Psalm 88 : 4-5, 21-22, 25 and 27
I have made a covenant with David, My chosen one; I have made a pledge to my servant. I establish his descendants forever; I build his throne for all generations.
I have found David My servant, and with My holy oil I have anointed him. My hand will be ever with him and My arm will sustain him.
My faithfulness and love will be with him, and by my help he will be strong. He will call on Me, “You are my Father, my God, my Rock, my Saviour.”
Isaiah 61 : 1-3a, 6a, 8b-9
The Spirit of the Lord YHVH is upon me, because YHVH has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up broken hearts, to proclaim liberty to the captives, freedom to those languishing in prison; to announce the year of YHVH’s favour and the day of vengeance of our God; to give comfort to all who grieve; to comfort those who mourn in Zion and give them a garland instead of ashes.
But you will be named priests of YHVH, you will be called ministers of our God. I will give them their due reward and make an everlasting covenant with them. Their descendants shall be known among the nations and their offspring among the peoples. All who see them will acknowledge that they are a race YHVH has blessed.
John 5 : 1-16
After this there was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem, there is a pool (called Bethzatha in Hebrew) surrounded by five galleries. In these galleries lay a multitude of sick people : blind, lame, and paralysed.
All were waiting for the water to move, for at times an angel of the Lord would descend into the pool and stir up the water; and the first person to enter the pool, after this movement of the water, would be healed of whatever disease that he had.
There was a man who had been sick for thirty-eight years. Jesus saw him, and because He knew how long this man had been lying there, He said to him, “Do you want to be healed?” And the sick man answered, “Sir, I have no one to put me into the pool when the water is disturbed; so while I am still on my way, another steps down before me.”
Jesus then said to him, “Stand up, take your mat and walk!” And at once the man was heaed, and he took up his mat and walked. Now that day happened to be the Sabbath. So the Jews said to the man who had just been healed, “It is the Sabbath, and the Law does not allow you to carry your mat.” He answered them, “The One who healed me said to me, ‘Take up your mat and walk!'” They asked him, “Who is the One who said to you : Take up your mat and walk?”
But the sick man had no idea who it was who had cured him, for Jesus had slipped away among the crowd that filled the place. Afterwards Jesus met him in the Temple court and told him, “Now you are well; do not sin again, lest something worse happen to you.” And the man went back and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had healed him. So the Jews persecuted Jesus because He performed healings like that on the Sabbath.
Psalm 45 : 2-3, 5-6, 8-9
God is our strength and protection, an ever-present help in affliction. We will not fear, therefore, though the earth be shaken and the mountains plunge into the seas.
There is a river whose streams bring joy to the city of God, the holy place where the Most High dwells. God is within, the city cannot quake, for God’s help is upon it at the break of day.
For with us is the Lord of hosts, the God of Jacob, our refuge. Come, see the works of the Lord – the marvelous things He has done in the world.
Ezekiel 47 : 1-9, 12
The man brought me back to the entrance of the Temple and I saw water coming out from the threshold of the Temple and flowing eastwards. The Temple faced the east and the water flowed from the south side of the Temple, from the south side of the altar. He then brought me out through the north gate and led me around the outside to the outer gate facing the east and there I saw the stream coming from the south side.
The man had a measuring cord in his hand. As he went towards the east, he measured off a thousand cubits and led me across the water which was up to my ankles. He measured off another thousand cubits and made me cross the water which came to my knees. He measured off another thousand cubits and we crossed the water which was up to my waist. When he had again measured a thousand cubits, I could not cross the torrent for it had swollen to a depth which was impossible to cross without swimming.
The man then said to me, “Son of man, did you see?” He led me on further and then brought me back to the bank of the river. There I saw a number of trees on both sides of the river. He said to me, “This water goes to the east, down to the Arabah, and when it flows into the sea of foul-smelling water, the water will become wholesome. Wherever the river flows, swarms of creatures will live in it; fish will be plentiful and the sea water will become fresh. Wherever it flows, life will abound.”
