(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Monday paid a visit to the 36th Jesuit General Congregation taking place in Rome. He addressed his Jesuit brothers – who elected the new Jesuit Superior General, Father Arturo Sosa Abascal, during this General Congregation – telling them that Church needs them: “As my predecessors have often told you, the Church needs you, counts on you and continues to turn to you with confidence, particularly to reach the geographical and spiritual places where others do not reach, or find it difficult to reach” he said. Please find below the Jesuit General Curia’s synthesis of Pope Francis’ address in English : Rome – October 24, 2016. The Holy Father, Pope Francis, this morning visited members of General Congregation 36 at the Jesuit General Curia. Welcoming the Holy Father to the Aula of the Congregation, Father General Arturo Sosa said, “Dear Pope Francis, in the name of the Society of Jesus meeting in the GC36 I welcome you to this Aula. Thank you for coming to our house. This meeting occurs in a very important moment of the GC36. We are discerning about the issues proposed by the whole Society.” While the Holy Father cannot participate in the General Congregation of the Society of Jesus, he can request that Society consider certain matters of greater importance with regard to mission. The Holy Father began his address by recalling messages of his predecessors to previous General Congregations. He thus started by saying, “While praying over what I would like to say, I remembered with particular affection the words of Pope Paul VI to us as we came to the end of the 32nd General Congregation: “This is the way, this is the way, Brothers and Sons. Forward, in nomine Domini. Let us walk together, free, obedient, united to each other in the love of Christ, for the greater glory of God.” The Holy Father also referred to the message of Pope Benedict XVI to members of General Congregation 35 in 2008, saying, “As my predecessors have often told you, the Church needs you, counts on you and continues to turn to you with confidence, particularly to reach the geographical and spiritual places where others do not reach, or find it difficult to reach.” He reminded the Jesuits that their mission is to walk together with the Pope, “free and obedient – going to the peripheries where others do not reach, under Jesus’ gaze and looking to the horizon which is the ever greater glory of God, who ceaselessly surprises us.” He noted that the vocation of a Jesuit is “to travel through the world and to live in any part of it where there is hope of greater service to God and of help of souls,” [Constitutions, 304]. The Holy Father reminisced that one of the early Jesuits, Jerome Nadal, used to say, “For the Society the whole world is our home.” In this Jubilee Year of Mercy, Pope Francis reminded the Society of Jesus about the importance that Saint Ignatius of Loyola placed on the works of mercy. “Works of mercy – caring for the sick in hospitals, begging for alms, sharing, teaching catechism to children, and the patient suffering of insults… are the daily bread of Ignatius and his first companions. They took care that none of these became obstacles!” The Pope noted, “The Jubilee of Mercy is an appropriate time to reflect about the works of mercy. I am saying it in plural, because mercy is not an abstract word, but a lifestyle that places concrete gestures before the word. These gestures touch the flesh of the neighbour and become institutionalised in works of mercy.” The Holy Father reminded members of General Congregation 36 that the Society of Jesus has the important mission of bringing consolation and joy in the lives of the people of God. “We can always take a step forward asking insistently for consolation. In the two Apostolic Exhortations and in Laudato Si, I consistently underlined the importance of joy. In the Spiritual Exercises, Ignatius invites us to contemplate ‘the office of consolation,’ which is the work of the Risen Christ Himself. This is the true work of the Society: to console the faithful people of God and to help them through discernment so that the enemy of human nature does not rob us of our joy: the joy of evangelising, the joy of the family, the joy of the Church, the joy of creation.” Historically, whenever Jesuits have gathered for a General Congregation, they have requested an audience with the Holy Father. It is an opportunity for the Holy Father to directly give a mission to the Society of Jesus in accordance with the fourth vow, the vow of obedience to the Holy Father in matters of mission, which many Jesuits profess. From the foundation of the Society, Ignatius Loyola and the early companions desired to make themselves available to the Pope for missioning. For members of General Congregation 36 who are in the midst of discerning the mission of the Society of Jesus within the larger mission of the Church, the audience with the Holy Father, to whom Jesuits have a special vow of obedience, was an important moment. The original text of Pope Francis’ address in Spanish can be found here . (from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Monday warned against excessive rigidity and said God gives us the freedom and the gentleness to be merciful.
He was speaking during the homily at morning Mass in the Casa Santa Marta .
Drawing inspiration from the Gospel reading of the day which tells of when Jesus, who was teaching in the synagogue, healed a crippled woman and ignited the anger of the righteous, Pope Francis said “it is not easy to keep to the path indicated by God’s Law.
The reading by Matthew tells us that Jesus’ action provoked the fury of the leader of the synagogue who was “indignant that he had cured the woman on the Sabbath” because – he said – Jesus had violated God’s Law by doing so on the Sabbath day which is set aside for rest and worship.
And pointing out that the Jesus responded calling the leaders of the synagogue ‘hypocrites’, the Pope observed that this is an accusation Jesus often makes to those who follow the Law with rigidity. “The Law – he explained – was not drawn up to enslave us but to set us free, to make us God’s children”.
Concealed by rigidity, Pope Francis said, there is always something else! That’s why Jesus uses the word ‘hypocrites!’:
“Behind an attitude of rigidity there is always something else in the life of a person. Rigidity is not a gift of God. Meekness is; goodness is; benevolence is; forgiveness is. But rigidity isn’t!” he said.
