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Monday, March 13, 2017
ANGELUS POPE FRANCIS
Saint Peter's Square First Sunday of Lent, 5 March 2017
 

 Dear Brothers and Sisters, Good morning!

In this First Sunday of Lent, the Gospel introduces us to the journey toward Easter, revealing Jesus as he remains in the desert for 40 days, subjected to the temptations of the devil (cf. Mt 4:1-11). This episode takes place at a precise moment in Jesus’ life: immediately after his Baptism in the River Jordan and prior to his public ministry. He has just received the solemn investiture: the Spirit of God has descended upon him, the heavenly Father has declared him “my beloved Son” (Mt 3:17). Jesus is now ready to begin his mission; and as this mission has a declared enemy, namely, Satan, He confronts him straight away, “up close”. The devil plays precisely on the title “Son of God” in order to deter Jesus from the fulfillment of his mission: “If you are the Son of God” (4:3, 6); and proposes that He perform miraculous acts — to be a “magician” — such as transforming stones into bread so as to satiate his hunger, and throwing himself down from the temple wall so as to be saved by the angels. These two temptations are followed by the third: to worship him, the devil, so as to have dominion over the world (cf. v. 9).

Through this three-fold temptation, Satan wants to divert Jesus from the way of obedience and humiliation — because he knows that in this way, on this path, evil will be conquered — and to lead Him down the false shortcut to success and glory. But the devil’s poisonous arrows are “blocked” by Jesus with the shield of God’s Word (vv. 4, 10), which expresses the will of the Father. Jesus does not speak a word of his own: He responds only with the Word of God. Thus the Son, filled with the power of the Holy Spirit, comes out of the desert victorious.

During the 40 days of Lent, as Christians we are invited to follow in Jesus’ footsteps and face the spiritual battle with the Evil One with the strength of the Word of God. Not with our words: they are worthless. The Word of God: this has the strength to defeat Satan. For this reason, it is important to be familiar with the Bible: read it often, meditate on it, assimilate it. The Bible contains the Word of God, which is always timely and effective. Someone has asked: what would happen were we to treat the Bible as we treat our mobile phone?; were we to always carry it with us, or at least a small, pocket-sized Gospel, what would happen?; were we to turn back when we forget it: you forget your mobile phone — ‘oh! I don’t have it, I’m going back to look for it’; were we to open it several times a day; were we to read God’s messages contained in the Bible as we read telephone messages, what would happen? Clearly the comparison is paradoxical, but it calls for reflection. Indeed, if we had God’s Word always in our heart, no temptation could separate us from God, and no obstacle could divert us from the path of good; we would know how to defeat the daily temptations of the evil that is within us and outside us; we would be more capable of living a life renewed according to the Spirit, welcoming and loving our brothers and sisters, especially the weakest and neediest, and also our enemies.

May the Virgin Mary, perfect icon of obedience to God and of unconditional trust in his will, sustain us on the Lenten journey, that we may set ourselves to listen docilely to the Word of God in order to achieve a true conversion of heart.

After the Angelus:
Dear brothers and sisters, I address a cordial greeting to the families, parish groups and all the pilgrims who have come from Italy and from various countries.

A few days ago we began Lent, which is the journey of the People of God toward Easter, a journey of conversion, of struggling against evil with the weapons of prayer, of fasting, and of works of charity. I hope that the Lenten journey may bear a wealth of fruit for everyone; and I ask you to remember to pray for me and for the collaborators of the Roman Curia, who this evening will begin the week of Spiritual Exercises. A heartfelt thank-you for the prayers that you will offer.

And please, do not forget — do not forget! — what would happen were we to treat the Bible as we treat our mobile phone. Think about this: the Bible always with us, close to us!
I wish you a happy Sunday! Enjoy your lunch! Arrivederci!
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Tuesday, March 07, 2017
GENERAL AUDIENCE POPE FRANCIS
Saint Peter's Square -- Ash Wednesday, 1st March 2017

PHOTO: pinterest.com

Christian hope - 13. Lent as a journey of hope

Dear Brothers and Sisters, Good morning!
On this day, Ash Wednesday, we enter the Liturgical Season of Lent. And because we are offering a series of catecheses on Christian hope, today I would like to present Lent to you as a journey of hope.

Indeed, this prospect is immediately evident if we consider that Lent was instituted in the Church as a time of preparation for Easter and that, therefore, the whole meaning of this 40-day period is illuminated by the Paschal Mystery toward which it is directed. We can imagine the Risen Lord who calls us to come out of our darkness, and so we set ourselves on the path toward the One who is Light. Lent is a journey toward the Risen Jesus; it is a period of repentance, also of mortification, not as an end in itself, but rather aimed at enabling ourselves to rise with Christ, to renew our baptismal identity, that is, to be born anew “of the spirit”, by the love of God (cf. Jn 3:3-6). This is why Lent is, by nature, a time of hope.

