Every marriage has difficult moments. But
these experiences of the Cross can make the path of love even stronger.
We do not become Christians by ourselves.
Faith is above all a gift from God which is given to us in and through the
Church.
Saturday, September 28, 2013
Friday, September 27, 2013
Walk
September 26, 2013. (Romereports.com) Pope Francis explained during morning Mass at
Casa Santa Marta that to get to know Jesus, means that you must
complicate your life. And that you cannot get to know him by
flying “first class” in life.
POPE FRANCIS
“You cannot know Jesus without getting oneself involved with Him,
without betting your life on Him.”
The Pope added that there are three languages everyone must speak
to get to know Jesus. They are the languages of the heart, the mind, and of
action.
POPE FRANCIS
“Yes, you have to come to know Jesus in the Catechism – but it
is not enough to know Him with the mind: it is a step. However, it is necessary
to get to know Jesus in dialogue with Him, talking with Him in prayer,
kneeling. If you do not pray, if you do not talk with Jesus, you do not know
Him. You know things about Jesus, but you do not go with that knowledge, which
He gives your heart in prayer. Know Jesus with the mind - the study of the
Catechism: know Jesus with the heart - in prayer, in dialogue with Him. This
helps us a good bit, but it is not enough. There is a third way to know Jesus:
it is by following Him. Go with Him, walk with Him. To go, to walk along the
streets, journeying is to know Jesus in the language of action.”
The Pope also explained that many people ask themselves the same
question Herod posed himself on Jesus: “Who is He?” The Pope went on to say
that the answer can only be found by walking with Him in our everyday problems.
EXCERPTS FROM POPE'S HOMILY:
(Source: Vatican Radio)
“You cannot know Jesus without having problems. And I dare say,
‘But if you want to have a problem, go to the street to know Jesus – you’ll end
up having not one, but many!’ But that is the way to get to know Jesus! You
cannot know Jesus in first class! One gets to know Jesus in going out into
everyday life. You cannot get to know Jesus in peace and quiet, nor even in the
library: Know Jesus.
“Yes, you have to come to know Jesus in the Catechism – but it is
not enough to know Him with the mind: it is a step. However, it is necessary to
get to know Jesus in dialogue with Him, talking with Him in prayer, kneeling.
If you do not pray, if you do not talk with Jesus, you do not know Him. You
know things about Jesus, but you do not go with that knowledge, which He gives
your heart in prayer. Know Jesus with the mind - the study of the Catechism:
know Jesus with the heart - in prayer, in dialogue with Him. This helps us a
good bit, but it is not enough. There is a third way to know Jesus: it is by
following Him. Go with Him, walk with Him. To go, to walk along the streets,
journeying is to know Jesus in the language of action.
“You cannot know Jesus without getting oneself involved with Him,
without betting your life on Him. When so many people - including us – poses
this question: ‘But, who is He?’, The Word of God responds, ‘You want to know
who He is? Read what the Church tells you about Him, talk to Him in prayer and
walk the street with him. Thus, will you know who this man is.’ This is the
way! Everyone must make his choice.”
Thursday, September 26, 2013
Gossip
September 25, 2013. (Romereports.com) During
his weekly general audience, Pope Francis talked about unity within the
Church. He explained that having Catholic communities in different cultures
and environments is a strength that needs to be nourished and protected. He
also warned against the damage that comes with petty gossip.
POPE FRANCIS
“You can't imagine just how much parishes and communities are
affected by gossip. It causes pain, gossip causes pain. A Christian who is on
the verge of gossiping, should bite his tongue Am I right? A Christian must
bite his tongue! This would do good, because when the tongue swells one cannot
speak or gossip.”
With thousands of people gathered in St. Peter's Square, the Pope
made it a point to ask the crowd very direct questions. He specifically
addressed their commitment to strengthen the unity of the Church at home
and abroad.
POPE FRANCIS
“I will ask you all a question. Everyone answer in silence, in
your hearts. How many of you pray for persecuted Christians? Do you? Respond to
your heart. Do I pray for my brothers and sisters who cannot openly practice or
defend their faith?"
