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Pope’s Morning Homily: Look in the Mirror Before Judging Others by Deborah Castellano Lubov
Look in the mirror before judging others.
The Pope gave this advice during his homily at morning Mass in the Casa Santa Marta today, reported Vatican Radio, as he pointed out that God’s judgment is distinguished from ours by “mercy,” not “omnipotence.”
Because judgment belongs only to God, the Pope explained, “If we do not want to be judged, we should not judge others.”
Drawing inspiration from today’s Gospel, the Pope said, “All of us want the Lord to look upon us with kindness” on Judgment Day and hope He “will forget the many bad things we have done in life.”
Time to Look in Mirror
Therefore, if “you judge others constantly,” he warned, “with the same measure you shall be judged.” The Lord, he said, therefore asks us to look in the mirror:
“Look in the mirror, but not to put on makeup to hide the wrinkles. No, no, no, that’s not the advice! Look in the mirror to look at yourself as you are. ‘Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye and do not notice the log that is in your own eye?’ Or, how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ while the log is still in your eye? And how does the Lord look at us then, when we do this? One word: ‘hypocrite.’ First take the log out of your eye, and then you shall see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye’.”
Don’t Judge Others, Pray for Them
The Argentine Pope observed that here, “We see that the Lord gets ‘a little angry,'” for He calls us ‘hypocrites’ when we try to put ourselves in His place, like Adam and Eve did.
The serpent persuaded Adam and Eve to defy God, saying, ‘If you eat this, you’ll be like Him,’ Francis recalled.
“For this reason,” Pope Francis underscored, “being judgmental is very ugly. Judgment belongs only to God, to Him alone!” the Pope exclaimed. It is for us to “love,” to “understand, to pray for others when we see things that are not good” said the Pope, inviting us to talk kindly to others so that they may learn from their mistakes: “But never judge. Never. And this is hypocrisy, if we judge.”
Only God Can Judge
The Pope warned that if we judge others, we “are putting ourselves in the place of God” with our “poor” and “never true judgment.” Our judgment, Francis explained, cannot be like God’s “because our judgment is lacking mercy, but when God judges, He judges with mercy.”
“Let us think today about what the Lord says to us: Do not judge, lest you be judged; the measure… by which we judge will be the same that will be used for us; and, third, let us look in the mirror before judging. ‘But this fellow does this … that fellow does that…’ ‘But, wait a minute …’ I look in the mirror and then think. On the contrary, I’ll be a hypocrite if I put myself in the place of God and, also, my judgement is poor judgment.”
Noting that human judgement lacks the mercy of the Lord’s judgment, Francis concluded, praying, “May the Lord make us understand these things.”
—
Readings provided by the US bishops’ conference:
Monday of the Twelfth Week in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 371
Reading 1
2 KGS 17:5-8, 13-15A, 18
Shalmaneser, king of Assyria, occupied the whole land
and attacked Samaria, which he besieged for three years.
In the ninth year of Hoshea, king of Israel
the king of Assyria took Samaria,
and deported the children of Israel to Assyria,
setting them in Halah, at the Habor, a river of Gozan,
and the cities of the Medes.This came about because the children of Israel sinned against the LORD,
their God, who had brought them up from the land of Egypt,
from under the domination of Pharaoh, king of Egypt,
and because they venerated other gods.
They followed the rites of the nations
whom the LORD had cleared out of the way of the children of Israel
and the kings of Israel whom they set up.And though the LORD warned Israel and Judah
by every prophet and seer,
“Give up your evil ways and keep my commandments and statutes,
in accordance with the entire law which I enjoined on your fathers
and which I sent you by my servants the prophets,”
they did not listen, but were as stiff-necked as their fathers,
who had not believed in the LORD, their God.
They rejected his statutes,
the covenant which he had made with their fathers,
and the warnings which he had given them, till,
in his great anger against Israel,
the LORD put them away out of his sight.
Only the tribe of Judah was left.
Responsorial Psalm
Shalmaneser, king of Assyria, occupied the whole land
and attacked Samaria, which he besieged for three years.
In the ninth year of Hoshea, king of Israel
the king of Assyria took Samaria,
and deported the children of Israel to Assyria,
setting them in Halah, at the Habor, a river of Gozan,
and the cities of the Medes.This came about because the children of Israel sinned against the LORD,
their God, who had brought them up from the land of Egypt,
from under the domination of Pharaoh, king of Egypt,
and because they venerated other gods.
They followed the rites of the nations
whom the LORD had cleared out of the way of the children of Israel
and the kings of Israel whom they set up.And though the LORD warned Israel and Judah
by every prophet and seer,
“Give up your evil ways and keep my commandments and statutes,
in accordance with the entire law which I enjoined on your fathers
and which I sent you by my servants the prophets,”
they did not listen, but were as stiff-necked as their fathers,
who had not believed in the LORD, their God.
They rejected his statutes,
the covenant which he had made with their fathers,
and the warnings which he had given them, till,
in his great anger against Israel,
the LORD put them away out of his sight.
Only the tribe of Judah was left.
Responsorial Psalm
R. (7b) Help us with your right hand, O Lord, and answer us.
O God, you have rejected us and broken our defenses;
you have been angry; rally us!
R. Help us with your right hand, O Lord, and answer us.
You have rocked the country and split it open;
repair the cracks in it, for it is tottering.
You have made your people feel hardships;
you have given us stupefying wine.
R. Help us with your right hand, O Lord, and answer us.
Have not you, O God, rejected us,
so that you go not forth, O God, with our armies?
Give us aid against the foe,
for worthless is the help of men.
R. Help us with your right hand, O Lord, and answer us.
Alleluia
O God, you have rejected us and broken our defenses;
you have been angry; rally us!
R. Help us with your right hand, O Lord, and answer us.
You have rocked the country and split it open;
repair the cracks in it, for it is tottering.
You have made your people feel hardships;
you have given us stupefying wine.
R. Help us with your right hand, O Lord, and answer us.
Have not you, O God, rejected us,
so that you go not forth, O God, with our armies?
Give us aid against the foe,
for worthless is the help of men.
R. Help us with your right hand, O Lord, and answer us.
Alleluia
HEB 4:12
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
The word of God is living and effective,
able to discern reflections and thoughts of the heart.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
The word of God is living and effective,
able to discern reflections and thoughts of the heart.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel
MT 7:1-5
Jesus said to his disciples:
“Stop judging, that you may not be judged.
For as you judge, so will you be judged,
and the measure with which you measure will be measured out to you.
Why do you notice the splinter in your brother’s eye,
but do not perceive the wooden beam in your own eye?
How can you say to your brother,
‘Let me remove that splinter from your eye,’
while the wooden beam is in your eye?
You hypocrite, remove the wooden beam from your eye first;
then you will see clearly
to remove the splinter from your brother’s eye.”
How Many Times Do You Say ‘I Need to Change?’ Jesus Invites You to Do It by Deborah Castellano Lubov
How many times do we say we must change and then we continue as we are? Well, Jesus is inviting us to come to him so he can give us happiness.
Pope Francis discussed this during his seventh Jubilee Audience on Saturday morning in Saint Peter’s Square, a meeting that Pope Francis holds monthly for pilgrims and faithful coming to Rome for the Jubilee of Mercy. Drawing inspiration from Saturday’s Gospel reading from St. Luke, the Pontiff focused his meditation on conversion.
Jesus, the Jesuit Pope reminded the pilgrims in the Square, insists again more on the interior dimension of conversion. “In it, in fact, the whole person is involved, heart and mind, to become a new creature, a new person. The heart changes and one is renewed.”
