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Thursday, August 18, 2016
GENERAL AUDIENCE POPE FRANCIS
Paul VI Audience Hall
Wednesday, 10 August 2016
PHOTO: picssr.com
Dear Brothers and Sisters, Good morning!
The passage from the Gospel of Luke that we have listened to (7:11-17) presents us with a truly great miracle of Jesus: the resurrection of a young man. However, the heart of this narrative is not the miracle, but Jesus’ tenderness toward the mother of this young man. Here, mercy takes the form of great compassion for a woman who had lost her husband and now is accompanying her only son to the cemetery. This deep sorrow of a mother moves Jesus and causes him to perform the miracle of resurrection.

In introducing this episode the Evangelist dwells on many details. At the gate of the small town of Nain — a village — two large groups meet. They come from opposite directions and have nothing in common. Jesus, followed by the disciples and by a large crowd, is about to enter the residential area, while coming out of it is a procession accompanying a dead man, with his widowed mother and many people. At the gate the two groups brush by each other, each going its own way, but it is then that St Luke notes Jesus’ feelings: “when the Lord saw her [the woman], he had compassion on her and said to her: ‘Do not weep’. And he came and touched the bier, and the bearers stood still” (vv. 13-14). Great compassion guides Jesus’ actions: he stops the procession, touches the bier and, moved by profound mercy for this mother, decides to confront the reality of death, so to speak, face to face. And he will confront it definitively, face to face, on the Cross.

During this Jubilee, it would be a good thing if, in passing through the Holy Door, the Door of Mercy, pilgrims were to remember this episode of the Gospel, which occurred at the gate of Nain. When Jesus sees this mother in tears, she enters his heart! Every one arrives at the Holy Door carrying their own life, with its joys and suffering, plans and failures, doubts and fears, in order to present it to the Lord’s mercy. We are certain that, at the Holy Door, the Lord comes near to meet each one of us, to bring and offer his powerful consoling words: “Do not weep!” (v. 13). This is the Door of the encounter between the pain of humanity and the compassion of God. Crossing the threshold we fulfil our pilgrimage into the mercy of God who, as to the deceased young man, repeats to all: “I say to you, arise”! (v. 14). To each of us he says: “Arise!”. God wants us to stand upright. He created us to be on our feet: for this reason, Jesus’ compassion leads to that gesture of healing, to heal us, of which the key phrase is: “Arise! Stand up, as God created you!”. Standing up. “But Father, we fall so often” — “Onward, arise!”. This is Jesus’ word, always. In passing through the Holy Door, let us try to feel this word in our heart: “Arise!”.

The powerful word of Jesus can make us rise again and can bring about in us too the passage from death to life. His word revives us, gives us hope, refreshes weary hearts, opens us to a vision of the world and of life which transcends suffering and death. The inexhaustible treasure of God’s mercy is inscribed for each one on the Holy Door!

Touched by the word of Jesus, “the dead man sat up, and began to speak. And he gave him to his mother” (v. 15). This phrase is so beautiful: it shows Jesus’ tenderness: “he gave him to his mother”. The mother recovers her son. Receiving him from Jesus’ hands she becomes a mother for the second time, but the son who is now restored to her is not the one who received life from her. Mother and son thus receive their respective identities thanks to the powerful word of Jesus and to his loving gesture. Therefore, especially in the Jubilee, Mother Church receives her children, recognizing in them the life given by the grace of God. It is due to this grace, the grace of Baptism, that the Church becomes mother and that each one of us becomes her child.

Before the young man, revived and restored to his mother, “fear seized them all; and they glorified God, saying, ‘A great prophet has arisen among us!’ and ‘God has visited his people!’” (v. 16). What Jesus does is thus not only a saving action intended for the widow and her son, or a gesture of goodness limited to that town. In Jesus’ merciful care, God meets his people, in Him all of God’s grace appears and will continue to appear to mankind.
Celebrating this Jubilee, which I wished to be lived in all the particular Churches, that is in all the churches of the world, and not only in Rome, it is as if all the Church spread throughout the world were joined in one hymn of praise to the Lord. Today too the Church recognizes that she is visited by God. For this reason, by setting out for the Door of Mercy, each one is able to set out for the door of the merciful heart of Jesus: He indeed is the true Door that leads to salvation and restores us to new life. Mercy, both in Jesus and in ourselves, is a journey which starts in the heart in order to reach the hands. What does this mean? Jesus looks at you, he heals you with his mercy, he says to you: “Arise!”, and your heart is new. What does it mean to make a journey from the heart to the hands? It means that with a new heart, with the heart healed by Jesus I can perform works of mercy through the hands, seeking to help, to heal the many who are in need. Mercy is a journey that starts in the heart and ends in the hands, namely in the works of mercy.

I have said that mercy is a journey that goes from the heart to the hands. In the heart, we receive the mercy of Jesus who forgives us everything, because God forgives everything and lifts us up, gives us new life and infects us with his compassion. From that forgiven heart and with the compassion of Jesus, the journey to the hands begins, namely through the works of mercy. A bishop, the other day, told me that in his cathedral and in other churches he had made entry and exit doors of mercy. “Why did you do this?” — “Because one door is to enter by, to ask forgiveness, and to receive Jesus’ mercy; the other is the door of mercy to exit by, in order to take mercy to others, with our works of mercy”. This bishop is intelligent! Let us also do the same with the journey that goes from the heart to the hands: let us enter the church through the door of mercy, to receive the forgiveness of Jesus, who tells us: “Arise! Go, go!”; and with this “Go!” — on foot — let us leave through the exit door. It is the Church going forth: the journey of mercy which goes from the heart to the hands. Make this journey!

