· “When things become dark, more prayer is needed! And there will be more hope”. · This lesson from the Book of Jonah was offered by Pope Francis. Dear Brothers and Sisters, Good morning. In Sacred Scripture, among the prophets of Israel, a rather anomalous figure stands out, a prophet who attempts to avoid the Lord’s [...]
“To follow Jesus you have to take risks”, without fear of “appearing ridiculous”, and without trying to be “too polite”; and in this, “women are better than men”. During Mass on Friday, 13 January, in the Santa Marta chapel, Pope Francis renewed his invitation to the faithful not to “remain seated in life, looking on motionless”. [...]
· the General Audience the Pontiff begins a new series of reflections dedicated to hope and asks that no one be excluded from the recognition of human rights · “Hope is the virtue of the little ones”, because “the great ones ... do not know what it is”. Thus, Christian hope is the focal point of the [...]
In the face of today’s disasters, wars motivated by the worship of the god of money, the bombing of innocent people, a humanity which apparently does not desire peace, God weeps with the tears of a father and mother. In relation to this theme, Pope Francis issued a forceful call to conversion during Mass on Thursday [...]
« Do this in remembrance of me » (1 Cor 11 :24-25). Twice the Apostle Paul, writing to the community in Corinth, recalls this command of Jesus in his account of the institution of the Eucharist. It is the oldest testimony we have to the words of Christ at the Last Supper. “Do this”. That is, [...]
“To burn life away for noble causes”. This opportunity is offered to today’s youth who, immersed in a “culture of consumerism” and of “narcissism” are often dissatisfied and rarely happy. In the Mass celebrated at Santa Marta on Tuesday morning, 10 May, the Pope focused his reflection on the witness of missionaries — “the glory of [...]
God is true man and his human body is in heaven, and this is our hope Dear brothers and sisters, good morning. Today in Italy and in other parts of the world, there is the celebration of the Ascension of Jesus to heaven, which occurred 40 days after Easter. We contemplate the mystery of Jesus who [...]
The entrance to the Crypt of Original Sin in Matera Matera is a small town in southern Italy famous for two things: its astonishing rock churches (named a Unesco World Heritage Site in 1993) and its poverty. There is hardly an electric light or a wire in sight. The panorama, the hollow cave-rooms gaping [...]
At Casa Santa Marta, considers the Council of Jerusalem described in Acts There is always resistance to the surprises of the Spirit, but it’s the Spirit who continues to lead the Church forward. That was Pope Francis’ message at Mass today at the Santa Marta chapel as he reflected on the reading about division and resistance [...]
Ever since Pentecost the “protagonist of the Church” has been the Holy Spirit: it is he who “moves all things”, who helps us “to be strong in martyrdom” but also to “overcome the resistance” that can emerge within Christian community. During Mass at Santa Marta on Thursday morning, 28 April, Pope Francis recounted the history of [...]