In order to better understand what this means, we must refer to the fundamental experience of the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt, recounted in the Bible in the Book which bears this name: Exodus. The point of departure was the condition of slavery in Egypt, oppression, forced labour. But the Lord has not forgotten his people and his promise: He calls Moses and, with a mighty arm, enables the Israelites to flee from Egypt and guides them through the desert toward the Land of Liberty. During this journey from slavery to freedom, the Lord gives the Law to the Israelites, to teach them to love Him, the One Lord, and to love each other as brothers. Scripture shows that the exodus is long and tormented: symbolically it lasts 40 years, which is the lifespan of a generation. A generation which, faced by the trials of the journey, is always tempted to bemoan Egypt and turn back. We too all know the temptation to turn back, everyone. But the Lord remains faithful and that poor people, led by Moses, reaches the Promised Land. This entire journey is carried out in hope: the hope of reaching the Land, and precisely in this sense it is an “exodus”, a escape from slavery to freedom. These 40 days are also for all of us an release from slavery, from sin, to experience freedom, the encounter with the Risen Christ.

Each step, each effort, each trial, each failure and each new start, all have meaning only within the salvific plan of God, who wants for his people life and not death, joy and not pain.

The Paschal Mystery of Jesus is his exodus, by which He has opened the way for us to reach full, eternal and blessed life. To open this path, this passage, Jesus had to strip himself of his glory, humble himself, be obedient unto death and unto death on the cross. Opening the path to eternal life for us cost all his blood, and thanks to Him we are saved from the slavery of sin. But this does not mean to say that He has done everything and that we do not have to do anything, that He has passed through the cross and we “go to heaven in a carriage”. It is not like that. Our salvation is surely his gift, but as it is a love story, he asks for our ‘yes’ and our participation in his love, as Our Mother Mary shows us, and after her, all the Saints.

This is the dynamic of Lent: Christ precedes us with his exodus, and we cross the desert thanks to Him and behind Him. He is tempted for us, and has defeated the Tempter for us, but we too must face temptations with Him and overcome them. He gives us the living water of his Spirit, and it is up to us to draw from his font and drink, in the Sacraments, in prayer, in adoration; He is the light which conquers darkness, and we are asked to keep alight the little flame that was entrusted to us on the day of our Baptism.

In this sense, Lent is the “sacramental sign of our conversion” (cf. Roman Missal, Oration, Collect, First Sunday of Lent); those who make the Lenten journey are always on the path of conversion. Lent is the sacramental sign of our journey from slavery to freedom, always to be renewed. It is certainly a demanding journey, as it rightly should be, because love is demanding, but it is a journey filled with hope. Indeed, I would add: the Lenten exodus is the journey in which hope itself is formed. The difficulty in crossing the desert — all the trials, temptations, illusions, mirages ... — all this serves to forge a solid, steadfast hope, on the model of that of the Virgin Mary, who, in the midst of the darkness of the Passion and death of her Son, continues to believe and to hope in his Resurrection, in the victory of God’s love.

With hearts open to this horizon, today we enter the Season of Lent. Feeling that we are part of the holy People of God, let us joyfully begin this journey of hope.

Special greetings:
I greet the English-speaking pilgrims and visitors taking part in today’s Audience, particularly the groups from Korea and the United States of America. May the Lenten journey we begin today bring us to Easter with hearts purified and renewed by the grace of the Holy Spirit. Upon you and your families I invoke an abundance of joy and peace in Christ our Redeemer. God bless you all!

I hope for each one of you that this encounter at the beginning of Lent may bring about a spiritual renewal with the participation in the Lenten celebrations and in the campaigns of solidarity that the many ecclesial organizations, in various parts of the world, promote so as to witness closeness to brothers and sisters in need.

I address a special thought to young people, to the sick and to newlyweds. Dear brothers and sisters, today, Ash Wednesday, may the Lord show you the path of hope to follow. May the Holy Spirit guide you to carry out a true journey of conversion, so as to rediscover the gift of the Word of God, to be cleansed of sin and to serve Christ.


© Copyright - Libreria Editrice Vaticana


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Monday, March 06, 2017
ANGELUS POPE FRANCIS
Saint Peter's Square -- Sunday, 26 February 2017

PHOTO: artisanchurch.com

Dear Brothers and Sisters, Good morning!
Today’s Gospel passage (cf. Mt 6:24-34) is a firm reminder to entrust yourself to God — do not forget: entrust yourself to God — who takes care of the living beings in Creation. He provides food for all the animals, looks after the lilies and grass of the field (cf. vv. 26-28); his beneficent and attentive gaze daily watches over our life. Our life passes quickly, tormented by many worries, which risk eliminating peace and balance; but this anguish is often pointless, because it cannot change the course of events. Jesus persistently exhorts us not to worry about tomorrow (cf. vv. 25, 28, 31), recalling that above everything, there is a loving Father who never forgets his children: entrusting oneself to Him does not magically resolve problems, but allows one to face them with the right attitude, courageously: I am courageous because I entrust myself to my Father who takes care of everything and who loves me very much.

