Category: Pope Francis

Pope Francis greets pilgrims in St. Peter’s Square.

Pope Francis said complaining to God in times of suffering can be a prayer, but cautioned not to exaggerate our difficulties in front of those undergoing major tragedies.

“Our life is too easy, our complaints are overdramatized,” the pontiff told those in the Vatican’s Saint Martha house.

“Faced with the complaints of so many people, of so many brothers and sisters who are in the dark, who have almost lost all memory, almost lost all hope – who are experiencing this exile from themselves, who are exiled, even from themselves, (our complaints are) nothing!”

The Holy Father noted how Job’s prayer in the first reading seems to be a curse after having lost everything, and “his body had become a plague, a disgusting plague.”

“He had lost all patience and he says these things. They are ugly! But he was always accustomed to speak the truth and this is the truth that he feels at that moment,” the pontiff said, noting how the prophet Jeremiah also cursed the day in which he was born.

“But is this man blaspheming? This is my question: Is this man who is so very alone, blaspheming? Is it blasphemy when Jesus complains – ‘Father, why have You forsaken me?’ This is the mystery.”

Pope Francis then said he has listened to many “who are experiencing difficult and painful situations, who have lost a great deal or feel lonely and abandoned and they come to complain and ask these questions: Why? Why?”

When he encounters these people, who often rebel against God, Pope Francis said he tells them: “Continue to pray just like this, because this is a prayer. It was a prayer when Jesus said to his father: ‘Why have You forsaken me!'”

Prayer means being truthful before God, he said, adding that we should all “pray with reality” because “true prayer comes from the heart, from the moment that we are living in.”

The pope observed how many are in the same situation as Job who “do not understand what has happened to them, or why”, and there are “many brothers and sisters who have no hope.”

“Just think of the tragedies, the great tragedies, for example, of these brothers and sisters of ours who because they are Christians were driven out of their homes and left with nothing: ‘But, Lord, I have believed in you. Why? Is believing in you a curse, Lord?’”

Pope Francis also drew attention to the elderly, the sick and the many lonely people in hospitals, assuring that the Church constantly offers prayers to all who walk in darkness.

“The Church prays! She takes this pain upon herself and prays,” he said.
There are even some who are angry with God who refuse to go to Mass over some trifling complaint with the Lord, the pope noted.

Pope Francis compared these difficulties in prayer to those had by Saint Therese of Lisieux, who celebrates her feast day on Oct. 1. Sick with tuberculosis at the end of her life, the saint struggled to keep her thoughts on God despite serious doubts that emerged in her heart.

“We all go through this situation, we experience this situation. There are so many people who think it all ends in nothing. Yet Saint Therese prayed and asked for strength to persevere in the dark. This is called entering into patience.”

Bringing to mind the many who have lost everything or live in exile, the Pope explained that “Jesus walked this path: from sunset on the Mount of Olives to the last word from the Cross: ‘Father, why have you forsaken me!”

Pope Francis concluded his homily by giving two suggestions, which can help us in moments of darkness, the first being “to prepare ourselves for when the darkness comes.”

Secondly, we should “Pray, pray as the Church prays; pray with the Church for so many brothers and sisters who suffer exile from themselves, who are in darkness and suffering, without hope at hand.”

This, he said, “is the prayer of the Church for these Suffering Jesus’ who are everywhere.”

By Elise Harris
Catholic News Agency

In a colorful homily, Pope Francis highlighted the sin of vanity, saying that Christians must reject it by peeling away one layer at a time.

He cited the Desert Fathers, the saints of early Christian Egypt, who saw that “vanity is a temptation against which we must battle our whole life, because it always comes back to take the truth away from us.”

Drawing from their comparison, Pope Francis explained that vanity is “like an onion,” with layers that must be removed.

“You take it, and begin to peel it – the onion – and you peel away vanity today, a little bit tomorrow, and your whole life you’re peeling away vanity in order to overcome it.”

“And at the end you are pleased: I removed the vanity, I peeled the onion, but the odor remains with you on your hand,” he remarked in his homily during morning Mass at his Casa Santa Martha residence at the Vatican.

“Let us ask the Lord for the grace to not be vain, to be true, with the truth of reality and of the Gospel.”

Warning against the sin of vanity, Pope Francis compared vain Christians to soap bubbles that will soon burst or peacocks who “strut about.”

“How many Christians live for appearances? Their life seems like a soap bubble. The soap bubble is beautiful, with all its colors! But it lasts only a second, and then what?” he said.

