(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis greeted pilgrims in St Peter’s Square on Wednesday for his General Audience. In his catechesis the Pope said the Church is on a continuing journey towards heaven.
Below is the English tranlation of the Pope’s catechesis at the Weekly General Audience.
Dear brothers and sisters,
The weather s not so great, but you are courageous, let us pray together today
in presenting the Church to the people of our time, the Second Vatican Council had in mind a fundamental truth, that we must never forget: the Church is not a static reality, an end in itself, but that she is continually journeying through history to the kingdom of heaven, of which the Church on earth is the seed and beginning (cf. Conc. Vatican Ecumenical Council. Vat. II, Const. Dogmatic Constitution. on the Church Lumen Gentium, 5). When we turn towards this horizon, we realize that our imagination comes to a halt, revealing itself to be barely capable of perceiving the splendor of the mystery which surpasses our senses. And some questions arise spontaneously in us: when will this final passage take place? What will the new dimension of the Church be like? What then will happen to humanity? And to the Creation that surrounds us? These questions are nothing new, the disciples at the time of Christ asked the same questions. They are ancient, human questions.
The conciliar Constitution Gaudium et spes, faced with these questions that always resonate in the human heart, says: “We do not know the time for the consummation of the earth and of humanity, nor do we know how all things will be transformed. As deformed by sin, the shape of this world will pass away; but we are taught that God is preparing a new dwelling place and a new earth where justice will abide, and whose blessedness will answer and surpass all the longings for peace which spring up in the human heart”(n. 39). This is the goal toward which the Church projects itself: it is the “new Jerusalem”, “Paradise.” More than a place, it is a “state of being” in which our deepest expectations will be fulfilled in abundance and our being as creatures and as children of God, will reach full maturity. We will finally be covered with the joy, peace and love of God in a complete way, without any limitations, and we will be face to face with Him! (cf. 1 Cor 13:12). It’s lovely to think of this, to think we will all find ourselves up there! All of us in heaven. It’s good, it gives strength to our soul.
In this perspective, it is nice to hear that there is a continuity and a communion between the Church in heaven and the Church still journeying on earth. Those who already live in the sight of God can indeed support us and intercede for us, pray for us from heaven. On the other hand, we are always invited to offer good deeds, prayer and the Eucharist itself to alleviate the suffering of souls who are still waiting for the bliss without end. Yes, because in the Christian perspective, the distinction is not between those who are already dead and those who are not, but between those who are in Christ and those who are not! This is the determining factor, really decisive for our salvation and for our happiness.
3. At the same time, the Holy Scripture teaches us that the fulfillment of this wonderful design also affects everything around us, and that came out of the thought and the heart of God. The Apostle Paul explicitly says as much, when he says that ” that creation itself would be set free from slavery to corruption and share in the glorious freedom of the children of God” (Rom 8:21). Other texts use the image of the “new heaven” and the “new earth” (cf. 2 Pet 3:13; Rev 21,1), in the sense that the whole universe will be renovated and will be liberated once and for all from all traces of evil and death itself. What lies ahead, as the fulfillment of a transformation that is actually already in place since the death and resurrection of Christ, is therefore a new creation. It is not an annihilation of the universe and all that surrounds us, rather it brings everything to its fullness of being, truth and beauty. This is the plan that God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, always want to accomplish and is realizing.
Dear friends, when we think about these wonderful realities that await us, we realize how belonging to the Church truly is a wonderful gift, which calls us to the highest vocation! So let us ask the Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church, to watch over us on our journey and help us to be, like her, a joyful sign of trust and hope in the midst of our brothers.
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis greeted pilgrims in St Peter’s Square on Wednesday for his General Audience. In his catechesis the Pope said the Church is on a continuing journey towards heaven. Below is the English tranlation of the Pope’s catechesis at the Weekly General Audience. Dear brothers and sisters, The weather s not so great, but you…
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(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis answered a range of questions from journalists on the Papal plane en route to Rome at the conclusion of his short trip to Strasbourg. Listen to Ann Schneible’s report: One journalist asked the Pope if he considers himself a social democrat after having told the European parliament that the strength of…
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(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis answered a range of questions from journalists on the Papal plane en route to Rome at the conclusion of his short trip to Strasbourg.
Listen to Ann Schneible’s report:
One journalist asked the Pope if he considers himself a social democrat after having told the European parliament that the strength of a nation is removed in the face of multi-national powers.
Pope Francis laughed and said he felt with the question as though he were being studied as one studies a collection of insects.
He said he did not know if the Pope identified as a social democrat or not, but that his own message was drawn from the social doctrine of the Church, which is self which comes from the Gospel.
Having spoken about the threats of terrorism and slavery in Strasbourg, Pope Francis also told journalists to never give up on dialogue. He condemned slavery and affirmed that terrorism must be fought. However, he warned against the terrorism of states, and stressed that an international consensus is needed to stop any unjust aggressor.
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Tuesday told European leaders that the development of today’s societies and their peaceful coexistence require constant reflection on the tenets that form the basis of Europe: human rights, democracy and the rule of law. Like a tree, Europe also needs care and nourishment for healthy growth. In a wide-ranging speech to the Council of Europe in Strasbourg, Pope Francis also urged Europe’s leaders to strive for creative solutions to divisions and tensions for a peaceful continent. The Pope’s remarks came shortly after his first speech of the day, to the European Parliament.