When Jesus calls someone to conversion, Francis explained, “He does not erect Himself as a judge of persons, but does so beginning by closeness.”
“Jesus persuaded people with kindness, with love, and with His behavior Jesus touched the depth of people’s heart and they felt attracted by God’s love and spurred to change their life.“
How often …
“How many times we also feel the need of a change that involves our whole person!” Francis asked. “How many times we say to ourselves: ‘I must change, I can’t continue this way … My life, on this path, won’t bear fruit; it will be a futile life and I won’t be happy.’ How many times these thoughts come to us, how many times!”
“And Jesus, by our side,” he continued, “with His hand extended says to us: ‘Come, come to Me. I’ll do the work: I will change your heart; I will change your life: I will make you happy.’”
Will you believe it?
“But do we believe this or not? Do we believe or not? What do you think: do you believe this or not? Less applause and more voices: do you or don’t you believe? [the people: “Yes!”] “It’s like this. Jesus Who is with us invites us to change our life. It is He, with the Holy Spirit, who sows this anxiety in us to change our life and to be somewhat better.”
With this in mind, the Pontiff encouraged, faithful should welcome the Lord’s invitation and not resist, because only when we open up to God’s mercy, do we find true life and joy.
“We only have to open the door wide, and He does all the rest. He does all, but we have to open wide our heart so that He can heal us and make us go forward,” he concluded, assuring them they’ll be happier.
* * *
On ZENIT’s Web page:
Full Text: https://zenit.org/articles/jubilee-audience-on-conversion/
JUBILEE AUDIENCE: On Conversion by ZENIT Staff
The seventh Jubilee Audience was held at 10 o’clock Saturday morning in Saint Peter’s Square, a meeting that Pope Francis decided to hold for pilgrims and faithful coming to Rome for the Jubilee of Mercy.
The Pope focused his meditation in Italian on conversion (Luke 24:45-48).
After summarizing his catechesis in several languages, the Holy Father expressed special greetings to groups of faithful present. The Jubilee Audience ended with the singing of the Pater Noster and the Apostolic Blessing.
* * *
THE HOLY FATHER’S CATECHESIS
Dear Brothers and Sisters, good morning!
After His Resurrection, Jesus appeared several times to His disciples before ascending to the glory of the Father. The passage of the Gospel we just heard (Luke 24:45-48) talks about one of these apparitions, in which the Lord points out the fundamental content of the preaching that the Apostle must offer to the world. We can summarize it with two words: “conversion” and “forgiveness of sins.” They are two qualifying aspects of the mercy of God who, takes care of us with love. Today we take conversion into consideration.
What is conversion? It is present in the whole Bible, and, in a particular way, in the preaching of the prophets, who continually invite the people to “return to the Lord, asking Him for forgiveness and for a change in their style of life. According to the prophets, to be converted means to change one’s direction and turn again to the Lord, basing oneself on the certainty that He loves us and that His love is always faithful — to turn to the Lord.
Jesus made conversion the first word of his preaching: “Repent and believe in the Gospel” (Mark 1:15). It is with this proclamation that He presents Himself to the people, asking them to receive His word as the last and definitive one that the Father addresses to humanity (cf. Mark12:1-11). In regard to the preaching of the prophets, Jesus insists again more on the interior dimension of conversion. In it, in fact, the whole person is involved, heart and mind, to become a new creature, a new person. The heart changes and one is renewed.
When Jesus calls to conversion He does not erect Himself as a judge of persons, but does so beginning by closeness, by sharing the human condition; hence, of the street, of the home, of the table … Mercy towards all those in need of changing their life happened with His kind presence, to involve each one in His history of salvation. Jesus persuaded people with kindness, with love, and with His behavior Jesus touched the depth of people’s heart and they felt attracted by God’s love and spurred to change their life. For instance, the conversion of Matthew (cf. Matthew 9:9-13) and of Zaccheus (cf. Luke 19:1-10) happened precisely in this way, because they felt themselves loved by Jesus and, through Him, by the Father. True conversion happens when we receive the gift of grace; and a clear sign of its authenticity is that we are aware of the needs of brothers and are ready to go to encounter them.
Dear brothers and sisters, how many times we also feel the need of a change that involves our whole person! How many times we say to ourselves: “I must change, I can’t continue this way … My life, on this path, won’t bear fruit; it will be a futile life and I won’t be happy.’ How many times these thoughts come to us, how many times! … And Jesus, by our side, with His hand extended says to us: “Come, come to Me. I’ll do the work: I will change your heart; I will change your life: “I will make you happy.” But do we believe this or not? Do we believe or not? What do you think: do you believe this or not? Less applause and more voices: do you or don’t you believe? [the people: “Yes!”] “It’s like this. Jesus who is with us invites us to change our life. It is He, with the Holy Spirit, who sows this anxiety in us to change our life and to be somewhat better. Therefore, let us follow this invitation of the Lord and not put resistances, because only by opening to His mercy do we find true life and true joy. We only have to open the door wide, and He does all the rest. He does all, but we have to open wide our heart so that He can heal us and make us go forward. I assure you that we will be happier. Thank you.[Original text: Italian] [Translation by ZENIT]
Greeting in Italian
A warm greeting to the Italian-speaking pilgrims!
I am happy to receive the volunteers of the Cottolengo of Turin and the Bakers of the Confesercenti <Confederation of the Workers from the Commercial and Tourist Sector> Association, and I thank them for the bread distributed to pilgrims that have come for the Jubilee in the course of this week. Thank you! To give bread, to break bread is one of the loveliest things of life. Thank you!
I greet the faithful of Florence, with Cardinal Betori, and of several Italian dioceses, accompanied by their respective Pastors: Altamura-Gravina-Acquaviva delle Fonti, Belluno-Feltre, Lamezia Terme, Oria and Sora-Cassino-Aquino-Pontecorvo. I hope that the Jubilee Pilgrimage and the crossing of the Holy Door nourishes your faith, renews your hope and renders your charity fruitful.
I greet “The City of Boys” group on the 70th anniversary of its foundation; the “Vulture” battalion of Nocera Inferiore; the command of the Fire Brigade with the Bishop of Viterbo; as well as the members of the Cyclist Federation and the Committee for the Jubilee of Marino.
A special greeting goes to young people, the sick and newlyweds. Next Saturday, the Memorial of Saint William Abbot will be celebrated. Dear young people, may his evangelical radicalism spur you to make courageous choices for good; dear sick, may his meekness support you in carrying the cross in spiritual union with Christ’ heart; dear newlyweds, may his bond with Christ the Savior help you to unite your family with love. Thank you.[Original text: Italian] [Working Translation by ZENIT]
Elisabeth of the Trinity to Be Canonized Oct. 16 by ZENIT Staff
This morning in the Consistory Hall of the Apostolic Palace, Pope Francis presided at the celebration of Terce and at the ordinary public consistory for the canonisation of the Blesseds:
– Salomon Leclercq (né Guillaume-Nicolas-Louis Leclercq), 1745-1792, French, of the Brothers of the Christian Schools, martyr;
– Manuel González García, 1877-1940, Spanish, bishop of Palencia, founder of the Children of Reparation and the Congregation of the Eucharistic Missionaries of Nazareth;
– Ludovico Pavoni, 1784-1849, Italian priest, founder of the Sons of Mary;
– Alfonso Maria Fusco, 1839-1910, Italian priest, founder of the Congregation of the Sisters of St. John the Baptist;
– Elisabeth of the Holy Trinity (née Elisabeth Catez), 1880-1906, French professed religious of the Order of Descalced Carmelites.
The Pope decreed that the Blesseds be inscribed in the Book of Saints on Sunday 16 October 2016.
