The Catholic Weekly 5 April 2020

17 5, April, 2020 catholicweekly.com.au In brief Homeless seminary CARDINAL RAINER Ma- ria Woelki of Cologne in Germany has opened his seminary to those with- out a home during the coronavirus pandemic. “I have decided toopen up our seminary for the homeless while our sem- inarians are gone due to the #Corona restrictions,” he tweeted this week. “We want to offer warmmeals and access to restrooms and showers to those who have nobody to turn to these days in #cologne. #PrayTogether” Seminarians have been sent home for the duration of the virus’s spread. POPE FRANCIS offered his daily morning Mass for those who find themselves living in fear of the coronavirus pan- demic sweeping the world. “Let us pray today for the many people who cannot cope, who remain frightened by this pandemic. May the Lord help them to stand up, to react for the good of all socie- ty and the entire community,” the pope said March 30 at the start of his livestreamedMass. In his homily, the pope reflected on the day’s first reading and Gospel, which recalled the stories of two women -- one falsely accused and the other caught in the act of sin -- who faced death sentences. The first reading from the Book of Daniel, recounted the story of Susanna, a just wom- an falsely accused of adultery by two corrupt judges. The Gospel reading from St. John, however, recalled a woman caught in the act of adultery and sentenced to be stoned by the doctors of the law who “were not corrupt, but hypo- crites,” the pope said. “These women, one fell into the hands of hypocrites and the other into the hands of the corrupt; there was no way out,” he said. “The first explicitly trusts God and the Lord intervened. The second, poor thing, knows that she is guilty, exposed before all the people. The Gospel doesn’t say it, but surely she was pray- ¾ ¾ Junno Arocho Esteves Mass for frightened Papal intention for those experiencing emotional and psychological fear of virus Pope Francis raises the monstrance during eucharistic adoration at the end of Mass on 30 March. The pope offered the Mass for “the many people who cannot cope, who remain frightened by this pandemic.” PHOTO: CNS,VATICAN MEDIA ing inside, asking for some kind of help.” Nevertheless, the pope said that in both instances God in- tervened, andwhile he helped the hypocrites convert, he does not forgive the corrupt ones “simply because a cor- rupt person is incapable of asking for forgiveness.” Corrupt people “are sure of themselves, they destroy and continue to exploit peo- ple,” the pope said. “They put themselves in the place of God.” Pope Francis said that like the witnesses in both cases, who were able to praise God and discover hismercy, Chris- tians should also reflect on their own lives and how the Lord has intervened. “Each one of us has our own story, our own sins. And if you don’t remember them, think about it, you’ll find it. Thank God if you find them because, if not, you are cor- rupt,” the pope said. “Let us look to the Lord who does justice but is also very merci- ful. Let us not be ashamed of being in the church; let us be ashamed of being sinners.” - CNS Francis urges compassion for all who are impacted by COVID-19 WITH SO much suffering as- sociated with the COVID-19 pandemic, Pope Francis asked people to reflect on whether they were feeling real compas- sion and sorrow for what was happening. It is one thing to be active- ly trying to help or do some good, but people also must be capable of opening their hearts and being moved to tears for others, he said in his homily on 29 March. Celebrating morning Mass in the chapel at his residence, the Domus Sanctae Marthae, the pope first prayed for the “many people who are crying: people who are isolated, in quarantine; the elderly who are alone; people who have recovered; people undergoing treatment; parents who, be- cause there is no income, are not able to feed their kids.” “So many people weep and we, too, from our heart, we accompany them. It wouldn’t hurt us to weep a little as our Lord wept for his people,” the ¾ ¾ Carol Glatz pope said at the start of Mass, which the Vatican has been livestreaming online the past three weeks. In his homily, the pope re- flected on the Sunday Gospel reading from St John, which talked about Jesus’ reaction to the death of his friend, La- zarus, and the sorrow he and his friend’s family experi- enced. Jesus wept at Lazarus’ tomb, but he also ordered the tomb be opened and for La- zarus to come out – resurrect- ed from the dead. “Jesus weeps with so much tenderness! He weeps from the heart, weeps with love, he weeps with those who weep,” the pope said. “Today,” he said, “in a world that is suffer- ing so much – so many people who are suffering the conse- quences of this pandemic – I ask myself, am I able to weep as Jesus certainly did and is doing now? Is my heart like Jesus’?” One’s heart can still be “too hard even if I am able to talk, do good things, help,” but one’s heart is not involved be- cause “I am not able to weep,” he said. The pope prayed for the grace of being able to weep with Jesus and for his people who are suffering, and that the day be a “Sunday of tears” for everyone. Later in the day, af- ter reciting the Sunday Ange- lus, the pope said he was pray- ing especially for those who were unable or not allowed to have the required distancing or isolation needed to keep them safe during the pandem- ic, like those living in homes for the elderly or prisons. Prisoners face potential tragedy because so many places of detention are over- crowded, he said, referring to a 25 March warning from the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. Pope Francis asked that au- thorities be aware of “this seri- ous problem and take neces- sary measures to avoid further tragedies.” Before praying the Angelus, the pope reflected more deep- ly on the day’s Gospel reading and Jesus’ command to “take away the stone” from Lazarus’ tomb so his friend could emerge, resurrected. With this gesture, the pope said, Jesus demonstrates how he is the Lord of life, as he told Lazarus’ sister, Martha, “I am the resurrection and the life; whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will live, and every- one who lives and believes in me will never die.” Jesus urges people to have faith, even in the midst of sor- rowandmourning, evenwhen it seems death has won. “Take away the stone from your heart! Let the Word of God bring life back to where there is death,” the pope said in his address, broadcast from the library of the Apostolic Palace. “We are called to take away the stones of everything that smells of death, for example: living the faith with hypocrisy is death; destructive criticism of others is death; offences and calumny are death; mar- ginalizing the poor is death,” he said. God wants people to take away these impediments so that life, in Christ, can spring forth once again, he said. At the end of his address, the pope blessed the city. St Peter’s Square remained emp- ty because of the nationwide lockdown. - CNS Bishop dissents IN A rare public disagree- ment, a US bishop bish- op has dissented from a statement signed by all other Catholic bishops in his state, supporting the state government’s plan for setting health- care priorities during the COVID-19 epidemic. Bishop Joseph Strick- land of Tyler, Texas, is- sued the note after the bishops of Texas applaud- ed State Governor Greg Abbott’s plan to cope with the crisis. They cautioned that new guidelines “should reject rationing of health- care resources based solely on age, disability, or future ‘quality of life’ decisions.’” However, in the pas- sage that drew Bishop Strickland’s dissent, the other Texas bishops backed the governor’s bid to protect health-care workers from criminal and civil liability. The bishops approved of “waiving regulations and statutes which could result in fines, civil lia- bility, and even criminal charges for decisions re- lated to the allocation of resources during this de- clared disaster.” Bishop Strickland argued that this policy could negate “the excel- lent laws [Abbott] has helped put in place to protect the vulnerable.” While most health- care workers would carry out their duties conscien- tiously, he said, some might allow their own prejudices to guide their medical decisions, “rath- er than to be guided by respect for the equality of all.” Bishop Strickland ar- gued: “The fact is that waiving law can do more to benefit lawbreakers and the unscrupulous than good people.” Today ... in a world that is suffering so much - so many people who are suffer- ing the consequences of this pandemic -- I ask myself, am I able to weep as Jesus certainly did and is doing now? Is my heart like Jesus’?” Pope Francis WORLD