An unexpected encounter on the Camino de Santiago

"I had long wanted to do the Camino de Santiago with Cristina, my wife, when another couple, an expert in hiking, told us that at the end of May they wanted to do the so-called English Way, which goes from Ferrol to Santiago. It is a little more than a hundred kilometers, and they had already planned the route, the lodgings and the help with the luggage, with a company that by cab picks up the suitcases in your hotel and deposits them in the next one.

For my age, recently retired, it was a very interesting option, because I avoided carrying a lot of weight in my backpack, which is a relief when you walk so many kilometers. In addition, if at some point your strength weakens, or you have some impediment that does not let you walk, they can come to pick you up and take you to the next meeting point.

With these premises, we did not hesitate to embark on the adventure, and we booked our plane tickets to A Coruña and back from Santiago to Barcelona, where we live.

The days of the Road to SantiagoThe first one, about 19 kilometers, from El Ferrol to Pontedeume. The first, about 19 kilometers, from El Ferrol to Pontedeume; and the next, another 20 kilometers, to Betanzos. In both towns we were able to participate in the Mass, which is usually celebrated in the afternoon.

In the third stage, things started to get complicated, because from Betanzos to Mesón do Vento was a journey of more than 25 kilometers with a great slope. Arriving at the destination, we had no church where we could attend Mass, so we arranged a cab to take us back to Betanzos to participate in the one celebrated at half past seven, and then return us back to Mesón do Vento. Now somewhat more rested, we were able to have a good dinner and regain strength because, the next day, we also had a long way to walk.

Way of the Apostle Santiago

camino de santiago

Already looking forward to the penultimate route, we left the next day to Sigüeiro, another 25 kilometers with its good slopes of ups and downs, but somewhat more bearable than the previous section and with landscapes of eucalyptus forests and fields about to mow.

The truth is that we arrived in Sigüeiro exhausted but happy. Cristina ended up with a sore foot and we decided that the last stretch to Santiago, just 16 kilometers, she would be taken by cab to a kilometer before and there she would join us who were walking the last part of the route. We arranged to meet at the Church of San Cayetano, which is at that distance from the center and which crosses the route of the English Way of St. James.

A little before noon we met at the parish of San Cayetano. It was already closing and the parish priest did not have time to stamp the parish seal on our already well-filled Compostela, but we greeted the Lord and thanked him for all the good Camino we had had. The truth is that it did not rain a single day and the heat, although it was hot, did not prevent us from completing the stages happily.

Right at the door of the parish, two young Kenyan men were leaning against the stone wall, as they told us, and we asked them to take a picture of the whole group. They spoke Spanish and their kind disposition made us engage in a quick conversation.

- Hello, good morning, what do you do?

- We are helping the pastor, since we are seminarians.

- Look, how nice! Well, we collaborate with a foundation that helps the studies of seminarians, which is called CARF Foundation.

- What do you say! Well, we are studying in Bidasoa. So, thank you very much for your help and collaboration.

The joy and surprise was great, and from that moment on, an enormous empathy was generated. Serapion (Serapion Modest Shukuru) and Faustin (Faustin Menas Nyamweru), both from Tanzania, accompanied us on the last stretch.

Then Serapion told us that he is already in his fourth year and Faustin in his first year. They showed us the Pilgrim's office, where they just put the last seal and certify your Camino, which also certifies the possibility of gaining the plenary indulgence that this pilgrimage implies, as long as the rest of the conditions of the Church are fulfilled.

Bidasoa on the Way of St. James

Once again moved, we bid farewell to both of them, wishing them to be very faithful and to do much good when they arrive in their place of origin to be ordained priests, after their period of formation at the Bidasoa Seminar.

We are left with the wonderful memory of this chance encounter, and of having received the gratitude of these two seminarians who, with the help of all the benefactors of the CARF Foundation, can reach many souls wherever they carry out their ministerial work.

In the afternoon, we were able to participate in the Mass in the cathedral, giving thanks to the apostle and enjoying the swaying of the botafumeiro that raised to heaven with the smell of incense, all our intentions and gratitude for the vocation of Serapion and Faustin".

Fernando de Salas, Sant Cugat del Vallés.

Prayer, school of mercy

The Pope's recently concluded catechesis on Christian prayer, based on the Catechism of the Catholic Church, is full of vivid images, anchored in the history of salvation, especially in the Gospels.

In this way he implicitly answers the question about the role of prayer in the formation of the Christian's affectivity and sensitivity.

The Vatican News summarizes this catechesis with this phrase "from the human heart to the mercy of God." (A. Lomonaco). And reciprocity could well serve as an expression of God's initiative, who wants to "infect" man with his mercy: "from the heart of God to the mercy of man.".

This is particularly evident in Jesusin his life, in his teachings, in his dedication to us.

Affective dimensions

This Christian prayer springs from the cry of faith in the midst of darknessas in Bartimaeus. But also from the heart of every man, even if he does not know it. Because every man is a "beggar of God". (St. Augustine).

