Ujumbe wa Baba Mtakatifu Francisko kwa Kipindi cha Kwaresima 2014

Mama Kanisa anakianza kipindi cha Kwaresima, yaani siku arobaini za toba na wongofu wa ndani; kusali na kufunga; kusoma na kulitafakari Neno la Mungu pamoja na kumwilisha imani katika matendo, kwa Jumatano ya Majivu. Waamini wanakumbushwa kwamba, wao ni mavumbi na mavumbini watarudi tena.

Hizi ni nyakati za toba na zimewekwa na Mama Kanisa kwa ajili ya mazoezi ya maisha ya kiroho; zinajikita katika liturujia ya toba, kuhiji kama ishara ya toba, kujinyima kwa hiyari kama sehemu ya kufunga na kutoa sadaka kwa maskini na wote wanaosukumizwa pembezoni mwa Jamii; ni mwaliko wa kushiriki kidugu kazi za mapendo na kimissionari zinazotekelezwa na Mama Kanisa.

Ujumbe wa Kwaresima kutoka kwa Baba Mtakatifu Francisko kwa Mwaka 2014 unaongozwa na kauli mbiu “Maana mmejua neema ya Bwana wetu Yesu Kristo, Jinsi alivyokuwa maskini kwa ajili yenu, ingawa alikuwa tajiri, ili kwamba, ninyi mpate kuwa matajiri kwa umaskini wake”. Huu ni mwaliko kwa waamini kuonesha moyo wa ukarimu kwa jirani zao kama ilivyokuwa nyakati za Mtakatifu Paulo aliyewahimiza Wakorintho kuwasaidia ndugu zao waliokuwa wanateseka mjini Yerusalemu.

Baba Mtakatifu katika tafakari hii anaonesha jinsi ambavyo Mwenyezi Mungu ambaye ni tajiri na mwingi wa rehema kwa njia ya Yesu Kristo, Mwanaye wa pekee amejinyenyekesha na kuwa maskini, ili aweze kuwa karibu na binadamu kwa njia ya Fumbo la Umwilisho. Hiki ni kielelezo cha upendo wa Mungu ambao ni neema na baraka inayotolewa kwa binadamu anayependwa na Mwenyezi Mungu, kiasi cha hata Kristo kujisadaka maisha yake.

Huu ndio upendo unaoshirikisha, unajenga na kuimarisha umoja na udugu kwa kuvunjilia mbali kuta za utengano. Kwa njia ya Fumbo la Umwilisho, Mwenyezi Mungu amefikiri na kutenda kama binadamu katika mambo yote isipokuwa hakutenda dhambi.

Kwa njia ya umaskini wa Yesu, Mwenyezi Mungu amependa mwanadamu aweze kutajirika, hii ndiyo mantiki ya Fumbo la Umwilisho na Fumbo la Msalaba. Alibatizwa mtoni Yordani si kwa vile alikuwa anahitaji toba, wongofu wa ndani na msamaha, bali alipenda kuonesha mshikamano wa dhati na binadamu mdhambi kwa kujitwika dhambi zake mabegani mwake, ili aweze kuwafariji, kuwaokoa na kuwakomboa kutoka katika lindi la dhambi na mauti.

Baba Mtakatifu Francisko katika ujumbe wake wa Kwaresima kwa Mwaka huu anasema, Yesu alijifanya kuwa jirani na Msamaria mwema, kwa kuguswa na mahangaiko ya binadamu, ili hatimaye, aweze kumwonjesha huruma na mapendo yanayobubujika kutoka kwa Mwenyezi Mungu. Utajiri wa Yesu unajionesha kwa namna ya pekee kwa kumtegemea Baba yake wa mbinguni, katika kutekeleza mapenzi yake na hatimaye kuvikwa taji la utukufu. Yesu anatambua kwamba, ni Mwana pekee wa Mungu, Masiha anayewaalika wafuasi wake kujitajirisha kutoka kwake na kushiriki udugu na kujitahidi kuchuchumilia utakatifu wa maisha kwa kuishi kama watoto wa Mungu na ndugu zake Kristo.

Kila wakati Mwenyezi Mungu anaendelea kumkomboa mwanadamu kutoka katika umaskini wake kwa njia ya umaskini wa Yesu, kwa kuonja na kuguswa na umaskini wa jirani zao tayari kujifunga kibwebwe kusaidia kupambana na umaskini: wa hali, kipato na maadili. Umaskini ni kielelezo cha kukosa imani, mshikamano na matumaini. Umaskini wa kipato unawakumba wote wanaoishi katika mazingira ambayo ni kinyume kabisa cha utu na heshima ya binadamu.

Hawa ni watu wanaopokonywa haki na mahitaji msingi kama vile: chakula, maji, malazi, huduma bora za afya, fursa za kazi na ajira, maendeleo na ukuaji wa kitamaduni. Kanisa linaendelea kujisadaka kwa ajili ya kupambana na umaskini wa kipato katika mikakati yake ya kichungaji inayopania kumkomboa mtu mzima: kiroho na kimwili. Kanisa linaiona na kuitambua sura ya Kristo miongoni mwa maskini na wote wanaosukumizwa pembezoni mwa Jamii. Kanisa linapania kuhakikisha kwamba, utu na heshima ya binadamu vinaendelea kupewa kipaumbele cha pekee kwa kukomesha ubaguzi ambao wakati mwingine ni chanzo kikuu cha umaskini. Kanisa linahimiza matumizi bora ya rasilimali ya dunia kwa ajili ya ustawi na maendeleo ya wengi. Jamii iongozwe katika misingi ya haki, usawa, kiasi na ushirikiano.

Baba Mtakatifu Francisko anasema kuna umaskini wa kimaadili, unaomfanya mwanadamu kuwa ni mtumwa wa dhambi, ulevi wa kupindukia, mcheza kamari na mtazamaji wa picha za ngono. Hili ni kundi la watu lililopoteza dira na mwelekeo wa maisha kwa kukata tamaa! Ni watu wanaoogelea katika utupu kwa kukosa fursa za ajira pamoja na kuendelea kudhalilishwa utu na hehima yao kama binadamu: wanakosa chakula na malazi; hawana haki ya kupata huduma bora katika sekta ya elimu, afya na maendeleo. Matokeo yake ni watu kuelemewa mno na umaskini wa kimaadili kiasi hata cha kutema zawadi ya maisha!

Umaskini huu ni chanzo kikuu cha myumbo wa uchumi kimataifa na matokeo yake ni umaskini na utupu wa maisha ya kiroho. Hali hii inajionesha pale mwanadamu anapomn’goa Mwenyezi Mungu katika maisha na vipaumbele vyake, kiasi hata cha kutema upendo na huruma yake. Hapa mwanadamu anadhani kwamba, anaweza kujitegemea mwenyewe na wala haitaji msaada kutoka kwa Mwenyezi Mungu. Lakini ikumbukwe kwamba, ni Mungu peke yake anayeweza kukomboa na kumwokoa mwanadamu.

