We All Get Tired of Praying, Says Pope, But Church and Holy Spirit Are Supporting Us... from ZENIT of Roswell, Georgia, United States for Sunday, 16 October 2016Like
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We All Get Tired of Praying, Says Pope, But Church and Holy Spirit Are Supporting Us by Kathleen Naab
At a Mass for the canonization of seven saints today, Pope Francis drew from the readings of this Sunday’s liturgy to emphasize that saints are saints because they persevere in prayer.Being steadfast in prayer as Christ asks us isn’t easy, the Pope acknowledged, pointing to the image from the First Reading, which recounted Moses’ weariness as he held his hands up during Joshua’s battle with Amalek. When Moses’ hands grew too heavy, Aaron and Hur supported him.
“There is an important message in this story of Moses,” the Holy Father said, and it is “commitment to prayer demands that we support one another. Weariness is inevitable. Sometimes we simply cannot go on, yet, with the support of our brothers and sisters, our prayer can persevere until the Lord completes his work.”
The Pope recognized in his homily that “each of us grows weary.”
“Yet,” he said, “we are not alone; we are part of a Body! We are members of the Body of Christ, the Church, whose arms are raised day and night to heaven, thanks to the presence of the Risen Christ and his Holy Spirit. Only in the Church, and thanks to the Church’s prayer, are we able to remain steadfast in faith and witness.”
Filial prayer
The Pope reminded that prayer is not about taking refuge in some sort of ideal world, far from daily life, or escaping into a “false, selfish sense of calm.”
“[T]o pray is to struggle,” he said, “but also to let the Holy Spirit pray within us. For the Holy Spirit teaches us to pray. He guides us in prayer and he enables us to pray as sons and daughters.”
Turning then to the example of the saints, the Pontiff said they are “men and women who enter fully into the mystery of prayer. Men and women who struggle with prayer, letting the Holy Spirit pray and struggle in them.”
Good fight of faith
The seven saints canonized today include a priest that Pope Francis has proposed as a model for evangelization, Father José Gabriel del Rosario Brochero from Argentina.
As well, the Pope canonized a Mexican boy martyred during the Cristero War, José Sánchez del Río, and the spiritual sister of St. Therese of Lisieux, the French Carmelite Elizabeth of the Trinity.
The first martyr of the La Salle Brothers was canonized, Salomon Leclercq, who died during the French Revolution.
There was also a Spanish bishop from the 20th century, Manuel González García, and two Italians: Father Lodovico Pavoni, who especially ministered to poor youth, and Alfonso Maria Fusco, who founded an order of religious particularly dedicated to St. John the Baptist.
The saints, Pope Francis said, “struggle to the very end, with all their strength, and they triumph, but not by their own efforts: the Lord triumphs in them and with them.”
“The seven witnesses who were canonized today also fought the good fight of faith and love by their prayers,” Francis said. “That is why they remained firm in faith, with a generous and steadfast heart. Through their example and their intercession, may God also enable us to be men and women of prayer. May we cry out day and night to God, without losing heart. May we let the Holy Spirit pray in us, and may we support one another in prayer, in order to keep our arms raised, until Divine Mercy wins the victory.”
On ZENIT’s Web page:
Full text: https://zenit.org/articles/popes-homily-at-mass-for-canonization-of-7-blesseds/
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Pope: Poverty Degrades, Offends and Kills by Kathleen Naab
There is a poverty that degrades, offends and kills so many of our brothers and sisters, Pope Francis said today as he invited all people to join “moral and economic forces” to fight this problem.The Pope said this in his brief Angelus address after celebrating thecanonization Mass of seven new blesseds. He made his comments on poverty in mentioning Monday’s International Day for the Eradication of Poverty.
“Let us join our moral and economic forces to fight together against poverty that degrades, offends and kills so many of our brothers and sisters, by giving life to serious policies in support of families and employment,” he said, according to a translation by Vatican Radio.
