- Pope at General Audience: We Are All Sinners, So Don’t Be a Hypocrite
- Pope Makes Appeals to Help Ukraine, Ecuador During General Audience
- GENERAL AUDIENCE: On Humility vs. Hypocrisy
- English Summary of Pope’s General Audience
- Pope’s Address to Austrian Skiing Federation
- Nuns in Angola: ‘We Hid in the Bread Oven to Escape Being Killed by the Bullets’
- Bishop Robert Barron: Porn and the Curse of Total Sexual Freedom
- Holy Week Family Missions
Don’t be a hypocrite and judge others as though you have never sinned yourself.
Pope Francis stressed this during his weekly General Audience this morning in St. Peter’s Square, as he reflected on Luke’s Gospel which speaks of the Pharisee Simon and the anonymous sinful woman who Jesus forgives.
Saying this account demonstrates mercy well, the Pope noted that Simon wanted to invite Jesus to his house because he had heard good things about him as a great prophet, and while they were seated at lunch, a woman known by everyone in the city as a sinner enters. Without saying a word, she kneels before Jesus’ feet and bursts into tears; her tears wet Jesus’ feet. She then dries them with her hair, kisses them, and anoints them with a fragrant oil that she has brought with her. Seeing the sincerity of her faith and conversion, the Lord tells her that her sins are forgiven and to go in peace.
Simon, a ‘zealous servant of the law,’ judged others according to appearances, whereas the woman, the Pope contrasted, expressed a sincere heart through her gestures.
The Pharisee disapproves of Jesus letting Himself be ‘contaminated’ by sinners, Francis explained.
Even though Simon invited Jesus, he didn’t want to compromise or engage his life with the Master, whereas the woman, on the contrary, fully trusts in Him with love and reverence, the Pope said.
No Fear of ‘Contamination’
The Word of God, the Holy Father underscored, teaches us to distinguish between sin and the sinner: “With sin, you don’t need to fall to compromises, while the sinners – that is to say, all of us! -we are like the sick, who need to be cured, and to cure them, the doctor must approach them, visit them, you touch them. And naturally, the sick, to be healed, must recognize their need for a doctor.”
Sincerity Brings Freedom
Without fear of being ‘contaminated,’ Jesus forgives her, the Pope recalled, noting how Jesus is free to do this, due to His closeness to God, the Father of Mercies.
“And this closeness to God, the merciful Father, gives freedom to Jesus. Indeed, entering into a relationship with the sinner, Jesus puts an end to that state of isolation in which the merciless judgment of the Pharisee and his fellow citizens – those who exploited her – condemned her.”
Let’s All Take an Inward Look
“All of us are sinners, but we often fall into the temptation of hypocrisy, of believing ourselves better than others and we say: “Look at your sin …”
“Instead,” Francis continued, “we should all look at our sin, our falls, our mistakes and look at the Lord. This is the line of salvation: the relationship between “I” sinner and the Lord.”
The conversion of the sinner before the eyes of all, the Pope reflected, shows that in Him shines the power of God’s mercy, capable of transforming hearts.
The sinful woman teaches us the link between faith, love and gratitude, the Pope said, noting how the one who has been forgiven gains the capacity to love, whereas he to whom little has been forgiven, loves little.
Pope Francis concluded, praying for us to have the gift of faith and urging us to thank God for the great and unmerited love He gives us.
Pope Makes Appeals to Help Ukraine, Ecuador During General Audience by Deborah Castellano Lubov
During his weekly General Audience this morning in St. Peter’s Square, Pope Francis repeated his appeals to help the suffering nations of Ukraine and Ecuador.
At the conclusion of the audience, Francis lamented, “Ukraine’s population has been suffering for some time the consequences of an armed conflict, forgotten by many.”
“As you know,” he continued, “I have invited the Church in Europe to support the initiative announced by me to support this humanitarian emergency.
On April 3, during his Regina Caeli address, the Holy Father announced a special charity collection to support the people of Ukraine, explaining to the pilgrims that on Sunday, April 24th, it would be possible to contribute to the collection in all Catholic Churches in Europe.
“This gesture of charity, beyond alleviating material suffering,” the Pope said, “expresses my personal closeness and the solidarity of the entire Church.”
This morning, the Holy Father said, “I thank ahead of time all those that will contribute generously to the initiative.”
Moreover, the Pontiff greeted pilgrims from Ukraine and Belarus on the occasion of an international conference marking the 30th anniversary of the tragedy at Chernobyl. “While renewing prayers for the victims of this disaster, we express our gratitude to the rescuers and to all the initiatives with which we have tried to alleviate the suffering and damage,” the Pope said.
Turning his attention to Latin America during his Spanish-language remarks, the Pope expressed his closeness to the people of Ecuador who were hit this weekend by a massive earthquake which has so far claimed more than 500 lives.
GENERAL AUDIENCE: On Humility vs. Hypocrisy by ZENIT Staff
Below is a ZENIT translation of Pope Francis’ address at this morning’s General Audience in St. Peter’s Square:
* * *
Dear Brothers and Sisters, good morning!
Today, we wish to reflect on an aspect of mercy well represented by the passage of Luke’s Gospel, which we heard. It is an event that happened to Jesus while He was the guest of a Pharisee called Simon. The latter wished to invite Jesus to his home because he had heard <people> speak well of him as a great prophet. While they were sitting at lunch, a woman came in, known by all in the city as a sinner. Without saying a word, she fell down at Jesus’ feet, weeping. Her tears bathed Jesus’ feet and she dried them with her hair, then she kissed them and anointed them with perfumed ointment, which she had brought with her.
Striking is the contrast between the two figures: that of Simon, the zealous servant of the Law, and that of the anonymous sinful woman. While the former judged others on the basis of their appearance, with her gestures the latter expressed her heart sincerely. Although having invited Jesus, Simon does not want to commit himself or involve his life with the Master. The woman, on the contrary, entrusts herself fully to Him with love and veneration. The Pharisee cannot conceive that Jesus lets Himself be “contaminated” by sinners, that is how they thought. He thought that if <Jesus> was really a prophet, He should recognize them and keep them at a distance, so as not to be stained, as if they were lepers.
