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Monday, August 21, 2017
WAJAH YANG POLOS


Mungkin perlu wajah yang polos untuk menikmati keindahan seorang wanita. Itu berarti, wajah itu tanpa kosmetik. Dengan itu, kecantikan yang ada muncul dari kedalaman dan bukan dari penampakan polesan kosmetik. Di tengah kepolesan berbagai hal mulai dari kosmetik, makanan, sampai pada pengalaman iman, kita butuh kepolosan dalam berelasi dengan Tuhan.

Kepolosan seperti itu muncul dari suara seorang adik SD sore ini (18 Agustus). Suara itu terdengar indah dan menggugah.

“Kak, boleh kita foto bersama?” tanya seorang anak di Stasi Majuah-juah, Paroki St Paulus. Saya yang sedang mencek pesan masuk di hp sontak kaget dan membalas dengan senyum sambil menatap wajah adik itu.

“Ayo, tentu saja kita bisa berfoto bersama,” jawab saya sambil memeluknya.

Kami pun siap berfoto. Teman-teman lain dikumpulkan dalam barisan. Ada dua baris. Saya berada di barisan kedua bersama beberapa adik SD itu. Yang lainnya di depan. Ada beberapa hp yang mengabadikan barisan kami saat itu. Beberapa dari adik-adik ini bergiliran memberikan hp pada sang fotografer bergilir. Seolah-olah mereka tidak mau kehilangan momen ini. Boleh jadi, mereka merasa bangga sekali bisa berfoto bersama sore itu.

Saya senang dan bangga bisa berkumpul bersama mereka pada saat itu. Kalau boleh bilang, mereka adalah sahabat-sahabat yang langsung akrab pada saat itu. Kesempatan ini memang datang setelah Perayaan Ekaristi yang kami rayakan. Pada saat itu, saya membagikan pengalaman panggilan saya. Boleh jadi, mereka sudah mendengar cerita saya. Atau paling tidak, mereka sudah melihat saya. Jadi, tentu saja, kami bukan orang asing satu sama lainnya. Kami sudah saling kenal. Hanya saja masih disekat oleh rasa malu dan enggan sehingga permintaan itu pun seakan-akan begitu berjarak. Tetapi, justru permintaan itu adalah gambaran kepolosan seorang anak.

Permintaan adik tadi mengingatkan saya akan wajah-wajah polos di tempat lainnya yang saya temukan dalam kegiatan animasi panggilan ini. Wajah mereka menampakkan pemandangan yang bukan saja indah untuk dilihat, tetapi juga menarik untuk didekatkan. Itulah sebabnya, permintaan itu bukan saja sekadar ingin berfoto. Saya malah melihatnya sebagai sebuah ajakan untuk saling menguatkan dan berbagi. Hanya dalam kepolosanlah, kita bisa saling menguatkan dan berbagi.


Beberapa teman dari Italy berkomentar tentang foto itu. Ada yang bilang, Gordi, kamu sudah di jalan yang benar, anak-anak ditempatkan di barisan pertama, (Giorgio R). Boleh jadi ini sebuah keajaiban. Tidak ada pikiran untuk menempatkan mereka seperti itu sebenarnya. Tetapi, bagus juga ketika ada sahabat yang menilainya seperti itu.

Penilaian itu juga menaruhkan harapan yang indah akan masa depan Gereja dan Bangsa kita. Ada yang berkomentar, Gordi, sungguh indah melihat kamu berada di tengah masa depan ini. Merekalah harapan kita, (Nama samaran). Harapan memang selalu menjadi ciri khas anak-anak dan kaum muda. Maka, melihat mereka berarti melihat sebuah harapan. Kaum muda juga hendaknya memiliki harapan. Uskup Parma, Monsinyur Enrico Solmi dalam pesannya kepada kaum muda di Kota dan Keuskupan Parma pada 2016 yang lalu berpesan agar kaum muda memiliki harapan untuk bisa memperbaiki kota dan Gereja di kota Parma. Ia lalu menantang kaum muda dengan kata-kata seorang santo. Katanya, “Anak muda yang tidak memiliki mimpi adalah anak muda yang mati.”

Harapan selalu terkait dengan kehidupan. Itulah sebabnya, tanpa harapan sama dengan tanpa kehidupan. Dan, tanpa kehidupan sama maknanya dengan sebuah kematian. Entah kematian fisik, ide, kehidupan, pikiran, perbuatan, relasi, dan sebaginya.

Akhirnya, terima kasih kepada adik-adik yang polos dari Stasi Menjuah-juah. Wajah kalian akan saya ingat dan akan saya pandang terus menerus.

BM, 21/8/2017
Gordi

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Friday, August 11, 2017
GEREJA DI TENGAH SAWIT


Gereja hadir di mana-mana termasuk di tengah Kebun Sawit. Inilah yang kami lihat hari ini. Gereja memang selain berarti gedung fisik juga kumpulan umat yang percaya kepada Yesus Kristus. Maka, di mana umat hadir, di situlah Gereja hadir.

