ZENIT in Roswell, Georgia, United States "Pope at Jubilee Audience: Mercy Without Works Is Dead..." for Thursday, 30 June 2016

ZENIT in Roswell, Georgia, United States "Pope at Jubilee Audience: Mercy Without Works Is Dead..." for Thursday, 30 June 2016
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Pope at Jubilee Audience: Mercy Without Works Is Dead by Deborah Castellano Lubov

“Today the Lord invites us to make a serious examination of conscience.”
This morning, the Pope said this when he held his eighth “Jubilee Audience.” The jubilee audiences are open to the public and are generally scheduled one Saturday a month during the Year of Mercy, but last weekend Pope Francis was on his 14th Apostolic Visit abroad to the nation of Armenia, July 24-26.
The Holy Father reflected during his address on works of mercy, drawing inspiration from today’s reading from the Gospel of Matthew 25:31.
“In fact, it is good never to forget that mercy is not an abstract word, but a style of life. It is one thing to speak of mercy and another to live mercy. Paraphrasing the words of Saint James the Apostle, (cf. 2:14-17), we can say: mercy without works is dead in itself. It is in fact thus!”
What renders mercy alive, he explained, is its constant dynamism in going to meet the needs and necessities of others. “Mercy has eyes to see, ears to listen, hands to resolve,” he said.
Warning
The Pope lamented that so often, so many are unaware of the suffering and needs of others, or remain completely indifferent.
“Sometimes we pass before dramatic situations of poverty and it seems that they do not touch us; everything continues as if there were nothing, in an indifference that in the end renders us hypocrites and, without realizing it, it results in a form of spiritual lethargy, which renders our mind insensitive and our life sterile.”
Roll up Sleeves
“One who has experienced the Father’s mercy in his own life cannot remain insensitive in face of the needs of brothers,” Francis said, noting Jesus’ teachings do not allow for escapes, but call for helping those who hunger and thirst, the naked, the stranger, the sick and those in prison (cf. Mt25:35-36),
“They oblige one to rollup one’s sleeves to alleviate suffering,” Francis said
“Because of the changes of our globalized world, some material and spiritual poverties have multiplied,” he continued, “hence let us make room for the imagination of charity to identify new operative ways. Thus the way of mercy will become ever more concrete. Requested of us, therefore, is to remain vigilant as watchmen, so that it will not happen that, in face of the poverties produced by the culture of wellbeing, the eyes of Christians are weakened and become incapable of looking at the essential.”
Pilgrim in Fraternity, Peace
Before concluding, Pope Francis recalled his recent visit to Armenia, “the first nation to have embraced Christianity,” whose people, he noted, “in the course of its long history, have witnessed the Christian faith with martyrdom.”
Francis then thanked the President of Armenia and the Catholicos Karekin II, the Partriarch, the Catholic bishops and the Armenian people for welcoming him as a pilgrim in fraternity and peace.
He also reminded those gathered that he has accepted to visit Georgia and Azerbaijan, Sept. 28-30, for a twofold reason: on one hand to appreciate the ancient Christian roots present in those lands – always in a spirit of dialogue with the other religions and cultures – and, on the other, to encourage hopes and paths of peace.
“History teaches us that the path of peace requires great tenacity and continuous steps, beginning with small ones and, little by little, making them grow, one going to encounter the other. In fact because of this my wish is that each and all may make their contribution to reconciliation,” he said.
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On ZENIT’s Web page:
Full English translation to be made available shortly
JUBILEE AUDIENCE: On Works of Mercy by ZENIT Staff

