Thursday, December 31, 2015
FIRST VESPERS AND TE DEUM OF THE NEW YEAR, MARY THE MOTHER OF GOD AT SAINT PETER'S BASILICA
The liturgy at the conclusion of the civil year included the singing of the Te Deum, the Church’s solemn hymn of praise and thanksgiving.
“The Church on so many occasions feels the joy and the duty of lifting up her song to God with these words of praise,” the Pope said in his homily. In particular, the final words of the hymn – “Let Thy mercy, O Lord, be upon us, for we have hoped in Thee” – have a special resonance during this Jubilee Year of Mercy.
The Te Deum, he continued, also helps us see the works of God in history and in our own lives, and gives us hope for the new year that lies before us.
Today, Pope Francis said, “our eyes need to focus on the particular signs God has given us, to see His merciful love first-hand.” The Holy Father recalled scenes of violence and death that marked the previous year, the untold suffering of many innocent people, the plight of refugees forced to leave their homes, of the homeless, and the hungry. But he also noted the many acts of kindness, love, and solidarity that often go unnoticed, but which should not be obscured by “the arrogance of evil.” “The good always wins,” the Pope said, “even if at times it can appear weak and hidden.”
Pope Francis concluded his homily with a few words for the people of the local church of Rome, inviting Romans to “go beyond the difficulties of the present moment,” and never miss the opportunity to be “privileged interpreters of faith, welcome, fraternity, and peace.”
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5 comments:
Wow, Francis actually knelt before the Most Blessed Sacrament for a few seconds. I don't think I ever saw him do that before. I hope it was actually him and not another imposter pope like in the 70's. Well........allegedly, allegedly. Check the ear lobes, that's how you can tell. They can't alter ear lobes.
Ave Maria...
Anonymous,
He's a old man. Knees only last so long.
Mary, Mother of God and our mother
In the course of time God was to show mercy to His people and so He was born of a woman, in order to fulfill His plan of redemption. The Son of God, the Second Person of the Triune Divinity, He who is Mercy itself, and to Whom we creatures owe our existence and dependence, descended from Heaven to become dependent upon a creature He sustains. Just as the first light of dawn heralds the appearance of the sun from which it comes forth, so the Blessed Virgin was that first light of the Dawn of Redemption from which the Son of God would spring forth. It was through the Blessed Virgin that Christ was physically born, and it is through Him, by way of her that we are spiritually born to Him through the water of Baptism. No greater creature was ever born into human existence, and no creature ever made a greater choice than she did in consenting to be the Mother of God. In accordance with His Divine plan, and in obedience to His commandment to "honor your father and mother", Christ willingly submitted Himself to the guidance of His Holy Mother who was given the necessary grace to fulfill that role. We should likewise submit ourselves to her Holy motherhood so that, just as Christ was physically born and submitted Himself to her, we can by doing so be spiritually born by her solicitude and guided by her to be the person God desires us to be.
It is fitting that we honor the Mother of God on the first day of the year, she who is the first born of His disciples and first among angels and men.
His knees seem to old up just fine when he is crawling on the floor washing people's feet.
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