(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis commissioned hundreds of “Missionaries of Mercy” during Mass on Ash Wednesday at Saint Peter’s Basilica in Rome.
In his Bull announcing the Jubilee Year of Mercy, the Holy Father said the Missionaries of Mercy “would be a sign of the Church’s maternal solicitude for the People of God, enabling them to enter the profound richness of this mystery so fundamental to the faith.” Priests chosen to be Missionaries of Mercy have also been given the authority to pardon “even those sins reserved to the Holy See.” Above all, the Pope said, they will be “living signs of the Father’s readiness to welcome those in search of his pardon.”
During Ash Wednesday Mass, the Pope focused on the theme of mercy as we begin the season of Lent.
In his homily during the Mass, Pope Francis said the day’s readings present two invitations: First, to be reconciled to God. In order to do so, he said, we must first recognize that we are in need of mercy: “This is the first step in the Christian journey; it comes in through the open door that is Christ, where He Himself awaits us, the Saviour, and He offers us a new and joyful life.”
The Pope noted a number of obstacles that “close the doors of our hearts” and make reconciliation with God difficult. The Missionaries of Mercy, he said, have a mandate “to be signs and instruments of the forgiveness of God,” called to help their brothers and sisters to “open the doors of their heart, overcome shame, and not flee from the light.”
The second invitation, the Pope said, is heard in the reading from the prophet Joel. God says to His people, “Return to me with your whole heart.” Sin keeps us far from God, but Jesus has offered a “story of salvation” that enables us return to Him. The Gospel for the beginning of Lent, he says, offers us three remedies for sin: prayer, charity, and fasting.
But these three remedies are not merely external acts, the Pope said. Rather, they must come “from the depths of our very being.” During Lent, Christ calls us to live out our acts of prayer, charity, and penance “with coherence and authenticity, overcoming hypocrisy.”
Pope Francis concluded, “Let us set out on this journey together, as a Church, receiving the ashes and keeping our gaze fixed on the Crucified One. Loving us, He invites us to be reconciled with God, and to return to Him, in order to rediscover ourselves.”
Below, please find Vatican Radio’s unofficial translation of Pope Francis’ prepared homily for Mass for Ash Wednesday 2016:
The Word of God, at the beginning of our Lenten journey, offers two invitations to the Church and to each one of us.
The first is that of Saint Paul: “Be reconciled to God.” It is not simply good paternal advice, much less merely a suggestion; it is a true and proper plea in the name of Christ: “We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.” Why so solemn and heartfelt an appeal? Because Christ know how fragile we are, that we are sinners, He knows the weakness of our heart; He sees the wounds of the wrongs we have committed and suffered; He knows how much we need forgiveness; He knows how much we need to feel loved in order to do good. By ourselves we are not up to it: that’s why the Apostle doesn’t tell us, “do something,” but rather, “to be reconciled to God,” to allow Him to forgive us, with confidence, because “God is greater than our hearts.” He overcomes sin and lifts us from our misery, if we trust in Him. It is for us to recognize that we are in need of mercy : It is the first step of the Christian journey; it comes in through the open door that is Christ, where He Himself awaits us, the Saviour, and He offers us a new and joyful life.
There can be some obstacles that close the doors of the heart. There is the temptation to bolt the doors , that is, to live with our own proper sins, minimizing them, always justifying ourselves, thinking we are no worse than others; so, then, the locks of the soul are closed, and we remain closed within, prisoners of evil. Another obstacle is the shame in opening the secret door of the heart . Shame, in reality, is a good symptom, because it indicates we want to break away from evil; above all we must never transform it into fear or dread. And there is a third trap, that of moving away from the door : this happens when we dwell on our miseries, when we brood over them continually, to the point where we plunge ourselves into the darkest cellars of the soul. Then we become even more familiar with the sadness we don’t want, we grow discouraged, and are weaker in the face of temptations. This happens because we remain alone with ourselves, closing in on ourselves and fleeing from the light; while it is only the grace of the Lord that frees us. Let us allow ourselves, then, to “be reconciled,” let us listen to Jesus who says to the tired and oppressed “Come to me!” (Mt 11:28). Do not remain in ourselves, but go to Him! There we will find refreshment and peace.
