First reading:Isaiah 45: 1, 4 - 6
1 Thus says the LORD to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have grasped, to subdue nations before him and ungird the loins of kings, to open doors before him that gates may not be closed:
4 For the sake of my servant Jacob, and Israel my chosen, I call you by your name, I surname you, though you do not know me.
5 I am the LORD, and there is no other, besides me there is no God; I gird you, though you do not know me,
6 that men may know, from the rising of the sun and from the west, that there is none besides me; I am the LORD, and there is no other.
Psalms 96: 1, 3 - 5, 7 - 10
1 O sing to the LORD a new song; sing to the LORD, all the earth!
3 Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous works among all the peoples!
4 For great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised; he is to be feared above all gods.
5 For all the gods of the peoples are idols; but the LORD made the heavens.
7 Ascribe to the LORD, O families of the peoples, ascribe to the LORD glory and strength!
8 Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name; bring an offering, and come into his courts!
9 Worship the LORD in holy array; tremble before him, all the earth!
10 Say among the nations, "The LORD reigns! Yea, the world is established, it shall never be moved; he will judge the peoples with equity."
second reading:1 Thessalonians 1: 1 - 5
1 Paul, Silva'nus, and Timothy, To the church of the Thessalo'nians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace.
2 We give thanks to God always for you all, constantly mentioning you in our prayers,
3 remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.
4 For we know, brethren beloved by God, that he has chosen you;
5 for our gospel came to you not only in word, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction. You know what kind of men we proved to be among you for your sake.
gospel reading:Matthew 22: 15 - 21
15 Then the Pharisees went and took counsel how to entangle him in his talk.
16 And they sent their disciples to him, along with the Hero'di-ans, saying, "Teacher, we know that you are true, and teach the way of God truthfully, and care for no man; for you do not regard the position of men.
17 Tell us, then, what you think. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?"
18 But Jesus, aware of their malice, said, "Why put me to the test, you hypocrites?
19 Show me the money for the tax." And they brought him a coin.
20 And Jesus said to them, "Whose likeness and inscription is this?"
21 They said, "Caesar's." Then he said to them, "Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's."
In the midst of rainstorm at the Madrid prayer vigil, 27-year-old recalls, 'We were not afraid at all because we could see that the first one who was serene was the Holy Father. He transmitted a lot of serenity, a lot of calmness.'
by DAVID KERR (EWTN NEWS/CNA)
1 Thus says the LORD to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have grasped, to subdue nations before him and ungird the loins of kings, to open doors before him that gates may not be closed:
4 For the sake of my servant Jacob, and Israel my chosen, I call you by your name, I surname you, though you do not know me.
5 I am the LORD, and there is no other, besides me there is no God; I gird you, though you do not know me,
6 that men may know, from the rising of the sun and from the west, that there is none besides me; I am the LORD, and there is no other.
Psalms 96: 1, 3 - 5, 7 - 10
1 O sing to the LORD a new song; sing to the LORD, all the earth!
3 Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous works among all the peoples!
4 For great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised; he is to be feared above all gods.
5 For all the gods of the peoples are idols; but the LORD made the heavens.
7 Ascribe to the LORD, O families of the peoples, ascribe to the LORD glory and strength!
8 Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name; bring an offering, and come into his courts!
9 Worship the LORD in holy array; tremble before him, all the earth!
10 Say among the nations, "The LORD reigns! Yea, the world is established, it shall never be moved; he will judge the peoples with equity."
second reading:1 Thessalonians 1: 1 - 5
1 Paul, Silva'nus, and Timothy, To the church of the Thessalo'nians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace.
2 We give thanks to God always for you all, constantly mentioning you in our prayers,
3 remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.
4 For we know, brethren beloved by God, that he has chosen you;
5 for our gospel came to you not only in word, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction. You know what kind of men we proved to be among you for your sake.
gospel reading:Matthew 22: 15 - 21
15 Then the Pharisees went and took counsel how to entangle him in his talk.
16 And they sent their disciples to him, along with the Hero'di-ans, saying, "Teacher, we know that you are true, and teach the way of God truthfully, and care for no man; for you do not regard the position of men.