Special greetings:
I greet the English-speaking pilgrims and visitors taking part in today’s Audience, particularly those from England, Malta, Indonesia and the United States of America. With prayerful good wishes that the present Jubilee of Mercy will be a moment of grace and spiritual renewal for you and your families, I invoke upon all of you joy and peace in our Lord Jesus Christ.

I hope that every one may live this Extraordinary Holy Year by fostering the culture of encounter, recognizing the presence of the Lord’s flesh particularly in the poor and in the needy.

Lastly I address a greeting to young people, to the sick and to newlyweds. Last Monday we recalled the figure of St Dominic de Guzmán, whose Order of Preachers is celebrating the eighth centenary of its foundation. May the enlightened word of this Great Saint inspire you, dear young people, to listen to and to live Jesus’ teachings; may his inner strength sustain you, dear sick people, in times of discomfort; and may his apostolic devotion remind you, dear newlyweds, of the importance of Christian education in your family.

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Monday, August 15, 2016
ANGELUS POPE FRANCIS
Saint Peter's Square
Sunday, 7 August 2016

PHOTO: obitelj-malih-marija.com

Dear Brothers and Sisters, Good morning!
In the text of today’s Gospel (Lk 12:32-48), Jesus speaks to his disciples about the attitude to assume in view of the final encounter with him, and explains that the expectation of this encounter should impel us to live a life full of good works. Among other things he says: “Sell your possessions, and give alms; provide yourselves with purses that do not grow old, with a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys” (v. 33). It is a call to give importance to almsgiving as a work of mercy, not to place trust in ephemeral goods, to use things without attachment and selfishness, but according to God’s logic, the logic of attention to others, the logic of love. We can be so attached to money, and have many things, but in the end we cannot take them with us. Remember that “the shroud has no pockets”.

Jesus’ lesson continues with three short parables on the theme of vigilance. This is important: vigilance, being alert, being vigilant in life. The first is the parable of the servants waiting for their master to return at night. “Blessed are those servants whom the master finds awake when he comes” (v. 37): it is the beatitude of faithfully awaiting the Lord, of being ready, with an attitude of service. He presents himself each day, knocks at the door of our heart. Those who open it will be blessed, because they will have a great reward: indeed, the Lord will make himself a servant to his servants — it is a beautiful reward — in the great banquet of his Kingdom He himself will serve them. With this parable, set at night, Jesus proposes life as a vigil of diligent expectation, which heralds the bright day of eternity. To be able to enter one must be ready, awake and committed to serving others, from the comforting perspective that, “beyond”, it will no longer be we who serve God, but He himself who will welcome us to his table. If you think about it, this already happens today each time we meet the Lord in prayer, or in serving the poor, and above all in the Eucharist, where he prepares a banquet to nourish us of his Word and of his Body.

The second parable describes the unexpected arrival of the thief. This fact requires vigilance; indeed, Jesus exhorts: “You also must be ready; for the Son of man is coming at an hour you do not expect” (v. 40).

The disciple is one who awaits the Lord and his Kingdom. The Gospel clarifies this perspective with the third parable: the steward of a house after the master’s departure. In the first scene, the steward faithfully carries out his tasks and receives compensation. In the second scene, the steward abuses his authority, and beats the servants, for which, upon the master’s unexpected return, he will be punished. This scene describes a situation that is also frequent in our time: so much daily injustice, violence and cruelty are born from the idea of behaving as masters of the lives of others. We have only one master who likes to be called not “master” but “Father”. We are all servants, sinners and children: He is the one Father.

Jesus reminds us today that the expectation of the eternal beatitude does not relieve us of the duty to render the world more just and more liveable. On the contrary, this very hope of ours of possessing the eternal Kingdom impels us to work to improve the conditions of earthly life, especially of our weakest brothers and sisters. May the Virgin Mary help us not to be people and communities dulled by the present, or worse, nostalgic for the past, but striving toward the future of God, toward the encounter with him, our life and our hope.

After the Angelus:
Dear brothers and sisters, unfortunately news of civilian victims of war continues to arrive from Syria, from Aleppo in particular. It is unacceptable that so many defenceless people — even many children — must pay the price of the conflict, the price of closing the heart and of the lack of will of the powerful for peace. Let us be close in prayer and solidarity with our Syrian brothers and sisters, and let us entrust them to the maternal protection of the Virgin Mary. Let us all pray a bit in silence and then recite a Hail Mary.

I greet all of you, people of Rome and pilgrims from various countries! Quite a lot of flags are visible!

Today various groups of young men and women are present. I greet you with great affection!
I wish everyone a happy Sunday. Please do not forget to pray for me. Enjoy your lunch. Arrivederci!

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Thursday, August 11, 2016
GENERAL AUDIENCE POPE FRANCIS
Paul VI Audience Hall
Wednesday, 3 August 2016

PHOTO: thewire.com
  
Dear Brothers and Sisters, Good morning!
Today I should like to reflect briefly on the Apostolic Journey to Poland that I made in recent days.

The occasion for the Journey was World Youth Day, 25 years after the historic Day celebrated in ChÄ™stochowa shortly after the fall of the “Iron Curtain”. In these 25 years Poland has changed, Europe has changed and the world has changed, and this WYD has become a prophetic sign for Poland, for Europe and for the world. The new generation of young people, the heirs and successors continuing the pilgrimage begun by St John Paul II, have given a response to today’s challenge, they have given the sign of hope, and this sign is called fraternity. Because, precisely in this world at war, fraternity is needed, closeness is needed, dialogue is needed, friendship is needed. This is the sign of hope: when there is fraternity.

