August 24, 2007

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Pope Benedict: consumerism, hedonism will be defeated It is present in the form of materialistic ideologies that consider God as something expendable or pointless and that maintain life is all about “consumption, selfishness, amusement” and “taking all there is to get in this brief lifetime,” the pope said. “Once again it seems absurd, impossible to defy this dominant mentality,” especially with the support it gets in the media, he said. “Nonetheless, we know that in the end the defenseless woman won” the battle against the dragon, signaling the victory of God’s love, he said. The woman clothed with the sun and with the moon under her feet represents Mary “living totally in God ... penetrated by the light of God” and conquering death, said the pope. “She tells us: ‘Have courage. In the end love wins,’” he said, adding that this love entailed living her life as a servant of God and giving herself totally to God and others. The feast of the Assumption “is an invitation to have faith in God, to imitate Mary” and “to give our lives, not seize life,” Pope Benedict said. Love is stronger than hatred, he said, and the seemingly weak God, who came to the world as a baby, is strong. Though faith in God may seem weak against all earthly powers, it “is the true power in the world,” said the pope. Pope Benedict called on the faithful gathered in the papal courtyard to imitate Mary with a humble devotion to Christ “and generous service” to others.

(PHOTO BY JOSE LUIS AGUIRRE)

Help from around the world including a contribution personally directed by Pope Benedict XVI is being marshalled to help thousands impacted by the Aug. 15, 8.0 magnitude earthquake in Peru. Among those killed were two Mercy Sisters. The Seton Institute has established an earthquake relief fund; contributions payable to Seton Institute (Peru Earthquake Relief) may be sent to 1800 Sullivan Ave., Suite 506, Daly City, CA 94015, according to Deacon Gene Smith, executive director.

CASTEL GANDOLFO, Italy (CNS) — The seemingly invincible ideologies of consumerism and hedonism and the reign of violence and terror will all be defeated by God’s love, Pope Benedict XVI said in his homily Aug. 15, the feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virigin Mary. “It still seems impossible today to think that God ... is the true ruler of the world,” the pope said, but in the end, “love wins, not selfishness,” over material power and hatred. The pope’s comments came while he celebrated Mass at St. Thomas Church in Castel Gandolfo, where the papal summer residence is located, south of Rome. Giving his homily without using a text or notes, the pope said that according to St. Augustine, human history has been driven by a struggle between two kinds of love: love for God in which one “loses oneself and gives oneself” totally to him and loving oneself to “the point of disparaging God and hating others.” Pope Benedict said this selfish love versus true love can be seen in the two images present in the feast day’s first reading from the Book of Revelation, an account of the encounter between the powerful dragon and the defenseless woman. The dragon, he said, represents “power without mercy, without love, of absolute selfishness, terror, violence” as well as all “materialistic dictatorships” throughout history, including the Nazi and Stalinist regimes. “Even today the dragon exists in new and different ways,” he said.

Nearly 2,000 worshippers took part in the eighth annual Hispanic Charismatic Catholic Congress Aug. 11-12 on the campus of Mercy High School in San Francisco. According to Father Jose Corral (third from right), liaison to the Hispanic Charismatic movement, the event “emphasized the love and obedience to which we are all called.” Based on John 14:15, the congress’ theme was “If you love me, you will obey what I command.”

INSIDE THIS WEEK’S EDITION Travel directory . . . . . . . . . . 9 Letters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Father Michael Keane dies

~ Page 5 ~ Special pull-out Senior Living Section August 24, 2007

Scripture. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Datebook . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Media . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Labor Day: sanctification of work Classified ads . . . . . . . . 18-19

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