Of these five, Elisabeth of the Trinity has gained particular renown in English-speaking countries, as the “spiritual sister” of St Thérèse of Lisieux.
Elizabeth was born in 1880 and died of Addison’s disease in 1906, five years after entering the Dijon Carmel. She was declared Blessed by Pope St John Paul II in 1984.
—
This was followed by the Optatio of four cardinals of the Order of Deacons to the Order of Presbyters:
– at the request of Cardinal William Joseph Levada, the diaconate of Santa Maria in Domenica was elevated pro hac vice to presbyteral title;
– at the request of Cardinal Franc Rodé, the diaconate of St. Francesco Saverio alla Garbatella was elevated pro hac vice to presbyteral title;
– at the request of Cardinal Andrea Cordero di Montezemolo, the diaconate of Santa Maria in Portico was elevated pro hac vice to presbyteral title;
– at the request of Cardinal Albert Vanhoye, the diaconate of Santa Maria della Mercede e Sant’Adriano a Villa Albani was elevated pro hac vice to presbyteral title.
Cardinals are divided into three orders — bishops, priests and deacons — even though almost all of them are actually bishops. This is because from a relatively early period the election of the bishop of Rome was restricted to the bishops of the dioceses surrounding the Diocese of Rome: Albano, Sabina-Poggio Mirteto, Porto Santa Ruffina, Velletri-Segni, Frascati, Palestrina and Ostia, which is no longer a functioning diocese and is usually held by the dean of the College of Cardinals.
To these were added the most important priests of the Rome Diocese and the deacons who at that time were relatively few in number and often had the responsibility for its administration. This distribution is still reflected in the distribution of cardinals, of which there are six cardinal bishops, 168 cardinal priests and 36 cardinal deacons.
As time went on the title was widely granted to bishops of other dioceses and those who worked within the Roman Curia. However, the connection with the clergy of Rome was always maintained by granting each cardinal a titular church of which he is, so to speak, honorary parish priest or deacon.
Related: Women as Cardinals?
Oblate Priest Named Bishop of Livingstone, Zambia by ZENIT Staff
Pope Francis on Saturday appointed Fr. Valentine Kalumba, O.M.I., as bishop of Livingstone, Zambia.
He was born in Mufulira, Zambia, in 1967, gave his religious vows with the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate in 2002 and was ordained a priest in 2005. He has served in a number of pastoral roles, including deputy bursar and parish vicar, parish priest, director of the Oblate Radio Liseli in Mongu, and bursar of the Centre of Philosophical Formation in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.
He is currently deputy delegate of the Delegation of Oblates in Zambia and pastor of St. Theresa’s parish, Kabwe, Zambia.
He succeeds Bishop Raymond Mpezele, whose resignation from the pastoral care of the same diocese upon reaching the age limit was accepted by the Holy Father.
The diocese has a population of some 429,000, with less than 100,000 Catholics. They are served by about 30 priests and 100 religious.
This south-central African country is majority Protestant (75%) with about 20% of the population being Catholic.
Pope’s Address to Laity Council by ZENIT Staff
Pope Francis on Friday addressed participants in the 28th Plenary Assembly of the Pontifical Council for the Laity, on the theme “A Dicastery for the Laity: Between History and Future …” (June 16-18, 2016). The council will be merged into a new dicastery for laity, life and family.
Here is a ZENIT translation of the Pope’s address.
* * *
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
I do not want these words to be the “valedictio” to the Dicastery, a taking leave, but that in fact they are words of gratitude for all the work done.
I receive you on the occasion of your Plenary Assembly. I greet you all cordially and I thank the Cardinal President for his kind words. This meeting of yours has a special character, given that, as I have already been able to announce, your Pontifical Council will take on a new physiognomy. It is the conclusion of an important stage and the opening of a new one for the Dicastery of the Roman Curia, which has supported the life, the maturation and the transformations of the Catholic laity from Vatican Council II to today.
Therefore, the occasion is propitious to look back on almost 50 years of the Dicastery’s activity and, at the same time, to project a renewed presence at the service of the laity, continually in ferment and crossed by new problems. The Pontifical Council for the Laity was born by the express wish of Vatican Council II that, in the Decree on the apostolate of the laity, wished to have constituted “in the Holy See a special Secretariat for the service and impulse of the apostolate of the laity,” in order to assist “with its advice the hierarchy and the laity in their apostolic works” (Apostolicam Actuositatem, 26). Thus Blessed Paul VI gave life to this Dicastery, which I do not hesitate to describe as “one of the best fruits of Vatican Council II” (Motu proprio Apostolatus Peragendi[December 10, 1976], 697) — and he was the “father” of FUCI, of young people and of the laity; he worked so much and felt this so much, conceiving this fruit not as an organ of control but rather as a center of coordination, of study, of consultation, geared to “inciting the laity to take part in the life and mission of the Church […] either as members of associations […] or as individual faithful” (Ibid.). The Pontifical Council exists to incite!
Hence we thank the Lord for the abundant fruits and for the numerous challenges of these years. We can recall, for instance, the new aggregative season that, beside the lay associations of long and worthy history, witnessed so many Movements and New Communities arise of great missionary impetus; Movements you followed in their development, accompanied with solicitude and assisted in the delicate phase of the juridical recognition of their statutes. And then the appearance of new lay ministries, to which not a few apostolic activities were entrusted. Moreover, to be underscored is the growing role of woman in the Church, with her presence, her sensibility and her gifts. And, finally, the creation of the World Youth Days, providential gesture of Saint John Paul II, instrument of evangelization of the new generations looked after by you with particular commitment.
We can say, therefore, that the mandate you received from the Council was precisely that of “pushing” the lay faithful to involve themselves increasingly and better in the Church’s evangelizing mission, not by “delegation” of the hierarchy, but in as much as their apostolate “is participation in the Church’s salvific mission, to which all are deputized by the Lord through Baptism and Confirmation” (Dogmatic ConstitutionLumen Gentium, 33). And this is the entrance door! One enters the Church through Baptism, not by priestly or episcopal Ordination; one enters through Baptism! And we all entered through the same door. It is Baptism that makes of every faithful layman a missionary disciple of the Lord, salt of the earth, light of the world, leaven that transforms the reality from within.
The Church’s activities, like those we have referred to, are always carried out by the faces, minds and hearts of concrete persons. And it is important that in your Plenary you wished to remember all those that spent themselves with passion and commitment in the animation, the promotion and the coordination of the life and apostolate of the laity in passed years. First of all, the various Presidents that succeeded one another; then the many Members and Consultors, among whom was Karol Wojtyla himself, who followed this Dicastery with interest and farsightedness from its first steps; and then the many laymen that worked in silence in favor of the Catholic laity.
In the light of the path travelled, it is time to look again at the future with hope. Much still remains to be done, widening the horizons and taking up the new challenges that the reality presents to you. It is from here that the plan of reform of the Curia is born, in particular of the consolidation of your Dicastery with the Pontifical Council for the Family in connection with the Academy for Life. Therefore, I invite you to take up this reform, which will see you involved, as a sign of appreciation and esteem for the work you do and as a sign of renewed confidence in the vocation and mission of the laity in today’s Church. The new Dicastery to be born will have as “rudder” to continue its navigation, on one handChristifideles Laici and on the other Evangelii Gaudium and Amoris Laetitia, having the family and the defense of life as privileged fields.
