(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Sunday invited the faithful to listen carefully when God knocks at their door. “Too often – he said – Jesus passes by in our lives, he sends an angel and we are so caught up in our thoughts and concerns we do not even notice”.
Listen to the report by Linda Bordoni :
Speaking to the pilgrims gathered in St. Peter’s Square for the Angelus Prayer, the Pope reflected on the liturgy of the last Sunday of Advent that tells of the Annunciation of the Archangel Gabriel to Mary and on how she simply, and humbly – with an attitude of total faith in the Lord – said “yes”. She said “I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word” (Luke 1, 38).
Mary – Pope Francis said – did not know what had been laid out for her in the future, she did not know what pains and what risks she would be called to face. But she was aware that the Lord had asked something of her and she trusted in him completely. This – he said – is the faith of Mary!
Another aspect to take note of – Francis continued – is this capacity of Mary to “recognize the time of God”. Thanks to her the Incarnation of the Son of God was possible.
Mary teaches us – the Pope said – to be aware of the favorable moment in which Jesus passes in our lives asking for a ready and generous answer.
And Jesus – he said – does pass in our lives. At Christmas he knocks at the heart of every Christian and each of us is called to respond, like Mary, with a sincere and personal “yes”, putting ourselves at the disposal of God and of his mercy.
How often – the Pope pointed out – we so caught up in our own thoughts and concerns, perhaps in these very days in our preparations for Christmas, that we do not even notice that he is knocking at the doors of our hearts, asking for a welcome, asking for a “yes”.
And recalling the words of a Saint who used to say “I am afraid that the Lord will pass me by” the Pope explained that he was really afraid that he would not notice the Lord’s presence and would not be ready to respond. This attitude – Francis said – and this fear that we feel in our hearts “is really the Lord knocking” and it makes us want to be better, to be close to others and to God.
“If this is what you feel, stop” – the Pope said – “the Lord is there! Pray, go to confession, do some cleaning up… this is good. But remember: if you feel this wish to be better, it is He who is knocking. Don’t let him pass you by!”
And Pope Francis concluded his reflection recalling the silent, prayerful figure of Joseph, as he is portrayed in every nativity scene.
The example of Mary and Joseph – he said – is an invitation to all of us to welcome Jesus openly; he comes to bring the gift of peace: “peace on earth to those on whom his favor rests” ((Luke 2, 14).
Just as the angels said to the shepherds – Pope Francis said – the precious gift of Christmas is peace, and Christ is our true peace: “Christ is knocking at the doors of our hearts go give us His peace. Let us open those doors to Christ!”
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Sunday invited the faithful to listen carefully when God knocks at their door. “Too often – he said – Jesus passes by in our lives, he sends an angel and we are so caught up in our thoughts and concerns we do not even notice”. Speaking to the pilgrims gathered…
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(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Sunday invited the faithful to listen carefully when God knocks at their door. “Too often – he said – Jesus passes by in our lives, he sends an angel and we are so caught up in our thoughts and concerns we do not even notice”. Speaking to the pilgrims gathered…
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(Vatican Radio) His Royal Highness Jaime de Bourbon de Parme is the new Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to the Holy See. He presented his Letters of Credence to Pope Francis on Saturday morning in the Vatican and spent time discussing a series of issues of mutual concern including peace, the environment and…
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(Vatican Radio) His Royal Highness Jaime de Bourbon de Parme is the new Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to the Holy See.
He presented his Letters of Credence to Pope Francis on Saturday morning in the Vatican and spent time discussing a series of issues of mutual concern including peace, the environment and Cuba.
Speaking to Vatican Radio’s Sean-Patrick Lovett straight after that encounter, the Ambassador highlighted his wish to continue his work in building peace economies.
Listen to the interview:
His Highness explains that diplomacy and conflict management have been very much part of his life up until this moment.
He tells of his work in conflict zones doing peace negotiations in Afghanistan, in Iraq and in African countries like Congo.
Conflict management, he says, is also in his genes. His grandfather, Xavier Bourbon de Parme, fought in the 1st World War, the Spanish civil war, and for the Resistance during World War II. He was confined in a concentration camp – and survived.
For generations his family has been marked by a history of war and a longing for peace, a longing he carries with him today
“Coming to the Vatican is a culmination of my experience”, he says. The Ambassador has a wealth of field experience which includes international work with aid organizations, think tanks and businesses, always within the perspective of finding solutions and creating peace economies. Which is why he values the opportunites offered by his new role: “I have never worked with value-based organizations”, he says. “The biggest value-based organization in the world is the Holy See, and that is what brings me here today”.
His Highness also talks about a series of documentaries he made called “Africa: War is Business” which took him to the Congo, Sierra Leone and Liberia. Experiencing conflict close up left an indelible impression on him: “I lost 22 colleagues in a bomb attack in Iraq. First you feel incredible anger and only months later, sorrow. So just imagine what the people who live in war zones feel… What if you live in Iraq and your own family is under fire? The experience created a sense of compassion and comprehension for what happens in war zones”.
In Congo he saw first-hand the relationship between economy and conflict: “There are specific mines in Kivu that provide the war lords with an income and the money to buy weapons. But who buys these minerals? We all do. Indirectly we all contribute to the war in Congo. Once I realized that, with a group of industry, we managed to create a peace economy in Eastern Congo”.
The Ambassador also describes his meeting with Pope Francis in the Vatican. He says they spoke at length in Spanish, his father’s language, about peace and the latest developments regarding Cuba.
“One of the things I asked the Pope was why it was possible now. He said: ‘Well, they wanted peace but they couldn’t find each other so they needed a bridge’. And so the Pope played the role of a bridge in the peace talks in Cuba…”
And that, in synthesis, is how His Highness Jaime de Bourbon de Parme sees his own role as the Netherland’s new Ambassador: a bridge between the government and people of his country and the “value-based, faith-based organization” that is the Holy See.
(from Vatican Radio)…