God is not a distant and anonymous being: he is our refuge, the wellspring of our peace and tranquility. He is the rock of our salvation, to which we can cling with the certainty of not falling; one who clings to God never falls! He is our defence against the evil which is ever lurking. God is a great friend, ally, father to us, but we do not always realize it. We do not realize that we have a friend, an ally, a father who loves us, and we prefer to rely on immediate goods that we can touch, on contingent goods, forgetting and at times rejecting the supreme good, which is the paternal love of God. Feeling that he is our Father, in this epoch of orphanhood, is so important! In this orphaned world, feeling that he is Father. We distance ourselves from God’s love when we search incessantly for earthly goods and riches, thus showing an exaggerated liking for these realities.

Jesus tells us that this phrenetic search is illusory and a cause of unhappiness. He gives his disciples a fundamental rule of life: “seek first and foremost the Kingdom of God” (cf. v. 33). It is a matter of fulfilling the plan that Jesus proclaimed in the Sermon on the Mount, entrusting oneself to God who does not disappoint; — many friends, or many people whom we believed were friends, have disappointed us; God never disappoints! — dedicating oneself as faithful stewards of the goods that he has given us, even the earthly goods, but without “overdoing things” as if everything, even our salvation, depended only on us. This evangelical attitude requires a clear choice, which today’s reading indicates precisely: “You cannot serve God and mammon” (v. 24). Either the Lord, or fascinating but illusory idols. This choice that we are called to make then has an impact on many of our actions, plans and commitments. It means choosing to act very clearly and to continually renew, because the temptation to reduce everything to money, pleasure and power is relentless. There are so many such temptations.

While honouring these idols leads to tangible albeit fleeting results, choosing God and his Kingdom does not always immediately bear fruit. It is a decision one takes in hope and which leaves the complete fulfillment to God. Christian hope is extended to the future fulfillment of God’s promise and does not stop in the face of difficulty, because it is founded on God’s faithfulness, which never fails. He is steadfast; he is a faithful father; he is a faithful friend; he is a faithful ally.

May the Virgin Mary help us to entrust ourselves to the love and the goodness of our heavenly Father, to live in him and with him. This is the prerequisite to overcome life’s vicissitudes and adversities, and also persecution, as the witness of so many of our brothers and sisters shows us.

After the Angelus, the Holy Father continued:
Dear brothers and sisters, I offer a cordial greeting to all of you pilgrims from Rome, from Italy and from different countries.

Among others, I greet the group that has come for the occasion of “Rare Disease Day” — thank you, thank you for all you do — which takes place the day after tomorrow, and I hope that patients and their families may be appropriately supported in the difficult treatment, both at the medical and legislative levels.

I wish everyone a happy Sunday. Please, do not forget to pray for me. Enjoy your lunch. Arrivederci!


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Saturday, March 04, 2017
Puasa Katolik: Ampun Seribu Ampun
 
FOTO: cantualeantonianum.com
Hanya debulah aku
Di alas kaki-Mu Tuhan
Hauskan titik embun
Sabda penuh ampun

Ampun seribu ampun
Hapuskan dosaku
Segunung sesal ini
Kuhunjuk pada-Mu

Syair ini adalah penggalan lagu berjudul “Hanya debulah aku”. Lagu ini bernada lambat penuh sesal dan bergaya Sunda. Inilah salah satu lagu yang paling tenar—di Gereja Katolik Indonesia—selama masa puasa. Masa puasa ini akan berlangsung selama 40 hari sampai pada Pesta Paskah nanti. Tahun ini, masa Puasa atau juga disebut Prapaskah ini dimulai pada tanggal 1 Maret kemarin.

Lagu di atas menggambarkan sejarah awal manusia. Manusia berasal dari debu. Tampak seperti tidak ada apa-apanya. Nilainya hanya sebatas nilai debu. Memang, manusia tidak bernilai apa-apa terutama di bandingkan dengan Tuhan. Nilainya hanya sebatas debu. Di mata manusia, debu hanyalah sebuah wujud ringan yang mudah terbang ke sana ke mari oleh angin. Debu yang tak bernilai ini rupanya menjadi sesuatu yang bernilai di mata Tuhan. Ya, manusia berasal dari debu dan akan kembali menjadi debu.

Tuhan kiranya tidak salah memilih debu menjadi sarana untuk membentuk manusia. Debu bersifat ringan sehingga mudah terbang. Manusia kadang lupa akan sifat asalinya ini. Manusia kadang menjadi berat sekali. Berat untuk membantu sesama, untuk mengambil inisiatif, untuk mengakui kesalahan sendiri, untuk berdiam sejenak sebelum berkomentar, dan berat-berat lainnya. Manusia yang berat—dengan demikian—adalah manusia yang lupa akan dirinya.

Manusia hanyalah sebuah butiran debu sehingga mestinya ringan. Kalau menjadi berat, boleh jadi manusia itu menampung debu lain yang tak berguna. Debu yang kotor biasanya lengket dan akan menjadi tebal. Ketebalan ini membuat debu menjadi makin berat.

