Like
Tweet
Forward
During Morning Mass, Pope Warns Against Worldliness by Deborah Castellano Lubov
Watch out for worldliness and ambition and ask God to give us childlike simplicity.
According to Vatican Radio, Pope Francis gave this warning and encouragement to faithful during his daily morning Mass at Casa Santa Marta, as he reflected on today’s First Reading, which recalls that whoever wishes to serve the Lord must prepare for temptations, and the Gospel reading, in which Jesus tells his disciples of his impending death.
Recognizing temptation affects all people, Francis prayed that before the temptation of ambition, God gives us the grace of ‘holy shame.’
Recalling that the disciples do not understand why Jesus has told them of His coming death since they are too afraid to ask what he means demonstrates “the temptation to not complete the mission,” the Pope noted. Even Jesus, he added, suffered this temptation.
Warning Against Ambition, Worldliness
Today’s Gospel, the Jesuit Pope also recalled, also mentioned another temptation, that of ambition. The disciples argue along the way about who among them was the greatest, but remain silent when Jesus asks them what they are discussing. The Holy Father said they do not respond because they are ashamed of their words.
“These were good people, who wanted to follow and serve the Lord. But they did not realize that the path of service to the Lord was not an easy one. It wasn’t like becoming part of a group, some charitable group doing good: No, it was something else. They were afraid of this. It happened, happens, and will happen.”
“Let us think about infighting in a parish: ‘I want to be the president of this association, in order to climb the ladder. Who is the greatest here? Who is the greatest in this parish? No, I am the most important here; not that person there because he did something…’
This, Francis said, is the chain of sin.
Ladder Climbers
The Holy Father also offered other examples of this temptation which brings one to “climb the ladder” and criticize others.
“Sometimes we priests say ashamedly within our presbyteries: ‘I want that parish… But the Lord is here… But I want that one…’ It is the same.”
This, Francis warned, is not the way of the Lord, but the path of worldliness and vanity. “Even among us bishops,” Francis lamented, worldliness comes as a temptation.
Pope Francis concluded, praying for three things: for “the grace to be ashamed when we find ourselves in these situations”; to defend us “from ambitions and from the worldliness of wishing to be greater than others”; and to give us the grace of the simplicity of a child.
Pope’s 4 Verbs on Migration: Welcome, Protect, Promote, Integrate by Deborah Castellano Lubov
“Before this complex panorama, I feel the need to express particular concern for the forced nature of many contemporary migratory movements, which increases the challenges presented to the political community, to civil society and to the Church, and which amplifies the urgency for a coordinated and effective response to these challenges.”
Pope Francis stressed this in his address to participants of an International Forum on Migration and Peace taking place in Rome, whom he received in the Vatican this morning, noting his conviction that their shared response may be articulated by four verbs: “welcome, protect, promote and integrate.”
Organized by the new Vatican Dicastery for the Promotion of Integral Human Development in collaboration with the Scalabrini International Migration Network, the two-day international forum aims to stimulate dialogue on the root causes of migration and to elaborate and propose the best solutions for an ethical approach on the international management of migration, as well as the integration of migrants in hosting communities, and to concretely influence migration policies and practices.
Discussing welcome, Francis said: “Rejection is an attitude we all share; it makes us see our neighbour not as a brother or sister to be accepted, but as unworthy of our attention, a rival, or someone to be bent to our will”
Faced with this kind of rejection, rooted ultimately in self-centredness and amplified by populist rhetoric, he added, “what is needed is a change of attitude, to overcome indifference and to counter fears with a generous approach of welcoming those who knock at our doors.
“For those who flee conflicts and terrible persecutions, often trapped within the grip of criminal organisations who have no scruples, we need to open accessible and secure humanitarian channels.”
Turning to protecting, Francis stressed that defending their inalienable rights, ensuring their fundamental freedoms and respecting their dignity are duties from which no one can be exempted.
“Protecting these brothers and sisters is a moral imperative which translates into adopting juridical instruments, both international and national, that must be clear and relevant; implementing just and far reaching political choices; prioritizing constructive processes, which perhaps are slower, over immediate results of consensus; implementing timely and humane programs in the fight against ‘the trafficking of human flesh’; which profits off others’ misfortune; coordinating the efforts of all actors, among which, you may be assured will always be the Church.”
Turning to promoting, Francis stated that protecting is not enough, and said that “what is required” is the promotion of an integral human development of migrants, exiles and refugees.
And for integration, he clarified this refers neither assimilation nor incorporation, “a two-way process, rooted essentially in the joint recognition of the other’s cultural richness: it is not the superimposing of one culture over another, nor mutual isolation, with the insidious and dangerous risk of creating ghettoes.”
“I believe that conjugating these four verbs, in the first person singular and in the first person plural,” Francis stated, “is today a responsibility, a duty we have towards our brothers and sisters who, for various reasons, have been forced to leave their homeland,” a duty namely of three types, he explained, of justice, civility and solidarity.
Pope Francis concluded, stating his hope that these two days will bear abundant fruit, assuring them of his prayers, and reminding them to pray for him.
* * *
On ZENIT’s Web page:
Full Text: https://zenit.org/articles/popes-address-to-international-forum-on-migration-and-peace/
LITURGY Q & A: Church as Sacrament by Fr. Edward McNamara
Answered by Legionary of Christ Father Edward McNamara, professor of liturgy and dean of theology at the Regina Apostolorum university.
***
Q: Why is the Catholic Church a sacrament? – A.A., Wiaga, Ghana
A: This is quite a challenge and almost requires a treatise. However, I will try to be succinct.
