Vatican City, Jun 15, 2016 / 06:01 am (CNA/EWTN News).- The new letter from the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith was issued to help the Church in her mission of providing answers in the face of difficulties, the congregation's head said on Tuesday. “The Church must give answers to the big challenges of the world of today … We have so much isolation in the youth, broken families, and so it is good to have these new movements,” Cardinal Gerhard Müller, prefect of the CDF, told EWTN News Nightly June 14. He was speaking following the  presentation of Iuvenescit Ecclesia, a letter from the congregation on the relationship between the hierarchal and charismatic gifts in the life and mission of the Church. The document is meant to show the theological and ecclesiological elements that will help groups of the faithful, ecclesial movements, and new communities to participate fruitfully in the Church's mission and communion. Cardinal Müller cited new forms of communication, social networks, globalization, “the question of peace and freedom,” and a “terrorism that says 'we are sent by God'” as challenges to which “we must give answers.” The new movements, and their charisms, are good ways of responding to such challenges, he said. Parishes, religious orders, bishops, and priests should all “go together” with these new movements to meet the challenges of today. Reflecting on the document's title, which means “The Church rejuvenates”, Cardinal Müller said the Church “is always young because we believe in the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, and therefore death cannot overcome us.” He added that the grace of the sacraments is necessary “for the renewal of our lives.”Iuvenescit Ecclesia notes that the Holy Spirit builds up and renews the Church through both hierarchical and charismatic gifts, and focuses on the new realities which “fill the heart of the Church with joy and gratitude and are called to relate positively with all of the other gifts present in ecclesial life.” It notes that in the New Testament, there is no “opposition between the diverse charisms … The antithesis between an institutional Church of the Judeo-Christian type and a charismatic Church of the Pauline type, affirmed by certain reductive ecclesial interpretations, in reality lacks a foundation in the texts of the New Testament.” The letter stresses that the hierarchical gifts – Holy Orders, especially that of the episcopacy – and the charismatic gifts – given “so that sacramental grace may be fruitful in Christian life in different ways and at every level” – are both essential for the Church. The bond between the two kinds of gifts has “its deepest roots … in the relationship between the divine incarnate Logos and the Holy Spirit.” “The hierarchical and charismatic gifts, therefore, appear united in reference to the intrinsic relationship between Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit,” Iuvenescit Ecclesia notes. The document notes that while many charisms need no regulation, when “a gift presents itself as a 'founding' or 'originating charism', this requires a specific recognition” which is the task of ecclesial authorities. This recognition is a process of discernment, which has eight criteria which the document listed – the first of which is the primacy of the vocation of every Christian to holiness. The relationship between the hierarchical and charismatic gifts must be one of mutual reciprocity, the letter says. This requires that “diverse groups recognize the authority of the pastors in the Church” and that pastors “cordially receive that which the Spirit inspires within the ecclesial communion, being mindful thereof in pastoral activities and esteeming their contribution as an authentic resource for the good of all.” The CDF's letter took the opportunity to note that “the Church of Christ, as we profess in the Apostolic creed, 'is the universal Church, that is, the worldwide community of the disciples of the Lord, which is present and active amid the particular characteristics and the diversity of persons, groups, times and places'. The particular dimension is, therefore, intrinsic to the universal and vice-versa; there exists a 'mutual interiority' between the particular Churches and the Universal Church.” It concludes by noting that there must be on the one hand a “respect for the particularity of individual charismatic groups” such that “one avoids the danger that the various charisms might be considered as undistinguished resources within the Church”. Secondly, there should be a “respect for the fundamental ecclesial regimen, this way favoring the effective insertion of the charismatic gifts into the life of both the particular and universal Church.” “Thus, any danger that the charismatic entities might be considered in some way as running parallel to the ecclesial life or not ordered in relation to the hierarchical gifts is avoided.” Read more

