Pope Francis joins Cubans celebrating Our Lady of Charity 2014-09-09 Vatican Radio (Vatican Radio) On the Feast day of Our Lady of Charity of Cobre Pope Francis has sent a message of participation and encouragement to all Cubans who love her and entrust their prayers to “her immaculate heart.” In a letter addressed to the Metropolitan Archbishop of Santiago de Cuba, Dionisio Guillermo Garcia Ibanez who is also the President of the Catholic Bishops Conference of Cuba, the Pope recalled with joy that a replica of Our Lady of Charity of Cobre has recently been placed in the Vatican Gardens. He described her presence as a reminder of the love and the vitality of the pilgrim Church in the Caribbean. The Pope said that each time he reads the passages in the Sacred Scriptures that speak of Our Lady three things in particular jump to his attention: that fact that she immediately rejoices when the Archangel Gabriel tells her that the Lord is with her; the fact that she does not hesitate, but sets out to help her elderly cousin Elizabeth who was about to give birth; and the fact that she is perseverant in her trust in God. And Pope Francis invited all Cubans to imitate her in her humbleness and in her trust in the Lord. They too - he said - must rejoice in authentic love and actions of charity; they too must set out with courage and trust in the Lord; they too must persevere in doing good to others and in putting God at the center of their lives, never surrendering before adversity and tirelessly helping those who are oppressed by suffering and problems. The Pope concluded his message entrusting the pastors, the religious communities and the faithful of Cuba to the maternal hands of Our Lady of Charity of Cobre so that they may continue in their commitment to evangelize and to create a society that is based on love.
Pope Francis: Jesus prays, chooses, is close to His people 2014-09-09 Vatican Radio Jesus is not a professor who speaks from the professor’s chair; rather, He goes among the people and lets them touch Him so that they can be healed. That was Pope Francis’ message at Mass this morning at Santa Marta. Commenting on the day’s Gospel, Pope Francis reflected on three moments in the life of Jesus. The first is prayer. Jesus “spent the night in prayer to God.” Jesus prays for us. “It seems a little strange,” the Pope said, “that He who came to give us salvation, who has the power, prays to the Father.” And He prayed often. “Jesus is the great intercessor”: “He stands before the Father in this moment, praying for us. And this should give us courage! Because in moments of difficulty or of need… [He] is praying: ‘But you are praying for me. Pray for me. Jesus, pray for me to the Father!’ It is His work today: praying for us, for His Church. We often forget this, that Jesus prays for us. This is our strength: to be able to say to the Father, ‘But if you, Father, will not consider us, consider your Son who prays for us.’ From the first moment Jesus prays: He prayed when He was on earth and He continues to pray now for each one of us, for the whole Church.” After praying, Jesus chooses the twelve Apostles. The Lord says clearly, “It was not you who chose Me; I chose you!” “This second moment,” the Pope said, “gives us courage: ‘I am chosen, I am chosen by the Lord! On the day of Baptism He chose me.’ And Paul, with this in mind, said: ‘He chose me, from my mother’s womb’.” So we Christians have been called: “These are things of love! Love does not consider whether someone has an ugly face or a beautiful face: it loves! And Jesus does the same: He loves and chooses with love. He chooses all. In His list, no one is ‘important’ – in inverted commas – according to the criteria of the world: it is the common people. But there is one thing, yes, one thing to emphasize about all of them: they are sinners. Jesus has chosen sinners. He chooses sinners. And this is the accusation made by the doctors of the law, the scribes: ‘This man goes to eat with sinners, he talks to prostitutes…’ Jesus calls everyone! Let us call to mind the parable of the wedding of the son. When those who were invited did not come, what did the master of the house do? The Gospel says he told his servants: ‘Go out and bring everyone to the house, good and bad.’ Jesus has chosen everyone.” Jesus, the Pope continued, even chose Judas Iscariot “who became the traitor… the greatest sinner toward Him. But he was chosen by Jesus.” Then there was the third moment: “Jesus near to the people.” They came in great multitudes “to hear Him and to be healed of their diseases… Everyone in the crowd sought to touch Him because power came forth from Him and healed them all.” Jesus is in the midst of His people: “He is not a professor, a teacher, a mystic who is far from the people and speaks from the professor’s chair [It: cattedra]. No! He is in the midst of the people, He lets them touch Him, He lets them ask of Him. That’s Jesus: close to the people. And this nearness is not something new for Him. He emphasizes it in His way of acting, but it is something that comes out of God’s first choice of His people. God says to His people, ‘Consider: What people has a God as close as I am to you?’ God’s closeness to His people is the closeness of Jesus amid the crowds.” “This is our Master, this is our Lord,” the Pope concluded. “One who prays, one who chooses the people, and one who is not ashamed to be close to the people. And this gives us confidence in Him. Let us trust in Him because He prays, because He has chosen us, and because He is close to us.”