When speaking of this theme, most people refer to the Second Vatican Council. The council’s document on liturgy, Sacrosanctum Concilium states in No. 5:
“This work of human redemption and perfect glorification of God, foreshadowed by the wonders which God performed among the people of the Old Testament, Christ the Lord completed principally in the paschal mystery of his blessed passion, resurrection from the dead, and glorious ascension, whereby ‘dying, he destroyed our death and rising, restored our life.’ For it was from the side of Christ as he slept the sleep of death upon the cross that there came forth the wondrous sacrament of the whole Church.”
In Lumen Gentium, the council’s dogmatic constitution on the Church, this idea is reinforced in No. 9:
“All those, who in faith look toward Jesus, the author of salvation and the source of unity and peace, God has gathered together and established as the church, that it may be for each and everyone the visible sacrament of saving unity. In order to extend to all regions of the earth, it enters into human history, though it transcends at once all time and all boundaries between peoples.”
Later, in No. 48, the Church is explicitly referred to as the “universal sacrament of salvation.”
It would be an error, however, to think that the idea of the Church as sacrament came out of the blue in the early 1960s. Sacred Scripture describes the mystery (sometimes practically synonymous with the Latin word sacramentum, or sacrament) of the Church saying that “you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in your midst” (1 Corinthians 3:16); and that God’s presence is manifested in the Church (Luke 12:32; Mark 4:26-29). The mystery of Christ’s body (1 Corinthians 12:1ff) is made manifest through visible images such as flock, vine, building, temple, spouse.
The Church Fathers also describe this reality with significant expressions. The Didache (written between A.D. 90 and 120) speaks of the “cosmic mystery of the Church.” St. Cyprian (died 258) calls the Church “great mystery of salvation,” and St Augustine (354-430) refers to her as the “wondrous sacrament born from Christ’s side,” as quoted above in Sacrosanctum Concilium, No. 5.
In the liturgy we find several examples. One prayer, attributed by some to Pope St. Leo the Great (390-461) and found in the Gelasian manuscript from 750, calls the Church the wonderful sacrament through which the work of redemption is continued and the restored world returns to its first destiny. In other words the Church, as a new creation of Christ, must be the sacrament that guides the world back toward God’s original plan.
With the advent of scholastic theology the concept of the Church as sacrament was obscured for a time, although the idea was gradually recuperated in the 19th and 20th centuries. The topic was widely treated in the decades before Vatican II by several major theologians.
The Catechism, which in a way sums up the earlier reflections, deals with the concept in several texts but especially in Nos. 774-776 regarding the Church as the universal sacrament of salvation:
“774. The Greek word mysterion was translated into Latin by two terms: mysterium and sacramentum. In later usage the term sacramentumemphasizes the visible sign of the hidden reality of salvation which was indicated by the term mysterium. In this sense, Christ himself is the mystery of salvation: ‘For there is no other mystery of God, except Christ.’ The saving work of his holy and sanctifying humanity is the sacrament of salvation, which is revealed and active in the Church’s sacraments (which the Eastern Churches also call ‘the holy mysteries’). The seven sacraments are the signs and instruments by which the Holy Spirit spreads the grace of Christ the head throughout the Church which is his Body. The Church, then, both contains and communicates the invisible grace she signifies. It is in this analogical sense, that the Church is called a ‘sacrament.’
“775. ‘The Church, in Christ, is like a sacrament — a sign and instrument, that is, of communion with God and of unity among all men.’ The Church’s first purpose is to be the sacrament of the inner union of men with God. Because men’s communion with one another is rooted in that union with God, the Church is also the sacrament of the unity of the human race. In her, this unity is already begun, since she gathers men ‘from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and tongues’; at the same time, the Church is the ‘sign and instrument’ of the full realization of the unity yet to come.
“776. As sacrament, the Church is Christ’s instrument. ‘She is taken up by him also as the instrument for the salvation of all,’ ‘the universal sacrament of salvation,’ by which Christ is ‘at once manifesting and actualizing the mystery of God’s love for men.’ The Church ‘is the visible plan of God’s love for humanity,’ because God desires ‘that the whole human race may become one People of God, form one Body of Christ, and be built up into one temple of the Holy Spirit.'”
Therefore, as the Catechism says, the concept of the Church as sacrament is analogous, and does not mean that it is an eighth sacrament.
Seeing the Church as a sacrament helps us to have a clearer grasp of the seven sacraments within the framework of the Church itself. We can perceive more clearly how the effects of sacramental participation go beyond the individual’s relationship with God and increase the sanctity of the entire body.
This concept also clarifies such classic dictums as “The Church makes the Eucharist and the Eucharist makes the Church.” The Eucharist, and in a way the Church’s entire sacramental and liturgical life, engage in a continual interaction. Christ’s fundamental saving action reaches the individual through the Church and her sacraments, and at the same time the individual’s positive embrace of this saving action sanctifies and builds up the Church.
The spirituality that can derive from assimilating this fundamental communion in Christ shared by all members of the Church and — since the Church is also sacrament for the world — with each and every human being, can lead us to understand that every good action we perform, and also our less positive actions, have effects that are way beyond our immediate circle and not only extend from “the rising of the sun to its setting” but can reach heaven itself through the communion of saints.
* * *
Readers may send questions to zenit.liturgy@gmail.com. Please put the word “Liturgy” in the subject field. The text should include your initials, your city and your state, province or country. Father McNamara can only answer a small selection of the great number of questions that arrive.
Pope’s Address to International Forum on Migration and Peace by ZENIT Staff
Below is a Vatican-provided translation of Pope Francis’ address to participants of an International Forum on Migration and Peace taking place in Rome, whom he received in the Vatican this morning.
