Pope says children are never a mistake, calls adults to responsibility Posted on April 8, 2015 by Jim Lackey Pope Francis arrives to lead his weekly audience in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican April 8. (CNS/Reuters) By Laura Ieraci Catholic News Service VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Children are never a “mistake” and no sacrifice is too great for an adult to make so that children can feel their worth, Pope Francis said. During his weekly general audience in a chilly, but sunny St. Peter’s Square April 8, the pope continued his series of talks about the family, dedicating a second catechesis to children. He described the great suffering and difficulties many children around the world experience as “a Passion.” Children are the greatest blessing God has bestowed upon men and women, he said. Yet, many children are “rejected, abandoned, robbed of their childhood and of their future,” the pope noted, adding that it is “shameful” when people say it is “a mistake” to bring a child into the world. “Please, let’s not unload our faults on children,” he said. “Children are never ‘a mistake.'” The hunger, poverty, fragility and ignorance of some children “are not mistakes” but “only reasons for us to love them even more, with more generosity,” he said. Pope Francis wondered aloud about the value of international declarations of human and children’s rights if children are then punished for the mistakes of adults. “All adults are responsible for children and for doing what we can to change this situation,” he said. “Every marginalized and abandoned child, who lives by begging on the street for every little thing, without schooling or healthcare, is a cry to God,” he said. Their suffering is the result of a social system, created by adults, he added. Children who are victims of such poverty often “become prey to criminals who exploit them for immoral trade and commerce or train them for war and violence,” he said. Even in rich countries, “many children live dramas that scar their lives heavily” due to family crises or inhuman living conditions, he said. They suffer the consequences of “a culture of exaggerated individual rights” and become precocious, he added. And often, they absorb the violence they are exposed to, unable to “dispose of it,” and “are forced to become accustomed to degradation,” the pope said. “In every case, these are childhoods violated in body and soul,” the pope said. “But none of these children is forgotten by the Father in heaven. None of their tears are lost.” The pope also said children, too often, suffer the effects of their parents’ precarious and poorly paid work or unsustainable work hours. Children, he said, “also pay the price of immature unions and irresponsible separations; they are the first victims.” He underlined the social responsibility of each person and government toward children. The pope offered a reflection on the Scripture passage when Jesus calls the children to him so that he can bless them, Mt 19:13-15. “How beautiful was the trust of these parents (to bring their children to him) and this response of Jesus,” he said. The pope said many children with serious problems benefit from “extraordinary parents, ready for every sacrifice and generosity.” The church must accompany these parents in their efforts, he said. “The church places her maternal care at the service of children and their families,” he added. “It brings God’s blessing to the parents and children of this world, maternal tenderness, firm reprimand and strong condemnation. Brothers and sisters, think carefully: You don’t mess with the lives of children.” He concluded by inviting his listeners to imagine a society that bases itself on the principle that “no sacrifice on the part of adults would be considered too costly or too great, anything so as to avoid that a child thinks they are a mistake, that they have no value and that they are abandoned to the wounds of life and to the arrogance of men.” “How beautiful such a society would be,” the pope said. – – – The text of the pope’s audience remarks in English is available online at http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/f...a-francesco_20150408_udienza-generale_en.html.
"Pope Francis calls Armenian WW1 killings 'genocide" http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-32272604 GOD SAVE ALL HERE ........... St Faustina, Pray for US!
Just as Turkey withdraws its Vatican ambassador in protest against the Pope, try this for a sobering read: the words to the new Turkish national anthem (according to http://shoebat.com/2015/04/11/turke...anthem-and-it-is-dedicated-to-the-antichrist/ - I don't necessarily agree with everything Walid Shoebat says, and am not at the point yet where I'm going to label Erdogan as the Antichrist, but this sends chills down my spine) - Two thousand and twenty three, we are hundred years old Our objective is again great Turkey We’re in the race to be a global power The new Turkey is our Red apple Our leader is Recep Tayyip Erdogan Draw his strength from Allah Two thousand and seventy one, we are thousand years old. Our occupation is to be superpower We ensure peace at home, peace in the world The New Turkey is our Red apple Our leader is Recep Tayyip Erdogan Draw his strength from the nation Atilla, Oğuzhan, Gazi Alparslan Osman Gazi, Fatih, Yavuz, Süleyman Also Rest in peace Abdülhamid Han The Gazi Ataturk is that founding the state Nation’s man Tayyip Erdogan Draw his strength from the public This new century is going to be the Turks century We will spread Allah’s name Without leaving from the path of our prophet We will build the New Turkey Our leader is Recep Tayyip Erdogan Draw his strength from the nation Establisher of the Democracy is Martyr Menderes Turgut Ozal made us step into a new age He is the last link of the golden chain Turkish people is loyal to you Our President Recep Tayyip Erdogan Draw his strength always from his Lover One nation, one flag, one motherland belongs to us One State Turkey belongs to our nation For brotherhood, independence, evenness Our objective is New Great Turkey Our president is Recep Tayyip Erdogan taking his power always from Allah.
