The Pope’s Evangelization prayer intention for the month of June is Vocations: That the personal encounter with Jesus may arouse in many young people the desire to offer their own lives in priesthood or consecrated life.
Just as marriage is not a career but a vocation, so too is the priesthood and the consecrated life. And just as marriage begins with an encounter that leads to a total gift of oneself to the other, so it is the same for those called to be priests, sisters, and brothers. Their vocations begin with an encounter with Jesus Christ, followed by a deepening relationship that leads to the desire to make a total gift of themselves to him.
In his first encyclical, Pope Benedict XVI wrote that “being a Christian is not the result of an ethical choice or a lofty idea, but the encounter with a person.” At the beginning of The Joy of the Gospel, Pope Francis continued this emphasis, writing: “The joy of the Gospel fills the hearts and lives of all who encounter Jesus.”
Pope Francis wants everyone to experience that joy. He said: “I invite all Christians, everywhere, at this very moment, to a renewed personal encounter with Jesus Christ. No one should think that this invitation is not meant for him or her, since no one is excluded from the joy brought by the Lord.”
God wants everyone to know his love and the joy that flows from it. This joy spreads and creates a “vocation culture” which opens people to hear God’s call. Our own values and materialistic striving make it hard for young people to hear that sweet call of God.
In this Year of Consecrated Life, we pray for religious vocations this month, we recognize that the seeds of a vocation can only grow in good soil. That soil is our families, parish communities, and schools. It is there that young people will encounter Christ, be moved by his love, and respond by offering their lives in loving service. May our prayers, encouragement, and joy arouse in young people a desire to follow Jesus as brothers, sisters, and priests.
(Source: Apostleship of Prayer)
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis says poverty today afflicts too many families.
Speaking during the weekly General Audience, the Pope continued his catechesis on the family opening up his reflections to a new perspective: the difficulties and problems that put families to the test in modern society.
One condition that afflicts families today – he said – is poverty. “Let’s think of the many families who populate the peripheries of large cities, and also of those who live in rural areas… how much misery, how much degradation!” he said.
And to make things even worse – the Pope continued – in some areas there is even war. War – he said – is always terrible, and it specially affects civilians and families.
“War really is the ‘mother of all poverties’, war impoverishes the family, it steals lives, souls, our most sacred feelings and our beloved ones” he said.
And yet – Pope Francis pointed out – even in the worst of circumstances, there are many poor people who persevere with dignity, often entrusting themselves to the goodness of God.
But – he warned – this fact must never be used to justify our indifference, rather it must increase our shame “that so much poverty exists!”
It’s almost a miracle – Francis said – that even amidst such poverty, families continue to be formed and sustained.
And he pointed out that those who consider family ties a secondary variable in respect to the quality of life “do not understand anything!”
We should kneel before these poor families – the Pope said – “they are a real school of humanity and they save society from barbarity”.
Pope Francis went on to say that “our modern economies often promote individual wellbeing at the expense of the family”, a reality that represents a grave contradiction as the immense work carried out by families is evaluated and appraised in budget plans.
The Pope concluded calling on Christians to always look for ways to strengthen and support families, especially poorer ones.
And he remarked on the fact that at this difficult time we all know some family member – a mother or a father – who are without work, and “the family suffers, the ties weaken. This is bad” he said.
The Church, as a mother – he said – can never be blind to the sufferings of her children. He said that she too must be poor so as to become fruitful and to be able to respond to so much misery.
For each of us, this means choosing simplicity both individually and in our institutions, so as to break down walls of division, especially poverty.
“To do this, prayer and action are needed” he said.
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Wednesday expressed his closeness to the Chinese people following the capsizing of a cruise ship on the Yangtze River.
Speaking to the crowds gathered in St. Peter’s Square for the General Audience, the Pope turned his thoughts to the victims and their families as hopes of finding any more survivors from the disaster fade.
“The Eastern Star”, with 456 mostly elderly people on board, overturned in bad weather on Monday night.
18 people are now confirmed to have died and 14 have been rescued.
“In a particular way I wish to express my closeness to the Chinese people in these difficult moments after the ferry disaster in the Yangtze River. pray for the victims, their families and for all involved in the rescue efforts” he said.
