(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis held his weekly General Audience in St Peter’s Square on Wednesday. In his catechesis, the Holy Father relflected on St Matthew’s Gospel account of how the Lord calls the discouraged, the poor and the little ones to himself.
Below, please find the official English language summary of Pope Francis’ catechesis for the General Audience for 14 September 2016:
Dear Brothers and Sisters: In our catecheses during this Holy Year of Mercy, we have reflected on the tenderness of Jesus. Today we hear the Lord calling the discouraged, the poor and the little ones to himself, all who – unable to count on powerful connections – can rely solely on God (Mt 11:28-30). In their powerlessness, they trust in God’s mercy; they come to Jesus who is their only help. In this Jubilee Year pilgrims around the world have been crossing the threshold of a Holy Door of mercy as they seek conversion. In approaching the Lord’s inexhaustible mercy, we will discover his “easy yoke”: Jesus who bears the burdens and needs of humanity shows us the way to salvation. And by participating in his sufferings, we come to know the will of God for us, we find true rest in him, and are able to share in his plan of salvation. Jesus invites us also to learn from his service of the poor and of all who suffer. When we are tired or despondent, let us not be afraid; for our hope in Christ will never be confounded. Let us therefore come to Christ, trust in him, rest in him and joyously serve him.
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Wednesday morning celebrated Mass for the French priest of Rouen, Fr. Jacques Hamel , whom he described, is part of the chain of Christian martyrs that runs throughout the history of the Church.
Father Hamel was murdered while celebrating Mass in his Parish Church by two men swearing allegiance to the so-called Islamic State in July.
Linda Bordoni reports:
To the congregation gathered at Santa Marta and which included Archbishop Dominque Lebrun of Rouen, along with 80 other pilgrims from the diocese, Pope Francis said that “to kill in the name of God is satanic”.
Reflecting on the many martyrs that are part of the history of the Catholic Church, Pope Francis said: “this is a story that repeats itself in the Church, and today, he said, there are more Christian martyrs than there were at beginning of Christianity”
Today – he continued – there are Christians “who are murdered, tortured, imprisoned, have their throats slit because they do not deny Jesus Christ”.
This history, the Pope said – continues with our Father Jacques: he is part of this chain of martyrs.
“Father Jacques Hamel was slain as he celebrated the sacrifice of Christ’s crucifixion. A good man, a meek man, a man who always tried to build peace was murdered (…). This is the satanic thread of persecution” he said.
And, Pope Francis continued: “What a pleasure it would be if all religious confessions would say: ‘to kill in the name of God is satanic'”.
Pope Francis concluded his homily holding up Fr Hamel and his example of courage and said we must pray to him to grant us meekness, brotherhood, peace and the courage to tell the truth: “to kill in the name of God is satanic”.
On the altar, a simple photograph of Fr Hamel who was slain by two Islamist fanatics while celebrating Mass in the Church of Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray on 26 July 2016.
The liturgy was broadcast live by the Vatican Television Station.
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis is to celebrate daily Mass on Wednesday, 14 September for the French priest of Rouen, Fr. Jacques Hamel, who was murdered at the altar while celebrating Mass.
A statement released by the Holy See Press Office said the Mass is a sign of the Pope’s nearness to the relatives and friends of Fr. Hamel and to the community of Rouen, France.
Archbishop Dominque Lebrun of Rouen, along with 80 other pilgrims from the diocese, will participate in the suffrage Mass in the chapel of the Casa Santa Marta at 7 a.m. Rome time.
Fr. Hamel was slain by two Muslim migrants while celebrating Mass in the Church of Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray on 26 July 2016.
The Mass will be broadcast live by the Vatican Television Station (CTV).
Click here to watch live.
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis will take part in the final meeting of the World Day of Prayer for Peace when he travels to Assisi on Tuesday, 20 September.
The World Day of Prayer for Peace concludes a 3-day event organized by the Sant’Egidio Community entitled this year “Thirst of Peace. Religions and Cultures in Dialogue”. It will see the participation of over 450 religious leaders of different faiths gathered to pray for peace and strengthen dialogue in the spirit of Assisi.
The first “World Day of Prayer for Peace of Assisi” was held by Pope Saint John Paul II in October 1986 the first time such an event had occurred. Major religious leaders, including the Dalai Lama and the Archbishop of Canterbury, joined with the Pope to call for peace, unity, and interreligious understanding.
Saint John Paul II closed that meeting with the call “Let’s keep spreading the message of Peace and living the spirit of Assisi” and since then the community of Sant’Egidio has sought to fulfill that message by convening an annual meeting of religious leaders to discuss critical global issues of peace, unity, and interreligious dialogue.