VATICANO..ewtn show on 4/12/15 had an interview( not sure of this mans identity) stating this Christian genocide by muslims started over a 100 years ago w/Armenian genocide in 1915 1.5 MILLION Armenians martyrd. Seems the 100 year reign prophysied by Pope Leo XIII in thhe 1880's is in overtime.... Revelation 6 v 9-11 9 When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the witness they had borne; 10 they cried out with a loud voice, “O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long before thou wilt judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell upon the earth?” 11 Then they were each given a white robe and told to rest a little longer, until the number of their fellow servants and their brethren should be complete, who were to be killed as they themselves had been. v12f....starts the 7th seal...Blood moons
Call for support: after seeing another 'Pope Francis is a strong candidate for the False Prophet' post on a widely read blog (z3news.com ) written by James Bailey, I decided I simply had to try to engage this type of unsubstantiated allegation ... in a way that Evangelicals can hopefully understand. As you'll see, I'm therefore adopting a tone which is quite different from posting on this forum. If anyone has the stomach (and charity) for this, please do consider joining in - James Bailey (today's guest on Rick Wiles' Trunews) is certainly trying very hard and means well, but he has some wires crossed ... and logic is in fairly short supply on the thread http://z3news.com/w/pope-francis-setting-records-popularity-polls/comment-page-1/#comment-1945
Okay I'm missing something here obviously. This is perhaps not only the worst anthem ever conceived it is also utterly irrelevant as turkey have about as much chance as a screaming bag of soon to be drowned cats of being a global superpower.
James claims he sites documents and facts but never gives any examples ...Its and old protestant trick for low information Catholics.Reminds me of a time years ago wen Jehovah Witnesses came to my sisters door one Thanksgiving day. I engaged in conversation and before I knew it the pope questions and attacks came up.Long story short,I asked what bad popes are you referring too? never any time period or name etc... the 3 of them left baffled only to come back the next day with an elder,so now it was 4 on 1.They left in disgust and came back lookin for me(per my sister) a week later with another elder...(forgot this line on 1st post)... Trick of it is, to keep the focus narrow/subject. Have them back up there claims! Apologetics is tuff,especially online
Turkey's Erdogan condemns Pope over Armenia 'genocide' http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-32309044 The Turkish president has sharply criticised Pope Francis for describing the mass killing of Armenians under Ottoman rule in WW1 as "genocide". Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he condemned the Pope and warned him to "not repeat this mistake".