Pope: Jesus wasn't afraid to be among the people http://www.romereports.com/pg158264-pope-jesus-wasn-t-afraid-to-be-among-the-people-en
Pope Francis explains why the Church is merciful http://www.romereports.com/pg158272-pope-francis-explains-why-the-church-is-merciful-en
Pope: Church teaches mercy by example, not by philosophies http://www.romereports.com/pg158276-pope-church-teaches-mercy-by-example-not-by-philosophies-en
Pope cites 3 lessons from Mary: Be joyful, help others, never give up (CNS/Paul Haring) By Carol Glatz Catholic News Service VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- When a mother has a birthday, children send their greetings and love, so make sure to do the same thing on the feast of the Nativity of Mary, Pope Francis said. The liturgical feast day Sept. 8 "would be her birthday. And what do you do when your mom has a birthday? You send her greetings and best wishes," the pope said, after praying the Angelus with people gathered in St. Peter's Square Sept. 7. The pope asked people to say "a Hail Mary from the heart" and to not forget to tell her "Happy Birthday!" Mary has three very important lessons for today's Christians, the pope said in a written message to Cuban bishops marking Sept. 8 as the feast of Our Lady of Charity of El Cobre, patroness of Cuba. He said Mary teaches people to experience the joy of Christ and share it with others; to never let adversity beat you down; and always help those in need with love and mercy, he said. The pope said people should imitate how Mary responded to God's call with her same joy, haste and perseverance, the pope said. "Every time I read sacred Scripture, in the verses that talk about Our Lady, three verbs catch my attention," the pope said. The three kinds of action -- be joyful, help without hesitation and persevere, should be "put into practice" by all Catholics, he added. Whoever discovers Jesus will be "filled with an inner joy so great that nothing and no one can take it away," he said. With Christ in their lives, people find the strength and hope "not to be sad and discouraged, thinking problems have no solution." For the second action, people should always rise "in haste," just like Mary, to help others in need, he said. "Victory is to those who repeatedly rise up, without getting discouraged. If we imitate Mary, we cannot sit with our arms crossed, just complaining or perhaps avoiding any effort so that others do what is our responsibility," he said. Making a difference and helping others does not have to be done on a grand scale, he said, but entails doing everyday things "with tenderness and mercy." "The third verb is to persevere," the pope said. Mary relied on God and his goodness for the strength and courage needed to stay by Christ's side no matter what and to encourage his disciples to do the same. "In this world in which long-lasting values are rejected and everything is changing, in which the disposable triumphs, in which it seems people are afraid of life's commitments, the Virgin encourages us to be men and women who are constant in their good works, who keep their word, who are always faithful," the pope said. Cuban bishops visited the Vatican in late August for the installation of their gift, a replica of the statue of Our Lady of Charity of El Cobre, which was placed in the Vatican Gardens.
