Daily Gospel: Feast of the Martyrdom of 350 Martyrs, Disciples of Saint Maron. July 31, 2012

Letter to the Romans 16:17-20.

I urge you, brothers and sisters, to keep an eye on those who cause dissensions and offences, in opposition to the teaching that you have learned; avoid them. For such people do not serve our Lord Christ, but their own appetites, and by smooth talk and flattery they deceive the hearts of the simple-minded. For while your obedience is known to all, so that I rejoice over you, I want you to be wise in what is good, and guileless in what is evil. The God of peace will shortly crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.

Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to

Saint Luke 11:49-54.

Therefore also the Wisdom of God said, "I will send them prophets and apostles, some of whom they will kill and persecute", so that this generation may be charged with the blood of all the prophets shed since the foundation of the world, from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah, who perished between the altar and the sanctuary. Yes, I tell you, it will be charged against this generation. Woe to you lawyers! For you have taken away the key of knowledge; you did not enter yourselves, and you hindered those who were entering.’ When he went outside, the scribes and the Pharisees began to be very hostile towards him and to cross-examine him about many things, lying in wait for him, to catch him in something he might say.

Pope Benedict XVI's Sunday Angelus Message, July 29, 2012

Pope Benedict XVI appealed for peace in Syria and in Iraq on Sunday. Speaking to pilgrims and tourists gathered in the courtyard of the Apostolic Palace at Castel Gandolfo, the Holy Father said that he continues, “To follow with concern the growing and tragic episodes of violence in Syria,” where as many as 20 thousand people have perished in more than a year of increasingly intense civil strife. Pope Benedict also decried the large number of refugees and internally displaced persons the conflict has caused to be driven from their homes. The Pope went on to ask that all those thus affected be ensured the necessary humanitarian assistance. After promising his continued prayer and spiritual closeness to all those suffering as a result of the conflict, Pope Benedict added an urgent call, “for an end to all violence and bloodshed,” and that, in the broader community of nations, “no effort be spared in the quest for peace, through dialogue and reconciliation, for the proper political settlement of the conflict.”

The Holy Father also had prayerful thoughts for Iraq, where a series of deadly attacks took place in across the country last week, including coordinated bombings and terror strikes that claimed the lives of more than 100 people and wounded more than 200 on a single day. The Holy Father prayed, “That this great country find once again the path toward stability, reconciliation and peace.”

Tenth Sunday of Pentecost:Jesus and Beelzebul. July 29, 2012

First Letter to the Corinthians 12:1-11.

Now concerning spiritual gifts, brothers and sisters, I do not want you to be uninformed. You know that when you were pagans, you were enticed and led astray to idols that could not speak. Therefore I want you to understand that no one speaking by the Spirit of God ever says ‘Let Jesus be cursed!’ and no one can say ‘Jesus is Lord’ except by the Holy Spirit. Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of services, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who activates all of them in everyone. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. To one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the discernment of spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. All these are activated by one and the same Spirit, who allots to each one individually just as the Spirit chooses.

Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to

Saint Matthew 12:22-32.

Then they brought to him a demoniac who was blind and mute; and he cured him, so that the one who had been mute could speak and see. All the crowds were amazed and said, ‘Can this be the Son of David?’ But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, ‘It is only by Beelzebul, the ruler of the demons, that this fellow casts out the demons.’ He knew what they were thinking and said to them, ‘Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and no city or house divided against itself will stand. If Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself; how then will his kingdom stand? If I cast out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your own exorcists cast them out? Therefore they will be your judges. But if it is by the Spirit of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come to you. Or how can one enter a strong man’s house and plunder his property, without first tying up the strong man? Then indeed the house can be plundered. Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters. Therefore I tell you, people will be forgiven for every sin and blasphemy, but blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. Whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come.

Message of the Virgin Mary to the World on July 25, 2012 From Medjugorje

"Dear children! Today I call you to the 'good'. Be carriers of peace and goodness in this world. Pray that God may give you the strength so that hope and pride may always reign in your heart and life because you are God's children and carriers of His hope to this world that is without joy in the heart, and is without a future, because it does not have its heart open to God who is your salvation. Thank you for having responded to my call."

