(Vatican Radio) Below you can find the full text of Pope Francis’ address at the Angelus on Sunday 23 August 2015: Today is the conclusion of the readings from the sixth chapter of the Gospel of St John, with the discourse on the “Bread of Life,” proclaimed by Jesus on the day after the miracle of the multiplication of the loaves and fishes. At the end of that discourse, the great enthusiasm of the day before faded, because Jesus had said He was the Bread come down from heaven, and that He would give His Flesh as food and His Blood as drink, clearly alluding to the sacrifice of His very life. These words provoked disappointment in the people, who considered them unworthy of the Messiah, not “winning.” That’s how some saw Jesus: as a Messiah who ought to speak and act in such a way that His mission would be successful, immediately! But they erred precisely in this: in manner of understanding the mission of the Messiah! Even the disciples failed to accept that language, that disturbing language of the Master. And today’s passage refers to their discomfort: “This saying is hard,” they said, “Who can accept it?” (John 6:60). In reality, they understood well the discourse of Jesus—so well that they did not want to hear it, because it is a discourse that undermines their mindset. The Words of Jesus always discomfort us; discomfort us, for example, with regard to the spirit of the world, of worldliness. But Jesus offers the key to overcome the difficulty; a key made of three elements. First, His divine origin: He is come down from heaven and will rise up “to where He was before” (v. 62). Second: His words can only be understood through the action of the Holy Spirit, He “who gives life” (v. 63). It is precisely the Holy Spirit that makes us understand Jesus well. Third: the true cause of misunderstanding of His words is lack of faith: “Among you there are some who do not believe” (v. 64), Jesus says. In fact, from that point, “many of His disciples turned back” (v. 66). In the face of these defections, Jesus does not take back or soften His words, in fact, He forces us to make a clear choice—either to remain with Him or to separate ourselves from Him—and He says to the Twelve, “Do you also want to leave?” (v. 67). At this point Peter makes his confession of faith in the name of the other Apostles: “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life” (v. 68). He does not say “where shall we go?” but “to whom shall we go?” The fundamental problem is not leaving and abandoning the work that has been undertaken, but rather “to whom” to go. From that question of Peter, we understand that faithfulness to God is a question of faithfulness to a person, with whom we are joined in order to walk together along the same road. All that we have in the world does not satisfy our hunger for the infinite. We need Jesus, to remain with Him, to nourish ourselves at His table, on His words of eternal life! To believe in Jesus means making Him the centre, the meaning of our life. Christ is not an accessory element: He is the “living bread,” the indispensable nourishment. Attaching ourselves to Him, in a true relationship of faith and love, does not mean being chained, but [rather] profoundly free, always on a journey. Each one of us can ask himself, right now, “Who is Jesus for me? Is He a name? an idea? Is He simply a person from history? Or is He really the person Who loves me, Who gave His life for me and walks with me?” Who is Jesus for you? Do you remain with Jesus? Do you seek to know Him in His word? Do you read the Gospel every day, a passage from the Gospel in order to know Jesus? Do you carry the little Gospel in your pocket, in your bag, in order to read it everywhere. Because the more we are with Him the more the desire to remain with Him grows. Now I kindly ask you, let us take a moment of silence, and each one of us, in silence, in his or her heart, ask yourself the question: “Who is Jesus for me?” In silence, everyone answer in his or her heart. “Who is Jesus for me?” [A moment of silence.] May the Virgin Mary help us always “to go” to Jesus in order to experience the freedom that He offers us, and that allows us to purify our choices from worldly incrustations and fear. (from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) Following the Angelus on Sunday, Pope Francis made a new appeal for peace in Ukraine. “With deep concern, I am following the conflict in eastern Ukraine, which has accelerated anew in these last weeks,” the Pope said. “I renew my appeal that the commitments undertaken to achieve peace might be respected; and that, with the help of organizations and persons of good will, there might be a response to the humanitarian emergency in the country.” The Holy Father concluded his appeal with the prayer, “May the Lord grant peace to Ukraine, which is preparing to celebrate tomorrow the national holiday [Independence Day]. May the Virgin Mary intercede for us!”
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis has sent a message to the missionaries of the “Nuovi Orizzonti” (New Horizons) community, who were spreading the Gospel at Riccione beach, which is a popular vacation spot near Rimini, Italy.
The Pope was responding to a letter sent by the members of the community, which explained they chose Riccione for their mission because it had recently become “infamous” for being a place where “young people lose their lives due to a deviant culture of drugs, sex, and ‘unrestrained’ entertainments.”
In their letter, the young missionaries – all between the ages of 18 and 35 – said there is a “great thirst for God” in the hearts of young people.
In a Message sent through Msgr. Guillermo Karcher, the Papal Master of Ceremonies, Pope Francis conveyed his gratitude for their “beautiful letter”, and for the fact that “in these days of August, you have generously dedicated your time to the mission of evangelization at the beaches, streets, and informal meeting places of Riccione.”
Pope Francis sent his blessing and prayers, while at the same time asking the missionaries “to not forget to pray for him.”
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis surprised the faithful in St. Peter’s Basilica on Friday when he attended the 7:00 morning Mass at the Altar of St. Pius X in the church. It was the feast day of the saint.
The Mass was celebrated by Msgr. Lucio Bonora, an official of the Vatican’s Secretary of State, who was unaware the Pope planned on being there.
When he was informed Pope Francis was praying at the altar, he asked if he should go back to the sacristy, but was told to say Mass as usual.
“When [Pope Francis] saw me, he told me he came to pray because he had already said Mass earlier in the Casa Santa Marta, and he wanted to pay his respects to St. Pius X,” Msgr. Bonora told Vatican Radio.
“When he say I had come to celebrate Mass, he wanted to remain, to stay there with the faithful, attend Mass and pray,” he said.
Msgr. Bonora said Pope Francis greeted the faithful during the sign of peace.
“It was very moving for me, and for the faithful, to see the Pope as a humble member of the faithful, going to pray at the tomb of St. Pius X,” the priest said.
Msgr. Bonora said Pope Francis told him he has a strong devotion to Pius X, and prayed especially for catechists, since in Buenos Aires the feast serves as the Day of Catechists.
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) The Holy See has published information on free pilgrim reservation system to help coordinate pilgrims who want to pass through Holy Door of St Peter’s Basilica during the upcoming Jubilee of Mercy.
The Organizing Secretary of the Jubilee announced that a short pilgrimage path reserved for pilgrims is planned for the Jubilee. The path will begin at Castel Sant’Angelo and proceed along the Via Conciliazione before arriving at the Holy Door that leads into the Basilica. The reservation system will make it easier for pilgrims to avoid long waits and is expected to make reflect on the spiritual aspects of the pilgrimage.
It will be possible to make reservations on the official site of the Jubilee, ww.im.va, beginning in October. Pilgrims, including individuals and families, as well as larger and smaller groups, are encouraged to register for the pilgrimage through Holy Door at St Peter’s.
The pilgrimage through the Holy Doors in the other Papal Basilicas of Rome (Saint John Lateran, Saint Mary Major, and Saint Paul’s Outside the Walls) will not have a reservation system.
(from Vatican Radio)…