Let us begin precisely with the young people, who were the primary reason for the Journey. Once again they have answered the call: they came from all over the world — some of them are even here! [indicating pilgrims in the Hall]. A celebration of colours, of different faces, of languages, of diverse histories. I don’t know how they do it: they speak different languages, but they manage to understand one another! Why? Because they have this willingness to go together, to build bridges, of fraternity. They also came with their wounds, with their questions, but above all with the joy of encountering one another; and once again they formed a mosaic of fraternity. One can speak of a mosaic of fraternity. An emblematic image of World Youth Day is the expanse of multicoloured flags waved by the young people: in effect, at WYD the flags of the nations become more beautiful, as though “they are purified”, and even the flags of nations at war with each other wave near each other. This is beautiful! Here too there are their flags... let them be seen!

In this way, in this great Jubilee meeting of theirs, the young people of the world heard the Message of Mercy, in order to carry it everywhere in spiritual and corporal works. I thank all the young people who came to Krakow! And I thank those who joined us from every part of the Earth! Because in so many countries, small World Youth Days were held in conjunction with the one in Krakow. May the gift that you have received become a daily response to the Lord’s call. A recollection full of affection goes to Susanna, the girl from this Diocese of Rome, who died right after participating in WYD, in Vienna. May the Lord, who has certainly welcomed her into Heaven, comfort her family and friends.

During this Journey I also visited the Shrine of Chęstochowa. Before the icon of Our Lady, I received the gift of the gaze of the Mother who, in a particular way, is the Mother of the people of Poland, of that noble nation that has suffered so much, and with the strength of faith and her maternal hand, has always raised itself again. I greeted several Poles here [in the Hall]. You are good, you are good people!

There, under that gaze, one understands the spiritual sense of the journey of this people, whose history is linked indissolubly to the Cross of Christ. There one touches by hand the faith of the holy faithful People of God, who safeguards hope through trials; and also safeguards the wisdom which is a balance between tradition and innovation, between memory and future. Poland today reminds all of Europe that there can be no future for the continent without its founding values, which in their turn have the Christian vision of mankind at the centre. Among these values is mercy, of which two great children of Poland’s soil were special apostles: St Faustina Kowalska and St John Paul II.

Lastly, this Journey also had the horizon of the world, a world called to respond to the challenge of a “piecemeal” war that is threatening it. Here the profound silence of my visit to Auschwitz-Birkenau was more eloquent than any words. In that silence I listened, I felt, the presence of all the souls that passed by there; I felt the compassion, the mercy of God, that some holy souls were able to take even into that abyss. In that deep silence I prayed for all the victims of violence and of war. And there, in that place, I understood more than ever before the value of remembrance, not only as the recollection of past events, but as monition and responsibility for today and tomorrow, so that the seeds of hatred and of violence do not take root in the furrows of history. Thus in recalling the wars and the many wounds, so much pain that was experienced, there are also many of today’s men and women who are suffering due to war, so many of our brothers and sisters. Seeing that cruelty, in that concentration camp, I immediately thought of the cruelty that is similar today: not as concentrated as in that place, but everywhere throughout the world; this world that is ill with cruelty, with pain, with war, with hatred, with sadness. And for this reason I continually ask you to pray: that the Lord give us peace!

For all this I thank the Lord and the Virgin Mary. And once again I express my gratitude to the President of Poland and to the other Authorities, to the Cardinal Archbishop of Krakow and to the entire Polish Episcopate, and to all those who, in a thousand ways, made this event possible, who offered a sign of fraternity and of peace to Poland, to Europe and to the world. I would also like to thank the young volunteers, who worked for over a year to prepare for this event; and also the media, those who work in the media: thank you very much for enabling this Day to be seen throughout the world. And I cannot forget Anna Maria Jacobini, an Italian journalist who lost her life there unexpectedly. Let us also pray for her: she passed away carrying out her service.
Thank you!

Special greetings:
Tomorrow I shall go to the Papal Basilica of St Mary of the Angels, at the Portiuncula, on the eighth centenary of the “Pardon of Assisi”, which occurred yesterday. It will be a very simple pilgrimage but highly significant in this Holy Year of Mercy. I ask you all to accompany me with your prayers, invoking the light and the strength of the Holy Spirit and the heavenly intercession of St Francis.

I greet the English-speaking pilgrims and visitors taking part in today’s Audience, particularly those from Ireland, Sweden, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, the Philippines, Aruba, Canada and the United States of America. In a special way, I greet the many groups of young people returning from our celebration of World Youth Day. With prayerful good wishes that the present Jubilee of Mercy will be a moment of grace and spiritual renewal for you and your families, I invoke upon all of you joy and peace in our Lord Jesus Christ.

I address a special greeting to young people, to the sick and to newlyweds. Tomorrow we shall celebrate the memory of St John Vianney, patron saint of priests, particularly of parish priests. May his deep humility be an example to you, dear young people, to live life as a gift from God; may his trusting abandonment in Christ the Saviour sustain you, dear sick people, in your hour of suffering; and may his Christian witness give you courage, dear newlyweds, to profess your faith without shame.

* * *
Message of the Holy Father on the occasion of the Olympiad in Rio de Janeiro.
I would now like to address a warm greeting to the people of Brazil, in particular to the city of Rio de Janeiro, which is hosting the athletes and fans from throughout the world for the occasion of the Olympiad. In a world which thirsts for peace, tolerance and reconciliation, I hope that the spirit of the Olympic Games may inspire all, participants and spectators, to fight “the good fight” and to finish the race together (cf. 2 Tim 4:7-8), hoping to obtain as a prize not a medal but something far more precious: the achievement of a civilization in which solidarity reigns, based on the recognition that we are all members of a single human family, independent of differences in culture, skin colour or religion. For the Brazilian people who, with characteristic joy and hospitality, have organized the Celebration of Sports, I hope that this may be an opportunity to overcome difficult times and to give your all to “work as a team” in order to build a safer and more just country, betting on a future full of hope and joy. May God bless you all!
  
