Saints Day and All Souls Day. We have been covering in this series Purgatory in depth and its definite existence because it is an undeniable teaching of the Roman Catholic Church. Yet, it has been so watered down today that few, sadly, give it any credence. It is completely lost on some, whose thinking has become so modern as to exclude the possibility that such a place of atonement could exist by a God Who is All-Loving. It is vital to remember that this quality of God as All-Loving, consists both in His Mercy and in His Justice. No one can come into the presence of Almighty God who has not been made pure through a life of suffering, good works and total giving of one's self in obedience to God.

    We do not understand properly the reality of sin and its ramifications upon our souls, and upon our own mortal bodies. We are so weighed down with the prospects of getting through life the easy way and pain free as possible that we do not want to consider any other aspect. We must, as Pat Ludwa so clearly writes today in his column, be very careful not to get caught up in the interpretations of Sacred Scripture, but rather to discern with the grace of the Holy Spirit. In this regard, consider the many who are eagerly awaiting the Rapture, believing they will not have to go through the chastisement but will be lifted up by God and preserved from this purification. Nowhere in Sacred Scripture does God indicate such an event. Sacred Scripture tells us very specifically that there is no other way except suffering, as Christ said in Matthew 16: 24-27, "If anyone wishes to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For he who would save his life will lose it; but he who loses his life for My sake will find it. For what does it profit a man, if he gain the whole world, but suffer the loss of his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? For the Son of Man is to come with His angels in the glory of His Father, and then He will render to everyone according to his conduct."

    Our society has become so taken up with the material things of life that we easily neglect our souls whil will live forever. Thus, in this month of November, it is prudent to reflect upon the Heroic Act of Charity, which we can make for the Holy Souls in Purgatory, and this one Heroic Act consists in all of the good works which we have, or will ever make, in our earthly lives. In this Heroic Act of Charity we are asked to become so abandoned to God that we surrender to Him absolutely everything, the satisfactory value of our works of our life and of all the suffrages which shall be given to us after our death, without receiving anything. In this Heroic Act of Charity we give all into the hands of the Blessed Virgin Mary to distribute them, according to her intentions, to the Holy Souls in Purgatory.

Tomorrow: The Souls of Purgatory part six

    On this day 602 years ago in 1397 Pope Nicholas V was born in Svizzera, Italy as Tommaso Parentucelli and would become the 202nd successor of Peter on March 19, 1447. It was Nicholas who would begin construction on the present St. Peter's complex. 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 November 15:

1136 A.D.


Death of Saint Leopold, ruler of Austria who founded many monasteries and refused the imperial Holy Roman crown when his brother-in-law Henry V passed on. Leopold's wife was Henry's sister and the couple had 18 children. Leopold ruled Austria wisely and compassionately exhibiting great piety for 40 years. He was canonized in 1486 by Pope Innocent VIII.

1280 A.D.


Death of Saint Albert the Great, Bishop and Doctor of the Church. For more on this saint, see DAILY LITURGY

1397 A.D.


Birth of Tommaso Parentucelli in Svizzera, Italy. He would go on to become a priest, bishop and cardinal and on March 19, 1447 be elected the 208th successor of Peter, taking the name Pope Nicholas V. It would be Nicholas who would begin the construction of the present St. Peter's Basilica and the man who would found the Vatican Library as well as restoring order politically in France and England.

1532 A.D.


Pope Clemens VII issues a decree demanding that Henry VIII end his relationship with Anne Boleyn and return to Catherine of Aragon.

1791 A.D.


Georgetown - the first Catholic men's university opens in Washington D.C.

    Today is the Thirty-third Monday in Ordinary Time as well as the Feast of Saint Albert the Great, Bishop, Religious and Doctor of the Church while tomorrow we commemorate the Thirty-third Tuesday in Ordinary Time and the Feast of two great women of the Church - Saint Margaret of Scotland, Wife, Mother and Queen and Saint Gertrude the Great, Virgin and Religious. For the readings, liturgies, meditations, and vignette on these feasts, click on DAILY LITURGY.