FOTO: globalplus.thearda.com

Dalam Gereja Katolik, masa puasa sering diidentikkan dengan masa untuk berubah. Dalam bahasa rohaninya disebut masa untuk bertobat. Perubahan inilah yang diperjuangkan oleh umat Katolik selama 40 hari. Berubah terutama dari yang buruk menjadi yang baik. Maka, perubahan yang utama adalah yang berasal dari diri sendiri. Masa puasa dengan demikian bukan masa untuk menunjuk pada orang lain tetapi terutama dan pertama-tama menunjuk pada diri sendiri.

Inilah perubahan yang asli dan murni. Karena asli dan murni, umat Katolik pun tidak boleh melarang orang lain untuk tidak menjual makanan yang enak dan menggoda selama masa puasa. Puasanya akan makin baik jika Anda melihat makanan itu dan tidak tergoda untuk memakanannya dengan penuh nafsu. Tetapi, jika Anda melarang orang lain untuk berjualan, ini bukan puasa lagi. Ini namanya membatasi kebebasan orang lain. Dan, ini tentu saja bertolak belakang dengan nilai masa puasa yakni berjalan menuju pembebasan.

Di Italia—negara bermayoritas Katolik—tidak ada larangan menjual makanan selama masa puasa. Mereka tahu, kalau ada larangan, roda perekonomian berhenti berputar. Gereja Katolik sendiri memang tidak melarang hal ini. Malahan, Gereja memberi kebebasan pada umatnya untuk menikmati semuanya ini dalam semangat berpuasa. Maksudnya, Anda tetap berpuasa dalam situasi seperti ini. Sebab, bukan mereka yang berpuasa tetapi Anda, sehingga Anda mesti menyesuaikan diri dengan mereka, dan bukan sebaliknya. Menarik sekali.

Perubahan erat kaitannya dengan pengharapan. Hanya mereka yang punya harapan-lah yang biasa berubah. Atau sebaliknya, orang yang mau berubah adalah orang yang memiliki pengharapan. Maka, seberat apa pun kesalahan itu, selalu ada kemungkinan untuk dimaafkan. Inilah pengharapan. Lagu di atas tadi—khususnya bait ke-2—menggambarkan pengharapan ini. Manusia memohon ampun atas kesalahannya dan pada akhirnya dia akan kembali pada jalan yang Tuhan tunjukkan.

Pengharapan ini menjadi salah satu tema penting dalam puasa umat Katolik. Paus Fransiskus dalam audiensi Rabu-an kemarin menyinggung soal ini. Paus bilang bahwa masa puasa adalah sebuah jalan pengharapan. Jalan ini kadang berat. Bayangkan selama 40 hari, umat Katolik mesti berpuasa. Puasa ini konkretnya dalam 3 bentuk yakni berpantang, berdoa, dan memberi sedekah. Berpantang di sini tidak terkait dengan larangan minum dan makan ini atau itu. Pantang yang dianjurkan oleh Gereja Katolik adalah pantang makan daging terutama sekali pada Rabu Abu (awal masa puasa) dan Jumat Agung (jelang akhir).
 
Billy Ray Harris, seorang pengemis di Kansas City, FOTO: scuolazoo.com

Namun, pantang dalam bentuk lainnya bisa dipilih sendiri. Asal niatnya jelas untuk berubah. Maka, umat Katolik pun misalnya bisa pilih pantang rokok selama masa puasa, pantang makanan tertentu yang paling ia sukai, pantang judi—jika ia penjudi. Pantang di sini bertujuan agar dia menyadari keadaannya dan berubah ke jalan yang baik. Maka, inti dari pantang adalah kembali menjadi diri sendiri yang berubah. Pantang—dengan demikian—bukan sekadar tidak berbuat ini dan itu tetapi lebih pada motif mengapa saya mesti menanggalkan kebiasaan ini dan itu.

Hal yang sama berlaku untuk berdoa dan bersedekah. Berdoa mestinya ditingkatkan selama masa puasa. Jika selama ini mungkin hanya berdoa untuk diri sendiri, di masa puasa diusahakan berdoa juga untuk orang lain, untuk negara, dunia, gereja, warga yang terkena bencana, yang kelaparan, yang susah mendapat layanan pendidikan, yang terkena gizi buruk, yang hidup dalam peperangan, dan sebagainya. Berdoa model ini tidak berpusat pada diri sendiri tetapi pada orang lain. Oleh karena itu, doa ini mesti lahir dari lubuk hati yang paling dalam.

Bersedekah juga menjadi satu dari tiga hal yang dianjurkan selama masa puasa. Bersedekah di sini lebih berarti memerhatikan keadaan orang lain. Jika dalam berdoa, perhatian ini terutama dijiwai dengan doa, dalam bersedekah perhatian ini menjadi nyata. Maka, memberi—sebesar atau sekecil apa pun—menjadi amat penting. Bersedekah—dengan demikian—bukan terutama pada jumlah bantuan tetapi pada kerelaan hati untuk memberi.