The Pope also added that as a unified Church, people shouldn't
limit themselves to small church groups. He explained that it's that very unity
that allows Christians to feel at ease and at home, in any parish around the
world.
September 25, 2013. (Romereports.com) During his catechesis for Wednesday's General
Audience, Pope Francis explained that unity is the fundamental
aspect that define the Church. The Pope
added that the rich diversity of cultures within the Church is an example of
how we canovercome differences through the shared belief in our faith. The Pope made a special appeal to pray for
Christians under the threat of persecution.
The Pope explained that to keep the Church as a great family, we must show our appreciation for this unity, and to cherish the harmony that comes from our diversity.
The Pope explained that to keep the Church as a great family, we must show our appreciation for this unity, and to cherish the harmony that comes from our diversity.
SUMMARY OF THE CATECHESIS IN ENGLISH:
Dear Brothers and Sisters:
In the Creed, we confess that the Church is “one.” When we
consider the rich diversity of languages, cultures and peoples present in the
Church throughout the world, we realize that this unity is a God-given gift,
grounded in our common Baptism and our sharing in the Church’s one faith and
sacramental life. Like a great family, we are united to all our brothers and
sisters in Christ, wherever they may be.
We might ask ourselves how much we appreciate and express in our
daily lives, and particularly in our prayer, this reality of our unity and
solidarity in the communion of the Church. The world needs our witness to God’s
plan for the unity, reconciliation and peace of the whole human family. Let us
ask the Lord to enable us, and Christians everywhere, to work to overcome our
tensions and divisions, to strive, as Saint Paul bids us, to maintain the unity
of the Spirit in the bond of peace (cf. Eph 4:3), and to cherish the harmony
which the same Spirit creates from the richness of our diversity.
Tuesday, September 24, 2013
gentleness
Let us ask the Lord to
give us the gentleness to look upon the poor with understanding and love,
devoid of human calculation and fear.
Monday, September 23, 2013
Sardinia
September 23, 2013 (Romereports.com) The lack of work produces suffering. In a blunt speech
to labor representatives at the Italian island of Sardinia, Pope
Francis spoke of the evils of unemployment.
POPE FRANCIS
POPE FRANCIS
“A suffering, the lack of jobs, that leads to, and forgive me if I
sound dramatic, but it's true, to feel like having no dignity! When there's no
work, there's no dignity! And this isn't just a Sardianian problem, but it's
strikes really hard here! It isn't just a problem of Italy, or some countries
of Europe, it is the consequence of a world, an economic system that has its
center in an idol called money.”
The Pope paid close attention to the cases of three
victims of the economic crisis: an unemployed worker, a shepherd and a
businesswoman. The first reminded how tragic unemployment can be.
FRANCESCO
Worker
“Holy Father, my name is Franceso. I'm an operator of the Sardinia
Green Island and since February 2nd 2009, more than four years ago, I haven't
had a job. Please, let me bring up two coworkers that have lost their lives
because of this drama: Marcelo y Mauricio.”
The Pope pleaded for an end to the throwaway culture that
leaves youth and the elderly aside.
POPE FRANCIS
“We must say 'No' to this 'throwaway culture'. We mus say: 'We
want a fair system!' A system in which we all can carry on. We must say: 'We
don't want this globalized economic system that is so harmful! Man and woman
must be in the center, just as God wants, and not money!”
Deeply impressed with their testimonies, the Pope left
aside his prepared speech.
POPE FRANCIS
“I had written something for you, but now these words came to me.
I will give my speech afterward to the Bishops, as if I had read it. But I have
preferred to say aloud what my heart feels right now.”
Pope encouraged all workers to have hope and to let no one take it
away. Francis asked them to fight together so that men, women and their
families are in the center of life, and not money.
September 23, 2013. (Romereports.com) Pope Francis spoke about the global economic crisis in
a forum he's not very used to, surrounded by university professors and the
world of culture in Sardinia. The Pope said thatwe are living through
a changing environment.
POPE FRANCIS
“I think about the decay of the environment: This is dangerous.
