(Vatican Radio) The Holy See has welcomed Iran’s efforts to reduce or convert its nuclear facilities to peaceful purposes in return for the lifting of economic sanctions. In a statement delivered to the 59th General Conference of the International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna on Monday, the Holy See’s Secretary for Relations with States, Archbishop Paul Gallagher, said the Vatican “values positively” Iran’s recent agreement with the European Union and the so-called ‘P5 plus 1’ group of nations because “it considers that the way to resolve disputes and difficulties should always be that of dialogue and negotiation”.
Listen to Philippa Hitchen’s report:
The Vatican’s foreign minister spoke of the IAEA’s important role in promoting sustainable and integral human development, using nuclear technologies for improving agriculture, pollution control, water management, nutrition and food safety, and infectious disease control. But he also insisted that “spending on nuclear weapons squanders the wealth of nations”, adding that “the dubious strategic rationales for maintaining and even strengthening” nations’ nuclear arsenals are “morally problematic”.Billions are wasted each year to develop and maintain stocks that will supposedly never be used, Archbishop Gallagher said, adding “How are these expenditures consistent with progress towards nuclear disarmament?”
Archbishop Gallagher said that while the Holy See has “no illusions about the challenges involved in achieving a world free of nuclear weapons”, nuclear powers must take more “concerted steps” to break the political deadlock over disarmament, in particular by facilitating the entry into force of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT)
The Archbishop called for the “logic of fear and mistrust” to be replaced by a new global ethic of responsibility, solidarity and cooperative security to ensure that nuclear technology is only used for peaceful purposes “and is no longer a sword of Damocles hanging over the earth”.
Please find below the full statement delivered by Archbishop Paul Gallagher
STATEMENT OF THE HOLY SEE TO THE 59TH GENERAL CONFERENCE OF THE INTERNATIONAL ATOMIC ENERGY AGENCY
DELIVERED BY H.E. PAUL R. GALLAGHER SECRETARY FOR THE HOLY SEE’S RELATIONS WITH STATES
Vienna, 14 September 2015
Mr. President,
I have the honour of conveying to you and to all the distinguished participants at this 59th General Conference of the International Atomic Energy Agency the best wishes and cordial greetings of His Holiness Pope Francis.
For me personally it is a singular honour to address this august institution for the first time and to congratulate you, Mr President, on behalf of the Delegation of the Holy See, on your election as President of this distinguished Conference. I would like to take this opportunity also to express our appreciation and gratitude to Director General Yukiya Amano and to the Secretariat for their dedicated work for the benefit of the whole IAEA family.
On this occasion, the Holy See, along with various states, welcomes and congratulates the Republics of Djibouti and Guyana on becoming members of the IAEA.
Mr. President,
The Holy See commends and supports all the activities of the IAEA which foster international cooperation in the use of nuclear technology for peaceful purposes and integral human development, and which prevent nuclear proliferation and contribute to nuclear disarmament. Seventy years after Hiroshima and Nagasaki and after nearly six decades of successfully confronting many challenges, the IAEA remains an indispensable agency for promoting human security.
Many around the world are not aware of the IAEA’s role in promoting sustainable and integral human development. The IAEA helps open up interesting possibilities for harnessing the power of science and technology to address pressing problems of poverty, health, and environmental degradation. Peaceful applications of nuclear technologies allow many States to come closer to the achievement of their development goals and are in keeping with Pope Francis’ call, in his recent Encyclical Letter, “Laudato Si’” for responsible stewardship of our human and natural resources. Nuclear technologies are improving agriculture, pollution control, water management, nutrition and food safety, and infectious disease control. Of special note is the invaluable contribution the IAEA is making in fighting cancer, one of the great scourges of mankind, especially in some of the world’s poorest countries. These and other efforts are improving the quality of life for millions of people. Clearly, the IAEA’s contributions to sustainable development must continue to be supported and enhanced to meet the many challenges that remain.
Mr. President,
In his recent encyclical, Pope Francis highlights a fundamental challenge posed by our technological prowess: those with the knowledge and resources to use modern technologies have unprecedented power over the future of humanity, “yet nothing ensures that it will be used wisely, particularly when we consider how it is currently being used.” The failure to use technology wisely is due to the fact that “our immense technological development has not been accompanied by a development in human responsibility, values and conscience”. Too often, necessity, defined in terms of utility and narrow conceptions of national security, is the prevailing norm governing the uses of technology, rather than responsibility, solidarity and cooperative security.
