These words from the General Instruction of the Roman Missal (GIRM) set before us a profound truth that we need to ponder and make our own. The words of Sacred Scripture are unlike any other texts we will ever hear, for they not only give us information, they are the vehicle God uses to reveal himself to us, the means by which we come to know the depth of God's love for us, and the responsibilities entailed by being Christ's followers, members of his Body. What is more, this Word of God proclaimed in the liturgy possesses a special sacramental power to bring about in us what it proclaims. The Word of God proclaimed at Mass is 'efficacious' that is, it not only tells us of God and God's will for us, it also helps us to put that will of God into practice in our own lives. How, then, do we respond to this wonderful gift of God's Word? We respond in word and song, in posture and gesture, in silent meditation and, most important of all, by listening attentively to that Word as it is proclaimed. Following each reading we express our gratitude for this gift with the words "Thanks be to God" or, in the case of the Gospel, "Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ," and it is appropriate that a brief period of silence be observed to allow for personal reflection. Following the first reading we sing the Responsorial Psalm, a meditation on God's word through the inspired words of one of the psalms from the psalter, the Bible's prayer book.
The Gospel is the highpoint of the Liturgy of the Word. The readings from the Old Testament tell us of God's promises and his preparation of his people for the coming of his Son; the epistles and other pre-Gospel New Testament readings offer the reflections of St. Paul and other contemporaries of the Lord on the life and message of Christ; in the Acts of the Apostles we have a history of the early Church. We believe that all Scripture, the Old and New Testaments, is inspired by the Holy Spirit, but the Church has always given special honor to the Gospel because in the Gospel we have not simply the preparation for and prefiguring of Christ, nor reflections on his message, but the words and deeds of Christ himself. The proclamation of the Gospel is surrounded with marks of respect and honor: the Gospel is read by an ordained minister, the deacon, or, when no deacon is present, by a priest; the Book of the Gospels is carried aloft with honor in the entrance procession and placed on the altar until the Gospel reading to show the unity of Scripture and Eucharist, of the table of the Word and the table of the Christ's body and blood; just before the Gospel is read the Gospel book is carried in procession to the ambo to the accompaniment of an acclamation sung by the people; it may be incensed before the reading and is kissed at its conclusion; finally, all stand as the Gospel is proclaimed. Through this posture and through the honor paid to the book containing the Gospel, the Church pays homage to Christ who is present in his Word and who proclaims his Gospel.
What, then, must we do to properly receive the Word of God proclaimed at Mass?  The General Instruction tells us that "the readings from the Word of God are to be listened to reverently by everyone" (no. 29), and it provides that those who read the Scriptures at Mass must be "truly suited to carrying out this function and carefully prepared, so that by their hearing the readings from the sacred texts the faithful may conceive in their hearts a sweet and living affection for Sacred Scripture" (no. 101).

The key word in all of this is listening. We are called to listen attentively as the reader, deacon or priest proclaims God's Word. Unless one is unable to hear, one should not be reading along with a text from a missal or missalette. Rather, taking our cue from the General Instruction itself, we should listen as we would if Christ himself were standing at the ambo, for in fact it is God who speaks when the Scriptures are proclaimed. Carefully following along with the printed word can cause us to miss the gentle voice of the Holy Spirit, the message that the Spirit may have for us in one of the passages because we are anxious to "keep up," to move along with the reader.

Perhaps the best way to understand the readings at Mass and our response to them is offered by Saint John Paul II in his Instruction Dies Domini. . . . He encourages "those who take part in the Eucharist—priest, ministers and faithful... to prepare the Sunday liturgy, reflecting beforehand upon the word of God which will be proclaimed" and adds that if we do not, "it is difficult for the liturgical proclamation of the word of God alone to produce the fruit we might expect" (no. 40). In this way we will till the soil, preparing our souls to receive the seeds to be planted by the Word of God so that seed may bear fruit.
    The Word of God, then calls for our listening and our response in silent reflection, as well as in word and song. Most important of all, the Word of God, which is living and active, calls each of us individually and all of us together for a response that moves beyond the liturgy itself and affects our daily lives, leading us to engage fully in the task of making Christ known to the world by all that we do and say. 
 

On May 13, 1917, Lucia dos Santos, Francisco, and Jacinta Marto were, respectively, ten, nine, and seven years old. As we have said, the three children lived in Aljustrel, a hamlet of the township of Fatima.  After three apparitions of the Angel of Portugal in 1916, the children began to receive visits of a luminous Lady who later identified herself as “The Lady of the Rosary.” In Catholic language, “Our Lady of the Rosary” is the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God made man.  The apparitions took place on a small property belonging to Lucia's parents called Cova da Iria, about a mile and a half from Fatima.  The three seers were playing at Cova da Iria on May 13, 1917 when they saw two flashes like lightning, after which they saw the Mother of God above a holm oak. She was, according to the description of Lucia, "a Lady dressed in white, more brilliant than the sun…" Her face, indescribably beautiful, was "neither sad nor happy, but serious," with an air of mild reproach. Her hands, joined together as if she were praying, were resting at her breast and pointing upward. A rosary hung from her right hand.  The seers were so close to Our Lady – about a yard and a half away – that they stood within the light that radiated from her.