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Monday, August 08, 2016
ANGELUS ADDRESS OF THE HOLY FATHER
Campus Misericordiae - Kraków
Sunday, 31 July 2016

PHOTO: agensir.it

At the conclusion of this celebration, I join all of you in thanking God, the Father of infinite mercy, for allowing us to experience this World Youth Day.  I thank Cardinal Dziwisz and Cardinal RyÅ‚ko, who have been indefatigable in their efforts to make this Day possible, as too, for the prayers which have accompanied the preparations for this event; I also thank all those who have contributed to its successful outcome.  A big word of thanks goes to you, dear young people!  You filled Krakow with the contagious enthusiasm of your faith.  Saint John Paul II has rejoiced from heaven, and he will help you spread the joy of the Gospel everywhere.

In these days, we have experienced the beauty of our universal fraternity in Christ, the centre and hope of our lives.  We have heard his voice, the voice of the Good Shepherd who dwells in our midst.  He has spoken to each of you in your heart.  He has renewed you by his love and he has shown you the light of his forgiveness, the power of his grace.  He has made you experience the reality of prayer.  These days have given you a spiritual “breath of fresh air” that will help you live lives of mercy once you return to your own countries and communities.

Here, beside the altar, is the image of the Virgin Mary venerated by Saint John Paul II in the shrine of Kalwaria.  Mary, our Mother, teaches us how we can make our experience here in Poland be productive.  She tells us to do what she did: not to squander the gift you have received, but to treasure it in your heart so it can grow and bear fruit, with the help of the Holy Spirit.  In this way, each of you, for all your limitations and failings, can be a witness to Christ wherever you live: at home, in your parishes, in your associations and groups, and your places of study, work, service, entertainment… wherever God’s providence will lead you.

God’s providence is always one step ahead of us.  Think: it has already determined the next stop in this great pilgrimage begun in 1985 by Saint John Paul II!  So now I am happy to announce that the next World Youth Day – after the two that will be held on the diocesan level – will take place in 2019 in Panama. 

I invite the Bishops of Panama to approach, and to join me in giving the blessing.

Trusting in the intercession of Mary, let us ask the Holy Spirit to enlighten and sustain the journey of young people in the Church and in the world, and make you disciples and witnesses to God’s mercy.

And now let us recite together the Angelus prayer…

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Saturday, August 06, 2016
KAMI MAU MENUTUP MATA
 
gambar dari internet
Terima kasih Tuhan untuk pengalaman hari ini...
Kini kami anak-anakmu hendak merunduk..menutup mata, berdiam diri sejenak sampai besok pagi....
Kami sadar Engkaulah yang mengendalikan kehidupan kami saat kami tidur...
Maka kami ingin berpamit denganmu...
Semoga kami bangun esok pagi dengan semangat baru....
selamat malam..
dan selamat bobo....
God Bless Us..

Status facebook 6 Agustus 2012
PA, Gordi
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Wednesday, August 03, 2016
Tanggapan Umat Islam Eropa atas Aksi Pembunuhan Pastor di Prancis
 
Pastor dan umat Muslim di salah satu gereja Katolik di Italia, FOTO: gazzettadiparma.it

Pembunuhan Pastor Jacques Hamel pada 26 Juli lalu menyisakan kesedihan mendalam. Kesedihan itu bukan saja bagi warga Eropa tetapi juga warga dunia lainnya. Bahkan, kesedihan itu juga melanda umat Muslim di Eropa umumnya dan di Prancis khususnya.

Pastor Jacques, 86 tahun, dibunuh di Gereja Paroki Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray, dekat kota Rouen, Prancis pada 26 Juli lalu. Peristiwa ini menjadi berita hangat di dunia internasional khususnya di Eropa karena bersamaan dengan rangkaian Hari Kaum Muda Sedunia (WYD).

Teman-teman muda pun kaget sekaligus takut mendengar berita ini. Paus Fransiskus yang hadir bersama anak muda dari seluruh dunia di Krakow, Polandia juga berkomentar. Paus tahu, anak muda ini juga takut dan dia menyerukan agar mereka tidak perlu takut.

Peristiwa itu memang bukan saja menimpa Pastor Jacques. Ada juga dua biarawati dan dua umat lainnya yang terluka. Pembunuhnya diduga terkait dengan anggota ISIS. Satu di antara dua pelaku juga diduga masih muda, 19 tahun.

Pastor Jacques yang terkenal sebagai figur yang tenang dan damai ini rupanya menjadi target kedua pelaku. Pastor Jacques saat itu sedang merayakan Ekaristi di dalam gerejanya. Bersama dia, hadir beberapa umat lainnya. Dari peristiwa dan tempatnya, pembunuhan ini memang mengerikan. Membunuh orang saat berdoa dan di tempat yang sakral bagi umat Katolik.

Bagaimana reaksi orang Eropa atas peristiwa ini?

Ada banyak reaksi tentunya. Ada yang mengecam keras aksi ini. Ini kiranya diamini oleh setiap orang. Siapa pun tidak boleh membunuh sesamanya. Ini sudah menjadi hukum alam dalam kehidupan manusia. Manusia mempunyai hak untuk hidup di dunia ini. Maka, pembunuhan ini termasuk pelanggaran atas hak hidup seorang manusia.

Kecaman lainnya juga tertuju pada latar belakang kedua pelaku. Tuduhan pun langsung kepada komunitas Islam. Tuduhan ini atas dasar indikasi bahwa kedua pelaku beragama Islam apalagi terkait dengan ISIS. Dalam hal ini, Islam memang terkait atau selalu dikaitkan dengan ISIS. Maka, kekerasan yang terkait dengan ISIS pun otomatis menjadi sorotan bagi komunitas Islam.

