(Vatican Radio) To truly live our faith, we must recognize the poor who are near to us. In them, Jesus Himself knocks at the door of our heart: that was Pope Francis’ message during the morning Mass at Casa Santa Marta on Thursday.
Christians in a bubble of vanity
In the Gospel of the day, Jesus tells the parable of the rich man “who dressed in purple garments and fine linen and dined sumptuously each day,” and who did not recognize that at his door there was a poor man named Lazarus, who was covered with sores. The Pope invited us to ask ourselves the question: “Am I a Christian in name only, on the path of lies; or am I a Christian on the path of life, that is, of works, of actions.” The rich man of the parable, he said, “knew the commandments, surely went every Saturday to the synagogue, and once a year to the Temple.” He had “a certain religiosity”:
“But he was a closed man, closed in his own little world – the world of banquets, of clothes, of vanity, of friends – a closed man, truly in a bubble of vanity. He didn’t have the ability to see others, only his own world. And this man did not recognize the things that happened beyond his closed world. For example, he didn’t think of the needs of so many people, or of the necessity of accompanying of the sick; he though only of himself, of his wealth, of his good life: he was given to the good life.”
The poor man is the Lord, who knocks at the door of our heart
The rich man, then, had the appearance of being religious, but did not know the “peripheries,” he was completely “closed in on himself.” It is precisely the “peripheries” on his very doorstep that he could not see. He took the “way of falsehood,” because he “trusted only in himself, in his things – he did not trust in God.” He was a man who wasn’t able to properly receive his inheritance, or live his life, because “he was closed in on himself.” And, the Pope said, “it is curious – the man had lost his name. It says only that he was a rich man, and when your name is only an adjective, it is because you have lost [something], you have lost substance, you have lost strength.”
“This wealth, this is power, this can accomplish anything, this is a priest with a career, a bishop with a career… How many times [do] we [do this]?… It amounts to naming people with adjectives, not with names, because they have no substance. But I ask myself, ‘Did not God, who is a Father, have mercy on this man? Did He not knock on his heart to move him?” But yes, he was at the door, in the person of that man Lazarus, who had a name. And Lazarus, with his needs and his sorrows, his illnesses – it was the Lord Himself who was knocking at the door, so that this man would open his heart and mercy would be able to enter. But no, he did not see, he was simply closed: for him, outside the door there was nothing.”
The grace to see the poor
We are in Lent, the Pope noted, and it would do us good to ask ourselves what path we are travelling on:
“‘Am I on the road of life, or on the road of lies? How many ways is my heart still closed? Where is my joy: in doing, or in speaking? In going out of myself to meet others, to help them? The works of mercy, eh? Or is my joy in having everything organized, closed in on myself?’ Let us ask the Lord, while we’re thinking about it – no, throughout our life – for the grace of always seeing the Lazarus at our door, the Lazarus who knocks at our heart, and [the grace] to go out of ourselves with generosity, with the attitude of mercy, so that the mercy of God can enter into our hearts.
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi steps down as Director General of Vatican Radio at the end of February, in the context of a major overhaul of the Holy See’s media and communications organisations.
After a quarter of a century of service at Vatican Radio, 12 years as head of the Vatican Television Centre (CTV) and a decade as director of the Holy See press office, Fr Lombardi reflected on the lasting legacy of the Radio and his vision for the future of Vatican communications.
Philippa Hitchen takes a closer look……..
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When the former superior of the Italian Jesuits was appointed as director of programmes at Vatican Radio, he’s the first to admit he had no radio experience and was unfamiliar with the complex machinations of the world’s smallest city state.
What he did have, however, was over 10 years’ experience with the prestigious Jesuit magazine ‘Civiltà Cattolica’ and a mathematical mind which, he says, helped him to make the transition from lengthy, erudite articles to short, succinct radio stories.
Vatican Radio became his “home”, Fr Lombardi says, where he was fascinated by the wealth of cultural diversity, with employees from over 60 nations, working in almost 40 language programmes with some 15 different alphabets. Cutting down on that rich diversity to save costs, he warns, would be “a real impoverishment of Vatican communications”.
Fr Lombardi admits his biggest regret was the inability to convince his superiors to begin broadcasting in Hausa, one of the main languages of northern Nigeria, currently wracked by the violence of the Boko Haram terrorist group. With running costs of less than 30 euros a day, plus support from both Nigeria’s bishops and local Nigerian religious communities he says, the Radio could have provided a small but vital sign of support for some of the poorest and most persecuted Catholics on the African continent. Within the DNA of the Radio throughout its 85 year history, Fr Lombardi insists, there has always been a sense of service to the poor and oppressed minorities, rather than a slavish addiction to improving audience ratings.
With the advent of new technologies, Fr Lombardi says he sought to lead the Radio from exclusively audio production into a broader, multi-media provider – something that wasn’t always understood by its critics. Furthermore, he notes, the Radio continues to provide other, less visible services, such as technical audio support for papal ceremonies, Vatican input at international telecommunications conferences, translation and language services, documentation and archive material – and all this, while implementing a significant downsizing of staff over the past decade.
