(Vatican Radio) Sunday 13 November saw the celebration of special Masses in churches and basilicas across the world – as well as in Rome’s Papal Basilicas – which included the solemn rite of the closing of the Holy Doors .
That’s with the exception of the Holy Door leading into St. Peter’s Basilica which will be shut by Pope Francis himself on the feast of Christ the King, on Sunday 20 November, as indicated by the Pope himself in the bull announcing the jubilee.
Representing the Pope in the Basilicas of St. John Lateran , St. Mary Major , and St. Paul Outside the Walls were the archpriests of the Basilicas, respectively: Cardinal Agostino Vallini , Cardinal Santos Abril y Castelló and Cardinal James Michael Harvey .
According to Archbishop Rino Fisichella, President of the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of the New Evangelization, it is estimated that 20.4 million people attended Year of Mercy events at the Vatican over the course of this year, many of them crossing the thresholds of the Holy Doors.
The opening of the door symbolically illustrates the concept that pilgrims are offered an “extraordinary path” toward salvation during the time of Jubilee, and walking through the Holy Door they were able to receive a plenary indulgence.
During his homily for the Mass at St. John Lateran, Cardinal Agostino Vallini spoke about how the Holy Door, just closed, was a visible sign of the Jubilee of Mercy, a year in which we learned “once again” that the fate of the world is not in the hands of men, “but in the mercy of God.”
He said that meditating on God’s mercy this year we have learnt that mercy is not a sign of weakness or surrender, but the “strong, magnanimous,” radiation of the loving omnipotence of the Father, who “heals our weaknesses, raises us from our falls and urges us to do good.”
Cardinal Abril y Castelló pointed out that although the Holy Door is being closed, “God’s door of mercy is always open” and he urged the faithful to be strong in this certainty and become credible witnesses of mercy in the world.
And in his homily, Cardinal Harvey also referred to the solemn closing of the Basilica’s Holy Door saying that “at the same time, we open an inner door to the next stage of our journey of faith, hope and charity”.
During his Angelus address on Sunday Pope Francis also pointed out that Holy Doors were being closed across the world, signaling the end of the Jubilee of Mercy.
“On the one hand, he said, the Holy Year has urged us to keep our eyes fixed on the ultimate fulfillment of God’s Kingdom, and on the other, to build a future on earth, working to evangelize the present, so as to make it a time of salvation for all.”
Ordinary jubilees occur every 25 or 50 years, and extraordinary jubilees are called for some particular occasions. Two extraordinary jubilees were called in the 20th century: in 1933, to mark the 1900th anniversary of Christ’s redemption in 33 A.D., and 1983, its 1950th anniversary.
St. Pope John Paul II also held a ‘Great Jubilee’ in the year 2000, marking the 2000th anniversary of Jesus’ birth and the start of the new millennium.
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Monday morning greeted members of the German national football team in the Vatican. Germany beat San Marino 8-0 on Friday evening in the qualifying stages of their defense of the World Cup.
“I have often heard it said that your victories are team victories,” Pope Francis said, noting the official nickname of the German squad is Die Mannschaft (The Team).
“Truly, competitive sport not only requires a great deal of discipline and personal sacrifice, but also respect for others and team spirit,” – the Pope continued – “This carries you to success as ‘ Die Mannschaft ‘ and at the same time causes you to recognize your responsibility on the football pitch, especially to the young people who often see you as role models. It also causes you to make a mutual commitment to work together to support some important social causes.”
In particular, Pope Francis thanked the team for their support for the Sternsinger (‘Star Singer’) collection at Epiphany, where children from over 10,000 Catholic parishes all over Germany go door-to-door singing carols and collecting money, which is used to help children in poor countries around the world. The initiative was begun in 1959, and is now the world’s largest fundraiser by children, for children.
“This initiative shows how together we can overcome barriers that seem insurmountable, and which penalize needy and marginalized people,” – the Holy Father said – “In this way you contribute to building a more just and united society.”
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Sunday reminded the faithful that even the most sacred human constructions are “transitory” and warned them not to place their faith in them or in “false messiahs” who speculate on people’s needs.
Speaking to the crowds gathered in St. Peter’s Square for the Angelus , the Pope said that our only certainty is that our life is in the hands of the Lord, and that God will never abandon us.
Nothing can be lost if we place our lives in the hands of the Lord – Pope Francis said – as he reflected on the Gospel reading of the day which tells of the destruction of the Temple and the signs of the end of times.
And commenting on the many “false messiahs” that exist in the world today – people who speculate on the human need for security – Francis invited the faithful not to be terrified or disorientated by wars, revolutions and calamities “because they too are part of the reality of the world”.
He pointed out that the history of the Church is full of examples of people who have endured terrible suffering and tribulations with serenity because they placed themselves fully in God’s hands.
“He is a faithful Father, a caring Father, who never abandons his children” he said.
