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Pope at Audience: Not Just How Much I Pray, But How I Pray by Kathleen Naab
It is not enough to ask ourselves how much we pray; we must also ask ourselves how we pray. This was the invitation made by Pope Francis today at the general audience when he reflected on the parable of the Pharisee and the Publican.
The passage, found in Luke 18:9-14, is Jesus’ lesson on “the right attitude with which to pray and to invoke the Father’s mercy,” the Pope explained.
Duration of prayer isn’t the only question, Francis said, but also “how our heart is: it is important to examine [our hearts] to evaluate our thoughts, our feelings, and to extirpate arrogance and hypocrisy.”
The Holy Father said that prayer should be a “putting ourselves before God as we are” and admitted that in order to pray, we have to “rediscover the way to our heart, to recover the value of intimacy and silence, because it is there that God meets us and speaks to us.”
“The Pharisee prays to God, but in truth he looks at himself. He prays to himself! Instead of having the Lord before his eyes, he has a mirror,” the Pope said. “[…] His attitude and his words are far from the way of acting and of speaking of God, who loves all men and does not scorn sinners.”
In contrast, the Publican prayed a very brief prayer, but his “gestures of penance and his few and simple words attest to his awareness of his miserable condition. […] He acts humbly, certain only of being a sinner in need of mercy.”
The Pope warned that “arrogance compromises every good action, empties prayer, distances one from God and from others.”
“If God favors humility,” he said, “it is not to humiliate us: rather humility is the necessary condition to be raised by Him, so as to experience the mercy that comes to fill our emptiness.”
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On ZENIT’s Web page:
Full text: https://zenit.org/articles/general-audience-on-praying-with-humility/
Pope Asks for Prayers for Jubilee for Priests by ZENIT Staff
Pope Francis has called for prayers for the Jubilee for Priests.
During this morning’s weekly General Audience in St. Peter’s Square, the Pontiff said, “On Friday, June 3rd, the Church celebrates the Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus which he said this year “is enriched by the Jubilee for Priests.”
“I invite everyone to pray to the Heart of Jesus for the entire month of June and to support with closeness and affection your priests so that they always reflect the image of that Heart full of merciful love,” the Pope said.
The Jubilee for Priests falls on the 160th anniversary of the Feast of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, instituted by Pope Pius IX in 1856 .
To celebrate their Jubilee in Rome, clergy and seminarians from around the world began today, the first of three days, June 1-3, of prayer and reflection with pilgrimages to the Jubilee churches of St. Salvatore in Lauro, St. Maria in Vallicella (Chiesa Nuova) and St. Giovanni Battista dei Fiorentini.
According to a note from the Holy See Press Office, some 6,000 priests and seminarians “are already present for this Jubilee,” which will be comprised of various events in the Eternal City for priests to reflect and meditate together on the Word of God, adore the Eucharist, to receive the Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation, and make a pilgrimage through the Holy Door of St. Peter’s Basilica.
Thanks to the Vatican Television Center which will film the event, the public will be able to follow Pope Francis’ meditations for the clergy onJune 2 on major national and international Catholic television networks and in streaming on the official Jubilee of Mercy website. Streamed video will be offered in the original Italian and with simultaneous translations in English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Polish, and German.
Francis will participate in this jubilee for clergy in various ways.Tomorrow, he will offer three meditations for a spiritual retreat on the theme, “The Good Shepherd: the priest as a minister of mercy and compassion, close to his people and servant of all,” and will take part in the day’s retreat with stops in the three Papal Basilicas of Saint John Lateran, Saint Mary Major and Saint Paul’s Outside the Walls. On Friday, Pope Francis will preside over the Mass in St. Peter’s Square concluding this jubilee celebration.
Pope Will Go to Sweden Oct. 31 for Commemoration of the Reformation by ZENIT Staff
The following is a Joint Press Release – from the Lutheran World Federation and the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity – concerning the ecumenical events in Lund and Malmö, in Sweden, in which Pope Francis will participate on the 31st of October, for the commemoration of the 500th anniversary of the Reformation.
A full schedule of the trip has not been released, but according to Vatican spokesman, Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi, on Nov. 1, the Pope will celebrate a public Mass.
