Did You Know? Israel was declared to be an independent state on May 14, 1948, and a provisional government was established. Immediately after the declaration, Israel was attacked by the neighboring Arab states, triggering the 1948 Arab-Israeli War. LEARN MORE.
This version of The Weekly Benedict covers material released in the last week from 14 April – 10 May 2012 (subscribe here; get as an eBook version for your Kindle, iPod, iPad, Nook, or other eBook reader):
Regina Caeli
General Audience
Letters
Speeches
- 4 may 2012 – Presentation of the Letters of Credence of the Ambassadors of Ethiopia, Malaysia, Ireland, Fiji, Armenia to the Holy See
- 6 May 2012 – Address to the Bishops of the United States of America (Regions X-XIII) on their ad Limina visit
- 7 May 2012 – To the Pontifical Swiss Guard Recruits and their relatives at their swearing-in ceremony
- 10 May 2012 – To the delegation of the “Latin American Jewish Congress” Note: 1
Notes:
- Zenit version is supplied since link on Vatican site is missing.
Today is the 6th Sunday of Easter. The liturgical color is white.
Saints & Celebrations:
On May 13, in the Ordinary Form, we celebrate Our Lady of Fatima. It is an optional memorial.
In the Extraordinary Form, we celebrate St. Robert Bellarmine, SJ, bishop, confessor, and doctor of the Church, who died in A.D. 1621. It is a Class III day.
If you’d like to learn more about Our Lady of Fatima, you can click here.
If you’d like to learn more about St. Robert Bellarmine, you can click here.
For information about other saints, blesseds, and feasts celebrated today, you can click here.
Readings:
To see today’s readings in the Ordinary Form, you can click here.
Or you can click play to listen to them:
Devotional Information:
We continue our series on the Blessed Virgin Mary. According to the Holy See’s Directory on Popular Piety:
196. By disposition of Benedict XIV (2 April 1742), the Angelus is replaced with the antiphon Regina Coeli during paschaltide. This antiphon, probably dating from the tenth or eleventh century, happily conjoins the mystery of the Incarnation of the Word (quem meruisti portare) with the Paschal event (resurrexit sicut dixit). The ecclesial community addresses this antiphon to Mary for the Resurrection of her Son. It adverts to, and depends on, the invitation to joy addressed by Gabriel to the Lord’s humble servant who was called to become the Mother of the saving Messiah (Ave, gratia plena).
As with the Angelus, the recitation of the Regina Coeli could sometimes take a solemn form by singing the antiphon and proclaiming the Gospel of the resurrection.
Did You Know? The first appearance of Our Lady of Fatima occurred on May 13, 1917. Sixty-four years later, on May 13, 1981 and in apparent fulfilment of the 3rd Secret of Fatima, John Paul II was shot in St. Peter’s Square, but survived. LEARN MORE.
Recently an article on the Internet that claims same-sex “marriage” used to be a Christian rite has been trending. It’s been cited repeatedly, in many different places, and Jimmy has gotten multiple queries about how to respond to it.
In this video episode of the Jimmy Akin Podcast, Jimmy discusses the piece, where it came from, what it is based on, and what the problems with it are.
He demonstrates that the article is derived from a deliberately falsified piece of scholarship by deceased professor John Boswell, who used outrageously false mistranslations to twist ancient documents to fit a modern agenda.
Jimmy Also reveals the true nature of the “same-sex unions” that Boswell discussed–and the fact that these very same rites are practiced in some parts of the Christian world today.
This must-see video will prove eye-opening for anyone interested in this subject.
By the way, in light of President Obama’s recent endorsement of homosexual “marriage,” Jimmy is preparing a special Secret Information Club “interview” with Pope Benedict on the subject of homosexual marriage.
To get your copy, you should sign up using the form at the top of the right hand margin or at www.SecretInfoClub.com by Thursday, and you’ll get Pope Benedict’s teaching on homosexual marriage by email on Friday.
You can watch the episode here . . .
. . . or you can DOWNLOAD IT BY RIGHT-CLICKING HERE.
MORE INFO: www.JimmyAkin.com/Boswell
Want to help get the message out? Be sure to share with friends!
Today is Saturday of the 5th week of Easter. The liturgical color is white.
In the Extraordinary Form, the liturgical color for today is red.
Saints & Celebrations:
On May 12, in both the Ordinary and the Extraordinary Form, we celebrate St.s Nereus and Achilleus Flavia Domitilla, and St. Pancras, martyrs, who died in A.D. 98 and 304. In the Ordinary Form, it is an optional memorial, and in the Extraordinary Form, it is a Class III day.