Upon his arrival in Assisi, Pope Francis will be greeted by a group of faith leaders, including the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew. The day will include afternoon prayer in St Francis’ basilica and the Vatican has announced that the religious leaders will also meet “victims of war”.
The Pope will meet religious leaders and others individually including two Jewish and Muslim leaders and the event will conclude with a signing of an appeal for peace that will then be handed to children representing different parts of the globe.
As the Bishop of Assisi, Domenico Sorrentino explains to Vatican Radio’s Linda Bordoni , the event takes place in a historic moment for peace-building as we witness so many situations of war, terrorism and widespread violence:
Listen :
Bishop Sorrentino says the meeting is a great occasion to bring people together: “believers in all the religions together in this moment in which the world is facing big crises every day”.
And quoting Pope Francis he says a third world war is being fought piecemeal and he says this meeting is an occasion for grace.
“Because we are together not only to reflect, but also to pray, each one according to his own tradition. And we want to re-affirm the importance of faith, the importance of prayer, the importance of the grace of God if we really want to build a new world according to the values of God and of humanity based on peace” he says.
Bishop Sorrentino says that the city of Assisi bears a great responsibility as it is the city of Saint Francis, a city that is beloved across the world.
“We know that we must continue in his footsteps and in the footsteps of the Gospel” he says.
And he points out that it is the ‘way of Saint Francis’ to welcome all people, giving the testimony of Christianity which not only is solid in the faith but has the capacity to open its arms to everybody.
The Bishop says that Pope Francis’ obvious affection for the city of Assisi is a great joy for its inhabitants.
“Pope Francis who chose the name of Francis feels himself to be at home in Assisi” he says.
And Bishop Sorrentino recalls Saint Pope John II’s ‘prophetic’ intuition of 30 years ago and points out that just as Pope Benedict did, “Pope Francis comes to be in the footsteps of this prophecy”.
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis says “an encounter with Jesus overcomes our indifference” and warned against bad habits that, even within a family, prevent us from truly listening to others and empathising with them. The Pope’s comments came during his homily at Tuesday’s Mass celebrated at the Santa Marta residence.
Taking his inspiration from the gospel reading where Jesus brought back from the dead the only son of a widow, Pope Francis lamented that often when people meet each other, “each of them is thinking of themselves, they can see the other person but are not looking at him or her, they can hear that person but are not listening to him or her.”
“An encounter is something different. It is what today’s Gospel proclaims to us: an encounter; an encounter between a man and a woman, between an only living son and an only son who had died; among a joyful crowd because they had encountered Jesus and were following him and a group of people, weeping, accompanying that woman, who had come out from the gate of the city; an encounter between the exit gate and the entry gate. The sheep fold. An encounter that makes us reflect on our way of interacting with each other.”
In the Gospel, the Pope continued, we read that Jesus “was moved with pity.” He pointed out that the pity felt by Christ is not the same as we have when going out in the streets, we see something sad (and say) ‘what a shame!’ Jesus doesn’t pass by, he is moved with pity. He goes up to the woman for a real encounter and then performs the miracle.
An encounter with Jesus overcomes indifference and restores dignity
In this gospel encounter, explained the Pope, we not only see his tenderness but also the fruitfulness of that encounter that restores people and things to their proper place.
“We are accustomed to a culture of indifference and we must strive and ask for the grace to create a culture of encounter, of a fruitful encounter, of an encounter that restores to each person his or her own dignity as a child of God, the dignity of a living person. We are accustomed to this indifference, when we see the disasters of this world or small things: ‘What a shame, poor people, look how they are suffering,’ and then we carry on. An encounter. And if I don’t look, it’s not enough to see, no, (we must) look – if I don’t stop, if I don’t look, if I don’t touch, if I don’t speak, I cannot have an encounter and I cannot help to build a culture of encounter.”
Within the family we must live a true encounter and at the table we must listen to each other
The message from today’s reading, said Pope Francis, stems from that encounter between Jesus and his people and we all are in need of his Word and need that encounter with Him.
“In our families, at the dinner table, how many times while eating, do people watch the TV or write messages on their cell phones. Each one is indifferent to that encounter. Even within the heart of society, which is the family, there is no encounter. May this help us to strive for this culture of encounter, just as simply as Jesus did so. Not just see but look. Not just hear but listen. Not just meet and pass by but stop. And don’t just say ‘what a shame, poor people,’ but allow ourselves to be moved by pity. And then draw near, touch and say in the language that comes to each one of us in that moment, the language of the heart: ‘Do not weep,’ and donate at the very least a drop of life.”
(from Vatican Radio)…