Fr Lombardi’s departure from the Palazzo Pio headquarters marks the end of an era for the Jesuits too, whom Pope Pius XI entrusted with the running of the Radio back in 1931. Pope Francis has made clear he wants the order to continue working in communications, though it’s not yet clear how that service may take shape. The name – Vatican Radio – will also cease to exist in the coming months, as it becomes more closely incorporated into a combined output of TV, newspaper, web and social media production. What Fr Lombardi says he hopes will remain at the heart of the new media operation is the dedication of those committed to their mission of sharing the Good News with those on the margins of today’s ‘throwaway culture’.
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis has answered 30 questions presented to him from children from around the world. Loyola Press is publishing the responses in a book due to be published on 1 March called Dear Pope Francis .
The United States-based Jesuit publishing house approached Pope Francis about the idea last year, and received a positive response. They then asked Jesuits from around the world to collect questions from children aged 6-13, including Catholics and non-Catholics. They also asked the children to send drawings, which are included in the book.
They received 259 questions from 26 countries in 14 languages. The book’s editor, Fr. Paul Campbell, SJ, then sat down with a committee and chose the questions to send the Pope.
“One of the lines we use to describe this book is: Little children have big questions,” Fr. Campbell told Vatican Radio.
Listen to the interview by Alessandro Gisotti with Father Paul Campbell, SJ:
“Yes they are questions from little children, but they are very, very profound questions,” – Fr. Campbell said – “The Holy Father was very clear that it was terribly difficult to answer these questions.”
The Jesuit priest said one thing that comes out of reading the book is the Holy Father’s profound sensitivity to the suffering of children around the world.
“I believe it was William from the United States who asked the question if you could cause one miracle…what would it be? And the Holy Father said ‘to stop the suffering of children’,” – Father Campbell explained – “and it is very clear to me that the Holy Father’s heart is full of compassion for those who suffer.”
This book is only a small way of giving suffering people hope.
“The Holy Father wants to reach out to children and adults to everyone who experiences suffering – which means all of us – to tell us that he does not understand suffering, that he cannot explain it, but that he does believe that Jesus did suffer for us, and that is the only thing that gives him hope and comfort,” Father Campbell said.
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis has answered 30 questions presented to him from children from around the world. Loyola Press is publishing the responses in a book due to be published on 1 March called Dear Pope Francis .
The United States-based Jesuit publishing house approached Pope Francis about the idea last year, and received a positive response. They then asked Jesuits from around the world to collect questions from children aged 6-13, including Catholics and non-Catholics. They also asked the children to send drawings, which are included in the book.
They received 259 questions from 26 countries in 14 languages. The book’s editor, Fr. Paul Campbell, SJ, then sat down with a committee and chose the questions to send the Pope.
“One of the lines we use to describe this book is: Little children have big questions,” Fr. Campbell told Vatican Radio.
Listen to the interview by Alessandro Gisotti with Father Paul Campbell, SJ:
“Yes they are questions from little children, but they are very, very profound questions,” – Fr. Campbell said – “The Holy Father was very clear that it was terribly difficult to answer these questions.”
The Jesuit priest said one thing that comes out of reading the book is the Holy Father’s profound sensitivity to the suffering of children around the world.
“I believe it was William from the United States who asked the question if you could cause one miracle…what would it be? And the Holy Father said ‘to stop the suffering of children’,” – Father Campbell explained – “and it is very clear to me that the Holy Father’s heart is full of compassion for those who suffer.”
This book is only a small way of giving suffering people hope.
“The Holy Father wants to reach out to children and adults to everyone who experiences suffering – which means all of us – to tell us that he does not understand suffering, that he cannot explain it, but that he does believe that Jesus did suffer for us, and that is the only thing that gives him hope and comfort,” Father Campbell said.
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis dedicated his General Audience on Wednesday to the theme of proper disposition expected by Christian faith toward the goods of the world, saying that they serve the common good if used in accordance with the demands of justice, charity and mercy, though they become a source of corruption and death if used selfishly and arrogantly.
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The Holy Father went on to discuss the Biblical account of Naboth, a man unjustly put to death so that King Ahab might take possession of his property. Departing from his prepared text, the Pope recommended the slim, powerful volume by St. Ambrose of Milan, the great 4 th century bishop and Doctor of the Church, on the account in 1 Kings 21 , as especially pertinent and helpful Lenten reading . “This is not a story from other times,” he said. “It is a story of today, as well, a story of the powerful who exploit the poor, who exploit the people for their own gain. It is the story of human trafficking, of slave labor, of poor people who work ‘under the table’ and for a pittance in order to enrich the powerful – it is the story of corrupt politicians who want more and more. For this, I said it would do us well to read St. Ambrose’s book on Naboth – because it is a book about current events.”
Pope Francis went on to say that Jesus tells us that we show our greatness not by domineering but by humbly serving one another. “Just as the Lord sent the prophet Elijah to call Ahab to repentance, he sent his Son to show the power of his mercy which triumphs over sin and injustice,” he said.
Pope Francis concluded with a call that we all during this Holy Year ask the Lord to draw near to sinners, to show us His mercy, and to redeem the many situations of injustice in our world by the power of His grace and forgiveness.
(from Vatican Radio)…