Organized by the new Vatican Dicastery for the Promotion of Integral Human Development in collaboration with the Scalabrini International Migration Network, the two-day international forum aims to stimulate dialogue on the root causes of migration and to elaborate and propose the best solutions for an ethical approach on the international management of migration, as well as the integration of migrants in hosting communities, and to concretely influence migration policies and practices:
* * *
Dear Ladies and Gentlemen,
I extend to you my cordial greeting, with deep appreciation for your invaluable work. I thank Archbishop Tomasi for his kind words, as well as Doctor Pöttering for his address. I am also grateful for the three testimonies which reflect in a tangible way the theme of this Forum: “Integration and Development: From Reaction to Action”. In effect, it is not possible to view the present challenges of contemporary migratory movement and of the promotion of peace, without including the twofold term “development and integration”: for this very reason I wanted to establish the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, with a Section concerned exclusively for migrants, refugees and the victims of human trafficking.
Migration, in its various forms, is not a new phenomenon in humanity’s history. It has left its mark on every age, encouraging encounter between peoples and the birth of new civilizations. In its essence, to migrate is the expression of that inherent desire for the happiness proper to every human being, a happiness that is to be sought and pursued. For us Christians, all human life is an itinerant journey towards our heavenly homeland.
The beginning of this third millennium is very much characterized by migratory movement which, in terms of origin, transit and destination, involves nearly every part of the world. Unfortunately, in the majority of cases this movement is forced, caused by conflict, natural disasters, persecution, climate change, violence, extreme poverty and inhumane living conditions: “The sheer number of people migrating from one continent to another, or shifting places within their own countries and geographical areas, is striking. Contemporary movements of migration represent the largest movement of individuals, if not of peoples, in history” (Message for the World Day of Migrants and Refugees, 5 August 2013).
Before this complex panorama, I feel the need to express particular concern for the forced nature of many contemporary migratory movements, which increases the challenges presented to the political community, to civil society and to the Church, and which amplifies the urgency for a coordinated and effective response to these challenges.
Our shared response may be articulated by four verbs: to welcome, to protect, to promote and to integrate.
To welcome. “Rejection is an attitude we all share; it makes us see our neighbour not as a brother or sister to be accepted, but as unworthy of our attention, a rival, or someone to be bent to our will” (Address to the Diplomatic Corps, 12 January 2015). Faced with this kind of rejection, rooted ultimately in self-centredness and amplified by populist rhetoric, what is needed is a change of attitude, to overcome indifference and to counter fears with a generous approach of welcoming those who knock at our doors. For those who flee conflicts and terrible persecutions, often trapped within the grip of criminal organisations who have no scruples, we need to open accessible and secure humanitarian channels. A responsible and dignified welcome of our brothers and sisters begins by offering them decent and appropriate shelter. The enormous gathering together of persons seeking asylum and of refugees has not produced positive results. Instead these gatherings have created new situations of vulnerability and hardship. More widespread programmes of welcome, already initiated in different places, seem to favour a personal encounter and allow for greater quality of service and increased guarantees of success.
To protect. My predecessor, Pope Benedict, highlighted the fact that the migratory experience often makes people more vulnerable to exploitation, abuse and violence (cf. Benedict XVI, Message for the World Day of Migrants and Refugees, 18 October 2005). We are speaking about millions of migrant workers, male and female – and among these particularly men and women in irregular situations – of those exiled and seeking asylum, and of those who are victims of trafficking. Defending their inalienable rights, ensuring their fundamental freedoms and respecting their dignity are duties from which no one can be exempted. Protecting these brothers and sisters is a moral imperative which translates into adopting juridical instruments, both international and national, that must be clear and relevant; implementing just and far reaching political choices; prioritising constructive processes, which perhaps are slower, over immediate results of consensus; implementing timely and humaneprogrammes in the fight against “the trafficking of human flesh” which profits off others’ misfortune; coordinating the efforts of all actors, among which, you may be assured will always be the Church.
To promote. Protecting is not enough. What is required is the promotion of an integral human development of migrants, exiles and refugees. This “takes place by attending to the inestimable goods of justice, peace, and the care of creation” (Apostolic Letter Humanam Progressionem, 17 August 2016). Development, according to the social doctrine of the Church (cf. Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church, 373-374), is an undeniable right of every human being. As such, it must be guaranteed by ensuring the necessary conditions for its exercise, both in the individual and social context, providing fair access to fundamental goods for all people and offering the possibility of choice and growth. Also here a coordinated effort is needed, one which envisages all the parties involved: from the political community to civil society, from international organisations to religious institutions. The human promotion of migrants and their families begins with their communities of origin. That is where such promotion should be guaranteed, joined to the right of being able to emigrate, as well as the right to not be constrained to emigrate (cf. Benedict XVI, Message for the World Day of Migrants and Refugees, 12 October 2012), namely the right to find in one’s own homeland the conditions necessary for living a dignified life. To this end, efforts must be encouraged that lead to the implementation of programmes of international cooperation, free from partisan interests, and programmes of transnational development which involve migrants as active protagonists.
To integrate. Integration, which is neither assimilation nor incorporation, is a two-way process, rooted essentially in the joint recognition of the other’s cultural richness: it is not the superimposing of one culture over another, nor mutual isolation, with the insidious and dangerous risk of creating ghettoes. Concerning those who arrive and who are duty bound not to close themselves off from the culture and traditions of the receiving country, respecting above all its laws, the family dimension of the process of integration must not be overlooked: for this reason I feel the need to reiterate the necessity, often presented by the Magisterium (cf. John Paul II, Message for World Migration Day, 15 August 1986), of policies directed at favouring and benefiting the reunion of families. With regard to indigenous populations, they must be supported, by helping them to be sufficiently aware of and open to processes of integration which, though not always simple and immediate, are always essential and, for the future, indispensable. This requires specific programmes, which foster significant encounters with others. Furthermore, for the Christian community, the peaceful integration of persons of various cultures is, in some way, a reflection of its catholicity, since unity, which does not nullify ethnic and cultural diversity, constitutes a part of the life of the Church, who in the Spirit of Pentecost is open to all and desires to embrace all (cf. John Paul II, Message for World Migration Day, 5 August 1987).