Daily Gospel: Feast of Saint Sharbel, Confessor. July 23, 2012

Letter to the Romans 8:28-39.

We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn within a large family. And those whom he predestined he also called; and those whom he called he also justified; and those whom he justified he also glorified. What then are we to say about these things? If God is for us, who is against us? He who did not withhold his own Son, but gave him up for all of us, will he not with him also give us everything else? Who will bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? It is Christ Jesus, who died, yes, who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who indeed intercedes for us. Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will hardship, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, ‘For your sake we are being killed all day long; we are accounted as sheep to be slaughtered.’ No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to

Saint Matthew 13:36-43.

Then he left the crowds and went into the house. And his disciples approached him, saying, ‘Explain to us the parable of the weeds of the field.’ He answered, ‘The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man; the field is the world, and the good seed are the children of the kingdom; the weeds are the children of the evil one, and the enemy who sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are angels. Just as the weeds are collected and burned up with fire, so will it be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will collect out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all evildoers, and they will throw them into the furnace of fire, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Let anyone with ears listen!

Pope Benedict XVI's Sunday Angelus Message, July 22, 2012

Pope Benedict spoke of his shock on Sunday in what he called “the senseless violence” that took place in Aurora Denver in which twelve people were killed and dozens of others injured when a gunman opened fire during a film screening this week. The Holy Father also expressed his sadness at the loss of life in the recent ferry disaster near Zanzibar in which at least 68 people died.

The Pope said he shared the distress of the families and friends of the victims and the injured, especially the children and he assured all of those affected by both tragedies his closeness in prayer.

Pope Benedict was speaking after the recitation of the Angelus in the courtyard of the Papal summer residence at Castelgandolfo in the Roman hills, where he also had words of encouragement for those taking part in the upcoming Olympic Games in London.

“I send greetings to the organizers, athletes and spectators alike, and I pray that, in the spirit of the Olympic Truce, the good will generated by this international sporting event may bear fruit, promoting peace and reconciliation throughout the world. Upon all those attending the London Olympic Games, I invoke the abundant blessings of Almighty God.”

Before the Angelus Pope Benedict took time to reflect on this Sunday’s Gospel in which Jesus is depicted at the “The Good Shepherd”.

The Holy Father explained to the faithful gathered, that God is the Shepherd of mankind who wants to guide us to good pasture, which he said is “the fullness of life.”

The Pope went on to say that in today’s world, “that 's what every father and every mother wants for their children: a good life, happiness, achievement.

Jesus, said Pope Benedict, presents himself as the Shepherd of the lost sheep of Israel.
Among those lost sheep, continued the Pope, are the great Saints Mary of Magdala and Luke the Evangelist.

The Holy Father explained that the deep healing of God works through Jesus, which consists of true peace and the fruit of reconciliation.

Concluding his address the Pope said, that amidst the “evil seed of war, God creates peace.

Holy Gospel On The Ninth Sunday of Pentecost: Jesus in the Synagogue of Nazareth

Second Letter to the Corinthians 5:20-21, 6:1-10.

So we are ambassadors for Christ, since God is making his appeal through us; we entreat you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. As we work together with him, we urge you also not to accept the grace of God in vain. For he says, ‘At an acceptable time I have listened to you, and on a day of salvation I have helped you.’ See, now is the acceptable time; see, now is the day of salvation! We are putting no obstacle in anyone’s way, so that no fault may be found with our ministry, but as servants of God we have commended ourselves in every way: through great endurance, in afflictions, hardships, calamities, beatings, imprisonments, riots, labours, sleepless nights, hunger; by purity, knowledge, patience, kindness, holiness of spirit, genuine love, truthful speech, and the power of God; with the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and for the left; in honour and dishonour, in ill repute and good repute. We are treated as impostors, and yet are true; as unknown, and yet are well known; as dying, and see we are alive; as punished, and yet not killed; as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing everything.

Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to

Saint Luke 4:14-21.

Then Jesus, filled with the power of the Spirit, returned to Galilee, and a report about him spread through all the surrounding country. He began to teach in their synagogues and was praised by everyone. When he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, he went to the synagogue on the sabbath day, as was his custom. He stood up to read, and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written:  ‘The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour.’ And he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. The eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. Then he began to say to them, ‘Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.’

Pope Benedict XVI's Sunday Homily From Frascati. July 15, 2012

On the eve of the Year of Faith and with one eye on the upcoming Synod on New Evangelization, Pope Benedict XVI launched a call to mission Sunday as he told the lay faithful of Frascati that they share respnsability for the Church and the formation of new generations of Christians. That God is calling them and they need to listen. That rediscovering the beauty of being Church means carrying on Christ’s work of “forming the formators”, clergy, religious and above all laity. That being missionaries - like the Apostles - can mean rejection and persecution, it means preaching "truth and justice" even if goes against applause and human power.

Eight thousand people packed into the tiny square in front of the Cathedral of St Peter the Apostle, for Sunday morning Mass presided by Pope Benedict. Loud speakers relayed the liturgy throughout the winding cobbled streets of the hill top town, festooned with white and yellow flags and banners bearing Pope Benedict’s coat of arms.

The Pope was greeted on behalf of the suburbicarian diocese by Bishop Raffaele Martinelli, who spoke of Frascati’s deep bonds with the Successor of St Peter and his personal witness, during a period of service at the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, of then Cardinal Ratzinger’s tireless work on behalf of the Church. Bishop Martinelli presented Pope Benedict with a donation for his personal charities on behalf of his community and urged the Pope to confirm the local Church, first formed in 2 A.D., in the faith.

“Dear brothers and sisters of Frascati!” the Pope responded “Be united among yourselves, and at the same time open, be missionaries”. Drawing on the Liturgy of the Word proclaimed during Mass, the Pope dedicated his homily to the history of mission and evangelization in the Church, which he noted is never-ending : “It is a beautiful and exciting thing to see that after two thousand years, we are still carrying on Christ’s commitment to formation!”

“The Lord calls us all, distributing different gifts for different tasks in the Church. He calls us to the priesthood and consecrated life, and He calls us to marriage and commitment as lay people within the Church and in society. What is important is that the wealth of these gifts is fully welcomed…God calls: we need to listen, welcome, respond”.


Below is a translation of Pope Benedict XVI’s Homily:


Dear brothers and sisters!

I am very pleased to be among you today to celebrate this Eucharist and to share the joys and hopes, trials and efforts, ideals and aspirations of this diocesan community. I greet Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, my Secretary of State and the titular of this diocese. I greet your pastor, Monsignor Raffaello Martinelli, and the Mayor of Frascati, thanking them for the kind words of welcome with which they greeted me on your behalf. I am pleased to welcome the Minister, the Presidents of the Region and the Province, the Mayor of Rome, the other mayors present and all the distinguished authorities.

And I am very happy today to celebrate this Mass with your bishop who for more than twenty years, as he already mentioned, was a very loyal and capable collaborator of mine in the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. Working primarily in the field of catechesis and catechism with great silence and discretion he contributed to the Catechism of the Catholic Church and the Compendium of the Catechism. His voice is also very present in this great symphony of faith.

In this Sunday's Gospel, Jesus takes the initiative to send the twelve Apostles on a mission (cf. Mk 6.7 to 13). In fact, the term "apostles" literally means "emissary, messenger." Their vocation is fully realized after the resurrection of Christ with the gift of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. However, it is very important that from the outset Jesus wants to involve the Twelve in his action: it is a sort of "internship" in view of the great responsibility that awaits them. The fact that Jesus calls some disciples to collaborate directly in His mission, expresses an aspect of His love: He does not disdain the help that other men can contribute to his work, He knows their limits, their weaknesses, but does not despise them, indeed, He confers on them the dignity of being His emissaries. Jesus sends them out two by two and gives them instructions, which the Evangelist summarizes in a few sentences. The first concerns the spirit of detachment: the apostles must not be attached to money and comforts. Then Jesus warns the disciples that they will not always receive a favorable welcome: at times they will be rejected, and indeed may also be persecuted. But that should not affect them: they must speak in the name of Jesus and preach the Kingdom of God, without worrying about their success. They must leave the success in God's hands.

