Mark 9:14-29: When they came to the other disciples, they
saw a large crowd around them and the teachers of the law arguing with them. As soon as all the people
saw Jesus, they were overwhelmed with wonder and ran to greet him. “What are you arguing with
them about?” he asked.
A man in the crowd
answered, “Teacher, I brought you my son, who is possessed by a spirit that has
robbed him of speech. Whenever
it seizes him, it throws him to the ground. He foams at the mouth, gnashes his
teeth and becomes rigid. I asked your disciples to drive out the spirit, but
they could not.”
“You unbelieving generation,” Jesus replied, “How long shall
I stay with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring the boy to me.” So they brought him. When
the spirit saw Jesus, it immediately threw the boy into a convulsion. He fell
to the ground and rolled around, foaming at the mouth. Jesus asked the boy’s
father, “How long has he been like this?”“From childhood,” he answered. “It has often thrown him
into fire or water to kill him. But if you can do anything, take pity on us and
help us.” “‘If
you can’?” said Jesus. “Everything is possible for one who believes.” Immediately the boy’s
father exclaimed, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!” When Jesus saw that a
crowd was running to the scene, he rebuked the impure spirit. “You
deaf and mute spirit,” he said, “I command you, come out of him and
never enter him again.” The
spirit shrieked, convulsed him violently and came out. The boy looked so much
like a corpse that many said, “He’s dead.” But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him to his
feet, and he stood up. After Jesus had gone indoors, his disciples asked him
privately, “Why couldn’t we drive it out?” He replied, “This kind can come out only by
prayer.”
The Pope has asked
for a day of prayer and fasting on Saturday for the end to the violence in
Syria. Many people in the world believe as he does, that if this conflict
escalades into a war involving many nations, we will seen unprecedented horrors.
Please read his plea and follow his request.
"I have
decided to proclaim for the whole Church on 7 Sept. next, the vigil
of the birth of Mary, Queen of Peace, a day of fasting and prayer for peace in
Syria, the Middle East, and throughout the world"
VATICAN CITY, September 01, 2013 (
Zenit.org) - Here is a Vatican translation of the Pope's
address this morning, given before and after praying the midday Angelus with
the faithful gathered in St. Peter's Square.
* * *
Dear Brothers and Sisters, Hello!
Today, dear brothers and sisters, I wish to add my voice
to the cry which rises up with increasing anguish from every part of the world,
from every people, from the heart of each person, from the one great family
which is humanity: it is the cry for peace! It is a cry which declares with
force: we want a peaceful world, we want to be men and women of peace, and we
want in our society, torn apart by divisions and conflict, that peace break
out! War never again! Never again war! Peace is a precious gift, which must be
promoted and protected. There are so many conflicts in this world which cause
me great suffering and worry, but in these days my heart is deeply wounded in
particular by what is happening in Syria and anguished by the dramatic
developments which are looming. I appeal strongly for peace, an appeal which
arises from deep within me. How much suffering, how much devastation, how much
pain has the use of arms carried in its wake in that martyred country especially
among civilians and the unarmed! I think of many children who will not see the
light of the future! With utmost firmness I condemn the use of chemical
weapons: I tell you that those terrible images from recent days are burned into
my mind and heart. There is a judgment of God and of history upon our actions
which are inescapable! Never has the use of violence brought peace in its wake.
War begets war, violence begets violence. With all my strength, I ask each
party in this conflict to listen to the voice of their own conscience, not to
close themselves in solely on their own interests, but rather to look at each
other as brothers and decisively and courageously to follow the path of
encounter and negotiation, and so overcome blind conflict. With similar vigor I
exhort the international community to make every effort to promote clear
proposals for peace in that country without further delay, a peace based on
dialogue and negotiation, for the good of the entire Syrian people. May no
effort be spared in guaranteeing humanitarian assistance to those wounded by this
terrible conflict, in particular those forced to flee and the many refugees in
nearby countries. May humanitarian workers, charged with the task of
alleviating the sufferings of these people, be granted access so as to provide
the necessary aid. What can we do to make peace in the world? As Pope John
said, it pertains to each individual to establish new relationships in human
society under the mastery and guidance of justice and love (cf. John
XXIII, Pacem in Terris, [11 April 1963]: AAS 55,
[1963], 301-302). All men and women of good will are bound by the task of
pursuing peace. I make a forceful and urgent call to the entire Catholic
Church, and also to every Christian of other confessions, as well as to
followers of every religion and to those brothers and sisters who do not
believe: peace is a good which overcomes every barrier, because it belongs all
of humanity!
I repeat forcefully: it is neither a culture of
confrontation nor a culture of conflict which builds harmony within and between
peoples, but rather a culture of encounter and a culture of dialogue; this is
the only way to peace. May the plea for peace rise up and touch the heart of
everyone so that they may lay down their weapons and let themselves be led by
the desire for peace.
To this end,
brothers and sisters, I have decided to proclaim for the whole Church on 7
September next, the vigil of the birth of Mary, Queen of Peace, a day of
fasting and prayer for peace in Syria, the Middle East, and throughout the
world, and I also invite each person, including our fellow Christians,
followers of other religions and all men of good will, to participate, in
whatever way they can, in this initiative.
On 7 September,
in Saint Peter’s Square, here, from19:00 until 24:00, we will gather in prayer
and in a spirit of penance, invoking God’s great gift of peace upon the beloved
nation of Syria and upon each situation of conflict and violence around the
world. Humanity needs to see these gestures of peace and to hear words of hope
and peace! I ask all the local churches, in addition to fasting, that they
gather to pray for this intention.
Let us ask Mary to
help us to respond to violence, to conflict and to war, with the power of
dialogue, reconciliation and love. She is our mother: may she help us to find peace;
all of us are her children! Help us, Mary, to overcome this most difficult
moment and to dedicate ourselves each day to building in every situation an
authentic culture of encounter and peace. Mary, Queen of Peace, pray for us!
Third day: Comfort those who mourn their loved ones
The Syrian crisis, which began March 15, 2011, has
already taken many lives, too many, and the current political situation
continues compounding and worsening the situation, unprecedented in this
nation. The United Nations reports more than 100,000 dead. Before such a
reality, words fall short…
Cities are destroyed and “development plans are in the cemeteries.” They tell
us from Syria: “A 6-year-old girl was playing hide-and-seek with her brother. A
sniper shot the little boy. … In the cemetery, the girl cried out before
the tomb of her brother: Come out from your hiding place! I don’t want to play
anymore!”
We pray for the victims of this war, for all of them,
and each one of them. They are not numbers, but names, members of a family.
They are mothers, fathers, sons and daughters. They are our brothers and
sisters, children of God who created them in His image and likeness. We pray
that the right to life of every person be respected and defended. Mary, Queen
of Peace, pray for Syria, pray for us.
Please visit the
zenith.org website for more information on the prayers for peace in Syria.
