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MONDAY April 10, 2000 vol. 11, no. 71 SECTION TWOSee why so many consider the Daily CATHOLIC as the "USA Today for CATHOLICS!"
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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. Today we present the first part of the catechesis on The Hidden Life of Jesus of which little is really known from Sacred Scripture but which laid the foundation for Our Lord's public ministry as He obediently learned from Mary and His foster father Joseph as explained in My Catholic Faith. For the 149th installment, see APPRECIATING THE PRECIOUS GIFT OF OUR FAITH
Jesus, God Himself, obeyed mortals, because He wanted to set an example for us. He lived a life of obedience, humility, and poverty in Nazareth till He was about thirty years old. This hidden life teaches us, among other things, the value in the eyes of God, of prayer, humility and obedience.
The life of Christ may be divided into three parts: His childhood, to the time when He was twelve years old; His hidden life, to the time when He started His teaching; and His public life, to the thine of His death.
After the murder of the Holy Innocents, the Child Jesus lived in Egypt with His mother and St. Joseph until the deth of Herod, then returned with them to the Holy Land.
An angel appeared to Joseph and said, "Arise, and take the Child and His Mother, and go into the land of Israel" (Matthew 2:20). Just as St. Joseph had obeyed without question when told to take the Child to Egypt, so now he obeyed, knowing that God Who watches over the birds of the air would watch over those given into his charge.
The Holy Family lived in Nazareth. From there, every year Mary and Joseph went to worship at the Temple of Jerusalem. When Jesus was twelve years old, He went along with His parents to celebrate the Pasch at Jerusalem. Then Mary and Joseph left the city to return to Nazareth, but Jesus remained behind without their knowledge. "But thinking that He was in the caravan, they had come a day's journey before it occurred to them to look for Him among their relatives and acquaintances. And not finding Him, they returned to Jerusalem in search of Him" (Luke 2:44-45). We can only imagine the distress of Mary and Joseph upon having lost Jesus, most precious to them, the Child that had been entrusted to their care. And what was their joy when after three days' search they found Him in the Temple, in the midst of the wise men there, hearing and questioning them! Mary told how great had been her grief when she said, "Behold, thy father and I have been seeking Thee sorrowing" (Luke 2:48). But Jesus replied, "How is it that you sought Me? Did you not know that I must be about My Father's business?" (Luke 2:49).
Some non-Catholic interpreters insist that Jesus had brothers, that He was not the only Son of Mary. Those spoken of in the Gospels as the "brethren" of Our Lord (Matthew 13:55), were His blood relatives; it was the practice among the Jews to call near relatives "brethren". So Abraham called his nephew Lot in this manner: "Let there be no quarrel between me and thee - for we are brethren" (Genesis 13:8). As St. John Chrysostom wrote, Our Lord on the cross would not have needed to commend His Mother to His Apostle John, if she had had other children.
Tomorrow: The Hidden Life of Jesus Christ part two
Today's and tomorrow's liturgy are both Lenten Weekdays with tomorrow also being the Optional Feast of Saint Stanislaus, Bishop and Martyr. For the readings, liturgies, meditations, and profile on him, see DAILY LITURGY.
"Let him who is without sin among you be the first to cast a stone...Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned thee?...Neither will I condemn thee. Go thy way, and from now on sin no more."
Special Prayer for Monday in the Fifth Week of Lent
NOTE: We respectfully recognize and accept the final authority regarding apparitions, locutions and prophecies presently being reported around the world rests with the Holy See of Rome and the Magisterium of Holy Mother Church to whose judjment we humbly and obediently submit.
"Dear children! Pray and make good use of this time, because this is a time of grace. I am with you and I intercede for each one of you before God, for your heart to open to God and to God's love. Little children, pray without ceasing, until prayer becomes a joy for you. Thank you for having responded to my call."
Through the stewardship of Catholic Journalism you can help us reach more souls by sending whatever you can to help keep the DailyCATHOLIC going strong since it is the only daily publication of its kind for Catholics anywhere in the world in daily promoting the truths of the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church.
According to a recent report new Russian President Vladimir Putin is anxious to invite His Holiness Pope John Paul II to Moscow and it is quite possible he could convince the Russian Orthodox Patriarch in Moscow in light of the tremendous advances made in Israel last month during the Holy Father's historic "Jubilee Journey." Russia is one country where the Pope has not traveled to and he would dearly love to and, being Polish, would be greatly welcomed by the Russian people.
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VATICAN CITY, APR 6 (ZENIT.org).- John Paul II might visit Russia at the
beginning of the coming year. Alcesti Santini, correspondent for
"L'Unità," made these statements on "Telepace," a Catholic television
network. This newspaper is run by the Party of Democrats of the Left,
which up until a few years ago, was called the Italian Communist Party.
Santini is a specialist in Vatican affairs.
During the Cold War years, Santini was a point of contact between
communism and Cardinal Agostino Casaroli, the man who was responsible
for the Vatican's "Ostpolitik," a strategy that played an important part
in the fall of the Soviet Bloc. It should not be forgotten that the
Italian Communist Party was the most powerful of all the Communist
Parties in Western Europe.
According to Santini, the new Russian President, Vladimir Putin, is
eager to invite the Pope, in order to make a decisive statement about
his determination to promote good relations with the West. This
motivation, which is strategically critical for Russia's future, is of
much weight when it comes to overcoming the opposition that the Orthodox
Patriarchy of Moscow has expressed to date in regard to a papal visit.