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The joint Lutheran-Catholic ecumenical commemoration of the 500th anniversary of the Reformation on 31 October in Lund, Sweden will consist of two parts. It will begin with a liturgy in Lund Cathedral and continue with a public event at Malmö Arena that will be open to wider participation. The Lutheran World Federation (LWF) and Roman Catholic Church joint event will highlight the 50 years of continuous ecumenical dialogue between Catholics and Lutherans and the joint gifts of this collaboration. The Catholic-Lutheran commemoration of 500 years of the Reformation is structured around the themes of thanksgiving, repentance and commitment to common witness. The aim is to express the gifts of the Reformation and ask forgiveness for division perpetuated by Christians from the two traditions.
Lund Cathedral will be the venue for the common prayer service based on the recently published Catholic-Lutheran “Common Prayer” liturgical guide that is based on the report From Conflict to Communion. Malmö Arena will be the stage for activities focusing on the commitment to common witness and service of Catholics and Lutherans in the world. Highlights of the joint work of LWF World Service and Caritas Internationalis will be featured, including care for refugees, peacebuilding, and advocacy for climate justice. The arena can host up to 10,000 people.
Pope Francis, LWF President Bishop Dr Munib A. Younan and LWF General Secretary Rev. Dr Martin Junge will lead the common prayer service in Lund and the event in Malmö in cooperation with leaders from Church of Sweden and the Catholic Diocese of Stockholm.
“There is power when communities find their way out of conflict. In Christ we are encouraged to serve together in this world. The joint commemoration is a witness to the love and hope we all have because of the grace of God,” LWF President Younan and General Secretary Junge say.
Kurt Cardinal Koch, President of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity explains further: “By concentrating together on the centrality of the question of God and on a Christocentric approach, Lutherans and Catholics will have the possibility of an ecumenical commemoration of the Reformation, not simply in a pragmatic way, but in the deep sense of faith in the crucified and resurrected Christ.”
“We look forward to this event which can gather up to 10,000 people. The idea behind the arena event is to further describe the development from conflict to communion with a focus on hope for the future and common service in the world,” says Church of Sweden Archbishop Antje Jackélen.
Bishop Anders Arborelius of the Catholic Diocese of Stockholm adds, “History will be written when Pope Francis and the LWF leaders visit Lund and Malmö to encourage all of us to go further on the road towards Christian unity.”
Information on the Joint Ecumenical Commemoration will be updated on the event website www.lund2016.net
Church Spokesman in Egypt: Pope-Imam Meeting ‘Broke the Ice’ by Oliver Maksan
The May 23 meeting between Pope Francis and the Grand Imam of Cairo’s al-Azhar University, Ahmed al-Tayeb, have sparked hopes in Egypt for a significant improvement in Christian-Muslim relations.
“It was the first time that the grand imam of al-Azhar University visited the Pope. It was clearly a very cordial meeting. You could see that from the body language and the familiarity between the pope and the grand imam. We believe that this has broken the ice in the relations between the Vatican and al-Azhar University.” Such was the assessment by Father Rafic Greiche, the chief spokesman for the Catholic church in Egypt.
In an interview with international Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need, the priest added: “The resumption of an official dialogue, which was suspended by al-Azhar University in 2011, may not have been explicitly announced yet, but that is just a formality. I am firmly convinced that talks will resume.”
The most important Islamic institution of Egypt, which is highly respected throughout the Sunni world, unilaterally suspended talks with the Holy See in 2011.
The reason for the move was an appeal Pope Benedict XVI made for better protection of religious freedom in Egypt. Al-Azhar University officials considered this to be an inadmissible interference in the internal affairs of Egypt. Benedict XVI’s appeal was in response to the bloody attack on a Coptic church in Alexandria on New Year’s Day in 2011, violence which left numerous dead and wounded.
Reasons for confidence
Father Greiche cited the positive coverage of the meeting with Francis by Egyptian media. “The meeting made the headlines on both television and in newspaper; the comments were generally very positive,” he said.
The priest emphasized that under the leadership of Grand Imam al-Tayeb, al-Azhar University is making an effort to adjust the content of the textbooks used at the schools and institutions of higher education it oversees, moving toward a presentation of Christianity that is less negative.
