Monday of the Fourth Week of Easter 1st Reading – Acts 11:1-18 And the apostles and brethren, who were in Judea, heard that the Gentiles also had received the word of God. And when Peter was come up to Jerusalem, they that were of the circumcision contended with him, Saying: Why did you go to uncircumcised men and did eat with them? Peter began and explained it to them step by step, saying, I was in the city of Joppe praying, and I saw in an ecstasy of mind a vision, a certain vessel descending, as it were a great sheet let down from heaven by four corners, and it came even unto me. Into which looking, I considered, and saw fourfooted creatures of the earth, and beasts, and creeping things, and fowls of the air: And I heard also a voice saying to me: Arise, Peter; kill and eat. And I said: Not so, Lord; for nothing common or unclean has ever entered into my mouth. And the voice answered again from heaven: What God has made clean, do not thou call common. And this was done three times: and all were taken up again into heaven. And behold, immediately there were three men come to the house wherein I was, sent to me from Caesarea. And the Spirit said to me, that I should go with them, nothing doubting. And these six brethren went with me also: and we entered into the man’s house. And he told us how he had seen an angel in his house, standing, and saying to him: Send to Joppe, and call here Simon, who is surnamed Peter, Who shall speak to you words, whereby you shall be saved, and all thy house. And when I had begun to speak, the Holy Ghost fell upon them, as upon us also in the beginning. And I remembered the word of the Lord, how that he said: John indeed baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost. If then God gave them the same grace, as to us also who believed in the Lord Jesus Christ; who was I, that could withstand God? Having heard these things, they held their peace, and glorified God, saying: God then has also to the Gentiles given repentance unto life.   Responsorial Psalm – Psalms 42:2-3; 43:3, 4 R. (see 3a) Athirst is my soul for the living God.or:R. Alleluia. As the hind longs for the running waters,so my soul longs for you, O God.Athirst is my soul for God, the living God.When shall I go and behold the face of God? R. Athirst is my soul for the living God.or:R. Alleluia. Send forth your light and your fidelity;they shall lead me onAnd bring me to your holy mountain,to your dwelling-place. R. Athirst is my soul for the living God.or:R. Alleluia. Then will I go in to the altar of God,the God of my gladness and joy;Then will I give you thanks upon the harp,O

Pope Francis addresses poor people and refugees at St. Elizabeth of Hungary Church in Budapest, Hungary on April 29, 2023. VATICAN MEDIA By Catholic News Agency April 30, 2023 Jesus came to bring “glad tidings to the poor,” Pope Francis recalled Saturday during a meeting with poor people and refugees in Budapest. “Those in need — let us never forget — are at the heart of the Gospel,” he insisted. Speaking on the second day of his three-day visit to Hungary’s capital, the pope addressed some 600 people, most of them refugees from Ukraine aided by the Caritas charity, gathered inside St. Elizabeth of Hungary Church. Local authorities estimated another 1,000 people gathered outside the church. The pope evoked the example of Hungary’s beloved 13th-century princess-saint, known for her piety and heroic service to the poor, saying Elizabeth spoke “the language of charity.” Referring to the statue of Elizabeth he had passed in Rózsák Square before he entered the church, the pope recalled how the saint “not only sold her possessions but also spent her life serving the poor, lepers, and the sick, personally caring for them, even carrying them on her own shoulders. That is the language of charity.” Pope Francis thanked the Church in Hungary for its “generous and wide-ranging service to charity.” “Thank you too, for having welcomed — not only with generosity but also with enthusiasm — so many refugees from Ukraine,” he said. More than 1.5 million Ukrainians have crossed into Hungary since the beginning of the war more than a year ago. Francis was greeted at the meeting by people who shared testimonies of their struggles, including a Ukrainian family that has found refuge in Hungary. The oldest two children of the family, on accordion and saxophone, performed an Argentinean tango for the pope. “The memory of love … rekindles hope and inspires people to embark upon a new journey in life,” the pope reflected, responding to the testimony given by the father of the family, Oleg, who was welcomed in Hungary when he worked there years ago as a cook. “Even amid pain and suffering, once we have received the balm of love, we find the courage needed to keep moving forward,” the Holy Father continued. “We find the strength to believe that all is not lost and that a different future is possible. The love that Jesus gives us and commands us to practice can help to uproot the evils of indifference and selfishness from society, from our cities and the places where we live, and to rekindle hope for a new, more just and fraternal world, where all can feel at home.” The pope also responded to a testimony given by a permanent deacon and his wife, who began a ministry for the homeless and needy. “Sadly, many people, even here, are literally homeless. Many of our more vulnerable sisters and brothers — living alone, struggling with various physical and mental disabilities, devastated by the poison of drugs, released from prison