The Holy Father entrusted our intentions to the Virgin Mary, “especially our insistent and heartfelt prayer for peace.”
He also thanked those who had travelled from around the world for the canonization.
“A special greeting in particular goes to the official delegations of Argentina, Spain, France, Italy, and Mexico,” he said, noting the home countries of the newly canonized. “May the example and intercession of these luminous witnesses give support to each of you in your work and service for the good of the Church and of civil society.”
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Pope’s Homily at Canonization of 7 Blesseds by ZENIT Staff
This morning in St. Peter’s Square, before a crowd of nearly 80,000 people, Pope Francis presided over Holy Mass for the canonization of seven Saints. José Sánchez del Río (Mexico); Salomon Leclercq (France); José Gabriel del Rosario Brochero (Argentina); Manuel González García (Spain); Lodovico Pavoni (Italy); Alfonso Maria Fusco (Italy) and Elizabeth of the Trinity (France).Here is a Vatican translation of the Holy Father’s homily:
At the start of today’s celebration, we addressed this prayer to the Lord: “Create in us a generous and steadfast heart, so that we may always serve you with fidelity and purity of spirit” (Collect).
By our own efforts, we cannot give ourselves such a heart. Only God can do this, and so in the prayer we ask him to give it to us as his “creation”. In this way, we come to the theme of prayer, which is central to this Sunday’s scriptural readings and challenges all of us who are gathered here for the canonization of new Saints. The Saints attained the goal. Thanks to prayer, they had a generous and steadfast heart. They prayed mightily; they fought and they were victorious.
So pray! Like Moses, who was above all a man of God, a man of prayer. We see him today in the battle against Amalek, standing atop the hill with his arms raised. From time to time, however, his arms would grow weary and fall, and then the tide would turn against the people. So Aaron and Hur made Moses sit on a stone and they held up his arms, until the final victory was won. This is the kind of spiritual life the Church asks of us: not to win by war, but to win with peace! There is an important message in this story of Moses: commitment to prayer demands that we support one another. Weariness is inevitable. Sometimes we simply cannot go on, yet, with the support of our brothers and sisters, our prayer can persevere until the Lord completes his work.
Saint Paul writes to Timothy, his disciple and co-worker, and urges him to hold fast to what he has learned and believed (cf. 2 Tim 3:14). But Timothy could not do this by his own efforts: the “battle” of perseverance cannot be won without prayer. Not sporadic or hesitant prayer, but prayer offered as Jesus tells us in the Gospel: “Pray always, without ever losing heart” (Lk18:1). This is the Christian way of life: remaining steadfast in prayer, in order to remain steadfast in faith and testimony. Here once again we may hear a voice within us, saying: “But Lord, how can we not grow weary? We are human… even Moses grew weary…!” True, each of us grows weary. Yet we are not alone; we are part of a Body! We are members of the Body of Christ, the Church, whose arms are raised day and night to heaven, thanks to the presence of the Risen Christ and his Holy Spirit. Only in the Church, and thanks to the Church’s prayer, are we able to remain steadfast in faith and witness.
We have heard the promise Jesus makes in the Gospel: “God will grant justice to his chosen ones, who cry to him day and night” (cf. Lk 18:7). This is the mystery of prayer: to keep crying out, not to lose heart, and if we should grow tired, asking help to keep our hands raised. This is the prayer that Jesus has revealed to us and given us in the Holy Spirit. To pray is not to take refuge in an ideal world, nor to escape into a false, selfish sense of calm. On the contrary, to pray is to struggle, but also to let the Holy Spirit pray within us. For the Holy Spirit teaches us to pray. He guides us in prayer and he enables us to pray as sons and daughters.
