Vatican City, 21 January 2016 (VIS) – The Holy Father has written a letter, dated 20 December and published today, to Cardinal Robert Sarah, prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, in which he decrees that from now on, the people chosen for the washing of the feet in the liturgy of Holy Thursday may be selected from all the People of God, and not only men and boys.
The Pope writes to the cardinal that he has for some time reflected on the “rite of the washing of the feet contained in the Liturgy of the Mass in Coena Domini, with the intention of improving the way in which it is performed so that it might express more fully the meaning of Jesus’ gesture in the Cenacle, His giving of Himself unto the end for the salvation of the world, His limitless charity”.
“After careful consideration”, he continues, “I have decided to make a change to the Roman Missal. I therefore decree that the section according to which those persons chosen for the Washing of the feet must be men or boys, so that from now on the Pastors of the Church may choose the participants in the rite from among all the members of the People of God. I also recommend that an adequate explanation of the rite itself be provided to those who are chosen”.
The Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments has today published a decree on the aforementioned rite, dated 6 January 2016, the full text of which is published below:
“The reform of the Holy Week, by the decree Maxima Redemptionis nostrae mysteria of November 1955, provides the faculty, where counselled by pastoral motives, to perform the washing of the feet of twelve men during the Mass of the Lord’s Supper, after the reading of the Gospel according to John, as if almost to represent Christ’s humility and love for His disciples.
In the Roman liturgy this rite was handed down with the name of the Mandatum of the Lord on brotherly charity in accordance with Jesus’ words, sung in the Antiphon during the celebration.
In performing this rite, bishops and priests are invited to conform intimately to Christ who ‘came not to be served but to serve’ and, driven by a love ‘to the end’, to give His life for the salvation of all humankind.
To manifest the full meaning of the rite to those who participate in it, the Holy Father Francis has seen fit to change the rule by in the Roman Missal (p.300, No. 11) according to which the chosen men are accompanied by the ministers, which must therefore be modified as follows: ‘Those chosen from among the People of God are accompanied by the ministers’ (and consequently in the Caeremoniale Episcoporum No. 301 and No. 299 b referring to the seats for the chosen men, so that pastors may choose a group of faithful representing the variety and unity of every part of the People of God. This group may consist of men and women, and ideally of the young and the old, healthy and sick, clerics, consecrated persons and laypeople.
This Congregation for Divine Worship and the Disipline of the Sacraments, by means of the faculties granted by the Supreme Pontiff, introduces this innovation in the liturgical books of the Roman Rite, recalling pastors of their duty to instruct adequately both the chosen faithful and others, so that they may participate in the rite consciously, actively and fruitfully”….
Vatican City, 21 January 2016 (VIS) – The Congregation for the Institutes of Consecrated Lfie and the Societies of Apostolic Life (CIVCSVA) has announced the events relating to the conclusion of the Year of Consecrated Life, to be held from 28 January to 2 February in Rome, which are expected to be attended by more than four thousand consecrated persons from all over the world. On the theme “Consecrated life in communion. The common foundation in the variety of forms”, on these days there will be meetings, prayer vigils, times for regrouping and examining in greater depth the specifics of each form, looking prophetically towards the future”. The aims of the meeting are to get to know better the great mosaic of consecrated life, to live communion rediscovering the single call uniting the variety of forms (Ordo Virginum, monastic life, apostolic institutes, secular institutes, new institutes and new forms of consecrated life), starting out together on the path of the great Jubilee of Mercy that once more gives all consecrated persons the specific mandate of their vocation: to be guided by the Father’s mercy, witnesses and builders of an authentically lived fraternity. The first event will take place on 28 January: a vigil in St. Peter’s Basilica, presided by Archbishop Jose Rodriguez Carballo, secretary of the CIVCSVA, and in which Cardinal Joao Braz De Aviz, prefect of the Congregation, will participate. On 29 January, all consecrated persons will gather in the Paul VI Hall, while on 30 and 31 January, in five locations in Rome, representatives of each form of consecrated life will meet to explore in greater depth various specific aspects of their vocation. They will subsequently meet in the Paul VI Hall again on 1 February, for an audience with the Holy Father and the Oratory “On the trail of beauty”, directed by Msgr. Marco Frisina. The events will end on 2 February with the morning Jubilee pilgrimage and the Eucharistic celebration for the twentieth World Day of Consecreted Life, celebrated by Pope Francis….
(Vatican Radio) Three thousand pilgrimage operators and rectors of shrines gathered in the Paul VI hall on Thursday to hear Pope Francis speak about the beauty and devotion of those who go on pilgrimages and visit shines, especially in this Jubilee Year of Mercy.
The Pope told these Jubilee participants that making pilgrimages to shrines is one of the most eloquent expressions of the faith of God’s people, and is a form of evangelization which needs to be increasingly promoted and valued.
Listen to Lydia O’Kane’s report
At Marian shrines and at shrines to the Saints, the Holy Father said, there is a profound spirituality, with each person bringing a special wish from their heart and a special prayer.