Pope Francis speaks to bishops, priests, deacons, consecrated persons, seminarians, and pastoral workers in St. Stephen’s Co-Cathedral in Budapest, Hungary, April 28, 2023. VATICAN MEDIA By Tyler Arnold Catholic News Agency April 29, 2023 Pope Francis on Friday encouraged clergy and others discouraged by a shortage of priests and ebbing faith in the West to pray for God’s help, saying the solutions will “come from the tabernacle and not the computer.” “I want to assure you that good pastoral ministry is possible if we are able to live as the Lord has commanded us, in the love that is the gift of his Spirit,” the pope said, speaking to an audience of approximately 1,000 Hungarian priests, seminarians, and pastoral workers gathered in St. Stephen’s Co-Cathedral in Budapest. “If we grow distant from one another, or divided, if we become hardened in our ways of thinking and our different groups, then we will not bear fruit,” he warned. “It is sad when we become divided, because, instead of playing as a team, we start playing the game of the enemy: bishops not communicating with each other, the old versus the young, diocesan priests versus religious, priests versus laity, Latins versus Greeks.” Such divisions lead to polarization along entrenched ideological lines, the Holy Father said. “No! Always remember that our first pastoral priority is to bear witness to communion, for God is communion and he is present wherever there is fraternal charity,” he said. Speaking on Friday afternoon on the first day of his three-day visit to Hungary’s historic capital, Pope Francis acknowledged the many reasons for Christians to feel disheartened today, including the rise of secularism and a corresponding decline of faith in the West. But the pope stressed that Christians “must always be on guard” not to yield to the temptation to become defeatists “who insist that all is lost, that we have lost the values of bygone days and have no idea where we are headed.” There is another, equally dangerous temptation, he said: “a comfortable conformism that would have us think that everything is basically fine, the world has changed and we must simply adapt.” To combat “bleak defeatism and a worldly conformism,” Pope Francis said, “the Gospel gives us new eyes to see” as well as discernment that enables us to “approach our own time with openness, but also with a prophetic spirit.” He added that we are called to “prophetic receptivity.” “Prophetic receptivity is about learning how to recognize the signs of God in the world around us, including places and situations that, while not explicitly Christian, challenge us and call for a response,” the Holy Father said. “At the same time, it is about seeing all things in the light of the Gospel without yielding to worldliness, as heralds and witnesses of the Christian faith.” Pope Francis said people can accomplish this by “bringing the Lord’s consolation to situations of pain and poverty in our world, being close to persecuted Christians, to migrants seeking hospitality,