The first reading, presents us the same perspective, showing us that often God’s messengers are not well received. This is the case of the prophet Amos, sent out by God to prophesize in the sanctuary of Bethel, a sanctuary of the kingdom of Israel (cf. 7.12 to 15 Am). Amos preached with great energy against injustice, especially denouncing the abuses of the king and chiefs, abuses that offend the Lord, and render acts of worship vain. Thus Amaziah, a priest of Bethel, orders Amos to leave. He replies that he did not choose this mission, but the Lord made him a prophet and sent him there, to the kingdom of Israel. Therefore, whether accepted or rejected, he will continue to prophesize, preaching what God says and not what people want to hear. And this remains the mandate of the Church: She does not preach what the powerful want to hear. The criterion is truth and justice even if it goes against applause and against human power.

Similarly, in the Gospel, Jesus warns the Twelve that they may encounter rejection in some places. In this case they must go elsewhere, after having carried out the gesture of shaking the dust from their feet in front of the people, a sign that expresses detachment in two senses: moral detachment - as if to say: the announcement was given to you, you are the ones who refuse it - and material detachment - we did not and do not want anything for ourselves (cf. Mk 6.11). The other very important indication of the Gospel is that the Twelve can not be content to preach conversion: their preaching must be accompanied, according to the instructions and example given by Jesus, by the healing of the sick. Care of the sick bodily and spiritually. He speaks of the concrete curing of diseases, but he also speaks of casting out demons that is, purifying the human mind, cleaning, cleaning the eyes of the soul that are obscured by ideology and therefore can not see God, can not see the truth and justice. This dual physical and spiritual healing is always the mandate of the disciples of Christ. The Apostolic mission must always include both aspects of preaching the word of God and the manifestation of His goodness with acts of charity, service and dedication.

Dear brothers and sisters, I give thanks to God who sent me here today to re-announce to you this Word of salvation! A Word that is at the foundation of the life and action of the Church, this Church in Frascati. Your bishop has informed me of his most heartfelt pastoral commitment, which is essentially a commitment to formation, aimed primarily at educators: forming the formators. This is exactly what Jesus did with his disciples: He taught them, prepared them, formed them also through missionary "training", so they were capable of taking on Apostolic responsibility in the Church. It is a beautiful and exciting thing to see that after two thousand years, we are still carrying on Christ’s commitment to formation! In the Christian community, this is always the first service offered by those in roles of responsibility: starting with parents, who in the family accomplish the mission of educating children, we think of parish priests, who are responsible for formation in the community, of all priests, in different fields of work: priority is always given to the educational dimension, and the lay faithful who, in addition to their role as parents, are involved in the formation of young people or adults, as leaders in Apostolic Action and other church movements, or engaged in civil and social spheres, always with a strong focus on forming people.

The Lord calls us all, distributing different gifts for different tasks in the Church. He calls us to the priesthood and consecrated life, and He calls us to marriage and commitment as lay people within the Church and in society. What is important is that the wealth of these gifts is fully welcomed, especially by young people: that they may feel the joy of responding to God with their whole heart, gifting it on the path of priesthood and consecrated life or on the path of marriage, two complementary paths that illuminate each other, enrich each other and together enrich the community. Virginity for the Kingdom of God and marriage are both vocations, calls by God to be answered with and for our entire life. God calls: we need to listen, welcome, respond. Like Mary: Behold, the handmaid of the Lord; be it to me according to your word (Lk 1.38).