Because is born of God's revelationwho brought us closer to Jesus in order to bring us into covenant and friendship with Him. For God knows only love and mercy. "That is the incandescent core of all Christian prayer. The God of love, our Father who waits for us and accompanies us." (General Audience, May 13, 2020).

Also, prayer arises from the beauty of creation, because what is created bears "the signature of God". And it translates into admiration, gratitude and hope. Whoever prays becomes a bearer of light and joy.

Open the door to the God of life. An atheist head of government, Francis refers, found God because he remembered that "grandmother prayed". It is a sowing of life. And that is why it is important to find the time to do it. in the family and teach children to pray and make the sign of the cross. Es the nostalgia of an encounter with God.

The Holy Scriptures

Let us remember, the prayer of the righteous, which is listening and reception, made personal history, of the Word of God (Abraham). It is, from imperviousness to grace, openness to the mercy of God. (Jacob). It is to become a bridge between God and the people (Moses).

. These early Christian prayers are "the red thread that gives unity to everything that happens." (David). The way to regain serenity and peace. (Elias).

In the Psalms we are assured that God has the heart of a father who tenderly weeps for his children, for their pain and suffering.as Jesus wept for Jerusalem and for Lazarus.

Jesus reveals to us that He is continually before the Father and with the Holy Spirit praying for us. In Gethsemane he teaches us to allow ourselves to be transformed by the Spirit and to abandon ourselves to the Father.

Without Christian prayer

When he is not present, we have no strength, we have no oxygen to live. Because it brings us the presence of the Holy Spirit and takes away our fear. In it we are united with Jesus. Jesus' prayer is the "place" of his interior life with God the Father, the place of abandonment to his will.

He "prays for us as our priest; he prays in us as our head; he is prayed for us as our God. Let us therefore recognize in Him our voice, and in us His voice." (St. Augustine).

Like Mary, full of trust and docility, as Francis points out: "Sir, whatever you want, whenever you want and however you want.". His heart treasures the events, especially those of the life of Jesus as the pearl that is being built with elements of the environment.

The Church also perseveres, from the beginning, thanks to the Holy Spirit, who gives her unity and life. A life that is the life of Jesus himself (cf. Gal 2:20).

She helps us to allow ourselves to be blessed by God in order to bless others. It teaches us to wait and to ask, to intercede and to love. It is about making the needs of the people around us our own, based on identifying ourselves with the heart of God: "In reality, it is about looking with the eyes and heart of God, with the same invincible compassion and tenderness. To pray with tenderness for others." (General Audience, December 16, 1920).

Pray with gratitude and hope, pray praising God, like Jesus, because the simple and humble are able to recognize God.

As auxiliary or supportthe Pope pointed to Sacred Scripture first and foremostThe saints, who left their "mold", their imprint, in the lives of the saints, with obedience and creativity. Also the liturgyFor a Christian without liturgy is like a Christian without the "total Christ" (in the expression of St. Augustine: Christ, head with his body which is the Church).

Oración Cristiana, Sagrado Corazón de Jesús, Misericordia

When we go to mass o celebrate a sacrament, we pray with Christ, who makes Himself present, and we each and all of us together, act with Him.

Daily life and mercy

Pope Francis affirms, "Prayer happens today. Jesus comes to meet us today, this today that we are living. And she who transforms this today in grace, or better, who transforms usIt appeases anger, sustains love, multiplies joy, instills the strength to forgive". (General Audience, 10-II-2021).

And so the Pope returns to this fundamental core; grafts us with God's heart to teach us to love as He loves.with mercy and tenderness, without putting judgment and condemnation first.

It is worth transcribing this longer paragraph: "helps us to love others, in spite of their mistakes and sins. The person is always more important than his actions, and Jesus has not judged the world, but has saved it. (...) Jesus has come to save us: open your heart, forgive, justify others, understand, be close to others, be compassionate, be tender like Jesus.

It is necessary to love each and every one, remembering that we are all sinners and at the same time loved by God one by one. Thus loving this world, loving it with tenderness, we will discover that every day and every thing has hidden in it a fragment of the mystery of God". (Ibid.)

The door of the mercy

For Christian prayer is a school of mercy, a source of mercy for our heart, as we identify with the heart of God.

Also, "opens us wide to the "Trinity"". (General Audience, March 3, 2013-2021). Jesus has revealed to us the heart of God, and the way of prayer is the humanity of Christ. In this "way", the Holy Spirit teaches us to pray to God our Father.

The Spirit is the inner teacher and the main architect of our prayer. (cf. General Audience, 17-III-2021)the artist who composes in us original works of art. The works, we could say, of the heart (in the biblical sense), the works of love.

And that heart also lives from the heart of our Mother, Mary. And it lives in the heart of the Church, which is the communion of all the saints: "When we pray we are never alone, but in the company of other brothers and sisters in the faith, both those who have gone before us and those who are still on pilgrimage at our side.

In this communion, the saints, whether recognized or anonymous, "next door," pray and intercede for and with us. Together with them, we are immersed in a sea of invocations and supplications that rise up to the Father." (General Audience, April 7, 2021).