Gereja ini boleh dibilang berwajah Kebun Sawit. Wajahnya ini mengelilingi gedung sederhana itu. Gereja itu—seperti Kebun Sawit—tidak lepas dari kehidupan warganya. Jika sawit adalah salah satu denyut nadi kehidupan warga, Gereja juga hadir menjadi bagian dari kehidupan warga.

Dari jalan tanah tampak nama gereja itu: Gereja Katolik, Stasi St. Dominikus-Tambusai. Tulisan Gereja Katolik itu makin memperjelas identitas bangunan itu. Identitas ini ditambah dengan lambang salib di atas bubungan gereja. Dari jauh, tamu boleh menebak gedung ini.

Saya sendiri langsung menebaknya sebelum memasuki gerbang gereja. Tebakan ini seolah-olah menyapa kami sebagai tamu. Saat masuk di pelataran gedung gereja, umat berdatangan memberi salam. “Selamat pagi, selamat pagi,” sapa mereka. Saya dan teman-teman dari Pekanbaru langsung menjawab sapaan itu sambil membagikan senyum indah di siang bolong itu.

Salam itu tidaki berhenti di sini. Umat lain pun berdatangan satu per satu. Mereka pada umumnya datang dengan sepeda motor. Hanya beberapa yang berjalan kaki. Menurut beberapa umat, yang berjalan kaki biasanya yang rumahnya dekat. Atau juga memilih jalan kaki sekadar untuk bercerita. Ini menarik. Daripada naik motor tanpa obrolan, lebih baik berjalan kaki sambil bergurau.

Yang naik sepeda motor juga ada untungnya. Mereka tiba lebih cepat juga untuk ngobrol sama umat lainnya. Obrolan mereka kiranya memberi penegasan tentang kehidupan mereka. Mereka pada umumnya hidup berdampingan, berdekatan, harmonis, saling kenal, dan aman tenteram.

Di rumah sebelah gereja, kami melihat ada Ibu berjilbab. Identitasnya pun sudah jelas. Dia muslim. Dengan jilbabnya, Ibu ini bukan saja memberi tahu kami bahwa dia muslim, tetapi dia membalas sapaan kami. Saya yang orang baru hanya memberi senyuman dan anggukan sebagai tanda hormat. Dia tetap membalasnya meski kami tidak saling kenal.

Dari sini saja sudah bisa ditebak, mereka hidup berdampingan. Identitas ini makin tampak dalam obrolan di dalam gereja sebelum misa dan saat makan bersama setelah misa. Hidup berdampingan seperti ini kiranya menjadi bahan pelajaran bagi orang kota. Cara hidup tertutup dan cuek di kota membuat orang-orang di sini bisa jadi panutan. Rumah mereka memang tidak berpagar seperti di kota. Dengan ini, mereka dengan mudah berinteraksi satu sama lain.

Selesai misa, kami makan bersama di rumah salah satu umat. Suasana persaudaraan dan kedekatan makin terasa. Kami semua tertampung di dalam rumah besar ini. Saya membayangkan betapa murah hatinya pemilik rumah ini. Dia tentunya mengeluarkan biaya besar untuk menyiapkan makanan dan minuman. Berapa kilo gram berasnya, berapa biaya lauknya, berapa biaya untuk minuman kopinya, waktu dan tenaga untuk menyiapkannya, dan sebagainya. Biaya ini tentu besar jika dihitung semuanya.

Biaya ini—bagi orang kota—tentunya amat besar lagi. Tetapi, biaya ini seolah-olah tidak begitu besar bagi orang sederhana di tengah kebun sawit ini. Jika biayanya terasa besar dan berat, pasti mereka tidak bisa tersenyum satu sama lain. Rupanya mereka semua tersenyum dan berguyon ria. Ekspresi ini kiranya menunjukkan bahwa biaya ini bagi mereka bukan sebuah beban. Biaya ini justru mempererat persatuan mereka.

Terima kasih untuk keluarga Bapak Sirait yang sudah menyuguhkan hidangan istimewa. Air putih, kopi pahit, nasi-sayur-daging ayam, dan guyonan yang menghidupkan. Sampai jumpa di lain kesempatan.

BM, 11/08/2017
Gordi

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Thursday, August 10, 2017
MEREKA MENCARI TUHAN 


Di Barat saat ini, pencarian akan Tuhan tidak lagi dengan jalan pengalaman. Mereka lebih cenderung mencarinya dengan jalan pengetahuan atau akal budi. Maka, jika akal budi tak menemukannya, Tuhan itu pun langsung disingkirkan dari kehidupan. Kehidupan dengan Tuhan—dengan demikian—berarti kehidupan dengan akal budi yang mampu memahami Tuhan.

Di Timur, pencarian akan Tuhan lebih cenderung dengan jalan pengalaman. Itulah sebabnya Tuhan mereka adalah Tuhan yang dihidupi dan bukan Tuhan yang dipahami. Orang Timur tidak terlalu repot dengan memahami Tuhan. Mereka lebih cenderung repot dengan mengalami Tuhan.

