Joseph Zen

20,000 people, with an average age of 20, after having walked 100 kilometres over 3 days from Paris to Chartres Cathedral, assist a Youth Mass on Pentecost Monday, celebrated by His Eminence Raymond Leo Cardinal Burke

2026年5月24日 香港進教之佑堂主保瞻禮及施放堅振 May 24, 2026 – Patronal Feast of Mary Help of Christians Parish, Hong Kong, and Celebration of the Sacrament of Confirmation 24 maggio 2026 – Festa patronale della Parrocchia Maria Ausiliatrice di Hong Kong e celebrazione del Sacramento della Confermazione

On the World Day of Prayer for the Church in China, we are invited to pray this prayer composed by Pope Benedict XVI.

Obiettivo 2028, la #sinodalità di Francesco avanza con Leone Il documento della segreteria generale del Sinodo traccia l'agenda dei prossimi anni e conferma l'intenzione espressa un anno fa dal Papa neoeletto: il processo sinodale continua e... »🗞buff.ly/4QUnBkZ

JUST IN: The Coptic Orthodox Church has resumed dialogue with the Holy See after Leo XIV reassured Pope Tawadros II that same-sex couples would not be blessed. The Copts broke dialogue in March 2024 citing Fiducia Supplicans. They write today:“The members of the Holy Synod decided to resume theological dialogue with the Catholic Church following the assurances regarding the non-blessing of same-sex couples, which were expressed during the telephone conversation between His Holiness Pope Tawadros II and His Holiness Pope Leo XIV on Friday, May 15 of this year.”

主日福音分享（2026）@Carlos_sdb 聖神降臨節 Gospel Sharing (2026) Solemnity of Pentecost Today is the Solemnity of Pentecost. It is also the feast of Mary Help of Christians, and the World Day of Prayer for the Church in China. In the liturgical calendar of the Salesian Family, we celebrate Mary Help of Christians on the 25th of May. These celebrations coming together remind us that the true life of the Church does not come from human power, but from the unconditional grace of the Holy Spirit. In today’s Gospel, we hear Jesus speaking to His disciples. “ “Receive the Holy Spirit.” (Jn20:22) His words signify a new creation. The wind and tongues of fire seem as though they could destroy and consume the world, yet at the same time they reveal the explosive power of divine love. In the Old Testament, the wind and the fire remind us of the vision on Mount Sinai, where God established His covenant with Israel through Moses. Generation after generation, the people of Israel celebrated this feast by offering to God the first fruits of their harvest. In the New Testament, this breath becomes the very life and love of God. The wind of the Holy Spirit, like fire, breaks through human fear, selfishness, and closed hearts. In the First Reading from the Acts of the Apostles, we hear that on the day of Pentecost, the disciples were at first afraid. Yet in the end, they went out to many different places to proclaim the Risen Jesus. From that moment on, the doors of the Church were opened to every nation and every people. The Church in China has always had a deep devotion to Mary under the title of Help of Christians. In particular, the Basilica of Our Lady of Sheshan in Shanghai is one of the best-known pilgrimage sites in China and is dedicated to Mary Help of Christians. In the nineteenth century, during a time of persecution in Jiangnan, the Jesuit missionaries prayed to Our Lady for protection. They promised that if they were delivered, they would build a church at Sheshan. Thanks be to God, the Basilica of Sheshan was eventually built and placed under the protection of Mary Help of Christians, entrusting the Church in China to her maternal care. In 2007, Pope Benedict XVI wrote his Letter to Chinese Catholics. He also established the feast of Mary Help of Christians as a special day of prayer for the Church in China. Even today, we continue to face many difficulties and challenges. Pope Benedict XVI encouraged us to rely ever more deeply on the companionship and protection of Our Lady. As Jesus reminds us in the Gospel, if we truly belong to Jesus Christ, we cannot remain closed in on ourselves. The world often values profit and competition, and the weak are easily forgotten. But when we carry the love of God within us, when the Holy Spirit dwells in our hearts, then a spirit of mutual acceptance and genuine care for one another can grow among us. Dear brothers and sisters, let us pray together that the Holy Spirit may once again come into our hearts. Perhaps there are distances and divisions between people, but through the power of the Holy Spirit, may our hearts be stirred once again. Let us also learn from Saint John Bosco and his trust in Mary Help of Christians. In 1864, when Don Bosco had no money at all, he nevertheless decided to build the Basilica of Mary Help of Christians. He entrusted everything to Our Lady. Time and again, despite having no resources, he continued to rely on her help. Eventually, generous benefactors came forward to support him, and the basilica was completed. May we too place our trust in Mary Help of Christians, so that the Church may always remain under her protection. By following her example, may we remain steadfast and faithful to the Gospel even amid difficulties, and with hope and courage, live out the love of Jesus Christ. #MaryHelpofChristians #Sheshan #DonBosco youtu.be/dlwVXuQnuuE?si…

