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Wednesday, November 25, 2015
ANGELUS POPE FRANCIS
Saint Peter's Square
Sunday, 22 November 2015



Dear Brothers and Sisters, Good morning!
On this last Sunday of the liturgical year, we celebrate the solemnity of Christ the King. And today’s Gospel leads us to contemplate Jesus as he introduces himself to Pilate as king of a kingdom that “is not of this world” (Jn 18:36). This doesn’t mean that Christ is the king of another world, but that he is king in another manner, but he is king in this world. It is a contrast between two types of logic. Worldly logic is based on ambition, competition, it fights using the weapons of fear, extortion, and the manipulation of consciences. On the other hand, the logic of the Gospel, that is, the logic of Jesus, is expressed in humility and gratuitousness. It is silently but effectively affirmed with the strength of truth. The kingdoms of this world at times are sustained by arrogance, rivalries and oppression; the reign of Christ is a “kingdom of justice, love and peace” (Preface).

When did Jesus reveal himself as king? In the event of the Cross! Those who look at the Cross cannot but see the astonishing gratuitousness of love. One of you could say, “Father, that was a failure!”. It is precisely in the failure of sin — sin is a failure — in the failure of human ambitions: the triumph of the Cross is there, the gratuitousness of love is there. In the failure of the Cross, love is seen, a love that is gratuitous, which Jesus gives us. For a Christian, speaking of power and strength means referring to the power of the Cross, and the strength of Jesus’ love: a love which remains steadfast and complete, even when faced with rejection, and it is shown as the fulfillment of a life expended in the total surrender of oneself for the benefit of humanity. On Calvary, the passers-by and the leaders derided Jesus, nailed to the Cross, and they challenged him: “Save yourself, and come down from the cross!” (Mk 15:30). “Save yourself!”. But paradoxically the truth of Jesus is precisely what is hurled at him in a mocking tone by his adversaries: “he cannot save himself!” (v. 31). Had Jesus come down from the Cross, he would have given in to the temptations of the prince of this world. Instead, he cannot save himself precisely so as to be able to save others, precisely because he has given his life for us, for each one of us. To say: “Jesus gave his life for the world” is true. But it is more beautiful to say: “Jesus gave his life for me”. And today, in this Square, let each one of us say in his or her heart: “He gave his life for me, in order to save each one of us from our sins”.

Who understood this? One of the criminals who was crucified with him understood it well, the so-called “good thief”, who implored him, “Jesus remember me when you come into your kingly power” (Lk 23:42). But this was a criminal, a corrupt person, and he was there in fact because he had been condemned to death for all of the brutalities that he had committed in his life. But he saw love in Jesus’ manner, in Jesus’ meekness. The kingship of Jesus doesn’t oppress us, but rather frees us from our weaknesses and miseries, encouraging us to walk the path of the good, of reconciliation and of forgiveness. Let us look at the Cross of Jesus, let us look at the “good thief”, and let us all say together what the good thief said: Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom”. All together: “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom”. Ask Jesus, when we feel that we are weak, that we are sinners, defeated, to look at us, and say to him: “You are there. Don’t forget me”.

Faced with so many lacerations in the world and too many wounds in the flesh of mankind, let us ask the Virgin Mary to sustain us in our commitment to emulate Jesus, our king, by making his kingdom present with gestures of tenderness, understanding and mercy.

After the Angelus:
Yesterday, in Barcelona, Federico de Berga and 25 companion martyrs were beatified. They were killed in Spain during the violent persecution against the Church in the last century. They were priests, professed youth awaiting ordination and lay brothers of the Order of Friars Minor Capuchin. Let us entrust to their intercession our many brothers and sisters who sadly, still today, in various parts of the world, are persecuted because of their faith in Christ.

I greet all of you pilgrims, from Italy and from various countries: families, parish groups, associations. In particular, I greet those from Mexico, Australia and Paderborn, Germany. I greet the faithful of Avola, Mestre, Foggia, Pozzallo, Campagna and Val di Non, Italy, as well as the musical groups, whom I heard! — and who celebrate St Cecilia, patroness of song and music. After the Angelus, let yourselves be heard, because you play very well.