I believe that conjugating these four verbs, in the first person singular and in the first person plural, is today a responsibility, a duty we have towards our brothers and sisters who, for various reasons, have been forced to leave their homeland: a duty of justice, of civility and of solidarity.
First of all, a duty of justice. We can no longer sustain unacceptable economic inequality, which prevents us from applying the principle of the universal destination of the earth’s goods. We are all called to undertake processes of apportionment which are respectful, responsible and inspired by the precepts of distributive justice. “We need, then, to find ways by which all may benefit from the fruits of the earth, not only to avoid the widening gap between those who have more and those who must be content with the crumbs, but above all because it is a question of justice, equality and respect for every human being” (Message for the World Day of Peace, 8 December 2013, 9). One group of individuals cannot control half of the world’s resources. We cannot allow for persons and entire peoples to have a right only to gather the remaining crumbs. Nor can we be indifferent or think ourselves dispensed from the moral imperatives which flow from a joint responsibility to care for the planet, a shared responsibility often stressed by the political international community, as also by the Magisterium (cf. Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church, 9; 163; 189, 406). This joint responsibility must be interpreted in accord with the principle of subsidiarity, “which grants freedom to develop the capabilities present at every level of society, while also demanding a greater sense of responsibility for the common good from those who wield greater power” (Laudato Si’, 196). Ensuring justice means also reconciling history with our present globalized situation, without perpetuating mind-sets which exploit people and places, a consequence of the most cynical use of the market in order to increase the wellbeing of the few. As Pope Benedict affirmed, the process of decolonization was delayed “both because of new forms of colonialism and continued dependence on old and new foreign powers, and because of grave irresponsibility within the very countries that have achieved independence” (Encyclical Letter Caritas in Veritate, 33). For all this there must be redress.
Second, there is a duty of civility. Our commitment to migrants, exiles and refugees is an application of those principles and values of welcome and fraternity that constitute a common patrimony of humanity and wisdom which we draw from. Such principles and values have been historically codified in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and in numerous conventions and international agreements. “Every migrant is a human person who, as such, possesses fundamental, inalienable rights that must be respected by everyone and in every circumstance” (ibid., 62). Today more than ever, it is necessary to affirm the centrality of the human person, without allowing immediate and ancillary circumstances, or even the necessary fulfilment of bureaucratic and administrative requirements, to obscure this essential dignity. As Saint John Paul II stated, an “irregular legal status cannot allow the migrant to lose his dignity, since he is endowed with inalienable rights, which can neither be violated nor ignored” (John Paul II, Message for World Migration Day, 25 July 1995, 2). From the duty of civility is also regained the value of fraternity, which is founded on the innate relational constitution of the human person: “A lively awareness of our relatedness helps us to look upon and to treat each person as a true sister or brother; without fraternity it is impossible to build a just society and a solid and lasting peace” (Message for the World Day of Peace, 8 December 2013, 1). Fraternity is the most civil way of relating with the reality of another person, which does not threaten us, but engages, reaffirms and enriches our individual identity (cf. Benedict XVI, Address to Participants in an Interacademic Conference on “The Changing Identity of the Individual”, 28 January 2008).
Finally, there is a duty of solidarity. In the face of tragedies which take the lives of so many migrants and refugees – conflicts, persecutions, forms of abuse, violence, death – expressions of empathy and compassion cannot help but spontaneously well-up. “Where is your brother” (Gen 4:9): this question which God asks of man since his origins, involves us, especially today with regard to our brothers and sisters who are migrating: “This is not a question directed to others; it is a question directed to me, to you, to each of us” (Homily at the “Arena” Sports Camp, Salina Quarter, Lampedusa, 8 July 2013). Solidarity is born precisely from the capacity to understand the needs of our brothers and sisters who are in difficulty and to take responsibility for these needs. Upon this, in short, is based the sacred value of hospitality, present in religious traditions. For us Christians, hospitality offered to the weary traveller is offered to Jesus Christ himself, through the newcomer: “I was a stranger and you welcomed me” (Mt 25:35). The duty of solidarity is to counter the throwaway culture and give greater attention to those who are weakest, poorest and most vulnerable. Thus “a change of attitude towards migrants and refugees is needed on the part of everyone, moving away from attitudes of defensiveness and fear, indifference and marginalization – all typical of a throwaway culture – towards attitudes based on a culture of encounter, the only culture capable of building a better, more just and fraternal world” (Message for the World Day of Migrants and Refugees, 5 August 2013).
As I conclude these reflections, allow me to draw attention again to a particularly vulnerable group of migrants, exiles and refugees whom we are called to welcome, to protect, to promote and to integrate. I am speaking of the children and young people who are forced to live far from their homeland and who are separated from their loved ones. I dedicated my most recent Message for the World Day of Migrants and Refugees to them, highlighting how “we need to work towards protection, integration and long-term solutions” (Message for the World Day of Migrants and Refugees, 8 September 2016).
I trust that these two days will bear an abundant fruit of good works. I assure you of my prayers; and, please, do not forget to pray for me. Thank you.[Original text: Italian] [Vatican-provided translation]
Chilean Bishops Speak on Pope’s Three-hours With Them by Sergio Mora
Pope Francis received in the Vatican, yesterday, Feb. 20, for almost three hours, the bishops of Chile, who are in Rome on their ad Limina visit.
