Mary stands by us in our Sorrows

Fr Dr John Singarayar SVD

I remember the first time I truly connected with the Feast of Our Lady of Sorrows. It was a few years ago, not long after I'd become a mother myself. As I sat in church that September 15, cradling my infant daughter, the priest's words about Mary's seven sorrows suddenly hit me differently. It wasn't just a story any more; it was achingly real.

Looking down at my baby's peaceful face, I couldn't help but think of Mary holding Jesus. The overwhelming love, the fierce protectiveness – I felt it all. But with that love came a new kind of vulnerability I'd never experienced before. What if something happened to my child? The thought alone was unbearable.

That's when Mary's first sorrow – Simeon's prophecy – really sank in. Imagine being told that your newborn, this miracle you've just brought into the world, is destined for greatness, but also for immense suffering. And not only that, but you'll feel every bit of that pain too. "A sword will pierce your own soul," said Simeon. As a new mom, those words gave me chills.

It made me think of all the parents I know who've received difficult news about their children – diagnoses, accidents, unexpected challenges. That sword piercing the soul? It's all too real for so many.

The second sorrow – the flight to Egypt – reminded me of the news footage I'd seen of refugee families, fleeing war-torn countries with nothing but the clothes on their backs and the children in their arms. I thought of Mary and Joseph, making that dangerous journey with a newborn, not knowing what lay ahead.

The Pope in Indonesia

Following a 13-hour flight from Rome, Pope Francis landed in Jakarta, the first destination of an 11-day trip in which he also visited Papua New Guinea, East Timor, and Singapore. On Sept. 4, Pope Francis' first full day of public appearances in Indonesia, he called upon the political leaders of the world's largest Muslim country to protect the country's delicate balance of many cultures and religions by respecting the human rights of all, including minorities. The Pope was welcomed to the Indonesian capital of Jakarta by a grand ceremony at the Merdeka Palace, the official residence of the Indonesian President.

"In order to foster a peaceful and fruitful harmony that ensures peace and unites efforts to remove the imbalances and suffering that still persist in some areas of the country, the Church desires to increase interreligious dialogue," Pope Francis said in his opening speech.

The first visit by a pope to Indonesia in three decades comes at a pivotal moment for the Southeast Asian country, which is home to the world's largest Muslim population. Pope Paul VI visited Indonesia in 1970, and Pope John Paul II visited in 1989.

In his speech to roughly 300 local authorities, civil society representatives, and members of the diplomatic corps gathered at the palace, Pope Francis commended Indonesia's efforts to maintain religious harmony in such a diverse society, and underlined the need for the preservation of human rights for all. "Your national motto 'Bhinneka tunggal ika' ['United in Diversity,' literally 'Many but One'] captures well this multifaceted reality of diverse peoples firmly united in one nation," said Pope Francis.

Pope Francis urges stewardship of resources, peace among tribes

Courtney Mares

The bishop of Kundinawa in Papua New Guinea, Paul Sundu, said that of the 300,000 people expected to see Pope Francis, many walked two or three weeks before the papal visit" from all the dioceses of the island country. Some even came from the Solomon Islands, about 885 miles to the east in the South Pacific.

The Holy Father arrived Sept. 6 for a three-day visit to Papua New Guinea, his second stop on a 12-day apostolic journey to Asia and Oceania.

Papua New Guinea is one of the 1,126 mission territories of the Catholic Church, whose first evangelisers arrived there in 1889. Today, its population is 30% Catholic, a percentage that increases at a rate of 40,000 baptised each year.

In this Oceania nation, 19 dioceses have been established, in which 600 priests work in 400 parishes and serve more than 800 social institutions such as orphanages, hospitals, or leprosariums. In addition, the Catholic Church has nearly 3,500 schools in the area, according to data provided by the Pontifical Mission Societies in Spain.

Pope Francis began his historic visit to Papua New Guinea with a call for stewardship of the nation's rich natural resources and a plea for peace amid ongoing tribal conflicts.

The Pope was welcomed to the capital city of Port Moresby on Sept. 7 by the beating drums of one of the country's 300 indigenous tribes, who performed a traditional dance in feathered hats and grass skirts.

Papal Mass in Papua New Guinea: 'Open yourselves to the joy of the Gospel'

Kristina Millare

Pope Francis presided over Mass at Sir John Guise Stadium in Port Moresby on Sept. 8, delivering a powerful message to Papua New Guineans that despite the distance that separates them from Rome, they are in the centre of Christ's heart.

Approximately 35,000 Catholics from across Papua New Guinea and Oceania came together at the venue, united in their faith and buoyed by the uplifting chants of the Port Moresby Catholic choir's 100 singers honouring the Lord under the tropical sun.

"Brothers and sisters, you who live on this large island in the Pacific Ocean may sometimes have thought of yourselves as a far away and distant land, situated at the edge of the world," Pope Francis said in his homily.

"Perhaps, for other reasons, you may also at times have felt distant from God and the Gospel, unable to communicate with Him or with each other. Yet … today, the Lord wants to draw near to you, to break down distances, to let you know that you are at the centre of His heart, and that each one of you is important."

The opening procession began with the beating of drums as dancers from the two largest tribes in Papua New Guinea led the many concelebrating bishops vested in green.