The conversation developed in the following manner: 
Our Lady: Do not be afraid; I will not harm you.
Lucia: Where is Your Grace from?
Our Lady: I am from heaven–pointing to the sky.
Lucia: And what does Your Grace wish of me?
Our Lady: I have come to ask you to come here for six months in succession on the thirteenth day of each month at this same hour. Later I will tell you who I am and what I want. Afterward, I will return here a seventh time.  
Lucia: And will I go to heaven, too?
Our Lady: Yes, you will.
Lucia: And Jacinta? Our Lady: Also. Lucia: And Francisco?
Our Lady: Also, but he must say many rosaries. Lucia: Is Maria das Neves already in heaven?
Our Lady: Yes, she is. Lucia: And Amélia? Our Lady: She will be in purgatory until the end of the world. Do you wish to offer yourselves to God to endure all the sufferings that He may be pleased to send you, as both an act of reparation for the sins with which He is offended and an act of supplication for the conversion of sinners?
Lucia: Yes, we do. 
Our Lady: Well then, you will have much to suffer. But the grace of God will be your comfort.

"It was upon saying these last words, 'the grace of God...' that for the first time she opened her hands, which emitted a most intense light that penetrated our breasts, reaching the innermost part of our souls and making us see ourselves in God, Who was that light, more clearly than we can see ourselves in the best of mirrors.  Then, driven by a deep inspiration, we knelt down and repeated inwardly: 'O Most Holy Trinity, I adore Thee! My God, my God, I love Thee in the Most Blessed Sacrament.'”  "A moment later, Our Lady added, 'Pray the rosary every day to obtain peace for the world and the end of the war.'  She immediately began to rise serenely toward the east until she disappeared far into the distance.  The light that surrounded her was, so to speak, opening her way through the starry firmament." -From America needs Fatima

In addition to its online edition, MAGNIFICAT is now offering complimentary access to its iOS and Android Apps throughout May.  To register for free access in English, visit https://www.magnificat.com/free. For free access in Spanish, visit and register at https://www.magnificat.com/gratis.

Magnificat is also happy to make available complimentary access to Magnifikid.  Visit https://www.magnifikid.com/free to view and download each weekly booklet of their colorful Sunday missalette for children ages 6 through 12. 

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CNA Staff, Mar 27, 2020 / 08:30 am (CNA).- A German cathedral will publicly display the relics of St. Corona, an early Christian martyr, once the COVID-19 outbreak has ended in the country. 

The Catholic cathedral in the city of Aachen, western Germany, was already planning to display the reliquary of St. Corona before the global COVID-19--also known as the novel coronavirus--pandemic struck. The shrine was to be included in an exhibit on goldwork and gold craftsmanship, and has not been able to be viewed by the public for the past 25 years. 

The cathedral, commonly known as the Imperial Cathedral because it was used by the Emperor Charlemagne, has housed the relics since the year 997 AD.

A spokeswoman for the cathedral was quoted by Reuters saying that, due to the coincidence of the saint’s name and the subfamily of the virus that has infected thousands of people around the world, she expects there to be “more interest” in viewing the saint’s remains. 

“We have brought the shrine out a bit earlier than planned,” said the spokeswoman, Daniela Loevenich. 

It is not yet known when the public will be able visit and venerate the relics St. Corona - Germany has banned gatherings of more than two unrelated people in an attempt to stem the spread of COVID-19, which has killed nearly 200 people in the country. 

The saint’s name, Corona, comes from the Latin word for “crown.” She is also known as St. Stephanie, derived from the Greek word stephanos, which also means “crown.” The subfamily of viruses known as “coronaviruses” were named for their resemblance to crowns. 

St. Corona is believed to have been martyred as a 16-year old in the second century, but few details are known about her. Tradition holds that her martyrdom occurred after she, hearing that St. Vincent was being tortured for his Christian faith, confessed her own faith and was subsequently executed. 

The two saints share a feast day of May 14. 

Despite viral internet posts stating that St. Corona is the patron saint of epidemics, she is actually venerated as the patroness of treasure hunters and lumberjacks, the latter because of the tradition that she was martyred by being tied between two palm trees. 

St. Edmund and St. Roch are venerated as the patron saints of pandemics and the plague. 

St. Edmund was credited for saving the city of Toulouse from the plague in the early 17th century, and St. Roch was invoked many times in the centuries after his death for protection from plagues and other ailments.

 

Varias agencias de noticias, incluida la Agencia Alemana de Prensa (DPA), informaron en los últimos días que una mártir de la tradición cristiana primitiva llamada “Corona” fue venerada en el pasado como la santa patrona contra las epidemias resistentes.

Se dice que Santa Corona, de 16 años, fue ejecutada en el siglo II por profesar su fe en Oriente, probablemente en Siria. Sus reliquias se han mantenido en la ciudad de Aquisgrán, en el oeste de Alemania, durante más de 1.000 años, más precisamente, desde el 997 d.C.