Nowhere is this more evident than with the power unleashed by the splitting of the atom. As Pope Francis reminds us, the horrors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki remain “the symbol of mankind’s enormous destructive power when it makes a distorted use of scientific and technical progress and serves as a lasting warning to humanity so that it rejects forever war and bans nuclear weapons and all weapons of mass destruction”.
The world’s nuclear arsenals are much reduced since the height of the Cold War, but they remain excessive. Moreover, the dubious strategic rationales for maintaining and even strengthening these still bloated arsenals are morally problematic. Nuclear deterrence can hardly be the basis for peaceful coexistence among peoples and states in the 21st century, since it is unable to be broadly responsive and tailored to the security challenges of our times; furthermore, it risks being used in a way that would cause severe humanitarian consequences. Instead of being a step toward nuclear disarmament, nuclear deterrence has become an end in itself, and risks, compromising the non-proliferation regime and undermining real progress toward a nuclear-free world. Moreover, as Pope Francis said in his message to the Vienna Conference last December, “Spending on nuclear weapons squanders the wealth of nations. To prioritize such spending is a mistake and a misallocation of resources which would be far better invested in areas of integral human development, education, health and the fight against extreme poverty”. Billions are wasted each year to develop and maintain stocks that will supposedly never be used. How are these expenditures consistent with progress toward nuclear disarmament? How are they consistent with the Non-Proliferation Treaty?
Mr. President,
The discriminatory nature of the NPT is well known. The status quo is unsustainable and undesirable. Just as wealthy nations have incurred an “ecological debt” that demands more from them in addressing the environmental crisis, nuclear weapons states have incurred a nuclear debt. Because of the risks their nuclear arsenals pose to the world, nuclear weapons states bear a heavy moral burden to ensure that their nuclear weapons are never used and to reduce their stocks substantially while taking the lead in negotiating a nuclear ban. While it is unthinkable to imagine a world where nuclear weapons are available to all, it is reasonable to imagine, and to work collectively for, a world where nobody has them. A world without nuclear weapons is not just a moral ideal, but must be pursued through concrete policy initiatives, particularly on the part of the nuclear powers.
The Holy See has no illusions about the challenges involved in achieving a world free of nuclear weapons. Progress has been made through the NPT, the CTBT, START, NEW START, unilateral initiatives and other measures. But these steps are limited, insufficient, and often frozen in space and time. Precisely because of growing tensions, the nuclear powers must renew arms control and disarmament processes. In this regard, a very important sign would be to make real efforts towards facilitating the entry into force of the CTBT, which represents the best hope of stemming nuclear proliferation and is a key to progress on nuclear disarmament. Much more concerted steps must be taken to break the political deadlocks, evident in the failure of the recent NPT Review Conference, that prevent other responsible institutions from playing their rightful role in the non-proliferation and disarmament processes. The three Conferences on the humanitarian impact of nuclear weapons and the humanitarian pledge adopted by more than 100 states are positive developments that deserve support. Also deserving of support is the establishment of zones free of nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction, especially in the Middle East. For its part, the IAEA’s indispensable role in nuclear safety and waste disposal, verification and monitoring will become ever more important as the use of peaceful nuclear energy expands and as the world moves toward nuclear disarmament.
Mr. President,
The Holy See welcomes the IAEA’s participation in the verification and monitoring of Iran’s nuclear-related commitments under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). The Holy See values positively this agreement because it considers that the way to resolve disputes and difficulties should always be that of dialogue and negotiation. The JCPOA is the result of many years of negotiation on an issue that had caused grave concern within the international community. It is clear that the agreement requires further efforts and commitment by all the parties involved in order for it to bear fruit. We hope that the full implementation of JCPOA will ensure the peaceful nature of Iran’s nuclear programme under the NPT and will be a definitive step toward greater stability and security in the region.
In a region where there are already too many conflicts, to reach an agreement on a sensitive issue is an important step that will promote dialogue and cooperation on other issues. In this respect it is worth stating once again that the way for the solution of conflicts in the Middle East, which must be addressed at global and regional levels, is that of dialogue and negotiation and not that of confrontation. It is true that this path requires courageous decisions for the good of all, but it is one that will eventually lead to the desired peace in the region.
