Meditation and Questions for Reflection or Group Discussion (Jeremiah 38:4-6,8-10; Psalm 40:2-4,18; Hebrews 12:1-4; Luke 12:49-53) Running and Finishing Well the Race of Life Persevere in running the race.” (Hebrews 12:1) Usain Bolt is a Jamaican sprinter who holds the record as the fastest person ever. Nicknamed the “Lightning Bolt,” he has won many Olympic […]
Meditation and Questions for Reflection or Group Discussion (Wisdom 18:6-9; Psalm 33:1,12,18-22; Hebrews 11:1-2,8-19; Luke 12:32-48) Allowing the Gift of Faith to Impact Our Lives More Deeply Faith is the realization of what is hoped for and evidence of things not seen. (Hebrews 11:1) In a practical way, we live by faith all the time. […]
Madam President, Distinguished National, State and Local Authorities, Dear Archbishop of São Sebastião do Rio de Janeiro, Dear Cardinals and Brother Bishops, Dear Friends, I am about to leave your country to return to Rome. I depart with many happy memories which I know will nourish my prayers. Already I am beginning to miss Brazil, […]
Dear Young Friends, We have come here today to accompany Jesus on his journey of sorrow and love, the Way of the Cross, which is one of the most intense moments of World Youth Day. At the end of the Holy Year of Redemption, Blessed John Paul II chose to entrust the Cross to you, […]
My Brother Bishops and Priests, Dear Brothers and Sisters, What joy I feel as I come to the house of the Mother of every Brazilian, the Shrine of our Lady of Aparecida! The day after my election as Bishop of Rome, I visited the Basilica of Saint Mary Major in Rome, in order to entrust […]
The Holy Father’s Sunday meditation before praying the Angelus this morning was dedicated to Jesus’ visit to the house of Martha and Mary in Bethany in the Gospel of St. Luke, and the two key themes of Christian life: contemplation, listening to the Word of God and the concrete service of our neighbor. These are […]
Angelus message from July 7, 2013. “Jesus is not an isolated missionary”, Pope Francis said; “he does not want to fulfill his mission alone, but involves his disciples. Today we see that, in addition to the Twelve Apostles, He calls seventy-two others, and sends them into the villages, two by two, to announce that the […]
“Why should Pennsylvania, founded by the English, become a Colony of Aliens, who will shortly be so numerous as to Germanize us instead of us Anglifying them, and will never adopt our Language or Customs?” – Benjamin Franklin, 1751 “Immigration is about more than immigration. It is about renewing the soul of America.” – +Jose […]
Dear Brothers and Sisters, Today I would like briefly to refer to one more picture that helps us to illustrate the mystery of the Church: that of the temple (cf. Lumen Gentium, 6). What does the word, ‘temple’ call to mind? It makes us think of a building, a construction. In particular, it recalls to […]
The U.S. Supreme Court decisions June 26 striking down part of the Defense of Marriage Act and refusing to rule on the merits of a challenge to California’s Proposition 8 mark a “tragic day for marriage and our nation,” said Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, and […]
The Pope was speaking to a 30 strong delegation from the International Jewish Committee on Interreligious Consultations (IJCIC) who gathered in the Apostolic Palace’s Hall of the Popes for a private audience Monday. The IJCIC is committed to developing relations with the Vatican’s Commission on Religious Relations with the Jews, the Orthodox Christian Church, the […]
Dear Brothers and Sisters, This celebration has a very beautiful name: the Gospel of Life. In this Eucharist, in the Year of Faith, let us thank the Lord for the gift of life in all its forms, and at the same time let us proclaim the Gospel of Life. On the basis of the word […]
Dear Brothers and Sisters, good morning! Today I would like to touch briefly on another of the terms with which the Second Vatican Council defined the Church, that of “People of God” (cf. Dogmatic Constitution. Lumen Gentium, 9; Catechism of the Catholic Church, 782). I shall do so with a few questions upon which we […]
Dear Brothers and Sisters! The month of June is traditionally dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, the highest human expression of divine love. Just this past Friday, in fact, we celebrated the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus: the feast that sets the tone for the whole month. Popular piety highly prizes symbols, […]
THESE two martyrs were brothers, and lived in Rome, toward the latter part of the third century, for many years, mutually encouraging each other in the practice of all good works. They seemed to possess nothing but for the poor, and often spent both nights and days with the confessors in their dungeons, or at […]
Dear Brothers and Sisters, good morning! Today I want to focus on the issue of the environment, which I have already spoken of on several occasions. Today we also mark World Environment Day, sponsored by the United Nations, which sends a strong reminder of the need to eliminate the waste and disposal of food. When […]
Dear Brothers and Sisters, Last Thursday we celebrated the Feast of Corpus Christi, which in Italy and other countries is transferred to Sunday. It is the Feast of the Eucharist, the Sacrament of the Body and Blood of Christ. The Gospel tells the story of the miracle of the loaves (Luke 9:11-17). I want to […]
Yesterday in the Basilica of St. John Lateran, Pope Francis celebrated Mass for the Solemnity of Corpus Christi. He then led, on foot, the Eucharistic procession that wound along Rome’s Via Merulana, until reaching the Basilica of Saint Mary Major. Following are ample extracts from the Holy Father’s homily, which focused on the Gospel story […]
The mystery of the Church will be the theme of Pope Francis’ new cycle of catechesis during the Wednesday general audiences. “A mystery,” he said, “that we all live and in which we all take part.” The Pope, who will discuss this topic in light of Vatican Council II texts, began from the parable of […]
Dear Brothers and Sisters, good day! In the Creed, after having professed faith in the Holy Spirit, we say: “We believe in One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church.” There is a deep connection between these two realities of faith: the Holy Spirit gives life to the Church, guides Her steps. Without the presence and the […]
The Holy Trinity Meditation and Questions for Reflection or Group Discussion (Proverbs 8:22-31; Psalm 8:4-9; Romans 5:1-5; John 16:12-1) Sharing in the life of the Trinity and Sharing our Lives with One Another In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Every time we make the Sign of […]
Dear Brothers and Sisters, Today we contemplate and re-live in the liturgy the outpouring of the Holy Spirit sent by the risen Christ upon his Church; an event of grace which filled the Upper Room in Jerusalem and then spread throughout the world. But what happened on that day, so distant from us and yet […]
“We are living in an age when we are rather sceptical regarding truth,” the Holy Father said to the over 75,000 people gathered in St. Peter’s Square on May 15th. “Benedict XVI spoke many times about relativism, that is, the tendency to believe that there is nothing definitive and to think that truth comes from […]
IN the Decian persecution the blood of the Christians flowed at Lampsacus, a city of Asia Minor. St. Peter was the first who was led before the proconsul and condemned to die for the name of Christ. Young though he was, he went joyfully to his torments. He was bound to a wheel by iron […]