Below is a ZENIT translation of Pope Francis’ address during his eighth Jubilee Audience that was held at 10 o’clock this morning in Saint Peter’s Square, a meeting that Francis decided to hold for pilgrims and faithful coming to Rome for the Jubilee of Mercy.
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Dear Brothers and Sisters, good morning!
How many times, during these first months of the Jubilee, we have heard talk of the works of mercy! Today the Lord invites us to make a serious examination of conscience. In fact, it is good never to forget that mercy is not an abstract word, but a style of life: a person can be merciful or not merciful; it’s a style of life. I choose to be merciful or I choose not to be merciful. It is one thing to speak of mercy and another to live mercy. Paraphrasing the words of Saint James the Apostle, (cf. 2:14-17), we can say: mercy without works is dead in itself. It is in fact like this! What renders mercy alive is its constant dynamism in going to meet the needs and necessities of all those in spiritual and material hardship. Mercy has eyes to see, ears to listen, hands to resolve …
Daily life enables us to touch with our hand so many needs regarding the poorest and most tested persons. Requested of us is that particular attention that leads us to be aware of the state of suffering and need in which so many brothers and sisters are. Sometimes we pass before dramatic situations of poverty and it seems that they do not touch us; everything continues as if there were nothing, in an indifference that in the end renders us hypocrites and, without realizing it, it results in a form of spiritual lethargy, which renders our mind insensitive and our life sterile. People that pass by, who go forward in life without being aware of the needs of others, without seeing the many spiritual and material needs, are people that pass by without living, people that do not serve others. Remember <this> well: he who does not live to serve, does not serve to live.
How many aspects there are of God’s mercy to us! In the same way, how many faces turn to us to obtain mercy. One who has experienced the Father’s mercy in his own life cannot remain insensitive in face of the needs of brothers. The teaching of Jesus, which we just heard, does not allow ways out: I was hungry and you gave me to eat; I was thirsty and you gave me to drink; I was naked, a refugee, sick, in prison and you assisted me (cf. Matthew 25:35-36). One cannot beat about the bush in face of a person who is hungry: he must be given to eat. Jesus says this to us! The works of mercy are not theoretical subjects, but concrete testimonies. They oblige one to rollup one’s sleeves to alleviate suffering.
Because of the changes of our globalized world, some material and spiritual poverties have multiplied: hence let us make room for the imagination of charity to identify new operative ways. Thus the way of mercy will become ever more concrete. Requested of us, therefore, is to remain vigilant as watchmen, so that it will not happen that, in face of the poverties produced by the culture of wellbeing, the eyes of Christians are weakened and become incapable of looking at the essential. What does it mean to look at the essential? To look at Jesus, to look at Jesus in the hungry, the imprisoned, the sick, the naked, in the one who has no work and must lead his family forward. To look at Jesus in these brothers and sisters of ours; to look at Jesus in one who is alone, sasd, in one who errs and is in need of counsel, in one who needs to walk with Him in silence, to feel he is in company. These are the works that Jesus asks of us! To look at Jesus in them, in these people. Why? Because that is how Jesus looks at me, <how He> looks at all of us.[Original text: Italian] [Translation by ZENIT]
* * *
Now we pass to something else. In past days the Lord granted me to visit Armenia, the first nation to have embraced Christianity, at the beginning of the 4th century — a people that, in the course of its long history, has witnessed the Christian faith with martyrdom. I thank God for this trip and I am truly grateful to the President of the Armenian Republic, to the Catholicos Karekin II, to the Catholic Patriarch and Bishops, and to the whole Armenian people for having welcomed me as pilgrim of fraternity and of peace.
In three months, I will undertake, God willing, another trip — to Georgia and Azerbaijan, two other countries of the Caucasus region. I accepted the invitation to visit these countries for a twofold reason: on one hand to appreciate the ancient Christian roots present in those lands – always in a spirit of dialogue with the other religions and cultures – and, on the other, to encourage hopes and paths of peace. History teaches us that the path of peace requires great tenacity and continuous steps, beginning with small ones and, little by little, making them grow, one going to encounter the other. In fact because of this my wish is that each and all may make their contribution to reconciliation.
As Christians, we are called to reinforce fraternal communion among ourselves, to render witness to Christ’s Gospel and to be leaven of a more just and solidaristic society. Therefore, the whole visit was shared with the Supreme Patriarch of the Armenian Apostolic Church, who hosted me fraternally in his home for three days.
I renew my embrace to the Bishops, to the priests, to the women and men religious and to all the faithful in Armenia. May the Virgin Mary, our Mother, help them to remain firm in the faith, open to encounter and generous in works of mercy. Thank you.[Original text: Italian] [Working Translation by ZENIT]
Greeting in Italian
A warm welcome to the Italian-speaking pilgrims!
I am happy to receive the participants in the General Chapter of the Rogationist Fathers and of the Daughters of Divine Zeal; of the Missionary Sisters of the Catholic Apostolate and of the Missionaries of the Immaculate Heart of Mary: I exhort you to update in today’s society the respective foundation charisms so that the men and women of our time are able to find in your life a concrete trace of God’s mercy.
I greet the women religious of USMI of Milan and the faithful of Acquapendente with their Bishop of Viterbo, Monsignor Lino Fumagalli, with the effigy of Our Lady of the Flower, which I had the pleasure to bless today. A special greeting goes to the Association of Work Consultants, that today begin their 7th “Festival of Work,” and I encourage them to promote the culture of work, which ensures a person’s dignity and the common good of society, beginning from its cell, the family. It is precisely the family, in fact, that suffers most from the consequences of bad work: bad because of its scarcity and its precariousness. You, work consultant, do not have a welfare task but a promotional one, so that in the national and European ambit the economic institutions and actors can pursue, in a concerted way, the objective of full and fitting occupation, because work gives dignity!.
Finally, my greeting goes to young people, the sick and newlyweds. Today we celebrate the Memoria of the first martyrs of the Church of Rome and we pray for all those that still pay a high price for their membership in the Church of Christ. Dear young people, may faith have room and give meaning to you life; dear sick, offer your suffering so that the estranged may find the love of Christ; dear newlyweds, be educators of life and models of faith for your children.[Original text: Italian] [Working Translation by ZENIT]
Pope’s July Prayer Intentions Focus on Indigenous Populations by ZENIT Staff