The entire Church (in families, parishes, and other Christian communities) is a teacher of Christian prayer. Everything in the Church is born and grows in prayer. And the reforms that are sometimes proposed without prayer, do not go forward, they remain in an empty shell, when they do not make war on the Church together with her Enemy.

Only with prayer is the light, the strength and the path of faith maintained. For the Christian's prayer is oil for the lamp of faith. Indeed, and Therefore, we must not only pray, but also teach how to pray, educate for prayer.

When vocal prayer is meditation and contemplation

To ponder the importance of vocal prayer (the prayers that many of us have learned since childhood, especially the Our Father) the Pope says: "The divine Word has become flesh, and in the flesh of every man the word returns to God in prayer".

And he continues: "Words are our creatures, but they are also our mothers, and in some way they shape us.

The words of a prayer make us pass safely through a dark valley, directing us towards green meadows rich with water, making us feast under the eyes of an enemy, as the psalm teaches us to recite (cf. Ps 23)".

From there we can move on to meditation, which makes us meet Jesus under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. And from meditation, to contemplative prayer. (cf. General Audience, May 5, 2021)The one who, like the holy Curé of Ars, feels that he is looked upon by God.

Contemplation, which becomes identified with love, is not opposed to Christian action, but rather supports it and guarantees its quality.

And about the contemplation that is the goal of all Christian prayerFrancis insists on this school of the heart that is prayer.

"To be contemplative does not depend on the eyes, but on the heart.. And here prayer comes into play, as an act of faith and love, as the 'breath' of our relationship with God. Prayer purifies the heartand with that, it also clarifies the viewpoint, allowing us to see reality from another point of view". (cf. General Audience, May 5, 2021)

Prayer, combat and certainty

Christian prayer is a combat (cf. General Audience, May 12, 2021) sometimes hard and long, sometimes with great darkness. Y many saints have given wise counsel. But it is still a struggle, like that of the worker - Francisco relates - who went by train to the shrine of Luján to pray all night for his sick daughter, who was miraculously cured.

Among the obstacles to prayerwhich we could call ordinary, distractions, dryness and laziness stand out (cf. General Audience, May 19, 2021). They must be fought with vigilance, hope and perseverance.Even though sometimes we get "angry" with God and like children we keep asking why.

In the Gospel there are cases where it is clearly seen that God waits to grant us what we ask for. What we must not lose is the certainty of being heard. (cf. General Audience, 26-V-2021). It may even seem that God the Father does not hear Jesus' prayer in Gethsemane, but it is necessary to wait patiently until the third day, when the resurrection takes place.

Jesus' prayer for us

"Let us not forget - the Pope points out - that. what sustains each one of us in life is the prayer of Jesus for each one of us.The Father, with name, surname, before the Father, showing Him the wounds that are the price of our salvation (...).

Sustained by the prayer of Jesus, our timid prayers are supported on eagle's wings and soar to heaven." (General Audience, June 2, 2011).

In correspondence of love, what we have to do is to persevere in prayer. (cf. General Audience, 9-VI-2021)and knowing how to combine it with work.

"Times dedicated to being with God revitalize faith, which helps us in the concreteness of life, and faith, in turn, nourishes prayer, without interruption. In this circularity between faith, life and prayer, the fire of Christian love that God expects of us is kept alive." (Ibid.).

Jesus' Easter prayer for us (cf. General Audience, 16-VI-2021) was the most intense, in the context of his passion and death: at the last supper, in the garden of Gethsemane and on the cross.

In short, we do not only pray, but also "we have been prayed" by Jesus. "We have been loved in Christ Jesus, and even at the hour of his passion, death and resurrection everything has been offered for us. And from this must spring our hope and our strength to go forward, giving glory to God with our whole life.

In fact, in this way the Holy Spirit introduces and configures us to the very "sensitivity" of God. And in this way the Holy Spirit introduces and configures us to the very "sensitivity" of God.

Mr. Ramiro Pellitero Iglesias, Professor of Pastoral Theology at the Faculty of Theology of the University of Navarra.

Published in "Church and new evangelization".

Parts of the Catholic Mass explained

That participation in the Holy Mass be full, conscious and active. Second Vatican Council, Const. Sacrosanctum Concilium, nn. 14 and 48.

The root and center of our spiritual life is the Holy Sacrifice of the Altar, one of the most important parts of the Mass. Saint Josemaría Escriváboth in words and in writing, he stated that the Eucharist is the center and root of the Christian's life.

Why is it important to explain the parts of the Catholic Mass?

In the Holy Mass we live the sacrifice of Christ, who offered himself to us all, once and for all, on the Cross. This, which is the center of our Christian life and the thanksgiving we present to God for his great love for us, is not another sacrifice, it is not a repetition. It is the same sacrifice of Jesus made present.