Baba Mtakatifu anasema, Injili ni dawa inayoponya umaskini wa maisha ya kiroho, changamoto na mwaliko kwa kila Mkristo kuhakikisha kwamba, anashiriki kutangaza Injili ya Kristo katika medani mbali mbali za maisha, ili watu waonjeshe upendo na huruma ya Mungu; ili hatimaye, waweze kushirikishwa maisha ya uzima wa milele. Waamini wawe ni watangazaji amini wa Injili ya Furaha inayojikita katika huruma na matumaini; mwanga na faraja kwa wote wanaotembea katika giza na uvuli wa mauti. Ni mwaliko wa kumfuasa Kristo aliyethubutu kuwaendea maskini; akaonesha sifa ya kuwa mchunga mwema kwa kumwendea Kondoo aliyekuwa amepotea, ili kumwonjesha upendo wake. Kwa kushikamana na Yesu, waamini wanaweza kuwa na ujasiri wa kushiriki katika mchakato wa Uinjilishaji Mpya na maendeleo endelevu.

Baba Mtakatifu Francisko katika Kipindi hiki cha Kwaresima anawataka waamini na watu wote wenye mapenzi mema kuonesha ushuhuda wa pekee kwa maskini wa hali, maadili na maisha ya kiroho wanaokutana nao kila siku ya maisha yao, ili waweze kuonja huruma na upendo wa Mungu kwa njia ya Yesu Kristo. Kwaresima ni muda muafaka wa kujisadaka kwa ajili ya kuwasaidia wengine, kwa kutambua kwamba, kwa njia hii pia tunafanya toba.

Waamini wanaweza kuwatajirisha jirani zao na hivyo kushiriki katika mchakato wa kuganga na kuponya umaskini unaomwandama binadamu. Ni matumaini ya Baba Mtakatifu Francisko kwamba, waamini wataweza kukitumia kipindi hiki cha Kwaresima ili kupata neema na baraka zinazobubujika kutoka kwa Kristo mwenyewe!

Ujumbe huu umehaririwa na
Padre Richard A. Mjigwa.
Idhaa ya Kiswahili ya Radio Vatican.

KWARESIMA: Muarobaini wa Maisha ya Kikristu

Neno Kwaresima linatokana na neno la lugha ya kilatini Quadragesima; maana yake, namba arobaini. Kwa hiyo, Kwaresima ni kipindi cha siku arobaini katika  Mwaka wa Liturjia au Mwaka wa Kanisa. Mwaka wa Kanisa ni maadhimisho ya mafumbo ya Ukombozi kwa njia ya Kristo, pamoja na Kristo na ndani ya Kristo katika Kanisa. Mwaka wa Kanisa una vipindi vikuu vitano; Majilio, Noeli, Kwaresima, Pasaka na dominika au jumapili za kawaida. Noeli na Pasaka ndivyo vipindi maalum katika Mwaka wa Kanisa na kabla ya kuadhimishwa hufanyika maandalizi maalum. Noeli huandaliwa kwa kipindi cha Majilio; na Pasaka huandaliwa kwa kipindi cha Kwaresima. Kwaresima huanza siku ya jumatano kwa Ibada ya Jumatano ya Majivu na huisha alhamisi jioni inapoanza Misa ya Karamu ya Bwana ya Alhamisi Kuu ambapo Siku Kuu Tatu za Pasaka huanza. Kwaresima ni kipindi pekee katika Mwaka wa Kanisa ambacho huanza kwa amri ya Kanisa (amri ya pili ya Kanisa): “Shiriki liturjia ya Jumatano ya Majivu, ambayo ni siku ya kufunga chakula; na Ijumaa Kuu iliyo siku ya kutokula nyama.”

Maana ya Kwaresima

Kwaresima ni kipindi muafaka cha kufanya toba. Toba ni sharti la msingi kabisa katika kuutafuta uzima wa milele au ufalme wa mbinguni. Mwenyezi Mungu ndiye anayemwalika mwanadamu ashiriki katika ufalme wake; basi mwanadamu naye anaitikia mwaliko huo kwa kufanya toba. Kwa hiyo toba ni kielelezo cha mwanadamu anayekubali mwaliko wa kuingia katika maisha ya imani ili ashiriki katika ufalme wa Mungu (Mk. 1:15): .....Yesu akaenda Galilaya, akiihubiri Habari Njema ya Mungu akisema, “Wakati umetimia na ufalme wa Mungu umekaribia; tubuni na kuiamini Injili.”

Mwaliko wa Yesu kumtaka mwanadamu afanye toba ndiyo mwanzo wa historia mpya ya uhusiano kati ya Mungu na wanadamu. Tendo la toba linajikita katika maana kuu tatu za msingi:

1)    Kuacha njia potovu. Mtu anapotambua kuwa maisha yake ni kinyume na nia ya Mungu na hivyo anakubali na kuamua kubadilika. Hili ni tendo la toba linalompelekea mtu kubatizwa; na kwa mkristo humpelekea kurudi katika maisha ya kushiriki sakramenti za Kanisa.

2)    Kuacha fikra potovu. Ni mabadiliko ya dhati kwa wakristo wenye fikra potovu kuhusu ukombozi. Baadhi ya wakristo wanapotea kwa kuamini kuwa ubatizo peke yake watosha ili kuokoka. Ubatizo ni mwanzo wa maisha ya kumfuasa Kristo na ni ufunguo wa kuingilia kwenye haki na wajibu wa kikristo.  Kuokoka ni tendo la kuishinda dhambi na kuingia mbinguni. Kwa hivyo basi, si sahihi mtu kusema kuwa ameokoka angali bado yuko hapa duniani. Duniani tunaishi kwenye dhambi na wakati wowote tunaweza bado kuanguka katika dhambi hata kama tumeshabatizwa.

3)    Kuongoka. Ni tendo la kila siku kwa mkristo mwenye fikra sahihi juu ya ukombozi. Kuongoka ni kutambua udhaifu wa kibinadamu na kuitumia vema huruma ya Mungu kwa kuungama dhambi. Dhambi ipo duniani na ina nguvu kuliko sisi wanadamu. Lakini, neema ya Mungu ipo pia na ina nguvu kuliko dhambi. Kufanya toba maana yake ni kuitambua dhambi yako na kuiungama kwa Mungu ili upate neema. Neema ya Mungu inatupatia nguvu ya kupambana na dhambi na inatusaidia kukwepa nafasi ya kutenda dhambi tena.

Kwaresima na Pasaka

Uhalisia wa Kwaresima haupo tu katika toba bali hasa upo katika fumbo la Pasaka. Pasaka ndiyo kiini cha Mwaka wa Kanisa; na ndiyo sherehe kubwa kuliko sherehe zote katika liturjia. Ni sherehe inayoadhimisha ukombozi wa wana wa Mungu kutoka katika utumwa dhambi na kufanyika kwa taifa jipya la Mungu. Kimsingi, Kwaresima ni kipindi cha siku arobaini za toba zinayoitayarisha Pasaka. Pasaka huadhimishwa kila mwaka mara baada ya Kwaresima; na huendelea kuadhimishwa kila jumapili kwa mwaka wote (Jumapili zote zilizo ndani ya kipindi cha Kwaresima hazihesabiwi kati ya siku arobaini). Kila jumapili ni Pasaka, ni siku ya Bwana Mfufuka (dominika) ambapo taifa la Mungu hukusanyika ili kusherehekea ukombozi. Kwa umuhimu wake, Pasaka ya kila mwaka ni lazima itayarishwe kwa kipindi maalum; yaani Kwaresima. Pasaka na Kwaresima ni vipindi vinavyotegemezana. Kwaresima ndiyo inayotuandaa ili tustahili kusherehekea Pasaka.

