(Vatican Radio) True peace is not man-made but a gift of the Holy Spirit. “A peace without a cross is not the peace of Jesus” for it is only the Lord who can give us peace amidst tribulations. This was the central message of the homily of Pope Francis at Mass, Tuesday morning, in the chapel of the Casa Santa Marta residence in the Vatican.
Developing his homily on the words of Jesus at the Supper in John’s Gospel, “I leave you peace, my peace I give you,” the Holy Father focused on the meaning of the peace given by the Lord. The day’s reading from the Acts of the Apostles, he noted, speaks of the many tribulations that Paul and Barnabas experienced in their journeys to proclaim the Gospel. “Is this the peace that Jesus gives us?” the Pope asked, and immediately answered saying Jesus emphasizes that the peace He gives is not the one given by the world.
The world wants anesthetized peace to prevent us from seeing the Cross
“The peace that the world offers us,” the Pope said, “is a peace without tribulations. It offers us an artificial peace “reduced to “tranquility”. It is a peace “that is only concerned about one’s affairs and one’s security, lacking in nothing,” a bit like the peace of the rich Dives in the parable of Lazarus, a tranquility that “shuts” oneself without seeing “beyond”:
“The world teaches us the way to anesthetized peace: it anesthetizes us from seeing another reality of life: the Cross. This is why Paul says that one must enter into the Kingdom of Heaven on the road with many tribulations. But is it possible to obtain peace amidst tribulation? From our side, no; we are unable to make peace that is tranquility, a psychological peace, our peace, because tribulations are there, whether pain, illness or death. But the peace that Jesus gives is a gift: it is a gift of the Holy Spirit; and this peace lasts through tribulations and beyond. It’s not a sort of stoicism of the ‘fakir’. No. it’s something else.”
God’s peace cannot be bought, without Cross is not real peace
According to Pope Francis, God’s peace is “a gift that keeps us going.” After granting peace to His disciples, Jesus suffers in the Garden of Olives and there “He offers everything to the will of the Father and suffers, but He does not lack God’s consolation”. In fact, the Gospel, says that “an angel appeared to him from heaven to console him”:
“God’s peace is real peace, that enters the reality of life, that does not deny life; that is life. There is suffering, there are the sick people, there are many bad things, there are wars … but that peace within, which is a gift, is not lost, but goes ahead bearing the Cross and suffering. Peace without the Cross is not the peace of Jesus: it is a peace that can be bought, that can make. But it does not last; it comes to an end. ”
Let’s ask for the grace of inner peace, a gift of the Holy Spirit
When I get angry, the Pope said, “I lose peace.” When my heart is “troubled,” “it is because I am not open to the peace of Jesus,” because I am unable to “bear life as it comes, with its crosses and sorrows that accompany it.” Rather, we must be able to ask for the grace to ask the Lord for his peace:
“‘We must enter the Kingdom of God through many tribulations’. The grace of peace – of not losing that inner peace. Regarding this a saint said, ‘The life of the Christian is a journey between the persecutions of the world and the consolations of God’ (St. Augustine). May the Lord make us understand well what this peace is which He gives us with the Holy Spirit. ”
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio)
Pope Francis has sent a telegram to the new President of France, Emmanuel Macron.
The telegram began with the words “On the occasion of your investiture as the President of the Republic of France, I send you my very cordial wishes for the exercise of your high office, at the service of all your people.”
The message went on to say that the Pope prays that France always strives to “build a more just and fraternal society, drawing on the rich diversity of moral traditions, of which Christianity is one.”
The Pope also highlighted those “In danger and at risk of being excluded” and said he prayed that France would continue to promote cooperation and solidarity amongst nations.
Before blessing the new president, the Pope also said he prayed “That France continues to promote the search for peace and the common good, respect for life and the defense and dignity of every person and all peoples, both in Europe and throughout the world.”
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) The Vatican has released details of Pope Francis upcoming Pastoral Visit to Genoa.
The one day visit will begin with an encounter with the “world of labour.”
Later he will meet with the Bishops of Liguria, along with the priests, seminarians, and religious of the region; as well as lay curial collaborators, and representatives of other religious confessions at the Cathedral of San Lorenzo.
Pope Francis will than have an opportunity to spend time with young people attached to the Diocesan Mission at the Marian Sanctuary of the Madonna della Guardia.
After lunch at the sanctuary with a number of poor persons, refugees, the homeless, and prisoners, the Holy Father will meet with children from the various departments of the Giannina Gaslini Pediatric Hospital.
The Pope’s Pastoral Visit will conclude with Solemn Mass at the Piazzale Kennedy, named for the first Catholic President of the United States.
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) Following the Regina Coeli on Sunday, Pope Francis entrusted “to Mary, the Queen of Peace, the destiny of the peoples afflicted by wars and conflicts, particularly in the Middle East.” Many innocent people, he said, whether Christians, or Muslims, or members of minority groups such as the Yazidis, are “sorely tried,” suffering “tragic violence and discrimination.”
The Holy Father assured them of his solidarity and prayer, and at the same time thanked all those committed to assisting them in their need.
Pope Francis encouraged all the different communities to continue along the “path of dialogue and reconciliation in order to build a future of respect, security and peace.”
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) “Let us greet the Virgin of Fatima!”
Following his pilgrimage to Fatima, Pope Francis said the Regina Coeli on Sunday, took on “a particular significance, imbued with memory and prophecy for those who view history with the eyes of faith.” Reflecting on his journey, the Pope said, “At Fatima I was immersed in the prayer of the faithful holy People, prayer that for one hundred years has flowed there like a river, for the maternal protection of Mary for the whole world.”
The Holy Father focused on the “recollected and contemplative climate” during his pilgrimage. “And at the centre of everything,” he said, “was and is the Risen Lord, present in the midst of His People in the Word and in the Eucharist; present in the midst of the many sick people, who are the protagonists of the liturgical and pastoral life of Fatima, as of every Marian sanctuary.”
One of the highlights of Pope Francis pilgrimage was the Solemn Mass on Saturday, when he canonized two of the visionaries of Fatima, Francisco and Jacinta Marto. With the canonization, the Pope said, “I wanted to propose to the whole Church their example of adhesion to Christ and to evangelical witness… And I also want to propose to the whole Church to have the heart of children.” He said their sanctity is not “a consequence of the apparitions, but of the fidelity and ardour with which they corresponded to the privilege they had received of being able to see the Virgin Mary.”
He pointed out that the visionaries, after having seen Mary, frequently said the Rosary, did penance, and offered sacrifices for an end to the war [World War I, which was raging at the time], and for the souls most in need of divine mercy. “In our day, too,” the Pope said, “there is great need of prayer and of penance to implore the grace of conversion,” and an end to the many wars and conflicts in the world today, “which disfigure the face of humanity.”
“Let us allow ourselves to be guided by the light that comes from Fatima,” Pope Francis said, before concluding his reflection with a prayer: “May the Immaculate Heart of Mary always be our refuge, our consolation, and the way that leads to Christ.”
(from Vatican Radio)…