This month, Pope Francis will be praying that indigenous populations will be shown due respect.
The Apostleship of Prayer has announced the prayer intentions chosen by the Pope for July.
The Holy Father’s universal prayer intention is: “That indigenous peoples, whose identity and very existence are threatened, will be shown due respect.”
His intention for evangelisation is: “That the Church in Latin America and the Caribbean, by means of her mission to the continent, may announce the Gospel with renewed vigour and enthusiasm.”
Salesian Named Bishop of Awasa, Ethiopia by ZENIT Staff

Pope Francis has appointed Salesian Fr. Roberto Bergamaschi, 61, as bishop of Awasa, Ethiopia.
Roberto Bergamaschi was born in San Donato Milanese, Italy, in 1954, gave his religious vows in 1975 and was ordained a priest in 1982.
He has served in a number of pastoral roles, including as a missionary in Dilla, Ethiopia, parish priest, visitator of the Salesian Inspectorate of Ethiopia-Eritrea, and director of Salesian works of Gotera and of Mekanissa, in Addis Abeba. He is currently pastor of the St. Mary Help of Christians parish in Dilla, and member of the mission council and of the presbyteral council.
The Diocese of Awasa has a population of some 7.7 million, with just 216,000 Catholics. They are served by around 50 priests and 100 religious.
According to census numbers from about a decade ago, the population of Ethiopia is mainly Ethiopian Orthodox (43%). There is also a significant Muslim population (34%) and a large Protestant minority (18%).
US Bishops on Terrorism Attacks: ‘Evil Tests Our Humanity’ by ZENIT Staff

Following the airport attack in Istanbul, Turkey, that left dozens of people dead and many more wounded, the president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops extended a message of hope and unity through suffering after the latest string of terrorist attacks.
Archbishop Joseph E. Kurtz of Louisville, Kentucky, issued the following statement June 29.
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Drawing Strength from God’s Endless Mercy
Evil tests our humanity. It tempts us to linger in the terror of Istanbul, Paris, Brussels, San Bernardino, Orlando, and countless other Golgothas ancient and new. Evil lives in the empty hope that terror will blind us to our common humanity. As Christians, we focus not on the violence, but rather the mournful, hopeful image of Mary, the mother of Jesus. Cradling the broken body of Jesus, given up for all of us, Mary found comfort and strength in the love of her Son. Jesus responded to horrific suffering with mercy.
Each time terror returns us to Golgotha, we should ask: can we respond as Mary did, or will fear numb our compassion? Evil cannot be born from God. Let us take this moment to reach out to our brothers and sisters in solidarity. The true representation of faith is found in the heroic acts of Istanbul’s airport security and emergency response.
As violence picks up its deadly pace, we can draw strength from God’s endless mercy. No matter how often we must return to Golgotha, Mary will always be there to sustain us. Let us, once again, turn our unwavering prayer and generosity toward the suffering.
Forum: ‘“If They Persecuted Me, They Will Persecute You” by Cardinal Donald Wuerl

