Pope Francis Angelus 30.06.24  

Today we remember the Roman Protomartyrs. We too live in a time of martyrdom, one that is even more so than in the early centuries. Many of our brothers and sisters in various parts of the world suffer discrimination and persecution because of their faith; they thus bring fecundity to the Church. Others face a “white-glove” martyrdom. Let us support them and be inspired by their testimony of love for Christ.

On this last day of June, let us implore the Sacred Heart of Jesus to touch the hearts of those who desire war, that they may be converted to plans of dialogue and peace.

Brothers and sisters, let us not forget martyred Ukraine, Palestine, Israel, Myanmar, and many other places where there is so much suffering due to war!

I wish everyone a good Sunday. Please, do not forget to pray for me. Have a good lunch and arrivederci! Thank you.

30.06.24

Pope Francis  Angelus   30.06.24

God does not keep us at a distance

Excerpt below, for the full transcript click on the picture link above

The Gospel of today's liturgy tells us about two miracles that seem to be connected to each other. As Jesus is on His way to the house of Jairus, one of the synagogue leaders whose daughter is gravely ill, a woman suffering from hemorrhages touches His cloak along the way. He stops to heal her. Meanwhile, we are told that Jairus' daughter has died, but Jesus does not stop. He arrives at the house, goes into the girl's room, takes her by the hand, and raises her, bringing her back to life (Mk 5:21-43). Two miracles, one of which is a healing and the other a resurrection.

These two healings are told in the same episode. Both occur through physical contact. Indeed, the woman touches Jesus' cloak, and Jesus takes the girl by the hand. Why is this physical contact important? It is because these two women are considered impure and cannot, therefore, be physically touched—one because she suffers from blood loss and the other because she is dead. Yet, Jesus allows Himself to be touched and is not afraid to touch. Jesus allows Himself to be touched and is not afraid to touch. Even before He carries out a physical healing, He challenges the false religious belief that God separates the pure, placing them on one side, from the impure on another. Instead, God does not make this kind of separation, because we are all His children. Impurity does not come from food, illness, or even death; impurity comes from an impure heart.

Let us learn this lesson: in the face of bodily and spiritual sufferings, of the wounds our souls bear, of the situations that crush us, and even in the face of sin, God does not keep us at a distance. God is not ashamed of us; God does not judge us. On the contrary, He draws near to let Himself be touched and to touch us, and He always raises us from death. He always takes us by the hand to say: daughter, son, arise! (cf. Mark 5:41). Walk forward; strive ahead! “Lord I am a sinner”—

“Strive forward; I became sin for you, to save you” – “But you, O Lord, are not a sinner” – “No, but I have endured all the consequences of sin to save you.” This is beautiful!

Let us fix the image that Jesus offers us in our hearts. It is God who takes you by the hand and raises you up again. It is He who lets Himself be touched by your pain and touches you to heal you and give you life again. He does not discriminate against anyone because He loves everyone.

Thus, we can ask ourselves: do we believe that God is like this? Do we let ourselves be touched by the Lord, by His Word, by His love? Do we relate to our brothers and sisters by offering them a hand to lift them up, or do we keep our distance and label people based on our tastes and preferences? We label people. Let me ask you a question: Does God, the Lord Jesus, label people? May everyone answer this question. Does God label people? And do I live by constantly labelling people?

Brothers and sisters, let us look to the heart of God, so that the Church and society may neither exclude nor treat anyone as "impure," so that each person, with their own particular past, is welcomed and loved without labels, prejudices, or adjectives.

Let us pray through the Holy Virgin. May She who is the Mother of tenderness intercede for us and for the whole world.

30.06.24

Pope Francis  Angelus   29.06.24

Feast of Saints Peter and Paul

Pope Francis  Angelus   29.06.24

Feast of Saints Peter and Paul

I greet you all, who have come on the Feast of Saints Peter and Paul, and I greet the Romans in a special way! Today I would like my greeting to reach all the inhabitants of Rome, all of them, together with my prayer; for families, especially those who struggle the most; for the elderly, those who are loneliest; for the sick, the imprisoned, and those who for various reasons are in difficulty. I hope that everyone might have the experience of Peter and Paul; namely that the love of Jesus Christ may save their life and drive them to give it, drive them to give it with joy, with gratuitousness. Life is not sold.

I think with sorrow of the brothers and sisters who are suffering because of war: let us pray for all the populations wounded and threatened by fighting, that God may free them and support them in the struggle for peace. And I give thanks to God for the freeing of the two Greek Catholic priests. May all the prisoners of this war soon return home! Let us pray together: may all the prisoners return home.

I wish you all a good feast day. Please, do not forget to pray for me. Enjoy your lunch, and arrivederci!