Nguzo za Kwaresima

Siku arobaini za Kwaresima ni kielelezo cha utimilifu wa maandalizi ya Pasaka. Kadiri ya desturi za kibiblia, namba 1, 3, 7, 10, 12, 40 na 50 huitwa namba kamili. 40 ni namba kamili inayoashiria utimilifu wa kitu fulani. Kwa mfano; Musa alikaa siku arobaini mlimani sinai akisubiri kupewa Amri Kumi za Mungu, waana wa Israeli walisafiri jangwani kuelekea nchi ya ahadi kwa miaka arobaini, Yesu alifunga chakula siku arobaini jangwani kabla ya kuanza kuhubiri Habari Njema, Yesu alipaa mbinguni siku ya arobaini baada ya ufufuko wake. Matukio hayo na mengine mengi kuhusu namba 40 yanaashiria ukamilifu wa jambo fulani katika umuhimu na umaana wake.

Utimilifu wa siku arobaini za Kwaresima hujengwa katika nguzo kuu nne: Neno la Mungu, Sala na Sakramenti, Mfungo, na Matendo Mema.

1)    Neno la Mungu: Kipindi cha Kwaresima ni fursa nzuri ya kujipa muda wa kutosha kwa ajili ya kusoma na kutafakari Neno la Mungu. Tukisoma Biblia tutamjua zaidi Mungu wetu, tutajijua sisi wenyewe na hasa tutaijua nia ya Mungu kwetu ili tuweze kuyafanya mapenzi yake.

2)    Sala na Sakramenti: wakati wa Kwaresima ni vema kusali zaidi sala binafsi na sala za Kanisa ili kujitakatifuza na kuzibariki shughuli zetu za kila siku. Tushiriki Misa Takatifu, tushiriki ibada ya Njia ya Msalaba, tushiriki katika jumuiya zetu, tushiriki sakramenti za Kanisa (hasa Kitubio na Ekaristi Takatifu).

3)    Mfungo: Kwaresima ni wakati muafaka wa kujinyima vitu na mambo ya ziada. Kielelezo kikubwa zaidi ni kufunga chakula. Maana ya kufunga haiishii tu kwenye chakula bali pia ni kuacha mazoea mbalimbali yasiyo ya lazima na yasiyofaa. Kujinyima kunatuwezesha kupata fursa ya kusoma Neno la Mungu, kusali na kufanya matendo mema.

4)    Matendo Mema: Kila mmoja wetu ana shida fulani na anahitaji msaada wa mwenzake. Lakini pia wapo wenzetu wengine wenye shida zaidi kuliko sisi. Kile nilichojinyima kwa kufunga ndicho nimpatie mwenye shida zaidi kuliko mimi. Tuwatembelee wafungwa na wanaoishi katika upweke, tuwatibu wagonjwa, tuwazike wafu, tuwasaidie wazee, yatima na wajane, tuwashauri na kuwaombea wanaopotoka.

Umuhimu wa Kwaresima

Amri ya pili ya Kanisa inamtaka kila mkristo kushiriki kipindi cha Kwaresima tangu siku ya kwanza, yaani Jumatano ya Majivu. Toba ndiyo roho ya Kwaresima iliyojengwa juu ya Neno la Mungu, kusali, kushiriki sakramenti, kufunga na kufanya matendo mema. Siku arobaini za Kwaresima ni kielelezo kamili kinachotufundisha kuwa toba ni tendo la kila siku katika maisha ya mkristo. Wakati wa Kwaresima toba husisitizwa zaidi na kwa namna ya pekee ili kumjenga mkristo katika wajibu wa kuiishi imani. Katika kuiishi imani yetu tunapambana na shetani ambaye nia yake ni kuharibu mpango wa Mungu wa ukombozi. Silaha kubwa ya kupambana na shetani ni kuiishi roho ya toba inayojikita katika Neno la Mungu, sala na sakramenti, mfungo na matendo mema. Bwana wetu Yesu Kristo alifunga jangwani kwa siku arobaini kama maandalizi ya kufanya matendo mema ya kumkomboa mwanadamu. Kwa siku arobaini alifunga na kusali akamshinda shetani kwa kulitumia vema Neno la Mungu (Mt. 4:1-11). Kwa mfano huo wa Yesu, mkristo anatakiwa kuiishi toba wakati huu wa Kwaresima ili astahili kuishiriki Pasaka. Mkristo anatakiwa kuiishi kwa dhati toba ya kila siku ili amshinde shetani na hatimaye aingie kwenye Pasaka ya milele mbinguni.
Makala haya yameandaliwa na;
Dk. Padri Leonard Maliva Mhadhiri wa Chuo Kikuu cha Mtakatifu Agustimo Stella Maris Mtwara. simu namba 0754666908

Msiogope kupokea Sakramenti ya Mpako wa Wagonjwa!

Kwa mpako Mtakatifu wa Wagonjwa na Sala za Makuhani, Kanisa lote huwakabidhi wagonjwa na wazee kwa Bwana aliyeteswa ba kutukuzwa ili awainue na kuwaokoa. Na kwa hakika, Kanisa linawahimiza wajiunge kwa hiari na mateso na kifo cha Kristo ili kutoa mchango wao kwa mafao ya Taifa la Mungu.

Mama Kanisa anapenda kutafakari mang'amuzi ya ugonjwa na mateso mintarafu huruma ya Mungu inayojionesha kwa Yesu ambaye ni kielelezo cha Msamaria Mwema. Mama Kanisa kwa kuiga mfano wa Msamaria mwema katika kufundisha na kuponya kwa njia ya Mpako Mtakatifu wa Wagonjwa."Mtu wa kwenu amekuwa hawezi? Na awaite wazee wa Kanisa, nao wamwombee, na kumpaka mafuta kwa jina la Bwana". Hivi ndivyo Mama Kanisa ameendelea kutekeleza utume wake kwa wagonjwa kwa njia ya sala ya Makuhani na Mpako Mtakatifu.

Sakramenti ya Mpako Mtakatifu wa Wagonjwa, ndiyo mwendelezo wa Katekesi iliyotolewa na Baba Mtakatifu Francisko, Jumatano tarehe 26 Februari 2014 kwenye Uwanja wa Kanisa kuu la Mtakatifu Petro mjini Vatican. Anasema, kwa njia ya Maadhimisho ya Sakramenti ya Mpako Mtakatifu wa Wagonjwa, Kanisa linawasindikiza waamini wake ili kukabiliana na Fumbo la Mateso na Kifo.