Even here, in the diocesan community of Frascati, the Lord bountifully sows his gifts, he calls you to follow Him and to extend His mission today. Even here there is need for a new evangelization, which is why I propose you intensely live the Year of Faith, which will begin in October, 50 years from the opening of the Second Vatican Council. The Council documents contain an enormous wealth for the formation of new generations of Christians, for the formation of our consciousness. So read them, read the Catechism of the Catholic Church and rediscover the beauty of being Christians, of being Church to enjoy the great "we" that Jesus has formed around him, to evangelize the world: the "we" of the Church, never closed, but always open and projected towards the proclamation of the Gospel.

Dear brothers and sisters of Frascati! Be united among yourselves, and at the same time open, be missionaries. Stand firm in faith, rooted in Christ through the Word and the Eucharist; be people of prayer, to always remain bound to Christ, as branches to the vine, and at the same time go out, bring His message to everyone, especially the small, to the poor, the suffering. In every community, love each other, do not be divided but live as brothers and sisters, so that the world may believe that Jesus is alive in his Church and the Kingdom of God is near. The Patrons of the Diocese of Frascati are two Apostles, Philip and James, two of the Twelve. To their intercession we commend your community’s journey, that it may be renewed in faith and give clear witness in works of charity. Amen.

Holy Gospel, Eighth Sunday of Pentecost: Jesus the Servant Beloved

Letter to the Romans 8:1-11.

There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death. For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do: by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and to deal with sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, so that the just requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. To set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. For this reason the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law indeed it cannot, and those who are in the flesh cannot please God. But you are not in the flesh; you are in the Spirit, since the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. But if Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies also through his Spirit that dwells in you.

Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to

Saint Matthew 12:14-21.

But the Pharisees went out and conspired against him, how to destroy him. When Jesus became aware of this, he departed. Many crowds followed him, and he cured all of them, and he ordered them not to make him known. This was to fulfil what had been spoken through the prophet Isaiah:  ‘Here is my servant, whom I have chosen, my beloved, with whom my soul is well pleased. I will put my Spirit upon him, and he will proclaim justice to the Gentiles. He will not wrangle or cry aloud, nor will anyone hear his voice in the streets. He will not break a bruised reed or quench a smouldering wick until he brings justice to victory. And in his name the Gentiles will hope.’

Communiqué Mensuel des Evêques Maronites du 4 Juillet 2012

En date du 4 Juillet 2012, leurs excellences les évêques maronites ont tenu leur réunion mensuelle à Bkerké sous la présidence de sa Béatitude Béchara Boutros Raï et avec la participation de sa Béatitude et Eminence le cardinal Nasrallah Boutros Sfeir, et ont abordé des questions ecclésiastiques et nationales. A l’issue de la réunion, ils ont publié le communiqué suivant :

1- Les pères ont souhaité la bienvenue, dans le synode de l’Eglise maronite, à leurs excellences les nouveaux évêques Georges Chihane, Moussa Hage, Boulos Rouhana, Maroun Ammar et Joseph Mouawad, dont l’élection a été rendue publique lors du synode de Juin dernier, après avoir obtenu de sa Sainteté le Pape la communion ecclésiale. Ils leur ont souhaité une bonne chance et la réussite dans leur mission et dans leurs nouvelles responsabilités.

2- Le Saint-Siège a annoncé le programme définitif de la visite de sa Sainteté le Pape Benoît XVI au Liban le 14, 15 et 16 Septembre 2012. Ayant une double dimension, officielle et ecclésiastique, c’est une visite historique qui sera, espérons-nous, bénéfique pour nos pays et nos Eglises du Moyen-Orient. Les Pères, invitent, par conséquent, leurs fils et filles, à se préparer à accueillir le contenu de l’exhortation apostolique qui fera suite au synode spécial des évêques pour le Moyen-Orient, comme à en suivre les orientations. Ils les incitent également à la participation massive aux célébrations et demandent à ce que l’on récite la prière préparatoire de la visite aux messes des dimanches et des jours de fête, dans toutes les paroisses, à partir du troisième dimanche de Juillet. Par l’intercession de Notre Dame du Liban, ils implorent Dieu pour qu’il fasse régner la paix que porte sa Sainteté dans les cœurs des Libanais et de tous les ressortissants des pays de cette région.