This attitude is typical of a certain way of understanding religion, and it is motivated by the fact that God and sin are radically opposed. However, the Word of God teaches how to distinguish between sin and the sinner: one must not descend to compromises with sin, while sinners – that is, all of us! – are like the sick that are cured, and to cure them the doctor must come close to them, visit and touch them. And, of course, to be cured, the sick person must admit that he is in need of a doctor!
Between the Pharisee and the sinful woman, Jesus aligns Himself with the latter. Free of prejudices that impede mercy from being expressed, the Master lets her be. He, the Holy One of God, lets Himself be touched by her without fear of being contaminated. Jesus is free because He is close to God who is a Merciful Father. Therefore, by entering in relation with the sinful woman, Jesus puts an end to that condition of isolation to which the merciless judgment of the Pharisee and of his fellow citizens, who insulted her, condemned her: “Your sins are forgiven” (v. 48). So the woman can now go “in peace.” The Lord saw the sincerity of her faith and of her conversion, therefore, He proclaimed before everyone: “Your faith has saved you” (v. 50). On one hand, the hypocrisy of the Doctors of the Law, on the other, the humility and sincerity of the woman. All of us are sinners, but we often fall into the temptation of hypocrisy, of believing ourselves better than others and we say: “Look at your sin …” Instead, we should all look at our sin, our falls, our mistakes and look at the Lord. This is the line of salvation: the relationship between “I” a sinner and the Lord. If I consider myself just, this relationship of salvation does not happen.
At this point, even greater astonishment assails all the table companions: “Who is this, who even forgives sins?” (v. 49). Jesus does not give an explicit answer, but the sinful woman’s conversion is before the eyes of all and demonstrates that in Him shines the power of God’s mercy, capable of transforming hearts.
The sinful woman shows us the bond between faith, love and gratitude. “Many sins” were forgiven her, therefore, she loves much; “instead, he who is forgiven little, loves little” (v. 47). Simon himself must admit that he loves more to whom more has been condoned. God has enclosed all in the same mystery of mercy and, from this love, which always precedes us, we all learn to love. As Saint Paul recalls: “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace which He lavished upon us” (Ephesians 1:7-8). In this text, the term “grace” is practically a synonym of mercy, and is said to be “lavish,” that is, beyond our expectation, because God’s salvific plan acts for each one of us.
Dear brothers, let us be grateful for the gift of faith; we thank the Lord for His very great and unmerited love! Let us allow the love of Christ to be poured into us: the disciple draws from this love and is founded on it; everyone can be nourished and fed by this love. Thus, in the grateful love that we in turn pour on our brothers, in our homes, in the family, in the society, the Lord’s mercy is communicated to all.
In Italian
I give a cordial welcome to the Italian-speaking pilgrims. I am happy to receive with particular affection the faithful of the dioceses of Pesaro, Biella, Nicosia and Ozieri, accompanied by their respective Bishops, Monsignor Coccia, Monsignor Mana, Monsignor Muratore and Monsignor Melis: I hope that your Jubilee pilgrimage will awaken in you the desire to become increasingly witnesses of mercy and render your communities rich with the dynamism of the faith and a missionary spirit.
I greet the doctors taking part in the European Congress ”Pain Therapy and Palliative Care”; the pilgrimage of the Apostolic Movement; the Religious of the Union of Major Superiors of Italy and the Foundation “Let Us Help Them to Live” of Terni.
A particular greeting goes to the young people, the sick and the newlyweds. Tomorrow we remember Saint Anselm of Aosta, Bishop and Doctor of the Church. May his example of life drive you, dear young people, especially you youngsters of Aversa and of Ascoli Piceno, to see in the merciful Jesus the true Teacher of life; may His intercession obtain for you, dear sick, the serenity and peace present in the mystery of the cross; and may His Doctrine be an encouragement for you, dear newlyweds, to become educators of your children with the wisdom of the heart.[Original text: Italian] [Translation by ZENIT]
The Holy Father’s Appeal
Ukraine’s population has been suffering for some time the consequences of an armed conflict, forgotten by many. As you know, I have invited the Church in Europe to support the initiative announced by me to support this humanitarian emergency. I thank ahead of time all those that will contribute generously to the initiative, which will take place next Sunday, April 24.[Original text: Italian] [Translation by ZENIT]
English Summary of Pope’s General Audience by ZENIT Staff
Here is the English-language summary of Pope Francis’ General Audience this morning in St. Peter’s Square:
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Speaker: Dear Brothers and Sisters: In our continuing catechesis for this Holy Year of Mercy, we now consider the Gospel episode of Jesus’ dinner at the home of Simon the Pharisee. Saint Luke tells us that a woman known as a sinner came up to Jesus, bathed his feet in her tears and anointed them with precious perfume. The Pharisee, judging by appearances, is taken aback that Jesus is not afraid of contact with sinners. The Lord distinguishes between the sin and the sinner. He teaches Simon that the woman’s act, as an expression of faith and trust in God’s mercy has merited the forgiveness of her sins. The story of the sinful woman reminds us that God’s mercy reaches out to everyone; it overcomes prejudice and surmounts all barriers. Through faith in Christ, we too have received the forgiveness of our sins and the new life of grace. Having experienced this mystery of redeeming love, may we grow in gratitude for so great a gift, and in turn become witnesses and channels of that love in our families, our communities and our world.
Speaker: I greet the English-speaking visitors taking part in today’s Audience, particularly the pilgrims from Croatia, Norway, Sweden, Australia, Singapore, Taiwan, the Philippines and the United States of America. In the joy of the Risen Lord, I invoke upon you and your families the loving mercy of God our Father. May the Lord bless you all!