Baba Mtakatifu anawaalika waamini na watu wenye mapenzi mema kutambua na kuthamini Sakramenti ya Mpako Mtakatifu wa Wagonjwa hasa katika tamaduni ambazo zinashindwa kuzungumzia kweli hizi ambazo zinagusa maisha ya binadamu.

Waamini watambue na kuthamini Sakramenti hii kama kielelezo cha mshikamano wa maisha ya kiroho na Kanisa zima, kwa kutambua uwepo endelevu wa Yesu anayewaimarisha wafuasi wake katika imani na matumaini, akiwakumbusha kwamba, hakuna kitu kinachoweza kuwatenga na nguvu yake inayookoa, si dhambi wala kifo.

Baba Mtakatifu ametambua uwepo wa wajumbe wa mkutano mkuu wa SIGNIS unaoendelea mjini Roma. Hiki ni kikundi cha Wanahabari Wakatoliki 300 kutoka katika nchi 80, kinachotafakari kuhusu "Vyombo vya Habari katika Utamaduni wa amani: kutengeneza taswira na vijana wa kizazi kipya".

Baba Mtakatifu amewasalimia wanafunzi na marafiki wa Chuo Kikuu cha Kipapa cha Canada kinachoadhimisha kumbu kumbu ya Miaka 125 tangu kilipoanzishwa. Anaendelea kuwahimiza waamini kuhakikisha kwamba, wanapokuwa na mgonjwa au mzee ambaye yuko katika hatari ya kufa, wasisite kumwita Padre ili aweze kumpatia Mpako Mtakatifu wa Wagonjwa. Kwa njia hii, Yesu Kristo Mkombozi na Bwana wa maisha, atakuwa karibu na wagonjwa hawa.

Yesu yupo katika kila Sakramenti ya Kanisa na kwa njia hii anawashirikisha waamini maisha na huruma yake. Waamini wajitahidi kumfahamu ili hatimaye, waweze kumhudumia kwa njia ya wagonjwa. Tarehe 27 Februari, Kanisa linafanya kumbu kumbu ya Mtakatifu Gabrieli mteseka, changamoto kwa vijana kuwa ari na mwamko wa kutaka kuwa kweli ni wafuasi wa Kristo.

Baba Mtakatifu anawaalika wagonjwa kutolea shida na mahangaiko yao huku wakijishikamanisha na Kristo. Wanandoa wapya wajitahidi kuhakikisha kwamba, Injili inakuwa ni dira na mwongozo wa maisha yao.

Ash Wednesday - March 5, 2014

The first day of Lent

Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of the Season of Lent. It is a season of penance, reflection, and fasting which prepares us for Christ's Resurrection on Easter Sunday, through which we attain redemption.

Why we receive the ashes

Following the example of the Nine vites, who did penance in sackcloth and ashes, our foreheads are marked with ashes to humble our hearts and reminds us that life passes away on Earth. We remember this when we are told

"Remember, Man is dust, and unto dust you shall return."

Ashes are a symbol of penance made sacramental by the blessing of the Church, and they help us develop a spirit of humility and sacrifice.

The distribution of ashes comes from a ceremony of ages past. Christians who had committed grave faults performed public penance. On Ash Wednesday, the Bishop blessed the hair shirts which they were to wear during the forty days of penance, and sprinkled over them ashes made from the palms from the previous year. Then, while the faithful recited the Seven Penitential Psalms, the penitents were turned out of the church because of their sins -- just as Adam, the first man, was turned out of Paradise because of his disobedience. The penitents did not enter the church again until Maundy Thursday after having won reconciliation by the toil of forty days' penance and sacramental absolution. Later, all Christians, whether public or secret penitents, came to receive ashes out of devotion. In earlier times, the distribution of ashes was followed by a penitential procession.

The Ashes

The ashes are made from the blessed palms used in the Palm Sunday celebration of the previous year. The ashes are christened with Holy Water and are scented by exposure to incense. While the ashes symbolize penance and contrition, they are also a reminder that God is gracious and merciful to those who call on Him with repentant hearts. His Divine mercy is of utmost importance during the season of Lent, and the Church calls on us to seek that mercy during the entire Lenten season with reflection, prayer and penance.

Daily Reading for Thursday, February 27th, 2014

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Reading 1, James 5:1-6

¹ Well now, you rich! Lament, weep for the miseries that are coming to you.
² Your wealth is rotting, your clothes are all moth-eaten.
³ All your gold and your silver are corroding away, and the same corrosion will be a witness against you and eat into your body. It is like a fire which you have stored up for the final days.
⁴ Can you hear crying out against you the wages which you kept back from the labourers mowing your fields? The cries of the reapers have reached the ears of the Lord Sabaoth.
⁵ On earth you have had a life of comfort and luxury; in the time of slaughter you went on eating to your heart's content.
⁶ It was you who condemned the upright and killed them; they offered you no resistance.

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Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 49:14-15, 15-16, 17-18, 19-20

¹⁴ They are penned in Sheol like sheep, Death will lead them to pasture, and those who are honest will rule over them. In the morning all trace of them will be gone, Sheol will be their home.
¹⁵ But my soul God will ransom from the clutches of Sheol, and will snatch me up.Pause
¹⁶ Do not be overawed when someone gets rich, and lives in ever greater splendour;
¹⁷ when he dies he will take nothing with him, his wealth will not go down with him.
¹⁸ Though he pampered himself while he lived -- and people praise you for looking after yourself-
¹⁹ he will go to join the ranks of his ancestors, who will never again see the light.
²⁰ In prosperity people lose their good sense, they become no better than dumb animals.

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Gospel, Mark 9:41-50

⁴¹ 'If anyone gives you a cup of water to drink because you belong to Christ, then in truth I tell you, he will most certainly not lose his reward.
⁴² 'But anyone who is the downfall of one of these little ones who have faith, would be better thrown into the sea with a great millstone hung round his neck.
⁴³ And if your hand should be your downfall, cut it off; it is better for you to enter into life crippled, than to have two hands and go to hell, into the fire that can never be put out.
^44
45 And if your foot should be your downfall, cut it off; it is better for you enter into life lame, than to have two feet and be thrown into hell.
^46
47 And if your eye should be your downfall, tear it out; it is better for you to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye, than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell
⁴⁸ where their worm will never die nor their fire be put out.
⁴⁹ For everyone will be salted with fire.
⁵⁰ Salt is a good thing, but if salt has become insipid, how can you make it salty again? Have salt in yourselves and be at peace with one another.'