Cara hidup orang Timur ini saya lihat hari ini. Mereka datang dari berbagai wilayah di sekitar Danau Kota Panjang, Riau untuk mengikuti perayaan Ekaristi. Dengan perahu kecil, mereka datang berkelompok 5-8 orang. Mereka terbiasa mengarungi danau itu sekitar 45 menit sampai 1 jam untuk sampai di Gereja Katolik St Antonius. Perahu itu hanya didorong oleh mesin berkekuatan 1 Kilo. Tampak seperti mesin potong rumput yang digendong. Meski kecil, mesin itu mampu mendorong perahu berisi 5-8 orang.


Boleh jadi orang kota melihatnya luar biasa. Tetapi bagi mereka ini biasa. Mereka biasa datang bertemu Tuhan. Tuhan bagi mereka tetaplah Dia yang diyakini, disembah, dan dijelmakan dalam hidup. “Kami selalu datang ke gereja, kapan pun Pastor datang,” komentar Firman, salah 1 dari 3 nahkoda perahu yang menjemput kami siang ini.

Seperti mereka, kami juga mencari Tuhan. Kami berlima (Ibu Minhui, Pastor Franco, SX., dua teman dari Italia—Luca dan Lucas—serta saya sendiri) berangkat dari pastoran pada pukul 08.00. Perjalanan ini rupanya panjang. Kami melewati beberapa kabupaten sebelum sampai di dekat Danau Kota Panjang.

Perjalanan darat ini memakan waktu 3 jam. Melewati jalanan berkelok, lebar dan sempit, sedikit bergelombang, dan variasi lainnya. Saat kami tiba di dekat danau, 3 nahkoda mungil menyambut kami. Mereka rupanya sudah menyiapkan perahu. Kami lalu menurunkan perlengkapan perjalanan dari mobil dan langsung menuruni tangga menuju pelabuhan ala kadarnya.


Perjalanan selanjutnya selama 45 menit adalah menyusuri danau ini. Kami dibagi dalam 2 perahu. Kami bertiga plus semua perlengkapan perjalanan. Di perahu lainnya bertiga plus 2 nahkoda Aris dan Firman. 

Perjalanan ini menjadi menarik sekali karena bumbu perjalanan yang kami nikmati. Berbagi pengalaman dengan sang nahkoda baik selama perjalanan pergi maupun pulang. Sambutan hangat dari umat. Sambutan mereka sungguh menampakkan kekayaan kehidupan mereka yang sederhana. Mereka tidak bekerja pada hari-hari kerja seperti ini tetapi rupanya mereka bekerja hanya pada pagi hari.

Saya merasa senang berada di tengah mereka. “Kalian memberi saya cinta dan kasih sayang sehingga saya merasa seperti di rumah sendiri,” kata saya pada mereka. Mereka tersenyum haru. Senyum ini mereka tampakkan selama Misa dan setelah Misa. Ibu Minhui kiranya puas melihat senyum mereka saat ia menjelaskan maksud kedatangan kami.

Senyum ini terus mereka munculkan pada saat kami makan siang bersama di rumah Ketua Stasi. Sungguh senyum yang luar biasa. Dengan senyum itu pun, kami bisa berkomunikasi. Saya membantu menerjemahkan beberapa kalimat dari bahasa Italia kepada mereka semua baik anak muda maupun orang tua. Juga untuk menjelaskan kepada teman-teman Italia tentang kalimat yang mereka sampaikan.

Tetapi terjemahan yang paling pas adalah dengan bahasa senyum dan bahasa tubuh. Kedua bahasa ini mempunyai kekuatan yang dahsyat. Akhirnya, dengan senyum ini juga, kami dan mereka mencari Tuhan hari ini. Terima Kasih Yesus atas bimbingan-Mu sepanjang perjalanan kami, dari pagi sampai sore hari ini.

BM, 10/08/2017
Gordi

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Wednesday, August 09, 2017 3
FISIK TUA, SEMANGAT MUDA



Fisik tua, semangat muda. Ini kiranya bisa menggambarkan keadaan anggota kor di Pekanbaru. Sebagian dari mereka berfisik tua, tetapi sebagian besar lagi berfisik muda. Yang tua boleh jadi berjiwa muda, tetapi yang muda juga lebih bersemangat muda.

Jiwa muda ini menjiwai latihan kor malam ini. Sang dirigen di depan memimpin dengan ketagasan nan lembut. Dia tersenyum saat suara mereka bagus dan tetap tersenyum saat suara mereka kurang bagus. Namun, setelah itu, dia akan memberikan penilaian yang tegas.
Dia akan meminta untuk mengulangi beberapa bait yang salah. Permintaannya dengan senyum manis dan suara yang tegas. Tegas dan senyum kiranya sikap yang pas untuk menumbuhkan jiwa dan semangat muda. Sang dirigen kiranya tahu betul, dua sikap ini mampu mengambil hati anggota kor. Lebih dari hati, dia pun mengajak mereka untuk memberikan suara yang merdu.

Inilah pemandangan malam ini dalam latihan kor. Mereka menyanyi untuk saya yang akan menerima anugerah Agung pada 21 Oktober nanti. Mereka tidak kaget saat saya hadir ditengah mereka. Mereka biasa-biasa saja. Rupanya mereka belum tahu siapa saya. Sebagian yang sudah tahu tersenyum-senyum saja. Begitu tahu, mereka langsung kaget dan memandang ke arah saya.