Memorial of Saint Catherine of Siena, Virgin and Doctor of the Church 1st Reading – Acts 9:31-42 Now the church had peace throughout all Judea, and Galilee, and Samaria; and was edified, walking in the fear of the Lord, and was filled with the consolation of the Holy Ghost. And it came to pass that Peter, as he passed through, visiting all, came to the holy ones who dwelt at Lydda. And he found there a certain man named Aeneas, who had kept his bed for eight years, who was ill of the palsy. And Peter said to him: Eneas, the Lord Jesus Christ heals you: arise, and make your bed. And immediately he arose. And all that dwelt at Lydda and Saron, saw him: who were converted to the Lord. And in Joppa there was a certain disciple named Tabitha, which by interpretation is called Dorcas. This woman was full of good works and almsdeeds which she did. And it came to pass in those days that she was sick, and died. Whom when they had washed, they laid her in an upper chamber. And forasmuch as Lydda was near Joppa, the disciples hearing that Peter was there, sent unto him two men, desiring him that he would not be slack to come unto them. And Peter rising up, went with them. And when he came, they brought him into the upper chamber. And all the widows stood about him weeping, and showing him the coats and garments which Dorcas made them. And they all being put forth, Peter kneeling down prayed, and turning to the body, he said: Tabitha, arise. And she opened her eyes; and seeing Peter, she sat up. And giving her his hand, he lifted her up. And when he had called the holy ones and the widows, he presented her alive. And it was made known throughout all Joppa, and many believed in the Lord.   Responsorial Psalm – Psalms 116:12-13, 14-15, 16-17 R. (12) How shall I make a return to the Lord for all the good he has done for me?or:R. Alleluia. How shall I make a return to the LORDfor all the good he has done for me?The cup of salvation I will take up,and I will call upon the name of the LORD R. How shall I make a return to the Lord for all the good he has done for me?or:R. Alleluia. My vows to the LORD I will payin the presence of all his people.Precious in the eyes of the LORDis the death of his faithful ones. R. How shall I make a return to the Lord for all the good he has done for me?or:R. Alleluia. O LORD, I am your servant;I am your servant, the son of your handmaid;you have loosed my bonds.To you will I offer sacrifice of thanksgiving,and I will call upon the name of the LORD. R. How shall I make a return to the Lord for all the good he has done

Pope Francis addresses civil authorities and other dignitaries at a former a Carmelite monastery in Budapest, Hungary, on April 28, 2023, on the first day of his three-day pilgrimage to the country. VATICAN MEDIA By Shannon Mullen Catholic News Agency April 28, 2023 Speaking to Hungarian civil authorities in Budapest, “a city of bridges,” Pope Francis on Friday challenged the nations of Europe to recapture a spirit of fraternal unity and pursue “creative efforts for peace.” “In the postwar period, Europe, together with the United Nations, embodied the noble hope that, by working together for a closer bond between nations, further conflicts could be avoided,” the pope said April 28 at the start of his three-day visit to the Hungarian capital. “In the world in which we presently live, however, that passionate quest of a politics of community and the strengthening of multilateral relations seems a wistful memory from a distant past,” the Holy Father lamented. “We seem to be witnessing the sorry sunset of that choral dream of peace, as the soloists of war now take over,” he said. “More and more, enthusiasm for building a peaceful and stable community of nations seems to be cooling, as zones of influence are marked out, differences accentuated, nationalism is on the rise, and ever harsher judgments and language are used in confronting others.” Before his address, delivered in a former Carmelite monastery in Budapest’s Castle District, Pope Francis met with Hungary’s President Katalin Novák and Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, whose conservative policies, many of which aim to preserve and strengthen the nation’s Christian identity, have placed Hungary’s government at odds with more liberal members of the European Union. In his remarks, the pope made no direct reference to the ongoing war in Ukraine, Hungary’s neighbor to the northeast. Instead, he spoke broadly of an urgent need to “generate forms of diplomacy capable of pursuing unity, not aggravating differences.” Pope Francis placed Hungary, a historically Christian nation with a rich tradition of statesmanship, and Budapest itself, forged 150 years ago out of three separate cities, at the center of this leadership challenge. “I think of a Europe that is not hostage to its parts, neither falling prey to self-referential forms of populism nor resorting to a fluid, if not vapid, ‘supranationalism’ that loses sight of the life of its peoples,” the pope said. “This is the baneful path taken by those forms of ‘ideological colonization’ that would cancel differences, as in the case of the so-called gender theory, or that would place before the reality of life reductive concepts of freedom, for example by vaunting as progress a senseless ‘right to abortion,’ which is always a tragic defeat.” The Holy Father offered a different vision for Europe’s future. “How much better it would be to build a Europe centered on the human person and on its peoples, with effective policies for natality and the family — policies that are pursued attentively in this country — a Europe whose different nations would form