17 Tell us, then, what you think. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?"
18 But Jesus, aware of their malice, said, "Why put me to the test, you hypocrites?
19 Show me the money for the tax." And they brought him a coin.
20 And Jesus said to them, "Whose likeness and inscription is this?"
21 They said, "Caesar's." Then he said to them, "Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's."
In the midst of rainstorm at the Madrid prayer vigil, 27-year-old recalls, 'We were not afraid at all because we could see that the first one who was serene was the Holy Father. He transmitted a lot of serenity, a lot of calmness.'
by DAVID KERR (EWTN NEWS/CNA)
As thunder, lightning and wind whipped through the World Youth Day prayer vigil this past August, Pope Benedict XVI was advised to leave the event three times. But he insisted that if the young people stayed, then he would too.
The revelation comes from a young Honduran woman who stood next to the Pope throughout the event.
“The masters of ceremony were asking him if the wanted to leave because it was raining; it was pouring, and the wind was really strong. And he kept on saying that he would not leave. In fact, he twice waved his finger saying, ‘No, no, no’,” 27-year-old Erika Rivera told EWTN News.
The advisers then asked a third time if the Pope wanted to leave. But this time he responded even more firmly, pointing to the 2 million drenched young pilgrims and saying, “If they are staying, then I am staying too.”
“And when he said that, we, the young people who were there next to him, were just so happy to have him as the Holy Father. So it was a fantastic, unique experience,” Rivera said.
Rivera was a senior press officer at World Youth Day Madrid, but she also served as the host at a number of the week’s papal events, including the Saturday night vigil at Madrid’s Cuatro Vientos airbase.
While the rain lashed and lighting flashed, Pope Benedict seemed to remain prayerfully composed beneath two white umbrellas. Meanwhile, the 2-million-strong congregation youthfully sang, danced and prayed in the soaking rain.
“We were not afraid at all because we could see that the first one who was serene was the Holy Father,” said Rivera. “He transmitted a lot of serenity, a lot of calmness, and, therefore, you know, we thought, What else could happen to us?”
After approximately 15 minutes, the rain abated, allowing Pope Benedict to thank the crowd for their “joy and resistance” in enduring the storm. “Your strength is bigger than the rain,” he told them, adding that “the Lord sends you lots of blessings with the rain.”
He then proceeded to lead the young people in Eucharistic adoration.
“It was just fantastic, amazing; it was like a masterpiece,” Rivera said. “The Eucharist was there, the Holy Father was there, and the future of the Church was there too, the young people; it was just amazing.”
Two months later, Rivera believes there is a deeper lesson to be learned from Pope Benedict’s fortitude in the face of a Spanish storm.
While modern society often opts to “take the easy exit,” she said, to “see Pope Benedict willing to stay there, to make the sacrifice for him who died on the cross for us, it was truly inspiring for me.”
The revelation comes from a young Honduran woman who stood next to the Pope throughout the event.
“The masters of ceremony were asking him if the wanted to leave because it was raining; it was pouring, and the wind was really strong. And he kept on saying that he would not leave. In fact, he twice waved his finger saying, ‘No, no, no’,” 27-year-old Erika Rivera told EWTN News.
The advisers then asked a third time if the Pope wanted to leave. But this time he responded even more firmly, pointing to the 2 million drenched young pilgrims and saying, “If they are staying, then I am staying too.”
“And when he said that, we, the young people who were there next to him, were just so happy to have him as the Holy Father. So it was a fantastic, unique experience,” Rivera said.
Rivera was a senior press officer at World Youth Day Madrid, but she also served as the host at a number of the week’s papal events, including the Saturday night vigil at Madrid’s Cuatro Vientos airbase.
While the rain lashed and lighting flashed, Pope Benedict seemed to remain prayerfully composed beneath two white umbrellas. Meanwhile, the 2-million-strong congregation youthfully sang, danced and prayed in the soaking rain.
“We were not afraid at all because we could see that the first one who was serene was the Holy Father,” said Rivera. “He transmitted a lot of serenity, a lot of calmness, and, therefore, you know, we thought, What else could happen to us?”
After approximately 15 minutes, the rain abated, allowing Pope Benedict to thank the crowd for their “joy and resistance” in enduring the storm. “Your strength is bigger than the rain,” he told them, adding that “the Lord sends you lots of blessings with the rain.”
He then proceeded to lead the young people in Eucharistic adoration.
“It was just fantastic, amazing; it was like a masterpiece,” Rivera said. “The Eucharist was there, the Holy Father was there, and the future of the Church was there too, the young people; it was just amazing.”
Two months later, Rivera believes there is a deeper lesson to be learned from Pope Benedict’s fortitude in the face of a Spanish storm.
While modern society often opts to “take the easy exit,” she said, to “see Pope Benedict willing to stay there, to make the sacrifice for him who died on the cross for us, it was truly inspiring for me.”
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