St. Leander of Seville

February 27

534 - 600

St. Leander of Seville, Bishop (Feast - February 27th) Leander was born at Cartagena, Spain, of Severianus and Theodora, illustrious for their virtue. St. Isidore and Fulgentius, both bishops were his brothers, and his sister, Florentina, is also numbered among the saints. He became a monk at Seville and then the bishop of the See. He was instrumental in converting the two sons Hermenegild and Reccared of the Arian Visigothic King Leovigild. This action earned him the kings's wrath and exile to Constantinople, where he met and became close friends of the Papal Legate, the future Pope Gregory the Great. It was Leander who suggested that Gregory write the famous commentary on the Book of Job called the Moralia. Once back home, under King Reccared, St. Leander began his life work of propagating Christian orthodoxy against the Arians in Spain. The third local Council of Toledo (over which he presided in 589) decreed the consubstantiality of the three Persons of the Trinity and brought about moral reforms. Leander's unerring wisdom and unflagging dedication let the Visigoths and the Suevi back to the true Faith and obtained the gratitude of Gregory the Great. The saintly bishop also composed an influential Rule for nuns and was the first to introduce the Nicene Creed at Mass. Worn out by his many activities in the cause of Christ, Leander died around 600 and was succeeded in the See of Seville by his brother Isidore. The Spanish Church honors Leander as the Doctor of the Faith.

 

from Wikipedia

Saint Leander of Seville (Spanish: San Leandro de Sevilla) (Cartagena, c. 534–Seville, March 13, 600 or 601), brother of the encyclopedist St. Isidore of Seville, was the Catholic Bishop of Seville who was instrumental in effecting the conversion to Catholicism of the Visigothic kings Hermengild and Reccared of Hispania (the Iberian Peninsula, comprising both modern Spain and Portugal).

Contents

• 1 Family
• 2 Life
• 3 Works
• 4 See also
• 5 References
• 6 External links

Family[edit]

Leander and Isidore and their siblings (all sainted) belonged to an elite family of Hispano-Roman stock of Carthago Nova. Their father Severianus is claimed to be according to their hagiographers a dux or governor of Cartagena, though this seems more of a fanciful interpretation since Isidore simply states that he was a citizen. The family moved to Seville around 554. The children's subsequent public careers reflect their distinguished origin: Leander and Isidore both became bishops of Seville, and their sister Saint Florentina was an abbess who directed forty convents and one thousand nuns. Even the third brother, Fulgentius, appointed Bishop of Écija at the first triumph of Catholicism over Arianism, but of whom little is known, has been canonised as a saint. The family as a matter of course were staunch Catholics, as were the great majority of the Romanized population, from top to bottom; only the Visigothic nobles and the kings were Arians. It should be stated that there was less Visigothic persecution of Catholics than legend and hagiography have painted. From a modern standpoint, the dangers of Catholic Christianity were more political. The Catholic hierarchy were in collusion with the representatives of the Byzantine emperor, who had maintained a considerable territory in the far south of Hispania ever since his predecessor had been invited to the peninsula by the former Visigothic king several decades before. In the north, Liuvigild struggled to maintain his possessions on the far side of the Pyrenees, where his Merovingian cousins and in-laws cast envious eyes on them and had demonstrated that they would stop at nothing with the murder of Liuvigild's sister.

Life[edit]

Illumination in a 12th-century manuscript of a letter of Saint Gregory's to St. Leander (Bibl. Municipale, MS 2, Dijon)

Leander, enjoying an elite position in the secure surroundings of tolerated Catholic culture in Seville, became at first a Benedictine monk, and then in 579 he was appointed bishop of Seville. In the meantime he founded a celebrated school, which soon became a center of Catholic learning. As Bishop he had access to the Catholic Merovingian princess Ingunthis, who had come as a bride for the kingdom's heir, and he worked tirelessly with her to convert her husband St. Hermenegild, the eldest son of Liuvigild, an act of court intrigue that cannot honestly be divorced from a political context. Leander defended the new convert even when he went to war with his father "against his father's cruel reprisals," the Catholic Encyclopedia puts it. "In endeavoring to save his country from Arianism, Leander showed himself an orthodox Christian and a far-sighted patriot."
Exiled by Liuvigild, as his biographies express it, he withdrew to Byzantium — perhaps quite hastily — when the rebellion failed, from 579 to 582. It is possible, but not proven, that he sought to rouse the Byzantine Emperor Tiberius II Constantine to take up arms against the Arian king; but in any case the attempt was without result. He profited, however, by his stay at Byzantium to compose works against Arianism, and there became acquainted with the future Pope Gregory the Great, at that time legate of Pope Pelagius II at the Byzantine court. A close friendship thenceforth united the two men, and some of their correspondence survives. In 585 Liuvigild put to death his intransigent son Hermenegild, who is a martyr and saint of the Roman Catholic Church. Liuvigild himself died in 589. It is not known exactly when Leander returned from exile, but he had a share in the conversion of Reccared the heir of Liuvigild, and retained an influence over him.
Catholic sources aver that it is not known exactly when Leander returned from exile, but it is extremely unlikely that it was during the old king's lifetime. After the death of Liuvigild, Leander swiftly returned to Hispania to convoke within the very year (589) the Third Council of Toledo, where Visigothic Hispania abjured Arianism, and Leander delivered the triumphant closing sermon, which his brother Isidore entitled Homilia de triumpho ecclesiae ob conversionem Gothorum a homily upon the triumph of the Church and the conversion of the Goths. On his return from this council, Leander convened a synod in his metropolitan city of Seville (Conc. Hisp., I), and never afterwards ceased his efforts to consolidate the work of extirpating the remains of Arianism, in which his brother and successor St. Isidore was to follow him. Leander received the pallium in August, 599.

Papa Francisko aunda Taasisi za kusimamia na kuratibu shughuli za uchumi na fedha ya Kanisa

Mama Kanisa amepewa dhamana ya kusimamia kwa uaminifu na busara mali ambayo amekabidhiwa kama sehemu ya utekelezaji wa utume wake wa Uinjilishaji, kwa kutoa kipaumbele cha kwanza kwa maskini na wote wanaosukumizwa pembezoni mwa Jamii.Usimamizi na uratibu mzuri wa mali ya Vatican una uhusiano wa pekee na utume wa Khalifa wa Mtakatifu Petro kwa ajili ya Kanisa la Kiulimwengu sanjari na maendeleo ya mtu mzima: kiroho na kimwili.

Kwa maneno haya Baba Mtakatifu Francisko, Jumatatu tarehe 24 Februari 2014 ameanzisha muundo mpya wa uchumi na uratibu wa wa shughuli za Vatican, baada ya kufanya marekebisho makubwa kuhusiana na Waraka wa Kitume wa Mchungaji Mwema, Pastor Bonus. Baada ya kupokea ushauri wa Makardinali kwa hiyari yake mwenyewe ameamua kuunda Baraza la Kipapa la Uchumi litakalosimamia na kuratibu shughuli zote za uchumi na fedha mjini Vatican pamoja na kusimamia taasisi zote zilizoko chini ya Vatican.

Baraza la Kipapa la Uchumi litakuwa na wajumbe kumi na watano, kati yao kutakuwepo na Makardinali au Maaskofu wanane watakaoteuliwa kutoka sehemu mbali mbali za dunia, kama kielelezo cha uwakilishi wa Kanisa la Kiulimwengu, wajumbe wengine saba watakuwa ni wataalam walei watakaoteuliwa kutoka katika mataifa mbali mbali: hawa wanapaswa kuwa na sifa, ujuzi na weledi katika masuala ya fedha na uchumi.

Baraza la Kipapa la Uchumi litasimamiwa na Kardinali ambaye atakuwa na dhamana ya kuratibu shughuli zote.