Mr. President,
These and many other steps that must be taken will require the world to face a fundamental moral challenge. The logic of fear and mistrust must be replaced with a new global ethic. We need a global ethic of responsibility, solidarity, and cooperative security adequate to the task of controlling the power of nuclear technology so that it is only used for peaceful purposes and is no longer a sword of Damocles hanging over the earth.
All States have the right to national security. But reducing security, in practice, to its military dimension is artificial and simplistic. Security also requires socio-economic development, political participation, respect for fundamental human rights and the rule of law, and cooperation and solidarity at the regional and international level. Is it not urgent to revisit in a transparent manner how States, especially nuclear weapons states, define their national security? As Pope Francis said last December, “The security of our own future depends on guaranteeing the peaceful security of others, for if peace, security and stability are not established globally, they will not be enjoyed at all”.
Mr. President,
In conclusion, the Holy See attaches great importance to the successful cooperation of the IAEA with other relevant International Organizations in ensuring the safe, secure and peaceful use of nuclear technologies. The IAEA deserves continued support as it seeks to fulfill, in ever more effective ways, its indispensable role in ensuring international security and promoting sustainable and integral human development, especially in the poorest regions of the world.
Thank you.
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis says the Church is a mother and must have that loving and tender maternal feeling and human warmth as otherwise all that remains is rigidity and discipline. That was the message at the heart of the Pope’s homily on Tuesday (15th September) at the Mass celebrated in the Santa Marta Residence. Tuesday’s Mass was also attended by the C-9 Cardinals who are meeting in the Vatican this week.
The inspiration for Pope Francis’ reflections in his homily came from Jesus’ words spoken from the Cross to Mary and to the apostle whom he loved when he entrusted each of them to the other’s care. Jesus, he stressed, does not leave us orphaned, we have a mother who protects us.
Jesus doesn’t leave us as orphans
“In these times where I don’t know if it’s the prevailing sense but there is a great sense in the world of being orphaned, it’s an orphaned world. This word has a great importance, the importance when Jesus tells us: ‘I am not leaving you as orphans, I’m giving you a mother.’ And this is also a (source of) pride for us: we have a mother, a mother who is with us, protects us, accompanies us, who helps us, even in difficult or terrible times.”
This motherhood of Mary, the Pope explained, goes beyond her and is contagious. From it, comes a second motherhood, that of the Church.
Without motherhood, only rigidity and discipline remain
“The Church is our mother. She is our ‘Holy Mother Church’ that is generated through our baptism, makes us grow up in her community and has that motherly attitude, of meekness and goodness: Our Mother Mary and our Mother Church know how to caress their children and show tenderness. To think of the Church without that motherly feeling is to think of a rigid association, an association without human warmth, an orphan.”
“The Church is our mother and welcomes all of us as a mother: Mary our Mother, our Mother Church, and this motherhood are expressed through an attitude of welcome, understanding, goodness, forgiveness and tenderness.”
“And where there is motherhood and life, there’s life, there’s joy, there’s peace and we grow in peace. When this motherhood is lacking all that remains is rigidity, discipline and people do not know how to smile. One of the most beautiful and human things is to smile at a child and make him or her smile.”
In conclusion, the Pope said “May our Lord make us feel his presence today as well, just as when He once more offered himself up to the Father on behalf of us: (saying) ‘Son, this is your mother!’”
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) “[T]o listen to him with open hearts,” in, “an excitement of faith,” which is the proper disposition of “a generous people” and a “nation of many peoples,” preparing to receive Pope Francis: these are some of the expressions the US Ambassador to the Holy See, Kenneth Hackett, used to describe his own and his people’s emotion ahead of the Holy Father’s arrival in the United States.
Focused on the Holy Father’s participation in the World Meeting of Families in Philadelphia, the Apostolic Journey to the United States from September 22 nd -27 th is taking place under the banner: “Love is our Mission”. The stay is scheduled to include at least one historical first: Pope Francis is to address a joint meeting of Congress on September 24 th . In a conversation with Vatican Radio’s Director of English Programming Sean-Patrick Lovett, Ambassador Hackett said, “[H]e will touch on those core values that America holds up.”