3- Les pères se sont attardés sur la situation générale du pays, consternés par la crise et la paralysie qui règnent au Liban, comme par le manque de confiance entre les libanais et le doute affectant la capacité de l’Etat à protéger la société. Aussi leur importe-t-il de rappeler le contenu du Pacte National de 1943. Les libanais se sont engagés à en faire la base protectrice de l’unité du pays et de ses relations avec les autres pays. « Ni Orient, ni Occident », une formule qui résume le Pacte et exprime le « oui » au vivre-ensemble, et le « non » à toute ingérence extérieure, ou soumission à une quelconque partie ou axe. En fait, les libanais qui se sont engagés, devant Dieu et l’Histoire, en faveur de l’unité du Liban, de sa neutralité positive qui exprime sa vocation historique, et en faveur des meilleures relations avec les pays arabes et les autres pays, sont aujourd’hui appelé à s’attacher à ce Pacte et à agir en conséquence.

4- Les pères considèrent comme une urgence, à l’heure actuelle, la table du dialogue national dont ils espèrent plus de confiance entre les différents partis ainsi qu’une entente claire et véritable sur l’ensemble des points de litige et des formes de l’anarchie. Compte tenu de cela, les pères condamnent : les phénomènes d’enlèvement, l’agression des citoyens, le blocage des routes, le déplacement entre les régions, l’absence de contrôle aux frontières libanaises, les manières de réclamer contraires aux lois en vigueur.

5- Les pères se sont attardés sur la séance parlementaire au sujet des travailleurs journaliers de l’Electricité du Liban et sur la manière dont le parlement a pris ses décisions, ce qui a donné lieu à une scission que personne ne désire et affecté le conseil des ministres qui n’a pu se réunir. Tout en insistant sur le fait de donner à chacun son dû, les pères attirent l’attention sur la nécessité de promouvoir les organismes de contrôle pour qu’ils puissent s’acquitter de leur rôle d’origine dans le recrutement des fonctionnaires compte tenu de la compétence, de l’équilibre et des besoins des institutions et de l’administration, de manière équitable pour les individus, sous grever l’Etat et loin de l’improvisation ou de l’accaparement. Ils tiennent également à la nécessité de se conformer aux dispositions de la constitution, sans enfreindre le Pacte du vivre-ensemble ou les exigences de la participation au pouvoir et à l’administration.

6- Au terme de l’année scolaire, les pères ont rendu grâce à Dieu pour une année écoulée en paix et qui était porteuse de fruits. Puis, ils se sont attardés sur les difficultés et les défis que connaissent les écoles privées du fait de lois et de projets de lois qui imposent des augmentations à effet rétroactif sur les salaires des enseignants, de manière injuste et arbitraire et sans concertations préalables avec les directions concernées, ce qui a des effets négatifs sur l’ensemble de la famille éducatrice, grevant les parents et compromettant la survie des établissements éducatifs ainsi que l’avenir des enseignants. Par ailleurs, l’Etat n’honore pas ses engagements envers les écoles gratuites, ni son devoir envers les parents qui ont choisi le secteur de l’enseignement privé en vertu de leur droit de choisir l’école de leurs enfants. En même temps, l’Etat néglige d’améliorer la situation des écoles publiques et d’y élever le niveau de l’enseignement.

7- Les pères se sont attardés sur le déséquilibre dans l’imposition ou l’exemption des impôts et des taxes concernant les wakfs, dénonçant l’application discrétionnaire de la loi 210, sa falsification, d’une part, et l’ajournement injustifié de son amendement, d’autre part, et demandant que ses dispositions soient précisées de sorte que tous soient égaux en droits et en devoirs.

8- Les pères souhaitent que tous leurs fils, résidents et émigrés, et que tous ceux qui viennent au Liban cet été, jouissent de la beauté de ce pays et de l’hospitalité de ses habitants, qu’ils saisissent l’occasion des fêtes et des événements religieux pour glorifier Dieu et le remercier de ses dons et ses grâces, et qu’ils lui demandent d’instaurer paix et tranquillité dans ce pays et dans tous les autres pays.

