Pretiosissimus Sanguis

We continue calling this solemnity Corpus Christi, as it was in the ancient liturgy. But at that time, besides today’s celebration, there was, on July 1, the feast of the Most Precious Blood of Our Lord Jesus Christ. With the liturgical reform, this latter celebration was abolished and the title of Corpus Christi was changed to “the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ,” since the Eucharist is precisely the sacrament of the Body and Blood of Christ.

«Una divinitas, aequalis gloria, coaeterna maiestas»

St. Patrick used the shamrock as a metaphor for the Holy Trinity

The Fathers of the Church used to distinguish between theology and economy: with the first term they referred to the mystery of God; with the second, to the works of God, that is, the history of salvation. Up to now, during the liturgical year, we have had to do with economy: at Christmas we celebrated the mystery of the incarnation of the Son of God, his birth and his manifestation; at Easter we celebrated the mystery of his passion, death, burial and resurrection. We completed the celebration of the paschal mystery these last weeks with the Lord’s ascension and the descent of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost. On this Sunday after Pentecost, the Church wants us to shift our attention from economy to theology: after considering the works of God, we are invited to fix our eyes on God himself, on his mystery, which was revealed through those works. The Catechism of the Catholic Church says, “Through economy, theology is revealed to us; but conversely, theology illuminates the whole economy. God’s works reveal who he is in himself; the mystery of his inmost being enlightens our understanding of all his works. So it is, analogously, among human persons. A person discloses himself in his actions, and the better we know a person, the better we understand his actions” (n. 236).

«Linguarum diversitatem in unius fidei confessione sociavit»

Seven weeks, that is to say, fifty days have passed since Easter. On this day, the Jews celebrated the “feast of the harvest” or “feast of weeks,” by which they thanked God for the harvest and offered the firstfruits to him. On this day, they also commemorated the giving of the commandments on mount Sinai, which happened more or less a couple of months after the departure of the Israelites from Egypt. On this day, the apostles, who, after the ascension of Jesus, were waiting for the fulfillment of his promise, received the Holy Spirit. 

Bilancio di un quinquennio e prospettive future

L’articolo che segue è apparso, in francese, sull’ultimo numero della rivista Catholica (n. 139, Primavera 2018, pp. 39-48), diretta da Bernard Dumont (www.catholica.fr). Riportiamo qui il testo originale italiano (scritto nel mese di marzo).

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Il 13 marzo 2018 ricorre il quinto anniversario dell’elezione al soglio pontificio di Jorge Mario Bergoglio. È forse giunto il momento di fare un bilancio del quinquennio trascorso e tentare di prevedere, in base all’attuale situazione, i possibili scenari futuri.

«Sanctificati in veritate»

This Sunday falls between the Ascension and Pentecost. By now Jesus has left his disciples and has come back to the Father; before ascending to heaven, he has told them to wait for the promise of the Father, that is to say, the coming of the Holy Spirit. The Acts of the Apostles tells us what the Eleven did after the ascension of Jesus: they remained in Jerusalem, namely in the upper room where Jesus had eaten the last supper with them. They were not alone; there was with them Mary, the mother of Jesus, and many others; they prayed together waiting for the fulfillment of the promise. Today’s first reading informs us of another activity the apostles did during those days. After Judas’ betrayal and suicide, there were only eleven apostles left; but Jesus had chosen twelve apostles, the same number as the twelve tribes of Israel; so there was need for someone to replace Judas. What were the requirements? “One of the men who accompanied us the whole time the Lord Jesus came and went among us, beginning from the baptism of John until the day on which he was taken up from us.” So, there was need of someone who had been with Jesus before and after his death. The apostles are to be witnesses of Jesus; they have to report what they saw and heard; more specifically, they are to be witnesses to his resurrection. We have heard how Judas’ successor was chosen: the apostles limit themselves to propose two names and ask God to show them which one he has chosen.

Paolo VI e la “riforma della riforma”

Il 19 aprile scorso Sandro Magister ha pubblicato sul blog Settimo Cielo una recensione del libro Paolo VI. Una storia minima, curato da Mons. Leonardo Sapienza (Edizioni Viverein, Monopoli, 2018), nel quale il Curatore, sulla base dei Diari del Cardinale Virgilio Noè, offre uno spaccato del Paolo VI “segreto”. Essendo stato il Card. Noè per molti anni (1970-1982) Maestro delle cerimonie pontificie, gran parte delle note riguardano questioni liturgiche. 

«Domino cooperante et sermonem confirmante»

In the whole New Testament it is said that Christ is now seated at the right hand of the Father. However, only some books of the New Testament openly speak of the ascension of Jesus into heaven. The place where this event is described with plenty of details is the beginning of the Acts of the Apostles, as we have heard in the first reading, where Jesus, before being lifted up, confirms the promise of the coming of the Holy Spirit, who will make the disciples witnesses to the ends of the earth. 

«Manete in dilectione mea»

Today’s gospel is the continuation of that of last Sunday. It is the second part of chapter 15 of John. Jesus has compared himself to a vine and his disciples to the branches of this vine, inviting them to remain in him, in order for them to bear fruit. Now Jesus stresses this point, saying, “Remain in my love” (Manete in dilectione mea). This passage is so inspiring that it would deserve a reflection on each verse. I leave it to your personal meditation.

Volare alto

Che la polemica contro lo gnosticismo e il pelagianesimo fosse uno dei cavalli di battaglia di Papa Francesco, lo sapevamo da tempo. Ne aveva già parlato nel documento programmatico del suo pontificato, l’esortazione apostolica Evangelii gaudium (n. 94), ed era tornato sull’argomento nel discorso pronunciato a Firenze il 10 novembre 2015, nell’ambito del V convegno nazionale della Chiesa italiana (qui). Senza contare le innumerevoli stoccate lanciate soprattutto contro i “nuovi pelagiani” durante le omelie mattutine in Santa Marta.