Broadly speaking, the Christian Mass has two fundamental parts:

  1. Liturgy of the Word
  2. The Eucharistic Liturgy

To dispose, to live and to give thanks for the Mass

To know how to take advantage of the great spiritual fruits that are given to us as Christians through the Celebration of the Holy Mass, it is necessary to know this celebration, understanding its gestures and symbols, participating in it with reverence. 
Living the Christian faith in a concrete manner implies that there are moments of family prayerWe had moments of living the sacraments together, especially at Sunday Mass.

1 - Initial Rites

We preferably arrive punctually at the church and get ready to celebrate the greatest mystery of our faith. The altar will be prepared and with the candles on.

The introductory rites prepare us to listen to the word and celebrate the Eucharist:

  • Entrance Song
  • Kiss at the altar and Sign of the Cross
  • Penitential act
  • Gloria's Song
  • Collective prayer

Entrance song

We prepare to begin the first part of a mass with the entrance song. It is a song that unites us all because people from different places, cultures, ages come to the mass and we sing with one voice, as a family, that of God on earth, in communion with the whole Church.

The hymn highlights the festive character of the celebration. We join together to celebrate one of the greatest gifts that Jesus left us: the Eucharist.

Some attribute the incorporation of the entrance chant to Pope Celestine I (422-431). Although the exact date of the incorporation is unknown, it certainly already existed in the 5th century.

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Kiss at the altar and Sign of the Cross

The priest enters, kisses the altar and greets all present by making the sign of the Cross. To begin in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit is not only to mention the name of God, but to place ourselves in his presence.

This is a good time to ask the Lord to help us to live the Holy Mass with the same purity, humility and devotion with which the Blessed Virgin received Him.

(...) The priest is there, not on his own behalf, but in his own name, but in nomine Ecclesiæin the name of the Church. He therefore represents all the faithful, and in the name of all he gives the liturgical kiss to Christ, symbolized by the altar. This veneration of the altar is expressed by three signs:

  1. The bow that is a gesture becomes an act of homage to Christ, to the place of sacrifice and to the table of the Lord.
  2. The kiss at the altar is a kiss of greeting and love between the Church and the incensation.
  3. It is completed with the incensation that symbolizes honor, purification and sanctification.

Penitential act

Placed in the presence of God, the Church invites us to recognize with humility that we are sinners. We humbly ask the Lord for forgiveness for all our faults. We humbly acknowledge before all our brothers and sisters that we are sinners.

It is an important gesture to begin Holy Mass with a clean heart and soul. It is a good time to remember when our last confession was. As Christians we must go to this Sacrament to receive Jesus.

And to express this desire and to ask God's forgiveness, we use the words of the blind man who heard that Jesus was passing by, and knowing that he could not heal himself, but needed God's help, he began to cry out in the midst of the crowd: "Lord, have mercy on me". Thus, with confidence in God's mercy, we also pray "Lord have mercy".

Gloria's Song

We praise God, acknowledging His holiness, as well as our need for Him. The Gloria is like a shout of enthusiasm to God, to the whole Trinity.

On Sundays and solemnities we pray this hymn, which sums up the ultimate meaning of the Christian life: to give glory to God. Praise God, not only because He is good, or because He helps us, or for the things He gives us. Give glory to Him for who He is, because He is God. It helps us to be well oriented, to affirm that the ultimate meaning of our life is Him.

Prayer Collection

The Collect is so called because it is the prayer that gathers the petitions of all. We make them through Jesus Christ, the only Mediator, in the communion of the Holy Spirit, who gathers our petitions, making present once again the Mystery of the Trinity.

The priest invites the whole community to pray by presenting to God the Father the petitions that the Church raises to Heaven every time the Holy Sacrifice is celebrated. "If two of you agree on earth to ask for something, you will obtain it from my Father who is in Heaven." Mt 18:19-20.s partes de la misa catolica, segunda parte de la misa liturgia de la palabra

2 - Liturgy of the Word

"The Mass consists of two parts: the liturgy of the Word and the Eucharistic liturgy, so closely linked together that they constitute a single act of worship." Roman Missal, General Institution, 28

Through the readings, we will listen directly to God who speaks to us, who are his people. We respond by singing, meditating and praying.

In the first reading, God speaks to us through the experiences of his prophets, in the second reading through his apostles.

  • First reading from the Old Testament
  • Psalm
  • Second reading: In the New Testament.
  • Gospel: The singing of the Alleluia disposes us to listen to the proclamation of the mystery of Christ. At the end we acclaim saying: "Glory to you, Lord Jesus".
  • Homily: The priest explains the Word of God to us.
  • Creed: The profession of faith
  • Prayer of the Faithful: We pray for one another, asking for the needs of all.

First reading: Old Testament, God speaks to men.

The first reading, generally taken from the Old Testament. God speaks to us through the history of the people of Israel and their prophets.

It is important to meditate on them, because through these words, God was preparing his people for the coming of Christ. And they also prepare us to listen to Jesus, since the first reading is directly related to the Gospel to be read.

Responsorial Psalm, response of the faithful to God's Word

The Responsorial Psalm is like an extension of the themes proposed in the first reading.

With the psalms we learn to pray, we learn to talk to God, using His very words, which became prayer. Words that He puts in our mouth so that we know how to express ourselves.