Monsignor Fernando Ramos, Auxiliary Bishop of Santiago and Secretary of the Episcopal Conference, told ZENIT minutes after the audience: “We had a meeting with the Holy Father, and talked for almost three hours with him.”
It was, he added, “a very lovely experience of ecclesial communion, with a Pope who listened to us and encouraged us in our mission, in a spirit of dialogue, of mutual understanding, of stimulation to evangelization and to the mission of the Church and I believe we all came out very happy.”
Asked about the Pontiff’s particular concerns regarding pastoral care in Chile, Monsignor Ramos said that they “are in the line of how to improve evangelization, ecclesial communion, foster better service to the most neglected persons of society, a subject that is in the Holy Father’s heart and that, in this line, the Church in Chile has a very long itinerary.”
In regard to a visit of the Pope to the Andean country, the Secretary of the Episcopal Conference said “we spoke a bit about it, the Pope would like it, but many things have to be conciliated; there was nothing concrete or definitive.”
Monsignor Ramos concluded saying that “the Pope received many expressions of affection from the dioceses, which were transmitted by the Bishops and at the end we finished with a moment of prayer and a blessing for all of us.”
List of the Bishops on ad Limina Visit, given by the Holy See Press Office
H.E. Monsignor Guillermo Patricio Vera Soto, Bishop of Iquique;
H.E. Monsignor Oscar Hernan Blanco Martinez, O.M.D., Bishop of San Juan Bautista de Calama;
H.E. Monsignor Moises Carlos Atisha Contreras, Bishop of San Marcos de Arica;
H.E. Monsignor Fernando Natalio Chomali Garib, Metropolitan Archbishop of Concepcion;
H.E. Monsignor Carlos Eduardo Pellegrin Barrera, S.V.D., Bishop of Chillan;
H.E. Monsignor Pedro Felipe Bacarreza Rodriguez, Bishop of Santa Marta de los Angeles;
H.E. Monsignor Hector Eduardo Vargas Bastidas, S.D.B., Bishop of Temuco;
H.E. Monsignor Ignacio Francisco Decasse Medina, Bishop of Valdivia;
H.E. Monsignor Francisco Javier Stegmeier Schmidlin, Bishop of Villarica;
H.E. Monsignor Rene Osvaldo Rebolledo Salinas, Archbishop of La Serena;
H.E. Monsignor Celestino Aos Braco, O.F.M. Cap., Bishop of Copiapo;
H.E. Monsignor Jorge Patricio Vega Velasco, S.V.D., Prelate of Illapel;
H.E. Monsignor Cristian Caro Cordero, Archbishop of Puerto Montt;
H.E. Monsignor Juan de la Cruz Barros Madrid, Bishop of Osorno;
H.E. Monsignor Bernardo Miguel Bastres Florence, S.D.B., Bishop of Punta Arenas;
H.E. Monsignor Juan Maria Agurto Munoz, O.S.M., Bishop of San Carlos de Ancud;
H.E. Cardinal Ricardo Ezzati Andrello, S.D.B., Archbishop of Santiago de Chile
Auxiliary Bishops:
H.E. Monsignor Luis Fernando Ramos Perez, Titular Bishop of Tetci;
H.E. Monsignor Pedro Mario Ossandon Buljevic, Titular Bishop of La Imperial;
H.E. Monsignor Galo Fernandez Villaseca, Titular Bishop of Simingi;
H.E. Monsignor Jorge Enrique Concha Cayuqueo, O.F.M., Titular Bishop of Carpi;
H.E. Monsignor Tomislav Koljatic Maroevic, Bishop of Linares;
H.E. Monsingor Cristian Contreras Villarroel, Bishop of Melipilla;
H.E. Monsignor Alejandro Goic Karmelic, Bishop of Rancagua;
H.E. Monsignor Juan Ignacio Gonzalez Errazuriz, Bishop of San Bernardo;
H.E. Monsignor Cristian Enrique Contreras Molina, O. of M., Bishop of San Felipe;
H.E. Monsignor Horacio del Carmen Valenzuela Abarca, Bishop of Talca;
H.E. Monsignor Gonzalo Duarte Garcia de Cortazar, SS.CC., Bishop of Valparaiso;
H.E. Monsignor Santiago Jaime Silva Retamales, Military Ordinary;
H.E. Monsignor Luigi Infanti Della Mora, O.S.M., Titular Bishop of Cartenna, Apostolic Vicar of Aysen.
Pope’s Chat With Children, Other Groups at St. Mary Josephine of Heart of Jesus Parish on Outskirts of Rome by ZENIT Staff
Below is a Zenit working translation of Pope Francis’ chat with children and other groups during his visit to a parish on the outskirts of the city of Rome, the afternoon of Sunday, Feb. 19, the second of this type since the end of the Jubilee of Mercy, and the 13th visit of this nature. The parish of Saint Mary Josephine of the Heart of Jesus in Castelverde di Lunghezza, is six kilometers east of the circular highway around Rome:
***
Meeting with Children
The Parish Priest: Alessandro is a very intelligent boy. A few Sundays ago, in connection with the calling of the Apostles, I said: “If Jesus comes today and calls you, who is ready to go?” And several raised their hand, he among them. Alessandro, His Holiness Pope Francis is here, the Vicar of Christ, and you can ask him whatever you want.
Alessandro: Why did you become Pope?