Pope Benedict XVI's Sunday Angelus Message on July 08, 2012

Speaking from his summer residence at Castel Gandolfo, Pope Benedict XVI spoke about Sunday’s Gospel, which tells how Jesus, when He had returned to His hometown of Nazareth, was rejected by His own people. “This fact is understandable,” the Pope said, “because familiarity at the human level makes it difficult to go beyond that and to be open to the divine dimension.” 

Jesus was not able to work any miracles in Nazareth – “apart from curing a few sick people by laying His hands on them” – because the people were closed off to the spiritual dimension. The Holy Father explained “the miracles of Christ are not a display of power, but signs of the love of God, which is made present where it encounters the faith of man.” 

And so, the Pope says, Jesus is “amazed” at the lack of faith among his own people: “How is it possible that they do not recognise the light of Truth? Why are they not open to the goodness of God, who has willed to share our humanity?” Pope Benedict says, “In fact, the man Jesus of Nazareth is God made visible; in Him, God dwells fully. And while we too always seek other signs, other wonders, we do not realize that the He is the real sign, God made flesh; He is the greatest miracle of the universe: all the love of God hidden in a human heart, in a human face.”

After his explanation of the Gospel, the Holy Father greeted pilgrims and visitors from around the world. In his remarks to English-speaking pilgrims, he said, “In today’s Gospel Jesus reminds us that if we live with an open and simple heart, nourished by true faith, we can recognize the presence of God in our lives and follow his holy will.”

Finally, speaking to pilgrims from Poland, Pope Benedict noted an inter-religious prayer service to be held Sunday evening at the former Nazi concentration camp at Majdanek. Representatives of the Greek and Latin Catholic Church, from the Orthodox Church, from the Protestant ecclesial communities and from the Jewish community will offer prayers for peace throughout the world. “I unite myself spiritually to these events,” the Pope said, “and I pray for goodness and peace for the world, for Poland, and for each of you.” He concluded his remarks with a heartfelt blessing.

Daily Gospel: Seventh Sunday of Pentecost: Sending of the Seventy-two, July 08, 2012

Second Letter to the Corinthians 3:1-6. 

Are we beginning to commend ourselves again? Surely we do not need, as some do, letters of recommendation to you or from you, do we? You yourselves are our letter, written on our hearts, to be known and read by all; and you show that you are a letter of Christ, prepared by us, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts. Such is the confidence that we have through Christ towards God. Not that we are competent of ourselves to claim anything as coming from us; our competence is from God, who has made us competent to be ministers of a new covenant, not of letter but of spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.

Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to

Saint Luke 10:1-7. 

After this the Lord appointed seventy others and sent them on ahead of him in pairs to every town and place where he himself intended to go. He said to them, ‘The harvest is plentiful, but the labourers are few; therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out labourers into his harvest. Go on your way. See, I am sending you out like lambs into the midst of wolves. Carry no purse, no bag, no sandals; and greet no one on the road. Whatever house you enter, first say, "Peace to this house!" And if anyone is there who shares in peace, your peace will rest on that person; but if not, it will return to you. Remain in the same house, eating and drinking whatever they provide, for the labourer deserves to be paid. Do not move about from house to house.

Message of the Virgin Mary for Nonbelievers on July 02, 2012 From Medjugorje

"My children; Again, in a motherly way, I implore you to stop for a moment and to reflect on yourselves and on the transience of this your earthly life. Then reflect on eternity and the eternal beatitude. What do you want? Which way do you want to set out on? The Father`s love sends me to be a mediatrix for you, to show you with motherly love the way which leads to the purity of soul; a soul unburdened by sin; a soul that will come to know eternity. I am praying that the light of the love of my Son may illuminate you, so that you may triumph over weaknesses and come out of misery. You are my children and I desire for all of you to be on the way of salvation. Therefore, my children, gather around me that I may have you come to know the love of my Son and thus open the door of eternal beatitude. Pray as I do for your shepherds. Again I caution you: do not judge them, because my Son chose them. Thank you."