Let's think of the future, of the war for water that looms; to social
inequalities, to the terrible power of weapons we have spoken about these past
few days; of the economic and financial system, which does not have man at the
center, but rather money, the god of money; of the development and the weight
of the media, with the positives they have to communicate and transport. This
is a change that deals with the way in which humanity carries forward its existence
in this world.”
The Pope also called on academics to create a culture of
solidarity, and not to fear dialogue.
September 23, 2013. (Romereports.com) At the end his visit to Sardinia, with improvised
remarks, Pope Francis condemned a suicide bomb attack at a
Christian church in Pakistan, where the
faithful had gathered for Sunday service. Pope Francis appealed for prayer for
the victims. But also demanded something greater.
POPE FRANCIS
“Today, in Pakistan, because of a wrong choice, a decision of hatred,
of war, there was an attack in which over 70 people died. This choice cannot
stand. It serves nothing. Only the path of peace can build a better world. But
if you all will not build it, no one else will. This is the problem, and this
is the questions I leave you with: 'Am I willing to take on the path to build a
better world?'”
A group within the Pakistani Taliban claimed responsibility for
the attack on the Church, in the northern city of Peshawar. The death toll
climbed to at least 80 people. As a result of the bombing, protests
broke out in several cities, asking the government to do more to protect
minorities.
September 23, 2013. (Romereports.com) More than 20,000 people gathered at the Shrine of
Our Lady of Bonaria for Sunday Mass with
Pope Francis. During the service, the Pope asked them to entrust
themselves to her and let her guide
them through life.
POPE FRANCIS
POPE FRANCIS
“Mary teaches us to have that look that seeks to welcome, to
guide, to protect. Let us learn to look at each other under the maternal gaze
of Mary! There are people who we instinctively give less attention to, people
who instead have most need of it: the most abandoned, the sick, those who have
nothing to live on, those who do not know Jesus, young people who are in
trouble, the young who can’t find work.”
Speaking from the Shrine, and looking out into the crowd, as well
as the Mediterranean Sea,Pope Francis also said that only by working
together will society be able to provide the rights of the people. He added
that these rights include the right to work, and the right to earn enough to
provide for the family.
The visit to the Shrine of Our Lady of Bonaria had a special
significance for Pope Francis. A few weeks into his pontificate, he had
announced his desire to visit the Shrine, one of several examples of his
devotion to the Virgin Mary. Significantly, Our Lady of Bonaria is also
the namesake for Pope Francis' hometown of Buenos Aires.
September 23, 2013. (Romereports.com) (-ONLY VIDEO-) When Pope Francis meets with large crowds, it's easy to tell
he's in his comfort zone. And when he meets with youth, it's easy to see his
delight. After an intense day in Sardinia, the Pope closed
off his trip to the island by meeting with young people. He decided to share with them the story
of how he discovered his vocation, exactly
one day after the 60th anniversary of his decision to become a priest.
POPE FRANCIS
“I want to tell you about a personal experience. Yesterday
was the 60th anniversary of the day when I heard the calling from Jesus within
my heart. But I say it not to have you bring me a cake here, no
it's not that. But that memory, 60 years from that day, I will never forget,
the Lord made me feel strongly that I had to go forward on that path. I
was 17 years old, several years had passed before making this
decision, this invitation, became real, definitive. Then several years of joy
and success went by. But also of failures, of sin. Sixty years on the path of
our Lord, within him, beside him, always with him, and I want to say this: I
do not regret it!Why not? Because I feel like Tarzan, and that I'm
strong enough to keep going forward?No. I do not regret it because always,
even in moments of darkness, moments of sin, in moments of weakness, in moments
of failures, I have looked to Jesus and I have trusted Him, and He has never
left me alone. Always trust Jesus. He always goes forward. He goes with us. But
listen, He never lets us down. He is faithful, a trusting companion. Think of
this as my testimony, I am happy of these 60 years with the Lord. ”
Witness
The Church has no other meaning and finality than to witness to Jesus. May we not forget this
Saturday, September 21, 2013
Hands dirty
True charity requires
courage: let us overcome the fear of getting our hands dirty so as to help
those in need.