Warga Eropa pun kebanyakan setuju dengan cara pandang seperti ini. Mereka tidak tahu atau tidak mau tahu jika tidak semua umat Islam terkait dengan ISIS. Tetapi untuk saat ini, agak sulit tampaknya membalik cara pandang mereka. Mereka akan selalu mengaitkan Islam dengan ISIS.

Pastor bersama utusan dari umat Muslim di salah satu gereja Katolik di Italia, FOTO: gazzettadiparma.it
Cara pandang seperti ini juga otomatis mengubah cara pandang mereka kepada teman-teman Muslim di Eropa. Warga asli Eropa juga akan mengatakan kedua pelaku memang sama dengan teman-teman Muslim yang ada di Eropa. Ini tentu saja pandangan yang memukul-rata alias men-generalisir fakta yang ada.

Nah, bagaimana tanggapan umat Islam Eropa?

Boleh dibilang umat Islam Eropa sangat bijak dalam menanggapi situasi ini. Umat Islam di Prancis yang berperan penting dalam menghadapi isu seperti ini. Mereka berinisiatif untuk menyerukan kepada semua umat Islam di Eropa agar membuat aksi solidaritas kepada saudara/i Katolik yang sedang bersedih atas peristiwa ini. Aksi ini dikonkretkan dengan mengunjungi gereja Katolik dan berpartisipasi dalam perayaan misa pada Minggu, 31 Juli 2016.

Benar saja. Umat Muslim memang hadir di gereja Katolik pada Minggu ini. Banyak gereja di Prancis dan Italia menerima umat Muslim bahkan dalam perayaan ekaristi pun. Sontak seperti ada penampakan baru. Di depan altar, ada Pastor yang memimpin ekaristi dan di sampingnya ada Imam dari kalangan Muslim.

Aksi ini memang bukan sekadar asal buat. Umat Muslim di Prancis khususnya di dekat kota Rouen, tempat Pastor Jacques berkarya, mengenal baik Pastor Jacques. Pastor yang merayakan 50 tahun imamatnya pada 2008 yang lalu dikenal sebagai figur yang tenang dan damai. Dia juga menyapa semua umat termasuk umat Muslim yang ada di sekitar gerejanya. Dari sinilah lahir relasi yang baik antara Pastor Jacques dengan umat Muslim.

Baru kali ini ada aksi solidaritas seperti ini. Betul-betul menjadi aksi yang baik bagi relasi antara umat beragama selanjutnya. Rasa solidaritas ini kiranya muncul pertama-tama di Gereja Katolik di Rouen. Gereja Paroki Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray, tempat Pastor Jacques berkarya merupakan bagian dari Keuskupan Rouen.Di gereja Katedral kesukupan ini diperkirakan hadir 2.000 umat Katolik beserta 100 umat Islam.

Mereka disambut oleh Mgr Lebrun, Uskup dari Keuskupan Rouen. Dalam sambutannya dia mengajak umat Katolik yang hadir untuk menyambut dengan sukacita para sahabat Muslim yang datang ke gereja.

“Saya atas nama umat Katolik mengucapkan terima kasih kepada kalian. Kalian menolak aksi kekerasan yang berujung pada kematian atas nama Allah. Kami juga mendengar dari kalian bahwa, aksi ini bukanlah aksi seorang yang menganut agama Islam,” demikian sambutan Uskup Lebrun.

Selain sambutan itu, umat Muslim yang hadir juga menyerukan slogan yakni cinta untuk semua dan benci untuk tak seorang pun. Sungguh slogan yang bagus dan akan lebih bagus jika berhasil diterapkan.

Bagaimana dengan Italia?

Di Italia, umat Muslim juga merespons permintaan komunitas Islam di Prancis. Di kota Parma, beberapa orang Muslim hadir dalam perayaan misa hari Minggu di gereja Katedral kota Parma. Dalam gereja yang megah itu, Ketua Komunitas Islam di Parma Amin Attarki menyampaikan maksud kedatangan mereka di hadapan umat Katolik yang hadir.

Mereka datang bukan saja untuk saling kenal tetapi juga untuk membuat aksi solidaritas dan persaudaraan. Amin mengatakan, kami datang supaya kita saling kenal. Lebih dari situ, kami juga hadir bersama kalian dan turut dalam kesedihan yang disebabkan oleh peristiwa yang baru saja terjadi di Prancis.

Di Gereja Katedral kota Parma, pastor dan seorang utusan dari komunitas Muslim di Parma, FOTO: gazzettadiprama.it
Amin juga mengecam tindakan di Prancis itu. Bagi Amin, menghormati tempat ibadah sama dengan menghormati manusia yang menganggap tempat ibadah itu sebagai tempat yang sakral. Maka dalam keterangannya, dia  menambahkan dengan kalimat yang amat indah, tidak respek terhadap tempat ibadah sama dengan tidak menghormati kemanusiaan.

Umat Muslim yang datang ke gereja bukan saja di Parma. Mereka juga datang ke gereja di beberapa kota lainnya di seluruh Italia seperti di Roma, Milan, Palermo, Napoli, Novara, dan sebagainya. Total seluruh umat Islam di Italia yang berperan dalam aksi ini berkisar 15.000 orang.

Di kota Novara aksi solidaritas ini tidak saja berlangsung dalam gereja saat misa. Setelah misa, ada aksi solidaritas lainnya juga yakni bincang-bincang antara umat yang hadir.

