We must not be afraid of solidarity; rather let us make all we have and are available to God.
Tuesday, June 11, 2013
Poverty
June 11, 2013. (Romereports.com) During his morning Mass at the Vatican's Casa Santa Marta, Pope Francis reflected on how the Apostles went about their preaching. He said they didn't worry about material wealth. Instead, they had faith that God would grant them His gifts.
“Everything is grace. Everything. And what are the signs of when an apostle lives this gratuity? There are so many, but I will underline only two: First, poverty. The proclamation of the Gospel must follow the path of poverty. The testimony of this poverty: I have no wealth, my wealth is the gift I received, God: this gratuity is our wealth! And this poverty saves us from becoming managers, entrepreneurs ... The works of the Church must be brought forward, and some are a little complex, but with a heart of poverty, not with the heart of an investment broker or an entrepreneur…
POPE FRANCIS
“These are the two signs that mark an apostle who lives this gratuity: poverty and the ability to praise the Lord. And when we find apostles who want to build a rich Church and a Church without the gratuitousness of praise, the Church becomes old, the Church becomes an NGO, the Church becomes lifeless. Today we ask the Lord for the grace to acknowledge this generosity: 'Freely you have received, freely give'.' It's about recognizing this gratuity, this gift of God . Let us keep preaching the Gospel this way.”
Despite the challenges, Pope Francis explained that Christians must carry on with the work of the Church. He said the best way to make this happen is through a spirit of poverty.
“These are the two signs that mark an apostle who lives this gratuity: poverty and the ability to praise the Lord. And when we find apostles who want to build a rich Church and a Church without the gratuitousness of praise, the Church becomes old, the Church becomes an NGO, the Church becomes lifeless. Today we ask the Lord for the grace to acknowledge this generosity: 'Freely you have received, freely give'.' It's about recognizing this gratuity, this gift of God . Let us keep preaching the Gospel this way.”
Despite the challenges, Pope Francis explained that Christians must carry on with the work of the Church. He said the best way to make this happen is through a spirit of poverty.
PARTIAL HOMILY
(Source: Vatican Radio)
“Evangelical preaching flows from gratuitousness, from the wonder of the coming salvation: that which I have freely received I must freely give. This is what they were like at the beginning. St. Peter did not have a bank account, and when he had to pay taxes, the Lord sent him to the sea to catch a fish and find a coin inside it, so that he could pay. Philip, when he met Queen Candace’s finance minister, did not think, 'Ah, good, let’s set up an organization to support the Gospel ...' No! He did not strike a ‘deal’ with him: he preached, baptized and left.”
(Source: Vatican Radio)
“Evangelical preaching flows from gratuitousness, from the wonder of the coming salvation: that which I have freely received I must freely give. This is what they were like at the beginning. St. Peter did not have a bank account, and when he had to pay taxes, the Lord sent him to the sea to catch a fish and find a coin inside it, so that he could pay. Philip, when he met Queen Candace’s finance minister, did not think, 'Ah, good, let’s set up an organization to support the Gospel ...' No! He did not strike a ‘deal’ with him: he preached, baptized and left.”
“Everything is grace. Everything. And what are the signs of when an apostle lives this gratuity? There are so many, but I will underline only two: First, poverty. The proclamation of the Gospel must follow the path of poverty. The testimony of this poverty: I have no wealth, my wealth is the gift I received, God: this gratuity is our wealth! And this poverty saves us from becoming managers, entrepreneurs ... The works of the Church must be brought forward, and some are a little complex, but with a heart of poverty, not with the heart of an investment broker or an entrepreneur…
“These are the two signs that mark an apostle who lives this gratuity: poverty and the ability to praise the Lord. And when we find apostles who want to build a rich Church and a Church without the gratuitousness of praise, the Church becomes old, the Church becomes an NGO, the Church becomes lifeless. Today we ask the Lord for the grace to acknowledge this generosity: 'Freely you have received, freely give'. It's about recognizing this gratuity, this gift of God . Let us keep preaching the Gospel in this way.”