“Near the river on both banks, there will be all kinds of fruit trees with foliage that will not wither and fruit that will never fail; each month they will bear a fresh crop because the water comes from the Temple. The fruit will be good to eat and the leaves will be used for healing.”
Psalm 26 : 1, 7-8a, 8b-9abc, 13-14
The Lord is my light and my salvation – whom shall I fear? The Lord is the rampart of my life; I will not be afraid.
Hear my voice when I call, o Lord, have mercy on me and answer. My heart speaks to You.
I seek Your face, o Lord. Do not hide Your face from me, not turn away Your servant in anger. You are my protector, do not reject me.
I hope, I am sure, that I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Trust in the Lord, be strong and courageous. Yes, put your hope in the Lord!
Here are the times when the smoke signals (black or white) will pour out of the chimney and be visible to the public, as the first sign whether the Cardinal-electors had succeeded or failed to elect a new Pope in the previous ballot session.
1. Smoke after 1st ballot (The only Tuesday ballot session, 1st day):
Tuesday, 12 March 2013 at 8 pm Rome time (CET/UTC+1)
Tuesday, 12 March 2013 at 7 pm UTC
Tuesday, 12 March 2013 at 2 pm EST (UTC-5)
Tuesday, 12 March 2013 at 11 am PST (UTC-8)
Wednesday, 13 March 2013 at 2 am WIB (Indonesia, Thailand, etc.) (UTC+7)
Wednesday, 13 March 2013 at 3 am Singapore time (UTC+8)
2. Smoke after 2nd ballot (1st Wednesday morning ballot, 2nd day) : A new Pope is likely to have been elected (if no pope elected after the 2nd ballot, the Cardinal-electors will continue directly to 3rd ballot, and the two ballots will be burned together after the 3rd ballot) :
Wednesday, 13 March 2013 at 11.30 am Rome time (CET/UTC+1)
Wednesday, 13 March 2013 at 10.30 am UTC
Wednesday, 13 March 2013 at 5.30 am EST (UTC-5)
Wednesday, 13 March 2013 at 2.30 am PST (UTC-8)
Wednesday, 13 March 2013 at 5.30 pm WIB (Indonesia, Thailand, etc.) (UTC+7)
Wednesday, 13 March 2013 at 6.30 pm Singapore time (UTC+8)
3. Smoke after 3rd ballot (2nd Wednesday morning ballot, 2nd day) :
Wednesday, 13 March 2013 at 1 pm Rome time (CET/UTC+1)
Wednesday, 13 March 2013 at 12 pm UTC
Wednesday, 13 March 2013 at 7 am EST (UTC-5)
Wednesday, 13 March 2013 at 4 am PST (UTC-8)
Wednesday, 13 March 2013 at 7 pm WIB (Indonesia, Thailand, etc.) (UTC+7)
Wednesday, 13 March 2013 at 8 pm Singapore time (UTC+8)
4. Smoke after 4th ballot (1st Wednesday afternoon ballot, 2nd day) : A new Pope is likely to have been elected
Wednesday, 13 March 2013 at 6.30 pm Rome time (CET/UTC+1)
Wednesday, 13 March 2013 at 5.30 pm UTC
Wednesday, 13 March 2013 at 12.30 pm EST (UTC-5)
Wednesday, 13 March 2013 at 9.30 am PST (UTC-8)
Thursday, 14 March 2013 at 00.30 am WIB (Indonesia, Thailand, etc.) (UTC+7)
Thursday, 14 March 2013 at 1.30 am Singapore time (UTC+8)
5. Smoke after 5th ballot (2nd Wednesday afternoon ballot, 2nd day) :
Wednesday, 13 March 2013 at 8 pm Rome time (CET/UTC+1)
Wednesday, 13 March 2013 at 7 pm UTC
Wednesday, 13 March 2013 at 2 pm EST (UTC-5)
Wednesday, 13 March 2013 at 11 am PST (UTC-8)
Thursday, 14 March 2013 at 2 am WIB (Indonesia, Thailand, etc.) (UTC+7)
Thursday, 14 March 2013 at 3 am Singapore time (UTC+8)
6. Smoke after 6th ballot (1st Thursday morning ballot, 3rd day) : A new Pope is likely to have been elected :
Thursday, 14 March 2013 at 11.30 am Rome time (CET/UTC+1)
Thursday, 14 March 2013 at 10.30 am UTC