Friday, September 20, 2013
Faithful Sinners Forgiveness Mercy
Christ
is always faithful. Let us pray to be always faithful to him
We are all sinners, but we experience the joy of God’s forgiveness and we walk forward trusting in his mercy.
We are all sinners, but we experience the joy of God’s forgiveness and we walk forward trusting in his mercy.
Wednesday, September 18, 2013
Mother
"Dear Brothers and Sisters: today I wish to
return to the image of the Church as
our Mother, by reflecting on all that our earthly mothers do, live and suffer for their children.
First, our mothers show us, through their tenderness and love, the correct path to follow in life,
so that we may grow into adulthood. So too the Church orients us on the path of life, indicating the way
that leads to maturity.
Second, our mothers know how and when to accompany us with understanding
through life and to help lead us back
when we wonder off the right path. The Church also accompanies
us in mercy, in understanding, never judging us
or closing the door, but offering forgiveness
to help us return to the right course. Third, as our mothers never grow
tired of interceding for us, no matter our failings, so too
the Church stays with us always and, through prayer, puts into the hands of the
Lord all our situations, difficulties
and needs. And so we see in the Church a good Mother who indicates the path to walk in life,
who always accompanies us in patience,
mercy and understanding, and who places us
in God’s hands."
September 21
September 18, 2013. (Romereports.com) Peace is once again Pope Francis' main concern. He asked every Catholic
to pray on September 21, the United Nations' International Day for Peace. The World Council of Churches has made the same
request.
The Pope encouraged Catholics to take an active role that day. He specially mentioned the Syrian population that suffers from the horrors of war.
The Pope encouraged Catholics to take an active role that day. He specially mentioned the Syrian population that suffers from the horrors of war.
POPE FRANCIS
“My
thoughts go especially to the dear people of Syria, whose human tragedy can
only be resolved through dialogue and negotiation, with respect for justice and
the dignity of every person, specially the weakest and most defenseless.”
Hundreds of pilgrims crowded Saint Peter's Square to attend the
General Audience. It took the Pope half an hour to cross the Square and greet
everyone he could.
-He's four month old.
-And what's his name?
-Emiliano.
The Pope reassured that the Church is a caring mother
that protects her children.
And added that the Ten Commandments are just an example of how the Church
guides her children through life.
POPE FRANCIS
“The Church teaches
the way of life through the Commandments, that invite us not to make false idols out of material things, but to remember God, respect our parents, to be honest, to stay close to our neighbor...”
Pope Francis had already compared the Church to a mother, but he
came back to the topic, he explained, because he loves it.
Self-absorbed
There are many people
in need in today’s world. Am I self-absorbed in my own concerns or am I aware
of those who need help?
Tuesday, September 17, 2013
Forgive
September 16, 2013. (Romereports.com) Despite the heavy rains, thousands of people gathered
at St. Peter's Square to hear the Pope's Angelus. Pope Francis
explained why God's mercy is so important for Christians.
He also talked about the parable of the prodigal son, adding that true happiness is found in forgiveness, and not in boasting about good deeds done for others.
He also talked about the parable of the prodigal son, adding that true happiness is found in forgiveness, and not in boasting about good deeds done for others.
POPE FRANCIS
“This is all the Gospel, here; this is Christianity! But this is not sentimentalism or bland 'do-goodism';
… on the contrary, mercy is the true
force that can save man and the world from the 'cancer' of sin, from moral
and spiritual malaise.”
He also warned about the dangers of judging other people, as explained in that
same parable.
POPE FRANCIS
“If we live according to the law of 'an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth', we will never escape from the spiral of
evil. The devil is cunning; he deludes us that with our human justice
we can save ourselves and the world. In reality, only God's justice can save us! It is God's justice that is
revealed to us on the Cross.”
The Pope urged all pilgrims to immediately practice what
Jesus preached on forgiveness, despite the challenges.
POPE FRANCIS
“I ask you one thing, right now. In silence, everyone think of a
person we aren't happy with, someone we are angry with, someone we don't like. Let us think about that person and,
in silence, for a moment, let us pray
for that person and become merciful towards them.”