In this particular historical moment, and in the context of the Jubilee of Mercy, the Church is called to be ever more aware of being “the paternal house where there is a place for each one with his toilsome” and sinful “life” (Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Gaudium, 47); of being a permanently outgoing Church, “evangelizing community […] which is able to take the initiative without fear, to encounter, to seek the distant and to arrive at the crossroads to invite the excluded” (Ibid., 24). I would like to propose to you, as horizon of reference for your immediate future, a binomial that can be formulated thus: “Outgoing Church — outgoing laity.” Therefore, you must also raise your eyes and look “outside,” look at the many of our world that are “distant,” at the many families in difficulties and in need of mercy, at the many fields of apostolate still unexplored, at the numerous laymen of good and generous heart who would willingly put their energies, their time, their capacities, if they were involved, at the service of the Gospel, appreciated and supported with affection and dedication by Pastors and ecclesiastical institutions. We are in need of well-formed laypeople, animated by a pure and fresh faith, whose life has been touched by a personal and merciful encounter with the love of Jesus Christ. We are in need of laypeople who risk, who soil their hands, who are not afraid of erring, who go forward. We are in need of laypeople with vision of the future, not closed in the little things of life. And I have said it to young people: we are in need of laypeople with the taste of experience of life, who dare to dream. Today is the moment in which young people are in need of the dreams of the elderly. In this disposable culture let us not grow accustomed to discard the elderly! Let us push them, let us push them so that they dream and — as the prophet Joel says — “have dreams,” that capacity to dream, and to give all of us the strength of new apostolic visions.
I thank you all, dear brothers Members and Consultors, for the work carried out in the service of this Dicastery, and I encourage you to open yourselves with docility and humility to God’s novelties, — which surprise and surpass us but never deceive us –, as Mary did, our Mother and Teacher in the faith. From my heart I impart to you all and to your dear ones my Blessing. And please, do not forget to pray for me.
[Original text: Italian] [Translation by ZENIT]
Irish Bishops: Refugees Are Those Left at Side of the Road Today, in Need of Modern Good Samaritans by Kathleen Naab
Following the Summer General Meeting of the Irish Catholic Bishops’ Conference earlier this month, the bishops published the following statement expressing support for persecuted Christians, refugees and migrants. Today, 20 June, is United Nations World Refugee Day.
Persecuted Christians
Bishops discussed the persecution of Christians in the Middle East, an issue specifically highlighted by the Apostolic Exhortation of Pope Francis, Amoris Laetitia (The Joy of Love), which was published on 8 April:
“The persecution of Christians and ethnic and religious minorities in many parts of the world, especially in the Middle East, are a great trial not only for the Church but also the entire international community. Every effort should be encouraged, even in a practical way, to assist families and Christian communities to remain in their native lands” (AL para 46).
Archbishop Eamon Martin, Archbishop of Armagh, will lead a delegation from the Bishops’ Conference to Erbil in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq in November. The area is now home to hundreds of thousands of displaced people, mostly Christians and Yazidis, who were forced to flee from their homes in northern Iraq as a result of war. The delegation will be hosted by Archbishop Warda of Erbil, and it will have the opportunity to meet with communities displaced by conflict and who face an uncertain future in the region. Trócaire, which has supported relief efforts for displaced people in northern Iraq, will have staff participating in the visit including its chairman, Bishop William Crean, Bishop of Cloyne. The delegation will also have the opportunity to meet with UN representatives as well as with other agencies responding to the crisis in the region.
Refugees and migrants
In the context of Ireland’s response, bishops discussed the refugee crisis and the need for policymakers not to close their eyes to the needs of our brothers and sisters currently in dire need in our continent of Europe and further afield. The numbers of those who are fleeing from war and persecution are on the increase and the level of solidarity is often inadequate. Bishops reflected further on Amoris Laetitia:
“Migration is particularly dramatic and devastating to families and individuals when it takes place illegally and is supported by international networks of human trafficking. This is equally true when it involves women or unaccompanied children who are forced to endure long periods of time in temporary facilities and refugee camps, where it is impossible to start a process of integration. Extreme poverty and other situations of family breakdown sometimes even lead families to sell their children for prostitution or for organ trafficking” (AL para 46).
In the parable of the Good Samaritan, which Archbishop Diarmuid Martin of Dublin, described as being almost the ‘national anthem’ of this Jubilee Year of Mercy proclaimed by Pope Francis, two figures of officialdom turn their eyes away and pass by the presence of a fellow human in distress. Today our witness to the distress of refugees should be a call to action. While praising the brave and humanitarian role of our naval service in the Mediterranean – which again has been exemplified this month – bishops expressed concern that here in Ireland the process of taking refugees seems to have been allowed to slip to the back-burner of politics, notwithstanding the clear desire and willingness of citizens and communities to commit to a culture of welcome. Bishops ask that parishes offer special prayers at Mass during June to express their support and solidarity for the plight facing child, women and men refugees.
Bishops also noted with concern the lack of significant progress regarding the condition of asylum seekers in direct provision centres and are encouraged to lobby their politicians in the areas where centres are situated.
Prayer for Migrants and Refugees
Almighty and merciful God,
Whose Son became a refugee
And had no place to call his own;
Look with mercy on those who today
Are fleeing from danger,
Homeless and hungry.
Bless those who work to bring them relief;
Inspire generosity and compassion in all our hearts;
And guide the nations of Europe towards that day
When all will rejoice in your Kingdom of justice and peace.
We make our prayer through Christ our Lord, Amen.
Pope’s Address at Villa Nazareth by ZENIT Staff
Below is a ZENIT translation of the address Pope Francis gave during his visit to Villa Nazareth in the Pineta Sacchetti area of Rome on Saturday afternoon. Founded in 1954 to help orphans and poor children, Villa Nazareth aims to provide the underprivileged with educational opportunities.
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There are so many individuals involved in this passage of the Gospel: the one who asks the question “who is my neighbor?”; Jesus; and then, in the parable, the brigands; the poor man who was half dead on the road, then the priest, then the Doctor of the Law, perhaps a lawyer [the “Levite”]; then the innkeeper.
On the parable, perhaps neither the priest, nor the Doctor of the Law, nor the Samaritan, nor the innkeeper were able to answer the question “who is my neighbor?” Perhaps they didn’t even know their “neighbor” — who was their “neighbor.” The priest was in a hurry, as all priests, because he looked at his watch: “I must say Mass,” or, so often: “I left the church open, I must close it, because that’s the schedule and I can’t stay here.’ The Doctor of the Law, a practical man, said: “If I get involved in this, I’ll have to go to the court tomorrow, be a witness, say what I’ve done, I’ll lose two, three days of work … No, no, better not go … Hail Pontius Pilate, and he went away. Instead, the other one [the Samaritan], sinner, foreigner who was not in fact of the People of God, was moved: “he had compassion,” and he stopped. All three — the priest, the lawyer and the Samaritan — knew well what should be done. And each one made his decision. But I like to think of the innkeeper: he is the anonymous one. He saw all this, he saw and didn’t understand anything. “But he is crazy! A Samaritan who helps a Jew! He’s crazy! And then, with his hands, he tends to the wounds and brings him to the Inn and says to me: “Take care of him; and whatever more you spend, I will repay you when I come back …” I’ve never seen anything like it, he’s mad!” And that man received the Word of God. Whose testimony, that of the priest? No, he didn’t even see him; of the lawyer — the same. Of the sinner, a sinner that had compassion. “Ah, did you hear something? A sinner, yes, he was not a faithful of the People of God, but he had compassion.” And he <the innkeeper> didn’t understand anything; he remained doubtful, perhaps curious: “But what strange thing happened here …” With anxiety inside — and this is what witness does — the witness of this sinner sowed anxiety in the innkeeper’s heart. And what happened to him — the Gospel doesn’t say, not even his name. But undoubtedly this man … – undoubtedly, because when the Holy Spirit sows, He makes one grow — undoubtedly his curiosity grew, his anxiety, made him grow in his heart and he received the message of the testimony. Then, days after, the Samaritan passed by that side again; no doubt he paid something. Or [the innkeeper said to him]: “No, leave it, leave it, this is for my account.”