Nonetheless, the Melkite priest said that the situation of Christians in Egypt has vastly improved since President Mohammed Morsi, a member of the Muslim Brotherhood, was ousted in 2013. He said: “Today, there are very good relations between Church leaders and government agencies. There are still many problems, of course, but I have the impression that Muslims are growing more aware of our situation.”
The biggest hurdle Christian Churches face in Egypt is the great difficulty in obtaining building permits for the construction of new churches. At the request of President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, a coalition of Churches has submitted to Parliament a draft of new legislation governing the matter. “We hope that Parliament will pass the new legislation by October. We have never had as many Christian Members of Parliament and so many Muslims on our side. It will of course be opposed by Salafist legislators. But there are not many of them. I am confident.”
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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)
General Audience: On Praying With Humility by ZENIT Staff
Here is a ZENIT translation of the address Pope Francis gave at this morning’s general audience in St. Peter’s Square
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Dear Brothers and Sisters, good morning!
Last Wednesday we heard the parable of the judge and the widow, on the need to pray with perseverance. Today, with another parable, Jesus wishes to teach us the right attitude with which to pray and to invoke the Father’s mercy; how one must pray, the right attitude to pray. It is the parable of the Pharisee and the Publican (cf. Luke 18:9-14).
Both the protagonists go to the Temple to pray, but they act in very different ways, obtaining opposite results. The Pharisee “stood” (v. 11) to pray, and used many words. His prayer was one of thanksgiving addressed to God, but in reality it was a display of his merits, with a sense of superiority vis-a-vis “other men,” described as “extortioners, unjust, adulterers,” as, for example — and he points to the other who was there – “this tax collector” (v. 11). But the problem is precisely here: the Pharisee prays to God, but in truth he looks at himself. He prays to himself! Instead of having the Lord before his eyes, he has a mirror. Although being in the Temple, he does not feel the need to be prostrate before God’s majesty; he is standing, he feels sure of himself, as if he were the owner of the Temple! He lists the good works he has done: he is irreproachable, observant of the Law beyond what is due, he fasts “twice a week” and pays “tithes” of all that he gets. In sum, more than praying, the Pharisee is pleased with his observance of the precepts. Yet his attitude and his words are far from the way of acting and of speaking of God, who loves all men and does not scorn sinners. On the contrary, that Pharisee scorns sinners, also when he points out the other who is there. In sum, the Pharisee, who considers himself just, neglects the most important Commandment: love of God and of one’s neighbor.
Therefore, it is not enough to ask ourselves how much we pray; we must also ask ourselves how we pray, or better, how our heart is: it is important to examine it to evaluate our thoughts, our feelings, and to extirpate arrogance and hypocrisy. But, I ask: can one pray with arrogance? No. Can one pray with hypocrisy? No. We must only pray by putting ourselves before God as we are, not like the Pharisee who prayed with arrogance and hypocrisy. We are all prey of a frenetic daily rhythm, often at the mercy of sensations, bewildered, confused. It is necessary to learn to rediscover the way to our heart, to recover the value of intimacy and silence, because it is there that God meets us and speaks to us. Only beginning from there can we in turn encounter others and speak with them. The Pharisee went to the Temple, he is sure of himself, but he does not realize that he has lost the way of his heart.
The other, instead, the tax collector presents himself in the Temple with a humble and repentant spirit: “Standing far off, he would not even lift up his eyes to Heaven, but beat his breast “ (v. 13). His prayer was very brief, it was not so long as that of the Pharisee: “God, be merciful to me a sinner!” — nothing more, a beautiful prayer! In fact, the tax collectors, called precisely “Publicans,” were considered impure persons, subject to foreign dominators, they were not regarded well by the people and in general were associated with “sinners.” The parable teaches that one is just or a sinner not because of one’s social belonging, but by the way of relating to God and by the way of relating to one’s brothers. The Publican’s gestures of penance and his few and simple words attest to his awareness of his miserable condition. His prayer is essential. He acts humbly, certain only of being a sinner in need of mercy. If the Pharisee did not ask for anything because he already had everything, the Publican could only beg for God’s mercy. And this is beautiful: to beg for God’s mercy! Presenting himself with “empty hands,” with a naked heart and acknowledging himself a sinner, the Publican shows all of us the necessary condition to receive the Lord’s forgiveness. In the end, he who in fact was so scorned becomes an icon of the true believer.