Second reading: In the New Testament, God speaks to us through the apostles.

We hear the preaching of the first men to whom Jesus said, "Go and make disciples of all nations... teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you." (Mt 28:19-20).

It is taken from the New Testament. It can be part of the Acts of the Apostles or the letters written by the first apostles. Also from the Catholic Epistles, the book of Hebrews or Revelation. In other words, they are the writings of the apostles,

This second reading helps us to know how the first Christians lived and how they explained the teachings of Jesus to others. This helps us to know and understand better what Jesus taught us.

After the second reading, the Alleluia is sung, which is a joyful song that recalls the Resurrection or another song according to the requirements of the liturgical season.

Gospel, The proclamation of the Gospel

The singing of the Alleluia disposes us to listen to the proclamation of the mystery of Christ. At the end we acclaim saying: "Glory to you, Lord Jesus".

It is Jesus Christ himself who speaks to us in the Gospel. That is why we listen to him standing up, and the priest kisses him when he has finished proclaiming it. Then he announces aloud that Jesus Christ is among us: Dominus vobiscum! Dominus vobiscum!

The gestures made by the priest symbolize our desire to be part of the Truth of the Gospel. The teachings of the Lord are communicated to us so that we may meditate on them in our personal intimacy and incorporate them into our souls, so that we may then communicate them in the form of word and deed. works of mercy to the people around us in our daily lives.

It is a call to the apostolic responsibility of Christians, which in the Holy Mass takes on new strength.

Homily: The priest explains the Word of God to us.

The priest takes time to explain the Word of God to us. Homily comes from a Greek word meaning "dialogue", "conversation". It is the moment when God speaks to us through his Church.

It is a simple and practical explanation, rooted in the liturgical texts, which we will apply to our Christian life. We try to make the advice given to us our own and we try to draw out concrete resolutions. A good homily is one that makes you reflect from within.

Creed: After listening to the Word of God we profess our faith

"We are one people confessing one faith, one Creed; one people gathered in the unity of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit" (St. Leo the Great, Homily I on the Nativity of the Lord (PL 54, 192).

To pray the Creed is a source of holy pride for every Christian, to be amazed by the reality of being the People of God, the Body of Christ, the Temple of the Holy Spirit.

Prayer of the Faithful: We pray for one another, asking for the needs of all.

The prayer of the faithful ends the first part of the Mass. We pray for one another asking for the needs of all. Presentation of the offerings of bread and wine

In that Bread and Wine that the priest offers to God - the fruit of man's sweat and labor - are all your human efforts. Offer all that to God. Put all the hours and actions of your day on the paten next to Christ and thus you will supernaturalize your life.

Everything will be done for God and will be pleasing to God. Truly make your life an offering to the Lord. Let us not forget that, in raising these prayers, it is Christ himself who presents them to God the Father through the power of the Holy Spirit.

3 - Liturgy of the Eucharist.

The liturgy of the Eucharist is the most important moment of the Mass. We present the bread and wine that will be transformed into the body and blood of Christ. We take up the collection for the whole Church and pray over the offerings.

  • Preface and Presentation of the Offerings: The Bread and Wine
  • Washbasin
  • Epiclesis: Eucharistic Prayer
  • Santo: a song of praise to God.
  • Consecration: The bread and wine are transformed into the body and blood of Jesus (Doxology).

Preface and Presentation of Offerings

misa-comunion-iglesia-catolica-ofertorio

In the Preface, we give thanks and praise to God, the thrice holy one, by praying a prayer. It comes from the Latin: pre - factum. It means "before the fact". It is so called because it comes just before the most important event of the whole Mass: the Eucharistic prayer.

In the preface there is a dialogue with the priest, who always says: "Let us lift up our hearts. We have lifted it up to the Lord. In the preface we have thanked God, we have acknowledged his works of love and we praise him.

At this time we present the offerings, the bread and wine. The simplicity of these foods reminds us of the child who brought Jesus his offerings, five loaves and two fish. It was all he had, but that smallness, placed in the hands of Jesus, became abundance and was enough to feed a huge crowd and even left over.

Thus our simple offerings of bread and wine, placed in the Lord's hands, will also become in abundance, the Body and Blood of Christ to feed a great multitude that hungers for God.

At every Mass, we are that multitude! Along with this bread and wine, we also present to God, in a symbolic way, something of ourselves.

We offer Him our efforts, sacrifices, joys and sorrows. We offer Him our fragility so that He may do great works with us.

This is the interior attitude to which the liturgy leads us, to raise our hearts to be ready for the most important moment: when Christ will be present with his Body and Blood.

Washbasin

While the priest washes his hands, repeat inwardly the prayer that he makes inwardly: Lord, wash me completely from my guilt and purify me from my sin!

In the Mass, the Lord Jesus, making himself "bread broken" for love of us, gives himself to us and communicates to us all his mercy and love, renewing our hearts, our lives and our relationships with him and with our brothers and sisters. Pope Francis.