Pope Francis: Pray for poverty, not wealth 2015-04-14 During his homily at Casa Santa Marta, Pope Francis reflected on how earlyChristian communities helped one another. He said that modern day Christians should follow their example and be a community that "seeks poverty and not the accumulation of wealth.” POPE FRANCIS "Ask for the grace of poverty, not the misery of poverty. What does that mean? If I have whatever I want, I should share it with generosity for the common good. The Pope said that communities should always pursue the common good. He added that harmony and patience to endure hardship are also important. EXTRACTS FROM THE POPE'S HOMILY (Source: Vatican Radio) "A community that is renewed in the Spirit has the grace of unity and harmony. The only one who can give us harmony is the Holy Spirit because he is harmony between the Father and the Son. The second characteristic is common good: ‘no one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they had everything in common, there was no needy person among them’. Yes, there were some rich persons, but their riches were offered in service of the community. These are two characteristics of a community that lives in the Spirit.” "In this second week of Easter, during which we celebrate the Easter mysteries, it would be a good thing to think of our communities, be they diocesan communities, parish communities, family communities or other, and ask for the grace of harmony” – a gift of the Spirit; "ask for the gift of poverty – not misery, but poverty: the capacity to manage my possessions with generosity and for common good”; to ask for the grace of patience. May the Lord – P Pope Francis concluded – "make us understand that not only have each one of us received the grace of a new birth through Baptism, but so have our communities” http://www.romereports.com/pg161048-pope-francis-pray-for-poverty-not-wealth-en
Pope: "more weight and more authority must be given to women” 90 125Print 2015-04-15 Vatican Radio (Vatican Radio) Pope Francis says there is still much to be done in order to give due recognition to women, both in society and in the Church. Speaking on Wednesday during the General Audience in St. Peter's Square, the Pope said that not only must the voice of women be listened to, but that it must also be given weight and authority. Continuing in his Catechesis on the family, Pope Francis focused on the great gift that God gave humanity when he created man and woman and on the Sacrament of marriage. Reflecting on the complementarity between man and woman, Francis said that the Scripture tells us that “God created man in his own image… male and female he created them” and that man and woman bear the image and likeness of God not only as individuals, but also together. He said that in God’s plan, sexual differentiation is not ordered to subordination, but to communion and procreation and he said that this reciprocity brings harmony and enrichment to the human family. But, pointing out that it also presents a constant challenge and that modern culture has opened new scenarios, the Pope pointed out that there is much work to be done in order to give women their due recognition. The very way in which Jesus considered women – the Pope said – shines a powerful light on a long road still to be tread, a road upon which we have only taken a few steps. This road – Francis said – “is to be travelled with creativity and audacity”. The Pope also touched on issues that have come to the fore thanks to new freedoms and new perspectives opened up by contemporary culture. Asking himself whether the so-called “gender” theory that aims to annul sexual differences may also be an expression of frustration and resignation due to our inability to confront a problem, the Pope said that: “removing the difference is the problem, not the solution”. And inviting men and women to speak more to one another, and to respect and love each other, Pope Francis also urged intellectuals “not to abandon this theme as if it had become secondary within their commitment to build a more just and free society”. Nowadays – the Pope concluded – as we sense the responsibility to do more in favour of women, recognizing the weight and authority of their voices in society and the Church, we must also ask ourselves to what extent society’s loss of faith in God is related to the crisis of the covenant between man and woman. The challenge faced by the Church, and by all believers and families – he said - is to rediscover the beauty of God’s plan, the imprint of his image in that covenant. (from Vatican Radio)
Mass at Santa Marta - Obedience through dialogue 7 0 Print 2015-04-16 L’Osservatore Romano At Santa Marta on Thursday morning, Francis offered Mass for Benedict XVI on his 88th birthday, inviting the faithful present to join him in praying “that the Lord sustain him and grant him much joy and happiness”. In his homily, the Pontiff spoke of obedience, a prominent theme in the day’s liturgy. He began by quoting words from the end of the passage from the Gospel according to John (3:31-35): “he who does not obey the Son shall not see life”. Then, referring to the First Reading from the Acts of the Apostles (5:27-33), the Pontiff also recalled what “the Apostles said to the high priests: we must obey God rather than men”. Obedience, Francis explained, “often leads us down a path which isn’t the one we think it should be: there is another, the obedience of Jesus who says to the Father in the Garden of Olives: “Thy will be