29.06.24 a

Pope Francis  Holy Mass   29.06.24

Feast of Saints Peter and Paul

Let us look at the two Apostles, Peter and Paul: the fisherman from Galilee whom Jesus made a fisher of men, and the Pharisee who persecuted the Church but was transformed by grace into an evangelizer of the nations. In the light of God’s word, let us draw inspiration from their story and from the apostolic zeal that marked their lives. In encountering the Lord, they experienced a true passover:  they were set free: the doors to a new life opened before them.

Brothers and sisters, on the eve of the Jubilee Year, let us reflect on that image of the door. The Jubilee will be a time of grace during which we will open the Holy Door so that everyone may cross the threshold of that living sanctuary who is Jesus and, in him, experience the love of God that confirms our hope and renews our joy. In the story of Peter and Paul, several doors open.

The first reading tells of the deliverance of Peter from prison; it is filled with images reminiscent of Passover. The event takes place during the feast of Unleavened Bread. Herod recalls the figure of the Pharaoh of Egypt. The deliverance takes place at night, as it did for the Israelites. The angel gives Peter the same instructions once given to Israel: he tells Peter to rise quickly, gird himself and put on his sandals (cf. Acts 12:8; Ex 12:11). The account, then, is that of a new exodus. God delivers his Church, frees his people who are in chains, and once again reveals himself as the God of mercy who sustains them on their journey.

On that night of deliverance, the doors of the prison are first miraculously opened. Then, we are told that when Peter and the angel accompanying him came to the iron gate leading into the city, “it opened to them of its own accord” (Acts 12:10). They did not open the door; it opened by itself. It is God who opens doors; he is the one who sets us free and opens the way before us. Jesus, as we heard in the Gospel, entrusted the keys of the Kingdom to Peter, yet Peter realizes that it is the Lord who opens doors; he always goes before us. This point is significant: the doors of the prison were opened by the Lord’s strength, but Peter then found it hard to enter the house of the Christian community. The woman who went to the door thought that it was a ghost and did not open the door (cf. Acts 12:12-17). How many times have communities not learned this wisdom of the need to open the doors!

The journey of the Apostle Paul is also, primarily, a passover experience. First, he is changed by his encounter with the Risen Lord on the road to Damascus and then, fervently contemplating the crucified Christ, discovers the grace of weakness. When we are weak, he tells us, it is then that we are strong, because we no longer rely on ourselves, but on Christ (cf. 2 Cor 12:10). Seized by the Lord and crucified with him, Paul can write, “It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me” (Gal 2:20). Yet this does not lead to a consoling, inward-looking religiosity – like that found in a few movements in the Church today – on the contrary, the encounter with the Lord ignites in the life of Paul a burning zeal for evangelization. As we heard in the second reading, at the end of his life, he could say: “The Lord stood by me and gave me strength to proclaim the message fully, that all the Gentiles might hear it” (2 Tim 4:17).

In describing how the Lord gave him so many opportunities to preach the Gospel, Paul employs the image of open doors. He journeyed to Antioch with Barnabas, and we read that “when they arrived, they gathered the church together and declared all that God had done with them, and how he had opened a door of faith to the Gentiles” (Acts 14:27). In a similar way, in writing to the community in Corinth, he says, “a wide door for effective work opened to me” (1 Cor 16:9). Writing to the Colossians, he urges them: “Pray for us also, that God may open to us a door for the word, to declare the mystery of Christ” (Col 4:3).

Brothers and sisters, the Apostles Peter and Paul both experienced this grace. They witnessed first-hand the work of God, who opened the doors of their interior prisons but also the actual prisons into which they were thrown because of the Gospel. The Lord also opened before them the doors of evangelization, so they could have the joy of encountering their brothers and sisters in the fledgling communities and bring the hope of the Gospel to all.       Now, this year we also are preparing to open the Holy Door.

Brothers and sisters, today the Metropolitan Archbishops appointed in the last year receive the pallium. In communion with Peter and following the example of Christ, the gate for the sheep (cf. Jn 10:7), they are called to be zealous shepherds who open the doors of the Gospel and, through their ministry, help to build a Church and a society of open doors.

With fraternal affection, I greet the delegation of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, whom I thank for coming to manifest the shared desire for full communion between our Churches. I also send heartfelt cordial greetings to my dear brother Bartholomew.

May Saints Peter and Paul help us to open the door of our lives to the Lord Jesus. May they intercede for us, for this City of Rome and for the whole world. Amen.

29.06.24

Pope Francis Holy Mass 29.06.24 

Feast of Saints Peter and Paul 

Pope Francis General Audience 26.06.24 

How do we receive the Word of God? The response is clear: As one receives Jesus Christ. The Church tells us that Jesus is present in the Scripture, in His Word.

Always carry a small Gospel with you in your purse, in your pocket, and read a passage from the Gospel during the day. Not so much to learn something, but mostly to find Jesus, because Jesus actually is in His Word, in His Gospel.  Every time I read the Gospel, I find Jesus.  - Pope Francis 01.09.14

Daily Readings - read the entire New Testament over a 2 year period (reading plan courtesy of Gideon International)

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Pope Francis July 2024

For the pastoral care of the sick

Let us pray that the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick grant the Lord’s strength to those who receive it and to their loved ones, and that it may become for everyone an ever more visible sign of compassion and hope.