On Wednesday, I begin my trip to Africa, to visit Kenya, Uganda and the Central African Republic. I ask all of you to pray for this journey, that it may be for all of these beloved brothers and sisters, and also for me, a sign of closeness and love. Together let us ask the Virgin to bless these beloved lands, so that there may be peace and prosperity in them.
[Hail Mary…]

I wish you all a good Sunday. Please don’t forget to pray for me. Have a good lunch. Arrivederci!
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Monday, November 23, 2015
Jika Anda Kantuk, Segeralah Tidur


Tidur adalah salah satu kewajiban alami yang mesti dipenuhi. Seperti makan, tidur tidak bisa ditunda. Kalau pun Anda menundanya, Anda sendiri yang rugi. Dan, bahkan lebih dari rugi, Anda akan sakit jika menundanya.

Tubuh butuh makan agar muncul energi baru. Seperti makanan, tidur juga memberi energi baru pada tubuh. Energi baru muncul setelah Anda melepaskan kepenatan, menanggalkan kelelahan, dan tidur sebentar. Seperti tidak ada manusia yang tidak butuh makan, setiap manusia juga butuh waktu untuk tidur.

Saya ingat kejadian mengerikan itu. Beberapa teman kelas kami tiba terlambat di kelas. Kami kira mereka telat seperti biasanya sebab sering kali mereka tiba telat. Entah karena hujan, tol macet, atau ada kecelakaan. Kali ini rupanya lain. Ada sesuatu yang membuat mereka kurang nyaman. Penyebabnya memang bukan mereka. Tetapi apa boleh buat, seperti dalam masyarakat, seorang bertindak salah yang lain kena getah dari kesalahannya. Demikianlah teman-teman kami ini. Mereka bukan pelaku tetapi korban. Untung saja mereka tetap bisa datang dan mengikuti kuliah pagi itu.

Sang profesor bergegas menghampiri satu dari mereka begitu lonceng berbunyi. Jam istirahat sudah tiba. “Kalian baik-baik saja, state bene?”
Pertanyaan seperti ini sudah biasa bagi orang Italia. Ada dua fungsi di sini. Satunya hanya sebatas sapaan. Seperti saya menayakan sahabat saya, bagaimana kabar Anda sementara saya tahu dia baik-baik saja. Tetapi, pertanyaan yang sama bisa juga berarti pertanyaan serius. Menayakan keadaan yang sebenarnya.

Kata teman saya, “Kami mengalami kecelakaan sedikit. Hampir saja ditabrak mobil besar (truk pengangkut kontainer).”

Kami yang turut mendengarnya ikut kaget. Lalu, kami beramai-ramai mendengar penjelasannya. Rupanya memang mereka hampir ditabrak mobil besar ini yang berlawanan arah dengan mereka. Mobil besar ini sudah melampaui jalurnya dan masuk ke jalur sebelah yang nota bene dari arah berlawanan. Teman kami yang jadi sopir tidak bisa berbuat apa-apa. Dia tidak tahu atau tidak sadar bagaimana menghindari mobil dari arah berlawanan arah ini. Untung saja, satu teman lagi yang duduk di belakang berdiri dari kursinya dan menekan tombol klakson. Bunyi klakson inilah yang membangunkan sopir mobil besar tadi. Lalu, dengan sigap dan tangkas, mobil besar itu berputar haluan. Dia menabrak pagar jalan tol. Dengan itu, dia tidak jadi menabrak mobil teman kami.

Kejadian ini mungkin sepele karena sering terjadi apalagi di Indonesia khususnya di Pulau Jawa. Di jalan tol, jalur puncak, atau jalur pantura misalnya banyak sekali sopir truk yang ngantuk karena kecapaian. Tetapi, kejadian ini betul-betul merugikan. Tak jarang bagi beberapa sopir, mereka bukan saja rugi tetapi malah merugikan orang lain. Menabrak rumah orang, menabrak motor, menabrak mobil dari arah berlawanan dan sebagainya.