(from Vatican Radio)…
The general prayer intention of the Holy Father for the month of June is for immigrants and refugees, that they may find welcome and respect in the countries where they seek shelter. The issue of migrants making perilous voyages across seas, with many perishing on the way, has been making headlines in the media frequently. There seems to be no end to the ‘boat people’ from the north Africa desperately trying to reach the shores of Europe across the Mediterranean. Similarly, Rohingya Muslims escaping persecution in Myanmar and Bangladeshis fleeing poverty at home are making similar journeys in boats trying to reach the shores of South East Asian nations, such as Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand. With a regional crackdown on human traffickers, many of these boats have been abandoned at sea with little or no provisions. Pope Francis has a special concern for these migrants. That is why 3 months after his election in 2013, he dedicated his first visit outside Rome to the Italian island of Lampedusa, a transit point for thousands of refugees from Africa. Since then he has made numerous appeals for them. On May 24, the Holy Father called on the international community to provide the ‘innumerable displaced people in the Bay of Bengal and in the Andaman Sea” with the necessary humanitarian aid. Last week, in the Vatican, the Pope said that letting migrants die at sea was an “attack against life” like abortion or euthanasia. Let’s therefore join Pope Francis this month of June in praying that immigrants and refugees may find welcome and respect in the countries to which they come.
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) In preparation for his one day visit to the capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina on Saturday, Pope Francis has sent a video-message to the people of Sarajevo.
The Holy Father said that he hopes his visit will confirm the faith of Catholics, support ecumenical and interreligious dialogue, and especially encourage peaceful coexistence for all citizens of the country. The motto for the visit is “Peace be with you”, taken from Jesus’ encounter with the apostles on the evening of Easter.
The Apostolic Visit is scheduled to last for a little less than eleven hours, but the Holy Father will be busy from the moment he lands in Sarajevo on Saturday morning until he takes off in the evening.
After he has been welcomed at the Presidential Palace by President Bakir Izetbegović, the highlight of the visit will be the celebration of Holy Mass at 11:00 (UTC) at the Olympic Koševo stadium.
Later, he will meet with a host of people including civil authorities, Bishops, priests, religious and seminarians of Bosnia and Herzegovina. He will attend an Ecumenical and Interreligious meeting at 17:30 (UTC) before travelling to the ‘John Paul II’ Diocesan Youth Centre to meet with young people.
The Pope said in his video-message, “I am preparing to come among you as a fellow messenger of peace, to express to everyone – everyone! – my respect and my friendship. I would like to express to every person, every family, and every community the mercy, tenderness and love of God.”
Below, please find the full text of the video-message of Pope Francis
POPE FRANCIS’ VIDEO-MESSAGE FOR THE APOSTOLIC VISIT TO SARJEVO
Dear brothers and sisters,
In a few days I will travel to Sarajevo to meet you. This gives me joy, and I extend my cordial greetings to all of you who live in the city and in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
With the help of God I come among you to confirm the faith of Catholics, to support ecumenical and interreligious dialogue, and especially to encourage peaceful coexistence in your country. I invite you to join me in prayer, so that this Apostolic Visit may produce the desired fruits for the Christian community and the entire society.
“Peace be with you”. This is the motto of my visit. They are the words with which the risen Jesus greeted His disciples when He appeared among them in the Upper Room, on the evening of Easter. It is He, the Lord, our strength and our hope, who gives us His peace, that we might welcome it into our hearts and spread it with joy and with love.
For my part, I am preparing to come among you as a fellow messenger of peace, to express to everyone – everyone! – my respect and my friendship. I would like to express to every person, every family, and every community the mercy, tenderness and love of God.
Dear brethren of Bosnia and Herzegovina, I assure you all of my affection and my strong spiritual closeness. I encourage Catholics to be witnesses to their fellow citizens of the faith and love of God, working for a society that makes ways towards peace in brotherhood and in mutual cooperation.
In the meantime, I invoke on Sarajevo and the entire country the blessing of the Lord and the maternal protection of the Virgin Mary. Thank you, and see you soon!
(from Vatican Radio)…