Baba Mtakatifu Francisko ameunda pia Sekretarieti ya Uchumi itakayokuwa inawajibika moja kwa moja kwa Khalifa wa Mtakatifu Petro katika utekelezaji wa majukumu yake kwa kuunda sera, kanuni na taratibu za manunuzi sanjari na ugavi bora wa rasilimali watu kwa kuzingatia mahitaji ya taasisi husika. Sekretarieti ya Uchumi itasimamiwa na Kardinali, kwa kushirikiana na Sekretarieti ya Vatican na kwamba, Katibu mkuu wa Sekretarieti atakuwa na dhamana ya kumsaidia Kardinali ambaye ataratibu shughuli zote hizi.

St. Tarasius

 

Feastday: February 25
730 - 806

St. Tarasius was subject of the Byzantine Empire. He was raised to the highest honors in the Empire as Consul, and later became first secretary to the Emperor Constantine and his mother, Irene. When being elected Patriarch of Constantinople, he consented to accept the dignity offered to him only on condition that a General Council should be summoned to resolve the disputes concerning the veneration of sacred images, for Constantinople had been separated from the Holy See on account of the war between the Emperors. The Council was held in the Church of the Holy Apostles at Constantinople in 786; it met again the following year at Nice and its decrees were approved by the Pope. The holy Patriarch incurred the enmity of the Emperor by his persistent refusal to sanction his divorce from his lawful wife. He witnessed the death of Constantine, which was occasioned by his own mother; he beheld the reign and the downfall of Irene and usurpation of Nicephorus. St. Tarasius' whole life in the Episcopacy was one of penance and prayer, and of hard labor to reform his clergy and people. He occupied the See of Constantinople twenty-one years and two months. His charity toward the poor was one of the characteristic virtues of his life. He visited in person, all the houses and hospitals in Constantinople, so that no indigent person might be overlooked in the distribution of alms. This saintly Bishop was called to his eternal reward in the year 806. His feast day is February 25th.

Daily Reading for Tuesday, February 25th, 2014

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Reading 1, James 4:1-10

¹ Where do these wars and battles between yourselves first start? Is it not precisely in the desires fighting inside your own selves?
² You want something and you lack it; so you kill. You have an ambition that you cannot satisfy; so you fight to get your way by force. It is because you do not pray that you do not receive;
³ when you do pray and do not receive, it is because you prayed wrongly, wanting to indulge your passions.
⁴ Adulterers! Do you not realise that love for the world is hatred for God? Anyone who chooses the world for a friend is constituted an enemy of God.
⁵ Can you not see the point of the saying in scripture, 'The longing of the spirit he sent to dwell in us is a jealous longing.'?
⁶ But he has given us an even greater grace, as scripture says: God opposes the proud but he accords his favour to the humble.
⁷ Give in to God, then; resist the devil, and he will run away from you.
⁸ The nearer you go to God, the nearer God will come to you. Clean your hands, you sinners, and clear your minds, you waverers.
⁹ Appreciate your wretchedness, and weep for it in misery. Your laughter must be turned to grief, your happiness to gloom.
¹⁰ Humble yourselves before the Lord and he will lift you up.

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Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 55:7-8, 9-10, 10-11, 23

⁷ How far I would escape, and make a nest in the desert!Pause
⁸ I would soon find a refuge from the storm of abuse, from the
⁹ destructive tempest, Lord, from the flood of their tongues. For I see violence and strife in the city,
¹⁰ day and night they make their rounds along the city walls, Inside live malice and mischief,
¹¹ inside lives destruction, tyranny and treachery never absent from its central square.
²³ You, God, will thrust them down to the abyss of destruction, men bloodthirsty and deceptive, before half their days are spent. For my part, I put my trust in you.

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Gospel, Mark 9:30-37

³⁰ After leaving that place they made their way through Galilee; and he did not want anyone to know,
³¹ because he was instructing his disciples; he was telling them, 'The Son of man will be delivered into the power of men; they will put him to death; and three days after he has been put to death he will rise again.'
³² But they did not understand what he said and were afraid to ask him.
³³ They came to Capernaum, and when he got into the house he asked them, 'What were you arguing about on the road?'
³⁴ They said nothing, because on the road they had been arguing which of them was the greatest.
³⁵ So he sat down, called the Twelve to him and said, 'If anyone wants to be first, he must make himself last of all and servant of all.'
³⁶ He then took a little child whom he set among them and embraced, and he said to them,
³⁷ 'Anyone who welcomes a little child such as this in my name, welcomes me; and anyone who welcomes me, welcomes not me but the one who sent me.'

Sacraments of the Catholic Church

The liturgical life of the Catholic Church revolves around the Eucharistic sacrifice and the sacraments. There are seven sacraments in the Church: Baptism, Confirmation, Eucharist, Penance, Anointing of the Sick, Matrimony, and Holy Orders.

The purpose of the sacraments is to make people holy, to build up the body of Christ, and finally, to give worship to God; but being signs, they also have a teaching function. They not only presuppose faith, but by words and object, they also nourish, strengthen, and express it; that is why they are called "sacraments of faith." The sacraments impart grace, but, in addition, the very act of celebrating them disposes the faithful most effectively to receive this grace in a fruitful manner, to worship God rightly, and to practice charity.

Worship is integral to our lives as Christians. When we engage in the prayer and ritual of the Church, we are formed as Church. Our sacramental rites are of primary importance while we are gathered.

The history of human salvation is the history of the way God came to men. The first step on this way was the bridging of the gulf separating God and man in the person of the one Mediator Jesus Christ and by his work of redemption. By means of his Church Christ makes his grace available to all. Only in this application of redemption to mankind is the redemptive action of Christ completed. The doctrine of the sacraments is the doctrine of the second part of God's way of salvation to us. It deals with the holy signs which Christ instituted as the vehicles of his grace.

The great mystery of the union in Christ of a human nature with the second Person of the Godhead is that the human actions and sufferings of Christ are divine actions and sufferings. The sacraments are a living continuation of this mystery. There are earthly, external signs here which, of themselves, could never acquire any supernatural significance, but the signs of the sacraments have been made by Christ into vehicles of his grace. They effect in men the grace for which Christ made them the sign.

So there are two fundamental ideas which constantly recur in the Church's teaching, on the sacraments. First there is the Church's concern for these instituted by Christ, their number, and their proper preservation and administration; then the grace which Christ has for all time linked with these signs and which is communicated by them.

The second is the effect of the sacraments. They are the signs of Christ's work; the effectiveness of Christ's continuing work in his Church cannot be dependent on man's inadequacy. A sacrament, administered properly in the way established by Christ and with the proper intention, gives the grace it signifies. It is effective not by reason of the power of intercession of priestly prayer nor on account of the worthiness of the recipient, but solely by the power of Christ. The power of Christ lives in the sacraments. The effect of the sacrament is independent of the sinfulness or unworthiness of the minister. The Church has never tolerated any subjective qualification of the objective effectiveness of the sacraments ex opere operato. This would ultimately be to conceive the way of salvation as being man's way to God and not God's way to man.

