On the Christian path “there is no place for hatred”: if, as “children”, believers want to “resemble the Father”, they must not be confined to the “letter of the law”, but instead they must live the “commandment of love” each day. Being able “to pray for ones enemies”: that is the “last step” you must climb, [...]
There is a temptation that “divides and destroys the Church”: the “worldly thirst for power”, envy and the desire “to climb higher”. Pope Francis remarked on this temptation during Mass at Santa Marta on Tuesday morning, 17 May. This temptation, he explained, is a response to worldly thinking, while Jesus, on the other hand, speaks of [...]
Pope Francis focused on the Feast of Pentecost during his remarks before the Regina Coeli prayer on Sunday. The day’s liturgy, Pope Francis said, “invites us to open our minds and our hearts to the gift of the Holy Spirit . . . the first and principle gift that He has obtained with His Resurrection and [...]
“I will not leave you orphans” (Jn 14:18). The central purpose of Jesus' mission, which culminated in the gift of the Holy Spirit, was to renew our relationship with the Father, a relationship severed by sin, to take us from our state of being orphaned children and to restore us as his sons and daughters. The [...]
We should bite our tongue when tempted to speak ill of others, because a “gossip monger” is a Christian counter witness, and even causes divisions in the Church. Francis warned against this behaviour, which is unfortunately widespread in Church settings, during Mass at Santa Marta on Thursday morning, 12 May. “Lifting up his eyes to heaven, [...]
“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 [...]
There is a “twofold witness” in Christian life: that of the Spirit who “opens the heart”, showing us Jesus, and that of the person who “with the power of the Spirit” proclaims “that the Lord lives”, even at the cost of “paying the price” of persecution. Once again the Holy Spirit and his action in the [...]