Pope’s Address to Austrian Skiing Federation by ZENIT Staff
Below is a ZENIT translation of Pope Francis’ address to the Austrian Skiing Federation whom he met with this morning in the Vatican’s Paul VI Hall before his weekly General Audience:
***
Dear friends,
I am pleased to welcome you to the Vatican today. When I think of Austria with its Alpine mountains, winter sports come to mind. Skiing is of great importance and tradition in your country, and there is a great excitement throughout the entire population when you support the riveting competitions. You are models, especially for many young people. But you are also models of integration, not only of sports performance, but of the virtues and values represented by sport: commitment, perseverance, determination, honesty, solidarity, team spirit. By your example, you contribute to the shaping of society. Always be messengers of the uniting power of sport and hospitality! And, returning to the natural wealth of your country, be messengers of safeguarding the environment and the beauty of God’s Creation. Thanks for your visit! May the Lord bless you all.[Original Text: Italian] [Translation by Deborah Castellano Lubov]
Nuns in Angola: ‘We Hid in the Bread Oven to Escape Being Killed by the Bullets’ by Oliver Maksan
Living the Gospel of mercy amid flying bullets is no easy task. The Poor Clare Sisters living in the convent of Santa Clara in Malanje, Angola, have lived through a number of battles during the civil war that destroyed so much in this country, all without leaving their convent walls—which are nonetheless riddled with bullet holes.
“It’s a miracle that we’re still alive, but we weren’t hit by a single bullet,” Mother María del Carmen Reinoso told international Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN). The civil war in this country was one of the longest and bloodiest on the continent, and the early years of the decade of the 1990s was the most violent period of all. During one of the phases during which the convent was attacked, the sisters had to hide in the bread oven, where they normally bake the bread, in order to take shelter from a hail of bullets—and indeed still to this day the walls of their convent bear the “tattoo marks” of the shooting.
At the beginning of the 1980s, the bishops of Angola asked the Poor Clare Sisters to come to Malanje to establish a contemplative convent there. After much effort, and living in conditions of “great poverty,” the Mother Superior said, they founded the convent in 1982. “As soon as we arrived, the vocations began; so many in fact, that we didn’t have room for them,” she said.
It was a joyful surprise for these Spanish nuns, who were accustomed to the shortage of vocations in their own country. “They were too few in Spain and in Angola there were so many, and so some of our sisters from here were sent to La Laguna, in Tenerife, and to Astudillo in the province of Palencia, in Spain,” said Mother Maria del Carmen.
Since 1987, ACN has helped the Poor Clare Sisters in the Archdiocese of Malanje with various different projects—including the construction of the convent itself, the extension of the chapel, and its restoration after it was peppered with bullet holes during the war. Since 2002 alone the charity has given approximately 77,000 Euros in aid for the sisters.
“We are able to live, thanks to the benefactors,” the Mother Superior said, adding: “Our prayers are the only thing we can give them in return, and so every day we pray the Rosary for them and also offer Masses.”
Currently, there are 19 professed sisters and five novices living in the convent. In addition to the spiritual duties of the contemplative life, the sisters also make baby clothes and religious items for sale in order to bring in a little additional income for the convent. Their convent chapel, which was restored with the help of ACN, is today one of the places where the faithful can come during this Jubilee Year of Mercy, for it is here that one of the Doors of Mercy has been opened in the diocese.
***
Aid to the Church in Need is an international Catholic charity under the guidance of the Holy See, providing assistance to the suffering and persecuted Church in more than 140 countries. www.churchinneed.org (USA); www.acnuk.org (UK); www.aidtochurch.org (AUS); www.acnireland.org (IRL); www.acn-aed-ca.org (CAN) www.acnmalta.org(Malta)
Bishop Robert Barron: Porn and the Curse of Total Sexual Freedom by Bishop Robert Barron
The most recent issue of Time Magazine features a fascinating and deeply troubling article on the prevalence of pornography in our culture. The focus of the piece is on the generation of young men now coming of age, the first generation who grew up with unlimited access to hardcore pornography on the Internet. The statistics on this score are absolutely startling. Most young men commence their pornography use at the age of eleven; there are approximately 107 million monthly visitors to adult websites in this country; twelve million hours a day are spent watching porn globally on the adult-video site Pornhub; 40% of boys in Great Britain say that they regularly consume pornography—and on and on.
All of this wanton viewing of live-action pornography has produced, many are arguing, an army of young men who are incapable of normal and satisfying sexual activity with real human beings. Many twenty-somethings are testifying that when they have the opportunity for sexual relations with their wives or girlfriends, they cannot perform. And in the overwhelming majority of cases, this is not a physiological issue, which is proved by the fact that they can still become aroused easily by images on a computer screen. The sad truth is that for these young men, sexual stimulation is associated not with flesh and blood human beings, but with flickering pictures of physically perfect people in virtual reality. Moreover, since they start so young, they have been compelled, as they get older, to turn to ever more bizarre and violent pornography in order to get the thrill that they desire. And this in turn makes them incapable of finding conventional, non-exotic sex even vaguely interesting.
This state of affairs has led a number of men from the affected generation to lead the charge to disenthrall their contemporaries from the curse of pornography. Following the example of various anti-addiction programs, they are setting up support groups, speaking out about the dangers of porn, advocating for restrictions on adult websites, getting addicts into contact with sponsors who will challenge them, etc. And all of this, it seems to me, is to the good. But what really struck me in the Time article is that neither the author nor anyone that he interviewed or referenced ever spoke of pornography use as something morally objectionable. It has apparently come to the culture’s attention only because it has resulted in erectile dysfunction! The Catholic Church—and indeed all of decent society until about forty years ago—sees pornography as, first and foremost, an ethical violation, a deep distortion of human sexuality, an unconscionable objectification of persons who should never be treated as anything less than subjects. That this ethical distortion results in myriad problems, both physical and psychological, goes without saying, but the Catholic conviction is that those secondary consequences will not be adequately addressed unless the underlying issue be dealt with.