Pope Francis to visit European Parliament in November 2014-09-11 Vatican Radio (Vatican Radio) Pope Francis will visit the European Parliament in Strasburg in November to address a session of the European Parliament. The announcement was made on Thursday morning by the director of the Vatican press office, Fr Federico Lombardi. Pope Francis was invited by the president of the European Parliament Martin Schulz during a visit to the Vatican on October 11th last year during an encounter which commemorated the visit of Pope John Paul II to the European Parliament in October 1988. Please see below the full text of the statement from the Holy See press office: I am able to confirm the communiqué issued this morning in Strasbourg by the President of the European Parliament, Martin Schulz, that Pope Francis has accepted the invitation to visit the European Parliament and to address its members during a solemn session. The visit will take place on 25 November
Pope at Mass: love your enemies 2014-09-11 Vatican Radio (Vatican Radio) Pope Francis celebrated Mass in the chapel of the Santa Marta residence at the Vatican on Thursday morning. In remarks to the gathered faithful following the readings of the day, the Holy Father focused on the Gospel command to love our enemies. The Gospel reading was from that according to St. Luke (6:27-38), in which the Lord tells his disciples, “[L]ove your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.” The Holy Father said that this is a model of Christian life – of unconditional love in action. “Do good,” he said, “lend without hoping to have back what you have lent – [act] without interest, and your reward will be great,” he said. Pope Francis also recognized that this new way of the Gospel is one by which it is often difficult to live: “‘But Father’ [one might say], ‘I don’t feel like behaving that way’. ‘Well’, [one might reply], ‘if you don’t feel like it, that’s your problem, but that’s the Christian way.” This is that way that Jesus teaches us. ‘And what can I hope?’ [one might ask]. Go on Jesus’ way, which is the way of mercy. Be merciful as your father is merciful. Only with a merciful heart can we do all that, which the Lord counsels us to do – all the way. The Christian life is not a navel-gazing [It. autoreferenziale] one. It is a life in which one gets out of oneself in order to give oneself to others. It is a gift, it is love – and love does not turn in on itself, it is not selfish, but self-giving.” The Lord asks us to be merciful. He asks us not to judge. Often, said Pope Francis, “It seems that we have been named judges of others: engaging in gossip, talking behind people’s backs, we judge everyone.” The Lord, however tells us not to judge, lest we be judged ourselves. “Do not condemn [others],” said Pope Francis, “and you will not be condemned.” The Lord asks us to forgive, that we might be forgiven. “We say it every day in the Our Father,” noted the Holy Father, “forgive us as we forgive others – and if I do not forgive, how can I ask the Father to forgive me?”: “This is the Christian life. ‘But Father, this is folly!’ one might say. ‘Yes’, one might answer, ‘it is’. We have heard in these days, though, St Paul, who said the same: the foolishness of the Cross of Christ, which has nothing to do with the wisdom of the world. ‘But Father, to be Christian is to become some sort of fool?’ [one might ask]. ‘Yes’, [I would say], ‘in a certain sense, yes. It means renouncing the cunning of the world in order to do everything that Jesus tells us to do and that, if we do the sums, if we balance the ledger, seems to be against us.” The Holy Father went on to explain that the way the Lord teaches us is the way of magnanimity, of generosity, of self-giving without measure. “It was for this,” he said, “that Jesus came into the world,” not to judge, not to engage in idle gossip, not to pass judgments, but to give and to forgive. “Being Christian isn’t easy,” said Pope Francis, adding that we can become Christians only by the grace of God, and not by our own strength: “Here then arises the problem that we all must face daily: ‘Lord, give me the grace to become a good Christian, because I cannot do it on my own’. This is something quite frightening at first glance – quite frightening, indeed. If, however, we take the Gospel and we read the 6th chapter of St. Luke – and reread it and reread it and reread it – and let us do so – and let us ask the Lord for the grace to understand what it is to be a Christian, to understand the grace He gives to us Christians, as well, because we cannot do it on our own.
