Angelus, Pope Francis, “We are called not to be absorbed by the vision of this world.” A prayer for the flood victims in Texas and Louisiana.

"Let us pray to Mary the Most Holy not to fear the cross, not a cross without Jesus but a cross on which Jesus was nailed to” Francis affirms at the Angelus. There is always the temptation to follow a Christ without a cross, rather, to teach God the right path. With a great and always valid wisdom, Jesus challenges self-centered mentalities and behaviors."

Always there is a connection between the first readings and the gospel accounts that the Church presents to us in the major celebrations of the Church’s liturgical year. Such is the case we find in today’s scripture passages and so I begin our reflections with the Old Testament prophet who was one of the Major Prophets found in the Hebrew Bible and who lived 600 years before Christ.

Ecumenical dialogue, cooperation among religious confessions, international conflicts and humanitarian crises, fundamentalist terrorism, the protection of human rights, environmental emergency: in several interviews with local press at the start his visit to the Russian Federation – 21-24 August – Cardinal Pietro Parolin outlined the main themes at the heart of his meetings with leaders of the Russian Orthodox Church and with the country’s top authorities.

Following is the full text of the exclusive interview that Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin released to the Vatican media upon his return from his trip to Russia which took place on August 21-24:

Eminence, there was understandably a great expectation for this trip to Russia. With which feelings did you came back to the Vatican?

In the Angelus, the Pope prays for the “dead, wounded and family members of the terrorist attacks in recent days that claimed many victims in Burkina Faso, in Spain and in Finland”.

Readings for August 20, 2017: 20th Sunday in Ordinary Time

The apostles thought she was a nuisance and asked Jesus to get rid of her. Jesus had gone to the region of Tyre and Sidon, modern-day Lebanon, and a local woman approached him for a favor. This was pagan country, home turf of the infamous Jezebel. The inhabitants of these parts were fondly referred to as “dogs” by their Jewish neighbors, who viewed them as unclean.

Pope Francis is greatly disturbed by the cruel terrorist attack that has struck Barcelona last night and once again condemns the blind violence affirming that it “is a great offence to the creator”. In a note issued by Vatican spokesman Greg Burke, the Pontiff said he had learned with great concern what had happened along the Rambla de Canaletes, just a short distance from Plaça de Catalunya, in the center of the city, where around 5 pm a white van swooped in at great speed on a crowd of tourists, killing and injuring several of them before crashing against a kiosk near Boqueria’s market.

The analysis of Don Stefano Caprio (Oriental Pontifical Institute) on the “Ostpolik 2.0”: the future of the Middle East, the Ukrainian issue, and the Russian contrast to the unilateral American supremacy.

As the Catholic Church celebrates the Assumption of the Virgin Mary into Heaven, following is the response given in 1976 by Chiara Lubich to a young woman who wanted to know how to love our perfect and blessed mother Virgin Mary:

Maria 1“The very thought of talking about Mary makes my soul tremble and my heart patter. This is a topic that lies beyond our faculties and silence would be more appropriate than words.

August 15 is the solemnity of the Assumption of Mary.

What is the Assumption of Mary, how did it come to be defined, and what relevance does it have for our lives?

1) What is the Assumption of Mary?

The Assumption of Mary is the teaching that:

The Immaculate Mother of God, the ever Virgin Mary, having completed the course of her earthly life, was assumed body and soul into heavenly glory [Pius XII, Munificentissimus Deus 44].

2) What level of authority does this teaching have?