Rasa-rasanya puasa seperti ini sulit sekali. Umat Katolik pun tentunya merasakan sulitnya. Maka, jika Anda tidak ingin merasakan keadaan yang sulit, jangan memilih menjadi orang Katolik. Kesulitan ini rasa-rasanya seperti berjalan dalam gelap. Paus Fransiskus pun menggambarkan kesulitan ini seperti berjalan dalam kegelapan. Tetapi—menurut Paus—di ujung jalan ini ada terang. Itulah sebabnya, Paus menamai masa puasa sebagai masa pengharapan.

Pengaharapan ini—lanjut Paus Fransiskus—nyata dalam perjalanan dari gelap menuju terang. Dalam sejarahnya, masa puasa 40 hari ini mau menggambarkan perjalanan umat Israel menuju Tanah Terjanji. Umat Israel—sebagaimana diceritakan dalam Perjanjian Lama—bahkan berjalan lebih dari 40 hari. Perjalanan mereka disimbolkan dengan angka 40 tahun. Ini berarti makin lama lagi. Ini memang hanya angka simbolis saja. Maka, Gereja Katolik memilih untuk menyimbolkannya juga dengan 40 hari dalam setiap tahunnya.

Perjalanan ini selain melelahkan tentu melewati lorong-lorong gelap. Dalam gelap, biasanya akan kelihatan jati diri manusia. Menurut Paus Fransiskus, jati diri manusia adalah rapuh dan penuh dosa. Dosa-dosa dan kerapuhan ini disimbolkan dalam perjalanan selama 40 tahun ini. Dosa—tegas Paus—pada umumnya mengikat manusia. Maka, begitu jatuh dalam dosa, sulit sekali untuk bangkit.
 
Abu di dahi, FOTO: duepuntotre.it
Manusia—betapa pun dia jatuh—mestinya bisa bangun lagi. Proses bangun kembali ini adalah masa untuk mencari kebebasan. Jika dosa bersifat memikat, perjalanan dalam gelap ini bersifat membebaskan. Puasa dengan demikian adalah perjalanan menuju pembebasan. Jika umat Israel ingin bebas dari perbudakan, umat Katolik berjalan dan ingin bebas dari budak dosa.

Perjalanan menuju pembebasan ini butuh waktu panjang. Tidak bisa bebas dalam waktu singkat. Itulah sebabnya, Paus Fransiskus mengatakan masa puasa hendaknya dibuat setiap hari. Perjalanan menuju pembebasan mesti dibarui setiap hari. Hanya dengan ini, perjalanan panjang ini tidak akan terasa berat.

Selamat berpuasa untuk umat Katolik. Inilah ramadhan bagi mereka. Semoga menjadi masa yang betul-betul memperbarui diri sendiri. Ingat, jalannya berat, gelap, tetapi mestinya tetap ingat akan pengharapan. Sebab, di ujung sana ada terang. Seperti Yesus yang mengalami sengsara, pada akhirnya nanti akan bangkit pada Minggu Paskah. Sengsara Yesus diingatkan terus dan bahkan dihidupi lagi setiap hari Jumat selama masa Prapaskah dengan ibadat Jalan Salib. Salib bagi orang Yahudi adalah simbol kegagalan dan kejahatan, namun bagi orang Katolik, Salib adalah simbol kemenangan. Menang dari dosa. Sebab, Salib bukan akhir tetapi jalan menuju kebangkitan alias hidup kembali.

Selamat ber-ramadhan ria bagi umat Katolik.

BACA JUGA: ABU DI DAHI TANDA PERTOBATAN

Sekadar berbagi yang dilihat, ditonton, didengar, dirasakan, dialami, dibaca, dan direfleksikan.

PRM, 2/3/2017
Gordi

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Thursday, March 02, 2017
GENERAL AUDIENCE POPE FRANCIS
 Saint Peter's Square -- Wednesday, 22 February 2017

Christian hope - 12. For in this hope, we were saved (cf Rom 8:19-27)

PHOTO: pinterest.com

Dear Brothers and Sisters, Good morning!
We are often tempted to think that Creation is our property, a possession that we can exploit as we please, and for which we must account to no one. In the passage of the Letter to the Romans (8:19-27), a part of which we have just heard, the Apostle Paul reminds us that instead, Creation is a wondrous gift that God has placed in our hands, so that we may enter a relationship with him and we may recognize in it the imprint of his loving plan, the fulfillment of which calls us all to work together, day after day.

However, when a human being allows himself to succumb to selfishness, he ends up defacing even the most beautiful things that have been entrusted to him. And this has also happened with Creation. Let us think about water. Water is something beautiful and very important. Water gives us life; it helps us in everything, but, in order to exploit minerals, water is contaminated; Creation is sullied and Creation is destroyed. This is just one example. There are many others. With the tragic experience of sin, our broken communion with God, we have shattered the original communion with all that surrounds us and we have ended by corrupting Creation, thereby rendering it a slave, subjugated to our shortsightedness. Unfortunately the result of all this is dramatically before our eyes, every day. When communion with God is broken, man loses his original beauty and ends up disfiguring everything around him; and whereas before everything referred to the Father Creator and his infinite love, all is now marked by the sad and desolate sign of pride and of human greed. Human pride, in exploiting Creation, destroys.