Masalah mendasarnya adalah kurang tidur yang menyebabkan sopir jadi ngantuk. Ngantuk tetapi masih mau bekerja, masih mau nyetir. Bukannya tidur. Maklum, tidak tidur, tidak dapat gaji. Tidak dapat gaji, tidak dapat makan, tidak bisa menyekolahkan anak, dan tidak bisa bertahan hidup. Singkatnya, gara-gara ngantuk, akibat-akibat lainnya muncul berentetan. Tentu kita tidak ingin seperti ini. Tidak ingin kejadian serupa berulang kali terjadi. Untuk menghindarinya, lebih baik mulai dari diri sendiri. Mulailah tidur jika Anda merasa ngantuk. Jika tidak mau ngantuk pada saat bekerja, Anda mesti mengatur jadwal tidur Anda dengan baik.

Kecelakaan bisa datang kapan saja tetapi usahakan agar bukan kita yang menciptakannya. Kalau orang lain yang menyebabkannya itu urusannya lain. Saya kira jika kita masing-masing menjaga agar tidak menjadi penyebab kecelakaan, kecelakaan itu semestinya tidak ada.

Rasa kantuk bukan saja untuk sopir truk. Kita yang biasa menyetir sendiri mengalami hal yang sama. Tetapi, kita bisa mengatasinya. Biarlah kita turut menjaga keteraturan lau lintas bersama. Kita akan menikmatinya jika lalu lintas lancar. Sebab, jika macet atau kecelakaan, bukan saja kita tetapi banyak orang akan rugi.

Selamat berkendara dengan aman, nyaman, lancar, dan selamat sampai tujuan.

PRM, 23/11/15
Gordi

Foto di sini

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Monday, November 23, 2015
GENERAL AUDIENCE POPE FRANCIS
Wednesday, 18 November 2015

Family - 33. The welcoming door  



Dear Brothers and Sisters, Good morning!
With this reflection we arrive at the threshold of the Jubilee, it’s close. The door is before us, not just the Holy Door, but another: the great door of the Mercy of God — and that is a beautiful door! — which embraces our penance, offering the grace of his forgiveness. The door is generously open, it takes a little courage on our part to cross the threshold. Each of us has burdensome things within ourselves. We are all sinners! Let us take advantage of this coming moment and cross the threshold of this mercy of God who never tires of forgiving, never tires of waiting for us! He watches us, he is always beside us. Take heart! Let us enter through this door!

From the Synod of Bishops, which we celebrated in the month of October, all families and the entire Church received great encouragement to meet at the threshold of this open door. The Church was encouraged to open her doors, to go out with the Lord to meet her sons and daughters on the path, at times uncertain, at times dismayed, in these difficult times. Christian families in particular were encouraged to open the door to the Lord who is waiting to enter, bringing his blessing and his friendship. And as the door of God’s mercy is always open, so too must the doors of our churches, our communities, our parishes, our institutions, our dioceses, be open, because this is how we can all go out to bring this mercy of God. The Jubilee signifies the great door of the mercy of God but also the small doors of our churches, open to allow the entrance of the Lord — or often the exit of the Lord — who is a prisoner of our structures, of our selfishness and of so many things.

The Lord never forces the door open; he too asks permission to enter. The Book of Revelation says: “I stand at the door and knock; if any one hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me” (3:20). Let us imagine the Lord knocking at the door of our heart! In the last great vision of the Book of Revelation, the City of God is prophesied like this: “its gates shall never be shut by day”, which means for ever, because “there shall be no night there” (21:25). There are places in the world in which doors are not locked, there still are. But there are so many where armoured doors have become the norm. We must not give in to the idea that we must apply this system to our whole life, to the life of the family, of this city, of society, much less to the life of the Church. That would be terrible! An inhospitable Church, like a family closed off within itself, mortifies the Gospel and withers the world. No armoured doors in the Church, none! Completely open!

The symbolic management of “doors” — of thresholds, of passages, of borders — has become crucial. The door must protect, of course, but not reject. The door must not be forced but on the contrary, one asks permission, because hospitality shines in the freedom of welcoming, and dims in the arrogance of invasion. The door is frequently opened, in order to see if there is someone waiting outside, perhaps without the courage nor, perhaps, the strength to knock. How many people have lost faith, do not have the courage to knock at the door of our Christian heart, at the doors of our churches.... And they are there, they don’t have the courage, we have taken away trust: please, may this never happen. A door says many things about the house, and also about the Church. Tending the door requires careful discernment and, at the same time, must inspire great faith. I would like to pay a word of gratitude to all porters: of our condominiums, of civil institutions, of the Churches themselves. Often a porter’s acumen and courtesy can offer an image of humanity and of welcome to the entire house, right from the entrance. There is something to be learned from these men and women, who are watchmen at the places of encounter and welcome in the city of man! To all of you watchmen of so many doors, be they residential doors or church doors, many thanks! Always with a smile, always demonstrating the acceptance of that house, of that Church, so people feel happy and welcomed in that place.