Pope Francis: Because there are “culpable ones.” One of the culpable ones is this one [he indicates Cardinal Vallini]. [The children laugh]. Because, do you know how a Pope is made? Look, I’ll explain it to you. Do you know how a Pope is made? [”No!] Does one pay to become a Pope?” [“No!”] But if one pays a lot, a lot, a lot at the end they make him Pope? [“No!”] No. Is the Pope made by drawing lots? [“No!”] No. It’s not done by drawing lots. And how is it done? Who are the ones that elect the Pope? Think well: who are they? [“The Cardinals”] The cardinals. And Don Agostino [Vallini] is a Cardinal; he is the Vicar of Rome, and he was among those 115 who were gathered to elect the Pope. Understood? And they gather, talk among themselves, think … “Oh, but we think of this one, and that one, and this one has this advantage, this is another advantage …” and they reason … but above all, and this is the most important thing, they pray. Understood? These people who are cloistered, that is, they can’t talk there with people from the outside, they are as isolated, from Saint Martha’s House they go to the Sistine Chapel to elect the Pope. Speaking among themselves about what the Church needs today, and for this a personality is better with this profile, or that <profile> …; all human reasoning. And the Lord sends the Holy Spirit and the Holy Spirit helps in the election. Then, each one gives his vote and the ballots are counted and the one who has two-thirds of the number is elected Pope. As you see, it’s a process done with much prayer. It’s not paid for; there aren’t any powerful friends who push one, no, no. Therefore, who makes the Pope? … No, I’ll ask the question thus: who is the most important person in that group that makes the Pope? Think well! Who is it? [Someone says: “The Pope”]. No, the Pope is not made yet. [Some say: “God”] <It is> God, the Holy Spirit, who makes the Pope through the vote. Then, the one who is elected, perhaps is not the most intelligent, perhaps he’s not the cleverest, perhaps he’s not the hastiest in doing things, but he is the one that God wants for that moment of the Church. Understood? [“Yes!”]. And I’ll ask you a question, but think well. In the election — you asked the first question, Alessandro, where they made me Pope, we were 115. I ask you the question: who was the most intelligent of these 115? [“You!”] No! [Some: “All!”] No. The most, the most … [“God”]. God is the 116th … we don’t know, but the one who is elected is not necessarily the most intelligent. Understood? There are those who are more intelligent than him, but God chose that one. And as with all things in life, time passes, the Pope must die like everyone, or retire, as the great Pope Benedict did, because he didn’t have good health, and another will come, who will be different, he will be different, perhaps he will be more intelligent or less intelligent, we don’t know. But this other one will arrive in the same way: elected by the group of Cardinals under the light of the Holy Spirit. Have you understood? Tell me, Alessandro, are you happy with the answer? Is it true? Have I made a mistake? I haven’t said a lie? Thank you.
The Parish Priest: Flavio, of the Confirmation group. Where is he? We’ll go one by one.
Flavio: When you were little, what did you want to be when you grew up?
Pope Francis: I’ll tell you, but what’s your name?
Flavio: Flavio.
Pope Francis: I’ll tell you, but don’t laugh! I’m not joking. I tell the truth. I wanted to be a butcher. Truly! Because when I went to the market with my grandmother, I saw how the butcher cut the pieces of meat: “How clever this man was!” and I liked him. “When I grow up I’ll be a butcher,” I said to myself.
Flavio: And … can I take a photo of you?
Pope Francis: Yes! And you, tell me, what do you want to do when you grow up?
Flavio: A footballer.
Pope Francis: A footballer! Have you seen him play football? [“Yes!”] Does he do it well or not? [“He’s good”] And what place do you have?
Flavio: Centerfield.
Pope Francis: Centerfield, that’s good …
The Parish Priest: Introduce yourself, say you name.
Cristian: My name is Cristian. What did you do to become Pope?
The Parish Priest: Again?
Cristian: Well, it’s my question!
The Parish Priest: This was your question? He answered you earlier … ask another …
Pope Francis: Ask me another. Think, think. Think calmly; you think of another here and …
The Parish Priest: Ask a question, whatever you want?
Pope Francis: What’s your name?
Agostino: Agostino.
Pope Francis: Agostino, like the Vicar of Rome.
Agostino: But to become Pope, did you have to do well at school?
Pope Francis: To become Pope you must be, first of all, a good Christian. Normally one becomes a priest first, then a Bishop. However, in the early times of the Church, not all the Popes were necessarily Priests: some were deacons. But one must be a good Christian. And the community singled them out at that time. There were so many Christian people that knew this or that and pointed him out; some were priests, some deacons. But then, with time, the election system was thoroughly systematized and now only Cardinals elect the Pope — the cardinals under the age of 80.
A child: What was the most difficult point of your life?
Pope Francis: What was it …?
The child: … the most difficult point of your life?
Pope Francis: Yes, there were some difficult moments. I had some difficult times with my health. When I was 20, I almost died of an infection; they removed part of a lung … but the Lord led me forward. And then, the difficult moments we all have, all of us, in life. Be attentive to this! Life is a gift of God, but in life there are awful moments, there are difficult moments that one must overcome and go forward. I had so many, as all people do. But I remember this sickness at 20, and I had other difficult ones. But I’ll say this: life was not easy for me. I ask you: for all, for people, is life easy in general? [“No’]. Are there difficulties in life? [“Yes”] Always! There are and there will be. But one must not get scared. Difficulties are overcome; one goes forward, with faith, with strength, with courage! But are you not courageous … Are you or not? …
The child: In certain moments …
Pope Francis: Are you or are you not courageous? [“Yes”] Are you good? [“Yes and no”] Or are you all fearful? [“No”]. Are you courageous? [“Yes”] Good, forward! Thank you!
The child: <Thank you> to you. Can I take a photo of you?
Pope Francis: Yes. Now we pass to the second time: the time of the little girls. We’ll see who wins, ah?
Giulia: How do you feel being the representative of the Catholic Church?