It is precisely on this point that we come up against a cultural block. Though Freud’s psychological theorizing has been largely discredited, a fundamental assumption of Freudianism remains an absolute bedrock of our culture. I’m referring to the conviction that most of our psychological suffering follows as a consequence from the suppression of our sexual desires. Once we have been liberated from old taboos regarding sex, this line of argument runs, we will overcome the neuroses and psychoses that so bedevil us. What was once the peculiar philosophy of a Viennese psychiatrist came to flower in the 1960’s, at least in the West, and then made its way into practically every nook and cranny of the culture. How often have we heard some version of this argument: as long as you’re not hurting anyone else, you should be allowed to do whatever pleases you in the sexual arena. What the Time article articulates in regard to the specific issue of pornography has been, in point of fact, glaringly obvious for quite some time: Freud was wrong. Complete sexual freedom has not made us psychologically healthier, just the contrary. It has deeply sickened our society. The valorization of unrestricted freedom in regard to sex—precisely because it is morally corrupt—proves psychologically debilitating as well.
Whereas Freud, in the manner of most modern thinkers, principally valorized freedom, the Church valorizes love, which is to say, willing the good of the other. Just as moderns tend to reduce everything to freedom, the Church reduces everything to love, by which I mean, it puts all things in relation to love. Sex is, on the Biblical reading, good indeed, but its goodness is a function of its subordination to the demand of love. When it loses that mooring—as it necessarily does when freedom is reverenced as the supreme value—it turns into something other than what it is meant to be. The laws governing sexual behavior, which the Freudian can read only as “taboos” and invitations to repression, are in fact the manner in which the relation between sex and love is maintained. And upon the maintenance of that relation depends our psychological and even physical health as well. That to me is the deepest lesson of the Time article.
***
Bishop Robert Barron is an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles and the founder of Word on Fire Catholic Ministries.
Holy Week Family Missions by Andreas Kramarz
Amalia* fought with her tears as she told me about the sudden death of her son a few weeks prior in an mining accident, just days after his girlfriend had given birth to their own son. Shortly after that, Amalia’s mother had died. It was her great desire to speak with a priest about these strokes of fate; now it had become possible after the González family had visited her home and put me in contact with her.
Amalia’s visit is only one of many which I carried out during the week before Easter in the town of Madera. There was Josepha, a lady over 80 years old, who could not make it to church anymore: but now she was able to receive the anointing of the sick, and I even managed to bring her Holy Communion after the Easter Vigil, bringing the risen Christ into her humble home. Or José, that bedridden elderly man who could only see with one eye and did not remember whether he had even gone to confession in his life. His wife, equally advanced in age, was so happy to see him receive the sacraments of the Church. Many other impressive experiences must remain unmentioned because they fall under the seal of confession — and they were many confessions that I heard that week!
Every year, thousands of young people, adults and whole families throughout Mexico sacrifice their Easter vacation in order to travel into remote villages and visit people in their houses. These people often no longer have direct contact with the Church, and not rarely they become victims of proselytizing protestant sects. These missions are organized by the apostolic movement Regnum Christi and accompanied by priests of the Legionaries of Christ.
This year, I participated for the first time, specifically with Familia Misionera (“Family Mission”), together with about eight families from the city of Chihuahua who were going for the second year in a row to the town of Madera in the north-west of the state of Chihuahua. Four other Legionaries took care of other groups of families, girls, or young men. I was assigned to the parish of San Rafael. During past years, the whole area had suffered much from the violence of drug gangs; recently, the situation has calmed down, but many wounds are still open. Among the missionary families alone, there were two that consisted of widows with their children who had lost their husband or father under these circumstances.
Fr Ramón Arias, the parish priest in charge of Madera, asked the missionaries to visit all the houses of the town and to take note of the needs for the sacraments: baptisms, first communions, confirmations, as well as the sacrament of marriage for those not yet married in the Church, a surprisingly frequent phenomenon here. The missionaries also invited people during this week to a special program in the parish: daily talks for young people, adults, and couples, along with catechesis for children; then a community rosary procession and at 8 pm the evening Mass. In addition, at the end of Holy Week, there were the various liturgical celebrations and other events: a service with the anointing of the sick in the morning of Holy Thursday, then in the evening the celebration of the Last Supper with Eucharistic adoration lasting throughout the night; on Good Friday living Stations of the Cross through the dusty dirt roads, then the Liturgy of the Passion and Death of Christ, and at the end of the day in the main parish of Madera a rosary for our Lady of Sorrows followed by a silent torch procession through downtown — they have the custom to carry a crucifix horizontally in front of the procession under the periodical strikes of a great drum, in order to call attention to the death of Jesus.
For me as a priest it was the first time that I was able to preside the liturgy of Holy Thursday. I recognized not a few penitents from the days before among those whose feet I was allowed to wash. Now they were able to receive through me not only forgiveness but also the loving service of Christ, along with the exhortation to do the same to each other.
I was impressed by the enthusiasm and joy that the missionary families irradiated. Some of the children were still in grade school and yet participated already with much fervor. Most adults mentioned to me that they can no longer imagine Holy Week and Easter without missions. I had heard often that the missionaries themselves “profit” the most, in a spiritual sense, by giving of their time, effort, and resources to those in need, and I found this confirmed, even within myself. Then there is that deep rooted and spontaneous religiosity of the Mexican people, conjoined remarkably with overflowing warm-heartedness and charity. It was a totally new experience for me when three little girls knocked at my window early in the morning to talk about questions they had regarding confession and faith. This showed me how valuable it is when faith is lived and transmitted naturally, authentically and actively in the families.
I directed daily morning meditations for the adults and gave impulses in their reflection meetings, helping them to see their activity from a supernatural perspective, beyond their responsibility for a smooth functioning of all the technical aspects. Also here, the missionaries were the ones who perhaps grew the most in their own living of the faith.