The epiclesis or invocation to the Holy Spirit: prayer

The Eucharistic prayer is all the prayers surrounding the moment of consecration. We invoke with a prayer to the Holy Spirit at this moment when "the Church asks the Father to send his Holy Spirit (...) upon the bread and wine, so that they may become, by his power, the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ" (Catechism of the Catholic Church, n. 1353).

Just as the Holy Spirit descended upon the Virgin Mary to conceive and make Jesus present in her womb, we now invoke the Holy Spirit to descend upon these gifts and also to make Christ present among us.

"We must raise our hearts to the Lord not only as a ritual response, but as an expression of what is happening in this heart that rises and draws others upward." Pope Benedict

Then, it is the moment in which the bread and wine are brought to the altar, two very simple foods, which the priest will offer to God so that Christ may make himself present in the Eucharist, also converting us, making us better, more like him.

Santo: a song of praise to God.

The lyrics are taken from the Holy Scriptures. The first part is a song that we have learned from the choir of angels that the prophet Isaiah heard singing to God at his throne. The thrice holy repeated reminds us of the three divine persons of the Holy Trinity.

The second part is the acclamation said to Jesus as he is riding a donkey into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday: "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, hossana!"

They were happy to acclaim Jesus, the long-awaited king, who was entering their city. In the Mass we also acclaim Christ who is at the gates of making himself present to us. That is why we can say that the saint is a song of men and angels, who join together to praise God.

Consecration: the bread and wine are transformed into the body and blood of Jesus (Doxology).

"The power of Christ's words and action and the gifts of the Holy Spirit make sacramentally present under the species of bread and wine his Body and Blood, his sacrifice offered on the Cross once and for all." Catechism of the Catholic Church, no. 1353.

We have arrived at the heart of the Eucharistic prayer, at the most important moment of the Mass. Following the command Jesus gave to his apostles: "Do this in memory of me," the priest, acting in the very person of Christ, pronounces the words of institution of the Eucharist, the same words Jesus pronounced on the day of the Last Supper.

(...) What depth the words treasure: this is my Body; this is the cup of my Blood! They fill us with certainty, strengthen our faith, assure our hope and enrich our charity. Yes: Christ lives, he is the same as he was two thousand years ago, and he will always live, intervening in our pilgrimage. Once again he approaches us as a wayfarer with us, just as he did at Emmaus, to sustain us and support us in all our endeavors.

The real presence of Jesus is a consequence of the ineffable mystery that is accomplished with the transubstantiation, before which there is no other attitude than to adore the omnipotence and love of God. This is why we kneel at this sublime moment, which constitutes the core of the Eucharistic celebration. In these moments, the priest is an instrument of the Lord, acting in persona Christi.

partes de la misa catolica, segunda parte de la misa liturgia de la eucaristia

4 - Rite of conclusion

Holy Mass ends as we began it, with the sign of the cross. We can go in peace, because we have seen God, we have met Him and we are renewed to continue in the mission that God has entrusted to us. At the end of the mass the priest gives us the final blessing.

The rites that conclude the celebration are:

  • Final Blessing
  • Farewell
  • Thanksgiving

Final Blessing

We received the priest's blessing. May that "you may go in peace" be the reflection of a Holy Mass well lived.

The word blessing comes from two words: good and say. When God says good about us, his Word does make us different, it gives us that grace to fight the good fight of faith. Thus the Mass ends and we are ready to move on with our Christian life.

Thanksgiving last part of the Mass

When the time dedicated to the thanksgiving within the Mass is too short, it can be a good action to prolong the thanksgiving for a few more minutes, in a personal way, at the end of all the parts of the Mass.

Bibliography:

Pentecost: The friend that accompanies, guides and encourages

And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all together in one place. And suddenly there came suddenly a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. Then there appeared to them tongues as of fire, which parted and came to rest on each of them. They were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues, as the Spirit caused them to speak.
Acts 2:1-4

Pentecost or shebuot

For the Jews, it was one of the three great feasts. At the beginning, thanksgiving for the harvesting of grain (first fruits), but this was joined by the feast for the giving of the Torah, the "instruction manual" of the world and of man, which granted wisdom to Israel. Pentecost was the feast of the Covenant to live always according to God's will as manifested in his Law.

The feast of Sinai

The images that St. Luke uses to indicate the irruption of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost-the wind and the fire-allude to Sinai, where God had revealed himself to the people of Israel and granted them his covenant (cf. Ex 19:3 ff). The feast of Sinai, which Israel celebrated fifty days after Passover, was the feast of the covenant. In speaking of tongues of fire (cf. Acts 2:3), St. Luke wants to present the Cenacle as a new Sinai, as the feast of the Covenant that God makes with his Church, which he will never abandon.

Palabras del Papa Francisco en Pentecostes, accion del espíritu santo, 2021 Roma

The Holy Father asks all the pastors and faithful of the Catholic Church to unite, this Pentecost 2023, in prayer together with the Catholic Ordinaries of the Holy Land, to invoke the Holy Spirit, "so that Israelis and Palestinians may find the path of dialogue and forgiveness".