Below is a reflection of Cardinal Donald Wuerl, Archbishop of Washington, entitled “If They Persecuted Me, They Will Persecute You.” Published on June 29th, it is from Cardinal Wuerl’s blog:
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Martyrdom is the supreme testimony. It is the most vivid and most credible summary of the Gospel.
Martyrs are Christians who take up the cross as Jesus did. They vividly fulfill the condition of discipleship laid down by the Lord himself (Matthew 16:24). They assume the role of Jesus on Calvary. Their death is a proclamation, even when the victim utters no audible words at the end.
No testimony to faith in Christ could be more compelling. In martyrdom, the servant willingly identifies with the Master and consents to dying the same sort of death as he died, suffering the same injustice and humiliation – and gaining the same reward.
This is the case for the two martyrs we celebrate today, Peter and Paul, both of whom were martyred and both who were instrumental in the spread of the Gospel following the death of our Lord. Tomorrow the Church lifts up as well the other martyrs of the early Church in Rome who at that time also offered the supreme testimony.
According to an ancient tradition, all but one of the apostles – Saint John – died as martyrs. But even John suffered persecution that should have killed him and certainly left its marks. Instead of suppressing the Church, as intended by those who perpetrated it, it was persecution that in fact spread the Gospel from one place to another, as the disciples scattered from city to city and their blood served as seed in the ground. Persecution, though it seemed to be a setback, turned out to be God’s providential way of ensuring the growth of the Church.
The earliest traditions tell of Saint Peter fleeing Rome only to encounter Jesus on the Appian Way. Seeing Christ heading back toward Rome, Peter knew he must return there to face persecution and a martyr’s death. Saint Paul also knew death was approaching, telling Timothy, “I am already being poured out like a libation, and the time of my departure is at hand” (2 Timothy 4:6).
Saint Clement wrote both of the subsequent crucifixion of Peter and beheading of Paul during the reign of Nero, saying that in their deaths in Rome, they are joined in our memory as founders of the Church of Rome. As Saint Irenaeus went on to write, “Since, however, it would be very tedious in such a volume as this to reckon up the successions of all the Churches, [we do this] by indicating that tradition derived from the apostles, of the very great, the very ancient, and universally known Church founded and organized at Rome by the two most glorious Apostles, Peter and Paul” (Adversus Haereses, III-3:2).
In their suffering, Peter, Paul and the other martyrs imitate Jesus in his witness and fulfill his prophetic words, “If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you” (John 15:20; see also Matthew 10:22)). But they do more than that. Because of their communion, they participate in Jesus’ once-for-all sacrifice.
Each time Christ’s one sacrifice is made present in our celebration of the Mass, and each time we read the Eucharistic prayer of the Western Church, we recall by name even today these early martyrs Peter and Paul and many others, including Cosmas and Damien, Ignatius, Alexander, Marcellinus, Felicity, Perpetua, Agatha, Lucy, Agnes, Cecelia, Anastasia. This should enrich our understanding of what martyrdom means.
As the Eucharist is a re-presentation of Jesus’ Passion, so is martyrdom. As the Eucharist is a voluntary self-offering, so is martyrdom. As the Eucharist brings about communion with Christ, so does the act of martyrdom. As the Eucharist is given so that others might live, so are the lives of the martyrs.
This is what Paul meant when he said to Timothy that he was “being poured out like a libation.” Earlier, he had also written to the Church at Philippi, telling them that he would be “poured as a libation upon the sacrificial offering of your faith” (Philippians 2:17). In the first Christian generation, the Apostles saw their own suffering as a sharing in the cup of the new covenant in Christ’s blood, which is poured out for us for the forgiveness of sins.
As we live the liturgy within the Church, we become witnesses together with Peter on the Vatican hill, with Paul outside the walls of the city, and all those martyrs whose blood is the seed of the Church. We too are witnesses to the life we share with Christ. In the Eucharistic Prayer we make the offering with Jesus. And in Holy Communion we receive his life in exchange for our own.
This blog post draws from passages of my book “To the Martyrs: A Reflection on the Supreme Christian Witness.”
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On the NET:
To the original post on Cardinal Wuerl’s blog: http://cardinalsblog.adw.org/
Summary of Jubilee Audience: On Works of Mercy by ZENIT Staff