VATICAN DISPATCH: Cardinal Eijk condemns Synod study group report on homosexuality. The Dutch cardinal described the report as “a fundamental contradiction of Catholic teaching that demands a forceful response”. ✍️ @MLJHaynes Article | thecatholicherald.com/article/cardin…

Cardinal Eijk: Why Synod Study Group 9’s Report Undermines Catholic Moral Teaching | National Catholic Register By elevating such testimonies without doctrinal commentary, the report effectively normalizes homosexual relationships within a Church context. ncregister.com/commentaries/t… @NCRegister

La visita di Leone smaschera l’ipocrisia di Parisi e compagni sulla protesta contro Ratzinger alla Sapienza. “Assurdo contestare un Papa professore in un’università”, dice a @ilgiornale il cardinale/collega Walter Brandmüller ilgiornale.it/news/politica/…

The German Gambit by Larry Chapp firstthings.com/the-german-gam…

JUST IN — Fr. James Martin: The “Mastermind” Behind the Two Testimonies in the Vatican’s Synod Report on Homosexuality: dianemontagna.substack.com/p/fr-james-mar… The “plot” behind Study Group No. 9’s final report comes to light as the author of Testimony 1 is identified. Read more here: dianemontagna.substack.com/p/fr-james-mar…

“I have watched this strategy operate for forty years, from the inside, in the Church of England and the wider Anglican Communion. I watched it in real time. I know how it ends. And I want to say clearly: what Study Group 9 is proposing to the Catholic Church is not a new idea. It is a well-documented process with a well-documented outcome. The outcome is theological sterility, schism, and the quicksand of relativism. The Anglican experience followed a precise sequence that is worth naming, because it is the sequence Study Group 9 is initiating. It began with the claim that existing teaching was pastorally inadequate — that the Church was failing to accompany people in difficult situations, and that a more attentive, experience-sensitive approach was required. This was, and is, genuinely appealing. No one wants to be the voice of cold doctrine against warm human suffering. It moved to the installation of a new methodology, one in which discernment was communal, experience was primary, and the tradition was one voice among many in an ongoing conversation. Scripture remained ‘formally authoritative’, but its plain sense was increasingly subjected to “contextual” rereadings that found in it not what it said but what the new framework required it to mean. It proceeded through a series of incremental steps, each presented as modest, provisional, non-binding and pastorally loving. Each step generated the social and institutional facts that made the next step inevitable. By the time the destination became visible, the journey was too far advanced to reverse. The destination was not renewal. It was not (as it pretended to be) a more compassionate, more pastorally effective Church. The destination was a Church that no longer knew what it believed, could no longer speak with authority on the questions that matter most to human beings, and had lost the capacity to form the kind of disciples who could resist the spirit of the age.” ~ @gavinashenden youtu.be/H6yQx1EKudk?si… open.substack.com/pub/drgavinash…

JUST IN: “This Vatican-sponsored destructive subversion must come to an end now. Souls are endangered by the scandalous false teachings being propagated by the Synod. Pope Leo needs to strengthen the brethren in the Faith by putting an end to this poisonous betrayal of God’s truth.” ‘Synodal Shepherds’ Attack the Sheep — Fr. Gerald Murray on the final report of Study Group No. 9 released earlier this week by the Secretariat of the Synod: thecatholicthing.org/2026/05/09/syn… @GeraldMurray8 @catholicthing

主日福音分享（2026）@Carlos_sdb 復活期第六主日 Gospel Sharing (2026) Sixth Sunday of Easter ENG In today’s Gospel, we hear Jesus’ farewell words to His disciples. Jesus knew that He would soon suffer, die, and leave them. So He comforted them, saying in John 14:18: “I will not leave you orphans.” These words show how much Jesus loved and cared for His disciples. The theme of today’s readings is love. Jesus says: “Whoever accepts my commandments and keeps them is the one who loves me.” True love is not only about feelings or words. It means following God and living according to the teachings of Jesus. We should remember that Jesus spoke these words before His Passion. Soon after, He would be betrayed and crucified. Yet even when the world rejected Him, Jesus did not abandon His people. Instead, He promised to send another Advocate — the Holy Spirit — to comfort and guide us. As Christians, we are never alone. The Holy Spirit, the love of God, remains with us, leading and strengthening us. That is why Jesus says: “Because I live, you also will live.” The life of Christ is still alive in the Church today. In the First Reading from the Acts of the Apostles, we see how the Holy Spirit guided the early Church. Peter and John laid hands on the believers so that they might receive the Holy Spirit. This reminds us that the Holy Spirit unites the Church, bringing together different people, gifts, and ministries into one body. In the Second Reading, Saint Peter reminds us not to be afraid when we face difficulties, misunderstandings, or even persecution. Christians must always be ready to explain their faith, not with anger, but with gentleness, respect, and love. My brothers and sisters, what truly touches people is not only what we say, but whether others can see God’s truth, peace, and love in our lives. Today, let us remember: God never leaves us as orphans. The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are always with us. And the Church is the sign of this love. May our lives become a witness that helps others encounter the truth, peace, and love of God. youtu.be/IA42S9jOAaI