Pope meets with group of albino children before General Audience 2014-09-11 http://www.romereports.com/pg158291...of-albino-children-before-general-audience-en
Pope Francis will travel to Strasbourg, to speak before the European Parliament 2014-09-11 http://www.romereports.com/pg158290...rg-to-speak-before-the-european-parliament-en
Pope to pray for the victims of all wars in military cemetery 2014-09-12 http://www.romereports.com/pg158294-pope-to-pray-for-the-victims-of-all-wars-in-military-cemetery-en
Pope Francis: Don't celebrate the mistakes of others http://www.romereports.com/pg158305-pope-francis-don-t-celebrate-the-mistakes-of-others-en
Pope Francis to travel to Turkey at the end of November http://www.romereports.com/pg158322-pope-francis-to-travel-to-turkey-at-the-end-of-november-en
Pope Francis: War is "madness" which brings destruction 2014-09-13 Vatican Radio (Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Saturday morning celebrated Mass at the Italian Military Memorial of Redipuglia. The visit to the area, which was the scene of fighting between Italy and the forces of the Central Powers during World War I, was to mark the centenary of the beginning of the war. The Mass was said for the fallen and victims of all wars. Here lie many victims. Today, we remember them,” said Pope Francis, during his homily. “There are tears, there is sadness. From this place we remember all the victims of every war.” During his remarks, Pope Francis called war “madness” and “irrational”, and said its only plan was to bring destruction. “Greed, intolerance, the lust for power…. These motives underlie the decision to go to war, and they are too often justified by an ideology; but first there is a distorted passion or impulse,” said the Pope. Below is the full text of the prepared homily of Pope Francis Visit of His Holiness Pope Francis to the Military Cemetery of Redipuglia (13 September 2014) After experiencing the beauty of travelling throughout this region, where men and women work and raise their families, where children play and the elderly dream… I now find myself here, in this place, able to say only one thing: War is madness. Whereas God carries forward the work of creation, and we men and women are called to participate in his work, war destroys. It also ruins the most beautiful work of his hands: human beings. War ruins everything, even the bonds between brothers. War is irrational; its only plan is to bring destruction: it seeks to grow by destroying. Greed, intolerance, the lust for power…. These motives underlie the decision to go to war, and they are too often justified by an ideology; but first there is a distorted passion or impulse. Ideology is presented as a justification and when there is no ideology, there is the response of Cain: “What does it matter to me? Am I my brother’s keeper?” (cf. Gen 4:9). War does not look directly at anyone, be they elderly, children, mothers, fathers…. “What does it matter to me?” Above the entrance to this cemetery, there hangs in the air those ironic words of war, “What does it matter to me?” Each one of the dead buried here had their own plans, their own dreams… but their lives were cut short. Humanity said, “What does it matter to me?” Even today, after the second failure of another world war, perhaps one can speak of a third war, one fought piecemeal, with crimes, massacres, destruction… In all honesty, the front page of newspapers ought to carry the headline, “What does it matter to me?” Cain would say, “Am I my brother’s keeper?” This attitude is the exact opposite of what Jesus asks of us in the Gospel. We have heard: he is in the least of his brothers; he, the King, the Judge of the world, he is the one who hungers, who thirsts, he is the stranger, the one who is sick, the prisoner… The one who cares for his brother or sister enters into the joy of the Lord; the one who does not do so, however, who by his omissions says, “What does it matter to me?”, remains excluded. Here lie many victims. Today, we remember them. There are tears, there is sadness. From this place we remember all the victims of every war. Today, too, the victims are many… How is this possible? It is so because in today’s world, behind the scenes, there are interests, geopolitical strategies, lust for money and power, and there is the manufacture and sale of arms, which seem to be so important! And these plotters of terrorism, these schemers of conflicts, just like arms dealers, have engraved in their hearts, “What does it matter to me?” It is the task of the wise to recognize errors, to feel pain, to repent, to beg for pardon and to cry. With this “What does it matter to me?” in their hearts, the merchants of war perhaps have made a great deal of money, but their corrupted hearts have lost the capacity to cry. That “What does it matter to me?” prevents the tears. Cain did not cry. The shadow of Cain hangs over us today in this cemetery. It is seen here. It is seen from 1914 right up to our own time. It is seen even in the present. With the heart of a son, a brother, a father, I ask each of you, indeed for all of us, to have a conversion of heart: to move on from “What does it matter to me?”, to tears: for each one of the fallen of this “senseless massacre”, for all the victims of the mindless wars, in every age. Humanity needs to weep, and this is the time to weep.
