(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis said he is close to all those suffering the consequences of the devastating earthquake that has struck Mexico and that he is praying for them and for all those affected by Hurricane Irma .
The Pope’s words of vicinity and concern came at the conclusion of a Beatification Mass on Friday in the Colombian town of Villavicencio during his five-day apostolic journey to Colombia.
Decrying the fact that the powerful earthquake that rocked Mexico on Thursday night has caused death and destruction the Pope said he is spiritually close to “those who have lost their lives and to their families”.
He went on to say that he is also following closely the crisis situation caused by Hurricane Irma in the Caribbean region “as it leaves many victims and huge material damage in its wake, while causing thousands of people to be displaced.”
“I am following the situation with my heart and I am praying for them” the Pope said and he asked those present at the Mass to join him in his intention.
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) “Mary is the first light who announces night’s end, and above all, the impending day”, Pope Francis said during Mass on Friday to celebrate the Nativity of Mary and the beatification of two martyred Colombian clerics in Villavicencio.
Keeping to the theme of his visit to Colombia, that of ‘Reconciliation and Peace,’ the Holy Father reflected on how Mary transmitted God’s light.
She reflected the rays of that light in her home which she shared with Joseph and Jesus, reflecting it also in her people, her country and that home which is common to all mankind: creation, he said.
Referring to the genealogy of Jesus from the day’s Gospel, he made a comparison with that of the people of Colombia whose genealogy also can be traced. He said Colombia’s is a genealogy full of stories, many of love and light; others of disagreement, insults, even of death.
Speaking about the two Colombian martyrs whom he beatified during Mass, the Pope called Monsignor Jesús Emilio Jaramillo Monsalve, Bishop of Arauca, and the priest of Armero, Pedro María Ramírez Ramos, “a sign of an expression of a people who wish to rise up out of the swamp of violence and bitterness”.
Please find below the official English translation of the Pope’s prepared Homily:
“To be reconciled in God, with Colombians and with Creation”
Villavicencio
Friday, 8 September 2017
“Your birth, O Virgin Mother of God, is the new dawn that proclaims joy to the whole world, for from you has been born the sun of justice, Christ our God” (cf. Antiphon for the Benedictus ). The feast of the birth of Mary shines its light over us, just as the gentle light of dawn radiates above the vast Colombian plain, this beautiful landscape whose gateway is Villavicencio, and shines its light too upon the rich diversity of its indigenous peoples.
Mary is the first light who announces night’s end, and above all, the impending day. Her birth helps us to understand the loving, tender, compassionate plan of love in which God reaches down and calls us to a wonderful covenant with him, that nothing and no one will be able to break.
Mary knew how to transmit God’s light, and she reflected the rays of that light in her home which she shared with Joseph and Jesus, reflecting it also in her people, her country and that home which is common to all mankind: creation.
In the Gospel, we have heard the genealogy of Jesus ( Mt 1:1-17), which is not a “simple list of names”, but rather a “living history”, the history of the people that God journeyed with; by making himself one of us, God wanted to announce that the history of the just and of sinners runs through his blood, that our salvation is not a sterile entity found in a laboratory, but rather something concrete, a life that moves forward. This long list tells us that we are a small part of a vast history, and it helps us not to claim excessive importance for ourselves; it helps us elude the temptation of over-spiritualizing things; it helps us not withdraw from the concrete historical realities in which we live. It also integrates in our history of salvation those pages which are the darkest and saddest, moments of desolation and abandonment comparable to exile.
The mention of women – though none of those referred to in the genealogy has the category of the great women of the Old Testament – allows us a particular rapprochement: it is they, in the genealogy, who tell us that pagan blood runs through the veins of Jesus, and who recall the stories of scorn and subjugation. In communities where we are still weighed down with patriarchal and chauvinistic customs, it is good to note that the Gospel begins by highlighting women who were influential and made history.
And within all this we see Jesus, Mary and Joseph. Mary with her generous yes permitted God to take charge of that history. Joseph, the just man, did not allow his pride, passions or zeal to expel him from this light. The narration lets us know, before Joseph is even aware, what has happened to Mary. His decision, made before the angel helped him to understand what was happening around him, shows his human qualities. The nobility of Joseph’s heart is such that what he learned from the law he made dependent on charity; and today, in this world where psychological, verbal and physical violence towards women is so evident, Joseph is presented as a figure of the respectful and sensitive man. Even though he does not understand the wider picture, he makes a decision favouring Mary’s good name, her dignity and her life. In his hesitation as how best to act, God helped him by enlightening his judgment.