“What really counts – he said – is to stand firm in the Lord, to walk in hope and to work to build a better world, despite the difficulties and the sad events that mark personal and collective existence.”
Pointing out that, on the day in which all the Holy Doors are closed signaling the end of the Jubilee of Mercy, the Pope said “on the one hand the Holy Year has urged us to keep our eyes fixed on the ultimate fulfillment of God’s Kingdom, and on the other, to build a future on earth, working to evangelize the present, so as to make it a time of salvation for all.”
After the recitation of the Angelus prayer, the Pope recalled the observance of the Italian Day of Thanksgiving for the fruits of the earth and of human labor, and he expressed his hope for a sustainable cultivation of mother earth.
“The Church is close and grateful towards the world of agriculture and exhorts all not to forget those who, in various parts of the world, are deprived of essential goods such as food and water” he said.
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis has issued a warning against the “anaesthetized” consciences of those who see the poor and needy as a burden instead of as brothers and sisters to be helped.
Celebrating Holy Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica for some 6000 poor and homeless people from countries in Europe and Africa, the Pope said “We should be worried when our consciences are anaesthetized and we no longer see a brother or sister suffering at our side, or notice the grave problems in our world, which become a mere refrain familiar from the headlines on the evening news.”
Sunday’s celebration concluded the Holy Year’s Jubilee for the Socially Excluded which saw charity groups bringing poor and homeless people to the Vatican for the occasion. Pope Francis held a special audience on Friday with over 4000 poor people whom he said “are at the heart of the Gospel”.
And they – the poor- whom Pope Francis said should be seen as “concrete people, not useless objects but precious persons” were the ones seated in the front pews of the Basilica during Mass on Sunday morning when Francis pointed out that God and neighbor are the most valuable riches in life, while “all the rest, even this Basilica, pass away”.
With a stern warning against today’s culture of waste, he said “It is the symptom of a spiritual sclerosis when we are only interested in objects to be produced rather than in persons to be loved. This is the origin of the tragic contradiction of our age: as progress and new possibilities increase, which is a good thing, less and less people are able to benefit from them.”
“There is no peace in the homes of the prosperous as long as justice is lacking in the home of everyone” he said.
Noting that today, in the cathedrals and sanctuaries throughout the world, the closing of the Doors of Mercy signals the end of the Holy Year of Mercy, Pope Francis concluded asking “for the grace not to close our eyes to God who sees us and to our neighbour who asks something of us”.
“May the Lord grant that we may look without fear to what truly matters, and turn our hearts to our true treasure” he said.
Please find below the full text of Pope Francis’ homily:
“For you… the sun of justice shall rise, with healing in its wings” (Mal 4:2). The words of the Prophet Malachi, which we heard in the first reading, shed light on today’s Jubilee. They come to us from the last page of the last Old Testament prophet. They are words directed to those who trust in the Lord, who place their hope in him, who see in him life’s greatest good and refuse to live only for themselves and their own interests. For those who are materially poor but rich in God, the sun of justice will rise. These are the poor in spirit, to whom Jesus promised the kingdom of heaven (cf. Mt 5:3) and whom God, through the words of the Prophet Malachi, calls “my special possession” (Mal 3:17). The prophet contrasts them with the proud, those who seek a secure life in their self-sufficiency and their earthly possessions. This last page of the Old Testament raises challenging questions about the ultimate meaning of life: where do I look for security? In the Lord or in other forms of security not pleasing to God? Where is my life headed, what does my heart long for? The Lord of life or ephemeral things that cannot satisfy?
Similar questions appear in today’s Gospel. Jesus is in Jerusalem for the last and most important page of his earthly life: his death and resurrection. He is in the precincts of the Temple, “adorned with noble stones and offerings” (Lk 21:5). People were speaking of the beautiful exterior of the temple, when Jesus says: “The days will come when there shall not be left here one stone upon another” (v. 6). He adds that there will be no lack of conflicts, famine, convulsions on earth and in the heavens. Jesus does not want to frighten us, but to tell us that everything we now see will inevitably pass away. Even the strongest kingdoms, the most sacred buildings and the surest realities of this world do not last for ever; sooner or later they fall.
In response, people immediately put two questions to the Master: “When will this be, and what will be the sign?” (v. 7). When and what… We are constantly driven by curiosity: we want to know when and we want to see signs. Yet Jesus does not care for such curiosity. On the contrary, he exhorts us not to be taken in by apocalyptic preachers. Those who follow Jesus pay no heed to prophets of doom, the nonsense of horoscopes, or terrifying sermons and predictions that distract from the truly important things. Amid the din of so many voices, the Lord asks us to distinguish between what is from him and what is from the false spirit. This is important: to distinguish the word of wisdom that the God speaks to us each day from the shouting of those who seek in God’s name to frighten, to nourish division and fear.
