(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Sunday opened the Holy Door for the Jubilee Year of Mercy, which officially began last week.
The Pope opened the Holy Door in the Basilica before celebrating Mass for the Third Sunday of Advent, known as Gaudete Sunday.
The Year of Mercy started 8 Dec on the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, and will conclude 20 Nov 2016 on the Feast of Christ the King.
Below find Vatican Radio’s translation of Pope Francis’ homily:
The invitation extended by the Prophet to the ancient city of Jerusalem is also addressed today to the whole Church and each one of us: “Rejoice … exault!” (Zephaniah 3:14). The reason for joy is expressed with words that inspire hope, and which can look to the future with serenity. The Lord has annulled every condemnation and chose to live among us.
This third Sunday of Advent draws our gaze towards Christmas, which is now close. We cannot let ourselves be taken in by weariness; sadness in any form is not allowed, even though we have reason (for sadness), with many concerns and the many forms of violence which hurt our humanity. The coming of the Lord, however, must fill our hearts with joy. The prophet Zephaniah, in whose very name is inscribed the content of this announcement, opens our hearts to trust: “God protects” His people. In a historical context of great abuse and violence, especially by men of power, God knows that He will reign over his people, who would never leave them at the mercy of the arrogance of their leaders, and will free them from all anxiety. Today, we are asked not to let our “hands grow weak” because of doubt, impatience or suffering.
The Apostle Paul takes with force the teaching of the prophet Zephaniah and reiterates: “The Lord is near” (Phil 4,5). Because of this we should rejoice always, and with our affability give all witness of closeness and care that God has for each person.
We have opened the Holy Door, here and in all the cathedrals of the world. Even this simple sign is an invitation to joy. It begins a time of the great forgiveness. It is the Jubilee of Mercy. It is time to rediscover the presence of God and his fatherly tenderness. God does not love rigidity. He is Father; He is tender; everything done with the tenderness of the Father. We too, like the crowds asked John, “What do we do?” (Lk 3:10). The response of the Baptist was immediate. He invites us to act justly and to look after the needs of those in need. What John demands of his representatives, however, it is what is reflected in the law. We, however, are prompted toward a more radical commitment. Before the Holy Door we are called to cross, we are asked to be instruments of mercy, knowing that we will be judged on this. He who is baptized knows he has a greater commitment. Faith in Christ leads to a journey that lasts for a lifetime: to be merciful, like the Father. The joy of crossing through the Door of Mercy is accompanied by a commitment to welcome and witness to a love that goes beyond justice, a love that knows no boundaries. It is from this infinite love that we are responsible, in spite of our contradictions.
We pray for us and for all who pass through the Door of Mercy, that we may understand and welcome the infinite love of our Heavenly Father, recreates, transforms and reforms life.
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis confirmed on Saturday he will be visiting Mexico from 12-18 February. Later, the Vatican released the full schedule of his trip to the country.
Friday 12 February 2016
12:30 Departure from Rome’s Fiumicino Airport for Mexico City
19:30 Arrival at “Benito Juárez” International Airport in Mexico City
OFFICIAL RECEPTION
Saturday 13 February 2016
09:30 WELCOMING CEREMONY at the National Palace
COURTESY VISIT TO THE PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC
10:15 MEETING with CIVIL AUTHORITIES AND DIPLOMATIC CORPS (Discourse by the Holy Father)
11:30 MEETING with the BISHOPS of MEXICO in the Cathedral (Discourse by the Holy Father)
17:00 HOLY MASS in the Basilica of Guadalupe (Homily by the Holy Father)
Sunday 14 February 2016
09:20 Transfer by helicopter to Ecatepec
10:30 Holy Mass in the area of the Study Centre of Ecatepec (Homily/Angelus by the Holy Father)
12:50 Transfer by helicopter to Mexico City
13:10 Arrival in Mexico City
16:30 VISIT TO THE PEDIATRIC HOSPITAL “Federico Gómez” (Greetings by the Holy Father)
18:00 MEETING WITH THE WORLD OF CULTURE in the National Auditorium (Discourse by the Holy Father)