Tracey McClure reports:
The Council of Europe was established in 1949, on the heels of two world wars, with the dream, the Pope recalled, for unity and “to rebuild Europe in a spirit of mutual service which today too, in a world prone to make demands than to serve, must be the cornerstone of the Council of Europe’s mission on behalf of peace, freedom and human dignity.”
The key to avoiding a repetition of what happened in the wars of the last century, Pope Francis said, is “to see others not as enemies to be opposed but as brothers and sisters to be embraced.” Peace, he added, must be “continually attained” and requires “constant vigilance.”
“Achieving peace first calls for educating to peace, banishing a culture of conflict aimed at fear of others, marginalizing those who think or live differently than ourselves.”
The Pope observed that “a great toll of suffering and death is still being exacted on this continent, which yearns for peace yet so easily falls back in to the temptations of the past.” He encouraged the Council of Europe to continue its efforts to seek a political solution to the current crisis.
Peace, the Pope stressed, is also tested by other forms of conflict such as religious and international terrorism, which show a disdain for human life. Terrorism, he added, is “bankrolled by a frequently unchecked traffic in weapons” and the “arms race is one of the greatest curses on the human race.”
The Pope also lamented the “new slavery of our age,” or human trafficking, as yet another interconnected phenomenon affecting peace.
While the European Parliament acts as the EU’s legislative body, the Council of Europe acts in an advisory capacity. Its 47 member states, representing 820 million citizens, commit to common initiatives and conventions on social, justice and other issues such as combatting human trafficking. It’s also home to the European Court of Human Rights which the Pope described as in some way representing the “conscience of Europe.” He said he hoped “this conscience will continue to mature…as the result of efforts to build on those deep roots which are the bases on which the founders of contemporary Europe determined to build.”
In fact, in his speech, the Pope likened Europe to a poplar tree: its branches reaching up to the sky, its trunk firmly rooted in the earth. Historically, Europe has reached for the heights in an insatiable thirst for knowledge, progress, peace and unity, Pope Francis said. But the advance of thought, culture and scientific discovery, the Pope stressed, is entirely due to the solidity of the trunk and the depth of the roots which nourish it. Once the roots are lost, the trunk withers and the branches fall to earth and the tree dies.
Europe’s roots need to be “sought, found and maintained by a daily exercise of memory, for they represent the genetic patrimony of Europe,” said the Pope, and “continual creativity” is needed to ensure that “the roots continue to bear fruit” to face the challenges of today.
As Europe struggles to find answers to the challenges of a “multipolar” society made up of “multiple cultural, religious and political poles,” the Pope warned against “pretensions to power which, while appearing from a pragmatic standpoint to make things easier, end up destroying the cultural and religious distinctiveness of peoples.”
He applauded the Council of Europe’s efforts in the area of intercultural and interfaith dialogue and said such initiatives “appear particularly important” for finding the right harmony between “the European identity forged over the course of centuries” and “the expectations and aspirations of other peoples who are now making their appearance on the continent.”
Another challenge to Europe, the Pope observed, is what he called its “transversality.” And here, he spoke of his own experience from meeting political leaders: younger politicians, he said, view reality differently than their older colleagues – and this sort of transversality is found in every sector. The answer to this challenge, the Pope noted, is “intergenerational dialogue” and “a Europe which can only dialogue with limited groups stops halfway: it needs that youthful spirit which can rise to the challenge of transversality.”
Today, society is at risk of an “individualistic conception of rights” the Pope asserted, which leads to a “lack of concern for others and favours that globalization of indifference born of selfishness.” “This cuts off the nourishing roots on which the tree grows,” he added, and leads to “the cult of opulence reflected in the throwaway culture all around us.” “We have a surfeit of unnecessary things, but we no longer have the capacity to build authentic human relationships.”
Europe today, the Pope observed, appears “hurt,” “a bit tired” and “pessimistic” by its past ordeals but also by its present crises and “the winds of change coming from other continents” and “which it no longer seems capable of facing with its former vitality and energy.”
“Europe should reflect on whether its immense human, artistic, technical, social, political, economic and religious patrimony is simply an artefact of the past or whether it is still capable of inspiring culture and displaying it treasures” to all mankind. The Council of Europe, he noted, can play a key role here.
Christianity can contribute to the cultural and social development of Europe today, the Pope asserted, “within the context of a correct relationship between religion and society.”
“In the Christian vision, faith and reason, religion and society are called to enlighten and support one another, and whenever necessary, to purify one another from ideological extremes,” said the Pope. “European society as a whole cannot fail to benefit from a renewed interplay between these two sectors, whether to confront a form of religious fundamentalism which is above all inimical to God, or to remedy a reductive rationality which does no honour to man.”
The Catholic Church, he stressed, can cooperate through its institutions with the Council of Europe “for mutual enrichment,” particularly in the area of human rights and the protection of human life.
The Holy See, the Pope concluded, “intends to continue its cooperation with the Council of Europe which today plays a fundamental role in shaping the mentality of future generations of Europeans. “This calls for mutual engagement in a far-ranging reflection aimed at creating a sort of new agorà in which all civic and religious groups can enter into free exchange…an exchange inspired purely by the desire of truth and the advancement of the common good.”
“My hope is that Europe, by rediscovering the legacy of its history and the depth of its roots, and by embracing its lively multipolarity and the phenomenon of a transversality in dialogue, will rediscover that youthfulness of spirit which has made this continent fruitful and great.”
(from Vatican Radio)…