Excerpts from Pope Benedict's Homily for the Beatification of John Paul II.
Today is the Second Sunday of Easter, which Blessed John Paul II entitled Divine Mercy Sunday. The date was chosen for today's celebration because, in God's providence, my predecessor died on the vigil of this feast. Today is also the first day of May, Mary's month, and the liturgical memorial of Saint Joseph the Worker. All these elements serve to enrich our prayer, they help us in our pilgrimage through time and space; but in heaven a very different celebration is taking place among the angels and saints! Even so, God is but one, and one too is Christ the Lord, who like a bridge joins earth to heaven. At this moment we feel closer than ever, sharing as it were in the liturgy of heaven.
"Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe" (Jn 20:29). In today's Gospel Jesus proclaims this beatitude: the beatitude of faith. For us, it is particularly striking because we are gathered to celebrate a beatification, but even more so because today the one proclaimed blessed is a Pope, a Successor of Peter, one who was called to confirm his brethren in the faith. John Paul II is blessed because of his faith, a strong, generous and apostolic faith. We think at once of another beatitude: "Blessed are you, Simon, son of Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father in heaven" (Mt 16:17). What did our heavenly Father reveal to Simon? That Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God. Because of this faith, Simon becomes Peter, the rock on which Jesus can build his Church. The eternal beatitude of John Paul II, which today the Church rejoices to proclaim, is wholly contained in these sayings of Jesus: "Blessed are you, Simon" and "Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe!" It is the beatitude of faith, which John Paul II also received as a gift from God the Father for the building up of Christ's Church.
Blessed John Paul II, pray for us!
Francis Peterson was born on July 23, 1925 in Philadelphia, PA. He was ordained tot eh priesthood for the Diocese of Honolulu on May 14, 1960 at the Cathedral of Sts Peter and Paul in Philadelphia, PA. Fr. Francis Peterson was a WW II vet and served the people in Hawaii for 51 years as a priest. His pastoral assignments were in various parishes in the Diocese of Honolulu and he affliated with St Francis medical Center and World Wide Marriage Encounter.
Fr. "Pete" had leukemia and on April 14, 2011, he died at Tripler Medical Center in Honolulu. Fr "Pete" offers himself beyond death and he has donated his body to the University of Hawaii's John A. Burns School of Medicine.
Psalm 23
The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.
He makes me lie down in green pastures,
He leads me beside quiet waters,
He refreshes my soul.
He guides me along the right paths
for his name's sake.
Even though I walk
through the valley of the shadow of death,
I fear no evil,
for you with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
Surely your goodness and love will follow me
all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the LORD
forever.
Fr. Pete A Pictoral Remembrance from Hawaii Catholic Television on Vimeo.
On the anniversary of the birth of Fr. James Alberione we give praise & thanks to God for the great things He has done through his life and works which continues today throughout the world by the members of the Pauline Family.
Check out Fr. James Alberione's Official Film Site and BlogSpot.
Remember when we posted pictures when Kim Lawton of PBS Religion & Ethics was here to interview some of us for an segment on faith groups and Social Media? Well - here's the finished interview!
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/religionandethics/episodes/april-1-2011/religion-and-social-media/8470/?sms_ss=facebook&at_xt=4d965e43b751e149,0