Monday 15 February 2016
07:30 Departure by plane for Tuxtla Gutiérrez
09:15 Transfer by helicopter to San Cristóbal de Las Casas
10:15 HOLY MASS with the indigenous community of Chiapas at the Municipal Sports (Homily by the Holy Father)
13:00 Lunch with indigenous representatives and the Papal entourage
15:00 VISIT TO THE CATHEDRAL OF SAN CRISTÓBAL DE LAS CASAS
15:35 Transfer by helicopter to Tuxtla Gutiérrez
16:15 MEETING with FAMILIES in “Víctor Manuel Reyna” Stadium at Tuxtla Gutiérrez (Discourse by the Holy Father)
18:10 Departure by plane for Mexico City
20:00 Arrival at the airport in Mexico City
Tuesday 16 February 2016
07:50 Departure by airplane for Morelia
10:00 HOLY MASS with priests, religious, consecrated persons, and seminarians (Homily by the Holy Father)
15:15 VISIT TO THE CATHEDRAL
16:30 MEETING WITH YOUNG PEOPLE at “José María Morelos y Pavón” Stadium (Discourse by the Holy Father)
18:55 Departure by plane for Mexico City
20:00 Arrival in Mexico City
Wednesday 17 February 2016
08:35 Departure by plane for Ciudad Juárez
10:00 Arrival at “Abraham González” International Airport in Ciudad Juárez
10:30 Visit to a prison (CeReSo n.3) (Discourse by the Holy Father)
12:00 MEETING with the WORLD of WORK at con il MONDO del LAVORO at the Colegio de Bachilleres dello Stato of Chihuahua (Discourse by the Holy Father)
16:00 HOLY MASS at the fairgrounds of Ciudad Juárez (Homily + greeting by the Holy Father)
19:00 DEPARTURE CEREMONY at Ciudad Juárez International Airport
19:15 Departure by plane for Rome (Ciampino Airport)
Thursday 18 February 2016
14:45 Arrival at Rome’s Ciampino Airport
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis celebrated Mass on the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe on Saturday evening, saying Mary “has experienced the divine mercy, and has hosted the very source of this mercy in her womb: Jesus Christ.”
The Holy Father used the homily to reflect on mercy – and asked that this jubilee year “will be a planting of merciful love in the hearts of individuals, families and nations.”
The Pope said “no sin can cancel [Jesus’] merciful closeness or prevent him from unleashing the grace of conversion, provided we invoke it.”
Pope Francis called on Christian communities be “oases and sources of mercy, witnesses to a charity that does not allow exclusions.”
Pope Francis also confirmed he will visit Mexico from 12-18 February 2016.
Here is an unofficial Vatican Radio translation of the Pope’s homily
“The LORD, your God, is in your midst, a mighty savior; he will rejoice over you with gladness, and renew you in his love, he will sing joyfully because of you, as one sings at festivals.” (Zep 3:17-18). These words of the prophet Zephaniah, addressed to Israel, may also be referred to Mary, the Church, and every person, all of whom are loved by God’s merciful love. Yes, God loves us so much that he even rejoices and takes pleasure in us. He loves us with gratuitous love, love without limits, and without expecting anything in return. This merciful love is the most striking attribute of God, the synthesis of which is condensed the Gospel message, the faith of the Church.
The word “mercy” – misericordia – is composed of two words: misery and heart. The heart indicates the capacity to love; mercy is that love, which embraces the misery of the human person. It is a love that “feels” our poverty as its own, with a view to freeing us of it. “Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.” (1 Jn 4:9-10). “The Word became flesh,” with the intention of sharing all our frailties – with the intention of experiencing our human condition, even unto taking upon himself the Cross, with all the pain of human existence. Such is the abyss of compassion and mercy: a fusion, in order to make himself company, and to place himself in the service of a wounded humanity. No sin can cancel his merciful closeness or prevent him from unleashing the grace of conversion, provided we invoke it.
Indeed, sin itself makes more radiant the love of God who, to ransom a slave, sacrificed his Son. That mercy of God comes to us with the gift of the Holy Spirit in Baptism, enables, generates and nourishes the new life of his disciples. For, howsoever great and grave the sins of the world, the Spirit, who renews the face of the earth, makes possible the miracle of a life that is more human, more full of joy and hope. Let us, too, shout with jubilation: “The Lord is my God and Savior!”