done”. In so doing Jesus “obeys and saves us all”. Thus, we must be ready to “obey, to have the courage to change directions when the Lord asks this of us”. And “for this reason, he who obeys will have eternal life”, whereas for “he who does not obey, the wrath of God rests upon him”. “Within this framework”, the Pontiff said, “we can reflect upon the First Reading” — more specifically on the “dialogue between the Apostles and the high priests”. The “story began a bit earlier” in the same chapter of the Acts of the Apostles. Thus, he summarized, “the Apostles preached to the people and would stand at Solomon’s Portico. The whole populace would go there to hear them: they worked miracles and the number of believers was growing”. But “a small group wouldn’t dare join them, out fear, they were distant”. Yet, the Pope said, “even from nearby places, from nearby villages, they brought the sick to the squares, on pallets, so that as Peter came by at least his shadow might fall on some of them and would heal them. And they were healed”. However, the narrative of the Acts continues, “the priests and the people’s leaders became angry”: indeed, they were “filled with jealousy because the people were following the Apostles, exalting them, praising them”. And therefore they gave the order to “throw them in prison”. But, Francis continued, “at night an angel of God freed them, and this was not the first time”. That’s why, when “the priests met in the morning to judge them, the prison was closed, securely locked, and they weren’t there”. Then they learned that the Apostles had gone back again to Solomon’s Portico, to preach to the people. And so once again the priests had them brought in. The passage from the Acts offered in the day’s liturgy, the Pontiff stated, recounts just what happened at that moment: the captain and the officers “brought the Apostles and presented them to the Sanhedrin”. And again, the Scripture reads that “the high priest questioned them, saying, ‘We strictly charged you not to teach in this name, yet here you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and you intend to bring this man’s blood upon us’”. In response to these accusations, Peter replied: “We must obey God rather than men”. And thus “salvation history repeats up to Jesus”. But “in hearing Peter’s kerygma, Peter’s preaching on the people redemption which God performed through Jesus”, the members of the Sanhedrin “were enraged and wanted to kill them”. They were, in fact, “incapable of recognizing the salvation of God” despite being “doctors” who had “studied the history of the people, studied the prophecies, studied the law, thus they knew all the theology of the people of Israel, the revelation of God, they knew everything: they were doctors”. The question is “why was there there this hardness of heart?”. Yes, the Pope said, it wasn’t a matter of “hardheadedness, it wasn’t simple stubbornness”. The hardness was in their hearts. And therefore “one could ask: what is the route to this total stubbornness of head and heart? How does one reach this closure, which even the Apostles had before the Holy Spirit came”. Indeed, Jesus said to the two disciples at Emmaus: “O foolish men, and slow to believe the things of God”. At its root, Francis explained, “the story of this stubbornness, the route, is in closing oneself off, not engaging in dialogue, it is the lack of dialogue”. Those were people who “didn’t know how to dialogue, they didn’t know how to dialogue with God because they didn’t know how to pray and to hear the Lord’s voice; and they didn’t know how to dialogue with others”. This closure to dialogue led them to interpret “the law in order to make it more precise, but they were closed to the signs of God in history, they were closed to the people: they were closed, closed”. And “the lack of dialogue, this closure of heart, led them not to obey God”. After all, “this is the tragedy of these doctors of Israel, these theologians of the People of God: they didn’t know how to listen, they didn’t know how to dialogue”. This is because, the Pope explained, “dialogue is done with God and with our brothers”. And “this rage and desire to silence all those who preach, in this case the newness of God, that is, Jesus is Risen” is clearly “the sign that one doesn’t know how to dialogue, that a person isn’t open to the voice of the Lord, to the signs that the Lord makes among his people”. Therefore, although they had no reason to, they became infuriated and wanted to put the disciples to death. “It is a painful route”, Francis remarked, also because “these are the same men who paid the guards at the tomb to say that the disciples had stolen Jesus’ body: they do everything possible not to open themselves to God’s voice”. Before continuing with the celebration of the Eucharist — “which is the life of God, who speaks to us from on high, as Jesus says to Nicodemus” — Francis prayed “for the masters, for the doctors, for those who teach the People of God, that they never be closed, that they dialogue, and thus save themselves from the wrath of God which, should they not change their attitude, will rest upon them”. http://www.news.va/en/news/mass-at-santa-marta-obedience-through-dialogue