Dalam perbincangan itu, ada wawancara yang menarik bersama seorang wakil dari salah satu organisasi Islam terbesar di Italia yakni Coreis (Comunità Religiosa Islamica) yang berpusat di kota Milano. Abd al-Ghafur Masotti wakil dari Coreis mengatakan bahwa aksi yang dilakukan oleh kedua pelaku di Prancis bukanlah tindakan seorang Muslim.

Dia mengatakan, pembunuh Pastor Jacques di Prancis tidak menyerukan seruan Allah adalah belas kasih (Dio è misericordioso) sebelum melakukan aksinya. Mungkin dia hanya berseru, Allahu Akbar, Allah yang besar.

Menurut  Abd, seruan Allahu Akbar ini bukanlah seruan yang berdasar pada Al-Quran. Dia juga menolak jika seruan ini dikaitkan dengan seruan seorang Islam. Boleh jadi, Abd mau mengatakan seruan ini merupakan seruan seorang penjahat yang mau mengatasnamakan Allah dalam tindakannya.

Abd dalam akhir wawancaranya menghimbau kepada umat Islam untuk menunjukkan Islam yang sebenarnya. Katanya, kita umat Muslim tidak perlu mengatakan bahwa Islam itu agama yang benar. Kita cukup menunjukkan hal-hal mana yang bukan Islam. Islam menurutnya, bukanlah Islam yang sedang kita bicarakan saat ini yakni islam yang terkait dengan aksi para teroris.

Abd mengajak umat Islam untuk menunjukkan Islam sesuai yang tertulis dalam Al-Quran. Di situ tertulis, siapa yang membunuh seorang manusia, dia membunuh kemanusiaan itu sendiri.

Pastor dan Umat Muslim di salah satu gereja di Italia, FOTO: italy.s5.webdigital.hu
Apa pun reaksinya, langkah komunitas Muslim Eropa ini patut diacungi jempol. Komunitas Islam Eropa sudah mampu menunjukkan bahwa Islam juga mengajarkan umatnya untuk berani meminta maaf dan berinisiatif untuk berbuat aksi solidarietas dan persaudaraan.

Bagaimana dengan Islam di Indonesia? Saya tak pantas menilainya. Biarkan umat Islam Indonesia dan seluruh warga Indonesia sendiri yang menjawabnya.

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

PRM, 1/8/2016
Gordi

*Dipulikasikan pertama kali di sini


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Monday, August 01, 2016
ANGELUS POPE FRANCIS
Saint Peter's Square
Sunday, 24 July 2016

PHOTO: en.radiovaticana.va

Dear Brothers and Sisters, Good morning!

The Gospel this Sunday (Lk 11:1-13) opens with the scene of Jesus who is praying alone, apart from the others; when he finishes, the disciples ask him: “Lord, teach us to pray” (v. 1); and He says in reply, “When you pray, say: ‘Father...’”(v. 2). This word is the “secret” of Jesus’ prayer, it is the key that he himself gives to us so that we too might enter into that relationship of confidential dialogue with the Father who accompanied and sustained his whole life.

With the name “Father” Jesus combines two requests: “hallowed be Thy name, Thy kingdom come” (v. 2). Jesus’ prayer, and the Christian prayer therefore, first and foremost, makes room for God, allowing him to show his holiness in us and to advance his kingdom, beginning with the possibility of exercising his Lordship of love in our lives.

Three other supplications complete this prayer that Jesus taught, the “Our Father”. There are three questions that express our basic needs: bread, forgiveness and help in temptation (cf. vv. 3-4). One cannot live without bread, one cannot live without forgiveness and one cannot live without God’s help in times of temptation. The bread that Jesus teaches us to ask for is what is necessary, not superfluous. It is the bread of pilgrims, the righteous, a bread that is neither accumulated nor wasted, and that does not weigh us down as we walk. Forgiveness is, above all, what we ourselves receive from God: only the awareness that we are sinners forgiven by God’s infinite mercy can enable us to carry out concrete gestures of fraternal reconciliation. If a person does not feel that he/she is a sinner who has been forgiven, that person will never be able to make a gesture of forgiveness or reconciliation. It begins in the heart where you feel that you are a forgiven sinner. The last supplication, “lead us not into temptation”, expresses the awareness of our condition, which is always exposed to the snares of evil and corruption. We all know what temptation is!

Jesus’ teaching on prayer continues with two parables, which he modelled on the behaviour of a friend towards another friend, and that of a father towards his son (cf. vv. 5-12). Both are intended to teach us to have full confidence in God, who is Father. He knows our needs better than we do ourselves, but he wants us to present them to him boldly and persistently, because this is our way of participating in his work of salvation. Prayer is the first and principle “working instrument” we have in our hands! In being persistent with God, we don’t need to convince him, but to strengthen our faith and our patience, meaning our ability to strive together with God for the things that are truly important and necessary. In prayer there are two of us: God and I, striving together for the important things.

Among these, there is one, the great important thing that Jesus speaks of in today’s Gospel, which we almost never ask for, and that is the Holy Spirit. “Give me the Holy Spirit...!” And Jesus says, “If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him for it!” (v. 13). The Holy Spirit! We must ask that the Holy Spirit comes within us. But what is the use of the Holy Spirit? We need him to live well, to live with wisdom and love, doing God’s will. What a beautiful prayer it would be if, this week, each of us were to ask the Father: “Father, give me the Holy Spirit!”. Our Lady demonstrates this with her life, which was entirely enlivened by the Spirit of God. May She, united to Jesus, help us to pray to the Father so that we might not live in a worldly manner, but according to the Gospel, guided by the Holy Spirit.


After the Angelus:
In these hours our mind has once again been shaken by the distressing news of deplorable acts of terrorism and violence, which have caused pain and death. I am thinking of the dramatic events in Munich, Germany, and in Kabul, Afghanistan, where many innocent people have lost their lives.