“The Lord is near,” says the apostle Paul, and nothing should make us anguished. The greatest mercy lies in his being in our midst, in our being in his presence and company. He walks with us, he shows us the path of love, lifts us up in our falls, holds us to our labors, accompanies us in all circumstances of our existence. He opens our eyes to see themselves and the world miseries, but also fills us with hope. “The peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.” (Phil 4:4-7). This is the source of our life made peaceful and happy; nothing can steal this peace and joy, despite the sufferings and trials of life. Let us cultivate this experience of mercy, peace and hope during Advent, through which we are making our way in light of the Jubilee year. Announcing the Good News to the poor, as John the Baptist, performing works of mercy, is a good way to look for the coming of Jesus at Christmas.
In Mary, God rejoices and is especially pleased. In one of the prayers most cherished by Christians, the Salve Regina, we call Mary “mother of mercy.” She has experienced the divine mercy, and has hosted the very source of this mercy in her womb: Jesus Christ. She, who has always lived intimately united with her Son, knows better than anyone what he wants: that all men be saved, and that God’s tenderness and consolation will not fail anyone. May Mary, Mother of Mercy, help us to understand how much God loves us.
To Blessed Mary we entrust the sufferings and joys of people throughout the Americas, who love her as a mother and recognize her as Patroness under the beloved title of Our Lady of Guadalupe. That “the sweetness of her gaze be with us in this Holy Year, so that we might rediscover the joy of the tenderness of God” (Cf. Bull Misericordiae vultus, 24). We ask her that this jubilee year will be a planting of merciful love in the hearts of individuals, families and nations. Let us convert and become merciful people, and may all Christian communities be oases and sources of mercy, witnesses to a charity that does not allow exclusions. Let us implore her to guide the footsteps of the American people, a pilgrim people looking for the Mother of mercy and asks her to show them her Son Jesus.
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) The Holy See has reacted to the “Concluding observations on the sixteenth to twenty-third periodic reports of Holy See” made by the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination.
The periodic report is required by the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, to which the Holy See is one of 177 signatories.
“What struck me, in particular, was the emphasis the members of the Commission stressed on the positive role of Pope Francis at this particular time, through the clarity with which he addresses the issue of discrimination and the way he speaks of the inclusion of all in society and the respect of every person,” said Archbishop Silvano Tomasi, the Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the United Nations offices in Geneva.
“Another positive aspect has been the recognition of the new legislation that the Vatican, as a state, has introduced which punish crimes based on racial discrimination,” Archbishop Tomasi said.
The Archbishop also said the recommendations of the Committee were made in a “constructive and positive” tone.
He did say the Committee overlooked certain things, such as the fact the Church educates 65 million people – the majority non-Catholic – around the world, and runs more than 5,000 hospitals.
“The millions of people who come for assistance are never asked for a passport, nor is there ever any consideration given to race or ethnicity,” Archbishop Tomasi told Vatican Radio.
The Committee also mentioned the genocide in Rwanda, and asked that every effort be made to locate those clergy members who may have participated, so that the can be brought to justice, and Archbishop Tomasi said there can be “no loopholes” for those who have committed these crimes.
“The Committee also pointed out that it is part of its responsibility to ensure that discrimination does not apply to new situations that gradually evolve in society,” Archbishop Tomasi said. “And on this we agree: there should not be discrimination against people, and every person should be respected, while taking into account that we have traditions and principles that sometimes are not compatible with those promoted by the international community.”
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis has issued a legal decree creating a new special commission to help health care organizations belonging to the Church and to Church organizations to manage their finances and stay true to their founding mission and spirit. The decree, called a “rescript”, creates the Pontifical Commission for the Activities of Public Juridical Persons of the Church in the Healthcare Sector.
The new Commission shall be composed by a President and six experts the fields of healthcare, real estate, management, business administration, and finance. It shall have power to carry out general studies to ascertain the sustainability of the healthcare systems of the juridical persons of the Church, and to prepare long-range operational sustainability strategies in keeping with the Social Doctrine of the Church.
(from Vatican Radio)…