tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1775312611235805222024-02-28T06:48:02.875-08:00Religious Superiors Association South SudanRSASShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03909970787103639680noreply@blogger.comBlogger76125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-177531261123580522.post-46822174044283002262019-03-24T00:26:00.000-07:002019-03-23T21:19:08.941-07:00Recollection at Good Shepherd Peace CenterRSASShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03909970787103639680noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-177531261123580522.post-43522500897672251212019-03-03T21:03:00.000-08:002019-03-03T22:04:13.673-08:00Award to sister in South Sudan.<div dir="auto"><div dir="auto">On March 7, 2019, Sr. Orla Treacy will be presented with a Women of Courage Award in Washington, D.C. Every year, the award recognises ten women from the around the world who have shown leadership, courage, resourcefulness, and willingness to sacrifice for others, especially in promoting women's rights. Sr. Orla was nominated for this award by the De La Salle Brothers through the US Embassy to the Holy See. </div><div dir="auto"><br></div><div dir="auto">The award acknowledges the work of Sr. Orla and the Loreto Sister's Mission in Rumbek, South Sudan, which was started with a girl's boarding school in 2006. Today, the mission has a thriving secondary school for more than 300 girls from all over the country, a local primary school for boys and girls, and a health care unit, with a focus on vulnerable women and children. There are 3 Loreto Sisters working in the mission – from Kenya, India and Ireland, who partner with many other missions in the area through the local Diocese of Rumbek, including the De La Salle Brothers.</div><div dir="auto"><br></div><div dir="auto">Sr. Orla is humbled to be receiving the award, noting, "This award belongs to the young women of South Sudan with whom I have the privilege of working. Our students embody all that is courageous – they are young women of vision, strength and hope. Young women who dream of a better country for themselves and their families, who are prepared to challenge old structures and work towards making South Sudan great. I am grateful to all who have made this possible. Our work in South Sudan is not possible without the ongoing support of our partners, our wider Loreto family, past pupils, students, staff and our local community in Rumbek. Our Church leaders, community leaders and local government leaders have all played a significant role in supporting our mission."</div><div dir="auto"><br></div><div dir="auto">For more information about Loreto Rumbek and the young women of courage that this mission supports, please visit <a href="http://www.loretorumbek.ie">www.loretorumbek.ie</a>.</div><div dir="auto"><br></div><div dir="auto"><br></div><div dir="auto"><br></div></div> RSASShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03909970787103639680noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-177531261123580522.post-19964960260558601642019-02-26T06:50:00.001-08:002019-02-26T06:50:32.784-08:00Pope's message for Lent 2019<div dir="auto"><div style="border:1px solid rgb(102,51,0);padding:20px;background-color:rgb(255,255,255);border-radius:10px;height:auto;margin:15px auto 30px;width:326.261px;color:rgb(102,51,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:16px" dir="auto"><div><div><p align="center"><font color="#663300" size="4"><b><i>MESSAGE OF HIS HOLINESS POPE FRANCIS <br>FOR LENT 2019</i></b></font></p><p> </p><p align="center"><font color="#663300"><b>"<i>For the creation waits with eager longing <br>for the revealing of the children of God</i>" (<i>Rm </i>8: 19)</b></font></p><p> </p><p><i>Dear Brothers and Sisters</i></p><p>Each year, through Mother Church, God "gives us this joyful season when we prepare to celebrate the paschal mystery with mind and heart renewed… as we recall the great events that gave us new life in Christ" (<i>Preface of Lent </i>I). We can thus journey from Easter to Easter towards the fulfilment of the salvation we have already received as a result of Christ's paschal mystery – "for in hope we were saved" (<i>Rom </i>8:24). This mystery of salvation, already at work in us during our earthly lives, is a dynamic process that also embraces history and all of creation. As Saint Paul says, "the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the children of God" (<i>Rom </i>8:19). In this perspective, I would like to offer a few reflections to accompany our journey of conversion this coming Lent.</p><p>1.<i> The redemption of creation</i></p><p>The celebration of the Paschal Triduum of Christ's passion, death and resurrection, the culmination of the liturgical year, calls us yearly to undertake a journey of preparation, in the knowledge that our being conformed to Christ (cf. <i>Rom </i>8:29) is a priceless gift of God's mercy.</p><p>When we live as children of God, redeemed, led by the Holy Spirit (cf. <i>Rom </i>8:14) and capable of acknowledging and obeying God's law, beginning with the law written on our hearts and in nature, <i>we also benefit creation </i>by cooperating in its redemption. That is why Saint Paul says that creation eagerly longs for the revelation of the children of God; in other words, that all those who enjoy the grace of Jesus' paschal mystery may experience its fulfilment in the redemption of the human body itself. When the love of Christ transfigures the lives of the saints in spirit, body and soul, they give praise to God. Through prayer, contemplation and art, they also include other creatures in that praise, as we see admirably expressed in the "Canticle of the Creatures" by Saint Francis of Assisi (cf. <i><a href="http://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/encyclicals/documents/papa-francesco_20150524_enciclica-laudato-si.html" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">Laudato Si'</a></i>, 87). Yet in this world, the harmony generated by redemption is constantly threatened by the negative power of sin and death.</p><p>2.<i> The destructive power of sin</i></p><p>Indeed, when we fail to live as children of God, we often behave in a destructive way towards our neighbours and other creatures – and ourselves as well – since we begin to think more or less consciously that we can use them as we will. Intemperance then takes the upper hand: we start to live a life that exceeds those limits imposed by our human condition and nature itself. We yield to those untrammelled desires that the Book of Wisdom sees as typical of the ungodly, those who act without thought for God or hope for the future (cf. 2:1-11). Unless we tend constantly towards Easter, towards the horizon of the Resurrection, the mentality expressed in the slogans <i>"I want it all and I want it now</i>!" and <i>"Too much is never enough"</i>, gains the upper hand.</p><p>The root of all evil, as we know, is sin, which from its first appearance has disrupted our communion with God, with others and with creation itself, to which we are linked in a particular way by our body. This rupture of communion with God likewise undermines our harmonious relationship with the environment in which we are called to live, so that the garden has become a wilderness (cf. <i>Gen </i>3:17-18). Sin leads man to consider himself the god of creation, to see himself as its absolute master and to use it, not for the purpose willed by the Creator but for his own interests, to the detriment of other creatures.</p><p>Once God's law, the law of love, is forsaken, then the law of the strong over the weak takes over. The sin that lurks in the human heart (cf. <i>Mk </i>7:20-23) takes the shape of greed and unbridled pursuit of comfort, lack of concern for the good of others and even of oneself. It leads to the exploitation of creation, both persons and the environment, due to that insatiable covetousness which sees every desire as a right and sooner or later destroys all those in its grip.</p><p>3.<i> The healing power of repentance and forgiveness</i></p><p>Creation urgently needs the revelation of the children of God, who have been made "a new creation". For "if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has passed away; behold, the new has come" (<i>2 Cor</i> 5:17). Indeed, by virtue of their being revealed, <i>creation itself can celebrate a Pasch</i>, opening itself to a new heaven and a new earth (cf. <i>Rev </i>21:1). The path to Easter demands that we renew our faces and hearts as Christians through repentance, conversion and forgiveness, so as to live fully the abundant grace of the paschal mystery.</p><p>This "eager longing", this expectation of all creation, will be fulfilled in the revelation of the children of God, that is, when Christians and all people enter decisively into the "travail" that conversion entails. All creation is called, with us, to go forth "from its bondage to decay and obtain the glorious liberty of the children of God" (<i>Rom </i>8:21). Lent is a sacramental sign of this conversion. It invites Christians to embody the paschal mystery more deeply and concretely in their personal, family and social lives, above all by fasting, prayer and almsgiving.</p><p><i>Fasting</i>, that is, learning to change our attitude towards others and all of creation, turning away from the temptation to "devour" everything to satisfy our voracity and being ready to suffer for love, which can fill the emptiness of our hearts. <i>Prayer</i>, which teaches us to abandon idolatry and the self-sufficiency of our ego, and to acknowledge our need of the Lord and his mercy. <i>Almsgiving</i>, whereby we escape from the insanity of hoarding everything for ourselves in the illusory belief that we can secure a future that does not belong to us. And thus to rediscover the joy of God's plan for creation and for each of us, which is to love him, our brothers and sisters, and the entire world, and to find in this love our true happiness.</p><p>Dear brothers and sisters, the "lenten" period of forty days spent by the Son of God in the <i>desert</i> of creation had the goal of making it once more that <i>garden</i>of communion with God that it was before original sin (cf. <i>Mk </i>1:12-13;<i> Is </i>51:3). May our Lent this year be a journey along that same path, bringing the hope of Christ also to creation, so that it may be "set free from its bondage to decay and obtain the glorious liberty of the children of God" (<i>Rom </i>8:21). Let us not allow this season of grace to pass in vain! Let us ask God to help us set out on a path of true conversion. Let us leave behind our selfishness and self-absorption, and turn to Jesus' Pasch. Let us stand beside our brothers and sisters in need, sharing our spiritual and material goods with them. In this way, by concretely welcoming Christ's victory over sin and death into our lives, we will also radiate its transforming power to all of creation.</p><p><i>From the Vatican, 4 October 2018<br>Feast of Saint Francis of Assisi</i></p><p> </p><p></p><p align="center"><b>Francis</b></p><div></div></div></div></div><div style="border-width:1px 0px;border-style:solid;background:rgb(249,249,249);color:rgb(102,51,0);font-weight:bold;border-color:rgb(253,245,216);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:10px!important" dir="auto"><h4 style="font-size:1em;min-height:1.1em;text-align:center;margin:0px 1em;padding:0.7em 0px;text-overflow:ellipsis;white-space:nowrap;outline:0px!important">© Copyright - Libreria Editrice Vaticana</h4></div></div> RSASShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03909970787103639680noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-177531261123580522.post-28910736081020895002019-02-14T22:52:00.001-08:002019-02-14T22:52:23.098-08:00Invitation to conference<div dir="auto"><span style="font-family:sans-serif;font-size:12.8px">Dear all,</span><br style="font-family:sans-serif;font-size:12.8px"><br style="font-family:sans-serif;font-size:12.8px"><span style="font-family:sans-serif;font-size:12.8px">The Institute for Justice and Peace Studies at the Catholic University</span><br style="font-family:sans-serif;font-size:12.8px"><span style="font-family:sans-serif;font-size:12.8px">of South Sudan warmly invites you to a public lecture we are</span><br style="font-family:sans-serif;font-size:12.8px"><span style="font-family:sans-serif;font-size:12.8px">co-organising with the Dutch Embassy in South Sudan under the theme</span><br style="font-family:sans-serif;font-size:12.8px"><span style="font-family:sans-serif;font-size:12.8px">'Bishop Paride Taban: Lessons from a Lifetime of Peacemaking.'</span><br style="font-family:sans-serif;font-size:12.8px"><br style="font-family:sans-serif;font-size:12.8px"><span style="font-family:sans-serif;font-size:12.8px">The theme of the lecture reflects a lifelong dedication by Bishop</span><br style="font-family:sans-serif;font-size:12.8px"><span style="font-family:sans-serif;font-size:12.8px">Paride Taban to local peacebuilding and marks the awarding of the Four</span><br style="font-family:sans-serif;font-size:12.8px"><span style="font-family:sans-serif;font-size:12.8px">Freedom's Freedom of Worship Award to Emeritus Bishop Paride Taban in</span><br style="font-family:sans-serif;font-size:12.8px"><span style="font-family:sans-serif;font-size:12.8px">May 2018 in Middelburg, the Netherlands by the Roosevelt Foundation.</span><br style="font-family:sans-serif;font-size:12.8px"><span style="font-family:sans-serif;font-size:12.8px">The public lecture aims to deepen understanding of and draw lessons</span><br style="font-family:sans-serif;font-size:12.8px"><span style="font-family:sans-serif;font-size:12.8px">from a lifetime of peace work and inspire future generations of</span><br style="font-family:sans-serif;font-size:12.8px"><span style="font-family:sans-serif;font-size:12.8px">peacebuilders and educators.</span><br style="font-family:sans-serif;font-size:12.8px"><br style="font-family:sans-serif;font-size:12.8px"><span style="font-family:sans-serif;font-size:12.8px">Date: 21 February 2019</span><br style="font-family:sans-serif;font-size:12.8px"><span style="font-family:sans-serif;font-size:12.8px">Time: 11.45 am to 15.00 pm</span><br style="font-family:sans-serif;font-size:12.8px"><span style="font-family:sans-serif;font-size:12.8px">Venue: Catholic University of South Sudan, Juba Campus, Juba Na'Bari/Thongpiny</span><br style="font-family:sans-serif;font-size:12.8px"><br style="font-family:sans-serif;font-size:12.8px"><span style="font-family:sans-serif;font-size:12.8px">We are very pleased to announce that Bishop Paride Taban will be</span><br style="font-family:sans-serif;font-size:12.8px"><span style="font-family:sans-serif;font-size:12.8px">present with us.</span><br style="font-family:sans-serif;font-size:12.8px"><br style="font-family:sans-serif;font-size:12.8px"><span style="font-family:sans-serif;font-size:12.8px">The lecture is open to the public and will be held at our Juba Campus,</span><br style="font-family:sans-serif;font-size:12.8px"><span style="font-family:sans-serif;font-size:12.8px">down Kololo Road in Juba Na'Bari/Thongpiny. For more information,</span><br style="font-family:sans-serif;font-size:12.8px"><span style="font-family:sans-serif;font-size:12.8px">please contact </span><a href="mailto:iarco.cuofss@gmail.com" style="text-decoration-line:none;color:rgb(66,133,244);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:12.8px">iarco.cuofss@gmail.com</a><span style="font-family:sans-serif;font-size:12.8px"> or go to</span><br style="font-family:sans-serif;font-size:12.8px"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/IJPS.CUofSS" style="text-decoration-line:none;color:rgb(66,133,244);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:12.8px">https://www.facebook.com/IJPS.CUofSS</a><span style="font-family:sans-serif;font-size:12.8px">.</span><br style="font-family:sans-serif;font-size:12.8px"><br style="font-family:sans-serif;font-size:12.8px"><span style="font-family:sans-serif;font-size:12.8px">We look forward to your participation.</span><br style="font-family:sans-serif;font-size:12.8px"><br style="font-family:sans-serif;font-size:12.8px"><span style="font-family:sans-serif;font-size:12.8px">We would be glad if you can share this email with your wider network.</span><br style="font-family:sans-serif;font-size:12.8px"><br style="font-family:sans-serif;font-size:12.8px"><span style="font-family:sans-serif;font-size:12.8px">END</span></div> RSASShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03909970787103639680noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-177531261123580522.post-299947702984418262019-01-23T05:05:00.000-08:002019-01-23T02:08:57.205-08:00To all the Sisters in South Sudan<div>To All Congregations Leaders of Religious Sisters In South Sudan</div><div><br></div><div>Greetings and blessings of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all . I am happy indeed to write to you after our meeting last year at Good Shepherd Peace Center Kit during the RSASS Assembly. based on the presentation about ASEC last year , I am hereby announcing to you all that the recruitment for the Sisters is on going , I am kindly asking you</div><div>to send the names of your Sisters to ASEC office at Sacred Heart or by <a href="mailto:e-mail%3Averonica.othow@asec-sldi.org">e-mail:veronica.othow@asec-sldi.org</a> .</div><div>The number<strong> of Sisters </strong> <strong>is <u>Not</u> limited </strong>so you can send from Five onward .....this training is a capacity building for the Sisters at all levels.</div><div><strong>please take not of this :</strong></div><div>1 - The training will last for one Month ( 4weeks )</div><div>2- Technology Cohort 1 will take place in <strong>May 2019</strong></div><div>3-Technology Cohort 2 will take place in <strong>August 2019</strong></div><div>4- Feeding and Board is the <strong>responsibility of ASEC</strong></div><div>5- Transportation of Sisters is the <strong>responsibility of Congregations</strong></div><div>I am looking forward for your positive answer .</div><div>Thank you</div><div>Sr.Veronica Daniel Othow</div><div>ASEC Country Director South Sudan</div><div>+211925364132</div><div>+211912673834</div>RSASShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03909970787103639680noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-177531261123580522.post-40950382928253060622019-01-22T01:23:00.001-08:002019-01-22T01:23:40.082-08:002nd of February - Feast of Consecrated lifeDear brothers and sisters,
<br>
<br>It is now a tradition that for the 2nd of February, on the day of the
<br>Consecrated life, we meet for a simple gathering.
<br>
<br>This year RSASS excecutive body is inviting all the Religious present
<br>in Juba to come to the Good Shepherd Peace Center - Kit - for a
<br>morning together.
<br>
<br>The program is as follow
<br>
<br>09.00 am Arrivals
<br>09.30 am Conference by fr. John Puodzuna, the general bursar of the
<br>Order of the
<br> Friars Minor, on "the use of money and goods in
<br>religious life"
<br>10.30 am coffee break
<br>11.00 am greetings from Rev. Fr. Mark Kadima, the pro nuntio to all
<br>the religious and a word
<br> from fr. Nicolas.
<br>11.45 am Holy Mass presided by Rev. Fr. Mark Kadima
<br>
<br>12.30 pm Lunch
<br>
<br>After lunch departures.
<br>
<br>Please confirm via email your presence so that we can better organize the day!
<br>
<br>May God bless you all
<br>
<br>fr. Federico
<br>RSASS Chairperson
<br>
<br>
<br>--
<br>___________________________
<br><a href="http://www.rsasouthsudan.blogspot.com">www.rsasouthsudan.blogspot.com</a>RSASShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03909970787103639680noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-177531261123580522.post-46991908001082400062018-10-30T23:50:00.000-07:002018-10-30T21:39:39.123-07:00Bishop Paride Taban's speech for Peace Day CelebrationRSASShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03909970787103639680noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-177531261123580522.post-65125432952723818282018-08-30T20:12:00.001-07:002018-08-30T20:12:21.682-07:00World day of prayer for care of creation <header class="entry-header" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><h1 class="entry-title" itemprop="headline" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 40px 0px 20px; line-height: 44px; padding: 0px;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><font size="3"><i>Pope Reminds September 1 Marks 4th World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation </i></font></span></h1><div class="single-entry-excerpt" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 30px;"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; line-height: 30px;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Pope Calls for Water to Be Protected & Made Available to All</span></p></div></header><div class="entry-content" itemprop="text" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Toward the conclusion of yesterday's General Audience on August 29, 2018, Pope Francis recalled that Saturday September 1, marks the World Day of Care for Creation.</span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">The Pope was giving his final remarks to Italian-speaking pilgrims, after having he reflected in his catechesis on his Aug. 25-26 Apostolic Trip to Ireland, for the occasion of the 9th World Meeting of Families.</span></p><div class="notizia" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><div class="notizie bullnews" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><div style="box-sizing: border-box;"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Francis remembered this will be the fourth World Day of Prayer for the care of creation, noting it is being celebrated "in union with our Orthodox brothers and sisters and with the adhesion of other Churches and Christian communities."</span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">"In this year's message," he underscored, "I wish to draw attention to the issue of water, the primary good to be protected and made available to all."</span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Saying he is grateful for the various initiatives of the particular Churches, Institutes of consecrated life and ecclesial aggregations, the Pope concluded saying: "I invite you all to join in prayer on Saturday, for our common home, for the care of our common home."</span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">The Season of Creation is observed from September 1 to October 4, 2018, around the world and is linked to the Eastern and the Western traditions of Christianity. September 1 was proclaimed as a day of prayer for the environment by the late Ecumenical Patriarch Dimitrios I in 1989. In 2015, Pope Francis established for the Catholics the celebration of the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation on the September 1.</span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">"As the environmental crises deepen and its consequences for the most vulnerable of our brother and sisters in humanity progressively appear, Christians are called to witness, in word, in action and in prayer, their faith in God as Creator," said Rev. Kreiger. "The "Season of Creation is for the Christian family, beyond all denominations, an opportunity to celebrate together God as Creator, to express our common gratitude for the gift of all life, to bring to God our sorrow for the defacing overuse of our environment and natural resources, to become aware of our responsibility toward all humans and toward creation, and to commit ourselves to action. To deepen our relationship with God, we have to deepen our relationship to each other and to all creation."</span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">"Environmental ecology demands an integral ecology, that is to say, a human ecology, too, respect for the dignity of every human being, of life and all that stems from that, life from its beginning at conception right up to natural death – yes all are part of this commitment to integral ecology," said Cardinal Bagnasco. "On this point, all Christians – and therefore the Assisi meeting is particularly expressive and significant – find themselves in the light of the same faith and the same responsibility. Together, naturally, with all people of goodwill throughout the world, because to speak and look with love and to care for the human person, peoples, nations within a universal context, appropriate ecology is certainly part of the universal responsibility of the whole of humanity.</span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></p></div></div></div></div><div></div>RSASShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03909970787103639680noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-177531261123580522.post-59271942380370678172018-08-30T20:07:00.001-07:002018-08-30T20:07:39.981-07:00Missionary work is first of all praying, says the pope <header class="entry-header" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><h1 class="entry-title" itemprop="headline" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 40px 0px 20px; line-height: 44px; padding: 0px;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><font size="3">"First Missionary Work" is Praying, Tweets Pope Francis </font></span></h1><div class="single-entry-excerpt" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 30px;"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; line-height: 30px;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">And the Duty of Every Christian</span></p></div><div class="entry-meta" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: -15px 0px 20px; padding: 0px 0px 7px; line-height: 24px; overflow: hidden; background-image: none;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span class="date" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;">AUGUST 30, 2018</span></span></div></header><div class="entry-content" itemprop="text" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">In a Tweet published on his Pontifex account on Wednesday, August 29, 2018, Pope Francis reminded the importance of praying, which is "the first missionary work" of every Christian, he said.</span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">In fact, the Pontiff wrote: "To pray is the first missionary work of every Christian. It is also the most effective."</span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">This statement of the Pope was taken from his video-message sent on the occasion of the opening of the General Assembly of the Pontifical Missionary Works on May 28 in Rome.</span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">In the message, the Holy Father stressed that "prayer is the first missionary work — the first — that every Christian can and must accomplish and it's also most effective, even if this effectiveness can't be measured."</span></p></div><div></div>RSASShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03909970787103639680noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-177531261123580522.post-78270885080848501942018-08-28T11:54:00.000-07:002018-08-28T09:49:10.604-07:00COME A PART AND REST A WHILE<span style="font-size: 23px;">Dear brothers and sisters,</span><div><span style="font-size: 23px;"><br></span></div><div><span style="font-size: 23px;">I'm happy to present to you all: </span></div><div><span style="font-size: 23px;"><br></span></div><div><br></div><div style="text-align: center;"><font size="5" color="#e32400">RETREAT FOR HEALING THROUGH LUKE'S GOSPEL</font></div><div style="text-align: center;"><font size="5" color="#e32400">exercise art</font></div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div>WHEN?<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>From Sunday the 14th of October</div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span> to</div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>Saturday the 20th of October</div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div>DIRECTORS:<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>sr. Barbara Paleczny, SSND</div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>sr. Annette St-Amour, IHM</div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>fr. Joe Walsh, OFM</div><div><br></div><div>WHERE:<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>Good Shepherd Peace Center, Kit</div><div><br></div><div>REGISTRATION:<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>091884495 by the 2nd of October 2018 or <a href="mailto:goodshepherdpeacess@gmail.com">goodshepherdpeacess@gmail.com</a></div><div><br></div><div>FEE:<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>100 USD<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span></div>RSASShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03909970787103639680noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-177531261123580522.post-81954256012303109372018-08-28T06:23:00.000-07:002018-08-28T08:31:05.916-07:00Retreat And trauma healingRSASShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03909970787103639680noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-177531261123580522.post-46832413113695100292018-06-27T16:57:00.000-07:002018-06-27T16:58:17.778-07:00October 2018 - A retreat for healing and wholeness through Luke’s GospelRSASShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03909970787103639680noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-177531261123580522.post-60659575153600385162018-05-20T22:45:00.000-07:002018-05-20T20:41:51.510-07:00Pope's message on 2018 World Mission Day<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:DocumentProperties> <o:Revision>0</o:Revision> <o:TotalTime>0</o:TotalTime> <o:Pages>1</o:Pages> <o:Words>1489</o:Words> <o:Characters>8491</o:Characters> <o:Company>OFM</o:Company> <o:Lines>70</o:Lines> <o:Paragraphs>19</o:Paragraphs> <o:CharactersWithSpaces>9961</o:CharactersWithSpaces> <o:Version>14.0</o:Version> </o:DocumentProperties> <o:OfficeDocumentSettings> <o:AllowPNG/> </o:OfficeDocumentSettings> </xml><![endif]--> <!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:TrackMoves/> <w:TrackFormatting/> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> 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mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:14.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:12.0pt; font-family:Times;mso-bidi-font-family:Times;color:#1184B0">Pope's Message for World Mission Sunday 2018<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center;mso-pagination:none; mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:14.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:12.0pt; font-family:Times;mso-bidi-font-family:Times;color:#6E6C69">"Together with young people, let us bring the Gospel to all"<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;text-justify:inter-ideograph; mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family:Times;mso-bidi-font-family:Times;color:#535353"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;text-justify:inter-ideograph; mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family:Times;mso-bidi-font-family:Times;color:#535353">Pope Francis on May 19, 2018, released his message for World Mission Sunday 2018, to be held October 21, 2018. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;text-justify:inter-ideograph; mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family:Times;mso-bidi-font-family:Times;color:#535353">The theme:<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;text-justify:inter-ideograph; mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family:Times;mso-bidi-font-family:Times;color:#535353"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;text-justify:inter-ideograph; mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Times;mso-bidi-font-family:Times; color:#535353">"Together with young people, let us bring the Gospel to all".<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;text-justify:inter-ideograph; mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family:Times;mso-bidi-font-family:Times;color:#535353"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;text-justify:inter-ideograph; mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family:Times;mso-bidi-font-family:Times;color:#535353">"What leads me to speak to everyone through this conversation with you is the certainty that the Christian faith remains ever young when it is open to the mission that Christ entrusts to us," the Pope said in directing his message to young people. "The Synod to be held in Rome this coming October, the month of the missions, offers us an opportunity to understand more fully, in the light of faith, what the Lord Jesus wants to say to you young people, and, through you, to all Christian communities."<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;text-justify:inter-ideograph; mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family:Times;mso-bidi-font-family:Times;color:#535353">In his message, the Holy Father stressed that each person has a mission in life and the Church proclaims Christ's message and shares with young people "the way and truth which give meaning to our life on this earth."<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;text-justify:inter-ideograph; mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family:Times;mso-bidi-font-family:Times;color:#535353">"This transmission of the faith, the heart of the Church's mission, comes about by the infectiousness of love, where joy and enthusiasm become the expression of a newfound meaning and fulfillment in life," the Pope continued. "The Pontifical Mission Societies were born of young hearts as a means of supporting the preaching of the Gospel to every nation and thus contributing to the human and cultural growth of all those who thirst for knowledge of the truth."<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;text-justify:inter-ideograph; mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family:Times;mso-bidi-font-family:Times;color:#535353">World Mission Sunday raises funds for more than 1,000 mission projects around the world. It was established by Pope Pius XI in 1926 as a day of prayer for missions.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;text-justify:inter-ideograph; mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><u><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family:Times; mso-bidi-font-family:Times;color:#535353">Message of the Holy Father</span></u><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family:Times;mso-bidi-font-family:Times;color:#535353"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;text-justify:inter-ideograph; mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family:Times;mso-bidi-font-family:Times;color:#535353">Together with young people, let us bring the Gospel to all</span></i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family:Times;mso-bidi-font-family:Times;color:#535353"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;text-justify:inter-ideograph; mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family:Times;mso-bidi-font-family:Times;color:#535353">Dear young people, I would like to reflect with you on the mission that we have received from Christ. In speaking to you, I also address all Christians who live out in the Church the adventure of their life as children of God. What leads me to speak to everyone through this conversation with you is the certainty that the Christian faith remains ever young when it is open to the mission that Christ entrusts to us. "Mission revitalizes faith" (<i>Redemptoris Missio</i>, 2), in the words of Saint John Paul II, a Pope who showed such great love and concern for young people.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;text-justify:inter-ideograph; mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family:Times;mso-bidi-font-family:Times;color:#535353">The Synod to be held in Rome this coming October, the month of the missions, offers us an opportunity to understand more fully, in the light of faith, what the Lord Jesus wants to say to you young people, and, through you, to all Christian communities.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;text-justify:inter-ideograph; mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family:Times;mso-bidi-font-family:Times;color:#535353">Life is a mission</span></i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family:Times;mso-bidi-font-family: Times;color:#535353"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;text-justify:inter-ideograph; mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family:Times;mso-bidi-font-family:Times;color:#535353">Every man and woman <i>is</i> a mission; that is the reason for our life on this earth. To be <i>attracted</i> and to be <i>sent</i> are two movements that our hearts, especially when we are young, feel as interior forces of love; they hold out promise for our future and they give direction to our lives. More than anyone else, young people feel the power of life breaking in upon us and attracting us. To live out joyfully our responsibility for the world is a great challenge. I am well aware of lights and shadows of youth; when I think back to my youth and my family, I remember the strength of my hope for a better future. The fact that we are not in this world by our own choice makes us sense that there is an initiative that precedes us and makes us exist. Each one of us is called to reflect on this fact: "I <i>am a mission</i> on this Earth; that is the reason why I am here in this world" (<i>Evangelii Gaudium</i>, 273).<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;text-justify:inter-ideograph; mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family:Times;mso-bidi-font-family:Times;color:#535353">We proclaim Jesus Christ</span></i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family:Times; mso-bidi-font-family:Times;color:#535353"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;text-justify:inter-ideograph; mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family:Times;mso-bidi-font-family:Times;color:#535353">The Church, by proclaiming what she freely received (cf. <i>Mt </i>10:8; <i>Acts </i>3:6), can share with you young people the way and truth which give meaning to our life on this earth. Jesus Christ, Who died and rose for us, appeals to our freedom and challenges us to seek, discover and proclaim this message of truth and fulfillment. Dear young people, do not be afraid of Christ and His Church! For there we find the treasure that fills life with joy. I can tell you this from my own experience: thanks to faith, I found the sure foundation of my dreams and the strength to realize them. I have seen great suffering and poverty mar the faces of so many of our brothers and sisters. And yet, for those who stand by Jesus, evil is an incentive to ever greater love. Many men and women and many young people have generously sacrificed themselves, even at times to martyrdom, out of love for the Gospel and service to their brothers and sisters. From the cross of Jesus, we learn the divine logic of self-sacrifice (cf. <i>1 Cor </i>1:17-25) as a proclamation of the Gospel for the life of the world (cf. <i>Jn </i>3:16). To be set afire by the love of Christ is to be consumed by that fire, to grow in understanding by its light and to be warmed by its love (cf. <i>2 Cor</i> 5:14). At the school of the saints, who open us to the vast horizons of God, I invite you never to stop wondering: "What would Christ do if He were in my place?"<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;text-justify:inter-ideograph; mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family:Times;mso-bidi-font-family:Times;color:#535353">Transmitting the faith to the ends of the earth</span></i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Times;mso-bidi-font-family:Times;color:#535353"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;text-justify:inter-ideograph; mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family:Times;mso-bidi-font-family:Times;color:#535353">You too, young friends, by your baptism have become living members of the Church; together we have received the mission to bring the Gospel to everyone. You are at the threshold of life. To grow in the grace of the faith bestowed on us by the Church's sacraments plunges us into that great stream of witnesses who, generation after generation, enable the wisdom and experience of older persons to become testimony and encouragement for those looking to the future. And the freshness and enthusiasm of the young make them a source of support and hope for those nearing the end of their journey. In this blend of different stages in life, the mission of the Church bridges the generations; our faith in God and our love of neighbor are a source of profound unity.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;text-justify:inter-ideograph; mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family:Times;mso-bidi-font-family:Times;color:#535353">This transmission of the faith, the heart of the Church's mission, comes about by the infectiousness of love, where joy and enthusiasm become the expression of a newfound meaning and fulfillment in life. The spread of the faith "by attraction" calls for hearts that are open and expanded by love. It is not possible to place limits on love, for love is strong as death (cf. <i>Song </i>8:6). And that expansion generates encounter, witness, proclamation; it generates sharing in charity with all those far from the faith, indifferent to it and perhaps even hostile and opposed to it. Human, cultural and religious settings still foreign to the Gospel of Jesus and to the sacramental presence of the Church represent the extreme peripheries, the "ends of the earth", to which, ever since the first Easter, Jesus' missionary disciples have been sent, with the certainty that their Lord is always with them (cf. <i>Mt </i>28:20; <i>Acts </i>1:8). This is what we call the <i>missio ad gentes</i>. The most desolate periphery of all is where mankind, in need of Christ, remains indifferent to the faith or shows hatred for the fullness of life in God. All material and spiritual poverty, every form of discrimination against our brothers and sisters, is always a consequence of the rejection of God and His love.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;text-justify:inter-ideograph; mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family:Times;mso-bidi-font-family:Times;color:#535353">The ends of the earth, dear young people, nowadays are quite relative and always easily "navigable". The digital world – the social networks that are so pervasive and readily available – dissolves borders, eliminates distances and reduces differences. Everything appears within reach, so close and immediate. And yet lacking the sincere gift of our lives, we could well have countless contacts but never share in a true communion of life. To share in the mission to the ends of the earth demands the gift of oneself in the vocation that God, Who has placed us on this earth, chooses to give us (cf. <i>Lk </i>9:23-25). I dare say that, for a young man or woman who wants to follow Christ, what is most essential is to seek, to discover and to persevere in his or her vocation.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;text-justify:inter-ideograph; mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family:Times;mso-bidi-font-family:Times;color:#535353">Bearing witness to love</span></i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family:Times;mso-bidi-font-family: Times;color:#535353"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;text-justify:inter-ideograph; mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family:Times;mso-bidi-font-family:Times;color:#535353">I am grateful to all those ecclesial groups that make it possible for you to have a personal encounter with Christ living in His Church: parishes, associations, movements, religious communities, and the varied expressions of missionary service. How many young people find in missionary volunteer work a way of serving the "least" of our brothers and sisters (cf. <i>Mt </i>25:40), promoting human dignity and witnessing to the joy of love and of being Christians! These ecclesial experiences educate and train young people not only for professional success but also for developing and fostering their God-given gifts in order better to serve others. These praiseworthy forms of temporary missionary service are a fruitful beginning and, through vocational discernment, they can help you to decide to make a complete gift of yourselves as missionaries.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;text-justify:inter-ideograph; mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family:Times;mso-bidi-font-family:Times;color:#535353">The Pontifical Mission Societies were born of young hearts as a means of supporting the preaching of the Gospel to every nation and thus contributing to the human and cultural growth of all those who thirst for knowledge of the truth. The prayers and the material aid generously given and distributed through the Pontifical Mission Societies enable the Holy See to ensure that those who are helped in their personal needs can in turn bear witness to the Gospel in the circumstances of their daily lives. No one is so poor as to be unable to give what they have, but first and foremost what they are. Let me repeat the words of encouragement that I addressed to the young people of Chile: "Never think that you have nothing to offer, or that nobody needs you. Many people need you. Think about it! Each of you, think in your heart: many people need me" (<i>Meeting with Young People</i>, Maipu Shrine, 17 January 2018).<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;text-justify:inter-ideograph"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family:Times;mso-bidi-font-family:Times;color:#535353">Dear young people, this coming October, the month of the missions, we will hold the Synod devoted to you. It will prove to be one more occasion to help us become missionary disciples, ever more passionately devoted to Jesus and His mission, to the ends of the earth. I ask Mary, Queen of the Apostles, Saint Francis Xavier, Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus and Blessed Paolo Manna to intercede for all of us and to accompany us always.</span><span lang="EN-US"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <!--EndFragment-->RSASShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03909970787103639680noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-177531261123580522.post-55679661265036271362018-05-20T22:43:00.000-07:002018-05-20T20:39:48.279-07:00Pope Francis Homily on Pentecost Sunday<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:DocumentProperties> <o:Revision>0</o:Revision> <o:TotalTime>0</o:TotalTime> <o:Pages>1</o:Pages> <o:Words>1140</o:Words> <o:Characters>6501</o:Characters> <o:Company>OFM</o:Company> <o:Lines>54</o:Lines> <o:Paragraphs>15</o:Paragraphs> <o:CharactersWithSpaces>7626</o:CharactersWithSpaces> <o:Version>14.0</o:Version> </o:DocumentProperties> <o:OfficeDocumentSettings> <o:AllowPNG/> </o:OfficeDocumentSettings> </xml><![endif]--> <!