ZENIT in Roswell, Georgia, United States "Pope: Refugees Are People Just Like Us..." for Sunday, 19 June 2016

ZENIT in Roswell, Georgia, United States "Pope: Refugees Are People Just Like Us..." for Sunday, 19 June 2016
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Pope: Refugees Are People Just Like Us by Kathleen Naab

Pope Francis today recalled that Monday is World Refugee Day, sponsored by the United Nations, with the theme “#With Refugees.”
After praying the midday Angelus with those gathered in St. Peter’s Square, the Pope emphasized that refugees “are people just like us,” but that war “has taken from them their houses, work, relatives and friends.”
“Their stories and their faces call us to renew our efforts to build peace and justice,” Francis said, adding: “We want to be with them, encounter them, receive them, so as to become again artisans of peace, according to the will of God.”
Prayers for the Orthodox
As well, the Pope noted that today is Pentecost in the Julian calendar, which the Orthodox Churches follow, and that with the Divine Liturgy of today, the pan-Orthodox council began in Crete.
“Let us unite ourselves in prayer with our Orthodox brothers, invoking the Holy Spirit, so that he assists with His gifts the patriarchs, archbishops and bishops who are gathered in Council.”
Pope: Because Christ Knows the Human Heart, He Can Heal It by Kathleen Naab

We all need answers to the existential questions of life, and Jesus, because he knows the human heart, is the only one who has them, says Pope Francis.
The Pope affirmed this today in his reflection before praying the midday Angelus with those gathered in St. Peter’s Square.
The Holy Father reflected on Jesus’ question to the Apostles, recounted in today’s Gospel: “Who do you say that I am?”
With Peter’s answer — “You are the Christ of God” — “Jesus realizes that the Twelve, and particularly Peter, have received from the Father the gift of faith, and because of this He begins to speak to them openly about what awaited Him in Jerusalem,” Francis noted.
He continued, “These same questions are asked anew to each one of us. ‘Who is Jesus for the people of our times? Who is Jesus for each one of us?’
“We are called to make Peter’s answer our own answer, joyfully professing that Jesus is the Son of God, the eternal Word of the Father become man to redeem humanity, pouring out over mankind the abundance of divine mercy.”
The Pope noted that the world needs Christ more than ever — “needs His salvation, His merciful love.”
People see emptiness and feel restlessness, the Pope observed. “All of us need adequate responses to our existential questions.”
And, he affirmed, “In Christ, and only in Him, is it possible to find true peace and the fulfillment of every human aspiration. Jesus knows the heart of man as no one else does. That’s why He can heal it, giving it life and consolation.”
The cross
After his dialogue with the Apostles, Jesus goes on to invite us all to take up our crosses and follow him.
This isn’t a “a decorative or ideological cross,” the Pope said, “but the cross of one’s duty, of sacrificing oneself for others with love, of willingness to be in solidarity with the poor, of exerting oneself for justice and peace.”
However in taking up these attitudes, Francis added, “we must never forget that ‘whoever loses his life for my sake will save it.’”
“Therefore, let us abandon ourselves with confidence in Him, Jesus our brother, friend and savior,” the Pope invited. “Through the Holy Spirit, He will give us the strength to go forward on the path of faith and witness. And on this path, Our Lady is always close: Let us allow Her to take us by the hand when we go through moments of darkness and difficulty.”
Angelus: On Our Answer to ‘Who Do You Say That I Am?’ by ZENIT Staff

