Pope Francis

March 13, 2013 – Present

MAY 26, 2019

The Church cannot Remain Static

JAs the moment of the Cross approaches, Jesus reassures the Apostles that they will not be alone

In what does the Holy Spirit’s mission, which Jesus promises as a gift, consist? He describes it himself: “he will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you”. Throughout his earthly life, Jesus already passed on all that he wanted to entrust to the Apostles: he fulfilled divine Revelation, namely, all that the Father wanted to impart to mankind with the incarnation of the Son. The Holy Spirit’s task is to remind, that is, to enable full understanding and to induce us to concretely implement Jesus’ teachings. And this is also precisely the mission of the Church, which she accomplishes through a precise way of life, characterized by a few requirements: faith in the Lord and observance of his Word; docility to the action of the Holy Spirit, who constantly renders the Risen Lord alive and present; acceptance of his peace and the witness borne to it through an attitude of openness and of encounter with the other.

To accomplish all of this the Church cannot remain static but, with the active participation of each baptized person, she is called to act as a community on a journey, enlivened and sustained by the light and power of the Holy Spirit who makes all things new. It is a matter of freeing oneself from worldly bonds represented by our views, our strategies, our objectives that often burden the journey of faith, and to place ourselves in docile listening to the Word of the Lord. Thus it is God’s Spirit who guides us and guides the Church, so that her authentic, beautiful and luminous face may shine, as Christ wished.

MAY 1, 2016

We are Not Alone

Jesus foretells of the coming of the Spirit who will first teach the disciples to understand the Gospel ever more fully,

We are not alone: Jesus is close to us, among us, within us! His new presence in history happens through the gift of the Holy Spirit, through whom it is possible to instill a living relationship with Him, the Crucified and Risen One. The Spirit, flowing within us through the Sacraments of Baptism and Confirmation, acts in our life. He guides us in the way to think, to act, to distinguish between what is good and what is bad; he helps us to practice the charity of Jesus, his giving of himself to others, especially to the most needy. We are not alone! The sign of the presence of the Holy Spirit is also the peace that Jesus gives to his disciples: “My peace I give to you” (v. 27). It is different from what mankind hopes for or tries to achieve. The peace of Jesus flows from victory over sin, over selfishness which impedes us from loving one another as brothers and sisters. It is a gift of God and a sign of his presence. Each disciple called today to follow Jesus carrying the cross, receives within him- or herself the peace of the Crucified and Risen One in the certainty of his victory and in expectation of his definitive coming.

MAY 5, 2013

Spiritual Presence of Mary

Love for Our Lady is one of the characteristics of popular devotion that must be respected and well directed.

At this moment of profound communion with Christ, we also feel among us the living presence of the Virgin Mary. It is a motherly presence, a familial presence, especially for you who are part of the confraternity. Love for Our Lady is one of the characteristics of popular devotion that must be respected and well directed. For this reason, I invite you to meditate on the last chapter of the Constitution of the Second Vatican Council on the Church, Lumen Gentium, which speaks of Mary in the mystery of Christ and of the Church. There it says that Mary “advanced in her pilgrimage of faith” (n. 58). Dear friends, in the Year of Faith I leave you this icon of Mary the pilgrim, who follows her Son Jesus and precedes us all in the journey of faith.

Pope Benedict XVI

April 19, 2005 – February 28, 2013

MAY 9, 2010

Whoever Loves Me Will Keep My Word

Mary observed first and fully the words of her Son, showing that she… [was] a humble and obedient handmaid.

This Sunday’s Gospel, taken from Chapter 14 of the Gospel according to St John, gives us an implicit spiritual portrait of the Virgin Mary when Jesus says: “Whoever loves me will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him” (cf. Jn 14: 23). These words are addressed to the disciples but can be applied to a maximum degree precisely to the One who was the first and perfect disciple of Jesus. Mary, in fact, observed first and fully the words of her Son, showing that she loved him not only as a mother, but first of all as a humble and obedient handmaid. For this reason God the Father loved her and the Most Holy Trinity made its dwelling place in her. Furthermore, when Jesus promises his friends that the Holy Spirit will come to their aid to help them remember and deeply understand his every word (cf. Jn 14: 26), how can we not think of Mary who, in her heart, the temple of the Holy Spirit, pondered and interpreted faithfully all that her Son said and did? Thus already before Easter but especially after it the Mother of Jesus also became the Mother and model of the Church.

MAY 13, 2007

Evangelization

On the Apostolic Journey to Brazil

With great affection I greet all of you who have come from the four corners of Brazil, from Latin America and the Caribbean, as well as those who are listening to me via radio and television. During the celebration of Mass, I invoked the Holy Spirit, asking him to make fruitful the Fifth General Conference of the Bishops of Latin America and the Caribbean, which I shall inaugurate shortly. I ask you all to pray for the fruits of this great gathering, which opens up a future of hope for the Latin American family. You have a part to play in building your Nations’ destiny. May God bless you and be with you!

I warmly greet all the English-speaking groups present today. Families stand at the heart of the Church’s mission of evangelization, for it is in the home that our life of faith is first expressed and nurtured. Parents, you are the primary witnesses to your children of the truths and values of our faith: pray with and for your children; teach them by your example of fidelity and joy! Indeed, every disciple, spurred on by word and strengthened by sacrament, is called to mission. It is a duty from which no one should shy away, for nothing is more beautiful than to know Christ and to make him known to others! May Our Lady of Guadalupe be your model and guide. God bless you all!

Pope Saint John Paul II

October 16, 1978 – April 2, 2005

MAY 20, 2001

Council of Jerusalem

At every moment, but especially at the most decisive moments, the Church has to listen to the Spirit.

Today, on the Sixth Sunday of the Easter Season, the Liturgy puts before us the passage from the Acts of the Apostles in which the event of the so-called “Council of Jerusalem” is narrated (Acts 15: 11-29). The Apostles and the presbyters convoked the first assembly in order to resolve what was then a crucial problem. In the face of some believers of the group of the Pharisees, convinced that the pagan converts to Christianity should be circumcised and observe the Mosaic law, Paul and Barnabas maintained very forcefully that salvation does not come from the works of the law but from faith in Christ.

Thanks to the inspired interventions of Peter and James, the direction of Paul and Barnabas prevailed and from that day the Church “put out into the deep”, ready to bring the Gospel to all peoples and to all cultures. The apostolic impulse impressed by the Spirit at the beginning has not weakened and even now continues while we begin to live in the third millennium. The one desire and duty of believers remains that of announcing to all humanity Jesus our Redeemer.

RELATED WEBSITES

The Homilies of Pope Francis (The Catholic Register)

Pope Francis Homilies

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