Thursday, 14 March 2013 at 5.30 am EST (UTC-5)
Thursday, 14 March 2013 at 2.30 am PST (UTC-8)
Thursday, 14 March 2013 at 5.30 pm WIB (Indonesia, Thailand, etc.) (UTC+7)
Thursday, 14 March 2013 at 6.30 pm Singapore time (UTC+8)
7. Smoke after 7th ballot (2nd Thursday morning ballot, 3rd day) :
Thursday, 14 March 2013 at 1 pm Rome time (CET/UTC+1)
Thursday, 14 March 2013 at 12 pm UTC
Thursday, 14 March 2013 at 7 am EST (UTC-5)
Thursday, 14 March 2013 at 4 am PST (UTC-8)
Thursday, 14 March 2013 at 7 pm WIB (Indonesia, Thailand, etc.) (UTC+7)
Thursday, 14 March 2013 at 8 pm Singapore time (UTC+8)
8. Smoke after 8th ballot (1st Thursday afternoon ballot, 3rd day) : A new Pope is likely to have been elected
Thursday, 14 March 2013 at 6.30 pm Rome time (CET/UTC+1)
Thursday, 14 March 2013 at 5.30 pm UTC
Thursday, 14 March 2013 at 12.30 pm EST (UTC-5)
Thursday, 14 March 2013 at 9.30 am PST (UTC-8)
Friday, 15 March 2013 at 00.30 am WIB (Indonesia, Thailand, etc.) (UTC+7)
Friday, 15 March 2013 at 1.30 am Singapore time (UTC+8)
9. Smoke after 9th ballot (2nd Thursday afternoon ballot, 3rd day) :
Thursday, 14 March 2013 at 8 pm Rome time (CET/UTC+1)
Thursday, 14 March 2013 at 7 pm UTC
Thursday, 14 March 2013 at 2 pm EST (UTC-5)
Thursday, 14 March 2013 at 11 am PST (UTC-8)
Friday, 15 March 2013 at 2 am WIB (Indonesia, Thailand, etc.) (UTC+7)
Friday, 15 March 2013 at 3 am Singapore time (UTC+8)
If until at this point, no one has yet been elected the Pope, they will adjourn for a maximum of one full day for prayer, discernment and consideration. To think and really find out who should be the next Pope. The cycle continues again with the other 3 day ballots, and then break if the Cardinals fail to pick a suitable candidate, and these proceedings will continue until a new Pope had been elected.
If this conclave is fast, as it is expected to be, due to the incoming Holy Week and other mattters, we do not even need to refer to the timing I placed for the later ballots.
Nevertheless, regardless what happens, God is always with us, and He will certainly choose the best one available for the position.
This reading set can be used anytime during the weekday of the 4th Week of Lent, the preface for the Mass should also use the preface of the 4th Sunday of Lent.
Micah 7 : 7-9
As for me, I will watch expectantly for YHVH, waiting hopefully for the God who saves me. My God will hear me. Do not rejoice over me, my enemy; though I have fallen, I will rise again. Though I now dwell in darkness, YHVH is my light.
I will bear the wrath of YHVH – for I have sinned against Him – while He examines my cause and defends my rights. Then He will bring me out to the light and I shall probe His justice.
Jesus shows today that faith in God is important, for God shows pity and mercy on all of His children, and those who believe in Him, He will save and protect. Those who put their trust in the Lord will not be disappointed. Jesus rewards the man’s faith with the healing of his son from certain death.
However, we must indeed be careful, for the Lord also warned us against believing only by entrusting in miracles and what we see. For such a faith is not a true faith, as we believe because we see great things that unravel in front of our eyes, and then we believe that this supernatural works must have been done by a divine being, that is Christ. This kind of faith is weak and is no true faith, for, as shown when Jesus was arrested and brought before the people after He was arrested.