Here is a ZENIT translation of the address Pope Francis gave today before and after praying the midday Angelus with those gathered in St. Peter’s Square.
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Dear brothers and sisters, good morning.
The text of the Gospel for this Sunday (Luke 9:18-24) calls us once again to place ourselves, so to speak, face to face with Jesus.
In one of the rare moments of tranquility when He found Himself with his disciples, Jesus asks them: “Who do the crowds say that I am?” And they respond, “John the Baptist; others, Elijah; still others, ‘One of the ancient prophets has arisen.’”
Thus, [we see] people esteemed Jesus and considered Him a great prophet, but still didn’t have an awareness of His true identity, that He was the Messiah, the Son of God sent by the Father for the salvation of all.
Jesus then addresses the apostles directly — because this is what most interested Him — and He asked them, “But who do you say that I am?”
Immediately, in the name of everyone, Peter responds, “The Christ of God.” Which is to say, You are the Messiah, the consecrated of God, sent by Him to save His people according to the Covenant and His promise. Thus Jesus realizes that the Twelve, and particularly Peter, have received from the Father the gift of faith, and because of this He begins to speak to them openly about what awaited Him in Jerusalem. “The Son of Man must suffer greatly and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed and on the third day be raised.”
These same questions are asked anew to each one of us. “Who is Jesus for the people of our times? Who is Jesus for each one of us?”
We are called to make Peter’s answer our own answer, joyfully professing that Jesus is the Son of God, the eternal Word of the Father become man to redeem humanity, pouring out over mankind the abundance of divine mercy.
The world needs Christ more than ever, needs His salvation, His merciful love. Many people note an emptiness around them and within them; others live in restlessness and insecurity because of precariousness and conflicts. All of us need adequate responses to our existential questions. In Christ, and only in Him, is it possible to find true peace and the fulfillment of every human aspiration. Jesus knows the heart of man as no one else does. That’s why He can heal it, giving it life and consolation.
After having concluded His dialogue with the apostles, Jesus addresses everyone, saying: “If anyone wishes to come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.”
This does not refer to a decorative or ideological cross, but the cross of one’s duty, of sacrificing oneself for others with love, of willingness to be in solidarity with the poor, of exerting oneself for justice and peace.
In taking up these attitudes, we must never forget that “whoever loses his life for my sake will save it.”
Therefore, let us abandon ourselves with confidence in Him, Jesus our brother, friend and savior. Through the Holy Spirit, He will give us the strength to go forward on the path of faith and witness. And on this path, Our Lady is always close: Let us allow Her to take us by the hand when we go through moments of darkness and difficulty.[Angelus] [In the continuation of his address after the Angelus, Pope Francis recalled that Monday is World Refugee Day, sponsored by the United Nations, with the theme “#With Refugees.”
He emphasized that refugees “are people just like us, but war has taken from them their houses, work, relatives and friends.”
“Their stories and their faces call us to renew our efforts to build peace and justice,” Francis said, adding: “We want to be with them, encounter them, receive them, so as to become again artisans of peace, according to the will of God.”
Pope Francis also mentioned that on Saturday in Foggia, Italy, was the beatification of Sister Maria Celeste Crostarosa, founder of the Order of the Holy Redeemer. He expressed his wish that “the new Blessed, with her example and her intercession, helps us to conform the whole of our lives to that of Jesus, our Savior.”
As well, the Pope noted that today is Pentecost in the Julian calendar, which the Orthodox Churches follow, and that with the Divine Liturgy of today, the pan-Orthodox council began in Crete.
“Let us unite ourselves in prayer with our Orthodox brothers, invoking the Holy Spirit, so that he assists with His gifts the patriarchs, archbishops and bishops who are gathered in Council.”[Translation by ZENIT]
Gospel for Sunday, June 19 by ZENIT Staff

Once when Jesus was praying by himself,
and the disciples were with him,
he asked them, “Who do the crowds say that I am?”
They said in reply, “John the Baptist;
others, Elijah;
still others, ‘One of the ancient prophets has arisen.’”
Then he said to them, “But who do you say that I am?”
Peter said in reply, “The Christ of God.”
He scolded them
and directed them not to tell this to anyone.
He said, “The Son of Man must suffer greatly
and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes,
and be killed and on the third day be raised.”
Then he said to all,
“If anyone wishes to come after me, he must deny himself
and take up his cross daily and follow me.
For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it,
but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it.”
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