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> 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mso-ansi-language:EN-US;} </style> <![endif]--> <!--StartFragment--><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;text-justify:inter-ideograph; mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:14.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Times; mso-bidi-font-family:Times;color:#1184B0">Holy Father's Homily on Pentecost<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;text-justify:inter-ideograph; mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family:Times;mso-bidi-font-family:Times;color:#6E6C69">'You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses.'</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:14.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;font-family:Times;mso-bidi-font-family:Times;color:#1184B0"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;text-justify:inter-ideograph; mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family:Times;mso-bidi-font-family:Times;color:#1184B0">MAY 20, 2018 <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;text-justify:inter-ideograph; mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family:Times;mso-bidi-font-family:Times;color:#535353"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;text-justify:inter-ideograph; mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family:Times;mso-bidi-font-family:Times;color:#535353"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;text-justify:inter-ideograph; mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family:Times; mso-bidi-font-family:Times;color:#535353">Following is the Homily Pope Francis delivered May 20, 2018, at Mass on Pentecost in St. Peter's Basilica.<o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;text-justify:inter-ideograph; mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family:Times;mso-bidi-font-family:Times;color:#535353"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;text-justify:inter-ideograph; mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family:Times;mso-bidi-font-family:Times;color:#535353">In the first reading of today's Liturgy, the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost is compared to "the rush of a violent wind" (<i>Acts</i>2:2). What does this image tell us? It makes us think of a powerful force that is not an end in itself, but effects change. Wind, in fact, brings change: warmth when it is cold, cool when it is hot, rain when the land is parched… this is why it brings change. The Holy Spirit, on a very different level, does the same. He is<i> the divine force that changes the world</i>. The Sequence reminded us of this: the Spirit is "in toil, comfort sweet; solace in the midst of woe". And so we beseech him: "Heal our wounds, our strength renew; on our dryness pour your dew; wash the stains of guilt away". The Spirit enters into situations and transforms them. He changes hearts and he changes <i>situations</i>.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;text-justify:inter-ideograph; mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family:Times;mso-bidi-font-family:Times;color:#535353">The Holy Spirit changes hearts</span></i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family:Times; mso-bidi-font-family:Times;color:#535353">. Jesus had told his disciples: "You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses" (<i>Acts</i> 1:8). That is exactly what happened. Those disciples, at first fearful, huddled behind closed doors even after the Master's resurrection, are transformed by the Spirit and, as Jesus says in today's Gospel, "they bear witness to him" (cf. <i>Jn</i> 15:27). No longer hesitant, they are courageous and starting from Jerusalem, they go forth to the ends of the earth. Timid while Jesus was still among them, they are bold when he is gone, because the Spirit changed their hearts.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;text-justify:inter-ideograph; mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family:Times;mso-bidi-font-family:Times;color:#535353"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;text-justify:inter-ideograph; mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family:Times;mso-bidi-font-family:Times;color:#535353">The Spirit frees hearts chained by fear. He overcomes all resistance. To those content with half measures, he inspires whole-hearted generosity. He opens hearts that are closed. He impels the comfortable to go out and serve. He drives the self-satisfied to set out in new directions. He makes the lukewarm thrill to new dreams. That is what it means to change hearts. Plenty of people promise change, new beginnings, prodigious renewals, but experience teaches us that no earthly attempt to change reality can ever completely satisfy the human heart. Yet the change that the Spirit brings is different. It does not revolutionize life around us but changes our hearts. It does not free us from the weight of our problems but liberates us <i>within</i> so that we can face them. It does not give us everything at once but makes us press on confidently, never growing weary of life. The Spirit keeps our hearts young – a renewed youth. Youth, for all our attempts to prolong it, sooner or later fades away; the Spirit, instead, prevents the only kind of aging that is unhealthy: namely, growing old within. How does he do this? By renewing our hearts, by pardoning sinners. Here is the great change: from guilty, he makes us righteous and thus changes everything. From slaves of sin, we become free, from servants we become beloved children, from worthless worthy, from disillusioned filled with hope. By the working of the Holy Spirit, joy is reborn and peace blossoms in our hearts.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;text-justify:inter-ideograph; mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family:Times;mso-bidi-font-family:Times;color:#535353">Today, then, let us learn what to do when we are in need of real change. And who among us does not need a change? Particularly when we are downcast, wearied by life's burdens, oppressed by our own weakness, at those times when it is hard to keep going and loving seems impossible. In those moments, we need a powerful "jolt": the Holy Spirit, the power of God. In the Creed, we profess that he is the "giver of life". How good it would be for us each day to feel this jolt of life! To say when we wake up each morning: "Come, Holy Spirit, come into my heart, come into my day".<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;text-justify:inter-ideograph; mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family:Times;mso-bidi-font-family:Times;color:#535353">The Spirit does not only change hearts; he <i>changes situations</i>. Like the wind that blows everywhere, he penetrates to the most unimaginable situations. In the Acts of the Apostles – a book we need to pick up and read, whose main character is the Holy Spirit – we are caught up in an amazing series of events. When the disciples least expect it, the Holy Spirit sends them out to the pagans. He opens up new paths, as in the episode of the deacon Philip. The Spirit drives Philip to a desert road from Jerusalem to Gaza… (How heartrending that name sounds to us today! May the Spirit change hearts and situations and bring peace to the Holy Land!) Along the way, Philip preaches to an Ethiopian court official and baptizes him. Then the Spirit brings him to Azotus, and then on to Caesarea, in constantly new situations, to spread the newness of God. Then too, there is Paul, "compelled by the Spirit" (<i>Acts</i>20:22), who travels far and wide, bringing the Gospel to peoples he had never seen. Where the Spirit is, something is always happening; where he blows, things are never calm.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;text-justify:inter-ideograph; mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family:Times;mso-bidi-font-family:Times;color:#535353">When, in the life of our communities, we experience a certain "listlessness", when we prefer peace and quiet to the newness of God, it is a bad sign. It means that we are trying to find shelter from the wind of the Spirit. When we live for self-preservation and keep close to home, it is not a good sign. The Spirit blows, but we lower our sails. And yet, how often have we seen him work wonders! Frequently, even in the bleakest of times, the Spirit has raised up the most outstanding holiness! Because he is the soul of the Church, who constantly enlivens her with renewed hope, fills her with joy, makes her fruitful, and causes new life to blossom. In a family, when a new baby is born, it upsets our schedules, it makes us lose sleep, but it also brings us a joy that renews our lives, driving us on, expanding us in love. So it is with the Spirit: he brings a "taste of childhood" to the Church. Time and time again he gives new birth. He revives our first love. The Spirit reminds the Church that, for all her centuries of history, she is always the youthful bride with whom the Lord is madly in love. Let us never tire of welcoming the Spirit into our lives, of invoking him before everything we do: "Come, Holy Spirit!"<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;text-justify:inter-ideograph; mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family:Times;mso-bidi-font-family:Times;color:#535353">He will bring his power of change, a unique power that is, so to say, both <i>centripetal and centrifugal</i>. It is centripetal, that is, it seeks the center because it works deep within our hearts. It brings unity amid division, peace amid affliction, strength amid temptations. Paul reminds us of this in the second reading, when he writes that the fruits of the Spirit are joy, peace, faithfulness, and self-control (cf. <i>Gal</i> 5:22). The Spirit grants intimacy with God, the inner strength to keep going. Yet, at the same time, he is a centrifugal force, that is, one pushing outward. The one who centers us is also the one who drives us to the peripheries, to every human periphery. The one who reveals God also opens our hearts to our brothers and sisters. He sends us, he makes us witnesses, and so he pours out on us – again in the words of Paul – love, kindness, generosity, and gentleness. Only in the Consoler Spirit do we speak words of life and truly encourage others. Those who live by the Spirit live in this constant spiritual tension: they find themselves pulled both <i>towards God and towards the world</i>.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;text-justify:inter-ideograph"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family:Times;mso-bidi-font-family:Times;color:#535353">Let us ask him to make us live in exactly that way. Holy Spirit, violent wind of God, blow upon us, blow into our hearts and make us breathe forth the tenderness of the Father! Blow upon the Church and impel her to the ends of the earth, so that, brought by you, she may bring nothing other than you. Blow upon our world the soothing warmth of peace and the refreshing cool of hope. Come Holy Spirit, change us within and renew the face of the earth. Amen.</span><span lang="EN-US"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <!--EndFragment-->RSASShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03909970787103639680noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-177531261123580522.post-39676734174158864382018-04-09T09:52:00.000-07:002018-04-09T09:53:12.779-07:00Gaudete et exultate<div dir="auto"><div style="border:1px solid rgb(102,51,0);padding:20px;background-color:rgb(255,255,255);border-radius:10px;height:auto;margin:15px auto 30px;width:298.797px;color:rgb(102,51,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:16px" dir="auto"><div><div><p align="center"><font color="#663300">APOSTOLIC EXHORTATION<i><b><font size="4"><br>GAUDETE ET EXSULTATE</font></b></i><br>OF THE HOLY FATHER<br><b>FRANCIS<br></b>ON THE CALL TO HOLINESS <br>IN TODAY'S WORLD</font></p><p> </p><p>1. "REJOICE AND BE GLAD" (<i>Mt</i> 5:12), Jesus tells those persecuted or humiliated for his sake. The Lord asks everything of us, and in return he offers us true life, the happiness for which we were created. He wants us to be saints and not to settle for a bland and mediocre existence. The call to holiness is present in various ways from the very first pages of the Bible. We see it expressed in the Lord's words to Abraham: "Walk before me, and be blameless" (<i>Gen </i>17:1).</p><p>2. What follows is not meant to be a treatise on holiness, containing definitions and distinctions helpful for understanding this important subject, or a discussion of the various means of sanctification. My modest goal is to repropose the call to holiness in a practical way for our own time, with all its risks, challenges and opportunities. For the Lord has chosen each one of us "to be holy and blameless before him in love" (<i>Eph </i>1:4).</p><p> </p><p align="center"><b>CHAPTER ONE</b></p><p align="center"><b>THE CALL TO HOLINESS</b></p><p><b><i>THE SAINTS WHO ENCOURAGE AND ACCOMPANY US</i></b></p><p>3. The Letter to the Hebrews presents a number of testimonies that encourage us to "run with perseverance the race that is set before us" (12:1). It speaks of Abraham, Sarah, Moses, Gideon and others (cf. 11:1-12:3). Above all, it invites us to realize that "a great cloud of witnesses" (12:1) impels us to advance constantly towards the goal. These witnesses may include our own mothers, grandmothers or other loved ones (cf. <i>2 Tim </i>1:5). Their lives may not always have been perfect, yet even amid their faults and failings they kept moving forward and proved pleasing to the Lord.</p><p>4. The saints now in God's presence preserve their bonds of love and communion with us. The Book of Revelation attests to this when it speaks of the intercession of the martyrs: "I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the witness they had borne; they cried out with a loud voice, 'O sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long will it be before you judge?'" (6:9-10). Each of us can say: "Surrounded, led and guided by the friends of God… I do not have to carry alone what, in truth, I could never carry alone. All the saints of God are there to protect me, to sustain me and to carry me".<a name="_ftnref1" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftn1" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[1]</a></p><p>5. The processes of beatification and canonization recognize the signs of heroic virtue, the sacrifice of one's life in martyrdom, and certain cases where a life is constantly offered for others, even until death. This shows an exemplary imitation of Christ, one worthy of the admiration of the faithful.<a name="_ftnref2" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftn2" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[2]</a> We can think, for example, of Blessed Maria Gabriella Sagheddu, who offered her life for the unity of Christians.</p><p><b><i>THE SAINTS "NEXT DOOR"</i></b></p><p>6. Nor need we think only of those already beatified and canonized. The Holy Spirit bestows holiness in abundance among God's holy and faithful people, for "it has pleased God to make men and women holy and to save them, not as individuals without any bond between them, but rather as a people who might acknowledge him in truth and serve him in holiness".<a name="_ftnref3" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftn3" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[3]</a> In salvation history, the Lord saved one people. We are never completely ourselves unless we belong to a people. That is why no one is saved alone, as an isolated individual. Rather, God draws us to himself, taking into account the complex fabric of interpersonal relationships present in a human community. God wanted to enter into the life and history of a people.</p><p>7. I like to contemplate the holiness present in the patience of God's people: in those parents who raise their children with immense love, in those men and women who work hard to support their families, in the sick, in elderly religious who never lose their smile. In their daily perseverance I see the holiness of the Church militant. Very often it is a holiness found in our next-door neighbours, those who, living in our midst, reflect God's presence. We might call them "the middle class of holiness".<a name="_ftnref4" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftn4" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[4]</a></p><p>8. Let us be spurred on by the signs of holiness that the Lord shows us through the humblest members of that people which "shares also in Christ's prophetic office, spreading abroad a living witness to him, especially by means of a life of faith and charity".<a name="_ftnref5" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftn5" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[5]</a> We should consider the fact that, as Saint Teresa Benedicta of the Cross suggests, real history is made by so many of them. As she writes: "The greatest figures of prophecy and sanctity step forth out of the darkest night. But for the most part, the formative stream of the mystical life remains invisible. Certainly the most decisive turning points in world history are substantially co-determined by souls whom no history book ever mentions. And we will only find out about those souls to whom we owe the decisive turning points in our personal lives on the day when all that is hidden is revealed".<a name="_ftnref6" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftn6" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[6]</a></p><p>9. Holiness is the most attractive face of the Church. But even outside the Catholic Church and in very different contexts, the Holy Spirit raises up "signs of his presence which help Christ's followers".<a name="_ftnref7" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftn7" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[7]</a> Saint <a href="http://w2.vatican.va/content/john-paul-ii/en.html" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">John Paul II</a> reminded us that "the witness to Christ borne even to the shedding of blood has become a common inheritance of Catholics, Orthodox, Anglicans and Protestants".<a name="_ftnref8" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftn8" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[8]</a>In the moving ecumenical commemoration held in the Colosseum during the Great Jubilee of the Year 2000, he stated that the martyrs are "a heritage which speaks more powerfully than all the causes of division".<a name="_ftnref9" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftn9" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[9]</a></p><p><b><i>THE LORD CALLS</i></b></p><p>10. All this is important. Yet with this Exhortation I would like to insist primarily on the call to holiness that the Lord addresses to each of us, the call that he also addresses, personally, to you: "Be holy, for I am holy" (<i>Lev </i>11:44; cf. <i>1 Pet </i>1:16). The <a href="http://www.vatican.va/archive/hist_councils/ii_vatican_council/index.htm" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">Second Vatican Council</a> stated this clearly: "Strengthened by so many and such great means of salvation, all the faithful, whatever their condition or state, are called by the Lord – each in his or her own way – to that perfect holiness by which the Father himself is perfect".<a name="_ftnref10" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftn10" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[10]</a></p><p>11. "Each in his or her own way" the Council says. We should not grow discouraged before examples of holiness that appear unattainable. There are some testimonies that may prove helpful and inspiring, but that we are not meant to copy, for that could even lead us astray from the one specific path that the Lord has in mind for us. The important thing is that each believer discern his or her own path, that they bring out the very best of themselves, the most personal gifts that God has placed in their hearts (cf. <i>1 Cor</i>12:7), rather than hopelessly trying to imitate something not meant for them. We are all called to be witnesses, but there are many actual ways of bearing witness.<a name="_ftnref11" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftn11" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[11]</a> Indeed, when the great mystic, Saint John of the Cross, wrote his<i>Spiritual Canticle</i>, he preferred to avoid hard and fast rules for all. He explained that his verses were composed so that everyone could benefit from them "in his or her own way".<a name="_ftnref12" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftn12" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[12]</a> For God's life is communicated "to some in one way and to others in another".<a name="_ftnref13" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftn13" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[13]</a></p><p>12. Within these various forms, I would stress too that the "genius of woman" is seen in feminine styles of holiness, which are an essential means of reflecting God's holiness in this world. Indeed, in times when women tended to be most ignored or overlooked, the Holy Spirit raised up saints whose attractiveness produced new spiritual vigour and important reforms in the Church. We can mention Saint Hildegard of Bingen, Saint Bridget, Saint Catherine of Siena, Saint Teresa of Avila and Saint Thérèse of Lisieux. But I think too of all those unknown or forgotten women who, each in her own way, sustained and transformed families and communities by the power of their witness.</p><p>13. This should excite and encourage us to give our all and to embrace that unique plan that God willed for each of us from eternity: "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you" (<i>Jer </i>1:5).</p><p><b><i>FOR YOU TOO</i></b></p><p>14. To be holy does not require being a bishop, a priest or a religious. We are frequently tempted to think that holiness is only for those who can withdraw from ordinary affairs to spend much time in prayer. That is not the case. We are all called to be holy by living our lives with love and by bearing witness in everything we do, wherever we find ourselves. Are you called to the consecrated life? Be holy by living out your commitment with joy. Are you married? Be holy by loving and caring for your husband or wife, as Christ does for the Church. Do you work for a living? Be holy by labouring with integrity and skill in the service of your brothers and sisters. Are you a parent or grandparent? Be holy by patiently teaching the little ones how to follow Jesus. Are you in a position of authority? Be holy by working for the common good and renouncing personal gain.<a name="_ftnref14" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftn14" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[14]</a></p><p>15. Let the grace of your baptism bear fruit in a path of holiness. Let everything be open to God; turn to him in every situation. Do not be dismayed, for the power of the Holy Spirit enables you to do this, and holiness, in the end, is the fruit of the Holy Spirit in your life (cf. <i>Gal </i>5:22-23). When you feel the temptation to dwell on your own weakness, raise your eyes to Christ crucified and say: "Lord, I am a poor sinner, but you can work the miracle of making me a little bit better". In the Church, holy yet made up of sinners, you will find everything you need to grow towards holiness. The Lord has bestowed on the Church the gifts of scripture, the sacraments, holy places, living communities, the witness of the saints and a multifaceted beauty that proceeds from God's love, "like a bride bedecked with jewels" (<i>Is </i>61:10).</p><p>16. This holiness to which the Lord calls you will grow through small gestures. Here is an example: a woman goes shopping, she meets a neighbour and they begin to speak, and the gossip starts. But she says in her heart: "No, I will not speak badly of anyone". This is a step forward in holiness. Later, at home, one of her children wants to talk to her about his hopes and dreams, and even though she is tired, she sits down and listens with patience and love. That is another sacrifice that brings holiness. Later she experiences some anxiety, but recalling the love of the Virgin Mary, she takes her rosary and prays with faith. Yet another path of holiness. Later still, she goes out onto the street, encounters a poor person and stops to say a kind word to him. One more step.</p><p>17. At times, life presents great challenges. Through them, the Lord calls us anew to a conversion that can make his grace more evident in our lives, "in order that we may share his holiness" (<i>Heb </i>12:10). At other times, we need only find a more perfect way of doing what we are already doing: "There are inspirations that tend solely to perfect in an extraordinary way the ordinary things we do in life".<a name="_ftnref15" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftn15" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[15]</a> When Cardinal François-Xavier Nguyên van Thuân was imprisoned, he refused to waste time waiting for the day he would be set free. Instead, he chose "to live the present moment, filling it to the brim with love". He decided: "I will seize the occasions that present themselves every day; I will accomplish ordinary actions in an extraordinary way".<a name="_ftnref16" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftn16" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[16]</a></p><p>18. In this way, led by God's grace, we shape by many small gestures the holiness God has willed for us, not as men and women sufficient unto ourselves but rather "as good stewards of the manifold grace of God" (<i>1 Pet </i>4:10). The New Zealand bishops rightly teach us that we are capable of loving with the Lord's unconditional love, because the risen Lord shares his powerful life with our fragile lives: "His love set no limits and, once given, was never taken back. It was unconditional and remained faithful. To love like that is not easy because we are often so weak. But just to try to love as Christ loved us shows that Christ shares his own risen life with us. In this way, our lives demonstrate his power at work – even in the midst of human weakness".<a name="_ftnref17" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftn17" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[17]</a></p><p><b><i>YOUR MISSION IN CHRIST</i></b></p><p>19. A Christian cannot think of his or her mission on earth without seeing it as a path of holiness, for "this is the will of God, your sanctification" (<i>1 Thess </i>4:3). Each saint is a mission, planned by the Father to reflect and embody, at a specific moment in history, a certain aspect of the Gospel.</p><p>20. That mission has its fullest meaning in Christ, and can only be understood through him. At its core, holiness is experiencing, in union with Christ, the mysteries of his life. It consists in uniting ourselves to the Lord's death and resurrection in a unique and personal way, constantly dying and rising anew with him. But it can also entail reproducing in our own lives various aspects of Jesus' earthly life: his hidden life, his life in community, his closeness to the outcast, his poverty and other ways in which he showed his self-sacrificing love. The contemplation of these mysteries, as Saint Ignatius of Loyola pointed out, leads us to incarnate them in our choices and attitudes.<a name="_ftnref18" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftn18" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[18]</a> Because "everything in Jesus' life was a sign of his mystery",<a name="_ftnref19" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftn19" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[19]</a>"Christ's whole life is a revelation<i> </i>of the Father",<a name="_ftnref20" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftn20" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[20]</a> "Christ's whole life is a mystery of redemption",<a name="_ftnref21" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftn21" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[21]</a> "Christ's whole life is a mystery of recapitulation".<a name="_ftnref22" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftn22" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[22]</a> "Christ enables us to live in him<i> </i>all that he himself lived, and he lives it in us".<a name="_ftnref23" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftn23" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[23]</a></p><p>21. The Father's plan is Christ, and ourselves in him. In the end, it is Christ who loves in us, for "holiness is nothing other than charity lived to the full".<a name="_ftnref24" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftn24" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[24]</a> As a result, "the measure of our holiness stems from the stature that Christ achieves in us, to the extent that, by the power of the Holy Spirit, we model our whole life on his".<a name="_ftnref25" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftn25" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[25]</a> Every saint is a message which the Holy Spirit takes from the riches of Jesus Christ and gives to his people.</p><p>22. To recognize the word that the Lord wishes to speak to us through one of his saints, we do not need to get caught up in details, for there we might also encounter mistakes and failures. Not everything a saint says is completely faithful to the Gospel; not everything he or she does is authentic or perfect. What we need to contemplate is the totality of their life, their entire journey of growth in holiness, the reflection of Jesus Christ that emerges when we grasp their overall meaning as a person.<a name="_ftnref26" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftn26" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[26]</a></p><p>23. This is a powerful summons to all of us. You too need to see the entirety of your life as a mission. Try to do so by listening to God in prayer and recognizing the signs that he gives you. Always ask the Spirit what Jesus expects from you at every moment of your life and in every decision you must make, so as to discern its place in the mission you have received. Allow the Spirit to forge in you the personal mystery that can reflect Jesus Christ in today's world.</p><p>24. May you come to realize what that word is, the message of Jesus that God wants to speak to the world by your life. Let yourself be transformed. Let yourself be renewed by the Spirit, so that this can happen, lest you fail in your precious mission. The Lord will bring it to fulfilment despite your mistakes and missteps, provided that you do not abandon the path of love but remain ever open to his supernatural grace, which purifies and enlightens.<br clear="all"></p><p><b><i>ACTIVITY THAT SANCTIFIES</i></b></p><p>25. Just as you cannot understand Christ apart from the kingdom he came to bring, so too your personal mission is inseparable from the building of that kingdom: "Strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness" (<i>Mt </i>6:33). Your identification with Christ and his will involves a commitment to build with him that kingdom of love, justice and universal peace. Christ himself wants to experience this with you, in all the efforts and sacrifices that it entails, but also in all the joy and enrichment it brings. You cannot grow in holiness without committing yourself, body and soul, to giving your best to this endeavour.</p><p>26. It is not healthy to love silence while fleeing interaction with others, to want peace and quiet while avoiding activity, to seek prayer while disdaining service. Everything can be accepted and integrated into our life in this world, and become a part of our path to holiness. We are called to be contemplatives even in the midst of action, and to grow in holiness by responsibly and generously carrying out our proper mission.</p><p>27. Could the Holy Spirit urge us to carry out a mission and then ask us to abandon it, or not fully engage in it, so as to preserve our inner peace? Yet there are times when we are tempted to relegate pastoral engagement or commitment in the world to second place, as if these were "distractions" along the path to growth in holiness and interior peace. We can forget that "life does not have a mission, but is a mission".<a name="_ftnref27" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftn27" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[27]</a></p><p>28. Needless to say, anything done out of anxiety, pride or the need to impress others will not lead to holiness. We are challenged to show our commitment in such a way that everything we do has evangelical meaning and identifies us all the more with Jesus Christ. We often speak, for example, of the spirituality of the catechist, the spirituality of the diocesan priesthood, the spirituality of work. For the same reason, in <i><a href="http://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20131124_evangelii-gaudium.html" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">Evangelii Gaudium</a></i> I concluded by speaking of a spirituality of mission, in <i><a href="http://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/encyclicals/documents/papa-francesco_20150524_enciclica-laudato-si.html" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">Laudato Si'</a> </i>of an ecological spirituality, and in <i><a href="http://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20160319_amoris-laetitia.html" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">Amoris Laetitia</a> </i>of a spirituality of family life.</p><p>29. This does not mean ignoring the need for moments of quiet, solitude and silence before God. Quite the contrary. The presence of constantly new gadgets, the excitement of travel and an endless array of consumer goods at times leave no room for God's voice to be heard. We are overwhelmed by words, by superficial pleasures and by an increasing din, filled not by joy but rather by the discontent of those whose lives have lost meaning. How can we fail to realize the need to stop this rat race and to recover the personal space needed to carry on a heartfelt dialogue with God? Finding that space may prove painful but it is always fruitful. Sooner or later, we have to face our true selves and let the Lord enter. This may not happen unless "we see ourselves staring into the abyss of a frightful temptation, or have the dizzying sensation of standing on the precipice of utter despair, or find ourselves completely alone and abandoned".<a name="_ftnref28" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftn28" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[28]</a> In such situations, we find the deepest motivation for living fully our commitment to our work.</p><p>30. The same distractions that are omnipresent in today's world also make us tend to absolutize our free time, so that we can give ourselves over completely to the devices that provide us with entertainment or ephemeral pleasures.<a name="_ftnref29" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftn29" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[29]</a> As a result, we come to resent our mission, our commitment grows slack, and our generous and ready spirit of service begins to flag. This denatures our spiritual experience. Can any spiritual fervour be sound when it dwells alongside sloth in evangelization or in service to others?</p><p>31. We need a spirit of holiness capable of filling both our solitude and our service, our personal life and our evangelizing efforts, so that every moment can be an expression of self-sacrificing love in the Lord's eyes. In this way, every minute of our lives can be a step along the path to growth in holiness.</p><p><b><i>MORE ALIVE, MORE HUMAN</i></b></p><p>32. Do not be afraid of holiness. It will take away none of your energy, vitality or joy. On the contrary, you will become what the Father had in mind when he created you, and you will be faithful to your deepest self.<b> </b>To depend on God sets us free from every form of enslavement and leads us to recognize our great dignity. We see this in Saint Josephine Bakhita: "Abducted and sold into slavery at the tender age of seven, she suffered much at the hands of cruel masters. But she came to understand the profound truth that God, and not man, is the true Master of every human being, of every human life. This experience became a source of great wisdom for this humble daughter of Africa".<a name="_ftnref30" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftn30" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[30]</a></p><p>33. To the extent that each Christian grows in holiness, he or she will bear greater fruit for our world. The bishops of West Africa have observed that "we are being called in the spirit of the New Evangelization to be evangelized and to evangelize through the empowering of all you, the baptized, to take up your roles as salt of the earth and light of the world wherever you find yourselves".<a name="_ftnref31" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftn31" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[31]</a></p><p>34. Do not be afraid to set your sights higher, to allow yourself to be loved and liberated by God. Do not be afraid to let yourself be guided by the Holy Spirit. Holiness does not make you less human, since it is an encounter between your weakness and the power of God's grace. For in the words of León Bloy, when all is said and done, "the only great tragedy in life, is not to become a saint".<a name="_ftnref32" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftn32" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[32]</a></p><br clear="all"><p align="center"><b>CHAPTER TWO</b></p><p align="center"><b>TWO SUBTLE ENEMIES OF HOLINESS</b></p><p>35. Here I would like to mention two false forms of holiness that can lead us astray: gnosticism and pelagianism. They are two heresies from early Christian times, yet they continue to plague us. In our times too, many Christians, perhaps without realizing it, can be seduced by these deceptive ideas, which reflect an anthropocentric immanentism disguised as Catholic truth.<a name="_ftnref33" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftn33" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[33]</a> Let us take a look at these two forms of doctrinal or disciplinary security that give rise "toa narcissistic and authoritarian elitism, whereby instead of evangelizing, one analyses and classifies others, and instead of opening the door to grace, one exhausts his or her energies in inspecting and verifying. In neither case is one really concerned about Jesus Christ or others".<a name="_ftnref34" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftn34" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[34]</a></p><p><b><i>CONTEMPORARY GNOSTICISM</i></b></p><p>36. Gnosticism presumes "a purely subjective faith whose only interest is a certain experience or a set of ideas and bits of information which are meant to console and enlighten, but which ultimately keep one imprisoned in his or her own thoughts and feelings".<a name="_ftnref35" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftn35" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[35]</a></p><p><i>An intellect without God and without flesh</i></p><p>37. Thanks be to God, throughout the history of the Church it has always been clear that a person's perfection is measured not by the information or knowledge they possess, but by the depth of their charity. "Gnostics" do not understand this, because they judge others based on their ability to understand the complexity of certain doctrines. They think of the intellect as separate from the flesh, and thus become incapable of touching Christ's suffering flesh in others, locked up as they are in an encyclopaedia of abstractions. In the end, by disembodying the mystery, they prefer "a God without Christ, a Christ without the Church, a Church without her people".<a name="_ftnref36" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftn36" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[36]</a></p><p>38. Certainly this is a superficial conceit: there is much movement on the surface, but the mind is neither deeply moved nor affected. Still, gnosticism exercises a deceptive attraction for some people, since the gnostic approach is strict and allegedly pure, and can appear to possess a certain harmony or order that encompasses everything.</p><p>39. Here we have to be careful. I am not referring to a rationalism inimical to Christian faith. It can be present within the Church, both among the laity in parishes and teachers of philosophy and theology in centres of formation. Gnostics think that their explanations can make the entirety of the faith and the Gospel perfectly comprehensible. They absolutize their own theories and force others to submit to their way of thinking. A healthy and humble use of reason in order to reflect on the theological and moral teaching of the Gospel is one thing. It is another to reduce Jesus' teaching to a cold and harsh logic that seeks to dominate everything.<a name="_ftnref37" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftn37" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[37]</a></p><p><i>A doctrine without mystery</i></p><p>40. Gnosticism is one of the most sinister ideologies because, while unduly exalting knowledge or a specific experience, it considers its own vision of reality to be perfect. Thus, perhaps without even realizing it, this ideology feeds on itself and becomes even more myopic. It can become all the more illusory when it masks itself as a disembodied spirituality. For gnosticism "by its very nature seeks to domesticate the mystery",<a name="_ftnref38" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftn38" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[38]</a> whether the mystery of God and his grace, or the mystery of others' lives.</p><p>41. When somebody has an answer for every question, it is a sign that they are not on the right road. They may well be false prophets, who use religion for their own purposes, to promote their own psychological or intellectual theories. God infinitely transcends us; he is full of surprises. We are not the ones to determine when and how we will encounter him; the exact times and places of that encounter are not up to us. Someone who wants everything to be clear and sure presumes to control God's transcendence.</p><p>42. Nor can we claim to say where God is not, because God is mysteriously present in the life of every person, in a way that he himself chooses, and we cannot exclude this by our presumed certainties. Even when someone's life appears completely wrecked, even when we see it devastated by vices or addictions, God is present there. If we let ourselves be guided by the Spirit rather than our own preconceptions, we can and must try to find the Lord in every human life. This is part of the mystery that a gnostic mentality cannot accept, since it is beyond its control.</p><p><i>The limits of reason</i></p><p>43. It is not easy to grasp the truth that we have received from the Lord. And it is even more difficult to express it. So we cannot claim that our way of understanding this truth authorizes us to exercise a strict supervision over others' lives. Here I would note that in the Church there legitimately coexist different ways of interpreting many aspects of doctrine and Christian life; in their variety, they "help to express more clearly the immense riches of God's word". It is true that "for those who long for a monolithic body of doctrine guarded by all and leaving no room for nuance, this might appear as undesirable and leading to confusion".<a name="_ftnref39" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftn39" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[39]</a> Indeed, some currents of gnosticism scorned the concrete simplicity of the Gospel and attempted to replace the trinitarian and incarnate God with a superior Unity, wherein the rich diversity of our history disappeared.</p><p>44. In effect, doctrine, or better, our understanding and expression of it, "is not a closed system, devoid of the dynamic capacity to pose questions, doubts, inquiries… The questions of our people, their suffering, their struggles, their dreams, their trials and their worries, all possess an interpretational value that we cannot ignore if we want to take the principle of the incarnation seriously. Their wondering helps us to wonder, their questions question us".<a name="_ftnref40" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftn40" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[40]</a></p><p>45. A dangerous confusion can arise. We can think that because we know something, or are able to explain it in certain terms, we are already saints, perfect and better than the "ignorant masses". Saint <a href="http://w2.vatican.va/content/john-paul-ii/en.html" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">John Paul II</a> warned of the temptation on the part of those in the Church who are more highly educated "to feel somehow superior to other members of the faithful".<a name="_ftnref41" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftn41" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[41]</a> In point of fact, what we think we know should always motivate us to respond more fully to God's love. Indeed, "you learn so as to live: theology and holiness are inseparable".<a name="_ftnref42" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftn42" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[42]</a></p><p>46. When Saint Francis of Assisi saw that some of his disciples were engaged in teaching, he wanted to avoid the temptation to gnosticism. He wrote to Saint Anthony of Padua: "I am pleased that you teach sacred theology to the brothers, provided that… you do not extinguish the spirit of prayer and devotion during study of this kind".<a name="_ftnref43" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftn43" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[43]</a>Francis recognized the temptation to turn the Christian experience into a set of intellectual exercises that distance us from the freshness of the Gospel. Saint Bonaventure, on the other hand, pointed out that true Christian wisdom can never be separated from mercy towards our neighbour: "The greatest possible wisdom is to share fruitfully what we have to give… Even as mercy is the companion of wisdom, avarice is its enemy".<a name="_ftnref44" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftn44" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[44]</a> "There are activities that, united to contemplation, do not prevent the latter, but rather facilitate it, such as works of mercy and devotion".