(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis reflected on the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary at the Angelus on Tuesday.
The feast of the Assumption, also known as Ferragosto , is an important religious and civil holiday in Italy, and thousands of faithful were present in St Peter’s Square to celebrate with the Holy Father.
In his remarks, Pope Francis reflected on the Gospel reading, which relates the meeting of Mary with Elizabeth, and records Mary’s triumphant song of praise, the Magnificat . “The greatest gift that Mary brings to Elizabeth,” the Pope said, “is Jesus, who already lives within her – not in faith and hope, as in so many women in the Old Testament: Jesus has taken human flesh from the Virgin, for His mission of salvation.”
Elizabeth, the Pope said, had already received the joy of pregnancy, after having felt for so long the sorrow of not having a baby. Now, at the arrival of Mary, her joy “overflows and bursts from her heart, because the invisible but real presence of Jesus fills her senses.” That joy is echoed by Mary in the Magnificat, a song of praise for God, who accomplished His plan of salvation through the poor and humble.
God is able to do great things through the humble because, the Pope said, “ humility is like an emptiness that leaves room for God.” The humble person “is powerful because he is humble, not because he is strong.” He challenged the faithful to reflect on their own efforts to foster the virtue of humility.
In the house of Elizabeth and her husband Zechariah, the Pope continued, “the coming of Jesus through Mary creates not only a climate of joy and fraternal communion, but also a climate of faith that leads to hope, to prayer, to praise.”
And we too, Pope Francis continued, desire these things for our homes. “Celebrating Mary Most Holy, Assumed into Heaven,” he said, “we would like her, once more, to bring to us, to our families, to our communities, that immense Gift, that unique Grace that we must always seek first and above all other graces that we have at heart: the grace that is Jesus Christ!”
Mary, the Pope said in conclusion, “is the model of virtue and of faith. In contemplating her today assumed into heaven, at the final completion of her earthly journey, we give thanks that she always goes before us in the pilgrimage of life and of faith.” And, he said, “we ask that she protect and sustain us; that we might have a strong, joyful, and merciful faith; that she might help us to be saints, to meet together with her, one day, in Paradise.”
Following the Angelus, Pope Francis entrusted to Mary, as Queen of Peace , “the anxieties and sorrows of peoples who, in many parts of the world, are suffering on account of natural calamities, of social tensions or of conflicts.” He prayed, “May our heavenly Mother obtain consolation for all, and a future of serenity and of concord.”
(from Vatican Radio)…
The Holy Father on Saturday raised the Holy See’s diplomatic relations with Myanmar to the rank of Apostolic Nunciature, appointing Archbishop Paul Tschang In-Nam , until now the Apostolic delegate to Myanmar, as the first Apostolic Nuncio to the same country. At the same time Archbishop Tschang continues to serve as Apostolic Nuncio to Thailand and Cambodia and Apostolic Delegate to Laos.
Saturday’s appointment follows the announcement made on May 4 made on May 4, after Pope Francis met with Myanmar’s State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi, to establish full formal diplomatic relations from the Apostolic Delegation to the Apostolic Nunciature.
Archbishop Paul Tschang In-Nam was born on October 30th, 1949 in Seoul , South Korea, and was ordained to the priesthood on December 17, 1976 for the Diocese of Cheongju, South Korea.
He concluded ecclesiastical studies obtaining a Doctorate in Theology, and entered Diplomatic Services of the Holy See on May 1st 1985. From 1985-2002, he served as a Diplomat of the Holy See, in the capacity of Secretary and Counsellor in the Apostolic Nunciatures of El Salvador, Ethiopia, Syria, France, Greece, and Belgium.
After working at the Vatican Secretariat of State, he was named Titular Archbishop of Amanzia and Apostolic Nuncio to Bangladesh on October 19, 2002. Pope John Paul II con s ecrated him a bishop on 6th January, 2003.
On August 27, 2007 he was appointed Apostolic Nuncio to Uganda. On August 4, 2012 till now he served as the Nuncio to Thailand and Cambodia and Apostolic Delegate to Myanmar and Laos.
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio)”When you do not cling to the word of the Lord, but have more security in consulting horoscopes and fortune tellers you become submerged”. Those were Pope Francis’ words during his Angelus address on Sunday in St Peter’s Square.