The people of Colombia are God’s people; here too we can write genealogies full of stories, many of love and light; others of disagreement, insults, even of death… How many of you can tell of exile and grief! How many women, in silence, have persevered alone, and how many good men have tried to put aside spite and resentment, hoping to bring together justice and kindness! How can we best allow the light in? What are the true paths of reconciliation? Like Mary, by saying yes to the whole of history, not just to a part of it. Like Joseph, by putting aside our passions and pride. Like Jesus Christ, by taking hold of that history, assuming it, embracing it. That is who you are, that is who Colombians are, that is where you find your identity. God can do all this if we say yes to truth, to goodness, to reconciliation, if we fill our history of sin, violence and rejection with the light of the Gospel.
Reconciliation is not an abstract word; if it were, then it would only bring sterility and greater distance. Reconciliation means opening a door to every person who has experienced the tragic reality of conflict. When victims overcome the understandable temptation to vengeance, they become the most credible protagonists for the process of building peace. What is needed is for some to courageously take the first step in that direction, without waiting for others to do so. We need only one good person to have hope! And each of us can be that person! This does not mean ignoring or hiding differences and conflicts. This is not to legitimize personal and structural injustices. Recourse to reconciliation cannot merely serve to accommodate unjust situations. Instead, as Saint John Paul II taught: “[Reconciliation] is rather a meeting between brothers who are disposed to overcome the temptation to egoism and to renounce the attempts of pseudo-justice. It is the fruit of sentiments that are strong, noble and generous that lead to establishing a coexistence based on respect for each individual and on the values that are proper to each civil society” ( Letter to the Bishops of El Salvador , 6 August 1982). Reconciliation, therefore, becomes substantive and is consolidated by the contribution of all; it enables us to build the future, and makes hope grow. Every effort at peace without a sincere commitment to reconciliation is destined to fail.
The Gospel text we have heard culminates in Jesus being called Emmanuel, God-with-us. That is how the Gospel of Mathew both begins and ends: “I will be with you always, to the close of the age” ( Mt 28:20). This promise is fulfilled also in Colombia: Monsignor Jesús Emilio Jaramillo Monsalve, Bishop of Arauca, and the martyred priest of Armero, Pedro María Ramírez Ramos, are a sign of this, an expression of a people who wish to rise up out of the swamp of violence and bitterness.
In these beautiful surroundings, it is up to us to say yes to reconciliation; may our yes also include the natural environment. It is not by chance that even on nature we have unleashed our desire to possess and to subjugate. One of your countrymen sings this in a beautiful way: “The trees are weeping, they are witnesses to so many years of violence. The sea is brown, a mixture of blood and earth” (Juanes, Minas Piedras ). “The violence present in our hearts, wounded by sin, is also reflected in the symptoms of sickness evident in the soil, in the water, in the air and in all forms of life” ( Laudato Si’ , 2). We need to say yes with Mary, and sing with her “the wonders of the Lord”, for as he has promised to our fathers, he helps all nations and peoples, he helps Colombia which today wishes to be reconciled; it is a promise made also to its descendants forever.
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis will declare Bishop Jesús Emilio Jaramillo Monsalve of Arauca and Father Pedro Maria Ramirez Ramos of Colombia “Blessed”, which is a step away from final sainthood. Both were martyred for their faith in the last century. The Pope will beatify them at a morning Mass on Friday in Villavicencio, some 94 kms southeast of the Colombian capital Bogota.
On July, Pope Francis approved a decree recognizing the martyrdom of Fr. Ramirez, killed during the outbreak of Colombia’s civil war known as “La Violencia”.
Refused to abandon his people
Born in La Plata on Oct. 23m 1899, Fr. Ramirez was ordained to priesthood in 1931. He served as the pastor of Chaparral then of Cunday and later of El Fresno before opting for Armero , where he was killed on April 10, 1948. When violence between the liberals and conservatives erupted, families in Armero offered to smuggle him out of the area to safety but he refused to abandon his people.
The rebels burst into his church and dragged him to the town square where they lynched and mutilated him.
Trinitarian Father Antonio Doménico Sáez Albéniz, the postulator or promoter of the cause of beatification and canonization of Fr. Ramirez, told Vatican Radio that he was a very faithful priest given much to prayer, especially to the Eucharist, and quite demanding in questions of morality of the people. As he was about to be taken to the town square by the rebels, he wrote down his last declaration, thanking the bishop for having posted him in Armero and expressing his gratitude to the Church. He said he was ready to shed his blood for his people .
Fr. Saez said Fr. Ramirez is a martyr because he died for his faith and for justice . With several Protestant sects and Communists active there, Armero was not a particularly religious town. Several priests assigned to Armero before him had given up and gone away but Fr. Ramirez volunteered to go there.