This month, let us pray for the pastoral care of the sick.

The Anointing of the Sick is not a sacrament only for those who are at the point of death. No. It is important that this is clear.

When the priest draws near a person to perform the Anointing of the Sick, it is not necessarily to help them say goodbye to life. Thinking this way means giving up every hope.

It means taking for granted that after the priest the undertaker will arrive.

Let us remember that the Anointing of the Sick is one of the “sacraments of healing,” of “restoration,” that heals the spirit.

And when a person is very ill, it’s advisable to give them the Anointing of the Sick. And when someone is elderly, it’s good that they receive the Anointing of the Sick.

Let us pray that the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick grant the Lord’s strength to those who receive it and to their loved ones, and that it may become for everyone an ever more visible sign of compassion and hope.

July 2024

Pope Francis  General Audience  26.06.24  

International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking

Excerpt below, for the full transcript click on the picture link above

Today marks International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, established by the United Nations General Assembly in 1987. This year’s theme is The evidence is clear: Invest in prevention.

St. John Paul II affirmed, “Drug abuse impoverishes every community where it exists. It diminishes human strength and moral fibre. It undermines esteemed values. It destroys the will to live and to contribute to a better society.” This drives the abuse of drugs and the use of drugs. At the same time, however, let us remember that each addict “has a unique personal story and must be listened to, understood, loved, and, insofar as possible, healed and purified… They continue to possess, more than ever, a dignity as children of God.” Everyone has dignity.

However, we cannot ignore the evil intentions and actions of drug dealers and traffickers. They are murderers. Pope Benedict XVI used stern words during a visit to a therapeutic community. This is what Pope Benedict said: “I therefore urge the drug-dealers to reflect on the grave harm they are inflicting on countless young people and on adults from every level of society: God will call you to account for your deeds. Human dignity cannot be trampled upon in this way.” And drugs trample on human dignity.

A reduction in drug addiction is not achieved by liberalizing drug use – this is a fantasy! – as has been proposed by some, or has already implemented, in some countries. It’s like this: you liberalize and drugs are consumed even more. Having known so many tragic stories of drug addicts and their families, I am convinced that it is a moral duty to end the production and trafficking of these dangerous substances. How many traffickers of death there are – because drug traffickers are traffickers of death! – how many traffickers of death there are, driven by the logic of power and money at any cost! And this scourge, which produces violence and sows suffering and death, demands an act of courage from our society as a whole.

Drug production and trafficking also have a destructive impact on our common home. This has become increasingly evident, for example, in the Amazon basin.

Another key way to counter drug abuse and trafficking is through prevention, which is done by promoting greater justice, educating young people in values that build personal and community life, accompanying those in need, and giving hope for the future.

In my journeys in different dioceses and countries, I have been able to visit several recovery communities inspired by the Gospel. They are a strong and hopeful witness to the commitment of priests, consecrated men and women, and lay people to put into practice the parable of the Good Samaritan. So too, I am comforted by the efforts undertaken by various bishops’ conferences to promote just legislation and policies regarding the treatment of people addicted to drug use, and prevention to stop this scourge.

As an example, I point to the network of La Pastoral Latinoamericana de Acompañamiento y Prevençión de Adicciones (PLAPA). The charter of this network recognizes that “addiction to alcohol, psychoactive substances, and other forms of addiction (pornography, new technologies, etc.) ... is a problem that affects us indiscriminately, beyond geographical, social, cultural, religious and age differences. Despite the differences ... we want to organize as a community: to share experiences, enthusiasm, difficulties.”

I also mention the Bishops of southern Africa, who in November 2023 convened a meeting on “Empowering youth as agents of peace and hope.” Youth representatives present at the meeting recognized that assembly as a “significant milestone geared toward healthy and active YOUTH throughout the region.” They have also made a promise. Their promise goes like this: “We accept the role of being Ambassadors and Advocates who are going to fight against the use of substances. We plead with all young people to always be empathetic to one another at all times.”

Dear brothers and sisters, faced with the tragic – it is tragic, isn’t it? – the tragic situation of drug addiction of millions of people around the world, faced with the scandal of the illicit production and trafficking of such drugs, “we cannot be indifferent. The Lord Jesus paused, drew near, healed wounds. In the style of His closeness, we too are called to act, to pause before situations of fragility and pain, to know how to listen to the cry of loneliness and anguish, to stoop to lift up and bring back to life those who fall into the slavery of drugs.” And we pray, too, for these criminals who spend and give drugs to the young: they are criminals, they are murderers. Let us pray for their conversion.

On this World Drug Day, as Christians and church communities, let us pray for this intention and renew our commitment of prayer and work against drugs. Thank you!

26.06.24