I am close to the families of the victims and to the wounded. I invite you all to join me in prayer, so that the Lord may inspire in everyone resolutions of goodness and fraternity. The more insurmountable the difficulties seem, and the darker the prospects of security and peace, the more insistent our prayer must be.

Dear Brothers and Sisters, in these days many young people from all over the world are heading towards Krakow, where the 31st World Youth Day will take place. I too will leave next Wednesday, in order to meet these young people and to celebrate, with them and for them, the Jubilee of Mercy, with the intercession of St John Paul II. I ask you to accompany us with prayer. Even now I extend my greeting and gratitude to those who are working to welcome the young pilgrims, with many bishops, priests, men and women religious, and laity. I extend a special greeting to their numerous peers who, though unable to be present in person, will follow the event through the media. We will all be united in prayer!

I wish everyone a Good Sunday. And please do not forget to pray for me. Have a good lunch and Arrivederci!

© Copyright - Libreria Editrice Vaticana


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Monday, July 25, 2016
ANGELUS POPE FRANCIS
Saint Peter's Square
Sunday, 17 July 2016

PHOTO: greekamericangirl.com


Dear Brothers and Sisters, Good morning!
In today’s Gospel the Evangelist Luke writes about Jesus who, on the way to Jerusalem, enters a village and is welcomed into the home of two sisters: Martha and Mary (cf. Lk 10:38-42). Both welcome the Lord, but they do so in different ways. Mary sits at Jesus’ feet and listens to his words (cf. v. 39), whereas Martha is completely caught up in preparing things; at a certain point she says to Jesus: “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me” (v. 40). Jesus responds to her: “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things; one thing is needful. Mary has chosen the good portion, which shall not be taken away from her” (vv. 41-42).

In bustling about and busying herself, Martha risks forgetting — and this is the problem — the most important thing, which is the presence of the guest, Jesus in this case. She forgets about the presence of the guest. A guest is not merely to be served, fed, looked after in every way. Most importantly he ought to be listened to. Remember this word: Listen! A guest should be welcomed as a person, with a story, his heart rich with feelings and thoughts, so that he may truly feel like he is among family. If you welcome a guest into your home but continue doing other things, letting him just sit there, both of you in silence, it is as if he were of stone: a guest of stone. No. A guest is to be listened to. Of course, Jesus’ response to Martha — when he tells her that there is only one thing that needs to be done — finds its full significance in reference to listening to the very word of Jesus, that word which illuminates and supports all that we are and what we do. If we go to pray, for example, before the Crucifix, and we talk, talk, talk, and then we leave, we do not listen to Jesus. We do not allow him to speak to our heart. Listen: this is the key word. Do not forget! And we must not forget that in the house of Martha and Mary, Jesus, before being Lord and Master, is a pilgrim and guest. Thus, his response has this significance first and foremost: “Martha, Martha why do you busy yourself doing so much for this guest even to the point of forgetting about his presence? — A guest of stone! — Not much is necessary to welcome him; indeed, only one thing is needed: listen to him — this is the word: listen to him — be brotherly to him, let him realize he is among family and not in a temporary shelter.

Understood in this light, hospitality, which is one of the works of mercy, is revealed as a truly human and Christian virtue, a virtue which in today’s world is at risk of being overlooked. In fact, nursing homes and hospices are multiplying, but true hospitality is not always practised in these environments. Various institutions are opened to care for many types of disease, of loneliness, of marginalization, but opportunities are decreasing for those who are foreign, marginalized, excluded, from finding someone ready to listen to them: because they are foreigners, refugees, migrants. Listen to that painful story. Even in one’s own home, among one’s own family members, it might be easier to find services and care of various kinds rather than listening and welcome. Today we are so taken, by excitement, by countless problems — some of which are not important — that we lack the capacity to listen. We are constantly busy and thus we have no time to listen. I would like to ask you, to pose a question to you, each one answer in your own heart: do you, husband, take time to listen to your wife? And do you, woman, take time to listen to your husband? Do you, parents, take time, time to “waste”, to listen to your children? or your grandparents, the elderly? — “But grandparents always say the same things, they are boring...” — But they need to be listened to! Listen. I ask that you learn to listen and to devote more of your time. The root of peace lies in the capacity to listen.

May the Virgin Mary, Mother of listening and of service and of attentive care, teach us to be welcoming and hospitable to our brothers and our sisters.

After the Angelus:
Dear brothers and sisters, there is deep sorrow in our hearts for the carnage that occurred on Thursday evening in Nice, which cut short so many innocent lives, even many children. I remain close to each family and to the entire French nation in mourning. May God, the Good Father, welcome all of the victims into his peace, support the injured and comfort the families. May he disperse every plan of terror and of death, that man no longer dare to shed the blood of a brother. I offer a paternal and fraternal embrace to all the residents of Nice and the entire nation of France. Now, everyone together, let us pray as we think of this massacre, of the victims, of family members. Let us pray first in silence....

Hail Mary....

I warmly greet all of you, faithful from Rome and from various countries. In particular from Ireland, I greet the pilgrims from the Dioceses of Armaugh and Darry, and the Permanent Deaconate of the Diocese of Elphin, with their wives.