Pandangan itu antara cinta dan kasih sayang. Cinta karena mereka memang mencintai saya. Kasih sayang karena mereka sudah memberikan kasih sayang itu pada saya. Mereka—meski lelah dari tempat kerja—tetap bersemangat untuk datang latihan. Mereka begitu mencintai saya. Dengan suara, gerakkan tangan, tekanan jari di tuts keyboard, pukulan tangan di tambur, dan sebagainya. Dengan alat musik, cinta dan kasih itu menjadi makin lengkap. Dengan suara merdu, cinta dan kasih itu makin bergema.

Terima kasih untuk kalian semua.

BM, 9/8/17
Gordi

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Tuesday, May 09, 2017
GENERAL AUDIENCE POPE FRANCIS
Wednesday, 3 May 2017


Dear Brothers and Sisters,
Good morning!

Today, I would like to talk to you about my Apostolic Journey to Egypt which, with God’s help, I undertook in recent days. I went to that country, taking up a four–fold invitation: from the President of the Republic, from His Holiness, the Coptic Orthodox Patriarch, from the Grand Imam of Al–Azhar and from the Coptic Catholic Patriarch. I thank each of them for their truly warm welcome. And I thank all the people of Egypt for the participation and affection with which they experienced this visit by the Successor of Saint Peter.

The President and civil authorities took exceptional pains to ensure that this event could take place in the best possible way; so that it might be a sign of peace, a sign of peace for Egypt and for all that region, which, unfortunately, is afflicted by hostilities and terrorism. In fact, the trip’s theme was: “Pope of Peace in Egypt of Peace”.

My visit to Al–Azhar University, the oldest Islamic university and the highest academic institution of Sunni Islam had a twofold aim: that of dialogue between Christians and Muslims and, at the same time, that of promoting peace in the world. At Al–Azhar, there was a meeting with the Grand Imam, a meeting that later extended to the International Peace Conference. In this context, I offered a reflection which recognized the history of the land of Egypt as land of civilization and land of covenants. For all of humanity, Egypt is synonymous with ancient civilization, art treasures and knowledge; and this reminds us that peace is built through education, the formation of knowledge, of a humanism which includes as integral parts the religious dimension, the relationship with God, as the Grand Imam recalled in his address. Peace is also built by beginning once again from the covenant between God and man, the foundation of the covenant between all peoples based on the Ten Commandments written on the stone tablets at Sinai, but much more deeply in the heart of each man of every time and place, the law that is summarized in the two commandments of love of God and neighbour.
This same foundation is also at the basis of the building of social and civil order, in which all citizens, from every origin, culture and religion, are called to cooperate. Such a vision of healthy secularism emerged in the conversation with the President of the Republic of Egypt, in the presence of the country’s authorities and Diplomatic Corps. Egypt’s great historic and religious heritage and its role in the Middle Eastern region give it an unusual task in the journey toward stable and long-lasting peace that rests not on the law of force, but rather on the force of law.

Christians, in Egypt like in every nation on earth, are called to be the “leaven” of fraternity. This is possible if they live, within themselves, the Communion in Christ. Thanks to God, we were able to show a strong sign of communion with my dear Brother Pope Tawadros ii, Patriarch of the Coptic Orthodox. We renewed our commitment, also by signing a Common Declaration to journey together, and not to duplicate baptisms already received in the respective Churches. Together we prayed for the martyrs of the recent attacks that tragically struck that venerable Church; and their blood rendered fruitful that ecumenical encounter, in which Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople, the Ecumenical Patriarch, my dear Brother, also participated.

The second day of the trip was dedicated to the Catholic faithful. The Holy Mass celebrated in the stadium provided by Egyptian authorities was a celebration of faith and fraternity in which we felt the living presence of the Risen Christ. Commenting on the Gospel, I called on the small Catholic community in Egypt to relive the experience of the disciples of Emmaus: to always find in Christ, Word and Bread of Life, the joy of faith, the ardour of hope and the strength to bear loving witness that “we have encountered the Lord!”.

I spent the last phase with priests, men and women religious and seminarians at the Major Seminary. There are many seminarians. This is a consolation! It was a Liturgy of the Word in which the vows of consecrated life were renewed. In this community of men and women who have chosen to offer their life to Christ for the Kingdom of God, I saw the beauty of the Church in Egypt and I prayed for all Christians in the Middle East, that, led by their pastors and accompanied by the consecrated, they might become salt and light in those lands, in the midst of those peoples. For us, Egypt was a sign of hope, of refuge, of help. When that part of the world was starving, Jacob went there with his sons. Then, when Jesus was persecuted, he went there. For this reason, telling you about this trip means taking the path of hope. For us, Egypt is that sign of hope both for history and for the present time, of this fraternity which I wanted to tell you about.

I once again thank those who made this journey possible and all those who, in different ways, made their contribution, especially so many people who offered their prayers and their suffering. May the Holy Family of Nazareth, who migrated to the banks of the River Nile to flee from Herod’s violence, bless and always protect the people of Egypt and guide them to the path of prosperity, fraternity and peace.
Thank you!

