(Vatican Radio) Christian hope is a humble and strong virtue that supports us, so that we do not drown under the many difficulties we face in life. That was Pope Francis’ message at the morning Mass at the Casa Santa Marta. The Pope said that hope in the Lord never disappoints us; it’s a font of joy and peace in our hearts.
Jesus speaks with the doctors of the law, and affirmed that Abraham “rejoiced in hope” to see His day. Pope Francis preached his homily on this passage from the day’s Gospel, to show how hope is fundamental in the life of the Christian. Abraham, he said, “had his temptations along the path of hope,” but he believed and obeyed the Lord, and so set out on the journey to the promised land.
Hope takes us forward and gives us joy
There is, then, the Pope said, something like a “thread of hope” that joins “the whole story of salvation” and is a “font of joy.”
Today the Church speaks to us of the joy of hope. In the first prayer of the Mass we asked for the grace of God to keep us in the hope of the Church, because it does not ‘fail.’ And Paul, speaking of our father Abraham, tells us: ‘He believed against all hope.’ When there is no human hope, there is that hope that carries us forward, humble, simple—but it gives a joy, at times a great joy, at times only of peace, but the security that hope does not disappoint: hope doesn’t disappoint.
This “joy of Abraham,” this hope, he continued, “grows throughout history.” “At times,” he admitted, “it is hidden, it is not seen; at times, it is clearly manifested.” Pope Francis cited the example of the pregnant Elizabeth, who rejoiced at the visit of her cousin Mary. It is “the joy of the presence of God,” he said, “that journeys with His people. And where there is joy, there is peace. This is the virtue of hope: from joy to peace. This hope, he repeated, “never disappoints,” not even in “moments of slavery,” when the people of God were in a foreign land.
Hope sustains us, so we don’t drown in difficulties
This “thread of hope” begins with Abraham, who spoke with God, and ends with Jesus. Pope Francis dwelt on the characteristics of this hope. If, in fact, one can say that he has faith and charity, it is more difficult to speak about hope:
We are able to say this [about faith and charity] easily, but when we are asked, ‘Do you have hope? Do you have the joy of hope?’ ‘But, father, I don’t understand, can you explain?’ Hope, that humble virtue, that virtue which flows under the water of life, but that bears us up so we don’t drown in so many difficulties, so we do not lose that desire to find God, to find that wonderful face which we will all see one day: hope.
Hope doesn’t disappoint: it is silent, humble, and strong
Today, the Pope said, “would be a good day to think about this: the same God who called Abraham and made him go out of his own land without knowing where he was going, is the same God who goes to the Cross, to fulfil the promise He made.”
It is the same God who, in the fullness of time, ensures that the promise would become a reality for all of us. And what unites that first moment to this last moment is the thread of hope. And that which unites my Christian life to our Christian life, from one moment to another, in order to always go forward — sinners, but going forward — is hope. And what gives us peace in bad moments, in the darkest moments of life, is hope. Hope doesn’t disappoint: it’s always there: silent, humble, but strong.
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) Pope-emeritus Benedict XVI has given a very rare public interview to the newspaper of the Italian Bishops’ Conference, Avvenire .
Conducted by renowned theologian, Fr. Jacques Servais SJ, the interview focuses on two highly controversial issues in the post-Conciliar era: the right understanding of Christ’s unique and universal act of salvation with respect to those who do not profess Christian faith; and the right understanding of the primacy of mission in the life of the Church with respect to dialogue.
At the core of the two distinct, though related questions, says Pope Benedict, is the need to recover a sense of the Divine mercy – something Pope Francis has understood and placed at the center of his pastoral solicitude.
“Only where there is mercy does cruelty end,” said the Pope-emeritus in the interview.
“Pope Francis is totally in accord with this line: his pastoral practice expresses itself precisely through the fact that he continually speaks to us of God’s mercy. It is mercy that moves us towards God, while justice frightens us before him.”
“In my view,” continued Pope Benedict, “this sets in relief the fact that, beneath the veneer of confidence in himself and [human] justice, contemporary man hides a deep knowledge of his injuries and his unworthiness before God: he is waiting for mercy,” said Pope Benedict.
(from Vatican Radio)…
Olive branches from the Holy Land,
Montecassino and Assisi will be blessed by the Pope on Palm Sunday and will be
sent on to Krakow, where they will be given by the youth to civil and
ecclesiastical authorities involved in organizing WYD 2016. The
initiative, sponsored by several Polish youth volunteers in cooperation with
the planning committee for World Youth Day, was inspired by a phrased used by
the Pontiff in the Bull of Indiction for the Jubilee: “Mercy is the force that
reawakens us to new life and instils in us the courage to look to the future
with hope” ( Misericordiae Vultus , 10). The
organizers, who are currently in Italy, explained that it is about fostering an
authentic spirit of forgiveness and reconciliation. These are the foundation of
mercy and instil peace in the heart. The purpose of the olive branch is to
symbolize the truth of mercy which cannot exist without forgiveness and
reconciliation. The youth volunteers want to emphasize that in order to deserve
the title “merciful”, everyone must overcome all divisions. The olive branches
will be delivered to representative of civil and ecclesiastical institutions
and to citizens of Krakow, inviting them to forgiveness, to reconciliation and
cooperation, in order to be worthy of experiencing the Holy of Mercy and to
give the best possible welcome to participants in WYD….