Monday, June 10, 2013
Beatitudes
June 10, 2013. (Romereports.com) During his daily morning Mass at the Vatican's Casa Santa Marta, the Pope talked about the Beatitudes, describing them as the 'new commandments.' He said that to truly understand them is not a matter of the mind, but rather of the heart.
POPE FRANCIS
“They are the new commandments. But if our heart isn't open to the Holy Spirit, they will seem silly. People will say 'but being poor, being meek, being merciful will hardly lead us to success'. If we do not have an open heart and if we have not experienced the consolation of the Holy Spirit, which is salvation, we cannot understand this. This is the law for those who have been saved and have opened their hearts to salvation. This is the law of the free, with the freedom of the Holy Spirit.”
The Pope said that when people seek freedom, without God, they run the risk of becoming hypocrites like the Pharisees, and also spiritual slaves to a freedom that's fake and temporary.
PARTIAL HOMILY
(Source: Vatican Radio)
“This is salvation: to live in the consolation of the Holy Spirit, not the consolation of the spirit of this world. No, that is not salvation, that is sin. Salvation is moving forward and opening our hearts so they can receive the Holy Spirit’s consolation, which is salvation. This is non-negotiable, you can’t take a bit from here and a bit from there? We cannot pick and mix, no? A bit of the Holy Spirit, a bit of the spirit of this world ... No! It’s one thing or the other.”
“They are the new commandments. But if our heart isn't open to the Holy Spirit, they will seem silly. ‘Just look, being poor, being meek, being merciful will hardly lead us to success'. If we do not have an open heart and if we have not experienced the consolation of the Holy Spirit, which is salvation, we cannot understand this. This is the law for those who have been saved and have opened their hearts to salvation. This is the law of the free, with the freedom of the Holy Spirit.”
“Today we can now ask the Lord for the grace to follow Him, but with this freedom. Because if we want to follow him with our human freedom alone, in the end we become hypocrites like the Pharisees and Sadducees, those who quarreled with Him. This is hypocrisy: not allowing the Spirit to change our hearts with His salvation. The freedom of the Spirit, which the Spirit gives us, is also a kind of slavery, of being ‘enslaved’ to the Lord which makes us free, it is another freedom. Instead, our freedom is only slavery, but not to the Lord, but to the spirit of the world. Let us ask for the grace to open our hearts to the consolation of the Holy Spirit, so that this consolation, which is salvation, allows us to understand these commandments. So be it!”
Mercy
June 10, 2013. (Romereports.com) The mercy of Jesus is “not just a sentiment, it is a force that gives life”. This was the focus of the brief catechesis Pope Francis gave before reciting the Angelus prayer in front of thousands of pilgrims in St Peter's Square. The Pope also reminded that for Catholics, June is traditionally dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
POPE FRANCIS
“Let us think, now: it's beautiful. The mercy of God gives life to mankind, it raises it from the dead. The Lord is always watching us with mercy, He always awaits us with mercy. Let us not be afraid to approach him! He has a merciful heart! If we show our inner wounds, our sins, He always forgives us. He is pure mercy! Let us never forget this: He is pure mercy! Let us go to Jesus!”
POPE FRANCIS
“Let us think, now: it's beautiful. The mercy of God gives life to mankind, it raises it from the dead. The Lord is always watching us with mercy, He always awaits us with mercy. Let us not be afraid to approach him! He has a merciful heart! If we show our inner wounds, our sins, He always forgives us. He is pure mercy! Let us never forget this: He is pure mercy! Let us go to Jesus!”
Sunday, June 9, 2013
Waste
With the “culture of waste”, human life is no longer considered the primary value to be respected and protected.
Saturday, June 8, 2013
Food
Consumerism has accustomed us to waste. But throwing food away is like stealing it from the poor and hungry.
Friday, June 7, 2013
Idols
6 de junio, 2013. (Romereports.com) During his daily morning Mass at the Vatican's Casa Santa Marta, the Pope talked about the dangers of having idols. Reflecting on the Gospel, he talked about the moment when Jesus is asked which one of the ten commandments is the most important.
When Jesus responds, 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul and mind,' the Pope said it reminds us about the subtle yet real dangers of idolatry.