And why do I pause today on this personage, on this person? Because our witness cannot be calculated – I don’t know how it’s said –. Testimony is to live in such a way that others “seeing your works glorify the Father who is in Heaven” (cf. Matthew 5:16), namely, they encounter the Father, they go to Him .. These are Jesus’ words.
I heard news about Villa Nazareth: “There is this work …,” but I didn’t know it well. Then Monsignor Celli said something to me … It’s a work, a work where testimony is fostered. One comes here not to “climb up,” or to earn money, no, but to follow in Jesus’ steps and witness to Jesus, to sow testimony – in silence, without explanations, with gestures … taking up the language of gestures. And no doubt this innkeeper is in Heaven — undoubtedly! — because surely that seed grew; it germinated. He saw something that he never, never thought he’d see. And this is testimony. Testimony passes and goes away. You leave it there and you go. The Lord protects it, makes it grow, as He makes a seed grow: while the innkeeper sleeps the plant grows.
I hope that this work continues to be a work of testimony, a house of testimony, of testimony to all, to all. Of testimony for people that approach it, or hear talk of it … a testimony. I hope for this. And may the Lord free us from brigands — there are so many! — may He free us from priests in a hurry or who are always going in a hurry, always, they don’t have time to listen, to see, they have to do their things …; that He free us from Doctors who want to present Jesus Christ’s faith with a mathematical rigidity; and that He teach us to stop, and teach us that wisdom of the Gospel: ‘to soil one’s hands.” May the Lord give us this grace. Thank you.[Original text: Italian] [Translation by ZENIT]
Summary of Jubilee Audience: On Conversion by ZENIT Staff
On Saturday, Pope Francis held the seventh of his “Jubilee Audiences” — a general audience that during this Year of Mercy will be held oneSaturday a month.
Here is the English-language summary of his address:
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Speaker: Dear Brothers and Sisters: Appearing to the disciples in Emmaus, the Risen Jesus tells them that repentance and the forgiveness of sins are to be preached to all nations in His name (Lk24:47). Repentance and the forgiveness of sins are at the heart of the Gospel message of God’s merciful love. The Old Testament prophets repeatedly call the people to “return to the Lord” in fidelity to His covenant of love. Jesus began His public ministry by preaching repentance, interior conversion and belief in the Gospel (cf. Mk 1:15). His call to conversion was expressed not in judgment but in closeness to sinners and mercy to those in need. As we see in the conversion accounts of Matthew and Zacchaeus, Jesus enabled sinners to feel God’s loving mercy and to open their hearts to His gift of forgiveness. As an experience of unmerited love, true conversion always entails openness to others, especially the poor. In this Holy Year of Mercy, may we recognize our own need of forgiveness and conversion, and open our hearts ever more fully to the power of the Lord’s grace to transform and renew our lives.
Speaker: I greet the English-speaking pilgrims and visitors taking part in today’s Audience, particularly those from England, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Singapore 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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Jesus said to his disciples:
“Stop judging, that you may not be judged.
For as you judge, so will you be judged,
and the measure with which you measure will be measured out to you.
Why do you notice the splinter in your brother’s eye,
but do not perceive the wooden beam in your own eye?
How can you say to your brother,
‘Let me remove that splinter from your eye,’
while the wooden beam is in your eye?
You hypocrite, remove the wooden beam from your eye first;
then you will see clearly
to remove the splinter from your brother’s eye.”
How Many Times Do You Say ‘I Need to Change?’ Jesus Invites You to Do It by Deborah Castellano Lubov
How many times do we say we must change and then we continue as we are? Well, Jesus is inviting us to come to him so he can give us happiness.
Pope Francis discussed this during his seventh Jubilee Audience on Saturday morning in Saint Peter’s Square, a meeting that Pope Francis holds monthly for pilgrims and faithful coming to Rome for the Jubilee of Mercy. Drawing inspiration from Saturday’s Gospel reading from St. Luke, the Pontiff focused his meditation on conversion.
Jesus, the Jesuit Pope reminded the pilgrims in the Square, insists again more on the interior dimension of conversion. “In it, in fact, the whole person is involved, heart and mind, to become a new creature, a new person. The heart changes and one is renewed.”
When Jesus calls someone to conversion, Francis explained, “He does not erect Himself as a judge of persons, but does so beginning by closeness.”
“Jesus persuaded people with kindness, with love, and with His behavior Jesus touched the depth of people’s heart and they felt attracted by God’s love and spurred to change their life.“
How often …
“How many times we also feel the need of a change that involves our whole person!” Francis asked. “How many times we say to ourselves: ‘I must change, I can’t continue this way … My life, on this path, won’t bear fruit; it will be a futile life and I won’t be happy.’ How many times these thoughts come to us, how many times!”
“And Jesus, by our side,” he continued, “with His hand extended says to us: ‘Come, come to Me. I’ll do the work: I will change your heart; I will change your life: I will make you happy.’”
Will you believe it?
“But do we believe this or not? Do we believe or not? What do you think: do you believe this or not? Less applause and more voices: do you or don’t you believe? [the people: “Yes!”] “It’s like this. Jesus Who is with us invites us to change our life. It is He, with the Holy Spirit, who sows this anxiety in us to change our life and to be somewhat better.”
With this in mind, the Pontiff encouraged, faithful should welcome the Lord’s invitation and not resist, because only when we open up to God’s mercy, do we find true life and joy.
“We only have to open the door wide, and He does all the rest. He does all, but we have to open wide our heart so that He can heal us and make us go forward,” he concluded, assuring them they’ll be happier.
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On ZENIT’s Web page:
Full Text: https://zenit.org/articles/jubilee-audience-on-conversion/
JUBILEE AUDIENCE: On Conversion by ZENIT Staff
The seventh Jubilee Audience was held at 10 o’clock Saturday morning in Saint Peter’s Square, a meeting that Pope Francis decided to hold for pilgrims and faithful coming to Rome for the Jubilee of Mercy.
The Pope focused his meditation in Italian on conversion (Luke 24:45-48).
After summarizing his catechesis in several languages, the Holy Father expressed special greetings to groups of faithful present. The Jubilee Audience ended with the singing of the Pater Noster and the Apostolic Blessing.
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THE HOLY FATHER’S CATECHESIS
Dear Brothers and Sisters, good morning!
After His Resurrection, Jesus appeared several times to His disciples before ascending to the glory of the Father. The passage of the Gospel we just heard (Luke 24:45-48) talks about one of these apparitions, in which the Lord points out the fundamental content of the preaching that the Apostle must offer to the world. We can summarize it with two words: “conversion” and “forgiveness of sins.” They are two qualifying aspects of the mercy of God who, takes care of us with love. Today we take conversion into consideration.
What is conversion? It is present in the whole Bible, and, in a particular way, in the preaching of the prophets, who continually invite the people to “return to the Lord, asking Him for forgiveness and for a change in their style of life. According to the prophets, to be converted means to change one’s direction and turn again to the Lord, basing oneself on the certainty that He loves us and that His love is always faithful — to turn to the Lord.