In many cases, the Pope continued, rigidity conceals the leading of a double life; but, he pointed out, there can also be something pathological.
Commenting on the difficulties and suffering that afflict a person who is both rigid and sincere, the Pope said this is because they lack the freedom of God’s children: “they do not know how to walk in the path indicated by God’s Law”.
“They appear good because they follow the Law; but they are concealing something else: either they are hypocritical or they are sick. And they suffer!” he said.
Pope Francis also recalled the parable of the prodigal son in which the eldest son, who had always behaved well, was indignant with his father because he had joyfully welcomed back the youngest son who returns home repentant after having led a life of debauchery. This attitude – the Pope explained – shows what is behind a certain type of goodness: “the pride of believing in one’s righteousness”.
The elder son – Pope said – was rigid and conducted his life following the Law but saw his father only as a master. The other put rules aside, returned to his father in a time of darkness, and asked for forgiveness.
“It is not easy to walk within the Law of the Lord without falling into rigidity” he said.
The Pope concluded his homily with this prayer:
“Let’s pray for our brothers and sisters who think that by becoming rigid they are following the path of the Lord. May the Lord make them feel that He is our Father and that He loves mercy, tenderness, goodness, meekness, humility. And may he teach us all to walk in the path of the Lord with these attitudes.”
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis used his remarks to pilgrims and tourists ahead of the traditional Sunday Angelus prayer to reflect on our being creatures in time, but destined for eternity with God – the uncreated author of all that is, the source of our being, and the font of truth and joy: all in the key of mission.
Drawing on the Second Reading of this XXX Sunday in Ordinary Time and World Mission Day , which was taken from the 2 nd Letter of St. Paul to Timothy, Pope Francis said, “Today is a time of mission and it is time of courage: courage to strengthen tottering steps, to rediscover the delight of spending ourselves for the Gospel, to regain confidence in the strength that mission brings with itself.”
Courage, however, cannot guarantee victory.
“It is time of courage, although courage does not mean having assurance of success: courage is required to fight, not necessarily to win; to proclaim, not necessarily to convert.”
The Holy Father went on to say, “Today what is required of us is courage to be alternative in the world, without ever becoming argumentative or aggressive. What is required of us is the courage to be open to all, without ever diminishing the absoluteness and uniqueness of Christ, the one Savior of all.”
“Courage,” continued Pope Francis, “is required of us to stand up to unbelief, without becoming arrogant.”
Then, in a departure from his prepared remarks, the Holy Father said, “There is also required of us in this day the courage of the publican in today’s Gospel,” taken from the Gospel according to St. Luke, with the parable of the proud Pharisee and the humble tax collector who averts his eyes from heaven and begs the Lord forgiveness – the parable that concludes with the admonition according to which whosever exalts himself will be humbled, and the one who humbles himself will be exalted.
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis made an appeal for the safety of citizens trapped inside the embattled Iraqi city of Mosul on Sunday.
Speaking to pilgrims and tourists gathered in St. Peter’s Square for the Angelus prayer, Pope Francis said, “In these dramatic hours, I am close to the entire population of Iraq, especially that of the city of Mosul.” The Holy Father went on to say, “Our hearts are shocked by the heinous acts of violence that for too long have been perpetrated against innocent citizens: whether they be Muslims, whether they be Christians, or people belonging to other ethnic groups and religions.”
Having departed from his prepared text, Pope Francis added, “I was saddened to hear news of the killing – in cold blood – of many sons and daughters of that beloved land, including many children: this cruelty makes us weep, leaving us without words.”
The Holy Father concluded his appeal saying, “Along with this word of solidarity goes assurance of my remembrance in prayer so that Iraq, while gravely stricken, might be both strong and firm in the hope of moving toward a future of security, reconciliation and peace.”
The Pope then invited all those gathered to join him in a moment of silent prayer, before leading them in the recitation of the Ave Maria .
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) Tens of thousands of people showed up on cool but beautiful Saturday morning for the Pope’s monthly Jubilee audience.
Listen to Christopher Wells’ report:
In his catechesis, Pope Francis used the Gospel account of Jesus’ encounter with the Samaritan woman to reflect on the importance of “dialogue” as an aspect of mercy.
“Dialogue,” the Pope said, “allows people to know themselves and to understand the one another’s needs.” It is both a sign of respect, an expression of charity; it allows us to see one another as a gift from God.
But often when we encounter one another, we are not prepared to listen, preferring instead to interrupt and convince the other that we are right. True dialogue, the Pope said, requires moments of silence, and the ability to welcome the other as a gift from God.
“Dear brothers and sisters,” the Pope said, “dialoguing helps people to humanize relationships and to overcome misunderstandings.” He continued, “There is a great need for dialogue in our families, and how much more easily would questions be resolved if we could learn to listen to one another!”
The Holy Father concluded his catechesis, saying, “Dialogue breaks down the walls of divisions and misunderstandings; it creates bridges of communication and does not allow anyone to remain isolated, closing themselves into their own little world.” How much better the world will be, he said, if we could listen to one another, explain ourselves meekly, rather than shouting at one another. “Through dialogue, we can make the signs of the mercy of God grow, and make them instruments of welcome and respect.”
(from Vatican Radio)…