The day of Pentecost

With the power of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost they make themselves understood by all, whatever their origin and mentality: The day of Pentecost There dwelt at Jerusalem Jews, devout men from every nation under heaven. And when the noise was heard, the multitude came together and were perplexed, for each one heard them speaking in his own language.

They were astonished and wondered, saying, "Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? How is it, then, that we hear them each in our own mother tongue? "Parthians, Medes, Elamites, inhabitants of Mesopotamia, of Judea and Cappadocia, of Pontus and Asia, of Phrygia and Pamphylia, of Egypt and the part of Libya near Cyrene, Roman strangers, as well as Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabs, we hear them speaking in our own tongues the great things of God (Acts 2:5-11).

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The action of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost

What happens that day, with the action of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, is the antithesis of the Bible's account of the origins of mankind: At that time the whole earth spoke one language and with the same words. Moving from the east, they found a plain in the land of Shinar and settled there.

Then they said to each other: -Let's make bricks and bake them in the fire! In this way, the bricks served them as stones and the asphalt as mortar. Then they said: -Let us build us a city and a tower whose top reaches to heaven! So shall we make a name for ourselves, that we may not be scattered over the face of the whole earth. And the Lord came down to see the city and the tower which the sons of men were building, and the Lord said, "They are one people, with one language for all, and this is only the beginning of their work; now nothing they try to do will be impossible for them.

Let us go down and confuse their language right there, so that they will no longer understand one another! So from there the Lord scattered them over the face of the whole earth, and they ceased to build the city. Therefore it was called Babel, because there the Lord confused the language of the whole earth, and from there the Lord scattered them abroad over the face of the whole earth (Gen 11:1-9).

Francis said during the celebration of Pentecost this year 2021 in Rome that the Holy Spirit consoles "especially in difficult moments like the one we are going through", and in a very personal way because "only the one who makes us feel loved as we are gives peace of heart". In fact, "it is the very tenderness of God, who does not leave us alone, because to be with those who are alone is already to console.

Pentecost: Active communication

When the people in the biblical story began to work as if God did not exist, they found that they themselves had become dehumanized, because they had lost a fundamental element of human beings, which is the ability to agree, to understand each other and to act together. This text contains a perennial truth. In such a technified society, with so many means of communication and information, as the contemporary one, we speak less and less and we understand each other less and less, we lose the real capacity to communicate in an open and sincere dialogue. We need something to help us recover this capacity to be open to others.

The action of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost

What human pride broke, the action of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost put back together again. Today too, docility to the Holy Spirit is what gives us the help we need to build a more humane world, in which no one feels alone, deprived of the attention and affection of others. Jesus promised this to the apostles and to each one of us: I will pray the Father and he will give you another Paraclete to be with you always. (Jn 14:16). Use a Greek word para-kletós which means "the one who speaks next to": is the friend who accompanies us, encourages us and guides us along the way. 

Now that we are talking to God in this time of prayer, we ask ourselves in his presence: do I strive to build my professional and family life, my friendships, the society in which I live, as a world built by my own efforts without caring about God? Or do I want to listen and be docile to the loving voice of the Holy Spirit, that inseparable companion that Jesus has placed at my side to guide and encourage me?

We can invoke the Holy Spirit with an ancient and beautiful prayer of the Church at Pentecost: Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful, and kindle in them the fire of your Love. And we ask the Blessed Virgin, Spouse of God the Holy Spirit, that, like her, we may allow her to do great things in our souls, so that we may know how to love God and others, and build a better world with her help.

Mr. Francisco Varo Pineda
Research Director
University of Navarra
Faculty of Theology
Professor of Sacred Scripture

Recommended book: Una mitra humeante by Vicente Escrivá Salvador

A smoking mitre: Bernardino Nozaleda, Archbishop of Valencia, casus belli for Spanish Republicanism.

The Spain of the Restoration, projected and piloted by Antonio Cánovas, tried to establish a framework of cordial coexistence that would satisfactorily and definitively solve the so-called "religious question". That laudable purpose was not achieved, largely because of the bitter political confrontation and the division in the Catholic ranks.

The "disaster of '98" shocked the country, plunging it into a political, moral and cultural pessimism that would mark and give its name to a whole generation of intellectuals and writers of the time.

The Republicans, through a well "armed" press characterized by its Jacobin anticlericalism, mobilizations and rallies held throughout the Peninsula, attacked the constitutional regime and all that it represented, in particular the monarchy and the Catholic Church.

During the so-called "Short Government" (1903-1904) of the conservative Antonio Maura, an event took place that polarized Spanish society to the point of paroxysm: the frustrated appointment of the Dominican Bernardino Nozaleda, the last archbishop of Manila under Spanish rule, as archbishop of Valencia.

Republicans and liberals lit their torches and, shouting "Death to Maura, death to Nozaleda! they inflamed their hosts so that the prelate would neither set foot on Valencian soil nor take possession of his mitre and crosier. And they succeeded.