What of the reception the Holy Father can expect from US lawmakers at a time in which they are politically divided? “We’re going to listen to him with open hearts when he talks about migration, and poverty, and climate. You know, they’re smart people in Congress and they’re going to say: well, there’s a partisan element to us but there is also a human element to us and when the Holy Father talks about how we treat our Earth.”
The US Ambassador to the Holy See expects the Holy Father to challenge the humanity of his people, as well. “[H]e will make a mark when he meets with the homeless in Washington,” Hackett said, adding, “that’s wonderful for a very particular reason: it highlights the situation that we know as a nation we should be doing more to address.” Pope Francis is also scheduled to visit a prison. “Our correctional system has kind of gone out of control in a way, and I hope that he speaks about capital punishment, and solitary confinement, and using our prison system and correctional system as a rehabilitative rather than just straight punitive action,” the Ambassador said.
Perhaps most significant, however, is the personal moment of this visit for Ambassador Hackett, himself a Catholic. “I’m so proud, so proud,” the Ambassador said. “To realize that the Pope is coming to the United States’ three cities [of Washington, DC, Philadelphia and New York]: wonderful, just wonderful.”
Click below to hear US Ambassador to the Holy See, Kenneth Hackett’s extended conversation with Vatican Radio’s Director of English Programming, Sean-Patrick Lovett
Please find a transcript of the conversation (edited for length and clarity) below
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Seàn-Patrick Lovett : Ambassador Hackett this is Vatican Radio, so before we get into all the political, socio- cultural aspects of the Pope’s visit to the United States, let’s start off with a more personal question: as a Catholic, representing the United States of America here in the Vatican, what does it feel like to know that the Pope is going to your country?
Ambassador Hackett : Oh, I’m so proud, so proud. I retired for a while, and I never really thought that I would end up over here . When the White House asked, I thought, sure, this would be fantastic. My wife didn’t hesitate a second. And then to realize that the Pope is coming to the United States’ three cities. Wonderful, just wonderful.
Seàn-Patrick Lovett : You’re going to be on the plane with us, I imagine?
Ambassador Hackett : I will be there in advance, so I will be in Washington prior to his arrival. I will be out at Andrews Airforce Base, as part of the welcoming party.
Seàn-Patrick Lovett : And then do you travel together with us to New York and Philadelphia?
Ambassador Hackett : Pretty much, yes. We will go to all three cities and be part of the process at the White House and Congress…up at the U.N., we hope, and at Madison Square Garden where there is a 180ft., that would be a16-meter high painting right across from Madison Square Garden in New York of Pope Francis. It’s just been finished. It was financed by the Diocese of Brooklyn, Bishop Di Marzio, and it is giant. I mean it is real New York: Welcome Pope France in the middle of New York.
Seàn-Patrick Lovett : I have to ask you this question (and you can blink your eyes twice for yes and once for no): have you had a chance to meet with Pope Francis ahead of this visit? Have you discussed the preparations with him?
Ambassador Hackett : Not specifically. Of course I’ve met with all the people who are meeting with him, who are helping him with all his remarks and things like that. But there’s still time. And of course I’ve offered, but I know how busy he is, and you know he has to do a lot of preparation for this one.
Seàn-Patrick Lovett : On the plane coming back from Latin America a little while ago, in response to a journalist’s question, he said he was going to be doing a lot of studying ahead of this trip to the United States. The media is making a lot out of the fact that it is his first ever visit to the United States of America.
Ambassador Hackett : That’s why he’s so excited about it. It’s terrific. And some of the preparations, like the Town Hall event he had on one of the TV channels, that’s a wonderful way to engage.
. Seàn-Patrick Lovett : But in terms of studying ahead of this trip, if and when you do sit down with him and he asks for your advice, what will you suggest he needs to study?
Ambassador Hackett : I think he has to understand that we are a nation that is rather unique in not only our history but where we are now. And I’m not talking politically. We are, on the negative side, kind of an insular nation. I read something recently that a lot of people don’t even know that he’s coming. I mean because they don’t read the international section of the paper, they just read the sports section or something like that. On the other hand, those who do know that he’s coming are excited! And what is their excitement going to be? Not just the personality, but I think it’s an excitement of faith too.