Jesus firmly tells us not to be afraid of the upheavals in every period of history, not even in the face of the most serious trials and injustices that may befall his disciples. He asks us to persevere in the good and to place all our trust in God, who does not disappoint: “Not a hair of your head will perish” (v. 18). God does not forget his faithful ones, his precious possession. He does not forget us.
Today, however, he questions us about the meaning of our lives. Using an image, we could say that these readings serve as a “strainer” through which our life can be poured: they remind us that almost everything in this world is passing away, like running water. But there are treasured realities that remain, like a precious stone in a strainer. What endures, what has value in life, what riches do not disappear? Surely these two: the Lord and our neighbour. These two riches do no disappear! These are the greatest goods; these are to be loved. Everything else – the heavens, the earth, all that is most beautiful, even this Basilica – will pass away; but we must never exclude God or others from our lives.
Today, though, when we speak of exclusion, we immediately think of concrete people, not useless objects but precious persons. The human person, set by God at the pinnacle of creation, is often discarded, set aside in favour of ephemeral things. This is unacceptable, because in God’s eyes man is the most precious good. It is ominous that we are growing used to this rejection. We should be worried when our consciences are anaesthetized and we no longer see the brother or sister suffering at our side, or notice the grave problems in our world, which become a mere refrain familiar from the headlines on the evening news.
Dear brothers and sisters, today is your Jubilee. Your presence here helps us to be attuned to God’s wavelength, to see what he sees. He sees not only appearances (cf. 1 Sam 16:7), but turns his gaze to the “humble and contrite in spirit” (Is 66:2), to the many poor Lazaruses of our day. What harm we do to ourselves when we fail to notice Lazarus, excluded and cast out (cf. Lk 16:19-21)! It is turning away from God himself. It is the symptom of a spiritual sclerosis when we are only interested in objects to be produced rather than on persons to be loved. This is the origin of the tragic contradiction of our age: as progress and new possibilities increase, which is a good thing, less and less people are able to benefit from them. This is a great injustice that should concern us much more than knowing when or how the world will end. Because we cannot go about our business quietly at home while Lazarus lies at the door. There is no peace in the homes of the prosperous as long as justice is lacking in the home of everyone.
Today, in the cathedrals and sanctuaries throughout the world, the Doors of Mercy are being closed. Let us ask for the grace not to close our eyes to God who sees us and to our neighbour who asks something of us. Let us open our eyes to God, purifying the eye of our hearts of deceitful and fearful images, from the god of power and retribution, the projection of human pride and fear. Let us look with trust to the God of mercy, with the certainty that “love never ends” (1 Cor 13:8). Let us renew our hope in the true life to which we are called, the life that will not pass away and that awaits us in communion with the Lord and with others, in a joy that will last forever, without end.
And let us open our eyes to our neighbour, especially to our brothers and sisters who are forgotten and excluded, to the “Lazarus” at our door. That is where the Church’s magnifying glass is pointed. May the Lord free us from turning it towards ourselves. May he turn us away from the trappings that distract us, from interests and privileges, from attachment to power and glory, from being seduced by the spirit of the world. Our Mother the Church looks “in particular to that portion of humanity that is suffering and crying out, because she knows that these people belong to her by evangelical right” (PAUL VI, Address at the beginning of the Second Session of the Second Vatican Council, 29 September 1963). By right but also by evangelical duty, for it is our responsibility to care for the true riches which are the poor. In the light of these reflections, I would like today to be the “day of the poor”. We are reminded of this by an ancient tradition according to which the Roman martyr Lawrence, before suffering a cruel martyrdom for the love of the Lord, distributed the goods of the community to the poor, whom he described as the true treasure of the Church. May the Lord grant that we may look without fear to what truly matters, and turn our hearts to our true treasure.
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) At the end of the last Jubilee Audience of the soon-to-end Holy Year of Mercy , Pope Francis had a special greeting and a heartfelt “thank you” for the many volunteers who have offered an inestimable service to the Vatican and to pilgrims from across the globe.
To a group of about 600 Year of Mercy volunteers present in St. Peter’s Square on Saturday, the Pope said: “You have been fantastic! I thank you, who come from different countries, for your precious service that has allowed so many pilgrims to give life to this experience of faith in a positive way. In the course of these months I have noticed your discreet presence in the Square and I appreciate the dedication, patience and enthusiasm with which you have done your work. Thank you so much!”
Some 4000 volunteers have participated in the Extraordinary Jubilee, many of them Italian, but others from the United States, Canada, Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, Colombia, Australia, Congo, India and Taiwan.
1800 of them were members of the Sovereign Order of Malta and provided medical assistance as well.
Each volunteer has given at least one week of his or her own time to assist the faithful providing information and offering to accompany the pilgrims to special entrances and gathering places set up at each of the Papal Basilicas, as well as helping them enter the Holy Doors and staying inside the Basilicas in prayer according to Vatican indications.
(from Vatican Radio)…