“Even when we look at some funeral monuments, we feel its vanity, because the truth is returning to the bare earth, as the Servant of God Paul VI said. The bare earth awaits us, this is our final truth.”

“In the meantime, do I boast or do I do something? Do I do good? Do I seek God? Do I pray?” the Pope asked, urging Christians to seek these “substantial things.”

Those who do not seek substantial things “will pass like all things.”

Vanity is “a liar, a fantasist” that “deceives itself” and deceives the vain, he added. The vain man begins by pretending to be something, and ends by believing in his pretension.

“Vanity sows wicked anxiety, takes away peace,” Pope Francis said. Vanity is like someone who puts on too much makeup and fears the rain will come and wash it away.

The Pope said vain Christians sometimes say, “I am a Christian, I am related to that priest, to that sister, to that bishop; my family is a Christian family.”

However, he rejected this attitude, stressing that Jesus is the only foundation for the Christian life, and that only truth yields peace.

“What about your life with the Lord?” he asked. “How do you pray? Your life in the works of mercy, how’s that going? Do you visit the sick?” he asked.

“Jesus tells us we must build our house – that is, our Christian life – on the rock, on the truth,” he said, noting that Jesus warned that the vain “build their house on sand, and that house falls, that Christian life falls, slips, because it is not able to resist temptations.”

Vatican City, CNA/EWTN News

On the feast of the archangels, Pope Francis spoke of the ongoing battle between the devil and mankind, encouraging attendees to pray to the angels, who have been charged to defend us.

“He presents things as if they were good, but his intention is destruction. And the angels defend us,” the Roman Pontiff told those gathered for his Mass in the Vatican’s Saint Martha residence chapel.

The Bishop of Rome began by pointing to the day’s readings taken from Daniel 7 in which the prophet has a vision of God the Father on a throne of fire giving Christ dominion over the world, and Revelation 12, which recounts the battle in which Satan, as a large dragon, is cast out of heaven by St. Michael.

Noting how these are strong images portraying “the great dragon, the ancient serpent” who “seduces all of inhabited earth,” the Pope also drew attention to Christ’s words to Nathanael in the day’s Gospel from John when he tells him “You will see heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man.”

All of these readings, he said, speak of “the struggle between God and the devil” which “takes place after Satan tries to destroy the woman who is about to give birth to a son.”

“Satan always tries to destroy man: the man that Daniel saw there, in glory, and whom Jesus told Nathaniel would come in glory,” the Roman Pontiff observed, explaining that “from the beginning the Bible speaks to us of this: Satan’s (use of) seduction to destroy.”

Envy could be the devil’s motive, he said, pointing to how Psalm 8 tells us, ‘You have made man superior to the angels.’ And that angel of great intelligence could not bear this humiliation; that a lower creature was made superior to him; and he tries to destroy it.”

Pope Francis then noted how “So many projects, except for one’s own sins, but many, many projects for mankind’s dehumanization, are his work, simply because he hates mankind.”

He continued by explaining that although the Bible tells us that the devil is astute and cunning in his attacks, we have the angels to defend us.

“They defend mankind and defend the God-man, the superior man, Jesus Christ who is the perfection of humanity, the most perfect.”

“This is why the Church honors the angels, because they are the ones who will be in the glory of God – they are in the glory of God – because they defend the great hidden mystery of God – namely, that the Word was made flesh.”

It is therefore the responsibility of the People of God “to safeguard man, the man Jesus,” the Pope went on, because “he is the man who gives life to all men.”

However this is not easy because Satan has invented “humanistic explanations that go against man, against humanity and against God” in order to destroy us.

“This struggle is a daily reality in Christian life, in our hearts, in our lives, in our families, in our people, in our churches,” the Pope went on, adding that “if we do not struggle, we will be defeated.”

“But the Lord gave this task primarily to the angels: to do battle and win,” he said, drawing attention to the final song of Revelation which reads “now have salvation and power come, and the kingdom of our God and the power of his Anointed. For the accuser of our brothers is cast out, who accuses them before our God day and night.”

Pope Francis concluded his homily by encouraging those present to pray to the Archangels Michael, Gabriel and Raphael, and to recite the prayer to Saint Michael often.