Jesus made conversion the first word of his preaching: “Repent and believe in the Gospel” (Mark 1:15). It is with this proclamation that He presents Himself to the people, asking them to receive His word as the last and definitive one that the Father addresses to humanity (cf. Mark12:1-11). In regard to the preaching of the prophets, Jesus insists again more on the interior dimension of conversion. In it, in fact, the whole person is involved, heart and mind, to become a new creature, a new person. The heart changes and one is renewed.
When Jesus calls to conversion He does not erect Himself as a judge of persons, but does so beginning by closeness, by sharing the human condition; hence, of the street, of the home, of the table … Mercy towards all those in need of changing their life happened with His kind presence, to involve each one in His history of salvation. Jesus persuaded people with kindness, with love, and with His behavior Jesus touched the depth of people’s heart and they felt attracted by God’s love and spurred to change their life. For instance, the conversion of Matthew (cf. Matthew 9:9-13) and of Zaccheus (cf. Luke 19:1-10) happened precisely in this way, because they felt themselves loved by Jesus and, through Him, by the Father. True conversion happens when we receive the gift of grace; and a clear sign of its authenticity is that we are aware of the needs of brothers and are ready to go to encounter them.
Dear brothers and sisters, how many times we also feel the need of a change that involves our whole person! How many times we say to ourselves: “I must change, I can’t continue this way … My life, on this path, won’t bear fruit; it will be a futile life and I won’t be happy.’ How many times these thoughts come to us, how many times! … And Jesus, by our side, with His hand extended says to us: “Come, come to Me. I’ll do the work: I will change your heart; I will change your life: “I will make you happy.” But do we believe this or not? Do we believe or not? What do you think: do you believe this or not? Less applause and more voices: do you or don’t you believe? [the people: “Yes!”] “It’s like this. Jesus who is with us invites us to change our life. It is He, with the Holy Spirit, who sows this anxiety in us to change our life and to be somewhat better. Therefore, let us follow this invitation of the Lord and not put resistances, because only by opening to His mercy do we find true life and true joy. We only have to open the door wide, and He does all the rest. He does all, but we have to open wide our heart so that He can heal us and make us go forward. I assure you that we will be happier. Thank you.[Original text: Italian] [Translation by ZENIT]
Greeting in Italian
A warm greeting to the Italian-speaking pilgrims!
I am happy to receive the volunteers of the Cottolengo of Turin and the Bakers of the Confesercenti <Confederation of the Workers from the Commercial and Tourist Sector> Association, and I thank them for the bread distributed to pilgrims that have come for the Jubilee in the course of this week. Thank you! To give bread, to break bread is one of the loveliest things of life. Thank you!
I greet the faithful of Florence, with Cardinal Betori, and of several Italian dioceses, accompanied by their respective Pastors: Altamura-Gravina-Acquaviva delle Fonti, Belluno-Feltre, Lamezia Terme, Oria and Sora-Cassino-Aquino-Pontecorvo. I hope that the Jubilee Pilgrimage and the crossing of the Holy Door nourishes your faith, renews your hope and renders your charity fruitful.
I greet “The City of Boys” group on the 70th anniversary of its foundation; the “Vulture” battalion of Nocera Inferiore; the command of the Fire Brigade with the Bishop of Viterbo; as well as the members of the Cyclist Federation and the Committee for the Jubilee of Marino.
A special greeting goes to young people, the sick and newlyweds. Next Saturday, the Memorial of Saint William Abbot will be celebrated. Dear young people, may his evangelical radicalism spur you to make courageous choices for good; dear sick, may his meekness support you in carrying the cross in spiritual union with Christ’ heart; dear newlyweds, may his bond with Christ the Savior help you to unite your family with love. Thank you.[Original text: Italian] [Working Translation by ZENIT]
Elisabeth of the Trinity to Be Canonized Oct. 16 by ZENIT Staff
– Salomon Leclercq (né Guillaume-Nicolas-Louis Leclercq), 1745-1792, French, of the Brothers of the Christian Schools, martyr;
– Manuel González García, 1877-1940, Spanish, bishop of Palencia, founder of the Children of Reparation and the Congregation of the Eucharistic Missionaries of Nazareth;
– Ludovico Pavoni, 1784-1849, Italian priest, founder of the Sons of Mary;
– Alfonso Maria Fusco, 1839-1910, Italian priest, founder of the Congregation of the Sisters of St. John the Baptist;
– Elisabeth of the Holy Trinity (née Elisabeth Catez), 1880-1906, French professed religious of the Order of Descalced Carmelites.
The Pope decreed that the Blesseds be inscribed in the Book of Saints on Sunday 16 October 2016.
Of these five, Elisabeth of the Trinity has gained particular renown in English-speaking countries, as the “spiritual sister” of St Thérèse of Lisieux.
Elizabeth was born in 1880 and died of Addison’s disease in 1906, five years after entering the Dijon Carmel. She was declared Blessed by Pope St John Paul II in 1984.
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This was followed by the Optatio of four cardinals of the Order of Deacons to the Order of Presbyters:
– at the request of Cardinal William Joseph Levada, the diaconate of Santa Maria in Domenica was elevated pro hac vice to presbyteral title;
– at the request of Cardinal Franc Rodé, the diaconate of St. Francesco Saverio alla Garbatella was elevated pro hac vice to presbyteral title;
– at the request of Cardinal Andrea Cordero di Montezemolo, the diaconate of Santa Maria in Portico was elevated pro hac vice to presbyteral title;
– at the request of Cardinal Albert Vanhoye, the diaconate of Santa Maria della Mercede e Sant’Adriano a Villa Albani was elevated pro hac vice to presbyteral title.
Cardinals are divided into three orders — bishops, priests and deacons — even though almost all of them are actually bishops. This is because from a relatively early period the election of the bishop of Rome was restricted to the bishops of the dioceses surrounding the Diocese of Rome: Albano, Sabina-Poggio Mirteto, Porto Santa Ruffina, Velletri-Segni, Frascati, Palestrina and Ostia, which is no longer a functioning diocese and is usually held by the dean of the College of Cardinals.
To these were added the most important priests of the Rome Diocese and the deacons who at that time were relatively few in number and often had the responsibility for its administration. This distribution is still reflected in the distribution of cardinals, of which there are six cardinal bishops, 168 cardinal priests and 36 cardinal deacons.
As time went on the title was widely granted to bishops of other dioceses and those who worked within the Roman Curia. However, the connection with the clergy of Rome was always maintained by granting each cardinal a titular church of which he is, so to speak, honorary parish priest or deacon.
Related: Women as Cardinals?
Oblate Priest Named Bishop of Livingstone, Zambia by ZENIT Staff
Pope Francis on Saturday appointed Fr. Valentine Kalumba, O.M.I., as bishop of Livingstone, Zambia.
He was born in Mufulira, Zambia, in 1967, gave his religious vows with the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate in 2002 and was ordained a priest in 2005. He has served in a number of pastoral roles, including deputy bursar and parish vicar, parish priest, director of the Oblate Radio Liseli in Mongu, and bursar of the Centre of Philosophical Formation in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.
He is currently deputy delegate of the Delegation of Oblates in Zambia and pastor of St. Theresa’s parish, Kabwe, Zambia.
He succeeds Bishop Raymond Mpezele, whose resignation from the pastoral care of the same diocese upon reaching the age limit was accepted by the Holy Father.
The diocese has a population of some 429,000, with less than 100,000 Catholics. They are served by about 30 priests and 100 religious.
This south-central African country is majority Protestant (75%) with about 20% of the population being Catholic.
Pope’s Address to Laity Council by ZENIT Staff
Pope Francis on Friday addressed participants in the 28th Plenary Assembly of the Pontifical Council for the Laity, on the theme “A Dicastery for the Laity: Between History and Future …” (June 16-18, 2016). The council will be merged into a new dicastery for laity, life and family.
