(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis’ message for the upcoming 89th World Mission Day which will be marked on Sunday15th of October 2015 has been released. In the message the Holy Father says, ” being a missionary is not about proselytizing or mere strategy; mission is part of the “grammar” of faith, something essential for those who listen…
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(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis against the backdrop of St Peter’s Basilica and dressed in scarlet vestments, celebrated Mass on Pentecost Sunday. In his homily, the Holy Father began by focusing on Sunday’s readings saying that, “the word of God, tells us that the Spirit is at work in individuals and communities filled with the Spirit.
Expanding on this theme of the Spirit, Pope Francis said that, in the Gospel, Jesus promises his disciples that, when he has returned to the Father, the Holy Spirit will come to guide them into all the truth. Indeed he calls the Holy Spirit “the Spirit of truth”.
Listen to Lydia O’Kane’s report
Today’s world Pope Francis stressed, “needs men and women who are not closed in on themselves, but filled with the Holy Spirit.” Closing oneself off from the Holy Spirit, he said, means not only a lack of freedom; it is a sin. There are many ways one can close oneself off to the Holy Spirit, the Pope continued, “by selfishness for one’s own gain; by rigid legalism – seen in the attitude of the doctors of the law to whom Jesus referred as “hypocrites”; by neglect of what Jesus taught; by living the Christian life not as service to others but in the pursuit of personal interests; and in so many other ways.”
He underlined that the gift of the Holy Spirit “has been bestowed upon the Church and upon each one of us, so that we may live lives of genuine faith and active charity, that we may sow the seeds of reconciliation and peace.”
The Holy Father explained to those gathered that, “the gift of the Holy Spirit renews the earth”. The Holy Spirit, he went on to say, “whom Christ sent from the Father, and the Creator Spirit who gives life to all things, are one and the same.” Therefore, the Pope said, respect for creation, is a requirement of our faith and the “garden” in which we live is not entrusted to us to be exploited, he added, but rather to be cultivated and tended with respect
Concluding his homily, Pope Francis prayed that strengthened by the Spirit and his many gifts, we would be able uncompromisingly to battle against sin and corruption, devoting ourselves with patient perseverance to the works of justice and peace.
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) Following Mass on this Pentecost Sunday, Pope Francis at the Regina Coeli expressed serious concerned over the plight of migrants in the Bay of Bengal and the Andaman sea in Southeast Asia.
More than 3,600 people, around half of them from Bangladesh and the others, minority Rohingya Muslims from Myanmar, have come ashore in Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand since May 10. But thousands more are reported to be trapped at sea in desperate conditions.
The Holy Father spoke of his appreciation for the efforts being made by those countries that have expressed a willingness to welcome those people who are facing great suffering and danger. He also encouraged the international community to provide them with the necessary humanitarian assistance.
Pope Francis, after the recitation of the Regina Coeli also recalled Sunday, the one hundreth anniversary of Italy’s entry into World War I, describing the conflict as “useless slaughter”. He prayed for the victims, asking the Holy Spirit for the gift of peace.
The Pope then recalled Saturday’s Beatification’s of an Archbishop and Nun in El Salvador and Kenya.
Firstly, he remembered Archbishop Oscar Romero, of San Salvador, killed in hatred of the faith while celebrating the Eucharist. This zealous pastor, he said an example of Jesus, chose to be among his people, especially the poor and the oppressed, even at the cost of his life. He also remembered, Italian nun, Sister Irene Stefani, of the Consolata Missionaries, who served the Kenyan people, he said, with joy, mercy and tender compassion.
The Pope underlined that the heroic example of these blesseds inspire in each of us the fervent desire to be witnesses to the Gospel with courage and self-sacrifice.
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis against the backdrop of St Peter’s Basilica and dressed in scarlet vestments, celebrated Mass on Pentecost Sunday. In his homily, the Holy Father began by focusing on Sunday’s readings saying that, “the word of God, tells us that the Spirit is at work in individuals and communities filled with the Spirit. Expanding…
Read more
(Vatican Radio) Following Mass on this Pentecost Sunday, Pope Francis at the Regina Coeli expressed serious concerned over the plight of migrants in the Bay of Bengal and the Andaman sea in Southeast Asia. More than 3,600 people, around half of them from Bangladesh and the others, minority Rohingya Muslims from Myanmar, have come ashore…
Read more