The highlight of these days was certainly the Easter Vigil. The altar servers, who had been practicing with me intensively beforehand, did their best, likewise the music group of the parish with its not always perfectly harmonious, but for the rest all the more spirited guitarists and singers. Everyone’s excitement could be felt when the light of the Easter Candle and of the many other lights illuminated the dark church while I tried to sing out the Easter Proclamation despite a growing cold and the lack of practice time. The joy of the Resurrection of Christ surged in all hearts and, so it seems, has given new hope to these people marked by so many trials.
* All names except for the parish priest have been changed.
Fr Andreas Kramarz, LC, Ph.D., is priest of the Legionaries of Christ and serves as dean of studies and spiritual director in the Novitiate and College of Humanities in Cheshire, CT (U.S.A.) (for more information, see here).
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DAILY DISPATCH "Pope’s Morning Homily: We Must Memorize God’s Beautiful Deeds in Our Lives" ZENIT of Roswell, Georgia, United States for Thursday, 21 April 2016
- Pope’s Morning Homily: We Must Memorize God’s Beautiful Deeds in Our Lives
- Pope Sends Message to Young People on Way to North Pole
- Queen Elizabeth II Celebrates 90th Birthday
- Earthquake in Ecuador: the Church Is on the Front Line
- Pope’s Address to Italian Caritas Chapters
- Pope Sends Passover Message to Rome’s Jewish Community
- ANALYSIS: Religion and Race
- Ecuador: ‘We Celebrate Rites for Dead on Street Every Time Another Victim Is Found.’
We must memorize the beautiful deeds God has worked in our lives.
The Holy Father stressed this during his daily morning Mass this morning at Casa Santa Marta, saying that our faith is made stronger when we recall all the key moments and signs in which God has been active and present for us, reported Vatican Radio.
The Pontiff urged those present to ‘store’ these wonderful memories, as they demonstrate how God always accompanies us and is not frightened off by our wicked deeds.
“We must look back to see how God has saved us, follow – with our hearts and minds – this path with its memories and in this way arrive at Jesus’s side. It’s the same Jesus, who in the greatest moment of his life – Holy Thursday and Good Friday, in the (Last) Supper – gave us his Body and his Blood and said to us ‘Do this in memory of me.’ In memory of Jesus. To remember how God saved us!”
Just as the Church describes the Sacrament of the Eucharist as a “memorial,” and in the Bible, the book of Deuteronomy is ‘the book of the Memory of Israel,’ the Pope said we similarly must do this in our personal lives.
“It’s good for the Christian heart to memorize my journey, my personal journey: just like the Lord who accompanied me up to here and held me by the hand. And the times I said to our Lord: No! Go away! I don’t want you! Our Lord respects (our wishes). He is respectful.”
“But we must memorize our past and be a memorial of our own lives and our own journey. We must look back and remember and do it often. ‘At that time God gave me this grace and I replied in that way, I did this or that… He accompanied me.’ And in this way we arrive at a new encounter, an encounter of gratitude.”
Pope Francis reminded those gathered that Christian hearts must give rise to a sense of gratitude towards Jesus who never stops accompanying us ‘in our history.’
“How many times, he admitted, have we closed the door in his face, how many times have we pretended not to see him and not believe that He is by our side. How many times have we denied his salvation… But He was always there.”
Memory, the Pope highlighted, makes us draw closer to God, especially “the memory of that work which God carried out in us, in this recreation, in this regeneration, that takes us beyond the ancient splendor that Adam had in the first creation.”
Saying he was giving ‘simple advice,’ the Pope told the faithful to memorize what God has done for them.
“What’s my life been like, what was my day like today or what has this past year been like? (It’s all about) memory. What has my relationship with the Lord been like? Our memories of the beautiful and great things that the Lord has carried out in the lives of each one of us,” the Pope concluded.
Pope Sends Message to Young People on Way to North Pole by ZENIT Staff
Pope Francis has sent a message to young Argentinians who are journeying to the North Pole to raise awareness about threats to the environment, reported Vatican Radio.
The young people brought with them a copy of the Argentine Pontiff’s Encyclical on the environment, “Laudato sì: On Care for our Common Home,” a Scholas Occurentes banner, as well as an olive branch, the symbol of peace.
Those supporting the youth in this endeavor are Scholas Occurentes, newly made papal foundation, originally started in Argentina; the Criteria Foundation, which promotes commitment to civil society for human security; and an international group of schools founded in Argentina under then Archbishop of Buenos Aires, Jorge Mario Bergoglio.
In his message, Francis greeted the young people and stressed the ‘grave’ environmental situation. This and similar initiatives, the Pope continued, “help raise awareness about environmental degradation, the depletion of natural reserves, pollution, and also the severely unequal distribution of wealth.”
“The path you are taking,” the Holy Father added, “shows that with love, effort, and teamwork, it is possible to transform walls into bridges.”
The Holy Father concluded thanking them for them and their families who, he noted, are ‘accompanying them from afar.’
“Thank you for carrying the banner of the Scholas and their message. Thank you for your courage and your commitment to showing that everything is possible,” he said.
Queen Elizabeth II Celebrates 90th Birthday by ZENIT Staff
Queen Elizabeth II is celebrating her 90th Birthday today.
According to Vatican Radio, many have already paid tribute to the Queen of the United Kingdom and Head of the Commonwealth, including English Cardinal Vincent Nichols.
Via Twitter, the President of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales shared,“The Queen offers us an example of dedicated and enduring service. #HappyBirthdayYourMajesty We look forward to the celebrations.”
Moreover, Prime Minister David Cameron has called the world’s oldest reigning monarch a “rock of strength” for the country.
Likewise, her son, Prince Charles, said, “She, like all of us, can reflect on a life that has inspired and encouraged millions of people in the United Kingdom, the Commonwealth and around the world.”
Grateful for the best wishes, Her Majesty tweeted earlier today, “I send my best wishes to those who are celebrating their 90th birthday…on this shared occasion, I send my warm congratulations to you.”
In 1926, the monarch was born to the Duke and Duchess of York. Her father would later become King George VI. She undertook public duties during World War II, and married Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, in 1947. She ascended to the throne in 1952 after her father died, but her coronation did not take place until 1953.
