“Praying and witnessing” are the “two tasks of bishops”, who are the “pillars of the Church”. But should they weaken it is the People of God who suffer. This is why, during Mass at Santa Marta on Friday morning, 22 January Pope Francis recommended persistent prayers for the successors of the Twelve Apostles. The Pontiff’s reflection [...]
On Thursday, 21 January, during Mass at Santa Marta, Pope Francis cautioned against envy, a sin that can lead one to kill. The first reading was taken from the First Book of Samuel (18:6-9, 19:1-7). It tells, the Pope noted, about “King Saul’s entrance into the city after the victory against the Philistines”, which was won [...]
A Christian who hides behind the notion that “this is how it’s always been done...” is committing a sin, becomes idolatrous and disobedient, and lives a “patched up, half and half life”, because his heart is closed to the “newness of the Holy Spirit”. The invitation to free oneself from “customs” in order to make room [...]
What are the features of the People of God? What should the Church be like? This was the theme of Pope Francis’ meditation for the Mass at Santa Marta on Tuesday, 15 December. In the day’s passage from the Gospel according to Matthew (21:28-32), Jesus states to the chief priests and elders: “Truly, I say to [...]
A father or a mother tells their child: “Do not be afraid, I am here” and pampers the child with caresses. This is the privileged condition of man: small, weak, but reassured, supported and forgiven by a God who is in love with him. At the beginning of the Jubilee, Pope Francis took the opportunity to [...]
In a seemingly “orphaned” world there is hope for a “contagious motherhood” that brings acceptance, tenderness and forgiveness. During Mass at Santa Marta on Tuesday, 15 September, the Feast of Our Lady of Sorrows, in the presence of the Council of Cardinals, Pope Francis reflected on the motherhood of Mary and of the Church which, without [...]
When contemplating Jesus on the cross, we ought not to look at those paintings that are far too beautiful and do not represent the harsh reality of the harrowing ordeal. Pope Francis used these words, as well as the image of an “ugly serpent” to make his meditation more dynamic and incisive. The cross and the [...]
“Everything is there in the ‘littleness’”. In the Mass at Santa Marta on Tuesday morning, 8 September, the Feast of the Nativity of Mary, Pope Francis focused on the manner of God, who acts in small ways but opens vast horizons for us. Referring to the text of the Collect recited moments before, which asked the [...]
Speaking against others is an act of terrorism, akin to dropping a bomb to destroy people and then clearing out to save yourself. Instead, in order to be holy, Christians must always bring “peace and reconciliation” and in order to avoid giving in to the temptation of gossip, they must also bit their tongue: it may [...]
The testimony of Job and Michelangelo's fresco of the Last Judgement in the Sistine Chapel are two icons that can restore our certainty in the personal encounter with the Lord. To each of us, the Pope offered the advice that Paul gives to the Christians of Thessalonia, to “comfort one another”, and in other words “to [...]