Make room for the Word through silence

by | Dec 17, 2021 | Ad maiorem Dei gloriam and the salvation of souls!, Catechesis, Messages of the Holy Father, St. Joseph, The Holy Family

In his catechesis at the Wednesday General Audience, Pope Francis reflects on St Joseph’s silence in the Gospel. By Christopher Wells “St Joseph with his silence invites us to make room for the Presence of the Word made flesh, for Jesus,” Pope Francis said at the weekly General Audience. Silence full of listening However, the Pope continued, “Joseph’s silence is not muteness,” but is instead “a silence full of listening, an industrious silence, a silence that bring out his great interiority.” Quoting St John of the Cross, the Holy Father explained that God the Father spoke the Word, His Son, in eternal silence “and in silence it must be heard by the soul.” In his earthly life, Jesus, too, had this experience of silence, “with the daily example of Mary and Joseph.” Pope Francis noted that “He Himself sought spaces of silence… and invited His disciples to have such an experience” as well. READ ALSO The contemplative dimension of life The Holy Father emphasized the importance of following St Joseph’s example “in recovering this contemplative dimension of life opened wide by silence,” but noted that it is not easy. Silence, he said, can be frightening, because “it asks us to...

SYM echoes the message of the Pope for the XXXVI WYD

by | Oct 7, 2021 | Messages of the Holy Father, Salesian Youth Movement, Teens and Young Adults, World Youth Day

04 October 2021 Photo ©: Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life (ANS – Rome) – On 22 November 2020 Pope Francis called for a relaunch of the celebration of WYD in the particular Churches. He announced that this celebration which has been traditionally held on Palm Sunday, starting in 2021 will be held on the Sunday of the Solemnity of Christ the King. On 14 September 2021, in his message for the WYD 2021, he invited all the young people to “ARISE” presenting the reflections on the conversion story of St. Paul. He also appreciated the contribution of young people during the pandemic days of sowing seeds of hope, upholding freedom and justice, and acting as peacemakers and bridge builders. He is convinced that today Christ speaks to the young people the same words that he spoke to Paul: ‘Arise! Do not remain downcast or caught up in yourself: a mission awaits you! You too can testify to what Jesus has begun to accomplish in your lives’. Following the message of Pope Francis, the Councillor for Youth Ministry Fr Miguel Angel Garcia Morcuende, along with the coordinator for Salesian Youth Movement Fr Patrick Anthonyraj, invite and encourage all the young...

Pope to the elderly: God sends his angels to console your loneliness – Vatican News

by | 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...

The strength of a people who believe in what they pray for – Vatican News

by | 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...