Over the years, Her Majesty has met a number of Popes at the Vatican, including Saint Pope John XXIII. In addition, she has received Popes in the UK, including Pope Benedict XVI during his state visit in 2010 and Saint Pope Saint John Paul II during his pastoral visit in 1982.
Most recently, she met with Pope Francis during a visit to Rome in April of 2014. Joined by her husband, Prince Philip, the queen’s informal meeting with Francis marked her first encounter with the Argentine Pope.
Earthquake in Ecuador: the Church Is on the Front Line by Sergio Mora
Last Saturday, shortly before 7 p.m., a 7.8 degree earthquake struck Ecuador. ZENIT was able to contact by telephone Monsignor Lorenzo Voltolini, sent to Ecuador as a priest 37 years ago. The Archbishop of Portoviejo, who on his coat of arms has the motto ‘Ut Vitam Habeant,”explained to us the tragic situation that is being lived and the difficulty to take up a normal life. He also discussed the Church’s efforts to be on the front line and very close to the people, as well as the people’s religiosity, who are requesting the blessing of the deceased before any other type of help. The monsignor also said that the Pope’s words and prayers have been received with great joy.
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ZENIT: What is the present situation in your archdiocese?
Archbishop Voltolini: The situation is dramatic; the destruction is great; no one was prepared for such a great disaster, similar to the one suffered by Haiti, because, according to the experts, the earthquake was of 7.8 degrees on the Richter scale, but the force unleashed was much greater. The destruction is great and there are people who are still under the ruins. The confirmed dead are almost 600. The area most affected is the region of Manabi, whose capital is Portoviejo. The cost of the damage is yet to be estimated, but it is enormous.
ZENIT: Is the Church able to be on the front line with the people at this moment?
Archbishop Voltolini: Most certainly, because everything we receive we give to the neediest. We are close to our people; we suffer with them. Of course what the government does is seen more because it is supported by the system’s publicity.
ZENIT: On two opportunities, the Pope said that he prays for you all and is close to you. How do you all feel this?
Archbishop Voltolini: Yes, and from the first Sunday in the Regina Caeli, when the Pope announced what had happened in Ecuador. This comforts us very much and sustains us. The Pope’s words are received with joy. I have tried to spread them as much as possible, because radio and television are having difficulties in reaching <the public>, but the day after they appeared on the front page.
ZENIT: How is the disaster being addressed?
Archbishop Voltolini: The government has done its part quite well, because the civil defense, civil protection, and army have mobilized and things are arriving. Meanwhile, many come to the Church. In the consortium or Paul VI collection center, we are receiving donations that we distribute in Portoviejo as well as in the port city of Manta and in Pedernales. The distribution is done through the parishes that haveCaritas units that see that the aid goes to the neediest, because if there is no control, some receive three times as much and others nothing.
ZENIT: Have you felt the solidarity of the rest of the country and of neighboring nations?
Archbishop Voltolini: Yes, many Bishops have called me saying that they are organizing their Caritas. Many are the organizations that are offering help. In the moment of need although on one hand charity and volunteer work are carried out, on the other hand there are movements of despair that do not help the situation, and the rebellion is felt, because sometimes the distribution is not fair.
ZENIT: How can this disaster be explained to the people?
Archbishop Voltolini: There are frequent earthquakes here. Our people are very religious and the first thing they do, when there are earthquakes, is to pray to the Lord. What they asked us first of all was not for food but for a blessing. Now, instead, the moment has begun to return to normality and we are finding this difficult.
Pope’s Address to Italian Caritas Chapters by ZENIT Staff
Below is a ZENIT translation of Pope Francis’ address to Italian Caritas chapters whom he met with this morning in the Vatican’s Paul VI Hall :
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Dear Brothers and Sisters,
I receive you at the end of the works of your National Congress and I greet you all affectionately. I greet cordially Cardinal Francesco Montenegro, President of Italian Caritas, and I thank him for the words he addressed to me on behalf of you all. Your meeting takes place 45 years after the birth of this ecclesial organization, which Blessed Paul VI intensely desired, and he wanted it to have a pastoral and educational character. In 1972, on the occasion of the first national meeting with Caritas, he entrusted this mandate to it: To sensitize the local Churches and individual faithful to the meaning and duty of charity in ways that are consonant with the needs and the times” (Insegnamenti X, [1972], 989). Today, with renewed fidelity to the Gospel and to the mandate received, you go forward on new paths of encounter and verification to deepen and orientate to the best what you have undertaken and developed up to now.
Your educational mission, which is always geared to communion in the Church and to a service with wide horizons, calls you to the commitment of a concrete love for every human being, with a preferential option for the poor, in whom Jesus Himself asks you for help and closeness (cf. Matthew 25:35-40). A love that is expressed through gestures and signs, which represent “an innate form to the pedagogical function of Caritas at every level,” as my Predecessor Benedict XVI stressed, who then added: “I hope you will be able to cultivate to the best the quality of the works that you were able to invent. Render them, so to speak, “eloquent,” being concerned above all with the interior motivation that animates them, and with the quality of the testimony that emanates from them. They are works born of the faith. They are works of the Church, expression of the attention to the one in greatest need. They are pedagogical actions because they help the poorest to grow in their dignity, the Christian communities to walk following Christ, the civil society to assume consciously it obligations” (Address to the Italian Caritas in 2011: Insegnamenti VII, 2, [2011], 776).
In face of the challenges and the contradictions of our time, Caritashas the difficult but fundamental task to so act that the charitable service becomes the commitment of every one of us, namely, that the entire Christian community become the subject of charity. See, therefore, the main objective of your being and of your acting: to be stimulus and spirit so that the whole community grows in charity and is able to find ever new ways to be close to the poorest, able to read and address the situations that oppress millions of brothers – in Italy, in Europe, in the world. Particularly important, in this connection, is the role of promotion and formation that Caritas has in relations with the diverse expressions of volunteer work. Volunteer work that in turn is called to invest time, resources and the ability to involve the entire community in the commitments of solidarity that go forward. As your task of stimulus is also essential in dealing with the civil institutions and for adequate legislation, in favor of the common good and the protection of the weakest members; a commitment that is concretized in the constant offer of occasions and instruments for an adequate and constructive knowledge of the situations.
