Pope: Catholics have ‘duty’ to pray for China today [Catholic Caucus]

saltandLightTV.org ^ | May 24, 2011 | saltandLightTV.org

[Salvation]

Pope: Catholics have ‘duty’ to pray for China today

May 24th, 2011

While Pope Benedict frequently invites Catholics to pray for particular causes, he has made a unique, official appeal for the Church in China. Speaking at the General Audience last Wednesday, he said that “all Catholics throughout the world have a duty to pray for the Church in China: those members of the faithful have a right to our prayers, they need our prayers.”

In 2007, the Pope inaugurated the World Day of Prayer for the Church in China. Celebrated today, May 24th, it coincides with the memorial to Our Lady, Help of Christians. Pilgrims travel from throughout China to venerate her in Shanghai at the Shrine of Our Lady of Sheshan.

Developments in China add urgency to the prayer request. AsiaNews reports that the Chinese government has restricted access to the shrine and that underground priests have been taken away by security forces.

PRAYER OF HIS HOLINESS BENEDICT XVI TO OUR LADY OF SHESHAN
ON THE OCCASION OF THE WORLD DAY OF PRAYER FOR THE CHURCH IN CHINA

Virgin Most Holy, Mother of the Incarnate Word and our Mother,
venerated in the Shrine of Sheshan under the title “Help of Christians”,
the entire Church in China looks to you with devout affection.
We come before you today to implore your protection.
Look upon the People of God and, with a mother’s care, guide them
along the paths of truth and love, so that they may always be
a leaven of harmonious coexistence among all citizens.

When you obediently said “yes” in the house of Nazareth,
you allowed God’s eternal Son to take flesh in your virginal womb
and thus to begin in history the work of our redemption.
You willingly and generously cooperated in that work,
allowing the sword of pain to pierce your soul,
until the supreme hour of the Cross, when you kept watch on Calvary,
standing beside your Son, who died that we might live.

From that moment, you became, in a new way,
the Mother of all those who receive your Son Jesus in faith
and choose to follow in his footsteps by taking up his Cross.
Mother of hope, in the darkness of Holy Saturday you journeyed
with unfailing trust towards the dawn of Easter.
Grant that your children may discern at all times,
even those that are darkest, the signs of God’s loving presence.

Our Lady of Sheshan, sustain all those in China,
who, amid their daily trials, continue to believe, to hope, to love.
May they never be afraid to speak of Jesus to the world,
and of the world to Jesus.
In the statue overlooking the Shrine you lift your Son on high,
offering him to the world with open arms in a gesture of love.
Help Catholics always to be credible witnesses to this love,
ever clinging to the rock of Peter on which the Church is built.
Mother of China and all Asia, pray for us, now and for ever. Amen!

[Salvation]

Asking blessings and prayers for the peoples of China. (Especially these priests who seem to be the enemy of the Chinese government.)

[Salvation]

Part of the Pope's prayer intentions for this month.

Missionary Intention: That the Lord may grant the Church in China the capacity to persevere in fidelity to the Gospel and to grow in unity.

[edcoil]

The communist experiment is a failure.

[Salvation]

Prayer Ping for the people of China.

[sayuncledave]

Absolutely, and happily. I’ll say a Rosary for them, too.

[scorchedearther]

Christians may actually be the salvation of China in the future.

[Salvation]

Indeed.

[Salvation]

I urge all of you to read the link to the Asia news report referenced.

We have so much for which to be thankful.

[Mad Dawg]

Thanks for putting this up and pinging me. Let us indeed pray with the Holy Father for our brethren in China.

[Kolokotronis]

The Holy Chinese Martyrs of the Boxer Rebellion

Troparion, in the Fifth Tone:

In a pagan land ye were enlightened by the Orthodox Faith, and having lived in the Faith but a little time, ye inherited the eternal Kingdom. By the purity of your Christian ways ye put to shame the false Confucian piety and trampled demon-inspired Buddhism underfoot as refuse, sanctifying the Chinese land with your blood. Wherefore, we pray: Entreat the Master of all that He enlighten your land with Orthodoxy in these latter times, and strengthen us therein.

Kontakion, in the First Tone:

O Martyrs of these latter times, ye whitened your garments in the blood of the Lamb, and shed your own blood for Christ. Wherefore, ye now minister unto Him day and night in the Church of heaven. Therefore, entreat Christ for us, O glorious Martyrs, that He hide His little flock from the beguilement of Antichrist, and that He lead all of us out of great tribulation unto a land of never-waning light.

And from the Akathist to the Chinese Martyr Saints:

Together in an unbaptized land, you built a temple to God with holy hands, but when faced with the flames of the demon's host, you chose Life in the temple not made with hands, putting to death the things of the body, putting on life according to the Spirit that we may say:

Rejoice, O lambs of the eastern Zion.

Rejoice, oblations of Christ's shrine in the east.

Rejoice, ye who preached the Word in a new tongue.

Rejoice, ye whose holy books hallowed the pagans' fire.

Rejoice, ye who raised a Temple to Christ as new children of Solomon.

Rejoice, ye sanctifiers of the pagan temple shrine.

Rejoice, thrice-blessed children of the holy fire.

Rejoice, confessors who walk in the flame of death

with the Flame of Life.

Rejoice, ye who repent in burning sackcloth and ashes.

Rejoice, ye who are mingled with the ashes of Christ's holy temple.

Rejoice, O sacrifices who scorned sacrifice to the new Baal.

Rejoice, O carriers of the Holy Flame.

Rejoice, O stars of the Orient.

[Cicero]

The headline is somewhat confusing. The Pope asked Catholics to pray for the Church in China.

[Salvation]

Absolutely beautiful, yet heart-breaking icon.

[Salvation]

Reporters have that knack of messing up the message sometimes, don’t they?

[Rashputin]

Thanks for staying on top of so much. You're a real blessing and help to me with all your posts.

Regards

[Salvation]

Welcome, FRiend.

[bronxville]

Thanks for keeping us informed Salvation. God bless you. I’m late but will pray the rosary for them tomorrow.

[dangus]

That prayer is beautiful, too. Thanks.

[OpusatFR]

Yes, please, prayer for the priests.

Especially for Fr. Peter Guangjun and Father Chen and companions who were arrested the beginning of 2011. Fr. Peter was tortured on arrest and is probably still being abused. He has a heart condition and is only early 40’s. Fr. Chen is also ill.

Please pray that God comforts them and gives them the joy of the martyrs. May they be freed and back with their flock soon.

[annalex]

the dragon was angry against the woman: and went to make war with the rest of her seed, who keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ. (Apoc. 12:17)

May Our Lady pray for the people of China and be a source of courage to them; may the Chinese government be destroyed utterly and a Christian government be installed instead.

May the Catholic Church prosper in China.

May those in China who supported the post-1949 regime feel sorrow for their act and come to repentance. May they set an example to those who continue to seek apologiies for the communist regimes, present and past, everywhere.

May no one be fooled that a communist regime can evolve into a peaceful government.

May it please Our Lady the All-Holy Mother of God to extend the dome of Her protection to all innocent in China.

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, in the company of saints in Heaven we pray, amen.

[diamond6]

Beautiful icon... is she holding the burial shroud of Jesus?