Monday, November 15, 1999

Monday November 15: Thirty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time and
Feast of Saint Albert the Great, Bishop, Religious and Doctor of the Church

Green or white vestments

First Reading: 1 Machabees 1: 10-15, 41-43, 54-57, 62-64
Psalms: Psalm 119: 53, 61, 88, 150, 155, 158
Gospel Reading: Luke 18: 35-43

    The 13th Century-born Saint Albert the Great was a product of the Dominican dominance of that period. Born in the family castle at Lauingen, Bavaria in 1206, Albert was sent to the University of Padua in Italy to study and where he entered the Dominican seminary in 1223. After ordination, Albert began teaching at the Order's priory in Cologne, Germany. From there it was on to teach at Freiburg-im-Breisgau, then Regensberg, followed by Strassburg, and finally the University of Paris. There he received his doctorate at the age of 39. Shortly after he was named regent at the University. Among his students was a young Dominican who hung on his every word. Thank God he did for that young man was none other than Saint Thomas Aquinas one of the most learned holy men in the history of the Church. Albert discerned how great Thomas would be and personally tutored the young priest. Albert was the Dominican Provincial of Germany from 1254 to 1257 when he resigned to draw up, along with Thomas Aquinas, a new study curriculum for the Dominican Order in 1259. A year later, though he declined the honor, he was still appointed bishop of Regensburg. In 1262 he resigned the bishopric in order to go back to teaching at the University in Cologne. He took an avctive role in the Council of Lyons held in 1274. That same year his pupil St. Thomas died and for a few years after Albert was the learned saint's greatest defender, specifically of his great work "Summa Theologica". Albert traveled to Paris in 1278 to staunchly defend Thomas' teachings. There had been a group of theologians at the University of Paris, headed by Bishop Stephen Tempier of Paris, who, followers of Saint Augustine and Plato, disagreed with the techniques used by Albert and Thomas. The two saints had pioneered the "Scholastic" method and applied the principles of Aristotle in revealing Church Doctrine. Albert wrote numerous works on Sacred Scripture as well as countless thesises on the Blessed Mother, more than anyone to that time in Church annals. Less than a year later at the age of 72 Albert contracted, what many believe was Alzheimer's Disease and his acumen for teaching and writing greatly diminished until on November 15, 1280 God took him home. He was canonized in 1931 by Pope Pius XI. At that same time Pius proclaimed Albert "Albertus Magnus" "the Universal Doctor" - now a Doctor of the Church. Ten years later Pius XI's successor Pope Pius XII proclaimed Albert as the "Patron of Students and Natural Sciences."

Tuesday November 16:
Thirty-third Tuesday in Ordinary Time and
Feast of Saint Margaret of Scotland, Wife, Mother and Queen and
Feast of Saint Gertrude the Great, Virgin and Religious

Green or white vestments

First Reading: 2 Maccabees 6: 18-31
Psalms: Psalm 3: 2-6, 8
Gospel Reading: Luke 19: 1-10

      The saint who would become Queen of Scotland Saint Margaret of Scotland was born in Hungary in 1045 while her family was in exile. There in the court of King Saint Stephen her father Prince Edward d'Outremer (the Exile) and her mother, a German princess named Agatha reared the young girl. At the age of 12, the Danish King Knute who had been on the English throne was deposed and King Edward the Confessor became ruler in England. The family returned to England but Margaret had to flee with her mother and siblings after the fierce Battle of Hastings in 1066. King Malcolm III of Scotland gave them refuge there in northern Britain and at the age of 25 she was married to Malcolm at Dunfermline Castle. Though Malcolm had been a ruthless king, her pious manner and example converted him to a man of great virtue. They sired eight children, two of which became saints: Saint David and Saint Edith who became Queen of England as Matilda. As Queen of Scotland, Margaret showed a great affinity to the poor and homeless by providing hospices as well as constructing churches and monasteries throughout Scotland. She also changed protocol within the court by eliminating many ecclesiastical irregularities which had seeped into the liturgy. In addition she reinstated important Latin customs that had been neglected, specifically the observance of Ash Wednesday to signify the beginning of Lent, as well as keeping Easter duty and maintaining the Sabbath as a day of rest. Margaret died on November 16, 1093 at Edinburgh Castle which was under attack after learning that Malcolm and one of her sons had been killed by rebels who had assaulted Alnwick Castle. Almost immediately following her death her followers venerated Margaret as a saint and she was canonized by Pope Innocent IV in 1250. In 1673 Pope Clement X proclaimed St. Margaret "Patroness of Scotland."