JUST IN: Has the Vatican’s Synod Office Become Fr. James Martin’s PR Arm? — dianemontagna.substack.com/p/has-the-vati… Synod study group n. 9 final report highlights testimony of New York Times-featured man blessed with his “husband” by Fr. James Martin one day after release of Fiducia Supplicans.

The Vatican’s Feting of the First Female Archbishop of Canterbury Rather than aiding Christian unity, Rome's exuberant welcome of Sarah Mullally is likely to be a stumbling block to reaching it. edwardpentin.substack.com/p/the-vaticans… “By publicly treating Sarah Mullally as a valid archbishop — allowing her to lead prayers with the Pope, bless a real archbishop in the Clementine Chapel, and officiate Anglican vespers in a historic Roman Church — the Vatican is serving to affirm her in her ecclesial ‘trans’ identity and error. But if unity is to be real, it must be grounded in truth. Without that foundation, even the most gracious encounters risk becoming, in the end, the very stumbling blocks Pope Leo warns against, rather than steps toward communion.”

主日福音分享（2026）@Carlos_sdb 復活期第四主人 Gospel Sharing (2026) Fourth Sunday of Easter ENG Today is the Fourth Sunday of Easter, also known as the World Day of Prayer for Vocations. In today’s Gospel, we hear Jesus say very clearly: “I am the gate for the sheep” (John 10:7). Jesus also calls Himself the Good Shepherd. He knows His sheep, even calling them by name, and He leads them. In our daily lives—especially in the city—we rarely see shepherding. Yet this image is very profound. The relationship between the shepherd and the sheep is not abstract, but deeply personal and intimate. During the day, the shepherd leads the sheep to pasture; at sunset, he brings them back to the sheepfold. Their lives are closely bound together. In Sacred Scripture, especially in the Old Testament, we hear many moving descriptions of the shepherd and the flock: God Himself seeks out the lost sheep, binds up the wounded, and strengthens the weak. In the Gospel, this becomes even clearer: Jesus gives His life for us, His flock. He saves us through His blood. In the Second Reading, Saint Peter reminds us that we were all like sheep gone astray, but now we have been brought back, each one, by Christ to the fold of God (cf. 1 Peter 2:25). Today, as we celebrate the World Day of Prayer for Vocations, it is meaningful to reflect on what vocation truly is. Often, we think of vocation as a special calling—to the priesthood or religious life. But in fact, every one of us is responding to a vocation. To be a Christian, to follow Christ, is already to be called by Him. Each of us has a vocation. But the question is: do we truly listen to the voice of the Shepherd? Or do we follow the many false shepherds of the world? Jesus warns us in the Gospel: “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy” (John 10:10). In our lives and in our world, there are many false shepherds who promise happiness and freedom, yet ultimately lead people into confusion and even the loss of meaning in life. In contrast, what Jesus offers us is the Cross. The Cross involves suffering and death, but within it there is also resurrection, life, and joy. This path—the way of the Cross—is not easy, but it is true and it leads to life. At the same time, Jesus not only becomes our Shepherd, but continues to call many to share in His mission as shepherds. From the moment He entrusted His flock to Peter, throughout history the Church has always had shepherds. God continues to call people to be His instruments—including each one of us. Dear brothers and sisters, on this World Day of Prayer for Vocations, let us pray together for vocations—especially to the priesthood, to religious life, and to the Salesian vocation. Let us also remember that each of us is called by God. If we are truly called, are we responding through our witness and our efforts? Are we contributing to fostering vocations—through our family life, through encouraging young people, helping them, through prayer, service, and community experience, to gradually discern God’s call in their lives? Let us ask the Lord to help each one of us to respond consciously to His call in our daily lives, and to persevere in praying and working for vocations. #vocations #goodshepherd #religious #priest youtu.be/a7JeO0kTWas