Jesus ends the parable with a sentence: “I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted” (v. 14). Of these two, who is the one who is corrupt? The Pharisee. The Pharisee is in fact the icon of the corrupt one that feigns to pray, but only succeeds in strutting in front of a mirror. He is corrupt and feigns to pray. So, in life, one who believes himself just and judges others and scorns them, is corrupt and hypocritical. Arrogance compromises every good action, empties prayer, distances one from God and from others. If God favors humility, it is not to humiliate us: rather humility is the necessary condition to be raised by Him, so as to experience the mercy that comes to fill our emptiness. If the prayer of the arrogant does not reach God’s heart, the humility of the miserable one opens it wide. God has a weakness: a weakness for the humble. Before a humble heart, God opens His heart totally. It is this humility that the Virgin Mary expressed in the canticle of the Magnificat: “He has regarded the low estate of His handmaiden. […] His mercy is on those who fear Him from generation to generation” (Luke 1:48.50). May she, our Mother, help us to pray with a humble heart, and let us repeat three times that beautiful prayer: “O God, have mercy on me a sinner.”
[Original text: Italian] [Translation by ZENIT]
Greeting in Italian
I give a cordial welcome to the Italian-speaking faithful. In particular, I greet the faithful of the dioceses of Mondovi and of Casale Monferrato, with the Bishop, Monsignor Alceste Catella; the parish groups, the Associations and the schools: I invite you all to persevere in your respective commitments with humility, spreading around you Christian mercy and consolation, especially to those that live in need. I greet the participants in the Course promoted by the Congregation for Saints’ Causes: dear brothers and sisters, I exhort you to work, so that the causes of Beatification and Canonization re-launch in dioceses and Religious Institutes the enthusiasm of the faith and a re-flowering commitment for the mission and your own sanctification.
Friday is the Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, enriched this year by the Jubilee of priests. I invite all to pray the whole of the month of June to the Heart of Jesus and to support your priests with closeness and affection, so that they are always an image of that Heart full of merciful love.
A special thought goes to young people, the sick and newlyweds. Dear young people, draw from Jesus’ Heart the nourishment of your spiritual life and the source of your hope; dear sick, offer your suffering to the Lord, that He may continue to spread His love in men’s hearts; and you, dear newlyweds, approach the Eucharist often so that, nourished by Christ, you are Christian families touched by the love of the Divine Heart.
[Original text: Italian] [Translation by ZENIT]
Pope’s Remarks to Jains Before General Audience by ZENIT Staff
Before the General Audience this morning, Pope Francis received members of the Institute of Jainology of London in the Vatican’s Paul VI Hall and addressed them briefly (translation of his words is below).
The Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue (PCID) issued a press communiqué stating that a meeting took place between the PCID and an International Jain delegation on 31 May in the offices of the dicastery.
The respective delegations were led by Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran, president of the PCID, and Nemu Chandaria, chairman of the Institute of Jainology. It was the third meeting of this type; the previous two were held in 1995 and 2011. There have also been several contacts between the Jain community and the PCID since 1986, and the PCID, in collaboration with the local churches and Jain organisations in India, the United Kingdom and the United States, organised Jain-Catholic dialogue meetings in 2011, 2013 and 2015.
According to the Vatican, in yesterday’s meeting, held in an atmosphere of mutual respect and friendship, members of the delegations expressed satisfaction with the cordial relations and cooperation that exist between both the Christian and Jain communities in countries where they live in close proximity. While expressing the desire to further deepen cooperation, the delegations agreed that it must be increasingly strengthened at local level to better contribute towards the common good of society. In particular, they stressed the importance of educating younger generations so that they may be aware of their own traditions, and come to know and better respect the traditions of others.
With an aim to identifying concrete areas of convergence as the basis of cooperation, they discussed “Taking care of the Earth, the home of the human family”, emphasising the need for both Jains and Christians to work together, joining hands with all believers and people of good will to make the Earth liveable and peaceful for all.