Pope Francis organizes prayer gathering for the success of Synod of Bishop on the Family http://www.romereports.com/pg158319...e-success-of-synod-of-bishop-on-the-family-en
Pope at Angelus: Why exalt the Cross? 2014-09-14 Vatican Radio (Vatican Radio) “Why do Christians exalt the Cross of Christ?” asked Pope Francis of pilgrims and tourists Sunday who had gathered beneath the window of his study for the midday Angelus. Because, he told them, that Cross on which Christ was nailed “is the source of the mercy of God that embraces the whole world”. It’s not just any cross, it is the source of our salvation. And today – on the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross – the Pope said we should pray for Christians who are being persecuted and killed because of their faith in Christ. “This happens especially there where religious freedom is still not guaranteed or fully realized. It happens, however, even in well-to-do countries which, in principle, protect freedom and human rights, but where in practice believers, and especially Christians, encounter restrictions and discrimination. So today we remember them and pray especially for them”. The Pope also warned against considering the cross a sign "magic": "The Holy Cross .... is not a sign of 'magic'! Belief in the Cross of Jesus involves following Him on his path. Thus Christians collaborate in His work of salvation by accepting together with Him sacrifice, suffering, even death for the love of God and neighbor". Below a Vatican Radio translation of the Holy Fathers reflections before the Angelus prayer: Dear brothers and sisters, On September 14th the Church celebrates the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. Some non-Christian person might ask: why "exalt" the Cross? We can say that we do not exalt just any cross any or all crosses: we exalt the Cross of Jesus, because God’s love for humanity was revealed most in it. That's what the Gospel of John reminds us in today's liturgy: "God so loved the world that He gave only begotten Son" (3:16). The Father has "given" the Son to save us, and this has resulted in the death of Jesus and His death on the Cross. Why? Why was the Cross necessary? Because of the gravity of the evil which kept us slaves. The Cross of Jesus expresses both things: all the negative forces of evil, and all of the gentle omnipotence God’s mercy. The Cross would appear to declare Christ’s failure, but in reality marks His victory. On Calvary, those who mocked him said, 'If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross "(cf. Mt 27,40). But it was the opposite that was true: it was because Jesus was the Son of God, that He was there, on the Cross, faithful to the end to the loving plan of the Father. And for this reason God has "exalted" Jesus (Philippians 2.9), conferring universal kingship on Him. So what do we see, when we look to the Cross where Jesus was nailed? We contemplate the sign of the infinite love of God for each of us and the source of our salvation. That Cross is the source of the mercy of God that embraces the whole world. Through the Cross of Christ the evil one is overcome death is defeated, we are gifted life, hope is restored. This is important: Through the Cross of Christ hope is restored. The Cross of Jesus is our only true hope! That is why the Church "exalts" the Holy Cross, which is why we Christians bless ourselves with the sign of the cross. That is, we don’t exalt crosses but THE glorious Cross of Christ, a sign of God’s love, our salvation and journey towards the resurrection. This is our hope. While we contemplate and celebrate the Holy Cross, we think emotionally of so many of our brothers and sisters who are being persecuted and killed because of their faith in Christ. This happens especially there where religious freedom is still not guaranteed or fully realized. It happens, however, even in well-to-do countries which, in principle, protect freedom and human rights, but where in practice believers, and especially Christians, encounter restrictions and discrimination. So today we remember them and pray especially for them. On Calvary, at the foot of the Cross, there was the Virgin Mary (cf. Jn 19,25-27). She is the Virgin of Sorrows, whom we celebrate tomorrow in the liturgy. To Her I entrust the present and the future of the Church, so that we all may always know how to discover and accept the message of love and salvation of the Cross of Christ. To Her I entrust in particular the newly wed couples whom I had the joy of joining in marriage this morning, in St. Peter's Basilica