Seàn-Patrick Lovett : One of the wonderful aspects of the Pope’s visiting the United States is that it becomes a marvellous showcase positively for America across the globe because it will be covered by literally thousands of journalists from all over the world. As the Ambassador of the United States to the Holy See, in a few words, how would you describe the country you represent? What is America? You know how it’s projected, how it’s imaged positively and negatively, praised and criticized in different parts of the world. But this complex nation, how would you describe it: the America the Pope is going to visit?
Ambassador Hackett : I don’t know if I can do it in a couple of words. It’s a very generous nation, it’s warm and welcoming. It’s a nation made up of – you know when they say a melting pot – which is the throw-away phrase? We are. I mean everybody lives there of all faiths. And I go back to the image of my son’s soccer games. Which all the parents get together on the sidelines: and one of the families are Syrian, one is from Liberia, another one from Belfast. I mean that’s who we are: a nation of many peoples. All joined as one. And that’s important.
Seàn-Patrick Lovett : You said generous, compassionate… I think possibly these are some of the elements he’s going to emphasize when he‘s there. The two major events the media is focusing on primarily are on the first-ever address to Congress, and then the United Nations. There’s huge speculation over what he’s going to say. But I don’t think you need a crystal ball to imagine what’s likely to be the centre of his messages there.
Ambassador Hackett : No. I believe that he will call on Congress, and through them, on the American people, to rise up to those values that they hold closest to their hearts. The welcoming, as I say, the generosity. We are a nation of very hard-working people and we sometimes see the great disparity between the few very rich and everybody else. Well, the everybody else is a lot of people in the United States. And they’re hard-working. Single moms with two kids working two jobs and families where both parents are working and the kids are working too while they’re going to school. I mean that is who we are. We’re not all rich and famous.
Seàn-Patrick Lovett : Politically, though, there are quite a few divisions. I’ve been looking at different articles, I won’t ask you to read them out loud, but there you go, this one is about the Pope’s visit to Congress and it talks about this political divide which kind of marks your nation right now.
Ambassador Hackett : Marks our politicians.
Seàn-Patrick Lovett : Marks your politicians. Thank you for that correction. I take it gladly. There is a political divide among your politicians right now. It was one of your presidents, Lincoln, who said: “You can’t please all the people, all of the time.” Will the Pope be able to please any of the people?
Ambassador Hackett : Well, I certainly believe he will. Because he will touch on those core values that America holds up. In fact our Congress holds them up. You know, I just met last week with our Congress people who were in town for a conference and it was both Republican and Democrat, and all of them said we’re not going to be divisive when the Pope is there. We’re going to listen to him with open hearts when he talks about migration, and poverty, and climate. You know, they’re smart people in Congress and they’re going to say: well, there’s a partisan element to us but there is also a human element to us and when the Holy Father talks about how we treat our Earth. They say: “yeah, I know what he’s talking about”.
Seàn-Patrick Lovett : Now, those are the two major events that are being focused on, but there are so many more. You mentioned there are people who don’t even know he’s coming. How many people know that he’s going to visit a prison, that he’s going to an orphanage, to Ground Zero? What are some of the other highlights of the visit that you personally are looking forward to?
Ambassador Hackett : Well, he will make a mark when he meets with the homeless in Washington. And that’s wonderful for a very particular reason. It highlights the situation that we know as a nation we should be doing more to address. As you said he will go to a prison. Our correctional system has kind of gone out of control in a way, and I hope that he speaks about capital punishment, and solitary confinement, and using our prison system and correctional system as a rehabilitative rather than just straight punitive action. He will celebrate a Mass for the canonization of Junipero Serra. And, yes, there are some, like “St Anthony’s Messenger”, who ask if he’s a “Saint or a Scoundrel” – but I think most people who studied a little bit about Junipero Serra in grammar school and who have some knowledge of him, particularly the people in the western part of the United States, see him more as a saint than anything else. There are some academics, there are some native American people who have some problems. Governor Jerry Brown was here last month and this issue was raised with him and he said: “No, I’m not going to take the statue out of Congress or anything else. He’s our saint.
Seàn-Patrick Lovett : Good for him. At the very beginning of this interview, and without any provocation, you said there is still a great number of people in the United States of America who don’t even know the Pope is coming. When I was preparing for this interview, I came across an article and I printed up this phrase in bold. Would you read it for me, please?