The Church Thus Teaches: There are seven sacraments. They were instituted by Christ and given to the Church to administer. They are necessary for salvation. The sacraments are the vehicles of grace which they convey. They are validly administered by the carrying out of the sign with the proper intention. Not all are equally qualified to administer all the sacraments. The validity of the sacrament is independent of the worthiness of the minister. Three sacraments imprint an indelible character.

Sacramentals are instituted by the Church and are effective by virtue of the Church's intercession. Institution and alteration of them is reserved to the Holy See.

Although it is not a sacrament, Christian Burial will be addressed in this section.

Baptism

Baptism, the first and fundamental sacrament and the gate to the other sacraments, is the purifying and sanctifying sacrament of rebirth. It is the means by which its recipients are incorporated into the church in a sacramental bond of unity.

Confirmation

By a signing with the gift of the Spirit, confirmation enriches the baptized with the Holy Spirit, binding them more perfectly to the Church, and strengthening them in their witness to Christ by word and deed and in their work to bring to its fullness the Body of Christ. Confirmation is conferred through anointing with chrism and the laying on of hands.

Eucharist

The Eucharist is the most august sacrament, in which Christ himself is contained, offered and received, and by which the Church constantly lives and grows. The Eucharistic Sacrifice, the memorial of the death and resurrection of the Lord, in which the sacrifice of the cross is perpetuated over the centuries, is the summit and source of all Christian life and worship; it signifies and effects the unity of the people of God and achieves the building up of the Body of Christ.

As children reach the age of reason, generally around age seven, the Church extends to them an invitation to celebrate the sacrament of Eucharist. The initiation into the Christian community that took place at baptism is further extended by inviting children to enter fully into the heart of Christian faith through participation in the Eucharist.

Penance

Through penance, the faithful receive pardon through God's mercy for the sins they have committed. At the same time, they are reconciled with the Church community. The confession, or disclosure, of sins frees us and facilitates our reconciliation with others.

Anointing of the Sick

Through the sacrament of anointing, Christ strengthens the faithful who are afflicted by illness, providing them with the strongest means of support. Jesus showed great concern for the bodily and spiritual welfare of the sick and commanded his followers to do the same. The celebration of this sacrament is an opportunity for the deepening of the faith of the community who are able to witness the faith and devotion of those being anointed.

Marriage

The Church has a rich tradition in its teaching on sacramental marriage and covenantal union. The Old Testament authors write of God making a covenant with the chosen people and promising them that they will never be forsaken. The New Testament authors write of Jesus as the new covenant and compare the relationship of Jesus with the Church to the relationship of a husband and wife. The matrimonial covenant, by which a man and a woman establish between themselves a partnership for the whole of life, is by its nature ordered toward the good of the spouses and the procreation and education of offspring.

Holy Orders

Holy Orders is the sacrament by which bishops, priests and deacons are ordained and receive the power and grace to perform their sacred duties. The sacred rite by which orders are conferred is called ordination. The apostles were ordained by Jesus at the Last Supper so that others could share in his priesthood.

Christian Burial

The Church asks spiritual assistance for the departed, honors their bodies, and at the same time brings solace of hope to the living. The celebration of the Christian funeral brings hope and consolation to the living. While proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus Christ and witnessing to the Christian hope in the resurrection, the funeral rites also recall to all who take part in them God's mercy and judgement and meet the human need to turn always to God in times of crisis.

Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults

The Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults includes the celebration of the sacraments of baptism, confirmation and Eucharist, but also all of the rites of the catechumenate. The initiation of adults is a gradual process that takes place within the community of the faithful.

Together with the catechumens, the faithful reflect upon the value of the paschal mystery, renew their own conversion, and by their example lead the catechumens to obey the Holy Spirit more generously.

Mauaji, uhusiano wa damu na uhusiano ndugu kisheria ni kati ya vizuizi vya ndoa ya Kikristo!

Mpendwa  kwa mara nyingine tena karibu katika kipindi chetu cha Kanisa la nyumbani. Katika vipindi vilivyopita tulianza kuvitazama vizuizi vya ndoa kwa sura nyepesi ya Kichungaji.

Tunasema tena: Lengo letu, ni kuyapa hadhi, uzuri na heshima kuu zaidi maisha ya ndoa na familia, ili kwamo Mungu atukuzwe na wanadamu watakaswe. Katika kikao chake pamoja na Makardinali, Baba Mtakatifu Francisco katika salaamu zake amewaomba Makardinali wote, kuzamisha mawazo yao katika kuweka mbele ukuu wa Sakramenti ya ndoa na uzuri wa familia.

Hadi sasa tumezungumzia vizuizi saba, yaani umri (kuwa chini ya umri unaokubalika kisheria), uhanithi (kukosa uwezo wa kushiriki tendo la ndoa), ndoa awali, utofauti wa imani, daraja takatifu, nadhiri hadhara ya useja katika Shirika la kitawa na kutoroshwa. Leo mpendwa, tunaendelea...!
Kizuizi cha NANE ni MAUAJI. Sheria Kan, namb. 1090 inakataa ndoa ya mmwagaji damu ili aweze kuoa. Kwa mfano, Ndg. Pori anampenda sana Mwitu. Lakini Mwitu amekwisha kuolewa na Bw. Kichaka. Pori anaamua kumuua Bw. Kichaka ambaye ni mume halali wa Mwitu, ili apate nafasi ya kumuoa Mwitu. Hicho ni kizuizi!

Au mama Ngedere amemchoka kabisa mumewe, badala yake anampenda sana Bw. Nyani na huyu Bw. Nyani yupo tayari kumuoa Mama Ngedere lakini kikwazo ni Bw. Ngedere. Mama Ngedere anaamua kutumia ukatiri wake aliorithi kutoka kwa shetani, anamuua mumewe kwa sumu au kwa kukodi majambazi au kwa kupanga ajali; ili awe huru kuolewa na Bw. Nyani. Au wewe unamuua mchumba wa fulani ili yule fulani akuoe wewe. HICHO NI KIZUIZI. NDOA HIYO ITANUKA DAMU KILA SIKU!!

Kizuizi cha TISA ni UHUSIANO DAMU. Sheria Kan, namb. 1091 inakataza kabisa ndoa kati ya ndugu wa damu daraja la kwanza na daraja la pili hadi ngazi ya nne. Mfano Baba hawezi kumuoa binti yake au mjukuu wake, au dada kuolewa na kaka yake. Pia mtu huwezi kuoa mtoto wa dada yako, au kumuoa dada ya baba yako mzazi. Haitegemewi kusikika kijana unataka kufunga ndoa na mama yako mzazi.

Maingiliano ya kindoa kati ya ndugu wa damu ni tatizo linalokua sana nyakati zetu hizi, kwa sababu za usiri mkubwa na uholela katika uzazi. Kijana na Binti ni watoto wa baba mmoja, ila hawajuani kwa sababu baba aliwazaa sehemu tofauti kwa siri. Taratibu zifuatwe vizuri ili kuona kweli wanaoingia katika agano hawaingii katika uharimu. Uchumba wa kuchunguzwa na matangazo ni kitu muhimu sana. ukisikia ndugu wa damu wanataka kufunga ndoa, ni kizuizi hicho, timua mbio kaseme kwa Paroko.