At this celebration the Missionaries of Mercy are present, to receive the mandate to be signs and instruments of the forgiveness of God. Dear brothers, you will be able to help open the doors of the heart, to overcome shame, to not flee from the light. May your hands bless and lift up your brothers and sisters with paternity; that through you the gaze and the hands of the Father might rest on His sons and cure their wounds!
There is a second invitation from God, who says, by way of the prophet Joel, “Return to me with your whole heart” (2:12). If we need to return it is because we are far away. It is the mystery of sin: we are far from God, from others, even from ourselves . It is not difficult to understand: we all see how we struggle to truly have confidence in God, to trust in Him as a Father, without fear; how difficult it is to love others, instead of thinking ill of them; how much it costs us to work for our own true good, while we are attracted to and seduced by so many material realities that fade away, and in the end, leave us impoverished. Beside this story of sin, Christ has inaugurated a story of salvation. The Gospel that opens Lent invites us to be the protagonists of this story, embracing three remedies, three medicines that heal us from sin (cf. Mt 6:1-6; 16-18).
In the first place is prayer , an expression of openness to and confidence in the Lord: it is the personal encounter with Him, which shortens the distance created by sin. To pray is to say “I am not self-sufficient, I need you, You are my life and my salvation.” In the second place is charity , to overcome estrangement in our relations with others. True love, in fact, is not an exterior act, it is not giving something in a paternalistic way to quiet our conscience, but accepting the one who needs our time, our friendship, our help. It is living out an attitude of service, overcoming the temptation to satisfy ourselves. In the third place is fasting , penance, to free ourselves from dependence in our relationship to what is passing, and to train ourselves to be more sensitive and merciful. It is an invitation to simplicity and to sharing: taking something away from our table and from our goods, to rediscover the true good of freedom.
“Return to me,” the Lord says, “with your whole heart”: not only with some external act, but from the depths of your very being. In fact, Jesus calls us to live out prayer, charity, and penance with coherence and authenticity, conquering hypocrisy. Lent should be a time of beneficial “pruning away” of falsehood, worldliness, indifference: in order not to think that everything is ok as long as I’m ok; to understand that what counts is not the approval of others, or search for success or consensus, but cleanness in one’s heart and in one’s life; in order to rediscover the Christian identity – that is, the love that serves, not the selfishness that is served . Let us set out on this journey together, as the Church, receiving the Ashes and keeping our gaze fixed on the Crucified One. Loving us, He invites us to be reconciled with God and to return to Him, in order to rediscover ourselves.
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis departs for Mexico on Friday, for a week-long visit to the country and the people under the sign of mercy and peace. Vatican Radio’s Veronica Scarisbrick is in Mexico ahead of the Holy Father’s arrival, and spoke with the Apostolic Nuncio to Mexico, Archbishop Christophe Pierre. “Many people think that the Pope will come [with] solutions to their problems,” said Archbishop Pierre, “obviously, the Pope does not come for that.” The Apostolic Nuncio went on to say, “I think it is just a question of respect for the people – the people are responsible.”
Click below to hear the extended conversation of Vatican Radio’s special envoy in Mexico, Veronica Scarisbrick, with the Apostolic Nuncio to Mexico, Archbishop Christophe Pierre
Asked about the role of the Church in Mexican history, culture and society, Archbishop Pierre said, “The Pope knows that the faith has a long history in the life of the Mexican people, and has inspired their way of life: the Church is part of the nation, and this comes from the very beginning,” even and especially through the often difficult relationship between the Church and the governing authorities. “The Church has always been present in the soul and the culture of the people,” he said. “The Church has always been, even during the time of persecution, I would say, at the center of the life of the people – and this is what is important.”