Pope Francis: One feels the great responsibility. You said the word “representative,” and one who “represents” the Church can’t make a bad impression. Can the Pope make a bad impression? [“No”] No, he can’t. He must be careful not to give a bad impression. But yet another thing is felt. The Pope is the bishop … Is the Pope a bishop or not?
Giulia: Yes.
Pope Francis: Of Rome, the Pope is the Bishop of Rome, but he has the pastoral care of the whole Church of the world with the other Bishops. But what is the Pope’s diocese? [Someone says: “Saint John”] Saint John is the Cathedral … and the diocese is …
Giulia: Saint Peter.
Pope Francis: Rome, agreed. And the Pope is also bishop and father and what the Pope must feel is that he is a Father; if the Pope or the Bishop doesn’t feel he is a Father, something is missing. It’s this.
The Parish Priest: Well, children, that’s enough questions.
Children: No!
Pope Francis: Now I’ll ask them …
The Parish Priest: Now, children, absolute silence, because the Pope wants to ask you a question. So you must pay attention.
Pope Francis: I’ll ask question and you all answer. How many “Gods” are there? [“One”]. But … I know three! [“The Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit”]. Father, Son and Holy Spirit: one and two and three. They are three. What do you answer to this? Who can answer? [Someone says: They are three”] Are there three Gods or one? [Someone says: [There is only one divided in three parts”] — in three parts? No, God is one [“He is only one but who represents more things”]. It doesn’t work … How many “Gods are there? [“Three”]. Three “Gods” or one? [“One”]. But if there is one … I ask you this question: Is the Father God? [“Yes”] Is the Son God? [Yes … No …”]. So, He’s not God? [Yes, He is God”] Is the Holy Spirit God? [“Yes”]. They are three, but this is something that’s not easy to understand: they are three Persons, have you understood this? They are three Persons, but the three Persons make only one God. Agreed? [“Yes”]. Aren’t you convinced? So, what three things are they? Three [“Persons”] and one [“God”]. Three … [“Persons”] and one [“God”]. And is Our Lady God? [“No’] What is Our Lady? [“The Mother …”]. The Mother of God. Why is she the Mother of God? Because she is the one who brought Jesus to the world. Agreed? [“Yes”]. Yes. And Joseph truly helped Our Lady. Is the Father God? Yes. Is the Son God? Yes. Is the Holy Spirit God? Yes. Three Persons, agreed? How many Persons? [“Three”]. How many “Gods”? [“One”]. Is Our Lady God? [“No”]. Our Lady is …? The Mother of God.. This is clear. Never forget this. All right.
The Parish Priest: Thank you so much, Holiness. Children, we stand up and now the Holy Father will have us pray in silence, as we usually do in church.
Pope Francis: Silence, eyes closed. We think of Our Lady and we pray to Our Lady, who is the Mother of God and our Mother. – All together. Hail Mary …
May Almighty God bless you …
And pray for me, agreed? [“Yes!”] Are you sure? [“Yes!”] Thank you![Original text: Italian] [Translation by Virginia M. Forrester]
Meeting with Families Helped by the Parish Caritas, Together with the Workers
Pope Francis: Thank you of what you do. Your work is to approach persons that have some need, and also not just to give something, but to listen: the “apostolate of the ear.” Sometimes, one can think: “But this can be somewhat trying, how trying it is … to listen to so much grief.
A man: Holy Father, the Almonry sends so much of your help.
A woman: … it’s a parish that is in so much, so much need!
Pope Francis: Go forward! … but don’t quarrel among yourselves! Think of this: when a person comes to ask for help, a lady, a man or anyone, that person is Jesus. Because Jesus also had to ask for help when he was a refugee in Egypt. It is Jesus who is in need in this person. “But this is a person who speaks badly, who doesn’t go to Church, who doesn’t believe in God …” But she is Jesus; she is Jesus. It’s your prayer that widens the heart and faith: it is Jesus, He is with me; Jesus is with me today. And I give this packet to Jesus. And I give this smile to Jesus. This is your path of sanctity. If you do this, you will become saints — all of you. It’s simple. But don’t forget: it’s Jesus who knocks at the door. I give you the blessing but first of all let us pray to Our Lady, so that she will intercede for all of us and for you. Hail Mary ….
[Blessing]
And remember: every person that comes is Jesus. Is that good person Jesus? Yes. Is that person who isn’t so good Jesus? For me, he is Jesus. I must receive him as Jesus. Is that woman who has a serpent’s tongue Jesus? Yes. And, with my tenderness and my love, I must have her tongue “detoxified” and not speak badly. However, it’s always tenderness, love because every person who is in need is Jesus who knocks at the door of my heart. And pray for me: I also knock at the door of your heart and ask for prayer. I don’t ask for a packet, but I ask for prayer, a Rosary … Thank you![Original text: Italian] [Translation by Virginia M. Forrester]
Final Greeting
Thank you so much for being here to pray together, to pray for the whole neighborhood, for the parish. I greet you all, Catholic faithful and also the Muslims, and I ask the Lord to bless you all. I also greet all those who wished to come but for whom it wasn’t possible: my blessing and my greeting also for them. And now, a minute in prayer and I’ll give you the blessing. Let us pray together to Our Lady: Hail Mary …[Blessing]
And please, pray for me. Good-bye![Original text: Italian] [Translation by Virginia M. Forrester]
Centesimus Annus Foundation President: ‘Much Has Been Simplified About Capitalism, the Market. Abuses Are Being Questioned’ by Sergio Mora
Much has been simplified about capitalism and the market; growth cannot be cut off, but integral development is much broader. There is an ample Christian and Catholic tradition in the thought of what the market value is. In regard to the financial abuses of the last ten years, all is being questioned, said Professor Domingo Sugranyes Bickel, President of the Centesimus Annus Pro Pontifice Foundation, questioned by ZENIT in a conversation apart from the presentation of the 3rd “Economy and Society” International Prize, presented in the Holy See Press Office on February 15, 2017.