If you’d like to learn more about St.s Nereus, Achilleus, Flavia Domitilla and St. Pancras, you can click here.
For information about other saints, blesseds, and feasts celebrated today, you can click here.
Readings:
To see today’s readings in the Ordinary Form, you can click here.
Or you can click play to listen to them:
Devotional Information:
We continue our series on the Blessed Virgin Mary. According to the Holy See’s Directory on Popular Piety:
195. The Angelus Domini [Angelus, "The Angel of the Lord"] is the traditional form used by the faithful to commemorate the holy annunciation of the angel Gabriel to Mary. It is used three times daily: at dawn, mid-day and at dusk. It is a recollection of the salvific event in which the Word became flesh in the womb of the Virgin Mary, through the power of the Holy Spirit in accordance with the salvific plan of the Father.
The recitation of the Angelus is deeply rooted in the piety of the Christian faithful, and strengthened by the example of the Roman Pontiffs. In some places changed social conditions hinder its recitation, but in many other parts every effort should be made to maintain and promote this pious custom and at least the recitation of three Aves. The Angelus“over the centuries has conserved its value and freshness with its simple structure, biblical character [...] quasi liturgical rhythm by which the various time of the day are sanctified, and by its openness to the Paschal Mystery.”
It is therefore “desirable that on some occasions, especially in religious communities, in shrines dedicated to the Blessed Virgin, and at meetings or conventions, the Angelus be solemnly recited by singing the Ave Maria, proclaiming the Gospel of the Annunciation” and by the ringing of bells.
Did You Know? The stars that appear nearest the north and south celestial poles vary from one celestial body to another, depending on which way their axes (axis-es) are pointing. Right now Earth has a North Star (Polaris) but no South Star. Our celestial neighbor and twin-planet, the Moon, has no North Star, but its South Star is Delta Octantis. LEARN MORE.
This Sunday’s readings deal with one of the most important events in Christian history.
Although the majority of Christians have little or no knowledge of the event, a pivotal moment in the history of the Church is recorded in Acts 10.
This event is the conversion of the household of the Roman centurion Cornelius, and it is important because, when this event occurred, it became clear that one did not have to become a Jew in order to become a Christian. This opened the door to a wave of conversions from people of all nations and kept Christianity from being a purely Jewish phenomenon, ethnically speaking.
But the conversion of Cornelius is controversial. It was in its own day, and it is in ours as well.
Some try to draw lessons from it like everyone should speak in tongues upon their conversion to Christ . . . or that baptism is merely a symbol that does not convey God’s grace.
How can one respond to these claims, and what are the *true* lessons that one can learn from this turning point in the history of Christianity?
In this video episode of the Jimmy Akin Podcast, Jimmy discusses the arguments and reveals both surprising and reassuring facts about the conversion of Cornelius.
This must-see video will prove eye-opening for Christians of all persuasions.
You can watch it here . . .
. . . or DOWNLOAD IT BY RIGHT-CLICKING HERE.
Today is Friday of the 5th week of Easter. The liturgical color is white.
In the Extraordinary Form, the liturgical color for today is red.
Saints & Celebrations:
On May 11, there is no special fixed liturgical day in the Ordinary Form.
In the Extraordinary Form, we celebrate St.s Philip and James, apostles, who died in A.D. 87 and 93. It is a Class II day.
If you’d like to learn more about St. Philip, you can click here.
If you’d like to learn more about St. James, you can click here.
For information about other saints, blesseds, and feasts celebrated today, you can click here.
Readings:
To see today’s readings in the Ordinary Form, you can click here.
Or you can click play to listen to them:
Devotional Information:
We continue our series on the Blessed Virgin Mary. According to the Holy See’s Directory on Popular Piety:
194. “Celebrations of the Word, because of their thematic and structural content, offer many elements of worship which are at the same time genuine expressions of devotion and opportunities for a systematic catechesis on the Blessed Virgin Mary. Experience, however, proves that celebrations of the Word should not assume a predominantly intellectual or didactic character. Through hymns, prayers, and participation of the faithful they should allow for simple and familiar expressions of popular piety which speak directly to the hearts of the faithful.”
Did You Know? Albert Einstein published four amazing papers in 1905, the year known as his “Annus Mirabilis” (Latin, “Miraculous Year”). The second was received for publication on May 11, and it dealt with Brownian Motion–the kind of motion we have all seen when putting a few drops of food coloring into a jar of water. LEARN MORE.