Capiz Archbishop-elect Victor Bendico celebrates his last Mass as bishop of Baguio at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Atonement in Baguio City on April 28, 2023. BAGUIO CATHEDRAL By CBCP News April 28, 2023 Baguio City Archbishop-elect Victor Bendico bid a heartfelt farewell to his flock Friday, offering a humble final Mass as bishop of Baguio at the cathedral. On May 3, Bendico will become the fourth archbishop of his native archdiocese of Capiz and cease to be bishop of Baguio. “I am thankful for the lights and shadows, which I encountered as bishop of Baguio. They were learning experiences for me and I treasure them. I bring them to my new assignment,” Bendico said in his homily. Before the Mass ended, the bishop’s coat of arms was removed from the cathedra. After his canonical installation as Capiz archbishop, his name will no longer be included in the Eucharistic Prayer in the diocese. “The people need their pastors and their pastors need their people. And prayer is needed for both. Hence, continue praying for me and for our priests,” Bendico said. “Also continue praying for the coming of your pastor so that the Lord will provide you with your shepherd,” he added. The 63-year-old bishop will succeed Cardinal Jose Advincula, who was appointed archbishop of Manila in 2021. Bendico’s installation will take place at the Immaculate Conception Metropolitan Cathedral in Roxas. It will be presided over by Archbishop Charles Brown, Apostolic Nuncio to the Philippines. DONATE TO CBCP NEWS CBCPNews is a church-based news agency operated by the Media Office of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines.  This apostolate aims at helping the work of the new evangelization through the news media.  This is non-commercial and non-profit.  That being the case, it totally depends on generosity of its readers and supporters. Should you wish to donate kindly press the donate button.  Thank you.  

By CBCP Newss April 28, 2023 Manila, Philippines An alliance of church leaders and labor organizations is advocating for a pay increase for the country’s workers amid the soaring inflation rates. The Church People-Workers Solidarity (CWS) said that workers deserve “substantial wage increase” for their toils and services. “CWS strongly emphasizes the justness, urgency, and doability of living wage in the midst of economic hardships,” said its chairperson Bishop Gerardo Alminaza in a statement for May 1 Labor Day. Raising the minimum wage at this time, according to the bishop, is about dignity and justice. “Based on this dignity, workers have a legitimate claim to those essential material goods that meet basic needs for food, clothing, shelter, health, education, security, and rest,” Alminaza said. “The rising cost of living and the insufficient wage are forcing workers to work more than 12 hours a day for an extra income to provide for their family,” he added. The CWS also urged Congress to pass the pending legislative measure calling for a wage increase. “CWS also supports initiatives by progressive labor groups to demand for wage increase,” the prelate said. DONATE TO CBCP NEWS CBCPNews is a church-based news agency operated by the Media Office of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines.  This apostolate aims at helping the work of the new evangelization through the news media.  This is non-commercial and non-profit.  That being the case, it totally depends on generosity of its readers and supporters. Should you wish to donate kindly press the donate button.  Thank you.  

Pope Francis during Angelus at St. Peter’s Square on April 16, 2023. VATICAN MEDIA By Pope Francis April 28, 2023 VATICAN— With the theme: “Vocations: Grace and Mission”, the 60th World Day of Prayer for Vocations will be held on April 30, fourth Sunday of Easter. Below is the message of Pope Francis for the occasion: Dear brothers and sisters, dear young people! This is now the sixtieth time that we are celebrating the World Day of Prayer for Vocations, established by Saint Paul VI in 1964, during the Second Vatican Ecumenical Council. This providential initiative seeks to assist the members of the People of God, as individuals and as communities, to respond to the call and mission that the Lord entrusts to each of us in today’s world, amid its afflictions and its hopes, its challenges and its achievements. This year I would ask you, in your reflection and prayer, to take as your guide the theme “Vocation: Grace and Mission”. This Day is a precious opportunity for recalling with wonder that the Lord’s call is grace, complete gift, and at the same time a commitment to bring the Gospel to others. We are called to a faith that bears witness, one that closely connects the life of grace, as experienced in the sacraments and ecclesial communion, to our apostolate in the world. Led by the Spirit, Christians are challenged to respond to existential peripheries and human dramas, ever conscious that the mission is God’s work; it is not carried out by us alone, but always in ecclesial communion, together with our brothers and sisters, and under the guidance of the Church’s pastors. For this has always been God’s dream: that we should live with him in a communion of love. ‘Chosen before the creation of the world’ The apostle Paul opens before us a remarkable horizon: in Christ, God the Father “chose us before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight in love. He destined us for adoption as his children through Jesus Christ, according to the good pleasure of his will” (Eph 1:4-5). These words allow us to glimpse life at its fullest: God has “conceived” us in his image and likeness and desires us to be his sons and daughters. We were created by love, for love and with love, and we are made for love. In the course of our lives, this call, which is part of the fibre of our being and the secret of our happiness, comes to us by the work of the Holy Spirit in ever new ways. It enlightens our minds, strengthens our wills, fills us with amazement and sets our hearts afire. At times, the Spirit comes to us in completely unexpected ways. So it was for me when, on 21 September 1953, as I was on my way to an annual school celebration, I was led to stop by a church and go to confession. That day changed my life and left