The Lord, however, does not leave us on our own and even in this distressing context, he offers us a new prospect of freedom, of universal salvation. It is what Paul highlights joyfully, inviting us to listen to the groans of the whole of Creation. Indeed, if we pay attention, around us everything is groaning: Creation itself groans; we human beings groan and the Holy Spirit groans within us, in our heart. Now, these groans are not a barren, disconsolate lament, but — as the Apostle explains — they are the groaning of a woman in labour; they are the groans of those who suffer, but know that a new life is about to be born. And in our case, it is truly so. We are still gripped by the consequences of our sin and everything, around us, still bears the sign of our weariness, of our shortcomings, of our closure. At the same time, however, we know we have been saved by the Lord and that we have already been able to contemplate and to foretaste, in ourselves and in what surrounds us, the signs of the Resurrection, of Easter, which brings about a new Creation.

This is the content of our hope. The Christian does not live outside of the world; he knows how to recognize in his life and in what surrounds him the signs of evil, of selfishness and of sin. He is in solidarity with those who suffer, with those who weep, with those who are marginalized, with those who despair.... However, at the same time, the Christian has learned to read all of this with the eyes of Easter, with the eyes of the Risen Christ. Thus, he knows that we are living in the time of waiting, the time of longing which transcends the present, the time of fulfillment. In hope we know that the Lord wants to definitively heal with his mercy the wounded and humiliated hearts and all that man has spoiled by his impiety, and that in this way, He regenerates a new world and a new humanity, finally reconciling them in his love.

How often are we Christians tempted to give in to disappointment, to pessimism.... At times we allow ourselves to resort to pointless complaining, or we remain speechless and do not even know what to ask for, what to hope for.... Yet once more, however, the Holy Spirit — the breath of our hope, who keeps the groans and the expectation alive in our heart — comes to help us. The Spirit sees for us beyond the negative semblance of the present; he already reveals to us the new heavens and the new earth that the Lord is preparing for mankind.

Special greetings:
Particular apprehension is aroused by the painful news arriving from war-torn South Sudan, where a fratricidal conflict coincides with a serious food crisis that afflicts the region of the Horn of Africa and that condemns millions of people, among them many children, to die of hunger. At this time the commitment of everyone is more necessary than ever in order to transcend mere declarations and to enable concrete food aid to reach the suffering populations. May the Lord sustain these brothers and sisters of ours and those working to help them.

I greet the English-speaking pilgrims and visitors taking part in today’s Audience, particularly those from England, Ireland, Norway, India and the United States of America. Upon all of you, I invoke the gifts of mercy and peace, and I pray to the Lord that they may help you to care for Creation and one another. May God bless you!

I address a special thought to young people, to the sick and to newlyweds. Today we are celebrating the Feast of the Chair of Saint Peter, a day of special communion of believers with the Successor of Saint Peter Apostle, and with the Holy See. Dear young people, I encourage you to intensify your prayer in favour of my Petrine Ministry; dear sick people, I thank you for the witness of life given in suffering for the edification of the ecclesial community; and you, dear newlyweds, build your family on the same love that binds the Lord Jesus to his Church.
       

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Monday, February 27, 2017
ANGELUS POPE FRANCIS
Saint Peter's Square -- Sunday, 19 February 2017

PHOTO: thedivinemercy.org

Dear Brothers and Sisters, Good morning!
In this Sunday’s Gospel (Mt 5:38-48) — one of the passages that best illustrates Christian “revolution” — Jesus shows us the way of true justice through the law of love which is greater than the law of retaliation, “an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth”. This ancient law imposed the infliction on wrongdoers of a punishment equivalent to the damage they caused: death for those who killed, amputation for those who injured, and so on. Jesus does not ask his disciples to abide evil, but asks them to react; however, not with another evil action, but with good. This is the only way to break the chain of evil: one evil leads to another which leads to another evil.... This chain of evil is broken and things truly begin to change. Evil is, in fact, a “void”, a void of good. It is not possible to fill a void, except with “fullness”, that is, good. Revenge never leads to conflict resolution. “You did this to me, I will do it back to you”: this never resolves conflict, nor is it even Christian.

According to Jesus, the rejection of violence can also involve the sacrifice of a legitimate right. He gives a few examples of this: turn the other cheek, give up your coat or money, accept other sacrifices (v. 39-42). But such sacrifice does not mean that the demands of justice should be ignored or contradicted. No, on the contrary, Christian love, which manifests itself in a special way in mercy, is an achievement superior to justice. What Jesus wants to teach us is the clear distinction that we must make between justice and revenge. Distinguishing between justice and revenge. Revenge is never just. We are permitted to ask for justice. It is our duty to exercise justice. We are, however, not permitted to avenge ourselves or, in any way foment revenge, as it is an expression of hatred and violence.

Jesus does not wish to propose a new system of civil law, but rather the commandment to love thy neighbour, which also includes loving enemies: “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you”. (v. 44) And this is not easy. These words should not be seen as an approval of evil carried out by an enemy, but as an invitation to a loftier perspective, a magnanimous perspective, similar to that of the Heavenly Father, who, Jesus says, “makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust”. (v. 45). An enemy, in fact, is also a human being, created as such in God’s image, despite the fact that in the present, that image may be tarnished by shameful behaviour.

