(Vatican Radio) In a “world that suffers the crisis of a great orphanhood,” we have a Mother that accompanies and defends us. That was the message of Pope Francis during the morning Mass at the Casa Santa Marta on the feast of Our Lady of Sorrows.
The Gospel of the day brings us to Calvary. All the disciples had fled, except for St John and a few women. At the foot of the Cross is Mary, the Mother of Jesus. Everyone is looking at her, saying, “That’s the mother of this delinquent! That is the mother of this subversive!”
“And Mary heard these things. She suffered terrible humiliation. And she also heard the dignitaries, even some priests, whom she respected, because they were priests, [saying] “You who are so good, come down! Come down!” With her Son, naked, there [on the Cross]. And Mary had such great suffering, but she didn’t go away. She didn’t deny her Son! He was her flesh.”
Pope Francis recalled that, when he was in Buenos Aires and would visit prisoners in the jails, he always saw lines of women waiting to enter:
“They were moms. But they were not ashamed: their flesh was there inside. And these women suffered not only the shame of being there – “Look at her! What did her son do?” — but they also suffer the ugly humiliation of the searches they had to undergo before entering. But they were mothers, and they went to find their own flesh. And so it was with Mary: she was there, with her Son, with that very great suffering.”
Jesus, the Pope said, has promised not to leave us orphans, and on the Cross he gives us His Mother as our Mother:
“We Christians have a Mother, Jesus’ [Mother]; we have a Father, Jesus’ [Father]. We are not orphans! And she gives birth to us in that moment with such great sorrow: She is truly a martyr. With a pierced heart, she accepts giving birth to all of us in that moment of sorrow. And from that moment she becomes our Mother, from that moment she is our Mother, the one who takes care of us and is not ashamed of us: she defends us.”
The mystics of the early centuries, Pope Francis said, counsel us to take refuge under the mantle of the Mother of God in moments of spiritual turbulence: “The devil can’t enter there.” He continued, explaining that Mary is a mother, and she will defend as a Mother. The West later took this advice to heart and composed the Latin version of the Marian antiphon: Sub tuum praesidium, “under your mantle, under your protection, O Mother!” We are safe there, he said.
“In a world we could call an orphan,” Pope Francis concluded, “in this world that suffers the crisis” of a great experience of being orphaned, “perhaps our help lies in saying ‘Look to your Mother!’” We have a mother “who defends us, teaches us, accompanies us; who is not ashamed of our sins. She is not ashamed, because she is our Mother. May the Holy Spirit, this friend, this companion along the way, this Paraclete or advocate Whom the Lord has sent, make us understand this very great mystery of the maternity of Mary.”
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Thursday reflected on how we are created in the image and likeness of the Creator, and warned us – God’s children – against the temptation of undermining our intrinsic dignity by embracing false idols.
The Pope’s words came during a speech to members of the Italian Biblical Association whom he received in the Vatican on the occasion of National Biblical Week.
Pope Francis remarked on the theme chosen for the occasion which focusses on the male-female polarity in the Scriptures.
He recalled the cycle of catechesis held by St. John Paul II during the first part of his pontificate regarding the many aspects of the relationship between man and woman stemming from the analysis of biblical texts.
The Pope said that he himself, during a Catechesis last year, had occasion to stress that “God, after having created the universe and all living beings, created his masterpiece, the human being, whom He made in his own image: ‘in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them’” (Gen 1:27).
And inviting those present to reflect on how we are created in the image and likeness of the Creator, he said that it is essential to note the differences that exist within creation.
This, he said, helps us to understand the dignity of all men and women, a dignity which has its roots in the same Creator.
The Pope said we must never forget we are all children of God and we are not only shaped by Him, but guided by Him just as a father does with his children.
He warned against the possibility of ‘degrading’ this dignity that has been granted to us by God and said this happens when we embrace idolatry, when we make place in our hearts for false idols – as narrated in the Bible passage about the exodus from Egypt when Moses, tempted by the devil, built an idol made of gold (Ex 32).
This idol of gold, Pope Francis said, symbolizes the attractive force of wealth, and the fact that man loses his dignity when riches take the place of God in his heart.
Reiterating the preciousness of the gift of dignity, Pope Francis reflected on the possibility of sharing this dignity so that it triggers a positive reciprocity and he invited those present to ask the question ‘How can I make the other feel worthy? How can I “infect” the other with dignity?”