Pope: avoid the temptation of transforming faith into earthly power 28 260 Print 2015-04-20 Vatican Radio (Vatican Radio) May the witness of the martyrs help us to avoid the temptation of transforming our faith into power. Those were Pope Francis’ words during his homily at the morning Mass in the Casa Santa Marta on Monday, as he reflected on the Gospel story of the crowds who come searching for Jesus following the multiplication of the loaves and the fishes. Listen to Lydia O’Kane’s report: Noting that the crowds came looking for Jesus, not out of a sense of religious awe and adoration, but rather for their own material interests, Pope Francis said when we take advantage of faith and are tempted towards power, we run the risk of failing to understand the true mission of Our Lord. We see this attitude repeatedly in the Gospels, he said, where so many people follow Jesus out of their own interests. Even his own apostles, the Pope said, like the sons of Zebedee who wanted the jobs of “prime minster and finance minister”, they wanted to have power. Instead of bringing to the poor the Good News that Jesus came to free prisoners, to give sight to the blind and freedom to the oppressed, we are tempted to transform this message of healing into a tool of power and to take advantage of our encounter with Jesus. Pope Francis noted that this was also the way that Jesus himself was tempted by the devil. Firstly by offering him bread to eat, secondly by offering to create a great show so that people would believe in him and thirdly by urging him to worship other idols. This is our daily temptation as Christians, the Pope said, not to believe in the power of the Spirit, but instead to be tempted by worldly power. In this way we are drawn increasingly by the ways of the world towards that attitude which Jesus calls hypocrisy. We become Christians in name but in our hearts we act out of our own interests, weakening our faith, our mission and the Church itself. Just as Jesus told the crowds, “you are looking for me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate the loaves and were filled”. May the saints and martyrs, the Pope said, awaken us with their witness of following the path of Jesus and announcing the year of grace. When the crowds at Capernaum understand Jesus’ rebuke, they ask him “What can we do to accomplish the works of God?” Jesus answers, “This is the work of God, that you believe in the one he sent.” Pope Francis concluded by praying that God may give us the grace not to fall for the spirit of this world which leads us to live like pagans beneath a veneer of Christianity, but to believe and trust in God and in the one he sent to us. (from Vatican Radio) http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-avoid-the-temptation-of-transforming-faith-in
Pope Francis meets Conference of European Rabbis (Vatican Radio) Jewish Catholic relations were under the spotlight in the Vatican on Monday as Pope Francis met with a delegation from the Conference of European Rabbis. The conference represents more than 700 Rabbis from synagogues across the continent and is focused on defending the religious rights of Jews in Europe today. The Pope also looked ahead to this October’s celebration of the 50th anniversary of the document Nostra Aetate which marked a turning point in relations between Catholics and Jews. While this landmark text remains the reference point for all joint efforts, the Pope said it’s more important than ever today to emphasis the spiritual and religious dimension of life in Europe, which is increasingly marked by secularism and threatened by atheism. Jews and Christians together, he said, have the responsibility of preserving a sense of the sacred and reminding people that our lives are a gift from God. Finally the Pope noted the troubling anti-Semitic trends in Europe today and said the memory of the great tragedy of the Shoah, in the heart of Europe, remains as a warning for present and future generations. Responding to the Pope, the president of the Conference of European Rabbis, Pinchas Goldschmidt said Jews in Europe today feel trapped between the attacks of radicalized Muslim immigrants and the secular backlash of many European political leaders. Goldschmidt, who is the Chief Rabbi of Moscow, thanked the Holy See and Catholic communities across the continent for supporting the quest for religious freedom. He also warned of the conflict in Russia and what he called a “new mounting wall between East and West”, urging Pope Francis to help build new bridges and bring the West back from the brink of war. http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2015/04/20/pope_francis_meets_conference_of_european_rabbis/1138115
Pope Francis Accepts Resignation of Bishop Robert Finn (6759) The resignation of the bishop of the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph, Mo., takes effect immediately. by ELISE HARRIS/CNA/EWTN NEWS 04/21/2015 Comments (9) CNA file photo Bishop Robert Finn of Kansas City-St. Joseph, Mo. – CNA file photo VATICAN CITY — Nearly two and a half years after being the first U.S. bishop convicted of a misdemeanor in failing to report suspected child abuse by a priest in his diocese, Kansas City-St. Joseph, Mo.’s bishop has resigned. The Vatican confirmed Pope Francis’ acceptance of Bishop Finn’s resignation according to Canon 104, Article 2 in the Code of Canon Law in an April 21 statement, released at noon local time. Article 2 of Canon 104, according to the Vatican’s website, refers to a situation when “a diocesan bishop who has become less able to fulfill his office because of ill health or some other grave cause is earnestly requested to present his resignation from office.” Bishop Finn’s resignation will take effect immediately, and although he will