Ambassador Hackett : (Reading) “A third of Catholics and nearly half of all adults said they didn’t know enough about the Pope to form an opinion.” (Laughing) I don’t know what this says about our population.
Seàn-Patrick Lovett : There are a lot of opinion polls out there right now: how popular is the Pope?…etc. But the most interesting fact is this: that people feel they don’t know enough about him.
Ambassador Hackett : That’s amazing to me.
Seàn-Patrick Lovett : The question, Ambassador Hackett, is: what do they need to know?
Ambassador Hackett : Oh, I think they have to know about the pastor, the personality, the generosity of this Pope. If they had to create a Pope, they would create him. I believe he is very intelligent, he knows what’s going on. He reads signals beautifully. They need to know all of those things. And I think, first of all, people who go to church will start hearing it in church from their pastors and from their priests. Secondly, it’s starting to be all over the American news right now. Even if the news is somewhat partisan in the United States, both sides are talking about it. We’ve got only a few weeks until he arrives. People are going to be ready and those numbers, “one-third of Catholics, nearly half of all adults”, that will drop precipitously.
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis says faith is a key that helps us to see how illness can be the way to draw nearer to Jesus who walks at our side, weighed down by the Cross.
In a message for the World Day of the Sick, celebrated each year on Febuary 11, the Pope points out that it offers him an opportunity to draw close to those who are ill and to their carers.
The theme of his message is “Entrusting Oneself to the Merciful Jesus like Mary”. In it he says that on this World Day of the Sick “let us ask Jesus in his mercy, through the intercession of Mary, his Mother and ours, to grant to all of us this same readiness to be serve those in need, and, in particular, our infirm brothers and sisters”.
At times – Pope Francis says – “this service can be tiring and burdensome, yet we are certain that the Lord will surely turn our human efforts into something divine. We too can be hands, arms and hearts which help God to perform his miracles, so often hidden.”
Please find below the full text of Pope Francis’s Message for the World Day of the Sick:
Entrusting Oneself to the Merciful Jesus like Mary:
“Do whatever he tells you” (Jn 2:5)
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
The twenty-fourth World Day of the Sick offers me an opportunity to draw particularly close to you, dear friends who are ill, and to those who care for you.
This year, since the Day of the Sick will be solemnly celebrated in the Holy Land, I wish to propose a meditation on the Gospel account of the wedding feast of Cana (Jn 2: 1-11), where Jesus performed his first miracle through the intervention of his Mother. The theme chosen – Entrusting Oneself to the Merciful Jesus like Mary: “Do whatever he tells you” (Jn 2:5) is quite fitting in light of the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy. The main Eucharistic celebration of the Day will take place on 11 February 2016, the liturgical memorial of Our Lady of Lourdes, in Nazareth itself, where “the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us” (Jn 1:14). In Nazareth, Jesus began his salvific mission, applying to himself the words of the Prophet Isaiah, as we are told by the Evangelist Luke: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring glad tidings to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, and to proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord” (Lk 4:18-19).
Illness, above all grave illness, always places human existence in crisis and brings with it questions that dig deep. Our first response may at times be one of rebellion: Why has this happened to me? We can feel desperate, thinking that all is lost, that things no longer have meaning…
In these situations, faith in God is on the one hand tested, yet at the same time can reveal all of its positive resources. Not because faith makes illness, pain, or the questions which they raise, disappear, but because it offers a key by which we can discover the deepest meaning of what we are experiencing; a key that helps us to see how illness can be the way to draw nearer to Jesus who walks at our side, weighed down by the Cross. And this key is given to us by Mary, our Mother, who has known this way at first hand.
At the wedding feast of Cana, Mary is the thoughtful woman who sees a serious problem for the spouses: the wine, the symbol of the joy of the feast, has run out. Mary recognizes the difficulty, in some way makes it her own, and acts swiftly and discreetly. She does not simply look on, much less spend time in finding fault, but rather, she turns to Jesus and presents him with the concrete problem: “They have no wine” (Jn 2:3). And when Jesus tells her that it is not yet the time for him to reveal himself (cf. v. 4), she says to the servants: “Do whatever he tells you” (v. 5). Jesus then performs the miracle, turning water into wine, a wine that immediately appears to be the best of the whole celebration. What teaching can we draw from this mystery of the wedding feast of Cana for the World Day of the Sick?