Both Mikhail Gorbachov and Boris Yeltsin invited the Pope to visit
Russian territory. However, the Holy Father has been unable to do so,
because of the opposition of the Russian Orthodox Church. The Pope does
not want his visit to be a motive for division and, for this reason, he
will not travel to Russia until he has the support of Orthodox Patriarch
Alexy II.
Despite his almost 80 years of age, the Holy Father continues to plan
new trips. On May 13 he will visit Fatima to beatify the two little
shepherds to whom the Virgin Mary appeared. In addition, during the
Jubilee or more likely in 2001, John Paul II wants to travel to Syria,
continuing his pilgrimage to places linked with the history of salvation
-- St. Paul was converted on the road to Damascus. On this trip, the
Pope would also like to go to Athens, following in St. Paul's footsteps,
but this stage is turning out to be especially difficult, given the
opposition of the Greek Orthodox Church, though civil authorities have
extended their welcome.
In the year 2001, the Pope is slated to go to the island of Guam to
conclude the Synod for Oceania, which took place last year in Rome. At
this point, preparations for that journey are in a very preliminary
state.
ZE00040511
Just as the Holy Father played a key role in solidarity in Poland, so also he acknowledges the freedom spirit of Russian author Alexander Solzhenitsyn and is mourning the death of Solzhenitsyn's long-time collaborator Irina Alberti, the 75 year-old woman who was born a Russian Orthodox but converted to Catholicism and who was a strong defender of the Church in Russia.
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VATICAN (CWNews.com) -- The Vatican reacted with expressions of sorrow
on April 5, after hearing the news that Irina Alberti, a long-time collaborator
of the Russian author Alexander Solzhenitsyn, had died the previous
evening.
Alberti, who was 75 when she died at her new home in Frankfort, Germany,
was born and raised in the Russian Orthodox faith. But she entered the
Catholic Church later in life, and devoted her last years to the cause of
ecumenical dialogue between the two bodies. At the European Synod last
year, Alberti-- who was appointed by the Pope as an auditor for that Synod-
- rose to defend the Catholic Church in Russia against charges of
"proselytism." Such charges, she said, were often an "alibi" raised by Russian
Orthodox leaders in an effort to preserve their religious monopoly.
The former editor of the Paris-based journal "Russian Thought," Alberti was
described by Cardinal Paul Poupard as "a woman of faith and hope."
The Carmelite Order from Poland will soon arrive in the far regions of Siberia in Usole, a city of 100,000 people where they will join 28 other priests from other religious orders in ministering to one million Catholics out of 25 million inhabitants of Siberia. Usole is near Lake Bajkal which is being likened to Lake Galilee for a rebirth - a new baptism is taking place in Russia and Siberia and the Holy Spirit is truly touching souls for the sake of the conversion of Russia as Our Lady asked at Fatima in 1917. continued inside.
MOSCOW, APR 6 (ZENIT.org).- The rebirth of the Church in Siberia will
soon have the support of Carmelites, who, within the new few days, will
arrive in Usole, a city of 100,000 inhabitants, near Lake Bajkal. The
news was confirmed by "Vidimus Dominum," the religious communities'
information service.
The territory of the Siberian Apostolic Administration is thirty times
the size of Italy, and has only 28 priests, the majority being Priests
of the Divine Word, Salvatorians, and Salesians. Out of a total
population of 25 million inhabitants, Catholics number only a million.
They are generally persons who were deported from Germany or Ukraine
many decades ago, or their descendents.
At present, the Carmelites going to Siberia are from Poland. The order
expressed its hope that the community there will soon grow.
ZE00040602
Meeting with Secretary General Kofi Annan last Friday at the Vatican, the Holy Father stated that the UN must promote a "spirit of global solidarity," and must not serve only the elite groups of various nations. In remarks made to Annan, His Holiness also stated that decisions of importance should not be made exclusively by the world's most powerful nations, but should be decided upon in the best interest of all mankind based upon the UN effort to "preserve the dignity of the human person and the cohesion of society."
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VATICAN (CWNews.com) -- In a meeting with the administrative chiefs of
the United Nations, Pope John Paul II stressed that UN decisions should serve
the needs of all the world's people, rather than any elite organizations or
interest groups.
Speaking on April 7 to UN Secretary General Kofi Annan and the
administrators of the UN's main agencies, the Holy Father said that the world
organization should promote "a generous and ambitious spirit of global
solidarity." He argued that the UN has a "unique opportunity" to serve as a
"point of encounter" among nations, and to help individual nations and
groups recognize their common interests.
The UN should also be careful to ensure that important decisions are not
made exclusively by the leaders of the world's most powerful nations, the
Pope continued. He reasoned that interaction and cooperation among the
representatives of governments and private organizations could help to
"assure that the interests of states and the different groups that compose
them-- legitimate as they might be-- are not invoked or defended at the
expense of the interests or the rights of other peoples, especially those in the
poorest countries." Genuine cooperation among a broad variety of different
groups, he concluded, could promote "social harmony" throughout the world.
The Pope spoke of his "profound concern" about the efforts of some groups to
"impose certain ideological views or models of life on the international
community." He mentioned that these groups seemed particularly active in
efforts to change international policies regarding the defense of human life
and the family. The Pope said: "National leaders should be careful not to
overturn" the structures that "the international community and international
law have laboriously developed to preserve the dignity of the human person
and the cohesion of society."
For more NEWS & VIEWS, see SECTION THREE