still be a bishop, he will no longer lead a diocese. It is up to Pope Francis to choose his successor. The brief Vatican statement gave no word as to what Bishop Finn will do following his resignation. Last September, two years after Bishop Finn’s trial and guilty verdict, an archbishop held a visitation on behalf of the Vatican and met with Bishop Finn. The reasons for the visitation were not revealed; however, some reports indicate that the visitation was intended to evaluate the bishop’s leadership of his diocese. In September 2012, Bishop Finn, now 62, was convicted on a misdemeanor count of failure to report suspected child abuse after he and his diocese failed to report that lewd images of children had been found on a laptop belonging to Father Shawn Ratigan, a priest of the diocese, in December 2010. The diocese’s vicar general had told Bishop Finn about one of the images, but the bishop did not see them himself. Father Ratigan attempted suicide after the images were discovered and initially had not been expected to live. Diocesan officials told law enforcement officials about the images in May 2011, months after their discovery. A diocese-commissioned independent investigation said diocesan officials conducted “a limited and improperly conceived investigation” into whether a single image, which the vicar general did not see, constituted child pornography. The diocese’s legal counsel also said that that single image did not constitute child pornography. Further investigation revealed that the photos had been taken in and around churches where the priest had worked. In 2012, Father Ratigan was sentenced to 50 years in federal prison on child-pornography charges. Bishop Finn was sentenced to two years’ probation for failing to report suspected abuse. The diocese settled two lawsuits from the parents of two girls photographed by Father Ratigan for a total of $1.8 million in February 2014. The Father Ratigan case has also triggered further legal action from an arbitrator who levied a $1.1-million penalty against the diocese, on the grounds that the diocese violated the terms of a 2008 abuse-lawsuit settlement in which Bishop Finn and the diocese agreed to report suspected child abusers to law enforcement. The diocese objected to the arbitrator’s penalty, but it was upheld in court, and the diocese paid the fine. Filed under bishop robert finn, diocese of kansas city-st. joseph, elise harris, father shawn ratigan Read more: http://www.ncregister.com/daily-new...ignation-of-bishop-robert-finn/#ixzz3XyVS5qKL
Mass at Santa Marta - The Church of martyrs 6 44 Print 2015-04-21 L’Osservatore Romano “Today the Church is the Church of martyrs”. And among these martyrs are “our brothers whose throats were cut on the beach of Libya; that young man burned alive by companions for being a Christian; those immigrants on the high seas thrown overboard for being Christians; those Ethiopians assassinated for being Christians”. In the chapel of Casa Santa Marta on Friday morning, 21 April, recounting the story of the first martyr, St Stephen, Pope Francis recalled the many present-day martyrs: including those whose names we do not know, who are suffering in prisons or who are defamed and persecuted “by so many modern Sanhedrins”, or for living “the faith within their own family”. The Pontiff began his homily by pointing out what all martyrs have in common: they are those “who in the history of the Church bore testimony of Jesus” without having “need of other bread: for them Jesus alone was enough, because they had faith in Jesus”. And, Francis said, “today, the Church makes us reflect and offers us, in the Liturgy of the Word, the first Christian martyr”, in the Acts of the Apostles, which speak of St Stephen (7:51-8:1a). “This man did not hunger, he did not need to turn to negotiations, to compromises with other types of bread, to survive”, the Pope stated. With this manner “he testified of Jesus” until his martyrdom. Referring to the previous day’s Liturgy of the Word, Pope Francis recalled that “yesterday the Church began speaking about him: several‘Freedmen’ of the Synagogue, arose and began to dispute with Stephen but they could not withstand the wisdom and the Spirit with which he spoke”. In fact, the Pope explained, “Stephen was full of the Holy Spirit and spoke with the wisdom of the Spirit: he was powerful”. And thus these people “instigated a few men to say that they heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses and against God, and gave false testimony”. With these accusations “they stirred up the people, the elders, the scribes: they came upon him, they seized him and brought him before the Sanhedrin”. The Pope pointed out that “the story of Stephen” is “curious” in that it follows “the same steps as that of Jesus”, meaning the tactics of “false witnesses” were used in order to “stir up the people and bring him to judgement. Today we heard how this story ends, because in the Sanhedrin, Stephen explains the Gospel of Jesus, he gives a long explanation”. However, his accusers “didn’t want to listen, their hearts were closed”. Thus, “in the end, Stephen, with the power of the Spirit, tells them the truth: ‘You stiff-necked people, uncircumcised in heart and ears’ — pagans, in other words — ‘you always resist the Holy Spirit’”. “One of the characteristics of stiff-necked people before the word of God” is “resistance to the Holy Spirit”, the Pope explained, repeating the words of St Stephen: “As your fathers did, so do you. Which of the prophets did not your fathers persecute?”