Special greetings:
I greet the English-speaking pilgrims and visitors taking part in today’s Audience, particularly the groups from Ireland, Denmark, Finland, New Zealand, Singapore, India, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, Canada and the United States of America. In the joy of the Risen Christ, I invoke upon you and your families the loving mercy of God our Father. May the Lord bless you all!

On the Feast of Saints Philip and James, I hope that the memory of the Apostles, joyous proclaimers of the Risen Christ, may increase each one’s faith and strengthen each one’s witness to the Gospel.

I extend my greetings to young people, to the sick and to newlyweds. At the start of May, we call on the heavenly intercession of Mary, Mother of Jesus. Dear young people, learn to pray to her with the simple and effective prayer of the Rosary; dear sick people, may Our Lady be your support in the trial of pain; dear newlyweds, imitate her love for God and for brothers and sisters.



© Copyright - Libreria Editrice Vaticana
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Monday, May 08, 2017
REGINA CÆLI POPE FRANCIS
Saint Peter's Square – Sunday, 30 April 2017
  


Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Dramatic news continues to reach us regarding the situation in Venezuela and the worsening of clashes there, with many people reported dead, injured and detained. I share in the pain of the families, to whom I ensure my prayers of intercession, and I appeal to the government and all the members of Venezuelan society to avoid any further forms of violence, to respect human rights and to negotiate solutions to the serious humanitarian, social, political and economic crisis that is exhausting the population. Let us entrust to the Most Holy Virgin Mary a prayer intention for peace, reconciliation and democracy in that dear country. And let us pray for all the countries that are beset by difficulties; I am thinking in particular in these days, of the Republic of Macedonia.

Leopoldina Naudet, Foundress of the Sisters of the Holy Family, was beatified yesterday [29 April] in Verona. She was brought up at the Court of Habsburg, first in Florence and then in Vienna, and, even as a girl, possessed a strong vocation to prayer and to the educational field. She was consecrated to God and, following various experiences, succeeded in establishing a new religious community in Verona, under the protection of the Holy Family, which is still active in the Church today. Let us join them in their joy and their thanksgiving.

Today, Italy marks the Day of the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart. I encourage you to support this important institution which continues to invest in the formation of young people in order to improve the world.

Christian formation is based on the Word of God. For this reason, I would also like to recall that “Biblical Sunday” is taking place in Poland today. Part of the Holy Scripture is read out in public in parish churches, schools and over the media. I wish all the best for this initiative.
And you, dear friends from Catholic Action, at the end of this encounter, I sincerely thank you for coming! And through you, I also greet all your parish groups, families, children and young people and the elderly. Keep moving forward!

I extend my greetings to the pilgrims who have joined us at this time for the Marian Prayer, especially those who have come from Spain, Croatia, Germany, and Puerto Rico. Together, let us turn to our Mother Mary. Let us thank her particularly for the Apostolic Visit to Egypt which I have just completed. I ask the Lord to bless the entire Egyptian population, [which was] so welcoming, the authorities and the Christian and Muslim faithful. May He bring peace to that country.
© Copyright - Libreria Editrice Vaticana


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Thursday, May 04, 2017
GENERAL AUDIENCE POPE FRANCIS
Saint Peter's Square Wednesday, 26 April 2017


Dear Brothers and Sisters,
Good morning!

“I am with you always, to the close of the age” (Mt 28:20). These final words of the Gospel of Matthew recall the prophetic announcement that we find at the beginning: “‘his name shall be called Emmanuel’ (which means, God with us)” (Mt 1:23; cf. Is 7:14). God will be with us, every day, until the end of time. Jesus will walk with us, every day, until the end of time. The entire Gospel is enclosed within these two passages, words which communicate the mystery of a God whose name, whose identity is to be with. He is not an isolated God; he is a ‘God-with’. In particular, with us, namely, with human beings. Our God is not an absent God, confined to a far-off heaven; he is instead a God “impassioned” with man, so tenderly in love as to be incapable of being separated from him. We humans are experts at severing bonds and bridges. He, however, is not. If our heart cools, his remains ever incandescent. Our God accompanies us always, even if by mishap we should forget him. On the ridge that divides scepticism from faith, the discovery that we are loved and accompanied by our Father, that he never leaves us on our own, is decisive.

Our existence is a pilgrimage, a journey. Even those who are inspired by simply human hope, perceive the allure of the horizon, which urges them to explore worlds they do not yet know. Our spirit is a migrant spirit. The Bible is filled with stories of pilgrims and travellers. Abraham’s vocation begins with this command: “Go from your country” (Gen 21:1). The patriarch left that piece of the world he knew well and which was one of the cradles of civilization of his time. Everything conspired against the wisdom of that journey. Yet Abraham set out. We do not become mature men and women if we do not perceive the allure of the horizon: that boundary between earth and sky which demands to be reached by a people that walks.

On his earthly journey man is never alone. Above all, a Christian never feels abandoned, because Jesus assures us that he does not await us only at the end of our long journey, but accompanies us in each of our days.