Here is a ZENIT translation of the Pope’s address.
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Dear Brothers and Sisters,
I do not want these words to be the “valedictio” to the Dicastery, a taking leave, but that in fact they are words of gratitude for all the work done.
I receive you on the occasion of your Plenary Assembly. I greet you all cordially and I thank the Cardinal President for his kind words. This meeting of yours has a special character, given that, as I have already been able to announce, your Pontifical Council will take on a new physiognomy. It is the conclusion of an important stage and the opening of a new one for the Dicastery of the Roman Curia, which has supported the life, the maturation and the transformations of the Catholic laity from Vatican Council II to today.
Therefore, the occasion is propitious to look back on almost 50 years of the Dicastery’s activity and, at the same time, to project a renewed presence at the service of the laity, continually in ferment and crossed by new problems. The Pontifical Council for the Laity was born by the express wish of Vatican Council II that, in the Decree on the apostolate of the laity, wished to have constituted “in the Holy See a special Secretariat for the service and impulse of the apostolate of the laity,” in order to assist “with its advice the hierarchy and the laity in their apostolic works” (Apostolicam Actuositatem, 26). Thus Blessed Paul VI gave life to this Dicastery, which I do not hesitate to describe as “one of the best fruits of Vatican Council II” (Motu proprio Apostolatus Peragendi[December 10, 1976], 697) — and he was the “father” of FUCI, of young people and of the laity; he worked so much and felt this so much, conceiving this fruit not as an organ of control but rather as a center of coordination, of study, of consultation, geared to “inciting the laity to take part in the life and mission of the Church […] either as members of associations […] or as individual faithful” (Ibid.). The Pontifical Council exists to incite!
Hence we thank the Lord for the abundant fruits and for the numerous challenges of these years. We can recall, for instance, the new aggregative season that, beside the lay associations of long and worthy history, witnessed so many Movements and New Communities arise of great missionary impetus; Movements you followed in their development, accompanied with solicitude and assisted in the delicate phase of the juridical recognition of their statutes. And then the appearance of new lay ministries, to which not a few apostolic activities were entrusted. Moreover, to be underscored is the growing role of woman in the Church, with her presence, her sensibility and her gifts. And, finally, the creation of the World Youth Days, providential gesture of Saint John Paul II, instrument of evangelization of the new generations looked after by you with particular commitment.
We can say, therefore, that the mandate you received from the Council was precisely that of “pushing” the lay faithful to involve themselves increasingly and better in the Church’s evangelizing mission, not by “delegation” of the hierarchy, but in as much as their apostolate “is participation in the Church’s salvific mission, to which all are deputized by the Lord through Baptism and Confirmation” (Dogmatic ConstitutionLumen Gentium, 33). And this is the entrance door! One enters the Church through Baptism, not by priestly or episcopal Ordination; one enters through Baptism! And we all entered through the same door. It is Baptism that makes of every faithful layman a missionary disciple of the Lord, salt of the earth, light of the world, leaven that transforms the reality from within.
The Church’s activities, like those we have referred to, are always carried out by the faces, minds and hearts of concrete persons. And it is important that in your Plenary you wished to remember all those that spent themselves with passion and commitment in the animation, the promotion and the coordination of the life and apostolate of the laity in passed years. First of all, the various Presidents that succeeded one another; then the many Members and Consultors, among whom was Karol Wojtyla himself, who followed this Dicastery with interest and farsightedness from its first steps; and then the many laymen that worked in silence in favor of the Catholic laity.
In the light of the path travelled, it is time to look again at the future with hope. Much still remains to be done, widening the horizons and taking up the new challenges that the reality presents to you. It is from here that the plan of reform of the Curia is born, in particular of the consolidation of your Dicastery with the Pontifical Council for the Family in connection with the Academy for Life. Therefore, I invite you to take up this reform, which will see you involved, as a sign of appreciation and esteem for the work you do and as a sign of renewed confidence in the vocation and mission of the laity in today’s Church. The new Dicastery to be born will have as “rudder” to continue its navigation, on one handChristifideles Laici and on the other Evangelii Gaudium and Amoris Laetitia, having the family and the defense of life as privileged fields.
In this particular historical moment, and in the context of the Jubilee of Mercy, the Church is called to be ever more aware of being “the paternal house where there is a place for each one with his toilsome” and sinful “life” (Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Gaudium, 47); of being a permanently outgoing Church, “evangelizing community […] which is able to take the initiative without fear, to encounter, to seek the distant and to arrive at the crossroads to invite the excluded” (Ibid., 24). I would like to propose to you, as horizon of reference for your immediate future, a binomial that can be formulated thus: “Outgoing Church — outgoing laity.” Therefore, you must also raise your eyes and look “outside,” look at the many of our world that are “distant,” at the many families in difficulties and in need of mercy, at the many fields of apostolate still unexplored, at the numerous laymen of good and generous heart who would willingly put their energies, their time, their capacities, if they were involved, at the service of the Gospel, appreciated and supported with affection and dedication by Pastors and ecclesiastical institutions. We are in need of well-formed laypeople, animated by a pure and fresh faith, whose life has been touched by a personal and merciful encounter with the love of Jesus Christ. We are in need of laypeople who risk, who soil their hands, who are not afraid of erring, who go forward. We are in need of laypeople with vision of the future, not closed in the little things of life. And I have said it to young people: we are in need of laypeople with the taste of experience of life, who dare to dream. Today is the moment in which young people are in need of the dreams of the elderly. In this disposable culture let us not grow accustomed to discard the elderly! Let us push them, let us push them so that they dream and — as the prophet Joel says — “have dreams,” that capacity to dream, and to give all of us the strength of new apostolic visions.
I thank you all, dear brothers Members and Consultors, for the work carried out in the service of this Dicastery, and I encourage you to open yourselves with docility and humility to God’s novelties, — which surprise and surpass us but never deceive us –, as Mary did, our Mother and Teacher in the faith. From my heart I impart to you all and to your dear ones my Blessing. And please, do not forget to pray for me.
[Original text: Italian] [Translation by ZENIT]
Irish Bishops: Refugees Are Those Left at Side of the Road Today, in Need of Modern Good Samaritans by Kathleen Naab
Following the Summer General Meeting of the Irish Catholic Bishops’ Conference earlier this month, the bishops published the following statement expressing support for persecuted Christians, refugees and migrants. Today, 20 June, is United Nations World Refugee Day.
Persecuted Christians
Bishops discussed the persecution of Christians in the Middle East, an issue specifically highlighted by the Apostolic Exhortation of Pope Francis, Amoris Laetitia (The Joy of Love), which was published on 8 April:
“The persecution of Christians and ethnic and religious minorities in many parts of the world, especially in the Middle East, are a great trial not only for the Church but also the entire international community. Every effort should be encouraged, even in a practical way, to assist families and Christian communities to remain in their native lands” (AL para 46).
Archbishop Eamon Martin, Archbishop of Armagh, will lead a delegation from the Bishops’ Conference to Erbil in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq in November. The area is now home to hundreds of thousands of displaced people, mostly Christians and Yazidis, who were forced to flee from their homes in northern Iraq as a result of war. The delegation will be hosted by Archbishop Warda of Erbil, and it will have the opportunity to meet with communities displaced by conflict and who face an uncertain future in the region. Trócaire, which has supported relief efforts for displaced people in northern Iraq, will have staff participating in the visit including its chairman, Bishop William Crean, Bishop of Cloyne. The delegation will also have the opportunity to meet with UN representatives as well as with other agencies responding to the crisis in the region.