<a name="_ftnref45" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftn45" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[45]</a></p><p><b><i>CONTEMPORARY PELAGIANISM</i></b></p><p>47. Gnosticism gave way to another heresy, likewise present in our day. As time passed, many came to realize that it is not knowledge that betters us or makes us saints, but the kind of life we lead. But this subtly led back to the old error of the gnostics, which was simply transformed rather than eliminated.</p><p>48. The same power that the gnostics attributed to the intellect, others now began to attribute to the human will, to personal effort. This was the case with the pelagians and semi-pelagians. Now it was not intelligence that took the place of mystery and grace, but our human will. It was forgotten that everything "depends not on human will or exertion, but on God who shows mercy" (<i>Rom</i> 9:16) and that "he first loved us" (cf. <i>1 Jn</i> 4:19).</p><p><i>A will lacking humility</i></p><p>49. Those who yield to this pelagian or semi-pelagian mindset, even though they speak warmly of God's grace, "ultimately trust only in their own powers and feel superior to others because they observe certain rules or remain intransigently faithful to a particular Catholic style".<a name="_ftnref46" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftn46" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[46]</a>When some of them tell the weak that all things can be accomplished with God's grace, deep down they tend to give the idea that all things are possible by the human will, as if it were something pure, perfect, all-powerful, to which grace is then added. They fail to realize that "not everyone can do everything",<a name="_ftnref47" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftn47" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[47]</a> and that in this life human weaknesses are not healed completely and once for all by grace.<a name="_ftnref48" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftn48" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[48]</a> In every case, as Saint Augustine taught, God commands you to do what you can and to ask for what you cannot,<a name="_ftnref49" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftn49" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[49]</a> and indeed to pray to him humbly: "Grant what you command, and command what you will".<a name="_ftnref50" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftn50" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[50]</a></p><p>50. Ultimately, the lack of a heartfelt and prayerful acknowledgment of our limitations prevents grace from working more effectively within us, for no room is left for bringing about the potential good that is part of a sincere and genuine journey of growth.<a name="_ftnref51" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftn51" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[51]</a> Grace, precisely because it builds on nature, does not make us superhuman all at once. That kind of thinking would show too much confidence in our own abilities. Underneath our orthodoxy, our attitudes might not correspond to our talk about the need for grace, and in specific situations we can end up putting little trust in it. Unless we can acknowledge our concrete and limited situation, we will not be able to see the real and possible steps that the Lord demands of us at every moment, once we are attracted and empowered by his gift. Grace acts in history; ordinarily it takes hold of us and transforms us progressively.<a name="_ftnref52" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftn52" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[52]</a> If we reject this historical and progressive reality, we can actually refuse and block grace, even as we extol it by our words.</p><p>51. When God speaks to Abraham, he tells him: "I am God Almighty, walk before me, and be blameless" (<i>Gen</i> 17:1). In order to be blameless, as he would have us, we need to live humbly in his presence, cloaked in his glory; we need to walk in union with him, recognizing his constant love in our lives. We need to lose our fear before that presence which can only be for our good. God is the Father who gave us life and loves us greatly. Once we accept him, and stop trying to live our lives without him, the anguish of loneliness will disappear (cf. <i>Ps</i> 139:23-24). In this way we will know the pleasing and perfect will of the Lord (cf. <i>Rom</i> 12:1-2) and allow him to mould us like a potter (cf. <i>Is</i> 29:16). So often we say that God dwells in us, but it is better to say that we dwell in him, that he enables us to dwell in his light and love. He is our temple; we ask to dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of our life (cf. <i>Ps</i> 27:4). "For one day in your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere" (<i>Ps</i> 84:10). In him is our holiness.</p><p><i>An often overlooked Church teaching</i></p><p>52. The Church has repeatedly taught that we are justified not by our own works or efforts, but by the grace of the Lord, who always takes the initiative. The Fathers of the Church, even before Saint Augustine, clearly expressed this fundamental belief. Saint John Chrysostom said that God pours into us the very source of all his gifts even before we enter into battle.<a name="_ftnref53" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftn53" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[53]</a>Saint Basil the Great remarked that the faithful glory in God alone, for "they realize that they lack true justice and are justified only through faith in Christ".<a name="_ftnref54" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftn54" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[54]</a></p><p>53. The Second Synod of Orange taught with firm authority that nothing human can demand, merit or buy the gift of divine grace, and that all cooperation with it is a prior gift of that same grace: "Even the desire to be cleansed comes about in us through the outpouring and working of the Holy Spirit".<a name="_ftnref55" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftn55" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[55]</a> Subsequently, the Council of Trent, while emphasizing the importance of our cooperation for spiritual growth, reaffirmed that dogmatic teaching: "We are said to be justified gratuitously because nothing that precedes justification, neither faith nor works, merits the grace of justification; for 'if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works; otherwise, grace would no longer be grace' (<i>Rom</i> 11:6)".<a name="_ftnref56" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftn56" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[56]</a></p><p>54. The Catechism of the Catholic Church also reminds us that the gift of grace "surpasses the power of human intellect and will"<a name="_ftnref57" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftn57" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[57]</a> and that "with regard to God, there is no strict right to any merit on the part of man. Between God and us there is an immeasurable inequality".<a name="_ftnref58" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftn58" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[58]</a> His friendship infinitely transcends us; we cannot buy it with our works, it can only be a gift born of his loving initiative. This invites us to live in joyful gratitude for this completely unmerited gift, since "after one has grace, the grace already possessed cannot come under merit".<a name="_ftnref59" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftn59" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[59]</a>The saints avoided putting trust in their own works: "In the evening of this life, I shall appear before you empty-handed, for I do not ask you, Lord, to count my works. All our justices have stains in your sight".<a name="_ftnref60" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftn60" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[60]</a></p><p>55. This is one of the great convictions that the Church has come firmly to hold. It is so clearly expressed in the word of God that there can be no question of it. Like the supreme commandment of love, this truth should affect the way we live, for it flows from the heart of the Gospel and demands that we not only accept it intellectually but also make it a source of contagious joy. Yet we cannot celebrate this free gift of the Lord's friendship unless we realize that our earthly life and our natural abilities are his gift. We need "to acknowledge jubilantly that our life is essentially a gift, and recognize that our freedom is a grace. This is not easy today, in a world that thinks it can keep something for itself, the fruits of its own creativity or freedom".<a name="_ftnref61" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftn61" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[61]</a></p><p>56. Only on the basis of God's gift, freely accepted and humbly received, can we cooperate by our own efforts in our progressive transformation.<a name="_ftnref62" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftn62" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[62]</a> We must first belong to God, offering ourselves to him who was there first, and entrusting to him our abilities, our efforts, our struggle against evil and our creativity, so that his free gift may grow and develop within us: "I appeal to you, therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God" (<i>Rom</i> 12:1). For that matter, the Church has always taught that charity alone makes growth in the life of grace possible, for "if I do not have love, I am nothing" (<i>1 Cor </i>13:2).<br clear="all"></p><p><i>New pelagians</i></p><p>57. Still, some Christians insist on taking another path, that of justification by their own efforts, the worship of the human will and their own abilities. The result is a self-centred and elitist complacency, bereft of true love. This finds expression in a variety of apparently unconnected ways of thinking and acting: an obsession with the law, an absorption with social and political advantages, a punctilious concern for the Church's liturgy, doctrine and prestige, a vanity about the ability to manage practical matters, and an excessive concern with programmes of self-help and personal fulfilment. Some Christians spend their time and energy on these things, rather than letting themselves be led by the Spirit in the way of love, rather than being passionate about communicating the beauty and the joy of the Gospel and seeking out the lost among the immense crowds that thirst for Christ.<a name="_ftnref63" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftn63" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[63]</a></p><p>58. Not infrequently, contrary to the promptings of the Spirit, the life of the Church can become a museum piece or the possession of a select few. This can occur when some groups of Christians give excessive importance to certain rules, customs or ways of acting. The Gospel then tends to be reduced and constricted, deprived of its simplicity, allure and savour. This may well be a subtle form of pelagianism, for it appears to subject the life of grace to certain human structures. It can affect groups, movements and communities, and it explains why so often they begin with an intense life in the Spirit, only to end up fossilized… or corrupt.</p><p>59. Once we believe that everything depends on human effort as channelled by ecclesial rules and structures, we unconsciously complicate the Gospel and become enslaved to a blueprint that leaves few openings for the working of grace. Saint Thomas Aquinas reminded us that the precepts added to the Gospel by the Church should be imposed with moderation "lest the conduct of the faithful become burdensome", for then our religion would become a form of servitude.<a name="_ftnref64" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftn64" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[64]</a></p><p><i>The summation of the Law</i></p><p>60. To avoid this, we do well to keep reminding ourselves that there is a hierarchy of virtues that bids us seek what is essential. The primacy belongs to the theological virtues, which have God as their object and motive. At the centre is charity. Saint Paul says that what truly counts is "faith working through love" (<i>Gal</i>5:6). We are called to make every effort to preserve charity: "The one who loves another has fulfilled the law… for love is the fulfilment of the law" (<i>Rom </i>13:8.10). "For the whole law is summed up in a single commandment, 'You shall love your neighbour as yourself'" (<i>Gal</i> 5:14).</p><p>61. In other words, amid the thicket of precepts and prescriptions, Jesus clears a way to seeing two faces, that of the Father and that of our brother. He does not give us two more formulas or two more commands. He gives us two faces, or better yet, one alone: the face of God reflected in so many other faces. For in every one of our brothers and sisters, especially the least, the most vulnerable, the defenceless and those in need, God's very image is found. Indeed, with the scraps of this frail humanity, the Lord will shape his final work of art. For "what endures, what has value in life, what riches do not disappear? Surely these two: the Lord and our neighbour. These two riches do not disappear!"<a name="_ftnref65" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftn65" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[65]</a></p><p>62. May the Lord set the Church free from these new forms of gnosticism and pelagianism that weigh her down and block her progress along the path to holiness! These aberrations take various shapes, according to the temperament and character of each person. So I encourage everyone to reflect and discern before God whether they may be present in their lives.</p><br clear="all"><p align="center"><b>CHAPTER THREE</b></p><p align="center"><b>IN THE LIGHT OF THE MASTER</b></p><p>63. There can be any number of theories about what constitutes holiness, with various explanations and distinctions. Such reflection may be useful, but nothing is more enlightening than turning to Jesus' words and seeing his way of teaching the truth. Jesus explained with great simplicity what it means to be holy when he gave us the Beatitudes (cf. <i>Mt</i>5:3-12; <i>Lk</i> 6:20-23). The Beatitudes are like a Christian's identity card. So if anyone asks: "What must one do to be a good Christian?", the answer is clear. We have to do, each in our own way, what Jesus told us in the Sermon on the Mount.<a name="_ftnref66" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftn66" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[66]</a> In the Beatitudes, we find a portrait of the Master, which we are called to reflect in our daily lives.</p><p>64. The word "happy" or "blessed" thus becomes a synonym for "holy". It expresses the fact that those faithful to God and his word, by their self-giving, gain true happiness.</p><p><b><i>GOING AGAINST THE FLOW</i></b></p><p>65. Although Jesus' words may strike us as poetic, they clearly run counter to the way things are usually done in our world. Even if we find Jesus' message attractive, the world pushes us towards another way of living. The Beatitudes are in no way trite or undemanding, quite the opposite. We can only practise them if the Holy Spirit fills us with his power and frees us from our weakness, our selfishness, our complacency and our pride.</p><p>66. Let us listen once more to Jesus, with all the love and respect that the Master deserves. Let us allow his words to unsettle us, to challenge us and to demand a real change in the way we live. Otherwise, holiness will remain no more than an empty word. We turn now to the individual Beatitudes in the Gospel of Matthew (cf. <i>Mt</i> 5:3-12).<a name="_ftnref67" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftn67" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[67]</a></p><p><i>"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven"</i></p><p>67. The Gospel invites us to peer into the depths of our heart, to see where we find our security in life. Usually the rich feel secure in their wealth, and think that, if that wealth is threatened, the whole meaning of their earthly life can collapse. Jesus himself tells us this in the parable of the rich fool: he speaks of a man who was sure of himself, yet foolish, for it did not dawn on him that he might die that very day (cf. <i>Lk</i> 12:16-21).</p><p>68. Wealth ensures nothing. Indeed, once we think we are rich, we can become so self-satisfied that we leave no room for God's word, for the love of our brothers and sisters, or for the enjoyment of the most important things in life. In this way, we miss out on the greatest treasure of all. That is why Jesus calls blessed those who are poor in spirit, those who have a poor heart, for there the Lord can enter with his perennial newness.</p><p>69. This spiritual poverty is closely linked to what Saint Ignatius of Loyola calls "holy indifference", which brings us to a radiant interior freedom: "We need to train ourselves to be indifferent in our attitude to all created things, in all that is permitted to our free will and not forbidden; so that on our part, we do not set our hearts on good health rather than bad, riches rather than poverty, honour rather than dishonour, a long life rather than a short one, and so in all the rest".<a name="_ftnref68" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftn68" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[68]</a></p><p>70. Luke does not speak of poverty "of spirit" but simply of those who are "poor" (cf. <i>Lk</i> 6:20). In this way, he too invites us to live a plain and austere life. He calls us to share in the life of those most in need, the life lived by the Apostles, and ultimately to configure ourselves to Jesus who, though rich, "made himself poor" (<i>2 Cor</i> 8:9).</p><p>Being poor of heart: that is holiness.</p><p><i>"Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth"</i></p><p>71. These are strong words in a world that from the beginning has been a place of conflict, disputes and enmity on all sides, where we constantly pigeonhole others on the basis of their ideas, their customs and even their way of speaking or dressing. Ultimately, it is the reign of pride and vanity, where each person thinks he or she has the right to dominate others. Nonetheless, impossible as it may seem, Jesus proposes a different way of doing things: the way of meekness. This is what we see him doing with his disciples. It is what we contemplate on his entrance to Jerusalem: "Behold, your king is coming to you, humble, and mounted on a donkey" (<i>Mt</i> 21:5; <i>Zech</i> 9:9).</p><p>72. Christ says: "Learn from me; for I am gentle and humble of heart, and you will find rest for your souls" (<i>Mt</i> 11:29). If we are constantly upset and impatient with others, we will end up drained and weary. But if we regard the faults and limitations of others with tenderness and meekness, without an air of superiority, we can actually help them and stop wasting our energy on useless complaining. Saint Thérèse of Lisieux tells us that "perfect charity consists in putting up with others' mistakes, and not being scandalized by their faults".<a name="_ftnref69" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftn69" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[69]</a></p><p>73. Paul speaks of meekness as one of the fruits of the Holy Spirit (cf. <i>Gal</i> 5:23). He suggests that, if a wrongful action of one of our brothers or sisters troubles us, we should try to correct them, but "with a spirit of meekness", since "you too could be tempted" (<i>Gal</i> 6:1). Even when we defend our faith and convictions, we are to do so "with meekness" (cf. <i>1 Pet </i>3:16). Our enemies too are to be treated "with meekness" (<i>2 Tim</i> 2:25). In the Church we have often erred by not embracing this demand of God's word.</p><p>74. Meekness is yet another expression of the interior poverty of those who put their trust in God alone. Indeed, in the Bible the same word – <i>anawim </i>– usually refers both to the poor and to the meek. Someone might object: "If I am that meek, they will think that I am an idiot, a fool or a weakling". At times they may, but so be it. It is always better to be meek, for then our deepest desires will be fulfilled. The meek "shall inherit the earth", for they will see God's promises accomplished in their lives. In every situation, the meek put their hope in the Lord, and those who hope for him shall possess the land… and enjoy the fullness of peace (cf. <i>Ps</i> 37:9.11). For his part, the Lord trusts in them: "This is the one to whom I will look, to the humble and contrite in spirit, who trembles at my word" (<i>Is</i> 66:2).</p><p>Reacting with meekness and humility: that is holiness.</p><p><i>"Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted"</i></p><p>75. The world tells us exactly the opposite: entertainment, pleasure, diversion and escape make for the good life. The worldly person ignores problems of sickness or sorrow in the family or all around him; he averts his gaze. The world has no desire to mourn; it would rather disregard painful situations, cover them up or hide them. Much energy is expended on fleeing from situations of suffering in the belief that reality can be concealed. But the cross can never be absent.</p><p>76. A person who sees things as they truly are and sympathizes with pain and sorrow is capable of touching life's depths and finding authentic happiness.<a name="_ftnref70" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftn70" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[70]</a> He or she is consoled, not by the world but by Jesus. Such persons are unafraid to share in the suffering of others; they do not flee from painful situations. They discover the meaning of life by coming to the aid of those who suffer, understanding their anguish and bringing relief. They sense that the other is flesh of our flesh, and are not afraid to draw near, even to touch their wounds. They feel compassion for others in such a way that all distance vanishes. In this way they can embrace Saint Paul's exhortation: "Weep with those who weep" (<i>Rom</i> 12:15).</p><p>Knowing how to mourn with others: that is holiness.</p><p><i>"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled"</i></p><p>77. Hunger and thirst are intense experiences, since they involve basic needs and our instinct for survival. There are those who desire justice and yearn for righteousness with similar intensity. Jesus says that they will be satisfied, for sooner or later justice will come. We can cooperate to make that possible, even if we may not always see the fruit of our efforts.</p><p>78. Jesus offers a justice other than that of the world, so often marred by petty interests and manipulated in various ways. Experience shows how easy it is to become mired in corruption, ensnared in the daily politics of <i>quid pro quo</i>, where everything becomes business. How many people suffer injustice, standing by powerlessly while others divvy up the good things of this life. Some give up fighting for real justice and opt to follow in the train of the winners. This has nothing to do with the hunger and thirst for justice that Jesus praises.</p><p>79. True justice comes about in people's lives when they themselves are just in their decisions; it is expressed in their pursuit of justice for the poor and the weak. While it is true that the word "justice" can be a synonym for faithfulness to God's will in every aspect of our life, if we give the word too general a meaning, we forget that it is shown especially in justice towards those who are most vulnerable: "Seek justice, correct oppression; defend the fatherless, plead for the widow" (<i>Is</i> 1:17).</p><p>Hungering and thirsting for righteousness: that is holiness.</p><p><i>"Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy"</i></p><p>80. Mercy has two aspects. It involves giving, helping and serving others, but it also includes forgiveness and understanding. Matthew sums it up in one golden rule: "In everything, do to others as you would have them do to you" (7:12). The Catechism reminds us that this law is to be applied "in every case",<a name="_ftnref71" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftn71" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[71]</a>especially when we are "confronted by situations that make moral judgments less assured and decision difficult".<a name="_ftnref72" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftn72" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[72]</a></p><p>81. Giving and forgiving means reproducing in our lives some small measure of God's perfection, which gives and forgives superabundantly. For this reason, in the Gospel of Luke we do not hear the words, "Be perfect" (<i>Mt</i> 5:48), but rather, "Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful. Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven; give, and it will be given to you" (6:36-38). Luke then adds something not to be overlooked: "The measure you give will be the measure you get back" (6:38). The yardstick we use for understanding and forgiving others will measure the forgiveness we receive. The yardstick we use for giving will measure what we receive. We should never forget this.</p><p>82. Jesus does not say, "Blessed are those who plot revenge". He calls "blessed" those who forgive and do so "seventy times seven" (<i>Mt </i>18:22). We need to think of ourselves as an army of the forgiven. All of us have been looked upon with divine compassion. If we approach the Lord with sincerity and listen carefully, there may well be times when we hear his reproach: "Should not you have had mercy on your fellow servant, as I had mercy on you?" (<i>Mt</i>18:33).</p><p>Seeing and acting with mercy: that is holiness.</p><p><i>"Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God"</i></p><p>83. This Beatitude speaks of those whose hearts are simple, pure and undefiled, for a heart capable of love admits nothing that might harm, weaken or endanger that love. The Bible uses the heart to describe our real intentions, the things we truly seek and desire, apart from all appearances. "Man sees the appearance, but the Lord looks into the heart" (<i>1Sam </i>16:7). God wants to speak to our hearts (cf. <i>Hos</i> 2:16); there he desires to write his law (cf. <i>Jer</i> 31:33). In a word, he wants to give us a new heart (cf. <i>Ezek</i> 36:26).</p><p>84. "Guard your heart with all vigilance" (<i>Prov</i> 4:23). Nothing stained by falsehood has any real worth in the Lord's eyes. He "flees from deceit, and rises and departs from foolish thoughts" (<i>Wis</i> 1:5). The Father, "who sees in secret" (<i>Mt </i>6:6), recognizes what is impure and insincere, mere display or appearance, as does the Son, who knows "what is in man" (cf. <i>Jn </i>2:25).</p><p>85. Certainly there can be no love without works of love, but this Beatitude reminds us that the Lord expects a commitment to our brothers and sisters that comes from the heart. For "if I give away all I have, and if I deliver my body to be burned, but have no love, I gain nothing" (<i>1</i> <i>Cor</i> 13:3). In Matthew's Gospel too, we see that what proceeds from the heart is what defiles a person (cf. 15:18), for from the heart come murder, theft, false witness, and other evil deeds (cf. 15:19). From the heart's intentions come the desires and the deepest decisions that determine our actions.</p><p>86. A heart that loves God and neighbour (cf. <i>Mt</i> 22:36-40), genuinely and not merely in words, is a pure heart; it can see God. In his hymn to charity, Saint Paul says that "now we see in a mirror, dimly" (<i>1 Cor</i> 13:12), but to the extent that truth and love prevail, we will then be able to see "face to face". Jesus promises that those who are pure in heart "will see God".</p><p>Keeping a heart free of all that tarnishes love: that is holiness.</p><p><i>"Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God"</i></p><p>87. This Beatitude makes us think of the many endless situations of war in our world. Yet we ourselves are often a cause of conflict or at least of misunderstanding. For example, I may hear something about someone and I go off and repeat it. I may even embellish it the second time around and keep spreading it… And the more harm it does, the more satisfaction I seem to derive from it. The world of gossip, inhabited by negative and destructive people, does not bring peace. Such people are really the enemies of peace; in no way are they "blessed".<a name="_ftnref73" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftn73" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[73]</a></p><p>88. Peacemakers truly "make" peace; they build peace and friendship in society. To those who sow peace Jesus makes this magnificent promise: "They will be called children of God" (<i>Mt</i> 5:9). He told his disciples that, wherever they went, they were to say: "Peace to this house!" (<i>Lk</i>10:5). The word of God exhorts every believer to work for peace, "along with all who call upon the Lord with a pure heart" (cf. <i>2 Tim</i> 2:22), for "the harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace" (<i>Jas</i> 3:18). And if there are times in our community when we question what ought to be done, "let us pursue what makes for peace" (<i>Rom</i>14:19), for unity is preferable to conflict.<a name="_ftnref74" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftn74" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[74]</a></p><p>89. It is not easy to "make" this evangelical peace, which excludes no one but embraces even those who are a bit odd, troublesome or difficult, demanding, different, beaten down by life or simply uninterested. It is hard work; it calls for great openness of mind and heart, since it is not about creating "a consensus on paper or a transient peace for a contented minority",<a name="_ftnref75" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftn75" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[75]</a> or a project "by a few for the few".<a name="_ftnref76" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftn76" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[76]</a> Nor can it attempt to ignore or disregard conflict; instead, it must "face conflict head on, resolve it and make it a link in the chain of a new process".<a name="_ftnref77" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftn77" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[77]</a>We need to be artisans of peace, for building peace is a craft that demands serenity, creativity, sensitivity and skill.</p><p>Sowing peace all around us: that is holiness.</p><p><i>"Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven"</i></p><p>90. Jesus himself warns us that the path he proposes goes against the flow, even making us challenge society by the way we live and, as a result, becoming a nuisance. He reminds us how many people have been, and still are, persecuted simply because they struggle for justice, because they take seriously their commitment to God and to others. Unless we wish to sink into an obscure mediocrity, let us not long for an easy life, for "whoever would save his life will lose it" (<i>Mt</i> 16:25).<br clear="all"></p><p>91. In living the Gospel, we cannot expect that everything will be easy, for the thirst for power and worldly interests often stands in our way. Saint John Paul II noted that "a society is alienated if its forms of social organization, production and consumption make it more difficult to offer this gift of self and to establish this solidarity between people".<a name="_ftnref78" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftn78" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[78]</a> In such a society, politics, mass communications and economic, cultural and even religious institutions become so entangled as to become an obstacle to authentic human and social development. As a result, the Beatitudes are not easy to live out; any attempt to do so will be viewed negatively, regarded with suspicion, and met with ridicule.</p><p>92. Whatever weariness and pain we may experience in living the commandment of love and following the way of justice, the cross remains the source of our growth and sanctification. We must never forget that when the New Testament tells us that we will have to endure suffering for the Gospel's sake, it speaks precisely of persecution (cf. <i>Acts</i> 5:41; <i>Phil</i> 1:29; <i>Col</i>1:24; <i>2 Tim</i> 1:12; <i>1 Pet </i>2:20, 4:14-16; <i>Rev</i>2:10).</p><p>93. Here we are speaking about inevitable persecution, not the kind of persecution we might bring upon ourselves by our mistreatment of others. The saints are not odd and aloof, unbearable because of their vanity, negativity and bitterness. The Apostles of Christ were not like that. The Book of Acts states repeatedly that they enjoyed favour "with all the people" (2:47; cf. 4:21.33; 5:13), even as some authorities harassed and persecuted them (cf. 4:1-3, 5:17-18).</p><p>94. Persecutions are not a reality of the past, for today too we experience them, whether by the shedding of blood, as is the case with so many contemporary martyrs, or by more subtle means, by slander and lies. Jesus calls us blessed when people "utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account" (<i>Mt</i> 5:11). At other times, persecution can take the form of gibes that try to caricature our faith and make us seem ridiculous.</p><p>Accepting daily the path of the Gospel, even though it may cause us problems: that is holiness.</p><p><b><i>THE GREAT CRITERION</i></b></p><p>95. In the twenty-fifth chapter of Matthew's Gospel (vv. 31-46), Jesus expands on the Beatitude that calls the merciful blessed. If we seek the holiness pleasing to God's eyes, this text offers us one clear criterion on which we will be judged. "I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me" (vv. 35-36).<br clear="all"></p><p><i>In fidelity to the Master</i></p><p>96. Holiness, then, is not about swooning in mystic rapture. As Saint <a href="http://w2.vatican.va/content/john-paul-ii/en.html" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">John Paul II</a>said: "If we truly start out anew from the contemplation of Christ, we must learn to see him especially in the faces of those with whom he himself wished to be identified".<a name="_ftnref79" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftn79" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[79]</a> The text of Matthew 25:35-36 is "not a simple invitation to charity: it is a page of Christology which sheds a ray of light on the mystery of Christ".<a name="_ftnref80" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftn80" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[80]</a> In this call to recognize him in the poor and the suffering, we see revealed the very heart of Christ, his deepest feelings and choices, which every saint seeks to imitate.</p><p>97. Given these uncompromising demands of Jesus, it is my duty to ask Christians to acknowledge and accept them in a spirit of genuine openness, <i>sine glossa</i>. In other words, without any "ifs or buts" that could lessen their force. Our Lord made it very clear that holiness cannot be understood or lived apart from these demands, for mercy is "the beating heart of the Gospel".<a name="_ftnref81" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftn81" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[81]</a></p><p>98. If I encounter a person sleeping outdoors on a cold night, I can view him or her as an annoyance, an idler, an obstacle in my path, a troubling sight, a problem for politicians to sort out, or even a piece of refuse cluttering a public space. Or I can respond with faith and charity, and see in this person a human being with a dignity identical to my own, a creature infinitely loved by the Father, an image of God, a brother or sister redeemed by Jesus Christ. That is what it is to be a Christian! Can holiness somehow be understood apart from this lively recognition of the dignity of each human being?<a name="_ftnref82" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftn82" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[82]</a></p><p>99. For Christians, this involves a constant and healthy unease. Even if helping one person alone could justify all our efforts, it would not be enough. The bishops of Canada made this clear when they noted, for example, that the biblical understanding of the jubilee year was about more than simply performing certain good works. It also meant seeking social change: "For later generations to also be released, clearly the goal had to be the restoration of just social and economic systems, so there could no longer be exclusion".<a name="_ftnref83" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftn83" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[83]</a></p><p><i>Ideologies striking at the heart of the Gospel</i></p><p>100. I regret that ideologies lead us at times to two harmful errors. On the one hand, there is the error of those Christians who separate these Gospel demands from their personal relationship with the Lord, from their interior union with him, from openness to his grace. Christianity thus becomes a sort of NGO stripped of the luminous mysticism so evident in the lives of Saint Francis of Assisi, Saint Vincent de Paul, Saint Teresa of Calcutta, and many others. For these great saints, mental prayer, the love of God and the reading of the Gospel in no way detracted from their passionate and effective commitment to their neighbours; quite the opposite.</p><p>101. The other harmful ideological error is found in those who find suspect the social engagement of others, seeing it as superficial, worldly, secular, materialist, communist or populist. Or they relativize it, as if there are other more important matters, or the only thing that counts is one particular ethical issue or cause that they themselves defend. Our defence of the innocent unborn, for example, needs to be clear, firm and passionate, for at stake is the dignity of a human life, which is always sacred and demands love for each person, regardless of his or her stage of development. Equally sacred, however, are the lives of the poor, those already born, the destitute, the abandoned and the underprivileged, the vulnerable infirm and elderly exposed to covert euthanasia, the victims of human trafficking, new forms of slavery, and every form of rejection.<a name="_ftnref84" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftn84" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[84]</a> We cannot uphold an ideal of holiness that would ignore injustice in a world where some revel, spend with abandon and live only for the latest consumer goods, even as others look on from afar, living their entire lives in abject poverty.</p><p>102. We often hear it said that, with respect to relativism and the flaws of our present world, the situation of migrants, for example, is a lesser issue. Some Catholics consider it a secondary issue compared to the "grave" bioethical questions. That a politician looking for votes might say such a thing is understandable, but not a Christian, for whom the only proper attitude is to stand in the shoes of those brothers and sisters of ours who risk their lives to offer a future to their children. Can we not realize that this is exactly what Jesus demands of us, when he tells us that in welcoming the stranger we welcome him (cf. <i>Mt</i>25:35)? Saint Benedict did so readily, and though it might have "complicated" the life of his monks, he ordered that all guests who knocked at the monastery door be welcomed "like Christ",<a name="_ftnref85" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftn85" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[85]</a> with a gesture of veneration;<a name="_ftnref86" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftn86" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[86]</a> the poor and pilgrims were to be met with "the greatest care and solicitude".<a name="_ftnref87" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftn87" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[87]</a></p><p>103. A similar approach is found in the Old Testament: "You shall not wrong a stranger or oppress him, for you yourselves were strangers in the land of Egypt" (<i>Ex</i> 22:21). "When a stranger resides with you in your land, you shall not oppress him. The stranger who resides with you shall be to you as the citizen among you; and you shall love him as yourself; for you were strangers in the land of Egypt" (<i>Lev</i> 19:33-34). This is not a notion invented by some Pope, or a momentary fad. In today's world too, we are called to follow the path of spiritual wisdom proposed by the prophet Isaiah to show what is pleasing to God. "Is it not to share your bread with the hungry and bring the homeless poor into your house; when you see the naked, to cover him, and not to hide yourself from your own kin? Then your light shall break forth like the dawn" (58:7-8).</p><p><i>The worship most acceptable to God</i></p><p>104. We may think that we give glory to God only by our worship and prayer, or simply by following certain ethical norms. It is true that the primacy belongs to our relationship with God, but we cannot forget that the ultimate criterion on which our lives will be judged is what we have done for others. Prayer is most precious, for it nourishes a daily commitment to love. Our worship becomes pleasing to God when we devote ourselves to living generously, and allow God's gift, granted in prayer, to be shown in our concern for our brothers and sisters.</p><p>105. Similarly, the best way to discern if our prayer is authentic is to judge to what extent our life is being transformed in the light of mercy. For "mercy is not only an action of the Father; it becomes a criterion for ascertaining who his true children are".<a name="_ftnref88" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftn88" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[88]</a> Mercy "is the very foundation of the Church's life".<a name="_ftnref89" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftn89" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[89]</a> In this regard, I would like to reiterate that mercy does not exclude justice and truth; indeed, "we have to say that mercy is the fullness of justice and the most radiant manifestation of God's truth".<a name="_ftnref90" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftn90" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[90]</a> It is "the key to heaven".<a name="_ftnref91" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftn91" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[91]</a></p><p>106. Here I think of Saint Thomas Aquinas, who asked which actions of ours are noblest, which external works best show our love for God. Thomas answered unhesitatingly that they are the works of mercy towards our neighbour,<a name="_ftnref92" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftn92" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[92]</a> even more than our acts of worship: "We worship God by outward sacrifices and gifts, not for his own benefit, but for that of ourselves and our neighbour. For he does not need our sacrifices, but wishes them to be offered to him, in order to stir our devotion and to profit our neighbour. Hence mercy, whereby we supply others' defects, is a sacrifice more acceptable to him, as conducing more directly to our neighbour's well-being".<a name="_ftnref93" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftn93" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[93]</a></p><p>107. Those who really wish to give glory to God by their lives, who truly long to grow in holiness, are called to be single-minded and tenacious in their practice of the works of mercy. Saint Teresa of Calcutta clearly realized this: "Yes, I have many human faults and failures… But God bends down and uses us, you and me, to be his love and his compassion in the world; he bears our sins, our troubles and our faults. He depends on us to love the world and to show how much he loves it. If we are too concerned with ourselves, we will have no time left for others".<a name="_ftnref94" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftn94" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[94]</a></p><p>108. Hedonism and consumerism can prove our downfall, for when we are obsessed with our own pleasure, we end up being all too concerned about ourselves and our rights, and we feel a desperate need for free time to enjoy ourselves. We will find it hard to feel and show any real concern for those in need, unless we are able to cultivate a certain simplicity of life, resisting the feverish demands of a consumer society, which leave us impoverished and unsatisfied, anxious to have it all now. Similarly, when we allow ourselves to be caught up in superficial information, instant communication and virtual reality, we can waste precious time and become indifferent to the suffering flesh of our brothers and sisters. Yet even amid this whirlwind of activity, the Gospel continues to resound, offering us the promise of a different life, a healthier and happier life.</p><p align="center">* * *</p><p>109. The powerful witness of the saints is revealed in their lives, shaped by the Beatitudes and the criterion of the final judgement. Jesus' words are few and straightforward, yet practical and valid for everyone, for Christianity is meant above all to be put into practice. It can also be an object of study and reflection, but only to help us better live the Gospel in our daily lives. I recommend rereading these great biblical texts frequently, referring back to them, praying with them, trying to embody them. They will benefit us; they will make us genuinely happy.</p><br clear="all"><p align="center"><b>CHAPTER FOUR</b></p><p align="center"><b>SIGNS OF HOLINESS IN TODAY'S WORLD</b></p><p>110. Within the framework of holiness offered by the Beatitudes and Matthew 25:31-46, I would like to mention a few signs or spiritual attitudes that, in my opinion, are necessary if we are to understand the way of life to which the Lord calls us. I will not pause to explain the means of sanctification already known to us: the various methods of prayer, the inestimable sacraments of the Eucharist and Reconciliation, the offering of personal sacrifices, different forms of devotion, spiritual direction, and many others as well. Here I will speak only of certain aspects of the call to holiness that I hope will prove especially meaningful.