How long will God’s care for mankind endure? How long will the Lord Jesus, who walks with us, how long will he care for us? The Gospel response leaves no room for doubt: to the close of the age! The sky will wane; the earth will wane; human hope will be erased, but the Word of God is greater than all and will never wane. And he will be the God with us, the God Jesus who walks with us. There will never be a day in our life in which we cease to be a concern for the heart of God. But one could ask: “But what are you saying?”. I am saying this: there will never be a day in our life in which we cease to be a concern for the heart of God. He is always concerned about us, and he walks with us. And why does he do this? Simply because he loves us. Is this understood? He loves us! And God will surely provide for all our needs; he will not abandon us in times of trial and darkness. This certainty seeks to settle in our soul so as never to be extinguished. Some call this certainty “Providence”. That is, God’s closeness, God’s love, God’s walking with us is also called the “Providence of God”: He provides for our life.

It is no coincidence that among the symbols of Christian hope there is one that I really like: the anchor. It expresses the notion that our hope is not vague; it is not to be confused with the uncertain sentiment of those who wish to improve the things of this world in an unrealistic way, relying only on their own willpower. Indeed, Christian hope is rooted not in the allure of the future, but in the certainty of what God has promised us and accomplished in Jesus Christ. If he guaranteed he would never abandon us, if every vocation begins with a “Follow me”, with which he assures us he is always before us, why should we be afraid? With this promise, Christians can walk everywhere. Even passing through parts of the wounded world, where things are not going well, we are among those who still continue to hope. The Psalm says: “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil; for thou art with me” (23[22]:4). It is precisely where darkness is rife that a light must be kept burning. Let us return to the anchor. Our faith is the anchor in heaven. We have anchored our life in heaven. What do we have to do? Hold fast to the rope: it is always there. And we go forward because we are certain that our life has an anchor in heaven, on that shore where we will arrive.

Of course, if we trusted only in our strengths, we would have reason to feel disappointed and defeated, because the world often shows itself immune to the laws of love. It prefers, so often, the laws of selfishness. But if the certainty survives in us that God does not abandon us, that God loves us and this world tenderly, then it immediately changes our perspective. “Homo viator, spe erectus”, the ancients used to say. Along the journey, Jesus’ promise “I am with you” enables us to stand with hope, upright, trusting that the good God is already at work, accomplishing what humanly seems impossible, because the anchor is on heaven’s shore.

The holy, faithful People of God are a people that stand — homo viator — and walk, but upright, erectus, and they walk in hope. And wherever they go, they know that God’s love has preceded them: there is no part of the world that escapes the victory of the Risen Christ. And what is the victory of the Risen Christ? The victory of love. Thank you.

Special greetings:
I greet the English-speaking pilgrims and visitors taking part in today’s Audience, particularly the groups from England, Ireland, Denmark, Finland, Nigeria, Australia, New Zealand, Indonesia, Korea, Thailand, Vietnam and the United States of America.  In the joy of the Risen Christ, I invoke upon you and your families the loving mercy of God our Father.  May the Lord bless you all!
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Monday, May 01, 2017
REGINA CÆLI POPE FRANCIS
Saint Peter's Square – Divine Mercy Sunday, 23 April 2017



Dear Brothers and Sisters, Good morning!

We know that each Sunday we commemorate the Resurrection of the Lord Jesus, but in this period after Easter, Sunday takes on an even more illuminating significance. In the Tradition of the Church, this Sunday, the first after Easter, was called “[Domenica] in albis”. What does this mean? The expression is meant to recall the Rite performed by those who had received Baptism at the Easter Vigil. Each of them would receive a white garment — alba, bianca — to indicate their new dignity as children of God. This is still done today — infants are offered a small symbolic garment, while adults wear a proper one, as we saw at the Easter Vigil. In the past, that white garment was worn for a week, until this Sunday, from which the name in albis deponendis is derived, which means the Sunday on which the white garment is removed. In this way, when the white garment was removed, the neophytes would begin their new life in Christ and in the Church.

There is something else. In the Jubilee of the Year 2000, Saint John Paul ii established that this Sunday be dedicated to Divine Mercy. Truly, it was a beautiful insight: it was the Holy Spirit who inspired him in this way. Just a few months ago we concluded the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy, and this Sunday we are invited to always hold firmly to the grace which comes from God’s mercy. Today’s Gospel is the account of the Apparition of the Risen Christ to the disciples gathered in the Upper Room (cf. Jn 20:19-31). Saint John writes that after greeting his disciples, Jesus says to them: “As the Father has sent me, even so I send you”. After saying this, he makes the gesture of breathing on them and adds: “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven” (vv. 21-23). This is the meaning of the mercy that is presented on the very day of Jesus’ Resurrection as the forgiveness of sins. The Risen Jesus passed on to his Church, as her first task, his own mission of bringing to all the concrete message of forgiveness. This is the first task: to announce forgiveness. This visible sign of his mercy brings with it peace of heart and joy of the renewed encounter with the Lord.

Mercy in the light of Easter enables us to perceive it as a true form of awareness. This is important: mercy is a true form of awareness. We know that it is experienced through many forms. It is experienced through the senses, it is experienced through intuition, through reason and even other forms. Well, it can also be experienced in mercy, because mercy opens the door of the mind in order to better understand the mystery of God and of our personal existence. Mercy enables us to understand that violence, rancour, vengefulness have no meaning, and the first victim is whoever feels these sentiments, because he deprives himself of his own dignity. Mercy also opens the door of the heart and allows one to express closeness especially to those who are lonely and marginalized, because it makes them feel as brothers and sisters, and as children of one Father. It favours recognition of those who need consolation and helps one find the appropriate words so as to give comfort.