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

© Copyright - Libreria Editrice Vaticana


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Monday, July 18, 2016
ANGELUS POPE FRANCIS
Saint Peter's Square
Sunday, 10 July 2016

PHOTO: tes.com


Dear Brothers and Sisters, Good morning!
Today’s liturgy presents us with the parable of the “Good Samaritan”, taken from the Gospel of Luke (10:25-37). This passage, this simple and inspiring story, indicates a way of life, which has as its main point not ourselves, but others, with their difficulties, whom we encounter on our journey and who challenge us. Others challenge us. And when others do not challenge us, something is not right; something in the heart is not Christian. Jesus uses this parable in his dialogue with a lawyer when asked about the twofold commandment that allows us to enter into eternal life: to love God with your whole heart and your neighbour as yourself (cf. vv. 25-28). “Yes”, the lawyer replies, “but, tell me, who is my neighbour?” (v. 29). We too can ask ourselves this question: Who is my neighbour? Who must I love as myself? My parents? My friends? My fellow countrymen? Those who belong to my religion?... Who is my neighbour?

Jesus responds with this parable. A man, along the road from Jerusalem to Jericho, was attacked, beaten and abandoned by robbers. Along that road, a priest passed by, then a Levite, and upon seeing this wounded man, they did not stop, but walked straight past him (vv. 31-32). Then a Samaritan came by, that is, a resident of Samaria, a man who was therefore despised by the Jews because he did not practise the true religion; and yet he, upon seeing that poor wretched man, “had compassion. He went to him, bandaged his wounds [...], brought him to an inn and took care of him” (vv. 33-34); and the next day he entrusted him to the care of the innkeeper, paid for him and said that he would pay for any further costs (cf. v. 35).

At this point, Jesus turns to the lawyer and asks him: “Which of these three — the priest, the Levite, or the Samaritan — do you think was a neighbour to the man who fell victim to the robbers?”. And the lawyer, of course — because he was intelligent —, said in reply: “The one who had compassion on him” (vv. 36-37). In this way, Jesus completely overturned the lawyer’s initial perspective — as well as our own! —: I must not categorize others in order to decide who is my neighbour and who is not. It is up to me whether to be a neighbour or not — the decision is mine — it is up to me whether or not to be a neighbour to those whom I encounter who need help, even if they are strangers or perhaps hostile. And Jesus concludes, saying: “Go and do likewise” (v. 37). What a great lesson! And he repeats it to each of us: “Go and do likewise”, be a neighbour to the brother or sister whom you see in trouble. “Go and do likewise”. Do good works, don’t just say words that are gone with the wind. A song comes to mind: “Words, words, words”. No. Works, works. And through the good works that we carry out with love and joy towards others, our faith emerges and bears fruit. Let us ask ourselves — each of us responding in his own heart — let us ask ourselves: Is our faith fruitful? Does our faith produce good works? Or is it sterile instead, and therefore more dead than alive? Do I act as a neighbour or simply pass by? Am I one of those who selects people according to my own liking? It is good to ask ourselves these questions, and to ask them often, because in the end we will be judged on the works of mercy. The Lord will say to us: Do you remember that time on the road from Jerusalem to Jericho? That man who was half dead was me. Do you remember? That hungry child was me. Do you remember? That immigrant who many wanted to drive away, that was me. That grandparent who was alone, abandoned in nursing homes, that was me. That sick man, alone in the hospital, who no one visited, that was me.

May the Virgin Mary help us to walk along the path of love, love that is generous towards others, the way of the Good Samaritan. My she help us to live the first commandment that Christ left us. This is the way to enter into eternal life.

After the Angelus:
Dear brothers and sisters, today is “Sea Sunday”, in support of the pastoral care of seafarers. I encourage seafarers and fishermen in their work, which is often hard and risky, as well as chaplains and volunteers in their valuable service. May Mary, the Star of the Sea, watch over you! And I greet all of you, faithful from Rome, and from many parts of Italy and the world.

I offer a special greeting to the pilgrims from Puerto Rico; to those from Poland who have completed the relay race from Krakow to Rome — well done! —; and I also extend my greeting to the participants in the great pilgrimage of the Family of Radio Maria to the Sanctuary of Jasna Góra in CzÄ™stochowa, now in its 25th year. I also heard some of my compatriots who are not silent. To the Argentines who are here, who are boisterous — que hacen lío — I give you my special greeting!

I greet the families from the diocese of Adria-Rovigo, the Daughters of Charity of the Most Precious Blood, the Secular Order Teresian Carmelites, the faithful from Limbiate, and the John Paul II Missionary Community. 

I wish you all a good Sunday, a warm Sunday! Please do not forget, please, to pray for me. Have a good lunch and Arrivederci!

© Copyright - Libreria Editrice Vaticana


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Sunday, July 17, 2016
la casa saveriana di Ancona 

Sabato, 16 luglio 2016. Il viaggio lungo. Da Parma ad Ancona. E' circa 3 ore e 15 minuti. Siamo partiti alle 13.30 dalla stazione di Parma e siamo arrivati alle 17.19 alla stazione di Ancona. E' un viaggio lungo ma anche interessante per me. Il treno si è fermato in tanta stazione. E' giusto anche perchè nelle state ci sono tante persone che si spostano. Al mare, alle montagne, ecc. Il treno regionale passa proprio nelle linea del mare adriatico. Quindi da Rimini in poi, passa vicino al mare. 

Non ho potuto vedere tutte le stazione dove siamo fermati. In qualche stazione si ma le altre no. Ero dormito. Ho contato che circa dura 2 ore ho dormito. 

Quando siamo usciti dalla stazione di Ancona abbiamo incontrato Padre Giancarlo, SX che è il rettore della casa saveriana ad Ancona  e anche Pietro. Ci hanno accompagnato dalla stazione a casa nostra. Grazie per voi due. Grazie anche per il fratello Maurizio SX a Parma che ci ha accompagnato da casa madre alla stazione di Parma.

E' l'inizio del campo estivo di Ancona. Da lunedì cominceremo il campo insieme i ragazzi che vengono da tutte le parte dell'italia, dal nord al sud. 

Buona missione. 
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