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis has asked for prayers for the sick in the run-up to the World Day of the Sick.
Speaking to the pilgrims gathered in St Peter’s Square for the weekly General Audience, the Pope invited them to pray for the sick and make their love felt to them.
He recalled that the “World Day of the Sick” takes place on the feast day of Our Lady of Lourdes and that this XXIVth edition will culminate in a celebration in Nazareth.
The Pope mentioned the fact that in his message for this World Day Sick he reflected on the irreplaceable role of Mary at the Wedding in Cana and said that Mary’s concern and attention reflects the tenderness of God and the immense mercy of Jesus.
May that same tenderness – he said – be present in the life of so many people who are close to the sick and help them to be attentive to all of their needs, even the most imperceptible ones, because they look at them with eyes full of love.
(from Vatican Radio)…
“If the Jubilee does not touch the
pocket, it is not a true jubilee”. At the General Audience on Ash Wednesday
morning, the Holy Father stated, without mincing words, that the Holy Year must
serve “to combat poverty”. To the faithful gathered in St Peter’s Square on 10
February, Francis offered a historical reflection on the biblical roots of the
Jubilee as an occasion for fostering justice and sharing. The following is a
translation of the Pope’s catechesis, which he delivered in Italian. Dear Brothers and Sisters, Good morning and a good Lenten journey! It is fitting and meaningful to hold this
Audience on Ash Wednesday. We begin the Lenten journey, and today we stop to
consider the ancient institution of the “jubilee”, an ancient custom attested
in Sacred Scripture. We find it in particular in the Book of Leviticus, who
presents it as a culminating moment in the religious and social life of the
people of Israel. Every
50 years, “on the day of atonement” (Lev 25:9), when the Lord’s mercy is
invoked upon the whole people, the sound of the trumpet announced the great
event of liberation. In fact we read in Leviticus: “And you shall hallow the
fiftieth year, and proclaim liberty throughout the land to all its inhabitants;
it shall be a jubilee for you, when each of you shall return to his property
and each of you shall return to his family.[…] In this year of jubilee each
of you shall return to his property” (25:10, 13). In accordance with these dispositions,
if someone had been compelled to sell his land or his house, in the jubilee
year he could regain possession of it; and if someone had contracted debts and,
being unable to pay them, was compelled to place himself in the service of the
creditor, he could return debt free to his family and regain all of the
property. It
was a type of “general pardon”, by which everyone was allowed to return to
their original situation, with the cancellation of all debts, the restitution
of land, and the opportunity for the members of the People of God to enjoy
freedom once again. A “holy” people, where regulations such as that of the
jubilee year served to combat poverty and inequality, guaranteeing a dignified
life to all and an equitable distribution of land on which to live and from
which to draw sustenance. The central idea is that the land originally belonged
to God and was entrusted to man (cf. Gen 1:28-29), and therefore no one may
claim exclusive possession, thereby creating situations of inequality. Today we
can consider and reconsider this; each one in our heart think about whether we
have too many things. Why not leave them to those who have nothing? Ten per
cent, fifty per cent…. I say: may the Holy Spirit inspire each of you. With
the jubilee, those who had become poor returned to having the necessities of
life, and those who had become rich restored to the poor what they had taken
from them. The goal was a society based on equality and solidarity, where
freedom, land and money became once again a good for all and not just for a
few, as happens now, if I’m not mistaken…. The figures are approximate, but
more or less 80 per cent of human wealth is in the hands of less than 20
percent of the population. It is a jubilee year — and I say this remembering our
salvation history — for converting, so that our heart may become larger, more
generous, more a child of God, with more love. I’ll tell you one thing: if this
wish, if the Jubilee does not touch the pocket, it is not a true jubilee. Do
you understand? This is in the Bible! This Pope did not invent it: it is in the
Bible. The goal — as I said — is a society based on equality and solidarity,
where freedom, land and money become a resource for all and not just for the