Brothers and sisters, mercy warms the heart and makes it sensitive to the needs of brothers and sisters with sharing and participation. Thus, mercy requires everyone to be instruments of justice, reconciliation and peace. Let us never forget that mercy is the keystone in the life of faith, and the concrete form by which we make Jesus’ Resurrection visible.

May Mary, Mother of Mercy, help us to believe and joyfully experience all this.

After the Regina Caeli:
Dear brothers and sisters, yesterday, in Oviedo, Spain, the priest Luis Antonio Rosa Ormières was declared Blessed. He lived in the 19th century, putting his many human and spiritual qualities at the service of education, and for this reason he founded the Congregation of the Sisters of the Guardian Angel. May his example and his intercession help in particular those who work in schools and in the educational field.

I wholeheartedly greet all of you, faithful from Rome and pilgrims from Italy and from so many countries, in particular the Confraternity of Saint Sebastian from Kerkrade, The Netherlands, the Nigerian Catholic Secretariat and the Liebfrauen parish of Bocholt, Germany.
I greet the Polish pilgrims and express heartfelt appreciation for the initiative of Caritas Poland in support of many families in Syria. A special greeting goes to the devotees of Divine Mercy who gathered today in the Church of Santo Spirito in Sassia; as well as to the “Race for Peace”, a relay race that starts today from this Square and ends in Wittenberg, Germany.

I greet the many groups of young people, especially those who recently have been and those who are preparing to be confirmed — there are so many of you! — from the Dioceses of Piacenza-Bobbio, Trento, Cuneo, Milan, Lodi, Cremona, Bergamo, Brescia and Vicenza, Italy. And also the Masaccio School of Treviso and the San Carpoforo Institute of Como.

Lastly I thank all those who have sent me messages of Easter greetings in this period. I sincerely reciprocate them, invoking for each one and for each family the grace of the Risen Lord. Happy Sunday to everyone, and please, do not forget to pray for me. Enjoy your lunch. Arrivederci!
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Thursday, April 27, 2017
GENERAL AUDIENCE POPE FRANCIS
Wednesday, 19 April 2017


  
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
Good Morning!

We are meeting today in the light of Easter which we have celebrated and we are continuing to celebrate in the Liturgy. For this reason, in our series of catecheses on Christian hope, I would like to speak to you today about the Risen Christ, our hope, as he is portrayed by Saint Paul in the First Letter to the Corinthians. (cf. 1 Cor 15).

The Apostle wants to solve a problem which was surely at the centre of discussions in the community of Corinth. The Resurrection is the last topic discussed in the Letter, but it is probably the first in order of importance. In fact, everything rests on this premise.
Speaking to his fellow Christians, Paul begins with an irrefutable fact that is not the result of the reflection of a knowledgeable man, but a fact, a simple fact which occurred in the lives of some people. Christianity started from here. It is not an ideology; it is not a philosophical system; rather it is a path of faith which begins with an event witnessed by Jesus’ first disciples. Paul summarises it like this: Jesus died for our sins, he was buried, and on the third day He rose and appeared to Peter and to the twelve [apostles]. (cf. 1 Cor 15:3-5). This is the fact: He died, He was buried, He rose and He appeared. That is, Jesus is alive! This is the heart of the Christian message.

In announcing this event, which is the central nucleus of faith, Paul insists, above all, on the last element of the Easter mystery, that is, on the fact that Jesus is Risen. If in fact everything had ended with his death, we would have in Him, an example of supreme self-denial, but this would not be able to generate our faith. He was a hero! He died, but He is Risen because faith arises from the Resurrection. Accepting that Christ is dead and that He died crucified is not an act of faith. It is a historical fact. Believing he is Risen, on the other hand, is. Our faith begins on Easter morning. Paul makes a list of the people to whom the Risen Jesus appeared (cf. vv. 6-7). We have here a short summary of all the Easter narratives and of all the people who came into contact with the Risen One. At the top of the list are: Cephas, that is Peter, the group of 12 [Apostles] and then “500 brethren” many of whom could still have borne witness. Then James is cited. The last on the list — as the least worthy of all — is himself. Paul says of himself: “as to one untimely born” (v 8).

Paul uses this expression because his personal history is dramatic. He was not an altar boy, but a persecutor of the Church, proud of his convictions. He felt he was a successful man with a very clear idea of what life was about and its duties. But, in this perfect picture, — everything was perfect for Paul, he knew everything — in this perfect view of life, one day something absolutely unexpected happens: the meeting with the Risen Jesus on the way to Damascus. There was not just a man who fell to the ground. There was a person seized by an event that would overturn the meaning of [his life]. And the persecutor becomes an apostle. Why? Because I saw Jesus alive! I saw the Risen Jesus Christ! This is the foundation of Paul’s faith, as well as of the faith of the other apostles, as well as the faith of the Church, as well as of our faith.