After the Angelus, the Pope also mentioned that on the previous
day an Argentine priest named José Gabriel Brochero was beatified. He also
thanked everyone who attended the Angelus, despite the bad weather.
September 16, 2013. (Romereports.com) On Monday morning, Pope Francis left
his Vatican residence and made his way to Rome's St. John Lateran Basilica, to
meet with Roman clergy. He was welcomed with
a warm applause, before making his way into the Basilica, where local priests
were already waiting for him.
The atmosphere was relaxed, but during his speech, the Pope talked about the joys and trials of the priesthood. As an example he reflected on the time John Baptist was incarcerated.
The atmosphere was relaxed, but during his speech, the Pope talked about the joys and trials of the priesthood. As an example he reflected on the time John Baptist was incarcerated.
POPE FRANCIS
“He was surrounded by the darkness
of doubt. The same person who said 'This is the Son of God who takes
away the sins of the world. I saw the Holy Spirit descend upon Him.' He was
sure of it back then, but at that moment he doesn't understand a thing. He's
amid the darkness of jail, the darkness
of his heart and his soul.”
During their meeting, the Pope agreed to answer some questions
from the priests. The Pope also gave a person anecdote. He said he was very moved
by a letter an older priest
sent him, where he shared his feelings of fatigue.
The Pope said the letter reminded him of John Paul II's encyclical titled
Redemptoris Mater, or Mother of The Redeemer. The Pope said, Our
Lady felt fatigue as well.
POPE FRANCIS
“That fatigue came from seeing everything Jesus was dealing with.
She was trying to make sense of it through the Word of the Lord. But everything
seemed to be the opposite of what had
been promised.”
The meeting at the Basilica is quite symbolic, since it's the
Cathedral church of the diocese of Rome. As the Bishop of Rome, Pope Francis is
the head of the Basilica.
Sunday, September 15, 2013
Saturday, September 14, 2013
knowing our neighbours
Sometimes it is
possible to live without knowing our neighbours: this is not Christian.
Friday, September 13, 2013
Dawn Merciful Love
Jesus is the sun and
Mary is the dawn announcing his rising.
To follow Jesus means
to share his merciful love for every human being #prayforpeace
Wednesday, September 11, 2013
Mother
Dear Brothers and Sisters: Today I wish to continue our catechesis
on the Church by reflecting on an image used by the early Fathers and the
Second Vatican Council: the Church as our Mother.
By reflecting on the human experience of maternity, we understand that
the Church is like our own Mothers.
First, like our Mothers, the Church gives us the gift
of life. Through the Sacrament of Baptism, we are reborn as
children of God and receive his life. While faith is a
personal act, we also recognize that faith comes to us through others – our families
and communities who teach us how to believe.
Second, like our Mothers, the Church nourishes us, helps us
to grow, teaches us the path to follow, and accompanies us in
life, especially in our illnesses and sufferings,
through the Sacraments and the Word of God.
Third, it is also our mission to go forth and share in the
maternity of the Church by bringing others to a life of faith.
And so we ask ourselves, do we love the Church as our Mother, who helps
us to grow as Christians? And how do we go beyond ourselves in order to bring Christ to others?
As faithful children, let us bring the light of Christ to the ends of the earth.
Evil
The only war that we must
all fight is the one against evil
There are many Christians
without the Resurrection, Christians without the Risen Lord. They join
Jesus to the tomb, they weep, they offer well wishes, but it stops there.
Thinking of the attitude of these Christians without the Risen Lord, I have
found three, but there are more: fear, Christians living with fear; shame, those who feel embarrassed;
and triumphalists. These
three attitudes are not found in the
Risen Lord! The fearful are those the morning after the Resurrection,
those from Emmaus... They leave, they have fear.
They do not know the meaning of the word 'triumph' so they just
say “triumphalism,” because they have such an inferiority complex and want to do this... When we look at
these Christians, with their many triumphalist attitudes, in their lives, in
their speeches and in their pastoral theology, liturgy, so many things, it is
because they do not believe deep down
in the Risen One. He is the Winner, the Risen One. He won. Because of this,
without fear, without triumphalism, simply by looking at the Risen Lord, His beauty, then also put their fingers in His wounds and
their hand in His sides.
