(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis met several people following his weekly General Audience in St. Peter’s Square, including 26 year-old Lena Bröder – Miss Germany 2016 – who also happens to be a teacher of religion and home economics in Germany’s school system.
Bröder is also the author of a volume, Das Schöne in mir – Mit Glaube zum Erfolg – “The Beautiful in me: with faith to success” – due on bookshelves in Germany later this month.
German wire service reports quote Bröder as calling the meeting with Pope Francis, “moving,” and as saying that she told the Holy Father she would have him in her prayers.
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis received the Prime Minister of the Netherlands, Mark Rutte, in audience on Wednesday morning. Following the meeting with the Holy Father, Rutte met with the Cardinal Secretary of State, Pietro Parolin, and the Secretary for Relations with States, Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher.
A communiqué from the Press Office of the Holy See states that the Pope and the Prime Minister held cordial discussions that ouched on the good bilateral relations between the Netherlands and the Holy See, and focused on questions of mutual interest such as the phenomenon of migration, as well as various issues of an international character.
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis encouraged believers on Wednesday to open their eyes and hearts to God’s love for the poor and to the gift of healing that he offers to all who turn to him in faith.
His words came during the weekly General Audience in St. Peter’s square as he continued his catechesis for this Holy Year of Mercy.
The Pope reflected on Jesus’ miracle of restoring sight to a blind man on the way to Jericho as recounted in the Gospel of Luke.
He said that the blind man was sitting on the roadside begging and pointed out that, until not long ago, a person with disability had no choice but to live on charity.
“That blind man, Francis said, represents the many people who, even today, are marginalized because of a disadvantage,” be it physical or of other kind.
The Pope said the man is separated from the crowd that goes about its business as usual. “The street, which can be a place of encounter, for him is a place of solitude” he said.
He said the image of the marginalized person is especially sad against the backdrop provided by the splendid city of Jericho, and he pointed out that Jericho, the place where the people of Israel arrived in after the Exodus from Egypt represents the Promised Land.
The Pope recalled the words uttered by Moses on that occasion: “If one of your kindred is in need in any community in the land which the Lord is giving you, you shall not harden your heart nor close your hand against your kin who is in need. For the land will never lack for needy persons; that is why I command you: “Open your hand freely to your poor and to your needy kin in your land”.
“How often do we feel annoyed when we see people in the streets who are sick or hungry? How often are we annoyed by the sight of refugees and migrants?” he said.
That’s why – Francis continued: “God’s Word teaches us that indifference and hostility make us blind and deaf, stopping us from seeing our brothers, preventing us from recognizing the Lord in them”.
Unlike the crowd, the Pope said, Jesus does not ignore the blind man or try to silence his cries. And he points out that when Jesus comes by “there is always liberation, there is always salvation”.
In the Gospel reading the blind man is the only one who recognizes Jesus who turns the eyes of all to the blind man, and, acknowledging his faith, restores his sight.
In this way, the Pope pointed out, Jesus takes the blind man away from the edge of the street and places him at the center of the attention of the crowd and of his disciples.
Thus, not only does the man, now healed, became a disciple of Jesus, but the crowd too now sees; their eyes are opened to the meaning of this encounter of mercy, and they give praise to God.
“Let us remember the times in which we have found ourselves in bad situations, even situations in which we sinned. It was Jesus who took us by the hand and removed us from the margins putting us on the road of salvation” the Pope said.
And he highlighted the fact that the Lord’s passage is an encounter of mercy that brings us together and permits us to recognize our brothers who are in need of help and consolation.
During this Jubilee of Mercy, Pope Francis concluded: “may we too open our eyes and hearts to God’s love for the poor and to the gift of healing that he offers to all who turn to him in faith”.
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) During his weekly general audience in St Peter’s Square, Pope Francis spoke on the importance of opening our eyes and hearts to the poor, and the healing offered to all who have faith.
Wednesday’s catechesis centered on the story of Jesus healing the blind man on his way to Jericho.
Below, please find the official English-language summary of Pope Francis’ catechesis, which was delivered in Italian.
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Dear Brothers and Sisters: In our continuing catechesis for this Holy Year of Mercy, we now consider Jesus’ miracle of restoring sight to a blind man on the way to Jericho ( Lk 18:35-43). The blind man, forced to beg for a living, can represent all those disadvantaged persons who, even today, find themselves on the periphery of our societies. The prosperous city of Jericho, for its part, evokes the conquest of the Promised Land and Moses’ stern warning that, once settled, God’s People were not to harden their hearts or be blind to the presence of those in need (cf. Dt 15). Unlike the crowd, Jesus does not ignore the blind man or try to silence his cries. He stops, turns the eyes of all to the blind man, and, acknowledging his faith, restores his sight. Saint Luke tells us that the man, now healed, became a disciple of Jesus. Not only, but the crowd too now sees; their eyes are opened to the meaning of this encounter of mercy, and they give praise to God (v. 43). During this Jubilee of Mercy may we too open our eyes and hearts to God’s love for the poor and to the gift of healing that he offers to all who turn to him in faith.
(from Vatican Radio)…