How beautiful it is to think that Christianity is essentially this! It is not so much our search for God — a search which in truth is tenuous —, but rather God’s search for us. Jesus took us, grasped us, won us over, never more to leave us. Christianity is grace. It is surprise and, for this reason, it implies a heart that is capable of amazement. A closed heart, a rationalist heart is incapable of amazement and cannot understand what Christianity is because Christianity is grace, and grace can only be perceived, and furthermore, it happens in the amazement of the encounter.

So, even if we are sinners — we all are —, if our good intentions are only “on paper”, or if on appraising our life we realize we have accumulated many failures..., on Easter morning, we can be like those people of whom the Gospel speaks: going to the Sepulchre of Christ, seeing the large overturned stone and thinking that God is preparing an unexpected future for them and for all of us; going to our sepulchre: we all have some of this inside us. To go there and see how God is capable of rising again from there. Here, there is happiness; there is joy and life, where everyone thought there was only sadness, defeat and darkness. God makes His most beautiful flowers grow in the midst of the most arid of stones.

To be Christian means not starting from death, but rather, from God’s love for us which has defeated our most bitter enemy. God is greater than nothingness, and a lit candle is enough to overcome the darkest of nights. Echoing the prophets, Paul cries, “O death, where is thy victory? O death, where is thy sting?”(v. 55). We carry this cry in our heart in these days of Easter. And if they should ask the reason for the smile we give and our patient readiness to share, then we will be able to answer that Jesus is still here, that he continues to be alive among us, that Jesus is here, in the Square, with us: Alive and Risen.

Special greetings:
I greet the English-speaking pilgrims and visitors taking part in today’s Audience, particularly the groups from England, Sweden, Switzerland, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Canada and the United States of America. I offer a particular greeting to the newly-ordained deacons from the Pontifical Irish College, together with families and friends. In the joy of the Risen Christ, I invoke upon you and your families the loving mercy of God our Father. May the Lord bless you all!

Lastly, I greet the young people, the sick and the newlyweds. Dear young people, especially you from the Professione di fede of the Dioceses of Milan and Cremona, may you experience fully the Easter message, bearing witness everywhere to the Risen Christ’s gift of peace. Dear sick people, look constantly to the One who has overcome death and helps us to accept suffering as a privileged moment of redemption and salvation. Dear newlyweds, may you live your daily family experience in the awareness of the life giving presence of Jesus in your home.

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Tuesday, April 25, 2017
REGINA CÆLI POPE FRANCIS
Saint Peter's Square – Easter Monday, 17 April 2017
  


Dear Brothers and Sisters, Good Morning!

On this festive Monday known as “Monday of the Angel”, the Liturgy resounds the announcement of the Resurrection proclaimed yesterday: “Christ is Risen, Hallelujah!”. In today’s Gospel passage, we can hear the echo of the words the Angel addressed to the women who had hastened to the sepulchre: “Then go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen” (Mt 28:7). We feel as if this invitation is also directed to us; to “hasten” and to “go” announce to the men and women of our times this message of joy and hope, of certain hope, because from the dawn of the third day, Jesus who was crucified, is raised. Death no longer has the last word. Life does! This is our certainty. The sepulchre does not have the last word; it is not death, it is life! This is why we repeat “Christ is Risen”, many times. Because in Him, the sepulchre was overcome. Life was born.

In light of this event which constitutes the true and real news of history and the cosmos, we are called to be new men and women in accordance with the Spirit, confirming the value of life. There is life! This is already the beginning of rebirth! We will be men and women of resurrection, men and women of life, if in the midst of the events that afflict the world — there are many of them today —, in the midst of worldliness which distances us from God, we will know how to offer gestures of solidarity and gestures of welcome, strengthening the universal desire for peace and the hope for an environment free from degradation. These are common and human signs, which if supported and kept alive by faith in the Risen Lord, acquire a power that is well beyond our abilities. And this is so because Christ is alive and working in history through his Holy Spirit: He redeems our shortcomings and reaches each human heart and gives back hope to whomever is oppressed and suffering.

May the Virgin Mary, silent witness of the death and Resurrection of her Son Jesus, help us to be clear signs of the Risen Christ amid the affairs of the world, so that those who suffer tribulation and difficulties do not fall victim to pessimism, defeat, and resignation, but find in us many brothers and sisters who offer them support and solace. May our Mother help us to believe firmly in the Resurrection of Jesus: Jesus is Risen; He is alive here among us and this is a worthy mystery of salvation with the ability to transform hearts and life. May She intercede especially for the persecuted and oppressed Christian communities which, in many parts of the world today, are called to a more difficult and courageous testimony.

And now in the light and joy of Easter, let us turn to Her with the prayer which will replace the Angelus for the next 50 days leading to Pentecost.

Regina Caeli...

After the Regina Caeli:
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
In the Easter atmosphere which marks this day, I warmly greet all of you, families, parish groups, associations and single pilgrims from Italy and from various parts of the world.

I wish that each of you may live in serenity these days of the Octave of Easter, which extends the joy of Christ’s Resurrection. Seize every good opportunity to be witnesses of the peace of the Risen Lord.

Happy and Holy Easter to all of you! Please do not forget to pray for me. Have a good lunch. Arrivederci!
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