</p><p>111. The signs I wish to highlight are not the sum total of a model of holiness, but they are five great expressions of love for God and neighbour that I consider of particular importance in the light of certain dangers and limitations present in today's culture. There we see a sense of anxiety, sometimes violent, that distracts and debilitates; negativity and sullenness; the self-content bred by consumerism; individualism; and all those forms of ersatz spirituality – having nothing to do with God – that dominate the current religious marketplace.</p><p><b><i>PERSEVERANCE, PATIENCE AND MEEKNESS</i></b></p><p>112. The first of these great signs is solid grounding in the God who loves and sustains us. This source of inner strength enables us to persevere amid life's ups and downs, but also to endure hostility, betrayal and failings on the part of others. "If God is for us, who is against us?" (<i>Rom</i>8:31): this is the source of the peace found in the saints. Such inner strength makes it possible for us, in our fast-paced, noisy and aggressive world, to give a witness of holiness through patience and constancy in doing good. It is a sign of the fidelity born of love, for those who put their faith in God (<i>pístis</i>) can also be faithful to others (<i>pistós</i>). They do not desert others in bad times; they accompany them in their anxiety and distress, even though doing so may not bring immediate satisfaction.</p><p>113. Saint Paul bade the Romans not to repay evil for evil (cf. <i>Rom</i> 12:17), not to seek revenge (v. 19), and not to be overcome by evil, but instead to "overcome evil with good" (v. 21). This attitude is not a sign of weakness but of true strength, because God himself "is slow to anger but great in power" (<i>Nah</i>1:3). The word of God exhorts us to "put away all bitterness and wrath and wrangling and slander, together with all malice" (<i>Eph</i> 4:31).</p><p>114. We need to recognize and combat our aggressive and selfish inclinations, and not let them take root. "Be angry but do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger" (<i>Eph</i> 4:26). When we feel overwhelmed, we can always cling to the anchor of prayer, which puts us back in God's hands and the source of our peace. "Have no anxiety about anything, but in everything, by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts..." (<i>Phil</i> 4:6-7).</p><p>115. Christians too can be caught up in networks of verbal violence through the internet and the various forums of digital communication. Even in Catholic media, limits can be overstepped, defamation and slander can become commonplace, and all ethical standards and respect for the good name of others can be abandoned. The result is a dangerous dichotomy, since things can be said there that would be unacceptable in public discourse, and people look to compensate for their own discontent by lashing out at others. It is striking that at times, in claiming to uphold the other commandments, they completely ignore the eighth, which forbids bearing false witness or lying, and ruthlessly vilify others. Here we see how the unguarded tongue, set on fire by hell, sets all things ablaze (cf. <i>Jas</i> 3:6).</p><p>116. Inner strength, as the work of grace, prevents us from becoming carried away by the violence that is so much a part of life today, because grace defuses vanity and makes possible meekness of heart. The saints do not waste energy complaining about the failings of others; they can hold their tongue before the faults of their brothers and sisters, and avoid the verbal violence that demeans and mistreats others. Saints hesitate to treat others harshly; they consider others better than themselves (cf. <i>Phil</i> 2:3).</p><p>117. It is not good when we look down on others like heartless judges, lording it over them and always trying to teach them lessons. That is itself a subtle form of violence.<a name="_ftnref95" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftn95" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[95]</a> Saint John of the Cross proposed a different path: "Always prefer to be taught by all, rather than to desire teaching even the least of all".<a name="_ftnref96" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftn96" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[96]</a> And he added advice on how to keep the devil at bay: "Rejoice in the good of others as if it were your own, and desire that they be given precedence over you in all things; this you should do wholeheartedly. You will thereby overcome evil with good, banish the devil, and possess a happy heart. Try to practise this all the more with those who least attract you. Realize that if you do not train yourself in this way, you will not attain real charity or make any progress in it".<a name="_ftnref97" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftn97" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[97]</a></p><p>118. Humility can only take root in the heart through humiliations. Without them, there is no humility or holiness. If you are unable to suffer and offer up a few humiliations, you are not humble and you are not on the path to holiness. The holiness that God bestows on his Church comes through the humiliation of his Son. He is the way. Humiliation makes you resemble Jesus; it is an unavoidable aspect of the imitation of Christ. For "Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps" (<i>1 Pet</i> 2:21). In turn, he reveals the humility of the Father, who condescends to journey with his people, enduring their infidelities and complaints (cf. <i>Ex </i>34:6-9; <i>Wis</i> 11:23-12:2; <i>Lk </i>6:36). For this reason, the Apostles, after suffering humiliation, rejoiced "that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonour for [Jesus'] name" (<i>Acts</i>5:41).</p><p>119. Here I am not speaking only about stark situations of martyrdom, but about the daily humiliations of those who keep silent to save their families, who prefer to praise others rather than boast about themselves, or who choose the less welcome tasks, at times even choosing to bear an injustice so as to offer it to the Lord. "If when you do right and suffer for it, you have God's approval" (<i>1 Pet</i> 2:20). This does not mean walking around with eyes lowered, not saying a word and fleeing the company of others. At times, precisely because someone is free of selfishness, he or she can dare to disagree gently, to demand justice or to defend the weak before the powerful, even if it may harm his or her reputation.</p><p>120. I am not saying that such humiliation is pleasant, for that would be masochism, but that it is a way of imitating Jesus and growing in union with him. This is incomprehensible on a purely natural level, and the world mocks any such notion. Instead, it is a grace to be sought in prayer: "Lord, when humiliations come, help me to know that I am following in your footsteps".</p><p>121. To act in this way presumes a heart set at peace by Christ, freed from the aggressiveness born of overweening egotism. That same peacefulness, the fruit of grace, makes it possible to preserve our inner trust and persevere in goodness, "though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death" (<i>Ps</i> 23:4) or "a host encamp against me" (<i>Ps</i> 27:3). Standing firm in the Lord, the Rock, we can sing: "In peace I will both lie down and sleep; for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety" (<i>Ps</i> 4:8). Christ, in a word, "is our peace" (<i>Eph</i> 2:14); he came "to guide our feet into the way of peace" (<i>Lk</i>1:79). As he told Saint Faustina Kowalska, "Mankind will not have peace until it turns with trust to my mercy".<a name="_ftnref98" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftn98" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[98]</a> So let us not fall into the temptation of looking for security in success, vain pleasures, possessions, power over others or social status. Jesus says: "My peace I give to you; I do not give it to you as the world gives peace" (<i>Jn</i> 14:27).</p><p><b><i>JOY AND A SENSE OF HUMOUR</i></b></p><p>122. Far from being timid, morose, acerbic or melancholy, or putting on a dreary face, the saints are joyful and full of good humour. Though completely realistic, they radiate a positive and hopeful spirit. The Christian life is "joy in the Holy Spirit" (<i>Rom</i> 14:17), for "the necessary result of the love of charity is joy; since every lover rejoices at being united to the beloved… the effect of charity is joy".<a name="_ftnref99" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftn99" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[99]</a> Having received the beautiful gift of God's word, we embrace it "in much affliction, with joy inspired by the Holy Spirit" (<i>1 Thess</i> 1:6). If we allow the Lord to draw us out of our shell and change our lives, then we can do as Saint Paul tells us: "Rejoice in the Lord always; I say it again, rejoice!" (<i>Phil</i> 4:4).</p><p>123. The prophets proclaimed the times of Jesus, in which we now live, as a revelation of joy. "Shout and sing for joy!" (<i>Is</i> 12:6). "Get you up to a high mountain, O herald of good tidings to Zion; lift up your voice with strength, O herald of good tidings to Jerusalem!" (<i>Is</i> 40:9). "Break forth, O mountains, into singing! For the Lord has comforted his people, and he will have compassion on his afflicted" (<i>Is</i>49:13). "Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king comes to you; triumphant and victorious is he" (<i>Zech</i> 9:9). Nor should we forget Nehemiah's exhortation: "Do not be grieved, for the joy of the Lord is your strength!" (8:10).</p><p>124. Mary, recognizing the newness that Jesus brought, sang: "My spirit rejoices" (<i>Lk</i> 1:47), and Jesus himself "rejoiced in the Holy Spirit" (<i>Lk</i> 10:21). As he passed by, "all the people rejoiced" (<i>Lk</i> 13:17). After his resurrection, wherever the disciples went, there was "much joy" (<i>Acts</i>8:8). Jesus assures us: "You will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will turn into joy... I will see you again and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you" (<i>Jn</i> 16:20.22). "These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full" (<i>Jn</i>15:11).</p><p>125. Hard times may come, when the cross casts its shadow, yet nothing can destroy the supernatural joy that "adapts and changes, but always endures, even as a flicker of light born of our personal certainty that, when everything is said and done, we are infinitely loved".<a name="_ftnref100" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftn100" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[100]</a> That joy brings deep security, serene hope and a spiritual fulfilment that the world cannot understand or appreciate.</p><p>126. Christian joy is usually accompanied by a sense of humour. We see this clearly, for example, in Saint Thomas More, Saint Vincent de Paul and Saint Philip Neri. Ill humour is no sign of holiness. "Remove vexation from your mind" (<i>Eccl </i>11:10). We receive so much from the Lord "for our enjoyment" (<i>1 Tim</i> 6:17), that sadness can be a sign of ingratitude. We can get so caught up in ourselves that we are unable to recognize God's gifts.<a name="_ftnref101" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftn101" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[101]</a></p><p>127. With the love of a father, God tells us: "My son, treat yourself well... Do not deprive yourself of a happy day" (<i>Sir</i>14:11.14). He wants us to be positive, grateful and uncomplicated: "In the day of prosperity, be joyful... God created human beings straightforward, but they have devised many schemes" (<i>Eccl</i> 7:14.29). Whatever the case, we should remain resilient and imitate Saint Paul: "I have learned to be content with what I have" (<i>Phil</i> 4:11). Saint Francis of Assisi lived by this; he could be overwhelmed with gratitude before a piece of hard bread, or joyfully praise God simply for the breeze that caressed his face.</p><p>128. This is not the joy held out by today's individualistic and consumerist culture. Consumerism only bloats the heart. It can offer occasional and passing pleasures, but not joy. Here I am speaking of a joy lived in communion, which shares and is shared, since "there is more happiness in giving than in receiving" (<i>Acts</i> 20:35) and "God loves a cheerful giver" (<i>2 Cor</i> 9:7). Fraternal love increases our capacity for joy, since it makes us capable of rejoicing in the good of others: "Rejoice with those who rejoice" (<i>Rom</i> 12:15). "We rejoice when we are weak and you are strong" (<i>2 Cor</i> 13:9). On the other hand, when we "focus primarily on our own needs, we condemn ourselves to a joyless existence".<a name="_ftnref102" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftn102" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[102]</a></p><p><b><i>BOLDNESS AND PASSION</i></b></p><p>129. Holiness is also <i>parrhesía</i>: it is boldness, an impulse to evangelize and to leave a mark in this world. To allow us to do this, Jesus himself comes and tells us once more, serenely yet firmly: "Do not be afraid" (<i>Mk</i> 6:50). "I am with you always, to the end of the world" (<i>Mt</i> 28:20). These words enable us to go forth and serve with the same courage that the Holy Spirit stirred up in the Apostles, impelling them to proclaim Jesus Christ. Boldness, enthusiasm, the freedom to speak out, apostolic fervour, all these are included in the word <i>parrhesía</i>. The Bible also uses this word to describe the freedom of a life open to God and to others (cf. <i>Acts</i> 4:29, 9:28, 28:31; <i>2 Cor</i> 3:12; <i>Eph</i> 3:12; <i>Heb</i> 3:6, 10:19).</p><p>130. Blessed <a href="http://w2.vatican.va/content/paul-vi/en.html" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">Paul VI</a>, in referring to obstacles to evangelization, spoke of a lack of fervour (<i>parrhesía</i>) that is "all the more serious because it comes from within".<a name="_ftnref103" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftn103" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[103]</a> How often we are tempted to keep close to the shore! Yet the Lord calls us to put out into the deep and let down our nets (cf. <i>Lk</i> 5:4). He bids us spend our lives in his service. Clinging to him, we are inspired to put all our charisms at the service of others. May we always feel compelled by his love (<i>2 Cor</i> 5:14) and say with Saint Paul: "Woe to me if I do not preach the Gospel" (<i>1 Cor</i> 9:16).</p><p>131. Look at Jesus. His deep compassion reached out to others. It did not make him hesitant, timid or self-conscious, as often happens with us. Quite the opposite. His compassion made him go out actively to preach and to send others on a mission of healing and liberation. Let us acknowledge our weakness, but allow Jesus to lay hold of it and send us too on mission. We are weak, yet we hold a treasure that can enlarge us and make those who receive it better and happier. Boldness and apostolic courage are an essential part of mission.</p><p>132. <i>Parrhesía</i> is a seal of the Spirit; it testifies to the authenticity of our preaching. It is a joyful assurance that leads us to glory in the Gospel we proclaim. It is an unshakeable trust in the faithful Witness who gives us the certainty that nothing can "separate us from the love of God" (<i>Rom</i> 8:39).</p><p>133. We need the Spirit's prompting, lest we be paralyzed by fear and excessive caution, lest we grow used to keeping within safe bounds. Let us remember that closed spaces grow musty and unhealthy. When the Apostles were tempted to let themselves be crippled by danger and threats, they joined in prayer to implore <i>parrhesía</i>: "And now, Lord, look upon their threats, and grant to your servants to speak your word with all boldness" (<i>Acts</i>4:29). As a result, "when they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God with boldness" (<i>Acts</i> 4:31).</p><p>134. Like the prophet Jonah, we are constantly tempted to flee to a safe haven. It can have many names: individualism, spiritualism, living in a little world, addiction, intransigence, the rejection of new ideas and approaches, dogmatism, nostalgia, pessimism, hiding behind rules and regulations. We can resist leaving behind a familiar and easy way of doing things. Yet the challenges involved can be like the storm, the whale, the worm that dried the gourd plant, or the wind and sun that burned Jonah's head. For us, as for him, they can serve to bring us back to the God of tenderness, who invites us to set out ever anew on our journey.</p><p>135. God is eternal newness. He impels us constantly to set out anew, to pass beyond what is familiar, to the fringes and beyond. He takes us to where humanity is most wounded, where men and women, beneath the appearance of a shallow conformity, continue to seek an answer to the question of life's meaning. God is not afraid! He is fearless! He is always greater than our plans and schemes. Unafraid of the fringes, he himself became a fringe (cf. <i>Phil</i> 2:6-8; <i>Jn</i> 1:14). So if we dare to go to the fringes, we will find him there; indeed, he is already there. Jesus is already there, in the hearts of our brothers and sisters, in their wounded flesh, in their troubles and in their profound desolation. He is already there.</p><p>136. True enough, we need to open the door of our hearts to Jesus, who stands and knocks (cf. <i>Rev</i> 3:20). Sometimes I wonder, though, if perhaps Jesus is already inside us and knocking on the door for us to let him escape from our stale self-centredness. In the Gospel, we see how Jesus "went through the cities and villages, preaching and bringing the good news of the kingdom of God" (<i>Lk</i>8:1). After the resurrection, when the disciples went forth in all directions, the Lord accompanied them (cf. <i>Mk</i> 16:20). This is what happens as the result of true encounter.</p><p>137. Complacency is seductive; it tells us that there is no point in trying to change things, that there is nothing we can do, because this is the way things have always been and yet we always manage to survive. By force of habit we no longer stand up to evil. We "let things be", or as others have decided they ought to be. Yet let us allow the Lord to rouse us from our torpor, to free us from our inertia. Let us rethink our usual way of doing things; let us open our eyes and ears, and above all our hearts, so as not to be complacent about things as they are, but unsettled by the living and effective word of the risen Lord.</p><p>138. We are inspired to act by the example of all those priests, religious, and laity who devote themselves to proclamation and to serving others with great fidelity, often at the risk of their lives and certainly at the cost of their comfort. Their testimony reminds us that, more than bureaucrats and functionaries, the Church needs passionate missionaries, enthusiastic about sharing true life. The saints surprise us, they confound us, because by their lives they urge us to abandon a dull and dreary mediocrity.</p><p>139. Let us ask the Lord for the grace not to hesitate when the Spirit calls us to take a step forward. Let us ask for the apostolic courage to share the Gospel with others and to stop trying to make our Christian life a museum of memories. In every situation, may the Holy Spirit cause us to contemplate history in the light of the risen Jesus. In this way, the Church will not stand still, but constantly welcome the Lord's surprises.</p><p><b><i>IN COMMUNITY</i></b></p><p>140. When we live apart from others, it is very difficult to fight against concupiscence, the snares and temptations of the devil and the selfishness of the world. Bombarded as we are by so many enticements, we can grow too isolated, lose our sense of reality and inner clarity, and easily succumb.</p><p>141. Growth in holiness is a journey in community, side by side with others. We see this in some holy communities. From time to time, the Church has canonized entire communities that lived the Gospel heroically or offered to God the lives of all their members. We can think, for example, of the seven holy founders of the Order of the Servants of Mary, the seven blessed sisters of the first monastery of the Visitation in Madrid, the Japanese martyrs Saint Paul Miki and companions, the Korean martyrs Saint Andrew Taegon and companions, or the South American martyrs Saint Roque González, Saint Alonso Rodríguez and companions. We should also remember the more recent witness borne by the Trappists of Tibhirine, Algeria, who prepared as a community for martyrdom. In many holy marriages too, each spouse becomes a means used by Christ for the sanctification of the other. Living or working alongside others is surely a path of spiritual growth. Saint John of the Cross told one of his followers: "You are living with others in order to be fashioned and tried".<a name="_ftnref104" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftn104" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[104]</a></p><p>142. Each community is called to create a "God-enlightened space in which to experience the hidden presence of the risen Lord".<a name="_ftnref105" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftn105" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[105]</a> Sharing the word and celebrating the Eucharist together fosters fraternity and makes us a holy and missionary community. It also gives rise to authentic and shared mystical experiences. Such was the case with Saints Benedict and Scholastica. We can also think of the sublime spiritual experience shared by Saint Augustine and his mother, Saint Monica. "As the day now approached on which she was to depart this life, a day known to you but not to us, it came about, as I believe by your secret arrangement, that she and I stood alone leaning in a window that looked onto a garden… We opened wide our hearts to drink in the streams of your fountain, the source of life that is in you... And as we spoke of that wisdom and strained after it, we touched it in some measure by the impetus of our hearts... eternal life might be like that one moment of knowledge which we now sighed after"<i>.</i><a name="_ftnref106" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftn106" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[106]</a></p><p>143. Such experiences, however, are neither the most frequent nor the most important. The common life, whether in the family, the parish, the religious community or any other, is made up of small everyday things. This was true of the holy community formed by Jesus, Mary and Joseph, which reflected in an exemplary way the beauty of the Trinitarian communion. It was also true of the life that Jesus shared with his disciples and with ordinary people.</p><p>144. Let us not forget that Jesus asked his disciples to pay attention to details.<br>The little detail that wine was running out at a party.<br>The little detail that one sheep was missing.<br>The little detail of noticing the widow who offered her two small coins.<br>The little detail of having spare oil for the lamps, should the bridegroom delay.<br>The little detail of asking the disciples how many loaves of bread they had.<br>The little detail of having a fire burning and a fish cooking as he waited for the disciples at daybreak.</p><p>145. A community that cherishes the little details of love,<a name="_ftnref107" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftn107" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[107]</a> whose members care for one another and create an open and evangelizing environment, is a place where the risen Lord is present, sanctifying it in accordance with the Father's plan. There are times when, by a gift of the Lord's love, we are granted, amid these little details, consoling experiences of God. "One winter night I was carrying out my little duty as usual… Suddenly, I heard off in the distance the harmonious sound of a musical instrument. I then pictured a well-lighted drawing room, brilliantly gilded, filled with elegantly dressed young ladies conversing together and conferring upon each other all sorts of compliments and other worldly remarks. Then my glance fell upon the poor invalid whom I was supporting. Instead of the beautiful strains of music I heard only her occasional complaints… I cannot express in words what happened in my soul; what I know is that the Lord illumined it with rays of truth which so surpassed the dark brilliance of earthly feasts that I could not believe my happiness".<a name="_ftnref108" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftn108" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[108]</a></p><p>146. Contrary to the growing consumerist individualism that tends to isolate us in a quest for well-being apart from others, our path to holiness can only make us identify all the more with Jesus' prayer "that all may be one; even as you, Father, are in me, and I in you" (<i>Jn</i> 17:21).</p><p><b><i>IN CONSTANT PRAYER</i></b></p><p>147. Finally, though it may seem obvious, we should remember that holiness consists in a habitual openness to the transcendent, expressed in prayer and adoration. The saints are distinguished by a spirit of prayer and a need for communion with God. They find an exclusive concern with this world to be narrow and stifling, and, amid their own concerns and commitments, they long for God, losing themselves in praise and contemplation of the Lord. I do not believe in holiness without prayer, even though that prayer need not be lengthy or involve intense emotions.</p><p>148. SaintJohn of the Cross tells us: "Endeavour to remain always in the presence of God, either real, imaginative, or unitive, insofar as is permitted by your works".<a name="_ftnref109" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftn109" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[109]</a> In the end, our desire for God will surely find expression in our daily lives: "Try to be continuous in prayer, and in the midst of bodily exercises do not leave it. Whether you eat, drink, talk with others, or do anything, always go to God and attach your heart to him".<a name="_ftnref110" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftn110" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[110]</a></p><p>149. For this to happen, however, some moments spent alone with God are also necessary. For Saint Teresa of Avila, prayer "is nothing but friendly intercourse, and frequent solitary converse, with him who we know loves us".<a name="_ftnref111" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftn111" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[111]</a> I would insist that this is true not only for a privileged few, but for all of us, for "we all have need of this silence, filled with the presence of him who is adored".<a name="_ftnref112" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftn112" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[112]</a>Trust-filled prayer is a response of a heart open to encountering God face to face, where all is peaceful and the quiet voice of the Lord can be heard in the midst of silence.</p><p>150. In that silence, we can discern, in the light of the Spirit, the paths of holiness to which the Lord is calling us. Otherwise, any decisions we make may only be window-dressing that, rather than exalting the Gospel in our lives, will mask or submerge it. For each disciple, it is essential to spend time with the Master, to listen to his words, and to learn from him always. Unless we listen, all our words will be nothing but useless chatter.</p><p>151. We need to remember that "contemplation of the face of Jesus, died and risen, restores our humanity, even when it has been broken by the troubles of this life or marred by sin. We must not domesticate the power of the face of Christ".<a name="_ftnref113" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftn113" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[113]</a> So let me ask you: Are there moments when you place yourself quietly in the Lord's presence, when you calmly spend time with him, when you bask in his gaze? Do you let his fire inflame your heart? Unless you let him warm you more and more with his love and tenderness, you will not catch fire. How will you then be able to set the hearts of others on fire by your words and witness? If, gazing on the face of Christ, you feel unable to let yourself be healed and transformed, then enter into the Lord's heart, into his wounds, for that is the abode of divine mercy.<a name="_ftnref114" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftn114" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[114]</a></p><p>152. I ask that we never regard prayerful silence as a form of escape and rejection of the world around us. The Russian pilgrim, who prayed constantly, says that such prayer did not separate him from what was happening all around him. "Everybody was kind to me; it was as though everyone loved me... Not only did I feel [happiness and consolation] in my own soul, but the whole outside world also seemed to me full of charm and delight".<a name="_ftnref115" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftn115" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[115]</a></p><p>153. Nor does history vanish. Prayer, because it is nourished by the gift of God present and at work in our lives, must always be marked by remembrance. The memory of God's works is central to the experience of the covenant between God and his people. God wished to enter history, and so our prayer is interwoven with memories. We think back not only on his revealed Word, but also on our own lives, the lives of others, and all that the Lord has done in his Church. This is the grateful memory that Saint Ignatius of Loyola refers to in his <i>Contemplation for Attaining Love</i>,<a name="_ftnref116" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftn116" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[116]</a> when he asks us to be mindful of all the blessings we have received from the Lord. Think of your own history when you pray, and there you will find much mercy. This will also increase your awareness that the Lord is ever mindful of you; he never forgets you. So it makes sense to ask him to shed light on the smallest details of your life, for he sees them all.</p><p>154. Prayer of supplication is an expression of a heart that trusts in God and realizes that of itself it can do nothing. The life of God's faithful people is marked by constant supplication born of faith-filled love and great confidence. Let us not downplay prayer of petition, which so often calms our hearts and helps us persevere in hope. Prayer of intercession has particular value, for it is an act of trust in God and, at the same time, an expression of love for our neighbour. There are those who think, based on a one-sided spirituality, that prayer should be unalloyed contemplation of God, free of all distraction, as if the names and faces of others were somehow an intrusion to be avoided. Yet in reality, our prayer will be all the more pleasing to God and more effective for our growth in holiness if, through intercession, we attempt to practise the twofold commandment that Jesus left us. Intercessory prayer is an expression of our fraternal concern for others, since we are able to embrace their lives, their deepest troubles and their loftiest dreams. Of those who commit themselves generously to intercessory prayer we can apply the words of Scripture: "This is a man who loves the brethren and prays much for the people" (<i>2 Mac</i> 15:14).</p><p>155. If we realize that God exists, we cannot help but worship him, at times in quiet wonder, and praise him in festive song. We thus share in the experience of Blessed Charles de Foucauld, who said: "As soon as I believed that there was a God, I understood that I could do nothing other than to live for him".<a name="_ftnref117" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftn117" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[117]</a> In the life of God's pilgrim people, there can be many simple gestures of pure adoration, as when "the gaze of a pilgrim rests on an image that symbolizes God's affection and closeness. Love pauses, contemplates the mystery, and enjoys it in silence".<a name="_ftnref118" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftn118" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[118]</a></p><p>156. The prayerful reading of God's word, which is "sweeter than honey" (<i>Ps</i>119:103) yet a "two-edged sword" (<i>Heb</i>4:12), enables us to pause and listen to the voice of the Master. It becomes a lamp for our steps and a light for our path (cf. <i>Ps</i> 119:105). As the bishops of India have reminded us, "devotion to the word of God is not simply one of many devotions, beautiful but somewhat optional. It goes to the very heart and identity of Christian life. The word has the power to transform lives".<a name="_ftnref119" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftn119" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[119]</a></p><p>157. Meeting Jesus in the Scriptures leads us to the Eucharist, where the written word attains its greatest efficacy, for there the living Word is truly present. In the Eucharist, the one true God receives the greatest worship the world can give him, for it is Christ himself who is offered. When we receive him in Holy Communion, we renew our covenant with him and allow him to carry out ever more fully his work of transforming our lives.</p><br clear="all"><p align="center"><b>CHAPTER FIVE</b></p><p align="center"><b>SPIRITUAL COMBAT, VIGILANCE AND DISCERNMENT</b></p><p>158. The Christian life is a constant battle. We need strength and courage to withstand the temptations of the devil and to proclaim the Gospel. This battle is sweet, for it allows us to rejoice each time the Lord triumphs in our lives.</p><p><b><i>COMBAT AND VIGILANCE</i></b></p><p>159. We are not dealing merely with a battle against the world and a worldly mentality that would deceive us and leave us dull and mediocre, lacking in enthusiasm and joy. Nor can this battle be reduced to the struggle against our human weaknesses and proclivities (be they laziness, lust, envy, jealousy or any others). It is also a constant struggle against the devil, the prince of evil. Jesus himself celebrates our victories. He rejoiced when his disciples made progress in preaching the Gospel and overcoming the opposition of the evil one: "I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven" (<i>Lk</i> 10:18).</p><p><i>More than a myth</i></p><p>160. We will not admit the existence of the devil if we insist on regarding life by empirical standards alone, without a supernatural understanding. It is precisely the conviction that this malign power is present in our midst that enables us to understand how evil can at times have so much destructive force. True enough, the biblical authors had limited conceptual resources for expressing certain realities, and in Jesus' time epilepsy, for example, could easily be confused with demonic possession. Yet this should not lead us to an oversimplification that would conclude that all the cases related in the Gospel had to do with psychological disorders and hence that the devil does not exist or is not at work. He is present in the very first pages of the Scriptures, which end with God's victory over the devil.<a name="_ftnref120" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftn120" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[120]</a>Indeed, in leaving us the Our Father, Jesus wanted us to conclude by asking the Father to "deliver us from evil". That final word does not refer to evil in the abstract; a more exact translation would be "the evil one". It indicates a personal being who assails us. Jesus taught us to ask daily for deliverance from him, lest his power prevail over us.</p><p>161. Hence, we should not think of the devil as a myth, a representation, a symbol, a figure of speech or an idea.<a name="_ftnref121" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftn121" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[121]</a> This mistake would lead us to let down our guard, to grow careless and end up more vulnerable. The devil does not need to possess us. He poisons us with the venom of hatred, desolation, envy and vice. When we let down our guard, he takes advantage of it to destroy our lives, our families and our communities. "Like a roaring lion, he prowls around, looking for someone to devour" (<i>1 Pet</i> 5:8).</p><p><i>Alert and trustful</i></p><p>162. God's word invites us clearly to "stand against the wiles of the devil" (<i>Eph</i>6:11) and to "quench all the flaming darts of the evil one" (<i>Eph</i> 6:16). These expressions are not melodramatic, precisely because our path towards holiness is a constant battle. Those who do not realize this will be prey to failure or mediocrity. For this spiritual combat, we can count on the powerful weapons that the Lord has given us: faith-filled prayer, meditation on the word of God, the celebration of Mass, Eucharistic adoration, sacramental Reconciliation, works of charity, community life, missionary outreach. If we become careless, the false promises of evil will easily seduce us. As the sainted Cura Brochero observed: "What good is it when Lucifer promises you freedom and showers you with all his benefits, if those benefits are false, deceptive and poisonous?"<a name="_ftnref122" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftn122" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[122]</a></p><p>163. Along this journey, the cultivation of all that is good, progress in the spiritual life and growth in love are the best counterbalance to evil. Those who choose to remain neutral, who are satisfied with little, who renounce the ideal of giving themselves generously to the Lord, will never hold out. Even less if they fall into defeatism, for "if we start without confidence, we have already lost half the battle and we bury our talents… Christian triumph is always a cross, yet a cross which is at the same time a victorious banner, borne with aggressive tenderness against the assaults of evil".<a name="_ftnref123" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftn123" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[123]</a></p><p><i>Spiritual corruption</i></p><p>164. The path of holiness is a source of peace and joy, given to us by the Spirit. At the same time, it demands that we keep "our lamps lit" (<i>Lk</i> 12:35) and be attentive. "Abstain from every form of evil" (<i>1 Thess</i>5:22). "Keep awake" (<i>Mt </i>24:42; <i>Mk</i> 13:35). "Let us not fall asleep" (<i>1 Thess </i>5:6). Those who think they commit no grievous sins against God's law can fall into a state of dull lethargy. Since they see nothing serious to reproach themselves with, they fail to realize that their spiritual life has gradually turned lukewarm. They end up weakened and corrupted.</p><p>165. Spiritual corruption is worse than the fall of a sinner, for it is a comfortable and self-satisfied form of blindness. Everything then appears acceptable: deception, slander, egotism and other subtle forms of self-centredness, for "even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light" (<i>2 Cor</i> 11:14). So Solomon ended his days, whereas David, who sinned greatly, was able to make up for disgrace. Jesus warned us against this self-deception that easily leads to corruption. He spoke of a person freed from the devil who, convinced that his life was now in order, ended up being possessed by seven other evil spirits (cf. <i>Lk</i> 11:24-26). Another biblical text puts it bluntly: "The dog turns back to his own vomit" (<i>2 Pet</i>2:22; cf. <i>Pr</i> 26:11).</p><p><b><i>DISCERNMENT</i></b></p><p>166. How can we know if something comes from the Holy Spirit or if it stems from the spirit of the world or the spirit of the devil? The only way is through discernment, which calls for something more than intelligence or common sense. It is a gift which we must implore. If we ask with confidence that the Holy Spirit grant us this gift, and then seek to develop it through prayer, reflection, reading and good counsel, then surely we will grow in this spiritual endowment.</p><p><i>An urgent need</i></p><p>167. The gift of discernment has become all the more necessary today, since contemporary life offers immense possibilities for action and distraction, and the world presents all of them as valid and good. All of us, but especially the young, are immersed in a culture of zapping. We can navigate simultaneously on two or more screens and interact at the same time with two or three virtual scenarios. Without the wisdom of discernment, we can easily become prey to every passing trend.</p><p>168. This is all the more important when some novelty presents itself in our lives. Then we have to decide whether it is new wine brought by God or an illusion created by the spirit of this world or the spirit of the devil. At other times, the opposite can happen, when the forces of evil induce us not to change, to leave things as they are, to opt for a rigid resistance to change. Yet that would be to block the working of the Spirit. We are free, with the freedom of Christ. Still, he asks us to examine what is within us – our desires, anxieties, fears and questions – and what takes place all around us – "the signs of the times" – and thus to recognize the paths that lead to complete freedom. "Test everything; hold fast to what is good" (<i>1 Thess </i>5:21).</p><p><i>Always in the light of the Lord</i></p><p>169. Discernment is necessary not only at extraordinary times, when we need to resolve grave problems and make crucial decisions. It is a means of spiritual combat for helping us to follow the Lord more faithfully. We need it at all times, to help us recognize God's timetable, lest we fail to heed the promptings of his grace and disregard his invitation to grow. Often discernment is exercised in small and apparently irrelevant things, since greatness of spirit is manifested in simple everyday realities.<a name="_ftnref124" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftn124" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[124]</a> It involves striving untrammelled for all that is great, better and more beautiful, while at the same time being concerned for the little things, for each day's responsibilities and commitments. For this reason, I ask all Christians not to omit, in dialogue with the Lord, a sincere daily "examination of conscience". Discernment also enables us to recognize the concrete means that the Lord provides in his mysterious and loving plan, to make us move beyond mere good intentions.</p><p><i>A supernatural gift</i></p><p>170. Certainly, spiritual discernment does not exclude existential, psychological, sociological or moral insights drawn from the human sciences. At the same time, it transcends them. Nor are the Church's sound norms sufficient. We should always remember that discernment is a grace. Even though it includes reason and prudence, it goes beyond them, for it seeks a glimpse of that unique and mysterious plan that God has for each of us, which takes shape amid so many varied situations and limitations. It involves more than my temporal well-being, my satisfaction at having accomplished something useful, or even my desire for peace of mind. It has to do with the meaning of my life before the Father who knows and loves me, with the real purpose of my life, which nobody knows better than he. Ultimately, discernment leads to the wellspring of undying life: to know the Father, the only true God, and the one whom he has sent, Jesus Christ (cf. <i>Jn</i> 17:3). It requires no special abilities, nor is it only for the more intelligent or better educated. The Father readily reveals himself to the lowly (cf. <i>Mt</i>11:25).</p><p>171. The Lord speaks to us in a variety of ways, at work, through others and at every moment. Yet we simply cannot do without the silence of prolonged prayer, which enables us better to perceive God's language, to interpret the real meaning of the inspirations we believe we have received, to calm our anxieties and to see the whole of our existence afresh in his own light. In this way, we allow the birth of a new synthesis that springs from a life inspired by the Spirit.</p><p><i>Speak, Lord</i></p><p>172. Nonetheless, it is possible that, even in prayer itself, we could refuse to let ourselves be confronted by the freedom of the Spirit, who acts as he wills. We must remember that prayerful discernment must be born of a readiness to listen: to the Lord and to others, and to reality itself, which always challenges us in new ways. Only if we are prepared to listen, do we have the freedom to set aside our own partial or insufficient ideas, our usual habits and ways of seeing things. In this way, we become truly open to accepting a call that can shatter our security, but lead us to a better life. It is not enough that everything be calm and peaceful. God may be offering us something more, but in our comfortable inadvertence, we do not recognize it.</p><p>173. Naturally, this attitude of listening entails obedience to the Gospel as the ultimate standard, but also to the Magisterium that guards it, as we seek to find in the treasury of the Church whatever is most fruitful for the "today" of salvation. It is not a matter of applying rules or repeating what was done in the past, since the same solutions are not valid in all circumstances and what was useful in one context may not prove so in another. The discernment of spirits liberates us from rigidity, which has no place before the perennial "today" of the risen Lord. The Spirit alone can penetrate what is obscure and hidden in every situation, and grasp its every nuance, so that the newness of the Gospel can emerge in another light.</p><p><i>The logic of gift and of the cross</i></p><p>174. An essential condition for progress in discernment is a growing understanding of God's patience and his timetable, which are never our own. God does not pour down fire upon those who are unfaithful (cf. <i>Lk</i> 9:54), or allow the zealous to uproot the tares growing among the wheat (cf. <i>Mt</i> 13:29). Generosity too is demanded, for "it is more blessed to give than to receive" (<i>Acts</i> 20:35). Discernment is not about discovering what more we can get out of this life, but about recognizing how we can better accomplish the mission entrusted to us at our baptism. This entails a readiness to make sacrifices, even to sacrificing everything. For happiness is a paradox. We experience it most when we accept the mysterious logic that is not of this world: "This is our logic", says Saint Bonaventure,<a name="_ftnref125" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftn125" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[125]</a>pointing to the cross. Once we enter into this dynamic, we will not let our consciences be numbed and we will open ourselves generously to discernment.