The people who were there mocked Him and also called for His death. Why? Even though these were likely the same people that have listened to His preaching, His parables, and also witnessed His miracles and healings? That is because their faith is shallow, shallow and have not grown well, just like in the case of the parable of the sower, where the seed had been sown on a rocky and barren ground. The seed of faith found it difficult to grow in them, as their faith came mainly because of awe in the miraculous powers of Jesus.
When Jesus seemed to ‘falter’, which is by being arrested and accused by the Pharisees and the Sanhedrin, the Jewish religious body at the time, as being a heretic and blasphemer, these people lost their faith, and Satan took away their seeds of faith, just like those seeds that were eaten by the birds on an open road, a clear and easy opportunity for the evil one to come and take the faith away from them.
This is why, brothers and sisters in Christ, I would like to highlight to all of you, the very importance of nurturing our faith, of maintaining our faith, that not only that it will remain strong and unbroken, but even also bear fruit manyfold, like the seeds that fell on the rich soil, and produced much fruit. How to do so? By acts of love, justice, and compassion, that is by doing what God has commanded us to do, the commandments of love Christ had given us.
The commandments of love says that we have to love God with all our hearts, minds, and souls, with all our beings, and therefore not just with our eyes and senses, which will then lead into a true faith in God. But this is not enough, as we also have to love our neighbours, our brethren as much as we love ourselves, and as much as we love God. These are the good works that the Church has encouraged us to do, to live and make our faith in God manifest, in our good works for the sake of the less fortunate, the suffering, and the poor around us.
Remember that the Lord said that all that we do for the sake of these around us, we also do it for the Lord. That is because, through our actions, He can see indeed all our living faith, that is not dead, not superficial, and not mere words, and not mere profession of faith. For faith and service are inseparable, and bound to each other tightly in our journey towards the Lord, as the two pillars of strength supporting us in salvation.
Therefore, brothers and sisters in Christ, let us strive, especially in the perfect chance in this Year of Faith, strive to learn more about our faith, about the teachings of the Church, and the traditions of the Apostles passed down through the Church to us. By understanding all these, we can strive to grow deeper in our faith, and even more so through a solemn and active participation in the liturgy of the Mass, as do not forget that the liturgy of the Mass, when done properly and solemnly, can only serve to strengthen our faith in God our Saviour, Jesus Christ.
As the Mass is the very representation of the Holy Sacrifice Christ had made on the cross in Calvary, and united with that Sacrifice, through which we receive the Body and Blood of Christ, transformed from the bread and wine that we offered, we receive Christ into ourselves, that He will live in us, and reside within us, to transform us from within, that our faith in Him will ever be stronger. This is why it is important for us to participate fully and actively in the Mass by seeking to understand more the liturgy and the Mass.
Then of course, after that, let us all strive to make concrete and visible our faith in God through our service to our fellow brethren around us. It will not be easy, but little by little, beginning within even our own homes, our own families, our own friends, we can slowly begin to propagate acts of love, and acts in accordance with God’s will, that will make us justified before God, that is through our living faith, proven by our good works, and not just empty and dead faith, shown only by words and not true dedication.
May God bless all of us today, and bless our Holy Church, and of course, bless the Cardinal-electors and send the Holy Spirit to them that our new Pope will soon be elected. Amen.
New Cardinals have been elected to lead the Particular Congregations (elected every 3 days) in the Conclave. Cardinal Antonios Naguib for the Cardinal Bishops; Cardinal Marc Ouellet for the Cardinal Priests; Cardinal Francesco Monterisi for the Cardinal Deacons. New leaders will be elected if after three days in the Conclave, the Conclave has not yet ended with the election of a new Pope. Their task is to guide the Cardinal Camerlengo, who is Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone.
28 Cardinals had spoken in the Tenth General Congregation, and a total of 161 Cardinals had already spoken in all the past General Congregations. Not all Cardinals who wanted to speak has spoken, as the number of Cardinals that spoke had made the Cardinals to vote whether to continue or to stop the General Congregation at that point (likely because it has taken too much time).