POPE FRANCIS “The Apostle James, when he says, whoever wants to be a lover of the world makes himself an enemy of God. He begins by saying: 'Adulterers!'. He yells this out to us and he uses that word: adulterers. Why? Because whoever is a 'friend' of the world is an idolater, a person who is not faithful to the love of God! The true path is not distant. It advances and it moves forward in the Kingdom of God. It's a path of loyalty which resembles that of married love.”
The Pope then added that idols are represented in different ways, depending on one's personality or way of life. He then added that the first step is to pray to God, so that one may leave idols behind.
PARTIAL HOMILY
(Source: Vatican Radio) “It’s not enough to say: 'But I believe in God, God is the only God.' That’s fine, but how do you live this out in your life’s journey? Because we can say, 'The Lord is the only God, there is no other', but then live as if He was not the only God and have other deities at our disposal ... There is a danger of ' idolatry: idolatry, which is brought to us through the spirit of the world. And in this Jesus was clear: the spirit of the world, no. At the Last Supper he asks the Father to defend us from the spirit of the world, because the spirit of the world leads us to idolatry.
Idolatry is subtle…we all have our hidden idols" and 'the path of life to follow, to not be far from the kingdom of God" involves 'discovering our hidden idols.' “We have hid them in our saddle ... But we have to look for them and we have to destroy them," because to follow God the only path is that of a love based on "loyalty":
Loyalty demands we drive out our idols, that we uncover them: they are hidden in our personality, in our way of life. But these are hidden idols mean that we are not faithful in love. The Apostle James, when he says, whoever wants to be a lover of the world makes himself an enemy of God, begins by saying: 'Adulterers!'. He gives out to us, but with that adjective: adulterers. Why? Because whoever is 'friend' of the world is an idolater, is not faithful to the love of God! The path that is not distant, that advances, moves forward in the Kingdom of God, is a path of loyalty which resembles that of married love. "
With our small or not so small idolatries how is it possible not to be faithful "to a love so great?". To do this, you need to trust in Christ, who is "total loyalty" and who "loves us so much."
When Jesus responds, 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul and mind,' the Pope said it reminds us about the subtle yet real dangers of idolatry.
POPE FRANCIS “The Apostle James, when he says, whoever wants to be a lover of the world makes himself an enemy of God. He begins by saying: 'Adulterers!'. He yells this out to us and he uses that word: adulterers. Why? Because whoever is a 'friend' of the world is an idolater, a person who is not faithful to the love of God! The true path is not distant. It advances and it moves forward in the Kingdom of God. It's a path of loyalty which resembles that of married love.”
The Pope then added that idols are represented in different ways, depending on one's personality or way of life. He then added that the first step is to pray to God, so that one may leave idols behind.
PARTIAL HOMILY
(Source: Vatican Radio) “It’s not enough to say: 'But I believe in God, God is the only God.' That’s fine, but how do you live this out in your life’s journey? Because we can say, 'The Lord is the only God, there is no other', but then live as if He was not the only God and have other deities at our disposal ... There is a danger of ' idolatry: idolatry, which is brought to us through the spirit of the world. And in this Jesus was clear: the spirit of the world, no. At the Last Supper he asks the Father to defend us from the spirit of the world, because the spirit of the world leads us to idolatry.
Idolatry is subtle…we all have our hidden idols" and 'the path of life to follow, to not be far from the kingdom of God" involves 'discovering our hidden idols.' “We have hid them in our saddle ... But we have to look for them and we have to destroy them," because to follow God the only path is that of a love based on "loyalty":
Loyalty demands we drive out our idols, that we uncover them: they are hidden in our personality, in our way of life. But these are hidden idols mean that we are not faithful in love. The Apostle James, when he says, whoever wants to be a lover of the world makes himself an enemy of God, begins by saying: 'Adulterers!'. He gives out to us, but with that adjective: adulterers. Why? Because whoever is 'friend' of the world is an idolater, is not faithful to the love of God! The path that is not distant, that advances, moves forward in the Kingdom of God, is a path of loyalty which resembles that of married love. "
With our small or not so small idolatries how is it possible not to be faithful "to a love so great?". To do this, you need to trust in Christ, who is "total loyalty" and who "loves us so much."
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