Refugees and migrants
In the context of Ireland’s response, bishops discussed the refugee crisis and the need for policymakers not to close their eyes to the needs of our brothers and sisters currently in dire need in our continent of Europe and further afield. The numbers of those who are fleeing from war and persecution are on the increase and the level of solidarity is often inadequate. Bishops reflected further on Amoris Laetitia:
“Migration is particularly dramatic and devastating to families and individuals when it takes place illegally and is supported by international networks of human trafficking. This is equally true when it involves women or unaccompanied children who are forced to endure long periods of time in temporary facilities and refugee camps, where it is impossible to start a process of integration. Extreme poverty and other situations of family breakdown sometimes even lead families to sell their children for prostitution or for organ trafficking” (AL para 46).
In the parable of the Good Samaritan, which Archbishop Diarmuid Martin of Dublin, described as being almost the ‘national anthem’ of this Jubilee Year of Mercy proclaimed by Pope Francis, two figures of officialdom turn their eyes away and pass by the presence of a fellow human in distress. Today our witness to the distress of refugees should be a call to action. While praising the brave and humanitarian role of our naval service in the Mediterranean – which again has been exemplified this month – bishops expressed concern that here in Ireland the process of taking refugees seems to have been allowed to slip to the back-burner of politics, notwithstanding the clear desire and willingness of citizens and communities to commit to a culture of welcome. Bishops ask that parishes offer special prayers at Mass during June to express their support and solidarity for the plight facing child, women and men refugees.
Bishops also noted with concern the lack of significant progress regarding the condition of asylum seekers in direct provision centres and are encouraged to lobby their politicians in the areas where centres are situated.
Prayer for Migrants and Refugees
Almighty and merciful God,
Whose Son became a refugee
And had no place to call his own;
Look with mercy on those who today
Are fleeing from danger,
Homeless and hungry.
Bless those who work to bring them relief;
Inspire generosity and compassion in all our hearts;
And guide the nations of Europe towards that day
When all will rejoice in your Kingdom of justice and peace.
We make our prayer through Christ our Lord, Amen.
Pope’s Address at Villa Nazareth by ZENIT Staff
Below is a ZENIT translation of the address Pope Francis gave during his visit to Villa Nazareth in the Pineta Sacchetti area of Rome on Saturday afternoon. Founded in 1954 to help orphans and poor children, Villa Nazareth aims to provide the underprivileged with educational opportunities.
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There are so many individuals involved in this passage of the Gospel: the one who asks the question “who is my neighbor?”; Jesus; and then, in the parable, the brigands; the poor man who was half dead on the road, then the priest, then the Doctor of the Law, perhaps a lawyer [the “Levite”]; then the innkeeper.
On the parable, perhaps neither the priest, nor the Doctor of the Law, nor the Samaritan, nor the innkeeper were able to answer the question “who is my neighbor?” Perhaps they didn’t even know their “neighbor” — who was their “neighbor.” The priest was in a hurry, as all priests, because he looked at his watch: “I must say Mass,” or, so often: “I left the church open, I must close it, because that’s the schedule and I can’t stay here.’ The Doctor of the Law, a practical man, said: “If I get involved in this, I’ll have to go to the court tomorrow, be a witness, say what I’ve done, I’ll lose two, three days of work … No, no, better not go … Hail Pontius Pilate, and he went away. Instead, the other one [the Samaritan], sinner, foreigner who was not in fact of the People of God, was moved: “he had compassion,” and he stopped. All three — the priest, the lawyer and the Samaritan — knew well what should be done. And each one made his decision. But I like to think of the innkeeper: he is the anonymous one. He saw all this, he saw and didn’t understand anything. “But he is crazy! A Samaritan who helps a Jew! He’s crazy! And then, with his hands, he tends to the wounds and brings him to the Inn and says to me: “Take care of him; and whatever more you spend, I will repay you when I come back …” I’ve never seen anything like it, he’s mad!” And that man received the Word of God. Whose testimony, that of the priest? No, he didn’t even see him; of the lawyer — the same. Of the sinner, a sinner that had compassion. “Ah, did you hear something? A sinner, yes, he was not a faithful of the People of God, but he had compassion.” And he <the innkeeper> didn’t understand anything; he remained doubtful, perhaps curious: “But what strange thing happened here …” With anxiety inside — and this is what witness does — the witness of this sinner sowed anxiety in the innkeeper’s heart. And what happened to him — the Gospel doesn’t say, not even his name. But undoubtedly this man … – undoubtedly, because when the Holy Spirit sows, He makes one grow — undoubtedly his curiosity grew, his anxiety, made him grow in his heart and he received the message of the testimony. Then, days after, the Samaritan passed by that side again; no doubt he paid something. Or [the innkeeper said to him]: “No, leave it, leave it, this is for my account.”
And why do I pause today on this personage, on this person? Because our witness cannot be calculated – I don’t know how it’s said –. Testimony is to live in such a way that others “seeing your works glorify the Father who is in Heaven” (cf. Matthew 5:16), namely, they encounter the Father, they go to Him .. These are Jesus’ words.
I heard news about Villa Nazareth: “There is this work …,” but I didn’t know it well. Then Monsignor Celli said something to me … It’s a work, a work where testimony is fostered. One comes here not to “climb up,” or to earn money, no, but to follow in Jesus’ steps and witness to Jesus, to sow testimony – in silence, without explanations, with gestures … taking up the language of gestures. And no doubt this innkeeper is in Heaven — undoubtedly! — because surely that seed grew; it germinated. He saw something that he never, never thought he’d see. And this is testimony. Testimony passes and goes away. You leave it there and you go. The Lord protects it, makes it grow, as He makes a seed grow: while the innkeeper sleeps the plant grows.
I hope that this work continues to be a work of testimony, a house of testimony, of testimony to all, to all. Of testimony for people that approach it, or hear talk of it … a testimony. I hope for this. And may the Lord free us from brigands — there are so many! — may He free us from priests in a hurry or who are always going in a hurry, always, they don’t have time to listen, to see, they have to do their things …; that He free us from Doctors who want to present Jesus Christ’s faith with a mathematical rigidity; and that He teach us to stop, and teach us that wisdom of the Gospel: ‘to soil one’s hands.” May the Lord give us this grace. Thank you.[Original text: Italian] [Translation by ZENIT]
Summary of Jubilee Audience: On Conversion by ZENIT Staff
On Saturday, Pope Francis held the seventh of his “Jubilee Audiences” — a general audience that during this Year of Mercy will be held oneSaturday a month.
Here is the English-language summary of his address:
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Speaker: Dear Brothers and Sisters: Appearing to the disciples in Emmaus, the Risen Jesus tells them that repentance and the forgiveness of sins are to be preached to all nations in His name (Lk24:47). Repentance and the forgiveness of sins are at the heart of the Gospel message of God’s merciful love. The Old Testament prophets repeatedly call the people to “return to the Lord” in fidelity to His covenant of love. Jesus began His public ministry by preaching repentance, interior conversion and belief in the Gospel (cf. Mk 1:15). His call to conversion was expressed not in judgment but in closeness to sinners and mercy to those in need. As we see in the conversion accounts of Matthew and Zacchaeus, Jesus enabled sinners to feel God’s loving mercy and to open their hearts to His gift of forgiveness. As an experience of unmerited love, true conversion always entails openness to others, especially the poor. In this Holy Year of Mercy, may we recognize our own need of forgiveness and conversion, and open our hearts ever more fully to the power of the Lord’s grace to transform and renew our lives.
Speaker: I greet the English-speaking pilgrims and visitors taking part in today’s Audience, particularly those from England, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Singapore 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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