Pope Francis read the opening prayers for the Mass in English, a rare occurrence, and something only seen on the Argentine Pope's international trips. The prayers of the faithful were read in three of Papua New Guinea's more than 800 languages: Motu, Tok Pisin, and English.

Ave Crux, Spes Unica – Hail to the Cross, our only Hope

 Br Dorson D. D’Mello

The Cross, a symbol of shame and humiliation, has become a sign of victory, glory and hope.

The Cross is the symbol of all the hatred and scorn that Jesus suffered in His life. In the time of Jesus, one of the most humiliating and inhumane forms of punishment meted out by the Romans to criminals and those punished was death on a cross. It was so ignominious that Roman citizens would almost never be killed on a cross, and the non-Romans would dread this kind of a death.

However, through His death on the Cross, Jesus would transform the meaning of the Cross. It would go on to become a sign and symbol so glorious that it would adorn the flags of empires and countries, it would be the highest point in buildings, and it would adorn the crowns and sceptres of emperors and kings. However, above all this, it became a symbol of the highest form of love and hope.

 A symbol of Sacrifice and Love

Abp. Fulton Sheen, in his book Life of Christ, points out that the Cross was not something that would dawn at the end of the life of Christ to bring about a climax, but it always overshadowed His life right from His birth. He stresses on the fact that without the Cross, Jesus would have been 'nothing more than a sultry precursor of democracy or a humanitarian who taught brotherhood without tears,' therefore, while the heart may stand for a symbol of love, the Cross stands for the very potent symbol of Sacrificial Love that seeks not its own advantage or comfort, but only the good of the other.

Gaze at the Holy Cross

Ninette Dsouza

After a hijacked plane slammed into the Pentagon on September 11, 2001, many people inside the building were trapped by a cloud of thick, blinding smoke. Police officer Issac Hoopi ran into the blackness, searching for survivors, and heard people calling for help. He began shouting back, over and over: "Head towards my voice! Head towards my voice!" Six people, who had lost all sense of direction in a smoke-filled hallway, heard the officer's shouts and followed. Hoopi's voice led them out of the building to safety. "Head towards my voice" is I believe the invitation of Jesus from the Cross to each one of us when we are in danger or when we have lost our way. In difficult circumstances, gazing at the Cross helps us walk towards Him, rather than be left groping in the dark.

 Death - Resurrection

Without even realising it, we begin every prayer by signing ourselves with the Cross. Sometimes, we absentmindedly make the sign of the Cross when we pass a church, or with an almost imperceptible bow of the head acknowledge the presence of Jesus when we pass a crucifix by the roadside. In the Latin rite, the Sign of the Cross is made from left to right, signifying from darkness to light. In the Eastern tradition, it is made from right to left, basically implying that Jesus, the light of the world, is being taken into the darkness to redeem it. There is no right or wrong way of signing ourselves with the Cross. It is these very different interpretations that make it so rich.

The Riddle of St Matthew’s Tax Booth

Fiza Pathan

My dear friend and author colleague, Deacon Simon Cockshutt from the UK, in his Christian spiritual book 'As a Watchman Waits', reminded me of a profound aspect of St Matthew's conversion and call that gave me my 'a-ha' moment. We will dwell on this aspect of Matthew 9:9 after a few words on the person of St Matthew the Apostle, whose feast we celebrate on Saturday, September 21.

We all know that St Matthew was a tax collector whose Gospel is considered the benchmark Gospel or a measuring stick to studying the other three Gospels. It is a perennial staple of the Lectionary, containing 50 explicit Old Testament quotations and around 200 general OT references. This indicates that St Matthew was probably being trained to be a scribe when he was young, because of his excellent record-keeping skills. However, before he could complete his studies, he probably thought of using his record-keeping skills for his own personal ambitions. He then became a tax collector working for the Romans, until Jesus called him to be His disciple.

In time, he used his record-keeping skills for a better purpose, that is, to create the Gospel of Matthew, which influenced the Fathers of the Church so greatly that most of them, such as Papias, Ignatius of Antioch, St Jerome, etc., quoted extensively from it. Origen, one of the earliest Fathers of the Church, even wrote a 25-volume commentary on only this Gospel, that too with a quill!

Snapshot of Catholic Jubilees: 27 Years of Sacred Tradition

 Lavoisier Fernandes

Have you heard the hymn "We Are Pilgrims" (The Servant Song) by Richard Gillard? Written in 1977, it's a beautifully simple yet profound piece with lyrics like, "We are pilgrims on a journey, we are travellers on the road; we are here to help each other walk the mile and bear the load." These words reflect the essence of our spiritual journeys, capturing both the physical and emotional paths we take in search of spiritual growth in Jesus Christ.

Just as our life's pilgrimage is filled with ups and downs, the Church, our spiritual compass, can also seem faulty at times. With scandals, declining attendance, and shortcomings often highlighted by the media, it's easy to feel disheartened. This mirrors our own spiritual struggles, where we sometimes focus too much on our failures and regrets. We might feel like we're stuck, taking one step forward and two steps back, making little progress.

But there's hope: We are pilgrims of hope! The Jubilee Year 2025 is approaching, offering a chance for rejuvenation and transformation in both the Church and our spiritual lives. While the event centres on Rome and its Holy Doors of the four major basilicas—St Peter, St John Lateran, Santa Maria Maggiore, and St Paul outside the walls of Rome, its impact will be global as well, with local churches also hosting events.