In the meanwhile, during the Sede Vacante, certain offices that represent the Holy See, particularly diplomatic representation, Nuncios, Delegates, and many other offices of the Holy See continue to function as per normal, even when the Apostolic See is vacant, and the Cardinals waiting to elect a new Pope. The Cardinal Camerlengo, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone is the leader during the period of the Sede Vacante, having limited powers, with the College of Cardinals, in order to settle all matters, and all things pertaining to election of the new Pope.
This Monday evening at 5.30 pm Rome time / CET / UTC+1, all the personnels, about 90 of them, who are also ‘locked’ together with the Cardinal-electors in the Conclave, including doctors, nurses, bus drivers, and other staffs involved in maintenance of the Cardinals’ residence at Domus Sancta Marthae, will take their solemn oath of secrecy, in the presence of the Camerlengo of the College of Cardinals, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, and also in the presence of the Secretary of the College of Cardinals, Archbishop Lorenzo Baldisseri, Master of Pontifical Liturgical Celebrations, Monsignor Guido Marini and other officials.
The swearing of the oath of secrecy by the auxiliary personnel will not be live on Vatican Television (Therefore, may not be viewable in Vatican Player).
The Mass for the Election of the Roman Pontiff or Missa pro Eligendo Pontifice, which will begin the Conclave process, will be celebrated in St. Peter’s Basilica on Tuesday morning at 10 am Rome time / CET / UTC+1, and will be in Latin, but also with translations in Italian and English available in the Vatican official website.
Cardinal Dean of the College of Cardinals, Cardinal Angelo Sodano will be the celebrant of the solemn Mass, the concelebrants will be all the Cardinal-electors and the Cardinal non-electors currently present in Rome. The homily will also be available a short period of time just before the Holy Mass on Tuesday morning (Rome time), likely from the Vatican website.
The Cardinals will enter into the Conclave in the Sistine Chapel from the Pauline Chapel, from Cardinal Prosper Grech, who will deliver the second meditation to the Cardinal-electors, followed by the Cardinals in reverse order of precedence (first by order : bishop, priest, and deacon – reverse this), and then within these order, the Cardinals in order of creation (earlier created then later created, and also within the same consistory, those whose names are earlier in the order of creation have higher precedence – also reverse all this).
The last will be the Master of Pontifical Liturgical Celebrations, Monsignor Guido Marini, and Cardinal Giovanni Batista Re, the senior Cardinal Bishop who is an elector, who will be the leader of the Conclave in absence of Cardinal Sodano, the Dean, who is a non-elector (above 80). The Cardinals will proceed into the Sistine Chapel singing the Litany of the Saints, and the hymn Veni Creator Spiritus. After the oath-taking by the Cardinal-electors, Monsignor Marini will order the traditional “extra omnes”, or “all out!” order to all except the Cardinal-electors.
The entry into the Sistine Chapel will begin on Tuesday afternoon, at 4.30 pm Rome time / CET / UTC+1, and will be broadcasted live.
The first smoke signal from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel will be at sometime around 8 pm Rome time, and will not likely be a white smoke (It is unlikely that the new Pope will be elected in the first ballot, as there will only be one ballot session on Tuesday).
The Vatican camera (available in Vatican Player at http://www.vatican.va/video/) will be fixed on the chimney through this period and available live.
The senior Cardinal Bishop-elector, Cardinal Re, will be the one in place of the Cardinal Dean, who is a non-elector, asking the newly elected Pope whether he accepts the election and also ask him the regnal name that he will assume as the Pope.
A new addition for the 2013 Conclave is that, after the Pope receives the homage from all the Cardinal-electors in the Sistine Chapel, he will proceed with all the Cardinal-electors, to the Pauline Chapel, and the new Pope alone will enter the Chapel to pray before the Blessed Sacrament in the Chapel. In the meanwhile, the Cardinal Protodeacon, Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran, will announce the traditional Habemus Papam announcement.
It took about one hour in 2005 Conclave from the white smoke appearance until the new Pope made his appearance on the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica (also known as the Loggia). As the new addition of prayer in the Pauline Chapel is made for the 2013 Conclave, we can expect a time frame of slightly longer than 1 hour between the white smoke, and the appearance of the new Pope on the balcony.
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