Friday of the Third Week of Easter 1st Reading – Acts 9:1-20 And Saul, as yet breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest, And asked of him letters to Damascus, to the synagogues: that if he found any men and women of this way, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. And as he went on his journey, it came to pass that he drew nigh to Damascus; and suddenly a light from heaven shined round about him. And falling on the ground, he heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” He said, “Who art thou, Lord?” The reply came, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. And he trembling and astonished, said: Lord, what do you want me to do? And the Lord said to him: Arise, and go into the city, and there it shall be told to you what you must do. Now the men who went in company with him, stood amazed, hearing indeed a voice, but seeing no man. And Saul arose from the ground; and when his eyes were opened, he saw nothing. But they leading him by the hands, brought him to Damascus. And he was there three days, without sight, and he did neither eat nor drink. Now there was a certain disciple at Damascus, named Ananias. And the Lord said to him in a vision: Ananias. And he said: Behold I am here, Lord. And the Lord said to him: Arise, and go into the street that is called Stait, and seek in the house of Judas, one named Saul of Tarsus. For behold he prays there. (And he saw a man named Ananias coming in, and putting his hands upon him, that he might receive his sight.) But Ananias answered: Lord, I have heard by many of this man, how much evil he has done to thy holy ones in Jerusalem. And here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all that invoke thy name. And the Lord said to him: Go thy way; for this man is to me a vessel of election, to carry my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel. For I will show him how great things he must suffer for my name’s sake. And Ananias went his way, and entered into the house. And laying his hands upon him, he said: Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus has sent me, he that appeared to you in the way as you came; that you may receive thy sight, and be filled with the Holy Ghost. And immediately there fell from his eyes as it were scales, and he received his sight; and rising up, he was baptized. And when he had taken meat, he was strengthened. And he was with the disciples that were at Damascus, for some days. And immediately he preached Jesus in the synagogues, that he is the Son of God.  

By CBCP News April 27, 2023 Manila, Philippines The Archdiocese of Manila has established a new ministry to help church workers and those belonging to the poorest sectors of society to uplift their livelihoods. Cardinal Jose Advincula himself will lead the launching of the Ministry on Cooperatives and Social Enterprise Development (MCSED) at the Layforce Center inside the San Carlos Seminary in Makati City on April 29. Fr. Anton Pascual, MCSED Minister, said that while there are many church-based cooperatives, “they still need to be strengthened by those who are in need in a sustainable, inclusive and resilient way”. “While cooperatives are pro-profit, they are pro-people and pro-planet,” Pascual, who is also the board chairman of the Union of Catholic Church-based Cooperatives (UCC), said over Radio Veritas. One of the immediate missions of MCSED is to gather and unite all church-based cooperatives in Metro Manila. The ministry will also provide education and training to enable leaders and members of cooperatives to improve opportunities for all. According to the Cooperative Development Authority, there are 18,000 cooperatives nationwide with some 11 million members. DONATE TO CBCP NEWS CBCPNews is a church-based news agency operated by the Media Office of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines.  This apostolate aims at helping the work of the new evangelization through the news media.  This is non-commercial and non-profit.  That being the case, it totally depends on generosity of its readers and supporters. Should you wish to donate kindly press the donate button.  Thank you.