We should do this “so he may continue to do battle and defend the greatest mystery of mankind: that the Word was made Man, died and rose again. This is our treasure. That he may battle on to safeguard it.”

by Elise Harris
Vatican City, CNA/EWTN News

Pope Francis resumed daily Mass after his papal visit to Albania, telling those present that living the Christian life is simple: listen to God’s word and put it into practice.

“These are the two conditions in order to follow Jesus, hear the word of God and put it into practice. This is the Christian life, nothing more,” the Pope said.

“Simple, easy. Maybe we’ve made it a little difficult with explanations that no one understands, but the Christian life is this: listen to the word of God and practice it.”

A recurring theme in Pope Francis’ remarks was the condemnation of all violence done in the name of religion as well as the repeated acknowledgment of the brutal persecution of religious groups carried out late last century under Albania’s now-collapsed atheistic regime.

The Pope urged Christians to read God’s word faithfully and to truly listen with our hearts to what he has to say.

“Every time we do this – we open the Gospel and read a passage and ask ourselves: ‘Does God speak to me, say something to me?’ And if he says something, how would you respond?”

“This is to listen to the word of God, listen with your ears and hear with your heart.” God speaks to each of us. The Gospel was written for each of us,” he emphasized.

Although putting God’s word into practice “is not easy,” Christ is “merciful and forgives all,” even those who hear his word and turn against him. “Think of Judas. ‘Friend’ he says, in that moment” in the Gospel where he betrays Christ.

“The Lord,” Pope Francis reflected, is “always sowing his word, just asking an open heart to listen and willingness to put it into practice.”

“For this reason, the prayer today, which is that of the Psalm: ‘Lead me Lord on the path of your commands,’ that is the path of your Word, and that I may learn with your guide to put it into practice.”

Vatican City CNA/EWTN News

Carol Glatz Catholic News Service
The Francis Chronicles
Vatican City
September 8, 2014

When a mother has a birthday, children send their greetings and love, so make sure to do the same thing on the feast of the Nativity of Mary, Pope Francis said.

The liturgical feast day Monday “would be her birthday. And what do you do when your mom has a birthday? You send her greetings and best wishes,” the pope said, after praying the Angelus with people gathered Sunday in St. Peter’s Square.

The pope asked people to say “a Hail Mary from the heart” and to not forget to tell her “Happy Birthday!”

Mary has three very important lessons for today’s Christians, the pope said in a written message to Cuban bishops marking Sept. 8 as the feast of Our Lady of Charity of El Cobre, patroness of Cuba.

He said Mary teaches people to experience the joy of Christ and share it with others; to never let adversity beat you down; and always help those in need with love and mercy, he said.

The pope said people should imitate how Mary responded to God’s call with her same joy, haste and perseverance, the pope said.

“Every time I read sacred Scripture, in the verses that talk about Our Lady, three verbs catch my attention,” the pope said.

The three kinds of action — be joyful, help without hesitation and persevere, should be “put into practice” by all Catholics, he added.

Whoever discovers Jesus will be “filled with an inner joy so great that nothing and no one can take it away,” he said.

With Christ in their lives, people find the strength and hope “not to be sad and discouraged, thinking problems have no solution.”

For the second action, people should always rise “in haste,” just like Mary, to help others in need, he said.

“Victory is to those who repeatedly rise up, without getting discouraged. If we imitate Mary, we cannot sit with our arms crossed, just complaining or perhaps avoiding any effort so that others do what is our responsibility,” he said.

Making a difference and helping others does not have to be done on a grand scale, he said, but entails doing everyday things “with tenderness and mercy.”

“The third verb is to persevere,” the pope said.

Mary relied on God and his goodness for the strength and courage needed to stay by Christ’s side no matter what and to encourage his disciples to do the same.

“In this world in which long-lasting values are rejected and everything is changing, in which the disposable triumphs, in which it seems people are afraid of life’s commitments, the Virgin encourages us to be men and women who are constant in their good works, who keep their word, who are always faithful,” the pope said.

Cuban bishops visited the Vatican in late August for the installation of their gift, a replica of the statue of Our Lady of Charity of El Cobre, which was placed in the Vatican Gardens.

Browse the official website of the Apostolic Visit of Pope Francis to the Philippines at PapalVisit.ph launched by the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP). The website will have the latest news and updates on the pope’s visit and will be the main resource for catechesis, official prayers, songs and liturgy guides.

You can also see Pope Francis’ life size cardboard cutout picture at the parish office. This was distributed by Radio Veritas to generate “papal fever” among selfie-loving Filipinos before the pope’s visit in January.