The wedding feast of Cana is an image of the Church: at the centre there is Jesus who in his mercy performs a sign; around him are the disciples, the first fruits of the new community; and beside Jesus and the disciples is Mary, the provident and prayerful Mother. Mary partakes of the joy of ordinary people and helps it to increase; she intercedes with her Son on behalf of the spouses and all the invited guests. Nor does Jesus refuse the request of his Mother. How much hope there is in that event for all of us! We have a Mother with benevolent and watchful eyes, like her Son; a heart that is maternal and full of mercy, like him; hands that want to help, like the hands of Jesus who broke bread for those who were hungry, touched the sick and healed them. All this fills us with trust and opens our hearts to the grace and mercy of Christ. Mary’s intercession makes us experience the consolation for which the apostle Paul blesses God: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and God of all encouragement, who encourages us in our affliction, so that we may be able to encourage those who are in any affliction with the encouragement with which we ourselves are encouraged by God. For as Christ’s sufferings overflow to us, so through Christ does our encouragement also overflow” (2 Cor 1:3-5). Mary is the “comforted” Mother who comforts her children.
At Cana the distinctive features of Jesus and his mission are clearly seen: he comes to the help of those in difficulty and need. Indeed, in the course of his messianic ministry he would heal many people of illnesses, infirmities and evil spirits, give sight to the blind, make the lame walk, restore health and dignity to lepers, raise the dead, and proclaim the good news to the poor (cf. Lk 7:21-22). Mary’s request at the wedding feast, suggested by the Holy Spirit to her maternal heart, clearly shows not only Jesus’ messianic power but also his mercy.
In Mary’s concern we see reflected the tenderness of God. This same tenderness is present in the lives of all those persons who attend the sick and understand their needs, even the most imperceptible ones, because they look upon them with eyes full of love. How many times has a mother at the bedside of her sick child, or a child caring for an elderly parent, or a grandchild concerned for a grandparent, placed his or her prayer in the hands of Our Lady! For our loved ones who suffer because of illness we ask first for their health. Jesus himself showed the presence of the Kingdom of God specifically through his healings: “Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind regain their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have the good news proclaimed to them” (Mt 11:4-5). But love animated by faith makes us ask for them something greater than physical health: we ask for peace, a serenity in life that comes from the heart and is God’s gift, the fruit of the Holy Spirit, a gift which the Father never denies to those who ask him for it with trust.
In the scene of Cana, in addition to Jesus and his Mother, there are the “servants”, whom she tells: “Do whatever he tells you” (Jn 2:5). Naturally, the miracle takes place as the work of Christ; however, he wants to employ human assistance in performing this miracle. He could have made the wine appear directly in the jars. But he wants to rely upon human cooperation, and so he asks the servants to fill them with water. How wonderful and pleasing to God it is to be servants of others! This more than anything else makes us like Jesus, who “did not come to be served but to serve” (Mk 10:45). These unnamed people in the Gospel teach us a great deal. Not only do they obey, but they obey generously: they fill the jars to the brim (cf. Jn 2:7). They trust the Mother and carry out immediately and well what they are asked to do, without complaining, without second thoughts.
On this World Day of the Sick let us ask Jesus in his mercy, through the intercession of Mary, his Mother and ours, to grant to all of us this same readiness to be serve those in need, and, in particular, our infirm brothers and sisters. At times this service can be tiring and burdensome, yet we are certain that the Lord will surely turn our human efforts into something divine. We too can be hands, arms and hearts which help God to perform his miracles, so often hidden. We too, whether healthy or sick, can offer up our toil and sufferings like the water which filled the jars at the wedding feast of Cana and was turned into the finest wine. By quietly helping those who suffer, as in illness itself, we take our daily cross upon our shoulders and follow the Master (cf. Lk 9:23). Even though the experience of suffering will always remain a mystery, Jesus helps us to reveal its meaning.