When we speak of “enemies”, we should not think about people who are different or far removed from us; let us also talk about ourselves, as we may come into conflict with our neighbour, at times with our relatives. How many hostilities exist within families — how many! Let us think about this. Enemies are also those who speak ill of us, who defame us and do us harm. It is not easy to digest this. We are called to respond to each of them with good, which also has strategies inspired by love.

May the Virgin Mary help us follow Jesus on this demanding path, which truly exalts human dignity and lets us live as children of our Father who art in Heaven. May she help us exercise patience, dialogue, forgiveness, and to be artisans of communion, artisans of fraternity in our daily life, and above all in our families.

After the Angelus:
Appeal

Dear Brothers and Sisters,
Unfortunately, news of violent clashes in the Kasaï-Central region of the Democratic Republic of Congo continues to arrive. I feel deep pain for the victims, in particular, for the many children torn from their families and schools to be used as soldiers. This is a tragedy: child soldiers. I ensure my closeness and my prayers also for the religious and humanitarian workers who operate in that difficult region; and I renew a heartfelt appeal to the conscience and to the responsibility of the national authorities and the international community, to take appropriate and timely decisions to rescue these brothers and sisters. Let us pray for them and for all people who, also in other parts of the African continent and in the world, suffer as a result of violence and war. I am thinking, in particular, of the people of Pakistan and Iraq who have been struck by cruel acts of terrorism in the past few days. Let us pray for the victims, the injured and their families. Let us pray ardently that every heart hardened by hatred may be converted to peace, according to God’s will. Let us pray for a moment in silence.
[Hail Mary....]

I greet you all, families, associations, parish groups and individual pilgrims from Italy and various parts of the world.

In particular, I greet the students from Armagh, Ireland.

I wish everyone a happy Sunday, a beautiful day! [He points to the blue sky.] Please, do not forget to pray for me. Enjoy your lunch. Arrivederci!


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Thursday, February 23, 2017
GENERAL AUDIENCE POPE FRANCIS
Paul VI Audience Hall -- Wednesday, 15 February 2017

PHOTO: pinterest.com

Dear Brothers and Sisters, Good morning!
From the time we were small we are taught that it is not nice to boast. In my land, those who boast are called ‘pavoni’ (peacocks). It is right, because boasting about what one is or what one has, apart from a certain arrogance, also reveals a lack of respect toward others, especially toward those who are less fortunate than we are. In this passage from the Letter to the Romans, however, the Apostle Paul surprises us, as at least twice he exhorts us to boast. Of what, then, is it right to boast? Because if he exhorts us to boast, it is right to boast about something. And how is it possible to do this, without offending others, without excluding someone?

In the first case, we are invited to boast of the abundance of the grace with which we are permeated in Jesus Christ, by way of the faith. Paul wants to make us understand that, if we learn to read everything in the light of the Holy Spirit, we realize that everything is grace! Everything is a gift! If we pay attention, in fact — in history, as in our life — it is not only we who are acting, but above all it is God. He is the absolute protagonist who creates every thing as a gift of love, who weaves his plan of salvation and who leads it to fulfillment for us, through his Son Jesus. We are asked to recognize all this, to welcome it with gratitude and to make it become a source of praise, of blessing and of great joy. If we do this, we are at peace with God and we experience freedom. This peace is then extended to all areas and to all the relationships of our life: we are at peace with ourselves, we are at peace in our family, in our community, at work and with the people we encounter each day on our journey.

Paul, however, exhorts us to boast even in tribulation. This is not easy to understand. This is more difficult for us and it may seem to have nothing to do with the condition of peace just described. However, it constitutes its truest, most authentic premise. Indeed, the peace the Lord offers us and guarantees us is not to be understood as the absence of worry, of disappointment, of failure, of reasons for suffering. If it were so, supposing we had managed to be at peace, that moment would end quickly, and we would inevitably fall prey to unease. Instead, the peace that springs from faith is a gift: it is the grace of feeling that God loves us and that he is always beside us; he does not leave us on our own even for a moment of our life. This, as the Apostle states, generates patience, because we know that, even at the hardest and most disturbing moment, the Lord’s mercy and goodness are greater than everything, and nothing will tear us from his hands and from communion with him.

Here then is why Christian hope is steadfast; here is why it does not disappoint. Never does it disappoint. Hope does not disappoint! It is not based on what we can do or be, nor even on what we may believe in. Its foundation, that is, the foundation of Christian hope, is what we can be most faithful and certain of, that is to say, the love that God himself has for each of us. It is easy to say: God loves us. We all say it. But think a bit: each one of us is able to ask: am I sure that God loves me? It is not so easy to say it. But it is true. This is a good exercise, to say to oneself: God loves me. This is the root of our certainty, the root of hope. The Lord has abundantly poured into our hearts the Spirit — which is the love of God — as artisan, as guarantor, precisely so that he may nourish the faith within us and keep this hope alive. This is a certainty: God loves me. ‘But in this difficult moment?’ — God loves me. ‘I, who have done this bad and cruel thing?’ — God loves me. No one can take this certainty away. We must repeat it as a prayer: God loves me. I am sure that God loves me. I am sure that God loves me.