</p><p>175. When, in God's presence, we examine our life's journey, no areas can be off limits. In all aspects of life we can continue to grow and offer something greater to God, even in those areas we find most difficult. We need, though, to ask the Holy Spirit to liberate us and to expel the fear that makes us ban him from certain parts of our lives. God asks everything of us, yet he also gives everything to us. He does not want to enter our lives to cripple or diminish them, but to bring them to fulfilment. Discernment, then, is not a solipsistic self-analysis or a form of egotistical introspection, but an authentic process of leaving ourselves behind in order to approach the mystery of God, who helps us to carry out the mission to which he has called us, for the good of our brothers and sisters.</p><p align="center">* * *</p><p>176. I would like these reflections to be crowned by Mary, because she lived the Beatitudes of Jesus as none other. She is that woman who rejoiced in the presence of God, who treasured everything in her heart, and who let herself be pierced by the sword. Mary is the saint among the saints, blessed above all others. She teaches us the way of holiness and she walks ever at our side. She does not let us remain fallen and at times she takes us into her arms without judging us. Our converse with her consoles, frees and sanctifies us. Mary our Mother does not need a flood of words. She does not need us to tell her what is happening in our lives. All we need do is whisper, time and time again: "Hail Mary…"</p><p>177. It is my hope that these pages will prove helpful by enabling the whole Church to devote herself anew to promoting the desire for holiness. Let us ask the Holy Spirit to pour out upon us a fervent longing to be saints for God's greater glory, and let us encourage one another in this effort. In this way, we will share a happiness that the world will not be able to take from us.</p><p><i>Given in Rome, at Saint Peter's, on 19 March, the Solemnity of Saint Joseph, in the year 2018, the sixth of my Pontificate.</i></p><p align="center"><br clear="all"><b>Francis</b></p><p align="center"></p><hr align="left" size="1" width="33%"><p></p><p><br><a name="_ftn1" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftnref1" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[1]</a> BENEDICT XVI, <i><a href="http://w2.vatican.va/content/benedict-xvi/en/homilies/2005/documents/hf_ben-xvi_hom_20050424_inizio-pontificato.html" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">Homily for the Solemn Inauguration of the Petrine Ministry</a> </i>(24 April 2005): AAS 97 (2005), 708.</p><p><a name="_ftn2" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftnref2" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[2]</a> This always presumes a reputation of holiness and the exercise, at least to an ordinary degree, of the Christian virtues: cf. Motu Proprio <i><a href="http://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/motu_proprio/documents/papa-francesco-motu-proprio_20170711_maiorem-hac-dilectionem.html" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">Maiorem Hac Dilectionem</a> </i>(11 July 2017), Art. 2c:<i>L'Osservatore Romano</i>, 12 July 2017, p. 8.</p><p><a name="_ftn3" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftnref3" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[3]</a> <a href="http://www.vatican.va/archive/hist_councils/ii_vatican_council/index.htm" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">SECOND VATICAN ECUMENICAL COUNCIL</a>, Dogmatic Constitution on the Church <i><a href="http://www.vatican.va/archive/hist_councils/ii_vatican_council/documents/vat-ii_const_19641121_lumen-gentium_en.html" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">Lumen Gentium</a></i>, 9.</p><p><a name="_ftn4" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftnref4" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[4]</a> Cf. JOSEPH MALEGUE, <i>Pierres noires</i>. <i>Les classes moyennes du Salut,</i> Paris, 1958.</p><p><a name="_ftn5" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftnref5" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[5]</a> <a href="http://www.vatican.va/archive/hist_councils/ii_vatican_council/index.htm" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">SECOND VATICAN ECUMENICAL COUNCIL</a>, Dogmatic Constitution on the Church <i><a href="http://www.vatican.va/archive/hist_councils/ii_vatican_council/documents/vat-ii_const_19641121_lumen-gentium_en.html" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">Lumen Gentium</a></i>, 12.</p><p><a name="_ftn6" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftnref6" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[6]</a><i> Verborgenes Leben und Epiphanie: </i>GW XI, 145.</p><p><a name="_ftn7" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftnref7" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[7]</a> JOHN PAUL II, Encyclical Letter <i><a href="https://w2.vatican.va/content/john-paul-ii/en/apost_letters/2001/documents/hf_jp-ii_apl_20010106_novo-millennio-ineunte.html" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">Novo Millennio Ineunte</a> </i>(6 January 2001), 56: AAS 93 (2001), 307.</p><p><a name="_ftn8" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftnref8" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[8]</a> Encyclical Letter <i><a href="https://w2.vatican.va/content/john-paul-ii/en/apost_letters/1994/documents/hf_jp-ii_apl_19941110_tertio-millennio-adveniente.html" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">Tertio Millennio Adveniente</a> </i>(10 November 1994), 37: AAS 87 (1995), 29.</p><p><a name="_ftn9" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftnref9" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[9]</a><i> <a href="https://w2.vatican.va/content/john-paul-ii/en/homilies/2000/documents/hf_jp-ii_hom_20000507_test-fede.html" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">Homily for the Ecumenical Commemoration of Witnesses to the Faith in the Twentieth Century</a> </i>(7 May 2000), 5: AAS 92 (2000), 680-681.</p><p><a name="_ftn10" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftnref10" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[10]</a> Dogmatic Constitution on the Church<i><a href="http://www.vatican.va/archive/hist_councils/ii_vatican_council/documents/vat-ii_const_19641121_lumen-gentium_en.html" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">Lumen Gentium</a></i>, 11.</p><p><a name="_ftn11" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftnref11" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[11]</a> Cf. HANS URS VON BALTHASAR, "Theology and Holiness", in <i>Communio </i>14/4 (1987), 345.</p><p><a name="_ftn12" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftnref12" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[12]</a><i> Spiritual Canticle</i>, Red. B, Prologue, 2.</p><p><a name="_ftn13" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftnref13" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[13]</a> Cf. ibid., 14-15, 2.</p><p><a name="_ftn14" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftnref14" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[14]</a> Cf. <a href="http://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/audiences/2014/documents/papa-francesco_20141119_udienza-generale.html" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold"><i>Catechesis</i>, General Audience of 19 November 2014</a>: <i>Insegnamenti </i>II/2 (2014), 555.</p><p><a name="_ftn15" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftnref15" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[15]</a> FRANCIS DE SALES, <i>Treatise on the Love of God</i>, VIII, 11.</p><p><a name="_ftn16" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftnref16" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[16]</a><i> Five Loaves and Two Fish</i>, Pauline Books and Media, 2003, pp. 9, 13.</p><p><a name="_ftn17" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftnref17" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[17]</a> NEW ZEALAND CATHOLIC BISHOPS' CONFERENCE, <i>Healing Love</i>, 1 January 1988.</p><p><a name="_ftn18" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftnref18" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[18]</a> <i>Spiritual Exercises</i>, 102-312.</p><p><a name="_ftn19" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftnref19" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[19]</a> Catechism of the Catholic Church, 515.</p><p><a name="_ftn20" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftnref20" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[20]</a> Ibid., 516.</p><p><a name="_ftn21" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftnref21" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[21]</a> Ibid., 517.</p><p><a name="_ftn22" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftnref22" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[22]</a> Ibid., 518.</p><p><a name="_ftn23" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftnref23" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[23]</a> Ibid., 521.</p><p><a name="_ftn24" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftnref24" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[24]</a> BENEDICT XVI, <a href="http://w2.vatican.va/content/benedict-xvi/en/audiences/2011/documents/hf_ben-xvi_aud_20110413.html" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold"><i>Catechesis</i>, General Audience of 13 April 2011</a>: <i>Insegnamenti</i>VII (2011), 451.</p><p><a name="_ftn25" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftnref25" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[25]</a> <a href="http://w2.vatican.va/content/benedict-xvi/en/audiences/2011/documents/hf_ben-xvi_aud_20110413.html" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">Ibid</a>., 450.</p><p><a name="_ftn26" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftnref26" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[26]</a> Cf. HANS URS VON BALTHASAR, "Theology and Holiness", in <i>Communio </i>14/4 (1987), 341-350.</p><p><a name="_ftn27" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftnref27" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[27]</a> XAVIER ZUBIRI, <i>Naturaleza, historia, Dios</i>, Madrid, 1993<sup>3</sup>, 427.</p><p><a name="_ftn28" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftnref28" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[28]</a> CARLO M. MARTINI, <i>Le confessioni di Pietro</i>, Cinisello Balsamo, 2017, 69.</p><p><a name="_ftn29" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftnref29" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[29]</a> We need to distinguish between this kind of superficial entertainment and a healthy culture of leisure, which opens us to others and to reality itself in a spirit of openness and contemplation.</p><p><a name="_ftn30" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftnref30" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[30]</a> JOHN PAUL II, <i><a href="https://w2.vatican.va/content/john-paul-ii/en/homilies/2000/documents/hf_jp-ii_hom_20001001_canonization.html" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">Homily at the Mass of Canonization</a> </i>(1 October 2000), 5: AAS 92 (2000), 852.</p><p><a name="_ftn31" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftnref31" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[31]</a> REGIONAL EPISCOPAL CONFERENCE OF WEST AFRICA, <i>Pastoral Message at the End of the Second Plenary Assembly</i>, 29 February 2016, 2.</p><p><a name="_ftn32" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftnref32" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[32]</a><i> La femme pauvre</i>, Paris, II, 27.</p><p><a name="_ftn33" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftnref33" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[33]</a> Cf. <a href="http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/cfaith/index.htm" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">CONGREGATION FOR THE DOCTRINE OF THE FAITH</a>, Letter <a href="http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/cfaith/documents/rc_con_cfaith_doc_20180222_placuit-deo_en.html" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold"><i>Placuit Deo</i> on Certain Aspects of Christian Salvation</a> (22 February 2018), 4, in <i>L'Osservatore Romano</i>, 2 March 2018, pp. 4-5: "Both neo-Pelagian individualism and the neo-Gnostic disregard of the body deface the confession of faith in Christ, the one, universal Saviour". This document provides the doctrinal bases for understanding Christian salvation in reference to contemporary neo-gnostic and neo-pelagian tendencies.</p><p><a name="_ftn34" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftnref34" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[34]</a> Apostolic Exhortation <i><a href="http://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20131124_evangelii-gaudium.html" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">Evangelii Gaudium</a></i> (24 November 2013), 94: AAS 105 (2013), 1060.</p><p><a name="_ftn35" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftnref35" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[35]</a> <a href="http://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20131124_evangelii-gaudium.html" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">Ibid</a>.: AAS 105 (2013), 1059.</p><p><a name="_ftn36" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftnref36" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[36]</a><i> <a href="http://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/cotidie/2016/documents/papa-francesco-cotidie_20161011_brazen-faces.html" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">Homily at Mass in Casa Santa Marta</a></i>, 11 November 2016: <i>L'Osservatore Romano</i>, 12 November 2016, p. 8.</p><p><a name="_ftn37" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftnref37" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[37]</a> As Saint Bonaventure teaches, "we must suspend all the operations of the mind and we must transform the peak of our affections, directing them to God alone… Since nature can achieve nothing and personal effort very little, it is necessary to give little importance to investigation and much to unction, little to speech and much to interior joy, little to words or writing but all to the gift of God, namely the Holy Spirit, little or no importance should be given to the creature, but all to the Creator, the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit": BONAVENTURE, <i>Itinerarium Mentis in Deum</i>, VII, 4-5.</p><p><a name="_ftn38" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftnref38" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[38]</a> Cf. <i><a href="http://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/letters/2015/documents/papa-francesco_20150303_lettera-universita-cattolica-argentina.html" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">Letter to the Grand Chancellor of the Pontifical Catholic University of Argentina for the Centenary of the Founding of the Faculty of Theology</a></i> (3 March 2015): <i>L'Osservatore Romano</i>, 9-10 March 2015, p. 6.</p><p><a name="_ftn39" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftnref39" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[39]</a> Apostolic Exhortation <i><a href="http://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20131124_evangelii-gaudium.html" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">Evangelii Gaudium</a></i> (24 November 2013), 40: AAS 105 (2013), 1037.</p><p><a name="_ftn40" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftnref40" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[40]</a> <a href="http://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/messages/pont-messages/2015/documents/papa-francesco_20150903_videomessaggio-teologia-buenos-aires.html" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold"><i>Video Message to Participants in an International Theological Congress held at the Pontifical Catholic University of Argentina</i> (1-3 September 2015)</a>: AAS 107 (2015), 980.</p><p><a name="_ftn41" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftnref41" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[41]</a> Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation<i><a href="http://w2.vatican.va/content/john-paul-ii/en/apost_exhortations/documents/hf_jp-ii_exh_25031996_vita-consecrata.html" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">Vita Consecrata</a></i> (25 March 1996), 38: AAS 88 (1996), 412.</p><p><a name="_ftn42" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftnref42" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[42]</a> <i><a href="http://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/letters/2015/documents/papa-francesco_20150303_lettera-universita-cattolica-argentina.html" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">Letter to the Grand Chancellor of the Pontifical Catholic University of Argentina for the Centenary of the Founding of the Faculty of Theology</a></i> (3 March 2015):<i>L'Osservatore Romano</i>, 9-10 March 2015, p. 6.</p><p><a name="_ftn43" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftnref43" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[43]</a> <i>Letter to Brother Anthony</i>, 2: FF 251.</p><p><a name="_ftn44" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftnref44" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[44]</a><i> De septem donis</i>, 9, 15.</p><p><a name="_ftn45" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftnref45" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[45]</a> <i>In IV</i> <i>Sent.</i> 37, 1, 3, ad 6.</p><p><a name="_ftn46" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftnref46" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[46]</a> Apostolic Exhortation <i><a href="http://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20131124_evangelii-gaudium.html" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">Evangelii Gaudium</a></i> (24 November 2013), 94: AAS 105 (2013), 1059.</p><p><a name="_ftn47" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftnref47" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[47]</a> Cf. Bonaventure, <i>De sex alis Seraphim</i>, 3, 8: "<i>Non omnes omnia possunt</i>". The phrase is to be understood along the lines of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1735.</p><p><a name="_ftn48" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftnref48" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[48]</a> Cf. THOMAS AQUINAS, <i>Summa Theologiae </i>II-II, q. 109, a. 9, ad 1: "But here grace is to some extent imperfect, inasmuch as it does not completely heal man, as we have said".</p><p><a name="_ftn49" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftnref49" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[49]</a> Cf. <i>De natura et gratia</i>, 43, 50: PL 44, 271.</p><p><a name="_ftn50" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftnref50" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[50]</a> <i>Confessiones</i>, X, 29, 40: PL 32, 796.</p><p><a name="_ftn51" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftnref51" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[51]</a> Cf. Apostolic Exhortation <i><a href="http://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20131124_evangelii-gaudium.html" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">Evangelii Gaudium</a></i> (24 November 2013), 44: AAS 105 (2013), 1038.</p><p><a name="_ftn52" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftnref52" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[52]</a> In the understanding of Christian faith, grace precedes, accompanies and follows all our actions (cf. ECUMENICAL COUNCIL OF TRENT, Session VI, <i>Decree on Justification</i>, ch. 5: DH 1525).</p><p><a name="_ftn53" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftnref53" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[53]</a> Cf. <i>In Ep. ad Romanos,</i> 9, 11: PG 60, 470.</p><p><a name="_ftn54" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftnref54" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[54]</a> <i>Homilia de Humilitate</i>:<i> </i>PG 31, 530.</p><p><a name="_ftn55" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftnref55" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[55]</a> Canon 4: DH 374.</p><p><a name="_ftn56" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftnref56" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[56]</a> Session VI, <i>Decree on Justification</i>, ch. 8: DH 1532.</p><p><a name="_ftn57" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftnref57" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[57]</a> No. 1998.</p><p><a name="_ftn58" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftnref58" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[58]</a> Ibid., 2007.</p><p><a name="_ftn59" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftnref59" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[59]</a> Thomas Aquinas, <i>Summa Theologiae</i>, I-II, q. 114, a. 5.</p><p><a name="_ftn60" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftnref60" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[60]</a> ThÉrÈse of the Child Jesus, "Act of Offering to Merciful Love" (Prayers, 6).</p><p><a name="_ftn61" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftnref61" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[61]</a> Lucio Gera, <i>Sobre el misterio del pobre</i>, in P. GRELOT-L. GERA-A. DUMAS, <i>El Pobre</i>, Buenos Aires, 1962, 103.</p><p><a name="_ftn62" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftnref62" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[62]</a> This is, in a word, the Catholic doctrine on "merit" subsequent to justification: it has to do with the cooperation of the justified for growth in the life of grace (cf. Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2010). Yet this cooperation in no way makes justification itself or friendship with God the object of human merit.</p><div><a name="_ftn63" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftnref63" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[63]</a> Cf. Apostolic Exhortation <i><a href="http://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20131124_evangelii-gaudium.html" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">Evangelii Gaudium</a></i> (24 November 2013), 95: AAS 105 (2013), 1060.<p><a name="_ftn64" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftnref64" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[64]</a><i> Summa Theologiae</i> I-II, q. 107, art. 4.</p><p><a name="_ftn65" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftnref65" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[65]</a> FRANCIS, <i><a href="http://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/homilies/2016/documents/papa-francesco_20161113_giubileo-omelia-senza-fissa-dimora.html" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">Homily at Mass for the Jubilee of Socially Excluded People</a> </i>(13 November 2016): <i>L'Osservatore Romano</i>, 14-15 November 2016, p. 8.</p><p><a name="_ftn66" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftnref66" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[66]</a> Cf. <i><a href="http://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/cotidie/2014/documents/papa-francesco-cotidie_20140609_christian-identity-card.html" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">Homily at Mass in Casa Santa Marta</a></i>, 9 June 2014: <i>L'Osservatore Romano</i>, 10 June 2014, p. 8.</p><p><a name="_ftn67" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftnref67" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[67]</a> The order of the second and third Beatitudes varies in accordance with the different textual traditions.</p><p><a name="_ftn68" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftnref68" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[68]</a><i> Spiritual Exercises</i>, 23d.</p><p><a name="_ftn69" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftnref69" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[69]</a><i> Manuscript </i>C, 12r.</p><p><a name="_ftn70" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftnref70" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[70]</a> From the patristic era, the Church has valued the gift of tears, as seen in the fine prayer <i>"Ad petendam compunctionem cordis"</i>. It reads: "Almighty and most merciful God, who brought forth from the rock a spring of living water for your thirsting people: bring forth tears of compunction from our hardness of heart, that we may grieve for our sins, and, by your mercy, obtain their forgiveness" (cf. <i>Missale Romanum</i>, ed. typ. 1962, p. [110]).</p><p><a name="_ftn71" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftnref71" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[71]</a> Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1789; cf. 1970.</p><p><a name="_ftn72" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftnref72" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[72]</a> Ibid<i>.</i>, 1787.</p><p><a name="_ftn73" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftnref73" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[73]</a> Detraction and calumny are acts of terrorism: a bomb is thrown, it explodes and the attacker walks away calm and contented. This is completely different from the nobility of those who speak to others face to face, serenely and frankly, out of genuine concern for their good.</p><p><a name="_ftn74" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftnref74" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[74]</a> At times, it may be necessary to speak of the difficulties of a particular brother or sister. In such cases, it can happen that an interpretation is passed on in place of an objective fact. Emotions can misconstrue and alter the facts of a matter, and end up passing them on laced with subjective elements. In this way, neither the facts themselves nor the truth of the other person are respected.</p><p><a name="_ftn75" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftnref75" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[75]</a> Apostolic Exhortation, <i><a href="http://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20131124_evangelii-gaudium.html" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">Evangelii Gaudium</a></i> (24 November 2013), <a href="http://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20131124_evangelii-gaudium.html#III.%E2%80%82The_common_good_and_peace_in_society" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">218</a>: AAS 105 (2013), 1110.</p><p><a name="_ftn76" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftnref76" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[76]</a> <a href="http://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20131124_evangelii-gaudium.html#IV.%E2%80%82Social_dialogue_as_a_contribution_to_peace" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">Ibid<i>.</i>, 239</a>: 1116.</p><p><a name="_ftn77" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftnref77" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[77]</a> <a href="http://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20131124_evangelii-gaudium.html#Unity_prevails_over_conflict" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">Ibid<i>.</i>, 227</a>: 1112.</p><p><a name="_ftn78" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftnref78" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[78]</a> Encyclical Letter <i><a href="http://w2.vatican.va/content/john-paul-ii/en/encyclicals/documents/hf_jp-ii_enc_01051991_centesimus-annus.html" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">Centesimus Annus</a></i>(1 May 1991), 41c: AAS 81 (1993), 844-845.</p><p><a name="_ftn79" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftnref79" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[79]</a> Apostolic Letter <i><a href="https://w2.vatican.va/content/john-paul-ii/en/apost_letters/2001/documents/hf_jp-ii_apl_20010106_novo-millennio-ineunte.html" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">Novo Millennio Ineunte</a></i> (6 January 2001), 49: AAS 93 (2001), 302.</p><p><a name="_ftn80" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftnref80" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[80]</a> <a href="https://w2.vatican.va/content/john-paul-ii/en/apost_letters/2001/documents/hf_jp-ii_apl_20010106_novo-millennio-ineunte.html" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">Ibid</a>.</p><p><a name="_ftn81" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftnref81" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[81]</a> Bull <i><a href="https://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/apost_letters/documents/papa-francesco_bolla_20150411_misericordiae-vultus.html" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">Misericordiae Vultus</a> </i>(11 April 2015), 12: AAS 107 (2015), 407.</p><p><a name="_ftn82" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftnref82" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[82]</a> We can recall the Good Samaritan's reaction upon meeting the man attacked by robbers and left for dead (cf. <i>Lk</i> 10:30-37).</p><p><a name="_ftn83" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftnref83" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[83]</a> SOCIAL AFFAIRS COMMISSION OF THE CANADIAN CONFERENCE OF CATHOLIC BISHOPS, Open Letter to the Members of Parliament, <i>The Common Good or Exclusion: A Choice for Canadians</i>(1 February 2001), 9.</p><p><a name="_ftn84" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftnref84" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[84]</a> The Fifth General Conference of the Latin American and Caribbean Bishops, echoing the Church's constant teaching, stated that human beings "are always sacred, from their conception, at all stages of existence, until their natural death, and after death", and that life must be safeguarded "starting at conception, <i>in all its stages</i>, until natural death" (<i>Aparecida</i> <i>Document</i>, 29 June 2007, 388; 464).</p><p><a name="_ftn85" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftnref85" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[85]</a> <i>Rule</i>, 53, 1: PL 66, 749.</p><p><a name="_ftn86" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftnref86" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[86]</a> Cf. ibid., 53, 7: PL 66, 750.</p><p><a name="_ftn87" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftnref87" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[87]</a> Ibid., 53, 15: PL 66, 751.</p><p><a name="_ftn88" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftnref88" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[88]</a> Bull <i><a href="https://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/apost_letters/documents/papa-francesco_bolla_20150411_misericordiae-vultus.html" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">Misericordiae Vultus</a></i> (11 April 2015), 9: AAS 107 (2015), 405.</p><p><a name="_ftn89" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftnref89" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[89]</a> <a href="https://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/apost_letters/documents/papa-francesco_bolla_20150411_misericordiae-vultus.html" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">Ibid</a><i>., </i>10, 406.</p><p><a name="_ftn90" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftnref90" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[90]</a> Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation<i><a href="http://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20160319_amoris-laetitia.html" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">Amoris Laetitia</a></i> (19 March 2016), 311: AAS 108 (2016), 439.</p><p><a name="_ftn91" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftnref91" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[91]</a> Apostolic Exhortation <i><a href="http://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20131124_evangelii-gaudium.html" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">Evangelii Gaudium</a></i> (24 November 2013), 197: AAS 105 (2013), 1103.</p><p><a name="_ftn92" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftnref92" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[92]</a> Cf. <i>Summa Theologiae</i>, II-II, q. 30, a. 4.</p><p><a name="_ftn93" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftnref93" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[93]</a> Ibid<i>.</i>, ad 1.</p><p><a name="_ftn94" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftnref94" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[94]</a> Cited (in Spanish translation) in: <i>Cristo en los Pobres</i>, Madrid, 1981, 37-38.</p><p><a name="_ftn95" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftnref95" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[95]</a> There are some forms of bullying that, while seeming delicate or respectful and even quite spiritual, cause great damage to others' self-esteem.</p><p><a name="_ftn96" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftnref96" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[96]</a><i> Precautions</i>, 13.</p><p><a name="_ftn97" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftnref97" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[97]</a> Ibid<i>.</i>,<i> </i>13.</p><p><a name="_ftn98" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftnref98" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[98]</a> Cf. <i>Diary. Divine Mercy in My Soul</i>, Stockbridge, 2000, p. 139 (300).</p><p><a name="_ftn99" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftnref99" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[99]</a> THOMAS AQUINAS, <i>Summa Theologiae, </i>I-II, q. 70, a. 3.</p><p><a name="_ftn100" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftnref100" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[100]</a> Apostolic Exhortation <i><a href="http://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20131124_evangelii-gaudium.html" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">Evangelii Gaudium</a></i> (24 November 2013), 6: AAS 105 (2013), 1221.</p><p><a name="_ftn101" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftnref101" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[101]</a> I recommend praying the prayer attributed to Saint Thomas More: "Grant me, O Lord, good digestion, and also something to digest. Grant me a healthy body, and the necessary good humour to maintain it. Grant me a simple soul that knows to treasure all that is good and that doesn't frighten easily at the sight of evil, but rather finds the means to put things back in their place. Give me a soul that knows not boredom, grumbling, sighs and laments, nor excess of stress, because of that obstructing thing called 'I'. Grant me, O Lord, a sense of good humour. Allow me the grace to be able to take a joke and to discover in life a bit of joy, and to be able to share it with others".</p><p><a name="_ftn102" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftnref102" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[102]</a> Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation<i><a href="http://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20160319_amoris-laetitia.html" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">Amoris Laetitia</a></i> (19 March 2016), 110: AAS 108 (2016), 354.</p><p><a name="_ftn103" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftnref103" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[103]</a> Apostolic Exhortation <i><a href="http://w2.vatican.va/content/paul-vi/en/apost_exhortations/documents/hf_p-vi_exh_19751208_evangelii-nuntiandi.html" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">Evangelii Nuntiandi</a></i> (8 December 1975), 80: AAS 68 (1976), 73. It is worth noting that in this text Blessed Paul VI closely links joy and <i>parrhesía</i>. While lamenting a "lack of joy and hope" as an obstacle to evangelization, he extols the "delightful and comforting joy of evangelizing", linked to "an interior enthusiasm that nobody and nothing can quench". This ensures that the world does not receive the Gospel "from evangelizers who are dejected [and] discouraged". During the 1975 Holy Year, Pope Paul devoted to joy his Apostolic Exhortation <i><a href="http://w2.vatican.va/content/paul-vi/en/apost_exhortations/documents/hf_p-vi_exh_19750509_gaudete-in-domino.html" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">Gaudete in Domino</a></i> (9 May 1975): AAS 67 (1975), 289-322.</p><p><a name="_ftn104" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftnref104" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[104]</a> <i>Precautions</i>, 15.</p><p><a name="_ftn105" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftnref105" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[105]</a> JOHN PAUL II, Apostolic Exhortation<i><a href="http://w2.vatican.va/content/john-paul-ii/en/apost_exhortations/documents/hf_jp-ii_exh_25031996_vita-consecrata.html" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">Vita Consecrata</a></i> (25 March 1996), 42: AAS 88 (1996), 416.</p><p><a name="_ftn106" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftnref106" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[106]</a> <i>Confessiones</i>, IX, 10, 23-25: PL 32, 773-775.</p><p><a name="_ftn107" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftnref107" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[107]</a> I think especially of the three key words "please", "thank you" and "sorry". "The right words, spoken at the right time, daily protect and nurture love": Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation <i><a href="http://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20160319_amoris-laetitia.html" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">Amoris Laetitia</a></i> (19 March 2016), 133: AAS 108 (2016), 363.</p><p><a name="_ftn108" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftnref108" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[108]</a> THÉRÈSE OF THE CHILD JESUS, Manuscript C, 29 v-30r.</p><p><a name="_ftn109" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftnref109" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[109]</a><i> Degrees of Perfection, </i>2.</p><p><a name="_ftn110" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftnref110" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[110]</a> ID., <i>Counsels to a Religious on How to Attain Perfection, </i>9.</p><p><a name="_ftn111" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftnref111" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[111]</a> Autobiography, 8, 5.</p><p><a name="_ftn112" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftnref112" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[112]</a> JOHN PAUL II, Apostolic Letter<i><a href="https://w2.vatican.va/content/john-paul-ii/en/apost_letters/1995/documents/hf_jp-ii_apl_19950502_orientale-lumen.html" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">Orientale Lumen</a></i> (2 May 1995), 16: AAS 87 (1995), 762.</p><p><a name="_ftn113" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftnref113" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[113]</a><i> <a href="https://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/speeches/2015/november/documents/papa-francesco_20151110_firenze-convegno-chiesa-italiana.html" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">Meeting with the Participants in the Fifth Convention of the Italian Church</a>, </i>Florence, (10 November 2015): AAS 107 (2015), 1284.</p><p><a name="_ftn114" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftnref114" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[114]</a> Cf.<i> </i>BERNARD OF CLAIRVAUX, <i>Sermones in Canticum Canticorum</i>, 61, 3-5: PL 183:1071-1073.</p><p><a name="_ftn115" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftnref115" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[115]</a><i> The Way of a Pilgrim</i>, New York, 1965, pp. 17, 105-106.</p><p><a name="_ftn116" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftnref116" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[116]</a> Cf. <i>Spiritual Exercises</i>, 230-237.</p><p><a name="_ftn117" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftnref117" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[117]</a> Letter to Henry de Castries, 14 August 1901.</p><p><a name="_ftn118" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftnref118" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[118]</a> FIFTH GENERAL CONFERENCE OF THE LATIN AMERICAN AND CARIBBEAN BISHOPS, <i>Aparecida Document </i>(29 June 2007), 259.</p><p><a name="_ftn119" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftnref119" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[119]</a> CONFERENCE OF CATHOLIC BISHOPS OF INDIA, <i>Final Declaration of the Twenty-First Plenary Assembly</i>, 18 February 2009, 3.2.</p><p><a name="_ftn120" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftnref120" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[120]</a> Cf. <i><a href="http://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/cotidie/2013/documents/papa-francesco-cotidie_20131011_demon-strategy.html" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">Homily at Mass in Casa Santa Marta</a></i>, 11 October 2013: <i>L'Osservatore Romano</i>, 12 October 2013, p. 2.</p><p><a name="_ftn121" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftnref121" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[121]</a> Cf. PAUL VI, <i>Catechesis</i>, General Audience of 15 November 1972:<i>Insegnamenti </i>X (1972), pp. 1168-1170: "One of our greatest needs is defence against that evil which we call the devil… Evil is not simply a deficiency, it is an efficiency, a living spiritual being, perverted and perverting. A terrible reality, mysterious and frightful. They no longer remain within the framework of biblical and ecclesiastical teaching who refuse to recognize its existence, or who make of it an independent principle that does not have, like every creature, its origin in God, or explain it as a pseudo-reality, a conceptual and imaginative personification of the hidden causes of our misfortunes".</p><p><a name="_ftn122" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftnref122" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[122]</a> JOSÉ GABRIEL DEL ROSARIO BROCHERO, "Plática de las banderas", in CONFERENCIA EPISCOPAL ARGENTINA, <i>El Cura Brochero. Cartas y sermones</i>, Buenos Aires, 1999, 71.</p><p><a name="_ftn123" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftnref123" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[123]</a> Apostolic Exhortation <i><a href="http://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20131124_evangelii-gaudium.html" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">Evangelii Gaudium</a></i> (24 November 2013), 85: AAS 105 (2013), 1056.</p><p><a name="_ftn124" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftnref124" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[124]</a> The tomb of Saint Ignatius of Loyola bears this thought-provoking inscription: <i>Non coerceri a maximo, conteneri tamen a minimo divinum est</i> ("Not to be confined by the greatest, yet to be contained within the smallest, is truly divine").</p><p><a name="_ftn125" href="http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#_ftnref125" style="color:rgb(51,136,204);font-weight:bold">[125]</a><i> Collationes in Hexaemeron</i>, 1, 30.</p></div><div></div></div></div></div><div style="border-width:1px 0px;border-style:solid;background:rgb(249,249,249);color:rgb(102,51,0);font-weight:bold;border-color:rgb(253,245,216);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:10px!important" dir="auto"><h4 style="font-size:1em;min-height:1.1em;text-align:center;margin:0px 1em;padding:0.7em 0px;text-overflow:ellipsis;white-space:nowrap;outline:0px!important">© Copyright - Libreria Editrice Vaticana</h4></div></div> 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288.0pt 324.0pt 360.0pt 396.0pt"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:150%;font-variant:small-caps; mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">Advent 2017<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right:36.0pt;text-align:justify;text-justify: inter-ideograph;line-height:150%;mso-pagination:widow-orphan;tab-stops:-36.0pt 0cm 72.0pt 108.0pt 144.0pt 180.0pt 216.0pt 252.0pt 288.0pt 324.0pt 360.0pt 396.0pt"><span lang="X-NONE" style="font-size:11.0pt;line-height:150%">If we look at the etymology of the word <i>Advent</i> we notice how the true meaning is not simply "coming" but rather "<b>coming towards</b>". This is not a superficial difference because it brings in itself the name of God. The name of God which is his identity. We know what it means to know the name in the culture where God was incarnate. God has revealed his name to Moses and now is coming towards us to reveal his face: Jesus is the countenance of God:<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right:36.0pt;text-align:justify;text-justify: inter-ideograph;line-height:150%;mso-pagination:widow-orphan;tab-stops:-36.0pt 0cm 72.0pt 108.0pt 144.0pt 180.0pt 216.0pt 252.0pt 288.0pt 324.0pt 360.0pt 396.0pt"><span lang="X-NONE" style="font-size:11.0pt;line-height:150%"> </span></p><div style="margin: 0cm 74.8pt 0.0001pt 1cm; text-align: justify; line-height: 150%;"><span lang="X-NONE"><a href="http://biblehub.com/john/14-8.htm"><b><i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:11.0pt;line-height:150%;mso-ansi-language: EN-US">8</span></i></b></a></span><i><span style="font-size:11.0pt;line-height:150%;mso-ansi-language:EN-US">Philip said, "Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough/satisfied for us."<o:p></o:p></span></i></div><div style="margin: 0cm 74.8pt 0.0001pt 1cm; text-align: justify; line-height: 150%;"><span lang="X-NONE"><a href="http://biblehub.com/john/14-9.htm"><b><i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:11.0pt;line-height:150%;mso-ansi-language: EN-US">9</span></i></b></a></span><i><span style="font-size:11.0pt;line-height:150%;mso-ansi-language:EN-US">Jesus answered: "Don't you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, 'Show us the Father'? </span></i><span lang="X-NONE"><a href="http://biblehub.com/john/14-10.htm"><b><i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:11.0pt;line-height:150%;mso-ansi-language: EN-US">10</span></i></b></a></span><i><span style="font-size:11.0pt;line-height:150%;mso-ansi-language:EN-US">Don't you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you I do not speak on my own authority. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work. [Jn 14, 8-10]<o:p></o:p></span></i></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right:36.0pt;text-align:justify;text-justify: inter-ideograph;line-height:150%;mso-pagination:widow-orphan;tab-stops:-36.0pt 0cm 72.0pt 108.0pt 144.0pt 180.0pt 216.0pt 252.0pt 288.0pt 324.0pt 360.0pt 396.0pt"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;line-height:150%;mso-ansi-language:EN-US"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right:36.0pt;text-align:justify;text-justify: inter-ideograph;line-height:150%;mso-pagination:widow-orphan;tab-stops:-36.0pt 0cm 72.0pt 108.0pt 144.0pt 180.0pt 216.0pt 252.0pt 288.0pt 324.0pt 360.0pt 396.0pt"><span lang="X-NONE" style="font-size:11.0pt;line-height:150%">The desire of Philip is to see the Father, he does not need anything else, this is enough, he will be satisfied. [Q1]. We shall also notice that Philip is not talking only for himself, he does not say "and I will be satisfied". The experience of God is not only personal, it is also an experience of the community, of the "<i>ecclesia</i>". It means that the community is satisfied when they are beneficiaries of one relationship. Philip has the desire to see the Father, not God. Jesus himself will underline very clearly this concept in Jn 20, 17<o:p></o:p></span></p><div style="margin: 0cm 74.8pt 0.0001pt 1cm; text-align: justify; line-height: 150%;"><i><span style="font-size:11.0pt;line-height: 150%;mso-ansi-language:EN-US">"I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God".<o:p></o:p></span></i></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right:36.0pt;text-align:justify;text-justify: inter-ideograph;line-height:150%;mso-pagination:widow-orphan;tab-stops:-36.0pt 0cm 72.0pt 108.0pt 144.0pt 180.0pt 216.0pt 252.0pt 288.0pt 324.0pt 360.0pt 396.0pt"><span lang="X-NONE" style="font-size:11.0pt;line-height:150%">God is God, but has revealed himself as Father and he did it by sending his Son towards us. Only a son/Son can show the Father. We cannot claim to know God as such, we know Gos as much as Jesus has revelaed him/her/it… to us and Jesus revealed us a Father. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right:36.0pt;text-align:justify;text-justify: inter-ideograph;line-height:150%;mso-pagination:widow-orphan;tab-stops:-36.0pt 0cm 72.0pt 108.0pt 144.0pt 180.0pt 216.0pt 252.0pt 288.0pt 324.0pt 360.0pt 396.0pt"><span lang="X-NONE" style="font-size:11.0pt;line-height:150%">In these last chapter of John Jesus is finally revealing the Father, a Father who has a house were each and everyone is welcome.</span><span lang="X-NONE"> </span><span lang="X-NONE" style="font-size:11.0pt;line-height:150%">Here Jesus reveals that in the house of his Father - the image he himself applied to the temple, which however ceases to be such as a result of his coming and purification (cf. Jn 2,13-17) - there are many dwellings, there is room for many. The paternity of God is not only fatherhood to the Son, Jesus, but also to his disciples, so the house of God can accommodate them, can be their home as it is for Jesus: a reception that does not require merit, but free reception, Father, who welcomes all the children with the same love. Jesus leaves, visibly leaving his disciples, but "passed from this world to the Father" (cf. Jn 13: 1), he prepares rooms for us, opening the way of access to the affiliation with God the Father.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right:36.0pt;text-align:justify;text-justify: inter-ideograph;line-height:150%;mso-pagination:widow-orphan;tab-stops:-36.0pt 0cm 72.0pt 108.0pt 144.0pt 180.0pt 216.0pt 252.0pt 288.0pt 324.0pt 360.0pt 396.0pt"><span lang="X-NONE" style="font-size:11.0pt;line-height:150%"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right:36.0pt;text-align:justify;text-justify: inter-ideograph;line-height:150%;mso-pagination:widow-orphan;tab-stops:-36.0pt 0cm 72.0pt 108.0pt 144.0pt 180.0pt 216.0pt 252.0pt 288.0pt 324.0pt 360.0pt 396.0pt"><span lang="X-NONE" style="font-size:11.0pt;line-height:150%">But here, Thomas, the "twin" disciple (Dídymos: 11,16; 20,24; 21,2) of each of us, addresses an objection to Jesus: "Lord, we do not know where you are to go; how can we know the way?" For Thomas, as it is for us, it is certainly not easy to understand that death itself, as an act of love, an action of not selfishly preserving life, but of giving it for the love of others, it is the way, the way to live with Jesus in God. Jesus then does not answer the question directly ("Where are you going?"), But he says, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me".<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right:36.0pt;text-align:justify;text-justify: inter-ideograph;line-height:150%;mso-pagination:widow-orphan;tab-stops:-36.0pt 0cm 72.0pt 108.0pt 144.0pt 180.0pt 216.0pt 252.0pt 288.0pt 324.0pt 360.0pt 396.0pt"><span lang="X-NONE" style="font-size:11.0pt;line-height:150%"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right:36.0pt;text-align:justify;text-justify: inter-ideograph;line-height:150%;mso-pagination:widow-orphan;tab-stops:-36.0pt 0cm 72.0pt 108.0pt 144.0pt 180.0pt 216.0pt 252.0pt 288.0pt 324.0pt 360.0pt 396.0pt"><span lang="X-NONE" style="font-size:11.0pt;line-height:150%">Wonderful and unheard words on a man's mouth! Jesus uses the metaphor of the path to say:<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right:36.0pt;text-align:justify;text-justify: inter-ideograph;line-height:150%;mso-pagination:widow-orphan;tab-stops:-36.0pt 0cm 72.0pt 108.0pt 144.0pt 180.0pt 216.0pt 252.0pt 288.0pt 324.0pt 360.0pt 396.0pt"><span lang="X-NONE" style="font-size:11.0pt;line-height:150%">I myself am the way to go to the Father;<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right:36.0pt;text-align:justify;text-justify: inter-ideograph;line-height:150%;mso-pagination:widow-orphan;tab-stops:-36.0pt 0cm 72.0pt 108.0pt 144.0pt 180.0pt 216.0pt 252.0pt 288.0pt 324.0pt 360.0pt 396.0pt"><span lang="X-NONE" style="font-size:11.0pt;line-height:150%">I myself am the truth as the knowledge of the Father;<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right:36.0pt;text-align:justify;text-justify: inter-ideograph;line-height:150%;mso-pagination:widow-orphan;tab-stops:-36.0pt 0cm 72.0pt 108.0pt 144.0pt 180.0pt 216.0pt 252.0pt 288.0pt 324.0pt 360.0pt 396.0pt"><span lang="X-NONE" style="font-size:11.0pt;line-height:150%">I myself am eternal life, life forever as a gift from the Father "<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right:36.0pt;text-align:justify;text-justify: inter-ideograph;line-height:150%;mso-pagination:widow-orphan;tab-stops:-36.0pt 0cm 72.0pt 108.0pt 144.0pt 180.0pt 216.0pt 252.0pt 288.0pt 324.0pt 360.0pt 396.0pt"><span lang="X-NONE" style="font-size:11.0pt;line-height:150%"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right:36.0pt;text-align:justify;text-justify: inter-ideograph;line-height:150%;mso-pagination:widow-orphan;tab-stops:-36.0pt 0cm 72.0pt 108.0pt 144.0pt 180.0pt 216.0pt 252.0pt 288.0pt 324.0pt 360.0pt 396.0pt"><span lang="X-NONE" style="font-size:11.0pt;line-height:150%">The incarnation is all this, it is the Way of God, it the Truth of God it is the Life come which has come to us. The invisible God made visible to us (cfr Col 1,15ss).<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right:36.0pt;text-align:justify;text-justify: inter-ideograph;line-height:150%;mso-pagination:widow-orphan;tab-stops:-36.0pt 0cm 72.0pt 108.0pt 144.0pt 180.0pt 216.0pt 252.0pt 288.0pt 324.0pt 360.0pt 396.0pt"><span lang="X-NONE" style="font-size:11.0pt;line-height:150%"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right:36.0pt;text-align:justify;text-justify: inter-ideograph;line-height:150%;mso-pagination:widow-orphan;tab-stops:-36.0pt 0cm 72.0pt 108.0pt 144.0pt 180.0pt 216.0pt 252.0pt 288.0pt 324.0pt 360.0pt 396.0pt"><span lang="X-NONE" style="font-size:11.0pt;line-height:150%">We therefore believe in God because Jesus has revealed the Father to us and only through him we go to the Father. We do not believe in Jesus because we believe in God, it is viceversa. Our faith, as christians, begin there: <o:p></o:p></span></p><div style="margin: 0cm 74.8pt 0.0001pt 1cm; text-align: justify; line-height: 150%;"><i><span style="font-size:11.0pt;line-height: 150%;mso-ansi-language:EN-US">(But) when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to son ship. Because you are his sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, "Abba, and Father." So you are no longer a slave, but God's child… [Gal 4,4-6]. <o:p></o:p></span></i></div><div style="margin: 0cm 74.8pt 0.0001pt 1cm; text-align: justify; line-height: 150%;"><i><span style="font-size:11.0pt;line-height: 150%;mso-ansi-language:EN-US"> </span></i></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right:36.0pt;text-align:justify;text-justify: inter-ideograph;line-height:150%;mso-pagination:widow-orphan;tab-stops:-36.0pt 0cm 72.0pt 108.0pt 144.0pt 180.0pt 216.0pt 252.0pt 288.0pt 324.0pt 360.0pt 396.0pt"><span lang="X-NONE" style="font-size:11.0pt;line-height:150%">Advent is just the beginning of all of this and it should inspire in us one question, one very simple question: Why did God, or better, why did the second Person of the holy Trinity was incarnate? Why did he came towards us?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right:36.0pt;text-align:justify;text-justify: inter-ideograph;line-height:150%;mso-pagination:widow-orphan;tab-stops:-36.0pt 0cm 72.0pt 108.0pt 144.0pt 180.0pt 216.0pt 252.0pt 288.0pt 324.0pt 360.0pt 396.0pt"><span lang="X-NONE" style="font-size:11.0pt;line-height:150%"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right:36.0pt;text-align:justify;text-justify: inter-ideograph;line-height:150%;mso-pagination:widow-orphan;tab-stops:-36.0pt 0cm 72.0pt 108.0pt 144.0pt 180.0pt 216.0pt 252.0pt 288.0pt 324.0pt 360.0pt 396.0pt"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;line-height:150%;mso-ansi-language:EN-US">According to a long tradition in the Church God was incarnate to redeem men from their sins. During the night of the Pasqual Vigil we sing, before the liturgy of the Word begins "Felix Culpa", that means, "Happy Fault". Following this tradition the sin "obliged" God to incarnate to save his creatures and he did it our of love. Yet, there is also a second understanding of the incarnation of Christ. Since ever, God intended to incarnate, and the whole of the creation was made for this purpose, everything was created for the incarnation of Christ so that God could have shared his love with his creatures. Incarnation is not a consequence of the sin, but because of the Love of God. He created because he wanted to share his love and incarnation has always been in his mind even before sin. Redemption came because of sin, not incarnation. the incarnation is the model for the Creation, the whole universe is for Christ and Christ for the Universe. Incarnation is greater than redemption therefore redemption cannot force incarnation. The understanding of the incarnation as a matter of pure love and desire to share this love refuse an idea of sin-centered view. Christ is the beginning, middle and end of the creation and he is at the centre of the Universe as the reason for its existence. We read in fact:<o:p></o:p></span></p><div style="margin: 0cm 74.8pt 0.0001pt 1cm; text-align: justify; line-height: 150%;"><i><span style="font-size:11.0pt;line-height: 150%;mso-ansi-language:EN-US">"for in him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible […] all things were created through him and for him" [Col 1,16].<o:p></o:p></span></i></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right:36.0pt;text-align:justify;text-justify: inter-ideograph;line-height:150%;mso-pagination:widow-orphan;tab-stops:-36.0pt 0cm 72.0pt 108.0pt 144.0pt 180.0pt 216.0pt 252.0pt 288.0pt 324.0pt 360.0pt 396.0pt"><i><span style="font-size:11.0pt;line-height: 150%;mso-ansi-language:EN-US"> </span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right:36.0pt;text-align:justify;text-justify: inter-ideograph;line-height:150%;mso-pagination:widow-orphan;tab-stops:-36.0pt 0cm 72.0pt 108.0pt 144.0pt 180.0pt 216.0pt 252.0pt 288.0pt 324.0pt 360.0pt 396.0pt"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;line-height:150%;mso-ansi-language:EN-US">The reason for incarnation is Love. The love of God, the infinite love God wanted to share it with someone who could love him back as he – the Father – loves. Christ was the only capable and therefore he created everything to let Christ come into existence as incarnate. No soul, that is ever created, will be able to love the Father as the Christ did, but it is for very same reason and everlasting desire of the Father that Jesus leaves us a new commandment: <o:p></o:p></span></p><div style="margin: 0cm 74.8pt 0.0001pt 1cm; text-align: justify; line-height: 150%;"><i><span style="font-size:11.0pt;line-height: 150%;mso-ansi-language:EN-US">"you must love one another as I have loved you". [Jn 13, 34-35].<o:p></o:p></span></i></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right:36.0pt;text-align:justify;text-justify: inter-ideograph;line-height:150%;mso-pagination:widow-orphan;tab-stops:-36.0pt 0cm 72.0pt 108.0pt 144.0pt 180.0pt 216.0pt 252.0pt 288.0pt 324.0pt 360.0pt 396.0pt"><i><span style="font-size:11.0pt;line-height: 150%;mso-ansi-language:EN-US"> <o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right:36.0pt;text-align:justify;text-justify: inter-ideograph;line-height:150%;mso-pagination:widow-orphan;tab-stops:-36.0pt 0cm 72.0pt 108.0pt 144.0pt 180.0pt 216.0pt 252.0pt 288.0pt 324.0pt 360.0pt 396.0pt"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;line-height:150%;mso-ansi-language:EN-US">If mankind had not sin Christ would still have come, since this was predetermined from all eternity in the mind of God as the supreme manifestation of his love. The incarnation is centered in love and not on sin. At some point God chooses to leave is "isolation" and create someone to love, Christ and in order to have Christ he created all things for love, so that all could love Him through Christ.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right:36.0pt;text-align:justify;text-justify: inter-ideograph;line-height:150%;mso-pagination:widow-orphan;tab-stops:-36.0pt 0cm 72.0pt 108.0pt 144.0pt 180.0pt 216.0pt 252.0pt 288.0pt 324.0pt 360.0pt 396.0pt"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;line-height:150%;mso-ansi-language:EN-US"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right:36.0pt;text-align:justify;text-justify: inter-ideograph;line-height:150%;mso-pagination:widow-orphan;tab-stops:-36.0pt 0cm 72.0pt 108.0pt 144.0pt 180.0pt 216.0pt 252.0pt 288.0pt 324.0pt 360.0pt 396.0pt"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;line-height:150%;mso-ansi-language:EN-US">Important consequence is that what incarnation shows us is not the need of redemption, but the need to love for each one of us. Not only to be loved, but to Love and share this love. The Love of God is entirely free and since the beginning it embraces our own limitation, which is the incapacity to love as God loves simply because we are not love. From here the necessity to be entirely united to the Christ. If in nature we cannot love as God loves, we can by the grace. Where nature is limited grace is infinite. This is why we have been given the Way, the Life, the Truth; the Word of God. The Word of God must find place in us so that we can be satisfied and can say with Philip "show us the Father". <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right:36.0pt;text-align:justify;text-justify: inter-ideograph;line-height:150%;mso-pagination:widow-orphan;tab-stops:-36.0pt 0cm 72.0pt 108.0pt 144.0pt 180.0pt 216.0pt 252.0pt 288.0pt 324.0pt 360.0pt 396.0pt"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;line-height:150%;mso-ansi-language:EN-US"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right:36.0pt;text-align:justify;text-justify: inter-ideograph;line-height:150%;mso-pagination:widow-orphan;tab-stops:-36.0pt 0cm 72.0pt 108.0pt 144.0pt 180.0pt 216.0pt 252.0pt 288.0pt 324.0pt 360.0pt 396.0pt"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;line-height:150%;mso-ansi-language:EN-US">Seeking the face of God has always been the greatest desire of the human<i> </i>kind and it is well said by St. Augustine who wrote:<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right:36.0pt;text-align:justify;text-justify: inter-ideograph;line-height:150%;mso-pagination:widow-orphan;tab-stops:-36.0pt 0cm 72.0pt 108.0pt 144.0pt 180.0pt 216.0pt 252.0pt 288.0pt 324.0pt 360.0pt 396.0pt"><i><span style="font-size:11.0pt;line-height: 150%;mso-ansi-language:EN-US">"You made us for yourself, and our hearts are restless until they find their rest in you" .<o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right:36.0pt;text-align:justify;text-justify: inter-ideograph;line-height:150%;mso-pagination:widow-orphan;tab-stops:-36.0pt 0cm 72.0pt 108.0pt 144.0pt 180.0pt 216.0pt 252.0pt 288.0pt 324.0pt 360.0pt 396.0pt"><i><span style="font-size:11.0pt;line-height: 150%;mso-ansi-language:EN-US"> </span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right:36.0pt;text-align:justify;text-justify: inter-ideograph;line-height:150%;mso-pagination:widow-orphan;tab-stops:-36.0pt 0cm 72.0pt 108.0pt 144.0pt 180.0pt 216.0pt 252.0pt 288.0pt 324.0pt 360.0pt 396.0pt"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;line-height:150%;mso-ansi-language:EN-US">The first step to re-animate this desire is understanding and believing that we need to leave beyond our self-centeredness and step into the sacredness of the other (cfr. Evangelii Gaudium, 105). Pope Francis reminds us that it is the duty of every consecrated person to seek the true God in the sequela Christi. The vows we have promised to live are this call for us, to make us every day more similar to Christ which is the Love that the Father desires and for which has created all things. By not living our vows and not becoming like Christ, alter Christus, we nullify the plan of the Creation. As consecrated persons we are called to see the signs of God in everyday life. Seeking God's face requires perseverance! With the eyes of faith in a world which ignores his presence and to continue to offer that world Christ's life of chastity, poverty and obedience as a credible and trustworthy sign.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right:36.0pt;text-align:justify;text-justify: inter-ideograph;line-height:150%;mso-pagination:widow-orphan;tab-stops:-36.0pt 0cm 72.0pt 108.0pt 144.0pt 180.0pt 216.0pt 252.0pt 288.0pt 324.0pt 360.0pt 396.0pt"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;line-height:150%;mso-ansi-language:EN-US"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right:36.0pt;text-align:justify;text-justify: inter-ideograph;line-height:150%;mso-pagination:widow-orphan;tab-stops:-36.0pt 0cm 72.0pt 108.0pt 144.0pt 180.0pt 216.0pt 252.0pt 288.0pt 324.0pt 360.0pt 396.0pt"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;line-height:150%;mso-ansi-language:EN-US">It follows that evangelical counsels are, above all, a gift of the Holy Trinity. Consecrated life proclaims what the Father, through the Son and in the Spirit, brings about his love, goodness and beauty (<i>Vita Consecrata 20</i>). As God the Father was made visible in Jesus his Christ so our life as consecrated people must make visible the marvels brought by God amongst the human family, we are witnesses not with our words, but by way of our life. We shall all sing the song of Symeon the new Theologian:<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-right:36.0pt;text-align:center; line-height:150%;mso-pagination:widow-orphan;tab-stops:-36.0pt 0cm 72.0pt 108.0pt 144.0pt 180.0pt 216.0pt 252.0pt 288.0pt 324.0pt 360.0pt 396.0pt"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;line-height:150%;mso-ansi-language:EN-US">I see the beauty of your grace,<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-right:36.0pt;text-align:center; line-height:150%;mso-pagination:widow-orphan;tab-stops:-36.0pt 0cm 72.0pt 108.0pt 144.0pt 180.0pt 216.0pt 252.0pt 288.0pt 324.0pt 360.0pt 396.0pt"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;line-height:150%;mso-ansi-language:EN-US">I contemplate its radiance,<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-right:36.0pt;text-align:center; line-height:150%;mso-pagination:widow-orphan;tab-stops:-36.0pt 0cm 72.0pt 108.0pt 144.0pt 180.0pt 216.0pt 252.0pt 288.0pt 324.0pt 360.0pt 396.0pt"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;line-height:150%;mso-ansi-language:EN-US">I reflect its light: I am caught up by ineffable splendor;<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-right:36.0pt;text-align:center; line-height:150%;mso-pagination:widow-orphan;tab-stops:-36.0pt 0cm 72.0pt 108.0pt 144.0pt 180.0pt 216.0pt 252.0pt 288.0pt 324.0pt 360.0pt 396.0pt"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;line-height:150%;mso-ansi-language:EN-US">I am taken outside myself as I think of myself;<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-right:36.0pt;text-align:center; line-height:150%;mso-pagination:widow-orphan;tab-stops:-36.0pt 0cm 72.0pt 108.0pt 144.0pt 180.0pt 216.0pt 252.0pt 288.0pt 324.0pt 360.0pt 396.0pt"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;line-height:150%;mso-ansi-language:EN-US">I see how I was and what I have become.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-right:36.0pt;text-align:center; line-height:150%;mso-pagination:widow-orphan;tab-stops:-36.0pt 0cm 72.0pt 108.0pt 144.0pt 180.0pt 216.0pt 252.0pt 288.0pt 324.0pt 360.0pt 396.0pt"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;line-height:150%;mso-ansi-language:EN-US">O wonder, I am vigilant, I am full of respect for myself, of reverence and fear<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-right:36.0pt;text-align:center; line-height:150%;mso-pagination:widow-orphan;tab-stops:-36.0pt 0cm 72.0pt 108.0pt 144.0pt 180.0pt 216.0pt 252.0pt 288.0pt 324.0pt 360.0pt 396.0pt"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;line-height:150%;mso-ansi-language:EN-US">as if I were before you.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-right:36.0pt;text-align:center; line-height:150%;mso-pagination:widow-orphan;tab-stops:-36.0pt 0cm 72.0pt 108.0pt 144.0pt 180.0pt 216.0pt 252.0pt 288.0pt 324.0pt 360.0pt 396.0pt"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;line-height:150%;mso-ansi-language:EN-US">I do not know what to do, not know where to sit or where to go,<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-right:36.0pt;text-align:center; line-height:150%;mso-pagination:widow-orphan;tab-stops:-36.0pt 0cm 72.0pt 108.0pt 144.0pt 180.0pt 216.0pt 252.0pt 288.0pt 324.0pt 360.0pt 396.0pt"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;line-height:150%;mso-ansi-language:EN-US">where to put these members which are yours,<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-right:36.0pt;text-align:center; line-height:150%;mso-pagination:widow-orphan;tab-stops:-36.0pt 0cm 72.0pt 108.0pt 144.0pt 180.0pt 216.0pt 252.0pt 288.0pt 324.0pt 360.0pt 396.0pt"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;line-height:150%;mso-ansi-language:EN-US">in what deeds in what works shall I use them,<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-right:36.0pt;text-align:center; line-height:150%;mso-pagination:widow-orphan;tab-stops:-36.0pt 0cm 72.0pt 108.0pt 144.0pt 180.0pt 216.0pt 252.0pt 288.0pt 324.0pt 360.0pt 396.0pt"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;line-height:150%;mso-ansi-language:EN-US">this amazing divine marvels.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right:36.0pt;text-align:justify;text-justify: inter-ideograph;line-height:150%;mso-pagination:widow-orphan;tab-stops:-36.0pt 0cm 72.0pt 108.0pt 144.0pt 180.0pt 216.0pt 252.0pt 288.0pt 324.0pt 360.0pt 396.0pt"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;line-height:150%;mso-ansi-language:EN-US"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right:36.0pt;text-align:justify;text-justify: inter-ideograph;line-height:150%;mso-pagination:widow-orphan;tab-stops:-36.0pt 0cm 72.0pt 108.0pt 144.0pt 180.0pt 216.0pt 252.0pt 288.0pt 324.0pt 360.0pt 396.0pt"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;line-height:150%;mso-ansi-language:EN-US">Consecrate life become a tangible sign of the Trinity in history. As God was made tangible in Christ as John said:<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right:36.0pt;text-align:justify;text-justify: inter-ideograph;line-height:150%;mso-pagination:widow-orphan;tab-stops:-36.0pt 0cm 72.0pt 108.0pt 144.0pt 180.0pt 216.0pt 252.0pt 288.0pt 324.0pt 360.0pt 396.0pt"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;line-height:150%;mso-ansi-language:EN-US"> </span></p><div style="margin: 0cm 74.8pt 0.0001pt 1cm; text-align: justify; line-height: 150%;"><span lang="X-NONE"><a href="http://biblehub.com/1_john/1-1.htm"><i><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-fareast-font-family:"MS 明朝";mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast;color:windowtext;mso-ansi-language:EN-US;text-decoration:none; text-underline:none">1</span></i></a></span><i><span style="font-size:11.0pt;line-height:150%;mso-ansi-language:EN-US">That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched—this we proclaim concerning the Word of life. </span></i><span lang="X-NONE"><a href="http://biblehub.com/1_john/1-2.htm"><i><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-fareast-font-family:"MS 明朝";mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; color:windowtext;mso-ansi-language:EN-US;text-decoration:none;text-underline: none">2</span></i></a></span><i><span style="font-size:11.0pt;line-height:150%;mso-ansi-language:EN-US">The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us. </span></i><span lang="X-NONE"><a href="http://biblehub.com/1_john/1-3.htm"><i><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-fareast-font-family:"MS 明朝";mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast;color:windowtext;mso-ansi-language:EN-US;text-decoration:none; text-underline:none">3</span></i></a></span><i><span style="font-size:11.0pt;line-height:150%;mso-ansi-language:EN-US">We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. </span></i><span lang="X-NONE"><a href="http://biblehub.com/1_john/1-4.htm"><i><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-fareast-font-family:"MS 明朝";mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast;color:windowtext;mso-ansi-language:EN-US;text-decoration:none; text-underline:none">4</span></i></a></span><i><span style="font-size:11.0pt;line-height:150%;mso-ansi-language:EN-US">We write this to make our joy complete. [1Jn 1-4]<o:p></o:p></span></i></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right:36.0pt;text-align:justify;text-justify: inter-ideograph;line-height:150%;mso-pagination:widow-orphan;tab-stops:-36.0pt 0cm 72.0pt 108.0pt 144.0pt 180.0pt 216.0pt 252.0pt 288.0pt 324.0pt 360.0pt 396.0pt"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;line-height:150%;mso-ansi-language:EN-US"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right:36.0pt;text-align:justify;text-justify: inter-ideograph;line-height:150%;mso-pagination:widow-orphan;tab-stops:-36.0pt 0cm 72.0pt 108.0pt 144.0pt 180.0pt 216.0pt 252.0pt 288.0pt 324.0pt 360.0pt 396.0pt"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;line-height:150%;mso-ansi-language:EN-US">Does our life bring joy to others? Not because of we say to them, but because the way we live. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right:36.0pt;text-align:justify;text-justify: inter-ideograph;line-height:150%;mso-pagination:widow-orphan;tab-stops:-36.0pt 0cm 72.0pt 108.0pt 144.0pt 180.0pt 216.0pt 252.0pt 288.0pt 324.0pt 360.0pt 396.0pt"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;line-height:150%;mso-ansi-language:EN-US"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right:36.0pt;text-align:justify;text-justify: inter-ideograph;line-height:150%;mso-pagination:widow-orphan;tab-stops:-36.0pt 0cm 72.0pt 108.0pt 144.0pt 180.0pt 216.0pt 252.0pt 288.0pt 324.0pt 360.0pt 396.0pt"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;line-height:150%;mso-ansi-language:EN-US">God in his advent, has come towards us and he has called us to go towards others bringing them what he has brought to us: he made us know the Father, by the way of our life we shall made him known too.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin-right:36.0pt;mso-add-space: auto;text-align:justify;text-justify:inter-ideograph;text-indent:-18.0pt; line-height:150%;mso-pagination:widow-orphan;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops:-36.0pt 0cm 72.0pt 108.0pt 144.0pt 180.0pt 216.0pt 252.0pt 288.0pt 324.0pt 360.0pt 396.0pt"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size:11.0pt;line-height:150%;font-family:Symbol;mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;mso-bidi-font-family:Symbol;mso-ansi-language:EN-US">·<span style="font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-family: 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size:11.0pt;line-height:150%; mso-ansi-language:EN-US">Chastity is a reflection of the infinity love of God which links the three Divine Persons in the mysterious depths of the life of the Trinity, the love to which the Incarnate Word bears witness even to the point of giving his life, the love poured into our hearts through the holy Spirit (Rom 5,5) which respond of love for God and our brothers and sisters.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-right:36.0pt;mso-add-space: auto;text-align:justify;text-justify:inter-ideograph;text-indent:-18.0pt; line-height:150%;mso-pagination:widow-orphan;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops:-36.0pt 0cm 72.0pt 108.0pt 144.0pt 180.0pt 216.0pt 252.0pt 288.0pt 324.0pt 360.0pt 396.0pt"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size:11.0pt;line-height:150%;font-family:Symbol;mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;mso-bidi-font-family:Symbol;mso-ansi-language:EN-US">·<span style="font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-family: 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size:11.0pt;line-height:150%; mso-ansi-language:EN-US">Poverty proclaims God as the only treasure. It is the total gift of ourselves as the gift of the three Divine persons that give to one another. This exchange of love within the Holy Trinity overflows into the creation to make it able to receive the Incarnate Christ.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin-right:36.0pt;mso-add-space: auto;text-align:justify;text-justify:inter-ideograph;text-indent:-18.0pt; line-height:150%;mso-pagination:widow-orphan;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops:-36.0pt 0cm 72.0pt 108.0pt 144.0pt 180.0pt 216.0pt 252.0pt 288.0pt 324.0pt 360.0pt 396.0pt"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size:11.0pt;line-height:150%;font-family:Symbol;mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;mso-bidi-font-family:Symbol;mso-ansi-language:EN-US">·<span style="font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-family: 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size:11.0pt;line-height:150%; mso-ansi-language:EN-US">Obedience shows the liberating beauty of dependence, which is a filial attitude, the behavior of the son and of the servant and shows the harmony amongst the three people of the Holy Trinity.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right:36.0pt;text-align:justify;text-justify: inter-ideograph;line-height:150%;mso-pagination:widow-orphan;tab-stops:-36.0pt 0cm 72.0pt 108.0pt 144.0pt 180.0pt 216.0pt 252.0pt 288.0pt 324.0pt 360.0pt 396.0pt"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;line-height:150%;mso-ansi-language:EN-US"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right:36.0pt;text-align:justify;text-justify: inter-ideograph;line-height:150%;mso-pagination:widow-orphan;tab-stops:-36.0pt 0cm 72.0pt 108.0pt 144.0pt 180.0pt 216.0pt 252.0pt 288.0pt 324.0pt 360.0pt 396.0pt"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;line-height:150%;mso-ansi-language:EN-US">This time of Advent could really be the time, for each one of us,<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin-right:36.0pt;mso-add-space: auto;text-align:justify;text-justify:inter-ideograph;text-indent:-18.0pt; line-height:150%;mso-pagination:widow-orphan;mso-list:l1 level1 lfo2; tab-stops:-36.0pt 0cm 72.0pt 108.0pt 144.0pt 180.0pt 216.0pt 252.0pt 288.0pt 324.0pt 360.0pt 396.0pt"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size:11.0pt;line-height:150%;font-family:Symbol;mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;mso-bidi-font-family:Symbol;mso-ansi-language:EN-US">·<span style="font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-family: 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size:11.0pt;line-height:150%; mso-ansi-language:EN-US">to renew our life <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-right:36.0pt;mso-add-space: auto;text-align:justify;text-justify:inter-ideograph;text-indent:-18.0pt; line-height:150%;mso-pagination:widow-orphan;mso-list:l1 level1 lfo2; tab-stops:-36.0pt 0cm 72.0pt 108.0pt 144.0pt 180.0pt 216.0pt 252.0pt 288.0pt 324.0pt 360.0pt 396.0pt"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size:11.0pt;line-height:150%;font-family:Symbol;mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;mso-bidi-font-family:Symbol;mso-ansi-language:EN-US">·<span style="font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-family: 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size:11.0pt;line-height:150%; mso-ansi-language:EN-US">to renew the desire to see the Father in our brothers and sisters<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-right:36.0pt;mso-add-space: auto;text-align:justify;text-justify:inter-ideograph;text-indent:-18.0pt; line-height:150%;mso-pagination:widow-orphan;mso-list:l1 level1 lfo2; tab-stops:-36.0pt 0cm 72.0pt 108.0pt 144.0pt 180.0pt 216.0pt 252.0pt 288.0pt 324.0pt 360.0pt 396.0pt"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size:11.0pt;line-height:150%;font-family:Symbol;mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;mso-bidi-font-family:Symbol;mso-ansi-language:EN-US">·<span style="font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-family: 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size:11.0pt;line-height:150%; mso-ansi-language:EN-US">to renew our desire to welcome He who comes towards us<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-right:36.0pt;mso-add-space: auto;text-align:justify;text-justify:inter-ideograph;text-indent:-18.0pt; line-height:150%;mso-pagination:widow-orphan;mso-list:l1 level1 lfo2; tab-stops:-36.0pt 0cm 72.0pt 108.0pt 144.0pt 180.0pt 216.0pt 252.0pt 288.0pt 324.0pt 360.0pt 396.0pt"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size:11.0pt;line-height:150%;font-family:Symbol;mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;mso-bidi-font-family:Symbol;mso-ansi-language:EN-US">·<span style="font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-family: 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size:11.0pt;line-height:150%; mso-ansi-language:EN-US">to renew the desire to go towards others<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-right:36.0pt;mso-add-space: auto;text-align:justify;text-justify:inter-ideograph;text-indent:-18.0pt; line-height:150%;mso-pagination:widow-orphan;mso-list:l1 level1 lfo2; tab-stops:-36.0pt 0cm 72.0pt 108.0pt 144.0pt 180.0pt 216.0pt 252.0pt 288.0pt 324.0pt 360.0pt 396.0pt"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size:11.0pt;line-height:150%;font-family:Symbol;mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;mso-bidi-font-family:Symbol;mso-ansi-language:EN-US">·<span style="font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-family: 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size:11.0pt;line-height:150%; mso-ansi-language:EN-US">to renew our capacity to bring evangelical joy<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-right:36.0pt;mso-add-space: auto;text-align:justify;text-justify:inter-ideograph;text-indent:-18.0pt; line-height:150%;mso-pagination:widow-orphan;mso-list:l1 level1 lfo2; tab-stops:-36.0pt 0cm 72.0pt 108.0pt 144.0pt 180.0pt 216.0pt 252.0pt 288.0pt 324.0pt 360.0pt 396.0pt"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size:11.0pt;line-height:150%;font-family:Symbol;mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;mso-bidi-font-family:Symbol;mso-ansi-language:EN-US">·<span style="font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-family: 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size:11.0pt;line-height:150%; mso-ansi-language:EN-US">to eliminate everything that is against Chastity, and Poverty and Obedience<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin-right:36.0pt;mso-add-space: auto;text-align:justify;text-justify:inter-ideograph;text-indent:-18.0pt; line-height:150%;mso-pagination:widow-orphan;mso-list:l1 level1 lfo2; tab-stops:-36.0pt 0cm 72.0pt 108.0pt 144.0pt 180.0pt 216.0pt 252.0pt 288.0pt 324.0pt 360.0pt 396.0pt"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size:11.0pt;line-height:150%;font-family:Symbol;mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;mso-bidi-font-family:Symbol;mso-ansi-language:EN-US">·<span style="font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-family: 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size:11.0pt;line-height:150%; mso-ansi-language:EN-US">to eliminate anything which is between me and God<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;text-justify:inter-ideograph; line-height:150%"><span lang="X-NONE"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;text-justify:inter-ideograph; line-height:150%"><span lang="X-NONE">Where shall we start for all this? Consecrated life should be nourished <b>from the wellspring of a sound and deep spirituality</b>! this is the primary requirement inscribed in the very essence of consecrated life as consecrated people should aspire, more than anyone else to the perfection of charity. The way is the way of Christ and with Paul we shall all say:<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;text-justify:inter-ideograph; line-height:150%"><span lang="X-NONE">Indeed I count everything as a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord […] that I may know him and the power of his resurrection. [Phil 3, 8.10]. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;text-justify:inter-ideograph; line-height:150%"><span lang="X-NONE">Let's make Advent a time to GIVE UP whatever impeeds us to make of Jesus Chrsit and the love of the Father in the Spirit our only desire, a desire that come twards us.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <!--EndFragment-->RSASShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03909970787103639680noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-177531261123580522.post-8382102975011455662017-11-23T22:35:00.000-08:002017-11-23T19:42:58.362-08:00Pope prays for South Sudan<!--[if !mso]> <style> v\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);} o\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);} w\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);} .shape {behavior:url(#default#VML);} </style> <![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:DocumentProperties> <o:Revision>0</o:Revision> <o:TotalTime>0</o:TotalTime> <o:Pages>1</o:Pages> <o:Words>498</o:Words> <o:Characters>2842</o:Characters> <o:Company>OFM</o:Company> 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mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0cm; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-ansi-language:EN-US;} </style> <![endif]--> <!--StartFragment--><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:14.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;font-family:Times;mso-bidi-font-family:Times;color:#0E0E0E">Pope Prays for South Sudan, Democratic Republic of Congo<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:14.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;font-family:Times;mso-bidi-font-family:Times;color:#262626">Altar of the Chair of Saint Peter in the Vatican Basilica</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;text-justify:inter-ideograph; mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:Times;mso-bidi-font-family:Times; color:#262626">Pope Francis on November 23, 2017, offered prayers for South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo during services at the Altar of the Chair of Saint Peter in the Vatican Basilica.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;text-justify:inter-ideograph; mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:Times;mso-bidi-font-family:Times; color:#262626">The Holy Father's Commentary<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;text-justify:inter-ideograph; mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:Times;mso-bidi-font-family:Times; color:#262626">This evening, in prayer, we want to sow seeds of peace in the lands of South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo, and in all lands devastated by war. I had already decided to visit South Sudan, but it did not prove possible. Yet we know that prayer is more important because it is more powerful: prayer works by the power of God, for whom nothing is impossible.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;text-justify:inter-ideograph; mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:Times;mso-bidi-font-family:Times; color:#262626">For this reason, I offer heartfelt thanks to all those who planned this vigil and worked so hard to make it happen.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;text-justify:inter-ideograph; mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:Times;mso-bidi-font-family:Times; color:#262626"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;text-justify:inter-ideograph; mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:Times;mso-bidi-font-family:Times; color:#262626">"The risen Christ invites us, alleluia!" These words of the song in Swahili accompanied the entrance procession, together with some images from the two countries for which we especially pray. As Christians, we believe and know that peace is possible because Jesus is risen. He gives us the Holy Spirit, whom we have invoked.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;text-justify:inter-ideograph; mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:Times;mso-bidi-font-family:Times; color:#262626">As Saint Paul reminded us shortly ago, Jesus Christ "is our peace" (Eph 2:14). On the cross, he took upon himself all the evil of the world, including the sins that spawn and fuel wars: pride, greed, lust for power, lies… Jesus conquered all this by his resurrection. Appearing in the midst of his friends, he says: "Peace be with you (Jn 20:19.21.26). He repeats those same words to us this evening: "Peace be with you!"<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;text-justify:inter-ideograph; mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:Times;mso-bidi-font-family:Times; color:#262626">Without you, Lord, our prayer would be in vain, and our hope for peace an illusion. But you<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;text-justify:inter-ideograph; mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:Times;mso-bidi-font-family:Times; color:#262626">are alive. You are at work for us and with us. You are our peace!<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;text-justify:inter-ideograph; mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:Times;mso-bidi-font-family:Times; color:#262626">May the risen Lord break down the walls of hostility that today divide brothers and sisters, especially in South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;text-justify:inter-ideograph; mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:Times;mso-bidi-font-family:Times; color:#262626">May he comfort those women who are the victims of violence in war zones and throughout the world.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;text-justify:inter-ideograph; mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:Times;mso-bidi-font-family:Times; color:#262626"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;text-justify:inter-ideograph; mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:Times;mso-bidi-font-family:Times; color:#262626">May he protect children who suffer from conflicts in which they have no part, but which rob them of their childhood and at times of life itself. How hypocritical it is to deny the mass murder of women and children! Here war shows its most horrid face.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;text-justify:inter-ideograph; mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:Times;mso-bidi-font-family:Times; color:#262626">May the Lord help all the little ones and the poor of our world to continue to believe and trust that the kingdom of God is at hand, in our midst, and is "justice, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit" (Rom 14:17). May he sustain all those who day by day strive to combat evil with good, and with words and deeds of fraternity, respect, encounter, and solidarity.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;text-justify:inter-ideograph; mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:Times;mso-bidi-font-family:Times; color:#262626">May the Lord strengthen in government officials and all leaders a spirit which is noble, upright, steadfast and courageous in seeking peace through dialogue and negotiation.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;text-justify:inter-ideograph; mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:Times;mso-bidi-font-family:Times; color:#262626">May the Lord enable all of us to be peacemakers wherever we find ourselves, in our families, in school, at work, in the community, in every setting. "Let us wash the feet" of one another, in imitation of our Master and Lord. To him be glory and praise, now and forever. Amen<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br></p> <!--EndFragment-->RSASShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03909970787103639680noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-177531261123580522.post-67357476477233436042017-10-19T07:40:00.000-07:002017-10-19T05:33:59.910-07:00Pope Francis Message for Missionary Day 2017<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12pt; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">"<i>I think of the gesture of the Dinka student who, at the cost of his own life, protected a student from the enemy Nuer tribe who was about to be killed. I think of that Eucharistic celebration in Kitgum, in northern Uganda, where, after brutal massacres by a rebel group, a missionary made the people repeat the words of Jesus on the cross: "My God, My God, why have you abandoned me?" as an expression of the desperate cry of the brothers and sisters of the crucified Lord</i>." (Pope Francis' message, 5)</span></p><div style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12pt; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"> </span><br class="webkit-block-placeholder"></div><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12pt; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">MESSAGE OF THE HOLY FATHER FRANCIS FOR WORLD MISSIONARY DAY 2017</span></b></p><div style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12pt; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"> </span><br class="webkit-block-placeholder"></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12pt; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">The following is the Holy Father Francis' Message for the 91st World Missionary Day, to be celebrated on Sunday 22 October 2017.