The winner of the International Prize was German Markus Vogt for his work Prinzip Nachhaltigkeit. Ein Entwurf aus theologisch-ethischer Perspektive. Speaking at the press conference was Cardinal Reinhard Marx, Archbishop of Munich-Freising and the foundation’s President.
“The winner of the Prize has the same vision of Laudato Si’, although he develops it more from the scientific aspect. Basically, a sustainable economy must be a growing economy. However, there must also be an institutional and cultural context of the economic agents so that the effects are favorable for the majority, and this calls for new formulas in each period,” specified Sugranyes.
Asked about the market economy and capitalism, if these are to be condemned or <just> their abuses, The Foundation’s President said: “I think so, the terms would have to be defined. The market economy pre-existed capitalism, he added, recalling that there “is an ample Christian and Catholic tradition on the thought of the value of the market. In regard to capitalism, if it refers to the abuses of the last ten years, well, this is being questioned.”
Responding to ZENIT if there are too many journalistic simplifications on the subject, Sugranyes answered: I believe so; the machine of growth cannot be cut off. It’s another thing to say, as Pope Francis says, that growth doesn’t resolve everything, because integral development is something much broader.”
Two Books by Carmelite Priests Offer Profound Meditations for Lenten and Easter seasons by ZENIT Staff
Two inspiring books from Ignatius Press, each by a Carmelite priest and expert on the spiritual life, are available just in time for the Lenten and Easter seasons: The Way of Prayer: A Commentary on Saint Teresa’s Way of Perfection and The Holy Spirit, Fire of Divine Love.
The Way of Prayer, an acclaimed commentary on Saint Teresa of Avila’s classic work, Way of Perfection, discusses the various forms of Christian prayer, with an emphasis on Teresa’s meditation on the Our Father. The author, Father Gabriel of St. Mary Magdalen, O.C.D. (1893–1953), was a Carmelite priest, a revered master of Carmelite spirituality, and an expert in the spiritual and mystical doctrine of Teresa of Avila and John of the Cross.
Teresa of Avila reformed the Carmelite order in the sixteenth century. Seeing Teresa in deep prayer, her first companions asked her to teach them how to pray. The apostles made the same request of Jesus: “Teach us to pray.” Jesus answered by teaching the Our Father. Teresa responded to her sisters by writing Way of Perfection, which contains an extended commentary upon the Lord’s Prayer.
As Jesus did in his Sermon on the Mount, Teresa, in her Way of Perfection, first teaches the necessary dispositions for prayer before teaching the different kinds of prayer. Named a Doctor of the Church by Pope Paul VI in 1970, Teresa united not only prayer and the apostolate, but contemplation and the apostolate, for contemplation is a particular kind of prayer that tends toward the most sublime intimacy with our Lord.
This book, The Way of Prayer, provides profound commentaries, just in time for the Lenten season, of Saint Teresa’s classic teachings on prayer. It also includes many quotations from Saint Teresa and Saint John of the Cross, which have been conformed to the most current authorized translations.
Father Joseph Koterski, S.J., Professor of Philosophy, at Fordham University, comments, “Father Gabriel’s book beautifully explains the way of Saint Teresa in showing us how to pray. He uses the experience of his monastic community to provide a reliable guide for all Christians to draw closer to God by contemplative prayer.”
In The Holy Spirit, Fire of Divine Love, acclaimed spiritual writer Father Wilfrid Stinissen, O.C.D. (1927-2013) presents insightful reflections on the Holy Spirit, the third Person of the Holy Trinity, emphasizing the importance of the Spirit in the life of a Christian. This is a timely message as Christians prepare for Lent, leading into the Easter season and Pentecost.
He illustrates that the Holy Spirit desires to live in us so that we can love God and others with God’s own love. As the Holy Spirit descended upon the early Church at Pentecost to set the world ablaze with the fire of divine love, so He wants to do with us.
God, who is One, also desires the Church to be one, Father Stinissen writes. The Lord wants to unify all Christians in one holy Church, and all people in one body. The Holy Spirit is the great unifier, he says, for it is he who makes the Father and the Son one God. If Christians let him live within them, they will grow in unity.
Deacon Harold Burke-Sivers, the author of Behold the Man, explains, “Fr. Stinissen masterfully illustrates how the Holy Spirit helps us with discerning and following God’s will, constructs bridges of reconciliation, and builds up the Body of Christ. His powerful reflections invite the reader to experience deeper intimacy with the Lord.”
“From the theoretical to the practical, from Scripture and Sacred Tradition to the lives of the saints, this book comes as close as possible to explaining the Holy Spirit in all his mystery and ministries,” says Steven Ray, author of Crossing the Tiber.
Vinny Flynn, author of 7 Secrets of Divine Mercy, says “Fr. Stinissen’s writing is profound enough for theologians, yet accessible enough for anyone seeking a fuller and more meaningful life. This is an important, inspiring, and timely book.”
Father Wilfred Stinissen was born in Antwerp, Belgium, where he entered the Carmelite Order in 1944. He was sent to Sweden in 1967 to co-found a small contemplative community. His many books on the spiritual life have been translated into multiple languages. Among his works available in English are Into Your Hands, Father; Nourished by the Word: Reading the Bible Contemplatively; and The Gift of Spiritual Direction.
-------
Innovative Media Inc.
30 Mansell Road, Suite 103
Roswell, Georgia 30076, United States
-------
No comments:
Post a Comment