The saints are men and women who enter fully into the mystery of prayer. Men and women who struggle with prayer, letting the Holy Spirit pray and struggle in them. They struggle to the very end, with all their strength, and they triumph, but not by their own efforts: the Lord triumphs in them and with them. The seven witnesses who were canonized today also fought the good fight of faith and love by their prayers. That is why they remained firm in faith, with a generous and steadfast heart. Through their example and their intercession, may God also enable us to be men and women of prayer. May we cry out day and night to God, without losing heart. May we let the Holy Spirit pray in us, and may we support one another in prayer, in order to keep our arms raised, until Divine Mercy wins the victory.
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Gospel for Oct. 16 by ZENIT Staff
Jesus told his disciples a parableabout the necessity for them to pray always without becoming weary.
He said, “There was a judge in a certain town
who neither feared God nor respected any human being.
And a widow in that town used to come to him and say,
‘Render a just decision for me against my adversary.’
For a long time the judge was unwilling, but eventually he thought,
‘While it is true that I neither fear God nor respect any human being,
because this widow keeps bothering me
I shall deliver a just decision for her
lest she finally come and strike me.’”
The Lord said, “Pay attention to what the dishonest judge says.
Will not God then secure the rights of his chosen ones
who call out to him day and night?
Will he be slow to answer them?
I tell you, he will see to it that justice is done for them speedily.
But when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?”
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Children Across the World Will Pray Rosary for Peace on Tuesday Morning by ZENIT Staff
The global charity Aid to the Church in Need is sponsoring “A Million Children Praying the Rosary” at 9 a.m. this Tuesday (wherever you are), with a special intention for peace in Syria.The charity noted that Padre Pio once said, “When a million children pray the Rosary, the world will change.”
The following message, sent out by the Catholic and Orthodox patriarchs in Syria on 1st of June 2016, the World Day of the Child, is just one cry for help among so many from all over the world:
“The children in our homeland of Syria are the little brothers and sisters of the suffering Child Jesus. For over five years now they have been, wounded, traumatised and killed by a brutal war. Many have lost their parents and everything that was dear to them. So many children have been born during this war and have never even known what peace is. Their tears and their sufferings cry out to Heaven… We appeal to Christ, the King of the Universe, who as a tender Child in the arms of His Mother holds the world in his hand, to bless the children of Syria. To Him, who alone can bring peace, we implore: Save and protect the children of this land! Turn now and hear our prayers! Delay no longer to grant peace on our country! Look upon the tears of the children, dry the tears of the mothers, let the cries of anguish at last fall silent!”
In a message to invite children to join the prayer initiative, the charity noted:
“Already in previous years, tens of thousands of children have taken part in this initiative, and we have received so many moving and enthusiastic testimonies about it from all over the world. They shared with us the joy they have seen in those kids who were praying the rosary and also the moving experiences of helpers and organizers, who were truly touched by grace and have now begun to make the Rosary a steady part of their life.
“Please help us, especially during this Jubilee Year of Mercy, to spread the word to children in all the schools, kindergartens, hospitals, children’s homes and parishes… and let us all together pray the holy Rosary – at 9 a.m. on 18 October – on every continent, for peace in the world!”
For more information: http://millionkidspraying.org/en/
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Aid to the Church in Need is an international Catholic charity under the guidance of the Holy See, providing assistance to the suffering and persecuted Church in more than 140 countries. www.churchinneed.org (USA); www.acnuk.org (UK); www.aidtochurch.org (AUS); www.acnireland.org (IRL); www.acn-aed-ca.org (CAN)www.acnmalta.org (Malta)
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Pope’s 2013 Letter on Beatification of Father Brochero by ZENIT Staff
In light of today’s canonization of Father José Brochero, we publish here Pope Francis’ letter to the bishops of Argentina on the occasion of Father Brochero’s beatification, from September of 2013.__
LETTER OF HOLY FATHER FRANCIS
TO THE PRESIDENT OF THE BISHOPS’ CONFERENCE OF ARGENTINA
ON THE OCCASION OF THE BEATIFICATION
OF FATHER JOSÉ GABRIEL BROCHERO
To His Excellency the Most Reverend
Archbishop José María Arancedo
Archbishop of Santa Fe
President of the Bishops’ Conference of Argentina
Dear Brother,
That the “Gaucho Priest” is at last among the blesseds is a very great joy and blessing for the Argentinians and devotees of this pastor who smelled of his sheep, who made himself poor among the poor, who always struggled to be very close to God and to the people, and who did and still does so much good for our suffering people.