This morning, Pope Francis held the seventh of his “Jubilee Audiences” — a general audience that during this Year of Mercy generally is held one Saturday a month.
Here is the English-language summary of his address:
* * *
SPEAKER: Dear Brothers and Sisters: During this Holy Year of Mercy, we have not only considered the gift of God’s mercy in itself, but also theworks of mercy which we are called to practice as part of the Christian life. To paraphrase Saint James, we can say that mercy without works is dead. To be merciful like God our Father demands constant sensitivity to the needs, material and spiritual, of those around us. Jesus himself tells us in no uncertain terms that we will be judged by the mercy we show to the poor: those who hunger and thirst, the naked, the stranger, the sick and those in prison (cf. Mt 25:35-36). Particularly in our prosperous societies, Christians are called to guard against the temptation of indifference to the plea of so many of our brothers and sisters. In our rapidly changing and increasingly globalized world, many new forms of poverty are appearing. In response to them, may we prove creative in developing new and practical forms of charitable outreach as an expression of the way of mercy.
This past weekend I made a Pastoral Visit to Armenia, the first nation to embrace the Christian faith and a people which has remained faithful even in the midst of great trials. I also plan to go to Georgia and Azerbaijan in the near future, to affirm the ancient Christian roots of those countries and to support every effort to encourage peace and reconciliation in a spirit of respect for all. With gratitude for the welcome and fellowship showed me by the Armenian Apostolic Church, I ask the Virgin Mary to strengthen Christians everywhere to remain firm in the faith and to work for a society of ever greater justice and peace.
SPEAKER: I greet the English-speaking pilgrims and visitors taking part in today’s Audience, particularly those from Sweden, China, India, Indonesia, Vietnam, 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.
US Parishes Support Elderly Religious With $30M by ZENIT Staff

The National Religious Retirement Office (NRRO) distributed $25 million in financial assistance to 401 religious communities to aid in the care of senior members. The funding is made possible by the Retirement Fund for Religious Collection, an annual, parish-based appeal benefitting nearly 33,000 senior Catholic sisters, brothers and religious order priests.
The most recent collection was held in the majority of U.S. Catholic parishes in December 2015 and raised nearly $30.7 million, marking the sixth time in the collection’s history that donations exceeded $30 million. Fifteen dioceses and one archdiocese had record-high contributions. In addition, the largest single bequest in the appeal’s history was received from the Estate of David and Philip Slesur and was designated through the Archdiocese of Chicago.
“Words cannot express our gratitude for the love, sacrifice and generosity these donations represent,” said Sister Susan Schorsten, a member of the Sisters of the Humility of Mary who was recently appointed as the interim executive director of the NRRO. “The annual assistance the collection furnishes helps religious communities across the country provide for the ongoing needs of aging members.”
The funding disbursed the week of June 20, known as Direct Care Assistance, represents the majority of financial support distributed by the NRRO. Religious communities combine this assistance with their own income and savings to help meet such day-to-day expenses as prescription medications and nursing care. Additional allocations will be directed toward religious communities with the greatest needs and for ongoing education in retirement planning and eldercare delivery. Roughly 95 percent of donations aid elderly religious and their communities, while the remaining five percent are used for administration and promotion of the annual appeal.
The U.S. bishops launched the Retirement Fund for Religious collection in 1988 to address the profound deficit in retirement funding among the nation’s religious communities. Traditionally, Catholic sisters, brothers and religious order priests—known collectively as women and men religious—served for small stipends that did not include retirement benefits. Today, many religious communities lack adequate retirement savings. At the same time, health-care costs have risen dramatically while the number of religious able to serve in compensated ministry has declined.
The NRRO coordinates the annual Retirement Fund for Religious collection and distributes the proceeds to eligible religious communities. The organization is sponsored by the Conference of Major Superiors of Men (CMSM), the Council of Major Superiors of Women Religious (CMSWR), the Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR) and the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB).
More information is available at www.retiredreligious.org.
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