Pope Francis: Homily for Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross 2014-09-14 Vatican Radio (Vatican Radio) Pope Francis marked the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross Sunday with Mass celebrated in St. Peter’s basilica during which he presided over the Sacrament of Marriage of twenty couples. Below please find the official text of the Holy Father’s homily: Today’s first reading speaks to us of the people’s journey through the desert. We can imagine them as they walked, led by Moses; they were families: fathers, mothers, sons and daughters, grandparents, men and women of all ages, accompanied by many children and those elderly who struggled to make the journey. This people reminds us of the Church as she makes her way across the desert of the contemporary world, the People of God composed, for the most part, of families. This makes us think of families, our families, walking along the paths of life with all their day to day experiences. It is impossible to quantify the strength and depth of humanity contained in a family: mutual help, educational support, relationships developing as family members mature, the sharing of joys and difficulties. Families are the first place in which we are formed as persons and, at the same time, the “bricks” for the building up of society. Let us return to the biblical story. At a certain point, “the people became impatient on the way” (Num 21:4). They are tired, water supplies are low and all they have for food is manna, which, although plentiful and sent by God, seems far too meagre in a time of crisis. And so they complain and protest against God and against Moses: “Why did you make us leave?...” (cf. Num. 21:5). They are tempted to turn back and abandon the journey. Here our thoughts turn to married couples who “become impatient on the way” of conjugal and family life. The hardship of the journey causes them to experience interior weariness; they lose the flavour of matrimony and they cease to draw water from the well of the Sacrament. Daily life becomes burdensome, even “nauseating”. During such moments of disorientation – the Bible says – the poisonous serpents come and bite the people, and many die. This causes the people to repent and to turn to Moses for forgiveness, asking him to beseech the Lord so that he will cast out the snakes. Moses prays to the Lord, and the Lord offers a remedy: a bronze serpent set on a pole; whoever looks at it will be saved from the deadly poison of the vipers. What is the meaning of this symbol? God does not destroy the serpents, but rather offers an “antidote”: by means of the bronze serpent fashioned by Moses, God transmits his healing strength, his mercy, which is more potent than the Tempter’s poison. As we have heard in the Gospel, Jesus identifies himself with this symbol: out of love the Father “has given” his only begotten Son so that men and women might have eternal life (cf. Jn 3:13-17). Such immense love of the Father spurs the Son to become man, to become a servant and to die for us upon a cross. Out of such love, the Father raises up his son, giving him dominion over the entire universe. This is expressed by Saint Paul in his hymn in the Letter to the Philippians (cf. 2:6-11). Whoever entrusts himself to Jesus crucified receives the mercy of God and finds healing from the deadly poison of sin. The cure which God offers the people applies also, in a particular way, to spouses who “have become impatient on the way” and who succumb to the dangerous temptation of discouragement, infidelity, weakness, abandonment… To them too, God the Father gives his Son Jesus, not to condemn them, but to save them: if they entrust themselves to him, he will bring them healing by the merciful love which pours forth from the Cross, with the strength of his grace that renews and sets married couples and families once again on the right path. The love of Christ, which has blessed and sanctified the union of husband and wife, is able to sustain their love and to renew it when, humanly speaking, it becomes lost, wounded or worn out. The love of Christ can restore to spouses the joy of journeying together. This is what marriage is all about: man and woman walking together, wherein the husband helps his wife to become ever more a woman, and wherein the woman has the task of helping her husband to become ever more a man. Here we see the reciprocity of differences. The path is not always a smooth one, free of disagreements, otherwise it would not be human. It is a demanding journey, at times difficult, and at times turbulent, but such is life! Marriage is a symbol of life, real life: it is not “fiction”! It is the Sacrament of the love of Christ and the Church, a love which finds its proof and guarantee in the Cross.