. Thus, Stephen “recalled many prophets who had been persecuted and killed for being faithful to the word of God”. Then, “when he confessed his vision of Jesus, which God showed him at that moment”, and as Stephen was “full of the Holy Spirit, they were scandalized and cried out with a loud voice and stopped their ears”. This, the Pope said, was a “real sign” that “they didn’t want to listen”. And thus, “they rushed together upon him. Then they cast him out of the city and stoned him”. This has always been “the story of martyrs”, even “those of the Old Testament, about whom St Stephen was speaking in the Sanhedrin”. The problem is that “certain hearts never like the word of God; the word of God is bothersome when you have a hardened heart, when you have a pagan heart, because the word of God challenges you to go forth, searching and being fed with that bread that Jesus spoke of”. “In the history of the revelation”, Francis affirmed, there are “so many martyrs who were killed on account of faithfulness to the word of God, to the truth of God”. Thus “Stephen’s martyrdom really resembles Jesus’ sacrifice”. And as they stoned him, Stephen prayed, saying: “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit”. How can one forget Jesus’ words on the Cross: “Father, into thy hands I commit my spirit”? Then, the Acts of the Apostles tell us that Stephen “knelt down and cried with a loud voice, ‘Lord, do not hold this sin against them’”. Again, Jesus said: “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do’”. Here is “that Christian magnanimity of forgiveness, of praying for the enemy”. However, of “those who persecuted the prophets, those who persecuted and killed Stephen and so many martyrs”, Jesus said that “they believed they were giving glory to God, they believed” that in doing so they were being “faithful to God’s teaching”. And, the Pope said, “today I would like to recall that the history of the Church, the true history of the Church, is the history of saints and martyrs: the persecuted martyrs” and also the many who are “killed by those who believe they are glorifying God, by those who believe they have the truth: corrupt hearts, but the truth”. Even today, “how many ‘Stephens’ there are in the world!’”, the Pope exclaimed. He referred to recent accounts of persecution: “Let us think of our brothers whose throats were cut on the beach in Libya; let us think of that young man burned alive by companions for being a Christian; let us think of those immigrants on the high seas who were thrown overboard by the others for being Christians; let us think — the day before yesterday — of those Ethiopians, assassinated for being Christians”. And still, he added, “so many others that we don’t know, who suffer in prisons because they are Christians”. Today, Francis continued, “the Church is the Church of martyrs: they suffer, they give their lives, and we receive God’s blessing through their testimony”. And then, “there are also hidden martyrs, those men and women, faithful to the power of the Holy Spirit, to the voice of the Spirit, who make way, who seek new ways to help their brothers and sisters and to better love God”. And for this reason they “come under suspicion”, they are “defamed, persecuted by so many modern Sanhedrins who believe themselves masters of the the truth”. Today, the Pontiff stated, there are “so many hidden martyrs”, and among them are many “who, for being faithful, suffer greatly within their families,for their faithfulness”. “Our Church is the Church of martyrs” Francis reiterated, before returning to the celebration of Mass during which he said “the ‘first martyr’ will come to us, the first who bore witness and, even more, salvation to all of us”. Thus, the Pope exhorted, “let us unite with Jesus in the Eucharist, and let us unite with so many brothers and sisters who are suffering the martyrdom of being persecuted, defamed and killed for being faithful to the one bread that satiates, namely to Jesus”. http://www.news.va/en/news/mass-at-santa-marta-the-church-of-martyrs
“Our Church is the Church of martyrs” Francis reiterated, before returning to the celebration of Mass during which he said “the ‘first martyr’ will come to us, the first who bore witness and, even more, salvation to all of us”. Thus, the Pope exhorted, “let us unite with Jesus in the Eucharist, and let us unite with so many brothers and sisters who are suffering the martyrdom of being persecuted, defamed and killed for being faithful to the one bread that satiates, namely to Jesus”. This quote really struck me, Whats the Pope saying to us ??? "the first martyr will come to us." Todays feast is St Anselm
Pope on Earth Day: no to exploitation of planet 25 145 Print 2015-04-22 Vatican Radio (Vatican Radio) Pope Francis has appealed to mankind not manipulate or exploit the planet. Speaking at the end of the weekly General Audience in St. Peter’s Square the Pope noted that on April 22 we celebrate Earth Day. “I exhort everyone to see the world through the eyes of God the Creator: the earth is an environment to be safeguarded, a garden to be cultivated” he said. Francis continued: “The relationship of mankind with nature must not be conducted with greed, manipulation and exploitation, but it must conserve the divine harmony that exists between creatures and Creation within the logic of respect and care, so it can be put to the service of our brothers, also of future generations”. (from Vatican Radio)
