Thursday 5th March 2015

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Pope Francis: Do Not Kill The Word Of God

March 22, 2014 Pope Francis Comments Off
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2014-03-21 Vatican Radio (Vatican Radio) In order not to “kill” the Word of God in our hearts, we need to be humble and capable of prayer. Pope Francis pointed out these attitudes in his homily this morning in his homily during Mass at the Casa Santa Marta. If a Christian is not humble, if he does not pray, he risks taking the Word of God and remaking it in his own liking. To see how to guard against this temptation, Pope Francis looked the Gospel of the day. Jesus recounts the story of the workers in a vineyard, who killed first the servants, and ultimately the son, of the master of the vineyard, with the intention of making themselves masters…Continue Reading

Pope Francis: Trust In The Lord, Not In Yourself

March 21, 2014 Pope Francis Comments Off
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2014-03-20 Vatican Radio  (Vatican Radio) “The one who trusts in himself, in his own richness or ideologies is destined for unhappiness. The one who trusts in the Lord, on the other hand, bears fruit even of time of drought.” That was the message of Pope Francis at Mass this morning in the chapel at Casa Santa Marta. “Cursed is the man who trusts in human beings,” “the man who trusts in himself”: he will be “like a barren bush in the desert,” condemned by the drought to remain without fruit and to die. Pope Francis began with the day’s First Reading, which also says that the one who trusts in the Lord will be blessed: “He is like a tree…Continue Reading

Pope Francis Celebrates The Feast Of St Joseph With Special Greetings For All Fathers

March 20, 2014 Pope Francis Comments Off
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2014-03-19 Vatican Radio  (Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Wednesday celebrated the Feast of St. Joseph pointing out that he is a model for all fathers and educators. Speaking to the crowds gathered in St. Peter’s Square for the General Audience, the Pope’s catechesis focused on three aspects pertaining to the life and mission of St Joseph: as the “guardian” of the Holy Family; as the teacher and educator of the young Jesus; and as a guide who helped Jesus respond to the working of the Holy Spirit. And speaking off the cuff, the Pope sent special greetings to all the fathers of the world, thanking them for what they do with their children. “Be close to your children” – the…Continue Reading

Pope Francis: Lent A Time To Adjust Your Life

March 19, 2014 Pope Francis Comments Off
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2014-03-18 Vatican Radio (Vatican Radio) Lent is a time to “adjust your life,” “to get closer to the Lord.” That was the message of Pope Francis at Mass this morning at Casa Santa Marta. The Pope warned against thinking of ourselves as “better than others.” The hypocrites, he warned, “disguise themselves as good people” and do not understand that no one is made just by his own efforts; we all need to undergo justification. Pope Francis began his homily stressing “conversion” as the key word of Lent, a favourable time “to grow closer” to Jesus. Commenting on the First Reading, from the book of Isaiah, he said that the Lord calls two “sinful cities” like Sodom and Gomorrah to conversion.…Continue Reading

Pope Francis: The Way To Peace Is Through Mercy

March 18, 2014 Pope Francis Comments Off
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2014-03-17 Vatican Radio  (Vatican Radio) To find mercy we must first forgive. It is through forgiveness that our hearts, and the world, are filled with peace. This was the overarching theme of Pope Francis’ homily during Monday morning’s Mass at the Casa Santa Marta. “Be merciful as your Father is merciful.” Commenting on these words of Jesus, the Pope added that “it is not easy to understand this attitude of mercy” because we are habitually judgmental. “We are not [the sorts of people] who naturally [allow for understanding and mercy.”] “To be merciful,” he said, “two attitudes are needed. The first is knowledge of oneself”. This self-knowledge means that we acknowledge “we have done many bad things: we are sinners!”…Continue Reading

Pope Francis: Sunday Angelus Focuses On Prayer And Action

March 17, 2014 Pope Francis Comments Off
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2014-03-16 Vatican Radio (Vatican Radio) Pope Francis prayed the Angelus with the faithful gathered in St Peter’s Square on Sunday, the second Sunday of Lent. Speaking ahead of the traditional prayer of Marian devotion, the Holy Father focused on the Gospel reading of the day, which tells the story of the Transfiguration. Three were the principal elements that Pope Francis identified in his reflection: the importance of listening, of being attuned and attentive to the Word of God; and the twofold movement of ascent and descent that characterizes the Gospel episode (Mt. 17:1-9), in which the Lord takes Peter, James and John to the top of Mt Tabor, reveals Himself in His glorified form, and returns down the mountain with…Continue Reading

Ukrainian Greek Catholic Priest Abducted In Crimea

March 16, 2014 Pope Francis Comments Off
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2014-03-15 Vatican Radio (Vatican Radio) In a serious escalation of tension in Crimea, a Ukrainian Greek Catholic priest was kidnapped on Saturday. Sources in Ukraine say Father Mykola Kvych, a pastor and a Ukrainian military chaplain, was abducted by pro-Russian forces after celebrating the liturgy. “Every abduction is a terrible event for everybody involved,” said Bishop Borys Gudziak, the Eparch of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Eparchy. “It’s a gross violation of human rights and God-given human dignity.” He expressed his grave concern about the repercussions of the kidnapping of Father Kvych. Earlier this month, Ukrainian Greek Catholic priests received oral and written threats warning them to leave Crimea. Many priests, however, have chosen to remain with their people. “Our priests…Continue Reading

Pope Grants Radio Interview, Remembers Priests Close To The Poor

March 15, 2014 Pope Francis Comments Off
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2014-03-15 Vatican Radio (Vatican Radio) In a video interview with Argentinean Radio Station, 88.1 FM Bajo Flores, Pope Francis called for the adoption of a spirit of poverty and defended priests, who live and work in slums among the poor. The radio station, which broadcasts from the slums of Buenos Aires, projected the video interview on a large screen in the local parish on the first anniversary of Pope Francis’ pontificate. Hundreds turned out to watch. This poor neighbourhood, located close to the soccer stadium, are the same slums where Pope Francis, then-Archbishop Jorge Bergoglio, would celebrate the Eucharist, spend time among the poor and assign priests to serve. The interview, titled “El Papa de los villeros” (Pope of the…Continue Reading

Revolution In Tradition . . . One Year Of Pope Francis

March 14, 2014 Pope Francis Comments Off
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By FR. BERNARDO CERVELLERA (Editor’s Note: Fr. Bernardo Cervellera, a missionary of the PIME [Pontifical Institute for Foreign Missions], is the head of AsiaNews.) +    +    + ROME (AsiaNews) — One year since the election of Pope Francis as Successor to the Apostle Peter, we are becoming increasingly aware that he is guiding the Church toward a revolution, fought not by the sword but by personal witness, without throwing away the past, but by helping authentic tradition to flourish once again. This has been evident right from the outset, that first evening of March 13, when presenting himself to the world from the loggia of St. Peter’s Basilica he asked us to pray together, and silence immediately descended on the…Continue Reading

Day Three Of The Retreat Of The Roman Curia In Ariccia

March 13, 2014 Pope Francis Comments Off
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  2014-03-11 L’Osservatore Romano   Man is like a pomegranate: inside he contains many tiny fleshy seeds, like the many elements of creation. God mixed them all together and breathed into them the breath of life. The preacher of the papal retreat, Msgr Angelo De Donatis, today offered this image of man’s creation, at the opening of day three of Pope Francis’ Lenten retreat with members of the Roman Curia. The five-day retreat is taking place this week at the house of the Divine Master in Arriccia, just south of Rome.   To illustrate his point, the papal preacher had a fresh, ripe pomegranate on hand and held it up for all to see. He noted, however, that the beauty…Continue Reading