In face of the global challenges that sow fear, iniquity, financial speculations – also on food –, environmental degradation and wars, it is necessary, along with daily work on the territory, to carry forward the commitment to educate to respectful and fraternal encounter between cultures and civilizations, and to the care of Creation for an “integral ecology.” May Italian Caritas be faithful also in this to its statutory mandate. I encourage you not to tire to promote, with tenacious and patient perseverance, communities that have a passion for dialogue, to live conflicts in an evangelical way, without denying them but making them occasions of growth, of reconciliation: this is the peace that Christ has won for us and that we are sent to bring. May your boast always be the will to go back again to the causes of the poverties, to try to remove them: the effort to prevent marginalization; to affect the mechanisms that generate injustice; to work against every structure of sin. For this purpose, it is a question of educating individuals and groups to styles of life that are aware, so that all truly feel themselves responsible for all. And this, beginning with the parishes: it is the precious and capillary endeavour of the parochialCaritas, which must be continued to spread and multiply on the territory.
I want to encourage you also to continue in your commitment and closeness in your relations with immigrant persons. The phenomenon of the migrations, which today presents critical aspects that need to be managed with organic and farsighted policies, also remains always a richness and a resource, under several points of view. Therefore, your work is precious, which, beside the solidaristic approach, tends to privilege choices that favour increasingly the integration between foreign populations and Italian citizens, offering basic workers cultural and professional instruments adapted to the complexity of the phenomenon and to its peculiarities.
The testimony of charity becomes authentic and credible when it commits all moments and relations of life, but its cradle and its home is the family, the domestic Church. The family is constitutionally “Caritas”because God Himself made it so: the spirit of the family and of its mission is love, that merciful love that – as I reminded in the Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation Amoris Laetitia – is able to accompany, discern and become part of situations of fragility. The most complete responses to many hardships can be offered in fact by those families that, overcoming the temptation of “short” and episodic solidarity, sometimes also necessary, choose to collaborate among themselves and with all the other solidaristic services of the territory, offering the resources of their own daily availability. And how many beautiful examples of this we have in our communities!
With full confidence in the presence of the Risen Christ and with the courage that comes from the Holy Spirit, you will be able to go forward without fear and discover ever new prospects in your pastoral commitment, reinforce styles and motivations, and thus respond ever better to the Lord who comes to meet us in the faces and the stories of our neediest sisters and brothers. He is at the door of our heart, of our communities, and waits for someone to answer his discreet and insistent “knocking”: He awaits charity, that is, the Lord’s merciful “caress” through the “hand” of His Church, a caress that expresses the tenderness and closeness of the Father. In today’s complex and interconnected world, may your mercy be attentive and informed, concrete and competent, capable of analyses, researches, studies and reflections; personal but also communitarian, credible by dint of a coherence that is evangelical testimony and, at the same time, organized and formed, to furnish services that are ever more precise and targeted; responsible, coordinated, capable of alliances and innovations; delicate and welcoming, full of significant relations, open to all, solicitous in inviting the little ones and the poor of the world to take an active part in the community, which has its culminating moment in the Sunday Eucharist. Because the poor are the strong proposal that God makes to our Church, so that she grows in love and in fidelity, and so the communion with Christ in the Mass finds coherent expressions in the encounter with Jesus Himself present in the littlest brothers. So may be your, our caress, through the intercession of the Virgin Mary and of Blessed Paul VI. I bless you and accompany you with my prayer. And I recommend to you also to pray for me! Thank you.[Original Text: Italian] [Translation by ZENIT]
Pope Sends Passover Message to Rome’s Jewish Community by ZENIT Staff
Pope Francis has sent a message to the Jewish community of Rome as it prepares to celebrate the feast of Passover, April 22 -30. The Holy Father’s message was addressed to Dr. Riccardo Di Segni, the chief rabbi of Rome.
In the message, Francis prays that God will accompany the Jewish community with “an abundance of blessings,” protects them and bestows peace. He also asked Rabbi Di Segni to pray for him and prayed that friendship continues to grow between the Catholic Church and the Jewish community.
Below is the Vatican-Radio provided translation of the Pope’s message:
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To the Chief Rabbi of Rome, Doctor Riccardo Di Segni,
In remembering with renewed gratitude our meeting on 17th January, when I was cordially welcomed by you and by the Jewish Community of the city in the Great Synagogue, I wish to express my most heartfelt wishes for the feast of Passover. It points out that the Almighty has released his beloved people from slavery and brought them to the Promised Land . May God also accompany you today with the abundance of his Blessings, protect your community and, in His mercy, bestow peace upon everyone. I ask you to pray for me, as I assure you of my prayers for you: may the Almighty allow us to be able to grow more and more in friendship.
Franciscus, PP.
21st April 2016.[Courtesy of Vatican Radio]
ANALYSIS: Religion and Race by Fr. John Flynn
Analysis Written by Father John Flynn:
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Couples from minority groups are more likely to enjoy stronger and happier married lives if they are religiously committed. This is the conclusion of a recent book, “Soul Mates: Religion, Sex, Love, and Marriage Among African Americans and Latinos” (Oxford University Press).
In their extensively researched book, which is also the seventh work they have co-written, W. Bradford Wilcox and Nicholas H. Wolfinger make a simple and strong affirmation.
“The result of this inquiry is a finding that can variously be described as simple, powerful, and provocative: religion is a force for good in the lives of many blacks and Latinos.”
This positive force is expressed in a multitude of ways and is reciprocal. The authors explained that not only does religious faith foster a strong family orientation but also that family commitments lead people to deepen their dependence on their faith and religious communities.
They do, however, point out that religion is “not a silver bullet when it comes to addressing the challenges facing African Americans and Latinos.” Faith and religious participation can be found alongside infidelity, domestic violence and divorce, just as it is for all Americans.
