St. Rita of Cascia united her love to that of Christ by contemplating his Passion. Christ endured his Passion, and Our Lady suffered with him at the foot of the cross, for the salvation of all men,  even those whose kill God’s people, thinking they’re worshiping Him. We must seek to learn to love our persecutors, by contemplating the Trinitarian love of God, the Passion of Christ, and the Compassion of the Mother.

The President of the United States, recently in Saudi Arabia, had something to say about the twisted understanding of God that leads some to kill Christians: “Every time a terrorist murders an innocent person and falsely invokes the name of God, it should be an insult to every person of faith. Terrorists do not worship God. They worship death.” And yet, many today are of the mind that it is good to kill Christians.

Only in the Passion of Christ can we see the Trinitarian love which saves us, and which will enable us to love our persecutors, as Jesus loves them.

Ave Maria!

Mass: St. Rita of Cascia – Opt Mem
Readings: Monday 6th Week of Easter
1st: Act 16:11-15
Resp: Ps 149:1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 9 0
Gsp: Jn 15:26-16:4

The post May 22 – Homily: From Christ’s Passion to Compassion & Love first appeared on AirMaria.com.

Ave Maria!  I noticed this beautiful story about the return of Christians and the Virgin Mary to the city of Erbil in Iraq, following ISIS’ defeat.  In contrast to the rest of Iraq, Christians are repopulating this city and restoring the beauty of its ancient heritage.

In 2014, ISIS overran the city of Erbil in Iraqi Kurdistan, with a majority Catholic population. The people were given an ultimatum, and to show they meant business, they proceeded to sack churches and destroy statues.

Christians were given a choice, convert to Islam, stay and pay a punishing tax, or leave on foot, with nothing at all. Most chose to flee, living destitute in refugee camps. Everything they had was gone.

Erbil has serves as the Kurdish capital, so the ISIS occupation of the city did not last as long. The city was retaken, and while places like Mosul were slowly destroyed by constant warfare, Erbil was rebuilt. Today, the city appears strikingly modern and is welcoming to outsiders.

Many Christians have returned, but there are still some who are so traumatized by their brief encounter with ISIS they refuse to go back. Their churches have been rebuilt, but they are still plain, and not as they were before.

A French Catholic association has decided to help fix that problem. L’Oeurve d’Orient is sending 15 Virgin Mary statues to be processed through the streets of the city and installed in the various Catholic churches there. It is hoped the return of the statues will also warm the churches for those who have lost so much in the past few years.

Erbil is slowly becoming a Christian city once again, filled with Chaldean and Syriac Catholics who are rebuilding one of the most ancient Christian enclaves in the world. The courage and the faith of the Kurdish people, both Christian and Muslim, has won the city back for Christ and Our Lady.

It’s a striking contrast with the rest of the region where Christians remain on the verge of extinction. But perhaps with the return of the Christian faith to Erbil, other places will follow. If so, then this is a historic moment, a turning point toward triumph over hatred and despair. Our Lady remains forever victorious over evil, and it is right to sing her praises.

Source: The Virgin Mary returns triumphant to city ravaged by ISIS! – Middle East – International – News – Catholic Online

The post Catholic Online: The Virgin Mary returns triumphant to city ravaged by ISIS!  first appeared on AirMaria.com.

Ave Maria!  In Egypt, high ranking Muslim government leaders joined Coptic clergy and the laity in an event honoring the Holy Family’s journey through Egypt.  This reminds me of how earlier this year, in Jordan, many Muslim government leaders joined Christian clergy at the celebration of the Feast of the Annunciation, to show solidarity and try to bring increased harmony between Christians and Muslims.

When Constantine became the Emperor of Rome, he knew a divided Christendom was against his political interest, for a divided Empire would be more unstable, so he called for the Council of Nicaea to bring unity.  The efforts of these Muslim governments to increase unity may well be motivated by a similar political interest.  In Egypt, acts of unity and solidarity like this have potential to increase peace, which of course is better for tourism, a cornerstone of the Egyptian economy.  Egypt and Jordan also are deeply involved in battling against Islamist terrorists within their own borders, and public acts showing solidarity between Christians and Muslims may help these governments to erode radical militants’ support groups.

Muslim officials’ public acts of participation in Marian Christian religious celebrations are very interesting to me, and may in part be a fruit of the prayers so many people are making for peace.

Pope Tawadros II of Alexandria and Patriarch of the See of St. Mark celebrated on Sunday the Holy Family Journey at Virgin Mary Church in Maadi district, Southern Cairo.

The national anthem was played and documentaries featuring the Holy Family Journey in Egypt were displayed.

The event was attended by the ministers of antiquities, tourism, and culture and a raft of officials, statesmen as well as ambassadors.

In his speech, Pope Tawadros II said the Holy Family settled at the location where the Virgin Mary Monastery and church were later built by the Nile, before they continued their journey in Upper Egypt passing by Assiut and Minya.

Pope Tawadros II stressed that Egypt is beautiful for its people and monuments, praising the concert and the documentary film presented by the church.

“This is a purely Egyptian celebration, which shows the richness of the country’s history, nature and culture,” he said, expressing his happiness at raising awareness among Egyptians about the journey of the Holy Family.

Source: Pope Tawadros II marks Holy Family Journey at Virgin Mary Church – Egypt Today

The post Egypt Today: Pope Tawadros II marks Holy Family Journey at Virgin Mary Church first appeared on AirMaria.com.