Daniela Lövenich, la portavoz de la Catedral de Aquisgrán, declaró a DPA: “Entre otras cosas, Santa Corona es considerada una santa patrona contra las epidemias. Eso es lo que la hace tan interesante en este momento”.

El miércoles 25 de marzo, la agencia Reuters publicó un artículo en el que se informó que la Catedral de Aquisgrán ha decidido sacar las reliquias de la poco conocida Santa Corona para exhibirlas una vez que haya pasado la pandemia del coronavirus, como parte de una exposición sobre artesanía de oro.

Actualmente los expertos están limpiando minuciosamente el relicario de oro, bronce y marfil, que ha estado oculto a la vista del público durante los últimos 25 años.

Brigitta Falk, jefa del Tesoro de la Catedral de Aquisgrán, contó detalles sobre la leyenda del brutal martirio de Santa Corona. Se dice que la joven cristiana fue atada a dos palmeras curvas que finalmente destrozaron a la niña cuando éstas se abrieron nuevamente.

“Esa es una historia muy espantosa y la llevó a convertirse en la mecenas de los leñadores”, dijo, y agregó que fue pura casualidad que también se convirtiera en la santa patrona para resistir las epidemias.

Las reliquias de Corona, que habrían sido traídas a Aquisgrán por el rey Otto III en 997, se guardaron en una tumba debajo de una losa en la catedral, que todavía se puede ver, hasta el año 1911 o 1912 cuando se colocaron en el relicario.

El relicario, que mide 93 centímetros de alto y pesa 98 kilogramos, ahora está siendo pulido para los visitantes.

“Hemos sacado el relicario un poco antes de lo planeado y ahora esperamos más interés debido al virus”, dijo Daniela Lövenich a Reuters.

¿Existe de verdad una “santa contra las epidemias”? Lo que dice la tradición de la Iglesia

“No hay noticias reales sobre su vida”, señala el Lexikon des Mittelalters, una enciclopedia alemana sobre la historia y la cultura de la Edad Media, que fue escrita por autores de todo el mundo reuniendo más de 36 mil artículos en nueve volúmenes.

Se dice que Corona sufrió la muerte en Siria o Egipto en el siglo II, que sus reliquias fueron de Egipto, a través de Chipre y Sicilia, a Otricoli (norte de Italia); de allí la llevó Otto III a Aquisgrán. 

“Corona fue particularmente llamada por los cazadores de tesoros y carniceros”, indica el libro. Incluso, el texto señala que no sabe nada de un patronazgo especial contra las epidemias. 

La edición de 1931 habla de que no es seguro que el nombre “Corona” se refiera a la moneda “corona”, que era conocida antes del siglo XVI. Así que la santa habría sido llamada así sobre todo por “asuntos de dinero, lotería, juegos de azar” y de “schatzgraben”, que el Lexikon des Mittelalters condena expresamente como “superstición”.

La referencia a la posible veneración de la Santa Corona por parte de jugadores supersticiosos ha desaparecido en ediciones posteriores del Lexikon, pero allí tampoco hay ninguna referencia a invocaciones especiales de la mártir en tiempos de epidemias. 

En la edición actual del Lexikon, que se completó en 2001, la época de su martirio data de la época del emperador Antonino Pío o Diocleciano. Sobre todo en Baviera y Baja Austria, fue venerada “como una mecenas afortunada” y como “mecenas de los buscadores de tesoros”. Sin embargo, no hay referencias a patronazgos adicionales como la veneración por parte de leñadores, carniceros o contra epidemias.

Hasta ahora, solo la “Enciclopedia Ecuménica de los Santos” ha emitido la Santa Corona como la santa patrona contra las epidemias. 

Sin embargo, no hay una fuente exacta sobre este patronazgo. El sitio web es operado por el pastor protestante retirado Joachim Schäfer. Según sus propias declaraciones, “muchos lectores (...) ayudan con su conocimiento de los detalles y sus consejos y correcciones”. 

“Siempre nos llegan mensajes que requieren explicaciones ‘oficiales’ o ciertos puntos de vista e interpretaciones. No representamos ninguna posición oficial de ninguna iglesia u otro grupo; la independencia es muy importante para nosotros”, indicó

Todavía no está claro qué fuentes son en última instancia responsables del hecho de que Santa Corona haya sido nombrada como la patrona contra las epidemias.

El Tesoro de la Catedral de Aquisgrán ya recibió un pedido explícito de información sobre este tema por parte de CNA Deutsch –agencia en alemán del Grupo ACI–.

La Catedral de Aquisgrán construida por el emperador Carlomagno en el siglo IX, es una de las más antiguas de Europa. Carlomagno fue enterrado allí en 814 y se usó para la coronación de reyes y reinas alemanes.   

 

The Veil Removed is a dramitization of what's actually going on during each Mass.  We may not be able to see this except with our mind's eye, but it's going on.  Every day, in every Catholic Mass around the world.  Take a look.  You'll find the link below.