Our faith, the faith in the Risen One: that conquers the world!
Let us go to Him and let ourselves, like with the sick, be touched by Him, by
His strength. Because He is made of flesh and bone, not a spiritual idea... He
is alive! He is the Risen One. And that's how He came to this world. May the
Lord give you the grace to understand and live out these things.
Tuesday, September 10, 2013
hope has a name
But hope is something else. It's
not optimism. Hope is a present, it's
a gift from the Holy Spirit ant that is why Paul says: 'Never
disappoint yourself'- Hope never lets
you down. Why? Because it's a gift from the Holy Spirit. But Paul tells
us that hope has a name. Hope
is Christ. We can't say: 'I
have hope in God', no. If you don't say: 'I have hope in Jesus Christ, a person
that's alive, that lives in the Eucharist, that is present in His word', that
is not hope. It could be good mood, optimism...
Jesus, the hope, renews
everything. It's a constant
miracle. He has not only done miracles of healings: those were only
signs, signals of what He's now doing in the Church. The miracle of making
everything new: what he does in my life, in your life, in our life. He rebuilds. And what He builds
again is precisely the reason of our hope. Christ is the one who renews every
wonderful thing of the Creation, He's the reason
of our hope. And this hope does not delude because He is faithful. He can't renounce Himself. This is the
virtue of hope.
May the Lord, who is the hope of glory, who is the center, the
whole, help us in this path: to give hope, to have passion for hope. And, as I've said, it's not always
optimism but what Mary, Mother of God, sheltered in her heart during the
darkest time of her life: since Friday afternoon until Sunday morning. That is
hope: she had it. And that hope has renewed everything. May God grant us that grace.”
I ask each party to follow decisively and
courageously the path of encounter and negotiation #prayforpeace
Monday, September 9, 2013
Sunday, September 8, 2013
Reconciliation
“And God saw that it was good” (Gen 1:12, 18, 21, 25).
The biblical account of the beginning of the history of the world and of
humanity speaks to us of a God who looks at creation, in a sense contemplating
it, and declares: “It is good”. This allows us to enter into God’s heart
and, precisely from within him, to receive his message. We can ask
ourselves: what does this message mean? What does it say to me, to you, to all
of us?
It says to us simply that this, our world, in the heart and mind
of God, is the “house of harmony and peace”, and that it is the space in
which everyone is able to find their proper place and feel “at
home”, because it is “good”. All of creation forms a harmonious
and good unity, but above all humanity, made in the image
and likeness of God, is one family, in which
relationships are marked by a true fraternity not only in words: the other
person is a brother or sister to love, and our relationship with God,
who is love, fidelity and goodness, mirrors every human relationship
and brings harmony to the whole of creation. God’s world is a world where
everyone feels responsible for the other, for the good of the other. This
evening, in reflection, fasting and prayer, each of us deep down should ask
ourselves: Is this really the world that I desire? Is this really the
world that we all carry in our hearts? Is the world that we want really a
world of harmony and peace, in ourselves, in our relations with others, in
families, in cities, in and between nations? And does not true
freedom mean choosing ways in this world that lead to the good of
all and are guided by love?
But then we wonder: Is this the world in which we are living?
Creation retains its beauty which fills us with awe and it remains a good
work. But there is also “violence, division, disagreement, war”.
This occurs when man, the summit of creation, stops contemplating beauty
and goodness, and withdraws into his own selfishness.
When man thinks only of himself, of his own interests and places himself
in the centre, when he permits himself to be captivated by the idols
of dominion and power, when he puts himself in God’s place, then
all relationships
are broken and everything is ruined; then the door opens
to violence, indifference, and conflict. This is precisely what the
passage in the Book of Genesis seeks to teach us in the story of the Fall: man
enters into conflict with himself, he realizes that he
is naked and he hides himself because he is afraid
(cf. Gen 3: 10), he is afraid of God’s glance; he accuses the woman,
she who is flesh of his flesh (cf. v. 12); he breaks harmony with creation, he
begins to raise his hand against his brother to kill him.