</span></p><div style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12pt; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"> </span><br class="webkit-block-placeholder"></div><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12pt; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">Message of the Holy Father</span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12pt; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">Mission at the heart of the Christian faith</span></b></p><div style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12pt; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"> </span><br class="webkit-block-placeholder"></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12pt; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">Dear Brothers and Sisters,</span></p><div style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12pt; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"> </span><br class="webkit-block-placeholder"></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12pt; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">Once again this year, World Mission Day gathers us around the person of Jesus, "the very first and greatest evangelizer" (Paul VI, Evangelii Nuntiandi, 7), who continually sends us forth to proclaim the Gospel of the love of God the Father in the power of the Holy Spirit. This Day invites us to reflect anew on the mission at the heart of the Christian faith. The Church is missionary by nature; otherwise, she would no longer be the Church of Christ, but one group among many others that soon end up serving their purpose and passing away. So it is important to ask ourselves certain questions about our Christian identity and our responsibility as believers in a world marked by confusion, disappointment and frustration, and torn by numerous fratricidal wars that unjustly target the innocent. What is the basis of our mission? What is the heart of our mission? What are the essential approaches we need to take in carrying out our mission?</span></p><div style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12pt; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"> </span><br class="webkit-block-placeholder"></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12pt; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">Mission and the transformative power of the Gospel of Christ, the Way, the Truth and the Life</span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12pt; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"> </span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12pt; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">1. The Church's mission, directed to all men and women of good will, is based on the transformative power of the Gospel. The Gospel is Good News filled with contagious joy, for it contains and offers new life: the life of the Risen Christ who, by bestowing his life-giving Spirit, becomes for us the Way, the Truth and the Life (cf. Jn 14:6). He is the Way who invites us to follow him with confidence and courage. In following Jesus as our Way, we experience Truth and receive his Life, which is fullness of communion with God the Father in the power of the Holy Spirit. That life sets us free from every kind of selfishness, and is a source of creativity in love.</span></p><div style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12pt; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"> </span><br class="webkit-block-placeholder"></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12pt; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">2. God the Father desires this existential transformation of his sons and daughters, a transformation that finds expression in worship in spirit and truth (cf. Jn 4:23-24), through a life guided by the Holy Spirit in imitation of Jesus the Son to the glory of God the Father. "The glory of God is the living man" (IRENAEUS, Adversus Haereses IV, 20, 7). The preaching of the Gospel thus becomes a vital and effective word that accomplishes what it proclaims (cf. Is 55:10-11): Jesus Christ, who constantly takes flesh in every human situation (cf. Jn 1:14).</span></p><div style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12pt; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"> </span><br class="webkit-block-placeholder"></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12pt; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">Mission and the kairos of Christ</span></b></p><div style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12pt; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"> </span><br class="webkit-block-placeholder"></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12pt; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">3. The Church's mission, then, is not to spread a religious ideology, much less to propose a lofty ethical teaching. Many movements throughout the world inspire high ideals or ways to live a meaningful life. Through the mission of the Church, Jesus Christ himself continues to evangelize and act; her mission thus makes present in history the kairos, the favourable time of salvation. Through the proclamation of the Gospel, the risen Jesus becomes our contemporary, so that those who welcome him with faith and love can experience the transforming power of his Spirit, who makes humanity and creation fruitful, even as the rain does with the earth. "His resurrection is not an event of the past; it contains a vital power which has permeated this world. Where all seems to be dead, signs of the resurrection suddenly spring up. It is an irresistible force" (Evangelii Gaudium, 276).</span></p><div style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12pt; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"> </span><br class="webkit-block-placeholder"></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12pt; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">4. Let us never forget that "being Christian is not the result of an ethical choice or a lofty idea, but the encounter with an event, a Person, which gives life a new horizon and a decisive direction" (BENEDICT XVI, Deus Caritas Est, 1). The Gospel is a Person who continually offers himself and constantly invites those who receive him with humble and religious faith to share his life by an effective participation in the paschal mystery of his death and resurrection. Through Baptism, the Gospel becomes a source of new life, freed of the dominion of sin, enlightened and transformed by the Holy Spirit. Through Confirmation, it becomes a fortifying anointing that, through the same Spirit, points out new ways and strategies for witness and accompaniment. Through the Eucharist, it becomes food for new life, a "medicine of immortality" (IGNATIUS OF ANTIOCH, Ad Ephesios, 20, 2).</span></p><div style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12pt; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"> </span><br class="webkit-block-placeholder"></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12pt; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">5. The world vitally needs the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Through the Church, Christ continues his mission as the Good Samaritan, caring for the bleeding wounds of humanity, and as Good Shepherd, constantly seeking out those who wander along winding paths that lead nowhere. Thank God, many significant experiences continue to testify to the transformative power of the Gospel. I think of the gesture of the Dinka student who, at the cost of his own life, protected a student from the enemy Nuer tribe who was about to be killed. I think of that Eucharistic celebration in Kitgum, in northern Uganda, where, after brutal massacres by a rebel group, a missionary made the people repeat the words of Jesus on the cross: "My God, My God, why have you abandoned me?" as an expression of the desperate cry of the brothers and sisters of the crucified Lord. For the people, that celebration was an immense source of consolation and courage. We can think too of countless testimonies to how the Gospel helps to overcome narrowness, conflict, racism, tribalism, and to promote everywhere, and among all, reconciliation, fraternity, and sharing.</span></p><div style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12pt; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"> </span><br class="webkit-block-placeholder"></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12pt; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">Mission inspires a spirituality of constant exodus, pilgrimage, and exile</span></b></p><div style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12pt; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"> </span><br class="webkit-block-placeholder"></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12pt; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">6. The Church's mission is enlivened by a spirituality of constant exodus. We are challenged "to go forth from our own comfort zone in order to reach all the peripheries in need of the light of the Gospel" (Evangelii Gaudium, 20). The Church's mission impels us to undertake a constant pilgrimage across the various deserts of life, through the different experiences of hunger and thirst for truth and justice. The Church's mission inspires a sense of constant exile, to make us aware, in our thirst for the infinite, that we are exiles journeying towards our final home, poised between the "already" and "not yet" of the Kingdom of Heaven.</span></p><div style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12pt; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"> </span><br class="webkit-block-placeholder"></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12pt; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">7. Mission reminds the Church that she is not an end unto herself, but a humble instrument and mediation of the Kingdom. A self-referential Church, one content with earthly success, is not the Church of Christ, his crucified and glorious Body. That is why we should prefer "a Church which is bruised, hurting and dirty because it has been out on the streets, rather than a Church which is unhealthy from being confined and from clinging to its own security" (ibid., 49).</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12pt; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"> </span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12pt; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">Young people, the hope of mission</span></b></p><div style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12pt; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"> </span><br class="webkit-block-placeholder"></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12pt; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">8. Young people are the hope of mission. The person of Jesus Christ and the Good News he proclaimed continue to attract many young people. They seek ways to put themselves with courage and enthusiasm at the service of humanity. "There are many young people who offer their solidarity in the face of the evils of the world and engage in various forms of militancy and volunteering... How beautiful it is to see that young people are 'street preachers', joyfully bringing Jesus to every street, every town square and every corner of the earth!" (ibid., 106). The next Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, to be held in 2018 on the theme Young People, the Faith and Vocational Discernment, represents a providential opportunity to involve young people in the shared missionary responsibility that needs their rich imagination and creativity.</span></p><div style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12pt; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"> </span><br class="webkit-block-placeholder"></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12pt; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">The service of the Pontifical Mission Societies</span></b></p><div style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12pt; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"> </span><br class="webkit-block-placeholder"></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12pt; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">9. The Pontifical Mission Societies are a precious means of awakening in every Christian community a desire to reach beyond its own confines and security in order to proclaim the Gospel to all. In them, thanks to a profound missionary spirituality, nurtured daily, and a constant commitment to raising missionary awareness and enthusiasm, young people, adults, families, priests, bishops and men and women religious work to develop a missionary heart in everyone. World Mission Day, promoted by the Society of the Propagation of the Faith, is a good opportunity for enabling the missionary heart of Christian communities to join in prayer, testimony of life and communion of goods, in responding to the vast and pressing needs of evangelization.</span></p><div style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12pt; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"> </span><br class="webkit-block-placeholder"></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12pt; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">Carrying out our mission with Mary, Mother of Evangelization</span></b></p><div style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12pt; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"> </span><br class="webkit-block-placeholder"></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12pt; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">10. Dear brothers and sisters, in carrying out our mission, let us draw inspiration from Mary, Mother of Evangelization. Moved by the Spirit, she welcomed the Word of life in the depths of her humble faith. May the Virgin Mother help us to say our own "yes", conscious of the urgent need to make the Good News of Jesus resound in our time. May she obtain for us renewed zeal in bringing to everyone the Good News of the life that is victorious over death. May she intercede for us so that we can acquire the holy audacity needed to discover new ways to bring the gift of salvation to every man and woman.</span></p><div style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12pt; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"> </span><br class="webkit-block-placeholder"></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12pt; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">From the Vatican, 4 June 2017</span></p><div style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12pt; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"> </span><br class="webkit-block-placeholder"></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12pt; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">Solemnity of Pentecost</span></p><div style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12pt; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"> </span><br class="webkit-block-placeholder"></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12pt; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">FRANCISCUS</span></p><div><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12pt; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"><br></span></div>RSASShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03909970787103639680noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-177531261123580522.post-5335579789612485342017-09-21T06:34:00.001-07:002017-09-21T06:34:40.540-07:00RETREATS in Good Shepherd Peace CenterDear brothers and sisters,<br />
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please find a list of the recollections our community in Kit is offering to all of us and to any lay person who might be interested in some day of reflection and prayer!! PASS IT ON!!!!<br />
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<br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-177531261123580522.post-91992682317701532982017-06-14T00:38:00.000-07:002017-06-13T22:38:09.923-07:00First World Day of the poor - Message from Pope Francis<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:DocumentProperties> <o:Revision>0</o:Revision> <o:TotalTime>0</o:TotalTime> <o:Pages>1</o:Pages> <o:Words>2148</o:Words> <o:Characters>12250</o:Characters> <o:Company>OFM</o:Company> <o:Lines>102</o:Lines> <o:Paragraphs>28</o:Paragraphs> <o:CharactersWithSpaces>14370</o:CharactersWithSpaces> <o:Version>14.0</o:Version> </o:DocumentProperties> <o:OfficeDocumentSettings> <o:AllowPNG/> </o:OfficeDocumentSettings> </xml><![endif]--> <!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:TrackMoves/> <w:TrackFormatting/> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> 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style="font-size:11.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:Helvetica">Let us love, not with words but with deeds<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;text-justify:inter-ideograph; mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:11.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:Helvetica">1. "Little children, let us not love in word or speech, but in deed and in truth" (1 Jn 3:18). These words of the Apostle John voice an imperative that no Christian may disregard. The seriousness with which the "beloved disciple" hands down Jesus' command to our own day is made even clearer by the contrast between the empty words so frequently on our lips and the concrete deeds against which we are called to measure ourselves. Love has no alibi. Whenever we set out to love as Jesus loved, we have to take the Lord as our example; especially when it comes to loving the poor. The Son of God's way of loving is well-known, and John spells it out clearly. It stands on two pillars: God loved us first (cf. 1 Jn 4:10.19), and he loved us by giving completely of himself, even to laying down his life (cf. 1 Jn 3:16).<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;text-justify:inter-ideograph; mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:11.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:Helvetica"> Such love cannot go unanswered. Even though offered unconditionally, asking nothing in return, it so sets hearts on fire that all who experience it are led to love back, despite their limitations and sins. Yet this can only happen if we welcome God's grace, his merciful charity, as fully as possible into our hearts, so that our will and even our emotions are drawn to love both God and neighbour. In this way, the mercy that wells up – as it were – from the heart of the Trinity can shape our lives and bring forth compassion and works of mercy for the benefit of our brothers and sisters in need.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;text-justify:inter-ideograph; mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:11.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:Helvetica">2. "This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him" (Ps 34:6). The Church has always understood the importance of this cry. We possess an outstanding testimony to this in the very first pages of the Acts of the Apostles, where Peter asks that seven men, "full of the Spirit and of wisdom" (6:3), be chosen for the ministry of caring for the poor. This is certainly one of the first signs of the entrance of the Christian community upon the world's stage: the service of the poor. The earliest community realized that being a disciple of Jesus meant demonstrating fraternity and solidarity, in obedience to the Master's proclamation that the poor are blessed and heirs to the Kingdom of heaven (cf. Mt 5:3).<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;text-justify:inter-ideograph; mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:11.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:Helvetica"> "They sold their possessions and goods and distributed them to all, as any had need" (Acts 2:45). In these words, we see clearly expressed the lively concern of the first Christians. The evangelist Luke, who more than any other speaks of mercy, does not exaggerate when he describes the practice of sharing in the early community. On the contrary, his words are addressed to believers in every generation, and thus also to us, in order to sustain our own witness and to encourage our care for those most in need. The same message is conveyed with similar conviction by the Apostle James. In his Letter, he spares no words: "Listen, my beloved brethren. Has not God chosen those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom that he has promised to those who love him? But you have dishonoured the poor man. Is it not the rich who oppress you, and drag you into court? ... What does it profit, my brethren, if a man says he has faith but has not works? Can his faith save him? If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and in lack of daily food, and one of you says to them, 'Go in peace, be warmed and filled", without giving them the things needed for the body; what does it profit? So faith by itself, if it has not works, is dead' (2:5-6.14-17).<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;text-justify:inter-ideograph; mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:11.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:Helvetica">3. Yet there have been times when Christians have not fully heeded this appeal, and have assumed a worldly way of thinking. Yet the Holy Spirit has not failed to call them to keep their gaze fixed on what is essential. He has raised up men and women who, in a variety of ways, have devoted their lives to the service of the poor. Over these two thousand years, how many pages of history have been written by Christians who, in utter simplicity and humility, and with generous and creative charity, have served their poorest brothers and sisters!<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;text-justify:inter-ideograph; mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:11.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:Helvetica"> The most outstanding example is that of Francis of Assisi, followed by many other holy men and women over the centuries. He was not satisfied to embrace lepers and give them alms, but chose to go to Gubbio to stay with them. He saw this meeting as the turning point of his conversion: "When I was in my sins, it seemed a thing too bitter to look on lepers, and the Lord himself led me among them and I showed them mercy. And when I left them, what had seemed bitter to me was changed into sweetness of mind and body" (Text 1-3: FF 110). This testimony shows the transformative power of charity and the Christian way of life.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;text-justify:inter-ideograph; mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:11.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:Helvetica"> We may think of the poor simply as the beneficiaries of our occasional volunteer work, or of impromptu acts of generosity that appease our conscience. However good and useful such acts may be for making us sensitive to people's needs and the injustices that are often their cause, they ought to lead to a true encounter with the poor and a sharing that becomes a way of life. Our prayer and our journey of discipleship and conversion find the confirmation of their evangelic authenticity in precisely such charity and sharing. This way of life gives rise to joy and peace of soul, because we touch with our own hands the flesh of Christ. If we truly wish to encounter Christ, we have to touch his body in the suffering bodies of the poor, as a response to the sacramental communion bestowed in the Eucharist. The Body of Christ, broken in the sacred liturgy, can be seen, through charity and sharing, in the faces and persons of the most vulnerable of our brothers and sisters. Saint John Chrysostom's admonition remains ever timely: "If you want to honour the body of Christ, do not scorn it when it is naked; do not honour the Eucharistic Christ with silk vestments, and then, leaving the church, neglect the other Christ suffering from cold and nakedness" (Hom. in Matthaeum, 50.3: PG 58).<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;text-justify:inter-ideograph; mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:11.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:Helvetica"> We are called, then, to draw near to the poor, to encounter them, to meet their gaze, to embrace them and to let them feel the warmth of love that breaks through their solitude. Their outstretched hand is also an invitation to step out of our certainties and comforts, and to acknowledge the value of poverty in itself.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;text-justify:inter-ideograph; mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:11.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:Helvetica">4. Let us never forget that, for Christ's disciples, poverty is above all a call to follow Jesus in his own poverty. It means walking behind him and beside him, a journey that leads to the beatitude of the Kingdom of heaven (cf. Mt 5:3; Lk 6:20). Poverty means having a humble heart that accepts our creaturely limitations and sinfulness and thus enables us to overcome the temptation to feel omnipotent and immortal. Poverty is an interior attitude that avoids looking upon money, career and luxury as our goal in life and the condition for our happiness. Poverty instead creates the conditions for freely shouldering our personal and social responsibilities, despite our limitations, with trust in God's closeness and the support of his grace. Poverty, understood in this way, is the yardstick that allows us to judge how best to use material goods and to build relationships that are neither selfish nor possessive (cf. Catechism of the Catholic Church, Nos. 25-45).<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;text-justify:inter-ideograph; mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:11.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:Helvetica"> Let us, then, take as our example Saint Francis and his witness of authentic poverty. Precisely because he kept his gaze fixed on Christ, Francis was able to see and serve him in the poor. If we want to help change history and promote real development, we need to hear the cry of the poor and commit ourselves to ending their marginalization. At the same time, I ask the poor in our cities and our communities not to lose the sense of evangelical poverty that is part of their daily life.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;text-justify:inter-ideograph; mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:11.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:Helvetica">5. We know how hard it is for our contemporary world to see poverty clearly for what it is. Yet in myriad ways poverty challenges us daily, in faces marked by suffering, marginalization, oppression, violence, torture and imprisonment, war, deprivation of freedom and dignity, ignorance and illiteracy, medical emergencies and shortage of work, trafficking and slavery, exile, extreme poverty and forced migration. Poverty has the face of women, men and children exploited by base interests, crushed by the machinations of power and money. What a bitter and endless list we would have to compile were we to add the poverty born of social injustice, moral degeneration, the greed of a chosen few, and generalized indifference!<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;text-justify:inter-ideograph; mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:11.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:Helvetica"> Tragically, in our own time, even as ostentatious wealth accumulates in the hands of the privileged few, often in connection with illegal activities and the appalling exploitation of human dignity, there is a scandalous growth of poverty in broad sectors of society throughout our world. Faced with this scenario, we cannot remain passive, much less resigned. There is a poverty that stifles the spirit of initiative of so many young people by keeping them from finding work. There is a poverty that dulls the sense of personal responsibility and leaves others to do the work while we go looking for favours. There is a poverty that poisons the wells of participation and allows little room for professionalism; in this way it demeans the merit of those who do work and are productive. To all these forms of poverty we must respond with a new vision of life and society.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;text-justify:inter-ideograph; mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:11.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:Helvetica"> All the poor – as Blessed Paul VI loved to say – belong to the Church by "evangelical right" (Address at the Opening of the Second Session of the Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, 29 September 1963), and require of us a fundamental option on their behalf. Blessed, therefore, are the open hands that embrace the poor and help them: they are hands that bring hope. Blessed are the hands that reach beyond every barrier of culture, religion and nationality, and pour the balm of consolation over the wounds of humanity. Blessed are the open hands that ask nothing in exchange, with no "ifs" or "buts" or "maybes": they are hands that call down God's blessing upon their brothers and sisters.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;text-justify:inter-ideograph; mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:11.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:Helvetica">6. At the conclusion of the Jubilee of Mercy, I wanted to offer the Church a World Day of the Poor, so that throughout the world Christian communities can become an ever greater sign of Christ's charity for the least and those most in need. To the World Days instituted by my Predecessors, which are already a tradition in the life of our communities, I wish to add this one, which adds to them an exquisitely evangelical fullness, that is, Jesus' preferential love for the poor.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;text-justify:inter-ideograph; mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:11.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:Helvetica"> I invite the whole Church, and men and women of good will everywhere, to turn their gaze on this day to all those who stretch out their hands and plead for our help and solidarity. They are our brothers and sisters, created and loved by the one Heavenly Father. This Day is meant, above all, to encourage believers to react against a culture of discard and waste, and to embrace the culture of encounter. At the same time, everyone, independent of religious affiliation, is invited to openness and sharing with the poor through concrete signs of solidarity and fraternity. God created the heavens and the earth for all; yet sadly some have erected barriers, walls and fences, betraying the original gift meant for all humanity, with none excluded.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;text-justify:inter-ideograph; mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:11.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:Helvetica">7. It is my wish that, in the week preceding the World Day of the Poor, which falls this year on 19 November, the Thirty-third Sunday of Ordinary Time, Christian communities will make every effort to create moments of encounter and friendship, solidarity and concrete assistance. They can invite the poor and volunteers to take part together in the Eucharist on this Sunday, in such a way that there be an even more authentic celebration of the Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, Universal King, on the following Sunday. The kingship of Christ is most evident on Golgotha, when the Innocent One, nailed to the cross, poor, naked and stripped of everything, incarnates and reveals the fullness of God's love. Jesus' complete abandonment to the Father expresses his utter poverty and reveals the power of the Love that awakens him to new life on the day of the Resurrection.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;text-justify:inter-ideograph; mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:11.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:Helvetica"> This Sunday, if there are poor people where we live who seek protection and assistance, let us draw close to them: it will be a favourable moment to encounter the God we seek. Following the teaching of Scripture (cf. Gen 18:3-5; Heb 13:2), let us welcome them as honoured guests at our table; they can be teachers who help us live the faith more consistently. With their trust and readiness to receive help, they show us in a quiet and often joyful way, how essential it is to live simply and to abandon ourselves to God's providence.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;text-justify:inter-ideograph; mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:11.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:Helvetica">8. At the heart of all the many concrete initiatives carried out on this day should always be prayer. Let us not forget that the Our Father is the prayer of the poor. Our asking for bread expresses our entrustment to God for our basic needs in life. Everything that Jesus taught us in this prayer expresses and brings together the cry of all who suffer from life's uncertainties and the lack of what they need. When the disciples asked Jesus to teach them to pray, he answered in the words with which the poor speak to our one Father, in whom all acknowledge themselves as brothers and sisters. The Our Father is a prayer said in the plural: the bread for which we ask is "ours", and that entails sharing, participation and joint responsibility. In this prayer, all of us recognize our need to overcome every form of selfishness, in order to enter into the joy of mutual acceptance.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;text-justify:inter-ideograph; mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:11.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:Helvetica">9. I ask my brother Bishops, and all priests and deacons who by their vocation have the mission of supporting the poor, together with all consecrated persons and all associations, movements and volunteers everywhere, to help make this World Day of the Poor a tradition that concretely contributes to evangelization in today's world.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;text-justify:inter-ideograph; mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:11.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:Helvetica"> This new World Day, therefore, should become a powerful appeal to our consciences as believers, allowing us to grow in the conviction that sharing with the poor enables us to understand the deepest truth of the Gospel. The poor are not a problem: they are a resource from which to draw as we strive to accept and practise in our lives the essence of the Gospel.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;text-justify:inter-ideograph; mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:11.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:Helvetica">From the Vatican, 13 June 2017<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:11.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica">Memorial of Saint Anthony of Padua</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:11.0pt"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <!--EndFragment-->RSASShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03909970787103639680noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-177531261123580522.post-67507175166792995942017-05-30T10:29:00.000-07:002017-05-30T08:29:31.129-07:00Pope Francis postponed his visit to South SudanThe Vatican has postponed a trip by Pope Francis to war-torn South<br>Sudan planned for later this year, which the pope had hoped to<br>undertake together with Anglican Archbishop of Canterbury Justin<br>Welby.<br><br>Vatican spokesman Greg Burke told journalists that while the trip is<br>still being considered it is "not for this year." Burke did not say<br>when the trip, which had been tentatively planned for October, might<br>now take place.<br><br>Postponement of the visit comes after Italian media reports that<br>Francis was forced to cancel his plans due to security concerns. Il<br>Messaggero, Rome's daily newspaper, reported May 29 that the pope made<br>the decision reluctantly "after the information coming to his desk<br>left him with few alternatives."<br><br>South Sudan is the world's newest country, forming after it gained<br>independence from Sudan in 2011. A political struggle broke out in the<br>country in 2013, leading to a civil war in which an estimated 300,000<br>people have died and some 3 million have been displaced.<br><br>Francis had hoped to make a visit to the country in a push for peace,<br>much like his earlier visit to the Central African Republic in 2015. A<br>trip with Archbishop Justin would have been the first time the leaders<br>of the Roman Catholic and Anglican churches had traveled in such a way<br>together.<br><br><br>Don't miss our podcast, NCR In Conversation! Catch a new episode each Friday.<br><br>Vatican officials had been in South Sudan earlier this month to assess<br>the possibility of a papal visit.<br><br>Services available in South Sudan at the moment are minimal. The<br>arrivals section at the Juba airport, where Francis would likely have<br>to land, is currently a small outdoor area with wooden planks covering<br>muddy soil.<br><br>An official with knowledge of the preparations for the possible visit<br>said Francis had been presented with the possibility of making a short<br>several hour trip to the country as a stop-over while visiting another<br>nearby nation.<br><br>The source also said the pope balked when he was told that given the<br>security concerns it would not be possible for him to leave the Juba<br>airport, believing that if he made a visit only to the airport it<br>would present a bad symbol to the country.<br><br>It is unclear what other African country or countries Francis might<br>have been considering visiting. Before heading to the Central African<br>Republic in 2015, the pope made stops in Kenya and Uganda. Ethiopia's<br>Catholic community has also invited the pope to visit.<br><br>Francis had a private meeting with South Sudan President Salva Kiir<br>during his Uganda visit two years ago. The two leaders spoke for 15<br>minutes in an encounter arranged by Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni.<br><br>The only papal trip abroad currently confirmed by the Vatican for the<br>rest of 2017 is a visit to Colombia set for Sept. 6-11. There is also<br>discussion of a possible visit to India and Bangladesh, which is<br>currently unconfirmed.<br><br><a href="https://www.ncronline.org/news/vatican/vatican-postpones-pope-s-trip-south-sudan">https://www.ncronline.org/news/vatican/vatican-postpones-pope-s-trip-south-sudan</a><br>RSASShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03909970787103639680noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-177531261123580522.post-65497239018668364092017-05-11T06:00:00.003-07:002017-05-11T06:00:58.525-07:00A precious gift to the People of God<div class="MsoNormal">
My dear brothers and sisters, may this message find you
well.<o:p></o:p></div>
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As all of you know by now, we are once again experiencing a
time of particular tension in our beautiful country South Sudan; let us not be
caught by negative feeling, let us raise up our spirit and once again let us
shake the heavens with our prayers.<o:p></o:p></div>
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As we all agreed during the General Assembly I simply remind
you and strongly recommend that in each and all our communities prayer for
peace and reconciliation and nonviolent solutions shall be celebrated every
month. Let’s not pass a single day in which we do not intercede for our
brothers and sisters of South Sudan “<i>for
through you we beat down our foes, in your name we trampled our aggressors. For
it was not in my bow I trusted nor yet was I saved by my sword: it was you who
saved us […] All day long our boast was in God and we praised your name without
ceasing</i>” (psalm 44).<o:p></o:p></div>
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As religious we are called to “stay with him” and to be sent
into the world.</div>
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Let us contemplate God to better and more deeply understand
this country; let us pray for our enemies, and for the ones who persecute us
and our brothers and sisters.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Let us begin this love in our own communities because even
if a small match cannot illumine a whole forest, yet it can bright the
countenance of our brother and sister living with us.<o:p></o:p><br />
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We all share the responsibility of being at the heart of the
Church:</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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“<i>In effect, the consecrated life is at the very heart of the
Church as a decisive element for her mission, since it "manifests the
inner nature of the Christian calling" and the striving of the whole
Church as Bride towards union with her one Spouse. […] the consecrated life has
not only proved a help and support for the Church in the past, but is also a
precious and necessary gift for the present and future of the People of God,
since it is an intimate part of her life, her holiness and her mission.</i> (Vita
Consecrata n°3)<o:p></o:p></div>
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This is the trust that God has on each and all of us. Let us
not be trapped into worldly allures; we are rooted into our own orders,
congregations or institutions in virtue of our profession and rule of life each
one of us has been called to follow. God wants our happiness and our well-being
and there is nothing in this world able to stop this desire of God. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-A9m7KklZYbY/WRRfRbKne-I/AAAAAAAAGEc/BGQfzuLrSYcX_za5mWvAs1moqsKpZJO3QCEw/s1600/Justitia_et_pax_-_Brescia_-_Pinacoteca_Tosio-Martinengo_-_13-4-2002.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-A9m7KklZYbY/WRRfRbKne-I/AAAAAAAAGEc/BGQfzuLrSYcX_za5mWvAs1moqsKpZJO3QCEw/s320/Justitia_et_pax_-_Brescia_-_Pinacoteca_Tosio-Martinengo_-_13-4-2002.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Love and faithfulness
meet together;<o:p></o:p></div>
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righteousness and
peace kiss each other.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Faithfulness springs
forth from the earth,<o:p></o:p></div>
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and righteousness
looks down from heaven.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The Lord will indeed
give what is good,<o:p></o:p></div>
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and our land will
yield its harvest.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Righteousness goes
before him<o:p></o:p></div>
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and prepares the way
for his steps<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="text-align: justify;">Fr. Federico</span></div>
Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-177531261123580522.post-55257783011911257082017-05-02T10:08:00.000-07:002017-05-02T08:04:16.436-07:00Interesting article on NONVIOLENCE<div class="page" title="Page 1"> <div class="layoutArea"> <div class="column"><p><span style="font-size: 16.000000pt; font-family: 'Calibri'; font-weight: 700">An appeal to the Catholic Church<br> to re-commit to the centrality of Gospel nonviolence </span></p><p><span style="font-size: 11.000000pt; font-family: 'Calibri'">As Christians committed to a more just and peaceful world we are called to take a clear stand for creative and active nonviolence and against all forms of violence. With this conviction, and in recognition of the Jubilee Year of Mercy declared by Pope Francis, people from many countries gathered at the Nonviolence and Just Peace Conference sponsored by the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace and Pax Christi International on April 11-13, 2016 in Rome. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: 11.000000pt; font-family: 'Calibri'">Our assembly, people of God from Africa, the Americas, Asia, Europe, the Middle East, and Oceania included lay people, theologians, members of religious congregations, priests, and bishops. Many of us live in communities experiencing violence and oppression. All of us are practitioners of justice and peace. We are grateful for the message to our conference from Pope Francis: "your thoughts on revitalizing the tools of nonviolence, and of active nonviolence in particular, will be a needed and positive contribution". </span></p><p><span style="font-size: 11.000000pt; font-family: 'Calibri'; font-weight: 700">Looking at our world today </span></p><p><span style="font-size: 11.000000pt; font-family: 'Calibri'">We live in a time of tremendous suffering, widespread trauma and fear linked to militarization, economic injustice, climate change, and a myriad of other specific forms of violence. In this context of normalized and systemic violence, those of us who stand in the Christian tradition are called to recognize the centrality of active nonviolence to the vision and message of Jesus; to the life and practice of the Catholic Church; and to our long- term vocation of healing and reconciling both people and the planet. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: 11.000000pt; font-family: 'Calibri'">We rejoice in the rich concrete experiences of people engaged in work for peace around the world, many of whose stories we heard during this conference. Participants shared their experiences of courageous negotiations with armed actors in Uganda and Colombia; working to protect the Article 9, the peace clause in the Japanese Constitution; accompaniment in Palestine; and countrywide peace education in the Philippines. They illuminate the creativity and power of nonviolent practices in many different situations of potential or actual violent conflict. Recent academic research, in fact, has confirmed that nonviolent resistance strategies are twice as effective as violent ones. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: 11.000000pt; font-family: 'Calibri'">The time has come for our Church to be a living witness and to invest far greater human and financial resources in promoting a spirituality and practice of active nonviolence and in forming and training our Catholic communities in effective nonviolent practices. In all of this, Jesus is our inspiration and model. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: 11.000000pt; font-family: 'Calibri'; font-weight: 700">Jesus and nonviolence </span></p><p><span style="font-size: 11.000000pt; font-family: 'Calibri'">In his own times, rife with structural violence, Jesus proclaimed a new, nonviolent order rooted in the unconditional love of God. Jesus called his disciples to love their enemies (Matthew 5: 44), which includes respecting the image of God in all persons; to offer no violent resistance to one who does evil (Matthew 5: 39); to become peacemakers; to forgive and repent; and to be abundantly merciful (Matthew 5-7). Jesus embodied nonviolence by actively resisting systemic dehumanization, as when he defied the Sabbath laws to heal the man with the withered hand (Mark 3: 1-6); when he confronted the powerful at the Temple and purified it (John 2: 13- 22); when he peacefully but determinedly challenged the men accusing a woman of adultery (John 8: 1-11); when on the night before he died he asked Peter to put down his sword (Matthew 26: 52). </span></p> </div> </div> </div> <div class="page" title="Page 2"> <div class="layoutArea"> <div class="column"><p><span style="font-size: 11.000000pt; font-family: 'Calibri'">Neither passive nor weak, Jesus' nonviolence was the power of love in action. In vision and deed, he is the revelation and embodiment of the Nonviolent God, a truth especially illuminated in the Cross and Resurrection. He calls us to develop the virtue of nonviolent peacemaking. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: 11.000000pt; font-family: 'Calibri'">Clearly, the Word of God, the witness of Jesus, should never be used to justify violence, injustice or war. We confess that the people of God have betrayed this central message of the Gospel many times, participating in wars, persecution, oppression, exploitation, and discrimination. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: 11.000000pt; font-family: 'Calibri'">We believe that there is no "just war". Too often the "just war theory" has been used to endorse rather than prevent or limit war. Suggesting that a "just war" is possible also undermines the moral imperative to develop tools and capacities for nonviolent transformation of conflict. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: 11.000000pt; font-family: 'Calibri'">We need a new framework that is consistent with Gospel nonviolence. A different path is clearly unfolding in recent Catholic social teaching. Pope John XXIII wrote that war is not a suitable way to restore rights; Pope Paul VI linked peace and development, and told the UN "no more war"; Pope John Paul II said that "war belongs to the tragic past, to history"; Pope Benedict XVI said that "loving the enemy is the nucleus of the Christian revolution"; and Pope Francis said "the true strength of the Christian is the power of truth and love, which leads to the renunciation of all violence. Faith and violence are incompatible". He has also urged the "abolition of war". </span></p><p><span style="font-size: 11.000000pt; font-family: 'Calibri'">We propose that the Catholic Church develop and consider shifting to a Just Peace approach based on Gospel nonviolence. A Just Peace approach offers a vision and an ethic to build peace as well as to prevent, defuse, and to heal the damage of violent conflict. This ethic includes a commitment to human dignity and thriving relationships, with specific criteria, virtues, and practices to guide our actions. We recognize that peace requires justice and justice requires peacemaking. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: 11.000000pt; font-family: 'Calibri'; font-weight: 700">Living Gospel Nonviolence and Just Peace </span></p><p><span style="font-size: 11.000000pt; font-family: 'Calibri'">In that spirit we commit ourselves to furthering Catholic understanding and practice of active nonviolence on the road to just peace. As would-be disciples of Jesus, challenged and inspired by stories of hope and courage in these days, we call on the Church we love to: </span></p> <ul> <li style="font-size: 11.000000pt; font-family: 'Symbol'"><p><span style="font-size: 11.000000pt; font-family: 'Calibri'">continue developing Catholic social teaching on nonviolence. In particular, we call on Pope Francis to share with the world an encyclical on nonviolence and Just Peace; </span></p> </li> <li style="font-size: 11.000000pt; font-family: 'Symbol'"><p><span style="font-size: 11.000000pt; font-family: 'Calibri'">integrate Gospel nonviolence explicitly into the life, including the sacramental life, and work of the Church through dioceses, parishes, agencies, schools, universities, seminaries, religious orders, voluntary associations, and others; </span></p> </li> <li style="font-size: 11.000000pt; font-family: 'Symbol'"><p><span style="font-size: 11.000000pt; font-family: 'Calibri'">promote nonviolent practices and strategies (e.g., nonviolent resistance, restorative justice, trauma healing, unarmed civilian protection, conflict transformation, and peacebuilding strategies); </span></p> </li> <li style="font-size: 11.000000pt; font-family: 'Symbol'"><p><span style="font-size: 11.000000pt; font-family: 'Calibri'">initiate a global conversation on nonviolence within the Church, with people of other faiths, and with the larger world to respond to the monumental crises of our time with the vision and strategies of nonviolence and Just Peace; </span></p> </li> <li style="font-size: 11.000000pt; font-family: 'Symbol'"><p><span style="font-size: 11.000000pt; font-family: 'Calibri'">no longer use or teach "just war theory"; continue advocating for the abolition of war and nuclear weapons; </span></p> </li> <li style="font-size: 11.000000pt; font-family: 'Symbol'"><p><span style="font-size: 11.000000pt; font-family: 'Calibri'">lift up the prophetic voice of the church to challenge unjust world powers and to support and defend those </span></p><p><span style="font-size: 11.000000pt; font-family: 'Calibri'">nonviolent activists whose work for peace and justice put their lives at risk. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: 11.000000pt; font-family: 'Calibri'">In every age, the Holy Spirit graces the Church with the wisdom to respond to the challenges of its time. In response to what is a global epidemic of violence, which Pope Francis has labeled a "world war in installments", we are being called to invoke, pray over, teach and take decisive action. With our communities and organizations, we look forward to continue collaborating with the Holy See and the global Church to advance Gospel nonviolence. </span></p> </li> </ul> </div> </div> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbTciJTcivStTQRiTl-QDU0T5N6m91rIvQA0xmw0FrmBVvuZeUIwUeAaZAe6ixH3-XMY_tWq_C-z64y3mnB1N6ZrOyyWfdKfVDJJTX7tzygGZoQ2URO_ayzSPAMCQ1lgkoRpStxs3C7ktS/s1600/page2image31768-756440"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbTciJTcivStTQRiTl-QDU0T5N6m91rIvQA0xmw0FrmBVvuZeUIwUeAaZAe6ixH3-XMY_tWq_C-z64y3mnB1N6ZrOyyWfdKfVDJJTX7tzygGZoQ2URO_ayzSPAMCQ1lgkoRpStxs3C7ktS/s320/page2image31768-756440" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_6415553523235389922" /></a> <div class="layoutArea"> <div class="column"><p><span style="font-size: 11.000000pt; font-family: 'Calibri'">Pax Christi International, Rue du Progrès, 323, 1030 Brussels, Belgium. Phone: ++32 (0)2 502.55.50 </span></p> </div> </div> <div class="layoutArea"> <div class="column"><p><span style="font-size: 11.000000pt; font-family: 'Calibri'; color: rgb(0.000000%, 0.000000%, 100.000000%)"><a href="http://www.paxchristi.net">www.paxchristi.net</a> www.nonviolencejustp </span></p> </div> </div> </div>RSASShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03909970787103639680noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-177531261123580522.post-67062016299128202472017-05-01T07:18:00.000-07:002017-05-01T05:15:03.102-07:00Pope says: "Religious Leader MUST unmask violence and hatred"<h1 id="titolo" style="margin: 0px 0px 5px; padding: 0px 0px 5px; border: 0px; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 24px; line-height: 30px; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(0, 51, 102); width: 630px;">Pope at Al-Azhar; religious leaders must 'unmask' violence and hatred</h1><div class="wrap-img-foglia" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; width: 630px; height: 420px; cursor: pointer; float: left; position: relative; overflow: hidden;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLXeKe1TPe0I0A_mrjCYD8Y5Qpm5F9u_NXAZnkghK1GXyDC60rzWihAlKATyB3MJt0Qw9US_OpsBL1lmIWEC8tkhyphenhyphennF6LgooJ4tFzf4GSv1H63ZV3yWdgsbaDjIf20MxsngQO8JBZr0dZK/s1600/RV25151_Articolo-703106.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLXeKe1TPe0I0A_mrjCYD8Y5Qpm5F9u_NXAZnkghK1GXyDC60rzWihAlKATyB3MJt0Qw9US_OpsBL1lmIWEC8tkhyphenhyphennF6LgooJ4tFzf4GSv1H63ZV3yWdgsbaDjIf20MxsngQO8JBZr0dZK/s320/RV25151_Articolo-703106.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_6415138832796807938" /></a><div class="caption simple-caption" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; line-height: 20pt; vertical-align: baseline; background-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8); position: absolute; color: rgb(255, 255, 255); z-index: 100; -webkit-transition: all 300ms ease-out; transition: all 300ms ease-out; left: 0px; height: 80px; width: 630px; bottom: -80px; text-align: center;"><p style="margin: 10px; padding: 20px 0px 0px; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 14px; font-style: inherit; line-height: 20px; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(153, 153, 153); text-align: justify;">Pope Francis and Sheik Al-Tayeb at the International Peace Conference in Al-Azhar University on Friday - RV</p></div></div><article class="first-par" style="margin: 10px 0px 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; float: left; width: 640px;"><span id="testo-articolo" itemprop="articleBody" tabindex="0" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 16px; font-style: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;"><div style="margin: 0px; padding: 20px 0px; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; line-height: 24px; vertical-align: baseline; text-align: justify; color: rgb(68, 68, 68);"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit;">Calling for </span><a href="http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2017/04/27/hopes_for_popes_visit_to_egypts_al-azhar_university/1308429" target="_blank" style="font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; line-height: inherit; font-size: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">respectful interreligious dialogue</a><span style="font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit;">, Pope Francis said the only alternative to a culture of civilized encounter is "the incivility of conflict". Recalling the visit of</span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit;"> </span><strong style="font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 20px 0px; border: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">St Francis to the Sultan in Egypt</strong><span style="font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit;">eight centuries ago, he called for dialogue based on sincerity and the courage to accept differences.</span></div><div style="margin: 0px; padding: 20px 0px; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; line-height: 24px; vertical-align: baseline; text-align: justify; color: rgb(68, 68, 68);">Speaking of the covenant which God gave to Moses on Mount Sinai, the Pope said that religion cannot simply be relegated to the private sphere but, at the same time, <strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 20px 0px; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;">religion must not be confused with the political sphere</strong> or tempted by worldly powers that seek to exploit it.</div><div style="margin: 0px; padding: 20px 0px; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; line-height: 24px; vertical-align: baseline; text-align: justify; color: rgb(68, 68, 68);"><strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 20px 0px; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;">Faith and violence are incompatible</strong></div><div style="margin: 0px; padding: 20px 0px; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; line-height: 24px; vertical-align: baseline; text-align: justify; color: rgb(68, 68, 68);">At the heart of the law given to Moses, the Pope continued, is the commandment 'Thou shalt not kill'. Violence, he stressed, "is the negation of every authentic religious expression" and <strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 20px 0px; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;">religious leaders are called to "unmask" violence</strong> and selfishness masquerading as sanctity. Together, he insisted, "Let us affirm the incompatibility of violence and faith, belief and hatred", upholding instead "the sacredness of every human life".</div><div style="margin: 0px; padding: 20px 0px; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; line-height: 24px; vertical-align: baseline; text-align: justify; color: rgb(68, 68, 68);"><strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 20px 0px; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;">Weapons 'feed the cancer of war'</strong></div><div style="margin: 0px; padding: 20px 0px; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; line-height: 24px; vertical-align: baseline; text-align: justify; color: rgb(68, 68, 68);">Echoing the words of Sheik Al-Tayeb, Pope Francis also reiterated his appeal for an <strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 20px 0px; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;">end to the arms trade</strong>, saying that if weapons are produced and sold, "soon or later they will be used". Only by bringing to light "the murky manoeuvrings that feed the cancer of war can its real causes be prevented", he said.</div><div style="margin: 0px; padding: 20px 0px; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; line-height: 24px; vertical-align: baseline; text-align: justify; color: rgb(68, 68, 68);"><strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 20px 0px; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;">Peacemakers, not populism</strong></div><div style="margin: 0px; padding: 20px 0px; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; line-height: 24px; vertical-align: baseline; text-align: justify; color: rgb(68, 68, 68);">Finally the Pope stressed the importance of working to eliminate poverty and to <strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 20px 0px; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;">combat the current rise of populism</strong> that does not promote stability and peace. Every unilateral action that does not promote constructive and shared solutions, he warned, is "a gift to the proponents of radicalism and violence". What our world needs, he said, is peacemakers, not fomenters of conflict; firefighters, not arsonists; preachers of reconciliation, not instigators of destruction".</div><div style="margin: 0px; padding: 20px 0px; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; line-height: 24px; vertical-align: baseline; text-align: justify; color: rgb(68, 68, 68);"><strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 20px 0px; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;">Please find below the full address of Pope Francis at the International Conference for Peace in Cairo's Al-Azhar Conference Centre</strong></div><div style="margin: 0px; padding: 20px 0px; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; line-height: 24px; vertical-align: baseline; text-align: justify; color: rgb(68, 68, 68);">As-salamu alaykum! Peace be with you!</div><div style="margin: 0px; padding: 20px 0px; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; line-height: 24px; vertical-align: baseline; text-align: justify; color: rgb(68, 68, 68);">I consider it a great gift to be able to begin my Visit to Egypt here, and to address you in the context of this International Peace Conference. I thank the Grand Imam for having planned and organized this Conference, and for kindly inviting me to take part. I would like to offer you a few thoughts, drawing on the glorious history of this land, which over the ages has appeared to the world as a land of civilizations and a land of covenants.</div><div style="margin: 0px; padding: 20px 0px; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; line-height: 24px; vertical-align: baseline; text-align: justify; color: rgb(68, 68, 68);"><strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 20px 0px; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;">A land of civilizations </strong></div><div style="margin: 0px; padding: 20px 0px; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; line-height: 24px; vertical-align: baseline; text-align: justify; color: rgb(68, 68, 68);">From ancient times, the culture that arose along the banks of the Nile was synonymous with civilization. Egypt lifted the lamp of knowledge, giving birth to an inestimable cultural heritage, made up of wisdom and ingenuity, mathematical and astronomical discoveries, and remarkable forms of architecture and figurative art. The quest for knowledge and the value placed on education were the result of conscious decisions on the part of the ancient inhabitants of this land, and were to bear much fruit for the future. Similar decisions are needed for our own future, decisions of peace and for peace, for there will be no peace without the proper education of coming generations. Nor can young people today be properly educated unless the training they receive corresponds to the nature of man as an open and relational being.</div><div style="margin: 0px; padding: 20px 0px; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; line-height: 24px; vertical-align: baseline; text-align: justify; color: rgb(68, 68, 68);">Education indeed becomes wisdom for life if it is capable of "drawing out" of men and women the very best of themselves, in contact with the One who transcends them and with the world around them, fostering a sense of identity that is open and not self-enclosed. Wisdom seeks the other, overcoming temptations to rigidity and closed-mindedness; it is open and in motion, at once humble and inquisitive; it is able to value the past and set it in dialogue with the present, while employing a suitable hermeneutics. Wisdom prepares a future in which people do not attempt to push their own agenda but rather to include others as an integral part of themselves. Wisdom tirelessly seeks, even now, to identify opportunities for encounter and sharing; from the past, it learns that evil only gives rise to more evil, and violence to more violence, in a spiral that ends by imprisoning everyone. Wisdom, in rejecting the dishonesty and the abuse of power, is centred on human dignity, a dignity which is precious in God's eyes, and on an ethics worthy of man, one that is unafraid of others and fearlessly employs those means of knowledge bestowed on us by the Creator. </div><div style="margin: 0px; padding: 20px 0px; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; line-height: 24px; vertical-align: baseline; text-align: justify; color: rgb(68, 68, 68);">Precisely in the field of dialogue, particularly interreligious dialogue, we are constantly called to walk together, in the conviction that the future also depends on the encounter of religions and cultures. In this regard, the work of the Mixed Committee for Dialogue between the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue and the Committee of Al-Azhar for Dialogue offers us a concrete and encouraging example. Three basic areas, if properly linked to one another, can assist in this dialogue: the duty to respect one's own identity and that of others, the courage to accept differences, and sincerity of intentions.</div><div style="margin: 0px; padding: 20px 0px; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; line-height: 24px; vertical-align: baseline; text-align: justify; color: rgb(68, 68, 68);">The duty to respect one's own identity and that of others, because true dialogue cannot be built on ambiguity or a willingness to sacrifice some good for the sake of pleasing others. The courage to accept differences, because those who are different, either culturally or religiously, should not be seen or treated as enemies, but rather welcomed as fellow-travellers, in the genuine conviction that the good of each resides in the good of all. Sincerity of intentions, because dialogue, as an authentic expression of our humanity, is not a strategy for achieving specific goals, but rather a path to truth, one that deserves to be undertaken patiently, in order to transform competition into cooperation.</div><div style="margin: 0px; padding: 20px 0px; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; line-height: 24px; vertical-align: baseline; text-align: justify; color: rgb(68, 68, 68);">An education in respectful openness and sincere dialogue with others, recognizing their rights and basic freedoms, particularly religious freedom, represents the best way to build the future together, to be builders of civility. For the only alternative to the civility of encounter is the incivility of conflict. To counter effectively the barbarity of those who foment hatred and violence, we need to accompany young people, helping them on the path to maturity and teaching them to respond to the incendiary logic of evil by patiently working for the growth of goodness. In this way, young people, like well-planted trees, can be firmly rooted in the soil of history, and, growing heavenward in one another's company, can daily turn the polluted air of hatred into the oxygen of fraternity.</div><div style="margin: 0px; padding: 20px 0px; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; line-height: 24px; vertical-align: baseline; text-align: justify; color: rgb(68, 68, 68);">In facing this great cultural challenge, one that is both urgent and exciting, we, Christians, Muslims and all believers, are called to offer our specific contribution: "We live under the sun of the one merciful God… Thus, in a true sense, we can call one another brothers and sisters… since without God the life of man would be like the heavens without the sun". May the sun of a renewed fraternity in the name of God rise in this sun-drenched land, to be the dawn of a civilization of peace and encounter. May Saint Francis of Assisi, who eight centuries ago came to Egypt and met Sultan Malik al Kamil, intercede for this intention.</div><div style="margin: 0px; padding: 20px 0px; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; line-height: 24px; vertical-align: baseline; text-align: justify; color: rgb(68, 68, 68);"><strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 20px 0px; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;">A land of covenants </strong></div><div style="margin: 0px; padding: 20px 0px; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; line-height: 24px; vertical-align: baseline; text-align: justify; color: rgb(68, 68, 68);">In Egypt, not only did the sun of wisdom rise, but also the variegated light of the religions shone in this land. Here, down the centuries, differences of religion constituted "a form of mutual enrichment in the service of the one national community". Different faiths met and a variety of cultures blended without being confused, while acknowledging the importance of working together for the common good. Such "covenants" are urgently needed today. Here I would take as a symbol the "Mount of the Covenant" which rises up in this land. Sinai reminds us above all that authentic covenants on earth cannot ignore heaven, that human beings cannot attempt to encounter one another in peace by eliminating God from the horizon, nor can they climb the mountain to appropriate God for themselves (cf. Ex 19:12).</div><div style="margin: 0px; padding: 20px 0px; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; line-height: 24px; vertical-align: baseline; text-align: justify; color: rgb(68, 68, 68);">This is a timely reminder in the face of a dangerous paradox of the present moment. On the one hand, religion tends to be relegated to the private sphere, as if it were not an essential dimension of the human person and society. At the same time, the religious and political spheres are confused and not properly distinguished. Religion risks being absorbed into the administration of temporal affairs and tempted by the allure of worldly powers that in fact exploit it. Our world has seen the globalization of many useful technical instruments, but also a globalization of indifference and negligence, and it moves at a frenetic pace that is difficult to sustain. As a result, there is renewed interest in the great questions about the meaning of life. These are the questions that the religions bring to the fore, reminding us of our origins and ultimate calling. We are not meant to spend all our energies on the uncertain and shifting affairs of this world, but to journey towards the Absolute that is our goal. For all these reasons, especially today, religion is not a problem but a part of the solution: against the temptation to settle into a banal and uninspired life, where everything begins and ends here below, religion reminds us of the need to lift our hearts to the Most High in order to learn how to build the city of man.</div><div style="margin: 0px; padding: 20px 0px; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; line-height: 24px; vertical-align: baseline; text-align: justify; color: rgb(68, 68, 68);">To return to the image of Mount Sinai, I would like to mention the commandments that were promulgated there, even before they were sculpted on tablets of stone. At the centre of this "decalogue", there resounds, addressed to each individual and to people of all ages, the commandment: "Thou shalt not kill" (Ex 20:13). God, the lover of life, never ceases to love man, and so he exhorts us to reject the way of violence as the necessary condition for every earthly "covenant". Above all and especially in our day, the religions are called to respect this imperative, since, for all our need of the Absolute, it is essential that we reject any "absolutizing" that would justify violence. For violence is the negation of every authentic religious expression.</div><div style="margin: 0px; padding: 20px 0px; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; line-height: 24px; vertical-align: baseline; text-align: justify; color: rgb(68, 68, 68);">As religious leaders, we are called, therefore, to unmask the violence that masquerades as purported sanctity and is based more on the "absolutizing" of selfishness than on authentic openness to the Absolute. We have an obligation to denounce violations of human dignity and human rights, to expose attempts to justify every form of hatred in the name of religion, and to condemn these attempts as idolatrous caricatures of God: Holy is his name, he is the God of peace, God salaam. Peace alone, therefore, is holy and no act of violence can be perpetrated in the name of God, for it would profane his Name.</div><div style="margin: 0px; padding: 20px 0px; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; line-height: 24px; vertical-align: baseline; text-align: justify; color: rgb(68, 68, 68);"> Together, in the land where heaven and earth meet, this land of covenants between peoples and believers, let us say once more a firm and clear "No!" to every form of violence, vengeance and hatred carried out in the name of religion or in the name of God. Together let us affirm the incompatibility of violence and faith, belief and hatred. Together let us declare the sacredness of every human life against every form of violence, whether physical, social, educational or psychological. Unless it is born of a sincere heart and authentic love towards the Merciful God, faith is no more than a conventional or social construct that does not liberate man, but crushes him. Let us say together: the more we grow in the love of God, the more we grow in the love of our neighbour. </div><div style="margin: 0px; padding: 20px 0px; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; line-height: 24px; vertical-align: baseline; text-align: justify; color: rgb(68, 68, 68);"> Religion, however, is not meant only to unmask evil; it has an intrinsic vocation to promote peace, today perhaps more than ever. Without giving in to forms of facile syncretism, our task is that of praying for one another, imploring from God the gift of peace, encountering one another, engaging in dialogue and promoting harmony in the spirit of cooperation and friendship. For our part, as Christians, "we cannot truly pray to God the Father of all if we treat any people as other than brothers and sisters, for all are created in God's image". Moreover, we know that, engaged in a constant battle against the evil that threatens a world which is no longer "a place of genuine fraternity", God assures all those who trust in his love that "the way of love lies open to men and that the effort to establish universal brotherhood is not vain". Rather, that effort is essential: it is of little or no use to raise our voices and run about to find weapons for our protection: what is needed today are peacemakers, not fomenters of conflict; firefighters and not arsonists; preachers of reconciliation and not instigators of destruction.</div><div style="margin: 0px; padding: 20px 0px; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; line-height: 24px; vertical-align: baseline; text-align: justify; color: rgb(68, 68, 68);"> It is disconcerting to note that, as the concrete realities of people's lives are increasingly ignored in favour of obscure machinations, demagogic forms of populism are on the rise. These certainly do not help to consolidate peace and stability: no incitement to violence will guarantee peace, and every unilateral action that does not promote constructive and shared processes is in reality a gift to the proponents of radicalism and violence.</div><div style="margin: 0px; padding: 20px 0px; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; line-height: 24px; vertical-align: baseline; text-align: justify; color: rgb(68, 68, 68);"> In order to prevent conflicts and build peace, it is essential that we spare no effort in eliminating situations of poverty and exploitation where extremism more easily takes root, and in blocking the flow of money and weapons destined to those who provoke violence. Even more radically, an end must be put to the proliferation of arms; if they are produced and sold, sooner or later they will be used. Only by bringing into the light of day the murky manoeuvrings that feed the cancer of war can its real causes be prevented. National leaders, institutions and the media are obliged to undertake this urgent and grave task. So too are all of us who play a leading role in culture; each in his or her own area, we are charged by God, by history and by the future to initiate processes of peace, seeking to lay a solid basis for agreements between peoples and states. It is my hope that this noble and beloved land of Egypt, with God's help, may continue to respond to the calling it has received to be a land of civilization and covenant, and thus to contribute to the development of processes of peace for its beloved people and for the entire region of the Middle East.</div><div style="margin: 0px; padding: 20px 0px; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; line-height: 24px; vertical-align: baseline; text-align: justify; color: rgb(68, 68, 68);"> As-salamu alaykum! Peace be with you!</div></span></article>RSASShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03909970787103639680noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-177531261123580522.post-34916937714152712732017-04-29T10:48:00.000-07:002017-04-29T08:45:04.058-07:00Active Nonviolence - Letter from RSASS Annual meeting<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12pt;">ACTIVE NONVIOLENCE: A WAY TO BUILD LASTING PEACE IN SOUTH SUDAN</span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><i><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12pt;">A message of Nonviolence from Consecrated Life to our Religious communities, the Churches and the People of South Sudan, to our Friends and Supporters and all People of Good Will</span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><i><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12pt;">We, members of the Religious Superiors' Association of South Sudan (RSASS), who came together for a workshop on Consecrated Life and the RSASS Annual General Assembly 2017 at the Good Shepherd Peace Centre, in Kit (Juba), from 24<sup>th</sup> - 29<sup>th</sup> April 2017, have reflected on active nonviolence and on Pope Francis' letter <i>'Nonviolence: a Style of Politics for Peace'</i> in the hope to contribute with a positive response to the challenges of South Sudan today. Faithful to our call by God and to the Charism of our Congregations, we wish to send out this message of nonviolence at the conclusion of our meeting to our brothers and sisters in our<i> </i>Religious communities, to the Churches and the people of South Sudan, to our friends and supporters and all people of good will.</span></p><div style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span><br class="webkit-block-placeholder"></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12pt;">LOOKING AT SOUTH SUDAN TODAY</span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><i><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12pt;">"It is impossible for us not to speak about what we have seen and heard".</span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12pt;">(Acts of the Apostles 4:20)</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12pt;">We have heard from our brothers and sisters some shocking and disturbing news. The country is immerged in violence and in a deep economic crisis. There have been so many killings, raping, burning of houses and looting. Innocent people, including children, have been brutally killed. The rights and dignity of people have been grossly violated. Hundreds of thousands are internally displaced or refugees. Famine is a sad reality and the economic crisis increases hunger. Hatred, bitterness and divisions have also increased. People feel traumatised and helpless. We are concerned that often church personnel have been harassed, intimidated, detained, and some have been killed. This civil war that keeps on revolving is evil and has claimed the lives of too many brothers and sisters and inflicted endless suffering on our people. What have we done to our humanness and the sacredness of life?</span></p><div style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span><br class="webkit-block-placeholder"></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12pt;">Despite all this, we have seen signs of life and hope. There are many good people in South Sudan who, together with many others, are giving a positive response and making a difference in this challenging situation. We have also heard from our brothers and sisters about the insistence, persistence and resilience of the people of South Sudan, that the Church is continuously praying and fasting for peace and reconciliation, has issued messages and pastoral letters to denounce violence and encourage people, got actively involved in the peace talks and is providing shelter, food, education and health care for many people. We have heard also that Church personnel have become a presence of solidarity, peace and hope among communities in war-affected areas, protection of civilians sites (POCs) and refugee camps, that South Sudan Council of Churches (SSCC) has invited his Holiness Pope Francis to visit South Sudan this year. We have testified that the Religious Superiors' Association of South Sudan (RSASS) has opened the 'Good Shepherd Peace Centre' in Kit to offer trauma healing and peacebuilding programmes and other human and spiritual formation and is fully operating in a peaceful environment.</span></p><div style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span><br class="webkit-block-placeholder"></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12pt;">We cannot forget our dear Sister Veronika Rackova of the Congregation of the Missionary Sisters Servants of the Holy Spirit (SSpS). She was one of our members and a doctor who was gunned down by soldiers while driving an ambulance on the night of 16<sup>th</sup> May 2016 in Yei. Her mission was to save lives and her 'sacrifice' an action of active nonviolence. She did not die in vain. We offer our solidarity to her community and Congregation and at the same time we demand that justice may be done.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12pt;">JESUS AND ACTIVE NONVIOLENCE</span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><i><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12pt;">"For Christ is our peace, he who has made the two peoples one, destroying in his own flesh the wall – the hatred – which separated us (...) He destroyed hatred and reconciled us both to God through the cross".</span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12pt;">(Ephesians 2:14-16)</span></p><div style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span><br class="webkit-block-placeholder"></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12pt;">We have looked at the Word of God and at the Teaching of the Church. Both shed light and hope on South Sudan. We have seen that nonviolence is at the heart of the Gospel and that Jesus of Nazareth himself lived in violent times, but his message offers a radically positive approach. Jesus Christ has come into the world to save it from sin and death, to fight against violence and to destroy it with the nonviolence of his Kingdom. On the way of the cross, his painful journey to Calvary, Jesus Christ, a nonviolent person, carried on himself the violence of the enemy for the sake of many. He died on the cross because of the kind of life he lived, a life of nonviolence and inclusive compassion. He died because of the options he made. </span></p><div style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span><br class="webkit-block-placeholder"></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12pt;">Jesus challenged the unjust and violent legal system and the political and religious establishments of his time, the institutions and structures that produced social exclusion and inflicted much suffering on people. He challenged violence and those who profited from it. He was willing to risk suffering. The only weapon Jesus used was love and compassion. He resisted with all his might the temptation to be drawn into violence and retaliation. We have understood in our reflections and prayers that Jesus Christ is not calling to passivity, but rather to a creative nonviolent response and calls us to cultivate a virtue of nonviolent peacemaking. Indeed, Jesus Christ is our Redeemer and Lord, and our model of peacemaker. </span></p><div style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span><br class="webkit-block-placeholder"></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12pt;">His Holiness Pope Francis has issued a message on 1<sup>st</sup> January 2017 for the celebration of the fiftieth World Day of Peace under the title <i>'Nonviolence: a Style of Politics for Peace'</i>. We have been encouraged by his message. Pope Francis reminds us that "to be true followers of Jesus today also includes embracing his teaching about nonviolence, (...) as a person's way of being, the attitude of one who is so convinced of God's love and power that he or she is not afraid to tackle evil with the weapons of love and truth alone" (Pope Francis' message for the fiftieth World Day of Peace, 1 January 2017).</span></p><div style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span><br class="webkit-block-placeholder"></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12pt;">We became aware that the Church has been involved in nonviolent peacebuilding strategies in many countries and Pope Francis teaches us that "to act in this way means to choose solidarity as a way of making history and building friendship in society. Active nonviolence is a way of showing that unity is truly more powerful and more fruitful than conflict" (Pope Francis' message for the fiftieth World Day of Peace, 1 January 2017). We have understood, however, that nonviolence entails self-sacrifice and are convinced that active nonviolence is a good way to build a just and lasting peace in South Sudan. So, we reaffirm our commitment to make all effort to build peace through active and creative nonviolence. </span></p><div style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span><br class="webkit-block-placeholder"></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12pt;">PROMOTING ACTIVE NONVIOLENCE</span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><i><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12pt;">"Blessed are the poor in spirit, those who mourn, the meek, the merciful and the peacemakers, those who are pure in heart, and those who hunger and thirst for justice".</span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12pt;">(Matthew 5:3-10)</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12pt;">The Gospel and Pope Francis invite us to "dedicate ourselves prayerfully and actively to banishing violence from our hearts, words and deeds, and to becoming nonviolent people and to building nonviolent communities that care for our common home" (Pope Francis' message for the fiftieth World Day of Peace, 1 January 2017).</span></p><div style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span><br class="webkit-block-placeholder"></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12pt;">IN RESPONSE,</span></p><div style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span><br class="webkit-block-placeholder"></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt 36pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12pt;">-<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-family: 'times new roman';"> </span></span><span dir="LTR"></span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12pt;">We offer our prayers and solidarity to the victims of violence in South Sudan.</span></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt 36pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12pt;">-<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-family: 'times new roman';"> </span></span><span dir="LTR"></span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12pt;">We want to take a clear stand for creative and active nonviolence and against all forms of violence and threats to life and human dignity. </span></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt 36pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12pt;">-<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-family: 'times new roman';"> </span></span><span dir="LTR"></span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12pt;">We have made an Action Plan to raise active nonviolence awareness through civic education, media/radio, workshops for mixed groups, games and sports, women groups/desks and the strengthening of family unity.</span></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt 36pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12pt;">-<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-family: 'times new roman';"> </span></span><span dir="LTR"></span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12pt;">We are committed to promote active nonviolence through the celebrations of the Eucharist, unity in diversity and other prayers.</span></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt 36pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12pt;">-<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-family: 'times new roman';"> </span></span><span dir="LTR"></span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12pt;">We encourage our Religious brothers and sisters in our communities to make all effort to build peace through active and creative nonviolence.</span></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt 36pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12pt;">-<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-family: 'times new roman';"> </span></span><span dir="LTR"></span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12pt;">We invite our religious leaders to lift up the vision of nonviolence in their preaching and teaching ministry.</span></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt 36pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12pt;">-<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-family: 'times new roman';"> </span></span><span dir="LTR"></span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12pt;">We urge our political leaders to end the war in South Sudan, to respect human rights and to promote a culture of peace and active nonviolence.</span></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt 36pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12pt;">-<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-family: 'times new roman';"> </span></span><span dir="LTR"></span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12pt;">We continue our prayers that justice, reconciliation and lasting peace may prevail in South Sudan.</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span><br class="webkit-block-placeholder"></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12pt;">Given in Kit (Juba), South Sudan, on 28<sup>th</sup> April 2017</span></p><div style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span><br class="webkit-block-placeholder"></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12pt;">The participants of the workshop on Consecrated Life and the RSASS Annual General Assembly 2017</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12pt;">Religious Superiors' Association of South Sudan (RSASS)</span></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12pt;"></span></p><div><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12pt;"><br></span></b></div>RSASShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03909970787103639680noreply@blogger.com0