Faithful to the last
The postulator said that with the eruption of violence in 1948 in Bogota, Armero also was involved, with Fr. Saez was accused of everything. Some women persuaded him to go into hiding, but the priest said he had “consulted his Lord” who asked him to say on. While being dragged to the square amidst insults, Fr. Ramirez forgave those about to kill him, Fr. Saez said. The messge of Fr. Ramirez is one of fidelity , which he expressed in the profound awareness of his priesthood, Fr. Saez added.
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) One of the highlights of Pope Francis’ Sept. 6-11 Apostolic visit to Colombia, is to offer the nation emerging from decades of armed conflict, two martyrs to imitate in their task of peace, reconciliation and nation building.
At a morning Mass on Friday in Villavicencio, some 94 kms southeast of the capital Bogota, Pope Francis will declare Bishop Jesús Emilio Jaramillo Monsalve of Arauca and Father Pedro María Ramírez Ramos Blessed, which is a step away from final sainthood. Both were killed for their faith in the last century.
Critic of rights abuses
A strong critic of the armed rebel group, the National Liberation Army ( ELN ), Bishop Jaramillo, a member of the Xaverian Missionaries of Yarumal, spoke out against the group’s atrocities in the conflict and a drug war . Opting to be the voice of the poor and the marginalized, he came to be known as a zealous and caring pastor, fighting against social injustice. The ELN, that on Monday agreed to a temporary ceasefire with the Colombian government, killed Bishop Jaramillo on Oct. 2, 1989, after kidnapping him.
Zealous pastor
Redemptorist priest, Fr. Antonio Marrazzo, the postulato r or promoter of the beatification and canonization of Bishop Jaramillo, spoke to Vatican Radio about his martyrdom. He said the 73-year old bishop preached the Gospel not just by word but more by promoting the human person . He joined the Xaverians who were reaching out to Colombia’s remote and abandoned regions inhabited by peasants and the natives . He set up institutions for their uplift and also started a hospital for them.
Fr. Marazzo noted that Bishop Jaramillo lived at a time when the armed guerilla groups such as the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) were born. The ELN, active in the area of the bishop, criticized and calumniated him and his apostolate. The group also falsely denounced the bishop for misappropriating the salaries of teachers from an institution set by the government in collaboration with the bishops’ conference.
Serene in his last moments
The postulator said that Bishop Jaramillo was killed for his faith because he was a stumbling block to the ELN ideology. The bishop was on a parish visit along with two priests, when they were abducted by the rebels. The bishop asked that the priests be allowed to go. One of the priests came back to the spot where they were abducted and found the tortured body of Bishop Jaramillo with several bullet wounds.
Fr. Marazzo noted that Bishop Jaramillo is well known to Colombians, including young people, particularly for his integrity of life and total fidelity to Christ. From the two priests who were abducted by the rebels, Fr. Marazzo said, they came to know that the bishop was serene in his last moments, knowing he was doing God’s will. The fact that Pope Francis is himself beatifying Bishop Jaramillo, is not just a sign of hope but also an invitation and an exhortation to the people to forge ahead in promoting the human person in his/her integrity.
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) Colombians are looking not just for peace – a word which can have political connotations – but also for reconciliation as Pope Francis visits the country this week.
That was the message of Father Mauricio Urbina , a priest of the Archdiocese of Bogotà, an assistant to Cardinal Rubén Salazar and pastor of a parish in the nation’s capital.
“Colombia has been a country that has suffered from different… fractures, we can say, along its history, so reconciliation inside the families, and even inside the same church, is very important for us, and I would hope would be the main topic,” said Fr Urbina, speaking with Vatican Radio’s Linda Bordoni.
EVANGELIZATION
Asked about the Pope’s message for priests and religious, which the Holy Father will give on Saturday in the city of Medellín, Fr Urbina said he thought the Church in Colombia has been heading in the direction already pointed out by Pope Francis: Going out of the sacristies, going out of “our own places, our own houses, of our own, also, mental ideas” to evangelize the many Colombians who are waiting for the Gospel. He said he would “receive and hope for” a word in that sense.”
RECONCILIATION
With the world’s attention focused on Colombia, Fr Urbina said he hoped Colombia would be seen as a “place where we can reconcile [with] each other.” Referring to the theme of the Apostolic Visit – “Let us take the first step” – he emphasized that the first step is “toward Christ.” Colombians, he said, “are taking the first step, not towards violence, not towards division, but towards unity, towards making a new reality out of this country that has suffered so much for so many years.”
Father Urbina noted the importance of hearing the voices of the victims of decades old conflict, especially during a meeting with the Holy Father at Villavicencio on Friday. He said it is important to hear the voices of the victims themselves, but also to have their voices heard through the Pope. It is important, he said, to see how Colombians have suffered – but also to see how they are willing to be reconciled to one another.
Listen to the full interview of Father Mauricio Urbina with Linda Bordoni:
(from Vatican Radio)…