Vicente Escrivá Salvador

Law Degree from the University of Valencia, Diploma in Human Resources from the School of Business Administration and Management (ESADE), Master in Modern History from the University of Valencia with Extraordinary Award and PhD in History from the Catholic University San Vicente Mártir of Valencia (UCV) with the qualification of outstanding "cum laude". His professional experience is backed by thirty years of legal practice, being a member of the Bar Association of Valencia (ICAV). He is a member of the teaching staff of the Lluís Vives Business School in Valencia. He has also participated as a researcher in national projects. His current lines of research focus on the disciplines of History of Law, Contemporary History, History of the Church, Geopolitics and International Relations. In addition, he is a collaborator and correspondent in Valencia of the CARF Foundation.

Buy now "A smoking mitre: Bernardino Nozaleda, Archbishop of Valencia, casus belli for Spanish Republicanism".

How much does the formation of a seminarian cost?

The cost involved in the formation of seminarians and diocesan priests should be a collective effort of all Christians. Dioceses, foundations, faithful and even the brotherhoods and confraternities collaborate ingeniously so that we sow the world with priestly vocations.

The CARF Foundation and the challenge of seminarian formation

Since its foundation in 1989, the CARF Foundation has acted as a link between thousands of benefactors willing to contribute financially with study grants and scholarships so that priests and seminarians from all over the world can receive a solid theological, human and spiritual preparation.

More than 800 bishops from 131 countries want some of their priests and seminarians to study at the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross in Rome or at the Faculties of Ecclesiastical Studies of the University of Navarra in Pamplona. In turn, they complete their human and spiritual formation at the Sapientiae (Rome) and Bidasoa (Pamplona) International Ecclesiastical Colleges. In order to carry out this training also apply for study grants for their candidates.

Thanks to benefactors and donors like you, the CARF Foundation meets most of the requests, but the needs are growing and we want all requests to be met.

Donate now to form diocesan seminarians from all over the world.

seminaristas-formación-sacerdotes

How much does a full formation grant for a seminarian cost?

18,000 euros is the amount necessary for a candidate to live, study and train for a year at the universities of Rome or Pamplona. The neediest dioceses in the world request a full scholarship for their candidates. In all cases, the diocese covers a small part of the cost of training a seminarian in his country of origin, as a sign of its commitment to maximize the future use of the aid.

Approximately every academic year the CARF Foundation assists with direct and indirect scholarships approximately: 400 seminarians, 1,120 diocesan priests and about 80 members of religious institutions. Each full scholarship, awarded by the foundation, can be broken down as follows: €12,000, room and board. 8,000 €, tuition and academic fees, supplements for academic, human and spiritual formation. Personal expenses are always paid by the student or the diocese.

How much has the number of seminarians in the world grown?

The Central Statistical Office of the Church has been in charge of the edition of The Pontifical Yearbook 2022 and the Ecclesial Statistical Yearbook 2020 published in recent days.

They gather the data on the 2019-2020 biennium which gives us an overview of the numerical reality of the Catholic Church in the different countries and on the different continents allowing us to extract some news related to the life of the Church in today's world.

The presence of Catholics does not change at the level of the entire planet, but it does if we analyze the number of Catholics in the different continents. There is a maximum increase on the African continent and a relative increase in Asia. On the other hand, in Europe there has been a continuous decline in recent years. America and Oceania remain stable in relation to the world total.

The data analyzed on priests in all ecclesiastical districts of the Catholic world, both diocesan and religious, reveal a decline in the number of priests. At the close of 2020 there were 410,219 priests in the world, 4,117 fewer priests than the previous year. Only in Africa and Asia were there significant increases in the number of priests, which together contributed a total of + 1,782 priests to the world during the biennium under analysis.

We can observe a clear imbalance between the number of Catholics and priests in the world, which translates into a very high overall pastoral burden.

seminaristas-formación-sacerdotes

Regarding seminarians

Candidates for the priesthood went from 114,058 seminarians in the world in 2019 to 111,855 in 2020. The trend in major seminarians observed in the world total, between 2019 and 2020, affects all continents, with the exception of Africa, where seminarians increased by 2.8%. From 32,721 to 33,628 seminarians.

The decreases in priestly vocations are significant especially in Europe (-4.3%,) although they can also be seen in the Americas (-4.2%) and Asia (-3.5%.)

The percentage distribution of seminarians by continent shows slight changes over the two-year period. Africa and Asia contributed 58.3% of the world total in 2019 and in 2020 their share rises to 59.3%. Oceania reveals some negative adjustment. America and Europe as a whole see their share decrease. American and European seminarians accounted for almost 41% of the total, while one year later they drop to 39.9%.

The birth of priestly vocations in Africa and Asia is a constant fact recorded in recent years. These future priests will support and strengthen the European and American Churches. This data helps us to get a real idea of the responsibility we have as Catholics to take care of each new vocation with the utmost care. Supporting the dioceses in the formation of seminarians, even more so in the most disadvantaged continents.

Bibliography:

- Annuario Pontificio 2022 and Annuarium Statisticum Ecclesiae 2020