They reflected on the Jain principle of “non-violence” (Ahimsa) towards all forms of life and that of Christian “compassion” and “justice” for the poorest and most vulnerable people by calling for responsible stewardship of the natural world. They found common elements that can motivate and advance cooperation between Jains and Catholics.
They also recognised that these elements, on a practical level, call upon the followers of both religious traditions to promote respect for the environment, non-exploitation of natural resources, reduction of wastefulness, care for all forms of life and concern for future generations.
***[Pope’s words before the audience:]
I welcome you and I like this encounter, an encounter that nourishes our responsibility to care for Creation, a gift that we all have received – the gift of Creation – so that it grows and is cared for. Creation is God’s mirror, the mirror of the Creator, the mirror of nature, of all nature, the life of nature, and is our mirror, too.
We all love Mother Earth, because she is the one who has given us life and protects us; I would also call her Sister Earth, who accompanies us during our journey through life. But our responsibility is a bit like caring for it a bit like one does for a mother or sister, that is to say to do so with responsibility, tenderness, and peace.
I thank you for all that you do in this task and we remain united in this ideal, in this task, in this work to make sure our Mother or Sister Earth is guarded; in the knowledge that in caring and protecting Creation, the Earth, we are treating and caring for all humanity. Thank you.[Original text: Italian] [Translation by Deborah Castellano Lubov]
Vietnam Native Named Bishop of Kamloops, British Columbia by ZENIT Staff
Pope Francis has accepted the resignation of Bishop David J.J. Monroe of the Diocese of Kamloops in Canada and has appointed today as his successor Father Joseph Phuong Nguyen. At the time of his appointment, the Bishop-elect was Vicar General of the Archdiocese of Vancouver.
Bishop Monroe has been Bishop of the Diocese of Kamloops for the past 14 years. He had submitted his resignation to the Holy Father upon reaching the age of 75, as required by the Code of Canon Law.
Joseph Phuong Nguyen was born on March 25, 1957, in Vietnam. He arrived in Canada through a sponsorship program in the mid-1980s after his studies in Philosophy and Theology in his country of origin. He was ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of Vancouver on May 30, 1992. He served in a number of parishes throughout the Archdiocese before being named Director of the Vocations Office in 2010 and Vicar General and Moderator of the Curia in 2013. He was the first Chaplain of the new Diocesan Pro-life Prayer Apostolate. In the Archdiocese of Vancouver, Bishop-elect Nguyen has been a member of the Presbyteral Council, the College of Consultors and judge for the Matrimonial Vancouver Regional Tribunal. He was also a member of the National Federation of Presbyteral Councils.
According to the CCCB 2016 Directory, the Diocese of Kamloops has 67 parishes and missions, with a Catholic population of 51,435 served by 16 diocesan priests, four priests who are members of institutes of consecrated life, two permanent deacons and 10 Sisters and Brothers who are members of religious institutes.
English Summary of Pope’s General Audience by ZENIT Staff
Here is the Vatican-provided 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 turn to the parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector (Lk 18:9-14). Jesus contrasts the arrogance and self-righteousness of the Pharisee’s prayer with the tax collector’s humble recognition of his sinfulness and need for the Lord’s mercy. True prayer is born of a heart which repents of its faults and failings, yet pleads for the grace to live the great commandment of love of God and neighbour. Indeed, the proud disdain of the Pharisee for the sinner at his side prevents him from being righteous in God’s sight. To pray well, then, we need to look into our own hearts and there, in humble silence, let the Lord speak to us. The honesty and humility which God asks of us is the necessary condition for our receiving his mercy. The Blessed Virgin Mary is the model of such prayer. In her Magnificat, she tells us that God looks with favour on the humility of his servants, and hears their plea. May she, our Mother, help us to pray as we ought.
Speaker: I greet the English-speaking pilgrims and visitors taking part in today’s Audience, particularly those from England, Ireland, Scotland, Norway, Sweden, Vietnam, China, Indonesia, the Philippines, Nigeria, Canada and the United States of America. With prayerful good wishes that the present Jubilee of Mercy will be a moment of grace and spiritual renewal for you and your families, I invoke upon all of you joy and peace in our Lord Jesus Christ.
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