few. Indeed the function of the jubilee was to help the people experience
practical fraternity, made of mutual help. We might say that the biblical
jubilee was a “jubilee of mercy”, because it was lived in sincerely seeking the
good of the needy brother. Along
the same lines, other institutions and other laws also governed the life of the
People of God, so that it could experience the mercy of the Lord through that
of men. In those laws we find indications that are valid even today, which call
for reflection. For example, the biblical law required “tithing” to benefit the
Levites, [the priests] in charge of worship, the landless, and to the poor, the
fatherless, and widows (cf. Deut 14:22-29). It provided, in other words, for
one tenth of the harvest, or of the proceeds of other work, to be given to
those who were without protection and in a state of need, thus fostering
conditions of relative equality within a people in which everyone had to behave
as brothers. There
was also a law concerning the “first fruits”. What is this? The first part of the
harvest, the most valuable part, which had to be shared with the Levites and
strangers (cf. Deut 18:4-5; 26:1-11), those who owned no fields, thus ensuring
for them too that the land be a source of nourishment and life. “The land is
mine; for you are strangers and sojourners with me”, says the Lord (Lev 25:23).
We are all guests of the Lord, awaiting the heavenly country (cf. Heb 11:13-16;
1 Pet 2:11), called to render habitable and human the world which welcomes us.
As regards the “first fruits” the more fortunate could give more to those who
are in difficulty! So many first fruits! The first harvest not only of the
yield of the fields, but of every other product of work, of wages, of savings,
of so many things that are owned and that at times are wasted. This happens
today too. In the Office of Papal Charities so many letters are received
containing a little money: “this is a part of my wages in order to help
others”. This is beautiful; helping others, charitable institutions, hospitals,
rest homes…; also giving to strangers, those who are foreigners and
sojourners. Jesus was a sojourner in Egypt. Precisely
in this consideration, Sacred Scripture persistently exhorts a generous
response to requests for loans, without making petty calculations and without
demanding impossible interest rates: “And if your brother becomes poor, and
cannot maintain himself with you, you shall maintain him; as a stranger and a
sojourner he shall live with you. Take no interest from him or increase, but
fear your God; that your brother may live beside you. You shall not lend him
your money at interest, nor give him your food for profit” (Lev 25:35-37). This
lesson is always timely. How many families are on the street, victims of
profiteering. Please let us pray, that in this Jubilee Year the Lord remove
from every heart this desire to have more, to exploit. That we may return to
being generous, great. How many situations of exploitation we are forced to see
and how much suffering and anguish they cause families! And so often, in
desperation, how many men end up committing suicide because they cannot manage
and do not have hope, they do not have a helping hand extended to them; only
the hand that comes to make them pay interest. It is a grave sin, usury is a
sin that cries out in the presence of God. The Lord instead promised his
blessing to those who open their hand to give generously (cf. Deut 15:10). He
will give you twofold, perhaps not in money but in other things, but the Lord
will always give you double. Dear
brothers and sisters, the Bible’s message is very clear: be courageously open
to sharing, and this is mercy! If we want mercy from God let us begin to
practice it. It is this: beginning to practice it among ourselves, among
compatriots, among families, among peoples, among continents. Contributing to
the realization of a world without the poor means building a society without
discrimination, based on solidarity that leads to sharing whatever we possess,
in a distribution of resources founded on brotherhood and on justice. Thank
you….
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis has asked for prayers for his forthcoming meeting with his “dear brother”, the Patriarch Kirill of Moscow, Head of the Russian Orthodox Church.
That meeting is scheduled to take place on Friday, February 12 at Cuba’s international airport as the Pope travels to Mexico for an apostolic journey.
The Pope’s appeal came at the end of his General Audience in St Peter’s Square. He also asked for prayers for his six-day journey which will take him from South to North of the Latin American Nation.
(from Vatican Radio)…