But Pope Francis also noted that, it would be a mistake to assume that those who go on a group pilgrimage do not live out the experience in a personal way.
In fact, continued the Pope, pilgrims carry their own history, faith, lights and shadows of their own lives and when they enter a sanctuary they immediately feel at home, welcomed, understood and supported.
The Holy Father went on to say that the pilgrims who come to a sanctuary are often tired, hungry, thirsty physically but also spiritually.
Welcome pilgrims
Those that go on a pilgrimage and who reach their destination, Pope Francis explained, should feel at home, loved and looked on with eyes of mercy. Anyone, he said, young or old, rich or poor, sick or troubled, the curious tourist, can receive a welcome because in each one there is a heart that seeks God.
Sacrament of Reconciliation
Stressing the importance of the Sacrament of Reconciliation, especially in this Jubilee Year, the Pope underlined that those who approach the confessional do so because they are repentant of their sins. God, he added, does not condemn, but welcomes and hugs them, like the father of the prodigal son.
The Holy Father also stressed that priests who carry out a ministry in sanctuaries must have a heart of mercy; their attitude must be that of a father.
In conclusion, Pope Francis prayed people would celebrate this Jubilee of Mercy as one big pilgrimage.
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Thursday celebrated the feast of St. Agnes in the Vatican with the centuries-old rite of the blessing of the lambs.
Listen to Devin Watkins’ report:
The two lambs blessed by Pope Francis in the Urban VIII Chapel are traditionally less than a year old. Come summer those lambs will be shorn and their wool used to make the Pallium.
The Pallium are white wool stoles, decorated with six black crosses worn by Metropolitan Archbishops around their necks as a symbol of their authority and unity with the Pope.
Agnes means “lamb” in Latin. St. Agnes, a martyr of the early 4th century known for her consecrated virginity, was killed as a young girl for refusing to worship pagan gods. She is buried in the Basilica named for her, located on Rome’s Via Nomentana.
To symbolize St. Agnes’ purity, when being blessed by the Pope, one of the lambs wears a crown of white flowers, while the other wears a red floral wreath to recall her faithful witness even unto death.
Once woven, the Palliums are guarded in an urn at the tomb of St. Peter until the Pope blesses them on June 29, the feast of Sts. Peter and Paul.
Last year, Pope Francis modified the Pallium Investiture Ceremony , allowing for archbishops to receive the Pallium in their own diocese.
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis celebrated Holy Mass on Thursday, the feast of Saint Agnes, Virgin and Martyr. In his homily, the Holy Father prayed that God might preserve us from the sins of envy and jealousy – ugly sins that kill others with words and that exist even in our Christian communities.
Envy is an ugly sin that grows like a weed
The first reading (1 Sam 18:6-9; 19:1-7) tells the story of Saul, the king of Israel, and his jealousy towards David. After the victory over the Philistines, the women joyfully sang, “Saul has slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands.” From that day forward, Saul looked on David with suspicion, fearing that David might betray him. Ultimately, Saul decided to kill him. Later he followed the advice of his son and reconsidered. But his wicked thoughts returned. Jealousy, the Pope said, is “a sickness” that returns and brings with it envy:
“How ugly envy is! it is an attitude, it is an ugly sin. And jealousy or envy grows in the heart like a weed: it grows, but it doesn’t allow good plants to grow. It harms everything that its shadow seems to fall upon. There is no peace! It is a tormented heart, it is an ugly heart! But the envious heart, too – we hear it here – leads to killing, to death. And Scripture says clearly: through the envy of the devil, death entered the world.”
Envy kills, even in our communities
“Envy kills,” the Pope said. “It does not tolerate others having something that I do not have. And it always suffers, because the heart of an envious or jealous person suffers. It is a suffering heart!” It is a suffering that desires “the death of others.” “But how many times,” he asked, “in our communities – and we don’t have to look too far to see this – are people killed, through jealousy, with the tongue? Someone is envious of this, of the other, and they begin to gossip – and gossip kills”:
“I too, thinking and reflecting on this passage, invite myself – and everyone – to see if, in my heart, there is any jealousy, any envy, which always leads to death and doesn’t make me happy; because this sickness always leads us to regard the good others possess as if it were against us. And this is an ugly sin. It is the beginning of many, many crimes. Let us ask the Lord to give us the grace not to open the heart to jealousy, not to open the heart to envy, because these things always lead to death.”
Jesus handed over out of envy
Pope Francis concluded by noting that Jesus was handed over to Pontius Pilate because of the envy of the chief priests and the scribes:
“According to the interpretation of Pilate – who was very intelligent, but a coward – envy was what lead to the death of Jesus: the instrument, the ultimate instrument. They handed him over out of envy. Let us also ask the Lord the grace never, because of envy, to hand over to death a brother, a sister of the parish, of the community, or even someone in our neighbourhood. Everyone has their sins, everyone has their virtues. They are specific to each individual. Look at the good, and do not kill with gossip through envy or jealousy.
(from Vatican Radio)…