      In 1256, while St. Albert was the Dominican Provincial of Germany, a young girl was born in Germany who would go on to become a great Benedictine. She was Saint Gertrude, also sometimes called "the Great" as Albert was. In 1261 Gertrude, an orphan, was placed under the direct care of abbess Gertrude of Hackebornthe sister of Saint Mechtilde. Here the younger Gertrude was nourished and became a professed Benedictine nun. In 1282, two years after the death of St. Albert, Sister Gertrude received the first of many revelations of Christ Himself in visions. Through inspiration messages she became a scholar of Sacred Scripture and the writings of great saints and recorded her mystical experiences in her work the "Book of Extraordinary Grace - Revelation of St. Gertrude". Devoutly devoted to the mystery of the Incarnation and the the Holy Eucharist, she received countless messages from Jesus on His Most Sacred Heart which she spread throughout Europe two centuries before Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque. St. Gertrude received a very special prayer that, for some reason, has not been promulgated as it should. It is a very short, but powerful prayer which Jesus imparted to her that would release 1,000 souls from Purgatory each time it was said devoutly. This SPECIAL PRAYER FOR THE SOULS IN PURGATORY was also extended by Pope Clement X to include those sinners who are living today by which the person praying this prayer could alleviate the indebtedness accrued during their lives. St. Gertrude also wrote many other books, some of which were not discovered until 1536. In addition she penned the mystical experiences of St. Mechtilde called "Liber Specialis Gratiae". St. Gertrude died at the Benedictine monastery of Helfta in Germany on November 17, 1302 at only 46. Though she was never formally canonized, in 1676 Pope Clement X decreed that her feast be celebrated in the universal Church on November 16th.

     The following verse, taken from 2 Machabees 12: 46 affirms what Our Lady said that if we pray the prayer "we'll deliver many souls": "It is therefore a holy and wholesome thought to pray for the dead, that they may be loosed from sins." The Blessed Mother asks that we pray the words "I BELIEVE IN GOD" five times, and then say a Hail Holy Queen, Our Father, Hail Mary and Glory Be once followed by the prayer: Grant eternal rest unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them that they may rest in peace. Amen.

FATIMA PRAYER FOR SOULS

O My Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of hell.
Lead all souls to Heaven, Especially those most need of Thy Mercy.

     There is also the special prayer that in honor of the poor souls in Purgatory. When one prays this prayer from the heart countless souls are released from Purgatory at God's will. It is an excellent way as members of the Church Militant to fulfill our role in the Communion of Saints:

Eternal Father, I offer Thee the Precious Blood of Thy Divine Son Jesus in union with all the Masses said throughout the world today; for the holy souls in Purgatory, for sinners everywhere, for sinners in the Universal Church, in my home and in my family. Amen.

It is recommended we pray this after every decade of the Rosary. Our Lady also imparted to Hungarian visionary Mrs. Elizabeth Szanto Erzebet, (mother of six who died in 1985), the following message on October 13, 1962 on the occasion of the 45th anniversary of the last apparition at Fatima. Proclaiming herself as "The Flame of Love", Our Lady said: "My Daughter, your compassion for suffering souls moved my Motherly heart so much that I will grant the grace that if anyone anywhere will say Three Hail Mary's in reference to my Flame of Love, then on each occasion a soul will be freed from Purgatory. Furthermore, "In the month of the Holy Souls (November) TEN SOULS WILL BE FREED FROM PURGATORY FOR EACH HAIL MARY...Suffering souls will also feel the effect of the grace coming from my Motherly Flame of Love."

This is our opportunity to storm Heaven with our Rosaries during this month. Think of the number of souls you will all be able to deliver from Purgatory into the Glory of Heaven through your Hail Mary's. They won't forget you!!!

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November 15, 1999 volume 10, no. 216  DAILY CATHOLIC