He was referring to the Gospel of the day where Jesus walks on the waters of Lake Galilee to save Peter and the disciples from sinking in their boat due to the heavy waves of the sea.
Listen to Lydia O’Kane’s report:
The Pope recounted how this story is rich in symbolism. The boat, he continued, “is the life of each of us, but it is also the life of the Church; The wind represents difficulties and trials.”
Peter’s invocation: “Lord, command me to come to you!” And his cry, “Lord, save me”, the Holy Father noted “are so much like our desire to feel the closeness of the Lord, but also the fear and anguish that accompany the toughest moments of our lives and our communities, marked by internal fragility and external difficulties.”
Pope Francis explained, that at that moment, Peter was not sure of the word of Jesus, which was like a rope to cling to in hostile and turbulent waters. This is what can happen to us as well, he said, “when you do not cling to the word of the Lord, but to have more security in consulting horoscopes and fortune tellers you become submerged”.
The Gospel of today, the Pope underlined, “reminds us that faith in the Lord and in his word does not open a path where everything is easy and quiet for us; It does not take away the storms of life.
But faith, the Holy Father went on to say, “gives us the assurance of a Presence, that is Christ, which pushes us to overcome the existential buffs; Faith, in short, is not a loophole from the problems of life, but it sustains our journey and gives it meaning.
(from Vatican Radio)…
Bulletin for 08/13/2017
(Vatican Radio) August 15th 2017 marks the centenary of the birth of Blessed Oscar Romero, the archbishop of San Salvador who was assassinated for speaking out on behalf of the poor and oppressed during his country’s military dictatorship.
There are many events planned to mark the anniversary year , both in his native El Salvador but also in countries around the world, where his life and legacy continue to motivate those working for justice and peace today.
In the London diocese of Southwark a Mass will be celebrated at St George’s Cathedral on August 12th, while an ecumenical evensong will be held in Westminster Abbey on September 23rd.
The Archbishop of Southwark Peter Smith will preside at the Mass on Saturday, while Italian Archbishop Vincenzo Paglia will travel from Rome to preach the homily. Archbishop Paglia currently serves as head of the Pontifical Academy for Life and the St John Paul II Institute for Studies on Marriage and Family. He is also the postulator of the cause for canonisation of Archbishop Romero.
Philippa Hitchen talked to Archbishop Paglia about why the murdered Salvadoran Church leader continues to inspire so many people of all faiths and none.
Listen to the full interview:
Archbishop Paglia says the example of Romero is “a universal example” and “a clear evangelical witness of love” in a world of difficulties, injustices, war and terror attacks. His voice and his testimony, he says, is clear and understandable for all people, above all for the poor and voiceless.
‘Providential link’ between Pope and Romero
Archbishop Paglia says there is “an interesting alliance between the first Latin American pope and the first martyr of Vatican II” . He describes the “providential link between Romero’s witness and Pope Francis’ engagement” as “a sort of good link between heaven and earth in this current moment”. In a certain sense, he adds, Pope Francis needs the witness of Romero to continue to preach the Gospel of love for the poor as a strategic pastoral initiative.
Hopes for canonisation
After attending the beatification of Romero in San Salvador in May 2015, Archbishop Paglia says he hopes that during the next year the Vatican Congregation for the Causes of Saints may approve a miracle and make its final decision for his canonisation.
After the difficulties of those who opposed Romero’s beatification, Archbishop Paglia says “even those who were against him have to accept the decision of the pope”. The magisterium of Pope Francis is now linked to the witness of Romero, he says, as “a clear sign of the Holy Spirit’s inspiration in the Church”.
Building a globalisation of solidarity
Archbishop Paglia notes how many people are struck by the example of Romero, not just in the Catholic and Anglican Churches, but followers of other religions “and also a lot of non-believers”
Romero continues “to show, to push all of us”, Archbishop Paglia says, “to trust in the Gospel, to accept the Word of God and put into practice the word of the Gospel”. If we follow this example, he concludes, “we can not only testify to the Gospel” but we can change the world by helping to “construct a better globalization” of solidarity.
(from Vatican Radio)…