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis ended his General Audience by invoking St. Patrick, the Apostle to Ireland, whose feast day is commemorated on Thursday.
The Holy Father always concludes his General Audiences by greeting young people, the sick and infirm, and newlyweds. On this particular Wednesday, he did so with a twist.
“Tomorrow we will commemorate St. Patrick, the apostle of Ireland,” Pope Francis said.
“His spiritual stamina stirs you, dear young people, to be consistent with your faith; his trust in Christ the Savior sustains you, dear sick and infirm people, in times of great difficulty; and his missionary dedication reminds you, dear newlyweds, of the importance of the Christian education of your children,” he said.
(from Vatican Radio)…
So many “migrants who suffer the cold,
are without food. They cannot enter”, because in some border areas the doors
are closed in their faces. Thus, it so pleases Pope Francis when he hears
word that “nations and authorities open
the heart and open the doors!”. He shared these thoughts with the faithful who
gathered in St Peter’s Square for the General Audience on Wednesday, 16 March.
The following is a translation of the Holy Father’s catechesis, which he
delivered in Italian. Dear Brothers and Sisters, Good morning. In the Book of the Prophet Jeremiah,
Chapters 30 and 31 are called the “Book of Consolation”, because in them God’s
mercy is presented with his great capacity to comfort and open to hope the
heart of the afflicted. Today we too want to hear this message of consolation. Jeremiah
addresses the Israelites who have been deported to a foreign land and he
foretells their return to the homeland. This return is a sign of the infinite
love of God the Father who never abandons his children, but who takes care of
them and saves them. Exile was a devastating experience for Israel. Their faith
had wavered because in a strange land, without the Temple, without worship,
after seeing their homeland destroyed, it was difficult continue to believe in
the goodness of the Lord. What comes to mind is nearby Albania and how, after
so much persecution and destruction, it has managed to rise up in dignity and
in faith. This is how the Israelites suffered in exile. We
too can experience a sort of exile at times, when loneliness, suffering, death
make us think we have been abandoned by God. How often have we heard these
words “God has forgotten me” said by people who suffer and feel abandoned. Yet
how many of our brothers and sisters at this time are living out an actual and
dramatic situation of exile, far from their homeland, still shocked by the
ruins of their homes, fear in their heart and often, sadly, mourning the loss
of loved ones! In these cases one might ask oneself: where is God? How is it
possible that so much suffering can afflict innocent men, women and children?
When they try to enter by some other route, they close the door to them. They
are there, at the border because so many doors and so many hearts have closed.
Today’s migrants who suffer the cold, are without food. They cannot enter. They
do not feel welcome. It really pleases me when I hear and see that nations,
authorities open the heart and open the doors! The
Prophet Jeremiah gives us a first response. The exiled people are able return
to see their land and to feel the Lord’s mercy. It is the great message of
consolation: God is not absent, not even today in these tragic situations, God
is near, and does great works of salvation for those who trust in him. One must
not succumb to desperation, but continue to be certain that good conquers evil
and that the Lord will dry every tear and free us from all fear. Thus Jeremiah
lends his voice to the God’s words of love for his people: “I
have loved you with a love everlasting; therefore I have continued my
faithfulness to you. Again I will build you, and you shall be built, O virgin
Israel! Again you shall adorn yourself with timbrels, and shall go forth in the
dance of the merrymakers (31:3-4). The Lord is faithful, he does not leave one
to despair. God loves with boundless love, which not even sin can restrain, and
thanks to him the heart of man is filled with joy and consolation. The
consoling dream of returning to the homeland continues in the words of the
prophet who turning to those who shall return to Jerusalem, says: “They
shall come and sing aloud on the height of Zion, and they shall be radiant over
the goodness of the Lord, over the grain, the wine, and the oil, and over the
young of the flock and the herd; their life shall be like a watered garden, and
they shall languish no more” (31:12). In
joy and in gratitude, the exiled will return to Zion, climbing the holy
mountain toward the House of God, and in this way they will be able once more
to raise hymns and prayers to the Lord who has freed them. This return to
Jerusalem and its bounty is described with a verb that literally means “to
stream, to flow”. The people are seen, in a paradoxical movement, as a river in
flood that flows toward the high ground of Zion, climbing back up toward the
mountain’s summit. It is a bold image to describe how great the Lord’s mercy
is! The
land, which the people have had to abandon, has been plundered by enemies and
devastated. Now, however, it comes back to life and blossoms once more. The
exiled themselves shall resemble a watered garden, a fertile ground. Israel,
led back to its homeland by the Lord, takes part in the victory of life over
death and of blessing over curse. Thus
the people are strengthened and comforted by God. This word is important:
comforted! The repatriated receive life from a font that freely waters them. At
this point, the prophet announces the fullness of joy, and again in the name of
God proclaims: “I will turn their mourning in to joy, I
will comfort them, and give them gladness for sorrow” (31:13). The
psalm tells us that when they return to their homeland their lips will break
into smile; it is such a great joy! It is the gift that the Lord also wants to
give to each one of us, with his forgiveness which transforms and reconciles. The
Prophet Jeremiah has given us the message, portraying the return of the exiled
as a great symbol of consolation given to the heart which converts. The Lord
Jesus, for his part, has brought this message of the prophet to fulfillment.
The true and radical return from exile and the comforting light, after the dark
crisis of faith, is experienced at Easter, in the full and definitive
experience of God’s love, the merciful love that gives joy, peace and eternal
life….