In truth, we are well aware that we too are watchmen and servants of the Door of God, and what is the name of the door of God? Jesus! He lights up all of life’s doors for us, including those of our birth and of our death. He himself affirmed it: “I am the door; if any one enters by me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture” (Jn 10:9). Jesus is the door that lets us go in and out. Because God’s sheepfold is a refuge, it isn’t a prison! The house of God is a refuge, it isn’t a prison, and the door is called Jesus! If the door is closed, we say: “Lord, open the door!”. Jesus is the door and lets us go in and out. Those who try to avoid the door are thieves: it’s curious, thieves always try to enter by another way, by the window, by the roof, but they avoid the door, because they have evil intentions, and they sneak into the sheepfold in order to deceive the sheep and take advantage of them. We must enter through the door and listen to Jesus’ voice: if we hear the tone of his voice, we are certain, we are saved. We can go in without fear and go out without danger. In this beautiful discourse Jesus also speaks of the gatekeeper, whose task is opening to the Good Shepherd (cf. Jn 10:2). If the gatekeeper hears the Shepherd’s voice, he opens and lets in all of the sheep that the Shepherd brings, all of them, including those lost in the wood, whom the Good Shepherd went to get back. The sheep are not chosen by the gatekeeper, they are not chosen by the parish secretary or parish administrator; the sheep are all called, they are chosen by the Good Shepherd. The gatekeeper — he too — obeys the Shepherd’s voice. Thus, we can well say that we must be like that gatekeeper. The Church is the gatekeeper of the house of the Lord, she is not the proprietor of the Lord’s house.

The Holy Family of Nazareth knows just what an open or closed door means, for those expecting a child, for those who have no shelter, for those who need to escape danger. Christian families make the threshold of their homes a great sign of the Door of the mercy and welcome of God. It is precisely how the Church will have to be recognized, in every corner of the earth: as the watchman of a God who knocks, as the welcome of a God who does not close the door in your face with the excuse that you are not part of the household. With this spirit let us approach the Jubilee: there will be the Holy Door, but there is the door of the great mercy of God. May there also be the door of our heart for all to receive God’s forgiveness and to give, in our turn, our forgiveness, welcoming all those who knock at our door.
Special greetings:
I greet the English-speaking pilgrims and visitors taking part in today’s Audience, including those from England and the United States of America. My special greeting goes to the El Shaddai prayer fellowship and the orthopaedic surgeons of the Ivins Society. Upon you and your families I invoke the Lord’s blessings of joy and peace. God bless you all!

On this day, on which we are celebrating the Dedication of the Basilicas of Sts Peter and Paul, I hope for everyone that the visit to the Tombs of the Apostles may strengthen the joy of the faith.

I address a special thought to young people, to the sick and to newlyweds. Dear young people and students, especially from Afragola and Rome, may the witness of the Apostles, who left everything to follow Jesus, spark within you the desire to love him with all your might and to follow him; dear sick people, may the glorious suffering of Sts Peter and Paul give comfort and hope to your offering; dear newlyweds, may your houses be temples of that Love from which no one can ever be separated.
APPEALS
The day after tomorrow is International Children’s Rights Day. It is everyone’s duty to protect children and to place their good before all other criteria, so they may never be subjected to forms of slavery and mistreatment nor to forms of exploitation. I hope that the International Community may carefully watch over the living conditions of children, especially where they are exposed to recruitment by armed groups; likewise may it help families to guarantee to every boy and girl the right to school and to education.

* * *
Then on 21 November, the Church remembers the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the Temple. On this occasion let us thank the Lord for the gift of the vocation of men and women who, in monasteries and hermitages, have dedicated their life to God. So that cloistered communities may fulfil their important mission, in prayer and laborious silence, may our spiritual and material closeness never be lacking.
   
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