When one despises, segregates or discriminates, the Pope concluded, he does not “share or infect the other” with his God-given dignity
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) Papal diplomats from around the world are in Rome this week for a special Jubilee event that includes both practical refresher seminars and moments of spiritual reflection with the Holy Father.
Relations with Islam, gender culture and other challenges facing the Church today are on the programme, as Philippa Hitchen reports:
The year of mercy may be drawing to a close but Pope Francis is maintaining a packed agenda of Jubilee events. From September 15th to 17th he’s meeting with over a hundred representatives of the Holy See working in locations right across the globe. Of the 108 diplomatic missions in existence today, 103 are headed by archbishops serving as papal nuncios, while the other five posts are permanent observers to international organisations.
The Jubilee event began on Thursday morning with Mass, presided over by Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, in St Peter’s Basilica, followed by two seminars held in the Synod Hall. The first of these was focused on the Pope, the Church and the world today, led by Professor Piero Coda, president of the Sofia University Institute founded by the Focolari movement just south of Florence. The second session, led by Rev. Robert Ghal from the Pontifical Holy Cross University in Rome is entitled ‘Genesis and the case of gender culture’ and will be followed by dinner with Pope Francis at the Casina Pio IV in the Vatican gardens.
On Friday morning participants will have a working session with officials from the Secretariat of State and in the afternoon they’ll attend a third seminar, focused on interreligious dialogue and relations with Islam, led by Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran. In the evening, they’ll join heads of all the Curial offices and ambassadors accredited to the Holy See for a reception in the Vatican museums.
The final day, Saturday, will include many of the 40 retired apostolic nuncios and will be a time for spiritual communion, starting with Mass concelebrated with Pope Francis in the Santa Marta chapel. That’ll be followed by a reflection from Mgr Pierangelo Sequeri of the John Paul II Institute for Marriage and Family Life. The diplomats will then make their way through the Holy Door of St Peter’s Basilica before meeting together with Pope Francis in the Clementine hall of the apostolic palace.
The event concludes with a lunch in Santa Marta, but the Pope has invited all 163 staff members of the nunciatures and diplomatic missions for their own Jubilee here in the Vatican on November 18th.
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis remembered the Exaltation of the Holy Cross on Wednesday, at the end of his weekly General Audience.
In greetings to young people, newlyweds, and all persons suffering illness of any kind, t he Holy Father recalled the liturgical feast, connected with St. Helen’s recovery of the Cross in the fourth century, and celebrated in gratitude for the redemption won for us by Christ on the Holy Cross, and in acknowledgement of the instrument of our salvation.
“Today,” said Pope Francis, “we celebrate the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross.”
The Holy Father went on to say, “Dear young people, as you return to the regular rhythms of life after the summer holidays, strengthen your dialogue with God as well, spreading his light and his peace.”
To those suffering illness, Pope Francis said, “Find comfort in the Cross of the Lord Jesus, who continues His work of redemption in the life of every man.
Newlyweds received a special exhortation from Pope Francis, who told them, “Make the effort to maintain a constant relationship with Christ crucified, that your love might be the more true, fruitful and lasting.”
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Wednesday told the faithful not to be afraid in times of discouragement, poverty or difficulty because we can rely on God and He will provide solace.
The Pope was speaking to the pilgrims gathered in St. Peter’s Square for the weekly general audience.
Listen to the report by Christopher Wells:
Reflecting on the Gospel passage by Matthew in which Jesus says: “Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest”, today – Pope Francis said – we hear the Lord calling the discouraged, the poor and the little ones to himself, and telling them they can always rely on God.
And he invited all believers – especially those who feel most powerless – to trust in God’s mercy, to open their hearts to Him, even if they feel unworthy, and they will be filled with the joy of forgiveness.
The Pope referred again and again to the Holy Year of Mercy and said pilgrims around the world have been crossing the threshold of a Holy Door of mercy – be it in a hospital, in a prison or anywhere – in the search for conversion, for friendship with Jesus, for the comfort that only He can provide.
He expressed his disapproval for those pastors of the Church who become ‘princes’ and distanced from their people and from the poor. “That – the Pope said: “is not the spirit of Jesus”.
Pointing out that in approaching the Lord’s inexhaustible mercy, we will discover his “easy yoke”: Jesus – he said – who bears the burdens and needs of humanity shows us the way to salvation; by participating in his sufferings and by learning from his service to the poor, we come to know the will of God for us.
So, Pope Francis concluded: “When we are tired or despondent, let us not be afraid, let us come to Christ, trust in him, rest in him and joyously serve him.
(from Vatican Radio)…