The study of how religion affects minority couples has to be understood in the context of what Wilcox and Wolfinger called the “family revolution” in recent years. This has involved the weakening of the institution of marriage coupled with the impact of a stress on personal fulfilment and individualistic preferences.
As a result people spend less of their lives involved in family life, they are having fewer children and are less committed to their spouses, and family ties are more fragile.
Importance of faith
While there has been extensive research into many aspects of the lives of blacks and Latinos the authors noted that the role of religion in shaping marriage and family life has been largely overlooked.
In terms of the importance of religion for these two groups Wilcox and Wolfinger stated that 36% of African Americans and 29% of Latinos attend church several times a month or more. Moreover, 70& of African Americans and 61% of Latinos consider themselves moderately or very religious.
The topic is particularly important given the increasing numbers of these groups. African Americans and Latinos currently make up more than a quarter of the American population and by 2050 this will rise to 42%.
The authors identified a number of negative factors affecting family life among the two communities studied. Both African Americans and Latinos are more likely than whites to be involved in behaviors or situations that put relationships at risk. Thus, they have more male infidelity and conflict over infidelity, higher rates of criminality and incarceration, lower educational levels and a greater incidence of unemployment or underemployment.
Racial and ethnic discrimination, along with negative portrayals in popular culture are also likely to lead to less trust in society and conventional morality. African Americans and Latinos often come from poor, unstable families, which places them at a disadvantage to start with.
In the face of these negative forces “religion plays a crucial role in creating a personal and social context where individuals and their relationships can thrive,” the authors argued.
Religion does this by supplying religious, moral and social resources that help men and women live decent lives, thus making it easier for them to “steer clear of the temptations of the street.”
Even if churches do not focus explicitly on marriage and relationships they shape the context of personal behavior in a way that helps people lead a good way of life. For example, the authors commented that Catholic churches with predominantly Latino communities often posted the Ten Commandments in English and Spanish inside or outside the church.
Religious education and youth programs also often stress the importance of the Ten Commandments and good moral behavior. Black and Latino Protestant churches carry out numerous activities, including Bible study and social encounters.
In addition the faith-based messages of hope, redemption and acceptance are often comforting and inspiring to church members.
Decent behavior
Overall Wilcox and Wolfinger maintained that a crucial part of the impact of religion is to foster a greater degree of decent behavior among those who regularly attend church, pray more and socialize more with religious friends and family.
Thus, such people are less likely to be idle and more likely to be working or studying, less likely to commit a serious crime or be imprisoned, less likely to engage in drug or alcohol abuse, and less likely to cohabit, have children outside of marriage, or be unfaithful once married. They are also more likely to be happier and to enjoy better mental health.
Regarding happiness in marriage the positive effect of religion applies above all to situations where both the husband and wife attend church. If only one partner attends it is usually the woman and among Latinos when just the woman attends these are the least happy relationships.
In conclusion Wilcox and Wolfinger said that religious faith is an important source of personal, family, and community strengths for many Latinos, and is especially so for African Americans.
They argued, supported by extensive evidence, that the effects of religion are largely causal and that while sometimes the benefits of religion can be modest they are real.
As a result the authors argued that the contribution of religion should have greater recognition and encouragement when solutions for minority communities are examined. They also urged churches to speak out honestly to children and adults about the good parts and the challenges of married life.
Ecuador: ‘We Celebrate Rites for Dead on Street Every Time Another Victim Is Found.’ by Monica de la Morena
In the streets of the Ecuadorian city of Portoviejo there is the smell of decomposing bodies, and of burning. People are begging desperately for water, food and blankets. Nobody sleeps at home, not even those whose houses are still standing. “We are afraid that the earth will quake again,” said a tearful Father Walter Coronel, amissionary in based in the Archdiocese of Portoviejo.
San Gregorio de Portoviejo, eleven o’clock in the morning. The thermometer shows 33 degrees, that’s winter in the capital of Manabi Province. A few days before the earthquake it had rained non-stop for 12 hours. Hundreds of people had therefore had to leave their houses. Father Walter rushed there a few days prior to the quake. The missionary, who is currently working in the Ecuadorian Amazon region, comes from Portoviejo.
The priest told his story to international Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need: “It was two minutes before the start of the 7 o’clock Mass on Saturday (April 17). The priest, Roberto Carlos Garviami, was just introducing me to the 100 faithful who had come to the church of San José de Picoaza when the ground began to shake.
“The earthquake was very, very strong. Suddenly a large part of the roof fell a few inches from me and buried Father Roberto Carlos. In a few seconds, fear, blood and cries had spread through the parish church. I embraced two strangers. I could only pray and ask God that it would stop as soon as possible.”
Nobody was killed in the church of San José de Picoaza. But in other churches of the archdiocese and in the cathedral of Portoviejo many people lost their lives.
The 7.9 earthquake, with its epicentre 100 miles from Portoviejo, caused buildings to collapse as though they were made of paper. There was nowhere where it was possible to celebrate Holy Mass, the Ecuadorian priest explained. The few parish churches which had not been completely destroyed were heavily damaged.
“Whenever another victim is found, we celebrate the rites of the dead in the street, in corners of destroyed buildings,” said Father Coronel, adding: “It is not possible to count the number of dead. This is because in the hills whole rural areas are buried under rocks and trees. Nobody has been able to get there yet. We know nothing about the rural population. Nobody has managed to reach them yet. We’re completely out of our depth.”
In the city, he said, “the bodies are beginning to decompose. We have no water and the power is being continually cut off. Our country is not prepared for this.”
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Aid to the Church in Need is an international Catholic charity under the guidance of the Holy See, providing assistance to the suffering and persecuted Church in more than 140 countries. www.churchinneed.org (USA); www.acnuk.org (UK); www.aidtochurch.org (AUS); www.acnireland.org (IRL); www.acn-aed-ca.org (CAN) www.acnmalta.org(Malta)
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