Our faith 2
catholicnewsherald.com | November 10, 2017 CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD
A SAINTLY LIFE
St. Margaret of Scotland, patron of large families
Pope Francis
Stop taking smartphone snapshots during Mass
T
he Mass is not a show, but a beautiful, transformative encounter with the true loving presence of Christ, Pope Francis said. That is why people need to focus their hearts on God, not focus their smartphones for pictures during Mass, he said. When the priest celebrating Mass says, “Let us lift up our hearts,” he is not saying, “lift up our cellphones and take a picture. No. It’s an awful thing” to do, the pope said Nov. 8 during his weekly general audience in St. Peter’s Square. “It makes me so sad when I celebrate (Mass) in the square or in the basilica and I see so many cellphones in the air. And not just by the lay faithful, some priests and bishops, too,” he said. “Please, Mass is not a show. It is going to encounter the Passion, the resurrection of the Lord,” he said to applause. The pope’s remarks were part of a new series of audience talks on the Mass. The series, he said, should help people understand the true value and significance of the liturgy as an essential part of growing closer to God. A major theme highlighted by the Second Vatican Council was that the liturgical formation of the lay faithful is “indispensable for a true renewal,” Pope Francis said. “And this is precisely the aim of this catechetical series that we begin today – to grow in understanding the great gift God gave us in the Eucharist.” “The Second Vatican Council was strongly driven by the desire to lead Christians to an understanding of the grandeur of the faith and the beauty of the encounter with Christ,” he said. That is why, “with the guidance of the Holy Spirit, an appropriate renewal of the liturgy” was necessary. The Eucharist is a wonderful way Jesus Christ makes Himself truly present in people’s lives, the pope said. To take part in the Mass is to relive the Lord’s passion and redemptive death, where, on the altar, He is present and offers Himself for the salvation of the world, the pope said. “The Lord is there with us and present. But so many times we go, we look around, we chitchat with each other while the priest celebrates the Eucharist.” If the president or any other famous or important person were to show up, he said, it would be a given “that we all would be near him, we would want to greet him. But think about it, when you go to Mass, the Lord is there and you, you are distracted, (your mind) wanders. Yet, it is the Lord!” People should reflect on this, he said, and if they complain, “’Oh, Father, Mass is boring.’ What are you saying? The Lord is boring? ‘No, not the Mass, but the priest.’ Ah, well, may the priest be converted,” but just never forget that the Lord is always there.
Feast day: Nov. 16 On Nov. 16, the Church celebrates the feast day of St. Margaret, Queen of Scotland. Her feast day was originally June 10, but was moved to Nov. 16, the day of her death, upon the renewal of the Church’s liturgical calendar. Some continue to celebrate her feast on June 10, but many, including all of Scotland, celebrate her feast today. Margaret was born into royalty in Hungary around 1045. Her father was Edward Atheling, heir to the English throne, and her mother was Princess Agatha of Hungary. Her family returned to England when she was 10 years old, but the Norman Conquest forced them into exile. By this time her father had died, and her mother fled with the children. While fleeing the invading army of William the Conqueror in 1066, her family’s ship wrecked on the Scottish coast. They remained in Scotland, where they were assisted by King Malcolm III. In 1070, at the age of 25, Margaret married King Malcolm. As queen, Margaret’s faith had a strong influence on her husband’s reign. She softened his temper and led him to practice virtue. She dignified the court, providing an example of purity and reverence that led others to follow in her path. She and the king prayed together and fed the hungry, offering a powerful witness of faith to the people they served. They had eight children, including two who later were also named saints. In addition to being a model wife and mother, Margaret worked tirelessly to bring justice and relief to the poor of Scotland. She also built churches, founded abbeys and encouraged practices of religious devotion. In her private life, she exhibited great prayerfulness and piety. Her influence was seen not only in her husband’s life, but throughout all of Scotland. Margaret died in 1093, just four days after her husband and one of her sons were killed in battle. She was canonized in 1250 by Pope Innocent IV and named patron of Scotland in 1673. She is also one of the patron saints of large families. — Catholic News Agency A stained glass window depicting St. Margaret of Scotland, in the chapel dedicated to her in Edinburgh Castle. Dating from the early 12th century, the chapel is the oldest surviving part of Edinburgh Castle.
More online At www.catholicnewsherald.com: Read about the history of St. Margaret of Scotland Church in Maggie Valley, and learn more about other patron saints of families
Your daily Scripture readings NOV. 12-18
Sunday: Wisdom 6:12-16, 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18, Matthew 25:1-13; Monday (St. Frances Xavier Cabrini): Wisdom 1:1-7, Luke 17:1-6; Tuesday: Wisdom 2:23, 3:9, Luke 17:7-10; Wednesday (St. Albert the Great): Wisdom 6:1-11, Luke 17:11-19; Thursday (St. Margaret of Scotland, St. Gertrude): Wisdom 7:22, 8:1, Luke 17:20-25; Friday (St. Elizabeth of Hungary): Wisdom 13:1-9, Luke 17:26-37; Saturday (The Dedication of the Basilicas of Sts. Peter and Paul, St. Rose Philippine Duchesne): Wisdom 18:14-16, 19:6-9, Luke 18:1-8
NOV. 19-25
Sunday: Proverbs 31:10-13, 19-20, 30-31, 1 Thessalonians 5:1-6, Matthew 25:14-30; Monday: 1 Maccabees 1:10-15, 41-43, 54-57, 6263, Luke 18:35-43; Tuesday (The Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary): 2 Maccabees 6:18-31, Luke 19:1-10; Wednesday (St. Cecilia): 2 Maccabees 7:1, 20-31, Luke 19:11-28; Thursday (St. Clement I, St. Columban, BI. Miguel Agustin Pro, Thanksgiving Day): 1 Maccabees 2:15-29, Luke 19:41-44; Friday (St. Andrew Dung-Lac and Companions): 1 Maccabees 4:3637, 52-59, 1 Chronicles 29:10-12, Luke 19:45-48; Saturday (St. Catherine of Alexandria): 1 Maccabees 6:1-13, Luke 20:27-40
NOV. 26-DEC. 2
Sunday (Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe): Ezekiel 34:11-12, 15-17, 1 Corinthians 15:20-26, 28, Matthew 25:31-46; Monday: Daniel 1:1-6, 8-20, Daniel 3:52-56, Luke 21:1-4; Tuesday: Daniel 2:31-45, Daniel 3:57-61, Luke 21:5-11; Wednesday: Daniel 5:1-6, 13-14, 16-17, 2328, Daniel 3:62-67, Luke 21:12-19; Thursday (St. Andrew): Romans 10:9-18, Matthew 4:18-22; Friday: Daniel 7:2-14, Daniel 3:75-81, Luke 21:2933; Saturday: Daniel 7:15-27, Daniel 3:82-87, Luke 21:34-36