Kizuizi cha KUMI ni UHUSIANO-NDUGU KISHERIA. Sheria Kan, namb. 1092, tuifafanua kwa mifano zaidi. Maana iliyofichika ni kwamba, kwa kitendo cha kuoa na kuolewa, mume anajenga udugu wa karibu kabisa na ndugu wa mkewe, na mke anajenga udugu wa karibu na ndugu wa mumewe. Ikitokea mmoja anafariki, haitegemewi mama mfiwa aolewe na baba mkwe wake, au baba mfiwa akaoe mama mkwe wake ambaye ni mjane. Au hata ile ambayo hutendeka mahali pengi ya mtu kuamua kuoa mdogo wa marehemu mkewe, au mama anaolewa na mdogo wa marehemu mumewe. Au mtu unaamua tu kukurupua mke wa ndugu yake. Yohane Mbatizaji alimkataza Herode tabia ya aina hiyo. KIMSINGI SIO HALALI. IkitokeA hivyo, usiifiche hali hiyo, taratibu ya kichungaji ifuatwe, Baba Paroko anajua.

Tunaahirisha kipindi chetu kwa leo, tusikilizane tena wakati mwingine. Kutoka Radio Vatican,
Ni mimi Padre Pambo Martin Mkorwe OSB.

Maaskofu wa Hispania waanza hija ya kitume mjini Vatican

Kundi la kwanza la Baraza la Maaskofu Katoliki Hispania, Leo tarehe 24 Februari 2014 linaanza hija ya kitume inayofanyika mjini Vatican walau kila baada ya miaka mitano kadiri ya sheria za Kanisa. Kundi la kwanza linaundwa na Maaskofu 44, litapata nafasi ya kukutana na kuzungumza na Baba Mtakatifu pamoja na viongozi waandamizi kutoka Vatican.

Taarifa zinaonesha kwamba, kundi la pili litakutana na Baba Mtakatiofu Francisko kuanzia tarehe 3 hadi tarehe 8 Machi 2014. Baba Mtakatifu anatarajiwa kukutana na Maaskofu wote wa Hispania hapo tarehe 3 Machi 2014. Kwa mara ya mwisho, Baraza la Maaskofu Katoliki Hispania lilifanya hija yake ya kichungaji kunako mwaka 2005. Hata kama walihitimisha hija yao kadiri ya sheria za Kanisa, lakini hali ya Mwenyeheri Yohane Paulo wa Pili iliendelea kudhohofu sana.

Katika uongozi wa Baba Mtakatifu mstaafu Benedikto XVI, Baraza la Maaskofu Katoliki Hispania halikupata nafasi ya kufanya hija ya kitume mjini Vatican. Baba Mtakatifu mstaafu Benedikto XVI alibahatika kutembelea Hispania mara tatu wakati wa utume wake kama Khalifa wa Mtakatifu Petro. Mara ya kwanza ilikuwa ni Mwaka 2006 wakati wa Maadhimisho ya Siku ya Tano ya Familia Kimataifa iliyoadhimishwa mjini Valencia. Kunako mwaka 2010 Baba Mtakatifu Mstaafu Benedikto XVI alitembelea mjini Barcelona na Santiago de Compostella.

Vijana wengi wanaikumbuka hija ya kichungaji ya Baba Mtakatifu Mstaafu Benedikto XVI mjini Madrid wakati wa Maadhimisho ya Siku ya Vijana Duniani kwa Mwaka 2011, wakati vijana waliponyeeshewa na mvua kubwa na Baba Mtakatifu mstaafu Benedikto akabaki pamoja nao! Adhimisho likaendelea kama ilivyopangwa kwa Kesha na Ibada ya Kuabudu Ekaristi Takatifu.

Daily Reading for Monday, February 24th, 2014

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Reading 1, James 3:13-18

¹³ Anyone who is wise or understanding among you should from a good life give evidence of deeds done in the gentleness of wisdom.
¹⁴ But if at heart you have the bitterness of jealousy, or selfish ambition, do not be boastful or hide the truth with lies;
¹⁵ this is not the wisdom that comes from above, but earthly, human and devilish.
¹⁶ Wherever there are jealousy and ambition, there are also disharmony and wickedness of every kind;
¹⁷ whereas the wisdom that comes down from above is essentially something pure; it is also peaceable, kindly and considerate; it is full of mercy and shows itself by doing good; nor is there any trace of partiality or hypocrisy in it.
¹⁸ The peace sown by peacemakers brings a harvest of justice.

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Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 19:8, 9, 10, 15

⁸ The precepts of Yahweh are honest, joy for the heart; the commandment of Yahweh is pure, light for the eyes.
⁹ The fear of Yahweh is pure, lasting for ever; the judgements of Yahweh are true, upright, every one,
¹⁰ more desirable than gold, even than the finest gold; his words are sweeter than honey, that drips from the comb.

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Gospel, Mark 9:14-29

¹⁴ As they were rejoining the disciples they saw a large crowd round them and some scribes arguing with them.
¹⁵ At once, when they saw him, the whole crowd were struck with amazement and ran to greet him.
¹⁶ And he asked them, 'What are you arguing about with them?'
¹⁷ A man answered him from the crowd, 'Master, I have brought my son to you; there is a spirit of dumbness in him,
¹⁸ and when it takes hold of him it throws him to the ground, and he foams at the mouth and grinds his teeth and goes rigid. And I asked your disciples to drive it out and they were unable to.'
¹⁹ In reply he said to them, 'Faithless generation, how much longer must I be among you? How much longer must I put up with you? Bring him to me.'
²⁰ They brought the boy to him, and at once the spirit of dumbness threw the boy into convulsions, and he fell to the ground and lay writhing there, foaming at the mouth.
²¹ Jesus asked the father, 'How long has this been happening to him?' 'From childhood,' he said,
²² 'and it has often thrown him into fire and into water, in order to destroy him.
²³ But if you can do anything, have pity on us and help us.'
²⁴ 'If you can?' retorted Jesus. 'Everything is possible for one who has faith.' At once the father of the boy cried out, 'I have faith. Help my lack of faith!'
²⁵ And when Jesus saw that a crowd was gathering, he rebuked the unclean spirit. 'Deaf and dumb spirit,' he said, 'I command you: come out of him and never enter him again.'
²⁶ Then it threw the boy into violent convulsions and came out shouting, and the boy lay there so like a corpse that most of them said, 'He is dead.'
²⁷ But Jesus took him by the hand and helped him up, and he was able to stand.
²⁸ When he had gone indoors, his disciples asked him when they were by themselves, 'Why were we unable to drive it out?'
²⁹ He answered, 'This is the kind that can be driven out only by prayer.'

St. John Theristus

Feastday: February 24
1049 - 1129

Benedictine monk, called Theristus or “Harvester.” He was of Calabrian lineage, born in Sicily. His mother was a slave of the Saracens. John escaped at a young age and became a monk.