“Advocate” is the name given to the religious section of the school newsletter (where I’m a staff writer.) I was put in charge of it, and now, here are the articles I’ve chosen for it.
~o~o~o~
For the First School Trimester, Year ‘08-’09
I.
Message of His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI
To the Beloved People of Australia
And the Young Pilgrims taking part
In World Youth Day, 2008
(Excerpt)
How much this world needs a renewed outpouring of the Holy Spirit! There are still many who have not heard the Good News of Jesus Christ, while many others, for whatever reason, have not recognized in this Good News the saving truth that alone can satisfy the deepest longings of their hearts. . .
It is my firm belief that young people are called to be instruments of that renewal; communicating to their peers the joy they have experienced through knowing and following Christ and sharing with others the love that the Spirit pours into our hearts, so that they too will be filled with hope and thanksgiving for all the good things they have received from God our heavenly Father.
II.
Trivia
Did you know that the Patron Saint of Aviators lived before the first mechanical flight?
St. Joseph of Cupertino (1603-1663) was a seventeenth-century Franciscan friar who lived in Italy. As a young man, he was slow-witted, and was called “the Gaper” for his habit of staring blankly into space. At 17, he attempted to join the Franciscan friars but was rejected because of his lack of education. Eventually, in his early twenties, he was admitted to the Franciscan friary at Cupertino. As a friar, he assisted in a procession on the feast of St. Francis of Assisi. He suddenly soared into the sky, he himself unaware of what was happening. From then on, he was seen flying on numerous incidents. His most famous flight was during an audience with the Pope, Urban VII. He was so filled with reverence for this holy man that he was lifted up into the air and did not come down until his superior commanded him. Because of this (and many other unexplained flights throughout his life) he was later declared Patron Saint of Aviators.
St. Joseph of Cupertino’s feast day is on September 18. He is also the patron saint of people who are taking exams.
~o~o~o~
For the Second School Trimester, Year ‘08-’09
I.
Message of the Holy Father Benedict XVI for Christmas,
To the City and to the World
(Excerpt)
Dear Brothers and Sisters! “A holy day has dawned upon us.” A day of great hope: the Savior of mankind is born. The birth of a child normally brings a light of hope to those who are waiting anxiously. When Jesus was born at the stable at Bethlehem, a “great light” appeared on earth; a great hope entered the hearts of those who awaited Him: in the words of today’s Christmas liturgy, “lux magna” (a great light). Admittedly, it was not “great” in the manner of this world, because the first to see it were only Mary, Joseph and some shepherds, the Magi, the old man Simeon, the prophetess Anna: those whom God had chosen. Yet in the shadows and silence of that holy night, a great and inextinguishable light shone forth for every man; the great hope that brings happiness entered into the world: “the Word was made flesh and we saw His glory” (John 1:14).
On this day of peace, my thoughts turn especially to those places where the grim sound of arms continues to reverberate; to the tortured regions of Darfur, Somalia, the north of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the border between Eritrea and Ethiopia; to the whole of the Middle East, especially Iraq, Lebanon and the Holy Land; to Afghanistan, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, to the Balkans and to many other crisis situations that unfortunately are frequently forgotten. May the Child Jesus bring relief to those who are suffering and may He bestow upon political leaders the wisdom and courage to seek and find humane, just and lasting solutions.
“Come you nations and adore the Lord.” With Mary, Joseph and the shepherds, with the Magi and the countless host of humble worshippers of the new-born Child, who down the centuries have welcomed the mystery of Christmas, let us, too, brothers and sisters from every continent, allow the light of this day to spread everywhere: may it enter our hearts, may it brighten and warm our homes, may it bring serenity and hope to our cities, and may it give peace to the world. This is my earnest wish for those of you who are listening. A wish which grows into a humble and trustful prayer to the Child Jesus, that His light may dispel all darkness from your lives and fill you with love and peace. May the Lord, who has made His merciful face to shine in Christ, fill you with His happiness and make you messengers of His goodness. Happy Christmas!