Pope Francis: Marriage is not fiction, Christ's love sustains couples 2014-09-15 Vatican Radio (Vatican Radio) To the simple strains of a harp, twenty grooms made their way up the central nave of St Peter’s Basilica with their mothers, followed by twenty brides dressed in white accompanied by their fathers. All of the couples were from the diocese of Rome and had come to be married, on the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, by the Pope himself. Listen to this report by Lydia O’Kane In his Homily, which preceded the Rite of Marriage, the Holy Father, taking his cue from the morning’s readings offered a real or non-fictional, as he called it, view of married life. He said, that in the first reading from the Book of Numbers, we can imagine families led by Moses journeying through the desert. Families he noted, “are the first place in which we are formed as persons and, at the same time, the “bricks” for the building up of society.” But just like in Sunday’s liturgy, families and indeed spouses, the Pope said, can become “impatient on their journey of conjugal and family life. “The hardship of the journey he added, causes them to” experience interior weariness; they lose the flavour of matrimony and they cease to draw water from the well of the Sacrament. Daily life becomes burdensome, even “nauseating”.” Pope Francis explained that the cure for those couples who have succumbed to the dangerous temptation of discouragement, infidelity, weakness, and abandonment, is the love of Christ. It is that love, the Holy Father stressed, “which has blessed and sanctified the union of husband and wife, and is able to sustain their love and to renew it when, humanly speaking, it becomes lost, wounded or worn out. The love of Christ, the Pope continued “can restore to spouses the joy of journeying together.” This is what marriage is all about, he said, “a man and woman walking together, wherein the husband helps his wife to become ever more a woman, and wherein the woman has the task of helping her husband to become ever more a man.” He also underlined that marriage is a demanding journey, it is not “fiction”! “ It is the Sacrament of the love of Christ and the Church, a love which finds its proof and guarantee in the Cross.” He concluded his Homily with some advice to the couples, reiterating that if a couple argues they should never end the day without making peace with each other. With the attention again focused on the twenty couples seated before the Pope, each bride and groom exchanged wedding vows . Then in what was an emotional moment for many of them, they exchanged rings taken from a cushion embossed with Pope Francis’ coat of arms. As the celebration concluded there was a round of applause for the newlyweds as they made their way out of the Basilica to the sounds of an organ fanfare. It was then on to the Vatican Gardens for those all-important photos from an unforgettable day in which they will be able to tell their children and grandchildren they were married by a Pope.
Pope at Santa Marta: Learning from Our Lady of Sorrows 2014-09-15 Vatican Radio (Vatican Radio) Pope Francis marked the Feast of Our Lady of Sorrows during Monday morning Mass at Casa Santa Marta, with a reflection on how Mary learned, obeyed and suffered at the foot of the Cross. The Holy Father said that in the liturgy of the day first we are shown the glorious Cross, then the meek and humble Mother. In the Letter to the Hebrews, "Paul emphasizes three strong words": he says that Jesus "learned, obeyed and suffered". "It’s the opposite of what had happened to our father Adam, who did not want to learn what the Lord commanded, who did not want to suffer, or obey." Instead, even though Jesus is God, He "is annihilated, He humbled Himself and became a servant. This is the glory of the Cross of Jesus": "Jesus came into the world to learn how to be a man, and by being a man, walk with men. He came into the world to obey, and He obeyed. But he learned this obedience from suffering. Adam left Paradise with a promise, a promise that lasted for so many centuries. Today, through this obedience, this self-abnegation, this humiliation, through Jesus, that promise becomes hope. And the people of God walk with sure hope. Even the Mother, 'the New Eve', as Paul himself calls her, in order to participate in her Son’s journey, learned, suffered and obeyed. And thus she becomes Mother”. The Gospel shows us Mary at the foot of the Cross. Jesus says to John, "Behold your mother." Mary - the Pope said - "is anointed Mother" "And this is our hope. We are not orphans, we have Mothers: Mother Mary. But the Church is Mother and the Mother Church is anointed when it takes the same path of Jesus and Mary: the path of obedience, the path of suffering, and when she has that attitude of continually learning the path of the Lord. These two women - Mary and the Church - carry on the hope that is Christ, they give us Christ, they bring forth Christ in us. Without Mary, there would be no Jesus Christ; without the Church, we cannot go forward". "Two women and two mothers" - continued the Pope Francis - and next to them our soul, which in the words of Isaac, the abbot of Stella, is "feminine" and is like "Mary and the Church". "Today, looking at this woman by the Cross, steadfast in following her Son in His suffering to learn obedience, looking at her we see the Church and look at our Mother. And also, we look at our little soul that will never be lost, if it continues to be a woman close to these two great women who accompany us in life: Mary and the Church. And just as our fathers left Paradise with a promise, today we can go forward with a hope: the hope that our Mother Mary, steadfast at the Cross, and our Holy Mother, the hierarchical Church, give us. "
Pope: Two women walk alongside every Christian: Mary and the Church http://www.romereports.com/pg158334...ngside-every-christian-mary-and-the-church-en