Can we say that from harmony he passes to “disharmony”? No, there
is no such thing as “disharmony”; there is either harmony or we fall into chaos,
where there is violence, argument, conflict, fear ....
It is exactly in this chaos that God asks man’s conscience: “Where
is Abel your brother?” and Cain responds: “I do not know; am I my
brother’s keeper?” (Gen 4:9). We too are asked this question, it would be
good for us to ask ourselves as well: Am I really my brother’s keeper?
Yes, you are your brother’s keeper! To be human means to care for
one another! But when harmony is broken, a metamorphosis
occurs: the brother who is to be cared for and loved becomes an adversary to
fight, to kill. What violence occurs at that moment, how many conflicts,
how many wars have marked our history! We need only look at the suffering
of so many brothers and sisters. This is not a question of coincidence,
but the truth: we bring about the rebirth of Cain in every act of violence
and in every war. All of us! And even today we continue this
history of conflict between brothers, even today we raise our hands against our
brother. Even today, we let ourselves be guided by idols, by selfishness,
by our own interests, and this attitude persists. We have perfected our
weapons, our conscience has fallen asleep, and we have sharpened our ideas to justify
ourselves. As if it were normal, we continue to sow
destruction, pain, death! Violence and war lead only to death, they speak
of death! Violence and war are the language of death!
At this point I ask myself: Is it possible to change
direction? Can we get out of this spiral of sorrow and
death? Can we learn once again to walk and live in the ways
of peace? Invoking the help of God, under the maternal gaze of the Salus
Populi Romani, Queen of Peace, I say: Yes, it is possible for everyone!
From every corner of the world tonight, I would like to hear us cry out:
Yes, it is possible for everyone! Or even better, I would like for each
one of us, from the least to the greatest, including those called to govern nations,
to respond: Yes, we want it! My Christian faith urges me to
look to the Cross. How I wish that all men and women of good will would
look to the Cross if only for a moment! There, we can see God’s reply:
violence is not answered with violence, death is not answered with the language
of death. In the silence of the Cross, the
uproar of weapons ceases and the language of reconciliation, forgiveness,
dialogue, and peace is spoken.
This evening, I ask the Lord that we Christians, and our brothers
and sisters of other religions, and every man and woman of good will, cry out
forcefully: violence and war are never the way to peace! Let everyone be
moved to look into the depths of his or her conscience and listen to that word
which says: Leave behind the self-interest that hardens your heart, overcome
the indifference that makes your heart insensitive towards others, conquer
your deadly reasoning, and open yourself to dialogue and
reconciliation. Look upon your brother’s sorrow and do
not add to it, stay your hand, rebuild the harmony that has
been shattered; and all this achieved not by conflict but by encounter!
May the noise of weapons cease! War always marks
the failure
of peace, it is always a defeat for humanity.
Let the words of Pope Paul VI resound again: “No more one against the
other, no more, never! ... war never again, never again war!”
(Address to the United Nations, 1965). “Peace expresses itself only in
peace, a peace which is not separate from the demands of justice
but which is fostered by personal sacrifice, clemency,
mercy
and love” (World Day of Peace Message, 1975). Forgiveness,
dialogue, reconciliation – these are the words of peace, in
beloved Syria, in the Middle East, in all the world! Let us pray for
reconciliation and peace, let us work for reconciliation and peace, and let us
all become, in every place, men and women of reconciliation and peace!
Amen.
Saturday, September 7, 2013
Pray for Peace!
Pray for Peace!
All men and women of
good will are bound by the task of pursuing peace. #prayforpeace
Friday, September 6, 2013
Overcome
Peace is a good which
overcomes
every barrier, because it belongs all of humanity#prayforpeace
There is no such
thing as low-cost Christianity. Following Jesus means
swimming against the tide, renouncing evil and selfishness
With all my strength,
I ask each party in the conflict not to close themselves in
solely on their own interests. #prayforpeace
Thursday, September 5, 2013
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