by SrDeniseSickinger | Jun 23, 2021 | Accompaniment, Ad maiorem Dei gloriam and the salvation of souls!, Children, Family MInistry, Grandparents, Love, Messages of the Holy Father, Pope Francis, Teens and Young Adults
Pope to the elderly: God sends his angels to console your loneliness Pope Francis reassures the elderly that God is always with them in his message for the first-ever World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly. He also reminds them of their vocation to preserve our roots and to pass on the faith to the younger ones. By Fr. Benedict Mayaki, SJ Pope Francis on Tuesday released a message for the First World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly ahead of the date of the celebration which is scheduled for 25 July. The theme chosen by the Pope for the inaugural commemoration is “I am with you always” (Mt 28: 30). The Holy Father addressed the theme from the Gospel of Matthew to all Grandparents and the elderly, reminding them that this is the promise the Lord made to his disciples before he ascended into heaven. “The whole Church is close to you – to us – and cares about you, loves you and does not want to leave you alone!” the Pope said, identifying with the elderly, as one of them. Comfort amid the pandemic The Pope’s message comes amid the challenging times of the Covid-19 pandemic that...
by SrDeniseSickinger | Apr 24, 2021 | a current event, Accompaniment, Ad maiorem Dei gloriam and the salvation of souls!, Devotion to Mary, Faith, Mary Mother of God, Messages of the Holy Father, Pope Francis, Prayer Intentions
The strength of a people who believe in what they pray for The Marian marathon convened by Pope Francis for the month of May to pray for an end to the pandemic brings to the fore the power of prayer in times of danger, and in particular, the intercession of the Virgin, to whom Christians have had recourse since the dawn of the Gospel. By Alessandro De Carolis Defeating the invisible nemesis that slowly extinguishes your capacity to breathe in a hospital room – or perhaps in the street because there simply isn’t a hospital that will take you in – and believing you can do so by getting down on your knees. This might seem a solution more suited to times in which ancient collective superstitions competed with the fresh words of the Gospel, rather than to an era like ours in which individualism exhibited everywhere tends to debase the sense of community action, especially if it as intangible as the spiritual. A promise In reality, to dispel doubts and misgivings about the efficacy of shared prayer, it is enough to read Matthew 18: 19, which contains Jesus’ assurance that: “If two of you agree on earth about anything...
by SrDeniseSickinger | Apr 22, 2021 | a current event, Creation & the Creator, Messages of the Holy Father
Pope on Earth Day: “It is time to act!” Pope Francis calls for urgency in joint efforts on the path towards protecting our planet, in two separate video messages for Earth Day 2021. By Vatican News staff writer Commemorating the 51st Earth Day on Thursday, Pope Francis sent two video messages reminding everyone of the importance of working together to protect our planet. In a message for the Leaders Summit on Climate, the Pope said the initiative sets world leaders on a path towards the COP26 meeting to take place in Glasgow, Scotland, in November 2021. He said the Leaders Summit encourages nations to “take charge of the care of nature, of this gift that we have received and that we have to heal, guard, and carry forward.” “Our concern is to see that the environment is cleaner, purer, and preserved,” said the Pope, “and to take care of nature so that it takes care of us.” Earth Day 2021 In a separate video message marking Earth Day 2021, Pope Francis continued in the same vein. “It is always good to recall things that we have said to one another so that they will not fall into oblivion,” the...
by SrDeniseSickinger | Apr 21, 2021 | Accompaniment, Events / Calendar, Family MInistry, Love, Messages of the Holy Father
First World Day for Grandparents and Elderly scheduled for 25 July The Dicastery for the Laity, Family and Life announces the first World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly under the theme “I am with you always”. By Vatican News staff writer The First World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly will be celebrated on Sunday 25 July, announced the Vatican’s Dicastery for the Laity, Family and Life in a press release on Tuesday. The theme chosen by Pope Francis for this inaugural commemoration is “I am with you always” (Mt 28:20). It expresses the closeness of the Lord and the Church to every older person, especially in these challenging times of the Covid-19 pandemic. The theme, “I am with you always” is also “a promise of closeness and hope that young and old can mutually share”, notes the press release. Not only are grandchildren and youths invited to be present in the lives of older people, but older people and grandparents also have a mission of evangelization, proclamation and prayer, and of encouraging young people in their faith. To further encourage the celebration of the World Day in local churches and associations, the Dicastery for Laity, Family and...
by SrDeniseSickinger | Apr 20, 2021 | Accompaniment, Ad maiorem Dei gloriam and the salvation of souls!, Discipleship, Following Jesus, Fratelli tutti, Fraternal Love, Justice, Kingdom of God, Messages of the Holy Father, Mystical Body of Christ, Outreach
The sharing of goods and the social function of private property In his homily on Sunday, 11 April, Pope Francis commented on the custom of the early Christians of sharing everything. We take a look at developments of the social Magisterium of the past century, which harken back to the great Fathers of the Church. By Andrea Tornielli The Acts of the Apostles tells us that “no one said that any of the things that belonged to him was his own, but they had everything in common.” This “is not communism; it is Christianity in its pure state.” With these words, Pope Francis, in the Mass celebrated on Divine Mercy Sunday, commented on the sharing of goods realized in the first Christian community. Often, and even very recently, the current Bishop of Rome has been criticized for questioning the untouchability of the right to private property, and his words have been linked to Marxism and communism. Last November 30, in a Message on the occasion of the opening of work of the International Conference of member judges of the Committee for Social Rights of Africa and America, Pope Francis said, “We build social justice on the basis of the fact that the...
by SrDeniseSickinger | Apr 12, 2021 | Accompaniment, Ad maiorem Dei gloriam and the salvation of souls!, Merciful Compassion, Merciful like the Father, Messages of the Holy Father, Pope Francis
Pope: “Having received mercy, let us now become merciful” On the feast of Divine Mercy on Sunday, Pope Francis urges Christians to open themselves to Christ’s mercy, which He grants through peace, forgiveness, and His wounds. In turn, they are asked to share this mercy with others. By Robin Gomes “Let us be renewed by the peace, forgiveness, and wounds of the merciful Jesus. Let us ask for the grace to become witnesses of mercy. Only in this way will our faith be alive and our lives unified. Only in this way will we proclaim the Gospel of God, which is the Gospel of mercy.” This is the exhortation that Pope Francis offered in his homily at Mass on Divine Mercy Sunday, which is celebrated on the second Sunday of Easter. “For if love is only about us, faith becomes arid, barren and sentimental. Without others, faith becomes disembodied. Without works of mercy, it dies,” the Pope said. He celebrated the Mass at the 16th century Church of Santo Spirito in Sassia, close to the Vatican, which St. Pope John Paul II in 1994 designated as the official Divine Mercy church in Rome. Pope Francis celebrates Mass in the Church of...
Vatican News