Vatican City, Jun 15, 2016 / 04:50 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Pope Francis said Wednesday that we must listen to the cries of the poor and needy, resisting the temptation to close our hearts because we are “bothered” by their constant pleas for help. Reflecting on the miracle in Chapter 18 of Luke’s Gospel in which Jesus heals a blind man who cries out to him on the side of the road, Francis noted how the man had “a strong voice,” but the people around “rebuke him to keep quiet, as if he didn’t have the right to speak.” “They don’t have compassion on him, but rather, they are bothered by his cries,” the Pope said, asking “how many times do we, when we see so many people in the street, needy people, sick and with nothing to eat, feel bothered?” “How many times do we, when we find ourselves before so many refugees and migrants, feel bothered?” he asked, sayings this is a temptation everyone has, “even me, all of us.” Francis said the Word of God can serve as a good teacher in this sense, because the hostility and indifference of the crowd “render one blind and deaf” to their brother, unable to recognize the face of God in him. This indifference and hostility can also become aggression, even to the point of throwing out insults, he said. When we hear people talk about poor people and migrants saying “throw them out, put them in another place,” this, Francis noted, “is aggression. This is what the people did to the blind man when he cried out.” Pope Francis spoke to the thousands of pilgrims gathered in St. Peter’s Square for his June 15 general audience. He continued his catechesis on mercy, looking to Jesus’ miracles as a source of his merciful love. In his speech, the Pope said the blind man in the parable represents the many who are marginalized today due to a physical disability or a variety of other reasons. Although many crowds pass by, the man is alone, he noted, explaining that the image of the outcast “is sad,” especially since he is in Jericho, the “lush oasis” where the Israelites gathered after the exodus from Egypt. Francis recalled Moses’ words to the people on that occasion: “If there is among you a poor man, one of your brethren, in any of your towns within your land which the Lord your God gives you, you shall not harden your heart or shut your hand against your poor brother.” Moses’ instruction is a “stark contrast” from the attitude described in the Gospel, the Pope observed. However, the blind man wasn’t intimidated by the crowd, but instead cried out louder, recognizing Jesus as the “Son of David,” and the awaited Messiah. “Contrary to the crowd, this blind man sees with the eyes of faith. Thanks to this his plea has a powerful effect,” Pope Francis said, noting how Jesus stopped and ordered the man to be brought to him. In doing so, Jesus takes the man from the margins and puts him at the center of attention of those around, the Pope said, and encouraged pilgrims to think about how, in a moment of sin or a bad situation, “it was Jesus who took us by the hand and brought us from the margin to the path of salvation.” When the Lord passes by the man, it's “an encounter of mercy,” he said, explaining that “Jesus also passes in our lives,” and when he does, “it’s an invitation to draw near to him, to be better, to be a better Christian, to follow Jesus.” Jesus, in asking the man “what do you want me to do for you?” becomes the “humble servant” of a sinful man, the Pope said, noting how after receiving both healing and salvation from the Lord, the man becomes Jesus’ disciples and follows him. “From a beggar to following Jesus. This is also our path,” he said, because “we are all beggars, all of us. We are always in need of salvation, and every day each of us must take this step.” Pope Francis closed his speech by noting that after the healing of the blind man, “a second miracle” takes place, because what happened allows the people around him to see in a new way. “The same light illuminates everyone” who had gathered to give praise to God, he said, adding that “Jesus pours out his mercy on everyone he meets: he calls them, draws them to himself, gathers them, heals them and enlightens them, creating a new people who celebrate the marvels of his merciful love.” Francis said we must allow the same thing to happen to us: “we must allow ourselves to be called by Jesus, to be healed by Jesus, forgiven by Jesus and to follow behind him.” Read more

Vatican City, Jun 15, 2016 / 12:35 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Pope Francis has officially recognized 115 Catholics who were killed during the Spanish Civil War out of hatred of the faith. The newest martyrs are Servants of God José Álvarez Ben... Read more

Vatican City, Jun 14, 2016 / 12:13 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- On June 29 Benedict XVI will celebrate the 65th anniversary of his ordination to the priesthood – a milestone he will commemorate in a special ceremony with Pope Francis inside the Vatican&r... Read more

Vatican City, Jun 14, 2016 / 06:46 am (CNA/EWTN News).- The Vatican’s doctrinal watchdog has issued a new document affirming that while some might be hesitant in the face of new lay movements in the Church, they are a “great gift” in ... Read more

Vatican City, Jun 14, 2016 / 03:13 am (CNA/EWTN News).- In a testimony at the Vatican’s Jubilee for the sick and disabled, the husband of the late Chiara Corbella Petrillo – who died after rejecting medical treatment in order to save her unborn child – spoke about his wife's joyful faith in the face of terminal illness. “Chiara was beautiful. She was bright. She was happy. She was already saying 'I love you' to everyone. She was happy to have lived a full and incredible life. She was happy to have loved.” Enrico Corbella, who stood in front of the altar with their son Francesco, now four years old, addressed the rain-soaked crowds who had gathered in St. Peter's Square for Mass with Pope Francis. He told the crowds that in order to “make room for grace,” one must be willing to welcome what he referred as the logic of “unjust love.” “Is it just that I am a widow? Is it just that Francesco does not have his mother? Is it just to be sick? Is it just to be disabled?” “Is it just that the Son of God died on the Cross? No, it is not just, but this is love: a wonderful injustice.” Chiara Corbella died June 13, 2012 at age 28, after choosing to reject treatment and save her unborn baby when a tumor was discovered during their third pregnancy. She and Enrico had been married since September 21, 2008, having met in Medjugorie six years earlier. The couple had already endured the deaths of their first two children, Maria and Davide, who passed away shortly after birth. “We always felt loved,” Enrico said in his testimony. “The Lord gave us two special children to be accompanied at the gate of paradise. We saw them fall asleep and pass from our embrace to that of the Father. We thought, where is the misfortune? They were born ready.” Shortly after becoming pregnant with their third son, Francesco, Chiara received the diagnosis of terminal cancer. Chiara rejected any treatment that could have saved her life during pregnancy because it would have risked the life of her unborn son. As the cancer progressed, it became difficult for Chiara to speak and see clearly, causing her excruciating suffering. Enrico recounted the “most beautiful” months spent together, receiving the sacraments and praying for physical healing, even though it never came. However, they realized that it was more important to ask for salvation. In a letter that Chiara wrote to their son Francesco, Enrico recounted, she recalled the line from the Gospel: “My yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” However, Enrico admitted that as he watched his wife become consumed by her illness, he had difficulty with this notion. “It was around 7 on her last morning, before the Tabernacle, and I asked her: 'Chiara, is this Cross really sweet like the Lord says?' She smiled at me, and with a frail voice replied: 'Yes, Enrico. It is very sweet.'” “That sweetness was for her, not for me,” Enrico said. “It was she who was dying, not I. The Lord, in fact, gives grace at the right moment. And so, I watched her die happy. She knew very well where she was going.” “Brothers and sisters, we too can die happy, if we make space for his grace,” he concluded. “The Lord is not a liar. This Cross is very sweet. Trust that it is worth it.” .....You may also like: 'A saint for our times' – the inspiring story of Chiara Corbella Petrillo https://t.co/yHtn6Reele — Catholic News Agency (@cnalive) June 13, 2016     Read more