Now we can understand why the Apostle Paul exhorts us to always boast about all this. I boast of God’s love because he loves me. The hope that we have been given never divides us from others, much less does it lead us to discredit or marginalize them. Instead it is an extraordinary gift of which we are called to make ourselves ‘channels’, with humility and simplicity, for everyone. So our boastfulness is because we have as Father a God who is impartial, who does not exclude anyone, but who opens his house to all human beings, beginning with the least and the most distant, so that as his children we may learn to console and support one another. And never forget: hope does not disappoint.

Special greetings:
I greet the English-speaking pilgrims and visitors taking part in today’s Audience, particularly those from England, Denmark and the United States of America. Upon all of you, I invoke the grace of the Lord Jesus, that you may be a sign of Christian hope in your homes and communities. May God bless you!

I offer a special greeting to young people, to the sick and to newlyweds. Yesterday we celebrated the Feast of Saints Cyril and Methodius, evangelizers of the Slavs and Co-patrons of Europe. May their example help you, dear young people, to become missionary disciples in every environment; may their tenacity encourage you, dear sick people, to offer up your suffering for the conversion of those who are distant; and may their love of the Lord enlighten you, dear newlyweds, to place the Gospel as the fundamental rule of your family life.
     

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Monday, February 20, 2017
ANGELUS POPE FRANCIS
Saint Peter's Square--Sunday, 12 February 2017

PHOTO: successfullady.in

Dear Brothers and Sisters, Good morning!
Today’s liturgy presents us with another passage of the Sermon on the Mount, which we find in the Gospel of Matthew (cf. 5:17-37). In this passage, Jesus wants to help his listeners to reread the Mosaic law. What had been said in the ancient covenant was true, but that was not all: Jesus came to bring to fulfillment and to promulgate in a definitive way the Law of God, up to the last iota (cf. v. 18). He manifests its original aims and fulfils its authentic aspects, and he does all this through his preaching and, even more, with the offering of himself on the Cross. In this way, Jesus teaches how to fully carry out God’s will, and he uses these words: with a ‘righteousness’ that ‘exceeds’ that of the scribes and the Pharisees (cf. v. 20). A righteousness enlivened by love, charity, mercy, and hence capable of fulfilling the substance of the commandments, avoiding the risk of formalism. Formalism: this I can, this I cannot; up to this point I can, up to this point I cannot.... No: more, more.

In particular, in today’s Gospel, Jesus examines three aspects, three commandments [that regard] murder, adultery and swearing.

With regard to the commandment ‘you shall not kill’, he states that it is violated not only by murder in effect, but also by those behaviours that offend the dignity of the human person, including insulting words (cf. v. 22). Of course, these insulting words do not have the same gravity and culpability as killing, but they are set along the same line, because they are the pretext to it and they reveal the same malevolence. Jesus invites us not to establish a ranking of offences, but to consider all of them damaging, inasmuch as they are driven by the intent to do harm to one’s neighbour. Jesus gives an example. Insulting: we are accustomed to insulting; it is like saying “good morning”. And that is on the same line as killing. One who insults his brother, in his heart kills his brother. Please do not insult! We do not gain anything....

Another fulfillment is generated by the matrimonial law. Adultery was considered a violation of man’s property right over the woman. Instead, Jesus goes to the root of the evil. As one comes to killing through injuries, offences and insults, in this way one reaches adultery through covetous intentions in regard to a woman other than one’s own wife. Adultery, like theft, corruption and all the other sins, are first conceived in the depth of our being and, once the wrong choice is made in the heart, it is carried out in concrete behaviour. Jesus says: one who looks with a covetous spirit at a woman who is not his own is an adulterer in his heart, has set off on the path towards adultery. Let us think a little bit about this: about the wicked thoughts that go along this line.

Jesus then tells his disciples not to swear, as swearing is a sign of the insecurity and duplicity with which human relationships unfold. God’s authority is exploited so as to guarantee our human narrative. Instead, we are called to establish among ourselves, in our families and in our communities, a climate of clarity and mutual trust, so that we can be considered sincere without resorting to greater tactics in order to be believed. Mistrust and mutual suspicion always threaten peace!

May the Virgin Mary, a woman of listening and joyful obedience, help us to draw ever closer to the Gospel, to be Christians not ‘of façade’, but of substance! This is possible with the grace of the Holy Spirit, who allows us to do everything with love, and thus to wholly fulfil the will of God.

After the Angelus:
Dear brothers and sisters, I greet all of you pilgrims present, the families, parish groups, associations.

I wish everyone a happy Sunday. Do not forget: do not insult; do not look with covetous eyes at a neighbour’s wife; do not swear. Three things that Jesus says. It is so easy! Please, do not forget to pray for me. Enjoy your lunch. Arrivederci!


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