Tag: John Paul II
Psalm 145(144) 1-13: I will give you glory
Commentary: 1. We have just prayed Psalm 145[144], a joyful song of praise to the Lord who is exalted as a tender and loving King, concerned for all his creatures. The liturgy presents this hymn to us in two separate parts that also correspond to the two poetical and spiritual movements of the Psalm itself…. Read More ›
Psalm 67(66): “the earth has yielded its fruit” (v. 7)
1. “The earth has yielded its fruit”, exclaims Psalm 67[66], one of the texts inserted into the Liturgy of Vespers that we have just proclaimed. The sentence calls to mind a hymn of thanksgiving to the Creator for the gifts of the earth, a sign of divine blessing. This natural element, however, is closely interwoven… Read More ›
The Spirit prays through us in the Psalms
1. Before beginning the commentary on the individual Psalms and Songs of Praise, let us complete today the introductory reflection which we began in the last catechesis. We will do so by starting with one aspect that is prized by our spiritual tradition: in singing the Psalms, the Christian feels a sort of harmony between… Read More ›
Psalm 100(99): Let the world praise faithful God
1. The tradition of Israel gave the title “Psalm for the todáh” to the hymn of praise we just heard, that is thanksgiving in liturgical chant. That is why it is appropriately intoned in the morning Lauds. We can identify three noteworthy elements in the four verses of the joyful hymn, that make its use… Read More ›
Psalter is ideal source of Christian prayer
1. In the Apostolic Letter Novo millennio ineunte I expressed the hope that the Church would become more and more distinguished in the “art of prayer”, learning it ever anew from the lips of the Divine Master (cf. n. 32). This effort must be expressed above all in the liturgy, the source and summit of… Read More ›
Psalm 24(23): The Lord enters his temple!
1. The ancient chant of the People of God that we just heard, resounded in the temple of Jerusalem. To be able to grasp the main thrust of the prayer, we have to keep in mind three basic affirmations. The first is the truth of creation: God has created the world and is its Lord…. Read More ›
Psalm 96(95): “Say among the nations “the Lord reigns!'”
Over the course of several years, Blessed John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI have offered a commentary of the psalms used in the Liturgy of the Hours. These are all posted on the Vatican web site, but are somewhat difficult to find. Many of them are short, easily read in a few minutes We… Read More ›
The Divine Mercy Devotion and Praying the Fatima Chaplet
The Divine Mercy Devotion, which has some strong similarities with the Fatima Program, can provide a logical template on which to build a Chaplet The Divine Mercy prayer is Eucharistic and concerns the Father and the Son while the Fatima prayers are a bit more Eucharistic and decidedly Trinitarian. This Trinitarian focus reflects our central… Read More ›
St. Faustina, Doctor of the Church?
By Anita S. Bourdin KRAKOW, Poland, OCT. 4, 2011 (Zenit.org).- St. Faustina Kowalska may become the fourth woman doctor of the Church. Cardinals and bishops gathered in Krakow-Lagiewniki for the 2nd World Congress of Divine Mercy have sent a letter to Benedict XVI requesting this recognition. This news was published live last Sunday by Radio… Read More ›
On Fatima anniversary, Fr. Apostoli sees atheism overtaking the West
The author of an exhaustive study on the Virgin Mary’s 1917 appearances in Portugal says her words are being fulfilled by the rise of aggressive secularism and loss of religious freedom in the West. “Mary, as I see it, pointed out at Fatima that these things were going to happen,” said Fr. Andrew Apostoli, a… Read More ›