Today I like to imagine Brochero the parish priest on the back of his mule with the white mane (malacara), crossing the broad, dry and desolate roads of his 200-square-kilometre parish. He would go from house to house, seeking out your great-grandparents and your great-great-grandparents to ask them whether they needed anything and invite them to do the spiritual exercises of St Ignatius of Loyola. He knew his parish inside out. He did not stay in the sacristy combing the sheep.
The visit of Brochero the Gaucho Priest brought Jesus himself to every family. He would take with him an image of Our Lady, a prayer book with the word of God and his kit to celebrate daily Mass. They would invite him in to drink mate; they would chat and Brochero would speak to them in a way they could all understand so that the faith and love he himself felt for Jesus would well up in their hearts.
José Gabriel Brochero centred his pastoral action on prayer. He had barely arrived in his parish when he began to take men and women to Córdoba to do spiritual exercises with the Jesuit fathers. With great sacrifice they first crossed the Sierras Grandes, covered with snow in winter, to pray in the regions’s capital Córdoba! Afterwards, they worked hard to build the Holy House for the exercises in the parish! They prayed at length there before the crucifix in order to know, feel and enjoy the immense love of Jesus’ heart, and it all ended with God’s pardon in confession, with a priest who was full of love and mercy — immense mercy!
His apostolic courage, his missionary zeal, the bravery in his heart, compassionate like the heart of Jesus, — that made him say: “There’ll be trouble if the devil robs me of a single soul!” — spurred Brochero to win over crooks and difficult fellow countrymen to God. One can count by the thousands the men and women who, thanks to Brochero’s priestly ministry, gave up their vices and quarrels. They received the sacraments during the spiritual exercises and with them the power and light of faith to be good sons and daughters of God, good brothers and sisters and good parents in a great community of friends committed to the good of all and who respected and helped each other.
A contemporary pastoral approach is very important in a beatification. Brochero the Gaucho Priest had a currently relevant approach to the Gospel. He was a pioneer in going out to the geographical and existential peripheries to take God’s love and mercy to everyone. He did not stay in the parish office, he tired himself out riding his mule and in the end fell ill with leprosy as a result of going out to find people as a callejero, a “street priest” of faith. This is what Jesus wants today, missionary disciples, street priests of faith!
Brochero was an ordinary man, frail like the rest of us, but he knew the love of Jesus, his heart was forged by God’s mercy. He was able to come out from the cavern of “I-me-my-with me-for me”, of the small-minded selfishness from which we all suffer, he conquered himself, with God’s help, he overcame those inner forces that the devil uses to chain us to comfort, to the search for fleeting pleasure, to the lack of incentive to work. Brochero listened to God’s call. He chose the sacrifice of working for his Kingdom, for the common good that the great dignity of every person as a child of God deserves. He was faithful to the end: he continued praying and celebrating Mass even when he was blind and ill with leprosy.
Today let us permit Brochero the Gaucho Priest, with his mule and all, to enter the house of our heart and invite us to prayer, to the encounter with Jesus that sets us free from attachments so that we may go out to the street and seek our brother or sister, to touch the flesh of Christ in those who suffer, who need God’s love. Only in this way shall we savour the joy that Brochero the Gaucho Priest felt, a foretaste of the happiness he now enjoys as a blessed in heaven.
I pray the Lord grant you this grace, I bless you and I ask the Blessed Virgin to guide you.
Affectionately,
FRANCIS
Vatican, 14 September 2013
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