If we can learn to obey the words of Mary, who says: “Do whatever he tells you”, Jesus will always change the water of our lives into precious wine. Thus this World Day of the Sick, solemnly celebrated in the Holy Land, will help fulfil the hope which I expressed in the Bull of Indiction of the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy: ‘I trust that this Jubilee year celebrating the mercy of God will foster an encounter with [Judaism and Islam] and with other noble religious traditions; may it open us to even more fervent dialogue so that we might know and understand one another better; may it eliminate every form of closed-mindedness and disrespect, and drive out every form of violence and discrimination’ (Misericordiae Vultus, 23). Every hospital and nursing home can be a visible sign and setting in which to promote the culture of encounter and peace, where the experience of illness and suffering, along with professional and fraternal assistance, helps to overcome every limitation and division.
For this we are set an example by the two Religious Sisters who were canonized last May: Saint Marie-Alphonsine Danil Ghattas and Saint Mary of Jesus Crucified Baouardy, both daughters of the Holy Land. The first was a witness to meekness and unity, who bore clear witness to the importance of being responsible for one another other, living in service to one another. The second, a humble and illiterate woman, was docile to the Holy Spirit and became an instrument of encounter with the Muslim world.
To all those who assist the sick and the suffering I express my confident hope that they will draw inspiration from Mary, the Mother of Mercy. “May the sweetness of her countenance watch over us in this Holy Year, so that all of us may rediscover the joy of God’s tenderness” (ibid., 24), allow it to dwell in our hearts and express it in our actions! Let us entrust to the Virgin Mary our trials and tribulations, together with our joys and consolations. Let us beg her to turn her eyes of mercy towards us, especially in times of pain, and make us worthy of beholding, today and always, the merciful face of her Son Jesus!
With this prayer for all of you, I send my Apostolic Blessing.
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) If we want to move forward “on the path of Christian life” we must fall, just as Jesus did when he carried the Cross.
This was the message at the heart of Pope Francis’ homily on Monday morning during Mass at Casa Santa Marta.
The Mass, which took place on the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, was also attended by the C9 Cardinals who are meeting in the Vatican until September 16.
Listen to the report by Linda Bordoni :
Pope Francis took his cue from the reading of the day which tells of the serpent in the desert and speaks of the temptations of evil that seduce and then destroy us.
Noting that the protagonist of the parable is a snake, Pope Francis pointed out that “he is cunning and he also has the ability to charm”.
The Bible, he said, also tells us that “he is a liar and he is a jealous, and because of the devil’s envy, sin entered into the world.” This capacity to seduce us – the Pope said – ruins us.
The Pope said “He promises many things” but when time comes, his price is high.
And speaking of Paul who got angry with the Galatian Christians and said to them: “Foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? Did you experience so many things in vain?” the Pope pointed out that they had been corrupted by the snake. This – he said – was nothing new; it was in the consciousness of the people of Israel.
The Pope then focused on the fact that the Lord told Moses to “make a bronze serpent” and those who looked at it would be saved. This, he explained is also “a prophecy, a promise which is not easy to understand”. That’s why Jesus says to Nicodemus, “As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must be lifted up the Son of ‘Man, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.”
Therefore – Pope Francis said – that bronze serpent represented Jesus raised on the Cross.
“Why did the Lord choose this bad and ugly image? Simply because He came to take upon himself all our sins, and He became the greatest sinner without having committed any. Paul tells us: ‘He became sin for us’, by taking on the image ‘He became the snake. He became sin to save us’; this is the message in the Liturgy of the Word today, the path of Jesus.”
The Pope said God became man and took his sin upon himself. And Paul explains to the Philippians of whom he was so fond: “though he was in the form of God, He did not regard equality with God something to be grasped. Rather, he emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, coming in human likeness; and found human in appearance, He humbled himself, becoming obedient to death, even death on a cross”.
Jesus Francis continued: “emptied himself, became sin for us, He who knew no sin.”
The mystery he is said is this: “he became ugly like the serpent”.
“We see beautiful paintings of Jesus on the cross, but reality is different: He was torn and bloodied by our sins. This is the path that He took to defeat the serpent in his own camp. We must look at the Cross of Jesus, not the artistic, well-painted ones, but at reality. And we must look at his path and at God who annihilated himself, stooped to save us”.
This – the Pope concluded – is the way of the Christian: “If a Christian wants to move forward on the road of Christian life he must fall, just as Jesus fell. It is the way of humility, yes, it also means he must take humiliation upon himself just as Jesus did”.
(from Vatican Radio)…