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Pope At Santa Marta: What We Dare Not Hope For

October 10, 2014 breaking Comments Off on Pope At Santa Marta: What We Dare Not Hope For

(Vatican Radio) We ask for a lot of things when we pray, but the greatest gift that God can give us is the Holy Spirit.  This was Pope Francis’ reflection Thursday morning at Mass in Santa Marta, commenting on the Gospel of the day, which presents the parable of the man who gets what he needs because of his persistence. Pope Francis began his homily by noting that “God has so much mercy” and observing that in the Collect we begin by asking God  for forgiveness and to “obtain what prayer does not dare to hope for”: “This got me thinking: it is precisely the mercy of God not only to forgive – we all know that – but to…Continue Reading

Synod: The Church, A Place For Families In Crisis

October 9, 2014 breaking Comments Off on Synod: The Church, A Place For Families In Crisis

(Vatican Radio) What can the Church do to accompany families in difficult pastoral situations such as the separated, divorced or divorced and remarried, single parents, teen mothers, children from broken homes? What is the Churches pastoral outreach concerning unions of persons of the same sex? These were the topics of discussion in the 8thGeneral Congregation of the Extraordinary Synod of Bishops on ‘The pastoral challenges of the family in the context of evangelization’. The Wednesday afternoon session was led by the President Delegate on duty, Card. Raymundo Damasceno Assis, Archbishop of Aparecida (Brazil). He warned against a shortsighted legalistic approach stating that the Church wants to fathom the depths of these difficult situations in order to welcome all of those…Continue Reading

Pope: Divisions Between Christians Are Wounds In The Church

October 8, 2014 breaking Comments Off on Pope: Divisions Between Christians Are Wounds In The Church

Pope Francis appealed for Christian unity on Wednesday pointing out that divisions between Christians of different denominations are hurtful for the Church and for Christ. Speaking to the crowds gathered  in St. Peter’s Square for the weekly General Audience, the Pope said that we must not forget that there are many who belong to different confessions who share our faith in Christ. Many of us, even within our Catholic Church – he said – have resigned ourselves to this division that has often been cause of conflict, suffering and even wars throughout the course of history. And the Pope invited those present to ask themselves what is their position regarding all this: “are we resigned, or even indifferent to this…Continue Reading

Bishops Share Impressions Of Synod’s Opening Session

October 7, 2014 breaking Comments Off on Bishops Share Impressions Of Synod’s Opening Session

(Vatican Radio) The Church needs leaders that are listening to their people, speaking honestly, seeking consensus and discerning new ways of supporting family life. Those were the guidelines that emerged from a press conference held at the conclusion of the morning session by four of the key players in this Synod of Bishops. They were Hungarian Cardinal Peter Erdo, French Cardinal André Vingt-Troi, Italian Archbishop Bruno Forte and Mexican Archbishop Carlos Aguiar Retes. Cardinal Erdo, who gave the introductory presentation to the Synod’s opening session, stressed changes in the working method of the meeting to better reflect a Church that is listening to the needs of its people. In a departure from tradition, his presentation to the gathering of 253…Continue Reading

Pope Encourages All Families To Read The Bible

October 6, 2014 breaking Comments Off on Pope Encourages All Families To Read The Bible

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis has asked for prayers for the bishops who are about to begin work in the two-week Synod of the Family and invited all families to keep a Bible handy in their homes, and read it often. Addressing the crowds gathered in St. Peter’s Square for the Angelus prayer on Sunday, he mentioned the just-celebrated Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica to inaugurate the Extraordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops on the Family. The Pope explained that the bishops have been called to take care and promote the family according to God’s plan, and thus they will meet for two intense weeks of listening and dialogue on the theme “The Pastoral Challenges of the Family within…Continue Reading

Pope: Family Is Integral Part Of God’s Plan For Humanity

October 5, 2014 breaking Comments Off on Pope: Family Is Integral Part Of God’s Plan For Humanity

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis urged the Synod Bishops to listen to the Lord’s call to “care for the family” which is “an integral part of His loving plan for humanity”. The Holy Father said that “Synod Assemblies are not meant to discuss beautiful and clever ideas” but to “better nurture and tend to the Lord’s vineyard.” He spoke this morning during the Opening Mass of the Synod of Bishops in St. Peter’s Basilica. The two week General Assembly will discuss the “The Pastoral Challenges of the Family in the Context of the Evangelization”. Here is the translation of the Holy Father’s homily: Today the prophet Isaiah and the Gospel employ the image of the Lord’s vineyard.  The Lord’s vineyard is…Continue Reading

Pope Francis: Are We Open Or Closed To God’s Way Of Salvation?

October 4, 2014 breaking Comments Off on Pope Francis: Are We Open Or Closed To God’s Way Of Salvation?

(Vatican Radio) Are we open to the gift of God’s salvation, or do we prefer to take refuge in the safety of our man-made rules and regulations? That was the question Pope Francis posed during his homily at the morning Mass at Santa Marta on Friday, as Philippa Hitchen reports… God’s only wish, Pope Francis told his listeners, is to save his people, but so often we want to make the rules for our own salvation. This is the dramatic paradox of so many of the Bible stories which culminate in the life of Jesus himself. Reflecting on the Gospel reading of the day, the Pope spoke of Jesus’ sadness at being rejected and ignored by his own people. “If the mighty…Continue Reading

Pope At Santa Marta: Our Companions On Life’s Journey

October 3, 2014 breaking Comments Off on Pope At Santa Marta: Our Companions On Life’s Journey

(Vatican Radio) Guardian angels exist, they are not [the fruit of] imaginative doctrine, but companions that God has placed beside us on our life’s journey said Pope Francis Thursday morning at Mass at Casa Santa Marta, on the day when the Church celebrates the Feast of the Holy Guardian Angels. Pope Francis said that the readings of the day present us with  two images: the angel and the baby. God placed an angel by our side to watch over us: “If anyone believes that they can walk on their own, they would be greatly mistaken”, they would fall “into that terrible trap of arrogance: Believing we are great”, self-sufficient. Jesus taught the apostles to be like children. “The disciples argued…Continue Reading

Pope At Santa Marta: Good Reason To Complain

October 2, 2014 breaking Comments Off on Pope At Santa Marta: Good Reason To Complain

2014-10-01 Vatican Radio (Vatican Radio) In moments of darkness, our lament becomes a prayer, but we must guard ourselves against overdramatizing our complaints and remember that there are people experiencing “great tragedies” who have good reason to lament, like the Christians driven from their homes for the faith, said Pope Francis Tuesday during Mass at Casa Santa Marta. Reflecting on the First Reading of the day, in which Job curses the day he was born, the Pope noted that his prayer at first appears to us like a curse. Pope Francis recalled how Job was “put to the test”, how he “lost his entire family, everything he possessed”, how he lost his health and “his body had become a plague,…Continue Reading

Pope At Santa Marta: The Angels Defend Us

September 30, 2014 breaking Comments Off on Pope At Santa Marta: The Angels Defend Us

(Vatican Radio) The angels battle Satan for the destiny of mankind and win.  They defend and custody  the greatest mystery of the Church, God-made-Man.  Even though in Satan often presents “humanistic explanations” for his attacks on mankind.  This was the focus of Pope Francis homily at Mass Monday morning at Casa Santa Marta, marking the Feast of the Holy Archangels Michael, Gabriel and Raphael. Today’s readings present us with very strong images: the vision of the glory of God described by the prophet Daniel with the Son of Man, Jesus Christ, before the Father: the archangel Michael and his angels fighting against “the great dragon, the ancient serpent, he who is called the devil” and “seduces all of inhabited earth,”…Continue Reading